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	place_n	son_n	5,610	5	5.5818	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41561	Some observations upon the keeping the thirtieth of January, and twenty ninth of May by J.G.G.	Gailhard, J. (Jean)	1694 (1694)	Wing G129; ESTC R17606	41,903	64

now they are upon the Stage of another side would be as forward as most to renew and prosecute former Courses So far doth Interest sway with some Men when over-rul'd by it they know better than what they do or would do What else is this Rom. 1.18 than to speak in St. Paul's words To hold the Truth of God in Vnrighteousness All such persecuting Men I may compare to some who being upon a Journy instead of mending and going on their way fall out with beat and abuse their Fellow-travellers in words and deeds And though I love not to renew the Memory of these sad Divisions and Miscarriages yet they cannot so soon be out of mind We meet from Brethren with the like Usage as the Children of Israel did from Pharoah Exod. 5.17 Ye are idle ye are idle therefore ye say let us go and do Sacrifice to the Lord Ye talk of Reformation go and Conform not to the Gospel but to the Canon and Ceremonies of the Church as by Law established How have they who spoke for it been traduced as Innovators Disturbers of and Enemies to Church and State Such was the Lot of the first Reformers from Popery there hath been and there still are those who hate the very name of Reformation it hath commonly been the Custom of the Enemies of God's People to pick out a ground of Quarrel and to engage the Superior Powers against them the occasion is either Religion or State or both 1 Kings 18.17 The Prophet Elijah is by Ahab called he that troubleth Israel and his Enemy Chap. 21.20 Hath thou found me O mine Enemy that is to Kings In the case of Daniel Dan. 6.5 7. We shall find no occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the Law of his God said the Princes of Media And then caused the King to make this Decree mentioned in the place Psal 94.20 Thus sometimes Mischief is framed by a Law Wicked Men and Persecutors do prosecute their Designs under Notions different from the Truth Thus the Jews not only called our Blessed Saviour a Friend to Sinners a Samaritan who had a Devil but also accused him before Pilate Luke 23.2 of having by them been found a Fellow perverting the Nation forbidding to give Tribute to Cesar and calling himself a King And he was Crucified not as the Son of God but as an Enemy to Cesar and as a Malefactor John 17.20 Acts 23.1 St. Paul was persecuted not as a Man who had lived in all good Conscience before God until the day he was brought before the Council Phil. 3.6 Acts 21.28 and not as touching the Righteousness which is in the Law blameless but as one who taught all men every where against the people against the Law and the Temple and as a pestilent Fellow a mover of Sedition amongst all the Jews throughout the World Acts 24.5 6 14. one who had prophaned the Temple An odious Charge indeed but false as that of Heresie which he clears himself from Such false Aspersions and evil Practises should be left for the Father of Lyes the Slanderer and for his Children But let those who profess themselves Christians study to be such indeed and put on Bowels of Charity laying aside all Malice Anger Divisions which so much discredit our Holy Religion and give our Adversaries very great Advantage In God's Name and for the sake of the Lord Jesus let all former Animosities and Miscarriages be forgotten and forgiven and let Men put to themselves this question Rom. 6.21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now or ought to be ashamed and let all and every one in their Station joyn Hearts and Hands to carry on a thorough Reformation where it is wanting and therein let the Word of God be our Rule nothing of Humane Invention Willfulness Passion Prejudice or Self-ends in the carrying it on To lay such a Stress upon their As by Law established is no great Commendation for a Church and the Religion it doth profess 't is not good to stand too much upon it the Stamp of any Humane Law makes it never the better Christian Religion was not a jot the worse for not being by Law established in the Apostles time nor afterwards in the time of Persecution under the Roman Emperors neither was the Heathenish Religion or rather Idolatry the better for being then by Law established Neither is the Protestant Religion the worse in those Popish Countries where it is not setled by Law nor the Popish the better for being so setled This Argument used here against Dissenters is the same as was by Papists at the beginning of Reformation and by Jews against Primitive Christians 'T is not any Humane Authority that can make any Religion either better or worse and Dissenters may not be called Upstarts or Innovators for from the very beginning of Reformation we found those who wished for a thorough Reformation in Worship as well as Doctrine according to the Purity of the Gospel whence they were called Puritans and declared against retaining of those Ceremonies which ever since were the occasion of Dispute and Division I hope here we do not set up for a Catholick Infallible Church and that the words Church as by Law established are not an equivalent to it such a Doctrine is proper for a Church of Rome but not any Reformed Church We know this was the Exception against St. Paul Acts 18.13 This Fellow perswadeth Men to worship God contrary to the Law Yet the Apostle was in the right and they in the wrong as well as those others who called him and Silas Disturbers of the publick Peace Acts 17.6 Those who have turned the World upside down come hither also Our Reformation at first was good but in this World nothing so good but it may admit of some additional degree of Goodness and Perfection commonly the best things do not come all at once but by degrees As to our Reformation we may say as Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.32 33. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord Howbeit the high places were not taken away for the People had not yet prepared their Hearts unto the God of their Fathers Still something was wanting which was supplied by Hezekiah for then the high places were thrown down 2 Chron. 31.1 The like Brand was by the Spirit of God put upon Jehoshaphat's Father's Reign King Asa who did many good things and his Heart was perfect all his days 2 Chron. 15.16 17. but the high places were not taken away We ought at last to throw them down we are seriously and earnestly exhorted to remove that Idol of Jealousie set up in the House of God I mean particularly bringing a Dead Man into the Church upon the Thirtieth of January Jude 9. We know Michael the Arch-angel contended with the Devil about the body of Moses which he would

Reflections upon the Dead as well as upon the Living But we must not wonder that a Man who instead of a Sermon for though he uses some very few Scripture-Phrases yet one excepted doth quote no one place out of it but that of his Text maketh a Declaration against Indulgence and Liberty of Conscience He like another Saul Acts 9.1 yet breathing out threatnings and slaughter and is sorry it is not now in his power to persecute I say 't is no wonder if he doth so seeing he maketh bold to say in some places those things which may well be interpreted not only as Reflections but Invectives against the present Government Thus some who go up into the Pulpit are not satisfied with Paul 1 Cor. 2.2 to know and Preach nothing save Jesus Christ and him Crucified but do set up for Statesmen and Teachers of Human Wisdom and upon occasion turn the Preaching of the Gospel of Peace into blowing the Trumpet of War This instead of repairing our Breaches is to make them wider instead of composing our unhappy differences is to increase them instead of reconciling the spirits of Men is to exasperate them 't is to continue our Divisions to propagate Hatred and Animosities to Posterity These are the likely means to divide and subdivide us over and over again for we shall never want some Boanerges Sons of Thunder to inflame our Wounds to put all in a Confusion and in a fair way to Cut one anothers Throats Here indeed the thing is so obvious that I cannot avoid taking notice of how that Tribe of Levi as they call themselves do for the most part for some of them wish things were better mind the Interest of the World not that of Christ Instead of taking Care of Souls which is their Office 't is the least of their thoughts they would be governing the State and make an Hierarchical Monarchy and it may be at last like the Roman Clergy if they could turn Monarchy into Hierarchy and instead of a Pope have a Patriarch for that Spirit since the Reformation run into the Blood of several of them who in some of the late Reigns took upon themselves the Administration of most important Places in State and in their Convocations made such Canons as caused one of their good Friends the Lord Faulkland in his Speeches in Parliament in 1641. highly to Complain that they had taken upon them to do such things as belonged to Parliaments as to appoint Holidays to define what is Treason and in some kind to raise Monies upon Parishes when they charged Parishes to buy certain Books for the use of the Church 'T is sad that those Attempts of theirs and such ill Consequences thereof should so soon be forgotten Do they take this to be a Nation that can be content to be Priest-ridden That now again they begin in a solemn manner to decide about the Constitution of the Government and make us a Conquered Nation and as much as in them lies to lay the Foundation of Slavery for time to come Cannot they be satisfied with the share they have in the Legislative Power but must also some of them take upon themselves to alter the Nature of the Constitution of the Government it were more proper for them to betake themselves to their Books and to take care of the Souls committed to their Charge and not to hazard overturning all to bring again their Diana upon the Stage the Doctrine of Passive Obedience Seeing they have such a mind to be doing there is an occasion offered for them so to be within their Sphere now when Socinianism is coming in a pace And why should not there be some course taken to find out means to prevent and stop it such as may be a Convocation this is the proper Remedy against Heresies practised by the Primitive Church Thus the first Council of Nice assembled against Arrius upon this same account Are the Orthodox Doctrines about the Holy Trinity about the Incarnation Person and Offices of Christ not worthy to be asserted Wherein is the Care of our Church-Officers to keep out this Damnable Heresie are they pleased with it or will they make themselves Accessary to the Guilt of bringing of it in through Neglect or otherwise We all Church and State are alarm'd when we hear of a Forreign Army at our Doors but neither doth mind that Detestable Soul-murthering Heresie which is gotten into some of our Bowels and is hastening into our very Vitals What 's become of all our Watch-men can no effectual course be taken to stop it If formerly any one had spoken or written against Church-Government or its Dependencies though one had quoted Scripture never so much all took Fire punished persecuted and stigmatized such a one But now though this abominable Error doth come in with a bare Face none but one or two of our great Church-men doth bestir himself but seem to be unconcerned O ye that upon this occasion are Dumb Dogs and Idol-Shepherds what account of this can you give unto God What a Pother do Men keep about a Book whether it be King Charles the First 's or Dr. Gauden's as if it was an Article of their Faith if it was a Book of Holy Scripture and the question whether Canonical or Apocripha they could do no more How hot is D. H. upon it Tooth and Nail as much as for a Gospel-truth yet from the beginning of the Book 's appearing in the World it was made a question Whether or not that King was the Author Well let us not believe what Milton saith about it but Dr. Walker hath said enough to satisfie any impartial and reasonable Man but suppose he was not would it not better become D. H. as he is a Minister of the Gospel to make use of his Pen against Socinianism and serve his Master if he be Christ's Servant than vainly to spend his time and labour in a meer Complement to a dead Man who whether the Book be his or not shall never be one jot the better or the worse for it Thus instead of hoc agere to do his Duty is aliud agere that which doth not belong to it And thus whilst the Antichristian Spirit of Socinianism doth rage abroad and if I may so say the Fundamentals of our Religion lie at stake whilst Ravenous Wolves are striving to get into the Sheep-fold that Man trifleth away his Time and Pains with throwing Flowers not upon the Coffin but rather the Ashes of a Carcase Here I solemnly declare I have taken Pen in hand not in the least to detract from King Charles's Memory whose Name I am sorry to see made use of upon so unwarrantable an account but to make known an Abuse not only crept in but strongly setled which I think tends to the Dishonour of God and Disparagement of our Holy Religion to make a Mixture of a dead Man's Worship in the House of God for let Men say what they will the thing