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	paul_n	7,516	5	6.4255	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91475	Good tydings for sinners, great ioy for saints; or, A word to the world, and two to those that are chosen out of the world. Wherein is held forth, first, the sweet tenders of grace from the father through the son to all dejected sinners; he invites them, he woes them, he intreats them, nay, he beseecheth them to accept of mercy. In the second part of this book, called, Two words to those chosen out of the world, is spoken to the saints under their severall forms, taking notice first of the things commendable in them: and in the second place reproving them for things amisse among them. With a short prophesie of the downfall of presbyterie, independencie, anabaptismie, vaine notions, free-will. With a brief description of a true church-state, against which the gates of Hell shall not prevaile; it being founded upon a rock, it will stand against all waves and storms, that either men or devils can raise against it. I will give you all one heart, and one way. Then the Lord shall be one, and his name one. / Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.; Parnell, Robert, attributed name.	1649 (1649)	Wing P542; Wing P4234; Thomason E557_12; ESTC R27528	60,728	77

and Paul renounced it also and said I came not with excellency of words or of wisdome shewing unto you the testimony of God Neither saith he stood my Word and Preaching in the enticing speech of mans wisdome but in plain evidence of the Spirit and of power that your Faith should not be in the wisdome of men but in the power of God And we speak wisdome and not the wisdome of this world c. but we speak the wisdome of God in a mystery even the hid wisdome c. which the Princes of this world have not known c. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit which searcheth the deepe things of God c. and which we have received that we may know the things that are given to us of God c. Which things also wee speak not in the words which mans wisdome teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth c. 1 Cor. 2. chap. throughout which you see doth abundantly testifie that Paul spake not according to humane learning reade also 1 Gal. 12.16 2. Peter here saith that one of those difficult sayings of Paul which the unlearned understood not was this That the long suffering of our Lord is salvation which being a spirituall thing as all the things of salvation are cannot be understood by natural wisdome for the things of God knows no man but the spirit of God therefore Pauls wisdome was spirituall and their unlearnednes there spoken of was this that they had not that wisdome in which he knew salvation that is the wisdome of God for worldly wisdome they might have and bee neverthelesse ignorant of all spirituals Thirdly They were unlearned that is they had not the learning by which they might understand those things in the sence which would tend to their salvation or true knowledge of God and that surely is onely a spirituall sence For else to wrest it to another sence could not be to their destruction Fourthly Peter here exhorts the Saints to take heed of that errour of the wicked least they also should be lead away with it accounting it you see a wicked errour And then in the next place exhorts them to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ as being a thing contrary to that wicked errour and a remedy against it Now if the knowledge of Christ and growing in grace be a remedy against that errour then it is most plain That their unlearnednesse which is there said to be the cause of their errour was not of humane tongues and sciences for then Peter would have bidden them studie these to keep them from errour But it was of the grace of God and of the knowledge of Christ they were ignorant or unlearned and therefore he bids them grow in that grace and knowledge that they might not erre So that that saying of Peter being thus truly understood it is most plain that their unlearnednesse which caused them to erre was their ignorance of Grace and of Christ not of humane learning To which also let me adde these rules viz. First That a mans principle by which he doth converse with or apprehend any thing must be of a nature suitable to the nature of that thing which he converseth with or apprehendeth as in particular You cannot apprehend or discover any object of sence by the principle of reason for example you cannot by your reason or any thing else but your sence of hearing apprehend or know that there is any sound or noise nor how it soundeth But the care and voice are suitable not a voice and another sence as we cannot see a voice c. Just alike impossible it is for reason meerly naturall to know spirituall things as the scripture saith the naturall man knows not the things of God nature hath not a power suitable to attain to them Second rule Every evill or defect is remediable onely by its contrary good or supply as darknes is remediable by light carnalnesse by spiritualnesse weaknes by strength ignorance by knowledge c. Which two Rules if you observe them will help to the underderstanding of those words of Peter But if yet you are perswaded that your Universitie learning can dive into the spirituall sence of scripture I would propose to a whole Synod of your function to reconcile these Scriptures hereafter cited that are in the letter so contradictory one to another for instance One Scripture saith Thou must love thy Father Mother Wife Children c Another Scripture saith Thou must hate all these if thou wilt be my disciple Luke 14.26 One Scripture saith of God Anger is not in me Another saith He is angry with the wicked every day Psal 7.11 One saith Yee doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost Acts 7.51 Another saith They could not resist the Spirit by which he spake Act 6.10 Another Scripture saith That he that saith he hath not sinned is a lyar and the truth is not in him 1 John 1.8.10 One Scripture saith of John That he was not Elias John 1.21 Another saith of the same John That he was Elias Math 11.14 Matth. 11 12. I might instance in at least 40. Scriptures thus contradictory in the letter Now this is the thing that I would aske you whether through the understanding of tongues or arts humane you can give the true genuine sence of those Scriptures surely you cannot for these Scriptures were pend by the holy Spirit whose mysterious language the eare of man naturall cannot heare nor his heart conceive much lesse his tongue expresse or interpret To conclude you doe ignorantly looke upon your selves as so many learned Apostles now considering that there are many Aquillas and Priscillas that can teach you the way of God more plainly Read and well consider that Acts 18.25 26. That place of Peter about the unlearned hath led me to a long digression but now to returne againe to advise you Fourthly Lay aside or leave off your kindling of flames in the State and blowing the bellowes of contention and vaine jangling and fall to preaching the Gospel of peace Let the State Governours alone with the State affaires And also let the Lord Christ alone with the discipline of his Church Let it not be said of you as once it was of the high-Priests that they were the onely enemies to the Kingdome of Christ and yet the great pretenders to it Doe not reproach the Lords people as once they did for beleeving in and following of their Lord Christ saying Have any of us the Rulers beleeved on him No none said they but a few ignorant people that know not the law Doe not accuse the Lords people in your Pulpits as the Priests did Paul Act. 24.5 saying he was a pestilent fellow amover of sedition and a ring-leader of the sect of the Nazarens Least the Lords people should answer you as Paul did them Acts 24. v. 14. After the way which you call heresie so worship I the God of my Fathers c. So having

sandy foundations I shall then shut up all with one word of advice to all Oh ye sons of Sion Behold your union with God consider also that yee are one not with some onely but with all the Saints under whatsoever forme they be Wherefore love them all pitty them all doe good to them all and as you are united in one spirit so let the the word and spirit be your rule When you have gathered your selves together according to the order of the Gospell choose to your selves Pastors and Teachers Elders and Deacons make use of all Gods ordinances but rest upon none looke upon them all but as Pipes and Organs through which he conveyes himselfe to the soule c. Quest But me thinkes I heare some say What religion or at least opinion is he himselfe off that hath written this Treatise He can be no Presbyterian for he writes against them He is no Independent for he reproves them No Anabaptist for he dislikes them No Free-willer for he writes directly against them What then is he Answ I answer I am a Christian You will say So are all the people of England Christians But that I deny For though there are many Christians of mans making yet there are few yea very few of Gods making But you will say What are they then if not Christians I answer There are many Heathens and Turkes Jews and Infidels many Canaanites and Amorites Perrizzites c. But I am a Christian This name was given first to the disciples in Antioch I beleeve in one God Father of all and in one Lord Jesus Christ redeemer of all and in one sanctifying Spirit of Grace I beleeve that it is the office of the Father to elect the office of the Sonne to redeeme and the office of the Holy Ghost to Sanctifie those and onely those whom the Father hath elected and the Sonne redeemed And I doe beleeve my owne interest in all these without which the knowledge of it is nothing the Father loves me freely the Son manifests that love to me and the Spirit doth evidence it in me The Father loveth me as redeemed by his Sonne The Son lookes upon me and loves me as being given by the Father for him too redeeme And the Holy Ghost seeing the love of the Father in choosing me and the love of the Sonne in redeeming me he also sets his love upon me and manifests this unto me which is the earnest of my inheritance I beleeve that God hath his being in himselfe and gives being to all other creatures and the cause why he made mee was for his owne glory and the end why he elected me in Christ was that I should bring forth fruit to him I know I am not my own I am bought with a price wherfore I desire to glorifie God with my body and my soule which are the Lords I endeavour as to love God so also to love his people not some but all and to love my enemies desiring to become all things to all that I might in my place gaine 〈◊〉 I doe bel●●ve that I 〈◊〉 to give no just offence to the Jew nor the Gentile 〈◊〉 the Church of Christ wherfore as much as in me lieth I endeavour to keepe a conscience voide of offence both towards God and towards man I love all and yet I desire to withdraw my selfe from every brother that walketh disorderly I doe beleive that I am a Servant of Christ I doe beleeve I am a Friend of Christ John 15.15 I doe beleeve that I am a Brother of the Lord Christ Heb 2.11 I doe beleeve that I am in as neare relation to Christ as the wife is to the husband Rev. 1.9 I doe beleeve that I am a Member of his owne body 1 Cor. 12. verse 12. I do beleeve that I am a Joynt-heire with Christ Rom. 8.17 I doe beleeve that I am joyned to the Lord and so one Spirit with him 1 Cor. 6.17 I doe beleeve that the Lord takes all the evill done to me as done to himself Zac. 2.8 Mat. 25.45 I doe beleeve that I have everlasting life already according to that John 3.36 1. In the promise feare not little flocke it is your fathers pleasure to give you a kingdome 2. In the first fruites for what is heaven hereafter but a more full enjoyment of what is begun here 3. I have everlasting life already in possession by my head Christ I doe beleeve that all this is but a taste of what I shall be according to that 1 John 3.1 2. Now are yee the sons of God and it doth not yet appeare what you shall be But when he shall appeare yee shall be like him The serious consideration of which I doubt not will draw up my conversation more and more to be in heaven even whil'st I remaine here on earth I doe beelve that my sinnes by Christ are taken out of the sight of God I doe beleeve that the designe of Christ was to take it away out of my Conscience that there might be no more conscience of sinne Heb. 9.14 I doe beleeve that as Christ hath taken away sinne out of the sight of God and out of my owne Conscience so in due time he will take away sin out of my conversation according to that scripture 1 Pet. 1.15 and Luke 1.75 In a word I doe beleeve my sinnes past present and to come are all laid upon and done away by Christ Isa 53.6 I doe beleve that as there was no good fore-seene in me that did cause the Lord to set his love upon me so there is no evill that can be done by me that can cause him to hate me A Word to the Parliament the Representative body of the Kingdome I Cannot put a period to this little Volume without one word to you who are Members of the High Court of Parliament Honoured Worthies you have begun well go on that we may finde in England that that was so earnestly sought for in Jerusalem Jer 5.1 Men executing judgement and speaking the truth And then why may we not expect to be partakers of the mercy there promised a pardoning of the sin and a healing of the Land Eye the Lord Jesus in all your actings and advance his Kingdome as much as in you lyeth honour him and hee will honour you and endeavour with David to deliver his Lambs out of the Lyons mouths for they are tender in your Fathers eyes let them be so in yours Your undaunted courage in not fearing the faces of men and your executing of justice upon all offenders without respect of Persons or partiality as it is very acceptable in the sight of God so the sound of it is very sweet in the ears of his People And as the Saints in England have put up many Petitions at the Throne of Grace that God would give you undaunted Spirits and having by experience found God answering their request by your late actings as touching the King and Lords they are now

worldly honour and power earthly riches will they preach if their profit invite them not Doe they reckon themselves rewarded if they receive not money Is not their cry great and their labour extream for Mammon judge you But these Ministers are made such in a way of imitation They say they follow the pattern of the Apostles But is it so The Apostles had a glorious Spirit of light and power poured out upon them mightily manifested in them so that they were in a holy extasie seeming as men drunk filled not with Wine but the Spirit that they plainly saw the promises and prophesies fulfilled in them and the world also might see and say that God was in them because of the works that were done by them They professed and declared that they had not their doctrine of man nor by man but by God they were not instructed through or by means of the fleshly Organs or faculties of their bodies or any fleshly or outward forme But say they the Gospel of God is revealed in us from Faith to Faith the Spirit of God doth reveale it to us we have tasted and seen and felt of the Word of Life The things of God knows no man but the Spirit of God but we have the Spirit c. And now are the pourings out of the Spirit upon all flesh heretofore prophesied and promised c. By all which and other expressions of scripture which are many and abundant it is apparent that the Apostles had a ministration of light life power and efficacie in them which went forth by them in marveilous operations Now they could with great boldnes and clearnes declare and Preach the mysteries of the Gospel because they had a clearnesse of sight of them by a proper demonstration and immediate manifestation the Spirit of God dwelt in them taught them plainly and they certainly knew that he taught them they had sure experience as wee by our bodily sight have experience or knowledge that the Sun shineth But amongst all these pretenders to the ministry and that appropriate to themselves that function so distinct as being the true and singular Apostle-imatators or as if they were thereunto anointed and sanctified above the rest of Christians their brethren where is he that God hath made so distinct by any guifts or endowments which either are comparable to those of the primitive Christians or doe competently inable him to declare the mystery of the Gospel which as spirituall so deepe and mysterious Or wherein is he a Minister more than an ordinary Christian Nay I will be bold to say that if they that are called the Ministers had but so much true light of the Gospell revealed in them as many private weake Children of God it would cause them absolutely to be ashamed to be termed Ministers so unlike are they to and untruly counted such Can their humane wisedome their schoole-learning and arts which are flesh and of the world unfold unto them the mystery of Godlinesse so great If so then the Apostle said not truly That God hath hid the things of his Spirit from the wise and prudent of the world and revealed them to babes And then also may the naturall man perceive the things of God though Paul saith he cannot And now if all your worldly and fleshly wisedome be no more to be accompted of what then is your ministry What is your complaint and murmuring against the Authority of the Nation What are they pulling down Apostles of Christ or imposters of Antichrist Shepherds that feed the Sheep or Wolves that devoure them do they pull downe their feeders or else their fleecers Are they pulling downe leaders or seducers May I not say to you in this case as our blessed Lord said to Nicodemus in another case John 3.10 Are you Masters in Israel and know not these things Indeed they are pulling downe such a ministry as is spoken of by the Prophet Micah Micah 3.5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my people erre that bite with their teeth and yet cry peace and he that putteth not into their mouths they even prepare warre against him And in the next verse you may reade their judgement at large Well then will you be offended with Parliament and Army for pulling downe such a magistracie and ministry as this let me beseech you Give over with speed least you fall with them Againe My friends I doe admire that you complaine of the badnesse of these times surely you doe but dreame for if you doe awake you shall plainly see that they are the best times with us in England that ever we had to live by faith what Hath the Lord with the Besome of destruction swept away the head of the enemies of truth And yet sad times What Doth hee take Princes and Lords which were so high and bring their Heads so low as the Blocke And yet sad times What Have the Saints in obedience to the command of their Father given them to drink of the bitter that they have given you so long And yet sad times What Is the Lord making inquisition for blood and meeting the same measure to his enemies as they have meeted to his people And yet sad times What Is the Lord magnifying the attribute of his Justice upon his and our implacable enemies And yet sad times What Is the Lord pulling downe the powers of the world and the Kingdomes of men and setting up or at least making way to set up the Kingdome of his owne deare Son And yet sad times Hath the Lord prospered our Armies and given us so many Victories over them that would have devoured us And yet sad times My Brethren I am afraid you did not mourne with Jerusalem because you doe not now r●joce with her It is true unto some the times are sad but to whom Answ To the deceivers of our nation for these times doe discover them and plainly it is a bad time for false Prophets and corrupt Judges for God hath threatned their ruine it is bad times for Babylon and all her brats for the day of her destruction is dawning and the houre of her plagues is comming when Kings and Princes Nobles and Merchants shall all lye howling weeping and wailing crying alas alas And all the Saints shall stand before the presence of their tender Father singing rejoycing and praising the Lord for his judgements upon their enemies Againe You Ministers of the Presbiterian Congregations methinks you have lost your beauty I doe not see you in the affections of the Heires of promise the Sonnes of Sion as formerly the cause of this must be in the people or in your selves and I have spent a little time and made diligent search for to finde where the cause lyes and have with an impartiall heart weighed the Saints in one ballance and you in another And I finde you not them to light I meane I finde the cause of your being sleighted to be in your selves wherefore let me

us and pitty is departed from us Oh deare friends Are there all these sad cryes and teares and yet doe your vaine pleasures bewitch you to bee deafe Awake awake for now your Lord commands goe heare what those my and your poore membes say see why they weepe Lord they cry for want Chr. What want And thou stand by with such rich stores of mine Oh most unfaithfull Most unkinde Doest thou love me and doe I hunger in my members and wilt not feede me with mine owne but imbessell those my stores to such base Harlots as thy fleshly fancies Ah unfaithfull wretch get hence thou shalt not stay with me nor see my face these many dayes I desire you to consider whether Christ doth not speake thus to your Spirits But I have digressed and now I returne 4 This is also a fault among you that you doe not pitty the poore blinde world and endeavour to bring them into the knowledge of the truth by laying before them the free love of God through Jesus Christ all your studies are how to build up Saints therefore to them you doe altogether speake Nay I have heard Sermon after Sermon in publique besides your practice in private and you speake onely to Saints enlightened though most of the people to whom you speake are yet in the old man and have neede of such a Sermon as Christ preached to Nicodemus And so you are blame-worthy as the Presbyterians are yea more than they for many of them doe teach the practicall part of divinity before the doctrinall and you tell of great enjoyments before your hearers are truly principled he that doth truly preach the Gospell must preach to sinners to convince them as well as to Saints to confirme them If you will indeed be followers of Christ you must not content your selves to preach a piece of the Gospell for Christ when he came among sinners he was intreating and perswading them and calling them to come to him that they might have life He often encouraged them to come to him telling them he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance He bids come unto him all you that are weary and heavy laden and he will give you rest And saith They that come to me I will in no wise cast off And when he gave his Commission to his Disciples he told them they must preach the Gospell to every creature Oh then pitty the world pray for the world rebuke instruct exhort perswade and beseech them to be reconciled to God your father lets the Sun shine and the Rain fall upon them and bids you learn of him to love them Doe they revile thee Then with Paul blesse them 1 Cor. 4.12 Doe they persecute thee Then with him suffer it 1 Cor. 4.12 Do they take away thy cloak give them thy coat Doe they smite thee on the one cheek offer the other Do they curse thee as Shimei did David Then as David let them alone It may be the Lord hath bid them doe it To you it is given in the behalf of Christ not onely to believe but also to suffer for his sake And how knowest thou but that he will reward thee good for all their evill If thou wer'st of the world the world would love thee but because he hath chosen thee out of the world therefore the world doth hate thee A Word to those that goe under the name and title of ANABAPTISTS MY Brethren there are these things worthy of commendation among you You meet often together and when you come together as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God as every one hath received the gift so he doth administer the same you exceed in some sort all other Churches namely in this That you doe administer a right ordinance to right objects you will doe God work in Gods way I mean you Baptise those to whom Baptisme belongs you do that which is required and as it is required And in some measure you doe according to the command of Christ 1 Thess 5.14 You warn them that are unruly you doe comfort the feeble minded support the weake and in some measure yee endeavour to have patience towards all men And when men begin to deny or sleight Gods ordinances you withdraw your selves from such and this also is found in you for which I commend you You look upon the scripture as written for your learning and therefore you often read and meditate of it you cannot bear with those that slight it and speak reproach fully of it you have experience that God doth teach you by his word mediately more than by immediate revelations But my Brethren there are faults among you therefore I have a few things against you wherefore bear with me if I deale plainly with you first the Scripture bids you speak evill of no man why then doe you imagine in your hearts and speak evill of the Independent because he will not be rebaptized Why doe you so judge the Presbyterian for Baptizing children to whom it doth not belong They doo not see by your eies therefore they cannot walk by your ruks are they in darknesse in this so once wast thou Doest thou out-strip them in this it may be nay I am sure they do go beyond thee in other particulars of obedience Doe they neglect the ordinance of Baptisme that is their evill but thou doest rest upon it and this is thy evill do they sin in sleighting Baptisme thou sinnest in idolizing of it Oh then be sparing to censure and judge thy Brother Here is another branch of your miscarriage you suffer no man though never so well gifted to speak among you no though he be able to teach you all unlesse he be joyned to you by the ordinance of Baptisme with water and though he be baptized with the Baptisme of the Spirit without which that of water is nothing you hear him not Again you often take Scripture in the literall when you should take it in the spirituall sense When Christ speaks of the baptisme of the Spirit you understand it to be of Water In a word You live much under the administration of John who tels you that he must decrease but not so much under the administration of Christ who shall encrease Again you make Baptisme the ground of your communion and so disorder what God hath ordered for the ground of communion should arise first from that union you have with Christ your head and secondly from that near relation you have each to other as being one in the same spirit In a word your knowledge that you have one of another is after the flesh when will you be of Pauls minde 2 Cor. 5.16 to know no man after the flesh I may truly say of you as once it was said of Apollos Acts 18.25 that he was instructed in the way of the Lord knowing onely Johns Baptisme of water and surely you have great need as once he had to have Aquilla and Priscilla to

from the Lord if it come not to passe it is not from the Lord. Againe I have by faith seene all these opinions fallen and I have heard from many others that they have seene them fallen also Therefore that which I have heard and seene declare I unto you that you might have fellowship with the Father and the Sonne in the spirit for then and not till then you will give over saying as in effect you doe I am of Paul I am of Appollo I am of Cephas Then you will not so much crye up a forme but endeavour the power of godlinesse Deliver thy selfe then oh Zion that dwellest with the daughter of Babilon Zecha 2.7 For the Lord shall slay Babylon and call his Servants by a new name Isa 65.15 A short description of a true Church-state or communion of Saints that shall stand against al opposers PAul writing to the Church of Corinth beseecheth them in the name of Christ that they would endeavour a perfect joyning together in one minde and one judgement and good reason he had for so doing for he well knew that all joynings whatsoever that were imperfect were not of God and so could not stand In opposition to all such imperfect unitings or unsound communions he disswades this Church of Christ from pleading or standing for patties and from saying I am of Paul I am of Apollos c. He doth in effect tell them they must cease from knowing Christ and Christians after the flesh for that must vanish He doth perswade them not to build upon the sand for that will fall The Spirit of Christ doth exhort you to give over saying lo here is Christ lo there is Christ for that is unsound and cannot stand That communion of Saints that shall stand against which the gates of hell shall not prevaile let the winde blow the raine descend and the floods come and beate upon it it will not fall for it is founded on a rocke That communion then is this A communion that doth arise or flow from union I say It is a communion of Saints arising from a cleare apprehension of their union with Saints 1 Cor. 12.13 14. For by one Spirit are we all baptised into one body whether we be Jewes or Gentiles bond or free And have beene all made to drinke into one spirit for the bod●●s not one member but many verse 20. For now are they many members yet but one body Now when a Saint comes to see that every one in whom the Lord Jesus appeareth though in the least measure is a member together with him in the same body whereof Christ is the head then his heart longeth to joyne himselfe in fellowship with such who have fellowship with the father and the son in spirit whether in ordinances or otherwise He considers that he and all the faithfull under the whole Heavens have all one father all one mother all one elder Brother all one calling all one hope of their calling all cloathed with the same robe all inclined to the same worke all united by the same spirit all ruled by the same word and so he honours them all as the body of Christ and nourisheth and cherisheth them all as his owne body Oh who can breake the linkes of this golden chaine Who can throw downe this spirituall building No no The gates of hell cannot prevaile against it Reade and well consider that in the 1 Pet. 2.5 Yee also as lively stones are built up a spirituall house an holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ c. or as it is in the margin be you built up a spirituall house Goe now through all the Shires and Cities of England and enquire nay make diligent search among all sorts of people professing and pretending to Christ for such a Congregation that of lively stones hath built up such a spirituall house and note that Church It shall never fall Oh where is such an assembly of Saints to be found as is spoken of Ephes. 2.22 that are built together for an holy habitation of God through the spirit Shall I appeale now to thy very conscience and aske thee oh thou zealous Presbyterian Is your building which is so much cried up in England such a building Shall I appeale now to thy conscience oh thou Independent and aske thee Art thou built up for an habitation of God through ●he spirit Doest thou indeed offer up a spirituall sacrifice Me thinks there is so much truth in both the Presbyterian and the Independent as to answer in the negative Well then Hence it is you love one Saint and hate another because you are not perfectly joyned together You yet know Christ and Christians after the flesh you have been joyned together in one forme but not united together in one spirit But the day is dawning before you and the day star is rising in you at the appearance of which your communion shall be in the spirit as well as in the forme and your love shall be to all as well as to some and when you are absent in body as Paul you will be present in spirit joying and beholding their spirituall order Now there are many reasons why the Saints ought to bee thus joyned together Take two 1. Because they are commanded to stand fast in one spirit Phil. 1. 27. And how can they stand fast in the Spirit if they be not joyned in the Spirit 2. Because that worship wherewith they must worship God must be a spirituall worship John 4.23.24 1 Pet. 2.5 And untill Saints are thus joyned together they are not fitly joyned according to that Ephes. 4.16 Neither untill they be thus united in one spirit can they be said to have any fellowship of the Spirit according to that Phil. 2.1 Againe untill they be thus united in one spirit how can they yeeld obedience to that command Ephes. 4 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace And that they might keepe the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace see what powerfull convincing arguments hee brings Ephes. 4.4 5 6. There is one body saith he and one spirit even as yee are called in one hope of your calling One Lord one Faith one Baptisme One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Mark then I beseech you the Lord by Paul doth here lay downe 1. The union thou hast with him 2. The union thou hast with his people and from both these as from the ground he puts his people upon a sweet communion and fellowship both with himselfe and his people Upon this rocke hath Christ built his Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against a Church thus stated But I have beene in communion with all sorts of Professors now extant in England and waded out of one forme into another and at the last I have clearly found that much of their building hath beene upon

thou be filled with all the fulnesse of God verse 19. My thinks I see many of the Saints even breaking forth in the language of Mary Luke 46 47.48 My soule doth magnifie the Lord my Spirit doth rejoyce in God my Saviour and then gives occasion of this Joy for he hath regarded the low estate of his hand-maid The tongue of the dumbe doth begin to sing the eyes of the blind to be opened and the eares of the deafe to heare Reade the 35. of Isaiah that whole chapter briefly and plainly layes downe by way of prophesie that he our tender father is bringing downe the mighty from their seat and exalting them of low legree yea he rebuketh Kings for your sakes your God is no respecter of persons If Kings and Princes rebell against him and his chosen ones hee will bring downe their heads as low as the block and if these great ones endeavour to seperate God and his people God will seperate their heads from their bodies you see these dayes of ours doe witnesse to this in a word He is pulling downe the Kingdomes of men and setting up the Kingdome of his deare Sonne And how doth the brutish Malignant rage and the poor blind Presbyterian murmure at the going on of Gods worke let mee say to both as Prov. 1.22 How long you simple ones will you love simplicity What doe you not know that God hath an attribute of justice that he will magnifie as well as that of his mercy If he afflict his own dear children whom he so loves will he not execute vengeance on his adversaries Be silent then all flesh before him for the Lord will bring to passe his work yea his strange work True Justice hath no respect of persons wherefore turn your murmuring and repining into rejoycing and thanksgiving for the just judgements of God upon the enemies of his truth O you most noble overcomming Saints servants of the most high God you shall judge Angels as well as earthly Kings Your Father loves you and therefore he will honour you nay he doth honour thee already Th●s● that honour me I will honour saith the Lord. First 1. He cals thee his servant and that is a great honour to be a servant to so heavenly a Prince but as if that were too little 2. He cals you his chosen ones his friends Joh 15.15 3. He cals you his brethren and sisters Heb. 2.11 4. He cals you his sonnes and daughters a more near relation yet as if that were a stile too low to expresse his tender love unto you 5. He cals you his chosen Spouse and Wife Rev. 21.9 6. He cals you members of his own body 1 Cor. 12.12 7. Hee tels you yee are coheires with himself Rom. 8.17 8. He tels you that the glory that the Father gave to him he hath given to you that you may be one as the Father and he are one 9. He tels you that you are not onely one in the body but one in the spirit also 1 Cor. 6.17 10. And lastly He tels you that this is but a short taste of what you shall be 1 Joh. 3.1.2 How will the consideration of these near relations cause you to break forth with the holy Ghost 1 Joh. 4.17 As he is so are we in this present world Or as in Heb. 2.11 Both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all one again Hence it is that the Lord saith He that toucheth them toucheth the apple of mine eye In a word the Lord takes all the wrongs done to any of his as done to himself Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee I was an hungred and yee gave me no meat I was thirsty and you gave me no drink I was a stranger and you took me not in naked and yee cloathed me not Sick and in Prison and you visited me not In asmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these you did it not to mee Again consider As thy most wise God turns all things to his own glory so likewise he turns them to thy good To instance in a few things as first The very fall of Adam wherein the Devill thought to have wrought thy ruine God in his wisdome hath turned it to thy greatest good And in the same thing wherein the Devill thought to cast thee thy God appointed to recover thee Adam fell through unbelief thou rifest again by Faith and the state in which thou standest in the second Adam is a more firme and glorious state than that of the first Adam So that thou hast gotten many priviledges by his fall For instance 1. Adam though made without sin yet might sin Now it is impossible for thee as thou art made a new creature by Christ to sin 1 Ioh. 3.6 9 2. The first Adam was made inferiour to Angels but the second Adam hath made thee equall with if not above the Angels Luk. 22.36 Matth. 22 30. 3. The first Adam had power over visible creatures of the earth but thou being restored by the second Adam hast power over principalities and spirituall wickednesses in high places Ephes 6.12 2 Cor. 10.4 4. Adam was made righteous and that was a glorious state but the second Adam hath made thee the righteousnes of God in him 2 Corin. 5. vers 21. 5. The first Adam in his best estate was subject to fall by the temptation of evil Angels But nothing can make a separation between thee and thy God Rom. 8.35 6. Adam had but a temporall paradise at the best but the sonnes of Sion by virtue of their second Adam have a spirituall Paradise Heb. 12.22 23. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledgeoff God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Well doth John say Ioh. 3.36 Hee that believeth on the soune hath everlasting life mark he doth not say he shall have everlasting life but he hath it already And particularly he hath it thus 1. He hath everlasting life in the promise Feare not little flock it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdome 2. He hath it in the first fruits for what is heaven but a more full enjoyment hereafter of what is begun here 3. He hath it even now in possession by Christ his head for Christ his head is entred in already Oh then you servants of God! If you be entred into heaven if you have received a kingdome that cannot be moved Serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear So having spoken a word in generall to all the sons of Zion give me leave to speak a word in particular to each of them under their severall forms and herein I shall somwhat differ from the practice of most men I shall first take notice of those things that are commendable in the Saints to whom I write to cherish and commend that And Secondly Reprove them sharpely but yet in the Spirit of love and meeknes for the evill among them So

did Paul with the Church of Corinth 1 Corin. 1.4 and so to the 15. verse So dealt Christ with the Church of Ephesus Rev 2. from the first ve●se to the end of the fift And in the same manner he spake to the Church of Pergamus Revel 2. from the 12. verse to the end of the 16. And so when he wrote to the Church of Thyatira Revel 2.18 19. I know thy works and charitie and service and faith and thy patience and how thou growest for thy last works be more than thy first So having taken notice of the things commendable and praised them for that verse 20. in the next place not the first he reproves their evill saying Neverthelesse I have a few things against thee c. In this order or method I shall at present speak not in opposition to or deniall of any way now in practice amongst the godly and warranted by the Scriptures A Word to those that have taken to themselves the name of PRESBYTERIANS My Brethren MY hearts desire and prayer to God is that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto each of you the Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the knowledge of him That you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and height depth to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that you might be filled with all the fulnesse of God I thank my God on your behalf for the grace of God that is in some measure given to many of you already by Jesus Christ God hath made some of you instrumentall for the conversion of souls by the preaching of his Word And I my self must acknowledge to the glory of God and to your praise that I have had many sweet and heavenly refreshments by your teachings and solid discourses both in publique and private In some things God hath enlightened me by you and in some other things I have been convinced by you and in some other things I have been confirmed by you These things I speak by experience and besides I have heard from some others that they have also received the like benefits from the Lord by you Again Many of you are men of tender consciences In so much that when you see but the very appearance of evill you will abstain from it And the Charitie of many of you to the Poore is very large as appears by the relation of many poore Souls whose bowels you have refreshed and appears also by your stirring up others to the performance of that duty By my Brethren there are faults amongst you therefore I have a few things against you 1. Why do you so frequently complain against this present Parliament and Army saying they be pulling down Magistracy and Ministry are they pulling down any such Magistracy or Ministry as Christ hath set up Or else such as Anti-christ hath set up and acted his designs by Let him that is spirituall judge if you examine our present Magistracy and Ministry by the word of Truth you shall easily see that they are not according to Christ but to Anti-christ First Touching the Magistrate I appeal to your Consciences Hath he been the Magistrate of God for good to thee in countenancing them that do well and punishing of evill doers or rather Hath he not continually for a long time punished those that doe well and countenanced those that do ill Herein I will appeal to the sons of Sion to judge Have they not banished imprisoned reproached persecuted despised and contemned and that to the highest pitch of their power all those in whom the fruits of the Spirit of Christ have appeared in any measure And is this a lawfull authority which we ought to obey Then let us never accompt it blasphemy to say that the most wicked of actions are lawfull and just For is any thing lesse from the will of God or more contrary to his commands than this Is not one unrighteousnes as absolute a transgression as another It is worth you pains to examin what lawfull authority is and let us consider It is said Rom. 13.1 The powers that bee are ordained of God There is no power that is lawfull but it is of God for this is most true that the most high God is to reigne in the kingdome of men and whosoever are his instruments in governing they must derive their power from him and act purely the command of God and no more nor no lesse but even so as it is recorded of the children of Israel Exod. 39.42 43. They had done the worke of the Tabernacle as the Lord had commanded even so they had done it And therefore it follows Moses blessed them Wherefore were they blessed Sure you see not for their own inventions but for their obedience so purely and exactly after the command of God And Paul saith Be not the servants of men that is doe not you observe the things that men doe command unlesse God hath commanded them But you will ask How may we know the true power from the false Oh that you were so teachable Then The Scripture will tell you that the lawfull powers are of God both of his Commandements and bearing his image holy as he is holy being a terrour not to good works but to evill And whosoever doth resist this power onely this he resisteth the Ordi●ance of God and shall receive judgement to himself But the Parliament and Army do not resist this power spoken of by Paul to be obeyed But they doe resist and I admire that you the Seers doe not see it that they do resist that power spoken of by Micha Mic. 3.11 The heads thereof that doe judge for reward and that establish iniquity by a law the Priests thereof that teach for hire and the Prophets thereof that divine for money and yet lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord amongst us No evill can come upon us That the powers of this nation that have been resisted have been and are such their late actions are proofes than which nothing can be more full or plaine to men of reason 2. For the Ministry that are said to be pulling down what are they Apostles from Christ or from our Universities who hath taught them God or man How are they constituted Ministers By God or man a power internall or externall By the hand and power of Gods Spirit upon their souls and in them or the hands of flesh upon their heads of flesh without them They fast and pray for them but is it therefore certain that God doth hear and grant that particular thing What is their principle The Spirit and living power of God Of the naturall and carnall Spirits of men What is their knowledge Of Faith or of reason meerly humane Is it of the Type or Truth Letter or Spirit Forme or Power have they received it by Revelation or Tradition And what is the end of most of them Is it not