Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	holy_a	trinity_n	9,904	5	10.2376	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30538	A returne to the ministers of London by way of answer to their seasonable exhortations, (so called) directed to their congregations : with sober reproof sent unto them, because of their secret smitings against the despised people called Quakers, whom they have secretly reproached in their said exhortation ... / by E.B.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing B6021; ESTC R22000	22,747	32

the false Sects and Churches upon the earth and it must be so Babilon is divided and confounded in its self and one part of it against another so the distractions is among your selves among Papists Prelates Presbyters and the rest tearing and rending one another about Church-worship and Religion all like Wolves in sheeps cloathing biting one another being divided in civil and spiritual things one crying for this and another for the other way of Government in Church and State and you are out of the true love and true communion in holy duties and interrupts one another and what one saith is right another saith is wrong and all this is in Babilon among your selves and none of it among them that are in the true Religion and in true Church-Vnion who are gathered by the Spirit of the Lord Your second Evidence of the distracted estate of Religion as you say is the many horrid and hideous errors which for some years past have abounded amongst us against the Authority of Scriptures the Diety of Christ the Holy Ghost Trinity of Persons Immortality of Souls Doctrines of Repentance Humiliation Sanctification Resurrection from the Dead the eternal recompence of Heaven and Hell yea divers Sects encreasing every day in numbers power and malice and under the names of Quakers Ranters Seekers c. oppugning the received Doctrine and unquestionable interest of Christ Iesus amongst us Answ. That many horrid errors have abounded amongst you that 's very true as in many particulars might be instanced But why do you maliciously charge the Quakers with opposing the interest of Christ Jesus The Lord shall judge you in his day when he makes it appear to all the world that those whom you charge with the contrary are the very friends of Christs interest and have been patient sufferers for his Name sake under the wickedness of your Generation and as for the Ranters Seekers and others whom you have reckoned up together with the Quakers it is well known that we are in opposition in spirit unto all these and have given large testimony in the fear of God against them though it is certain that there is many as upright and sincere men towards God amongst these Sects you have mentioned as any of your Congregations and though in some things they are condemnable yet in some things they are as justifiable as you are before the Lord And what the Seekers Ranters Familists and the rest mentioned by you do hold as in these things you have charged them with I le leave that for I am not now pleading their cause but the Cause of God and his People whom you in scorn call Quakers and though you have joyned them in accusation with others yet I must separate them from others in my Answer and must tell you in the fear of the Lord that you have belied them and falsly accused them out of your malicious hearts for they do not deny the Authority of the Scriptures but gives that authority to them which the Spirit of God that gave them forth have formerly given neither do they deny the Deity of Christ but do say in him dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead neither do they deny the Holy Spirit nor the Father Son and Spirit but say there are three and these three are one but as for your Trinity of persons that is language besides the Scriptures and we do affirm the Soul is immortal and as for the Doctrines of Repentance Humiliation Sanctification Resurrection from the dead the eternal recompence of Heaven and Hell these Doctrines are publickly held forth by them in words and also in practise more than by your selves therefore with what face you could charge them with the denial of these things it is almost wonderful and there are thousands of your Congregations that are and have been sometimes hearing in your City that shall bear witness against your accusations and give evidence that they have heard them whom you call Quakers give faithful witness of and for all these things which you charge them with denial of Do you think that your Congregations are all so blind as to receive for truth what you herein have spoken nay I must tell you some of them are offended with you because hereof First in that you have reckoned the Quakers with Ranters and others between whom there is absolute opposition and not agreement neither in doctrine nor practise Secondly That you should charge the Quak with such things as they are altogether clear of and known to be so by many but this is that your folly and weakness might appear and as you speak of encreasing every day in number power and malice some part of this is true for the Lord doth encrease his people daily in number and power by his spirit but not in malice and that is your torment the encrease of the Quakers which as they have begun to encrease so the Lord will continue them and you nor mortal men shall not be able to hinder neither the Magistrates persecution nor the Ministers instigation thereunto though you have joyned hand in hand against them for the Lord is with his people and his authority and power is their defence and they are not in empty formes as you say but in the power of Godliness and as for your Ordinances and Ministry of which you speak something I have said to it already and more I shall say hereafter Your third Evidence is the odious scandalls of those that profess themselves to be the people of God as their self seeking their unparaellel'd breach of all civil and sacred oaths whereby the mouth of iniquity is opened and the reverence of religion abated so that to us say you there appeares no visible way of repairing the credit of strict profession but by a severe punishment of Professors c. Answ. It is true many that do professe themselves the people of God but are not but by their lives and practises gives odious scandalls and are self-seeking as you say but upon whom the guilt of this may truly be charged that remains to be sought out doubtlesse it lies as neer your doors as any others for is not your pride and oppression by taking tithes and suing people at law for wages and casting them in prison because for good conscience sake they cannot pay you your seeking for your gain from your quarter and your taking great sums of money and preaching for hire taking so much yearly are not these odious scandalls and very self-seeking practices which you are guilty of while you pretend publique good as for breaches of oaths and covenants I wish you to search your own hearts for that iniquity doth lye as near your generation as any others witnesse that you and your brethren have from time to time engaged to such and such things as first did not you engage for the government to be without King and House of Lords And did not you then cry up the Protector contrary to your engagements and

of godly Ministry c. Answ. It may be enquired into what you mean by cause them to submit how cause them by force and imposition upon their consciences by outward external personal punishment or threats Is this your meaning Will you set up Religion by violence And must children and servants be compelled by resraint and force This is not the right way to promote Religion and the Worship of God nor to make children and servants truly religious it was the Beast that received power from the Dragon that caused all to worship both small and great children and servants and this causing to worship was in the time of the Apostacy when the true Church was fled into the Wildernesse and all the time ever since hath Nations been caused and compelled to such and such performances and practises of Religion and Worship and such causing I am jealous your meaning is whereby you would force and compell such manner of worship and practises upon people And what do you mean by godly Ministry Will you admit of just tryal according to the Scriptures whether yours be that godly Ministry or no for all sorts of Christians Papists and Protestants and all others they will say that they are in the right way and their Ministry is the godly Ministry but the fruits of many proves the contrary and we cannot believe that yours is the godly Ministry except you will prove it to us by and according to the Scriptures Now it is certain that the Ministry of the Apostles was the true godly Ministry and if yours agree with theirs then we will confesse that yours is the true godly Ministry Therefore tel us plainly Do you agree with them in your Call and in your Maintenance and in your Practises and in your Fruits and Effects in your Lives and Conversations and in your Doctrines Are you justly according to and do you agree with the Apostles in all these things Shall we lay you to the line that you may be judged This is but as a hint at things whereby you might justly be tryed for if you agree not with the Apostles in these case mentioned then it is evident that your Ministry is not the true godly Ministry but hereafter we may have a better occasion to try you And thus the principal parts of your Exhortation is answered and if you can receive it in love TO all you sixty one Teachers in London under whose hands your Exhortation passeth This I say to you in the fear of the Lord God Oh ye men consider and let it enter into your hearts the day of the Lord is at hand upon you and account of your Stewardship must you give and his reward must you have whom you have served and you must reap the fruit of what you have sown Oh look upon your flocks and see what a condition they are in Oh what pride and vain-glory is abounding amongst them Oh how doth wickedness spring forth from them Are they like unto sheep of Christs Fold Or are not they appearing outwardly Christians when as the evil nature is uncut down in them Oh what wickednesse abounds in this City What double-dealing and dissimulation What lying and swearing and drunkennesse Oh high are all the fruits of the flesh grown amongst your Flocks Your Vineyards are not dressed as they ought to be there is abundance of corrupt trees and fruitlesse branches which cumbers the ground Oh it makes the heart of the righteous sad to walk in the streets and to view the abominations that are daily brought forth by a people professing Scriptures Church Ministry and Christ Oh! it burdens the just and grieves the righteous soul to consider how high iniquity is grown among the sheep of your Pastures whom ye should have fed with knowledge and converted unto the fear of the Lord had you been messengers sent of God the very Iewes and Heathens they blaspheme against Christ through the abominations brought forth among Christians that have the name to live but are dead Oh let it enter into your hearts and smite you that your many years Ministry should have so little effect for your vineyard is like untilled ground unploughed and unbroken up Oh there is much hard-heartednesse amongst your people and their hearts goes after covetousnesse even while they professe God with their lips Oh the righteous mourns in secret to see the prophanenesse the scornings and reproaches that are brought forth in your City And oh the idolatry that abounds let it repent you that you have been so slothful and never more seek the fleece but seek the flock that 's gone astray from the Lord who is the true Shepherd whose voice hath not been obeyed and many Pastors have destroyed the Vineyard and many Shepherds have fed themselves and not the Flock Oh consider the day of the Lord is at hand and he will visit with his rod You and your Flocks prepare to meet the Lord for his Kingdome is nigh to come which will be a terrible day to all workers of iniquity And as for this your Exhortation I say as for Exhortation in it self Ministers ought to exhort their Flocks so such a thing in it self I do commend and not oppose but when I had read and seriously considered the aim and intent of your spirits in your Exhortation I found it secretly and in a measure openly opposing and striking at and secretly smiting the people of the Lord whom you have reproached by the name of Quakers who are dear to the Lord and he careth for them though you see no beauty in them but accounteth them altogether vile and in as much as you lifted up your hands against them upon that account was it upon my spirit to return something in answer for the information of many that they might be undeceived and not in envy towards any but in love to all to both you and your people and you have occasioned this upon your selves though you are reproved and not as a man of strife or contention have I proceeded but as one that desires the further manifestation of truth and that no false accusastion may rest upon it which you have secretly brought forth with which the Lord is not well pleased that you should set your selves in opposition against his people and if any of you shall receive a just reproof and repent it may prove to you an advantage of much good and be not so proud as to say in your hearts What art thou weak man that reproves us or wherefore art thou so bold thus to deal with us but rather fall under just reproof for in uprightnesse of heart have I proceeded towards you and not in mine own but in the will of the Father And oh that your Flocks would also consider among whom there are many that are zealous in their way Oh that their Zeal and Iudgements were guided by the Spirit of the Lord then should it be well with them Oh that they would be meek and humble