Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	holy_a	scripture_n	6,955	5	5.9774	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29102	The imperfect promulgation of the Gospel consider'd a sermon preach'd in the Church of St. Mary le Bow, January 7, 1699/1700 : being an appendix to the lectures of the last year appointed by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq. / by Samuel Bradford.	Bradford, Samuel, 1652-1731.	1700 (1700)	Wing B4115; ESTC R25291	15,205	36

Wicked but that the Wicked turn from his way and live with much more to the same purpose in the following Verses In the Prophet Jonah we find that Nineveh a Pagan City was spar'd upon the Humiliation of its Inhabitants When our blessed Saviour came to declare the Will of God more fully it was in these Terms Luke 24.47 That Repentance and Remission of sins should be preach'd in his Name amongst all Nations begining at Jerusalem And altho' this Doctrine is preached only to those to whom the Oracles of God are publish'd yet we cannot from thence fairly conclude that if in any other part of the World there be found any true Penitents their Repentance shall not be accepted of God because they were not expresly told so beforehand On the contrary as the Consideration of the Divine Goodness will dispose us to hope the best so there are diverse Hints in the Oracles of God themselves which may incline us to take the favourable side in this Controversie St. Peter seems to have done so when upon observing how God had accepted the Prayers and the Alms of Cornelius he own'd himself convinc'd of a Mistake which he lay under before crying out Of a truth I perceive Acts 10.34 35. that God is no Respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted with him 'T is true sometimes Faith is made the Condition of Acceptance with God as well as Repentance particularly in our Text it is expresly made the Condition of Salvation but then if by Faith be to be understood an express believing in Jesus Christ it must be restrain'd to them to whom he is preach'd For as I observ'd before the Patriarchs and other good Men of the Jewish Nation were accepted upon their Faith believing the Promises of God and obeying his Commands before the coming of our Lord and when they had very obscure Notions concerning him And the Apostle to the Hebrews in his excellent Discourse of Faith Heb. 11.6 even that Faith which is acceptable to God defines it in general a believing that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him Which indeed will include believing in God as a Rewarder of them that seek him through Jesus Christ where the Gospel is publish'd But it seems evidently to imply also that God will accept such a degree of Faith in him as is suitable to the Revelation he hath made of himself be it more or less What else can we think of such a Man as Job for Instance concerning whom it is said Job 1.1 that he was perfect and upright one that feared God and eschewed Evil Who yet was not of that Family which God had chosen to be his peculiar People and to bless with his more particular Revelations but an Arabian What shall we again think of Abimelech a Philistian King in whom was likewise found the Fear of God to that degree that upon his Admonition he readily eschewed that Evil which he was before in danger of Gen. 20.6 c. though unwittingly and in the integrity of his Heart And altho' I dare not profess my self assur'd of the State of Socrates or Epictetus yet I cannot but be strongly inclin'd to hope that the Expiation of our Redeemer may have render'd their Repentance and Obedience in a good degree acceptable to God And God only knows how many more penitent and sincere Souls may be found in the dark Corners of the Earth It may be for ought we know in this Case as in that of Elijah who imagin'd himself left alone 1 Kings 19.14 18. when God knew of no less than seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed the Knee to Baal But yet farther Eighthly Another Effect of the Expiation made by our Redeemer may have been for ought any Man can know to the contrary the secret Operation and Influence of the Divine Spirit enlightning and moving the Minds of Men in all parts of the World 'T is acknowledgd that no Man can either repent or believe in God or obey him acceptably without the Assistance of the good Spirit 't is confess'd also that this Asistance is expresly promis'd only through Jesus Christ but I should be very loth to affirm that it was never imparted to any who were not actually instructed in the Christian Doctrine There can be no doubt with respect to the Patriarchs who were the Friends and Favorites of God and by their Faith and Piety demonstrated that they were enlighten'd and mov'd by his Spirit The Law of Moses did not expresly promise the Assistance of the Spirit and yet there is no Question but that pious and good Men among the Jews did partake of it And shall we confine it to them only No! I would rather hope that Job and Abimelech before mention'd nay that Socrates and Epictetus also in their Measure partook of the same the Fruits of that Divine Spirit methinks very evidently appear in many of their Expressions and Actions Diverse Pagans as I observed in a former Lecture have been sensible of this Truth and openly avow'd that the Inspiration of God was necessary to Virtue and accordingly believ'd that such as were truly Virtuous amongst themselves were so by the assistance of the Divine Spirit And it seems highly worthy of God to believe thus at least not to believe otherwise And indeed if we reflect upon the Notion which was current amongst the best and most ancient Christian Writers and which the Holy Scriptures seem to have led them into concerning the Dispensation of God towards Mankind by our Redeemer we shall the more easily be dispos'd to be of this Judgment For they look'd upon our Saviour as not only designing but beginning his Transactions for the good of Men from the time of their first Creation and for the Recovery of Sinners from the time of their Fall They believ'd that diverse of the Appearances mention'd in the Old Testament were really of the Son of God in Angelical Form anticipating thereby and prefiguring his Appearance at last in Humane Nature They believed that it was He who conducted the Israelites from Egypt into Canaan that it was He who was in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in the midst of the Cloud towards whom therefore the Jews paid their solemn Adorations And for the like Reason they believ'd that it was He who inspir'd all the great and good Men that were eminent for Piety and Virtue either among the Jews or in any other Nations In a word John 1.9 they understood St John to mean as much where he says That was the true Light which enlighteneth every Man that cometh into the VVorld not only by imparting the Powers of Understanding and Reason to them in their first Formation but also by farther opening their Understandings and improving their Minds as they should become capable by the secret Suggestions and Motions of his Spirit So that although