Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	ghost_n	holy_a	trinity_n	3,214	5	9.7060	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86580	Wisdome's judgment of folly. Delivered in a sermon at the spital, in the solemn assembly of the city, on Munday in Easter-week, April XI. A.D. MDCLIII. By Thomas Horton D.D.	Horton, Thomas, d. 1673.	1653 (1653)	Wing H2884; Thomason E691_4; ESTC R206965	45,879	67

at first and came up in their absolute perfection which yet now afterwards do not reach thereunto but by leisure and time and degrees and the use of the means tending to such a purpose sowing and planting and watering and manuring and the like Even so was it also in the first framing of the Church The Apostles they were qualified immediately by the extraordinary Endowments of the Holy Ghost inspiring of them Succeeding Ministers they are qualified partly by such Natural abilities as do much incline them to such an imployment which are still the Gift of God and partly by study and industry polishing and further improving these abilities in them with the Blessing of God upon them and his Spirit in a special manner assisting them in the work it self as to the particular occasions of performance which are administred to them Again secondly The Apostles they were also qualified observe that Though God found them under such inabilities yet he did not so leave them but supplied those defects in them And though they were not men of parts when he first chose them yet they were men of Gifts when he used them and such Gifts as were proper to that work which he imposed upon them He gave Gifts to men yea he gave them another Call too for the exercise of those gifts which he had given them Therefore we may not carry this point beyond its line which is indeed to pervert and abuse it and our selves in it But only thus far which is the Truth that God oftentimes makes choice of men of meaner and lower parts whom he qualifies and fits for his Ministry and imployes in it whiles he layes many others aside of greater Natural and Secular perfections whom he will not make use of and so indeed he does Thus we see how the Point holds good as to Grace and the Gospel as the Means Take it further in the next place 2. In reference to the End as to Glory and Salvation for the End God does not accept of this worldly Wisdome neither in this particular He will not bring men to Heaven according as they have such and such Parts and Natural Qualifications but rather as they have such and such Holy and Heavenly Dispositions He will not save them as having so much Wit but as so much Grace Wit is no further an help to Salvation then so far forth as it improves Grace and Grace it which sometimes it doth That man which hath his Wisdom sanctified wil be able to do a great deal more good then either one that hath so much Wisdom without Sanctification or else that is so far sanctified without such a measure of Wisdom in him These things do well in their Conjunction and Connexion together which being severed do not so well And so you have the first Explication in regard whereof the Wisdome of the World is Foolishness with God as to Religion and the things of God namely from an Insufficiency Passive considerable in it In ratione Objecti as not moving God to accept of it either to Grace or else to Glory The second is an Insufficiency active II. Activè in ratione Potentiae in ratione Potentiae The wisdome of the world in its best and highest perfections is not able to comprehend the Truths of Christ Meer Natural reason in the exactest sublimation of it Naturall Reason unable to reach the things of God two manner of wayes cannot reach the Doctrine of Religion and this again it cannot do according to a double sense and explication of it First Not in Propositione Secondly Not in Mysterio First I say not alwaies in the Proposition There are some Doctrines in Religion 1. In propositione Ephes 3.9 which the Highest reason of man does not know what to make of them neither can understand them as barely propounded I do not onely say that it could never find them out before they were discovered for that to be sure it could not as being meerly dependent upon the Wall and Counsel of God and so said to be hid in him but that they cannot conceive of them neither fully even now that they are revealed Such as these are the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of Essence The eternal Generation of the Son The Procession of the Holy Ghost The Hypostatical Union of the Divine and Humane Nature together These Doctrines they are such kind of Points as do exceed and go beyond the Apprehension of the highest Humane reason so that the wisdome of the world cannot reach them or attain unto them not so much as in Propositione But then secondly to be sure not in Mysterio 2. In Mysterio Here it cannot reach them indeed Meer Natural reason it cannot discern the Excellency and Beauty and Sweeness of Religion It cannot savour it and relish it and taste it in the spirituality of it this it cannot do we have it plainly in the fore going Chapter 1 Cor. 2.14 The Natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse to him neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned The Natural man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jude ver 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That man which hath onely a Rational soul in him and no further qualified who is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is spiritual 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He does not receive them neither into his mind and judgement to understand them nor into his will and affections to imbrace them and close and comply with them he does neither way receive them This is that which must come from above from the Father of lights as every good and perfect Gift besides as our Saviour told Peter Flesh and Blood hath not revealed these things unto thee but my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 16.17 This wisdom of God in a Mysterie it is such as the wisest worldlings cannot attain to Therefore the Apostle speaking of it hath this passage concerning it Which none of the Princes of this world knew 1 Cor. 2.7 8. c. The Princes of the world Whom does he mean by them Not onely Princes for State but Princes for knowledge Not onely Kings and Emperors but Philosophers and Learned men which did dominari in Scholis These are the Principes seculi here spoken of who notwithstanding all their Learning and Humane wisdome and strength of reason which was in them yet did not rise to the knowledge of Christ and the Mysterie of God manifested in the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An use of Confutation to speak in the Language of St. Chrysostome Where now then are those who affirm as much as this comes to and would obtrude such things as these upon us which with the Greeks seek after wisdom 1 Corinthians Chap. 1.22 Which cry all for Reason and Argument and Demonstration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Clemens Alexandrinus calls them Strom. lib. 9. and

that which immediately follows so it has in it the force of a Preface and preparatory introduction as making a very good entrance and passage for that which comes after Take it which way you will as either way you may take it though I incline rather to the latter which is by way of Introduction and Preamble to the succeeding Exhortation the Caution is very good and seasonable and such as may be very well administred to any persons whosoever they be Indeed at the first hearing it may seem to be a little superfluous and such as might well have been spared Let no man deceive himself Why is there any great fear of that Can we think that any one should be so mad or foolish as ever to do so If Saint Paul had said Let no man deceive his Neighbour then perhaps he had said somewhat if he had said here as we find him to have said elsewhere 1 Thes 4.6 Let no man go beyond or defraud his BROTHER in any matter we might then have thought he had spoken to purpose But to give so strict a charge and caution against self-deceiving what need was there of that Beloved the Apostle knew very well what he said and he knew also to whom he said it and this is that which he sayes Let no man deceive himself which he speaks not only to the Corinthians that we may not by the way deceive our selves in regard of the Persons spoken to but he speaks it to every one of Us. Mutate nomine de TE It is a Caution of a General Latitude and Extent which it carries with it to all Ages and Times whatsoever even to these more particularly and especially wherein we live then in which as there was never more defrauding and deceiving of others so neither more deceiving of mens selves Self-deceit a general Disease This Self-deceit it is the common and general Disease that reigns amongst us yea indeed upon proof we shall find it to be the ground and foundation of all other deceit in the world What ever deceit is abroad it begins at home and takes its rise and original from thence If men were true to their own interests they would never be false to others If they were faithful in what belongs to themselves they might be trusted with their neighbours but now whilst they first try conclusions upon their own hearts for the deceiving of them they do more readily practise it upon their brethren for the deceiving of them with them Therefore it is that the Scripture does so often lay such a Caution and proviso as this is Do not erre Be not deceived Let no man beguile you and here Deceive not your selves All still for this reason to signifie the general proneness and disposition which is in our Nature hereunto as oftentimes to be cozened and deceived and beguiled by others so as often amongst the rest by our selves to be the Deceived and the Deceivers both at once The Holy Ghost himself gives us a very good account of it from whence it proceeds The ground of self-deceit namely from the nature and quality of the heart it self which is fraudulent and deceitful above all things Jer. 17.9 A deceitful heart will not spare so much as it self but will be ready to deceive that And this is that which all more or less have remaining in them Those which are in a state of Nature and Unregeneracy they are nothing else but deceit their hearts do continually frame and fashion deceit in them as the Scripture speaks Those whose natures are changed by Grace yet they have some Relicks and remainders of the Old man abiding in them which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts Eph. 4.22 Ever since the Serpent deceived us we have still been ready more or less to deceive our selves Would you know by what Means and in what wayes this is done The wayes of self-deceit Take it briefly thus First By false conceits and apprehensions which men have of themselves 1. By false apprehensions Self-flattery hath a great stroke and influence upon self-deceit He that thinks himself to be something when he is nothing he deceives himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is the Apostles own judgement and conclusion which he give of it in another place and it is that which he hath a special respect to here in this as we may see by that which followes and shall see more by and by If any man among you seemeth to be wise c. so then Let no man deceive himself that is by too high a conceit and apprehension of his owne wisdome thinking himselfe wiser then he is or hath cause to think himselfe This is that which many persons oftentimes are subject unto and thereby to deceive themselves Secondly 2 By false hopes By false hopes and promises which men make to themselves It is a great deceiving of any when they shall expect and look for more then they are I kely to enjoy it was that wherein the Divel did at first deceive our first Parents Adam and Eve in Paradise by raising their hopes and expectations beyond that which it was probable they should partake of And thus in like manner do men also deceive themselves See Jam. 1.26 appliable to any other miscarriage by vain and groundless perswasions of their owne happiness and the welfare of the condition in which they are especially in reference to Spirituals and a better life There are divers which are ready to think the case is here very well with them with whom indeed it is far otherwise take it for granted that their state is good in order to salvation who yet never were careful in all their lives to work out their salvation or to walk in such wayes as might tend to such an end as that is but rather quite opposite to it There is many a one who makes as full an account to go to Heaven when he goes out of the world as he does to go out of the world nay it may be a great deal more who yet if God be not more merciful unto him must go to another place It is a Point which were worth the following if we had nothing else to speak of especially in this confident age which is fallen upon us wherein so many both opinions and practices are swallowed without any scruple even to rowse and awaken men in this particular and to cure them if it were possible of this self-deceit But we have not leisure for it and must leave it to a better hand Thirdly By false performances and duties men deceive themselves also here 3 By false performances He that does not any thing as he should he does thereby deceive himself in the doing of it Slothfulness and deceitfulness they come both of them to one effect and so the same word in the Hebrew Language signifies both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is taken promiscuously as Jer. 48.10