Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	death_n	earth_n	life_n	8,796	5	4.3718	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65867	The glory of Christ's light within expelling darkness being the sum of the controversie between the people called Quakers, and some of the non-conformist priests, as manifest at two publick disputes in Essex : between George Whitehead (called a Quaker) and Stephen Scandret (Presbyter) being at the latter dispute assisted with five more of his brethren, the priests, to wit, Nathaniel Barnard, Henry Havers, Henry Coleman, Nath. Ball, and Robert Billoes : wherein are several.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1669 (1669)	Wing W1930; ESTC R39125	35,191	47

and that Christ died and satisfied only for that select number according to their Principle and that Justification by Christ's Righteousness imputed is only designed for that select number the rest that they reckon God with-holdeth mercy from passeth by as having ordained them to Everlasting death and wrath he withholdeth both saving Light and Grace from them so that they cannot avoid Hell and Damnation what ever they do according to this their Principle Answ. The Consequences and effects of this Doctrine have been very sad first in rendring God the Decreer and Designer of the Destruction of the greater part of Man-kind Secondly It renders him the Author of Sin and Iniquity which is the cause of Destruction in that they here accuse him as ordaining what ever comes to pass Thirdly it renders him both partial and cruel unto his own workmanship Fourthly it makes void the free extent of God's Love and Grace to Man-kind and his sending his Son into the World as also renders the preaching of the Gospel to every Creature to be of no use nor real intent for the good of the greater part of Man-kind so that Priests of this Perswasion might stop their mouthes and people never spend their money for their preaching any more Fifthly This their narrow and partial Opinion hath been an engine for Satan to work upon to the causing many poor Souls to dispair of ever having the benefit of Saving-Grace or Light when they have believed Death and Damnation to be unalterably designed for them Sixthly It hath pufft up a few conceited Professors as Presbyterians Independants and others in secret pride and self-confidence as being more regarded of God then all others supposing themselves from Eternity to be Elected and Grace and Salvation or the benefits of Christ's Sufferings and Death only to be free for them when their states and conditions are as sinfull corrupt and bad with pride and covetousness as others and therefore against them their narrow spirit Principle and partial Opinion in this matter we do in general lay down a few plain Scriptures which with many more might be produced for the same purpose on the behalf of God and his goodness to man and how equal his wayes are and how mans own iniquity and sin being continued in without repentance is his ruin As first Genesis chap. 2. vers 16 17. and the Lord God Commanded the man saying of every tree of the Garden thou mayst eat but of the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die c. where note that God was neither the Ordainer nor Author of mans Transgression which brought death and occasioned his being driven out of Paradice chap. 3. ver 23 24. but God gave man a plain Prohibition Command and Warning to the contrary so that God did not secretly design or decree touching man contrary to his own pure and equal Law given to man Gen. 4. 6 7. And the Lord said unto Cain why art thou wroth and why is thy Countenance faln if thou do well shalt thou not be accepted and if thou do not well sin lieth at thy door So that it is evident here that God did not particularly design either that Cain should do evil nor yet decree his eternal death from Eternity seeing that in well doing he might have had acceptance but his evil doing was the cause of his misery Deut. 30. 15 16 17 18 19 20. See I have set before thee this day Life and Good I call Heaven and Earth this day to witness against you that I have set before you Life and Death Blessing and Cursing therefore chuse Life c And see vers 17 18. But if thy Heart turn away I denounce unto you this day that you shall surely perish c. Where mark that Life and Death was set before them that they might chuse Life and refuse death but if God had particularly decreed them for death and destruction it had been a mockery to bid them chuse life if they could never have it and if he had absolutely elected them from Eternity for Life Eternal why should it be denounced against them that they should surely perish if their hearts turned away from the Lord were it not an impertinent vain thing to warn persons of such a danger if they were absolutely secured from being liable to any such danger Nehem. 9. 20 26. Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them and with-heldest not thy Manna from their mouth nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy Law behind their backs and slew thy Prophets c. where note that God gave his good Spirit unto them who rebelled the Persecutors of his Prophets and if such had the good Spirit given them surely none are excepted but all have so much of the true Light or Spirit of God given them as shall leave them without excuse Psal. 81. 11 12. But my people would not hearken to my voice nor Israel would none of me so I gave them up to their own hearts lust and they walked in their own counsels See here they refusing to hearken to the voice of God and their refusing him was the cause of his giving them up to their own lusts and evil counsels and not any partial secret decree concerning them Isa. 63. 10. But they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit therefore he was turned to be their Enemy and he fought against them Here their rebelling and vexing the holy Spirit of God was the cause of his turning to be their enemy and warring against them surely then God was their Friend before he turned to be their Enemy in that he had befriended them with his own Spirit 2 Chron. 15. 15. Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the Son of Obed and he went out to meet Asa and said unto him O Asa and all Judah and Benjamin hear ye me The Lord is with you while ye be with him if ye seek him he will be found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you So that it is mens forsaking of God first for which cause he forsakes them and man forsakes the Lord before the Lord forsake him and is not this a falling from Grace to forsake the Lord. Isa. 1. 19 20. If you be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the Land but if you refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the sword and ver 28. The destruction of the Transgressors and of the Sinners shall be together and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed Where mark upon what terms God promised good unto them and what was the cause of destruction but rebellion and forsaking the Lord See likewise Jer. 12. 17. Ezek. 18. 20. The Soul that sinneth it shall die verse 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the Wicked should die saith the Lord God c. verse 25. Hear O House of Israel

his Love and good will tendred in Christ who was not an Offering only for some Presbyterians or a few as they imagine but for the whole World though none do experimentally enjoy the good end of Christ's coming Sacrifice and Blood but such as receive him to believe in follow and obey him as the Author of Eternal Salvation to as many as obey him S. S. A justified state is attended with Sanctification what Righteousness is that which justifies Answ. First it is a true confession that a justified state is sanctified and therefore men are not justified nor made righteous while unsanctified and this confutes much of these mens Doctrine for an imputed Justification of men in their sins Secondly the Righteousness which justifies renders true Believers both Righteous Just and accepted of God is the Righteousness of Faith it is spiritual inwardly and spiritually received in the obedience of the Spirit of Holiness of Faith and Power of God it is an everlasting Righteousness not of self nor yet imperfect nor yet an imagination of an imputation to men in sin but it is inwardly revealed in such in whom the Image of God is renewed and not in them who are in old Adam in the fall S. S. Though Christ's Suffering was temporary his active and passive obedience was the only thing that redeemed our Souls and that the Righteousness within had no hand to exempt us from wrath Answ. What is the tendency of this Doctrine but to shut Christ out of doors and not to suffer him place in his people whilst his Righteousness within is so little valued whereas Christ is made unto the true Believers Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption And know ye not that Christ is in you except you be Reprobates and did not his active and passive obedience in his Person bare witness unto that Spirit of Holiness and Righteousness within by which he offered up himself and though Christ's Suffering on the Cross was temporary yet the Righteousness of Faith still remains and the blessed effect of his Suffering and Sacrifice is therein enjoyed by true Believers in Light and we neither go about to establish self-righteousness nor works of Self for Justification as S. S. seemed falsly to insinuate in his preachment at the latter end to which he would not stay to receive an Answer but gat away in the crowd and he needed not have told us that God will not acquit the guilty it was a Doctrine more proper to himself and his Brethren for to be sure they are deeply guilty who dispute for sin and imperfection all their dayes wherein God will not clear nor acquit them And such who are found in Christ and his Righteousness not having their own are not found disputing and pleading for the Devil's Work as these men are nor yet shutting Christ or his Righteousness out of people but are really partakers of that Everlasting Righteousness wherein both Redemption Justification and Acceptance with the Lord is enjoyed by them that are Sanctified by the Spirit and Power of God and Restored out of the faln state up to Christ who is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. Thus far we have in plainness for the information of the Readers returned an Answer to S. S. his chief Principles which were more fully discoursed of at the first Dispute in which you may see how defective he was as he afterward confessed as also that he hath not amended his Matter at the second Dispute but made it worse Here follows some of Stephen Scandret his Principles asserted by him and owned by the other Priests with him at the Second Dispute which was on the 1st of the 5th Moneth 1669. upon some of the same Questions disputed on at the former I. FIrst concerning the Scriptures and the Light within S. S. said The main Difference between those called Quakers and us in this is as judge here we set up the Scriptures as the only Rule to Guide to Heaven and Glory they the Light within they own the Scriptures so far as they agree with the Light within we own the Light within so far as it agrees with the Scriptures The Scriptures are the only Rule and most pretious and not the Light within we are to turn our backs upon the Light within as being insufficient c. The Scriptures are a full Rule and ●ully sufficient for Salvation let him affirm the same of the Light within if he dare The Scriptures are the infallible Rule a trying Light a binding Rule let him affirm the same of the Light wi●hin if h● dare Answ. Here are several Affirmations laid down but no proofs remember what thou did'st acknowledge and confess at our last Dispute concerning the universallity of the Light within that it might be a Rule where the Scriptures were not and also didst grant that it was spiritual the Light of the Spirit of God but now it may be seen plainly that thou goest about to set up the Scriptures above the Spirit of God which gave them forth And now we do affirm that the Light of Christ within is both a certain infallible trying Light and binding Rule to all them the Children of the Light and every one that love it both doth and dare so own it and confess to it as that certain manifesting Rule and Guide whereby things that are reproved are made manifest and they that love it bring their deeds to it that they may be proved whether they are wrought in God and such do not give nor own such sinful advise to people as to turn their backs on the Light as this Blind-Guide who shuts his eyes as one opposing plain conviction hath done who after he had so highly asserted the Scriptures or Writings to be the only Rule which leads to Salvation he confessed that he did not mean the Scriptures or Writings abstractively to be the Rule but the Will of God contained or declared of in them wherein he contradicted himself for this alters both the state of the Question and Assertion for whilest he laid all upon the Scriptures this tended to shut out all people under Heaven from Salvation Life and Glory but such as have the Scriptures which is a sad and prejuditial censure but now seeing it is not the Writing but the Matter or Thing declared of that is the Rule the Light of Christ within must be the standing universal Rule for that is declared of and referred to by the Scriptures so that to follow the Light within in what it dictates is agreeable and not repugnant to Scripture as is falsly insinuated by this Opposer Moreover the things declared of or contained in the Scriptures relating to the Will of God and to Life and Salvation may be enjoyed where the Writings are not for there were Gentiles instructed by the Will or Spirit of God who had not the Law outward as in Rom. 2. therefore this Spirit or Light of God is greater or more universal