Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	grace_n	8,077	5	5.8830	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10269	Anti-Goliah: or An epistle to Mr. Brevint, containing some reflections upon his Saul, and Samuel, at Endor. / Written by E.W.	Warner, John, 1628-1692.; E. W. (Edward Worsley), 1605-1676.	1678 (1678)	Wing W904B; ESTC R186274	27,206	62

the manner of it its effects which followed it The perpetual succession of lawful Pastors from the Apostles till our days The Testimony of Martyrs by their Blood and of God by his Works which are Miracles The consent of Nations the Fulfilling of the Prophesies c. Infine the very name of Catholick which maugre all pretences of Hereticks and Schismaticks This Church only retains as St. Austin writes it did in his time and we see it doth in ours These are the Motives alleadged to invite Men to enter into the Communion of that Church in which they are found and of which they are verified But I never heard any discourse thus Be of the Communion of the Roman Church because it adores two Christs as you say c. 1. giveth the scapular of S. Simon Stock as c. 13. says the beads of S. Dominick c. 14. uses consecrated Images c. 16. If you know any who use such inducements name them If you can name none acknowledge that your Book in its fore-head bears a great Calumny an unexcusable untruth This is an Omen of what sincerity we are to expect in your whole Treatise In your Preface Not to be my own witness say you I make the case of Papists such as I find it in their own Authors It is harde measure when every slip of a private pen is charged on the whole Church which often dislikes and sometimes condemns it yet had you kept to this Rule you had been less blame worthy I shall have occasion more than once to mind you of it CHAP. II. Your General Account of New Ways PAge 1. What the Church of Christ hath single that of Rome hath double the eternal God and à mortal woman two sorts of Christs two sacrifices two Mediators two different wayes to obtain pardon of sins two Ladders to get up to Heaven two sorts of spiritual kindred two Heads of the Church and two different and sometimes contrary words of God When you writ this sure you had been in good company and thence geminis surgebat mensa lucernis All things seemed double It was well for us that at that time Hell Heaven Purgatory Pope the soul of Man the Person of Christ and the Nature of God did not occur to you otherwise you would have enlarged our Accusation and said we believe two Popes two souls of men two Hells two Heavens two Purgatories two Persons of Christ two Divine Natures Here is an accusation of as heinous a nature as any can be On What is it grounded Whose Testimony is produced to prove it See the Text see the Margine not one single man named Have you so soon forgotten your promise Not to be your own witness but to cite our Authors We will use the right of Defendants and to a groundless false accusation return a flat denial oft its Truth And when you please we will shew you That we believe onely One God one Christ one way to obtain Pardon of Sins the Mercy of God one Way to Heaven the Cross of Christ c. CHAP. III. How the Church can be Roman and Catholick PAge 8. Papists say you are well pleased with calling themselves Catholicks We are so and so were Catholicks in S. Austin's time as we see l. cont Epist Fund c. 4. That being one of the greatest Motives of retaining him S. Austin in the Church Hereticks both then and now would arrogate to their Congregations that Title yet could never compass it No great wonder we should glory in that Name seeing as you say Catholick Doctrine and Service is the most essential Iewel and the Soul of True Churches You cannot give so great Praises to Catholick Doctrine which is Faith taken of it self but it will deserve greater Yet if compared with Charity it must yield place as you see 1. Cor. 13. But because the matter is of consequence and not rigthly understood by you I will enlarge a little upon it It is an error as great as it is common to think that Faith in Christ which is Christian Doctrine began with the preaching of the Apostles or of Christ himself that Faith being as ancient almost as the world For no sooner had Adam by breaking the Commandment contracted the guilt of temporal and eternal Death to himself and all his posterity but God the Father decreed to send his only begotten Son to blot out the hand-writing of the Decree which was against us Col. 2.14 and to reconcile us again by that blood which was to be shed for us And revealing that Decree to man raised him to hope for pardon by the merits of the Messias a Mediator who was then promis'd in whom he was commanded to believe and from whom he was to expect his Redemption From that moment we may date the beginning of Faith in Christ although the Name he was to bear was not then known nor the time when he should come nor the place where nor the Family of which he was to be born And all those persons who lived well and were saved either during the Law of Nature or under the written Law Abraham Iob Isaac Iacob Moyses David Hieremy c. as well as we received of his fulness and were cleansed in the blood of the Lamb who for that reason Apoc. 15.8 is said to be slain from the beginning of the world S. Austin ep 157. Eadem Fides est nostra illorum ......... Our Faith is the same with that of the Saints before Christ for they believed that to come which we believe past And he proves it out of S. Paul 2. Cor. 4.13 where having spoken of the faith of the Israelitical Ministers he adds We having the same spirit of faith that is believing the same things And Tract 45. in Joan. Temporavariata sunt non sides ........ Times are altered not Faith the sound of words is changed He is to come and He is come but the same faith united both those who believed him to come and those who believe that he is come Epiph. l. 1. contra Haereses The same faith which now is preserved in the Holy Catholick Church was before Christ in vigor Hence Iustinus M. Apol 2. Eusebius l. 1. Hist c. 4. l. 1. de Demons Evang. c. 5. 6. say there were Christians long before Christ Thus all faithful believers both before and after Christ make up one Mystical Body whereof Christ is the Head Two difficulties against this Doctrine occur whose Explication will clear the mist which Mr. B. casts before his Readers Eyes The first Ephes 3.5 S. Paul says The mystery of Christ was not made known in other ages to the sons of men as it is now revealed unto his Holy Apostles The second We have another Priesthood another Altar another Sacrifice other Rites c. Ergo another Religion I answer to the first The different manner of announcing Christ makes no change in Christ himself as the different manner of explicating a Mathematical Demonstration alters not the Demonstration

worse fault if you did know it yet assert the contrary And that it is no bad Spirit which in later times appeares is Evident by the fruites it produces Humility Meeknesse Patience Peace of Conscience a contempt of temporall an esteeme of spirituall things in a word charity to their neyghbour a Love of God above all things even themselves These vertues are planted watred encreased by these Apparitions in those souls to whome they are granted Are these the fruites of a bad Spirit Doe such grapes grow on thornes Such figs on thistles But she the ever B. Virgin admits of Honour say you p. 68. She does soe Honour is due to her first because she is ful of Grace Luc. 1.28 Secondly because she is the mother of God Conc. Ephes the hyghest dignity any pure creature is capable of Thirdly for the benefits we receive by her intercession CHAP. V. Of the Protection of Saints IN your 4. Chapter having for 8. whole pages declamed against our Prayers to Saints from p. 71. to 79. you draw at length your discourse to this conclusion The tru reason why praying to Saints is called Idolatry is not because they cannot heare for this would make praying to them no more then an Idle uselesse act but mainly-because Prayer vows giving of Thanks is a main part of God's service Scripture the Ancient Fathers still reckon Prayer Thanksgiving amongst the truest sacrifices which can belong to none but God Soe calling on them who are not Gods is downeryght Idolatry Thus you And having breathed a while you say The truth is you may call uppon a Saint without any danger of Idolatry if he be in such a distance whence intelligent creatures may without Miracle Heare one another Which words destroy your former assertion being contradictory to it The truth is if I may conjecture when you advanced the first Proposition your Imaginative faculty had beene over heated with your forgoing discourse soe represented things amisse But before you writ the following part it had time to coole returne to a rationall temper then the Truth as it is appeared that Action which before seemed Idolatry was knowne to be Innocent Thus you condemne absolve us according as you are disposed We are sure God hath more constant measures to Judge by which is our Comfort I will leave you to reconcile your disagreeing thoughts take what you grant viz. that it is not Idolatry to pray to Saints provided they be not out of hearing Moreover you say p. 80. It is not Idolatry to pray to your freinds by letters at what distance soever Soe it is no Idolatry by setter to pray to one in the other hemisphere Nay you grant the same to a Saint in Heaven if we have Expresses to carry our letters Which are your owne words Soe that S. Paul in desiring the Romans to pray for him had beene guilty of Idolatry had he not found an Expresse Phebe to carry his letter the Prayers of Papists to Saints are Idolatry because they have no Expresses for Heaven Rare discourse But seeing the distance of the Saint from us is the thing which makes Prayer to him Idolatry shew your skill in Metaphysick teach us what that distance is In which Scripture fathers as well as Divines are silent Is it a Bow's-shoote a league ten leagues A Diameter of the Earth the latitude of the whole world The reason of my doubt is because Bodys have certainly a more narrow Sphere of Activity then Spirits yet it is not easy to determine the Sphere of Activity of one of our senses Seing which discovers stars in the firmament at an unconceavable distance And were there other luminous bodys ten times more remote with a bignesse proportionably greater a more vivid lyght our Eyes would discerne them Soe it is not the distance alone which hinders our discovering some objects but it is ether their obscurity or their position out of a streyght Line or their framing too little an Angle in the Retina or the bad disposition of the eye it self You see Sir it is no easy matter to determine the Sphere of Activity of one of our corporall senses who will then presume to determine that of a Spirituall creature which is much more unlimited as drawing neerer to the Divine Being which is unlimited in all kinds now unlesse you can resolve this doubt moreover shew us at what distance the Saints are from us your charge of Idolatry will fall to the ground because you cannot convince that the Saints we pray to be out of hearing Whilest you study an answer to this unanswerable doubt I will teach you what I learne out of Scripture that the Saints doe know in Heaven what passes on Earth For luke 15.7 our Saviour says Ioy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth That Repentance is then knowne in Heaven for there can be no Joy for things unknowne And if this why not other things Are there setled some Expresses to carry tidings of the Repentance of a sinner not of the Prayers of the virtuous Againe Abraham knew what had past in the times of the rich man Lazarus that one had received good things the other evill things Luke 16.25 The rich man saw Lazarus Lazarus saw him they saw their different conditions of blisse misery they could speake to one another Soe souls in Limbo Patrum as we say or as you say Saints in Heaven Damned souls in Hell see know converse with one another The rich man knew he had in the world five brethren whose wicked life would bring them to the Torments he endured if they did not amend it Abraham knew the same that they had Moyses the Prophets How can all this stand with that darke Ignorance of things of this world in which you fancy the deceased souls to live even in Heaven Produce your doughty arguments against Christ himself say it is impossible the glutton should see Lazarus or speake to Abraham or Abraham reply Alleadge Distance the danger of Idolatry what else you please For all these things ether prove nothing against us or convince our Saviour's words to be improper or worse Unlesse unto your other inventions you adde that of Expresses setled betwixt Hell Abraham's bosome As for the meanes by which the souls know what passes here it is not materiall whither it be by the mediation of Angels or Revelation or seing things in the Divine Essence as in a voluntary looking glasse or by the force of their understanding which having no dependance onsenses can reach to all places or by severall or all these together or by any other way unknowne to us Each hath severall good Authors none is impossible or improbable But the thing is not worth the while to examin it belonging to Metaphysick not to Divinity much lesse to Faith Yet it is considerable that Divines