Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
spirit_n deed_n flesh_n mortify_v 5,880 5 10.8136 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A54043 Naked truth, or, Truth nakedly manifesting itself in several particulars for the removing of hinderances out of the way of the simple-hearted, that they may come to true knowledge, life, liberty, peace and joy in the Lord, through the vertue and power of his precious truth, revealed and working in them : given forth by way of question and answer : whereunto are added, some experiences, with some Scriptures very sweet, and necessary to be experienced in the Gospel-state : as also, a few words concerning the true Christ, and a few words in the bowels of tender love and good will to my native country / by a long mourner and traveller after, but as length an happy experiencer of the truth, as it is in Jesus, Isaac Pennington. Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679. 1674 (1674) Wing P1179; ESTC R39811 53,138 126

There are 4 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

spiritual effects in the Mind and that this is it even that which slays the enmity in the mind and crucifies to the World and the affections thereof God forbid said the Apostle that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ whereby the World is crucified unto me and I unto the World Now mark That which is contrary to the World and crucifies to the World that is the Cross The Cross hath its power and nothing else and so there is nothing else to glory in The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other Mind here is the Cross The Spirit which is contrary to the flesh which mortifies the flesh through the Obedience whereof the flesh is crucified If ye through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live Whatsoever is of and in the Spirit it is contrary to the flesh The light of the Spirit is contrary to the darkness of the flesh The holiness of the Spirit is contrary to the unholiness of the corrupt heart The Life of the Spirit is contrary to the Life or rather death that is in sin The power of the Spirit is contrary to the power that is in Satan and his Kingdom The Wisdom of God is contrary and a foolish thing to the Wisdom of man Yea the new Creature which springs from God's Holy Spirit is contrary and death to the old Now he that comes hither out of his own Wisdom out of his own will out of his own thoughts out of his own reasonings and comes to a discerning of God's Spirit and to the feeling of his begetting of life in his heart and his stirrings and movings in the life which he hath begotten and waits here and receives counsel here he is taught to deny himself and to joyn to and take up that by which Christ daily crosseth and subdueth in him that which is contrary to God And here is the fight of Faith and the good travel under the Cross whereby the holy journey is gone and the enemies which rise up to oppose in the way vanquished and overcome For here is the power revealed the preserving power the leading power the conquering power of him who rideth on conquering and to conquer his spiritual enemies in the hearts of his Children who know his voice and are subiect to him who daily denying themselves and taking up his Cross follow him Wo is to them that are at ease in Sion under any thing that is contrary to God but blessings are upon them whose dwelling is under the Cross and who know no ease but what it allows It will make Truth Life Holiness Righteousness Faith Obedience Meekness Patience Love Separation from Sin Communion with the Lord and all the fruits of the Spirit as natural to them in the renewed state as ever sin was in the corrupt state And in that state they shall be able to say with Paul who once complained of his captivity and that he did what he hated yet after he had known the power of the Cross and was crucified with Christ he could then do nothing against the truth but for the truth Yea then being a conquerer having overcome the enemies which stood in his way he could do all things through Christ that strengthened him The cause of so many complaints and bowings down the head going mourning because of the prevailings of the enemy through temptations sin and corruption is because the Cross of Christ which is the power of God which is his Ordinance against the strength of the enemy is either not known or not taken up And this is the reason that many that make a fair shew for a while yet afterwards come to nothing but are like untimely figs or like corn upon the House-tops which hastily springeth up but soon withereth because they either rightly never learn or keep not to the Cross For that alone hath power from God to bring down and keep down that which is contrary to him So that from under the Cross of Christ there is no witnessing Salvation or preservation from the Lord but out of the limits of the Cross the enemy hath power to recover and bring back under his dominion again And whosoever in his travels leaves the Cross behind him does draw back unto perdition and not travel on in the living faith and newness of Obedience towards the Salvation of the Soul X Concerning the Mystery of Life and the Mystery of the fellowship which is therein God is hid from Man as he lies in his sinful and fallen estate and no Man can find or know him but as he pleaseth to reveal himself by his own blessed Spirit And Christ being God's image there is no knowing or confessing him or right calling him Lord but in and by the same Spirit 1. Cor. 12 3. When he appeared in the days of his flesh flesh and bloud could not reveal him but only the Father And he is the same to day as he was yesterday He is not to be known now but in the same Spirit in his own Grace and Truth in a measure of his own Life The dead cannot know him they only know him who are his Sheep who are quickned and made alive by him And this Life is a Mystery none can understand it but they that partake of it Can a man that is naturally dead know what the Life of nature means No more can a man that is spiritually dead know what the Life of the Spirit means The natural Man may get the words that came from Life and cry up them and speak great words of the same of Wisdom and of her Children but the thing it self is hid from them all O it is a strait gate at which the birth enters at which none else can enter The wise and prudent knowers and searchers after the flesh and of the Scriptures as they can put meanings upon them and comprehend them are shut out in every age but ther 's a babe born of naked Truth born of the pure simplicity admitted by God while men disdain and despise it And the fellowship of the Saints is in the Life and in the Light which is this Mystery The fellowship is not outward but inward All they that meet together in the outward place are not in the fellowship or worship but only they they meet together in the inward Life and Spirit They that worship the Father must worship him in Spirit and Truth Look ther 's the worship there are the worshippers They that are in the Spirit in the Truth They that meet in the Spirit in the Truth they meet together in the one spiritual place as I may call it And so we own no man after the flesh no man according to the appearance but in the righteous judgment of the Spirit those only who are of the Spirit Indeed we are tender where there is the least beginning of the work of God in any
are born of the Heavenly Womb who indeed alone can rightly plead for and justifie their Mother in this day of great strife and contention about the Kingdom and right Heir thereof I say having this sense on my heart and these things naturally springing up and opening in me upon this occasion I was drawn in love and in the motion of life thus to give them forth to others hoping that the Lord may thereby open the minds of some towards and confirm the minds of others in the sense and belief of the Truth and the inward manifestation of his Spirit which discovers and strives against the darkness lusts and corruptions in them The Lord give People the sense of the strivings and reproofs of his holy Spirit inwardly in their hearts and joyn their spirits thereto that they may receive Light Life Vertue and Strength from his holy Spirit and thereby witness the overcoming and keeping under the enemy of their souls that they may know what it is to have the seed of the Woman bruise the Serpents head in their own particulars that so the holy Child Jesus may be exalted his Horn exalted in them and he may reign and exercise his Government in them and they may become Kings and Priests to God and reign in him over all that his Power is ordained to break and keep under yea utterly consume and destroy in the hearts of those that submit themselves willingly to him and walk in the Light and Leadings of his holy Spirit Amen NAKED TRUTH OR Truth manifesting it self in several Particulars for the removing of Hinderances c. Given forth by way of Question and Answer I. Concerning understanding the Holy Scriptures truly and aright Quest WHether the Scriptures can be understood aright without the Light of God's holy Spirit shining inwardly in the heart and giving the true understanding of them Answ No not possibly for as the outward eye cannot possibly see without the shining of some outward Light no more can the inward Eye see without the shining of the inward Light God who commanded Light to shine out of darkness causeth the Light of his Spirit to shine in the hearts of People according to his holy pleasure and thereby they come to see God seeth all things in his own Light in the light of his own pure eternal Spirit and in his Light do the Children of Light see Light The things of Gods Kingdom are holy Mysteries and the words which he speaks concerning those holy Mysteries none can understand but as he pleaseth to open and reveal them He hath given us an understanding to know him that is true 1 Joh. 5.20 The Inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding Job 32.8 without which Man is dead and can neither hear nor see nor understand any of the things of God's Kingdom II. Concerning the Illuminating Spirit and Sanctifying Spirit Quest Whether the Illuminating and Sanctifying Spirit be one and the same Spirit or no Because it is affirmed by some and written by one to me as a sound distinction of Divines which distinction he saith he hath a mind I should learn that there is a Spirit of Sanctification and that is peculiar to the Godly and there is a Spirit illuminating and that is oft vouchsafed to the wicked as it was to Balaam Answ The Spirit which illuminateth and the Spirit which sanctifieth is one and the same Spirit and the illumination of the Spirit is in order unto Sanctification The same Light which discovereth the Darkness also chaseth away the Darkness as it is received and subjected to and purifieth the mind for the Light hath not only a property of enlightening but also of cleansing and sanctifying And the reason why Men are not changed justified and sanctified in and by the Light is because they love it not and bring not their hearts and deeds to it and so it is their reprover and condemner and not their Justifier and Sanctifier But the same Spirit Light and Life which Enlighteneth also Sanctifieth and there is not another III. Concerning the holy Spirit of God and the holy Scriptures Quest Whether they be alwayes joyned or some may have the Spirit who have not the Scriptures and some may have the Scriptures who have not the Spirit Answ The holy Spirit of God and the holy Scriptures are not always joyned together for some in the dark corners of the Earth may be visited by the Spirit become sensible of the Spirit and receive the Spirit who never heard of the Scriptures and many may have the Scriptures and yet be very ignorant of and strangers to Gods holy Spirit as the Jews were who had them read in their Synagogues every Sabbath day and yet Christ told them you neither know the Scriptures nor the Power of God IV. Concerning the Law of the Lord which is perfect and which converts the Soul Quest What is the Law of the Lord which is perfect and converts the Soul is it the outward Law or Writing in the Letter or the inward Law and Writing in the Spirit Answ No Man is or ever was or ever can be converted to God from the inward Law of Sin and Death but by the inward Law of Life and Righteousness written in his heart And I am sure that Law is perfect The New-Covenant is perfect and the Law thereof perfect the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus perfect which converts the mind to Christ the Righteousness of God and sets it free from the Law of Sin and Death And David was a spiritual Man and knew the inward Covenant and the inward creating of the heart a new and Gods holy and free Spirit and the Law and Testimony thereof I will grant a great deal to the Letter and ministration outward but I must attribute more to the inward or else Gods Light and the holy Experience which he hath given me will condemn me And as the Jew outward had the Law and Testimony and Statutes outward so I am sure the true Jew the Jew inward hath the Law and Testimony and Statutes inward written in his heart by the finger of Gods Spirit yea and the same Spirit put within him to cause him to keep this Law and the holy Testimony Statutes and Judgments of the Lord and the spiritual Jacob and Israel of God in this the day of their Redemption and Salvation from on high do follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes and walk in the Light of the Lord. V. Concerning David's longings exprest in Psal 42. Psal 43. and Psal 119. and other places Quest Were Davids longings more after the Law outward or after the Law and Light of Gods Spirit inward Answ David was a man after Gods own heart a man that knew an inward and clean heart of Gods creating and knew the free Spirit of the Lord and the fresh springing Life thereof and the leadings of the pure living Truth inwardly in his heart and this was it he most especially prized and longed after
Children XXIV Concerning Obedience Quest What is the true Obedience Answ The Obedience which slows from th● true understanding of God's will and from th● holy nature which he begets in the heart It is the Obedience which slows from true sense true understanding and true faith There is no birth can believe aright but one nor is there any birth can obey aright but that birth which believes aright The true believing is from the quickning vertue of God's spirit all other Faith is but dead Faith and the true Obedience is in the newness of the spirit Rom. 6.4 an● 7.6 Man may strive to understand and obey all his days but he can do neither but as he i● quickned taught and enabled of the Lord Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes Psal 119.33 There is a mystical path of life Th● way of wisdom the way of holiness the holy skill of obeying the truth is hid from all living from all mankind but such as are begotten and brought up by him in the holy skill and mystery of subjection to the Lord. The people shall be a willing people in the any of thy ●●●er It is the power of God that works the will in the heart and the same power works to do also and none can learn either to will or to do ●righ●● but as they come to be acquainted with that power joyned to that power and feel that power working in them And here in this power to this new birth faith and the Holy Obedience are as natural as unbelief and disobedience is to the birth of the flesh It is frequently and abundantly experienced by his holy birth by the child of his begetting Blessed be the name of the Lord. XXV Concerning Justification Quest What is Justification or how is a man justified in the sight of God Answ By a true sense of and Faith in that which justifies which is the spirit the life the water the bloud the vertue the power of the Lord Jesus All these are one in nature and they go together Man is sinful naturally fallen from God found a transgressor against him Now he needs Justification from his sins and he needs Justification in respect of what God hath entrusted him with and requires of him and in the new birth and joyning to the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ he meets with both Being quickned by his holy spirit turned from the darkness coming into the light and walking in the light there his sins are done away blotted out as if they had never been for his names sake and there he receiveth a new ability a new heart a new spirit yea the spirit of the living God to quicken him and work in him and whatever he doth in this spirit or rather what God doth by him in and through this spirit is justified owned and accepted God finds no fault in any of the fruits of his own spirit in any of the children of men but only in the fruits of the flesh And if for want of watchfulness the enemy should prevail and draw into a snare yet upon turning to the light of Gods holy Spirit which discovers and reproves for it in the holy light the water flows the bloud is sprinkled the conscience is cleansed and so becomes clean even in God's sight O blessed is he who is not deceived with dead notions of Justification but feels the Justification which comes from God and is accompanied with a living sense and with the testimony of his holy Spirit XXVI Concerning Good Works Quest What are Good Works Answ The Works that flow from God's good Spirit the Works that are wrought in God they are good Works The Works of the new birth of the new creature are good Works whereas all the works of the flesh are bad though never so onely painted All its thoughts imaginations reasonings willings runnings hunting to find out God and heavenly things with all its sacrifices are corrupt and evil having of the bad leaven of the bad nature in them Make the tree good or its fruit can never be good So that they are only the good Works that flow from the good tree from the good root And here all the works of the flesh though never so glorious and taking in mans eye are shut out by Gods measure by Gods line and plummet of righteousness and true Judgment and every work of God's Spirit the meanest work of faith the least labour of true love the least shining of life in the heart and the giving up thereto ●s owned by God as coming from him and wrought in him who worketh both to will and ●o do of his own good pleasure He that is ga●hered to the light which God hath enlightned him with hath received the light dwelleth in the light and walketh in the light th● spirit of the living God is near him and dwelleth with him and worketh in him and h● bringeth his deeds to the Light where it 〈◊〉 manifest that they are wrought in God B● he that is out of the inward Light of God's holy Spirit his works are not wrought in God and so can but make a fair shew in the Flesh 〈◊〉 the fleshly eye but are not good in God's sigh● The erring mans way and works are often rigi● in his own eyes ah but blessed is he whe● way and works are good and right in the ey● of the Lord in the judgment of his searchin● unerring Light and Spirit XXVII Concerning Love Quest Which is the true Love Answ The Love which ariseth from the n●ture which God begets and from his circumcising the heart from the other nature Lo●● is the beautiful thing What can be high●● expressed concerning God himself than to sa● he is Love Love is greatly commended and admired and there are many pretenders to it b●● none have the true Love but only those that ar● born of God and circumcised by him T● Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest live Deut. 30.6 Mark The true Love ariseth from the true circumcision And the more a man comes to have his heart circumcised from the fleshly nature and to grow up in the pure and heavenly nature the more he loves God is Love and the nigher any one comes to him and the more he partakes of him the more he becomes Love in the Lord and the more he is taught of God to love the Lord his God and his brethren in the spirit and all mankind who are of his bloud for of one bloud God made all mankind according to the flesh or according to a natural consideration XXVIII Concerning Meekness and Patience Quest Which is the true Meekness and Patience Answ The Meekness and Patience which ariseth from the Lambs nature Deceit will put on an appearance of Love and deceit will put on also an appearance of Meekness and Patience but it cannot put on the
Is the Wall of partition broken down in thee is there of twain made one new man Dost thou feel that which is contrary to Christ subdued in thee by his power and his holy nature Life and Spirit reigning over it Canst thou read that Scripture sensibly and experimentially If ye through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live Ah how miserably do men talk of Christ the Power of God and miss of the effect and work of his Power in them Faith is a powerful thing it gives victory true Faith gives victory it scatters that which stands between and gives real access to God and lets in his pure fresh living Vertue upon the heart Love is a powerful thing it constrains to Obedience and the heart that is circumcised to love the Lord God O how doth Life flow from him into it O away with empty notions and come to the ministration of the Spirit where the Knowledg is living the Faith victorious the Love pure and undefiled the Worship truly spiritual even flowing from and comprehended in the Life and Vertue of the Spirit O that all that truly breath after the Lord might be gathered hither found here and dwell here Amen A POST-SCRIPT To the Experiences PErsons that have had some true touches of Life and true breathings after the Lord yet not having their eye fixed rightly upon him nor discerning from whence those come may easily lose the true sense of Life and another birth of another nature spring up in them instead thereof This was it we generally wanted in the day of our former profession even the discerning of that and fixing upon that which begat Life in us through want whereof many of the most tender-hearted came to a loss whom the Lord at length shewed mercy to manifesting to them the Light of their eyes and the stay of their Souls Now to all that have been gathered hither by the Lord Life hath been renewed and their former experiences of the Lord and his goodness to them in the Lord Jesus Christ restored again with advantage And here they sensibly see and daily experience that nothing is of their own works but all of Grace and Mercy in and through Christ in whom they are created unto good works which God before ordained that we should walk in them And here the glory is revealed the glory of Life the glory o● Peace with the Lord the glory of R ghteousness in and through his Son he glory o● Victory over the S●●● enemies and of leading captivity cap● 〈◊〉 treading upon the Necks of Kings even of mighty lusts which mightily revailed over and oppressed the Soul before the Cap●ain of our Salvation appeared in the power and authority of his own Spirit But blessed be the Lord there is not only this Glory revealed but there is a defence over the Glory For there is that revealed which is able to defend it and doth defend it in the hearts of many and in the living assemblies which have been gathered by God's Holy Power which holy Power which gathered daily quickens and overshadows and is a rock unto and will be so for ever even to all that abide with him in his Holy Covenant but out of the limits of that into which God gathers and wherein and whereby he preserves there is no defence to any The cursed thing the unclean thing the earthly Spirit the earthly Mind and Wisdom the Lord hath excluded and it is to be excluded out of his camp for evermore that the inward Israel may be kept holy to the Lord and may serve and worship the Lord in the beauty of the inward holiness as the outward Israel was outwardly to be and to do in that outward ministration of the shadows of the Gospel-state Some Scriptures very sweet and necessary to be experienced in the Gospel-State This is Life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Joh. 17.3 There is a knowledg of God and Christ which is Life eternal and there is a knowledg of them or at least that which man call so which is not Life eternal The knowledg which is Life Eternal is that knowledg which God gives to his own birth even the spiritual knowledg which God gives to those which are born of the Spirit which is the knowledg of the mystery of God and of Christ in the mistery inwardly appearing and working in the heart against the mystery of Sin and death O precious is the birth to which God gives this this knowledg and precious is the knowledg which he giveth to it The knowledg or that which Men call knowledg which is not life eternal is that knowledg which man can get and comprehend from without of himself without the enlightnings and quicknings of God's Holy Spirit and Power inwardly felt and operating in the heart No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12.3 It is precious to witness that confessing and acknowledging Jesus to be the Lord which is by the Holy Ghost For only they that are governed by the Holy Ghost can so confess him The Devil did confess Jesus to be the holy one the Son of the living God c. and many now confess Jesus to be Lord in the same Spirit being alienated from the Life of God and having no true sense or understanding of that But there is a confession which cannot arise but from God's Spirit and from the knowledg sense and understanding which he gives blessed are they that experience that It is written in the prophets and they shall be all taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me Joh. 6.45 Ah blessed is he that can in time understanding say The Lord hath made good this Pr●●se to me He is become my Teacher I have heard his voice as truly and certainly inwardly in my heart as ever I heard the voice of Satan here He hath revealed his Son his pure holy living Child Jesus in me He hath drawn me to his Son he hath taught me to come to his Son and indeed so soon as ever I heard and learned of the Father I could not but come to the Son and receive the Son and and give up my self to him and he hath received me and daily preserveth me from death and the sting and power thereof and giveth unto me Eternal L fe He that hath the Son hath Life and he that hath not the Son hath not Life 1 Joh. 5.12 Ah this is abundantly experienced blessed be the name of the Lord Many who had not life while they had not the Son but mourned and lamented deeply after him the Spirit of the Lord being grieved in them and his life not possessed by them the Father revealing his Son in them and giving him to them and they enjoying and possessing him feel that they are daily in the enjoyment and possession of pure and