Selected quad for the lemma: end_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	mark_v	peace_n	upright_a	1,413	5	10.3964	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54032	Divine essays, or, Considerations about several things in religion of very deep and weighty concernment both in reference to the state of the present times, as also of the truth itself : with a lamenting and pleading postscript / by Isaac Penington (Junior) Esq.	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.	1654 (1654)	Wing P1162; ESTC R40044	96,398	144

in Scripture as in Cain and Abel Isaac and Ishmael Esai● and Iacob the Iews and Gentiles the Gentiles again a spiritual seed and the Jews or natural seed for none of these were the truth it self but several shadows and representations of it under which the truth lay and through which it did sometimes a little start up and peep forth Adam was not the humanity but an Hierogliphick of it his body was not the body nor his Spirit the Spirit but an Hierogliphick of each and the poor weak shadow in coming forth is lost but the substance being safe recovereth its shaddow again The great Lord hath his stay and his Comedies and Tragedies with there several Acts and Scenes He bringeth forth his great principle of good and his great principle of evil and these have Powers and opperations and circuits sutable to themselves and sutable to him whose they are and they act their part in all their limits upon this stay Now of this the Scriptures treat bringing forth first God the principle of light with his Creation then Satan the principle of darkness with his destruction and so the seed of both and the contest of both to the end with the several salvations and destructions appertaining to each Now mark God hath two seeds the natural the spiritual the outward the inward the humanity the divinity Both these were sown in Adam Both these were covered with darkness Both these are recovered and restored by that which is the substance of each neither whereof was in Adam but only the Image and that a natural one too for the spiritual was reserved for Christ in whom the substance was to dwell He was an heavenly man in his make and production as an Adam was an earthly This was again written over in Abraham through whom God produceth and embraceth both the seeds both the natural and the spiritual yet suffereth them both to go into their proper Egypts to go into Captivity to be slaves to be in bondage in the land of darkness and thence again he redeemeth them by his own out-stretched Arm by the substance of his own life and Power out of Egypt have I called my Son Answerably the Devil hath two seeds he hath a spiritual and a fleshly seed as well as a spiritual and fleshly wickedness which he hath sown every where throughout the whole Creation and it is the meeting of these with the seeds of God which maketh such Earthquakes their very natures opposing clashing and fighting like fire and water and there will never be any quietness till both be taken into their places These seeds I mean each of darkness and each of light for there is the outward and inward seed of both are the one of them the wicked the ungodly the sinners the children of darkness whose principle is darkness whose estate is darkness whose course is darkness and whose end is death and destruction And the other are holy righteous the children of light whose principle estate course and end is life and salvation And this is it which was pointed at in all the shadows which were chosen to signifie it in the Scriptures The different constitution and condition of these seeds is such that the one thriveth and flourisheth in his sin and wickedness the other fainteth and almost perisheth in his righteousness only he hath somewhat in hopes somewhat to hope for in the end which to the other is dismal Mark the perfect man and behold the upright the end of that man is peace There is one thing further which would be well observed or it may occasion great mistakes which is this God though he be light yet he hath his proper darkness wherewith he covereth himself he clouds himself with thick darkness and so he doth also his seed And the Devil though he be the principle of darkness yet he hath also his light wherewith he clothes himself and his off-spring But this darkness of God and his seed is light in the root and the light of the Divil and his off-spring is darkness in the root There is a mighty mistery in this in Gods excercising each of his seeds towards salvation under that which cannot save them and yet both think they are in the direct and certain path of salvation under each Thus did the Iews or natural seed in their day and thus did the Gentiles or spiritual seed in their day But the Lord breaketh each of these ways of administration and bringeth about his salvation unto each in a way that they are not aware of The seed whether or natural or spiritual may be dashed and broken in all the pathes of every administration wherein the spirit of man may be broken and yet come safe to harbor at last for the life which is in the seed or root in respect of all its shootings up through the natural spirit and all the motions opperations and several sorts of fruit which it beareth there whereby it shineth so gloriously in the view of man may retire or be driven back into the seed or root yet remaining there it is safe in respect of the substance of the promise though it should lye equally open to the same loss with the spirit of man in all dispensations which depend upon the motions and exercise of life That promise which dependeth upon the nature of the thing cannot be lost where the nature remains but all those promises which depend upon the qualifications motions or opperations of the thing must needs fail where those qualifications motions and operations cease Thus there is none at a greater loss then the seed for there is none besides them have that to lose None besides themselves have that true life that true sweetness and communion with God to lose which they have and yet none in their loss are in so great safety and at so great certainty for that which they lose being substantial is not perfectly lost but retired shrunk back into its root where it cannot but strengthen it self and so spring up again with advantage Now what children are we in understanding all our knowledg being but about a dispensation nay but about the shadow of a dispensation and yet how short are we in that how little of truth do we know there III. Of Radical or Original Knowledg THe Root Spring or Original of all things is perfect unity and being perfect unity is also perfect variety comprehending all things in it self in intire oneness how vastly different or contrary soever they appear when they come forth out of it All the varieties and contrarieties in this world came out of one common mass All the differences and distinctions of Nature out of one common nature He who could look upon them there how closely knit in oneness would he find them notwithstanding their great diversities and antipathies here but if any could look into the root how much more one should he find them there In this root there are too other roots as I may so say

partly Instructions and partly Corrections He breatheth his Spirit into them and by the power and vertue of his rod beareth down and subjecteth their spirits He burneth up their dross aforehand that he may make them fit to be saved and that it may be righteous for him to save them in the day of the worlds destruction He striketh them down he layeth load upon them he humbleth them exceedingly until he hath fitly tempe●ed them to hear and then he teacheth them the Law of his Life And thus he reneweth both his knocks and his beams of light as their condition need and capacity requireth O happy happy thrice happy are they whom God leadeth though through a wilderness and the dismal exercises thereof into his land of rest All that severity of Discipline under which they are now nurtured and trained up is nothing to that misery which they shall then escape or to that life and blessedness which they are hereby prepared for I shall close thus They that trust in lying vanities vanity shall be their recompence Yea they that trust or hope in God or in Christ or in God through Christ after the strength of their own apprehensions fastened upon or gathered from the Scriptures and not according to the knowledg and power of the truth as it is in Iesus shall find even these objects vanity to them their faith and expectation upon them vanity also and their end misery when they sink into death and destruction with the world yea and that somewhat deeper then the world But they who in truth are taught and led by the truth to wait and hope under their bondage and misery for the truth how extravagant or rediculous soever they may appear to all the various eyes of the several sorts of Religious persons from the strange exercises of God upon them shall be owned by the truth The root nature yea and all the motions of the spirit of the creature even in all the dispensations of God is rejected for in the true state and nature of things it is not that which the Lord can accept It is dark in all its light dead in all its life a captive and a slave in all its liberty an hater and a rebel in the midst of all its love and obedience and therefore how can the Lord who searching the spirit cleerly knoweth and discerneth this in the spirit but throw it aside notwithstanding its glittering appearances of light and life from him of precious faith and hope in him and of sweet love and obedience towards him But the root nature and motions of the seed under all its disguises in the midst of all its darkness death bonds captivity and estrangedness from God is his delight is his heir it is the heir of his nature and spirit and therefore shall undoubtedly inherit the truth and glory of life in him He that hath ears to hear let him hear the spirit which testifieth the same thing now as it hath done all along the Scriptures O let him who desireth the truth of salvation harken to the voice of the spirit of God in the Scriptures and not give ear to such fictions as his own spirit doth most naturally form out of them XIV The happy End of the holy Nature and Course of the Seed of Life which the Spirit of Life through all the various dark paths of sin death and misery most faithfully guideth it unto or The sweet and happy End of the Righteous PSAL. 37. vers 37. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace THe perfect or upright man is he who is of an entire stamp or nature and who walketh entirely with God in every dispensation from the Law of this nature The very nature of man is imperfect He is a transgressor from the womb Let him never so honestly and ingenuously dedicate himself to God and to righteousness yet he cannot for his heart walk with him or live righteously But the other cannot but do so And however he may slip from the weakness of his present estate yet his nature still sets him right again Now there is no man more miserable in his present condition then this man The unrighteous the unholy spirit of man can thrive in the world or flourish in any form of Religion but this man not having the spirit of this world cannot seek or enjoy it nor deliver himself from the oppressions and sufferings which are multiplied upon him by it Nay he is persecuted also and grievously afflicted by the powers of darkness which will not spare him in this their hour Yea his God estrangeth and hideth himself from him he hideth his face from the house of Iacob chastisiing him sorely continually Because of that corruption which cleaveth unto him and which his feet are still gathering the holy God which loveth truth and purity is ever and anon casting him into the fire The Lord by his Spirit of Judgment and Burning doth most naturally search try and judg the spirits of his people until he hath purified and perfected them Alas how sad therefore must it needs be with them in the midst of all these The world may live and flourish but they are still withering and dying The world may enjoy the freedom of its natural spirit after a sort but theirs is in bonds The world may laugh and rejoyce because of the contents they find and can reap and enjoy in the things of the world and in their several forms and exercises of Religion but these cannot but weep and lament that they are left desolate and have no Comforter These are the sick ones these are the blind ones these are the lame ones these are the poor ones these are the naked ones these are the pe●secuted ones these are the oppressed ones whose misery no eye can see no heart conceive no tongue express Any misery that man meeteth with the spirit of man may pity him in but this is a kind of misery which the spirit of man knoweth not and these are the persons whom he judgeth and whom his heart is hardened against But mark the end of this man Look upon all this distress all this misery all this lamentably hard travel in its end For the end of that man is peace There is no knowing of any thing as it now appears under its vail in this dark shadowy world but if you would understand any thing aright keep your eye fixed upon it and observe it to the end In the end flesh when it is stripped of all its seeming glory will appear what it is and in the end spirit when it is unclothed of all its deformed rags will appear what it is If you consider the perfect man without the discerning of his end he will appear the poorest most miserable most contemptible thing that can be but if your eye can truly follow him unto his end you will have another ghess sight of him there for the end of that man