Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	according_a	act_v	action_n	159	3	6.2477	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90296	A vision of vnchangeable free mercy, in sending the means of grace to undeserved sinners: wherein Gods uncontrollable eternall purpose, in sending, and continuing the gospel unto this nation, in the middest of oppositions and contingencies, is discovered: his distinguishing mercy, in this great work, exalted, asserted, against opposers, repiners: in a sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, April. 29. being the day of publike humiliation. Whereunto is annexed, a short defensative about church-government, (with a countrey essay for the practice of church-government there) toleration and petitions about these things. / By Iohn Owen, minister of the gospel at Coggeshall in Essex.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1646 (1646)	Wing O825; Thomason E334_15; Thomason E334_16; ESTC R200768	49,154	60

conjectures of attempters God fore-saw that they would oppose the Gospel saies our Beda so say I might he of all nations in the world had not he determined to send his effectuall grace for the removall of that opposition besides he grants the means of grace to despisers Matth. 11. 21. They were not prepared for the Gospel says Oecumenius as well say I as the Corinthians whose preparations you may see 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. or any other nation as we shall afterwards declare yet to this foolish conjecture adhere the Papists and Arminians God would have those places left for to be converted by John saies Sedulius yet the Church at Ephesus the cheif City of those parts was planted by Paul says Ignatius and Irenaeus He foresaw a famine to come upon those places says Origen from which he would deliver his own and therefore it seems left them to the power of the Devil More such fancies might we recount of men unwilling to submit to the will of God but upon that as the sole discriminating cause of these things we rest and draw these three observations 1. The rule whereby all things are dispensed here below especially in the making out of the means of grace is the determinate will and counsell of God stay not in Asia go not into Bithynia but come to Macedonia even so O Father for so c. 2. The sending of the Gospel to any nation place or persons rather then others as the means of life and salvation is of the meer free grace and good pleasure of God Stay not in Asia c. 3. No men in the world want help like them that want the Gospel Come and help us Begin we with the first of these the rule whereby c. or all events and effects especially concerning the propagation of the Gospel and the Church of Christ are in their greatest variety regulated by the eternall purpose and counsell of God all things below in their events are but the wax whereon the eternall seal of his purpose hath left its own impression and they every way answer unto it It is not my minde to extend this to the generality of things in the world nor to shew how the creature can by no means deviate from that eternall rule of providence whereby it is guided no more then an arrow can avoid the mark after it hath received the impression of an unerring hand or well-ordered wheels not turne according to the motion given them by the master spring or the wheels in Ezekiels vision move irregularly to the spirit of life that was in them Nor yet secondly how that on the other side doth no way prejudice the liberty of second causes in their actions agreeable to the natures they are indued withall He who made and preserves the fire yet hinders not but that it should burne or act necessarily agreeable to its nature by his making preserving and guiding of men hindreth not yea effectually causeth that they work freely agreeable to their nature Nor yet thirdly to clear up what a straight line runs thorow all the darknes confusion and disorder in the world how absolutely in respect of the first fountain and last tendance of things there is neither deformity fault nor deviation every thing that is amisse consisting in the transgression of a morall rule which is the sin of the creature the first cause being free as he that causeth a lame man to goe is the cause of his going but not of his going lame or the sun exhaling a smell from the kennell is the cause of the smell but not of its noisomnesse for from a garden his beams raise a sweet savour nothing is amisse but what goeth off from its own rule which he cannot do who will do all his pleasure and knows no other rule But omitting these things I shall tie my discourse to that which I cheifly aimed at in my proposition viz. to discover how the great variety which we see in the dispensation of the means of grace proceedeth from and is regulated by some eternall purpose of God unfolded in his Word To make out this we must lay down three things 1. The wonderfull variety in dispensing of the outward means of salvation in respect of them unto whom they were granted used by the Lord since the fall I say since the fall for the grace of preserving from sin and conti●●ing with God had been generall universally extended to every creature but for the grace of rising from sin and coming again unto God that is made exceeding various by some distinguishing purpose 2. That this outward dispensation being presupposed yet in effectuall working upon particular persons there is no lesse variety for he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy 3. Discover the rules of this whole administration 1. For the first The promise was at first made unto Adam and by him doubtlesse conveied to his issue and preached to the severall generations which his eyes beheld proceeding from his own loyns but yet by the wickednes of the old world all flesh corrupting their waies we may easily collect that the knowledge of it quickly departed from the most sin banishing the love of God from their hearts hindred the knowledge of God from continuing in their mindes 2. After many revivings by visions revelations and covenants it was at length called in from the wide world and wholly restrained to the house family and seed of Abraham with whom alone all the means of grace continued for thrice fourteen generations they alone were in Goshen and all the world besides in thick darknes the dew of Heaven was on them as the fleece when else all the earth was dry God shewed his word unto Jacob his statutes and judgements unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation Psal. 141. 19 20. The prerogative of the Jews was cheifly in this that to them were committed the oracles of God Rom. 3. to them pertained the adoption and the glory the Covenants and the giving of the Law the service of God and the promises Rom. 9. 4. 3. But when the fulnes of time came the Son of God being sent in the likenes of sinfull flesh he drew all men unto him and God who had before winked at the time of their ignorance then called them every where to repent commanding the Gospel to be preached to the universality of reasonable creatures and the way of salvation to be proclaimed unto all upon which in few years the sound of the Gospel went out into all Nations and the sun of Righteousnes displayed his beams upon the habitable parts of the earth 4. But yet once more this light by Satan and his agents persecutours and seducers is almost extinguished as was foretold 2 Thes. 2. remaining but in few places and burning dim where it was the Kingdom of the beast being full of darknes Revel. 16. 10.