Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	aaron_n	beard_n	ointment_n	69	3	10.0573	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59963	A hind let loose, or, An historical representation of the testimonies of the Church of Scotland for the interest of Christ with the true state thereof in all its periods : together with a vindication of the present testimonie, against the Popish, prelatical, & malignant enemies of that church ... : wherein several controversies of greatest consequence are enquired into, and in some measure cleared, concerning hearing of the curats, owning of the present tyrannie, taking of ensnaring oaths & bonds, frequenting of field meetings, defensive resistence of tyrannical violence ... / by a lover of true liberty.	Shields, Alexander, 1660?-1700.	1687 (1687)	Wing S3431; ESTC R24531	567,672	774

called in One Hope Professing One Lord Confessing One Faith sealed with One Baptisme Eph. 4. 3. c. And for Brethren to dwel together in Unity is good pleasant and like the precious Oyntment upon the head that ran doun upon Aarons beard Psal. 133. 1 2. A fragrant Oyntment indeed if it be composed aright of Gospel-simples according to Divine art and the Wisdom that is from above which is first pure then peacable and not made up of Adulterate Politicks that Union that hath the Spirit for its Author the Scripture for its Rule Peace for its bond beauty love for its Cement Faith for its foment Christ for its foundation and Truth holiness for its constant Companions cannot but be intensely desired enixely endeavoured and fervently followed by all the Professors of the Gospel of Peace Subjects of the Prince of Peace Which makes Division Schisme not only a great Miserie but a Grand sin But it must be in the way of Truth Duty and consistent with holiness the honour of Christ otherwise if it be in the way of Apostasie defection it is but a Confederacy Conspiracy against the Lord. And true Union can neither be attained nor retained nor recovered except the sinful Cause of Division Defection and the holy overruling Cause the Anger of the Lord be removed in turning to following him II. Thô there be not perfect Union but diversity both of judgements and practices in several Cases there may be Communion with a Church in its Ordinances and Ministrie As 1. We may have a Catholick Communion with all Christian Ministers Members of the Catholick Church considered as such holding the Head Christ and the foundation sure And so we may meet for Worship with all Devout men in every Nation under Heaven whether they be Parthians or Medes or Elamites or French or Dutch c. thô differing in Controversies of lesser moment not overturning that if they hold the Universal Testimony of the Gospel against the Common enemies thereof Iewes Turks or Pagans for there is neither Greek nor Iew if he be a Christian Christ is all and in all Col. 3. 11. But if they be Hereticks we can have no Communion with them 2. We may have a more special Communion with all Protestant Ministers Members of the Reformed Church considered as such more strictly and upon stricter conditions providing they hold not only the Universal of Christians but the General Testimony of Protestants against the Greater lesser Antichrists thô differing from us in some circumstantial points not Reformed and not contradictory unto the Protestant Testimony against Poperie all Heresie nor declining from their oun Reformation by Defection or Schisme And Consequently its Lawful to oune Communion with the Churches of the United Provinces and take Ordination from them thô they have some formes not allowable from which they were never Reformed because they are sound in the Protestant Testimony But with the Sectarians or Schismaticks or Apostates among them we cannot oune that special Communion 3. We may have a more Particular Communion upon yet stricter conditions with all our Covenanted Brethren Ministers Members of the Churches of Britain Ireland considered as such Providing they hold not only the Universal not only the more Special Protestant Testimony against the Greater lesser Antichrists but the Covenanted Testimony for the Reformation in Doctrine Worship Discipline Government against Poperie Prelacy Superstition Heresie Schisme Profanness according to the Covenant Thô differing from us in those Controversial points never Reformed and which were never the Word of Christs patience and do not overturn the Covenanted Testimony But with those that contradict counteract that we cannot oune that particular Communion 4. We may have yet a nearer Organical Communion upon stricter conditions still with all the Ministers Members of the National Church of Scotland constitute confederate under one Reformed Government according to the Rule of Christ providing they hold not only all the former Testimonies under the foresaid considerations but the Presbyterian Testimony as stated in the Ecclesiastical Constitutions and sworn to in the National Covenants Engagements of that Church founded upon the Word of God against Poperie Prelacy Erastianisme Sectarianisme Toleration Schisme Defection thô differing in some things from us never Reformed never considered in Ecclesiastical Judicatories never engaged against in our Covenants never Stated as the Word of patience and Matter of Testimony But with those that oppose suppress reproach and abandon this Testimony we cannot oune this Organical Communion in this broken State of the Church We may have yet a stricter Congregational Communion upon stricter conditions in and with the Ordinary or extraordinary Meetings or Societies of the Lords people for Gospel Ordinances with any Minister or Ministers duely truely admitted to that function according to Christs Appointment and the Call of the people whether in a fixed or unfixed relation provicing he holds the Testimony of Christ under all the former considerations and ounes and adheres unto the true received principles of the Church of Scotland in Doctrine Worship Discipline Government founded upon the written Word of God and whatsoever Declarations or Testimonies former or latter particular or more General are aggreable thereunto thô differing from us in some of the Integral not Essential parts of our Testimony against the Enemies of our Covenanted Reformation But with such as deny or decline from it by Schisme or Defection or Complyance with the enemies thereof we cannot oune this Congregational Communion in this broken State of the Church III. Thô there be many things in a Church to brangle lessen the Comfort of our Communion with it and the Ministrie thereof yet we may keep fellowship with a true Church thô in many things faultie and Corrupt as all Churches are in some measure in this Militant State. As the Church of Corinth had many corruptions in their practice yet no separation is enjoyned from it And the Lord did not require separation from the Churches of Perga●●● Thyatira though they had many corruptions deficiencies in Discipline in a Toleration of Hereticks and would lay no other burden upon them but to hold fast what they had as Mr Durham shewes in his Comment on the Revel chap. 2. Lect. 6. Pag. 148 149. as also Chap. 18. Lect. 1. Pag. 585. in 4 to This must be granted especially in these cases 1. In the infant State of the Church when the Reformation is only begun then many things may be tolerated before they be gradually Reformed which in an adult State are not to be suffered 2. In a growing case of the Church advancing out of corruptions then many things may be born with while they are ascending wrestling up the hill which in a Declining State when the Church is going backward must not be yeelded unto See that Objection of hearing Prelatical men in the time of

Gospel destruction of many poor Souls But through the ignorance neglect of this Duty of trying whom we should hear by seeking some satisfieing evidence of their being cloathed with Authority from Christ the world hath been left louse in a Licence to hear what they pleased and so have received the Poison of error from Monte banks instead of the true wholesome Potions of Christs Prescripts from them that had Power skill to administer them Hence the many Sects Schismes errors that have Pestered the Church in all ages have in a great measure proceeded from this latitude laxness of Promiscous hearing of all whom they pleased whom either the worlds Authority impowered or by other means were possessed of the place of Preaching without taking any Cognizance whether they had the Characters of Christs Ambassadours or not If this had been observed and People had scrupled refused to hear these whom they might know should not have Preached neither the Great Antichrist nor the many lesser Antichrists would have had such footing in the world as they have this day It is then of no small Consequence to have this Question cleared Neither is it of small difficulty to solve the intricacies of it what Characters to fix for a discovery of Christs true Ministers whom we should submit to obey in the Lord and Love esteem them for their Works sake and for their qualities sake as standing in Christs stead having the dispensation of the word of Reconciliation committed to them And how we may discern those Characters what judgment is incumbent to private Christians for the satisfaction of theiroun Consciences in the Case And how they ought to demean themselves in their practice with out Scandal on either hand or sin against their oun Conscience how to avoid the rocks Extremes that inadvertency or precipitancy in this matter may rush upon So as to escape sail by the Scylla of sinful Separation on the one hand and the Charybdis of sinful union Communion on the other which are equally dangerous especially how these Cautions are to be managed in a broken and disturbed divided Case of the Church The Question also is the more difficult that as it was never so much questioned before this time and never so much sought to be obscured by the perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds to find out evasions to cover sin escape sufferings upon this account So it hath never been discussed by Divines either at home or abroad with relation to our Case except what hath been of late by some faithful men who have suffered upon this head from whom I shall gather the most of my Arguments in as Compendious a way as I can without wronging them The reason I fancy that we are at such a loss in our helps from the Learned on this head is partly that they have written with relation to their oun times in a Constitute Case of the Church when Corruptions disorders might be orderly rectified and people might have access to get their scruples removed in a Legal way by Church-order in which case the Learned Judicious Mr Durham hath written excellently in his book on Scandal but therein neither he nor others did consult nor could have a prospect of such a case as ours is And partly that forreign Divines not having this for their exercise could not be acquainted with our circumstantiate case and so are not fit nor Competent Arbiters to decide this Contraversie hence many of them do wonder at our sufferings upon this head Every Church is best acquainted with her oun Testimony Yet we want not the suffrage of some of the Learnedst of them as the Great Gisb. Voetius in his Polit Eccles. in several places comes near to favour us where he allowes People to leave some hear such Ministers as they profit most by from these grounds that people should chuse the best most edifying gifts and from that scripture 1 Thess. 5. 21. Prove all things c. and answers objections to the contrare and granteth that upon several occasions one may abstain from explicite Communion with a Corrupt Church for these reasons that such Communion is not absolutely necessary Necessitate either Medii or Precepti where the Christian shall have more peace of Conscience and free exercise of Christian Duties elswhere And that he may keep Communion with more Purity in other places Polit. Ecces Quest. 17. Pag. 68. And he approves of People refusing to bring their Children to be baptized by such Corrupt Ministers because they may wait until they have occasion of a Minister for if the best gifts be to be Coveted why should not the best Ministers be preferred and why should not Christians shew by their deeds that they honour such as fear the Lord contemn a vile Person They ought not to partake of other mens sins 1 Cor. 5. 9. 11. Eph. 5. 11. They should not strengthen the hands of the wicked and make sad the Godly The Authority of such Ministers should not be strengthened Voet. Polit Eccles. Pag. 637. to 640. But though it labour under all these disadvantages yet it is not the less but so much the rather necessary to say somwhat to clear it with dependance upon light from the Fountain and with the help of those faithful men who hath sufficiently cleared it up to all that have a Conscience not blinded or bribed with some prejudices by which more light hath accrued to the Church in this point of withdrawing from Corrupt Ministers 〈◊〉 ever was attained in former times which is all the good we have got of Prelacy In so much that I might spare labour in adding any thing were it not that I would make the Arguments vindicating this Cause of suffering alitle more publick and take occasion to shew that the grounds espoused by the Present reproached party for their withdrawings so far as they are stretched are no other than have been ouned by our writers on this head to the intent it may appear there is no Discrepancy but great likness harmony between the Arguments Grounds of withdrawing in the late Informatorie Vindication c. and those that are found in other writings And so much the rather I think it needful to touch this subject now that not only this hath been the first ground of our sufferings but many that suffered a while for it now have fainted and condemned all their former Contendings for this Part of the Testimony calling in question all these reasons that formerly satisfied ' them But to proceed with some distinctness in this thorny point Some Concessory Assertions must first be premitted And then Our Grounds Propounded First I willingly yeeld to Cordially close with the Truth of these Assertions I. The Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace ought to be the Endeavour of all that are members of the One Body of Christ Partakers of his One Spirit