Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	life_n	reap_v	sow_v	9,564	5	10.7381	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38440	Englands thankfulnesse, or, An Humble remembrance presented to the Committee for Religion in the High Court of Parliament with thanksgiving for that happy pacification betweene the two kingdomes by a faithfull well-wisher to this church and nation.		1642 (1642)	Wing E3057; ESTC R28612	13,889	20

Sacrifice unto him who hath so mercifully and miraculously saved us so highly honoured us with such a Calling and now maketh the glory of his Love so evidently to rest upon us Here then the question is to be made concerning you for it lieth more upon you then upon others to take this matter publikely to heart what should you doe for the propagation of Gods glory wherein should yee at this time intend to doe him service that you may shew your selfe dutifull and thankfull Give me leave to shew you how you shall be able to resolve this quest Consider then with your selves what your abilities are where they can be employed with best advantage and what opportunity you have to settle upon the worke at this time Your abilities are two fold Nationall and Personall your Nationall abilities are supposed to stand First in the abundance of all manner of men fit for all kind of employments subordinate unto Gods service Secondly in the plenty of outward meanes and helpes whereby these men may be comfortably maintained in any taske which may be laid upon them So that to make these abilities profitable there is no more requisite but to set those that are now idle a work that their Talents may be usefull unto the Common-wealth of Israel in a publike way And this may easily be done if you recommend unto them some taske in a worke of a publike and profitable nature and use meanes to joyne in one way towards the same scope all their endeavours For this will be requisite that the businesse which shall be intended may bee done effectually and to some good purpose As for your personall abilities to intend publike workes and set others upon them they stand first in the soundnesse of your judgements to discerne the objects fittest to be undertaken and to make choyce of persons ablest to be imployed therein Secondly in the Authority and place wherein at this time God hath put you whereby you have power not onely to recommend the undertaking of publike workes to men of able parts but also to ordaine and name that which should be done to order the manner of doing it and to give encouragements towards the performance of the duty These are all eminent and excellent abilities which ought not to be without use like the unprofitable Talent that was hid in the ground Therefore they should be set a worke there where they may become most advantageous to the Kingdome of our God Now we know that there a thing is most usefull where the effects thereof may be extended unto most men for their best advantage in the best things For seeing our goodnesse Psal 26.2 3. as David saith cannot be extended unto God himselfe but onely unto the Saints that are on earth and to the excellent ones in whom should be all our delight Therefore you should looke upon the State of the Church of God on earth to improve the use of these your Talents towards it in the communion of Saints that all the Members of his Church as well those that make profession openly of his truth as those that in secret belong to his election may receive benefit by your meanes in the way of publike edification Here then I meane by the Church of God chiefly and in the first place those that are called Protestants and then also all other Christians that may be disposed to imbrace the same truth which they professe Now by Protestants I understand those men who have protested against Popery for the truthes sake and desiring to be ruled in Faith and practise onely by the will of God alone have renounced all Doctrines and traditions of men and all superstitious Ordinances of worship which God hath not revealed in the holy Scriptures And I conceive to be usefull unto these men and in this very thing which is the fundamentall property of their standing is to pitch upon the best object that can be taken in hand for the advancement of the Kingdome of God and you may be sure whatsoever you shall intend to doe towards others in this kind it will redound as well in the very undertaking as in the progresse and chiefly in the event unto your owne benefit and advantage For if you sowe to the spirit in the Kingdome of Christ you shall reape of that spirit the fruits of that Kingdome even life everlasting And if your endeavours be not stinted to such particulars as doe concerne your selves alone but be as the spirit of Christ is without partiality bent to the universall good of the whole Church then the fruits of those endeavours by the working of the same spirit will first rest upon your owne Common-wealth and from thence be conveyed unto all the rest Whatsoever then you meane to rectifie as being amisse or to make more compleat as being defective within your owne Body if you settle a course to doe it in an universall way which shall be free from all partiality you shall in doing good to many benefit your selves to the full For as a Conduit-pipe is filled with the water which is conveyed from the Fountaine unto a common receptacle so it shall be with you if you aime not at your selves in the use of your Talents but at the common good of many God will make you his Conduit-pipes of Grace and you shall be first filled with the fruits of his Blessings upon your labours and then also be fitted to transfuse the same unto others But if you neglect the universall aim chuse another more particular proceeding then is appliable unto other Protestants you shall be found unprofitable unto the Church of God undutifull in the communion of Saints and withall either perhaps faile of your purposes or if you gaine them yet remaine in a case no better then you were in before because in so doing you shall goe at a venture and changing one particular way for another find perhaps no rest in both at least you shall not be sure to find any rest before you have made a triall But if you would make sure worke chuse the way which cannot faile to bring us at last unto a full Reformation Chuse Gods way for he is the Author of all perfection and in following it you shall be sure to gaine your purpose through his Blessing Gods way doth abstract and raise our spirits above all selfe-seeking intentions and out of his owne way he doth not accompany any mans undertakings with a Blessing But even as he hath called us unto Christian liberty not that we should use our liberties to serve our selves but that we should serve one another through Love not that we should seeke our owne profit but the profit of many for edification so he doth pot send forth his Blessings but upon the undertakings which are ordered according to this Rule Pardon me if I seeme to presse this point somewhat home and to dwell upon it For there is a necessity in it to raise your thoughts beyond