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
A88943	Church-government and church-covenant discussed, in an answer of the elders of the severall churches in New-England to two and thirty questions, sent over to them by divers ministers in England, to declare their judgments therein. Together with an apologie of the said elders in New-England for church-covenant, sent over in answer to Master Bernard in the yeare 1639. As also in an answer to nine positions about church-government. And now published for the satisfaction of all who desire resolution in those points.	Mather, Richard, 1596-1669.; Mather, Richard, 1596-1669. Apologie of the churches in New-England for church-covenant.; Peters, Hugh, 1598-1660.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1643 (1643)	Wing M1270; Thomason E106_8; Thomason E106_9; ESTC R18913	104,756	140

that may be infected with corrupt opinions of Arminianisme Familisme c. or any other dangerous error against that faith which was once delivered to the Saints as knowing how easily such men if they were admitted might infect others and perhaps destroy the Faith of some And this seemes to be intended in your second particular For both these we have our warrant as in Generall from those places which shew how Church Members ought to be qualified that they ought to be Saints faithfull in Christ Jesus c. So in speciall from that Math. 3. 6. Acts 19 18 Acts 8. 37. 38. Where men before they were admitted made profession of Repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ for it is expressely said that they confessed their sinnes they confessed and shewed their deeds they professed their faith in Jesus Christ the Sonne of God Thirdly when this is done those that by manifestation of Repentance and Faith are approved as fit Members for a Church do openly professe their subjection to the Gospel of Christ and to all the Ordinances of God in that Church where now they joyne as Members which seemes to be your third particular in this Quaerie The Distinction of particular Churches one from another as severall and distinct Societies seemes to us a necessary ground for this practise for without this kinde of Covenanting we know not how it would be avoyded but all Churches would be confounded into one inasmuch as it is neither Faith nor intire affection nor Towne-dwelling nor frequenting the Assemblies that can make a man a Member or distinguish Church Members from other men See the Apologie 4. Your fourth particular in this Quaerie is Answered in the Answer to the sixt Position sent the last yeare Besides all these we heare the testimony of others if there be any that can speake of the conversion and Godly conversation of such persons which we judge to be a warrantable course from Acts 9. 26 27. It is the second of your Quaeries what things we hold necessary to the Being of a true visible Church in Generall which being Answere● this of the Parish Assemblies in England in particular whether we hold all or the most of them to be Churches we conceive might well have been spared They that now the state of those Assemblies may make application of the Generall to the particulars if they have a calling therunto Yet because you are pleased to put us to this also we thus Answer 1. That we doubt not but of Ancient time there have been many true Churches in England consisting of right matter and compacted and united together by the right forme of an holy Covenant For Mr. Fox sheweth at large that the Gospel was brought into England in the Apostles times or within a little while after Acts Mo● lib. 2. begining p. 137. Where hee reporteth out of Gildas that England received the Gospel in the time of Tiberius the Emperor under whom Christ suffered and that Joseph of Arin athea was sent of Philip the Apostle from France to England about the yeare of Christ 63. and remained in England all his time and so hee with his fellowes laid the first foundation of Christian Faith among the Brittaine people and other Preachers and Teachers comming afterwards confirmed the same and increased it Also the said Mr. Fox reporteth out of T●rtullian that the Gospel was disperced abroad by the sound of the Apostles into many Nations and amongst the rest into Brittaine yea into the wildest places of Brittaine which the Romans could never attaine unto and alledgeth also out of Necephorus that Simon Zelotes did spread the Gospell to the West Ocean and brought the same into the Iles of Brittanie and sundry other proofs he there hath for the same Point Now if the Gospel and Christian Religion were brought into England in the Apostles times and by their meanes it is like there were Churches planted there of Saints by calling which is the right matter of Churches and by way of holy Covenant as the right form for that was the manner of Constituting Churches in the Apostles times as also in the times afore Christ as hath been shewed from the Scripture in the Apologie And the footsteps hereof though mixed with manifold corruptions that have growne in aftertimes are remaining in many places of the Land to this day as appeareth by those 3 Questions and Answers at Baptisme Abrenuntias Abrenuntio Credis Credo Spondes Spondeo Dost thou renounce the Devill and all his works I renounce them all dost thou believe in God the Father c I do believe Dost thou promise to walk according to this Faith c I do promise For though it may be they conceived that men entred into the Church by Baptisme yet hereby it appears that their judgment was that when men entred into the Church there ought to be a renouncing of sin and believing on Christ and an open professing of these things with a promise to walk accordingly Secondly Though Popish Apostacy did afterwards for many ages over-spread all the Churches in England as in other Countries yet we believe God still reserved a remnant according to the Election of Grace amongst them for whose sake he reserved the Holy Scriptures amongst them and Baptisme in the name of the Trinity onely And when God of his rich Grace was pleased to stirre up the Spirit of King Edward the sixth and Queene Elizabeth to cast off the Pope and all fundamentall errors in Doctrine and Worship and a great part of the Tyranny of Popish Church Government though at first some Shires and sundry Parishes stood out against that Reformation for a time yet afterwards they generally received the Articles of Religion agreed upon Anno 1562. which are published and consented to by all the Ministers endowed in every Congregation with the silent consent also of the people and subscription of the hands of the chiefe of them wherein they do acknowledge no rule of Faith or manners but the holy Scriptures no divine Worship but to God onely no mediation nor salvation but in Christ onely no conversion by mans free will but by Gods free Grace no Justification but by Faith no perfection nor merit of works with sundry other necessary and saving truths all which containing the Marrow and Summe of the Oracles of God wich are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the eloquia Des concredited onely to the Church Rom. 3. 1. 2. and which are that saving Doctrine of truth which is fruitfull in all the world where it comes ●olo 1. 5 6. and upon which the Church is grounded and built and which also it holdeth forth and maintaineth 1 Tim. 3. 15. we do therefore acknowledge that where the people do with common and mutuall consent gather into setled Congregations ordinarily every Lords day as in England they do to heare and teach this Doctrine and do professe their subjection therunto and do binde themselves and their

and usually For where ordinary Officers are not wanting to a Church and neither detained from their worke by sicknesse nor just absence we thinke it most meet to offer our Sacrifice to God and to the Church of our best gifts But yet if you oppose ordinary to extraordinary we doe confesse that some private members to wit such as are eminently fitted with knowledge and utterance being also men of humble spirits and holy lives all which qualifications we finde but in a few may without an extraordinary calling from God be called forth by by the Church upon some occasion and namely in the absence or bodily weaknesse of Ministers or for tryall of gifts when a man intends the Ministery to speake to edification exhortation and comfort Iehosaphat sent Princes who neither were Ministers nor intended so to be to teach with the Priests and Levites to wit at least to incourage the people to hearken to the Priests and Levites come amongst them 2 Chron. 17. 7 8 9. As Jehosaphat himselfe also did the like 2 Chron. 20. 20. Yea and was their mouth also to God in prayer v. 2. 5. to 13. As for that prophecying 1 Cor. 14. We conceive as some things in it be extraordinary so some things ordinary Extraordinary that private men and new converts should be so soon so suddainly so much enlightened enlarged as to be able to prophecy publikely to the edification of a whole Church But yet this we conceive to be ordinary that some private men may be found at least in some Churches grown Christians of able gifts who may have received a gift of Prophecy and for such we doe not thinke it requireth any more an extraordinary calling for them to prophecy in our Churches then for Iehosaphat and his Princes to prophecy in the Church of Israel Our Answer to this Question is that we never knew any Ministers that did call upon the people thus to doe and as for us such calling upon them is farre from us All that we know to be holden in this case is this that some thinke the people have a liberty to aske a Question publiquely for their better satisfaction upon very urgent and weighty cause though even this is doubted of by others and all judge the ordinary practice of it not necessary but if it be not meekly and wisely carried to be inconvenient if not utterly unlawfull and therefore such asking of Questions is seldome used in any Church among us and in most Churches never True it is in the times a little afore the Synod divers that were infected with corrupt opinions were very bold forward in this kind of asking Questions after Sermons especially when they had heard somthing delivered publiquely that did make against their Tenents by which kind of asking Questions they plainely discovered of what spirit they were but for being called upon by us thus to doe as it seems to your Question that you have been informed the truth is there was no such matter But now these men are long since the greatest part of them to an Island called Aquedneck departed from amongst us some of them being excommunicated or banished or both others departing voluntarily or for feare of the like censure by meanes of which departure of these troublesome spirits from amongst us and the blessing of God upon the Synod Sermons that have laid open reproved this disorderly asking of Questions a man may now live from one end of the year unto another in these Congregations not hear any man open his mouth in such kind of asking Questions 1. The conversion of sinners unto God doth not alwaies follow the preaching of every one that is in a lawfull office of ministery as experience and Scripture doe aboundantly witnesse Isay 49. 4 5. 53. 1. Ezech. 3. 7. 2 King 17. 13 14. Mat. 11. 20 21. c. Iohn 12. 37. 2. And when it doth follow it is not by vertue of him or of his office but by vertue of Gods blessing and the mighty operation of his spirit as he pleaseth without which the Minister and his office could have had no vertue at all to convert sinners unto God 1 Cor. 3. 6. no more then Peter and Iohn could heale the lame man by virtue of any power or holinesse that was in them Act. 3. 12. For otherwise faithfull Ministers should not have their labours blessed for conversion some more and some lesse but all in the same measure inasmuch as one of them is no more a Minister then another nor no more in Office then another their office being the same the effect in conversion would bee the same if conversion were by the vertue of their office The truth it is the Law of the Lord the whole Word of God that converts the soule Psal 19. 7. And the Gospell that is the power of God unto Salvation Rom. 1. 16. And therefore the conversion of a man to God is to be ascribed to God and to the Word of his Grace and not to the Minister nor any vertue of his office 3. But this we doe acknowledge that the sound conversion of sinners whensoever such a thing comes to passe doth argue that the Instruments of such conversion are sent of God God would not so have blessed them as to convert any by them if himselfe had not sent them at all Rom. 10. 14 15. Ier. 23. 32. 4. And yet we dare not say that Gods Word is not made effectuall to conversion unlesse the man that speakes it be a Minister that is to say a Church Officer for the contrary is evident from the Scripture John 4. 39. Act. 8. 4. with 11. 19 20 21. 1 Cor. 7. 16. They that were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Steven were not Church Officers at least all of them for the Apostles who were their chiefe if not their only preaching Officers were not scattered abroad upon that persecution but remained still at Jerusalem Acts 8. 1. and yet these men did so preach the Word of the Lord Jesus to the Iewes and the Grecians that through the good hand of the Lord that was with them a great number believed and turned to the Lord And the same we say of the woman of Samaria by whose Testimonie of Christ many of the Samaritans believed on him To restraine the efficacy of Gods Word in such sort as to say that none can be converted by it unlesse he that speakes it be a Minister is to limit the spirit of the Lord where he hath not limited himself who is free in working by whom he pleaseth and as he will 1 Cor. 12. 11. Even as the wind bloweth where it listeth Iohn 3. 8. and sometimes doth bring to passe great things by weake meanes that his owne glory may be the more 1 Cor. 1. 27 28 29. If any say how can these things stand together that a man that is no Minister may be an Instrument of conversion and yet