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
A92845	A sermon, preached at St. Marie's in the University of Cambridge May 1st, 1653. Or, An essay to the discovery of the spirit of enthusiasme and pretended inspiration, that disturbs and strikes at the universities: by Joseph Sedgwick, Mr. of Arts, and Fellow of Christs Coll: in the University of Cambridge. Together with an appendix, wherein Mr. Del's Stumblingstone is briefly repli'd unto: and a fuller discourse of the use of universities and learning upon an ecclesiasticall account, submitted by the same authour to the judgement of every impartial and rational Christian.	Sedgwick, Joseph, 1628-1702.	1653 (1653)	Wing S2362; Thomason E699_2; Thomason E699_3; ESTC R510	26,942	31

Assemblies All were taught of God and had the unction of the Spirit in the Apostles times asmuch certainly as in ours yet see 1 Cor. 14. 3 4 22. and Eph. 4. 11 12 13. Hath not the Church need of edification now Is exhortation consolation stirring up and quickning to duty now altogether needlesse If the Churches planted by the Apostles and in presence of whom the power of God had appeared so miraculously stood in need of Overseers and Instructours I leave it to any rationall man to judge what is requisite in these remoter ages We acknowledge will our Adversaries answer our wants but we must not be guilty of will-worship and our own inventions in the worship of God We expect say they this Ministery only say we it hath for the present ceased and we dare not intermeddle of our selves in the things of God In reply to this I must premise that I speak of the Ministery of the English Church chiefly let those defend themselves that have withdrawn from its communion and erected Churches of other models Then 1. The Church of England hath not created a new Ministery but continued it successively from the Apostolicall Age. Onely its Pastours being for Conscience excluded the Roman communion have as duty to God and their Saviour bound them assembled together for the service of God and instituted still fresh Pastours in the Church 2. The notion of Will-worship is very probably vindicated from misapprehension by Doctour Hammond 3. To provide by Christian prudence in imitation of Apostolical wisedome for the Churches good is not Will-worship It is a strange state for Christians under the Gospel and worse then under the Law if they are plac'd in such a condition as that they must almost inevitably be guilty either of neglecting the commands of God or instituting something of their owne heads To me under pardon this seems to be the Gospel frame as to Church affairs that it is delivered from that punctuall legality of the former dispensation and proceeds onely according to the naturall rules of Divine Worship and Christian prudence It is too very improbable that the Providence of God hath left all these Ages of the Church since the Apostles without any means of a Gospel-ministery 4. Our publick Ministery can shew their warrant in the hearts of many of their hearers from that Spirit which gives no attestation to Antichristian intruders 5 It is my private opinion and therefore proposed to a serious consideration It may be the duty of a Minister is no other then what may be performed without miraculous gifts and is indeed the duty of every Christian if he had proportionable abilities and as farr as may consist with order and decency in the Church Our Ministers pretend not infallibly to deliver the will of God any further then it is delivered in Scripture in undoubted plainnesse much lesse do they bring a new Gospel or a new Revelation into the World There is the difference between them and the Apostles as the Jewish Lawgiver and the Expounders of the Law Moses as the Apostles was infallibly guided not so the Expounders of the Law The office of a Minister is wisely to govern the Church to search into the will of God revealed already declare explain and presse the Truths already divulged by the Apostles The separation of their calling is besides that disorder must be avoided and it is very necessary that the gifts of those be approved to the Church who take upon them the charge of instructing others it is I say because all are not gifted for the Ministery it will if conscienciously performed take up the greatest part of their time and by the necessary means at present of enabling themselves for this imployment they are taken off from a capacity of providing for themselves in a secular way being trained up quite contrary to the waies of trade and worldly trafficking Conclusion II. Acquired gifts are no hinderance to the Kingdome of God Not to the embracing of the Gospel and apprehending the Mysteries thereof nor to a Gospel Minister S. Paul was well vers'd in Jewish and Graecian literature and mixeth pieces of Poetry with his sacred conceptions The Apostle saith indeed Not many wise But Knowledge puffing up with pride and so punish'd with spirituall blindnesse speaks nothing to the disadvantage of Knowledge Not many rich and noble is as much Scripture I wish there be not as visible characters of pride in the self-esteem and censoriousnesse and the spirit of turbulency of our Adversaries I am confident Learning is no enemy to any honest interest of Truth or true Christian piety If they mean by the Kingdome of God any thing beside what S. Paul means or then that righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost which he speaks of if they please to explain themselves it may be it is a commendation to Learning that it proves an enemy to some phantasticall whimzy or base designe Conclusion III. Gifts of Learning are necessary to an accomplish'd dispenser of the Word of God Our Adversaries make much use of the Epithets Secular Humane and Naturall And then how popular a conviction is it to descant upon God 's not standing in need of man's help upon the Kingdome of God its being spirituall divine and supernaturall Now all is done only they might confirm the antiquity of their Monkish spirit out of Erasmus his Antibarbarus But are not a good voice and good lungs naturall God stands not in need of Ministers or their Learning yet may be pleased to make use of both and may require it in his ordinary dispensation with the Church Learning though fetch'd from an Heathen may be from the authour of Truth and in a Christian subservient to the work of the Gospell Is onely secular Learning taught in the Universities Doth not the search into Divine Revelation take up a great part of University-studies To speak more clearly to this main assertion I shall take notice of these propositions 1. Smattering in Learning is altogether uselesse and good for nothing but to fill up the period with a frivolous sentence in Latine that is too simple to be spoke in plain English None ever said that the conning by heart a few Logicall terms and Philosophicall distinctions without any conception correspondent in the minde was any benefit to sacred study And here some of our Adversaries may see the mistake in their own experiment Their Learning and unconcocted Philosophick crudities stand them in no stead in expounding the Bible opening difficulties in Divinity Nor can they I suppose defend themselves with a sword unlesse they have it fully in their hand and yet a sword is a very needfull weapon He must have fast hold of Learning and have it perfectly at command that intends to make any use of it in Divinity or Humanity Do these men conclude a Medicine ineffectuall because they have without successe applied it before it was prepared When we say a knife is usefull in