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	zeal_n	zealous_a	68	3	9.3373	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77155	Zeale for Gods house quickned: or, A sermon preached before the assembly of Lords, Commons, and Divines, at their solemn fast Iuly 7. 1643. In the Abbey Church at Westminster. Expressing the eminencie of zeale requisite in church reformers: / by Oliver Bowles, Pator of Sutton in Bedfordshire. Published by order of both Houses of Parliament.	Bowles, Oliver, ca. 1577-1646?	1643 (1643)	Wing B3884; Thomason E63_6; ESTC R9592	34,766	57

his bold and daring for it cost him his life reproofe of Herod for his Herodias his turning of Mountaines into Valleys his making of rough wayes plaine doe all witnesse The want of zeale in the people in Iehosophats time 2 Chron. 20 33. they having not prepared their hearts to seek the God of their fathers kept up the high places 2 Chron. 29.36 30.1 but in Hezekiah's time the zeale of the people plucked them downe the work was done suddenly for the people were ready of such moment it is that where Church-reformation is in hand a spirit of zeale should run in the veines of the Reformers No such unbesceming evill as when the cause of God lies at stake for men to be cold lukewarme Neuters warping sometimes one way sometimes another In the further prosecution of this truth three particulars doe present themselves 1. Convincing reasons must be rendered why zeale must be present in Church-reformation 2. What influence zeale ought to have in Church-Reformers 3. How Zeale must bee qualified that it may be kept within its bounds zeale not confined is as wilde-fire For the first of these three Reasons doe offer themselves as arising from the nature of the work in respect of its 1. Excellency 2. Difficulty 3. The destructive nature of Church-evills if not reformed The excellency of the work I argue three wayes Reas 1 1. In that the work of Church-reformation is one of Gods speciall favours whereby the Lord would endeare his Church to him Esay 1.25 When after the Churches sad sufferings he would doe his people a speciall favour he tells them that he will purge away all her drosse Esay 54.11 12 13. and take away all her tinne So when the Lord would expresse himselfe in the greatest declarations of his love to his Church Ver. 13. Oh thou afflicted and tossed with tempest I will lay thy stones with faire colours thy foundations with Saphires c. God will set up his ordinances in a more glorious way all thy children shall be taught of the Lord. Accordingly in this latter age of the world what is the great work for which the Church blesses God with the song of Moses and the song of the Lambe is it not the victory over the beast his name mark c. all done by Church-reformation Rev. 15.3 4. Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty c. 2. The excellency of the work is argued jointly from the relations betwixt God and his Church and the office which Reformers do Cant. 4.12 The Church is Gods Garden which being planted with all variety of flowers is apt to be overgrowne with weeds that not only marre the beauty of it but eat out the good herbs Reformers their work is to weed the Lord his garden throw out all those noisome herbs which would have spoiled all the good ones Verse 13. The Church is the Lords Orchard wherein trees of all kindes both for fruit and and medicine grow upon the banks thereof The Master of that Orchard is impatient of any such trees that cumber the ground and after many yeares beare no fruit Reformers their work is to root out the plants that God never planted H●● 3.6 The Church is Gods house where he delights to dwell Reformers are to cast out all the durt drosse and garbage that was odious and irksome to the Master of the house they sweep downe all the cobwebs wherein the Spiders did build The Church is Gods Spouse Cant. 4.12 in whose beauty his soule delights that she should be deformed with strange attire ornaments borrowed from notorious strumpets the Lord cannot endure Reformers they strip her of all her harlotry attire take off all her Iezabel-like paintings and render her to Christ in her native simplicity The Church is the Lords Vineyard Cant 8.12 which he keeps and waters every moment Reformers their work is to take the Foxes that destroy the Vines How welcome should the feet of such be Cant. 2.15 and how should the precious nature of the work in relation to God draw out all our strength 3. That the excellency of the work may be yet further evidenced consider it in the objects whereabout it is conversant that is either Things or Persons Things are Doctrine Worship and Government Doctrine is a ray or beame of supernaturall truth issued out from God as a speciall favour to his people tending to informe them in right notions and apprehensions concerning God Christ our soules and the whole way of salvation This is called the word of life the wholesome word the word of salvation how usefull is this word 2 Pet. 2.1 since men do as surely perish by damnable heresies as by morall vices Doctrine is as the waters of the Sanctuary how great a sinne to puddle or poison these was it not capitall among the Romans to poison the common springs How noisome was that plague to the Egyptians to have all their waters whereof they should drink turned into blood was it not much more as the soule is more excellent then the body pestilentiall to have all the maine Articles of our Religion not that of Justification excepted to be all This Petit. with R●monstr exhibit in Parl. in Ian. 1640. or the most desperately corrupted as may be seene in the Ministers Remonstrance exhibited together with their Petition for Reformation The second particular whereabout Reformation is conversant is worship whereby God and we have communion one with another wee doe in a holy manner trade with God and hee with us This is as Iacobs ladder The Angels of God ascend and descend by it our prayers ascend Gods blessings descend The ordinances are those golden pipes by which the golden oyle empties it selfe into the hearts of Gods people They are the Churches breasts from whence her children suck nourishment They are the Churches barne and her Wine-presse They are on Christs part the kisses of his mouth the mutuall embraces betwixt God and the Christian Soule Dry up all the breasts in such a City as this how great will the cry of the Infants be This mischiefe by the putting down of Preaching and strange Innovations brought and urged upon us in our most solemn worship had in a great part seized upon us and will yet certainly prevaile if the Reformers doe not seasonably and strongly oppose The third particular is Church Discipline or Government all Societies and so the Church is upheld by ruling and being ruled This amongst other benefits it will yeeld That it will preserve the honour of Gods censures and ordinances that great censure of Excommunication which is no lesse then the delivery up of a man to Satan and next the day of judgement it is judicium maxime tremendum it shall no longer Lackey up and down for Duties and Fees as it hath done amonst us and as it did in the darkest times of Popery as Gerson complaines Gers lib de defectib

have made bold to make a supply of that which at the time of the delivery I could not inlarge Further this being a fixed rule to me Inter concionandam emineat ver●un Dei. That Gods Word should in preaching have the preeminence wonder not that I alledge Authors in such cases wherein the al●egation of them does not prejudice Scripture As first when an Historicall truth is to be made good for though the Scriptures do only determine Quid verum quid falsum What is true and what false yet for the information of our selves Quid novum quid antiquum we must have recourse to the writings of men Secondly if God himselfe when hee would shame men for their evils sends them to learne from the creatures 2 Ierem. 10.6 Prov. 6. 1 Cor. 1● 14 why may not wee send men living in the dayes of light to learn of darker times Thirdly when being to reprove the evils of the time for removing of prejudice wee deliver our reproofes rather in the words of Antiquity than in our own Facilè patimur reprehensores qui remotiori feculo vixêre So the Papists did embrace many things in the writings of the fathers as Catholike which they condemned in Luther as Hereticall And now what remaines but that wee all humbly pray the God of all truth and peace who alone is able to facilitate all difficulties to direct and guide you Honourable Senatours to poure upon you that spirit of wisedome and courage that you may goe with a settled resolution never to give over till you have established truth and peace in our borders and the same God magnifie his power in our weaknesse and multiply the gifts of his Spirit upon us whom you have been pleased to call together to advise with in the great affaires of the Church that we may so discharge our duties that God may have glory and his people the good that they expect and pray for and your and all our enemies may have their faces covered with shame So prayes Your servant in the Lord Oliver Bowles A SERMON Preached before The Assembly of LORDS COMMONS AND DIVINES Vpon their Fast Iuly 7. 1643. JOHN 2.17 And his Disciples remembred that it was written The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up THe Prophet Malachi prophecying concerning the Lord Christ that he should in due time come to visit his Church sets him out as a Refiner as a Purifier of silver tells us that he should purifie in speciall the Sonnes of Levi purge them as gold and silver Malach. 3.3 that they might offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousnesse And as an accomplishment of this prophecy the same Lord Christ gives a Specimen in the story immediately preceding my Text by that heroicall fact of his in whipping the buyers and sellers out of the Temple an evill which the Priests for their gaine had somented I call it an heroicall fact for that it was done by a speciall spirit in its kinde not imitable by us The which act of the Lord Jesus being carried on with an eminent and remarkable zeale and magnanimity gave the Disciples an occasion of calling this to minde The zeale of thy house hath eaten me up Of which his zeale we have a remarkable discovery in these particulars 1. In the weaknesse of the meanes whereby he did both attempt and effect the work in that the persons but few in comparison and those despicable in the eyes of the world Christ and his Disciples not armed with any weapons that might carry dread and terrour with them at most but with a whip made of a few small cords which probably were scattered by the Drovers which came thither to sell their cattell and to some of them with his voice only Verse 16. he said to the money changers Take these things hence and it was done 2. In the strength that the opposite power did hold out which makes the encounter so much the more dangerous 〈◊〉 in ●oc●m As first a garrison of Souldiers in Arce Antonia ready at hand to appease as it is probable occasionall Tumults Secondly the temper of the mens spirits with whom the businesse was they were men set upon gaine the worlds god Thirdly the great confluence of the people it being the most solemne Mart of the Passeover Behold then the greatnesse of Christs zeale when neither the weaknesse of the meanes on the one side to effect it nor the greatnesse of the power on the other side to hinder it did at all dismay him or cause him to desist from this attempt of reforming that so apparent an abuse of the Temple the house of God Learne we hence that Observ It matters not how weak the meanes of Church-reformation is not how strong the opposite power is if we can but draw Christ into the businesse Heb. 5.2 Esay 30.21 Iohn 16.13 Ier. 15.20 Esa 26.12 if we can procure him to fit as President in the Assembly If he be there he will heale our ignorances hee will cleare up all our doubts he will guide us by the spirit of truth he will be as a wall of Brasse against all our adversaries he will work all our works for us I do ingenuously confesse that when we do consider and view the difficulty of the work of Church reformation and our weaknesse who are summoned to be advisers in the work it may amaze us but when we look upon the Lord Almighty the great Jehovah the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to whom nothing is too hard who hath broken through gates of Iron and Barres of Brasse which we could never have dreamed that they had been perviable this againe may raise up our spirits and give us hope that if we seek the Lord in his way he will certainly be found of us Zach. 4.6 It is all one to him whether by an Army and by power or by quickening the spirits of his raising them above themselves Verse 10. whether by a day of small things or by doing terrible things that wee looked not for Isai 64.3 hee bring about his Churches cause Zach. 4.7 It is nothing to him to make Mountaines plaine Who art thou O great Mountaine The Lord by the Prophet speaks in a holy scorne of all the enemies the Jewes had in rebuilding the Temple and City Wee accordingly by a grant from the Right Honourable the two Houses of Parliament with so many of them as have beene pleased to embody themselves with us are assembled this day to afflict our soules in Fasting and Prayer before the Lord that we may seek of him a right way in these great and important affaires to be treated on that he would give us such a frame of spirit such an assistance from on high such a cleare light as may raise us above our selves fit us for that work whereunto we have no sufficiency as from our selves ●●ya 8.21 Thus did Ezra and the Jewes out of a conscience of their owne

while we are consulting Errors may enter so deeply that they may prove incurable Nor yet let it be done negligently first for that it is the Lords work to the negligent doing whereof belongs a curse secondly Ier. 48.10 in that it is to us of neare concernment all our wealth goes in this bottom thirdly for that many eyes are upon us from abroad both of friends who will praise God for what we doe well and of foes who watch for our balting 2 Our second suit to you is that when the Lawes of Christ for the due administration of his ordinances shall be discovered you would be pleased to account it your greatest honour to submit to them Christs government is the only liberty thraldome to your lusts is the only true bondage If you honour God he will honour you It is his Gospel that hath clothed you with scarlet put ornaments of gold upon you put every pretious stone in your garments Be not jealous as if Christs Government would eclypse your greatnesse Christs rule and your honours are not incompatible the Lord Jesus tells us his Kingdom is not of this world he commands that Caesar have his right It is the style of the spirit of God that calls you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dignities with respect to which the Schoole allowes that outward Pomp which Magistracy is honoured with Reges Principes quos in reverentia à subditis haberi oportet pretiosioribus vestibus ornentur ampliores habitationes possidear●t Aqu. 1. 2● qu. 102. and the same spirit mentions the pomp of Agrippa when hee came to sit in Judgement without dislike Acts 25.23 Secondly as it sets out the unspeakable good of a zealous Reformer and what a blessing such a one is so it points out to us what that is which of all other doth most unbeseeme a Reformer viz. the want of Zeale which will render such whom God hath called to this office most odious to him most abominable to men ages present will count themselves unfortunate in such ages to come will curse such the opportunities which God afforded them and which they for want of zeale have squandered away will rise up in judgement against them What might such have done if a spirit of zeal had eaten up their spirits they might have saved the Churches at home and abroad given Antichrist that blow that should have thrown him as a mill-stone into the middle of the sea delivered liberties lawes and inheritances to posterity saved City Countrey the lives of millions of men they might have finished the work they began all succeeding ages might have blessed God for them their owne works have praised them in the gate Now if zeale be wanting they will undoe all the Churches of Christ as much as in them lies they will uphold tottering Babylon destroy flourishing England deliver up their posterity to absolute slavery make themselves the monuments of shame and ignominy to all that know or shall heare of them Oh tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Askelon c. Must it not needs be so when so necessary a correquisite as zeale is wanting for what is a Reformer without zeale but as a body without a soule a Bee without a sting a souldier without his weapon a Bird without wings salt without savour Oh then you Noble Senators who are under God the Chariots and Horse-men of our Israel what ever you part withall part not with your zeale let this be your honour and crown and as a diadem upon your head that yet you be zealous for your Religion your Countrey your Lawes and Liberties shall you but remit your former zeale a spirit of lukewarmnesse which God forbid seize upon you sell truth for peace you will live and die without honour and render your selves and us the most miserable Nation under heaven Vse 3 Let me addresse my selfe to you Right Reverend and beloved in the Lord. Behold the Lord hath by a providence of his singled us out among our Brethren for this great worke in hand Both you and we all are desirous this day to lay our selves low before the Lord importunately to intreat his assistance that he would be pleased to magnifie his power in our weakenesse Hee might have made choyce of many of our Brethren every way as able if not more able then our selves but so is his pleasure and we dare not but be at his dispose The Lord can worke as well by the Oaten Pipe as by the Silver Trumpet Be then exhorted by him who reckons himselfe the meanest of you all and who in respect of his many infirmities might well have been dispensed withall be I say exhorted to cloath your selves out of respect to the worke in hand with zeale as with a cloak to fall upon the businesse you are designed to toto animi impetu you are called out to contend for the truth that was once given to the Saints which hath beene sealed with the bloud of Martyrs hath beene justified by the learned pennes and disputes of all the Worthies of this Kingdome without interruption for above this 80. yeeres but of late by a cunning ambitious and corrupt party we had almost beene cheated of it even of that truth which ought to be dearer then our lives Blessed be our God who hath given a turne and made a stop of their proceedings whose worke was as to put out the eyes of the people of the land by Ignorance so to have leavened them with Heterodox Opinions and were we not indeed gone almost as farre as Rome gates in a declining way Our worke is a noble work it is servare depositum to be Feoffees in trust for that saving truth that patterne of wholsome words which hath been derived to us as from the pure sountaine of Scripture so also by the Channell of purer Antiqui●y comes with Letters of commendation from the sufferings of Gods choysest servants such they were whom the world was not worthy of I beseech you in the bowels of Jesus Christ we may quit our selves like men doe our utmost that we may vindicate the truth of God from all the aspersions of evill-minded men cleere it from those ambiguities wherewith ungodly men have perplexed it and doe such further worke in worship and discipline as shall by God and Man be required of us What would our Ancestours those glorious lights of former times have given to have had such a price put into their hands as we unworthy ones at this time have May we not justly think that what opportunity we have is but the effect of the fervent prayers the many teares and sad sufferings of our sage and Reverend Predecessors that are now with the Lord Are there not already upon us in this worke for which we are assembled the eyes of our Brethren of the Reformed Churches as expecting the issue of this businesse Nay is not the whole Nation in expectancy of what this meeting will produce