Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A91509
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A Pastoral letter from a minister to his parishioners, being an earnest exhortation to them to take care of their souls; and a preparative in order to render all his future methods of instruction more effectual to their edification.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing P674; ESTC R181511
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9,457
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16
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they must receive the good even of all that Christ hath done for them And now if you will but lay these things to Heart your Reason and your Interest will both direct you how to behave your selves Methinks I hear some of you as Men deeply affected with the sense of these things with a serious and compassionate regard to their Souls crying out with St. Peter's hearers Men and Brethren what must we do to be saved I would to God that every Man would make this application to himself and if they do not it is too certain a sign that either they believethat they have no immortal Souls or that it is impossible they should for ever miscarry Give me leave a little to reason the case with you my dear Neighbours to perswade you to take care of your Souls Are they made after the Image and Similitude of God Why then will ye suffer them to be transformed to the Image of Satan Has God provided a Heaven of Happiness for them Why will ye be so cruel and unjust to them as to expose them to the intolerable Flames of Hell Since God the Father hath rated them at the highest value and expressed his chief concern for them Why will ye neglect and undervalue them as things of no price since God the Son thought not his own Blood too great a price for them Why do ye chuse to sell them for the trifling Vanities of this World since the Holy Ghost is continually at work to preserve them Whence comes it to pass that ye hardly think them worthy the slenderest part of your care since the blessed Angels are imployed in ministring unto them Why do ye defeat all their endeavours for your good since they rejoyce at the Conversion of Souls Why will ye refuse to afford them this matter of rejoicing where the greatest advantage will be your own Wherefore do you seek to gratifie our common Adversary the Devil so far as to permit him to disappoint the gracious purposes of God towards us Oh that Men can be so senseless as to see their Souls perishing before their Eyes without Remorse or Compassion that they can pass day after day without making any offer or attempt to recover them Consider you have not only the sin of your first Parents to be forgiven you but also innumerable Actual sins of your own and those perhaps committed against the light of your own Consciences against the express command of God against the dictates of the Holy Spirit against frequent Warnings and Admonitions from others and contrary to many repeated Vows and Resolutions These are aggravations suffistill there is hope there is a remedy even for such Sinners if they repent and return from their Sins and become sincerely obedient to the Laws of God and accept the Lord Jesus as their King their Priest and their Prophet God will for his sake accept them Remember that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without Blemish and without Spot 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. This was the ransom of Souls which God required and if you reject this he will accept no other and you do reject it and God so interprets it if you do not accept him upon his own terms if you do not give up your selves unto Christ to be guided and governed as well as saved by him otherwise you renounce all your part and interest in his Blood and do as it were declare you will not be beholding to him and then surely you cannot complain that God is unmerciful it he take the Forfeiture and condemn those who would not be saved by him The promises and Threatnings of the Gospel and all other the Methods which God hath used to reform and reclaim Sinners are all Instances of his great goodness to us of his zeal and concern for our Happiness and if we still continue to reject and set them atnought how just as well as severe will be our Condemnation Has he taken all imaginable care to oblige you to be king to yourselves and faithful to your truest interest and will ye still forsake your own Mercies If you thus wilfully seek your own ruin how righteous will it be in God to plague you to the utmost extremity Let me therefore beseech you even by all that is Sacred and Serious by every thing that is Dear and precious to you by your best hopes and the most important concern of your everlasting Being to take pity upon your poor Souls to consider the dangers whereto they are exposed to consult and comply with the means of their Preservation Learn I pray you to affect your Hearts with a serious sence of your danger to repent earnestly of your past sins sincerely resolve to be more Holy Watchful and Circumspect for the time to come pray earnestly for the Graces of God's Holy Spirit cherish in your Souls a lively Faith in the Mercies of God thro' Christ and in all respects as God shall enable you and you shall be hereafter from time to time instructed let your Prayers and your Endeavours be that you may be wise unto Salvation And that you may abound in all spiritual Wisdom and Understanding and may be accepted as faithful Servants of God and our Lord Jesus Christ in the great day of Accounts as it is the earnest Prayer so it shall be the constant endeavour of Your affectionate Servant in Christ Jesus FINIS