Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	accept_v	acceptance_n	according_a	21	3	4.7651	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81905	A case of conscience concerning ministers medling with state matters in or out of their sermons resolved more satisfactorily then heretofore. Wherein amongst other particulars, these matters are insisted upon, and cleared. 1 How all controversies and debates among Christians ought to be handled regularly, and conscionably to edification by those that meddle therewith. 2 What the proper employments are of Christian magistrates, and Gospel-Ministers, as their works are distinct, and should be concurrent for the publick good at all times. 3 What the way of Christianity is, whereby at this time our present distractions, and publick breaches may be healed : if magistrates and ministers neglect not the main duties of their respective callings. Where a ground is layed to satisfie the scruple of the Demurrer, and of the Grand Case of Conscience. / Written by John Dury, minister of the Gospel, to give a friend satisfaction: and published at the desire of many. Octob. 3. Imprimatur, Joseph Caryl.	Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1649 (1649)	Wing D2836; Thomason E579_1; ESTC R206157	157,053	200

triall from God and to look after and flie unto secondary causes The means therefore to rectifie these is that we should draw nigh unto God for if we do so the promise is that he will draw nigh unto us v. 8. which is our cure For by his drawing nigh unto us we become partaker of his vertue and nature which alters our inclinations Here then the Apostle doth presuppose that when the soul is under the triall of a temptation it doth put it self at a distance from God and that Gods presence is not with it for if he were present with it Satan could neither appear nor prevail against it but now our naturall inclinations being to wander and go astray from him as it is written Hebr. 3. 10. They erre alwayes in their heart and have not known my wayes therefore Satan doth find the soul as a lost sheep out of the way and is readie if God should not restrain him to devour it for whiles we are at a distance from God we neither are nor indeed can we be subject to his wil and consequently cannot with submission accept of his dispensation over us That therefore we may be brought about to submit our wils unto Gods will and by that means resist the devil who dwels in the turbulencie of our envious spirit we are exhorted and instructed to draw nigh unto God in our spirits that he may meet us and draw nigh unto us by his Spirit We draw nigh unto God when we come to Christ in the Spirit of prayer and faith to be reconciled to the Father by the redemption which is in him and to be united to him through the covenant that we may live by his word For Ioh. 146. Christ is the way the truth and the life and because none can come without him therefore all must come to the Father by him and live in him according to his word And God doth draw nigh to us when for Christs sake he doth accept of us graciously and testifieth his acceptance of us by the spirit of Adoption by which he beareth witnesse to our spirits that we are the Sons of God and by which he sheddeth abroad his love in our hearts sealing us up unto himself untill the day of our Redemption To draw nigh therefore unto God is in a word when we want his presence to call upon his name as our Father in Christ knowing that whatsoever we ask in his name shall be granted for Christ hath said that he will do it Ioh. 14. 13. This Communion with God in Christ and nothing but this is able to alter the perversnesse of our inclination which resists the will of God and hardens our hearts from submitting thereunto for being in Christ we become new creatures and the law of the spirit of life which is in him doth free us from the Law of sin and death which is in our nature Rom. 8 2. Gal 5. 16. whereby Satan takes hold of us that we may be inabled to walk after the Spirit and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh whereby Satan doth work in us and lead us captive after his own will The Remedie of the guilt of sinfulnesse which is Repentance Having two parts And severall Acts answerable to the iniquity of our courses In what sense repentance is said to take away the guilt of sinne The third duty which the Apostle doth offer as a further remedie to this our evill doth tend to free us from the guilt under which we lye by reason of the sinfulnesse of our envious courses for as the perversenesse of our nature hindering us from submitting our wills to the will of God is cured onely by Gods drawing nigh unto us when we draw nigh unto him by calling upon his name that we may be saved in Christ so the guilt of our sinfull wayes which is the maine hinderance of our drawing nigh unto God and the cause of our distance from him is cured onely by the grace of repentance when we entertain it as our duty and that we may so do the Apostle doth lay open to us the parts of this duty which we finde to be two in his words the one relating to our selves the other unto God for as the nature of our guilt doth stand in the iniquity of our course and the dishonour done to God thereby so repentance by which this guilt is to be wiped away must relate unto both these that every thing amisse may be righted in that whence the evill doth proceed and so the causes of our separation in all respects removed Now the iniquity of our course is twofold the one is outward the other inward the outward defilements of the flesh going along with all our naturall actions bring us under the guilt of the Law and to free us from this the Apostle enjoyns us to cleanse our hands from sinfullnesse ver 8. but the inward pollutions are from the heart when it is destitute of Faith and sincerity towards God and man and to remedy this the Apostle enjoyns us to purifie our hearts from double-mindednes ver 8. The dishonour done to God by the iniquity of our course doth make us liable to wrath in respect of the Supream Majesty which by our offence is made void and to free us from this part of the guilt the Apostle enjoynes godly sorrow in the inward affections and a behaviour sutable thereunto in the outward expressions In respect of our inward affections we should be afflicted In respect of our outward expressions we should give way to grief Mourne saith he and weepe and we should abstaine from mirth Let your laughter saith he be turned to mourning and your joy to heavines ver 9. For the sacrifices of God which are accepted from us for sin that we may be freed from guilt are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise saith David Psal 51. 17. The proper effect of guiltines is to keep us back from the presence of God and deprive us of the freedom of spirit without which we cannot draw neer unto him this is by these meanes taken away and we are fitted by the sincerity of true Repentance both to come with boldnesse to the Throne of Heb. 4. 16. Grace and also to obtaine Mercy and finde Grace to help our misery in time of need Not that our acts of Repentance are any satisfaction unto Gods Justice for our sins by-past that is for the uncleanesse practised and the spots contracted upon our souls which is our misery or for the Orders and Rules of righteousnes broken and disturbed by us in his Kingdom which is our rebellion and for the wrongs and dishonour done to the name of God thereby which is our Treason as if he should in consideration of the worth of such performances as done by us remit the guilt which we have incurred and account such actions a compensation for the same No that is not the Apostles

not envying them nor provoking them nor being desirous of vain glory towards them Galat. 5. 26. In respect of those that are of an unquiet disposition to follow Peace and ensue it towards them 1 Pet. 3. 11. and that even so far as it is possible and as much as in us lyeth Rom. 12. 18. to do all things without murmurings and disputings against them in a blamelesse and harmlesse way that they may have no cause to murmure at us or to dispute with us Phil. 2. 14 15. And to this effect to lay aside all malice and all guil and hypocrisie evil speakings and surmisings 1 Pet. 2. 1 2. And lastly in respect of those that are injurious to recompense no evill for evill nor to avenge our selves but to give place unto wrath Rom. 12. 17 19. Not to be overcome with evill but to overcome evil with good Rom. 12. 21. And to that effect with all lowlinesse and meeknesse with long-suffering to forbear them in love Ephes 4. 2. And to forgive them as God in Christ hath forgiven us Ephes 4. 32. Now the originall and immediate cause of this Peaceable disposition of the soul is to suffer the Peace of God whereunto we are called to rule in our hearts Col. 3. 15. for when this by the new Covenant in Christ doth possesse the spirit the soul is quieted within it self because it entreth with Christ into that rest which he hath purchased and prepared for it Hebr. 4. 10 11. And it receiveth the Peace which he hath left with it and given to it so that the heart is not troubled neither is it afraid at any thing which in this world can befall unto it Joh. 14. 27. for the promise of the Lord wherein he hath caused us to hope doth sustain us which saith that he will keep him in perfect Peace whose heart is stayed on him because he trusteth in him Isa 26. 3. But on the other side those that have no interest in the Covenant of Peace which Christ hath made with us can have no rest nor quietnesse within themselves or towards others because my God hath said There is no Peace to the wicked but his heart and his whole course is as the troubled Sea which cannot rest but casteth forth mire and dirt perpetually Isa 57. 20 21. The ends then of these duties shew the perfection whereunto they lead us and their proper works the way by which we attain the same For by the law of love we are taught how to aime at that which is truly good by the law of righteousnesse how to order our way in prosecuting of it and by the law of Peaceablenesse how to attend the delightfull possession of it The first sets our minde upon God the second directs us to him and the third fits us to enjoy him What is proper to a Christian in these duties more then to other men Thus in brief we see what these duties are and whence in a Christian more then in other men they proceed for other men know nothing herein but the principles of Reason and Morality by which they look more upon the materiall outside of the works then upon any thing else because naturall men cannot raise their minds unto the apprehension of spirituall truths which beget in the soul a new life and farre lesse can they act any thing thereby without speciall grace yet if the Intellectuals of a man truly rationall in nature which is not altogether impossible be raised so far by the right use of common illuminations as to perceive the proportion which is between such performances as these are and the principles from whence they flow he will finde no just cause to contradict any thing therin although his heart will not be able thereupon to close with the duties themselves for a true Christian is a spirituall man is not inabled to close heartily with these duties either because he is convicted of the rationalitie thereof or because he doth understand the excellencie and worth of this way above the way of Morality for these are onely preparative inducements inclining his affection thereunto but he closeth therewith onely because his conscience is enlightned by the truth and purified by faith and therein is bound over and given up to walk thus with God in Christ by the covenant of grace for through the law of the spirit of life and love which is in Christ Jesus whereby he is freed from the law of sin and of death he is made conformable unto the image of the Son of God and the righteousnesse of the Law of God through faith and love being fulfilled in him he hath peaceable communion with the Father and with the Son wherein he doth set himself to walk with joy and unspeakable comfort in the light of their countenance by which he is daily transformed from glory to glory as by the Spirit and presence of the Lord. The rule then and the way of a Christian is to walk in these duties towards all men and for these ends not with humane wisdome and the reasonings of his naturall understanding although he doth nothing irrationally but according to the direction and manifestation of the Spirit of grace that is according to the testimony of Jesus revealed unto his spirit which obligeth his conscience to follow affectionately the rules of these duties in all simplicitie and godly sincerity through love to the life of Jesus Christ and the grace of God in him and not for any other obligation or by any other consideration whatsoever and whosoever doth walk after this rule Peace be upon him and upon the Israel of God And because we have not hitherto walked after this rule we have not as yet found the way to Peace for to finde Peace out of this way is as impossible as to misse of it within it How universal they are and inseparable from Christianity And chiefly in leading men and times of greatest need From hence we may observe that these duties have an universall influence upon all the wayes of Christians for as Christians they are essentiall to them in all the works of their severall callings and if they studie not to do all their works by these rules they cannot be said to do them as Christians for as Christians we are commanded to do all our matters with charitie 1 Cor. 16. 14. for we are obliged by the love of God to us as his dear children to be followers of God and to walk in love as Christ also hath loved us Ephes 5. 1 2. And if we walk not thus it is evident that we are none of his children but have renounced his love and are destitute of the life of God in all our undertakings for he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love 1 Joh. 4. 8. And again as Christians we are bound to serve God and Christ in his kingdom and if we serve him not how can we truly bear his Name Now the kingdom of God wherein

sinne but rather our triall and through the lot of our affliction the way to a blessing if we behave our selves as Christians ought to do therein For if all the good or evil of every outward condition as to us doth wholly depend upon the frame of our spirit and upon the way of our behaviour before God therin then it doth follow that according to our spirituall temper or distemper and our orderly or disorderly carriages in this condition the event thereof will be our happinesse or our miserie for if our spirits are distempered and our course disordered against the rule of our profession it is evident that this will redouble the evill of our affliction inwardly and outwardly making it both wayes sinfull and thereby miserable but if our outward changes take us not off from the way of Christianity which is unchangeable we have just cause to beleeve that by the increase of vertue and grace they will become our onely happinesse because we have a promise that in all these things we shall be more then conquerours through him that loveth us Rom. 8. 37. And we are further taught that as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolation also shall abound by Christ Now the 2 Cor. 2. 5. sufferings of Christ are said to abound in us when in all our afflictions we walk sted fastly with him in the profession of his way for then whiles the outward man doth decay the 2 Cor. 4. 16. inward is renewed day by day is there any thing even in the midst of greatest distresses that can obstruct the enjoyment of this consolation but the discomposure of our spirits and the disorderlinesse of our behaviour in the work of our employment And lest by these means we may be deprived of our comforts and lose the fruit of our labours which are undertaken for the reparation of that which is laid waste among us let us point at the chief distempers and disorders which obstruct our work that they may be removed and the course sutable to the Rules of our holy profession heretofore set down seriously taken up and sincerely followed I have already given you my sense of severall distempers and disorderly carriages of some particular men in their distinct wayes which have a speciall influence upon our spirituall affairs to make us as the confused builders of Babylon the authors of our own dissipation and ruine I shall now mention a few disorderly courses which are incident unto all men more or lesse and seeme to discompose the healthfull constitution of our whole societie in the management of all outward affaires and here although I am not ignorant that the distemper of the spirit and the disorder of the behaviour are things very farre distant in their nature and distinct in their properties yet because in matters of outward concernment they are seldome separate and going hand in hand they beget interchangably and are begotten by each other therefore and for brevities sake I shall not heed their distinction at this time but leave it to every ones thought in that which I shall offer here then let me speak of the distemper and disorderlinesse proceeding from these following roots of bitternesse viz from envie from jealousies and fears from tale bearing and private censuring from revenge which I conceive to be the chief causes of our present diseases and of all these this is to be said in the generall that as no man can exempt himself from the danger of these sinfull motions so those that are most remarkably engaged either by their places or proceedings in the management of publick affaires are most lyable to the temptations thereof which are so much the more hurtfull to the Societies of mankind by how much the persons upon whom they seize are found more eminent in parts or places and the affaires upon which they reflect are more important and by how much the complication of these distempers in those that are acted by them is more powerfull lesse corrigible and lesse discernable By the chief causes of our diseases But let us come to the particulars of these evils to see the symptomes of our publick maladies therein and finde the cure thereof Whereof envy is the first First concerning envy the spirit of God by the Apostle Iames discovers the nature of it unto us in his 4. Chapter where he shewes that all our wars and fightings come from our inbred lusts Chap. 4. v. 1. that these beget an extream disorder in all our carriages towards God and men ver 2. 3. that the object our lust is conversant withall is nothing else but this world and that the end whereat we aime thereby is the enjoyment and friendship of the world in the satisfaction of an adulterate affection which is enmity unto God ver 4. then he confirms this last assertion by the testimony of the Scripture and declares furthermore that the root of all our lustfull disorderlinesse is nothing else but envy v. 5. The testimony of Scripture is alleadged thus or do ye think saith he that the Scripture speaks in vain viz when it calls you adulterers intimating that by this denomination our lustfull friendship with the world is branded to be a defection and breach of Covenant and consequently enmity with God Then the root of all these lustings and of our disorderly behaviour therein is expressed in the following words by another question thus Doth the Spirit which dwelleth in us lust to envie as if he had said it is evident that your friendship with the world is enmity with God seeing the Scripture doth not call you adulterers and adulteresses without a just cause and as for us that make profession of Christianity to serve God in Spirit and truth doe ye think that the Spirit of Christ which dwelleth in us hath any lust to envy no certainly there is no such lust in this Spirit therefore you ought to judge your selves that in all these irregular proceedings whereof the root is nothing but envie you are not led by the Spirit of Christ but by the adulterous spirit of this world from which Analysis and interpretation of the Apostles words we may gather evidently three conclusions The nature of it as opposite to Christianity 1. That the originall of our distemper and disorderlines is enviousnesse For he saith the spirit doth lust to envie that is desires to fulfill the motions of envie if then the satisfaction of our envy be the end of our lusting envie is the root whence lust proceeds for in the immediate end of every thing the principle of the being thereof is to be found 2. That the Spirit which dwelleth in the Saints doth not lust to envie For the assertion in it self is clear and undeniable and that in the Apostles words it is intended is evident by the adversative Particle of the following words which joyneth them unto the latter end of the 5. verse and the whole context and coherence of the matter

till 11. of his 4. Chapter And it is twofold the one proceeds from the consideration of Gods wayes of dealing with us the other from the practise of certain duties wherein we deal with our own souls and with God to be set in a right frame to-towards him Gods way of dealing towards us is considered as he is Liberall Just and Mercifull towards us v. 6. But he gives more grace wherefore he saith God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble Our duties in dealing with our own souls and with God tend first to free us from the temptations and from the inclinations unto our envious disposition and from the guilt of sinfulnesse lying on us thereby and secondly to restore us unto a comfortable condition in Gods presence The duties which will free us from the Temptations unto envy are v. 7. Submit your selves therefore unto God resist the Devil and he will flee from you The dutie which will free us from the inclinations unto envy is v. 8. Draw nigh to God and be will draw nigh to you And the dutie which wil free us from the guilt of sinfulnes which the spirit of envy doth bring upon us is Repentance described v. 8. and 9. Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded be afflicted and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heavinesse And lastly the dutie whereby we are restored to a comfortable condition in Gods presence is humility before God ver 10. Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up These are the ingredients of this Remedie which the Spirit of God hath prescribed and that they may become unto us an effectuall cure let us endeavour a more speciall application thereof unto the distempers of our humour How the consideration of Gods dealing with us doth remedie envie As concerning the consideration of Gods way towards us the Apostles words do intimate that if we have any respect unto him to observe what his dealing is with us either to imitate his goodnesse or to fear his justice or to hope for his mercie we should not give way to this distemper of envy for the Spirit of God by which he dwelleth in his Saints is no way envious of the good which befalleth unto any but he giveth more grace ver 6. In respect of his bounty to adde grace That is Gods Spirit is willing that grace should be increased and multiplied God doth adde grace to grace for of the fulnesse of Christ we all receive and grace for grace he giveth unto all men liberally and upbraideth not Iames 1. 5. And of this we have a clear example in Moses when Ioshua was envious at Eldad and Medads prophecying in the Campe because they came not to the tabernacle to be set about it in their order as the rest of the Elders were he desired that they should be forbidden to prophecie in the Campe as a place not fit for that exercise but Moses reproved him and said Envyest thou for my sake would to God all the Lords people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them Num. 11. 29. As if he had said farre be it from me to envy in them the grace of God which is free to him to bestow wheresoever he pleaseth farre be it from me to restrain the gift of prophecying bestowed upon any because they are not here about the tabernacle as if Gods Spirit were limited to this place and none might exercise their gift elsewhere no I shall desire rather the increase and inlargement of the gift and of the exercise thereof unto all This was Moses Spirit and would to God the prohibition which then was intended by Ioshua had never broke forth actually amongst us into the uncharitable designes of an undue restraint of our Brethren from the exercise of their gifts If Moses desire had been in our hearts a way might easily have been found how to regulate the course of universall prophecying unto the edification of all as the Apostle doth direct us 1 Cor. 14. 13. But now all our propheticall exercises and we amongst our selves thereby are fallen into confusion strife and disorderlinesse which God hath suffered to come upon us because of the iniquitie of that enviours spirit which brought an universall restraint upon all that came not up to a formall standing about the tabernacle which was but a meer outward constitution whereunto the conscience could not be brought into subjection If then we had enlarged the exercises of the spirit of prophecie in an orderly way as the Apostle would have that matter regulated 1 Cor. 14. 29. till 34. no doubt God would have blessed us with more peace then hitherto we have enjoyed but the pride of some to be alone in the propheticall eminencie and their envie against others who were as well worthy of respect in that behalf as themselves and the licentiousnesse of others who keep to no Rule of God or Men in their pretended walking by the Spirit hath brought all this disaster upon us and that justly for seeing we would not every one in our places imitate God in his goodnesse who doth adde more grace to enlarge by the communion of Saints and freedome of his Spirit the use of his blessings and gifts among us as he doth appoint therefore it is just we should now fall under the hand of his justice and by his righteous dispensation suffer that from others which by our dealing with them we have deserved which according to the Apostles Doctrine in this place is the reward which God doth render unto the proud In respect of his justice to resist the proud For the second thing which the Apostle offers to be considered in Gods way is the act of Justice That he resists the proud v. 6. The proud are properly such as seek to exalt themselves above others by their own way and God doth resist them when he disappoints the effect of the enterprises which they follow for their own ends The designes therefore whereby a foundation of greatnesse was intended to be layed with coercive or restrictive power which in all humane Societies belongeth onely to Magistrates in the hands of the Ministery to maintain and impose humane constitutions in matters of Gods worship to the prejudice of those who undoubtedly had a right to some freedome of prophecying no lesse then they that could pretend most unto the gift thereof These designes I say God hath broken and justly disappointed because it is altogether contrary to the rule of the profession of Christianity and a discredit to the service of love in the Gospel that the eldership of the houshold of Faith should endevour to exalt themselves by their own way above their brethren We have cause therefore so many as have stood for that way of greatnesse and preeminencie in order to the suppressing of others by meer power in our own hands because they would