Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A26689
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Divers practical cases of conscience satisfactorily resolved ... to which are added some counsels & cordials / by Joseph Alleine ...
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Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing A969; ESTC R170093
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56,044
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102
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on a spirit of zeal and activity How wonderfully is God pleased with Phineas zeal Numb 25. 11 12 13. What a great approbation doth he manifest of him What an attestation doth he give to him he is so greatly pleased with his zealous appearance for him that he turns away his displeasure from the whole congregation of Israel and overlooks their crimson provocations against him On the contrary there is nothing that God is more displeased with then the remisness and lifelessness and indifferency in Religion The luke-warm water is not a greater offence to the stomach then the luke-warm Professour is to God and therefore he will spue such a one out of his mouth Rev. 3. 16. Christians where is your zeal for the Lord of Hosts Christs redeemed must be zealous of good works Tit. 2. 14. not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord Acts 18. 25. Rom. 12. 11. Acts 26. 6 7. instantly night and day for the hope of the promise do not only that which is right in the sight of the Lord but do it with all your heart The Lord loveth a willing servant Bestir your selves for the Lord. Be ye followers of Christ who went up and down doing good Every Christian should be a common blessing A publike good This is to be the children of your Father which is in Heaven who is good unto all and his tender mercies are over all his works And be sure the Father doth best love that child that is most like him A private narrow spirit is a low and a base spirit unworthy of a Christian. A Catholick communicative spirit full of great desires and great designes A large heart set upon doing good whose fire though ever hottest within will be breaking forth of his breast and provoking others whose love will not be confined to a party but gladly and thankfully owneth Christ where-ever he sees him This Catholick spirit I say is the glory of Religion the Churches blessing and Gods delight IV. Live by faith Heb. 10. 38. This is a precious grace in Gods account 2 Pet. 1. 1. 1 Pet. 1. 7. It giveth glory to God and therefore God taketh no small pleasure in it By faith Enoch obtains that testimony that he pleased God Rom. 4. 20. Heb. 11. 5. 2 Cor. 4. 18. Heb. 11. 39. Matth. 8. 10. If you would so walk as to please God you must walk by faith Christians must look to the things unseen they must not live at the common rate Christ must be their life and breath their prayers and their promises their dayly bread By faith did the Elders obtain that good report 't was Faith that Christ was so greatly taken with in the Centurion which made him to commend him for a none-such This was that which won such a singular praise and approbation from our Saviour to the woman of Canaan even her victorious faith Matth. 15. 28. Thou hast taken away my heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast taken away my heart with one of thine eyes Cant. 4. 9. that is with thy faith Live in the power of faith and thou wilt please him to the heart Give glory to him by believing Let the life thou now livest in the flesh be by faith of the Son of God Live by faith in prosperity though thou hast the world about thee let it not be above thee Keep it at thy feet use it as thy servant Be much in the views of glory and contemplation of Eternity Buy as though thou possest not rejoyce as though thou rejoycedst not love as though thou lovedst not use this world as not abusing it it is but a fashion not a substance and that which it is passeth away 1 Cor. 7. 30 31. Use it therefore with mortified affections and prove the sincerity of your faith by the victory over your inordinate content and delight in and desires after and cares for the things of this world 1 Iohn 5. 4. Live by faith in adversity Weep as though you wept not enduring the cross and despising the shame as looking unto Jesus Heb. 12. 2. Heb. 11. 26. accounting Christs reproaches your riches his shame your glory Acts 5. 41. Compare these light afflictions with the weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. 17. Rom. 8. 18. Ply your hearts with the Promises Count if you can the riches that are laid up in them Roll your selves upon the Lord Psal. 37. 5. and know that your heavenly Father hath no greater delight then to see his Children trust him with confidence when all visible helps are out of sight and he seems to be their enemy Iob 13. 15. V. Put on the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit this is in the sight of God of great price 1 Pet. 3. 4. Study to be like your Father slow to anger ready to forgive Psal. 130. 1. 8. forgetting injuries loving enemies requiting ill-will with kindness ill words with courtesies neglects with benefits and if any wrong you do him a kindness the sooner so shall you bear his likeness and be his delight And know ye that are of unmortified passions and unbridled tongues God hath an especial hatred and displeasure against a froward heart and a froward tongue Prov. 3. 32. 11 20. 1. 12. 8. 12. Oh seek meekness How can the holy Dove rest in a wrathful heart Christ is a Lamb of meekness how can he take pleasure in an unquiet contentious spirit Verily with the froward he will shew himself froward Psal. 18. 26. If you will not forgive others he will not forgive you Art thou hard to be pleased a froward wife a froward master a cross and willful servant surely God will not be pleased with thee he will mete to you as you measure to others Matth. 16. 24. VI. Get a spirit of self-denyal God is then pleased best when self is displeased most When we can be content to be emptied content to be abased that God may be honoured and with the Holy Baptist are wiling to be eclipsed by Christ willing to decrease that he may increase counting our selves no losers whilst his interest is a gainer Iohn 3. 29 30. rejoycing that we are made low for Christs advancement This is well-pleasing unto God How greatly was he pleased with Solomon's self-denying choice and gives him his asking throwing in riches and honours into the bargain 1 Kings 3. 10 11 12. Strange was Abraham's self-denyal What! to sacrifice with his own hand the whole hope of his Family the Heir of Promise the Child of his Years a Son an only Son when his life was bound up in the lads life Was ever mortal thus put to it But Abraham shall not be a loser God gives him a testimony from Heaven blesses him blesses his Seed blesses all Nations in him Gen. 22. 15 16 17 18. Wonderful was Moses his self-denyal but more wonderful was his acceptation and reward Heb. 11. 24. none like Moses Deut. 34. 10. God preferred him in another manner then Pharaoh could He
is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Luke 22. 29. I appoint unto you a Kingdome mark the promise is pregnant with a Kingdome 'T is no less then a Crown a Kingdome that is here delivered to you Luke 19. 12. A certain noble man went into a far Country to receive to himself a Kingdome and to return This is the business you are come for hither to receive to your selves a Kingdome and so to return Oh methinks you should forget what ground you go upon as you are going home to think what you have received here methinks you should go forth as Haman from the Banquet joyful and with a glad heart Sirs do you know what you are doing why the Lord doth by these signs give you the Kingdome as a man by the delivering to you a Turf or a Key gives possession of an House or Land Brethren have you ever read of the Kingdome of joy of the Crown of life of the Robes of Righteousness of the Thrones of Glory Why all this God here makes over to you I tell you Sirs these are not big words nor cunningly devised fables God All-mighty is here come to certifie you of the reality of his promises As sure as you do now sit on your seats you shall shortly sit on your Thrones As sure as you are now cloathed with flesh so surely shall you be cloathed with Glory Are you sure that you are now on Earth so surely shall you be shortly in Heaven The Lord intendeth you but for a very little while in this lower Region you must dwell above where Christ is there you must be also As sure as you now see a Crucified Christ so sure shall you shortly see a Glorified Christ. The Lord Jesus doth anticipate his sentence here and calls to you Guests Come ye Blessed inherit the Kingdome Take the writing behold the Seals here are the Conveyances of the Kingdome The donation is sure and full unalterable irrevocable Christians do you believe If you do methinks you should be ravished methinks you should be filled with joy unspeakable and full of Glory But do you stagger at the promise through unbelief Do you sey oh it is too much and too great why how can that be What! too great for God to make good thou darest not think so But it is too great for me to count upon Why but man dost thou not bear upon thee the marks of the Lord Iesus Whose Image and Superscription is this Doth not your very heart prize Christ above all the world Hast thou not made a deliberate choice of him for thy Head and Husband Hast not thou entred into a solemn contract with him to be his for all times and conditions and to love honour and obey him before all others to the death And doth not thy heart stand to this choice Hast not thou taken him with his Yoke and with his Cross And dost not thou in thy practice first seek the Kingdome of God and the Righteousness thereof And hast not thou chosen the way of the Kingdome Art not thou in love with Holiness and desirest grace more then Gold Dost not thou prefer a holy and spiritual life before all the grandeur of the world and pleasure of the flesh And all this not only for a fit or a flash but in the setled frame and disposition of thy heart surely thou must wrong God and thy self if thou deniest it to be thus with thee Why these are the marks of the Lord Iesus upon thee the sure marks fear not these can not deceive thee They evidence that thou art born of God that thou art a Son and so an Heir and therefore mayest lay claim to the inheritance Come then Beloved Christians be of good comfort why shouldst thou doubt Thou hast the mark of the sheep And therefore thy portion shall be at the Right hand and thy Sentence among the Blessed Well then receive this Holy Sacrament as the pledg of all this Go home and look over all these blessed Promises and count them thine Do not read them as too often heretofore as if they did not concern thee Remember what God hath here promised under hand and Seal to thee and let not all be left behind thee when thou goest hence but let the remembrance the fruit and sweet of this abide upon thee whilst thou hast a day to live Never forget what the Lord hath here spoken to thy Soul make more of the Promises then ever in thy life before Bless thy self in them Remember how the Lord delivered thee the Promises how he Sealed to the several Articles how he sprinkled the bloud upon the Book of the Covenant and gave it to thee and said This is the New Testament in my Bloud Oh live henceforth a life of joy and Faith as a man that is elevated above the world Do not live at thy old dull and slothful rate carry it like a Believer and in a word walk as one that doth indeed take all for Truth that the Lord hath spoken to thee this day Let that of the Apostle be a close to all 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having therefore these Promises dearly beloved let us Cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God FINIS These Books following are Published by Mr. Richard Baxter and Printed for Nevil Simmons at the Princes-Armes in St. Pauls Church-yard 1. THE Aphorisms 2. The Saints everlasting rest in quarto 3. Plain Scripture proof of Infant Church-membership and Baptism in quarto 4. The right Method for a setled Peace of Conscience and Spiritual Comforts in thirty two Directions in octave 5. Chistian Concord or the Agreement of the Associated Pastors and Churches of Worcester shire in quarto 6. True Christianity or Christs Absolute Dominion c. In two Assize Sermons Preacht at Worcester in twelves 7. A Sermon of Judgment preacht at Pauls London Decemb. 17. 1654. and now enlarged in twelves 8. Making light of Christ and salvation too oft the issue of Gospel-Invitations manifested in a Sermon Preached at Laurence Iury in London in octave 9. The Agreement of divers Ministers of Christ in the County of Worcester for Catechizing or Personal Instructing all in their several Parishes that will consent thereunto containing 1. The Articles of our Agreement 2. An Exhortation to the People to submit to this necessary work 3. The Profession of Faith and Catechism in octavo 10. Guildas Salvianus The Reformed Pastor shewing the nature of the Pastoral work especially in private Instruction and Catechizing in octavo 11. Certain Disputations of Right to Sacraments and the true nature of visible Christianity in quarto 12. Of Justification four Disputations clearing and amicably defending the Truth against the unnecessary oppositions of divers Learned and Reverend Brethren in quarto 13. A Treatise of Conversion preached and now published for the use of those that are strangers to a true Conversion c. in quarto 14. One