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A96714 Antinomians and familists condemned by the synod of elders in Nevv-England: with the proceedings of the magistrates against them, and their apology for the same. Together with a memorable example of Gods iudgments upon some of those persons so proceeded against. Winthrop, John, 1588-1649,; Weld, Thomas, 1590?-1662, 1644 (1644) Wing W3094; Thomason E251_10; ESTC R212499 69,974 70

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part of the world and poysoning the Churches here planted as no story records the like of a woman since that mentioned in the Revelation it would make a large volume to lay downe all passages I will onely observe some few which were obvious to all that knew her course 1. In her entrance I observe 1. Her entrance 2. Her progresse 3. Her down fall 1. The foundation she laid was or rather seemed to be Christ and Free-Grace 2. Rule she pretended to walke by was onely the Scripture 3. The light to discerne this rule was onely the holy Ghost 4. The persons she conversed with were for the most part Christians in Church Covenant 5. Her ordinary talke was about the things of the Kingdome of God 6. Her usuall conversation was in the way of righteousnesse and kindnesse Thus she entred and made up the first act of her course In her progesse I observe First her successe she had in a short time insinuated her selfe into the hearts of much of the people yea of many of the most wise and godly who grew into so reverent an esteeme of her godlinesse and spirituall gifts as they looked at her as a Prophetesse raised up of God for some great worke now at hand as the calling of the Jewes c. so as she had more resort to her for counsell about matter of conscience and clearing up mens spirituall estates then any Minister I might say all the Elders in the Country Secondly Pride and arraigning of her spirit 1. In framing a new way of conversation and evidencing thereof carried along in the distinction betweene the Covenant of workes which she would have no otherwise differenced but by an immediate Revelation of the Spirit 2. In despising all both Elders and Christians who went not her way and laying them under a Covenant of workes 3. In taking upon her infallibly to know theelection of others so as she would say that if she had but one halfe houres talke with a man she would tell whether he were elect or not 4. Her impatience of opposition which appeares in diver passages before Thirdly Her skill and cunning to devise 1. In that she still pretended she was of Mr. Cottons judgement in all things 2. In covering her errors by doubtfull expressions 3. In shadowing the true end and abuse of her weekely meetings under the name of repeating Mr. Cottons Sormons 4. In her method of practise to bring the conscience under a false terror by working that an argument of a Covenant of workes which no Christian can have comfort without viz. of sanctification or qualifications as she termed it 5. In her consident profession of her owne good estate and the clearnesse and comfort of it obtained in the same way of waiting for immediate Revelation which she held out to others In her downefall there may be observed the Lords faithfulnesse in honouring and justifying his owne Ordinances 1. In that hee made her to cleare the justice of the Court by confessing the vanity of her revelations c. and her sinne in despising his Ministers 2. In that the judgement and sentence of the Church hath concurred with that of the Court in her rejection so that she is cast out of both as an unworthy member of either 3. The Justice of God in giving her up to those delusions and to that impudency in venting and maintaining them as should bring her under that censure which not long before she had endeavoured and expected to have brought upon some other who opposed her proceedings 4. That she who was in such esteeme in the Church for soundnesse of Judgement and sincerity of heart but a few moneths before should now come under admonition for many foule and fundamentall errors and after be cast out for notorious lying 5. That shee who was wont to bee so consident of her spirituall good estate and ready undesired to hold it forth to others being pressed now at her last appearance before the Church to give some proofe of it should bee wholly silent in that matter 6. Whereas upon the sentence of the Court against her shee boasted highly of her sufferings for Christ c. it was noted by one of the Elders who bare witnesse against her errors that the spirit of glory promised in Pet. to those who suffer for well-doing did not come upon her but a spirit of delusion and damnable error which as it had possessed her before so it became more effectuall and evident by her sufferings 7. Here is to bee seen the presence of God in his Ordinances when they are faithfully attended according to his holy will although not free from human infirmities This American Jesabel kept her strength and reputation even among the people of God till the hand of Civill Justice laid hold on her and then shee began evidently to decline and the faithfull to bee freed from her forgeries and now in this last act when shee might have expected as most likely shee did by her seeming repentance of her errors and confessing her under valuing of the Ordinances of Magistracy and Ministracy to have redeemed her reputation in point of sincerity and yet have made good all her former work and kept open a back doore to have returned to her vomit again by her paraphrasticall retractions and denying any change in her judgement yet such was the presence and blessing of God in his own Ordinance that this subtilty of Satan was discovered to her utter shame and confusion and to the setting at liberty of many godly hearts that had been captivated by her to that day and that Church which by her means was brought under much infamy and neere to dissolution was hereby sweetly repaired and a hopefull way of establishment and her dissembled repentance clterly detected God giving her up since the sentence of excommunication to that hardnesse of heart as shee is not affected with any remorse but glories in it and feares not the vengeance of God which she lyes under as if God did work contrary to his own word and loosed from heaven while his Church had bound upon earth FINIS
by the power of the God-head 8. The Image of God wherein Adam was made she could see no Scripture to warrant that it consisted in holinesse but conceived it to be in that he was made like to Christs manhood 9. She had no Scripture to warrant that Christs manhood is now in Heaven but the body of Christ is his Church 10. We are united to Christ with the same union that his humanity on earth was with the Deity Jo. 17.21 11. She conceived the Disciples before Christ his death were not converted Matth. 18.3 12. There is no evidence to be had of our good estate either from absolute or conditionall promises 13. The Law is no rule of life to a Christian 14. There is no Kingdome of Heaven in Scripture but onely Christ 15. There is first engraffing into Christ before union from which a man might fall away 16. The first thing God reveales to assure us is our election 17. That Abraham was not in a saving estate till the 22. chap. of Gen. when hee offered Isaac and saving the firmenesse of Gods election he might have perished notwithstanding any work of grace that was wrought in him till then 18. That union to Christ is not by faith 19. That all commands in the word are Law and are not a way of life and the command of faith is a Law and therefore killeth she supposed it to be a Law from Rom. 3.27 20. That there is no faith of Gods elect but assurance there is no faith of dependance but such as an hypocrite may have and fall away from proved John 15. for by that she said they are in Christ but Christ is not in them 21. That an hypocrite may have Adams righteousnesse and perish and by that righteousnes he is bound to the Law but in union with Christ Christ comes into the man and he retaines the seed and dieth and then all manner of grace in himselfe but all in Christ 22. There is no such thing as inherent righteousnesse 23. We are not bound to the Law no not as a rule of life 24. We are dead to all acts in spirituall things and are onely acted by Christ 25. Not being bound to the Law it is not transgression against the Law to sinne or breake it because our sinnes they are inward and spirituall and so are exceeding sinfull and onely are against Christ 26. Sanctification can be no evidence at all of our good estate 27. That her particular revelations about future events are as infallible as any part of Scripture and that she is bound as much to beleeve them as the Scripture for the same holy Ghost is the author of them both 28. That so farre as a man is in union with Christ he can doe no duties perfectly and without the communion of the unregenerate part with the regenerate 29. That such exhortations as these to worke out our salvation with feare to make our calling and election sure c. are spoken onely to such as are under a Covenant of workes All which she did acknowledge she had spoken for a coppy of them had been sent to her divers dayes before and the witnesses hands subscribed so as she saw it was in vaine to deny them then she asked by what rule such an Elder could come to her pretending to desire light and indeede to entrappe her to which the same Elder answered that he had beene twice with her and that he told her indeed at St. Ives that he had beene troubled at some of her speeches in the Court wherein he did desire to see light for the ground and meaning of them but he professed in the presence of the Lord that he came not to entrap her but in compassion to her Soule to helpe her out of those snares of the Devill wherein he saw she was entangled and that before his deparure from her he did beare witnesse against her opinions and against her spirit and did leave it sadly upon her from the word of God then presently she grew into passion against her Pastor for his speech against her at the Court after the sentence was passed which he gave a full answer unto shewing his zeale against her errors whereupon she asked for what errors she had beene banished professing withall that she held none of these things she was now charged with before her imprisonment supposing that whatsoever should be found amisse would be imputed to that but it was answered as the truth was that she was not put to durance but onely a favourable confinement so as all of her Family and divers others resorted to her at their pleasure But this allegation was then proved false and at her next convention more fully for there were divers present who did know she spake untruth Her answer being demanded to the first Articles she maintained her assertion that the Soules were mortall c. alledging the place in the Eccles cited in the Article and some other Scriptures nothing to the purpose she insisted much upon that in Gen. 1. In the day thou eatest c. thou shalt dye she could not see how a Soule could be immortally miserable though it might be eternally miserable neither could shee distinguish betweene the Soule and the Life and though she were pressed by many Scriptures and reasons alleadged by the Elders of the same and other Churches so as she could not give any answer to them yet she stood to her opinion till at length a stranger being desired to speake to the point and hee opening to her the difference betweene the Soule and the Life the first being a spirituall substance and the other the union of that with the body she then confessed she saw more light then before and so with some difficulty was brought to confesse her error in that point Wherein was to be observed that though he spake to very good purpose and so clearely convinced her as she could not gain-say yet it was evident shee was convinced before but she could not give the honour of it to her owne Pastor or teacher nor to any of the other Elders whom she slighted had so much Then they proceeded to the third fourth and fifth Articles about the body and the refurrection of the old which shee maintained according to the Articles and though shee were not able to give any reasonable answer to the many places of the Scripture and other arguments which were brought to convince her yet shee still persisted in her errour giving froward speeches to some that spake to her as when one of the Elders used this argument that if the resurrection were only our union with Christ then all that are united are the children of the resurrection and therefore are neither to marry nor to give in marriage and so by consequence there ought to bee community of women shee told him that hee spake like the Pharisees who said that Christ had a devill because that Abraham were dead and the Prophets and yet hee had said
beleevers in common 1 John 5.13 to distinguish the persons of beleevers from unbeleevers the water is annexed to the Spirit and bloud 1 Iohn 5.8 Errour 76. The Devill and nature may be cause of a gracious worke Confutation 76. The words are unsavoury and the position unsound for taking gracious according to the language of the Scripture gracious words Luke 4.22 Let your speech be gracious gracious words are such as issue from the saving grace of Christs Spirit indwelling in the soule which neither the Devill nor nature is able to produce for Christ professeth Iohn 15.3 4. Without me yee can doe nothing nothing truly gracious Iohn 3. What ever is borne of the flesh is flesh and Rom. 7.18 In my flesh dwels no good truly spirituall and gracious Gen. 6.5 Every imagination of the thoughts of a mans heart are evill and that continually Besides the Devill is that evill and wicked one onely wickednesse an adversary to Gods grace and glory that which is contrary to corrupt nature and the hellish nature of Satan and above the power of both they cannot be the causes of gracious works Errour 77. Sanctification is so farre from evidencing a good estate that it darkens it rather and a man may more clearely see Christ when he seeth no sanctification then when he doth the darker my sanctification is the brighter is my justification Confutation 77. This is contrary to the Scripture of truth which rather giveth the name of light to sanctification and holinesse and even for this use to cleare our justification 1 Iohn 1.6 7. For the holy Ghost concludes as from a cleare and infallible promise and proposition that if we walke in the light as he is in the light then doth the bloud of Christ cleanse us from all sinne meaning that then and thereby it appeareth that it is done as by the contrary unholinesse and unholy walking is like darknesse which obscureth all the goodly presumption flourishes and hopes of an unregenerate man vers 6. For this purpose 1 Iohn 5.8 the water of sanctification is made a witnesse now the nature of a witnesse is not to darken and obscure matters in question but to cleare them and Psal 51.10 11 12. when David saw his heart so uncleane and his spirit so altogether out of order his justification was not then brighter for then he should have had the joy of his salvation more full and not so to sinke as that he begs it might be restored to him as implying that his joy for the present was wanting to him Errour 78. God hath given sixe witnesses three in Heaven and three in earth to beget and build justifying faith upon Confutation 78. This expression answers not the patterne of wholesome words for if this position be taken thus God hath given all these sixe witnesses both to beget and also to build justifying faith upon it is contrary to Scripture for God hath not given all these fixe witnesses to beget justifying faith because the water of sanctification which is one of the sixe doth not goe before justifying faith but followeth after it for our hearts are justified by faith Acts 15.9 Errour 79. If a member of a Church be unsatisfied with any thing in the Church if he expresse his offence whether he hath used all meanes to convince the Church or no he may depart Confutation 79. Contrary to the rule of our Saviour Matth. 18. If thy brother offend convictingly admonish whence it is evident that in our carriage towards a private brother we must convince him before admonish him much lesse separate from him Therefore our carriage towards the whole Church must upon greater reason be with like prudence and tendernesse whence the argument followes thus An offence taken before conviction will not beare an admonition much lesse separation from a brother or Church but the offence in the question propounded is such Ergo. Errour 80. If a man thinke he may edifie better in another congregation then in his owne that is ground enough to depart ordinarily from word seales fastings feastings and all administrations in his owne Church notwithstanding the offence of the Church often manifested to him for so doing Confutation 80. It is contrary to the condition and station of a member of the body in which he stands 1 Cor. 12.27 A member must not put it selfe from the body upon its owne thoughts as the admission of a member was by the consent of the whole so likewise must his dismission be It is contrary also to the duty of a member Ephes 4.16 there must be an effectuall working in every part for the edification of the whole which this departure from the administration of all the holy ordinances in the Church will necessarily hinder It is contrary also to the good of the whole Church and the rule which the Lord hath appointed for the preservation thereof 1 Cor. 14 33. God is not the author of confusion and therefore not of this practise which will certainly bring it for if one member upon these his imaginations may depart why may not ten yea twenty yea an hundred Why may not the Pastor upon such grounds leave his people as well as they him considering the tye is equall on both parts Error 81. Where faith is held forth by the Ministery as the condition of the covenant of grace on mans part as also evidencing justification by sanctification and the activity of faith in that Church there is not sufficient bread Confutation 81. This position seemeth to deny faith to be a condition at all or at all active and so if condition in this place signifie a qualification in man wrought by the holy Ghost without which the promises doe not belong to men this is contrary to Scripture for John 6.48 Christ is the bread of life and yet in the same chapter faith is held out as a condition of the covenant by the Ministery of Christ himselfe and the activity of it is held forth in these words Verily I say unto you unlesse yee eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of the Sonne of man you have no life in you and who so eateth c. As for the lawfulnesse of evidencing justification by sanctification if it be understood of that sanctification which is by faith in Christ it is contrary to the intent of the whole Epistle of John besides many other places of Scripture which yet hold forth bread sufficient if by sufficient is meant that doctrine which in its right use is wholsome and good food for it was written that their joy might be full yet the evidencing of justification by sanctification is expressely held forth chap. 1. vers 7. where he saith If we walke in the light as Christ is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sinne by walking in the light in opposition to walking in darknesse spoken of before verse 6. Sanctification is evidently meant and this is