Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	heart_n	pray_v	prayer_n	13,124	5	6.7659	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51487	Aug. 7: 1670. A most useful sermon preached in London, By a most worthy and faithfhl [sic] minsiter and servant of Jesus Christs, most learnedly pressed from Amos 8. 11. ... From which text of scripture, he learnedly shews the dreadful and deplorable condition of that kingdom which a famine of the word of the Lord seizes upon; and further shews, that they are the greatest felons who would rob us of the word of God, and that there is more justice in hell then is here upon earth, for in hell they do not punnish the innocent		1671 (1671)	Wing M2931BA; ESTC R213887	17,302	48

proclaiming Warre against Sinne and therefore the Gospel is hated and contemned and surely this contempt of Christ and his Gospel it is a sad forerunner of the removal of the Gospel Marke what I say a despised Gospel will soone be a departing Gospel will any man stay long in a place where he is not welcome If God sees that he and his Gospel are not welcome he will soon take his leave and be gone from them Hos 2.12 Woe Woe to them when I depart from them Well that is the first sad simptom of the Gospel departing Secondly Another sign of the gospel going it is the general barrennesse of people under the preaching of the gospel indeed it is to be hoped that some are fruitful but the barren branches are more than the fruitful Lea did comfort her self for her fruitfulness that now her husband would love her Gen. 29.34 She was fruitful therefore her Husband would love her May not we on the contrary fear God will not love us because we are unfruitful it is a sad sign when in the Weekly bill we see more every Weeke die than are born Oh is it not so in a spiritual sence we hear of many people that die Apostates but how few are born to God We hear of many barren Fig-trees that Christ cursed but where are the fruitful Vines if once that gospel and people which was as the garden of God shall become barren it is a sign the Lord will bestow no more cost but will pull up the hedge and lay his Vineyard waste that is the second Symptom Thirdly Another sad sign of the gospel going from us which the Lord prevent it is the animossities and bitter divisions of Gods own people the Devil danceth at discords it is a sad sight not onely to see Christs Coat rent but to see his Bodie rent his mistical Bodie I have often seen it is usual the Woolf to worrie the Lamb but it is unnatural to see one Lamb worrying another Christians they should be ready to dye one for another and they can hardly live one by another Those that write concerning the Bee observes when the Bees strive and mutanie together it is a signe that the master Bee is about to leave the Hive and when Gods people strive by discords contentions Oh it is a sign God is goi●… from the Nation he is about to leave ●…ive If that servants cannot agree they will fall out why the Master will take away the light from them I wish it be not soe here My beloved do not we all hope for one heaven Oh why should there not be one heart among us how unsationable are contentions among Gods people now when the Popish adversary is so near to us he is at the door It is a very bad time for Marriners to divide and fall out when the Enemie is boreing a hole a● the bottom of the ship is it not so now surely it is a sad signe of the gospel going from us the Lord will not let his gospel dwell in such a house as is all on fire Fourthly Another sad signe of the Gospel going from us and a Spiritual Famine i● is this When the People of God lose their first love and decline in their affections towards Jesus Christ Rev. 2.4 I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love when Christians have a Chilnesse and a Deadnesse grow upon them they have not the love to the word of God as they had they have not that brokenness of heart for sin they have not that zeal for truth they have not that simpathize for the misery of Sion they are now in a declining state they have left their first love and this is a fatal signe of Gods departing from the Nation Lost thy first love it will not be amiss to enquire whence this losse of our first love ariseeth this Spiritual Consumption as I may so call it whence does this loss of our love arise I conceive it ariseth from these four Causes First Perhaps there is some sin secretly indulged some sinne that your heart sets brooding upon now sinne is pernicious to grace it is like the blow at the Root of the Tree that causeth the Tree to wither as if a man takes but a small quantity of poison why this will hurt his virals it will waste his spirit look upon David he had been taking of poison he was tampering with sin and he found a decay in his holiness he was like one in an Apoplexsie he had not that lively acting of Grace as formerly he had he lost his first love Secondly The losse of our first love it may arise from the neglecting of the Ordinances the means of Grace you know abstinasie from food will quickly make the body Consumptive it will soon bring a Consumption so when People either through Pride or through Melancholly leave off Praying leave off Sacraments they have abstinasie from their Spiritual food no wonder if they find a declining in their affections Gods Ordinances they are the fuel for our Graces if you take away the fuel no wonder you begin to abate and you loose your first love Thirdly The losse of our first love ariseth and I pray observe it it riseth from a formal use of holy things though perhaps we do keep up duty yet God knows we do not keep up fervency in duty Rom. 12.11 Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Oh when once Christians grow into dull formality pray as if they prayed not their hearts is not in the duty they do not put sire to the insence they grow Drowsie in Prayer you know the wise Virgins they slumbered Matth. 25. Thus by degrees you lose your first love though you be not quite dead in sin yet you are dead in duty Fourthly The loss of your first love ariseth from a spiritual sloath Christians do not exercise themselves to godliness and then there follows a decay in godliness why you know your experience tells you there is nothing in the world sooner brings a mans body into a Consumption than want of exercise because the ill humours are not purg'd away and natural heat exercised want of exercise kills My brethren he that will not use grace he will be sure to loose grace Christians they do not exercise their faith they do not busie themselves about heaven they do not trade their Tallent for Gods glory as they should they live in houses together but they do no good together they do not exercise their grace and hence they fall into decay of grace before they are aware and loose their first love and what follows this loss of your first love sadly prefages the loss of the gospel of Christ for this very sin in the second of the Revelations and the 4 th v. for sin they had their golden Candiestick removed from them in the second of the Revelations and the first verse Therefore you see brethren what need there is to labour to