Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A52177
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A friendly admonition, or, Good counsel to the Roman Catholicks in this kingdom by Martin Mason.
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Mason, Martin, fl. 1650-1676.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing M929; ESTC R15732
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4,338
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10
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for your selves how easily and how honourably might you enjoy it and till then however you may feed your selves with conceits and fancies God's peace in your Consciences will never be your portion If you attempt the Ruine of his innocent People you will be found fighting against God and engage him to make War with you and will not he be too Potent for you Surely destruction and misery without mercy will be their lot whose delight is in cruelty Therefore take warning in time and be awakened Desist from all cruel Enterprizes turn your minds to the royal Seed of God in your own Consciences and hearken to the holy dictates of God's holy Oracle in your hearts Bow in time and bend unto it lest for your disobedience you be broken by it Break off the chains of Iniquity wherewith the Enemy of your Souls doth imbondage you Wash you make you clean believe in the Light of Jesus while it is with you that he may be a Saviour to you That which condemns sin in you would overcome sin for you would you but turn at the Reproof which comes from the Spirit of the Lord in your own hearts Could you truly witness true victory over sin that would be more honourable than the conquest of a Kingdom Oh! that you would put on the holy Armour of God then would you be a royal Camp indeed an harmless holy and an honourable People It would be safer for you to seek Reconcilement with God and to live at peace with all men than seek to lord it over all men in the exercise of their Consciences towards God so would the Prayers and Tears of God's People mount up to the Throne of Mercy for you and be of greater force and efficacy with the Lord on your behalf than all your Masses are or yet poor Souls you are aware of And as for that innocent despised yet noble-minded People reproachfully called Quakers there is no evil in their hearts towards you nor towards any of the Children of men but in the integrity of their Souls they desire God may be merciful unto you who through ignorance add unto their Afflictions not knowing what you do Therefore let not your hearts be filled with prejudice against them nor your ears too open to receive nor your hearts too ready to believe mis-reports concerning them When you find them really in Rebellion against good Government do not spare them but all then I warn you in the Name of the Lord do not oppress them nor in the secret of your hearts conspire to be the ruine of them but be filled with Christian love innocency and meekness towards them for I am bold to testifie for them they are as dear unto the Lord as the apple of his eye and that Soul that troubles or persecutes them for the exercise of their Consciences to God shall feel the indignation of God And if ever the Lord suffer you for the sins of the People to make use of your Armour and be a Rod to them that are better than your selves delight not in Cruelty but love Mercy and be cloathed with Pity and Compassion towards all men when 't is in your power that you may find mercy when your work is done for you will have need of it therefore glory not in your own strength nor think not to make the Consciences of the Innocent bow unto you because their Persons are lyable to be afflicted by you for though such may suffer under you yet can their Innocency never be conquered by you for Jesus hath chosen us and we have chosen Him as our General in our holy harmless War against the Man of Sin the Mystery of Iniquity wherein our Weapons are not carnal But in the Kingdom of our Consciences neither Pope nor King shall come but Christ yet to Caesar we can give the things that are Caesars and to none but God the things that are Gods Had Charles no worser Enemies than I Charles by the Hand of Man should never die Thus have I in the integrity of my heart breathed a little of my Love unto you and laid good Counsel before you what remains but that I leave it with you and breath in secret to the Lord for you that if it be his good will and pleasure the words of sound Wisdom may take place with you and not be slighted or rejected by you Happy were it for you could you delight in Innocency and love that noble Seed in your selves which counsels you to depart from Iniquity and would have you do to all men as you would have all men do unto you so would the blessing of God be upon you his delight would be to exalt you and he would cloth you with honour in the sight of the People But if his own dear Seed in you still be under-valued and its good counsel be set at nought or slighted by you and your sins preferred above that which would overcome sin for you if instead of meekness you act with fury and madness if you think to make the Consciences of the Righteous bow unto you shame and confusion will assuredly fall upon and an ill savour you will be unto all Generations Lincoln 10th day 9th Month 1662. MARTIN MASON THE END
A FRIENDLY ADMONITION OR Good Counsel TO THE Roman Catholicks IN THIS KINGDOM By MARTIN MASON Printed in the Year 1662. A friendly Admonition or good Counsel to the Roman Catholicks in this Kingdome SHall I need to tell you that this small Transcript in the tenderness of my love is sent unto you Or can you believe me that in the integrity of my soul for the good of yours this friendly Admonition is thus published by me If so then possibly it may meet with a kind reception from you But however I must deal plainly with you and when I have cleared my Conscience to you whether you hear or forbear I shall be clear of you in the day of the Lord. Ever since Cain contracted upon himself the innocent blood of his Brother Abel the Seed of Innocency hath suffered wrong and injury and met with Persecution from the spirit of Enmity The truth of this Assertion is so clear to the wisest of you that I need not trouble my self to prove it to you That the Church of Christ is of a Lamb-like Spirit clothed with Innocency Meekness Love Pitty and Compassion to all people the wise in heart amongst you cannot but acknowledge so I send you said Christ as Sheep amongst Wolves And were not they harmless Sheep indeed and did they not meet with many Wolves Did ever any of the true Followers of the lamb put on a wolvish spirit or use carnal violence to win a Convert Or did ever external compulsion convert a Sinner unto God Are not the Tares and the Wheat to grow together c. Is it not an undeniable Truth That which is not of Faith is sin and Faith is the gift of God Is not conversion of a soul from sin the inward work of the Spirit of God Can any thing draw the mind to God but the holy Spirit of God Did ever Persecution obtain its desired end and bring a blessing upon the Persecutors These things premised let me expostulate a little further â—ith you Have you not formerly been in a suffering-state your selves more or less concerning the exercise of your Consciences towards God hath not the Rod of Authority heretofore been held over you and a bridle to you Have not some of the Laws seemed to discountenance you Are there not yet penal Laws in being though little made use of against you Did you not count it hard measure when the yoak of the Prelates was upon you Did you not earnestly and submissively then plead for Liberty to tender Consciences would you not then have been pectorally glad of that Indulgence which the Clemency of the King now vouchsafes unto you Was it not then esteemed a Persecution by you when the Laws at any time were put in execution against you How ordinary was it with you to plead for Toleration and now that you have it can you not therewith be contented Be not so ingrateful unto God nor so unworthy to your King as to slight the Mercies of the Lord and abuse the Favour of your Prince What must you needs monopolize Caesar to your selves must the Sun shine upon no ground but your own How comes it that you are or would be esteemed so transcendently deserving of that Royal Priviledge above all other People Certainly God intends it not to the best of the sons of men Is it not Favour sufficient for you that Caesar smiles upon you but you must turn his frowns towards us and set the edge of his Authority against an Innocent People Is not his suspention of the penal Laws against you a large demonstration of his Princely Favour to you What will nothing but the Throne content you Certainly that will set the affections of many thousands in the Nation against you O that there were more true Humility amongst you that the Wisdom of God were with you that this Ambitious Itch were taken from you and the pure Love and Innocency of the Lamb of God more abounded in you Certainly it would be far safer for you to rest where you are than to rise up and fall for God will make War with Amalek to all Generations Never shall any People prosper who use Persecution and seek to establish their Religion by a carnal Compulsion Conscience is Christ's Throne Kings and Lovers do not use to love Corrivals Be wise therefore in time and take not too much upon you lest that which you have be taken from you Say not within your selves the Strength of the Nation now is for us Come let us inrich our selves in the Ruines of the People for though the God of our Innocency may suffer you for a season to mount a little higher than yet you are yea if he should give you the necks of your enemies the proud Prelates and Presbyters to tread upon yet know this assuredly if your intentions be to build Sion with blood and force all others to bend unto you your design will deceive you the blood-thirsty spirit is not of God nor shall such as are guided by it live out half their dayes That spirit which seeketh its own honour more than the Praise of God ever meets with blastings instead of blessings from God You need not go far for a proof of this Assertion How many Over-turnings hath this Nation witnessed within these thirty years and all because Iniquity hath abounded God hath been dishonoured Solemn Engagements to God for Christian Liberty to his People violated and tender Consciences oppressed and shall the same if not greater sins lye at your door and the destroying Angel not enter into your houses if you repent not and give Glory to God If you find it so then you may say there is no God in Israel This therefore I have to say unto you and O that my words might be wisely pondered by you and get a good entrance into you Let not vain imaginations any longer deceive you for as sure as the Grapes of Sodom and the Fruits of Gomorrah are found amongst you the hand of God will overtake you Let his Witness search you and if he spared not others that are gone before you for their Treachery to God and Oppressing of his People think not you whose Idolatries and Sins be equal with or surmonnt theirs for where you have Power your little Fingers are heavier than their Loins to escape divine Justice for God will reckon with you and render a Reward unto you according to your Deeds I say be not deceived God will not be mocked such as you sow such shall you reap When therefore you are in the height of your strength let not Wisdom and Moderation be strangers to you nor a furious Spirit of Revenge be active in you Happy would it be for you could you conquer in Love first your own unreasonable wills and then with innocency love and patience win the Affections of the People Could you be as well contented to give Toleration to tender Consciences as not long since you were willing to take it