Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	flesh_n	new_a	stony_a	5,704	5	12.0562	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65358	The saints guide, or, Christ the rule, and ruler of saints manifested by way of positions, consectaries, and queries : wherein is contayned the efficacy of acquired knowledge, the rule of Christians, the mission and maintenance of ministers, and the power of magistrates in spiritual things / by Iohn Webster ...	Webster, John, 1610-1682.	1654 (1654)	Wing W1213; ESTC R17627	36,008	50

these cases and not man that is and will be Iudge Again what Tares soever the envious man hath sown in the field of the world of lies falsities errors blasphemies heresies idolatrous and superstitious● worships are not to be weeded forth by every ●ervant nor by the Magistrate le●● they pluck up the wheat also but both must be let alone untill the harvest and then the Lord will send messengers that shall make a sepration Therefore the Magistrate ought not to meddle with the plucking out of the Tares of errors heresies false worships for therby usually the wheat is pluckt up and the tares left for the Saints of God have always been persecuted and slain under the pretence of rooting forth errors and destroying false ways of worship and under colour of doing God good service For it is evident that since the Magistrates have assumed to themselves the title of Christians and pretended power nay also will skil of promoting the cause of Christ of setting up forms professions and making Creeds Confession and Articles of Religion by the power of civill authority as also to eradicate errors heresies and false worship Antichrist hath by that means had his growth and increase Apostasie hath entred and prevailed Truth almost in all Ages hath been stissed and suppressed and the Saints persecuted and butchered as is too evident in Martyrologie and Church History And this is all the advantage that the truth of Christ ever gained or can have from the authority of men and the power of the world Also the record of truth doth witness that God in his unsearchable wisdom and providence hath decreed that heresies must come that those that are approved amongst his Saints may be made manifest and that it is of necessity that offences must come though there be a wo to those by whom they do come And therefore the power of man or Magistrates cannot frustrate the purpose of God but while they labour to do what belongs not unto them they become fighters against God and so are given up to blindness and because they believed not the truth are given over to believe lies Moreover this power hath been assumed by men Magistrates from no better a ground then the rotten foundation of infidelity pride out of infidelity in fearing and distrusting that God was not powerful and wise enough of himsef in his own spiritual strength to carry on and accomplish his own work without the wisdom and power of sinfull weak and vain man whose breath is in his nostrils and his help vain When the Kingdom and Cause of God is built onely upon himself that everlasting Rock of Ages and Christ is that Stone though refused of men is chosen of God and pretious and is become the chief in the corner Even that stone coming out of the Rock without hands and crushing in pieces all the Images of brass Iron or clay that ever the power of man erected or set up And it Proceeds out of pride man vainly thinking in his wisdom power to make the work of God more effectual then the Lord hath determined and by the rod of fear and terror to drive more into heaven then ever God hath decreed shall come there or to force them in sooner then his appointed time or by a door that he never opened not considering that the weakness of God is stronger then the strength of men and the foolishnesse of God wiser then the wisdom of men and that no man can come nor be driven unto Christ except the Father draw him Lastly the Magistrate pretending to be judge of the consciences of men doth usurp the place of God for God himself will immediatly reign there and none can perswade nor change a heart but God only for it is he that takes away stony hearts and gives hearts of flesh takes away the old gives new ones and no creaturely power is able to do it And also thereby many are forced to become hyporites and to sin against the light of their own conscience or else to undergo loss of goods or liberty bodily hurt or death which is cruel and tyrannical nay even against the law of Nature for who would desire to be compell'd against the light of his own conscience and therefore how unjust is it to compell anothers This may make a man a Prosselyte to say and profess with his mouth that which is contrary to the intent and belief of his heart and so to be twofold more the child of perdition then formerly Some obiect That the Jewish Magistrates had power to punish idolatry and blasphemy and why have not Magistrates amongst the Christians the like power 1. Because we are not under the same administration nor are their Laws obligatory to us For the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change also of the Law 2. Because we have not the same means to instruct and direct us in giving judgment in such abstruse deep matters for they had extraordinary direction by the Vrim Thummim by their Prophets both of which we want we have none that can make fire come down from heaven as Elija did to confound Baals Prophets withall and therefore where there are not like premises there cannot be like conclusions Others object that there is a power that the Disciples had and exercised to cen●ure deliver to Satan as in case of Incest and of Hymeneus Philetus denying the resurrection and the Angel of the Church in Thyatira is threatned beacuse he had suffered Iezebel to ●each and seduce the servants of God and theref●re that there remains a coercive and punitive power if not in the Magistrates at least in the Ministers and Churches and therefore it is lawfull to exercise that 1. It is true that the Apostles and primitive Churches had by their directions a power to retain sins and to deliver to Satan but this was not an externall power of man or the sword but was spirituall and stood in the power of Christ for the Apostle saith In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such an one to Satan for the d●struction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Iesus Now this was done in the power of Christ and so as no Church now can shew the like though they seem to imitate it 2. This was not done by inflicting any external punishment upon him but that the rest of the saints were to forbear such an ones company even to eat with him and consisted not in some violent thrusting out such an one from their houses or company but in withdrawing themselvs away from him for the Apostle warns and commands the believing Thessalonians in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that they should withdraw themselvs

nor increase o● his Spiritual and Immor●al seed nor of the ●eaping of that Harvest which was not pu●chased with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious bloud of his d●ar Son bu● leave it to ignorant careless or malicious Husbandmen It is he that is the Begetter an● 〈◊〉 of this Spiritual Seed the Planter Waterer and Increaser of it For neither is he that planteth anything ne●ther he that watereth any thing but God that 〈◊〉 And as they are sent ●orth by Him and his Spirit onely so th●● authority and weapons are spir●●ual not ca●nal or 〈◊〉 they speak in the power evidence and demonstration of the 〈◊〉 and with authority not like Scribes and Pharisees for the weapon● of their warfare are not carnal but mighty in God ●heir power ariseth not from Commissions and Licen●● given or gran●ed from Magistrats Parliaments or numbers of person proudly and Lucifer like stiled Divines from Committees or Colledges Presbyteryes or Academye● nor from any such but from the Lord of Hosts the God of Heaven and Earth from Iesus Christ the Iudg of quick and dead and from that Spirit of his that searcheth all things yea even the deep things of God The strength and might of their weapons is not Academick and Scholastical Learning the ●otten rubbish of Ethnical and Babylonish ruines nor Fathers Modern Writers Expositors Commentators the ayery bubbles that ignorance corrupt 〈◊〉 and humane Tradition hath blown up and gilded over with the unsuitable and Heterogeneous title of Orthodoxal Authours nor their wit reason nor collected notes the rotten Crutches to support lameness no nor any of these or whatsoever can arise from the flesh but onely that Spirit of Truth that lends into all truth And as their Calling and power is onely from God so man hath no power to obstruct or hinder it for Peter and Iohn sayd unto the Council of the lews Whethe● 〈◊〉 be right in the light of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judg ye for we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard If it be objected that though it be 〈◊〉 that God called many of the Apostles by his own power and Spirit on●●y yet that Calling was immediate and extraordinary and a●terwards those that were so called did constitute and ordain others in an ordinary way by Imposition or Extension of hands as divers places of Scripture do affirm For this cause left I thee in Cr●●● that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting and ordain Elders in every City as I had appointed thee And neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by Prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery And when they had layd their hands on them and fasted and prayed they sent them away And when they had ordained them Elders in every Church and had prayed with Fasting they commended them to the Lord on whom they beluved For those dist●nctions of Mediate and Immediate Ordidinary and Extraordinary I finde no mention of them nor ground for them in the Gospel and they are but the cunning and 〈◊〉 devices of the Schools and therefore need no further answer than rejection and denyal untill they be made good from a better ground than that fruitless and vain wisdom of man And though in the calling of many of his Ministers in divers ages there were divers circumstances used at the calling of some that were varyed or omitted at the calling of others which they have therefore made an Essential difference not knowing that Circumstantials do not absolutely change the nature of Essentials yet was it the same God that called and sent them and the same Spirit that enabled them and spoke in them as sayth the Record of Truth God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son So many of the Apostles were called by the External and audible voice of Christ in the flesh yet that verbal Call had signified little if the Spirit had not called them inwardly in their hearts for herein consisted their calling that to them it was given to understand the Mystery of the Kingdom but to others it was not given And yet were many others as truly called as they that never saw nor heard Christ speak in the flesh And Paul being called had a great light shined and a voice spake unto him which those that journeyed with him could hear though they saw no man and yet were Timothy Titus Barnabas and others as truly called as he in and by the power of the same Spirit though not in the same manner rela●ing to circumstances and yet did and do all the Ministers of Christ in all Ages speak from the same Principle and are sent forth in the same Power and Spirit so that Circumstance makes nor substantial Difference and so that part of the Objection is of no force for the Truth ●aith Knowing this first that 〈◊〉 Prophesie of the Scripture is of any private interpretacion For the Prophesie came not in old time by the will of man but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and so do all his Ministers still untill the end of the World For the Imposicion of hands it is manifest that it was used in divers cases as first by our Saviour in ●●ring of Disceases and after by the Apostles in the like cases and likewise upon little children brought unto him And lastly by the Apostles and Presbyteries in laying on of their hands with Fasting and Prayer Bu● it is as manifest that by their layiug on of Hands Fasting and Praying gifts of Grace {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} were given and those upon whom they laid their hands and prayed with did thereupon speak with Toungs and Prophesie and so thereby received the Holy ghost and this was that gift that Timothy was exhorted not to neglect and this was it that Simon Magus would have bought with money Now to imitate an Ordinance or practise an Administracion without the same Power Spirit and ●ifts is but hypocritical and vain therefore unless that they that pretend to ordain by Imposicions of hands had the same Power or thereby could confer the same gifts they ought not to practise the same Administracion because without the pr●sence of the same Power and operacion of the same Gifts wherein the Essence of it stood it cannot be sayd to be an Ordinance of God but a Tradicion of men Again the falling of the Holy Ghost and the manifesting of its visible Power or Power visibly by Prophecying and speaking with Tounges was not as hath been commonly mistaken a peculiar Ordinance for setting men apart for the Ministry but was commonly used to Converts as Converts and belonged to

contract for none but only to receiv that thankfully of those whose hearts God stirred up to give it freely Thirdly when our Saviour was ascended and the Spirit was descended upon the Apostles and other Believers they did not force nor compel those that were converted to give them so much or so much out of their estates but those that freely would sold them and laid the money down at their feet then distribution was made according as every man had need and while their goods were un●old or not brought into the common pur● they might every one have don with their own as they listed as the Apostle told Ananias and Saphira so that they witnessed that they had no other warant to receive wages by but only what was freely given unto them Fourthly this Rule was not so strict neither that a Minister of necessity must receive it or else offend against the Rule but it was so indifferent that Paul did refuse it in the coasts of Achaia and said that none should rob him of that boasting in those quarters and adds the Reasons why he did so which was not that it was not lawfull for him to have taken what they freely offered as it seems he did in some other places but that he might cut off occasion from those which desired occasion that wherein they gloried they might be found even as he and that he might make the Gospel of Christ without charge for the necessity of preaching it was laid upon him as it is upon all those that are truly sent and therefore whether he received any thing or nothing a wo belonged unto him if he did not preach the Gospel If it be objected That in those days the Magistrates were Heathen and so took no care for those that were Christians yet now in our Nation the Magistrates are Christians and therefore ought and may make a law and appoint wages and maintenance for their Ministers I answer if suppositions were Apodictical proofs then many would make ready conclusions and the way to knowledge would be very facile for it is easie to suppose that all the Magistrates in a Commonwealth inferior and superior are all Christians nay the whole body of the Nation it self because they have a national worship and are all promiscuously called by that glorious name but there is a vast difference betwixt names things being so and being called so It is one thing to suppose and another to prove and but weak from the denotation to argue to the thing as though Iudas might truly be concluded one of the true Disciples of Christ becaus he is called one of the twelve No external forms do not demonstratively prove the verity of internal principles For he is not a Iew that is one outwardly neither is that circumcision that is outward in the flesh but he is a Iew that is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Therfore when the supposition is proved then it may be answered in the mean time ex suppositis suppositio sequitur Again if some of the Magistrates were truly Christians yet Christs kingdom being not of this world but a Spirituall one they ought not to intermeddle with carnal constitutions in his spiritual things which he makes good by his own Spirit Wisdom and Providence and not by the counsel or wisdom of the Princes of this world which comes to nought and his servants are to wait upon him by a simple believing and to walk by faith and not by sight Moreover if they were Believers they might every one of them in his single condition give to him that taught him what proportion of his own good things he had an heart to bestow but not to set down a law to judge over the conscience of his brother because these things ought to be done out of a principle of love and not from the law of an externall command If they were all Christians it was never yet that I could see proved that they had power to settle a maintenance for the Ministery of the Gospel and the contrary to me appears an undeniable truth and that from these grounds 1. Because the Rule of Christ and the practice of his Apostles were only for a free voluntary contribution from the free will offering of those whose spirits were wrought upon by that particular Ministery to which they should contribute now for Christians to pretend to have power to make a law for the maintenance of his Ministry and the good of his cause and walk contrary to the Rule of Christ himselfe to me seems strange that it should be accounted lawfull 2. There is no Magistrate hath any power to make a law of those things he perfectly understands not for how can a right judgment be given where the intellect is not clearly formed Now it no where appears that the Magistrates have the spirit of discerning to know the Ministers of Christ infallibly from the ministers of Satan therefore might as soon maintain advantage the one as the other 3. As was said before it crosseth the way of providentiall confidence and simple believing and waiting upon God and so cannot be lawfull for them to do Consectaries Therfore for a Magistracy by a compulsory law to settle a maintenance for a National Ministery by Tiches Augmentations or in any other way is to act against the ordinance of Christ and to make the Commandements of God of none effect by the traditions of men And therfore they should learn to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods Then for Ministers to be bred at the Academies and get Orders Licences or Seals from human authority thereby to get fat Benefices and rich Livings is to make the Ministry a meer Trade and to go contrary to the command of Christ and the practice of the Apostles To make bargains with the people to have so much and so much for exercising their Ministry is to preach for pay and not for Christ To press the Magistracy to provide for them is to distrust the promise providence of God and to flie to the arm of flesh and therefore they are doubly accursed both for making the arm of flesh their refuge and withdrawing their hearts away from the living God Hear ye this I pray you ye Heads of the house of Iacob and Princes of the house of Israel that abhor judgment and pervert all equity They build up Zion with blood and Ierusalem with iniquity The Heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for mony yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us No evill can come upon us And when the Ministers preach and cry out If Tythes be taken away and