Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	holy_a	mean_v	6,969	5	6.7481	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85548	The shipwrack of all false churches: and the immutable safety and stability of the true Church of Christ. Occasioned: by Doctour Chamberlen his mistake of her, and the holy scriptures also, by syllogising words, to find out spirituall meanings, when in such cases it is the definition, not the name, by which things are truly knowne.	Graunt, John, of Bucklersbury.	1652 (1652)	Wing G1594; Thomason E674_21; ESTC R207205	29,575	28

he cannot see the Kingdome of God In which words there are four parts and the tearms therein to be distinctly considered of The first is Of whom our Lord speaks by the name man and by it he means a naturall man And secondly That this man is to be born again his meaning is not as Nicodemus at that time understood him to enter into that place of nature from whence he came forth but to be born from above by a supernaturall force power vertue and operation of the Spirit of God In the third place He speaks of the matter of the Birth and that hath two parts The first is heavenly and spirituall water meaning thereby the grace and gift of God which the holy Ghost often in the Scriptures calls by the name of water which is the Baptisme of Repentance a true turning to God The second part consisteth of another more excellent work of the Spirit which is here called the Holy Ghost but in other places by metaphoricall tearms blood and fire by which is meant the Baptisme of the Holy Ghost or Remission of sins The first part is full of spirituall grief and disconsolation the last full of heavenly comfort and consolation And lastly By seeing the Kingdome of God he means the knowing and being a member of his Church in the state of Regeneration receiving the Spirit of Adoption through which he is made the Child of God and if Children then Heirs of the everlasting Kingdome the World to come the inheritance of the Saints so then from this Scripture thus opened we are taught that Gods method and way to convert men from nature to grace to make them members of his Church is to Turne them from darknesse to light from the power of Satan to be reconciled unto God To deliver us from the power of darknesse and translate us into the Kingdome of the Son of his love And by this way and means the Lord made and constituted the true Church of Christ at Collosse as he doth all other Churches of his which were Saints and faithfull brethren in Christ And so did he likewise that famous Church at Ephesus Yee were somtimes darknesse saith the Apostle but now are yee light in the Lord walk as Children of light Mark I pray you he calls this Church these Saints these Faithfull in Christ Jesus Children of light and how came they to be so but by being Borne of God of his own will begat he them being born again of incorruptible seed the Word of God which is the Word of his Grace the New Covenant the Word of Promise the Covenant of Life the making us partakers thereof is the taking away the stony heart and in the place thereof to give his Elect a heart of flesh that is a soft tender and humble heart and in it to write his everlasting love mercy and kindnesse never to be obliterated or revoked as before is shewed For those whom he thus loves once he loves unto the end And these Children of God are those little ones the Scripture speaks of those humble ones the Lord teacheth those contrite and penitent ones that the Lord comforteth refresheth and reviveth this is his Sion his little City his desired Habitation his delightfull dwelling his Holy Mountaine And where two or three of these are gathered together in his Name where by Name we are to understand Spirit there is he in the midst of them that is it that is it that makes them his Church even his holy presence that is it that makes them his House his Tabernacle to doe his great pleasure in Earth by his Spirit as the everlasting Father and the Son doth in Heaven whose voyce not to regard is as much as not to regard the voyce of God himselfe Oh Doctour for you to compare your hay wood and stubble with the purity and excellency of this Churches mettle which is Gods building it will even so eclipse your rush light and split your hulk and shipwrack your bark for ever as never to recover and your sandy foundation will shortly cause such a fall of your foolish Church building as never to be built again And that you may repent of your ignorance of the true Church of Christ I will give you another discovery of her excellency by her pure estate and glorious condition which the Propheticall Apostle Iohn saw in a Vision and writ it for posterity in these words And a great signe appeared in Heaven a Woman cloathed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet and on her head a Crown of twelve stars And being great with Child shee cryed travelling and labouring to be delivered In which Scripture there are many things considerable 1. A matter of wonderment and admiration for the great excellency of it 2. The place where it appeared and that was in Heaven 3. What it was that appeared and that was a woman 4. Then her cloathing and apparell all over her body 5. As also what she was crown'd with on her head 6. What she trod under her feet and not only denominating all things without her but 7. what was within her also And being great with Child she cryed travelling and labouring to be delivered This precious Virgin Spouse the Lords Bride being in her condition spirituall did shine forth in her primitive estate not in any outward pomp and humane carnall glory as now in any externall forme or soft Rayment after the fashion of the multitude of gathered Churches in these dayes but in her heavenly gifts and holy vertues her chast and prudent conversation the shining of her faith love patience and moderation in all things she was such as she was the light of the world to the wonderment and admiration of all the Children that had eyes to behold her And whereas it is said She appeared in Heaven the meaning is the places where the Gospel was beleeved the truth of God and way to salvation professed as in Iudea Italy Macedonia Asia and divers other places Cities and Countries in which sense the Apostle speaks to the Church of Thessalonica For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not onely in Macedonia and Achaia but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad c. And that the Church of Christ is signified by the appellation and title of a Woman that is usuall and often the expression of the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures as The Kings Daughter The Daughter of Sion The Spouse of Christ The Lambs Wife The Mother of all the Saints c. And there is great reason for the Female Sex resembles the Church of Christ in many respects as for their fruitfulnesse for their beauty for their subjection and passivenesse and tender bowels of compassion And that she may want nothing that may tend to her full description in her whole attire to make her all glorious without as the Prophet saith The Kings Daughter is all glorious within The son of Righteousnesse even his own

holy Writ came by the power parts and gifts of any man in nature so also he affirms By whom God makes knowne his word will and Prophesies that is by spirituall men in these plain words But holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Now Doctour see that which yet you never saw the Church of Christ her Preachers and Prophets of the Lord are not carnall but spirituall men and their motion and enablement thereunto is not by any humane spirit but through the movings and ability of the holy Ghost Where is now therefore the multitude of your Arguments and Syllogismes of men and Trades men and gifted men not taking into consideration there are men and men and gifts and gifts which for want of Scripture distinction all the pains you have taken to spin so many curious threads to make a carnall webb of no sooner is it toucht by the Divine finger of the spirituall meaning of the word of God but your glorious shew of humane and of carnall or private men falls all into filthy dust for although carnall men may litterally preach as Judas and others have done yet none but holy men can Preach spiritually And in this distinction the other tearms are to be understood also of Ordination and Trades-men both Divine the one in person the other in approbation and mission for holy men of God The Messengers and Ministers of Christ are sent appointed and Ordained by the Lord himselfe and justified and approved of by the Saints And their Preachings and Declarations are not their own visions and though●s as the Doctours are but the truth word and mind of the Lord the same spirit in them enables them to open the Scriptures now which wrote them by the hands of his holy Prophets and servants which shall be more fully cleared when I come to the truths confirmation Now this brief discovery of the Doctours large mistakes shall suffice for this time some other things there are which we shall have occasion to reprove as we find them to hinder us in the way of truth And therefore according to my promise in the first place I shall make a clear and plain description of the true Church of Christ and so follow the Doctour the same way he goes But who is sufficient for these things as the Apostle speaks But wee are not as many which corrupt or deceitfully deal with the Word of God but as of sincerily but as of God in the sight or in the powerfull presence of God speak we in Christ although the Doctour despise us Be it known unto him therefore and all the world that the true Church of Jesus Christ is of a holy and pure nature every part and member of her for he that sanctifieth her and they that are sanctified are all of one that is of the one Holy Spirit so then as in her new nature she is Holy and Divine so she is heavenly and spirituall spirituall Children which make a spirituall Family or Houshold spirituall Trees which make a spirituall fruitfull fragrant Garden spirituall Stones built up a spirituall House Temple Tabernacle a repose an habitation for the heavenly God the Father of Spirits to abide to delight to dwell and reside in Yea more yet she is a spirituall body consisting of none but of spirituall members knit and joyned together with spirituall sinews supplyed with spirituall grace from the Fountaine the Head the spirituall Head Jesus Christ from which all the joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together groweth or increaseth with the increase of God from the Head I say conveyeth all over the body to the least Member with spirituall veins through which an everlasting supplying grace is continued For as she is the building and workmanship of God the Children and Houshold of God the Plantation and Garden of the Lord so she is kept by the power of God unto salvation And he that keepeth this his Israel his chosen called and sanctified ones doth neither slumber nor sleep but ever watcheth And he their Holy Shepheard is mighty and stronger then all so that no opposite power and strength is able to take them out of his hand Now forasmuch as the faithfull servant and Apostle of Christ writing unto the holy and blessed Church at Ephesus affirms them to be Saints and faithfull and that they are in Christ Jesus Now all that are in Christ Jesus are holy and faithfull for they are justified by faith and sanctified by the Holy Ghost and as the Root is holy so are the branches also yet the Apostle saith to these holy ones You were the Children of wrath as well as others And to another Church he saith And such were some of you speaking before of wicked and unholy men But yee saith he meaning now are washed but yee are sanctified but yee are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God That is through the power of Christ by the operation of the Spirit Therefore to know the way and method which God takes in the conversion of his servants that are his Church the discovery and opening thereof will make not onely the Description of the Church of Christ more clear and manifest but give us a definition also of her supernaturall making parts For as since the creation propagation or birth gives being to all men naturally so heavenly and spirituall birth since the fall of man is ordained and appointed of God to give spirituall being to all his Saints and Children which are the Church of God as it is written That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit so it is spirituall birth that gives being to spirituall men But forasmuch as this one Scripture doth fully prove the assertion in both parts thereof that is that birth taken in a two fold meaning is the production both of naturall men and spirituall men And the due consideration of the wisdome of the Holy Ghost by declaring that which is heavenly by that which is naturall teacheth us that there is much resemblance of the births in the manner although not in the nature In the naturall birth there is a conception in the beginning and a reception in the continuance till bringing forth or accomplishment And all these distinctions with their concomitants may be comprehended in the tearm birth now that which doth accompany conception is compunction in nature in sorrow shalt thou conceive and in the reception all the while till the deliverance and in the deliverance pain sorrow labour pangs throwes intollerable dollorous till the Child is born and then comes ease comfort and rejoycing even so it is in the spirituall birth in a likenesse and resemblance for the manner of it but in the nature no similitude at all for the the one is from below the other from above as it is written Except a man be born again from above of water and the Spirit

Righteousnesse is her Mantle her cloathing It is a metaphoricall speech often used in the Scripture thereby declaring the Righteousnesse of Christ by being cloathed in sine linnen by a wedding Garment and a white stone and very apt is the resemblance for as a stole or Garment covers and adornes the naturall body so the righteousnesse of Christ covers and cloaths adorns and beautifies the poverty and brokenness of the peninent souls of his Elect. And this Garment is of that nature and quality as that it warms and sustains the feeble and thirsty soule with the assurance of the mercy and favour of God in Christ Jesus for ever And the Holy Ghost giveth testimony also of the fruits of her lively justifying faith in declaring her newnesse of life in her detestation of sin and true love to her Lord in this figurative expression And the Moon under her feet declaring thereby her mortification and death too and of her sinfull corruption and worldly naturall affection and also her vivification and daily renewed mind to a heavenly conversation delighting and meditating day and night in the Holy Law and Word of God being no more carnally but spiritually minded The next externall yet spirituall description is the Ornament of her head wherein shee took most pleasure saying Shee wore on her head a Crowne not with gold and silver beset with precious stones for the excellent matter thereof it exceeded all these for it was made of the holy and pure Doctrine of the Twelve Apostles which testimonies and verities of theirs are the Lords lights and torches to guide and direct sinners when they are benighted and darkned with their sins and for this cause are called by the name of stars And lastly the Holy Ghost declares the effects and operation of Gods spirit and word in her for by the heavenly truth which was by her ears received her heart spiritually conceived and shee was greatly filled with a deep sence of her owne vilenesse and unworthinesse with bemoaning and mournfully lamenting her sad forlorn condition travelling and labouring under great oppression by reason of sin in restlesse desire of reconciliation to God which paines and anguish of her mourning heart and contrite spirit the Apostle most truly compareth to the throwes and paines of a woman in travell of Child-birth of which spirituall pains and labour shee could not possible by any means be eased or releived untill her Lord were formed in her even untill her tender heart were sanctified by faith for nothing could cure the wound but the assurance of mercy nor nothing satisfie her restlesse desire but the love of God insured her in Christ her Lord and written in the fleshy Tables of her heart according to his everlasting Covenant Thus you see both the definition and description of the true Church of Christ that she is holy and spirituall within and without also distinguished and disevered from all other Churches by Regeneration as the outward Court and the Temple were parted by a vaile and described by such perfect fruits of righteousnesse as no Pharisaicall Congregations can bring forth And herein I have made good my promise to you in this first particular The second thing I promised was to make known unto you the divine Ordinances of this holy Church and they are many but we will briefly and that truly discover such as are most materiall to our purpose Now as shee her selfe is spirituall and their communions one with another so also is every part of her worship spirituall likewise and yet we must ever remember that most Ordinances consist of two parts the one carnall and outward the other spirituall and inward Now the common and carnall Christians are most busied about the carnall part as fleshly washings corporall eatings litterall Expositions and verball supplications like the Pharisees that were strict to tyth mint and the meanest externall things but wholly omitted the weightiest and greatest that which was internall as true Repentance c. diligently washed the outside but minded not at all to cleanse inwardly the heart in all which Mr Doctour you spent most of your labour and very few words or none about the spirituall part And one Reason was because all your Disputes tended but to a carnall Church for a Congregation of carnall Christians make no better then a carnall Church and carnall Arguments and actions doe manifest the hearts of such to be carnall But I desire your Repentance of these things and hasten to the discovery of the truth that may make you a Child thereof indeed and therefore we will returne to a further discovery of the true Churches spirituall Worship in the Heavenly part of Gods Ordinances in which shee and her Children are most conversant for they are alwayes mindfull of the Holy Covenant of their Lord in the heavenly parts of it they mourne and weep and suffer together in their patience possesse their souls and passe through the Valley of Tears participating each with other knowing they are thereunto called of God not only to beleeve but to suffer for his sake the assured hope they have of the great portion inheritance and salvation they are born unto by the spirit doth so support them that they rejoyce in tribulation the Holy Ghost bearing them witnesse That if they suffer with him they shall also reign with him Know you not saith the Apostle as if he had said in other words you know assuredly that as many of us as are Baptized into Jesus Christ were Baptized into his death therefore we are buried with him by Baptisme into death Mark the tearms Baptized or Buried with him into death which sheweth if men be Members of his body then if our head suffer the Members must suffer also and as sure as the Head is raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also his Members are raised in our mind and affections to newnesse of life And in the same sence he saith again For if we have been planted together in the likenesse and similitude of his death we shall be also in the likenesse of his Resurrection And these broken melting hearted Saints that at first in their Regeneration were thus humbled and made low and poor in Spirit yielding inclining and bowing to the will and pleasure of Almighty God This heavenly grace which the Lord calls water in a spirituall meaning abides in and with them alwayes throughout their whole life and by it they are enabled to be Baptized with sufferings as they were born or begotten of water which is Repentance So likewise at the Lords Supper they sometimes and that with much comfort eat and drink corporally the Elements of Bread and Wine and therein declare the Lords death till his comming but they alwayes by faith communicate of his body and blood the Spirit of Adoption that dwells in them still bearing witnesse of the Lords everlasting kindnesse with the refreshings of the light of his countenance affording them more comfort then

said he had been taught of God and that shewes he is a Child of God a holy man as I have instanced before in the Apostle Peters description to this purpose and by bringing forth of his treasure he means the administration of his spirituall gifts from the supernaturall store house within him Again our Lord saith Whosoever beleeveth in me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow Rivers of water of Life This he spake saith the Text of the gifts they should receive that beleeved on him This effectuall faith which is twice repeated and that to which the Word of God witnesseth to be satisfying drink to the thirsty soule sheweth such a one to be Regenerate and the flowing fountain proceeding from him those heavenly gifts of the Holy Ghost And agreeable to this is that which is spoke of Stephen that Holy Martyr when those choyce and learned Students of the Synagogues of the Libertines men of four severall Nations Cyrenians Allexandrians Cyreans and As●ans these even such were not able to resist the wisdome and the spirit by which he spake So the Prophet Micha speaking to the shame of such Prophets that speak without an answer from God that have no Vision but their own to whom the day the light of Gods truth is darke over them and the Sun is gone downe from them and yet will Prophesie though they confound themselves But truly saith he I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord and of judgement and of might to declare unto Jacob c. That is to Preach to Jacob And so the Apostle Paul speaking of the Gospel of Christ Whereof saith he I am made a Minister according to or by the gift of grace given to me by or through the effectuall working of his power And so he testifies to another Church Whereof I am made a Minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you fully That is perfectly truly and spiritually to preach the Word of God And so Peter and John testified to the face of such at Jerusalem as had Crucified our Lord with wicked hands and proceeded also to forbid them to speak any more to anyman in his name notwithstanding their threatnings we cannot said they but speake the things we have seene and heard What Gods Messengers see hear and learne of the Father that they declare that they preach Christ gives the gifts God hath set them in his Church his body but every member hath not the same Office therefore the differing gifts give being to different Offices and Officers and all spirituall as the whole body is and are approved of and allowed by the rest of the Members all the Saints Now I should have spoken of the keyes power and rich treasures of this Church but Doctour you are not able to bear it at this time that is neither to understand it nor receive it But you will say I will answer all that he hath said in one word for all that he hath spoken is to be understood of the invisible Church but all my Disputes are of visible Congregations and Sir what you mean by them your owne words declare page 23. as is touch before such as any man may know saith he and if that be so then I am sure they consist of naturall and carnall men and of the same nature are their administrations for the Apostle saith The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Again to say the true Church of Christ is invisible is the old cunning cheat of the Devil to keep men from Repentance and from attaining that eye salve through which they might discerne the things that belong unto their peace and depart from Babylon and make haste to Sion But saith the Doctour The Baptized Churches have forsaken Babylon and admit of none but Baptized Members nothing but pure Ordinances we are knit together in Church fellowship But by your leave if ye be carnall and cannot discerne the Church of God and therefore deny her visibility which her Lord affirmeth of her to be a City set upon a Hill a candle on a Table the Light of the World the Salt of the Earth If you cannot discerne the true Church and yet you professe your selves Churches then you are no other then the carnall Jewes Church Jerusalem from below which is in bondage with her Children and the Righteousnesse thereof but the Righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees who used to wash the out-side and fl●sh as you doe but inwardly and in heart very foule and adulterous notwithstanding all their seeming holinesse of separation stand further off I am holier then thee their boasting of their Prayers and of their Ordinances and their compassing Sea and Land to make a Proselyte to convert men to their Church and yet in so doing make them more the Child of the devil then they were before and thereby make them the rather a stink in the Lords nostrills I tell you plainly Doctour there are but two Churches in the whole World one carnall the other spirituall two seeds the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent two sorts of Children them of light and them of darknesse two heards of Cattell the fat and the lean two kinds of people the cursed and the blessed and I advise you therefore to trust no longer in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord for no outward conceivings or humane traditions or inventions can be Gods House Church and Temple but those before described and as the Holy Prophet saith The Temple of the Lord are these such as throughly repent of their sinnes and amend their wayes and their doings c. And therefore Doctour I advise you againe now heedfully and speedily to mind the Apostles counsell To day if you will hear his voyce harden not your heart least you enter not into his rest where he teacheth you and me and all that to enter into Gods rest through Faith is by Repentance And because I will omit no means to take you off from minding so much your false Church I will shew you in what condition you and all men else stand in this C●mmon-wealth of England Consider this I pray you that this Common-wealth being a University of Believers the whole multitude consisteth of two sorts The one sort Regenerate Believers such as are borne of God whose spirituall estate is before described and this sort onely are the Church of Christ as before also is affirmed The second sort of Believers are outward Christians and are indewed with the common Faith onely from which faith and grace they may fall and perish and yet before their apostacy have equall right with spirituall Christians in outward externall Ordinances as the letter of the word and prayer the washing away the filth of the body and the corporall signes of the