Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	act_v	people_n	zion_n	20	3	9.6931	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94750	A vvord of reproof to the priests or ministers, who boast of their ministery and ordinances, and yet live in pride, disdain, persecution, &c. Shevving what such are; and how little cause they have to exclaim against those who separate from them. As also a word to the papists discovering their foundation to be carnal and sandie. In a letter sent to some supposed priests or Jesuites in the north, by William Tomlinson.	Tomlinson, William.	1653 (1653)	Wing T1855; Thomason E691_9; ESTC R206966	29,084	49

words thus Which they that are undiscipled and unfixed wrest for by unlearned is meant undiscipled here in this place and by unstable is meant such as are unfixed in their hearts to Jesus Christ and to his Crosse Now a man cannot be a Disciple of Christ except he deny himself and take up his Crosse daily and follow Christ So that the meaning is this plainly which they who are undiscipled not taking up their Crosse to follow Christ who are unfixed to Christ in their hearts halting between him and the world do wrest For such as these are the wresters of the Scriptures to their own destruction These because there is an edge of Scripture against them therefore they turn aside the edge of it with their slippery and misty interpretations that so they may sit at their ease enjoying the pleasures of this world and avoiding the Crosse rather then put their necks under the yoke of Christ That these are the unlearned ones spoken off in this place is plain by the very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies one undiscipled for when men unlearned in another sense are spoken of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used which signifies illiterate and in that sence indeed Peter and John were unlearned that is they were illiterate or ungrammerd men Act. 4.13 Now herein is the foul Error of the Priests who have altogether applied that in Peter to illiterate men such as Peter himself was who spoke them whereas the words there are onely proper to undiscipled men unlearned in the Truths of Christ disobedient to him in their hearts These are the wresters of Scripture to their own destruction I apeal to your selvs whether the very words do not fairly lead to this interpretation or rather hold out this very sense without any further interpretation And so Peters unlearned ones that wrest the Scriptures are very applicable to the greatest Doctors in the world The most learned Rabbies and Commentators and Disputants in the world may be and for the most part are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is undiscipled unsubdued to the yoke of Christ and so most fit to wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction Again let us leave the bare words and consider of the dealings of the Lord with men and from thence take notice who are most likely to wrest the Scriptures How come we to understand the Truth is it not a thing given Now to whom is it given Onely to learned men brought up at Universities noe the Lord chuses few of those to entrust with the Knowledg of his Truth 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28. verses Not many wise and so on But God hath chosen the foolish things and weak things and base things and despised things to do his works by that no flesh should glory vers 29. Now if he will chuse such for his works who dare contradict or say unto him why dost thou so or clamor against his instruments calling them unleamed except onely such as dare say any thing Did not Christ thank his Father for hiding the mysteries of his Kingdom from the wise and prudent and revealing them to babes Mat. 11.25 And yet you would arrogate to your selves a priviledge of right understanding the Truth by vertue of your acquired wisdom by humane learning and vilifie all others that want that learning as wresters of the Scriptures to their own destruction when as often times that which you call wrested is the very Truth lying in plain words in the letter The true Knowledge of the Doctrine of Christ is not given to Humane Learning but to obedience to the will of God Joh. 7.17 If any man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whither it be of God It s plain therefore that the most self-denying persons are most likely to know the Doctrine of Christ best to them its promised Every degree of self deniall done in obedience to God removes a vail from off the Creatures understanding and so he going on therein hath an abundant entrance opened unto him into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and the want of Humane learning cannot rob the Obedient of this Entrance into the Kingdom of light whereas on the contrary Disobedience though accompanied with never so much humane learning and wisdom folds up a man under blindness and strong delusions even to beleeve lies 2 Thes 2.11 And yet by you all truth must be ascribed to Universities and Humane learning though God regard them not and nothing taken notice of from such as want that Humane learning though God make use of such for the most part as his fittest instruments Lastly you have not been sparing in calling others Blasphemers but what Blasphemy is one shall seldom hear from you To Blaspheme is to speak evil of one falsely to slander to reproach to revile to strike thorow ones name with reproaches Thus to revile the actings of the holy Spirit is to Blaspheme the holy Spirit as some of the Pharisees did revile the words and actions of Christ when that Spirit put forth it self eminently in him in mighty works they said spitefully and revilingly that he did it by Beelzebub the Prince of the Devils Paul himself while he was Saul a Persecuter was also guilty in part of Blasphemy against that holy name speaking evil thereof and he looked upon it as a great thing that he obtained mercy He did it ignorantly in unbelief Thus also Paul himself and others were Blasphemed afterwards Rom. 3.8 As we be slanderously reported c. now the word slanderously reported is in the Greek tongue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as we be blasphemed In the same sense it is said 1 Cor. 4.13 being defamed we intreat the Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is being blasphemed we intreat Again Tit. 3.2 we are bid to speak evil of no man falsly the word is to Blaspheme no man revile no man slander no man Now you O Priests are full of slandering reviling names and so full of names of Blasphemy You Blaspheme Christ and his holy Spirit at every motion or step whereby he moves forward in his people Every motion that leads forward from under the great mystery of iniquity towards Zion that you prosecute and dog with revilings which is nothing else but absolute Blasphemy You Blaspheme both God that leads forth calling him delusion and Devill and fancie and also his Tabernacle that is his people in motion out of Egypt spirituall calling them Hereticks Schismaticks Separatists Blasphemers and such like when as in Truth you your selves are the things you so call O fools and blind when will you see that the Tabernacle of God dwels under the cloud while its in the wilderness and is to come forth of great tribulation that 's the Character of the Saints under which they must stand one day But you by your Blasphemies by your slanders and revilings by odious termes and other means are great causers and promoters of that

tribulation To the rest of your Blasphemies I think I may not unfitly adde this as one that you call a building made of wood and stone the Church whereas the Church is the body of Christ Surely surely the very boyes and children will ere long deride your folly Your are so wedded to this name that if any call it by any other name you deride them though there be no reason why it should be called Church What! is it the Body of Christ Why will you continue to Blaspheme the name of Christ thus to call a dead house his Body for the Church is his Body Col. 1 18 24. See if you can any where finde a house of wood and stone called Church in Scripture If we call it Synagogue or high place or Idols Temple or Cage of every unclean and hatefull Bird we can better justifie these because we finde these names given to such like places in Scripture but these you abominate Or if we call it steeple-house or Pulpit-house from the form or adjunct yet these you cannot bear I would you would tell us what to call them inoffencively But I must tell you that if no name will serve you to call them by but that which is proper to the Body of Christ we must in indignation trample them under feet with the names which the Scripture hath given to such houses calling them Idols Temples high places and such like Some I know will frivolously answer and say It s not the place but the congregation which we call Church I say that 's an idle conceit for if that were so then the name Church should go along with the Congregation But that it doth not let the Congregation move all together if they will to any place yet the name Church moves not with it but rests upon that Idolized Temple and when none is in it yet it s called Church Again if you should call the Congregation the Church yet consider what you do for as I said the Church is the very Body of Christ acted by that Unction which is Christ even by the same spirit wherewith the person of the man Christ Jesus was acted Take heed how you call a company of people living in Humane inventions and traditions satisfying themselves with the bare name of Christians having their spirits in the earth I say take heed how you call these the Body of Christ A company of people acted by a spirit of persecution vain glory covetousness worldly mindedness and such like are these the Body of Christ acted by his spirit whenas they walk most contrary to it No no it s somewhat else to be a Christian It may be some will say true too many do walk so but all do not so some walk otherwise and they are the Church I answer I do not deny but that some there may be of the Church and not of that earthly Congregation though among them but these cannot give the Denomination of Church to the rest because they are not of them but onely among them as captive children in Babylon So that I say now if it were the Congregation it self and not the stone house which you call Church yet consider whether this would be free from Blasphemie if they shall be found the Synagogue of Satan These now are some of those things which may be said concerning you and your Ordinances both which you wil needs father on Christ crying them up for his Ordinances and your selves for his Ministers and more then this will the Lord in time discover both concerning you and others You have set up your selves as leaders and guides of the people but you have hardened their hearts against the fear of the Lord and so keep them from entering into the very beginnings of wisdom for the fear of the Lord is the entrance into wisdom how should it be expected that they should be moved to fear him when as you their teachers say and do not Do not you thereby teach them to live in sayings without doings and that without fear For by your examples you harden them in an hypocryticall form of words without doing the will of the Lord for how do you think that they should learn to do the will of the Lord from your mouthes who are not moved through his fear to do it your selves You stand in the way letting and hindering men from entring into the Kingdom and neither enter in your selves nor suffer those that are entering to go in so far as you can hinder If they had not you to rest upon they would be stirred up the sooner to look after truth The people themselves can say of you that some of you say well but you do not as you say This they see in the best of you but because of your examples set before them they rest in doing as you do sheltering themselves under your practise and disobedience although they see further Thus by hardening the people in their evil wayes you rob and spoil them of that Peace and rest and light and comfort which obedience to the Truth would lead them into And so for all your boasting of your ministery and Ordinances yet you do not thereby lead up any of the People to those high and noble ends for which gifts and ministery and the Ordinances of Christ were given namely to a conformity to Jesus Christ in this world and to that end were they given even to lead up to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4.8 11 12 13. But how should you lead up further then you goe your selves Nay your ministery is so far from leading up to that conformity that the nearer any comes to it the more are your mouthes opened against them in your Pulpits So that you are of that spirit that sets it self in the Temple of God over mens consciences opposing and exalting it self above all that 's called God calling that delusion and fancie 2 Thes 2.4 Thus I have hitherto finished my Testimony against that mystery which is upheld by you which the Lord is untwisting In witness against which I have been kept back from among you and have suffered the losse of all things and do suffer and not onely I but many others This mystery of Humane inventions mixed with some appearances of Truth hath driven many into the Iland of Patmos of suffering for many years even all those Johns who have been faithfull to the Revelation of it communicated to them I for my own part thorow weakness and hardness of heart mine own and others have been made for sometime to sojourn in Zoar. But now beholding so great burnings arising upon Sodom I am made to depart out of Zoar also Behold there hath been a great Deluge upon the face of the Earth overtopping all things but some have been preserved as in an ark and now I see innocent Doves sent forth again for some have returned to see if the waters be abated from the tops of the mountains