Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	body_n	grace_n	soul_n	8,807	5	4.9778	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67742	Carnal reason, or The wisdom of the flesh how foolish, deceitful, dangerous, reprobate and divilish; together with rectified reason, or the wisdom of the spirit, how divine, transcendent, safe, profitable and delightful: as also, how many was at first created; how he is now corrupted, and how he may be again restored: being three fundamental principles of Christian religion; which few do indeed know; and yet he who knows them not, cannot be saved. By Junius Florilegus. Licensed and entred according to order.	Younge, Richard.	1669 (1669)	Wing Y142; ESTC R218076	22,612	22

in every one a stone turned into flesh In all which God meets with nothing but opposition which in the Creation he met not with The case is this though the weakest means shall serve the turn where God intends success yet when he withholds his contemned grace Paul himself shall not be able to move a soul. Besides as all bodies are not equally apt to be wrought upon by the same medicine so are not all souls by the same means of grace One remains obstinate and refractory whiles others are pliable The same report wherewith the spirit of Rahab melteth hardens the King of Iericho Josh. 2. Sergius Paulus was converted Elymas obdu●ated at the same Sermon Acts 13. that one hard saying of our Saviour John 6. like a file sharpned eleven of his Apostles while it so blunted the rest of his Disciples that many of them murmured and from that time went back and walked no more with him Verse 66 c. Plants and stones lie under the same beams of the Sun and are wet with the same moisture of the clouds yet the plants spring and grow when there is no alteration of the stones An Ethiopian enters black into the Bath and cometh black out again The Holy Ghost witnesseth that though the generality of th● Iews were rather hardned than bettered by all our Saviours preachin● and miracles yet Peter converted three thousand at one Sermon and five thousand at another Ionas his short Sermon of but seven word● Yet forty days and Ninevy shal be destroyed Jonah 3. proved the conversion of sixscore thousand Ninevites Whereas the graves opening th● o●● arising the Temple renting the light of the Sun failing the Centurian confessing c would do no good upon the Scribes and Pharisees Yea● let the Sodo●ites be strucken blind for contesting with Lot and hi● two Angels yet they will not cease seeking his door to break it open persist they wi●l until they feel fire and br●●stone about their ears G●●● 19 Only God will give success to whom when and as he pleaseth● Gods house as the streets of Jericho may be thronged and yet bu● one Za●heus gained to the faith Whereas Hillary found not seventeen Believers and left not so many Vnbelievers in the whole City Indeed if God but speaks the word no means can be too weak● as when he created the World he but said Let there be light and there wa● light And when he said to our first Parents Bring forth fruit the● did so Gen. 1. 2. So if he but says Let this or that soul be enlightned to see his miserable and wretched condition by reason o● his original and actual defilement and the punishment due to both● Let him have power and will to repent and believe savingly it is n●● sooner said than it is accomplish'd Otherwise he remains blin● to all dangers● deaf to all good instructions And so I come to acquain● you how this silent Guest proved his assertion in shewing ho● invincib●y ignorant every Natural man is in things that are supernatural or that make for the good of his precious and immorta● soul and all saving knowledge and how foolish deceitful dangerous● reprobate and devillish carnal reason or the wisdom of the flesh is thoug● it be sufficiently discovered 2 Cor 3.14 15 16 17 18. Revel 3 17● 1 Tim. 6.4 5. But take it in his own words Is there any thing says hee more stupid sottish or ridiculous than for men to think themselves as wise as the best whe●● it may truly be said of every natural man touching true wisdom● as the Lord speaks of the Ostrich Job 39. namely that he is deprive● of wisdom n●ither hath h●a●y understanding imparted unto him Vers. 17● Are not they stupified sots ● who with the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3● think themselves rich and to want nothing when yet they are wretched an● miserable and poor and blind and na●ed of all sp●ritual endowments ver 17●● Tim. 6 4. Are not they ca●eles● mindless and regardless fools that are the greatest strangers to themselves quick sighted to other● faults blind to their o●n Are not th●y drunken sots frantick fool● or savage beasts who believe Satan that promiseth prosperity t● sin yea● lif● and salvation as the P●pe promised the Pon der Traytors● and not believe God who threatens Hell and damnation in case me● repent not and forsake their sins When Satan is known to be ●he Father of all lies cheating and cruelty and God to be truth itself that cannot lye Or those who will receive what ever is offered them be it bribe or any other sinful bait not once think●ng this is forbidden fruit and thou shalt dye the death Who think the ●owed enemy of their souls and all mankinde can offer them a ●●●is without a hook Who stand more in awe of the Temporal Magi●●●te that can onely kill the body than they do of their Maker who can with one word of his mouth cast both body and soul into hell And indeed if visible powers were not more feared than the invisible God and the haulter more than Hell Natural men being like beasts that more fear the flash of powder than the bullet the World would be overrun with outrage Again Are not they brainless beasts brutish Sensualists yea frantick fools fitter for Bedlam than to be admitted into Christian Society or the Communion of Saints who ●esemble Iudas that preferred Thirty pieces of silver before him that was Lord of the whole world and ransom of all mankind In that they stand more upon their silver or sides smarting than upon the loss of their precious and immortal souls prefer time yea a moment of time before Eternity their bodies before their souls yea their outward estates yea a little base pelf or some paultry pleasure before either soul or body who will tremble more at the thought of a Bailiff or a Prison than of Satan or Hell and everlasting per●ition Again Are not they sensless and odious Savages worse than Turks that sell Christians or Canibals that eat men for these are not cruel to themselves who can find in their hearts to damn their own souls and go to Hell that they may raise their houses and leave their Heirs a great estate Whereof take a sad instance of a rich Oppressor not far from the place where I once lived who having scraped up a great estate for his only son when he came to dye he calls his son to him and said Son do you indeed love me the Son answered That nature besides his paternal indulgence obliged him to that Then said the Father Express it by this hold thy finger in the candle as long as I am saying the Lords prayer The Sun attempted the same but could not endure it Upon th●t the Father brake forth into these doleful expressions Thou ●●nst not suffer the burning of thy finger for me but to get this wealth I have more than hazarded my soul for thee and must burn

grievou● slavery and thraldom you are in under Sin Satan and Hell bu● you are scorners of your Teachers and Instructors and more of thei● godly instruction what else makes you pick so many holes in thei● coats find so many faults with them raise so many objections if not lyes against them that nothing they either do or delive● can please you Why are you so spightful in spitting out you● spleen against them why do you slight their persons and detai● from them their dues Or if you do for your peace and credit● sake part with some poor matter you think any thing too much for your Minister And what you part with is drawn from you as 〈◊〉 much blood from the heart And then also you will basely asperse him● yea many there be that will pretend Conscience forsooth that they may rob their Minister and alledge he had not their voice or consent when chosen or they hear him not or they like not hi● preaching that he hath taken degrees is ordained he is a Black coat or rather he is a conscientious Pastor or a Shepherd of Christ sending and not an intruder Then how basely will you calumniat● him that but takes his dues especially of a poor body Min●sters more than all the world besides must take a tester for a shilling An● not he alone shall suffer But all these Church-men say you ar● so covetous that they never think they have enough Again you● enmity to the Ministry appears plainly in this you envy not the pr●digious wealth of Merchants of Lawyers of any But if you hear of Minister that hath a twentieth part of their means your hearts and spleens ri●● at it And yet what can you alledge for your selves or against you● Pastors Are they any other to you than those Messengers were to Lo●● that came to fetch him out of Sodom that he might not feel the fire and bri●stone which followed Gen. 19. Or than the Angel was to Peter th● opened the iron gates loosed his hands brought him out of prison and delivered him from the thraldom of his enemies Acts 12. They beg and dig the dig and beg as that good Vine-dresser did whose mattock kept off the masters Ax Luke 13.8 9. They bring you the glad tidings of Salvation would furnish and endow you with the spiritual invaluable and lasting riches of Grace and Glory They beat their brains the● spend their spirits pour out their prayers plot and contrive all they can to sa●● your precious souls were you willing to be saved They are co●tent to waste themselves like a Candle that they may give light unto a● bring others to Heaven 1 Cor. 9.19 2 Cor. 12.15 And do you insteed of honoring respecting and rewarding them hate traduce and p●●secute them I would wish you to look to it for if I have a● skil in Scripture there is not a sin in the Nation that so hinders 〈◊〉 blessings or pulls down the curses and judgements of God upon us as do● is sin and yet it is not more provoking than it is a common 〈◊〉 But it is a true observation Sacriledge is the greatest Theft 〈◊〉 of it men make the least Conscience And sure I am our love 〈◊〉 Christ is best known by our respect to and usage of his Mes●●●gers nevertheless I foresee from former experience that God 〈◊〉 work a Miracle to perswade you not to carry an aking tooth against godly and consciencious Minister For the Ministers are to the ●●●nts seed as Sheep-keepers were to the Egyptians a very abomi●tion to them Gen. 46.34 yea I am able to Divine though I ●no Antivorta that not a few will fling away this Book and ●●d great fault with the Author though no Minister so soon they meet with this so necessary and considerable a truth And ●●deed nothing more usual than for men to pick straws to put out 〈◊〉 own eyes withal But go we on Are not those men brainless ●●asts and fools who will say they defie the Devil and all his works ●●d yet at the same time are slaves to the Devil and do his will in every ●●ing As what says the Apostle They art kept by the Devil in a snare ●●d taken captive of him at his will he ruleth and worketh his pleasure in 〈◊〉 as being their God and Father and Prince and Master 2. Tim. 2.26 John 8.44 14.30 2 Cor. 4.4 So I have given you his whole answer Now tell me you that have read or heard these ridiculous and ●●ainless absurdities what you think of these men that take themselves for rational Creatures and are so taken to be by all their fellow Sensualists who are every one guilty more or less of ●●e same absurdities for it is the case of almost who not are ●●y not all pitifully deprived of their reason and understanding ●uching Eternity and the good of their souls Could they ever ●●us think speak or do if they were not either mischievous ●ools or frenzy men Yea if these pernicious fools were not ●●ockified into a reprobate judgement could they thus think and ●●solve if so confess that Natural and unregenerate men wilful and ●penitent sinners are the most foolish shallow-brained and degenerate creatures alive Nor can you or the cunningest pate in the Nation pro●uce the like Prodigie as will more manifestly appear when I ●●ve given you the Natural mans Character as I finde it pourtray'd ●● the Scripture Gods Dictionary But first let me adde weight to that is past that these fools may if it be possible be brought out of love with their present condition God hath promised to bestow all blessings upon those that serve and obey 〈◊〉 both Temporal so far as would make for their good Spiritual and eternal That they shall fare well in their bodies names estates ●●●cious souls and postcritics And that they shall want nothing that is ●ood for them Prov. 28.27 as both the Old and New Testament fully ●●clares se● Deut. 28. Psalm 84.11 37.3 to 7. 34.9 10. Mat. 6.33 Godliness hath the promises not onely of this life but of the life to co●● 1 Tim. 4.8 the quintescence whereof consists in freedom from ● evil ●and fruition of all good which is the purchase of Christ for his followe● Again on the contrary he hath threatned that the unbeliever and disobedient shall be cursed in every thing he has or does or that befals him Curs● in this life and cursed in the life to come for which read Deut. 28. God h●● set before us life and death Heaven and Hell as a reward of good and evi● and lest us as it were to our choice whether we will be complea●ly and everlastingly happy or miserable Yet most men will choo●● rather to be cursed and miserable here and go to Hell hereafter the●● to fry everlastingly in a Furnace of fire and brimstone to enj●● their lusts than by forsaking their sins to serve Christ as he hath commanded them in his Gospel to inherit a

Whence God in judgement gives them the Spirit of slumber Eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear Rom. 11.2 yea shuts up their eyes Isaiah 6.9 10. And blinds their mindes John 1● 40 and delivers them up to walk in their own counsels Jer. 9.14 And to strong delusions that they should believe lies and to a reprobate minde Rom. 1.28 Isaiah 6.9 10. Mat. 13.15 And lastly God in justice delivers them up to Satan the Prince of darkness so to be further blinded that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shall not shine unto them Psalm 69.23 Ephes. 2.2.2 Cor. 4.3 4. 2 Thess. 9 10. By all which you may see what a pitiful Chimera the Natural man is especially touching his knowledge in spiritual things and for the good of his soul. But hear also what the same Word speaks of the Regenerate I will give you their Character also in the very words of the Holy Ghost I pray minde them It is said that God circumciseth the hearts of his children that believe in him and of stony hearts makes them fleshy and soft Ezek. 11.19 Rom. 2.29 yea he takes away the stony hearts out of their bodies and giveth them new hearts Ezek. 36 26 even putting a new spirit into them Ezekiel 11.19 Besides he so farther softens them that they become like melting wax Psalm 22.14 Then opens them to hear and receive his Word Acts 16.14 1 Sam. 10.26 yea he washeth them from wickedness Ier. 4.14 Cleansath them Psalm 73.13 Purifies them by faith Acts 15.9 and sheds his love ●●r●ad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost Rom. 5.5 And having thus prepared them he writes his Law in their hearts Ier. 31.33 Heb. 8.10 10.16 and puts in them such a filial fear of his name that they shall never i●part from him Ier. 32.40 Whence they are said by the Holy Ghost to be pricked in their hearts Acts 2.37 to set and apply their hearts to understand his Precepts Prov. 2.2 Dan. 10.11 12. and to seek him with their whole hearts Psalm 1.2 To have per●eiving hearts Deut. 29 4. To lay up his word in their hearts Psalm 119.11 yea to have it written in them Psalm 37.31 and to keep his Commandments 〈◊〉 their hearts Proverbs 3.1 4.21 to have contrite hearts Psalm 14.18 Repenting hearts Rom. 2.5 Faithful and believing hearts Rom. ●0 9 Willing hearts Exodus 35.5 Meek lowly and humble hearts Mat. ●3 to 6. ●1 25 to have stedfast Isaiah 38.3 stable Heb. 13.9 rise Prov. 18.15 and understanding hearts 1 Kings 3.12 to have sin●hearts Ephes. 6.5 sincere hearts Gen. 20.5 true hearts Heb. 10.22 ●●est and good hearts Luke 8.15 pure hearts 1 Pet. 1.22 Matth. 5.8 clean hearts Psalm 51.10 and perfect hearts 1 Kings 8.61 Psalm 101.2 Isaiah 38.3 And what can be further said in praise of men But ●ake another instance Secondly As the Regenerate and Unregenerate differ in their ●●arts so no less in their sight and knowledge of spiritual things whence God is said to open the eyes of Believers Isaiah 42.7 Acts 26.18 To see the wonders of his Law Psalm 119.18 yea he gives them the spirit of Wisdom and Revelation to teach them all needful truths Ephes. 1.17 1 Cor. 2.10 whence they are said to have their eyes in their heads and open Eccles. 2.14 to have seeing and enlightned eyes Ephes. 1.18 and called children of the light and of the day 1 Thess. 5.5 counted a sober wise knowing and understanding people Deut. 4.6 and that increase in knowledge daily Prov. 4.18 and many the like expressions mentioned in the Word which I purposely omit Which being so were the same but truly believed rightly applied and seriously considered as O that men would but believe the Word of God to be Gods Word who would not long for and strive after such a condition What rare and incomparable Priviledges are these that the Regenerate man enjoys over what the Natural man does Can there be a greater difference between beasts and men or between the living and the dead than there is between the one and the other No. Onely the Sensualist perceive● it not therefore he desires not to become so wise so happy And if ever they do it must be the gift of God alone In the mean time if it be so that so long as we remain in our Natural condition we have eyes and see not ears and hear not hearts and understand not spiritual things as Christ himself plainly affirms Mat. 13.15 and his Apostle Acts 28.27 and before them both the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 6.9 10. and that we are onely bent to follow the ways of our own hearts Isaiah 57.17 which are deceitful above all things Ier. 17.9 And that these men have so lost the Prerogative of their Creation that they are become Beasts in condition if by nature they are blind deaf drunk mad yea stark dead in sin and in soul. How is it possible they should know bolieve and live a● Christ in his Gospel requires which is so Divine Spiritual and Supernatural so holy just and good Rom 7.12 Again If men by Nature are become Beasts and Serpents as th● Word Gods Dictionary who can give most congruous names to Natures every where stiles them how can any wise man wonder tha● these men should refuse a pardon when offered them That they should prefer Satans service before Christs choose Hell and refuse Heaven c. Yea● how should it be otherwise when their judgements are becom● so reprobate that touching spiritual things they altogether o● mostly judge by the rule of contraries esteeming good evil and evi● good put darkness for light and light for darkness bitter for sweet an● sweet for bitter They justifie the wicked and condemn the just as the Prophet affirms Isaiah Chap. 5.20 23. And so much of the secon● Reason But to these we may adde 3. Every man is born stark dead in sins and trespasses You hath he quickne● says the Apostle to his converted Ephesians that were dead in sins and tre●passes Ephes. 2.1 By one man sin entred into the World and death by si● and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned Rom. 5.12 to 2● O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 17.14 to 2● As in Adam all dye 1 Cor. 15.21 22. Briefly we are not onely dead in sin but so burified in the grave of long custom that we cannot so much as stir the least joynt no not so much as feel 〈◊〉 own deadness nor desire life but resist all means tending thereunto except God be pleased to raise and restore our souls from the death of sin and grave of long custom to the life of Grace Now you know that a dead cond●tion is an insensible condition The dead are not frighted with fire and brimstone the dead hear not though God be on Mount Eball thnudring curses upon curses the dead feel not though that