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	flesh_n	kingdom_n	6,050	5	7.3681	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37598	The honey-combe of free justification by Christ alone collected out of the meere authorities of Scripture and common and unanimous consent of the faithfull interpreters and dispensers of Gods mysteries upon the same, especially as they expresse the excellency of free justification / preached and delivered by Iohn Eaton ...	Eaton, John, 1574 or 5-1641.	1642 (1642)	Wing E115	344,226	528

himselfe the spirituall worker and Author of them making them in our apprehension correspondent and agreeable to the Almighty nature and glorious working of so wonderfull a workman Fifthly the literall knowledge although it bee never so great doth not change him that is in it but leaves him in his former old nature and corrupt conversation as if he were prophane it leaves him still prophane if he were meerely civill honest it leaves him still meerely civill honest if he were blindly zealous with a legall zeale it leaves him still blindly zealous with a legall zeale of advancing works works and doing as wee may see by the example of S. Paul who before his conversion followed the righteousnes of the Law Rom. 9. 31. and was zealous towards God Act. Rom 9. 31. A●ts 22. 3. 26. 7. 22. 3. serving God instantly day and night Act. 26. 7. And yet was but in this literall knowledge Yea as this literall knowledge findes a man in death and condemnation so it leaves him in death and condemnation saving that it leaves him in greater condemnation than if hee never knew any thing at all B●● the spirituall knowledge wholy changeth him that is in it and makes him to leave his old corrupt course of life and to live a godly conversation and not only makes him that was prophane or meerly civill to become zealous of Gods glory but also changeth the legall zeale of advancing works into the Evangelicall zeale of advancing Christs benefits and to doe all good duties zealously in meere thankfulnesse for the same because he that by this spirituall knowledge with open face beholdeth as in a looking glasse the glory of the Lord is changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord. Sixthly and lastly as the spirituall knowledge discerning the deep things of God counts them and embraceth them as precious and glorious so the literall knowledge resting in the bare letter cannot perceive nor receive the deep things of God that is the excellency of Christs benefits because it counts and rejects them as absurd and foolish yea very foolishnesse it selfe 1 Cor. 2. 14. and because great learning 1 Cor 2 14. The ground of contention and wrangling against●r●e justification counts it her wisdome to confute that which she takes for foolishnesse hereupon ariseth unfallibly against the preaching of the excellency of Christs benefits strong sophisticating and bold contention because the literall learning being mounted up upon the horse of pride for this knowledge puffeth up 1 Cor. 8. 2. 1 Cor. 8. 2● And being pricked forward with two spurres the one of envie at her brothers gift of preaching the glory of Christ and the other of vaine glory lest this literall learning loose some of her praise she rusheth out like a warre-horse into the battle of contention and yet layes all the blame hereof upon the preaching of the excellency of Christs benefits yea so strongly doth this literall knowledge judge the excellency of Christs benefits to be meere foolishnesse and thereupon so impudent in contention against the same that Luther upon these words Then is the slander of the ●uther upon Gal. 5. 11. Crosse abolished Gal. 5. 11. proveth with many arguments that Paul taketh it for a most certaine signe that the Gospel of Christ and righteousnesse of faith are not rightly preached and is not the Gospel if it be preached without contention against it for saith hee when the crosse is abolished and the rage of the false Apostles wrangling sophisticating and persecuring ceaseth on the one side and offences and scandals on the other-side and all things are in peace this is a sure token that the Devil keeping the entrie of the house the pure doctrine of Gods Word is taken away Because saith he it cannot be but as long as the Gospel flourisheth the crosse and offence thereof must needs follow it or else truly the Devil is not The Devill rageth against the Gospel rightly levelled at and hit but slightly glanced at but if he be rightly hit indeed he resteth not but beginneth horribly to rage and to raise up by these literall vaine-glorious men all the troubles he can And again notably writeth Luther upon these words but as then he that was borne after the flesh persecuted him that was borne after the spirit even so is it now whose whole exposition is worthy to be often read of the children of faith the sum and effect whereof is thus This persecution Luther on Gal. 4 29 vers alwaies remaineth in the Church especially when the word of God is powerfully brought to light and the doctrine of the Gospel flourisheth to wit that the children of the flesh mock the children of the promise and persecute them And therefore Paul in this place armeth the godly asore-hand that they should not be offended with these persecutions sects and offences As if he should say if we be the children of the promise and born after the spirit holding that righteousnesse commeth without works meerely by the promise we must surely look to bee persecuted of our brother which is born after the flesh that is after the Law and works and yet shines in the righteousnesse and glorious works of the Law that is to say not only our open enimies which are manifestly wicked shall persecute us but also such as at the first were our deare friends with whom we were in religion familiarly conversant in one house which received from us the true doctrine of the Gospel shall become our deadly enimies persecute us extreamely for they are brethren after the flesh and will persecute their brethren which are born after the Spirit and so raise hurries and molestations Indeed they lay the blame and fault in our doctrine when they themselves are the authors of these troubles and persecutions But because they are perswaded by this literall knowledge that they persecute that which is absurd and but meere foolishnesse they cannot beleeve this that they are the authors of these troubles and much lesse can they beleeve that it is they which murmur rise up and take counsell against the Lord and his annoynted nay rather they think that they maintaine the Lords cause that they defend his glory and doe him acceptable service in persecuting us The reason whereof is this expressed by Luther in other places upon the Galathians speaking against vaine-glory and therefore as worthy the often reading as the former the summe also whereof is thus That such is the nature of these literall and vaine-glorious Ministers of Satan That they can make a goodly shew that they are very charitable humble lovers of concord and are indued with all other fruites of the Spirit also they protest that they seek nothing else but the glory of God and the salvation of mens souls and yet being full of vaine-glory and doing all things to seeme learned and godly and so to get praise and estimation among

feare of blowes and beating whilst it is not marked that this filiall feare is by the fall and corruption of nature lost in naturall children whereby their Parents are constrained to use the servile feare and to drive their children from evill and to doe their duties with blowes corrections and beatings whereby they serve them not onely with much eye-service but also very aukwardly oftentimes When wee Preachers doe neglect to ground in the peoples hearts great joy for the greatnesse of the free-given treasures of Christ that should work and cause this filiall feare loving inclination and dutifull and truly filiall affections and goe about to square Gods children according to the corrupt pattern of naturall children corrupted with the slavish feare with blowes and beatings wee must needs quench in them the true filiall feare and stablish in them the servile feare that should be cast out 1 Ioh. 4. 18. cause in the children 1 Ioh. 4. 18. of God this eye-service which if it be naught in sanctified servants to their earthly masters as the Apostle saith Ephes 6. 6. how abhominable is it much more in Ephes 6. 6. the children of God to their heavenly Father and makes but hypocrites Tenthly this Doctrine that God sees sinne in his justified children to whip correct and punish them for the same is the very instrument and Engine that confounds the New Testament in respect of the legall government of the morall Law with the old that is finished Heb. 8 9 13. by bringing back haeredem adultum Heb. 8. 9. 13. the full-grown Heire to be again haredem pupillum the Heire in his non-age it brings back again the full growne Heire to bee whipped againe under the School-master after faith that we are made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely is come Expresly contrary as I said before to the words and doctrine of the Apostle Gal. 3. 25. It Gal. 3. 25. strips the Queene and Bride of her wedding-garment Revel 19. 7 8. of the vesture of the gold of Ophir by Revel 19 7 8. which shee is all glorious within with her cloathing of broidred gold Psal 45. 9. Ephes 5. 27. to stand naked to Psal 45. 9. ●phes 5. 27. be whipped with rods of crosses and afflictions for sin for sin is nakednesse It makes not the New Testament in the administration of righteousnesse and of the spirit above the Old Testament to exceed in glory 2 Cor. 3. 7 8 9 10. whereby the least preachers in the 2 Cor. 3 7 8 9 10. kingdome of heaven that should be greater than Iohn Baptist doe come so short of him and of unperfect Apollos Act. 18. 25. That Luther cals such justly first Act. 18. 25. Taske-masters because as the Taske-masters in Egypt they lay many precepts and tasks upon the people which for want of the spirit that comes by the preaching of Free Iustification whereof they speak but little Gal. 3. 2. the people are not able to doe and being not Gal. 3. 2. done they all to beat them with the whippings and corrections and lashes of the Law and it comes to the poor people accordingly because it is unto them according as they beleeve and they must beleeve as they are taught but they are not taught by such kinde of Teachers as people that are made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely so that all that they doe must bee done for joy and thankfulnesse that they are made so perfectly holy and righteous from all spot in the sight of God freely Which is to preach powerfully the glad tidings of good things Rom. 10. 15. Secondly hee calls such Rom. 10. 15. patchers because they doe not only patch unto the wedding-garment of Christs righteousnesse making his children perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely the old patches of the duties of the morall Law to make them good and better and better and more holy and more righteous every day in the sight of God by the holy walking of sanctification as they call it but also by the lashes of the Law doe whip them thereunto Hereby secretly laying the foundation of meriting works and the first corner stone in building of all Popery and Anabaptisme Eleventhly this Doctrine that the justified children of God must bee kept from sinne and driven to holy walking for feare of correction and punishments doth quite marre the true nature of sanctification for then it is true sanctification when it is done with willing cheerfulnesse and meere thankfulnesse for Free Iustification and the other great benefits of the Gospel freely bestowed and already possessed and thereupon bringing forth great joy and zealous obedience but if wee bee driven thereunto by corrections and whippings it is not free and cheerfull obedience but it is made compulsive but all that thankfulnesse whereunto wee with whippings are compelled is no thankfulnesse and indeed all such obedience is not worth a a butten except it be willing and cheerfull for joy of Free Iustification and then it is true sanctification indeed Psal 110. 3. Esay 55 5. Psal 110. 3. Eay 55. 5. 12 Twelfthly and lastly Summa Summae the upshot of all is this That when we Preachers of the Gospel not feeling in our hearts the vigour and power of the free-given treasures of Christ doe not trust to nor rely upon the pressing of them as sufficient where they are felt and injoyed operative causes of all holy walking and godly conversation then wee degenerate and decline thereby to the legall teaching of the Old Testament more agreeable to the light of nature described before of constraying men to holinesse and righteousnesse with legall arguments of large blessings if they doe well but with terrors of corrections and punishments for their evill doings which either doth little good at all or at the best makes but self-deceiving legall zealous hypocrites and so goe not with a right foot to the truth of the Gospel Gal. 2. 14. and purity Gal. 2. 14. of the first Primitive preaching of constraining men to holinesse adn righteousnesse by joy and love by preaching with joyfull inflamed hearts and fiery tongues Acts 2. 4. the exceeding excellency and glory Act. 2. 4. of the unsearchable riches of Christ which as it was the true course of the first manner of preaching of the Gospel in the Primitive Church as is evident in all these Scriptures Act. 8. 8 38 39. Act. 13. 38 39 Acts 8. 8. 38 39 13. 38 39 42 44 52. 1 Pet. 1. 8. Epes 3. 8. 42 44 52. 1 Pet. 1. 8. and which S. Paul defines to be the very essence of a Preacher of the Gospel Ephes 3. 8. saying in the person of all true Preachers of the Gospel vnto me the least of all Saints is given this grace that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ