Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	father_n	ghost_n	holy_a	5,369	5	5.6194	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47164	The Presbyterian and independent visible churches in New-England and else-where brought to the test, and examined according to the doctrin of Holy Scriptures ... : more particulary directed to those in New-England, and more generally to those in old England, Scotland, Ireland, &c. : with a call and warning from the Lord to the people of Boston and New-England, to repent, &c. : and two letters to the preachers in Boston, and an answer to the gross abuses, lies and slanders of Increase Mather and Nath. Morton, &c. / by George Keith.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.	1691 (1691)	Wing K191; ESTC R21261	124,580	240

live honestly and worthily as many Preachers at this day as well as formerly do both Work and Preach by turns and as they have freely received so they give freely and these no Man can charge them that they have made their Gospel chargeable as the Preachers both of Old and New-England have done who have put the People to great charge of many Thousand Pounds yearly and yet the People is not profited under them and they have by force taken or caused to be taken from many who did not hear them nor own them to be Ministers of Christ for which they have no president either in the Old or New Testament 11. And whereas they who plead That true Piety is not essential to a Gospel-Minister First bring Judas for a president to which it is easily answered first that it is said Judas fell from his Ministry by Transgression and therefore some time he stood and it is more than ever they can prove that Judas never had any measure of true Piety or Sanctification when Christ did first send him forth for although he might have covetous and evil Inclinations that doth not argue that he had nothing of true Sanctification according to their own Doctrin who affirm That a Man may have true Sanctification and yet have not only strong evil Inclinations but very evil Practices But 2 dly when Judas was called the pure Gospel dispensation had not taken place and did not until Christ rose from the Dead and gave the holy Ghost Next they say Christ told the People that the Pharisees sate in Moses Chair and he did not forbid them but rather encouraged them to hear them saying Do what they say but do not as they do To this it is answered The Pharisees and Scribes teaching belonged to the Law and so they pass from the true state of the Question which is whether Ministers of the Gospel need not true Holiness to make them true Ministers 3 dly They object Paul's words concerning some that preached Christ not sincerely and yet he said Christ was preached and therein he rejoyced To which I answer that doth not justifie their Preaching but it holdeth forth the great Power and Wisdom of God that causeth all things to work together for his own Glory and the good of his as when by Persecutions and Reproaches and Slanders and false Accusations and contending against the Truth the Truth doth the more spread and flourish as hath oft been known and therein God's Servants have rejoyced yet this doth not justifie these Persecutors Lyers and false Accusers CHAP. V. Concerning God his Decrees and Election and Reprobation and the general state of Mankind by means of Adam's fall and the Way of Restoration by Christ 1. IT hath been a common thing among both Presbyterian and Independent Teachers in Old and New-England to accuse the honest People called in derision Quakers of being guilty of Blasphemy against God and Christ and the holy Ghost for no other cause but that they express their Faith of the great Mystery of the Father the Son and the holy Ghost in Scripture words and have not freedom to use the words of Man's wisdom and that come only from the Spirit of Man and have not proceeded from the Spirit of God whereby to express and declare their Faith of so great and glorious Mystery And by means of this so great Accusation and others as false and injurious they prevailed with the Magistrates of New-England to cause to be put to Death three dear and precious Men-Servants of the Lord and one dear and precious Maid-Servant of the Lord beside many other cruel Sufferings inflicted upon others for which great Cruelty and Barbarity the Hand of the Lord hath been manifestly stretched out against them in manifest Judgments and Plagues that divers among them have since acknowledged And therefore let all Men know to whose Hands this may come that the People called Quakers never denyed but on the contrary faithfully believed and do still faithfully believe whatever is recorded in the holy Scriptures of that great Mystery to wit that God is one and that the Father the Son and the holy Ghost is that one only true and living God the Creator and Upholder of all and Lord and King of all visible and invisible things and that the Father is begotten of none the Son is begotten of the Father from everlasting and before all Time and the holy Ghost hath proceeded from the Father and from the Son from Everlasting and before all Time and that the Son is God manifest in Flesh who came in the Flesh in the fulness of time as the Scripture declareth and that the Lord Jesus Christ whom the Apostles preached that dyed for our Sins and rose again for our Justification and is ascended and gone into Heaven is that alone Son of God and the only begotten of the Father in whom the fulness of the God-head dwelleth bodily and the Lord Jesus Christ in the intire and perfect nature of Man consisting of Soul and Body is gone into Heaven and is in Heaven and that his Body that was crucified and buried did not see Corruption but was raised on the third day and after forty days did ascend and was glorified according to which glorious Body of the Lord Jesus Christ we believe that at the Resurrection of the Dead our Bodies shall be changed and be made like or conform Acts 1.11 and that the same Jesus who is ascended and was taken up into Heaven shall so come in like manner as they did see him go into Heaven 2. And as concerning God we believe that he is a Spirit infinite unchangeable and incomprehensible omniscient omnipotent and omnipresent infinitely wise holy powerful good merciful and gracious just and righteous that he is Light and Love and whatever the Scripture doth declare of him we faithfully believe although this Name of him to wit Light the Faith-publishers at Westminster have altogether omitted in their Confession whether heedlesly or designedly that I leave but it seemeth they knew little of him if any thing at all by that Name and yet it was the Message that the Apostles heard from him and declared unto Men that God is Light and that he is in the Light to wit in Christ who is the Light of Men and that if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of his Son Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin 1 John 1.5 6 7. And indeed it suits most with their Doctrin that all inward divine Revelation is ceased either to conceal or deny that God is Light as to us and in us or in any of his Saints or that Christ is Light to and in his Saints for the nature of the Light yea of all true Light is to reveal and make it self manifest by it self as well as other things and this description the Apostle Paul giveth of it Ephes 5.13 Whatever maketh manifest is

us and working together with us This answer is but a meer presumption or Conjecture seeing they deny all inward Revelation and Inspiration of the Spirit which gave the Believers and Saints in former ages an infallible kowledge and assurance that they had the Spirit of God for the Spirit that they claim unto as they say doth only work in them effectively but not by way of object it is altogether an unknown mean or principle of operation it hath no proper light or evidence or demonstration of its own such as the Spirit that was in the Apostles is no infallible spirit that they have but fallible and therefore their Faith is fallible their Knowledge fallible their Hope fallible and every thing in them fallible dubious conjectural and uncertain and they only think that they have the Spirit of God and a spiritual knowledge of things and when asked they dare not say their thought hath any infallible assurance in it as all true assurance is Infallible yea some of them are so dark ignorant and blind that to me in my hearing have affirmed That the Apostle Paul was not infallibly sure that he had the Spirit of God bringing Paul's words 1 Cor. 7.40 I think also that I have the Spirit of God But according to his blind argument the holy Ghost is not infallibly sure for the same Greek word is applied to the holy Ghost Acts 15.28 It seemed good to the holy Ghost but this is blasphemous to think or affirm and I see not how they can clear their Doctrin of Blasphemy to say That they have the Spirit of God and yet to affirm That they have no Infallible Spirit The plain English of which is that the Spirit of God and God himself is fallible 6. But the great cause and reason why all true Ministers and Preachers of the Gospel should not only be truly godly and holy Men but also should be indued with some more than ordinary power of the holy Spirit and communications thereof not common to all Christians at least in degree though one spirit in all is That the Ministry of every true Minister of Christ is a Ministration of Grace of Spirit of Life and Power which doth emanate or flow forth from or through the Minister or Preacher as living Waters that emanate and flow from a living spring or fountain which reach and flow into the hearts and inward parts of the Hearers such as are sensible and whose hearts God is pleased to open to receive them and sometimes to the opening and making alive the dead souls and hearts of many hearers whereby not only many that are spiritually dead are made alive but the living are made more living and livingly refreshed and strengthened and though this can hardly or not at all be received by many yet thousands can witness it from living experience that they have felt streams of divine Life Power and Vertue to spring and flow forth from the Spirit of Christ in faithful Preachers into their souls and inward parts to their exceeding refreshing and strengthning in the inward Man and the Scriptures abundantly confirm it that so it was in the primitive times the Ministers of Christ were the Ministers of the Spirit and Power of God and the outward and audible Words that reached the outward Ears were only as a Conduit of Conveyance to convey and transmit that heavenly Virtue that flowed through them and therefore the Ministers of God are called in Scripture flames of Fire and their Words and Preaching have a divine and spiritual Fire and Heat in them that exceedingly warm and melt the cold and congealed Hearts of many Hearers and that Fire is a living Fire or Power of Life to quicken them And this was it that made the two Disciples going to Emaus say How did not our Hearts burn within us while he spoke to us by the way and opened the Scriptures unto us And when Christ preached to the People it is said he spoke with Authority that is Power and not as the Scribes and so did the Apostles as Paul declared That his Preaching was in Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power And Christ and the holy Spirit spake in him to the People when he preached and so did it in all the other Apostles and Ministers of Christ and the Hearers who had and knew Christ in their own hearts had a Proof sufficient that Christ spoke in Paul by what they felt of that spiritual Vertue and Power that did flow forth through him in his Ministry And according to this Peter exhorted That he who ministers should minister of the Power that God giveth as good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God So they ministred not only Words but Grace and Power and Life to the hearers And thus there is a communication of the Grace and Graces of God not only betwixt Ministers and Hearers but among all the Faithful who are as one living Body but many Members and every Member a living Member and ministring Life one to another as it is in the natural Body and this is that Communion of the Saints that the Scripture testifieth that they had together in the Spirit which did knit their Hearts together in Love unto all Riches of the full assurance of Understanding Col. 2.2 And with such living instruments that are spiritually made alive unto God doth God work to make their Ministry effectual and fruitful to convert and beget Souls unto God and when begotten to nourish and feed them with the sincere Milk of the Word which Milk is not the outward Words but the Life that is in the Words For as in the outward God doth not work with a dead Man to beget outward and natural Children but with the living so it is with Men spiritually living with whom God worketh to beget Sons and Daughters spiritually unto God where God only properly and principally is the Father and Men but Instruments with and by whom he worketh and in order to this spiritual begetting of Sons and Daughters unto God by the Ministry of faithful Preachers God giveth unto them a spiritual and divine Seed which they convey in their words into the Hearts and Souls of their Hearers according to 1 Cor. 9.10 He that ministreth Seed to the Sower And Isa 55.10 That it may give Seed to the Sower So that there is a divine and spiritual Seed in the Words and Preaching of a true Minister of Christ for the words are living Words and are not his but the words of Christ and of the holy Spirit that speaketh in him But he that speaketh Words as suppose Scripture-words and not by the Spirit of Christ speaking in him there is no divine Seed in the Words there is the form or body of the Words but there is no Soul or Life in them as he speaks them And these Men are like that Harlot which took hold of Josephs garment but himself she could not enjoy So many get the outward form of the words

them which did suffice unto that present time and state Secondly in that God did chuse the Line of Jacob and his Posterity out of whom Christ should be born after the Flesh and also the Apostles and that out of Jacob the Gospel should go forth and be preached to all the World 3dly That the Nation that should come of Esau should really become Servants and Tributaries to the Nation of Israel and this was fulfilled in David's time and was also a Figure of another thing to be spiritually fulfilled And therefore this Election doth not infer any Reprobation of Esau or his Posterity as to their eternal estate no more than when David said 1 Chron. 28.4 5. The Lord God of Israel chose me before all the house of my Father for he hath chosen Judah to be the Ruler and of the house of Judah the House of my Father and of the Sons of my Father he liked me to make me King over all Israel and of all my Sons he hath chosen Solomon my Son So here are divers Elections first Judah out of all the Tribes secondly the Family of Jesse out of the Tribe of Judah thirdly David out of all the Sons of Jesse and fourthly Solomon out of all the Sons of David and yet no absolute Reprobation of any that were not so chosen as to their eternal state And because many of the People of Israel were proud because of this choice and preference that God made of their Nation above the Nation of Esau so as to make them a Church to himself when the Nation of Esau was not so favoured for Reasons best known unto God and for that cause did conclude that they were always to remain a People singularly favoured of him above all other People from first to last To beat down this vain Conceit of theirs Paul telleth them first that they are not all Israel which are of Israel Secondly that as God did prefer and make choice of the Nation of Israel to be a gathered People and Church unto him before the Nation of Esau and that without any regard to their Works or to the Works of their Fathers but for some other hid Cause and Reason in the depth of Gods secret Counsel so God could as freely yea and would prefer the poor Gentiles who were no People to be a People unto him and a Gospel-Church to become true Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ when in the mean time the bulk and body of the Nation of Israel should be rejected and cast off at least for some time from having any such dignity and favour a Remnant only being reserved according to the Election of Grace Rom. 11.5 and this Paul proveth at large from Verse 25. of that 9th Chapter to Verse 33. and doth further prosecute it in the two following Chapters Verse 25. c. As he saith also in O see I will call them my People which are not my People and her beloved which was not beloved And verse 30. What shall we say then that the Gentiles which followed not after Righteousness have attained to Righteousness even the Righteousness of Faith but Israel which followed after the Law of Righteousness hath not attained to the Law of Righteousness because they sought it not by Faith c. So we see how Paul maketh the Parallel that as God once preferred or chused Jacob's Nation before the Nation of Esau so again he preferred and chused the Gentiles that had no good Works to recommend them and to move God to make that choice out of his free Mercy before the People of Israel and of these Gentiles no doubt many of them did belong to the Posterity of Esau and also of Ishmael yea of Cain for there is an express Promise made to the Remnant of Edom and of all the Heathen upon whom his Name is or shall be called Amos 9.12 And it is but a Remnant also of Israel that is saved until the fulness of the Gentiles come in and then all Israel to wit the true Israel which is not all who are of Israel after the Flesh shall be saved see Rom. 9.27 and 11.5.25 26. And lastly it is to be again considered that what God spoke unto Rebecca before the Children were born not having done Good or Evil did not so much regard the singular Persons of Jacob and Esau as their Posterities as is clear from Gen. 25.23 And the Lord said unto her Two Nations are in thy Womb and two manner of People shall be separated from thy Bowels and the one People shall be stronger than the other People and the Elder shall serve the Younger So we see here the words are said of the Nations of Jacob and Esau and not the Persons of them for we read not any where that ever Esau in Person served Jacob but only in his Posterity as was fulfilled in David's time when the Edomites became Tributaries to the People of Israel Nor was it said before the Children were born Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated as it is commonly alledged but many hundred Years after he was deceased And if it had been so said it could not prove an absolute rejection either of Esau or his Posterity as to their eternal state for God is said in Scripture to hate all evil-Doers and yet many Evil-doers repent and obtain Salvation and therefore Hatred doth not signifie absolute and final hatred either in God or Men For it is said Jacob loved Rachel and hated Leah that is he loved Rachel more And Christ said He that hateth not Father and Mother for my cause is not worthy of me that is he that loveth me not more than Father and Mother And therefore to conclude this whole passage in Rom. 9.11 12. doth not prove the absolute Reprobation of either Esau or of his Posterity because many of Esau's posterity had a Promise of Salvation as is already proved from Amos 9. And if Esau had been an absolute Reprobate the Scripture would never have said that Isaac by Faith blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come Heb. 9.20 And that Faith was the Substance of things hoped for and had a regard to the spiritual Blessing of Esau and of his Posterity for though Jacob got the first Blessing yet Esau got the second and their two Blessings did not differ in Substance but in some weighty Circumstances of order and time and Isaac prophesied in Esau's Blessing that he should have the fatness of the Earth and dew of Heaven the same but the order inverted with Jacob's blessing and that in process of time he should be a free People to wit in Gospel days signified by these words Gen. 27.40 And it shall come to pass when thou shalt have Dominion to wit in Christ in Gospel days in thy Posterity that thou shalt break his Yoke from off thy Neck And so we find that divers Mark 3.8 Idumeans that were of Esau followed Jesus and Jacob's putting on Esau's goodly Rayment signified