Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	adoption_n	cry_v	father_n	9,732	5	5.0154	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80158	Responsoria ad erratica pastoris, sive, vindiciæ vindiciarum. Id est, the Shepherds wandrings discovered, in a revindication of the great ordinance of god: Gospel-preachers, and preaching. By way of reply and answer to a late booke, called, The peoples priviledges, and duty guarded against the pulpit and preachers encroachment. And their sober justification and defence of their free and open exposition of scriptures. Published by William Sheppard, Esq. Wherein Mr Sheppards pretended guard, consisting of ten propositions and ten arguments, is examined, and found to wear nothing by wooden swords. And all his replyes to Mr Tho. Halls arguments, and Mr Collinges arguments in his Vindiciæ ministerii, brought against not ordained persons ordinary preaching, are found but cavils and too light. And the truth still maintained, ... in that, preaching and expounding scripture publiquely, are proper acts to gospel officers; not common to all. Wherein also the great question, how far the spirit of God ... dothïnable them to understand scripture is opened, ... / By John Collings, M.A. and preacher of the Gospel in Norwich.	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1652 (1652)	Wing C5331; Thomason E672_1; ESTC R207127	122,201	185

you have quoted none that doth You have indeed brought in many but you have brought them in against their wils so none of them speake to prove what you would have them viz. that it is any where prophecied that the guift of prophecying and understanding the mysteries of Scripture by an extraordinary inspiration of the Spirit should abound under the Gospel as a standing guift to all the Saints Indeed most of them prove an increase of saving knowledge practicall experimentall knowledge of God and of things necessary to salvation and possibly of the knowledge we are speaking of to be acquired by ordinary means and waies but none of them of such an immediate inspiration to make them understand the Scriptures so as to be able to expound them where they are darke and their sense not obvious Nor doth that place quoted by you Mat. 11.11 prove any thing at all it being clearly to be understood of Christ whom the Jews counted least in the Kingdom of Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl in loc V. Dickson in Matthaeum You bring another reason p. 9. to prove that the people are to abound in the knowledge of the Scriptures as well as the Preachers Because they have many uses to put it to viz. to teach reprove exhort c. But all this they may doe though they have not so full a knowledge of the Scriptures as Preachers are and ought to have I grant you they are to labour for a knowledge in the Scriptures but not that they are tied by duty to seek for such a measure of knowledge as the Preacher is bound by duty to seek after But I hasten to your fift proposition p. 9 CHAP. VII Wherein is examined Mr. Sheppards 9 10 11 12 13 pages and his fifth proposition scann'd and examined YOur fifth proposition is this That the guift of Scripture exposition and explication being a part of the prophecy which doth now remain in the Church is a guift common to all the people of Christ out of Office as well as the preachers of Christ in Office This now well proved were worth something to your purpose Here are two things to be proved 1. That the guift of Scripture exposition and explanation is a part of the prophecie which doth now remain in the Church 2. That it is a common guift I am mistaken if I finde either of these well proved You should have proved the former first but you begin with the latter and I will follow your method Now to prove that this is a common guift you would prove 1. That all Gods people have Gods Spirit Jam. 4.5 1 Thes 4.8 1 John 4.13 Rom. 8.9 2. That this Spirit is a Spirit of illumination and Scripture interpretation Zech. 12.10 Rom. 8.15 26. Eph. 6.18 3. That by this they are or may be enabled to see the sense and meaning of Scripture 1 Cor. 2 12. Eph. 1.17 18. Jer. 31.33 Psal 40.7 8. Jo. 3.27 Jo. 10.26 Jo 6.44 45. Matth. 13.11 12 16. This is the substance of your ninth and tenth pages For the first I grant it that all Gods people have the Spirit But Sir surely you were not guided by this Spirit in the interpreting of Scripture when to prove this you quote Jam. 4.5 The words are these Doe you think that the Scripture speaketh in vain The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy Is that meant of the holy Spirit of God think you But the thing is truth that all Gods people have the Spirit now let us make it into an argument Whoso hath the Spirit of God hath the guift of expounding Scripture But all Gods people have the Spirit of God Ergo they all have the guift of expounding Scripture Nego majorem Prove Sir your first proposition and to this purpose I suppose you bring your next medium and tell us that this Spirit is a spirit of illumination and Scripture interpretation in all that have it Your Logick is this If the Spirit of God in all that have it be a Spirit of Scripture interpretation then whoso hath the Spirit hath that guift But the Spirit in all that have it is a Spirit of Scripture interpretation Ergo. Nego minorem The latter proposition is false I grant you that the Spirit is a Spirit of interpretation that is that the Spirit can teach a man the meaning of Scripture for all Scripture is dictated by the Spirit and ejusdem est interpretari ac condere Yet let me tell you you are beholden to me for granting you this for you have not proved it You indeed bring in against their wils the Prophet Zachariah proving it Zech. 12.10 where are these words I will poure upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications c. Here is no mention of the Spirit of Scripture interpretation Your other place is Ro. 8.15 26. v. 15. For you have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear but you have rceeived the spirit of adoption whereby you cry Abba Father v. 16. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession for us c. Here is plain mention made of the spirit of bondage and adoption and supplication and intercession But you are a better Logician then I if you can from any of these Texts prove that the Spirit is a Spirit of Scripture interpretation though the thing be a truth Sir yet I say you are beholding to me to yield it you in arguing Nay I will grant you a little further that the Spirit of God in whomsoever it dwels doth so farre enlighten their minds in the knowledge of the Scriptures that they may see all that is necessary for them to know in reference to their own salvation But this the Spirit doth upon their reading and hearing imprinting a perswasion of the truth of what they heare and read upon their hearts But though I yield you easily that the Spirit is a Spirit of Scripture interpretation yet I deny that it is in all so Nay I shall question whether it be in any so as you would have it I grant you in these 1. That the Spirit doth dwell in all 2. That the Spirit can interpret Scriptures 3. That it doth doe as I have said But I conceive that which you would have is this That the Spirit by a secret immediate work doth enlighten men without the use of ordinary means such as are the understanding the tongues weighing consequences considering coherences c in the understanding of the Scriptures That a Saint quà a Saint by vertue of the Spirit dwelling in him is able to interpret any Scriptures so as to expound them to others This is a false and dangerous opinion I shall therefore spend a few words to shew you what assistance the Spirit of God ordinarily gives men in the opening of Scriptures That the Spirit of God hath by

expectationem novae revelationis simus suspensi Calv. ad loc are very suspicious The Apostle saith God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets Hath in these last dayes spoken to us by his Son Heb. 1. v. 1 2. God was wont of old before his word was fully written to speake by visions and dreames but now his word is a full rule and he seldome speakes any other way It is a great question whether God now speakes to any of his Saints by visions or dreames S●mnia sunt fatu●● veritates Alexander ●b Alex. Non debemus expectare revelationem vel externam vel internam ubi ministerium adest Luther loc com cl 4. p. 35. The Poets tell us of Somnia Eburnea et Cornea the Schoolmen of Somnia divina Physica Diabolica Experience tels us that Alexander ab Alexandro was mistaken when he told us dreames are truths to come and Aristotle argues against divine dreames All determine it is a very hard matter to know an impression made by God in a dreame from one made by Satan or arising from the vapours of a disturbed body and a disordered head God did thus heretofore reveale himselfe but now he hath spoken by his Son Heare him Impressions Impulsions Motions c. comming from the holy Spirit are but sealings and impressions of some divine truth Saint Augustine tells us how in a conflict of spirit not being able to gaine comfort from the Scripture he set himselfe to prayer and he heard as it were a voyce from ●he other roome Take up and Read Tolle lege Tolle lege take up and ●●●d he tooke up the Bible and Read and from the first portion of Scripture he read his Soule received comfort it is very possible that a Christian may think he heares the voyce of the Spirit immediately Tantum audio conciones lego Scripturam utor Sacramentis nullas apparitiones angelorum hab●● I●therus foretelling him things to come perswading him of this or that truth sealing to him his hope in the Lord Jesus putting him upon some action But if it be the voyce of the Spirit it sayes Take up and Read it directs him to some promise which he closeth with for comfort or to some prophecy which it perswades him of the fulfilling of or to some precept to the practise of which it obligeth him and sealeth unto him a true and congruous interpretation of that Scripture which shall not crosse other Scriptures nor the Analogy of Faith Impressions made upon Christians spirits concerning things to come shall undoubtedly come to passe if they come from Gods spirit for that is omniscient and doth not worke in us perswasions of a lye But they may come to passe and yet not be wrought by Gods spirit that this is so is plaine Deut. 13. 1 2 3. and the Reason is plaine because the Devill certainly knowes many things that shall come to passe being in their naturall necessary causes and can guesse at more by his vast knowledge of all motions and translations past and being in the world of all humours and dispositions of people and their severall counsels c. 7. Seventhly I conceive that Impressio●● made upon our Spirit after prayer are not alwayes 〈◊〉 trusted It is generally thought that those that seek God if after prayer they find impressions to do the action concerning which they enquire of him these must be lookt upon as comming from the holy Spirit I humbly conceive this may be a grosse mistake in these cases Pastum feci cum domino deo meo ne vel visiones vel somnia vel etiam Angelos mihi mittet Contentus enim sum hoc dono quod habeo Scripturam sanctam quae abunde docet suppeditat omnia quae sunt necessaria cum ad hanc tum ad futuram vitam Luther If a Christian having a sufficient rule in Gods word to guide or forbid him shall yet either neglecting to looke that out or not being willing to follow it go and aske counsell of God whether or no he should do an action which God hath in his word plainly forbidden him to doe this is like Balaams going to God to know whether he should curse Jsrael or no. I conceive we must looke the word to know what to doe in an action and then seek God to guide us in the doing and for the matter of our actions we are onely to seek God to shew us his mind in his word Secondly in case an action be to me doubtfull that I cannot see the word directing me to nor forbidding me expressely but I think there are some generall rules which I thinke may warrant me and I upon that goe and seek the Lord it may be after my first prayer I find my spirit relucting against it and it may be some piece of Gods word seemes to me against it yet for all this I am so byassed to the action that I will go seeke God againe this is now a tempting God and in such a case the Lord may give the Devill leave to give a man his answer as in Balaams case Thus Christian I have given thee some rules by which thou mayest know whence those motions impressions suggestions impulsions perswasions which thy selfe or others have come whether from the spirit of God Valdesso consid 25. or no. I finde some other notes given by Valdesso and others But not being as I conceive certaine I have omitted them This was a taske fitter for a more able head and pen then mine Christians but I may say as Elihu Job 32.6 7. I said I am young and you are very old wherefore I was afraid and durst not shew you my opinion I said dayes should speake and multitude of yeares should teach wisdom But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding I expected that some of my Reverend Fathers should have discussed this necessary point and appeared in the vindication of the most holy Spirit I waited long but I saw none But continually heard of leud opinions and vile actions father'd upon the holy Spirit as the perswader of them and instigatour to them this this made me that for the Lords sake and for his Spirits sake and for the precious soules sake of many of Gods Saints I could be no longer silent to heare men foretell things to come vent errours and Blasphemous and ridiculous and erroneus opinions and father them upon the Spirit Nor may the heterogeneus nonsensicall interpretations of Scripture which come in these dayes from many that pretend to be Saints be with less blasphemy father'd upon the Spirit of God I come therefore now closer to the matter to speake of the Spirit how far it assists the Servants of God in the interpretation of Scripture and how a man may be knowne to have had his guidance in interpretations of Scripture from Gods most