Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	light_n	soul_n	spirit_n	2,673	5	5.4432	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85050	Vindiciæ mediorum & mediatoris. or, the present reigning errour arraigned, at the barr of Scripture and reason. Wherein is discovered the falshood and danger of that late borne opinion, that pretends to an immediate enjoyment and call of the Spirit of God, both above and against its owne fffects, [sic] cause, word, ministry, and witness, in all respects. Occasioned by a pamphlet, intituled, The saints travell to the land of Canaan, or a discovery of seventeen false rests, &c. By one R. Wilkinson, a preacher of this errour about Totnes in the West. In the treatise following, the reader shall finde, most of the maine fundamentall doctrinall truths that this age doth controvert, faithfully vindicated, cleared, confirmed. By F. Fullwood, minister of the Gospell at Staple Fitzpane in the county of Somerset.	Fullwood, Francis, d. 1693.	1651 (1651)	Wing F2521; Thomason E1281_1; ESTC R202060	131,348	337

his Earnest Is the Redemption of the Soul that is precious or that his Name his mercifull gracious Name that is exalted above all his Word so sleight or worthlesse in Divine thought Gratia semel recepta non potest am tti respectu Patris Jo. 10. 29. Filii 1 Cor. 6. 7. Spiritus Sancti Ephes 1. 13. Weams that God will or can suffer the one or the other to fail or miscarry Yea He delighteth in mercy and his mercy endureth for ever and precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints see here the heights and depths c. of Divine love and tendernesse to his for our Comfort and Joy with these Obligations God hath tied his own hands he can onely give not take away his Grace given he can blesse and onely blesse and not curse us so that it is but right and equity on his behalf not to deprive us of that Grace and Holinesse he hath once given us Now certainly if God cannot lawfully he cannot at all take away Grace 1 Joh. 1. 9. if he cannot De Jure he will not De Facto who is Just and Faithfull Just with relation to our Saviours Purchase Heb. 10. 23. and Faithfull that hath Promised To conclude then Grace is no fallible Evidence upon this account it is neither changeable in it self nor yet with respect to Gods disposall But were it so that our Grace were at the owners disposall what advantage yet is gained to this way of the Spirit by such a grant Is not Gods Spirit as much Gods own as our Grace We read of our Light our Grace but seldome of any such or so clear an interest we have in the Spirit is Grace Gods right and not much rather the Spirit Is Grace in Gods Power Will Disposal and the Spirit wholly in ours cannot God suck in his own Breath as easily as to blot or put out our Life hath not God the same if not more immediate Power over the Cause as effect Yet this is the way wherein we must walke to meet and close with the Spirits comming Object But it might be further added that though Grace cannot totally yet may it Not quoad habitum yet quoad gradum surely so far perish as not to be decernable and so not evidentiall Answ Suppose we grant yet what weight will it add to the scale in hand The question is not whether there may not be some Cases experienced wherein Grace cannot evidence but whether Grace is not able and apt in it selfe to Evidence or whether it be not lawfull to reflect upon our Grace to clear our Evidence for Heaven 2. For further satisfaction let us a little weigh this case in the ballance of Experience and we shall finde that as there is a two-fold desertion namely of Grace and Comfort so these seldome or never fall in together to the same person for where we finde an Ebb of Grace we usually find a Flood of Confidence and we many times see Streams of Grace flowing from the wounded bleeding Conscience The Spirit is called Fire and it doth many times give much heat and little light when it hath denied to bring with it the Light of Gods Countenance yet it hath been as a Refiners fire to purge the Soul to burn up its lust and to take away drosse and Tinn So that very many even while they do miserably labour under such sad desertions of Comfort they are zealously affected to the glory of God the benefits of Christ the comforts of the Spirit and doe even hunger and thirst after Righteousnesse But to apply If the desertion be of Comfort as is most agreeable to the Case in hand I conclude that all sincerity and fear of God is never so farre gone even under the greatest desertion of Comfort as not to be discernable even by the Soul it self that suffers if Enlightned assisted by the Spirit the Comforter doe not all the expressions of Spirits so laboring experience so much and testifie for them to all the hearers their fear to offend their prizing of Christ c But admit the desertion be of Grace as it is sad to think how far even those that are truely in Christ may fall so is it as hard to imagine how a person while under the state of Apostacy should ever have so serious a self-reflection as to have any occasion to make use of his Evidences t is all one to him while he lies in this state whether they be clear or blur'd Object But suppose him new enlightned newly convicted then he will have need of Evidences and finde none Answ As such light brings Conviction with it so such Conviction brings light with it I mean matter of Evidence and comfort For if a man be so far humbled as to question his condition and to bring himself to Triall and so to Conviction this is undoubtedly a good visible decernable mark in the light of the Spirit even of the true enjoyment of God So that we see it nothing avails either to our Case or indeed to any purpose to Object that Grace may not be visible and so not Evidentiall But let us observe two things by the by 1. That the Change with respect to Comfort is not in our Grace but in the Spirits presence or absence 2. The Spirit it selfe we finde thus far changeable My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Then what advantage hath this way of the Spirit against Qualifications by this discourse The second Argument The second Argument against Qualifications is found in page 23. line 26. It is an abuse of the Gift Viz. Qualifications and an affront put upon the Giver Viz. God to make the Gift and Evidence of the true enjoyment of God This Argument is so absurd and senseless that I shall onely call Earth Earth Sense and Nature to beare witnesse against it Such an instinct we finde in all tameable beasts even by the Gift to acknowledge the grace and favour of the Giver Doth not Nature teach you c. That herein hath God commended his love that while yet sinners Christ died for us Must not we now observe and acknowledge his love herein If we endeavour thereby to know the Love of God that passeth knowledge is this an abuse of the Gift an affront put upon the Giver to conclude acknowledge blesse and admire his Grace and Favour for Gifts and Mercies Earthy yea Heavenly the Graces of his Spirit the Image of his Sonne the Earnest and Seal of our owne Inheritance the proper End yea and appointed End of all Gods Mercies Especiall Spirituall and to his Saints That we might be to the prais of the Glory of his Grace Ephes 1. 6. The third Argument Object The third and most frequent Argument against the Evidence of Qualification is That nothing can be a sure Evidence that may be true or false but our Qualifications may be true or false Answ The second Proposition we deny Qualifications

means Is it answered that thus it is knowable so is the work thereof in our hearts are they not known to be true or false but by the light of the spirit through our examining no more is the spirit himself Which it acknowledged to be knowable to us in the use of means by his own light we are agreed But this you may not allow that deny and oppose by the same pretended spirit all means of tryall your errour and misery 2. Secondly And doth not right reason also set to its Seal that this is true for thus I argue 1. Where the truth of the effect can-cannot be discerned without light from the cause how shal the truth of the cause be discerned without help from the effect now as to the case in hand it is received by all hands that the truth of the effect to wit Grace cannot be known but by the light of the cause viz. the spirit And the consequence is cleer from this common truth the effect is more knowable then the cause The reason thereof is for that the effect is more obvious to sense then the cause and things are conveyed by sense into the understanding for look how much the more any thing hath de ratione objecti viz. of sense it is so much the more easily discerned again that that is farther off from our knowledg is usually argued by that that is neerer and more known to us as we usually gain acquaintance with strangers by the means of our knowledge and acquaintance before Now according to these rules since the effects of the spirit are neerer to our knowledge then the spirit it self and yet we are not able to discern the true effects of the spirit without the spirits assistance how can we then be possibly at least probably able to make the truth of the spirit indubitable to us without regard to its Effects without use of means Secondly It seems to appeare that the The second way of arguing spirit as alone without the use of any means and considered abstractedly from its effects cannot be known to be true or false from the consideration of the nature of spirits in generall Spirits are knowable to men in their Essence residence and quality With respect indeed to the first of these we may know them both that they are and what they are as by way of Negation so by way of eminence but with respect to their place of residence and qualities where they are and what ones they are whether true or false good or bad we can know them only by way of causality or by their operations symptomes effects c. Secondly for in order hereunto we can only judg of them by sense or reason the only principles competent to man of knowledge and discerning Now therefore let us examine whether spirits either in their where or kind are to be known by sense or reason immediately without some signe effect or other 2. For there where or place of abode this certainly cannot be discerned immediately by sense Spirits being no sensible Objects imagine what kinde of spirit you will whether it be Angelicall rationall animall much more divine and though things of a grosser substance viz. Bodies may yet the spirit cannot Propter ejus excessum or by reason of its excelling purity be thus discovered We may take up a little of the knowledg of spirits for our present purpose from the purest of Bodies viz. Fire though Fire as corrupted may and is yet fire in its Element cannot be seen and as some affirm nor felt c. Therefore our daily experience sheweth us that the fire with us so soon as ever it hath conquered and overcome its matter gotten out of the cage the flame that thickned it it is immediatly invisible if not insensible and though it passeth upward towards its center and Element before our eyes yet who can perceive it now spirits the grossest of spirits are superiour to fire not only in degree but kinde also and that that elevateth the purest fire to exceed our senses viz. its purity is far more eminently contained in spirits and is the very thing that gives spirits their name and the very name that puts a distinction betwixt them and bodies the purest of Bodies fire it self It is a thing most apparant to experience that we cannot know whence any spirit is immediately by sense for wherein can they be sensible They have no colour therefore invisible They are not Bodies therefore not audible They have no sensible qualities not cold hot dry moist c. Therefore they cannot be smelt felt or tasted Therefore we read that when Angells were sent to accompany men they still assumed bodies according to scripture Secondly now since the presence of spirits is not knowable discernable by sense there is no other way left for the knowledge thereof but by reason Angells indeed see and know intuitive but this way of knowledge doth not Competere with us men We are reasonable creatures and know and judge of things not obvious to sense by our reasons only But let us be our selves and seriously consider and how is it possible that we that are reasonable Creatures should judge of the presence of any thing not obvious to our senses without an exercise of reason about some effects signes c. 2. Moreover if we cannot discern the presence of spirits either by our sense or reason how much lesse shal we ever be able to judge aright of their nature kinde or qualities without regard to their Effects without use and help of some signe mean Companion or other thereof As for example how shall I know whether the spirit in thee be rationall or animall onely But because it acteth a humane form or figure of Body in generall Because it discovereth it self by rationall discourse more speciall Giving some signe or Effect or other what spirit it is Further how shall I know whether the spirit in any be weak simple or of ripe understanding but by some outward operations and fruits thereof How do we try a mans Person whether good or bad but by his Actions The Tree as our Sahath taught us being known by his fruit by their fruit ye shall know them Yea neerer yet a man may most easily mistake through self-conceit and flattery in the knowledg and Judgment of his own spirit imagining himself to be informed acted and guided by a discreet wise and upright spirit when indeed there is no such matter unlesse he be so wise as to take a true measure for his knowledge of himself by comparing himself with such rules and patterns as are fit and known for a Foole may be wise in his own conceit But to apply if it be a thing so difficult to know our own so impossible to know anothers spirit how improbable it is then that we should be able to discern betwixt the spirit of God and the spirit of Satan without the help of some Effect or sign or other

neither the spirit infuseth nothing into us while we pray that we had not some kinde of knowledg of before as the spirit in begetting a habit of praier in us at the first it brings things to our knowledge So in the very exercise it brings things to our remembrance viz. Our sins wants c. Gods Fulnesse Goodnesse and promises c. for petition 2. Our mercies priviledges hopes experiences c. For thanksgiving so teaching us how to pray 2. The spirits Office is to assist us in Prayer as well as to teach us to pray bringing things to our sense bearing up our infirmities So stirring up our affections to be carried up to God with our heart might and soul in a Heavenly powerfull importunity that the spirit as a spirit of Praier doth not any way incourage our expectation of an immediate Revelation the spirit only helping our infirmities For we know not what we should pray for as we ought therefore he directeth us the spirit himself making intercession for us with groanings which must be by us though they cannot be uttered Rom 8. 26. Obj. But holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2. Pet. 1. 21. Answ Those holy men of God were the men that God made speciall choise of by them to leave his Scripture in the World in so much that had God revealed himself immediately to them it left us no advantage to expect the like The end of all such extraordinary Revelations viz. a visible word to leave Joh. 15. 22. the word without excuse being now attained 2. But remember that these were the men the Prophets whereby God in times past spake unto our Fathers in diverse manners How we have already found and cleared that these diverse manners were all of them meanes and such as stood betwixt a mediate Revelation and an immediate inspiration 3. Lastly Let us consider the Phraze a little neerer it is said they were moved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is not said they were inspired Not inspired that they themselves might know it but moved that they might declare it to others and moved in their declaration thereof They were moved i. 1. by Impulsion 2. Guidance As a Scrivener moves his Schollars hand to the paper first and then guides the hand in writing thereupon that it may write and write true So these holy men of God spake and wrote as they were moved by the holy Ghost 1. to speake and write Secondly In speaking and writing so that they could not choose but declare and rightly and truely declare the things that they had seen and heard So the blessed Apostles the great and honorable Pen-men of the Gospell had in a more especiall manner the performance of that promise the Holy Ghost shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you in that their great undertaking But were they not rather moved guided to and in then immediately inspired with the infallible spirit in their glorious Work but in what I have here written concerning the Spirit I leave with submission to wiser and better judgments and pass on to CHAP. IX Of the Word as Judge of Spirits THe fellow of what hath been lately handled comming now to triall is That the Word of God or the holy Scriptures Error is not the Judge or Triall of Spirits This is a Papisticall Tenet Toridem verbis Arg. Now the only Argument that I finde for this part is because it is imagined that thus we set or advance the letter above the Spirit The Judge as so being ever above the Prisoner which we rank into mood and figure thus That which sets the Letter above the Spirit is not to be allowed But that which makes the Word the Judge of the Spirit sets the letter above the spirit Therefore that which makes the word the Judge of the Spirit is not to be allowed Answ The second proposition in answer hereunto is denied by distinguishing as 1. There is a judging or condemning and a judging of or thinking or conceiving of things or persons Now we must be advised that it is not said that the word is to judge the spirit but to judge of the spirit though the first hath its truth and place 2. There is a vertuall and a reall Judge The Law is the vertuall Judge It with a secret kind of vertue even of and in it self condemning the guilty and accquitting the innocent aforehand as it is the rule and square whereby the reall Judge doth actually measure the actions of men and in order to his last and determinate sentence judge of them but observe this judging of may as well precede acquittance as judgment or condemnation And to apply the word or Scriptures in the present sense is not the reall but the vertuall judge i. the Law the rule and measure whereby we judge of our own or others spirits we our selves or others that cal our spirits in question being rather Judges Obj. But thus we go about and is not that worse to lift up men above the spirit of God Answ The answer hereunto will bring us to the nick of the very businesse for we must here be mindefull that the spirit that is now upon the stage is not known but doubted for that which we have the knowledg of what need we put upon tryall Indeed upon assurance of the truth and Divinity of the spirit we speake of the word cannot properly be called the Judge and Triall of it but rather its Proofe and Evidence But as our Spirits are suspitious questionable so only we judge of and try them by Scripture the truth the touch-stone The Law being not made for a righteous man Yet if a righteous man fall under the shadow of Suspition the Law must try and cleere him He is not tried for judgment but satisfaction he is not tried as a good and righreous man but as one that is feared doubted to be an evill doer The Law being made for man and not man for the Law it is inferiour to him yea even his servant in this respect as it serveth to try and judge of suspitious and doubted men No more is the word above but a Servant to the spirit as it is the Judge and Triall of suspitious spirits Moreover 2. The word doth never try any spirit in it self but in its effects it doth properly therefore not judge of the spirit but as it trieth its effects and judgeth of them We finding our waies our thoughts to be truth conclude therefrom that they are guided and acted by the spirit of truth we by the Scriptures likewise trying and measuring mens opinions and practises do thus consequently and accidentally only judge of the spirit Lastly While we make the word of God the Judge and Triall of the spirit we try the spirit only by the word as its own effect and whether it be unreasonable to judge of the fire by its heat the

cause by its effects judge ye Then this is the result and resolution of the case by making the word the triall of the spirits we do no more abase or abuse the Holy spirit of God then we make the cause to stoop as inferiour to the effect by cleering or proving it by the same or then a righteous man is inslaved by the Law when as he is acquitted to liberty by it But somthing it behoveth us to speak in defence of the affirmative part namely That the Word of God and holy The affirmative truth Scriptures is the only Judg and triall of spirits that is to say To end all controversies cleere the truth discover Errour and every false way Which I argue 1. From the matter thus that which contains the Will of God must needs be the judge of the triall of truth and the decider of all Controversie But the Holy Scriptures confessedly contain the Will of God Therefore the holy Scriptures must needs be the Judge of spirits the triall of truth c. The second of these must needs be granted even upon most immediate reason God that is every way truth that cannot ly and speak any thing that is not in his thought or Heart his word must needs containe his mind and will Now for the Consequence in the first proposition viz. That which containes the Will of God must needs be the judg of spirits triall of truth Decider of all Controversies you have most easily the reason of it by considering what it is that the whol world of men do so much argue for what that is that is called and honored with the name of truth by every mouth that speaketh Is it not that very thing which we call the Will and sense of God in other words what is our truth the Helen for which the whole World is at debate and varience but the way the will the virgin truth of Heaven would we know who is true and who a lyar let God be true and every man and spirit else a liar his Word is truth and the measure therefore of it Would we know whether the first in Rectum norma sui obliqui our Land be strait or not the most ready way is by an even comparing it with that that is undoubtedly so So we doubt which way and spirit is of God of truth and which of Satan a liar from the beginning take the fruits thereof the practise and opinions and look into the word for the warrant of them The doubt is whether they be according to Gods Minde his Word revealeth his Minde look there and search the Scriptures The word of God is the Revelation of his Minde whither shall we go for truth or to know what is truth the word is truth Arg. 2 We must either deny the Bible to have the minde and to be the Word of God or else subscribe to this undoubted truth That the word of scripture is the Judge and Triall of truth and spirits From the Charge and Cammand of God concerning the Scriptures the end of Gods intention in giving our use and duty in having them being to try and judge of the spirits by them Isa 8. 20. To the Law and to the testimony if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no Light in them This Text though dis-regarded hath certainly very much in it for the defence and cleering of the truth in hand the whole drift thereof and not only the face of the words directly looking with great respect to our present purpose for here is a cleere command a strait charge we see To the Law and to the Testimony c. the Word of God may be called a Law it containing those rules according to which we must be obedient a Testimony as a standing and visible witnesse and evidence of the Minde and Will of God concerning the World about which we may observe for the better application of the same to our purpose somthing precedent in the verse immediately standing before and somthing consequent in the following words of this same verse The part of the context preceding and observeable is the occasion whereupon this charge is brought in the part of the context subsequent is the reason therof First for the occasion thereof ver 19. It should seem that the People in those daies of old had some wise men among them men wise above what is written who boasting of the spirit a spirit of divination promised an answer and undoubted resolution of all their doubts and inquiries Obj. But what saith the spirit of God as touching these when they shall say unto you inquire at them that have a spirit of Divination c. answer them thus should not a people inquire at their God But it may be demanded now how shall a people inquire at their God Answ Read on and read an answer sufficiently satisfactory To the Law and to the Testimony there and there alone you may know your Gods Minde and finde to your selves satisfaction and quietnesse which is further pressed by the reason and motive already hinted following viz. If they if any man the best Southsayer diviner of them all if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Now did not God know very well that these men were acted by a lying spirit Yes verily but this is spoken for our sakes doubtless that we might have a way to know them also and Southsayers may murmure what their hellish spirit dictates endeavoring to answer by inquiry but rest not here venter not the least weight of credit or faith thereupon untill thou have tried this their spirit by my revealed will written Word For if they speak not according not only not against but if not according to this word it is because there is no true spirit nor light in them All light proceeding from the Father of lights by the beam of his spirit through the Window of his Word both for satisfaction to thy self to the Law and to the Testimony inquire at thy God and for the triall of their spirits to the Law and to the Testimony for if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Whence we may conclude and conclude with these foure things 1 That spirit that speakes not according to the Word hath no light in it 2 The only Judge and trial of spirits is the written word 3 Upon every doubt and suspition of spirits we are commanded and charged to the Law and to the Testimony 4 So much of Gods will as hath been already revealed hath been alwaies sufficient for his People in generall In Moses his time we read that secret Deut. 29. 29. things belong to God and things revealed to us and not to us alone but to all that shall come after us and to our Children Therefore not only so in Moses time but in these daies of the Prophets to the