Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A60206
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To all the inhabitiants of the town of Youghal who are under the teaching of James Wood ...
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Sicklemore, James.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing S3750; ESTC R24541
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13,617
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9
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condemns sin in every mans conscience and to be out of the ministry of God who is light and therefore though he thinks he hath sufficientlie proved his Call to this ministry of God I am sure he is mistaken and his thoughts deceive him for that in his conscience which is of God shal testifie to his face that he is a resister of it walks contrary to it to all who are come into the true fear of the Lord he is known I doubt not but to som of you in whom I know there are simple desires after God he is partly known and seen and many of his practises I know you cannot own let that of God in your consciences speak Yet neverthelesse J.W. hath little reason to desire that dayes work to be brought to remembrance for though he spent much time to tell a story of his inclinations to and qualifications for the work of the ministry from his youth up after such a manner as he never found any of the ministers of Christ boasting for they alwaies denied their former life which he called his inward call yet he told us also of an outward call which was by man as being approved of by man and for all his inward qualifications yet he attributed something to his humane art and learning of which though he spoke slightly seemingly yet he added it to all the rest as a help in the work and after all this large Oration which he made declaring how he was called to the ministry I leave it to you all who were there present to judge whether or no he did prove that his call to be according to the Scriptures which of the ministers of Christ did he instance or bring for an example that was so called though he professed that that should be the Rule to try both his and John Perrots ministry by The Discourse as I very well remember was much upon Pauls Call who indeed was an able minister of Christ and we find that although he was a man who was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel yet in all his speaking of his call to that work he never made mention of it any otherwise then declaring it to be his former life wherein he was zealous in persecuting the way of God and in his preaching also all that wisdom was laid aside for when he came to the Corinthians he came not with excellency of speech nor of wisdom nor with the enticing words of mans wisdom which is the worlds wisdom and if he would have boasted thereof he had much to speak of read Phil. chap. 3. v. 4 5 6 7 8. yet all that which was gain to him formerly he counted it losse for Christ and for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus wherein his Ministry stood neither would he at any time own his call or sending to be of men or by man but by Jesus Christ and by the will of God as you may read Gal. 1.1 and in the beginning of most of his Epistles though J.W. that day did endeavor to prove it to be by man by Acts 13.1 2 3. which is the place also he quotes in his Letter to me who ever can read that place with understanding will see it doth not contradict Pauls saying He was an Apostle not by man though it be alwayes the Priests work to make the Scriptures clash one against another that so they may get money of the people to reconcile them as they say by their moanings and interpretations But this is deceit and the Scriptures are true and agree in one being all given forth by one spirit which doth not contradict it self and by no other spirit can they be read nor understood but to all other spirits are a parable sealed It is there said That such and such who were in the Church as they ministered to the Lord and fasted the Holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them here the Holy Ghost had called them and the Holy Ghost commanded the separation and the Holy Ghost sent them away as you may read in the fourth verse that they departed being sent by the Holy Ghost and this is one with what is written in the third verse but the unlearned wrest it for the Holy Ghost gave order for their separation and also sent them away And I 'le appeal to you all who were that day present did I. W. prove his call â—o be thus did he name any that were in the Church that were Prophets and Teachers that ministered to the Lord and fasted and as they did so that the Holy Ghost said separate me James Wood for the work whereunto I have called him he did not witness any such thing to us then yea and I question much whether his late ordination and sending was according to that of Paul and Barnabas some of you perhaps might be present you can tell whether that day was spent in fasting and praying or feasting and praying and if you can read with the spirit I defire you to compare Pauls separation in Act. 13. with J. W. his late separation I would ask whether those men who laid their hands on J. W. received an immediate command from the Holy Ghost so to do as those did who ministered to the Lord and fasted And though J. W. tells me that sure I know Paul had preached some years before that and so would fain cover his late sending forth with this practice and excuse it s not being done sooner yet the deceit is seen for the covering is too short for though Paul had been preaching before yet he was returned from Jerusalem with Barnabas having fulfilled their Ministry Acts 12.25 and that being done the Holy Ghost sends them another way to preach for we shall alwayes find that when the work was don in one place they departed to another and staid not in one place many years in a setled outward habitation they went still as they were sent by the Holy Ghost who never suffered them to be idle no not a day was allowed them for their recreation or the exercise of their bodies for their health for this was their daily exercise to be doing the will of him that sent him and Pauls body bore the marks of our Lord Jesus Now either J. W. must make it appear that he hath fulfilled his former Ministry as Paul and Barnabas had or else he cannot plead a right to this sending of Paul and Barnabas in Act. 13. whether he hath done that let that of God in his conscience judge and whether he hath manifested such a thing to any of you let that of God in your consciences speak and declare Nay it s much to be feared that instead of fulfilling his Ministry he is fallen back from much of it witness his sprinkling of infants which once he could not do even since he first pretended a call to the Ministry and his singing of Davids Psalms which once he
are sorry to see this mans zeal now for God and they call i◠blind and say he is deceived and deluded Then in the latter end of his Letter he calls himself A servant of the Lords and his people in the Gospel How far God hath owned his service let the fruits of his ministery these many years last past in this Town of Youghall testifie and in this long service let him produce and manifest what fruits hath been brought forth to God and how many hath been brought into the Vineyard of God where no unfruitful tree must be without being out down whatservice he hath done for his people and who J. W. calls the Lords people would be enquired after sure there 's not many in the town of Youghall among whom he hath bin so long preaching wil own him to be their Servant seeing he refuses to do what service they desire from him yet no doubt but they help pay him his wages if we should make a strict enquiry among his own people and Church we shall find that though he calls himself their servant yet most of them call him Master so that upon a true search this wil prove but words and little less then a bare complement Friends and people At the times of ignorance God wincked but now he commandeth all men every where to repent Be not deceived God will not be mocked Not every one that cries Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father saith Christ In the fear God examine your selves whose will you are doing daily if you will do the will of God you must deny your own wills in all things and they that are doing evil and committing sin are not doing the will of God 't is not a talk of Repentance and forsaking sin will stand you in stead or give you true peace but a forsaking of it indeed and in truth and a putting off the old man with his deeds and a orucifying of the flesh with the affections and Lusts must be witnessed before you can say you are Christs and witness him in you righteousness and sanctification and redemption t is not a giving up your names to be written in J. W. his book or any other paper that will administer true comfort to you but you must come to know your names written in the Lambs book of life where nothing that desiles can come pure Religion stands not in a separation that is sensual and in a shew only but in being unspotted with the world I judge none of you Search your selves with the Light that comes from Jesus which is nigh you and it will truly show you your own states and conditions and when you see your selves beleeve none that will daub you and tell you a story contrary to what you see with your eye which is the Light of the body Friends This Light will shew you all that ever you did and makes manifest all things that have been and are done in secret and judges all that is evil and justifies none but such who to it are obedient this is Gods faithful witness in your Consciences which doth either accuse or excuse if it accuse beleeve not any that would excuse if it excuse none can condemn if any one sin it accuses and brings trouble upon the evil doer unto whom there is no peace Therefore do not live securely but try your selves and what the light of Christ in you shews you to be evil abstain from it even in its appearance Love the light and bring all your deeds to it that they may be made manifest where they are wrought follow the light of the world wherewith you are enlightened that you may come to have the light of life which gives victory over death and brings out of its snare and from under its dominion sin is deaths kingdom and all who are in sin and by it carryed captive are in its snare and out of the kingdom of God into which nothing that defiles can enter Friends look out no longer for a teacher for the teachers that are without cause you to erre but the word is nigh you in your hearts and mouths turn in to hear it speak and it will shew you the way you should walk in there is a measure of the gift of God committed to you all in particular and the grace of God hath largely appeared to some of you it teaches all that loves it to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously ana soberly in this present evil world this will bring you to the Repentance not to be repented of this is that which washeth and sprinkleth and purgeth the conscience from dead works to serve the living God Every sin is a dead work he that serves sin is free from Righteousness he that doth sin is of the devil Friends Beware I write nothing but what that of God in your consciences bears witness to that 's the light if you love your own souls love the light that is in you that checks you for sin and follow it it leads from sin unto Christ the Saviour who saves from sin Who is in you except ye be Reprobates it leads out of the world al that follow it into the kingdom of heaven which is within you if you beleeve in the light who lighteth every one that cometh into the World you will com to the faith which purifies and to the hope which purifies Christ in you the hope of glory this hope will not fail you when al other hopes shall perish So prise your time and neglect not this day of Gods visiting you but come to the light and try all your thoughts words and wayes by it and all spirits this will discover all seducers and deceivers and the false prophets shew you and it will bring you if you it follow to the true prophet which whosoever will not hear shall be cut off And all you who are burthened with sin and feels the weight of it and are weary and would be eased and are hungring and thirsting after satisfaction and rest and true peace of which you were never yet made partakers neither could you meet with or obtain in all your profession I say unto you from the Lord cease from looking out for help and running from one hill to another to find out the way of the Lord for your help is nigh unto you and he is not afar off and till you come to turn in your minds and to take heed unto that which works the desire in you you shall never come to be satisfied for the desire is not in your selves or in any thing you can do but is wrought by God and nothing but something from God must satisfie and what may be known of him is manifest in you and the desire is within and the content also is to be found there for this is the cause that you y … ly down in sorrow because you seek to that which is without for help and art going to Egypt for aid and forget him who is near at hand and so the true desires many times are lost and you rest satisfied for a season till the witnesse in you arises again and shews you your state then you are more unsatisfied than before and your Teachers to whom you seek endeavours to heal this wound also and will bid you believe in Christ and lay hold upon him good words but yet you are ignorant of him to be in you and of his life and power you are not partakers who washes and sanctifies and purifies and makes clean Therefore friends mind the light which is of God which shews your sinful state and sad condition and follow is that by it you may be led out of that state and come to witnesse a new state and a new birth which is of God which sins not and to find and enjoy and possesse the true peace which passeth understanding which they who are in the world knows not nor doth not enjoy 〈◊〉 all you who are running into sin with delight and are drinking iniquity like water and have forgotten God who is not in all your thoughts and have set your faces against instruction reproof and shuts your eyes and stops your ears least you should see with your eyes and hear with your ears and be converted but are living in your sins and in them are secure and cannot endure to hear of a 〈◊〉 of holynesse and righteousnesse and purity but are opposers of it and persecuters of 〈◊〉 who witnesse it I say from the Lord Gods hand is over you and his arm is stretched out against you and an utter desolation he will make of you except you repent speedily and turn from the evil of your ways and seek the Lord by unfeigned repentance for the time of his striving with you is well nigh past and the day is coming upon you that sorrow shall take hold uyon you and trouble shall come upon you as an armed man and you shall seek for help and shall not find it because you have been 〈◊〉 and rebellious and stiff-necked against the Lord and would not hearken when by his light which is in you he called but from day to day resisted his spirit and quenched it in you when it did arise in your consciences to condemn you for sin and have slain his witnesse in you and are making merry over it behold it shall arise as an evidence against you in the day of Gods pleading with you and you shall not be able to stand Therefore take warning in time before the evil day comes upon you lest your dayes be shortned and you dye in your sins and you become a cursed example to all the workers of iniquity All people let the love and long-sufferings of the Lord God move you and lead you to repentance James Sicklemore The End