Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	call_v	law_n	moral_a	2,598	5	9.2562	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54245	Urim and thummim, or, The apostolical doctrines of light and perfection maintained against the opposite plea of Samuel Grevill (a pretended minister of the Gospel) in his ungospel-like discourse against a book entituled A testimony of the light within, anciently writ by Alexander Parker / by W.P.	Penn, William, 1644-1718.	1674 (1674)	Wing P1393; ESTC R27610	28,857	34

as S. G. well sayes Their conceited Light was Darkness They walked in Darkness and so participated or partook not of the Benefit and Blessing of the Light but it shined in the Darkness uncomprehended There was Light but it was not risen upon him or no Morning risen in him as the Words may be rendred Is there no Sun in the Firmament because Men that are blind or shut their Eyes cannot or will not see it Or I a School-Master Unlearned or Insufficient because any of his Lads play truant and neglect his Reproof Instruction Or Is it reasonable for any of us to say that such Schollars have no School-Master because they are idle and regard not their Book notwithstanding his daily Checks and Reprehensions of them Or Can they be said to have no Lesson because they neglect to get it In short Christ is the great Priest Prophet King Judge and Law-Giver under the new Covenant He is the Shepherd that daily overlooks and feeds his Flock and such as know not him so revealed in them to be the very Hope of their Glory are in a reprobate Estate And how he should be within and not be Light who is the true Light it self from whom all they that have Divine Light received it will lye on S. G's Part to show And so far are we from lessening the Scriptures hereby That they are they which testifie of Christ to be the true Light that enlightens all And with their holy Record have we great Unity and our Souls bless God for them and the Benefit we have received and yet do in reading of them through the Revelation of his holy Spirit without which they are but a sealed Book as well said learned Bishop Jewel against Harding p. 532 534. In p. 7. he would set these as Contraries Great Light No Light as without a Medium so argues Because Great Light was before deny●d to the Ephes 2. 12. therefore they had no Light and so make as if God had left himself without a Witness amongst them which is a worse State then the Lycaonians who had a sense of his Wi●dom Power and Goodness from his visible Works which outward Witness had been Insufficient without an inward Witness to joyn with it and evidence it more ●●esly unto them No better Success had the Preaching of the Gospel had among the Ephesians without it which because their Light in time of their Ignorance of these things which then in due Time God revealed unto them in a great Measure did not teach it being too high for their State Therefore by his Consequence they had none nor any before that Time For the Mystery was hid from Ages and Generations that then was made manifest to his Saints for if they had as he seems to reason it would have taught them Baptism Supper c. Nay further as he argues All the Opinions that the Episcopalians and Presbyterians hold Common Prayer or Directory whether you will and not only to Thou and Thee Magistrates as they did alwayes but to stir up People for them or against them as serve their own Interest It is true indeed an Outward Literal Knowledge of these Things by the ●●elp of Literature as Men now have them the Jews and Gent●les had not for they were not written as they are now with Ink but with the Spirit in the Heart and they resisting that could not know him outwardly because though they knew the Words and Sentences yet they knew not the Voices and Senses of the Prophets but looked for a Conquer●r like David as the Gentiles like Jupiter c. And why may not Men now with their Light he speaks of mistake the Scriptures of the New as they then did of the Old Testament as he saith the Quakers may do with theirs unless he can prove that his Light is the true one because he sayes it is Natural Reason and the Quakers false because they maintain it to be of the Divine Nature Word Reason or Wisdom that was in the Beginning with God and was and is God as say several Fathers in our Defence For Christ that lightens every one that comes into the World is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word or Reason of God who as Irenaeus saith rationabiliter se sibiliter Legem statuit established the Law reasonably and sensibly And Fe● Ardentius interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Iren. Verbum Sermo Ratio Word or Reason And saith Irenaeus pag. 326. Man being made reasonable lost Reason and living unreasonably gave himself ov●r to the Earth●y Spirit Psal 48. 21. And Justin Martyr saith that Christ was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whole Reason as his Interpreter Langius renders it and that which the Philosophers and Poets conformed to was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Part or partaking of the Reason that was sown and he saith The Seed of the Word or Reason is sown or ingrafted in all ki●d of Men p. 46. And Origen his Author useth almost the same Words The Law sown in the So●l by comm●● Notions a●d the Word written in the Heart And Justin in the place quoted makes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 common Notion and Word or Reason and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Mind synonimous or of the same Signification as Origen and Irenaeus do Almost the very Words of some of the ancient Philosophers For Plotin calls it a Divine Principle that makes the good Man which sayes he is the Root of the Soul And Cleanthes The Eternal Nature sown and diffused through the Race of Man and is the most sure and infallible Guide Hieron calls it a domestick God Seneca Diffused reason Epictetus God within Plutarch a living Rule interiour Guide and Everlasting Foundation of Virtue Philo The Immortal Law engraven on the Minds of Men no lifeless Precepts written on Paper c. Nor do Modern Writers much if at all vary David Paraeus another of his Authors saith in Vrsin's Body of Christian Doctrine augmented corrected consummated by him Quest 6. The Image of God contains all the Natural Notions of God of his Will and Works that is perfect Wisdom in the Mind perfect Righteousness and Holiness in the Heart and all outward Actions Perfect Wisdom is here said saith he not that which is ignorant of nothing but that which is competent to a created Nature sufficient to its Felicitys So there is an Homonymy or double Signification of the Word Perfect And in Quest 92. he saith We were created redeemed and sanctified to this End that we should KEEP THE LAW MORAL AND NATURAL BEING THE SAME IN THIS LIFE AND THE ETERNAL IT NOT BEING ABROGATED AS TO OBEDIENCE Now these Men a Irenaeus said of the Poets and Philosophers Every one seeing that which was connatural from Part of the divine-sown-Reason spoke excellently and where right and consistent with themselves they are ours so far

Irenaeus And the Reader may take these quoted better from us then S. G's from him upon meer Trust Some ancient Fathers Protestant Writers expound the Word Nature as I do sayes S. Grevil if you will trust him I say the like of my Exposition and have already quoted them and told him how far I credit them and therefore in page 8. he wrongs the Quakers for they would not cite them if they gave no Credit to them as he would have People to believe as Paul would not have quoted the Greek Poet if he had not believed that to be Truta that he said concerning God That we are of his Off-spring which he brought to prove that he is not far from every one On which Place Grotius cites for the Essential Presence of God as he terms it several Heathens Jews Christians no fewer then Ten I shall instance but in one Minutus Felix who ●yes God is every where not only very near us but infused which because A. P. said not expresly though S. G. charges him to say it by Consequence he makes it A. P's Principle to shut him out of Men who charges it for an Error that he dwells in Men and all that is not by Generation p. 8. And so not only many primitive and later Christian Doctors but also many others that deny the rational Soul to be ex traduce or by Generation but infused to be as great Blasphemers as he would make the Quakers And if he can produce neither Scripture as I am sure he cannot nor ancient nor modern Writers for his Gift of the Spirit that comes by Generation He must be the Author of that new Doctrine A Gift or Grace is not one's self nor a Part of one's self nor one's own originally but another's freely conferr'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graces or things freely given He says To do as we would be done to is sown in our Natures then the Seed of the Law the Prophets contain'd what more eminently appeared and was extended in the Gospel even to the Love of Enemies with the Reason of it for if you love them that love you c. which the Gentiles had in them in Effect though not in Letters And D. Paraeus saith In the State of Sin a Man is not apt to do or think any Good of himself according to the Scriptures Eph. 2. 9. and 2 Cor. 3. 5. c. Then neither the Law nor the Work of the Law was of themselves else how they could condemn them that had the Law and transgressed it And the Scripture saith That which may be known of God is manifest in Men for God hath shewed it to them and God hath shewed unto thee O Man what is good c. Mic 6. 8. which S. G. denies calling it a special Presence from what ground he shews not nor can he for the Manifestation is common and universal the Words themselves prove it consequently there is a common Presence and indeed a special Manifestation implies a Common He eavils about the word Perfect distinguished before out of Paraeus and tells of Darkness dwelling with Light and Ignorance with Knowledge I know not for what unless it be to confess to us That his Knowledge is not without Ignorance But it seems he is affraid le●t his Kingdom of Darknes Ignorance Sin should be destroy'd therefore proceeds to write against a Freedom from Sin in this Life and to oppose the Expositions of the Fathers Protestant Doctors which it seems are of less credit with him then with the Quakers that hold That the Doctrine in Christ's Sermon tends to a Righteousness beyond that of the Law charging them as if they meant that Christ set up a Righteousness or a Law above his own perfect Everlasting Spiritual Law which some call Natural and Moral The same in Nature saith Origen entire agreeing with the Eternal and Immoveable Rule of Righteousness in God abiding the same from the Beginning to the End of the World and therefore were we redeemed and regenerated by the holy Ghost that we should keep this Law in this and the Life Eternal that is Love God and our Neighbour with all our Heart not a new Doctrine but the old which was from the Beginning Which Law Natural Noah and Abraham kept saith Tertullian and were justified by it And further In this Primordial and General Law of God given to Adam were all the Precepts of the latter Law given forth in their Seasons for what Wonder if he increase the Discipline who instituted it And God at a certain Season exhibited a subsequent Law to the Gentiles and that which was promised again by the Prophets reform●● to the better that it should be kept These are their words which shews what Law was meant namely the Law of Moses which was added because of Transgression t●ll the Seed should come before which time many things were winked at and su●ered because of the Hardness of their Hearts that from the beginning were not so which Christ brings to that he might recover all that was lost and so give Power by his Spirit to them that walk after it that his Law may be fulfilled in them in the Everlasting Righteousness of it the very End of his Coming The Law being obscured by the Fall much obliterated and lest lest the Relicks in the Minds of men might be thought to be an Opinion GOD REPEATED IT saith Vrsin which they that walked after the ●lesh could not keep and the Knowledge of it did only condemn them and in that Manifestation and Capacity in might be said to be weak and all those Rites Sacrifices added ever unable to purifie the Conscience But they that Love him keep his Commandments and they are not grievous So that it was the Relicks of the Law Natural repeated in the Decalogue that Christ as they say came to set up a Righteousness beyond and not only to repeat and confirm the Relicks but restore the whole in due season and bring on the Perfection to be Merciful as saith Calvin himself and Love Enemies beyond which Remigius saith as S. G. cites there can be no Love and therefore having commanded this Christ saith Be ye Perfect this being the Perfection of Love Perfect Love casts out Fear and is the Fulfilling of the Law And he that loveth God keepeth his Commandments But S. G. p. 10. having taken away their Distinctions by his Distinctions of the Moral Law comprehending all Ceremonies c. relating to the Old Testament and New Under the Name of Parker he tacitely chargeth not only Remigius and Calvin but also Chrysostom and many other Fathers and Doctors quoted to be of the same mind with the Scribes and Pharisees in their narrow Interpretations of the Law in some particular Precepts of it for this he flings on A. P. for saying but the same things while indeed it is to be s●ared that S.