Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
spirit_n deed_n flesh_n mortify_v 5,880 5 10.8136 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A32799 An account given to the Parliament by the ministers sent by them to Oxford in which you have the most remarkable passages which have fallen out in the six moneths service there ... particulary ... two conferences in which the ministers ... have suffered by reproaches and falshoods in print and otherwise : the chief points insisted on in those conferences are 1. whether private men may lawfully preach, 2. whether the ministers of the Church of England were antichristian ... 3. and lastly divers of Mr. Erbury's dangerous errours. ... Cheynell, Francis, 1608-1665. 1647 (1647) Wing C3806A; ESTC R28557 41,873 55

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

them and from the condemnation which the law pronounceth against them Rom. 4. 6. Hebr. 8. 12. 2. Guilt of sin may be considered two wayes 1. As it cleaveth to sin and importeth a deserving of punishment and this is every where where sin is even in the godly themselves Psal. 143. 2. Psal. 130. 3. 2. As it redounds to the person actually subjecting him to the curse 3. Though every sin whatsoever be in its own nature damnable and so might bind the person under wrath and the curse yet no sin doth actually subject any person under wrath and the Curse but that which is committed while he is under the law and before he is under grace for it is the law which worketh wrath Rom. 4. 15. Rom. 6. 14. Rom. 8. 1. 4. Sin cannot properly be said to be pardoned to a person before it be committed for where sin is not guilt is not and where guilt is not on a person it cannot be said by a pardon to be removed from him but the sins of an unregenerate man when he is justified are actually pardoned that is the obligation of the person under wrath by reason of these sins is taken off from him and he translated under grace and the sinnes which he commits after regeneration so far forth as they have any kind of guilt in them so far forth they may be said to be still forgiven to him Mich. 7. 18. Psalme 51. 9. For understanding whereof we may note 1. That as sin is damnable in it self so where it continues to be it would continue to damne if the pardon once given should not likewise be continued to the person to whom it is given Now these are two things and two acts of grace to Justifie a person and to continue the Grace of Justification to him for God might if such had been his pleasure pardon sin past and leave a sinner under the power of sin in case he committed it afterward to bring a new guilt upon him unto death as of it self it is apt to do so that as a stone in a building is of it self apt to fall downward and so would do if the building should not continue so sin in a justified person is apt to condemne and would condemne him as well as any other if God should not continue to justifie or multiply to pardon Isay 55. 7. 2. We may note that God may be considered two wayes 1. As a Judge proceeding against Male factors according to the law which inflicteth a curse Rom. 4 15. 2. As a father proceeding against offending children with anger and displeasure so the Lord may be angry with his own people Esay 64. 8 9. Exod. 4. 14. An unjustified person sinning is an enemy under the curse of God as a judge a justified person sinning is a sonne under the anger and displeasure of God as a father So that there is a guilt subjecting the one to a legal curse and a guilt subjecting the other to a paternall displeasure If then it be asked in what sense justified persons may and do aske pardon of sin committed by them after justification we answer 1. In regard of legall condemnation so we daily aske the continuance of the pardon already granted for it is one thing to pardon and another to continue to pardon or to preserve to a person that interest in a pardon once pronounced which he if he were left to himselfe would by every sin after forfeit and cast away 2 Sam. 7. 25. Heb. 8. 12. 2. In regard of paternall displeasure so we daily aske the recovery of his gracious and fatherly countenance towards us and the removall of that anger which our sins might justly provoke against us Psal. 51 9 12. Psal. 6. 1. 3. In pardon is considerable 1. The generall sentence once pronounced in a mans first translation from nature to grace 2. The particular application of that grace with respects to particular sins as they are daily or occasionally committed In which sense Remission already granted in the covenant of grace is by beleevers sued forth and pleaded with respect to their daily sins and Christs continuall interceding for them 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. Hebr. 7. 24 25. 4. Sin is said to be forgiven two wayes 1 In the court of the Judge which is in our first translation from nature to grace 2. In the conscience of the sinner reading his own pardon and in this sense we daily pray for more full revelation and manifestation thereof to us Quest How may a man know that he is justified Res. 1 The Spirit doth testifie in the written word that all 1 Who beleeve in Jesus Christ 2 Love him in sincerity 3 And the brethren for his sake 4 Call upon God in Christs name 5 Mortifie the deeds and lusts of the flesh 6 Walk in and after the Spirit are justified 2. The Spirit doth work all saving graces in our hearts which are parts of Sanctification evidences of Justification the fruits and earnest of glory 3. The Spirit doth when and as he pleaseth freely discover those graces which he hath wrought in our hearts to our consciences and so doth witnesse together with our conscience that we are the sons of God and move us to cry Abba father 4. Every sincere Christian ought humbly and thankfully to receive this testimony of the Spirit when it is vouchsafed unto him Quest Of the use of the Law to beleevers 1. The law was given to man in his innocency as a Covenant of life and righteousnesse requiring perfect and perpetuall obedience under the paine of a Curse Gal. 3. 10. 2. The law by the fall of man became weak and unable to justifie Rom. 8. 3. so that none could have been saved if the Lord had not been pleased to make a Covenant of grace 3. Since the fall of man the law was published againe and added to the Covenant of grace not as a part of it nor as a supplement to it but as a usefull instrument to further and promote the purposes of the Gospell Galat. 3. 19. Exod. 20. 2 3. Take it thus then First Negatively the use of the law in the time of grace is not to justifie or save men Rom. 3. 20. Galat. 2. 21. 3. 21. neither yet was it published purposely to condemne and destroy men because condemnation was in the world before Rom. 5. 14. Secondly Affirmatively but the of it is 1. To be a meanes and instrument to drive men to the grace which is revealed in the Gospel by shewing men their sin misery and weaknesse Rom. 3. 20. Galat. 3. 22. under the curse of the law 2. As a rule of life and obedience to those that are justified that having received life grace and love to doe Gods will they may hereby be directed to the knowledge thereof 1 Joh. 5. 23. Jam. 2. 10. 11. 1. Joh. 3. 4. Matth. 5. 17 19. Rom. 3. 31.
for though grace doth dispose us to doe the will of God yet the law sets forth to us what that will of God is 1. Righteous persons then are delivered from the law as a Covenant of life from the curse and condemnation thereof they expect life from a better covenant Galat. 3. 13. c. 6. 14. 2. From the occasionall provocation of the law that it doth not provoke lust and cause sin to be the more busie and working in us Rom. 7. 13. 3 From the slavish bondage of the law compelling to outward duties out of feare without love and delight Rom. 8. 15. But they are not delivered from the law as the rule of a holy life or from the commanding power of the law for the creature must be subject to the will of the Creator which will is signified to us in the law for the law is holy just good spirituall Psal. 19. Rom. 7. 12. 14. and we are called unto holinesse 1 Thes. 4. 7. therefore we are to learne that holinesse whereunto we are called out of the law which is holy and good Quest How a regenerate and sanctified person may be distinguished from a civill man and the most close hypocrite We have formerly heard of the testimony of the Spirit as he is a Spirit of Adoption now we desire to heare something of the worke of the Spirit as he is a Spirit of regeneration and sanctification Answ. a God in Christ by the Holy Ghost working by the b word of truth doth in due time c mortifie the lusts beget and quicken the soules of all the d Elect to a spirituall life and e translate them from a state f of sin to a state of grace and holinesse that they may live by g faith and love and have their conversation in Heaven Quest Whether there be any more then one Covenant of grace Ans. 1 God hath made a Covenant of grace with all the elect in Jesus Christ a 2. This Covenant is b one and the same for the substance of it both to Jews and Gentiles though in regard of the different manner of dispensation it is called sometimes first and second sometimes the old and new Covenant the Luviticall dispensation did consist in temporary and carnall ordinances which were but shadows of these heavenly things which are more clearly revealed by a more excellent ministery to the children of God dispersed abroad in severall Nations throughout the world This cleare dispensation since Christ is unchangeable and in regard of these severall respects forementioned the Covenant administred unto us is said to be a better Covenant established upon better promises All that are actually brought under this holy Covenant have their minds inlightned to know God their consciences purged hearts purified and wills subdued by the fear of God they trust not to their own merits live not after their owne lusts fall not from the state of grace again but live in sincere conformity to the perfect and spirituall law of God The successe of our Christian conferences whether more private or publique was undeniably great 1. Some that scrupled the lawfullnesse of Infant-Baptisme were reduced and established by a private conference when we were engaged to treat of another subject in our more solemn meetings 2. Divers that are not fully of our mind in point of Discipline and some that were directly contrary did ingeniously acknowledge that after a faire debate they received much satisfaction in some maine points of doctrine others did gratefully confesse that they were now convinced that the Ministers intentions were pious and that their endeavours did effectually conduce to the advancement of Christianity and gave us great thanks for our pains 3. Divers Scholars and some of them fellowes of Houses did blesse God that ever they saw those Ministers in Oxford which the Parliament sent down and that they had the happinesse to be admitted unto free conference with them yea they hoped that Oxford would be like Athens of old {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and yet not like those envious Athenians who sacrificed for none but themselves and their neighbours of Chios for they perceived that there was now a spirit of comūnion shed abroad upon Christians in a visible way of heavenly partnership In a word God was pleased to blesse these exercises with admirable successe to the envy of some and setlement of others Mr. Erbury was as we are assured much offended whether because his Auditory decreased or his errors were refuted we shall not now examine and he stirred up the spirit of the Parliament Soldiers against the Ministers sent downe from the Parliament and so did passionately serve the grand malignants in their master-plot which was to incense the Soldiers against the Ministers The first time that Mr. Erbury was observed to come to our meeting he brought with him a company of soldiers who did rather affront and oppose then dispute and Mr. Erbury would not keep at all to the question which was in hand nor would he observe any rules he would neither speak pertinently nor breifly he told us that he did not acknowledge that Christ had any Church on earth and therefore denyed Independent Congregations to be Churches and the Ministers of those as well as of Presbyteriall congregations were by him denied to be true Ministers of Christ and hath himself renounced the title though not the pay and salary of a Minister Xerxes destroyed all the Temples of the Grecians because they seemed to overthrow the infinitenesse of God by circumscribing him within the walls of a Temple we will not examine whether Mr. Erbury doth conceive that Christ and his Spirit will be too much stinted and circumscribed if any Church or Ministery be acknowledged Only we cannot but wonder that he should be entertained muster'd paid as a Minister by them who account all Ministers to be covetous for taking any temporall reward for such spirituall service as may in their judgement be performed by any Saint or member of the Church or Army This Gentleman we know not how else to stile him professing that he exercises neither as a gifted man nor Minister now the Ministery is contemned and vilified undertook to prove demonstratively that the Ministers of Independent as well presbyterian Congregations are unchristian and so by consequence Antichristian after he had made a loose and cloudy speech in which he had so audaciously abused and perverted the Scripture he did complaine that an houre or two was not sufficient for him to explain his opinion and urge his Arguments his unum magnum was That there were no Apostles now and therefore no Ministery he was desired to prove his consequence but could not he talked much of the sealed book that the Saints Christ made one perfect man at last he fixed upon that text Eph. 4. 11 12 13. from whence he concluded that God gave five sorts of Ministers and where there were