Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A92701
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A covenant to walk with God in an holy stedfastness to maintain the peace of our spirits with God in Christ. Solemnly entred into by certain persons resolving to live according to, and in the power of the life of Christ in them.
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W. S.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing S190; Thomason E1200_2; ESTC R2148
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5,208
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57
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A COVENANT To walk with GOD IN An holy stedfastness to maintain the peace of our Spirits with God in CHRIST Solemnly entred into By certain Persons resolving to live according to and in the power of the life of Christ in them 8 ber 9th LONDON Printed by John Field for Philemon Stephens 1646. To my worthy FRIEND Mrs A.D. THe occasion of this solemn engaging our selvs in Covenant with our God you well remember the framing of this Model as you know was at first for your stay in an holy stedfastnes in the way and life of Christ to which you had in some measure already attained and for my own recovery after a long and bitter declining God in mercy gave an answerable success Those expressions of the way of life I have oft received from you as the fruits of your own blessed Experience gave me the more confidence often to powr out my soul to you a singular mercy to be interested in a faithful friend in this I gained both ease and refeshing to a troubled spirit and some consolation in so sad a condition I am cast into in sympathizing with me in these saving experimental passages which I once enjoyed though now in bitternesse have nothing to stay my Spirit but it was once otherwise I have now only one suit to beseech you to accept this your own as it was first composed for our particulars and to improve these sweet and spiritual experiences of the love of Christ shed into your heart God shall communicate unto you by his spirit daily in your close walking with him to establish your spirit in assurance and immutable cleaving to him in all faithful stedfastnesse according to this our Covenant This is the daily prayers of him who will be ever found Your faithful Friend And Servant W. S. A COVENANT made with GOD and our own Souls and to be renewed daily to maintain a constant peace in a Spiritual walking with our God SECT 1. The occasion ground of this Covenant VVEe seriously and in the sight of God observing that glorious and blessed condition we have been called into 1 Thess 1.5 in the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ upon our Spirits in the power of the Gospel and therein seeing 1. Rom. 5.1 2. The singular and infinite love of God in revealing to us effectually the great mysteries of Christ through the Spirit and thereby speaking peace to our Spirits through the promise in his Son 2. Rom. 8.6 And thence evidential union communion with Christ resulting We have truly found bestowed upon us A Spirit of life Gal. 5.25 to live the life of Christ A mysterious mercy we must needs acknowledge Eph. 3.17 18. and beyond imagination much more possibility of requital especially in as much as we have found from thence by blessed happy experience communicated freely unto us that which may fit us in some proportion and comfortable measure to enjoy communion with our God as 1. 2 Pet. 1.4 An holy frame of Spirit answering to the holy nature of God in Christ in some happy measure 2. Rom. 5.5 Sensiblenesse of infinite love in God to us through Christ in that respect And from these two principles have had experience in our hearts of 1. 2 Cor. 5.14 An holy tendernes towards God in the Lord Jesus Christ Spiritual joy in God 1 Pet. 1.8 as our portion now in Christ reconciled to us 3. 1 Ioh. 4.8 Love to and sincere delight in him All which wee have found have been accompanyed with three special prevailing fruits 1. Col. 3.1 The alienating of our Spirits from things here below to favour minde and taste spirituals 2. Rom. 7.15 The disapprobation disalowance of lust and sin dwelling in us 3. Rom. 8.10 The subjugating of the power and strength of corruption that it raigned not nor prevailed in our spirits nor wayes From all which blessed works of Christ in us through the strength of this Spirit of life cast into us by his inhabitation in us followed Power in some measure to walk acceptably to God in peace Acts 9.31 Frō these grounds and principles besides the internal light of Faith and the witness and seal of the Spirit warranted by Scripture to be the lot and only portion of the Elect of God called to be Saints We have concluded We are now actually in the state of grace and partakers of the new Covenant in the Lord Jesus Therefore having these evidential grounds that this is the true grace of Christ wherein we now stand we cannot but finde our Spirits 1. Psal 63.5 Very sensible of singular love in God towards us in Christ 2. Psa 116.12 13. Widely enlarged answerably in love and thankfulnesse to God again for so much goodnesse Eph. 1.13 Therefore knowing our selves hereby sealed up unto our full Redemption in the great day of Christ and that the time of our abiding here is but short Conclude it our duty That we live the rest of our pilgrimage wholly unto God Rom. 6.4 in the power of that grace and spiritual life thus communicated to us from GOD in Christ Eph. 4.17 And forasmuch as we carry still about with us a body of Death and live in the world although we are not of the world that hauls back unto deadnesse and dulnesse in the way of Christ to the corruptions of our own natures causing in us by woful experience to finde the bitternesse of our own folly in neglects coolings carelesnesse and unsteddiness of Spirit often procuring irregularities and unevennesse in our wayes sad events upon our Spirits We finde our selves therefore bounden in all Spiritual wisdom to tye our selves up To keep a strict and close watch over our hearts and wayes 1 Cor. 1◠14 SECT 2. The COVENANT in general VVHereupon knowing the fickle and inconstant temper of our own variable Spirits which through our corrupt nature are very false to us and unlesse by strong hand kept under and with a steddy eye watched and observed grow perfidious and basely treacherous leading us to Apostacy to our own unrest and great dishonor to our God We conceive it our duty to make a COVENANT with God and our Souls in this respect and therefore do hereby in the sight of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ and in the sincerity of our own thoughts Enter into a Solemn Neh. 9.38 Peremptory and faithful Covenant with our God in Christ Iob 31.1 Psa 11◠106 through his strength promised in the Covenant to live to God for ever hereafter and to walk with him in all things And because all our strength herein to walk in communion with him is derived from our Union and Fellowship with Christ our head we therefore resolve as our duty To maintain the strength and sence of our union and communion with Christ and the increase daily of it upon us And therefore our