Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	love_n	love_v	5,814	5	7.1381	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20668	The collegiat suffrage of the divines of Great Britaine, concerning the five articles controverted in the Low Countries VVhich suffrage was by them delivered in the synod of Dort, March 6. anno 1619. Being their vote or voice foregoing the joint and publique judgment of that Synod.; Suffragium collegiale theologorum Magnae Britanniae de quinque controversis remonstrantium articulis. English.	Carleton, George, 1559-1628.; Synod of Dort (1618-1619)	1629 (1629)	STC 7070; ESTC S110099	65,063	183

We are called with a holy calling according to his owne purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Iesus before the world beganne This purpose of God since it goes before this holy calling and forelayeth the foundation to it considers man as the subject of a sure election according to this purpose not as he standeth in the end of this life but as he was before the beginning of this life yea before the world beganne appointed by Gods purpose to a most complete Election Neither truly can there be settled any definite election to eternall grace to faith to adoption Eph. 1.5.8 if these things be considered as hanging in uncertainty neither shall the future perseverance of the Elect be fore-ordained by God but onely foreseene in the man to be elected and so this act of God shall bee only an approbation following such as may be performed by man that knowes not what is to come hereafter not a foregoing and operative Election such as all elections in reason and by force of the name of Election must needs be 4 Last of all Iohn 10.16 The Gentiles not yet called much lesse settled in finall perseverance are by our Saviour stiled his sheepe being indeed then separated by the foregoing mark of entire and complete election He that makes men sheepe doth make free mens wils unto obedience but why doth hee with whom there is no acception of persons make those men sheepe and makes not others O man who art thou that replyest against God Yee say that Iacob was elected for his future workes which God knew he would doe and so you contradict the Apostle saying Not of workes as if he could not have said Not of present workes but or workes of come They are elected before the foundation of the world by that predestination in which God foreknew what he would doe they are elected out of the world by that calling by which he fulfilled that which he did predestinate THE SIXT ERRONEOVS OPINION THat in this life no man can receive any fruit or perceive any sense of his owne election otherwise then conditionall FIliall adoption is the proper naturall and unseparable fruit of Election and is to be perceived by the Elect in this life the spirit of adoption revealing it to their hearts Gal. 4.6 Because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba Father If a son then an heire of God Rom. 8.15 16 Ye have received the spirit of adoption wherby we cry Abba Father The Spirit it selfe beareth witnes with our spirit that we are the children of God Eph. 1.14 Ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance Hee saith the earnest of our inheritance which is an infallible signe that we shall never be dis-inherited but shall at length obtaine our inheritance Rom. 5.2 We glory in the hope of the glory of God And v. 5. This hope maketh us not ashamed Neither is there any falshood in this solid peace of conscience in the glorying of the godly or in this infused hope because these gifts are both sent by God to the elect and to this end are they fastened in their mindes that they may be certaine arguments of their unchangeable election We confesse our election is not to be perceived by us à priori by the causes but the proper effects of it may be knowne And from the proper effect upward to the cause the argument is good We likewise grant that the assurance of election in the children of God themselves is not alwayes so constant and continuall but that oftentimes it is shaken with temptations and for a time suppressed so that not onely the degree of assurance is lessened but even election it selfe in respect of the sense and apprehension of the Elect seemes uncertaine and ready to vanish Lastly we confesse that the Elect justified when they fall into grievous sinnes and cleave unto them are not onely deprived of the present taste of their election but also conceive a great feare of the contrary namely of Gods wrath and revenging justice and that deservedly seeing the holy Ghost vouchsafes not to communicate this heavenly and sweet Manna of comfort to a defiled conscience yet wallowing in its owne filthinesse but onely to a cleane heart and such an one as exerciseth it selfe in the practise of faith repentance and holinesse But we thinke that the mindes of the faithfull being wakened and rising out of their pollutions are renewed by God and comforted againe with a sweet sense of eternall life prepared for them before the foundation of the world and in due time undoubtedly to be conferred upon them A faithfull man hath received by faith that which is uncertaine to others and layeth hold on the promise That it might be certaine that wee are the sonnes of God he hath sent his Sonne into our hearts crying Abba Father Who is iust but bee that returnes love to God that loved him which comes not to passe but by the spirit revealing to a man by faith the eternall purpose of God concerning his salvation Which revelation is nothing else but an infusion of spirituall grace by which while the workes of the flesh are mortified man is prepared to that kingdome which flesh and blood doth not possesse receiving together in one spirit both whence bee may presume he is beloved and whence he may returne love lest he should be loved in vaine or without returning love againe THE SEVENTH ERRONEOVS OPINION THere is no election of Infants dying before they have the vse of reason IF one absurdity or unsound doctrine bee granted more of the like will follow This here followes upon that that they require in all divine Election faith fore-seene upon which it may bee grounded which indeed cannot be fore-seene in such infants But we on the contrary evidently prove that these tenets are against all Divinity 1 They who have an entrance in time vnto life eternall without all doubt were elected to life eternall before all time Otherwise the number of them that are glorified should exceed the number of them that are predestinated which is impossible For that proposition must be understood reciprocally with equall extension of both termes Whom hee hath predestinated those hee hath glorified namely these and no other as Saint Austin inferreth But the Scripture supposes the names of some Infants to bee written in the booke of life and that they must appeare before the judgement seat of God Rev. 20.12 and be admitted into the new Ierusalem Rev. 21.27 of such is the Kingdome of heaven Luke 8.16 2 Whosoeuer are admitted onely into the Kingdome of Heaven were before out of Gods free good pleasure chosen vnto the Kingdome of Heaven But to as many infants as enter into Heaven eternall life is a gracious gift through Iesus Christ Rom. 6.23 therefore they were chosen to that Kingdome in Christ. But if this

colourable but proceeded out of the power of those dispositions unto grace and from the inspiration of the holy Ghost which they felt in themselves for a time as is evident by their affections their joy sorrow and zeale which they doe not so much faine and make a shew of as find to be truely in themselves Of such Saint Augustine thus speaketh They were not sonnes then when they were in the profession and had the name of sonnes not because they fained their righteousnesse but because they remained not in that righteousnesse THE THIRD POSITION VPon those good beginnings testified by the externall works of obedience they are reputed and by a charitable construction ought to be taken for beleevers justified and sanctified men THey who to these inward gifts of the holy Ghost have added the outward profession of a Christian faith together with the amendment of their lives ought of right to be reckoned by us who cannot finde out or search into the inward secrets of mens hearts in the number of the faithfull of the justified and sanctified This is plainly proved out of the Apostle Saint Paul who in his Epistles which hee wrote to particular Churches at Rome Corinth Ephesus c. entitles them all promiscuously beloved of God Saints sanctified Rom. 1.7 1 Cor. 1.2 Ephes. 1.1 Phil. 1.1 In like manner the Apostle Peter in the beginning of his first Epistle speaketh unto the dispersed strangers in this forme of speach To the Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctification of the spirit Adde we to these the note of Saint Augustine speaking of those who were not elect These because they live godly are called the sons of God And afterwards againe There are some who are called of us the sons of God because of the grace received by them for a time but yet they are not the sons of God THE FOVRTH POSITION THey who are not elect although they thus far proceed yet they never attaine unto the state of adoption and justification and therefore by the Apostasie of these men the Apostasie of the Saints is very erroneously concluded ALthough they who are not elect being brought up cherished in the Churches bosome are in their minds will and affections disposed by the aforesaid preparatives tending in some sort to justification yet are they not thereupon placed in the state of justification or adoption For they still retain throughly setled in their hearts the strings and roots of their leud desires to which they give themselves over still they remaine wedded to the love of earthly things and the hardnesse lurking in the secret corners of their hearts is not taken away so that either persecution or tentation arising they retire from grace and being either intangled with the love of pleasures and enticements of the flesh or caried away with some other vicious affections at length they shew that they are lovers of themselves and lovers of pleasures rather then lovers of God and that they enjoy nothing lesse then God howsoever they may flatter themselves but indeed that they would make use of God that they may enjoy the world as S. Augustine speakes Whence it is manifest that they never really and truly attaine that change and renovation of the minde and affections which accompanieth justification nay nor that which doth immediately prepare and dispose unto justification For they never seriously repent they are never affected with hearty sorrow for this cause they have offended God by sinning nor doe they come to any humble contrition of heart nor conceive a firme resolution not to offend any more unto them is not given repentance unto life which is mentioned Acts 10.18 nor that godly sorrow which worketh repentance to salvation never to be repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 they are not poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of God Mat. 5.13 To this purpose is that of Saint Augustine who speaking of the reprobate saith God bringeth none of them to that wholesome and spirituall repentance by which a man is reconciled to God in Christ. Adde also that such doe never feele in themselves an earnest desire of reconciliation They doe not hunger and thirst after righteousnesse For such shall be filled Matth. 5.6 And to them shall be given of the fountaine of living water which shall be in them a well of water springing up to eternall life Iohn 4.14 Also they doe neither denie themselves nor seriously bid defiance to their owne lusts nor doe they once feele in their hearts any such accounting of all things but losse that they may winne Christ as the Apostle did Phil. 3.8 And to conclude they never attaine to that unfained lively faith which justifieth a sinner and worketh through love 2 Tim. 1.5 For this faith is the peculiar of the Elect and is not afforded to the not elected Furthermore that onely the Elect are justified it is plaine by that golden chaine of the Apostle Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified Those onely and no other as out of S. Augustine we have shewne at the first Article Againe the same Saint Augustine God doth not forgive the sinnes of all men but of those whom he foreknew and predestinated It is plaine also out of the Scriptures that they who are not elect never come unto the estate of adoption For first the estate of adoption is grounded upon predestination Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of Children by Christ Iesus Secondly the state of adoption as also the right and priviledge of sons is not obtained but by a lively faith For as many as received him to thē he gave power that is aright priviledge that they should be the Sons of God to wit to such as beleeve in his name Also ye are all the sonnes of God by faith in Christ Iesus But this faith is proper to the Elect as was before declared 3 All that are adopted for sonnes are regenerated and that by the incorruptible seed by the word of the living God Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne because his seed remaineth in him 4 Those adopted sons are also heires heires of God and coheires with Christ and doe receive the earnest of their inheritance But they who are not elect are never regenerated by this incorruptible seed neither have they the seed of God remaining in them neither are they assigned to be heires with Christ. Hence is that of Saint Augustine They were not in the number of sonnes no not when they were in the faith of sonnes Againe As they were not the true Disciples of Christ so neither were they the true Sonnes of God yea even when they seemed to be and were so called And Saint Ambrose What can God the Father make void those gifts he hath bestowed and banish those from the grace of his fatherly affection whom he