Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	law_n	life_n	sin_n	22,698	5	5.7840	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85140	The heart opened by Christ; or, The conditions of a troubled soul that could find no true rest, peace, comfort, nor satisfaction in any thing below the divine power and glory of God, breaking forth and appearing in several operations and manifestations, by the blessed spirit of the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of the soul, God manifesting himself in flesh, that he may glorified in spirit. With, a word to those that are for the approbation of ministers; and something to those that scruple about the receiving or not receiving that which they call a sacrament and communion of saints, at Easter, Penticost, Christmas, so called, and other festival and set daies, or any other time when it is to be administered by those priests that profess themselves to be ministers of Christ. Written in the year 1654. in the third moneth, commonly called May, by R.F.	R. F. (Richard Farnworth), d. 1666.	1654 (1654)	Wing F485; Thomason E745_7; ESTC R207062	17,335	24

my earth was disquieted and did mourn and I lamented but no eye pittied for they were to me as Jobs miserable comforters and instead of healing they wounded and set me to act and do in my will as I had done and bad me repent and believe and the like but never told me neither how to repent nor believe by experience and so I was still as far from peace and rest as I was before and the righteous Law was set up in me which did condemn me for all my self-actings and wearied me out of all and the curses rung in my ears cursed cursed cursed art thou for thou dost not continue in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them and the pure was stirred up in me and wounded the Serpent time after time yet not meeting with any true shepherd that could direct to walk by the footsteps of the flock to come where the fold was I wandred to and fro from mountain to mountain in cloudes and thick darkness and the hireling shepherds instead of seeking a poor lost sheep that wandred and wanted life and refreshment they drove me off and set their dogs on me and chaced me away from them and so fulfilled the Prophesie of Ezekiel the 34 Chapter For when I could not find any rest peace comfort or satisfaction in any thing that I could do and durst not but go to hear some of them when I came there none spake to my condition but all was confused what they builded up in the forepart of their Sermons Isa 56.10 11 Phil. 3.1 2 3. Rev. 22.14 15. they threw it down again in the hinder part and began to rail and bark like doggs and cryed out of Hereticks and Schismaticks and the like I could not bear it because that when I asked them the ground of error Schism and Heresie and would have had them not to cry out of those things but lay them open and make them known to the people to be avoided but they still kept barking and snarling at my heels or behind my back but not to my face and they set the curs to bark and javver in the streets and they would rayl upon me and others that walked in any tenderness of conscience Souldiers and others that then feared God and if we had been speaking two or three together they would have called us Tub-Preachers and Sectaries and Independants and the like and railed on us wagging their heads as the wicked did at David and so they fulfilled the saying of the Lord by the Prophet My sheep wandred upon all the mountains and upon every high hill yea my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth and none did search or seek after them Ezek. 34. 6. and saith the Lord to the hireling Shepherds that eat the fat and cloath themselves with the wool who feed themselves and feed not the flock the diseased have ye not strengthened neither have ye healed that which was sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken neither have ye brought again that which was driven away neither have ye sought that which was lost but with force and cruelty have ye ruled them and so have they fulfilled the saying of the Lord by his Prophet Ezek. 34 3 4. but still my soul longed to see the salvation of the Lord and many a day did I weep and cry and looked upon my self to be the miserablest creature that was upon the face of the earth and I could not rest till I left off for going to the Steeplehouse which was by them called a Church and this promise of the Lord came in I will teach thee freely my self and all the children of the Lord shall be taught of the Lord and in righteousness shall they be established Isa 54.13 14. Ezek. 34.11 12 c. But when I left off and did not go to Church as they called it and had been so diligent to hear repeat and write Sermons and pray and perform duty and the like then came some professing people that I had been very intimate with and they perswaded me to go to the Church again and said I should give great occasion of offence to many if I left off that had been so as I had been and the like so that they prevailed with me to go sometimes but great trouble was upon me when I was there hearing them lie as they did and there was much pressings in my spirit to speak to them openly but I was hindred and rose up and went out and left them with resolutions never to hear them more come on me what will come and then stayed away till some came to me and wept over me to entreat me to go again and could not prevail and some that had command of me in the outward would have come and threatned me what they would do if that I would not go to the Church as they called it and it was their duty they s●id to cause me to observe them in their commands To the which I answered and said that in any outward affairs that I could do they should command me and I would be subject to them but as touching the worship of God they were not to command me contrary to my conscience for they were but earthly minded people though they were great in the world and of a great profession and the natural man knew not the things of God because they were spiritually to be discerned so I desired them to pardon me in that thing 1 Cor. 2.14 for I could not go with them to the house of Rimmon to worship I should be willing to die rather then to offend my conscience in what I was convinced of and offend my God to serve mens wils whether is it better to obey God or man judge ye for I cannot be subject in that thing So I was made to deny the Priests and their way of worship Luke 9.23 Mat. 10.38 16 24 and deny all that which I had gathered together under them and wait upon God for teaching counsel and direction in all things according to his promise which he hath fulfilled and in waiting upon the Lord in the light of the spirit of truth I found much inward peace Rom. 7.9 10 11 12 Rom. 8.2 3 4. Hagga 2.6 7. 1 Pet. 1.25 Jam. 1.21 Rom. 10. 6 7 8. Heb. 4.12 Col. 3.16 Job 28.7 8 9 10 11. 1 Cor. 1. 26 to 29 1 Cor. 2.12 13. Phil. 3. 2 Cor. 4.8 9 10 11 Gal. 1.11 12 15 16 verse Eph. 4.4.5 1 Pet 1.22 23. Joh. 6.51 1 Pet. 2.2 3 4 5. Joh. 14.16 17. Rom. 8.14 15 16 17. Joh. 14.26 Col. 1 25 26 27. joy comfort and satisfaction to my soul and the righteous law of the spirit of life set up within convincing of sin and the righteous judgement of God condemning all unrighteousnesse as the light and law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus did discover it in me and the eternal

you be saved if you neglect so great salvation as you conceive that holds forth to your souls Let me tell you Col. 2 20 21 22 23 that is carnal and perishing and the perishing mind feeds on it and you neglect the body of Christ therefore touch it not Colos 2.21 22 23. Now if you look for that to be necessary to salvation and without it you cannot be saved then do you make an Idol of it and set it up in the room of Christ and so would make it a Co-Saviour and there contradict the greater with the lesse for he himself saith he is able to save all that come unto God by him Heb. 2.0.10 14 15 and he is not to be found now that he is glorified and ascended in that carnal right and weak and beggarly thing and there you err through weakness not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God unto salvation Heb. 10.9 10 to verse 19. For thirdly in that very thing which you call the Lords Supper and Communion of Saints you are unfit to be a communicant to partake of the body of Christ which is not carnal but spiritual whilst you are carnally minded you are enemies to Jesus Christ and he hath no communion nor fellowship with those that are proud nor with those that are covetous nor with those that are drunkards nor with those that live in pleasures nor with backbiters nor haters nor with any that live and take pleasure in unrighteousnesse Rev. 20.15 for such shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Gal. 5.19 20 21. verse Rev 22.15 16 verses Fourthly Then those which are not fit for the Kingdom of God are no fit communicants neither have they any right to the body of Christ and so eat and drink damnation in not discerning the Lords body now that he is ascended and glorified from a little bread and wine which is earthly and natural and to be received with wicked men that live and take pleasure in unrighteousnesse and such are in the flesh and their communion is not in the spirit and they are sacrificing to devils and theirs is no communion of Saints 1 Cor. 10 20 21. but a fellowship with wicked men and devils Fifthly But there is an imitation by the carnal minded ones who live in death and darknesse from the letter which is death to set up the form of a thing and lives in shadows without a substance and this you say is a thing that ought to be done because that Christ himself did break the Passeover with his Disciples True it is he did so to shew them what death he was to die his body was to be broken Mark 14 chapt Mat. 26.20.21 22 to v. 33. Mat. 28.5 to 11. v. and his bloud to be shed and that was the figure and they were to observe it till he came to rise from the dead and they did so for saith he As often as ye do this do it in remembrance of me for therein they shewed the Lords death till he came to be sacrificed upon the Crosse and his body there to be broken and his bloud to be shed for before that Christ broke the the Passeover with his Disciples they knew not what death he was to die and they did observe it till he came to them again after his death and then the shadow was put away and the life was manifested in power and the substance was come unto them for he shewed himself to those very disciples which he broke the Passeover with before his death several times and by many infallible testimonies to confirm them that it was him that was risen from the dead and came unto them to strengthen and confirm them in the faith life and power of truth as the Scripture witnesseth Sixthly But do you read that Christ gave any command to his Disciples to observe that thing after his resurrection when he was come to them again read the first of Acts and before that he ascended into heaven you may see when he had called them together what command he gave them at his parting with them Act. 1. c. and there is no mention of any such carnal thing by him after his glorification therefore do you erre not knowing the Lords body and Communion of Saint which is in the spirit or life of Christ Seventhly None are fit Communicants to have fellowship with Christ that lives in their sins 2 Cor. 6.14 10 18 1 Cor. 10.20 21. 1 Joh. 3.8 9.10 v. for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols he that hath communion with Christ doth not commit sin and that is a right communicant for he that commits sin is of the society and fellowship of devils and hath communion in wickedness for he that committeth sin is of the devil and is one of his communicants but he that is born of God sinneth not and hath fellowship with the Father and the Son and he that abideth in him and is in union with Christ sinneth not he that sinneth hath not seen him neither known him 1 John 3.5 6. verses Eightly Eph. 5.5.6.7 to 12 1 Joh. 3.7.10 Therefore little children let no man deceive you with vain words for because of those things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience and he that doth righteousness is of God and may have right and hath right to the body of Christ and his soul feedeth on Christ daily as in John the sixth Chapter where he saith he is the bread of life that is from heaven and whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternal life but that is not a little bread and wine which is carnal and not eternal John 6.54 for saith Christ Jesus My flesh is meat indeed and my bloud is drink indeed he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him John 6.55 56. Ninthly He is not there talking of bread and wine but flesh and bloud Is bread flesh or is wine bloud or are they joyned together the life of Christ if they were then he that had most of this world might have most of that food but the Kingdom of Christ is not of the world and the pure in spirit theirs is the Kingdom of God and bread and wine is so far out of the mind of Christ now where he is troubling the Jews for the carnal people can get into carnal observations and imitations but not into the spirit and life that Christ did exceedingly trouble the Jews in that saying John 6. when he saith I am the living bread which came down from heaven if any man eat of his bread he shall live for ever c. then were the Jews troubled at those sayings verse 51 52. and so are the Jews in knowledge now that hath a form without either life or power and knoweth not that bread which is the life of the Saints which they