Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ability_n	able_a	matter_n	32	3	4.8346	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10250	Propositions and principles of diuinitie propounded and disputed in the vniuersitie of Geneua, by certaine students of diuinitie there, vnder M. Theod. Beza, and M. Anthonie Faius ... Wherein is contained a methodicall summarie, or epitome of the common places of diuinitie. Translated out of Latine into English, to the end that the causes, both of the present dangers of that Church, and also of the troubles of those that are hardlie dealt vvith els-vvhere, may appeare in the English tongue.; Theses theologicae. English	Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.; La Faye, Antoine de, 1540-1615. aut; Penry, John, 1559-1593.	1591 (1591)	STC 2053; ESTC S101754	189,778	296

VERITAS CASTITAS PROPOSITIONS AND PRINCIPLES of Diuinitie propounded and disputed in the vniuersitie of Geneua by certaine students of Diuinitie there vnder M. THEOD BEZA and M. ANTHONIE FAIVS professors of Diuinitie WHEREIN IS CONtained a Methodicall summarie or Epitome of the common places of Diuinitie TRANSLATED OVT OF Latine into English to th●… end that the causes both of the present dangers of that Church and also of the troubles of those that are hardlie dealt vvith els-vvhere may appeare in the English tongue AT EDINBVRGH Printed by Robert Walde-graue printer to the Kings Maiestie Anno Dom. 1591. Cum Priuilegio Regali TO THE RENOVMED AND NOBLE LORD THE LORD NICHOLAS EARLE of Ostrorog c. IT hath bene long since the complaint of verie many that those whome they call the Schoolmen and Disputers haue giuen the studies of the holie Scriptures not onely a great stroake but euen a deathes wounde And therfore it will seme wonderfull it may bee vnto some that the custome of disputing touching diuine matters is retained in these Churches and Schooles which are reformed acording to the pure word of God For to dispute of euery matter will some say is blame-worthie neither can it be lawfull to call euery thing into question but only such matters as being doubtfull and vncertaine in their own nature may be argued one boath sides according as the opinions and iudgements of men do vary and disagree of which sorte there are many thinges in Philosophie which do so moue the mindes of men with a kinde of probability that it may be iustly doubted whether the things be as they seeme or no. But Diuinitie is grounded vpon such a sure and certain foundation that there is no place left therein vnto doubting and questioning For he himselfe spake that is not PYTHAGORAS but IEHOVA by his Prophets and Apostles in his word written by them teaching therein the onely truth of those matters which neither eie hath seene eare hath heard nor euer enterd into the harte of man and which they whome God loueth and who loue him againe do obtaine of the mercifull Lord not by reasoning but by beleeuing and leading an holy life This reason hath so preuailed that many godly graue men haue either from their hartes as beeing of this iudgement or for some other cause abstained from this course of disputing touching diuine matters For godlines say they is to bee taught and learned according vnto the plaine and simple maner of Fishermen and not by the subtilties of ARISTOTLE and that doubting of the ACADEMICKES who as AVGVSTINE saith hold that men are to bee without all hope of finding the truth beeing an opinion that maketh men wauering and changeable ready to holde any thing and to beare any face and countenance is to be vtterly remoued from the Church wherunto you may adde as the Apostle admonisheth vs that we take heed lest any man spoil vs by philosophy neither indeed can it be denied but that in the very first beginning of the Church there was a very sore blowe giuen vnto religion by those who being swollen vppe by the pride of humaine reasonings would rather submit Christ vnto their iudgements then themselues vnto his maiestie So that TERTVLLIAN long since iustlie named the Philosophers to be the Patriarches of haeresies Now in the ages following that wound was not onely not healed but made greater and grieuouser by those who mingling the Schoole Philosophy with Diuinitie did make the Ladie and Mistres to bee at the commandement of the seruant and handmaide For the craft of Sathan was such that whilest those who being otherwise good men did endeuour by the light of disputation to cleare the truth against errors they themselues falling into far greater darknes drewe others after them For why should wee not so account of those questionarie maisters as they call them Whereunto if vnto any other that which AVGVSTINE allegoricallie spake out of the eight Psalme concerning curious men may be most fitlie applied The most earnest and obstinat studie saith he of all curious men who seeke vaine and transitorie thinges is like vnto the fishe that walke through the pathes of the Sea the which pathes doe as soone vanish away and decay as the water cōmeth againe together after it hath giuen place to any that passe or swimme thorough it Thus far AVGVSTINE For what is more curious and more intricate or brier like then so many not so sound as subtil questions diuisions distinctions and solutions of these men whoe stand gnawing vpon the bones of argumentes as TERTVLLIAN saith Verely that which is set downe in the Fables touching IXION rauishing the cloude in stead of IVNO whence the CENTAVRES were begotten who killed one another may be verie aptlie applied vnto these men For the bare shadow in steed of the solide truth being taken holde vpon and apprehended by them hath altogether drunke vp and consumed the iuyce and moisture of godlines so that there remaineth nothing for them but the dry and wythered barke and it hath brought forth so many controuersies and diuersities of opinions which teach and learne nothing els but brawles and partes taking that to recall so many mindes and contrarie iudgements that deadlie gore one another vnto concord and the right rule of reason concord and reason it selfe cannot suffice and bee able For as NAZIANZEN sayeth when as hauing once left faith we pretend the force and the abilitie of disputation wee do nothing els thereby but blot out the authoritie of the Spirit by questionings By the which vnsuccessiue and lamentable issue wee are earnestly admonished to betake our selues from their traine who vse over narrowlie and curiouslie to sift matters vnto the assemblie of those that are godlie and profitable hearers But yet this was the falt of these men who in diuinitie obserued not that rule That nothing shoulde bee too much which is exceeding profitable in ciuil affaires For it followeth not because they were over curious which is not to bee commended that therefore carefull diligence shoulde bee disliked or sluggishnes and securitie thought praise worthie But holie things as they are to be dealt in with great iudgment so they are to be handled with greater pietie for this latter is as it wer the soule the former being as the eie of diuinitie The orations of the Prophets the sermons of Christe the writings of the Apostles and especiallie the Epistles of PAVL do containe most sharp and graue disputations which can in no wise bee aptlie discussed but by the vse of reasoning Our Sauiour Christ him selfe disputed with the Doctors Pharisies Sadduces c. The same did PAVL with the Iewes with the Philosophers with the brethren The Fathers also disputed IRINEVS against the GNOSTICKES TERTVLLIAN against the MARCIONITES ATHANASIVS against the ARRIANES NAZIANZEN CYRIL THEODORET HILLARIE AVGVSTINE and many others almost against innumerable haeresies but so as their disputations wer not a bare exercise or a setting forth for a

5 The principall and chief end therefore of the holie Ministerie in respect of saluation was alwaies one namelie the laying open of Gods goodnes touching the saluatiō of men by meanes of the free couenant made in Christ onelie who both before and vnder the rudiments of the Law was shadowed and manifested in deed in the fulnesse of time 6 Yet of this holie ministerie both before and vnder the law there were three generall parts namely to teach to sacrifice to blesse as might be shewed by many testimonies of the scripture vnder the name of sacrifice we vnderstand all sorts of rites as vnder the name of blessing wee containe publike prayers 7 Of the holy doctrine there haue beene two kindes namely the law denouncing judgement and death the Gospell offering life freelie giuen vnto the repentant 8 Yet is it not properlie the lawe but the transgression thereof that doth kill 9 The Legall ceremonies were certaine appurtenances both of the law and the Gospell wherin as in a glasse were to be seene though in a contrary regard both the cursse of the law and also the blessing of the Gospell 11 The ministery of Moses notwithstanding compared with the ministery of the Gospell is for three causes called the ministery of death The one because that the lawe written was giuē by Moses whereby death was more manifestly layde before the eyes of sinners then euer before 12 The other because Moses did labor much more in setting downe the Lawe then in opening the promises of the Gospell that men might learne by the terrors thereof to frame thē-selues vnto the receiuing of perfecter things that were to be manifested at the time appointed and not place the hope of saluation in these rites Thirdly because the Lawe indeed dooth point out the disease that bringeth death but doth not heale it yea rather encrease the same through our falt in that it requireth of vs the execution of the Commandements and giueth vs not abilitie to performe them 12 But in the Gospell the picture whereof in a sorte was that externall worshippe of the Lawe God giueth by his holy spirite the abilitie to performe the promise of the same that is the power to repent and belieue And therefore the preaching of the Gospell is called the spirite ingraffed in our heartes but the Lawe is tearmed the dead letter that is a dead writing engrauen in Tables of Stone 13 Wherefore the Ministery not onely of the olde but also of the newe Testament was ordained not by men but by the Lord who both instructed and also called both the Patriarches and also Moses Aaron to exercise the same and afterwarde declared to Moses the rule and the forme thereof as hee would haue it executed among his people wherevnto it was not lawefull to adde or to detract any thing 14 And because the Lord fore-sawe the negligence and the wickednes of the Priests hee did therefore ordaine in the auncient Church both before and vnder the lawe not onely an ordinary which vnder the lawe was especiallie assigned vnto the Tribe of Leuy but also an extraordinary that is a Propheticall ministerie vnto whome the Priests and Kings themselues were to yeld obedience and whose office was to teach the whole people partly by a more exquisite exposition of the lawe and partly by terrifiyng the disobedient by fearfull Reuelationes of Gods judgments and comforting the godlie by most louing promises 15 Their ministerie was extraordinarie for although there were certaine colledges of Prophets when and as often as it pleased God yet were they not apointed by man neither did they leane vpon any ordinarie calling Briefly God did enspire with his Spirite whome it pleased him respecting therein neither sex nor calling 16 Both these Ministeries did the Lorde promise vnto his people by MOSES and withall shewed how false Prophets whome the people were to take heede of might bee discerned from the true whome they were to heare 17 The Lord ordained this Ministerie of men not that he was compelled thereto by any necessitie but that therby he regarded mans infirmitie 18 Yet he neuer vsed it in such sort as hee would giue his owne glorie therevnto that is the authoritie to performe those thinges which the diuine power alone bringeth to passe but he effecteth externall things onely by his Ministerie performing those thinges by his owne inward power alone which were declared vnto the senses of the hearers by the outward ministerie of men 19 Therefore hee performeth what he thinkeh good inwardlie in the vnderstanding and will of man when and as often as it pleaseth him even without the externall ministerie but he who ever neglecteth the ordinarie ministerie or by vnbeleefe doth seuere the inwarde force from the outwarde administration that man tempteth God sheweth himself vnworthie of his grace But as for those that any wise ascribe the proper worke of God vnto the ministerie of men they are to bee accounted meere superstitious and even plaine Idolators Defended by ARON CAPEL an English-man of London PRINCIPLES TOVCHING THE MINISTERS OF THE WORDE VNDER THE GOSPEL LXXIII 1 BEcause God by means of his Ministers from the beginning of the world vnto this day hath with the word of life sustained man being fallen the order both of time and doctrine requireth that seeing we haue in the former Principles spoken of the Ministerie which God ordained in his Church both before and after the law We now deale with that Ministery which Christ after the abolishing of the law appointed in these last times to be in the Christian Church 2 And to the end that the summe and the truth of the whole matter may be more clearely set downe we affirme first of all that there are three sortes of Ecclesiasticall functions to be gathered out of the holie Scriptures For some doe attend vpon the preaching of the word of which sort were Apostles prophets Euangelists and at this day Pastors and Teachers Others haue the ouersight of the gathering and right distribution of the Church goods The third sort doe watch ouer the manners of men in preuenting offences and preseruing the right gouernement of the Church 3 Christ therefore as the Son and the soueraigne Lord and gouernor of his Fathers house did not only perfectlie set downe the doctrine of the couenant but also declared by what callings hee would haue his Fathers house that is the Church to be gouerned 4 And therefore he himselfe as PAVLE saith gaue for the worke of the Ministerie and the knitting togeather of the Saints some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors and Teachers 5 Neither is it to bee inferred either that all these callings were ordained to bee perpetually in the Church or yet on the other side that all of them were to continue but onely for a time 6 Now all these names as also the name of Elders and Deacons are sometimes in a general signification attributed vnto al those who haue the ministery of