Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	truth_n	worship_n	worship_v	19,034	5	9.4594	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77360	Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation. : Gods return to the soul, or nation; together with his preventing mercy. : Delivered in ten sermons, (viz.) 1. Christs personal excellencies, the object of our love. 2. Christ crucified, the object of our faith. 3. The new covenant of grace opened. 4. Christ the mediator of the new covenant. 5. The way and spirit of the new covenant, or New Testament. 6. The blood of sprinkling. 7. The sweetness and profitableness of divine meditation. 8. The work and way of this meditation. 9. Gods return to the soul and nation. 10. Preventing mercy. / By W.B.	Bridge, William, 1600?-1670.	1667 (1667)	Wing B4449A; ESTC R225773	165,221	279

saith Moses now And therefore saith Christ If thy Brother offend thee tell him of it and if he hear not call two or three and if he mind not then tell it to the Church and if he hear not the Church let him be as a Heathen or Publican to you for when two or three are gathered together in my Name I am in the midst of them Matth. 18. We are to hear what Jesus saith in this matter and not what Moses And as then in the times of the Old Testament they had recourse to Moses under God for their Ministry and Moses did direct them unto Priests and Levites for their Ministers So now in the times of the New Testament we are to have recourse to Jesus for our Ministry and therefore saith the Apostle He hath set in the Church Pastors and Teachers And in Ephes 4. He hath ascended up on high and he hath given gifts unto Men Pastors a●d Teachers and the like We are to hear what Jesus saith now and not what Moses for our Ministry And as in the times of the Old Testament they had then recourse unto Moses for the Ordinances for their Sabbaths for their Sacraments and for their Worship So now in the times of the New Testament we are to hear what Jesus saith and to have recourse to him for these things Go saith our Saviour Christ and teach all Nations baptizing them and teaching them to observe and do what I command you Matth. 28. And for the Lords Supper What I received of the Lord that delivered we unto you saith the Apostle And for the Sabbath The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath Go to him for your Sabbath not to Moses but unto him And for Worship saith our Saviour Christ unto the Woman of Samaria John 4.23 The hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him You that are Samaritans you have worshipt God but you have not worshipt God according to his own appointment you have not worshipt him in Truth The Jews they have worshipt God according to Gods appointment but not with the Spirit But now the hour cometh when men shall worsh●p the Father in Spirit and in Truth In Truth in opposition to Samaritans that did not worship according to appointment And in Spirit in opposition to the Jews that worshipt God Legally and without the Spirit Thus we must hear what Jesus saith And as then in the times of the Old Testament they had recourse to Moses still when they wanted Bread he under God gave them Manna and he gave them water out of the Rock So now in the times of the New Testament we are to have recourse to Jesus for our Bread In John 6. saith Christ Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for the mea● that indureth to everlasting life which the Son of man shall give unto you for him hath God the Father sealed And as in the times of the Old Testament they had much recourse to Moses for their Faith If they could not believe Moses wrought miracles before them and they believed Insomuch as it s said in the 14. of Exod. last And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his Servant Moses But now what saith Jesus Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me Not in God and in Moses but ye believe in God believe also in me And to say no more in it but this In the times of the Old Testament they had recourse to Moses for their Rest M●ses was to lead them up to Canaan and the Land of Rest And so now in the times of the New Testament we are to have recourse to Jesus for our Rest for saith he himself Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Thus as in the times of the Old Testament they were upon all occasions to have recourse to Moses So now in the times of the New Testament upon all occasions we are to have recourse to Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament for saith the Lord by Moses in the 18. of Deut. 18. v. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their Brethren like unto thee rather as thee that is as I raised up thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him Which the Apostle applies unto Christ Acts 3.22 For Moses truly said unto the Fathers a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me rather as me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as me that is as he raised up me not like unto me as the Socinians would argue from hence That Chri● must be but Man like to Moses For Moses truly sai● unto the Fathers a Prophet shall the Lord your Go● raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me rather as me That is as he raised up me Him shal● ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say un● you So that thus As they had recourse to Mose● upon all occasions in the time of the Old Testament so now we are to have recourse unto Jesus And thu● we see what it is to come unto Jesus the Mediator o● the New Covenant in opposition unto Moses the Mediator of the Old Covenant 2. But then secondly Whether is it possible for a man that doth profess to come unto Jesus the Mediaator of the New Covenant still to have recourse to Moses that is Whether is it possible for a man to be Legal and Mosaical in these Gospel times Without all doubt it is and I wish if it were the will of the Lord that too many were not found upon Legal ground among Pr●f●ssors What think you of the Galatians Did not they live in Gospel Times Did not they profess to come unto Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant Yet see how the Apostle treats them and reproves them again and again for their being too Legal too Mosaical Ye are fallen from Grace saith he My little children of whom I trav●● in birth again till Christ be formed in you Ye are so much for Moses and the Law that I travel in birth again till Christ be formed in you As there was a mixture of the Gospel in the time of the Law so there may be too great a mixture of the Law in the times of the Gospel And I pray what think you Are there not very many that live under the Gospel in whom sin reigns Yes many live under the Gospel in whom sin reigns And saith the Apostle Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies for ye are not under the Law but under Grace If you be under the Law then sin will reign in you And what 's the reason that sin reigns in many that live under the Gospel

commanded by Moses in the Old-Testament and go unto Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament for grace to perform them There is nothing commanded in the Old Testament but it 's promised in the New There is nothing commanded by Moses in the Old Testament but Christ the Mediator of the New Testament is ingaged to perform it for you and to give you grace to do it The Law commands and Grace helps The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth comes by Jesus Christ Observe therefore what that is that is commanded by Moses in the Old and go to Jesus the Mediator of the New for Grace and Strength to do the same 3. Then be sure that you stand when the Spirit breathes Now the Spirit brea●hes in the pure and clean preaching of the Gospel Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith VVould you be brought off from Moses and stand clear from Moses choose to stand under such a Preaching where the Spirit breathes and that 's a Gospel Preaching 4. Then put your selves upon the stream of the free Grace of God without having any foot on your own bottom Some men will learn to swim and they are loth to lean themselves upon the stream of the water but keep a foot at the bottom and they never learn to swim till they take up the foot Some would fain be Evangelical but they cannot lean themselves upon the stream of Grace but keep a foot at the bottom still upon some thing of their own Some there are that do and work and when they can work no further then they eke it out with Christ's Mediation So indeed they make the Mediation of Christ but an Eekment to their own working But away with these Eekments Oh let Christ be all let Christ be all And therefore 5. Study much the body of Jesus and the allsufficiencie of the Mediation of this Jesus the Mediator of the Covenant The sight of Gods Alsufficiencie will draw one off from the Creature And the sight of the Alsufficiencie of the Mediation of Christ will draw one off from Moses Put thy self often unto this Disjunction Come O my soul either there is enough in the Mediation of Jesus or not If not enough why do I go unto Christ at all if there be enough why should I not stand clear from Moses and upon pure Gospel ground Thus therefore do Quest But Suppose I have come to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant what should I do that I may walk up unto this condition What should I do and how should I so walk as one that is indeed come unto Jesus the Mediator of the Covenant that yet I may stand upon Gospel ground and not touch at all upon Moses Answ First If you be indeed come unto Jesus this Mediator of the New Covenant and would walk sutably thereunto VVhy then should you not still throng and press after the Appointments Institutions and Ordinances of Jesus The Law and the Prophets were untill John but from John the Baptist the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence that was sutable to the Gospel And what was the suffering violence but peoples pressing after the Gospel So now to press after the Kingdom of Heaven suites with a Gospel state to press after the Ordinances and Appointments of Jesus suites with a Gospel sta●e But secondly Labour more and more for to know your Christian ●iberty in Conjunction with strictness of life Some there are that are very strict in their lives but they don't know their Christian l●berty some again know their Christian liberty yet abate in their strictness of life But blessed is that knowledge of our Christian liberty that is in conjunction with more strictness of life Oh blessed blessed is that knowledge of our Christian liberty where strictness of life and holiness grow up together with it Therefore I say labour more and more to know your Christian liberty in conjunction with strictness and holiness of life this suites a Gospel state then shall you do as those that are come unto Jesus But then Thirdly In regard of your Faith Be sure that you close with Christ himself the absolute Promise and live in continual dependence upon Christ this Jesus this Mediator For as living upon an old Stock and a Stock received suited with a covenant of works So living in continual dependence upon Jesus for fresh Grace suites with this covenant of Grace whereof he is Mediator Fourthly In regard of your repentance and sorrow for sin the more your hearts do melt and thaw under sense of love that you have sin'd against God For the Law rends and tears but the Gospel melts and thaws The more that you grieve for sin and rejoyce in God together The more you grieve for sin that is pardoned and because 't is pardoned For a legal Spirit grieves for sin onely that it may be pardoned but a Gospel spirit because it is pardoned And the more you grieve for sins that are secret the sins of your spirits especially unbelief For saith Christ I say unto you he that locketh upon a woman c. The more I say you are found doing these things in reference to your Repentance the more your Repentance suits with the Gospel and with a Gospel state And then Fifthly As to the matter of your Obedience 1. The more gracious you are upon the account of Grace the more Evangelical And 2. The more free you are in your actings towards God the more Evagelical those that Jesus makes free are free indeed Free Not from duty but free in duty free from sin but not free to sin A legal Spirit is restrained from evil and constrained to good Labour to be free in all your actings towards God And 3. Then again The more you are conformed unto God the Father who hath given you this Mediator and to Jesus this Mediator the more Evangelical you are and the more you suite with this Gospel state unto which you are come Now a man is conformed unto God the Father when he doth good to men for evil Bless them that curse you so shall ye be the children of your Father Then a man is conformed to Jesus this Mediator when his life is inammeled with Meekness and Humility Learn of me saith Christ for I am meek and lowly Friends the Law frets and the Gospel sweetens 4. And then In case that you have to deal with the things of the w●rld The more you are estranged from the world by Faith and can forsake the things thereof for Christ and his Wayes and Truth bearing witness to his Truth and wayes the more you comply and comport with a Gospel state If thou wilt be perfect saith Christ to that Legalist go and sell all that thou hast and come and follow me and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven And In case that you meet with sufferings look upon all your sufferings as part of Christs purchase for you Your

dispensation then God is said to repent So it repented the Lord that he had made man in the 6. of Gen. 2. Secondly If you ask Whether God doth or will at any time repent I Answer yes Expressly in the 32 Exod. 14. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people 'T is a direct Answer of prayer to the very words At the 12. v. Moses prayes Turn from thy fierce wrath and repent of this evil ag●inst thy people And at the 14. v. The Lord repented of the ●v●l which he thought to do unto his people God doth and will some times repent Onely you must know God will more easily repent of his Judgments than of his Mercies And you must know that the gifts of God are of two sorts Ordinary and Common gifts and so God repents of them and he takes them away It repented the Lord that he had made man Of the gifts of God that concern effectual vocation so God repenteth not For the gifts and callings of God are without repentance Those gifts that concern our effectual Vocation those God repents not of 3. But then Thirdly how may it appear that when the Lord doth return unto his people that then he will repent him concerning his Servants Why that appears by the thing it self If a man say he will go from such a Town and never return again and then do return he doth repent him concerning the thing by his return And so concerning God In the 18th Jer. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to pluck up and to pul down and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them Well 4. But then 4thly How shall we know in case God be absent or God be departed how shall we be able in the time of Gods absence or departure to know that God will return again Suppose that God be withdrawn from my soul in particular I am this day under a spiritual desertion how shall I know that God will return again to me Or suppose that God have forsaken and departed much from the Nation how shall we know whether God will return again or no Indeed it is a very hard thing to bear the departures of God But yet if I did know that God would return again I should be comforted How therefore shall I know both in reference to my own soul in particular and in reference to the Nation that God will return again Here are two cases and I shall speak all along to both If your Question do relate unto your own particular case and soul I Answer thus You may know it by your Relations If you be in Covenant with God God will return again to you though now he be absent Though he afflict you with Rods his loving kindness will he not take away nor suffer his faithfulness to fail Will a Father or Mother leave their Child no I am sure God will not Joseph was under a great displeasure with his Brethren yet notwithstanding at the last he could hold no longer but he bursts out and saith I am your Brother Joseph And so though you be under some great displeasure from Christ yet there is a time when Christ will break forth and say unto you I am yous Brother Jesus And I say if you be in Covenant with God you may conclude it for so doth the Psalmist Psal 42. ult I shall yet praise him My soul thou art cast down and disquieted but be quieted for I shall yet praise him Why he is the health of my Countenance and my God You may know it then by your Relations But 2. Though God or Christ be gon and in a great measure departed from your souls yet If you cannot leave God God cannot leave you In our conversion God comes to us before we come to him But in Apostasie we depart from God before he departs from us How is it therefore with you Can you say truly My soul cannot leave God then conclude and say God will return again and cannot leave you But 3. Though God be very much gon and departed from you in a great measure Yet if in the time of his absence he doth send you letters and tokens of love you may know for certain he will return again Possibly God or Christ may appoint an affliction to bring you a token or to bring you a message of love in the time of his absence Possibly he may appoint or order some providence to bring you a Token or some message of love Possibly he may order and appoint upholding mercy to be a pledge to you of delivering mercy And believe it upholding mercy is alwaies a pledge of delivering mercy How is it therefore with you are you deserted is Christ gon yet have you not had the upholding presence of God all this while then be of good Comfort Christ is not gon but he will return again 4. If your case and condition be such that although you cannot find Christ Christ is gon though Christ be gon and departed from you and you cannot find him yet If you can direct others to the finding of him when you cannot find him then certainly he is not gon but he will return again unto you The Spouse in the Canticles seeks after Christ saith she he hath withdrawn himself and I cannot find him Chap. 5. The Daughters of Jerusalem say whither is thy beloved turned aside that we may seek him with thee my Beloved is gon down into his Garden to the beds of spices Mark she could not find him her self and yet she can direct others to the finding of him What doth this signifie but plainly teach us thus much that though Christ be gon and we cannot find him yet if we can direct others to the finding of him he is not quite gon but he will return again Now is it thus with you when Christ is gon cannot you direct others to the finding of him If you can then build upon it he is not so gon but he will return again But then Secondly suppose that the Lord be departed from this Nation much we are under a very great displeasure of the Lord this day God is departed from us how shall we know now in the time of Gods departure that he will return again to this Nation First you know how it is with a man that doth leave his house though he go away yet if his Children be there and his goods be there his Plate and his Jewels there he will either come again to them or send for them to himself Believe it Christians God hath a very great Cupbord of Plate in this Nation Christ hath much plate in England as much as in any Nation in the World and he will not lose his plate There are three things very pretious in the eies of God His truth His worship His

Children Such plate the Lord hath much of here and he will not lose his plate therefore he will return again Though he may afflict and afflict sorely yet he will return again 2. God will never go while prayer staies If there be a praying spirit and a spirit of prayer be up in this Nation conclude that God is not quite gone but he will return again 3. You may know it by the Providential Pledges that the Lord sends you God was very much displeased with Jonah you know he threw him over-board into the Sea but then he appointed a Whale to receive him to give him entertainment To provide a Chamber of Preservation even in the Belly of destruction What did this signifie It signified thus much that God would deliver him afterwards this Providence was a Pledg for after-deliverance So David was hunted in the Wilderness by Sau● but in the Wilderness God gave Saul into his hand What did that signifie That present deliverance did signifie to David an after-deliverance Now though God be gone and greatly departed from us here Have you not many Providential Pledges of his Love What think you of the house that should have been blown up with fire lately What doth it signifie but thus much That God doth mind to restrain the remnant of their rage How many Pledges Providential pledges have we had of Gods return therefore let us say Yet God will return again But 4ly If your estate and condition be such upon which the Lord will deliver for his Names sake and with a Notwithstanding then why should you not conclude that God will return again Friends There is a time when God will deliver his people for his Names sake and with a notwithstanding all their sins and notwithstanding all his own displeasures Nevertheless he saved them for his Names sake Psal 106. And when is that that God will deliver a people for his Names-sake and with a n●twithstanding Look into the 44. Psal and you shall see when Look when a people do suffer for his Names-sake then God will deliver for his Name sake Arise for our help and redeem us for thy Mercy sake Why at the 22. v. For thy sake we are killed all the day long and accounted as Sheep for the slaughter Therefore Lord arise for thy Name sake For for thy sake are we killed When a people suffer for God's Names sake then God will deliver for his Names sake then God will deliver with a notwithstanding How is it with you now You are in a suffering day but are not all your sufferings for the Name of Christ Be of good comfort then though God may be departed and your City destroyed yet he is n●t quite gone but will return again But then 5ly What shall we do that God may return again Answer Still I will cary it on in answer to both the Cases If this Question do relate unto your own particular souls If you say God is now gone from me what shall I do that God may return to my soul again I answer briefly First Be sure of this that you keep your door open the door of your hearts open for Christ's return When the Master is abroad the servant fits up to keep the door open for his coming in 2. Be sure of this that now in the time of Christs absence you neglect no duty though very uns●voury to you The more unsavoury the duty now is unto you through the absence of Christ the more acceptable unto Christ 3. Be sure that you go and stand there where Christ uses to be And let me tell you this If you cannot find him where he uses to be you shall find him where he uses not to be as you read in Cant. 3. 4. Then be sure of this that you be not foolish with other lovers in the time of his absence L●st he bear thereof and come home no more 5. Be sure of this also that you do gather in upon Christ by all those words and by all those things whereby he seems to put you away from him As the Woman of Canaan true Lord but the Dogs eat of the Crumbs which made Christ turn in again Oh Woman great is thy Faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt But then 6. Be sure that you send unto him one way or other and tell him that you are sick of love unto his Person Then he returns And 7. Now say Lord though thou killest me yet will I trust in thee Friends it was Faith that brought Christ and your souls together at the first and it must be Faith that must bring Christ and your souls together after a desertion Whatsoever therefore the displeasure of the Lord be upon you say Lord Though thou killest me I will trust in thee Though I cannot see thee yet I will trust in thee and wait upon thee But then Secondly suppose it be the case of the Nation God is departed in a great measure who doth not see it What shall we therefore now do that God may return unto us again Friends Truly it is not an easie thing to bring God back again when he is in a way of displeasure towards a people The Lord was angry and sorely displeased with Jonah The Mariners prayed Jonah confest his sin and yet the storm ceased not yet God goes on I say 't is not an easie thing to bring God back to a Nation when he is once in a way of displeasure against a people And some times the Lord will never return unto a people again The case of the Gaderens in the matter of their Hogs The whole City came unto Christ and besought him to be gone And away he went and we don't read that ever he came there again Sometimes he will return again but with reserves of after-Judgments In Exod. 32. Moses prayed and the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people v. 14. But saith he v. 34. Nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them Nevertheless For all I thus repent me and for all I do thus return unto them nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them Sometimes I say he doth return with reserves of after-Judgments yet if you look into the 3d. of Deut. the thing is exprest The Lord will judge his people and repent himself for his Servants when he seeth that their power is gone and there is none shut up or left Well but then what shall we do It is too manifest God is in a great measure gone from us and departed from us what shall we do now that God may return again unto this Nation First Be sure that you make your peace with Christ Christ is this day offended his Gospel and Institutions trampled upon A Prophet will the Lord your God raise up among you hear ye him if not he will not pardon you that is Christ He that sins against the great Remedy shall be