Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	accept_v	according_a	act_n	49	3	5.5113	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71272	The result of false principles, or, Error convicted by its own evidence managed in several dialogues / by the author of the Examination of Tylenus before the tryers ; whereunto is added a learned disputation of Dr. Goades, sent by King James to the Synod at Dort.	Womock, Laurence, 1612-1685.; Goad, Thomas, 1576-1638.	1661 (1661)	Wing W3350; ESTC R31825	239,068	280

first is annihilated and brought to nothing in believers the other two remain for their exercise and humiliation and of that complaint of the Apostle O wretched man that I am ver 24. he saith It is an exclamation for his misery of being under the bondage of sin When the Apostle therefore saith Sin shall not have dominion over you the meaning is sin shall not have authority to destroy you but it may have power to tyrannize over you and then 't is not so much your fault as your affliction Diotrephes But the Apostle saith in the same Chapter Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies that you should obey it in the lusts thereof for who thus commits sin is the servant of sin and such a one is not at that time the servant of God for Christ saith A man cannot serve two Masters which are so opposite as God and sin are Praesumptuosus Sir you are much deceived Mr. David Dicson * Ad ver 25. cap. 7. ad Roman proves this for the consolation of the faithful from the example of the Apostle Rom. 7. 25. So then with the mind I my self serve the Law of God but with the flesh the Law of sin As if he had said Now that for the consolation of those who bewail their sins I may summarily recollect what I have said concerning my self I profess I have not attained unto that measure of holiness to which I aspire but together with the rest of the Saints I go on bewailing and striving under hope of deliverance and as it were divided from my self the Spirit and the flesh striving between themselves in me with my mind indeed or that part of me which is spiritual and renewed I do with delight serve the Law of God but with the flesh or that part of me which is not renewed as it were a Captive brought under the yoke I serve the Law of sin or the prevailing inclination of corrupt nature And Mr. Baxter * Of saving Faith p. 92. grants as much by affirming that the same man having flesh and spirit may have two contrary ultimate ends To this I may add That there is a great difference betwixt a sin that is invited and espoused and so reigns by our free election and suffrage and a sin that gets possession by Gods officaci us permission and order he withdraw●ng his assistance and our guards to make way for it Diotrephes I pray have a care you do not forget your self and lay your sins upon God for to impute your faults to him is blasphemy Praesumptuosus Sir I shall take care to confine my self within the limits of such expressions as are consonant to sound Doctrine What think you of the Elders and Messengers of the Congregational Churches I hope their faith being the Confession of the Assembly double refined will pass for currant with you and they declare as the Assembly had done before them That Gods de erminate * Chap. 5. n. 4. Counsel extendeth it self even to the first Fall and all other sins of Angels and men and that not by a bare permission That God ordained whatsoever comes to pass * Chap. 3. n. 1. without excep●ion And Mr. Norton saith That God is the fore-determiner of the sinfulness of the action to his own glorious and blessed end * Orth. Evang. pag. 63. f. And you may remember the words of Dr. Damman That when God doth perform his part we cannot omit ours Diotrephes Methinks you are departed from the Subject of our Discourse neither can I see to what end you alledge the former passages Praesumptuosus I follow the thread of our Discourse as evenly as I can and these Allegations are to let you understand that the Regenerate are not so much to be blamed for their omissions and lapses as you imagine because these fall out according to Gods own will and by his special order Diotrephes I know you may do more good than you do and omit more evil than you omit if you will and through your default herein you shew your self very disingenuous in grieving the good Spirit of God and hereby you incur his displeasure in a very high degree Praesumptuosus Gods displeasure I know is dreadful to such as lie under the burden of it but a Professour ought not to give himself so great a temptation as to fear it this is the judgement of Mr. Caryl Mr. Burroughs Mr. Strong Mr. Sprig Mr. Pritty * The Marrow of Modern Divinity pag. 201 Edit 3. for they have commended a Book wherein I am taught thus In case you be at any time by Reason of the weakness of your faith and strength of your temptations drawn aside and prevailed with to transgress any of Christs Commandments beware you do not thereupon take occasion to call Christs love to you into question but believe as firmly that he loves you as dearly as he did before you thus transgressed for this is a certain truth As no good in you or done by you did or can move Christ to love you the more so no evil in you or done by you can move him to love you the less To which purpose I consider That he chose me to salvation when I was yet in my sin and if my sin could not provoke his displeasure against my person then when I was without Christ much less can it do so now when he hath made me accepted in the Beloved Ephes 1. 6. Neither can the Spirit of God be grieved at my infirmities and that upon this account for a wise person will not be grieved but either for omitting what he would have done or for committing what he would have left undone How then can the Regenerate grieve Gods Spirit For as to every good Act he doth determine our will to that and produce it by an irresistible efficiency and this being good and according to his will it cannot grieve him As for every evil Act his determinate Counsel extendeth it self to that too and that not by a bare permission only * Declar. of Congreg Ch. ut supra nor as the Authour of nature that he may not be wanting to his charge of Providence affording such a simultaneous concourse as the nature of the second cause requires that it may use its natural liberty but by way of predetermination and a most efficacious Decree * Dr. Twiss ib. pag. 88. 89 90. to that 1. He is the Authour of the Act wholly 2. He is the fore-determiner order●r and governour of the sinfulness of the action to his own glorious and blessed end saith Mr. Norton th●s herefore is according to his good pleasure too and how then can it be said to grieve him especially seeing he hath his own glorious and blessed end in it for which he fore-determines it And every sinful Act being thus ordered and fore-determined it is impossible a poor Creature should avid it and consequently I can omit no mo e evil than I

making men willing of the good which they rejected Direct to Prev Miscar p. 266. Animalis Now Sir you begin to put me in some good hopes that it is possible for me to obtain a cure of these diseases which I brought into the World with me and have much heightned by my own neglect and custom of evil doing I pray therefore proceed to acquaint me further what are the most considerable motives to perswade this willingness Diotrephes No other than the signal benefits procured for us the advancement of our nature by its union unto the person of Christ his meritorious Sacrifice and Conquest over Satan the Mr. Baxter World and our other enemies his Soveraign power to rule us and deal with us on terms of grace upon which account he daily puts by the stroaks of justice from us and restores forfeited mercies to us the offer of Christ and life so freely to us on condition we will accept them his imploying a Ministry to make this offer by the promulgation of the Gospel which affords most excell●nt precepts and instructions and exhortations and other helps to bring us to a willingness that salvation may be ours To which also is added abundance of outward providential helps to further the working of the Gospel as seasonable afflictions and mercies of divers sorts and with these is usual●y concurrent some inward motions and assistance of the Holy Ghost as knocking at the door where he is not yet let in and entertained Ibid. p. 243 c. Animalis These are all excellent moral inducements and Topicks of perswasion to which you have added some concurrent motions of the Holy Ghost But Sir have you a Commission to tender these in order to my souls benefit or is your design hereby only to aggravate my sin and condemnation D●otrephes It is Life and not Death that is the first part of our Message to you our Commission is to offer salvation Mr. Baxter certain salvation a speedy glorious everlasting salvation to every one of you to the poorest Beggar as well as the greatest Lords to the worst of you even to Drunka●ds Swearers Worldlings Thieves yea to the Despisers and Reproachers of the holy way of salvation We are commanded by the Lord our Master to offer you a pardon for all that 's past if you will but now at last return and live We are commanded to beseech and intreat you to accept the offer and return to tell you what preparation is made by Christ what mercy stayes for you what patience waiteth on you what thoughts of kindness God hath towards you and how happy how certainly and unspeakably happy you may be if you will A Call to the Unconverted p. 70 71. Animalis But Sir I am told by a great Divine no other than Dr. Twiss That when God sent Ez●k●el to his people Ubi supra pag. 128. it seems by that we read Ezek. 2. 3 4 5. He sent him not to better them but that they might not say they had no Prophet among them and to cut off that excuse Di●trephes I tell you We are not only tyed by our Commission to offer you life but to shew you the grounds Mr. Baxter on which we do it and call you to believe that God doth mean indeed as he speaks that the promise is true and extendeth conditionally to you as well as others and that Heaven is no fancy but a true felicity If you ask where is our Commission for this offer among an hundred Texts of Scripture I will shew it you in these few First you see it in Ezek. 33. 11. Say unto them As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Turn ye turn ye from your evil wayes for why will ye dye O house of Israel And the following verses and in the 18th of Ezekiel as plain as can be spoken and 2 Cor. 5. 17 18 19 20 21. you have the very summe of our Commission If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are past away behold all things are become new and all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their trespasses to them and hath committed to us the Word of Reconciliation Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled unto God for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him c. You see by this time that we are commanded to offer life to you all and to tell you from God that if you will turn you may live Here you may safely trust your souls for the love of God is the Fountain of this offer John 3. 16. And the blood of the Son of God hath purchased it the faithfulness and truth of God is engaged to make the promise good Miracles have sealed up the truth of it Preachers are sent through the World to proclaim it the Sacraments are instituted and used for the Solemn Delivery of the Mercy offered to them that will accept it and the Spirit doth open the heart to entertain it and is it self the earnest of the full possession so that the truth of it is past controversie that the worst of you all and every one of you if you will but be converted may be saved Mr. Baxter ubi supra pag. 75. to 78. Animalis Are these glad tydings with the motions of Gods Spirit which you speak of administred in such a serious congruous and energetical manner as is sufficient to cure those diseases of blindness and wilfulness fore-mentioned Diotrephes Why Do you think that man who after all this shall refuse to turn to God and after all this shall remain unconverted will have any just excuse before the Lord Or Mr. Baxter's Treat of Convers pag. 225. will he not be left speechless and under the condemnation of his own conscience for ever Is it any pity to cast away that man that wil without al pity cast away himself and no saying will serve him and no reason will satisfie him or when he is convinced and silenced yet for all that will not be converted when it is their own doing and they were their own undoing and when God did not spare for cost and perswasion to have done them good and when he shall say after all as in Isa 5. 4. What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it Now I hope you may satisfie your self from Gods own mouth Animalis I can satisfie my self well enough of Gods meaning but not of yours for if we speak of such as live under the Ministry of the Gospel I doubt

repeat them 1. You intimate that Grace flows from the use of the Means as the Effect from the Cause which is no lesse contrary to experience than to the judgment of Doctor Twisse 2. You would insinuate that God denies his grace only to such as provoke him by their neglect of the means Whereas Doctor Twisse saith he determined the denial of it for his meere pleasure without any consideration of any thing done by man So that a man may be very diligent in the use of means and yet faile of the grace of God meerly because it is not Gods pleasure to give it him 3. You informe us that God will stand to his own Ordinances because of his own appointment and for their honour when he will give any man saving grace he will work it by them Is it worse to absent ones self from those Ordinances then to present ones self to them with an averse and wicked mind This saith Dr. Twiss cannot hinder Gods operation and why should that especially seeing as you imply God hath his extraordinary wayes to dispense his grace as well as ordinary Diotrephes Our safest way is to take our President and Direction from the Apostles Admonition to Timothy The servant Dr. Twiss ubi supra pag. 134. of the Lord must instruct them with meekness that are contrary-minded if so be at any time God will give them Repentance c. Therefore it becomes us continually to wait for this time and not to prescribe unto God And why may not this present be the time Why then should you defer Page 84. the hearing of Gods Word whereby alone is our Calling ordinarily wrought For this being Gods appointed means if a man hears it though with a purpose only to oppose it either in general or in some particular truth thereof yet he may receive the Grace of Conversion for all that this humour of opposition cannot hinder Gods Word and the operation of his Spirit where he will in spight of their conceits who thought the Apostles were filled with new wine when three thousand were converted that day But * Ibid. 181. how is it possible that God should bring a man to a Sermon while he lies lazy in his Bed Such a one is out of the way of Grace and as Mr. Baxter * Vt supra hath it when he avoids the cause he cannot in Reason look for the effect Securus I pray Sir answer me to a few questions in order to my further satisfaction in that we discourse about and the first I shall propound to you is this Whether God hath not exactly prefixed the punctual time for the Conversion of every one to whom he intends his effectual grace Diotrephes Yes this time is prefixed of the Lord unalterably as is resolved by I. R. in his Christian Subject * Pag. 12. Approved and Licensed by Mr. Edm. Calamy This time is called Hora Uberioris Gratia * Cap. 1. Art 16 by the Synod of Dort The Houre of more plentiful Grace by Mr. Baxter * But how doth this consist with his so moving considerations to convince men of the folly of delay ut supra Gods season by Dr. Twiss the time appointed Securus My second question is Whether God hath not also precisely appointed the individual means for the conversion of such persons to whom his effectual Grace is designed Diotrephes Yes When God executes his good pleasure in the Elect or works true Conversion in them he doth not only procure the outward means but also applies the inward efficacy of the regenerating Spirit as the Synod of Dort hath determined Cap. 3. 4. Artic. 11. see it at large Securus My third question is Whether God can fail in his time prefixed to accomplish that work of Conversion in such persons Diotrephes He cannot because he is wise and constant To this purpose Dr. Spurstowe * Vbi supra p. 63. his observation is considerable If the wisdom of God saith he hath to common mercies wherein his enemies have a share set such appointed times as may make them more useful and beneficial to his Creatures Certainly he will not fail to perform to his people the promises of his free-grace in that season and fulness of time which may best suit with their welfare and his glory He makes Conversion one of those promises ibid. pag. 66 67. Securus My fourth question is this Whether God can be disappointed of his means or no Diotrephes No the Reason is plain He is not only Wise but also Omnipotent Gods Omnipotency saith Dr. Twiss * Vbi supra p. 178. no creature is able to resist and therefore if God will have any man to believe to repent to do this or that good work it is impossible it should be otherwise And that God is he who works in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ is as true as the Epistle to the Hebrewes is a part of the New Testament Securus My fifth question is this Whether any of them for whom effectual grace is designed be able to resist that grace when the season or good houre is come or to receive it sooner if they should endeavour after it Diotrephes This Quaere consists of two Branches but I shall satisfie them both in the words of Dir. Twiss * Vbi supra p. 115 116. who hath taught us thus to distinguish We willingly confess saith he that as often as men are found to resist these Exhortations Divine to Faith and Repentance though delivered by Gods Minister they may justly be said to resist God working morally and beseeching them as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5. 20. As though God through us did beseech you So the Jewes with their Fathers resisted the Holy Ghost Acts 7. 51. Forasmuch as the words delivered unto them and which they resisted were sent by the Lord of Hosts in his Spirit by the Ministry of his Prophets Zach. 7. 12. And accordingly God is said to have protested among them by his Spirit by the hands of the Prophets but they would not hear Nehem. 9. 30. But they do not resist nor can resist the Holy Ghost working immediatly and physically upon their wills the Act of Conversion and physical or rath●r hyperphysical transmuta●ion We willingly confess as the Dr. goes on that the Elect resist neither tending to their first Conversion provided the time be come which God hath appointed for their Conversion till then they resist all Exhortations tending thereunto as well as others but as for any Divine Act for a physical transmutation of their wills they are not made partakere thereof till the time of their effectual calling Thus far Dr. Twiss Securus Give me leave to ask you a sixth question Whether in the designation either of time or means God had any consideration of any qualification as wrought or to be wrought in man or of any complyance in him that at such time such means might