Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	contain_v	law_n	moral_a	2,485	5	9.8922	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62298	An antidote against Quakerisme wherein these following questions are opened, the truth concerning them proved, the contrary arguments examined and confuted ... / by Stephen Scandrett ...	Scandrett, Stephen, 1631?-1706.	1671 (1671)	Wing S817; ESTC R34024	108,858	138

their whole bodies be full of darkness it follows that there no true Light at all in them the Light that is is real darkness It therefore is added If the Light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness Luke 11.35 Take heed that the Light which is in thee be not darkness If there were no danger that a mans Light should be darkness what room were there for this warning It is therefore uudeniable that there is a Light in man which is but darkness And I ask what Light is that Not Christ himself in the Saints not his holy Spirit that dwelleth in them not the Light of the Gospel taken in by Faith not the special illumination of the Holy Ghost Tell us then what Light can it be but the Light we brought with us into the world the Light that is in every man He that hath no more but this Light is all Darkness Therefore it is said Eph. 5 8. Ye were sometimes Darkness All darkness Ye had then not one Drachm of Light in you the Light you had was but Darkness Q. But how can this be If it be Light 't is Light how can it be and not be the same thing Ans It can of it self without Scripture teach Moral Duties that God is to be worshipped Parents obeyed c. as hath been hinted often and in this respect 't is Light But it cannot reveal Christ of it self When he is revealed by the Striptures and preaching of the Gospel it cannot discern him nor any other spiritual Mystery of the Gospel for they are spiritually discerned the Natural man with all his Light cannot reach to this And in these two respects 't is meer darkness no more able to guide a man to Salvation than darkness it self Obj. We may not put Light for Darkness Ans When Christ evidently hints the Light within may be darkness must he be thus reproved You may not put Light for Darkness That which in respect of Morals is Light he calls Light and the same being in respect of Spirituals real Darkness he properly calls it so He doth not therefore put Light for Darkness And G. W. himself acknowledgeth Div. of Christ in Answer to Mr. Dawson p. 42. That the Natural man bath not power to discern spiritual things Is not his Light darkness then What he adds yet he hath a power to receive them is very odd For how do men receive spiritual things into their Souls but first by discerning them then approving and embracing them His Reason is miserable for after Conversion he doth saith he receive them He might as well have said the Unconverted hath power to receive spiritual things for after Conversion he doth discern them 'T is as if he should have said When Sampson was an Infant he had power to carry the Gates of a City up the Hill for when he was a man he did it In Conversion we receive a new Light and a new Heart which is a new power to receive spiritual things This Light that is wrought in us by the Spirit of God when put upon it to direct us how to obtain Pardon and Justification bids us seek it by the works of the Law never pointing to Christ therefore at least being forced to speak through our fault where it should be silent as being unable to direct herein it both can and doth misguide It will be yielded in terms I think that there is no Pardon or Justification without Faith in Christ And it hath been proved that this light of it self cannot speak one Syllable of Christ therefore it cannot tell us how to obtain Pardon and Justification If then we will force it to speak in this point it must needs speak Falshood if any thing See it thus directing Rom. 2.13 14. The doers of the Law shall be justified for when the Gintiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law to themselves The Apostle lays down the way of Justification by the Law of works The Doers of the Law shall be justified He proves it for the Light of Nature puts the Gentiles upon doing of the works of the Law that they may be justified having no knowledge of the Law of Grace which direct to Christ by Faith for Justification they walk by the Law of works which is no way to Heaven for a fallen Creature The like we may see in several of the Israelites Rom. 9.32 They sought for Righteousness not by Faith but by the works of the Law And that the Light within them did put them upon this we may see chap. 10.2 I bear them Record that they have a zeal of God This they did then in a zeal for God designing his Glory and to do his will But never doth a man any thing in zeal to Gods glory but when his Reason his Judgment his Conscience his best Understanding the best Light he hath puts him on And that this is not the way to obtain Justification is evident chap. 9.32 The works of the Law are called a stumbling Stone It is a truth indeed that the Doers of the Law shall be justified but no man can possibly be a Doer He that hath once in thought word or deed in all his life broken the Law is not a Doer of the Law but a Transgressor therefore this is no way for our Justification because in our hearts are motions of darkness and errour because Satan hath access to insinuate evil into us because the Light we brought into the world doth not reveal all necessary Truths because we have not an infallible Spirit to discern these few Truths it doth reveal from Errours suggested in our hearts and because 't is possible for this very light it self to suggest errour we are not sure upon good grounds that all Counsels out of our hearts are from God as werare sure all Counsels out of the Scriptures are from God No can we so safely walk after Counsels out of our own hearts for the Counsels of the light within come out of our own hearts as we can safely walk after Counsels out of the Scripture These are infallible to us the other not Before I end I must answer what he brings to prove this Light an infallible Rule Arg. 1. p. 17. l. ult Christ bids us believe in the Light He would not have us believe in that that might deceive us Answ John 12.36 Whilst ye have the Light believe in the Light The words intimate they were like to lose the Light according to the Threat Matth. 21.43 The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you The true sense here is Whilst ye have the Gospel believe in me the Light of the world 'T is not Believe in the Light you brought with you into the World Nor was this to be taken from them Not believing in Christ they were to cary this to Hell with them to torment them for their Sin Arg. 2. The

help no such Conclusion could appear hence deducible By the use of Reason the Spirit teaceth the Heathen Moral Duties The immediate teaching of Gods Spirit must be that which is done without means Thus God neither by Adams Reason nor any Scripture nor by the works of Creation but immediately by himself taught him that he must abstain from the Tree of Knowledge And after his Fall that the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents head And afterwards enjoyned Circumcision to Abraham the Ceremonial Law to Moses speaking to him face to face Immediately by himself did he inspire into the Penmen of the Scripture what they were to write thereby to discover to his people what he would have them to do When he put Prophesies into the mouths of his Prophets sending them with Denunciations against any as the young Prophet against Jeroboam Jonah against Nineveh when he taught Paul the Gospel by Revelation all was by his immediate teaching The Terms opened I shall now lay down what I judge the Truth touching this Point in twelve Answers Answ He who is immediately taught of God his whole Duty hath higher honour than he that is taught it by the Scriptures Answ 2. He that walks by the immediate teachings of the Spirit cannot possibly err in so doing Gods Spirit is a Spirit of Truth But Answ 3. I know but one man of all who ever were in the world unto whom Gods immediate teachings were the highest and safest Rule to Heaven This was Moses Before the Scripture was written God did immediately reveal to him the Moral Ceremonial and Judicial Law The Ceremonial Law was their Gospel Here Moses had the full the then only the infallible the trying the binding Rule by immediate Revelation delivered to him Therefore I conclude Gods immediate teachings were to Moses the highest and the safest Rule to Heaven But can any man shew a second Adam had in innocency immediate revelation it was but part of his Rule and so no Rule of it self to heaven Had Adam obeyed Gods immediate prohibition and violated the Law of Nature written in his heart he had not retained his Innocency bare forbearing that fruit would not have brought him to heaven When afterwards Christ was immediately revealed suppose he had believed in Christ but wholly neglected that remnant of the Moral Law that still was in his heart would that Faith have saved him Single out any of the Prophets who had immediate revelation as to particular things did not the Book of the Law written by Moses bind them even those Commands which could not all certainly have any necessary and apparent connexion with what Truths God immediately inspired into them that they viewing only what was immediately taught them might herein see and hence conclude all their duty as to have no need of any recourse at all to any thing Moses wrote to help them to know and perform any part thereof David was so read though a Prophet in the Scripture and thence learned to fear God Deut. 17.19 Ans 4. It makes for our safety to look up earnestly to pray and use all means for the Illumination of Gods Spirit that the eyes of our understanding being enlightned we may know what is the hope of the Fathers Calling and what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints Unto Believers God doth thus reveal that which Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor can enter into the heart of man to conceive Hereby 't is they see Eye to Eye that is brightly Faith being the Evidence of things not seen They see the King in his Glory And this he doth accompanying the Ministration of the everlasting Gospel Luke 4.18 He hath sent me saith Christ to preach recovering of sight to the blind The Gospel therefore is called the Ministration of the Spirit This we must attend upon as Lydia did that we might have our hearts opened and may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge This we may hopefully watch for God hath covenanted I will put my Laws into their minds and purposed to destroy the face of covering cast over all people A. 5. And for our furtherance in holiness let me step a little out we are to look up for Gods gracious Spirit to sanctifie assist and comfort us He is the Spirit of Faith and Love as well as of a sound mind The Spirit of Holiness And Gods Covenant is to put his Laws into our hearts as well as into our minds This obtained we shall be Vessels meet for our Masters use God hath likewise covenaned to put his Spirit into the hearts of his people to enable them to walk in his Statutes Without him we can do nothing But strengthened with all might according to his glorious power nothing shall be too hard for us If God be for us who can be against us We shall be able to do all things through Christ strengthening us And hath not the Son of God promised to send the Spirit as a Comforter Gods Spirit doth shed abroad Gods Love in the hearts of Believers doth make known to them the things freely given them of God doth witness with their Spirits that they are the Children of God doth seal them If we obtain the Spirit in this operation of his though we had even never so much desponding shut up against all comfort and hope we should presently find strong Consolation for when he giveth quietness who then can make trouble As we stand in need of so we may with good hope look up for Gods Spirit to sanctifie assist comfort us A. 6. To return again When we are at a loss at any time for Gods will and the way we should walk in we may very safely look up for the Mediate Objective Teachings of Gods Spirit to be directed As heretofore when Gods people wanted direction in a particular case they enquired of God as in the case of going to War or the like God did immediately shew them his will so now have Gods people good grounds to believe that God will mediately teach them and resolve all their doubts in necessary things if they heartily seek it of him Christ hath said The Spirit shall bring to your remembrance Acts 15. Gods Church was troubled with a doubt necessary to be determined Whether the Gentiles must be circumcised Peter brings an Argument from experience to prove they need not James minds his Argument v. 14. Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his Name And to this saith he agree the words of the Prophet Who brought this to his mind Here we see it fulfilled that the Spirit brings sutable Scriptures to remembrance to teach Gods people in doubtful cases This is the mediate objective Teaching of the Spirit A. 7. But what warrant have all men nay Gods people