Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	call_v	lord_n	soul_n	5,461	5	4.7324	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46850	A visitation of love to the tender plants of Gods vineyard given forth by Henry Jackson ; also two generall epistles, given forth by William Caton.	Jackson, Henry, fl. 1662-1700.; Caton, William, 1636-1665.; Scostrop, Richard.	1664 (1664)	Wing J71; ESTC R11245	15,342	21

his end in redeeming of you which may be answered by your faithfulnesse unto the Lord and in so doing every one will have his reward with him for every one that answers the Lords end for which the Lord called him comes to enjoy his presence comes to be filled with love life joy and peace and such do really shew forth his praise and declare his wonderous works to the bringing of honour and renown unto him and not unto themselves but they that are unfaithfull and disobedient though called they do not answer the end for which they were called and therefore doth not the Lord so reward them through his dwelling with them through filling them with love life joy and peace as he rewards the other that are faithfull but on the contrary they who are called and are not faithful as to answer the end for which they are called they I say are filled with sorrow and unbelief with trouble and anguish and condemnation pursues them from that which called them which they being unfaithful unto it ministers not consolation but condemnation it speaks not peace but warre c. And this being alwaies present with them to put them in mind of their neglect of their unfaithfulnesse of their disobedience and of their unworthinesse they are alwayes disquieted and tosticated in themselves and in such the murmurer and unbeliever hath place and such are very unfitting to bear crosses tryals and sufferings for all these will adde to the trouble which they were before possessed withall so that very many inconveniences do ensue where the end for which God called a people is not answered by them that are called therefore my dearly beloved friends be mindeful not onely of the end for which you are called but of answering the same that the Lords delight may be to do good unto you who are his peculiar treasure and live all in his eternall power and spirit that you may know the Lord and his eternall truth to be on your sides when furious men rise up against you then need you not be afraid of what they can do unto you for hath not the Lord oftentimes already suffered many of you to be tried through the fury of the wicked which at sundry times hath been high against you but how hath the Lord turned it backward and how hath he restrained the wickednesse of the wicked by his mighty power from being executed upon you even to your own admiration and hath not the Lords end in this been to engage you through his infinite mercy so much the more unto him who oftentimes suffered the fury of the ungodly to break forth a little yet not for the destroying but for the trying his people and how near have we found him unto us even as a rock of defence to fly unto in our greatest straites difficulties and temptations and what free accesse have we had unto him through his eternal spirit in our selves when by Jayles houses of correction force of Armes and the like we have been hindred from having accesse one unto another or for meeting together in the outward yet by those things before mentioned we could not be hindred from meeting together in the Lord I mean in the eternal spirit when the fury of the wicked hath been as the rageing of the Sea and having then the testimony of the Lords eternal Spirit in our selves that we had answered the Lords end in his calling of us in that we had faithfully shewn forth his praise and brought honour and renown unto his Name upon earth Oh! what joy and peace that did bring unto our soules and how did we rejoyce in the Lord when he covevered our heads as in the day of battell even untill that the fury of the wicked came to be abated so oftentimes you know have we seen the eminent hand of our God stretched out for our deliverance which hath hitherto preserved us to our great admiration therefore let us who have had such experience of the faithfulnesse of our God endeavour to be like unto him even faithfull as he is faithfull And now forasmuch as that in these perillous times we cannot well serve our God in that way in which he required us to walk without being in jeopardy of bonds and imprisonments or to have other sufferings imposed upon us by reason of our meeting together to wait upon the Lord and it doth therefore so much the more concern us to feel the drawings of our God by his eternal Spirit to our meetings that when we are met we may so much the more enjoy his presence in our meetings to the refreshment of our soules and then if we suffer for waiting upon him he will not leave us comfortlesse in that suffering which for that cause comes upon us and this is the word of trueth unto you neither will it be grievous to us while we keep in that through which we enjoyed him in our meeting for in that may we enjoy him in our sufferings and then it will be better to be one day in a prison with the Lord then a thousand else where without the enjoyment of his presence in which we have found as you know much joy and peace much comsort and consolation and therefore have we cause to hazard our liberty through our keeping of our meeting though we be accounted by men offenders for so doing rather then through the neglecting of them we should become offenders in the light of the Lord through whose mercy we are come to know the benefit of them to the end we might prise and frequent them and not slight nor neglect them for it is certain if we neglect them we shall not reap any benefit by them but if we frequent them according to the manner of the faithfull then will the Lord be with us at them and amongst us in them and then his end in bringing of us into the practise of such meetings will be answered to his glory and our comforts Again as concerning swearing what was the Lords end in giving us to see the evil of this was it not that we should keep clear of it and bear our faithful testimony against it as against a hurtful evil which is direct contrary to the doctrine of Christ and seeing we have known the terrours of the Lord God against this evil and have therefore perswaded others from it how can we therefore in any wise consent unto it as to do it though we should therefore lose both our liberties and estates for surely the Lord hath an end in convincing us of it in shewing us the evil of it and if we keep clear of it and bear a faithful testimony against it unto the end then the Lords end in convincing us of the evil of it will be Answered who knew before what would come upon us by reason of our testimony against it And if God had not suffered this as a snare in the hand of our enemies there would have been something else

as there are besides things many which they take up as occasions ag●inst us as covers for their wickednesse and these things are not without the Lords permission who will try his Jewells as Gold that is seven times purified and the more that we keep our Consciences void of off●nce towards him and man the more precious we shall be in his sight but if we should love our Liberties our Estates or Lives more then him who hath said Swear not at all and for the saving of these should swear conttary to his command we should not onely neglect answering his end in forbidding of it but incurre his displeasure against us and while through doing that which he forbids we may think to save our Liberties estates and lives we might even in a moment loose them all for we know they are uncertain therefore let us answer the Lords end in shewing us the evil of this also and in being faithful in this and in all other things we shall find life riches and liberties which the world can neither give us nor take from us Moreover Friends as concerning your Return again to the Steeple-houses and unto which some would force you at this day but alas shall not he that sitteth in the Heavens laugh at their folly for doth not the least amongst you know that was not the Lords end in bringing you out of them I mean that you should return to them again neither needed you have suffered upon this account by that generation that continues in them if God had not determined to have tryed you out of them and that by the suffering which comes and will come upon you for not repairing to them yet neverthelesse if you would rather answer the Adversaries will by your returning to them again then the Lords end in calling you out of them then you might suddenly free your selves from suffering upon this account but I doubt not out you are otherwise minded yea resolved to answer the Lords end in his calling you out of them notwithstanding your Adversa●●●s present threatnings forcing and compellings which is not of from by nor through the Spirit of the Lord God therefore in the Spirit with patienec must you bear what the Lord suffers to come upon you upon this count for I testifie unto you it is not for the destroying of any though it may tend to the proving of many Wherefore my dear friends let none be discouraged nor terrified at what the Lord suffers to come upon you by reason of your meetings by reason of your not swearing by reason of your not going to their publick worship or by reason of any other particular thing as in relation to the truth of our God for while suffering comes upon you onely by reason of the truth you need not be ashamed of it neither will the Lord leave you comfortlesse in it for he is ready to succour such as for conscience sake suffer by reason of these things even as thousands who have found it by experience can testifie In the mean time comfort ye one another in the bowels of love and be ye tender affectionated one to another and regard not the present threatnings of men nor look not at the present tribulations but regard the truth in your selves and look unto the Lord and hear what he saith and if he speak peace be not ye troubled though men speak and prepare war against you but hold ye alwaies fast the word of Gods power and patience which is able to preserve and keep you in all your sufferings and tribulations even unto the day of salvation and unto this do I commit you all my dearly beloved friends as unto that which is able to save you all to the utmost so the peace and blessing of the Almighty be with upon and among you all for evermore I suppose many of you have heard of my bonds how that after God of his mercy had delivered me out of a mighty violent storm at Sea I was cast in here where they in Authority have shewed themselves to be worse to me and the friends with me then the Barbarious people of Melita was to Paul and them that were with him who shewed them no small kindnesse for they received and lodged them courteously but these that are called Christians shewed themselves to be barbarous rather then courteous in that they broke up our Meeting with many Souldiers and afterwards committed us to prison and in stead of shewing us much kindnesse they have been so cruell to us as that sometime it was difficult for us to get water and bread and so were farre from courteously entertaining of us or with honouring of us with many honours as the Barbarians did them before mentioned howbeit the Lord is with us and their cruelty hath been little to us for we know that our God will in his own due time deliver us out of their hands when our testimony is sufficiently born amongst them but of this I am very sensible that with the baptisme of suffering under this spirit of persecution in the Nation many are to be baptized into the fellowship of the Gospell with the Saints in light and blessed and thrice happy are they and will they be that continue faithfull unto the end for they shall be saved Farewell in the Lord in whom I remain Your dear friend and Brother WILLIAM CATON My fellow Prisoners salutes you all This for Friends to be read in their Meetings Yarmouth the 14. of the 11. Moneth 1663. DEar Friends Brethren and Sisters who are called to follow the Lamb wh●thersoever he goeth my very soul greeteth you all with the salutation of my unfeigned and entire love in and through the eternal spirit which the God of our strength and comfort hath sent into our hearts through which I am made to share with you not only of your sufferings which you meet withall through your following of the Lamb but also of your consolation which you find in the midst of your suffering and truly my heart rejoyceth in this fellowship with you and my soul claims a part with you of all your sufferings and consolations which you meet withall in this your return to Zion and my heart is affected with the dealings of the Lord with you and with his infinite love and mercy unto you and often doth my spirit intercede unto him with strong sighes and groans which cannot easily be uttered on your behalf whom he loveth though the world hate you whom he hath respect unto though the world despise you whom he careth for though the world trample upon you whom he hath brought into fellowship with himself and with his Saints in light though the world excommunicate you wherefore then should any of you be afraid of their threatnings or regard their excommunications which in my heart I have considered of and pondred upon And this I have seen in the light of the Lord that they that cannot bring people from under the power of