Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A57302
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A general epistle to the people of God, in scorn called Quakres, in England, and elsewhere
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Rigge, Ambrose, 1635?-1705.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing R1482; ESTC R219043
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7,120
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8
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A General Epistle to the People of God in scorn called QVAKRES in England and elsewhere Dear Friends Brethren and Sisters UNto whom the visitation of Life in the Son of the Father's Love hath reached when you were as dry bones scatterred upon the Earth here and there the Compassionate Eye of a tender Father was towards you and his Word breathed Life unto you giving you Knowledge and Understanding And gathered you together to be his Household of Faith in this latter Age of the world The Salutation of my dear and unfeigned fatherly and brotherly Love at this time extendeth it self freely unto you all in the heavenly unity of that one Spirit of Life by which we were first quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins as well as others Oh that Grace Mercy Love and Truth with all the Fruits of Righteousness may grow increase and be abundantly multiplied in and amongst you all this my Soul daily breaths to the Lord on your behalf who are heirs together of the Grace of God being planted into the likeness of his Son to bear his heavenly Image and as Living Members fitly joynted and framed together under one Head to be a compleat Body in him you are as Living Epistles written with the Spirit of the Living God in one anothers Hearts who lives and moves in your Integrity and continues in your first Love without wavering here you daily have and receive Mercies and Blessings from above with a daily increase of Life and Vertue in your Bosoms whereby your strength is renewed as the Morning and you need go no more forth for your Bread is sure in your own Houses and Springs of Water in your own Wells My Soul blesseth God in the Remembrance of you who are made Living Monuments of his Mercy and are daily waiting for the Consolation of Israels God who in this his glorious Day is fulfilling his antient Promise in manifesting him whose Voice is not heard in the Streets yet ordained of God to bring forth Judgment to the Gentiles and to be their Light and Glory and this we are Witnesses of in our day through the tender mercy of our God in visiting us with his antient Gospel day springing from on high who sate in darkness as well as others and were by nature the Children of Wrath When we thus laid poluted in our Blood he said unto us Live and his Word was an everlasting Covenant Oh! let all who are made pertakers of so great Love and Mercy live in the daily Remembrance thereof and walk worthy of so great Salvation in all Humility and Godly Sincerity as Lights in the world that your good Works to them may appear daily which are the proper effects of that living Faith you have from God received by this alone your Faith will be seen to live and you in it for all the Body without the Spirit is dead so Faith without Works is dead also And being planted into the likeness of him who is from above you may bear his Image and be cloathed with his Righteousness for no other Covering will hide your nakedness from the World nor keep your Beauty and Comliness in the sight of God And now my beloved Friends Brethren and Sisters who are of the Household of Faith seeing the Lord hath chosen you to place his great Name in by the Revelation of his Son which Ages and Generations before you knew not as sound and honourable Vessels in the House of the Lord keep your places and station and let your Chaste Conversation coupled with fear and gravity in every place where you dwell be seen and known unto all men for to this purpose were you called and separated from the Ways Worships and evil Customs of this present world to be the first Fruits in the Lord's Vineyard which he hath planted with his right hand in a very fruitful Hill Oh wait for his watering from on high which will be known and witnessed as your own Hearts are kept empty and open unto him for he is waiting to be gratious and bountâ—ful to his chosen Seed Flock and Family every where who keep his Word and Covenant to them he is and will be as the shadow of a mighty Rock though in a weary and desolate Land But he will sift the Nations in the Sieve of his Wrath who have dispised his Word Grace Life and Consolation which is the Root and moving cause of all true Worship and Service to him This the Corner-stone which Babel's Builders have rejected as useless to them and thinks to reach Heaven without it this will bring Confusion upon all Religions on Earth if they continue rejecting this Stone their buildings though never so high will fall for the Judgment of the great Whore is come who hath made Nations drunk with her glittering Cup and the fall of Babylon as a Mill-stone into the Sea is at hand and all her Lovers who have made Merchandize of the Souls of men shall mourn and be astonished at her destruction And now my beloved Friends and Brethren as the Lord hath called us out of her and hath opened our Eyes to see her Whoredoms and Abominations among all sorts of Professions whose Hearts and Minds are adulterated from God though in words they make a large profession of him yet in Works deny him This is Atheism in nature look not back at her again nor stay with her in her Suburbs neither let any thing of her Language Customs or Nature remain for that will lead to depart from the living God and his heavenly Jerusalem to the love of her again who is the Mother of Harlots and Abomination of the Earth Oh! the exceeding Riches of the Father's Love who hath not called us unto Wrath but to obtain Mercy in turning every one of us from our Iniquities who have loved and obeyed his Truth Therefore as dear Children of one Father let us live in all humble subjection unto him who hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the Word of his Power to be the first Fruits unto his Glory in these latter Ages of the World in which he will be glorified in by and thorow us or without us For of Stones he can raise up Children unto Abraham who shall glorifie his Name in the day of their Visitation by walking in his Light and Covenant But if we walk in the Light as Children of the day in watchfulness sobriety and honesty we shall keep our holy Vnion and Fellowship one with another without Jar or Strife Debate or Contention and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son we shall daily witness to cleanse us from our Sin and then the good purpose of the Lord will be answered in visiting us with his heavenly Gospel day which dawned and sprung in our hearts by which the Seat of Antichrist hath been discovered and the hidden things of Esau brought to light which nothing could manifest but the arising and appearance of the Son of Righteousness in the
and dark night which hath continued for Ages and Generations before us Therefore dear Friends lift up your Heads in the dominion of Gods power of which you are made partakers for your deliverance by it if you continue in it to the end is determined of God let none expect deliverance by outward might nor power that is by the Arm of flesh for that will fail and wither as the Grasâ— But in Mount Zion is deliverance according to the Word of the Lord and in the Remnant whom he hath chosen So mind not the Busles and Hurryings in the world nor the Overturnings among men for through all these things will the Lord set up the Kingdom of his beloved Son which is a Spiritual Kingdom of Peace and Righteousness The Earth was filled with Violence before the Flood and as it was in the days of Noah so it is at the coming of the Son of man and had Noah joyned with the violence of the Old World he had been drowned with them but he loved Righteousness and walked in it before the Lord in that Generation and therefore the Lord â—ad mercy upon him and delivered him from that general destruction which drowned the World of ungodly men The Earth is now filled with Violence and corrupted through Iniquity and the Lord hath begun to visit the Nation with his sore displeasure therefore to your Habitation in the Lord Oh! ye his Israel And power is given to the Devourer who is without to destroy much flesh The unbaptized in heart shall fall by the Sword of the Lord who hath resisted his holy Spirit as did the uncircumcised in the days of Old this was is and will be the Ruin of all empty Professions upon the Earth for he is not a Christian that is one outward neither is that Baptism that is outward in the Flesh but he is a Christian who is one inward and Baptism is that of the Heart in the Spirit whose praise is not of men but of God And the saving knowledge of Christ is not after the flesh 2 Cor. 5 16. For henceforth know wâ— him so no more that is after the flesh and nâ— man knows the things of God but the Spirit of God it must be received and knowledge waiâ—ed fâ—r by and through it which â—lone is ordained of God to give to all mankind knowledge and understanding in things relating to his Kingdom it is the Root and Foundation of all true Religion and without it there is none true in the Earth the true Worship stands in it now as in times past which shall end the Temple worship that stands in bodily exercise it will be left to be trodden down of the Gentiles for it is the outward Court where the glory of God shines not but the inward Court are the Spiritual Worshippers before the Alâ—ar where the presence of God opens Life and the treasury of it to the Soul which they pertake of who wait to be renewed in Spirit before the Lord. And now my beloved Friends and Brethren as we are made a compleat Body in him our heavenly Head let an holy and heavenly Harmony he continued amongst us for Unity is our strength therefore labour to retain and keep it every where that every Member of the Body may be nouriâ—hed and kept alive by vertue of the Life within and have a tender care of disjoynting any living Member but let all be edified together in Love and every Member act in its place to the honour of the Head and above all keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace for so is the Will of God concerning us that our Sons may be as Plants growing up in their Youth walking the Steps of their Fathers and our Daughters as Virgins with their Lamps trimed and burning waiting for the Bridegroom and be stedfast in him and in the Word of his Grace and keep the holy order of the Gospel without wavering and let every wholsom Order that is established among you which is Comly and of good Report be kept up and practised keep the Reign of Truth and Power of God over every Evil-doer without partiality so will the Lord crown you with dominion over the power of darkness every where for the true Light of which we have born testimony is the Seed of the Kingdom of God which must increase till by it the knowledge of the glory of God again cover the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea therefore cherish this Seed every where in whomsoever it is arising for it is the Life and Power of Godliness not the form that must in rich the World with Righteousness and fill the Earth with Blessings And if we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel or proclaim any other Name then that which you have received and in which you have believed and found Salvation and deliverance receive us not into your Houses for God is one and his Name one and there is not another by which any man can be saved this name is Jesus the Anointed of God the Father who is now come to save his People from not in there Sin mark that for so he was Gods Salvation in the true Gospel Day and so we have proclaimed him in our day and many have so received him to whm he hath given Power to become his Sons and Daughters Servants and Handmaids in his House who are his Flock and Family and hath Bread enough and living Water in their own Vessels and none need go no more forth all holy Praises be given to the Lord and to the Lamb forever and ever Finally dear Friends and Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and the God of Peace be with you all strengthen stablish settle you upon the Rock of Ages in full and perfect unity with God and one with another in which I bid you all Farewell and remain Reigate in Surrey the 2d of 9th Month 1693. Your true Friend and Brother in the Bond of Love and Peace AMBROSE RIGGE