Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A60626
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An epistle to all the called and chosen of God by William Smith.
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Smith, William, d. 1673.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing S4297; ESTC R32688
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10,262
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20
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Light and keep your Possession and be not drawn out with any Whimsical Fancies and Conceits to lose your Possession it is the Word of the living God unto you all For the Lord hath shewed great Kindness unto you that ye might glorifie him in your Bodies Souls and Spirits as being his and so to Honour the Lord in all things for the exceeding Riches of his Kindness towards you for it is required of all unto whom the Lord hath shewed Kindness that they be found faithful and so to behold the Lord in his goings and go with him then all will know the things that concern their Peace and things by which they may edifie one another and so be a Help and Comfort one to another even as God is a Help and Comfort unto them For how wonderful is the Work which the Lord hath wrought for you in Egypt and bringing you out of Egypt and carrying you through many Tryals and delivering you from many Enemies for the Deliverer is come to open the Prison Door and set the Captive at Liberty yea he is come who hath all Power in Heaven and Earth Christ Jesus the great Deliverer the only Saviour Preserver Sanctifier and Justifier and ye that know his coming ye are Witnesses of the greatness of his Work and of his Power Might and Strength in working and so ye are sensible into what Root ye are planted by the Right hand of the Almighty and ye know that ye spring up in his Life as his Off-spring and that the Pluckers cannot pluck you out of his Hand for all have been plucking at you but cannot pluck you out of the Hand of your Planter and so he that hath planted you into his Life he keeps you from being pluck't out of it and it is his great Mercy unto you in that he hath planted you into such a blessed Root and raised you up into it and keeps you from being plucked out of it here he gives unto you eternal Life that ye should no perish but live forever and so he hath chosen you and ordained you to bring forth Fruit and that your Fruit should remain for Christ Jesus keeps you by his Power in your Plantation and none can pluck you out of your Plantation Therefore all abide in him who is not of the World but hath chosen you out of the World yea I say abide in him and your Fruit will remain and will not be shaken and spoiled with Storms and Tempests and so you will flourish like the Palm Tree and grow like the Cedars in Libanon for you that trust iu the Lord and whose Hope the Lord is you are as Trees planted by the Waters and that spread out their Roots by the Rivers and shall not see when heat cometh but their Leaf shall be green and shall not be careful in the Year of Drought or in the Year of Restraint neither shall cease from yielding Fruit And so the Almighty God hath chosen you in this day to bear the fruits of Righteousness in his Righteous Life and by that Fruit ye honour the God of your Salvation who keeps you in his Life from being plucked out And so all live in the Faith which in the Power of God ye have received keep in the Power that is able to keep you unto the End and so by Faith get Victory over the World and please God and add to your Faith Patience that ye may not think the time long in which your Faith is trying for the trying of your Faith worketh Patience to bring forth Fruit therefore let Patience have its perfect work that ye may be entire lacking nothing and as ye have purified your Souls in obeying the Truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned Love of the Brethren so let your Love be continued as in the beginning for Brethren that keep the Faith they labour in the Love which edifies the Body and as ye love the Brethren that keep the Faith there will be no entertainment for the Grudger and Evil Surmizer for where that spirit is entertained it corrupts the mind with Evil Thoughts and Self-Conceits and that runs into Self-Separation Division and Distraction but as ye walk in the Light you will feel the Love over all such things and so love the Brethren and one another unfeignedly and that is your Strength by which the Power of Darkness is to be overcome for Unity in the Unfeigned Love is the Strength of the Body and so it is a compleat Body under the Rule and Government of Christ Jesus the Head and he in all things hath the preheminence unto whom all belongs And all walk worthy of the tender Mercies which God hath largely manifested unto you and take heed of giving or taking any Occasion of Offence but all mind your own Conditions and Concernments and let none be Wise in their own Eyes but look upon themselves with that Eye which can prefer another for the lowly Mind that keeps in the Light is preserved in the Love that thinketh no ill and in Love is ready to serve and doth not seek to be a Master for if such a thing doth at any time arise Offences are at hand and that doth much hurt as it is put in practice therefore all avoid such things by living in the True Simplicity and Peaceable Wisdom that ye may all keep the Faith that works by Love and edifies the Body and so all will live as Brethren in a faithful Testimony to God's Glory and there his Presence will be with you and your Joy will be full And all keep down to the Power that keeps in the Life that all your words may savour of Life for the words of Life are Gracious words by which Grace is ministred to the Hearers but where words swell above the Life they only influence upon the Affections which draweth out of the Peaceable and Quiet Habitation and from feeling the weighty Life in its Resurrection and all such Motions run whirling about in the Air and that stirreth up Tempests where all are tossed about with Wind and Waves Therefore all wait to be stayed with the Power of God which is the Anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast For when the Life rises it rises with weight and all that rise in the Life they are sound and weighty for they stand in the center of Life and are moved by the motion of it and there all are preserved in Wisdom and Understanding and are alwayes nourished with the Nourishment that in the Life is present and so are alwayes living and fruitful in a certain state and here all come to be kept in the true Tenderness and Sweetness out of all Flattery and Feignedness for the Affections move uncertainly and never do establish any in their goings but sometimes will appear as living in the highest degree and then again will fall and dye and be as nothing and that is an uncertain State where none can stand sure therefore all mind the Life and
will feel what the Lord makes up to himself and what he casteth out that must not come within the Borders of his Land nor within the Gates of his City nor within the Doors of his Houshold and Family but is separated and cast out as an unclean thing which with his Jewels he will not make up For it is in the Seed that he planteth and buildeth and maketh up his Jewels and so he fitly frames his Building together and iâ— Him it grows unto an Holy Temple and there is the Habitation of God through his Spirit and so the House is built upon the Rock and not upon the Sand and the Houshold are fed with Bread of the finest Wheat and not with Husks and Chaff and he is Lord and King in his own House to Rule Order and Govern his Houshold and his Houshold live in Order and not in Confusion and here ye will all have Rest and fulness of Joy Therefore be Faithful to the End in all things that ye may Serve Worship and Honour the God of all Power and Greatness that by your Faithfulness his Power and Greatness over all the Earth may be exalted and his Name set above every Name in its own Excellency And so in every good Word and Work be ye all Fruitful and walk in a Holy and Blameless Conversation that he who is Life may be known to be the ROOT and TREE by the Fruit of Righteousness who is to Day as Yesterday and the same for ever And Friends Be Careful to Honour God in all things for he Honoureth those that Honoureth him And take heed that none Dishonour God by fond Affections one towards another for if any go fondly together upon the account of Marriage they Dishonour God and hurt themselves And none to be busie in making Motions between Party and Party or to perswade any to change their Conditions in which they themselves are satisfied to continue and abide but let every one feel the Truth in themselves and the Movings of it in their own Hearts to dispose them in such a Weighty Concernment and then the Ordinance of God will be known in the Covenant of Life and such a Marriage will Honour God as being Honourable in the Undefiled Seed And all keep your Judgment in the Power Life and Wisdom that judgeth Righteously that you may be able to discern and try spirits whether they are of God and let no fair Shew or Appearance out of the Life come over you to vail your Judgment and Discerning nor no feigned Love or Humility sway your Affections for if any let in such things by letting out themselves to comply or joyn with them they will let Darkness over their Judgment and lose their Judgement and then they cannot put a Difference between the Precious and the Vile in a sound Judgement and so may be taken and snared with a smooth formed spirit in Carriage or Words Therefore all be mindful and careful to keep Sound Judgment that not any thing contrary to the Spirit and Life of God may come over you but keep the Judgment of Truth upon all and set true Judgment over all and do not set a Byass upon your Judgment to turn or wrest you aside in Judgment but all Judge in Truth and Righteousness in which you will also feel the Mercy And all keep in the Stayed Sollid Life and let not your Minds run after New Things to draw you from the Sound and Weighty Truth which you have seen and heard and believed but what is manifested unto you either by Word or Writing let the Heavenly Truth be Received and Embraced and Lived in and none to run after new things to forget the old and so you will all keep in mind the Sound and Wholesome Doctrine which hath plentifully been delivered by Faithful Brethren both by Word and Epistle and the Doctrine will abide and remain in you and you will abide and remain in the Doctrine For the preaching of the Grace of God by Jesus Christ is the Sound and Wholesom Doctrine which all are to receive and believe and whether it be preached by Word or Epistle it settleth and establisheth the Heart and Mind of those that receive it and believe in it and they come to grow in Grace which is the Doctrine preached unto them and by them received and believed And so Sound Doctrine maketh a Sound People and you that have received it and believe in it you are made Sound by it and whatsoever is manifest of that Nature as a renewing of the Testimony it doth more confirm you in the Doctrine which ye have already received but never draweth you from it and so you keep the Doctrine from first to last and do not forget any part of it And you do well that keep in mind the Sound and Wholsom Doctrine of the Gospel and the Sound and Wholsom Exhortations with which ye have been exhorted into Obedience and Faithfulness in things pertaining to the Gospel-Doctrine and so keepeth in the Gospel-Fellowship and Order yea I say ye do well who are thus mindful of that Doctrine which in and by the Spirit of God hath been preached unto you ye keep in that which is Sound and Wholsom aud out of that which Putrifies and Corrupts and so come to live in the ingrafted Word that is able to save your Souls And all Friends Keep your Meetings in the Faith and hold fast the Profession of your Faith in all Meetings and keep in mind the great Refreshment with which ye have been refreshed in Meetings and which still remains with all the Faithful and watch against that spirit and nature which at any time bringeth Heaviness and Drousiness upon you in Meetings and when you feel such a thing coming upon you do not give way to it to be overcome by it but with the Power of God resist it in time and so you will feel the Power as a Spring of Living Water to refresh your Souls Oh! let your Dilligence be improved in Watchfulness and Perseverance that ye may all feel the Power and Life over that which would at any time vail you from beholding the excellent Glory and from pertaking of the Heavenly and Living Vertue that so you may all feel the Arm which preserveth and drink at the River which Refresheth and Nourisheth that ye may be Strong in the Lord and in the Power of his Might and so be able to resist and overcome the Enemy in all his Appearances And in all your Meetings be tender over the Good one in another that ye may be a Comfort one to another and so in the Peaceable Wisdom to live and Glorifie God And Friends Do not run into Superfluities in Meats Drinks or Apparrel to come under the Power of any but all wait to be preserved in Sobriety Temperance and Humility And do not fashion your selves like unto the World in their Novelties and new Fashions for they know not what to eat or drink or put on and so are from that which should lead them into Comliness and Modesty and follow that which leadeth them into Vanity and Folly but do you dwell in the Heavenly LIGHT by which you may Adorn the Blessed Gospel and Honour the Lord God of all your Mercies Finally Brethren Fare-ye-well Live in Peace and Truth and Holiness and Righteousness and Godliness and Love and the God of Love and Peace and of all Heavenly Vertues and Graces will be with you into whose Everlasting Arms I commit you and in the Love of his Life I am dearly with you all The 7th Moneth 1672. William Smith Let this EPISTLE be read among Friends in the Power and Wisdom of Truth THE END