Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	lord_n	speak_v	word_n	18,458	5	4.5398	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66979	A sermon preach'd at Salters-Hall to the Societies for Reformation of Manners, May 31, 1697 by John Woodhouse.	Woodhouse, John, d. 1700.	1697 (1697)	Wing W3463; ESTC R26398	23,244	66

if we may judge o● their Commission by the unrebuked Exe●cution thereof for in Zech. 1. 3. h● calls them to turn Turn ye unto me sait● the Lord of Hosts And in the Fourt● Verse Turn ye now from your evil Ways and from your evil Doings There wa● Reformation of Life and Manners Ye● because nothing is said of that in the Text look Zech. 5. 3 4. where the Immorality of Mens Lives in the Instance● of Stealing and Swearing are struck a● by this Prophet who doubtless acte● not beyond his Commission And w● must have great Charity if we can believe that these were all the Immoralities amongst these People tho' no more are mentioned in express Terms in that place because you read of many more that needed Reforming Chap. 7. 9 10 11 Verses After all this what does the Prophet do but add Inforcement to this Encouragement he had given and that by telling them The Lord was with them and giving them God's Word for it I am with you saith the Lord and I am with you as the Lord of Hosts as a God All-sufficient to direct you to support you in your Work under all the Difficulties you have to encounter and to reward you for your Work whatever the Success be Duty is yours Success is mine but your Reward shall be sure whatsoever the Issue may be Do your part trust my part to me and expect your Recompence from me Your Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. The Words thus Explained will without any violence furnish us with these Observables that are not unsuitable to the Business we are Convened about I. First Doctrine from the Hebrew Particle the first Word in the Text which we translate Yet now or Nevertheless is plainly this That Works of Reformation tho' but of God's House of the Lives and Manners of Men Thieves Swearers c. do and may meet with very great Opposition What need was there else of such a stirring up to be strong vigorous and valiant if there were not Difficulties to encounter II. Second Doctrine That when Reformers of the Lives and Manners of Men do meet with great Opposition are beset with great Difficulties and Danger their Souls are apt to be dismayed they are apt to sink down under their Burden and to give out and say To what purpose should we labour harrass and hazard our selves any further Wickedness is got above our controul III. Third Doctrine When Men concerned in Reformation do meet with Difficulties and Opposition enough to discourage and sink their Spirits they should be stirred up by others and they should stir up themselves that they might be able to prosecute their Work with good effect Be strong O Zerubbabel c. It notes both his stirring up himself and his being willing to be stirred up by others IV. Fourth Doctrine 'T is plain that the Work of Reformation that is accompanied with so many Difficulties as it is apt to be hath need of all Hands to help it on it is not a Work of Magistrates or Officers only tho' they are obliged to be stricter than other Men But 't is a Work in which all the People of the Land should engage as one Man Don't shut your self out from the Work when God gives you an Opportunity to engage in it V. Fifth Doctrine That 't is a Matter of great Encouragement to encounter couragiously all the Difficulties we meet with in so good a Work that God will be with us and one God is enough for us since he is All-sufficient I may not pretend to handle all or many of these Doctrines in the Minutes your Patience doth allow me Yet the Occasion cannot well spare any one of them Let me fix your Thoughts upon the Third which takes in the main Design of the Text and I will endeavour to throw the other Four into some part or other of the Prosecution of that Doct. That when Men concerned in Reformation Work do meet with Difficulties and Opposition enough to discourage and sink their Spirits they should stir up themselves and should be stirred up spirited and invigorated by others that they may be able to encounter all the Difficulties they may meet with in the Prosecution of their excellent Designs In the handling of this Point I will Briefly hint at some Topicks from whence I might evidence 1. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That it is so 2. Argue the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why or whence it is so Because my main Design is at the Application in which I would not prevent my self nor weary you For the First take a Text or two Josh 1. 6 7 9. Moses being dead and there being need of a Man to conduct God's Israel to uphold and to reform their Religion Lives and Manners the Lord spake unto Joshua Josh 1. 6. and says Be strong and of a good Courage Here is another Word viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 added to that which is in our Text and is well enough translated Be of good Courage In another Verse Only be thou strong and couragious Only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if he had nothing else to do And here another Word is added to both the former Words and hath a vehement Emphasis attending it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Multum abundanter copiose valde majorem in modum It signifies Might Vehemency and Diligence all one can do one 's utmost Efforts Verse the Ninth Be strong and of good Courage as before but adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not afraid nor dismay'd have a Co●rage that despiseth Fear that gives not back be the Difficulties what they will Being nothing terrified by your Adversaries As Paul words it Phil. 1. 28. agreeably to both the Hebrew Words God was pleased to use in this Excitation of Joshua He was a Man of an excellent Spirit yet see how he was treated May be it may tempt some Men to think meanly of him because of the Treatment he had but if the best of Men had not need of help to support and invigorate their Spirits under such Designs as this the Spirit of God would never have bestowed so much Chafing and Excitation on such a Man as Joshua Again Haggai 1. 14 15. 't is said The Lord stirred up the Spirit of Zerubbabel and of Joshua and of the People As if that was not enough God sends again in the Seventh Month Chap. 2. 1. on the same Errand as the Text hath told you For the Word of the Lord came to Haggai speak now to Zerubbabel be strong c. Here let me obviate an Objection that I thought more solemnly to have considered May be some that are ill Interpreters of well-meaning Minds may think that that such a Call as this to Courage and Fortitude and an Heroick Magnanimity doth insinuate as if the Gentlemen engaged in our Reformation were Men of mean Spirits and wanted Courage Why else make I so much ado about it But as I have no such Thought in my

that the Lord's House should be built We must wait for a more favourable Juncture the Minds of Men are not disposed to it Whereupon the Prophet reasons the Case with them Verse the Fourth Is it tim● for you to dwell in your Cieled Houses say he and this House lie waste qu●d By the Lord you have been preserved in an● brought out of Babylon You think it a good time to Build nay to C●el i. e. to Arch with costly Wainscot curiously carved richly adorned and fairly beautified your own Houses perhaps more than one a piece a City-House and a Country-House for your Pleasure and Diversion for the Word is plural you lavish out your Treasure in Pomp and Sensuality for no doubt their Ways o● Living were answerable to their costly Cielings and yet can spare nothing towards my House that lies waste You can live without a Temple an Altar a Sacrifice so you may but enjoy your Worldly Ease and Grandeur your Animal Sensual Satisfactions What do you owe so much to your selves and so little to your God who hath but now delivered you What lavish out so much upon your Bodies and spare nothing fo● your own and others Souls Must my Worship be neglected and Men left un reformed whilst Wickedness is connived at and every-where perpetrated What shall be done in such a Juncture The wise God under this discouraging State of Things raises up and sends out two Prophets in the same Year upon much the same Errand to stir up and invigorate the Hearts of these Men in this Affair that they and their Brethren had so little Heart to They were Haggai and Zechariah And what does Haggai do but address to all Sorts in a very particular and pungent Manner to stir them up to this needful but neglected Work And how vigorously he address'd himself to this Undertaking let the Text tell Yet now be strong O Zerubbabel c. The Words are a vehement Excitation with particular Application to the Governours Civil and Ecclesiastical and all the People of the Land How forcible and pungent are such Personal Addresses The good Prophet speaks like one in Earnest that he might as he did engage them to be so too May I be able to do likewise Not to trouble you with any Logica● Analysis of the Words which would in this Case only furnish you with Terms harder than the Text I shall endeavour plainly to Paraphrase them to you propose their Sence to a clear View observe some Things from them and make some Improvement thereof in favour of the Work of the Day and do what I can towards the furtherance of so desirable a Work as is the Reformation of the Lives and Manners of the dissolute Age we live in Let us take the Words as they lie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And now nevertheless now yet now i. e. under and against all these discouraging Difficulties 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be strong be stout As Mal. 2. 13. So as to prevail Non tantum fortis sed prevaluit The Septuagint renders it by Words of like Importance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Both Hebrew and Greek import the putting out the Vigour we have and the Corroboration of that Strength yea to wax strong and prevail in our Under taking It denotes that true Fortitude by which we pursue without dastardly Fear what is most difficult to obtain maugre all the Opposition to the contrary according to that Be strong and of good Courage fear not nor be afraid Deut. 31. 6 7. If you ask Who he address'd thus to the Text tells you to Zerubbabel first he was their Governour not Supream but Subordinate For what he did was under the Authority and License of the King which renders our Text less Forreign to the Occasion I need not tell you my Errand is to Magistrates not Supream but Subordinate so was our Prophets also It was Secondly to Joshua the LORD ' s High-Priest A good Man no doubt for Satan was got to his Right-hand his Working-hand to resist him Zech. 3. 1. The Governours in Civil Matters the Governours in Sacred Matters they must both be strong get and stir up such a Spirit as will encounter and bear down all Difficulties Thirdly His Errand was to the People What to some of the People Yea to all of them Reformation-Work is a Work that needs many Hands therefore says he All ye People of the Land be strong He does not so much as distinguish between the Sexes or Sects among them all yo● People of the Land whatever else they differed in whether in Opinions or Practices or Religious Rites they must all unite in this all joyn in this His Excitation you see was to Courage and Fortitude and the Application was to Civil and Ecclesiastical Administrators and to all the People of the Land What was all this for The Words in the Text are And work I confess it startled me at first and made me think of changing my Text because it seems at first view to refer to Bodily Labour such as is mentioned ch 1. 8. Go up to the Mountains and bring Wood i. e. hew and build the House But turning to the Hebrew I found the Word us'd of such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies primarily Fecit effecit perfecit absolvit ad certum usum aptavit disposuit As Philologers say Nature as that it no way limits it to Bodily Labour the Work of the Hand and much less when by a familiar Hypozeugma it is to be applied to Zerubbabel the Governour and to Joshua the Lord's High-Priest Who cannot be thought to be excited to any Action in this Case but what became ●hem as Governours Civil and Sacred and then the import of the Word is plainly this Let every one in his Place and Station set to the Business in hand Governours as Governours and all the People of the Land in what Capacity soever they be to further the Work let Heads Hearts and Hands be all employed let every one readily embrace and throughly improve such Opportunities as offer themselves nay seek out Seasons for this Service The Text indeed seems to lead primarily to the Work of the Temple which was their first Work For it was to no purpose to talk of Religion and Worship in the Temple 'till there was a Temple to worship in and to talk of the Reformation of the Lives and Manners of the People 'till there was an Establishment of Religion to regulate them by Therefore I turned my Thoughts to the other Prophet Zachary who was raised up in the same Year and within two Months of Haggai View but the first Verse o● each Prophecy and you 'll soon see whe● ther there was not more intended in thei● Commission than their Care of Buildin● the Temple For I soon found that th● they were both engaged in the Buildin● of the Temple yet they had more i● their Commission