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	nature_n	son_n	13,355	5	6.0279	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81535	A discovery of the great fantasie, or, Phantasticall conceitednesse. That is to say, of the antichristian blindnes of those, that out of a meer false imagination and phantasticall conceitednesse, do hold themselves to be Christians, sprituall divines, deputies and messengers or spokes-men of Christ, and take upon them, as mediatours, to save others, whom they call the secular lay-men; therewithall, reviling, traducing, condemning, excommunicating, persecuting, exiling, and putting to death the true children of God, for not yeelding unto this phantasie of theirs, conceiving, that therein they do God great service, when they busie themselves in weeding the ground thus, according to their phantasies, and endeavouring to save the angels a labour against the time of the harvest. Together with a discovery of the great arch-whore, and her paramours or lovers, whereof the spirit of God beareth witnesse.		1642 (1642)	Wing D1651; Thomason E124_28; ESTC R6001	19,094	24

A DISCOVERY OF THE GREAT FANTASIE OR PHANTASTICALL CONCEITEDNESSE That is to say Of the Antichristian Blindnes of those that out of a meer false Imagination and Phantasticall Conceitednesse do hold themselves to be Christians Spirituall Divines Deputies and Messengers or Spokes-men of Christ and take upon them as Mediatours to save others whom they call the Secular Lay-men therewithall reviling traducing condemning excommunicating persecuting exiling and putting to death the true children of God for not yeelding unto this Phantasie of theirs conceiving that therein they do God great service when they busie themselves in weeding the ground thus according to their Phantasies and endeavouring to save the Angels a labour against the time of the Harvest Together with a Discovery of the great Arch-Whore and her Paramours or Lovers whereof the Spirit of God beareth witnesse LONDON Printed by T. P. and M. S. in Goldsmiths Alley 1642. PHANTASIE or FANCIE WHen the mind of man doth not deny it self in all humility before God and is not guided and acted by the Spirit and light of God but is wise and cunning of it self in it's own power or strength of Reason and the spirit of the world then is the same mind revolted from God and goeth on in it's own guidance and naturall wisdom and that is the Phantasie which under the name of Christ and palliating cover of the holy Scripture pretendeth great matters but indeed is nothing but a meer juggling even as Lucifer became such a Phantast and juggler when as he withdrew himself from the sacred government of the eternall light and essay'd in his own high mindednesse to be something of himself where also he seduced the first man that he forsook God and his command in disobedience Therefore O Man turn thy self from this power of the Devill unto the living God through Christ the Mediatour and Saviour lest by this Phantasterie and self-conceitednesse of thine inveigled-Reason thou become and abide a Phantasticall Juggler for ever in hell For without the Truth in Christ Jesus there is no salvation THE OCCASION OF THE ensuing Treatise WHereas in many Pulpits as also in sundrie writings of those that vaunt themselves true Christians and followers or successours of the Apostles there is nothing so common and ordinarie as reproachfully to abuse and traduce such as do not agree with their self-conceited-fond opinions by the termes of Weigelians Phantasts and Enthusiasts and that with as much clamour and bitternesse as can be devised It was thought needfull to shew those Praters something of their own Phantasterie whether it might please God to give them Repentance yet to acknowledge the Truth 1 Tim. 2.23 and to be freed from the snares of Satan by whom they are held captive according to his wil to grow sober again and by shaking off and renouncing their erroneous and phantastick spirit Ezech. 13.3 Isa 29.24 to receive understanding and instruction Which is likewise requisite for the simple people and such as want true information lest they do make themselves pertakers with the sins of others and participate of the plagues of Babel Revel 6.18 Ose 7.8 9. but rather that they may save their souls as a prey out of and sleighting the commandment of God and with pleasure and delight arrogating unto himself a wisdom and knowledge of his own He fell thereby off from God was captivated by the spirit of this world and subjected to the rule of Satan who so infected him with his spreading poyson that the same did cleave not onely to himself but likewise to all his posteritie whereby they are corrupted body and soul to everlasting death and become the children of wrath and are satanicall altogether Ephes 2. Yet seeing God ever good and gracious Wisd 1.13.2.3 made not the Death nor took delight in the destruction of the living but created man to eternall life and to his Image that he should be like unto him But by the devils envie Death came into the world therefore also God took heartie compassion of Man and of his Grace repaired this fall by his everliving WORD with the promise of the seed of the woman Wisd 10 20. Gen. 3.15 who also afterwards was born man and became an Attonement-offering and graciously gave such a light to man Ephes 5.2 Ioh. 1. Ioh 8.12 Col. 3.4 1 Ioh. 3.8 Ose 13.14 Ioh. 1. Col. 1.15 Ioh. 9.5 Luk. 2 39. Bar. 3.38.4.2 1 Ioh. 5.6.7 whereby he was set upright again and by the vertue whereof he was to fight against the seed of the Serpent and overcome the sinfull desires of the same in the faith of the Covenant For this womans seed the essentiall word of the Father is the light and life of men which doth destroy and overcome the works of Satan within them and this Word which was in the beginning whereby all things were created and are conserved is the light of men which enlightneth every man that cometh into the world all namely that receive it and love not the darknesse of their carnall lust and sinfull affections as the works of Satan more then the light but rather turn from them unto the light cleave unto it by faith and suffer themselves to be guided and governed by the spirit of it such have power to become the sons of God Ioh. 1.12 and by the gracious inhabiting of this light which is Christ to be made partakers of the Divine Nature Colos 1.27 For this light Christ the essentiall Word of the Father is the onely Mediatour and the onely means whereby the fall of Adam may be abolished 2 Pet. 1.4 Hebr. 3.14 1 Tim. 25. the losse recovered and man again reconciled with God And this is that day-spring from on high that giveth light to them that sit in darknesse Hebr. 1.3 Luk. 1.78 79. and in the shadow of death that they may walk before God in holinesse and righteousnes o all well-pleasing Who so hath this light in himself 2 Cor. 4.6 Rom. 8. 1 Ioh. 2.27 Act. 15.11 Ose 12 10. Col. 1.19.2.9 Ioh. 1.17.10.11 Ioh. 15.5 1 Cor. 10.3.12.13 the same is enlightned and whoso hath his spirit in himself the same is a Christian and anointed as likewise the Patriarchs and the Prophets had him and were saved onely by him who also did speak by them With him and in him is all the fulnesse of the Godhead and of him and of his fulnesse all of us must receive He is the true Vine and we are his branches participating vigour and life of him and his fulnesse and without him none is able to do any thing He is that spirituall Rock from whom the Fathers drank their spirituall drink and all the regenerate to this day still eat and drink this spirituall meat and spirituall drink Ioh. 14.6 Eph. 4.21 Rom. 7.6 Ioh. 4.14.7.37 38. not in a Phantasticall or imaginarie manner of sensuall reason but in Truth For in Christ there is Truth and Reality and from thence

Psal 50.16 17 conceit and tongue-faith comforting themselves from without in their imaginarie and Phantasticall apprehensions Isa 29.13 Matth. 7.26 Ioh 5.38 with the merit and satisfaction of Christ stroking and soothing thereby their old Man in his sinfull courses but cannot endure the Spirit of Christ stroking and soothing thereby their old Man in his sinfull courses but cannot endure the Spirit of Christ or the inward Word of God in the Heart as in his Temple reviling and traducing that gracious inhabiting despighting and gainsaying the holy Ghost openly Hebr. 10.29 and thus indeed rejecting the true foundation and corner-stone of the everlasting covenant in their building This beloved Luk. 11.39 is indeed a most false pernitiously and deadly foolish Phantasie whereby these Phantasticall Men together with all that cleave unto them Ioh. 17.10.20.23 and seek for light in darknesse do precipitate and plunge themselves into everlasting Darknesse For he that is not united with God by the inhabiting of Christ 1 Cor. 1.9 Hebr. 3.6 and 6.6 the true and onely light in a true faith must remain thus separated from God and enchained with Lucifer in darknesse for ever Therefore take heed and understand yet at length ye children of men 2 Pet. 2.1 that when your Preachers do deny and traduce the inhabiting of Christ in the true beleevers they do speak too presumptuously against Christ and against his members who by the inhabiting of the Spirit of Christ in them Ephes 4.30 or by the participation of the Divine Nature are truly sealed and new born to be the children of God and truly the apple of his eye 2 Cor. 1.22 But of themselves that deny this inhabiting of Christ and that Christ doth not dwell in them 2 Pet. 7. Ioh. 8.44 not feeling him in themselves and denying the Lord that bought them it may be truly said according to the saying of Christ to the Jews Ye are of your father the devill and the lusts of your father you will do He was a murtherer and a liar from the beginning and abode not in the truth because the truth is not in him When he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own For this is manifest by the likenesse of these Scribes and Pharisees of the New Testament with these of the Old Testament which had the word of God not dwelling within them and called Christ a made man and an inchanter and plainly shewed by their hypocriticall and carnall course and conversation Matth. 11.30 Hebr. 10.29 and the fruits thereof that not Christ but Antichrist which is the spirit of Darknesse and the Prince of this world did inhabite them and wrought such works Now consider yet further dear Man Isa 61.6 1 Pet. 2.9 that by reason of and from this inhabiting and anointing all Christians are children of the light Priests of the Lord a royall priesthood and holy peculiar people of God that ought to declare the power of him that called them out of darknesse to his marvellous light and washed them through his blood and made them Priests Rev. 1.6.9 10. Rom. 12.18 Gal. 5. Hos 14.3 Heb. 5.13 Revel 5.8 Numb 16. 2 Chron. 26.16 to present their bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God and to crucifie and destroy the works of the flesh and the earthly members in their lusts to offer up the calves of their lips as the fruits of the same in a praise-offering to God through Christ and to present the censor of the heart full of the sweet-smelling savour of prayer For as in the old Testament none were permitted to be a priest and to burn incense before God but Aaron and his sons that issued from him as from a Rock so in the new Testament none is a Christian but he that is cut out of Christ the living Rock 1 Cor. 10.4 Cap 3.16 Matth. 16.18 1 Pet. 1.23 Isa 8.18 1 Ioh 5.1.14 Matth. 3.17 Ioh. 1.13 c. 4.24 c. 16.26 Hebr. 5.16 1 Cor. 6.17 Ioh. 14.16 17. 2 Cor 4.6 1 Ioh. 2. and built upon him and none dare draw neer unto God with his prayer but he that is regenerated of Christ And to his throne of grace they all approach with cheerfulnesse that will obtain mercie from God their heavenly Father through the same mercie seat Jesus Christ by whom as the well-beloved they are acceptable before God Ephes 1.6 And upon this same ground also all true Christians are not secular but spirituall men for they cleave unto the Lord and are one spirit with him which Christ hath given unto them from the Father and thereby sealed them whereby likewise as by a shewing light there ariseth in their hearts the enlightning from the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ assuring and teaching them inwardly and not onely making their hearts sure Gal. 5.16 but working withall the fruits of the Spirit within them such as are faith love patience peace kindnesse meeknesse c. and therefore they are spirituall people hating the works and fruits of the flesh such as are adultery fornication uncleannesse lasciviousnesse idolatry sorcerie enmitie strife envie wrath hatred variance divisions seditions murther drunkennesse gluttony pride ambition extortion covetousnesse and the like all which do mark out a secular Ier. 7. worldly and carnall man where they are committed But those that belong to Christ do crucifie their flesh with its lusts and desires and as they live in the spirit so they walk likewise in the spirit and are in deed and in truth no secular or worldly but spirituall men however otherwise by their places and offices here they may be Kings Princes Nobles Citizens or Pesants Mark then and try thy self O Man what fruits there break forth in thy life from within Matt 5.15.20.22.34.35.23.25.26 and how thy heart is disposed inwardly in its thoughts and affections whether thou be a secular or spirituall person Let not the prating of those falsely called spirituall or Divines with their outward Church preachings confessions and communions deceive thee but go and try now thy own self whether Christ doth dwell and live in thee whether thou be in the faith fit or unfit exercise love yea or no 2 Cor. 13.5.6 and let not their pretended difference trouble thee that they do call themselves the Priests spirituall ones and men in holy Orders or Divines and these of thy Rank and Qualitie the secular and Lay-people The Devill as the spirit of Darknesse hath taught them to devise this difference whose spirituall creatures they are for he can likewise transform himself into an Angel of light 1 Cor. 11.13 and is a spirit why not then as well also his own Apostles and Ministers but as he is a spirit of Darknesse so are they spirituall ones of darknesse or altogether worldly and carnall whose belly is their God and whose glory is their shame for that is one and the same before God and their end

another and let this be a sure mark and character when thy Preachers tell thee that the kingdom of God is to be sought with them in their stone Churches in their Pubpits in the Chancell of confession and in the Lords Supper or at the Communion inveighing and railing withall against those that do not condemne the gathering of the congregations to heart the Word but onely blame and speaks against the false opinions and maintain with Christ that the kingdom of God is within man and that the Christians are the true Temples and dwelling houses of God the holy Ghost I say again be sure then Luk. 17.20 1 Cor. 6.19 Hebr. 3.6 that such are the many Phantasticks and false Prophets Antichristian and diabolicall Teachers and if thou suffer thy self to be deluded and conceited by their means that repairing to them in their Churches in thy carnall wayes and conditions and so hearing them and fetching the pardon of thy sins from them for money an Alms or some other outward respect thou hast there performed thy service unto God art reconciled with God hast been in the kingdom of God and at his great Supper and yet dost not find the kingdom of God in thine own heart and soul but goest on still in the old vanity of thy carnall courses Ioh. 14.21 2 Ioh. 5. according to the lusts of this world then thou art a Phantastick as they and mig●tily deceived for not those that heart the Word here or there from without but they that have it in their hearts that keep and do accord●ng to it and live no more in th●mselves and their own desires but in Christ in God and according to the will of God and likew●se do love one another from the heart in all uprightnesse and sinceritie th●se are the children of God in whom Christ doth dwell as in his house and T●mple Hebr. 3.6 2 Cor. 3.16 and guide and govern them by his holy and blessed Spirit As for those other although they shall say Lord have we not done great deeds in thy Name Have we not made excellent and powerfull Sermons driven out Devils have we not been constant daily and diligent frequenters of the Church have we not often confessed our selves and gone to receive the Communion and absolution and pardon of our sins by thy vicegerents this is the sentence they shall be doomed withall Get ye hence ye workers of iniquitie Matth. 7.21 22 23. I never knew you yet for none shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but such as do the will of my Father Now to speak of the Bond of Brotherly love in the Unity of the Spirit which is the Bond of Perfectnesse whereby the true children of God do love their very enemies and do good unto them for when all things shall cease yet love is to abide still and it is the onely infallible character of the children of God and Christs disciples But God himself is love 1 Cor. 13. Ioh. 13.34 1 Ioh. 4 17. and without him none can love either God or his neighbour Therefore true Christian love proceedeth from the gracious inhabiting of Christ who by his blessed spirit Rom. 5.4 Ioh. 16. doth powre out the love in our hearts which overcometh all crosses and afflictions and can be seperated from God by nothing Rom. 8.35 39. Consider and see now I pray whether thou canst trace out love in thy Preachers Verily if thou do not sufficiently honour them and fill their hands Luk. 20.45 46. or if thou discover but in the least degree or winke that thou dost not hold and esteam of them as of the Vicegerents of Christ Matth. 25. and such as are able to pardon thy sins or if thou agree and assent not unto their Phantastick opsnions but endeavour rather to draw and direct both them and thy neighbour out of a tender and brotherly heart unto that which is good even 1 Cor. 11.3.5 with Paul to Christ himself not assent to those Men or self-authorized Vicegerents thou shalt soon discover what love there is in them and by whom they are inhabited for they do testifie it by the practise of their abominable slandering reviling excommunicating condemning irritating and enraging of the silly multitudes that the Word and the Love of God have no dwelling in them Ioh. 5.41.38 ● Take a view of Love throughout St. Johns Epistle and according to that examine and try both thy self and Preacher then thou shalt be soon and easily able to discern between upright Christians and those Phantasticks or hypocrites and beware of giving credit to it that any one can be a Christian that walketh not in love 1. Ioh. 3. for he that loveth not hath not God abiding in him and he that hath not Christ in himself but notwithstanding his worldly course and conversation presumeth to comfort himself in the immaginarie conceitednesse of a false-Opinion-saith with the Merit of Christ the same doth deceive and delude both himself and others Therefore prove and try thy self and learn to discern and discover the Phantastery of th●se that conceive they may love both God and their neighbour well enough without Christs true inhabiting of them And by reason hereof now turn thy self unto God the source or stream and fountain of love 1 Ioh. 4.17 Ioh. 6.44 follow his drawings whither both M●●●s the Prophets and all the Apostles yea Christ himself and like●ise all sincere and upright Teachers and Preachers do lead and direct thee Psal 8.5 and so thou shalt find the Love of the Father to arise within thee by his living Word and thy heart seasoned and possessed throughly Rom 5.5 by this Love as the holy Ghost without which LOVE it will be utterly impossible for thee to love God and thy Neighbour for all perfect gifts do come from him as from the Father of lights Iam. 1.16 One thing more thou art to be minded of viz. that these modern Phantasts do mightily defame and vilifie as they conceive the true children of God by terming and calling them Enthusiasts But know that Enthusiasta in the Greek tongue doth signifie a man endewed with divine power governed and acted by the Spirit of God as were in former times the Prophets and Apostles and as all Saints and holy persons yet are according to the measure which the Spirit vouchsafeth unto them for which cause the World a●so doth account and call them distracted and stark mad f●ols and Bedlams Whereas indeed these are even they whom Christ together with his Father and the holy Spirit Ioh. 14.24 is come in unto having made there abode within them that same Spirit teacheth and lead●th them Ioh. 15.16.18 whom the world cannot receive neither see him And he doth dwell in them as in a holy Temple and thereby they are partakers of the divine nature 1 Cor. 3.16 2 Pet. 1.4 and members of the body of Christ flesh and bone of his flesh