Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	ask_v	lord_n	zion_n	61	3	9.4664	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35001	Several sermons, or, Declarations of Mr. Stephen Crisp, late of Colchester in Essex, deceased exactly taken in characters, or shorthand, as they were delivered by him at the publick meeting-houses of the people called Quakers, in Grace-Church-Street and Devonshire-House, London / and now faithfully transcribed and published ; together with his prayer at the end of every sermon.	Crisp, Stephen, 1628-1692.	1693 (1693)	Wing C6941; ESTC R32375	87,023	199

wisher to the Souls of all Men As God hath done good to my Soul So I cannot but wish well to the Souls of others That as he hath found out a way for my Redemption and Salvation so likewise I wish the same for others that are bond-men and bond-women and under the Power of their Corruption Gods work hath been to destroy the Bondage and the Oppression and to destroy the Tyrant that Reigns over the Souls of his People God having made them for his Glory and the Devil hath Stolen them away that they do not that which pleaseth God But God's good pleasure is that all may be Saved and come to the Knowledge of the Truth And God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not Perish but have Everlasting Life And he is called The Lamb of God which takes away the Sins of the World He can take away Sin if my Sin do not obstruct my Faith and Confidence in him he will take it away and if he takes that away then he makes the Tree good Nothing hinders us from the injoyment of God but Sin and if Christ will take it away by the blood of his Cross no matter for all the Scorn Contempt Hardship Reproach and Persecution of this World no matter for he hath not deceived us but told us before hand If we will be followers of him and be led by him we must expect these things suffering Reproaches Persecutions Disdain Envy these things come not uncertainly upon us the World loves its own and cannot love them that are not of it but they that are now of the World may be brought to the terms of God and they may not be any longer of the World Christ Prayeth not that his Disciples may be taken out of the World but kept from the evil he prayed for them that did not believe So that Christ is a Mediator for all men and a Propitiation for all men and he is working by his Spirit for the Redemption of all men That to as many as believe in him to them he gives Power to become the Sons of God The sum of all is this that we have an opportunity put into our hands we cannot deny it you must all upon search confess that the Grace of God doth often work in your hearts against any Corruption against any Evil Let not this prize be put into our hands in vain as into the hands of fools If I knew that this and that was a sin I would leave it let us be of that mind and we shall soon know it Then say If I knew such a thing to be a sin If I could get a thousand pounds by it I would not do it why should'st thou love sin for profit or pleasure I am sure it is an ill bargain when it is done Whatsoever I am convinced of is a sin I will not it Resolve upon this and there the Grace of God will be at work we shall soon see that we must leave off sinning there is such a thing I must leave God hath set up a Judgment in my mind against it though it bring profit and pleasure away it must go here is a step a following step to follow Christ he that will deny himself will follow Christ My Redeemer shews me this to be an evil I will not do it but follow him and imitate him Here the Soul is led step by step even by Christ the Captain of our Salvation till it is gradually cleansed from sin and reconciled unto God and this can be done by no other means for Prayer and Alms will not do it All that can be done by us will not dot it none can do it but Christ alone that God hath laid help upon that you may all wait for the Divine Operation of his Grace in your hearts that is it which we Labour and Travel for as knowing that God hath wrought wonderfully by it for the Redemption of all those that love him more than they love their pleasures more than they love their sins it must be concluded that following of him and leaving Father and Mother Husband and Wife Children Brethren and Sisters all these things as they stand in competition with him and the Obedience of his Spirit all these must be looked upon as nothing to him Then above all things I must not displease him He can speak Peace and none can take it away and if he take it away none can give it If we follow Christ when this is done then all is done according to the Will of God then the blessing of God descends upon the whole Creation then every man will speak truth to his Neighbour and every man will govern his Family with discretion So God is Glorified and his name comes to be Exalted who is worthy to be Loved Adored and Exalted above all Blessings and Praises to him be Glory who is God over all Blessed for Ever and Ever Amen His Prayer after Sermon MOST Glorious God of Life and Power and of Everlasting Kindness a God of Long-suffering and Patience else we had not been here at this day Lord we are Monuments of thy Mercy thou hast spared us long and hast called unto us in a day when we turned away our Ear from thee thou hast stretched out thy hand all the day long and thou hast gathered a little Remnant of the lost Sheep of the house of Israel to partake of thy Pastures of Life and now all our Souls have been greatly refreshed and comforted since we come to understand and comprehend with the rest of thy Saints the Height and Length and Breadth and Depth of thy Love which in the Son of thy Love thou hast Revealed to us And blessed Father of Life our Souls do breath and cry unto thee on the behalf of Strangers which are Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel that are yet breathing and inquiring after thee And asking the way to Sion O Lord remember them and hear their cry and let their sighing and complaining enter into thine Ears that all they in whom thou hast begun to kindle up holy desires after thee may have them grow into a flame to burn up all their Enmity to thee that so they may be purified by thy judgments and receive of thy Heavenly Grace This is the way which thou hast used with thy Children thou hast commanded them to Worship thee in thy dwelling place thou hast taken them into thy house and fed them with thy finest Wheat refreshed them with thy Loving-kindness and filled them with thy Holy Spirit Dearest God of Love this is the design and purpose of our Meeting together that we may enjoy thy Presence and feel the operation of thy Word and have Communion with thee and thy Son Jesus Christ through thy Holy Spirit the way into Rest and Life is with thee thou canst open and none can shut Lord open the hearts of this People to receive of thy

goodness and receive of thy blessings that so every one may be sensible that th●u art at the least knocking at the door of their hearts that thou mightest have an entrance and bow the hearts and wills of all to receive what thou givest and hast to offer to receive the word of Life by which thou art quickning them And kindle holy desires after thy self that every one may receive thy truth in the love of it That so blessed God of Life thy glorious work of Redemption may be carryed on and we may all feel it carryed on upon our Souls Hear thy poor People that are crying unto thee the God of Gods in Zion that are sensible of their weakness and feebleness and how unable they are to overcome the Enemies of their Soul Arise in thy power O Lord and these Enemies shall be scattered Let the Souls of thy People be raised from the Dust and delivered f●om their Sin that they may rejoice and p●aise thy name for their deliverance Righteous God of Life our Eyes are unto thee to set forth thy glory for th u hast made bare thine Arm for the Salvation of the poor and needy Souls and thou hast been stretching forth the cords of thy Love to gather them that were scattered and hast been bringing home to thee those that were hurried away in a dark and cloudy day Thou hast made us sensible of thy operations and hast constrained thy Servants to labour in the Word and Doctrine for the gathering of such home that so they and we may enter into thy holy Covenant and may sound forth thy praises to the Ages and Generations to come That so Holy God of Life and Love thou that hast saved us with a marvelous salvation mayest receive for all thy mercies and blessings to thy Children Praises Glory Honour and Thanksgiving for thou alone art worthy who art God over all blessed for Ever Amen Sermon II. Heart Preparation for Receiving the Gospel Preached at Devonshire-House Feb. 12. 1687. IT is in my heart at this time to desire that every ones heart were prepared to be made partakers of the blessings of the Gospel For there is a certain Preparation that every one must witness in themselves ere they are capable of receiving Divine blessings For in all Ages of the World the Blessings of the Lord have been manifold and his Arm hath been always stretched out in all Ages to the Sons and Daughters of Men sensible of the Love he hath unto them and where these tenders of the Love of God have met with prepared hearts they have received it to their Eternal well-fare But this hath been the Lamentation that hath been taken up upon the greatest part of mankind that they have not been prepared to receive the Love of God their hearts and minds have been so filled with the Love of visible things and carnal objects that they have not been truly sensible of the Riches of Grace and Mercy and Love of God unto them Now it was said of old by the Prophet That the Preparation of the Heart is of the Lord and there is som●thing that belongs to us on our part that we might attain to this this Preparation that we might be brought in to this Spiritual frame of mind and that is by returning to the Lord that People might think upon his Name and have regard to his Appearance And although this is not the work of Nature for by Nature the minds of People are abroad and they are crying out as the Psalmist speaks Who will shew us any good Yet to help that defect the Lord hath been pleased to send forth his Grace and his Truth and to call unto the Sons and Daughters of Men that they might seek after him that they might Seek the Lord while he is to be found and they that do hearken unto his voice they will readily confess that there is nothing doth so well satisfie an Immortal Soul as to be gathered into fellowship with its Maker And that at one time or other it is the desire of all Men and Women that they might attain Peace with the Lord and they know there is no Peace to the wicked and they know wickedness will remain until it is abolished and destroyed and they know that it is not in their Power to destroy it and therefore of necessity there must be a waiting upon the Lord who is Almighty that he may reveal his Power in our weakness And they that are thus Prepared in their Minds for them to meet religiously together with expectation unto God that he according to his promise will appear and will reveal his Arm and do in them and for them that which they cannot do for themselves this is a fit occasion for People to meet together and thus many times to have their expectation to God and say Lord thou knowest my weakness and thou knowest the enemies I have to deal withal thou knowest I am not able to overcome them Therefore we are now met together in the Presence of the Lord to wait to receive at his hands that Power that Life that Vertue by which we may be made more than Conquerours Such a Religious Meeting thus gathered together hath a Promise I will be in the midst of them saith the Lord and therefore having a promise we may reasonably expect that we shall be made partakers of the living Virtue and Power by which we may do that which of our selves we cannot do And I say Friends it is my Souls desire that you were all thus qualified that every one had an evidence in himself of this right Preparedness for where the Eye is abroad upon any visible thing that it seeks satisfaction in any thing below the Lord himself it will wear away and wax old All those Objects that People fix their minds upon they will wax old but they whose desires and the breathings of their Souls is that they may grow into Acquaintance with their Maker this will never wax old When Peoples minds are fixed as the People of the Lord of old were When they made a comparison between the state of their minds and the minds of others and signified it in these words They are saying They are crying that is they that are of the World Who will shew us any good But we for our parts our cry is Lord lift up the light of thy Countenance upon us and we will be more glad of that than th●y can be with all the increase of Corn and Wine and Oil. Now they that feel in themselves the reason of their Meeting together is to enjoy the Light of Gods Countenance and to partake of the blessings of God they have their expectation to God their minds are retired into God But knowing right well that if the Tongues of Men and Angels are moved to declare the Heavenly and Divine Mysteries of the Kingdom of God they cannot be Edified or benefited by them without the Divine help and assistance of

to this pass to be at thy Wits end and not know which way to turn thee nor to whom to run for help or to ask Councel for thy Souls wellfare thou art come to the end of all and without hope then God reveals himself by his Son Jesus Christ Christ the Son of God is known by our coming to him but none can come unto Christ except the Father which hath sent him draw him When thou hast done with thy Gods and thrown away thy Idols to the Batts and Moles then thou wilt find the Lord and thou wilt cry out O that God would have mercy upon me and lift up the light of his Countenance upon me I am a poor miserabie Creature There are many that make such a Whining and Complaining that they take a pride in their very Complaints their Hypocrisie is so great I have known some that have prided themselves in wording their Condition and expressing their miserable case before the Lord but suppose thou canst not speak at all but feelest thy self miserable thou canst not express thy Condition At such a time as this God was drawing thy Soul to Christ Jesus the Mediator of it I have heard of a Mediator and that there is Balm in Gilead for me that there is a Physitian there that there is one Physitian even Jesus Christ the Mediator of the New Covenant thou hast sinned against him and grieved him yet he stands with open Arms for thee ready to receive thee and embrace thee where stands he He stands at the Door and Knocks it is a small matter one would think to let him in Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the Door and knock and if any man he●r my Voice and open the Door I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me Here is good News for a hungry Soul if any such be here Christ the Mediator stands at the Door and Knocks he will come in and Sup with thee if thou open to him then we shall meet with the Lords Supper This is the Lord we will wait for him he will bring his Bread with him The Bread of Life and the Wine of his Kingdom And the Lords Supper will be celebrated without cavilling and jangling Now because we do not pervert the Scripture I would have you ●hat understand Books read what Commentators say what those of this and former Ages say upon this Text whether they do not Consture and Deliver in their Opinions that this Knocking at the Door is Christs Calling the Soul by his Grace and this Door is the Door of the Heart and Christs Calling the Soul by his Grace and Spirit to let him in by Faith This is their Judgment and Sense and their Sense is mine and I believe the Genuin Sense of the Text that Christ would have People think he is near to them and that he would have People open their Hearts and Receive him by Faith for to be a Saviour to them No that saith Flesh and Blood I cannot bear I cannot consent to have him for my Saviour I will not let him in for he is like Micaiah to Ahab He never speaks good concerning me For if I have him for my Saviour I must part with my Lusts and Pleasures if there be any other Saviour I will try and not meddle with him He will spoil all our Mirth and good Society he will tell me of every Idle word that I shall speak I must give an Account thereof at the Day of Judgment What do you think that I can like such a Saviour That I can live with such a one as will call me to an Account for every word I speak and that if I speak one idle word Judgment will come upon me No I will try one and another rather than accept of him upon such terms I am one that am joyned to such a Church and enjoy such and such Ordinances and such Helps I am in Covenant with God and under the Seals of that Covenant I am Baptized and do partake of the Lords Supper which is another Seal of the Covenant I hope it will be well with me I will go something farther another saith we must have a Mediator I will go to the Virgin Mary and offer something to her and pray to her Saith another I will go to Saint James and Saint John and other Saints to Intercede with God for me They must have some Mediator This is the Twisting and Twining of the Sons and Daughters of Men to keep out Christ the Great Mediator who came into the World for this purpose to destroy the works of the Devil Alas I have nothing left but my bare Life and Living in the World I have nothing left me but some Li●tle desire I had to please God and that he will never Judge and Condemn me for but my false dealing and buying and selling with Deceit He will Judge this and Condemn it And my Discoursing of things without me all my Carnal Friendship and Love of the World and my vain Fashions all that is Corrupt and Defiled these he came on purpose to destroy He came to destroy bo●h the Devil and his Works What can a man Live in the World and never joyn wi●h the Devil Never Sin at all Never do any thing that the Devil would have him do There is no Perfection in this World no living without Sin here then I am sure there is no Unity with Christ here and if there be no Unity with Christ then there is none with God the Father What will become of thee now What will all the pleaders for that opinion say now There is some thing stands betwen God and me and I shall never have Peace and what is that It is Sin I would have my Sin taken away else I had better never been born Canst thou remove Sin out of thy Heart I have tryed but I cannot do it I have heard of Christ the Mediator of the New Covenant He saith he came into the World and that for this purpose he was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil Now Sin in my Heart is the Devils work I will see if he will destroy that for me I will trust and rely upon him and see if his great Power can destroy it in me Here People come rightly to believe in him that God hath sent and trust in him and he will take them in and like a Chirurgion he will rip up their Hearts and l●t out their Corrruptions though there hath been never so much Rottenness and he will heal them and purifie them and pardon them though they have been never so wicked if they come to him when thy Sins are set in order before thee then thou cryest out O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of Death Is it God that hath thought of me and waited to be Gracious and hath born my Sin long how wonderful is his patience towards me All these things