Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	covenant_n	mouth_n	seed_n	3,950	5	9.5565	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60620	A briefe answer unto a book intituled Shetinah, or, A demonstration of the divine presence in places of religious worship published by Iohn Stillingfleet, who stiles himself M.A. rector of Beckingham in Lincoln-shire, and late fellow of St. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge. In which book he hath declared many perverse things against the people of God (called Quakers,) and for so much as is considerable, wherein that people are any way concerned, it is in the power of God here answered, by one who is set for the defence of the Gospel, William Smith.	Smith, William, d. 1673.	1664 (1664)	Wing S4290; ESTC R220735	21,376	28

word then how can an ungodly man preach it and not corrupt it and this matter being reduced out of thy general terms and stated particularly into such as it doth properly belong then we can truly say that Gods presence is in his worship by his ministers and that they are his Embassadours and Stewards of his mysteries but we dare not say that so it is with ungodly men or that the ministry of ungodly men doth work to the conversion of souls or production of saving faith Some few particulars of this Chapter I shall answer Thou sayest it is so certain a truth that if the minister be bad yet if he preach the pure word of God we must receive the word because we are not so much to regard the man preaching as the word preached Answ No lye is of the truth for it is as possible that the East and West should joyn together as for a bad man or an ungodly man to preach the pure word of God for God doth not make use of such men to be his Embassadours or Stewards neither can such work together with God in any service for him because it is inconsistent with the pure nature of God to be a co-worker with an ungodly man for an ungodly man is against God and God is against all his ungodlinesse and these cannot possibly work together in man being that they are contrary in nature one to the other and yet thou fears not to go about to prove this ungodly assertion from the ministry of Iudas and saith that of all of them Christ said he that receiveth you receiveth me and yet one of them was Iudas Iscariot who also betrayed him Then thou sayest we may plainly see by Christs own words we may receive Christ by the ministry of Judas a traytor nay sayest thou I might say a Devil Answ Thou art gotten into high prophanenesse for when Iudas was sent forth with the rest he had part in the ministry but when treacherous thoughts did rise in him and that the Devil stirred him up to act his treachery he was never a minister of Christ after that and it may be read in the first of Acts where the Disciples prayed and said shew which of these two thou hast chosen that he may take part of this minis●●y and Apostleship from which Iudas by transgression fell mark it and consider thy assertion Thou saist that every Saint should have their garments died white in the bloud of the Lamb much more Christs Stewards they should be cloathed with the white robes of sincerity to act unfeignedly for God Answ These are only words as if one proud man should bid another be humble or one drunkard bid another be sober and tell them it should be so but view thy self and the rest which thou looks upon to be stewards and see if thou can find it so indeed and if not then you are not as you should be by thy own confession and if Christs Stewards should have their garments so died then surely no bad man or ungodly man can stand in that office neither is it possible that any such should act unfeignedly for God but who are his Stewards indeed through the sanctification of the Spirit they are cloathed with his righteousnesse and are approved in his sight In the tenth Chapter thou seems to hold forth practical deductions from Gods presence with his ministers and saith God is affronted by any indignities that are offered to his ministers and how can any have so impudent a face sayest thou as to pretend they are sent of God who makes railing and reviling of others to be their work Answ This is the work which thou art found to be in who calls the ministration of the Spirit canting language and Christs Ministers Foxes and Hereticks which surely are great indignities and in the highest manner of railing and reviling by which thy practical deduction is found to be out of Gods presence and railing and reviling of others were never our work though we do give righteous judgement against the Seed of the evil doer In the eleventh Chapter thou seems to hold forth Gods presence in his worship by the holy spirit and saist the word and the spirit goes together and thou saist thou shall begin with the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed nor out of the mouth of thy Seeds Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever Answ This was the word of the Lord unto the Prophet and he had the spirit in the word my spirit which is upon thee mark here was the spirit upon him and the word spake in the spirit and the word put words into his mouth mark again and the word said my words shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed mark again the word was in the Seed and was not to depart out of the mouth of the Seed nor out of the mouth of the Seeds Seed from henceforth and for ever saith the Lord and this is the word that lives and abides for ever and it is in the mouth of the Seed and from the Seed are the words of the word spoken and there is the true ministry if thou hast an ear to hear and here is the word and the spirit joined together which is the word of the Gospel that we preach Thou saist all Gods children shall be clearly taught by the spirit of God Answ Then is man laid wholly aside in that work and why art thou so offended at silent meetings when thou saist all Gods children shall be clearly taught by his spirit and if clearly then it doth not admit of any conjunction in its teaching Thou saist mans preaching may fill the head full of notions but the spirits teacbings must fill the heart with real motions of grace and goodnesse towards God Answ Then let all flesh be silent that notions may die and wither and that the heart may come to be exercised towards God in his spirit and then people will not be alwaies learning as now they are amongst notions but will come to the knowledge of the truth in the spirit and so come to the joy of Gods salvation Thou saist take a Christian without faith and you unchristian him Answ Every true Christian lives in the faith and therefore cannot be taken without it and so cannot be unchristianed as being without it In the twelfth Chapter thou seems to hold forth the spirits teaching five wayes 1. by removing impediments 2. by suggesting Gospel truths to the soul 3. by enlightening the mind 4. by strengthning the soul 5. by raising truths Ans Thou art quite beside the matter for these particulars do not so belong to the spirits teaching as to its working only the third particular is as to its

between the nature of man in the fall and the nature of Christ that never fell for we own the light which is manifest from the nature of Christ to be the true light which enlightens every one that comes into the world but they that rebell against it can never come to the place of blis● and happinesse by it but we are in love with it and knows the work which God hath designed for it which is to destroy the work of the Devil and to be salvation unto the ends of the earth unto all that in it believe and its narive strength lustre and rad●ancie is an infallible guide if faithfully followed to bring to the place of bliss and happinesse and ●hough thou be in the unbelief yet this is our report concerning the true light and we know it is neither prophanenesse ignorance imaginations nor notions Thou satst this inward light which the wise mans stiles the candle of the Lord and at the best saist thou burnes but in the socket of a corrupt mind with very ●●ch dimnesse should ever discover the right and ready way to the new Jerusalem is the product only of mens foolish fancies their pride and ignoran●● Answ The inward light which the wise man stiles the candle of the Lord is broken forth of the socket of a corrupt mind in many and now shines upon the house top and what would thou have to discover the right and ready way to new Jerusalem if not the candle of the Lord which is his light within but this is not thy guide and so thou remains in Jerusalem below where Hagars seed ruleth but we have found the right and ready way to Jerusalem above the City of the great King and are set down under his Government in peace Thou now comes to speaek of divine Revelation and saith that God is every where present filling all places and spaces both real and imaginarie by his immensity Answ Then stand thou in his fear for he is near thee as a sw●ft witnesse against thee and however God is present with other things in their kind yet he doth not reveal himself unto man by any other way or by any other thing then the light of Christ and we know how God manifests himself in every particular place according to mans present state and condition and what his hot displeasure is revealed against and what his loving kindnesse and mercy is revealed unto Thou saist but though God be every where present and so with every creature equally in regard of his infinite essence and of his emmensity yet as to the special and peculiar efficacie of his presence he is not with all either things or places or persons after the same manner present Answ If God be equally present with every Creature in regard of his infinite Essence then all things have the same proportion of it but all things have not the same proportion of Gods infinite Essence therefore not with every creature equally for an equal proportion is the same to all and doth not admit of any thing special but his infinitenesse is in himself and he measures forth so much as his pleasure is to give and it is an equal proportion unto all according to his pleasure yet some have more and some lesse but all some and that measure so manifested in man hath a peculiar efficacie as to its operation through the obedience unto it and this is equal in it self and special by it self and yet in the infinitenesse of Essence without any distinction Thou sayst that God is present with all his creatures as the preserver guider and governour of them Answ Whosoever sinneth are not preserved guided nor governed by God but some do sin therefore God is not so present with all but they that come to the effectual working of his power they know an immortal birth quickned and raised with which the preserving guiding and governing power of God is present Thou saist thy design mainly intended is against those who because they are wise in their own conceit do neglect publick Sermons and Sacraments Answ Thy main intendment and design is against those that God hath redeemed from the earth and from all false ways and worships and gathered them into the publick worship of his spirit where they hear Christs voice and follows him and cannot own thy Church or Sermons or Sacraments In the second Chapter thou seems to hold forih a general presence of God with all thing and more especially with some things but hath not shewed what those things are though thou intend it to the worship now generally practifed but hast never come close to the matter thou aimes at but hast multiplied thy own words and thoughts about the Saints worship in times past which according to the Scripture we own in t●eir dispensations but thou hast not proved that the place which thou calls a Church or the worship that is there observed is either of them true or warrantable according to any Scripture precept or president or the mind of God at this day so that thy whole Book may silence it self as to the matter thou aims at for where a thing is not rightly stated and truly proved it is a sufficient proof against it self yet I shall briefly answer a few things more Thou sayest had there not been a peculiar people a royal seed even the Church of God to be raised out of the ruines of fallen man by the interposing of Christ first proffered and propounded for the worlds reparation in that fundamental promise the seed of the woman shall break the serpents head Answ Thou hast confessed that the Church of God is the royal seed then it is such as are born of the seed that are Gods peculiar people and true members of his Church therefore mark thy own words for if the royal seed be the Church as thou hast confessed and in it self is true then neither wood nor stone nor people in the fall can be the Church and the seed is known in which the Church flourisheth in this day of her restitution out of the wildernesse and the promise is unto us fulfilled who are born of God Thou sayest but among all the manifestations of Gods presence and favours there are none more remarkably signal for constant reviving and comforting the hearts of his people then those that have been truly experienced in his ordinances enjoyed by his servants in those places which either by divine appointment or at least by divine approbation have been separated and set apart for religious worship and the service of God Answ This is a place in which thou hast come as near the matter thou aims at as any place in thy book therefore I shall speak more fully to it thou hast so stated the matter in general terms as that it may lye which way any will bend it and is it reasonable to state things in general terms as to what hath been and not to discover the things that are which is