Keach, Benjamin (1640-1704)

A Dialogue between a Young Professor and a Quaker [from the Grand Impostor Discovered: Or, The Quakers Doctrine weighed in the Ballance, and found wanting. A Poem, By way of Dialogue: wherein their Chief, and most Concerning Principles are laid down, and by the Authority of Gods Holy Word clearly Refuted. By B. K.]

London

Printed for B. Harris [etc.]

1675

"But when Christ's spirit comes i'th' soul to be, / From sin and bondage Christ doth set it free."

PROFESSOR
We shall (I see) have now a hot contest;
This is the main of all, it is confest,
Concerning the true Christ I do espye
The controversie chiefly now will lye.
Before a Question to you I propound,
See how you do your self sadly confound.
You bring a Scripture for to prove to me
Christ is in all, else Reprobates they be.
Of Judgment you are void, or 'tis but small;
Dost think there are no Reprobates at all?
For all may see, whose eyes are not too dim,
The Reprobate he has not Christ in him,
From Pauls own words; and in that very place
Which you do bring to prove your present case.
But to your words to give a full reply,
Say what true Christian ever did deny
That by his Spirit Christ did dwell in those
Who truly did believe, and he hath chose;
By Faith th'Apostle shews and makes appear
Christ dwelleth in all his own Children dear.
Now, I shall prove that, which disprove you can't,
The spirit of the blest new Covenant.
No wordly man can in his heart possess,
Though th'Light in all I readily confess.
The Light in all, of which you make your boast,
I utterly deny's the Holy Ghost,
Which doth proceed from Father and the Son,
That is the portion of the Saints alone;
And that th'Holy Ghost, which Saints are led by
Our Mediator is I do deny.
Which I intend to prove also to all;
But first, I shall upon the former fall:
And it to prove Christs precious words we have,
That spirit, he says, the world could not receive.
'Twas with th'Saints and in them for to be;
But not in others, 'cause they could not see:
They had no eyes to see that glor'us spirit,
And therefore could they not the same inherit.
And thus you seem to give the Lord the ly,
You do affirm that which he doth deny.
The world can't it receive, Christ doth assert;
You do affirm it is in ev'ry heart.
The second Scripture which I now shall cite
To prove th'Holy Ghost not the common Light
That is in all; nor yet that it can be
I'th' hearts of such that love iniquity.
'Tis in the Romans, where th'Apostle Paul
Abundantly doth prove it unto all,
That in those hearts where Christ's blest spirit's sown,
The fruits will there appear, and plain be known.
Those unto whom God doth this spirit give,
He doth affirm after the spirit live.
He proves it furthermore that every one
That hath Christ's spirit is indeed his own.
I'th' Negative he also thus hath wrot,
That ev'ry one which han't Christ's spirit got
Is none of his, but of a certainty,
If in that state they liv'd and so did dy,
It would be bad with them for evermore,
Do you from hence with care observe therefore
That what you say is utterly untrue,
Or else be sure this will as next ensue.
There's ne'r a soul that dwells on all the earth,
But he an intrest in Christ Jesus hath.
But to proceed on to another Text,
That in the Corinths then shall be the next:
Where Paul doth shew the worldly man doth want
Christ's blessed spirit, which is in a Saint.
Moreover this he also doth unfold,
That such who have Christ's spirit, do behold
The Face of Christ, and also they discern
Things of the Spirit, which doth them concern,
Which Natural men cannot at all perceive,
Because Christ's Spirit they do not receive.
If to the Truth your heart's at all inclin'd,
His other words with care then also mind.
Where is Christ's spirit, he doth testifie
There's in that Soul most precious Liberty:
The Sp'rit of bondage is that Legal light
That is in all, which clearly prove I might.
Which wounds and kills, and fills the soul with sorrow,
And doth condemn, and leave it under terror;
But when Christ's spirit comes i'th' soul to be,
From sin and bondage Christ doth set it free.
But do you think, my Friend, that ev'ry one
Is so made free indeed now by the Son?
Another Scripture also I shall urge
That proves the case as most of Christians judge.
Jude to the Saints doth clearly intimate
Some even there themselves did separate,
Having not th'spirit in them he doth show,
And from his words thus I now argue do:
If such, like those who were so sensual,
Have not Christ's spirit, 'tis not then in all.

Fetters::Bondage

Searching "bond" and "soul" in HDIS (Poetry)

01/06/2012