Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A30136
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A confession of my faith and a reason of my practice, or, With who, and who not, I can hold church-fellowship, or the communion of saints
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Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing B5506; ESTC R36326
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44,845
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152
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21. I believe that when he comes his saints shall have a reward of grace for all their work and labour of Love which they shewed to his name in the world And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour And then shall every man have praise of God And behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work shall be Wherefore my beloved brethren be stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for asmuch as ye know your labour is not in vain in the Lord Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ 1 Cor. 3.8 chap. 4.5 Rev. 22.12 1 Cor. 15 58. Col 3 24. How Christ is made ours or by what means this or that man hath that benefit by him us to stand just before God now and in the day of judgement 1. I believe we being sinfull Creatures in our selves that no good thing done by us can procure of God the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But that the imputation thereof is an act of grace a free gift without our deserving Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. He called us and saved us with an holy calling Not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.24 chap. 5.17 2 Tim. 1 9. 2. I believe also that the power of imputing righteousness resideth onely in God by Christ 1 Sin being the transgression of the Law 2. The soul that hath sinned being his creature and the righteousness also his and his onely Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man to whom God imputeth righteousness without works saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sin is covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin Hence therefore it is said again that men shall abundantly utter the memory of his great goodness and sing of his righteousness For he saith in Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion So then it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Rom. 4.6 7. Psal. 145.7 Rom. 9.15 16. 3. I believe that the offer of this righteousness as tendered in the Gospell is to be received by faith we still in the very act of receiving it judging our selves sinners in our selves Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved The Gospel is preached in all nations for the obedience of faith Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation a sacrifice to appease the displeasure of God through faith in his blood To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God to declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifyer of him that believeth on Jesus Be it known unto you therefore men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins And by him all that believe are justifyed from all things from which they could not be justifyed by the law of Moses Rom 7.24 Act. 16.31 Rom 3.24.25 Act. 13.38 39. 4. I believe that this faith as it respecteth the imputation of this righteousness for justification before God doth put forth it self in such acts as purely respect the offer of a gift It receiveth accepteth of imbraceth or trusteth to it As many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospell of your salvation In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise I believe therefore that as to my justication from the curse of the Law I am as I stand in my self ungodly to receive accept of imbrace and trust to the righteousness that is already provided by and wrapt up in the personal doings and sufferings of Christ it being faith in that and that onely that can justify a sinner in the sight of God Joh. 1.12 1 Tim. 1.15 Heb. 11.13 Eph. 1.13 5. I believe that the faith that so doth is not to be found with any but those in whom the Spirit of God by mighty power doth work it all others being fearfull and incredulous dare not venture their souls and eternity upon it And hence it is called the faith that is wrought by the exceeding great and mighty power of God The faith of the operation of God And hence it is that others are said to be fearfull and so unbelieving These with other ungodly sinners must have their part in the lake of fire Eph. 1.18 19. Col. 2.12 Eph. 2.8 Phil. 1.19 Rev. 21.8 6. I bilieve that this faith is effectually wrought in none but those which before the world were appointed unto Glory And as many as were ordained unto eternal life believed That he might make known the riches of his Glory upon the vessels of mercy which he had before prepared unto Glory We give thanks unto God alwayes for you all making mention alwayes of you in our prayers remembring without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God knowing brethren beloved your election of God But of the rest he saith ye believed not because ye are not of my sheep as I said which latter words relate to the 16. v. which respecteth the election of God Joh. 10.26 Therefore they could not believe because Esaias said again he hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and I should heal them Act. 13.48 Rom. 9.23 1 Thes. 1.2 3 4. Joh. 10.26 chap. 12 38 39 40. Of Election 1. I believe that Election is free and permanent being founded in Grace and the unchangeable will of God Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of Grace And if by Grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace But if it be of works then it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more work Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth who are his In whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
Secondly and observe it One Spirit one Hope one Lord one Faith one Baptism not of Water for by one Spirit are we all Baptized into one body one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all is a sufficient rule for us to hold communion by also to endeavour the maintaining that communion and to keep it in unity within the bond of peace against all attempts what soever Eph. 4.1 6. 1 Cor. 12.16 Thirdly I am bold therefore to have communion with such Heb. 6.2 Because they also have the doctrin of Baptisms I say the doctrins of them For here you must note I distinguish between the doctrin and practise of Water-baptism The Doctrin being that which by the outward sign is presented to us or which by the outward circumstance of the act is preached to the believer viz. The death of Christ My death with Christ also his resurrection from the Dead and mine with him to newness of life This is the doctrin which Baptism preacheth or that which by the outward action is signifyed to the believing receiver Now I say he that believeth in Jesus Christ that richer and better then that viz. is dead to sin and that lives to God by him he hath the heart power and doctrine of Baptism all then that he wanteth is but the sign the shadow or the outward circumstance thereof Nor yet is that despised but forborn for want of light The best of Baptisms he hath he is Baptized by that one spirit he hath the heart of Water-baptism he wanteth only the outward shew which if he had would not prove him a truly visible Saint it would not tell me he had grace in his heart It is no Characteristical note to another of my Sonship with God Indeed 't is a sign to the person Baptized and an help to his own Faith he should know by that circumstance that he hath received remission of sins if his Faith be as true as his being Baptized is felt by him But if for want of light he partake not of that sign his Faith can see it in other things exceeding great and precious promises Yea as I also have hinted already if he appear not a Brother before he appeareth not a Brother by that And those that shall content themselves to make that the note of visible Church-membership I doubt make things not much better the note of their sonship with God Fourthly I am bold to hold communion with visible Saints as afore because God hath communion with them whose example in the case we are streightly commanded to follow Receive you one another as Christ Jesus hath received you saith Paul to the glory of God Rom. 15.1 6. Yea though they be Saints o opinions contrary to you though it goeth against the mind of them that are strong We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves What infirmityes Those that are natural are incident to all they are infirmityes then that are sinfull that cause a man for want of light to erre in circumstantials And the reason upon which he ground this admonition is that Christ pleased not himself but as it is written the reproaches of them that reproached thee have fallen upon me You say to have communion with such weak brethren reproacheth your opinions and practise Grant it your dulness and deadness and imperfections also reproach the holyness of God If you say no for Christ hath born our sins The answer is still the same Their sins also are fallen upon Christ He then that hath taken away thy sins from before the throne of God hath taken away their shortness in conformity to an outward circumstance in religion Both your infirmityes are fallen upon Christ yea if notwithstanding thy great sins thou standest by Christ compleat before the Throne of God why may not thy Brother notwithstanding his little ones stand compleat before thee in the Church Vain man Think not by the streightness of thine order in outward and bodily conformity to outward and shadowish circumstances that thy peace is maintained with God for peace with God is by Faith in the blood of his cross who hath born the reproaches of you both Wherefore he that hath communion with God for Christs sake is as good and as worthy of the communion of Saints as thy self He erreth in a circumstance thou errest in a substance who must bear these errors Upon whom must these reproaches fall Phil. 1.10 Some of the things of God that are excellent have not been approved by some of the Saints What then Must these for this be cast out of the Church No these reproaches by which the wisedom of heaven is reproached have falâ—en upon me saith Christ. But to return God hath received him Christ hath received him therefore do you receive him There is more solidity in this argument then if all the Churches of God had received him This receiving then because it is set an example to the Church is such as must needs be visible to them and it best described by that word which discovereth the visible Saint Who so therefore you can by the word judge a visible Saint one that walketh with God you may judge by the self same word that God hath received him Now him that God receiveth and holdeth communion with him you should receive and hold communion with Will any say we cannot believe that God hath received any but such as are Baptized I will not suppose a Brother so stupifyed and therefore to that I will not answer Receive him to the Glory of God To the Glory of God is put in on purpose to shew what dishonour they bring to God who despise to have communion with them who yet they know have communion with God For how doth this man or that Church glorify God or count the wisdom and holyness of heaven beyond them when they refuse communion with them concerning whom they are by the word convinced that they have communion with God Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus Rom. 15.5 By this word Patience Paul insinuateth how many imperfections the choycest Christians do mingle their best performances with And by this of consolation how readily God overlooks passeth by them and comforteth you notwithstanding Now that this mind should be in Christians one to another is manifest bcause Paul praies that it might be so But this is an heavenly gift and therefore must be fetched from thence But let the patience of God and the willingness of Christ to bear the reproaches of the weak and the consolations that they have in God notwithstanding moderate your passions and put you upon prayer to be minded like Jesus Christ. Fifthly Because a failure in such a circumstatce as Water doth not unchristian us This must needs be granted not onely from what was said before but for that thousands