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	scripture_n	word_n	5,665	5	4.3306	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88080	The glorious truth of redemption by Jesus Christ, rescued out of the hand or unrighteousnes. Or the doctrine of redemption rightly stated: wherein, 1. All Arminian and Pelagian glosses and absurdities are refuted. 2. All carnal allegations and reasonings silenc'd. 3. All concern'd scriptures seemingly discording, reconcil'd. 4. The doctrine of redemption clearly held forth, according to the harmony of scripture, and analogie of faith. By W.L.	Levitt, William.	1652 (1652)	Wing L1828; Thomason E681_7; ESTC R206784	25,340	46

doctrines out of these and such like Scriptures although to the destruction of themselves and many others and yet have divers Scriptures seemingly to father their fallacies upon meerly for want of humble and holy hearts unbyassed spirits to compare one Scripture with another For want whereof men of corrupt minds by their private interpretations of some and wresting of other Scriptures make the everlasting Gospel of Peace the unerring Word of God the very foundation of fallacy and cause of all heresie contradiction and contention destroying not only that holy harmony that is in the word but seducing thousands weak Christians yea much impeding obstructing and disturbing the very elect both in their comfort and confidence Blessed be God who hath laid an impossibility upon their being totally traduc'd Therefore it concerns all that truly fear God not to believe every Spirit but to try them whether they be of God or no not to be suddenly moved with every winde of Doctrine but like noble Boereans compare Scripture with Scripture one Prophet and one Apostle with another and with humble holy and self-denying hearts crave God the Author of Truth to give more and more of his Spirit that so they may be directed into all Truth and preserved from the errors of the wicked Now that we may plainly see the danger of private Interpretations and as avoid that so take notice of the exceeding benefit and necessity of comparing Scripture with Scripture I have collected divers Texts seemingly opposite and speaking quite contrary one to the other being literally and particularly interpreted and yet compared with one another and other Scriptures most sweetly evangelically and harmoniously accord and as parallel as the streightest lines By which few it may easily be discerned how all other may be rightly reconciled and the Truths of God preserved and vindicated against all heresie and errors whatsoever and certainly it were a most desireable work worth the pains of the most judicious and godly learned and exceedingly beneficial to the Church of God tending much to its peace and edification to the overthrow of the kingdom of Sathan and Antichrist the advance of Truth Throne Scepter and Kingdom of Christ to endeavour the reconciliation of all Scriptures seemingly contradicting and to publish it for common benefit although it should cost the labours of a whole life I know the Lord hath many worthies able champions men valiant for the truth and I hope will stir up some of them in this needful time wherein his Truth meets with so many adversaries As for those few Scriptures I shall speak to I intend not to enter into a full disquisition of each particular Text but only in general give the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost as they are joyntly and comparatively confidered The Scriptures seemingly contradidictory reconcil'd as followeth Rev. 22. 11. He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us clense our selves from all filthiness of flesh and Spirit James 1. 21. Wherefore laying apart all filthyness c. Eph. 4. 28. Let him that stole steal no more Rom. 13. 12. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness c. Shall any man from Rev. 22. 11. take encouragement to continue in any ungodly practise No God forbid God is not the Author of sin and other Scriptures we see speak a clean contrary language The holy Ghost here by way of Irony threats wicked men as in Eccles 11. 9. Rejoyce thou young man in thy youth and let thy heart chear thee in the days of thy youth but know for all this the Lord will bring thee to judgement A place parallel to this only in the one the penalty is express'd in the other implyed It 's a Judicial menace as a father having two sons the one obedient the other rebellious bids the one go on in his disobedience take his course and take what follows being tyred with his lewd courses having used all means to reclaim him now gives him over while he encourages the other to continue well-doing from the benefit accruing Or Let him be filthy still may be a severe and judicial sentence of reprobation and rejection when the Lord affords means and opportunities of grace and men will follow their lusts will be unclean unholy God may and doth justly give them over saying to them as to the barren Fig-tree never fruit grow on thee more while the Saints are encouraged to go on in all waies of righteousness bringing forth fruit more and more to the honour of God and their everlasting comfort Matth. 6 25. Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for the body what ye shall put on Is not the life more then meat and the body then rayment 26. Behold the Fowls of the Ayr c. 28. Consider the Lillies of the field they neither toyl neither do they spin and yet c. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self sufficient to the day is the evil thereof Prov. 6. 6 8. Go the to Ant thou sluggard consider her ways and be wise She provideth her meat in the Summer and gathereth her food in the harvest 1 Tim. 5. 8. But if any provide not for his own and especially for them of his own house he hath denyed the faith and is worse then an Infidel 2 Thes 3. 10. For even when we were with you this we commanded you That if any would not work neither should he eat 1 Cor. 7. 32. He that 's unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord how he may please the Lord Phil. 4. 6. Be careful for nothing 1 Pet. 5. 7. Cast your care upon him for he careth for you 1 Cor. 7. 32. But I would have you without carefulness v. 33. But he that 's married careth for the things of this life how he may please his wife Gen. 3. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread Eccles 10. 18. By slothfulness the ro●f of the house goeth to decay and by the idleness of the hands the house droppeth down Some there are that vainly conclude from Matth. 6. 25 26 28 34. and from Phil. 4. 6. c. that they need take no care for any thing in this life but either Camelion-like expect to live by the Ayr or else in the utter neglect of their callings while they pretend relyance upon Providence turn meer tempters of God wanderers up and down busie bodies medlers with other mens matters idle persons living upon the labours and industries of other men not at all considering what the Apostle saith in 2 Thes 3. 10. that if any would not labour they should not eat the intent of the Spirit of God and of the Lord

hereditary from our first parents 3. As formerly God hardens no man otherwise then in a way of judgement giving men over to their own hardness 4. The Lord affords sufficient means to those that perish as to those that are saved and where he ordains the end he ordains the means 5. Such is God's soveraignty over the creature that as the wind blows where it listeth so he gives his graces to whom he pleaseth not being bound to any Object But is it not ridiculous for ministers to call upon men to repent and believe it not being in their power Answ No for 1. All that obtain the grace of faith and repentance ordinarily come to it in the use of Ordinances Faith coming by the hearing of the word When God ordains the end he as I said before ordains the means yea the Lord with the command to believe c. gives power as to Lazarus when he call'd him forth of the grave he gave him power to rise the Lord ordinarily accompanying his word with his Spirit without which Paul and Apollo may both plant and water in vain 2. God's elect people whom he intends and purposes to save and for whose sake the word is preached before conversion lie in the common quarry of mankind now it s the ministers duty to call upon all to repent and believe he knowing that to be the way to heaven but not knowing so well the secret Decree of God who shall be saved who not who shall be vessels of honour who of dishonour calls upon all that so all that belong to the election of grace may be brought over to Jesus Christ 3. Hereby wicked men are left without excuse while they ignorant of God's purpose wilfully perish in rejecting and refusing the tenders and offers of grace indefinitely held out to them as well as others Object How can God be said to will the salvation of all according to 1 Tim. 2. 4. if he have elected some only and rejected others Answ 1 Although it cannot be properly said that God hath two Wills as in reference to himself or in himself his Will being entire yet forasmuch as part of his Will is revealed and part kept secret according to our capacities we may say there is a revealed and a secret Will of God or a declaring and a decreeing Will of God now the tender of grace being universal all men ought in point of duty to wait upon God in his Ordinances he affording like means to the reprobate as to the elect he may well be said to Will the salvation of all Hence are the ungodly left without excuse for although the decreeing will of God cannot be resisted yet his declaring will is resisted every day by every sin we commit 2. For that there is a sufficient price paid for all though it become ineffectual to many through unbelief 3. Because God gave us power in Adam to stand which we wilfully lost 4. The holy Ghost in such Scriptures speaks the language of the hearts and consciences of wicked men who at last shall justifie the proceedings of God against them and clearly confess their destruction to be of themselves they being privie to that implacable hatred they had while opportunities of grace lasted both against God his messengers and all means and tenders of grace all mouths shall then be stopt 5. Whereas some Scriptures hold forth that God wills the salvation of all as in the foregoing sense he doth yet others say he hath elected some and passed by others therefore such interpretation of Scripture ought to be by comparing one with another as may maintain the harmony of both However we may conclude this as an heresie of the highest magnitude to say positively God wills the salvation of any whom he doth not bring to glory For this argues impotency in God not omnipotence Therefore I argue from his omnipotency that he saves whomsoever he wills to save Object But why did not God give Adam a Will as well as Power to stand Answ 1 Because his Will was otherwise that by his fall he might declare the riches of his free grace in and on them that are faved and to make his wrath and power known on those that perish Rom. 9. 22. it being a jewel belonging to his Crown to his Soveraignty a part of his Prerogative Royal to make some vessels of Honour some of dishonour according to his own good pleasure therefore the Apostle saith enough a man would think to all Free-willers That it 's not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that shews mercy Rom. 9. 16. 2. Such insolent and saucy spirits as will thus adventure to question and quarrel God may as well ask why God made man at all why he rejected the Angels and left them irrecoverable from their damnable condition one of which is able to do more service then ten thousand men Why he chose Israel the people of the Jews and past by all other Nations all being the works of his hands and as much in one people as another to move God to accept them but the Lord tells them and all the world that he loved them because he loved them not that they were either more in number for they were much less then other Nations or that they were better quallifi'd but he loved them because he loved them Deut. 7. 7. This also might convince all that Christ died not for all for certainly had his blood been shed for all which is the greater the Lord would never have denyed all other people his ordinances or refused to plant his Name among them more then among the Jews nay add hereunto how many thousands of the Jews although chosen out from other Nations perished through unbelief so that though Israel be as the sand yet but a remnant shall be saved Rom. 9. 27. But to pass that The Apostle Paul gives an answer to such bold spirits in their own kind in Rom. 9. Who art thou oh man that repliest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power over the clay c. As if he had said Thou lump of clay why contendest thou with thy Maker Thou worm thou inconsiderable part of the drop of a Bucket Why pleadest thou with God Object If men be condemn'd in Adam why is it said That this is the condemnation of the world that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather then light John 3. 19. Answ Not that men are not condemn'd in Adam but that they are now more deeply guilty in despising the means of grace and salvation trampling under foot the preciou● blood of Christ as an unholy thing hence men become two-fold more the children of wrath adding to their Original thousands Actual Transgressions against so great love and light For where God gives much he requires much Object But if God hath determined already who shall be saved and