Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	dead_a	life_n	quicken_v	5,491	5	10.4511	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47193	The universall free grace of the Gospell asserted, or, The light of the glorious Gospell of Jesus Christ, shining forth universally, and enlightning every man that coms [sic] into the world, and therby giving unto every man, a day of visitation wherin it is possible for him to be saved, which is glad tydings unto all people, being witnessed and testifyed unto, by us the people called in derision Quakers : and in opposition to all denyers of it, of one sort and another proved by many infallible arguments, in the evidence and demonstration of the spirit of truth, according to Scripture testimonies and sound reason : with the objections of any seeming weight against it, answered it, answered / by George Keith.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.; Furly, Benjamin, 1636-1714.	1671 (1671)	Wing K228; ESTC R13258	128,214	140

THE Universall free grace of the Gospell asserted OR THE LIGHT Of the Glorious Gospell of JESUS CHRIST Shining forth universally and enlightning every Man that coms into the World and therby giving unto every Man a day of visitation wherin it is possible for him to be saved Which is glad tydings unto all People BEING Witnessed and Testifyed unto by us the People called in derision Quakers And in opposition to all Denyers of it of one sort and another proved by many infallible arguments in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit of Truth according to Scripture Testimonies and sound Reason With the objections of any seeming weight against it answered BY GEORGE KEITH Printed in the Year 1671. THE PREFACE THER be two maine and principall things held forth by us which are as it wer the two hinges and fundamentall principles upon which all other things relating either to Doctrins or Practises affirmed by us doe hang and depend The first is that ther is no saving knowledge of God or the things of his Kingdome attainable but by the Immediate revelation of Iesus Christ who is the Image Word and Light of the invisible God in which alone he can be manifest unto the Salvation of men The second is that this Image Word and Light which is Jesus Christ the Son of the Fathers love doth shine forth in some measure universally and enlighten every man that coms into the World and therby giveth unto him a day of visitation wherin it is possible for him to be saved Both which 〈◊〉 they are indeed in the truth are generally denyed but affirmed by us which two not withstanding I may truly say as they are indeed known and witnessed in the truth ar the cheife and principall veins and arteries which convey the very Blood Life and Spirit of the Christian Religion into the true members of that body wherof Jesus Christ is the head And the Lord hath made me plainly to see why the whole body of every Sect professing the Christian Religion up and downe the world is so leane barren dead and emptie of that Life and Spirit which becoms the true Church to have and which the true Church had in the Primitive times even becaus of their ignorance of and opposition unto these two blessed testimonies of truth and I may boldly say it never any society of people did flourish or ever shall or can with excellent induements of either piety or knowledge which denyeth these two testimonies of truth seing they are the very principall means and Ordinances of God which hee hath appointed as through conduits to convey both Pi●…y and knowledge and all other hevenly gifts and blessings unto men and seeing these are denyed the blessed effect which would follow upon the using of them cannot but be much wanting as where there is an obstruction or stop in the principall veins arteries and nervs of the naturall body that body cannot flourish but must needs be a very sick Paralitick diseased body and near unto death And for this cause it is that the whole body of Christendom so called is in a most lam●…table condition and death reigns in it and a thick cloud of darknes fills it and very few there be who know by sensible experience the life kernell and substance of the Christian Religion among all the many professions in it and that small remnant who doe know any thing thereof it is very weakly and faintly and their sight of the things of God is but like the poor blind mans halfe sight after Christ had a little cured him who saw men walking as trees the Reason of all this has beene the ignorance of and opposition unto these two testimonies aforsaid for the ignorance of the true manner of receiving either Piety or pious and Godly wisedome which is by way of immediat Revelation from the Father by Jesus Christ through the holy Spirit this hath hindred and stopped the growth and encrease of holines and piety and the Wisedome and knowledge there unto appertaining as to the Intension i. e. measur or degree of it in the particular which otherwise by this time might have been like the waters of the Sanctuary at a great height and againe the ignorance of that other blessed testimony of truth concerning the universality of the Light word Grace and spirit of God towards and upon all in a day of visitation for the saving and endueing them with holines and holy knowlegd and wisedom hath been a most mischeivous hindrance and lett unto the Extension or spreading of tru piety and knowledg abroad among people in the world The ignorance of the One I say hath hindred the Intension of it and the ignorance of the other its Extension as may be manifest to any who will consider these things wer it but with halfe an eye For what can tend so much to the universall gathering of all the nations Kingdoms languages and kinreds of the earth as to hold forth this universall principle unto them all the Light which lighteth all and every one of them and to informe them that therby and therthrough salvation is attainable by every one and peace reconciliation with God in their beleife of the light and obedience therunto And what can more hinder this universall gathering then that particular narrow straitning limiting principle of men of a pettish narrow heart and spirit who say that salvation never was is nor shall be possible unto the most part of men That God by an eternall decree hath wholly passed them by and left them in darknes without any light to shine in their darknes that can possibly at any time lead them out of it Doth not this discourage people and rather lay a block in the way of their Faith then to point ordirect them unto a pillar and ground of it Yea doth not this Doctrine that other being added to it viz. that immediate Revelation is ceased lay a much more probable foundation for any mans unbeleif and distrust in the Lords mercy and willingnes to save him then for his faith therupon For when any man comes with a call unto them to beleiv that they may be saved and therwithall tells them that God hath left most men without providing them any power by which it is possible for them to beleiv may not all begin to doubt or question with more ground then to beleive whether they be the persons that are thus passed by of the Lord yea or nay When the Lord said but to his disciples one of you shall betray me they wer exceeding sorrowfull all of them and began 〈◊〉 Question Master is it I. How much more then occasion have they to be sorrowfull and to question the very mercy of God for their salvation if it be told them that this mercy is denyed not only to a few but most of men and to many under the visible profession of the Christian Religion And for asmuch as they say immediate Revelation is ceased this shuts

out all from receiving any knowledge from God himselfe whether they belong to that number that is absolutely rejected yea or nay Weigh and consider these things Oh all people and be awakened and roused up out of your slumberings in which your teachers have lulled you that you may once at last perceive these blind guides who deny the Light that is universall and whether they are leading you even into a very pitt of darknes and impiety while they tell you God hath not given to every one of you nay nor to any one of you who may be in a naturall state any thing through which it is possible for you to come out of that darknes and death in which you lye sure when you shall come to any Nobility of understanding you will find that though your teachers say the Quakers teach pernicions principles unto the Nation that indeed wee bring glad tydings unto it Whose principles in the twofold testimony aforsaid as they come to be received and beleived by the Nation will make it a happy and blessed Nation which is now miserable becaus of that ignorance and iniquity that abounds in it By the true faith and beleif of these two principles the nation that is now as a barren wildernes as to fruits of righteousnes would become as the garden and Paradice of God The glory of Lebanon and excellency of Carmell would be given unto it and it would become a married land and nation unto the Lord and so would all other nations through the true beleif and faith of this twofold testimony which hath long beene suppressed and warred against and the few witnesses there of by the Dragon and his followers so that the two witnesses have been slain for three long dayes and a half in asmuch as beside other accounts that this twofold testimony hath not lived and flourished in and among them but hath been always knocked down and slain through the deceit and violenc of earthly minded men who have hated the tru life of Christ and yet for their earthly and selfish ends have made use of the form and words of it which without the life and spirit of Christ is but a dead carcas and as it wer the dead bodies of the slain witnesses which have lain in the streets of Sodom and Egypt spiritually so called that is to say of the fals and Antichristian Sinagogue Babylon the Mother of fornications with her daughters as all th●…se are howmuch soever pretending to a Reformation who are not yet come to witnes the true Light Power and spirit of the Gospell to work in them both the will and the deed Now these Marchants of Babylon and bloody Butchers and Murderers of the two witnesses and testimonies of God have traded and made their merchandise of these dead bodies viz. the words and forms of truth after they had slain the life that appeared therein and murdered Gods faithfull Saints who held forth the living testimony of truth and sold them in the streets or market places of the false Church as ever the Butchers doe their flesh in the shambles in the streets of market Towns Cities and Villages Well! the judgement of this great whore is com and is truly begun The spirit of life from God is entred into the two slain witnesses and shall yet more abundantly enter to the affrighting and allaruming all that dwell upon the earth and truly in nothing more can wee rickon upon the raising of the witnesses then in that the Lord God almighty hath raised this twofold testimony that hath been so much opposed and resisted even by them who made a trade of the words which witnesse ther unto and made it to appear and shine forth in great Glory Power and Beauty and raised up many to witnes therefor and thereunto which no deceit nor violence of men or principalities and powers of darknes shall ever any more be able to prevail against This twofold testimony and the witnesses theirof shall prophocy and that not in sackcloth and weaknes as formerly but in their beautifull garments in power glory and dominion to the staining the glory of all flesh and bringing down the pride thereof that the Lord alone and his truth may be exalted Now unto the one of these two testimonies Viz. that of immediate Revelation a large testimony from the Lord hath been given me to bear and somewhat is published on that Subject for the generall service of truth And also as to this other I find it with me to give testimony thereunto and with others of my Dear Freinds in the truth to leave a publick standing Record and testimony unto the truth hereof in opposion to all denyers of it And becaus that many of our adversaries som through ignorance and others through malice prejudice alledge that this our principle concerning the Light c. it s being universally saving as to its nature is the very same which the Papists and Arminians hold who maintaine universall grace therfor I find it fitt to clear this matter for the undeceiving the simple for indeed though the Arminians and Papists also speake of universall grace as given and offred unto all yet the thing is self which is the universall grace as to what it is indeed and in truth and in true manner and way of its operation they both deny and oppose it for asmuch as they both deny that the universall light which is given unto all it the light evangelicall or a light for the faith of the Gospell to rest in therfor they doe not hold it forth as the immediat object of the Christian saith Secondly they deny the way and manner of its operation to be by immediate Revelation Thirdly they say this light coms from Christ but Christ himselfe is not in man in the true seed of Regeneration yea and the tru and reall indwelling of Christ in the divine seed and birth in the very Saints they generally deny as also that this divine seed and birth is a reall substance or that the divine life is substantiall or subsisteth in any substantiall principle of its owne nature and so I say truly that both Arminians and Papists deny the true universall grace as to what it is indeed and as to the true way of its operation and therfor may be justly putt in the roll with others as unskilfull Physicians through their ignorance of and opposition unto this universall medicine and cure which hath truly the vertu to cure all men and all diseases of men and is administred of the Lord unto all wherby it is possible for them to be cured But not withstanding the great cloud of darknes and ignorance which hath been generally over the understandings of people it is to be acknowledged that through the infinite mercy of God som among one and another both Papists and Protestants so called have received som tasts therof and been partakers of its vertu wherby their souls have lived unto God in som measur but under

They instance indeed many that knew not all these things quoting Scriptures that speak so of many of them but not of all Now to argue from the particular or particulars to the universall is but an unreasonable way of argumentation and no better then to conclude all men to be blind because some are so Thirdly I have already shewed in Argument 3. 4. and 6. from Rom 1. 2. and 10. Chapters that some of the Gentiles who were under no outward administration of the Gospell did call upon the Name of the Lord and were saved and so consequently knew both sin and the remedy thereof the Lord Jesus But what though they knew not the outward Name if they knew the Nature the Spirit the life which slays sin and cures the soule It is not the meer outward name that saves but the life the power of Christ that quickens cleanses purifies and by this they might besaved For it is the life that saveth Rom. 5. 10. I also shewed from Rom. 2. That some of these Gentiles did so fulfill the Law of God that they were accounted the Iews and circumcision in heart before the Lord had praise of him and were iustifyed And this was a great error among the Jews that the Lord had not a people among the Gentiles who were accepted of him yea it was even the mistake of the Apostles themselvs till the Lord convinced Peter by a vision from heaven Acts. 10. But after he was convinced both by the heavenly Vision as also by meeting with Cornelius a Gentile and uncircumcised and yet a just and devout man one that feared God and all his houshold he broke forth with these words of a truth I now perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation he that fears God and worketh righteousness is accepted Which plainly imports that there were some in divers Nations who both feared God wrought righteousness and were accepted And what do those words Acts 10. 28 call thou no man unclean import but that God hath not absolutly passed by any man without giving him an opportunity by which he might be saved But say they Paul said he had not known sin but by the Law Rom. 7. wheras you say the light by which he might have kown sin was with him from his child hood again he saith when the commandement came sin revived and he dyed how can this be understood of that Light which was with him from his child hood Answ Very well yea how can it be understood of any thing elce but that Light which now so wrought in him that he saw that which before he saw not For though the Light was with him from his child-hood yet his mind was not turned in towards it and so he did neither see nor know sin so distinctly as was needfull for him to be saved from it And so though the Law in the light and the commandement came unto him from his child-hood yet it came not in that power and force as afterwards when his mind came to be turned towards it For the power of the Light is then onely sufficiently felt in its discovery of sin and the remedy thereof as the mind is turned towards it Besides this Argument lies much more forcibly against the Scriptures being this Law and commandement not onely because he had the outward Law and commandements in the Scripture from his childhood and was always directed to it as his rule and trained up at the foot of Gamaliel a Doctor of this Law But also because the Law never said more at one time then at another to him or any man so that the change that was made in him cannot be ascribed to the Law which he was always a very zealous Professor of but to that light which opened his mind to the understanding of the things of God by which he might understand the Scriptures But they urge further this Light cannot discover the Birth Sufferings death Resurrection and Ascention of the Lord Iesus in the outward the knowledg of which is essentially necessary to salvation Therefore c. Answ. Our own experience teaches us the contrary for we never came to know the mistery of his birth death sufferings as to the true and comfortable use thereof till our minds were turned to the Light And how did the wise men from the East know him Surely the star which outwardly appeared unto them had never been sufficient had not his starre i. e. his Light shined in their hearts Also how did the Centurion and the Canaanitisch woman know and acknowledge him in the outward had greater faith in him then the very Jews And how did the disciples themselvs know him For his outward appearance simply was not sufficient to convince them yea he forbad them to judge according to the outward appearance Of this matter John gives a clear account who first declares him as he is as the light that lighteth every man before he declare●…h of him in the outward Forasmuch as he could be known onely by the Light even what he was outwardly By this it was that they beheld his Glory as the Glory of the onely begotten Son of God full of grace and truth But the unbeleevers who beleeved not in the Light wherewith he had enlightned them and whose minds were turned from it in to their own carnall reasonings did not know him though they had the Scriptures that testifyed of him and saw and heard of miracles that he did for they neither knew him nor the Scriptures being gone from his inward appearance in his own Light in their hearts which would have discovered both him in the outward and the Scriptures testimony concerning him But that the knowledge of him as in the outward is of necessity unto salvation we grant not save onely where it is revealed and there it is very usefull and comfortable Yea our very adversaries do not affirme that all who ever were saved had or absolutly behoved to have an express and distinct knowledge of his outward coming For they grant that children may besaved who by reason of their infancy cannot have that knowledge Now if so why may not also some men who are as it were but children infants even babes in Christ as to Spirituall knowledg be saved without that cleare distinct knowledge of his outward coming being borne of his Spirit and sucking in the sincere milk thereof Surely such can never perish Yea the very disciples themselvs were for a season ignorant of the mystery of his death sufferings Resurrection and Ascention Object 22. The Divell or Sathan hath that in him which reprovs him of sin but yet works not at all in him any possibility of being saved Therefore that which reproveh for sin is not universally saving Answ. This is a fallacy called transitio de genere in aliud genus i. e. a passing from one kind to another As to argue from the Devill or Devills to men That because that which

reprovs the Devills for sin works not in them savingly therefore that which reprovs men for sin doth not work savingly in them which followeth not at all For Devills and men are of different kinds and the way of the Lord towards them differing in kind For though it be the same Spirit of God and Christ which reproveth Divels and men yet in the way or manner thereof is great difference For the Devills he reproveth onely in wrath without any mixture of love and mercy and therefore we never read that he calleth upon them to repent and turn as he doth upon men or mankind Nor do we affirm that which reproves men for sin to work for their salvation Viz. onely because it reprovs them but because it so reproves them i. e. in a way of gentleness tenderness mercy not onely reprovs but calls moves draws allures strives with o●… leads them to repentance as Peter saith waiting with long-sufferance as in the days of Noah as is already largely proved Object 23 But mans own nature as corrupt as it is teacheth him some things as the Apostle saith doth not even nature it self teach you Nature teaches a man not to defile himself with abeast or with mankind so that bestiality sodomy c. are sins against the very nature of man though corrupt Answ. True it is the nature of man though corrupt teacheth him some things yet so as but naturally and there are some things so bad that the very nature of man abhorreth them as bestiality sodomy c. being against nature But it is most certain both from Scripture and universall experience there is a more high and Noble principle in man then that of his own Nature even universally which reproveth men not onely for those grosse and abominable sins but for other things which mans corrupt nature not onely reprovs him not for but prompts and inclines him to And besides though man in his own thoughts and reasonings may prove himself guilty in divers things after a sort convince reprove himself therefore in and by his own thoughts and reasonings yet there is still a principle in man which over and beyond all his own thoughts and reasonings doth convince him of evil and reprove him for it and this most manifestly of all in the deepest silence of a mans own thoughts and reasonings neither is there any man living but may observ a manifest difference betwixt those convictions and reproofs which proceed from the Light and Spirit of God and Christ in his own seed and those that proceed onely from a mans owne naturall Spirit in his own thoughts and reasonings For when the Spirit of God and Christ reproveth and convinceth a man he doth it livingly and in such power that it pricketh the heart and worketh in it as a fire hammer or sword whereas the naturall Spirit of man doth it but in a dead and cold manner And though this be the way of many to work convictions upon themselvs meerly by and through their own naturall Spirit in their thoughts and reasonings and hammerings there with upon their hearts calling in the ayd and help of the Letter of the Scriptures for that effect yet they do not proffit themselvs in so doing but indeed do greatly hurt themselvs For this is all but the sparks of their own kindling and their own works which they should cease from which if they did they would in that cessation and stilness find the Light and Spirit of Christ as their minds are turned towards it to work mightily in them the tru and reall convictions for sin which tend to work tru contrition and tenderness of heart towards God and the tru and godly repentance never to be repented of And so if the Spirit of the Lord make use of the Scripture testimonies in bearing in convictions of guilt upon the soule they are very usefull which otherwise as used meerly by mans own naturall Spirit are but a killing letter Object 24. It s said the Lord gave his Laws unto Iacob and his statuts unto Israell but that he had not dealt so with every nation therefore every nation hath not that in them which would teach them his Laws and statuts It is also said in Iudah is God knowne therefore not in other places Answ. I deny these wild consequences For though the Lord dealt not so with other nations as with Jacob Israell and Judah as to the outward Laws statutes and outward occasions afforded them of knowledge c. Yet he left not the other nations destitute of the main and principall thing even the manifestation of the light and Spirit of his Son in their hearts and consciences which would have given them the knowledge of God and of all his Laws and statuts needfull to be known by them had they improved the same aright And those that did improve it did both know the Lord and his Laws and were justified through faith in him who outwardly were neither of Jacob Israell nor Judah but Gentiles in other Nations as hath been shewed and seing it hath been so in times past why may it not be so now Object 25. If the Light wherewith Christ hath inlightned every man be sufficient unto salvation then the coming of Christ in the outward with his obedience sufferings and death were in vaine Answ. This is also a false and senceless consequence grounded upon a meer mistake as if the sufficiency of the Light and Grace of Christ within did make void the use and benefit of his outward coming obedience death and sufferings or were to be set in opposition thereunto which is utterly false for they are not to be set in opposition to each other as if the one did hinder the sufficiency or usefullness of the other both being sufficient and usefull and necessary each in their own kind and way consummating and being consummated in one another Besides this Objection lyes as much against the Scriptures For either the manifestation of God to the children of men before the Scriptures or any part of them were written was sufficient unto salvation or it was not If it were not no man before the Scriptures living could be saved If it were then was the giving of the Scriptures by this Argument in vain a superfluous and useless thing Object 26. But if the Light within be sufficient to teach and give the knowledge of God unto salvation then the Scriptures are in vain and it is in vaine to make use of outward teachings by men or books or any outward means what soever Answ. The vanity and unreasonableness of this consequence I have already shewn above and so need say the less to it here Indeed the plain contrary is the truest and most ingenuous consequence Viz that because the Light within is sufficient therefore the teachings of men and books are proffitable which can only proffit as in the Light they are received and made use of and from the Light do proceed And therefore all men who