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	father_n	son_n	5,248	5	5.4119	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75506	An apology for the sentiment of the modalists and a defence of the scriptural terms.		1700 (1700)	Wing A3556A; ESTC N52941	8,889	8

An Apology for the Sentiment of the Modalists and a Defence of the Scriptural Terms TO defend the Doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation requires not many Arguments when these matters are rightly taken for in order to vindicate them they need only be represented and put into a true light As for the Doctrine of the Trinity it has been sufficiently clear'd even in the Pamphlet intitled The Consequences of the Modalists System p. 8 c. For there these Remarks are made concerning it The Divine Intellect or Mind and Understanding is the Cause o● 〈…〉 the Divine Wisdom and from both the Divine Intellect and the 〈…〉 doth proceed the Divine Will or Power which is the same thing in a perfect Being for God doth whatsoever he pleases These three Properties Intellect Wisdom Power comprehend the whole Divine Essence God may be particularly and distinctly consider'd with respect to each of these three Properties and thus being thrice consider'd may be call'd three Persons according to the original Signification of the word Person which imports a Being consider'd with respect to a certain Capacity or Property The first Property being the Cause of the second and the third proceeding from the two former the first Person is therefore call'd the Father the second the Son the third the Spirit that proceeds from the Father and Son Thus the Orthodox Expressions are susceptible of a good Sense and pertainly meaning this Sense by these Terms it cannot be deny'd but that the Sentiment of the Modalists is true It is actually true that there is in God on infinite Vnderstanding Wisdom and Will c. And as for the Doctrine of the 〈◊〉 one would think there could be no great difficulty in it intending thereby as the Catholic Church doth that the Divine Wisdom so dwelleth in Christ as always to assist illuminate-conduct and actuate him Christ thus being God in respect of the Indwelling Divinity which is in an content manner manifested both i● and by out Lord Jesus Christ as also in respect of his representing God to us and of his acting in the stead of God at the Helm of the Universe Yet some weighty Objections are here made as that this confounds Christ with God and is the occasion that the Names of Christ are given to God and Christ is taken to be literally the most High God as if from a Being's dwelling in a Temple it follow'd that the House or Temple is literally that Being which dwelleth in it Now it is to be observ'd in answer hereunto that the Doctrine of the Incarnation doth not necessarily confound Christ with God for all that can be understood thereby agreeably to the System of the Modalists who are generally esteem'd to be the most Orthodox is that our Saviour is both God and the Man Christ Jesus or that the Man Jesus Christ and God are most eminently united together in the work of Salvation in that Christ is made the Head of the Church and plac'd at the Helm of the Universe and God constantly assists and actuates him to enable him to save those that come to God thro him and thus Christ is evidently distinguish'd from God by Christ properly being meant the Man Jesus Indeed it is very improper to give to God the Names of Christ as it seeme to be done in these Invocations O Christ hear us O Son of David have mercy upon us c. But the Orthodox do readily acknowledg the Inconveniency of these Expressons Athanasius himself declares that it is always God and not the Creature that is worship'd by the Orthodox 3d Oration against the Arians so that these Invocations are to be undersTood as implying this Sense O thou who dwellest in Christ or in the Son of David hear us and hve mercy upon us c. And undoubtedly it were well if the said Pra●●● were thus express'd Most properly the Gospel-Method is to pray 〈…〉 ther in the Name or thro the Mediation and Intercession of his Son our Lord Jesus Christ so that after having said in the beginning of the Litany O God our Creator have mercy upon us O God our Redeemer have mercy upon us O God our Comfortere have mercy upon us it would be most proper to address the rest of the Prayer particularly to the Father who eminently sustains the Majesty and Character of the Deity The ordinary Expressions that follow from taking another Method seem often uncouth and much must tacitly be supply'd thereto not to take them in a wrong Sense as the Vulgar are very apt to do men of ordinary Capacities not being accustom'd to nice Distinctions and not being able to make any deep Reflecttions of themselves Besides it is certain that when the Father is worship'd the whole Deity is worship'd and our Prayers then cannot be defective or imperfect As for Christ's being or not being the most High God that is in a great measure a Dispute of Words The Deity that dwelleth in Christ is certainly the most High God If then by Christ be meant both the Man Jesus and the Deity that dwelleth in or that constantly assisteth him no dobut in that sense Christ is the most High God But if Christ be taken as an Appellation peculiar to the Man Jesus as it seems to be in Scripture then it is most proper to say with the Scripture that in Christ Jesus dwelleth the Fulness of the Godhead to esteem otherwise were to assert that an Appellation peculiar to the Manhood is peculiar to the Godhead No body will say that a Man as a Man is literally the most high God but our Salvation being wrought both by the Man Christ Jesus and God that dwelleth in him it is certain that our Saviour is both God and Man as sometime several Men make one Admiral c. Ideas may arbitrarily be join'd to certain Terms and then those Terms are understood according to those Ideas Accordingly the Church has us'd the Name Christ to denote both the Man Jesus Christ and the Deity that manifesteth it self in and by him and has us'd the Term Incarnation to signify the Union of God with Jesus Christ In that sense the Church saith that Christ is God and that God is become Man But she means to be sure and ought to mean no more but what may be worded in the Expressions themselves of the Scripture which Expressions or the like in Articles of Communion are even to be left in that general Sense which they are susceptible of that every man may be allow'd the Judgment of discerning These Considerations must be before our eyes whenever we will give a rational account of the Orthodox System It is objected by some That meaning what has been said by the Incarnation and on that account giving to Christ the Honor and Name of God the like might be done to other Creatures which God likewise assists or enables to perform their several Officers and in and by which God manifests his Wisdom his Glory and