Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	ghost_n	holy_a	trinity_n	2,914	5	9.7351	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75620	Theanthrōpos; or, God-man: being an exposition upon the first eighteen verses of the first chapter of the Gospel according to St John. Wherein, is most accurately and divinely handled, the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ; proving him to be God and man, coequall and coeternall with the Father: to the confutation of severall heresies both ancient and modern. By that eminently learned and reverend divine, John Arrowsmith, D.D. late Master of Trinity-Colledge in Cambridge, and Professor of Divinity there.	Arrowsmith, John, 1602-1659.	1660 (1660)	Wing A3778; Thomason E1014_1; ESTC R10473	267,525	319

the Father because there is distinction of Persons and yet a personall Co-existency The word was with God So ye have the meaning of that Proposition Let us now make Use of it First Take notice here of the distinction of Persons in Vse 1 the Godhead a distinction without their Divinity Here is the Son the word with God and the Son with the Father not divided from him And yet one Person with another and so distinct one from another With him not without distinction and in him without division As in the night-time if a man set up three Candles in a room all these concurr to the lightning of the room yet there is but one light So but one Essence in the Divinity Yet here are three Candles that give that Light but no man can say that this light is peculiar to the First Candle and this to the Second for all shine together and yet the light of the second Candle is with the first but the light is all one But O the depth It is no wading here farther than a man hath footing out of Scripture for fear of being past our standing and be drowned The Word of God is with God and one Person with another but the manner How as Basil said when he met with some knots of difficulty in this Mystery I believe saith he I do not busie my self in searching over far what we cannot make out in plain reason we must make out in believing where we have the Scripture for our bottom onely take notice of such a thing Certainly there is a distinction of Persons in the Trinity Here is One with Another The word was with God Secondly Learn from hence to worship God according Vse 2 to a distinction of Persons Learn we to worship and look at Christ as a Person distinct from the Father and the holy Ghost or else we worship not Christ but our own fancies If we conceive him not as he is as he is distinct This is the great difference between the Christian and the Turkish Religion I might say the Jewish too for the Turks and Jews agree in that they hold one God but deny a distinction of Persons in the Godhead We Christians according to Scripture acknowledge that too There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one And some kind of necessity appeareth in a way of reason which we may take notice of for the strengthning of our faith in this great Mystery that there should be a distinction of Persons God The benefit of the distinction of Persons the Father was the Person offended Reconciliation was to be made None but God hath enough in him to satisfie God Therefore it was requisite there should be a Person to satisfie the Person offended That the second Person the Lord Jesus undertakes and goeth through with it But how shall this be made known Poor man is as far off as ever he was if he be left here he hath no power in his own nature to reach this Therefore there is a Third Person the holy Ghost who discovereth this and applieth it So that the Salvation of Man is by the concurrence of the whole Trinity But I must here again take off my self with O the depth as Bernard did Hoc magnum est Mysterium This is a great Mystery a Mystery rather to be adored than searched into Well saith he Quomodo esset Pluralitas in Unitate unitas in Pluralitate How there should be a Plurality in Unity and how a Unity in Plurality three Persons and yet but one Essence Scrutari temeritas est It is rashnesse to search too far into it Credere pietas it is piety to believe it Cognos●ere vita aeterna It is life eternall to know it We can never have a full comprehension of it till we come to enjoy it Thirdly This may serve to Answer that Question which some make What was God a doing before he made the Vse 3 world Object It might suffice to Answer them as Augustine did in Answ the same case with a short Answer He was a making Hell for such as put these Questions But there is a fairer Answer in the Text which telleth you That the Word that was in the beginning before the Creatures were made that Word was with God God was delighting himself in his Word God and his Word were a contriving the Redemption of Mankind and had thoughts of peace towards the Elect from all Eternity That place Prov. 8. speaketh something to it When he appointed the foundations of the world vers 30 31. then I was by him as one brought up with him or as a Nourisher in Intention or decreeing of the Creatures that were to be made or out of the Church that was to be gathered out of the world I was daily his delight rejoycing God delighting in his Son before the world was alwaies before him This God was a doing before the world was made he was delighting in his Son this Text saith so clearly So saith Peter 1 Pet. 2. 19 20. The pretious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for you Before the foundations of the world what was God a doing Plotting as I may speak with reverence the work of mans Redemption projecting my Redemption and thine Before we were he had thoughts of peace and mercy towards us Therefore we may trust him as long as we live When we think little of him he thinks much of us The fourth Use we may make of this is this It should Vse 4 teach us and I pray God we may all learn infinitely to prize the love of Christ I say to prize and adore the love of Christ Who though he were from all Eternity the Word with God yet was pleased in the fulnesse of time to become Emmanuel God with us What an act of respect and love was it in Moses to his Country-men the Jews Moses his exceeding love to his Country-men the Jewes poor Hebrews in sore bondage and he in Pharaoh's Court brought up in all the learning of the Egyptians adopted by the King's daughter full of honour some say Lord Treasurer of Egypt and they build their conjecture upon that because it is said He forsook the treasures of Egypt It was a great thing for him to leave the Court and sort himself with poor Labourers at Brick-kilns yet that he did Here is an act of great condescention in Moses of much respect to his Country and love to the poor Hebrews But what is this of Moses to that of Christ who was with God in the Court of Heaven taken up with the mutuall delights which the blessed Trinity had in each other To leave this all this for a time and to come to be Man with us To leave his Mansion which was Heaven and to pitch his

smell him out and discover him and whole Churches fell from him as many of these Western Churches have done So a time is comming that Christ shall be discovered to the Jews and they shall mourn over him Thus the Parallel you see runneth throughout That by the way Secondly We may here see our own Pictures in the 2. We may see our own carriage to Christ by the deportment of the Jews Jews carriage towards Christ As face in water answereth face so the face of man to man saith Solomon Just such are we to Christ as they were He is come to us and we have not received him he comes in his Ordinances and we receive him not We cry shame of the Jews and we our selves are as bad We have our Gadarenes that prefer their swine before Christ their base swinish lusts before our Saviour We have them that cry out Not Christ but Barabbas not Christ but the world Never let men that walk in waies of disobedience pretend their receiving of him They say perhaps What would you have We are baptized in the waies of Christ and come to the Lord's Table and hear the Word Preached But what do we more than many of the Jews did who are said not to have received him They flockt after Christ but it was to see his Miracles whole troops flockt after Christ and yet they received him not Why Because they obeyed him not nor believed in him It is not all our formalities and profession that will make us to passe as receivers of Christ if we do not obey hit Gospell If a Soveraign Prince shall send his Agent or Ambassador into some part of his own dominions he will expect that this Agent of his should have a fair acception It will not be enough for the people to suffer him to land to provide a fair house and to make good entertainment for him and give him respect no they are not said to receive such an Agent from the King unlesse they obey the commandements that he bringeth them from his Soveraign So we are not said to receive Jesus Christ unlesse we yield obedience to him As a man taketh adultery a great deal worse in his wife than in his kinswoman than in his daughter because she is married to him and because he is nearer to her The Churches that professe Christ they are the Spouse of The Church's near relation to Christ Christ and for a Spouse to play the harlot is far worse than for them that are at a greater distance from him If Israel sin yet let not Judah transgresse If Spain and France commit Idolatry and sin yet let not England play the harlot Let us not act the parts of the Jews with Christ There is a word of Comfort also here to such as are rejected by their own for Christ's sake that is an usuall case it is that which Christ foretold Matth. 10. 35 36. I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in law against her mother in law and a man's foes shall be they of his own house Here is a division made by Christ's comming Whence it commeth to passe that those of his own houshold many times do not receive him after he hath received Christ It is the case of many a poor soul to be frowned upon and to meet with hard usage because of his going after the Lord Jesus Christ in his Ordinances Here is comfort It is that which befell Christ His own received him not Therefore if thy own reject thee it is no such wonder It is said of our Saviours friends and near kinsfolk Joh. 11. 5. Neither did his brethren believe on him They were those of his nearest kinsmen Mary's sister's sons James and John they were believers indeed but the rest of his kindred many of them even his very brethren believed not in him Nay so far were they from believing in him that as we read it they were mightily mistaken about him When his friends heard of it they went out to lay hold on him for they said he was besides himself The words well bear another interpretation but according to this his very friends had a conceit that Christ was mad as many now adaies Saith the unbelieving husband I think my wife is mad and saith the unbelieving wife I think my husband is besides himself when he goeth after the waies of God Let us be content to lose our selves to be conformed to Christ As Bernard said Risu ludentes joco c. Those that spend their time in laughing and jollity they cannot accompany the tears of Christ They that affect the high places cannot be accompanied with the humility of Christ for his humility comforteth the lowly And he being not received of his own comforteth those which are comfortlesse for Christ's sake I have done now with this Verse The next commeth in by way of an Answer to an Objection thus If the world knew him not and his own received him not then Christ came in vain No saith the Evangelist there were some that received him and to purpose too for they became the sons of God by receiving of him Vers 12. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believed on his Name Three things you have in this Verse First the Benefit Power to become the sons of God Secondly the Benefactor The Lord Jesus Christ He giveth them this power Thirdly The Persons gratified they upon whom this benefit was bestowed As many as received him Who are described two waies By their Believing in the end of this Verse And by their Birth in the next By their Believing Even to them that believe on his Name And then by their New birth Which are born not of blood nor of flesh nor of the will of man but of God First For the Benefit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. The benefit of being the sons of God The Papists catch at this and from hence they would gladly infer Free-will which they contend so much for as the great Diana both of Papists and Arminians He gave them power to become the sons of God And therefore say they they have power to become or not become to receive Christ or not receive him If they will receive him they have power to become the sons of God But this I shall have occasion to include in the next Verse Born not of the will of the flesh for the Text shall shew you it will not serve their turn First If the Holy Ghost had meant to lay a foundation 1. Free-will cashiered here for Free-will he would not have said He gave them power to become but to make themselves the sons of God not Potestatem fieri but facere scipsos Secondly There is no necessity of translating the word 2. What is meant here by Power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by this English