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
A56120	A sermon preached in the Parish-Church of Bridgewater, July 16, 1693, before the Right Reverend Father in God, Richard, Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, at a confirmation by Fran. Prode ...	Prowde, Francis, 1653 or 4-1723.	1694 (1694)	Wing P3879; ESTC R6025	16,780	34

Mr. Prowde's Confirmation-Sermon Preached at BRIDGEWATER July 16. 1693. IMPRIMATUR LAMBETH Nov. 17. 1693. Ra. Barker A SERMON Preached in the Parish-Church of Bridgewater July 16. 1693. Before the Right Reverend Father in God RICHARD Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells AT A CONFIRMATION By FRAN. PROWDE M. A. Vicar of Woollavington in Somersetshire LONDON Printed by J. H. for W. Rogers over against S. Dunstan's-Church in Fleetstreet 1694. TO THE Right Reverend Father in God RICHARD LORD BISHOP of Bath and Wells May it please your Lordship THE ensuing Discourse being solely the Product of your Lordship's Command seems naturally to fly to you for Patronage I am very sensible it must meet with a great deal of that Goodness of Soul and pious Inclination which belongs to your Lordship to render it acceptable But the Deference I owe your Injunction for having it made publick encourages me to hope it may occasion some good Thoughts and Endeavours in the World Which that it may I heartily beg of God and humbly subscribe my self Your LORDSHIP's Most Obedient Servant Fran. Prowde ACTS VIII 17. Then Laid they their Hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost THAT result of the wise Solomon's maturer thoughts He that encreaseth knowledge encreaseth sorrow is not more sadly experimented than while we contemplate the religious strifes which are so eagerly maintain'd in the Christian World And among all the perplexing Controversies of this unhappy nature that about the Doctrine which this Text of Scripture presents to our consideration is not the least 'T is strange even to prodigy to consider that after the Office of Confirmation is so plainly deliver'd and recommended in the Holy Scriptures so religiously observed in the best and purest times of Christianity so generally own'd in the main as to its nature and obligation even by the most considerable Parties now among us should after all seem neglected and despis'd What can be the occasion of this melancholy scene of things And whence must the contradiction between the evident grounds of this belief and practice derive Indeed what other reason can be given of it but that the truly Primitive Spirit of Piety and Unity with which the Holy Jesus by visiting these lower regions blessed the world is for want of entertainment here fled to Heaven The Great and Incomprehensible God has no dependence upon us all his favours are free and in strictness of sense unmerited by us The methods of our happiness though they are agreeable to our natures and highly worthy our rational choice yet they are assign'd us by God and if we will be happy we must make our selves so as God has appointed If through carelesness or obstinacy we take wrong methods and refuse or oppose those which God has ordain'd we then grieve and contradict his Holy Spirit and unnaturally bring on our present and eternal ruine Our compassionate Saviour at his departure hence promised us the comfortable assistance of the Holy Ghost to the end of the World And how the divine efflux shall be communicated he himself and the Pen-men of the New Testament both by their precepts and examples have so plainly taught us that in short nothing but our own perverseness can undoe us Particularly in the words of my Text according to the generality of the most learned and happy Interpreters of Sacred Writ we have presented to our thoughts one of the admirable ways or means whereby the divine wisdom has thought fit to convey both the outward to wit the extraordinary and miraculous and the inward to wit the saving and lasting gifts of the Holy Spirit In short if we consider the Context it makes it clear beyond denial that by Laying on of Hands joyn'd with Prayer and receiving the Holy Ghost we are to understand the doctrine and effect of Confirmation For those Prayers which we read were made by the Apostles Peter and John vers 15. did so soon attend the Conversion and Baptism of the Christians at Samaria that it must signifie Confirmation When the Apostles which were at Jerusalem says the Text heard that Samaria had received the word of God and were baptized by Philip they sent unto them Peter and John vers 14. which exactly agrees with this doctrine and usage being an act which we find Primitively reserv'd to the Rulers of the Church and not allowed to inferiour Officers such as Philip the Deacon mention'd in this Chapter Annotations on Acts 8. vers 17. though he was endowed with the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost According to this notion Dr. Hammond observes that Bishops are call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doctors as that signifies the farther instructing them to whom the Gospel hath been formerly preached and as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 differs from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preaching from teaching And in Confirmation it certainly was that in these first times of the Gospel both the saving and miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit us'd to be conferr'd But besides this 't is farther probable that the Faith being planted at Samaria by Philip and the Apostles coming thither to Confirm and not staying there Acts 8. v. 25. Acts 14. v. 23. Tit. 1. v. 5. Epist 1. ad Corin. but returning to Jerusalem they did at their being there ordain Elders or Bishops in their several Cities as we find Paul and Barnabas did and as we read Titus did also in Crete This says Clemens Romanus the Apostles did in their journeyings when they went out preaching the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Preaching through Regions and Cities they constituted their First-fruits Bishops and Deacons of those that should afterwards believe And thus before this time they had constituted James the Brother of our Lord Bishop at Jerusalem in the first year after Christ's Ascension From whence it is not reasonable to believe that the Apostles Peter and John should come down to Samaria where the Gospel had been so universally receiv'd and not also ordain some Governors over them before they returned In short therefore by Laying on of Hands joyn'd with Prayer and receiving the Holy Ghost mention'd in my Text both according to the Context and general suffrage of Expositors we are to understand Confirmation and Ordination the Holy Ghost by the Apostle's ministry coming on all the sincere believers and endowing them with the internal saving and lasting gifts of the Holy Spirit and some of them with external and miraculous powers And the Apostles also by Laying on their Hands on some signalized persons Ordain'd them Bishops and Deacons in several Cities the Power of doing which belong'd only to the Apostles to exercise and was not Philip's business though he had power to preach and baptize nay though himself was endow'd with miraculous gifts Now these things premis'd in accounting for my Text and in reference to the present occasion I shall pursue this following method 1. I shall endeavour to give a true and distinct Account of the Doctrine of

fuit ut Christianorum liberi postquam adoleverant coram Episcopo sisterentur says Mr. Calvin It was the Ancient Custom Instit l. c. 〈◊〉 19. for the Children of Christian Parents when they were fit for Confirmation to be brought before the Bishop And They are certainly to be condemned of gross Partiality and Vncharitableness say s Mr. Hanmer who blush not to say that the Bishops out of pride Mr. Hanmer on Confirm p. 51. have appropriated to themselves the Laying on of Hands in Confirmation And that Mr. Baxter allows this Rite to have been all along generally administred by Bishops must needs be evident to any one who reads his Book on Confirmation where he labours to prove that though Bishops did Anciently officiate in this Case yet that Presbyters might do it the Nature of the Thing and Necessity requiring Thus these unhappy Opposers of Episcopacy have recorded their Judgments But after all such is the Moderation of the purest and best constituted Church in the World I mean the Church of England in this Case that so the Divine End and Design of Confirmation be accomplished she does not censure those Churches which want Protestant Bishops I proceed to the Third particular I propounded to consider some Objections which are brought against this Usage And 1. Some will not permit Confirmation to derive from Apostolica Example and though the Primitive Church entertain'd it as such a Doctrine yet say they it was theirs and has been all along since a gross Mistake Thus I find Mr. Cartwright on the Rhemist's Testament and some others arguing Their main Argument is That those Texts of Scripture which are brought for Confirmation are all to be interpreted onely of conferring the Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost And that when these Gifts ceased in the Church Confirmation vainly had its beginning To which in short it may be answered That it is clear even beyond denial that the Laying on of Hands joyn'd with Prayer was used in the conferring Grace or Divine Blessing long before the Apostles Times And farther it can never be proved that onely the Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit were given by the Apostles in their Laying on of Hands But as the internal saving Gifts of the Spirit were more necessary in their own Nature and promised by our Saviour to the End of the World so they must be given by the Apostles and thence Confirmation obtained in the Christian Church Lib. 3. de Baptis Cap. 16. It is not now says St. Austin as it was that by the Testimony of temporal and sensible Miracles the Holy Ghost is by the Imposition of Hands given as formerly to recommend and demonstrate the Truth of the then new Christian Faith and for the Enlargement of the lately begun Church for who as he expostulates does now expect that those upon whom Hands are Imposed for the receiving the Holy Ghost should suddenly begin to speak with Tongues But invisibly says he is the Love of God inspired into their Hearts Thus St. Austin answers this Objection But indeed 't is very plain that the Prejudice of Mr. Cartwright and others against this Doctrine derives from their Abhorrence of Popish Superstition For This is evident from their Writings and this leads me to a Second Objection against Confirmation that it is a Popish usage and a Compliance with the Superstition of the Church of Rome and this tho' contrary to all reason has prejudiced too many against it Indeed it must be confessed that the Church of Rome has made Confirmation a Sacrament nay has gone farther preferred it to Baptism made it consist in opere operato bestowed it on Infants and clogged it with several unnecessary Ceremonies In short as they have done in other matters so they have robb'd it of its Apostolical Primitive Design and Decency and exposed it under a false Notion and in an antick Garb. But if this may be lawfully argued against Confirmation when 't is rightly used and applyed then must we cast off the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper In short reject Christianity it self because all or most of its admirable Doctrines have been abused and debauched by the Church of Rome For whoever seriously inquires into the nature of it will certainly find that the Doctrine of the Church of Rome as it differences it self from us is really made up of nothing but folly and contradiction to the Divine design of Christianity But to return the Church of England having removed from Confirmation all popish Superstition and Pretences to a Sacrament and having ordered a preparatory Catechism for all those to learn and competently to understand who shall be admitted to it In short having taken all possible care to answer the design of its Primitive Institution to impress upon the thoughts of youth a great and lasting Veneration for Religion obliges them to consider and reassume in their own Persons what their Sureties promised for them in their Baptism In short that they will believe and behave themselves as becomes Christians These things premised they are by fervent Prayer attended with the Apostolical sign of Laying on of Hands recommended to God and the happy Effects of their own pious resolves Now if this be a true tho' short account of the Church of England's design in Confirmation how unreasonable is it for any one to object against it as Popish and Superstitious But I shall conclude this Objection with an agreeable passage I find in Mr. Baxter's Postscript to his Tract on Confirmation Some will say says he it is mere Prelacy or a Prelatical design and some that it is Independancy or an Independant design and some that it is but Presbyterian Examination whereas they might know that it is proper to none of them which is common to them all If it be Prelacy how comes it to be found with Independants If if be Independancy how comes it to be approved by Prelates and Presbyterians Is it not rather like Christianity it self and the Truths and Duties we commonly own and therefore not to be appropriated to any Thus Mr. Baxter pressed on with the mighty force of Truth answers this Objection But 3. The saddest occasion of the most prevailing Objection against this Primitive usage is The evident want of an hearty and true concern for Religion for alas instead of the Primitive Christian Spirit of Piety and Unity a careless and prophane Temper or a furious and irregular Zeal have too apparently got the ascendant in our English world Hence we are too generally prejudiced against our Happiness and hence all our great misfortunes derive to be really a Christian is to be in love with all the Divine methods which lead us to Heaven to be sincerely devoted to all the genuine Acts of Piety Justice and Sobriety to practise whatever is acceptable to God lovely among Men and agreeable to the rational designs of our Natures These things demonstrate us Christians would make us happy here and