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grace_n deny_v teach_v ungodliness_n 4,302 5 11.7286 5 true
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A34984 An alarum sounded in the borders of spiritual Egypt vvhich shall be heard in Babylon, and astonish the inhabitants of the defiled and polluted habitations of the earth. And the power of the Prince of Darkness called into question; and he himself examin'd by the truth, how he came to raign over mankind; and how long his time shall be, till he comes to be cast out of his dominion, and the creature be deliver'd from under his tyranny; to serve God in spirit and in truth, as Christ, the prince of peace, has order'd them. Also the number of him whom the world hath wonder'd after, found out; and demonstrated to be near at an end: and withal, that it is no wayes unlawful, nor in vain, both to hope, and to expect the utter desolation, and destruction of sin in this life, and the setting up of perfect righteousness in the souls of men, where sin has too long raign'd. Written in a testimony to the truth, and against the false position of the devil, and his servants; by a servant of God, Steven Crisp. Crisp, Stephen, 1628-1692. 1671 (1671) Wing C6922; ESTC R215182 35,940 50

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they are as ready and willing to do and to fulfil the Will of God as to fulfil the will of the Devil yea and they are more properly in their right place and service and have more joy and freedom in it then in the service of the Devil for the service of the Devil is but Bondage to which the Creature is led captive by a Lye as is afore said and those that call the Corporal Bodies the Bodies of Sin and Death they please the Devil well enough for he well knows that as long as they so Believe his Birth and Seed will remain in them without hinderance when the Eyes of Men are led out to suspect their own Bodies as being the cause of all Sin and Evil which they commit which Bodies are more fit to serve God but are capable to be given up by the Will and Affection to serve either God or the Devil as is manifest by the words of Paul Rom. 6.19 As ye have yeelded your selves Servants to Vncleanness and to Iniquity unto Iniquity even so now yeeld your Members Servants to Righteousness unto Holiness Now here every one may see that the same Members that before were given up to serve Unrighteousness must now be given up to serve Righteousness Mark they had them still they did not say we would we were delivered from these Members and Bodies that were used to commit Sin that so we might come to be made free But the Apostle said plainly That they were free from Sin and were become Servants unto Righteousness and that therefore they should give up their Members to the Service of him that had made them free as formerly they used to do to him that had brought them into Bondage And th●se People that so complain against their own Bodies calling them the old Man the Body of Sin and Death and of Corruption How will they understand the Apostle where he sayes Mortifie your Members which are upon the Earth What will they Mortifie their Hands and Feet and pull out their Eyes and cut out their Tongues I suppose not But how will they fulfill the words of the Apostle except they find out another Body of Sin and the Members of it which ought to be crucified with the daily Cross But the Apostle hath named the Members of that Body which must be Mortified Col. 3.5 to wit Fornication Vncleanness Inordinate Affection Evil Concupiscence and Covetousness which is Idolatry vers 8. Anger Wrath Malice Blasphemy filthy Communication out of your Mouth and lying one to another c. these are the Members that make up that Body which is called the Body of the Sins of the Flesh Col. 2.11 and this is a sort of Flesh which God has not made for that which he hath made that is good and it is for himself and not for Sin 1 Cor. 6.13 and though the Devil hath his seat in the Heart commanding the Members of the Body to do his will yet the same Members could serve to do the Will of God if the Devil were cast out and Truth and Righteousness were set up in the Heart and then these Sin-pleaders would come to see that the fault was not in their Bodies but in their corrupt Hearts and that there is another Body to be put off before they can come to do the will of God and not the Corporal Body which God has Created to serve him And besides that these People shew themselves to have but little love to God that all his kindness and manifold Mercies cannot draw them to serve him but on the contrary they will serve his greatest Enemy as long as they have Members to serve him withall using those Members which God has given them against him and his ordering and if he will not permit it so to be he must take away those Members again even as if there was no other remedy to put an end to sin that is as much as to say If the Lord will not have them to Swear to Lye or to spake Evil he must make them Dumb and if he will not have them to do bad Works he must make them Lame and if he will take away their Life from them then they will leave off sinning but not sooner yea they cannot endure to hear of putting off of Sin sooner That say they is the Grand Error of the Quakers to speak of ceasing to Sin before we cease to live O! Where is the sence of the Love of God that this People should feel in their Hearts sh●● abroad to God to constrain them unto Obedience Al●● 〈◊〉 They are strangers thereunto and the Covenant with Hell an●●●●th is so strong and the Unbelief is so rooted in them that ●●ey think this Covenant cannot be broken But Bless●d be ●he Lord that Faith is now manifested that giveth Victory and breaketh this Covenant Another great Plea which these Sin-pleaders bring is this If People can come to Perfection in this Life then they have no need of Christ to be their Saviour as if the Salvation by Christ and a Perfect and pure Life were Inconsistant with one another You fools and blind Know ye not that all good and Perfect Gifts come from the Lord and that none can come to Perfection but by his Gift and if God be the giver Is it not then by Grace Where are Works then but these Pleaders for Sin are as great strangers to the Salvation which is in Christ Jesus as they are to Perfection otherwise they would see their Ignorance When Christ said to his Disciples Be ye Perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect that is as much as to say according to the explanation of these People There is your Command when that is done you have no need of me And the Apostle spoke Wisdom among them that were Perfect but not such wisdom or rather foolishness as this to perswade them that they had no need of Christ to be their Saviour because they were come to Perfection but on the contrary he said That he could do all things then he could be Perfect but not as of himself but through Christ that enabled him and those that come to a Perfect State they know that their Salvation is not of their Works how good and pure soever they may be but meerly by Grace through Jesus Christ and that in respect of these three following Observations 1. First That it was the Appearance of Christ Jesus who is the Power of God that has brought them off from their Sin and Imperfection and that they have not left them off of themselves but do own that it is the Grace of God as the Apostle did Tit. 2 11 12. For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all Men Teaching us that denying Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World So here you may see that it is the Appearance of the Grace of God that leads to Perfection and this Perfection is not yet a perfect Salvation for those that have it may fall from it again and so not be s●ved but those that endure to the end shall be saved 2. But Secondly it is Christ who is the Preserver and Keeper unto the end of those that trust in him and the Apostles testifie that those that were Delivered from the corruption of this World must know him to be their Keeper that had gathered them out of the World and therefore said Jude in his Epistle vers 24. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to Present you faultless before the Presence of his Glory with exceeding joy c. And Petter testifieth 1 Pet. 1.5 You are kept by the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation ready to be Revealed in the last Time And Paul testifieth That the keeping is by Jesus Christ Phil. 4.7 So here you may see that the bringing to the state of Perfection and the keeping from falling from it again is both the Work of Christ and yet this is not a perfect Salvation fo● this does not put away the former Sins 3. But thirdly Whoever comes to perfect Salvation he comes to know Christ to be an Offering for Sin and to obtain Reconciliation with God and forgiveness of his former sins For all the holy Conversation and perfection of Life can be counted no more but his Duty and therefore he cannot obtain remission of one of his former Sins but those that confess their sins and forsake them such comes to forgiveness by Jesus Christ and comes to know his Blood clensing them from all their former Sins and so they come to perfect Salvation by Grace not by Works but by Faith that works in the Love of God unto Obedience without which Faith is but dead and makes no man saved but those that have this true Faith and Hope in them They purifie themselves as he is Pure 1 Jo. 3.3 and he that has not this Hope does not purifie himself neither does he believe that he can do it and by this we know the true Believers from the false and by this Sinners are made manifest that cannot stand in the Congregation of the Righteous Psal 1.5 So now let all the Pleaders for Sin stop their Mouthes for ever and let the Devil stand for himself and plead his own cause and henceforth do not despise and revile the Innocent that are travelling and striving after Perfection with a Faith to obtain it that they think to be saved by their own works for we hope for no other Salvation but that which is in and by Jesus Christ the Eternal Son of God who is the First-born of every Creature that brings many Sons and Daughters unto Glory but not by leaving them in their sins but his Name is Jesus and he saves People from their Sins S. C. THE END