Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A56022
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A general epistle to friends every where Written in obedience to the requirings of the spirit of life from God.
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Parke, James, 1636-1696.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing P371; ESTC R218729
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29,511
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32
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Arrows against themselves and make all their Weapons they form against you unprosperous and cut off their expectation that seek your Ruin and Destruction And as Innocency is found in you and you preserved in a godly and peaceable life you will never envy them that oppress you nor chuse any of their ways but will mind Gods good old Way Truth and Life and will not walk in the way of the Wicked Ungodly men nor sit in the seat of the Scornful Proud and Arogant which leads to Death and Destruction if you see many in that way let not that be an occasion for you to stumble at or to forsake the way of the Lord which is narrow and leads to Life Peace and Rest that is Everlasting wherein you have learned to trust in the Lord to stand resign'd up to his will in the most perilous times when they come and wherein you have learned to love the Lord and one another with that love which is shed abroad from God in your hearts and is unfeigned in which dear Friends forever dwell and shut out all Deceit Hypocrisie and Dissimulation which doth render them black amongst us that have not put away or are not purged from such things and so doth Envy Wrath or Malice where-ever it is which is all for the fire and to be purged away that you may pray in the Spirit of the living God by which you were all quickened quench it not neither grieve it nor rebel against it for that hinders the heavenly joy and comforts of the Spirit when Tribulation ariseth because of the Word Let not any of you be found without true joy and comfort when you may have need enough of it and behold many weeping and wailing for want of it for certainly it will be woful and miserable for that man or woman that is without the comfort and joy of the holy Spirit when no comfort and lasting joy will be found in any visible created thing which this World can afford mens hearts already begin to be astonished and to fail them for fear because of the things that are coming to pass for not only the Powers of the Earth but the Powers of the Heavens shall be shaken Friends let not any of you be found an evil or sloathful Servant that shall say in his Heart My Lord delays his coming and so put his Day afar off to let Night again over you You may remember what Sorrow and Heaviness we endured when we were Children of the Night and covered with thick Darkness and what Joy came in the Morning of God's glorious Day as it dawned in our Hearts did not many then sing for Joy of Heart and experimentally could say The singing of Birds was come But the evil and sloathful Servant that saith in his Heart My Lord delays his coming cannot sing out of any sence of heavenly Joy in his Heart and therefore frets and smites his fellow Servant and eats and drinks with the Drunken such become the Companions of the evil and sloathful Servant he delights not to be a Companion to them that fear the Lord and are diligent in his Work nor will not say to the workers of Iniquity Depart from me I will keep the Commandments of my God but rather joyns with the workers of Iniquity and is one with them in breaking the Commands of God and rebelling against him and its just with the Lord to suffer Night to come over such again that have been called to serve the Lord in his House but are evil and sloathful Servants not good not diligent nor watchful but are found bad negligent and unwatchful and unsensible of God's presence and the coming of the Lord which draweth nigh Oh! keep in the Spirit and Power of the Lord God and that will preserve you all fervent in love to him and one another and diligent in the Lord's work whereunto you are all called with a holy calling to watch war against the Devil and whatsoever is of him let it have no place in you nor let not the Devil ever enter your Hearts any more and if he do not to dwell there but feel you the Arm and Power of the Lord to cast him out keep him out that he may never work in you any more nor have any Lordship or Rule in you or over you then I am sure you will be ready in Heart and Mind to follow that which is good and resist the Devil and all his badness which is so beloved of the World and then you will be prepared to avoid every appearance of Evil and will give no place to it but will keep faithful to God over it and then you will be made capable in the Spirit of Love and a sound Mind to reprove such as are light vain and of a loose behaviour and shun the Cross of Christ not indulge that Nature Spirit that keeps some high and unsubjected and in disobedience to the Lord God and for this cause some are weak and sick amongst us and some fallen asleep had they but taken up the daily Cross and kept therein there would never have appeared that Self love Weakness Sickness and Sleepiness that is in some that are amongst us that would be accounted wise Virgins and indeed have come long enough among us to have been found such at this day but are not but are weak as in the time of their first Convincement and as if they had not waited upon the Lord with us they so faint and have so little strength to stand in the day of Tryal or hour of Temptation that it appears their strength is but small I say in the Lord if they that now faint in the time of Adversity had waited upon the Lord in diligence and sincerity of Heart doubtless they would have had more strength and received more Power from God than they enjoy or feel and would have grown more in the Grace and Knowledge of God than they have done and would not have been so sick at their Stomachs as some are that they cannot digest wholsom Food but slight and dis-esteem it whereby some Members suffer and indeed it hurts the whole Body when any of the Members thereof suffer especially as the Apostle said then when many were Weak and Sick amongst them and some fallen asleep for want of subjecting themselves to that Spirit and Power which would give all strength if they kept in it and preserve all in God's saving health and with a good Stomach to that which is good and for Food if they did wait for it and keep in the Spirit and Power of the Lord God this would rouze up and awaken all careless and sleepy Virgins that want Oyl in their Vessels and Lamps who have not their Lamps trimed nor are ready when the Bridegroom comes Beware ye sleepy foolish Virgins lest Mid-night Sleep come quite upon you so that the Cry of the Bride-groom's coming be before you are prepared for him or the
dear Friends who are Parents of Children wait diligently upon the Lord in his Light that with his Light you may see betimes into the Natures Inclinations and Dispositions of your Children and have a watchful and good Eye over them and their Inclinations and if you see they are inclinable to that which is good cherish that in them if it be never so little strengthen it that more may arise in them and they may more come to see and taste with you how good and gracious the Lord is and be good Examples to them in words and actions that they may hear gracious words from you and behold your good Conversation coupled with fear fear to offend the Lord and fear to do any thing against his glorious Truth and then you will shine as Lights among them and your whole Families and amongst all the Children of men But if you see your Children incline towards that which is evil to Pride vain Fashions of the World or that they delight in the company of the Wicked and in Sports and that they evilly spend their time without delay check and sharply reprove them for it and endeavour as much as in you lies to stop and restrain them there-from and stubbornness high-mindedness and all manner of Evil labour in the love and wisdom of God to break them from and keep down in them If any say What can I do God must do all I fear some amongst you have omitted your Duty on your part to do as Christian Parents under that pretence of God's doing all and therefore do not train up your Children in the way of God Truth and Life as you ought to do But suffer them not to learn the corrupt wayes of evil Men and Women and to chuse their wayes 't is true God worketh all our Works in us and for us but as he worketh immediately by his Spirit and Power in our hearts he also worketh by Instruments and you in the wisdom and spirit of God are or may become fit Instruments for God to work on your Children and Families by and to reclaim your Children and Families from Vice and Wickedness which you may see them incline unto If the believing Husband may save his Wife and the believing Wife her Husband that believeth not then why may not you as believing Parents save your Children duly watching over them for good believing in God for them and doing your duty to them carefully and in God's heavenly wisdom And why may not you your Children and Families be thus sanctified and saved from the Abominations of the times and the Evil of the World while you and they are in it If wholly you discharge your duty and trust as Parents or Masters of Families and then if your Children or Servants notwithstanding remain wicked you will be clear and their Blood will come upon themselves or at their Doors I doubt not but there are many Parents have a Godly care over their Children and as Masters and Mistresses or Dames have a Christian care over their Servants and whole Family to instruct them in the way of Righteousness and that reprove and correct their Children and their Servants when they see them do that which is evil But this is written in the love of God as a caution to and reflection upon all who are negligent and careless amongst us in this respect that all may come into a care of God's glory and of their Children and Servants that as much as in you lies you endeavour to reclaim and restrain them from Sin and Evil and train them up in that which is good that you all may be able to give account to God with Joy when by him you may be called to an account how you have governed and ruled your Families trained up your Children counselled and advised your Servants and what Examples you have been to your Families whom God gave you the rule and government of here a few dayes in this World And you believing Husbands who have Wives that believe not love your Wives and be very careful how you speak and act towards them that no blemish may come upon the Truth by any unadvised words to your Wives neither any unseemly carriages or behaviour that if possible you may gain your Wives that believe not to the Lord and belief of his precious Truth And you Wives that have Husbands that believe not speak and do likewise the same to them that you all may be found Holy and Unblamable in the day of God that the unbelieving Wife may be sanctified by her believing Husband and the unbelieving Husband by his believing Wife loving and cherishing the good in them that believe not whether Husband or Wife but keeping clear of that which is Evil never joyn with that which is Evil for thereby you will not only hurt and darken your selves but also harm your Relations and strengthen them the more in that which is evil and contrary to God and make your Lives more uncomfortable And all Husbands and Wives in general live in Love in the love of God out of a pure Heart loving and cherishing one another submitting your Hearts to God and his counsel in one another as the Lord by his Spirit may move in any of your Hearts so to counsel and advise each other therein that you may be made to each other meet helps in the Truth and helps in him to advance that in your Families or in helps in Government in the Church of God And Children be subject and in obedience to your Parents in the Lord that you may please the Lord for the stubborn and disobedient displease the Lord and come short of the Blessing of the Lord whilst so I mean his Blessing in heavenly things and often in this world and its things they are not blessed to them nor do not enjoy them in the blessing of God Take heed Children disobedience to Parents is a great evil to disobey them and their Commands being that which is good Let none be high or set not your selves against such Commands if you do God will punish you for it and kindle his wrath against you if your Parents command you to keep out of evil Company and out of bad Words and Actions obey them or else it will be ill with you Parents care being over you for good will you grieve them by rewarding them evil for good and rebellion towards them instead of esteem honour and duty which you owe to them even so much as you can scarce do it enough therefore diligently mind your Parents commands in the Truth to observe and do them And all you Servants that are convinced of and own God's Truth let God's fear be before your Eyes and let his Truth guide and order you and keep you that you may be inabled by the Lord to discharge your duty in the place of a Servant every one of you not as Eye Servants or sloathful and careless in your Masters business knowing you must give an