Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bear_v	enter_v	kingdom_n	5,396	5	6.1932	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25202	Anti-sozzo, sive, Sherlocismus enervatus in vindication of some great truths opposed, and opposition to some great errors maintained by Mr. William Sherlock.	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.	1676 (1676)	Wing A2905_VARIANT; ESTC R37035	424,995	711

so affected with all the Arguments to a New Life which are contained in Christs Incarnation and Life and Doctrine c. It seems there are not Arguments enough in his Person but we must run to his Doctrine for a Recruit and what 's become then of his specious Promise that he would out-throw all that ever tryed before him in making Schemes of Religion from Acquaintance with his Person The veriest Bungler on Earth could but have contradicted himself but I wish that were the worst on●…t For 1. Some cannot see any Method at all in it But to be recovered is the Method of being Recovered to be converted is the way to be converted and that 's a very sure way I promise you for Omne quod est in quantum est Necesse est esse But this one of his peculiar Excellencies p. 18. The way to be perfect is to live as Christ lived or which is all one The way to be perfect is to be perfect If any one can make any better of this he shall have my free leave When we are so affected with all the powerfull Arguments contained in Christs Incarnation c. as to be sensible of the shame and folly of sin and to be reconciled to the love and practice of true Piety and Holiness Then The English of which is this When we are once holy then we are holy And this is his New way or Method of a Sinners Recovery by Christ. But 2. We have been made to believe hitherto That Method is a convenient sorting and marshalling of Matters which relate each to other into such an Order as may tend best to the reaching the End in practical Disciplines and making out the Truth in Theories But herein our Author is wretchedly out of the way For first he tells us we must be so affected with all the powerfull Arguments contained in Christs Intercession c. and then we partake in the Merits of his Sacrifice and find the Benefit of his Intercession for us That is we must set the Cart before the Horses which is an excellent Method Seeing we cannot partake of the Fruit of Christs Intercession before we partake of the Fruits of his Sacrifice for it is unquestionable that the Intercession of Christ is available by virtue of and operates by his Sacrifice 3. His Method is very lame upon this Account that he tells us we must be affected with all the powerfull Arguments contained in Christs Incarnation c. and yet never tells us how these Arguments become effectual to affect us which is a main thing in this Method A Method he supposes and yet never informs us whether it be onely a way that God prescribes us to recover our selves by using the best of our own Natural strength or whether it be Gods Way and Method which he proceeds in for the effectual recovery of a Sinner to himself 4. Here 's a Method pretended how a Sinner is recovered and yet no Consideration had what part and share the Holy Spirit bears in it which must needs be marvellously ridiculous to him that considers Iohn 3. 5 6. Except a man be born again of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Our Saviour had said v. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God but not contenting himself to have shew'd how absolutely necessary Regeneration is to Salvation v. 5. he shews the Spirits concernment in that work and that all other Endeavours after Conversion without his powerfull Operation will amount to no more than flesh The streams will not rise higher than the Spring V. 6. That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit But yet 5. It 's equally absurd to speak of a Sinners Recovery and never shew from what he is recovered As if he should promise to Open to us the Nature of Motion and yet never shew us from whence the Motion takes its rise nor whither it tends Sinners are here talk'd of to be recovered but whether there be a state of corrupt and sinfull Nature a state of Enmity against God a state of blindness and darkness of Mind from which this Recovery must move we are not honoured with half a word 6. Here 's a recovery to Acts of Obedience love and practice of Piety but nothing of a New Heart a New Nature which the Scripture makes the Vital Principle of all New Obedience Here we are told a little of the Fruit the Tree brings forth but nothing how the Tree was made good that it might bring forth good Fruit. 7. He assigns a sensibleness of the Shame and Folly of Sin as the Means to get a Title to the Promises of the Gospel and yet some of those Promises contain an Engagement of God to give that New heart new spirit which he makes the Condition of obtaining a Title to the Promises Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the heart of Stone out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of Flesh. I am perswaded that if we should all study seven years to be Impertinent and Ridiculous there are not many that could reach or equallize our Authors Attainments Secondly The other part of his Task wherein he is always most Admirable is To pluck down those Methods which others have or are supposed to have Built And 't is certainly an easier province to find faults than to amend them Now first he enlightens us with this Doctrine That the design of Christs coming into the World was not to distract mens minds with the Terrors of the Law and the Inexorable Iustice of God not to bring us under a Legal Despensation of Fear and Bondage Now all the Colour of this trifling Sophistry lies in two things 1. In putting in the word Distract to make his Negative seem Tenable For though Christ came to Humble to Abase to Awaken the guilty Consciences of sinners yet it would be hard to say he came to fright men out of their Wits to prepare men for Bedlam and the slipping in such an useful word will make a Negative justifiable upon any of the Designs of Christ But can sinners be more Mad than they are who go on securely in a state of Impenitency and Rebellion against God No sure That which some call distracting of sinners is but really a step towards the helping of them to their Wits 2. The Design of Christs coming into the World is either Subordinate which relates still to some further end and design of Christ or Ultimate to which all others do submit and give deference Now 't is true To awaken guilty Consciences with the Terrors of Gods Iustice to bring the Soul into a spirit of Bondage were not that which Christ did aim at as his great End but that he aimed at these things also in the way to his farthest End That is he used the Law to rowse the sleepy sinner to see his danger and provide

in lege Mosis per se honesta sunt Grot. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is any thing that God hath thought meet to appoint or command his People Dr. Hammond And now for to divert his Reader he has sprung us new game but I shall adjourn the Consideration of what immediately follows that we may not be bewildred and lost in a wood and shall fall in with him at p. 273. where he reassumes the present Subject Thus y●…u see says he how the Apostle opposes the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith not as an Inherent and Personal Righteousness to an Imputed Righteousness but as an External and Ritual to an Inherent and Substantial Righteousness but we have seen no such matter as yet and do believe we are not like to see it And the rather because he has thrown in a very suspicious word that would make any one think that though he sets a good Face upon the Matter yet he has little confidence in the Truth of his own Notions The Truth is lays he The Righteousness of the Law and of Works in the New-Testament signifies only an External Righteousness which cannot please God Now I began to think thus with my self Does the Righteousness of the Law signifie one thing in the New-Testament and another in the Old-Testament Does it signifie a real Inherent Substantial Righteousness in the Old and a Ritual External Righteousness in the New Sincerity in the one and Hypocrisie and Ceremony in the other this is very unaccountable Surely thought I when the Apostle argues with Jews or Judaizing Christians he speaks in their Dialect speaks to their Capacity speaks that he may be understood speaks ad idem They that had read Ps. 119. 144. The Righteousness of thy Testimonies of thy Law is everlasting would wonder to hear the Apostle speak against the Righteousness of the Law but alas he only equivocated and had a mental Reservation in his Sleeve and understood all the while Ceremony and hypocrisie But this is a Riddle which because our Author has made of his own Mother-wit he is the fittest Man alive to interpret it 3 His Second Antithesis is between my own Righteousness and the Righteousness of God and he is considering with himself in what sense they are opposed But there 's no great difficulty in this says he for the Apostle himself tells us that by his own Righteousness he means the Righteousness of the Law and by the Righteousness of God the Righteousness of Faith and therefore he will give this the gentle wipe and away But now he has quite spoiled the Humour of the double Antithesis for if by his own Righteousness he means the Righteousness of the Law and by the Righteousness of God the Righteousness of Faith then there 's but one single Antithesis between his own Righteousness which is of the Law on the one part and the Righteousness by the Faith of Christ even the Righteousness which is of God by Faith on the other part but at these rates he might have given us a treble quadruple sextuple Antithesis and have rung as many changes when his hand was once in upon two Bells as others can do upon six The Apostles Words indeed were clear very clear till our Author found it necessary to obscure them to deprave the Truth conciliate some small reverence to errour to which two Heads I foresaw from the first his whole Discourse might be reduced And thus much we are secured of That the Apostle has repudiated his own Righteousness from any concern in justification and that we may not doubt what that was he tells us 't is that of the Law What the Righteousness of the Law signifies is evident that which always bore that Name that which the Law commands and prescribes viz. An exact Conformity to the Law of God in Spirit Soul and Body so far as 't is attainable or not attainable He assures us next what he owns and adheres to viz. The Righteousness of Christ which is also called The Righteousness of God He further acquaints us how we come to be interessed in this Righteousness and that is by Faith and that we may not ignorantly or wilfully mistake Faith for the Doctrine of Faith he assures us that it 's by Believing by which we obtain this Righteousness Rom. 3. 22. The Righteousness which is by Faith of Iesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe To shut up his learned Exercitation or scholastical Dissertation or Diatriba of Antitheses our Author will favour us with a Reason nay with an obvious and the most obvious Reason why this Righteousness of the Law is called their own Righteousness because forsooth this Legal Righteousness was a way of their own chusing not of God's Appointment Now here he most falsly supposes that by the Righteousness of the Law is only meant a Righteousness made up of the Works of the Ceremonial Law but I think something has been offered to dash that fancy out of countenance I am in haste and intreat our Author to accept of short answers 1. God has not appointed a Righteousnes made up out of any observances of the Moral Law to be that Righteousness wherein Sinners shall stand justified before him If any will demand Iustification thereby God will demand exact and perfect Conformity If therefore Sinners will chase this way 't is their own Righteousness and it 's time to give it a bill of divorce God has not appointed it 2. External Washings External Conformity c. were no Righteousness at all much less the Righteousness of the Law that which it required to form a Righteousness and therefore chuse it or not chuse it this is nothing to the purpose The Apostle renounces his own Righteousness which is the Righteousness of the Law And this is further evident from Rom. 10. 3. which our Author quotes but miserably perverts For they being ignorant of Gods Righteousness and going about to establish their own Righteousness have not submitted to the Righteousness of God Here is then the same Antithesis again between their own Righteousness that of the Law and the Righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ and the opposition is so direct and diametrical that 't was impossible to establish their own but they must shake off all subjection to Gods Righteousness The Question then will be Whether we are to be justified by a Legal or an Evangelical Righteousness And to this our Author agrees in words but his Words intend quite another thing from the Truth For by the Law he understands the Law of Moses and let that pass too for once But then by the Law of Moses he understands only the Ceremonial Law though sometimes he is content to take in External Acts of Conformity to the Moral Law and thus by a Legal Righteousness or the Righteousness of the Law he understands one made up of External Observations only wherein the Apostle has clearly

they had of their own for which God might justly have dealt thus with them yet God Declares that this was the Impulsive cause of their Punishment even the sin of David with whom the People having a Political Union as our Author phrases it they made but one Body in the sight of Vengeance And when others say That this was but a temporal Punishment and therefore it will not hold that God should punish the Posterity of Adam spiritually for his Transgression they say they know not what For God will not be Unrighteous and Unjust in Punishing the Sons of Men for that sin which is none of their own in the smallest thing from a Thread to a Shooe-latchet and the Rule of Justice in this Case is the Law for if the Law was back'd by a Sanction of Spiritual and Eternal threatnings then 't is Just with the Law-giver to Inflict the Punishment upon all that are under the Law our Union with Adam was another a stricter Union than the Israelites had with David it was Spiritual the other Civil External only And therefore according to the Law of Union and Relation though the Israelites could only suffer for Davids sin temporally yet the Posterity of Adam may by Righteous Judgment of God for Adams sin suffer Eternally And now let us briefly see whether our Author comes up to any thing of the Apostle or no God says he was so highly displeased with Adams sin that for his sake he Entailed a great many Evils Miseries nay Death it self upon his Posterity Nay but says the Apostle they were constituted sinners Iudgment and Condemnation came upon them though they had not sinned after the Similitude of Adams transgression the same Iudgment which in the Sanction of the Law was threatned against Adams sin and now to Fob and Flam off this with Evils Miseries and never tell us what they were not how it could be Just with God to Entail the least Evil upon them or touch a Hair of their Heads for the sin of another with whom they had no privity of Interest is to Reduce the sin of Adam as near to Nothing as he has Reduced Christs Righteousness 2. May we enquire also VVhether that Influence which he allows to Christs Obedience reach the Mind of the Apostle The Apostle affirms that By the Obedience of one many were made Righteous and that by the Righteousness of one the Free-gift came upon all to Iustification of Life v. 18 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Many or the many of whom he Treats shall be constituted Righteous For as all that were in the first Adam all his Natural Seed were by vertue of a Legal Constitution Ordinance and Appointment of God made sinners in the Transgression of their common Head and Representative so all the Spiritual Seed and Posterity of Christ which the Father had promised to give him as the Reward of his Death and Sufferings are by vertue of a New a better Law-constitution made Righteous by the Righteousness of their spiritual Head and Representative And therefore the Apostle v. 14. tells us expresly That Adam was the Figure of Christ He did exactly represent the Headship of Christ towards all his spiritual Posterity in that Headship which he bore towards his own Posterity But the Apostle has said enough in this Chapter to stomack the Pride and Restifness of humane Wisdom nothing more grating upon the Spirit of a Gallant than that he should be made a sinner by the sin or owe his Righteousness to the Righteousness of another This is the summe of the Apostles Discourse As the Posterity of Adam were made sinners constituted such by a Law and dealt with as such by God so are the Posterity of Christ made Righteous by such another way of Justification But then I assume The Posterity of Adam could not be made sinners by the sin of Adam otherwise than by the Imputation of Adams sin therefore the Posterity of Christ could not be made Righteous otherwise in the sight of God than by the Imputation of Christs Righteousness The Posterity of Adam could not possibly be made sinners by Adams first sin any other way than by charging it upon them according to the Terms of that Law under which he and they stood nor are the Seed of Christ capable of being made Righteous in Gods sight by the Obedience of Christ otherwise than by Imputing it to them according to that New Covenant-constitution called the Law of Faith and Righteousness under which Christ and Believers do now stand But if the word Imputation do Disgust our Authors delicate Ears let him call it what he pleases provided the Apostles Argument be satisfied and his main Design secured let us now see how our Author comes up to the Apostle God says he was so well pleased with the Obedience and Righteousness of Christs Life and Death that for his sake he bestows the rewards of Righteousness on those who according to the Rigour of the Law are not Righteous Wherein our Author and our Apostle come not near one another by many Leagues 1. Our Author says God bestows the reward of Righteousness on them that are not Righteous But our Apostle says we are made Righteous by the Obedience of Christ before we can be accounted Righteous by God The Holy God will not account half Righteousness for a whole one sinners may mock themselves but they cannot mock God That which the Law requires must be had the Apostle tells us 't is to be had in Christ By his Obedience through the Intervention of the Law-constitution of Faith and Righteousness Believers are made Righteous 2. Whatever is Lurking under the darkness of these Expressions The Rewards of Righteousness the Rigour of the Law yet this we may be sure of that all come to this in the Up shot That God for Christs sake has made a New Covenant of Grace which Pardons our past Sins and Follies and rewards a Sincere though Imperfect Obedience I can compare our Authors Copia Verborum his Variegated Equipollent Phrases and Expressions to nothing so well as that of the Chymists when they endeavour to bind Hermes or in plain English their fixing of Quicksilver they can Model it into many accidental Forms and Shapes and yet the Cunning versute Creature will be Mercury again do what they can unless some will compare it to the Young-mans Mistress in the Fable that Brided it for a day or so but yet upon the sight of her old Game put off her Personated self and reassumed her real self again Such Feats of Activity have we shown us ever and anon by our Author he can turn his words into more Shapes than Proteus tell us of this and that but when he comes to himself All the Influence that Christs Obedience has upon our acceptance with God is that we owe such a Covenant to it as he has described to us and Contrived for us Tells us That God for Christs sake has entered into a