Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	holy_a	power_n	9,916	5	5.0704	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92204	The fiery change: or, Almighty God, his melting and refining of his people, purging out their drosse and drossy metals, making them like unto himself and to his Son who is the pure Word. Wherein is discovered, by the comparison of metals, how the visible church is corrupted, consisting of men of all degrees and conditions and how God hath begun to refine them: which have past in the world a long time for good metal: but now is discovering by fire. / By Robert Read.	Read, Robert, fl. 1653-1656.	1656 (1656)	Wing R440; Thomason E899_3; ESTC R206741	92,260	122

judgement Look to this O ye Teachers of men your case is so that God hath found you great enemies to the most pure light and truth that floweth from himself Mal. 3. and as in the third chapter of the same Prophet being the next words hear there your doom God will try you Judgement beginneth at the house of God among the righteous among them that are full that are rich 1 Pet. 4.17 18. that are wise Oh that this sort of people could see but their unrighteousnesse their emptinesse their poverty and their folly until men come to see that they are so Joh. 3.39 Isa 29.18 19. they are not happy the blinde onely shall see and the deaf onely shall hear and he that is hungry shall be satisfied for the Lord hath sealed the book that he that can read cannot open it and he that can read will not meddle with it Isa 29.11 12. but persecute it witnesse the late times since that the hidden mysteries that John saw hath been opened which the Teachers of our times yeelded themselves willingly to be blinde unto 2 Pet. 3.5 how is it like to be persecuted further Is the rise of their persecution because that some illiterate men speak accounted not worthy in their esteem to meddle with such things Rev. 18.7 16. Or is it because that Babel the seat of the Whore with all her ornaments shall be destroyed Or is it because divine merchandising shall have an utter end Saint Paul did intimate in his Epistle to the Corinthians that there were some 2 Cor. 2.17 but he and the rest of the Apostles were no such that did make merchandise of the Word Tremble then all you that are Teachers that say you are Apostles and are not Rev. 2.2 that would be canonized for Saints here and have not yet bowed to the Scepter of the Lord Christ that have onely tasted of the little book which is sweet in the mouth Emanuel God with us but have not eaten it up Rev. 10.9 c. Rev. 21.8 because of its bitternesse in the belly that are fearfull of losing the glorious things of the world if they should embrace Christ really loving such a religion and profession that agreeth with the conditions of the great men driving still at those that would separate worldly same pomp ease and wealth from the inward 1 Joh. 2.15 invisible and spirituall worship of God which cannot stand together joyning the humane and corrupt ordinances and will-worship with the inward worship of God in spirit limiting the holy One to their traditionall service Learn to know that the Almighty hath power to change all things at his own will and pleasure yea the very Heavens which is the Church and the religion we live and converse with God in and that there shall not such adulteries and fornications be committed among his people and in his house there shall be no more inticers to love the strange woman Prov. 7. who hath all comelinesse and excellent entertainment to the satisfaction of the desires of the flesh There is other discoveries made and they who are the sons of Levi that wait at the Altar must be changed and not cry Templum Domini not the temple of the Lord because once it was so and now it hath not the Spirits presence to say all one words but they must cry Dominus in templo Rev. 21.3 Rev. 3.20 The Lord in his temple the Lord is now coming to dwell he standeth at the door and knocketh Observe with a discerning eye whether it be not in vain for the Teachers of the world to go about to uphold that which God hath designed down if Antichrist shall fall it will not be in part but in the whole the stars shall fall therefore envie not and despise not the small beginnings neither trample on any springing up that is of the Lords planting for it may prosper the better Contend not neither fight against them unto whom the Lord hath made great discoveries of Christ his coming forth in the glory of God censuring reproaching and persecuting those doctrines that you are not able to comprehend as the devout women did and the chief men did against Paul and Barnabas Acts 13 5● such are the great opposers of pure truth that live in the profession of truth and teach others carried out with a zeal kindled from the outward letter endevouring to open the mysteries by and with their outward gifts which cannot be But in stead of opening Heaven they open Hell having the key of the bottomlesse pit stirring up contentions and strifes rather manifesting themselves to be the apostles of Gods anger and infliction then the peace-exercising and teaching Apostles of Christ were Shew forth your Evangelicall fruits you that stile your selves so let your love your patience meeknesse righteousnesse and long-suffering appear in your behaviour towards all men and your rendering good for evil blessing for cursing praying for persecuting Behold and see ye Teachers of the world whether there hath not been and now is amongst you such which have been as you say called to the function and place of the Ministery vile and vicious persons A great grief it hath been to many souls who have received somewhat from God Mills Flavell Wells by the conscientious and right dividers to see such covetous proud oppressing drunken idle lying vain incontinent persons to stand up to speak as if sent from God striking terrour amazement to the poor tender hearted hearer being ignorant of God that such as are reprovers of evill should be examples of committing evill This blessed be the Lord is taken notice of by our Governours and there is a beginning in some places of the Nation to call such to the barre and to try them for those grosse evils and there is hope that they being taken in hand for their open wickednesse others that live in the secret shall also be detected it is manifest that God is coming forth to refine and purifie all Thirdly to the men of Trafficke Merchants and others that by their commerce are as the earth to support and bear up and yeeld sufficiency to others through the exercise of their worldly imploiments Let them learn here to know God as he is and to know themselves what they are for God is the chiefest good there is no happines in the enjoyment of any thing without God al things created by him having not their use for to his glory are abused and become as so many hinderances and let ts unto us in the way to life Ester 1.5 They are all vanity there is no worth in them all the world and the things therein are not worth one soul Luke 16.1 and as for themselves let them know that they are but as stewards which must give an account 1 Tim. 6.17 of their stewardship and they are not to put their trust in uncertain riches nor to

so that the cruell and wicked practices of the one is the means of purging out the defilements of the other being set in opposition through the wisdom of our most holy God Comfort thy self O Christian thy God will purge thee through the fiery contentions that is among true Beleevers and hypocrites the fire is kindled Jer. 6.28 and the bellows do blow thy drosse shall be clean purged out and thou shalt be as the silver and gold for the Lord hath enough and he will fill thee out of his own fulnesse Read the thirteenth of Zachariah and the three last verses God saith there of the small number of his people Zach. 13.7 8. 9 that after he hath refined them then he wil be their God and they shall say The Lord is my God where no drosse is to purge out there God will not cast into the fire but he will there dwell and abide for ever thou shalt never need to mourn for the want of a Minister for God will be thy Minister and he will minister light and peace unto thee the Sun shall shine seven times brighter than at noon for the Lord himself will be thy light When Almighty God hath melted his people and burnt up their drosse and utterly consumed it then shall they come to be in union with him living and abiding with him for ever This is that new Jerusalem that John saw that came down from God out of Heaven wherein there is no temple nor ordinance being there is no need In the time of the Apostacie after the Apostles dayes which yet remains although wounded then there was a need of Pastours and Teachers as the onely means of distributing light to the world like unto the light of the Moon alwayes changing somtimes Popery somtimes Episcopacie sometimes Presbytery Independent and Baptized So that God was alwayes well pleased to make some cloudy discoveries of himself by the ministery of men But the day of the Lord being now dawned Christ who is our light shall appear again and the power of Antichrist which waxed so great shall be clean taken away and the rent that was made shall be made whole God will cement his people to himself and he will be their light and defence Psal 83. ult And this is Babylons plague yea the vexation of the grand Professours that are now full and will not obey the true light but do persecute it calling it the new light or new lights being blinde to the discoveries that God hath made to his people of the Whore and of her destruction and of the purest flesh and the glory thereof which must be burnt that God may be all in all in his people and never be any more forms Rest not then oh thou doubting soul untill thou hast found the Lord Cant. 3. as the Church in the Canticles he it is that gives light and life he is our peace he shall be thy Minister and thy Church and the house thou livest in for the Temple of Christ is within you and thou shalt hear Christ teach within thee incline therefore thine heart to the temple within cast away all thine abominations and bring thy will to the Father regard not the glory and vanity of the world but humble thy self under his mighty hand and know that there is no time to be when the holy Spirit of God will force it self into the will of the hardened But thou must bring thy will into the holy Spirit and then shalt thou hear it teaching thee by another way and means than formerly thou hast waited in for most certain it is that the change is now begun and God will finish that long expected and waited for Psal 45.6 7. even his own presence and fellowship with the Saints prize thy dignity and give praises yea eternall praises to the Lord of glory that sheweth himself unto thee in the fellowship of sufferings Oh the height the depth the breadth and length of the love of God that doth invest poor worms into such glory that neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard neither can enter into the heart of man to conceive the riches of that glory Now seeing that there must be such a fiery change as is spoken of which through the great mercy of God doth free us from wrath to come What manner of persons ought we to be now in the body of flesh We ought to attend and wait on the inward calling of God and to obey the light that shineth into our mindes living according to our measure exercising our selves in all godlike conversation redeeming the time because the dayes are evill shaking off the things that cleave so close to us even our lusts crush the Serpent in the head kill the Cockatrice in the shell wait upon God with weeping fasting and mourning praying and ever praying that the Kingdom of Christ may be enlarged that the wickednesse of the world may be abated and the drosse among his people utterly consumed that the Nations that yet know not the Lord may be insightened and instructed to know him glorifying God the Father that he hath been so gracious so long suffering so mercifull and so patient in bearing with such a wicked and hypocriticall a generation as we are You that are enemies to the pure truth now declared and despisers of the light of Jesus made manifest and do live in contention for the upholding of the outward profession being blinde to the inward and invisible power that should rule within Learn to know that there are but two wayes the broad way and the narrow way the one a way of death the other of life the one without God in the world the other God with us living and abiding with us the one way directeth and leadeth to God as a mercifull Father and all-sufficient Redeemer the other way directeth and leadeth to God as a terrible Judge and Avenger knowing this Be you led by the light that shineth in you the light of Christ to the narrow way to the strait gate thorow which you cannot enter untill you are new born new creatures new moulded new melted which cannot be with the taking of the ease pleasure and profits of the world living in an externall professed and visible way of outward observances but it must be by the inward breaking bruizing and killing of that serpentine life will and wisdom of the carnall man Either you must fall on the stone and be broken Luke 10.18 or else it will fall upon you and it will grinde you to powder there is no middle way to life salvation and happinesse Either you must yeeld bow submit and embrace Christ upon terms of losse and death to the carnall or else you cannot have Christ at all keeping the carnall minde although never so much covered and gilded Seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is neer get oil into your lamps now there is an opportunity of having of it come

and quake O ye mockers for the day of the Lord is come in which he will not onely search Jerusalem with candles but he will change Jerusalem by fire what can you expect that when the great and dreadfull God who is holy and cannot endure uncleanesse and drosse to be among his people but will consume it by the fire of his anger but to be utterly consumed as these sublunary metalls you can have no other end for the Silver and the Gold the pure metals you ever hated and made no reckoning of but rested and trusted in the shinings of your own base metals not regarding to know God and therefore God will give you up to a reprobate minde Rom. 1.28 let seasonable advice take hold on you What ever you do or suffer get Gold buy Truth dig deep for Silver and let not all the metalls beneath these metalls gain thy heart let them have what luster gilding or shining soever they will deceive thee Jona 3.8 They that trust in lying vanities forsake their own mercy What will become of our Nation if it should neglect so great salvation is there not a deluge of pride hypocrisie idolatry covetousnesse and murmuring now God would be mercifull to us if we would but resigne our selves up to him but we are proud and exalted in the fleshly wisdome being blinde thinking our selves in an excellent good condition giving our selves up to the lusts of our own hearts not caring to see the visions of God in the inward and internall way and so perish through our own carnall understandings in an outward profession Let us be humbled under the mighty hand of God who will exalt us the humble he will teach and those that dread and fear him he will reveal his secrets unto what greater blessednesse can be to any of the sons of men then this to be his schollers Pro. 29.18 and to know his will The teachers of the world are corrupted Psal 25.9 14. and need to be taught themselves for it appeareth they are not as the Apostles were in the primitive time but alienated from their practice having not the inlivening power within them of the spirit whence it comes to passe that living and speaking according to the letter they are by an Artifice of Satan strengthened by the outward profession to oppose strongly from their forme the inward and true spirituall worshiper and so Antichrist comes to be taken for Christ and Christ for Antichrist As the Scriptures are such are the Ministers of it the letter serveth as a shelter or an hiding place for Antichrist to lurke and save himself in where now he is striving for superiority as the Pharisees did in the time of Christ against whom he did chiefly speak but the Spirit is of that pure simple individuall and virgin like holy quality proceeding from the Father of light that it needeth not to be urged either by letter or word being given up wholly to the invisible and internall enjoyment of the life of God which by his inspiration the letter was first monumented to enioy the letter without the spirit is to enjoy the picture and not the person Christ saith you thinke to have eternall life in the Scriptures No you cannot they testifie of me John 5.39 that giveth life to all that do beleeve His ministration is a ministration of reconciliation to salvation and we are to look after no other although there may be excellent pretences Should the men of the world study but half so much for their eternall welfare as they do for their temporall they could not but give strong reasons and gain strong resolutions against their own practices to be in Israel and not an Israelite to be of the visible Church and to have no invisible light and truth this is worth nothing to talk of grace with the mouth and have none in the heart to say they know and do not there sin remaineth Stirre up thy self Joh. 9.14 O worldling ly not still consider what thou art and wherefore thou wast created 1 Joh. 3.20 let not the naturall light that is within condemn thee to perdition and make no further use of any thing wherein others meet with the Lord their God then that thou mightest so really and truly meet him also Let not the outward performances of duties Eccles. 5.7 Job 34.19 Psal 113.7 serve thine own will to the increase of worldly gain or preferment but serve God with a pure minde and heart-performance which he onely accepteth of Let the poor and mean Yea the servants of men endeavour cheifly that the Lord may be their portion the sin of murmuring is as among all people so especially among people of low degree they murmure because God hath not given them such a portion of the world as oothers because they are impotent or that they are under the cōmand of others many waies is there a murmuring against God learn patience and know that the very worst estate that can be is beyond thy desert and that thy Maker will do with his own as He pleaseth Happy art thou if thou findest within thy self the God of love and infinite mercy anyway to appear if in that thou hast received thou hast seen a hand directing it to thee though it be bitter take it from the Lord as a token of his infinite love rejoyce in thy low condition the Lords eye is over thee and will neverthelesse judge thine oppressour he hath a regard to the poor he will defend them he wil bring them them out of the dust and set them among Princes all that wait upon the Lord shall see his goodnesse in the Land of the Living Let all therefore say that have not to their desire in outward appearance of Gods favour Verily thou O God hidest thy self O God thou Saviour of Israel Lastly whatever thou art that dost draw neer to God in any outward performance meditate with thy self to what end thou dost it and be more neer to hear than to offer the sacrifice of fools Eccles 4.17 ● 1. neither be rash with thy mouth to utter a thing before God for he is in Heaven and thou art on earth therefore let thy words be few Eccles 4.17.5.1 Lamentable it is to see how sinfully men present themselves before the Lord in Congregations petitioning for that their hearts are not affected with and promising that they have no intent to perform Consider in your mindes would a mortall man be so served that is in some regall authority and do you think the great God can bear it No if this be your resolved practice he will cast you into utter darknesse that doth thus counterfeit and dissemble with him who seeth the heart you shall never have the light of his countenance here nor that Heaven which you care little for hereafter Behold the day of the Lord is very neer at hand and he cometh as a thief in the night Revel 3.2 Who may abide the day of his coming And who shall endure when he appeareth Mal. 3.2 1 Thess 5.6 for he is like a purging fire and like Fullers sope Watch therefore Luke 12.33 to the 41. read it in the Spirit that being fore-warned you may be fore-armed Finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things pertain to love Phil. 4.8 whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue or if there be any praise think on these things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in Paul or in any of the Saints of God those things do and the God of peace shall be with you FINIS

be high minded but to do good and to distribute laying up in store a good foundation against the time to come c. The men of the world setteth their mindes on the world wholly Pro. 1.19 all their study and care all their diligence and watchfulnesse is to get gain to adde to what they have to make themselves great to be in esteem in the world to have an aboundance contriving to get large possessions great inheritances fair buildings store of monies potent friends all which is nothing this procures no inward peace no forgivenesse no spirituall satisfaction to the soul no communion with God but doth corrupt infect and mis-lead the soul into the snares of death for by loving affecting and delighting in the things of the world the poor soul is everlastingly captivated and hardened in the worldly walkings that they come to plead for their sins of covetousnesse calling it good husbandry and exercising of their talents Psal 73. and so the Lord God their Maker comes to be forgotten of them all things going well with them that they break out into pride ambition cruelty and oppression all under the colour of living according to their degree and their calling Thus do men of the world that are without God in the world Ephes 5.17 demean themselves towards God ut Papa sic populus They still entertain the religion of the word that that is most in use and best agreeth with their palate although there is inwardly in them nothing but plotting contriving devising studying and indeavoring after the world the pleasures and profits thereof Yet they would be known to be of some religion as well as others and these times do afford them a receptacle they are welcome to the teachers of the world in all their exercises praying preaching singing and conference and have the chiefest room and the best applause for constant hearers and very good incouragement to rejoice and boast of their religious carriage especially because they pay thir dues keep their church being quiet and not medling with the differences that now are but takes all for good that the ministers saith or doth Be not deceived O worldling God knoweth the secrets of thine heart and seeth the bent thereof Thou canst not serve God and Mammon Luke 16.13 Although thou lovest thy minister plyest the Church and payest thy dues and all seems to be at peace with thee Thou art nothing but as earth thou mayest make a shew of some religion to men Jams 2.18 but the Lord seeth that thou hast no religion at all let it appear by thy works what thou art the Lord cannot endure a half Christian an outside one he requireth the inside the heart the Spirit of the minde there is nothing can make thee happy but the injoyment of the Lord Christ Ephes 4. and his benefits Silver and Gold cannot deliver thee in the day of the Lords wrath neither wil God be served but with the male of thy flock thou must sacrifice the best for an offering to the Lord and think nothing too dear to part withall Luke 16.9 in comparison of gaining Christ Make you friends of the Mammon of unrighteousnesse that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitation make you friends Abraham beleeved God and was called his friend what great happinesse it is for a man to have God for his friend nothing can go ill with him if God be on our side who can be against us Make Christ thy friend Rom. 8.31 John 15.14 O worldly man the benefit of His friendship will be great he is thy Saviour Mediatour and Intercessour What priviledge like to this to be the friend of Christ we cannot but must participate of all he hath obtained for us and hath in store also Make the poor your friends give them of your substance and of your store spare something of your abundance visite the prisoner feed the hungry cloathe the naked take pity on the sick and entertain the stranger that their prayers to God and praises of God for such reaching of outward comforts to them by their frequency and fervency may cause the dew of heaven to distill down upon you Do not forget thy Maker O worldling but remember him and do works of pity and mercy of love and charity and as thou hast received freely from the Lord so for the Lords sake give freely that thou mayest not be liable to the sentence that God doth pronounce against the covetous not to enter into life nor to have the curses and the execrations of the poor to ly at thy door 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Make the people of God thy friends love them acquaint thy self with them Do not revile mock scoffe scorne and despise them either because of their plainnes Matth. 19.29 nor because thou art reproved by them nor because they love that thou hatest and hate that thou lovest but go to the Sanctuary of God and learn to love that that God loveth to forsake all and follow the Lord Christ not to go from that thou doest possesse but out of that covetous will that is within thee that will must be destroyed and brought to nothing thou must account thy Mastership thy Wealth thy Wisdome thy great Place thy Credit thy great Prosperity thy Authority and thy costly Garments to be all one as Service Poverty Plainnesse Disesteeme Disgrace Adversity and Scarcity such a temper should men that have the wealth of the world be of that they should be as willing to lose as win to wear coorse garments as fine garments and whatsoever is conferred upon them either of honour wealth or goods to return and give it back again to God and say unfainedly Lord it is thine I am unworthy to have the command over it but being thou hast put it into my hands make me to do thy will with it and that thou mayest have the glory of it and that all the exercises and undertakings I am called unto may produce good to thy people How far otherwise is the practice of worldly men that live in the anxiety of their Spirits both in the getting and keeping earthly treasure and how do they expatiate their desires the earthly father would have an earthly son nothing can bring an earthly worldly minded mans will to a limit but onely the love and power of God Man is apt to run all his stock out upon the world his confidence trust joy comfort his love and fear and all and wholly to forget God as if they were made for nothing else but to get the things of the world and joy in them which many through much care travell and watchings do not possesse but sees them a farre off and cannot attain to that joy miserable is the condition of earthly minded men some wanteth that they have and some are at an eternall losse by joying in them Let the advice of our Saviour Christ be followed by the men of the