Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A13216
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Redde debitum. Or, A discourse in defence of three chiefe fatherhoods grounded upon a text dilated to the latitude of the fift Commandement; and is therfore grounded thereupon, because 'twas first intended for the pulpit, and should have beene concluded in one or two sermons, but is extended since to a larger tract; and written chiefely in confutation of all disobedient and factious kinde of people, who are enemies both to the Church and state. By John Svvan.
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Swan, John, d. 1671.
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1640
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STC 23514; ESTC S118031
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127,775
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Ambassadours of Christ and forgetting this the message likewise will bee thought our owne and none of Gods Men will forget that Gods authoritie shineth in us and so the message be set at nought as well as he that brings it Which whil'st the Devill perceiveth he helpeth the world forward what he can in this desperate mischiefe casting a black thick foggie cloud before the bright beautie of their glittering feet who are sent to bring the glad tydings of good things to a wicked and ill-deserving people Wherefore in the second Councell of Matiscon Canon 15. it was strictly ordained that all secular men should doe reverence to the Clergie even to the lowest degree of them whersoever they met them Neither is it but just with God that their profit should little be in the graces of the Spirit who kicke at those by whom his Spirit (*) See the right meaning of this afterwards in Chapter 3. Sect. 2. speaketh Were it so that the hurt went no further then our selves we should make the lesse account of it But seeing by our reproach and infamie the Doctrine which wee teach is greatly hindered and God dishonoured it is our duties to let you see and know the danger of our disgraces This is the cause of all evill sayth Saint Chrysostome that the authoritie of spirituall governours is decayed no reverence Chrysost in 〈◊〉 Epist ad Ti. moth c. 〈◊〉 verse 〈◊〉 no honour no feare is shewed towards them c. which I doe not speake sayth he for their sakes but for your owne And a little after He that honoureth the Priest honoureth God and hee that despiseth the Priest by little and little falleth to this also that he will use reproach against God himselfe But am I not loth to mention what the Heathens have done in this even to the very dispraise of Christians and yet they were led therunto by nothing more then by the light of nature left still in the soule of man Loth I say to mention their actions least the Christians blush at their owne pride which steales away so greedily the honour of their Priests thinking all too little which is given to themselves all too much which is given to them But if they blush it is a signe of Grace I hope as well as guiltinesse And therefore whil'st the knowledge may be profitable let them all know that by that light of nature which is left still in the soules of men and by which the very Heathens have judged that either a God or gods ought to be worshiped they have esteemed their Priests worthie of no meane honour reverence and observation And better is it to learne from these men now then that hereafter they rise up in judgement against you Wherefore let mee mention what is written of the Medes and Persians that they reckoned none fit to weare a Crowne sway the Scepter or bee a King who had not first beene taught the learning of their Magi. Virgil speaks of Anius Aeneid lib. 3. vers 80. that he was both a King and a Priest Rex Anius Rex idem hominum Phoebique Sacerdos In Aegpt sayth Plato alledged by Saravia it was not lawfull for a King to command without the Priesthood Strabo in one place sayth Strab. lib. 12. Alexand ab Alexandro lib. 2. c. 8. Strab. lib. 17. that the chiefe Priests of Bellona's Temple though subject to their King were twice in a yeare to be are the Diademe And in another place that the Priests were conversant and of councell with the Kings Nerodot in â—â—terp Herodotus and Diodorus testifie that they had their Ordinary from the King which agreeth to that of Moses in Gen. 47.22 witnessing that the King of Aegypt provided for the Priests and would not that Ioseph should meddle with their lands Which cannot but be a condemnation to all them who neglect the true Ministers of Gods word as some have noted upon that Text. In a word Alexand. ab Alexandro lib. 2. c. 8. such was their honour that as from the Philosophers they chose their Priests so out of their Priests they chose or made their Kings And againe to looke among other Nations the first Kings of the Romans were Priests The Emperours afterwards would be Pontifices Maximi Tull. lib. 2. De legih And the Augurs sayth Tullie were chiefe in the Common-werle The Flamines and other Priests were of no meane account Caes com lib. 6. Here also with Us and in France the Druides were of great esteeme among the chiefe ranks of honour To which also adde that our Auncestours of latter times accounted none to be Milites legitimi who had not first offered their swords upon the Altar and received their consecration to the trade of warre from the Bishop or Priest of their place B. Hall which is also a cause why it still is that some orders of Knighthood sayth one are held religious And indeed seeing all Nobilitie came at the first from the Pen or the Pike Dr. Boyse that is from Learning or Chivalrie as another speaketh there is a plea for the Scholler as well as the Souldier and consequently for the Divine and for him chiefely in his profession above the rest because Divinitie is the most excellent no other studie or profession being fit to be compared with it But if all this bee able to move you nothing cast I beseech you your eyes from hence to a better light to the sacred sheetes of holy Scripture and there observe what Gods Spirit hath recorded And first I shall shew you that the Iewes were esteemed to murâ—â—urre against the Lord yea and to despise the Lord when they murmured against Moses and Aaron and made but a small account of those his servants For so you may read in Exod. 16.7 Numb 16.11 1 Sam. 8.8 and chap. 26.9 And to Samuel saith God They have not despised thee but mee Esay 57. Ezek. 3.7 Luke 10.16 And in the Prophecies of Esay and Ezekiel 't is recorded that whil'st the people jeered at the Prophets they reproached God Christ also taketh the wrong done to his Messengers as done to himselfe For who hath not heard it that who so despiseth us that bee sent despiseth Christ and if Christ bee despised then also God For hee that despiseth you sayth our Saviour despiseth mee and hee that despiseth mee despiseth him that sent me As on the contrary he that receiveth you receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me as it is in Luke 10.16 and in Math. 9.41 Hee that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall have a Prophets reward And in the 1. Cor. 14.1 it is the Doctrine of Saint Paul that men esteeme of their Ministers as of the Ambassadours of Christ And in another place 1 Thes 5.12 Know them sayth he which labour among you and are over you in the Lord. Which knowledge hee also explaineth and *
but of peace and order The seventh and last is the envious hearer not so much against the Priest as against his neighbour Ye may easily know him for he sits like a malecontent very sad and sorrowfull as if he were a deafe man and heard not untill he thinketh that the Preacher hath a speciall ayme at some one or other whom he himselfe hateth upon thought of which he cheeres up his spirits begins to looke like a willing hearer and is exceeding well content to drinke up with greedinesse such a passage thinking it no small happinesse to have his eares blessed with the vineger and gall of that particular But if this be hearing I am much deceived Luk. 8.8.18 For he that hath an care to heare saith our Saviour let him heare yea and take heed likewise how he heareth Not turne aside and stop his eare for then he doth not heare at all Nor heare as himselfe pleaseth for then he hears amisse But heare as he ought that thereby he may heare indeed and so at the last he shall be one day taken to that happy and joyfull place of seeing yea and sing that song Psal 48.8 As we have heard so have we seene in the City of our God SECT III. THis therefore brings mee unto a third thing propounded viz. That the people obey as well as heare The obedience is two-fold Deut. 30.14 Heb. 13.17 concerning Doctrine and Government 1. That of Doctrine is first and is no more but the submitting unto and practising of what their Pastors teach them For except it manifestly appeare Ezek. 33.31 that the Doctrine delivered be false thou art bound to reverence to receive it and to obey it as the word of God Jam. 1.17 Yea though the preacher have much out of humane writers and ancient Fathers for what saying soever is agreeable to the word of God and fitly applyed is to be received as the word because if it be truth it must needs come downe from God who is the fountaine 1 Cor. 4.7 not only of every perfect gift but of every good gift For what good is there in man which he hath not received To which purpose Saint Austin speaking of such truths as are many times delivered even by Philosophers themselves saith Aug. de Doct. Christ lib. 2. Si quae vera Philosophi dixerunt ab eis sunt tanquam ab injustis possessoribus vendicanda in usum nostrum meaning that what truths soever Philosophers have spoken are to be taken from them into our use as from unjust possessours Nay further should the life of the Minister distaste thee yet flye not his doctrine For when the wicked Scribes and Pharisees satin Moses his chaire Math. 23.2.3 they said but did not In which case it was Christs owne advice That what they taught should bee observed but what they did should be avoided Dicunt enim quae Dei sunt faciunt quae sua sunt Aug. contra liter as Petil l. 2. c. 6. as Saint Austin speaketh Whereto I adde that an Eagles eye anâ— an Adders eare are badly chosen for who is there among the sonnes of Men that can acquit himselfe from humane frailties But why doe I talke of frailties The world especially in looking on us is not so charitable as to put a difference between grosse offences and infirmities Nay should we live like Angels Math. 10.24.25 or like Christ himselfe there would not bee wanting some or other to traduce us If we suffer not our selves to be defrauded but seeke for our owne we are accounted covetous and seeke not you but yours although in this we doe but call you backe from that blacke sinne of foule Sacriledge wherein you doe not so much rob us as God Malac. 3.8 Or if we will not suffer our selves to be contemned we are proud and ambitious although in this God's honour and the dignity of our callings be defaced Or if we endeavour to have things rectified that be amisse we are accounted busie and troublesome although in this we goe about to discharge the duties of our places For thus can the world extract something out of nothing and multiply molehils into mountaines concerning the steps of our proceedings I excuse not all but rather teach you to be cautelous and well advised in accusing those who bee your Pastours Nor doe I thinke all to be free from scandalous living Howbeit even in this sport not with accursed Cham at your Fathers nakednesse but rather pray with the Church that both by our life and doctrine we may set forth God's true and lively word and rightly and duly administer his holy Sacraments For indeed they preach most who live best and why is that but because such is the nature of fraile mortall men that they are more prone to be led by example than by precept howbeit our Saviours rule directeth otherwise as a little before hath been declared Let it therefore be that you heare and not only so Math. 7.26 Jam. 1.22.24 but that ye heare and doe For he that heareth and doeth not is like unto him who built his house upon the sands or like unto one who beholdeth his naturall face in a glasse who when he hath considered himselfe goes his way and forgets immediately what manner of one he was Therefore be ye hearers of the word Rom. 2.13 and not hearers only but doers also for not the hearers of the Law but the doers shall be justified Deut. 7.12.13 Or as it is in Deuteronomy If thou hearken to my Lawes and observe them then the Lord shall keepe with thee his covenant he shall love thee and blesse thee Nor againe may the nature of the Doctrine distaste thee For in case thou hadst rather have sugar than salt honey than gall oyle than vineger liberty than restraint know that God hath sent his Spirit to rebuke the world of sinne Iohn 16.8 And therefore being reproved out of the word of God neither despise nor murmure but rather remember your obedience shew your thankfulnesse acknowledge your sinnes bewaile your iniquities abstaine from your wickednesse Heb. 3.8 â—8 slack not your conversion nor put it off from day to day lest by delaying your danger be past recovery Ye may vow perhaps to sacrifice your Minister upon the unsanctified Altar of your owne scorne for speaking as you thinke too home unto your soules But doe ye not know that obedience was preferred in a farre better sacrifice than this and rebellion branded withan hellish marke It is divellish sure to disobey 1 Sam. 19.22.23 Disobedience is coupled to the sinne of witchcraft And in Physicke ye also know it is not required that it should please but rather that it should helpe and heale Wherefore although the word to flesh and blood be not tooth some yet let it suffice that in it selfe 't is wholesome For conclusion therefore with that of Saint Bernard and that of Saint Hierom let