Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	word_n	world_n	worship_n	620	4	6.7532	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89849	A salutation to the seed of God. And a call out of Babylon, and Egypt, from amongst the magitians, where the house of bondage is, and the imaginations rules above the seed of God, the cause of all blindnes, and condemnation. Also that which is perfect made manifest, even everlasting righteousnesse, which endures for all generations, ... With the way to him, set forth most for such as groan for freedome from the power of sin; but may be serviceable to all who loves his appearance. Also a testimony from Christ what he is in this world, and where he is; ... Also a suite to such rulers, magistrates, and governours, as have not wholly hardened their hearts, and stopt the eare against the voyce of the spirit, that they may hear and their soules may live, and be established a blessing to the nations. With some things more added to this second impression. / Written in love to all your soules, by him who is called James Naylor.	Naylor, James, 1617?-1660.	1655 (1655)	Wing N310; Thomason E852_25	31,397	40

that we can truly say here hee is all and selfe is nothing but abhorred because it is polluted the eye being now open that 's onely taken with affection to that which is holy And with this eye we see you your name your Covenant and your righteousnesse which all lyes under the power ofdarknesse Is not that light which is in you become darknes who have your way to seek without you What name is in you when the Serpents seed is still unbruised who is head and rules in you where the Name of Jesus is the Devills tremble and bow as God hath appointed and they that know his name doe it witnesse What is your righteousnesse who bring forth that which is imperfect which with the light of the Covenant is condemned Is this the righteousnesse of Jesus which doth not satisfie God and man being witnessed by that in the Conscience And now you may see what it is you professe in this world and in what stead it will stand you in the day of evill which is condemned already with that in your Consciences But you use to say that the Righteousnesse of God you looke for hereafter to be covered with it at the day of Judgement but not in this life I say what 's this then you are now doing which you are here preaching pressing and practising whose is this Righteousnesse is it either Gods or your owne selfe-Righteousnesse which if it be Gods it endures for ever but if not it 's abomination what ever it seemes to you whose eye is blinded and so professes and practises and presseth an abominable sacrifice and know not that you doe evill for this I say Better no righteousnesse then that which is not Gods for such is spirituall wickednesse in heavenly places and the long prayers of such is abomination and they receive the greater Damnation and of such Christ saith Publicans and Harlots take the Kingdome before them But you say Must we not pray then I say wait for the spirit of prayer which onely is heard and without which none know what to pray for with that prayer which helps the infirmities and gives the understanding only such are answered in what they pray for what effect hath thy prayers which are abomination doth God heare a contrary spirit thou that delightst in wickednesse God will not heare that prayer that 's out of the Covenant and thou art in that nature that God hath cursed from him and its in vaine for thee to blesse it And this is the cause why nothing you doe is accepted because it is performed in the disobedient cursed Nature and there is Cains sacrifice and Esan's prayers and teares And you that abide in that nature are of those who said Why have wee fasted and prayed and thou hast not regarded you call but receive no answer But did you but minde that in your Conscience which is pure you would see how often hee hath called to you and checked you for sin but you have not answered There might you reade the cause why you call but hee doth not answer as hee hath said Because I called and you would not answer therefore when you cry I will not answer And thus it is with you who observe the outward worships but minde not the Spirit which is given to profit withall in the worship and though all have a measure yet you that hide your talent cannot pray with the Spirit nor with the understanding and so your fellowship is with the forme but not in the power with men in words but not with God and so your times are in your owne hands and you have resolved them before-hand And you have a time to pray and a time to play a time to abstain from your lusts and a time to fulfill your lusts a day to abstain from the world and days to conform to the world and thus not being guided with that Spirit which is before all to lead and bring you out of time you are still in observations and your times of Religion and your times in the world your customes in Religion and your customes in the world are both in your owne will and corrupt nature and so your prayers are abomination and your plowing sin But the times of Sons and Daughters are not in their own hands and this wee have learned of Jesus in Spirit not to please our selves nor to be men-pleasers but to be obedient to another principle which moves contrary to the will of all men for him wee witnesse who is not borne after the will of man but which the will of man could never owne who by the wills of men ever suffered where hee is borne into the world and the same this day is manifest a seede contrary to the seed of evill doers and a righteousness that exceedes the righteousness of the world that which is amongst the greatest professions and this is that holinesse without which none shall see God But say you this is that Righteousnesse wee beleeve in and by which we are justified by that blood which was shed at Jerusalem and by that obedience that was in him and by that holinesse but that the want of his righteousnesse in us or that want of Christ or his blood in us can hinder our justification that we deny and look upon it to be Heresie and false Doctrine for it is Christ without us that hath satisfied for sin and not Christ in us and his blood without us and his righteousnesse without us and his faith and patience meekness and sufferings hope and love and obedience c. it s these without us that whoever beleeves in shall be saved and by this faith the ungodly is justified To which I say Hee that beleeves not what Christ suffered at Jerusalem with all his obedience and Righteousness and that hee bare our sins in himself and trode the wine-press alone and alone was well pleasing to the Father and that in him alone the work of Redemption is placed and wrought with much more which may be truly said of him I say whosoever beleeves not this cannot be saved neither can hee ever come to receive Christ within him working and witnessing the same in Spirit as is declared in the letter nor can hee come to witness him that 's greater in him then hee that 's in the world giving him victory over the Devill Sin and the World because God hath placed all power in Heaven and Earth in him and without faith in him who is that power none can come to it nor receive it but in him in whom God hath freely given it Nor can any have him and be without it all the promises of life and salvation being in him Yea and Amen But now you that make the receiving of him to stand in a bare confessing with the tongue when the heart beleeves not unto righteousness and that this is that faith a perswasion from the letter or from the knowledge of others that such a one dyed at

purity and perfection which we have in the holy God as all ever had who lived in him And in him is truth and freedome but a lie there is in all your likenesses and you are blinde and will not see it all you who have a God and Christ and a worship which doth not make the commers thereto perfect nor set you above the Devill nor overcome his temptations Your God and King we know which keepes you in the earth which you will curse if ever you looke upward your peace we know and the end of it your Kingdome with all its glory when from this world you are taken there is your parting when he shall breake your Covenant whose Covenant you have broken and would not heare him though you pretended still to seeke him That 's his call which in your consciences lets you see you have lost him which did you wait in it would lead you to him but erring from it you are out of his way and counsell and all other wayes is to no purpose his Light is that which searcheth your hearts in secret nor can any other judge you in private yet from that you will be running to aske counsell at them who know not your condition so instead of God you consesse to men that cannot judge you nor help you while you go to the naturall you leave the spirituall and so with naturall words you seed the naturall comprehensions but the spirituall man seeds not at that fountaine for its the spirituall that thirsts which not minded the naturall runs and seeds above it and this being above you cannot receive the food of the Spirit therewith to God to be reconciled and quickned nor is that fed that death hath passed over nor out of death is it raised but that which lives in you is for death and by feeding on that wisdome the vaile is thickned and the eternall is out of your knowledge yet you say God is a Spirit and teaches in Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit but cannot endure to hearken to any thing within you nor turne to that Spirit How blinde are you led with your blinde guides Is not that which is spirituall within or can it be knowne any where else Is God known by hearsay then who is it that knows him not Can the carnall eye see the spirituall God or the carnall eare hear him then should not his ministry be to the spirits in prison to open the blinde eyes and to unstop the dease eares yea where the carnall is open But this you know not who have eyes and see not eares and hear not and hands which never handled the word of life yet would you be teaching others that which you never saw nor heard and to this teaching you would limit others Paul was sent to open the blinde eyes yet was he sent to those who had eyes as you have with which they could see to stone him and whip him and eares to hear him and call what he said heresie and blasphemie as you doe and as ever the carnal judged of the spirituall who hath not an eare to hear what the Spirit saith Oh unwise people you have but one thing that lets you see your evill yet will you not turn to that for teaching nor that eye you love not which lets you see your darknesse You cry you have nothing that 's good in you yet will you not own that which lets you see it is so and thus you keep Covenant with darknesse though death and destruction be the end of it but the Covenant of Light which shines in darknesse you regard not that 's far below your comprehensions nay it s the least seed in you which we know is the seed of the kingdome troden under foot by the kingdome of the world therefore nothing else leads out of the world but that whose kingdome is not in it and with this seede is the Covenant which seed you know not who take pleasure in the flesh that 's of another kingdome to which is no Covenant but Death and Hell Yet you talk of Abraham his Covenant and Promise but that in Abraham in which the Covenant was established was that which led him out out of the world wherein he became a stranger and wanderer as that seede ever is which you call vagabonds persecute and imprison you that have rule in this world shewing that you are not of that seed that entertaines strangers nor in that Covenant where all are strangers and Pilgrims in this world nor doe you own that which divides you from this world being uncircumcised in heart which to be is the seal of Abrahams faith and so you whose life is in the earth are far off from Abrahams bosome Faith and Covenant which is onely to his seede not to the seede of evill doers not to seeds which is many but to one which is Christ So in the world out of Christ and out of Christ out of Gods Covenant for his Promises are all yea and amen to them that are in Christ Jesus but not to them that abide in the world Who owns him as King cannot want the Promise neither can you have it who abide in the world therefore you apply the words but want the life which is the power nor can your literall Promises sute your condition nor save you from Satans power but as all others who think salvation to be in the letter so doe you denie leading and guiding of the Spirit in which the power is placed therefore the Light you will not follow neither can you believe it to be sufficient And he that denies the Light cannot own the Lord of life So you are ignorant of God and his way in which he makes himselfe krovvne to his people and so takes up your rest in outward observations set up and upholden in the wills of men and for such traditions you are zealous and strongly contend for them but the Lavv of God written in your own hearts you make of none effect while you denie to be ruled according to it yet you say We are in the new Covenant when you are in the old traditions and what you know is from others But the least in that Covenant knows him and his preferce and witness him true according to his promise ever manifesting his power to undertake for us against all our enemies a present help in time of trouble and we know him in whom we have believed where he is and the way to him have seen the glory of his kingdom and the powers of the eternall World the house wherein are many Mansions yet the lowest place is pure for which the Lord alone prepares his people and their way which the creature cannot doe of himself onely Christ doth it where selfe is denied and selfe-will for by the will of man comes no promise nor obtains that will any performance So he begets both the will and the deed which you know not where your wills is standing by

come to see the power that sin hath not over you and that you are wholly polluted and sold under it then will you see the great transgression and the feare of God will appeare in you and so your hearts will grow tender in his feare which is but the beginnings of the knowledge of God and his wisdome And so waiting in the light you will come to see openings and breathings after Christ Jesus in which abiding and waiting low in the feare you will come to see some openings and promises of the Fathers Love to that seed which is breathing in you after him and some hopes of pardon of sin in Christ Jesus and so come to see the Law and the Prophets prophesying which condition many have come to and then have lost their condition by the mindes getting out of the feare and flesh exalting into the promise and so come to get the wound heald before death be flaine and so loses that little communion they had with God afarr off but never come so far as to the washing throughly nor to the marriage but the light minde gets into this and tattles it out to others and calls it experience yet never came so far as to see Christ and the Father yet after these doth the world wonder notwithstanding they live in the same filthiness as they did formerly yet say they I have assurance so many years since and the promise of God is sure and his Covenant cannot be broken but cannot see that the condition is lost and the seed is buryed under the earthly pleasures to which the promise was for the promise is to the seed which is one not to seedes which is many Gal. 3. 16. not to the fleshly man which is now got up but to the spirituall seed which is meek and lowly which God teacheth and blesseth and the creature that turnes to it is blessed because of that meek Spirit into which they are turned and should be for ever if in it they did continue for to it is the Covenant which cannot be broken therefore all that depart out of it it will not follow for then should not the Covenant stand sure in that seed which is but one one heart one minde one soule one spirit and whosoever receives this unity of faith shall finde this Covenant sure but this was never placed in the worldly seede but in the spirituall so the carnall is death and hell that 's its covnant but the spirituall is life and peace that 's its Covenant and each Covenant stands sure to them who are in them So that creature who was sometimes tender and lowly minded and that seed awakened to which is the promise not waiting in the promise till it be performed the creature turnes into the world where the curse is and there inherits yet is the Covenant sure to the seed and all that abide in it and this all witness who have waited in their measure though he that turnes from it is damned And if you abide faithfull in the light waiting you will be so far from turning into the liberty of the flesh that you will see every vaine thought and Imagination judged in the first motion and the ground of all sin you will see layd open and so come to see the Axe layd to the roote of the corrupt tree that hath brought forth the evill fruite which is Johns Ministery and the Baptisme of Repentance and so be led on to him who fulfills all righteonsness and that kingdome you will heare preach't at hand which consists not in words but in power then vaine babblers you will come to see and avoide and be brought onely to presse after Righteousnesse and so see your light grow and spring up to the burning and shining till the day-starre arise in your hearts then will you cease to put God and Christ afarre off you and waite to see Christ in you the hope of Glory and so come to see Christ in you the light the way the truth and the life and not to have your light and life to seeke in a booke without you nor from men but Christ your life in you made manifest in your mortall bodies and so coming to the Son and to see him revealed by him come to have the Father revealed also and so come to the knowledge of God which is life eternall even God in his Temple where hee is worshipped in Spirit and truth and this truth in you and this God in you then shall you know that your bodies are the Temples of the living God as hee hath sayd I will dwell in them and walke in them 2 Cor. 6 16. And that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you 1 Cor. 3. 16. By which Spirit he is worshipped and by the same Spirit you are taught and this is not knowne by heare-say nor got by imitation nor taught in the imaginations but through death it is learned onely in those who in the light are guided and by the Spirit kept in the fire and in the water where death is slaine faith purifyed and the body cleansed and purged from its drosse and filthinesse patience given and proved and all the gifts and graces of God which vaine mindes talke on but know not but in words these to be waited for in the light received in the faith and proved in the patience to the bringing the Creature wholly to rely upon God in the worst condition even at their wits ends when all the world failes and becomes enemies then to fall into the defence of God alone or when the world tempts with the greatest pleasures then to deny all for the love of God this is soon talked on but none can have it but who have received it in the same way of obedience that Christ hath gon before and leades in Spirit and power all his after him who beleeve in his light and follow it Then may you say follow us as wee follow Christ and walke as you have us for examples till then you are but imitators and out of the life and power and so lead one another into formes and traditions but deny the power which should give you victory over sin in this world and so you get the Saints words but their lives you have not that you looke for in another world but in the meane time goeth on to fill up the measure of evill and so go to the grave in feare and torment And all those Calls and Reproofes of the Spirit of light in your owne hearts now by you slighted are by him recorded and remaines a testimony against you till that dreadfull appearance of the righteous Judge and heart-searcher shewing his love tendered and his desire to save from sin and condemnation which love being rejected there is no escaping condemnation And you that have form'd a Christ in your owne imaginations so as your pride lust ryot and oppression may be exalted and you in them and now your eyes are abroad expecting his comming without you

and your own wills standing Are you a willing people for God when you see with the light of Christ in your hearts what you ought to doe and what you ought to forbear but your own wills withstands it and leads you into coveteousnes pleasures and wantonnes and selfishnes contrary to it And what power is this which acts you in these ways of unrighteousness for which your hearts condemns you This is the power of darknes which the light of Christ in your consciences bears witnes against And thus you have got words instead of power and life and you think salvation is in them crying the Ordinances of God But did God ever ordaine a talke without power and life Is not Christ the Ordinance and the end of all Ordinances who is the way the truth and the life Is there any Ordinances without him in the Gospel Or will he accept your taken on performances from imitation of others which he leads not to in spirit Is not he that commands and he that gives power one who in spirit gives out his will to every generation which they who followed imitations could never own nor could he ever own their service whose fear and worship is taught by the precepts of men and not by his spirit within Is not he the Sabboth Circumcision Baptisme the Supper c. are not all these in him and doth not he minister all these in spirit to every one that comes to him and so the shaddow is come into the substance the end of all shaddows which is life indeed but the figures are not the life nor can any have the life but who comes to the end of them for the outward makes nothing pefect but the inward doth all that come unto it and abide in him When will you be weary of your vaine imaginations of a Day to come wherein you must have power How long have you been deceived with these vaine thoughts Was not this it you talked on twenty thirty forty or fifty years since yet now further off from it then ever And are not these vaine words though you cannot bear it to have them so called When will you be ashamed of your vaine profession you that run to seek God in the high-places amongst the hirelings running from God to seek him vvhere he is not And is not this vaine profession when nothing is brought forth but winde nor is he found by you wherein your fruit is Those who had the forme and not the power could never finde him then how should you speed any better that joyne with them who have neither for in such a forme you worship as in which God never appeared but Christ and his ever witnessed against and doth to this day yet will not you be instructed but in your own wills and ways you will stand though you finde nothing but emptines in it and yet you talke of being a willing people in the day of his power but when will you have it present who abide in that way where both will and power is wanting Free-will you have not but to follow Satan who hath begot a will in you that God never created contrary to God in all things and where that will rules it will not own his power therefore is that a day a far off you but the will of the Devil and his power is persent and acts you at his pleasure and you are offended that any should vvitnesse being set free from it Thus you are suffered to please your vaine minds the day to talke on but the night and deeds of darknesse you must walke in else your old master is highly d●spleased and if any call you to the Light he sayes its Delusion and as for freedome from sin or the way to perfection that 's most dangerous Heresie and Delusion And thus he makes you most afraid of freedome least any of you should believe in the Son which leads to it for the Devil knows if he can but keep you from believing it you are sure for ever comming to it for as is every mans faith so shall be his freedome Thus you stand afar off and cry take heed of Delusion and deceiving when you have nought but your sins to be deceived on nor can you say you have ought in you that 's pure but that which you deny in your conscience which is a witnes against you and this is the cry of all who are deceived already in all formes in the world But who have the Spirit that can try all things is bold as a Lyon and will not receive nor hold fast any thing but that which is good that none can take from him The Heathen were ever afraid to be spoyled of their Idols and so are you of your Images you have set up and formed from others every one according to your owne wills If shaddowes and likenesses could save then would it be found in these Nations who have of all sorts and statures tall and with heads of Gold some of them which you zealously worship and compell others also who know no better And this is that they serve for for they cannot save you onely they serve you to contend about and keep you doing least you should waite upon God alone and be saved from your sinnes and then the Devils Kingdome were broken wherefore he feeds you with a profession and form without power And of likenesses you may choose from one to another yet all in his Kingdome of sin and imperfection as long as you live that 's his limit and for no lesse time will he have his Covenent and you are willing to enter into it with him and plead for it exceedingly mad against any that break it or believe in him that redeems from it nay so blinde and deafe are you that if any have found freedome you cannot abide to hear them declare it and the end of Christs comming must not be preached nor his Covenant that is pure and without sin as he is that made it and so each Covenant is like its Master And this we doe witnesse and see now at present which you know not who look not for it till after death therefore sin must stand in that Covenant because you have not our keeper for God hath so concluded it And the Light is in the world where all are sinners but none have the life but who receive the Light and joyne to it and are led out of the world by it to such sheep Christ is keeper who follow him out of uncleannes and for such he is become an undertaker the strong man to binde and cast out who believe that he will doe it for them but the swine he keeps not the shepheard they will not follow there the Devil must enter and have power and into the Sea must they headlong Take heed carnall professors whose Religion lookes downward into the earth the Sea is next and the place is steepe And you have nought to keepe who deny the life of

in Christ Jesus should be left in darkness therewith to be guided and in Chaines reserved till the great day in which you shall be judged by the light now denyed with your carnall reason prudence and wisdome from which God hath hid the things of our kingdome in all generations and that is the darkness even your wisdome and prudence which is the greatest light you have to judge withall most sought prized by you who deny the light of Christ and this wisdome when it speaks cals light darkness darkness light so did they ever who with it judged And this is your condition who deny the light of Christ and say it s not sufficient but preferr your comprehensions and imaginations above it and that was ever it with which people resisted the counsell of God against themselves and this is his counsell and all you know of him that which is manifest in you which moves against sin and wickedness and would lead out of it if you did it follow The same that condemns you for sinne when you had done it the same would lead out of it before it be acted and so keep out of condemnation And now honestly consider if you have such a Counseller who is with you at all times faithfull to you in shewing the evill to which you are unfaithfull when you forget it and turne from it for your self-ends and the righteous pure way he shews you with the light in your Conscience which you reject for earthly pleasures and know when you do it yet will you pray that God would shew you his way make you wise to salvation but when he hath freely done it you will not walk in it nor own no such wisdome because it comes contrary to your own wils yet you will say the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God yet will you not own that which is foolishness to the world to guide you out of it though there be nothing else appointed to doe it but that is contrary to it thus in words you confess him but in workes deny him and his counsel yet you say wherein doe wee deny him doe not wee profess his name Covenant waite for his righteousness thereby to be saved I say it serves you to talke on therewith to cover you while you are serving the other Master the Devil and the world but his Covenant you put farr from you his name and his righteousness whereby wee are redeemed What Covenant have you who deny the light of Christ to guide you was not he given for an everlasting Covenant of Light both to Jew and Gentile and in his light all that knew him was guided according to the severall administrations both of Law and Gospel And when they turned from his light in Spirit to mens teaching from the letter then they set up carnall worships instead of spirituall obedience then they became wise in their own eyes and zealous for their customes but by him was rejected who is worshipped in Spirit And with you it is the same now though you cannot see nor beleeve it no more then they did when they were told of it by them who in the light walked and stood in his counsell which all errours discovers they made the Law of God void through their tradition walking after the Fathers so doe you that Law God hath written in your heart by following your companions and learned Rabbies they said and did not and so doe you also nay herein you exceed them who have a higher profession but lesse practice they did not beleeve him come who is to fulfill all righteousnesse for and in all that beleeve and follow him but this Christ you profess and the Scripture that so witnesses of him yet are you farther from it then ever they were both in practice opinion they kept to the letter in the Forms of their worship though they had lost the life and power but you have left the lettr and lead one another in your inventions so that you have no plain Scripture for your worship performed by you in your Idols Temple And for your opinion of Gods righteousness you far exceed them they put it from them to another generation waiting for him to come who was appointed King of it asking when it should come shewing a desire to see it but you have put it wholly from you into another world and if any have found it and its power and purity and beare witness of it whereby the body of sin is destroyed and the soul freed and the creature redeemed from committing sin your faith beleeves it to be the greatest blasphemy in the world nay you dare not come neare it lest you should be infected but consult how to banish it out of the Nations as an error not to be tolerated in the world Thus you profess a Redeemer but hee must be a man whose Redemption must be of another world and there must hee work his work but the old work of the Devill must stand in this world yet the more to blind you and that you may the more blind others he sets you on talking that Christ is your Righteousness when you never knew him so in you who is stronger then the God of this world to binde him and take you out of his Kingdom and break that Covenant whose faith is that you must be subject to him while you live in this world which is such a faith and Covenant as none ever professed who believed in the name of Jesus at which every knee bowes who hath his name and hee that beares that name departs from iniquity and beares testimony to his righteousnesse here in this world in the midst of the untoward unrighteous generation of this darke world that so God may be glorified in his creatures by his light shining and his righteousnesse reigning above the unrighteous principle of the devil which he hath begot in the untoward Nature and in such the Devill is denyed and disowned before the world where God is obeyed and such are his servants sons and Daughters who obey him and wait upon him that they may bring to light what he workes in them even that which none else can work but hee alone that 's pure nor can any bring it forth but by his power and thus his workes praise him in the gates of the wicked where the floods of ungodlines doe most swell and rage even then in his people doth this kingdome stand in Righteousnes Peace and Joying in holines And this wee witnesse to be that Covenant and that power by which wee are entered into that inheritance which is eternall and are made partaker of the divine nature which nature is righteous mercifull and just meeke and patient faithfull and diligent to the obedience of the Crosse long-suffering full of love moderation and temperance and in all things thereby are transformed into his holinesse so farre as wee are entred into and abide in this Covenant so