Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A56008
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A general epistle to all Friends everywhere, scattered up and down in the world that they all may faithfully keep and walk in the truth of God, as they have received it, thereby to eschew evil and do good in their day and generations / written by a servant of God ... James Park.
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Parke, James, 1636-1696.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing P368; ESTC R31067
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16,001
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22
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out of all spiritual Pride let it not have place in any of your Hearts and hide it not from your Eyes for God beholds the Proud afar off and would any of you have God to behold you afar off and such as God beholds afar off are not near him for who are near him he doth behold them so they are precious in his sight his Eyes are over them and he giveth them more Grace but he resisteth the Proud a high Mind goeth before a Fall and Pride before Destruction and it hath brought Wo and Destruction upon many and but few humble themselves under the mighty Hand of God lowliness of mind and humility Therefore all keep in give not way to any proud Desires of your Hearts from whence cometh Proud Words and inclinations after high Attire shining and costly Apparel outwardly affecting the Antick Fantastical Fashions of the World which too many professing God's plain Truth get into and delight themselves in And all you Elder Men and Women professing the holy pure plain Truth of God be good Examples in Plainness Purity and Holiness unto the Younger Men Women and Children in your Lives and Conversations where-ever you come wear nothing neither speak or do any thing but that which is Grave and Savoury becoming Godliness which may reach to the Good and that which is of God in all may own approve and justifie you in the Younger look at you who are Elder and when or wherein any of you take liberty to fashion your selves like unto this World How can you expect but that the Younger Men and Women and Children will in that be apt to follow your Example and when you speak rude unsavoury Words may not you be ill Instruments to corrupt the good Manners of the younger sort of People amongst us And when you that are Elders do any thing against the pure Truth of God and the Younger behold you may not that hurt and defile them and so you become Ministers of Evil things to the weak and Young and grieve the Spirit of God in them and also in your selves which should seal you to the Day of Redemption and would keep the Crown of Pride from you all if you would keep in the Spirit of God and be led and guided by it for that never led nor will ever lead any to speak do or wear any thing unbecoming the Truth or Godliness I know that by the Worldly Liberty which some Elder men and women among us have taken in Words Deeds and Habits out of the Truth and condemned by it they have but weakened themselves brought a Vail over the Seed of God in them and rendered themselves less useful to serve God and his precious Truth in their Generation and all evil Words evil Deeds or evil Fashions spoken done or followed are a dis-service to the Truth works against it causeth a slight esteem of it and doth tend to hinder the Prosperity of it And therefore every one of you professing the Truth keep out of that which works against it and bringeth dishonour to it What manner of Persons ought we to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness who know the Truth of God to keep in his fear at all times to fear to offend him or grieve his holy Spirit in Words or Actions or by giving any way to Pride or High-mindedness in any thing what we say or do And in our Apparel men and women especially the Elder sort to be plain and modest and all to behave themselves in Sobriety and Moderation And you Friends that are Rich and have plenty of created Comforts in this World let not your Table become your Snare nor that which was given you for your Welfare become your Trap and with-hold any of you from God or your Duty wherein you ought to be found constant to him but be wise and shew forth Christian Moderation in the right use of all Creatures and keep out of that Excess which the World and worldly Professors take liberty in and sport themselves in the practice of in their Eating and Drinking at Marriage Feasts and other Feasts Oh! what â—luttening Rioting and Wantonness are even many found in which sorely displeaseth the Lord kindles his Wrath and that which they have cause to be ashamed of and such indeed as is a shame to Christianity in the Life of it for that is that which we are to mind and keep to the ancient practice and manner of the Primitive Christians in our Eating and Drinking Marriages Apparelling our selves that whether we eat or drink or whatsoever we do or take in hand that all may be done to the Praise and Honour of God in pure mindedness to give Thanks unto God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who dyed for us and all men and did purchase us with his own Blood that we all might know Remission of Sin and know the Deeds of the Body mortified and the Old man with his Deeds that are corruptible put off and to be covered with and adorned with the Heavenly Man who is from above and he nor the glory of his Kingdom is of this world O let all come to bear his Image be willing to be made by him conformable to him who is from above and above all that your Wills or Affections may not go out after or be set upon any thing that is Visible or Temporal but with a pure Eye look to him who is from Everlasting to Everlasting Invisible and Eternal let your Minds and Affections go after him and be set upon him and those things which are Invisible and Eternal all wait more and more to love and take pleasure in And all dear Friends and Brethren every where having received the Spirit of God poured forth from him keep therein for its good and profitable to be in the Spirit of God and that tends to Godliness which is profitable in all things having the promise of this Life and that which is to come and Pray often in the Spirit of God having a Spiritual Mind and Understanding also Pray to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ that you may be kept stedfast to him and preserved in Purity to his praise whilst in this present World O! be ye all fervent in Prayer and Supplications to God that you may abide faithful to him in your Words and Actions and that Testimony God hath called you to bear for him and his Truth be righteous true and faithful therein and grow up as Pillars in his House and not to defile your Garments any more with the Polutions of this evil World but constantly be kept to God out of Sin Evil throughout your Pilgrimage in it be tender oue towards another and pray one for another in the love of God that you may be kept always abounding in it and love and pray for your Enemies and do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use and persecute you considering that the Prayers of the Righteous the Lord doth hear regard and answer and their fervent Prayers in the Name of Christ prevails much with God and availeth much for the good of his Church and also for the benefit of the Children of men in general that have not sinned out their day nor are finally given up to utter Ruin and Destruction And my Friends in every thing that you do receive from God give humble and hearty Thanks to him and be you always contented with what you do receive from him whether it be that which may appear Evil or Good Affliction or Prosperity being Poor or Rich in every state be contented with your lot and portion in this world and shut out all murmuring against the Lord and all evil Thoughts and Grudgings one against another be content with such things as you have considring that we brought nothing with us into this world neither must we carry any thing out with us when we go away out of it and in it there is no long continuance And you that are but weak in the Faith or have but a little Faith neither have so much Wisdom and Knowledge as may be others have let not the weakness of thy Faith or want of that Wisdom and Knowledge that others may have at all discourage thee or raise any Doubts Reasonings or Questionings in thy mind that God will not hear or regard thy Prayers being in the least measure of the Spirit of God offered to him for he will both hear and answer thy Prayers that are in the living Faith without doubtings and reasoning of the Flesh notwithstanding thy weakness or littleness of thy Wisdom and Knowledge and if thou know not how to pray nor what to ask wait for the Spirit and to feel Life thereby to arise and move in thy heart for that will help thy Infirmities with Sighs and Groans that cannot be uttered forth in words howbeit he knoweth the mind of his own holy Spirit for it moves to Holiness to that which is good but not to that which is evil in any man or woman but to avoid that which is evil in all Thoughts Words and Actions our God knoweth the mind of his own Spirit in a holy Desire or pure Meditation without Words as well as with Words spoken forth Therefore my dear Friends let none of you struggle or strive in your own Wills to use many Words or Repetitions in Prayer to God the Father but feel his Spirit to move in all your Hearts for that will sufficiently help your Infirmities and teach you how to make your Requests in Prayer to God who knoweth what you stand in need of So dear Friends I do commit you to God and his Spirit of Truth in all your Hearts that that therein you may all serve worship and pray unto him and that you may please the Lord in all things is the fervent breathing Desires of your Friend and Brother in a Spiritual Relation in and through God and Christ Jesus the only Saviour and Mediator betwixt God and Man who ever liveth making Intercession for all the Saints J. P. Hosleydown the 18th of the 6th Month 1691. THE END