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
A89257	The crying sin of England, of not caring for the poor. Wherein inclosure, viz. such as doth unpeople townes, and uncorn fields, is arraigned, convicted, and condemned by the Word of God. Being the chief heads of two sermons, preached at the lecture at Lutterworth in Leicester-shire in May last, and now published in love to Christ, his country, and the poor. By John Moore, minister of Knaptoft in Liecester-shire.	Moore, John, 1595?-1657.	1653 (1653)	Wing M2558; Thomason E713_7; ESTC R207160	18,309	34

churle and a Misers name will hardly be found in the Book of Life This is a sweet evidence of such as have a true Call into the state of Grace 1 John 3.14 We know we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren This is not the cause of our passing from death to life but the cause of our knowledg thereof and a true mark wherby we know it and he that loveth not his brother abideth in death that is hath no evidence that he hath the life of the Spirit and the life of Christ in him Arg. 2 Secondly Such have nothing of a Gospel spirit in them for a Gospel spirit is a giving and forgiving Matth. 5. 42. 19.21 5.44 45 spirit giving to the poor forgiving our enemies A Gospel spirit is a self-denying spirit Matth. 16.24 They look not every man at his own things but every man also at the things of others Phil. 2.4 The care of their own Family doth not shoulder out Gods Family A Gospel spirit will be as careful for to put somewhat into Christs Treasury as into his own Treasury so far is he from robbing Christs Treasury the poor to fill his own Al th●ngs that the Saints have are communicative both Spirituals and Temporals and they know that their Heavenly Father hath made them Stewards and hath not given them all their good things for themselves alone but for others also so they are exhorted Heb. 13.16 To do good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifice God is well pleased That speech savours of Heathenism and not of a Gospel spirit We may do what we list with our own Art thou Rich hear thy charge from Heaven what thou must do with thy Riches 1 Tim 6.17 18 19. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded that they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up unto themselves a sure foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life There is a twofold use of our Estates First A Natural use as to provide for our selves wives children families this use every worldly man and that churlish Nabal for fo he is stiled 1 Sam. 25.3 knew well enough for saith he ver 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my flesh he is all in the Positive my my my that I have killed for my Sheerers and give it unto men c. He was all selfish This is sowing to the flesh and he that sowes to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption Such mens Charity begins at home and keeps at home too 2 There is a Spiritual use of our Estates to relieve Christs Members if good poor and our own flesh if evil poor which stand in need of our help and this is a sowing to the Spirit and they that sow to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Thirdly They that care not for the poor are full of distrust that God wil not make his word good when as God hath said Prov. 28.27 He that giveth to the poor shall not lack And Luke 6. 38. Give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over They will not take Gods word you can never make a worldly man believe but that he shall lack what he gives to the poor Never tell an earthly minded man of full measure and running over he believes he shall have the less for what he gives away the reason is he lives by sense and not by faith and he cannot trust God over all Fourthly They may call God Father but they are never a whit like unto their Heavenly Father who is the Father of mercies and God of all Consolation 2 Cor. 1.3 They are not merciful as their Father in Heaven is merciful Luke 6. 36. They are the Divels children and none of Gods that care not for the poor 1 Joh. 3.10 In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the divel whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother Fifthly Such as care not for the poor are worldlings covetous persons if a man may be justly called a Covetous a worldly man he is of the worst of men such are Spiritual Idolaters Ephes 5.5 Adulterers Jam. 4.4 God abhors them Psal 10.3 and they shall never go to Heaven 1 Cor. 6. 10. These Worldlings are the unprofitable burdens of the earth in whom there is no Charity Liberality Hospitality nor Humanity such are greedy gripes which by their inclosure would have no poor to live with them nor by them but delight to converse with Beasts and to this purpose turne Corne into Grasse and men into Beasts Sixthly Not to care for the poor argues not love to God nor love to Christ 1 Joh. 3. 17. He that hath the worlds good and seeth his brother hath need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion how dwells the love of God in him The question is put here to put it out of Question that such do not love God It s no great matter what such profess and talk of the love of God truth is that they of all the rest in the world have no love to God For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 John 4.20 They have no love to Christ for Christ will censure of our love to him at the day of Judgment by that love we shew unto his Members the poor upon the earth Matth. 25. And there all flesh shall be proceeded against Secundum probata alligata and this shall be just and good proof In as much as you did it not to one of the least of these ye d●d ●t not to me by these little ones is not meant little in statute like Zacheus but little in estate little in esteem As Christ said Matth. 18.10 Despise not one of these little ones for in heaven their Angels do alwayes behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven so take care of one of these little ones for their Angels c. Arg. 7 7. Such as care not for the poor have no hopes that God will hear their prayers and grant their requests In prayer we expect our wants to be supplyed from free grace and rich mercy Now Christ tells us who they are that shall get mercy Matth. 5.7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy The merciful are such who are so inwardly moved with the miseries of others that they do outwardly receive them according to their abilites Luke 6.36 38. Such shall obtain mercy in their miseries sometimes with men but alwayes with God Sweet is that of the Prophet Isaiah 58. read the 7 9 and 10. verses which are to this sense if thou feed the hungry harbour the houseless cloth the naked and satisfie the afflicted soul ver 9.

thy sins by righteousness and thine iniquity by shewing mercy to the poor if it may be a lengthning of thy tranquillity c. Vse 1 Seeing then the evils of not caring for the poor are so many and so great the first Use may be an use of terrour which through the grace of God to us given may break our hard hearts into shivers Is the to make us open hearted and open handed to the poor c. Here let us take Notice that it was a reprobate Judas that cared not for the poor who is gone to his own place Acts 1.25 which is the place to which all misers and churles must go Mat. 25.41 42 43. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels For I was an hungred and you gave me 〈◊〉 meat c. Observe here Fire prepared It is the proper peculiar place of such as care not for the poor For James 2.13 He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy Christ hath prepared another place for a charitable heart Matth. 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you before the foundation of the World For I was a hungred and you gave me meat c. For blessed are the merciciful for they shall obtain mercy Matth. 5.7 Far be it from men to think that charity merits a place in heaven But we must walk in love Ephesians 5.2 Which is the Gospel way to Heaven Christ gives them a giving and forgiving spirit whom he will forgive and to whom he will give the Kingdome of Heaven When once we are born again and are the children of the Most High by grace and adoption we grow like unto our Heavenly Father in every holy quality though not in equality especially in this We are merciful as our Father in Heaven is merciful and when we are once called into the State of grace we have this evidence of our election Col. 3.12 We put on as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindness c. and vers 14. above all things we put on charity which is the bond of prefectness They love much who have had many sins forgiven them Luke 7.47 c. Here remember we again that it is a damned Dives that cared not for a poor Lazarus and that it was one of those cryings sins that brought fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrha even this the not strengthening of the hands of the poor and needy If it be so then that so great terrours and torments remain for them that relieve not the poor what will become of them then that oppress the poor and the needy and take away that little that they have what will be the end of all those former recited Make-beggers if they be a cursed people if fire prepared fire everlasting fire with the Devil and his Angels be their portion that do not give bread drink clothing to the hungry thirsty naked into what fire shall they be cast what torments shall they have what great condemnation remains for them that rob the poor of all these that generation I have named so often takes away all from them who have the least Mich. 3.2 They pull off their skin from off them and their flesh from off their bones To rob a man of his clothes leave him naked is cruelty to pul off a mans skin is more then inhumanity and yet there is a degree further they take not only skin but flesh too These who are very poor may be said to have nothing but skin upon them yet these cruel oppressours will have that too I will speak one word to them that will by Law suits undoe their honest neighbours that will not consent to such unjust Inclosures Me thinks the controversie betwixt them and their neighbours is just like that betwixt the Wolf and the Sheep The Sheep tels the Wolf he hath no just reason to contend with them for they have the juster cause It s true saith the Wolf but I have the longer teeth But let such hear their doom Prov 22.22 23. Rob not the poor because they are poor neither oppress the afflicted in judgment For the Lord will plead their cause and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them Use 2 The second Use shall be of counsel 1 to Ministers 2 to Magistrates 1. To Ministers what to preach what to practice They must preach up this duty of caring for the poor So Timothy is advised by the Apostle and in him all other Ministers in that of 1 Timothy 6.17 18 19. We must charge them that are rich in the world that they be not high minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up unto themselves a sure foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life Ministers must not only preach but also practise this duty of Charity How doth Jesus Christ admonish his Disciples to beware of covetousness and to bee of a giving spirit c. The Apostle 1 Tim. 2. 2 3. tells us a Minister must be given to hospitality Although he must not live of Almes yet he must give Almes of what he hath Luke 12.33 Ministers without this gift of Charity are but as sounding brass and tinkling Cymbals 1 Cor. 13.1 Even like the Bels in the Steeple that call others to Church but never come themselves these may call others to heaven but shall never enter in themselves 2 My consel to Magistrates shall be that of the Lord to his own people Zech. 7.9.10 Thus speaketh the Lord saying Execute true Judgment and shew Mercies and compassions every man to his neighbor and oppress not the widow nor the fatherless the stranger nor the poor c. Such a good Magistrate was Josiah and so it was well with him and his people too Jerem. 22.15 16. Did not thy father eat and drink and do judgment and justice and then it was well with him He judged the cause of the poor and needy and then it was well with him Was not this to know me saith the Lord c. I shall propose Gods servant Job a pattern for Magistrates Job 29.12 13 14 15. I delivered the poor that cryed the fatherless and him that had none to help him The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I caused the widows heart to sing for joy I put on Righteousness and it cloathed me my judgment was a Robe and a Diadem I was eyes to the blind and feet was I to the lame I was a father to the poor and the cause which I knew not I searched out and I brake the jawes of the wicked and plucked the spoil out of his teeth Thus it is at once the Honour and Duty of those who are in Power to relieve the poor and needy and to rid them out of the hands of the Oppressours The not hearing of the poor the not relieving and helping them the not supplying their wants the not redressing their injuries by those who have power to do all these for them is their renewing and perpetuating their misery upon them and therefore that Magistrates Ministers and every one according to their several places and abilities in love to Christ Jesus and in tenderness of bowels to the M●●●●ers of Christ and their own flesh may perform this duty of caring for the poor I shall conclude all with an Use of Exhortation Use 3 The Exhortation shall be that of the Apostle Heb. 13.16 To do good and to communicate forget ●●t for with such Sacrifice God is well pleased Forget not that is remember to do good and to communicate yea so remember it as thou wouldest have Christ remember thee to do thee good and communicate unto thee the Treasures of his free Grace and riches of his mercies in the day of Tryal trouble and distress in the hour of death and in the day of Judgement For saith he these are Sacrifices which do not only please but well please God and Christ The Fathers called that which we give to the poor Pecunia trajectitia that is money returned by Bill of Exchange As they that travel into other Countries do not take their money with them for fear of robbing or other miscarriage but they pay it here and have a Bill of Exchange to receive it beyond the Seas in the Country to which they intend their journey So whatsoever we give to the poor we give to men but Christ repayes it We give it away in earth but we meet it in Heaven we cast it a way in this world but find it in the world to come To this purpose Solomon speaks Prov. 11.24 25. There is that scattereth and yet increaseth and there is that with-holdeth more then is meet but it tendeth to poverty The liberal soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall also be watered himself The Apostle compares Charity to seed sown now no seed no crop and the more seed the better crop for saith he 2 Cor. 2.6 He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and he that soweth bountifully shal reap bountifully And take we all the Apostles advice concerning charitie as it follows in the next verse Every man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver Now he that administers seed to the Sower and soweth the seed of all Grace in your hearts make you to abound in this Grace also 2 Cor. 8. 7. And my prayer shall be for you 1 Thes 3. 12. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men FINIS