Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	call_v	church_n	corinth_n	2,165	5	11.4080	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34389	Conversion exemplified in the instance of a gracious gentlewoman now in glory / written from her own mouth and appointment, by her dearest friend ...		1669 (1669)	Wing C5981; ESTC R21188	30,026	78

leave it That which I intend to conclude withal as to my living at Whitehol is the change of my practice in Church-matters The form I was bred under was Episcopal against which I had none other mind than all persons have against that wherein they are educated and of the contrary to which they understand nothing Tht Society I couversed with at my first coming to London was Presbyterians That which I closed with after I came to Westminster was Congregational or Independent for so they have of late been distinguished The sr●●l mind of man being through ignorance mutable it is no easie thing to attain to stability nor can it be till Truth fixes it I think those fall under the deserved character of wavering minded men who go forward in the wayes of truth and then return back again that retreat is dishonourable For it was not Pauls errour to change his practice upon Conversion though I have heard that the Turks charge him with a crime in it and to be sure the Jews did But with the bewitched Galatians to begin in the spirit and to seek perfection by the works of the Law is dangerous Apostacy To pass from Episcopacy to Presbytery thence to Independency and then for outward advantage to return back again yea though they went but the first step will certainly merit no better name than Time-serving But not to be too ready in condemning others that which I have to do is to assign the reason of mine own practice It is little of the spirit of discerning I pretend to yet if I have any of the Spirit of Christ and hope of eternal Happiness I must not quit all claim to it From that little of it which I have I do profess I have been acquainted with very Holy Men of all the fore-named different Perswasions and have not been a little scandalized at the behaviour of some of them towards their dissenting Brethren who have little practised that Gospel Grace Forbearance as clearly commanded in the Word as any other dutie It is no new or strange thing that there should be found the eff●cts of enmity between the Seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent But that Christ should be devided is neither lawful comfortable nor comely And now to the reason why I sate down with Independants in spiritual Communion it was Because I found them agreeing with the other two in all fundamental Doctrines belonging to Salvation and at least as I think exercising the power of those principles more in practice I observed that in their Doctrine they separated betwixt the precious and the vile betwixt regenerate and unregenerate by the same rules and notes of distinction Even some Episcopal men did so as Vsher and Reynolds with some few more and the Presbyterians generally went that way but then in practice they call them holy whom in Doctrine they pronounce Prophane admitting them to those Gospel-institutions which are the peculiar priviledges of the Saints And to justifie what they do they setch presidents from Corinth and other Churches in the Apostles times nay they travel further even to the old Church of the Jews to shew how corrupt a Church may be and yet retain the essence of a Church when such a simple woman as I am apt to think their time would be better spent in purging out the old leaven that the body might be a new lump 1 Cor. 5. 7. This at an adventure made me cleave to them in whom I sourd most of that spirit which from the beginning of my Conversion had acted and comforted me And let it suffice that I can say no more for my self herein because I am not able to try hard Arguments or untie knotty Controversies plenty of which I am told the differences betwixt them have afforded Nay I must consess I yet understand not what those things are that give them their different denominations though I have heard it in debates often so little impression did it leave upon me This only I find that Episcopecy in its last restitution come● attended with such prophaness as the very fight of it hath made me rejoyce in the hopes of being delivered by death from beholding those judgements which I fear will fall upon so●● of my dearest relations for being too near those things And now upon the sad consideration of what is herein written Oh! you my unregenerate unacquaintance and such of my relations as are in that condition let me address some Questions Tell me honestly what think you of this story The Narrative I have made of God's dealing with me I solemnly profess to be in every tittle true but not by much all that which might have been said I have caused it to be written in that which I account my last sickness with none other intent but to give God the glory of his dealing with me and bring you to happiness the like way Now can you think that this great work was from Satan It is true Satan tempted and troubled me in my childhood but I was brought to Christ by it Did Satan intend that think you And hath Christ in requital of Satans kindness therein returned me back as a present to him Judge I pray you in your most retired thoughts for I appeal to your Consciences from your wild discourses wherein out of your natural enmity to Conversion you call it Phrenzy and to a holy conversation which gaines no better title from you than Phanatism or which is worse Sedition and Rebellion and ●he words wherein it is held out Cant●●g I was known to you from my youth and I appeal to that knowledge yet without vain glory was not my whole carriage as free from offence as the generality of youth is if not more free and gaining How comes it then that sin should be made thus burthensome to me when you seem to bear it so lightly My Soul hath oft mourned for you in secret God knows and I was encouraged thereto because for some God heard me and delivered them out of their desperate state Original sin hath dreadfully desaced the Principles of Truth and darkened the Beams of Light that once were in mans heart yet not so totally but that I dare appeal to the remnants of them in you whether you do not think this that hath been said is the work of God bringing home a lost creature and leading a blind sinner in the streight way to Life to which your selves are strangers for to such I speak knowing assuredly that the generation of the Just do eccho to all that I have said● And that I was raised from the dead by that Power which Christ himself was raised Ephes 1. 19 20. and am kept by no less Power to this very day And if so then as Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar Let my counsel accepted of you Break off your sins by Repentance your unbelief by Faith your superstition ignorance and prophaness by Purity Integrity and a sound understanding of the Wayes of God in his Worship You little think how o●t I have sought God for you herein wherein if I obtain answer I shall at length meet yo● as coheirs of the Rest purchased by Christ However the election of God shall stand and he knoweth who are his And let what I have herein declared remain upon record as a witness of what God hath done for some and particularly for me against those who in despite of all kindes of teaching whether by word or example do violently pursue their lusts to their eternal and most just destruction FINIS

retire my self often to enjoy communion with God In which retirement when some observed me they did commend me others reproached me and said I grew bookish One called me Hypocrite and said A young Saint would be an old Devil Such words troubled me greatly all the while I was in doubt of mine own condition as to my being in Christ And the party that spake them was an eminent instrument in the hand of the Devil to distress and discompose me But after I received from the Lord some tastes and evidences of his Love those revilings and hard speeches comforted me for I esteemed it my Glory to suffer shame for his Names sake By this time finding the place where I lived in reference to Religion without means of light and as the fruit of it exceedingly sinful and prophane men and women generally wallowing in brutish Iusts I grew extream weary of living in it ' and thereupon sought God in Prayer earnestly to find a way of removing me where I might have better example better teaching better helps and advantages of perfe●cting what he had graciously begun in me having had my soul often vexed by hearing and seeing as Lot's was In this after a short time God answered me inclining the hearts of my Parents to send me to London and placed me for a while with some Friends in and near that City This change of place and newness of acquaintance produced new temptations For though the Seed of God abiding in me kept in me some tenderness of spirit yet many worldly diversions from my former and more constant fellowship with God brought me into a very drowsie temper I lived with Professors of Religion but found not the power of Christian Principles acting in them especially some of them though from others I had help and encouragement But some were so choaked with worldly cares and drowned in carnal groundless jealousies as they became burthensome and uncomfortable to themselves and those that conversed with them especially if they had dependance on them as I had Nevertheless he that bringeth Good out of Evil and whose Covenant is That all things shall work together for good to them that love Him made use of that unacceptable quality to awaken me and cause me to reflect upon my declinings God is a jealous God and will suffer no corrival or competitor in the hearts of his Children Thereupon to chasten me for suffering my soul to wander after and cl●●ve to worldly delights and exp●ctations he left a Person of Q●●lity with whom I ●ived und●r the dominion of an infirmity very natural to her and very sinful the G●d of M●rcy convince her of it and reform her g●ou●dl●s Jeasousie An app●●hension possest h●r o● reason of it tha● I had an u●wor●hy d●sign upon her and as untrue as it was it put her and she me by reason of it into a very great discomposure This p●ss●ge I should altogether om●t if I could make the story of God's dealing with me in this case perfect without it nor are such things to he slighted For H● without whose providence a Sparow falleth not to the ground and by whom the haires of our head are numbered must be eyed and acknowledged in all his wayes The Children of Jacob must learn of their Father to see the Face of God in a very Esau Now being much burthen d●und●r the Oppression of the foresaid f●ls● imagination I had according to my former course recourse to God who seasonably and very effectually presented to my mind many passages of Scripture by which I was in some me●sure recovered from my backsliding for a b●tter nam● I do not know it by S●me of which were these Rom. 8. 28. For w● know that all things work together for good to them that love God Another was Ps●l 139. 13. S●arch me O God and know my b●ar● try me and know my thoughts and see of there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the Way everlasting This I made use on when the fear of an hypocritical state was upon me occasionned by my late decays Let this suffi●e briesly to point at what they were how they came and what means God applyed to recover me After these things the whole life of one in Christ being a warfare I met with many conflicts and still the most constant one was about my Soul sta●c whether in Christ or not in Christ reconciled to God by his Blood or not reconc●led and thorow the remnant of Corruption I am not altogether delivered from this temptation at this very time I received much establishment at one time from Isa 27. 5. Let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me and he shall make peace with me At another time hearing this Scripture read Psal 25. 10. All the Paths of the Lord are Mercy and Truth to such as keep his Covenants and his Testimonies I was assisted to have very comfortable reflections upon it By the Paths of the Lord I understood his providential Disspensations wherein he walks as men do in a path to an intended end which is the accomplishment of his Glory in bringing the Seed of Christ to Glory Now though the Paths are exceeding various Sometimes God lifts his People up sometimes he casts them down sometimes he gives them victory over sin Satan and themselves sometimes he leaves them to be led captive and then enlarges them out of that Bondage for the most part by Afflictions One while he tryes their Grace and gives them the sense and comfort of it another while he chastens Disobedience and gives them the fruit of that in mortification But let the Paths of God be never so many and seem to lye never so cross as Road-wayes over a Champion yet are they all Mercy even to those that taste most Severity and Truth yea though they seem contrary to his Promise to them that keep his Covenant and his Testimonies So that in the way of obedience to his Testimonies and cleaving to his Covenant I was assured all his Paths to me would be Mercy and Truth Isa 3. 12. Go and proclaim these words towards the North and say Return thou back sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine Anger to fall upon thee For I am Merciful saith the Lord and I will not keep mine Anger for ever only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God Every thing in this Text comforted me First that God exprest his forwardness to receive wandering sinners by sending forth a Proclamation to invite their return Go and proclaim saith he Then that this was directed to the worst sort of sinners Backsliders The Backslider seemes to tell the World that upon his particular experience there is nothing worth enjoying in the Wayes of God and this is the worst reflection upon them than can be None so bad as false friends Traytors in a Court the worst Traitors Backsliding Israel notwithstanding is called upon