Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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B05222
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A dissenter from those (by some) called Foxonian Quakers, having lately put forth a paper for the exaltation of the Lord's Christ, &c. which a certain person having read over again and again, and hoping it may be profitable to many, hath caused it to be reprinted as following, that so it may be more universally spread abroad for its further service.
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M. S.
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1696
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Wing S113A; ESTC R183120
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7,633
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best Service we are enabled to do by the gracious Assistance of his Spirit as He said by way of Caution lest they might imagine that they merited Life by their Service or be too much self-conceited c. Luke 17.10 When 〈◊〉 shall have done all those things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable Servants we have done that which was our Duty to do So here is all Vain-boasting excluded and by all our Performances there is to be no claiming a Right or Title by way of Merit to the Kingdom of God for it is by Grace free unmerited Grace that we are saved through Faith in our LORD JESUS and that not of our selves it is the Gift of GOD not of Works lest any Man should boast Ephes 2.8 9. Such as before is said who sincerely love our dear LORD JESVS and nobly confess Him for His dear Names-sake and can say that they count all things even all their own Righteousness as the Apostle did Phil. 3.9 but as Dung and Dross in comparison of Christ and to be found in him not having our own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ c. It is for you Friends that Christ is gone before to prepare a Place in the heavenly Mansions of Glory whom He will own and confess as you persevere faithful to the end in that great and last Day of general Account when all Nations shall stand before Him and He will separate one from another as a Shepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats setting the Sheep on his right Hand and the Goats on his left Hand and will say to the Sheep Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World With undaunted Courage therefore and with a Holy Boldness let us hold fast the Profession of our Faith looking unto Jesus who is the Author and the Finisher thereof He will be as we continue in his Word Heb. 12.2 Who for the Joy that was set before Him endured the Cross despising the Shame and is set down at the right Hand of the Throne of GOD Whom altho we have not seen with our bodily Eyes we love in whom tho now we see Him not yet believing we rejoice with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory 1 Pet. 1.8 Who is not entred into the Holy Places made with Hands which are the Figures of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the Presence of GOD for us Heb. 9.24 And He hath made the same Jesus whom the Jews crucified both Lord and Christ Acts 2.36 And as said the Apostle to the believing Corinthians unto whom he zealously preached Christ crucified and among whom he determined not to know any thing 1 Cor. 2.2 save Jesus Christ and Him crucified for says he in 2 Cor. 8.9 Ye know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that tho He was rich yet for your sake and ours too He became poor that ye through His Poverty might be rich And when He shall change our vile Bodies that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to Himself Phil. 2.21 Then shall we and all Saints be compleatly rich and everlastingly happy in all respects And this Riches which our Blessed Lord Jesus will give unto all his faithful Followers and true Believers in Him and which now in time doth give an Earnest of is truly worthy our diligent seeking after above all things visible it being a Portion that none can deprive us of and the real Enjoyment of it in any measure is very comfortable and supporting in the time of great need when we shall leave this World and launch into the boundless Ocean of Eternity O then no bare Profession of Religion tho never so resined will stand us in any stead but only the real Possession of the Life thereof as blessed be the LORD I can speak something by Experience having been often much visited with bodily Weakness which through Mercy I have been helped to bear and esteem it as that which my heavenly Father saw best for me And when I have been weak and low not knowing whether the Lord would be pleased to restore me to bodily Health again which blessed be His Holy Name I now enjoy far beyond what I have often expected I can truly say that the inward Meditation of the unspeakable Love of GOD to the Children of Men through His dear SON hath very deeply affected my Soul And I hope without any Self-boasting at all but to the Praise only of the most worthy Name of my dear LORD be it spoken He hath been pleased of late time to reveal and demonstrate to my Understanding both immediately and instrumentally divers weighty precious Gospel-Truths necessary to Salvation and they are more clearly opened to me than formerly tho the LORD knows I have in the Sincerity of my Heart desired and that in the deep Humility of my Soul the true and living Knowledg of those things which appertain to our eternal Peace and everlasting Well-being with him for ever Now Friends being right sensible that the time hastens on apace upon us all that nothing can stand in any stead but a true Interest in Christ and a full Assurance through His Spirit in our Hearts that we have a Right to that incorruptible Inheritance which is received through Faith in Him And now through his great Love and Mercy He hath brought me truly to esteem HIM His Doctrine and Truth more than ever I trust it shall be my greatest Concern while I have a Being through his divine Aid and Assistance to exalt Him over all and to confess Him and to follow Him whithersoever he leads whatsoever Oppositions or Discouragements I may meet with in the way So being through the great Goodness of GOD in a true Sense of these things my Heart is opened in tender Love to the whole Flock and Family of Christ where-ever dispersed and under what Denomination or by what Profession soever distinguished even all who sincerely love our blessed Lord Jesus and truly believe in Him and depend only upon Him for Life and Salvation who are given up to honour Him in their Day by a sober and Christian Life in Faithfulness and Obedience to the Measure of Light and Dispensation of Grace and Knowledg they have received desiring to advance further and come nearer to the LORD Unto all such without respect to Persons is the Salutation of unfeigned Love universally extended in that never-dying Life of our blessed and only supreme Head and glorious Captain of our Salvation the Lord Jesus Christ in some measure of whose pure Life and heavenly Presence I have felt a Concern upon me for some time to write these things for the stirring up the pure Mind in all by way of Remembrance of the many Obligations we are under that so we all together may persevere to the end and join together as one Man in contending 〈◊〉 for the Faith that was once delivered to the Saints with holy Zeal but truly qualified by the Spirit of LOVE and MEEKNESS and so fight the good Fight of Faith and finish our Course with Joy and in the End receive the everlasting Crown of Life and Glory which GOD hath laid up in store for all who truly believe in and sincerely love the blessed Appearance of our dear LORD and Saviour JESUS CHRIST to whom be Glory both now and for ever Amen Reading the Month called July 1696. M. S. London Printed in the Year 1696. and are to be sold with the other Impression at George Keith's at the Golden Ball in White-chappel
it is plain as by many Scripture-Testimonies so also the true Believers in Christ Jesus have Experience that all Evangelical Fruits of Righteousness and Holiness are brought forth by the Virtue and Power of Christ and that whatever Obedience any may bring forth by the Light within or be found in from a bare Conviction of Sin which is from GOD's Love and first Dispensation to all Mankind and is a Preparative for the second and more glorious Ministration yet it is all but legal and as from the Servant's State and it 's said The Servant abideth not in the House for ever but the Son Wherefore said the Apostle Gal. 3.24 25. the Law was our School-master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by Faith But after that Faith is come we are no longer under a School-master And the Law of old altho it was truly observed and strictly kept yet we know that made not the Comers thereunto perfect as pertaining to the Conscience but the bringing in of a better Hope did which Hope is Christ which was to the Antients as an Anchor Heb. 6.19 most sure and stedfast and was the Ground and Foundation of the Faith of all the Generations of the Just from rightcous Abel unto this very Day and it was in this Faith Abel offered to GOD a more excellent Sacrifice than Cain And when the Author to the Hebrews had mentioned many of the Worthies of old which Time would fail to mention but says he They all died in the Faith not having received the Promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and embraced them with Joy Heb. 11.13 as faithful Abraham did who by the Eye of Faith saw the Day of the fulfilling of them for it is said that he rejoiced to see Christ's Day and he saw it and was glad And says he ver 39 40 All these having obtained a good Report through Faith received not the Promise GOD having observe provided or foreseen some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect Which is to be witnessed in and by our blessed Redeemer Christ Jesus and through the powerful Operations or his Divine Spirit in the Hearts of all sincere Believers And as it was of absolute Necessity and of great Benefit and Comfort to all GOD's People that were before our Blessed Lord Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary to look forward to his outward Coming Death and Sufferings for the Remission of Sins Peace and Reconciliation c. So is it likewise now no less necessary for all true Believers to look back with the Eye of Faith unto the blessed Day that the Lord Jesus Christ offered up himself freely once for all as a most acceptable and all-sufficient Sacrifice of Atonement unto GOD for our Sins and Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World by which his Wrath was appeased and divine Justice satissied For it was by his own Blood He obtained eternal Redemption and having made Peace through the Blood of his Cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself whether they be things in Heaven or things in Earth by which Blood He hath made us night to GOD who sometimes were afar off and by the Merit and Virtue of which precious Blood of the immaculate Lamb even that which was shed without the Gates of Jerusalem are we both justified and sanctified as we come to have a living Faith therein and as the divine Virtue and Efficacy thereof is opened and applied to us by the Holy Spirit For GOD commended his Love towards us in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us Much more then being now justified by his Blood we shall be saved from Wrath by HIM Rom. 5.8 9. Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the People with his own Blood suffered without the Gate c. Heb. 13.12 It is indeed a Mercy greatly to be prized that we have the Knowledg of these things as they are left upon Record in the Holy Scriptures which were written for our Instruction and Learning the Spirit of the LORD also in our Hearts evidencing to the Verity thereof by which they are made very useful and comfortable to us in our serious diligent reading of them which ought to be preferr'd before all other Books whatsoever Let us therefore as with one Mouth bless the LORD and say with holy David Psal 103.1 2 3. O my Soul bless the LORD and all that is within me bless His Holy Name Bless the LORD O my Soul and forget not all His Benefits who forgiveth all thine Iniquities who healeth all thy Diseases c. Let us remember all His Mercies and tender Dealings and His manifold renewed Tokens of His Love and fresh Visitations by which we have been encouraged to travel on towards that everlasting City of eternal Repose where all Tears shall be wiped away and all Sighing shall come to an end there the Wicked cease from troubling and there the Weary be at Rest Job 3.17 We have cause to say with his Servant of old THOV hast granted me Life and Favour and thy Visitation hath preserved my Spirit Job 10.12 We are under great Obligations to walk with all Circumspection before Him adorning the glorious Gospel of our Blessed LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ in Holiness of Life and Conversation that so none may have any just Occasion to speak evilly of us but if they will through Prejudice or Malice let it be for JESUS sake who said Blessed are ye when Men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of Evil of you falsly for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your Reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you And as He hath graciously promised He will also faithfully perform it to all His true Followers who have no sinister or by-end in professing Him but sincerely love Him and have Him in their Hearts and that in all Respects in all his Offices as He is King Priest and Prophet in Heaven without us as well as he is within us owns both his outward and inward Appearance they dare not divide the one from the other nor set the one in opposition to the other which GOD in His insinite Wisdom hath so necessarily joined together as the great Means of the Salvation of Mankind And upon Christ thus undivided even upon the same Jesus of Nazareth whom the Jews slew and hanged on a Tree and whom GOD by His mighty Power raised up again the third Day even Him whom GOD hath exalted with His right Hand to be a Prince and Saviour for to give Repentance unto Israel and Forgiveness of Sins I say on this Jesus who was crucisied for us and is now sat on the right Hand of the Majesty on high in the Heavens do they depend as all sincere-hearted Christians do for Life and Salvation and not upon any Works of Righteousness or even any Obedience or the