Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	church_n	scripture_n	word_n	7,625	5	4.5069	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91118	A testimony of God, and his way, and worship against all the false wayes and worships of the vvorld. Also an answer to some of the false doctrines held forth, by a professed minister, in VVales; shewing the unsoundness of his former actions, and is found to be one, in the nature of the vvorld; which sometime he hath spoken against. With an answer to some queries; propounded by one, who is called an Anabaptist. / Given forth for no other end, but in love to the truth, as it is in Iesus: by Alex: Parker.	Parker, Alexander, 1628-1689.	1656 (1656)	Wing P383; Thomason E883_6; ESTC R207301	24,030	31

hold that some are ordained to salvation and some to condemnation before they have done good or evill and these deny one another and hold one another accursed yet all are dipped in the water some are divided about that which they call the Lords supper and about breaking of the bread some will break it themselves and some will eat it as a supper some will sup before they eat it some will have it in an upper chamber some are for laying on of hands and some will not and many other things there are which breakes their union and thus they are divided in Babylons Kingdom tearing and rending one another like dogs and swine falling out about the husks But the Saints who are led by the light of the Son of God out of Babylon into the fold do feed upon the bread of life in the Fathers house where there is no want but fulnesse where the presence of the Lord is enjoyed and the holy and innocent ones who are washed and cleansed in the bloud of the Lamb rejoyce in his presence who are Baptized into Christ and have put on Christ whose hearts are purified and conscience purged from dead works these are Christians But to sprinkle water on the face of a child doth not make it a Christian or to be dipped over head and eares in water doth not wash and cleanse from sin for hee is not a Christian which is one outward which hath the name only neither is that the Baptizme which is outward with the water But he is a Christian which is in Christ a new Creature and Baptizme is that of the spirit having the heart sprinkled from an evill conscience and the body washed with pure water and this Baptizme I own and witnesse unto and deny all imitatour who have not a command from God as they had that gave forth the Scriptures Yet this I say if any one now have a command from Christ to go and Baptize with water or if any out of tendernesse of Conscience do such a thing I do not deny it nor judge them for it But I was not sent to Baptize but to preach the Gospel and it is no breach of Christs command nor denying his ordinances in not Baptizing not being commissioned by him to Baptize for it is neither dipping nor sprinkling or not dipping that availes any thing but a new Creature so to deny that which was a command of Christ to some being but outward it not being a command by Christ unto us is no breach of Christs command no more then it was in the Apostles in denying the outward commands as Temple Sabbath Circumsition and the like which were commands in their time and place and wee own them and all the commands of God mentioned in the Scriptures by the same spirit which gave them forth which spirit was the Saints Rule before the Scriptures were written and their Rule who gave forth the Scripture and the Saints Rule now according to the Scripture owning all things in their time and place as the Scripture declares of and though we be counted as deceivers yet true it is no more but what the Ministers of Christ undergone from that generation who were high in knowledge as doctours chief Priests and learned Rabbies yet by all their learning and Scripture knowledge they knew not the mistery but counted the Crosse of Christ foolishnesse as it is now by this generation of Scripture learned ones and university men by all their learning and study the mistery of Godlinesse they know not but counts them an ignorant people to whom the Lord hath made known himself in measure and reveiled his secrets unto and counts them as a people not worthy to live I say amongst that generation that cryes up the commands of Christ in words I find this man querying without But for the simple ones sake who desire to be satisfied I have written this in answer to his queries that their minds may be informed and from the darknesse they may be turned to the true light of lesus which opens the dark understanding and leads out of darknesse to follow Christ in the pure path of life which whosoever follows shall not abide in darknesse but shall have the light of life Query the I. Whether you do own the New Testament with the Epistles of the Apostles unto the Churches to be a true testimony of the spirit of the Lord yea or nay And if they be whether were they not given forth as a Rule unto the Churches to walk by and if they were not given forth as a Rule then wherefore were they given forth and what use were they of unto the Churches Answ The New Testament we do own and witnesse which is the Law of God written in our hearts and the spirit put in the inward parts whereby we are gathered together into the fold and are fed with living refreshments in the bosome of our Fathers love which spirit was and is a Rule and guide unto the Saints and thereby are taught of God in spirit and do worship him in spirit according to his promise which promise is now fulfilled and fulfilling to his praise and glory to whom all glory belongs for evermore And the Epistles of the Apostles to the Churches we own to be a true testimony given forth from the spirit of the Lord and was the word of the Lord in them and to them to whom they were written for the edifying and building them up in their most holy faith which faith was within them a mistery held in a pure conscience and their Rule and guid was within them and all that was written or declared by the holy men of God it was to bring them to the pure worship of God within in the spirit Qu. II. Whether the Scriptures be of any use unto any people now in this generation and if they are then whether the Ordinances therein conteyned be to be practised by such a people as beleeve in the Lord Iesus with all their hearts yea or nay And if they are not to be practised then when and where were they abolished Ans The Scriptures are not of any private interpretation neither came by mans will but holy men of God spoke them forth as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and they are of use for they were given forth to be read to be believed on to bee practised and fulfilled but not to make a trade on nor for ungodly men with their vain and proud minds to talk on but let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity and as iniquity is departed from and the fear of God placed in the heart it keepes the heart cleare and so the pure wisdom from above is received into the pure heart and the pure in heart are blessed and shall see God who is light and the Ordinances of God are seen in the light and led into by the light but the darknesse cannot comprehend the light nor all the wisedom

in the place of Christ as Vavasar Powel doth who calls the Scriptures the Foundation of Faith and the Word of God when plain Scripture doth testify against him and witnesseth Christ to be the Foundation and the Authour and finisher of Faith whose name is called the Word of God Heb. 12.2 Rev. 19 13. Many other Scriptures I might bring that witnesses of the Word of God for all the whole Scriptures being given forth from the word declare of the word and so they are called by the Ministers of the word Luke the first But it hath been a common thing amongst the Professours of our time because wee do not nay dare not set the Scriptures in the place of Christ nor call them by his name to accuse us for denying of the Scriptures but their accusation wee do deny and let our lives and conversations which wee live in Christ Jesus be witnesses for the Lord and for us herein and I appeal to the conscience of all the honest hearted in the nation to judge whether those who talk so much of Scripture and calls it the Word of God and their Rule to walk by and they themselves live in pride and covetousnesse strife and envy wrath malice stubbornesse and crosnesse backbiting and speaking evill one of another behind their backs foolish jesting idle communication vain sports and pleasures and in the customes and fashions of the world little or nor at all differing from them in any thing but in words which things the Scripture testifies against or those who live in the fear of God in meeknesse and humility and cannot fashion themselves according to the world nor use the vain customes and traditions of men who cannot bow to the rich nor respect the persons of those who were the gay cloathing and the gold Ring no more then the poor man in the vile Rayment which of these doth deny the Scriptures those who talke of them and live not in the life of them or those whose lives and conversations are according to them let the wise in heart Judge A. P. An answer to some Queries given to my hands which were propounded by one who goes under the name of an Anabaptist living in Shrewsbury SOme Queries I have received from one who subscribes his name Richard Stephens wherein he saith the intent of his writing is to be better informed in things wherein he is not satisfied But in the Light of Jesus he is comprehended and seen to be of that Generation who cryed up the Commands and the Ordinances of God as Temple Sabbath Circumcision Priests Sacrifices Scriptures and the like and said they were of Abraham and God was their Father and they builded the Tombs of the Prophets and garnished the sepulchre of the righteous and condemned their fore-fathers saving if we had lived in their dayes we would not have killed the Prophets and yet these crucified the Son of God and they did not believe in him who was the light the Covenant of the Father the sum and substance of those things which they upheld which were but figures tipes and shadows yet in their time Commands of God and were to bee observed and kept yet those who had these outward Commands did not believe in the Light but were by Christ the Light cryed woe against and those who believed in the Light and followed Christ denyed those outward Commands and had no Scripture for it but the testimony of the light within them which was a hard thing in those times to deny the Commands in the letters for the Jews and Chief Priests had Scripture to uphold them and counted the Apostles deceivers and a cursed people that knew not the Law But by the mighty power of God they were carried on and witnessed against the outward Commands and cryed against them that upheld them and witnessed the Commands of God and the worship of God in the spirit and their bodies wa● Temples of the Holy Ghost and God dwelt in them so the new Covenant they witnessed the Law of God written in their hearts and the spirit put in the inward parts which was their guide in the spiritual worship and these denyed those things which once were Commands of God which were outward and typical and it was no breach of the Commands of God to them but obedience to the commands of the Spirit of God in them by which they witnessed against the shadows and witnessed the substance And a generation there is now of which this man that gave forth these Queries is one who hath gotten the good words the Scriptures and painted themselves over with a covering like the spirit but is not the spirit and these cry up the Church of Christ and the ordinances of Christ and condemnes the Jewes their fore-fathers for crucifying of Christ and yet they are found in the same nature who deny the light and counts them deceivers and a cursed generation who are in the light who with the light deny their imitated Churches and taken on commands which it no more but a will worship and a self righteousnesse which stands in the will of man which is as filthy rags and as menstruous cloathes seen they are and comprehended in the light of Christ to be under the woe out of the Covenant of our God and here is the ground of all the sects and opinions and the many Religions Man living in his will and professing the Scriptures which came not by the will of man but contrary to mans will here man in his will is giving his pr●vate meanings and interpretations and one he gives one meaning to the Scriptures and sets up a Religion and a worship of God according to his meaning and conceiving from the letter of the Scripture in his will Another he gives another meaning and sets up another worship and a Religion according to his meaning and conceiving from the Scriptures and so a third gives his meaning and so are divided into many sects and opinions and these are the Babel builders one building up a wall and another daubing with untempered morter and these are out of the faith and union of the Saints who walk in the light and have union and fellowship in the spirit of love written in one anothers heart and so are all of one heart But the other who stands in their wills and imitates and takes on commands in their own wills as their imaginations thoughts and conceivings leads them are not all of one heart but are divided and some sprinkle water on the face of a child and calls that Baptizme and others deny that and are dipped over head and ears in water and calls that Baptizme and then they call themselves Beleevers and Saints and so run to the letter of the Scripture and reading with a wrong eye are still in confusion and more and more divisions there is a mongst them some are called free-willers or that hold generall redemption that Christ died for all and some are called particulars that