Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	grace_n	holy_a	lord_n	14,167	5	3.6878	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85547	A right use made by a stander by at the two disputations at Great All-hollowes; between Mr. Goodwin and Mr. Symson, the 14. of January and 11. of February 1649. Concerning the poynts of generall redemption, and inevitable damnation immediately from God alone.	Graunt, John, of Bucklersbury.	1649 (1649)	Wing G1593B; Thomason E594_2; ESTC R202254	7,459	8

hearts to receive and obey it by the booke of works and by his booke of words on his Elect to salvation so by both books it works an illumination of the grace and means of salvation whereby a remedy and possibility of deliverance and salvation is preached and presented to all men through the promise before which there was no way lest or made of deliverance but onely the miserable estate of destruction that followed the transgression And therefore thrice blessed is that word of God that saith God sent not his Son into the world that is unto mankinde to condemne them but that they through him might be saved Joh. 3. 17. Here is the manifest possibility without all exception yet notwithstanding this abundant goodnesse and pitty of God towards mankind to give himselfe to death that they might have life and to convey the knowledge of this his goodnesse and grace to all and every one of them the wilfull opposition that is made against it by themselves makes that accidentally their condemnation which in it selfe was the means and cause of life and salvation And now wee come to shew what presidents there are in the Scriptures of the eff●ctuall operation of grace and salvation by the works of God through his Spirit now Scripture example must be of such men as have lived when testimony is made of them amongst such as injoyed the Scrip●ure-dispensation yet themselves no Proselytes The first instance shall be in that holy Heathen the Roman Centurion that came to our Lord in the behalfe of his servant the testimony our Lord gives of him with admiration is this I have not found such faith saith he no not in Israel as if he should say not amongst my people that have the booke of my words as in this man that hath been taught by the booke of my works And I say unto you saith he Mat. 8. 1. that many shall come from the East and from the West that is from one end of the earth to the other from the Sun-rising to the Sun-setting And shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdome of heaven but the children of the kingdome shall be cast out that is such as have the booke of my Scrip●ures and Ordinances shall lose the salvation when such as have onely the booke of my creatures shall finde it And such an one was Cornelius Act. 10. which was also a Gentile and Heathen by Nation and no Proselyte for other Nations that were Proselytes were to have the same fellowship in the Word and Ordinances with the Jewes but P●ter denies it him ver 28. and yet justifies him as touching the grace of the Gospel to be a true worshipper of God a spirituall regenerate man manifested and declared to Peter by the words which he spake to him which makes Peter to open his mouth ver 34. and say I perceive of a truth that God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation be that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him Mark here is the righteousnese that is of grace which makes men acceptable to God vouchsafed to all nations of which C●r●nlius is a present proofe thereby being made spirituall worshippers acceptable through faith in their prayers and almes and all other spirituall sacrifices which is only s● in through the goodnesse and grace of God which is the Gospel and Covenant of promise for there is not a second or other means of grace besides this But if this be so that God by his works and Spirit teaches the Gospel and salvation to mankinde as well as by his word and Spirit then what advantage have Christians by the Scriptures or what profit is there of other Ordinances The Apostle makes the same question and answers it himselfe Rom. 3. 1 2. Much every way saith he as if he had said This is the chiefe and highest dispensation the principall and greatest means of conveying the grace of the Gospel to mankinde is by this most excellent way Now the last and most conceald booke by which God reveales the means of salvation to mankinde is that way by which he makes it knowne to Infants who want the exercise of sense and the use of reason and understanding which are the subject matter of both the two other books preachings for in them the Spirit of God works only by the dictate of Conscience not denying this most secret helpe of nature to the two former books also but the capacitie of Infants is such that they are capable onely of this way of preaching And the Spirit of the Lord by this means through secret workings inclines the hearts of the Elect-Infants to receive the mercy preached effectually to life and salvation As he did the hearts of the Prophets Jeremy and John Baptist in the wombe then and there to be called and sanctified regenerated and borne againe for there is no way to life but this although given and administred by divers dispensations And take this consideration for the further discovery of this obscure booke that if the Gospel the word of faith be nigh and in the mouth and heart of all mankinde then it is also in the mouth and in the hearts of Infants and the refusing and disposing this light as it may be said Infants may so doe is the condemnation by this booke also These truths rightly understood cleere God both in his justice and mercy that as salvation is free and onely from himselfe so the condemnation is onely and alone from wicked men themselves and so let us acknowledge God to be just truly mercifull although wee may safely say all men are lyers Thus much I thought to signifie by writing after I was publickly denied for speaking and to wave their pretended excuses I pray them to take notice from the Lord except they deny themselves they cannot be taught of God and so never able to teach others truly And for the other poynt in their Disputations of generall Redemption as they call it there is no such expression in Scripture for although it be said Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all yet it is not said all are ransomed as the terme Redemption seemes to imply and although a man have provided a price or value of a Ransome yet it cannot be said the Man is ransomed or redeemed except the price or value be received and accepted of so although God would have all men to be saved as touching the sufficient means he hath provided yet the man not receiving that means thereby occasions his condemnation which if received had been his salvation And the rejection is not through the means it selfe nor in God that provided it but altogether in and from them that make the resistance As it is written 2 Pet. ● 9. The Lord is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance And this way and means of recovery which is the Gospel he hath made knowne and preached unto all mankinde as before is shewed yet notwithstanding this means of gathering and saving all by which God would Wicked men will not yeeld obedience thereunto but harden their hearts to resistance and so perish through their own impenitency By John Graunt London Printed by M. Simmons for John Hancock 1649.

unto all And although the Apostle in the 16. verse doth affirme that all have not obeyed the Gospel yet in the 18. verse he demands in the Negative and affirmes in the Affirmative that they have all heard even that word of grace ver 17. By which spirituall hearing and receiving to life is attained to through which our faith or assurance of justification is wrought And in those words of his But I say have they not heard His meaning is by the word they all the whole world of disobeyers opposers as well as the receivers and effectuall believers as appeares by his own answer with the testimony of Moses and Isaiah First proving that all that had not the Scriptures that they have heard And then all those that have had the Scriptures that they have heard also And first with his own testimony he joynes the Prophet Davids affirmatively Yes verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world And then with Moses he sheweth that the effect of the word of grace was as truely wrought in some of them that had not the Scriptures which in comparison of the Jews were a foolish Nation and not a people As in some of his people that injoyed his Word and O●dinances And wi●h Isaiah he saith Those that sought him not and such people as were not ●●●●d by his Name they found him And so Luke ●estifies Act. 17. 28. E●●n th●y that ●ad so darke a light that the way is rather f●lt out by the hand ●h●● seene with the eye they even such found the Lord to be their God wh●n ●● many of the Jewes that had the Sun shine of his Word and Ordinances found him no● because they blinded their eyes and ●a●dened their hear●● as the Apostle affi●me● the Prophets testimony against them v●● 21. But to Israel he saith mark he spake before of the Gentiles such as had not the Scriptures and Ministry of men but now to those to whom he sent his Prophets and yet one and all of them complaine All the day long have we● stretched forth o●r hands to a dis●bedient and gaine saying people And here see plainly the Apostles and Prophets cleere evidence that God hath not left himselfe without witnesse of his grace vouchsafed to all mankind● so that all are inlightened taught and have heard the ligh● the way and means of salvation the Gospel the word of faith And as i● is cleerly proved to be preached to all that i● to every one and all mankinde in particular so also the dive●● manners and wayes how it is preached in both administrations shall be as cleerly shewed likewise And fi●st that God● word is a way and means for the preaching conveying and manifesting the grace of God for mans recovery and salvation is without question Search the Scriptures saith our Lord himselfe for they are they th●● testifie of mee that i● beare witnesse of him And that this dispensation by God● word works a differing administration one t●xt will p●o●● plainly ● Cor. 2. 15 16. For ●ee saith the Apostle that is the fa●thfull dispencer● of the Word are a sweet savour of life to them that a●e s●ved and ●●●hem that parish to the one the savour of death unto death and to the other th●●avour of life unto life And this will be confest by all but how the dispensation of the Gospel by the preaching of the creatures works the like d●ff●r●nt administration that i● the great question The truth of this will plainly b● manifested two waye● First by Scripture-evidence and secondly by Scriptur●presidents And first for the evidence of Scripture the Apostle is cleere for it Rom. 2. 14. For when the Gentiles do● by nature the things contained i● the Law these having not the Law or Scriptures are a Law unto themselves which shew the worke of the Law written in their ●●a●●● ●o● not the 〈…〉 of the Law are justified before God but the do●rs all h●r● all ●r● taught as before is proved ye● onely the obeyet● are justified therefore saith the Apostle ver 2● I● the uncircumcision that i● ●●●ha● h●th not the book● of Scriptures nor divine ordinances if he keepe the righteousnesse of the Law shall not his uncircumcision be counted for Circumcision that is he shall be so truly even the regenerate chosen and sanctified childe of God in the estate of salvation the childe of the Covenant for he is not a Jew that is a childe of God that is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision that is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew that is one inwardly he is the true Israelite for Circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God The knowledge of this truth that God works effectually to salvation by the preaching of the creatures makes the Prophet David and the Apostle Paul cry out with one voyce Psal 19. and Rom. 10. Day unto day teacheth knowledge and night unto night uttereth wisedome there is no speech nor language where their voyce is not heard which voyce they both affirme to preach and declare Gods perfect Law or Covenant that converteth soules Now no Covenant of God converts soules but the Gospel the word of promise none but that gives wisedome or maketh wise that pure statute onely inlightens the eyes and turnes the heart from all evill to the feare of the Lord even the ingrafted word that endures for ever for it is the same promise grace Gospel and means of salvation preacht by the creatures as is preacht by the Scriptures and the same Spirit of God that works by the one works by the other the Prophets and Apostles they call for repentance and so doth Gods works also Rom. 2. 4. And this is the first part of the Gospel or promise and the same Spirit gives it and works it by the means of both Againe the Spirit of God by the Ministry of his faithfull servants comforts and binds up the broken-hearted and so doth the Spirit of God also in the comforting operations of the voyces of his creatures refresh and consolate the spirituall mourner the Spirit witnesseth with our spirits that are under Gods servants Ministry that we are the children of God even so the same Spirit witnesses to such as are under Gods works dispensation that the God thereof is become their God for so it is to be a true Jew or an Israelite indeed But some may say the works of God doe not declare Jesus Christ nominally nor the Ministry of his incarnation death resurrection ascension nor his Mediatorship I answer the distinct and particular knowledge of these things is not alwayes and under all dispensations of absolute necessitie to salvation for most of the Patriarcks and Prophets were ignorant of Christ and these particulars in nomination and yet had their vertue and operation to eternall life Now as the Spirit of God works effectually in their