Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	good_a	heart_n	word_n	8,179	5	4.0825	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B06566	The experiences of God's gracious dealing with Mrs. Elizabeth White, late wife of Mr. Thomas White of Coldecot in the county of Bucks. / As they were written under her own hand, and found in her closet after her decease, she dying in child-bed, Decemb. 5. 1669.	White, Elizabeth, d. 1669.	1698 (1698)	Wing W1763; ESTC R186485	11,805	24

my spirit sometimes I was refreshed I could not tell how but I should be ready to think this was a delusion I remember the Scriptures were these Isa 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeys the voice of his Servant that walks in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Iohn 15.16 Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth much fruit and that your fruit should remain c. Lam. 3.25 The Lord is good unto the soul that waits for him and to them that seek him It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the Salvation of the Lord c. These words did support me very much therefore I write them out and laid them in my Closet that they might still be in my eye that I might when I looked upon them be incouraged to hope in and wait upon the Lord but these comforts were but transient but yet whiles they lasted they were very sweet supports but when gone I fell to doubting thinking all was delusions and thus I dishonoured God 〈◊〉 my unbelief I doubted much of my sincerity often saying I was an hypocrite but if at an● time I was asked in what I was one I could not tell but had this Scripture very often in my mind There is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof is death And so I thought I was but seemingly right and therefore must needs perish and in this condition I continued a long time but I heard that a hypocrite seldome or never doubted his condition and that it was a sign of sincerity to desire a sincere heart and this I durst not deny knowing that I did desire it rather than the whole world Thus being better satisfied I resolved to se● about my duty but all this while I did not see such a high price upon the Lord Iesus as I should but still I thought that I must do something to merit salvation not daring to venture my soul with all its concernments upon Christ therefore I should tye my self to pray six times a day and then I should be satisfied and thin● all was well with me then but if I at any tim● failed of my number then I was dis-satisfied and so in other duties so that my comforts did not flow from the blood and righteousness of Iesus but from my own duties but blessed be the Lord who likewise shook this foundation even because he had a favour to me for being in discourse with a friend he desired me to read Shephards sincere Convert which I did and here did I see as in a glass my folly for there were signs given whereby I might try my self whether I did rest in duties One I remember was this If I never saw I rested in Duties then it was a sure sign that I then did another was this If I prized the bare performance of duties so as to think when I had prayed with some life that I had done very well and again If I saw but little of my vile heart by Duties then it was a sign I rested in them and that I was yet in the way to Hell though in the cleanliest way and should certainly perish if I rested here Now this I plainly saw was my condition but how to get out of it I knew not for now I was in a worse condition than at the beginning finding it abundantly more hard to deny righteous self than sinful self I thought it wonderful strange that I must be saved by the righteousness of another if ever I were saved O this my proud heart was unwilling to yeeld to and yet I was very desirous of salvation But when the Lord had led me into my own heart and shewed me the vileness of that more and that if the Lord should leave me to my self I should commit all kind of sin and that with greedines such was the vileness of my nature and that if it were possible I should now live holily yet I could not satisfie the justice of God for what was past therefore I resolved to cast my self upon Christ Iesus that sure foundation which God had laid and not man and if I perished to perish here but much opposition did I meet with from Satan and my own heart before I could really do it I could seal to the truth of that scripture Eph. 1.19 That God did put forth his mighty power when a soul was made to believe but yet I was not at quiet but had many fears and doubts that all was false because I had been so often deceived and now I began to ●ee mine own vileness more than ever and ●ound my heart ran out to the Lord Iesus in love but doubted very much of his love to me yet sometimes I should have some perswasions of my interest in Christ and that his love was towards me and whilst this perswasion lasted I should be very comfortable be ready to think I should never be moved as David did but when God hid his face I was troubled and fell to doubting all again not having learned that heavenly skill of living by Faith but yet I did not wholly cast off my confidence but had some pin hole of hope in the worst condition I remember the consideration of this scripture Iohn 3.8 He that is born of God doth not commit sin filled me with many fears knowing how apt I was to commit sin notwithstanding my striving against it but a little while after I was satisfied understanding the place better that it was not meant of sins of infirmity but of making sins ones trade c. and this was I confident I did not but rather trembled at the thoughts of it but when this was over Satan and my own unbelieving heart will still be presenting something whereby to occasion doubts so that for the space of one year and a half I had scarcely any settled peace now and then a good word thrown in which would revive me for the present but the comfort would be soon gone as Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give and a new spirit will I put in you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh and will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes c. This Promise I should often plead with God very sensibly and with much confidence another was Iohn 11.25 I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth on me though he were dead yet should he live And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die This I remember was very sweet to me once when I was in great fear lest my heart should grow dead and when I was with Child I was much dejected having a sence of my approaching danger and wanting an assurance of my everlasting happiness

Ordinan●● of the Lords Supper Prov. 8.34 Blessed ar● they that watch daily at my gates waiting a● the posts of my door Mat. 20.15 Is it no● lawfull for me to do what I will with my ow●● This cheeked me and made me willing to wa● at that time But this is my comfort God 〈◊〉 unchangeable who I trust wil carry me throug● all the difficulties I shall met with here below● and I trust will ere long bring me to the e●joyment of himself where I shall be past si●ning and sorrowing And as a further test●mony of my interest in Christ by the effects 〈◊〉 my Faith I have these Evidences First My love to God which is greater th● to any thing in the world besides and my G● hath left it upon record that he loves them th● love him Prov. 8.17 I know my love is n● so great as it should be but I am sure n● greatest grief is that I can love him no bette● and in this case God will accept the will 〈◊〉 the deed Secondly I know my love is sincere by th● because I love the Children of God for as is 1 Iohn 5.1 Every one that loveth hi● that begot loveth him also that is begotten 〈◊〉 him and by this I know that I love th● children of God because I love God so tha● this is another evidence that I am passed fro● death to life even because I love the brethren 1 Iohn 3.14 Thirdly I can appeal to the Lord who is the searcher of hearts that the breathings of my soul are chiefly after holiness that I might be more like unto the Lord Iesus my desire is to serve God in all things and to have a real and hearty respect unto all Gods commandments I desire if it were possible that I might never sin more but rather that I might behave my self in all holy conversation as one that hath indeed and in truth experienced how good and gracious the Lord is I bless God I can truly say that my hottest conflicts are against those sins which are obvious only to the eye of God even my sinful thoughts though they come not into action O many a sad heart have I had when I have considered the vileness of my thoughts and yet have been unblameable in my conversation and this is still my daily sorrow and therefore I trust they shall never be my ruine but that the Lord will shortly re●oyce the heart of his poor servant in giving me the victory over these and all my other inbred corruptions which have so often made a separation between my dear Lord and my poor soul Fourthly I find a great change in any heart as touching the Word of God for where heretofore like a wretch as I was I esteemed a playbook before it now blessed the Lord I prize it before all other and good reason have I for it for by it hath the Lord quickned m● and therefore as long as I live I will give u● my self to walk according to the rule of it begin● the spirit of God to open the mystery of it to m● that so I might not only have the Letter b● the very mind of Christ Fifthly I see nothing in my self that mak● me more worthy of salvation than another know that I have deserved to lye in flames 〈◊〉 well as any that are now in the place of tormen● and that nothing but mercy hath stept betwe● my soul and everlasting burnings and ther●fore I heartily wish that I might always admiring of this free grace of God in chus●● me before the foundation of the world was la● so unworthy a creature as I am to set his l● upon me and let go so many thousands t● were more capable to bring Glory to his na● than ● am O the height and depth a● breadth and length of this love of God in Ch● Iesus which hath abounded to me a poor a● unworthy creature ● it is indeed such a love passeth knowledge and therefore I can no● sufficiently admire it whilst I am here in body which makes me long to be dissolv● that so I might know it more clearly and swallowed up in the eternal admiration of Amen And these are my principles which I tr● I shall hold fast even to my death 1. I believe that the Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testament are the word of God written by the Prophets and holy men as they were inspired by God to be the rule of Faith and life to his people I believe all that God in his word wills me to believe being perswaded by the spirit of God concerning the truth of it I believe that there is one only eternal God who hath his Being from himself and hath given a Being to all his Creatures both in heaven and earth and under the earth and from eternity to eternity doth whatsoever he will I believe that this eternal God-head is distinguished into three Persons the Father begetting the Son begotten and the holy Ghost proceeding from them both I believe that God created man in his own image in righteousness and holiness giving him dominion over all the Creatures and likewise gave him liberty to continue in this happy condition if he would but he having liberty to stand or to fall in his own hands quickly lost that happiness which God had instated him in by yeilding to the inticements of Satan so that breaking the commands of God he brought a curse upon himself and all his posterity so that all mankind by nature are now in a miserable condition children of wrath heirs of Hell c. And I do believe that God from all eternity knew what man would do when he had created him so that Adam's fall did but usher in as it were a greater blessedness for I do believe there hath been an eternal Covenant between the Father and the Son in the electing some to life even before the foundation of the earth was said so that no sooner had man fallen but God promised a Saviour even the Lord Iesus Christ who in his divine nature is in all things equal with God the Father and that such was his exceeding love and pity to poor lost creatures that had broken his commands and said themselves liable to the Curse that rather then they should perish he hath laid aside the Robes of his glory and took upon him the nature of man but without sin and that he was conceived by the holy Ghost born of a Virgin and while he was on earth was loaded with reproaches and scorns and did at last suffer upon the cross for the sins of his Elect where he bore the weight of Gods wrath in his Soul by his heaviness in his Agony and satisfied the Iustice of God in his body which was crucified till he dyed and I believe that he was buried and that the third day he rose again from the dead having conquered sin death and hell for believers and that he was seen of his Disciples and others