Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	good_a	grace_n	lord_n	7,245	5	3.6848	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74986	An antidote against heresy: or a preservative for Protestants against the poyson of Papists, Anabaptists, Arrians, Arminians, &c. and their pestilent errours. Shewing the authors of those errours, their grounds and reasons, the time when and occasion how they did arise; with general answers to their arguments taken out of holy scripture and the ancient fathers. Written to stay the wandering and stablish the weak in these dangerous times of Apostasy. / By Richard Allen, M.A. sometime Fellow of Penbrooke [sic] Colledge in Oxford.	Allen, Richard, b. 1604 or 5.	1648 (1648)	Wing A1045A; Thomason E1168_2; ESTC R208803	57,457	159

be saved then he hath nothing to glory of but the riches of Gods mercy and he that is damned hath nothing to complain of but the merit of his own sin Object Some call this a licentious doctrine and say it ought not to be publisht because it overthrows all endeavours unto holiness and makes men loose in their lives or drives them to despair Sol. The preaching of Gods grace for the comfort of the godly must not be silenced because the ungodly turn it into wantoness But this doctrine may comfort and confirm many it can stumble none none can presume neither need any to despair that will but consider that God hath ordained the means as well as the end Some are ordained unto life eternal but without holiness we shall never see God Heb. 12.14 This cannot make us slothful or careless but more diligent and studious of good works that by such evidences we may make our calling and election sure sure unto our own consciences which before was sure enough in Gods eternal Counsel Some be ordained to destruction but yet none shall be damned but for sin this cannot make any careless but more careful to fly sin and be studious of good works which are not the cause but yet the way to salvation which God hath prepared for us to walk in Ephes 2.10 And so long as God affords the means of salvation offering Christ dayly unto us in his Word and Sacraments no man that waits upon the means hath any cause to despair But doest thou find the signs of election in thy self praise God for them Doest thou not find them in another pray to God for him Doest thou find them in thy self be thankful Doest thou not find them in another yet be charitable and hope still that God who cals at all hours may have an hour yet for thy neighbor as he had for thee Shun all curiosity and let these be the uses you make of this doctrine CHAP. XII Of Vocation Truth AND whom he did predestinate them he also called not only outwardly by the preaching of his holy Word but inwardly also and effectually by the operation of his holy Spirit powerfully working with the Word and winning their hearts to cleave u●to him inseparably to salvation Errours This is the second link of that golden chain of salvation that divers Adversaries both of former and latter times have laboured to break asunder They are of three sorts 1. Those that condemn the outward Ministry of the Word as vain and unprofitable So the Anabaptists Gaspar Swenckfeldius and his followers who affirm That men are called and faith is given not by means of the Word but by illumination and immediate working of the Spirit and being wholly intent upon Speculations and Revelations they imagine that God doth reveal his Will unto them in dreams and visions By this device many lewd impostours have risen and abused the world with their lies as Mahomet and Muncer did and in the primitive times Simon Magus Cerinthus Montanus with their harlots who under the name of visions and dreams did broach and vent their own monstrous dotages The grossest Errours that are now in Popery as Purgatory c. were first founded and confirmed by visions and dreams and by the same means the Father of lyes and spirit of Errour hath prevailed so far in the Church as we see at this day such strange and monstrous ways men presently fall into when once they depart from the light of Gods known Word 2. A second sort there be that do not indeed condemn the outward Ministry of the Word but yet esteem very meanly of preaching and expounding the same thinking and affirming That bare reading the Scriptures to the people is sufficient for edifying them unto salvation and that much or frequent preaching is not only not necessary but hurtful This opinion was if it be not still very currant with many both Ministers and other people and was mightily confirmed in their minds not by the connivence only but also ill example and practise of the Bishops themselves who as if preaching were no part of their office or derogatory to their high dignity did most of them most shamefully cast it quite off though indeed it would have been their greatest glory and therefore now God hath justly covered them with shame for it and poured contempt upon them 3. The last and worst sort are those enemies of grace and patrons of freewil the Pelagians Papists Arminians c. who to maintain the pride of nature deny the power of grace and to make good their former doctrine of freewil have brought these seconds into the field Viz. 1. That the grace of Vocation is nothing else but a moral swasion or probable inclination of the will which the outward preaching of the Word m●y effect denying the powerful operation of the Spirit inwardly working upon the same 2. That sufficient grace to beleeve and be converted is offered and given to all in the Gospe● preached and that with a serious intention in God to save all but the Reason why one receiveth grace another receiveth it not one believeth and is converted another is not is only in mans freewil in whose power it is to receive and obey or refuse and resist the offers and operations of grace 3. That grace when it is gotten may be utterly lost again faith quite cut off and the like The outward voyce or preaching of the Word is not of force or efficacy sufficient to beget faith in a man Antidote and turn him unto God without the inward working teaching and calling of the Holy Ghost But yet for all that since the word hath been committed to writing the written Word and preaching thereof is the only outward and ordinary means ordained of God to beget faith in us and bring us to the knowledg and obedience of Jesus Christ Rom. 10.17 Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Acts 10.44 The Holy Ghost fell upon them that heard the Word And this was the Scripture or written Word Luke 4.16 Our Saviour himself took the book of Esaias and preacht the Scripture Acts 8.35 Philip preacht the Scripture to the Eunuch Acts 17.2 Paul reasoned out of the Scriptures It is evident that all Churches both Jewish and Christian used always to preach and hear the Scriptures for their edification Nehem. 8.9 Acts 15.26 13.15 It is given Timothy as a commendation that he knew the Scripture 2 Tim. 3.15 And it is called the Word of Grace Rom. 10.8 The Word of Faith Act. 20.32 because it is a means to convey both unto us In times past indeed God was pleased to make his Will known unto his Servants the Prophets and by them to the people divers ways and after divers manners as by Dreams Visions Oracles Vrim and Thummim But in these last days he hath spoken unto us by his Son Heb. 1.1 who coming from the bosom of his Father hath revealed all

we have in Christ carnally thinking that now we are freed from all care of good works and may follow what course we please Antidote That we ought to follow good works for the Reasons before named is evident by those places of Scripture Ephes 2.10 We are created unto good works that God hath prepared for us that we should walk in them Tit. 2.14 Who gave himself for us that he might purifie unto himself a people zealous of good works 2 Cor. 5.10 Rev. 20.12 We shall be judged at the last day according to our works therefore look to your works So 1 Pet. 2.12 2 Pet. 1.10 2 Cor. 13.5 Heb. 10.24 2 Cor. 9.2.3 And our best works have not that worthiness in them to deserve at Gods hand 1. Because they are imperfect Isai 64.6 They are a debt that we owe unto God Luke 17.10 When you have done all you can or are commanded to do say you are unprofitable servants for we do but our duty we must do them to serve not deserve 3. If they were perfect yet they are Gods not ours Phil. 2.13 He worketh in us both the will and the deed Joh. 15. Without me ye can do nothing 4. If we ascribe merit to our works we make the death and merits of Christ either unnecessary or insufficient Object But eternal life is called a reward Rom. 2.6 Rev. 20.12 et 22.12 Sol. There is a reward of debt and a reward of grace it is the Apostles own distinction Rom. 4.4 Heaven and eternal life is a reward of grace not of debt God hath made himself a debter to us not by receiving any thing from us but by promising all things to us August in Psalm 132.2 It is said we shall be rewarded not for but according to our works the merit of works is plainly set aside and when God doth crown our works he doth but crown his own gifts August Enarr in Psalm 102.3 The Apostle calls the reward of sin wages because it is of due debt but eternal life he calls a gift because it is not of debt but grace Rom. 6.23 4. The Kingdom of Heaven is called not the wages of servants but the inheritance of Saints or those whom God hath chosen for his children 5. The good man of the house i. Christ Mat. 20. payed at night all his labourers equal wages to shew that they received a gift of grace not a reward of works CHAP. XVII Of Death and Burial Truth THere is no man living that shal not see death for our life is but a race that will come to an end and when we have finisht our course here our body shall turn to dust in the earth and our soul return to God that gave it Errours Enemies to this truth were 1. The old Hereticks called Nazarens affirming That the soul of man and the soul of a beast were both of a like nature and substance from whence sprang up those Hereticks in Arabia the stony called therefore Arabici who affirmed That the soul of man dyes with the body even as the soul of a bruit beast doth 2. Others affirmed That the soul did not dye but sleep in the grave untill the day of Judgment Both these Errours are revived at this day by those that affirm The whole man is mortal And books are written of the mortality of the soul Pope John the 23. was of this opinion That the soul should not see God till the day of Judgment 3. Familists say They ought not to bury the dead because it is said let the dead bury the dead 4. And those are greatly to be blamed that despise Christian buriall and though not guilty of Heresie yet of inhumanity that expose their dead friends undecently or irreverently 5. The Papists account burial of the dead a meritorious work borrowing their authority from the book of Tobit The Reason why the Arabians were so easily taken with this Errour of the souls mortality was because they were Antidote and are at this day a very lewd dissolute and theevish people and this doctrine doth fit such peoples turn very well and the same may be the Reason it is received by many at this day happy were it for them if the soul dye or if it but sleep till the day of Judgment it cannot but be a little refreshing to the thoughts of wicked men that seeing their life so uncertain yet they shall not go presently into torment But Eccles 3.19 20. is to be understood of the state of the body after death for of the soul it is said v. 21. That the soul of man goes upward and the soul of a beast goes downward towards the earth Eccl. 12.7 The dust shall return to the earth as it was and the Spirit shall return to God that gave it Acts 7.59 Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Luk. 23.43 This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise That answer of our Saviour to the Sadducees Mat 22.32 puts the Adversary to silence for God is not the God of the dead but of the living Lastly The exceeding joys and hopes of good men and the fears and terrours of wicked men at their departures are sufficient Arguments that the soul sleeps not but goes presently to a place of joy or sorrow whereof the soul hath some secret inklings instinct or divine assurance and whereunto those hopes and fears seem to invite or usher it Secondly After the departure of the soul the body ought to be carryed to the grave and layed up in decent burial if not out of any regard to the party deceased yet out of reverence to the common nature of mankind or of pure shame of that frailty weakness and deformity that our selves are subject to The holy Patriarks and all Gods people of old were very careful of their Sepulchers or burying places as you may read and the Jews used many Ceremonies of comliness at their burials not out of any superstition but in a godly consideration of the Resurrection in the hope whereof those Ceremonies did seem to confirm them and as that doctrine grew clearer so these Ceremonies grew fewer as Tabitha her body was only washed Acts 9.37 And therefore we condemn those numerous superstitious and impious Ceremonies used by the Papists at their burials but yet still we should consider that the dead bodies of our godly and Christian friends are precious things and were the Members of Christ Temples of the Holy Ghost and shall at the last day be raised again and made like unto Christs glorious body in hope whereof in mean space we should lay them up with decency and reverence It is no matter to the dead but 1. It is an honor done to the common nature of mankind 2. A comfort to surviving friends 3. Many ways useful to all that are present CHAP. XVIII Of the Resurrection Truth ALthough our bodies when we are dead shall be turned to dust and ashes yet at the last day they shall be raised again