Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	keep_v	peace_n	unity_n	7,015	5	8.9407	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89582	A sermon preached to the two Houses of Parliament, at their solemn meeting to praise God for his infinite mercy in the restoring of the said Houses of Parliament to their honor and freedome with so little effusion of blood: at the Abbey-Church in Westminster, Aug. 12. 1647. / By Stephen Marshall, B.D. Minister of Finchingfield in Essex.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1647 (1647)	Wing M779; Thomason E401_29; ESTC R201798	19,695	33

and is it not a mercy when God will prevent this But secondly Looke upon civill wars and you will judge them a greater judgement when brethrens Swords come to bee drawne against their brethren when a mans deadly enemies must prove those that were his old companions when Cities are divided among themselves and Countries among themselves and all the miseries of Warre come to bee inflicted by them that have beene acquaintance and deare to us when safety and shelter may as soon be expected among enemies as old friends let all men that have understanding say whether this doth not double or treble the miseries of warre had it been an enemy that had done mee this displeasure I could have borne it but tu Brute thou my friend and companion that these things should come from thy hand all men know how deepe this sinkes this teares the heart of man in peeces Solomon saith that a brother offended is harder to bee wonne then a strong City and they are like the barres of a strong Castle it 's hard breaking of them but when once they are divided they are more hardly joyned as wee say of a strong Cord made up of a great many threds it is hard to bee broken but when it is broken you 'le hard ever sew it againe to make it strong by how many arguments any did perswade their hearts that they should not receive plunder or spoile or mischiefe from such a man or family from so many arguments ariseth a difficulty if not impossibility to be reconciled and hence arise lasting grounds of animositie enmitie and hatred scarce ever to bee worne out when upon every meeting this thought is suggested This is the man who as an enemy entred my habitation and spoyled my wealth it may bee murdered my children or parents ravished my wife or daughter adde further that frequently in these civill broyles the victory ends not the occasion or ground of the quarrell nor takes away but increaseth the former misery the conqueror commonly proving insolent inhumane cruell and more grievous to the Common-wealth then the thing or persons were against whom men have fought that I may boldly set downe for a certaine the conclusion of a wise man that civill warres are not onely a Malady but a fiery sicknesse even a Frenzie to a State and how ever God sometimes brings good out of them as sometimes men have better health after a deadly sicknesse yet for the most part States are never made better but very often ruin'd by them and when once the seed of it hath tooke deep root in a Land if God from heaven doe not miraculously appeare that fire burnes till all is consumed And is it not then a mercy from God seasonably to prevent brethren when they are falling into civill warres thereby to devoure and destroy one another But thirdly which is nearest to my Text and indeed nearest to the occasion of our meeting The greatest misery of all miseries in the world is When Brethren of the same Religion when Gods people and servants come to bee so farre prejudiced against one another or mistaken that they come to imbrew their hands in one anothers blood this I say is the heaviest judgement that ever God powres upon his Church and people There is nothing so contrary to Christianitie the Lord Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace his holy Spirit is a Spirit of peace his children are all called the children of peace and by their Covenant and duty bound to live in peace if it bee possible they must live in peace with all men but among one another they must keepe the unity of this Spirit in the bond of peace there must nothing hurt or destroy in the Lords holy mountaine wch is his Church now when these that are one body have one spirit have one Father one Lord one hope one Baptisme one hope of their calling one everlasting inheritance prepared for them that these should so farre deny their Christianitie as to imbrew their hands in one anothers blood and not bee content to let one another live and breath on earth with whom yet they hope to live eternally and triumphantly in heaven O qu●a dementia Quisialia fando temperet à lacrymis who is able to thinke of it without horrour what upon earth brings forth so cursed fruits as warre amongst the people of God Infinite dishonour to Gods name when his redeemed covenant servants walke so contrary to his rule Religion becomes a stumbling blocke a thing even therefore abominated by the enemies of it when the professors of it shall bee looked upon as factious seditious turbulent bloody hatefull and hating one another it overthrowes all power of godlinesse in their owne hearts when once the grace of Love which nourishes all good in the hearts of Gods people is overthrowne and the Spirit of God thus quenched in them grace decayes and the wofull fruites of Satan and sinne prevaile over them and now they grow corrupt in their mindes and conversation loose from their God bitter against their brethren companions with wicked men with whom they joyne against their brethren and so leave their Religion profession and name as a curse behind them Now to have all these prevented not onely warre and civill warre prevented but brethren in Religion who are the Lords people hindred from destroying one another when God seasonably apppeares to prevent all this Is it not a mercy worthy the acknowledgment To all this I might adde the excellency of the blessing of peace which is hereby preserved that blessing which is the Jewell of the world yea the unitie peace and love of the Church and people of God preserved by such a seasonable prevention which is such a mercy as no tongue or pen is able to expresse Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity This is like Aarons garment this is like the dew upon the mountaines of Sion which makes every seed and every plant of Gods planting to prosper where this is the Lord commands his blessing even life for evermore A large Volume would not contain what might be said of this precious Jewell which is hereby preserved But all this further cleares it that it is a mercy worth abundance of praise when God seasonably appeares to prevent his peoples engaging in Warre one against another I come now to the Application of it and there are but three Uses that I shall make of this Lesson First This Lesson doth speak very sadly against severall sorts of People If it be so great a Mercy when God will prevent his peoples destroying one of another then certain it is a great curse for any to bee guilty of making Gods people destroy one another that is clear Therefore al such are guilty as are the Moral causes of the destruction of Gods people in blood and war I mean who live in such sinnes as

glory to God who hath vouchsafed this Mercy to us Since the Lord hath appeared thus mercifully given us such a pledge as he hath done let us all endeavour to improve this mercy What shall I render to the Lord is the constant question of a thankfull heart so is this also How shall I use this mercy aright We must study therfore how to improve this great deliverance For our help herein I humbly commend two Directions one in generall which concerns all of us the other more particular which properly concerns you the Honourable Lords and Gentlemen of the two Houses of Parliament For all of us Besides all those Uses which should be made of every deliverance which are to teach us to turn to God to beleeve in him to trust him for time to come to tell abroad his wonderfull works which he hath done Besides all these methinks this mercy doth hint to all Gods people that God is very willing they should study to bee reconciled one to another for truly Brethren if we had gone to War now whatever might have been the pretended cause the reall truth had bin Gods people had gone to destroy one another They that have fought together against their common Enemies who have pray'd together mourn'd together lov'd one another liv'd as brethren contributed borne burthens done all with one heart and one spirit now under the pretence of I know not what must have sheathed their swords in one anothers bowells And when they were so neare it and their Father would not permit them Is it not a voice from heaven Children you must be reconciled Doth it not speak to them as Moses to the two Israelites Sirs you are brethren doe not fall out one with another Do not wrong one another Had God for our sins left us under this judgement to help to destroy each other and then the remainder of us given up into the hands of other adversaries they would have taught us to be at peace one with another wee should have agreed in prisons or in banishment or in the shadow of death O that the Lord would fix it upon the hearts of all that feare him to make this collection from this great Mercy that the people of God must study to be reconciled and united together and to bear one with another every one to indeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace More especially my Lords and Gentlemen this dealing of God toward you seems to call for some notable duties at your hands Let me freely speak a few things unto you 1 That God hath oftentimes cast reproach upon you and humbled you heretofore but in this last abasement the Lord hath set such a stigma such a mark of scorne suffering you to bee spit in the face after that manner suffering the young to beare themselves insolently against the Ancient and the base against the Honorable that I cannot but say there was some high displeasure of God either to your persons or to the Kingdome whom you represent or both I doe therefore most humbly pray you that you would search your own hearts and enquire whether there be not some cause why our gracious God did thus abase you certainly a Father uses not to spit in the face of his Childe if there bee not some speciall cause for it And I cannot think that the Lord would ever have let such an ignominious act that carryes so much abomination in the face of it to bee offer'd to a Parliament if he would not thereby put them to search for somewhat for which they ought to lay themselves low in secret before him When Shimei did curse and revile David David presently reflected upon himself So-let him curse since God bids him curse David hee presently remembred how hee had dishonored God in the matter of Uriah and therefore looked at this reproach as righteously inflicted by the hand of God how culpable-soever Shimei was in it I commend it to your serious thoughts whether as men or Parliament-men or whether as Houses of Parliament the honour and glory of God have not been slighted by you and therefore the Lord hath suffered this slight and scorn to bee cast upon you enquire whether there bee not as much cause why the God of heaven let this reproach bee cast upon you as you have to appoint a Committee to enquire who they were that have done it I blame not your care in that but I humbly pray that you would be carefull of this As I would fain have you learn somewhat from the disgrace which God cast upon you So Principally I desire you to improve the deliverance that now God hath afforded he hath now vouchsafed in his mercy to bring you to sit in Parliament in safety that you may consult the welfare of this Kingdome my most humble suit unto your Lordships and you Noble Gentlemen is consider more seriously then ever heretofore what a task lies upon you you have a very sick Patient of the Kingdome of England to cure it is almost ready to give up the ghost at your doore and in your hand now for the Lords sake if ever any of you have before-time thought of any private interest of your own lay it a side and now attend wholly to the publick now God hath given you one opportunity more try whether possibly you can save the Kingdome or no and in your endeavours I commend onely these two Heads to your serious consideration First Know for certain you can never save this Land without God If the Lord will not work with you you can work nothing Except the Lord build the House they labour but in vaine who build it But if you will work for Gods interest the Lord will work with you and carry on your own interests so far as yours is good Now the Lords interest in the Kingdome is Religion his Worship his Truth his Saints his People let them have the deepest part of your care you will but set up a wall without morter Arena sine calse Sand without lime if you do not take God along with you preserve Gods Truth in the first place buy not Peace with the selling of the Truth of God 2 Look to Gods Worship let that be set up and preserved in purity and take all rubbish and filth from it 3 Let the Ministers be encouraged with countenance maintenance provide that every Flock may have a Shepheard and that they may be helped forward look to Universities those Schools of the Prophets out of which may be sent laborers into the Lords vineyard you have begun many good things in this kind but you have bin hindred by many intervening accidents and the work still hangs the Reformation still sticks in the birth now make it your great work be faithful in building Gods house God wil build your house but if you shall be slight in it know for certain you shal never be able