Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	flesh_n	lust_n	sin_n	7,244	5	5.0237	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33371	The right devil discovered in his descent, form, education, qualification, place and nature of torment : with many other divine secrets, never as yet extant : published for confutation of the learned, instructing the wise, and undeceiving of the simple / written by Laur. Claxton.	Claxton, Laurence, 1615-1667.	1659 (1659)	Wing C4583; ESTC R32623	54,824	149

though they might proceed from his loins according to the flesh through mixtures of seeds in marriages the sons of God saw the daughters of men to be fair and they took of them to be their wives Again though the blessed Israelites and cursed Canaanites are mixed together by carnal copulation since the prince of devils became flesh yet you that are spiritual may know that the Lord Iesus that made them both knew how to separate them for all their close union and to call them by names answerable to their own natures As consider did not the glorious Creator and blessed Redeemer himself make a clear distinction between two worlds or generations when he said I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast given me out of the world can you therefore that are sober imagine or think that there is any spiritual salvation for these men or women which the Saviour of the world excludes in his petition Moreover it is wtitten that the Apostles said We know that we are of God and the whole world lyeth in wickedness Behold ye redeemed ones of the most high God is it not as clear as the light it self that there is two distinct whole worlds according to that saying Then all Israel shall be saved a redeemed world of elect Israelites and an unredeemed world of reprobate Canaanites that were never truly lost in themselves and therefore never capable of being found in Christ accordding to that in the Epistle of Jude where it is thus written For there are certain men crept in which were of old ordained to this condemnation ungodly men which turn the grace of God into wantonness and denying Christ the onely Lord wo unto them for they have followed the way of Cain and are cast away by the deceit of Balaams wages and perish in the gainsaying of Core Thus is it not clear unto all such that have in them any faith in the truth of the Scripture that there is two distinct whole worlds to distinguish between the divine glory of Election and everlasting shame of Rejection a cursed Cain a blessed Abel a subtile serpent and a simple Saint a scoffing carnal Ishmael and a spiritual Isaac a bloody minded Esau and a merciful minded Jacob a persecuting Saul and a prophetical David a treacherous Judas and a gracious and glorious Jesus from the beginning of the world unto the end thereof yea and a blessed Seth born in the stead of righteous Abel to bring forth the generation of the just that the Lord of eternal glory might according to the flesh as well as the spirit spring from a spiritual line of his own light of life eternal and not from a rational or carnal line of eternal death in chains of utter darkness which if it had power according to its cursed desire it would destroy God elect men and angels heaven and earth and all in them and it self also rather then be subject to any or might not onely it self bear rule over all But now to the matter in hand and withal consider what you read for it highly concerns you to look about you that if there should be any evil angels or devils living in the air and a devil amongst them called Beelzebub the prince of devils then I say what need any man trouble himself with the least fear of eternal death what wickedness soever is committed by thee why because if a man is tempted by any devil but what is in his own nature onely that evil spirit is to be eternally damned and the man set free nay moreover if sin or evil issued not from mans unclean reason or lying imagination within him is it possible think you that any man should be tormented as some men are with an inward burning through a secret fear of eternal sufferings rising in them from the guilt of former evils committed against the light of their own consciences furthermore seeing all men which live after the flesh must die or perish and that mans own lust is that imaginary devil from whence proceeds all sin or evil Without controversie though men or angels should gainsay it there are no other evil spirits angels or devils but unmerciful men and women onely Again if envy pride covetousness hypocrisie lust and such like be the devil in man then are not men and women those devils that are under the power of those evils I would fain know from the learned men of this world whether there are any other evil angels or devils besides mankinde that lust after women or silver or honor or revenge or any kinde of evil whatsoever truly if those supposed wise men that talk so much of the sublilty of the prince of the air that rules in the children of disobedience could possibly know that their own imaginary Reason was that evill spirit or prince of all their airy disputes concerning God angels devils Heaven hell eternal glory or shame to come which they know not of according to truth then in stead of their reioycing in the approbation of many men in relation unto their natural gifts their own spirits would immediately become the principle of all those howling groaning serpent-devils spoken of in Holy Writ even in the sight of elect men and angels in this mortal life Again is it not against all spiritual or rational sense that any man angel or devil should suffer eternal damnation for the sin of another or for anothers tempting him to sin or evil Moreover doth it stand to very good sense that yea that creature that is left to himself to be tempted unto sin or evil and overcome thereby and remains under the power of it to their lives end its requisite at the great day he should suffer for his own sin and not for anothers iniquity wherefore judge you is it not one of the vainest things in the world for any man to think that there is any other evil spirit angel or devil that tempts him to any motion imagination thought desire word or action of rebellion against God or man but the proud lying envious devil living in his whole man as aforesaid Therefore let no man that professeth spiritual light or life in him for very shame say that God can be tempted or tempt any man unto sin or evil neither let him say that any evil spirit angel or devil in the air or earth or in the water or in the fire tempts him to commit any sin or evil but that airy watery fiery lustful fleshly devil dwelling in his own body I say let him know that yea that is the prince of the air which thorow the absenting vertue of the holy Spirit begets those legions of devils or lusts in the soul of man and it is the true light of the Lord Jesus Christ in all his new born babes that crusheth the Cockatrice eggs before they become serpent-devils to sting the whole man with fear of eternal death So that understand what I say those devils which by the

forty years and what I did think would become of my Soul and what would thy riches and glory here avail thee in the grave but especially at the great day of account Now friends I would have you understand that I was in a strait betwixt two so that out of hand the spirit of Faith pleaded thus in me That I had no Commission to preach and forthwith must cease though it was to the loss of my hundred pound a year then stept in the spirit of reason and pleaded How shall my self with five children subsist when as this Benefice would comfortably and honorably provide for us during life Then even then was death and life set before me and the spirit of Faith pleaded thus within me That whether I had rather injoy my Benefice and therein live honorably in this world and so be damned to all eternity in the world to come or whether I would hearken to that call within me to forsake my preaching with the benefit thereof and trust the Lord with my self and the children this lay hard upon me and so narrowly pursued me that for the space of three weeks I could not be at quiet sleeping nor waking going nor riding in which time I had no little conflict to disown the glory of this world for the glory of God supposing my condition to be safe and secure as any man or Parish Priest in the world whatsoever and for my doctrine I was not inferior to any but more able to declare the truth which I apprehended to be truth then the best of them Notwithstanding all this would do me no good nor in the least silence this combate within me but I must cease my trade of preaching lest a worse thing befall me and at that instant it came in my thoughts Remember me how here in this world where now thou livest I was a poor despised Saviour though now a rich immortal glorious God and therefore take no care I will provide for thee and thine so far as is requisite for such a one as thou art to be and withal remember when thou wast in thy wickedness not knowing me then I provided for thee How much more now shall I be mindful of thee so far as shall concern thy good Many of these refreshings did arise from my seed-spring within me that I was made willing to disown all that not long before I had taken great pains to perfect and so in submitting to the true light darkness fled and the Lord freely forgave me all that was past present and to come and hath every week more and more enabled me to walk obedient and upright before him mortifying sin continually within me to the onely praise of my God be it spoken that my calling and election is so firm and sure that I vveigh not the censure of men nor Angels but as sure as Christ is the eternal God I shall at his appearance reign eternally vvith him in the heavens and though in my journey to my bed of sleep the grave instead of riches I shall meet with poverty instead of fulness want instead of honor dishonor instead of love hatred instead of a good name all maner of evil tearms instead of friends foes yea may be such as will persecute me to the graves mouth yet now all this I matter not in that sin is my servant and Christ is my Master whom my soul earnestly craves more knowledge of himself with assistance of his power to withstand the despisers of thy person so 〈…〉 Now since the Lord in his own time hath in his free mercy called and chosen me according to his eternal purpose of old that I should redeem the time I have lost forty years and for the future the short time I have to stay in this present evil world my God I doubt not will enable me to walk holy and without blame before him till I be called to sleep or the day of his appearance change this my poor mortal to that immortal like himself either of which it shall please my God of mercy in his own time and pleasure to call me unto I had rather enjoy then now at this present mark what I say then now at this present enjoy all the riches and wisdom that ever God gave to Solomon so that I can boldly say Happy yea thrice happy am I that the seed of Cain that lying murthering devil who captivated my soul many years a servant to sin and all maner of evil is now disarmed and silent in me and in room thereof the seed of Abraham that blessed seed of Faith hath got the victory by which I am delivered from the power of the fruits of flesh and translated to the fruits of the spirit of Faith in the person of Christ the onely true and everliving God After this my remarkable change being at home silent and quiet in this my mortal tabernacle I was powerfully commanded yea my seed-spring hath certain times invited me to demonstrate to publike view that point concerning the Devil which very title or name Devil doth fright the Devil himself and the ground of this his fear doth arise from the non-knowledge of his first rise the description of his form as also his education and qualification with the place and nature of his torment thy ignorance in these things hath produced matter sufficient for my Genius to recal thy thoughts as touching thy mistake of the right Devil and so according as the true onely wise God hath revealed in me I shall make known these in their order which hath not yet been branched forth as aforesaid CAP. I. The first descent and true Form of the right Devil discovered FIrst as touching the Devil his rise and original I shall infallibly make known unto thee and from inspiration shew that subtile beast or Serpent there spoken of was no horned beast or creeping Serpent as the Priests vainly teach neither was it any Pippin or Pearmain or any other sort of Apple that was so pleasant in Eves eye or delightful to her taste No no it was that reprobate glorious Angel that was far more pleasant and sweeter to Eves taste then the sweetest fruit whatsoever therefore I shall demand of the proudest of his seed now living what was or which now of all creatures or things in this world is most pleasant in thy eyes or most in thy soul desiring to taste Art thou a man then is not a woman beautified and richly atired most pleasant in thy eyes and sweetest to thy taste Art thou a woman what saith thou is not a man beautified and richly atired with subtile and sophistical expressions most pleasant in thy eyes and soonest deceived by him Even so that reprobate Angelical man was that subtile Serpent or beast of the field minde what you read that angelman was so pleasant to her taste that she took it and did eat which is no more then this That proud beautiful glorious angelman did by his seeming divine wisdom and

how many of these poor you can finde among the poor seed of Cain for if thou understandest what thou readest thou shalt finde though the Seed of Faith for the most part are but poor in this world viz. your kingdom yet minde what the Holy Writ saith though poor in estate yet they are rich in faith so that these poor by Faith receives the Gospel therefore take notice of this it is not poverty in the outward man that makes thee rich in the inward man for if you could discern by the spirit of Faith you shall finde that the major part of the poor in this world are as poor in faith yea so poor that they cannot give thee the least account what God is or what a rich treasure it is to believe in God therefore in stead of loving God they hate God as if it were but recorded how many times in a day at Billings-gate as also in all the Streets of London thou shalt hear they are educated in little else but to blaspheme the name of our glorious personal God as shall be seen more at large in the devil his qualification so that deceive not your selves and that because of your beauty or greatness no nor for your poverty unless you be richly clad with that rich Jewel of Faith for that will manifest who was thy tutor and the nature of thy education CAP. III. The devil or seed of Cain his Qualification and how he is acted forth FOr your better understanding of what I shall now write you shall finde this matter ensuing divides it self into several branches and not onely as touching his thoughts words and actions but there are several distinct actings forth of this wicked seed in matter of qualification and yet all makes up but one seed as unto its original even the seed of Cain their father as First some of this seed you shall hear are acted forth to all maner of uncleanness yea such as is spoken of in Romans the first from verse 21. to the end of the Chapter For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections for even their women did change their natural use into that which is against nature and likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust one towards another men with men working that which is unseemly Of these sorts of devils we have among us at this day and that not onely such that doth take shame for what they have done but rather will maintain such gross foul filthy acts and that because say they there is nothing that I can think speak or do but God is the Author of it so what if I lye with another mans wife what harm can be in that I know no evil in so doing for to me all women are but one woman and this woman a man and that man I man eternity and therefore if I lye with twenty they are but all one to me and there being a free consent what fin can be in this for what hath some in London said that it is no more sin for a man to lye with any woman then a Cock to tread a Hen or a Bull to serve a Cowe nay this ranting devil is qualified and acted forth saying till a man can act sin as no sin he cannot be free from sin for thinking this it is impossible for any man to be free from these sins unless he can steal murther and commit adultery as no sin then and not till then say they thou hast no power over sin and so thou encouragest thy self in all thy impurity in that saith thou to the pure all things are pure so that nothing is unclean of it self but to him that esteemeth it so not in the least considering as unto what the Apostle spake that to the pure all things are pure from hence including all maner of filthy acts whatsoever Now let any of the Seed of Faith judge if thou art not given over to a reprobate minde to do those things that are not convenient for as touching this speak thy self what convenience doth appear in any of these thy destructive actions for indeed destructive they are both to thy self and them thou hast to deal with witness the tears of many a poor virgin-wife and the sad misery many an innocent virgin hath undergone by thy devilish temptation to the loss of all her friends the defilement of her own body and the eternal hazard of her soul yet all this is justifiable in thy reprobate minde if thou canst but satisfie thy lust and spend her money that is all the love that she shall finde from thee and when this pretty deluded creature comes and tells thee how the case is with her I am with childe by thee and thou hast spent all my money what wilt thou do with me wilt thou according to thy promise make me thy wife and do thy best endeavor to satisfie me for this wrong thou hast done to me What is his answer think you even this he will reply Alas what can I do for thee marry thee I cannot in that I have a wife and to maintain thee I cannot in that I have it not for my self so thou must provide for thy self as well as thou canst Now if this poor deceived creature should reply and say thou toldest me thou wast single and it was nothing but pure love to me and that thou lovedst me above all the world so I did condescend to lie with thee thinking thou wouldest make me thy wife by which I have not onely brought my self to shame and beggery but for ought I know have damned my soul Upon these words this Ranting devil breaks forth saying A pox take you for a whore you are a dark devil indeed to say thou shalt be damned for thy love the Scripture commands us to love our neighbor as our self and therefore we are to love our neighbors wives and how can our love be more exprest then in kissing sporting and lying one with another and thus they make Solomon and his writings their patern nay they will engage soul for soul that she shall not be damned provided she do not look upon it as a sin for say they to lye with a maid widow or our neighbors wife is no more then to lye with that woman you call my wife for I know none lawfully married in this world but those onely that are one in flesh and spirit and she that you call my wife though I have had many children by her she is but a whore and the children bastards for we were not contracted in this light and purity aforesaid Now let any sober man judge the quality of this kinde of devil that his love and purity is to destroy and begger a poor innocent soul and yet plead for it as the onely truth saying It is not I but the Lord in me of my self I can do nothing and he is all in all with many such like Scriptures they will