Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A64968
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A present for such as have been sick and are recovered, or, A discourse concerning the good which comes out of the evil of affliction being several sermons preached after his being raised from a bed of languishing / by Nathanael Vincent.
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Vincent, Nathanael, 1639?-1697.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing V417; ESTC R27040
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62,262
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136
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to be lookt upon as an Admonition to take greater heed to the Holy Scripture which is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. 2. Be sensible that true and saving Knowledge is from above therefore ask it from thence Jam. 1. 5. If any of you lack Wisdom let him ask it of God who gives to all men liberally without upbraiding and it shall be given him And V. 17. Every good and perfect Gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights And as God is the Father of Lights so his Spirit is the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Eph. 1. 17 18. He enlightens the Eyes of the Understanding and puts saving Knowledge into the Heart What an Instructer is the Spirit of the Lord He not onely reveals Gods Counsel but gives an Heart to apprehend it and to be answerably affected with it He not onely speaks the Word which it does so infinitely concern all to know but he gives also the Ear to hear the Eye to see and the Heart to understand 3. Resolve when Instructed to Praise your Instructer thus does the Psalmist Purpose and Promise Psal 119. 7. I will Praise thee with uprightness of Heart when I shall have learned thy Righteous Judgments How joyful was the Hallelujah when the Psalmist had said He geveth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments to the Children of Israel Psal 147. 19 20. And Psal 119. 164. Seven times a day do I Praise thee because of thy Righteous Judgments And V. 62. He had said upon the same account he would arise at midnight and give thanks unto God 4. Look unto Jesus in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge Col. 2. 3. Christ is the Churches Lawgiver and Prophet He declares the Father whom no man at any time hath seen and no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son shall reveal him Mat. 11. 17. He opens the Eyes and Understanding to understand the Scripture Luk. 24. 45. The Gospel is as it were a Sealed Book till he opens it a right understanding of the Things of God and which belong to your Peace is both Christs Purchase and the Work and Effect of his illuminating Spirit 5. Pray much for Meekness and Humility and let not any deceitful lust be harboured in the Heart A Promise of Guidance is made to the Meek and Lowly Psal 25. 8 9. Good and upright is the Lord therefore will he teach Sinners in the way the Meek will he guide in Judgment and the Meek will he teach his Way Make no Provision for any fleshly or wordly Lusts for these Lusts of the Heart influence the Head and hinder the Light from shining there so clearly and powerfully both Mind and Conscience by fulfilling these Lusts will be defiled The Apostle plainly intimates that the old man must be put off which is corrupt according to deceitful Lusts or else we can never be renewed in the Spirit of our Mind Eph. 4. 22 23. In short be willing to know the Truth that you may be sanctified by the Truth Look into the perfect Law of Liberty and count you walk most at Liberty when you walk most accurately and exactly according to this Law Cry for Knowledge in Order to Affection and Practise that 's the Way to attain to great understanding in the Word of Righteousness Talents you shall still be intrusted with when you are thus ready to Trade with them The Second Question follows What are sufficient and comfortable Evidences that the Word of God is truly Learned What has been spoken already may be in part an Answer to this Question But that this great Case may be more fully resolved I shall add these Particulars 1. You have truly Learned the Word of God when you stand in awe of it When Conscience does urge and the whole man does reverence the Words Authority And the Heart concludes that God must be obeyed whatever come on 't and that nothing can excuse disobedience to his Commands This Holy awe of the Word must break the force of the strongest Temptations from worldly Gain and sinful Pleasures and it must Swallow up the fear of the greatest Men who will dislike you for the sake of Righteousness Psal 119. 161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause but my Heart standeth in awe of thy Word Princes commands and threats are not so much to be minded as Gods commands and the threatnings wherewith they are enforced When Princes have inflicted Temporal Death they are come to their Ne plus ultra they can go no further Eternal Life and Death are not in their Power but how is God to be sanctified and dreaded who can reward or punish for ever in the World to come 2. You have truly Learned the Word of God when you preferr it before all things which are really of less value Worldly Wisdom Riches Might and earthly Greatness are very despicable compared with that Knowledge of God which this Word is a means to convey to us Jer. 9. 23 24. Thus saith the Lord let not the wise man Glory in his Wisdom neither let the mighty man Glory in his Might let not the rich man Glory in his Riches But let him that glorieth Glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth Me. See how the Policy of the greatest Potentates on Earth is disparaged in Comparison of Scriptural Wisdom and not without sufficient Reason The Policy of Princes and themselves perish together But Believers who are made wise by the Word of God do mind and attain unto and shall be unmoveably possess 't of an Eternal Glory and Kingdom 1 Cor. 2. 6 7. Howbeit we speak Wisdom among them that are perfect yet not the Wisdom of this World nor of the Princes of this World which come to nought but we speak the Wisdom of God in a Mystery even the hidden Wisdom which God ordained before the World unto our Glory In my Text the Psalmist having said 'T is good for me that I have been afflicted presently expresses his Estimation of the Word above thousands of Gold and Silver If the Word has an higher Room in your Judgments and Affections after Affliction Affliction has certainly done you good and you have learned the Word to good purpose 3. You have truly Learned the Word of God if you Love and Delight therein and make it your continual Meditation Psal 119. 15 16. I will Meditate in thy Precepts and have respect unto thy Ways I will delight my self in thy Statutes I will not forget thy Word Here are excellent Rules and they that walk by them are perfected more and more for they become more gloriously like to God himself here are clean and safe Ways Promises of the good things of Time so far as they are good for any of you and of the infinitely
received it not as the Word of men but as it is in Truth the Word of God which worketh effectually in you that believe This Word shews its Power in pulling down strong holds in casting down Imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the Knowledg of God and in bringing thoughts into Captivity and Obedience to Christ 2 Cor. 10. 4 5. The Spirit of God wrought Signs and Wonders and divers Miracles according to his own Will for the Confirmation of the Gospel when first it was published in the World and these were part of the Spirit 's Demonstration of its Truth And Miracles in the New Creation cease not to be wrought still by the same Spirit The Word is made an effectual means to make the dead in Sin alive to God to make the Blind to see and the Lame to walk in the Way of Gods Commandments 7. Learning the Word implies a ready and Hearty embracing what the Word of God Offers and Promises Mammon and Satan make but very poor and mean offers and their Promises are deceitful they can offer nothing but what is temporal the things they boast of are onely good in appearance and they quickly vanish away Indeed there is something that is Eternal but 't is Eternal Wo and Misery that abides the worldly and the wicked but this Satan studiously endeavours to conceal from them Whereas the offers of the Gospel are great and glorious worthy of all acceptation and by all to be accepted the Promises here are so firm that they shall remain when Heaven and Earth shall pass away Psal 119. 152. Concerning thy Testimonies I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever If the Children of men might have their wish and would wish but wisely they would wish for what the Word assures to all Accepters of it Here is justifying Righteousness for the guilty and Condemned here is Healing Sanctifying Grace for the Diseased and Defiled here is Strength for the Weak and Comfort for them that are cast down and for lost Souls great and Everlasting Salvation How can he be said to have learned the Word of God or to know when he is well offer'd by whom such offers are refused 8. Learning the Word implies the Subjection and Conformity of the whole man to the commands of the Word of God Promises and Priviledges are to be studied and embraced and Precepts and Commands are to be received He that casts the commands behind his back is very Presumptuous in applying Promises to himself That Hope will make a man ashamed which is not accompanied with Obedience Hearken to the Psalmist Psal 119. 166 167 168. Lord I have hoped for thy Salvation and done thy Commandments My Soul hath kept thy Testimonies and I love them exceedingly I have kept thy Precepts and thy Testimonies for all my ways are before Thee He that has learned the Word of God knows that the Law is not made void by Faith but established Rom. 3. 31. Do we then by Faith make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law Christ the Churches Head and Prophet in his Sermon upon the Mount shews the extent of the Law requiring Purity in the Heart and Thoughts as well as in the Life and Actions condemns them who shall break the least of these Commands and shall teach men so but those that teach and do them he owns as great in his Kingdom Mat. 5. 19. The Law spoken from Mount Sinai is established by the Legislator Christ in Mount Sion as a Rule of Righteousness And they who are rightly instructed which walk according to this Rule both Heart and Conversation will be order'd according to its Direction and Peace and Mercy will be upon them and hereby they shew themselves indeed the Israel of God 9. Learning the Word implies a living in Expectation and Hope of that Glory which God in his Word has revealed Rom. 5. 2. By whom we have access by Faith into this Grace wherein we stand and rejoice in Hope of the Glory of God The Apostle tells that our Saviour Jesus Christ hath abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to light by the Gospel What Joy is set before us to encourage patient continuance in Faith and well-doing Were it not for this the Disciples of Christ would be of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15. 19. But since the Glory hoped for is so sure and near they are the onely Happy ones in the World He that learned the Word aright Heaven is in his Eye there is his Heart and Treasure He knows he cannot be perfectly Holy or Happy till he come thither and when once come there Holiness and Happiness will be perfect in degree and endless in Duration Nothing therefore can move him away from the Hope of the Gospel He abides in the Word and the Word in him and stands fast in the Lord himself and at last receives the blessed Life that is promised 1 Joh. 2. 24 25. Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning if that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father and this is the Promise that he hath Promised us even Eternal Life And if all this be implied in Learning the Word of God How many may Conscience reproach for never having learned the Word to this day Strangers they are to its Power and haters of its Purity and most foolishly and wickedly neglect that Grace and Salvation which is there tender'd to them How many may Sigh for Sorrow that they have learned the Word of God no better that their Faith is no stronger their delight in the Word of God no greater and that there are so many defects in their Obedience to it How should we all groan with earnest desires that God Himself would be our Teacher and make us right Learners of his Word And if He is pleased to teach us how Blessed Holy and Wise will his teaching make us and such also we shall continue for that teaching will have a lasting effect upon us Psal 119. 33 Teach me O Lord the Way of thy Statutes and I shall keep it unto the end In the second Place I am to shew the Influence that the Rod of God has to make his Word the better Learned 1. The Rod of Affliction awakens the Conscience So that it is very punctual in doing its Office Conscience being startled causes fear Where there was too much unconcernedness and stupidity before The Consciences of Josephs Brethren after the great Injury they did him lay in a deep sleep for many Years together but Distress and Affliction awakened them Gen. 42. 21. They said one to another We are verily guilty concerning our Brother in that we saw the anguish of his Soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distress come upon us Conscience being awakened is full of remorse