Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A74623
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A discovery of the new creation. In a sermon preached at the head-quarters at Putney Sept. 29. 1647. By Thomas Collier.
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Collier, Thomas, fl. 1691.
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1647
(1647)
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Wing C5278; Thomason E1187_6; ESTC R208247
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16,137
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44
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A DISCOVERY OF THE New Creation IN A Sermon Preached at the Head-Quarters at Putney Sept. 29. 1647. By Thomas Collier 2 Pet. 3. 13. Neverthelesse we look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert and are to be sold at the Black-spred-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1647. The Epistle to the Reader Reader THE new Creation the Kingdom of Heaven in the Saints is that great Mysterie God is now revealing in them I having both opportunity and freenesse at the head Quarters spoke something according to that measure of light God hath communicated unto me concerning this new Creation in the Saints this truth being by some owned yet by others privately opposed and contradicted I therefore at the desire of some who judge themselves one with and in this truth as also for satisfaction of the contrary minded have published that which was in weaknesse yet in power then delivered Although its true thou maist not here reade verbatim what was then delivered yet thou hast here the heads and substance of it God making thy spirit one in with any truth that thou findest here let him have the glory and he who is thine and the Truths servant hath his end and utmost desires T. C. Isai 65. 17. Behold I create new heavens and a new earth THis Scripture propounded is a satisfying reason of some propheticall Gospel-truths formerly discovered Wherein we may take notice First of the grace of the Gospel verse 1. I was found of them that sought me not c. Wherein you may note that persons not seeking after grace are made partakers of grace or that persons seek and finde grace from their being sought out and found by grace Men participate of Gospel grace not because there is either desert or desire in themselves but from the everlasting love free bounty of a gratious God who is the fountain of Grace and Love see this testified Jer. 31. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore in loving kindenesse have I drawn thee As this was a truth to the naturall Israel much more is it a truth to the spiritual Israel Whence was it that God shewed mercy to Mary out of whom was cast seven Devils that is a perfection of wickednesse was in her but Free-Grace and Love see Luke 7. latter end with Chap. 8. 2. with those Acts 2. who were the betrayers and murderers of Christ made partakers of Grace by Christ Saul Acts 9. 1 2 3. who persecuted Christ received mercy by Christ Vse 1. How might this incourage sinners yea and the worst of sinners too to expect not only the Declarations but the Communications of Grace from the Almighty Hast been a filthy polluted creature so was Mary hast been an enemy to Christ a persecutor of christians so were those Acts ◠and Saul Chap. 9. Yet he obtained mercy 1 Tim. 1. 13 14. And this is written for thy incouragement that thou likewise maiest expect mercy Vse 2. To raise up the spirits of Persons made partakers of Grace to admire God who is the fountain and to cry Grace Grace unto it Secondly here is the disposition of man naturally verse 2. which is to oppose Grace notwithstanding God spreads forth his hand unto them in the tenders of mercy yet they walk after their own thoughts A second Gospel-Truth by the Prophet discovered is Gods exaltation of his own Name and People in the latter dayes ver 9. with the ruine of all enemies both within them and likewise without them within them that ignorance and darknesse in the things of God that carnalnesse and fleshlinesse that naturally dwels in them that unsatisfiednesse at all times and in all conditions with the will of God all enemies without must be spiritually slain verse 12. See what the slaughter is verse 13. Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold my servants shall eat but ye shall be hungry behold my servants shall drinke but ye shall be thirsty that is my servants who live in me shall dwel on high Isa 33. 1. Bread shall be given them to eat their waters shall be sure they shall feed on that feast made of fat things Isat 25. which is God in the spirit when Formallists and Legallists who live on things without them shall be hungry and thirsty nothing to feed on when the glorious appearance of truth discovers the emptinesse and destroyes the beeing of that wherein they lived Behold my servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed behold my servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and howl for vexation of spirit they shall be ashamed because that wherein they trusted their spirituall life and livelyhood is taken from them but ye to wit the Saints who live in the spirit shall rejoyce shall sing for joy of heart Isai 35. 10. Then shall the redeemed of the Lord return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladnesse and sorrow and sighing shall flee away This shall be and is the life of Saints who live in the fountain or rather in whom the fountain lives In a word these two things are here presented First The rejection or rather the subjection under feet of the enemies of God Secondly The exaltation glory and joy of the Saints ver 15. Ye shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen for the Lord God will slay thee and call his people by another name That is whereas the name viz. the power of the wicked hath been exceeding high the Lord will slay that name bring down their power and glory and lay it in the dust make it a reproach but he will call his servants by another name whereas formerly they had a name of reproach accounted the off-scouring of all things a reproach and proverb amongst men and so that word of truth hath been verified behold I and the children whom God hath given me are set for signes and wonders in Israel Oh beloved How have the Saints been set for signes and wonders even amongst those who pretend themselves to be the Lords Israel It s true in this and other Nations called Christian it 's looked upon as an exceeding contemptible thing not to be a Christian to be a Heathen an Infidel this is an evil thing But 2. It 's accounted a far more contemptible thing to be a Christian indeed not to be a Christian in form profession is a cōtemptible thing but to be a Christian indeed is a more contemptible thing a sad word indeed and it behoves those who are the causers of it to look about themselves for the leaders of my people cause them to erre and God is now casting reproach upon them but he will call his people by another name Object But how shall this be effected may some say it is exceeding unlikely wickednesse prevailes both within and without in high and low it seemes to be
2 Pet. 3. 13. Isa 66. 22. Querie Wherein doth the glory of this new heaven consist more then ordinary Answ First in the abundance of knowledge Isa 11. 9. The knowledge of God shall cover the face of the earth as the waters cover the sea you may reade from ver 6. That the Lion and the Lamb c. shall lie down together I shall declare by the way what I understand to be the truth intended not that I limit it from any farther truth that any may see in it 1. There are all these things within us in that old Creation the Lion and the Woolf c. which opposes and prevents the Saints joy and spirituall enjoyment of God now these shall be so over-powred by the glorious appearances of light that they shall no more hurt or destroy the Saints peace in their holy mountain their enjoyment of God in the Spirit which is the Saints mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of God the glorious appearings of light in the spirits of Christians will so cover that earth which is within them that they shall be in a great measure freed from those corruptions those distractions which formerly were prevalent in them 2. God will take away the nature of wicked men that although they remain Wolves Lions and brutes still yet they shall not hurt nor destroy in all the holy mountain of God that is the Church and that through the abundance of light that shall be communicated even unto naturall men for the earth that is earthly men must give glory to the God of heaven so Hab. 2. 14. The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the face of the earth as the waters cover the sea for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God there shall not be only the knowledge of God that there is a God but the knowledge of his glory shall be much more abundantly manifested And the truth is that herein lyeth one principall part of the glory of this new Creation in the knowledge of God As ignorance is the grand cause of so much corruption so many mistakes in the things of God for alwaies the will and affection follows the understanding whether inlightned or blinded so it is the knowledg of God the breakings forth of light in the spirit that delivers souls from that corruption and darknesse This truth Paul manifests in his prayer for the Ephesians Chap. 1. 17 18. in his desire for himself Phil. 3. 10. That I might know him c. Querie Wherein shall the knowledge of the Saints increase Answ Amongst many I shall instance in these particulars following First In the knowledge of the mysterie of God and that as he is in them for God is a mysterie Col. 2. 2. And it is by the appearance of God in us we come to know God who is a mysterie The truth is that we have had and still have low and carnall thoughts of God judging him to be a God afar off and not a God nigh at hand this is that Antichrist which denies Christ to be come in the flesh this is that mysterie of which we are exceeding ignorant God manifest in the flesh 1 Tim. 3 16. we have had very narrow apprehensions of Christ and the manifestation of the glory of Christ limitting it to that one man when the truth is that Christ and all the Saints makes up but one Christ 1 Cor. 12. 12. And God as truly manifests himself in the flesh of all his as he did in Christ although the measure of that manifestation is different This is a mysterie which God is revealing in the spirits of his people and is indeed the glory of this new Creation this being in some measure manifested in the spirits of christians produceth in the second place Secondly A knowledge of their spirituall liberty in Christ 1. Spirituall liberty and justification from all spirituall enemies sin law condemnation whatever opposes the souls peace in this new heaven it s all done away Ioh. 8. 36. If the Son shal make you free then you are free indeed Saints shall now come to see that they are free indeed by Christ Acts 13. 39 By him all that beleeve are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses Gal. 5. 1. Thus Saints shall know their liberty and stand fast in it too For the Inhabitant shall not say I am sick they that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Isai 33. last That is they shall live in the knowledge of their liberty from sin although formerly through ignorance we have not so much looked after it This hath been accounted the highest measure of Christianity to see our selves justified to injoy the full assurance of justification by Christ a desire of Faith was a high measure of Faith and well if the soul get assurance while it hath a beeing in this body and thus many a pretious soul hath lived low under legall bondage through ignorance whereas justification from sin by Christ is the first step in Christianity and that which gives us the denomination of children 1 Iohn 2. 11 12. I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his names sake Persons injoying the forgivenesse of sin are but little children babes in the school of Christ Now this liberty from sin is that the Saints shall live fully in the knowledge of it as likewise in the knowledge of their liberty from legall bondage and so from legall actings Rom. 1. 2. which I passe in this place 2. In the knowledge of their liberty from men 1 Corinthians 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price be ye not the servants of men That is not to be subject to men in the things of God in matters of conscience that belongs only to God himself it is his proper peculiar right to rule in the spirits of his people although its true that there hath been and still is through ignorance a principle in man not only to usurp authority to rule in and over the conscience of others but a principle in us also out of conscience to submit to man in such cases now God is discovering and likewise delivering his people from this spirituall bondage unto men in the things of God and that from the knowledge of their liberty in the spirit 3. There is a liberty in knowledge 1 Ioh. 2. 20. Ye have an Vnction from the holy one and ye know all things that is all things that the Spirit makes known They are not tyed to other mens approbation but walk in that light the Spirit makes known in them see 1 Cor. 2. 15. Secondly The glory of this new Creation consists in the Saints knowledge of their peace and union with God First Peace and that first peace with God this is injoyed by faith Ephes 2. 13. Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God Every man naturally is at a distance