Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	life_n	see_v	word_n	6,113	5	4.0840	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87567	The stil-destroyer or, Self-seeking discovered. Together with the curse it brings, and the cure it requires. A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Maior and Court of Aldermen of the city of London, upon occasion of a solemne anniversary meeting, April 9th 1645. / By William Ienkyn Master of Arts, and minister of Gods word at Christ-Church London.	Jenkyn, William, 1613-1685.	1645 (1645)	Wing J655; Thomason E277_6; ESTC R200004	55,281	61

hath not out of the sweet fountain of truth the bitter streames of error been made to proceed are there not some who have laboured to turne these waters into bloud and to kill those by them who should have lived in them Surely 't is so the most prodigious heresies pretend to a Scripture and the worst will be wicked by a Law But is there not the hand of self-seeking in all this Certainly this it is that hereby to draw many admirers to self cares not how many it withdraws from God and so as it may but be a gainer cares not though precious souls be the merchandize which it puts off for base pelf T●t 1.11 for filthy lucre to Satan himself But is the Word beholding more to self-seeking people 2. Self seeking hath made people neglect the word by denying sometimes their presence at the preaching of it then to Ministers Surely the Word in most places can scarce bee by them afforded audience There are some who say they are above Ordinances 't were far better if they were fruitfull under them nay that question whether there bee any Ordinances or no and these are not called self-seekers but seekers others that Hanun-like have cut off the Word by the middle the old Testament By denying the authority of it in their iudgements and what ever the truth bee that is urged from that it is branded with the name of legall which in their sense is as much as illegall and the faithfull reprovers of sin and zealous exhorters to a strict life are termed but Old Testament Ministers like Saul when David was endeavouring to drive away the evill spirit with his Harp they have this javelin to throw at the faithfull Minister when he is most employed in reproving of sin others there are that haply give the Word their care and their pen and their talk but 't is easie to see how slight and shallow the impressions are which the Word leaves upon their consciences By denying the power of it in their lives and conversations They being like some herbes which Physitians tell us are though hot in the mouth yet cold in operation so these are sometime holy in their tongues but heathenish in their lives or like the hill Etna that casts forth burning coales at the top but hath at the same time frost and snow at the foot thereof so though upon occasion their words are fiery yet their lives their feet are little better then recantations of the Sermons they hear the old solid Christianity the life of self-deniall faith and the new creature being turn'd into a kinde of spruce slight notionall out-side profession and there must be such a latitude for Christian liberty in discoursing trading eating drinking passions antique habits that some begin to think people may bee known by these things even to be professors But what may be the cause of this new entertainment of the Word surely this self it is that expects more ease a milder and more indulgent religion such a latitude as may suffice for Christ and self too 2. For the Sacraments how are they in most places almost cast off and forgotten 2. Self-seeking hath hindered the things of Christ in the Sacraments 1. The Sacrament of the Supper In Baptisme By abstaining altogether and people are very willing to stay without them that of the Supper being now accounted an indifferent thing the seldomer celebrated Popery hath tackt about we see the better and for that other of Baptism 't is by some esteemed null fond and groundlesse who deride through ignorance that condescension of Christ which they should praise with thankfulnesse What is self here too yes This proceeds from the same root with that 1 Cor. 11.21 a love of division from others an overweening opinion of our selves and way or an admiring of a selfe-contrived and unscripturall sanctity it being the most pleasing thing in the world to self to have opinions of out own breed especially if they teach and plead for holinesse in others for men may urge that with much credit and little cost and that 's the reason that you shall observe among people forty discourses of the qualifications of the company they receive withall for one discourse of the hearts which they themselves should receive withall Others neglect the Sacrament in the manner of their comming not in their keeping away but in comming with little raisednesse of soule dead affections narrow hearts to entertaine a great good 〈…〉 not with empty hands to take Iesus Christ in the Sacrament What 's the reason self-employments have so fill'd and stuf't their hearts with trash that there 's no room for pearls Others come with impure unclean soules with no sutable sanctity to a glorious God to whose entertainment they pretend adventuring like Mephibosheth who when he went to meet David went untrimmed undressed unwashed so these receive with dirty unwashen hands lustfull proud revengefull covetous hearts What 's the cause they come with the same hearts in which they were in their self-prosecutions they love to go so dressed as they may be ever in a readinesse to serve self The wedding garment is to them like Sauls armour to David too burdensome and heavy too great a hinderance from earthly enquiries I have done with the second Inference viz. Self-seeking is the cause why the things of Christ have been neglected among us A third follows Wee ought to endeavour the beating down this self-seeking in all our souls 3. Inference Direction this immoderate letting the heart run out in self-searches Lay the foundation of mortification deep Rom. 6.19 1. Direction Lay the foundation of mortification deep even deeper then ever was thy delight in thy most eagerly prosecuted comforts not in a meer abstinence from the use of but in an inward taking off the heart from any thing that may take thee off from Christ There are many who think if they leave the pleasure the outward following this or that sinfull gaine or ambitious promotion that they are mortified soules alas what 's this as long as the heart is uncleansed the affection uncrucified A man that desires to shun sicknesse must not onely be watchfull in keeping himself from the sharpnesse of the ayre but must remove the corruption of his stomack If the body be distempered 't will catch cold with the least blast and so an uncleansed soul will be wrought upon by very temptation The bird which is tied by the legge with a siring to a stone Non voluptas relinquenda sed voluntas depo nenda non abscindunt sed ab scondunt peccata Tert. Quando a me ipso alienabor 〈◊〉 perdam Bern. Revelle ●e ateips● ut Deo inserari divid● te a teips● ut cum creatore n●iaris extirpa●● a te pessimo ut in om●● bono radiceris Tu qui om nia relinquere disponis te qu●que inter relinquenda numera●e memento Bern. Nescivit suis par●ere quia