Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	day_n	heart_n	lord_n	8,777	5	3.7976	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96519	The gainefull cost. As it was delivered in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords, in the Abbey Church of Westminster, on VVednesday the 27. of November, being the day appointed for solemn and publike humiliation. By Henry Wilkinson, B.D. Pastor of Faiths under Pauls.	Wilkinson, Henry, 1610-1675.	1644 (1644)	Wing W2222; Thomason E23_2; ESTC R20564	35,536	37

teares or trouble that hath dry eyes without some pangs and travell of soule without a conflict of and agony in his spirit without some kind of bleeding in his heart he offers a sacrifice that costs him nought the Lord will reject such a fast as this as hee did theirs Is 58. 5. but the costly fast that God looks at is vers 6. 7. That is a costly fast indeed when heaven and Earth are at strife and contention when you strive to offer to God rivers of teares then doth God even strive to offer to you rivers of consolations when you are at cost with God in your hearts he is at cost with you in his blessings The Lord even speakes this language to you to day those sinnes that have cost you thousands to maintaine them let them now cost you some teares from hearts truly penitent and deeply affected with the sense of them and all your sinnes shall be pardoned and my debt book shall be crossed all your iniquities shall be blotted out I will remember them no more Here we come to offer to God a service of his own prescribing but if we doe not offer according to his own way we shall not onely not be accepted of God but we shall have that which wee never looked for from God he will not onely refuse the service which we offer but he will send something that we would not willingly have Ier. 14. 12. When they fast I will not heare their cry and when they offer burnt offrings and an oblation I will not accept them This one would think were bad enough to loose their labour but that shall not satisfie for it followes but I will consume them c. That man that comes to God in his sinnes on a fasting day he is refused with contempt with an who hath required this at your hand Isa 1. 12. and with a scornfull objurgation What hast thou to doe to declare my Statutes or take my Covenant into thy mouth Seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my word behind thee Psal 50. 16. 17. Consider further that when ever we appeare before the Lord in our sins we doe but like those that are in debt when they come into their creditors sight they put them in minde of that which they owe them and by that meanes they are moved to clap a serjeant on there backs Every one of us is in great arreares with God much in debt and have we procured a pardon Remember that you are in great danger if you have not for it is said Hos 8. 13. Then even then when they are sacrificing Then will I remember their iniquity and visit their sinnes just then when they think to please God then will God remember them in fury Our sinnes have cost us very deare already let us resolve never to be at more cost with them unlesse as Sates are with malefactours to correct punish condemne and execute them FINIS Die veneris 29. November 1644. IT is this day Ordered by the Lords in Parliament That this House doth hereby returne thanks to Mr Henry Wilkinson for his great Paines taken in his Sermon preached by him on Wednesday last before their Lordships in the Abby Church Westminster it being the day of the Monthly Fast And this House doth hereby desire him to Print and Publish the same And lastly it is Orderd that none shall print or reprint his said Sermon without being authorized so to doe under the hand of the said Mr Wilkinson Jo. Brown Cler. Parl. I appoint CHR. MEREDITH and SA GELLIBRAND to Print this Sermon Henry Wilkinson

proportion and measure they had how farre they went It is noted of some of the builders how they repayred and laid the beames and set up the doores and the locks and the barres ver 3 6 13 14 15. the Lord takes notice even to a barre a beam and and lock he observes further how they went thorow with the work it did not stick on their hands he observes of one how he and his daughters did ingage themselves v. 12. the weak endeavours of this sex shall not be omitted v. 5. there is a note of ignominy set upon the nobles of the Tekoites and others that either did withdraw from the work or hinder it from going forward Neh. 3. 5. it is said the Tekoites repaired but the Nobles would not put their necks to the work the Nobles stigmatized then chap. 4. 1 2 3 8 11. you have the reproaches and affronts set down which the enemies did offer to them that were in the work Vpon that you have set down the valour courage and resolution of those that did fall to the work maugre all oppositions whatsoever v. 16 17 c. then ch 6. you have a treaty propounded but not yeelded to v. 10. c. they would have drawn him perhaps to propositions but Nehemiah as he will not send to the adversaries so neither will have to doe with them when they send to him Then you have set down what intercourse of Letters there were betwixt the Nobles of Iudah and Tobiah and how there was an oath passed from them to him in regard he was a great man v. 17 18. It is set down also how these treachetous Nobles did extoll Tobiah to Nehemiah and told Tobiah what ever he said of him upon which Tohiah sent him Letters to make him afraid The Nobles of the Tekoites and the Nobles of Iudah have a very ill name in this whole work Hence we may observe that God takes speciall notice of underminers and opposers of the work and sets a black coale upon them that in due time he may remember them according to their deeds Wherefore since God doth observe every mans carriage so exactly as he doth in that work which doth more immediatly concern his own glory every one had need be the more carefull to approve themselves faithfull and diligent in that work and to offer themselves most willingly in that service Thirdly A third argument to offer to God all our labours and 3. An argument from the builders of Babel to be at cost in his service may be drawn from those that are at so much paines and cost in the building of Babel and in opposing the building of the Lords house they move every stone they leave nothing unattempted whereby they may retard or put back or obstruct any way that building It costs them not only a great deale of paines and vexation of spirit and vast expences but the losse of their soules to boot Let us but look on the Antichristian party in this Kingdome and see how industrious they are how vigilant how wise in their generation to make use of all advantages to promote their designes they doe not offer to the Divell that which costs them nought hee is a hard Master and his service is a very troublesome dangerous desperate service and yet how zealous are they in it How many lifes have been sacrificed in it Let it never bee said that Satan should have more cost bestowed on him more paines and care and time laid out in his drudgery then the noble and honourable and glorious work of God now in your hands should have bestowed on it Fourthly The excellency of the service together with the difficulty should be a great incentive to the work to draw out your 4. From the excellency of the work this respects noble spirits in a speciall manner cost and lay out your paines in it This to a noble spirit is one of the greatest perswasives which to a low degenerous poore spirit is a discouragement If it be matter that carries weight and importance in it and that it is dignus vindice nodus who so fit to undertake it as one of Davids Worthies Now there is something in noble persons truly noble which as it is an incentive so likewise it is an engagement on their spirits that they of all men should undertake the most difficult service and the most excellent which is the building the Lords House It is said concerning water that comes from Springs and Fountaines that it will ascend and rise in a Conduit or Cisteme so high as the head of the Spring lies but no higher so it is with the spirits of men those that are of a low base descent will not rise up to any high employments but those that are of a high descent rise up without forcing or constraint to the highest enterprises Hence it was that the ancient H●roes did desire to be accounted of the off-spring of the gods and men did desire to perswade great persons that they were so descended that so their spirits might be raised up to their spring-head a In Lucian we have him thus speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And 〈◊〉 sayes thus 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 ut se 〈◊〉 fortes eitam● falsam sit ex 〈◊〉 genito●● credant 〈◊〉 to moilo an mus 〈◊〉 a us ●lut elivina 〈◊〉 fiducians gerens res magnas aggred●eda prasumat 〈◊〉 us agat 〈◊〉 tius 〈…〉 earitate saelicius Alexander thought it very conducible to him that he was esteemed the Son of Jupiter for he was feared by reason of this opinion men had of him by the Heathens We shall finde the Ancients very ambitious in this kind so the Romans said they were descended of Mars and Venus Hercules and Persens are reported to spring from Iupiter Seleucus of Apollo Augustus and Scipio of a Dragon and the maine reason was that they might have a greater engagement on their spirits to doe nobly Whence also it was that men of low parts and such as would not or could not undertake great matters were called terrae filii So that it is cleare that noble spirits have great engagements on them for the undertaking of great designes It lies more upon them then upon other men they seeme to degenerate when they begin to feare or draw back A truly generous and noble spirit is so far from being discouraged by difficulties that like the Palm the more weight it hath laid upon it it gathers strength the more to encounter the Assaylant Hence it is that those that stood before the Throne had palmes in their hands the ensigne of victory You have a remarkable instance of such a spirit as wee speak of in Caleb Numb 13. when the Spies had seen the Anakims and Gyants the walled Cities and those multitudes of enemies vers 28. 29. their hearts began to faint but Calebs spirit did rise at them and he said Let us goe up at once and possesse it

cost you your plate and such like superfluities such things as might be well spared but may it not be said of this offering as Christ said of theirs whom he saw cast something into the Treasury that you gave of your abundance he looked on all that they cast in as a thing of no value not so much as a mite But you will say that there hath been a great deale offered since I could wish we could say it has been offered hath it not been fetched and extorted from many as so many drops of blood I am sorry that such is the hardnesse of mens hearts that our Parliament must be faine to make Ordinances to take that from men which they will not offer and that Gods Cause must be beholding to an Excise I am sorry that we should be so little affected with the Cause amongst us that of necessity by reason of the sordid condition of men Ordinances for loan and that upon Interest must be made to maintaine and support it whereas every one should rate himselfe and strive to goe before another in this businesse and put an excise upon himselfe not of a part but of all not of his estate but his life in this businesse Is this to offer that to God which costs me something or rather is it not a kinde of exposing to sale a bargaining at least with hopes of gaine What a strange thing is it that the publique faith of the Kingdom should go further then the publique faith of heaven and that the Parliaments word should be taken before Gods word and that their security should be thought better then the security of the blessed Trinity God hath said enough to us if we would beleeve him that we shall be no losers by offering by giving to his building to his cause Besides if we consider the grudging murmuring repining the reluctance that goes along with it which I cannot say is given by men but rather forced from them certainly we must conclude that Davids minde was wanting in this businesse very much The Scripture observes the wonderfull willingnesse and readinesse of those that did help forward the work of the Sanctuary there needed no rateing of them according to their estates but every man offered so freely that there was a restraint laid upon them that they should bring in no more It seems also that at the building of the Temple there was some unkinde and unbrotherly carriage of the chiefe among the Jews towards their brethren which did cause some griefe and trouble among them Neh. 5. there were great complaints of exactions ver 1 2 3. c. which made some interruptions among them but observe how Nehemiah behaved him else when he knew of it vers 6 7. he presently rectified the thing whence I inferre that it is the desire of the Lord that his work should be carried on with all chearfulnesse and willingnesse of minde that whatever service was to be offered to him should be a free will offering Shall it ever be said that Christ hath a Cause in England to maintain that cries for help and offerings for hearts and hands for substance and lifes and could not have them at least not willingly Shall it ever be said that any of you have Thom. Lansius orat cont Hispaniam taurum est deus Christianorum a penny left that might advance this building and you would not offer it Then will I say as the poore Indians seeing the unsatiable desire of the Spaniards after gold said gold was the God of the Christians money is their god that will not give God their money Shall it bee said that any of us have a hand or a foot or a limbe or a life to lose in this Cause and wee would not spare them We would not be at so much cost in the businesse the time is now come perhaps that you may be put to it as the young man in the Gospel was to sell all not to purchase but to offer to Christ It may be the time is come in which Christ will call for honours and dignities and will your Lordships carry them and lay them at his feet and say these I lay down at thy foot-stoole that thou mayest by them be advanced into thy Throne Can you say not my honours Lord but my life honour me so far as that I may loose that for thy sake that hast honoured me so far as to loose thine for me I am sorry I have but one to loose for thee but if I had as many as there be sands on the sea thou shouldest have them all It may be the time is come that he will call for all your rents revenewes possessions and can you say I am sorry there is no more for my deare Saviour Cursed be that honour and dignity and let ignomy and reproach for ever light upon it that shall refuse to bee offred to the Lord Cursed be that estate and let beggery and basenesse shame and contempt be in the habitations of those that will not part their substance for Christ Cursed be those limbs and let them rot And cursed bee those lifes and let them perish that deny to offer themselves to Christ He that thus loves not the Lord Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16. 22. And he loves him not Christ himselfe being interpreter that will not lay down his life for him I hope none that heares me are thus cursed but those that will not now offer their help to the Lord against the mighty they are like Meroz cursed and cursed bitterly to However we thus speak to you in the name of God yet remember that God doth not stand in need of any thing you have but he is pleased to put you upon the tryall hee will see what you will doe for him He needs not aske your leave hee may take what hee pleaseth from you as having a greater interest and propriety in what you possesse then you have your selves he is pleased to take what you give freely and to call it a gift but if you stand upon it hee will let you know that it was his before it was yours and now it is yours yet it is more his then yours Heare what God sayes Psal 50. 9 10 11 12 13. All the beasts of the forrest bee mine and the cattell upon a thousand hils c. but ver 14. he tells you what he looks for Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vowes unto the most High he looks for offering though he stands in need of none And David professeth that he was ready to offer sacrifice if God would accept it Psal 51. 16. but vers 17. he tells what sacrifice God did delight in This is a day of Humiliation and this is the most proper offering for the day which should be a heart-breaking day he that offers to God a fast without afflicting of his soule without being in bitternesse for his sinnes without mourning without sighs and groanes without