Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
death_n body_n love_n soul_n 5,983 5 5.1532 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A57214 The epistles of Mr. Robert Rich to the seven churches (so called by him) viz. 1. To the Roman Catholick, 2. the Episcopal Protestant, 3. the Presbyterian, 4. the Independent, 5. the Anabaptist, 6. the Quaker, 7. the Church of the First-Born : containing his testimony to God's approbation of the good and aversion to the evil in all persuasions : together with an abstract of a letter of the authors, declaring his gift, or benevolence, sent to each of the said churches. Rich, Robert, d. 1679. 1680 (1680) Wing R1356; ESTC R28477 92,478 137

There are 3 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

and highest Profession we were but as sounding Brass and as a tinkling Cymbal c. Holiness and Love to God are but two Names for one Thing Love to God and to Man are like Soul and Body that are separated no way but by death Sin is hardly known in its secret Root till Men have tasted the bitterness of the Fruit. In a word I have long seen that envious Wisdom what-ever it pretends is not from Above but is earthly sensual and devilish and that where envy and strife is upon a Religious Account there is Confusion and every evil Work That which killeth Love killeth all Grace and Holiness and killeth Souls that which quencheth Love quencheth the Spirit a thousand-fold more than the restraining of our Gifts of Utterance doth That which banisheth Love banisheth God that which is against Love is against the Design of Christ in our Redemption and therefore may well be called Antichristian the White Devil is a Love-killer as well as the Black he is as mortal an Enemy to Love who backbiteth another and saith he is prophane or he is an empty Formalist or he is a Lukewarm temporizing complying Man-pleaser as he that saith he is a peevish factious Hypocrite Believe it it is Apostacy to fall from Love your Souls die when Love dieth To preach without Love to any that differ from your Sect O what a loathsome Sacrifice is it to the Lord of Love When the Papists had murdered so many hundred thousands of the Albigenses and Waldenses who would have thought but that they had done their Work When the French Massacre had murdered thirty or forty thousand and dispatcht the Leaders of the Protestant Party who would have thought that they had but strengthened them When the Duke d' Alva had done so much to drown the Belgick Protestants in Blood he little thought he was but fortifying them Queen Mary's Bishops little thought that their English Bonefires were but to light Men to see the mischief and badness of their Cause and like firing of a Beacon to call the Land to take them for the Enemies of Mankind When the Irish had murdered two hundred thousand they little thought that they had but excited the Survivery to a terrible Revenge I will come no nearer but you may easily do it your selves If we bite and devour one another we shall be destroyed one of another c. These and the like faithful and true Sayings the Book is full of which are well worth the reading with due Consideration had thereon And as Mr. Baxter intimates That he which suffers for his Religion sheweth he hath the better Religion than those that cause Sufferings And our patient Martyrdom and Suffering by them may tend at last to open their Eyes and turn their Hearts and save their Souls for the Blood of Martyrs hath ever bin the Seed of the Church which Seed hath ever encreased the number of the Sufferers Many other good Instructions and Directions both to Ministers and People hath he in this Book set forth for uniting in Love and Amity different Perswasions into one Principle of Love well worth the taking notice of And now my dear Brethren as I am a Priest unto God by having Christ Jesus the Eternal Spirit of Truth in me I am thereby enabled to hold forth an Exhortation to all of you which in the Bowels of the extensive Love of God towards you I earnestly pray you may receive I know there is amongst you a Worthy Righteous and Sober People who I can bear you record have a Zeal of God according to the several Administrations of your outward Forms and Worships whereby you are distinguished Nevertheless I have a few things against you namely That you have the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ amongst you with respect of particular Persons outward Forms and carnal Observations Hence arise all those Strifes and Contentions those bitter Revilings and evil Censures that have abounded amongst you both towards each other in your divided Forms and also toward all others that are not concerned with you as under your distinct Attainments But I testify and declare to you and to the whole World That if any Man be in Christ he is a New Creature and as many as walk according to this Rule of the New Creature Peace be upon them as upon the Israel of God and in every Nation Sect Form and Opinion He that feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him 'T is neither here nor there in this nor that neither in the Mountains of Form and Worship that you have raised to your selves nor at Jerusalem that God will be now worshipped but every where in Spirit and in Truth is the Worship that he accepts Give therefore the Spirit of God his due Scope and Latitude to blow where when and how it listeth in every Man 'T is the great Controversy that God hath with the World at this day That he alone may reign in the Consciences of Men by the just Measure of his own Light in every one And till this Royal Prerogative be setled upon Him there will never be Peace on the Earth but Men shall rend tear and devour one another and those that lead into Captivity must themselves go into Captivity herein will the Patience Love and Charity of the Saints be exercised and encreased Allelujah Wherefore let your Moderation be known to all Men the Lord is at hand Be not O be not found smiting your fellow Servants in the day of his Appearance The Spirit of God which hath sealed you to the day of Redemption is a tender Spirit O do not grieve it in your selves nor endeavour to quench it in others If thus you can come forth amongst Men you shall be a blessing in your Generation a Light to them that sit in darkness and a Refreshment to the Mourners of Zion who languish in the Breaches and Divisions that have bin made upon her Inhabitants In which Universal Spirit of Love to Truth and Righteousness I Rest a Friend to you and the Souls of all Men in any Sect or Opinion of Religion whatsoever whilst I am and when I am no more Robert Rich. An Epistle for the most pure Amity and Unity in the Spirit of Life and Love of God in all sincere-hearted Souls amongst the People called QUAKERS And as to them so unto all or any other Sort or Sect of People that own and follow the Light of Christ Jesus wherewith every one is enlightned ROBERT RICH sendeth Greeting in our Lord God Everlasting Allelujah IN the Year 1666 feeling the Babe of Grace the Word in the Heart to wax strong in the Love of God shed abroad in my Heart I sent to the Poor of your People Thirty pounds which after some of your Leaders had received to wit John Bolton Gerad Roberts and Amos Stoddard and given under their hands accordingly 't was denied to be received and about a Year after returned to me again with many
of Christ in the Sanctified which Sanctified are the only true Church of Christ You also say The only difference between the Old and New Testament is that in the Old lies hid the New by an Allegory Which is a Truth to him that hath an Ear to hear what the Spirit in the Letter saith Allelujah On Rom. 4.8 you say The words Imputed or Reputed do not diminish the Truth of Justice and that Justice is not reputed to them that are not made Just and Righteous Which is also a most real Truth On Gen. 22.1 you say There is as much difference betwixt Christ's Divinity and his Humanity as was between Isaac and the Ram and as is 'twixt Elesh and Spirit for what is born of Flesh is Flesh c. The Book Ecclesiasticus you say teacheth to contemn this present evil World and that things Earthly and Sensual are insufficient to give Peace and Rest to our Souls and that true Felicity consisteth not in Natural Knowledg gotten by Wit and Natural Industry nor in Riches Honour Pleasures nor in Authority or Dominion nor in any thing that is Sensual or Carnal but only in the Eternal and Internal fruition of God in our Souls which is procured by Free Grace which enables us to decline Vices and to pursue the ways of Vertue which lead to Beatitude all which are Truths most clear and excellent Allelujah Before Leviticus in which Book saith St. Jerome all Sacrifices Aaron 's Vestments and the whole Levitical Order almost every Syllable breaths forth Heavenly Sacraments I say even as the whole Creation doth breath forth God's Omnipotence his Grace and loving Kindness to Mankind Allelujah Zach. 1.3 When the Scripture saith Convert c. we are admonished that we have Free-Will and when we answer Convert us O Lord to thee and we shall be converted we confess that God's Grace preventeth or enableth us and when he commandeth any good of us it is either to humble or enable us in the performance as James 1.17 Heb. 13.21 which Doctrine is true for we have no other free-will to good but what God giveth us in by and through his Holy Spirit of Grace which appears to and in every Man Allelujah On Gal. 6.16 you say The New Creature is the true Faith and Work of Grace in the Hearts of the Faithful and is the Faith first delivered to and in the Saints A Speech most true Allelujah 1 Cor. 12.3 you say No Man can say Jesus is our Lord but by his Spirit within us which enableth us to be obedient to his Commands and to do the Will of God here on Earth as it is in Heaven for by Christ strengthening us we can do all things pleasing to God our Heavenly Father Allelujah On Heb. 12.28 you say Grace is the only means enabling us to serve and please God Tit. 2.11 And that Man 's free-Will is begot and worketh freely by free-Grace Also you say Free-Will is in Man for that no Sin can be committed without consent of free-Will nor can any Work merit or please God but what is wrought in Man by the free Grace of God's Holy Spirit Thus by Grace we are saved not of our selves it is the free Gift of God to every one Allelujah You say Elias is alive and shall be a fore-runner of Christ's second coming I say Elias in Spirit is alive and now preacheth Repentance and forgiveness of Sins to all that amend their Lives according to God's Holy Word written in every Man's Heart the Volumn of God's Book wherein his Will is known that it may be done here on Earth as in Heaven Allelujah You say also That Enoch is yet alive and shall preach in Antichrist's time with Elias This is also a Truth if you speak this of the Spirit of God that was in Enoch for as Elias's Spirit in John the Baptist's Time preached Repentance and forgiveness of Sins to all that truly repented and forsook their Sins preparing the way for Christ to be begot and born in us So did that Spirit of Elias preach Repentance to the Disobedient in the days of Noah As in this day the same Spirit of Elias preacheth Repentance to all that are dead in Trespasses and Sins Even so likewise Enoch the seventh from Adam in Spirit is alive who shall and now doth as you say preach in Antichrist's time for Christ the Word incarnate the Resurrection and the Life is now preaching in the Sanctified the Resurrection from the Dead to and in all that have bin crucified with Christ and are risen with him from the Death of Sin to the Life of Righteousness Allelujah Which Word Incarnate or Word in the Heart is God's Preacher to all the World and is the Gospel of Christ preached for the Obedience of Faith to and in all Nations and all Religions whatsoever so that all Men may believe and by obeying may be saved Amen Allelujah As it is written Deut. 30.11 to the 15. with Rom. 10.6 to the 9th Rom. 1.5 2 Cor. 10.5 Heb. 5.9 1 Pet. 1.22 Gen. 22.18 Deut. 13.4 Dan. 7.27 Isa 1.19 Job 36.11 12. You say Christ in Soul descended into Hell to deliver all just Men Which is a Truth if you mean Christ in Spirit as he is the Light of the World descends into every Man's unclean heart to cleanse and purifie it and so leads Captivity captive bringing the Souls of the Faithful once dead in Trespasses and Sins out of Death out of the Grave out of Hell into Abraham's Bosom where they sit and sing Allelujah You say Sin is always the cause of Reprobation Which is also a Truth most clear for it is our Sins that separate us from God and with-hold good things from us And in our Obedience or disobedience to the Word of God in our Hearts stands Life and Death Election and Reprobation for according to their Works shall every one receive whether they do good or evil Allelujah On Col. 3.9 you say The New Man is an inherent quality of Justice and Righteousness in our Souls and not only an Imputation of Christ's Righteousness but a Work of God's free Grace enabling the Faculties of our Souls to work freely the thing that is good and righteous A Truth most clear and excellent Allelujah 2 Cor. 1.5 you say All the Saints Sufferings and Afflictions are Christ's Sufferings by reason of the Conjunction and Vnion that is betwixt Christ the Head and the Sanctified his Members Allelujah You say Adam was created in Grace and Innocency which he lost only by Disobedience yet by Repentance is saved And thus it is with all the Sons of Adam He that sins against the Light of Christ in his Conscience eats the forbidden Fruit and so sins after the similitude of Adam 's Transgression and is not saved out of Transgression but by Repentance and laying hold of God's Spirit of Grace which obeying brings through the flaming Sword or Sword of the Spirit that turns every way to cut down Sin
outward Observations consist the many Antichrists St. John saw who said You have heard that Antichrist should come and now are there many Antichrists Even all Man's Prescriptions and Impositions not being the Spirit 's teachings are Antichrists the many false Spirits which do not feed but devour the Flock of Christ by bringing in the Old Law and other beggarly Rudiments and Inventions of Man's Wisdom which is the Whore and false Prophet which serves to no other end than to raze out the Revelation of God in the Consciences of Men to crucifie the Lord of Life the Spirit of Christ in resisting his Spirit of Grace and speaking evil of the Spirit which is the highest Blasphemy not to be forgiven in this World nor in the World to come Allelujah Thus the Universal Church of Rome may know by examining themselves whether they are in the Apostacy in the fall with Peter or whether they are in the Restoration with Peter when the Church of Rome was so renowned and guided by the Spirit and Revelation of God Or whether led by Traditions Prescriptions and Impositions of Man and as the Universal Church of Rome may know whether they are built on Christ the Rock Peter's Faith that never failed or on Peter's Person that so easily fell against which the Gates of Hell prevailed even so may every individual Person in the Church of Rome know whether they be in the true Faith of Christ or in the false Faith for the true Faith worketh by Love purifieth the Heart and destroys the Works of the Devil in Men it worketh Miracles it removeth Mountains of Sin crucifieth the Flesh with its Deeds and raiseth the Soul dead in Trespasses and Sins out of the Grave enabling the Soul to bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit Thus wonderfully doth Faith in Christ the Gift of God work in every one that truly believes Read Acts 15.9 Mat. 17.20 Rom. 12.3 1 Cor. 12.9 Heb. 12.2 Mark 16.17 1 John 3.8 Allelujah By this time your selves may answer Dr. Bayley's Challenge who saith The Church of Rome was once an excellent flourishing Mother-Church This Church saith he could not cease to be such but she must fall either by Apostacy Heresy or Schism To which I answer Christ's Church in Jerusalem and in Antioch were Mother-Churches before Rome and in Corinth Galatia Ephesus Philippe Colosse Thessalonica and the Church among the Hebrews were all flourishing Christian Churches but now not visible as to Man's Eye And how was Rome the Mother-Church whilst the Popes kept their Residence in Avignon for seventy Years together Nevertheless God knoweth who are his amongst them all for as St. Peter saith Acts 10.34 All of every Nation Sect and People those that fear God and work Righteousness are accepted with him whether Jews or Gentiles Barbarians or Scythians they are all one in Christ the Truth they that walk in the Truth walk in Christ Jesus and such the Truth makes freely accepted with God Allelujah Though I take not upon me to know Whether the present Church of Rome are Members of Christ's Body whereof himself the Spirit of the Father is only Head or the Synagogue of Satan the Children of the Devil their Father in whom he rules and guides who do his Work Yet this I declare That every one in themselves may perfectly know whether they belong to the True or False Church to God or the Devil If you do but examine your selves Whether Christ the Word in the Heart the Revelation of God by the Spirit of Truth the Light of Christ his Spirit of Grace be Head in you leading you into Truth and Righteousness bringing forth the Fruits of the Spirit which Fruits are evident read Gal. 5.22 Ephes 5.9 Or whether the Spirit of Satan be Head leading into Lying Swearing Whoredom Fornication Adultery Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Hatred Variance Wrath Strife Pride Seditions Heresies Envyings Murthers Drunkenness Revilings and such like Now your own selves every one in particular know these things to be Fruits of the Flesh proceeding from Man in the Fall unregenerate and are Earthly Sensual and Devilish And know ye not to whom you yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are whether of Sin unto Death or of Obedience to Righteousness also that the Wages of Sin is the death of the Soul and he that soweth to the Flesh shall reap Corruption for if ye live after the Flesh your Souls shall die but if through the Spirit you mortify the Deeds of the Flesh you shall live Finally my Brethren whether the Spirit of God that revealed to Peter the Things of God be Head in you or the Spirit of Satan which Ied Peter into the Fall into the Schism into Heresy into the Apostacy be Head which Spirit is the Spirit of Antichrist the which exalts many Inventions his Prescriptions and Traditions above the Inspiration and Revelation of God So try your selves examine your selves Know you not your own selves that unless Christ the Spirit of the Father be in you you are Reprobates as concerning the true Faith and cannot think a good Thought much less work a good Work and that it is he by his Spirit of Grace which is given to every one to profit withal that works all good in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure as it is written Phil. 2.13 Isa 26.12 Rom. 8 9 10 11. 1 Cor. 12.7 2 Cor. 10 11. 2 Cor. 1.21 22. Gal. 5.16.22 13.5 And whether the Court of Rome hath not used as much worldly Policy to obtain Soveraignty and Dominion in the Earth as any Earthly Prince whatsoever he that will resolve this Question let him read the History of the Council of Trent and other French Histories written by Members of the Gallical Church And whether with their good Words and fair Speeches they have not got into the Hearts and Consciences of simple People perswading them to believe the Pope to be Head of the Church and Vicar of Christ And when the Net hath thus catched and brought into this Faith is it not easy to make Merchandice of such Souls and also to command their Bodies and Purses who believe Peter's Key can open and shut Heaven when and to whomsoever Peter's Vicar and Successor pleaseth And what hath thus bin got by Peter's Net hath it not bin kept and added to by Man's Carnal Weapons which are not the Weapons of Christ nor of his Apostles nor Followers read 2 Cor. 10.4 John 18.36 as by woful experience many Emperors Kings and Princes in Europe have found to their great loss both of Blood and Treasure in pursuing and subduing the Waldenses and Albigenses Excommunicated An. 1250 and in acting against John Husse Jerome of Prague John Wickliff and Sir John Oldcastle as also against the Protestants in Germany Holland and Flanders with those Massacred at Paris by the then called Holy League and since by the inhumane Massacre in Ireland 1640 even against all those that have adventured