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
A80854	The vertue and value of baptism: in which the dignity and duty of [baptism], the due right of infants to [baptism], and their right above that of grown persons by [baptism], the degrading and destructive principles and practices of [baptism] are / catechetically propounded, plainly preached, and now published as an antidote to the baptism-despising dictates of John Simpson. By Zachariah Crofton ... ; Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy.	Crofton, Zachary, 1625 or 6-1672.	1658 (1658)	Wing C7003B; ESTC R174314	79,234	315

the name of God exposing the holy God to irreverent rude approaches and his Seals and sanctifying Ordinance to scorn and contempt Nor is this guilt thus charged in the least extenuated by the qualifica●ion required and propounded as the ground of Communion viz. R●al Grace the answer of a go●d conscience by the Resu●rect●on of Christ from the de●d for I never yet found this propounded in Scripture as the ground of Church communion not is it discernable by every eye of every common believer who are to see such sanctified unto God to whom they do joyn themselves Nay the very Stewards of the mysteries of God have not that Spirit of infallible discerning the truth of grace Grosse hypocrites have been by the very Apostles of Jesus Christ Baptized and admitted into the Church and so will be by all that administer holy things for Hypocrites void of true Grace must be found in the Church when the Lord Jesus Christ shall come to Judgment And if it could be known yet by what authority is inward Grace divided from the outward Ordinance and opposed thereunto Those things which God hath joyned together shall any man dare to divide asunder and can true Grace consist with ignorance of the Doctrine of Baptism and neglect and contempt of the least Ordinance of Jesus Christ and inversion of the order of the Gospel But is not this most gracelesse Chymistry so to spiritualize Gospel dispensation as to Deifie every Minister that hath the charge of the Sanctuary Nay every believer that must hold communion in the Ordinances of the Gospel by making them Searchers of the heart and infallible discerners of Real Grace the ground of Church Communion and to justi●●e the washing of the body which God hath made the ground of confidence in accesse to him in the assemblies of his people Secondly The second sort to be reproved as contradictorie to this consecrating faith encouraging Ord●nance of washing the body with pure water are such as Disown and decline Baptism in their drawing nigh to God in the assemblies of his pe●ple Like Priest like People if men that ●all themselves Ministers ●●d Teachers shall with black mouths blaspheme Baptisme it cannot but meet with people that shall pr●fane contemn and cast off that holy Ordinance If Teachers shall dare in the Name of the Lord to declare That water-baptism is not the ground of communion with the Church visible no marvel if men do sl ght Baptisme in seeking such communion nay it were a marvel if some should not sinfully reject and renounce it for he is a mean man that draweth not some Clients after him A●e there not many in the midst of us that make their way to God by renouncing their Baptism when once their fancy doth but dictate to them a vanity in that outward Ordinance and their tongues are filled with vilifying invectives calling it beggarly Element carnal Ordinance outward and groundless Ceremony badg of Antichrist Superstitious administration their hearts are as full of joy as they can hold now they are full of courage can come with freedom and full assurance to God being as they pretend baptized with the Spirit and fire now they boldly joyn themselves to that assembly they call the Church of God and despising all outward Ordinances their formal admission must be by a full renunciation of their Baptism and all carnal acts of worship as they phrase it that they may serve God in Spirit This generation of men must needs appear most grossely ignorant or greatly deluded as to the method of approach to God and manner of worship to be done unto him Unto them I would demand If they be guided by Scripture directions not Enthusiasmes and pretended Inspirations whether Scripture doth not declare That divided man must make no aprroach to God the Spirit of all flesh will be adored with outward acts of worsh p wh●ch h● himself hath ap●ointed Hath God comm●nded Baptism to no use or end May bodies not consecrated come nigh to holy Presence Must not the Lords immediate attendants be distinguished from the rest of the world by some Livery that is obvious and to be seen by every eye Can the Spirit and Sacred Ordinances of God stand opposite one to the other and not consistent each with other And must sincere Gra●e share stakes with God giving m●n the Body and God the Spirit The Divel may be content with the half of man for he well knows by that means he doth possesse the whole for God will have all or none they that will draw nigh to his Sanctuary must love him with all their migh● heart soul and strength they that will wait on him must worship him in Body and Spirit They that walk as the redeemed of Christ must gloryfie him with Soul and Body which is their reasonable sacrifice Rom. 12.1 For both were bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 God will part with no part of his purchase and hath therefore prescribed outward acts of adoration to be bodily performed in the sincerity of Spirit and appointed the washing of the body with pure water to consecrate and stamp holinesse on the outward man as well as the sprinkling of the heart for the inward the exercise of the body ●n the outward acts of worship without the Spirit is plain hypocrisie and the exercise of the Spirit without the Bodies subjection to outward Ordinances is positive profanenesse such is the Souls influence on the Body that if it awfully apprehend Majesty it will make the bodily members to expresse it In vain is heart Subjection pretended where the yoke of outward Ordinances is broken from the neck What likelyhood of Loyalty from such as scorne the Livery Sad is that Sanctity that sets at enmity Gods Spirit and Sacred Ordinances Cursed is that cry of holiness that cryeth down Divine order and Ordinances Rebellious is that Assembly whose Incorporation is a renunciation of the matter and method of Gods Worship Dreadful must needs be Gods approach to th●t people that draw nigh unto him not duly consecrated to that end by Baptism and touch the holy things of God in his Assembly not having the body washed with pure water I have lost my little skill in Scripture-Calcuiation if such perish not in the gain saying of Korah and occasion not a P●rz-vzzah in Israel Whilest some disown Baptisme as an outward Ordinance by the Spirit of Familism disowning all outward administrations There are others that will joyn with us in condemning them and consent that God must be w●rshipped by bodily acts of Religion yet they find no way of accesse to God but by receding from the baptism they had received and disowning the consecrating Faith-encouraging use of the washing of their bodies in pure water to which they have been subject These are our Antipaedobaptist become actual Anabaptists who quarrelling at Infants interest unto Baptism and the Administrators thereof do disown all relation they have had to the Church and the priviledges

valid and of force the Grant of a cruel King and profane Prince will be by these men admitted as the substantial binding Charter of the peoples Priviledges we read often of the pro●anenesse of the Priests of Israel but never of a nonentitie brought upon Gods Ordinances in their hand If they be in Moses Chair though we must not do as they do we are bound to the attention and obedience of what they say It is not impossible for a man to preach to others and himself be a cast away I never read that the Baptism of those Baptized by the unworthy hand of Judas was ever pronounced void or null A pure Ordinance is unhandsome in a profane hand but yet its essence is not impaired it is Gods Ordinance effectual to its end So that if they were Baptized by Ministers though unworthy wherein I w●sh charity be not violated for that many know not who they were they do censure as unworthy nay some worthy men to themselves so known they now call unworthy it is a corrup●●on consistent with the essence of the Ordinance not any way destructive to its being The same is to be said for the annexed Ceremonies that they were profanely added but yet did not nullifie the Ord●nance but it stands in full force as a ground of confidence in access to God But secondly As they appear greatly irrational in inferring more then their premises will allow so they are Grosly ignorant nay I fear many wilfully shutting their eyes may be charged to be grosly obstinate They renounce their Baptism under the notion of Superstition not considering they run into the sin of Sacriledge charity must perswade us these men understand not the method and ministration of the Covenant of Grace otherwise they could never charge Infant Baptism with superstition which is the very application of Gods Ordinance to its proper subjects and so Sacrilegiously rob God his Church believing parents and their children of those holy duties and Dignities that belong unto them Have we not before noted that they who are in Covenant with God ought to be Baptized and is not this the principle wherein we all agree And if these men know any thing of the method and and ministration of the Covenant must they not needs confesse That the natural issue of one or both believing Parents are in Covenant as we have before proved and so fit subjects for Baptism that may and must be made partakers of the first initiating Seal of which God hath made them capable in their Passive age and estate Can any stand convinced that such infants are as soon as born the Lords Heritage Psal 127.3 The Lords servants Lev 25.42 Children beg●tten to him Ezek. 16.20 21. Holy ones Rom. 11.16 1 Cor. 7.14 Children of the Covenant Act. 4.25 To whom belongs the promise Act. 2.28 Interressed in the pr●viledges of the people of God Mar. 10 14. and withhold the keeper of the Sanctuary and Stewards of Gods houshold from setting of Gods mark in their flesh or withstand their dedication unto God Must not we give Caesar the things that are Caesars and God the things that are Gods Will not God account it a R●bbery t●at they which are his shall be withheld from him Again c●n any consider the issue of believing Parents to be the Churches Children begotten to the Lord Ezek 16.20 an holy seed scattered for her increase and yet snatch them out of her armes and cast them out of her bosome into the wide wildernesse of the world Shall not the Church lament and refuse to be comforted whilest she is bereaved of her babes and as a Bear robed of her whelps Will not such robbery prove her rui●e and the drying up her seed hinder her increase and make her b●rren and fruitlesse Again shall the children of such believing parents be borne members into th● houshold of Faith and not be incorporated by Baptism Shall Loyalty be their born duty and not Gods Livery their dignity Shall the Covenant of Grace be the Charter of their priviledge and the Seals not be applyed to them as t●ey are capable of receiving them Shall they be holy in their kind and the badg of distinction be denyed them If any thing would make a new born babe to speak sure this Sacriledge would do it there is reason for the real demand that is fabled of one Rumball Son to an English King at Brack●ly in Northhamptonshire that as soon as he was born he requested to be Baptized for that he was a Christian I● it not a cruel Sacriledge to shut out of the Ark of Salvation such whose title to entrance cannot be denyed Yet further is Baptism the only visible ev●dence God hath given to parents of the extent of the Coven●nt to their children and shall any deprive them of this reason of hope cause of joy ground of Faith in prayer and spur to duty in dedication to God and education of their children for God So that these things considered such as on this ground of being Baptized in infancy do renounce th●ir Baptism do out of ignorance of Gods Covenant commit most horrid Sacriledge by robbing G●d of his Heritage the Church of Children and the be●efits of the administration of Baptism to infants which by Gods grace I shall shew to be great the children of believing parents of their Seal of the Covenant of which they are capable and their Parents of that ground of Faith the administration of the Covenant doth award them And so they g ve us cause not only to charge them with irrationality in fancrying Gods holy Ordinance to be superstition but in the language of the Apostle to say Thou that abhorrest Idols dost commit Sacriledge Rom. 2 22. So that not only Groundlesly but even contrary to Divine method and order they disowning the regular washing of their body in pure water do divest themselves of that Seal of Sanctity and ve●ture of holinesse by which they were fitted for a confident approach to God and decline the assembles of Gods people in which alone the Lord is to be adored and joyn themselves to false assemblies where they are consecrated to and come before God in a way that is not of his appointment nor can expect his approvement how high soever false hopes and joyes may carry their s●irits For those to whom they joyn are divided from the Church of Christ and void of all commission to administer the holy things of God if you look at their constitution you shall find it is no other then se●f-congregation with the cry of all the Lords people are holy and invectives against Aaron and Moses as they which take too mu●h upon them the which I could never yet find warranted in Scripture but is remarkably condemned in the company of K●rah that were thus constituted Ministerial authority is no lesse essential to Constitute a Church of Christ then Magistratical to constitute a Corporation or Company my litt e skill in Politicks could never

Many as 1. Such as dictate to the unbaptized a liberty of access to God teaching that Baptism is not the ground of Communion with the Church visible but real Grace the answer of a good conscience and thereon do tender all the Ordinances to the unbaptized which is directly opposite to this use of the Ordinance and inverts the Ordinance of the Gospel giving God cause to complain as once in Israel Ezek. 44.7 Ye have defiled my Sanctuary by admitting into my Sanctuary the unbaptized in flesh and in spirit Q. Who are further to be condemned as contrary to this consecrating nature of Baptism A. Such as disown their Baptism in drawing nigh to God as do some Familists who deny all outward Ordinances and pretend to serve God altogether in Spirit as if divided man could draw nigh to God or the Lord would not be adored by the body he hath redeemed or true Grace could admit a contempt of any divine Ordinance Or the Anaebaptists who are so irrational as to renounce their Baptism because received in Infancy as if a corruption in circumstance if this were one had destroyed the essence of the Ordinance but indeed they do it out of ignorance or obstinacy de●ming Gods Institution Superstition and so run into the sin of Sacriledge Q. Is the denial of Infants Baptism the sin of Sacriledge A. Whilst it robs God of the children to him begotten the Church of Members to her born believing Parents of a ground of Faith and reason of hope and the Infants of their undoubted Interest in the Covenant I cannot but deem it sacriledg Q. Who else are to be blamed as repugnant to this consecrating nature of Baptism A. Such as disregard Baptism in its application to others as do Parents who pass over their childrens Baptism as a Civil Complement and meer Formality to please Friends but never compose themselves to it as an act of Religion and Ordinance of God pray not for a blessing on it nor praise God for the blessing of it nor instruct their baptized children in the benefit and use of it and people who attend with some shew of reverence on other Ordinances but rudely rush out of the Congregation when Baptism is administred as if it were some idle action and as if the sanctifying of a soul to God the sealing of the Covenant and admission of a Member into the Church were of no use to them nor worth their attendance Q. Who else are to be blamed as contrary to the nature of Bapiism A. Such as disesteem their own Baptism neither improving it against sin nor arguing to themselves the duty or dignity of their Baptism so as to make Baptism an Engagement against sin to holiness and encouragement of their Spirits in holy duties Q. Who also are to be blamed as contrary to the consecrating nature of Baptism A. Such as deny the Baptized the liberty of access to God in the Assemblies of his people as do the Independents who gather Churches out of Churches rightly constituted and call the Baptized into Church way as if they were out and prescribe a Covenant of their own whereby to admit Church members affect to distinguish themselves from others Baptized by the term of Saints Brethren Church and the like and deny to communicate with them as if Baptism did not incorporate into Christ his Body and prepare for communion with him in his Ordinances Q. To what course of life doth your Baptism bind you A. To depart from all iniquity to devote my self wholly to the Faith and Service of one God Father Son and Holy Ghost to whom I am dedicated and all my days to demean my self as a member of Christ his Church one in Covenant with God on whom holiness is stamped and that is sanctified for approaches to him Q. You spake of some benefit you reaped by your being Baptized in Infancy Is the early enjoyment of this Ordinance of any advantage A. Yes ve●y much in many things to be preferred before Baptism of grown persons wherein it is more profitable Q. What is the first benefit of Infant Baptism A. Infant Baptism expresseth clearly the sin of nature and engageth against it in that we are washed it is evident we are unclean but being so soon baptized doth witness our very nature is defiled for infancy did never admit us to be stained with personal guilt as are men at years and so Infant Baptism is an unanswerable argument of our inbred corruption against which we are bound to fight being baptized before it had spread it self into actual sin Q. What is the second benefit of Infant Baptism A. It explaineth the method and order of transmitting the Covenant and affecteth us with the benefit of Relation to a believing Parent That we are baptized speaks us in Covenant but that we are so soon baptized before we have in our selves any qualification for it shews us as branches we partake of the fatness of the olive and are of the same kinde with our Parents God hath graciously become the God of the Believer and his Seed and made grace to run through natures channel otherwise we had never enjoyed this Priviledge Q. What is a third benefit of Infant Baptism A. It enlargeth the bounds and establisheth the being of the Church Baptism is the band of union and Ordinance of ingrafting into the Church But Infant Baptism doth scatter the holy seed and send forth sprouting branches which succeeding into the room of old perishing stocks doth not only increase the number of the Churches Members but defend it from the wasting annihilating breaches of time Q. What is the fourth benefit of Baptism A. It exciteth Repentance representing sin in its Root and Original the pravity of nature and its gracious object the God of our Fathers and the God of our youth against whom we have offended Q. What is the fifth benefit of Infant Baptism A. It enforceth Faith not only in the sealing but also the extending of the Covenant to the seed of Believers a ground of Parental Prayer for Posterity and an early seizure of our souls before Satan could possess us or our own corrupt nature could betray us unto him Q. What is the sixth benefit of Infant Baptism A. It engageth duty Parents to Christian education and instruction of those who by their Authority are dedicated to the service of the true God children to the obedience of the God of their Father and of their youth who extended to them the Covenant and so soon set the seal of it in their flesh Q. What is the seventh benefit of Infant Baptism A. It encourageth under death the knowledge of the Covenant extended unto Believers and their seed hath prepared young children unto Martyrdom and interest in the Covenant can be the only ground of hope to the Parents under the death of their Infants who are born the children of wrath but by Baptism are put into the ark of salvation such as let go this must

they injoyed by their Baptism and disavowing the holinesse thereby conferred they declare themselves to have been cozened when Christned and although they have sometime deemed themselves the people of God sanctified by the washing of water in Covenant with God and sweet Communion with his people Now they declare themselves to be aliens and strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel without hope without God and without Christ in the world and therefore renouncing this b●ptism they seek another way of accesse to God and by an imagined Baptism of their own creation they encourage their spirits and stamp holinesse upon themselves and pretend to joyn themselves to the assemblies of the Lords people declaring all others to be dogs and only themselves the children of the Kingdom all others to be in the high-wayes and hedges and themselves the only Church of Christ to whom men must be joyned on p●in of Eternal Damnation When I consider these men I cannot but consider the impetuous viole ce of an Erroneous judgment in hurrying to irregular practise and the giddy preposterous zeal that is produced by Reason-darkning fancy this carriage doth plainly bespeak these men to be greatly irrational and grossely ignorant First They appear to be greatly Irrational and that because they nullifie Gods Ordinances by mistaken or miscarried circumstances which no way destroy their essence Their ground is Infants ought not to be Baptized and they were Baptized in their infancy their ignorant parents in their ignorance did superstitiously cause them to be sprinkled by some unworthy Sir John or other and hereby they were cozened but now they thank God they see the superstition of Baby-sprinkling and therefore will have their bodies washed and joyn themselves to the Baptized Saints Unto this Plea of theirs I wish they had reason enough to see the irrationality of it for presuppose which is not true that infants have no right to Baptism it w●ll not thence follow that Infant-baptism is superst●tious void and null For Bap●●●● is Gods Ordinance Christs own Institution Age or Infancy are but circu●stances directing the subject to whom it is applyed and is not essential to the Ordinance if Baptism be a worship according to the mind of Christ then Infant baptisme is out of all danger or possibilty of will-worship in case infants were not as undoubtedly they are within the Verge yet their baptism can be no Will-worship for we set not up the Ordinance we apply to them but make application of the Ordinance Christ instituted so that our utmost guilt is misapplication of worship instituted by God not devising any worship o our own heads so that they do irrationally charge the corruption of an Ordinance and misapplication of an Institution with Superstition and this co●ruption in a circumstan●e they imagine to nullifie the Ordinance and improve to a nonentit●e of their Baptism most irrationally making the Age essential to the Ordinance which God never did so appoint in either Old or New Testament-times either in the initiating Seal of Circumcision or Baptism God did indeed direct Circumcision to be applyed at the Eighth day but the direction of the Age is distinct from the institution of the Ordinance and not of the Essence thereof otherwise none m●g●t be Circumcized after the eighth day to have their Circumcision valid and of force under the New Testament we have neither institution of the Age nor subsequent direction for it save only the qualification of the subject as being made Disciples brought into a propriety to the Promise and the like of what age soever unlesse our Anabaptists will make Christ's Baptism the institution of the Ordinance and age to which it is to be applyed and then I do believe their latter Baptism will be as void as the former for I believe they are yonger or elder very few of the just direct age of the Lord Jesus when Baptized so that the Age can no way be made essential to the Ordinance the corruption circumstantial will not bring upon it an nonentitie and necessity of rebaptization though they might have cause to bewail the fin of their parents in corruptly misapplying Gods Seal but what necessity is there of plucking it off and Cancelling the Covenant of God to them confirmed I cannot believe that if a Jew had been Circumcised before the Eighth day that he would have renounced the Circumcision because misapplyed in point of time by his neglective parents deviations from order may be profanenesse to be rebuked but cannot be destructive to the Ordinance that the priviledges thereof should be lost and it be reiterated I do not believe that these men will Disfranchise themselves of the priviledges of a Free-man of London though they were incorporated before the age directed by the Rules of the Chamber for admitting Free-men Methink● their Reason should be a Chancery of more equity then to cut themselves off from the Congregation of Gods people and cast off the liber●y of accesse because of their unseason●ble and too early Baptism If the Church on such a miscarryed circumstance should disfranchize them or deny their relation to the houshold of Faith she were deservedly censured for cruel severity and h●r summum jus must needs be deemed summa injuri● the greatest wrong is to punish failed circumstances with the highest severity due to the greatest crimes Only blind zeal and irrational folly is censorious to themselves to disown their own interest on such a ground as will not warrant the Church to deprive them of it Self-execution under the greatest guilt differs little from murther but must needs be sinfully violent when extended in measure beyond the nature of the fault Self-excommunication on so slight a ground cannot but be the sting of an a wakened conscience apprehensive of t●e pr●viledges lost the out cry of such a conscience must needs be this Oh wretch my parents misapplyed the Seal and therefore I have cast off the Covenant by my own will and deprived my self of those blessed enjoyments the hand of justice never demanded from me Oh cruelty self cruelty How ju●●ly might God say Amen to thy self censure and blind thee under thy losse for ever But to extenuate this irrationallity in the rejection of their Baptism received in infancy they endeavouring to master by number of exceptions under the want of faith further plead Why but we were Baptized by some unworthy Minister and in a superstitious manner with the Ceremonies of the Church and sign of the Cross and therefore we cannot make that baptism a ground of Faith in the approach to God And hereby they do but act their irrationality the further for suppose ye were Baptized by an unworthy Minister yet he was a Minister though the Essence of the Ordinance may depend on the Authority yet not on the Dignity of the Administrator The wickednesse of an Embassador maketh not his Embassie concluded to be void and vain the impression of a lawfully Commissionated Judge though he be unjust is