Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	true_a	work_n	6,989	5	6.0140	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85549	A true reformation and perfect restitution, argued by Silvanus and Hymeneus; where in the true Church of Christ is briefly discovered here in this life in her estate of regeneration, as also her persecution in the life to come, as it hath been foretold by all the holy prophets and Apostles, which have been since the world began. / By J.G. a friend to the truth and Church of God.	Graunt, John, of Bucklersbury.	1643 (1643)	Wing G1595; Thomason E55_10; ESTC R212817	46,091	47

by his penitent confession with ardency of affection in these words I will say unto my Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Sonne Every word declaring the true and reall sensiblenesse of his own guiltynesse confessing with detestation in the strength of his request like the penitent Publicain smiting his wofull breast with his guilty hand in a ruefull manner as a man lost and undone in the fourth and last place see his unsatisfied desire of pardon and forgivenesse of mercy peace and reconciliation Make me as one of thy hired servants which words for the matter and manner found of nothing but violence and admit of no answer no satisfaction in the world but of grace and favour to be admitted and received though into the least the lowest office of all even into the office of a servant Thus all the Prophets and Apostles as doth their Lord also describe repentance and the penitent by the poor the broken hearted the lost the sinners the unrighteous because these only are so truly in their own eyes and in the gift or work of God called repentance or the preparation of God happy man is he that heareth and obeyeth for God hath sworn he shall not perish Hym I must now confesse you have both described and defined repentance but yet me thinks you ascribe too much to it to say whosoever repents shall not perish Silv. I tell you the truth as it is written Ezechiel 18. 28. because he that considereth and returneth away from all his transgressions he shall surely live he shall not dye And so saith our Lord Except you repent you shall all likewise perish Hym. I pray let me heare you declare the other Metaphoricall terme which setteth forth the second part of regeneration as you said Silv. The second part of our new birth before called remission of sins hath divers termes and expressions in Scripture sometimes it is said to be the Baptisme of fire the Baptisme of the holy Ghost the blood of Christ shed abroad in our hearts sometimes called the blessing the life the voice or promise of God the ministery of the Lord of Iohn the Baptist whose shooe latchet the servant said he was not worthy to untie this Lord of the prepared way in working this ●econd and more speciall work of the holy Ghost preached that is giveth remission of sins to the penitent sanctifieth those which John had prepared bound up that which he had broken healed that which he had bruised perfecting the smoak into a light flame fulfilling what was written of him being anointed for that purpose namely to preach glad tydings unto the poor to bind up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the Captives and to inlarge such as were bounden to proclaime the acceptable yeare of the Lord and to comfort all that mourne to appoint unto them that mourne in Syon to give unto them beauty for ashes oyle of joy for sorrowing the garment of praise for the spirit of heavynesse that they may be called Trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified and this was the work of the Lord of the whole world who as he was greater than this servant his foregoer so his ministration exceeded and good reason for it was of a more higher and more excellent nature Even as healing exceeds breaking liberty captivity the spirit of Gladnesse that of heavinesse a rich and plenteous estate that which is low and miserable in the working and effecting hereof the holy Ghost applies the blood of Christ to that fore broken and bruised spirit which is the only healing plaister unto salvation and blessed life for this is the word so much spoken of in the Scripture which cures and heales the wounded spirit that neither herb nor plaister can possibly do the word speaking peace by Iesus Christ which began after the baptisme which Iohn preached thereby ingraving or writing in that Table of flesh the everlasting love and favour of God never againe to be razed or blotted out so purging purifying and sanctifying the prepared heart by the sprinckling of the bloud of Christ the heavenly fire of l●ve so refining it that it exceeds the purest triedst gold beyond all comparison And this effect of the holy Ghost the Scripture also calleth the spirit of his Sonne the spirit of adoption by which we call Abba Father And this is that new covenant which God made with Adam and Abraham and all his spirituall seed that life that Moses had and taught to others that everlasting Law and statute of grace and favor for ever as it is written whom he loveth once he loveth to the end that is everlastingly for his sure mercies and love are written even written in the prepared heart that God will be their God and they his people for ever more still testifying that this was he that was once dead but now liveth was lost but now is found from which work and testimony of the holy Ghost in the heart ariseth such an assurance to the man so sanctified that he is so sure his sins are forgien him and that Gods favour and love is given to him as he is su●e his Lord who wholly bought and freely gave his mercy to him was once dead than raised and now liveth for ever never to die againe this is the love of God shed abroad in his heart the Garment dipt in the bloud of the lambe the answere of a good conscience to his good and gracious God that as was his Father Abraham so is be fully perswaded and in truth of Faith with Saint Paul can say I am perswaded that neither death nor life principalities nor powers things present nor things to come nor height nor depth ●or any other creature whatsoever shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus my Lord And this is the birth and Baptisme of fire the blessing and accomplishment of the birth the life and generation of Gods children as that holy King singeth saying Blessed is the man whose sins are covered and whose God is the Lord Iehovah Hym. Surely this must be the description of true justifying Faith yet I pray make a definition of it Silv. This is the peculiar Faith the Faith of Abraham that which justifieth a sinner and by which the justified liveth as the Prophet speaketh and may be thus defined that it is a gift of Gods spirit whereby a concrite tender broken heart is given assuredly to believe that all his sins are forgiven him and that he is reconciled to God in everlasting love and favour through the precious bloud of Iesus Christ that hath bought and purchased it for him Which Faith is cleerly declared and fully proved in every part in the prodigalls acceptance when he was received from death to life the compassion of his Father was the only ground of the penitents forgivenesse and he assured him of his love and

favour by falling on his neck and kissing him such kisses of love as there is none to be compared to them as appears by the multiplyed following favors by clothing him with his own best robe by putting a ring on his hand and shoes on h●s feet ye● what is this all but to be clothed with the compleat and perfect righteousnesse of Iesus Christ and what more certain assurance then to eate Christs flesh and to drink his bloud this was the fatted calfe the lambe without spot who is the only food to eternall life and on whom whosoever eateth and believeth cannot but rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Hym. But is all justifying Faith an assurance Silv. Yes it is a full assurance for as much as it is witnessed to our spirits by Gods spirit and an assurance cannot be so true from any witnesse as from the spirit of God that beares witnesse with our spirits saith the Apostle that we are the Sonnes of God and so to the Hebrews he exhorteth in these words Let us draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinckled from an evill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water That which makes the heart true or good is the breaking it by repentance and the purifying it by Faith which Faith ariseth from the bloud of Christ shed abroad in the heart expressed by sprinkling and the same Apostle beareth witnesse that Abraham believing the promise was fully perswaded Ro. 4. Hym. But what say you of the Church of Christ which was our first discourse Silv. The regenerated man before declared is the matter of the true Church Of these precious living stones is built Gods spirituall house and of this heavenly nature is the whole building being all begotten from above of water and the holy Ghost As Saint Peter speaketh of these new born babes and calls them Stones and so he calls their Lord also to whom comming as to a living stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious use also saith he as lively Stones are built up a spirituall house a holy Priest-hood to offer spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ And this is the same Apostle which our Lord spoke to when he said thou art Peter or a Stone and upon this Rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it In which Scripture our Lord acknowledgeth himself confessed by Peter to be but the chief foundation and corner-stone and the whole building to consist of such spirituall living stones as Saint Peter was Hym. I pray expresse in manner how they do become a Church Silv. The power of God as I have shewed before doth by repentance cut these stones out of the Quarry of this world that is out of the estate of nature and thereby cuts squares and fits them for this building and the power of God by justification and acceptation layes on these stones on the lively building the spirit of God which proceeds from the Father and the Sonne Cements and soders all together by ingrafting or joynting them with the bloud of Christ the love of God poured out on them all and this is the holy Catholique Church the Communion of Saints as the Creed confesseth Agreeing with that of Saint Paul to the Corinthians The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Communion of the holy Ghost be with you as also to the Colossians The head from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred knit together increaseth with the increase of God this is Christs body his spouse the lambs wife who though they be many Graines yet make but one loafe Hym. What authoritie and priviledge hath this Church Silv. Great authority and many priviledges in this present suffering estate of hers for of these our Lord saith if two of you shall agree in earth as touching any thing they shall aske it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven And also where two or three are gathered together saith our Lord in my name there am I in the middest of them where by name he meanes his spirit so that none can be so congregated but such as are led by the spirit of God these have the priviledge to be called the Sonnes of God even such as believe in his name which were borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God these onely are the house of the living God the ground and pillar of truth these are as it were Gods privy Counsell on earth the Scripture stiles them the keepers of his truth and his dwelling place as say the Prophets Though the heaven of heavens cannot containe me yet will I dwell with him that is of a contrite spirit God dwelling with them teacheth them and declareth his will his mind and purposes to them as he did to Noah Abraham and Moses to these doth the Lord that hath the key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth give the power and authority of the keys of the Kingdom of heaven yea I say againe that great power and authoritie to bind and to loose to remit and to reteine sins by a decree intailed on them till time shall be no more in these words whose sins you 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 whose sins you do reteine they are reteined this is the commission of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings who by his own words hath bound himself thus to be with them to the end of the world Hym. I pray tell me how may a man know this Church Silv. None can truly know this Church but they that are of her for as they are spirituall themselves so they are spiritually discerned as the Apostle saith the spirituall men discerne all things even the deep things of God Yet I will briefly declare some of her excellencies and some of her miseries by which she is manifested for may a candle burne and not bewray her light may the Sunne shine and not shew his beauty can a City built upon a hill hide her face from the passer by or may a sacrifice salted convey his seasoning from the mouth of the taster and if these creatures could forget their natures yet cannot the true Saints in whose heart the eternall covenant of love is once ingraven forget to burne with like affection first towards God that first hath loved them with love of God as the sap puts forth this fruit as the Apostle saith We love him because he hath loved us first And none can love the Lord with all his heart with all his strength and with all his soule as Moses speaketh but such only whose booken heart the love of God hath comforted refreshed and healed So also loveth hee his neighbour as himselfe hee sorroweth rejoyceth lamenteth and is comforted wanteth and aboundeth with him as the Apostle saith

A TRVE REFORMATION AND PERFECT RESTITVTION Argued by Silvanus and Hymeneus Where in the true Church of Christ is briefly discovered here in this life in her estate of regeneration as also her perfection in the life to come As it hath been foretold by all the holy Prophets and Apostles which have been since the world began By J. G. a Friend to the truth and Church of God Feare not little Flock it is your Fathers pleasure to give you the Kingdom For now is our Salvation neerer than when we believed LONDON Printed by T. B. and are to be sold by S. B. in Corn-hill 1643. TO THE CHVRCH OF CHRIST IN ENGLAND Faithfull and beloved I The unworthyest of ten thousand of you have presumed to speak while you all were silent of this Subject and have made bold with your honourable and spirituall conditions to make a brief description of you the Lords people who are all of you the Children of wisdom and so taught of God that your own God termes you the wise that shall understand the keepers of his truth his remembrancers the people in whose heart is his Law to whom it is given to know the mysteryes of the Kingdom of God I intreate you all fellow sufferers truly noble and honourable Christians that how much the neerer our salvation approacheth so much the more let our joynt prayers and praises be to our God the lambe that sitteth upon the Throne let us not cease nor give him no rest till he establish and till he make Ierusalem a praise in the earth and if I have failed in negotiating your great affaires let our garment of love cover it and your wise and grave reproof or admonitions shall be as balme to cure my weaknesse so the God of truth multiply the comforts of it in us all in the clear demonstration of the spirit with power that as we are the Children of Abraham by Faith so we may do the works of our Father Abraham for which your Brother J. G. shall ever pray with you and for you to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen A True Reformation and perfect Restitution argued by Silvanus and Hymeneus Silvanus OLD Friend Hymeneus how hath it been with you a long time I heare seven years a go you were in new England Hymeneus I thank you Sir that you would acknowledge your long unseen although longer known Friend for I think it is neere twice seven years since I last spake with you Silv. What news in new England I heare you are there at a hard-ship both for soul and body provision for back and belly foode and clothes very scarce and Religion which should be as both to the soul is so lost that that which seemed unitie in the truth is turned to dissention the ground of error and falshood which custome the Church of Christ hath not which is the Church of God Hym. Friend you may heare more than is true yet I say the superfluitie of this world is not alwayes expedient and for Religion it is requisite that there should be difference amongst us that the approved may be manifest Silv. I see you have not forgotten your former Custome frequently to alleadge Scripture-phrase but I perceive also you have not learned the Apostles rule perfectly which saith if any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God that is the true meaning of it for all that were in the Church of Corinth were not of the Church Hym. I hope I have done the same in what I have said Silv. I spake before of the truth and of the children thereof which admit of no dissention and you speak of the Church of Corinth in which were some which were Sectaries and not the children of the truth and though they were amongst them yet they were not of them but were false Apostles and wicked inordinate persons Hym. I pray expresse your meaning to me more fully Silv. My meaning is that Christians should still intend by their speaking the same meaning which the holy Ghost doth in the termes he useth for one and the same terme sometimes is to be understood in a speciall sence sometimes in a generall as by Iew sometimes the same word intends the inward Iew sometimes the outward so of Religion and of the Church vaine Religion aswell as pure Religion the Synagogue of Sathan aswell as the true Church of God Hym. These distinctions under one and the same name are very profitable without doubt in the reading the Scriptures Silv. I pray you Friend tell me what matter and what manner you have for the constitution of your Churches in new England Hym. The matter are a company of believers the manner or forme is this we from amongst our selves choose a pastor the pastor and we being entred into a mutuall Covenant the one to be faithfull in teaching and feeding the other in hearing and obeying according to Christs ordinance by this reciprocall bond we become one Congregation or body as the head and members are one and so the pastor and people together choose other Church Officers as Elders and Deacons Silv. I understand you thus that this is your first way you take to give your Church the being or name of a Church but what way do you take to encrease this Church or ad unto it for the Scripture saith there were dayly added to the Church such as should be saved Hym. Our custome is that we admit none to be Members of our Church but such as cannot give an Accompt of their conversion and that they do renounce all other congregations as Members to them and doth make themselves by covenant that is by a solemne vow calling God to witnesse that they joyne themselves to us to be our Members only and so to no other Church but to walk with us according to Christs Ordinance and though some of other congregations may come in Communion in the Ordinance of the word yet we account them no Members Silv. And this is all you believe that the Scripture expresses tending to the making and being of a true Church Hym. I professe unto you I know no other Silv. You now grow old and therefore it should not be with you as it is with such as are Novicees in Religion wherefore take heed of faire speeches and holy pretences for there is nothing so common in the world as that which is like the truth yet not the truth the name of the Church and pure spouse and yet upon examination doth prove Strumpets and harlots for Christs Church his Sanctuarie his true Tabernacle is that which he her Lord pitcheth or buildeth not man therfore that we may trie the truth of your Church pray shew me how you prove it by Scripture and first where it is proved that the people of every particular Church are to call and choose their Pastor Hym. In the sixth chapter of the Acts it is thus written wherefore

the making parts and true nature of every particular living stone and member of which and which only the whole frame or fabrick consisteth Now to the making of any part thereof and so of every part 3 things are considerable and required that is to say the spirit water and bloud whereof the first is the worker the two last the work or matter or makeing parts of every living stone of the Church it self Of these three termes the first is literall by which we are to understand the finger of God the spirit which proceeds from the Father and the Sonne the other two are Metaphoricall by which other things are meant namely repentance and remission of sins as it is written Except a man be borne againe from above of water and the holy Ghost he cannot see the Kingdom of God Hym. I pray Sir expresse your self unto me concerning the two Metaphoricall termes Silv. That I shall willingly do and give you their definition in their due place For the first which is repentance the Lord in the working thereof unhardens the heart that naturally by sin is obdurate hard flat and quite contrary and disobedient to God and his will which graciously God of his meete and alone goodnesse by a kind of heavenly power softens and makes it plyable and inclinable to God and his will And the word of God compares this humble broken bruised contrite heart to plowed ground to soft and tender flesh and to water and such like setting forth by all these comparisons the true nature and condition thereof That as flesh differs from a stone barren fallow weedy ground from that which is broken up and plough'd and as the plyablenesse and softnesse of water differs from the hardnesse of a Dyamond so a broader and greater difference is there between this penitent heart and that it was before for that which was pleasant delightfull is now become nothing but grief sorrow of heart that which before was chiefly fought after is now most abhorred As formerly its joy and gladnesse was in such sinfull ways as carried him from God now he uncessantly seeketh prayeth desireth and longeth after every way and meanes whereby he may be brought to God to be refreshed with his favour which by his sins and transgressions he hath lost and never did any hunted and chased ha●t pant more after the water brooks than this soul doth thirst and desire the favour and grace of God in Christ No undone man no wounded man no diseased man no deadly sick man no man in bondage and thraldome so miserable and wretched in a naturall sence as this penitent man in his own apprehension in a spirituall and godly sence Therefore it is said of Iohn the Baptist the great and powerfull preacher and worker of repentance that he should prepare the way of the Lord that is make a people ready for the Lord to heale and cure and in working the preparation he bruised the reed he caused the flax to smoak he turned the hearts of the Fathers to the children the disobedient to the wisdom of the just he humbled and brought low the high and lofty the rough ridged and untoward he made gentle and smooth the crooked and perverse hearted he bent bow'd and made straight he made the rich poor the well sick the whole broken in a word all these terms do but set out and declare his great and heavenly work of repentance which he wrought in the hearts of men According as it was prophecyed of him that he should go in the power and spirit of Elias and as the Angell said to Zacharias his Father And many of the children of Israel shall he turne to the Lord his God Yea the whole life of this holy Prophet and every houre therof preached repentance for he chose the desart place in the wildernesse to dwell in before the stately City Ierusalem And hunger and thirst before dainty fare wine or strong drink and sack-cloth rather then soft rayment his Garment was hair-cloth and his Girdle a leather skin Neither boyld nor rost was his food but what he found unbought or uncared for his meate was locust and wild hony His life and Doctrine being thus one and the same and both so wonderfully powerfull and effectuall that all Ierusalem Iudea and the Region about Iordan went out to see and heare him the like Prophet being never heard nor seen before And he preached unto them repentance for the remission of sins for so powerfull was his ministery in working repentance in their hearts that the holy Ghost saith of them they were baptised of him in Iordan confessing their sins An apt and plaine figure or resemblance is the baptisme of water of that of repentance for repentance it is the preparation of the way of the Lord the signe or badge of it is the baptisme with water and so Saint Marke doth plainly preach Iohn did baptize in the wildernesse there 's the signification and preached the baptisme of repentance for the remission of sins there 's the substance which heavenly gift repentance he calls the beginning of the Gospell of Iesus Christ by which he proves cleerly that the beginning of our new birth or regeneration is the beginning of the new covenant of life and salvation herein agreeing with all the Prophets who speaking of the new covenant still begin with the unhardning the heart taking away the stony heart and giving an heart of flesh Hym. You have been large in the description of repentance and I desire to heare your definition of it as you promised Silv. The supernaturall grace and first part of unregeneration may be thus defined that it is the work gift of God by which the heart is turned from all the pleasures and delights in sin into great grief and unspeakeable sorrow for them with humble confession and acknowledgment of all its sins expressive an unsatisfied desire of pardon and forgivenesse and to be received into the love and favour of God through Iesus Christ Hym. You cald to me to prove the description I made of the Church I pray therefore proove this to me Silv. It is well desired this definition of repentance and every part of it is fully set forth in the prodigall Sonne who once was so full of affection to sinfull pleasures that he rejoyced in it but God working repentance in him now is become forlorne and miserable in his own apprehension and seeing his rash rebellion and unadvised sinfulnesse against God his most bountifull and loving Father Creator and preserver in utter dislike of himself and all his doings sorrowfully resolves And in the second place returnes to his Father by which is set forth the displeasure and dislike he now takes against all his sins which have been the cause of all his misery and Gods dishonour being conscious thereof dislikes forsakes leaves them and goes from them plainly and clearly declaring his returning unto God in his heart Manifested in the third place