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	truth_n	worship_n	6,333	5	8.0657	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17036	An ansvvere to Master Cartvvright his letter for ioyning with the English Churches: whereunto the true copie of his sayde letter is annexed.	Browne, Robert, ca. 1550-1633.; Cartwright, Thomas, 1535-1603.; Harrison, Robert, d. 1585?, attributed name.	1585 (1585)	STC 3909; ESTC S109433	77,571	102

the name of God figured the visible Church of god so that this matter toucheth M. C. very neerely For if it be true that as all sacrifices then so all sacraments now are rebellion against the Lord being ministred without the visible Church of God then that sinne which he calleth a fault shalbe found to be more then a fault euen rebellion falling away from the Lord. And this is a sinne of execration euen abomination in the eies of the Lord to measure the visible church of god by a compasse of ground by a nūber of housholdes by slint of tythes tenthes as we see in our parishes For the place maketh not the church neither is the church or true religiō to be measured by the place as Christ him selfe teacheth vs for neither in the mountaine where the father worshipped neither yet at Ierusale the citie of god was God any more to be worshipped but the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit truth By which words Christ meaneth thus much first that the spirit trueth being shewed by the outward good profession declare the outwarde Church of God and not the places neither temples nor cities nor parishes For in whome we see the spirit that is the graces of the spitit by their outward good works and the trueth that is the lawes and word of Christ which is true to be kept obserued them only we must call the Church of God And therefore in Isaiah it was shewed before● that with those only which turne from iniquitie in Iacob will the Lord make his couenant euen his spirite which is vpon them and his words which he hath put in their mouth Secondly by those wordes Christ teacheth that al the Iewish ceremonies shuld be abolished because the chiefest euen Ierusalem and the Temple should be no more For the temple at Ierusalem circumcision were the chiefest How great the citie and the Temple were it appeareth by that prayer of Salomon 1. Kinges 8. 29. And by sundry other places Deuteronom 12. 11. Ierem. 3. 17. Ezek. 43. 7. c. And of circumcision Paul reasoneth with the Galatians That if they be circumcised they are bounde to keepe the whole ceremoniall lawe for it being one of the chiefest ceremonies if they still obserued it they should also obserue all the rest but if they reiected the chiefest they should also reiect all the rest And to that ende Christ reasoneth that seeing all things are nowe to be verified in spirit and trueth therefore all ceremoniall and superstitious worship shoulde cease As also Paul reasoneth That if they be led by the spirit they are not vnder the ceremonies of the lawe So then it appeareth that tithings because they were ceremonies belong not to the Church And because such abomination is committed by them namely the due planting and gathering of the church is hindred and the libertie of the Church for remouing euil ministers stopped they are euen the execrable things which Achan did steale For if the common wealth as it ought had long agoe taken from the ministerie those tenthes and Popish liuings then Iericho being once destroyed I meane the Antichristian churches once put downe had not so soone bene built againe but nowe such tythings benefices and Bishoprickes remaining they haue builded by them an other Iericho in steade of the first in deede somewhat differing from the first but as contrary to Gods church and holy citie as was the first yea and Master Cartwright also wil iustifie that execrable stealth of Achan and call Iericho I meane those woefull assemblies and Parishes the visible church and citie of God But cursed be the man before the Lord saith Ioshua that riseth vp and buildeth againe this citie Iericho he shall lay the foundation thereof in his eldest sonne in his yongest sonne shall he set vp the gates of it Satan is that enuious and malitious man which hath builded againe this citie his eldest sonnes were the first beginners of this lamentable state whome God did afterwarde scourge and cal to repentance in the time of Queene Marie and brake their enterprise and his youngest sonnes are these latter reformers whome God also will certainely plague except they repēt But to come againe to Master Cartwrights proofe let him not say that we count any assembly whether they haue a dumbe minister o● haue none to be the outwarde Churches of God except they keepe the couenant by the outwarde discipline and gouernement of the Church Further Master Cartwright saith that in such assemblyes the dumbe minister is not chiefe but Christ and that wee make nothing of the dumbe minister and yet will needes haue him to be the head of those Churches Indeede we make nothing of him concerning any goodnes that is by him for he helpeth nothing thereto but concerning the mischiefe and hurt which he doeth or the sinne that is by him let him not say wee make nothing of it For if they be beastes as it is written so that by their want of vnderstanding and conscience the flockes of the pastour be scattered and perish shall we say it is nothing If they be those foolish shepheardes whome the Lorde saith by Zecharie he will raise vp in iudgement to sell and to slay the sheepe to eate the flesh of the fat and to teare them in pieces which also shall not looke for them that are lost nor seeke the tender lambes nor heale that is hurt nor feede them but rather feede them selues vpon their flesh shall we make nothing of such ministers But go to he sayeth that Christ is the head of those assemblyes and not the dumbe ministers That Christ is their head or foūdation he can not prooue as was shewed before wherefore for any thing he can prooue the dumbe ministers in the absence of the Bishops and their officers are the chiefe and heades ouer them That they are alwayes chiefe we saide it not for when the Bishoppes which are greater vsurpers are present then they are heades and both the dumbe ministers and hireling preachers may serue well ynough to bee the tayle For Satan hath all wayes by such as by the taile of the dragon drawing the third part of the starres of heauen and cast them to the earth What shall we vnderstande by heauen but the shewe of the church as it were set in heauen by the starres but the children of the church falling to wickednes and loosing their light Such are the people of those assemblies whom Satan hath cast vpon the earth as starres ●out light He bringeth another proofe by Corah and his company For they saith he were not cast foorth of the lords host by Moses therefore should not these assemblyes also which haue a dumbe minister thrust vpon them be reputed for runnegates from the Lorde well let vs see was not in deede Corah with those that claue to him put apart from the hoste

thereof Otherwise Paul woulde not haue said that he which obserueth a day or he which eateth not vncleane meates obserueth the day of the Lorde or eateth not the meate to the Lord. He meaneth according to his owne interpretation verse 18. vers 4. that they serue Christ in these thinges and are acceptable vnto God and also to be approoued of men And therefore also they that were stronger and had further knowledge were to beare with the weaker and to applie their knowledge and iudgement that they put no stumbling blocke nor occasion to fall before their brethren Againe we haue a further answere by these wordes of Paul That some thinges may be done vpon iust occasion as when we are sure that we serue God therein and some thinges are simply sinne which may neuer be done vpon any occasion Such are our vyle abuses and vngodly disorders which are not as the ceremonies of the Lawe that by occasion might be obserued or not obserued as to make differēce of times or of meates but they are altogether forbidden by the word of God and therefore not indifferent as they terme them And though some thinges in them selues as they are creatures are rather cleane good and lawfull then as they terme them indifferent yet their vse or rather abusing in such manner and order is not lawfull and good neither indifferent And here againe is another obiection to be answered because when ●ing Hezekiah did celebrate the Passeouer there were many in the congregation that were not cleansed and yet did eate the Passeouer And thereby they doe gather that wicked wretches may partake with vs in the sacraments That place plainely sheweth that it was onely a ceremoniall vncleannesse and no wickednesse in the people For the people as the wordes doe testifie prepared their whole heart to seeke the Lorde God againe the same place answereth it selfe that they were not clensed according to the purification of the sanctuary whereby is ment as it is written in Nombers that they were to keepe the Passeouer notwithstanding such vncleannesse For it could no way be remedyed before the time of the Passeouer appointed And againe that ceremonie of vncleannes was cōmanded because of the sanctuarie which might not be polluted Nowe therefore they onely eating the Passeouer in their houses or tentes and not comming to the sanctuarie their ceremoniall vncleannes was no wickednesse in them For the Priestes them selues as the text declareth were not suffered to come into the Sanctuarie or Temple being not yet cleansed And yet also there is a further answere For that the ceremoniall vncleannesse was no sinne so long as it was not by their carelessenesse in auoyding it or if it had bene sinne yet it was to be counted a smaller escape or an infirmitie and no grosser wickednesse And then seeing it was openly rebuked and openly confessed and prayed for by the King and also healed in the people For the Lorde healed the people saith the text I say seeing the matter stoode so howe shal any man excuse or tollerate thereby our intollerable disorders which are also incurable For if escapes or open infirmities are not so to bee borne with but that they must be openly rebuked and mended before the offenders can communicate in the sacraments Then much rather are open grosser sinnes to be first redressed before the sinners be suffered to partake in the sacraments But Master Cartwright bringeth a place in Ieremie for defence of suspendings which the Bishops vse nowe a dayes or at least for tollerating of them that the preachers should take and giue ouer their callings as the Bishops and their officers doe appoint them Why doeth he so carelessely falsifie the Scriptures First he saith that Ieremy was suspended from preaching and then he woulde prooue that Ieremie obeyed that suspension thirdly he sayeth that Ieremie was at libertie of his bodie and fourthly that he would not preache in the Temple for making a tumult All whiche things are vtterly false and haue no shewe of trueth in thē For first it is plaine in the chapter he quoteth that he was shut vp and therefore was not at libertie of his bodye and the 32 chapter sheweth that Ieremie was shut vp in the court of the prison Then also imprisoning of a man doeth shewe a violent withholding of a man from preaching and not a suspending Further that Ieremie would obey no suspendings it is plaine by the charge and message he had from the Lorde For he was set ouer the nations and ouer the kingdomes as is written and was made an yron pillar and walles of brasse against the king the princes and the priestes and was not to bee afraide of their faces least the Lorde did destroy him before thē Indeede it is true as we haue prooued before that we are not to preach to the vnworthie as to scorners and persecuters For there is a time when the wise man shall keepe silence when scarce any is to rebuke or reprooue another But when Ieremie was shut vp there were of the princes that tooke his parte For by their meanes no doubt did Ieremie get out of the prison court and so hid him selfe with Baruch There was no such bondage of suspendings as Master Cartwright would tolerate and though there were yet Ieremie obeyed them not but onely gaue place to the tyrannie of persecuters As for the tumult he speaketh of we know that Paul him selfe though he sought peace yet he cared more for his safetye and to witnesse the trueth then he did for to raise a tumult And Ieremie also ceased not to preache still notwithstanding that a tumulte and much stirring had bene among the people and priestes and princes and Prophets and all for his preaching Whereas Master Cartwright sayeth that Christ liued in the corruptest times of the Churche and when things were most confused and fewest steppes of any lawfull calling to be seene he is therein fowly ouerseene For those were the dayes wherein the Lord did powre vpon the house of Dauid vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace of compassion wherein also he did cut off the names of the Idoles from amongst his people as againe it is prophecied so that they were no more remēbred and he did cause the false prophets the vncleane spirits to depart from amongst thē They had the true worship of God the true safices the order of the priestes and Leuites their callings according to the Law of Moses The church was separated frō the wicked frō the sect of the Saduces frō the idolatrous Samari●ans There were very many good men women as Zacharie the Father of Iohn Baptist and his wife Simeon and Anna and Nathaniel and many other all which I neede not to recken vp For there were great multitudes that heard Iohn Baptistes doctrine and were