Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	grace_n	heart_n	love_n	8,186	5	5.1264	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56573	The testimony of that dear and faithful man, John Matern who had lived six years and faithfully served the Lord in his vocation in the family of C. T. now dwelling at Edmonton in Middlesex. Also, other blessed testimonies concerning him, and the truth itself; with something concerning his blessed condition in the time of his sickness, and when he was near his departure. With several testimonies of sensible children who had been under his tuition. Published that God may have his glory in preserving his faithful ones faithful to the end. A. P.	Matern, John, 1639 or 40-1680.; Paterson, A., Quaker.; Taylor, Christopher, ca. 1615-1686. aut	1680 (1680)	Wing P683; ESTC R217118	17,546	37

and from Satan's Power to his pure and Holy Power Grace and Truth in my inward parts in and through which he taught and enabled me to deny Ungodlyness and worldly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Glory and Honour be to his Name for evermore Now as the Lord God in his Love and Mercy hath reached unto my Soul and redeemed me out of the Hands of my Enemies through the power of his strength he also made me willing to deny my self every way and respect as to out ward Honour and Preferment which I could have enjoyed if I would have conformed my self to their way and Worship and vain customs and manners in life and conversation but the fears and dread of the Lord being upon my Heart I could no longer conform my self unto them but I freely gave over my School-office and imployment in Teaching Children trusting in the Lord he would not leave me and forsake me if I did faithfully follow him in the Regeneration which Work I felt begun upon my Soul in and through his Holy Heavenly Spirit of Grace and Truth manifested within me because of which I counted all my former knowledge and Honour as Dung and Dross for the excellency of the Truth and knowledge of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ whose power I felt Operating in me to destroy the Works of the Devil to serve him in Holiness and Righteousness according to the measure of Grace which he had given me and enabled me withal And seeing my self with some others were like a Pelicane in the Wilderness and as a Sparrow alone upon the House top sojourning in Mesech and dwelling in the Tents of Kedar amongst a Crooked and Perverse Generation covered with Grose Darkness hating the peaceable way of the Lord which according to that ability and knowledge I had then in the Lord I made known to them the Lord raised a desire in my Father-in-law who was a Priest to go out from amongst them and to go to the People of the Lord which he had Raised Gathered and Chosen for himself in England to enjoy his Holy Living Powerful presence in their Meetings and to partake of the quickning and refreshing vertue of the Life and Love of the Lord in his Light where the Saints Communion stands And as soon as he made it known to us his Wife and Children we found the same willingness and freedom also in us to go out from our Fathers House and Kindred not consulting with Flesh and Bloud what would become of us But being freely resigned and given up into the will of the Lord to dispose of us as he pleased we chose rather to suffer afflictions with the People of God and to undergo all Tryals and Exercises which the Lord might suffer to come upon Them and Us then to enjoy the pleasures of Sin and Vanities of this World for a Season And after we had made known our Desire and Intent to some of our Dearest Friends which several times did Write to us on the behalf of Truth and we understood that they were willing to receive us in the Love of the Lord we left all for the love of Truth and went away to save our selves from that Perverse Generation in all our Journey the Lord was with us and brought us safe and well with Joy and Gladness of our Souls to his Beloved People here in England where I now have been these six years employed according to the Lord's good will and providence amongst tender Children to instruct them in Languages and other necessary Sciences appertaining to this outward Life What troubles and exercises within and without I have met withal I willingly pass by as being light and momentary in comparison of that inward comfort blessing of my Soul which I have received of the Lord. For he in his endless Love and Mercy hath in a very great measure satisfied the Travail of my Soul and answered the earnest desires and breathing of my Spirit for the Children of our Family that he in his goodness would be pleased to appear unto their Souls and to manifest himself in his Holy Everlasting Power by which they might feel their Hearts melted tendered and broken before him the Almighty God their Creatour to Fear and Dread him in their Youth that at length that rough and perverse disobedient and stubborn Spirit which reigned in some of them to the grief and sorrow of our Hearts might be wrought out and a meek low and humble Spirit might be created in them through the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ which we also in the Lord's time have seen brought to pass in and through the Almighty Heavenly Blessed appearance and powerful opeperation of his Heavenly Spirit in our Family-meetings whereof we have formerly born our Testimony and do bear the same at this present time that the Power of the Lord is still self and experienced in and amongst us in our Meetings O the Glory of that first great and notable day of the Blessed Glorious and powerful appearance of the Lord God in and amongst the little ones of our Family The Remembrance whereof makes glad my heart and rejoyces my Spirit blessed be the Name of the Lord forevermore we cannot be still but are constrained in his Love which he hath shed abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us but speak well of his Name because of the Saviour of his Life which we still seel in the midst of us For the Lord hath not been with us as a Stranger that stays but for a night but we can say it of a truth that he hath hitherto made his abode with us the blessed effect upon the Hearts and Spirits of many Witnesses confirmed it For instead of the thorn comes up the Fir-tree and instead of the Pryer comes up the Mir-tree in as many as have Subjected their Souls unto the power of God bearing Fruits of Sobriety Righteousness Meekness and Godliness in and through the Blessed Operation of his Holy Spirit which he hath blessedly poured forth and is pouring forth upon them to the Glory and Honour of his name and for an Everlasting Sign that shall not be cut off Now the Lord hath been and is gracious unto our Souls and in his Grace and Love he daily renews his goodness unto us manifesting himself in his Love Life and Power when we meet together in his Holy Heavenly Fear O how doth he shed abroad his Love in our Hearts O how doth he receive our Spirits that many times we are even Ravished with his Love and so filled with his Power that our Cups are made to overflow with Praises and Thanksgivings unto the Lord. The desire of my Soul is that I and every one of us that have tasted of the good Word and Power of the World to come by which we witness our Hearts and Minds in some measure changed into the Holy and Righteous Image of the Son of God

who is the Light and Life of our Souls may never forget it nor give him any occasion to Withdraw his Love and Mercy from us but that his Holy and blessed Work of Regeneration and Renovation of our minde as it is begun by his Holy and Glolious Power it also may be carried on by the same that daily we may Witness an increase with the increase of the Lord and a thorow change in our inward Man from Glory to Glory as by the Spirit of the Lord that thus his Praises may be perfected out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings unto which he hath made known himself in his Heavenly Light and Life Mercy and Power Grace and Truth by which many of them are come to know the things of God and of his Spiritual Kingdom revealed within them in his Holy power Righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost which things are hid from the Wise and Prudent of this World because they hate and despise the Light of Jesus Christ in and through which alone they should receive the true and Saving Knowledge of God and his Son Jesus Christ whom to know is Life Eternal wherein also the operating virtue of the Living Bloud of the Son of God is onely effectually felt and Witnessed cleansing away all Sin and Iniquity unto the saving of the Soul from the Wrath to come that so an entrance may be adminstred unto it abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ wherein the Righteous live with God in unspeakable Joy and full of Glory O that many of the young and tender ones here with us may be kept in the Life and Virtue Wisdom and Power of the Lord God to the confusion of many in their Earthly Wisdom and the conversion of them from their Evil wayes O thou Shepherd of Israel lead them on Gently and Tenderly and go before them out and in as a Shepherd goes before his Flock and lead them to the Green Pastures of Life that Feeding there they may have Light and Life in them and that they may have it more abundantly and by it become an Eternal Excellency to thee and a Joy of many Generations O Lord I humbly beseech thee Bless our Godly undertakings and indue us with thy Heavenly Wisdom that we may bring them up in the nurture and admonition of thee O Bless this Family here and all the Families of thine inheritance every where with Heavenly and Spiritual Blessings in thy Son Christ Iesus O Lord keep keep and preserve me every one of us that have tasted of the sweet Love and Heavenly Power by which our Souls have been reached convinced and converted faithful unto thy self keep us always in a Living Sence of thy manifold mercies and tender Love to us that we may live in thy holy Fear and never return to folly any more but walk low and humble with thee our God and tender Father in Christ Iesus O Lord establish our Hearts with thytruth that we may never depart from thee Season our Souls with thy Holy Powerful Word of Grace that all our Words and Works may be Savoury and good for the use of Edifying strengthen our inward man with might by thy Spirit that under thy banner of Love we may fight the good fight of faith and keep a good Conscience and finish our course with joy and receive the Crown of Righteousness which is laid up for all them that love thy appearance in thy Heavenly Light So O Lord for all thy goodness and mercys and benefits both Temporal and Spiritual bestowed upon me and our Family my Soul praises and glorifies exaltes and magnifies thy holy Name Glory and Honour Wisdom and Power be unto thee who art God over all blessed for ever and for evermore Amen Edmonton the 24th of the 6 Month 1680. J. Matoi● He died about 7 Days after that he brought in his Testimony and caused it to be read amongst the Scholars My most Loving and Endeared Friend and Colleague John Matern being taken ill of a Feaver the 24th of the 6 Month 80. was called out of this Life the 1st day of the 7 Month a little after the 7 hour in the Afternoon THis is my Testimony and belief concerning him that he is entred into everlasting favour with the Lord who in his life-time much regarded the Honour of his Maker and it was the delight of his Soul to be imployed either amongst young or old in his Fathers business it was his hearts delight and Souls great joy to have the oppertunity to benefit others He was a Man very much Dead to the World the sense whereof I felt Livingly upon my Spirit at present and I hope the comfortable fellowship and Heart-gladding society that I have had with him for these three years and more and that wherein we have mutually enjoyed in one another shall never be forgotten by me but shall be matter of Praise and Thanksgiving to the God of true unity who was pleased to bless us together and work up our Spirits into an oneness so that I may truly say my Dear Friend to my knowledge was never exercised one way or another with sorrow or grief but my Soul was engaged to sympathize with him and to feel the weight of his Burthens and then we both breathed together to the God of Grace whose Mercies are infinite till he in his tender Bowels of compassion was pleased to afford ease and Relief And as in his Life-time we were Indisolveably knit together in our Spirits so that at his Death our Loves were not abated but much more Large then ever About Four hours before he departed we kept our Family Meeting in the room where he Lay i● being his desire and there Lovingly together we enjoyed one another in the Lord to the melting and tendring of I believe the hearts of all that were present And in the time of the Meeting he was filled with Divine praises and Heavenly Hymns and a Heavenly presence was felt supporting his Spirit all the time of his Sickness but more especially during the time of the Meeting so that he was first exercised in Singing Praises to the Lord and in magnifying his great Power evidenced in himself and in this Family his cryes were strong tha● the Lord might carry on his Blessed work begun in this Family and he besought the Lord to prosper his truth daily more and more every where till all were Subjected thereunto which he declared should come to pass he likewise confessed the many Singular favours he had Partaken of in this Eamily and as it were with regret bemoaned his absence from it so long that he should have so long wandered not knowing his place and service in the Body When the Children were all sitting round about him in the Meeting his Heart was open and large towards them in exhorting and beseeching of them to persevere and go on in the name and authority of the mighty God and that