Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	law_n	life_n	sin_n	22,698	5	5.7840	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80553	A vindication of the magistrates and ministers of the city of Gloucester, from the calumnies of Mr. Robert Bacon, in his printed relation of his usage there, which he intitles, The spirit of prelacy yet working, or truth from under a cloud. Together with ten questions discussed, which tend to the discovery of close antinomianisme. / By John Corbet minister, and chaplain to Major generall Massie. Published by authority.	Corbet, John, 1620-1680.; Nicanor, Lysimachus, 1603-1641,	1646 (1646)	Wing C6267B; Thomason E337_15; ESTC R200828	24,213	37

Christ Still from the purpuse Secondly those that without Christ doe nothing truely and sincerely which is contained in the Law 7. The Law is exceeding usefull to take men off from the damnable opinion of their owne righteousnesse This doth neither declare that a Christian ought to humble his soule by reflecting up the holy Law of an holy and jealous God nor that he is bound to the Law as a Rule 8. The Law in the Hand of a Mediator is a rule of life for what the Law doth command in the letter that the law of the spirit of life doth worke within which is therefore called the Law of Faith or the Law of Christ or the Law written in the heart Here he seems to speak somthing but all darke and confused The Law in it selfe and not as considered in the hand of a Mediator is the rule of life But the Law given in the hand of a Mediator doth shew that the exact righteousnesse thereof is not required unto justification Secondly he brings a reason which hath no connexion in these words For what the Law doth command in the letter without the law of the spirit doth worke within except he doth meane because the Gospell inableth the Law bindeth Is this to state a Controverted question Might not an Antinomian grant these positions if he would study to conceale himselfe Besides at the Dispute he did reject this Conclusion viz. That the Law doth bind a Christian to obedience for said he the Gospell doth inable him Which the understanding hearers remember I doubt not that I refuted by replying that t is the nature of a Law to binde and where the Law bindes not there is no sin Have we not reason to suspect unsoundnesse in this Point And as there is a distinction made between seperation and semi-seperation so t is necessary to distinguish between grosse and close Antinomianisme Q. 2. Whether good Workes be a meanes to obtain Salvation Neg. according to Master B. HErein we differ But this question was at first proposed in other tearmes Whether good Works may be called a Way to Salvation which Master Bacon had formerly denyed to my selfe and another Minister and at the first Conference more publikly disclaymed the distinction of Via ad Regnum and Causa Regnandi affirming that Jesus Christ is the onely way Whereas we meane by a way such a course as God hath appointed them to take whom he will bring to salvation without which salvation doth not ensue As the narrow way in the Gospell and the undefiled in the way Psal 119. And by good workes we declared to understand not onely the fruits but the principles of holinesse namely inherent grace But to indulge our adversary in an expression the Question was thus propounded Whether good Workes be a meanes to obtaine Salvation By which we understand not the onely or the chiefest meanes for I then declared in my Paper that Christ alone by his super-abounding merit hath purchased salvation for us and now further adde that according to his pleasure he dispenseth his grace and by his power preserveth his people to eternall life But holinesse is so necessary that if supposing an impossibility a man might be justified and not sanctified he could never appeare before the face of God in glory But this expression is rejected as unsavoury whereas a meanes doth imply no more then something aptly disposed and designed to a certain end Thus Gods Ordinances are a means to obtain salvation But holinesse is absolutely necessary follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shal see the Lord. But the word obtaine is most remarked which is the Scripture phrase 1 Cor. 9.24 So run that ye may obtaine Consider other places Phil. 2.12 Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling Phil. 3.14 it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reward of victory 2 Cor. 4.17 our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh out for us a far more exceeding weight of glory That holinesse is a way to salvation is cleerly proved out of the Text which Master Bacon urgeth Ephes 2.10 Wee are created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke therein for if we walke in them they are a way if a way there must terminus ad quem the end of our walking which is salvation But saith he to affirme that good workes are a meanes to obtaine salvation is to deny Christ the onely meanes I answer Christ is the onely meanes meritorious and the onely meanes principally efficient but this doth not exclude other means subordinate unto Christ as the Word and Sacraments and such things as flow from Christ by inevitable consequence as good workes being ranked in their own place Q. 3. Whether God be displeased with his people that are in Christ for their sinnes we meane such a people as are in the Covenant of Grace Neg. according to Master B. HEre we differ in opinion but this question was at first propounded in other tearms viz. Whether God be displeased with the sinnes of his people which Master Bacon affirmed Whereupon we urged his owne Doctrine publickly taught in these words You know that when we please men they will be pleased with us when we offend them they will bee offended with us they are up and downe but farre be it from us to entertaine such thoughts of God whom he loveth he loveth to the end he is not as man to be displeased the Lord help us that we rather consider that we are not sinners so much because of the acts of sinne but rather because of the sinfulnesse of sinne It is true to the naturall man to our understandings God is pleased with us this houre and not that houre but you must come up higher to the knowledge of God that he is the same to day and for ever Here he plainly denies the pleasure or displeasure of God for this or or that act and hereupon he brought forth this subtilty That God is displeased with the sinnes of his people but not with his people for sinne of which people he exacted so much explanation as that they are in Christ as if we conceived Gods people out of Christ but this is not enough he exacts more viz. we meane such a people as are in the Covenant of grace as if it were possible to conceive that Gods people which are in Christ are out of the Covenant of grace He states the Question on this wise 1 When we affirme that God is displeased or angry we speak after the manner of men for God is not subject to passion Answ to say that God is angry is spoken after the manner of men yet dispeasure is no passion but agrees with God in the highest perfection of his nature for God is equally perfect in the dislike of sinne as in the love of good 2. When we are chastened of the Lord 't is a signe of his love not of his displeasure

Answ Gods love is not opposed to his displeasure but to hatred Yea the more love the more displeasure when we sinne against love This in Parents is the fruit of paternall affection 3 T is most peremptorily to be affirmed that God hates sin in whomsoever This is true but we speak of displeasure not of hatred 4 So farre as the children of God live off from Christ and walk unworthy of the Gospell so farre they lye under the sense of wrath insomuch as the Apostle saith he scourgeth every sonne whom he loves it 's impossible that a man should have peace in the wayes of sinne Answ Here he contradicts and refutes himselfe and runs out beyond our desire The children of God walking unworthy of the Gospell doe not alwayes in such a case lye under the sense of wrath which is the apprehension of the guilt of sinne binding them to eternall vengeance which is as farre distant from the bare apprehension of displeasure as the spirit of Bondage from the spirit of Adoption Where the Apostle saith he scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth he doth not meane the sense of wrath But he addes 't is impossible that a man should have peace in the wayes of sinne whence I inferre where there is no peace and so ought to be no sense of peace there Gods displeasure must needs be apprehended for when God is not displeased there is peace in the soule and if we must apprehend the Lords displeasure he is really displeased except we are bound to apprehend a falshood Many times the Saints apprehend displeasure when God is pleased but they are never bound so to doe but when God is actually displeased therefore it doth necessarily follow that if there were no peace in the wayes of sinne God must needs be displeased with his people for sinne 5 The fift paragraph is answered in the former 6 The sixt is exceeding tedious and confused the substance thereof I collect and examine That a naturall man looking upon God in the Law apprehends he pleaseth God so farre as he keeps the Law and so farre as he comes short of obedience to the Law so farre he apprehends he despleaseth God But a spirituall man seeing himselfe accepted of God in Christ ought not to conceive that God is up and downe with him in his love for whom he loves he loves to the end Answ Gods love is opposed to hatred not to displeasure the love of our persons and a temporary displeasure conceived against our persons are well consistent as in the case of paternall affection Secondly God is said to be angry with Moses I demand whether Moses being in the Covenant of grace was bound to beleeve Gods displeasure upon Gods owne manifestation or whether he did dishonour God by beleeving that he was displeased with him as Master Bacon imports a beleever doth in such a case That same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 3.17 is the everlasting love of God abounding to the acceptance our persons and performances yea the love of complacency which doth not exclude the particular acts of displeasure and the way of attonement and redintegration after our fals 7 The seventh proves nothing but that being reconciled we are saved from wrath viz. divine revenge which we grant But in the last place he doth extreamly subtillize his Notions he is contented that God should be displeased with sinne but not with the sinner It is true that in some cases God doth hate sin but not the sinner as a father hates the disobedience of his son but hates not his sonne in disobedience for hatred is the extreamest alienation but displeasure is an act of dislike not of alienation Now a man may dislike his friend but never hate him in the notion of a friend and he must needs dislike him when he offends against the bond of friendship though that bond be not broken and a father that is displeased with his childs rebellion must needs be displeased with his child that rebels To conclude if God be in no case displeased with his people they need not confesse that by sinne they have provoked him to displeasure Under most grievous fals their condition is as good towards God as ever they are bound even then to apprehend the light of his countenance and the brightnesse of his glory shining upon them and by consequence David was as much accepted with God and might have conceived as much spirituall joy in the bed of adultery with Bathsheba as after that great humbling of his soule Q. 4. Whether those in the Covenant of grace are to try their Justification by their Sanctification Aff. according to Master B. HEre we agree in the tearmes but whether in the thing it self it 's very doubtfull When we propounded this question we did conceive that Master Bacon would put no other meaning upon the tearme Sanctification the inherent holinesse But we justly suspect some other sense first because he doth here interpret holinesse to be that seed of God which John saith abideth in every one that is borne of God 2 John 3.9 and at the disputation by this seed he did understand the spirit against which interpretation I made reply that the seed of God must be the work of the Spirit and not the spirit it selfe Secondly in that he saith That which is done in foro Coeli in the Court of Heaven is done also in foro conscientiae in the Court of Conscience by the Spirit of Christ and where the spirit of Christ is there are the fruits of the Spirit goodnesse righteousnesse truth This is true in it selfe but it doth not cleere unto our understanding but that he meanes by Sanctification the inhabitation of the Spirit by whose sole testimony our justification must be evidenced and that goodnesse truth and righteousnesse are the immediate workings of a supernaturall spirit by which we are over-acted and not of habituall graces I doe not directly charge him with this meaning in these words of his but they doe not evince the contary and the passages forementioned hold forth grounds of jealousie Besides I know that those of his party doe much undervalue if not wholly deny the use of Markes and Signes in this Triall 2 In the second Paragraph I assent unto him in this That when I doe some good actions I must not therefore beleeve my Justification but I dissent from him in the other part wherein he saith when I faile in some works to suspect my justification tends to overthrow the glorious work of Justification Had he said that a Christian is not thence absoluetly to cōclude that he is not justified he had said right but to say that he must not suspect his justification when he failes in some works as to instance David in adultery Peter in denying Christ which were failings in some works is no sound nor safe Doctrine That height and glory of faith beleeving in hope against hope is not exercised in the slighting of our sinnes