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	speak_v	6,346	5	5.2623	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61076	Reason against rage being some animadversions upon a late scurrilous libel, prefix'd to a sermon preach'd nine and thirty years ago; and dedicated in these words, (viz.) to Mr. Serj. Powlett, recorder of the City of Bristol, and Mr. Robert Yate, mercht. Together with an occasional discussion of some particulars relating to persecution, and liberty of conscience. To which is subjoyn'd, a brief application, made by way of advice, humbly offered to all the inhabitants of the City aforesaid. By Thomas Speed.	Speed, Thomas, b. 1622 or 3.	1691 (1691)	Wing S4906; ESTC R220758	23,658	33

the Houshold of Faith you must be of the Houshold of Infidels and if not of the Houshold of God then necessarily of the Houshold of the Ungodly And what the certain future Portion of each of those shall be is worthy your serious and timely consideration before the Sands of your brittle Glass of Life are all run out As to the Scoff ye bestow upon the Holy Ones let me tell you that ye do thereby express your disdain of that which is the most beautiful Badge of a true Christian I will charitably suppose that you all wear the outward Livery of Christian Profession and consequently are all pretenders to the Kingdom of Heaven But you must know unless ye be found clad with the clean Robe of Holiness the present Object of your scorn your certain doom will be to be shut out thence for ‖ Heb. 12.14 without Holiness no man shall see the Lord. No unclean thing shall ever enter into his Kingdom There are none but Holy Ones in Heaven and I much doubt whether they that scoff at them here would make suitable companions to them there Those glorified Souls are perfectly holy and their Work to eternity will be holy sounding out * Rev. 19.1 Rev. 4.11 Hallelujahs Glory and Honour to the Lord their God So that it remains with me as a doubt if Scorners and Scoffers at Holiness were thrust into Heaven their Natures not chang'd whether either the Exercise or the Company of that heavenly Host would be well-pleasing to them When Christ shall come attended * Mat. 25.31 32. with the holy Angels sitting upon the Throne of his Glory † Acts 17.31 to judge the World in righteousness he will then divide all Nations that shall appear before him but into two sorts ‖ Mat. 25.33 Sheep and Goats holy and unholy and if it shall not then be your Lot to be found among the number of the Sheep the Holy Ones to whom he will * Ver. 34. say Come ye blessed of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you that sad and irreversable Sentence will then be pronounced upon you Ver. 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels You proceed on to acquaint your Reader with the several sorts of Dissenters who voted for the Serjeant and his Fellow-Candidate viz. Presbyterians Independants Anabaptists Quakers c. Animad But why did you omit to make mention of the several hundreds of sober Churchmen who also as I am informed voted for them Doubtless ye mention'd these Voters of several Sects as matter of reflection upon the two Candidates But your sober and prudent Readers will be otherwise minded when they shall duly consider that to be of or to be called by the Name of either of those Sects is no stain at all upon any mens reputation whilest their outward Profession is accompanied with a good Life Could you have said and that truly that few or none voted for them but lewd and dissolute persons Men of debauch'd Principles and Practices men of vicious Conversations Drunkards Swearers Unclean Persons Envions Men Haters of God and Goodness Persecutors of their Neighbours for Conscience-sake Men of Turbulent Spirits always affecting Domination over others never satisfied but when they can have their Feet upon the Necks of their Fellow-Citizens and the Whip in their hands to make † Psalm 129.3 long Furrows upon their Backs for Non-conformity I say could you truly have represented the Voters for the two Candidates to the World under these black Characters it might have look'd at least as some ground of doubt whether they had not been men alike qualified But your exposing them only as men of different Perswasions in matter of Worship not fixing on them any of the evil Qualifications before-mentioned instead of sullying the Reputations of the two Candidates thereby you have certainly tho' against your wills done them great honour Besides which you have tho' not designedly published the Dissenters to the World to be Men that did express a great deal of good nature by voting as they did in that they laid aside all inward animosity against those from whom they Dissent and waving all persons that were of any one of their particular respective Perswasions did unanimously joyn with many scores of their Fellow-Citizens to chuse two Persons of known good Reputation in the City which are of the Communion of the Church of England And did they in so doing do that which they had no right to do Have you Sirs and any select number of Citizens a Priviledge by Patent to chuse Representatives for the City to sit in Parliament with the exclusion of all others Had not these men of your indignation Liberties and Properties both Religious and Civil to lose as well as you and your domineering Associates And is it not then equal and reasonable that they should pitch their choice on such Men whom they in their judgment thought most capable and heartily ready to preserve them You go on and say that the Dissenters appeared at the Election both such as were within the City and near you and from afar off as if they had been summoned by the Spirit Animad Hear you Sirs it 's possible I may not have opportunity to have another reckoning with you whilest I live therefore let me prevail with you not to despise my counsel if I advise you That how bold soever ye make with Men you beware I say beware of casting your scoffing Squibs at the Spirit I have not heard nor do I believe that any man pretended to be so summoned to appear at the Election 'T was doubtless love to their Civil and Religious Intrest not any particular Summons from Heaven that prompted them to their appearance But rather than not throw out the dregs of your Venom against the Men of your displeasure you would not spare to upbraid them with appearing by the Spirit hoping that it might pass for a black Character upon them in the judgment of your Society of Scorners Whereas in truth you have in so doing only published your selves to be Men both of unclean Hearts and of polluted Lips You may vaunt it and brave it out among irreligious Men such as your selves hoping to be esteemed witty in deriding the Spirit and Men for its sake But know that the living God with whom ye cannot contend and prosper whose Spirit it is * Gal. 6.7 will not be mock'd but will severely reckon with you for this your Prophaneness Do you believe the holy Scriptures you give me great ground to doubt it if I may judge of your Faith by your Works If you do Pray remember what the Author to the Hebrews hath left upon Record who having spoken of such who had done despite unto the Spirit * Heb. 10.29 31. presently adds this word of terrour as a future standing caution to all that should do the like saying It is a fearful

Reason against Rage Being Some ANIMADVERSIONS UPON A late Scurrilous LIBEL Prefix'd to A SERMON Preach'd Nine and thirty Years ago And Dedicated in these Words VIZ. To Mr. Serj. Powlett Recorder of the City of Bristol and Mr. Robert Yate Mercht. TOGETHER With an Occasional Discussion of some Particulars relating to Persecution and Liberty of Conscience To which is subjoyn'd A brief Application made by way of Advice humbly offered to all the Inhabitants of the City aforesaid By THOMAS SPEED He that is first in his own cause seemeth just but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him Prov. 18.17 Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts 2 Pet. 3.3 Nihil magis praestandum est quàm ne pecorum ritu sequamur antecedentium gregem pergentes non quò eundum est sed quò itur Seneca de vit Beat. London Printed for Thomas Northcott in George-Yard in Lombard-street 1691. To the Honest-hearted Impartial READER HAd not my Indisposition through Age together with some emergent Diversions prevented it I had sooner appeared to obviate the Envy of my causless Adversaries and to disperse those Fogs of false Suggestions by which they have craftily endeavoured to cast a Mist before the Eyes of their well-meaning but unwary Readers Read what I have written without prejudice and having begun let me desire thee to bestow a little time out of thy vacant Hours to read it throughout lest by a transient taking up a Sentence here and a Sentence there thou shouldest happen unintendedly to do me or my Adversaries wrong for want of a full and a sedate comparing of Things with Things and Times with Times relating to the Matters in difference betwixt us Reason against Rage I Once thought that I might have pass'd the remainder of my Life in silence and not have had occasion to appear to the World in Print but that meeting lately with a malicious Libel contriv'd and publish'd on occasion of the late Election of Members of Parliament for the City of Bristol on purpose to expose and if possible to draw into popular contempt the two Candidates my self and other the sober Citizens that gave their Votes for them I thought my self obliged to appear in Print for the clearing of the Innocent the fixing the evil upon the Evil-doer and the undeceiving of all those well-meaning Citizens who through too much credulity may without due examination had of men and things conceive an inward displeasure against such as have not deserv'd it In all cases where a man is accused as a criminal it 's adjudg'd both just and reasonable that he should know both his Crime and his Accusers My Crime is not expresly mentioned in the venemous Indictment but is therein so plainly implied that I am fully satisfied what it is but the Names of my Accusers I must not know being hid under the Letters N.D. N.K. J.E. S.W. And why so Were you ashamed to own that in publick under your Names which you had maliciously framed in private You know it 's an old received Maxim * Veritas non quaerit angulos Truth seeks not corners but is bold and bare-faced He that hath Truth on his side need not be ashamed to own it Possibly when you seriously had reflected on what ye had written you thought it unbecoming any ingenuous and sober-minded men as well you might publickly to be known to be the Authors of so deformed a Libel whose Contents are fitter to be turn'd into a Song to be sung by a Crew of Drunkards at an Ale-bench than to be exposed to the view and perusal of any judicious and serious Readers And therefore I shall be content at present that your review of the foulness of the birth of your own begetting may pass as an Apology for the concealment of your Names But Sirs although you have kept me ignorant of your Names by your Expressions I clearly discern your Spirits * Exungue Leonem The Lion cannot be hid where his Claw is seen And therefore be not offended if I deal plainly with you for flatter you I dare not and tell you that that Spirit which writ that scoffing Paper and reprinted that Sermon thirsteth after Blood and would rejoyce to have mine and the Lives of other the peaceable Dissenters in the City of Bristol be offer'd up as a sacrifice to your implacable envy and revenge 'T is the same Spirit of Persecution that but a few Years pass'd drove many religious worshippers of God according to their several perswasions into corners whilest Debauchery and Prophaneness walk'd to and fro in the open Streets without controul What levying of Fines was there What spoiling peaceable Neighbours of their Goods What sierce Prosecutions of them by Indictments in Courts of Justice How zealously active were they who were possess'd with this Spirit in roving running and hunting after religious Meetings searching Houses prying into all Creeks and Corners but suspected for that Exercise haling such as they found if above such a number either praying to Almighty God or seriously discoursing about their Souls concerns before the Magistrate as if there had been then no other crime more hainous and more deserving to be punished by Authority than Peoples worshipping the God that made them in that manner which they believed was most acceptable to him And more particularly 't was this Spirit that then hurried many innocent and peaceable Inhabitants of this City without any regard to Age or Sex into the noysom Goal of Newgate where they were treated by those that cast them in more like Dogs than like Christian Men and Women What generous spirited person is there who delighting in Dogs would not in case of any of their sickness not only allow but command their Keeper to let them out of their Kennel into the open Air in order to their recovery But this benefit was denied to the languishing bodies of several of these innocent sufferers who lay throng'd together in that miserable manner in that unwholsom Prison ready to be stifled for want of Air to breath in and convenient room for Rest that the sense of their sad condition would have drawn tears from hearts of Flint Their Complaints were spread abroad in the City and the Cry of their Barbarous Usage was great Which though it had no influence on their Persecutors to move them to pity yet it begot so much compassion in the hearts of some sober Citizens all or most of whom are yet living as that they went to view the Prison and inquire into the distressed condition of their suffering Neighbours who upon strict observation made touching both did like merciful men give the following Certificate under their Hands viz. We find the said Goal is very noisom in general and void of out-let for Air and therefore unfit to contain so great a number of Prisoners as we now find therein being One hundred twenty and five close Prisoners besides the Keeper and

whether imposition or attempts to impose upon Conscience in things religious be not a high and manifest contradiction to the Spirit of Truth speaking by the mouth of the holy Apostle who debating of things pertaining to Conscience saith * Rom. 14.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let every man be fully perswaded or as in the Margent of the Bible fully assured in his own mind A full inward perswasion removes so much as the least doubt of the truth of what a man doth embrace or practise in the Worship of God He that made man neither requires or expects from him blind obedience that he should serve him with his lips or with bodily service until he be fully perswaded in his mind that his obedience is such with which he will be well-pleased And what a vast difference there is betwixt forc'd Conformity obtained by the imperious mandates of men and full inward assurance of the truth of what they conform to I leave to all the wise in heart to determine 4. And above all it 's seriously to be minded whether every man as a Creature standing obliged to render an account of himself to God his Creatour it be not agreeable to right reason as well as to the Scriptures that he should manage the concerns of his own Soul which relate unto salvation according to what he himself doth understand and believe Upon this consideration it was that the Apostle Paul allows no man to impose upon his Brother's conscience no not in those low concerns of meats and observation of days for saith he † Rom. 4.4 To his own Master he standeth or falleth and presently subjoyns Every one of us including himself among the rest shall give account of himself to God When Death the King of Terrours shall summon any man from off the Stage of this World nothing is more certain than that he must then die for himself No man can at that hour die in his brother's stead much less can he make up his Soul's account for him with Almighty God If poor Mortals when they come to lye upon their dying Beds should then call to those who had before forc'd or endeavour'd to force them to conform to what they did not believe to be true crying out in the anguish of their hearts and saying Oh! now come and help us we have no inward peace in our bosoms Now shoot the bottomless gulf of Eternity for us in our steads We are shortly to appear before the great Tribunal of the ever-living God to give an account of all our deeds done in these bodies Now therefore stand by us and for the eternal safety of our immortal Souls make up a satisfactory account to him for us What other returns could they then receive to their mournful cries but this heart-breaking answer viz. We can neither die for you nor give an account to God for you we now leave you to do both for your selves What can be more unreasonable than that men should by Pains and Penalties be violently driven to renounce their own Faith and way of Worship and conform to another's whilest they live and be bid to shift for themselves when they come to die Having for the reason before-mentioned made this digression I come now to reckon with my nameless Adversaries touching the Contents of their scoffing Libel And in the first place I cannot forbear telling you that you make too bold with many Expressions used in the holy Scriptures by an arrogant loading them with your unsavoury Scoffs Doubtless ye thought your selves very witty in so doing But you must know * Jocare in Seriis Judere cum Sanctis that to mingle Iests with things of a serious nature and to sport with things Sacred hath ever been exploded by men truly religious as becoming none but prophane lips You charge the Serjeant and his fellow Candidate with appearing for the cause of God at the head of his People Animad Well and what then if you would have men believe your own words to be true that they were as you say the People of God in the head of whom they did appear how can you fix this upon them as a crime or make it to redound in the least to their dishonour I find through the New Testament those comprehended under the denomination of the People of God * Tit. 2.14 1 Pet. 2.9 10. who have obtained mercy from him found favour in his sight and are beloved by him and therefore Emphatically styled his peculiar People And if you exclude your selves from the number of God's People as by your mentioning them with scorn ye seem to do one may without breach of Charity doubt if not conclude to what herd of Evil-doers you do belong You add further that their appearing administers comfort and satisfaction to all who are the well-wishers of the peace of Zion Animad The Scriptures make frequent mention of mount Zion with great veneration as being the place of God's worship where he is said by the Prophet Isaiah † Isa 8.18 Isa 24 2● both to dwell and to reign and therefore not to be made the subject of derision by the tongues of Scorners Pray Sirs observe you are both Categorical and Universal in your Position then let me ask you Are you well-wishers or enemies to the peace of Zion If well-wishers then their appearing as before doth administer comfort and satisfaction among the rest to you also for under the word all you must needs comprehend your selves And why then do you quarrel at their appearing If you answer me and say that you are enemies to the peace of Zion which I am most inclin'd to believe you do thereby at once proclaim both your sin and your shame by professing your selves enemies to that which God loves and all good men pray for You proceed on in your Epistle to belch out your unsavoury Scoffs against other Expressions of the holy Scriptures which speak the great Love of God to poor Mortals viz. The Chosen Ones The Houshold of Faith and the Holy Ones Animad To be chosen by an earthly Prince to stand in his presence and to be admitted a Member of his Secret Council is a favour highly estimable among the Sons of Men but how infinitely doth the happiness of those Souls exceed that ‖ 2 Thess 2.13 who are chosen of God as the Apostle words it to salvation to live lives of holiness to his praise here upon earth and to live with him in the Kingdom of Glory when Time shall be no more And believe it Sirs if you that are now scorners of them be not found at the last day among the number of God's Chosen Ones you will find no admission into Eternal Happiness And is it matter of derision to you that a man should be one * Gal. 6.10 of the Houshold of Faith or as the same Apostle hath it † Eph. 2.19 of the Houshold God Consider it well if your selves are not of

thing to fall into the hands of the living God And if that consideration stop not the mouths of all scoffers at the Spirit let them always carry in remembrance that dreadful Sentence pronounced by the Lip of Truth saying † Mat. 12.31 32. Whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come I am now come to account with you my nameless Adversaries touching my Crime and my Punishment You expose me towards the close of your nauseous Libel under the scoffing denominations of the Ancient Pious and Learned Author Ancient I confess I am Piety I love and hope shall continue a lover of to the end of my days but of that Learning which I know you intend I do pretend to have but a very small share chusing rather to be learned in that Doctrin which Christ Jesus taught his Disciples when he said ‖ Mat. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly True Humility and Self denial I do esteem of infinitely beyond all the Learning that 's acquirable in any or all the Academies in the World But wherein consists my transgression Only in this that being a free-born Englishman and a Freeman of the City of Bristol I did presume without the leave of those who would be Rulers over Mens Consciences as well as their Civil Rights to give my Vote for the Election of two Persons to sit in Parliament both whom I have known for many Years past to be and do understand now they are well esteemed in the City and of the Communion of the Church of England and had they not been of that Communion I should not for several Reasons have given my Voice for them And now before I proceed farther I will nakedly declare what consideration prompted me to Vote at all or as I did having not appeared but once before that I do remember on the like occasion in all my life-time It was not God is my record out of any the least inward prejudice against the two persons that were chosen both whom I have known from their youth upwards and do not remember that ever I had any depending difference or dispute with either of them or they with me But having understood that both before and at the time of the Election several Expressions were dropt by some in the City which I doubted to be Symptoms of designed Endeavours at least to rescind and annul the late Act of Indulgence to Dissenters I thought my self obliged to manifest my sober dissent from those who declared themselves to be spirited for Persecution And now before I proceed farther I desire the considerate Reader to observe how hard the envy of my ranckerous Enemies was put to it to find out an Arrow sufficiently invenomed to shoot at me which rather than they would miss of they were fain to look back and search for one that had lain rusting in the Quiver for near Forty Years past by which they do implicitly though not designedly tell the World how inoffensive my Conversation hath been in the City of Bristol that during so many Years past their quick-sighted Envy could meet with no wrong Steps I had made nor justly accuse me of any Publick Misbehaviour in the City either towards the Government under which I have lived or towards my Fellow-Citizens with whom I have so long conversed with which they might hope to blacken or sully my Reputation My Offence is that I did dare to give my Voice at the Election without License My Punishment must be because none more proper could be found to have an Information exhibited against me for what I spake Nine and thirty Years ago A person doth a Lawful Act in the Year 1690. for which jure vel injuria right or wrong he must be condemned Why so because of words that were spoken in the Year 1651. Rare Justice Admirable Ingenuity Pray Sirs recollect your selves and reflect upon your method of proceeding Can you suppose that any thinking and sober-minded Readers will esteem it any Fruit of your Piety or Prudence or will they not rather conclude it to be the Fruit of your Burning Rage and Fury to charge the Sayings or Sentiments of a Person which were uttered and expressed so many Years pass'd thereby to punish him for a pretended Offence now newly committed I doubt not but there was both a Tertullus and an Ananias in the Consult among the Contrivers when this malicious Epistle was framed Pray then let them both be ask'd when a man is indicted as a Criminal in any Court of Justice and upon tryal is found not guilty by his Jury and consequently is acquitted by the Judge would it be adjudg'd a legal or a righteous act in any men that should appeal to the Judge and say We desire that sentence of condemnation may notwithstanding be pass'd upon this person for that tho' we are convinc'd he hath done no evil in doing that for which he stood indicted being the same that we our selves have done yet we remember that about forty years ago this man was very heterodox in his opinion touching the Government that now is both in Church and State Would not such a Tertullus with all his quaint Oratory be hiss'd out of a Court of Justice for such his illegal and nonsensical pleading Deep Malice and Subtilty were in conjunction when this fiery Meteor of an Epistle was brought forth and the Sermon reprinted touching both which I now come to a more strict reckoning with my Adversaries N. D. N. K. J. E. S. W. 1. Are you not Men of brazen foreheads who durst affront and run upon that Act of Pardon Indempnity and Oblivion which King Charles the Second so many years since granted and published to all his Subjects * 12. Car. 2. cap. 11. ☜ which was given to this very intent that no Crime whatsoever committed against him or his Father should hereafter rise up in judgment or be brought in question against any of his Subjects to the least endamagement of them either in their Lives Liberties Estates or to the prejudice of their Reputations by any reproach or term of distinction Of what outragious Spirits have you then manifested your selves to be that rather than not be some way revenged upon a person that never did you the least wrong and upon whom you can charge no pretended new crime but my voting as before you would not stick to tear off that stamp of Amnesty which the King had fix'd upon that healing Act and thereby give the World to see that Acts of King and Parliament standing in your way are no more than Sampson's green Wit hs whilest you are in the execution of your malice upon the men of your fierce anger You do hereby also give demonstration what you would be at had you but a Law to back you when as you dare so