Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A54354
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A spiritual looking-glass wherein is briefly discoursed the excellency and the necessity of saving faith and likewise how it may be known whether we have this faith or no : being the substance of two sermons / preached in London July the 23, 1671 by Sam. Pack.
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Pack, Samuel.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing P152; ESTC R30079
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19,268
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44
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the death and suffering the active and passive obedience of Jesus Christ that was the meritorious cause thereof and therefore saith the Lord in Isaiah 53. when the Holy Ghost had been there spending a whole Chapter in setting forth the sufferings of Christ for poor sinners at length he comes to shew the comfortable and the sweet and glorious effects produced thereby in v. 12. Therefore will I devide him a Portion with the great and he shall divide the spoyl with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto death Therefore will I divide him a Portion with the great what great is this Why 't is the great Devil that is so great in power that he leads Captive the greatest part of the World and he shall devide the spoyl with the strong which is the same mentioned before which is common with the Holy Ghost in the Old Testamenâ— to enjeminate expressions as if the Lord should have said because a poor man hath sinned therefore the Devil thinks for to have the Souls of all the Men and Women in the World but saith God I will divide him a Portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong as if the Lord should have said my Son shall have some Souls the Devil should not have all for there is some that I am resolved shall be the fruit of my Sons Travel as in the 11. v. of the 53 of Isa He shall see of the Travel of his Soul and shall be satisfied and Alegorical Metaphor taken from a Woman in Travel that though she hath a sharp Travel yet rejoyceth when a man is born into the world so though Christ did indure sore pangs in working out the salvation of his Elect yet he shall see of the Travel of his Soul I will divide him a Portion with the great Gods people are called his Portion as in Deut 32. v 9. The Lords Portion is his People Well saith God my Son shall have his Portion in Men and Women which the Devil doth think to bring to everlasting ruine and destruction well this is the second thing O my Friends that time and it ength would permit for the more clearing up of it is great truth to shew the glorious effects of the death and suffering of the Lord Jesus christ towards believers for the effects of his death doth extend it self to their adoption and comfort and consolation and happiness and glory hereafter all these benefits many more are the glorious effects of the death and suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ Then in the third place if every true believer shall be received into glory it may inform us how much we are ingaged to love the good spirit of God that doth seal up to our Souls our interest in Christ in whom alone 't is that we are brought to glory 't is the work of Gods spirit to show us our want of Christ and when he hath thus convinced us of our sins then 't is the work of this blessed spirit of God to bare up our Souls under the dreadful apprehensions of Gods wrath that is due to us for sin so 't is the work of the blessed Spirit of God to help the Soul to see that Christ dyed for Sinners and that he hath dyed for thee O Soul thou art a Believer 't is the holy spirit of God that doth comfort the Soul in trouble that doth settle the Soul in feaâ— that doth preserve the Soul in a persevering slate when it would be turned to the right hand or to the left O my Friends one may say of the Spirit of God as David did of the City of God glorious things are spoken of thee so I may say glorious things are spoken of thee O blessed Spirit of God and therefore as in Ephes 4. v. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed up to the day of Redemption In the fourth place if it be so that every true Believer shall be saved then it may inform us of the falthood of those erronious Tennets which hold forth of a possibility of falling away from true faith Paul and Silas did net say to the Goaler if thou believest and continuest to believe thou shalt be saved but if thou believest thou shalt be saved once a believer and ever a believer My friends I hope you have not forgot how I did endeavour in twelve particulars to shew you from whence the believers perseverence doth arise and all the Armenian Tennets in the world shall never be able to strike at the Root of any of these twelve foundations of a Believers perseverance As first thou that art a Believer thou hast the eternal decree of God ingaged for thy perseverance 2 Tim. 2 chap. 18 19. v. Heb. 6.17 Thou hast likewise the Eternal love of God as another ground of thy perseverance Jer. 31. v. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with love and kindness have I drawn thee my Friends I wonder how men that pretend to have understanding should be blinded so by the God of this world to think that the same everlasting love that did ingage God to set his love on us should ever be turned into hatred so as to leave us to our wills and so to perish for ever likewise the wisdom of God is engaged herein Christ makes it a mark of foolish man that doth begin te build a house is not able to finish it thou that art a believing Soul thou art Gods spiritual building and if he should begin to build and should not finish it it would demonstrate great folly in the Divine Majesty which to affert would be no less then blasphemy God being the fountain of wisdom likewise the faithfulness of God is engaged in it 1 Thes 5.24 25. Faithful is he that hath called you who also will do it will do what you may read in the 23 v. And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserv'd blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Till Christ shall come by judgment or by death that Soul in whom this good work is begun shall be carried on Phil 1. v. 6. He that hath begun a good work will finish it and we shewed likewise 't is clear from the new Covenant of grace that he hath entred into a new Covenant with the people and he hath therein engaged himself that he will put his fear into our hearts that we shall not depart from him Jer. 32.40 Likewise the power of God is ingaged herein to preserver every true believer from total falling away from God 2 Fet. 1.5 Who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation Likewise also the glory of the Son of God is engaged in it Christ is the foundation of this spiritual building he is the chief Corner Stone Now my Friends I pray mind it whensoever a house falls the foundation
is usually defective and the Corner stone will be sure to fall nay he is the top-stone too as you may see in Zachary Now Christ being all these in the spiritual superstructure it must be that Jesus Christ must fall himself whensoever a true believer doth finally sall off from God Again we shewed likewise it doth arise from the influence that the blessed Spirit of God hath on the hearts of those that are believers as in the 1 Joh. 2. v. 20. But you have an Unction from the Holy One and you know all things he had been shewing before what a sight of Antichrists and Apostates there were but saith he you have received an Unction from the Holy One you have that which they want they had only an outside profession but they wanted the inward teachings of the spirit as in the 26 and 27th ver Isa 59.19 You may there see how God doth keep a soul in a persevering frame So shall they fear the Name of the Lord from the West his glory from the Rising of the Sun when the enemy shall come in like a Flood the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against him The words are very emphatical whether they do point at the Devil or at the corruptions of our own hearts which are the greatest persecutors of the godly 't is a military expression taken from Souldiers when they lift up their Ensigns in defiance of their Enemies and as Christ saith upon this Rock have I built my Church that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it so saith the Spirit here when the Enemy breaks in like a Flood then shall the Spirit of the Lord lift up his Standard against them Isa 30. v. 21. You may see how the spirit doth proceed in hi work to keep the Soul in a persevering frame whensoever the poor Soul is ready to turn to the Right hand or to the Left then he doth whisper a sweet word in their ear this is the way walk in it and truly that is a notable word Isa 61. v. 8. And I will direct their work in truth 't is God by the influence of his spirit directing of our works in truth that doth keep us from falling away from God I hope my Friends these are enough to confirm this fourth truth that true believers cannot fall off from God Fifthly It may inform us of the vast difference that is between the state of true Believers and the state of Unbelievers for if you look in those Scriptures wk mentioned Mark 16. v. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned and so likewise in John 3. there you may see the difference set down He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life but the Wrath of God abideth on him The true believer is said to have everlasting life that is he hath the assurance of it sooner or later he hath it in this life in its incoation though not in its consummation I pray my Friends if you remember no more carry away this that if Heaven and Eternal life is not within you while you are in this world you shall never enter into Heavenly or Eternal life when you shall leave this world Now herein appears the vast difference that is between the state of a Believer and an Unbeliever as a believer hath the Heaven of Spiritual Light from God and the same spiritual love to God the same spiritual joy in God and the same spiritual Communion with God now in this life as they shall have in the life to come in respect of the nature and quality thereof though not in respect of the quantity so likewise a wicked man hath the same spirituâ—l darkness in his understanding and the same irregularality in his affection and the same contumacy in his will now as he will have in Hell in respect of the nature and quality thereof though not in respect of the degree and quantity now hellish Drunkards make themselves Drunk with Wine and strong bear and in Hell God will make them pledg the Devil at a full Cup of his wrath which being powered into the Cup of his Indignation will make them Drunk for ever and ever the Hellish Adulterer burns in his Lust here and God will make him burn in Hell for it hereafter As heavenly Saints love God and propound his glory as their ultimate end in all their duties so heillish Sinners hate God and propound their own glory as their ultimate end in duties as believers are daily more and more compleat in vertue so unbelievers are daily more and more repleat with Vice and thus we see the vast difference that is between believers and unbelievers in this life and look upon them at the hour of death and see what a vast difference there will be then between them as in Prov. 14.32 The wicked is driven away in his wickedness but the Righteous hath hope on his death and look upon them at the Resurrection and see what a vast difference there is between them as in Dan. 12. v. 2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt and look upon them at the denunciation of that dreadful sentence and see the vast difference that is between them as in Mat. 25.33 34. where the Righteous the believer is set on his right hand and the unbeliever on the left Then shall the King say to them on his right hand come ye blessed of my Father come poor soul thou hast called me to come to thee many a time in cuty then come thou now to me the world looked upon thee to be a cursed Creature but I pronounce thee blessed it may be whilst thou wert in the world the Foxes had a priviledg above thee they had holes to hide their heads in But now there is a Kingdom prepared for thee but now see what will become of unbelievers as in the 41. v. here is a dreadful sentence past against them Depart from me here is a separation from all joy and happiness you said to me in your life-time depart from 〈◊〉 for we desire not the knowledg of the wars now depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting fire there is the extremity of pain and torment thou wast one that did burn in thy lusts here and thou wast one that was inflamed with thy lusts or with wine and strong drink or with hatred against me now go into everlasting fire it was the Devil whose voice thou wouldest obey and whose work thou wouldest do and now thou shalt have enough of him now here you may see the vast difference between the state of all true believers and unbelievers Now believers thy shall cease from all their mourning and all their sorrow she ll be â—â—â—â—ed into joy then thou shalt have joy without