Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	apostle_n	holy_a	lord_n	6,631	5	3.5276	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23767	A sermon preached in St. Peter's Westminster on Sunday, Jan. 6, 1660 at the consecration of the Right Reverend Fathers in God, Gilbert, Lord Bishop of Bristoll, Edward, Lord Bishop of Norwich, Nicholas, Lord Bishop of Hereford, William, Lord Bishop of Glocester by Richard Allestry ...	Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.	1660 (1660)	Wing A1163; ESTC R8500	24,735	46

some Apostles some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry namely because those gifts enabled for those offices and all the reason in the world that he should have a speciall hand in giving where himself is to be receiv'd Receive the Holy Ghost that was from the beginning and is yet the installation to them And if we take them from their divine original from that great Pastor and Bishop of our sonls who was the maker of them too Thus he was consecrated The spirit of the Lord is upon me therefore he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel Luk. 4. 18. And when he comes to ordain succession he sayes as my Father sent me so send I you and he breathed upon them and said Receive the Holy Ghost Joh. 20. 21. and after bids them tarry at Jerusalem till they should be endued with power from above Luk. 24. 47. that is endued with the Holy Spirit Act. 1. The present Barnabas and Saul were sent by his Commission in the Text and v. 4. Saint Paul tels the Elders of the Churches of Asia the Holy Ghost made them overseers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 20. 28. Timothy had his office 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by immediate designation of the Holy Ghost 1 Tim. 4. 14. Clemens Romanus saith the Apostles out of those they had converted did ordain Bishops and Deacons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having first try'd them by the Holy Ghost and so taught by his revetation who should be the men And Clemens Alexandrinus says John after his return to Asia ordain'd throughout all the regions about 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as were signified and design'd by the Holy Ghost So that Oecumenius pronounces in the general 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Bishops that were made they made not inconsiderately on their own heads but such whom the Spirit did command Chrysostome said as much before and Theophylact. Nor can we doubt that he maintains his interest in this affair even at this day But that our Veni Creator Spiritus Come Holy Ghost eternal God does call him to preside in these so concerning solemnities For Christ when he commission'd his Apostles assuring them Behold I am with you even to the end of the world which promise he performs onely vicariâ Spiritûs praesentiâ by the presence of the Holy Ghost who is his Vicar as Tertullian expresses nor can the Spirit be with them till then but by making them be till then which being done by Ordination that Ecclesiastical procreation for so they derive themselves to the worlds end upon the strength of that promise we may assure our selves he does assist as truely though not so visibly as when he said here Separate The Ghost's concernment being thus secured I have this one thing onely to suggest that they who set themselves against all separation to these offices and Orders in and for which the Holy Ghost hath so appear'd what they be I dispute not now they fight against the Holy Ghost and thrust him out of that in which he hath most signally interess'd himself And they that do intitle the Spirit to this opposition do not onely make Gods Kingdome divided against it self or raise a faction in the Trinity and stir up division betwixt those Three One Persons but they set the same Person against himself and make the Holy Spirit resist the Holy Ghost You know the inference prest upon them that did this but interpretatively in the Devils Kingdome and did make Satan cast out Satan and is 't not here of force And they who make the Spirit cast out the Holy Ghost contrive as much as in them lyes Gods Kingdome shall not stand I will not parallel the guilts Those Pharisees blasphemed the Holy Spirit in his Miracles ascribing that to Beelzebub which was the immediate work of the Holy Ghost and such indeed do sin unpardonably because they sin irrecoverably for Miracles being the utmost and most manifest express wherein the Holy Ghost exerts himself they who can harden their understandings against them have left themselves no means of conviction and cannot be forgiven because they cannot be rectified or reclaimed These others do blaspheme the Spirit in his immediate inspirations and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ascribing to the spirit of Antichrist all those Offices and Orders which these gifts of the Holy Ghost were powr'd from Heaven immediately to qualifie for and separate to things in which he hath as signally appeared as in his Miracles and as he made these meanes to convince the world so he made those the Officers of doing it and set them to out-last the other Now in the same nearness that these two guilts come up one towards the other just to the same degree these sin the sin against the Holy Ghost For the Holy Ghost said Separate So I pass to the second to those whom this injunction is directed to And thence I do observe in general that Notwithstanding all the interest and office that the Holy Ghost assumes in these same separations yet there is something left besides for man to doe Although he superintend they have a work in it He is the Uncti●● but it must be apply'd by laying on of hands I have call'd them saith he in the Text and yet to them that ministred the Holy Ghost said Do ye separate I do not now examine what degree and order of men they were whom the Holy Ghost here commissions for this Office The Judgment of the Antient Church in this affair is enough known by the condemnation of Aerius and by the Fate of Ischyras and Colluthus and for the present instance in which they are call'd Doctors that are bid to doe it there hath enough been said to prove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Title of a Bishop to which I shall onely adde that it was a variation of Name that stuck by them untill Bede's age in which what Bishop signified does come under no question for he does say that Austin call'd together to the Conference Episcopos sive Doctores the Bishops or the Doctor of the Province Besides that there was then in Antioch a Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the time of Claudius Emperour of Rome and of Euodius whom the Apostle Peter had ordained at Antioch those that before were call'd Nazarenes and Galil●ans were call'd Christians a thing which happen'd a little before this separation in the Text as you finde ch 11. 26. But who they were that us'd to separate for every Execution of these holy Offices will appear from the instances that I shall make to prove the present observation that besides that of the Holy Ghost there was an outward Call And whomsoever the Spirit sent he commanded that they should have Commission from Men. And all my former Testimonies for the Holy Ghost bear witness for this too The Text is positive here was a Congè

on you from thence 2. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Work and labour of the work the one is the Text's and the other Saint Paul's word require a whole man and therefore a man separate and if Saint Paul one of our separated persons here who had the fulness of the Spirit and the fulness of Learning too that was brought up in the Schools and brought up in Paradise taught by the Doctors and taught by the mouth of the Lord in the third heaven snatcht from the feet of Gamaliel to the presence of God to have a beatifical Vision of the Gospel if after all this he cry out who is sufficient for these things sure they are not sufficient who in those little intervals which their trades and necessities afford them fall into fits and frensies of Religion have a sharp Paroxysme of irregular convuls'd Divinity as if they were its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 possest with their Theology till their weariness and not knowing what to say doe exorcise them But not to speak onely to the wild fancies of this Age the Scripture says of the men of these callings they are taken from among Men and ordain'd for Men in things pertaining to God And such discriminations are evinc'd by all the expressions of a Church in Scripture 'T is call'd the body of Christ Now the parts of a body as where they are so separate that they divide from one another they do not make a body but are an Execution so where they are not separate in a diversitie of organs for several faculties and operations it may be a dead Element as similar bodies are but cannot be that body which Saint Paul describes 1 Cor. 12. which is not one member but many vers 14. And if they were all one member where were the body vers 19. and indeed all that Chapter is inspired for this Argument In Christ's Church 't is as impossible that every one can be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Overseer as that every part in the body can be an Eye and the whole frame of man may be nothing else but a Tongue as well as every Christian may be a Preacher And if it might where indeed were the Hearing as Saint Paul does ask The Church is also call'd a building and Gods house Now it is true that every Christian is by Saint Peter call'd a lively stone and all of them built up a Spiritual house an holy Priesthood 1 Pet. 2. 5. and they all are a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar separate people ver 9. Yet all this is no more of priviledge then is affirmed in the very same words of the Jewish Nation Exod. 19. 6. where yet God had his separated Levites Priests and High-Priests too But sure 't is manifest enough that in this building as in others stones have their separate places and distinct every one cannot bear up the Corner or be a pillar and foundation-stone much less can every one place it self in the Ephod assume to be of the Urim and the Thummim stones and there break out in Oracles and give responses and every rubbish stone set it self in the Mitre and shine in the head ornaments as if it were of the precious stones of Sion In fine to speak now out of Metaphor not onely the transactions of the Text which is a precedent for men to commission such and such but also all Scripture rules direct a Choice and where there is Election there is also dereliction and both evince a separation And if all the Nations in the World have had their distinct officers for Religion and as it were to signalize the separateness of their function in many nations they did live apart from Men The Priests had their adyta as well as the Deities dark solitary Groves were made choice of not so much for the God as for his Officer's retirement so that every appearance of him also was a Vision and the Priest was reveal'd as well as the Oracle and all this at the first to make a kind of sacred Pomp for the solemnity of awfulnes though afterwards it often prov'd but opportunity for foul performances And if to this uniform practice of the World Gods attestation be set who order'd it in his own government nor that as a Levitical or Jewish administration but it was practis'd amongst his own from the beginning and when dominions were but greater families there were still distinct persons for the imployments of Religion that was the office and the priviledge of the first-born Esau was call'd profane for selling that birthright of his And the word in the Text here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate is the same which God does word the sanctifying the first-born for him with Exod. 13. 2. 'T were easie to deduce all this out of all ancient Jewish Records And when the practice ever sinee hath been the same in Christs Religion after all this sure nothing else but absolute defection of the Notions of Mankinde and blotting out all the impressions of Universal Nature and Universal Religion or else an absolute Command from Heaven could alter this Establishment from which command we are so far that 't is the Holy Ghost himself that said expressly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate Now this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Separateness in Function does infer upon us a separateness in Life and Conversation and they who are thus set apart from the world must keep themselves unspotted from the World To separate and Consecrate are but two words for the same thing Separate three Cities is the Command in Deut. 19. 2. they sanctified three josh. 20. 7. Our Offices assume them both and all are holy Orders Now separate and pure are both so primitive and so essential notions of holy that truly I cannot determine which of them is original and which secondary Our Consecration does challenge both and as we will be separate in our calling so we must be separate in our lives not conforming our selves to the World for I have chosen you out of the World saith Christ. A torrent licence of an Age must not carry us along an Universal Custome of the World must be no precedent and can be no excuse for us to doe what is irregular We are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate and that the world does such things is no more a plea for us to doe so then that because the World is Common ground therefore the Church is so too fit to be put to all the uses of the field or of worse places Were it a reasonable Argument because I see that the whole Countrey 's till'd why should not I break up the holy places and plow the Temple Why so we are enclos'd for God and separated for the uses of Religion and to preserve our selves pure for them Our Saviour says that the Community of Christians is a City upon an Hill and then