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	law_n	sin_n	5,562	5	5.3183	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33735	The perfect pharisee under monkish holinesse opposing the fundamentall principles of the doctrine of the gospel, and scripture-practices of gospel-worship manifesting himselfe in the generation of men called Quakers, or, A preservative against the grosse blasphemies and horrid delusions of those, who under pretence of perfection and an immediate call from God, make it their business to revile and disturb the ministers of the gospel published for the establishing of the people of God in the faith once delivered to the saints, and in a speciall manner directed to beleevers, in Newcastle and Gateside.	Weld, Thomas, 1590?-1662.; Cole, William.	1653 (1653)	Wing C5045; ESTC R37653	40,293	52

death Rom. 7. 23. 24. And shall sinfull man be equall with God he whose righteousnesse is but raggs drosse and dung whose goodlinesse but as the Flower of the Field Isay 64. 6. Phil. 3. 7. 8. Isay 40. 7. Whose Breath is in his Nostrils Psal. 144. 4. Whose station is lower then the Angels Psal. 8. and the best of whom is so farre from being just with God as that he cannot answer him one of a thousand Job 9. 2. 3. If they affirme he is so from some worke of conversion since he was Borne 1. Then the worke of conversion is to make new gods 2. And growth in Grace shall be the growing of God and so God shall be lesse or more God according to the different degrees of Grace on the soule But the Blasphemy is so horrid that to name it is enough to make true Saints loathe it and abhorre this pretence of Naylers to an holinesse justice and goodnesse equall unto Gods As for the other Attributes powerfull omni present c. we send them to Gods Challenge of Iob. in Iob 38. Where wast thou when I layd the Foundations of the Earth ver. 4. Canst thou binde the sweet influences of the Pleiades and loose the bands of Orion Canst thou bring forth Maza●●th in his season Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sonnes ver. 20 31. to chap. 40. 9. Hast thou an Arme like God Canst thou Thunder with a voyce like him 4. If equall then the same God or another other there can be none but he that was before all time T is a contradiction if another so many Saints so many Gods if he be the same then God wanted something of his infinite perfection which he receiveth by Naylers being god c. These things we should not mention but that Saints might be warned of such devilish Doctrines the very smoake of the bottomelesse Pit Position 2. That there is no distinction of Persons in the God-head Proofe George Fox layes downe such a Principle as you may see in their Booke called Sauls Errand to Damascus pag. 12. with other ascertions of the same kinde knowne to some of us Confut. We hope we need not say much to the confuting of so knowne an Heresie raked up out of the dust and which the Saints have ever loathed as pulling downe one great Pillar of their Faith the Personall Deity of Christ being the maine ground of the infinite value of his merits and the Personality of the Spirit being so fully evidenced by the Divine Attributes appropriated to him in Scripture But we referre you to these unanswerable Scriptures Heb 1. 3. Mat. 3. 16. 17. 1 Iohn 5. 7. Mat. ●8 19. Isay 6. 1. 3. compared with Iohn 12. 39. 40. 41. and Acts 28. 25 c. Position 3. That the soule is a part of the Divine Essence Proofe One of us W. C. had this positively asserted by Coll. Benson and Captaine Ward at Kendale and discoursed the controvercy with them Confut. Let the Christian Reader consider 1. That if this could be so then should the Essence of God be divided into so many finite beings or parcels as soules 2. Yea and by this Doctrine that Essence of God which is infinite in him should come to be finite when it becomes a soule in man The Heavens of Heavens are not able to contain him and the finitenesse of our created spirits who doth not know 3. How shall the All Creating Essence of God become a Creature and who understands not the Creation of soules Gen. 2. Heb. 12. 9. 4. If this be so then shall a part of God be sinfull which how blasphemous unlesse men most wretchedly dare deny that there is a sinfulnesse in any soule 5. And then shall God hate himselfe burne in wrath for ever against his owne Essence and it lye under damnation for evermore for so is the state of thousands of soules How horrible i● any of this to be ascerted of him in whose presence is fulnesse of joy Psal. 16. and that is God blessed for ever Rom 9 5. 6. Hereupon when Jesus Christ gave himself to death for the soules of men either he dyed for himselfe and for the Essence of God or else he dyed altogether in vaine What soule not grossely Apostatized dare vent such things Position 4 That Christ is in every man and in the reprobates he is held under corruption Proofe * One of us received this assertion from James Nayler in conference with him wherein he extended the in-dwellings of Christ to Indians that never heard the Gospel 2. Those whom they call Reprobates Devils they usually tell notwithstanding that they Crucifie Jesus Christ within them As is cleare in a Letter one of us hath Read from John A●dland to Edward Brigs an holy humble Saint in Westmerland whom God was pleased to deliver out of their snares with which for some time he was entangled And in ordinary experience it is very much apparant Confutation 1. 1. If so then either Christ Personall or els he is in them by his Spirit we rather suppose they understand Christ Personall and our reason is because Mr. Higgison in his Booke pag. 5. which he offred the Supreame Power to make good in his Epistle affirmes it to be their Doctrine That Christ as Man dwells in them which is so grossely Blasphemous and horrid a contradiction to the Personall Ascention of Christ Acts 1. 9. and his sitting at his Fathers right hand till the restitution of all things Acts 3. 21. that it needs no further confutation If Christ dwels in every man by his Spirit Then 1. Are the fruits of the Spirit in all men Gal. 5. 22. the fruits of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith me●knesse temperance Are these in Turks Indians Papists Drunkards whoremasters Atheists c. 2. Where the Spirit is it is a quickning Spirit Ephes. 2. 1. 2. 1 Cor. 6 9. yee were such and such but now yee are sanctified by the Spirit of our God but it is most apparent that there is no such quickning in all Nay the whole world lyes in wickednesse 1 John 5. 19. If they shall affirme as they have done that the Spirit of God is in such kept under by corruption then it is so either first for want of will in the Spirit of the living God to get the Mastery over sinne Or secondly for want of Power Not for want of will For the will of the Father Christ and Spirit are all one which will is To destroy the works of the Devill wheresoever the Spirit dwels 2 Cor 3. 17. where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty and so not kept under corruption For the Apostle comfortably concludes that sinne shall not have Dominion over those who are implanted into Christ because they are not under the Law but under Grace Rom. 6. 14. Nor can he secondly be kept under for want of Power 1 John 4. 4. You overcome the World because

be made perfect in their weakenesse Did the spirit pleade for sinne when he rehearsed the faults of Saints or Paul Rom. 7. when he cryed out of the body of this death or when he discovers the unevennesse of Peters Judaizing Gal. ● or Christ when he writes to the seven Churches and discovers their sin Rev. 2 2. 3. 4 and tells the purest of them their strength is yet but little Rev. 3. 8 Hence you may discover from Christ the Spirit c. their manifesting the imperfections of the choysest Saints that to discover it is not to pleade for it unlesse you will blaspheme the holy one of Israel And let all Christian Readers consider that it is farre from us to pleade for iniquity but the great part of our worke is to reprove it in whomsoever and to presse Mortification and spirituall life and communion with God that so they may presse forwards to perfection as the designe and marke of their soules Phil. 3. 14. and have the attaining to that blessed state upon their hearts exceedingly though it be to the best at present a thing before and that which they have not already attained nor shall doe till this corruption have put on incorruption Yet are their glorio●er and fuller measures of holinesse then yet the best enjoy that may be attained here which though attained to doe leave us short of that perfection we doe wait for in glory yet may be a quickning Argument to draw out and exercise their souls in pressing forwards continually Position 11. That every man in the world hath a light within him suffici●●t to guide him to salvation without the help of any outward light or dis●overy Proofe Farnsworth in his Book pag. 51. Every one minde the light of God within you James Nayler in a Booke of his pag 2. All people cease from your out side lights and turne to the light of God within you and this he ignorantly makes to be the sure word of Prophesie 1 Pet 1. 19 The said Nayler in discourse with one of us W. C. at Kendale affirmed That every man in the world had a light within them sufficient to guide them to salvation c. and this he extended even to Indians that never heard the Gospel But the generall streame of their Words and Papers speake it fully Confut. By their constant expressions both in speaking and writing and by their calling off from all outward teaching it is evident that by this light they meane the principles within left in the spirit of every man since the fall the same light which an Indian hath that never heard of Christ by any outward discovery For one of us in discourse with Nayler proposing whether Indians that never heard of Christ by any outward discovery had a light within them sufficient to guide them to salvation ●e affirmed they had and when the experience of the Saints in New-England to the contrary was produced he answered If any Indian were present he would justifie the contrary Thus will men to beare up an opinion affirme the things they doe not know Now that this naturall light which an Indian that never heard of Christ may have cannot bring to salvation we desire to propound these considerations following 1. No light ean bring to salvation but that which discovers Christ 2 Cor. 4. 3. If our Gospel be hid it s hid to those that are lost Where the Apostle positively concluds the hidings of the Gospel to an evidence of a lost estate John 17. 2. Now Christ is not knowne by the light of Nature Mat. 16. 17 Flesh and blood hath not revealed those things unto th●e 2. God doth clearely shew a distinguishing grace in the discovery of Christ Mat. 13 11. To you it is given to know the mysterie of the Kingdome of Heaven to them it is not given in which is apparent all have not the knowledge of the Gospel given 3. Those that lived in the highest improvement of reason being without Gospel discoveries did not and could not apprehend God in Christ 1 Cor. 1 21. 1 Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God c. neither indeed can be c. here is the impossibility of naturall principles to give out the knowledge of Christ 4. Rom. 10. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God not by the inward light or discovery which all men have but by the word of the Lord outwardly made knowne 5. If they shall say that every man hath the knowledge of Christ by speciall revelation and that immediate then they speake that which is contrary to the common and knowne experience of thousands who conversing with Indians never found the least hint of a Christ amongst them Many of them whose confessions are in Print having bin wrought upon by the Preaching of the Word by Mr. Eliot c. have clearely declared they knew nothing of the true God and Christ before their Publishing of the Gospel to them 6. We pray the Reader to consider what sad and lamentable effects will flow from this Doctrine to the utter undoing of the soule 1. This is to forsake the Fountaine of living Waters not going out to Jesus for light but Ier. 2. digging to themselves broken ●isterns leaving the Sunne of Righteousnesse to live by the light of their owne Candle 2. T is a confining our attainements to the improvement of this naturall light which must needs keep men both as to light and power under Legall performances and discoveries 3. Hence doe men account their tremblings and quakings as their perfection they being at the best but the improvements of an awakened naturall conscience without the soules applying of Gospel Promises as to justification by the blood of Jesus 4. Hence the soules beleeving and the acts of Faith in the blood of Christ are such strangers to these People as never to have the least hint in any of their words or writings and what they have spoken of Faith in generall as Farnesworth in his discovery of Faith doth manifest their exceeding ignorance and darknesse in the great businesse of the soules beleeving in the Lord Jesus 5. Hence come men under the unavoydable chains of Satan who leads them captive at his will whilst by this means they deprive themselves of any standing rule to try the spirits by but walk in such irregular and sinfull wayes as doe evidently speak how unable that their light is to distinguish betwixt duty and delusion 6. And what is else the reason of their bitter rayling and reproaching the Institution of the living God the Ordinance of Preaching the Gospel of Christ Crucified speaking all manner of evill against us for the works sake their designe being in their reproaching of the Ministers evidently apparent to strike downe the very worke of Preaching the Gospel Position 12. That there is no need of any outward teaching by Reading or Hearing the Scriptures opened or applyed c. Proofe George Bateman

that of George Bateman to Mr. Ledgard pag. 25. 26. a● also their casting away their Bibles W●● Strickland told Mr. Archer If he had never Read the Bible it had been better for him How constantly doe the Scriptures passe under no better name from them then the Saints conditions Davids Moses Isays Pauls conditions and a declaration of the condition of them that spake them forth Confut. This Position is so grosse that we hope it will never sinke into any Christian heart but will be a confutation to it selfe in the thought of any sober minded Christian yet we shall propose these things 1. That when the Word of the Lord came to the Prophets Samuel Isay I●remiah c. it cannot be understood of the Word that was made Flesh the Lord Iesus but must necessarily signifie that minde or message of the Lord contained in those words or Scripture Writings as 1 Sam. 15. 10. Then came the Word of the Lord to Samuel saying It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be King Isay 38. 5. then came the Word of the Lord unto Isay saying Say to Hezekiah c. I will adde unto thy dayes fifteene yeares Ier. 14. 1. The Word of the Lord that came to the Prophet Ieremiah concerning the dearth Iudah mourneth and the gates thereof languish It s a grosse absurdity to say this word of the Lord was Christ and it is as much to say they were the experiences of those Prophets or their conditions but they were the word of the Lord by these Prophets spoken to the Persons therein concerned 2. As for the Phrase in the New Testament the Word of God it is cleare both Christ and the Apostles in their mention thereof doe understand that which they Spoke Preached or Wrote and not the Person of Christ of the Father or Spirit So Christ speaks to the Iews Marke 7. 13. making the word of God of none effect by their Traditions which word can be understood alone of that fifth Commandement ver. 10. Honour thy Father and Mother Luke 11. 28 Blessed are they that heare the Word of God and keep it which plainely hints a word spoken written or engraven c. not the eternall word the Lord Iesus Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing hearing by the Word of God where the word Preached or the Scriptures of the Apostles which we now have is plainely called the Word of God 3. As for those Writings of the Prophets and Apostles that they are the word given forth from the living God and of authenticall and undenyable authority over every conscience good and bad we could fill Pages with the proofes and evidence thereof but the Reader may observe we are speaking of the Scriptures in reference to these mens cavills and no further And so shall leaving so plaine so Fun●mentali a Principle rather fall upon their owne notion of the word of God calling it A declaration of the conditions or experienc●● of them that spoke them 1. This is fully to take away the very Foundation of the Faith of Saints which is onely built upon the authority of God not upon any experience of the best Saints or the declaration of it Luke 24 25. O fooles and slow of heart to beleeve all that the Prophets have spoken where Faith is bottom'd upon Scripture authority as Acts 18. 28. Apollos mightily convinced the Jews shewing by the Scriptures that Iesus is the Christ Acts 28 23. Paul perswaded them concerning Iesus both out of the Law of Moses and out of the Prophe●s Now be this Law and the Prophets what they will if they fall any thing lower then the truth and word of God they can be no bottome for the Faith of Saints and Paul takes a weake argument to convince them by And yet that those were not the conditions of those Prophets or the experience of things fulfilled in themselves is as cleare as the day to any not grossely ignorant and especially from 1 Pet. 1 10. 11. 12. Of which salvation the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophe●ied of the grace that should come unto you Searching what or what manner of time the shirit of Christ which was in them did signifie when i● testified before hand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have Preached the Gospel unto you And as in this its cleare that they spoke not forth their own conditions and experiences so also the Apostle sends the Saints to a word of Prophesie as a more sure foundation of Faith then the most glorious experience or enjoyment in the World 2 Pet. 1. 18. 19. 2. This is to make the Scripture lose his authority save onely when we experience it or where it is fulfilled in mens soules and so doth make voyd every command and Promise and all wicked men that can experience little of it shall be left excusable before God at the last day because not having the Scripture fulfilled in themselves according to the Quakers Doctrine it had no authority over them This is the most pleasant Doctrine for desperate Atheists that can be Whereas John 12 48. He that receiveth not my words hath them not fulfilled in him yet the words that I have spoken they shall ●udge him at the last day 3. This at once nulls and destroyes the Divine Authority of the whole Hystoricall and Propheticall Part of Scripture together with all the threatnings of Scripture of Hell and iudgement unlesse they say the Sainss have those threats of Hell fulfilled in themselves and that condition of Dives in Hell is the condition of Saints as also the promises therein of mercies yet to come their futurity denying their being the already experiences of the Saints 4 Consider what impossibilities contradictions falshood doth this woefull Doctrine bring upon most parts of Scripture wherein such things there spoken of were not could not be the conditions of either God that gave the Word or the Prophets and Apostles that Published it In the close of this consideration we disire to mind you of the reproachfull earmes this people every where give to the Written Word though the Spirit Rom. 15. saith These things were Written that we through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures might have hope And the holy Ghost still referres to the Written Word Luke 20. 17. John 15. 25. Heb 10. 7. 1 Pet. 1. 17 because it is Written Be yee holy as I am holy where the Spirit of God doth evidently put an authority upon the Written Word which is the same in signification and thing with the word Scriptures of which see how glorious things the holy Ghost reports thereof how sleightly soever the Quakers esteeme thereof 2 Tim. 3. 15. 16. 17. The holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise to salvation All Scripture is given by inspiration from God and

through beleeving not through working as we have largely proved before against their establishing of their owne righteousnesse And so what is Felix better for all his tremblings And what are these quakings but a fore-runner and fore-taste of that eternall wrath of God which is to fall shortly upon him who resteth under the convictions and actings of the Law but embraceth not the righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus to be found in that at his appearing 3. There is indeed a mention of trembling in a third sense in Scripture as a Cor. 7. 15. where the Corinthians are said to receive Titus with feare and trembling which they grossely apply to their case as also Ephes. 6 5. Servants obey your Masters with feare and trembling which holds forth no more then a reverentiall carefulnesse and obedience These last we mention lest they should charge us with passing over that which they presume to make so much for them In all this Reader we desire to professe that our so large discovery of the nature of quaking is not to discourage any poore soule that under tremblings of spirit is ●onging for Christ but to warne every man of the danger and seduction of these methods which establish such Doctrines and practises as leade the soule into the covenant of workes and leaves them there Pract. 2. Rayling c. Their practice herein is notoriously knowne to whomsoever hath had to doe with them and our selves some of us have had a large measure of this revilings throwne upon us In one Paper of theirs which one of us hath you have all these horrid raylings against the Ministers calling them Priests Conjurers Theeves Robbert Anti-Christs Witches Devills Sir-Simons Serpents Bloody Herodians Searle● coloured Beasts Babylons Merchants Wolves Dogs Swine Sodemites c. Reader we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ no● of the reproach of men because of it But consider how fully they make good that of Jude 13. Raging Waves of the Sea foaming m● their owne shame c. though Michael the Aarchangel when disputing with the Devill durst bring no Rayling accusation against him But is not the condition of the Ministers of Christ in England such that we have reason to take up the complaint of David Psal. 57. 4. My soule is amongst lyons and I lye even amongst them that are set on fire whose teeth are speares and arrowes and their tongue a sharpe sword their mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse the poyson of Aspes is under their lips Neither is it onely mentioned as the Saints complaint but as the strict prohibition of the spirit of God Ephes. 4. 31. Let all bitternesse and wrath and anger and clamour and evill speaking be put away from you with all malice As also that of Timothy 2 Tim. 2. 25. The servant of the Lord must be gentle towards all men in meeknesse instructing th●se that oppose themselves if God per adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth How clearely contradictory is the way of these men to the rule of Paul when they in all their speaking to men not of their way or that oppose themselves doe fly out in those bitter raylings in calling them Devills damned and that they see the Devill in their Faces and such like expressions So 1 Peter 3. 4. The Apostle calls for meeke and quiet spirits which in the sight of God are of great price But we shall close up this with that of our Saviour Mat. 7. ● Judge not that yee be not judged And Mat. 5. 5. Blessed are the meeke for they shall inherit the Earth Pract. 3. Their pretending upon all occasions to be sent by speciall Commission from God as we shall instance in some cases following more particularly Some of them came to Kendale Church about a yeare agone and pretended they had a Commission to pull downe the Steeple Another Thomas Castley came in the time of the Preaching of one of us to the Congregation at Kendale and had he said his Commission from God to pull downe the Houre-Glasse And the same man came a long mile with no other Message from God as he pretended but this to tell of one of us Thou at an high Priest which words having spoken he went his way Another time he came with a Message from God as he pretended to the house of the abovesaid one of us at which time I was not at home yet confidently affirmed to my Wife that God had sent him and that I was at home Againe also the same man came with the like Message to my House and said that God had sent him to me and that I was at home but it being denied he was by the Schoolemaster Mr. Turner taken ●ver to his house where by providence being presently come home I went to him and asked him What message ●e had from God to me whereat he denied that he had any message to me from God at all Mr. Richard Stookes Minister at Grayrig told one of us that disco●rsing with Fox at a meeting appointed concerning his immediate call the said Fox affirmed He was called by a V●yce from Heaven to Grayrig and at his affirming the ●ame the simple deluded soules that were there with him affirmed they kn●w it to be true he asked them whether they saw any vision or heard any voyce they answered No but all the account they could give of it was That where●● he was walking towards Firthban●e suddenly he faced about and said he was commanded to ●●e to Grayrig One of these people when they were lately at Newcastle told a Merchant there Mr. H. T. having on his blacke cloathes that he was a deceiver c. but being told he was no Minister he shuffied pittifully as ●eeing how naked his mistake was layd Concerning this horrid pretence of being sent of God to the commission of abominable practises in Yorkeshi●e we referre you to a Booke called The Second Hearing of the cause betwixt the Quaerer and Anti-Quaerer c. In the view of the Stories above-written the Reader may make these Observations 1. Is it the way of the Lord to call men immediately from Heaven on purpose to tell onely of an Houre-Glasse and to have nothing to say but to call a man Priest with no other Message Were ever the Prophets of God sent forth with such triviall messages as these How fearefully is the glorious name of an holy God abused in this particular 2. Is not this to bely the all-knowing God to say in the name of the Lord That one of us was at home when he was not And that he had a Message which presently after he denied againe being demanded what it was 3. How emi●ent is that judgement upon the followers of these men that they are delivered up to strong delusions to beleeve lyes themselves and delude others who confidently affirmed that they knew that Fox was so sent as he peetended by an immediate voyce from God and