Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	according_a	jesus_n	zion_n	19	3	8.4029	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96610	The bloody tenent yet more bloody: by Mr Cottons endevour to wash it white in the blood of the lambe; of whose precious blood, spilt in the blood of his servants; and of the blood of millions spilt in fromer and later wars for conscience sake, that most bloody tenent of presecution for cause of conscience, upon a second tryal, is found now more apparently and more notoriously guilty. In this rejoynder to Mr Cotton, are principally I. The nature of persecution, II. The power of the civill sword in spirituals examined; III. The Parliaments permission of dissenting consciences justified. Also (as a testimony to Mr Clarks narrative) is added a letter to Mr Endicot governor of the Massachusets in N.E. By R. Williams of Providence in New-England.	Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.	1652 (1652)	Wing W2760; Thomason E661_6; ESTC R206778	290,081	379

be found upon examination incomparably greater and wrought in the eighth part of the time that the changes of the church of Iudah were And yet this instance will not infringe that the civil sword of the Magistrate in a national way is ordinarily able to turn about a Nation to and againe to and from a truth of God in national hypocrisie and therefore most wisely hath the most holy and only wise by the most golrious brightness of his person and wisdom of the Father Christ Jesus abolished his own national and state church whether explicit or implicit that the two-edged sword of the word of the Lord in the mouths of his true messengers might alone be brandished and magnified Peace Master Cotton concludeth this Chapter with the observation that the revolt of England againe to Popery wanteth Scripture-light Truth He that loves Christ Iesus in sincerity cannot but long that Christ Iesus would speedily be pleased with the breath of his mouth to consume that man of sin But yet that worthy servant of God according to his conscience Master Archer doth not barely propose his opinion but also his Scripture-grounds which I believe compared with all former experiences will seem to be of great and weighty consideration and call all that wait for Christ Iesus to beg his Spirit deeply to weigh and ponder them Examination of CHAP. XL. Peace TO the several allegations concerning the woful slavery of all opposites of Christ Iesus and the mighty power of free grace only able to release them Master Cotton replies So is it with scandalous offenders against the Civil state and yet this doth not restraine Magistrates from executing just judgements upon them c. And he adds that better a dead soul in a dead body and that seducers die without faith then murther and seduce many precious souls from the faith Truth The Lord Iesus commanding to give God the things that be Gods and to Caesar the things that be Caesars gives all his followers a clear and glorious torch of light to distinguish between offenders against God in a spiritual way and offenders against Caesar his Lawes state and government in a civil way T is true slatterers and time-servers use to make Religion and justice the two pillars of a State and so indeed do all such states in the world as maintaine a state-Religion invented and maintained in civil policy to maintaine a civil state But all men that have tasted of history or travel are witnesses sufficient of these two particulars First concerning justice that if the sword and balances of justice in a sort or measure be not drawn and held forth against scandalous offenders against civil state that civil state must dissolve by little and little from civility to barbarisme which is a wilderness of life and manners Peace Yea the very barbarians and Pagans of the world themselves are forced for their holding and hanging together in barbarous compaines to use the ties and knots and bands of a kind of civil justice against scandalous offenders against their Commonweale and profit Truth But too many thousands of Cities and states in the world have and do flourish for many generations and ages of men wherein whatever Caesar gets God cannot get one penny of his due in any bare permission or toleration of his religion and worship Peace Dear Truth these two points being so constantly proved I can but wonder that Master Cotton or any servant of Christ Iesus should cry out to the Caesars of this world to help the eternal God to get his due because Christ Iesus grants them a civil sword in civil cases to preserve their civil states from barbarisme and confusion Truth That worthy Emperor Antoninus Pius in his letters for the Christians plainly tels the governors of his provinces that the gods were able to punish those that sinned against their worship evidently declaring by that light of conscience and knowledge which God had lighted up in his soul the vast difference between offenders in the civil state and offendors against the true and only religion and worship about which the whole world disagreeth and is hist together by this bloody tenent I say hist together by the ears and throat in blood and fire as the tide of times major vote armies and armes of flesh prevaile Peace Ah Dear truth is there is no Balme in G●●ead no balances no sword of spiritual justice in the City and kingdome of Christ Jesus but that the officers thereof must run to borrow Caesar Are the Armories of the true king Solomon Christ Jesus disarmed Are there no spiritual swords girt upon the thighs of those valiant ones that should guard his heavenly bed except the sword of steel be run for from the cutlers shop Is the Religion of Christ Jesus so poor and so weak and feeble grown so cowardly and base since Paul spake so gloriously of it and the weapons of it 2 Cor. 10. that neither the souldiers nor Commanders in Christs Army have any courage or skill to withstand sufficiently in all points a false teacher a false prophet a spiritual cheater or deceiver Truth This must all that follow Jesus bitterly lament that not a spiritual sword or spear is to be found in the spiritual Israel of God but that his poor Israelites are forced down to the Philistins of this worlds Smiths c. And that the princes of Zion are become feeble like harts without pasture as Jeremy complaineth in his Lamentations Peace Now whereas it was added that a civil sword hardens the followers of false teachers in the suffering of their leaders and begets an impression of the falshood of that religion which cannot uphold it self all the world over but with such instruments of violence c. Master Cotton replies that the Magistrate ought not to draw out his sword against seducers untill he hath used all good means for conviction c. and then saith he he should be cruel to Christs Lambs in sparing the Foxes c. Truth Who knows not this to be the plea and practise of all Popish persecutors in all ages to compass sea and land to reduce the heretick to the union and bosome of the church not only with promises threatnings c but oftimes with solemn disputations and sometimes writings and waitings before they come to the definitive sentence and deliver him to the secular power and so to the use of those desperate remedies of hanging burning c. How do the bloody Popes and the bloody Bonners in their hypocritical letters and bloody sentences profess their lamentable grief at errors and heresies their clemency and mercy and great pains taken to reduce that wandring to return the lost childe to heal the scabbed sheep yea and when they are forced as they say for the saving of the flock from infection to deliver such sheep to the secular power as their butchers and executioners yet beseech they that power and that

most hypocritically without shame in the bowels of Christ Jesus to Minister justice with such moderation that if it be possible the hereticks soul may be saved but however the flock may be preserved from such ●damnable Doctrine Peace Master Cotton will here blame the alleadging of this for the Popish Religion is false but their true c. Truth T is true the Papists Religion is false yet Master Cotton cannot pass without suspition to be too neer of kin to the bloody Papist to whom they are so neer in practice The Lord Jesus gave an everlasting rule to his poor servants to discern all false prophets by to wit their fruits and bloody practices But Secondly The holy Spirit of God in this 2 to Tim. now insisted on not only commands Timothy to exhort the opposite but patiently to wait and attend Gods will if peradventure God will give repentance and that they may recover themselves c. Peace Master Cotton will not deny together with meek exhortation patient waiting c. Truth Why then doth he limit the holy one of Israel to dayes or moneths Three months was by the law in Massachusets in New England the time of patience to the excommunicate before the secular power was to deal with him But we finde no time limited nor no direction given to Timothy or his successors to prosecute the opposite before Caesar bar in case God vouchsafed not repentance upon their means and waiting 3. Christ Jesus hath not been without bowels of compassion in all his gracious care and provision he hath made for his sheep and lambs against the spiritual Wolves and Foxes although we read not a word of the arme of flesh and sword of steel appointed by himself for their defence in his most blessed last Will and Testament 4. Lastly to that instance of the Donatists and Papists suppressed by the civil sword no question but as before a civil sword is able among civil people to make a whole nation or world of hypocrites and yet experience also testifies however Master Cotton makes it but accidental that it is the common and ordinary ●ffect of the civil sword drawn forth as they speak against hereticks seducers c. to harden the seducers and seduced by their sufferings and to beget no other opinion in their hearts then of the cruelty and weakness of the heart and cause of their persecutors Peace There hath been no small noise of Master Go●●ons and his friends being disciplined or as the Papists call it discipled in the Schoole of the New English churches It is worth the inquiry to ask what conviction and conversion hath all their hostilities captivatings courtings imprisonings chainings banishings c. wrought upon them Truth Shall I speak my thoughts without partiality I am no more of Master Gortons Religion then of Master Cottons and yet if Master Cotton complaine of their obstinacy in their way I cannot but impute it to this bloody tenent and practice which ordinarily doth give strength and vigour spirit and resolution to the most erroneous when such unrighteous and most unchristian proceedings are exercised against them Peace Touching the Edict of Antoninus Pius concerning persecution of Christians and the opinion it begat in their hearts of the cruelty of their persecutors Master Cotton answers first the Pagan Religion is not of God but the Religion of Christians came down from Heaven in the Gospel-truth Truth This is most true to him that believeth that there is but one God one Lord one Spirit one baptism one body c. according to Christ Jesus his institution and that from that blessed estate the Apostacy hath been made and that all other Gods Lords Spirits Faiths Baptisms or churches are false But what is this to many millions of men and women in so many kingdomes and nations Cities and parts of the world who believe as confidently their lies of many Gods and Christs all which they believe as the Ephesians of their Diana and of the image of Jupiter and as Master Cotton of the way of his Religion that they come down from heaven Peace Doubtless according to their belief all the peoples of those nations kingdoms and countries wherein the name of Christ is sounded whether of the greek church or the latine whether of Popish or Protestant profession will say as Master Cotton my religion came down from heaven in the Gospel of Truth c. Truth Now then either the sword of steel must decide this controversie according to the bloody tenent of persecution in the suppressing of hereticks blasphemers idolaters and seducers by the strength of an arme of flesh or else the two-edged-sword of the Spirit of God the word of God coming out of the mouth of Christ Jesus in the mouths of his servants which will either humble and subdue the Rebels or cut most deep and kill with an eternal vengeance Peace But saith Master Cotton it will beget an opinion of cruelty to murther innocents but not to put to death murtherers of souls Truth I answer beside that great and common difference of civil murther and spiritual there is a second to wit that in the murther of an innocent the conscience of a murtherer is opened and commonly the mouth confesseth I am a murtherer I have killed an innocent but run through all the coasts and quarters of the whole world and the very consciences of so many thousands of soul murtherers are rootedly satisfied and perswaded that they are so far from being murtherers as that they are so many saviours of the souls of men and Priests and Ministers of the most high God or Gods c. Peace For instance if a man say Master Cotton is a subject of the state of England and a Minister of that worship which he believeth to be true confirmed by argument and light sufficient to his understanding soul and conscience How many thousand are there fellow subjects with Master Cotton to the English state yet of a contrary mind to Master Cotton in matter of Gods worship yea how many are there it may be thousands professing a Ministery contrary to Master Cottons and the like may be found in other nations and parts of the world Truth What true reason of justice peace or common safety of the whole can be rendred to the world why Master Cottons conscience and Ministry must be maintained by the sword more then the consciences and Ministeries of his other fellow-subjects Why should he be accounted I mean at the bar of civil justice I say accounted a soul Saviour and all other Ministers of other Religions and consciences soul-murtherers and so be executed as murtherers or forced to temporize or turn from their Religion which is but hypocrisie in Religion against their conscience which is ten thousand times worse and renders men when they sin against their conscience not only hypocrites but Atheists and so fit for the practise of any evil murthers adulteries treasons c

lock'd up in a double prison from any serious Audience to ought of mine presented to you The first of Prejudice against such and such a person The second of Conscience against such and such a matter and that while my Conscience or another mans saith Let me be Heretick Blasphemer Idolater Seducer with Christ Jesus with his Apostles Saints and Witnesses Let me for his sake bear Frowns Censures and Persecutions from men so dear so excellent so holy Your Consciences plead for equall Libertie of opposing in your way all such erroneous or wandring Consciences For answer It is but Humanity it is but Christianity to exercise meeknesse and moderation to all men It is humane and Christian Wisdom to listen to a serious Alarm against a Common Enemy Prove the Alarm false it may be but troublesome Prove it true it may be Destruction to have despised it As the wounds of a Lover are better then the Kisses of an Enemy So saith the same Spirit an open Rebuke is better then secret Love But yet your Consciences as all mens must be satisfied I have therefore in all these Agitations humbly presented amongst others two Foundamental Hints or Considerations First that the People the Original of all free Power and Government are not invested with Power from Christ Jesus to rule his Wife or Church to keep it pure to punish Opposites by force of Armes c. Secondly that the Pattern of the National Church of Israel was a None-such unimitable by any Civil State in all or any of the Nations of the World beside In this latter hint I insisted more largely in my former Considerations upon Church and Civil Power in N. E. unto which Mr. Cotton replyed not and of any other Replyes of any to whom Mr. Cotton refers it do I yet not know of I Add it is a glorious Character of every true Disciple or Scholler of Christ Jesus to be never too old to learn It is the Command of Christ Jesus to his Schollars to try all things And Libertie of trying what a Friend yea what an esteemed Enemie presents hath ever in point of Christianity proved one especiall means of attaining to the truth of Christ For I dare confidently appeal to the consciences of Gods most knowing servants if that observation be not true to wit that it hath been the common way of the Father of Lights to inclose the Light of his holy Truths in dark and obscure yea and ordinarily in forbidden Books persons and Meetings by Sathan stiled Conventicles New English Voyages have taught most of our Old English spirits how to put due prices upon the most common and ordinary undervalued mercies how precious with some hath been a little water how dainty with others a piece of bread How welcome to some the poorest howsing Yea the very Land and Earth after long and tedious passages There is one commoditie for the sake of which most of Gods children in N. England have run their mighty hazards a commoditie marvellously scarce in former times though in some late years by Gods most gracious and mighty hand more plentifull in our native Countrey It is a Libertie of searching after Gods most holy mind and pleasure Out of this most precious and invaluable Jewel if you suffer Sathan that grand thief and cheater to bereave you and that it shall be a crime humbly and peaceably to question even Lawes and Statutes or what ever is even publickly taught and delivered you will most certainly find your selves after all your long Run like that little Frenchman who kill'd the Duke of Guise and was taken next morning neare the place from whence he had fled upon a swift horse all night I say you will most certainly find your selves but where you were enslav'd and captivated in the Chains of those Popish Darknesses to wit Ignorance is the mother of Devotion and we must believe as the Church believes c. Remember therefore O ye the Cream and Flower of English Plantations in America what a black and direfull a cole it was with which it pleased the Spirit of God in Habacuck to brand the Assirian Monarchie to wit a Bitter and hastie Nation but in the spirit of meeknesse in the meeknesse of wisdom be pleased to remember that possible it is for Gods visible only people in the world to have very foul and bloudie hands full of Bloud Isa 1. To build up Zion and Jerusalem that is to erect the Visible Church and Kingdom of God with Bloud Mic. 3. and with Iniquitie That the Heads and Judges of Gods People may judge for a reward and the deceitfull heart of man graspeth at rewards more then of one sort that the Priests and Prophets thereof may teach and Prophesie and it may be frequently and excellently but yet for an hire and for money And that yet their consciences may lean upon Jehovah and they may say with confidence is not the Lord amongst us None evil shall come unto us c. O remember that your Gifts are rare your Professions of Religion in such way rare your Persecutions and hidings from the storms abroad rare and wonderfull So in proportion your Transgressions estate and publicksins cannot but be of a rare and extraordinary Guilt Nor will New England's sorrowes when sins are ripe and full be other then the Dregs of Germanie's of Ireland's of England's and of Scotland's Tears and Calamities Amongst the crying sins of our own or other sinfull Nations those two are ever amongst the lowdest to wit Invented Devotions to the God of Heaven Secondly Violence and Oppression on the Sons of men especially if his sons for dissenting and against both these and that the impartial and dreadfull hand of the most holy and Jealous God a consuming fire tear and burn not up at last the Roots of these Plantations but graciously discovering the Plants which are not his he may graciously fructifie and cause to flourish what his Right hand will own I say this is the humble and unfeigned desire and cry at the Throne of Grace of your so long despised Out-cast ROGER WILLIAMS To the Merciful and Compassinate READER WHile the unmercifull Priests and Levits turn away their cruel Eyes and Feet from their poor wounded neighbours the oppressed for matters of Religion and Worship it will be no ingratefull act to present thy tender heart and Ear Compassionate Samaritane with the dolefull cry of the Souls under the Altar How long Lord before thou avenge our bloud on them that dwell upon the Earth and to pray thy mournfull view of the Akeldemae's and fields of Blood where thousands and ten thousand times ten thousands of the pretious Saints Servants and Witnesses of Jesus lie slaughtered in their bloudie Gore in all Ages and in all Nations where the Trumpet of the Son of God hath sounded Here and there among these slaughtered heaps of Saints lie thin and rare the slaughtered Carkasses of some poor

might some way from the State or you receive reliefe and succour Considering that the very Nations Constitution hath occasioned parents to traine up persons to give themselves to studies though in truth but in a way of Trade Bargaining before God yet 't is according to the Custome of the Nation who ought therefore to share also in the fault of such Priests and Ministers who in all changes are ejected I end with humble begging to the Father of Spirits to perswade The Authour begs three things of God for the Cleargie of England and possesse yours with a true sence of three particulars First of the yoakes of Soule-oppression which lye upon the necks of most of the Inhabitants of the 3 Nations of the whole world as if Chams Curse from Noah were upon them Servants of Servants are they and that in the matters of the Soules Affection unto God which call for the purest Libertie I confesse the World lyes in wickednesse and loveth darknesse more then Soule Bondage the greatest light but why should you helpe on those yoaks and force them to receive a Doctrine to pray to give thanks c. without an Heart yea and in the many changes and cases incident against their Heart and Soules Consent Secondly of the bloudines of that most bloudie Doctrine of persecution for cause of Conscience with all the Winding Staires and back dores of it c. Some professors true and false Sheepe and Goats are daily found to differ in their Apprehensions perswasions professions and that to Bonds and Death What now shall these be wrackt their Soules their Bodies their purses c Yea if they refuse deny oppose the Doctrine of Christ Jesus whether Jewes or Gentiles why should you call for Fire from Heaven which suits not with Christ Jesus his Spirit The Bloudinesse of the Bloudie Tenent or Ends Why should you compell them to come in with any other Sword but that of the Spirit of God who alone perswaded Japhet to come into the Tents of Shem and can in his holy season prevaile with Shem to come into the Tents of Japhet Thirdly Of that Biass of selfe-love which hales and swayes our minds to hould so fast this bloudie Tenent You know it is the Spirit of Love from Christ Jesus that turns our feete from the Tradition of Fathers c. That sets the Heart and Tongue and Pen and Hands too as Pauls day and night to work rather Little of the Spirit of Love from Christ Jesus yet extant and our selfe-love biasseth us to Inventions Traditions and Doctrines of persecutions then the progresse and puritie and simplicitie of the Crowne of Christ Jesus should be debased or hindred This Spirit will cause you leave with joy Benefices and Bishopricks Worlds and Lives for his sake the Heights and Depths Lengths and Breadths of whose Love you know doth infinitely passe your most knowing Comprehensions and Imaginations There is but little of this Spirit extant I feare will not be untill we see Christ Jesus slaine in the slaughter of the Witnesses Then Joseph will goe boldly unto Pilate for the slaughtered bodie of most precious Saviour and Nicodemus will goe by day to buy and bestow his sweetest spices on his infinitly sweeter Soules beloved The full breathings of that heavenly Spirit unfeinedly and heartily wisheth you Your most unworthy Countriman R. Williams FINIS The Principal CONTENTS TRuth and peace rarely meet page 1 Many excellent men plead for persecution p. 2 New Englands persecution guilty of the persecution in Old p. 3 The first occasion of publishing the bloody tenent p 4 Master Cotton complains of being persecuted and yet writes so much for persecution p. 5 The word persecution in plain English what it is ibi Master Cotton would change the word persecuting into punishing p. 6 State worships the ordinary occasion of persecution p. 7 Ordination of Ministers and Coronation of Kings unfitly compared p. 11 Master Cotton pleading for Common Prayer p. 11 12 Three causes for which Master Cotton pleads for persecution p. 13 Christs church may be gathered and dissolved with no disturbance of civil peace p. 14 Persecution breaks all civil peace p. 15 Civil peace may be kept long and flourish even where Christ is not heard of yea disowned c. p. 16 Christianity lost most under reforming Emperors ibid. The societies or Churches of Saints are meerly voluntary in combining or dissolving p. 17 Christs Spouse is chosen out of this world p. 18 No civil state can judge the spiritual p. 19 The difference of spiritual and civil peace p. 20 When Gods people flourish most in godliness then most persecuted and when most persecuted then flourish most in godliness p. 21 A monstrous mingling of spiritual and civil disturbance p. 22 Six instances of zeal in Scripture charged with yet free from breach of civil peace p. 23 The Indians subjected to the English permitted while English fearing God in New England persecuted p. 25 Jonah's casting over board pleaded by Master Cotton as a ground for persecution examined p. 26 The killing of the false prophet Zech. 13. 6. p. 27 Conviction of conscience p. 28 The violation of civil peace though out of conscience to be punished p. 29 Gamaliells councel considered p. 30 Christ Jesus never persecuted as Christ but as a deceiver blasphemer seducer c. p. 31 Gods people fast asleep and yet awake ibid A deep mystery in persecution p. 32 Wolves complaining of being persecuted by the sheep p. 33 The blood of the souls under the Altar is a sealed Mystery p. 34 A challenge to the Devil himself touching the persecution of hereticks p. 34 All Antichristian hunters make Titus the third their Den or Fortress p. 35 The horrible abusing and prophaning of that word Heretick p. 36 A child of God may possible be an Heretick p. 37 The straights in which the bloody tenent and this Rejoynder also were composed p. 38 Th●se Preachers who will not Preach without money must beg or steal ibid. Christ Jesus his distinction of Diggers Beggers stealers p. 39 Persecution usually taken for a corporal not a spiritual punishment ibid. Very severe but not Christian and more then Judaical punishment of Theeves in England p. 41 The civil and spirituall life confounded p. 42 Gods right and Caesars p. 43 The great peace breakers ibid. English Diana's p. 44. Gross partiality to private interests ibid. England in all ages guilty of much persecution p. 45 Two seasonable Petitions of any persecuted ibid. The Parable of the Tares grosly abused p. 46 Hypocrisie both open and secret p. 47 Spiritual whoredome against God in his worship may be in the midst of pure civil relations p. 48 The parable of the wise and foolish Virgins p. 50. A true church or society of Christ cannot consist of visible Hypocrites p. 51 The Field of the World ibid The Mystery of christians and antichriastians p. 52 The first rise of Antichristians argued p. 54 Touching the