Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	jesus_n	truth_n	5,185	5	5.1240	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96104	Jerusalems glory, or, the saints safetie in eying the churches security, wherein is shewed the captives redress: being an invitation to all the different minded men in the world to become one; with the advantage of unity, and the danger of variety from the example of the saints and servants of God, as well in former as these latter times. Offered to the view of the 97 builders imployed in that work, for the building of the true temple, and all others. / By Thomas Watson, a lover of peace.	Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.	1661 (1661)	Wing W1131; Thomason E1856_4; ESTC R210370	59,985	120

suffer for maintaining the truth in any one particular for all are not called to suffer in one manner or way though flesh and blood may not seem satisfied with it by reason of the present anguish of spirit for no affliction seems joyous for the present but grievous yet after ward it yieldeth the pleasant fruit of righteousnes Heb. 12.11 So that though it may seem to terrifie thy outward man yet thy inward man will be strengthened the which ought to be rather nourished than neglected and though it may seem to prove disadvantagious to thee in this life yet here will be thy joy that thou hast obeyed the Truth and canst look death in the face with great boldness by thy exactness in thy word to all men even as David speaks in Psalm 15.4 concerning those that shall be Inhabitants in Zion amongst which one thing that is found needful is to keep his Word Though he sweareth to his hurt yet he changeth not revenge belongeth to the Lord if you receive any wrong commit your cause to him and do not seek any revenge upon any man but let not any seek to circumvent me in this my description I put a difference between the People of God promising and a people that are in darkness but I speak of them that engage when they are in the tuition of the Lord or at least wayes own themselves so to be and a difference between the promises of the Law or under the Law as they were understood and the promises under the Gospel for under the Law any man might put away his Wife onely giving her a Bill of devorcement but Christ tells us that it is adultery to do it in the Gospel and causeth them to commit adultery also that are put away in that nature so it is not every thing that is customary with men that is justifiable in the sight of God 3. Israel had experienced that God did make it his desire to keep those engagements that he had made to them as it is often mentioned in the Scriptures though they had broken their engagements as to their particular and general failings yet God was so tender least he should break his part as that he doth as it were stand and meditate before he will any wayes insist upon any urgent or austere punishment and doth often invite them to return and review their wayes and turn to repentance for their back-sliding that he may have mercy on them and defer his anger God is just and merciful and it cannot be said of him that he did ever break any engagement to any person or people for as his promises have been to his people many times but conditionally For as he engageth to be a God and a Defender to them if they will keep his Laws and observe and do his Commands so likewise he often engageth that if they will not keep his Law or perform their part that he will punish them and leave them to their own wills and their own desires and let them go on in their own filthiness until they have fulfilled the desires of their own wayes and then he will take the Rod and scourge them so as I said before in this parricular God is as just in performing this part of his Covenant as he was in performing the other by reason of the entailment of Truth that did force him to it but in respect to those promises that are made absolute he is so exact in keeping them where there is no entailment to the contrary as that he will keep his word though a people do offend him and vex his Holy Spirit as is instanced by his promise to Abraham Isaac and Jacob in relation to his causing their seed to inherit the Land of Canaan and although his People did oftentimes offend and vex his Holy Spirit yet nevertheless he being a God of Truth he would not be moved so far as to make his Promise null and void of effect 2. As he had promised that he would render up the onely beloved of his delight his Son Christ Jesus to the mercies of wicked men even to do after the imaginations of their own hearts with him so far as concerned life to their appearance so he did fulfil it to the full although they had denied to own him in his intercessions for a condiscention of love and unity yea they did not own him to be their God they would have none of him nor none of his instructions but did beat his Messengers and imprison and kill his Prophets and shewed him all the unhumane respect that possibly could be and did him all the dishonour that lay in their power yet nevertheless God had promised that he would provide an acceptable sacrifice for the seed of Abraham A Lamb without blemish or spot And though the People were never so wicked and unhumane and Breakers of all the Ordinances Laws and Commands that he had given them to observe and do yet he could do no lesse than perform his Promise Otherwayes how could it be said that he was a God of Truth So as it is plainly understood that God hath been compelled by Truth many times to bestow his gracious favours and mercies upon his People when they have deserved a curse and oftentimes though it might with true acknowledgment and obedience become a Blessing to them that receive it so it proves to those that are obstinately bent even a curse by their not prizing of it as they ought to do even as Christ was to Judas and several other of the Jews Besides The Israelites durst not break their promise with Gibeon for fear of dishonouring their God and provoking him to anger by making him odious in the fight of the Heathen who do hold of this judgement That if they do once promise a thing their gods will afflict them if they do not effect it And should Israel act below the Heathen The very Heathen would condemn their God of injustice as indeed it was Jacobs answer to his sons Simeon and Levi Ye have troubled me to make me stink before the Inhabitants of the Land and I being few in number the Canaanites and the Perizites will gather themselves together and slay me and all my houshold As you may read at large in the 34th Chapter of Genesis and the 30th verse Jacob accounted it a greater offence for Simeon and Levy to break their Covenant than to let their Sister remain with Hamor as indeed seeing she had been the occasion on the one part of working the defame in Israel even so they had made Israel to stink before the Nations on the other side and so consequently the God of Israel And if you do but mark in the following Chapter you shall find that God doth take notice of it in the first verse God calls to Jacob to go up to Bethel and dwell there If you do but turn to the 28th Chapter of this Book you shall find what Jacob did promise in Bethel whether he

you will walk in the path and way of the Gospel Now Christ is the True and Righteous way described in the Gospel and he thought it not too much to sacrifice his life for us and greater charity thou canst not have than to yield up thy life in obedience to the God of love and no man can come to the Father but by and in him And as for thy taking Faith to be thy shield when thou goest to withstand the Devil thou wilt be overcome if thou dost not take love along with thee for the Devil will quickly find out a place to dart thee in if thou leave charity behind thee for this take what the Apostle says Shew me thy Faith by thy works and then thou maist put on the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit for as he that redeemed you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation 1 Pet. 1.13 and elsewhere hereby shall all men known that ye are my Disciples if you love one another John 13.35 And the fruits of the Spirit are love joy peace c. Gal. 5.22 So that I say it is in vain to think of withstanding the Devil but that he will wound thee in one respect or other if thou dost not put on all thy Armour even the whole Armour of God 2. He that undergoeth this duel or maketh war against this enemy had needs be very studious to know yea knowing what it is that he is to encounter withal for thy enemy goeth about daily to seek to circumvent thee So that when thou makest war against lying and deceit beware he doth not overcome thee by imputing a strength to thy self in thy striving and so get into thy harbour and weaken thy strength and fort likewise when you fortifie your self against unrighteousness he will be presenting thee with a seeming righteousness that if you are not very watchful shall give you more content seemingly than any that you have chosen if you do not know experimentally the odour that is in your choise for he will endeavour either to delude thee that thou art more righteouss than such and such men and so set thee a judging of others and a taking Gods Office forth of his hands that he may bereave thee of the efficacy of thy labour that way or else endeavour to Sow some tares amongst thy wheat make you delight your self in embracing for righteousness for some one self end or other for his tares are many times so like thy wheat that it is hard to gather them out of it without it be so that thou art very well insenced of the nature and taste of them and as for thy fervency for the Gospel of God in opposing all his assaults for this likewise he will not want endeavours to stir up enemies both of thy seeming friends and known enemies that if he cannot entice thee to a false understanding of them he will endeavour to screen thy mind to abuse thy knowledge in matter of action if it be possible and so hid it from thy discerning of it but in case he finds thee so watchful that he cannot make a conquest of the according to his will or desire this way then possibly he will try thee further if God permit him power so as to put thee into Prison nay it may be to take away thy life also for thy servent zeal for the Gospel but know if thou art brought so far thy God will not leave thee then though thou maist seemingly have a Cloud for a season yet the Sun will presently break thorow and expel the darkness of the time at an instant yea in a moment of time happy is he that overcometh all the rest to give Testimony of his fidelity in this to all Beholders but I shall speak somewhat more to that hereafter so I shall defer it at this time But you must press forward still you are not yet come to discern the difficulty of this your urgent and needful care for we are now to discuss the grand part of his enmity in seeking to keep us from believing in the Captain of our Salvation and in relying upon him for all out strength now he is labouring to deceive us of taking up this Wapon of Faith so he will endeavour to fix our minds upon our own strength and to trust in what conquest we have it is meerly of our own care and of our own vvatchfulness yea he vvill not leave any corner of thy heart unattempted if he see that there is any possibility of getting vvithin thy vvalls under a pretended notion of friendship that so he may deceive and rob thee of this thy Weapon it being the chief Weapon of our defence if truly fixed by vvhich vve are enabled to quench all the fiery darts of the vvicked and so keep our rare Jevvel from all his demonical delusions for if he once get this shield of Faith from thee by any deceitful contrivance he vvill make a conquest of thee at his pleasure for he knovveth it is not for him to assault any that have this shield in their hand to defend themselves vvithal I say it is not for him to attempt the overthrovving of these by any ordinary vvay that is contrary to their vvay of vvorship or to stand in opposition to maintain a pitcht battel against such vvho have their Faith truly grounded and fixed upon the love and strength of Christ Jesus but he vvill not lack flatteries such as may seemingly sympathise vvith the true and grand emulations of truth in shew profession though it shall differ in the intent or end of their doing it therefore I say he that is a Warriour in a Christian warfare must not war onely against known waverings and unconstancy and unstability of mind but against seeming stedfastness and seeming confidence and seeming unmoveableness also for you must stand upon your watch and examine every thought that cometh by you and try it whether it will abide the Touch-stone or not in every particular before you grant it admittance for you may be deceived if you do not take great heed for the Devil may appear in the likeness of an Angel of light and do many things unlikely it may be as thou thinkest for him to do for he can be as faithful and as religious as the Scribes and Pharisees but he will not be willing that you should attribute any thing to God as proceeding from him or that you should aim at his glory in the performance of it but as I said before though your work of Faith be seemingly the same in shew or ceremony yet it will not be the same in event and effect yet it hath been so like the true Faith as that the People of old have cryed Peace peace when the Lord hath not said it Yea he hath been so subtil in his end as that he hath deceived both Prophet and People and he did appear very subtily with these Scribes and Pharisees for they did