Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	grace_n	holy_a	21,659	5	5.3148	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75582	The just mans defence, or, The royal conquest being the declaration of the judgement of James Arminius, Doctor of Divinity in the University of Leyden, concerning the principall points of religion, before the States of Holland and VVestfriezland / translated for the vindication of truth, by Tobias Conyers, sometimes of Peter-house in Cambridge.; Declaratio sententiae de predestinatione. English	Arminius, Jacobus, 1560-1609.; Conyers, Tobias, 1628-1687.	1657 (1657)	Wing A3700A; ESTC R208013	52,267	187

and others be explained by beleevers and unbelievers my judgement is dilucidly comprehended in it which moved me being to dispute publikely in the Colledge to order the questions In Collegio publicoprivato Academiae to be stated in the words of the Confession It agrees with the Catechism Quest 20. 54. 7. It very well sutes the Nature of God viz. his wisdome goodness and righteousness is the principal matter and clearest demonstration of them 8. It 's at very good agreement with the Nature of Man whether considered in the state of Innocency Apostacy or restauration 9. It holds good correspondency with the Act of Creati●n confirming it to be the communication of good according to the intent of God and the event of the thing that it had its rise from Divine goodness its continuation and preservation from Divine Love and that it is the perfect and proper work of God wherein he pleased himself and procured all things which were necessary ad non peccandum to a not sinning 10. It consents with the Nature of eternal life and those titles wherewith it is dignified in Scripture 11. With the Property of eternal death and those names put upon it by the Holy Ghost 12. It makes sinne to be truly disobedience and the meritorious cause of condemnation and so concords with Apostacy and Transgression 13. It harmonizeth with the Nature of Grace by ascribing all things competible thereunto reconciling it to his justice and the nature and liberty of Mans will 14. It 's a most advantagious declarative of the glory of Gods Justice and Mercy representing him the cause of all good and our salvation and Man the cause of fin and his own ruin 15. It contributes to the honor of Iesus Christ appointing him the foundation of Predestination the procuring and communicatory cause of salvation 16. It greatly promotes the salvation of men being the power and means unto everlasting life procreating in them sorrow for sin a sollicitous care of conversion faith in Christ study of good works zeal in prayer causing us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and as far as is necessary hinders desperation 17. It confirms and establisheth that Order and Method the Preaching of the Gospel requires First exacting Faith and Repentance then promising Remission of Sin the grace of the Spirit and eternal life 18. It strengthens the dispensation of the Gospel and renders it fruitful in the promulgation thereof administry of the Sacraments and Publike Prayers 19. It is the foundation of Christianity in that in it the double Love of God are haply joyned together and at good agreement one with another namely his Love of Righteousness with his love of men Lastly This doctrine hath always been allowed of by the major part of Christians and to this day stands approved by them neither can it administer an occasion of its abhorrency or ground of contention in the Christian Church It s much to be wished that men would proceed no further in this matter neither be inquisitive into the unsearchable judgements of God any more then as revealed in the Scriptures And this is that most Noble and Potent States I have to declare to your Highness's concerning this Doctrine so much ventilated in the Church of Christ And if I should not be burdensome I have other things to offer to your Highness's conducing to the declaration of my ●udgement and leading to the self-same end for which I am commanded hither by your Highness's The Providence of God the Free-will of Man Perseverance of Saints Assurance of Salvation are points of so great affinity with this Doctrine of Predestination and have so much dependance upon it that with your good leave I shall deliver my self upon them THe Providence of GOD I judge to be that careful continual and ever-present eye of God by which the care of the whole Universe and all particular Creatures not one exempted is upon him to the conservation and government of them in their essence qualities actions and passions as it best becomes him and sutes them to the glory of his Name and salvation of Believers Herein I substract nothing from Divine Providence competible to it but yeeld it the conservation regulation gubernation and direction of all things even to the abolition of Chance and Fortune yea I subject to the great Providence the Will of Man and the very acts of the rational creature so that nothing is done without its will though contrary thereunto This difference betwixt good and bad actions onely observed in that we affirm God both to will and do good acts but freely to permit the bad being willing to concede the attribution of all acts excogitable concerning evil to the providence of God so wee take heed lest thence God be determin'd The Author of Sin which I evidently enough testified in a Dispute once and again under me at Leyden concerning the righteousness and efficacious Providence of God in evill in which I endeavoured to ascribe unto Providence all those acts concerning sin attributed to God in Scripture making such progress herein that occasion was taken by some of impeaching me with making GOD the Author of Sin which was often produced against me at Amsterdam according to their suggestion from those Theses but how justly it is sufficiently manifest from my answer to the one and thirty Articles mentioned above falsly imposed upon me this being one of them Touching mans will I am of that opinion that he was in dowed with knowledg holiness and other ablities by his Creation whereby he was able to understand estimate consider will and performe true good even as far as the commandment obliged him yet not this without the auxiliaries of Divine grace In the state of Apostacy and sin he is disabled of himselfe and by himself to think will or do any thing truly good and stands in need of the renovating and regenerating power of God in Christ by his Spirit in his intellect affections will and all other faculties to impower him hereunto but participating hereof as freed from sin he is able to think will and do good yet still as under the Supplies of the grace of God Concerning the grace of God I believe it to be that gratuitous and undeserved assio● whereby God is well affected towards a miserable sinner by which first he gave his Son that whosoever believe's in him might have eternall life and then in and for Christ justifies him and adopts him into the right of his sons unto Salvation 2. It is the infusion of Spiritual gifts into the understanding will and affections of man appertaining to his regeneration and renovation viz. Faith hope Charity c. without which gratious donatives man is not meet to think will or do any thing that good is 3. Grace is that continued assistance that non-intermissive helpe of the Holy Ghost by which the Spirit doth instantly perswade excite man before Regenerate unto goodnesse infusing Salutiferous cogitations

inspiring him with holy desiers to the willing of good Actually yea also by this he so wills and works together with man that what man will 's he might accomplish And thus I atribute to Grace the begining continuance and consummation of all good so far as that man now regenerate without this preventing exciting Subsequent and Cooperating Grace is in capable to think will or do any good or resist any noxious temptation Hence it 's apparently manifest I am no way injurious to the grace of God by ascribing too much to the free will of man as some asperse me The hinge upon which al the Controvercy is turned is this whether the grace of God be an irresistible force actions and operations as ascribable to grace are not here disputed none more ready then my selfe to confesse and inculcate them all the manner of the operation onely is that in debate wherein I believe according to the Scriptures that many resist the HolyGhost and repell Grace offered them As to the perseverance of Saints my judgement is this Persons engrafted into Christ by true Faith and participating of his quickning spirit have strength sufficient to encounter Satan Sin the World and their own corruption and by the same assisting grace to carry away the Victory Christ himself standing by them in their assaults by his spirit extending his favourable hand towards them so they be found in a fighting posture implore his aid and not be awanting to themselves preserve them from falling so that neither the fraud or violence of Satan shall be able to seduce or pluck them out of his hands But whether these very persons by negligence may not desert the imitation of their existency in Christ embrace again this present world fall from the sound Doctrine once deliver'd to them lose a good conscience make void the grace of God would be diligently inquired into out of the Scriptures and very useful and necessary to be debated in our first convention yet I profess ingenuously It was never taught by me that the true Believer might totally or finally fall away from the faith and so perish though I cannot dissemble there are places of Scripture which seem to countenance the same to which I could never meet with any satisfactory answer although on the other part there are some places alledged not unworthy of observation Concerning assurance of salvation I judge him who believes in Jesus Christ as well by the act of the holy spirit inwardly moving and the Fruits of Faith as by his own conscience with the Testimony of the spirit witnessing with it may have a certain perswasion and indeed be assured if his heart condemn him not that he is the son of God and stands in the love of Christ yea more may depart this life with an unshaken confidence of the grace of God and mercy in Christ Jesus and appear before that Tribunal of grace devoid of all anxious fear and trembling solicitude yet ought he alwayes to pray Lord enter not into judgement with me but in as much as God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things and man not his own Judge for though he know nothing by himself yet is he not thereby justified it is God that judgeth him I dare not equal this certainty with that wherewith we know there is a God and that Christ is the Saviour of the world but the extent of this may be further treated of in our Convention Besides all these there hath been much discourse abroad concerning the perfection of Believers and regenerate persons in this life wherein I have been traduced as heterodox and as almost of the Pelagian Opinion in this point viz. That the regenerate in this life may perfectly keep the Law of God To which I answer That if I should thus judge yet should I not Pelagianize either in whole or in part if so be I added this they were able to do by the grace of Christ and not without it yet that there could be a plenary observation of the precepts of Christ by a renewed person in this life I never affirm'd neither ever denied but left it alwaies dubious contenting my self with that of Austine whose words I often quoted in the University having nothing to adde of my own they were these There are four questions Austine's Judgement observable in the business in hand 1. Whether there was ever any man without Sin who from the beginning to the end of his life never transgressed 2. Whether there ever hath been now is or ever can be any such person that sinneth not i. e. who hath reached that perfection here that he transgresseth not but fulfils the Law of the perfect God 3. Whether there be a possibility in this life for a man to be without Sin 4. If 't be possible why there was never any such person found To the first the Father answers That there was never any such person found besides the Lord Jesus Christ To the second He thought never any man attained perfection in this life To the third He judged it possible by the grace of God and mans free-will To the fourth Man doth not that which is possible by the grace of Christ either because he is ignorant what good is or places no complacency or delight in it Hence it s apparently manifest Austine the sharpest adversary the Pelagian Doctrine ever had was of this Judgement That it was possible by the grace of Christ in this life to be without sin Yea he further addes Let Pelagius confess mans possibility of being without sin to be only by the grace of Christ and we are agreed but the Pelag●an Tenent appeared to this Father as if man by his own stre●gth though with greater facility by the grace of Christ had been able to keep the whole Law How far I dissent from this Opinion I have enter'd above and now testifie mine account of it as Heretical diametrically opposite to the words of Christs Without me ●e can do nothing and perniciously John ●5 9 destructive to the glory of God My judgement thus stated I cannot see any thing comprehended therein for which any man should justly fear to appear together with it in the presence of God or suspect any grievous evil to arise He refers to Mr. Gomar's Expression to the States p. 1. yet being sensible of those daylie Aspersions more and more cast upon me as if I should carry in my bosome some pernicious Heretical opinions I am not able to divine what the matter is unless they pretend something amiss in my Judgement concerning the divinity of the Son of God and mans justificat●on before him for as I understand touching both these heads much speech was had after the last Act before the Supreme Court and many things given out upon it for which I think my self engaged to declare to your Highnesses the carriage of the whole business That which relates to the Divinity of the Son of God and the word