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	divide_v	satan_n	2,466	5	9.6262	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49183	An apology for the ministers who subscribed only unto the stating of the truths and errours in Mr. William's book shewing, that the Gospel which they preach, is the old everlasting Gospel of Christ, and vindicating them from the calumnies, wherewith they (especially the younger sort of them) have been unjustly aspersed by the letter from a minister in the city, to a minister in the countrey.	Lorimer, William, d. 1721.	1694 (1694)	Wing L3073; ESTC R22599	321,667	222

and preach a new Gospel that can make it to be true or prove that it is so The Nature of things are not so soon changed no things will still remain to be what they are though weak passionate Men should never so often think and boldly say that they are not what they are that which is once true will still remain true though men think and say ten thousand times over that it is false As on the contrary that which is once false as it is most false that we preach a new Gospel will still remain false though our Author and his whole party should ten thousand times over both think and say and swear too that it is true We therefore beseech all Christian People neither to believe our Author nor Us upon our bare Words he confidently affirms that we preach a new Gospel We deny it he brings no proof but his own reproachful Word for what he says against us We bring Scripture Reason and the Testimonies of Ancient Fathers and Modern Divines for what we say against him in Vindication of our own Innocency and for Proof that the Gospel which we preach is no other than the Everlasting Gospel of Christ which always hath been now is and ever will be preserved in the Christian Church to the end of the World Now we advise People not to trust either him or us without Tryal but to examine what is said on both sides and then to trust those whom they find upon Tryal to be most trusty and to have given the best Reasons why they should be trusted in these Matters Consider Christians what our most blessed Lord and Saviour saith Matth. 15.14 That if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the Ditch It will not excuse People before God that they followed their Leaders for they are rational Creatures and they ought to see with their own Eyes and not to follow their Ministers blindly without considering and knowing whether they lead them right or wrong whether they lead them in the way of Error or in the way of Truth Therefore our Saviour saith again Matth. 24.4 Take heed that no Man deceive you The like Advice our Lords great Apostle gave unto the Churches to whom he wrote his Epistles Let no Man said he deceive you with vain Words 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Ephes 5.6 This Advice he gave with respect to some of the things that are controverted amongst us at this Day And again Let no Man deceive you by any means 2 Thes 2.3 And as a Preservative and Antidote against being deceived he exhorted them to prove all things and to hold fast that which is good 1 Thes 5.21 Moreover though he was extraordinarily assisted by an infallible Spirit yet he commended the Bereans as People of a noble generous Mind for trying his own Doctrine by the Touchstone of Holy Scripture before they believed it Acts 17.11 It was not any slowness in them to believe which made them examine his Doctrine but it was Wisdom and Prudence for the Scripture saith they received the Word with all Readiness of Mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so they received readily and yet searched diligently making no more haste than good speed and by searching they found all that Paul preached to them to be according to the Scripture therefore they believed his Doctrine and believed in Christ according to his Doctrine ver 12. And this was it which Paul commended them for that though he was an Apostle inspired with a Spirit of Infallibility and could and did Work Miracles to confirm the Truth of his Doctrine yet they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether his Doctrine was according to the Scriptures before they believed it and when by searching they found it to be all according to the Scriptures they immediately believed and readily received it for that very Reason because it was according to the Scriptures of Truth And Paul was of such an excellent Spirit that if the Bereans or any other People had by diligent search found any part of his Doctrine to be really contrary unto the Scriptures of Truth which was impossible for them to do he would have commended them also for not believing it Acts 26.22 23. 1 Cor. 15.1 2 3 4. 1 Cor. 7.25 40. Gal. 1.8 Yea our blessed Lord himself when he was on Earth in his State of Humiliation as a Man and Minister of the Circumcision for the Truth of God to confirm the Promises made unto the Fathers Rom. 15.8 He did not desire that his Hearers should believe him upon his bare Word John 5.31 If I bear Witness of my self my Witness is not true That is though it be never so true in it self yet it is not true with respect to you or it doth not appear true and convincing to you therefore as we read in that Chapter and elsewhere our Lord over and besides his own Verbal Testimony used to prove the Truth of his Doctrine by Scripture and to confirm it by such miraculous Works as could not be done but by the infinite Power of God who neither would nor could give his Seal to ratifie and confirm a lie And thereupon he said unto the unbelieving Jews John 10.37 38. If I do not the Works of my Father believe me not but if I do though ye believe not me believe the Works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him And when convinced by the Notorlety of the Matters of Fact that he did wonderful Works above the Power of Man they were forced by the Evidence of common Sense and Reason to confess it yet being unwilling to believe in him on that account they found out a way to elude the force of his Argument deduced from his Miracles by raising a dispute about the invisible Secret cause of them and by blasphemously ascribing them to the Devil and not to God Matth. 12.24 Mark 3.22 He did not in Answer to that blasphemous Cavil tell them that they must believe on his bare Word that his Miracles were wrought by the Power of God and not of the Devil But by plain Reason and strong Argument taken from the circumstances of his Miracles he proved against them that they could not possibly be from the Devil and therefore they must be from God Mark 3.23 24 25 26 27. with Matth. 12.25 26 28 29. He said unto them How can Satan cast out Satan And if a Kingdom be divided against it self that Kingdom cannot stand c. The Summ of our Saviours Argument was this That his Miracles were wrought to confirm a Doctrine that is directly contrary to and destructive of every thing that is Devilish and wherever it is received in Faith and Love there always the Devils Interest decays and himself is despised and abhorred yea many of Christs Miracles were done immediately upon the Devil himself and he was thereby cast out of that Power and Possession which he had got by

may be observed and remembred that when we say sincere Obedience is indispensably necessary to Salvation we do not mean that it is required as absolutely and indispensably necessary to our Salvation that our sincere Obedience be never at all interrupted by any Acts of disobedience but that if it happen that our Obedience be at any time notably interrupted by Acts of wilful presumptuous Sin it is indispensably necessary to our Salvation that we renew our Faith and Repentance and return to our Obedience again and that we dye in Faith and Obedience to the revealed Will of God As for them who are called at the last Hour who are first converted and justified a little before their Death Actual Faith and Repentance is required of them in their own Persons and as much more sincere Obedience as they have time and strength to performe As we see in the penitent Thief he performed a great deal of Obedience in a little time he not onely believed in Christ with his Heart but confessed him with his Mouth pleaded for him and vindicated him from the blasphemous Aspersions that were cast upon him He likewise took shame to himself and gave Glory to God by confessing his own Sins and withal he expressed his Love to his Fellow-Thief by rebuking and admonishing him Lastly He trusted in and prayed unto Christ as a Lord and King who had a Kingdome in another World and who could help and save him after this Life Luke 22.40 41 42. This that penitent Malefactor did at his Death and truly this was a great deal for him to do at such a time and when Christ his Lord and Saviour was before his Face in so low and miserable a Condition to the Eye of Sense and Reason The Obedience which that poor penitent Believer yeilded to the Lord in such Circumstances may well be esteemed equivalent to all that sincere Obedience which in the space of many Years others in better Circumstances perform unto the Lord. Thus we have at large prosecuted and cleared this Argument for the indispensable necessity of sincere Obedience to the obtaining of Eternal Life and Salvation and consequently for the Conditionality of the Covenant-promise of Eternal Life and Salvation And the Argument seems to us so clear and cogent that we do not see any thing of weight that can be objected against it If any should say that sincere Evangelical Obedience is not only necessary to Salvation as the condition to be performed on our parts but upon other accounts also We heartily acknowledge that it is so It is necessary to express our Love and Thankfulness to God and Christ for their wonderful Goodness and Grace Mercy and Love to us As also it is necessary in order to the pleasing and Glorifying our God Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier and that thereby we may profit and edifie our Neighbours But this doth by no means hinder its being likewise indispensably necessary to our own Salvation nay all this is a part of that Obedience which is so necessary to our Salvation If yet any should further object and say that besides Faith sincere Obedience may be indispensably necessary to Salvation and yet not be a Condition of obtaining Salvation We answer that we do not love to contend with any about the use of the word condition if they will grant us the thing signified by the Word Now by the Word condition in this matter of Obedience we mean no more but that sincere Obedience is so necessary to Salvation that God by his Promise hath suspended our obtaining of Salvation consummate Salvation in Heavenly Glory till we have performed sincere Obedience unto him assuring us that if through Grace we perform sincere Obedience unto him we shall certainly be saved but if not we shall not be saved This is all we mean by sincere Obedience its being the Condition of the Covenant-promise of Salvation If our Brethren agree to this they yeild us the thing that we contend for and there remains no more difference as to this matter but about the use of the word condition and if they do not think fit to use that Word we leave them to their Liberty not to use it as we desire they would leave us to our Liberty to use it as we have occasion For though the Word be not in Scripture yet the thing signified by the Word is manifestly there as we have proved It is also a Word of Antient usage in the Christian Church even in the best Reformed Churches before ever we were born why then should we forbear the use of the Word condition or why should any be offended at our using of it Indeed we cannot forbear the using of it for the Reason given us by some well-meaning Men because it is not a Scriptural-word For if that Reason prove any thing it will prove too much to wit that we should not use the Words Trinity Incarnation Satisfaction Merit of Christ Sacrament Infant-baptism c. and which is more that we should wholly give over Preaching the Gospel and hereafter only Read the Holy Scripture without Expounding it for we are sure that no Man doth or can Preach one Sermon without using some Word or Words that are not expresly in the Scripture And as our sincere Obedience may be and really is a Condition of obtaining Eternal Salvation though it be not expresly called by that Name in Scripture so may it be and really it is a Condition though it be performed by the help of God's Grace We know this is the main Reason why our Brethren think that neither our Faith nor Obedience can be a Condition of the Covenant because they are wrought in us by the special and effectual Grace of God but we know also that this is a very weak Reason For 1. We do not say that that is the Condition of the Covenant which is the Work and Effect of Gods Grace alone Such is effectual Calling on God's part and the infusion of the Seminal abiding principle of supernatural Spiritual Life It is God only who calls us effectually and who infuses the said Principle of Grace and Life into our Souls and we are merely passive in the reception of it We never said nor thought that it is required of us by way of Duty or Condition that we should effectually call our selves and infuse a supernatural Principle of Grace and Life into our selves This indeed would be very absurd Therefore we hold that our being effectually called and our having an abiding principle of Grace and Life given in unto us is quid prae-requisitum something pre-required to our right performing the condition but not the condition it self That which is required of us by way of Duty and Condition on which God promiseth us the subsequent blessings of the Covenant It is that we do not resist his Spirit and that by the grace of his Spirit we do actually believe and obey and persevere to the end Now the Grace of God whereby

Usurpation over the Bodies and Souls of Men and the ultimate end of them all was to set up Gods Kingdom among Men and to destroy Satans Kingdom Therefore the Devil could not possibly be the Author of Christs Miracles since they were directly contrary to his Nature and destructive of his Kingdom and Interest in the World The consequence is evident because if the Devil be supposed to do such Miracles so circumstantiated he is and must be ipso facto supposed to be a silly weak Prince that for want of a Politick Head and Ambitious Heart acts quite contrary unto his own Nature and doth what he can to destroy his own Kingdom and Interest in the World But the Devil cannot be supposed to be a silly weak Prince who so Acts for want of Policy and Pride Such a Supposition is evidently false and self-contradictious for the Devil is a most Politick proud Spirit that is his very Nature as he is a Devil and his Politick proud Nature always Acts like it self and ever prompts him to defend maintain and propagate his Kingdom and Interest among Men. Therefore it 's impossible that the Devil should be the Author of such Miracles as are so contrary to his Nature and destructive of his Kingdom and Interest among Men since it cannot be that such a Politick Ambitious Spirit as the Devil is should be so filly as to make war upon his own Subjects pull down his own Kingdom and take the Crown from his own and set it on anothers Head This was our Lords Argument whereby he proved his Miracles to be from God and not from Satan And this Reason with others he hath given us why we should believe both his Doctrine and Miracles to be from Heaven and doth no where require us to believe it without any Reason Now if neither Christ nor his Apostles desired Men to believe them upon their bare Word without good proof who are we and who is our Author that either we or he should desire People to believe either the one or the other of us upon our bare Words without good proof Especially when the matter in Controversie is of the highest Nature and greatest Importance to wit whether we preach a new Gospel which he affirms and we deny and without any Reason but with a great many Falshoods and Calumnies he affirms it but with good and solid Reason we deny it and have disproved his Falshoods and wiped off his Calumnies Amongst other things our Author reproaches us as hath been shewed with the Name of Rational Divines by which it plainly appears that he himself would not be accounted a Rational Preacher or Writer of matters of Divinity and then belike he would not have the People to be Rational Hearers and Readers but to believe all that he either Preaches or Writes without knowing any good Reason why or wherefore But that which he casts upon us as a reproach we take it as a Crown being rightly understood as we have shewed it ought to be And if we be indeed Rational Divines we bless God who hath made us such and pray him so to continue us whilest he hath any Service for us here and still to make us more Rational that we may be the better able to open unto his People the true Grounds and Reasons of the Christian Faith And as we desire to be Rational Divines in the sense before explained so we desire that the People may be Rational Hearers Readers and Believers so rational as not to receive every Doctrine they hear from the Pulpit and read from the Press without knowing by Scripture and Scriptural Reason why and wherefore they receive it Therefore we exhort and beseech them to try before they trust Believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God 1 Joh. 4.1 1 Thes 5.21 prove all things and hold fast that which is good Consider what we have said to clear up God's Truth and to vindicate our own Innocency from the Aspersions and Calumnies of the Accuser of the Brethren and according to the Evidence we offer you judge impartially as you will Answer to God and your own Consciences FINIS Some Books Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultrey SEveral Discourses 1. Of Purity 2. Of Repentance 3. Of Seeking first the Kingdom of God By Hezekiah Burton D. D. late Rector of Barns near London and Published by the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Dr. Tillotson in 8vo Bishop Wilkins h●s Gift of Prayer and Preaching newly Reprinted with the Addition of near a thousand Authors to the Preaching in 8vo Mr. Slaters Thanksgiving Sermon October 27th 1692. 4to His Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. John Reynolds Minister of the Gospel Jan. 8. 1692. 4to His Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. Richard Fincher Minister of the Gospel Feb. 19. 1692. 4to Mr. Daniel Burgess his Mans whole Duty and Gods wonderful intreaty of him thereunto from 2 Cor. 5.20 in Twelves His Advice to Parents and Children the summ of a few Sermons Contracted in 12o The Death and Rest Resurrection and Blessed Portion of the Saints in a Discourse on Dan. 12.13 Being preached on the Occasion of the Death of Dr. Daniel Rolls Minister of the Gospel Together with the Work of the Redeemer and the Redeemed in 12o A Good Minister of Jesus Christ a Funeral Sermon for the Reverend Mr. Richard Steel a faithful and useful Minister of the Gospel Nov. 27. 1692. By George Hammond M. A. and Minister of the Gospel