Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bear_v	blood_n	water_n	7,201	5	7.2479	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30498	The holy truth and its professors defended in an answer to a letter writ by Lawrence Potts, priest of Staplestown near Catherlough, unto Robert Lacky, a parishioner and formerly hearer of the said priest, occassioned by his forsaking his ministry and embracing the blessed truth herein vindicated / by John Burnyeat [and] John Watson.	Burnyeat, John, 1631-1690.; Watson, John, 1650?-1710.	1688 (1688)	Wing B5966; ESTC R36040	22,397	32

THE HOLY TRUTH And Its PROFESSORS DEFENDED IN AN ANSWER to a LETTER writ by Lawrence Potts Priest of Staplestown near Catherlough UNTO Robert Lacky a Parishioner and formerly Hearer of the said Priest Occasioned by his forsaking his Ministry and embracing the blessed Truth herein vindicated By John Burnyeat John Watson T●●e counsel together and it shall come to nought speak the word and it shall not stand for God is with us For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people saying Say ye Not a Confederacy to all them to whom this people shall say A Confederacy neither fear ye their fear nor be afraid Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and let him be your dread Isa. 8. 10 11 12 13. Printed in the Year 1688. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER Christian Reader ANother Letter coming to our hands subcribed J. T. the tendency thereof being to beget a dislike in R. L. to whom it was writ to the Principles of Truth as prosessed by us the truly reformed Christians called Quakers and to prevent the writing of more such occasion'd our making thus publick the following Answer to Priest Potts's Letter and the rather understanding the said J. T. saw it and takes no notice thereof in his although it answers the substance thereof excepting in these following particulars 1. His accounting it an Errour in us not to swear Ans. We in short say we have Christs Command for not Swearing Matt. 5. 3 4. Swear not at all and seconded by the Apostle James 5. 12. which we believe ought to be observed by all Christians 2. He charges us with denying the Trinity as he terms it Ans. We do really own the Three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these Three are One Joh. 5. 7. and we also own the Three that bear witness in Earth the Spirit the Water and the Blood and these Three agree in One as ver 8. and so we do and always did believe according to the holy Scriptures 3. He charges us with denying the Scriptures to be the Word of God. Ans. We believe the Scriptures to be what they call themselves a Testimony or Declaration as in Luke 1. 1. Joh. 5. 39. but Christ we own and believe to be the Word of God according to Joh. 1. and Rev. 19. 13. so we own the Word of the Lord that came unto the Prophets saying as in Ezek. 7. 1. and in divers othes places and we own and believe the Sayings of the Word as recorded in the holy Scriptures so the Word that came unto the Prophets was the Sayer or that which spoke unto them and the Scriptures are the words or sayings which the Word or Spirit of Christ spoke unto and through the Prophets as is evident from the Testimony of the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 10 11. Dublin the 12th of the 9th Month. 1688. J. B. J. W. The Holy Truth and its Professors defended c. Lawrence Pots WE having met with a Paper of thine and finding our selves and others of the people called Quakers concerned therein with our Christian Religion and Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ which we are called to bear witness unto and contend for were not willing to let it pass without taking notice of thy false Charges upon us and our Religion together with thy weak Vindication of thy self with the rest of the Clergy of your Church in those things which thou hast yet to prove And we find our selves the more concerned because of thy Challenge in thy Paper where thou saist It does become your Teachers to make this plainly appear to you and me from whom they have drawn you and therefore if they can make it out I again challenge it of them and you By the way we would have thee take notice of this that Robert Lacky in his Letter to thee doth acquaint thee that it was the Light or Grace of God that let him see the Evil or Defects in himself and others and so meerly the Love of God that prevailed in his heart so that it was not Man that drew him from thee and thy Teachings but the Lord Jesus Christ the true Shepherd whom the Father promised that by his Spirit of Light and Grace did draw him and so fulfilled the Promise of the Father in Ezek. 34. 10. where he saith He would deliver his Flock from the mouth of such as fed themselves that they might not be meat for them c. In the first place we observe thou blamest him for saying If he or any other through the Light of Gods Grace in the heart do see Defects in themselves or others that profess that Religion where in they were bred he does not understand how he incurs Damnation by forsaking it c. And so in thy Answer blamest him for confounding Religion as thou sayest with the Carriage of its Professors c. Answer It 's true there may be wicked men Professors of a most holy and pure Religion and therefore for some particulars being of an evil carriage to condemn a Religion is not proper But when a man finds and understands that in the Exercise of his Religion he receives not power against Sin and Temptation in himself nor yet sees the effect of such a power in others it may be not in the very Teachers but that is lived in which answers not the Law of God nor the Life of a true Christian and yet here is no dismembring of such or excluding them from their Church-Fellowship This may justly give ground to suspect a Defect in that Religion and therefore it may be warrantable for a man under these Observations both concerning himself and others to enquire and seek after a Religion wherein Power may be enjoyed from Christ to overcome Sin and withstand Temptation and we do believe thou thy self art not ignorant how that not only many of the people of your Church are of a loose Conversation but diverse of your Clergy also and yet they suffered to abide in their Places and Offices without either being excluded or silenced though the Apostle exhorts to withdraw from every Brother that walks disorderly And again 1 Cor. 5. 11. He writes unto the Church not to keep company with any called a Brother that was a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner such thou maist see were to be denied Fellowship in the Church But we have often observed how that in your Church there have been and still are both Swearers Liars Drunkards and men given to other profaneness and yet little zeal appearing to excommunicate or exclude them But when any for Conscience sake could not pay the Priest his Wages though it were but some small matter oftentimes such a one should soon be prosecuted and excommunicated so that by your practices whatever you may profess in words you are

that which thou callest Baptism by which thou saist people are admitted into the Christian Church viz. sprinkling Infants We deny that you have any Authority from Scripture either by Command or Example for it for we never read in all the Scriptures of either baptizing or sprinkling Infants there is no such thing in that Scripture by thee quoted therefore thou art in a great mistake in charging this to be a defect in the Quakers Religion not to have such a Practice which is an unwarrantable human Invention and it is a great defect in your Religion to perswade people that when you have sprinkled a little Water on the Head or Face of a Child and signed it with the sign of the Cross it is thereby admitted into the Christian Church and call it Baptism when it is but sprinkling and therefore a defect throughout But thy Charge upon the Quakers Religion that we deny that of Baptism by which people are admitted into the Christian Church we affirm to be false for we own that Baptism according to what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 12 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body whether we be Jews or Gentiles c This we own to be Christs Baptism and we also own Johns Ministration of Water to have been Gods Ordinance in its day but yours we leave for thee to prove from whence you had it Secondly Thou saist Nor that of the Lords Supper by which they are strengthened and preserved in it Ans. Let all that are wise in heart consider whether that which thou callest a Sacrament which you take hath such a great effect in it as to strengthen preserve in the Christian Church which is Christs Church for the Protestants do account it no more than a Sign of an inward spiritual Grace But we are satisfied concerning what Christ did as in that Scripture thou quotest Luke 22. for he had regard to the fulfilling of the Law and his time drawing near that he was to be sacrificed and so the true Passover as Paul saith 1 Cor. 5. 7. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us had a desire to eat the figurative Passover with his Disciples before he suffered as thou maist see Luke 22. and in eating the Passover he took the Cup and gave thanks and gave it to them and bid them divide it among themselves and likewise took Bread and brake it and gave it to them and after Supper again he took the Cup and gave them and thou maist see what he said both of the Bread and the Cup the one was his Body which was given for us the other was the Cup of the New Testament in his Blood which was shed for us which words import that his Body which is broken for us is the substance of that unleavened typical Bread and his Blood which was shed is the substance of that Cup not that the Bread and Wine was his Body and Blood for that was but typical though some do ignorantly imagine that ho meant the outward Bread and Wine was his real Body and Blood as the Jews thought he had meant the Temple made with hands when he spake of the Temple of his Body For we read that when the Passover was instituted they were to have a Lamb without blemish and unleavened Bread and the Door-posts were to be sprinkled with the Blood of the Lamb which Passover was certainly a Type of Christ the immaculate Lamb whose Body is the true Bread that nourishes the Soul to Life eternal and his Blood sprinkles the Concience from dead works to serve the Living God. This is that we have an eye to that which was broken for us and shed for us and we think by thy Writing thou art not of the Papists mind for the Real Presence and if not then consider what that Bread and Drink was that was broken and shed for us which he spake of though he was then eating the Passover with his Disciples and then come on and see what the Apostle saith to the mystery of it which was that which he preferred in the Church at Corinth 1 Cor. 10. there he tells them of the Fathers viz. the Church in the Wilderness and saith they did all eat of the same spiritual Meat and did all drink of the same spritual Drink for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ. So here thou maist see the Meat was spiritual and the Drink was spiritual and the Rock was spiritual that they drank of and that was Christ So the Apostle speaking to wise men bids them judge what he saith as in ver 15 and in ver 16. saith he The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ and the Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ and ver 17. For we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one Bread. The Judgment of this thou seest the Apostle referred to wise men and we know wise men will judge that it is this spiritual Meat and Drink that strengthens and preserves in the Church of Christ whatever thou maist say to the contrary and so thou wrongest the Quakers in saying that we have not the Lords Supper administred in our Religion for we greatly delight in the Lords Supper to eat and drink that which strengthens and and preserves us in the Church of Christ and for your Practice that you use in your Church we demand your Example for it and whence it did arise for thou maist see that Christ in the Figure did eat the Passover with his Disciples according to the Law and gave them the Cup both before and after Supper as aforesaid Thou pretendest thou hast other notorious defects in our Religion but forbearest to bring them forth only one thou saist thou canst not omit which is so great a one that it renders the generality of the Quakers almost no Christians at all and thou saist most of us are guilty and that is a defect in the very badge and mark of a Christian Disciple which saist thou is Love and Charity and so quotest Christs words Joh. 13. 35. By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples if ye love one another Ans. Thou dost in this as thou hast done in other things before charge us to be guilty but dost not bring one Proof or Argument to prove the Guilt upon us from matter of fact unless thy saying it is so be either Proof or Argument which no wise man will understand to be so Thou saist perhaps we have charity among our selves we love one the other who are of our Perswasion However that is well so far it answers this Text of Scripture which thou hast quoted we wish we might say in truth so much for all of your Persuasion But thou goest on to shew how we should love Enemies c. and tellest us what John