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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A77253 The preachers plea. By David Bramley, a preacher of the Gospel. Bramley, David. 1647 (1647) Wing B4240; Thomason E374_2 16,799 26

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learned Prophets that they be so far from endeavouring to seal up the mouthes and suppressing the graces of our Prophets which speak not the tongues that they do their diligence rather to open their mouths and unlose their tongues incourage thē in the holding forth of Iesus Christ who holds himself out to all that al that are gifted graced by his spirit might also hold him forth to others let it not be accounted any disgrace to any of the learned that poor illiterate men which should preach spread the glory of God our Saviour remember the modest words carriage of Moses that Prophet of the Lord in his answer to Ioshua and the young-man that brought tydings that Eldad Medad prophecied in the Campe bad Moses to forbid them Numb 11.26 27 29. Moses said unto him enviest thou for my sake would God that all the Lords people were Prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them which teacheth us thus much that a true Prophet of the Lord will not for any by-ends envie the gifts of God in others nor desire the obscure but to discover them wishing all as well as some of the Lords people were Prophets not by putting Vniversity Arts but by putting the Apostles approbation in the New Testament is this 1 Cor. 14.31 Ye may prophesie all one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted all may prophesie that is all the Prophets to wit all that God hath endued with the Spirit of Prophecie for there is no restraint observing their time and order one by one Wherefore let none dare to forbid prophecie where God himself commands and his Word gives both freedome and allowance for further proof read Act. 8.4 Vse 3. It may serve now at length to call England to give God the glory of his grace by acknowledging and approving this that out of the mouthes of very Babes and Sucklings God hath founded strength as it is in the Hebrew Psalm 8.2 And saith the Apostle it is written I will destroy the wisdome of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent where is the wise wheris the Scribe where is the Disputer of this World For after that in the wisdome of God the world by wisdome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe because the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men and the weaknesse of God is stronger then men and God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty base things of the world and things that are despised hath God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to naught 2 Tim. 2 7. things that are consider what the Lord saith and the same Lord give you understanding in all things now the reason of all you haue at last that is that no flesh should glory in his presence 1 Cor. 1.19 20 21 25 27 28 29. Vse 4. Is to confute the desperate folly of many men if not most men in making prophecie a humane thing and therfore haue appointed their sonnes unto it as unto a trade to live by as thus when their children are yet young they haue resolved what callings or trades to put them to the eldest happily to be a Lawyer the second to be a Physitian or a Chirurgion the third a Merchant or the like and commonly the youngest especially if hee were in any part deformed should be a Minister that should be his trade concluding it to be in his power to make him a Minister by putting him out for a time to the Vniversity and paying for his learning as if the gift of God might be bought with money a cursed thought indeed and a damnable ignorant conclusion and let such men look back and see the effect of it and tremble at the example of Simon Magus Act 8.20 21 22 23 v. But Peter said unto him Thy money perish with thee because thou thoughtest that the gift of God may be purchased with money thou hast neither part nor let in this businesse for thine heart is not right in the sight of God Repent therefore of this thy wickednesse pray God if it be possible if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitternesse in the bond of iniquity Vse 5. Is for encouragement of all those to whom the Lord hath given the spirit of Prophesie to improve their gifts for the best advantage of the Church of Christ and his glory Rom. 12.6 7 8. having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us whether prophecie let us prophecie according to the proportion of faith or Ministry let us wait on our Ministry or he that teacheth on teaching or he that exhorts on exhortation Vse 6. It is a use of excellent comfort to all the people of God for though outward gifts and all meanes thereof may faile yet there is a spirit of Prophecie left to all the People of God by which they shall be made able to know so much of the mind of God as shall be sufficient to sanctifie them here and to make them eternally haypy hereafter So that to speak with tongues is not essentiall to the being of a Prophet nor is divine prophesie restrained to humane learning POSTSCRIPT Isaiah 29.11 12. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed which men deliver to one that is learned saying Read this I pray thee and he saith I cannot for it is sealed And the Book is delivered to him that is not learned saying Read this I pray thee and he saith I am not learned Rev. 5 1 2. And I saw in the right hand of him that sate on the Throne a Book written within and on the back-side sealed with seven seales And I saw a strong Angel proclaiming with a loud voyce Who is worthy to open the Bookes and to lose the seales thereof FINIS
of it for the Preachers sake as accept and prize it for the Authors sake to wit Christ and the lesse thou seest of man in mens preaching be carryed on to see the more of Christ in it to the prayse of his free grace by a gracious heart in the words of grace saying Matth. 11.25 26. I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to Babes even so Father for so it seemes good in thy sight Reader then let it not seeme evill in thy sight that the Babes of Christ should reveal to one another and to others what Christ hath revealed to them For out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings God soundeth strength Psalm 8 3. that he might still the Enemy and the Avenger and that all may learn and all be comforted 1 Cor. 14.30 31. which is the will of him who is the husband and head of his body the Church In whom I a member of his am thine to serve him David Bramley THE Preachers plea. 1 CORINTH 14. ● Greater is he that Prophesieth then he that speaketh with Tongues THE Apostle Paul knowing the excellency of Tongues and the benefit that might by the blessing of God redound to the Churches by the right use of them inasmuch as they were then of divers languages as appeares in 1 Cor. 14.26 and so had need to be instructed every one in his own language whereby onely they could be edified appeares in the 9.10 and 11. verses whereupon Paul saith I would that yee all spake with Tongues And this he speaks either to the Prophets in particular that they might be able to speak to the understanding of the Churches ingenerall who were then of divers tongues or else to the Church ingenerall that they might every one as well as any one be able to understand the Prophets in what language soever they spake or prophesied Now Paul likewise seeing the Church ready to abuse this excellent guift of Tongues to vain ostentation and withall ready to preferre it above the gift of prophesy the most excellent spirituall gift being most of all necessary for the Churches edification he exhorts them in the first verse to follow after charity and to desire spirituall gifts but rather that they may prophesie and the reason he gives verse 2 3 4 as I before did and then having shewed the excellency of both these gifts that each might have their due without offence to either he shewes the excellency of it above the other verse 5. I would that yee all spake with tongues but rather that yee prophesied for greater is he that prophesieth then he that speaketh with tongues as if hee had said to speak with tongues is the most desirable humane gift but yet farre inferior to prophesying which is the most excellent spirituall gift for the Church For greater is he that prophesieth then he that speaketh with Tongues So then these two are distinct gifts the one humane the other divine the one excellent the other most excellent the one necessary for the Churches edification the other of absolute necessity the one may be in the Church the other must be and as tongues may be without prophesie so may prophesie be without the tongues And so the sum of all is this Doct. That to speak with tongues is not essentiall to the being of a Prophet Or That Divine Prophesying is not restrained to Humane Learning This is very cleare from the words in the Text Greater is he that prophesieth c. Intimating thus much that they are two distinct gifts and that a man may have the gift of tongues without the gift of prophesie and that another may have the gift of prophesie without the tongues Yea the same is also specified in the 39. verse where the Apostle saith Brethren covet to prophesie and forbid not to speak with tongues And in 1 Cor. 12.10 to another the working of miracles to another prophesie to another discerning of spirtts to another divers kinds of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues Likewise verse 28 29 30. God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers and after that miracles then gifts of healings helps in Government diversities of tongues where he sheweth by way of order both the dignity and distinction of gifts and among many those of Prophesie and speaking with Tonngues Then he goes on by way of quaere Are all Apostles Are all Prophets Are all Teachers Are all workers of miracles Have all the gifts of healing Doe all speak with tongues Doe all interpret So that it is very cleare that to speake with tongues is not essentiall to the being of a Prophet Now the reasons why divine prophesying is not restrained to humane learning may be these Reas 1. Because prophesying is the greater gift For greater is he that prophesieth c. Now the greater may not nor must not be restrained to the lesser but the lesser to the greater the greater is not tyed to the approbation of the lesser but the lesser to the approbation of the greater And without all contradiction The lesse is blessed of the greater Heb. 7.7 Matth. 23.17.19 Reas 2. Because prophesie is one of the capitall fruits and benefits of Christs victory and ascension derived to his Church as in Ephes 4.8.13 Wherefore he saith When he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and some Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Wherefore divine prophesying cannot bee restrained unto humane learning Reas 3. Because prophesying is restrained to the gift of God onely Rom. 10.15 How shall they preach except they be sent And in Heb. 5.4 No man taketh this honor unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Reas 4. Because no true Prophet though never so profound a Scholar in humane learning ever did or will preach or prophesie by vertue of his humane learning nor will take upon him to preach the Gospel because of it but by vertue and because of his spirituall illumination and sanctification by the Spirit thereunto and so Paul prophesied and preached Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 14.18 there saith he I thank God I speake with tongues more then you all yet Paul prophesied not by vertue hereof but onely by the grace of God that was in him Compare this place with 1 Cor. 15.10 where hee saith By the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly then they all and lest any should yet conceive hee