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	receive_v	5,575	5	5.2394	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10823	A blovv for the pope, or, A discourse had in S. Giles Church, in Elgen of Murray at a conference with certaine papists, plainely prouing that Peter was neuer head of the Church : with a short register of all the attempts and murthers vpon kings and princes in our time by the persuasion of the Iesuits.	Robertson, Bartholomew, fl. 1620.	1615 (1615)	STC 21096.5; ESTC S3099	24,053	74

discharge it to the will of all his mysticall members which did receiue spirituall Sappe and Iuyce of him who is the roote in the which his Church is engrafted by a true liuely and sauing Faith And into whom the Church after a heauenly and vnspeakeable manner yet truely is vnited and encorporated and so become one body with him Flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones And we know it to be accustomably vsed for so did Moses to Iosuah at the Lords owne direction and Dauid to Salomon c. to establish the Successor in the second roome when one is eyther to dimit or giue signification of the succedent to preuent occasions of strife and debate which might arise and are commonly bred for degrees of preferment but Christ remits and sends them to no mans Soueraignty but as it were manumits them and of Seruants chuseth them his free friends and as friends haue most things common cheefelie wils councels and minds so saith hee All that I haue heard from my Father I haue declared vnto you but when said he either first or last that Peter was Head or should be head of the Church which Christ knew to be immortall and Peter then mortall which Christ told him thereafter and the manner of his violent death And that a man no not all the men in the world can viuifie or quicken themselues it is then farre off that one can viuifie another But wee when wee were dead in trespasses and sinnes are quickned together in with and by Christ by whose Grace wee are saued and surely neither Peter nor any of the Apostles can transfuse or deriue any of the spirituall Graces one to another in such sort as Christ by his Spirit saue onely as all the disposers of the ministers of God doe by the liuely preaching of the word c. Therefore if it had been Christs contentment to haue vouchsafed that prerogatiue vpon Peter when that controuersie anent Superioritie did arise surely he would not haue passed it without Decision he is not the God of Debate but will haue all things done in order for hee would haue this scrupple taken out of the way seeing them all as vpon a stumbling block rush vpon it A little before in their gazing vpon the stately building of the Temple and princely Fabrick of that magnificent materiall Church and as they did after the resurrection dreame of the restitution of the Crowne and commonwealth from the vnnaturall tyrannie of the Romanes to whom they were Tributaries for now the Scepter had departed and the lawgiuer from betwixt Iuda his Feete with close mouth neither than nor now did he passe ouer neither the matter purpose it selfe neither themselues vnreproued but forespake the ruine sacking of the Towne of Ierusalem thereby taking occasion to Prophesie the consummation of the whol world with the diuers Incidents at that period of time when it should happen as in that his Sermon most euidently shewes it selfe But in that so high a Question so earnestly tossed among thē nothing the world and Ierusalem both shall perish and they shall wax old as doth a garment and as a vesture shall they bee folden vp and in Ierusalem as was then foretold is not a stone left vpon a stone but the Church endureth for euer and such an euerlasting and eternall head should it haue which Peter in no wise could bee This was I say the meetest time for remouing of the doubs yet our Sauiour did not command to acknowledge Peter for head which without all contradiction he would haue done if he had appointed him chiefe and principall ouer the rest if so it had beene his intention that the other Apostles should haue acknowledged Peter for their Lord and Master Yet so it is that flat contrarily he deliuers and giues his Decree and Sentence that there should be no principalitie nor primacie among them but the greatest as the smallest c. For so saith he the Kings of the Nations doe raigne c. but so it shall not be among you In the which words he doth not onely recall them from such gouernment and regencie as is amongst the Gentils or Nations but also hee disswades and dehorts them from all manner of Primacie for Christ answered to no other interrogation heere but such as they propounded but they did not enquire of the gouernment and Lordsh. of the kings of nations for what was that forme of Regiment appertaining or belōging to them out of a primacy which euery one of them affected among themselues and vnto the which they would haue climbed for they did chide among themselues and were diuided as it is said there And forsooth if any might haue looked for a high place and promotion the sonnes of Zebedeus Iames and Iohn Christs Cozens concerning the flesh wherevpon they did ground their petition by appearance But there is no acceptation of persons with God Their mother as meaning to finde greatest fauour both in regard of her kindred with the Virgine Mary Christs Mother as also for her Sexe and humble behauiour but all their suites were cast ouer barre and they simply denied for the causes there alledged which are not necessary here to repeat and besides those reasons there set downe they should haue remembred that Christ before had closed their mouth from such a subiect and therefore taught them that their desire proceeded from ignorance and obiuion But it would seem Peter should haue his ordination if not immediatly from Christ in the daies of his Flesh yet by the authoritie of the rest of the Apostles who had receiued the holy Spirit on the Pentecost in great aboundance but they neuer acknowledged such place in Peter whose preheminence if any had been they would not haue neglected yet so it is they tooke vpon them boldnes to send both Peter and Iohn from Ierusalem to the Samaritans whom they heard to haue receiued the word of God for whom also the rest did pray and giue imposition of hands Now he who sends and directs another is aboue him that is sent else how dare he vsurpe that title and right as to command either how can he look for obedience or perfecting any point of dutie at the hands of him who is sent if hee be not subiect to the senders command will for it is not said the Apostles requested or entreated or besought Peter but that they sent the other Apostles hauing from their meeting and present assembly enioined to Peter and his Colleague Iohn equall with him in that charge to vndertake that iourney for the benefit of the Samarirans If euer at any time surely heere Peter might haue stood vpon his estimation and might haue reiected their ordinance as arrogant and presumptuous in extending their power too much if he had beene head of the Church It may be that Peter as hee was euer very willing and prone to vndertake so heere hee would

I may say that had so mutilate a body seeing the one halfe as it were seperated and seioyned from Peters Apostleship he hauing obliged himselfe by his troth in his right hand to the contrary Againe if Christ would haue Peter to bee an vniuersall Apostle both of Iewes and Gentiles how durst Peter without speciall licence had and obtained of his Author and euident certainties thereof haue brought his calling into such streighths and narrownes so hastily or at any time after that within foure and twenty yeares he should enter in league with Paul to dimit and forgoe the most dificult part and of greater confequence because both that the benefit of calling was not generally offered before but counter-manded which was a mistery as also for the multitude and greatnesse of the Gentiles for there was farre more Gentiles then Iewes whom the Lord suffered to walke in their owne waies while there was light in some measure among the Iewes in particular places and persons although not generally and amongst the greatest and yet such as might make inexcusable and for this cause Peter not vnmindfull of his charge hee had contracted himselfe vnto as hee taught with great liberty and feruency among the Iewes for wheresoeuer he might haue occasion as wee see aboundantly in the Acts of the Apostles so likewise by writing an Epistle hee taught the Iewes Strangers which dwelt heere and there throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia contayning himselfe alwayes within the limits and bounds of his calling requesting them to be mindfull of the wordes of the prophesies spoken so long time before for vnto Iewes was it that the oracles of God were committed And so did Paul also being seperated to the worke he was called to was sent a faire off to the Gentiles by the Lord by whom hee had receiued Grace and Apostleship to the obedience of Faith among all the Gentils for his name and therefore cals it the exalting and adorning of his Ministerie to bee called the Apostle of the Gentils working in the Euangell of God that the oblation of the Gentils might bee acceptable sanctified by the holy Spirit not but that it behooueth the word of God to bee first expounded to the Iewes but since they did repell it and thought them vnworthy of eternall life he and Barnabas did conuert themselues vnto the Gentiles whose Preacher Apostle Doctor he cals himselfe yet euer desiring to prouoke his Kinsmen that he might saue some of them And to whom I pray you can we better giue credit vnto then to Peter himselfe for surely although once he had dissembled in that deniall of his Maister in three-fold forme And again in that euill example he had giuen to Barnabas and others when hee is precisely challenged by Paul Now would hee not haue hid his Talent in the earth but that which was spoken to him in the eare hee would haue spoken vpon the house tops especiallie since he had promised by Christs Praier his Faith should not faile yea and it was enioyned him not to deny but being cōuerted to confirme his Brethren in the veritie of those things he had heard and seene as hee did also abundantly yet hee cals himselfe no other then Apostle and Seruant not Superior yea hee names himselfe a fellow-elder with them who are Elders And if it be so how can he he iustly said to bee Lord and Prince ouer his Brethren and rest of the Elders shall wee giue him more then either Christ bestowed vpon him or that hee would claime himselfe or any of the rest of the Apostles and Elders would acknowledge him to be And which is more he requests them to feede the Lordes flocke which is amongst them taking diligent heede thereunto not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a readie mind not as though they were Lords ouer Gods Heritage but to be examples to the Flocke that when the cheefe Shepheard shal appear they may receiue an incorruptible Crowne of Glorie he forbids Dominion Lordships ouer the Heritage of God if he had so done himselfe and affected Primacy in the Church which was farre from the mind of this Saint of God hee had wrongfully forbid that whereof he was culpable himselfe Likewise who will not esteeme it a great absurdity to repute all the Apostles which then liued and all the company of the faithfull to be Peters members and all things that appertaine and belong to a spirituall body to be communicated by him to them which must be graunted and that of most necessary consequence followeth if we condiscend Peter to be head of the church but this of Paul onely in place of all that might be brought in is plainly refuted who doth esteeme himselfe nothing inferior to the highest Apostles here is no exception of Peter or Primacy which Paul such is his modestie wold haue don if Peter had bin superior And who would not contend Paule to be Head of the Church of the Gentiles rather then Peter because it is proued already he is appointed both by Christ as also with consent of those which were thought to bee Pillars of the Church and in price had conditioned to be the Apostle of the Gentiles Now it is certaine wee are not of the Iewes but of the Gentiles if there should bee any of the Apostles Head of our Church it must therefore be Paul who did correct Peters error in Antiochia the first place of his alleaged seat and residence to whom also euen their own great Bulwark Tho Aquinas 2. secunda quest 33. sect 4. Gloss. ad Gal. 2. 11. doth make Paul equal but not superior Besides this Paul was sent to Rome by God that he should testifie of Iesus Christ as he had done already in Ierusalem whom the Lord did encourage to that effect the which also by an Angell of God sent to him by night was reiterate saying Feare not Paul it behooueth thee to be presented to Caesar And further Paul was at Rome and taught there two yeares and the Romans did thereby come to that perfection of Religion that their Faith at that time was spoken of in all the world Here is a speciall designation of Paul to goe thither whither we heare of none to be formerly sent appointed thereto by two seuerall Mandates tending to one Scope who did enter into Rome exercised the Office from morning till euening expounding the Law and Prophets testifying and perswading of the kingdome of God in Iesus Christ and made his aboad there during the space aforesaid in a house hired for himselfe and receiued all that came vnto him teaching with all boldnesse of speech without let what can bee more craued in a good Bishop then which we find in Paul at Rome but in all this time there is no mention made neither by Paul of Peter neither Salutation sent to him in

cals Peter first and why should wee deny him the place which the word of God giues him Answere It is not one thing to bee called first and to be called principal Lord or commander for wee say Homer is the first of Greeke Poets hath he therfore commandement or power ouer all the rest Peter in order may bee called first either in feruencie or magnanimitie or such like but his authoritie and dignitie ouer the rest is denied Secondly Paul making mention of Peter about three and twenty yeares thereafter inuerts that order and placed him betwixt the Bonerges that is Iames and Iohn the sonnes of Thunder to signifie that there was no hidden mysterie in that ennumeration yea and in the Catalogue by sundry of the Euangelists the Disciples are permixt But if vpon Peter say they the Church was builded hee must be Gouernour and Head thereof for so sayth our Sauiour Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke will I build my Church Answere Albeit there might be framed a Sillogisme in moode and figure as there cannot be because there bee foure tearmes after the Schoole-men which cannot enter in a right Sillogisme besides the construction in the Greeke and Latine Tongues which altogether ouerthrowes the Argument alledged yet the Assumption is denied for there is not meant Peter on whome the Church should bee builded but vpon Christ as with manie other auncient Doctors August Iohn Tract 124. Which Christ was that Rocke which he confessed immediately before to be the sonne of the liuing God So Lyranus in Gloss marginali super hanc Petram scilicet quam confessm est ibidem in Gloss interlineari Gloss ordinaria Tu es Petrus scilicet à me Petra ita tamen vt mihi retineam dignitatem fundamenti Et Lyranus ibid. sayth Quod Ecclesia non consistit in hominibus quia multi Pontifices Principes inuenti sunt Apostatasse à fide And so also Gregorius Nicenus in testimoniis Veteris Noui Testamenti But in stead of all these Paule satisfieth vs when he sayth No man can lay any other foundation but that which is layd Iesus Christ. Then Peter is not the ground Which if it had beene otherwise beleeue we that Paule would be ignorant of it or of purpose denie so serious and earnest a matter Moreouer if the Church was builded vpon Peter how was it it did not fall when Peter at the voice of a Maid yea and a long time thereafter was relapsed and reproued by Paule as is aforesaid and whome Christ did vpbraid with the most vile name of a Deuill Will the Building stand firme and stable after the Ground is sunke or fallen or rather is it not the Foundation that vpholds and sustaines the whole Fabrick But that Church which Christ promised to build vpon this Rocke could not fall for so saith hee The Gates of Hell shall not preuaile against her She cannot therefore be founded vpon such a tottering Mould as Peter was Paule boasts of himselfe and that truely that as a skilfull Master-Builder he had layed the Foundation and shall wee thinke that Christ the Wisdome of God would build vpon the Sand where the Winds beat and Waters rise and made it fall and not vpon that Stone hewen out of the Mountaine without hands And shall the Masons of Salomons Church bee commended for their Wisdome that they should haue brought-great Stones and costly Stones to make the Foundation of that materiall House euen hewed Stones which was figuratiue of Christ and the Temple of his Bodie and shall wee not say Loe heere is a greater one then Salomon The Fathers all dranke of the Rocke that followed them and the Rocke saith Paule is Christ. And certainely no man yea the Deuill cannot denie but that there is one Bodie and one Spirit one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one Hope of our Vocation one God and Father of all and that this Church began in the Creation with Adam and Eue and continued euer since in one Place or other Familie or Kingdome sometimes longer sometimes shorter sometimes larger sometimes narrower and had but one Ground which now also vnder the Gospell as by the Prophets long since hath beene fore-told the Gentiles are ioyned thereto But where was this Foundation then What was the Ground that this Building leaned to For shame wee shall not say Peter was borne then vnlesse wee-should make him as old as Adam and Eue or then I tremble to speake it elder then them both for the Ground of the House must be first layd before Building be made Surely if wee will trust Paule he will explaine the matter That neither Iewes nor Gentiles beleeuers are anie more Strangers and Forrainers but Citizens with the Saints and of the Household of God and are builded vpon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Iesus Christ himselfe being that chiefe Corner Stone in whome all the Building coupled together groweth vnto a holie Temple vnto the Lord in whome yee also saith hee to them of Ephesus are built together to be the habitation of God by the Spirit If any point of all this can bee attributed iustly to Peter hee is blind that cannot see I know the Aduersaries of the Truth will trust Peter at least who sends the Iewes dispersed vnto the consideration of another Foundation If hee had beene that Ground that the Church should bee built vpon would hee not haue claymed it himselfe If so be sayth hee you haue tasted how bountifull the Lord is to whom you come as vnto a liuing Stone disallowed of men but chosen of God and precious and yee as liuely Stones bee made a Spirituall House and a holy Priesthood to offer vp Spirituall Sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture Behold I put in Sion viz. the Church a chiefe Corner stone elect and precious and he that beleeueth therein shall not be ashamed Vnto you therefore which beleeue it is precious but vnto them which be disobedient the stone which the Builders disallowed the same is made the Head of the Corner and a Stone to stumble at and a Rocke of Offence euen to them which stumble at the Word being disobedient where liuely as it were in orient Colours hee paints out that Romane Hierarchie and Antichrist For seeing they stumble in disobedience at the Word of God both in Doctrine and Manners dispensing with it and substituting in place thereof Councels Traditions Ceremonies For this cause they forge to themselues another then the true Head of the Church and would haue a pretended Entrie and Passage thereto by Peter without any Warrant or Approbation in the Word of God as shall bee at length in his owne place God willing euidently proued But say they to whom the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen was giuen him had CHRIST appointed Head of the Church for hee had receiued 〈…〉 to binde and loose remit and