Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	knowledge_n	understanding_n	wisdom_n	6,916	5	6.5948	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80730	Two sermons preached at Christ-Church in the city of Dublin, before the honourable the General Convenion of Ireland. The first on Prov.11.14 at the first meeting of the said convention, March 2. 1659. The second on Jude v.19. at a publique fast appointed by the said convention, March 9. 1659. By Sem Coxe, Minister of the gospel and pastor at St. Katherines in Dublin.	Coxe, Sem.; Ireland. Parliament.	1660 (1660)	Wing C6726; Thomason E1026_21; ESTC R208752	50,638	72

Of this the wise man admonisheth Eccl. 3. 1. That to every thing there is a season und a time to every purpose under the sun And verse 11. Every thing is beautiful in its time To time a business aright is the excellencie of wisdom Upon the wisdom or the mistakes in counsels there doth usually follow answerable events Wherefore when the Lord intendeth to destroy a People he doth usually in the first place infatuate their counsels according to that of the Prophet Isa 44. 25. He frustrateth the tokens of the lyers and maketh diviners mad he turneth wise men backward and maketh their knowledg foolish And hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1. 20. You see then what an extraordinary measure of knowledg you had need to have to capacitate you for this great buisiness Daniel was judged meet to be called unto the Kings Council because the spirit of the holy God was in him even an excellent spirit in knowledg and understanding and wisdom Dan. 5. 11 12. III. Ye ought to be men of publique spirits and must be such if ever ye intend to be a protection and safety to the people Private self-seeking men are not fit to be employed in publique counsels When God called Solomon to bear the Kingly Office in Israel it is said 1 King 4. 29. That he gave him largeness of heart even as the sand that is on the sea shore he was not of a straitned self interested temper I crave leave to enlarge my self in a few particulars 1 Ye must resolve to serve your Country though ye cannot profit your selves at all thereby but should rather waste your own outward estates Nehemiah for twelve years together did not eat the bread of the Governor when the people were in distress as the former Governors had done Neh. 5. 14 15. An excellent pattern Covetousness pursuing after a private profit in publique matters may well be called pestis Reipublicae this is a special thing to be avoided by them that are to judg others Deut. 18. 21. they must hate covetousness 2 A publique spirit will not suffer injuries of any sort to be put upon the people he beareth with and putteth up private in juries with patience but that wrong that is offered to the publique goeth to his heart he cannot brook it It was a noble virtue and a publique spirit in Saul that when a private despite was done unto himself yet he did hold his peace and was silent 1 Sam. 10. 27. But when he heard of the wrong done to his Subjects the men of Jabesh-Gilead by Nahash the Ammonite the Text saith that the spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard these tidings and his anger was kindled greatly 1 Sam. 11. 6. and he rested not till he had relieved them 3 A publique spirit is more sensible of the peoples sufferings and afflictions then of any private mercies that concern himself onely See this in good Nehemiah although he was in high honour cup-bearer to a great King yet he minded not that but his countenance was sad and his heart full of sorrow when he heard of the great affliction and reproach that was befallen his country-men Why should not my countenance be sad saith he Neh. 2. 2 3. when the city the place of my fathers sepulchres lyeth waste and the gates thereof are consumed with fire So also Uriah denieth his own private content upon a publique account 2 Sam. 11. 11. The Ark and Israel and Judah abide in Tents and my Lord Joab and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields shall I then go into my house to eat and to drink and to ly with my wife as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not do this thing 4 A publique spirit will not stick at his own private danger though it be apparant but will venture his own person to the greatest hazzard so that he may further the publique interest He will use his sword aswell as his tongue if necessity require it David did fight the Lords battels 1 Sam. 10 17. When religion is in danger he will not spare himself but venture life and limb to uphold it Excellent was the resolution of Queen Esther in this case Chap. 4. 16. I will go in unto the King which is not according to the Law and if I perish I perish He knoweth that he is not born for himself but for his country also and can willingly dye in the service thereof He can say as that reverend Bishop did Moriar ego modo me moriente vigeat Ecclesiae 5 He that hath a publique spirit desireth rather to be useful in his generation then to be great When the Lord puts Solomon to his choise what he would have 1 King 3. 5. He beggeth nothing but a publique spirit Verse 9. Give thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people He asketh not honour and grandure in the world but that he might be useful to the people of God over whom he was placed 6 I will adde but one thing more A man that hath the publique upon his heart will lay aside all private animosities put up all private wrongs and differences rather then endanger the publique peace and settlement of the people When there was some private difference between Abraham and Lot occasioned by their herdmen whence the Canaanite and Perizzite who dwelt in the land might have taken an opportunity to have done hurt to both of them we find that Abraham passeth over that difference and would take no notice of it to the publique disadvantage Gen. 13. 7. 8. 9. Let there be no strife I pray thee between me and thee and between my herdmen and thy herdmen for we be brethren Is not the whole land before thee seperate I pray thee thy self from me if thou wilt take the left hand then I will go to she right or if thou depart to the right hand then I will go to the left If the mariners fall out the ship must needs be in jeopardy If private grudges be in the heart the publique concernments are like to suffer I have the rather pressed this duty of publique spiritedness upon you worthy Patriots because you know as well as I that private interest and self seeking in publique affairs have for a long time by past destroyed all our national counsells and consultations IIII Ye ought to be of settled and well resolved spirits and full of courage for God and your country To this end ye have your swords girt How shall ye be able to persevere in seeking the good of Gods house or of the Nation if ye be not resolved and grounded in your Religion and in the Laws of the Land And especially is it requisite at this time that ye be full of immoveable resolution because there is such a

since our publique Fasts were neglected and turned into private meetings upon what account I know not unless it was done to gratify and promote the way of Separation It will never speed well with our Counsells nor with the Church of God in this Land till our publique Fasts be restored and appointed by them that sustain the highest place of power among us according to the famous examples of the most pious and renowned Kings of Judah as Jehoshaphat 2. Chron. 20. 3. and others And forasmuch as it hath been the laudable practise of all godly Magistrates to proclaim Fasts to be publiquely observed throughout their Territories when any grievous calamity hath been felt or feared or when they have wanted special mercies or have enterprised some difficult matter I therefore humbly offer whether it be not convenient and necessary upon all these accounts That a publique Fast be appointed to be observed throughout this whole Land 2 Because The affairs which are under hand are of great importance our safety or our ruine depending much thereupon as you may see by that Religious and full Declaration set forth the sixteenth day of February last past You expect that God should do much for you by this honourable Convention that your Religion Lives Libertyes Estates shall be secured by their means But you must remember That God will be enquired of by you that he may do all these things by them as it is in Ezek. 36. 27. 3 Because If ye pray ye have promises that ye shall receive great benefit thereby I shall onely mind you of one promise made in this case Isa 58. 9. 12. Thou shalt call and the Lord shall answer And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of paths to dwell in O that this gracious promise may be made good to this Church and Nation at this time but prayer is the condition on our part Exhort 2. And now I must address my self to you our honourable and grave Senators upon whom all our eyes are fixed in expectation of help and safety under the shadow of your wings from those great miseries that threaten us at this time And I beseech you to bear with me and to allow me freedom of speech that I may deliver the Lords message to you speaking as I ought to speak And yet I shall through the divine assistance keep my self within the limits of my calling least by any means the Office of the Ministry should be blamed through my default That which I have unto you from the Lord shall be couched under two heads 1 Be ye such Counsellors as may save the people from falling 2 Let your Counsells be such as may procure their safety The first appertains to the Qualifications of your Persons The Second relateth to your Actings Of them I shall speak distinctly First I intreat and earnestly exhort you in the Lord that ye study to be such persons as may prevent our destruction It is not every one that is meet to be in such a place of honour and trust as to be accounted a Saviour of the Land those onely are to be in this employment that are fitted of the Lord. and spirited with due Qualifications to this great work Now I shall lay this down in Five particulars 1 You that are to be members of this great Council had need to be men truely fearing the Lord Pious Holy and Gracious Persons They that are called to places of judgment in a Nation are stiled Gods Psal 82. 1. 6. They are Gods Lievtenants do represent his Majesty and Soveraignty Holiness is that image of God that you ought especially to bear to make you fit for this high undertaking that ought in an eminent manner to be engraven upon your hearts and foreheads This was that qualification which God himself requireth to be in those that were to be Judges in Israel Deut. 18. 21. Thou shalt provide out of all the people able men such as fear God And if the fear of God be in you if ye strive after holiness of spirit and conversation then ye cannot much miscarry in your counsels For 1 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all sound wisdom and understanding Job 28. 28. Sound counsel floweth thence 2 Ye have a promise of direction in your counsells if ye be truly religious and holy Psalm 25. 9. The meek will he guide in judgment and Verse 14. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him They shall be of his cabinet counsel and receive advice from him Pious Counsellors though they be not so knowing or prudent as others are will be the best safety of a people Of such it is that Eliphaz speaketh Job 22. 28. Thou shalt decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee and the light shall shine upon thy ways II Ye had need to be wise prudent and experienced men that are to be Pilots of our leaking vessel which is tossed with so many tempests and contrary winds and tides else we are not likely to get into a safe harbour If wisdom be wanting in counsellors it portendeth ruine approaching This was it that proclaimed the destruction of Egypt to be near at hand Isa 19. 11. Surely the Princes of Zoan are fools the counsel of the wise counsellors is become brutish On the other side if the counsellors of a nation be wise and understanding men then prosperity is likely to befal such a people This was the just commendation of Ahitophel though otherwise a most wicked and ungodly man That the counsel which he did counsel was as if a man had enquired at the Oracle of God so saith the Holy Ghost 2 Sam. 16. 23. was all the counsel of Ahitophel both with David and with Absalom Counsellors had need to understand the Laws of the Land to be well seen in the customs and usages of the people to know the affairs of the Countries the practises of former ages and the state of the present times It is recorded of the chief Heads of the children of Issachar that came to Hebron to make David King 1 Chron. 12. 32. That they were men that had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do Some understand it that they had knowledg in Astrologie by which they did foresee the natural dispositions of seasons and diverse accidents of inferior bodies depending on the influence and government of the celestial ones which Science is not altogether unlawful in it self though the practisers of judicial Astrology seldom keep within their lawful bounds But I rather understand it thus That they were men endued with singular wisdom and sagacity either natural or acquired by long experience whereby they were able to discern and know the very moment of opportunities which is a thing very important and whereupon ordinarily dependeth the good success of affairs