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	manner_n	son_n	5,970	5	5.8560	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53386	The opinions of certaine reverend and learned divines concerning the fundamentall points of the true Protestant religion, and the right government of reformed churches Wherein is declared the plaine path-way to a godly and religious life. Published by authoritie.; Good counsells for the peace of reformed churches.	T. I.; Davenant, John, ca. 1572-1641.; Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.; Morton, Thomas, 1564-1659.; Ussher, James, 1581-1656.	1643 (1643)	Wing O356; ESTC R216583	49,936	153

duty It now remaine's that J proceed to set downe the way and meanes whereby such a Reconciliation may be compassed and the rents and distractions of the said Churches may with most conveniencie and speed bee made up which I shall doe rather to testifie that vehement desire zeale which I have to so good a work than out of any opinion that those famous Churches which alwaies have abounded with store of learned and pious Divines can any way stand in need of advice herein from me or any other forraigne Divine whatsoever Seeing therefore that the fore-mentioned Controversies may be agitated either betwixt severall and distinct Churches whereof one is no way subordinate to the other or else betwixt such particular men as are members of the same Church and subjects to one the same Prince J will speak first of divers Churches independent one upon another and afterwards of particular men in one the same Church and show how Peace and Unitie may be made and preserved amongst them For the first I conceive there 's no readier and better way for reducing of two different Churches to the same Communion than is that usuall one of procuring a faire and peaceable Conference amongst Divines of both sides authorised and appointed there unto by their Princes For if any one imagine that a Councell being once held of all the Reformed Churches there will out of hand within the compasse of some few moneths or yeares yea or in one age an end be put to all disputes whatsoever which have of a long time troubled and busied the Learned so as that they shall all joyne and agree in the same opinion about all such points of controversie this with submission to better judgements seemes to me very unlikely For so dull and dim-sighted is the eye of our understanding that it can hardly peirce into the depth of such subtle and intricate Questions no not when it is alone free and undisturbed in it's contemplations but being distracted by the stirs tumults of disputation so far unable are we to penetrate into the quick of them that many times we cannot so much as discerne and perceive them no not when we look upon them with a fixt and steddy eye And to speak plainly what I conceive in this matter the cheife use of Councells especially of Generall Councells is to maintaine and defend those necessary and plaine points of Faith against the oppositions of Hereticks rather than to discusse or determine nice controversies of lesser moment and use To returne then to that faire freindly Conference which but now I commended for the likeliest and fittest meanes of obtaining an Union if it could be undertaken with such an intention mannaged in such sort as it ought to be wee have good cause to hope that we shall in a short time see a blessed Peace and Union established amongst the Germane Churches This therefore must carefully be remēbred by all such as shall be present parties to such a Meeting that the end why they are called together is not that like Adversaries they should strive for the mastery but rather that they should like Brethren search out and make use of all lawfull and warrantable meanes for the setling of Peace and Unitie For if once they fall a crossing and contending one with another they will never be able to perswade much lesse to procure any agreement betwixt such Churches as are at ods and opposition Let them therefore carefully keep off and forbeare to enter the intricate Labyrinths of ordinary disputes let their meeting aime at this one end to make it appeare to their Churches how that there 's no just cause why they should any longer stand out and refuse to joyne hands and be united To effect this let it in the first place be set downe how farre the Church Catholike hath declared herselfe in each Controversie what hath been by her defined and required to be beleived generally by all sub Anathemate For about points fundamentall there may sometimes arise such doubts and disputes as are no way fundamentall and such as that the ancient Fathers of the Church had they been raised in their times would never have attempted a decision of them to the hazard of breeding or fostering a Schisme betwixt severall Churches For instance that God is One in Essence and Three in Persons distinguished one from another that the Sonne is begotten of the Father that the holy Ghost is the Spirit of both Father and Sonne that these three Persons are coeternall and coequall all these are fitly determined and reckoned in the number of Fundamentalls but now if any man should peremptorily affirme and maintaine that all those Schoole-nicities touching the manner of the Sonne 's generation and the procession of the holy Ghost are likewise fundamentall and of equall necessity with the former ought to be determined one way that man should deserve but litle thanks from Christ and his Church by such his rash and inconsiderate assertion So likewise that our Lord Jesus Christ is both God and Man that he hath both natures divine and humane inseparably united in one Person and that we have salvation onely by this God incarnate all this is fundamentall or rather 't is that firme immoveable foundation whereon the whole Catholike saving Faith is built but yet notwithstanding we must not think that whatsoever may be questioned and debated about the ineffable manner of that union betwixt the two natures or the manner how his body is present in the blessed Sacrament as also concerning the Communication of Properties unto the humane nature by vertue of its union with the Divinity or touching the actions and operations of his Humanity depending upon the said Union wee must not I say imagine that all these belong to Fundamentall Faith but rather to Theologicall Science or perhaps not so neither but onely to the vaine curiosity of some particular Divines Let them therefore make this their first and maine businesse carefully to distinguish betwixt fundamentall points and others that are not so and let them not think that whatsoever is appendant and bordering upon a fundamentall point must therefore forthwith be it selfe fundamentall When this is once done their next care must be that these fundamentalls be expressed and published after a breife and perspicuous manner and propounded to the publike acceptation and approbation of all the Churches Certa semper sunt in paucis saith Tertullian certaine and undoubted Trueths are not many and they are such as may be delivered in a few words whatsoever is necessary for a Christian man's salvation to be knowne by him and whatsoever is conducible to render us holy or eternally happy it is all of it plaine and obvious Here 's no use either of subtle acute distinctions or of any long and tedious explications which are oftimes used not for the building up of Christians in the fundamentall faith but rather to favour

bitternesse and rigour wherewith at first they exercised the patience of Occolampadius and Zuinglius they are againe to be intreated that in their great wisedomes they would herein take notice of a vast difference Ananias in the ninth of the Acts when first he was warned in a Vision to put his hands upon Saul he was somewhat unwilling to doe it J have heard saith he by many of this man c. but afterwards having better understood the counsell and purpose of God he gladly embrace's him saying Brother Saul the Lord hath sent mee unto thee The very same might have been heretofore observed in the carriage of Luther himselfe towards Zuinglius and Oecolampadius whom at first hee fell upon roughly when he heard that they held there was nothing in the Eucharist save only bare signes and figures but afterwards having further examined their meaning he kindly courteously reacht out the right hand of fellowship unto them After the very same manner did Calvin likewise stand affected towards them as he himselfe confesseth when at my first entrance saith hee into the cleare sun-shine of the Gospell out of Popish darknes I read in Luther how that Oecolampadius and Zuinglius would admit of nothing in the Sacraments but bare and empty figures this I confesse so farre possest me with a prejudice against their writings that I refrained a long time from reading them Thus spoke Calvin at that time of those men whom notwithstanding he afterwards had in great love and familiarity with him Why may not then the Saxon Divines be pleased to show themselves Luthers towards us so long as they finde us not inferiour to Oecolampadius and Zuinglius in this Point The third THESIS That this friendly Vnion and Reconcilement we wish for is very necessary for all men whether of a milde or turbulent disposition IT is not my purpose to lash out into Common places wherein much paines might be spent and litle or no benefit got by it It behoves me rather to provide me of such arguments as may not coldly beg and intreat but command and as it were violently compell men to live at peace and unity amongst themselves Neither are there any as you well know fitter for the setling and confirming of such a Communion than are those which are drawne from the common joy or greife the common danger or the common good advantage of both sides There 's not a more evident and infallible signe of a true member of Christ than to compassionate or to have a fellow-feeling one of another which is seene especially in two things first in rejoycing at the hopes of a Reconciliation such as was the Psalmist's joy in that divine acclamation of his at the unity of Brethren ● how good and joyfull a thing it is Secondly a sorrow of heart at so long and wearisome a dissention such as the Jewes expressed by their great thoughts of heart for the divisions of Reuben Schisme growing and getting upon the Church at Corinth the Apostle exhort's them to bee {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgement the word is derived frō {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which amongst Physitions signifies to set right againe such members as are out of joynt The same Apostle that he might compose and setle the mindes of the Philippians ô what a sacred charme doe's he make use of If saith he there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowells of mercies fulfill my joy But how may they doe that He goes on that yee be like minded having the same love {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} being of one accord of one mind I verily beleive that Eloquence her selfe if she had a tongue to speake she could not have spoke more emphatically where each word is a sharp dart peircing and wounding our very hearts and soules I will adde onely that long chaine of Vnities in the same Apostle to the Ephesians one body one spirit one hope one calling one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all all which make for that one thing which he there aime's at to wit that the Ephesians should endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace As touching the danger we all of us know that the tyranny of the Romish Antichrist hang's over our heads who sweetly sing's to himselfe that blacke and fatall Maxime divide impera set them once at variance and then you may quickly master them or rather by setting them at variance you may confound and tumble them into the pit of hell for the kingdome being once divided Hell it selfe cannot stand Let us learn to be wise from the examples of others the Guelphi and Gibelli●i those two implacable and irreconcileable Factions did agree together and joyne their forces when the common Enimie came against them and shall not We rowse our selves up to save defend our selves As for the gaine and advantage I mentiond can there be any greater gaine than Salvation and yet even this too the more common the greater and better it is Let us then I beseech you for the love of God set before our eyes the Greek Church which now seeme's to sue and wooe to us for a brotherly union and agreement as appeare's from that Confession of Faith lately set forth in the name of all the Easterne Churches by the right Reverend Father Cyrill Patriarch of Constantinople which agrees exactly with our Protestant Confessions in every Article set forth and published by him Me thinks I see this most ample farre spreading part of the Christian world ready to fly into our armes embraces presently upon the first newes of our unity and agreement amongst our selves which hope of ours should Christ be pleased to crowne with successe this alone would farre outvie and surpasse in glory all the triumphs and trophies of all the Emperours in the world But I hasten to your other Question The other CONTROVERSY Concerning that unfathom'd mystery of Praedestination upon the foresight of Faith and Workes THis is that other Question as I gather from your Letter whereon as on a rock divers men otherwise desirous of Peace have dasht and split themselves That therefore men may knowe I have not of my owne accord sought after and catcht at this opportunity to dispute but rather am cast upon it against my will my proceeding herein shall be not by way of disputation but as the Times rather require by way of exhortation advice I hope therefore the learned Divines of Saxony will take this my advice in good part wherein I earnestly pray and beseech them first that they would be reconciled to their owne Luther in this Point who as it did well become a child of Grace did constantly hold and maintaine that the Grace of God is every way free and