Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	ghost_n	holy_a	word_n	15,366	5	4.0928	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66947	The dead-man's testament: or, A letter written, to all the saints of God in Scotland fellow-heirs of the blessing with those in England: for a view of the present work of God against the mystery of iniquity and for unity and love amonst themselves, in this day of the Lord's mercifull dispensation, and of the judgement of the whore. By Thomas Wood, sometimes inhabitant of Leith, lately departed this present life. And supplied by one of his own countrey-men, a lover of the true spirituall Beautie of Zion. Published by authoritie.	Wood, Thomas, of Leith.	1651 (1651)	Wing W3413; ESTC R221198	10,313	19

needeth to teach another but all of them know the LORD from the highest of them to the lowest of them Jeremiah 31. That which engageth them to their duty is the law put in their inward parts and written in their hearts It indeed and not to multiplication of Church-Assemblies keepeth them loyall to the Crown royall of Heaven Such Ecclesiasticall powers use often to restrain Christian Liberty but seldom or rather never promove the just freedom and liberty of the Saints Secondly in respect of the matter propounded and discussed in these Assemblies Know ye not Dearly beloved in them nothing for the most part was to be heard but needlesse debates and vain janglings Any thing heard in them was rather to minister Question then godly edification which is in faith How many tables and endless genealogies were heard amongst them which the Holy Ghost disclaimeth We learn no matter in Church-Assemblies from the Word but grave Cases of Conscience or matter of Controversie Acts 15. and of seasonable and necessary admonition for the good and edification of the Church Acts 20. But the LORD knoweth the Assemblies of this Church did not content themselves therewith but went far out of their sphere They could away with nothing so much as to examine the Books of Sessions Presbyteries Synods and Commissions They were not ashamed to rob the Magistrate of his right as their due Nothing could satisfie them but proceeding against Fornicators Malignants and all such delinquents as if they and they onely had had right to the temporall sword Nothing could be done in Parliament but what was ratified and allowed by them They pushed indeed with the two horns of the beast for the matter of such Assemblies is an acting with both swords Temporall and Spirituall And to colour all this there was a doing great wonders by making fire come down from Heaven on the Earth in the sight of men in establishing Popish Pennances or mo●k Repentances O! what deal of the Spirit did they pretend in these things And thus they deceived them that dwell on the earth Thirdly in respect of the manner of proceeding in these Assemblies It is known they carried on things in a State-way and not in a Church way They did not take every thing to the Law and the testimonie but they disputed every thing as Lawyers standing close by formalities Law quirks and Church Constitutions i● not of State also as the grounds and wayes of their procedure They did not proceed because it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to them but because it seemed good to them and was according to the Acts and Practice of the Church Oh! was not this the over-word in and touch-stone of these Conventions Fourthly in respect of the Members of these Meetings indeed they were answerable to their National Church such as were Members of the one so of the other And it can not be forgotten how their Ruling-Elders did not only sit as Ciphers in them the Ministers taking all upon them but also they had no more Office-power but pro tempore yet I can see no reason why all other officers of Christ's Church so wel as Ministers may not injoy their office-power vel ad vitam vel ad culpam And for my self I saw no use they made of them but to carry on things by plurality of voices as if the matters of Christ's House had depended from the consent and opinion of men not from his own authority according to the Word and Spirit Fi●tly in respect of the power they did arrogate to themselves What they did they did not as Councels but as Court-Judicatures they did not proceed by way of advice and counsell and upon this accompt for it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us but by way of command and upon this accomp● We enact and ordain Sixtly in respect of their outward pomp glory O! how much were they backed with the powers of this World And it is observable these Assemblies of late did begin with the accession of the Kings Commissioner thereto An. 1639. and I hope their pride hath perished with the accession of the Vice-Roy to the General Assembly 1651. The reign and rise of Classicall Power are from the earth Rev. 13. 11. and therefore it cannot but parish with the earth The fall of carnal worldly powers will beget its ruine Seventhly in respect of their tyrannie O! how much did they lord over GOD'S heritage they thought it their duty to Lord over their Consciences to plant over and transplant Ministers from them at random And I beleive the Lord of late hath given them plantation and transplantation beyond what they desired They thought it no sin to restrict people to forms of worship To emit Declarations Catechisms and stinte formes of Family-Worship and directions anent worshipping in publick in their own stinted and Presbyterian way They made it their great businesse even as their lips onely had preserved knowledge and all had been obliged to lay what they said or rather to swear what they spoke They thought it no Heresie to emit Acts against the private Assemblies of the Saints and their going from one first day of the week to another to hear those Preach of whom they expected most for Edification although their Parish-Priest had been an idiot void of the Saving knowledge of God They exhorted repentance out of all and whosoever would not take their mark upon them they restrained their Liberty by bills of excommunication and casting them over into the hands of the State Such indeed had not liberty to buy and sell amongst them Any who denyed their Acts and did not idolize their Covenant of which they made a State-Engine for establishing worldly powers was forthwith to be excommunicat No wonder For though they had Lambes hornes yet did they speak as dragons Rev. 14. 11. Eightly in respect of the proud title they did assume to themselves They were not ashamed Popish-like to call themselves the Church even as if holines and knowledge had been only to be found amongst them in their own accompt they were the Inheritance and Church of GOD by way of eminency and speciall propriety What is this I pray you beloved but the Man of sin sitting in the Temple of God exalting himself above God as God or that is worshipped Beware of this Whore dearly beloved and Come out of her that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues POSTSCRIPT Dear Christian Reader I Must needs tel thee shortly what the Author of this Letter was how far he proceeded in it and how it came to my hands The Author of it was a most Religious body and much persecuted for the Truth He lived here in Le●th in a most privat and mean condition And though he was blinde in the eyes of his body yet as appeareth not in the eyes of his minde In him our Lord hath made it appear that he perfecteth his praise by the mouth of Babes and chooseth the foolish things of this World to confound the Wise His purpose was to emit this he did not fear to profess Christ openly though many of the rulers who beleeve in Him d●re not profess Him because of the Seribes and Pharises yet before he closed it he gave up the ghost And he wrote no more of this Letter but till you come to that which is spoken Pag. 12. concerning the Assemblies of this National Church which I have supplied at the desire of a Religious Officer of the English Army 〈◊〉 in the interim know I did read an imperfest and undigested Scroll of the Authors wherein he had hinted at severall of these things concerning the foresaid Assemblies which I express viz. Their ruling by plurality of voices their debating things of no 〈◊〉 and passing by the out searching the Mistery of Godlines and of Iniquity together with their imploying the temporall sword of the Magistrate in the matters of Christs Church and Kingdom But I durst not adventure to set down these things in the Authors own words and way though I had once intended it for he had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and confusedly d●●●●●ed them being called by GOD from hence before he had 〈◊〉 them and had taken them to his second thoughts Upon which accompt I have digested the last part of this Letter in mine own way and manner though in nothing d●screpant from his purpose lest had I done other wayes he having departed hence before he had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 leaving the leaving the close of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the last part of it should have been inferiour to the rest as possibly it is as yet Howsoever Dear Christian Reader take thou my good thin● for my good say embrace this Letter kindely and fare thou well FINIS

Saint to t●e Members of their Church-Communion or Body as it pleased the Lord Jesus to separate out of the worldly Multitude and call into a Church Communion by the power of his own Word and Spirit neither with that alone spirituall and divine power of him who is our Noble Ruler left us in his Testament wherewith to govern his own Spouse in spirituall and holy beauty as separate from the World but that the Church might have some appearance of glory in the eyes of the Multitude and that their persons might be holden in admiration by all men because of advantage these Office-bearers thought fit to have all the whole Nation to be Members of their Church And because it was impossible for them as the Lord's Ministers to rule those by the power of the Word who had never found the power of the Word or to govern the ignorant Multitude as Members of the Church by the spiritual or Church-power of Christ whom he himself had never brought into be Members by his spirituall power therefore they were necessitate otherwise the Church could not stand in a Nationall Constitution to joyn to their Ecclesiasticall or Church-power the Temporall power of the Civill Magistrate for governing the Church and compelling all the multitude of Fornicators Whoremongers Drunkards Blasphemers Brawlers Scolders and Calumniators Fighters excepted as not belonging to Church-censures to appear before their Sessions and Synods for giving satisfaction although not to GOD who approveth no compelled service yet to the Church or Ministery by extorted verball acknowledgment of sin making their repentance upon the Pillar severall Sabbaths before the Congregation which few or none would perform till they were compelled thereto And so making a confused mixture of both Powers Spirituall and Temporall imploying the Civil Power in the government of the Church and the Ministeriall or Church-power in the government of the State what they could not do by the Word they performed by the Sword for confining all to their iudgment and for ordering all the whole unreformed Multitude in one Church communion and Body casting the holy things of the House of GOD prophanely and confusedly unto all And so beloved whereas GOD hath proclaimed a perpetuall enmity between the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent these men would make agreement betwixt them But what communion hath Light with Darknes the beleever with the unbeleever or the Temple of GOD with Idols 2. Cor. 6. And these things being considered dearly beloved it may appear to all you who are spiritually minded that this Nationall Church-government and power whereby it was acted over all People hath not been the purely Spirituall and Divine Power of our Lord Jesus which he himself upon whose shoulders is the Government hath left us in his Testament or New Covenant whereby to rule his own Church but hath rather been worldly o● nationall or like that detestable counterfeit mixed Power of that many-headed Beast or Man of sin who by taking to himself the power of both Swords Spirituall and Temporall hath by that false power under pretence of Religion and the Work of GOD subjected all Nations to his obedience tyrannized over consciences persecuted the Saints compelled all to his judgement and to receive his Mark and so ordered all as one communion or body under the name of the Catholick Church and under that colour hath deceived the whole Inhabitants of the World ruling ambitiously over Peoples and multitudes and Nations and Tongues Rev. 17. Which power and government with all his false doctrine and worship The Lord Jesus who cometh to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all you that believe is now to consume by the Spirit of his mouth and by the brightnesse of his comming 2 Thess 2. And as there hath been a detestable confusion and adulterous like mixture of the civil and Ecclesiasticall power in the government of this Church which hath maintained a confused mixture in her Members so hath there been the like confusion also in her Doctrine for by the doctrine that hath been publickly maintained that this Church so constitute of all people and so governed by a mixed Power hath been a Church most gloriously reformed and worthy to be a Patern to all others and that there ought to be in her no separation but all to be continued in one Communion And although the meetings of all people upon civile occasions were lawfull and expedient yet by this Doctrine the meetings of you the Lords People upon occasion of mutuall conference mutuall edification and comfort were taught to be unlawfull and unexpedient and that the civile power might suffer none to enjoy their liberty in the Nation but such as were compelled to the judgement of the Church Whereupon severall of the Saints out of Conscience refusing in some things to conform have been exposed to sufferings and in the more substantial Point the Preaching of Christ Jesus and free Justification by Faith in him hath been much obscured and darkened by the doctrine of works free Grace and the everlasting love of God without and before all good Works hath been so sparingly and darkly taught that almost it could not be perceived but the doctrine of the Law and Works of Reformation so largely and frequently holden forth that almost nothing els could be heard or known In which confused mixture of the Law Gospel Faith and Works in the point of Justification and acceptance with God the mistery of iniquity hath wrought very deeply and obscurely without being perceived as it did in the time of the Appostles for the comforts of the Word have been applyed to all the multitude upon their performance of dueties and the threatnings of the Word likewise unto all the multitude Beleevers and unbeleevers upon their failings in these performances So that neither the miserable condition of the wicked hath been clearly holden forth for casting them down neither the glorious condition of you the Saints of God for building you up in the Faith and increasing your strength and comfort For whereas the whole prophane multitude should have been plainly informed of the Law and curse in the full extent thereof that they evidenced themselves to be yet lying in bondage in the estate of wrath and condemnation under the power of the devill and sin and therefore could not be esteemed members of the reformed Church of Christ nor of the number of Gods people but by the contrary the whole prophane multitude who evidenced themselves to be open blasphemers of God and mockers of you his people and of all sincerity and Godlinesse hath been taught and denominat by this doctrine to be Covenanted people of God faithfull Brethren faithfull Sisters members of the true reformed Church of Christ and of the Communion of Saints to whom the Seals of the Covenant arightly appertained And as the condition of the wicked hath not been holden forth but a crying Peace Peace to whom there was no peace so