Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	flesh_n	fulfil_v	law_n	6,597	5	5.9828	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84893	Light vanquishing darknesse. Or a vindication of some truths formerly declared, from those aspersions which have been (by reason of some misapprehensions) cast upon them; now published for the satisfaction and benefit of others. With a preambular epistle to all sorts of men. As also a parcell of good counsell, if you can take it. / By Captain Francis Freeman, a late member of the army.	Freeman, Francis.; Fairfax, Thomas Fairfax, Baron, 1612-1671.	1650 (1650)	Wing F2129; Thomason E615_7; ESTC R206543	58,771	68

this as a rule too that if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse and bear one another burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ Suppose I had bin overtaken in a fault which my conscience can plead my innocency and integrity yet will you still persist and go on in violence against me without due examination I shall desire that you would with patience heare me what I can say for my self and not rashly judge and condemn me without a cause but I know you cannot help it you are so overswayed with passion You see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand but I am a fraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain I write in the Apostles own language Sir I beseech you be as I am for I am as you are you have not injured me at all And thus to a void prolixity I shall cease to trouble you any farther at this time and shall remain Your faithful servant in all duties of Command FRANCIS FREEMAN And now friends you that have read this letter I shall desire that you would once more if you are not satisfied look it over with a more attentive eye and without any prejudicat thoughts on either side and so go give your judgement impartially and if so be you find any such base scurrelous and scandalous language in it according to the matter of charge laid against me then I shall desire you to cast a blur not only upon it but upon me and throw dirt in my face with as much disdain and disgrace as may be possible And truly for my part I presume if I might have had a Counsel at warre you would have found all the rest of his charge against me to be as frivelous as this but if so be I may have a Counsell at warre hereafter as I make no doubt but I shall when once this great businesse in Scotland is over then I beleeve I shall make him ashamed of what he hath done against me not that I can do any thing by way of revenge it is against my spirit so to do but by way of vindication for I know he could not help it he was acted by a greater power then his own neither can I blame him for it for he did as he should do but if so be I might have the greatrest Command as might be under Colonel Okey I professe ingeniously I could not take it if I might gain 1000 pound by it as to have my spirits bound up and tyed fast to the wils of men and to be in bondage and slavery through the beggerly rudiments of the world by the doctrines and tradition of men and all by an arbitrary power exercised over us but if so be I may be serviceable to this Common-wealth in any thing I can do I shall be as formerly I have bin ready willing to do it to the uttermost of my power either in England Scotland or Ireland But I shall rather chuse to traile a pike under the great Turke then to have any command under Colonel Okey And Now I shall shew you one notable cunning slight more that he used against me about this time twelvemoneth to set up his own interest he having received an order to send two troops of his Regiment for the service of Ireland did appoint my troop to be one supposing that I had not bin free for that service and so to disband me upon that account for he never intended that I should go Now for my part I was very free for that service and did expresse my willingnesse to go and my souldiers likewise did as it were unanimously with one consent expresse their willingnesse to go with me whereupon he was crost in his designe and then he told me that we should not go and ever since he hath bin plotting and contriving all the mischief that might be possible against me and truly for my part I conceived that we were at that time in a capacity fittest to go for that service of any troop in his Regiment and for these reasons following viz. that we owed nothing in our quarters when other troops owed considerable sums we were best mounted of any troop well clad in good apparel and all accoutraments belonging to souldiers stout gallant men and such as I dare be bold to say that the Colonel never had a gallanter troop in his Regiment since he was Colonel and for my own particular part it is well known I have faithfully served the State ever fince the beginning of these troubles and so I praise my God there is no man can challenge me for the worth of a peny that ever I plundered any man but alwaies laboured for the preservation of the Country where ever I came And as for my military imployment touching my charge before or since I came to this Regiment no man can any way disparrage me but that I have behaved my selfe in all services of command like a Souldier and my deportment and carriage hath bin such towards all men as might become an honest man and that no man I dare be bold to speak to the whole world can have any just cause against me And as it hath bin heretofore the sence of the whole Army that no man should suffer for his opinion so I conceive I have not in the least tittle made a breach of any law neither is there any article against me in the whole book of articles at warre and where there is no law there is no transgression But howsoever here you may see an obsolute discovery of my adversaries malice towards me and how they have made good the former part of this Epistle viz. that every form is a persecuter c. and how they have set up their interests by cloathing themselves with the fig-leaves of their own righteousnesse which is the righteousnesse of the Law not knowing their freedom by Christ but are in bondage to the elements of the world Gal. 4.3 Ye observe daies and moneths and times and years verse 10. but I am afraid of you least I have bestowed upon you labour in vain Brethren I beseech you be as I am for I am as ye are ye have not injured me at all Object But some will say that the Apostle Paul which you speak of had bin a persecuter himself and was he under forms I answer yea he was under severall formes or ministrations but was very zealous concerning the law and yet he thought he did God good service in persecuting the Church of Christ But this was before his conversion for afterwards we read that he was rapt up into the third heaven then doubtlesse he was above all formes types and shadowes and was svvallowed up in the very substance it self which formerly he had seen but darkly shadowed forth to him by the lavv It is even so vvith these men vvho are under formes and legal

mystery and according to the spirituall sence in my apprehension faith is there meant Christ but before Christ came we were kept under the law shut up unto the fiath which should afterwards be revealed This word but hath reference to the former verses therefore read from the 21. verse to the end of the chap. and you may find this if God says Amen to it to be a glorious truth But if so be you have but a notionall knowledge of Christ or a bare historical faith as Mr. Cox by his expressions in answer to my question did import no other saying that he did hope he had faith which is but historical by hearsay and mearly the teachings of men and no otherwise then you cannot say of a truth that Christ is in you the hope of glory These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you But if you have received the anointing it abideth in you and the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no ly c. 1 Job 2.26 27. And if Christ be in you the hope of glory then you shall finde that spirituall and individual substance or rather subsistance in respect of operations manifested within you that is infeperable For we are his anointing and that spiritual unction within us makes us to be one with him We are Kings and Priests and by vertue of his spiritual anointing we are one with him by faith which is Christ in us we apprend all the benefits and spirituall enjoyments and rejoycings made out unto us and by his spiritual descension so low into us and drawing us up into himself we are come to be one with him and in him and he in us Joh. 17. being iustified by faith in his blood And as there is such a sweet union and onenesse between Christ and the soul Christ being the manifestation of his fathers love the soul comes to have free accesse by one spirit unto the Father Ephe. 2.18 in and through the Son whereby the soul comes to see God purely as he is so that there is a continual feast of fat things their Table being richly deckt and covered over with all sorts of varieties of dainties supping and dining together And there is a continual presence or habit of union between God and the soul that the soul is as it were richly clothed with God and God with the soul do live mutually in themselves for he that dwels in love dwels in God God in him that nothing is in God that is not God therefore whatsoever is in God is God And thus the soul comes to see God to be his all and in all and sees him in all things in every thing and sees his own nothingnesse and emptynesse of himself without him But now I shall shew you that there are many who look upon Christ after the flesh and not after the spirit or a spiritual Christ within us not apprehending him as he is purely in himself so they look upon the act of faith to be that which God accepts to justification But truly for my part I am not of that judgement for I conceive there is a mistake in it looking upon him after the flesh and not after the spirit or in the spirit and so they asseribe that honour to faith which is due unto Christ and dishonour him in so doing for although they do not exclude Christ wholly and totally yet in the act of justification which is a work it gives all unto faith we are justified before God in his sight only by Christ Rom. 3.20.24 and for a farther confirmation of this truth see Isa 53.11 12. Where it is said my righteous servant shall justifie many which must be understood of Christ we are not justified before God by faith which is in us but by Christ by his blood We are justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 by faith which is Christ in us we know our selves to be justified verse first and although faith is one of the chiefest graces yet as it is an act it is a work and to be justified by it is to be justified by a work of our own for with the heart man beleeveth Rom. 10.9 10. so that t is clear that which justifie us must needs be perfect and so it can be no act of ours for all our righteousnesses are as filthy ragges c Isa 64.6 not of works least any should boast Ephe. 2.9 Me thinks the consideration of this point should cause us to admire at the wonderful riches of the free grace of God in Christ Jesus who out of his infinite love being an infinite glorious Majesty that he should descend so low as to take upon himselfe our nature being poor finite creatures to shed his blood to die for us and to rise again for our justification But that his essential will is himself his power is himself his wisdome is himself and every thing that is in him is himself if we can but see it But to proceed a little farther in the prosecution of this point of faith I shall speak something concerning Enochs walking with God by faith and so conclude the point It is said Gen. 5.24 That Enoch walked with God and was not for God took him By faith he was Translated that he should not see death c. And the text saith that he was one that is not this may seem to be a paradox a strange expression if we but barely look upon the letter of the Scripture yet it is a glorious truth for it is said he is one that is not Enoch walked with God and was not So that he walked not after the flesh but after the spirit for he was translated by faith that he should not see death and was not found he was not for God took him He in himself was not for his glory and excellency past away all his earthly pomps vanish'd he of himself was nothing for he saw his own emptinesse and nothingnesse and all-sufficiency in Christ what he was he was in Christ Christ was his life and his all Christ was all and in all unto him Col. 3.11 So that God translated Enoch in the spirit he was translated into Jesus Christ and so every true believer is one in Jesus Christ and nothing in himself there is a glorious change there is a new birth there is a new self he is born of God God is his selfe Christ is his self So that Enoch was out of the flesh into the spirit out of himself and his own righteousnesse into God and so is every saint every true believer is translated out of himself into a being which is in God He is dead unto all self-righteousnesse he is dead unto the law he is dead unto the World but he is alive unto God Here you see that by faith Enoch was Translated from death to life Therefore you may see that faith is an excellent gift est donum Dei it is the gift of God Ephe.

Therefore I could not but do it and the rather to vindicate my selfe in such a kind of dialect for peradventure it may the better work upon his spirits knowing that my own conscience will not suffer me to write any untruths although we know that such as will prosecute their designes by false and scandalous accusations are very apt to deny truths But suppose that Colonel Okey should question any of these truths herein contained so farre as it concerns himself then I know his own conscience will accuse him and bear witnesse against him and be ready to fly in the very face of him for it and this very book of mine will prove to be a devil to torment him as bad as seven devils But suppose he should think to carry it off with a high hand as he knows how to do it pretty well and call me knave for my labour as once he call'd Captain Mercer and told him he was troubled with a company of knaves to his Officers nay suppose he should all to be spatter me with such uncivil language behind my back according to his wonted practise before my face and say that these are not truths which I have written and that I have done him wrong then I shall appeal to those six Troops of his own Regiment which are with him in Scotland both Officers and Souldiers who for the generality of them know them to be truths And this will prove to be a tormenter indeed when there shall be so many witnesses against him besides his own conscience is as a thousand witnesses more But me thinks I hear him raile at me exceedingly and at my book and lay this poor book to my charge for a base scurrelous and scandalous book as he did my letter which I sent to him at Lancaster Then I shall appeal to the letter it selfe whereof I shall give you a true Coppy which is as followeth and leave it to you to judge Sir I Am at present under a cloud of aspersions though undeservedly by reason of some misapprehensions or misunderstandings one of another which occasions some distemper and trouble of mind to some Yet I praise my God there is no man can take away my comforts from me for I behold the Lord indeed in this appearance and see him in all other his various workings what though I am defamed in my good name it is the Fathers pleasure it should be so What though I ly under a cloud for a time in regard of an outward appearance before men Yet when the day-starre shall arise in your bea rt and that truth may be manifested it will cause you to have some trouble of mind and auxiity of spirit for these my sufferings Your conscience will tell you whether you prosecute this designe against me for some by-sinister-ends as to advance selfe-interest or out of sure zeal truly for my parts in doth not appear to me that your do it our of pure zeale it savours to little of a spirit rightly qualified but if it be out of pure zeal truly such zeale must be burnt up or at least cleansed and purified from the drosse for there is abundance of mixture You say that I and such others are the occasion of these warres Truly for my Part it doth appear to me that it arises from pride and selfeloftynesse and not from an humble and contrite heart for ambition carries a great stroake and from whence come warres is it not from your lusts you lay that every honest man will be as good as his word and charge me for not making good my engagement which was to lay down my commission And truly for my part I really intended it and was against my Souldiers petitioning the Generall knowing of the suffering of Captain Barringtons men who lay in London till they had spent their horses and all that they could make shift for before they could have any imployment Besides you know that you would not affoard me a hearing at a Councel in Warre lesse then which could not be granted to the meanest Souldier in the Armie But since the case is altered as I told you for above two moneths afire my Souldiers much musing at your hard dealings towards me that you would not grant me a tryall unknown to me did petition the Generall to that purpose which petition was granted and I tooke is to be a great favour considering what informations you hed given in against me to render me as odious as might be possible Now I shall appeale to your own canscience whether or no you have made good all your former engagements notwithstanding they were of lesse concernment then this is to me then look upon the equitablenesse of the cause and see whether or no a deprivation of my liberty may not stand in competition according to your former engagement with my non prformance of my promise Besides if I should be put off upon these tearmes without a Councel at Warre it may breed some distractions amongst the Officers in the Army which is not my desire knowing that there is no president for any such thing nor was there ever such arbitrarinesse exercised amongst them And it will be abundance of dissatisfaction to my friends who are lovers of truth in regard I shall still ly under a cloud of aspersions and not capable of any future imployment New if so be there be that righteous law within you to do as you would be done by Then I conceive you cannot exercise any such power Besides we all engaged against all arbitrary-power and will you set it up in your selfe surely this must be destroyed in you or else you will be destroyed in it For what art thou O Man that findest fault with another man and thou thy selfe doest the same thing You say that I am a heathen Truly for my part I thinke it better to be amongst beath ens then amongst such professors such as have a form of godlinesse but deny the power thereof You pretend abundance of zeal of religion and to religious men but I see but little justice towards me The Lord speakes by the mouth of the Prophet Jeremiah chapter 5. verse 1. Runne ye to and fro into the streets of Jerusalem and see now and know and seek in the broad places therof if ye can sind a mar if there by any that executeth judgement that seeketh the truth and he will pardon the City And though they say the Lord liveth yet they swear falsly verse 2. now if so be justice be not to be found in such a great City then where shal we find it but at the fountain You yet charge me with error and heresie truly for my part I take heresie to be a work of the flesh and he that is without sin and free from the workes of the flesh let him cast the first stone but the fruit of the spirit it love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance c. And the Apostle laies down

dispensations who are my accusers only this difference what ever their pretences are what Paul did was out of pure zeal touching the Law wherein it is said he thought be walked blamelesse but these men are altogether for their own ends and unlesse they should come to be where Paul was viz. rapt up into the third heaven they will go on still in their persecution For 't is impossible to see what Paul did see unlesse they could be where Paul was And now truly friends as I have wrote this Epistle to all sorts of men which is by way of vindication so I shall desire you to read this ensuing treatise with out any prejudicate opinions where you shall in like manner find some other accusations against me thought unjustly which will also discover abundance of folly and weakenesse of those my accusers And you may also find a parcel of good councel if you can take it communicated to all sorts of men both high and low rich and poor And although I know it will be accounted a sawcy part for me to give councell or advice to Rulers and such as are in authority over us great potentates and mighty men of the World yet I could not but doe it and the rather because I wish a happy peace to this poor bleeding Nation and that the sore-sick maladies thereof might be cured And not only to this Nation but to all the Nations of the earth I knovv it is God alone that can heal the Nations and bring all earthly povvers in subjection to his will Good Councel may be offered though not received and if it be not received 't is because they cannot take it And this I know too that the Lord sometimes stirres up poor vveak and despised instruments to give councel and advise to Princes and great vvise men of the World both Magisterial and Military to confound the wisdome of the wise yea and things that are not to bring to nought things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence And as my Epistle is directed to all sorts of men so is my councel and my desire is to be instrumental if the Lord so please to work upon your spirits for the healing of the Nations which is the principal aim and end of him who is Thine and the Nations Servant Francis Freeman GOd who at sundry times past and in divers manners speak unto the sons of men in parables and dark saying and now in these latter times he hath more manifestly declared himself by his Sonne and by the holy Ghost the comforter who wil both lead and guide us into the way of all truth and although the Lord hath bin pleased to unveile himself and to make glorious discoveries of himself unto some in shewing forth the glorious beauty and brightnesse of his raies in the light and dispensation of the Gospel by his providence yet notwithstanding we find by experience that there are many precious excellent and most glorious truths obscured clouded and overspread with Antichristian darknesse by reason of an Antichristian power of darknesse raigning amongst us who labouring to divert that current or stream issuing or flowing from that most sweet and precious fountain of truth the Lord Iesus out of its proper channel into a filthy loathsome durty muddy channell of humane inventions and traditions crying down glorious truths to be errors heresies and blasphemies as if there were no truths declared but such as they apprehend to be so when as there is an incapacity of apprehending it be carnal wisdome Therefore it must needs passe under that notion especially by such who are accounted Ministers of the Gospel and are no lesse then deceivers and being deceived having a form of Godlynesse but denying the power thereof yet notwithstanding they are upheld by the power of earthly Magistrates who carry on their work in persecuting the Saints and Servants of God as much as in them lies But how soever there is a restraining power and that is Gods power which over-tops all earthly powers when as their Mountaines shall be layed low and without a manifestation of Gods mercy towards them they shall be brought to shame and confusion of faces for this and the like cruelties when they shall cry out and there shall be none to help for as the mercies of the wicked are cruelty and oppression so there are none that live godly in Christ Iesus but shall suffer persecusion either by false accusation imprisonment or both which I my self being one of the least and meanest of Gods servants have my share not long since at the Town of Taunton in the County of Summerset being talsly accused by one Cox of no lesse then blasphemy imprisoned by the Magistrates bound over with two surities to answer it at the assizes and there indicted for blasphemy and the indictment prosecuted with as much violence as envy and malice it self could imagine rendring me so odious as not fit to live upon the earth as if they themselves were men of such infallible judgement that there could be no truths held forth by me being a poor weak dispised instrument but what shall come within the compasse of their apprehesions when as the Gospel is a hidden Mistery I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes c. The Lord who is the searcher of all hearts can plead my innocency towards man and mine integrity to the truth as it is in Iesus who gave into me that word of truth by his spirit which is the spirit of truth in the manifestation thereof and sweetly carried me on in the discovery of that truth to the glory of his grace be it spoken with that spirit of boldnesse and undauntednesse of spirit that my Adversary durst not look truth in the face to dispute those points with me before the Magistrates neither indeed would they admit of any dispute but told me that Mr. Cox had taken his oath possitively that I had spoken blasphemy and his oath was for the King they having an implicit faith hand-over-head with out due examination took his accusation for truth though false and scandalous yet would not take my own recognizance notwithstanding I was member of the Army at that time but committed me to prison where I praise God my conscience can plead my innocency and guiltlessenesse for what I was accused insomuch that my imprisonment and sufferings was sweet comfortable and joyous unto me knowing that such sufferings are a part of my portion hear in this life Now for the clearing of my self from those aspersions cast upon me and for the vindication of those truths then held forth by me for which I was accused and now stand Indicted I shall by the assistance of the Almighty labour to undeceive the people that they my come to a clear understanding of those my sufferings that the truth may be the more manifested Christ Jesus exalted