Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A65411
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Sion shining in gospel-glory, or, The churches advancement and saints engagement in gospel-times with some hints of thankfulnesse for Englands deliverance from the Popish Plot of the powder treason : being the summe of a sermon preached at St Michaels in Cornhill, London, upon the 5th of Novemb. 1651 / by T.W.
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T. W.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing W130; ESTC R26300
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12,749
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36
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children of darknesse by the instigation of the Prince of darknesse against the children of Light Thus a Vail of darkness was drawn over the foul face of this horrible wickednesse This was an hidden enterprize against Gods hidden ones Had this taken effect hel had broken loose from the bowels of earth This was an attempt to have blown up with one blast from the mouth of hell the Parliament Prince and Peers and so suddenly to have involved our pleasant and peaceable Land in confusion and bloud For had but this Thunder-cloud burst many showers of bloud had been poured down upon England This was Satans strange Engine by which he would have attempted to have sent up many bodies in a moment nearer to heaven that he might have drawn down many thousand souls for ever into the bottom of hell For surely if the Head had been cut off the body would have soon dy'd if the Mother had been slain the children of her bosome that hung at her breasts would have presently perish'd If the Light had been put forth by this poysonous earthdamp the people of the Land would not only have been wrapt in darknes but have been stifled with this noisom Fog Yet out of this Fog would have issued that fire that would have set all England into a flame and have burnt up the bodies of Gods dearest and pretious Saints But Satan was chain'd up by an Omnipotent hand that he could not so much as spit fire to fright the children of God 2. Put off your shoes from your feet and walk up to Mount Sion and behold the Lord in his Glory who hath vouchsaft this miraculous mercy and seasonable salvation to his Saints Lift up your eies to the hils from which the help of Gods Israel comes in all the times of their distress and danger Get your souls sublimed in heavenly contemplations of the wisdom power and goodnesse of that great God whose wakefull Eye of Providence continually watcheth over his Church and chosen Ones He that sits upon a Throne of glory in the highest heavens and with his All-discerning Eye discovers the depths of darkness and the deeds of men brought forth this work of darkness into light to the confusion of his enemies and the consolation of all his faithfull Ones This was the Lords doing and how wonderfull should it appear in our eyes O come with humble reverence to the God of mercy and cast your selves down at his feet with lowliest admiration of his wonderfull goodness to an excessively sinfull Land O how ill have we requited the Lord for his love And yet the Lord before he vouchsafed this favour knew what our Requitall would be O the admirable Kindnesse of our God! The unworthinesse of the sons of men doth not obstruct the way of those sweet mercies that flow from the Fountain of free Love O prostrate your selves with humblest Adoration at the footstool of the God of Glory who in his wonderfull Works to the sons of men acts meerly out of free Grace The Lord saw when the Design was laid and said Hitherto shalt thou proceed and no further It was the hand of God that drew the Curtain and discovered what wickednesse was coucht in the dark When the Land was ready to be overspread with darknesse 't was the Lord that cover'd it with Light When Popish Agents those bloudy Philistines thought and hoped to have obscur'd the Glory of Israel the Lord still preserv'd the Ark of his Truth When the great red Dragon attempted to draw the Stars from Heaven the great and mighty God cast him into the bottom of hell God caused the destruction plotted against his own People to fall upon the heads of their enemies This is thy God O Israel this is thy Saviour O Sion this is thy Lord-Protectour O England 3. Prepare your Hearts in stead of Harps to joyn in a gracious Consort to sing forth the glorious Praises of the only wise and strong God your Saviour Labour to winde up your hearts to the highest pitch of hearty praisefullnesse and thanksgiving Say with Moses Exod. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the gods Who is like unto thee Glorious in Holinesse Fearfull in Praises doing Wonders To heighten your hearts into spirituall Raptures of Angelical Hallelujah's consider that Religion it self the Glorious Gospel and Precious Ordinances of Jesus Christ are particular priviledges which as to the Continuance and Preservation of them are wrapt up in this great Deliverance wherewith the mercifull hand of God hath Crown'd this sinfull Nation Had this hellish Plot taken effect Oh how had our pretious souls been poyson'd with Popery How had the Glorious reviving inriching advancing Mysteries of the Gospel been lockt up in an unknown Tongue How had our Waters been imbitter'd with Gall and Wormwood and our Rivers turned to bloud How had our immortall souls been starv'd to eternall death for want of spirituall food Oh how had we lived in darknesse died in sinne and dropt into bell Now reckon up the precious Mercies and glorious Favours that have been brought unto England and home to your own soules by the door of this Deliverance and you will see and say that you have infinite cause to praise the Lord to eternity O you that have had your drooping spirits and dying hearts reviv'd and wonderfully refresh't with the precious influences of grace falling in Gods Ordinances What are these Ordinances worth You that have had your hard and sinfull hearts softned and sanctifi'd by the distilling dews of grace in the Gospel of Christ What is this Gospel worth You that have had your empty and humble hearts fill'd with a Heaven of glorious Joys in Communion with Jesus Christ What is the injoyment of such a sweet Evangelicall Soul-ravishing Fellowship with Christ Jesus worth O pretious Christ O incomparable Mercies O unutterable Joyes You would not no I know you would not lose these glorious Gospel-Favours for ten thousand worlds of Gold O pretious souls now you have precious Christ communicating himself to you in his blessed Ordinances O ye humble hearts now you have the Spirit of God inriching you with saving Graces and breathing into the sweetest sacred Comforts O happy Saints now the windows of Heaven are opened and plenteous showers of Grace infinitely more precious then showers of Gold are poured out upon you The dours of Gods House stand open and you may enjoy that one thing in which the desires of the Saints are all summ'd up You may dwell in the House of the Lord happily all the daies of your life to behold the Beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his holy Temple Psal 27.4 Gods Treasury is wide open you may store your selves with blessings Gods Cabinet is unlock't you may inrich your selves with Jewels and Pearls of price with saving and sanctifying Graces The Fountain of Life is unsealed and you may drink freely and be satisfied with living Consolations Now God drops Pearls out of heaven and strews the earth with Mercies O how pleasant now are the paths of salvation which God hath strew'd all along with the flowers of his love Blessed are you Beleevers you now have a habitation in Jerusalem who might have been slain in the streets of Rome You dwell now in Sion who might have liv'd in Sodom You are now in a Heaven on this side Heaven who might have been in a hell before you had been in hell Oh what shall we render to the Lord for this his wonderfull goodnesse to us Let us even take up the Cup of salvation and praise the Name of the Lord. God hath inricht us with the gold of Sion O come therefore and let us offer up unto him the Incense of Praise O ye children of the Most high God Behold the night is past the darknesse of Popery and the mists of superstition are disperst and dispel'd and the Sun of the Gospel by a miracle of divine mercy stands still in our Horizon your Light is continued and the glory of the Lord resteth upon you Arise shine Trim up this day your shining Lamps of Joy fill them with the sweet Oyl of Love and let them burn and blaze up to the Heavens in a holy Flame of Praise Set them burning upon the Altars of your broken hearts and they shall burn in the Temple of the Lord for ever Arise therefore ye Saints and shine on Earth This Deliverance is but the shadow of a greater For though you lie down at length and sleep a while in your Graves yet you shall Arise and shine in Heaven with a perfect Radiancy of incomprehensible Glory throughout all Eternity Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
SION SHINING IN Gospel-Glory OR The Churches Advancement and Saints Engagement in Gospel-times With some Hints of Thankefullnesse for Englands Deliverance from the Popish Plot of the Powder Treason Being the summe of a SERMON Preached at St Michaels in Cornhill London upon the 5th of Novemb. 1651. By T. W. PROV 4.18 The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more to the perfect day LONDON Printed by A. Miller and are to be Sold at the Sign of the Gun in Ivy-Lane 1652. To the early Bud of reall Piety Mrs E. H. encrease of Grace on Earth and a Crown of Glory in Heaven THe sweet Discoveries you were pleased to make unto me of a gracious work upon your Soul have exceedingly engag'd my Heart dearly to love you as a Childe of God highly to prize you as a Pearl in Grace and really to respect you as an Heir of Glory Truly I cannot but with dearest affections embrace the Darlings of Gods Bosom and heartily love them whom God sets his Heart upon and Christs sets as a Seal upon his own Heart The Impression of Gods Image upon the Soul renders it truly amiable and excellent to a spirituall eye Sweet Saint Me thinks when I see you I cannot but look upon you with admiration of the Riches of Gods Grace as one whom I shall once behold blest with the bosom-embraces of Jesus Christ and shining with an excellency of Glory far surpassing the glorious lustre of the purest Sun-beams in the Kingdom of Heaven Happy Soul seeing God has crown'd your tender years with Grace you have an assured Title to Eternity of Glory The Spouse of Christ is spotlesse all-fair all-glorious within her cloathing also is of wrought gold And he that looks upon you with a spirituall eye may he not behold you as a bright spark of the Spouses beauty yea is not all the Spouses beauty and excellency yours while Christ is yours Christ the Crown and glory of the Spouse and every Saint Having therefore methodiz'd a few sweet Meditations upon the shining excellency of the Church of God the smiling Glory of Christs Spouse I have presum'd to make them publick that I might present them as a poor Pledge of that dear Affection and cordiall Respect which my Heart bears unto you Read them therefore as written to and of your self as one through the Grace of Christ interessed in the Churches Glory What Christ speaks to his Spouse that apply to your own Soul as if you heard a voice from Heaven saying ARISE SHINE Blesse God with your whole Heart that He has invested you in the Churches Priviledges and labour to finde your self quickned thereby to all Christian Performances Take heed of Pride take heed of Self-love take heed of Hypocrisie These are the cankers that will eat out the very heart of your comforts and vex your soul with restlesse torments Humility Self-deniall and Sincerity will beautifie the Beauty of all your Excellencies Continue still to seek your God daily in secret Present Him with an humble and empty Heart and He will fill it with his saving Grace and sacred Comforts Secret Refreshings are marvellously sweet to the Soul Walk humbly with your God throughout the day as seeing Him that is invisible and your Soul shall be more fit to maintain a Holy Spirituall Evangelicall Communion with God in Duty whensoever he shall call you thereunto Labour to grow in Grace ' Be not asham'd of Holinesse Study in all things to please God The more Holy you are the more Happy you shall be the more of Heaven you shall have on Earth and the more Assurance that you shall at length change Earth for Heaven Now that the God of all Grace and Glory would enrich you with his saving Mercy refresh you with his sweetest Comforts and at length advance you to his glorious Kingdom is the summe of his hearty Prayers for you who is Yours in Christ Jesus T.W. To the Ingenuous Christian Reader SEe here a few Meditations which having been offered to the Ear are now presented to the Eye I have adventur'd them forth to try the Temper of the Times the genius of this Generation If they shall gain the Approbation of those who love the Lord 's Sion and the Lord Jesus Sions glorious Guardian-Angel in sincerity I shall finde I hope my Heart warm'd and enlarg'd into further Meditations of the same kinde and shall be also encouraged to a communication of them yea and many Meditations which are predecessours to these in birth may then also perhaps become their successours upon the worlds stage If these be condemn'd though I know them innocent to be burnt I shall never willingly make any more of my Children passe through the fire If my Thoughts please not others I shall be content to reserve them for the future to my self untill it shall please the Lord to enrich me with better Treasure However I have cast in this poor Mite into the Lords Treasury who graciously accepts of his servants not according to what they have not but according to what they have From him alone proceeds all good and to Him alone be ascrib'd all Glory by the Church of Christ throughout all Ages and to all Eternity Amen SION SHINING IN Gospel-Glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ISA. 60.1 Arise shine GLorious things are spoken of thee O City of God Many gracious promises and glorious priviledges make Sion the glory of the world and Jerusalem the praise of the whole earth The sweet Spouse of the great King is presented to us by this Evangelicall Prophet in her rich Attire and excellent Ornaments for Beauty and Glory She that lay polluted with bloud and sullied with dust being washt in bloud and sanctified through grace is prepared for the bosome of her glorious Redeemer Know ye not O beloved the beauty of her Grace the excellency of her Glory Arise be enlightned come and see This Prophet opens unto you her well-furnisht Chamber and her presents you with the golden Key of her costly Closet Here behold 1. The glorious Lamp of the Gospel put into the hand of the Church who is commanded to hold it forth that it may pour out its light to the world v. 1. 3. 2. The mighty concourse out of many Nations of Sions converts to this glorious Light and the brightnesse of this burning Lamp v. 4 14. 3. A glorious Crown of eternall Excellency set by the hand of God upon the head of the Spouse of Christ possest of a blessed Paradise of everlasting peace v. 15. ult This is thine Excellency O Sion this is thy Glory O Jerusalem Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Arise shine Here 's a Precept pregnant with a Promise The Spirit of God deals forth comfort wrapt up in a command For God assures that he will cause his Church to arise and shine in this that he commands her Arise shine Consider this in