Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	5,618	5	9.6083	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61475	The spirit convincing of sinne opened in a sermon before the Honorable House of Commons, assembled in Parliament upon the solemne day of their monethly fast, Novemb. 26, 1645 / by Peter Sterry ...	Sterry, Peter, 1613-1672.	1645 (1645)	Wing S5483; ESTC R34606	20,614	44

first comes from heaven and that immortall Spirit If you see your sins this day and weep for them though it be only by the Owle-light of your own reason as the Philosopher himself styles it you shall not lose your reward though you may lose your soules But what will it profit you to save three Kingdomes by your sorrows and in the mean time to carry in your own bosomes dying perishing soules of which every single one is more worth than all the world 'T is dreadfull to expresse but I will speak it for your sakes If God should please to put the choice into my hands I had much rather that all these three Kingdomes should be consum'd at once in this very moment with fire from heaven by an outward destruction then that any one the meanest most miserable soule in them should perish everlastingly Draw then water out of that Well of salvation the Spirit and powre it forth before the Lord If the Spirit be the Spring your tears will quench both flames those that burn outwardly and inwardly so you shall at once save these nations and your own soules A Caution If it be the work of the Spirit to convince of sin then it is his work more especially to convince of spirituall Duties and spirituall Truths Take heed of measuring divine things by the modell of Reason Take heed of rejecting what Reason cannot receive St. Paul gives you a full account of the Jews case and ruine in a few words Rom. 10. 3. While they sought after righteousnesse by the Law they fell short because they were ignorant of the righteousnesse of God Feare lest you also fall after the same example of unbelief lest you fall short of the knowledge of spirituall things because you seek it by Reason and know not the Spirit of God It is true all grant that some some say that all truths which come by revelation of the Spirit may also be demonstrated by Reason But if they be they are then no more Divine but humane truths They lose their certainty beauty efficacy they become like the Name of Jesus in the mouth of those counterfeit Exorcists which made them not the Devil's Masters but his scorne Spirituall truths discovered by demonstrations of Reason are like the Mistresse in her Cook-maid's clothes They differ from themselves in their own true shape as those little plump boyes with wings the pictures of Angels in Churches differ from the Angels in Heaven Spirituall things are foolishnesse to the naturall man 1 Cor. 2. chap. No visible shape is so lovely so full of Majesty as that of Man No shape is so deformed ridiculous as the resemblance of man in a beast in the Ape So heavenly things lose their majestie become weak and contemptible when they are represented by Reason only For they are not the things themselves but an apish mimicall imitation of them The Philosopher gives us this rule that wee should seek for sutable demonstrations in every sort of truths and not leape from one kinde to another The Apostle gives us this rule to compare spirituall things with spirituall Spirituall Conclusions with spirituall Principles You will reap both pleasure and profit from this Observation that the true Protestant differs from all sorts of men and Religions by making the three Persons in Trinity according to their severall properties the foundation of all truth 1. He distinguisheth himself from the Atheists by worshipping the Father as the Fountain of truth 2. He dissents from Mahumetans Indians Infidels while he sets up Christ in himself for the only Image of truth 3. By seeking and imbracing the discovery of truth in the Spirit hee differs from all sorts of Christians especially three 1. The Papists a Faction of policy These perswade us to receive the testimony not of the Spirit but of the Church for a Touchstone of truth And this Church is the Popes private Consistory or Generall Councel Thus the Church's Authority not the Demonstration of the Holy Ghost shall be the light of Faith to Truth Thus not content with an Antichrist they set up their Consistory or Councel for an Anti-spirit But wee need no visible Judge on earth to determine upon our consciences What is Scripture what is the sense of Scripture We have an invisible Judge and Witnesse in our own breasts He that believeth hath the testimony in himself 1 Joh. 5. chap. 10. v. for he hath the Spirit 2. The Arminians a Sect of Moralists who give the over-perswading power of the Spirit to strength of Rhetorick and Reason inward or outward 3. A Party of wit and worth so farre as the wit and worth of man can go if they would submit the wit and worth of man to the Power and Wisdome of God The Socinians the Principles of Reason are the pillars of Religion and truth to these men But Reason is a pillar of a Cloud the Spirit only is the pillar of Fire which hath light in it Reason is that Gladius versatilis that sword in that hand of the Cherubim that kept Paradise a sword that turns every way It may keep men from the tree of Life but can never bring them to it Our faith is not in the wisdome of man but power of God 1 Cor. 2. chap. 5. verse Now Worthy Senators give me leave to make my particular addresses to your selves You have commanded me to speak before you how farre so ever I finde my self below a sufficiencie for it I must speak I would not seek to work upon you by art or cunning if I had any skill in these things My earnest desire is with all humilitie and lowlinesse to speak the things of God as a man on whom the earliest glimmerings of the Spirit have scarce yet dawned I have believed so I will speak to you those things on which I fasten the immortalitie of mine own deare soule Pardon mee Honourable Patriots if I speake twice to you once as private Christians a second time as publike persons and Magistrates First As Private Christians If the words of a weak worthlesse man may have place in your large hearts I beseech you to lay up within you and to ponder frequently upon this short word which I am now about to speak Remember Remember not to trust to the strength and wisdome of that Living soule which dwels in the Breast of Man But Have all your dependance upon that Spirit of the Immortall God which comes forth from our Lord Jesus Christ I speak this to You who are Princes of Reason in whom the Spirit of Man is at a High pitch Your Saviour died that he might send you this Spirit He left you in his fleshly presence that you might have this Spirit with you O wait for him constantly till he come Wait upon him diligently when he is come Saint Hierom thought hee ever heard the last Trumpet sounding in his eares How well should I think my selfe rewarded for all the pains of this day if I

brought us into his his own {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} marvelous Light Hee that sees Christ sees him in a strange wonderfull in a divine Light in God's own Light To believe is thus to see Christ and to live continually by this sight of Christ The life I live is by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. chap. ver. ult. Paul was convinc'd by this sight of Christ and of this sin that he had ever liv'd on any other sight Gal. 1. chap. 16. vers. When it pleased the Father to reveale his Son in mee I consulted not with flesh and blood You may see by Paul's Conversion what his Conviction was He had consulted with flesh and blood that is with Principles of Reason with the Spirit of man what should hee have consulted with or whom with the Word the immortall Word with the Wisdome of God with the discoveries of Jesus Christ in him Is this the Sin you chiefly mourn for this day By this judge of your convictions Do you grieve to think that the glory of God hath shined so long so sweetly from the face of Christ filling all things round about you while you have been sitting under the shadow of humane wit and reason as in the shadow of death That so bright a Day hath dawn'd from the Person of the Lord Jesus and yet you sit spinning out your Counsels and Course by the candle-light of man's spirit and policy as in the night Do your hearts sigh-forth this sense Lord we have sate in counsell concerning the great affairs of many Kingdomes Churches Common-wealths but not by thy Wisdome by the shining forth of thy Son in us Many Principles of State Reason Policy have raigned over us but the sight of thee O Jesus in our hearts hath not ruled us When the Spirit convinceth of sin hee makes this the great sin and folly that the appearances of Christ have not been our Sun and shield No such shield is there to defend us from the strifes contentions conspiracies of men and things as to be hid in the light of our Saviour's looks No such advantage is there as to gain this Sun to have the beamings forth of our Husband-king on our side How do the glorious dartings of his presence from among us dazle the spirits of our enemies trouble their order and make them unable to fight against us or hurt us When the Spirit convinceth of sin hee shews us that the story of things in the Wildernesse was a Figure for us under the Gospel 1 Cor. 10. c. 4. ver. When the Jews were to passe over the river Jordan the Ark went before them so they passed through dry-shod When they travelled through the Desart the Cloud the Glory went before them as that moved they marched on when that rested they stood still Your Ark now is the spirituall presence of Jesus Christ in your hearts the Cloud the Glory now is the appearance of your Saviour resting upon your spirits You have waded through many rivers of blood have you seen the discoveries of your Jesus going before you and followed these You have made many Marches many Rests hath the wel-pleased face of your Jesus as your Leading-starre been still in your eye Have you march't as this hath moved Where this hath stood still have you stay'd The Jews sung of old What ailed you ye waters that ye fled ye seas that ye were driven backwards The waters saw thee O God and fled before thee If these things be thus with you you may go forth and say in your songs What ailed you ye mighty armies at Keinton Newbury York Naseby that ye fled and were driven backwards What ailed you ye strong treasons close conspiracies that ye trembled and fell and your foundations were discovered before you could take effect They saw thee O Jesus they saw thee appearing in the midst of us so they fled so they fell before thee If things have not been thus with you behold the sin over which you are principally to powre out your tears Behold the sin which troubles you Assure your selves all your acts in Counsell and Camp will be Null till the Lord Jesus be as the shout of a King in the midst of you Vain are all our hopes sweet dreams of Peace till our Deare Saviour shew himself among you as once among his Disciples Saying Peace be with you Breathing Peace upon you These are the Perswasives in which Rationall and Spirituall convictions for sin differ not all but some few which I have chosen for you from among the rest Now remains the difference between these Convictions in the Principles themselves Principles The Principles themselves are the Spirit of Man or Reason the Spirit of God But I can no more convey a sense of this difference into any soule that hath not seen these two Lights shining in it self than I can convey the difference between Salt and Sugar to him who hath never tasted Sweet or Sharp These things are discerned only by exercise of senses and are too hard for those who have not their own senses exercised in them as St. Paul speaks Hebr. 5. chap. 14. ver. When you shall see the Sea of Truth the Spirit then you will know that the Great River of Reason was not the Sea I can tell you that as much as the complexion of a face the colour of a cloth or lace seen by Moon-light and Sun-shine differ So and farre more do the convictions or discoveries by Reason and the Spirit But still this is the difference in the Effects not in the Principles themselves To give you as I may some shadowie description of this I will commend to your most constant and serious meditations that place 1 Cor. 15. chap. 45. v. The first man was a living soule the last man a quickening spirit Vers. 46. The naturall is first and then the spirituall Vers. 48. As the earthy so are they that are earthy as is the heavenly so are they that are heavenly Vers. 49. As we have born the Image of the earthly man so shall we beare the Image of the heavenly From these places you may draw these Architectonick or commanding Conclusions 1. A Living soule in her full glory as she was in the first man in innocencie in Paradise is not the Principle of the second man the new birth but the All-quickening the Eternall Spirit 2. A Living soule with the highest improvements raised to the noblest actings of Wit Reason Worth is naturall not spirituall the Image of the first Adam not the Image of the Lord Jesus 3. The naturall and spirituall man differ as much as earth and heaven corruption and immortality flesh and spirit You see the difference between these two sorts of convictions as I have been able to set it before you I will now conclude this Use with an Admonition as I begun it An earthly Root may bring forth earthly fruit nothing can reach up to Heaven and immortalitie but that which