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	run_v	34	3	6.2159	4	false

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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

by dogs and swine from whence the meaning of Christ may be plainely thus set downe Giue not that which is holy c. that is haue regard how to whom ye dispense the word and sacraments and if any person be openly conuicted of obstinate enmitie to your doctrine to such publish not my worde be they dogs in railing or swine in senslesse contemning and scorning of the same The Vses 1. Hence wee may see what course is to be vsed of Gods ministers in the preaching dispēsing of his holy word they must first preach publish the word of God to al men without exception grace must be offered to all good and badde then they must obserue what fruite and effect the word hath with them whether it worke reformation of life in them or not and though as yet they see not that fruit thereof in them yet they must not condemne them as dogs but rather waite and pray for their conuersion to see if at any time God will giue them repentance according as Saint Paul chargeth Timothie 2. Tim. 2. 25. Thirdly hauing waited for their conuersion he must labour to conuince their very conscience of the truth which they in heart and life denie so as he may say with Paul If our Gospel be hid it is hidde to them that perish 2. Cor. 4. 3. but if after all this they giue euident signes of malicious and obstinate enmitie against the word scorning and rayling on the doctrine of God and on the ministers thereof then are they to be cast out by the Church and to be accounted as dogges and to be barred from the word of life till they repent This was Christs owne practise toward the Iewes at the first he preached vnto them the Gospel of the kingdome by Iohn Baptist in his owne person and by his Disciples but when as he saw some of them maliciously obstinate then he propounded his doctrine vnto them in parables vnto them that they might be hardened in sinne and after expounded the same priuately to his Disciples The Disciples likewise after the ascension of Christ preached still vnto the Iewes euen when they were persecuted by them but at length when as they saw that of obstinate malice they oppugned the truth putting it from them and iudging themselues vnworthie eternall life then they turned to the Gentiles Act. 13. 46. Now in this that hath beene said we may note two things first the long suffering and great patience of God that will not haue a sinner liuing in the Church condemned till he haue brought him through all the meanes of his conuersion and till he be past hope Thus he dealt with the old world expecting their repentance an hundred and twentie yeares whereunto he then called them by the preaching of Noah Gen. 6. Secondly hereby we must learne to moderate our iudgements concerning wicked men a man must not be condemned for a dogge or for a swine till he giue euident signes of obstinate malice and wilfull contempt of the word and vntill he doe euen conuict himselfe to be such a one by a wilfull contempt of the meanes of his saluation This serues to shew their rashnesse and indiscretion that condemne our Church for no Church and our people for no people of God iudging them for dogges and swine when as they haue not yet conuicted them of obstinate malice in sinne or error It will be said they haue admonished them by writing I answer that their owne bookes haue more errors in them then they doe hold whome they admonish and so their writings can be no sufficient conuiction Secondly here obserue that men become dogges and swine by their wilfull repelling that holy doctrine of God which should purge them and make them cleane It is the naturall propertie of a dog to returne to his vomit and of a swine to his wallowing in the mire as the prouerbe is and hereof they can by no meanes be bereaued And all men by nature returne to the vomit and filth of their sinnes like dogs swine and they which will by no meanes suffer thēselues to be drawen from their old sinnes they haue these properties of dogges swinerand looke as those beasts were excluded the Lords tabernacle congregation vnder the law so are these men debarred from the word sacraments and all holy things vnder the Gospel they are an abhomination vnto the Lord see Psal. 56. 6. and Psal. 50. 16. In this regard we are to be admonished to suffer our selues to be clensed and reformed by the word of God Ye are cleane saith Christ by the word which I haue spoken vnto you Ioh. 15. 3. where he maketh the word of God the instrument of our purification to which effect he saith in his praier to his father Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth Ioh. 17. 17. And Saint Peter saith our soules are purified in obeying the truth by the spirit 1. Pet. 1. 22. Now we are by nature dogges and swine inclined to the filth of our own sinnes returning thereto with greedines neither can we of our selues be broken of this property but when occasion is offered we doe naturally runne to our old sinnes as the swine and dogges doe to their filth and vomit In consideration whereof we ought to subiect our selues to the word of God labouring to see and feele our owne vncleannesse and to crie with Dauid Wash me throughly from my sinnes and with Peter Not my feete onely but my whole bodie that so it may be said of ●s We are cleane throughout by Christs word If we see any vncleannes in our hearts or liues we must purge it out by this word and returne no more to the filth of our former sinnes It is the propertie of Christs sheepe to heare his voice and to obey the same let vs hereby testifie our solues to be his sheepe that so we may be distinguished from dogges and swine Here it may be demanded whether we should make confession of our faith before dogges and swine Ans. Yes if we be called thereunto we are bound to doe it ●e alwaies readie saith the Apostle to giue an answer to euery man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you 1. Pet. 3. 15. And in this place our Sauiour Christ speaketh of the p●●ading and dispensing of the word not of confession Now in preaching men acknowledge the word to belong vnto their hearers but in confession they declare the word to belong vnto themselues alone Further here we are to consider diuer● points concerning Excommunication First the foundation thereof It is an ordinance of God for all dogges and swine by Christs commandement must be kept from holy things ● many that liue in the Church are open 〈◊〉 of the name of Christ● some others 〈◊〉 heret●●●es and these ●●●●wi●e are to be barred from the word and sacraments yea a man liuing in the Church may be worse in practise then an open