Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	let_v	lord_n	word_n	7,980	5	4.1866	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43722	A testimony against the people call'd Ranters and their pleads and a call or invitation to them to return to the Lord again.	Hickock, Richard.	1659 (1659)	Wing H1918; ESTC R31100	6,504	10

A TESTIMONY Against the People call'd RANTERS AND THEIR PLEADS AND A Call or Invitation to them to return to the LORD again REturn and come down to judgement for down to judgement you again must come that judgement may have its perfect work to the bringing down of your imaginations which is hip't above the light of Christ leading guiding you to do such Works which you once would not have done when the light was your leader which being turned from you are become like the Sow that was washed which is again wallowing in the mire to the dog which is swallowing down his vomit which he once had vomited up so the wicked spirit which was once cast out being entred again hath made you seven-fold the children of the devil then before for before when you had done wickedly you would have confest it was so and that you should not have done it but now Wickedness is not counted Wickedness by you and so you are turned into the Way that leads to hell and destruction and you being turned from the light with the light upon your evil actions you do not look but with that part which begets brings them forth so looking with that eye upon the evil which begat moved and led into the evil the evil to that part which begot it and brought it forth doth not appear sinful so you conclude it is not sin Eph 4 18 19 20. Joh 12.40 And thus you being turned from the light of Christ you are deceived by the god of the World who having entered in again hath blinded your minds and intangled you again with the yoke that bondageth the true seed so instead of being grown up in the Way Work and Truth of God you are turned back into the iniquity and that in a higher degree of wickedness then before swearing and pleading for swearing acting working and doing other wickedness and laying it upon the Lord as him to be the mover and leader thereunto and they who durst not go from the counsel of God to do such wickedness you count them low and your selves high growne above such but where you are high it is in iniquity and wickedness where you being found are found far below the least of Gods dear and tender ones who durst not yeild their members servants to sin And with the light you are found to be below the least of Gods children and to this you shall confess when the light ariseth to your condemnation which shall be vvhen all the vviles and subtilties of the Devil cannot hide you who novv by his subtilty hath deceived you and made you believe that sin is not sin this he hath done by drawing your minds from the light into the imaginary part vvhere he vvorks and his vviles and snares are laid vvho is the Devil that old Serpent vvho hath no part nor place in the light and with the light his subtilties and vviles is now seen vvhereby he deceives you and thousands who are are turned out from the light And under the Name of light darkness the two states births seeds and conditions is declared which either in one or in the other of them every man vvoman is the swearers cursers lyars drunkards adulterous proud covetous and all manner of evil workers are in the darkness degeneration alienation and transgression children of darkness who are wandred from the spirit into the flesh where and in whom the works of the flesh is manifest whose seed birth and state is accursed So they vvho are come out from sin and evil and abide in that povver that keeps and preserves them so are in the light children of the light and of the day-time and are lead of the spirit of God so in and among them the works of the spirit is manifest and they are they whose seed birth and state is blessed and who are seperated not by the self-seperation but by the power of God from the World and from the ravening Wolves and wild devouring beasts who not onely destroyed the pure seed and life in themselves but also seek to do it in others by labouring to draw others mindes from the light of Christ into the liberty of the flesh where the devourer makes his prey who hath his servants for that end who will neither enter nor suffer others who would but lay wait for blood yea for their own blood and lurk privily for their own lives and they say Cast in thy Lot among us let us all have one Purse but wo shall come upon every worker of iniquity yea although wo hath been known yet wo again must come upon the transgressor who again is gone astray from the Lord and his spirit And this is a sure word to all you who are turned from the light into the liberty of the flesh and liscentious walking again 1. Now therefore you people called Ranters who wil swear and rant out one oath after another consider what and whose work you are doing for the Lord will bring every wicked work into judgement and return you a reward according to your work into your own bosome for God is not pleased with wickedness neither is he the Author of sin so you who will swear and do and act other wickedness and plead a motion of God to do so you are abusers of God and false accusers of him who is holy and unchangeable and cannot behold iniquity and therefore as he once called out from it and then condemned it he doth not now call into it and justifie it which he once called out from 2. And you who act and do wickedly and plead a cross in so doing who when you have done wickedly say therein you have taken up the cross To you I say Consider what cross it is which you take up for as the cross of Christ the light crucifies the world seed of the Serpent so there is a cross which crucifies Christ the true seed and birth of God when you vvere coming out from vvickedness and sin then the light of Christ vvas a cross to the sin and evil that you were to come out from and to that part which was loath to have you leave the Devil vvhich being taken up redeemed you out of the evil so crucified that part which was loath to have you leave the evil so brought redemption to you this Light or Cross is not changeable as now to lead into what it before lead from neither are they changeable who walk in it but you being turned out from the light are gone into the imaginary part vvhere you are lead by the subtilty of the Serpent vvhose Wiles Baits and Snares are laid there in the imaginary part where he moves vvho moves to lead you into such Wickedness as you vvere once redeemed from or durst not have done when the light vvas your Leader and as the light when it moved it vvas a cross to that part vvhich vvould not have you leave sin so now the Serpent

by his subtilty being got in again and moving to his Works again his motion is a cross to the light and life of Christ which before was raised vvhich being taken up crucifies the true seed and birth of God and so you have taken up a cross of the Devils making and not the true cross the cross of Christ which breaks the Serpents head 3. And you vvho say there is nothing sin if a man himself do not account it sin and so make it sin unto himself how is your latter end become vvorse then your beginning There vvas a time these and the like Words you durst not have uttered forth yet though the fear of the Lord be departed from by you yet the light of Christ is the same to day yesterday and for ever and condemns that to be pride and sin which men who are out of the light do not count sin but call it decency comliness and handsomness and men and people who are covetous who being acted by that part which leads them into the covetousness will sell dear and make hard bargains to others though they vvould not have others to do so to them and to heap up riches thus or by thus doing is not by such counted sin or covetousness but good husbandry and carefulness when the light of Christ condemns it to be sin though they do not 4. And you who say you can vvear gold and silver lace ribbans poynts keep up the fashions of the World though you once could not I believe you can but it is because you are departed from the light so have caused the glory of the Lord to depart from you whose glory is not in gold and silver and earthly things and you being given up to your own hearts lusts and desire have received the golden Cup at the Harlots hand that sitteth upon many Waters so are decking your selves with her glory who is arrayed in Purple and Scarlet colour and decked with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls the treasures of the Earth 5. You who say it was a cross for you to pull and rip of your Laces Ribbans Poynts c. but now it is a cross to you to put it on and so tells them that are in the coming out of those things as their eyes hearts and minds had been set in that though they now be ripping yet there will be a time they shall be made to put such things on again in the cross telling them that you witness this so that now it is no offence to you to wear such things nor to see others do so I believe you in this also But it was an offence to you when the light whose glory is not in earthly things was up in you if you can now put them on again and you see it a cross to put them on it is not a cross to the Devil to be found putting on the Worlds fashions again but to the light which called you out of them and wo is your portion who are found Enemies to the cross of Christ 6. And all you who are pleading a liberty and freedom to observe and do and walk after the manner of the World in their Words and Fashions who say you have unity and fellowship with all sorts of people you are Enemies to the cross of Christ which is a cross to the World and to its fruits and lovers which you being in its fruits unity your unity is with death and your agreement with hell and your liberty and freedom is bondage to the seed of God and between the Seed of God and the seed of the Serpent there is enmity and you who have unity where the seed of the Serpent is bowed unto are in the enmity against God and them in whom his seed is raised and have not unity with them who are in the light and walks in the light as children of the light whose fruits are wrought in God 7. And you who say If every man have his Teacher within him then to what purpose is it and wherefore do you or should any else gather themselves in company and meet outwardly And wherefore do you teach and preach to others Ans This we do because our minds are turned unto the light of Christ the measure of truth in our selves which leadeth us to meet together in the Name and fear of the Lord which they whose minds are turned from the light of Christ in themselves are not met in though they talk often of the Name and fear of God in their meetings so wants Gods presence in their Meetings and are not of God's Worship and such had need to be informed to their Teacher though for their age and time they might have been Teachers of others And we who meet in the Name and fear of the Lord we durst not leave nor cease from the assembling our selves together as the manner of some is and was and the fear of the Lord teacheth us to be obedient unto God and not to quench his spirit when it moves to speak whether in our Meetings or among the Idolatrous Worshippers or in Markets or High-wayes and though some have their mindes turned to the light of Christ where they find their Teacher within them and needs not any man to teach them yet being met in the light and fear of God where each may feel his power and presence that son or daughter amongst them which is moved of God to speak knowing his voice and motion ought not to quench his spirit but give up to it and when they have so done it is the spirit that speaks in them and so Gods teachings for God is a spirit and is witnessed in the children of light doth answer where it is raised unto his voice and thus by giving up to the motion of Gods spirit is the pure minds which is after God stirred up one in another and so our meetings together in the Name of the Lord and our speaking as we are moved of God is profitable and effectual for being met together in the silence waiting on the Lord in the light his voice is heard in each particular and as he moves in any to speak then such are not to be silent * Eccl. 3.7 1 Cor. 13.23 whether it be to exhort pray or prophesie and the spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets and they may all speak one by one for God is not the author of confusion but of peace as in all the Churches of the Saints and he gave some Apostles and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ c. * Eph. 4.11 12 13. And this Light of Christ in man which every one should own for their Teacher destroys not teaching or preaching forth words except it be that preaching which is not by the spirit of God but by the words of mans Wisdom after the