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A01181 Articles agreed on in the nationall synode of the Reformed Churches of France, held at Charenton neere Paris, in the moneth of September, 1623 Which the same ordaineth to be inuiolably kept in all the churches and vniversities of that realme.; Articles arrestez au Synode national. English Eglises réformées de France. Synode national (1623 : Charenton-le-Pont) 1623 (1623) STC 11295; ESTC S117189 22,438 38

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the infallible fruits of Election pointed out in the word of God Such as are a true Faith in Iesus Christ a filiall feare of God sorrow according to God hunger and thirste after righteousnesse c. XIII From the assurance and inward apprehension of this Election the children of God take occasion daily more and more to humble themselues before God to adore the bottomlesse depth of his mercies to purifie themselues and also most ardently to loue him on their parts who so exceedingly first loued them So far are they from waxing more idle or carnally negligent and catelesse of keeping Gods Commandements through this doctrine of Election and the meditation thereof which indeed by the iust iudgement of God commeth vsually to passe in those who either rashly presuming on or idly and wantonly prating of the Grace of Election will not walke in the wayes of the Elect. XIIII Now as this doctrine of Diuine Election according to the most wise counsell of God hath beene preached by the Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe and the Apostles aswell vnder the old as vnder the new Testament and afterwards recorded in the holy Scriptures So ought it also euen at this day be proposed in the Church of God whereunto it was specially appointed with the spirit of discretion religiously and holily in time and place omitting all curious search of the wayes of the Lord All onely to the glory of Gods holy Name and the liuely consolation of his people XV. Moreouer the holy Scripture doth further set foorth and recommend this eternall and free grace of our Election when besides it witnesseth how that all men are not chosen but that there are some Non-Elect or such as in the eternall Election of God were passed ouer and left out to weete they whom God according to his most free most iust vnblameable and vnchangeable good pleasure decreed to leaue in the common misery whereinto through their owne fault they had plunged themselues and not to giue them sauing grace nor the grace of Conuersion but hauing abandoned them in their owne wayes and through iust iudgement finally to condemne and punish them eternally not onely because of their infidelitie but also for all their other sinnes to the manifestation of his owne iustice And this loe is the Decree of Reprobation which makes not in any wise God the authour of Sinne the bare thought whereof were blasphemie but shewes him to be a dreadfull vnblameable and rust Iudge and auenger of sinne XVI Those which as yet feele not in themselues effectually a liuely Faith in Iesus Christ or an assured confidence of heart peace of conscience an earnest care of filiall obedience and a glorying in God through Iesus Christ and yet notwithstanding vse the meanes whereby God hath promised to effect these things in vs They I say ought not to be dishartened when they heare of Reprobation nor to range themselues among the Reprobate but rather they ought to goe forward carefully in the vse of these meanes and feruently desire and long after the houre of more abundant grace and expect it with all reuerence and humilitie Muchlesse ought such be terrified with the doctrine of Reprobation who though they desire to turne seriously to God and to please him onely and to be deliuered from this body of death yet for all that cannot as yet make such progresse in the way of godlinesse and faith as they faine would Seeing God who is mercifull hath promised that he will not quench the smoaking flaxe nor bruise the broken reed But worthily and of good reason may this doctrine be terrible to those who casting God and the Sauiour Iesus Christ behind their backes haue wholy enthralled themselues to the cares of this world and the lusts of the flesh as long as they so continue and turne not vnto God XVII In regarde wee are to iudge of Gods will by his word which testifieth that the children of the faithfull are holy not verily by nature but by the benefit of the couenant of grace wherein they are comprised with their father and mother Those Parents which feare God ought not to doubt of the Election and saluation of their children whom God calles out of this life in their infancie XVIII If any one murmure against this Grace of free Election and against the seueritie of iust Reprobation we oppose him with the words of the Apostle Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou that contestest with God and with those of our Sauiour Matth. 20.15 Is it not lawfull for mee to dee what I will with mine owne goods But for our selues who religiously adore these mysteries we cry out with the Apostle Rom. 11.33.34.35.36 O the depth of the riches and of the wisedome and of the knowledge of God! how his iudgements are incomprehensible and his wayes impossible to be found For who is he that hath knowne the thought of the Lord or who hath beene his counseller or who hath first giuen vnto him and it shall be repayed him againe For of him and by him and for him are all things To him be glorie for euermore Amen A reiection of Errours The true doctrine of Election and Reprobation being expounded the Synode reiecteth the errours of those I. WHo teach that the will of God to saue those that will beleeue and perseuere in Faith and in the obedience of Faith is the whole and entire Decree of Election to Saluation and that there is nothing else reuealed in the word of God touching this Decree For these men deceiue the simple and manifestly contradict the holy Scripture which testifie not onely that God will saue those which will beleeue but also that from all Eternitie hee hath chosen certaine persons to giue to them in his appointed time rather then to others Faith in Iesus Christ and perseuerance as it is written Iohn 17.6 I haue manifested thy Name to the men which thou hast giuen me Againe Actes 13.48 All they that were ordained to life Euerlasting beleeued And Ephesians 1.4 Hee hath chosen vs before the foundation of the world to th' end we should be holy II. Who teach that the Election of God to Eternall life is of diuers sorts the one generall and indefinite the other particular and definite And this latter againe either Incomplete Revocable not Peremptorie but conditionall or compleate irrevocable Peremptorie and absolute Also that Election to faith is one and Election to Saluation another so as there may be an Election to iustifying Faith without a peremptorie Election to Saluation For this is nothing else but an inuention of mans braine forg'd without the Scriptures which corrupts the doctrine of Election and breakes asunder the golden chaine of our Saluation Ro. 8.29 Whō God hath predestinated those he hath also called and whom he hath called those he hath also iustified whom he hath iustified those he hath also glorified III. Who teach that the good pleasure and purpose of God whereof the Scriptures make mention in
6.23 The wages of sinne is death II. Who teach that spirituall gifts or good habitudes and vertues such as are goodnesse holynesse righteousnesse could haue no place in mans will when he was first created by consequent that they could not be lost in the fall For this directly thwarteth the description of the image of God which the Apostle maketh Ephes 4.24 Where he describes it by righteousnesse and holynesse which vertues certainely haue their seats in the will III. VVho teach that spirituall gifts were not separated from the will of man in the spirituall death since that in it selfe was never corrupted but hindered only by darknes of the vnaerstanding and vnrulinesse of the affections which hinderances being removed the will is able to make vse of its libertie which to it is naturall that is it is of it selfe able either to will and choose or not to will and choose any good proposed vnto it This is new and erroneous tending to nothing but to exalt the power of free will contrary to the saying of the Prophet Ieremy 17.9 The heart is wily and desperately evill aboue all things And that of the Apostle Ephes 2.3 Among whom children of * In the French it is by mistake of the Printer children of Religion Rebellion we all conversed once in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of our thoughts IIII. VVho teach that a man not regenerate is not totally properly in Sin or destitute of all power concerning spirituall good but that he can hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and life and can offer vnto God the sacrifice of a contrite and broken spirit such as may be acceptable vnto him For these things contrary the plaine testimonies of Scripture Ephe. 2.1.5 Ye were dead in your trespasses and sinnes And Gen. 6.4 8.21 Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart of men is nothing else but evill at all times Adde hereto that to hunger and thirst after life and to be delivered from misery to offer vnto God the sacrifice of a broken spirit is proper to the regenerate Psal 51.19 And of those that are called happy Mat. 5.6 V. VVho teach that a corrupt and naturall man may so well vse common Grace whereby they vnderstand the light of Nature or the gifts which remaine in him after the fall that by the good vsage thereof he may by degrees and little by little obtaine greater grace to wit Evangelicall and saving grace yea salvation it selfe And that by this meanes God for his part sheweth himselfe ready to reveale Iesus Christ to all forasmuch as he affordeth vnto all sufficiently and efficaciously the meanes necessary to the Revelation of Iesus Christ and to faith and repentance For that this is false besides the experience of al times the Scripture witnesseth Psal 147.19.20 He declareth his words to Iacob and his statutes ordinances to Israell he hath not done so to all nations and therefore they know not his ordinances Act. 14.16 In times past God suffered all nations to walke in their owne waies Act. 16.6.7 It was forbidden them to wit Paul and his companions by the holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia comming therefore to Mysia they assayed to goe into Bithynia but the spirit of Iesus permitted them not VI. VVho teach that in the true conversion of a man it cannot be that God should poure into his will new qualities habits or gifts Therefore the faith by which we are first converted and from which we are named faithfull is not a qualitie or gift infused by God but only a bare action of man And that it cannot otherwise be called a gift then in regard alone of the power which a man hath to attaine therevnto For these things contradict the holy Scriptures which testifie That God sheddes in our hearts new qualities of faith obedience and the feeling of his loue Ier. 34.33 I will put my law within them and will write it in their heart Es 44.3 I will poure forth waters vpon him that is a thirst and rivers vpon the dry ground I will poure forth my spirit vpon thy posterity Rom. 5.5 The loue of God is shedd in our hearts by the holy spirit which is giuen vnto vs. They are also repugnant to the perpetuall practise of the Church that prayes on this manner Ierem. 31.18 Convert me O Lord and I shall be converted VII VVho teach that the Grace whereby we are converted vnto God is nothing else but a sweete perswasiō or as others expound it that the most noble maner of working in the conversion of a man and the most agreeable to the nature of man is that which is effected by perswasions And that nothing hinders but that the Grace which they tearme Moral that is to say which is wrought by perswasiue reasons may make a carnall man spiritual yea that God makes the will to consent no otherwise saue only by this kind of perswasion and that herein consisteth the whole efficacie of the divine operation whereby he su mounteth the operation of Satan inasmuch as God promiseth eternall good Satan onely temporall For this is pure Pelagianisme and contrary to all Scripture the which beside this kinde of operation in the conversion of a man acknowledgeth another over aboue to wit that of the Holy Spirit much more effectuall and divine as in the 36. chap. of Ezechiel ver 26. I wil giue you a new heart and will giue a new spirit in the midst of you and vvill take away the heart of stone and will giue an heart of flesh c. VIII Who teach that in the regeneration of a man God imployeth not his almighty power in such sort as that he mightily and infallibly benas the will to belieue and to bee converted but that notwithstanding all the operations of Grace which God vseth to the conversion of man man may resist God and the holy Spirit even then when God purposeth and would regenerate him that oftentimes man resisteth in deed effect so as he vtterly hindereth his owne regeneration yea that it resteth in his power to be or not to be regenerated For this is nothing else but to take away from God the efficacie of his Grace in our Conversion and to subiect the action of God almighty to the wil of man and that contrarie to the Apostles who teach Ephes 1.19 That wee belieue according to the efficacie of the power of his might And 2. Thess 1.11 That God fulfilleth in vs al the good pleasure of his goodnes and the worke of faith Mightily Againe 2. Pet. 1.3 That his Divine power hath given vs all whatsoever appertaineth to life and godlinesse IX Who teach that Grace and Freewill are causes that worke each their severall part and both concurre togither in the first point of conversion that Grace as a cause hath no precedence in order before the efficiencie or motion of the wil id est that