Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A63517
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The true Englishman, humbly proposing something to rid us of the plot in the state and of contentions in the church wherein is shown how our King may be the happy healer of nations / by a Philopolite ; and published by his neighbour, Philotheus.
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Philopolite.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing T2697; ESTC R34079
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69,739
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140
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are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise think on these things These are some hints at the State of Love which may suffice to prove that whereever it doth preside or prevail it settleth and secureth happiness It is true the number who inhabit this Canaan are too few yet this is to be said they are all choice i. e. Chosen Ones and though not as an Earthly or Temporal state yet as single Inhabitants who are to live for ever they have in their eye and go step by step daily towards an exalted place and to a more numerous Company which in perfection and glory excel Humane conception One caught up thither for a moments view or some other like him hath told us so far as he could of these unutterable things that it is Mount Sion and the City of the living God Heb 12.22 23 24. the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable Company of Angels to the general Assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in Heaven and to God the judge of all and the Spirits of Just men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the blood of Sprinkling that speaking better things than that of Abel To this they move not in uncertainty for they are on the foundation of God 2 Tim. 2.19 which standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them to be his and they depart from iniquity Beside there the fore-runner is for them entred Heb 6.19 20. 1 Cor. 15. Joh. 14.1 2 3. Acts 1.11 1 Thess 4.14 c. even JESVS who became a-kin to them to purchase it and was the first-begotten from the dead as to assure them of it so to go before to make the way accessible to them and to prepare a place for them And hereafter as an Harbinger to come back again and meet them in most glorious manner and so lead them thither Which hope they have and use as an anchor of the Soul Heb. 6.19 both sure and stedfast i.e. keeps them from being tost or shipwreckt with the billows of the World and which entreth into that within the Veil as being able thereby to see through afflictions and to see beyond them daies of Peace and release here and further to see into the eternal and far more exceeding weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.16 17 18. that holy and happy place whereinto none but the true Christian enters One would forego any Lust and use the utmost diligence to be imbodied with these men who practise and hope as you have heard See how in troops they march Woodford Psal 84. till all at length To Sion come and there renew their strength Object But do we not find the contrary Are not the Religious and Vertuous oft despised oppressed c. Answ 1 True they are so but with it they have to over ballance it to weigh it down so that those you call Oppressions c. are light and as but for a moment to them for they are chosen of God Jam. 2.5 1 Cor. 1.20 27 c. rich in Faith supported and comforted by invisible and Divine assistances as St. Paul was 2 Cor. 4.8 c. Answ 2 So far as they for Vertues sake are afflicted they gain thereby having therefore those supports and strong Consolations here and the farther degrees of glory hereafter which without them they would not have had Answ 3 Sometime their Troubles come on them through their own defect in Religion In that case Vertue is not to be charged but Sin as the culpable and procuring cause of them Answ 4 This objected is not to my Argument being directable only to single persons I challenge any to name the time wherein any People were distressed or despised who were united to God and to each other as I have described a Nation to be whose temper is Love Section II. Of such force is Love's tendancy to Happiness though there be many in a State who in temper are as Spirits created or used for Vengeance to punish or destroy yet if one Principal therein be Goodness or Love he soon changeth or soon subdueth them under him Psal 47.9 One Shield of the Earth of this temper in his Dominion will quench in a moment all the fiery darts of the wicked Of these Impiety and Ill-will are not the least which like poysonous Darts inflame the parts that are wounded with them and once removed comes ease and pleasure in their stead Oh happy Nation when thus cured and most blessed of God is the Royal Physician who so healeth us Having spoken this I purpose to make it good i.e. to prove it true so well as with my designed brevity I can And in truth I think it needs no forreign aid Behold the sense of the Proposition and it will confirm it self I am well assured no one of Mr. Serjants Self-evidencing Principles comes near this Self-evident thing No other appearance now in Flesh can be more a God and is it hard to come at this Notion that Almighty and all Goodness and all Bliss is in him I am most satisfied that this is the Thing which shall go on conquering and to conquer if God use any thing Humane to bring in Everlasting Righteousnes and Peace unto the Nations For what below God can do more thereto in the Kingdoms of Men than a King 1 Sincerely Pious without the enforcement either of Adversity or of some regard of State 2 Preferrer of the Publick weal before all other respects whatsoever Like the Saviour of the World who though he was rich yet became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich I presume my Reader to be a Man i.e. one who takes in the sense and not the sound of these words I intend not to put meanness or poverty into his Character but that of Grace like to what St. Paul saith we know to be in Christ 1 Cor. 8.9 a King who is forward and sincere in Love always giving testimony thereof in his dealings towards his Subjects who is disposed to exhaust himself when necessary to common salvation whereby his love becomes his liberality and bounty to them He that finds this King is come to the procurer of general peace and quiet He may as one saith err and must die but Fame will free him from both errour and from death both with and without the help of Time Because Generals may not sufficiently impress I will come to particular evidence hereof 1 From the Ordination of God 2 The Government of God 3 Happiness is connatural to his temper and practice who as Head causeth it to be so unto the whole Body To the two first of these enough hath been said already I will more particularly though very briefly discourse the latter But before we enter thereon let us refresh our selves a little by singing with tuneable hearts to God's glory and in
Father Son and Spirit from Eternity fore-seeing Man's Fall do decree his Recovery through Jesus Christ i.e. God-Man or God manifested in the Flesh Or to speak as we may conceive through the Second of the Holy Trinity in the one Divine Nature his assuming and performing in our Nature what in so great a design as Man's Reconciliation to God was sit to be done Man by disobedience being in the state I have described to you two things at least must be to restore him 1 Expiation for Man's Sin 2 Renovation of Man's Nature He being unable to do either and these things being less fit or impossible to any other than the ONE DIVINE NATVRE or GOD no one acts therein but who is God It is decreed to be accomplished as was the first Creation by the three Persons or Relatives in the One Divine Essence The Divine Persons moving herein though in One Nature are apart as Relatives So far as I can see into this great Mystery by Scripture and Natural light it seems thus The Father who is of none acteth as Father i.e. in the Relation most eminent wherein he may be said To give or send His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him To be moved by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Justice satisfied by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Authority owned by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Law vindicated by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him And Man is said to have sinned against him and by him was cast out of Paradise That he called to Adam and by Promise opened the door of Hope to him Gen. 3. That all issues from his Love In short from hence as I conceive it is That what in Man's Creation or Recovery belongeth unto the Supream either to receive or to do is in Scripture given to God in the Relation most eminent i.e. unto the Father The Son as of the Father in the Relation Second in the Godhead moves as subordinate accepts and executes with propensness or delight the Father's Will herein Which he did in Leaving his Father Assuming our Nature Sinless Infirmities to be to us Priest To Live a holy an afflicted life Assuming our Nature Sinless Insirmities to be to us Prophet To Die upon the Cross Arise Ascend Intercede for us Assuming our Nature Sinless Insirmities to be to us Head To Die upon the Cross Arise Ascend Intercede for us Whereby he perfected Expiation and brought it to this That God was in him also reconciling of us to himself These his Transactions whilst in decree only afar off before the fulness of time was come were to the Faithful Fore-seer saving and most cheering things How much more now is it a mighty Salvation which he hath raised up for us in the House of his Servant David Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his People This should cause us chearfully to obey him and willingly to part with every thing for him who parted with life for us and is still mindful of us This should excite our hope of Good from him no less than the supply of all our wants especially forgiveness of our Sins Sanctification and everlasting Salvation In no case are we now to entertain any Despairing thoughts for this God our Saviour being both God and Man is able and willing to help us What though as Sinners our condition is sad yet this JESUS of God is made unto us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption Which will be compleat Salvation to us being in extent to that from within us or from without us which did cast us into Sin and Misery For obtaining all which we have only possible reasonable and desirable Conditions on our part to perform viz. Deep sense of our Unworthiness truly repenting that we have sinned i.e. unto hate and forsaking Real sense of God's undeserved goodness Faith in Christ i. e. believing him to be Truth Expecting from his Free Grace accepting of him entire to be ours Obeying of his Commands Fearing his Threatnings with the perfection of Sincerity Newness of life i.e. in denying ungodliness and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously and godly If we faithfully intend to practise these things though we are not of our selves sufficient so much as to think one good thought 2 Cor. 3.5 yet is all possible and easie to us in the enablement of God's blessed Spirit Who to perfect or compleat our Cure and Recovery is the Eternal Spiration the Third in the Divine Essence sent forth from Father and Son to finish or carry on the 2 Renovation of Man's Nature The Son is more eminently to save and the Spirit to renew The Son is to perform so that before Angels and Men it shall be congruous for God to Pardon to come down as it were to Man and the Spirit is to bring Man up to God That it may become God to let Man live in his Kingdom and that Man may be an agreeable and obedient Subject therein In a word That a Sinner dead in Law might by Grace live and be holy and happy both here and hereafter To know and to consider all this is required to the well-doing our Own business as we are single Men or as we are in Societies and Kingdoms that lapsed Nations as a lapsed Man may be restored unto God From what I have said another Analysis might be drawn to represent at one view how Man is to be known and considered Now GOD the Father through the SON and both of them by the SPIRIT have Redeemed him As thus MAN In Propitiation by Christ is most fitly by God Continued in his Creature State Spirit To Rule In Dominion over God's Works Put in capacity of God's Present Eternal Communion or Favour Continued in his Creature State Soul Body To Obey Apt to err In Dominion over God's Works Put in capacity of God's Present Eternal Communion or Favour In the Operations of the Spirit we may as it were see him Restored unto Conviction