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	holy_a	scripture_n	6,955	5	5.9774	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03857	The advise of a sonne, novv professing the religion established in the present Church of England, to his deare mother, yet a Roman Catholike	Hungerford, Anthony, Sir, 1564-1627.	1616 (1616)	STC 13971.5; ESTC S115241	23,830	40

will be saved Bishop the seminary of traditions against Mr Perkins That the doctrine of salvation at least so much as every simple Christian is bound to beleeue vnder perill of damnation is contained in the holy Scriptures though not so for himselfe and his learned brethren but then will they taxe the Scriptures with obscuritie discourage you from medling with them vnder that pretense affirming that they cannot be comprehended by the capacitie of the vulgar vnlearned reader To this I oppose the iudgement of S. Austin who plainely tels vs p Enarrat i● Psal 8. That God hath howed downe the Scriptures even to the capacitie of babes and sucklings That when proud men will not speake to their capacitie yet himselfe might To like purpose S. Chrysostome q Homil. 3. de Lazaro That God hath penned the Scriptures by the hands of Publicans Fishermen Tentmakers Shepherds Neatherds and vnlearned men that none of the simple people might haue any excuse to keep them from reading and that so they might bee easily vnderstood of all men the Artificer the Housholder and widows woman and him that is most vnlearned c. thus he To the resolution of these learned Fathers my Masters of Rome will reply with a question If the doctrine of salvation be so plainely proposed in the holy Scriptures how it should come to passe that it is so diversely vnderstood Arrius reads it denies the divinitie of Christ Eutiches reads it and denies his humanitie the Graecians read it and esteeme it folly The Jewes read it and are offended at it It is read at this day in the Church of Rome as likewise in the Church in the communion whereof wee liue and different opinions are collected from it yet of either side it is true there are men of excellent gifts both for wit learning As if my Masters of Rome were ignorant that wit and learning if not guided by the holy Ghost were so farre from being means to further vs to a right vnderstanding of Gods word as that the more they abound in any man apart from grace the more irrecouerable many times they plunge him into errour delusion for as the light of the Sunne though visible yet is not discerned by a blinde man even so although it bee true which S. Austin teacheth r De doctr Christ lib. 2. cap. 9. That those things which concerne our faith conversation yea all things necessarie are plainely and manifestly set downe in the holy Scriptures yet the doctrine of salvation contained in them being the obiect of faith not of witte and humane learning which faith is the speciall worke of the holy Ghost in man and never rightly and vsefully vnderstood beleeved of any but such only as sincerely applying themselues to the outward meanes of seeking instruction by hearing and reading Gods holy word obtaine withal by hearty prayer the direction of Gods blessed spirit ſ 1. Cor. 2.14 for the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are discerned spiritually as the Apostle tels vs. My masters of Rome wil heere be carping with a question whether every reader or hearer of the scriptures may assure himselfe to haue the spirit of God I say not so spiritus vhi vult spirat but this I say and am assured that I say the truth t Rom. 8.9 that he that hath not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his and in an other place we are plainely taught u Rom. 8.14 That they that are governed by the spirit of God they are the children of God from al which this conclusion wil cleerly follow that as it is impossible for vs vnlesse by hearing or reading we acquaint our selues with the language of the holy scriptures to distinguish with the sheep of Christ between the shepheards voice and the voice of strangers so it is our part seriously and from the heart to seeke to God to enlighten our vnderstāding by the gift of his holy spirit without which this everlasting word of life proues to none but the savour of death to their eternall destruction My masters of Rome I presume will be intreated to acknowledge this that there is no true servant of God but hath in this life the holy Ghost for a pledge of his adoption e Rom. 8.15.16 which testifieth to his spirit that he is the child of God and shame I thinke will not suffer them to make it questionable whether this spirit of God that was so powerfull with the blessed Apostles as from vnlearned Fishermen as diverse of them were to enable them for teachers of the world may likewise bee now of power to prepare the heart of the simplest hearer or reader of Gods holy word truely to apprehend therein the mysteries of his salvation But how shall any man say they be certaine that he hath the spirit of god I must confesse the truth of this is felt before it can be learned yet as the man that hath his bodily sight being demanded how hee can bee certaine that bee hath his eyes could giue no other answer but that by seeing he is assured that he hath his eyes and by his eyes he is assured that he sees even so the spirit of God being the eye whereby the soule discerneth in spirituall things the inward light of vnderstanding in Gods faithfull seruants apprehending and beleeuing the grounds of faith deliuered in the holy Scriptures assures them that they haue the spirit of God abiding in them and by the same spirit revealing vnto them out of Gods holy word which is infallible the doctrine of salvation their consciences are secured that they vnderstand and beleeue the truth Yet would I not be thought to hold that every faithfull Christian in this life did attaine to a perfect knowledge of all the deepe mysteries that are to be found within the booke of God I knowe there is depth for the Elephant to swimme and safe place for the Lambe to wade in and it is most certaine that since the Apostles Evangelists left the world the holy Ghost to hold the children of God in humility to moue them the more carefully to attend the subordinate meanes prescribed for the gaining of Christian learning as fervēt prayer with diligence in hearing Gods word preached taught by the pastors of his Church and seeking to them for their helpe and instruction vpon all occasions of doubt hath tempered their knowledge with such measure as that they shall but vnderstand in part yet shall they never faile to vnderstand so much as shal suffice to bring them to a sauing faith But here a question may be moued seeing it is true as in part I haue noted that God by his ordinance hath assigned the ministery of the Church I meane the instructions of her Pastors both private pub-like to bee one meane to bring his children to the knowledge of his truth whether it be imposed

vpon vs that are of the Laitie and learners in Gods Church as a duty to beleeue the doctrine our Pastors teach vs without examination My masters of Rome if you shall bee pleased to demaund of them whether it may bee lawfull for you to examine the doctrine they recommend vnto you their answere you may see in the annotations of the Rhemish testament y Rhem Annot act 17.11 That you must not try and iudge whether your teachers doctrine be true or no neither may you reiect that which you finde not in the scriptures If you shal reply and demaunde of them to what purpose the holy Ghost then forwarned vs of false Prophets that shal come into the world of ravenous Wolues that shal invade the Church of seducers that shal so plausibly carry themselues as that they shal deceiue if possible Gods chosen children they wil ful wisely tel you that al this hath no respect to them who vpon their words wee may beleeue thē if wee list are the true pastors of the Catholike church which cannot erre whereas God wot like petty chapmen they vent no other but the deceiptful wares of the great merchant the Pope of Rome vnder the counterfeit marke name of the Catholike church But to the point in hand it is the precept of Christ in general to al his servants z Mat. 7.15 That they beware of false Prophets to a ● Ioh. 4.1 try the spirits not to beleeue every spirit Al which of necessity must presuppose some examination wherein we are not to follow our owne reason fancie or private spirit but to be guided by that rule which for this purpose the body Prophet doth direct b Esa 8.10 the testimony and the law from precept if we passe to example wee shal finde it recorded to the perpetual praise of the men of Berea c Sect. 17.11 that when the Apostle preached Christ vnto them out of the law and the Prophets they diligently searched in the holy scriptures whether those things be delivered were so or no. And was it lawful commendable in these good Christians to examine the doctrine which was taught the by that elected vessel of God and wil these Lucifugi of Rome make you beleeue it s since for you to hold the like course with them It may be my in afters of Rome for once wil beare with these men of Berea and yet not approue their doing as a rule to follow Possibly they wil not stick to tel vs that in the Churches infancie they were not so wel instructed in good manners as since the scholler● of the Romame church haue bin But shal womē say they shal mē vnlearned be fit able to iudge of their pastors instruction I would know of these my masters whether Lydia the purple seller the womā of whō it is written d Act. 16.14 That God opened her heart were then fit able to judge between the doctrine of the Pharifies refusing Christ yet advancing the law of Moses the Apostles instruction the blessed messenger of the Gospell of Christ● were Priscilla with her husband Aquila fit and able to judge of the doctrine of a worthy Pastor of the Church e Act. 18.26 Whom after they had heard they tooke privately vnto them and instructed in the way of God more perfectly Questionlesse if any Priscilla should be so bould at this day with the meanest of my masters of Rome she should bee sent packing with the scornefull phrase of Scripturist Scripturian doctoresse Apostolesse or some such foolery But Wisdome is justified of her children wee are taught by the blessed Apostle f 2. Tim. 3.16 That the Scriptures are able to make vs wise vnto salvation the Kingly Prophet accords with this and telleth vs g Psal 19.8 That the testimony of God is faithfull and giueth wisedome vnto little ones This wisedome my masters of Rome haue found fatall to them and therefore although for feare of the people they dare not in plaine tearmes entertaine the holy Scriptures when they are encountred with them with such a greeting as Ahab that wicked King gaue the Prophet Elias h 1. Kin. 21.20 Hast thou found vs o our enemie Yet is it worthy deare Mother of your obsertatiō to note by what wily sleights straines of wit they haue practised to depriue the world of all vse of them First they like not to have them trāslated into the vulgar tongue of euery natiō whereby the vnlearned and common sort might come to know them To this purpose I pray you marke a Iesuites language i Azotius Instit tom 1. l. 8. c. 26. It is demanded saith hee whether the sacred Scriptures may be translated into the mother tongue of every nation that every one may the better reade vnderstand them I answere that Lutherans Calvinists are in that heresie that they affirme the sacred Scripture ought to be trāslated into the vulgar language of all nations against whom the Councell of Trent hath made a solemne decree and with this Iesuite agrees our countriman Reynolds the Priest k Calvino-turcismus p. 825. It seemes to me saith this Seminary that this prophane revealing of the divine misteries is odiously cōtrary to the will of God and to the nature of the mysteries themselues l Ibid. p. 831. The manifold and great mischiefes which by the translation of the Scripture haue risen against the Maiestie of God against the holinesse of the Scripture it selfe against the tranquilitie of States against the faith and good conversation of men should haue force enough vtterly to suppresse these translations yea albeit they were supported by divine or Apostolicall authoritie Thus he My masters of Rhemes notwithstanding this wisely taking into their considerations m In their preface to their translation of the new testament the present time state and condition of our countrey vnto which divers things are either necessarie or profitable and medicinable now that otherwise in the peace of the Church were neither much requisite nor perchance wholly toller able haue sent vs a translation such as it is yet durst they not send it abroad alone but vnder safe custodie of their peevish Comment which like a theefe lyes lurking by to steale from the Reader the true sence of this holy word Thus you may see how vnwillingly and against their appetite they haue beene brought to translate the Scriptures into our vulgar language Their next sleight to bee noted is the practise and devise they vse to restraine and discourage vs that are of the Laitie from reading in them For whereas we finde it to haue beene familiar with Christ and his Apostles while they were conversant on the earth to direct their schollers with n Ioh. 5.36 search the scriptures o Luc. 10.26 how readest thou p Coloss 3.16 Let Gods word dwell plentifully in you to such like purpose Peresius a Popish Bishop declaimeth