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
A88818	The wolf stript of his sheeps clothing or The antichristian clergy-man turn'd right side outwards. Wherein is briefly discovered and layd open their subtile and wicked wayes and practises to deceive and destroy not only private people, or particular societies, but whole nation and kingdoms, and all under the plausible vizzard of reformation, church-government, punishing of hereticks and sectaries. / By R. Lavvrance Marshal General.	Lawrence, Richard, d. 1684.	1647 (1647)	Wing L682; Thomason E386_10; ESTC R201479	19,259	30

to the work of the Ministery which had in them an infalliable spirit to guide them and yet you never finde them speaking or doing any thing in their own name or in the name or authority of any other but Christ himself producing his precepts and practices for all their words and actions That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you 1 John 1.3 so Acts 4.20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard they do not say the things which we have considered and and agreed upon So ye read in the first of the Acts and verse the second That Christ by the holy Ghost had given commandment to the Apostles whom he had chosen and in obedience to those commands of Christ did they act and do all which they did This was the doctrine Peter preached Acts 10.42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testifie that it was he which was ordained of God to be judge of quick and dead and when Peter and John were commanded to preach no more in this name Acts 4.19 Peter and John answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more then unto God judge ye And as they did not decline the preaching in the name never the more for being commanded to the contrary so would they not have preached it ever the less or more for being commanded to do it by any but Christ who had alone power to inable them to obey his commands therefore saith David I will run the way of thy commandments when thou shalt inlarge my heart Psal 119.32 If men could inlarge hearts as well as give commands there might be some hopes of their forcing to beleeve in Christ and to walk in the way of his commandments But in vain do ye worship me saith Christ teaching for doctrine the commandments of men Matth. 15.9 Though the commandments which those Pharisees take for doctrine were commandments of men to worship the true God and that after the most strictest manner according to the Law of Moses as they judged Acts 26.5 and yet this was then vain worship how comes it now to be orthodox and so you finde Paul that great Apostle called and chosen to the Ministry by Christ himself Acts 9.5 6. and to that end was filled with the holy Ghost Verse 7. of a contrary spirit to the Apostles and Ministers of our times when there was several divisions and opinions in the Church of Corinth he did not side with one or two of them to see if he could suppress the other he did not countenance those that cryed up Paul no more then those that cryed up Apollo nor those that were for Cephas less then those that were for Christ but his designe was to have Christ advanced above Paul Apollo and Cephas two he included them altogether and writ to them all as Brethren 1 Cor. 1.10 11. and the thing which he propounded to them was not whether any of the rulers or of the pharisees beleeved on him as they did John 7.48 but Is Christ divided was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized into the name of Paul Verse 13. threw himself down that Christ might be set up He doth not direct his Epistle to them under the names of their several opinions as they stood divided neither doth he call them Sectaries nor Schismatikes though they were as really such as most that are so accounted of among us but to the Church of God which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints c. Verse 2. Neither doth he charge the cause of their divisions upon their illiterate mechanick Teachers though such they had Verse 26 27. for if he had they might have said to him Paul thou art but a Tent-maker but all that Paul prest at was to tread down and that with detestation all humane wisdom and learning and let them know it had no share neither in him nor in Christ as you may see in the three first Chapters of this Epistle which would have been useless at that time if that had not been the cause of their mistake they did not know that God would destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent V. 19. That the foolishness of God is wiser then men and the weakness of God stronger then men For ye see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to nought things which are They did not consider that God would have no flesh glory in his presence that Christ was made alone by God wisdom and righteousness to his people Yerse 29 30. But so far have these self-exalting vain-glorious Clergy-men been from using any of these Arguments or Scriptures against divisions and opinions that it is little less then Heresie with them for any to read or make mention of these Scriptures to them if it cross their designes that if Paul were now alive amongst us and should preach such doctrine as this 〈◊〉 were enough to fill two or three Gangrena's but though they have hitherto and still may deceive and delude the world with their humane inventions and vain imaginations so shall they not do the Church For the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished 1 Peter 2.9 And though the Wolves and Goats may follow them because they are all of one nature and spirit yet the sheep of Christ will follow him For they know his voice and a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him for they know not the voice of strangers John 10.4 5. Neither shall the time of their deceiving last alwayes Onely he who now letteth will let till he be taken out of the way And then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming 2 Thess 2.7 8. FINIS

onely of those hirelings whose own the sheep are not which onely flee when the wolf comes and leaves the sheep to the wolf John 10.12 but these are rather those wolves which Christ forewarned the Church of Matth. 7.15 These are of that sort Paul prophesieth of Acts 20.29 For I know that after my departure shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock These may be fitly compared to Jerusalems false prophets and wicked priests Ezek. 22.25 26. There is a conspiracy of her Prophets in the midst thereof like a roaring lion ravening the prey they have devoured souls they have taken the treasure and precious things they have made her many widows in the midst thereof Her Priests have violated my law and have prophaned my holy things they have put no difference between the holy and prophane neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths and I am prophaned among them Her Princes in the midest thereof are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and destroy souls to get dishonest gain And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter seeing vanity and divining lies unto them saying Thus saith the Lord when the Lord hath not spoken If there were but such a noble spirit in thee as those Beareans had Acts 17.11 to search the Scriptures daily whether those things be true or no that men hold forth to thee how soon would the vanity and simpleness of these learned deceivers be discovered to thee If thou wouldest but take the Apostles for an example not to have regard to the words which mans wisdom teacheth but which the holy Ghost teacheth comparing spiritual things with spiritual 1 Cor. 2.13 If thou wouldest not beleeve every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God or no because many false prophets are gone out into the world 1 John 4.1 How would light break forth to thee and darkness flee away but we have been more fearful to scruple or question the testimony of men and their subtile intricate interpretations of the Scripture then we have been to question the testimony of God himself and the plain sayings of the spirit in the Scripture and the Laws and Ordinances which these men have procured and caused to be established against Heresie and false Doctrine did never run in the defence of the Scripture as it stands pen'd by the Spirit of God but as it were interpreted by them not thus If any man shall declare or hold forth any doctrine or opinion contrary to the Scripture or contrary to the form of sound words delivered by Christ and his Apostles but thus by the Papists If any man shall hold forth any doctrine or opinion contrary to the holy Catholike Church or shall deny the supremacy or infallibility of our holy Father the Pope c. And among the Protestants thus If any man shall hold forth any doctrine or opinion contrary to the present government established or contrary to the doctrine or articles of Faith received by the Church c. he shall be proceeded against as an Heretike c. and accordingly If any have been accused of Heresie or Schism c. why they have been proved Heretikes c. by those Laws and Ordinances and not by the Scripture nor by Christs precepts and practice as they stand upon record from his mouth neither will it avail the accused to plead in his defence any testimony from Scripture to maintain the lawfulness of his practice but his adversaries will cry out we have a law by our law he ought to die and thus hath these men like those wicked Pharisees Christ proves Matth. 15.6 made the Scripture and Law of God of none effect by their own traditions they have been alwayes striving and contending with Kings and Parliaments for Laws and Ordinances pretending them against Heresie and Schism and hath ever turned the edge of them against the very power of godliness this being their very way and means whereby they have destroyed so many good Christians as you see they have done in all ages so that they have not been satisfied to persecute and destroy good people themselves but have hereby imbrued the hands of Emperors Kings and Parliaments in the blood of many millions of Gods people to the ruinating of themselves and their Kingdoms besides the loud cry of blood to God for vengeance against them which he will surely require at their hands and when he had opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held and they cryed with a loud voice saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth Revel 9.10 And I heard the angel of the waters say Thou art righteous O Lord which art and wast and shall be because thou hast judged us for they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy Revel 16.5 6. When the Lord shall once come to make inquisition for blood it is not a pretence of building up Sion and establishing the peace of Jerusalem that shall satisfie his justice no he will avenge it on all hands Hear this I pray you ye heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel that abhor judgement and pervert all equity They build up Sion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity The heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us Therefore shall Sion for your sake be plowed as a field and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest Micah 3.10 11 12. And do but compare the practice of these men to the practice of Christ and his Apostles and see what little agreement there is betwixt them and then chuse whether thou wilt serve God or Mammon for no man can serve both Matth. 6.24 Ye shall finde Christ himself which was not onely the great Prophet and Teacher of his Church Acts 3.23 24. but likewise their great King and Law-giver Isaiah 33.22 one that hath all the power of heaven and earth committed to him and yet did he never use any arbitrary power over or in the Church but saith he All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you John 15.15 It was his Fathers business not his own that he came to do Luke 2.49 John 4 37. 17.4 His Fathers will not his own that he came to fulfil John 5.30 Mark 14.36 And in his Fathers name not his own did he do all that he did John 5.43 17.6 26. And so the Apostles which were chosen and ordained by Christ himself

correct the child so there is a time when he will burn the rod too I say no more but as ye are men whom Christ hath shed his blood for and thereby hath opened a way for mercy for all that come to God by him but that the Lord would be pleased to open your eyes and let you see the evill of your doings that ye may no longer go on to deceive and destroy those whom Christ hath payd so great a price for that they may be no more so hateful in your eye which are so precious in the sight of God that ye may not hereafter be so cruel to those whom God is as tender over as the apple of his own eye that ye may not be so forward to destroy and spill the blood of those whom the Lord Iesus Christ was so forward to give his own blood to save and that the Lord would give you hearts to confess to the world how they have been deceived and deluded by you tell them you are not the men they have so long taken you for that you are and ever were as subiect to erre as other men and that the more of your humane learning you have had or made use of the more you have been subject to erre and be misled If they will not beleeve you wish them to consider what is become of the consultations and results of all your learned Counsel and holy Synods that ever sat to the beginning of this Parliament and whether the most purest of them all were not determined Antichristian by the most pious and learned Assembly that ever sate And tell them again that these are but men subiect to the same infirmities the former were and then counsel them to have their thoughts pitcht upon something above Counsels and Synods for their spiritual teachings and building up in the faith of the Gospel And thus doing ye shal do but your duty So desiring your acceptance I rest as much your profest enemy as you are Iesus Chrst's and no more R L The VVolf stript of his Sheeps clothing OR The Antichristian Clergy-man turnd right-side outwards IT hath ever been the sad condition of the Church of God in all ages to suffer and receive most injuries and unkindnesses from those who have pretended greatest love and have seemed to have neerest relation to them especially when any such have had opportunity to gain place or power over them This we find began in Cain against Abel and went on in Ishmael against Isaak so in Esau against Jacob the ten Brethren against Joseph and after the Church of God came to be a corporated people and had a Temple with Ordinances and Officers then it was pestered with false Prophets wicked and idolatrous Priests thus ye find Isaiah complaining Isa 28.7 so Jeremiah Chap. 2.8 26. 5.31 26.7 to 11. so chap. 16.13 9.10 23.11 21 22. 25.26 so the Church in the Lamentations chap. 4.13 Hos 6.9 so Ezek. 22.26 and 34. the beginning and in divers other places ye finde the sad complaints of the Church and people of God against the wickednesse of their false prophets and wicked priests And as it is the practice of our false Prophets and wicked priests not only to deceive and delude the multitude and lead them into superstitious idolatrous practices and worships and take them all in to be their disciples but likewise to set up themselves and use all the interest they have in the people in opposition to the true Church of Jesus Christ to persecute and destroy them So was it of old Thus ye finde the 400 false prophets all against Micaiah and Zedekiah that false prophet smiting him on the cheek for speaking the truth to the King 1 King 22.24 This was the condition of the Church of God in Elijah's time 1 King 18.19 to 23. when there were 850. prophets in Israel and yet saith Elijah to the people ver 22. I even I only remain a prophet to the Lord so 1 King 19.10 Thus if you please to observe in Scripture where-ever ye finde the Chu●ch of God before Christs incarnation in apostacie or declining from the true worship of God to Idolatry and superstition the originall cause of it arose from the lying spirit in the mouthes of their false prophets which led them And so ye finde when the Lord Jesus Christ himself came in flesh to bring the word of Reconciliation to us to make them that were afar off nigh by his own blood and to break down the partition wall betwixt Jews and Gentiles to abolish or take away the enmity even the law of commandements contained in ordinances Ephes 2.13 14. who were then his greatest opposers were they not those whom he might have expected to have been most welcom to namely the Jewes who were then a people who had been in covenant with God for many ages a nation whom God had chosen to himself out of all the nations in the world to be his peculiar people Deut. 14.2 yet these were the people which were the most cruell persecuters of Christ in the flesh The first news that ever they heard of him put them all into an uproar Herod and all Jerusalem was troubled Matth. 2.3 and the Lord Christ the Saviour of the world was forc'd to fly into Egypt to a people that were aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise to save himself from his own people which makes the Evangelist sadly complain Hee was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not he came to his own and his own received him not Joh. 1. ver 10 11. So Christ himself sadly complains I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me the ox knoweth his owner and the asse his Masters crib but Israel doth not know me my people doth not consider Isa 1.23 It is needlesse to give you a relation of their carriage towards Christ in the flesh the four Evangelists being but a brief history of it of their persecuting him from one City to another of their cruell mockings and scourgings of their haling of him before Magistrates and at last crucifying of him and all this he suffered from them as an evill doer as a sower of sedition a destroyer of their Temple and Law as a blasphemer c. And among these poor blinde z●alous Jewes who were the chief ringleaders of them and stirrers of them up against Christ and his Apostles but the priests or according to our Popish distinction the Clergy the Learned the University-men those which were best read and most knowing in the law namely the high-priests Scribes and Pharises these ye shall find at all times and in all places indeavouring to render odious to the world the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ calling the word of Reconciliation sedition the very truth of God himself heresie and blasphemy following of Christ from place to place to stir up the