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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64002	The riches of Gods love unto the vessells of mercy, consistent with his absolute hatred or reprobation of the vessells of wrath, or, An answer unto a book entituled, Gods love unto mankind ... in two bookes, the first being a refutation of the said booke, as it was presented in manuscript by Mr Hord unto Sir Nath. Rich., the second being an examination of certain passages inserted into M. Hords discourse (formerly answered) by an author that conceales his name, but was supposed to be Mr Mason ... / by ... William Twisse ... ; whereunto are annexed two tractates of the same author in answer unto D.H. ... ; together with a vindication of D. Twisse from the exceptions of Mr John Goodwin in his Redemption redeemed, by Henry Jeanes ...	Twisse, William, 1578?-1646.; Jeanes, Henry, 1611-1662. Vindication of Dr. Twisse.; Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1653 (1653)	Wing T3423; ESTC R12334	968,546	592

founder melteth in vaine for the wicked are not plucked away Reprobate silver shall man call them because the Lord hath rejected them And like as the sowing of seed is sometimes in vaine Levit. 26 16. So why may not Preaching be in vaine which is a sowing of seed also Yet in respect of Gods end it is not in vaine For he hath the ends he aimed at for even in them that perish there ariseth a sweet savour unto God 2 Cor. 2. 15. As well as in them that are saved And if they stumble at the word being disobedient Saint Peter telleth us that hereunto they were odained 1 Pet. 2. 8. Yea and Austin tells us that even Reprobates by the Ministry of Gods word are sometimes brought ad exteriorem vitae emendationem quo mitius puniantur And as for the Preachers of the Word their labour is not in vaine in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15. last And Esay 49. 4. My judgement is with the Lord and my worke with my God For even Christ himselfe was forsaken of many Iohn 6. Yet was that no disparagement to him before God They desire indeed that all men might be saved that are partakers of their Ministry as they are bound in charity but with submission to the will of God so that finally their desires in the issue are terminated only in the elect They became all things to all men that they may save some 1 Cor. 6. And who are they let Paul speake I endure all things for the elect sake As for the hearers themselves as many as are elect they believe by it sooner or later and are brought to repentance 2 Tim. 2. 25. And finally to salvation That thou maist both save thy selfe and them that heare thee saith Paul to Timothy So that to them surely 't is not in vaine And as for Reprobates they are convicted by it of their unbeliefe Suffrag Britt on the 3. 4. Articles Excuse is taken from them for they cannot plead that they never heard the Gospel whereby mē are admonished to repent Act. 17. 30. Thereby to excuse themselves yea sometimes they may be the better for it in respect of an outward cōformity only it is in vain in respect that salvation is not obtained by them though the Gospel the Ministry thereof be a means tēding thereunto in as much as it openeth the way of salvation discovereth all false waies But paines for obtaining salvation and Hell are ill joyned together For therefore hell is their portion because they neglect the means of salvation and take no paines about it at least good paines For our Saviour plainly tells us of some that they shall seek to enter in at the straight gate and shall not be able Luk. 13. 24. It seems they took some paines though they were not able to enter We are accounted Predestinarian Heretiques for saying so much but I hope he will not reckon our Saviour too amongst the number So Esay 58. 2. Yet they seeke mee daily and will know my waies even as a Nation that did righteously and had not forsaken the statutes of their God They aske of me ordinances of justice They will draw neer unto God saying Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest it not We have punished our selves thou regardest it not Here is devotion and paines too in the way thereof but I think they had never a whit the better interest in heaven for this Doth this doctrine also savour of the Predestinarian heresy As for that pretended passage out of Acts 9. It is in vain for thee to kick against the pricks I find no such saying of Christ to Saul but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hard thing for shall he not wound himselfe that doth so more then hurt the pricks themselves So was Paul by those persecuting courses of his in the high-way to damnation yet it is true also Gods Church is nothing damnified by the persecutions and martyrdomes of Gods Saints For sanguis Martyrum semen Ecclesiae one is cut off but many rise up in the place of a few Like as a seed of corne falls into the ground and dyes but a blade springs out of that one that dyes and brings forth an eare of many graines By the way I am wondrous glad to heare the acknowledgement of a precious truth to breake forth out of the mouth of this Author ere he is aware namely That the preservation of Gods Church is absolutely decreed in heaven For marke I beseech you wherein the preservation of Gods Church consists 1. One is in preserving them that are called from Apostacy If this be absolutely decreed then the perseverance of men in the state of grace is absolutely decreed and consequently it is absolutely maintained And if perseverance in faith be absolutely maintained then faith it selfe was absolutely wrought and absolutely decreed to every one that enjoyeth it 2. Another is the restraining of Tyrants from persecuting the professors of Christ If this be absolutely decreed then the free actions of men are absolutely decreed by God for to abstaine from persecuting is undoubtedly a free action of man 3. But in case both Tyrants are permitted to rage and many are permitted to fall away And all are mortall and must dye therefore the next effectuall meanes of preserving the Church is the raising of others in their place to professe the Gospell Now this is wrought by the effectuall calling and converting of men unto faith in Christ and consequently the effectuall calling and converting of men is absolutely decreed by God Thus truth hath prevailed over the mouth of errour to make it testify for Gods truth and against errour Magna est veritas ut praevalebit Here this Author hath raised spirits against himselfe improvidently let him try how he can lay them and conjure them downe againe 3. I come unto the third I willingly grant that men are not willing to be exercised about fruitlesse actions And as for the actions specified by Saint Paul as they were not fruitlesse to him so I make no question but that they are in like manner profitable to all that performe them as Paul did namely the actions of mortification We have Saint Pauls word for it which is of some force if so be he be not reputed among the number of Predestinarian heretiques as well as Austin and our Divines If by the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh ye shall live Endeavour goes beyond desire yet Nehemiah commends himselfe to God in this manner We that desire to feare thy name And the holy Prophet Esay The desire of our hearts is towards thy name and to the remembrance of thee And S. Paul We desire to live honestly And to fight with the temptations of the Devill the allurements of the World and a mans own corruptions is undoubtedly a manifest token of a true Souldier of Christ Jesus And mortification in speciall such need not doubt but that they shall crucify

sinne so he never decreed to damne any man but for sinne But as touching the grace of regeneration the grace of faith and repentance in the granting and denying of this the Apostle plainly tells us he proceeds meerly according to the good pleasure of his will as when he saith The Lord hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth And here also God is as just in his decrees as in his executions For if it be just with him to give this grace to whom he will and deny it to whom he will it is as just with him to decree the giving of it to whom he will and the denying of it also to whom he will And why shall not the Lord take liberty to cure infidelity and hardnesse of heart in whom he will as he cured it in Manasses and Saul and leave it uncured in whom he will as he left it uncured in many a proud Pharisee and proud Philosopher notwithstanding all their Morality they boasted of Very seasonably he confesseth Gods will to be omnipotent and irrefistible when neverthelesse he makes him to will the salvation of all Reprobates though not one of them is saved But by that which followes by will omnipotent and irrefistible it seems he understandeth only will absolute which he distinguisheth from will conditionate which can be no other I suppose then this my will is that all and every one shall be saved in case he believe and repent Now seeing it is as true that 't is Gods will that they shall be damned in case they believe not and repent not let every sober man judge whether this deserve to be accounted a will of saving rather then a will of damning especially in case all men naturally are farre more prone to infidelity and impenitency then to faith and repentance As for a will conditionate in God like enough this Author carryeth it hand over head without distinction as he doth many other things besides whereas no such will is agreeable to the divine nature quoad actum volentis as touching the act of willing as both Bradwardine by clear reason and Piscator out of the word of God have demonstrated but only quoad res volitas as touching the things willed by him 4. I have shewed the poverty of his performances by the particular examination of every place alleadged by him and made it plain how he betraies his own nakednesse of interpretation of Scripture and of argumentation throughout and therewithall the vanity of this his boast that our doctrine of absolute reprobation doth contradict these plain Scriptures But he like a brave fellow well conceited of his atchievements and having thereby gotten some authority to himselfe is bold to give his word that it contradicts also the whole course of Scripture which I verily believe he is as well able to performe as he hath performed the former and very judiciously takes upon him to distinguish between the whole course of Scriptures and a few places pickt up here and there as if they were no part of the whole course of Scripture Belike by reason of their obscurity as he pretends no matter if they were expunged like as owles are offended with day-light Our Saviour tells us of some that loved darknesse rather then light because their deeds were evill None hate the light of Gods truth more then such as are possessed with errours as with familiar spirits especially when they have been found to play the Apostates from Gods truth Whether I have dashed my selfe upon the rocks of Austins censure by contradicting any Scripture that he hath brought or only his corrupt and vile interpretation and accommodation of them let the indifferent judge Yet what more plain then this Gods purpose of election is not of works especially compared with the manner how Saint Paul proves it What more plain then this God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth It is apparent he utterly declines the criticall point of these controversies which is as touching Gods giving grace even the grace of faith and repentance and of what spirit that savoureth let every one judge As for interpreting any place we doe not abridge his liberty in interpreting it after what manner he thinks good but we are ready to weigh it and if we find it too light to esteem of it as it deserves neither doe we refuse to take into consideration what he or any of his complices are pleased to insist upon DISCOURSE The Second sort of Arguments Convincing drawn from Gods Attributes SECT I. As touching the Generall SEcondly it fights with some principall Attributes of God therefore it cannot be true For God useth not to make decrees contrary to his own glorious nature and incompatible with those excellent Attributes by which he hath discovered part of himselfe to men Two things are here to be premised 1. That Gods chief Attributes are those perfections in the manifestation of which by acts conformable to them God is most glorified which are Mercy Justice Truth c. For God is more honoured by the exercise of these amongst men then by the putting forth of his unlimited power and Soveraignty as a King is more renowned among his Subjects for his clemency equity candid and faire dealing then for his Dominion and Authority or any thing that is done only for the manifestation thereof And there is good reason for it For 1. Power is no vertue but mercy justice and truth are acts of power are not Morally good of themselves but are made good or evill by their concomitants if they be accompanied with justice mercy c. they are good if otherwise they are naught For justum oportet esse quod laudem meretur 2. Power and Soveraignty may as well be shewed in barbarous and unjust actions as in their contraries Saul shewed his authority and power to the full in slaying the Lords Priests and Nebuchadnezzar in casting the three Children into the fiery furnace and Daniell into the Lyons Denne but no mercy nor justice nor any thing else that was good 2. The second thing that is to be preconsidered is that justice mercy and truth in God are the same in nature with those vertues in men though infinitely different in degree as light in the aire is the same with light in the Sunne in nature not in degrees and that which is just mercifull and upright in men is so in God too And by these vertues in our selves and such acts as are conformable to them tanquam ex pede Herculem we may safely measure the same in God For otherwise these things would follow 1. The common and received distinction of Divine Attributes into communicable and incommunicable would fall to the ground for against it this night be said that the mercy justice truth and other vertues that are in us are not Gods perfections in a lower degree communicated to us but things of a different nature 2. Men cannot be truly said to