Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	accomplish_v	act_v	action_n	18	3	6.1071	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66107	Ne sutor ultra crepidam, or, Brief animadversions upon the New-England Anabaptists late fallacious narrative wherein the notorious mistakes and falshoods [sic] by them published are detected / by Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston in New England.	Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.; Mather, Increase, 1639-1723.	1681 (1681)	Wing W2288; ESTC R33664	28,078	36

their duty only in this counsel there lurks a dangerous evil which they in retaliation of cour●esies are to be admonished of viz. they forget that the cause evermore alters the quality of the action nor was it ever thought by any of a ●ound minde that justice should not be administred upon offenders lest others by misapplication should thence take occasion to wrong the innocent and the Honourable Governours in New-England have learned and are perswaded that if they should sin by omitting duty for mans sake they should both dishonour God and grieve their Brethren To scare us the more with this they tell us how Dr. Stillingfleet improved it to the same purpose against us all I shall say to this is we cannot confess guilty for the censure of those who neither knowing what we do nor weighing the difference of cases which they would make parallels rashly conclude against us we humbly conceive men that are not prejudiced will easily discern that suppressing with all gentleness and tenderness a dangerous error and of bad tendency such as Anabaptism especially so circumstanced as in New-England it hath been and the enforcing of Ceremonies in Religion which are neither directly nor by any good consequence required in or by the word of God do differ to●o coelo For the concluding Prayer we can heartily put it up to God and might have joyned with them in it too had they not added it as a cloak to the slander of their Epistle SECT IV. Now follows the Narrative it self in which the first thing that accosts us is indeed a brief account of their congregating or that act of theirs in gathering a Church where we have the moving cause the manner and the materials of it 1. The moving cause of it is brief and pithy It pleased God to move their hearts and if this be indeed so then those that opposed them in it and endeavoured to suppress them will be found fighters against God and to act in vain for the Will of God shall be accomplished and no weapon formed against it shall prosper and this Argument we shall finde them making use of page 2. But who knows not that all Hereticks pretend to the Spirit and Direction of God though it 's certain that in so doing they take the Name of God in vain and it 's little less then Blasphemy to bring God in to patronize their sinful Actions For 1. God doth not graciously move the hearts of any to irregular and unlawful Actions and though men are very prone to entitle Him to it yet He utterly disclaims it Jam. 1. 13 14. 2. And it is certain that when men grow wanton and despise the Ordinances God many times judicially gives them strong delusion to believe a lye 2 Thess 2. 10 11. and that is none of the least to misjudge a seducing spirit to be the spirit of God 3. To follow an erring Conscience which verily believes his error to be the truth is not to follow the direction of the Spirit of God If what God forbids Conscience perswades this is not of Gods approbation for so he should be against himself It is a snare and a judgement to be under such a Conscience so that they must pardon us if we suspect the moving cause 2. The persons thus moved are described from their former experience of his teaching such whom by his Word and Spirit he had instructed and taught in the way e. Thus one error begets another what have we to do with the Anabaptists Kúria dóxa do none but the Orthodox bring this plea we expected he should have given us some Rules by which we might have known it It is a piece of arrogancy for men to beg the principle or forcibly impose upon our belief that which is the very Dispute and Controversie between us i. e. whither it be an error or no and they tell us God taught them therefore it is no error true but if we reply it is an error therefore God taught them not where are we now are Anabaptists only Masters of Rules and Canons may not we as easily deny as they affirm without proof 3. They entred into solemn Covenant to walk in Communion in the practice of all the holy appointments of Christ c. and so became a Church of Christ This alone will not make them a Church of Christ for if so then every combination of Enthusiasts Ranters Socinians c. may become Churches of Christ for they do pretend and promise each other in words as much as these or any other Churches in the World can do but there are Synagogues of Satan too in the World If they who are fit to be cast out of Churches and are so actually combine and covenant doth that make them a Church 4. They are men of holy and exact walking viz. In the practice and performance of the holy Ordinances of Christ according to Divine Institution If men were not proud and confident they would never impose their assertions upon us with an ipse dixit grant but an Anabaptist that his Opinion is true and he can easily prove that ours is false but if you question that he hath no more to say to you It is certain they have exploded Infant Baptisme which hath been acknowledged by the body of the Church Christian in all ages not only for an Institution but a principal Institution of Christ but if these deny it then we are mistaken How like holy men they have walked will appear afterwards 5. He gives us the names of the men who laid this precious Foundation and if they had been such men as had done this to begin right Church Order in New-England they ought not to be forgotten but had in honourable remembrance but if they were and I am afraid the great day will discover that they were the Heads and Ring-leaders of a Schisme and culpable cause of great troubles in the Churches of Christ in New-England they had better been forgotten SECT V. And now we have a Church gathered of such excellent materials and in so regular a way what reception is it they finde in New-England one would think that such a Church and in such a place should have been highly esteemed strenuously defended by the civil Magistrate and imitated by all the Churches who came into the Wilderness on very purpose to serve God in his own way but unhappily missed of it till the Anabaptists found it out but lo they meet the quite contrary they are assailed with troubles and afflictions and from whom certainly a vile Generation but it must be born they are not the first sufferers for the truth nor for falshood neither it hath alwayes befallen those whom God hath singled out from others to bear witness to the truth true the World e●er persecuted the Church But have not the People of God also had their zeal to maintain the wayes of God and counted it their duty to use means to suppress such as upon what pretence

soever sought to pervert them and if God have proved his People with Anabaptists as he is wont to do his Church with Seducers who shall blame them that have shown their fidelity to God in endeavouring to stop their progress and thus the just sufferings of these men will be a poor Argument to prove them the servants of Christ though men may be sufferers yet they are not presently Martyrs Causa non passio facit Martyrem But these precious Saints acted by the right Spirit of the old Confessors had counted the cost and therefore chearfully past these pikes and are now gone to rest and it is pity to disturb them only it might not be amiss to remember that the vilest Hereticks and grossest Blasphemers have resolutely and cheerfully at least sullenly and boastingly suffered as well as the people of God Histories are pregnant with e●amples and therefore hitherto they have said nothing to convince any one of their Orthodoxy and sincerity they may be right they may be out of the way for all this SECT VI. We have now done with the Narrative handsomely contrived in one page the other fourteen are Apologetical which they were put upon for three Reasons 1. To Emblazon the Names of their dead Founders and prevent the Worlds being mistaken in them and truly first Founders deserve a Record and they should be unworthy Successors if they did not Canonize them though as things are circumstanced some wise men think they had done them a kindness if they had said nothing and to me I am sure for then I had been prevented this undesired task of publishing the follies of men after they are dead The childe doth his Father the best kindness to say nothing of him when by speaking he doth but revive his Infamy But I take it for a just judgement of God on that generation of men that by a fallacious Narrative they should enforce us to make the World acquainted with the scandalous conversation of these beginners which had otherwise slept in the private records of those Churches wherein they were acted 2. The very grievous Scandals cast upon these Beginners Scandalous men if incorrigible deserve to have scandals cast upon them and if we shall prove these such they must for ought I know bear the Reproach of it and thank themselves But yet there are two things wherein they are to be blamed that lay scandal to them though just yet it is unjustly done viz. 1. The frame of spirit they do it with they a●e rugged Spirits truly this becomes not men who profess a Spirit of Meekness and yet sometimes the Gospel calls Christians to wit●stand Seducers to the face to characterize some men in their proper colours and contend earnestly with them for the Truth yea experience tells us that such a rough thing as a New-England Anabaptist is not to be handled over tenderly the spirit which they have at all times discovered under the greatest disadvantages and God grant that they may never have more advantage over us easily tells us what they would have been if circumstanced as those whom they accuse 2. A wicked end and a good action may be spoiled by a bad design at bottom We have charged them on purpose to make them odious and make the World believe them a people not fit to live men wonderfully sagacious and extreamly charitable I dare say none of ours ever told them this was thier end why might they not have interpreted it zeal Paul so interpreted his persecuting Country-men But suppose it be made appear that we have not endeavoured to reader their persons odious but only their perverse Doctrine and that we have used all meeknes patience gentleness towards men in that capacity we took them to be in for any such passage of any of ours as judging them not fit to live I know not of it nor I believe do they nor do we patronize any such expression though since their Book hath so many in it I know not why this may not go for one of their mistakes and now they appeal to God we accept it readily SECT VII Their great Sufferings are of two sorts 1. In Estate and Liberties of which we must not expect a particular account are charitably to th●nk it is because they are tender of our reputation but errorsly in generals a particular account might have been more satisfying These things look directly upon our Magistracy in vindication of them a word will suffice Two things take up this discourse The persecution and the success 1. The persecution is compendiously represented Some of us were oftentimes brought before Councils c. I suppose they allude ●o Mat. 10. 17. To which let this be taken as a Reply viz. that as the Honoured Magistrates here are Christian so have they judged it their duty to maintain the ways of Christ and strengthen them by civil Laws which hath not only been the practice of Reformers of old but the constant judgement of the Church of Christ ever since the Apostles If evil minded men will take this advantage to oppress the truth it is no more then may be done in all other cases as it is thought no good plea to keep the Scriptures from the la●ty lest they should learn to be Hereticks so neither to deny the Magistrate his due power on supposition that he may abuse it On this Principle our worthy Rulers have made Laws against many Sects and Intruders and among the rest the Anabaptists That in quelling the Anabaptists they do not oppose the truth but suppress Error they are fully perswaded and although they never pretended to a Lordship over mens Consciences yet they account the outward man is subject to them and if we must tarry till all men are agreed about what is truth before we oppose Error we shall stay till there is no need of it For the progress of our Magistracy in the execution of these Laws they have been so far from a violent eager or willing taking advantage against these men that notwithstanding their opprob●●ous speeches when they have been before them their scornful carriages and purposed indeavours to irritate them by insolent challenges they have alwayes proceeded slowly tenderly far on this side the Law as those who sought not to ruine either their Names Liberties or Estates How often when fines have been laid upon them have they stopt the Execution if any have been imprisoned it hath been but when dared to it and though once a Sentence of Banishment did pass upon two of their Ring-leaders heady violent men yet then they neglected and scorned to take notice of it resolving to run utmost hazards neither was this improved as any advantage against them Nor is it to be wondred that our Governours have been opposite in particular to these men since if they could get head among us they would certainly undermine the Churches 〈◊〉 Order destroy piety and introduce prophaness 2. For the success of these endeavours God