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	scripture_n	word_n	5,665	5	4.3306	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67886	The perfection, authority, and credibility of the Holy Scriptures. Discoursed in a sermon before the University of Cambridge, at the commencement, July 4. 1658. / By Nathanael Ingelo D.D. and Fellow of Eton Coll.	Ingelo, Nathaniel, 1621?-1683.	1658 (1658)	Wing I185; ESTC R202593	49,263	216

only such necessaries as may serve in some desperate cases that they were pen'd only for some particular persons or congregations that it is impossible but that the text of the Scripture is corrupted That the Protestants do but guiltily defend the universal sufficiency of the Scriptures c. I know not why he delights so much in that word guilty for he useth it more then once in the forementioned application unless he was an Hypocrite when he was of our Religion but I am sure he doth it not without grosse impudence For he knew well enough with what hearty courage such arguments of Truth as he thought unanswerable and all other testimonies of a good conscience the learned Protestants have discharged themselves in that point Having disparaged the Scriptures He and Rushworth in his Dialogues reprinted with Whites enlargements endeavour to lodge amongst us again as if they had never been rejected before with deserved scorn a sorry company of their beggerly Innovations great strangers to the Word of God and the Primitive Church as Transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ Invocation of Saints Veneration of Images Prayers for the dead Purgatory Indulgences and publick services in Latin nay the generality of Romish Ceremonies and that we must believe there to be necessary forsooth and that they were ever used in the Church of Christ Now this is but to revive the old trick by which they still endevour'd our revolt to their Religion viz. by making us disbelieve the perfection of the Scripture that we must for a supply receive their Traditions as that unworthy Faction of Trent sayes Pari pietatis affectu reverentia with the same holy regard which we give to the Scriptures concluding absurdly that because some silly people and others disaffected to our profession by the trouble of worldly temptations that have happened of late among us are unwarily inclined towards them upon shallow or perverse grounds therefore few or none of us understand the Truth of our own Principles or the impertinency danger of their bold additions or as if because they had no mind to remember it being to their grief that therefore we have forgot that Bishop Jewel did long since shew them that for six hundred years after Christ the Church taught not many of those things which Rome did in his time and as if Doctor Featly had not put the Jesuits to a loss to prove that for the first five hundred years there was any City or Parish in which there was any visible Assembly that taught the Articles of the Councel of Trent As if we did not know by their writings that the Fathers acknowledged the Perfection of the Scriptures that we were at last by some strange Accident grown so foolish as to take their corrupt present party for the Catholick Church or that they could make us tamely believe that we differ from the ancient primitive institution if we reject their Innovations or as if we did not understand their horrid uncharitablenesse which denies salvation to those multitudes of Christian Churches and Nations in the world that receive not their new doctrines and also as absolutely necessary though they have no testimony of antiquity and are contrary to Scripture and therefore for our selves were as much afraid of their Excommunications and sentences of damnation as we should be in danger of burning or hanging if they had the same power over us now which they cruelly executed in Queen Maries dayes But I will insist no further upon this discourse Some attempt the disgrace of the Scriptures another way making the pretence of the spirit an argument of the imperfection of holy Writ and of such I think it is no offence to affirm that they do not consider what they say What good man ever denied the necessity of the help and guidance of the divine Spirit We stand not in so much need of fire and water as of Gods Grace and Spirit but what wise man ever made this an argument of the Scriptures imperfection but such a proof as this serves the inconsiderate God helps us to understand the Scriptures therefore they are an imperfect Revelation of his wil And if the Spirit be pretended further then so i.e. to teach us other neeessaries to salvation besides the Gospel of Christ I answer that this is such a spirit as was not promised to the Primitive Church no nor the Apostles for the spirit was to lead them into all Truth but by bringing to their remembrance what Christ taught them and that was enough As Christ had received a commandment from the Father what he should say Joh. 12.49 so he gave the words to them which he had received Joh. 17. 8. all of them Joh. 15.15 all things that I heard of my Father I have made known to you So that those which pretend the assistance of the spirit for divine teaching neglect these incomparable directions do not well know what those words The assistance of the spirit do signify and so slight that which they pretend to desire For the Scriptures given by inspiration of the Holy Ghost and written by his instinct for our instruction are a great part of his assistance and are therefore most truly called by the Italian Poet La larga ploia Dello spirito sancto ch'e diffusa In sù le vecchie ' en sù le nuove coia i.e. a great shower of the holy spirit powred down through both the Testaments for the refreshment of Gods Church These few things designed to do honour to the H. Scriptures I humbly devote unto you That approbation which you have bestowed upon them already shall be to me a sufficient defence against any petty froward dislike I hope they will be more acceptable to good men and that the businesse to which they are destin'd will be more effectually promoted by your recommendation I have only further to pray that God would continue your prosperity and this I do not referring only to your particular capacity though that well deserveth my best wishes but also to your publick looking upon you if I may use the Emperours words {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Your private welfare is a great publick good May those which wish you ill repent and instead of doing you harm may they receive that benefit which you are never unwilling to administer as any opportunity presents it self to you Julian and some others used to despise the Galileans so they termed the Christians for fools and to make them more such they interdicted their children the use of Schools intending by this means to deprive them of that wisdom divine accomplishment which ariseth from true learning It were a shamefull thing if Christians should grow so silly now as to chuse that for a priviledge which he forced upon them and they resented as a grievous affliction God of his Grace preserve both the Universities till

when they have they neither know it nor are content with it They would have some body sail beyond the Sea to fetch that which is on this side already They are not pleased with what they have on earth till some body go to Heaven to fetch it Alas Such need not much trouble themselves for a Revelation as long as a private impulse will serve But let us hearken onely to these faithfull directions sealed by God for our security these cannot deceive us in things necessary for they are plain nor can obscurer places hurt us unlesse we be either rash and resolve that shall be the true sence which we fancy or else sordid and suffer others to put their sence upon us for so indeed we may build ill things not upon the most holy word of God but upon our own careless mistakes 3. To prevent this and because the Scriptures are not so much the words as the sence let us endevour to get the meaning of Gods word which to do is both our great Duty and our true Right For none will be condemned for us if we believe wrong It was a noble ingenuity in the Bereans that they would not believe Paul but upon search of the Scriptures and as it would have been a strange thing in Paul to have offered at the command of their faith denying them liberty to search so it is an ignoble pride in the Papists or any that follow so unworthy an example to require our faith upon their search of the Scriptures and not our own unlesse that we should be saved by the faith of others or that those which make us believe wrong would be punished for us or be content to have that which they are to believe imposed upon them by others Ambrose speaks pertinently to this point Coeli mysterium doceat me Deus ipse qui condidit non homo qui seipsum ignoravit cui magis de Deo quàm Deo credam i. e. let God himself teach me the mysteries of heaven who made it not man who does not know himself whose report concerning God should we credit so much as his own Now we must endeavour to obtain the true meaning of the Holy Scriptures by daily reading serious meditation and the fervent prayers of an humble spirit We should read with a desire of that heavenly knowledge and meditate so as that we discover not a negligence which is contradictory to true desire and pray that the divine spirit which indited them may teach us so to understand them that by the assistance of his excellent illuminations the wisdom of Gods word may dwell plentifully in us It is requisite also that we should abandon all prejudice and preconceived opinions and bring candid and disingaged spirits to the reading of this Holy Book Hilary speaks excellently to this point Optimus est lector qui dictorum intelligentiam expectet à dictis potius quam imponat retulerit magìs quàm attulerit neque cogat id videri dictis contineri quod ante lectionem praesumpserit intelligendum i e. he is the best Reader that expects the understanding of the words from the words themselves rather then puts it upon them takes it of them rather then brings it to them nor compells the words to seem to contain that which before reading he resolved to have understood by them Those which contradict this method may well go away without Gods meaning for they came not for it There is another thing also that does extremely facilitate our proficiency in the knowledge of divine mysteries and that is sincere obedience and humble entertainment of the heavenly light It is a sure rule that will never be antiquated If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God Whilst eager disputers lose the sence of the Scriptures and their soules withall the humble practiser of Gods will secures the sence and his salvation too He will teach the humble his ways The secret of the Lord is with those that fear him Whilest we shew our selves faithfully obsequious to this true guidance we shall not onely be led into all necessary Truths but as we do improve in goodnesse our knowledge will be enlarged The humble and obedient have advantage of all other men in this point for though they may stand upon the lower ground in regard of natural or acquired abilities God doth so love good souls that they shall not miscarry for want of such helps It were an extreme vanity to think that none shall be saved except such as can make Syllogismes or that the Bible was given only for great Scholars to dispute on How deep a sympathy the meek Lamb of God had with the fair equity of this dispensation is excellently signified by the affectionate Apostrophe which he made to his Father upon the consideration of it I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight How passionately doth the dear Son of God please himself in the embraces of the Divine will in this matter and with greatest reason for that will pleaseth it self only in such a way as is fully correspondent to the divine wisdom and goodnesse And all true followers of Christ are likewise possessed with vast satisfactions and full complacence ever accompanied with joyful thanksgiving when they are admitted to behold the rare proportions of Gods works the most admirable reasonablenesse of his proceedings Whilst men vainly puffed up with conceits of their knowledge neglect this most necessary and greatest wisdom God slights their presumption and passeth them by with disregard giveth such grace to the Humble as maketh them wise to Salvation so that This Temper is not only secured by Gods promise but is indeed in it self the most disposed qualified for divine illuminations A good and honest heart is like a soile fit prepared for the immortal seed as our Saviour hath taught us And this is so known a Truth that all wise men have propounded purification of heart as a rare method of attaining true knowledg and pronounced that the light of God shines brightest in those soules that are purified with the flames of divine love Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall see God Fogges of lust darken the Intellect a soule possessed with sin is low and uncapable Dishonourable affections cherisht by a wicked life bring on a sottishnesse of mind and dulnesse of fancy But I have spoken of this Temper of soule not only because it doth highly capacitate us to the knowledge of God but because the perfection of it is the true improvement of the Scriptures words and sence and in the happy product of it all excellent knowledge ought to terminate All speculation separate from this is contemptible and leaves a man miserable in the midst of his