Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	know_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	191	3	9.6018	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26893	A seasonable word of advice unto all the saints in England whereby they are exhorted to beware of Satans subtilties, and hold fast the words of sound doctrine / by J.B., a lover of the truth.	J. B.	1655 (1655)	Wing B122; ESTC R32845	20,027	31

in the Faith And Fourthly Hereby he causeth them to put private Interpretations upon the Scriptures applying them at their pleasures to particular Times Places and Persons Whereas the Scriptures and divine prophesies as they came not in old time by the will of man but holy men spake at they were moved by the holy Ghost so they are not to be interpreted according to the will of man with any private Interpretation but according to the mind and spirit of God which we can only find out by searching the Scriptures and comparing spiritual things with spiritual A Third way by which Satan bringeth many to a misunderstanding of the Scriptures and a perversion thereof is by keeping them in Ignorance of the present Dispensation they are under hereby causing them in Gospel-Times to walke chiefly by the Rule of the Law and to look for the performance and accomplishment of those things in their Daies which are not to be fulfilled until future Times This Satan doth by making use of Ignorant and unfaithful shepherds who knowing not the Scriptures themselvs or unfaithfully dispencing them somtimes contrary to the Convictions of their own hearts Light and knowledge to maintain their temporal Advantages and to keep up the principles of their artificial and scholastic Theology do impose such Doctrines upon the world that they lay the weight of a mans Justification upon his duties and performances thereby destroying as far as in them lyeth the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ And although in their Doctrines and words they will speak of Justification by Faith yet in their works and practizes they deny it Laying heavy burdens works and duties upon men which neither they nor their forefathers were able to bear And hereby Satan causeth them either to omit or pervert and wrest those Scriptures which hold forth Justification freely by Faith in Christ without the works of the Law Secondly Satan doth by his Seducements and subtile Suggestions cause many to mistake diverse prophetical Scriptures as to Time by perswading them that the accomplishment of those Promises will be in their Daies And this he doth by taking Advantage of an earnest desire which is in many professors to see the fulfilling of those things which are conteined in those Prophesies because they are perswaded that thereby the Lord would be exceedingly glorified And therefore the Saints in these Times should very carefully watch over their Zeale which in most men is rather a passion then a Grace especially if it be fixed upon a wrong Object The Jewes were Zealous of the Law of Moses but being ignorant of the Law of the Gospel of Christ their zeale was dissalowed of by the Apostle saying Rom. 10.2 they have a zeale but not according to knowledge for they being ignorant of the Righteousnesse of God went about to establish their own Righteousnesse And so far did this zeale hurry them that they persecuted the most precious Saints of Jesus Christ Thus Paul persecuted the Church Luk 9.51 to 56. Phil. 3.6 and thus Satan took Advantage against the Disciples working upon their Zeale who were then Ignorant of their present Dispensation and work which Christ was then to do in the world For when Jesus Christ was to go to Jerusalem on a certain time he sent some before him who prepared his lodging in a Town of the Samaritans The Samaritans being professed Enemies to the Jewes finding that Christ intended to go to Jerusalem to worship refused to receive him Whereupon James and John moved with Zeale taking for example Elias the prophet but being at that Time ignorant of the work which their Master then came to do moved the Lord to command fire to come down from heaven to consume the Samaritans But the Lord answered Ye know not of what Spirit ye are of for the Son of Man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them And assuredly Satan doth work thus in the world taking advantage of a great zeale which is in many Saints who are zealous of the glory of God and tender of his honour who set before them the Examples of many Zealous Saints who were acted by an immediate hand of God and they call for fire Judgements blastings and wrath upon many whom they see do dishonour God and as they conceive do carry on the work of Satan against Christ Not considering that yet we are under the tenders of the Gospel and a door of mercy is open unto all men To all sorts of sinners excepting those who sin against the holy Ghost to whoremongers and Idolaters to drunkards and blasphemers so that he that is a persecuter of Christ and his Saints to day may be a converted Paul to morrow Not considering that the day of wrath vengeance and utter destruction is the Day of the Lord the Day of his next coming and appearing Untill which time his Disciples should be merciful as their father which is in heaven is merciful who maketh his Sun to arise on the evil and good Mat. 5.44 45 46. and sendeth Rain on the Just and unjust Wherefore the Saints in these Daies should watch over their zeale and have a Care that it be bounded with love on the one hand and knowledge on the other and be circumspect that they fix their zeale on a right Object according to that of the Apostle It is good to be zealous or earnest in a good thing Gal. 4.15 16 17 18. We should zealously love when the Lord would have us do good but we should not hate zealously when the Lord would have us to love nor Curse when he would have us to blesse nor deprecate any when he would have us to pray for all Men. Satan having caught any in this Snare that is blinded their Eyes that they are not able to know the things that belong to their present Dispensation and having wrought upon their zeale and fixed it upon a wrong Object In the first place he doth deprive the Saints who are thus deceived by him of many gospel Comforts which do arise from the apprehension of the Love of God grounded upon free Grace and applied unto us by and in Jesus Christ Secondly hereby that is by altering the nature and property of true zeale which is alwaies attended with love knowledge and humility he increaseth spiritual Pride in them which may be thus discerned when they begin to have low thoughts of all men but of themselves and of such as agree with their Judgements when they seperate themselves from their Brethren supposing them to be Low flat dead backward and lesse zealous in the worke of God then themselves when they will passe a Judgement upon others and say this man is guilty of the sin against the holy Ghost this man is faln from the Faith and his former professions this man is an hypocrite this man is a Persecuter of the Saints this man is not to be pray'd for this man ought to be cut off again by reason of this

the Traditions of their Forefathers And whether they were such as concerned divine worship or civil manners they alwaies had a reverend esteeme of them imbracing them for their Antiquity It being accounted a great Heresie among the generalitie of men to question the Judgement of their Ancestours concerning any law or Custome approved of or exercised by them as if long continued use or allowance of any thing could make that lawful and good which in it selfe is unlawful and discommendable or that the Judgement of ancient men who lived in former Ages were not to be questioned by succeeding Generations This maketh men so loath to leave off nay even to reason or consider the lawfulnesse of the traditions of their Elders And hereupon it is that most men in the world can give no better an account and Reason of their pinciples upon which they ground their salvation and eternal welfare then this thus my Forefathers did thus they worshiped God and thus they beleeved and so will I. Are we wiser then our Forefathers did not they understand the Scriptures as wel as we were they not as learned as we are Here Satan taketh Advantage And to nourish Ignorance hereby in them he doth suggest many Arguments unto them to strengthen and confirme them in this rediculous Errour Whereas Reason will dictate this that no man ought to allow or approve of any thing implicitly Agreeable hereunto is that inconsiderate Custome among men to pin their opinions upon the Judgements of other men living in their owne Time whom they account learned and juditious The great Designe of Satan in all these things is to hinder men from searching into the Scriptures knowing that they are the onely light to guide us in this dark Age and Touchstone to try the Spirits in our selves and other men For take men off from this from the search of the Scriptures and it is an easie thing to impose any thing upon them as easie as to deceive a blinde man in the choice of Colours Satan having thus deluded any and brought them into this Snare how freely will they receive any colourable Interpretation of Scripture and how apt will they be to wrest and pervert the same according as he shall tempt them thereunto A second way by which Satan bringeth men to a misunderstanding of the Scriptures a perversion of them is by perswading them to consult with their own Reason in finding out the mind of God concerning spirtual things This Satan effecteth by taking Advantage of an Excellency which men suppose they see in natural Reason by which they think they are able to discern of spiritual Truths But can the Creature who hath all his knowledge conveyed unto him by sence know those things which the sences cannot reach unto How can the Eye discerne that which it hath not seen or the Eare that which it hath not heard or the heart that which never came into it Can Reason tell a man without divine Manifestation what God hath prepared for those that love and fear him these things Reason cannot informe us of neither can the spirit of a man know them but they must be revealed by the same Spirit which was in Jesus Christ By the Spirit which naturally is in us we are capable of knowing those things which belong to our Generation but no more And if a mans Spirit cannot know the things of other Creatures much lesse can it discern the things of God even those Mysteries which were determined by him before the world began For it is a certain Truth that the natural Man knoweth not the things of God 1 Cor. 2.9 10 11. And although the Scriptures are written in no other words then such with which we do usually speake one unto an other yet it is no easie thing to understand the minde of the holy Ghost therein Some words are allegorically others mystically others literally to be understood some all these waies Some expressions are typical others comparative and others prophetical some prophesies hold forth things past some things present and others things to come some all of these Yet there are some and too many such there are when they read a Text of Scripture will take upon them by the consideration of the very words to declare the meaning and purpose of the holy Ghost therein Hereby the world is filled with so many ill begotten opinions Others say look into that Light which is in you meaning the Light of Reason walke by that Light What need say they have men to looke into the Scriptures or to preach the word while they have a light within them When as alas the light of the natural man as Reason knowledge and the like as to the things of God is darknesse Ephes 5.8 untill the Lord by a supernatural worke of Grace do enlighten them and then they are said to be Light in the Lord or as the Apostle in an other place Ye are the children of the Day and not of the night 1 Thess 5.5 that is ye are not now in a natural and unregenerate Condition but new-borne and enlightened by the Spirit of God By ascribing that unto Reason which onely is the worke of the Spirit they force the Creature to depend upon his owne strength they put him upon a worke which he is not able to do they cast their Eyes onely upon self-sufficiency and neglect a dependance upon God by Faith they lay the whole weight of the Duety of a Christian upon the performance of some outward things which consist chiefly in Touch not Taste not Handle not in perishing services and in the Doctrines and commandements of men by which they are deceived because there is in these things a shew of wisdome in voluntary Religion and humblenesse of minde and in not sparing the body Col. 2.21 22 23. Satan having caught any in this Net bringeth them hereby to a neglect of comparing Scripture with Scripture They often read the Word but they judge of it by their own Reason which Reason they call the Light which God hath given them And demand of them why they interpret Scripture thus or thus they will answer that their Reason telleth them so And so by not comparing Scripture with Scripture they remain not onely ignorant of the true meaning thereof but they fill the world with a multitude of heretical Notions perverting the Scriptures when and how they please Secondly hereby Satan maketh them to contemn all Interpretations of Scripture which their Reason will not allow of And if the Truths of God conteyned in the word be declared unto them they are so wedded to their own Judgements that they have neither Patience to hear them nor consider them Thirdly Hereby Satan seeketh to destroy their Faith causing them to remain in unbeliefe of those things which their Reason cannot approve of For if Faith come by hearing then they that stop their Eares against any thing but the dictates of their own carnal Reason must needs remain weak