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	worst_a	22	3	8.2748	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95864	A sermon preached to the Honorable House of Commons; at their late solemne fast, December, 28. Wherein is described 1. The church her patience: 2. Her hope. In the exercise of both which graces, she is enabled to waite upon God in the way of his judgements: in which divers cases are propounded and resolved. That the soul sick of love, doth with more difficulty endure the absence of Christ, then the present evils of this world. By Thomas Valentine, Rector of Chalfont in Buckinghamshire. Published by order of that House.	Valentine, Thomas, 1585 or 6-1665?	1643 (1643)	Wing V26; Thomason E86_32; ESTC R12382	44,658	51

shall fruit be in the vines the labour of the olive should fail and the fields shall yeeld no meat the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there should be no heard in the stalls yet will I reioyce in the Lord I will ioy in the God of my salvation Habba 3.17 18. 3. We must not leave work nor give over our service but wait for a blessing if successe follow not yet we must go on we have principles that will carrie us through all discouragements Such as wait second what they have done they pray over their prayers again but such as will not wait they relinquish their work and desert the cause they recant and recall what they have done It seems to me to be the present dutie that God requires of us in this Land it is the lesson of the time we have an expectation of evill mens just punishment and the reformation of our kingdom both of them and all things else seem to be at a stand the people both in Citie and Countrey are troubled Their eager desires after both have made them impatient and as Naaman in the peevishnesse of his spirit spake of the manner and means of the cure of his leprosie being discontented with the way that God had prescribed so the people say we thought before this time our peace and Religion would have been setled we thought upon such a day and in such a place so great things would have been done that our troubles would have been ended The minds of most men are like the troubled waters and which is worse the mud is stirred and if men give way to their passions they will be like the raging Sea and cast up dirt Therefore my text is a message to them God saith have patience a while and wait I will in due time arise to the prey I will destroy your enemies and reform your Kingdom And though the vapours and mists are below do not reach to the highest Region of the aire yet men of highest rank are but men and are subject to passions as well as others therefore you the Worthies of our Land may possibly be a little wearie and faint in your minds I am sure that as your pains and trials are greater so your temptations and discouragements are answerable therefore my text is a message to you wait upon God till he second your pious endeavours with happie successe consult and wait work and wait pray and wait abate not in your zeal desist not in your work but to what ever you do adde this dutie of waiting and God will make you the happie instruments of the kingdoms good If any man should fall off which God forbid from his former zeal or purpose or protestation let him with this text read that in Hebr. 10.38 He that draws back my soul shall have no pleasure in him saith the Lord. There is a double work for every waiter 1. To want the good he is in expectation of 2. To bear that evill that befalls him in the meane space and our waiting consists in our patience for that bears evill and in our hope for that expects good And Junius in his short annotations upon this text sums up briefly what others speak more largely patiently beare your captivitie namely in Babylon and cheerfully expect your deliverance and then ye wait upon God The Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c●cu rendred by Pagine and Buxtorf Expectate me prestolamini me expect me or attend me The same is used Job 32.4 Elibu expectavit Jobum Expected when Job would make an end Psal 62.1 Truly my soule waiteth upon God The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●umijah of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 duum siluit My soul keepeth silence to God And the word is used in Ps 37.7 rest in God He that waits rests and he that is impatient is restlesse And in Psal 40 1. I waited patiently David bears the fruits of Sauls malice and yet he looks after the Kingdom if our desires and hopes be deaded and dulled we wait not though we patiently bear evill and if we have strong desires and are impatient under crosses we are wanting in this dutie and therefore we must speak to them severally Patiently to bear evill The Church her patience Is a quiet silent temper of soul whereby we submit to God in all our crosses There was never more need of patience then in our dayes the whole Kingdome speaks in that language Jer. 14. We looked for healing and behold trouble we expected Reformation and behold desolation We must patiently bear one and yet cheerfully expect the other Many say This evill is of the Lord and why should I wait any longer but good hearts resolve still with them in Isa 8.17 I will wait upon the Lord who hath hid his face from the house of Jacob and I will yet look for him There is a passive perfection as well as an active in a Christian God disposeth of our imployment sometimes we must be doing sometimes we must suffer some are excellently active but not so commendably passive they are quick and nimble in action but when crosses come they are weak and cannot wait The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latine patientia tells us we must suffer And it may be we shall have sicknesse and sore diseases in our bodies great losses in our estates we may be banished into a farre Countrey or imprisoned in some dark dungeon we may be blemished in our reputation by soule slanders we may be betrayed by false friends and pursued by cruell enemies we may have calamities in our life and torments in our death there is no affliction for kind or continuance or degree that the servants of God are exempted from and therefore they had need to be fitted to suffer And the word used Galat. 5.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is long suffering we cannot tell how long we shall suffer It is not fit we should know it before-hand for if it were very long we should be out of heart and out of hope to hold out If it were short that were not praise worthy Therefore God keeps us in suspence and speaks indefinitely of the time wait upon me untill I rise to the prey We must bring forth fruit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in patience Luk. 8.15 the word in the notation of it signifies to abide we must abide in our work and in a religious temper of spirit and not be beaten out by afflictions or delay of blessings If we do well and suffer well if patience have her perfect work we are intire and lack nothing Jam. 1.4 Our blessed Saviour was sometimes in action and sometimes in his passion his active and passive obedience made him a compleat Mediatour And thy active and passive graces will make thee a compleat Christian There is no crosse can endanger him that hath a quiet spirit for he stands firm like a mountain Psal 125.1 the stormes may arise

and the winds blow the mountain stands firm for all this But if there be an earthquake that will shake it Enemies may traduce thee and oppresse thee and calamities like a storm may fall upon thy head and these may be born but if thy spirit be impatient and unquiet that 's an earthquake in thy soul and will do thee more hurt then the malice of thy worst adversarie There is no comfortable living in this world without patience for the least trouble puts us out of frame but the grace of patience doth recover us and if it can prevail keeps the mind quiet Aquinas makes it the root of all graces but his explication must be taken in Non causando or conservando sed removendo prohibens It is the let removing cause For trouble comes and would hinder us in our love and joy and hope and confidence in God patience bears all and quiets the soul and in so doing removes the evill of the trouble that it becomes no impediment to our graces It was a prettie conceit of the Poet Aqui. 1● secundae q. 56. art 2. that made everie vertue without patience to be as a widow for as she wants half of her strength and wisdom and counsell so thy faith and love and hope are but weak and patience guards them Therefore in Hebr. 6.12 Faith and patience are coupled together and Rom. 15. Hope and patience and comfort are united We are said to run the race that is set before us with patience Heb. 12.1 It seems a kind of contradiction to run with patience for running is active and patience is passive and therefore one is distinct from the other if not opposite but he that runs and wants patience will never get to the end of the race For in the race of Gods Commandments men have soule play one comes and rails on him for his zeal for running so fast when he thinks himself too slow another gives him a blowe and strikes him down and up he gets and runs again And whereas everie man will make roome and give way to him that is in a race he that runs to heavenward many will stand in his way and stop him in all which he had need of patience And we may put it among the cardinall graces which are so called à Cardine for as Janua sine cardine as a doore without hinges cannot be beneficiall to shut out the cold or any thing else that will offend him so is a man without patience every thing will offend him what is a wise man a zealous man without patience he will beare nothing suffer nothing and then he will do no great good I have often marvelled why so little is written on this subject we are beholding to Augustine and Tertullian for two short Tractates of patience others both ancient and modern speak of it for the most part as other theames that come in their way we have need to preach it and practise it there is a daily use of it 2 Patience is a silent temper of spirit in opposition to impatience which is either secretly murmuring and repining or else openly clamorous sometimes causing wrangling disputes not onely with men but God himself as we see in Jonah cap. 4.1.4 sometimes unjust complaints in a higher degree as we see in the Israelites who did chide with Moses when they wanted water or any thing else Numb 20.3.4 Would God we had died when our brethren died They died in their sin for they lusted and while the meat was between their teeth the wrath of God was kindled against them and he smote the people with a great plague Num. 11.33 a fearfull death was inflicted and yet they are so farre from being restrained thereby that they break out again into intemperate language that heaven and earth rings again and they fill the eares of God and man with their clamours when they were in Egypt they groaned when they were come out they wished themselves there again when they want necessaries they murmure and cannot wait They had the miraculous manifestation of Gods power and goodnesse in the daily supply of their wants and yet they will not trust him but in the perversenesse of their impatient spirit wish that either they had stayed in Egypt or died with their brethren I would the like did not appear in our Land at this day many are readie to say would God we had not looked after a Reformation that we had never thought of any alteration then we had not known these troubles and dangers and this great expence of money It may be these will do as they did with Moses and Aaron Exod. 5.21.23 lay the blame on them whom God used as instruments of their good and say You have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants And if you will know the cause of these distempers one among the rest is they like not that way nor those Ordinances which others pray for and wait for It is with them as with the people that were to come out of Babylon Though libertie to return was granted by Cyrus yet many stayed behind of whom there is mention made in 1. Chron. 4.23 these were potters and those that dwelt amongst plants and hedges there they dwelt with the king for his work They dwelt with the King of Babylon their employment was meane they made pots they were potters their habitation was answerable they dwelt under hedges they were poore spirited men the base brood of their degenerated forefathers for they made brick in Egypt and would have been contented with that bondage and drudgerie so these would rather make pots in Babylon and dwell under hedges then go after their freedome in Sion They are branded in the words before for though the latter end of verse 22. be translated these are ancient things yet Junius renders it these are res obsoletae things worn out and forgotten and indeed they deserve to be forgotten But let us remember them as these worthie Jews did whose spirit God had touched to go on to build the Temple at Jerusalem they pray for them in Psal 126.4 Turn our captivitie as the streams in the South It was penned upon this Occasion and that prayer on purpose made in behalfe of these Jews that stayed behind in Babylon They take them to be their captives being but obliged unto them by a nationall bond So let us pray for those of our Nation that are loath to come out of Babylon But let us not wonder at the stirs and divisions in our Land the same causes have produced the like effects in former ages nor let the backwardnesse of those that keep off discourage you the worthie Instruments of God from going on to build the Temple and reform the Kingdom but let your forwardnesse bring them on by the example of those noble Jews alreadie mentioned If the grace of patience did prevail and we were willing to wait upon God these distempers would

the silence and astonishment of his friends as we see in the sequell For immediately he breaks out into passion that before their coming took all patiently And it is probable that in the time of their silence Job was in a sore conflict and under a strong temptation both because he was so much altered from that sweet temper in which he was before and also the word in Job 3.2 which is translated and Job spake may beare this signification Vaiagnan of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pagin renders it respondit Iob. It is the same word Cap. 6. ver 1. Cap. 9.1 where it is translated And Job answered and Job answered namely to some dispute which he had in his own mind or rather with the devill for he having power and commission from God to assault Job would not deferre any time but set upon him and the fittest time was at the coming of his friends and their silence gave him full scope So that we may conceive the devill to have had a single combate with Job when he began to speak Chap. 3. and before we say any more of Jobs trouble let us now come to his carriage in his affliction And here in the entrance we must know that it is our part to construe things as favourably as we can because God himself commends Job for his patience And know that Iob in his first bearing of his crosse did as admirably well as was possible for any man to do And that speech uttered Iob 1.21 The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord is as full as could be expressed Many a one would have insisted on the one part the Lord hath taken and we should have heard quickly what God had taken and he would have numbred his oxen and asses and sheep and camels and children and health and have aggravated all and many a bitter complaint would have been that never man was so spoiled so ruined so dealt withall as he Job he onely saith the Lord hath taken and acknowledgeth God in his crosses Besides whereas nature would have thought of nothing but losses and we can hardly speak of any thing else Job doth acknowledge God in his former gifts the Lord gave and not onely so but he blesseth God a rare thing for a man so punished so suddenly bereaved of all that was dear to him in this world formerly so great and rich and suddenly so poore and in his povertie to blesse God And to speak of his crosses with such a calme spirit it is such a measure of patience as no meer man ever attained unto more And what an honour is it that Job made by the malice of Satan proverbially poore we say as poore as Job yet he is made a pattern of patience and we have the other proverb As patient as Job So that when he was most poore in estate he was rich in grace And the holy Ghost saith of him in all this he sinned not nor charged God foolishly this was in the beginning And for the latter end upon the sight of God he humbled himself in dust and ashes and God highly commends him again Iob. 40.4 5. and restores him as full an estate as he had before so that first and last Job is highly to be honoured But we find that in the middle space Job uttered divers speeches which shew some distemper and disturbance of spirit As Chap. 3.1 He cursed the day of his birth and he wished that he had gone from the wombe to the grave and complains that life is given to him that is in misery He also expostulates the matter with God Am I a whale Iob 7.12 or a sea that thou settest a watch over me Thou turnest thy self cruelly against me and art enemy to me with the strength of thine hand Iob 30 21. He makes me a mark for his arrow Iob 6.4 and the arrows of the Almightie are within me and the venome thereof doth drink up my spirit and the terrors of God do fight against me Touching these and the like passages that we meet with we may give a threefold answer 1 Jobs case was a peculiar one and his sorrow was greater then any mans that ever we read of Christs onely excepted for never man lost more then he did and for manner none like him It was very sudden nothing left him but what might the more vex him one servant escapes in all the slaughters onely to tell him lest if it had not been known he had not been grieved enough His wife she disdains and scorns him his friends they speak very much against him and their spirits were bent against him as appears by the first words they utter Eliphaz he begins Job 4.3.4 Thou hast instructed many and thy words have upholden him that was falling but now it is come upon thee and thou faintest it toucheth thee and thou art troubled is this thy fear thy confidence the uprightnesse of thy wayes and thy hope In stead of cordials to revive his spirit they censure and vex him more Bildad he is of the same strain Iob 8.4 and instead of comforting him upon the death of his children tells him they were taken away for their iniquitie And Zophar Job 11.2 3. he is more harsh and rugged in his language and lets him know peremptorily that he being a man of much talke must not be justified and his lies should not make them hold their peace These were the onely friends that Job had and they were miserable comforters so that put all together God makes his anger to fall upon Job and he had terrible apprehensions of his indignation Job 6.4 The devill he assaults him in his estate and he is undone his wife and friends they oppose and wound him more Psal 69 20. then if the same speeches had been from enemies or strangers so that poore distressed Job stands alone and none pities him and had he but health of bodie or if it were a disease that took away the spirit that he might not go so farre in his cogitations nor think so much of his misery it were something but in the extremitie of his grief he might say Lam. 1.12 Have ye no regard all ye that passe by see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce wrath And if any object that those in the captivitie had greater sorrows then Job for those words were spoken of them and not him and therefore they were true onely of them I answer that they were spoken of the whole nation of the Jews and it is very true that no kingdom or people were more punished then they for as God blessed them more so when they sinned he punished them more then any nation under heaven Dan. 6.12 under the whole heaven hath not been the like as hath been brought upon Jerusalem And if any reply

a time of absence so do Christ and his Church the Father and his prodigall sonne make not more merrie the Bridegroome and the Bride rejoyce not more then Christ and his Spouse do upon their renewed amitie and agreement 2. In times and occasions extraordinarie if she sees her Saviour in any mercie in any joyes of the spirit or in any deliverance or in the granting of her requests especially in such things as respects her soul and salvation she is moved her blood stirs within her and all the powers of her soul are quickned and revived if she hear him speak not onely in the sound of words Cant. 2.14 but the efficacie of his spirit she cannot sit still but riseth and cries it is the voice of my well-beloved Cant. 2.8 And if these two sences which let in and let out love were not exercised in seeing and hearing Christ she could not with any patience wait for him Cap 5.16 Let me see thy countenance and hear thy voice for it is sweet and comely But these stay her heart and therefore we from hence conclude what she is sick of A Physitian knows the disease and by the operation of his medicines he still is confirmed in his knowledge for if hot things do good then he knows the disease comes of cold causes so if we would know whether we be sick of love observe what allayes thy grief and what encreaseth it if nothing but the fruition of Christ himself will cure thee and secondly nothing but that which is next to fruition namely seeing and hearing of Christ will asswage thy distressed heart then know thou art sick of love Ob. But then it may be thou wilt reply and say this is poore comfort to tell me that I am sick I knew that before and my griefs plainly shew it Ans I answer that to know thy particular disease is more then to know in generall thou art sick and it is a skilfull Physitian that can discover the disease and if before or now thou knowest this thou may for ever rejoyce for wheras many are sick for the satisfaction of their lusts as Ammon for Tamar thou art sick for Christ and shalt undoubtedly be cured This disease shews not weaknesse but the excellencie of the temper of the soul and being so noble a disposition of an heavenly heart is not properly a disease but onely by way of resemblance as sick persons longing for somewhat so is the soul for Christ But as the fruition of the Bridegroome can cure the love sick Bride so Christ onely must do it the Preachers of the Word are but the friends of the Bridegroome and cannot do it but let me do a friendly office I will bring thee before him whom thou lovest and put a few words into thy mouth which thou must utter I will frame thee a short Petition which thou must thy self deliver O my Saviour my Joy my Crown The love sick soul breaths out some such ejaculations the top and height of all my hopes thou hast ravished my soul with thy divine perfections and raised my poore lowe spirit to an higher pitch then ever by the power of nature it could have attained unto I did affect such things as pleased my eye and eare and should have doted to this day upon sencible objects but now I see that all things under the Sun are meer vanities fading flowers and perishing delights thou hast revealed better things unto me and I see by a new light the things that concern my happines thou hast set before me the joyes of heaven and hast shewed me the excellency of that estate wherein the soul enjoyes communion with thee and now I do condemne all my former sinfull delights and being grown to yeers of understanding I admire how simple I was when I was a child but much more do I wonder at the foolish delights of my unregeneracie I find all things that then did possesse my mind to be in comparison of thee no better then childish toyes I now relinquish and renounce them but my heart is stirred with restlesse desires after thee and oh how am I pained till I come unto thee and how am I more unquiet in my thoughts then when I slept securely in my sins how is my spirit reaching after that which I cannot compasse nothing but thy self O my Saviour will satisfie and while I am absent in the bodie how shall I do to live without thee especially seeing I am in the midst of so many adversaries that daily grieve my soul sometimes I hear men blaspheming thy blessed name others are breaking out into odious and disgracefull speeches against thy truth and the wayes of Religion other fall upon thy people and offer them all the hardship and ill usage that wit and malice can devise and thy poore Church is as a ship upon the Sea in a storme as a traveller in the wildernesse in a mistie dark day as all creatures in Winter that are half dead for want of the heat of the Sunne thy turtle Dove is frighted by every ravening bird thy flock is exposed to the rage of each devouring woolfe and what with fears that do fall upon my trembling heart and the want of good that my spirit is set upon I am restlesse and know not what to do tell me O thou whom my soul loves how I can be patient and wait till thou come unto me though thou should be as a young Hart and a Roe upon the mountains Cant. 2.17 Christ by his Spirit will return some such answer O my Spouse my welbeloved how am I troubled for thee how do I grieve with thee how willingly would I ease thee of thy fears and griefs if I had not other works in hand that must not be hindred I would soon deliver thee out of thine enemies hands but that I purpose by thine afflictions to raise thee to greater honour and to bring them to greater shame I will in due time come and wipe away all thy tears and remove all thy fears and put thee in possession of glory And for the quieting of thy longing desires and setling of thy impatient heart remember it was honour enough unto thee that I espoused thee unto me that I entred into covenant with thee and am become thine and thou art mine I loved thee when thou wast naked deformed and in thy blood I found thee poore and have enriched thee a miserable captive and have ransomed thee I laid down my life for thee and let out my own blood to cure thee thou art dear unto me and precious in mine eye thou shalt be unto me as the loving Hinde and pleasant Roe and I will delight in thy love continually and that our joy may be full I will a while defer our marriage that thou may be made more beautifull and more pleasing to me I will remove every spot and wrinkle all thy sins and the fruits of them both from soul and bodie and