Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	word_n	work_n	work_v	5,220	5	7.0905	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49252	The naturall mans case stated, or, An exact map of the little world man considered in both his capacities, either in the state of nature or grace / as is laid down in XVII sermons by that late truely orthodox divine, Mr. Christopher Love ... ; whereunto is annexed The saints triumph over death, being his funeral sermon, by that painful labourer in the Lords vineyard, Mr. Tho. Manton ...	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677. Saints triumph over death.	1652 (1652)	Wing L3169; ESTC R35003	150,068	340

triangular and you know 't is impossible that a round thing should fill that which is three square so neither is it possible that the world or any thing in it should satisfie the desires of your hearts 2. As you can have no satisfaction in the world so neither can you have any acceptation with God God wil say to you as Joseph did to his brethren if you bring not up you brother Benjamin with you look me not in the face so will God say to you if you bring not Jesus Christ your elder brother with you doe not look mee in the face here is the misery of a Christlesse man he can have no acceptation with God 3. Without an interest in Christ you can have no salvation by Christ he procures salvation for all that are in him and for no other Joh. 17. 12. Those that thou hast given me I have kept and none of them is lost if you are without Christ your condition is like those that were in the old world before the floud all that were in the Arke were saved and preserved but all that were out of the Arke were drowned so Jesus Christ is the Arke whereinto every soul that can procure admittance shall bee saved but all that are not in Christ shall be drowned in a river of brimstone which the breath of the Lord shall kindle you shall be condemned and destroyed for ever if you are without Christ you are without satisfaction from the creature without acceptation with God and without salvation by Christ And thus in these six Sermons I have shewed you the happinesse of a man in Christ and the Characters of a man in Christ and the misery of a man without Christ and so I have done with this first part of mans misery by nature and of the first branch of the Text That at that time you were without Christ SERMON VII EPHES. 2. 12. Being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel HAving finished the first I am now to proceed to the second part of Mans misery in these words Being Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel but before I fal opon this second branch of the Text I shall speak something to you concerning the order of the words why their being without Christ is put in the first place I answer it is put in the first place to shew that as the having of Christ is the foundation and inlet of all happinesse and blessednesse so the want of an interest in Christ is the Spring and Fountaine from whence all the miseries and calamities that are incident to the children of men doe flow and therefore this deservedly is put in the first place for if you are without Christ you must needs be Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the Covenant of Promise without hope and without God in the World But then again why is their being aliens to the commonwealth of Israel put in the second place Answ Because he that is without Christ the head must needs be without the church the body for by the commonwealth of Israel is meant the whole body of the Church they were aliens from the common-wealth of Israel that is this was the misery of the Ephesians while they were in a state of Gentilism not converted to the Faith of Christ by the Gospell they had no interest in the benefits and priviledges that the people of God enjoyed that were in the Church of Israel they had none of those spirituall and special priviledges and blessings which God did bestow upon all those that were in Covenant with him they were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel that is they were aliens to the Ordinances of God that were then in use in the Jewish Church they were without all the Ordinances of Jesus Christ All the priviledges of the people of God did the Gentiles want before they were in Christ Here then you see the complete misery of those that were in a state of Gentilism they were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the Divine Worship of God which he did institute and appoint in his Church and to all the priviledges and prerogatives which the people of God doe enjoy In the words there are two parts observable 1. A description of the Church of God and that by this term the Common-wealth the Church of God is called the Commonwealth of Israel 2. Here is laid down the alienation of the Ephesians before conversion from this Church from this Commonwealth Now Beloved from hence I shall only note to you these two observations which I intend to finish this Sermon Doctr. 1. That the Church of God is a spirituall commonwealth Doctr. 2. That it is a great part of a mans misery to be a stranger to the true Church of God Doct. 1 For the first Doctr. that the Church of God is a spirituall commonwealth in the handling of this I shall doe these two things 1. I shall shew wherein the Church may be compared to a commonwealth and 2. I shall shew you wherein they differ 1. The Church may be compared to a commonwealth in these four particulars 1. In a commonwealth there are people of different degrees ranks callings and qualities all are not Princes nor are all Rulers all are not Merchants nor are all rich there are men of all degrees callings and qualities some are rich some poore some high some low some masters some servants and the like now in this regard the Church may be compared to a Commonwealth for in the Church of God some are high some low some rich some poore some men grown up to a full stature in Christ others are but new beginners and babes in Christ some men are rich in gifts when others are but poore and mean some are strong in grace like the Oak when others are but like a broken reed As in a Commonwealth so in the Church of God there are men of severall ranks degrees callings qualities and conditions as in 1 Cor. 12. 8 9 10. All men have not the same manner of gifts for to one is given the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge to another Faith to another the gifts of healing to another the works of miracles to another prophesie to another discerning of spirits and to another the interpretation of tongues but all these worketh that one and the same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will as it is in the naturall body so it is in the spirituall body that body would be a monstrous body if the thumb were as big as the arm and the arm as big as the body and every part as big as the whole just so it is in the Church it is the beauty of it to have a variety of condition 2. As in a Commonwealth though there be multitudes of people yet they are all governed by one the same Laws and are all subjects to one and the same Rulers so it is in the Church of

Scripture to prove this one is in Joh. 8. 47. He that is of God heareth Gods word you therefore hear them not because you are not of God they that are of God hear his Word those that belong to Christ and have an interest in him hear his Word not only with the ear but with the heart and so in 1 Joh. 1. 6. sayes the Apostle We are of God he that is of God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of errour and therefore thou obstinate and stout hearted wretch that canst lie like a flint under the Word of God and suffer no command to make impression upon thy spirit verily thou canst lay no just claim to Jesus Christ 6. That man that uses greater industry and takes greater complacency in the acting and committing of sin then ever he did in the exercise of any grace or the performance of any duty that man is without Jesus Christ You have an excellent place for this purpose in Joh. 3. 8. 10. He that committeth sin is of the Devill he doth not say he that does sin is of the Devill but he that commits sin with delight that makes a trade of sin he is of the Devill and so on in the 10. ver In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God he does not belong to God he that does not righteousnesse with delight and complacency with joy and industry as he that doth commit sin that is act it with delight and makes a trade of it is of the Devill so he that does not do righteousnesse that is with delight and joy and chearfulnesse that man is not of Christ you then that can sin with delight but perform holy duties with a flat and dead and dull spirit you that never took so much delight to sanctifie the Sabbath as you have done in prophaning of it you that never took so much delight in the performing of duties to God as you have done in sinning against God lay off hands from Jesus Christ if your hearts be full of sin you can have no interest in him In Joh. 9. 16. some of the Pharisees said this man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath This had been a very good argument had it been well applyed had Christ indeed not kept the Sabbath if it may be truly said of you that thou dost not make conscience of keeping of the Sabbath or of performing any holy duties I can truly say of you that you are not of God now then examine your selves by this argument whether you are of God or no if you do prophane the Sabbath day and make no conscience of performing holy duties nor of sinning against God this shews that you are not of God that man that acts sin with more delight then he performs holy duties hath no interest in Christ as in 1 Joh. 5. 18. Hee that is born of God sinneth not that is he doth not commit it with that delight and complacency as wicked men do but he that belongs to God he keepeth himself pure and that wicked one toucheth him not that is not so as to make him commit sin in the former sense but he keepeth himself he will not give himself to commit sin with that cheerfulnesse as wicked men do and therefore saith the Apostle we know that we are of God and the whole world lyeth in wickednesse 7. The last Character is this that man is without any interest in Christ that backslides from the wayes of Christ both in judgement and in practise Beloved when a man shall backslide from the truth of Christ in judgement and from the exercises of holy duties in practise when he backslides both these wayes he is not in Jesus Christ 2 Joh. v. 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God but he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son that man that sins both in judgement and in practise he is not of God but he that abides in the truth of God both in judgement and in practise he hath both the Father and the Son Oh therefore I beseech you in the fear of God look about you to see whether you are the men that have a reall actuall interest in Christ or no. Are you such men as are without the spirit of Christ or are you without a saving power derived from Christ enabling you to mortifie your bosome lusts Are you without an unfeigned love to the person of Christ or without a true and saving knowledg of Christ Are you contentedly ignorant of Christ and care not to know more or are you obstinately ignorant and wil not learn more Are you without a hearing ear and an obedient heart to the Word of Christ Do you take greater industry and complacency in the committing of sin then ever you did in the performance of any holy duty Or do you backslide from the wayes of Christ both in judgement and in practise If there be a concurrence of these seaven Characters in you then conclude that you have no interest at all in Christ conclude then that at this time you are without Jesus Christ Thus now I have done with the second question which I promised you to answer I shall now spend a little time in winding up what I have said in a practicall Use and then come to the third Question And in the application of this I shall direct my speech to two sorts of people 1. To those that are plunged into a spirituall delusion to say they have an interest in Christ when they have not 2. To those that say they have not an interest in Christ when they have Use 1 1. To you that say you have an interest in Christ when you have not give me leave to propound these 3 or 4 questions to you first let me ask this question Were you ever without Christ yea or no If you answer no then let me tell you thus much that that man that sayes he had Christ ever I may safely say he had Christ never thou that dost say that thou hadst Christ ever since thou wert born I can safely say that thou hadst Christ never since thou wert born for every man is born a Christlesse man 2. Thou that sayest thou hast an interest in Christ let me ask you this question How came you by your interest in Christ Do you think that Christ fel from heaven into your bosome whether you would or no How came you by Christ then Did you ever make a powerfull prayer unto God for him Did you ever sigh and sob and cry mightily unto God for him Did you ever see your misery without him and beg the Father earnestly for him for God is not prodigall of his son to give him to those that never ask him 3. Let

yet yours shall be accepted when theirs shall be rejected Thus I have done with the use of terrour in laying down to you this sixfold misery of those men that are strangers to the covenant of grace and here because I would not have any poor soul that is under the covenant of grace and partaker of all the great priviledges of it to goe away with a sad heart I shall onely leave with you two or three words of comfort to them You children of the covenant that are under the covenant of grace let not your hearts be troubled at what hath been said this day concerning the misery of those men that are strangers to this covenant and to bear up and support your spirits I shall give you two or three comfortable considerations 1. That all the outward blessings that you enjoy comes to you in a covenant way God hath given you these blessings as an appendix to the covenant and by vertue of an entail to his covenant the Lord never gives you a common blessing but you see the love of a Father and of a husband and of a friend and the love of God in that blessing and therefore as I told you before in that very chapter where God promiseth the blessings of the covenant of grace he promiseth the blessings of this life too as an intail to the covenant wicked men may have blessings but not by vertue of a promise not by vertue of the covenant of grace But now if you ask mee how you may know whether the blessings you enjoy come unto you by vertue of the Covenant of Grace I answer you may know it by these two things 1. In case you doe use and imploy all the blessing you receive from God to the honour of God thus Abraham did as you may see in Gen. 17. 1 2 8 12. his using the blessings of God to promote the service of God did demonstrate that those blessings came to him from God in a covenant way but those that are strangers to this Covenant the mercies they enjoy are given them for their hurt 2. When blessings are as cords to draw you nearer to God and as bands to tye you fast to God then they come to you in a Covenant way as in Jer. 31. 11 12. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that is stronger then he therefore they shall come and rejoice in the height of Sion and shall run to the bountifulnesse of the Lord even for the wheat and for the wine and for the oyle and for the increase of sheep and bullocks c. That is all the mercies of God shall make them to come nearer and nearer and cleave closer to God you then that do enjoy your share of the blessings of God and they do not endeer you and draw you nearer to God you cannot look upon them as flowing in upon you in a Covenant way 2. You that are in covenant with God know this for your comfort that the Lord does accept of a little that you do in his service better then a great deal that a wicked man performs to him God will accept of a few turtle doves of you when he will not accept of 1000 Rams or 10000 rivers of oyle of the wicked he will accept of a cup of cold water given to a righteous man in the name of a righteous man when he will not accept of the costliest sacrifice from the wicked Oh what a happy condition art thou in that art under the covenant of grace wicked men may heare more Sermons and performe more duties and say more prayers to God then you and yet in all their duties be rejected when thou art accepted 3. Take this for your comfort that when ever you offend God and provoke him to anger you have a Mediator to stand between God and you though you are guilty yet you have an Advocate to plead your cause for you you that are under the covenant of grace you may say to Christ your Mediator as the Israelites said to Moses when they had offended God goe thou and speak unto God for us so may you say when you have nothing but thundring and lightning and tempests in your souls and the flashings of hell fire in your consciences then you may say to Christ go now to God and speak for me mediate with thy Father for the pardon of all my sins I have offended God o● intercede with him in my behalf I have committed a great offence oh plead with thy Father and beg a pardon for me thus thou maist say to Christ being under the covenant of grace But here lest any one should lye under a spirituall delusion and think himself under the covenant of grace when he is a stranger to it lest the Dogs should snatch at the Childrens meat I shall lay down to you some distinguishing Characters whereby you may know whether you are under the covenant of grace or no and before I make entrance upon this I will only premise four sad and dismall conclusions which will make way the better for what I have to handle in the examination 1. Take in this conclusion that a man may be within the outward and common priviledges of the covenant of grace and yet be without the saving and spirituall priviledges of it as pardon of sin having God to be your God and Christ to be your Saviour c. as in Deut. 29. 10 11 12. sayes Moses there You stand this day all of you before the Lord your God your Captains of Tribes your Elders and your Officers with all the men of Israel your little ones your wives and the stranger that is in thy camp from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water that thou shouldst enter into covenant with the Lord thy God Now here you see were all from the rich to the poor to enter into covevenant with God and yet it is not imaginable that all these did partake of the inward priviledges of the Covenant of grace they did all partake of circumcision which was the seal of the covenant of the outward priviledges of it but not all did partake of the inward and speciall mercies of the covenant of grace as pardon of sin peace of conscience joy in beleeving God to be their God and Christ to be their Saviour and so in Rom. 9. 4 5. sayes the Apostle They are the Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises of whom are the Fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came these were very great priviledges and yet saies the text in vers 8. These are not all the children of God though they had the externall blessings of the Covenant yet they were not all the children of God so that you see you may be within the Church of God and partake of the outward blessings