Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A65331
|
English Cretes and atheistical Christians describ'd and instanced with directions for the reformation of all, from St. Paul's Epistle to Titus, the first Bishop of Crete : wherein is intimated the sacred order, and supreme power of episcopacy in the church, with the inferior ministry : concluding all with supplemental instances, and a lamentation of the churches present miseries.
|
T. W.
|
1695
(1695)
|
Wing W117; ESTC R31986
|
11,495
|
34
|
their ignorance and denyal of God and of all true Religion whatsoever their Faith or Profession may be as will be manifest from a brief discussion of these Words with deductions of some few Instances They profess that they know God Now to know God is to understand as much as Nature Reason and Revelation discover to us of his Being or his Perfections and Attributes included therein and of that Worship and Service due to him from us his Creatures which we call Religion in general Thus far as men ought we to know God but much more as Christians must we know him to be not only our Creator Preserver c. but our great Lord and Judge our merciful Redeemer Saviour and Sanctifier too as well as Lawgiver in his only begotten eternal Son and Holy Spirit Yea further must we thus draw near or come unto God that we may please him and in order thereunto we must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. xi 7. And then moreover we must obey his Laws live up to his Gospel of Grace and Salvation which is our Christian Profession if we would truly and rightly know him Then and not till then we may well profess that we know God since hereby alone we shall know our selves that we know him if we keep his Commandments Herein shall we be fully satisfi'd when we thus endeavour to love adore and imitate his infinite Perfections as his Laws direct thus to renew his Image upon our souls and resemble him as far as we can to our own sole happiness purifying following and uniting our minds to the Divine For whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected yea hereby know we that we are in him so he that professeth to know him or saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked But he that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a lyar and the truth is in him 1 Joh. ii 3 4 5 6. But in Works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good Work reprobate So to deny God in our Works is to allow our selves in any known wilful sin that is hateful and dishonourable to his Nature and transgressing his most Holy Just and Good Laws To continue in any wicked Customs sinful Habit or any evil Course of Life without timely Repentance and Amendment to have hereby seared Consciences hardned Hearts and stupify'd Wills reprobate Minds and corrupt Judgments ever prone to impiety backward and unwilling to do good perverse and stubborn in acts of iniquity following the bent and inclination of our vile Lusts and Affections and so easily yielding to the Devil's suggestions and the World's deluding Charms and Allurements thus frequently and notoriously Rebelling against God to slight God's sacred Ministry resist the good motions of his Holy Spirit disregard the most pious Instructions and neglect the means of Grace and Salvation ordain'd in Christ's Church Militant here upon Earth Thus do the many pretended Professors of a Deity and Vaunting Worshippers and Religionists deny God and all by their common inconsiderate foolish doings by their devilish sensual earthly living by their secret sins and avowed Crimes so odious in God's all-pure Eyes and nauseous to every good Soul Hence they form such Notions of the Divinity and favour such Doctrines and Interpretations of Scripture which they read to their own destrustion as might raise their defilements in Mind and Conscience and please their Corruptions most thus would they make God like one of themselves have his ways as their ways or else they seem to set up the vile Deities of the Heathens to profess only by their Deeds a a cruel Saturn a wanton Jupiter a thievish Mercury and a drunken Bacchus or with the grossest Idolaters in Egypt to Worship Leeks and Onions and make their Bellies their Gods What less do our Self-Contradictors inconsistent ridiculous Professors manifest Do not their Actions belye their Mouths And are they not thus far worse than the very Ethnicks or Atheists denying the only true God whom yet they affirm to own c. As for instance to expostulate this Case with all Rational People and Christians let us consider in the general that those who live and act contrary to the Divine Perfections and Laws do so far deny the same and such who deny God's Attributes which are essential to his Being do thus deny God So in particular this consider first in relation to his Holiness Purity and Goodness in the Abstract does not all manner of Irreligion and Prophaness plainly contradict the most Holy Being Is not every unclean Thought and Desire every filthy Discourse and lustful beastly Action diametrically opposite to God's all-pure Nature And is not all manner of ill-nature and evil-doing absolutely contrary to the most lovely Essence to Goodness it self If so what are the common false Swearers and all the guilty takers of God's most holy Name in vain What are the Contemners Neglecters and Prophaners of his holy Word and Ministry of his Sacraments and other Ordinances of his true Church and most pure Religion What are the Sacrilegious Robbers of Churches Robbers of God in Tythes and Offerings greedy encroachers upon the Pastors Divine Rights and bold Invaders of holy Church's Patrimony the proud Despisers of holy Persons and domineering Violaters of things Sacred thus bringing a Curse upon the whole Nation If so what are the Fornicators Whoremongers the Adulterers and Adulteresses the Brutes and Sodomites what are the lascivious vile obscene Wretches the carnal and earthly minded Herds of Animals In short what are the selfish Unrighteous the wicked vicious ungodly sinful Livers If so what are any such better than Atheists Yea are not they rather worse and dot they more shamfully deny by these abominable Courses that most holy pure and good God whom yet they profess to know So secondly Consider this Point in reference to God's Justice Mercy and Truth Can any thing more directly affront the Just and Righteous Judge of all the World than Rapine Violence and Oppression than Fraud Knavery with all sorts of Dishonesty and Unrighteous Dealing What can bid defiance more to our most gratious long suffering compassionate heavenly Father than Cruelty Tyranny and barbarous Usage than Malice Envy dire Revenge Hatred and all manner of Uncharitableness Can any thing more impudently contradict the only Wise and True God him who is Truth it self than Falshood Dissimulation Perjury Scepticism Infidelity than Diffidence Deceit Lying with all kind of Guile and Hypocrisy So thirdly In relation to God's infinite Wisdom and Power or his Omnipotence Omniscience and Omnipresence how bold Presumption on the one Hand and slavish Despair on the other or distrust of Providence with crafty Designs and secret Sinning c. does call these adorable Attributes into question Will not humane Strength and Policy carnal or worldly Wisdom bend and submit hereto Shall