Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	life_n	lord_n	power_n	7,281	5	4.7110	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81974	A iudgement or a definition of the visible and invisible church of our Lord Jesus Christ. By J. D.	J. D.	1641 (1641)	Wing D35; Thomason E181_3; ESTC R7309	5,087	13

A IVDGEMENT OR A DEFINITION OF THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE CHVRCH OF OVR LORD JESUS CHRIST By J. D. CANTICLES 1.5 J am black but comely O yee Daughters of Jerusalem CANT 4.7 Thou art faire my Love there is no spot in thee PSAL. 45.13 The Kings Daughter is all glorious within her clothing is of wrought Gold Printed in the Yeare 1641. THE CHVRCHES OVTVVARD BEING AND INVVARD GLORY LAID OPEN A Church is of none but those which are called of God to Define it It is a company of Beleevers and regenerate persons which God gathereth together in Christ by the Word in the holy Ghost and the Ministers governing the same with purenesse of Doctrine with lawfull use of the Sacraments and with Discipline and it is called the body of Christ these members have him for their Head from whom by their joynts and synewes they take their growing and attaine unto life by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost for these members are so thorowly joyned as they are called Flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone Ephes 5.30 It is true in assemblies there be those that mingle among the Saints of God nay very many which be strangers from Christ and these in shew onely not indeed doe belong unto the Church Wherefore of them the Apostle Iohn saith They went out from us but were not of us The Apostle Paul in the first Chapter of the Corinthians the first Epistle after he had saluted the Church of God added by exposition unto them which are sanctified by Iesus Christ called to be Saints That wee may understand in very deed that the wicked appertaine not to the Church although they be alwayes conversant therein And this wee may confesse to be a true Church which are called the Communion of Saints There be some of our times nay questionlesse many of Gods Children conclude that the true Church is not to be knowne as they are mixed together but we may deny it to be a firme conclusion There be proper marks assigned by which the same may be very well knowne without the separate Assemblies for whereby the purenesse of doctrine flourisheth the Sacraments are purely ministred and Discipline exercised that is a Congregation whereby we may safely joyne our selves although the honestie of every particular man is not sufficiently knowne unto thee Neither is it of necessitie required that the godly should be discerned of men what manner of persons they be while they live here Christ while he lived here was not knowne among mortall men and we as the Apostle doth declare unto the Colossians Chapter 3. vers 3.4 Wee have our life hidden with God and when Christ which is our life shall appeare then wee also shall be made manifest with him in glorie We reade in the first Booke of Samuel 16.7 It is God that looketh into the heart therefore it is but an unadvised thought that because the wicked doe frequent in place with the godly that they should be the members of Christ We may as well say a dead man is a man I doe confesse indeed by Christ and by the Holy Ghost he may be restored unto life but in the meane time while that is not done wee will not grant him to be the member of Christ unlesse we should judge by the forme and outward shew Some may perhaps say how Paul might truely call the Church of the Corinthians and Church of God the which was so infected with so many vices But it may be understood that all they which were there were not utterly corrupted many good men remained Further they were instructed with pure doctrine and they retained the Sacraments holy and purely and the godly laboured much about the converting of them for we know that Paul was admonished by them of Cloas That he should prevent the evills that were then breaking forth 1 Corinth 1.11 Besides Paul had a respect to the testimony of God who had said unto him that in the same Citie he had much people Moreover by this you may understand that the Church of God doth not so fall away for every blemish as that it should no more be called the Church of God And because now adayes the Prelates of our times have opposed the rules of Christ which he hath laid downe by his Word how his members should be governed But this precious Word the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ these Prelates I meane these Primate Metropolitans and the rest of that function those that have made nothing of the blood of Christ in persecuting his members and trampling the Lord of life under foote The Lord furnish his Saints with an infinite power in their Spirits that by the Spirit of the Lord they may cry mightily that he hearing them this worke of Reformation may be to the Saints happinesse and Gods great glory And the people of God by that light which may and hath beene discovered by the glorious Gospell doe see how they have laboured to seduce the Church in fashioning Christ according to their Idolatrous Will-worship But blessed be the Lord Christ I say blessed be Michael and his Angels which have overcome the Dragon and his Angels And doth appeare to us as a glorious Christ shewing himselfe how willing he is to reforme us if we by sinne doe not cause him to turne away his face and carry away all the hopes wee have of our Reformation I beseech the Lord it may not be said of us as it was of those people of the Iewes Jeremiah 5.31 The Prophets prophesie falsely and the Priests beare rule by their meanes and my people love to have it so love to have no reformation But what will become of us in the end thereof O that the Lord would take away that great hindrance of our Reformation in this Land which is sinne and daily discover unto us the truth of the Gospell which is the greatest meanes of our salvation that the Lord Christs bodily members may behold his glory more and more which is not yet without spot or wrinkle but in that day when the great Bishop of our soules the Lord Christ our Mediator shall appeare we beholding his glorious person standing ready to reward every man according to his workes and at that day his Church shall be a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle Ephes 5.27 Then shall we behold Christ overcoming all his enemies But dissentions in this outward estate of the Churches being here on earth were never rooted out yet and many Christians wee have now adayes wandring from the Church of England as if there were never dissention in the Church of God Consider the people of Israel which was the Church of God oftentimes would have killed Moses Exod. 7.4 Numb 14.10 16. 1. divers other places I could expresse And in the New Testament of Christ upon that Church of the Corinthians 1.5 The which is very much commended by Paul saying that they were instructers of Wisdome and in the Word Were they quiet among

themselves No there were schismes among them Some held of Paul some of Apollo some of Peter But you may say they disagreed not touching matters of waight many were of that point that they thought simple fornication was no sinne so that it behoved Paul to instruct them concerning the same 1 Cor. 6.12 Wherein then appeares the Churches glory It is more inwardly glorious her glory is more Internall than Externall As there is a twofold state of the Church the outward I have discovered to you already standing in visible Assemblies in the publike Ministery of the Word and Sacraments in externall Discipline Government So now I pitch upon the Inward the Invisible estate of the Church this estate stands in the true knowledge of God in Christ in comforts touching remission of sinnes and life everlasting in the gifts of grace and of the Spirit and of Gods protection And in this respect shee is right glorious yea a most glorious Church for what glory is it to have a painted outside and a most deformed inside Take a Tombe gilded outwardly but within full of dead mens bones Math. 23.27 It is the inward vertue which God requires My sonne give me thy heart Prov. 23.26 He desires truth in the inward parts and in the hidden parts thou shalt make me to know wisdome Psal 51.1.6 It is this Inward glory which the Lord requireth and doth respect The inward ornament of a meeke and quiet spirit in the sight of God is of great price 1 Pet. 3.4 This inward beautie of the Church what tongue of man can sufficiently expresse it it is but a glimpse hereof All that I can say or expresse to you we may note in these seven degrees First The Churches inward glory it hath the possesson of Gods word and the acknowledgment of the true God Deut. 4.7.8 What Nation is so great that hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is unto us What Nation is so great and glorious that hath statutes so righteous as all these Lawes Psal 147.19 20. He hath shewed his Word unto Jacob his statutes and his judgements unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation Secondly The confidence in prayer and his assured love in hearing her prayers Rom. 5.15 Wee have received the spirit of Adoption whereby wee cry Abba Father Whatsoever we aske wee receive of him Joh. 3.22 Thirdly Perpetuall Preservation in the midst of all affliction Mat. 16.18 The gates of hell shall not prevaile against it Isa 43.2 When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and when thou walkest through the fire the fire shall not hurt thee Fourthly To it belongeth the Covenant of promise Rom. 9.4 It hath a more sure word of promise 2 Pet. 1.19 Fifthly It is adorned with the gracious gifts of the Spirit as love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance Gal. 5.22 The world is not worthy of them Heb. 11.38 Sixthly It is secure and voyde of feare We will not feare though the earth be moved and though the mountaines be carried into the midst of the Sea Psal 46.2 They have the peace of conscience which passeth all understanding Phil. 4.7 Seventhly It hath inheritance of life everlasting and the promise of endlesse glory They are heires according to the hope of eternall glory of a better life 2 Cor. 4.17 This is the Churches Inward glory Let us strive to make as great shew as we will of perfection in this world if wee are not members of this glorious Church we are lost and must abide in a gall of bitternesse for ever but those that are of this glorious Church shall obtaine this purenesse Now because of the Inward glory notwithstanding the outward blemish and defects it is esteemed glorious as the Prophet saith Psal 45.13 Shee is all glorious within and so in Canticles fourth Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Behold thou art fayre my Love and so forward you may reade sweet expressions of uniting Love that passeth betweene the Lord Christ and his Espoused Bride the Church As in the seventh verse he concludes Thou art fayre my Love and there is no spot in thee No spot how can that be seeing the Church it selfe acknowledgeth its own blacknesse Cant. 1.8 and her own drowsinesse Cant. 5.2 But shee is all glorious First in regard of Christs imputation he gave himselfe for her that he might sanctifie her and clense her with the washing of water by the Word that he might present it to himselfe a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such defect but that it should be holy and without blemish Ephes 5.26.27 Secondly In respect of Gods acceptation Seeing thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honoured and I have loved thee Isa 43.4 Thirdly In regard of the future glorification of it it shall be full of glory Revel 21.23 Now we see this point of the Churches glory discovered and we see the Church what it is and so by consequence a particular Church is a glorious Church if it hath Inward soundnesse although it be not wholly freed from outward blemishes Therefore this doth condemne some spirits of the times that doe raile too much not looking upon GODS great Worke which doe not labour with their prayers to cry to the Lord to finish his own Work Would they would discerne between the substance and the circumstance between doctrine and manners between the outward hue and the inward beautie but it cannot be because of many evills therefore no true Church If that blacknesse of the tyranny of these Prelates as we hope they shall not marre the Churches foundation nay if they doe it it shall be a glorious Church in Gods estimation You see as before the Church of Corinth was a true Church notwithstanding her manifold disorders The Church of Ephesus was a true Church notwithstanding her declining Rev. 2.4 The Church of Pergamus was a true Church notwithstanding shee was sealed even In Sathans circuit and pestred with the devillish sect of Balaamites and Nicholaitans Revel 2.13 14 15. So was Thyatira notwithstanding her Jezabelising Revel 2.20 So was Sardis notwithstanding her lukewarmenesse povertie and nakednesse Revel 3.16 17. Hath not the brightest day his Cloud the finest Laune his brack the purest gold his drosse Is there or was there ever any Church in the world that might not be tainted with some imperfection Deny as well they may there is no Sunne in the Firmament because it is sometimes over-clouded and no soule within that body which outwardly is deformed And let this be our comfort although wee are farre from perfection in this life Sanctification in any thing else all sinning Iames 3.7 Having the flesh lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh Gal. 5.17 Though here we cannot wholly be freed from spot and blot yet so long as we delight in the Lawes of God concerning the Inward man Rom. 7.22 and strive forward towards the marke of the price of the high calling of God in Christ Phil. 3.14 Wee have a gracious Father who will spare us as a man spareth his own sonne that serveth him Mala. 3.17 We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the just who is the reconciliation for our sinnes 1 Joh. 2.12 In him we are presented to God without spot or wrinkle Ephes 5.27 and for his sake in Gods sight we are all glorious Which I beseech the LORD that all the Saints of God whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all may be ours and we Christs as Christ is Gods FINIS