Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	law_n	light_n	moral_a	3,394	5	9.2992	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65879	The principal controversies between the litteral presbyters of the Kirk of Scotland, and the illuminated members of the Church of Christ, called Quakers· Truly collected, stated and opened, in a particular reply (herein specified) for general information and undeceiving the deceived. By an earnest contender for the most holy faith, which was once delivered to the saints. G. W.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1672 (1672)	Wing W1947; ESTC R217169	70,788	112

sufficiency both for Believing and Salvation Priest All men have a Light of a natural Conscience from him which tells that there is a God and somewhat of the nature of God that he is Eternal which they may read in the creatures Rom. 1.19 20. and of the morral Law which yet is but very dark c. Answ. Where do the Scriptures call it a Light of a natural Conscience What great Ignorance is here seeing Christ is the true Light that enlightens every man c. And that which might be known of God was manifested in them which gave the knowledg of the Eternal Power and God-head from the creatures and of the Law of God in the heart and that Light or that which might be known of God which gave this knowledg was not natural of a natural Conscience as blindly is conceived and asserted for the natural man with his natural knowledg perceives not those Spiritual or Invisible things nor can he know them but he that 's turned to a Spiritual Light and Principle within where that which may be known of God is manifested Priest But of Christ in his nature and the nature of Faith they cannot without the Scriptures so far as it is Gods appointed Way Answ. Christ is Gods appointed Way c. This high and general opinion of the Scriptures depends upon the former conceit of finding Eternal Life in them by searching of them but that 's answered and contradicted by this our Antagonist himself over and over Supernatural knowledge and Faith of Scriptures being not had without the knowledg of Christ but there are many search and read Scriptures that are both out of this knowledg and Faith so that t is evident that the bare reading Scriptures doth not attract supernatural Faith Knowledg Light Spirit c. but it is the supernatural Light and Spirit that brings to the serious reading and supernatural knowledg of Scriptures And it s also confessed in contradiction to much more however that the Light in all men teaches them of the morral Law and Is not that Scripture or things contained in it Priest The Light wherewith Christ enlightens all all Nations had before Christ came in the flesh as well as now and yet Who will say that they all knew Christ Answ. It is not our saying nor assertion that they all knew Christ though some by his Spirit or Light then had a fore-sight of his coming before he so came though since he has given a more full demonstration and discovery of his Light Priest If all men are taught to know Christ by the Light within them Why sent he Apostles to all Nations to make them disciples Mat. 28.20 Answ. All men are not taught that knowledg by the Light because all obey it not but many love darkness rather The Apostles were sent to turn them from darkness to the Light that therein they might know their Doctrine fulfilled and be Christs disciples Priest Why did he give gifts to Apostels Pastors Teachers which should continue till we all come to that unity of the Faith and fulness of the Stature of Christ Was that Light within dim in those times that it needed the help of outward Light How was it a mystery hid from Ages Answ. The dimness was in the Persons that were to be turned and directed to the Light not in the Light it self and the Apostles went by virtue of the Light and Gifts in them for the help of people and not the Light for their sufficiency and help was in it and from it which was not outward nor natural and having confessed Gifts Teachers c. to continue till we all come to the unity of the Faith and fulness of the stature of Christ. How obviously hast thou herein contradicted thy former Doctrine for imperfection and sin till death c. Priest You have made the visible Church very large who have taken all the men of the world that ever hath been into it If the Lord has given Grace and Knowledg equally to all men Wherein stands the freedom of his Grace towards them that are saved Answ. These are both forged and false accusations depending upon the former against us for neither did we ever make the visible Church of that largness nor is it our Principle that Grace and Knowledge is given equally to all men that 's but thy false inference against us whereupon thou hast grounded much of thy caviling against us like one that loves to fight with thy own shadow or a man of straw of thy own makeing to make and forge lies against us and then go to confute them Unprofitable and vain Priest Never did the greatest Enemy of free Grace so tye up and limmit God in the dispensations of Grace as you that with good words and fair speeches would deceive the Soules of the simple Answ. Nay Thou and such like go about to tye up and limmit God in the dispensations of Grace who would tye it up onely to a few and deny its universal extent to all and as those Priests of Scotland that formerly curst all them that held Grace is free and that with good words and fair speeches we would deceive the hearts of the simple is a slander against us and against our end and intentions and contrary to the tendency of our words and speeches Priest Judas got as much from God as Peter did but he rejected it but Peter made better use of it Your free Grace that all men have received alike doth not exclude boasting but say Well was it with us that made better use of that which others in hell got as well as we Thanks to our deligence and good intentions and tractableness in harkning to the Light within which all the damned got as bright shining as well as we but for Christ we have no cause to thank him more then the damned have This is the Language your Doctrine of free Grace teacheth men to say in their thanks-giving Answ. Here-upon several of thy false conclusions and inferences against us thou hast thus uanted and made a false Language of our Doctrine contrary to the very nature and tendency of it Who but men in hardness and impudent boldness would go to confute and raise absurdityes on our Principles when they do not know them but are yet to learn as thou art with thy companions For it is not our Principle nor the Language of our Doctrine that all have the knowledg of Christ equally and that Judas got as much from God as Peter nor that free Grace all have received alike nor that the damned got the Light within as bright shining as we but that God is no respecter of persons in that he gives liberally to all so much of his Grace to every one as is sufficient yet not that all have received alike or the same degree of Grace and Knowledg c. for all receive not or accept not that measure of Grace given to them to obey it But whereas we are sco●● at

long ago G. W. The DOCTRINES CONTRADICTIONS INCONSISTENCIES and VARIATIONS of the Presbiterian Priests of Scotland as they were collected in their own words out of the said bundle subscribed by Edward Jameson c. together with brief Observations and Notes upon them evidently shewing the confused body of their perverse work and babylonish structure to the discredit and overthrow of their own corrupt cause by their many and apparent Incosistencies and self Confutations which are here made obvious THere is no man free of sin in this life Christ is manifest to destroy the works of the Devil Then is Christ manifest to destroy sin and free from it which they that plead for know not his manifestation Christ doth not subdue sin totally in this life Whosoever is born of God sinneth not he that abides in him commits not sin Then he that 's born of God and abideth in Christ knowes him to subdue sin totally in this life That Christ is manifest to destroy the work of the devil if you take it so may as well prove that Satan shall not tempt a Child of God The evil one toucheth him not 1 Joh. 3. ch 5. but this doth not prove any thing the evil one toucheth them not To say these do not prove any thing is false and against plain Scripture and they whom the evil one cannot touch his tempting them hath not power to lead them into his work for all are not evil doers whom Satan tempts This saying if we sin implies as much as when we sin We teach that Believers should be daily by the strength of the Spirit fighting against the flesh The strength of the Spirit of God is greater then the devil or sin either and they who truly war by it overcome and Johns words were not when we sin but if we sin which implies not the same We know in part is an imperfect degree of knowledg and so sinful There are promises of a growth unto Believers and of a fulness Which fulness is neither imperfect nor is any degree of true knowledg sinful David Job Daniel their failings are noted which I must cite David said cleanse me from my secret sins And surely then Davids prayers were heard and his requests granted and David Job Daniel and others their deliverances are noted as well as their failings and that in their life time For perfect Righteousness there is no promise in all the Scriptures to any Believer There are promises unto Believers of a fulness Gods everlasting Righteousness is promised which is perfect and the fulness of Christ Eph. 4.13 wherein is neither want nor imperfection Christ bad them search the Scriptures for in them they thought to have eternal life This thought could not be a delusion Preaching is Gods ordinary appointed way for begetting Faith not by immediate inward teaching alone without peaching See the confusion of these Priests one while with them the Scriptures are the ordinary way another while Preaching another while all immediate teaching by God is denyed but another while it s not by immediate inward teaching alone another while a supernatural influence shining on the understanding is owned We may find Eternal Life by searching the Scriptures You deny Learning study of Scriptures and deny them interpretatively Now the Priests interpretations are set for and over Scripture which come not from the true and spiritual learning and study but from Babel They must have the Scriptures who have the knowledge of Christ for without this they cannot be kept from Hell Gods absolute Soveranity in his dispensations of Grace is not to be tyed Then neither to be tyed to the Scriptures nor the Priests preaching nor yet to their confused meanings or uncertain interpretations The Light within is your Enthusiastick fancy Christ enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world has planted some Light in every man of the world It s no less then blasphemy to count Christs Light a fancy for his life is the light of men which we bear witness of I deny any immediate teaching by God Begetting faith is not by immediate inward teaching alone without preaching Then if immediate teaching be of use in part it is not all to be denied The Scripture maketh known inward sins thoughts maketh us wise to Salvation able to save us Christ is said alone to save us none have a sincere Supernatural Faith of the Scripture that are ignorant of Christ there is a faith of the Scriptures that is hystorical which is not sufficient And surely the Scriptures are not Christ without whose knowledg and Supernatural Faith in him the Scriptures are not rightly known and believed but hystorically Without this Viz the Scriptures they cannot be kept from Hell Christ as the principal cause of Salvation is said alone to save us And surely he that alone saves can alone keep man from Hell But the best of these nations and wisest were the greatest enemies to the Gospel All men have a Light of a natural conscience f●om him which tells that there is a God and somewhat of the nature of God that he is Eternal and of the morral Law The Light of Christ in all men is not natural but spiritual and those in all Nations that were led by it were not enemies to the Gospel We deny that the power of God is immediate Viz. in his people He told us he will exercise his power for and in us Then his power is immediate in us and works immediatly in us many times to our strengthening comfort and refreshments when we hear no man speak or preach to us Faith is a Habit and an imperfect Creature and it s as impossible it should be otherwise as that a man abiding a man should essentially be a beast Saving Supernatural Enlightning and Sanctifying Faith is the Gift of God What then Are men Saved Englightned and Sanctifyed by that which is imperfect What gross Ignorance and Contradiction is this The Grace of Hope is Imperfect Christ is the Hope of Glory The Grace of Christ is perfect and he is the Grace of all our Graces I call the Scriptures the Word of God and the Gospel the Word of Reconciliation which are distinguished The Gospel is the Scriptures written by the Prophets what Mark wrote is the Gospel the beginning of the Gospel the Gospel is a part of the Scriptures one with them conteined in them If the Scriptures and Gospel be one How are they distinguished And if the Gospel and Mynistry of Christ be one How is the Scripture it And if Marks declaration was the beginning of the Gospel How are the Prophets writings the Gospel Is not manifest confusion variation and inconsistencies in these passages That Christ was first known himself ere he gave the knowledg of the Scriptures the Apostle Paul denies your consequence It s false that any have a sincere Supernatural Fai●h of the Scriptures that are ignorant of Christ c. Then t is not false that there must in some degree be a