Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A51587
|
A testimony against periwigs and periwig making, and playing on instruments of musick among Christians or any other in the days of the gospel being several reasons against those things / by one who for good conscience sake hath denyed and forsaken them, John Mulliner.
|
Mulliner, John.
|
1677
(1677)
|
Wing M3059; ESTC R31060
|
19,265
|
24
|
I never met with a better Friend in all my Life then the Spirit of God for it never crosseth that which is according to God's Will but if God's Will be not done this Spirit brings Pain and Trouble upon the Soul if it be minded So I would desire any ingenuous sober Reader without Prejudice to judge if it had been their own Case whether they would not have left off this Employment of Periwig-making rather then to have went on with so much Condemnation in themselves and these be the Reasons and Occasions why I left them off And now you my loving Neighbours and Acquaintance I would not have you think that how I have denyed my self and took up this Cross as to come among his poor scorned People and left off my Musick which was a great Delight to me and likewise this Employment of Periwig-making which I have told you was so hard for me to part with that now I think my self safe enough No God is my witness this day from whom I have my Breath Being I have as much need of keeping my Mind staid upon God as ever I had in all my dayes And whatever I have done it is no more but my Duty to God to answer his Requirings in my Conscience and here I lie still upon the Free Mercies of God through his Grace in his Son Christ Jesus my Saviour to be saved and I care not what I go through for Christ's sake And here I find a Pressing forward to the Mark of the Price of the high Calling which is in Christ Jesus And at the end I do not question as I keep faithful to God I shall obtain the Salvation of my Soul and that is enough And whereas there is most dreadful speeches cast against this poor scorned and scoffed People of God who are called Quakers as if they had their very Principle from the darkest Hell and some have told me They come from the Jesuits and Papists and very haâ—dly people have spoken concering them But truly Neighbours and Acquaintance I would intreat you to let me speak in this matter and I hope I have not behaved my self so badly amongst you for almost this twenty years but I may have a little Câ—edit for what I say So long as I have come amongst them which I think is 13 or 14 years I never understood any such thing but the very main Aim that they have and do drive at is to have People be faithful to God in what they know in themselves and this is that plain down right way they have drove at and do and God hath prospered them and will do let all those that are Opposers of this Principle of God do what they can They can as well stop the Sun from shining the Rain from falling as hinder this spiritual work from prospering in the Hearts of his People for it is beyond the strength of man to hinder it They were not set up by man nor can man pull them down And as for the Jesuits and Papists I know not what they are as to their Principles neither indeed do I desire to know but those that are not as they should be I desire the Lord may make them so But as to my own part I will tell you what my Faith is and what I do believe call me what you please nor I never desired to believe otherwise That is I do believe in God who is the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven Earth and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord who was conceived by the holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary and that he did suffer under Pontius Pilate and the third day he rose again from the dead and sits at the Right Hand of God his Father who shall judge both the quick and the dead and I do believe that God hath a Church where there is the Communion of Saints in his Spirit and Power and I do believe The Forgiveness of Sins the Resurrection of the Body and Everlasting Life according to the Testimony recorded in the holy Scriptures but indeed I do not believe thar at your publick Places of Worship that this is the Church of God nor your Assemblies are the Communion of Saints for it is not the Saints Life to live in Cursing and Swearing in Pride and Drunkenness in Envy and Malice Hatred and Covetousness c. but in the Spirit of Truth which leads into all Truth But alas what of all these Evils is there not committed in this age amongst those that do assemble themselves together in your Publick Assemblies where there is so many Prayers of Good Lord deliver us from them which I say I am a witness for God he stands ready to deliver you if you will come to him But you will not come to him that you may have Life John 5.39 And again the Saints do not believe that Christ Jesus the Son of the living God did pray to his Father to put his poor Creatures upon those things which were impossible to be done for when he wished his Disciples to pray he said to them Pray thus Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom com thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven and so forth Now some among you say God's Will cannot be done here we must live in sin so long as we live There is no Freedom from sin on this side the Grave no Peace with God to be known here Oh! what a damnable Doctrine is this if men would but plead for God's Kingdom as they do for the Devil 's and would but believe that God was as able through the Light and Life of his Son Christ Jesus Rom. 5.10 For if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life To save them from their sins as the Devil was to keep them in their sins we should have brave living and yet all will say God is above the Devil For the Lord sake Neighbours and Acquaintance consider these things for God is my witness this day I plead not with you for your silver nor your gold nor for any thing that you have in this world but beseech you to be reconciled to the Principle of God in your Conscience And how many Scriptures is there to perswade you to a Holy Life as Without Holiness none shall see God Heb. 12.10 For they verily for a few dayes chastened us after their own Pleasure but he for our Profit that we might be Partakers of his Holiness Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven John 3.3 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that Wicked one toucheth him not Be ye therefore Perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect Mat 5.18 And many more Places to this purpose and yet you say the Scripture must be
preached amongst you but this principle to have People mind God in their Conscience and to be faithful to what they know of God and what hard measure have they met with how have they been stocked and stoned and whipped and imprisoned their Goods rended from them and for nothing but for God's sake to keep their Conscience clear in his sight And how have some sealed it with their Blood and still are ready though patient Suffering in his Power God be magnified for it with their Lives given up and if God should suffer them to be brought to the stake for the Testimony of Jesus And let the Rain fall and the Wind blow and the Storms beat they are anchored upon that Rock Christ Jesus which the Gates of Hell cannot prevail against And do not think that this Pearl of great price which they have sold all for they will part with for nothing or for the Glory of this World which perisheth and this I say of them that are faithful to God in what they know they are the People of God and there is no more required of any of us but to be faithful to what we know be it much or little So this is my Testimony for this people if I should write no more for I wait for my Dissolution nor I know not how few my dayes may be amongst you And now you my loving Neighbours and Acqaintance since it hath been the Good Pleasure of the God of Heaven to send this Affliction of Lameness upon me so that in the prime of my age my strength is taken from me I Care not charge God with Injustice nor murmure against him he is Just and Righteous in all his wayes and if he had not sent this Affliction upon me I know not whether I should have been conformable to his Heavenly Will but in Love and Tenderness to my soul hath he suffered this Exercise to come upon me and I have for ever Cause to bless his Name that ever he hath dealt with me after this manner if he never restore me to my former strength again his Will be done though to look at it it is very hard and I know I am an Object of Pity to many of you but why should I murmur at it Shall the Pot say to the Potter why hast thou made me thus No I shall not but bless his Name that ever he hath spared me to this day that I should answer what he required of this poor weak Body of mine and this is the greatest Joy and Comfort of my Soul that as I have found my strength go from me outwardly my Faith and Hope and Strength hath renewed in God inwardly And here I have great Cause of Joy and Comfort and to God let the Honour and Praise be who is worthy overall blessed for ever and for evermore faith my soul And one thing more I would desire of you to have a Care of speaking slightingly of the Spirit of God and Christ and making a Mock thereat as some have done as saying What the Spirit will not let you do this or that Let me prevail with you to have a Care what you say as to this thing lest you sin the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost I have wondered when some men have spoke to me after this manner who profess to be VVise and Religious should offer to speak so slightingly of this Spiritual Appearance of Christ for if ever you know God you must know him Spiritually For God is a Spirit and they that worshlp him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth And do you not read how The Spirit wars against the flesh and the flesh against the Spirit And to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace but to be carnally minded is Death And again Quench not the Spirit Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye are sealed unto the day of Redemption Eph. 4.30 And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions Joel 2.28 And several more Scriptures there are that we may read concerning their spiritual Conditions but this spiritual Appearance of Christ is so mocked and scorned at that when any of God's People are brought before some you are ready to say what you are troubled with he Spirit you cannot swear you cannot give us Respect you must come with theeing thouing in your mouths and be brought before whom you will all is one to you Blessed be God that it is so that there is a People have more regard to please God then to please any man living as to these things Some time I have had concerns wi h some of you that rather then I would have come before you with my hat on if I could have been clear in God's sight I had rather have lain at your Feet but at any time if I did not stand faithful to this small thing as you count of what Pain and Sorrow have I had quickly after it in my Conscience that I knew I had not done well in it and it hath caused me to cry sometimes to God surely I shall take more care next time Now if you would but keep to your rule the Scriptures as you reckon them methinks you need not be so much offended whenas the Scriptures speak against having men's Persons in Admiration because of Advantage He that respects mens Persons commits sin Christ saith Learn of me I am meek and lowly and you shall find rest to your souls Who learns Lowliness of him will not take Offence at those who in Obedience to him speak his Language Thee and Thou to a single Person and who wear their Hats upon their Heads for which they were made If men would but truly come to serve the Lord their God in their Hearts it would teach them better manners one to another then a few dissembling Titles of Honour and worshipful with the Cap and Knee I pray you what do they all signifie but to make men proud amd there is too much of that already But this let them do Do-justly love Mercy and walk humbly with their God and then there will be no Offence taken And why should you take Occasion at Thee or Thou in the Scripture you may plentifully see that when the Servants of God went to declare his VVord to the Kings they went and said Thou O King hear the Word of the L rd and in your very Prayers when you pray to God do you not say Thou Lord or Thou God And what do you expect better Language then you give to the God of Heaven which if you should say You it would be Nonsense and People would think such were not in their wits as should say You Lord or You God Then again this Rule saith that formerly it was said in the time of the Law Thou shalt not forswear thy self but Christ Who is the