Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	holy_a	soul_n	6,894	5	4.8401	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84229	The examiner defended, in a fair and sober answer to the two and twenty questions which lately examined the author of Zeal examined, in this answer are (not unseasonably) touched, Christ's interest in this and all nations. Christ's interest, and the Commonweals, as to the present affairs. The true nature of all civil states. The nature of all civil magistracie, and of the civil sword. The title of Christian magistrate. National churches and covenants. The world of religions ... The permission due to conscience ... Idolatry, and the kindes of it. The spiritual and civil sword, ... The forms of worship. The causes of destruction in nations. The violence to the souls of men; ... The dangerous consequence of such violences, ... Christ Jesus himself, ... The crying guilt of soul-rapes ... The light of nature in spirituals. The acts of Asa, Artaxerxes, &c. The fast of Nineveh. The conscientious differences ... The justice and prudence of state-provision against all uncivilities both of popish and protestant ranters.		1652 (1652)	Wing E3732; Thomason E675_2; ESTC R206745	60,783	103

command of God to his people in Babel Ier. 29. That so the Saints injoying civil peace and also if it may be the holy pleasure of God injoying rest from persecution Act. 9. might multiply walking in the fear of God and Christian Edification whatever the Religions fo the States or the magistrates there should be though Babylonian Roman c. fourthy I ask Whether the blessed Spirit of Life and Regeneration which is in all Gods people be not abundantly sufficient to preserve them in Godliness and true Christianity to preserve them from falling and to reform and restore them from all their Backslidings and declensions I add to preserve them 1 Iohn 3. Rom 6. ● Iohn 5. that sin have no dominion over them that they sin not and watch against the touching of Satan to preserve them in the use of the Word and prayer and all such paths and meanes which in Faith they are perswaded of to be the commands of Christ iesus The most holy and most powerful and eternal indwelling of Gods most holy Spirit in all Gods Children All this and more the holy Spirit of God works in Gods Children although there should not be a Magistrate in the World yea although all the World and the whole World oppose them yea although there were no Heaven nor Hell no Resurrection no Iudgement nor World to come wherein they should be rewarded or punished glorifyed or tormented yea although they should want all Spiritual helps and Teachers which respectively are necessary for they have received an Anointing which teacheth them and abident with them and will abide with them for ever Fifthly I ask Whether in the present state and juncture of affaires in England The divisions of the Clergie now like that of the Friers in Chaucers tiem wherein as Chaucer observes of the four great differing Orders of Friers in his time every Sect every Order and conscience pleads the integrity and purity of their way and the People of God themselves are so divided and differently perswaded as of late in the Scotch wars to blood and dreadfull slaughters I say I ask Whether we may pray without prophaning of the holy Name of God and the guilt of the breach of the civil Peace of the Nation that God would send such Magistrates who should authoritatively judge whose Conscience whose Worship whose Godliness is true What prayers ought to be put up for Magistrates and accordingly maintain that Godliness defend that Faith advance the Worship and service of God c. As also prohibite by his carnal Sword all other Consciences Worships and Godliness as Schismatical heretical Seditious Blasphemous c. How much rather ought we to pray that it may pleasethe most holy and only wise Goe to vouchsafe such a Spirit of Godliness and Wisdomie to the Rulers of this Commonweal that the civil Rights may be preserved and Civilities may flourish in Righteousness and Mercy even in the midst of so much spiritual Division and Opposition which are and must be greater and greater in all Nations of the World when once the Chains and Yoaks of implicite Faith Soul Yoaks believe as the Church believes Decrees and Precepts of Men Tradition of Elders Customes Antiquity c. re torn off and broke from the souls and necks of the People and Inhabitants hereof The sum of the sixth Question Whether Abraban and Jacob Quest 6 and others before the law were not Magistrates in their Families and commanded and reformed their Families in matters of Religion or were meetly fello-Servants with their Servants as the Examiner saith First I ask Whether the Questionist hath dealt fairly with the Examiner Answ in bringing him in s0 odiously to say that Abrahams and Jacobs Housholds might command them as well as Abraham and Jacob might command their Houshoulds And Whether or no did the Examiner once mention Abraham and Iacob It is true he maintaineth and with express words and clear light of holy Scripture well may that in Religious matters the Magistrate and Subject are fellow-Servants but gave he any colour or appearance of Countenance to Servants to be inobsequious to their Masters Children to their Parents Wives to their Husbands people to Magistrates in all their civil spheres and respects I ask further The dispensations of the Fathers and magistrates of Cods Israel figurative and typical Is the consequence fairly gathered that because Abraham I saack and Iacob and those Fathers of Families and Elder Brothers those Saviours Judges Governours and Kings of the Israel and people of God in those sigurative times and typical administrations commanded and punished even with a material and carnal sword in spiritual matters therefore every Master of a Family Husband Father Elder brother Judge governour King Magistrate hath the same Authority in spiritual matters now And that therefore according to Numb 30. an Husbands or Father may now disannul and over-rule the meerly Religious Vowes and Devotions of their Wives and Daughters Or rather since the Lord Jesus the substance of those shadowes is come Whether ti be not one express end of his coming Great diviscons in matters of Conscience necessary c. to set a man at variance which his Father Mat. 10. in a family of five persons to set two against three and three against two that is in the matter of Religion and Canscience And I ask Whether the wife notwithstanding in civil converse she submit with all wife-like submission and affection yet as to Religion ought she not to judge of her Husbands Beliefe or Unbelief in God and may she not joyn with him or separate from him labouring to be a Saviour to him How knowest thou O Wife but that thou mayest save thy Husband c. And so consequently the servant to his Master the Child to his Parent the subject and souldier to the highest Magistrate and Commander For Gal. 3. there is neither Iew nor Greek there is neibond nor free there is neither male nor female for yea are all one in Christ Iesus Secondly I ask Whether it be not the designe of God for the manifestation of his owne most glorious Brightness to cary on the Mystery and Glory of Christianity in the meanest and lowest of Earthen Vessels according to that of Iames 2. Hath not God chosen the poor of this World rich in Faith Gods designe of chusing men of low deeree not many wise noble nor mighty and Heires of the Kingdom Hence in a most stupendious condescension God manifesteth himself in Flesh and that Flesh must be taken from a poor Carpenters wife and she delivered of her blessed fruit in a stable amongst Beasts And however he command thousand thousands of those most blessed Invisible Spirots the Angels yet for his visible attendants and Embassadours to the World were they not ordinarily of a low Ranck and condition even those two Pillars whose names have so sounded in all parts especially at Rome and London Peter the Fishcrman

thoughts of the Heart Secondly I ask If this poor Nation of England and Scotland c. have not heard the voice of the God of heaven out of the whirlwind as in Iob declaring himself in thundring language and dialects of Blood Distractions and Destructions about this National League and Covenant The wonderful Character of Gods jealousie upon the Scorish National Covenant Were ever two Nations so solemnly and with such seeming glorious Holiness united to make this Island an holy Land and to purge out as out of an holy Land and Aire as Canan was all Idolatry Schisme and Hereticks And were there ever more evident Characters of the Iealousie and displeasure of the most High written upon such Covenants such Conjunctions Or was there ever almost such a miraculous Decision of the controversie between the Covenanters themselves about the Interpretations of it And hath not the most holy and invisible God made bare his holy Arme and written it in National letters of blood that he that runs may read it That this National Covenanting and National Churching and National compelling and National conforming as to the Soules and Consciences of men and as to the worship of the God of heaven is but Levitical and Ceremonial but Mosaical and Iewish but Unchristian and destructive to the New Testament of Christ to the freedome of the soul and conscience to the gratious free breathings of the most holy Spirit of God perswading and spiritually compelling the Spirits and Souls of men to knit the onely true Lovers Knot and Covenant that Death and Hell and all the powers of Earth and Hell Men and Devils shall never be able to untie Thirdly It was no guilt of Hypocrisie in Asa to compel that whole Nation which according to those figurative times and old Covenant were miraculously brought and kept in Covenant with God The Hypocrisie of Nationall Covenants upon which the Examiner doth not fix the least charge of Hypocrisie but now he may and all men may ask why other whole Nations and all Natitions should be forced like Cattel by thousands and ten thousands Cities Nations c. to a Religion and Covenant and Worship which their Forefathers knew not which their Souls owne not and their Consciences secretly disclaim as false c. Doth not this as Isaiah tels us fill a Nation with Hypocrisie And hath not this Doctrine filled this Nation if ever any with wonderful Hipocrisies as the Civil Sword and power of compulsion hath fallen by Gods most holy providence into the hands of Pagan or Popish or Protestant or Presbyterian or Independent if perse cuting Consciences I ask further Is there not a two fold Hypocrisie First A tu of old Hypocrisie amongst Pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is more hidden and secret such as Achitophels with David and Fudas with Christ Iesus Thieves and Traytors in the Bosome c. Yet outwardly true faithful holy Cordial c. Secondly That which is more open evident and plausible such as that of the ten Tribes pro fessing the name of the God of Israel and yet with-all the Worship of the Calves and Ieroboams Feasts and Priests and other his Inventions and moreover living without the life of the true God of Israel In the late Wars some that professed to side with the Parliament voted in the House sat in Committees yea fought for the Parliament Lawes and Liherties c. yet lay they like Traitours in the Bosome as after was discovered Others fought for the Parliament Lawes and Liberties and yet joyn'd openly with the King fought under his Colours and pretended onely the name of that to wit holiness and the Love of God which they hated more then Sin and Hell and Damning Or as in our Streets dayly we finde two sorts of Beggers one speaks such wants Antichristian hypocrisie illstrated so predicates Christ Iesus so prayes for you that many are taken moved to real pity and compassion and yet deceived A second sort profess the Trade of Begging they keep open those Sores which they will not have heal'd they steal or get Children to beg with they abhor to labour and make a Trade of Hypocrisie T is true that they crie up the name of Christ Iesus too and pray for you but if you put not into their mouth how soon fall they from blessing to cursing c. Of this second sort The pretended Christian Nations found Antichristian are not the Christian Nations so call'd made up and constituted whether East or West Greek or Latine the Popish or Protestant Churches who like the ten Tribes and many of them like the strange Nations brought in after the Captivity by Salmanasser 2 King 17. They feared the God of Israel and served him and their owne Gods too and the Spirit of God concludes of them that they served their owne Gods and served not the true God at all Is not this apparently the state of thousands and ten thousands and millions of named Christians professing Christ in Word Tit. 1. but in works denying of him overspread with the Abominations of Religious and moral Idolatries spiritual and corporal Murthers Whoredomes Oppressions Drunkenness c. either as the great Whore probably the Whore of Rome actually drunk with the blood of the Saints and Prophets of Iesus or else thirsting after the day of their bloody fils c. Fourthly Religious Ravishments and horrid Abominations I ask Whether as to force the Consciences of the Unwilling is a Soul Rape so to force the Ignorant prophane and unregenerate Nations into a pretended holy fellowship and Communion with God be not ten thousand fold more unholy and unrighteous then to force into the Beds of any Men of Honour ugly and deformed strangers yea enemies yea and impudent Whores and Strumpets Would the Proposer stile their commands holy just good did the matter concerne but his owne Bed as who can but know the matter in question so neerly concernes the Lord being communion which Cant. 1. is no other then the mystical and spiritual Bed of the Lord Iesus Did ever God or Man command to do well The methods of Friendship with God and men before a ceasing from Evil Doth God or man ever strike up Covenants of Love Leagues of Amisy yea or admit a treaty before Repentance and Satisfaction for former Injuries before the Removeall of Force the laying down of Armes and the acknowledging the Power and State of such with whom they treat If these be waies of civility rightecusness order prudence what commands shall they be call'd what holiness and goodness shall be found in them which carry written like the Whores forehead Rev. 18. Mysteries Babylon Hypocrisies Dissimulations c. Therefore lastly I ask how much infinitely sweeter are Gods Methods delighting onely in a willing people how sweet are the paths of the Lamb of God Christ Jesus whose true Messengers are Maidens Pro. 9. who with Virgin-Chastity and Modesty invite poor sinners to the heavenly Feast

Spirit which a Follower of Christ Jesus pretends to in setting the words which bear a better sence yea and the Heart of the Examiner upon the Rack by infinuating little less then that he hath set himself to contradict and fight against God himself and his most holy Spirit in Paul his Servant and Penman Whereas a more sober and Dove-like Christian Eye will read no more but a faithful and Christian plea for moderate and Christian thoughts to all the Nations and Generations of the World who although by the hightned power of Reason they may possibly attaine to as above hath been discoursed by the light of Nature many Convictions and Confessions of a Godhead The Natural estute of all and the very best of mankind Yet is it not so facile and easie for them having so many thousand clogs and chaines of barbarous Ignorance and Education and Lusts hanging on them to soare so high with the wings of meer Natural corrupted Reason as to to finde the true God and the true Way of glorifying God acceptably in Christ Iesus Yea I ask Whether this is possible to be attained unto as abovesaid But rather that this place of Paul Rom. 1. implies that the wisest and most industrious of the Sons of Men will be found guilty of gross Negligence and undervaluing of God and of being inslaved by many corrupt Lusts Examples Customes Fear of men Tradition of Fathers and of not improving that Power of Reason and understanding in themselves so far and so high as they ought and might also do Secondly I ask If it be easie for the Nations of the World to escape and miss these Rocks of Idolatry All the Nations of the World wandring in Idolatry and superstition Superstition Will-worship c. how comes it to pass that all the Generations of mankinde from the first Creation and Fall of Man to this day the Phoenicians the Chaldeans the Egyptians the Persians the Grecians the Romans and the many millions of millions of wise and understanding men not onely the Pagans but the Turks the Iewes the Papists and carnal Protestant should so stupendiously and constantly wander from the glorifying of God as God but by invented Images and Representations of Superstition Will-worship darken his Glory c. Thirdly If it be so easie to escape Idolatry Superstition Will-worship c. How is it that the holy Spirit record how easily how wonderfully Gods owne people and choicest Servants hardly kept from Superstition and Will-worship c. and fearfully Gods owne people Aaron the Leader and all Israel with him slipt into the Idolatry of the Golden Calf yea and afterwards the whole ten Tribes of twelve Gods owne people apostate to the Calves againe of Jeroboam How is it that not onely the Godly Kings of Iudah neglected the demolishing of the high places and the reforming of what was notoriously Superstitious and that not onely Solomon built houses for the gods of his Wives but even David and thirty thousand of Israel with him brings up the Arke of God the signe of Gods presence with wonderfull Solemnities shootings and rejoycings until they met with Perez-Uzzah the Breach of Uzzah the signal of Gods displeasure How is it that not onely many shall seek to enter and shall not be able Christ Iesus not easily found of not onely pretenders but Cordial Intenders and Israel obtained not that which they sought for as it is written Rom. 2. But even the tender Love and Dove and undefiled of Christ Iesus Cant. 5. rising up to open to her Beloved she findes him agrieved at her unkindness and gone she sought him but she found him not she called him but he gave no answer Fourthly The divisions of Reuben yea even of Iudah How is it that not onely God sendeth Antichristians strong Delusions which so hold their Understanding Conscience Iudgement and Affections that they really belive Lyes notorious and great Lyes but even at this Day among our selves the Consciences of Gods children and people in whom the blessed fear and love of God hath shined how are they I say divided each from other not onely Ephraim against Manasseh and Manasseh against Ephraim and both against Iudah but even Iudah against Iudah Insomuch that Gods people at this day have not onely occasioned that reproachfull terme of Sectaries because of their separation from the National Churches gathering themselves into separate Congregations but even from their Sects and Divisions among themselves And I ask whether this shall not be and must continue until the blessed time of one Heart and one Spirit and one Lip which God will vouchsafe to all his people Fifthly Since every Way Manner or Form of Worship of Church of Ministery of Prayer of Baptisme c. that onely excepted which the Lord Iesus appointed is an Invention an Image a molten or carved Image And consequently Gods people full of Images how much more the Nations the many strange waies and kindes and formes of Protestant Churches National Provincial Diocesan Parochial Presbyterian Independent Separated Half-separated Baptized one way a second a third way as to their various Formes and Constitutions are but Images and Pictures and none but one of them if any of them be yet according to the first pattern And since Gods own people have had a great share and hand in such framings c. both in England Scotland France Low-Countries c. I ask If it be not much more easie for the poor Nations of the World who sit in darkness as of old to erect Images of Gold and Silver Wood Stone c. and of late Waies and Manners of Worship though more subtle and mysterious yet as real Images as those of the grossest Composition Lastly I ask If there be not a deep and heaven-designe Gods designe to suffer the Nations and his own people to wander and feel the want of his holy Spirit in the use of all means of the most holy and onely wise God thus to suffer the world and his people also to divide and scatter and dissipate themselves Thus to cause the holy Scriptures amongst both Papists and Protestants the pretended Rule of Life and Light unto all their waies and Consciences to be so Pen'd so Written so translated that as it was said of Iesus Christ he was given for a stumbling Block and Rock of offence as well as for a Rock and Foundation to his people So may it not also be said of the holy Scripture and the texts and writings thereof from whence so many and so wonderfully different perswasions and Consciences are risen In particular I ask If it have not been wonderfully easie from the seeming light of Nature and Scripture too to slide into the many wandrings and Labyrinths of consciences now extant which though but Threds and Strawes yet do hold the conscience as with Chaines of Adamant until the holy and blessed Spirit of God discover and dissolve c. If there be any

Bowells therefore of pity in us toward poor sinners like our selves If any sence of the mercies and pitie of Christ Iesus to our selves How should we compassionate the Captivated and sometimes the striving and relucting souls of thousands about these and the like Opinions How many thousands and ten thousands of Gods ancient Friends and Acquaintance The Iewes Conscientious plea from Scripture the Iewes will say unto us How can that Iesus whom you pretend be the true Messiah the anointed of God he whom all the Prophets told of whom all the Fathers lookt for How did he deliver us from the Roman yoakes how hath he redeemed us these 1600 years since from all our Enemies in the Lands of our Dispersions and Scatterings How many thousand Papists will tell us that Iesus the Son of Mary he is the blessed Messiah that was to come and why should we not believe him that plainly said This is my Body Is he not able to make good his word in a real and corporal presence Did he not say to Peter thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church To thee will I give the Keys of the kingdom of heaven How many thousand will tell us that the great and wonderful mystery of the holy Trinity is beyond their understanding and reach and they cannot believe and die for that which passeth their comprehension as also that the knots of holy Scripture besides those of Reason are very great and wonderful How many thousands are perswaded that the several Orders in the government of Christs House and Kingdom The several conscientious pleas of the more knowing and most godly persons in England are not manifested in vain unto us in the Word of God in particular the order of Bishops Nor are there thousands and then thousands wanting who will triumphantly ask us What that laying on the hands of the Presbytery was How many Consciences will ask how we can dare to say that Christ Jesus died not for all when so many Scriptures speak of the propitiation for the sins of the whole world And why say they shall the power of Nature be so slighted when Christ Jesus tells us that he would but Jerusalem would not And how is that doctrine say they so infallible of the impossibility of a final breach between Christ Jesus and Believers when so many Caveats Warnings Items are given us nor to fall and so many dreadful examples especially in these times of the departure of so many from Christ Jesus to the world with Demas and Judas to honour and preferment with Diotrephes to lusts and pleasures and many abominations with the stony ground How many are assaulted by Satan to question the Godhead of the Son of God and of the Holy Spirit and of the truth of the holy Scriptures Whether there are no more holy Scriptures but these and whether the Translations and infallible and which are to be rested or relied on Oh how merciful how pitiful are the bowels of the Lamb of God to poor wandring sinners And how sierce how cruel are the thoughts of his Corrival Antichrist who makes it so casie to be born againe to have Gods Spirit to the Orthodox to be truely Zealous against Idolaters Blasphemers Hereticks c. The sum of the sixteenth Question Whether Idolaters may not be punished Quest 16 because the Magistrate doth not know the heart of the Idolaters and whether this opposeth not the word of God by Moses and the punishment of the worshippers of the Calfe and Baal and the Prophets of Baal Unto which may be added the seventeenth Question viz VVhether Idolaters may not be convinced by Acts Quest 17 as well as a Murtherer and thereby the heart of the Idolater is discovered for the Murtherer is discovered guilty because of Malice in his heart As also the eighteenth VVhether of two sins Quest 18 that which is discerned ought not to be punished because the other is not punished for want of discerning First Answ Not to respect what hath been said as to the Distinction of Idolatry as to the nature of civil Magistracie and its power the different dispensations of God divers times and divers waies and at last by his Son To the Fathers in familes to Moses and the Prophets in the typical Land of Ganaan and at last all the world over by his most glorious and dear Son God blessed for ever I ask first Whether the Examiner can be fairly charged to bring it in as a reason that Idolatry should not be punished because the Magistrate doth not know the heart of the Idolater The Spaniards sacrificing millions of mtn to that grand Ido of the world the Indian gold And will all that the Examiner speaks there of the heart be fairly cast up and amount to more then the forementioned distinction of Religious and moral Idolatry and that opened by that so famous instance of the Spaniards in the West-Indies who cryed out against the poor Indians Idolaters Idolaters Heathens worshippers of the Sun and yet themselves did most notoriously bow down to the Golden God the Indians Gold as all Europes Nations and England more or less and in a sordid and bloody devotion did sacrifice to that Golden Images so many thousands yea millions of the Inhabitants It is incredible how many millions of mankind were there destroyed as their own Cardinal wrote to the Emperour Charles the fifth as Idolaters Blasphemers c. But it is very credible and easie to believe what stumbling blocks such their Covetousness and Cruelties were to the poor Indians insomuch that they abhorr'd to hear the Spanish Priests to talk of Heaven whither the Spaniards were said to go whose Covetousness and Cruelties they thought would never send them to a place of Blesedness Secondly I ask Whether those Examples of punishing the Worshippers of the Calfe and of Baal and of Baals Priests are presidential and binding unto all the Nations of the World And whether the Paralleling of all Times to that ceremonial Time The new piecing up of the vaile of the temple and all places to that typical and ceremonial place be not indeed upon the point a new piecing up of the vaile of the Temple which the right hand of the God of Heaven hath rent and a preferring of Moses the Servant before the Lerd Fesus the Son yea and consequently a denying of the Lord Iesus the great Messiah to be yet come Thirdly I ask If these Examples be now presidential The Bishops root and branch and all faise Ministers ought to be put to death Whether if there were such Civil Magistrates Monarchs of the world as formerly yea and however whether it be not the duty of all the Magistrates in the World to destroy even beyond all compare and Imagination the greatest part if not almost all the Inhabitants of the whole World for some false Worship Idolatry and one Golden Calf or another Yea I ask Whether by this rule the