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	beginning_n	moses_n	18	3	6.9046	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95843	The supreme povver of Christian states vindicated against the insolent pretences of Guillielmus Apollonii, or A translation of a book intituled, Grallæ, seu vere puerilis cothurnus sapientiæ, &c. Or, the stilts, or most childish chapin of knowledge upon which William Appolonius of Trever, and minister of the church of Middleburgh boasts, among such as are ignorant, in his patcht rhapsodies, which hee set forth concerning supreame power and jurisdiction in matters of religion. Against the book of the most famous Dr. Nicholaus Vedelius, intituled Of the episcopacy of Constantine the Great.; Grallæ. English.	Vedel, Nicolaus, 1596-1642,	1647 (1647)	Wing V168; Thomason E388_5; ESTC R201503	255,312	305

not I will make thee a God to Moses but contrarily I will make Moses a God to thee whence wee see that God from the beginning did not purpose to commit the supream care of the world and of the Church to church-men but to secular Magistrates for hee knew that things would not be well guided by church-men as appears by Aaron who when Moses was absent but 40. dayes was of such a soft and effeminate spirit that presently upon the prayers and menaces of the people turned the whole worship into Idolatry this was the cause that when Christ was asked of the Apostles concerning government hee permitted it to Magistrates but denied it precisely to church-men so that in this famous title of God all church-men are subject to the civill powers and all civill powers are to rule the church-men for these are called only Angels but they gods who will not confesse men to bee subordinate to Gods and Gods to have superiority over men I doubt not but Apollonius will here murmur with himselfe that the Prophet did so unwisely bestow this title upon Magistrates when out of the principles of Walachrian divinity this title of God belongs rather to church-men than to Magistrates for these as sheep should be subject to their ecclesiastick pastors Magistrates are only earthly Kings but cleargy-men are beavenly Magistrates are Legats of God the Creator church-men of Christ the Mediator exalted lastly Magistrates are carnall and worldly but churchmen are spirituall and holy who seeth not from hence that churchmen come neerer to God than Magistrates and that therefore the name of God belongs more justly to them So that wee need not doubt but in time the Stilt-walker will mend this magnificat as his predecessor the Pope did who not being content with the titles of Bishop pastor and president in which the Walachrian for the time rejoyceth hath assumed to himselfe also the title of God so that now hee is stiled our lord god the Pope but that our proud Ministers may not rise to this height among protestants I hope the Magistrate will take care whilst hee shall consider that hee alone by divine gift and right doth possesse this title of God which bee cannot without sacriledge impart to Ministers by which also is admonished that hee is subject to none but to God only and that there is nothing so spirituall so holy and so heavenly under his jurisdiction if it be humane but that it is subject to his power which will more appear by that famous place of Paul where not only hee is honoured with the name of God but also is endowed with the priviledge of Divine preheminence Among other elogies 2 Pet. 2.13 Rom. 13 1 that is notable one which is given to the Magistrate by Peter and chiefly by Paul where the great dignity of the civill power upon earth is described which hee placeth in three 1. That there is no supereminent power armed with the sword which is not subordinate to God and by him ordained for he saith that all powers which bear the sword are ordained by God and hee that resisteth them resisteth the Ordinance of God therefore every such by what name soever it is called bearing the sword hath God for its author so that the Apostle doth not permit any man to enquire who or what hee is that useth this power nor how hee hath attained to it nor indeed how hee useth it but absolutely commands to give obedience civill whether to the King as chiefe or to governours it was then known to the Apostles that the Emperors by fraud and violence invaded the Empire and that they used their power tyrannically against Christians so that if this generall rule had suffered any exception he would have mentioned it but both the Apostles do absolutely make this law That whosoever possesseth the sword he is ordained by God nor must any doubt of his power This did Abraham and Isaac well understand when they came within the jurisdiction of Abimelech Perhaps the fear of God is not in this place They doubted of the Kings piety and justice but yet they prepared themselves to obey even till death They will kill me for thy sake say they Thou shalt say thou 〈◊〉 my sister So Pompey when he went out of his own ship into the King of Egypt's barge in which he was treacherously murthered he rehearsed this sentence Whosoever entreth into the house of a Tyrant he is his servant though he entred a filee-man This then is sure wheresoever there is a superior power bearing the ●●●●d no man ought to enquire how he hath obtained it which is the form of it how he useth it at least not too curiously o● with an intent to resist For however the faults of his government are not from God but are displeasing to him yet the civil order is still from God So that whosoever out of his own private motion resisteth this he resisteth God himself and hasteneth vengeance upon himself The other is That he subjects every soul to the higher Powers Origen ●y every soul understands the Naturall man but he trifles Paul understands every man which in Scripture is ordinary Act. 3. 27 for every man hath a soul Now the Apostle said rather every 〈◊〉 then every body because men in respect of their bodies differ much but in respect of their souls they are all uniform Whence Chrysostome upon this place Though he be an Apostle though a Prophet though an Evangelist this subjection doth not overthrow piety Whence in appears that no man upon what pretence soever who is under anothers jurisdiction can free himselfe from the government of the Civil Magistrate whether he be Clergy or Lay rich or poor learned or unlearned no condition excuseth him from obedience These named famous Patriarks and as it appeared afterward more excellent then King Abimilech himself yet confessed humbly that even to death they were subject whilst they were under his jurisdiction Who more worthy then Christ yet he subjected himself to Caesar and Pilate impious Magistrates It is then an unworthy thing for any man to exempt himself from the Civil power under pretence of sanctity or religion or any prerogative for this is flat repugnant to Pauls generall maxime That every soule should be subject none excepted The third thing is That he commands subiection in all and obedience to Magistrates so that he will not have them resisted not only for punishment but also sor consoience because he that resisteth the Magistrate resisteth the ordinance of God and hasteneth judgement against himself which to do is against a good conscience All these are emphaticall and shew how absolute the Civil power is over all and in all things because absolutely it commands all without exception to be subject and absolutely commands subjection without any restriction Wherefore if there had been so many cases in which subjection was not to be given to Magistrates suppose in spirituall and ecclesiastick matters

THE SUPREME POWER OF Christian States VINDICATED AGAINST The Insolent pretences of Guillielmus Apollonii OR A Translation of a Book Intituled Grallae seu vere Puerilis Cothurnus Sapientiae c. OR The Stilts or most childish Chapin of Knowledge upon which William Apollonius of Trever and Minister of the Church of Middleburgh boasts among such as are ignorant in his patcht Rhapsodies which hee set forth concerning Supreame Power and Jurisdiction in matters of RELIGION Against the Book of the most famous Dr. Nicholaus Vedelius Intituled Of the Episcopacy of Constantine the Great Printed at London for George Whittington at the Blew Anchor in TO THE Most High and most illustrious Princes of the Reformed STATES AS ALSO To all peaceable Ministers of CHRISTS Church Grace and Peace Most illustrious Lords and godly Ministers of Christs Church HEE was not a foole who first affirmed that there was nothing more prevalent than superstition to rule the multitude for Christ most divinely foretold us that the children of darknesse were wiser then the sonnes of light so that oftentimes not onely the force of deceivers is great but also the perversenesse of the multitude is such that they will rather bee deluded than listen to the Truth Though God hath recommended his true worship to us yet Satan hath prevailed more by superstition then the Spirit of God by true Religion All Ages can beare witnesse to this truth When God imployed the divine Prophet Moses in a message to Pharaoh he armed him with the power of Miracles but Jannes and Jambres resisted him and that with such eagernesse that for a while they prevailed more with their false exorcismes than hee did with his true Miracles Solomon built and dedicated the T●mple as it were to the perpetuall preservation of the true worship scarce were forty years expired wh●n Jeroboam a private man set up his Idols in Dan and Bethel with such successe that hee withdrew ten Tribes to his Idolatry How violent was Jezabel Ahabs wife in the superstitious maintaining of Paal that not onely did she extinguish both the people and worship of God but also so terrified Elijah who could procure fire from heaven that he was forced to leave his station and in his exile to wish for death whom notwithstanding God had purposed to honour by carrying him up to heaven in a fiery chariot There is nothing more plaine then that they who wickedly in ice men to superstition are for the most part more active and successefull then those who are the builders up of true Religion This bad successe in Religion proceeds from the multitude themselves whose property it is to be led rather by opinion then by knowledge and to give their assent before they make triall although envious men dia not sow tares in the night yet the earth would produce thornes by reason of the ancient curse although there were no inventers or teachers of superstition yet the vaine multitude would devise to it selfe some superstitious worship This calamity proceeds not from the want of truth but from Gods just judgements For as Adams sinne hath made the earth more apt to produce of its own accord tares then all the industry of man can to bring forth good fruite Even so the old Serpent is more prevalent in bewitching mens mindes with superstition then the fellow labourers of the Holy Ghost in propagating the true Religion There was never any Age or Country of the world which hath not had some time experience of this Yet this was never more plainly seen then under the great Antichrist whom Paul foretold should bee armed with all deceiveablenesse 2 Thess 2. that he might intice such to beleeve lies that were carelesse to beleeve the truth Never was there any since the creation more guilty of this then the Bishop of Rome who whilst hee obtrudes upon the people a hodge-podge of superstition prevailes more with them then the Prophets and Apostles by their true Religion and Miracles For these even Peter himselfe * And the rest of the Apostles could doe no more but undergoe torments and ignominy and at last lay down their tortured lives but he on the other side being armed with superstition and pretending Peters name and chaire mounted up to such a height that being honoured with three Crownes two swords and the spoyles of all Princes he exalts himselfe above all worldly Potentates and all such as are called Gods sitting in the Temple of God and pretending the Church doth so bewitch men that hee whom they see call and cry out to bee wicked a lyar a falsifyer doe notwithstanding beleeve him to hee the patron and judge of Religion Such is the force of perswasion arising from superstition that men see not what they see and beleeve they see what they see not as if they were inchanted Hence it is not to bee wondred at that the whole company of such cheaters arme themselves with their own superstition when they have a minde to deceive which like poyson as easily invades mens mindes and taints them as a tauny colour doth those who remaine a while in the Sunne which insensibly and suddenly comes upon them before they knew it came This corruption is not to be found onely in popery but among Protestants also whose mindes being puffed up with the desire of ruling and counting the simplicity of the Apostolicall Church sordid they will rather rule then obey So that they place the sanctity of Religion not in Gods Word not in Faith nor in the profession thereof nor in any other reall worship but in the right and ministry of handling these things so that not onely in their Theses but in full Volumnes they declaime for the sanctity of government perswading the people with all the might they can that the whole dressing of Church government at this day is of such spiritualitie that the politicall Magistrate as being carnall must bee totally separated from it Hence may Ministers with ease hereafter withdraw their necks in Church-affaires from the power of the Magistrate and then indirectly insult over and prescribe Laws to the secular powers This new guise of Popery our famous Vaedelius foreseeing did publish a Book concerning The Episcopacy of Constantine the Great in which hee hath written of the right of Magistrates in Church-affaires at this day but with such circumspection that no moderate man can be moved much lesse angred thereat for hee feared as he intimated in his Preface lest the restlesse minds of contentious Church-men should be incensed and now it was supposed that he had incurred their displeasure but the book being in every mans hand and approved by the testimony of D. Macovius and Rivet it seemed to bee out of all danger of malice But the case was suddenly altered and our Vedelius was molested not by neighbours but by transmarin strangers from Zeland For one William Apollonius did not onely spit in his face but also pisse in his ashes This man being