Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	body_n	death_n	separation_n	3,748	5	10.7337	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09277	Vindiciæ gratiæ. = A plea for grace More especially the grace of faith. Or, certain lectures as touching the nature and properties of grace and faith: wherein, amongst other matters of great use, the maine sinews of Arminius doctrine are cut asunder. Delivered by that late learned and godly man William Pemble, in Magdalen Hall in Oxford.	Pemble, William, 1592?-1623.; Capel, Richard, 1586-1656.	1627 (1627)	STC 19591; ESTC S114374	222,244	312

by his fall became like and in Scripture it is termed The flesh The old man The sinne that dwelleth in us The sinne of the world The law of sin The law in our members The body of death Concupiscence or Lust also The first death of the soule which Adam died immediately upon his sin in which death and separation of grace from the soule all Adams posterity remaine dead and rotten till they be quickned againe by Christ. Whereas then the soule being of a lively and active substance worketh altogether by and according to its inherent qualities where they are onely good all the actions thereof are regular where naught there all its operations must needs be crooked and incongruous as in men unregenerate of whom the Apostle gives this definitive sentence They that are in the flesh cannot please God And out of this roote growes that fruit which wee properly call mans aversion or turning from God to himselfe to Satan to any creature yeelding service and love to any but to God to whom onely he owes it 3. But there is yet a third estate wherein the habits of righteousnesse and sinne are not severed as in the former two but coupled both together and this is in the state of grace when holinesse is againe infused into our natures and corruption done away in part Which worke of the holy Ghost upon us is set forth by sundry appellations in Scriptures all signifying but divers circumstances of one and the same thing It s called the Spirit the new man the new creature our regeneration or begetting againe our renascentia or new birth our renovation or renewing the law of our minds viz. renewed the first resurrection from the dead our effectuall vocation our conversion and in one word which compriseth and expoundeth the extent of all the rest Our Sanctification which is nothing but that Image of God which we had lost in Adam restored unto us again by the supernaturall worke of Gods Spirit creating holinesse or grace in our unholy and gracelesse hearts For then only are we renewed being made new men and new creature then onely begot and borne againe by the Spirit then raised to life effectually called and turned from darknesse to light when we are sanctified throughout by this new quality of grace brought into us rectifying and repairing every part of our whole man In which state the operations of the soule are mixt neither simply good as in the first nor simply evill as in the second but partaking of both qualities according to the different habites of corruption and grace whereby the soule is depraved or perfected in her working Now the proper fruit of this renued grace is our Conversion or Turning unto God when upon the infusion of spirituall life and grace we begin again to acknowledge our Creator and forsaking our lusts Satan and the creature to fasten againe our love upon God that made our soules and best deserves our service But yet touching this our sanctification or inherent righteousnesse we are to enquire a little more distinctly and for the cleerer understanding of it to distinguish betweene 1. The Habit of Grace 2. The Operations proceeding from thence The sacred habite of grace is one supernaturall qualitie of holinesse universally infused into all the powers of the soule at once and spreading it selfe over all leaves no part unsanctified as corruption on the contrary leaves no part untainted And as this being one containes in it originally the seed of every sinne so doth the other of every gracious action It is bestowed on every elect person through the worke of the holy Ghost who when hee enters to take possession of the heart by his quickning and sanctifying vertue brings life holinesse not to one only part but to all at once I say to all at once in the habituall renovation of every part For grace comes into the soule like light into the aire which before darke is in all parts at once illuminated or as heate into cold water that spreads it selfe through the whole substance or as the soule into the body of Lazarus or the Shunamites childe not by degrees but all at once infused and giving life to every part So is our new man borne at once though he grow by degrees that is the soule in our conversion is at once reinvested with the Image of God in all its faculties so that howsoever the actions of grace doe not presently appeare in each one yet the habite the seede the roote of all divine vertues is firmely reimplanted in them and by the strength of this grace given they are constantly disposed to all sanctified operations The operations flowing from this blessed habite of renewed grace are many For Grace as in all parts it workes imperfectly during this life so in divers parts it workes diversly or rather because habits are not active per se thus Every faculty having proper operations belonging to it different from others which it produceth by the strength of its proper nature if it be perverted by corruption it doth the action ill if it be rectified by grace it performes it well As to know to assent to choose to desire to joy to love c. are naturall workes of the understanding and will or reasonable appetite But when they shall put themselves forth to action nothing will be done in a right manner nor directed to a right object unlesse the faculties be reindued with their Primitive perfection totally or in part For this rule is sure Nothing can worke as God would have it unlesse it be such as God made it Now by the restoring of grace or Gods image a man becomes in part like unto that he was in his first creation and consequently the motions of every faculty conformable to their first regularity Well then Grace like the Ocean is one Element but takes divers names according to the severall regions and parts of the soule which it washeth and sanctifieth according to the severall objects about which they are imployed and lastly according to the severall occasions that stirre them up to action As for instance Grace in the understanding is called spirituall wisedome in discerning of holy things Grace in the will is a rectified choice and embracing of its right object God and his goodnesse Grace in the affections are their pure and sanctified motions towards their proper objects Grace in the outward man is its prompt and ready obedience in doing the commands of a sanctified soule Now in all these parts albeit the seede of renewing grace bee so deepely sowne and rooted that as S. Iohn speakes 1. Ioh. 3. 9. it remaines within us the Image of God being though more imperfectly yet more firmely imprinted on the regenerate than on Adam himselfe yet the Actus secundi the actuall operations of this Grace appeare neither perfectly nor equally in every part but shew themselves sooner or later more strongly or weakely according as the strength of sinnefull corruption

actuall Concurrence yet we truly and properly ascribe such effects to their Visible apparant immediate causes But in this point concerning the replantation of Holinesse in a Sinfull man we affirme against Pelagians Semi-pelagians Papists Arminians or other sectaries however branded that as the Agent or Efficient of mans Sanctification is simply supernaturall viz. the Holy Hhost so is his manner of working altogether Divine beyond the power and without the helpe of any thing in man An assertion that layes nature flat on her backe and yet gives vnto her as much as Sinne hath left her and that 's just Nothing in matter of Grace And the truth hereof will easily appeare to any that will without pride and prejudice consult the Scriptures or common experience Me thinkes when we reade in the booke of God these and such like sayings that every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart is only evill continually that of the children of men there is none that understands and seeks after God that they are become altogether filthy none that doth good no not one that the naturall man perceiueth not the things of the Spirit nor can he know them being spiritually discerned that wee are blinde till God Open our eyes that wee are deafe till God bore our Eares that wee are Darknesse vtterly destitute of Spirituall light that the Wissdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the flesh is enmity or hatred against God is not nor can be subiect to him that the flesh lusteth against the Spirit rebelling against the worke thereof even in the regenerate much more before regeneratiō that of our selves we are not sufficient to thinke a good thought as of our selves but that our sufficiency is of God that it is God which worketh in us both the will and the deed of his good pleasure that in our conversion wee are New begotten New borne New creatures created in Christ Iesus to good workes in fine to put all out of doubt That wee are Dead in trespasses and Sinnes and that our Sanctification is the first resurrection from death effected in us by the same Almighty power which God declared in raising Christ from the grave When I say wee consider of these and the like places were wee not too much in love with our selves and held some scorne to con God all the thankes for our salvation our hearts and tongues would presently bee filled with a sincere acknowledgement Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name wee give the glory for thy loving mercy and for thy truths sake Besides I wish wee would descend unto an unpartiall examination of our owne hearts to make discovery by the light of the Spirit of that body of Death wee be are about with us what strong rebellion there is of the Law in our members against the law of our mindes what secret and powerfull attractives the affections of Sinne have to pull us unto disobedience what violent and bitter opposition they make against Grace checking their disorderly motions how seldome any blessed resolution tending to sanctity rises up in our thoughts how vnwildy we are in the managing of any gracious motion from the Holy Ghost with what slacknesse and cumber wee prosecute such holy inspirations to action and full accomplishment in a word how passing slow our course towards heaven is when wee have all helpes of nature and Grace to carry us forward I am fully perswaded that whatsoever any man may conceive in abstract speculation there is no converted person if he make application to his owne particular but will confesse freely if he deale truly with his owne heart that not only if God had not done More for him than he could for himselfe but if God had not done All for him he had utterly perished in his sinnes And he will acknowledge that it is impossible there should be in and of himselfe such Preparations and forward dispositions to worke his owne Conversion who being Converted is hindered by none so much in the finishing of his salvation as by his owne perpetuall indisposition to goodnesse This our disabilitie whereof wee are convinced in our owne sense and by testimony of the Scripture will inforce us if our pride bee not as great as our povertie to confesse whence wee have our riches without stammering shifting and mineing of the matter as the fashion of too many is who by many prety scholasticall devices distinguish God out of all or the greatest part or at least some part of his Glory due unto him for our Conversion and thrust in the Abilities of their owne Free-will as co-workers with Gods Spirit joynt-purchasers of this inheritance of Grace But let God have glory and every man shame and let all whom grace hath taught to judge of their Corruption say with the Church Es. 26. 12. Thou O Lord hast wrought all our workes in us I will not prevent my selfe by larger explication of this point at this time but wrapp up all touching this first conclusion in a needfull distinction or two and so passe on Mans Concurrence in the worke of his sanctifications is double 1 Passive which is the Capacity or Aptnesse that is in mans nature for the Receiuing of Grace for being a Reasonable creature hee is naturally prepared and disposed with such a substance and faculties as are meet subjects to receive the Habit and instruments to performe the actions of Grace This Concurrence of man to his regeneration is most necessary nor doth God sanctifie senslesse or irrationall creatures nor is man in his conversion in such sort passive as is a stone blocke or brute beast as our adversaries absurdly cavill 2 Active which is some Strength or Power that man hath in the Vse of his faculties especially of his will for the Production of Grace This strength of man in doing good is to be distinguished in regard 1 Of the Beginning and first Act of our Conversion when Holinesse is at the first reimplanted in the Soule 2 Of the Progresse of our Conversion in the practise of Sanctification In this second respect none denies Mans actuall concurrence with the Spirit of God for being sanctified and inwardly inabled in his faculties by Spirituall life put into them he can Move himselfe in and towards the performance of all living actions of grace even as Lazarus of Nature Whereas yet you are to remember that even in these actions wee cannot worke alone we are but Fellow-workers with the Spirit of God and this not in an Equality but Subordination to him we indeed move our hands to write but like raw schollers wee shall draw mishapen charecters unlesse our heavenly Master guide our hands Neverthelesse these actions take their denominations from the next Agent and though performed by speciall assistance of the Spirit yet are rightly said to be mans actions so that when a regenerate person Beleeves Praies gives almes rejoyceth in God c. we doe not say that the Holy Ghost in us