Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	lord_n	people_n	word_n	7,267	5	4.0951	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95904	A few things of great weight offered to the consideration of all sober people, and to friends of truth more particularly, with relation to their early care and Christian endeavour to season the minds of their children while they are young, with the sense and savour of the spirit of truth / by Richard Vickris.	Vickris, Richard, d. 1700.	1697 (1697)	Wing V338; ESTC R42492	9,717	45

it may be truly said they suffer not their Children to come unto Christ that he might Bless them and tho' not in Words yet by their Deeds they forbid them and so are unlike the Blessed Example of Abraham the Father of the Faithful of whom it was said Gen. 18.19 I know him that he will Command his Children and his Household after him and they shall keep the Way of the Lord c. Whereby we may observe that Abraham's Care in this Respect was attended with the Word of Faith which was a Word of Power and Command which had a Blessed Effect and was the Reward of his Faithfulness to God and if we be like-minded and follow his Example the Lord will be with us to Abilitate and Furnish us for the Effecting the same good Work by us which Spiritual Ability from God is my Earnest Desire we may all wait upon him for who hath Promised to give his good Spirit to them that ask him And now as the State of little Children it may be the Opinion of some that they are not Capable of receiving the Help and Benefit of their Parents Faith by Reason of their Infancy or small Age and Time and hence may be the more Indifferent as to an Early Care for their coming to Christ not considering them as fit Members of his Kingdom But seeing our Lord Christ in the Days of his Flesh hath taught us otherwise by his own Blessed Example in the Case of the little Children which according to Luke 18. were Infants that was brought unto him when he came into the Coasts of Judea beyond Jordan Mat. 19.13 and Mar. 10.13 That he might lay his Hands upon them or touch them we Read not that it was for any outward Infirmity they had wherefore Christ's Disciples not seeing into the Mystery of the Lord's Ways and Doings Rebuked them that brought them which had they been Diseased we may suppose they would not have done because we find not that they did it in such Cases to those of Riper Years But when Jesus saw it it is said in Mark 10. he was much displeased and said unto them Suffer the little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Verily I say unto you whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of Heaven as a little Child he shall not enter therein Which Saying of Christ is of great Weight and carries deep Instruction to us if duly Considered It plainly Teaches not only that Children are Capable of Receiving the Kingdom and that their Way of Receiving is Right but that there may be a wrong Way of Receiving of it by those of Riper Years which shuts out of the Kingdom It therefore greatly Concerns us all Rightly to Consider how little Children Receives the Kingdom that we may prove and try our selves thereby We all know that little Children are not very Capable of Exercising the Rational Faculty of their Souls consequently are not so Capable after that manner to receive the Kingdom whence we may infer they had another better and more excellent Way of Receiving it seeing their Way is Commended to us for an Example for though it be granted that the Knowledge we attained to by the right Exercise of our Senses and Reason as we grow in Years is as a School-Master to bring us unto Christ yet the Right Receiving of him is by and into a New and Spiritual Life that is begotten and quickned in the Soul by him Now as the Souls of Men and Women are Capable of this New Life so are the Souls even of little Children being of the same Excellent Frame according to Measure and are endured with a more Divine Capacity of Knowledge than what is or may be attained to by the Rational Faculties only and that is the Capacity of its New Life it Receives from Christ as in a Seed which gives us Spiritual Sensation of the Visits and Touches of the Spirit which Influences and Opens the Spiritual Eye and Ear to See and Hear a Beauty and Harmony in the Divine Nature and Original Good which is God whereto they viz. Little Children may be Excited by the Communication of Spirit in the Reaches forth of the Love and Life of Truth Ministerially and Instrumentally to them before they are either Capable of receiving Instruction by Word or Doctrine or giving an Account of that Beautiful Image of Light and Life and Truth they see and feel in their Minds and this is in a good Measure to be seen and observed in some very little Children and is the Work of God upon them and the Way they Receive his Heavenly Kingdom by Participation of the Blessing of the Divine Nature and Spirit of Christ for it is said Mark 10.16 That Christ took the little Children up in his Arms put his Hands upon them and Blessed them Here it may be observed that we Read not that Christ spoke any Words unto them it is Probable they were not Capable of Receiving much Instruction that Way and yet were Capable of Receiving the Blessing of his Spirit and the Kingdom therein And if this was is and may be so with little Children how much more Sensibly ought it to be Witnessed and Experienced by those of Riper Years But if we who are attained to the fulness of Years and extent of the Exercise of the Rational Powers and Faculties of our Souls shall content our selves with what we can gather in of the Convictions of Truth upon our Understandings and not Receive the Kingdom thus as little Children by the Visits and Touches of Jesus which quickens our Souls to God whereby we come to be Regenerated and Born again of his Spirit and made Partakers of his Divine Nature we can in no wise enter into the Kingdom God and if we enter not the Kingdom our selves how shall we be helpful to bring our Children thereinto No we cannot but as I said before are hinderers of them Great hath been and is the Disadvantage that the Children of many Friends have and do ly under for want of the Spiritual Help of their Parents Faith and Exercise therein towards God for them especially for the first Times and Years of their Life wherein they are Capable of Receiving early Impressions of Good and for want thereof the Evil many times takes place and fills their Minds and Renders them more Unfit and Uncapable for a Right Receiving of the Kingdom of God for as they grow in Years they grow and increase in Natural Understanding and Exercises of their Rational Powers and Faculties and get into a Comprehension or Notion of the Truth which if it be not accompanied with a Divine and Spiritual Sense and Feeling of the Love and Life of God in the Innermost part of the Soul and a Real Conformity thereunto though they may Receive the outward Knowledge of the Truth in the First Birth and grow Rich and Wise in Profession they do and will fall short of

entering into God's Kingdom And this is the Case of too many of Friends Children Professing the Truth who perhaps make an outward Shew of Conformity thereto but do not Receive it into the Right Ground the Good and Honest Heart so bring not forth Fruit to God's Glory by which alone the Entrance is obtained into the Kingdom Having Premised these things concerning Children and the necessity of a Right and Spiritual Frame in their Parents for their Profitable Education I tenderly Recommend it to all Friends that have Families of Servants and Children that they seek the Lord and wait upon him for Wisdom and Spiritual Ability in themselves that they may be enabled to reach to that Degree of Soul in their Servants and Children wherein God is felt and witnessed to Appear and Work for their Redemption and Salvation I have already shewed what that is viz. The Souls New and Spiritual Life in God That which I have further to Communicate and Recommend and hath been long upon my Mind for a Remedy to help forward the Work of the Lord in the Souls of all both Parents and Children hath a strict Relation to Practice and that is For as much as our Children are Capable of being Members of Christ's Kingdom by coming unto him let us use all our Endeavour to bring them to him that he may lay his Holy Hand upon them and Bless them and that whilst they are little And for as much as the right doing of this Requires a Spiritual Frame and Heavenly Capacity in us who are Parents as is before observed and this cannot be otherwise attained unless God give it Let us set apart some time to wait upon him in our Families and amongst our Children for this End and the Lord will Bless our Endeavours if we be true and sincere to him therein and to Excite us the more to such Family-Meetings Let us Consider who have great Families of Servants and small Children especially in the Country where Publick Meetings of the Lord's People and Servants are frequently at great Distances that such small Children can rarely if at any time be present by which means the Opportunity and Benefit they should Reap by Meeting with their Dear Parents in the Assemblies of God's People is for the first Years of their Life lost which if duly Considered is a great Disadvantage with Respect to its Consequence both to Parents and Children for as Iron sharpens Iron so doth the Countenance of a Man his Friend and if this be true in the General as is most certain Must not the Heavenly Desire and Influences of good Parents in the Love of God for and towards their tender Off-spring at such Times and Seasons be greatly Prevailing with him for a Blessing and with them to a Sense and Love of Truth which Includes all that is Good in their tender Years before the Impressions of Evil fill their Minds as is before observed seeing they are and must be allowed to be Capable very Early of Good as well as of Evil Impressions It is therefore tenderly Recommended as a Supplement to the afore-mentiond Defect that such Parents do set apart some time as they shall see meet in the Wisdom of God to meet with their Children and Servants in their own Families to wait upon him for the Blessing of his Sweet and Comfortable Presence to be with and amongst them which will Enable them to give Instruction in Meekness and Wisdom and Govern in Righteousness and Truth to the Quickening and Nourishing the tender Seed of God in their Children and Edification of all therein to the Praise of his Name that hath Called us and to the Peace Joy and Happiness of our Souls for ever And now as to you little Children the Off-spring of Believing Parents who have but little Natural Knowledge you are nevertheless Beloved of God not only because he Made and Created you but for the sake of his only Beloved Son Chirst Jesus whom he sent into the World to save and deliver you from Sin and Death and thereby make you his Children who also himself Loves you in that he gave himself to Dye for you that he might Redeem you to God whereby you are beheld Innocent and Lovely in his sight who delights to Bless you and knows how to Communicate to you Spiritual Knowledge and make you fit for his Kingdom who said Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Thus whilst you are Innocent you are Beloved of God and of Christ and are also Beloved of his People and are Accounted and Esteemed of them good little Friends if you continue in your Innocency and love God in your Minds who have thus Manifested his Love to you tho' you can Speak but little of him you may have a Sense and Feeling of him by his Visits and Touches of you by his Spirit Life and Love in your Souls and you may see and behold him in his Appearance in your Parents and others whose Souls Loves God and whose Minds are Inward and Spiritual to him they will have a Sweet and Heavenly Influence upon you to a Love of Spiritual-mindedness Innocency Meekness and Sobriety with other Heavenly Virtues whereby you may come to know God by these Fruits of his Spirit and Love him and his Appearance and Manifestation of his Son Christ Jesus in you in Holiness Righteousness and Truth to the Sanctifying your Hearts and Minds that as you grow in Years and increase in Natural Knowledge you may grow and increase in Divine and Spiritual Knowledge by being made Partakers of the Blessing of Christ that Quickens your Souls to God so will your Parents take Delight in you as they find you thus to Delight in Go● which will Incline you to love all Opportunities to be with the Lord's People to meet with them to wait upon him for the Visits and Touches of his Spirit th●t you may know Christ to come to you and you to come to him and to be taken up into his Arms and Receive the Blessing from him who will delight to fill your Souls with his Goodness whereby your Love will be renewed to him and you fitted for his Heavenly Kingdom and enter thereinto that this may be the Care and Portion of all God's People and Children Is the Hearty Desire of your Friend that Loves you and Wishes the Well-fare of all both Parents and Children R. V. ERRATA Pag● 〈…〉 Read Rules FINI●