Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	act_v	friend_n	great_a	80	3	2.1564	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36515	A friendly debate between Satan and Sherlock containing a discovery of the unsoundness of Mr. William Sherlocks principles in a late book entituled A discourse concerning the knowledge of Jesus Christ &c., by this only medium, that they afford the Devil the same grounds for his hope of salvation that they do mankind, and so subvert the Gospel and transform Christianity into Mahumetanism / by an hearty enemy of Mahumetanism.	Danson, Thomas, d. 1694.	1676 (1676)	Wing D213; ESTC R24867	29,839	72

sure we account that Man a fool who loves at this rate and how that should come to be the perfection of the Love of God which is a reproach to Men is above my apprehension p. 399. Satan But I pray Sir tell me then what other Reason but his own arbitrary Will God could have for shewing mercy to sinners Sherlock The holiness of a Creature is the Reason why God determines his Love to any particular person p. 401. Satan If I be not much mistaken I have heard some such passages read in some or other of your Churches Second Lessons That God hath chosen men before the foundation of the World that they should be holy and that Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that it should be holy and without blemish which seems to make the holiness of a Creature the effect not the cause of Gods Love But I have told you I am resolved at this time to be a Learner and oportet discentem credere The Scholar must believe his Master is a Rule among Teachers It may be Paul was mistaken for I have heard some say that he was an hot-headed Fellow and now here 's no body but our selves you will excuse my freedom in telling you that as far as I have been able to observe none of your Club care much for him For their greatest trouble in dealing with the Fanaticks is to rid their hands well of the Allegations out of him But to our business supposing your Doctrine true I am an unholy Creature I cannot deny it and therefore God hath no Reason for the determination of his love to me Sherlock If you be unholy then you must make your self holy Satan I but I doubt that 's past my skill There is a spiritual impotency and inability in a sinner to do any good thing Sherlock Who told you so Sir Satan John Calvin I dare say or John Owen but I hope you have more wit than to believe them Satan No indeed I was told so by St. Austin and many a great man of your Church Fathers and Sons But before them all by your Arch-Adversary St. Paul who says that sinners are dead in trespasses and sins and that they are created to good-works and become new creatures and born again when converted Sherlock When they talk of our spiritual impotency and inability to do any good thing they prove it wonderfully from our being dead in trespasses and sins and therefore as a dead man can contribute nothing to his own resurrection no more can we towards our conversion which is true of natural death but will be hard to prove of a moral death which consists in the prevalency of vicious habits contracted by long custom which was the case of the Heathens whom the Apostle there speaks of and is your case too Sir Satan which do so enslave the will that it is very difficult though not impossible for such persons to return to the love and practice of vertue The other Argument is of the like nature that we are said to be created to good works and to become new creatures and therefore can contribute no more to it viz. our Conversion than we did to our first creation and that we are born again which signifies that we are wholly passive in it which were true indeed if our being created to good-works did signifie the manner and method of our conversion and not the nature of the new creature which is the true meaning of it that as in the first Creation we were created after the Image of God so we are renewed after his Image in the second which is therefore expresly call'd in other places the renewing and renovation of our minds p. 109 110 The fruitfulness of Gods love with respect to the methods of his Grace and Providence doth not consist in producing what he loves by an omnipotent and irresistible power for then sin and death could never have entred into the world but he governs and doth good to his creatures in such ways as are most suitable to their natures He governs reasenable Creatures by principles of Reason as he doth the Material world by the necessary laws of matter and bruit creatures by the instincts and propensities of nature p. 212. This I am sure is a new discovery whatever you say of St. Austin and the great men of our Church that it is impossible for us to do any thing that is good but we must be acted like Machines by an external force by the irresistibl power of the Grace and spirit of God p. 50. Satan I have heard your long Discourse with a great deal of patience and your meaning as well as I can take it up is that conversion is an effect of moral suasion a term of art which many of your good friends much delight to use and I listned to hear it out of your mouth so that if I do but attend to what God hath revealed of the excellency and necessity of Holiness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut puto Deus fio I shall be holy all on a sudden But I am not very apt to believe this because my mind hath been a great while illuminated with such Revelations and yet I do not find my Will moved by them As for what you object against sinners being wholly passive in the work of Conversion if you had to do with a Phanatick he would press you with this Argument If the Image of God was received by the will in the first creation without its own contribution to the production of it why may not that Image be restored to it without the wills cooperation to the restitution But because I perceive you have a kindness for me I will not personate any of that foolish troublesome sort of people who can ask more Questions than a wise man can answer Well Sir let us go on but suppose I should make my self holy yet if I be not perfectly such I am never the near to obtain my end Gods favour and acceptance For I well remember there is a passage in the Bible That God is of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on iniquity that is with approbation as I have heard Preachers expound it and you your self tell me that Gods natural love to holiness is the reason why he loves holy men p. 401. And by the like reason sure holy Angels whence I infer for I have pickt up a little Logick as well as Divinity in the Schools that perfect holinevs in the creature must be the reason of Gods natural love to it for that only is agreeable to his holy nature Sherlock Nay there you are out in your inference for the only way to obtain the pardon of our sins is to repent of them and forsake them p. 54. God is as ready to pardon the worst of men and why not the worst of Angels when they return to their duty as a kind father is to receive an humble and penitent prodigal p. 43.