Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A65385
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A sermon before the societies for reformation of manners in Dublin preached in New-Row, April the 26th, 1698 / by Nath. Weld.
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Weld, Nathaniel, d. 1731.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing W1261; ESTC R24608
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16,736
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28
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pouring out the Spirit from on high and such a plentiful Increase of Judgement and Righteousness And this shall be the Subject of what I shall offer to you from these words Doct. That the effusion of the holy Spirit is necessary in order to an effectual and thorough Reformation Now the consideration of this Truth leads me First To Enquire what we are to understand by this pouring forth the Spirit from on high Secondly To shew what Influence this effusion of the Holy Spirit has upon an effectual and thorough Reformation And when I have made some brief Reflections on each of these I shall chiefly insist on the Application of this truth to the present Occasion First Let us consider what is to be understood by pouring the Spirit from on high and all that I shall observe to you under this head shall be in these Three Propositions First That there are real communications of the Spirit of God to Men That Divine Spirit that garnished the Heavens and moved upon the Face of the Waters in the old Creation has he no share of efficiency in the new This is most Incredible and so much the rather because the work of Application in this Oeconomy pecularly terminates in him Indeed by what display of his Divine Power he works upon the Souls of men is not easie to be expressed or conceived Doubtless 't is in a manner that is accommodated to our rational Faculties and fully consistent with that Liberty that is Essential to a free Creature But thô the nature of these Operations be secret like the Original of the Wind yet the Effects thereof are as sensible as its sound and force to which they are compared by our Saviour John 3.8 And why should it be thought Unreasonable that this Blessed Spirit should have access to ours when Wicked Spirits may and can fill the heart and do work effectually in the children of Disobedience Acts 5.3 Eph. 2.2 And even the Heathen world was wont to ascribe any extraordinary appearances in men to their having the Spirit of God as Pharaoh concerning Joseph can we find such a man as this Gen. 41.38 Dan. 5.14 one in whom the Spirit of God is And Belshazzar says to Daniel I have heard of thee that the Spirit of the Gods is in thee Let not such a Truth be doubted among Christians that extorted an acknowledgement of it self by its own Evidence from a Pagan World Secondly These communications of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.4 are of several kinds for there are diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit he is the Sacred Fountain both of common Gifts and special Grace and may be said to be poured out upon men with respect to both First In the dispensation of common Gifts In this sense many are anointed who are not truly Sanctified they have a manifestation of the Spirit given them to profit withal they are qualified for some particular service to which they were appointed 〈◊〉 45. ◠4 as Cyrus is called God's anointed thô he knew not God Thus eminent Qualifications for the Civil Magistracy such as Wisdom Integrity Justice Fortitude c. are a communication from the Spirit In this sense the Spirit of the Lord is said to come upon Saul when the Cruelty of Nahash rais'd his Courage 1 Sam. 11.6 to deliver the men of Jabesh Gilead Thus also Ministerial Gifts are a Dispensation of the Spirit in 1 Cor. 12.9 and 10 verses the Apostle enumerates several of them both ordinary and extraordinary and concludes verse 12. All these worketh one and the same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will Under this head we may also consider those common Operations of the Holy Spirit by which he enlightens the Minds and awakens the Consciences of many who are not truly sanctified On this account they are said to be partakers of the Holy Ghost Heb. 6.4 By those rational convictions which he suggests to their Minds Gen. 6.3 the Spirit of God strives with the Spirits of Men 1 Thes 5.19 Isa 63.10 and when sinners do desparately outrage their own light and Rebel against it they are said to quench and vex the Holy Spirit So that this is a way of expression familiar and frequent in the Scriptures and we may well be allowed to conform our selves thereto thô some prophane Wits have attempted to expose such kind of Language as Cant Enthusiasm or Mystical Nonsense to the great reproach of the Holy Scriptures and dishonour of the Holy Spirit who Inspired them Secondly In the communication of special Grace Thus God promises Zech. 12.10 And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications c. The Holy Spirit is poured out as a Spirit of Grace both when he Implants Grace and when he Excites it First When he Implants Grace for he it is that forms those inward dispositions that are the Seeds and Principles of Holiness and in this way of Operation he introduces a marvelous Change he disingages men from a wild purfuit of deluding happiness in sensible good and causes them to become rightly affected to God in a Redeemer as their rightful Lord and Soveraign satisfying good Herein lyes much of the Nature of true Conversion which in the Scripture dialect is to be born again and born of the Spirit See John 3.3 and 6. Secondly He is poured out as a Spirit of Grace when he excites it Holy Souls do experimentally know that there are such things as Divine Influences by which gracious affections are inlarged and their Souls do follow hard after God Psal 63.8 And why should it be thought strange that the blessed Spirit should move upon his own work and raise and strengthen those Holy dispositions which himself has formed Psal 63.12 Does not David pray that God would uphold him with his free Spirit and under Spiritual Decays and Indisposedness for intercourse with God How many vehement desires does his holy Soul breath forth for quickening Influences in that 119 Psalm I come to the Third Proposition Thirdly There are Seasons wherein these communications of the Spirit are more plenteous and abundant than at other times Sometimes they may in a great measure be suspended our sloth and misimprovement may forfeit them and then the interests of practical Godliness will lye in a languishing state and the good things that are in us be ready to dye In this frame we shall have little delight in Converses with God or Zeal for his Glory our hearts will be unready for self-denying instances of Obedience and generous designs of usefulness to others will be swallowed up by some poor low Interests which the Flesh calls our own But there are happy Seasons wherein the Spirit of Life is poured forth again and these Spiritual ruines are repaired thereby and when this Blessing becomes General the effects of it will soon be visible in the World 'T
is to such an eminent Dispensation that my Text refers and from thence the Prophet dates the beginnings of happy Times How far we may think our selves concerned in this matter I shall inquire in the Application I proceed therefore to the Second General Secondly What Influence has this Effusion of the Holy Spirit upon an effectual thorough Reformation You may take some account thereof in Two particulars First 'T is by an Effusion of the Holy Spirit that those Instruments whom God is pleased to employ in this Work are prepared for it and ingaged in it This great Event is not brought about by an immediate display of absolute power but the Wisdom of God is pleas'd to use sutable and congruous means and he finds 'em not fitted to his hand but by pouring out his Spirit upon them he makes them so The Concurrence of the Civil Magistrate is ordinarily necessary for producing a general Reformation If they be unqualifyed for their place and negligent in their work if they Incourage prophaness by their practice such neglects and dangerous Examples are likely to have a fatal influence upon their people Experience has taught us how from such a poluted Fountain Irreligion and Vice will soon spread through a Land As often as there were Idolatrous Kings in Judah the people generally complied with their Apostacy and how rarely are great men truly good 'T is but seldom that serious Piety is the ornament of the purple Robe tho' it shines with a most amiable lustre when it is found there When therefore a people are blessed with Wise and Religious Magistrates When that exalted Clay is moulded into the Divine Image we may well account them the productions of Divine Power and Grace They are anointed with the holy Spirit 'T is he alone that can speak effectually to the Hearts of Princes and make them zealous in the matters of their God 'T is by Wisdom from above that they come to discern it their true Interest to promote practical Godliness that the Throne may be established in Righteousness rather than to study their security by methods of carnal policy as tho' they hop'd to gain the worse which is commonly the greatest part by an unrestrained Indulgence of their Lusts 'T is he alone that can influence Subordinate Magistrates so as to possess them with a sense of their Duty and dispose them to a zealous attendance on it that they may attain the end for which they bear the Sword of Civil Magistracy in becoming a terror to evil doers Again the Concurrence of the Ministry is ordinarily requisite in order to a National Reformation 'T is they that are to lift up their voice like a Trumpet and shew the House of Judah and Israel their Sins If they know not the Lord and stand not in his Counsel If they be remise in their work or under the Influence of carnal sensual affections in their lives they will disserve Religion more by their Practice than they can promote it by their Doctrine under such unhappy circumstances from the Prophet and Priest prophaness goes out thro' the Land They must be burning and shining Lights themselves who wou'd be instrumental to kindle the flames of Piety and Zeal in others Now it must be by the effusion of the holy Spirit that the sons of Levi are purified 'T is he that cloths his Priests with Righteousness 'T is a plentiful Anointing they receive from him that makes their faces shine that puts a lustre on their Ministrations that gives them an Authority in the Consciences of their People and so qualifies them for success in their Work I might add that persons of some Eminency and Interest among the People must ordinarily help in this Work to be exemplary to others to call for Justice and to strengthen the hands of Magistrates and Ministers So that 't is manifest so many persons of different Characters Interests and Stations must be imploy'd in this Work that it requires more than Human Wisdom and Power to engage and unite them in it 'T is therefore the Work of that Powerful Spirit who has immediate access to the heart and an omnipotent dominion over it who can form the same inclinations in a multitude at once and cause a Nation to be born in a day and when he is pleased to give forth his Effectual Command his word goeth very swiftly Secondly 'T is by the effusion of the holy Spirit that the Endeavours which these prepared Instruments use do become most effectual I acknowledge That by the vigorous execution of Wholsom Laws and the concurrent influence of a Faithful Minestry open and scandalous Profaness may be in a good measure suppressed and even this is an invaluable Mercy worth all our care and pains and it must be ascrib'd to the holy Spirit as appears by the former Head But the Work will not be carried far nor last long without som◠internal operations o◠the 〈…〉 outward means can have but little success The dispensation of the Word will be but a Dead Letter if it be not the ministration of the Spirit Human Laws and Penalties may put men upon seeking greater seeresy as a shelter for their sins but it is the holy Spirit awakening mens consciences and sanctifying their hearts that must effectually Reform them Other Remedies do but cover the Disease this cures it External applications do but set up a Dique against the Stream the Sanctifying operations of the Spirit dry up the Fountain and tho' there are but few truly sanctified yet many may be so convinced and see such an awful efficacy in the Considerations which an enlightned conscience represents as may be more effectual restraints than external severities For eternal Rewards and Punishments are confessedly of the highest and most awful importance to those that indeed believe them and therefore our hopes and fears that are conversant about them are the most powerful springs of action I say not this to discourage your Pious attempts of exposing Scandalous Sinners to the punishment the Law assigns For this is highly our duty and indeed necessary to the most of such offenders who are so hardened and stupified by their lusts that they scarce resent any punishment but what they feel Yet we should not satisfy our selves with this but raise our thoughts and desires higher even to those victorious operations of the Blessed Spirit by which Sin may be mortified as well as restrained I proceed now to the application of this Truth to the present occasion And there are some things I wou'd deduce from hence both for your Direction about your work and for your Incouragement in it First By way of Direction Wou'd you manage your laudable Attempts against Prophaness with happy success Contribute thou your utmost towards obtaining this Invaluable Blessing even a fresh effusion of the holy Spirit If he withold or withdraw his help the Work will lie languishing on your hands and even your own Zeal that at present seems inflam'd will