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A44211 An account of the spirits working upon the minds of men in the several ages of the Christian church in a visitation sermon before the Right Reverend Father in God, Henry Lord Bishop of London, at Burntwood in Essex, Septemb. 14, 1680 / by Richard Hollingworth. Hollingworth, Richard, 1639?-1701. 1680 (1680) Wing H2485; ESTC R26432 13,861 26

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own labour and industry have collected and got together For did it affist us not only with strength and resolution of mind to adhere to what we know but with the knowledge of things themselves without any inquiries of our own all labour and diligence would be discouraged and he that lived the most idle life might be improved to as due apprehensions of things as the most studious and solitary person whatsoever which if any man can give me an evidence of I will let go this first assertion but if I hold it till I meet with such an instance I believe I shall die of the same opinion I am now of And therefore those men that pretend to new lights to more glorious discoveries to more large manifestations of the mind and will of God than former Ages have been acquainted with why these men run up and down the World with a pretence whereby they may indeed make the silly world mad but I am sure they will never make if wiser or better for there is no such thing as new Lights and when the New Testament was sealed up God cursed any man that added to the words of that Book and he had certainly been wanting to his Church if they had wanted any necessary to salvation which he hath since revealed No no I say again the Spirit of God now brings no new things but its business is to set the old ones upon our hearts and souls to strengthen our good purposes for an holy life to enlighten our dark faculties whereby we may see the beauty and excellency of those Divine objects that are proposed to our understandings and to excite our affections to a love agreeable to the worth and value of those things in which our souls are more immediately concerned and if any man appear let him by looks and winks pretend to never so much Heavenly-mindedness yet I say if the man appear amongst you with promises of further discoveries of the way and Kingdom of the Lord Jesus than the Christian world hath yet been acquainted with look upon him as an Impostor as the Devils Agent who comes on purpose to disturb men in the good old way through which the blessed Apostles the noble Army of Martyrs the excellent Saints in Primitive times travelled to the New Jerusalem and this head I cannot leave till I have given you an account what one of the greatest Scholars this latter Age hath produced says concerning this Hales's Golden Remains The effects of the Spirit says he as far as they concern instruction and knowledge are not particular informations for resolution in any doubtful cases for this were plainly Revelation but as the Angel who was sent to Cornelius informs him not but sends him to Peter to School so the Spirit teaches not but stirs up in us a desire to learn desire to learn makes us thirsty after the means and pious sedulity and carefulness makes us watchful in the choice and diligent use of our means The promise to the Apostles of the Spirit of God which should lead them into all truth was made good unto them by private and secret informing their understandings with the knowledge of high and heavenly mysteries which as yet had never entered into the conceit of any man the same promise is made good to us but fulfilled after another manner for what was written in their hearts by revelation for our instruction have they writ in Books to us for information otherwise than out of these Books the Spirit speaks not When the Spirit regenerates a man it infuses no knowledge of any point of faith but sends him to the Church and to the Scriptures when it stirs him up to newness of life it exhibits not to him an inventory of his sins as hitherto unknown but either supposes them known in the law of nature of which no man can be ignorant or sends him to learn them from the mouths of his Teachers more than this in the ordinary proceeding of the holy Spirit in matters of instruction I could never descry so that to speak of the Spirit helping in private either in dijudicating or interpreting of Scripture is to speak they know not what And truly till the World especially that part of it whose understandings are of a more ordinary size come to such convictions as these it is impossible but we should be over-run with Doctrins of Devils and it is very probable that some worse Sect than that of the Quakers if a worse can come in their room will e're long be at the door in order to disturb the minds of Credulous People and to insinuate such Doctrins and Principles as tend to make them dishonest and immoral And therefore if any fancies spring up in your heads and you find your selves as it were smitten with it and ready to adopt it into one of the most necessary truths to be believed and known pray bring it to the touch-stone to Scripture and right Reason and there consider what weight it hath in it and what plea it can make in a sober and rational way for its acceptance amongst the great things of God And if men did but take this course the world would soon be reduced to order and every man would keep his place and live in those limitted dependencies upon the judgments of other men that are necessary for them considering the difference of mens education and improvements 2. Another thing I lay down concerning this Divine Spirit under the Gospel and the assistances that it affords men of pains and diligence is this that it works upon the intellectual part of man and not upon the animal spirits of the body the not understanding of which hath done a great deal of mischief to the world for the more ignorant part of mankind finding sometimes according to their fond affections they have for any person or thing a great warmth upon their spirits and a kind of eager fire burning in their bowels all which arises from the present motion of their bodily spirits increased by the strength of their fancy and imagination Why alas let the thing be never so dangerous and destructive yet away they run with it as if the whole interest of Jesus Christ lay at stake and they care not what perils they expose themselves to what losses they sustain what hazards they encounter nay nor what Authority they affront so they may but see Sion happy in the settlement of the present opinion they have conceived so great a kindness for and their ignorance and their zeal together hurls them out of all considerations and makes them deaf to all advice and suspicious of any man as an Enemy to the Kingdom of Christ who attempts their reduction to more calm and temperate thoughts But now certainly the Spirit of God which comes with a design to refine the mind and reform the manners of the Sons of Men hath a better and more worthy subject to work upon than a company of confused spirits hot