Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	holy_a	nature_n	8,877	5	5.8462	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23775	The whole duty of man laid down in a plain way for the use of the meanest reader divided into XVII chapters : one whereof being read every Lords day, the whole may be read over, thrice in the year, necessary for all families : with private devotions.; Whole duty of man	Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.; Fell, John, 1625-1686.; Sterne, Richard, 1596?-1683.; Henchman, Humphrey, 1592-1675.; Pakington, Dorothy Coventry, Lady, d. 1679.	1659 (1659)	Wing A1170_PARTIAL; Wing A1161_PARTIAL; ESTC R22026	270,427	508

cares of this life taking thought what I shall eat or drink or wherewithal I shall be clothed but grant that having by honest labour and industry done my part I may cheerfully commit my self to thy providence casting all my care upon thee and being careful for nothing but to be of the number of those whom thou ownest and carest for even such as keep thy Testimonies and think upon thy Commandments to do them That seeking first thy Kingdom and the righteousness thereof all these outward things may be added unto me in such a measure as thy wisdom knowes best for me grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ his sake For THANKFULNES O Most Gracious and Bountiful Lord who fillest all things living with good and expectest no other return but praise and thanksgiving let me O Lord never defraud thee of that so easie tribute but let my heart be ever filled with the sense and my mouth with the acknowledgement of thy mercies It is a joyful and a pleasant thing to be thankful O suffer me not I beseech thee to loose my part in that Divine pleasure but grant that as I dayly receive blessings from thee so I may dayly from an affectionate and devout heart offer up thanks to thee and grant that not only my lips but my life may shew forth thy praise by consecrating my self to thy service and walking in Holiness and Righteousness before thee all the days of my life through Jesus Christ my Lord and blessed Saviour For CONTRITION O Holy Lord who art a merciful embracer of true penitents but yet a consuming fire towards obstinate sinners how shall I approach thee who have so many provoking sins to inflame thy wrath and so little sincere repentance to incline thy mercy O be thou pleased to soften and melt this hard obdurate heart of mine that I may heartily bewail the iniquities of my life strike this rock O Lord that the waters may flow out even floods of tears to wash my polluted conscience my drowzy Soul hath too long slept securely in sin Lord awake it though it be with thunder and let me rather ●●●● thy terrors then not feel my sin Thou sentest thy blessed Son to heal the broken hearted but Lord what will that avail me if my heart be whole O break it that it may be capable of his healing virtue and grant I beseech thee that having once tasted the bitterness of sin I may flie from it as from the face of a Serpent and bring forth fruits of repentance in amendment of life to the praise and glory of thy grace in Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer For MEEKNES O Blessed Jesu who wast led as a sheep to the slaughter let I beseech thee that admirable example of Meekness quench in me all sparks of anger and revenge and work in me such a gentleness and calmness of Spirit as no provocations may ever be able to disturb Lord grant I may be so far from offering the least injury that I may never return the greatest any otherwise then with prayers and kindness that I who have so many talents to be forgiven by thee may never exact pence of my brethren but that putting on bowels of mercy meekness long-suffering thy peace may rule in my heart and make it an acceptable habitation to thee who art the Prince of peace to whom with the Father and holy Spirit be all honour and glory for ever For CHASTITY O Holy and Immaculate Jesus whose first descent was into the Virgins womb and who dost still love to inhabit only in pure and virgin hearts I beseech thee send thy Spirit of purity to cleanse me from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit my body O Lord is the Temple of the Holy Ghost O let me never pollute that Temple with any uncleanness And because out of the heart proceed the things that defile the man Lord grant me to keep my heart with all diligence that no impure or foul thoughts be harboured there but enable me I beseech thee to keep both body and soul pure and undefiled that so I may glorifie thee here both in my body and spirit and be glorified in both with thee hereafter For TEMPERANCE O Gracious Lord who hast in thy bounty to mankind afforded us the use of thy good creatures for our corporal refreshment grant that I may always use this liberty with thankfulness and moderation O let me never be so enslaved to that brutish pleasure of taste that my Table become a snare to me but give me I beseech thee a perfect abhorrence of all degrees of excess and let me eat and drink only for those ends and according to those measures which thou hast assigned me for health and not for luxury And Lord grant that my pursuits may be not after the meat that perisheth but after that which endureth to everlasting life that hungring and thirsting after righteousness I may be filled with thy grace here and thy glory hereafter through Jesus Christ. For CONTENTEDNES O Merciful God thy wisdom is infinite to choose thy love forward to dispence good things to us O let me always fully and intirely resign my self to thy disposals have no desires of mine own but a perfect satisfaction in thy choices for me that so in whatsoever estate I am I may be therein content Lord grant I may never look with murmuring on my own condition nor with envy on other mens And to that end I beseech thee purge my heart of all covetous affections O let me never yield up any corner of my Soul to Mammon but give me such a contempt of these fading riches that whether they increase or decrease I may never set my heart upon them but that all my care may be to be rich towards God to lay up my treasure in heaven that I may so set my affections on things above that when Christ who is my life shall appear I may also appear with him in glory Grant this O Lord for the merits of the same Jesus Christ. For DILIGENCE O Lord who hast in thy wisdom ordained that man should be born to labour suffer me not to resist that design of thine by giving my self up to sloth and idleness but grant I may so imploy my time and all other talents thou hast intrusted me with that I may not fall under the sentence of the slothful and wicked servant Lord if it be thy will make me some way useful to others that I may not live an unprofitable part of mankind but however O Lord let me not be useless to my self but grant I may give all diligence to make my calling and election sure My soul is beset with many and vigilant adversaries O let me not fold my hands to sleep in the midst of so great dangers but watch and pray that I enter not into temptation enduring hardness as a good souldier of Jesus Christ till at the last from this state of warfare thou translate me to the

to us how wickedly soever we live The Apostle teaches us another use of them 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having therefore these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God When we do thus we may justly apply the promises to our selves and with comfort expect our parts in them But till then though these promises be of certain truth yet we can reap no benefit from them because we are not the persons to whom they are made that is we perform not the condition required to give us right to them 23. This is the Faith or Belief required of us towards the things God hath revealed to us in the Scripture to wit Such as may answer the End for which they were so revealed that is the bringing us to good lives the bare believing the truth of them without this is no more then the Devils do as S. James tells us Chap. 2. 19. Only they are not so unreasonable as some of us are for they will tremble as knowing well this Faith will never do them any good But many of us go on confidently and doubt not the sufficiency of our Faith though we have not the least fruit of obedience to approve it by let such hear S. James's judgment in the point Ch. 2. 26. As the body without the spirit is dead so Faith if it have not works is dead also 24. A second Duty to God is HOPE that is a comfortable expectation of these good things he hath promised But this as I told you before of Faith must be such as agrees to the nature of the promises which being such as requires a condition on our part we can hope no further then we make that good or if we do we are so far from performing by it this duty of Hope that we commit the great sin of Presumption which is nothing else but hoping where God hath given us no ground to hope this every man doth that hopes for pardon of sins and eternal life without that repentance and obedience to which alone they are promised the true hope is that which purifies us S. John saith 1 Epist. 3. 5. Every man that hath this hope purifieth himself even as he is pure that is it makes him leave his sins and earnestly endeavour to be holy as Christ is and that which doth not so how confident soever it be may well be concluded to be but that hope of the Hypocrite which Job assures us shall perish 25. But there is another way of transgressing this Duty besides that of Presumption and that is by Desperation by which I mean not that which is ordinarily so called viz. the Despairing of mercy so long as we continue in our sins for that is but just for us to do But I mean such a desperation as makes us give over endeavour that is when a man that sees he is not at the present such a one as the promises belong to concludes he can never become such and therefore neglects all duty and goes on in his sins This is indeed the sinful desparation and that which if it be continued in must end in destruction 26. Now the work of hope is to prevent this by setting before us the generality of the promises that they belong to all that will but perform the condition And therefore though a man have not hitherto performed it and so hath yet no right to them yet hope will tell him that that right may yet be gained if he will now set heartily about it It is therefore strange folly for any man be he never so sinful to give up himself for lost when if he will but change his course he shall be as certain to partake of the promises of mercy as if he had never gone on in those former sins 27. This Christ shews us in the parable of the Prodigal Luke 15. where wee see that Son which had run away from his Father and had consumed the portion given him in riotous living was yet upon his return and repentance used with as much kindness by the Father as he that had never offended nay with higher and more passionate expressions of love The intent of which Parable was only to shew us how graciously our heavenly Father will receive us how great soever our former sins have bin if we shall return to him with true sorrow for what is past and sincere obedience for the time to come nay so acceptable a thing is it to God to have any sinner return from the error of his ways that there is a kinde of triumph in heaven for it there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth Luke 15. 10. And now who would not rather chuse by a timely repentance to bring joy to heaven to God and his holy Angels then by a sullen desperation to please Satan and his accursed spirits especially when by the former we shall gain endlesse happiness to our selves and by the latter as endless torments 28. A Third Duty to God is LOVE there are two common Motives of love among men the one the goodness and excellency of the person the other his particular kindness and love to us and both these are in the highest degree in God 29. First he is of infinite goodness and excellency in himself this you were before taught to believe of him and no man can doubt it that considers but this one thing that there is nothing good in the world but what hath received all its goodness from God His goodness is as the Sea or Ocean and the goodness of all creatures but as fome small streams flowing from the Sea now you would certainly think him a mad man that should say the Sea were not greater then some little brook and certainly it is no less folly to suppose that the goodness of God doth not as much nay infinitely more exceed that of all creatures Besides the goodness of the creature is imperfect and mixt with much evil but his is pure and entire without any such mixture He is perfectly Holy and cannot be rainted with the least impurity neither can he be the Author of any to us for though he be the cause of all the goodness in us he is the cause of none of our sins This S. James expresly tells us Chap. 1. 13. Let no man say when he is tempted He is tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man 30. But secondly God is not only thus good in himself but he is also wonderful good that is kind and merciful to us we are made up of two parts a Soul and a Body and to each of these God hath exprest infinite mercy tenderness Do but consider what was before told you of the SECOND COVENANT the mercies therein offered even Christ himself all his benefits and also that he offers them so sincerely

both Let those think of this who make it their pastime and sport to affront and deride this calling And let those also who dare presume to exercise the Offices of it without being lawfully called to it which is a most high presumption 'T is as if a man on his own head should go as an Ambassadour from his Prince the Apostle says of the Priests of the Law which yet are inferiour to those of the Gospel That no man taketh this honour to himself but he which was called of God Heb. 5. 4. How shall then any man dare to assume this greater honour to himself that is not called to it Neither will it suffice to say they have the inward call of the spirit for since God hath establisht an order in the Church for the admitting men to this Office they that shall take it upon them without that authority resist that ordinance and are but of the number of those theeves and robbers as our Saviour speaks John 10. which come not in by the door Besides the sad experience of these times shew that many who pretend most to this inward call of the spirit are called by some other spirit then that of God the doctrines they vent being usually directly contrary to that word of his on which all true Doctrines must be founded Such are to be lookt on as those seducers those false prophets whereof we are so often warned in the Epistles of the Apostles And whosoever countenances them or follows them partakes with them in their guilt It is recorded of Jeroboam as a crying sin that he made of the m●anest of the people priests that is such as had by Gods institution no right to it and whoever hearkens to these uncalled preachers runs into that very sin for without the incouragement of being followed they would not long continue in the course and therefore they that give them that incouragement have much to answer for and are certainly guilty of the sin of despising their true Pastors when they shall thus set up these false apostles against them This is a guilt this age is too much concerned in God in his mercy so timely convince us of it as may put a stop to that confusion and impiety which breaks in so fast upon us by it 9. Thirdly We owe to them maintenance but of this I have spoken already in the first part of this Book and shall not here repeat Fourthly We owe them obedience Obey them saith the Apostle that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls Heb. 13. 17. This obedience is to be paid them in spiritual things that is whatsoever they out of Gods word shall declare to us to be Gods Commands these we are diligently to obey remembring that it is not they but God requires it according to that of Christ he that heareth you heareth me Luke 10. 16. And this whether it be delivered by the way of publick preaching or private exhortation for in both so long as they keep them to the rule which is Gods Word they are the Messengers of the Lord of Hosts Mal. 2. 7. This obedience the Apostle inforceth from a double motive one taken from their Ministry another from themselves They watch sayes he for your Souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief The people are by their obedience to enable their Pastors to give a comfortable account of their Souls and it is a most unkinde return of all their care and labours to be put to grieve for the ill success of them But then in the second place 't is their own concernment also they may put their Ministers to the discomfort of seeing all their pains cast away but themselves are like to get little by it that says the Apostle Heb. 13. 17. will be unprofitable for you 't is your selves that will finally prove the losers by it you lose all those glorious rewards which are offered as the crown of this obedience you get nothing but an addition to your sin and punishment for as our Saviour tells the Pharisees If he had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin John 15. 24. that is in comparison with what they then had so certainly they that never had the Gospel preached to them are much more innocent then they that have heard and resisted it And for the punishment what Christ told those to whom he had preached That it should be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon which were Heathen Cities then for them the same undoubtedly we may conclude of our selves 10. Lastly We are to pray for them This S. Paul every where requires of his Spiritual children thus Eph. 6. 7 8. having commanded prayer for all Saints he adds And for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel and so again Col. 4. 3. And this remains still a duty to these Spiritual Fathers to pray for such assistances of Gods Spirit to them as may enable them rightly to discharge that Holy Calling I shall omit to set down here what is the duty of Ministers to the people upon the same consideration on which I forbare to mention the duty of Magistrates 11. The third sort of parent is the natural the fathers of our flesh as the Apostle calls them Heb. 12. 9. And to these we owe several duties as first we owe them reverence and respect we must behave our selves towards them with all humility and observance and must not upon any pretence of infirmity in them despise or contemn them either in outward behaviour or so much as inwardly in our hearts If indeed they have infirmities it must be our business to cover and conceal them like Shem and Japhet who while cursed Cham publisht and disclosed the nakedness of their father covered it Gen. 9. 23. and that in such a manner too as even themselves might not behold it We are as much as may be to keep our selves from looking on those nakednesses of our parents which may tempt us to think irreverently of them This is very contrary to the practise of too many children who do not only publish and deride the infirmities of their Parents but pretend they have those infirmities they have not there is ordinarily such a pride and headiness in youth that they cannot abide to submit to the counsels and directions of their Elders and therefore to shake them off are willing to have them pass for the effects of dotage when they are indeed the fruits of sobriety and experience To such the exhortation of Solomon is very necessary Prov. 23. 22. Hearken to thy father that begat thee and despise not thy mother when she is old A multitude of texts more there are in that book to this purpose which shews that the wisest of men thought it necessary for children to attend

Soul O save me for thy mercies sake O go not from me for trouble is hard at hand and there is none to help I stretch forth my hands unto thee my Soul gaspeth unto thee as a thirsty land Draw nigh unto my soul and save it O deliver me because of my enemies For my Soul is full of trouble and my life draweth nigh unto hell Save me from the Lions mouth hear me from among the horns of the Unicorns O set me up upon the rock that is higher then I for thou art my hope and a strong Tower for me against the enemy Why art thou so heavy O my Soul and why art thou so disquieted within me Put thy trust in God for I will yet give him thanks for the help of his countenance The Lord shall make good his loving kindness towards me yea thy mercy O Lord endureth for ever despise not then the work of thine own hands O GOD thou art my God early will I seek thee My Soul thirsteth for thee my flesh also longeth after thee in a barren and drie land where no water is Like as the hart desireth the water brooks so longeth my Soul after thee O God My Soul is a thirst for God even for the living God when shall I come to appear before the presence of God How amiable are thy dwellings O Lord of Hosts My Soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the Courts of the Lord my flesh and my heart rejoyce in the living God O that I had wings like a Dove for then would I flye away and be at rest O send out thy light and thy truth that they may lead me and bring me unto thy Holy Hill and to thy dwelling For one day in thy Courts is better then a thousand I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God then to dwell in the tents of wickedness I should utterly have fainted but that I believed verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living Thou art my helper and my redeemer O Lord make no long tarrying EJACULATIONS O LORD of whom may I seek for succour but of thee who for my sins art justly displeased Yet O Lord God most Holy O Lord most Mighty O Holy and most Merciful Saviour deliver me not into the bitter pains of eternal death Thou knowest Lord the secrets of my heart shut not up thy merciful eyes to my prayer but hear me O Lord Most Holy O God most Mighty O Holy and Merciful Saviour thou most worthy Judge eternal suffer me not at my last hour for any pains of death to fall from thee Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am not worthy to be called thy child yet O Lord do not thou cast off the bowels and compassions of a Father but even as a father pittieth his own children so be thou merciful unto me Lord the prince of this world cometh O let him have nothing in me but as he accuseth do thou absolve he lays many and grievous things to my charge which he can too well prove I have nothing to say for my self do thou answer for me O Lord my God O Lord I am cloathed with filthy garments and Satan stands at my right hand to resist me O be thou pleased to rebuke him and pluck me as a brand out of the fire cause mine iniquities to pass from me and cloth me with the righteousness of thy Son Behold O God the Divel is coming towards me having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time O save and deliver me lest he devour my soul like a Lion and tear it in pieces while there is none to help O My God I know that no unclean thing can enter into thy Kingdom and I am nothing but pollution my very righteousnesses are as filthy rags O wash me and make me white in the blood of the Lamb that so I may be fit to stand before thy Throne Lord the snares of death compass me round about O let not the pains of hell also take hold upon me but though I find trouble and heaviness yet O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul. O dear Jesus who hast bought me with the precious price of thine own blood challenge now thy purchase and let not all the malice of Hell pluck me out of thy hand O blessed high Priest who art able to save them to the utmost who come unto God by thee save me I beseech thee who have no hope but on thy merits and intercession O God I confess I have defaced that Image of thine thou didst imprint upon my Soul yet O thou faithful Creator have pity on thy creature O Jesu I have by my many and grievous sins crucified thee afresh yet thou who prayedst for thy persecutors intercede for me also and suffer not O my Redeemer my soul the price of thy blood to perish O Spirit of grace I have by my horrid impieties done despight to thee yet O Blessed Comforter though I have often grieved thee be thou pleased to succour and relieve me and say unto my soul I am thy salvation Mine eyes look unto thee O Lord in thee is my trust O cast not out my soul. O Lord in thee have I trusted let me never be confounded O Blessed Lord who scourgest every Son whom thou receivest let me not be weary of thy correction but give me such a perfect subjection to thee the Father of Spirits that this chastisement may be for my profit that I may thereby be partaker of thy holiness O thou Captain of my Salvation who wert made perfect by sufferings sanctifie to me all the pains of body all the terrors of minde which thou shalt permit to fall upon me Lord my sins have deserved eternal torments make me chearfully and thankfully to bear my present pains chasten me as thou pleasest here that I may not be condemned with the world Lord the waters are come in even unto my soul O let thy Spirit move upon these waters and make them like the pool of Bethesda that they may cure whatsoever spiritual disease thou discernest in me O Christ who first sufferedst many and grievous things and then enteredst into thy glory make me so to suffer with thee that I may also be glorified with thee O dear Jesus who humblest thy self to the death of the Cross for me let that death of thine sweeten the bitterness of mine When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death thou didst open the Kingdome of heaven to all believers I believe that thou shalt come to be my Judge I pray thee therefore help thy servant whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood Make me to be numbred with thy Saints in glory everlasting Thou art the resurrection and the life he that believeth in thee though he were dead yet shall he live Lord I believe help thou my unbelief My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength