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	life_n	work_n	6,139	5	5.3471	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89679	Some returns to a letter which came from a general meeting of officers of the Army of England, Scotland, and Ireland, sitting at Jame's Westminster. Also A blast from the Lord, or a vvarning to England, by way of exhortation to take heed, and not run upon their own destruction; which will be speedily, without true repentance. By a lover of the truth, and a prisoner for declaring truth abroad Ben: Nicholson.	Nicholson, Benjamin.	1653 (1653)	Wing N1106; Thomason E689_18; ESTC R203013	13,591	19

discerned Thus in plainness the Scriptures beareth witness with me and offer in figures as that of Lazarus and of the grains of corn cast into the earth and of the prodigal Son c. and before ever any can know perfecty that they are found they must know themselves lost and dead before they can know themselves alive This my son was dead but is now alive c. but none knows the things of God but the spirit of God Oh that you all tasted with me that you might feell how good the Lord is For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace and except a man be born again of water and of the spirit he cannot enter in no wise into the Kingdom of heaven which is within in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost Dear friends the time is come that many that were dead have heard the voice of the Son of God and are made alive and the time is still going on that all that are in the graves shall hear and come forth some to life and some to death Sin shall arise and be condemned but Christ which lay dead the seed shal live every natural man is a grave where Jesus Christ lyeth dead a new Sepulchre where never dead came but he So Christ called the Scribes and Pharises painted Sepulchres whited Tombes and graves that men goe over and cannot tell filthiness did bear all sway in them and smothered the good seed yet their outsides were so fair that none knew it but the spirit Nor doth any Naturall man know that he is a Grave and that Christ lyeth dead in him yet know that the seed is sown in all grounds and that the Light is come into all the world though it he did in the earth and darkness cover the Waters the light is put under a Bushell c. Lord open your eyes and consider what good will it doe you to believe in a Christ come to take away the sinns of the world and yet you live in sin for know assuredly that he came not to take away part of our sins and leave the other untaken away here you count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing wherewith you were sanctified Heb. 10.29 for I am sure he perfecteth for ever all that come unto him and the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sinn and he will save to the utmost them that believe in him therefore where sin is lived in there is but a dead faith and a false light which is the Egyptian Seas that must be dryed up False light put forth and dead faith made alive before the true faith true light and clear Christall waters flow into the soul to purifie enlighten ●nd cleanse it of all corruption for faith purifies the hear and true light guideth into the paths of righteousness and true Righteousness will like mighty streams runn down our streets all hath gates and goings and cleans them from all filthiness c. As for duty they that worship the Lord must worship him in Spirit and Truth for he seeketh such to worship him John 4 23 24. And they that Judge for the Lord must judg righteous Judgment as it is written He hath shewed th●e O man what is thy duty and what the Lord requireth of thee for to doe Justice to love Mercy and to walk humbly with thy God Micah 6.8 And this is the whole duty of man Fear God and keep his Commandments all which is to love God above all and our Ne●ghbour as our selves This Love is the Tree whereon groweth leaves that will Cure all Nations and whose Pruit will be meat for all People the Shatamits two Armies Love to God and love to Neighbours which overcometh all things both within and without this is the F●re of the Lord that will consume and bu●n up the whole World of Sinn and Corruption this is the destruction of the world that now is which is reserved for Fire untill the destruction and day of ungodly men this exceeding great Love of God shall overcome and burn up all the Heavens and Earth which now is all false rests whereon the the World doth center and they shall be swallowed up in this Love which is Heaven it self He that liveth in Love liveth in God God is Love and the Center of all Joy and Happiness whosoever shall abide therein shall have all hatred taken away and all things become new unto him New Love that shall last for ever New God and all the old Gods of the earth shall be famished the God of this World shall be served by him no longer Money New Christ newly risen from the dead or newly made manifest which had been often talked on New Life and the name written in the book of Life Righteous and true holiness the Lives thereof New Heavens and new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness and then shall Judgment be established in Truth in the Earth untill which time hee that Judgeth his Brother is a transgressor of the Law for they that judge their Brethren of any thing and are guilty of the same are vain men and have nothing to doe to judge any they are inexcusable As the Lord liveth that searcheth the hearts and tryes the reines if any Ruler or Judge of this Nation live in any of the seven Abominations spoken of Prov. 6.17 18 19 ver Or if any of them be set up in their hearts they can be no fit Judges to judge of Abomination in others and the Naturall man judging the Saints is but Esau warring against Jacob and untill the Lord shall throw down all Esaus forth of places of Authority there shall be no true judging of the Brethren nor true Judgement set up But least I should seem to you wholly to obstruct your proceedings or to set difference amongst you I shall come home to you in particulars Then know that after the Lord brought the Children out of Egypt they had a great way to pass before they came into the good Land which thing was a true and perfect figure of the spirituall Israels deliverance from the Egiptian bondage of sinn and corruption and all bondages of services whatsoever at whose deliverance they shall finde no less troubles in the spirit then the naturall seed of Israel did in the flesh which condition you are now in and shall find the Sea before the Egyptians behinde and great Mountaines on each hand The Red sea of persecutions before the Egyptian bondage of Sinn and corruption behinde ready to devour you and on each hand great Mountains on the right hand Carnall Worships and on the left hand Carnall Laws that incloseth you in that you cannot goe either backward or forward nor to each hand therefore take heed that like the Israelites you doe not murmure against the true Moses nor tempt God but know that as their strength were to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord so is yours now and then he will divide

SOME RETURNS TO A LETTER Which came from a General Meeting of Officers of the Army of England Scotland and Ireland sitting at Jame's Westminster ALSO A blast from the Lord OR A VVARNING TO ENGLAND By way of Exhortation to take heed and not run upon their own destruction which will be speedily without true repentance By a Lover of the Truth and a Prisoner for declaring Truth abroad BEN NICHOLSON London Printed for Giles Calvert and are to be sold at the Black-spread-Eagle near the West end of Pauls 1653. Some Returns to a Letter which came from the General Meeting of Officers of the Army of England Ireland and Scotland sitting at Jame's Westminster Dear Friends 1. WHereas you say that By seeking the Lord and humbling your selves before him he hath convinced you of your slothfulness in his Service and that your hearts have been looking after the things of this world and your own privat Affairs more then the things of Jesus Christ and his people Then consider that God which giveth light to discover them gross darknesses in the which you have lived in doth likewise require a departing from those evils and a walking up to what he hath made manifest in you For they that confess their sins and forsake them shall find mercy but if you again hide your sins you shall not goe unpunished 2. That A slothfull spirit hath overtaken you and you grew weary of the work of the Lord and were ready to say with Baruch that the Lord had added grief to your sorrow that you fainted in your sighings and found no rest Jer. 45 3. Then take heed and seek no longer great things for your selves for the determination of the Lord is to bring evil upon all flesh speedily and to pull down whatsoever it hath built and to pluck up whatsoever it hath planted and to establish truth and righteousness in the earth by his spirit 3. That Those who feared the Lord both in Army and elsewhere have not in this time of peace so improved their Interest or rather imployed their talent to the edifying each other as did the Churches in the primitive times boldly witnessed forth the truth in all places where they went Acts 9.27 to 32. then had the Churches rest c. Then be carefull for the time to come that like the slothfull servant you hide not your Talent in the earth lest the Lord take it wholly from you but improve it only to his use that he may establish peace amongst you that you may walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy Ghost that you be not cut off with the unprofitable servant c. 4. That The people of this Nation are subject to grievous oppressions through the obstruction of Justice and that the Lord might say to you What could I have done more c. as he said to his Vineyard Isa 5. And he looked for grapes judgement and righteousness but behold wild grapes oppression and crying c. Therefore beware that iniquity be no longer lived in nor oppression upheld by you nor any thing that may cause a cry or complaining of iniquity oppression or unrighteousness among you but bring forth the true grapes judgement and righteousness lest the Lord take away the hedg which he hath set about you and let you be eaten up as all they that have brought forth wild grapes are and troden down laid waste and not digged but there come up briars and thorns and he command the clouds that they rain no rain upon you as Isa 5.5 6 7. verses 5. That Through the corruptions of many in places of Authority some good men have been made to suffer for conscience sake and many bad men have taken encouragement to act in their licentious principles and prophane practises by reason whereof wickedness doth very much abound amongst us Then let it be a warning to all you who see these things in others that you live not in them your selves lest now you shall judge your selves afterwards and take heed that the corruptions which you speak against in others be not upheld by you that good men suffer not under you that by your injustice none take encouragement in any licentious principles or prophane practises and wickedness abound amongst us as now it doth being rather countenanced then truth to speak openly and reprove it c. Therefore like men of truth fearing God and hating covetousness be what you seem that in all things righteousness may be acted by you according to the will of God who made man only to serve him c. that as it is written Our Iudges may be restored as at the first Isa 1.26 to end That our Officers may be peace and our exactors righteousness Isa 60.17 18 c. That Kings and Queens all in Authority may be nursing fathers and nursing mothers of truth and Godlyness that all oppression may be taken off from the poor and all cruelties cease and that crying may be no more heard in the land nor complainings in the streets Isa 46.33 Psal 144.14 And seeing that upon all these considerations forenamed you are strongly convinced that it is a duty very much incombent upon your spirits to awaken your selves and by all lawfull means endeavour the procuring of these things following and surely to prevent the forenamed grievances Then be carefull if you be convinced to obey the Lord in all things you are convinced of and take heed of smothering any thing the Lord hath made known unto you for that is a strangling of the righteous one Jesus Christ which is forbidden Act. 15.20 but be valiant for the Lord and execute true judgement and righteousness every one in your place and let mercy be over all your works that mercy may be shown upon you I am 2.11 to end and take heed of judging for men but stand up for the Lord and judge for him that he may establish truth peace and righteousness amongst you The second Conviction as to duty 1. You say that For the many inconveniences apparently arising from the long continuance of the same persons in Supream Authority that there may be successive Parliaments consisting of men faithfull to the Interest of the Commonwealth men of truth fearing God hating covetousness Then it will follow that no untrue man no wicked nor covetous persons can have any right in the election or choice of or being in any place of authority for those only are fit to rule for the Lord that are ruled by the Lord in all things which power is ordained of God and is to be honoured and he that resists shall receive to himself damnation 2. That The Laws may be regulated that all things whatsoever is good in them may be maintained and whatsoever is really burthen some may be taken away c. Then whilst there is any Law made or upheld by the wisdom and policy of man or whilst there remaineth any evil principl'd or covetous person in any place of