Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	according_a	spirit_n	word_n	4,385	5	4.3087	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60620	A briefe answer unto a book intituled Shetinah, or, A demonstration of the divine presence in places of religious worship published by Iohn Stillingfleet, who stiles himself M.A. rector of Beckingham in Lincoln-shire, and late fellow of St. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge. In which book he hath declared many perverse things against the people of God (called Quakers,) and for so much as is considerable, wherein that people are any way concerned, it is in the power of God here answered, by one who is set for the defence of the Gospel, William Smith.	Smith, William, d. 1673.	1664 (1664)	Wing S4290; ESTC R220735	21,376	28

manifestation for to remove suggest strengthen and raise is a work of the spirit but the teachings of the spirit is in checking reproving and convincing and as the obedience is yielded to it so it teaches to deny the evil which it doth convince of and reprove for and teaches to live in that which is good that comes from God and so it teaches to deny ungodlinesse and teaches to live soberly mark it well Thou saist concerning the enlightning of the mind that all the lights in the world is never able to make us see divine truths savingly till we are enlightned of the Lord. Answ Then why art thou contending against the light of the Lord seeing thou saist that none can see divine truth savingly till they be enlightned by him would thou keep people from that which will let them see divine truths but divine truths may be seen in the light and yet not savingly for salvation is not in the sight of truth but in the union with it for there may be much seen to be truth and yet the error not forsaken Thou saist none are truely enlightned but those that are in Christ Answ The light of Christ doth enlighten every one that comes into the world and yet every one that comes into the world is not in Christ but as the light which is manifest from Christ is obeyed so it worketh death upon the old man and raise up life and immortality and regenerates man into the nature of it where he becomes a new creature in Christ and is light in the Lord. Thou sayest There is no true light that leads to salvation but what comes from Christ the Son of righteousnesse Answ Then to preach that light is neither canting nor delusion as thou had termed it for it is the light which comes from Christ the Sun of righteousnesse which we preach and we know that there is not another name given under heaven by which any can be saved Thou sayest let others therefore sit down and embrace that so much mired darling of an inward natural yet saving light in all we know saist thou that it is but a changeling and not the genuine off-spring of the spirit Answ Thou hast said no light for salvation but from Christ and now saith the light within is a changeling and this is not agreeable with the Apostles doctrine who said the light that shines in our hearts gives us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and thou cryes inward natural yet saving light in all and that it is but a changeling but we say the inward natural as it is of man is not saving to any but the inward spiritual light as it comes from the nature of Christ is saving to all that believe in it but the condemnation of such as believe not and therefore we say that the light of Christ within is not a changeling but the Alpha and Omega yesterday and to day and the same for ever In the thirteenth Chapter thou seems to hold forth the qualification of the spirits teachings by teaching fully pleasantly seasonably certainly and profitably and that it brings in no new lights objective and thou saist what makes souls to quit their comforts in this life their friends their estates their liberties yea their lives themselves rather then part with those truths the spirit hath taught them Answ Why this is the reason that makes them do all those things because they love Christ more then all and prizes the truth which he hath taught them more then all the world but that thou art of the number of those that are so given up to God and loves his truth doth not any way appear for thou enjoyes thy friends thy estate and liberty and life thou hast fulnesse and art at ease thou art not come to travel in hunger and cold and perils to make known the glad tydings of the Gospel thou art not in bonds and prisons for the truth of God and the testimony of a good conscience these things comes not near unto thee but thou art reviling the innocent who have received the teachings of Gods spirit and loves the truth above all the world or the enjoyments of it for which cause we suffer as to our libertie and estates and our lives are in jeopardy yet in the comfort of truth we have our rejoycing though thou adde afflictions to our sufferings Thou saist we have no foundation for such gradual teachings as to expect the spirit should teach more truths afterwards then are written in the word of God Answ The spirit of God is not limitted as to what may or may not be in mans expectation for God manifests the truth by his spirit according to his own pleasure and in his own time and the spirit opens the Scripture in fulfilling of them and also manifests the mind of God in what he will further reveal and make known Thou saist though the spirit teaches in the word that there can be no absolute perfection in this life telling us in the words of S. John that if we say we have no sin c. and yet saist thou the spirit teaches the soul gradually to breathe after perfection Answ The word and the spirit is perfect and all born of the spirit are perfect and the words of John in that Scripture doth not relate to the birth born of God for when he comes to speak of that birth he saith whosoever is born of God sinneth not c. and that which sinneth not is perfect and what good doth thy ministry if thou do not bring people to that which is perfect or where would thou have people to be perfect if they die imperfect surely thy message is sad to that which breathes after perfection and thou hast not received the gift from Christ which is for perfecting of the Saints and so thou art teaching another doctrine then the true Ministers teaches who labours that they may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus I now come to thy last Chapter wherein thou seems to hold forth practical deduction from Gods presence by his spirit and thou saist coming unto God in a way that God never owned nor prescribed is a direct turning away from him Answ Christ is the way unto the Father and there is none can come unto him by any other and they that walk in this way are preserved 〈◊〉 all by paths but they that walks in their own way they turn directly from God and if thou truly try thy self thou may find it so to be with thee Thou saist Gods Spirit teaches none to continue in the practice of known sins he doth not allow them to sin and then teach them that is to be spiritual to deem nothing sin that we possibly can commit Answ The Spirit of God teaches to deny all sin and all that obeys the Spirit they come to the Crosse which crucifies to the death the sinning nature and so brings into righteousnesse and

between the nature of man in the fall and the nature of Christ that never fell for we own the light which is manifest from the nature of Christ to be the true light which enlightens every one that comes into the world but they that rebell against it can never come to the place of blis● and happinesse by it but we are in love with it and knows the work which God hath designed for it which is to destroy the work of the Devil and to be salvation unto the ends of the earth unto all that in it believe and its narive strength lustre and rad●ancie is an infallible guide if faithfully followed to bring to the place of bliss and happinesse and ●hough thou be in the unbelief yet this is our report concerning the true light and we know it is neither prophanenesse ignorance imaginations nor notions Thou satst this inward light which the wise mans stiles the candle of the Lord and at the best saist thou burnes but in the socket of a corrupt mind with very ●●ch dimnesse should ever discover the right and ready way to the new Jerusalem is the product only of mens foolish fancies their pride and ignoran●● Answ The inward light which the wise man stiles the candle of the Lord is broken forth of the socket of a corrupt mind in many and now shines upon the house top and what would thou have to discover the right and ready way to new Jerusalem if not the candle of the Lord which is his light within but this is not thy guide and so thou remains in Jerusalem below where Hagars seed ruleth but we have found the right and ready way to Jerusalem above the City of the great King and are set down under his Government in peace Thou now comes to speaek of divine Revelation and saith that God is every where present filling all places and spaces both real and imaginarie by his immensity Answ Then stand thou in his fear for he is near thee as a sw●ft witnesse against thee and however God is present with other things in their kind yet he doth not reveal himself unto man by any other way or by any other thing then the light of Christ and we know how God manifests himself in every particular place according to mans present state and condition and what his hot displeasure is revealed against and what his loving kindnesse and mercy is revealed unto Thou saist but though God be every where present and so with every creature equally in regard of his infinite essence and of his emmensity yet as to the special and peculiar efficacie of his presence he is not with all either things or places or persons after the same manner present Answ If God be equally present with every Creature in regard of his infinite Essence then all things have the same proportion of it but all things have not the same proportion of Gods infinite Essence therefore not with every creature equally for an equal proportion is the same to all and doth not admit of any thing special but his infinitenesse is in himself and he measures forth so much as his pleasure is to give and it is an equal proportion unto all according to his pleasure yet some have more and some lesse but all some and that measure so manifested in man hath a peculiar efficacie as to its operation through the obedience unto it and this is equal in it self and special by it self and yet in the infinitenesse of Essence without any distinction Thou sayst that God is present with all his creatures as the preserver guider and governour of them Answ Whosoever sinneth are not preserved guided nor governed by God but some do sin therefore God is not so present with all but they that come to the effectual working of his power they know an immortal birth quickned and raised with which the preserving guiding and governing power of God is present Thou saist thy design mainly intended is against those who because they are wise in their own conceit do neglect publick Sermons and Sacraments Answ Thy main intendment and design is against those that God hath redeemed from the earth and from all false ways and worships and gathered them into the publick worship of his spirit where they hear Christs voice and follows him and cannot own thy Church or Sermons or Sacraments In the second Chapter thou seems to hold forih a general presence of God with all thing and more especially with some things but hath not shewed what those things are though thou intend it to the worship now generally practifed but hast never come close to the matter thou aimes at but hast multiplied thy own words and thoughts about the Saints worship in times past which according to the Scripture we own in t●eir dispensations but thou hast not proved that the place which thou calls a Church or the worship that is there observed is either of them true or warrantable according to any Scripture precept or president or the mind of God at this day so that thy whole Book may silence it self as to the matter thou aims at for where a thing is not rightly stated and truly proved it is a sufficient proof against it self yet I shall briefly answer a few things more Thou sayest had there not been a peculiar people a royal seed even the Church of God to be raised out of the ruines of fallen man by the interposing of Christ first proffered and propounded for the worlds reparation in that fundamental promise the seed of the woman shall break the serpents head Answ Thou hast confessed that the Church of God is the royal seed then it is such as are born of the seed that are Gods peculiar people and true members of his Church therefore mark thy own words for if the royal seed be the Church as thou hast confessed and in it self is true then neither wood nor stone nor people in the fall can be the Church and the seed is known in which the Church flourisheth in this day of her restitution out of the wildernesse and the promise is unto us fulfilled who are born of God Thou sayest but among all the manifestations of Gods presence and favours there are none more remarkably signal for constant reviving and comforting the hearts of his people then those that have been truly experienced in his ordinances enjoyed by his servants in those places which either by divine appointment or at least by divine approbation have been separated and set apart for religious worship and the service of God Answ This is a place in which thou hast come as near the matter thou aims at as any place in thy book therefore I shall speak more fully to it thou hast so stated the matter in general terms as that it may lye which way any will bend it and is it reasonable to state things in general terms as to what hath been and not to discover the things that are which is