Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n
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A56017
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A general epistle to friends everywhere who have received, believe and know the truth of God as it is in Jesus.; General epistle to friends every where.
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Parke, James, 1636-1696.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing P370; ESTC R216935
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12,984
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17
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should Reign and all keep sensible of that day wherein the Lord alone shall be exalted and when all flesh shall tremble before him who layeth low the loftiness of man. What is any Mountain or all Nations before him when he cometh in Triumph Skipping over the Mountains and leaping over the Hills of opposition within and without when he makes his power known how doth he shake the Earth and cause the keepers of the House to tremble and how will he punish that Leviathan the crooked Serpent whose way is in the Sea that long hath deceived the Nations and caused People to wonder after the Beast and to say Who is like unto the Beast or Who can make War with him and maketh many for an hour to give their power to the Beast that is to be slain and with him the false Prophet and given to the burning Flame in the day of the Lord that burns as an Oven and all that are proud and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble the day cometh that shall burn them up and neither leave of them Root or Branch All Dear Friends keep in the fear of the Lord and think upon his Name But fear not man whose Breath is in his Nostrils neither fear what man can do Professor or Profane if they set themselves in a prejudiced mind and Spirit against you Speaking all manner of evil against you for the Name of Christ which you know and believe in fear you not their fears neither be any of you afraid of their Revilings Whom the Moth shall eat like a Canker and the Wind shall drive away as stubble How hath the hearts of many failed them for fear And what great fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites of this Revolting and Backsliding Age that have not been able to dwell with devouring Fire or stand when the Lord appear Who sits as a Resiner with Fire to purge away the dross and take away all the Tin and who cometh with his Fan in his hand thoroughly to purge his Flowre and gather his Wheat into his Garner where he will keep and preserve it safe and secure it from that that would eat it up and destroy it where ever that appears you who are of God if never so little you are the Lords gathered Wheat into his Garner and who are not gathered to God nor born of God they are the Chaff they are the Children of the wicked One and will do wickedly being void of a Divine or heavenly understanding how wise soever they may be to do evil and they are in the sight of the Lord but a heap of confusion and corruption although their Mountain seem to be never so great and high the Lord can and will lay it low and make it a Plain when he pleaseth and by what way and method he pleaseth So feel the Mountain of the Lord's House established on the top of the Mountain the Mountain of Holiness and the Holy Hill of Sion feel over all unholy Mountains of sin and corruption and God's Holy Hill over all the unholy Hills that are got up in the fall That dear Friends you all may live move and keep your Habitation in Christ Jesus that Noble Vine into which you were grafted that never fell but liveth and abideth for ever who is your Rock and Foundation your Buckler Shield and mighty Defence when the Winds blow Rains fall and the Floods of the Ungodly come forth as if they would overflow the Banks you know who hath power over the Winds the Rain and the raging Sea stedfastly believe in him Christ Jesus and let your hearts be fixed trusting in the Lord 's great power however it be in the World as to Troubles Amazements and Fears In Christ Jesus the Prince of Peace feel a constant Peace that his Peace may remain with you and he may guide you continually and then your Rest also will be glorious in him and patience will possess your Souls in the greatest Tribulation that can come and you will have Joy and Consolation when the Faces of many shall gather paleness and fear and astonishment shall seize and take hold upon others because of the fearsul Judgment that will come upon them due to them for their wickedness and great abominations My Dear Friends THerefore be all diligent to make your Calling and Election so sure and certain that you constantly may have the fresh renewings of the Spirit of God and that to bear you witness that you are of the few or small number who are saved that enter the strait Gate and walketh in the narrow way that leadeth unto Life Eternal which but few find and such as never yet found it how should they walk in it and you that have found it keep low walking in it and let none of your hearts by any means be lifted up by any thing you do for the truth or with any thing that you enjoy from God Who is the giver of every good and perfect Gift whether Temporal or Spiritual but still keep your hearts and minds unto God and in perfect love unto him above all in the pure enjoyment of all the mercies which you have received from him let not the things of this world have place in your hearts again who have been gathered to God out of the World for whosoever let their minds and affections after that which is earthly such cannot well affect heavenly things therefore all have great need even as much as ever to keep your hearts with all diligence that the enemy of the Soul and destroyer enter not again where he once was cast out by Christ Jesus O watch and pray that you enter not into temptation when you are tempted to evil in the hour of temptation watch in the word of God's patience be sure that you keep that hid in your hearts and take heed to it and you will witness it a Light to your Feet to lead and keep you all from the Temptations of Satan to Sin and Evil which you may expect to meet with now altho it be a time of ease as from outward Sufferings for that may expose you more to the assaults of Satan inwardly that now by his Agents he cannot imprison your Bodies fine you nor spoil your Goods for meeting together to worship God he will beset you and assault you now another way to wit within there to work if a diligent constant watch be not kept in the fear of the Lord such will be in danger to be ensnared you know many of you that the enemy hath many snares and when he cannot catch in one he will lay another more privily to catch the innocent in to ensnare such as be of an upright Conversation Therefore let not any of you that by the Lord 's Holy Spirit and Power have known your Souls to be quickened suffer death to enter or prevail again so to cause the second death to have power over you or to be twice dead and pluck'd up by the
your respective Families And thus indeed and in truth you become even Saviours upon Mount Sion through Christ Jesus who was to turn Ungodliness from Jacob and who saves his People who look unto him work together with him and put their confidence in him so we receive power from him to deny our selves and take up our daily Cross and follow the Lord fully in humility and lowliness of mind and by this power of the Lord so dwelling in it all will be inabled to keep in subjection that which would exalt it self against the appearance of the Lord in you It will bring down every high thought and vain imagination it will make self of no reputation in every particular and Friends never had more need to mind the Light and bring their deeds to it believe in it and walk in it than now when even Satan transforms himself into the likeness of an Angel of Light and Truth and his Ministers also as Ministers of Christ and as in the Light of the Lamb Christ Jesus all keep and abide walking you will see and be able to put a difference betwixt the Divine Light and Truth and the likeness of it howsoever transformed by the prince of Darkness for by the Light of the Lord you will all see Light to comprehend all the transformations of the Devil and Satan in all his appearances with what fair shews or under what specious pretences soever he may appear unto you or amongst you the cunning Serpent is at work with his transformed likenesses of the heavenly things of God let none look out at that nor think any worse of the Light and Truth of God because that even Satan transforms himself into the likeness of an Angel of Light and his Angels profess Gods precious Truth and talk of it with enticing words that mans wisdom teacheth all this God permits that they who are approved may be made manifest that all Friends may search and try their waies and works and be more confirmed upon the tried Stone elect and precious which God hath laid in Sion for a Foundation and another Foundation can no man lay than that which is already laid which not any thing can move or overthrow but it stands and remains the same firm Rock of Ages still upon this dear Friends do but keep and abide and then none of these things which only is suffered of the Lord to come to try us shall be able to move any of us from our stability in the Truth Light Life and Power of the Lord God The Gates of Hell shall never prevail against this invincable Rock of Ages Christ Jesus upon whom the faithful are built a Spiritual Houshold unto God and are become to him a chosen Generation and a Royal Priest-hood to offer up to him the Spiritual Sacrifice of Praise and of a broken Heart which is accepted of the Lord and surely we who are the Children of God and his day had never more need to be continually with God and see him in the mount than now when there is so much declining from God and departure from the Faith and I believe many of you are very sensible that the mistery of Iniquity now worketh whereby Satan sets himself and Agents at work to let and hinder the work of the Lord and yet they cry Lord Lord have not we prophesied in thy Name c. But are workers of Iniquity which coming to be seen and discovered by the Light of the Lord by that also is condemned which lets the Saints in Light see over it and the mischievous intent of such workers where they come that are workers of Iniquity their works manisest what workmen they are unto whom the Lord will say I know you not depart from me Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these resist the Truth professed by them being men of corrupt minds and sensual altho they may still return good Words and fair Speeches and so deceive the Hearts of the simple with their seducing Spirit and sowing Discord Division and corrupt Seed which I do entreat you all in the love of God and care for your Souls good to beware of and not to believe every Spirit but try them with the Light and Spirit of God which he hath given you whereby you may see and discern clearly betwixt Spirit and Spirit the true from the false and the things of God from those things that are contrary which he never wrought nor ever delighted in all which is to be denyed and shut out for by the Spirit of the Lord God none can own or joyn with that which works against the truth scatters from it instead of gathering to it or that which under pretence of most Christian would lay waste the Heritage of God and set up fleshly Liberty instead of true Christianity In the Name of the Lord and with his Light and Truth see and fathom over all that which is not of God which shall not stand And Friends feel the Ear open that trieth words as the Pallat tasteth Meats that you all the Spiritual Meat may feed upon and not upon that which perisheth or dieth of it self but that which endures to everlasting Life at the Lord's Table all feed upon and be filled with that and a living Hunger will be encreased in you all after that which is pure more and more to the renouncing of that which is dirty defiled and impure under what pretence or colour soever it may appear or what fine dress or gloss soever it may be presented to you in by such as may presume to speak in the Name of the Lord amongst you that are not really of us but are gon out into a self-separation from us and impose their disunion and disorder in the Church of God in opposition to that wholsom Union and Order which that Church maintains and is in the practice of which tends to present it to God holy and without blame before him without spot or wrinkle or any thing that defiles works abomination or loves and makes a Lye all which shall in no wise enter into the Holy City which comes down from God out of Heaven the seducing Spirit is of the Enemy the Father of Lies and leadeth from the Truth into Lies and Error falshood and deceit and who are led by this Spirit they forge Lies and speak Lies in Hypocrisie having their Consciences seared they grow self-will'd stubborn and hard-hearted and appear hard through the deceitfulness of sin that dwelleth in them losing the true tenderness and brokenness of heart that for a time appeared in some of them before they let in this pernicious Spirit and gave heed to it that liberty which now they are in and wrangle for it was hateful to some of them whereby they corrupt one another so they raise their mountain and set their unholy mountain against and in opposition to the Lord 's Holy Mountain or the Mountain of the Lord's House which is to be established a top