Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A40937
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A loving salutation with several seasonable exhortations contained in two general epistles sent unto all the saints and persecuted people of God in the houshold [sic] of faith to be red [sic] among them before they be banished as bond-men and bond-women out of the land of their nativity for their religion and righteousness sake.
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R. F. (Richard Farnworth), d. 1666.; Salthouse, Thomas, 1630-1691.
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1665
(1665)
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Wing F491; ESTC R16033
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8,192
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14
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A Loving SALUTATION With Several Seasonable Exhortations Contained in two General Epistles Sent unto all The Saints and Persecuted People of God in the houshold of Faith to be red among them before they be banished as Bond-men Bond-women out of the Land of their nativity for their Religion and Righteousness sake Blessed are yee when Men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsly for my name sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets that were before you Matthew 5.11 12. They wandred in Sheep Skins and Goat Skins in Desarts in Mountains in Dens and Caves and Holes of the Earth for their God hath prepared for them a City Heb. 11. Printed in the Year 1665. A Loving Salutation c. Dear Friends WHom I dearly love and not I only but the Lord also whose love is largely manifested unto you and whose Fatherly care is over you all dwell together in a spiritual communion that yee may be partakers of the Tree of Life and feed of the hidden Manna come down from Heaven as you sit together at the Table of the Lord who are admitted as well as invited to come unto him who easeth the weary hearted and overcharged in Spirit by giving of his strength unto them to ease them that are both weary and heavy laden for in him the weary finde rest peace and ease who are returned out of the way and spirit of the World and are entred into and entertained of God who filleth the hungry Soul with good things when he sendeth the Rich wise self conceited ones empty away and lets them not tast of his Eternal virtue and sweetness it was David that tasted of the virtue and sweetness of God who was of the Seed of Faith when his heart was fixed upon God then it indited that which was good and meditated upon the Law of God who tasted of the switness of the Eternal Word and power of God and David had received a spirit of Faith or power of believing whereby he gave Testimony to the Truth and bore witness for God for he said I believed and therefore I spake and the Davids of God or true Israelites after the Spirit have declared of the goodness of God which they have tasted of who had tasted how good and gracious the Lord was as now he is unto us who are of the Seed of Election and in their Declarations they related unto David and said of him I believed and therefore I spake and concerning themselves who were of the Seed of Faith they said we having received the same Spirit of Faith as David did receive of the Law we believe and therefore we speak or bare witness for God and it was given them on the behalf of Christ Jesus not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his Names sake and so it s now given to us the true Spiritual Israelites who are of the Seed of Abraham which is the Seed of Faith who have received the Spirit of Faith or power of believing to carry us forth to give Testimony to the Truth and speak on the behalf of the Lord not only to believe on Christ Jesus but also to suffer for Righteousness sake and as none can believe to Salvation but they who are of the seed of Faith which is the seed of Election to whom the Spirit of Faith is given so none can stand in a trying time to endure to the end in every trial that attendeth them under a suffering condition but them to whom eternal life is given for it s given to them that suffer to whom the spirit of Faith is given so that the seed of faith is attended with sufferings for the seed of Faith is that which doth the will of God with delight and therefore God grants unto it the desire of its heart and it endureth for ever because they who are of the seed of faith are they that do the will of God power is given unto them to do or to suffer according to his good wiâ—l and pleasure and they are known to be of the seed of Faith and Christs true and loving friends because they abide in his Spirit love one another and obey his commands and because they who are of the seed of Election which is the seed â—f Faith do receive the spirit of faith to believe on Christ and be obedient unto him therefore are they attended with a suffering condition and such are the sheep of Christ who are of the seed of faith and he giveth to them eternal life which is a mark of Christ set upon his sheep or character that they shall never perish Oh my dear Friends who are of the seed of Abraham after the Spirit you have received the spirit of Faith which God gives to them that are of that seed and because they are true Believers you are true subjects unto Christ and because you cannot deny the faith of Gods elect which purgeth and purifieth your hearts nor withhold your obedience but do love the truth and give your obedience to the spirit and power of Christ Jesus Therefore you are hated without a cause and persecuted by the Spirit of the World because your Mother is not Jerusalem from beneath but Jerusalem from above which is the mother of us all that are of the seed of Election which is the seed that is appointed and ordained of God to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven to you its given to know the mysteryes of the Kingdom but to others in Parables that hearing they might hear and not understand and seeing they might see and not perceive least at any time they be converted and healed So though many hear the everlasting Gospel preached yet the seed of Faith are the receivers thereof into a good ground and right understanding and those Divine Mysteries or glorious Truths are made plain unto them which others understand not to whom the gift of understanding is not given who are Sons of the Bondwoman and live after the flesh to whom the Divine Truths are as Parables and though they may see what a great work of Reformation is wrought in the Nation yet they perceive not the mind of the Lord nor receive not the people of God in whom that work is wrought but reject them and cast them out as it was then so it is now he that was born of the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit whereby it is evident that the Regenerate are not persecutors nor ever were such in any age that we read of but they were and are persecuted and that by the degenerate and such as live after the flesh who daily erre and go astray from the wayes of God and are persecutors of them who are born of water and the spirit who live a new life in Christ Jesus Therefore all you that live in the spirit walk in the Spirit be not desirous of vain
glory for the glory of the World is but vain glory and why should it be desired or at all sought after by them that are entered into the Spirit of God which is a Spirit of an exceeding and eternal weight of glory far exceeding that of the World and provoke not one another except to love and good works nor envy one another but be all at peace amongst yourselves and with all Men as much as in you lyeth and let the peace of God rule in your hearts and let the word of God dwell plentifully in you and the God of peace and love will be with you and will delight to do you good because you are of the Seed of Faith and have received the Spirit of Faith you are received into Covenant with God and have tasted of the milk of the Word which is the virtue of God Therefore as New-born Babes or Regenerate and Children of God desire the sincere milk of the Word which is the virtue and sweetness of God that yee may grow thereby seeing you have tasted how good and gracious the Lord God is who hath opened your understandings and poured forth of his Spirit upon you and shed abroad his Heavenly overcoming love in your hearts Oh therefore love the Lord above all and love your Neighbour as your self for love is the fulfiling of the Law and love thinketh no evil to any Man Owe therefore nothing to any Man but love All dear friends dwell in the love of God then you will not only love one another but enemies also for the love of God extendeth to enemies he loved us before we loved him yea he loved us whilest we were enemies to him he so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son into the World that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting Life the Love of God was the moving cause of sending his Son Christ Jesus into the World the comming of the Son of God into the World was the manifestation of the Fathers Love or to manifest the Love of God unto the World and they who received Christ Jesus as him whom the Father sent for salvation they manifested their Love unto God by believing in him and being obedient to his heavenly Doctrin and as many as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God so that the receivers of Christ are the true believers who believe to salvation and are impowered by the Eternal power of God regenerated and born of God and are the Children and Heires of God and these are of the seed of Faith who have received power of God and by Faith doe come unto God and also by Faith doe offer an acceptable Sacrifice which is well pleasing to God for he that cometh unto God must believe So that there is no coming unto God without Faith without Faith it 's imposible to please God so that the insidel and unbeliever cannot please God or approath unto him though such pretend to be worshipped of him Abel was of the seed of Faith having received the Spirit of Faith or power of believing he did by vertue of his Faith offer a more acceptable and excellent Sacrifice then Cain Cain was of a wicked blood-thirsty nature and yet he had a kinde of religion and would have been accepted but God did not accept of his offering because he was in evil doing For said the Lord unto him if thou hadst done well thou hadst been accepted but because thou hast don evil sin lyeth at the door and the Apostle said in his time take heed least there be a Cain amongst you Oh my Friends take heed that the Nature and Spirit of Cain which is the Nature and Spirit of the wicked one be not entred or entertained in any that make mention of the Name of the Lord in a way of separation from the world for where there is a Cain there will be a Sacrifice but neither prepared nor accepted of God for that Nature and Spirit of Cain which is the false birth will presume to be a worshipper but may be known to be a false worshipper as well as a false birth because it 's Sacrifice is rejected and not accepted of the Lord Therefore take heed least there be a Cain amongst you for when that intrudes into that which is not admitted into by the Lord but is discovered and rejected of God then it turnes into hatred against the seed of Faith which is of God because God accepts the offering of the seed of Faith and rejects the offering of the wicked principle and Spirit then that would destroy the other because it's workes are righteous which is of the seed of Election and the works of that is wicked which is of the seed of reprobation and God sets a mark upon the wicked blood-thirsty one that he may take vengeance upon it for vengeance is mine saith the Lord and I will repay it Therefore as yee are acquainted with God both in his merits and in the way of his judgements and knowes what the mercies of the Lord are unto and what the judgements of God are against and his wrath is revealed unto for they that know the terrors of the Lord cannot but in pitty and great compassion beseech others that they would be reconciled unto God and you that are of the seed of Faith are not onely come but also reconciled unto God and are in the Covenant of Grace and are anoynted and sealed of God and such are appointed to be Heires of salvation and because they are so God hath laid hold upon their Hearts by his eternal Spirit and makes them clear unto him who hath so evidently appeared and made known both himself and the way of salvation unto them Oh my dear Friends the Lord is with you in your sufferings and doth give you the Testimony of his Love unto you for your refreshment and of his Power for your strength and encouragement So to him I commit and commend you who knows how to order and dispose of you both for his praise and your preservation and in the Peace and Love of God I remaine with you and am Your Friend and Brother in a Spiritual Communion and Heavenly relation R. F. Written the 17th of the third moneth 1665. Dear Friends In the unchangeable truth of the Everlasting God who have heard the immediate voice from the excellent Glory whereby you were called out of darkness and turned to the true Light who are become followers of the chief Shepherd in the flocks foot steps and whose faith stands in the power of an endless life I who am your Brother Companion and fellow traveller through tribulations a partaker of the like pretious Faith do wish an encrease of Grace Mercy and Peace with all other Heavenly vertues and Spiritual blessings to all the solemn Assemblies of the Saints and to all the Lords Prisoners and persecuted people even every particular family and friend in the houshold of Faith to