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	life_n	word_n	8,230	5	4.2268	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00307	An Epistle, or apologie of a true, and charitable brother of the Reformed Church in fauoure of Protestantes, papistes, & those of the Reformatio[n] for a more moderat course of proceeding in matters of religion by searchinge the Scriptures, & examining theire spirits for the sense, and true meaninge of them by a peaceable conference, & such easy meanes as weare practised in the apostolicall, and primitiue church for plantinge the faith, and rooting out of errour tending to vnitie of religion, loyaltie to the Kings Maiestie, increase of honoure to him & his posteritie, & good of the Commonwealth.		1605 (1605)	STC 10431.5; ESTC S2111	18,209	49

in his Maiesties Dominions most dangerous I aunsvveare that all vveedes are hurtfull in the corne yet not in all cases to be rooted out VVere not the Iebusites hurtfull vvhen they annoyed the people of the lord vvith theire continuall vvarres and scandalous idolatrie yet for other respects the lord vvoulde haue them remaine in the land of promise vvith the Ievves Yea the Ievves although they crucified the sonne of God are suffered to liue in Christian contreies according to theire lavve VVe reade that the Samaritans vvere so vnkinde to our Sauiour that they vvould nether receaue him in theire tovvnes nor yet giue him bread for his money Whereat Iames Iohn as they thought of a good zeale could haue found in theire harts to haue seene them consumed vvth fire from heauen But the lord rebuked them saying You know not of what manner spirit you are The sonne of man came not to destroy mens liues but to saue them Luc. 9. This meeke spirit of the lord I vvish vvere follovved of all in hart vvorde deede and not the ouerthrovve of our aduersaries in faith sought by the arme of flesh For they being vvith vs al members of one body subiects to one soueraigne vve must accompt them as brethren and loue them as our frends but much more because we are all children of one heauenly father who indifferently letteth fall vppon vs from day to day the fruitefull showres of his blessing and suffereth his sonne to shine vpon them also whilest they liue in this worlde and may be this his fauoure in time be wonne and conuerted God permitteth the Diuell to dravve from thence some good therein shineth more his wisedome goodnes then if he suffered no bad at all in the worlde The spouse of god is Lilium inter spinas the lily is most gratefull amoung the brambles who woulde cutt of the pricking thorne to destroy and loose the pleasant and sweete-smelling Rose Sith then there must be haeresies erroures in the vvorlde as Paul foretelleth vs that God is glorified by dravving much good from them for the purifying of his elect though it vvere to be vvished that no erroures vvere at all let vs in destroying them vse such svvette meanes as approach neerest to his diuine vvisedome and prouidence Faith is the guift of god alone and is not to be beaten vvith hammers into the head or hart of man It dependeth not of man but of the election free praedestination None comes to me sayeth Christe but vvhom my father dravveth vvho thearefore neuer vsed violence but by his vvorde and meekenes drevve at length all the vvorlde to him and his faith Vpon these groundes of scripture and Christes example the first and most learned of our profession haue taught that none may be compelled to the faith and therefore haue vvitten bitterly against those vvho at our first appearing sought by svvorde and fire to roote vs out And can vve for shame put in execution our selues vvhat vve condemne in others or is Doctrine to be altered vvith the exchainge of our state and condicion vvhat may his Maiesty thinke of vs if novve vve recall that doctrine vvhich vve haue heeretofore taught to be vvel vvatranted by gods vvorde Christ his vvordes are infallible it is the heauenly father alone that can dravve soules to Christianitie it is the internal vnction of his spirit that teacheth it and planteth it in mans hart And thearefore in this case let vs lay force aside leaue it to gods goodnes to dravve those vvhom he hath elected in the meane tyme not to repine at the prudence of our Prince if he vse employ all his subiects hovvesoeuer affected in Religion to the strengthning of his state and benefitt of the common-vvealth I deny not but that he must laboure to dravve all his subiects to the truth but vve differ in the meanes vvhich I hould to be gods holly vvorde We haue taught to this effect that euery man may reade the scriptures and search the truth of himself as god shall inspire him and we hoped that by this meanes all might finde the truth and come to the vnitie of the same faith But we see it hath not succeded so wel as we exspected I feare the cause hath bene for that in times past the rigoure of statute lawes hath as it were fettered the gospel the booke of Articles set doune by a fewe heades without cōference with theire brethren hath hindered our Christian liberty in the interpretation thereof with lesse showe of truth then did before the decrees of Generall Councells and the vniforme consent of auncient fathers For in vayne doth a man reade search the truth if he may not as freely interpreate scripture as reade it And why should we forbid any to be heard in his interpretation whereas in this tyme of so many sects Religions both within the Realme abroade we may as Paul saith better iudge of the truth when we haue heard with patience what euery man can say alledge in his cause He that commaundeth vs to try and examine the spirites whether they be of god or no woulde neuer giue aduise to extinguish them or forbid vs to knowe them vpon what ground they relye Some lawes forbidding men to expound the word otherwise then it seemed good to the Church established by the late Queene were once in force which lawes howsoeuer they might seeme tolerable in respect of her whom th'Apostle would not permit to speake in the congregation for that she was a woman not fitt to iudge in such matters if a conference had bene graunted she being lesse grounded in the knowledge of Gods lawe then our selues yet now in the raigne of his Maiestie who is profound in learning mature in iudgement free conference may be permitted for the libertie of the gospell as well in the free interpretation as in free reading of it the contrarie lawes repealed as ouer violent in such a cause and preiudiciall to the bolting out of the truth or at the least suspended vntill a Just triall be made by a learned amiable conference through all the pointes of our controuersies This weare a sweete way to come to vnity or if any force at all were to be vsed in matters of faith it should be rather to compell such as seeme to be in errour to be present at such conference then to force them without triall to showe outwardly to be of an other profession then in hart they are Which howe fruteles a thing it is might be preiudiciall to the king state the wise Gouernoure Constantius father to our Constantine the greate may teach vs. Who desirous to knowe what sorte of Christianes he might best trust set foorth an edict that whosoeuer should refuse to doe sacrifice to the Idolls should be disarmed dishonered displaced suffer further punishment at the Emperours pleasure Whereupon some of his Christian Captaines