Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A80419
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Religion and reason united. By A lover of his country.
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Coole, Benjamin, d. 1717.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing C6047A; ESTC R171515
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17,768
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61
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take notice 1. That acknowledgments to unquestionable Truths such as calling him Lord that is the unquestionable Lord and God and praying to him as the only Lord and Saviour doth not entitle Men to the Kingdom 2. But doing the Will of God is not only prefer'd to the acknowledgment of him as Lord but made the only Condition upon which admittance into the Kingdom is granted And in the next verse he adds For many saith he will say to me have we not Prophesied in thy Name and cast out Devils and done mighty Works Perhaps Built Churches Hospitals c. in thy Name c. All which was not done by Infidels but by them whose Judgments and understandings as well as Opinions were strong concerning the verity of his Authority yet for all this Knowledge and Profession and at some times Enjoyment Depart from me c. was the Sentence grounded upon their evil works for tho' they knew much and professed much and enjoyed much too yet they were unholy hearers and not doers knowers of his Will but doers of their own and therefore shut out of the Kingdom Thus much from Christ himself in Vindication of the First Proposition Next let us hear what His Apostle as well as the Gentiles saith to the matter in hand see 1 Cor. 13. where he tells of Gifts as Prophesies Tongues Knowledge of all Mysteries Hospitality towards the Poor and Faith to Remove Mountains yea to lay down Life for Opinions sake yet all this he saith without Charity or Divine Love is but an empty Sound c. I hope my Authority is so far Unquestionable that I need seek for no farther Proof for my Assertion viz. That 't is not Opinion but Holiness was and is the design of Religion for without it Religion is no more than a Body without Breath or Spirit which will soon Putrifie to the anoyance of all that are near it Now if Holiness of Life was the universal Creed of all the Christian World and the Hearts and Heads of Men were as much taken up with thinking how they might Practise it as their Hearts and Heads are full of Matters of far less Moment I will not say what though all the Presses in Europe has been filled with it as well as many Goals crowded Goods spoiled and Lives lost about it it would be a happy day for us But that I may be plainly understood I add that by Holiness I mean such a Strict Aweful and Circumspect Life as with Detestation and Abhorrence shuns those Paths that leads to the Breach of Negative Precepts as well as with fervency of Spirit suitable to the Nobility of the cause is Studious to approve it self in the Performance of what is enjoyed to be done by the same Authority the other as above is forbidden and in short is no other than a Life conformed to the Will of God And that this is the great Design of Religion is reasonable to believe both from Reason it self Scripture and Divine Inspiration and he that so lives deserves the Protection of all Civil Governments being the best of Subjects for he never gives the Magistrate trouble Since he that bears the Sword is for a Praise to them that do well and is only a Terror to Evil Doers which such a Man is not From what hath hitherto been said these Considerations will naturally follow First That he that made us Holy and Good at first and put us in a Capacity so to continue and sent his Son to break our Bonds by his Death desires that out of our Laps'd State we may be Restored to Live in a perfect Union and Fellowship with him again to all Eternity Ezek. 18.32 and 33.11 Rom. 5.18 19. 1 Tim. 1.15 and 2.3 4 5 6. Titus 2.14 1 John 3.7 Secondly Nevertheless without doing his Will 't is impossible to injoy that Union and Peace c. Mat. 7.21 22. Thirdly That his Will is our Sanctification or Holiness Luke 1.74 75. 1 Thess 3.13 and 4.3 Rom. 6.19 22. 2 Cor. 7.1 Fourthly That he which hath ordained the End hath also provided the means Deut. 18.15 Ezek. 18.32 1 Tim. 1.15 Fifthly That that means is Primarily the Second Adam or Lord from Heaven by whom the universal Gift of Grace is bestowed on all Men prejudiced by the Fall of the First Adam Secondarily by the Holy Scripture and a Spiritual Ministry c. Rom. 5.18 19. Tit. 2.11 Ephes 4.11 12. Sixthly and Lastly This Gift so universally given is Grace for Grace Light for Light Spirit for Spirit to Spirit or Quicken us to Holiness and is as much the Common Privilege of all Men as all Men were damaged by Adam's Fall Luke 2.27 28 29 30 31 32. John 1.9 16. 1 Cor. 12.7 And if so there is no Reason for the Church of Rome or any other Church to impose Articles of Faith on others or Monopolize Religion or Truth to themselves since he that Lives conformable to this Gift is a Member of that Church that Jesus Christ is Head of And he that hath Faith herein hath the True Faith mentioned in the 10th of the Hebrews and is that Faith delivered to the Saints for which they are to contend but not Fight nor Persecute since the way of their contending for it was by Argument and Suffering and not Persecution according as the Apostle saith Gal. 5.14 The fulfilling of the whole Law is in Loving our Neighbour as our selves And vers 6. saith Circumcision nor Vncircumcision availeth nothing but Faith that worketh by Love But Creed making Works not by Love but Strife and Envy and is almost always followed by Persecution therefore not of the true Faith tho' made up of never so true words but is a Fruit of the Flesh vers 19 20 21. and such Persecute those Born of the Spirit Gal. 4.29 In short that Faith which works by Love is the Immediate Gift of God that enables Man wholly to trust or depend without any manner of doubt with respect to his Body as well as Soul on the Invisible God but such an intire Trust and Depending cannot be where Purity of Heart is not And a Thousand Articles of Faith will not make one Heart clean it being made so only by that Spirit or Gift abovesaid So that he which hath the true Faith is not without the true Love for they are inseparable which worketh like Leaven every Man into Humility Patience and all other Vertues and against such there is no legal Law But to bring forth contrary Fruit such as Immorality Ambition Envy Wrath Persecution c. as it is no part of the Christian Religion so it is very unreasonable to number any such among the Religious Thus I hope I have made it plainly appear That 't is not Opinion but Holiness that answers the design of Religion 2dly That the Principles which leads to Holiness are few plain and reasonable and consequently all that are not so or from unquestionable Authority such as is the Holy Scripture