Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A47646
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Sermons preached by Dr. Robert Leighton, late archbishop of Glasgow published at the desire of his friends, after his death, from his papers written with his own hand.
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Leighton, Robert, 1611-1684.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing L1031; ESTC R29941
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164,938
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342
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unto God the Father Revel 1. 6. They are a chosen generation a royal priesthood 1 Pet. 2. 9. how despicable soever to the World This is their dignity The Lord is their crown and diadem he subdues their Lust and makes them Kings over their own Affections and more than â—onquerors over all Troubles and Persecutions whereas carnal Men are continually hurried like Slaves unto base employments still kept toyling in the ignoble service of their own Lusts. They think indeed it is their Liberty but that 's a baseness of Spirit that complies so well with so Vile and Servile a condition And whereas they judge the godly to be the refuse and dross of the Earth and the proper objects of Contempt this is because this their Crown though most glorious is invisible to the Eye of Nature The Lord is a Crown If they knew what this is they would see enough in it to countervail their outward meanness and the reproaches the World casts on them as the Apostle St. Peter hath it 1 Ep. cap. 4. 14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of Glory and of God resteth on you He is their Crown And observe how this Crown is opposed to that blasted glory and fading Crown of pride spoken of in the former verses Who is there that sees not in daily Experience the Vanity and Inconstancy of worldly glory and yet how few are there that wean themselves from it and learn to disdain it Still men dote upon that which is not upon a shadow a nothing But would you have a Glory that fadeth not a Garland that cannot wither make the Lord your Crown and your Glory and if he be so glory in him and in nothing else Let not the wise man glory c. but let c. Jer. 9. 23. You that are Noble aspire to this Crown as being so far above your perishing Honours and bounded Powers and you that are outwardly meaner and lower see how little cause you have to complain of your condition seeing you are not debarred from this best and greatest honour And that you may discern it aright what it is know that it consists in the renovation of God's Image within you which is in Holiness and Righteousness So the Lord becomes your Crown in the Kingdom of Grace and by this you may discover whether or no you have attained it if you can yet delight to wallow in the puddle and pleasures of Sin you are far from this royal condition but if you find your Soul possessed with the love of Holiness and that you are trampling upon prophane delights this may perswade you that God hath enabled you and crowned you with his Grace and will crown you with Glory Again try it by this if the Lord is become your Crown and your Glory you will glory in him and in nothing else Though you be Wise you will not glory in your Wisdom nor in Strength nor in Riches nor Honours though you had them all but if you glory you will glory in the Lord. And withal your highest joy will be to see the advancement of his Glory and if you can to be any way serviceable to the advancing of it And a spirit of Judgment c. Both to these that sit in Judgment and to the People for Justice is the strongest Base and Establishment of Authority and withal the influence of it is most sweet and comfortable to these that are under Authority and where it is wanting that order and relation of Superiours and Inferiours which God hath appointed in the Societies of Men for their good tends exceedingly to the damage of both And therefore where God intendeth to continue the Peace and Welfare of a People he is liberal in pouring out much of this Spirit of Judgment on these that sit in Judgment On the contrary it is for a heavy punishment when he withdraws his Spirit from Rulers and leaves them wholly to the Corruption and Vanity of their own Spirits That sit in Judgment To all that are in place of Authority and Judicature from the Supream to the lowest Magistrate for this concerns them all for they be all raised in their Subordination and several places above the people for the benefit and good of the people as the Stars that be set so high yet are placed there to be useful and beneficial to the Inferiour World Now this Spirit of Judgment comprehends in it both due Wisdom and Prudence for the trial and right judging of affairs and for the discerning betwixt sound and perverse Counsel and withal a judgment practically good that cannot be byass'd from the straight line of Equity and Justice by any sinister respect Now seeing the Spirit of Judgment is from the Lord yea he is this Spirit it ought to perswade those that sit in Judgment to entreat and pray for this and to depend upon it and beware of Self-confidence Trust in the Lord saith Solomon and lean not to thine own understanding if you do it will prove but a broken Reed And as they that sit in Judgment should intreat his Spirit by Prayer so generally all must share with them in this duty and make supplication for all that are in Authority over them especially in extraordinary times Truly we have matter of thankfulness that the Lord hath in some measure inclined the Royal Heart of our Sovereign to the desires of his People and ought still to pray That the Lord would give the King his Judgments And then as the Psalmist adds The Mountains shall bring peace to the people and the little Hills by righteousness Psal. 72. 3. And for this end let all that wish the publick yea their own good pray much for abundance of this Spirit of Judgment to be conferred on them your eyes and expectations are upon them If you would enjoy the Lamp you must pour in Oyl This Spirit indeed you cannot pour upon them but if you pour out many Prayers you may draw it from above he will give it who here promises to be a Spirit of Judgment And strength Observe the way to be powerful and successful against Foreign Enemies is To have Religion and Justice flourishing at home and truly if it please our God to answer the desires of his People at this time it may so unite the affection and strength of the two Kingdoms the Lord of Hosts being their strength as to make them a Terror to their Enemies whereas they were become a scorn and derision to them For your particular Labour to make the Lord your Glory to have Christ made unto you as the Apostle speaks both wisdom and righteousness and sanctification which are the glory and beauty of the Soul and redemption from your Spiritual Enemies draw strength from him to fight and prevail against them till after the short Combat of this life you obtain the Crown and dwell in his presence where you shall fear no more assaults neither of Sin nor
not only those hidden from Men but even from my self as is clearly his meaning by the words precedeing who knows the errors of his Life Therefore is it necessary that we desire light of God The Spirit of a Man is the Candle of the Lord says Solomon searching the innermost parts of the Belly But it is a Candle unlighted when he does not illuminate it for that search Oh! What a deal of Vanity and love of this World Envy and secret Pride lurks in many of our hearts that we do not at all perceive till God causeth us to see it leading us in as he did the Prophet in the Vision to see the Idolatry of the Jews in his very Temple by which they had provoked him to forsake it and go far from his sanctuary and having discovered one parcel leads him in further and makes him enter through the Wall and adds often Son of Man hast thou seen these I will cause thee see yet more abominations and yet more abominations Thus is it within many of us that should be his Temples but we have multitude of Images of Jealousie one lying hid behind another till he thus discover them to us Oh! What need have we to entreat him thus What I see not shew thou me Now in both these both in the knowledge of our Rule and of our selves though there may be some useful subserviency of the Ministry of Men yet the great Teacher of the true knowledge of his Law and of himself and of our selves is God Men may speak to the Ear but his Chair is in Heaven that Teaches hearts Cathedram habet in caelo Matchless Teacher that Teacheth more in one hour than Men can do in a whole Age That can cure the invincible unteachableness of the dullest heart Gives understanding to the simple and opens the eyes of the Blind So then would we be made wise wise for Eternity learned in real living Divinity Let us sit down at his feet and make this our continual request What I see not teach thou me And if I have done c. That 's any iniquity that I yet know not of any hidden Sin let me but once see it and I hope thou shalt see it no more within me not willingly lodged and entertained This speaks an entire total giving up all Sin and proclaming utter defiance and enmity against it casting out what is already found out without delay and resolving that still in further search as it shall be more discovered it shall be forthwith dislodged without a thought of sparing or partial indulgence to any thing that is Sin or like it or may any way befriend it or be an occasion and incentive of it This is that absolute renouncing of Sin and surrender of the whole Soul and our whole selves to God which whosoever do not heartily consent to and resolve on their Religion is in vain and which is here the point their Affliction is in vain whatsoever they have suffered they have gained nothing by all their sufferings if their hearts remain still Selfwill'd Stubborn Untamed and unpliable to God And this makes their miseries out of measure miserable and their sins out of measure sinful whereas were it thus qualify'd and had it any operation this way towards the subjecting of their hearts unto God Affliction were not to be called misery but would go under the Title of a blessedness Blessed is the Man whom thou correctest and teachest him out of thy Law That suiting with this here desired I have born Chastisement What I see not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will do it no more Oh! Were it thus with us M. B. how might we rejoyce and insert into our Praises all that is come upon us if it had wrought or advanced any thing of this kind within us this blessed compliance with the will of God not entertaining any thing knowingly that displeases him finding a pleasure in the denial and destruction of our own most beloved pleasures at his appointment and for his sake whatsoever is in us and dearest to us that would offend us that would draw us to offend him were it the right hand let it be cut off or the right eye let it be pluckt out Or to make shorter work let the whole Man die at once Crucified with Jesus That we may be henceforth dead to Sin dead to the World dead to our selves and alive only to God SERMON III. PREFACE THere is no Exercise so delightful to those that are truly godly as the solemn Worship of God if they find his powerful and sensible presence in it and indeed there is nothing on earth more like to Heaven than that is But when he withdraws himself and witholds the influence and breathings of his Spirit in his service then good Souls find nothing more lifeless and uncomfortable but there is this difference even at such a time betwixt them and those that have no Spiritual life in them at all that they find and are sensible of this difference whereas the other know not what it means And for the most part the greatest number of those that meet together with a profession to Worship God yet are such as do not understand this difference Custom and formality draws many to the ordinary places of publick Worship and fills too much of the Room And somtimes Novelty and Curiosity to places not ordinary has a large share But how few are there that come on purpose to meet with God in his Worship and to find his power in it strengthning their weak Faith and weakning their strong Corruptious affording them provision of Spiritual strength and comfort against times of trial And in a word advancing them some steps forward in their Journey towards Heaven where Happiness and Perfection dwells Certainly these sweet effects are to be found in these Ordinances if we would look after them let it grieve us then that we have so often lost our labour in the Worship of God through our own neglect and intreat the Lord that at this time he would not send us away empty for how weak so ever the means be if he put his strength the work shall be done in some measure to his Glory and our Edification Now that he may be pleased to do so to leave ablessing behind him let us Pray c. Isaiah XXVIII 5 6. In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a Crown of Glory and for a diadem of beauty unto the residue of his People And for a spirit of judgment to him that sittest in judgment and for strength to them that turn the battel to the gate ALL the Works of Divine Providence are full of Wisdom and Justice even every one severally considered yet we observe them best to be such when we take notice of their order and mutual aspect one to another whether in the succession of times or such passages as are contemporary and fall in together at one and the same time