Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ask_v	call_v	zion_n	20	3	9.6422	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35538	An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second, being the five last, chapters of the book of Job being the substance of fifty-two lectures or meditations / by Joseph Caryl ...	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1653 (1653)	Wing C777; ESTC R19353	930,090	1,092

satisfied And this may be a great reproof upon the insatiableness of many men they in this are much worse than the desolate and wast ground that may be satisfied that will crave no more But whereas Solomon saith there are four things that say not it is enough Prov. 30.15 16. Of all things the desires of man are most unsatiable and say not it is enough It was a great word which Esau spake I have enough my brother Gen. 33.9 and I fear he hath but a few brethren in that saying Among the four things which in Solomons ob ervation say not it is enough the earth is one in the place last mentioned But mark It is the earth that is not filled with water For where God is pleased to fill the earth with water then as this Text in Job speaks it is satisfied He causeth it to rain on the wilderness to satisfie the desolate and wast ground Further This may also comfort us in all our wants For doubtless the Lord who takes care to satisfie the senseless ground will satisfie his believing people early with his mercy Psal 90.14 when they cry to him yea he will satisfie them not onely with good in this life but with long life will he satisfie them and shew them his salvation Psal 91.16 He will abundantly blesse Sions provision What is that The Word and Ordinances chiefly and satisfie her poor with bread with the bread of life especially Lastly God sends rain to satisfie the desolate and wast ground Hence Note God hath rain enough for all places He can spare it for waste ground and wildernesses And therefore if he supplieth not our pastures corn-fields and gardens with rain it is not because he cannot send it or hath not enough to send but it is to punish us for sin God doth not withhold rain from any place because he is sparing of his treasures is more for laying them up than giving them out but because he is provoked by the unthankfulness of man for or by his abuse of his former bounties The Lord forbids the clouds to drop down the rain upon inhabited places and bids them convey it to waste wildernesses when inhabited places have not honoured him for it nor brought forth fruits of righteousness answerable to the fruits of the earth by the blessing of rain Thus also Christ will take the kingdome that is the kingdome of the Gospel the rain of holy doctrine from an unthankful and unfruitful people and give it to a Nation that will bring forth the fruits of it as he threatned the Jewes Matth. 21.43 and afterwards fulfilled that threatning upon them Acts 13.46 Lo we turn to the Gentiles Ye having refused and abused the offers of Christ made to you by us we will now go with our rain to the wast and desolate ground or to the wilderness that is to the Gentiles and they will receive it and be thankful The scarcity of Gospel mercy which God brings upon any place Sic sterilitas agrorum divitiae fertilitas est deserti is a punishment of their barrenness under Gospel means And have not we cause to fear at this day that forasmuch as we are so like that earth spoken of Heb. 6.8 which drinketh in the rain yet instead of fruit meet for his use by whom it is dressed beareth briars and thorns have not we cause I say to fear that we are nigh to some curse and burning or that the Lord will carry away the rain to Heathens who as yet are a desolate and waste ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 E●itum germinis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proprie herba renera Exitum herbae vocat herbam primúm è terra prodeuntem Drus To cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth The natural effect of rain is growth or to cause the bud of the ●ender herb to bring forth If God denies water to manured and well husbanded lands they wither and even desolate desarts and waste grounds flourish when God waters them then the bud of the tender herb springs forth Hence Note Natural causes produce proper natural effects When God sends rain on desolate places they bud and spring forth When the rain falls the herb flourishes where the Sun shines the grasse grows And surely thus it is in spirituals spiritual causes bring forth spiritual effects if the Lord sends the rain of the word upon desolate souls the soul receiving it will bud and the tender herb will bring forth Moses Deut. 32.1 2. compared his Doctrine to the small rain upon the tender herb and to the showres upon the grasse How green are the herbs after rain and the grasse after showres Herbs and grasse bear witness to the bounty and goodness of God in giving sweet showres of rain Natural rain is seen in their looks and so should spiritual in our lives And if where the rain of the word falleth they that receive it do not bud and blossome and bring forth fruit the desolate wilderness will rise up in judgement against them the waste grounds will condemn them They will say Lord you sent rain upon us and lo here are our buds and our blossomes yea here 's the fruit which we have brought forth Will not this shame our barrenness Hath the Lord divided the Water-course of the Gospel and caused it to rain on us from day to day and shall not we shew our buds and blossomes of holiness our fruits of faith and repentance that he may come into his garden and eat of his pleasant fruits How dreadful Shall the waste wildernesses and desolate grounds bring forth when the rain f●lls upon them and shall not the Church It is not bare professing but fruit-bearing which honours God John 15.8 It is uncomely if so much as a leaf of profession withers Psal 1.3 But how green soever the leaves of our profession are yea though they should retain their greenness under the hottest and most scorching Sun of Persecution yet what would it advantage us if our leaves are not accompanied with good fruits Now If any should ask What mean you by good fruits Or what fruits are good I shall close the point in hand with an Answer to these Questions These good fruits considered in reference to their efficient cause are called fruits of the spirit Gal. 5.22 and in reference to the matter of them they are called fruits of righteousness Phil. 1.11 but in reference to the beginning or occasion of them they are called fruits meet for repentance Matth. 3.8 In general all that is good fruit which is conformable to the Word of God whether it be the conformity of our natures to it in conversion or the conformity of our wayes to it in our daily conversation More particularly these good fruits are of two sorts First Inward fruits or those which we bring forth within that is in our hearts these are secrets and only known to God Secondly Outward fruits which we bring forth in

Spirit in it and therefore it must needs make great turns God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed Sixthly Jesus Christ presents such prayers the prayers of faith the prayers of repentance unto God his Father Christs intercession gives effect or gets answer to our supplications The Father hears the Son always John 11.42 and so he doth all them whose prayers are offered to him by the Son Revel 8.3 The angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne The angel there spoken of is the angel or messenger of the Covenant prophesied of Mal. 3.1 that is Jesus Christ 't is he he alone who offers the incense of his own prayers with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne and being there represented doing so presently as it followeth ver 5. There were voices and thunders and lightenings signifying the wonderful effects of prayer till it should come after many turnings in the world or as I may say after a world of turnings to the Lords turning of Sions captivity as here of Jobs Seventhly Jesus Christ doth not only present the prayers of believers to God but also prayeth in them when saints pray he prayeth in them for he and they are mystically one And as Christ is in believers the hope of glory Col. 1.27 so he is in them the help of duty and so much their help that without him they can do nothing John 15.5 Now a believers prayer being in this sense Christs prayer it cannot but do great things Lastly As Jesus Christ presents the prayers of believers to the Father and prayeth in them or helps them to pray by the blessed and holy Spirit sent down according to his gracious promise into their hearts so he himself prayeth for them when they are not actually praying for themselves For saith the Apostle Heb. 7.25 He ever liveth to make intercession for them The best believers do not always make supplications for themselves but Christ is always making as well as he ever lives to make intercession for them The Apostle speaking of Christs intercession useth the word in the present tense or time which denoteth a continued act Rom. 8.34 Who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us The sacrifice of Christ though but once offered is an everlasting sacrifice and this other part of his priestly-office his intercession is everlasting as being often yea always or everlastingly offered The way or manner of Christs making everlasting intercession for us is a great secret it may suffice us to know and believe that he doth it Now it is chiefly from this everlasting intercession of Christ that both the persons of the elect partake of the benefits of his sacrifice and that their prayers are answered for the obtaining of any good as also for the removal of any evil as here Jobs was for the turning of his captivity Thus I have given a brief accompt of this inference that if prayer prevails to turn the captivity of others then much more our own Prayer hath had a great hand in all the good turns that ever the Lord made for his Church And when the Lord shall fully turn the captivity of Sion his Church he will pour out a mighty spirit of prayer upon all the sons of Sion The Prophet fore-shewed the return of the captivity of the Jews out of Babilon Jerem. 29.10 After seventy years be accomplished at Babilon I will visit you and perform my good word towards you in causing you to return to this place for I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end But what should the frame of their hearts be at that day the 12th verse tells us And ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken These words may bear a two-fold sense First The sense of a command Then shall ye call upon me and then shall ye go and pray That is your duty in that day Secondly I conceive they may also bear the sense of a promise then shall your hearts be inlarged then I will pour out a spirit of prayer upon you And ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken We may conclude the approach of mercy when we discern the spirits of men up in and warm at this duty Many enquire about the time when the captivity of Sion shall fully end we may find an answer to that question best by the inlargement of our own hearts in prayer David speaking of that said Psal 102.17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute the meanest and lowest shrubs in grace as the word there used imports and not despise that is he will highly esteem and therefore answer their prayer How much more the prayer of the tall cedars in grace or of the strong wrestlers when they call upon him and cry unto him with all their might day and night The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends Nor was it a bare turn As Job did not offer a lean sacrifice to God in prayer but the strength of his soul went out in it so the Lord in giving him an answer did not give him a lean or slight return but as it followeth Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before The Hebrew is The Lord added to Job to the double Some translate too barely The Lord made an accession or an addition but that doth not reach the sense intended For a little more than he had before had been an addition to what he had before but double is more than a little or the common notion of an addition the Lord gave him twice as much or double to that great estate which he had before This doubling of his estate may be taken two ways First Strictly as four is twice two and eight twice four See the wild conceits of the Jewish Rabbins about the doubling of Jobs estate in Mercer upon the place In that strict sence it may be taken here as to his personal estate but as to persons it will not hold the number of his children was the same as before If we compare this chapter with the first chapter ver 3. we find his estate doubled in strict sence Whereas Job had then seven thousand sheep now saith this chapter ver 12. he had fourteen thousand sheep and whereas before he had three thousand camels now he had six thousand camels and whereas before he had five hundred yoke of oxen now he had a thousand yoke of oxen and lastly whereas before he had five hundred she asses now he had a thousand she asses Here was double in the letter In duplum i. e. in plurimum Quam plurimum numerus finitus pro infinito

the Lord if we have a blessing from him and he bless us we cannot be deceived we can never miss of comfort if he bless us But whence is it then that some look so much after creature-helps not minding the blessing of God Doubtless it slows or springs from one of these three bad fountains or bitter roots First From ignorance they know not what the blessing of God means for as Christ told the woman of Samaria Acts 4.10 If thou knewest the gift of God thou wouldst have asked c. So did they know what it is to be blessed of God they would ask it above all things It proceeds Secondly From a spirit of profaneness in many they despise God in their hearts and think it below them to call for his help or blessing Of such David speaks Psal 14.6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor because the Lord is his refuge or because 't is all one in effect he lives upon the blessing of God you are ashamed of this this is poor counsel think you as it is the counsel of the poor this trusting in God this making God our refuge this living upon the blessing of God is a pitiful life say you The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts or not at all in his thoughts to seek unto him and depend wholly upon him Psal 10.4 As Ezra was ashamed to require of the King a band of soldiers and horsemen to help them against the enemy in the way because he had spoken unto the King saying the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him c. Ezra 8.22 So prophane persons are ashamed to ask help of God and his blessing at any time but then especially when they have bands of soldiers and horsemen to help them as will appear further in the next thing For Thirdly This mindlessness and regardlessness of the blessing of God proceeds in some from confidence in an arm of flesh either their own or others The Prophet reproved the Jews for this in the day of their trouble Isa 22.8 9 10 11. And he that is God discovered the covering of Judah that is what Judah covered himself with or thought himself safely sheltered by from all danger what was that the next words tell us thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the Forrest ye have seen also the breaches of the City of David that they are many ye have fortified the wall c. but ye have not looked to the maker thereof neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago The meaning of all is this ye relyed upon and put confidence in your own strength but looked not after nor sought unto me for my blessing ye thought ye should do well enough if your magazines were well stored and your City well fortified and therefore neglected me The same Prophet Chap. 31.1 shews the same reason why they neglected God why they looked not to the holy One of Israel nor sought the Lord it was because they went down to Egypt for help and stayed on horses and trusted in charets because they were many and in horsemen because they were very strong We cannot trust in God and creatures too If God alone be not trusted to he is not at all trusted and they who put their trust in any creature withdraw it from God and make that creature their God They cannot so much as mind much less seek a blessing from the true God who chuse to themselves another God Again seeing the Lords blessing is effectual then whatever our successes and increases are let us ascribe all to his blessing Do not sacrifice to your own nets nor burn incense to your own drags but say this hath God wrought the blessing of the Lord hath brought it to pass As the Apostle spake about spirituals 1 Cor. 3.6 I have planted Apollo watered but God gave the increase so 't is in temporals all our encreasings are of God Therefore let us say with the Psalmist Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy Name be the praise Do not thank your wit for riches nor your industry for increase nor your strength for victory not any humane help for any of your attainments The race is not to the swift nor the battel to the strong neither yet bread to the wise nor yet riches to men of understanding c. Ecrl. 9.11 All is of God it is his blessing upon the means which makes the means successful But some may say are all men to ascribe all their successes and increases to the blessing of God I answer Negatively All encreases and outward successes are not to be ascribed unto nor fathered upon God A man may encrease in riches and double his estate as Jobs was yet not by the blessing of God Only that comes by a blessing from God which is got in Gods way or by good means according to the characters before hinted of the persons whom the Lord will bless for they who either make a profession of dishonesty or are dishonest in their profession let them take heed of pinning their successes upon God and of thanking him for them Many say in their hearts and some are not ashamed to say it with their mouths Honest dealers must die beggars They never came by riches in the way of a blessing who say honesty is the way to poverty much less they whose consciences know and tell them though others know it not and so cannot tell them that they have enriched themselves by the wrong or raised themselves by the ruin of others Job was enriched and raised high and the Text assures us what enriched him what raised him The Lord blessed The latter end of Job more than his beginning We have seen the Author of this blessing These words shew the subject of this blessing The latter end of Job 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prae initio ejus or Job in his latter end together with the quantity and abundance of this blessing More than his beginning The Lord blessed The latter end of Job That is Job in the latter part of his life and he blessed it more than his beginning that is than the former part of his life God blessed and greatly blessed the former part of Jobs life for he was the greatest man of all men in the East but now Job shall be greater than Job he shall be greater than himself His affliction razed down his house and all he had to the very foundation but when God would hold the plummet in his hand and rebuild him to what an amazing height did his house arise The Lord blessed his latter end more than his beginning The words are plain and need no comment From them we may observe First The latter part of a good mans life is the best part of his life It is often so I do not say it is alwayes so in