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	speak_v	word_n	9,283	5	4.1967	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07190	The avthoritie of the Chvrch in making canons and constitutions concerning things indifferent and the obedience thereto required: with particular application to the present estate of the Church of England. Deliuered in a sermon preached in the Greene yard at Norwich the third Sunday after Trinitie. 1605. By Fran. Mason, Bacheler of Diuinitie, and sometime fellow of Merton College in Oxford. And now in sundrie points by him enlarged.	Mason, Francis, 1566?-1621.	1607 (1607)	STC 17595; ESTC S112385	61,269	101

THE AVTHORITIE OF THE CHVRCH in making Canons and Constitutions concerning things indifferent And the obedience thereto required with particular application to the present estate of the Church of England Deliuered in a Sermon preached in the Greene yard NORWICH the third Sunday after Trinitie 1605. By FRAN. MASON Bacheler of Diuinitie and sometime fellovv of Merton College in Oxford And now in sundrie points by him enlarged EPH. 4. 3. Endeuour to keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace LONDON Printed for IOHN NORTON 1607. TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER in God RICHARD Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Grace Primate and Metropolitane of all England and one of his Maiesties most Honorable Priuie Councell c. THe loue and dutie which I owe to this Church of England most reuerend Father haue put into my hand this Oliue branch that is an exhortation to holy obedience and peaceable resolutions which alwaies haue beene the crowne and glorie of a Christian For when I pondered with my selfe how some of the Ministerie stand vnresolued and that as I take it because they doe not duly consider the nature of things indifferent and the dutie of a subiect to his Soueraigne I must confesse that my bowels of compassion were mooued and the fire of affection was kindled within me And therefore although many learned and iudicious men haue richly and plentifully handled this argument yet in commiseration of those my brethren I also haue aduentured to cast my poore mite into the treasurie hoping that as they walke amongst the fruitfull trees they will not disdaine to pull a little berrie from the lowest shrub The principall marke I shoote at is to doe my endeuour to settle the tender and trembling consciences of those which are not wedded to their owne conceits but haue bene carried away rather of weaknesse then of wilfulnesse that such of them as it shall please the Lord may be reduced to the Tabernacles of peace and follow the trueth in loue For alas who can but lament to see so many spend their short and precious time in such scandalous prosecution of ciuill contentions and some of them not altogether vnlike to Platoes Euthyphro who in his inconsiderate course went in all haste to accuse his own father But this Church God be thanked neuer wanted a Socrates to encounter and conuince them and make manifest to the world that they erred by misconstruction and vnaduised zeale O how much better had it beene to haue continued their labours in the Lords vineyard and by bending their vnited forces against Babylon to haue fought the Lords battails to the comfort of the godly who then might haue celebrated their triumph erected their trophae and decked their victorious heads with lawreall garlands O what a griefe ought this to be to their soules so to oppose themselues against such a learned and religious Church and so vnreuerently to traduce that holie Booke of Common Prayer a worke of so great and admirable excellencie concerning which I may truly affirme that it hath beene cut vp like an anatomie euery vaine of it hath beene opened euerie corner searched euery rubricke ransacked not a word but hath beene weighed in the ballance not a syllable but hath bene sifted to the vttermost and yet for all this like to the bridge of Caesar the more it is oppugned the stronger it stands The ceremonies wherof may aptly be resembled to the altar erected by the tribe of Reuben Gad and the halfe tribe of Manasses vpon the passages of Iordan at which the rest of the tribes were grieuously offended imagining that it had beene for sacrifice But when they were truely informed that it was onely for a memoriall that they had a part in the God of Israel they were well content they blessed God and Phinehas said This day we perceiue the Lord is among vs because you haue not done this trespasse In like maner some of our brethren haue beene offended at our ceremonies vpon an erroneous imagination of Poperie and superstition but the Church of England hath often manifested her innocencie and cleared herselfe of those imputations And therefore we hope that one day their eies being opened and their soules satisfied they will with the Princes of Israel blesse God and say with Phinehas This day we perceiue that the Lord is among vs because you haue not done this trespasse For the furtherance whereof I doe in all humilitie present this Oliue branch vnto your Grace whose eminent wisedome and godly care in suppressing innouations and preseruing the well setled state of this flourishing Church is most apparent And therefore as God hath directed the heart of our religious Souereigne to establish you the chiefe Pastor and Father of our Church so I beseech the Almightie to vouchsafe this fruit to your labours that your Grace may see the weake resolued the wilfull relented the wandring reduced and all of them returned to the bosome of the Church like the Doue to the Arke with leaues of Oliue in their mouths in token that all gall and bitternesse being laid aside the swelling flouds of discord are asswaged Your Graces in all humble dutie FRANCIS MASON THE AVTHORITY of the Church in making Canons and Constitutions concerning things indifferent and the obedience thereto required c. 1. Corinth 14. 40. Let all things be done honestly and by order 1 MY heartie desire and praier is to Almightie God the Father of mercy that he would so blesse the Ministerie of the Church of England that we all being linked in loue as it were with chaines of adamant might with one heart and one hand religiously build the Temple of the Lord reuerently performe holy obedience to God and the Prince carefully keepe our selues vnspotted and vnstained of this present world and faithfully feed the flocke of Iesus Christ that depends vpon vs. The comfortable accomplishment wherof whosoeuer shall maliciously hinder let him take heed lest a fearefull curse from the God of Iacob come like water into his bowels and like oile into his bones but whosoeuer shall praie for the peace of Ierusalem peace be vpon him and mercy and vpon the Israell of God The furtherance of which blessings to the glory of Christ and the good of the Church men and brethren beloued in the Lord is the marke I aime at and the scope I intend that we all like obedient children may keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace 2 Now this present Sermon by Gods gracious assistance shall be diuided into two generall parts The first an explication The second an application a briefe application of the text and a more ample application of the text to the present estate of the Church of England of which two points in order beseeching the God of all grace and peace to grant vs a blessing 3 And first who spake these words It is plaine that the holy Apostle S. Paul And seeing the holy

men of God as in the old Testament so doubtlesse in the new spake not by priuate motion but as they were mooued by the holy Ghost Therefore we may truely say that the spirit vttered these words by the mouth of Paul But to whom were they spoken vnto the Church of God which is at Corinth and to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus Now what things soeuer were written before time were written for our learning Therefore these things concerne not the Church of Corinth onely but the Church of England the Church of Geneua and all the Churches of the Saints Wherefore he that hath an eare let him heare what the spirit saith vnto the Churches Let all things be done honestly and by order For the plainer accesse whereunto let vs first consider the coherence with that which went before The holy Ghost in this Chapter intreateth of certaine spirituall gifts and graces by many reasons aduancing the gift of Prophecie aboue the gift of tongues where by the way it must bee obserued that by Prophecying is not meant foretelling things to come but the word of edification exhortation and consolation that is the Preaching of the Gospell In handling of which argument it pleased the spirit to interlace certaine points of Church gouernment concerning the publicke performance of Prayer thankesgiuing and prophecying vnfolded in these three branches First they which speake publikely in the Church must speake in a knowne tongue or if they speake with strange tongues there must be an interpreter Secondly those which Prophecie must speake two or three and let the other iudge If one sitting by haue a reuelation let the former hold his peace and the spirit of the Prophets must be subiect to the Prophets Thirdly those which publikely performe these duties must be men and not women for women must keepe silence in the Church Now the spirit hauing thus as it were sprinkled this discourse with Ecclesiasticall orders proceedeth couertly to a short but sharpe reprehension of the Corinthians who as it is probably collected were so far in loue with themselues that they would not suffer their owne customes to be called in question but rather went about with singular arrogancy to impose them vpon others as though other Churches were bound to follow their patterne Finally there followeth a generall direction concerning all Church orders folded vp in these wordes Let all things be done honestly and by order 4 The words in the originall are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all things bee done it is cleere that the doing heere spoken of is the solemne performance of religious offices in the face of the Church And when it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things without any restraint it is euident that the spirit riseth from the former pariculars to a generall conclusion comprehending not onely praier thankesgiuing and prophecying but moreouer the ministration of the holy Sacraments consecration to holy orders and vniuersally the publike discharge of such sacred and reuerent duties Concerning all which the spirit requireth that they be done first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as you would say after a good fashion consisting in time place apparell and other things externally required for the due and decent administration They must haue an honest decencie and a decent honestie they must be comely to the eie and referred to a godly end that is the aduancement of Gods glory and the edification of the Church not giuing iust occasion of scandall to Iew or Gentile or to the Church of God For if these ends must be duly respected in matters of common life how much more reuerently and religiously should they bee regarded in the solemne seruice of Almightie God And as all things must be decent and honest before God and men so it is required in the second place that all things be done according to order Which order requireth authority with godly wisedome in the publike disposer and cheerefull obedience with gracious humilitie in such as are subiect to those publike constitutions 5 So this text is a Canon of Canons for all such Church gouernment and all Ecclesiasticall Canons must be cast in this moulde Indeed it is a golden Canon or rule whereby all Christian Churche must be ruled an exquisite touchstone whereat all ceremonies must be tried the beame of the Sanctuarie whereupon all Church orders and constitutions must be weighed and ballanced And therefore let vs search a little deeper into this golden mine For the better vnderstanding whereof it must bee obserued that some things are necessarie and some things indifferent 6 Necessarie I call that which the eternall God hath in his word precisely and determinately commanded or forbidden either expresly or by infallible consequence Indifferent which the Lord hath not so commanded nor forbidden but is contained in the holy Scripture rather potentially then actually comprehended in generall directions not precisely defined by particular determinations Whatsoeuer God hath in his Word precisely commanded so farre as it is commanded is necessarie to be done for the not doing of it is a sinne Whatsoeuer God hath forbidden so long as it is forbidden is necessarie to bee left vndone for the very doing of it is a sinne Whatsoeuer is neither commanded nor forbidden that whether it concerne Church or common-wealth is left to the Lords vicegerents vpon earth who according to the exigence of the state may by their discretion command it to be done or to be left vndone and both without sinne In the holy Scripture some things were commanded for a season as the sacrifices of the Law forbidden for a season as the meats mentioned in the xj of Leuiticus Indifferent for a season as the place of erecting altars before the fabricke of the Tabernacle Some things were euerlastingly commanded as to feare God and to keep his commandements euerlastingly forbidden as all sinne and wickednesse euerlastingly left indifferent whereof many examples might be giuen in meate drinke apparell and matters of such outward condition and qualitie For some things are correspondent to the Law written in our hearte that is the Law of humane nature which considered in the originall beautie and brightnesse is the same in substance with the Law Morall and these are in their owne nature good and euerlastingly to bee imbraced some things are repugnant to it and these are in their owne nature euill and euerlastingly to be abhorred Some things the sacred Law of our nature hath left arbitrary and these are in themselues and of their owne nature indifferent But it must bee noted that such things as the Law of nature hath left indifferent may notwithstanding become necessarie by the force and vertue of some other commandement diuine as for example The eating of Swines flesh is a thing in the owne nature indifferent yet there was a necessitie laid vpon the Iewes to forbeare it