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	part_n	5,261	5	4.5208	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50679	An antidote against the venom of Quakerism, or, Some observations, on a little pamphlet, stiled, The Christianity of the people commonly called Quakers by John Meriton ...	Meriton, John, 1666-1717.	1699 (1699)	Wing M1816; ESTC R11247	24,688	49

AN ANTIDOTE Against the Venom of Quakerism BEFORE I enter upon the Examination of the Quakers Principles as here Professed and as I suppose Owned by them I shall very briefly desire the Reader to take Notice what is understood by the Term Christianity or what is necessary in a strict and proper Sense to Entitle a Man to be a Christian For the making up then this good Composition it is not enough for a Man to know and acknowledge God as the One only true God Creator of all things to Depend upon and to be Subject to him to Love him our Neighbour and our Selves to walk Soberly and Honestly and to practice all those other Duties which by the Light and Law of Nature he may be Convinced of for these a Man may believe and be consormable thereto and yet be no Christian For who doubts but that some of the Heathens thus far believed and practiced who were not only altogether ignorant of Christ but also vehemently opposed him and the Christian Name Tho' according to Will Penn's Notion of Christianity in his Address to Protestants p. 119. Second Edition these must be Christians For what is Christ says he but Meekness Justice Mercy Patience Charity and Vertue in persection Nay even the Jews themselves who were once God's Chosen People and must be Saved thro' Faith in the Messiah that was to come cannot in a strict Sense be called Christians their State being no Christian State however Obedient they might be to the Legal Dispersation they lived under yet they could no from thence be Entituled Christians For to Entitle a Man to be a Christian 〈◊〉 must necessarily believe 〈◊〉 to be already come nay that Partic●●●● and Numeric●● Man Christ Jesus who was Born of the Vi●gin Mary and was of the Seed of Abraha● according to the Flesh to be the Christ 〈◊〉 God that was promised to come in due time that this very Man was Crucified Died a●● Rose again from the Dead and is Ascende● c. Without Controversie great is the M●stery of Godliness God was Manifest in t●● Flesh Justified in the Spirit Believed on the World Received up into Glory 1 Tim. 3. 〈◊〉 This Christ God-Man as come and crucified was that main Foundation of the Gospel and Christianity These were new Articles Founded upon a new Dispensation without the belief of which not to name some others which may be thought by some also necessary such as Baptism by Water and the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper by Bread and Wine a Man cannot be called a Christian Many there are indeed who lay Claim to this Holy and Honourable Profession but without a Just Title who fiercely contend for the Name tho' woful strangers to the Nature of Christianity who set up for more Pure and Refined Christians than are to be found in other Societies tho' they have scarcely any better Title to this Name than their being Born in a Christian Nation And thus the Quakers impose and put upon the World they set up for the great Modellers and Refiners of Religion and Condemn all others as full of Filth and Dreggs whenas they themselves as deceitful Workers 〈◊〉 themselves into the Apostles of Christ cannot be looked upon any otherwise at best than good Moral Heathens and many of them short of that Indeed could we take them at their word or would they take words in their common Acceptation it must be granted then that their Profession throughout the greatest part of this Pamphlet as well as some others viz. Will. Penn's Key Crook's Principles c. would seem Orthodox but this they will not do no you must Construe them by their Intentions for says George Whitehead in his Counterfeit Convert p. 72. I may see cause otherwise to word the Matter and yet our Intentions be the same You may then see Just Cause to mistrust them in these their seeming Orthodox Confessions They have a Nauseous Pill to give you but that it may not be Distasteful and Loathsom to the Palate they Gild it over as the Writers for Popery in the Late K. J's Reign the other Day did to make it the more Glib and Easie to a Protestant Gust and Swallow they are Masters at the Art of Painting using feigned words and fair Speeches which was the old way of deceiving the Hearts of the Simple by which means many Poor Unthinking and Well-meaning People are now Ensnared and Involved in the same Errors with themselves By these and the like plausible Professions and smooth Pretences have they endeavoured to insinuate into and impose upon our Governours who no doubt can easily discern however Artificially Gilded and Varnished their Blasphemous Opinions relating to Christianity as well as to our Government And to this end and purpose in the Month of March last past there were Two Books presented to Both Houses of Parliament the one Entituled A Brief Discovery of some of the Blasphemous and Seditious Principles c. The other Entituled Some few of the Quakers many Horrid Blasphemies Heresies c. And also a Sheet Entituled Some Reasons humbly Offered Why the Quakers should be Examined But to proceed to an Examination of their Pamphlet in its several Parts Quest What is your Belief concerning the Blessed Trinity as our Term is Answ Our Belief is That in the Unity of the Godhead there is Father Son and Holy Ghost these Three Divine Witnesses that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the H. Spirit and that these Three are One according to Holy Scripture Testimony OBSERVATION Note It is said of the Oracles of the Heathen that they were made to look with Two Faces that they might the better effect their Deceits and agreeable hereto whatever was delivered by them was spoken in such Dubious and Equivocal Terms as that it should either way tend to the Satisfaction of the Devotee Just so do the Quakers now it being necessary to serve a present Turn give out a very cunning and plausible Profession but in such Dubious Terms as may look like Good and Orthodox and yet be in a great Measure Reconcileable to their Ancient Friends Principles and Testimonies It is well known that the most Virulent Poison may be Gilded over and that Varnish and Paint may be laid on the Foulest Cause and consequently the Quakers may be guilty of the grossest Errors under the Mask of Innocence and Zeal Religion and Purity But I shall not trouble the Reader with their Intentions and Meanings nor Trace them into all their Equivocal Reserves wherein they may be thought to exceed their Brethren the Jesuites but rather have recourse to their own Books which can't but be allowed to be the best and only way to know and understand their real Principles as well as Meanings they being most if not all pretended to be Wrote from the Mouth of the Lord. First They pretend to make the World believe that they own the Blessed Trinity that is they pretend to acknowledge a Three

are Sanctified have perfect Unity perfect Knowledge perfect 〈◊〉 And Will. Penn in his Truth Ex●li●d c. as the Authors of a Book Entituled A brief Discovery c. takes notice laughs at the Church of England for confessing themselves Sinners or praying to God for Mercy Alas poor Souls saith Penn are not you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mercy upon us miserable Sinners there is no Health in us from Seven to Seventy This Doctrine of Sinless Perfection being the approved Doctrine of the Quakers and that in Opposition to all Professors of the Christian Faith there is no Reason why they should believe Remission of Sin Redemption and Justification by the Righteousness and Merits of Jesus Christ because they themselves pretend to be Perfect as God yea as Perfect and Free from Sin Quest Do you believe and own the Divine 〈◊〉 of Jesus Christ in his Church Answ Yes verily we sincerely believe and own Christ not only as He is the Light of the World enlightning every Man coming into i● but also that he is given for a Leader and for a Commander and that He is both King Priest and Prophet to and over His Church and People c. OBSERVATION This Profession of theirs if Sincere would indeed comprehend a great Part of the Christian Religion but if the above Quotations be true they will give you just Cause to suspect them even in this Observe then how they believe the Kingly Office of Christ For that examine whether they do not attribute that to G. Fox their first Apostle which is due to Christ Himself alone See Tyranny and Hypocrisie detected p. 19. where Solomon Eccles thus celebrates G. Fox viz. Blessed be the Man that came out of the North blessed be the Womb that bear him and the Breast that gave him Suck And ib. see there a Letter written by 〈◊〉 Coale a Quaker from Barbadoes to G. Fox 24. Day 12 Month 1658. which is justified by W. Penn in his Judas and the Jews p. 44. 45 46. viz. Dear G. Fox who art the Father of many Nations whose Life hath reached thro' us thy Children even to the Isles afar off to the begetting of many again to a lively Hope for which Generations to come shall call thee Blessed whose Being and Habitation is in the Power of the Highest in which thou rule and governest in Righteousness and thy Kingdom is established in P●●●e and the Encrease thereof is without end Now by these Expressions as Edw. P●ye in his Antichrist in Spirit Unmasked well observes whether the Scepter be not wrested out of Christ's Hand and given to G. Fox let the Reader judge by considering the several Parts of it 1 st Then observe he doth expresly ascribe to him a Kingdom Thy Kingdom c. and thou Rulest and Governest must not then such a one be an Actual King 2 dly He describes the Subjects of this Kingdom who those are you may with some Assurance venture to guess viz. Josiah Coale and the rest of the Ancient Society of Quakers to whom the Life of G. Fox hath reached thro' such Illustrious Children even to the Isles afar off to the begetting them again to a lively Hope and these are great in Numbers and therefore he calls him the Father of many Nations 3 dly As Mr. Paye says he tells us what kind of Power and Authority it is in which this King Rules and Governs namely In the Power of the Highest viz. a Spiritual and Divine Power not like that of the Kingdoms of Men. 4 thly You have here the Stability of this Kingdom Thy Kingdom is established in Peace 5 thly You have the Extent of this Kingdom also namely The Encrease thereof is without end it is a Boundless Kingdom Lastly Take notice of the Excellency of this Kingdom which is such and Fox this King's Happiness so great that not only the present Age but Generations to come shall call him Blessed From hence judge if G. Fox is not Invested and Throned in Christ's Kingly Office They have then no Reason to take it ill if we call G. Fox the King of the Quakers since it plainly appears from the Testimony of Josiah Coale an Eminent Teacher of theirs and vindicated as above quoted by Will. Penn and approved of by their Second Day Meeting that he is so even as Christ is King of the Christians but possibly it may be objected That it is Christ in G. Fox that hath this Regal or Kingly Power as G. Whitehead asserts in his Innocency against Envy p. 18. we might have then reasonably expected that it would have been so expressed Meanings are not to be understood but by Words and as for Words none can be plainer and more expressive which W. Penn affirms to be no Blasphemy but harmless and Innocent See further Tyranny and Hypocrisie detected p. 45. as also Judas and the Jews p. 85. where you have this Saying of King George repeated Friends altho' I have not told it you I do now declare it I have Power to bind and to loose whom I please And who can deny it since he hath deprived Christ of His Kingly Office and assumed it to Himself But I do still expect the Quakers will say as G. Whitehead in his Innocency against Envy p. 18. plainly intimates it is not G. Fox but the Light or Christ within him that Assumes this Kingly Power but it will then follow that every Quaker is a King because every Quaker has the Light within which Light must be obeyed since all Power in Heaven and Earth is committed to it See Smith's Primer p. 13. also Josiah Coale's Works p. 93. See G. Fox Jun. p. 50. whom you may observe to speak plain and home to the Point viz. I the Light will fall upon you and grinde you to Pouder All who will not own me the Light in you And I will make you know that I the Light am the true Eternal God which created all things and that by me the Light all things are upheld and that there is not another besides me that can save Now Reader compare these Quotations with this their late Profession now under Consideration and then judge whether the Quakers do really own the Kingly Office of Christ For whereas they pretend to be obedient to the Laws of Christ our Lord and His Ordinances are they not both by their Doctrine and Practices made Void Contemned and Rejected as will further hereafter appear But to proceed 2 dly Let us now see how they own Christ's Priestly Office For who as above can believe that they really own the Priestly Office of Christ when they deny his Humanity as owned by all Orthodox Christians To which I shall add these Reasons with some little Mixture of Matter of Fact to let the Reader see that notwithstanding their Plausible Pretences they must be thought to deny the Priestly Office of Christ For First If they deny the Person or Humanity of Christ as above shewed they cannot own Christ's Priestly