Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A03632
|
A godly confession and protestacion of the christian fayth, made and set furth by Ihon Hooper, wherin is declared what a christia[n] manne is bound to beleue of God, hys Kyng, his neibour, and hymselfe
|
Hooper, John, d. 1555.
|
1550
(1550)
|
STC 13757; ESTC S117853
|
21,202
|
64
|
rule the common wealth but manye tymes it toke not good effecte for lacke of the wysdom of God Esay the rest of the prophets gaue couÌ„sel not of them selus but froÌ„ god what prynce soeuer obeyed theyr couÌ„cel he prospered alwayes had good succes The same maie you se in the fashyons and maner of theyr warres Alexander thoughte hym selfe stronge inough by natural strengthe to conquer his enemies Kynge Dauyd added to hys sâ—yage stones the prayer and helpe of goddes name Therfore if heath in magâ—strates should be obeied muche more chrystian magystrates And in case the kynges mayestye of Englande maye fynde no lesse obedyence â—n his subiectes then Scipâ—o Alexander and other fouÌ„d amongs theirs England shalbe to strong with gods helpe for all the worlde But Englysh men I speake it with sorow and griefe of herte haue learned of Cleon a man that Aristophanes wryteth of that had one footein the senate and the other in the fielde so haue Englyshmen one hand at the plough and the other against y â— magistrates The ministers of the churche persons vicares one haÌ„d vpon the portesse and the other to strike at the kinges crowne They do followe the Ape that Harmogenes fable speaketh of that wold haue had other Apes to haue builded houses tounes cities to haue defeÌ„ded them selfs from the dominion of their Lord and ruler man and thought it not meete to liue in the state that God had appoynted them euen so subiects nowe a dayes God amende it wolde make them selues defences cities castels townes tentes pauilions to defend them against their king lord and magistrate and wil not be contente to liue in the state that god apointed theÌ„ vnto But it shal happeÌ„ vnto them as it did vnto the Apes their counsel and conspiracie shal neuer take place Let vs therfore remeÌ„ber s. Paul that saith the powers that be be of God and not suche as we wolde make and let vs be contented with them and obeye them for conscience sake for suche as disobey and rebel againste superioure powers rebel agaynst god so god punisheth it with eternal damnacion This is ynoughe to kepe euerye good man and trew subiect in obedience to theyr hyer powers If the reader of the scripture of god note the first the secoÌ„de chap. of Gen. he shuld perceyue rule policie or euer man wist what sinne menre for the Lord gaue the superioritie dominioÌ„ to AdaÌ„ ouer al beasts Of whoÌ„ now we may right wel lerne obedieÌ„ce yf we wer not worse theÌ„ bestes Now a word or two of the magistrates duty Aristotle calleth the Magistrate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A keper of the law Let hym vse it therfore indifferentlye wythout respect of persons in punishynge suche as trouble by inordinate meanes the common wealthe and also suche as blaspheme the liuing God as godly kinges Rulars haue done Dauyd Iosias Nabucodonozor ConstaÌ„tine and other For although a Eyuyl Law and punishment can not chaunge the Herisies of the minde neyther the desire that men haue to do euell yet when they breake forth agaynst the honoure of GOD and trouble the common welthe they shoulde be punished For the maiestrat is as one that hath the two testaments tyed at hys necke and should defend them as hys owne life and therefore saynte Paule calleth him not only the reuenger of euyll but the mayntener of good and Esay the Prophet sayth the same Nowe I wyl declare my fayth concerning the external visible churche of Christ of the ministers thereof I call thys visible churche a visible congregation of meÌ„ and womeÌ„ that heare the gospell of Christ and vse his sacramentes as he hath instituted them In the whyche congregatyon the spyryte of God worketh the saluacion of al beleuers as saynte Paule sayeth The gospel is the power of God to the saluaryon of the beleuer As thoughe he hadde sayed the gospel of Christ wher it is hearde and beleued the mynde is chauÌ„ged by the vertue of the holy gost from the loue of synne vnto the loue of vertue The wyl is wrought to consente and the consente so assisted by the holye ghooste that saythe obteyneth the remission of fyâ—ne and the beginning of euerlastyng life And these two markes the true preachiÌ„g of gods word right vse of the sacrameÌ„tes declare what wher the true church is â–ª Vnto the which churche I woulde all Christian men shoulde assosiate them selues although there may happen to be some things desired in maners and discipline For no church as touchyng thys parte can be absolutely perfecte But where as the doctryne is sounde and no Idolatry defeÌ„ded that church is of God as farre as mortal man can iudge And wher as this doctrine and right vse of Sacramentes be not ther is no church of Christ though it seme neuer so holi For in the blessed virgins time the Pharisies and bishops wer accompted to be the true church yet by reason their doctrine was corrupt the true Church rested not in them but in Simeon zacharye Elisabeth the shepherdes other The same doth saynte Paule teach vs that whatsoeuer he be that preacheth other doctryne then the worde of God is not to be credited though he were an Angel of heauen Neither wyl 〈◊〉 as knowe God harken vnto theÌ„ but wyl heare Christ the Prophetes and Apostles and no other The other marke is the right vse of sacramentes wherof were two in noumber wyth the fathers in the ministerye of the church and so many yet be wyth vs in the ministerie of the churche and haue annexed vnto them the promyse of eternal saluation and also of eternall damnacion if they be contemned and may be lawfully hadde In the lawe of Moses was Circumcision and the Pascall Lambe in theyr places we haue Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord dyuers in externall elementes and Ceremonies but one ineffect misterie and thing it selfe sauing that theyr Sacramentes shewed the graces of God to be geuen vnto men in Christ to come and ours declare y â— graces of God to be geueÌ„ in Christe that is alredye come so that the Sacramentes be not chaunged but rather the Elementes of the SacrameÌ„tes And euerye of these Sacramentes haue theyr peculier proper promyses vnto the which they hange annexed as a seale vnto the writynge And there fore be called after Saynte Paule the confirmations or seales of goddes promises Thei haue peculier Elementes by the whych thei signifie the heauenly misteries that sacrameÌ„tallâ— thei coÌ„tain be the thynge in dede They are called Sacramentes That is to saye visible sygnes of inuisible grace They haue their proper ceremonies that testifie vnto vs the obsignation and confirmation of Goddes heauenly gyftes The haue also their proper commaundement because we shuld not chauÌ„ge adde nor take from them anything at our pleasures Thus in general
to the doctrine of the Prophetes and Apostles For many tymes as well heretofore as in our daies haue bene supersticious Hipocrites and phaÌ„tastical sprites that haue neglected and coÌ„demned the office of maiestrates iudgemeÌ„tes lawes punishmentes of euyl lawful dominion rule lawful warres and such like without which a coÌ„mon wealth maye not endure Thei haue condemned also the ministery and ministers of Christes church and as for christiaÌ„ societie and charitable loue they confounde Thei vse the ministerye of the churche so that it is out of al estimatioÌ„ supposyng them selues to be of such perfection that thei nede neither the ministery of the word nether the vse of Christ hys holye Sacramentes Baptisme and the Supper of the Lorde And the other they vse wyth suche deuilish disorder that thei would by a law make theyrs theyr neighbors and theyr neyghbors theyrs confoundyng al proprietie and dominion of goodes Before our tyme the furye damnable heresy of Marcian and the Maâ—lchees against the maiestrates troubled many a yere dangerousely both Asia and Affrica And not yet cccc yeres syth a gone a sorte of people called Flagelliferi dyd the same And nowe in our tyme to the greate trouble and vnquietnes of mauy common welthes in Europe the Anabaptistes hathe resuscitated and reuyued the same errours Whyche is an argument and token of the deuyls great indignation agaynst ciuile policy and order for he knoweth wher such erâ—ors and false doctrines of politicall ordres be planted two great euils necessarily must nedes folowe the one is sedition that bryngeth murders bloudshedyng and dissipations of realmes the other is blasphemy agaiÌ„st Christes precious bloude for those sectes thincke they be able to saue them selues of by theÌ„ selues Farther wheras the magistrates be cumbred wyth those daungerous sorte of people the Deuyll knoweth theyshal haue no leaser at wil to take some order by gods worde to oppresse suche false doctryne But thys we bee taughte out of the scripture that euen as maÌ„ is ordeined to the order chang and alteracyon of tyme as thorder of the yere appointeth now to be subiect vnto summer nowe vnto winter now to the sprynge and nowe to the falle so hath God ordeined comauÌ„ded maÌ„ to be obedieÌ„t to pollices orders were soeuer he be so they be not repngnauÌ„t nor coÌ„trary to the word of God As Ioseph in his hert bore abrode whersoeuer he wente the true knowledge inuocatioÌ„ of God also of Christ to come yet outwardly in courts indgements contractes and inpossessyon of goddes he vsed the lawe of the EgiptiaÌ„s euen so did Daniel in Babilon Ther is nomore to be taken hede of in lawes and ciuil policies but to se the lawe repugne not the lawe of god and that the lawe makers and those to whom the execucion of the law is coÌ„mended vnto haue a special and singuler â—se vnto the effect and the meaning of the lawe wherâ—ore it was made a law the which S. Paul wonderfully exhorteth people to vnderstande saying of the lawe and magistrates let them be a feare and terrour to the euil doers and a praise and commendacion to the welldoers Neither forceth it though the fourme and maner of lawes of iudgements of paines and punishmentes be not like in al places as the lawes of Feuderies â—ee not lyke in Italy EnglaÌ„d FrauÌ„ce Spain nor Germany Yet shuld euery nation be subiect vnto the lawes of hys owne realme and cyuyll pollicie and in hys doyng he shal offend God no more theÌ„ the Englysh meÌ„ that haue loÌ„ger days in the somer shorter dayes in wynter then those that dwel nere to the south Or s. Paule that had longer dayes at the Solstiâ—ium and pitch of the sunne in Macedon â–ª then Christ had at Ierusalem But eueÌ„ as we be content with our measure and length of dai night and others be contented wyth theyrs so must both thei and we submit oure selues and be contented wyth the measure and order of oure owne lawes I do therfore be wayle and lament that the preachers in the church and scolemasters iÌ„ their scholes the housholder in his housholde do knowe no better what the dignitie and honour of a cyuyl pollicy is by whom it is ordained and by whom it is preserued how dangerous damnable a thynge it is before god and man to trouble and disquiet it by any furour and madnes of opinion as the Marcion Maniches Anabaptistes do I se know by experience muche trouble danger to ryse among the vnlearned vngodly people by ignorancy for wheÌ„ thei se such deformities coÌ„fusioÌ„s rise chauÌ„ce as we se manitimes to happeÌ„ in kingdoÌ„s Cortes indicials lawes gouernonres that more fansy pryuate profytte and syngularitye then the profytte of the hole commoÌ„ wealth and indifferencye of all men and all causes indifferentelye they suppose verelye for lacke of knowledge in goddes woord that all orders pollycyes kingdoms and domynyons be no other thing theÌ„ cruell Tirannie and oppression of the poore And also to haue theyr beginning and orygynall eyther of the Deuyll or of pryde and couetousnes of men Thys same euyl vpon the same occasyon of ignorauncye caused natural wise meÌ„ muche to be troubled and vexed about the consideracioÌ„s of kyngdomes pollicyes Rules and dominions because they perceiued all kingedomes to be subiect vnto troubles and alteracions and not only that but they perceiued ryghte well no kyngedome too bee perpetuall nor for euer And in dede who so behouldeth the begynnynge the contynuaunce and end of the Empyre of Rome shal se righte well they â–ª imaginations to be no vayn thinges Howe muche of herre owne bloude and of straungers bloude dyd Rome shedde before she came to the regimeÌ„t and rule of all the worlde When she was aspyred therunto and was a fear to al the worlde howe muche bloud of her owne shedde she by cyuyll warres and contencyons the iestes and wrytinges that men cioneth of Silla Marius Cinna Cezar PoÌ„peius Brutus Anthonins August other declareth Thus when the Lord God wold take from Rome for her synnes the dominion of the world he seÌ„t the Gothes VaÌ„dâ—ls Hâ—ns Arabies and Turks that wasted not only Italy but also Egipt Aphrica and Asia and so broughte the Empyre of Rome to noughte As many tymes as I reade marke thys history and â—â—her lyke it causeth me to â—doke vpon many euyll Englyshe men as Scipio loked vpon the greate citye of Carâ—hage whiles it was a burning saying with a lamentable voice the inconstancy of fortune in humain things is to be lamented Which voice sprang vpon thys occasion that Carthage being a cyty of greate â—enoâ—me dominioÌ„ was now becom a pray vnto y e fire and deuolted as wisdoÌ„ alwayes doth the consideracion of preseÌ„t euels vnto other yet floryshynge in hault prosperous felycyty and declared as a maÌ„ seing before the ruine and fal of things that stode destinated the fall of Rome to com that