Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A51574
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The acts of the witnesses of the spirit in five parts / by Lodowick Mvggleton ..., left by him to be publish'd after's death.
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Muggleton, Lodowick, 1609-1698.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing M3040; ESTC R11186
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121,881
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188
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weighed it in my Mind and was loath to forsake it 16. Then I consider'd my Soul was of more value and what would it avail me to be rich in this World for a Moment and to loose my Soul for I was extreamly fearful of eternal Damnation thinking my Soul might go into Hell Fire without a Body as all People did at that time 17. And after much strugling in my Mind I came to this resolution in my self that rather then I would loose my Soul or be damned to Eternity I would loose the Maid And that way that would have made me Rich and that I would be zealous of the Law of God as afterwards I was 18. Here the two Seeds of Faith and Reason did work in me but I knew them not by Name nor Nature at that time nor many Years after 19. But as I did fear it came to pass for the Maids Mother seeing my Mind so changed and so zealous of the Laws of the Scriptures and that I would not keep that way as I thought to do before 20. She would not let her Daughter have me to her Husband so the Maid was perswaded by her Mother 21. And my Zeal to save my Soul perswaded my Mind to let her go so we parted 22. Thus I forsook the World and a Wife which I lov'd in the days of my ignorance for zeal to the Law of God which I thought to be Truth and the true way and so it was 23. But I did not know it till many years after but the Lord God of Truth had respect unto my Person and Zeal at that time and prevented me from falling into that Snare of being rich in this World CAP. V. The Prophet shews his Care his Fear and Zeal in the Law of God and of the working of his Thoughts and heighth of the Puritan Religion 1. SO after I had parted with the Maid and that way that did offend my Conscience I was resolved to live so upright to the Law of God and so just between Man and Man that I thought in time I might procure favour with God and to attain assurance of my Salvation 2. For I was fully possest that there was really Salvation to be attained unto by my Righteousness and that there was a real Damnation to all those that were unrighteous or did not demean themselves so strictly as I did 3. For I was exceeding fearful of Hell and eternal Damnation The very Thoughts of it made my Spirit many times fail within me 4. But by Prayer and my Righteous Practices I did many times recover some Hope and Peace again 5. All this while I did suppose my Soul might go into Hell without a Body and that Millions of Souls were in Hell-Fire without Bodies and that the Devil being a Bodily Spirit did torment those Souls that came there and that the Devil had liberty to come out of Hell to Tempt People here on Earth and go there again but no Soul that he had gotten there could come out of Hell more 6. These things wrought in my Mind exceeding great Fear and stir'd me up to a more exceeding Righteousness of Life thinking thereby that my Righteous Life would have cast out those tormenting Fears but it did not 7. Yet notwithstanding I did continue in my Zeal and was earnest in the Puritant Religion and Practice neither did I know how to find Rest any where else neither did I hear any Preach in those Days but the Puritan Ministers whose Hair was cut short 8. For if a Man with long Hair had gone into the Pulpit to preach I would have gone out of the Church again tho he might preach better than the other 9. But we Puritans being Pharisaically minded were zealous of outward Appearance and of outward Behaviour for we minded that more than their Doctrin 10. For we took it for granted that God was a Spirit without a Body and that Christ Jesus his Son had a Body in form like Man and that he did mediate to God his Father who was a Spirit without a Body and that for Christ's sake this Spirit without a Body did hear us and speak Peace unto us 11. Also I believed that the Devil was a Spirit without a Body and could assend out of Hell when God did give him leave and sugest evil Thoughts of Lust Theft Murther and Blasphemy against God not thinking that these Thoughts and Motions did arise out of Man's own Heart but from a Divel a Spirit without a Body without Man 12. Also I thought those Souls which God did Save were carried up to Heaven without Bodies and should be with God who was a Spirit without a Body and that we should see Christ Jesus in Heaven with his Body with our Spirits that were Saved without Bodies till the Resurrection and then Body and Soul should be United together again 13. Also we did believe that the wicked Spirits should be cast into Hell Fire without Bodies where the Devil and his Angels being Spirits without Bodies should Torment the Souls of the Wicked till the Day of Resurrection and then those Wicked Souls should be United to their Bodies again and be Tormented Body and Soul together with the Devil and his Angels who were Spirits without Bodies in Hell Fire for ever and ever 14. And we did believe that the Angels of God were Ministring Spirits without Bodies as God was a Spirit without a Body so were they and could minister Comforts unto Men without Bodies 15. And we did believe our own Souls to be Immortal and could not Die but did subsist the good Spirits with God in Heaven without Bodies and the wicked Souls did subsist in Hell without Bodies 16. These were some of the Fundamental Principles of Faith and Religion we Zealous Puritans did believe and practice and there is no better Faith in the World to this day in the generality of Professors of Religion 17. These Things was I very well versed in and I grew in great Experience and Knowledge in the Letter of the Scriptures and had a good Gift of Prayer and was very strong in Disputes because my Mind was extreamly perplexed with the fear of Hell notwithstanding my exact life to the Letter of the Law 18. But the fear of Hell wrought in me much Experience so that I did exceed several other Men in that Knowledge which was in those days and tho' I was judged a very godly knowing-Man and a happy Man by others yet I could not judge so of my self but the fear of Hell was oft rising up in me 19. For I never Conceited well of my own Knowledge but thought the Knowledge of other Men did far exceed me because they seemed to be better satisfied in their Minds than I was 20. Yet I thought in my self that in time by my Prayers and Righteousness and exact Walking and hearing of Preaching that I might heal that Wound in my Soul which was made and I knew not for what 21. For I