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	son_n	world_n	9,611	5	4.8989	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97130	An ansvver to a declaration of the Commissioners of the Generall Assembly, to the whole Kirk and Kingdome of Scotland. Concerning present dangers, and duties relating to the covenant and religion. / By Borialis Guard.	Ward, Nathaniel, 1578-1652.	1648 (1648)	Wing W778; Thomason E433_21; ESTC R206198	8,194	8

and to divide betwixt the body reall and representative and then the towas's their owns too much Serpentins wisdome to stand with the innocency of Doves Thinke not the worse of Presbytery because they Idolize it but let power of godlinesse and purity of worship get hand in hand Let in a word the Parliament be true to their trust and England to it selfe The Army are men both in their effects and defects and Englishmen also the Kingdome have cause to say so though too many are loath to speake out their commendations for feare of discommindng themselves Emulation as it tends towards imitation is a vertue but as to envie a vice In the way of their possession they have done rare things both as good Souldiers and true Patriots in over-comming open enemies and disappointing secret ones but they are nothing so good at book-work as at sword-play it cannot be denied but they make foul worke with Scripture and Pulpits we never reade of Centurion Preachers and yet one built a Synagogue and had so great a faith that Christ himselfe marvelled at it but he had deep humility withall and yet a great Commander moving in his sphere as a Souldier and not out of it The other is renowed for a devout man fearing God with all his house there indeed it seems he taught as a pater familias a Giver of Almes and frequent in prayer but neither before nor after Peter came to him doe we read that he took upon him to preach It seems though they were both gracious men yet neither of them was a Gifted Borther They abound in Victories and so they doe in Errours it is pity they should doe so that they who have beene the Lords Hoste and fought his Battails should now be the Devils seeds-men and sow his Tares Yet I would have them to bee not so bitter against the Reverend and godly Ministers in the Land because of Ordination you know not what spirits ye are of nor whose Designe you drive therein they have the same Seal for their Ministry that Paul had for his Apostleship 1 Cor. 9.2 they have by it converted not a few to Christ and that too as the truth is in Jesus which we do not finde to be the property of Antichrist or his Ministers An orderly call addes both beauty and efficacy to the Word preached Take heed by disparaging them or their Function in the eyes or eares of their People you weaken not their hands in the Lords worke for which they ought to be had in estimation or of being an occasion of putting out such lights who have shaken the kingdom of Darknesse and by the blessing of God upon their labours have made England famous for powerfull Preaching and professing in all the Christian World and those of you that are sonnes and not bastards I am confident under God have had them for your fathers Beware of a spirit of Antichrist amongst your selves it is he that pretends to both Swords and whose comming is after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and with all deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse viz. salse Doctrine and Errour and the reason is rendred because they receive not the love of the truth which is not then so light a matter as you take it for when as the Gospel of peace if it understand it selfe aright bids us contend for it against men of heretical judgements Dote not so much upon the word gifted Brethren it is a proud word since extraordinaries ceased and makes grace a younger brother those of you that are gracious communicate your graces and spiritual experiences unto edification as fellow-members and private Christians and be not many Masters in opinion do not the worke of an Office in the Church I speak not of cases extraordinary which have their extraordinary priviledges and dispensations Without being an Officer of the Church one of those that Christ hath ordained Gifts no more intitle men to publique Offices in the Church than in the Common-wealth or Army without a call An outward call is not nothing Study not confusion God is not at all the God of it and least of all in his Church There is no better nor no worse argument agaiust you than that of Christ The tree is knowne by his fruits Some of your Converts I have seen and talked with full of opinion but very empty of grace and the vital Principles of Religion put them upon dispute and they are old excellent but upon Christian communion and they have not a word to say The good old Puritan that is not ashamed of faith and repentance is the name of substance your Proselites must needs be strange creatures that are strangers to the sincere milke of the Word borne and bred a mongst foolish janglings for your Sermons which tends to singularity and plurality of opinions conduce not to devotion but to disputation which old Mr. Dod whose very name is pretious for his practicall piety was wont to say made his heart the worse a long time after And indeed a practicall hearted Christian loves not to hear truth doubted for that makes faith take wind and the whole Soul consequently fare the worse but knows they are ordained to other use viz to be a whet-ston to our graces not to our wits Such preaching disputants batch addle egges fil empty hearts with empty notions How forcible are right words but what doth your arguing availe but to distune the soule Opinion begets pride and that keeps out every thing but it selfe If you will needs preach then preach truth and not error as you will answer it at the dreadfull day of judgement and gather the sense of Scripture from its scope and drift comparing spirituall things with spirituall and not incoherently making it speak what it never meant You have been victorious over Errour therefore let not error at the last get victory over you like the Israelites that having conquered Idolaters worshpped their Idols Cry not up liberty of Conscience to the losse of Conscience and countenancing licentiousnesse of opinion see ye not how his Majesty himselfe pretends deeply to its for the setting up prerogative and Episcopacy What Snake may not lye hid under that herbe when once it 's grown a word in fashion Liberty of conscience will bee as common as not guilty at the Assizes and of equall credit Divine Truth is always the same of an inflexible nature various not according to mens judgements shall the judgement of a man be the rule of Gods un-erring Truth Truth is truth and error error whether men thinke it to bee so or no principles of nature vary not like languages and if they bee inviolable and indispensible much more is Divinity for the known will of God is obliging which way soever it be revealed whether by nature or by the word though against nature as when Abraham was commanded to kill his son or above nature as in the union of the two natures in one person or the being of three persons in one God-head nay of the two the word is the more foreible and binding because nature is so much defaced therefore not the Law given to the Israelites the more obliging and their sins the more provoking Opinion ought not to be the rule of things but the nature of the thing is selfe There is a Truth of God and that but one which we must maintaine to the death else the Martyrs dyed in vaine if for but opposing anothers lawfull liberty not only in resisting impiety but in opposing heresie Thus saith the Lord Jer. 6.16 Stand ye in the wayes and see ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your soules And for Malignants that would fight againe to be slaves though they had more wit before than to stand to it For the ingenuousest of them say that if the King had got the better the Kingdome had beene undone they see so farre now into his disposition and yet they in hope to be sprinkled with Court holy water are content to sell their birth-right which their Progenitors nobly purchased with their blood and they as ignobly sell it with theirs They are weary of peace already which yet is a cheaper tenure to hold by then disseising which would fall to our share if they should paramount as themselves stick not to say and threaten to try us all for Traytors at the Kings Bench barre where proud Mallet and pricket Heath should give sentence and then there would be old worke for new Tiburne Hambleten and Taffe denizoned with the Estates of Northumberland and Pembreeke and their blew Ribbands to boot as judging most fit that they should ride on horseback that fought for S. George But why should wee engage againe let them have slavery and bondage without fighting for it Those of them whose Ancestors gained their Honours by fighting for their Countrey let them now lose theirs for endeavouring to fight against it a doom which their own forefathers would passe upon them were they alive to see such degenerate stems to grow out of such noble stocks for Nobility and Gentry ought not to distend by propagation without derivation not by blood but by vertue And those of them who Citizen like bought their Armes and Honours let them all be reversed till they renew their Pattents at the old rate and compound at Heraulds-Hall for their forfeited honours by shamefull deserting their Countrey more worth them the Kings in Christendome FINIS