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	office_n	31	3	6.7038	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87825	A modest plea for private mens preaching. Or An answer to a booke intituled, Private men no pulpit men; composed by Master Giles Workman. Wherein the thing in controversie is briefly debated; the examination of private mens preaching examined; also certain accusations wip'd away and removed. / By John Knowles a preacher of the gospel, formerly in and neer Glocester, now belonging to the life-guard of his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax.	Knowles, John, fl. 1646-1668.	1648 (1648)	Wing K730; Thomason E434_8; ESTC R206223	32,543	41

calling be sufficient to make lawfull preachers then there are at Rome lawfull Church-officers in that both ours and theirs arise from the same fountain but at a further distance in that our first ordainers received from Rome their holy orders from whom by way of succession ordination hath descended even to this generation Thus you may easily see how obnoxious the doctrine I oppose is to the hearing of the Gospel Conseque 3 The third consequent which is of the same discent with those fore-going is That the Saints when there is no necessity must be restrained from enjoying the preaching of of the Gospel As if in case there may be first some-times in some places where Saints are a cessation of visible Churches Or secondly If where visible Churches are some Saints are not convinc'd of their order Or thirdly If they are in order and want Church-officers Or fourthly If their Officers be through sicknesse persecution c. absent from them in all which cases though they have amongst them persons of great abilities for Gospel-preaching yet they must be exposed at least to scarcity of the Word because none but Church-officers may lawfully preach I shal not farther increase the number of the children of the forementioned Father but shal leave it to the diligent searcher Thus I have done with the first sort of testimonies which are divine and shall now come to the second which are probable being humane testimonies which are either the speeches or practices of men that are godly Of the speeches of men that professedly speake with me that I may not overburthen this Booke I shall instance but in a few An Apol. of the exiles p. 45. 1. The english Christians who were Exiles in the low Countries witnesse to the truth of the doctrine heare pleaded for their fourth position being this That discreet faithfull and able men though not yet in office of ministry may preach the Gospel and whole truth of God c. 2. I shall bring in the Elders of the severall Churches of New-England speaking fully to my mind in this particular in their answer to the twenty seventh question sent over to them from certaine Ministers of Old England which I have not hear inserted for brevities sake but it may be found at large in a Book intituled Church Government and Church Covenant discussed p. 77. published by Master Peters De conscientiâ et ejus jure vel casibus p. 229. 3. You shall have the testimony of that learned man Doctor Ames whose workes praise him in the Gate Thus he speakes That for the preaching and teaching of the Gospel a singular calling is not required For proofe whereof he brings these Scriptures Acts 8.4 c. 11.19 21. c. 18.24 and adds to them these Reasons 1. Because this is the duty of all Christians that they Promote as much as they can the Kingdome of God and therefore that they teach others the doctrine of God 2. Because t is some time necessary that men be convinced of errors and instructed in truth before a calling can be rightly instituted 3. Because the People being some-times destitute of a Minister cannot without the losse of edification be holpen unlesse they allow those to instruct them who as yet are not rightly called to the ministry Further he affirmes That not only private but also publike preaching may be exercised without a singular calling first in a Church to be constituted Secondly in a Church already constituted with the approbation of that Church if confusion be avoided and order observed 1 Cor. 14.23 Acts 13.15 For it belongs saith he to the Churches edification that they who excell others in gifts exercise those gifts before others to help and stirr them up Also P. 245. he speakes to the same effect affirming 1. That there was in the primative Church a certain propheticall exercise distinct from sermons 1 Cor. 14.31.32 c. 2. That not only Ministers were permitted to use this exercise but also among the brethren the ch●efe and most expert for tho●e gifts which they had conferred to them ibid. 3. That it was also lawfull for other men of the Church for the sake of learning to propose their doubts that they might be taught of those who were more skilfull ibid. v. 35. 4. That where this exercise may conveniently be brought into Churches it ought not to be contemned 1 Thes 5.20 1. Because it is most agreeing to the order of the primative Church approved by the Apostles Secondly Because it singularly healpeth to stirre up cherish and increase spirituall gifts in severall Believers Thirdly Because it taketh away negligence and envy and nourisheth charity Thus far Amesius 4. Hear the judgement of M. Thomas Goodwin and M. Nye men of no small eminency their very enemies being Judges They in their Epistle to M. Cottons Booke of the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven thus speake Wee humbly conceive Prophesying as the Scripture tearmes or speaking to edification of the whole Church may sometime be performed by brethren gifted though not in office as the Elders 5. I might add to the number dear M. Burrowes M. Peters M. John Ellis junior with many others who affirme That men out of Office may preach the Gospel but I forbeare to cite their expressions having spoken enough of this particular Wherefore I come to the next sort of humane testimonies to wit godly mens practices carrying a kind of testimony with them what did the Martyrs of whom our Cronicles make a glorious relation who were not Church-officers lesse then preach publickly when they did before multitudes of people open and apply the Scriptures which men now call preaching If it may be said that the congregationall Churches both in Old and New England doe consist of believers men that are Godly then it may bee affirmed that Godly men out of Office doe preach the Gospel for private mens Preaching is not a rare practice amongst them Who is there acquainted with Godlinesse that dares call those ungodly who in the Army City and Country do Preach the Gospel though out of Office What if I should call writing in Divinity Preaching And so put the stile of Preachers upon those of the Layety who are writers in matters of Divinity I might then bring in Mr. Prynne and Doctor Bastwicke the one a Lawyer the other a Physitian both busie writers in matters of Divinity to justifie the practice of Private mens Preaching But if that liberty may be deny'd me yet I may boldly affirm that there is such a neernesse between the writing and Preaching of men out of Office that the Arguments which justifie the one will plead for the other Thus having dispatch the confirmation of the thing in controversie I shall returne briefe answers to some common Queries for somes satisfaction Quest 1 Whether men out of Office may be fitted for Gospel Preaching Answ Men may said Sir Richard Baker have Sacrae dotes though they are not Sacerdotes Abilities and holy

Orders are not alwaies joyn'd and link'd together What hinders But that men being not Church Officers may bee fit and able Preachers Gods Spirit from whom gifts for Gospel-Preaching flow breathes where it will and is not cloyster'd up amongst the Cleargy Are Tongues and Arts necessary to fit men for Preaching If this were granted some private men might then be found not unfit for Pulpits for in Learning many of the layety will not come a step behinde the Clergy Doth not experience teach us That many out of Office doe at least equalize the best and farre surmount the greatest part of our Church-Officers Who thinkes not but that Doctor Bastwicke esteems himselfe of this number sith in contending about Church-Government he 's not contented to trayle a Pike after the Cleargy but stiles himselfe Captaine of the Presbyterian Army Quest 2 Whether Preaching Officers will not be uselesse if all gifted for Preaching may be Preachers Ans There is a mutuall agreement amongst the Ordinances of Christ Jesus the one not in the least measure jarring with or shouldring out another The Saints in the Primative Churches did and they now who judge themselves to be visible Churches esteeme Preaching-Church-Officers to be needfull notwithstanding their private Preachers Quest Why are so many Preachers and others so opposite to private mens Preaching Answ There are many and some that are Godly who are opposite to the Exercise of private mens gifts in Prophesie And 't is no wonder to see men that are Godly to dislike things that are good sith the well of corruption in this life is not dry'd up in them out of which Satan pumps all evill motions and actions appropriated to them Many doe so behave themselves towards private mens Preaching through ignorance or want of light only Which men oppugne truth Non qua veritatem sed qua errorem not as truth but as errour for so it is in their judgements they mis-judging by mis-apprehending of it They mistaking it as Mary did Christ when she saw him in the garden supposing him to be the gardiner will not owne it And mis-apprehending it as Peter did Christ when he saw him walke on the water are afraid of it If they know it to be truth they would as Lydia did Acts 16.15 in respect of the Saints earnestly desire to entertaine it and out of love to it would contend for it and that unto bloud But many there bee who in their oppositions against private mens Preaching are guided by an evill spirit and selfe-love that corrupt affection hath predominancy in them They are so much endeared to their credit case and profit that they cannot with delight looke on that practice because it crosseth as they apprehend each of their darlings The Spirit of Deotrophes and of Demetrius appeares to be in too many amongst us Quest Whether private mens Preaching would be inoffensive if they would not Preach in Ministeriall places and take up in Preaching Ministeriall Formes Answ I am ignorant what places are called ministeriall unlesse Pulpits But why they should be accounted more ministeriall then other places I wot not although many looke on the Pulpit as a place so sacred that none unlesse under holy Orders may lawfully enter in it And as for Formes and methods in Preaching I would be informed First whether Gods Directory doth direct Ministers to this or that Forme or method as alwaies necessary and peculiar to them Secondly if it doth so what is that Forme or those Formes which is alwaies necessary and peculiar to them Could I bee perswaded that there are Formes in Preaching peculiar to Ministers I should willingly vote that no lay man in Preaching should lay hands on them But being perswaded to the contrary I wish that all private Preachers would stand fast in their liberty and not be intangled in a yoak of bondage Thus I have done with the Queries and so with the First part of the Treatise The Second Part. Wherein the Author addresseth himselfe to his Antagonist in particular in answering certaine extravigances observ'd and pick'd out both of the Epistle and Treatise SIR before I present to the Reader mine answers to your exceptions against mine allegations for private mens Preaching least he should be troubled and puzled by many digressions I shall impart to him in speaking to you some of mine observations occasion'd by your writing and fit to be noted First Sir I shall make to you this ingenious confession that your writing hath deceiv'd much mine expectation I look'd for a Justification at least in shew of Mr. Beales Reasons which you undertooke and promised to doe But behold nothing lesse for having singled out three Scriptures which in the discourse I alleadged you against them for the end I quoted them have bent your forces leaving the Gentleman 's engaged Reasons to shift for themselves So that this your birth was as farre from my thoughts as that which the Mountaines in the Fable brought forth was to those who long waited for their delivery Jacob expected Rachel but behold Leah was unexpectedly brought to him But Sir what were your reasons that the Gentlemans reasons should indeed though not in shew be forsaken by you Shall I guesse I will shoot my bolt if I hit not the white yet I suppose I shall not be ●ar●● from the marke Peradventure you having a better view of the Ministers reasons than himselfe and seeing them to weake for the condemnation of private mens Preaching have brought forth against it a new accusation being unwilling that the thing in controversie should receive the sentence of absolution leaving the former reasons to stand by as cyphers amongst the witnesses in this present controversie not consenting to their election out of the company Or it may be you 〈◊〉 that some of his reasons would bee the condemnation of some of your actions for of this I am sure that some of his doctrine and your practice will not in amitie shake hands together Secondly I shall present to you some objects of mine admiration First I something wonder at the sublimity and highnesse not of your conceptions or expressions but of your stomack Sit venia verbo discover'd in and by your expressions I take not John Knowles say you as a meet Antagonist in this controversie I know you would that some of eminencie should give you a meeting to contend with you that you may if you loose the field lye under the lesse disgrace But Sir Non vacat exiguis rebus adesse jovi they want leasure having in their hands waighty imployments to attend such small matters And doe thinke that your unmeete Antagonists are meete enough to grapple with you And Sir why doe you contemne me As I perceive you doe not only by your Paper but by a speech also which I heard from you in Generall Massies Chamber But wherefore Is it because of my minority Why should that make me unfit to deale in the controversie Shall not the Spirit of