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	holy_a	john_n	17,081	5	6.2026	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76313	A door of salvation opened unto all men: or a short treatise, discovering that all man-kinde as they are considered under the fall of Adam, have an equal and a like respect with almighty God, and that by Jesus Christ he hath prepared eternal salvation for all, and afforded unto all, means sufficient to bring them thereunto. In which also, sundry objections, grounds of reason, and texts of scripture, for the contrary opinion are alleadged and answered. / By R.B.	R. B.	1648 (1648)	Wing B166; Thomason E1166_1; ESTC R208726	64,273	125

therein God should be a respecter of persons and that the reason why God doth not accept of one man working righteousnesse and reject another is because that he is no respecter of persons Secondly the same Apostle in 1 Peter 1.17 exhorting Believers to take heed and feare least that they disobey and displease God groundeth his exhortation upon the impartiality of Gods proceeding towards all men without respect of persons in which argument there would be no force to disswade them from disobedience if that God without respect of persons could dispence with one man in his disobedience more than with another Again Paul in the Rom. 2.4 to the 11. Admonisheth all sorts of men Not to despise the riches of the goodnesse of God leading them to repentance but through patience to continue in wel-doing and not to obey unrighteousnesse for this reason That there is no respect of persons with God And upon the same reason Jehoshaphat chargeth the Judges whom he had appointed to judge the people To administer righteous judgement 2 Chron. 19.7 And likewise Paul upon the same ground instructeth servants to serve their masters not with eye-service but in singlenesse of heart as to the Lord Eph. 6.9 Col. 3.25 Clearly evincing that God being no respecter of person hee cannot accept of one man and reject another in the same estate and condition an evill which he reproveth Jam. 2.2 3 4 5 6. Condemne one man for his offence and acquit another under the same guilt but to all men in one and the same capacity equally and alike administreth his mercies and favours reproofs and punishments Which equality of proceedings towards all men is by God himselfe in Ezek. 18.21 22 23 24 25. plainly avowed in the words following If that the wicked will turne from his sinnes that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live he shall not die all his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not bee mentioned unto him in his righteousnesse that hee hath done he shall live Have I any pleasure at all saith the Lord that the wicked should die and not that hee should returne from his waies and live But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he live All his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in his sins that he hath sinned he shall die Yet you say the way of the Lord is not equal Seeing then that God is no respecter of persons but dispenseth his favour and displeasure in an equall proportion and even measure unto every man not prefering one before another it must needs thereupon follow that in the estate of nature wherein all men are concluded to be alike every man hath a like esteeme with him and receiveth alike from him And although that sometimes hee affordeth more meanes of Instruction unto some people in the estate of nature than he doth unto others as formerly hee did to the Jewes more than to the Gentiles Yet if it be considered that where he giveth much hee asketh the more againe Luke 12.48 And that such meanes doth not necessarily enforce those persons to whom it is granted to the love and obedience of the giver thereof nor that the want of those extraordinary meanes doth necessarily hinder any men from walking acceptably unto God but that as the Scriptures declare the Gentiles who faithfully served God according to the Law written in their hearts Rom. 2.15 16 26. c. found as good an acceptation with God as the Jewes that served him according to the Letter of the Law delivered unto them Nothing can be inferred from hence to prove that God in the estate of nature loveth one man more than another so as to necessitate his salvation rather than another Object The Scriptures declare Titus 3.3 c. 2 Tim. 1.9 That God calleth and saveth some men not according to their workes but according to his Grace which was given them before the world but hee doth not so call and save all therefore he doth respect the persons of some men above others For Answer to this Objection I shall only endeavour briefly to clear the Scripture alleadged for the countenance thereof the first of which is Tit. 3.3 c. wherein is declared First what the Cretians were before the Grace of God in Christ was made knowne unto them to wit foolish disobedient serving divers lusts c. vers 3. Secondly what they became after this Grace of God was revealed unto them viz. they were regenerated and renewed by the holy Ghost Thirdly the benefit that did redound unto them thereby viz. they were justified and made heires according to the hope of eternall life The summe whereof I take to be this That the love and kindnesse of God in Christ towards men appearing unto them in the Ministery of the Apostles vers 4. They were thereby taught and perswaded not necessarily enforced by a power which they could not resist to deny all ungodlinesse and worldy lusts wherein before they lived and to live righteously soberly and godly in this present evil World And hereupon forasmuch as the same Apostle sheweth that godlinesse hath the promise of the World to come they obteined the hope and assurance of eternal life According to Titus 2.11 12 13. Which I take to be the natural exposition of this text And whereas it is said that they were renewed by the Holy Ghost it must not be conceived that they were irresistably so renewed thereby Because it is evident that the Spirit as it is vouchsafed for these ends doth not so operate in any men According to the Scriptures the Spirit is communicated unto men only these two wayes First Ministerially in the preaching of the Gospel to instruct men in the knowledge of the same and from thence to leade them to the unfeigned obedience thereof In which respect Jesus Christ who spake not of himselfe but according as the Spirit of God that was upon him wherewith hee was Anointed to preach the Gospel Luke 4.18 taught him what hee should say and what hee should speake John 12.49 saith The words that I speak unto you they are Spirit John 6.63 So likewise the Ministery of the Apostles wherein they delivered nothing but what they had heard or seen 1 Joh. 1.1 nor spake otherwise than according as the Spirit gave them utterance Acts 2.4 Is called the ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 and in like manner in 1 Pet. 3.17 18. the spirit is said to preach repentance to the World in the dayes of Noah And thus the naturall man is instructed in the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.13 14. Secondly Actually to those that have received and subjected themselves to the obedience of the Gospel the Spirits instruction Repent and be Baptized and ye shall

receive the Holy Ghost Acts 2.38 Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed Acts 19.2 In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Ephes 1.12 13. For ye are all the Sonnes of God by Faith in Christ Jesus Galat. 3.26 And because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts Galat. 4.6 By the first of these wherein the Spirit by doctrine with signes and wonders for the confirmation thereof Heb. 2.3 4. Speaketh to the eares and eyes of men graciously and lovingly striving thereby to convert them from their evill wayes Gen. 6.3 beseeching them by all the mercies of God to present themselves living sacrifices unto him holy and acceptable which is their reasonable service Rom. 12.1 hee enforceth none in any such sort but that possibly they may resist and rebell against him therein according as the Israelites are often charged Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hearts and eares saith Steven speaking unto them ye doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost as your Fathers did so doe yee Acts 7.51 They rebelled against and vexed his holy Spirit therefore he was turned to be their enemy and fought against them Esay 63.10 Yea so far may the wickednesse of men heerin be extended as not only wilfully and stubbornly to resist and oppose but most maliciously to blaspheme him and to attribute his very doctrines and wonders to Beelzebub the prince of Devils Matth. 12 24-27 John 8.48 Nor yet in the second place are any of those who are actually possessed with the holy Ghost necessitated thereby to the obedience thereof as is manifestly implyed first in those many exhortations contained in the Scriptures To walke in the Spirit Gal. 5.16 Not quench the Spirit 2 Thes 5.19 Nor grieve the holy Spirit whereby ye are seal'd to the day of redemption Eph. 4.30 But secondly more especially in those Scriptures wherein it is clearly supposed by the Apostles of Jesus Christ taken for granted that those persons who have been made pertakers of the Holy Ghost may fall away from the obedience of it Hebr. 6.4 doe despite unto it heb 1.29 and so defile their bodies the temples of it as to bring the sorest destruction condemnation upon themselves by reason thereof Know ye not saith the apostle that ye are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy 1 Cor. 3.16 17. compare here with Heb. 10.29 And this more evidently may serve to demonstrate that the Spirit in the Ministery thereof doth not enforce regeneration and purity in any for if that it should enforce purity in the uncleane much more should it preserve purity in those that are clean and become temples thereunto And therefore when it is said That the Cretians were renewed by the holy Ghost it must be understood that they were renewed thereby no otherwise than through their diligent hearkning unto receiving the blessed doctrine thereof revealed unto them by the Apostles preaching From whence it is that the Apostle Peter in his first Epistle the second chap. verse 22. writing unto Believers thus expresseth himself Having purified your own souls in obeying of the truth through the Spirit Plainly intimating that no man is renewed by the Spirit any otherwise than through their applying themselves unto the doctrine and instruction thereof The other Text is 2 Tim. 1.9 the words whereof are these Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his own purpose and grace that was given us in Christ before the world Which will not prove that God doth necessitate the faith and salvation of any man seeing that that the grace that was given to the persons heer spoken of before the world by which they were called and saved in verse the 10. is declared to be none other than the grace that was manifested by Christ at his appearing so also in Titus 1.1 2 8. and therefore by the latter we are to measure the former by the grace manifested judge determine what that grace was that was given them before the world Now the grace of God towards man-kinde manifested by Christ at his appearance is by Paul in Titus 2.11 12. before cited thus discribed The grace of God saith he that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts c. to looke for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ which generall description in other Scriptures is unfoulded into these particulars viz. That God so loved the world that he sent his Son to be a Saviour thereof Joh. 3.16 17. And on purpose by his death to destroy death Heb. 2.14 and therely deliver man from the curse of the Law consisting therein Gal. 3.13 of which all men stood guilty Rom. 3.23 And by his resurrection to bring life immortality to light 2 Tim. 1.10 And in that estate to prepare mansions of glory and happinesse to be possessed of all those that repent believe c. That is to say That love God for his grace and mercie manifested towards them 1 John 4.19 Which consisteth in keeping his commandments 1 John 5.3 Or in loving of Jesus Christ being revealed unto them and keeping his precepts John 15.10 And that thus repenting believing c. men are required with confidence to hope and with patience to waite for the promised Salvation 1 Iohn 3.19 20 21. 4.17 Titus 2.11 12 13. 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Heb. 10.36 This then being the substance of the grace of God manifested by Christ at his appearing the grace that was given to men before the world is to be understood as followeth viz. That God forth of his rich grace pity and compassion considering all mankinde fallen from their first estate and become guilty of everlasting death resolved to send his Son into the World to redeem them from thence to restore them again to immortality to prepare for them therein a heavenly Kingdome to open unto them a way thereinto to invite them to walke therein and walking therein in the end to give them the possession thereof According to which grace Paul and Timothy were called and saved and not according to their workes of righteousnesse by the Law which is all that can rationally be inferred from this Scripture And this is further confirmed by that which followeth in the 13. verse where Paul exhorteth Timothy To hold fast the forme of sound words which he had heard of him in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus which exhortation seemeth to be grounded upon the turning away from the truth of many in Asia mentioned verse 15. the which would be altogether inpertinent as also that caution which he giveth him 1 Tim. 1.19 To hold faith and a good conscience whereof some had made shipwrack If that

In vers the 4. and 5. thus replieth in his own defence Lord wilt thou also slay a righteous Nation Said he not unto me she is my sister And she even she her self said He is my brother in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands I have done this the which grounds also serve plainly to demonstrate the truth of the later position viz. 2. That whatsoever was required of them to their Salvation was within their power to be performed by them For by the same reason that some performed them by nature others in the same condition might have done so likewise and consciousnesse that they could not performe them being known unto them would quiet their mindes both in this world and at the day of Christ as much as consciousnesse of their ignorance thereof could For the conscience of a man in the omission or misdoing of his duty not understood acquitteth him therein only upon this ground That the doing or right performance thereof was impossible unto him notwithstanding his utmost endeavours the which ground of impossibility to performe his duty will appease his conscience in the omission thereof in any other case whatsoever And thus this Objection with the ground thereof is taken away The second text is 1 Cor. 2.14 the words whereof are these But the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnes unto him neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned from whence it is supposed that no man in the estate of nature not endued with the Spirit of God can possibly understand or doe any thing required of him to his Salvation 1. The groundlesnesse of this supposition was clearly disproved before by the testimony of the Apostle concerning the Gentiles their doing by nature the things required of them to their Iustification and Salvation 2. But yet the more fully to take away the ground thereof By the things of the Spirit in this place must needs be understood either such things which are peculiar to the Spirits revelation to those which after their believing have received the same according to Iohn 16.12 where Christ telleth his Disciples That he had many things to say unto them which they could not then viz. before the Spirit was given unto them bear How be it saith he the Spirit of Truth when he is come he will guide you into all Truth and will shew you things to come Or else secondly By the things of the Spirit must be understood the Doctrine of the Gospel in generall mentioned chap. 1.17 18.21.2.4.5 By the wisdome of the World is accounted foolishnesse If that the things of the Spirit be taken in the first acceptation as may be conceived from the 12 and 13 verses where the Apostle intimateth that the things whereof he here speaketh were none other then what was revealed or taught unto himself and others by the Spirit which they had received then this text pretendeth not at all to prove that men in the estate of nature cannot perceive or doe any thing required of them to their Salvation but only that none can understand the mysteries or secrets of the Kingdome of God untill first they believe the Gospel Mat. 13.11 and are Baptized with the Holy Ghost which the World cannot receive Iohn 14.17 Nor yet secondly If that by the things of the Spirit are understood the Doctrine of the Gospel in general it will not thereupon follow that a man in the estate of nature by the exercise of his understanding cannot perceive or receive the knowledge thereof when it is plainly preached and by the evidence of the Spirit demonstrated unto him Seeing it is manifest by the Scriptures that the very worst of naturall men The Rulers Scribes and Pharisees have attained to the knowledge of the most fundamentall points of Christianity under which the whole Doctrine therof is comprehended As 1 They believed that there was a God 2. They believ that Jesus Christ was the Messias and Saviour of the World and so consequently that his whole Doctrine was none other then the undoubted Oracles of God Iohn 2.23 24 25. Iohn 12.42 43. And thirdly They believed the resurrection of the just and of the unjust Acts 23.7 9. Acts 24.15 And the Gospel being thus understood by men they are thereby sufficiently enabled to the obedience thereof whence it is that the Scriptures unto such persons speaketh on this wise Receive not the grace of God in vain having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and perfect holinesse in the fear of God He that knoweth to do wel and doth not or that knoweth his masters wil and doth it not to him it is sin and he shall be beaten with many stripes Such manner of speech alwaies presupposing an ability in the persons to whom it is directed to improve the same to the end thereof Wherefore we are not to conceive that because it is said The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit nor can receive them that therefore no man destitute of the spirit can possibly understand or give obedience to the Gospel of Christ when it is evidently in the preaching thereof demonstrated unto them But we are thereby given to know That no man whatsoever measuring the Gospel of Grace teaching him to deny al ungodlines worldly lust to live righteously soberly godly in this present world c. Tit. 2.11 12. by the natural earthly sensual principles and wisdom of the world * S. John in his 1 Joh. 2.15 exhorting not to love the world nor the things that are therein in ver 16 teacheth us what he would have us to understand thereby viz. the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life whereby we are also taught to understand whereunto the wisdome of the world so often spoken of in the first second and third Chap. of the 1 Cor. is to be confined viz. to the promoting and accomplishing the fore-said ends because that it cannot extend beyond it self or direct men unto any thing that is not comprehended therein the which may serve to admonish all men to beware of branding the vertuous and just principals whether of the Heathens or any other persons whatsoever though learned in the book of Creation only with the odious infamy of worldly wisdom An evil too ordinary in our times teaching him to deny all godlinesse and goodnes in this world and to live according to the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes and pride of life 1 Joh. 2.16 can possibly receive the same and become obedient thereunto but must reject it as foolishnesse God and the world the wisdome of God and the wisdome of the world being so directly opposite and contrary each unto other That whosoever will love the one must hate the other or that will embrace the one must reject the other If any man saith James will be a