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	law_n	sin_n	20,113	5	5.9622	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56011	A general epistle to all the called and chosen of God with all such as make a profession of the blessed truth as it is in Jesus every where : wherein is comfort to the feeble-minded, support to the weak, and reproof to the unruly and disorderly walkers : with several who[l]som exhortations and admonitions, according to the conditions, states & growths of such as profess the truth of God, for the rooting out of that which is bad, and the stirring up of the pure mind in all, that God may be glorified over all / written in the movings of the spirit of life and love from God in me, who am resolved by the power of his might, with you that abide faithful, to follow the Lord fully, James Parke.	Parke, James, 1636-1696.	1676 (1676)	Wing P369; ESTC R40058	15,597	29

Disappointments from men and Perils amongst men but he hath stood by us and strengthened us that have been given up to wait upon him and trusted in his Name and fled thither that hath been our Safety in the Time of Trouble and the greatest Perils we have had looking to the Lord God we have Joy in abundance and Encouragement enough to go forwards in the Way of God to walk without any Wearisomness and to run without Fainting in our Minds or being stopped in our Progress which we have made in following the Lord Now he goes before us he hath led us on by the Right Hand of his Power that we might not faint in any Tryal or Suffering inward or outward and have we not felt the Lord to uphold us by his free Spirit O! have we not felt the Lord at our Right Hand so that we have not been moved when sorely beset on every side and Enemies within and without strove against us very much and cannot you all say who have been kept faithful to God That the Right Hand of the Lord hath brought mighty things to pass it hath turned back the Power of the Oppresser and broken his heavy Yoak from off our Necks and brought you out of Thraldom and Captivity into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God and in this we are to stand fast out of all Entanglements and Yoaks of Bondage whatsoever that would any wayes Imbondage the pure Seed or Spirit of God in us which ought to have its Liberty in Male and Female as the Power thereof is felt to stir and work in them that believe obey the Truth it ought to have its Liberty in what Diversities of Gifts or Operations soever it comes forth and manifests it self in it ought not to be quenched or stopped in any of the Lord's People so will the Love of God in and amongst us increase and the heavenly Rejoycing be witnessed in the Hearts of the Upright that truly seek the Advancement of the Gospel and the flourishing State of the Church of God O Dear Friends let Brotherly-Love continue let nothing in that would hinder your Love Dearness and Nearness in the Truth which is so precious and of such exceeding Concernment to us that we cannot be well without it nor safe out of the Love of God and we do not manifest our selves to be Disciples of Christ but by loving one another and being tender over one another Watching over one another for Good and the keeping down all that which is contrary as it appears and would get up under any Pretence to hinder the pure and precious Unity of the Spirit which hath been and is the Bond of our Peace as any thing of that would arise that would hinder Brotherly-Love give not way to it but by the Power of the Lord God keep it down as that which is not for the Well-fare of the Body but brings Suffering upon the Members thereof and so a Suffering may happen to the whole Body if there be a Decay of Love or want of Love in some of the Members of the Body one towards another Iniquity will be let it and from thence cometh Whisperings Back-bitings Tale-bearings Complainings and Murmurings and Harbouring of Evil one against another which ought not to be for these things stir up Strifes and unprofitable Contentions whereby the Weak may be hurt and the Lame turn'd out of the way rather then restored and all are not of a like Strength or Stature Some are but weak in the Faith and very little whose weak hands had need to be strengthned and their feeble Knees consirmed yet Babes in Christ and know the Father and their Sins forgiven them for his Name 's sake others are come further to the State of Fathers not only begotten to God themselves but Begetters of others to God also by the same Spirit and Power by which they were begotten who are come to know a larger Measure of Faith given to them of God through which they are made strong and able to bear Burdens and to bear with the Weak the Weak must be born with you that are strong ought to bear with the Weak not lay heavy Burdens upon them to ease or please your selves for then you are out of the tender Care of Fathers I have alwayes found the Love and Tenderness of a Father towards me to work most in me and reach the Good and get up the Good most in me and draw me nearest the Lord yet I have sometimes used the Rod and come to some with the Rod as there was need for it and as God's Wisdom leads to it and I found Love was effectual generally in my own Experience of the Work of God or as a Workman for him many have found that to be the strongest and best Weapon to war with against Sin and Evil that hath wrought in our Members and warred against the Law of the Mind to lead us captive to that which was not allowed by us in the Warfare and a sore War we have had betwixt Flesh and Spirit before we knew how to perform or were skilled in the performance of that which is good in Words and Actions There is a Time of Weakness Inability and Feebleness before we are Fathers or grown to a Young-man's State in Christ Jesus there is much to dye unto there must not only be a dying to open prophane gross Evils those must not only be slain but spiritual Wickedness in High Places the Rulers of Darkness and every thing that would exalt it self against the Appearance of God in us must be warred and wrestled with and it must be conquered and slain then we appear as strong in the Lord and know the Wicked One overcome then the Proud Man dyes to his Pride the Covetous Man to his Covetousness the Self-conceited Man dyes to his Vain Self conceits he hath had of himself then the Strong Man will not glory in his Strength nor the Rich Man in his Riches nor the Wise Man in his Wisdom And they that come to the Truth and grow in it the Power of Truth will quench the Fiery Passions of such as are soon Angry And Friends as you grow in the Truth Weakness Childishness and Imperfection you will all come out of you will all grow out of and wholely dye unto and the Tossings will be over and the Tempests will cease and you will all come to and be established in that Rest that is glorious and be kept in perfect Union with God and one with another And let all Raisers of Evil Reports and Broachers of them be found out and checkt so far as it tends to stir up Strife and cause Division in the Church let such be marked and avoid them as not worthy of having Fellowship with that they may be ashamed that are found to raise up an Evil Report against any of God's People or sowing of Discord amongst Brethren busying themselves in hearing Evil and speaking Evil Do not judge

A General Epistle TO ALL THE CALLED AND Chosen of God With all such as make a Profession of the Blessed Truth as it is in Jesus every where Wherein is Comfort to the Feeble-minded Support to the Weak and Reproof to the Unruly and Disorderly WALKERS With several wholsom Exhortations and Admonitions according to the Conditions States Growth of such as profess the Truth of God for the rooting out of that which is Bad and the stirring up of the pure Mind in all that God may be glorified over all Written in the Movings of the Spirit of Life and Love from God in me who am resolved by the Power of his Might to you that abide faithful to follow the Lord fully JAMES PARKE Printed in the Year 1676. A GENERAL EPISTLE TO ALL THE Called Chosen of God Dear Friends Brethren and Sisters WHO are made Partakers of the Love Life and Power of God by turning to and believing in the Glorious Light of Christ Jesus the Only Begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth My Dear and Stedfast Love is to you all I am daily more and more effected with the Power of God manifested in you and the living Operation of it as it blessedly appears to turn every one of you from the Evil of your Wayes to God and his Glorious Living and Standing Way which blasts and stains and yet will more and more blast and stain all other Wayes and the seeming Glory of them that are dead and keep people in Death and from the Path of Life which leads to Life and preserves in the pure Life of Jesus the Son of God and brings out of the Unstableness Error Going Astray to have the Heart fixed upon the Lord God and to love and live in the Immortal Truth of God which was before Error Falshood Going Astray was You that are come to know this blessed Way of Truth O love it love it for evermore see that you err not by wandring or straying from it or turning aside into any By-path and so lose your first Love and fall from your first Stedfastness for the Way of Truth is a stedfast standing Way over all the false wayes who ever wander or perish from it it stands and remains the same forever and is the Path of the Just that shines and shall shine more and more unto the perfect Day over all the wayes of the Wicked and paths of the Unjust and all the envious Persecutors that tear after their Prey hurting and destroying one another in the false unprofitable Ways barren Mountains where long they have wandered from Christ Jesus the Way the Truth and the Life and so are alwayes kept from God and the Knowledge of his everlasting Way But Glory to God forever Dear Friends the Only True God you know and Christ Jesus whom he hath sent to lead to himself and to lead out of the World its Wayes Fashions Customs and the Wickedness that the World lieth in So look not back again in the least Degree to Egypt's Wayes the vain and unprofitable Wayes Words Manners Fashions Customs or Traditions of the Heathen that know not God but lie in their Wickedness adding Sin to Sin bringing up one Vain Way Fashion Custom and Tradition after another which pleaseth and taketh up the vain loose Mind that loves to be at ease in the Flesh and lives above the Cross of Christ such love best the broad way wherein though they have a little Ease for a few dayes but if they Repent not they will assuredly meet with Death and Destruction everlastingly as a Reward due to them for loving and walking in the broad way of Sin and hating and despising the Way of Life Therefore keep out of the World's wayes keep out of the way of the Ungodly which leads from keeping in the daily Cross into the lusts of the world fashions of the world words of the world the lusts of the flesh and pride of life these things you know are not of God our Father but they are of the world and kept up in the love and by the spirit of the world and the world passeth away its spirit is seen by you as you keep in the Light of Christ Jesus you are kept out of the world's spirit that lusts to Envy and after evil things This spirit keeps people walking after their ungodly Lusts one lusting after one Evil and another after another Evil Thing And by this spirit how is Sin committed with Greediness and Men and Womens Reins let loose to act all manner of Wickedness and to run into every Evil they lust after so that many seem without Bridle to stay them from any sensual Desire that by the spirit of the world ariseth in them Therefore Dear Friends you Children of God and of his Day be wise and sober alwayes having God's Fear before your Eyes Let none of you in the least adhere to the spirit of the world that draws back into the world and love of the things of the world again for such will have an Eye out towards worldly Delights Pleasures and be taken up therewith then the sweet savoury words are lost so the sense of Life is lost also the Pleasures that such have had in the Truth they lose the lively sense of then is the Enemy let in as a Flood and the Spirit of God not felt to lift up a Standard against him so the Soul's Enemy prevails greatly against such to the losing of their first Love and Stedfastness they had to God and his Truth and People and when the first Love to God is left there is a Loss of Stedfastness in the Truth of God and the Work of the Day not well minded but the Mind after the World and the things thereof and that besets and clogs and so lieth so heavy upon the Conscience that it darkens hardens and if not laid aside in due time sears the Conscience that hath been good and tender Now them who are in that State can take up that which they once did lay down for Truth 's sake and in Obedience to its Requirings building again the things they destroyed and matter not whether they keep to the true Language or not but will speak it to faithful Friends and not to others and so use their Liberty as may be they call it as an Occasion to the Flesh in Corrupt Words and False Language contrary to Thee and Thou to a Particular which was the Language of all the Holy Men of God mentioned in the Scriptures and You to more then one or many but some can take up an Ease in speaking You to one but its fleshly and not spiritual it is of the Earth and is earthly and renders them to be at Ease in Sion and this is written in the Love of God That every one professing the Truth of God that have used such a Liberty may deny themselves of it and take up a daily Cross to it that so that Liberty

come to hurt or loss as to thy immortal Soul the Salvation thereof certainly is our greatest Interest and ought to be preferred before and far beyond all outward Interests or Advantages in this present World whatsoever So we all ought to seek that most and first which is of greatest Weight the setting up and Establishment of the Kingdom of God O to know that it 's come with Power and to be kept in Subjection to the Power of it that 's more then all Friends being in this none is lifted up above his Measure nor puffed up in high Conceits of themselves that they are what in Deed and in Truth they are not for as every one knows the Kingom of God come in Power and the Mind being purely subjected to the Rule and Government of the Spirit and Power of God come and set up within us so the Loftiness of Man comes to be laid low and every high Thought and vain Imagination brought down into Subjection then not Flesh but the Spirit and Power of the living God hath the Dominion Thus when the other Lords that formerly had Dominion over us and that dark Power whereby they ruled in us comes to be subdued the Lord alone is exalted in that Day O dear Friends this is an acceptable Day this is a Day of Salvation and pure Rejoycing hereby you know your Marriage-Union with the Lord God and being joyned to him in a perpetual Covenant that cannot be broken but stunds sure firm in all Points as you who are saithful do witness it and it is you only that can say experimentally David wants not a Man to sit upon his Throne for your Eyes have seen the King in h●● Beauty even the Lord of Hosts the Righteous branch God promised to raise up unto David that should rule and prosper and execute Judgement and Justice in the Earth and the Eccho and Cry of your washed and purified Hearts is Glory Glory to him which was is and is to come because he hath taken to him his great Power and reigns in Power Glory and Majesty in you whilest the World and Professors thereof please themselves with a Talk of his Coming without them putting afar off his Appearance and Coming in his Kingdom in them they will not have him to rule in them but will suffer the Devil and Sin to rule and reign rather then Christ Jesus whose Right it is to rule and reign in every Man and VVoman's Heart and such are kept afar off from God and not made nigh unto him and they are far from the Kingdom of his Dear Son Christ Jesus But dear Friends who are begotten to God and have been kept faithful to the word of God's Power in its Appearance nigh in your Hearts and Mouthes and have in unfeigned Love and out of a pure Heart obeyed and done it you are made nigh to God through the Death of his Son Christ Jesus you have suffered and known a Dying with him you have born in your Bodies the Dying of the Lord Jesus therefore you must reign with him and sit upon the Throne of Glory and Majesty on high with him O you faithful Followers of the Lamb in the Regeneration you Conquerers and Overcomers of the Power of the Devil and the Sin that did beset you in times past you already feel a Reward in your Bosoms for your resisting of Sin to the Death of it and for your resisting of the Devil in the Spirit and Power of God so that you have known him put to flight from time to time when he hath come to tempt you to Sin and Evil you that have not entered into temptation but have kept pure clean and undefiled the Reward you have received already and are receiving your hundred-fold here in this VVorld is but little to what God hath in Store for you and promised to give unto you in the VVorld to come you Overcomers and Conquerers through God's Everlasting Power you shall all sit with Christ on his Throne of Glory and Majesty on high as he overcame and sate down with God the Father on his Throne here is Preferment and Honour that comes from above for you have humbled and abased your selves and have been abased by Men but God will raise you up and is setting the poor on high O what greater Dignity can you have then come to sit with Christ on his Throne when others content themselves with a Talk of Christ with a formal Profession of him without Life and Power or leaving any thing for Christ you have seen it your Duty incumbent upon you to leave and forsake all Sin and Evil for Christ's Sake and to dye to your own Wills and Righteousness for Christ's Sake that you might be made conformable to him and be dead and buried in Baptism with him and so through the Death of the first Earthly Adam you have obtained Life in the second Adam and so serve obey and live unto God by a daily dying to Sin and its Law that warred in your Members against the Law of your Minds whereby in times past you were led captive and could not do the things you would but now Glory to the Lord God forever you Conquerers by Christ Jesus Victory is given unto you over Sin with its Law and Death comes to be swallowed up of Life so by a faithful Continuance in the Lamb's VVar against Sin the certain Knowledge of a real Victory over Sin Hell Death and the Grave comes to be witnessed And you are of the Host of Heaven listed in the Heavenly Army under the Banner of Love and Standard of Righteousness which is lifted up to which many yet shall be gathered and Nations shall flock unto So you whose Names are written in Heaven under the blessed Conduct of Christ Jesus the Captain of our Salvation O follow him fully follow him whithersoever he goes if he cause thee to go through the Vail of Tears or Death pass on thy Journey with him be not weary of the Journey which the Lord of Life leads thee in and he will remove every high Mountain in thy Way that stands before thee and make it a plain and bring thee to the End of thy Journey and if thou meet with Frowns or Hatred from Professors or prophane men of this World thy Neighbours Acquaintance or Kindred in the Flesh it is but that which Christ Jesus the Captain of our Salvation met with when he came in that Body prepared for him to do the most great and Noblest Act of Love that could be done to Mankind in laying down his Life as a Ransom for all How was he frowned upon and hated of the World And he said his faithful Followers should be hated of all Nations for his Name Sake How was he hated in his taking Elesh upon him and in that Appearance by the chief Priests and zealous professing Jews who were zealous for the Law and Letter so much that they thought to have Eternal Life in

may be seen to be Bondage to the god spirit of this world whereby the Unfaithful to the Truth of God are vailed and so keep not clear nor pure their Consciences towards God or men as to the Language of Truth and Faithfulness therein Certainly God's holy Spirit is grieved especially with those who have been long convinced of the pure Truth of God and yet give such way to the Enemy's Temptations as that thereby they are kept out of the Language of Truth so not being faithful in a little or the lesser things that God hath by his Spirit led his People into blessed them in how can such expect to be Rulers over much or see much of the Glory of God that he hath revealed in these latter dayes And Dear Brethren and Sisters seeing you are called with a holy Calling unto Liberty let none use it as an Occasion to the Flesh let not the Liberty you use be fleshly but spiritual then none will take liberty in Words or Actions contrary to the Truth and the Spirit that led you into it nor none will be Heady or High-minded for that is out of Truth and the Spirit of it and goes before a Fall and they are not near in Relation to God nor like unto Christ Jesus that are High-minded neither do they feel the Lord to dwell in them and with them although they may have Tastes of his Goodness and be sensible of his Power at some times Now it is the Heady and High-minded that will not submit to the Spirit 's Rule Order and Government in the Heart and so would set up something of Flesh something of Man and rob the Spirit and Power of God of what belongs thereunto and so all the bad Rule and Disorder in Government got up and is kept up in the World Flesh would rule and have the Preeminence inwardly and outwardly and who are High-minded they love to have the Preeminence they love Lordship and Superiority above their Fellow Servants and will smite them that are of lower degree whom they ought to cherish and condescend unto Now saith the Apostle I would have no man to think of himself otherwayes then what is meet but every one to think lowly of himself to abase and humble himself as did our Lord and Master-Christ Jesus A lively Pattern for all to look at to be so minded and to follow his Steps in his Humiliation and enduring the Cross patiently despising all the Shame and Reproach he met with whilst in a visible Body of Flesh in the world Friends he hath left us an Example that we all might follow his steps and mark his steps that never stept into any Evil nor was Guile found in his Mouth there will be no Headiness then there will be no giving way to the Lusts of the world the lusts of the Flesh nor the Pride of Life but all that with the Light Spirit of Grace will be seen and judg'd to be out of the Steps of Christ that we are required to follow so the things come to be pursued and followed which make for Peace in the particular and in the general so all high Thoughts and Vain Conceits will be judged down and shut out with the Power of the Living God and all Excess and Unnecessary Things used by any that profess the Truth either in Meats Drinks or Apparel will be denyed and come out of and there will be no fashioning themselves like the World nor getting into their Fantastick Garbs and foolish vain Fashions as they are brought in but all will be kept to modest and plain Attire such as becomes the Truth of God and was in times p●st for some are greatly to be blamed who make a Profession of Truth who let their Eye after every Fashion almost as soon as it appears Women appearing in Attire immodest and unbecoming the plain Truth of our God both in City and Country and I write this that they may be asham'd that are guilty in this matter without any Reflection upon them that are clear and innocent as I know a Remnant are both in City and Country Glory to the Lord God forever who hath made his Power known and subjected the Minds of a Remnant so to it that their Communication and Conversation is honest before God and amongst men and is as becomes the Gospel and as those that follow the Steps of Christ Jesus who dwell in the Power of God You are the Lord's Jewels my dear Friends and Brethren O you are the purified It 's you that are made Holy Vessels fit for God and his Heavenly Treasure and that retain the Heavenly Treasure in your Earthen Vessels it 's you that come to walk with God in white for you are worthy when some walk after their Ungodly Lusts and after the Course of the World whose God is their Belly who glory in their Shame and mind Earthly Things Therefore as any Root of Pride High mindedness Self conceits or Bitterness would spring up in any let the Ax be laid to it or whatever Evil Root thou mayst find yet standing in thee or which would again spring up in thee dally not with it give it up to the Sword and spare it not and so seel the Wicked bowed before the Just in thy own particular not only the wicked Branches of the evil Tree but the Root also then will thy cumbering Thoughts be gone then thou wilt not be overcome with Surfeiting Drunkenness or Cares of this World but wilt be sensible aware of the Day of the Lord and wilt do the Works of the Day and not of the Night or Darkness as the Apostle saith Ye are not in Darkness as others that that Day would overtake you at unawares for you are all the Children of Light and of the Day and how unbecoming is it for such to be overtaken with a VVork of Darkness or to walk in Darkness for none are overtaken in VVorks of Darkness but by walking in Darkness and being subject to the dark Power of the Prince of Darkness then Pride is not seen to be Pride but called Decency Civility good Breeding and good Manners then Passion is not seen to be Passion but accounted Fervency of Zeal to God and Darkness thus covering and overpowering the Creature such can keep evil Company more then doth them good yet say they cannot avoid it my Business Affairs and Interest lies in keeping all Sorts of Company and if I do not my Imployment and outward Calling is at Stake O you that know the Power of the Lord every where be subject to that let that good Power rule in you to the over powering and throwing down the Power of the man of Sin then by no enticement of any man high or low which thou mayst have Occasion with in Dealing or otherwise wilt thou be drawn into that that offends God or hurts thy own Soul Hadst thou not better come to hurt or loss in thy Trade or outward Business then to