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	magistrate_n	21	3	7.1789	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09432	A godly and learned exposition of Christs Sermon in the Mount: preached in Cambridge by that reuerend and iudicious diuine M. William Perkins. Published at the request of his exequutors by Th. Pierson preacher of Gods word. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table: one, of speciall points here handled; the other, of choise places of Scripture here quoted	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1608 (1608)	STC 19722; ESTC S113661	587,505	584

dealt Satan with Eue he made shewe that hee had some good thing to tell her whereby their state might be bettered but it turned to theirs and our destructiō So did the foure hundred false Prophets of Baal contrarie to the true Prophet Michaiah prophecie good successe to Ahab in his war against the Aramites but his harkning to them cost him his life And so dealt Hananie with the Iewes when they were besieged by the King of Babels armie contrarie to Ieremies counsell he prophecied peace and safetie but it turned both to his owne and to their destruction Ier. 28. 1 2. c. The 7. pretence is boldnesse and constancie in suffering for their opinions for a man in obstinacie may liue and die for errour as well as the childe of God may doe for the truth Constancie in opinion is no sure note whereby to iudge a true Prophet for many heretikes haue suffered death confidently for the maintenance of their damnable heresies Thus we see the pretences of false Prophets now hereto wee must adde this second point to wit that for all this they bee but wolues because by their damnable doctrine they seeke to poison and corrupt the soules of simple men If it be said they haue no such intent they themselues thinke it to be the truth I answer that may be true in some but this cleareth them not from beeing wolues for the deuill that hath deluded them who is their Lord and master doth by them dangerously delude and deceiue the simple The Vse 1. Considering this danger of false Prophets we must practise Christs lesson Mat. 10. 16. Be simple as doues that is bee innocent and harmelesse thinking euill of none neither intending euil or offence to any in thought word or deede and yet we must be wise as serpents who haue great subtiltie in sauing and defending their head from harme so must euery one that lookes to be saued labour for so much wisedome whereby hee may preserue himselfe from the hurt of false prophets Now the beginning of this wisedome is to feare God in hi● word beleeuing his promises obeying his commandements The true feare of God is not without knowledge and therefore euery one must labour to be instructed in the principles of religion for without knowledge we cannot feare God and so shall want true wisdome to eschew false Prophets II. In that the false teacher by so many faire shewes seekes to bring in false doctrine it is euery mans dutie in his place to labour to preserue wholesome doctrine and the puritie of true religion This dutie is necessary for we must be as forward for the truth as the enemie is for falshood and doe as much for God as they doe for the deuill Againe no poyson is more deadly to the body then false doctrine 〈◊〉 to the soule therefore seeing God hath long blessed vs with his truth let vs esteeme it aboue all outward blessings and by seeking to preserue the puritie thereof shew our selues thankfull to God for the same Verse 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits do men gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles This verse those which follow to the 21. containe the third point which Christ laieth down concerning false prophets namely the means whereby we may discerne and iudge of them And herein he obserueth this order First he giues vs a notable rule to direct vs in iudging of false prophets Ye shall know them by their fruits Secondly hee explanes the same rule by a similitude drawne from trees Doe men gather grapes of thornes c. For the rule that we may vnderstand it the better wee are to search what is meant by the fruits of false Prophets A false Prophet must bee considered two waies First as he is a man taking vpon him the name profession of Christ for so false Prophets vse to do and secondly as he is a false prophet in both these respects hee hath his fruits As he is a man taking vpon him the profession of Christs religion hee may bring forth many outward duties of external obedience vnto the moral law but these fruits are not here meant for a false Prophet may dissemble much goe farre in the outward duties of religion so as he cannot be discerned by his generall profession or by the works of his ciuil conuersatiō There be other fruits which come frō him as he is a false prophet by them must he be discerned these therefore are to be considered Now we shall know them the better by searching out the fruits of a true Prophet 〈◊〉 he is a man of God appointed to teach Gods people The fruits of a true Prophet be principally three I. He teacheth and preacheth in the name of God by vertue of calling from God and otherwise dares not presume to teach Rom. 10. 14. How shall he teach vnlesse he be sent and the author to the Hebrewes saith Christ tooke not the honour of beeing the high Priest and Prophet of the Church to himselfe but was called thereto by his father Heb. 5. 5. And this stands with reason for euery true Prophet and teacher stands in Gods roome and is Gods embassadour to deliuer his will to his people which thing none can doe but he whome God calleth and sendeth for that purpose Yet the calling of Prophets and teachers by God is diuers Some are called by voice from God immediatly as were Abraham Moses and Samuel and all the Apostles in the new Testament by the immediate voice of Christ for Paul was called by the voice of Christ from heauen Act. 9. 4 5 6. Againe others haue their calling from God by the speciall message of some Angel or some men Thus was Aaron called by Moses Elisha by Elias and Philip by an Angel to preach to the Eunuch Act. 8. 26. Thirdly others be called by the instinct and motion of Gods spirit so Act. 8. Philip was by ordinarie calling a Deacon but by extraordinarie instinct he became an Euangelist and a preacher of the Gospel for the building of Gods Church These three kinds of calling men into the ministerie were extraordinarie and are now ceased and not to be looked for neither are they to be regarded which say they are thus called at this day A fourth way whereby God now calleth Prophets and teachers into his Church is by his Church for God hath giuen to particular Churches a particular ministeriall power and seruice whereby they may designe a place vnto the teacher and also make manifest that God hath called him Now this authoritie is but ministeriall to designe and manifest whome God hath called for the principall calling is from God for Act. 20. 28. the Elders of the Church of Ephesus are said to be made ouerseers by the holy Ghost when as they were designed thereto by men And by one of these foure waies are all true Prophets and Teachers called Here some may demaund what kind of calling

lewdnesse nor frowardnesse in them yea the Law of the Lord is perfect his statutes are right and his iudgements true and righteous altogether Now the consideration of this integritie and perfection of the law and word of God must mooue vs to studie the Scriptures with great diligence so saith our Sauiour Christ Search the Scriptures that is shake and sift them as the word signifieth search narrowely till the true force and meaning of euery sentence yea of euery word and sillable nay of euery letter and iotte therein bee knowne and vnderstood conferre place with place the scope of one place with another things going before with things that come after yea compare word with word letter with letter and search it throughly This manner of studying the Scripture is most necessarie as beeing the thing indeede which preserueth and vpholdeth the Church of God and the puritie of religion for about foure or fiue hundred years agone men left off to studie the Bible after this sort and betooke themselues to the writings of men occupying their wits wholly in vaine quid●ities in Philosophie and in hid mysteries of Diuinitie by which meanes it came to passe that Poperie and Apostacie from the truth spread it selfe ouer the world for many hundred yeares together Afterward God of his meere mercie put into the hearts of some men to bee carefull searchers in the word of God by which meanes the truth appeared as light out of darkenesse Thus God stirred up Luther about the yeare of our Lord 1517. who by diligent search in the Scripture and especially by serious meditation with praier vpon these words of the Apostle Roman 3. 21. That now by the Gospel without the Law the Iustice of God is made manifest did finde that by the perfect obedience of Christ our iustification was wrought and thereupon began to maintaine and professe Iustification before God to be free through and by faith in Christ onely without helpe from the works of the law against the doctrine of the Church of Rome and so by further diligence and industrie in the Scripture the truth of God shone forth more and more Let all men but especially Students in diuinitie consider this effect of searching out the Scriptures as a spurre to diligence in this behalfe By this means also errors and heresies are auoyded and suppressed the will of God is plainly reuealed And here by the way we may see how profitable and necessarie the gift of Interpretation is It is a most excellent gift of the spirit pertaining to the Ministerie and therefore most commendable necessarie is the vse thereof in Schooles of Learning Eightly this immutabilitie ascribed to Gods law that euery part thereof shall be accomplished to the full teacheth all Princes and Magistrates not onely to be keepers of Moses law in their owne persons but also within their rule and dominions to doe their best indeauour that the same bee fulfilled and kept by others For this cause did the Lord command that the Prince of his people should haue the Law written before him in a booke to read vpon continually that hee may learne to feare God and to keepe all the words of the Law to doe them and that which is there enioyned vnto Princes belongeth also vnto all Magistrates Masters and Parents within their places and charges they must be carefull to see the whole law of God practised and obeyed both in their owne persons and of those that are vnder them Lastly by this immutabilitie ascribed to the Law wee may learne what it is to fulfill the law namely to keepe and obserue to the full euery particular thing which the law commaunds vs and vpon this wee may ground two conclusions against the Papists First that no man can come to life euerlasting by his owne righteousnesse and obedience for hee that would come to heauen by his owne righteousnesse must be able to fulfill the whole law perfectly in euery respect but since Adams fall no man could keepe the lawe in all things sauing our Sauiour Christ both God and man Secondly that our fulfilling of the law must be in the obedience of Christ for he onely was answerable to the whole law in all things and therefore if we would come to heauen we must not come in our owne righteousnesse but in his as Paul wisheth to be found of God Phil. 3. 8 9. Verse 19. Whosoeuer therefore shall breake one of these least commandements and teach men so he shall bee called least in the kingdome of heauen but whosoeuer shall obserue and teach them the same shall bee called great in the kingdome of heauen Our Sauiour Christ hauing plainely propounded in his Apologie for himselfe the stabilitie and eternitie of the whole law doth here laie downe two notable conclusions for the vpholding thereof 1. Because the Law is immutable and eternall therefore he that breaketh one of the least of the commandements and teacheth men so shall be called least in the kingdome of heauen 2. Because the Law is eternall therefore he that keepes the commandements and teacheth men so shall bee called great in the kingdome of heauen For the first by least commandement he meaneth the precepts of the Morall lawe though in the former verse by Law he vnderstood the whole law in three parts Iudiciall Morall and Ceremoniall And he calleth them litle not simply in regard of themselues as though they were so indeede for in it selfe euery commaundement of God is great and waightie but hee speaketh according to the opinion of the Iewes for the Scribes and Pharises had ordained certaine rites and ceremonies according to the tradition of their Fathers the obseruation whereof they made a greater matter of conscience then the keeping of some of Gods commandements and so esteemed them little Againe saying these least commaundements hee pointeth out what particular commaundements of the Morall law the Iewes esteemed lesse then the traditions of men namely those which afterward he expoundeth in this Chapter touching Murther Adulterie Swearing and the rest for they esteemed not all the commaundements of the law lesser then their traditions Shal be called least in the kingdome of heauen Here Christ sets downe the punishment of a false Prophet which breakes Gods commaundements teacheth men so to wit his base esteeme in the Church of God for the kingdome of God is two-fold the kindome of grace and the kingdome of glorie The kingdome of grace is the societie and companie of Gods faithfull seruantes here on earth The kingdome of glorie is the blessed estate of all the Saints in heauen Now here by kingdome of heauen he meaneth the kingdome of grace which is the militant Church on earth and so Iohn Baptist calleth it Math. 3. 2. Repent and amend for the kingdome of heauen is at hand that is the Church of the old Testament is now abolished and the Church of the new Testament is ready to take place