Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A57306
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A premonition to the bishops and priests of England &c. with twenty reasons why the people of God in scorn called Quakers do refuse to hear them.
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Rigge, Ambrose, 1635?-1705.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing R1488; ESTC R17045
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10,145
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16
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are fed by Christ the true Shepherd therefore is the Hand of the Lord turned against you and he will wipe you as a man wipeth a Dish turning it upside down Reas 6. You have born Rule by your Means and have been called Lords and Masters and them who could not give you those flattering Titles you have hated and persecuted and you have loved and strove for the chiefest Places in the Assemblies and the uppermost Rooms at Feasts and have gone in long Robes and for a Pretence have made long Prayers being directly such as Christ cryed Wo against Mat. 23. Reas 7. You have come to People in Sheeps Cloathing and through your Good VVords and Fair Sperches have deceived the Hearts of the Simple but inwardly are Ravening Wolves you are known to the whole Nation by your Fruits being written in great Characters upon your Foreheads viz. Pride Covetousness Luxury Drunkenness Whoredom Lying Swearing the Abominations of the Heathen and therefore are Evil Trees which have no Promise but to be hewen down Reas 8. You have cried Peace to every one that would put into your Mouths and feed you with Tythes Gifts and Rewards but they who have denied you these you like ravening Wolves have devoured many Widows Houses and tender Lambs and have far exceeded in making Spoil of Peoples Goods who have received nothing from you all the false Prophets that ever I heard or read of either in the Scriptures or any History since the Foundation of the World and therefore we cannot own you as true Shepherds but as ravening Wolves Reas 9. You have not been content with Christ's Wages to his Ministers viz. into whatsoever House ye enter eat and drink such things as they set before you for the Labourer is worthy of his Meat Luke 10. therefore never truly sent forth by him but have gone in the Way of Cain and after the Error of Balaam Jude 11. who erred from the Spirit of God and then was more blind then the Ass he rode on Reas 10. You have followed your own Spirits and have mocked and derided those that possess the infallible Spirit of Truth and therefore are Ministers of the Letter which killeth and not of the Spirit which giveth Life for the least Measure of the Spirit of Truth is infallible and never deceived any who were guided by it but the whole Body of the Spirit of Error is fallible and worketh with all Deceivableness of Unrighteousness its Fruits being such as are mentioned in the nine foregoing Reasons why the Quakers deny the Priesthood of England Reas 11. You when you have seen the Wolf come have fled and left your Flocks to be devoured by him when the Arm of Flesh turned against you and therefore are you manifest Hirelings and not of the true Shepherd who laid down his Life for his Flock John 10.12 13. Reas 12. You have not turned People from Darkness to the true Light wherewith Christ Jesus hath enlightned every man that cometh into the World John 1.9 nor from the Power of Satan to the Power of God whereby they might witness Remission of Sins contrary to the Doctrine and Practise of Christ and the true Ministers of the Gospel Acts 26.16 17 18. but you have kept people in Darkness and under the power of Satan and have preached and made people believe they must remain under Satan's power all the Dayes of their Lives and consequently have made the Death Suffering and Blood of Christ of none Effect and the Second Covenant of no more Force nor Virtue then the First nor the Blood of Christ no better then the Blood of Bulls and Goats which could not cleanse from Sin and therefore you and they dye in your Sins as Christ said to the Jews John 8.21 Reas 13. You creep into the Idolatrous Houses which were built by the Papists and consecrated to Idolatry and there lead silly men and women captive laden with Sin and divers Lusts ever learning and never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth which is Christ the Light of the World and so Freedom from Sin and Eternal Life in Christ is hid from your Eyes and the Way of Peace neither the Leaders nor they who are led know and therefore we call you blind Leaders of the blind as Christ did those who walked in your Steps Mat. 15.14 Reas 14. You have a shew of Godliness but deny hate and persecute the Power of Godliness in all in whom it is brought forth and for this Reason also we turn away from you according to the Apostle's Doctrine 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5 6 7. Reas 15. You are Wells without Water Clouds carried about with a Tempest for when the Storm came and beat upon your Houses which you upon the Sand had built they fell and you fled at their Fall and great was their Fall so you are Hearers and not Doers deceiving your own Souls Mat. 7.26 27. Reas 16. You dip or sprinkle Infants and cause men and women to promise and vow that they shall forsake the Devil and all his works the pomps and vanities of this world and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh which you nor they can never perform here you are grievous Covenant-Breakers for neither you nor they in that state you stand in can keep God's Holy Will nor his Commandments one Day in all your Lives and so lay heavy Burdens upon others which you will not touch with one of your Fingers and cause many to break their solemn Covenant with God which will be charged to you in the Day of Account and so are the Covenant-Breakers spoken of 2 Tim. 3.3 Reas 17. You deny Perfection and Freedom from Sin in this Life contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and his Ministers Mat. 5.48 Rom. 6.18 19 20 21 22 23. Phil. 3.15 1 John 4.17 and so make void the Gifts given by Christ at his Ascension which were for the perfecting of the Saints Ephes 4.12.13 Reas 18. You have kept people in Doubt of their Salvation in telling them they must have a Body of Sin as long as they live and not resolving them where this Body of sin must be done away seeing the Scripture saith There is no Remembrance of God in Death and in the Grave who shall give him Thanks Psal 6.5 And again Isaiah saith The Grave cannot praise the Lord nor Death celebrate him and they that go down to the Pit cannot hope for his Truth Isaiah 38.18 So unless you tell People where or when they shall be made free from Sin and prove the same by plain Scripture you will be seen of all to be manifest Deceivers seeing no Unclean Thing shall enter into the Kingdom of Righteousness Reas 19. You deny Immediate Revelation and Inspiration by the Spirit of God at this day through which the things of God's Kingdom both is and ever was known Deut. 29.29 Job 32.8 Mat. 16.17 Mat. 11. 27. 1 Cor. 2.10 11. And thereby do keep People from the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent whom to know is Life eternal John 17.3 this again shews you in Doctrine to be contrary to the Apostles and Primitive Christians who were Sons and Daughters of God and led by the Spirit of God Rom. 8.14 So for this Reason also we deny you and turn away from you as being Ministers of the Letter that killeth and not of the Spirit that giveth Life 2 Cor. 3.6 Reas 20. You love to be called Lord-Bishops and your Priests Master such a one and Master such a one contrary to the Scriptures and the Titles of the Holy men of God therein recorded for we do not read of Lord Timothy nor Lord Titus though Bishops nor of Master Paul nor Master Peter c. This again shews you to be more like the Gentiles who exercised Lordship over their Brethren then Ministers of Christ but Christ said it should not be so among his Ministers but He that would be greatest should be Servant to all Mark 10.43 Southwark the 24th of the 9th Moneth 1676. Your Friend A. R. THE END
in the Earth-beneath of the breaking forth of the wrath of the Lamb whose Patience and Long-suffering being sleighted you are not led to Repentance but they wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived even heaping up Wrath against the day of Wrath and the revealing of the righteous Judgment of God Even as it was in the Dayes of Noah so is it now in the coming of the Son of Man for the Earth is filled with Violence and is corrupted by Iniquity and the dark Corners thereof are full of the Habitations of Cruelty but an Ark is prepared and a small Remnant are gathered and more gathering daily into it at the Command of the Lord the like Figure whereunto Baptism now saveth us not the putting away of the Filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience by the Resurrection of Jesus and now it is fulfilled that as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness so is the Son of Man lifted up in the Hearts of his People in this his Day of whose Government there shall be no End and all are and will be accounted his Enemies that will not suffer him thus to reign But he gives Caesar his due at this Day viz. the Government in outward things for his Kingdom is not of this world neither do his Servants fight but are made perfect through Suffering as their Lord and Master was in the Dayes of old Therefore awake awake all you who have long laid in Security for the great and notable Day of the Lord is dawning wherein all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be as Stubble and the Day that cometh shall leave them neither root not branch but unto them who fear the Name of the Lord and depart from Iniquity and hate every evil way shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with Healing and shall give them Beauty for Ashes and the Oyl of Joy for the Spirit of Heaviness under which they have walked many Years and the Cup of Trembling shall be taken out of their Hand and shall be given into the Hands of them who oppress them And God's Arm is not shortned that it cannot save neither is his Ear heavy that it cannot hear the cry of the Poor and complaint of the Needy who are even at this day groaning under the burthens of an oppressed Conscience through the cruel unnatural impositions of men having assumed that to themselves which is proper and peculiar to God alone viz. The Government in spiritual matters relating to another world this is his honour which he will not give to another and if all Judgment be committed to the Son what place is left for the Bishops Judges What Judgment is to them committed And who gave them Authority to set Judges over mens Consciences in matters of Faith and Worship do not the Scriptures say that Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin Rom. 14.23 And without Faith 't is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 Now do not you greatly dishonour the Son who is the only Author and Giver of Faith who would impose a Worship contrary thereunto upon his Servants is not he only spiritual Judge of Heaven and Earth whose Judgment is just and according to Truth and Righteousness altogether how can you judge of spiritual Things if you have not the infallible Spirit and so not sure of your own standing nor of the way you walk in to be Right and yet Persecute others even to Life Liberty and Estate because they will not walk in your uncertain way you presume higher then did the Scribes and Pharisees of old though short of their Righteousness for they were said but to sit in Moses's Seat who had a Legal ministration but you pretend to sit in Christ's Seat who hath an everlasting Spiritual Priesthood and is only Judge of quick and dead Therefore down with your pretended spiritual Courts whereby you would limit God in his Worship and prescribe his Servants a way which your selves do not certainly know to be true to worship God contrary to the measure of Faith they have received from God and let sound honest Judges in Temporal matters between a Man his Neighbour be set up in all Cases of difference in temporal things and let them be a terror to Evil-doers under what Name and Profession soever for the Law was made for such and not for righteous men have you any president in the Scriptures in all the dayes of the Ministration of Moses in the dayes of Abraham in the time of the Prophets or in any of the Gospel-dispensations that ever any outward Law with an outward penalty was made against them who did not Worship God in that way manner in which he had appeared in those dayes If you cannot you must either judge them deficient who had the ministerial Offices in those dispensations or your selves to take more upon you then you have either precept or example for in the holy Scriptures Here followeth some of the weighty Reasons why we who are called Quakers do deny the Bishops and their Priests to be Ministers of the Gospel and do refuse to hear them Reason 1. YOU being made Ministers by the Will and Wisdom of Man and what you have received being from man and taught you by man and not by the Revelation of Jesus Christ contrary to the true Ministers in the Dayes of old having not entred in at the Door but climbed up some other way therefore we cannot own you to be ordained of God nor to be true Shepherds Reas 2. After this wrong Beginning you have been inducted by men into great Benefices in every Place as you could obtain them and have preached for Hire and have spoken a Divination of your own Brain-study in your carnal Wisdoms and not from the Mouth of the Lord as he hath taught you and therefore have you remained some Ten some Twenty Years more or less in a fat Benefice and have not profited the People at all Jer. 23.21 22. Reas 3. You like the false Prophets of Israel have every one sought your own Way every one for his Gain from his Quarter I se 56.10 11. And moreover have run from Quarter to Quarter where was most Gain and so have made Merchandize of People through Covetousness as they did whom Peter testified against 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. This hath manifested to us and all sober People that you have the Spirit of Error Reas 4. You have run and the Lord hath not sent you therefore have you turned none to Righteousness nor profited the People at all but if you had stood in the Counsel of God and had caused People to hear his Word which is Christ then you should have turned them from the Evil of their Wayes Jer. 23. Reas 5. You have fed your selves with the Fat and cloathed your selves with the Wooll and like Drones have lain within and have eaten up that which many have laboured hard for and have persecuted and killed them who