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	scripture_n	6,970	5	5.7262	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67900	A sermon, preached at St. Pauls Church in London, April 17. 1659. And now published at the desire of the Lord Mayor, and the court of aldermen. / By Nath. Ingelo D.D. and Fellow of Eton Coll.	Ingelo, Nathaniel, 1621?-1683.	1659 (1659)	Wing I186; ESTC R202594	36,584	167

wise Master when as they are the mistakes of his weakest disciples and it may be thrust in by pretenders and which he owns no more then he deserved the Titles which the Iewes put upon him The first Ministers of Christian Religion were very wary lest they delivered their own errand in their Masters name and therefore made distinction between his mind and their private opinion to prevent his disparagement Those which pretend to follow them should be more carefull because all the world knowes that they have no new message to deliver By this meanes when they relate things which they never received from Christ the single blame of their odde conceits would ly only upon the weaknesse of their own brains or the guilt of some other infirmities but when they blend them with Christs institutions they are forced to suffer for company So that their mistaken Expositions and unreasonable consequences and hurtsull additions by which they pretend to illustrate or perfect the Mysteries of God are of no more courteous effect to the Gospel then the wild embraces of the Ivy are to the Oak which is deformed and weakned whilst they grow up by it It is well known how horribly guilty the Papists are in this point and no doubt they will one day pay dear for the scandal and others are to be blamed besides them How shall we avoid this Rock If we neither deliver or receive any thing for Christs undoubted mind but what is plainly set down in the holy Scriptures The second offence is when those which pretend to Grace and Holinesse fall below Moral virtues by sordid practises There is no answering of this Question to one that is without the Church Are you a Christian and yet below a man Do you love God whom you have not seen and hate your brother whom you see in need of your love Leave off the pretense of Christianity or keep real Humanity faster about you Irenaeus long agoe observed that when the filthy Gnosticks a Band of Ranters had disgraced Christian Religion with their abominable lives the Heathens avoyded the conversation of those which professed themselves to be Christians thinking they were all such If those who are really wicked do perceive such as pretend to Christianity to be as proud cruel and revengeful as covetous and base spirited or as intemperate or to fail in other immoral instances they may well say that Christian Religion is abominable if it make its disciples such and it is a pitiful poor thing if it do not change them from being such and make them otherwise The third offence is when foolish and bitter zeal destroyes the Wisdom Moderation and Charity of true Religion When men do not only make new additions but will needs compell others to receive them as old Truths Upon this Root growes the Romish Persecution They impudently as well as falsely because against common sense and expresse Scripture in the Councill of Trent affirm the Church of Rome to be Omnium Ecclesiàrum Matrem Magistram i. e. Mother and Mistresse of all Churches Luke 24. 47. The teaching of Repentance and remission of sins in the Name of Christ by his own order began at Ierusalem How could it then begin at Rome and yet they have pronounced their Anathema or Curse upon such as do not believe it and declared them for that reason out of the state of salvation for they adde Extra hanc fidem nemo potest esse salvus Such a spirit as this wrought long before in Victor the proud Bishop of Rome when he excommunicated all the Eastern Churches for not keeping Easter upon the same day with him He would it seems have had the same extent of Iurisdiction over the Church as Rome civill had over the world Orbem jam totum Victor Romanus haberet Rome had and Victor would subdue the world How he was reproved for this I shall have occasion to say by and by But it is manifest from the Scriptures and the writings of those Holy men that succeeded the Apostles that this spirit was not in the beginning as also how it came in In the beginning of the Gospel times the spirit of Love flourished Christ having made it the badge of his disciples they wore it alwayes and kept true to that command of Love even to enemies The heights of Love were expressed by Christians First to the Iewes who were mortall enemies to Christ and all that received his doctrine and did what mischief they could to them after they had crucified Christ Iesus they brought his disciples before Iudgement seats accounting it a great service to God if they could rid them out of the world blasphemed their Religion for by their means Christianity was the Sect every where spoken against They denied all offices of friendship towards Christians as indeed to all but to their own even though they were in necessity which barbarousnesse the Heathen Poet doth justly reprove Nec monstrare vias c. They would not show a Traveller the way or if he were thirsty direct him to a spring Notwithstanding all this the Christians expressed a great affection towards them Saint Paul as far as the bounds of truth would permit him became all to them to save their soules and was so farre from the Hellish temper of those which rejoyce to see others fall that in imitation of Christ who died by the hands of sinners to save them he wished that he might procure their union with Christ by his own separation from him And that this spirit died not with Saint Paul is very manifest afterwards for when Trypho demanded of Iustin Martyr what he thought as to their state of salvation thinking probably that he would have pronounced them damned the Martyr did not so but told him he hoped they might be saved if with their Ceremonials they did keep also {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the eternal and natural rules of indispensable Holinesse and notwithstanding the Iewish uncharitablenesse which they expressed in their carriage of which he admonisheth Trypho he showes him the invincible love of Christians towards them being ready as he saith {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i.e. to receive them friendly and to communicate all things to them as brethren or affectionate friends It is not to be imagined but their mutual love was great when they were so friendly to enemies and that appeared in rare instances they made all things common that were capable of a friendly copartnership as we read in the Acts of the Apostles dwelt together in one accord did eat and drink together with unspeakable content rejoycing in each other with a great singlenesse of heart And when this rare friendship began to be hurt through the Devils envy and hatred and mens weaknesse and passions and the One Church began to crumble into many factions and besides the common name by which they were joyned Christ to distinguish themselves by other names never

when the Altar is inscribed To an unknown God● Religious expressions which are not founded in true knowledge are alwayes ridiculous and sometimes sadly blasphemous Those which have not a right understanding of God pray madly to him and speak foolishly of him Religious affections that are not bottomed upon a good understanding are framed childishly and continue accordingly Those which would be truly religious should take a serious Notice of those Attributes by which God hath discovered his nature We must not make excuses for our Ignorance by pretending that God is incomprehensible the greater he is the sooner we may find and apprehend him as you may sooner find the Sea then a River or that we cannot behold the naked Essence or Being of God no more can we of any thing else What is there in the world which we know but by its properties and effects And by them God is sufficiently knowable to us The {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the nanatural knowledge of God is implanted in mens soules as an inbred light in the eye to inable them to see him and he hath made the Creation a fair glasse to reflect his proper attributes for the invisible things of him which we talk of his eternal power and Godhead his goodnesse and wisdom powerfully declared which express the Divity of God are clearly seen by the world which he hath made and in his actions whereby he doth continually show himself he is so discernably revealed that those which do not see and serve him are without all apology of their ignorance and disobedience The works of God especially of benignity and goodnesse are called his witnesses Acts 14. 17. Neverthelesse he left himself not without witnesse in that he did good c. And the son of God who came out of the Fathers bosome out of an intimate acquaintance with God he hath revealed him Having all these assistances let us improve our knowledge of God lest we mistake extremely in our devotions and present an impertinent service If the unworthy Iewes had but well considered the nature of God they would have offered a reasonable and living service and not have been contented with brutish dead worship They would have known that it was an affront rather then an oblation so to mistake God as to think that he could be pleased with flesh and smoake and to undervalue him to others by their misbecoming services giving by-standers occasion to think that the true God smiled upon such impertinencies and gladly received such absurd votaries He which nourisheth ignonorance and unbelief in his mind will be ungodly in his heart life I must confesse I think this so far true that I am of his mind who said that the root of all wickednesse is Atheisme He which dishonours his Maker and despiseth the Law of his Benefactor in a wicked life would not do so if he believed that God made him and that all the blessings of his life were his meer bounty and that God was infinitely more lovely then any of his creatures and that the time will come when God will judge the wicked for their Idolatrous life for they sin by loving the creature more then the Creator and that he will abandon them to torments for their wilful disobedience But wicked men either perswade themselves that there is no God or that he is not such as he hath declared himself to be in the Scriptures The exclamation of the Poet was rational Heu primae scelerum causae mortalibus aegris Naturam nescire Deum i. e. Men would not sin as they they do but that they are ignorant of the Nature of God We do honour to God if after we have got a right knowledge of his Nature we do conform our seves unto it when as the Apostle saith we beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory by the Spirit of the Lord When we become imitators of God as dear children putting on the same Image Temper and Spirit following God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as far as it is possible for a man to follow God The reason of this is plain for by our careful conforming our selves to God we do manifestly acknowledge him to be the absolute pattern of all Excellency and the Primitive copy of all beauty and perfection Then we honour God in an effectual instance when we do in disposition and life show and hold forth the virtues or powerfull goodnesses of God who hath called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light When the light of wisdom goodnesse and righteousnesse shines before men in the lives of the children of God then will they much taken with that goodly Image glorify their heavenly Father who is the Archetype Exemplar of all goodnesse Clemens Alexand. hath said this in proper words {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. It is the only way at once to imitate and worship the best of all Beings for we cannot imitate God but by such things as will make our worship holy nor worship him but by imitation Marcus in Iulian being asked what was the most worthy end of our life having answered to imitate God it was said to be an answers not only {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. not only that he had answered nobly but that he had said all This imitation must be performed with all plainnesse and simplicity and with an universal regard to all Gods imitable perfections lest that be said to us which was replied to an unworthy Emperour when he made the imitation of Apollo his plea {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. But for all this I will take off his Crown for he hath not conformed himself to me in all things and in those things wherein he pretends to resemble me he hath not done it as he should That is a just imitation when we follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes God is not so pleased with Temples made with hands and he hath forbidden to attempt the making of foolish Images but he is well pleased with every good man and woman that make themselves the habitation of the Holy Spirit that offer their soules to God being made acceptable sacrifices through the participation of the divine Image and Nature When such a worshiper appeares before God he may bring what other sacrifice he will he shall be accepted vel farre litabit There is no Temple in which God will converse with a wicked man his oblations are the sacrifice of fooles His gifts may maintain the flames upon a visible Altar and his offerings present something that Church-robbers will be glad to steal but his soul is so unlike to God whom he pretends to worship that he abhorres him and his offerings He counts his name rather blasphemed than honoured by the mouthes of the ungodly when they presume to make mention of it though with a great deale