Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	aaron_n	holy_a	mediator_n	17	3	9.9888	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10040	The perfection of justification maintained against the Pharise the purity of sanctification against the stainers of it: the unquestionablenesse of a future glorification aganst the Sadduce: in severall sermons. Together with an apologeticall answer to the ministers of the new province of London in vindication of the author against their aspersions. / by John Simpson, an unworthy publisher of gospel-truths in London.	Simpson, John, 17th cent.	1648 (1648)	Wing S3817A; ESTC R184177	253,105	558

of a man born of God are sin or sinfull doth overthrow the distinction which is warranted by many thousand places of Scripture between good works and bad works and doth draw a curse upon the doer of it Can evill be good or good evill Woe unto them that call evil good and good evill that put darknesse for light and light for darkenesse that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Isa 5.20 What else doe they doe who plainley averre that every good work is evill Object Doe we deny the difference betweene white and blacke because we say that in most white bodies there is a mixture of some blacknesse with the whitenesse c. Answ If it could be proved that there were a mixture of that which is of the spirit and that which is of the flesh that that which is spirituall should be made fleshly by it there would seeme to be some strength in this objection But untill that such a mixture bee proved by plaine Scriptures we shall think it sufficient to affirme that such similitudes which have not their foundation upon a principle of truth do prove nothing Arg. 21. It taketh away the difference between a sanctified and unsanctified man which is a distinction which doth stand firme upon the basis of the Scripture of truth The Apostle doth plainly lay downe this distinction 1 Cor. 6.11 Where hee informeth us of the condition of the Corinthians before conversion to wit that they were thieves adulteresses and the like such were some of you and then setteth forth their blessed condition after conversion But ye are washed but ye are sanctified And doth second this truth with his owne experience acknowledging that there was a real change wrought in himself after conversion by sanctification 2 Tim. 1. I was saith he a persecuter a blasphemer injurious but the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith love which is in Christ Jesus not with faith only but love also If God hath pulled you out of the fire of sinne and drawne you as fire-brands out of Hell and brought you into the glorious kingdome of his Son ye are able to professe the same sanctified change in your selves It is a dead faith which is not accompanied with sanctification and good works As soon may a dead horse carrie a man as a dead faith save him Object This is a slander wee doe not deny sanctification Answ If yee acknowledge sanctification and a sanctified change yee contradict your selves For how can that make a sanctified change in us which is nothing else but sin or sinfull I shall be glad if you will stand to an inward change by love and sanctification But some there are who have affirmed that the distinction between a regenerated an and unregenerated man is but a legall distinction Arg. 22. The holy Spirit which is promised to us and dwelleth in us doth plainly demonstrate this point For as the Spirit is holy formally in it selfe in its owne nature essence and being so it is effectively holy because it makes that man holy who was formerly sinfull If thou be nothing but darknesse if God convert thee thou wilt have a glorious light in thine understanding if thou have nothing but unholinesse in thy will if the Spirit of God live in thee it will be a Spirit of holinesse a Spirit that will shew thee what is of the flesh and what is of the spirit a spirit checking thee if thou step aside into the way of the flesh and a spirit leading thee into the paths of holiness As the Psalmist saith Thy Spirit is good lead me into the land of holinesse and uprightnesse Therefore those that doe not find that Spirit leading them into the paths and wayes of holinesse those men have received a counterfeit spirit to delude them and not the true Spirit of the Lord Jesus Object The spirit is good but our actions are evill by the adherence of sinne in us That holy things may be defiled is plaine by Exod. 28.36.38 Aaron having his plate upon his forehead was to beare the iniquity of the holy things Answ 1. Though sin and holinesse be in the same man yet I deny that sinne by any adhering to holinesse in us doth change holinesse into the nature of it But what is of the Spirit in us doth retaine its spirituall nature and what is of the flesh doth retaine its fleshly nature 2. The Scripture produced doth prove that in doing of holy duties we sin and that Jesus Christ doth beare those sins which wee have granted unto you before But that the fruits of the Spirit in us are those sinnes cannot be proved from this place of Scripture nor from anyother Scripture which I know this still doth remaine to be proved Arg. 23. There may bee another argument drawne from that place of the Apostle when hee saith The Spirit beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 The Spirit cannot beare witnesse to our old darke prophane spirits for the naturall man receives not the things of the Spirit for they are foolishnesse to him therefore it must be to our spirit enlightned renewed and filled with the Spirit of God And therefore there is somthing in a Saint besides that which is sinne and sinfull Object This is true but we are not renewed perfectly which is the thing to be proved Answ Perfection in Scripture is opposed to that which is more perfect And in this sence wee doe not affirme that a man is so perfectly renewed as he shall be 1 Cor. 13. 2. Perfection is opposed to that which is sinfull Luke 1. And in this sence we say that he is perfectly renewed that is he is holily not sinfully renewed Arg. 24. I doe ground my next argument upon the words of the Apostle Rom. 14. last Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne And therefore that which is done in faith is not sin If we deny this we shall take away the difference between doing good works in faith and doing good works without faith if both of them be alike sinfull or sinne And therefore I conclude that the work of the Spirit which is done in faith is not sin Without faith it is impossible to please God and therefore by faith it is possible to please him by doing good works Arg. 25. Another argument may be drawn from that place 2 Cor. 13. where the Apostle makes the comparison betweene faith hope and love and prefers love before faith hope for this reason because love is more permanent and of longer continuance than faith and hope when a man comes to heaven hee ceaseth to live the life of faith for then he shall live the life of sight and vision he ceaseth to hope for he enjoyeth that which he hoped for but love shall continue Therefore he saith that love that is the fruit of faith is greater than faith in respect of its continuance That which remaines and endures after this life

a heap worth nothing yet he knoweth by the Art of the refyner to bring a choyse and precious vessell out of that dust So though the bodies of the Saints have laine as a heape of dust and wee see no glory in it yet God the refyner of Heaven by the power of his Arme is able to extract the filings and dust of his Saints out of the earth and to restore their dust to an immortall spirituall and glorious body Looke to the power of God nothing will be impossible Therefore when the Sadduces cavilled against the Doctrine of the resurrection our Saviour strikes at the root of their errour which was this because they questioned the power of God concerning this Ye erre saith he not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Mat. 22. Qui potest facere potest reficere c. saith Tertullian he that was able to make the bodie out of nothing is able to remake it he that was able to give a being out of no being is able to give a being out of that that hath a being It is easier to make a thing out of that that hath a being then out of that that hath no being God hath done the first why should we distrust him concerning the second Therefore you shall find the Apostle when he preached this Doctrine that we shall be raised and in our bodies made like the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ and knowing that there would be carnall objections arise in the spirits of men against this Doctrine he presently fits and shapes an answer for it from the power of God Phil. 3. ult we looke for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shal change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue even all things to himselfe Here that the mouth of unbeliefe and carnall reason may be stopped he tells us that he will make our bodies like unto his glorious bodie and question not but he will doe it for he will doe it by his mighty power by which he is able to subdue all things to himselfe thus farre in answer to the first sort of Adversaries The objections of the spirituall Enemies or rather diabolicall Enemies though they pretend to spirituality are drawn from Scripture And this is no wonder for their Father the Devill doth quote Scripture sometimes too The first place which they alleadge is in the 1 Cor. 15.50 Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdome of God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption from whence they conclude that our corruptible and fleshly body shal not be raised And therefore that there is no such resurrection to be expected which we waite for But that the Apostle in this Chapter and all other places speaking of the resurrection doth treat of it spiritually allegorically And that he never did hold forth such a carnall and grosse resurrection as we in our muddie braines doe grossely apprehend he did In answer to which objection we shall grant that the Apostle in sundry places doth speake of a resurrection figuratively As in the 3. Col. 1. If ye be risen with Christ seelie those things which are above where he speaketh of a resurrection to a new life in the spirit by faith And in this sense we grant that Saints are already risen There being no happinesse for such at the second resurrection hereafter who are not first raised here and made partakers of the first resurrection Yet this doth not weaken our assertion nor overthrow our Faith And therefore give me leave to put in an answer to their objection First It is true flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdome of God What doth he meane he meanes sinfull flesh and bloud shall not inherit whatsoever is sinne and flesh in this respect shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Secondly flesh and blood may be taken for the weaknesses and infirmities that cleave to our bodies for the present and flesh and blood our bodies of flesh and blood if wee looke on them in their frailties infirmities and weaknesses so they shall not inherit the Kingdome of God But otherwise it is certaine these bodies which are flesh and blood shall inherit the Kingdome of God For as our Lord Christ is now in glory in the same body though it be a spirituall glorious body in Heaven in which he suffered on the Crosse so we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be raised goe to Heaven and enjoy God in happinesse in these very bodies that we carrie about us we shall see God with these eyes and no other we shall have the same feet hands and members c. And though there shall be no sinne frailty weaknesse or infirmitie no imperfection lamenesse deafnesse or blindnesse yet the same numericall body shall be raised againe And if God would but open their eyes to read and understand what is spoken they shall have an answer from the pen of him whom they through their blindnesse doe misunderstand in the 53. verse of the same chapter This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortality The same mortall body by him who is immortall must be made immortall and incorruptible This was the confession of the African Churches Credimus resurrectionem carnis hujus we believe the resurrection of this flesh which is consonant to the truth delivered by Paul 2 Cor. 5.10 We must all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad The same persons must appeare we that consist of a materiall body and spirituall soule must appeare in the same body and soule or else it is not we that shall appeare but some body else which shall appeare which is contrary to the mind of God and his Apostle in this place The second objection which they bring is this that we that professe Christ and a resurrection by him in this way are carnall and know Christ after the flesh whereas the Apostle saith in the 2 Cor. 5.16 That he is to be knowne so no more To which I answer that this is one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one of the things hard to be understood in Paul which Peter speaketh of 2 Pet. 3.16 which they being unstable wrest as they doe other Scriptures unto their owne destruction Paul hath no such meaning which they carnally draw from the letter of the word which will appeare if we consider the Christ which he preached who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh Rom. 1.3 crucified in the flesh for our sinnes 2. Cor. 13.4 risen from the dead for our Justification Rom. 4.25 1 Cor. 15.20 ascended in our humane nature in which he suffered and descended into the lower parts of the earth 4. Eph. and in that humane nature doth make Intercession for us at his Fathers right hand

as our Mediatour 1 Tim. 2.5 If he meanes that which they draw from his words he knew Christ after the flesh in all his Sermons and his Faith was a knowledge of Christ after the flesh And therefore that which they wrest from his words is not his meaning Secondly Pauls meaning is this that Christ is not to be knowne after the flesh As though any men should conceive that they should have any priviledge or prerogative above another in Christ because they are his kinsmen or Countrey-men according to the flesh or of the same stock with Christ being descended from Abraham or David according to the flesh Thus Christ is not to be knowne after the flesh It will availe men nothing that they are neere to Christ in the flesh by their naturall birth unlesse they be neare to Christ and one with Christ by their new birth So that the Apostle doth in this place take away the difference which some might apprehend to be between the Jew and the Gentile It is parallel to that place Gal. 3.28 There is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for yee are all one in Christ Jesus And this is evident by the precedent verse where he saith that Christ died for all for Gentiles as well as for Jewes so that a Jew may as soone be saved by Christ as a Gentile if he rest upon the grace of the Father through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus his Sonne for Justification and Salvation It will likewise appeare to be the plain and naked meaning of the Apostle if we consider the subsequent words where he doth publish forth the same thing and explaineth his meaning telling us that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe not imputing their trespasses unto them The sinfull Gentiles who are called the world in opposition to the Jewes that were Gods peculiar and selected people gathered out of the world from other Nations God is reconciled to this world to sinfull Gentiles as well as to Gods owne people the Jewes And therefore Christ is not to be knowne among Christians in any carnall or fleshly relations as though he were a Saviour more to the Jewes then to the Gentiles This were to know Christ after the flesh but we that know him spiritually know him so no more for in the Spirit we see the partition wall which was between Jewes and Gentiles pulled down and know Christ the common Saviour both to Jewes and Gentiles which shall believe in his name And thus I have given you an answer fully satisfactory to their second objection The third place from which they frame an objection is in Eccles 3.19 That which befalleth unto the Sonnes of men befalleth beasts even one thing befalleth them as the one dieth so dieth the other yea they have all one breath so that a man hath no preheminence above a beast To this I thus answer that Solomon here doth not propose this as his owne judgement but rather doth represent unto us the opinion of carnall men who have no greater light then the dimme eye of reason And doth acquaint us with their folly and ignorance by communicating his owne experience unto us I said in my heart ver 18. He spake this in his heart when the darknesse of his spirit did as a thick cloud hide the light of the Spirit of God from him He doth not speak this from his heart and spirit inlightned with the truth of God But from his heart under a mist of errour being surrounded with great temptations And this will appeare by many passages which he uttereth in this booke which doe wholly contradict that which they would gather from these words as the meaning of Solomon for the overthrowing of the Doctrine of the resurrection and the day of judgement For instance Ecc 11.9 How doth he labour to draw young men from the pursuit of the worlds pleasures and vanities by putting them in mind that God will bring them unto judgement And what a plaine place is that against Sadduces Familists and Libertines that deny a judgement day and a resurrection with which he doth put a period to this booke Ecc 12. and the last God shall bring every worke into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evill I shall not trouble you with any more of their Arguments Because they are of the same nature with those which have been brought already And the same Answers which have been given unto these will give sufficient satisfaction to any other objections which may be brought against this truth 2. Vse from this errour Againe since the truth of God appeares so cleare in Scripture that there shall be a resurrection of body and of the same body let us abhorre and abandon the grosse fanaticall conceits of all that we meet with that professe themselves open enemies to the Doctrine of the resurrection Brethren I beseech you loath abhorre and detest this hellish diabolicall Doctrine For as Christians are to imbrace the truth of God with all zeale and affection of spirit so we are to detest and abhor all errours that oppose the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ with all zeale and fervency of spirit though these are much offended with the zeale and sharpnesse of the Saints supposing that such heat and holy anger is inconsistent with the spirit of meeknesse and therefore if a man though in the Spirit witnesse against these conceits and atheisticall opinions of theirs presently they say that though he pretend to be the servant of Christ and to have the Spirit of Christ yet he hath not the Spirit of Christ because he is so sharp in his speech But consider how our blessed Saviour oft in his preaching and discourses thunders and lightens in the faces of men that opposed the truth Did he not call the Scribes and Pharisees a Generation of Vipers and Adulterers to their faces and hath not Paul and Peter expressions to this purpose Peter tells Simon Magus he was in the very gall of bitternesse Did not Paul call Elymas the child of the Devill and enemy of all righteousnesse Act. 13.10 and our Saviour tells the Hypocrites that he preached to Joh. 8. Ye are of your father the Devill Therefore know that as Christ though he had the holy Spirit in him yet he made use of such sharp and bitter speeches so a man may have such speeches in his mouth and yet he may be in the spirit of God and speak to Gods glory when he thus speaks The Angel of the Church of Ephesus is commended that he could not beare with those that were evill And that he hated the workes of the Nicolaitans himselfe and our Saviour doth professe his hatred to the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans And why should a Christian be afraid to imitate his Saviour though these will censure him for it If this be to be vile and without love to speak bitterly