Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A04324
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A retrayt sounded to certaine brethren lately seduced by the schismaticall Brownists to forsake the church written by Edward Iames ...
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James, Edward.
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1607
(1607)
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STC 14435.5; ESTC S4715
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11,461
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18
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A RETRAYT SOVNDED TO CERtaine brethren lately seduced by the Schismaticall Brownists to forsake the Church Written by Edward Iames Master in the Artes and Minister of Gods word Printed at London by Simon Stafford dwelling in the Cloth-Fayre neere the red Lyon 1607. A RETRAIT SOVNDED to certaine brethren lately seduced by the Schismaticall Brownists to forsake the Church THE Philosophers in old time did account it humanum errare in matters Philosophicall a thing incident to man to erre but in errore perseuerare belluinum a beastly thing to perseuere in error And Diuines may iudge it humanum a thing incident to man to erre in matters Theologicall but in errore perseuerare perniciosum to perseuere in error that in matters Theologicall must needs be deadly especially if a man doth so cleaue to error that he chooseth rather to forsake the Church then to forgoe his errour for seeing the Church is the mother of the faithfull whosoeuer doth cut himselfe there-from he must needs be faithlesse and therefore what goodly shewes soeuer he doth make yet if the Apostles wordes be true he cannot please God Euery man therfore that would be acceptable vnto God had neede to get himselfe into the bosome of the Church and being once gotten thither not to suffer himselfe in any wise to be remoued there-from For as none could be deliuered from the deluge but such as were contained in Noabs Arke so can none be saued from eternall death but onely those who keepe themselues within the Church of God These are common principles which no man that accounts himselfe a Christian can or will deny But the controuersie which doth trouble seduced braines is of the Church it selfe what it is where it should be sought for Papists would tye the Church to Rome so that if we credit them then must we confesse that as many as made a separation from the Romane Bishop haue likewise made a separation from the Church of God And all other Sectaries doe tye the Church vnto their sects whereas it were farre fitter for euery man to tye himselfe vnto the Church which that we may with ease performe it is very fit and meete first to define the vniuersall Church that we may know what it is secondly to expresse and lay downe the true notes and markes whereby true particular Churches which are very members of that vniuersall Church may be knowne from other congregations which when we haue once found out then may we cleaue vnto the Church with great security The word Ecclesia in English Church is a Greeke word doth properly signifie a congregation and yet euery congregation is not the Church of God but that congregation onely which Saint Paul doth tearme (a) Ephe. 4. â—…er 12. â— Cor. 12.12 Christs body of the which Christ himselfe is head And as the soule of man giueth life vnto mans body so Christs spirit giueth life vnto this body of Christ according vnto Christs words (b) â—ohn 6. v. 6. â— Cor. 12. â—er 13. It is the spirit which giueth life c. Neither is there any thing which doth maintaine and ioyne in one the members of this body besides this spirit according vnto that of Paul For by one spirit saith he are we all baptized into one body whether we be lewes or Grecians bond or free c. Euen as therefore a dead body whose soule is already departed can receiue neither fruite nor comfort from any meate or drinke so that congregation which is destitute of Gods spirit can receiue from Gods word which is the true spirituall meate neither fruite nor comfort and therefore it is that the Apostle telleth vs Though (a) 1. Cor. 3. â—…er 6. Paul plans and Apollo water yet that it is God which doth giue the encrease As therefore it is euident that euery member of mans body is liuely wherein the soule remaineth so euery congregation in the which Gods spirit worketh must needs be a true and liuely member of Christs body so that God is tyed to no one part of the world more then vnto another because he is God of all the world euen so the Church of God is tyed to no part of the world because it containeth in it all the beleeuers who are seattered ouer all the world This Church being one yet may it be considered diuersly either as it is hidden from and inuisible vnto men and knowne onely vnto him from whom nothing can be hidden or as it is visible conspicuous and apparant vnto men as it is inuisible and hidden from the sight of men it containeth onely those who appertaine vnto Gods free election and shall most certainly be saued And the reason why in this respect the Church is said to be hidden from men is because God onely knoweth who are his neither can man know them whilest he liueth here vpon the earth but the Church as it is visible apparant and conspicuous vnto men doth containe all those who in their outward behauiour worship one God embrace one Christ professe one Gospell hearken vnto one word and vse the same Sacraments many of these may be rauening wolues and wicked reprobates and yet they may be so close in cariage and their sinnes may be so secret that the Church cannot discerne them and therefore cannot discarde them vntill God doth make them manifest Hence it is that the Church thus considered is compared by our Sauiour Christ vnto a (b) Mat. 3. ver 12. threshing floore where the wheate and chaffe are so mixed together that they cannot be seuered before he with his fanne doth seuer them vnto a (c) Mat. 13 ver 15. field where doe grow both corne and weedes together which cannot be seperated before the haruest vnto a (d) Ibid. 〈◊〉 47. net in the which fish both good and bad are contained which cannot be sundred vntill both be brought vnto the shore And as this is the estate of the generall and vniuersall Church militant here in earth so is it the estate of euery branch or member thereof I meane of euery particular Church or congregation whether it be contained within one Realme Prouince or Diocesse or doe consist of thousands hundreds more or fewer it hath euer some lewd and wicked men amongst the good and godly Saints of God Neither doth these mens wickednesse make it to cease to be a Church although they are suffred to liue within it Would you haue it proued by examples it may be done with ease I will let passe the auncient Iewish Church and come vnto Christ his time Paul writeth vnto the Galathians as vnto the (a) Gala. 1 ver 2. Church of God and yet he saith that they are (b) Vers 6 remoued vnto another Gospell that they were (c) Gal. 3. ver 1. foolish bewitched and disobedient vnto the truth Lo then behold men foolish men bewitched men disobedient vnto the truth and remoued to another Gospell and yet a Church Amongst the Corinthians there were
Ephraim are said to (c) Esay 28 â— 7 8. haue erred through strong drinke c. to haue fayled in vision and to haue stumbled in iudgement all saith he their tables are full of filthy vomiting and there is no place cleane amongst them (d) Esay 29 â— 10 13. the eyes of the Seers and Prophets are shut vp with a spirit of slumber so that they cannot see and the people are said to come neere him with their lips and to haue remoued their hearts farre from him (e) Esay 56 â—trs 10. their watchmen are said to be all blind to haue no knowledge to be dumme dogges which cannot barke to be such as lye and sleepe and delight in sleeping How say you my brethren are our Princes like the Princes of Sodome are they rebellious and companions of theeues doe all of them loue gifts and follow after rewards iudge they not the fatherlesse commeth not the widowes cause before them what haue our Priests Prophets erred through strong drink haue they fayled in vision and stumbled in their iudgements are their eyes couered and shut vp with a spirit of slumber are our watchmen blind haue they no knowledge be they dumbe dogs which cannot barke are they such as lye and sleepe delight in sleeping are our people like the people of Gomorha are our assemblies become harlots and our congregations theeues is our siluer become drosse and our wine mixed with water are our tables full of filthy vomiting and are all places amongst vs vncleane doe our people with their lips come neere vnto the Lord and are their hearts far from him Surely it were very hard to giue so hard a censure against all our Magistrates all our Ministers and all our people Yet admit that our Magistrates Ministers and people were such as I haue heere described were it fit that therfore we should make a seperation from them hauing his word truely taught and his Sacraments rightly administred amongst them Surely no my beloued brethren for I haue already proued that in the time of Esay such were the Magistrates Ministers and people of Ierusalem and yet Esay though he sharply reproued them for their iniquities yet did he not seuer himselfe from their assemblies nor erect another Church other Altars other sacrifices or other ceremonies but in the middest of a peruerse and froward generation he lifted vp pure hands vnto the Lord. Neither was that ancient Church thus generally corrupted in the time of Esay onely peruse the other Prophets you shall finde the very same or the like descriptions in their volumes it were in a maner infinit to lay down all their words (a) Ier. 4. v. 22. and 5. v. 1.7 8 26. 28. 7 v. 11.17 18 19 30 31. 8 v. 5.6 7 8 9 9. v. 4.5 6 7. 10. v. 21. 11 vers 9 10.13 and 19. vers 4 5. Ezech. 1. v. 4 5 6. 8 from v. 5. to the end and 14. v. 3. and 16. from v. 15. vnto 36. and from 45 vnto 57. and 22 throughout Hos 2. vers 5. and 4. vers 1 2 11.12 13 and 7 thoroughout and 8 v. 11 7 13 v. 1 2 and 3. v. 10. 6 v. 3 4 5 6 and 8. v. 4 5 6. Micah 1 v. 5 and 2 v. 8 3 v. 2.3 and 7 2 3 4 5 6. Zeph. 3. v. 2 3 4. Mal. 1. vers 8 12 13 and 2 vers 7 8 11. view the places quoted in the margent and you shall finde what I say most certaine vndoubted and yet shew me amongst all these godly Prophets any one which did euer seuer himselfe from the Church wherein he liued or name any of them that did refuse to communicate with the wicked of their time in the word sacrifices or ceremonies which the Lord had appointed them to vse Assuredly you cannot name me one How then what are we wiser then they were or doe we exceede them in holynesse I would to God wee were indued with the tenth part of their wisedome or of their holinesse How is it then that any of vs should be so presumptuous as to seuer himselfe froÌ„ those congregations which most assuredly are not so wicked as those assemblies were with the which they were contented to assemble themselues and to communicate Doubtlesse had they beene perswaded that those mens wickednesse with whom they did communicate must of necessitie infect their integritie they would haue suffered a thousand deaths rather then to haue resorted with such vnto the Synagogues Doth the example of these men nothing moue you Open then your eyes and looke vpon Iohn Baptist looke vpon Christs Disciples and vpon Christ himselfe Iohn Baptist tearmeth the (b) Matth. 3. v. 7. Scribes and Pharisees generations of vipers and yet (c) Eph. 8 9 10. he preacheth the word vnto them (d) Matth. 10. v. 6. Luk. 10. v. 3. Christ his Disciples preached among wolues and although the Scribes and Pharisees were most wicked men yet Christ exhorteth not his Disciples to make a seperation from them but he rather willed them to doe that which they commaunded adding this reason For that they sit in Moses his chayre which is as much by the interpretation of the learned as if he should haue said For they teach the law of God which was deliuered by the hands of Moses I beseech you tell me my louing brethren was it an offence in a man regenerated amongst that viperous broode to heare Iohns preaching Or was it a thing to be reprooued in Gods chosen to harken vnto Christs disciples in the company of those wolues vnto whom they preached Or thinke you that we shall be rebuked for hearing of Gods word from the mouthes of those whom we know to be wicked men seeing Christs disciples are by Christ himselfe enioyned to yeelde obedience vnto such precepts as the wicked Scribes and Pharisees gaue them If you doubt whether in Christ his time the Scribes and Pharisees Doctors of the law and people of the Iewes were as wicked as this generation is note (e) Iohn 8. ver 13 40 59. and 6. verse 26 41. Luk. 23. vers 18. but their behauiour towards Christ (f) Mat. 3. v. 22. 9. v. 34. 12 verse 47. their blasphemie against him (g) Luk 11. from verse 42. vnto 53 Matt. 20. v. 46. Mar. 12 from v. 38. vnto 44. Iohn 8. v. 2. Luk. 2. v. 46 Mar. 6. v. 2. and his iudgement of them and doubtlesse you will confesse that if they were not our superiors yet that they were our equals in iniquitie and yet Christ himselfe was contented in these mens assemblies to preach and to heare Gods word How say you my brethren is not Christ his life a fit rule for vs to square our actions by If it be why should then the fall of those who are present in any assembly deterre vs from preaching or from hearing Gods word in that assembly seeing the vniuersally as I