Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A65534
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A brief and modest reply to Mr. Penn's tedious, scurrilous and unchristian defence against the Bishop of Cork
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Wettenhall, Edward, 1636-1713.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing W1489; ESTC R38532
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21,311
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30
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grounds of offence are very scarce when this is made one Such things as these are said because something must be said A Man who considers this will be strangely tempted to an unluckky guess whence that Person has taken in his Principles who would have so great a body as the Ministry in these Kingdoms all to become somewhat like Mendicant Friars No Rents or Dues must be allowed them but Alms and Gifts What then Are they likely to be more sincere in their Doctrine by being put to please Men that they may give them an Alms Miraculous supports are ceased with Miracles themselves The Bp. does not aggravate the matter Mr. P. no where moves that those Laws made repeated and continued for so many Ages which forbid Ministers to exercise Merchandise Mechannicks or secular Imployments may be abrogated or taken away If then being forbid otherways of getting a livelyhood their Lands and Tythes must be denyed them there remains nothing for them but going a Begging and would this mend the manners of the World or make Mankind more readily or more firmly believe Religion If Mr. P. be not Popishly affected which has been long feared of him and that on very likely grounds it may be suspected hence that he has a greater kindness for Atheism then is consistent with his Profession in as much as he is so much Offended that there is an order of men honourably maintained whose business it is to keep up sober Religion and the true old Christian Faith in the Nation The Bp. doubts not to affirm that take away the Establisht Ministry which in moral speaking cannot subsist without a maintenance and let our Parish Churches be left destitute of learned Preachers not onely Popery in some places but Irreligion and Barbarity more generally would soon ensue But notwithstanding and in spite of all such ill Consequences if they who Preach the Gospel do live upon the Gospel as St. Paul allowed they should in Mr. Ps. Judgment they must be all Hirelings and Hypocrites and the Bp. himself need not look far for such He is too sensibly instructed in this affair says Mr. P. for a parâ—ing Blow Whereto all the Defence the Bp. makes is to appeal from this Sentence to the searcher of all Hearts who knows that as he inclined from a Child his tender Heart to prepare for the serving him in the Ministry and through great Difficulties brought him to that Office so gave he to him a free and resolved Soul to go through all what ever should come whether ill Report or good Report Poverty or Riches c. Nor does the Bp. doubt but Thousands of his Brethren in the Ministry can as honestly as himself appeal from Mr. Ps. usurped judicature to that juster Judge The Bp. mean while for himself hereby summons's W. P. to appear before GOD shortly at his Tribunal to answer for his Censuring him as mercenary an Hireling and an Hypocrite c. And is further bold to tell the World that both he and divers of his Brethren with him in a certain City laboured in the Ministry both Night and Day when they had neither Lands nor Tyths nor other Revenues to support them And that in the heighth of Dangers and depth of Spoils they failed not to feed their Flock with Diligence Constancy and Courage That the very Persons and others of their Party who now call that spoiling which is but making some of their Party pay a small pittance of legal Dues that they can well spare were at that time in power at Court or otherwise and instead of Preaching which they pretend themselves to be specially called to were directors of the publick Counsels for no good or much mischief Again if that may prove the Bps. Christian Spirit he can say maugre Mr. Ps. Insinuations he never Persecuted Quaker no nor any Vituous and quiet Dissenter when he had the most power He has been in many cases tender not only of their Persons but even of their good Names and particularly has hindred a certain Person from publishing Memoirs of Mr. Ps. Life of his turning Quaker of his business at St. Omers c. All these things and many others the Bp. could say for asserting his own and Brethrens Innocency and Sincerity and thereby aggravate the Vile and undeserved Treatment Mr. P. has bestowed upon him in his unhandsome Piece But he checks his Pen and instead of aggravations adds only this Prayer That GOD will forgive all to Mr. P and his Brethren and bestow upon them a Spirit of true Faith Meekness and Peace of Heavenly mindedness Charity Mortification and all the Graces they pretend to And that their Hearts may be one day found as void of Error Pride Scorn and Peevish Rancor as Mr. Ps. Book is full of the Expressions of them all Cork Mar. 21. 1698 9. ERRATA PAge 11. line 11. blot out of p. 13. l. ult r. Cardan p. 14. l. 19. blot out to p. 15. l. 1. blot out the. FINIS
Ghost which they feel Mr. P. must give the Bp. leave to be a little more particular also on this Term. Let Mr. P. then know that whatever mens attainments may be it is not good to boast so much of their being Spiritual and greater boasting certainly there cannot be than for men to claim Spirituality to themselves alone and pronounce all the rest of the Christian World Carnal To speak to the true Notion of Spirituality such Spiritual Persons as Mr. P. pretends to be and as the Apostle speaks of 1 Cor. XI the place so much insisted on by Mr. P. p. 53 And ever and anon alluded to by him and his followers neither Mr. P. is nor any Person that we know now living Namely they can none of them Preach in demonstration of the Spirit and Power vers 4. They have not those extraordinary gifts of the Spirit as that they are able to speak with Tongues and Prophesy or to Heal the Diseased by word or touch or to tell us the secrets of mens Hearts Which Miraculous powers were the demonstration of the Spirit their intended They cannot by such works convince the World that they have Mysteries and the Wisdom which has been hidden from the very Princes and Wise-men of the World revealed to them by the Spirit of GOD as those Persons had vers 10. The knowledge of CHRIST Crucified and GOD's design of saving Mankind by him of making him to us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption 1. Cor. I. 3. The Mysteries St. Paul delivered to the Corinthians were not by our Quakers attained by any other Revelation than that of Scripture nor could they ever have been attained unto much less proved by Mans Wisdom or natural abilities and methods ver 13 14. But thoâ—e things Paul and others then spiritually received namely by Revelation of the Spirit as vers 10. Now such Spirituality as this Let Mr. P. pretend to what he will is long since ceased and it was foretold it should cease Whether there be Prophesies they shall fail whether there be Tongues they shall cease whether there be Knowledge of such inspired kinds as above it shall vanish away 1. Cor. 13. 8. Accordingly all these as to what was Immediate and Extraordinary we see long since not to have been in the Church And further as to those Heroick or Transcendent degrees of Holiness or of all Christian Virtue so suddenly infused into many Primitive Saints and accompanying the aforesaid Miraculous Gifts at the first great effusion of the Spirit whereby men were after a sort created Saints of the first Magnitude the Bp. is well assured that the experience of Mankind has long amply convinced the World this kind of Spiritual men are ceased People are now made holy by the use of outward means and grow up in Grace by degrees Yet in both cases as to Gifts as well as Holiness there are those who by Analogy and Proportion may be still termed Spiritual that is there are Persons who by Study and Industry attain to speak with Tongues c. Others who having from the Holy Scriptures which were Indited by the Spirit of GOD learnt the mind of the Spirit and been in their Hearts perswaded of the Truths and Duties they have thence learnt and felt their Souls strongly moved by the power of the Spirit under the Ministry of the word to the Performance of such Duties have yielded themselves and submitted to the Conduct of the Holy Ghost leading them by Scripture into all Truth as well as Holiness They allow themselves in no known Sin nor in the neglect of any known Duty If they are overtaken through human frailty by any Evil they immediatly repent and return with new Zeal to their Duty purging themselves to their power from all Filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit Now having their Hearts habituated to such new Life which by the power of the Spirit they have been brought over to these Persons may justly be called in their degree Spiritual And having their Passions mortified their Sense and Belief of true good changed their Counsels and Wills by such belief guided and governed they do certainly judge at another rate in all cases of Practice than they themselves did or the vain giddy worldly wicked part of Mankind do They have their daily frequent retirements to Devotion and besides their Hearts even amidst their common business much with GOD. Their thoughts and affections dwell much in Heaven and they are ever and anon in their Souls breathing and secretly gasping after their Country Now let such Persons as these be allowed to be Spiritual and if so the Bp. says he doubts not but there will be found more such who are no Quakers than who really are Particularly the Bp. claims to be such a one himself and Challenges Mr. P. to prove the Contrary And being in this sense which is all by any can be justly pretended to a Spiritual Man he is able thus Spiritually to discern the things of GOD to discourse of them with feeling and favour and he thanks GOD he is no stranger to such Light and Operations of the Holy Spirit let Mr. P. censure of say what he pleases In the mean while the Bp. does not Monopolise Spirituality either to himself or the Church he his of But touching both rather chooses to take up the words of the Holy Apostle 2. Cor. X. 12. We dare not make our selves of the number or compare our selves with some that commend themselves but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves amongst themselves perhaps are not wise And thus much as to the Quakers imputing 〈◊〉 Carnality to those of the Establisht Church and ingrossing Spirituality to themselves 2. As to our Emptiness The Bp. craves pardon if he be at a loss what Mr. P. means hereby If Emptiness signifie the Ministers Sermons being barren with little Substance or solid Matter in them the Quakers are much more guilty as far as ever the Bps. Experience could reach Witness the first things they Published if compared to the Printed Sermons of the Conformable Clergy Since Mr. Ps. Accession to them it must be confest he has much improved them and brought them to Write what looks like Sense and Coherence But the Bp. would willingly know of Mr. P. what there was in Betty Wheadons holding forth who on a certain day spoke in their Meeting after Mr. P. at Cork and would be heard when he put his Hat before his Face and Laughed And whether She be the only Person from whom in their Assemblies he has often heard such Stuff Let Mr. P. be ingenuous and no more of this Lastly That the Altars being made a provision for those who with wait on the Altar should alienate any Mens minds from Religion seems as monstrous and unreasonable injustice as well can be imagined and if there be any truth in that of the Apostle 1. Cor. IX 13 14. most contrary to GOD's Ordinance It appears that