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
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

to shake all hands from taking bribes and all ears from hearing bloud and all eyes from seeing evil then shall we need no Scribe nor Receiver nor counter of the Towers none to write our accusations one against another nor to receive money for the same neither will there need any taking account of men or numbring of Armies the Towers or strengths of Nations but we shall dwell safe up on high even in the munition of rocks in the Lord God Almighty our bread shall be given us and our waters shall be sure and we shall see the King in his beauty and we shall dwell in the Land which we have seen afar off Jesus Christ the spiritual Land and Ierusalem spiritual Ierusalem shall be a quiet habitation that shall not be taken down nor one of the stakes never a Saint of God shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken for the Lord will be there the Judge Law giver and King he will plead for us and save us from the hands of all that hate us Isa 33.21 22. and we shall need no steering in the filthy waters of the light of natural or carnal man by the Powers of the earth the rotten Gallies nor with the humane learning and policy the sore crackt Oars and will presently be broken to carry us over the poluted above the carnal and through the corrupt ways of faln man nor need we any fighting to defend us from them but the Lord will only save all that trust in him his name is a strong Tower the righteous shall fly thither and be safe this is the strong Tower which the Lord God hath ordained for his people salvation is the walls and bulwarks thereof eternal safety and happiness is in the Lord Jesus and though fear lay hold upon the wicked yet the Godly shall neither fear nor be afraid Thus the righteous shall be as bold as Lyons but the wicked shall fly when none pursues as may be instanced by many though nameless who runs to the powers of the earth to help them and climbs up to the tops of the ragged rocks to save themselves yea and cals to the mountains to fall on them and to the hils to cover them but they all cannot save them from the presence of the Lord for the breath of the Lord and the brightness of his appearance in his Saints shall consume all the whole body of Antichrist whereof they are members the Town-Clarks of England which shall cease ere long for behold the great day of the Lord is near at hand and will consume every evil doer therefore come out of your Idol worship and be ye separate from your iniquities out of the Coasts of Babylon lest ye perish with the evil doers and know that the carnal man hath no right though he take power to himself Cain-like to judge the Saints neither is it sitting that a Lyon should judge a Bear nor a natural man a natural man for God is Judge of the whole earth and a natural man knows not the things of God nor can he do any good thing neither is it any reason that a Wolf should judge a Lamb every natural man is a Wolf and every spiritual man a lamb as it is writen The spiritual man can be judged of none but he himself judgeth all things and the Saints shall judge the world and the Kingdoms of the world shall be given to the Saints of the most high and they shall reign and rule in righteousness for ever c Ob. But may some say that is after death Ans It is true for whilst men live in sin and iniquity they cannot deal righteously nor do justly for he that committeth sin is the servant of sin and no man can serve two Masters c. And untill the corruption of the natural man be taken away and incorruption placed in the stead and the vile bodies be changed no good thing can be brought forth for an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit the which every natural man is man being in honour considered if not become like the beasts that perish every man in his first nature is a beast and what reason is there that a beast should judge of any thing and for the Saints of God they cannot smite any but by love for as they have put on Christ so walk they in him as patterns and examples servants to all the which none can do whilst they are alive in or unto sin for they are dead unto Christ and untill Christ live in them they can do no good thing John ●5 5 to end and this is the resurection the Scripture speaketh on and the Saints are made partakers of and all they who have part therein the second death hath no power over this is the true resurrection of the invisible or spiritual body of Jesus Christ in this Tabernacle or visible body but it is a great mysterie for we shall not all die but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye c. but none knows these things but those who are taken into the being of them and lives in them I desire from the very bottom of my heart you were all so changed c. Again the Scriptures holdeth forth and the Saints knows a day of judgement within and the Kingdom of heaven to be within which are so hard to be understood that they who are unlearned or undisciplined cannot understand but wrest to their own destruction as in 2 Pet. 3.16 likewise saith St. Paul Reckon your selves dead unto sin but alive unto righteousness As Rom. 6. cap. And whilst we were dead in trespasses and sins hath he quickned us together with him And again he said I was alive without the Law but when the Commandment came the Law written in his heart sin revived and he died to sin he was alive in sin untill the righteous Law which came forth of Sion met with him and for sin condemned sin in the flesh but made him alive to the Law of righteousness that Law is quick and powerfull wherever it meeteth with any it kils sin in them but giveth life in God and how can they which are dead unto sin live any longer therein Rom. 6.2 They who have passed from death unto life can testifie this resurrection and none else for they know that they are translated from death unto life because they love the brethren and they know they know they love them indeed because they love God and keep his Commandments for the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus living in them frees them from the Law of sin and death and thus the same power that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead quickens their mortal bodies and this is the resurrection that whosoever liveth in and believeth shall never die more This will dazel some of your eyes c. as saith the Scripture The carnal man cannot discern the things of God because they are spiritually

authority it cannot be but burthens vexations and grievances will be upheld for he that cannot rule his own house well or rather is not ruled by the Lord and all his passions subdued can never be fit to rule for the Lord. 3. That Liberty and protection may be given by a Law to all the truely Godly though of different iudgements to worship God peaceably without imposing upon or molesting one another but no encouragement be given to such as are Popish or prophane in the exercise of their superstitious forms and licentious practises Know that the worship of God is spiritual for he is a spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and truth And where there is a Government by the spirit of God living and ruling in those that Govern there will be unity with the worshippers and Governors in that one spirit where they both live and there will need no outward Law to protect the worshippers from being persecuted by the Governors for none ever hated their own flesh and surely the spirit of the Lord ruling in the Rulers cannot hate or persecute the spiritual worshippers neither was it ever known to persecute any but overcame all things with goodness nor since the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh it was never read nor known that any of the Saints or servants of God did impose any corporal punishment in any manner upon any one but by exhortation reproof and correction with spiritual weapons beating down all the strong holds of sin and bringing into subjection every evil thought and imagination of the carnal heart 2 Cor. 10.4 5. which stands up in opposition against the truth of God which is the sire the Scripture speaketh of which shall burn up all the old earth and heavens the carnal parts of man it is that love that shall overcome all things and place it self only But we look for new heavens and earth wherein shall dwell righteousness 2 Pet. 3.10 11 12 13. ver Behold therefore what manner of persons ought we to be in all godlyness and holyness of conversation of life 4. That The Gospel of Iesus Christ you say may be dispenced to all the people in this Land and that all those that labour faithfully in that work may receive all due countenance and encouragement Those who are faithfull labourers in the Gospel of Christ dare trust Christ for maintenance though they be sent out without bag or scrip shoes or two coats Luk. 22.35 For God that clothes the lillies of the field and feeds the ravens when they cry unto him will not let those that trust in him want any good thing Mat. 6.26 For he cares for all those which cast their care upon him and if he spared not his only Son Iesus Christ but delivered him up to death for us will he not with him freely give us all things richly to enjoy Rom. 8.32 And all the Scriptures beareth witness with these things and I am sure that those who are the Ministers of Jesus Christ have faith to believe that their Master will provide for them in all things and so takes care for nothing but how to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ wholly doing his will and can tell how to abase and how to abound Phil. 4.12 13. and are content with imprisonment as wel as liberty with wants as well as fullness and in all things shew themselves approved as the Ministers of God and Messengers of the everlasting Covenant 2 Cor. 6.4 to 10. As there is many now adays and not a few tryed ever praised be the Lord for it Further you say What the Lord shall set upon your spirits by way of Conviction either as to sin or duty if you communicate the same to us we shall take the same as a signe of your acceptance of this our brotherly freedom towards you But whether you mean to all or to the Souldiery onely I know not I as one who have obtained mercy from the love of God living in me and love all men without respect of persons see the Lord stepping towards Sion and he will speedily be in his Temple and I see the walls of Babylon falling and they will speedily be all thrown down at which the Inhabitants of the earth shall mourn but the Saints shall be exceeding glad and rejoyce But to the words as convicted as to sin or duty you mean what sin is to be punished and how and what duty is to be used and how I answer And guides my light forth or sets it upon the top of the Candlestick that if the Lord will all that read may see white from black light from darkness love from cruelty and saith thus All sin is to be punished with fire for Tophet is prepared of old for high and low the pile thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a river of brimstone doth kindle it Isa 30.33 and the man of sin or all sin in man shall Jesus Christ destroy with the breath of his mouth and the brightness of his coming as experience doth plainly declare when God doth manifest himself to the creature then is the time of Christs coming and the time of the destruction of sin in every man yea he is that happy one that shall dash in pieces all the brats of Babylon every sin is a brat of Babylon and every Saint of God is a living stone with the which Jesus Christ shall dash in pieces all the children of Babylon and those living stones ere long shall be so common in every street that a brat of Babylon shall not look out but by them be dasht in pieces Thus the stream of righteousness shall run down our streets like mighty rivers and cleanse every corner from filthiness and the glorious Lord God shall be unto his people a place of broad rivers and streams wherein shall go no gally with oars nor gallant ship shall pass there thus shall the presence of the mighty God of Iacob cause the earth to fly away and the mountains to remove out of their place all the earthly powers and buildings of men the great men and Rulers of the earth are the mountains which shall be removed and the pillars that shall be shaken and all carnal actings of man is the earth that shall fly away when God appears as he hath already begun whose appearance is as the morning and there need no borrowed lights there this is new Ierusalem that the lamb shall be the glory of and there shall be no need of any outward Law to direct to walk but the inward Law of righteousness which the Lord will place and write in the tables of every mans heart and the Lord alone shall be the teacher and sole ruler of his people for I am God Almighty saith the Lord all in all all over all and will presently dispose of all things to his own praise and glory he will cause to walk uprightly to speak righteously to despise the gain of oppression and