Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	abase_v	apostle_n	objection_n	20	3	10.1928	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85315	Stablishing against shaking: or, A discovery of the Prince of Darknesse (scarcely) transformed into an angel of light, powerfully now working in the deluded people called, Quakers: with a sober answer to their railings against ministers for receiving maintenance from their people. Being the substance of one sermon preached Feb. 17. 1655. at Shalford in Essex. / By Giles Firmin (pastour of the church there) upon occasion of the Quakers troubling those parts.	Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.	1656 (1656)	Wing F967; Thomason E885_13; ESTC R202074	45,528	65

be Mercurius one of their gods Well he answers am I so rude but examine me in my knowledge consider me in all things that are requisite to an Apostle and so if I have not manifested my self in all things to be a true one The same we say to these Quakers and all others if by their knowledge and all things else requisite to Ministers or Apostles if there be any more to come for they tell us they are sent out with an Apostolicall spirit they can manifest themselves to us to be Ministers or Apostles we will listen to them but by all we can finde in their Books they scarce appear to be rationall men 2. The second Objection was the humility of his person ver 7. he abased himself wrought with hands taught the Gospel freely To this he answers you need not object this against me for my humiliation was but your exaltation for I spared you but how then maintained by other Churches ver 8 9. the Churches of Macedonia supplied my wants But as for you I have not been burdensome to you neither will I be ver 9. to the end In the Regions of Achaia none shall stop me of this boasting which he confirms with a kinde of an oath as Calvin Piscator Weinrichius and others judge of the words As the truth of Christ is in me ver 10. as I am a true Minister of Christ or let me not be esteemed to have any truth To be sure this is more than Yea yea and Nay Which the Quakers make so much use of But why will you take no maintenance of us it is because you doe not love us ver 11. So my enemies may suggest to you I love the Macedonians but not you But this is not so God knowes he appeals to God this is more than Yea yea again True here is a weighty case why Paul useth these expressions But why then will you not c I will give you the reason in v. 12. because first I would cut off occasion that is should I take maintenance of all Churches my enemies your false teachers would tell you that all my preaching is but for money profit but now they cannot say so for I take nothing of you Again your false teachers they glory that they teach freely they require nothing of you no more doe I nor will I in the regions of Achaia Now you have the Reasons Before I goe any further I have here as fit a place as I could desire I did not think of it when I chose my Text but I see Providence hath fitted a place for me to take up that great clamour which with one mouth all the Quakers make against the Ministery I must name them all if any for all their Books are full of it and with the Quakers the Separatists we are no true Ministers but why we teach not the Gospel freely as did the Apostles we preach for hire divine for money we are covetous and much of this strain divers of their pages have little else but this kinde of stuffe Thus the silly Women told me in the Church I was a Hireling c. To all these I answer 1. False teachers may and have preached freely then be sure free teaching could not prove us to be true Ministers Yet the Quakers teach not freely for at one Towne by me I hear that one of these Quakers had about five pounds gathered for him besides his entertainment This is plain from the Apostle here in ver 12. for the false teachers did glory in this and therefore Paul he would teach freely to Corinth and be even with them in glorying Thus Parnell who tells us he is sent from Christ if any man could believe him but the youth thinks others have as few brains as himselfe he teacheth freely and well he may but this doth not prove him to be a true Teacher nor none of his Sect or any other Sect whatever but he is a false teacher though a free teacher as were these but Teacher is a word he deserves not 2. It is false that All the Apostles taught freely and wrought to maintain themselves This is plain 1 Cor. 9.6 in which Chap. the Apostle proves by no lesse than seven Arguments that the Ministers may take maintenance ver 14. speaks as fully as can be being the winding up of his arguments Even so hath the Lord ordained c. Here is an Ordinance from heaven for the maintenance of right Gospel-Preachers if the authority of the LORD who made it be as good as the authority of the Quakers and Separatists and by vertue of this Ordinance we claim our maintenance How learnedly the Quakers talke of these arguments you shall hear anon But to come to the 6 ver Or I onely and Barnabas have not we power to forbear working The word Onely plainly carryes it that the other Apostles who were married and were trained up to fishing divers of them those did forbear but what have all the Apostles thus power to leave of take maintenance but I onely and Barnabas c No no we have the same power as well as they But ver 15. I have used none of these things c. Again in the 12 ver If others be partakers of this power over you c. Their own Officers it seems or others did take maintenance So could he 3. It is false also that Paul took no maintenance for in the 8 9 ver of my Chap he saith He took wages of others to serve them i. e. the Church of Philippi Paul could take his liberty where he saw cause If Paul than we 4. We desire none to speak for us more than Paul whom these Quakers object against us For we have his own example he did take wages Secondly he as moved and guided by Gods Spirit doth not onely show it is the minde of God but he proves it also by divers reasons 1 Cor. 9. Adde to this 6 Gal. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth or catechizeth as the word properly signifies in all good things Will the Quakers allow this Text to be Scripture then let Him be he or she what they will high or low It s possible the Quakers will object against the she but I will let them alone to see if they will doe it master or servant is he or she taught catechized then communicate in All what All this word will not be liked yea all good things fit to be communicated or communicable So 1 Tim. 5.17 one part of the honour Ministers must have is maintenance the 18 ver proves it marke it is honorarium the maintenance of the Elders is not as the pay I give for a servants worke but it is honour an honourable maintenance The same Apostle saith 2 Tim. 2 4. So 1 Tim 4.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be in these things No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affaires

true light which lighteth every one that cometh into the world But I would faine know why these Quakers confound this Light with Conscience as if they were both one is the Conscience and Christ all one what folly is this Secondly But what doe they mean that Christ lighteth every one who cometh into the world with saving light Fruits of fast pag 23. as Parnel his 29 Querie intimates this is manifestly false For how great a part of the world is there who know nothing of Christ Redemption Justification by Christs righteousnesse Originall sinne Saving faith c. They never heard the sound of these things The next Verse confutes this for the 10 ver saith The world knew him not How then doth he lighten every one with such a knowledge when the Text saith plainly the world knew him not What miserable blind Consciences doe we find where people have lived under the revelation of Christ I am confident many know not the essentials to salvation The meaning then is 1 If we speak of the Light of Reason Understanding so Christ lighteth every one who cometh into the world 2. Or if we speak of Saving light As many or every one who hath that saving Light it is Christ who illightneth him 3. So we may say of Common Light Christ giveth that also As Psal 136.8 The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down What every one we see the contrary but those who are raised it is he who lifts them up none else can Againe Conscience may and doth erre this is a further proof of the imperfection of it Acts 26.9 Paul was there guided by his Conscience but it erred Did not of old Doe not now all Errors and Heresies plead Conscience Papists Socinians c I doubt not Queen Mary would say her Conscience led her to burn the eminent servants of Christ Now let us hear what the Quakers say Quakers glory c. p. 2. They exhort the Magistrates to let the Priests alone and to receive the Law of God which is perfect according to that in the Conscience herein have truth in all ages suffered by them who made Lawes contrary to that in the Conscience No matter for the Word then Fell. pag. 5. The Priests of thy high places Oh England bear witnesse before my face against thee which thou hast set up contrary to my will which I have made manifest in every mans Conscience No not every mans you are not perfect Fell. So once before in the same page Wooddrove p. 15 16 Turne your minde within you to the pure Light of Christ in your Consciences see by this light within you who rule within you No matter for the perfect rule without you to try the light within you nor to help it J. N. against Harris p. 15. Make our Light within to be the Light of the Covenant of Grace How many millions of soules know nothing of it Bishop p. 21. Sink down to that of God in every one of your Consciences the light of Christ In all their Books the Word of God written is made of no account But while the Quakers thus call on all men to turn to that within them their Consciences why doe they so cry out upon the Magistrates for sending them to Bridwell and Prisons since they doe as the Light within them bid them They practise their doctrine but the Magistrates have the Light without them in the perfect rule to guide Conscience within them What a wofull Nation should we have where Consciences are so blinde erroneous sleepy benummed and some cauterized if men should lay by the perfect rule and goe to that the Prince of darknesse would make strange worke Conscientia est regula regulata non regula regulans This Argument differs from the third Argum 6 Major That Light which destroyeth the Institutions of Christ is the Light of Satan not of Christ Minor But the Quakers light destroy the Institutions of Christ his Ordinances Ergo it is the light of Satan not of Christ Major The Major is clear for then Christ must oppose himself if he hath left Ordinances wherein people shall attend upon God till the end of the world and now have a light to destroy them Christ hath changed his minde 1 Cor 11.26 In the Lords Supper we shew the Lords death till he come Christ is not come yet Christ bid them eat and drink in remembrance of him his words at the Institution of the Lords Supper What were the Apostles onely to remember him or the Corinthians and those first Churches Must not all Churches till he comes so remember him Mat. 28.19 20. Teach and Baptize I am with you to the end of the world What doe you limit this teaching and baptizing to the Apostles They are dead many hundred years since yet the end of the world is not come how then can these words be fulfilled but in the ordinary Officers who succeed the Apostles is the rule of Christ Mat. 18.15 16 17 18 c. come to an end I am sure there are offences still and you perfect ones are as vile offenders as any but you have taken a course to prevent all discipline for your Church is within so shut up that none can come at it no nor believe it Minor But the Quakers light destroy all the Ordinances and Institutions of Christ Parnel Wat p. 8. They who brought the profession of the Christian Faith into England first had two Sacraments Infants Baptisme is one that which they call the Supper of the Lord is another and they had the carnall bread and wine as the Priests and people hath now See what esteem this youth hath of the Ordinances against the Baptists he talketh much for their baptizing with water but I will not transcribe his babling Naylor against I. Reyner pag. 3. Church Prayers Baptisme Singing we witnesse to be all within None of these outward Naylor Saluta p. 7. Is not Christ the Ordinance no that he is not and the end of all Ordinances I here is truth in this and it overthrows the former for if he be the end of the Ordinance how can he be the Ordinance it self are the means the end a few lines after Is not he the Sabbath Baptisme Supper No that he is not In p 33. there we have the bottome he will not deny but these Visibles as he calls them had their place and time but what are they now He meets with an Objection of ours which is this They are commands of God and there is no Scripture for taking them away This is an Objection indeed to which he answers I say those carnall things are but commands as Circumcison and the Passeover were and many other yet were they taken away without letter by that spirit that gave them when they were abused what letter had Hezekiah to take away the brazen Serpent what scripture had Paul to cry down Circumcision c. so runs on But why doth not Naylor make up his

answer fully applying what he faith to the Objection thus So we the Quakers having the infallible spirit which gave these commands d●e by the same seeing you abuse them without scripture take them away Now your answer is complete But First I say those carnall things as you call them are so spirituall that all the perfection the Quakers brag of will not be sufficient to perform one of them in the holy manner the letter as you call the Word requires Secondly You talke of the Infallible spirit but you have not given us the signes of it as Paul did 2 Cor. 12.12 nay the Satanicall spirit by which you are acted hath not given you so much wit to ca●ry your selves cunningly but you doe so manifestly crosse Christ and the Apostles that people must throw away their Bibles and naturall Light before they can believe you Thirdly You mistake in the brazen Serpent for it was not ordained as a means of worship in the Church but onely for the time while Serpents stung them in the Wildernesse they were to look to it typifying Christ but when they were past Serpents in Canaan there was no use of it yet Hezekiah wanted no meanes whereby he might certainly know the minde of God Fourthly The worship then instituted was not taken away because abused but because the Ceremoniall part was fulfilled Fiftly Jesus Christ the Lord of the Church may institute what means of worship he pleaseth his Apostles did converse with him fourty dayes after his resurrection Acts 1.3 speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdome of God They had order what to doe but I hardly think the Quakers were there then with him and heard that doctrine they teach us Sixtly Then the Spirit of God teach us to deny God that which he hath had since the world began viz Externall worship for prayer sacrifices and the teaching of the family by the Father of the family these parts of worship we finde at the beginning after that more But now God must have none at all how shall we know there is a God in the world if we take away his worship Seventhly Christ must then be a great destroyer of the Law and not a fulfiller Mat. 5.17 for he must quite blot out the second Commandment as the fourth and fifth by these Quakers Eighthly The right performing of the worship of God will cost pains and exercise of graces but the spirit in the Quakers have taken them off from that burden Conclusion Since then the Quakers Light destroy the Ordinances of Christ hence I conclude their Light is the light of Satan not of Christ Argum 7 Major That Light denyeth a great work of Christ in the hearts of them who believe in him that is the light of Satan not of Christ Minor But so doe the Quakers light Ergo. The Major is so clear that it needs no proof for to deny a a saving work a great part of his redemption this cannot come from Christ Minor But the Quakers light denyeth a great worke of Christ in the hearts of them who believe I mean such a work as must necessarily be in all such that is a worke of inherent holinesse the new creature distinct from Christ's person and from his imputed righteousnesse to our Justification The Quakers in these Books I have have spoken confusedly and covertly yet this must be their doctrine or some other notion being Christed with Christ Godded with God which I verily think they ayme at Naylor Saluta p. 20. hath these words But say you this is that righteousnesse we believe in and by which we are justified by that blood which was shed at Jerusalem and by that obedience that was in him and by that holinesse but that the want of his righteousnesse in us or that want of Christ or his blood in us can hinder our Justification that we deny and look upon it as heresie it is Christ without us that hath satisfied for sinne his righteousnesse faith patience love obedience c. it s these without us that whoever believes in shall be saved and by this faith the ungodly is justified Pag. 23. We can doe nothing neither doe we desire to doe any thing yet can we doe all things that he wills through him that is in us Pag. 2. While you live sinne lives and if we say we have no sinne we deceive our selves this is well but where he alone lives there is no sinne c. I deny not but we are justified by the righteousnesse satisfaction of Christ without us as opposed to Inherency in us But I utterly deny that God ever imputes that righteousnesse to us but withall he works inherent righteousnesse in us so as no man can be in a state of Justification or shall ever see God who hath not this inherent work of holinesse in him Heb. 12.14 I deny also that a person whom the Lord actually justifieth is an ungodly person in that instant its true he is ungodly if you compare him with the Covenant of works he is a transgressor of it which is the scope of the Apostle in the Rom. 3.4 Rom. 3.4 To cut all men off from seeking life in that Covenant and to bring them to the righteousnesse of Christ but look on him in reference to the Covenant of grace he is now a believer or else he cannot be justified and such a believer as hath received Christ to Union and now trusts to Christ for Communion of benefits whereof justification is one He that prates of his justification before this Faith he doth but prate of that which he shall never finde That absurd notion of faith justifying onely Declarative I would have opposed had this place been convenient I affirme also that the work of inherent holinesse which maketh us new Creatures is a distinct thing from Christ his person though among our New-England notions this was received when the errours raged there that Christ was the new Creature but for the 2 Cor. 5.17 they made miserable Grammar of the verse undertaking to be the Interpreters of the Originall read it thus if any man be in Christ the new Creature and thus indeed Christ being perfect no wonder though the Quakers are perfect for there is nothing in them but Christ And thus we see the meaning of that which we have so wondered at that men and women who could not tell how to live honestly among men keep promises keep from pilfering deale justly no nor can scarce doe it at this day since these Quakers came are on a sudden mounted aloft and tell others they are perfect No wonder for if Christ be the new Creature the new Creature then cannot grow for Christ cannot be more perfect then he is I affirme also that those who desine to doe nothing as saith Naylor they are not in Christ if we speak of adulti Rom. 7.21 and their wills are renewed I know not what to make of that phrase While you live sin live to take it