Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A94748
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A short work, but of greatest concern. By William Tomlinson.
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Tomlinson, William.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing T1852; ESTC R185374
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15,317
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74
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the Testimony of the Spirit of God witnessing with their Spirits that they are his And here now is the Kingdom of God set up God ruling by his holy Spirit in our Hearts and Man obeying and walking humbly with him in Obedience and so enjoying his Comfortable Presence and Witness of his Holy Spirit as it was promised 2 Cor. 6.16 That he would dwellin his holy People and walk in them And thus the Kingdom of God is set up in his People For saith Christ Jesus The Kingdom of God is within you Luke 17.21 Now the way to this Kingdom is to be minded and entred into if Men would come into it For strait is the Gate and narrow is the Way that leads to it and so to Life and few find it saith Christ Jesus And on the other hand Broad is the Way and wide is the Gate that leadeth to Destruction and many there be which go in thereat And here many fall short of the Kingdom because they take the broad and easie way and forsake the strait and narrow way that leads to Life Mat. 7.13 14. But they that do humble themselves before the Lord and seek with their whole Heart to enter into the Kingdom of God to them God will open a way for them to find what their Souls long for For saith Christ Jesus Ask and ye shall receive seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you Mat. 7.7 There be many that mind not their future Condition what will become of them They mind not another World to come and therefore they run on as it were hoodwinkt and mind not the way that leads to Eternal Happiness and so remain Strangers to God in their Spirits not considering the true state of Christianity now under the Gospel which is this namely To know the Lord and to walk in Fellowship with him in Spirit Heb. 8.11 and 1 John 1.3 6. But they think if they keep on in their Form all shall be well with them not condering that a Form of Godliness without the Life and Power of Godliness which consists in Living in the Spirit and Fruits thereof will not be sufficient For some had a Form of Godliness in the Apostles Days but yet without the Spirit and Power of Godliness from such saith he turn away 2 Tim. 3.5 Now lest any tender Spirits should be discouraged and think with themselves that they are far from this happy state of being the Children of God because they find themselves loaden and burthened with Corruption and with many Frailties and Infirmities which they are often overtaken with let them consider how low the Lord hath condescended to Mankind in order to bring us to Happiness He hath not spared his Beloved Son but hath freely given him up to become a Sacrifice for us that we might have boldness through him to draw near unto God And so far doth the Lord condescend to Mankind that he despises not the least faithful Drawings of Man's Heart towards him He will not quench the smoaking Flax nor break the bruised Reed The least true motions that are in the Heart of Man towards him he doth not despise but nourishes them and cherishes them that Men may grow up in his Holy Spirit which begets those holy Motions and Inclinations in them and Breathings after the Lord. Therefore let none think the Lord a hard Master to serve For he hath said and affirmed that he delights not in the Death of a Sinner but that he should turn from his Iniquities and live But the great difficulty lies here Men are so glewed to their sinful Courses that they will not be separated from them and so put the Lord from them afar off For he will have no Fellowship with Iniquity For what Communion can Light have with Darkness Or Righteousness with Vnrighteousness But he will draw near to them that draw near to him Jam. 4.8 And he will acquaint them with the true Paths and Teachings and Leadings of his Holy Spirit and will give them a Discerning to see a difference between the true Spirit and false Spirits And without all doubt this was one reason of giving forth the several parts of the New Testament that false and Erroneous Doctrines and Spirits might thereby with the Spirit of Christ opening them be detected and made known And therefore they that judge aright of Doctrines and Practices they judge according to the Holy Scriptures and not by Tradition or common Practice as too many do I may safely say That the Holy Spirit is the Standard of the Gospel and new Covenant and to that we must repair if we would come under the protection of the New Covenant For therein namely in the Spirit of Christ is the Sonship or Adoption established as is manifest from Rom. 8.9 14 15. For further Confirmation of this that our Happiness lyes in having Fellowship with God in our Spirits and in being led by his Spirit let these Scriptures following be well minded Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit This Chapter ought carefully to be minded especially the former part of it which speaks of being led by the Spirit of God unto Ver. 18. to which you may add Ver. 26 27. whereby you may see that the truly happy state of a Christian lies in being led by the Spirit of God and in having Fellowship with God therein Another Scripture to this purpose is this 1 Cor. 3.16 17. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God And that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you If any Man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy for the Temple of God is holy which Temple ye are Add to this the 19th and 20th Verses of the sixth Chapter where the words are these What know ye not that your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit which is in you which ye have of God And ye are not your own For ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are God's Again 2 Cor. 1.22 and Chap. 5. Ver. 5. It 's there expressed that the Spirit is the Seal and the Earnest of our Inheritance that is of our Heavenly Inheritance Now an Earnest is the ensuring of a thing to one and so is a Seal And Men are very careful to keep their Seal entire and safe tho' it be but for an Earthly Inheritance how much more ought we to be very careful to keep abiding in the Spirit which is our Seal and Earnest for an Eternal Inheritance Again let these words be well minded Gal. 4.6 And because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your Hearts crying Abba Father And again Gal. 6.8 it 's there said He that soweth to the Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap