Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A47200
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The woman-preacher of Samaria a better preacher, and more sufficiently qualified to preach than any of the men-preachers of the man-made-ministry in these three nations / by George Keith.
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Keith, George, 1639?-1716.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing K236; ESTC R218789
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20,048
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40
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as the first Woman was Seventhly Such Women as transgress the Law and not come to be under Grace as said Paul They are to be under Obedience as also saith the Law so read the words going before and behind in both places and you may observe that a seven fold sort of Women are not permitted by Paul to speak in the Church and as is said no doubt there were of all these sorts of Women among them of Corinth and Ephesus who were not permitted to speak who had need of these Instructions for commonly such particular Instructions are not given concerning such things where there is not need or where none are guilty But what if Paul had said so concerning all the Women at Corinth and Ephesus where Timothy at this time was when he wrote to him concerning Women that he did not permit them to speak will it therefore follow that no Women are to speak in any Case in the Church I will put you in mind of one of your School Rules which is this a particularibus ad universale non valâ—t consequentia i. e. from particulars unto universal the consequence is not valid therefore though it had not been permitted either unto some or all of these two particular Churches of Corinth or Ephesus to speak because they might at that time being but young not have the requisite qualifications it will not follow that Universally all Women every where else ought not to speak yea these called Presbyterians may remember how they have both allowed and countenanced Women both to Pray and speak of their Experiences in their private Meetings and yet they cannot deny but their private Meetings are a Church for inded a Church according to the Greek and Latin word is nothing else but a Convention or gathering of the People whether few or many so that Three Six or Twelve is as really a Church as 300 600 or 1200. And further let us once more take notice of the Apostles words and we shall find that they do not signifie an absolute forbidding of Women in any case to speak teach or Preach in the Church I permit or suffer not a Woman said he to teach in the Church but if they will learn any thing let them ask their Huâ—bands at home For the better understanding of which I am to remember you that even according unto Pauls own words there was in that day a two-fold manner of speaking in the Church One by Commandment another by permission and this distinction Paul himself useth writing unto the Corinthians when he said as touching some particular things 1 Cor. 7.6 But I speak this by permission said he and not of Commandment also in divers other places he writeth thus I say not the Lord now this sort of speaking was used in the Church in two particular Cases 1. In the propounding or asking of a Question for there were in the Church some who asked Questions and some who Answered the Unlearned Asked and the Learned Answered which is the most proper way of Catechising 2. This sort of speaking to wit by Permission was used in the Church in matter of Advice and Counsel relating to the affairs of the Church where men according to the Wisdome given them of God finding the Spirit of the Lord present with them enlightning them and directing them might speak their mind in Cases by way of Counsel and Advice as seeing the Expediency and use of it for a certain time though they were not to enjoyn it as a Command And Paul himself useth this same Distinction destinguishing betwixt things lawful and things expedient so that some things may be lawful which are not expedient and some things may be both lawful and expedient and yet not commanded of God and a man as immediately taught by the Spirit of the Lord in his heart may see both the lawfulness and expediency of a thing and may speak by the spirit of the Lord moving him in the Church concerning both the lawfulness and expediency of that thing and yet he may say I speak not this by Commandment as if what he said were a Commandment unto them yea the Spirit of the Lord may command and move him to declare unto them that the thing in hand before them is not a Command but an Expedient thing and fit to be done at that time Now in these two Cases of speaking by Permission in the Church as first in that of asking Questions and secondly in that of giving Advice or Cousel simply by a permission if they would contend that Women ought not to speak in the Church all that they can pretend with any shew or colour of Reason at most is That Women are not to speak in the Church by permission if they speak they are not to do it by permission but by commandment whereas it is permitted unto Men at times to speak in the Church by permission when not by commandment an unlearned man may be permitted to ask a Question in the Church which is not permitted unto a Woman nor is it needful for she may ask her Husband at home But if the Spirit of the Lord Command or move a godly and Spiritually Learned Woman to speak in this case she is the Lords more than her Husbands and she is to speak yea though the Husband should forbid her for she ought rather to obey God than Man And in Christ Iesus there is neither Male nor Femalâ— but all are one in him as the Apostle said So both these Cases are in a matter of Freedom or Permission not in a matter of Necessity or Command therefore though Women may not speak by permission which Men may do yet they may speak by Command as when the Lord commandeth or moveth them by his Spirit And that Women spake in the Church is most evident from the second Chapter of Acts which was a very solemn time and also a very solemn Convention for the Scripture saith Expresly Acts 1.14 that among the Apostles Mary with other Women were present and it is said Acts 2.4 And they were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other Tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance So here the Women were filled with the Holy Ghost and spake as the Apostles did for it is said so of them all universally and it appeareth further that the women spoke in this solemn Assembly from the Apology of Peter which he made in the defence of the womens Prophecying or speaking out of Ioels Prophecy where it was Prophecyed by Ioel that the Lord would pour out his Spirit upon all Flesh both Male and Female Sons and Daughters Men Servants and Maid-Servants and they shall Prophecy and so that Prophecy was eminently fulfilled at that time as at other times afterwards And also before this time the Lord made use of women to witness speak or declare and that unto the eleven Apostles that Christ was risen from the dead Luke 24.9 10. And was not this Convention a Church And did not the Lord after his Resurrection first of all appear unto a woman to wit Mary Magdalene And did not he command her to speak unto the Apostles and Instruct them concerning his Resurrection Go said he unto my Brethren and say unto them I ascend to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God Yea and not onely the Scripture but also the Church History telleth us of women who taught and Instructed Men as particularly that woman who converted the Nation of the Iberians unto the Christian Faith as Eusebius relateth FINIS
not all He must be Christ who is God And as I said before this was inwardly and not outwardly he could not tell her outwardly all that ever she did in so short a time but inwardly he could in a moment even as the outward light of the Sun in a moment representeth things unto our eye in the outward and letteth us see in a moment all at once as it were a thousand things and thus she was taught and thus she reasoned concerning him And thus also hath the Lord taught us to reason concerning Him He who hath in wardly conuinced us of our sins and told us all the sins that ever we did and brought them to remembrance before us when we had forgotten them or cast them behind our backs this is the Christ this Light in us must be the Light of Christ or this He in us must be the Christ and not any meer humane or natural Light this must be Divine Spiritual and saving yea the Saviour the Christ so she Preached him and so the Lord hath taught us to Preach him But so do not these Men of the Man-made-Ministry Preach him Nay but the contrary for say they That is not Christ which convinceth every man of his sins and tells him all that ever he did it is but a humane principle not Divine it is but Natural not Spiritual a natural Light and so instead of Preaching him thus as he is in the hearts of People convincing them of sin and shewing them their sins they plainly deny him they confess them without but deny him within and so deny his Divinity and Divine power and Godhead for if he be God is he not within and that both in Believers and Unbelievers doth he not by his Spirit convince the world of Sin Is he not the Light of the world who lighteth every man that cometh into the world that all men through him might believe as Iohn declared Chap. 1. Yea so contrary are they unto the being of Christ within that they plainly and openly deny him to be really and properly and immediately or essentially within his Saints yea to say that he is they call it Blasphemy O say they he is in us by his Graces and by his Operations or Virtue but not immediately or essentially He is in us say they immediatione virtutis but not immediatione suppositi i. e. he is in us immediately by his Virtue but not by himself as the Sun appeareth in us by his Virtue or heat yea the real in-being of the Spirit of God by himself they have generally denyed and judged some among themselves who have affirmed it And yet how clear and full is the Scripture unto this Truth that Christ is not only in all men by his Light but also upholdeth all things by his Word and Power which canot be separated from him and if he were not every where he could not be infinite and as he is in all so he hath his several ways of operation and manifestation in all in Unbelievers after one manner and in Believers in another according unto their several capacities and conditions 8. She Preached him as One they could both come unto and see immediately as she had heard him and seen him her self so she had a great desire that they also might see him Come and see said she she did not thus Preach unto them it is enough for your Faith O ye men of Samaria that others have heard of Christ and seen him and from what they have heard and seen to have reported of him unto you Oh! Nay but Come and see And after this manner did all the true Servants of God Preach unto Peopole O tast and see said David That which we have heard and seen we declare unto you saith John in the Name of all his Brethren that you may have fellowship with us that ye may hear with us and see with us and handle with us of that Word of Life But so do not these Men of the Man-made-Ministry neither Episcopal Presbyterian nor Independent so called None of them all say or Preach Come and see Christ himself or hear himself Nay nay that is all ceased say they Christ is gone into Heaven and will not come again till the last day he has left us the Scriptures and the Sacraments in his room we cannot know him otherwise but by these visible things we cannot see himself nor hear himself all immediate Revelation is ceased there is no Vision of God or Christ to be expected in this life nor immediate teaching or hearing of Christ himself O sad and Comfortless Doctrine but this is their Doctrine nor Christ's I will rather hear this Woman of Samaria than hear them She bids Come and see Christ himself they say there is no seeing of him nor hearing of himself so long as we live upon earth Oh blind and deaf men who because they have neither heard him nor seen him therefore deny this blessed priviledge Oh that people should follow after them and not see these blind men What great matter can they tell of Christ what great or excellent thing can they attain by their Preaching who deny that they can either hear him or see him while they are upon Earth But who in some measure hear him not nor see him while on Earth be this told unto you as from the Lord it will be in vain for you to think to hear him or see him to your Comfort and Joy hereafter 9. Again the Method of this Womans Preaching was not like their School Method who make a Tale of an hours length and yet never come to the matter it self who take a Text from some place of Scripture and raise from it so many points of Doctrine which they have studied so long before hand and must study a day and some perhaps two or three days to preach one hour and then to deliver off unto the people that dry dead and barren stuff that they have scraped and gathered together out of so many old and Worm eaten Authors which they cannot say is their experience and have not received it from the Lord. But they are Theeves and have stolen it yea perhaps it is an hundred times stolen having come through so many hands who have stollen the words of God concerning the conditions and experiences of the Saints as the false teachers and Prophets of old of whom the Lord said Jer. 23. Behold I am against these Prophets who steal my Words c. They shall not profit the People at all And is not this fulfilled abundantly Where is the profitting of the people doe they not remain still in their sins and wickedness And as for these made and composed Sermons by art and cunning of mans wisdom and Spirit it is plain deceit and is expressly so called in Scripture where the Apostle said That with feigned words the false Teachers should make merchandize of the People according unto the Greek properly and truly it is thus With made