Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	darkness_n	light_n	shine_v	1,758	5	9.8256	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90716	A word of prophesy, concerning the Parliament, generall, and the army. With A little of the first Adam. Wherein are divers objections answered, concerning that position of God, being the author of sinne. / By Henry Pinnell.	Pinnell, Henry.	1648 (1648)	Wing P2280; Thomason E1184_8; ESTC R210114	45,662	97

great height some in every age of the world strive to make it reach to a spirituall and divine nature but the top thereof never yet touched Heaven God blasteth the building with confusion and calleth the worke Babel before it can be finished Mar. 12.10 Luk. 17 25 and al1 because men will build with brick instead of stone The Foundation and chiefe Corner stone is rejected of the builders Jesus Christ in the spirit is sleighted as a meere Europia a world in the Moone a Chymaera a Castle in the aire having existence onely in supposition notion and a deluded fancy The language of men is confounded one cals for Presbytery and a multiplyed Episcopacy is brought up one cryes out Here is Christ another Loe there he is every man seeks to set up his form and would have a shrine made for his owne Diana T is just with God to bring those downe and leave them below under fleshly formes and visible sensible appearances who like Peter out of a drowsie and sleepy temper cannot be contented with Christ alone in the spirit and that righteousnesse of God in him but must have a Tabernacle for Adam also when he apppeares like Moses and Elias in his glory I foresee the cavill and exception some say and conclude that I and your Ladyship hath had your share with me in the censure deny all set order and established forme of Church government These may goe to the plow-man for their answer and satisfaction He will tell them that by the continuall motion of his Cart and Plow wheeles he hath his businesse done whereas if they stood still he could have no seed sowne no crop reaped nor any profit at all made of his land yet in the revolution of the wheel no spoke therein is alwayes fixed either upward or downward In Ezekiels vision you have a wheele in a wheele Ez. 1.16 an internall mystery in an externall appearance forme or dispensation the spirit of life within keeps this wheele in motion God will have his people make a progresse He will carry them from dispensation to dispensation from strength to strength and never let them stand still in any forme till they appeare in the perfection and beauty of the Spirit Madam I know you are removing from Shinar to Sion from Babylon the City of men to Bethel the House of God Let it not trouble you to see the confusions that are in the world or in your owne heart concerning the first Adam there is good hope and great likelyhood that the building of the earthy state will be at a stand You are a gainer by changing rotten rags for rich righteous and royall robes there can be no losse of mortality being swallowed up of life I have heard one and it hath been mine owne case miserably complaining once of the confusions distractions and division of heart indeed the Babylonish yoke and captivity is a sore bondage fightings without and feares within troubles on every side will give the flesh no rest such heavy and grievous pressures will make sad and amaze a true Israelite whose heart is upright before the Lord Yet I told you not long since that John did grow and wax strong in spirit in the Wildernesse John signifieth beloved Luke 1.80 The seed of Gods love may lye under the rough un-even earthy clods and thoughts of mans heart but will at last breake through and grow up above them this seed thrives in the night of insensiblenesse and dis-apprehension of the flesh as well as in the day of sight sense and feeling When man sleepeth as well as when he awaketh in winter as well as in summer the day and the night are the Lords he made summer and winter the sharpe cold and frosty winter nights of trouble and disquiet are for the chastening of the weeds of flesh that the old and outward man may perish but that the inward and hidden man of the heart may be renewed day by day See 2 Cor. 4.26 c. Divine favour is not of such shallow rooting as to dye and wither a way in the time of the creatures grudgings murmurings and confusions The Sun of Righteousesse is not turned into darknesse but gives light and shineth in its strength and glory to the coelestiall and spirituall part and principle when by reason of a cloudy skye of fleshy frailties it hath but a weak influence upon the terrene and sensible part of man The way by which God will comfort his people throughly is by consuming their supposed comforts and withering their carnall confidence See Es 40.1 c. to verse 11. God would have his people comforted and the Voice was to cry All flesh is grasse c. 1 Cor. 11.7 Adam was as the greene grasse of the ground and Eve was as the flower of the field the glory of the earthy man but neither the flower nor the grasse could endure the scorching heate of the Serpents temptation Ioh. 4. The earthy and created excellency of the first Adam is unto man as the Gourd was to Jonas It may cover his head in the night and give him the shadow of rest and peace in his naturall condition and the time of his Ignorance but when the Sun ariseth when Jesus Christ the greater light breaketh forth to discover the darknesse of that light it withers away and shrinkes into nothing this like the Meteors and Glow-worme hath its sparke and splendor from the earthy glory it shines onely and is seene in the dark state of the Creature a worme at last that deadly and never-dying worme will smite the root of it Adams righteousnesse will not it cannot succour the soule in the great and terrible day of the Lord. Two great rocks lye hid in the deep heart and sea of mans nature which make the voyage to heaven dangerous to the passengers of which I would give your Ladyship warning before hand earthy excellency is one the other is fleshly Formes The first derives its descent from Adam and therfore will claime precedency and primogeniture the second though they come into the world to wait upon the sons and heires of God during the time of their nonage and minority yet would share and divide the inheritance with the children when they are of full age the servant would abide in the house with the Sonne The Church in her captivity complaines of two great evils as the aggravation of her calamity Law 5.2.8 viz Strangers possessing her Inheritance and Servants ruling over her Among all the vanities which Solomon saw under the Sun Eccl. 10.7 he took notice of Servants riding on horse-backe and Princes walking like Servants upon the earth What a stage of Vanity is this world where every Art and Science is made up of madnesse and folly Would you not take it as an affront to your selfe and a disparagement to your friends if a stranger that lives upon the meere charitable benevolence of your Father should by a

finde fault too with that earthy Adam neverthelesse who shall reply to him Rom. 9.19.20 or ask a reason of him why he did so Was it not one and the same piece of clay in the hand of God of which he made Man beast And did it imply want of skil in God because he did not make the bruit beast a reasonable Creature as well as man t is at the potters pleasure to form his vessel as he will whether for honour or dishonor In a great house saith the Apostle there are vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood earth 2 Tim. 2.20 some to honour and some to dishonour It doth not argue want of skill in the workman nor want of wisdom in the master of the house in that every vessel is not of gold But what if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his pleasure known dashed in pieces the vessel of dishonour that earthen vessel of the first Adam and his created State sitted to ruin and destruction and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of Mercy which he had afore prepared in Christ not in Adam unto glory what if the wisdom of God which ordereth all things disposed so of these things have you any thing to say against it what if God would make way for the magnifying of his heavenly riches of grace in Christ by undermining the earthy treasure of man in the first Adam It is rather a prudent plot then an improvident folly and the admiration of divine Wisedome no detraction from it to make darknesse first and then command light to shine out of it The earthy man in the beginning of his created state was without forme and void of divine righteousnesse and then darknesse was upon the face of the deepe things of God and when God by his spirit in the Eternall Word Christ Jesus had as now he doth brought forth light Gen. 1.2 1 Cor. 2.10 John 1.3 4 5. yet he did and still doth divide and distinguish betweene the light and darknesse Gen. 1.4 5. 1 Thess 5.5 1 Cor. 15.40 44 47 47. Light and Darknesse Earth and Heaven the first and second Adam and their righteousnesse are not all one yet God did not want art and skill when he made all these though he did not make Earth Heaven nor the first Adams righteousnesse spirituall and heavenly If you exclaim thus against me for error and heresy when I tell you but of the earthy man how would you cry out blasphemy if you should be told all that may be said of the heavenly man Christ Jesus himselfe in respect of the fleshly knowledge of him If you tremble and stagger thus at an earthquake what perplexity would you be in if you should see hear the heavens passe away with a great noise the elements melt with fervent heate If you cannot endure to see the earth and the workes therein to be burnt up 2 Pet. 3.10.12 how will you be able to behold the dissolution of the heavens by fire and the melting of the elements by a scorching heate If you cannot beare the ruine of the earthy Adam but are so moved at the shaking of the foundation of his state He. 12.27 how then will you undergoe the dissolution of the heavenly Adam when hee shall resigne his Kingdome 1 Cor. 15.24.28 Gal. 4.3.9 Glory Dominion and State to a higher Dispensation When the Apostle wrote of these things viz these weake and beggarly Elements which were to passe away and not to returne againe these things these Elements were hard to be nnderstood 2 Pe. 3.16 And because you discovered your weaknesse to beare the one I shall forbeare to burthen you with the other _____ Mr Baker You goe against the judgment of all Divines contrary to the opinion of Orthodox learned and godly men Answer 1. I respect honour and reverence godlinesse in every man in all men Yet am I not to regulate bound or modulate my faith by the wisedome notion or measure of any mans apprehensions no though the most godly and most learned among men And therefore we are not to enquire what this or that mans thought opinion or judgment is of such or such a point but what the Scripture doth say determine or conclude of this or that particular Our faith is not to stand in the wisedome of men 1 Cor. 2.5 1 Th. 2.13 this were to lay the foundation upon sand Nor are we to receive the Word it selfe in the word of man but as it is in truth the word of God Truth is not Truth because man saith it but because it is so in it selfe neither is it so to any man till it come unto him in the power and demonstration of the spirit The Scriptures themselves were given not by tradition of men but by inspiration of God Scripture is not Scripture to a man till it come to him in the same spirit by which it was dictated at first 2. Whereas you urge the opinion of godly and learned men as contrary to mine and they preachers too among whom you made mention of Mr Ball in his Catechisme t is more then I know or care to enquire what he saith in this matter but be it granted that he and others too are contrary-minded What then I could produce many that are on my side and soe oppose godly and learned men against your godly and learned yet then there would be but man against man Let the matter be brought to the Test let the Touch-stone distinguish between the gold and the drosse to the Law and to the Testimony If the Scripture cast the truth on your side I will subscribe I cannot bee satisfied because some of your Authors are in print the publishing of an opinion in print wil not make it Orthodox 3. By what Councell or Synod am I convicted and condemned for an Heretike Produce it if you can But if you cast mee by your owne single vote will it not savour of too much arrogance and pride to ascribe unto your selfe a definitive sentence and power to determine what is truth and what is errour And may not I upon the same ground and by the rule of your owne practise raile upon and defame you as you have served me Or if you take in others to joyne with you or rather prostitute and give up your faith to their judgement as you seemed to doe may not you and they be mistaken as well as I and those that are of my judgement Yea grant that what I hold to bee condemned and exploded for heresy I am not therefore to dissert and relinquish my opinion because a Convention of men doth eliminate exterminate and eject it for an errour And you who are led so much by the determinations of men will confesse what I say to be true and when you see my authority you will not censure mee of singularity It is the saying of