Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	law_n	life_n	sin_n	22,698	5	5.7840	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94345	The rest of faith: that is, soules fixed and established in God by believing on him through the Lord Jesus Christ. With the grounds of this faith from sanctified reason, the benefits of faith, and the evils of unbeliefe. / Proved by Gods Word, and presented to open view, by Coll. Robert Tichborne.	Tichborne, Robert, Sir, d. 1682.	1649 (1649)	Wing T1151; Thomason E544_2; ESTC R203790	133,030	166

be our God and that wee shall be his people to put his Low in our inward parts and write it in our hearts that all his people shall know him from the least to the greatest and that hee will forgive their iniquity and remember their sinnes no more In this Covenant God wraps up all the parts of the salvation of his free grace and doth fully oblige himselfe to them all Now what is the reason that God doth thus oblige himselfe by Covenant is it because of himselfe that he might not goe back from his designe of grace to his people No he is God that changes not an immutable God Numb Num. 23.19 Psal 90.2 23.19 God from everlasting to everlasting Psal 90.2 But God makes this Covenant for our sake that we might beleeve in him as a God of grace and a faithfull God the holy Ghost argues thus he telleth us that a faithfull man will keepe his Covenant much more God as if hee had said The faithfull God hath made his Covenant of grace that you might beleeve he will make good his Covenant as he is a faithfull God God obligeth his owne faithfulnesse in a Covenant of grace that his people might have both his grace and his faithfulnesse for a foundation of their faith God will be beleeved by his people and therefore hee ingageth himselfe as a faithfull gracious God to the faith of his people sayes God I will pardon your sinnes and remember them no more I will put my Law in your hearts the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus and I will be your God and you shall be my people beleeve all this for I will doe it saith God I the faithfull the gracious and omnipotent God I that am omnipotent who can hinder me I that am gracious so that your sinnes can be no barre nay I that am faithfull and cannot lye nor repent I have spoken it and I will make it good what is the meaning of all this but that we should beleeve the faithfull word of our faithfull and gracious God he will oblige his owne faithfulnesse by way of Covenant that wee might beleeve in the free salvation of his owne grace made out in that Covenant Secondly Consider what is Gods end in the promulgation and spreading abroad of the Gospell It is not that his people should beleeve in the salvation of his owne grace why is Christ pleased to be the way of Gods salvation to his people of his owne free grace so that whom ever beleeveth thus on him hath everlasting life John 6.47 But that they might beleeve and bee saved by him 29. verse This is the worke of God that yee beleeve on him that hee hath sent This is the end of the Gospell for it is the effect of it where it workes savingly this is Gods worke or the worke of his spirit in the Gospell to make soules beleeve in Jesus Christ whom hee hath sent when Christ sent forth his Disciples to preach the Gospell he directs them to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel and biddeth them to Preach this Mat. 10.6 7. that the Kingdome of Heaven was at hand Mat. 10.6 7. Matth. 10.6 7. That is goe to poore lost soules in themselves and tell them that the Salvation of Gods free grace i● at hand it is neere to them it seekes them and saveth them freely but what is the end of this onely that the history of Christ might come to these lost soules no sure that is not enough for lost sheepe but that they might beleeve in the salvation of Gods free grace and bee saved and for this end hath God preserved his Gospell in the World and made it to prosper against all the power and malice of Satan and his instruments that thereby his people might heare the glad tydings of salvation by free grace in Christ and in the beleeving of it be saved and established John 6.40 This is the will of him that sent me that every one which s●tt● the Sonne and beleeveth on him may have everlasting life It is not onely a bare hearing or seeing of Christ in the flesh but beleeving on him that makes Christ to bee everlasting life to the soule and this is the end of God in the Gospell that soules might haw everlasting life through beleeving in Christ it is faith in the soules of his people that God intends both by giving the Gospel to the World and preserving it in the World So that for these two reasons which might have bin exceedingly more inlarged is doth appeare That this is the will of God in keeping his salvation to bee wholy the worke of his grece that the hand which received and applyeth it should be a hand of faith which is the worke of his owne free grace in the soule Thus farre I have held forth matter for faith in the soules of beleevers to rest on for establishment in the poynt of salvation by shewing in some of Gods Attributes what hee is in himselfe and what the designe of his free grace is in the salvation of sinners My intention is to hold out more matter for faith to take in before I give the arguments for Faith or motives to Faith Now I finde this by my selfe and others that feares and doubtings in the soule next to its owne salvation is about the Church and people of God on earth how it will fare with them and therefore I shall in the next place take that into consideration You shall heare poore soules that love Christ and his people b●t are weake in faith make these sad complaints O the poore Church and people of Christ what will become of them the multitudes of the World they hate them so that they use all their power and policy to ruine and destroy them Princes off the Earth joyne themselves together and take counsell against them if any in power own them it is but a little number and they but for a little time we finde them men subject to temptations many times when as by faire promises and some sinall beginnings men in power beget a confidence in Gods people concerning them till fairer advantages are offered by Satan in a temptation to their flesh and then they prove false to former promises and undoe all their beginnings of good by setting open the Flood-gates of evill and tyranny upon the Church and people of God Satan sheweth them the World they are taken with the temptation fall downe and worship him and if Gods people will not doe so too then the furnace must bee hear seaven times hotter then before and if they desire to go into the Wildernesse to worship the Lord their God then they are idle the Task-masters must increase their worke so that truly sayes this poore bleeding heart if a man have any thing more then a naked profession of Religion in such a forme that will be turned by every blaft of power from men he is then taken for a

the 72. Psalme 7. so on In his dayes shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth he shall have dominion from Sea to Sea unto the ends of the Earth those that dwell in the Wildernesse the Beasts of prey shall bow downe to him and his enemies shall licke the dust Kings shall come in with their presents and offer gifts to him yea all Kings shall fall downe before him all Nations shall serve him and he shall deliver the needy and poore he shall redeeme their soules from deceite his Name shall endure for ever men shall be blessed in him and all Nations shall call him blessed the whole earth shall be filled with his glory Thus will Christ reigne in righteousnesse and all the Kings of the Earth shall tremble for their unrighteous reignes they shall all come in and offer up their Crownes and Sceptres to this King of righteousnesse bow downe before him and lay all their power at his feet and waite upon him for his Law then shall the Earth rejoyce that the Lord reignes and then shall the righteous be glad that the King of Zion rule● in the whole Earth then shall the Land be a Land of peace when righteousnesse reignes then will peace flourish like the Tree planted by the river side that is alwayes green and flourisheth When Christ comes to reigne thus in the Earth it must needs be peace for then all his people will be one they will all have but one Name the Lords people and his name written upon them Zachariah 14.9 And the Lord shall bee King over all the Earth in that day shall there bee one Lord and his Name one When the Lord thus reignes over the whole Earth his people will be one then Names shall not divide his people for they shall all be knowne by his Name and he their King a holy King and a holy People he shall be known by his holinesse and righteousnesse so shall his people his holy Name shall be written upon them and that shall be a defence about all their glory Take one Scripture more which is exceeding full to this purpose in the 2. Isaiah beginning Isa ● beg Micha 4. beg And it shall come to passe in the last dayes that the Mountaine of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the Mountaines and shall bee exalted above the Hils and all Nations shall flow into it and many people shall goe and say Come yee and let us goe to the Mountaine of the Lord to the House of the God of Jacob and hee will teach us of his wayes and wee will walke in his pathes For out of Zion shall goe forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem and hee shall judge among the Nations and shall rebuke my people and they shall beate their Swords into Plow-shares and their Speares into Pruning-hookes Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation neither shall they learne War any more First this Scripture telleth us the time of Christs reigning thus in righteousnesse it shall be in the last dayes the latter end of the World Secondly How this thing shall be that Christ shall be lifted up above all Hils and Mountaines above all powers and greatnesse in the World he shall then take all power and government into his owne hands all the Mountaines shall flow into him the Mountaine of the Lord shall swallow them all up there shall in those dayes goe forth no Law but what goeth forth of Zion Christ shall reigne amongst his people and the Earth shall be filled with the peace of his reigning in righteousnesse when the Law goeth forth of Zion then the spirit for War shall be rebuked and the Sword of Gods spirit shall turne the Sword of the flesh into Plow-shares and the Speares into Pruning-hooks so that Nation shall never war against Nation more all Wars shall be hush't and gone righteousnesse shall reigne and peace which is the fruits thereof for Warre is the fruit of unrighteous reigning and governing nothing but righteousnesse justice and judgement can bring lasting peace into the World or any part of it and I wish all that love peace did love righteousnesse as well and imbrace peace for righteousnesse sake all such as doe so Christ will satisfie them for behold he comes with healing under his winges he brings righteousnesse and peace with him his righteousnesse brings peace he is the righteous King and the Prince of peace and he that shall come will come and will not tarry But if any shall aske what I intend in all this My answer is To gather up matter for faith to live upon to the establishment of my owne soule and others By beleeving in the Lord our God And I trust I shall not lose my end it appeares to me to be precious matter for Faith to live upon God and Christ to the establishment of soules That the Church and people of God on Earth are Gods interest and Christs interest Gods Inheritance and Christs Kingdome over whom he doth reigne in righteousnesse his jewels the purchase of his blood and the throne of his glory those whom God hath chosen from all eternity to be the redeemed of his free grace to unbosome his love and reveale his glory too to all eternity those to whom he hath given Christ and in him all things to whom God is a God in Covenant and that of free grace for whom God hath satisfied his owne justice through his grace in Christ and made them compleate even his owne righteousnesse in him for whose sake God reproves Kings overthrowes unrighteous powers dashing them in pieces like a Potters vessell with his Iron Rod and amongst whom Christ shall reigne King for ever in peace and righteousnesse This is to me abundant ground of faith to believe in and to cast my precious eternal soul with al my comforts and concernments upon Gods eternall love and free grace in Christ salvation in all the parts of it to Gods Elect in Christ is the fruits of eternall love and free grace in God this is a sure foundation to build on it beares a great weight its true but it will never shrinke or faile it hath been tryed from eternity free grace is the foundation and Christ the corner stone of this eternal building so that it will abide to eternity Upon these very considerations we shall finde the Church of God in the 46 47 and 48. Psalmes living upon God by faith 46 47 and 48. Psalmes and praising him through beleeving God is our refuge and strength a very present helpe in time of trouble sayes the Church That is God is our God and we are his interest so that he is presently at our helpe he waites to be gradous to us he cannot forget us we are so deare to him well what use doth the Church make of this why to establish her selfe upon God by beleeving Therefore will not wee feare though

Lament 3.24 The Lord is my portion saith my soule therefore will I hope in him This soule beleeveth God to be its portion and therefore lives upon God thus faith pitcheth upon what God is in himselfe to satisfie the soule withall the Prophet Habakkuk in his faith on God mentioned in his 3 Chapt. vers 17. to the end is a very emminent proofe to this truth he telleth us there Although the fig-tree shall not blosome neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall faile and the fields shall yeeld no meate the flocke shall be cut off from the fould and there shall bee no heard in the stalles Yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation The Lord God is my strength Observe the frame of his spirit and it speakes this That though all creature comfort should faile and be cut off from him yet that could not empty him of joy and rejoycing so long as the Lord continued to be the God of his salvation and his strength what doth this speake but that the Prophet lived purely upon what was in God and upon God himselfe as the God of his salvation for had his life been out of God his joy and rejoycing would have been cut off when the creatures of all kindes and in all places did faile but his soule living purely upon what God was in himselfe his joyes are alwayes green because God is the fountaine of his joy this is truly the benefit of the life of faith in the soule that must needs be a living advantage that leades the soule to a living fountaine and layes it to rest in the armes of God satisfying the soule with what flowes from the bosome of God that soule can never feare wants that hath this for its beliefe that what God is in himselfe he is for that soule and what is communicable in God shall according to the wants of that soule be communicated to it and this is the life of faith a life of joy and rest in God living upon the everliving God it is esteemed an advantage to joy and rest by the worldling to have his Bags and his Barnes full it is truly an advantage of joy and rest to a believer to live upon a full for God is ever full though the field and the barne faile though the bag have a hole in the bottome and cannot hold what is put into it yet the soule that liveth on God is full of joy and rest because God never failes Nay this is the advantage of a believing soule that liveth by faith in God it lives spiritually the streames that continually runs through the soule are Evangelicall the light is pure it is the light of the Lord the life is pure it is the life of God is lives upon what is in Heaven in God there is its treasure and its heart also the life of faith it is the evidence of things not seen not common objects to earthly eyes but sublime and spirituall objects the grace love redemption purity power and faithfulnesse of God these are the objects of faith which doe certainely make a most glorious life and rest in the soule this soule is of Heaven heavenly it is begot and new borne in Heaven and there it lives where ever it moves though the body be caryed from one piece of earth to another yet the heart is always in Heaven the object rest joy and satisfaction of this soule is spirituall God is all to this soule and all its life is in God the eye is spirituall and the heart is spirituall this eye doth alwayes see that in God which satisfieth the heart for the heart seasts and filleth it selfe with what it seeth and injoyeth in God if the Rocks in the Wildernesse should give no water yet the spirituall eye seeth Christ to be a Rock and a fountaine of life and there it drinketh and satisfieth it selfe with the waters of life the Prodigall had this eye when he said In my Fathers house is bread enough that eye which beholds God as a Father doth acknowledge that there is bread of life enough in God and that is the spirituall eye that eye of faith which makes God in single object and satisfies the heart with what God is in himselfe and to h●s people such souls as by experience knows what it is to live by faith in God I am sure doe value this as an exceeding great benefit and advantage of the life of saith that it hath God to live upon for its life A second benefit of faith in the soule is this By faith soules attaine to the righteousnesse of God which is Christ a believing soule makes Christ its righteousnesse so the Apostle Paul Phil 3.9 Phil. 3.9 And bee found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which i● through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith So long as this Apostle lived in his legal spirit principles his legall duties and priviledges were his righteousnesse but so soone as the life of faith lives in his soule Christ is made the righteousnesse of his soule hee counts all his former righteousnesse but as drosse and dung Now nothing will satissie his soule but to be found in Christ that is to have Christ his righteousnesse that God may behold him in Christ his owne righteousnesse faith it climes as high as God for righteousnesse nothing below Christ must be a righteousnesse to a believing soule To be found in him Christ the righteousnesse which it of God by faith When faith seeks a righteousnesse it restes no where till it attaine Christ Rom. 9.30 who is the righteous of God And this righteousnesse the Apostle telleth us in Rom. 9.30 That the Gentiles attained to by faith That the Gentiles have obtained righteousnesse even the righteousnesse of faith That is they have by faith pitched upon Christ for righteousnesse and so through believing have attained the true righteousnesse that righteousnesse which the soule can attaine to no other way but by believing the Jewes in all their legall duties could not attaine to that righteousnesse which the Gentiles did by believing The righteousnesse of God is not of works but by faith Christ is Gods righteousnesse he doth purchase and redeem the soule to believe faith doth not purchase Christ for a righteousnesse but believe in the purchase and redemption that Christ hath made for it and so attaines Christ its righteousnesse who is Gods righteousnesse and in whom the soule is to all eternity righteous in the sight of God Rom. 4.3 Thus was Abrahams beleeving in God accounted to him for righteousnesse It is not Abrahams doing but his believing by which he attaines to the righteousnesse of God and is counted righteous in the sight of God Gods righteousnesse is the gift of his free grace and can be attained by the soule no other way but in believing because any other

on mee shall your hearts be established Secondly God doth engage himselfe by Covenant to forgive the iniquity of his people and to remember their sins no more Now to beleeve God in this his own Covenant how exceedingly will it establish the soule there is nothing like sinne and iniquity to make an earth-quake and a soule quake If God once brings a soule or a Land to account with him for sinne and iniquity that will make dreadfull shakings indeed so on the contrary where God acquits from sinne and iniquity he makes rest and establishment for it is sinne that is the troubler of Israel but when God in his Covenant of grace shall engage himselfe to pardon and acquit soules from sinne such soules as receives this Covenant of God and believes that he hath and will make it good to them will surely be at rest But this is not all for God Covenants further with his people That he will put his law in our inward parts and write it in our hearts so that he will be our God and that wee shall be his people Now examine it over againe and see what is wanting to make an established soul if God be believed in it and rested upon for the fulfilling of it Here is choosing grace pardoning and purging grace here is justifying and sanctifying grace yea all this is grace free grace the grace of God and God in his free grace engaging himselfe to make all this good to such soules as rest upon him What now can any soule say against trusting in God for all that hee hath covenanted to doe in his owne free grace if the soule say I am not worthy what is that to the free grace of God God doth not move upon any such grounds it may be a good heart may say it is not broken enough why a broken heart is a new heart that which God hath Covenanted to give trust God hee will make good every part and tittle of his owne Covenant that should not hinder faith for it is the effect of faith Seeke not first to make thy heart good and then to trust God but trust in God and he will mend thy heart nay he will give thee a new heart that which thou wouldst give all the World to gaine he will give thee freely if thou trust in him he will not onely establish thy heart but sanctifie it also Now hence I dare be bold to affirme to any soule if it believe i● God and his Covenant of grace it shall be established finne shall not shake it for God hath acquitted such soules of that and cast all the sinnes of Believers out of his remembrance God hath done this great worke in his owne grace and neither can nor will ever undoe it Corruption shall not be able to unestablish a soule that believes on God in his Covenant of grace for such soules goe to God and spread their corrupt hearts before him and pleading his owne Covenant with him for new hearts and that he would renue right spirits within them Believing soules are fixed upon a rocke that is higher then themselves so that nothing in selfe can reach them and what ever is in God doth establish them such souls see God to be rich in mercy full of grace pardming iniquity transgression and sins for his owne Names sake Thus are soules established by believing in the Lord their God Againe Believe God in Christ our Saviour himselfe cals for this in John 14.1 You believe in God believe also in me That is believe in God through me looke through my wounds and see how he loves you behold the streumings of my blood and see how freely and fully he hath justified you consider your union with me and therein how he hath made you compleatly right ●teous in his owne sight He hath made me to be sin for you who knew no sin that you might be made the righteousnesse of God in me 2 Cor. 5. last Now believe thus in God through me that I have born your sinnes and satisfied his justice to such a perfection that you stand the righteousnesse of God in me Believe in God through me so shall you be established above the feare of sinne or puni●●●ment for you shall see I have borne them both for you Isa 53. I have ●●orne your griefes and carried your sorrowes God hath strucke● smieten afflicted and wounded me for your transgressions he hath bruised me for your iniquities the chastisement of your peace hath hee laid upon me and with my stripes are you healed for the Lard hath laid on me the iniquities of you all God hath made my soule an offering for your sinnes and hath seene the trav●ll of my soule and is satisfied Now if you believe thus in God through me your soules will be satisfied too you will be established as soulee that are fixed in the bosom of God me-thinks Christ sayes here goe with holy boldnesse to the barre of Gods justice and by faith offer up my wounds my stripes and the travell of my soule in full satisfaction for all your sinnes and I dare assure you hee will acquit and write your discharge by his owne spirit in your own b●som●● I begge of you says Christ have not the least doubt of his faithfulnesse or the fulnesse of my satisfaction I have paid the ●●most farthing you may boldly goe to Gods justice believing this there shall not to all eternity be a tittle laid to your charge No sayes he God will be just both to you and me he will n●ver charge you with that which I have paid and be●●●● 〈◊〉 have finished the whole worke of redemption I have 〈…〉 that believe in God through me from the curse of the law being 〈…〉 curse for them In the whole worke of redemption I did the will of my Father in my agony when I sweat drops of bloud and on the Crosse when there issued out from my sides streates of ●●ter and blood I did bear your sinnes for I had none of my own and in all this I have perfected your redemption in the ●●ll satifaction of my Fathers justice so that by believing in God through me you will see Gods Justice fully satisfied for your finnes and your selves wholy acquitted from sinne and made righteous in the righteousnesse of God himselfe and this I am sure will establish your hearts where sinne is discharged and righteousnesse sealed up there all cause of feare and shaking is banish●● and this is by believing in God through me sayes Christ for 〈◊〉 the great designe of Gods free grace my blood hath discharged all your sinnes and I am your righteousnesse I that am the fulnesse of the God-head bodily and you compleat in me perfectly righteous without spot or wrinckle in the pure eyes of God nay sayes Christ had not my blood made a full end of sinne I should have valued it at a higher rate then to have shedd● it as I did had I been but a perfect