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	prophet_n	5,466	5	6.3917	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81785	Johannes Becoldus redivivus or, The English Quaker, the German enthusiast revived : visible in this narrative. / Translated into English, for the use of his countrey-men, by J.S. ; Written long since in French by Guy du Brez.	Brès, Guy de, 1522-1567.; Scottow, Joshua, 1618-1698.	1659 (1659)	Wing D2413; Thomason E2137_3; ESTC R208359	48,581	94

affirm that the sense of these words written and spoken by the mouth of the Minister is the true and indubitable word of God as it more plainly appeareth Jer. 36.4 6 8. where the Prophet Jeremiah commandeth Baruch to write from his mouth all the words of the Lord. The words of Jeremiah written with ink in a Book are called the word of the Lord. How often do we hear in the Prophets Thus saith the Lord read these Scriptures Jer. 25.15 Jer. 20.33 1 Pet. 1.23 Isa 40.6 1 Thes. 2.13 Deut. 10.18 Acts 4.31 Acts 6.2 Acts 8.14 25. Acts 11.1 Acts 13.5 7 25. Acts 17.13 Acts 18.11 Heb. 13.7 Ephes 1.13 We ought rather to give credit to so many evident testimonies of Scripture then unto such Ravers who do nothing but rave and dream Muntzer careth not for that but dareth give the Apostle Peter the lye Now they which thus leave the Scriptures finding out another means to come unto God through pride they are deprived of their senses They pretend unto Revelations of the Spirit and despising all reading they mock at the simpleness of those which yet follow the dead and killing Letter as they call it By what spirit is it by inspiration whereof they are so highly rapt as that they dare reject all the Doctrine of the Scriptures as a babish and childish thing they say It is the Spirit of God but it is plain mockery so to speak For they must needs grant us that the Apostles and the faithful in the Primitive Church were inspired by the Spirit of Christ yet none of them durst contemn the word of God and the holy Scriptures but rather each of them had them in very great reverence as we may see it by their writings which are furnished with many testimonies from the Old Testament and certainly thus was it promised by God through the mouth of the Prophet Isa 59.21 where we see that the Lord joyned these two together his Word and his Spirit wherefore should we separate what God hath by an inviolable bond conjoyned Moreover 2 Cor. 12.4 Paul who was rapt up into the third heaven and there heard things unlawful for man to utter notwithstanding gave not over diligent reading nor profiting by the Books of the Old Testament Commanding Timothy to bring with him the Books which he had left at Troas with Carpus 2 Tim. 4.13 2 Tim. 3.15 1 Tim. 4.13 Yea he exhorts Timothy who though he was an excellent Teacher and well instructed in the holy Scriptures to give himself to reading and what praise doth he put upon the Scripture 2 Tim. 3.16 I would ask these men whether they have received another spirit then our Saviour promised to give his Disciples they will not dare to vaunt of another spirit now what Spirit our Saviour promised to send unto his Disciples he sheweth plainly when he saith Joh. 14.26 This Spirit shall not speake of himself but should bring to their remembrance what they had formerly heard of him It is not the Office of the holy Spirit that which Christ promised to dream of dreams of new and unknown revelations or to hold forth new doctrine but it is the work of the Spirit of God to confirm us in that which he hath already spoken by the Prophets and Apostles seeing also that the Lord promiseth not to send us another doctrine saying Hold fast that which thou hast until I come Revel 2.24 Gal. 1.8 9. whereby it appeareth that we ought diligently to travel as well in the hearing as in the reading of the holy Scripture if we will feel the benefit and fruit of the Spirit of God Luke acknowledgeth the diligence of those of Baerca in searching the Scriptures Acts 17.11 To this purpose tend these Scriptures 2 Pet. 1.19 Joh. 5.39 Luk. 4.21 Mat. 4.4 Ephes 6.16 Mat. 22.19 Luk. 24.27 Joh. 2.22 And Paul would have a Bishop to hold fast the faithful word Tit. 1.9 c. Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures c. Acts 14.24 28. If it were otherwise how could we take heed of the deceits of Satan who daily transformeth himself into an Angel of light whereupon should our faith rest we should be carried to and fro without any stability But they do alleadge Object it were a great absurdity to subject the holy Spirit unto the Scriptures to whom all things are to be subjected As if it were a shame and ignominy to the Holy Ghost Answ to be alway like unto himself and to be constant in the same word without wavering at all if any should reduce the Spirit to an Humane or any other Rule it were debased yea brought into servitude but when we say That the Holy Ghost having once spoken is not mutable and changeth not discourse now speaking one thing and then another as men are wont to do who will say that we offer any injury to the Holy Ghost But they say Object He is by this means examined which belongeth not unto men to do Is is very clear Answ that it is such an examination as he hath pleased to establish in the Church that we may not receive the spirit of Satan instead of him wherefore it must needs be that the Spirit abide for ever such as once he hath revealed and manifested himself to be in the holy Scriptures It is no shame nor opprobry to the Spirit for any to say of him That it is no dishonour for him not to be mutable nor to renounce himself As for that which they tax the Ministers to be Ministers of the dead letter one may plainly see the Lords taking vengeance upon the outrage offred unto his holy Word smiting them with a spirit of giddiness for having despised the true and only means of coming unto God which is the Scripture and the Word of God In that passage of the Corinthians where Paul saith 2 Cor. 3.6 The letter killeth and the Spirit quickeneth let any closely consider against whom the Apostle disputeth and they will understand his drift It is very evident that Paul in this place had to do with false Apostles who preached and extolled the Law without Christ caused the people to recoil from Salvation purchased by Christ and the grace of the new Covenant whereunto the Lord had promised to write his Law in the heart of the faithful the Law then being separated from Christ as a body without a soul Jer. 31.33 Ezek. 11.19 Ezek. 36. Heb. 8.10 and nothing cometh from it but death to those that are under it it doth nothing but beat and strike the ears without any quickning the soul until by faith we are sent from it unto Christ as from the Usher unto the Master and then the Law will be found such as David sings it Psal 19.8 The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is faithful making wise the simple the commandments of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart c. Thus must we

return unto his own house and live in peace The principal Anabaptists then were Rotman John Becold of Leyden Bernard Knipperdoling Gerard Cipperbrok Bernard Crechting But sent for aid to the neighbouring Towns In the mean time Rotman and Knipperdoling the superlatives of this faction though they had approved of this Composition yet they sent unto the neighbouring Towns whereby they gave notice unto those of their Sect Promise ten times more then they lost to leave all their goods and repair unto them and that they should not fail to receive ten times more then they left behind them Mutitudes of the poorer sort on hopes of preferment repair to them Great multitudes both of men and women hearkning unto these magnificent promises came in unto them and upon hopes of preferment repaired unto Munster The Citizens leave the City Anabaptists are Masters and Rules all chiefly the poorer sort who knew not how to subsist the Citizens and more wealthy among them seeing the City to swarm with strangers withdrew as fairly as they could abandoning their place unto the Anabaptists this was about Lent in the Moneth of February 1534. By this means the Anabaptists became Masters and chose a new Senate of their own party with Consuls among whom were Knipperdoling and Cipperbrock soon after they fell upon the Temple of St. Maurice Burne the Church of St. Maurice which was neer unto the City and burnt it with the neighbouring Edifices and Pillaged all the Temples and spoyled the chief Temple within a few daies after they flocking together ran about the streets Cry Repent repent depart if ye will not die and in a dreadful manner cried out Repent repent and suddainly changed their tune saying Quickly depart ye wicked if ye will not die Drive out all the Citizens that were not of their Sect. and at that instant in arms ran to and again and drave out of the City all that were not of their Sect without having regard either to Age or Sexe so as many woman miscarried in these troubles and confused flight In this flight many woman with child miscarry these being driven out they fall upon Pillaging their estates by this every one may know by what spirit these Anabaptistical hypocrites were led They Pillage there is no act so fellonious horrible cruel and wicked tha● ever was done which they did not commit In the beginning they talked of nothing but the Spirit and holiness they said it was not lawful for a Christian to be a Magistrate and that it was not lawful to bear Arms but after they had brought all under their paw and in their power then it was lawful to take the Publique Armes with the Town-house and to chuse a Magistrate to their minde yea with rejection of him that was ordained of God and thrust themselves into his place and to make themselves Consuls and Senatours as they have done there is not need of much speaking for the world knoweth it Where now are the fair speeches of those Anabaptists Do not resist evil He that will take away thy coat give him thy cloak also These have not only pillaged and stript honest men of their cloathes but of all that they had have driven them miserable out of their houses with their wives and little ones and have exposed them to death by the Besiegers of the City At that time there arose in the City of Munster a great number of Prophets for they usurped that name the principal of whom were John Matthews of Harling Their Prophet John Matthews commands all their Goods to be common and one Pistor who were both audacious and prating fellows they boasted of Visions and of the Spirit of Prophecie By Prophetical authority this holy Prophet commanded all the City to bring in all their Gold Silver and other movable Goods to be common and that none upon pain of death should reserve any thing for his own private use and to this end there was a Publick house appointed The people were very much astonished at the rigour of this Edict yet notwithstanding obeyed it it was not possible to retain or conceal any portion Divineresses reveal such as retained the goods and all books besides the Bible to be burnt for there were two Maides Divineresses who did reveal it if there were any that did retain any thing Afterwards these Prophets commanded that none should keep any Books except the Holy Bible and that all others should publickly be brought forth and abolished he said that he received this command from God wherefore great numbers of books were brought together and consumed by fire Hubert Trutelin calls them Prophets of a Turd and slain It came to pass that an Artificer named Hubert Trutelin who being displeased with the acting of these Prophets reproached them calling them Prophets de Merde he was accused and all the people were caused to come together in their Arms they sentenced the poor man to death whereat the people were marvelously frighted John Matthews the chief Prophet laid hands upon the poor man and when as he was thrown down gave him a stab with a Pike without wounding him mortally whatsoever his endeavours were then he commandeth him to be taken from thence and that he should be carried to another place and taking the Musket of another young man that was neer him he shot him through with a bullet when he was falling to the ground the Prophet said That it was revealed unto him from heaven that the time of his death was not yet come and that God had accepted him to favour though he died a few daies after whereof when the Prophet had notice he took a long Pike and violently ran through the City crying out that God the Father had given him in command to repulse the Enemie from the City As he drew neer unto the Camp John Matthews slain a Souldier called M●saicus faced him and shot him quite through the belly This was the woful end of this mad Prophet and although the fraud of these Prophets was well known yet the people were so bewitched by them and so deprived of their reason that they much bewailed this their goodly Prophet saying That there would some mischief befal them because such a Prophet was taken from them John Becold of Leyden commanded the second Prophet after him to be of a good courage because that of a long time before it had been revealed unto him that he should come to such an end and that he should marry his widow Two daies after Easter they ran to the Churches Knipperdoling prophecieth and rang all the Bells together some daies after Knipperdoling prophecied that all lofty things must be laid low and the poor and the mean and the low things must be exalted and forthwith commanded that all the Churches should be demolished with a very great gravity assuring them that this command came from God wherefore he was without delay

sight is so fixed upon themselves and their own fair deeds as that they are perswaded that they are the only ones and the None-such in the world In the mean while the Apostle lively upbraideth them saying Such false Apostles are deceitful workers disguising them selves into Apostles of Christ and no marvel saith he for Satan transformeth himself into an Angel of light it is no great matter then if his Ministers transform themselves into the Ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works Moreover who knoweth not well that Doctrine far surpasseth works so as if the Doctrine be not sound pure and true the works how holy and fair soever they may be will never prove the calling of a false Prophet that he is sent from God If it were lawful for us to boast it should not be in our sanctity perfection mortification as they do but only in the pure mercy of God through Jesus Christ if so be that gravity and honesty of life were the true sign of the vocation to the Ministry it would follow that all honest and good people should be Ministers of the Church but that is well known to be false 1 Cor. 7.10 nor can it be for there is a command for every one to walk in the calling wherein he is called 1 Cor. 12.29 he asketh also are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers Every Christian may or ought to read and discourse of Scripture it followeth not therefore that all Christians are Preachers and Ministers of the Churches but only those which are lawfully called nor doth the calling cease for any failing that may be found in the life of the called wch is not spoken to give occasion to make Ministers negligent God forbid But the exhortation of the Apostle Paul is alwaies necessary to the Ministers no more then Peter ceased to be a true and lawful Apostle Act. 6.6 Act. 13.3 1 Tim. 5.22 1 Tim. 4.14 2 Tim. 1.6 when he so grossely failed Gal. 2.11 12. It is well known that our Ministers are called to Office by the voice and common consent of all the Church and that after fasting and calling upon the name of God according to Apostolical institution and are confirmed in their Office by imposition of hands what reason is there for these Sectaries to say That their Ministers are called of God but ours onely by the world and men if their Ministers have a special calling as the Apostles had let them prove it by signs miracles gifts of tongues and Apostolical Doctrine as they did the Church hath no need of your Ministers for the Doctrine of Repentance Amendment of life and of Remission of sins in the name of Christ is abundantly declared in the Church of Christ to teach the same thing is superfluous if you teach any other Doctrine then you and your Doctrine is accursed and not to be heard I shall say no other thing then what the Apostle Paul before spake to the like glorious Ministers as theirs be Gal. 1.18 If their spirit be so full of knowledge and light so as they cannot contain themselves from preaching without calling why do they not preach where the Gospel was never yet declared they insinuate themselves into such places where the holy Gospel hath been preached to the people with great labour and hazard of life unto the poor Ministers It is a marvel how they will vouchsafe to enjoy and partake of the labours of those Ministers whom they so much hate they secretly by fraud and deceit seduce and disturb in such places the poor sheep of Jesus Christ which ought not to be withdrawn from their true Pastors Joh. 10.5 I pray all the flock of Christ not to give heed to such strangers but rather hearken to the voice of the Apostle 1 Thes 5.12 13. Heb. 13.17 These Sectaries do defame and reproach the Ministers and speak all evil of them but it is because they touch them at the quick because they cry out upon these wolves and pluck the sheepskins from off their backs that none might be surprized by their fair appearance seeing the Gospel-Ministers are stiled the Salt of the earth none must think strange that the Salt biteth and pricketh and maketh it self to be Salt the Salt biteth not where there is no wound but it is felt where there is a raw place It will appear then that they have lost their spiritual senses who say That our Ministers are not called of God God hath put singular honour upon the Ministers yea what greater could he put upon them then by saying He that heareth you heareth me and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me the Lord not only by words hath recommended the Ministers unto the Church but also by example hath shewn what honour and reverence all ought to have them in Act. 8. The holy Ghost could have taught the Ethiopian Eunuch without the Ministry of man but he would maintain this order So Cornelius Act. 10.5 God could have taught him by the Angel but he is bid by him to send for Peter When our Lord called Paul he could have instructed him himself yet he is sent to a Mortal man to receive the Doctrine of Salvation and Baptism behold a case which fell not out by rashness that an Angel of God should withdraw from entring upon the Ministry Act. 9.6 and should send him to a man a Minister to preach unto him Who with a good Conscience dare then despise the true Ministry so highly honoured of God and to disgust men from the same and to cause men to run after those which were not lawful Ministers but thieves robbers and grievous wolves which spare not the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ Let us now come to the second point Muntzer after he had spued out his poyson against the poor Ministers of Christ he falls upon the word of the eternal God and there that he may leave nothing entire with open throat he spits out his blasphemies It is no marvel if he fall upon the Ministers of the word to speak evil of them seeing he dareth so outragiously to set himself against the very mouth of God Behold his own words That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament Object and the eternal preaching of the word is not the word of God and that we must search for the word in the internal part in the heart and that the Ministers are much deceived thinking that faith cometh by reading of the Scriptures or by hearing them preached seeing all the Scripture saith that they shall be taught of God These are his own words We plainly confess Answ and are not so ignorant thanks be to God and who knoweth not that the external word i. e. that the Letters written with ink upon paper by the hand of the Writer and that the voice sounding out of the mouth is not the word of God inasmuch as it is written and spoken by man yet we do notwithstanding

understand how it is said The Letter killeth Paul calleth the Law The killing Letter and faith The Spirit quickneth i e The Ministry of the Gospel which he opposeth unto the naked Law and he himself calleth his preaching The Ministry of the Spirit we must not understand this place as those dreamers who as often as they meet with an obscure place that maketh against them say The Letter killeth i.e. According as they say to understand the meaning of the Scripture this killeth but we must come to the Spirit i. e. to forge Allegories Paul never thought of such fopperies as we may see in reading the same Chapter 2 Cor. 3.8 It is then wretchedly and wickedly done to cast off the Scripture upon such pretence of the Spirit Luk. 24.27 seeing our Lord giveth us his Spirit to understand his word as we see Christ opened the understanding of the two Disciples not by making them wise in themselves nor setting them to look for a new kinde of word or natural and innate in them in rejecting the Scriptures but that they might understand the Scriptures After this manner the Apostle Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit he would not have them fly in the air after vain and unprofitable speculations without the word of God but consequently he addeth Despise not prophecie thereby shewing that then the Spirit is quenched and suffocated when Prophecie is rejected what will those poor souls answer who have rejected the lanthorn Psa 119.105 which God hath given to be a light unto their feet We confess that the external word preached by men of it self nor alone cannot convert the heart but the Spirit of God must work internally to beget faith in us now this is done in good order by the preaching of the Gospel as appeareth by Lydia the Purple-seller Acts 16.14 she heard Paul preach but the Lord opened her heart to understand the things which Paul spake for this cause the preaching of the Word is called seed we know that if seed fall upon a spot of ground which is desert and not tilled it is lost without producing fruit but on the contrary falling upon soil tilled and well manured it brings forth fruit in abundance So the word of God Luk. 8.15 if it fall upon the hard and rebellious brain it remaineth without fruit as upon stony soil but upon an heart prepared by the operation of the Holy Ghost then it brings forth much fruit and as the Husband-man when he hath sown his seed he can do no more he cannot make his grain to grow but leaveth it to God so must the Ministers do when they have preached and sown the Word of God they cannot make it grow they must commend it unto God as the Apostle saith He that planteth is nothing 1 Cor. 3.7 and he that watereth is nothing but it is God that must give the increase he doth not therefore reject him that planteth nor him that watereth that is to say the external Ministers for he soon addeth We are co-workers or labourers with God ye are Gods husbandry ye are Gods building It appeareth that the Ministers are joyned in the work with God inasmuch as God maketh use of them as instruments and he worketh by his word by giving vertue in the internal man one may see as plainly as day light the errour of Muntzer the first father of these Anabaptists and that there is no reason in his speech Our Mennonists have condemned their father in this point notwithstanding there be others who maintain this opinion or rather blasphemy as some strange spirits the disciples of Sebastian Franque who this day do renew the question yea some little space of time since one of the chief of that Sect whose name I shall forbear to declare in the City of Frankfort before several honest people told me and with might and main maintained with divers of his disciples That the earth never bare a more abominable Idol then that which is called the Bible and that all the World doted upon it looking therein for the word of God whereas we should look for it in our hearts and one of them redoubled it and said in the presence of Mr. Alosco and of us all What do you talk so much of the Scripture I assure you on my part I have learned more by seeing an Hen or a Capon killed then ever I learned by all the Sermons and Lectures of the Books that ever I read Unto whom I answered It must needs be that you eat often of Hens and Capons seeing you have learned so much by their death but I pray you said I What good did you ever learn thereby he answered That he had learned to know the obedience which Jesus Christ rendred unto God his Father upon the Cross and that as the fowl was slain without making resistance and that for the good and life of man so was Jesus Christ slain for the life of mankind it was said then unto him How do you know that ever there was such an one as Jesus Christ and that he died for man do you find that written in the Capons belly the Turks also do kill Capons but they cannot reade there that Christ was their Saviour In the end they were very angry and like people deprived of their sences when they were hampered by the word of God and by their own reasons What man is there that would not wonder at such foolish and irrational discourse is it not just that such people should be so handled seeing they have rejected the word of the living God which the Angels themselves desire to pry into that they should be sent to School unto the bruit beasts Further I come to the Proposition of Muntzer who saith That the Ministers are much deceived thinking that faith cometh by hearing and that it is written Brother shall not teach brother any more saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them being all taught of God If Ministers be deceived by so thinking Answ then was Paul also deceived for he thus spake How shall they believe c. yea Rom. 10.14 17. he saith That the doctrine which was preached was the word of faith but one may easily see their pretence which is totally to make void the Scripture and the Ministry of the Gospel to come unto Revelations We have already shewed that God will instruct men by Ministers Rom. 10.8 the Eunuch is sent to Philip Cornelius to Peter Paul to Ananias c. As for that passage of the Prophet where it is said Brother shall not teach brother c. the Lord would not hereby banish from out of the Church the Ministry of the Word God forbid to draw men after visions and revelations now they fail in that they do not narrowly look into the place for the Prophet doth not say totally that they shall not teach no more but these are his words They