Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	cast_v	devil_n	divide_v	3,310	5	9.5405	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61130	A treatise partly theological, and partly political containing some few discourses, to prove that the liberty of philosophizing (that is making use of natural reason) may be allow'd without any prejudice to piety, or to the peace of any common-wealth, and that the loss of public peace and religion it self must necessarily follow, where such a liberty of reasoning is taken away / translated out of Latin.; Tractatus theologico-politicus. English	Spinoza, Benedictus de, 1632-1677.	1689 (1689)	Wing S4985; ESTC R21627	207,956	494

shall his Kingdom stand here Christ convinceth the Pharisees from their own Principles and Opinions who said he cast out Devils by Belzebub the Prince of Devils but we ought not to conclude that Christs Words are an absolute proof that there are Devils and a Kingdom of Devils So also when he said to his Disciples Matth. Chap. 18. v. 10. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little Ones for I say unto you that in Heaven their Angels do always behold the Face of my Father which is in Heaven by these Words Christ taught nothing more then that they ought not to be proud or despise any one whatever else was faid was only the better to perswade his Disciples the same may be said of the Signs and Discourses of the Apostles nor need we say more of this Subject because it would be extreamly tedious to Quote all those places of Scripture which are Writen only Ad hominem or according to Mens Capacity and with a great prejudice to Philosophy are maintain'd to be Divine Doctrines 'T is sufficient to have mention'd these few general ones the Curious Reader may himself examine the rest but seeing all those things which I have spoken concerning Prophets and Prophesy do directly concern the thing I aimed at which was to divide Philosophy from Theology yet because I have only touched upon the question generally I will now in the following Chapter inquire whether the Gift of Prophesy were peculiar only to the Iews or common to all Nations And also what is to be understood by the calling of the Iews CHAP. III. Of the calling of the Jews and whether the Gift of Prophesy were peculiar only to the Jews EVery Mans prosperity and true happiness consists only in the fruition of good but not in the glory that he alone and no other Person enjoys that good for whoever thinks himself the more happy because it is well with him when it is not so with other Men or because he is more fortunate and prosperous then others is ignorant what is true felicity and beatitude and the joy which ariseth from such a conceit is Childish and savors of an envious Evil Mind for example Mans true beatitude and felicity consists only in Wisdom and the knowledge of Truth but not in his being wiser then other Men or that other Men want true knowledge for that adds not at all to his Wisdom which is his true happiness he therefore that rejoyceth in being happyer then other Men takes Pleasure in their misfortune and is an envious Evil Man and he that is so never knew true Wisdom or the Peace of a good Life seeing therefore that the Scripture for the better perswading the Iews to obey the Law saith Deut. chap. 10 v. 19. that God chose them above all People and was nigher to them then to all other Nations Deut. chap. 4. v. 7. that he gave them Statutes and Laws more righteous and just then he did to other Nations as it is in the 8 th Verse of the same chap. and lastly that God made himself more known to them then to other People as it is in the 32 th verse of the 4 th chap. All this was spoken according to the capacity and understanding of those that did not know what was true blessedness as we have shewn in the foregoing Chapter and as Moses himself testifies in Deut. chap. 9. v. 6 7. for the Iews had not been less blessed tho' God had equally called all Men to Salvation nor had God been less gracious to them tho' he had been as nigh to other Nations their Laws had not been less righteous nor they less wise tho' the same had been prescribed to all other People and the Miracles done among them had not less declared Gods Power tho' the like had been wrought for other Nations nor had the Iews been the less obliged to serve and Worship God tho' God had equally given to all other Men the same Gifts which he bestow'd on them God's saying to Solomon in the 1 st Book of Kings chap. 3. v. 12. that none after him should be ever like him for understanding seems to be only a manner of speaking to declare the excellency of Solomons Wisdom what ever the words mean yet we ought not to believe that to increase Solomons happiness God promis'd never to make any Man so wise as he for that would not at all have made Solomons Wisdom greater neither would a wise King have given God the less thanks tho' God had said he would bestow as much Wisdom upon all other Men. But tho' we say that Moses in the forecited places of the Pentateuch spake according to the Capacity of the Iews yet we cannot deny but that God prescribed those Laws of the Pentateuch to the Iews only that he spoke only to them and that no other Nation ever saw such miracles as were wrought amongst them all that I intend is that Moses spake after such a manner and made use of such arguments the better to convince their Childish understandings and bind them the faster to the service and worship of God. Lastly we will shew that the Iews did not excel other Nations in knowledge or Piety but in some other thing or that I may with Scripture speak to their Capacity God did not make choise of the Iews above other Nations that their knowledge might be more sublime or their Lives more righteous then other Peopl's but for another end and purpose and what that was we will in order declare But before I begin I will in few words explain what I mean in that which follows by Gods disposing and direction what by Gods external and internal assistance what by Gods calling or Election And Lastly what I intend by fortune I take Gods disposing or direction to be the fixed order and immutable course of Nature or the Concatenation of Natural things and causes for we have already shewn that the universal Laws of Nature whereby all things are done and determin'd are nothing else but Gods eternal decrees which imply eternal verity and necessity therefore whether we say that all things are done and brought to pass according to the Laws of Nature or by the ordination and decree of God we say but one and the same thing because the Power of all Natural beings is nothing else but the Power of God by which all things were ordered and done it therefore follows that whatever Man who is a part of Nature doth for the preservation of his being or whatever Nature without any indeavour of his offers him for that end it is offered by the divine Power operating either by human Nature or by things without it so that whatever human Nature can perform by its own Power for self preservation that may be truly called Gods internal assistance and that benefit and advantage which Man receives from the Power of external causes may be justly termed Gods external help which fully explains what is

O Israel that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt Nor is it to be believed that Men accustomed to the Superstitions of Egypt Ignorant and broken to the Yoke of a tedious Bondage should have any right Understanding of God or that Moses should teach them any thing more then a peculiar manner and way of living not instructing them as a Philosopher to make living well their free and voluntary choice but as a Legislator compelling them by the Commands and Power of Law So that a good Life the Love and Service of God was to them rather Servitude then true Liberty or the Grace and Gift of God for Moses Commanded them to love God and keep his Law that they might acknowledge their deliverance out of Egypt to be by God he terrifyed them with threatnings in case they Transgrest the Law and promis'd them many Blessings if they carefully observed it So that he dealt with the Israelites as Parents use to do with Children void of Reason which is an Evidence that they were ignorant how Excellent a thing Vertue is and what was true happiness Ionas thought he could fly from the presence of God which imply'd that he also believed God had substituted other Powers to take care of those Countries and Nations which were not within the Territories of Iudea in all the Old Testament we read of no Person who spoke so rationally of God as Solomon who for natural Knowledge excell'd all the Men of his time and therefore thought himself above the Law which was only given to those who wanted the dictates of Reason and natural Understanding and slighted the observance of those Laws which particularly concern'd him as he was King and consisted in three Particulars as may be seen Deut. Chap. 17. v. 16 17. he was indeed to blame in breaking those Laws and did not do like a Philosopher when he deliver'd himself up to pleasure and sensuality yet we read in Ecclesiastes he declared all the Goods of Fortune to be Vanity and that nothing is to be so highly prized as Wisdom and Understanding and no punishment equal to a Mans being a Fool Prov. Chap. 17. But let us return to the Prophets of whose differing Opinions we have taken notice the Rabbines who have left us the Books of the Prophets now extant found the Opinions of Ezekiel so contrary to those of Moses as may be seen in the Treatise of the Sabbath Chap. 1 st fol. 13. page 2 d. that they were near resolving not to receive the Book of Ezekiel for Canonical and had conceal'd it if a certain Person called Hananiah had not undertaken to expound it which some report he did with great Labour and Study so that 't is not certain whether it were a Commentary he wrote and was perhaps lost or that he changed and glossed upon Ezekiels words and discourses according to his own fancy however it was the 18 th Chapter of Ezekiel doth not seem to agree with the 34 Chap. of Exod. v. 7 nor with the 32 Chap. of Ieremy v. 18. Samuel believed that when God had decreed any thing he never repented or changed that decree 1 st Book of Sam. Chap. 14. v. 29 Saul when he repented of his Sin and desired to worship God Samuel told him God would not change his Decree but the contrary was revealed to Ieremy for when ever God decreed good or evil to any Nation if Men became either better or worse before the Execution of the Sentence God did accordingly alter his decrees Ierem. Chap. 18. v. 8 10. the Prophet Ioel beleived that God repented of the Evil which he at any time decreed Io. Chap. 2. v. 13. in the 4 th Chap. of Gen. v. 7. it clearly appears that it is in Mans Power to overcome Evil Temptations and to live well by what God said to Cain who notwithstanding as we find in Scripture and in Iosephus never subdued his Passions by the forecited Text in Ieremy we may conclude that God changeth his purposes either of doing good or evil according to Mens living well or wickedly yet on the contrary St. Paul teacheth nothing more plainly then that Men have no Power over themselves against the Temptations and Lusts of the Flesh but by the particular Mercy and Election of God as may be seen in the 9 th Chapter to the Romans from the 10 th Verse onward in the 3 d Chap. v. 3 d where he asketh whether God be unrighteous in taking vengeance he Corrects himself in speaking after that manner like a Man. From what hath been alledged we have sufficiently proved what we proposed namely that God fitted and suted his Revelations according to the Capacity and Opinions of the Prophets and that they might be and indeed were ignorant of things meerly speculative which did not pertain to Charity and a godly Life that the Prophets were also of very different Opinions and consequently in the Knowledge of Natural and Spiritual things we are not to rely and ground our selves upon them We conclude then that we are not bound to believe any thing more from the Prophets then the end and substance of what they revealed and that in other things it is free for a Man to believe as he thinks best for example Cains Revelation teacheth us that God did admonish him to live well which was the intent end and substance of the Revelation but it doth not declare to us the freedom of Mans Will or any other Philosophical Matter therefore tho' in the Words and Reasons of that Admonition freedom of Will seem to be clearly asserted yet 't is lawful to be of a contrary Opinion since those Words and Reasons were only applyed and suited to the Capacity of Cain The Prophet Michaiahs Revelation only declared what should be the Event of the Battle between Ahaband Aram and therefore we are only bound to believe that but whatever else was contain'd in that Revelation concerning the true and lying Spirit of God or concerning the Host of Heaven standing on each side of God with other Circumstances in that Revelation they do not at all concern us but every one may believe of them as he thinks most agreeable to Reason the same may be said of the Reasons declared to Iob for God's having absolute Power over all things if it be true that they were a Revelation and that he Writ as an Historian and not as some believe like a Poet they were revealed according to Iobs Capacity for his particular Conviction but they were not intended as Universal Reasons to convince all Men nor are we to determin otherwise of the Reasons used by Christ to convince the Pharisees of their Ignorance and Obstinacy and to perswade his Disciples to live righteously all those Reasons were accommodated to the Opinions and Principles of the Persons to whom they were urged for example when Christ said to the Pharisees Mat. Chap. 12 v. 26. If Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself how then