A80611:499
Christ the fountain of lifeChrist the fountaine of life
Christ the fountain of life: or, Sundry choice sermons on part of the fifth chapter of the first Epistle of St. John. Preached by that learned judicious divine, and faithful minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. John Cotton B.D. now preacher at Boston in New-England. Published according to Order.Christ the fountaine of life: or, Sundry choyce sermons on part of the fift chapter of the first Epistle of St. John. Preached by that learned judicious divine, and faithfull minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. John Cotton B.D. now preacher at Boston in New-England. Published according to Order.
London: printed by Robert Ibbitson, 1651
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1Now to open this a little; First, you shall discern the will of God by the breathing of the Spirit, first when the Spirit helps us to pray feelingly, and sensibly for those blessings that we stand in need of, when the Spirit doth lift up our hearts, and reach after those mercies we stand in need of, in some feeling and sensible manner. The will of God is revealed in the breathing of the Spirit, that stretches forth it self in such an humble and faithful manner, as that the soul is very sensible of its need of it, we pour out our souls before God, for what we stand in need of in feeling desires, and this good Hannah expressed in her prayers, 1 Sam. 1.15. I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit, I have poured out my soul before the Lord. To show you, there was an inward sensible work of the Spirit of God in her heart that did enlarge her, not so much to pour out words, as sighs, and groans; this feeling power of the Spirit doth mightily express what the will of God is that we should ask, this is according to the will of God, according to what you read, Isaiah 26.9. With my spirit within me will I seek thee early; my spirit within me, that is to say, he speaks as if there were a spirit within his spirit; besides the inclination God had given and wrought in him to the ways of grace, and besides, his soul that did animate his body, the Spirit of God within him; with that spirit will he seek God early in prayer, the spirit will inwardly be working, and turning him towards God; so then, this is the first thing wherein God reveals his will to us, and we pray in the spirit; which we do, when we pray in the sense and feeling of our own wants of those blessings we want at Gods hand, that is, by a certain strength, greater then any of our own spirits can reach forth themselves unto; the Spirit of God comes, and helps us to wrestle with God, with sighs and groans that cannot be expressed; that we think more then we speak, and we speak more then we thought of.
1Now to open this a little; First, you shall discerne the will of God by the breathing of the Spirit, first when the Spirit helps us to pray feelingly, and sensibly for those blessings that we stand in need of, when the Spirit doth lift up our hearts, and reach after those mercies we stand in need of, in some feeling and sensible manner. The will of God is revealed in the breathing of the Spirit, that stretches forth it selfe in such an humble and faithfull manner, as that the soule is very sensible of its need of it, we poure out our soules before God, for what we stand in need of in feeling desires, and this good Hannah expressed in her prayers,