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	name_n	son_n	14,571	5	5.9519	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41777	The forerunner to a further answer (if need be) to two books lately published against Tho. Grantham of Norwich wherein the spirit and temper of the Calvinists is discovered, particularly Mr. Calvin, Mr. Finch, and his little præcursor : to which is prefixed, the solid testimony of Mr. George Wither, against Calvinism, the worst of doctrines / by Tho. Grantham ...	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.; Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1691 (1691)	Wing G1532; ESTC R39423	9,810	7

and indulged as Orthodox Doctrine until it be repented of Nor shall I marvel if my Words be misunderstood and my good Meaning misinterpreted if God's Word be so mistaken and his Love so ill-rewarded I know the bitterness and uncharitableness of their Spirits who shall be obstinate in this Judgment yet am neither afraid nor ashamed to declare my Conscience therein or in whatsoever else I think may concern God's Glory and the Peace of my Country Thus far Mr. Geo. Wither Th● Forerunner to a further Answer if occasion serve to two Books lately Published against Tho. Grantham of Norwich Briefly shewing the Spirit and Temper of the Calvinists and particularly of Mr. Finch and his Praecursor c. Wickedness proceedeth and cometh forth from the Wicked as saith the Proverb of the Ancients 1 Sam. 24. 13. IN Psal 94. 20 this Question is put Shall the Throne of Iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth Mischief by a Law The Sense of the place is No such thing can please God c. Now of all Mischief Sin is the worst and indeed the Cause of all the rest It must therefore be exceeding Evil for any to make the Holy God the Ordainer and Commander of all the Sins of Angels and Men and that freely without any Provocation and infallibly and unchangeably also that they must even so come to pass as he hath not only foreseen them but ordained and commanded them This is the Doctrine which I chiefly opposed in my Dialogue And though I have made this very manifestly appear to be the Doctrine of the principal Men of the Presbyterian and Calvinistical Perswasion yet I will here add one Passage more out of Mr. Calvin Inst L. 3. c. 24. Sect. 6. where he boldly tells us That God doth none otherwise foresee the things that shall come to pass than because he hath ordained they shall so come to pass It is vain to move Controversy about Foreknowledge where it is certain rather by Ordinance and Commandment So then let the Action be never so wicked he makes it infallibly necessary by virtue of God's Ordinance and Commandment Than which I do aver nothing can be spoken more dishonourable to God nor more mischievous to Men. Yea Zanchius is as bold as Calvin for he saith Damus Reprobos necessitate p●●candi eoque pereundi ex hac Dei ordinatione constringi atque ita constringi ut nequeant non peccare atque periere That is We grant that Reprobates are held so fast under God's Almighty Decree that they cannot but sin and perish These I call the worst Doctrines in the World And finding this worst of Doctrines to have much prevailed in the City of Norwich I have endeavoured to make the Citizens sensible of the danger of it both by Preaching and Writing For which Work and Labour of Love and to their Souls especially who are most deceived by it I have been ill requited by many Slanders and Reproaches and particularly by a very foolish Pamphlet as a Forerunner to that Book of Mr. Finch which he calls An Answer to my Dialogue which scurrilous Pamphlet was published with his Privity and Allowance as I suppose in both which one great Design is to disgrace my Person by unseemly Epithets and very false Stories and particularly for that which I writ against Calvin for his Rage and Cruelty in procuring one Michael Servetus to be burnt to death at Geneva Anno 1553. Concerning which the Pamphleteer calls Calvin a renowned Man a Star of the first Magnitude and Servetus an infamous Wretch and my self a paultry groveling Fellow And Mr. Finch calls me a boisterous quarrelsom Man one that hath the Spirit of Slumber as a check and punishment to defame such a Man as Calvin and to extol Servetus an Antitrinitarian and says I have lost all Credit and Esteem with all wise and knowing Christians But yet I hope all wise and knowing Christians will hear me speak for what is Truth and so for my self also before they condemn me And 1. Wherein do I defame Calvin That he did certainly procure the death of Servetus a very learned Man and of that exact Life that nothing is objected against him though I doubt he did err in some things I sa 〈…〉 at Calvin did procure his Death is p 〈…〉 he saith I freely confess the Accuser came out from me I hope at the least he shall be put to death I have not then defamed Calvin unless Mr. Finch and his little Lawyer can justify that cruel Action as indeed they seem willing so to do by approving Dr. Owen his Sentence who tells us as Mr. Finch quotes him p. 115. That Servetus is the only Person in the World that he ever heard of that ever died upon the account of Religion in reference to whom the Zeal of them that put him to death may be acquitted And thus Mr. Finch Dr. Owen c. have bathed their Hands in the Blood of poor Michael Servetus Behold and wonder and wonder the more because neither of them ever saw the Book which Servetus died for but take their Grounds from the Pens of his Murderers who would not speak the best of him you may be sure But 2. Wherein do I extol Servetus I said he was a Learned and worthy Man and pious tho mistaken in some things perhaps And do I not call him Pious in conjunction with Calvin Now I conceive that in Charity I may hope many were pious Men who did not rightly understand the Mystery of the Trinity Yea I have the charity to think that Calvin was a pious Man and yet I believe and know that he was very Erroneous in many things and that he was acted by Cain's Spirit when he procured the Death of Servetus who could not deny either the Father Son nor Holy Spirit because he held true Baptism in the Name of all the Three though I fear his Sentiments were not so clear as they ought to have been concerning the Unity of these Three And who can say that he so fully knows this great and glorious Mystery as he ought to do I am far from justifying Servetus in his Error yet I think they ought to have spared his Life though they had laid some Restraint upon him 3. Let us hear what Learned Protestants have said before me in the Case of Servetus 1. Grotius a Man that had but few Equals for Wisdom and Moderation tells us Servetus Libri non Genevae tantum sed in aliis Locis per Calvini diligentiam exusti sunt fateor tamen unum me exemplum vidisse Libri Servetiani in quo certe ea non reperi quae ei objicit Calvinus Vot pro p●ce p. 16. That is By the Diligence of Calvin all the Books of Servetus were not only burnt at Geneva but in other Places Yet I have seen one Copy of Servetus ' s Books in which truly I do not find the Things which Calvin does object against him And

saith Dr. Pierce a Learned and Able Minister of the Church of England Servetus was burnt at Geneva for less than being a Socinian and who was not so bad as Mr. B. a Presbyterian hath laboured to fancy me And he tells us also That Oecolampadius a Learned Protestant was offended at the barbarity of the Sentence Nor find I any thing saith he pretended against Servetus which was so highly blasphemous as to make God the Author or Cause of Sin And how well Calvin could tell his own Tale and how diligent he was in being the first Informer of his Affairs we may guess by his Epistles 164 165 which he writ to the Four Helvetian Cities for gaining Authority to his new Device for let them say what they please to lessen the Guilt of that Cruelty yet they are Parties and must not so easily be heeded as other Men who are none If Servetus his Books were so blasphemous why was Calvin so diligent in burning up the Impression which he should rather have preserved that Posterity might see some competent Cause for such a terrible Execution Yet by the Providence of God one or two of the Copies escap'd the Flames and we are assured by peerless Grotius that in the Copy which he saw he could not find those things which were objected by Mr. Calvin what Melancton wrote it was meerly on supposition that Calvin's Narrative was true Thus far the Learned Pierce in dislike Calvin ' s Cruelty against Servetus And by this we may perceive how little Credit there is to be given to Dr. Owen and Mr. Finch or his Little Praecursor not one of them having seen the Book which they condemn but receive their Information from them that were his Murderers And grant that Servetus did err in that great Mystery of the Trinity yet must he for this be burnt to death Why then Dr. Owen Mr. Finch and his Little Lawyer would make bloody Work even in England where there are too many who are as erroneous concerning that glorious Mystery as Servetus was the more is the pity for seeing they justify Calvin in that bloody Act how can they refuse doing the like were it in their Power unless they will come short of that Zeal which they commend in Mr. Calvin By this print of the Foot we may know the stature of that Monster of Persecution which did not the Law restrain would appear in too many Professors at this Day I speak what I know by the Usage I have met with in this City both from Professors and Prophane 4. Now let us hear how famous Mr. Calvin was in the Judgment of some Learned and Sober Protestants 1. He is thought to err in the Mystery of the Trinity as well as Servetus though perhaps not so much These are his words speaking of the Three Persons c. If the Names have not without cause been invented we ought to take heed that in rejecting them we be not justly blamed of proud Presumptuousness I would to God says he they were buried indeed so that this Faith were agreed of all Men that the Father Son and Holy Spirit are one God and yet the Father is not the Son nor the Holy Ghost the Son but distinct by certain Properties Institut L. 1. c. 13. Sect. 3. And this his Tres Proprietates is objected against him by some of the Learned Protestants And I am of Opinion should I write of the Blessed Trinity as Mr. Calvin has done Mr. Finch and his Forerunner would cry out Blasphemy 2. He condemns the Ancient Fathers because they were not of his Mind in the Case of Irrespective Reprobation but hold That there was Salvation for all Men through God's Mercy in the Gift of his Son He brands them saith a Learned Protestant as Pelagianising in their Opinions But 3. his rudeness of Speech was intolerable He called great and good Men by Titles unseemly as Serpent Pest Lossel Fool Knave Devil filthy Dog impudent Hangman c. And Bucer a Learned Protestant calls him Fratricide a Murderer of his Brethren And Grotius says He grew worse and worse and that Calvin ' s Disciples are such themselves in Disposition as they make God to be in their Imaginations towards the greater part of Mankind And truly this is too apparent in two of his Followers I mean the Little Praecursor and Mr. Finch whose study has been to render me very odious though I am sure they know no Evil by me more no nor so much as they know by themselves And yet thus I am represented by them viz. audacious impudent turbulent impetuous impertinent scurrilous prejudic'd Mechanick a Fool despicable wise Mr. Grantham a despised Man Coxcomb addle-Brain dull Kitching-pate Clown Blunderbuss dissembling Prater Brawler bellowing hideous bleat thick-skull Momus one decreed to steal wrangling Fellow Dolt poor Fop soft-pated Clod Caviller Brazen-●orehead inconsiderate Fellow gagling Goose a quarrelsome boisterous Man one that has lost all Credit and Esteem with all wise and knowing Christians that worship the Holy Trinity one like a Woman scolding and quarrelling in the Streets one like an impertinent Woman c. So that I think these two Calvinists have come near the pitch of their Master And such as will not spare Mens Reputation are not to be trusted with their Lives any more than Mr. Calvin 5. There is one thing which runs through Mr. F's Epistle and Book and that is a talk of special discriminating Grace As if God's Grace which he gives to most Men were of little use for them that have it yea of no use at all in respect of Eternal Life All that Mr. F. allows that Grace to effect for them in the other World is only to make their Punishment less in Hell as you may see in p. 15. of his Answer which is a piece of as woful Divinity as ever was heard surely Reader I humbly advise thee to take heed how thou receivest these Dictates and esteem all even the least Measure of Grace from God to be a special favour and such as in its Nature and Effect if it be all that ●e design'd for thee be it never so little will certainly lead thee to Heaven thou being a faithful improver of it sincerely though under many Infirmities and this through his own Goodness in Christ Jesus our Lord who gave himself a Ransom for all to be testified in due time 1 Tim. 2. 6. 2. Again observe that these terms discriminating Grace c. are not found in the Scripture nor wisely made use of to render some of God's Grace not to be discriminating as they please to phrase it We know God gives more Talents to some than he does to others yet Grace is the same in Nature and Efficacy if improved and to leave the Receiver under unpardonable Guilt if not improved Mat. 25. and we shall only be accountable for what God gives to each one and for no more nor will he deal in severity but where his Grace hath been