Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A54721
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The vvay to heaven most clearly discovered and the manner how to walk in this way exactly described. With a brief vindication of the Church of England against all her enemies. By Nicholas Philips, late chaplain to his Majesty's garrison in the Isles of Silly.
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Phillips, Nicholas.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing P2038; ESTC R213941
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16,756
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24
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on till she return thither again And a true Israelite when he hath with King Solomon tryed all the things in the world pleasures riches honour will in the end conclude with him that all worldly things are vanity and vexation of Spirit And that there is no true content nothing that can satisfie a mans mind no hope of Salvation to be had any where but in the true Ark of Gods Church 3. Damnable is the estate and on the very brink of hells pit are the feet of those Factious and Schismatical Spirits who out of pride and singularity of heart or because they disgust some of the outward external ceremonies of our Church forsake the Society of the faithful separate themselves from the lawful allowed Church assembly and repair to Conventicles and private meetings where having no lawful allowed priests to officiate they cannot have the word of God sincerely Preached nor the Sacraments rightly administred according to Christs Ordinance for though it be granted lawful for private persons within the limits of their own family to open and expound the Scripture according to their talent yet he who without a lawful call and mission shall presume in a publick Congregation to handle and expound the word Though he handle it never so well and expound it never so truely yet doth he not preach nor is his Doctrine sufficiently qualified for the Salvation of Souls For how can they Preach except they be sent demands the Apostle Rom. 10.15 proving most plainly by this his interrogative that effectual Preaching such as is sufficiently qualified for the Salvation of Souls is the proper work of the Ministry of those that are lawfully Called and Sent forth to execute this publique function in the Church And no man as saith the Apostle Heb. 5.4 may take this hence to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron i.e. unless he have as Aaron had not only an inward call and inclination of the Spirit but also an outward one and a solemn ordination to the sacred function 4. Since there is no Salvation to be had out of the Church and the Lord addeth daily unto the Church such as shall be saved Oh how infinitely are they bound to be thankful unto God and alwayes to praise and bless his holy name who find themselves to be placed in the state of Salvation or made visible Members of the holy Catholick Church for it is not by their own natural inclination nor by the care or piety either of their natural or spiritual Fathers though these be good helps and means that men are placed in the state of Salvation and added to the Church but by the exceeding goodness mercy and grace of God And it is as saith my third position the Lord that daily adds unto the Church such as shall be saved God is the principal agent in the great work of mens Salvation he is the Author and Finisher of our Faith the beginner and perfecter of every good work yea he that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure as saith the Apostle Phil. 2.13 Rebecca may look the Venison but it is Isaac that must give the blessing Paul may plant and Apollo may water but it is God that gives the increase He he it is who perswades wild Japhet to come and dwell in the tents of gentle Sem that being men as the Apostle phraseth it that were born Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Strangers and Forreigners to become fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God Now this work of mans regeneration of his being begotten a new in the Gospel and added to the Church God works not extroardinarily by miracle but ordinarily by means And the ordinary means which God makes use of for the perfecting of this great work we may find here in this Chapter by the means which he used for the making of this great addition to the Church of 3000 Souls to be the word preached faith to apprehend and belive it and baptism to confirm and Seal it These primitive Converts had the word preached unto them by Saint Peter And being convicted in their Consciences of the Truth of it they believ'd it And applying themselves to Saint Peter and the rest of the Apostles for advice what to do that they might be saved they were prescribed by them the baptism of repentance for the remission of their sins Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus for the remission of sins v. 38. And they as it is testified v. 41. thankfully embraced his advice gladly received his word were immediately baptized and on that very day there was an addition made unto the Church of no less than 3000 Souls And of these initiating grounding Ordinances and Graces I would more largely discourse but that I remember you are persons who being born of Christian Parents and within the pale of the Church are already by Baptism added to the Church and made visible Members thereof and therefore it is more seasonable and necessary to shew you the way and means which you must be careful to use if you will keep your selves in the Church and the State of Salvation and this if you will do you must take these Primitive Christians here at the 42. v. for your pattern For they being by Baptism added to the Church continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and breaking of Bread and in Prayer And of these Four precious preservative confirming Christian Duties I shall now by Gods gracious assistance orderly discourse And first of the Apostles Doctrine By the Doctrine of the Apostles is here signified that form of sound Doctrine concerning Christ and his being the true Messiah promised unto the Fathers which the blessed Apostles first viva voce in their Sermons and Harangues delivered unto the people and afterwards for the instruction of the Church unto the worlds end wrote in their Gospels and Epistles This contains in it all things necessary unto Salvation both as to the credenda and what we are to believe and to the agenda and what we are to do And he who being by Baptism received into and added to the Militant Church on earth receives nothing as an Article of Faith and recessary to be believed but what can immediately be induced out of the holy Scriptures and who in matters of Obedience resigns up himself wholly to the practice of those Rules and Directions which are given us in the wholesom words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine which is according to Godliness shall not fail in due time to be made a glorious Member of the Church Triumphant in Heaven And able are holy Scriptures to make a man wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus as it is written 2 Tim. 3.15 Surely he who to Heaven will be directed aright must neither be guided by the false fire of the Conclave or the Conventicle must neither
in which they may all safely joyn and unto which they may all chearfully say Amen Prayer is indeed a Duty unto the performance of which God hath oft in Scripture made promise of Salvation but no Prayers are so acceptable unto him or so pleasant with him as are publick and common prayers And never are his ears so open to hear nor his mercy so ready to grant requests as when he is called upon in the voice of his Church and all the Congregation of the faithful joyn together in prayer with one Accord as did the Apostles Acts 1.14 when with one voice and one heart with one mouth and with one mind with the same words and the same Spirit they presented their Supplications unto him And though some of our Priests who are more observant of the Peoples humour than of the Constitutions of the Church and seek rather to gain applause to themselves than glory to their God use according to the Geneva Mode a private spirited Prayer of their own conception in the publick Congregation before their Sermon yet in so doing they not only cross the practice of the primitive Church which never allowed any thing to be said before the Sermon but the Lords Prayer or gemina Salutatio but also the Orders and Constitutions of our National Church which instead of allowing any such thing expresly forbids it in her 55 Canon no private spirited prayer then being allowed to be used in our Church no such Prayer can be used without wilful and manifest contempt and disobedience which as we are assured 1 Sam. 15.22 will mar the best of Sacrifices and make them unacceptable unto God And as no Prayers ought to be said in the publick Congregation but the Apostles Prayer the Churches Prayer Common-Prayer so in the performance of this Duty we must be stedfast and permanent and with these primitive Christians continue stedfastly in prayer And surely such an Apostolical such a primitive such a religious way of serving God doth our Church prescribe in her Liturgy that she endeavours to make our whole Life Angelical and Divine for it not only prescribes a Form of Prayer to be used on Sundays and Holydays but a Form to be used on every day of the week And the Curate that ministreth in every particular Church or Chappel of this Nation is bound by the Rubris of the Church daily Morning and Evening to say Common Prayer in the Church wherein he Ministreth To be the Lords Remembrancer daily morning and evening to mind him of the peoples wants and to intercede for them is what ever the world thinks of it the chief and principal part of the Priestly office But alas such Priests are here now a days as rare to be found as black swans And the world had not more cause of old to complain of unpreaching Ministers than she has now of unministring Preachers most Ministers contenting themselves with a single preachment on the Lords day altogether neglecting the principal parts of their Priests office daily morning and evening to offer up unto God the Prayers and Praises of the Church in behalf of the people I know the Priests are wont to lay the fault on the People and to say that they will not come to joyn with them in Prayer on the week days and the People again retort it back upon the Priests and say that they will not be constant and continue in the practise of this duty But to speak truth to the shame of both parties it is from the profaness and impiety the worldliness and wickedness that now a days harbours in the hearts both of Pastor and People that this Heavenly imployment is altogether neglected amongst us and men can find time for the doing of any thing rather than the service of God But let him go what ever he be both for a worldly and a wicked one too who thinks he can make better use of his time than to bestow it upon God and his service or that any part of his time is better spent than that which is spent in his house in Prayer and Praises A man may I grant build a Church in his bosom and serve God in his heart though he never cloath his thoughts with words and he doth so whenever with holy Hannah he prayeth silently in his heart unto God A man may build a Church at his beds side and he doth so whenever he doth humbly prostrate himself in prayer before God A man may make a Church of his House and he doth so as oft as he there with his Family offers up the Sacrifice of Prayer and Praise unto God But oh it is the highest exaltation the noblest Devotion of a truly pious Soul when it praiseth God in his Sanctuary praiseth him in the Congregation of his Saints and he is with David Psal 122.1 Even ravished with joy and gladness whenever he is called upon to go into the House of the Lord to perform this Pray pray pray my beloved Brethren always in all places and upon all occasions but by no means neglect ye the publick Prayers of the Church Carry always about within you good thoughts and pious meditations and live ye holily and well so shall you make a Temple of your bodies and have always a Church within you Govern well your own families and bring up your Children and Servants in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and let the Burnt offering of prayer and praise be daily Morning and Evening offered up there so shall you always dwell in Hallowed ground and have with Philemon a Church at home in your own house But O let your feet never fail to to tread Gods Courts and to frequent his house of prayer when ever publick common Prayer though nothing else be said there so shall you manifest your selves to be Gods menial and houshold servants and shall not fail to partake of the blessings which he hath promised Psal 84.5 to those that dwell in his house and are always praising him Gloria in excelsis Deo FINIS