Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	true_a	truth_n	word_n	7,456	5	4.2077	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25296	Good counsell and advice to all the Friends of truth to be read throughout all their families by them whom the Lord hath called and is calling into his everlasting covenant / written from Amsterdam by William Ames.	Ames, William, d. 1662.	1661 (1661)	Wing A3006; ESTC R18427	7,497	16

Good Counsell AND ADVICE TO ALL THE Friends of Truth To be Read throughout all their Families by them whom the Lord hath Called and is Calling into his everlasting Covenant VVritten from Amsterdam by William Ames LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the sign of the Bull and mouth near Aldersgate 1661. Friends the Lord hath put it into my heart to write unto you concerning those things which are most needful to be witnessed by you and brought forth in you and amongst you MY Brethren Sisters and Friends the Almighty God hath visited you in his everlasting love and in a time in which you were without the true peace did the Lord reach unto you and called you into the way where peace is found Then did the Lord touch your hearts and begot in you a Hunger Thirst and breathing after himself and he opened the way unto you which before you knew not wherein you might find rest and be satisfied and the Almighty hath shined amongst you and the brightness of his rising did break forth in you by which your hearts were enlightned that you have seen and comprehended all the worlds waies in which you also did walk And the Lord hath watched over you for good even unto this day he hath preserved you in many difficulties and dangers which appeared against you he rebuked the proud for your sakes and the Mighty who contemned you brought he into cotempt he preserved you in the midest of the fiery rage of men and hath not suffered the flame to hurt you Salvation hath been your defence round about and life did spring up within you the vertue of the Almighty attended you that you might feed upon it that the Immortal vertue might be your daily bread the power of his Arm reached unto you to bear you in the way that you should walk that thereby your hearts might be purged from all uncleannesse that you might have fellowship with your God The glory of his power broke forth in you which gave you courage and dominion the eternal inheritance was opened unto you to draw your affections thither that your portion might be with your God and that he might be your lot for ever that your minds might be redeemed from the Earth and your affections from things that perish that you might know your life to be in God and your strength to be the power of his Arm that the light of his countenance might be your delight and the brightness of his glory your joy that his Righteousness might be your covering and his wisdome a fountain within you that in his counsel you might dwell to praise his name for ever You dear Children whose rejoycing is in the Lord who dwell in his power and his eternal Counsel and wisdome your dwelling is glorious you seek not the favour of men neither do you seek to be esteemed by men above others but your peace is to know that you are esteemed by the Lord you are poor but the Lord is to you riches you are weak but the Lord is strength unto you your delight is not to flourish in knowledge therein to appear before men to gain a great name and to be looked upon to be the greatest but your delight is to know the Tree of life flourishing in you and you love not your lives unto death for the love of God who hath called you and you are content to be esteemed fools and do not seek by the wisdome of words in the exalted knowledge or any disobedience to fly the reproach of men You delight in the least appearance of God in any and you dispise it not because they in whom it appears are not so wise as you you look not upon the poor with disdain but the love of God flows from you to the needy you delight to deal your bread to the hungry that they also might be partakers of your refreshments and the poor in spirit you cherish with delight because you judge not with respect of persons for the spirit of true Judgment is within you You are not offended when another is esteemed above you neither for that cause nor any other doth evil lodge in your hearts you strive not to rule over others but you rejoyce to be ruled by the Lord whose power is in your inward parts and the glory of his rising is the light in which you walk your day shall never be darkned neither shall the night overtake you who keep the word of life the proud shall not prosper in their way neither shall the mighty prevail against you your way hath the Almighty Established and his eternal and out-stretched Arm shall guide you therein and therewith will he overcome your enemies whensoever they shall rise against you that his Name might be glorious amongst the Heathen and that his renown might spread to the ends of the Earth and that you might dwell with him for ever in the Kingdome prepared for you Therefore you that have a quick and a large comprehension take heed that when your understandings are opened and knowledge increaseth that that part which delighteth in knowledge without the power of God get not up to live in exaltation there for in that state you deceive your own Souls which should be nourished by the Power and Presence of God And although you shine in appearance as Stars of Heaven in that state yet you being without the power of God by which you should be kept there hath the Dragon power over you and he will bring you down to the Earth in the day of tryal for many aspire thither and though they have a zeal for God yet they themselves being exalted in knowledge above the power and wisdome of God they are without the true feeling fellowship or discerning And thus many times they disdain the appearance of God in others who are meek and poor and appear not in that excellency of wisdome and knowledge in the thoughts of the conceited wise as they do and to such spirits the Declaration of truth by our dear Brethren declared though in the power and wisdom of God becomes as an old thing if it appear not in that excellency of the wisdome of words which may suite with their spirits and so that by which the poor and the meek who truly fear God are refreshed is to them a loathing because of their fulness of which they ought to be empty and by such spirits my dear Brethren do often suffer by back-bitings and secret reproaches besides the burden of that Spirit it self And although such in the general may have in their understanding how God ought to be worshiped and what is his way and in that knowledge be exalted yet the secrets of the Lord they know not neither is his Counsel the place of their dwellings and although they may have a zeal for the Lord and his way yet they themselves are out of it and being without the power of God they cannot overcome their lusts and this is the cause

that many times through the evil practises of some the way of truth is evil spoken of and although they have a form of Godliness yet are their hearts unsanctified therefore watch all that you be not overcome I say unto you all watch that you may not be overcome and when you feel any thing rising in you against another because as you think he doth not respect you as he ought to do take heed that that prevail not over you for if it do then from thence as a stream will evil thoughts prejudice and had surmisings against others flow forth untill you are consumed in it Therefore be sure to watch against that part in you which would rise up in prejudice and evil thoughts that the simplicity of the Gospel might abound in you in that in meekness and long suffering to bear that they who walk otherwise might be ashamed For many there are who surmise evil and conceive prejudice in their hearts against others without a cause and this is a cursed thing therefore every one watch that your hearts may be kept from being overcome with it And you that have attained to a measure of stability let the wisdome of the Almighty be your guide that you might cherish the fainting and help the needy encourage the tender and them that are weak let your tenderness in staidness wisdome and gravity appear unto them for a friendly behaviour cherisheth the simple comforteh the weak and encourageth them who are of a fainting heart when a strange and stern carriage may discourage oppress and in some beget prejudice But have not familiarity without the wisdome of God as many have to the giving liberty to vanity or to the letting up of a light spirit in any or to the letting in of an unclean spirit over you either so to become your burden or otherwise to captivate your hearts into evil as it hath been with many who for want of the watch to the light to be guided by the true wisdome have been familier with unclean spirits and have been defiled with them but be ye patterns of Righteousness Holiness and Purity by your wise walking in the fear of God in all your conversation And walk in love towards all men in wisdom and fear and towards them who have received the Testimony of truth let the manifestation of your love be such that nothing in them thereby may be raised up to expect that from you which you intend not towards them which they ought not to except from you for thus many have been snared and have fallen that when love in familiarity hath been manifested to them the contrary part in them thereby hath taken occasion to look out after and to except that which was not intended towards them So the wrong desires and expectations being raised becomes a snare to the Soul Therefore in the true fear wisdome and discerning let your love be manifested that all occasions of evil may be avoided And when any of you feel any thing rising in you that is discontented at any time because another as you may think is esteemed above you watch against that for that is Cains nature by which the world is guided who seek every one to be greatest and if that get Dominion in your hearts then envy and emulation which proceedeth thereout will lodg within you and that will break your unity with God and his people and cause swift destruction to come upon you Therefore watch that through the power of Gods Spirit working in you that nature may be utterly destroyed and rooted out that you may be content to be esteemed the least and whatever man esteemed you to be whatever man he may be your peace may abide in this that you know that you are esteemed by the Lord. And when any of you feel any thing that desireth fleshly liberty keep that down and let the fear of God possesse your hearts for if that be given way unto in one thing it thereby recovereth strength to prevail over you to lead you to another and this it will do untill it hath estranged you from Gods Spirit and have made you to be as other men Children of wrath and condemnation Therefore in the light watch against it and give no liberty to the lust of the flesh but let that be through Gods spirit crucified in you that your liberty may stand in the eternal Kingdom of God And if there be any thing in you that longeth for revenge or the destruction of them that have harmed you that proceeds from the evil root and you are not to be of that Spirit and if that prevail over you it will destroy your peace with God and break your unity with his people And although you may deny to act outwardly against your enemies yet if such a Spirit hath place in you which do desire the destruction of their persons that will become a snare unto your souls except in the Light and power of God you wait that thereby it might be overcome that you may truly know what it is and also do it to love your enemies to blesse them that curse you and to pray for them that dispitefully use you And in so doing you will heap coals of fire upon their heads and approve your selves the Children of God and abide in peace with him and in the time of tryal you wil possess your souls in patience but if the other spirit hath dominion over you when your enemies increase you will fret your selves and be impatient in desiring their destruction you will destroy your own peace and the Lord will not regard you And all friends take heed that you are not filled with the cares of this life to gather together worldly goods to provide for the time to come least your hearts are taken up with it and you be overcome with Covetousness and so forget the living God that Created Heaven and Earth and the treasure of this World become your God but wait in the light that your hearts may be kept out of evil to worship God in Spirit casting all your care upon him having found his Kingdom and Righteousness Yet to be diligent every one in his place and calling in the true fear of God that you may be a holy people peculiar unto God and ordering the Creation in his fear and wisdome to his glory every one in his place But make not the corruptable things your Treasure And you that are Parents of Children let not your minds run into the Earth there to strive to heap up that you may get portions for your Children but let the fear of God possesse your hearts and then with content you will indeed know that God careth for all his Children who trust in him and not in uncertain riches and stand single in the Counsel of God that you may know his will him in all things to obey casting your whole care upon him that you fall not into the snare of he Devil for he that striveth