Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	know_v	young_a	youth_n	112	3	7.9044	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41668	The young man's guide through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan shewing him how to carry himself Christian-like in the whole course of his life / by Tho. Gouge ...	Gouge, Thomas, 1605-1681.	1676 (1676)	Wing G1387; ESTC R32454	122,357	176

frequent the means of grace I mean the Ministry of the word that being the ordinary instrument whereby the Spirit of God who is the principal Author of grace doth convey grace into the hearts of sinners Whereupon the Apostle Peter affirmeth 1 Pet. 1. 23 That we are born a new not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God Where by being born a new is meant such a thorow change in us whereby we are brought out of the state of nature into the state of grace and so are made new Creatures having an infusion of new and holy habits or supernatural graces put into our hearts which blessing is ordinarily wrought in us through the Ministry of the Word Acts 2. 41. We read of three thousand sinners who had grace wrought in their souls by one Sermon Yea Acts 10. 44. It is said Whilest Peter was preaching the Holy Ghoss fell on all them that heard the Word And therefore O Young man as thou desirest true saving grace frequent the Ministry of the word take all occasions of hearing the same hoth in season and out of season And for thine incouragement know that as graceless and prophane hearts as thine have been sanctified by the Spirit of God as they have been attending upon the Ministry of the Word And who knoweth but thou maist find the same effect of the Word upon thy soul whilst thou art waiting upon it 3. Beware thou neglect not the day of grace There are certain seasons of Grace when the Lord makes tenders and offers of grace to the Souls of poor sinners Yea there is no man that lives in the bosome of the Church but probably he hath his critical day a certain time for grace which if he neglect it is a question whether ever it will be offered to him again Happy therefore and thrice happy are they who observe those seasons of grace and know in their day the things that concern their everlasting peace Now it may he God speaks home to thy Conscience now he warms thine heart and puts thereinto good purposes and resolutions It will be therefore thy wisedome carefully to observe and improve the same to thy Souls advantage not suffering them carelesly to pass away lest if thou lose the benefit of those blessed motions thou lose life and salvation for ever Luke 19. 41 42. Our Saviour tells the Jews they had a day of grace which because they slighted and neglected they should never enjoy it again the means of grace and salvation should be no more offered unto them God being a just God is it not just that he should reject them for ever who have for a long time rejected him that he should turn a deaf ear unto them crying unto him on their death beds for grace and mercy who would not hearken unto him calling upon them in the day of his merciful visitation Whilest therefore the day of grace lasteth whilest God stands knocking at the door of thine heart by the motions of his Spirit and admonitions of his Ministers speedily open to him embrace his motions be willing to follow the dictates of his Spirit in ways of obedience Thou knowest not when thy day of graee will end Though some mens day continueth to their old age some to the day of their death yet some mens day of grace may end in their youth and younger years Thy first day may be thine only day for Heaven loyter out that and thence forth it may be night with thee for ever Therefore O young man how doth it concern thee to take the first and present season Now hearken now accept and submit to mercy now give thy self unto God be his faithful servant to obey and serve him with all thy heart and strength or the day may be lost and thy soul lost for ever Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation Thou knowest not what a day may bring forth thou maist suddenly be taken from the means of grace or the means of grace may be suddenly taken from thee The Sun of heavenly light which now shineth may set and thou be left in darkness The gate of mercy now opened to thee may be shut against thee The things belonging to thy peace may be hid from thee There is a time coming and we know not how near it is in which as Christ saith many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able Luke 13. 24. Oh what woful yelling what pitiful crying and earnest knocking will there be then at the gate with Lord Lord open to us But all in vain having slighted and neglected their day of grace when they should have got Oyle into their Lamps and grace into their hearts 4. Be earnest with God in prayer who is the God of all grace that be would be pleased to vouchsafe unto thee his holy sanctifying Spirit which may quicken thy dead soul infuse the grace of life and make thee partaker of his holiness whereby thou maist become a new Creature Beg of God that he would not put thee off with the things of this world but together with his outward blessings or whether thou have them or not that he would bless thee with spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus and that he would inrich thee in the Inner man with his saving and sanctifying graces What the Apostle Iames saith of Wisdom is true of all grace If any one lack it let him as●… of God that giveth to all men liberally and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not and it shall be given him Jam. 1. 5. O young man may grace be had for asking Ask and ask again never keep silence nor let fall thy suit till thou hast obtained And in thy Prayers plead that gracious promise Isa. 44. 3. I will pour Water upon him that is thirsty and flouds upon the dry ground That is where there is no sap of grace nor moisture of goodness upon such saith the Lord will I pour out my water my living water my grace shall flow down upon him and his soul shall be as a well watered garden Go therefore thou poor sinful soul who never yet to this day hadst one drop of grace within thee go thou to the Throne of Grace go to the Fountain of Grace lament thy sinful barren heart before God and plead his promise of pouring the spiritual water of grace upon the barren thirsty soul say unto him Lord make good this good promise unto me behold the dry and barren heart upon which no dew or rain from above hath ever fallen pity this hard and parched soul a drop Lord a drop from the fountain of living water God of grace give grace unto me and effectually work it in me And know for thy comfort that if God hath given thee a sense of the want of grace and an heart to pray for it it is an hopeful sign that he intends to bestow it on thee 5. Stir up in thy soul an earnest longing desire after grace To that

Consider how God expects to be honoured by our thoughts as well as by our words and actions by the workings of the heart as well as by the way of the life Holy thoughts are something of the root of an holy life who knows how much precious fruit may be in a good thought It 's true if they die as soon as they are born and bring forth nothing God will but lightly regard them but there is great hope that where the Grace that is in the heart does put forth into holy thoughts it will thence spring up into holiness of life Therefore O Young Man forget not daily to render unto God thy Thought-service as well as thy Tongue-service and the rather because thou hast more opportunities for the one than the other Thou hast not always opportunity for outward performances but thou mayst when thou pleasest think of God and the matters of Eternity where-ever thou art What can hinder thee from giving a Visit to Heaven every hour and oftner Send these winged Messengers up constantly let there be frequent comings and goings betwixt Heaven and thine heart let thy Messengers go up and they will doubtless bring thee down gracious and comfortable returns He whose eye is much upon God his Eye will affect and warm and quicken his heart and beget upon it the very Visage and Image of God in the view of whose Face he lives These good Spies sent up in search of the good Land above will return with such Clusters of the precious Fruits thereof as will revive and incourage and also strengthen the heart for that hard service it may be put to in its journey thither None make such haste Heaven-ward and such sensible Progress in their way as they whose eye is continually there 7. Whensoever thou goest unto God in Prayer amongst other thy sins bewail the multitude of vain worldly wanton thoughts that lodge in thine heart and there Revel it day and night Think it not enough to confess the outward acts of sin but likewise the inward contemplative wickedness and speculative filthiness which is in thine heart For the outward acts of wickedness are no more transgressions of the Law than the inward thoughts which do beget and produce the outward acts And sinful thoughts are the more abominable for that they are the Fountain and Original of all actual sins Such therefore as please themselves with this fancy that they were never guilty of outward acts of Uncleanness Drunkenness Murther Oppression and the like so long as they entertain and harbour inward lusts after those or any other sins and live in contemplative wickedness they shall find those to their cost and woe as dangerous as the outward gross acts of wickedness and uncleanness Besides we ought to bewail our vain thoughts because of the number of them which indeed are numberless Not a moment of our lives but swarms of vain thoughts arise in our hearts so that though they may be accounted lesser sins in comparison of outward gross acts yet by reason of their multitude they may prove as dangerous as they Many Sands by their multitude may sink a Ship as well as a few great Mill-stones So vain wicked worldly wanton thoughts by reason of their number and multitude may sink a Soul to Hell as well as a few outward gross acts Therefore O Young Man thou hast cause to humble thy self for thy sinful thoughts as well as for thy sinful words and actions And having confessed them unto God then amongst thy Petitions let one be for Grace to inable thee to keep down all wicked wanton thoughts and to give thee his sanctifying Spirit which may spiritualize thy carnal heart making it more holy and heavenly fit to produce heavenly thoughts CHAP. XIX Of the well ordering and governing our Words II. AS thy thoughts must be well ordered and governed so likewise thy words which is of special importance for preservation both of our outward and inward peace and wherein consisteth much of the truth and reality of our Religion For if a man seem to be Religious and bridleth not his tongue but breaketh out into bitter and reviling speeches that mans Religion is vain or to no purpose Iam. 1. 26. Though his Profession be glorious yet it will little advantage his Soul Therefore Solomon adviseth next to the keeping our hearts to keep our tongues Prov. 4. 23 24. we ought to be the more careful of our tongues 1. Because we are very prone to offend therein corrupt speaking being the ordinary issue of our corrupt nature 2. Christ hath delivered it as a certain truth That for every idle word that men shall speak they must give account in the day of Iudgment And that by our words we shall be justified and by our words we shall be condemned Mat. 12. 36 37. Because mens words do declare what their inward disposition is therefore by their words are they justified or condemned Beware therefore O Young Man that thou dost not vainly and causleslly increase thy accounts either by rotten and unsavoury or by idle and unprofitable discourses Far be it from thee to use this wind of words as Bellows to kindle against thy self the flame of Gods wrath here and the fire of Hell in the life to come But rather let it be thy care with the Prophet David To take heed to thy ways that thou offend not with thy tongue Psal. 39. 1. For thy better help therein take these few Directions 1. Be not too free of thy tongue but let thy words be few knowing that in multitude of words there wanteth not sin but he that refraineth his lips is wise Prov. 10. 19. And Prov. 17. 27. He that hath knowledge spareth his words and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit knowing when to speak and when to keep silence and vers 28. Even a Fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise because he hath this happiness not to discover his want of wisdom Many a mans folly and ignorance would not appear could he but keep his own counsel And the Apostle Iames Chap. 1. 19. exhorteth to be swift to hear and slow to speak To which purpose Nazianzen well observeth how God hath appointed a double guard to keep in the tongue namely the lips and two rows of teeth that it might be restrained from breaking out by this double fence Be not therefore lavish in words but sparing in thy speech for silence is an excellent Vertue and saveth many a mans Credit Reputation and Conscience 2. Let your converse one with another be more fruitful communicating your experiences your comforts and supports one to another exhorting one another and provoking one another to love and good works This questionless is one end of Gods bestowing his gifts and graces upon us that we might impart what we have received to the spiritual good and benefit one of another And hereby shall we increase and improve our own gifts and graces by communicating we