Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A42717
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Universal love being an epistle given forth by the Spirit of God / through his suffering servant, Will. Gibson ; and is to be sent into all nations and countries where the Lord God hath rais'd a people to worship him in spirit and in truth ; to be read in his pure fear in their publick assemblies and private families for their edification and comfort.
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Gibson, William, 1629-1684.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing G688; ESTC R38757
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15,539
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23
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in the World to come Everlasting Life And this is a faithful Saying and worthy to be believ'd and accepted by all and it is believ'd by Thousands and the Truth of it seen and witness'd inwardly Glory to the Lord God for the same O the Glorious Powerful Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ which Thousands do enjoy in their Hearts and Souls Which doth give them perfect dominion over Sin and the Devil who is the Author of it O my dear Friends This is a Many-fold Reward for our Sufferings and I do sensibly say and affirm on God's Behalf That the Sufferings which do attend us in this World for the Truth 's sake are not worthy to be compared to the Glorious Power of the Lord which is already reveal'd in us who have steadfastly believ'd in him and freely have been given up to suffer with him and for him For as our Tribulations have been increas'd for his sake our Consolation in him hath much more abounded so that we can truly and sensibly say as those who suffer'd with him before us did say Greater is he that is in us then he that is in the World by whom we do overcome the World and the Devil who is the godd of it And he hath made us Conquerors through his Love Life and Power and so we can bring in our Testimony for him to his Glory and our own everlasting Comfort That he is able to save unto the utmost all that come to the Father by him So dear Friends every where be Valiant and Chearful in your Sufferings for the Pretious Living Truth and Way of the Living God in which you are come to know your souls Salvation and as good Souldiers of Christ Jesus endure Afflictions and rejoyce in them and through them and over them and Raign in the Lamb's Patience over all Persecution and Persecutors unto the End of your Dayes in this World For dear Friends It is those that endure unto the End that must inherit Everlasting Life and the Heavenly Joy and Divine Riches which is beyond what can be declar'd in words But if any man draws back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him saith the Lord God So all Friends prize your precious Time and press forward in the Truth that so you may grow more and more Spiritually-minded our of Earthly-mindedness for we brought nothing into this World and it is certain we can take nothing out so having Food and Raiment let us therewith be content for here we have no continuing City but though our Earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolv'd yet have we an Inward Eternal Habitation in the Lord and though our outward Man perish yet do we know a renewing of strength in the inward Man day by day And our light Affliction which is but as for a Moment worketh unto us a far more and exceeding weight of Glory while we look not at the loss of Temperal Outward and Perishing Riches but at the gain of Spiritual and Eternal Riches which the Lord our God is aboundantly inriching us withal in this the Day of the Manifestation of his Great and Glorious Power and Wisdom in us So dear Friends we have no cause to be dicourag'd for we certainly know That the Lord God is with us and he will plead our Cause with all our Adversaries and he is stronger then them all and by his Strength we are upheld and made bold as Lions to meet together to Worship him as he hath commanded us And all our Enemies are not able to pluck us out of our Heavenly Father's Hand but as Christ hath said we do witness it to be true who said My Father is greater then all and no man is able to pluck my Sheep out of my Father's Hand So God Almighty 〈◊〉 you all my dear Friends and Heavenly Relations and Spiritual Kindred whom the Living God hath Redeem'd out of the World which lieth in Wickedness by his Almighty Power which hath wrought Mightily and Effectually in you for your Redemption out of sin and hath brought a Remnant to sit together in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus where the Devil and Sin hath no place And he is daily increasing the strength of the least of his People who wait upon him in the Measure of his pure Light Grace and Spirit already made manifest and those that are Faithful in a little he doth make to inherit great Riches he bears his Lambs in his Arms and gently leads on those who are waiting upon him in the Way of his Righteous Judgments and those that do own him in the Way of his Righteous Judgments he doth shew Mercy unto and though they do know a time wherein they do sow in Tears yet they do not long abide in that Estate but he brings them to reap in Joy as it is witnessed at this day by Thousands who have known a time wherein the Hand of the Lord hath been heavy upon them because of Sin but he hath blotted out and forgiven those that have been brought unto true Repentance and a Forsaking of Sin by his Righteous Judgments and so Times of Refreshment are come unto those who have patiently born his Righteous Judgments and now such can sing forth the high Praises of the Lord in the Land of the Living in the Beauty of Holiness O the Beauty the Beauty that is in Holiness And without Holiness none can be accepted of the Lord God who is Holy for Holiness becomes his House and People forever And the Temple of God is Holy which Temple Faithful Suffering Friends are who have own'd him in the Way of his Righteous Judgments and have been cleans'd thereby in whom he hath appear'd as a Refiner with Fire and as a Fuller with Soap O Friends How precious is that Freedom and Liberty which Christ Jesus the Power and Wisdom of God hath wrought in us and for us O stand all in it forever and none suffer your selves to be again entangled with the Yoak of Bondage which the Enemy of your Immortal Souls once had you under O remember those bitter Dayes and Hours which we spent in Darkness when we knew not the Way of Life and Peace O remember how we did wander as Blind Men and could find no Comfort in all the Earth unto our Immortal Souls and then the Lord God of tender Mercy heard our Cries and Groans in secret and hath rewarded us Richly O let his tender Mercy be had in Everlasting Remembrance by all that have partaken of the same And all Friends Keep your first Love unto the Lord and his pure Living Way which he hath brought you into and none look back into the World and its glory which will Perish and come to an End But keep your Minds chast unto the Living God who hath shew'd you such great Kindness O let not the Cares of this World and the Deceitfulness of Riches and the Love of other things choak nor hinder the growth of the pure Seed of Life in
any of you nor let not the Storm or Heat of Persecution drive any of you away from the Lord God but all keep your Virginity unto the End And all Friends every where Keep your Meetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ who never fell nor chang'd and feel his Living Vertue in the mid'st of you keeping you Quick Fresh and Lively out of all Carelesness Dulness and Drousiness for these are Uncomly So all have a great Care to keep out of such things and all wait upon the Lord in the Comly Order that you may all be Refresh'd by him in your Meetings and that you may all have Cause to say Good is the Lord and worthy is he to be waited upon for he feeds the Hungry with Good Things And as all do diligently wait upon God in the Measure of his Holy Spirit which he hath given unto them to profit withal they will feel a true Hungering and Thirsting after the Righteousness of God to be made Partakers of it more and more and unto such the Blessing doth belong and God will deal bountifully with such for he delighteth in his People's Diligence And as it is written The Diligent Hand maketh Rich but the Sluggard shall be clothed with Ruggs whose Field grows over with Briars and Thorns And Man in such a State is Miserable and shall not be Crown'd with Honour which God gives unto the Faithful nor can he in that State dye in Peace with the Lord. Therefore all be Faithfal unto the Lord God in all things that when your dayes are ended in this World you may rest Eternally in the Bosom of the Lord as it is written Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord for they shall rest from their Labour and their Works shall follow them And Friends Our God who is the True and Living God he is Love as it is written of him and all People who do dwell in God they do dwell in unfeigned Love one unto another and also unto their Enemies as the Lord Jesus hath commanded In which Love of God we are raised up to Worship him and in it to watch one over another and to build up one another in Holiness and in it are we Comforted and Edified and are made of one Heart and Mind and made near and dear one unto another and truly tender one over another and careful one of anothers Good every way and in true Humility to Honour and Esteem one another and thereby led to be just and true in all our Words and Actions one to and concerning another and to and concerning all our Enemies in which we do seek the Eternal Good of all People and in which we do live in sweet Unity and pure Peace together as doth become the Family of God O how sweet is the Unity in God's Spirit of Love and Life in which the Bond of Peace is kept without BREACH For in the Spirit of Love and Life all Friends being kept which keeps all Upright Just and Pure the Bond of Peace cannot be broken So in this the Lord God of Heaven and Earth preserve you all my dear Friends unto whom my Love is dear and near in the Lord that so all your hearts may be full of the Pure Love of God which thinketh nor doth no evil unto any but doth good unto all that you may be known to be the Disciples of Christ who said Every Tree shall be known by its Fruit and said A Good Tree cannot bring forth Evil Fruit and he said The Good Man our of the Good Treasury of his Heart bringeth forth Good Things But he said The Evil Man out of the Evil Treasury of his Heart bringeth forth Evil Things Which are the Fruits of the Flesh begotten therein by the power of Darkness which doth Rule in the Hearts of all the Wicked and Ungodly upon the Face of the whole Earth Which Evil Things are Envy Malice Murder Oppression Injustice False-judgment Idolatry Strife Hypocrisie Defrauding one another in Words and Actions Evil Imaginations and Evil Thoughts and Evil Words Pride Covetousness Swearing Lying Drunkenness Whoredom Thieft Lightness Wildness Vain-Laughter Idle-Jesting Whispering False-accusing and Tale-bearing to sow Strife c. So all Friends who do make Profession of the pure Truth and perfect Way of the Lord and to be Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ the Patient and Innocent Lamb of God who did not Sin neither was Deceit at any time in any thing found in his Mouth See how you do follow him your Living Example and perfect Pattern I say Search all with the Heart searching Spirit of the Lord God and see that you stand out of all those before mention'd Evils c. For because of them comes the Wrath of God upon those who do continue in them and do not believe in Christ and follow him who leads out of them and destroyes them For no Vnclean Thing can inherit God's Kingdom But Glory to the Lord God He hath Redeem'd a Remnant from such of the before mention'd Evils as they were guilty of who now know a Pure Peaceable Rest and a quiet Habitation in him in whom he workes to Will and to Do of his own Good Pleasure and he is daily Redeeming those that wait upon him in the Wayes of his Righteous Judgments And so all who do profess the Truth and live and walk contrary to it and thereby cause the Way of Truth to be Evil-spoken of and harden the Hearts of Unbelievers against it and so shut the Kingdom of Heaven against men not entring themselves but by their Evil Example hinder others If they do not Repent while they have time and amend their wayes and walk orderly as becomes the Gospel heavy will the Judgments of God fall upon them in the End And all such who have once known and Professed the Way of Truth and in some Measure and for some time have walked in it but now are turn'd away from it into the Ungodliness again like the Dog to his Vomit and the Sow that was wash'd to the wallowing in the Mire and now are grown so hard-hearted that they can speak Evil of the Way of Truth and oppose it and hate contemn scorn and reproach those who live in it and suffer for it My Soul pitties them Miserable is their Condition O that it were in their Heart to seek a Place of Repentance then it may be the Lord might shew Mercy unto them But if they do go on in Gainsaying as Core did then had it been better for them that they had never been born for Everlasting Torment and Anguish will be the Reward of their wicked work And dear Friends and Brethren and Sisters every where This Testimony am I mov'd of the Lord God to bear for your Consolation viz. That this is the True and Living Faith wherein we stand who have believ'd in the Lord Jesus Christ the true Light and have follow'd the Leadings of his Blessed Holy Spirit which hath led us