Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A25351
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One blow at Babel in those of the people called Behmenites whose foundation is not upon that of the prophets ... but upon their own carnal conceptions begotten in their imaginations upon Jacob Behmen's writings &c. ... / by John Anderdon.
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Anderdon, John, 1624?-1685.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing A3082; ESTC R28293
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8,016
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9
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which seemed most suitable to your judgments and understandings which were darkned and by how much the more zealous and real ye were in your intentions by so much the more firmlie ye stand united and joined to that waie which in your ignorance ye have chosen and it may be somewhat the more fastened to it because it may challenge a prioritie of images set up in these latter days wherein the Mysterie of Iniquitie hath wrought under so many divers colour and forms of Heavens and Heavenlie things And do ye think that when ye made choice of this your Religion which ye now hold that the Spirit of this world the Prince of the power of the air had not the greatest interest and over-ruling power in you Or were ye come to know the voice of the true Shepherd in you from the voice of that false prophet which sate in God's Judgement-seat in your hearts and perverts the right waies of the Lord if ye are not through God's righteous Judgements upon the Prince of this World in you come to discern and know the true voice of God's Eternal Spirit from the Spirit of Error and Delusion in you which presents it self when God's work is to be done to draw the mind after it to follow after shadows instead of substance how can ye have confidence that ye are in the right waie and are not deluded and drawn awaie with the error of the wicked And being built upon that foundation the more abominable your profession is it being a branch also of Mysterie Babylon the Mother of Harlots who sometimes appears in the dresse of the true and chast Spouse but all to this very end to hide her Hypocrisie and Deceit the filthiness of her hearts Fornications and Whoredoms And what is all the talk and profession of Religion in the world without the present teachings and motion of God's Spirit but dead works and the covering of Antichrist And all your talking of God's Kingdom of Salvation and Redemption by the Blood of Christ while sin and iniquitie lodgeth in your hearts is no better than to account the blood of Christ an unholy thing to cover the Serpent's Head in you And the Devil can say that Christ is the Son of God and this hurts not his Kingdom but when the Ax comes to be laid to the root of that tree in man which bringeth forth evil fruit then all the world is an uproar and the Devil rageth against this Work with all his strength and subtilties for this strikes at the root of his Kingdom and whosoever knows the destruction thereof in them by the power of God which is Christ Jesus the Light of the world they must know many sore combats and bitter conflicts and the righteous judgements of the Lord God must be poured out upon the man of sin in them that through the Cross of Christ the power of God man may be made willing to forsake the Devil and all his works and so being brought from under Satan's power into the power of God they may come to know that Seed raised in them which bringeth forth fruit unto God it being that which redeems out of the fall from under the curse and is blessed for evermore Verily Friends the work of Regeneration is not an easie work to flesh and blood but is to be known through much sore travel of soul yea such pains and pangs doth truly accompany that Birth as the pangs of a woman in travel and this is not a notional thing onely but truly and really to be felt in the creature and through death life is to be known Therefore deceive not your selves to think that ye are the people of the Lord and in a good state and condition when it is otherwise with you think not I say that ye are come to the substance but are catching after shadows which will not profit your souls And this is my testimony to you from the Lord That ye are not in the truth of God but out of the way of his salvation yea in that which grieves his Spirit under Death's power ye are what images or likenesses soever ye frame to your selves and bring forth and what services soever ye perform and not from the present teachings of God's Spirit are but abomination in the sight of the Lord. And the more ye do struggle and strive in your unregenerate nature and utter words without knowledge the more are your understandings darkned and alienated from the life of God and the Common-wealth of Israel and are enemies to God in your minds by reason of wicked works and the spirit of bondage is over you which crucifies the just Therefore repent and return from the evil of your waies that you may be redeemed from the vanity of your minds and know a change wrought in your hearts by the Word of God which is quick and powerful sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder between the soul and the spirit the joints and the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart which Word liveth and abideth for ever And think not I say that your imaginations from Jacob Behmen's Writings about baptizing of Infants have any more authority or ground from the Scriptures of truth given forth by the Spirit of God neither is it of more advantage to you than the Crosses set up by Papists in the High-ways and on the top of Steeple-houses are to destroy sin and save your souls which were set up in the daies of Apostacie from the truth for here is the rise and ground of Images when men went from the truth of God within then the Devil which draws the mind into visible things of this world where he works perswades them to set up some likenesses without which may please the carnal and sensual part to feed that Birth which is of the flesh and stands at enmity against God and so in the apostacie when people forsook the Cross of Christ the power of God that destroys sin in the flesh then instead of that up comes all sorts of Crosses without and so the like of other pictures and images set up and worshipped by men of corrupt minds and instead of the new birth spoken of in the Scriptures which is of Water the Spirit without which none can be saved which is irksome grievous to such as are grown old in sin and iniquitie therefore a more easie invention is found out to make children Christians by sprinkling a little water upon them before they know the right hand from the left and so under the Name of Christians live in the abomination of Heathens all the daies of their lives which profiteth them so much as the talking of God's salvation doth profit him that lives in sin and iniquitie which is onely so much as for a man to have a name that he lives while he is dead And as for your Mediums that you work by they are little less then new
ONE BLOW AT BABEL In those of the PEPOLE CALLED BEHMENITES Whose Foundation is not upon that of the Prophets and Apostles which shall stand sure and firm for ever but upon their own Carnal Conceptions begotten in their Imaginations upon Jacob Behmen's Writings c. They not knowing the better part the Teachings of that Spirit that sometimes opened some Mysteries of God's Kingdom in Jacob have chosen the worser part with Esau according to the predominancy of that Spirit which ruled in them when they made choice of their Religion as it doth in other the hearts of the Children of disobedience By JOHN ANDERDON LONDON Printed in the year 1662. One blow at Babel in those of the People called Behminites whose Foundation is not upon that of the Prophets and Apostles which shall stand sure and firm for ever c. KNow ye not that the stone cut out of the Mountains without hands is laid to the foot of all the Images set up in all the earth Before whom Dagon shall fall and Bell shall be confounded and all the gods of the Heathen shall be dashed in pieces and none shal stand though never so excellent and glorious in the sight of men for God hath determined that the Image of his Son Christ Jesus the Light of the world the fairest of ten thousands though hitherto more marred than any mans shall be set up made manifest and brought forth in this the day of God 's power by the operation of his Eternal Spirit in the hearts of men which changeth them into the likeness of his glorious Bodie prepared to do the wil of God and bringeth forth fruit to the praise and glorie of his Grace for ever And whither wander you in your imaginations inventing and setting up strange gods in your minds according to your own hearts lusts fall down worship the works of your own hands the Image that ye have set up that can neither go nor speak but are altogether dead and without life being formed out of the dust of the earth with your Mediums and borrowed instruments not according to the lively pattern workmanship of God in Christ Jesus the hope of glorie but according to your carnal inventions the Master-piece of your Form and Image that ye have created to your selves grounded upon some mis-understood expressions or imaginary conceptions of Iacob Behmen's writings the tendencie of whose spirit ye can never fathom nor see rightlie to judge of until ye come to the Light that thing so despicable in your eies also which gives the true understanding of the things of God and through Judgement brings men to sound and pure reason and discretion to judg and discern between the operation of spirits and shews what is imaginary and what is true which lets us see and fathom the ground and bottom of your errors and delusions and from whence your rise is and what your end is though you may propose great things to your selves as if ye were a people more exceâ—lent then others because there sometime appeared an excellent spirit in Jacob Behmen in some things and ye are of his Judgement But alas alas the Conclusions that you have drawn to your selves from his Writings will not profit you neither doth it make you any jot the more excellent that ye can talk much of him and his Books and Writings being not come to the right Spirit in which is life which brings men out of dead forms and vain imaginations and by its immediate teachings and power leads them up to God and teacheth them how to worship in spirit and truth What advantage would it be to us if we were able to speak with the tongue of men and Angels if we through the strength of memorie were able to dispute and talk of all the lives of the holie men of God and say that we are of such a man 's judgement and knew not that unerring infallible Spirit of God to lead us thereto What is all else that is done by way of imitation of others but traditional and such knowledge as puffeth up and maketh men Pharisaical as if they knew much when in truth they know nothing yet as they ought to know and such a people may pay tithe of Cummin and Anniseed be strict and zealous in formalities and neglect Judgement Righteousness and Mercie the weightier matters of the Law And friends this I must tell you That until ye have felt and known the Spirit of Judgement and Burning to pass upon you as Fullers Sope and as a Refiners fire to cleanse your earthen Vessels ye are not fit for the Lord's use neither do you serve him in your Ordinances as you call them with acceptance but toil and labour in your vain minds to bring forth nothing but abominations It 's no better whatever your conceits are yea and your ways are as grievous and burthensome to the Lord's Spirit as the way of prophanenesse for Hypocrisie is a most hateful thing unto the Lord and to professe Religion by way of tradition without the Spirit of Life to lead and guide men therein is no better than to Sacrifice Swines blood and the cutting off a Dogs neck in this the Day of the Lord. Therefore deceive not your own souls by your imaginary righteousness and self-separation which exceeds not that of the Scribes and Pharisees which enter not God's Kingdom but will be shut out as an unclean and unholy thing amongst the dogs that are without the Gate of that City wherein dwelleth that righteousnesse which God hath chosen and appointed and is wrought by his own Eternal Spirit But the ground of your Image is from that root which is evil of the Enemies planting and can never bring forth fruit unto God There is a right seed sown by God in the hearts of men but some falls on the high-ways side and Satan immediatelie cometh and catcheth away the Word out of their hearts and so becomes their Head and leadeth them to do that which is evil yet many times under a pretence of Religion Righteousness and Zeal for God And here the Devil works in a Mystery And thus friends I may deal plainly with you there was sometime in you I believe a hungering and thirsting after righteousnesse and from that desire as not knowing the way to attain thereunto you separated and searched holy Writings as ye judged to find out this way and not keeping to the Light in your own Consciences down to that which begat the desire which also shews the way and ye should have taken heed unto it as to a Light shining in a dark place until the day had dawned and the day-star had arisen in your hearts which would have given you the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ ye wandered in your imaginations to find out this way without a Guide and so erred and went astray from that which would have manifested the waie to you and in you and laid hold on that