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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	holy_a	spirit_n	trinity_n	2,812	5	9.9722	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87170	Topica sacra: spiritual logick: some brief hints and helps to faith, meditation, and prayer, comfort and holiness. / Communicated at Christ-Church, Dublin, in Ireland. By T.H. minister of the Gospel.	Harrison, Thomas, 1619-1682.	1658 (1658)	Wing H917; Thomason E1769_2; ESTC R202373	72,620	183

towards him and doth not straiten it such a fear as is an helper of thy Ioy not an enemy to it such a fear as furthers the Comforts of the Holy Ghost such a fear as hath no torment in it and therefore love though perfected shall never cast it our and thou didst never see good day till this took hold of thee dost never enjoy good hour when this doth not over-rule thee 'T is a bitter thing to thee that ever thou wert without it Ier. 2.19 Thirdly Tell Him it is Him and his goodness that thou fearest his frown his absence his silence are now more dreaded by thee then all his Darts and Thunders used to be formerly the loss of a smile of a kiss a kindness is that thou most fearest and this thou takest to be a spirit of ingenuity not of slavery Fourthly He knows thy voyce and can tell whether he hear any of his own Language from thee or no how badly and brokenly soever it be pronounced though thou chatterest like a Crane or a Swallow or mournest like a Dove as Hezekiah speaks of himself Isa. 38.14 Every creature conveys its sound its tone and tune to the young ones and none of his children are still born the Spirit unties their tongues and sets them a crying Abba Father and he knows thou dost cry sometimes not coldly tender him some dead prayers but cry and not as a thief at a Bar to a Judge whom he neither loves nor hath any confidence in but as a poor child when in distress who daily asks his Fathers blessing Fifthly Desire him that he would feel thee as Isaac did Jacob the desire of thy soul is not only to have a smooth voyce but hands also so far from roughness that he may for ever own thee as one of the seed of Jacob thy heart is against a Covenant of works but for all the works of the Covenant Oh but the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously yea the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously thy Revoltings have been multiplied and thy back-slidings are many and how shall He pardon thee for this In puts God himself to a pawse to a stand to demur upon it Fer. 5.7 and chap. 3.19 How shall I put thee among the children Nay Chap. 2.29 He seemeth to put a stop to all further pleading Wherefore will ye plead with me ye all have transgressed against me saith the Lord Nay which is worst of all the Holy Spirit of God being hereby grieved where haft thou now another friend to speak a good word for thee when the Father is offended there 's the Son to mediate for thee and when Christ is disobliged yet there is the Spirit to intercede for thee but when the Spirit is vexed and quenched there 's never a fourth Person in the Trinity to make up the breach to comprimise the difference who shall now put words into thy mouth or fill thy mouth with with Arguments yet even in this case try him if he will not help thee at this dead lift and prove an Advocate for thee for he himself hath pen'd a form of prayer for one in thy case Hos 14.1 2 3. Go then even to this holy Spirit and fill thy mouth with Arguments First Tell him thou hast read or heard of his goodness Psal. 143.10 and of his Love Rom. 15.30 Not only that which he begets in the Saints but that which he bears to them all the world hath had experience of it the Church especially and thou art not altogether a stranger to it and hast now occasion further to try it and hopest to find it no whit inferiour either to that of the Father in giving his Son or that of the Son in giving himself for thee though He hath not been equally loved and honoured with then but wofully neglected and forgotten Secondly Ask him if it be possible for thee to be in a worse plight then when he first had to do with thee and did he then fall to work upon thee when he might have abhord to foul his fingers with thee and will he now forsake the work of his own hands Psal. 138.8 Thirdly Thou hopest he will dwell in thy dust when death hath done its worst unto thee and raise than again according to Rom. 8.11 and will he now forsake thy soul and not raise that again now that sin and the devil have done their worst against it for worse then what hath been thou thinkest cannot befall thee Fourthly Have not the most eminent Saints that ever he dwelt in had their backslidings and finned even against that grace wherein lay their excellency were they all restored by him and shalt thou only be abandoned Fifthly Were not all those gracious tenders to backsliders framed and filed and recorded by him Fer. 3.22 Return ye backfliding children and I will heat your backslidings Behold i ve come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Hosea 14.4 I will heal their backslidings I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him and in many other places and beg he would teach thee experimentally to know what is meant by Gods healing backslidings Sixthly He knows that nothing in the world ever so wounded thee or went so near thy heart as thy tempting and grieving of him hath done and thou art resolved never to forgive thy self though he do no as sometimes thou thinkest not in Heaven Seaventhly He knows that thou art to this day wailing and wondring and waiting to know wherefore thou wert so left unto they self and that thou art far from wipeing thy mouth and slighting of it thou canst not but think that God hath some design upon thee therein as he had upon Hezekiah 2 Chron. 32.31 God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart and little didst thou think when God first turned thy heart unto himself there had been that in it which since hath broken forth from it nor was ever any so deceived in thee as thou hast been in thy self but art resolved now against that folly of trusting in thine own heart any more Eighthly Ask him upon what termes he first entred upon thy heart Was it not with a Commission there to stay how ill soever treated or entertained So saies Christ it was agreed on Joh 14.16 And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever Thou wouldst not for a world have him only upon the same account The first Adam had him in his state of innocency concurring meerly as a third Person in the Trinity but by vertue of a relation to the second and then he must never leave thee he must not only alight but abide also as upon the head so upon the Members Joh. 1.32 33. Ninthly Say to him hereby shalt thou know that he is God indeed equall to the Father and the Sonne and

that 't is one of his Crown-Jewels his peculiar prerogative to teach his people so as to profit Isa. 38.17 Cathedram habet in caelis qui corda docet He who speaks to the heart speaks from Heaven hath his pulpit there one from the dead cannot do it an Angel from Heaven cannot do it Rev. 3.7 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} if he be not opening though he do nothing to shut no man can open But if he will be the teacher it matters not what the schollar be he hath no felllow at it who teacheth like him faith Elihu Job 36.22 6. Minde him of his promise not only that he will teach but passively that his people shall be taught Joh. 6.45 especially the humble and it may be thou canst say upon thine own observation I never was proud of any thing never boasted of any good expected but I mist it of any good enjoyed but I lost it God will not suffer thee to be proud upon any termes he will rather have thee humbled by thy sins then proud of thy grace and seeing he hath laid thee and keeps thee so low will he not teach thee 7. Minde him of his practise all along from the creation to this day which of all his Saints could not say as well as David Thou O God hast taught me from my youth up until now Psal. 71. 17. Nay he teacheth the husbandman Isa. 28.26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion and doth teach him now put him to it and say Lord art thou the plowmans God and dost thou teach him and wilt thou not be my God to teach and to instruct me to make me wise to salvation for this also if any thing must come from him who is wonderfull in counsels and excellent in working 8. His goodness puts another argument into thy mouth Psal. 119.68 Thou art good and dost good and if ever thou wouldst do me a good turn O teach me thy statutes 9. Appeal unto him if it be not thy practice as knowing the unfitness and unsuitableness of thine heart to any holy service to cast it into his hand and thence to expect it when the duty calls for it of another tincture put in kelter and fitted thereby for spiritual motion 10. He knows it is the devil and his agents and factors thy corruptions which do distract and disturb thee and would any parent endure that his slave should abuse his childe before his face when he is upon his knee for a blessing or comes to receive his commands Ask him how he can indure to see his execrable slave insult over thee before his face and doth not rate away that curre and pluck him off and fling him down to hell from whence he came why will he not do it It is the reproach of Senacheribs Idoll that they who came out of his bowels slew him there 2 Chron. 32.21 in the house of his God under his Idols nose in the very act of worshiping 2 King 19.37 and he could not protect him Tell the Lord thy God the only true God the living God it will not be for his honour that thou shouldst be continually bafled and abused by Satan and those that come forth out of thine ownbowels when thou settest thy self to worship him he looking on who alone is able to rescue and relieve thee whose glory the devil strikes at herein as well as at thy peace ad safety 11. Tell Him if he will allow thee nothing at present but the comfort of obedience to sweeten thy attendance upon him yet that shall not discourage thee that shall not rid him of a customer his work on earth as well as in Heaven is both work and wages not only for but in keeping his Commandements there is great reward Psal. 19.11 It is joy to the just to do judgment Prov. 21.15 and through grace it is so in some measure to thy poor soul 12. Lastly When at any time thou art afraid to go away from an Ordinance utterly unregarded from a Sermon from a Sacrament from off praying ground and no notice taken of thee say secretly in thy heart Lord I am here thy poor client whom thou knowest so well lo here am I not one word not one look not one touch this day in this duty Say with her in Judg. 1.15 Give me a blessing for thou hast given me a South land a dry land give me also springs of water and thy Father will be as liberall as hers was he will give thee the upper springs and the nether springs 't is well he findes thee there though thou dost not yet finde him thou shalt in conclusion be no loser by it But all these pleadings may some doubting soul say for ought I know may prove in vain for I have thoughts and oppressing fears sometimes that a God so high holy and happy is not at all concerned minds not the addresses of a worm so wofull so sinfull so full of distresses and distractions no more then a man minds the movings or murmurings of flies or bees which moves swiftest or hums sweetest for we are infinitely lesse to Him then they are compared with us and sometimes I find no answer at all or so strange and contrary that my fears are strengthned and confirmed Now though this temptation cannot prevaile far upon thee at least not finally if thou art a constant pleader with God yet it is neefull when it doth but shew it self to go and order thy cause before him and fill thy mouth with Arguments against it 1 Call to mind how god Himself hath affirmed the contrary and tell him thou darest not question the truth of his ingagements Psal. 138.6 Though the Lord be high yet hath he regard unto the lowly he doth not at all forget himself when he remembers thee Nay he sets forth himself in all his Sublimity and Glory when he professeth the greatest kindnesse and condescension to those who judg themselves least capable of it Isa. 57.15 Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose Name is Holy I dewll in the high and holy place here 's enough to make all the Creatures that should hear it exceedingly to feare and quake as 't is said of Moses Heb. 12. 21. and yet what follows what a soft still voice after all this thunder I dwell also with him that is of a broken and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones so that he who is brought below the condition of a Creature broken and crumbled to nothing may yet be a companion for this high and holy One so in Isa. 66.2 though Heaven be my Throne and the Earth my Footstool yet to this man will I look that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my word Ask him now whether this be the presumption the device of any Creature or his own discovery which he hath

made of himself and tell him with an holy plainness and boldness that he hath now ensnared himself if thou maist with reverence say so with the words of his mouth he cannot go back and thou hast no reason to think he hath any inclination so to do Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble Psal. 10.17 Ay and he will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer Psal. 102.17 2. Tell Him 't is true the distance is vast and wide and infinite far above that betwixt thee and the silliest flie which thou can fillip to death at thy pleasure yet he hath given thee a capacity of Communion with Him which those insectae have not with us and thou dost often observe that a parent is more taken with his little ones lisping and offering at words then with all fluent Ortor in the words then with all the Rhetorique of the most florid and fluent Orator in the world and like as a Father hath bowels of tendernesse towards his Children so yea infinitely more then so hath the Lord towards them that fear Him plead then with Nehemiah chap. 1.11 O Lord I beseech thee let now thine eare be attentive to the prayer of thy Servant and to the prayer of thy Servants who desire to fear thy name 3. Tell Him thy conscience thine own Books as wee l as his the Scripture assures thee he takes notice every time thou sinnest against him why not every time thou prayest and sighest after him Psal. 139.5 first verses O Lord thou hast searched me and known me c. Hear what a great writer affirmeth Christ even as man with his humane eyes sees all the wrongs we do or suffer heares all our prayers with his ears records all our doings because the hottest fire on earth cannot impart its heat to bodies ten miles distant cannot the Sun to bodies more then ten hundred thousand miles didstant Christs glorified humane nature having personall union with the Son of God may not be measured or bounded by other mens faculties or perfections The Man Christ Jesus is Mediator 1 Tim. 2.5 and shall be Judg Act. 17.31 And if the man Christ Jesus hear thee will he not answer graciously if he were on earth thou wouldest expect it 4. Tell Him that most men are quick of hearing when any thing is said that pleaseth them and ask him whether he be more forward to mind what 's most contrary then what 's most agreeable to him that which gives occassion to execute vengeance his strange act Isa. 28.21 or to exercise mercy his delight and pleasure Mic. 7.18 he professeth to listen and hearken after the language of repentance Jer. 8.6 after holy conference Mal. 3.16 The Lord harkened and heard it and thou hast no reason in the the world to doubt it 1 Joh. 5.14 15. And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will 0 he heareth us and if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him Isa. 59.1 Behold the Lords Hands is not shortned that it cannot save neither his eare heavy that it cannot hear but there 's a great objection ver. 2. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear Well yet 5. Tell Him thou must not only go contrary to thy conscience but to thy experience also to suspect him for thou canst not but acknowledg that many a time thy prayers have been nearer unto him I King 8.59 as Lettes are stuck in the window which we intend to answer many a time hath he been nigh unto thee in all the things thou hast called on him for Deut. 4.7 never hadst thou more sensible answers from a man then thou hadst from thy God thou canst point to many a mercy as shee did to her child I Sam. 1.27 and say for this mercy I prayed and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him many a time hast thou had that great priviledge to be one of those that are near unto him Psal. 148.14 and this nearnesse to God in prayer when thou hast come to thank him for mercies it hath renewed their sweetnesse it hath exceeded it when to beg mercies spirituall it hath been a pledg of them a part of them temporall it hath been an evidence of a grant of them or of what 's as good yea it selfe hath been better This experience thou hast had of nearnesse to God in Prayer and it is not the sincommitting but the sin-regarding sinner whose prayer the Lord will not hear but verily God had heard me he hath attended to the voice of my prayer and therefore I hope I am not such an one in his account and estimation Psal. 66.18 19. it may be thou canst say in the day when I cryed thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Psal. 138. 3. and that 's the best experience of answer to prayer and therefore thou canst not call his hearing in question unlesse thou wouldest say with this complaynant in the worst sence that can be put upon these words Joh 9.16 If I had called and he had answered yet would I not beleeve that he had answered to my voice it looks indeed like the language of a most obstinate and invincible unbelief as when a man will not beleeve his petition granted though he see it granted but it is rather the language of submission and self-deniall though I speed never so well in my pleading in my prayers yet I will never believe that 't is for any worthinesse in me or them no 't is not to my voice but to the voice of a good Friend of mine my Mediatour that God hearkens and for his sake it is that he so graciously answers wait therefore patiently for the Lord and he will incline unto thee and hear thy cry Psal. 40.1 He never yet prepared any heart to pray but he also caused his eare to hear Psal. 10.17 Yet may the beleeving sinner find cause of complaining and say things may and do run smooth and God is many wayes kind unto me yet it can take no place in my heart that ever he can take any speciall delight in one that hath been so stayned so corrupt Sure Christ Himself after such pollutions provocations prevarications abuse of so much light and love will never look nor speak so kindly as formerly or as he would have done had it not been for these dis-servies and dis-obligements which I have put upon him yet try him and order thy cause before him Go fill thy mouth with Arguments in all humility 1. Ask the Lord Jesus if it be not his work to reconcile and is the reconciler himself so hard to be reconcileds is the wrath of a Lamb so terrible indeed when the great day of his wrath is

accursed thing unbelief a Jonah in the ship which will be raising new tempests and that is a fear lest God at last should turn his back upon thee and thou be found amongst those that are deceivers of their own souls being turned into hell when it seems their looks though nothing else were towards Heaven if ever this be thy case hye thee to God presently go fill thy mouth with Arguments 1. Complain against thine own heart so farre as there is any mixture of unbelief in this fear confess that as to God it is an unworthy jealousie and thou hast need with Gideon to cry him mercy to pray that his anger may not wax hot against thee for asking him so many signs considering how often the fleece hath been wet and the floor dry already to give thee satisfaction Yet when thou lookest downward there is misery enough and matter enough to justifie all thy fears and to move him to pardon yea to sanctifie them unto thee especially considering that thy All is at the stake and that it is Eternity Eternity Eternity that is before thee that vast gulf of eternity and if thou art mistaken in thy confidence thou art lost irrecoverably to all eternity this may move him to pity rather then to anger and to say to them that are of a fearfull heart be strong fear not behold your God will come and save you Isa. 35.4 2. For thy further establishment ask him if he have not made all as sure as grace can make it yea it is therefore all of grace that the promise might be sure to all the seed Rom. 4.16 as sure as infinite love infinite wisdome infinite power can make it and thou dreadest it as thou dost Hell it self to make the God of all Grace and Truth a Liar 1 Io. 5.10 to add to all thy other evils that grand abomination of unbelief which puts more affronts and scorn upon him then all other sins whatsoever 3. Ask if all the spirits of just men now made perfect will not confess the mercies of Christ to be sure mercies and that he as Boaz saith of Ruth shewed them more kindness in the latter end then at the beginning and that having loved his own which were in the world he loved them to the end and reserved the best wine for the last the last grapes especially in Chrifts vineyard yeild the sweetest wine David makes it obvious to any mans observation Psal. 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright he goes current for a perfect man for the end of that man is peace And even a Balaam is forced to acknowledg it and there is a desirableness in the death in the later end of the righous Numb. 23.10 Let me dye the death of the Righteous and let my later end be like his 4. If yet thou fearest as to thine own particular ask if the holy Ghost who makes it his trade to help infirmities and hath helped thee in thine all thy life long ask if he will not then help thee when thou art most infirm nothing but a lump of infirmity and weakness surely then in thy greatest need he will not fail thee Lastly Tell him he knows why thou wouldst so fain be with him in his Heaven not because thou fanciest it a Turkish Paradise or a Paganish Elisium abounding with carnal or corporal pleasures not only because thou wouldst escape everlasting burnings though he himself cannot blame thee for ayming at this seeing he commands thee by all means possible to endeavour it But thy soul longs incessantly to go to Heaven because Heaven is the Land of Hallelujahs and thou wouldst fain be thankfull really thankfull Heaven is the Land of Love and thou wouldst fain take thy fill of love in loving and being beloved in loving as thou art loved without intermission without interruption enternally and so be ever with Christ which is by much farre better Phil. 1.23 All these meet daily with a thousand hindrances and incumbrances which make thee sick of earth and sigh for Heaven groaning within thy self with that blessed Apostle who had once been there 2 Cor. 5.2 For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from Heaven Hinderances and Imcombrances which make a Hell above ground not to be endured by any honest heart and how much more intollerable then is the nethermost Hell for there is never a nooke never a corner in it where a poore sinner might weep eternally without blaspheming without hearing blasphemies without hating of God without sinning against him He knows how often thou hast told him if there were how much more quietly thou couldst accept of the punishment of thine iniquity there and there justifie him and there bewaile thy folly and madness and lament the loss of him for evermore But to lose him and all love to him and to be sinning agaist him eternally this cannot be consented to but by a Creature damned already though above ground nothing therefore short of Heaven can satisfie thee or ought so to do and if upon these terms thou canst not be admitted into his rest sure he will have but little who went thither to prepare a place for thee This hope then we have as an Anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast and which entreth into that within the vaile whither the fore-runner is for us entred even Jesus made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedee Heb. 6.19 20. thus building up your selves on your most holy faith and praying in the holy Ghost keep your selves in the Love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternall life , Jude 20 21. ver. But hast thou not a good mind before parting to speak a good word for others also this hath been constantly the way of the spirit of adoption when David came before the Lord upon the saddest occasion that ever his soul was acquainted with when he was most full of his own concernments and had most cause of fear that his appearing for others might do harm rather then good yet then he ventures to frop a word for Sion and remembers Jerusalem amidst his greatest grief as well as he prefers her before his chiefest joy do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Jeresalem What his sinnes had weakened and attempted to ruine he endeavours to strengthen and repair by his prayers and seldome do ye see him rise from of his knees before he had pleaded the Churches cause and oftentimes he makes that his only errand as you may find by severall Psalms pend for no other purpose Nay many times the best pleaders feel not their hearts warm in the work till they come out of the narrow circle of their own personall concernments and launch into the business of the body of Christ and then are their hearts fixed 06 by the spirit of grace and