Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A25299
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The saints security against seducing spirits, or, The anointing from the Holy One the best teaching : delivered in a sermon at Pauls before the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and commonalty of the city of London, upon the fifth of November, 1651 / by William Ames ...
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Ames, William, d. 1689.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing A3009; ESTC R11
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27,575
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47
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man is the principle of life and that by which he is denominated to be a man and distinguished from a beast so doth the spirit of Christ working it selfe into the soule of man transforme him into his owne image and this new Creature hath the same spirit nature and disposition with Jesus Christ whereby he is denominated a Christian and distinguished from other men The person of Jesus Christ was that originall copy according to which all his posterity should be made conformable This is that which the Apostle speaks to in 1 Cor. 15. where Hee saith As wee have born the image of the earthly so must we beare the image of the Heavenly Adam which is not onely to be understood in a corporeall sense That our bodies in the Resurrection shall be called out of their dust into the likenesse of Christs glorified body but in a spirituall sense also for our minds and soules having received the first fruits of the Resurrection within themselves already they also shall in union with their bodies rise up in a compleat similitude and likenesse to our Lord Jesus having limbe for limbe grace for grace Thirdly The spirit and life of Christ communicated to his people doth make them capable and able to understand his will When the spirit of Regeneration is past upon the soule then doth a man become fit to understand heavenly Truths It is true There is a kinde of rationall assent to heavenly Truths before conversion and the naturall man doth understand the letter of the spirit but not the spirit of the letter yet no man hath so clear so full and undoubted understanding of those things as he whose minde is defecated and purged from the dreggs of worldly lusts which are like a fogg and mist upon the face of the soule The soules of men are like so many glasses which reflect the image of things presented before them now if there be a steame breathed upon the glasse the Reflection is very little or none at all or if the light which should convey the species from the object to the glasse bee but a dim twi-light a weake and insufficient light there is no reflection neither so it is with the soules of men whilst our worldly affections and adulterate love to sinne and wickedness doe boyle and bubble up within us sending up their steames into our minds the things of God cannot be seen according to the greatness of that beauty and excellency which is upon them He that caused the light to shine out of darkness must shine in our hearts to give that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ for as the Psalmist speaks In tuo lumine lumen videbimus in thy light we shall see light The holy nature of Jesus Christ is the true Collyrium the true eye-salve wherby the soul must be cured of its blindness and the Apostle speaks in Col. 3. 10 of putting on the new man {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which is renewed into knowledge according to the image of him that created him Untill we be renewed in the spirit of our mindes and taken off from the love of this world and the things thereof wee cannot attaine to a right new Testament knowledg of those things which Christ hath revealed from the bosome of the Father There is a praeputium cordis a foreskin of the heart a pride and insolency of the naturall spirit which must be circumcised and destroyed before the soule can attaine unto a full view of that excellent and glorious Truth which Jesus Christ doth present us withall Fourthly The knowledge of Christian Doctrine grounded onely upon Argument is but doubtfull vncertain knowledge I conceive that Syllogismes and arguments are onely for this world and the things of this world but not for the things of God of the other world The natural Philosopher attains to his naturall knowledge by observations and experiments in severall particulars by Antecedents and consequents most of his knowledge in those things is very feeble crazy and questionable which made that great Philosopher after all his inquiry for knowledge profess That he onely attained to this that he knew himselfe to be ignorant Hoc tantum scio quod nihil scio This onely do I know that I know nothing But God hath ordained a better way to convey his Truth into our hearts and that is by a renovation of our minds and by the communication of a divine nature God hath not left his people at uncertainties in those things which are materiall and necessary but hath given them more then the certainty of a demonstration Whatsoever I doe receive for Truth upon the account of argumentative conclusions that I am bound to lay aside and disowne for Error upon the like account when a more probable argument comes And truly Friends if all the ground of our entertaining Christ and Truth or Christian Doctrine be because such an argument conveyed it unto us what shall become of us and the Truth when wee meet with a subtile sophister and Antichristian Head who shal frame an argument against the Truth unanswerable by our Logick Where shall a man ever consist if he must live upon these tearmes in the world Besides every one to whom the Gospell of Christ is preached hath not an head strong enough to grapple with the bignesse and depth of some kinde of arguments who yet may have their hearts truly mortified to this world and carryed out in love to the person and nature of our Lord Jesus The ground of that antient scepticisme and that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of the Academicks whereby they did assert that nothing could be comprehended might be this All their knowledge was derived unto them by probable conclusions so that no thing was certainly and eternally true and infallible but conjecturall and probable onely and to be entertained according to the retinue and pomp of well dressed arguments Hee that is but an Argumentative Christian is rather a sceptick then a true Christian He is a Christian at the greatest uncertainty in the world I must confess many Notions which are obtruded upon men as Orthodoxal and contended for by others as principall pieces of Theologie must be soberly examined by Scripture and reason for they are not per senota they are not seen by their own light in such opinions modesty and sobriety are highly commendable Yea I confesse further That the heavenly principles of the New Creature may be Back'd and strengthned by rationall arguments and many times the soule is constrained by a practicall Syllogisme to be lesse disquieted within it selfe but yet The most cleare evidence and assurance of the Truth and goodnesse in these holy things of Christ and the new Creature ariseth out of themselves as light floweth from the body of the Sun without the contusion or compulsion of an harsh argument
THE SAINTS SECURITY AGAINST Seducing Spirits OR The Anointing from the Holy one The best Teaching Delivered in a Sermon at Pauls before the Lord Major Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of London upon the Fifth of November 1651. BY WILLIAM AMES M. A. Sonus verborum aures percutit Magister intús est Cathedram in Caelo habet qui corda docet Aug. LONDON Printed by M. Simmons for William Adderton and are to be sold at his Shop at the three Golden Falcons in Duck-lane 1652. TO The RIGHT HONOURABLE IOHN KENDRICK Lord MAJOR and the Right Worshipfull the Aldermen of the City of LONDON Honourable and Beloved SOme who have been judicious Spectators of those uncharitable quarrels which have broken forth in these Latter dayes amongst Professors have been ready to conclude That either Men have not understood that thing which Religion signifies or else they have abused the Name of Religion making it serve to advance themselves and promote some worldly designe And if they shall consider the power of unmortified lusts in the hearts of wicked men emboldened by the Advantage of such generall dissentions it will not be so great a wonder to see many cast off God and Holinesse as to see any keeping the Faith and cleaving unto Christ in such an houre of Temptation One great snare that the Devill hath layed to intangle soules hath been To put them upon it to call every thing into Question which hath been the more dangerous because such enquirie doth pretend to Ingenuity and is like that Tree of knowledge a Tree to bee desired to make one Wise and certainly it is farre better to be humbly and modestly inquisitive then Popishly and Sottishly ignorant for the Wise mans eyes are in his head but the Foole destroyes himselfe by a strange implicit faith and blind obedience But when a Proud and Deboyst Spirit shall become one of those {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} those haesitating Questionists how will he Vaunt and Triumph in his conceits as if he had Posed and Non-plust Truth it selfe When such a one is gotten into this strong hold what will not his bold confidence dare to Question And although hee might consider that a Foole may aske more questions then ten Wise men can answer yet still he persisteth in vaine Interrogatories And such is the disturbance of his minde occasioned by the pride and wickednesse of his heart that lett the most cleare and pertinent Reply be made to his Demands yet is Hee wholly indisposed to receive satisfaction Thus is the poor but proud and insulting Sceptick at once Really the Devils Bondslave and conceitedly his owne freeman When I was by your Order called to this publique service many things of this kind did presse in upon me And the greatest impression that I could perceive 〈◊〉 my spirit was To speake something that 〈◊〉 by the blessing of God tend to the Vindication of the Truth of Religion from the Malicious but Frivolous affronts of Prophane yet Cunning men and I could not finde out a more Direct meanes to this end then by an appeale to the Common sense of all Regenerate soules which I have done in the following discourse according to the measure of the gift received the effects whereof I heartily desire may be these two First For ever to silence that Machiavilian Blasphemy that Religion is nothing but a Politique Engine and that there is no such thing indeed anywhere to be found There are those in the world who in a true spiritual sense have heard with their eares and seen with their eyes and handled with their hands of the word of Life And it is to be feared that those soules which deny that there is any Religion abroad are wholly devoid of it within themselves Religion is not a Chimaera or Notion but a real thing in the hearts and lives of good men Secondly To stirre up and awaken Professors that they rest not satisfied in any Outward forme without the inward life and power of Religion Oh! Bee not contented to serve in the Oldnesse of the Letter but in the Newnesse of the spirit Wee have raised such a Dust by our Disputes in lesser matters and by our espousing such triviall quarrels that we have almost lost our Christ and alienated our affections from our first Husband It is time for us now to call forth that Primitive spirit of Love and Purity if by any meanes wee might remove the Scandal of our contentions and exhort one another so much the more as we see the day approaching After you had patiently given this Sermon the Hearing you were pleased to importune the Publication thereof whereby your selves and others might the better Perpend and truly examine what is therein contained which request of your Honours I could not easily deny but have accordingly performed and do here tender it to your Christian Acceptance with hopefull confidence that seeing for the Truths sake it found such unexpected entertainment at your eare it shall not be despised at the more severe Tribunal of your Eye Now that good spirit of Jesus Christ open the eyes of your mindes that you may see and approve things that are excellent and perswade your hearts to receive the Truth in the Love of it and direct your steps to walke in the paths of Mercy and Truth that you may be Saved So prayeth Yours and the Churches Servant in the Gospel William Ames Imprimatur December 4. 1651. JOSEPH CARYL 1 John 2. 20. But yee have an Vnction from the Holy One and yee know all things THere hath been of old an irreconcileable feud between light and darkness between good and evill and wheresoever truth hath had it's dwelling there error and falshood have endeavoured to intrude themselves so that no sooner was truth incarnate in the Person of our Lord Iesus but Antichrist yea many Antichrists did arise and set themselves against it sed magna fuit Veritas praevalebat Truth was great and did prevaile But when error and falshood did perceive that Truth remained invulnerable in the Person of Christ they betake themselves to his posterity and the seed of the Serpent doth conflict and try it out with the seed of the Woman yet still the victory hath been given on the Saints side But such was the malice of Truths great Adversary the Prince of darkness that he would not onely not lay down the Tucklers but that he might appear to deserve the name of Apollyon and Abaddon Hee hath left no means unattempted and hath more curiously sought out and invented how Hee might yet if possible carry the day against the Truth and to carry on his undertaking hath projected two ways eminently whereby either to Bannish Truth wholly out of the world or to stop her growth and progresse in the world The one hath been by open force and violence to persecute the persons of those who have professed themselves to be Truth's subjects whereby he might at once