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	call_v	honour_n	96	3	5.9727	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91809	A looking glasse for the Anabaptists and the rest of the separatists: wherein they may clearly behold a brief confutation of a certain un-licensed, scandelous pamphlet, intituled, The remonstrance of the Anabaptists, by way of vindication of their separation. The impertinancies, incongruities, non-consequences, falsities, and obstinacy of William Kiffen, the author, and grand ring leader of that seduced sect is discovered and laid open to the view of every indifferent eyed reader that will not shut his eyes against the truth. With certaine queries, vindicated from Anabaptisticall glosses, together with others propounded, for the information and conviction, (if possible) the reformation of the said William Kiffen and his prosylites. / By Josiah Ricraft, a well willer to the truth. Published by authority.	Ricraft, Josiah, fl. 1645-1679.	1645 (1645)	Wing R1430; Thomason E299_9; ESTC R200250	22,283	33

in these two things 1. By their ravenous disposition and 2. By their often snarling with their teeth So you shall sinde false Prophets in Sheeps clothing they are alwayes raveming after honours and therefore like Dogs creep into Kings houses that they may be looked upon as followers with the best of the Kings houshould-Servants and ravening after riches to feede in the fairest pastures of a Kingdome crying Give give and therefore run from living to living where they may have the greatest injoyments of the world and 2 ly they will be alwayes snarling with their teeth that is ready to devoure and persecute all that shall in a way that is more holy then their own derogate from their honours and names and fat injoyments in the world I cease to apply this but desire the Lord to give you discerning eyes to see between light and darknesse Thus at present have I given you a breif Answer to your Queries leaving them to the tryall of Truth and you in the perusall of them to the direction of him that leads into all truth ever resting Yours so far as be shall know his duty William Kiffen The Reply FOr your Answer to this my sixt Querie you labour and indeavour to put off from your selfe and the rest of your Teachers those Characters expressed in those Scriptures quoted by passing by all save one and insisting a little upon that by a glosse of your owne and the truth is all the other Scriptures doe so fully decipher you that the verie reading of them without anie comment at all shewes you to be one of those men meant in those Scriptures And if the Reader will take the paines to turne to them he will confesse as much I will but point at two or thrée of them Acts 20.30 Rom. 16.17.18 and 2 Pet 2.1 2 3 17 18 19. For how evident is it that you make it your worke to draw disciples after you and that you serve your owne bely when you could not live on your owne trade contentedly but you must take this course to serve your belly And for your owne description of true Prophets from false which you say Christ compared true Prophets to Sheepe and that it is the nature of Sheepe to feed in the shortest commons It is evident that you and your faction are not silent under your sufferings nor contented with the meanest imployments and shortest commons of this world but seeke to get the best you can and are capable of and that you are not silent under your sufferings witnesse your master whom you served John L●lborne whose railings and revilings against the high Court of Parliament and the Assembly and those two pious and worthie Gentlemen Master Prin and Doctor Bastwicke And for further conviction of you that you are like false Prophets according to your owne description in ravening after honour and riches call to minde the examples of your predecessors recorded so much in many histories as of John of Leyden Munster c. and though some of you now pretend that you will suffer and that you are contented with a meane condition just as the Fox loves no grapes but it is onely then when he cannot reach them but there is alreadie so much discovered of your faction in this kingdome that if they could get anie power in their hands it is evident they would be ravening wolves after the lives and estates of those that are not of their way even as they now raven after the seducing of soules Thus I have done with your replies to my six Queries wherein I have beene the larger that I might give you and your mis-led disciples the more full satisfaction with all the rest of your poore mis-led Anabaptists in England and in so doing it is for truth and not for victorie and I pray God both you and they may more séek peace and love truth then erroneous crueltie I shall advise all of you to studie conscience more then controversies that are above your reach he that hewes above his head makes the chips fall into his owne eies and more to busie your selves at home then abroad in faulting your owne soules rather then the Church of Christ in studying a true constitution or grace in your own hearts rather then in quarrelling at the constitution of our visible Churches so shall you doe lesse harme to others more good to your selves ANd now to shur up all though you have given no satisfaction at all to any one of my six Queries propounded as I have made it to appeare to an capable and impartiall judgement yet that I may bring you to some conviction of your errour and apprehension of the truth I desire you to bestow your most serious and composed thoughts upon these further Queries ensuing and to give me if you are able A bri●fe per●inent rationall resolution to the same without vagaries invectives and improper circumlocutions such as may become a man that hath the use of reason the feare of God and familiar acquaintance with the holy Scriptures Querie 1. Vpon what Scripture ground can you satisfie your conscience that you did not greatly sinne against Christ the Church and your owne soule in leaping from your private secular vocation into a publike Ecclesiasticall office Querie 2. By what authoritie doe you take the honour to your selfe to become Pastor of a Church without proportionall qualifications for that office and regular vocation to that function seeing none may take such honour to himselfe except he be called as was Aaron nor did Iesus Christ glorifie himselfe to be made a High Priest without unction from the Father Heb. 5.4 5 6. Querie 3. How can you chuse but broach errours deceive soules pervert the Scriptures belie the Spirit of God and build abundance of hay stubble and such like trash upon Gods foundation whilest you presume to expound the Scriptures to others your selfe wanting the necessarie helpes of the Originall Tongues wherein the Scripture was written and of the Liberall Arts requisite for the interpreting of everie line in Scripture without which you wholy preach and your followers beléeve by an implicit faith Querie 4. Whether doe not you contract upon your selfe the dreadfull guilt of the blood of all those soules which you have seduced unto or abetted in you Anabaptisticall and schismaticall errors and when Iesus Christ the great Shepheard of the Sheepe shall appeare what will you answer him Querie 5. How can you make it appeare by anie probable colour of Scripture that either our Ministers are false and Antichristian or our Churches false and unchristian as your partie are often vaunting Quetie 6. Whether have not you and the rest of the separation more really and perniciously opposed and retarded the reforming of our Church which you crie downe for her corruption then all the Prelaticall Papisticall Atheisticall opposites of the Antichristian faction and is not this a high offence against the Church of God for which you ought to be déeply humbled Querie 7. By what light of Scripture or sound reason can you oppose the supreme Parliamentarie authoritie in restraining of prophanenesse schisme and heresie in punishing of incorrigible obstinacie in reforming a Church corrupted in protecting a Church reformed and in conveening of an Assemblie of godly Orthodor Ministers to draw up their advice according to the ●ord of God for such ends and purposes and strengthning their determinations with their civill sanction Querie 8. Whether is not the government and discipline of the Church according to the dependant Presbyterian way undoubtedly held forth in the Word of God as Christs New Lestament-government and all other governments méere humane invention or what can you produce out of the Scripture to the contrary Querie 9. What Scripture can you produce which either in expresse termes or by cléere infallible consequence disallowes the baptizing of Infants of one or both faith-professing parents and by what warrant dare you presume to rebaptize any persons whose Infant-baptisme no Scripture condemnes whose rebaptizing no Scripture allowes Querie 10. By what Scripture grounds can you prove that stinted formes of Praise and Prayer to God are simply and absolutely in themselves unlawfull and if they bee not in themselves intrinsecally evill why may not Christians sometimes comfortably use them according to Christian prudence and liberty Love the truth and peace Zach. 8.19 Doe nothing against the truth but for the truth 2 Cor. 13.8 It is the advice of him who although he abhorres your errours yet wisheth well to your soules Iosiah Ricraft FINIS