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	receive_v	18,187	5	5.7163	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57809	The Quakers refuge fixed upon the rock of ages, though the swelling waters dash never so violently to overturn it wherein is prov'd, that the narrative of Ralph James is an absolute lying-wonder, according to his own definition : and also, the great controversie between the people of God called Quakers, and others, about the holy spirit of God and the Scriptures, truly stated, and very briefly discoursed, as it is owned by the Quakers, and the truth cleared from the false suggestions and deceitful insinuatins of the anabaptists about the said controversie : in answer to a subtil pamphlet, lately published, intituled, The Quakers subterfuge or evasion overturned : also a few queries propounded unto Ralph James, and the author of the subterfuge &c. / by Robert Ruckhill ; to which is added another postscript in answer to some queries propounded in the said pamphlet, wherein many untruths are suggested ; but herein the truth is cleared, and the evasion and deceit of the Baptists made more fully manifest by John Whitehead.	Ruckhill, Robert.; Whitehead, John, 1630-1696.	1673 (1673)	Wing R2169; ESTC R21457	28,153	51

were any thing at all he was most certainly an Anabaptist whereof T. R. in both his Books hath given evident Demonstration Upon the whole matter it 's worth remarking First That the Glory of the Anabaptist Churches is in its swift Declination toward the Western Horizon forasmuch as they are sai to fly to Signs and Lying Wonders to oppose the ●●th and to countenance their false Wayes and ●o●trines Secondly That the Anabaptists Cause in this hot Conflict between them and the ●●akers is now at the very utmost Crisis 〈…〉 this Champion who is mostly ingaged when the ●●se grows desperate is constrain'd in so eminent a Danger to make use of such poor Matter such pittifull shifts as are the Contents of this whole book now under tryal to the great Regret doubtless of their whole Party or such of them as have not yet sacrificed their Intellects to their Envy For it was foolishly boasted by divers Professors and others That the Book now under examination would be like Hercules 's Club or Goliah 's Spear in a word Unanswerable And this brings me to the very Heart of the great Controversie Whether the Holy Spirit or the Scriptures ought to have Priority The Controversie between the Anabaptists Independents together with other Professors the People of God called in Scorn Quakers concerning the Authority of the Holy Spirit in Judging or Discerning the Mind of God in the Holy Scriptures truly stated as owned by the Quakers WHether the first Pen-man of the Scriptures was Moses or Hermes or whether both these are not one or whether there are not many words contained in the Scriptures which were not spoken by Inspiration of the Holy Spirit whether some words were not spoken by the grand Impostor some by Wicked Men some by Wise Men ill applied some by Good Men ill expressed some by False Prophets and yet true some by True Prophets and yet false is not the Subject of my Argument at this time But such Scriptures and Prophecyes as have been written and prophesied by the Holy Men of God as they were moved by the Spirit of God treating of the Mystery of God in the Redemption and Salvation of Mankind by Jesus Christ and the Duty of Man in his Obedience to and Worship of the same God as his reasonable Service for the Gift of so great Salvation are the great Concerns now under our most serious Consideration The People of God scornfully called Quakers have unseignedly believed and often declared to the World That the Scriptures as above distinguished are a true Record and Declaration of the Love of God in the Redemption and Salvation of Mankind by Jesus Christ and also of the Duty of Man as before recited But they also believe and have declared to all the World That the Carnal Mind of Man being at Enmity with God and darkened by reason of Wicked Works cannot perceive nor discern the Mystery of God in the Scriptures declared and testified of For there is a Vail spread over the Hearts of all Men even in their Reading of the Scriptures so as they cannot see through the Letter unto the Mystery either in abolishing the old Covenant with its carnal Ordinances and Beggarly Elements or in introducing the new Covenant with its Spiritual Worship and Services and so being intricated and bewildered in the Letter cannot possibly attain unto the Knowledge of the Spiritual Mystery Now this most excellent Truth having by the Spirit of the Lord been opened and revealed to the Quakers they must of necessity be of this Faith viz. That without a Measure of the holy Spirit of God received and turned unto whereby the Vail is removed from the Heart no Man living can possibly discern or understand the great Mystery of Man's Salvation by Jesus Christ which was exhibited in Shaddow under the old but in lively Substance under the new Covenant although he had a Thousand Bibles in his House and every word of them at his Fingers ends So that upon this Consideration the People of God scornfully called Quakers do unanimously conclude and declare and testifie unto the whole World That the Holy Spirit of God is the only supream Judge Opener and Revealer of the Mind and Mystery of God and Duty of Man treated of in the Scriptures This oh ye Anabaptists and Independents and all other Opposers of this eternal Truth in the whole World this is the true State of the great Controversie betwixt the Quakers and you and if you will joyn issue with the Quakers in this Controversie you must do it as it is here stated at least in Substance for I am willing to give place to better words and order from whomsoever and you must lay aside all your prodigious Signs and lying Wonders and pretended Cures for these will not decide this great Controversie as ye vainly imagine And you must bring forth your strong Reasons and sound Arguments grounded upon plain Demonstrations of Truth and clear Evidence of Scripture and if the Truth be on your part you will be able to make it appear before wise understanding Men whoever your Opposers are and you will overcome us if you have the Truth for great is the Truth and will prevail and we must and will submit unto the Truth and to you But if the Truth appear on our part we in the Wisdom of God shall make it manifest the Truth will stand over your Heads and we will thresh you and winnow as the Chaff on the Threshing-Floor and the Wind of the Lord will blow you away with your Refuge of Lyes and your Nakedness will be discovered in the sight of all Men. Again This Author Subter pag. 5. falsly suggests to his too credulous Readers as if the Controversie depending between the Baptists Churches and the People called Quakers was touching the holy Scriptures or to express it more fully saith he The Authority of the Holy Ghost as he speaks in the Scriptures to try and judge the Spirits of Men which they term the Spirit of God Thus he But whether there be not a Lying Spirit however a Lying Tongue in the Mouth of this False Prophet let the Sober-minded judge And I here challenge him upon his Credit and Reputation with his own People either to produce in open view one clear Proof at least of any Declaration either by word or writing where any of the Quakers have termed the spirits of Men the Spirit of God or else let his stand opon record among his own People as a Lyar and a Slanderer to all Generations Again The Deceit of this Author further appears in his recital of the Narrative for the first Copy renders R. James and R. A. contending Whether the Spirit should try the Scripture or the Scripture the Spirit mark here is Spirit Spirit in the singular number as the Spirit of God is but one but in his recital Subter p. 7. he renders them contending Whether the Scriptures were to try the Spirits or the

believe That I own no Body of Christ but the Church and what ever I say to the contrary he would have to be obscured or else he might have had the honesty to have printed this Answer to his Second and Third Queries with the Queries thmselves for it hath been in the Hands of him or his brethren above seven Years Wherefore I shall now appeal to God and spiritually minded men to judge Whether I who did do confess Christ's Glorious heavenly Body or he who cannot discern it but hold forth a Circumscript human Body of Flesh and Bones out of every believer whilst on Earth we are Worthy to be rendered as denyers of the Body of Christ and unfit to preach the Resurrection Ascension and Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ 4. Query Whether by the Words people of God thou meanest the Church of Christ in visible profession of the Gospel according to the patern of the Churches in the Apostles Dayes Answ by the words People of God I mean such as are in the new Covenant of Light in whose Heart God hath written his Laws and in whose inward Parts he hath put his Fear who know and believe Christ in them and do hear his Voice and follow him as their Head and Leader as did the true Churches in the Apostles Dayes but I do not believe every gathering of people that are got into an outward or visible Profession of the Scriptures and in Imitation have gotten into some outward things which the true Church in the Apostles Dayes practised are the People of God because I am sensible such as are Aliens in their minds from the Life of God which the Apostles and primitive Christians were in may get their Words and imitate them in Outward Forms and Practises whilst they deny the Power of Godliness which they lived in 5th Query Whether the People called Quakers are gathered constituted and governed in Church-Capacity according to the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles Answ Yea for we are gathered in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ who is present with us as he promised to be alwayes to the end of the World and we are governed by him who is given to be the Head over all Things to the Church of which we are Members and have Elders ordained in every Country who take the Over-sight of the Flock of God not by Constraint but willngly and in the Power of the Lord Jesus receives True Believers and rejects Hereticks who have refused Admonition according to the Apostle's Doctrine who was an able Minister not of the Letter but of the Spirit And notwithstanding Christ's bidding the other Apostles before his Ascension Go Teach and Baptize all Nations said He was not sent to Baptize but to Preach the Gospel and how ye who are so much for Water-Baptism come to take your selves concerned to Baptize with Water by Virtue of that Commission given before Christ's Ascension ye may do well to manifest since the Apostle Paul did not so take himself concerned in it but according to that Commission which he received from the Lord who appeared unto him delivering him from the People and the Gentiles he laboured to open the blind Eyes and to turn them from Darkness to Light and from Satan's power to God Acts 16 17 18. as we do according to the Call and Precepts given us of the Lord who is also manifest in us by whom we are taught not to run because others were sent nor to act without Power from on High but to go as we are led and commanded by the Lord and act in the Motion of his Power whereby we have been made a Sweet Savour to God in them that believe and in them that perish though in one the Savour of Life unto Life and in the other the Savour of Death unto Death and God hath so blessed our Labour that many Thousands are brought to the Knowledge of the Son of God and to Unity in the Faith which gives Victory over the World wherein they are growing to a perfect Man and to the Measure Fulness and Stature of Christ Though we thank God we have Baptized none of them in Water but have instructed them to the blessed Appearing of the Lord. Jesus Christ who Baptized with the Holy Ghost and with Fire having his Fan in his Hand throughly to purge the Floor and those which have waited for the Appearing of the Lord and received him to be their Leader Way and Baptizer are baptized with one Spirit into that one Body which is his Church of which they are Living Members fitly joyned together by Christ who is their Head who gives them Life and sills them with the Virtue of his Love wherein they Edisie one another So Christ is the Door into the Sheep-sold whereat all that are accepted by him do enter And this way of gathering constituting and governing the Church is according to the Doctrine of Christ his Evangelists and Apostles as appeareth at large in their Writings And although thou in thy 6th Query sayst doubtless it is not because we are not gathered according to thy Apprehension of some particular Verses quoted by thee I must tell thee thou therein takest that granted which we never gave thee and therefore we need shew no Authority for the Abrogating that Order of Gathering Constituting and Governing the Church of Christ which was in the Apostles dayes since our Practice doth more establish it in the Substantial Part then yours who have visible Doors whereat to enter as your Water-Baptism instead of Christ's Baptism and other Ways whereat to climb up like Thieves and Robbers Joh. 1. which steal the Saints words and imitate their Practices as in all Ages False Prophets have imitated the True and False Worshippers have imitated the True Worshippers as ye do thinking because Christ said before his Ascension Go teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit therefore Thomas Grantham and Ralph James must go Teach and Baptize in Water though they have neither seen the Lord Jesus Christ nor heard him speak Nor will they believe in the holy Spirit as the principal Guide but have the Boldness to try its Doctrine or Teaching in these dayes by their own understanding of the Scriptures which ever leads men to speak Evil of and condemn those things which they cannot understand to be according to Scriptures though they be never so consonant to the Mind of the Spirit which they received which gave forth the Scriptures And therefore laying aside all vain Jangling we would perswade you and all men to learn of Christ Jesus the Second Man that is a Quickening Spirit by whom ye are reproved when ye do Evil that ye may know his Mind in your selves and do it and then ye may better understand it as declared by others Although thy Seventh Anti-Query is in part answered by what is before written yet I shall now manifest That Richard Anderson neither was conversant

Spirits to try the Scriptures It s possible some Readers may judge me too Nice and Critical in this Observe but I must beg their Excuse if it be worth begging for I see his Design in it is to steal a Conceit unperceived into the Reader 's Mind that the Quakers hold That the Multifarious Spirits of Men were to try the Scriptures and not the Scriptures to try that Many-headed Monster Let all sober People take notice of his spirit in this But its worth our Consideration what should be the bottom of this Man 's Meaning where he so often makes use of this unusual manner of speaking viz. The Authority of the spirit as he speaks in the Scripture to try and judge c. Does he mean that the Authority and Mind of the holy Spirit respecting the Truths recorded in the Scriptures is the same at this day as it was in old time when it indicted the Scriptures in the Hearts of the holy Men of God If so I must confess I cannot assign him an Opposite for saving the change of Dispensations and Rudiments the blessed Truths revealed or declared of in the Scriptures are the same now as ever and with the holy Spirit there is no Variableness neither any shaddow of Turning Or if he intend thus for I would not mistake him Judging all labour lost that is spent upon mistakes That seeing it is true that the holy Spirit gave forth the Scriptures at the first there is unto this day such an inseparable and intrinsecal Conjunction between the Authority and Mind of the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures that he that hath the Scriptures hath the Authority and Mind of the Holy Spirit also This I confess of the two seems to be nearest his meaning by how much it is furthest from the Truth yet forasmuch as I have it not as his sence under his own hand and also have cause to fear that if it be his sence yet when he perceives a Quaker owns it he will recede from it he shall find me a fair Opposite That there is an inseparable Conjunction or Union between the Authority and Mind of the holy Spirit and the essential or substantial Truth declared in the Scriptures I grant and confess unto it but do not start back now because a Quaker confesses the Truth as the manner of most of you is but that therefore he that has the Scriptures hath also the Authority and Mind of the holy Spirit I deny If I have hit right of his meaning as till I know the contrary under his Hand I believe I have he ought to prove that part of his Position which is denyed but seeing Truth is precious as well as Time and the green-Grass to day may be withered to morrow I shall invert my Capacity take the sword by the Point and endeavour to prove That a Man may have the Scriptures in his Mother-Tongue and yet be utterly without or ignorant of the Authority and Mind of the holy Spirit For Proof of this Position I shall not stir one Foot from my Opposite who in p. 7. of his Subterfuge now under search tells us That after R. Anderson had made his Confession of the Anabaptists Faith in that Cardinal Point of Water-Baptism he met with the Quakers who told him as he said that these things i. e. Water-Baptism was low Now here my Opposite interposes his own Faith and Judgment in the Case and is not afraid to tell the Quakers and the whole Nation That the Water-Baptism is the Way of Life above to the Wise so to procure their more reverend esteem of it and because he perceived such a bold Averment stood need of Scripture-Authority to back it he cites Prov. 15.24 the words run thus The Way of Life is above to the Wise to avoid from Hell beneath Now let the Spiritual Man judge in this case Is Water-Baptism to take it at the best the Way of Life Did the holy Spirit in the Wise Man mean so Can Water-Baptism deliver or save from Hell Is that the Authority or Mind of the holy Spirit in that Scripture Let the Spiritual Man judge I am the Way saith Christ Water-Baptism is the Way saith this Author I was manifest to destroy the Works of the Devil and to save from Death and Hell saith Christ Water Baptism is the Way on high to avoid from Hell beneath saith my Opposite Now whose Testimony will ye receive Let the sober Christian judge whither these Anabaptists are going The parallel Scriptures with this are Phil. 3.20 and Col. 3.1 both which direct us to set our Assections on things above where Christ is at the Right-Hand of God our Saviour Hence of necessity will follow these Conclusions First Though this Author hath the Scriptures yet he is ignorant of the Authority and Mind of the Holy Spirit Secondly Through Ignorance of the Authority and Mind of the Holy Spirit he hath erred from the Truth and fairly convict himself 1. Of a most gross Idolatry as hath been fully manifest 2. Of a Ridiculous Solecism in terming Submersion or Plunging under Water a Way on high From his Idolatry nothing but a Re-baptization in the Tears of Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ can redeem him But for his Solecism that Offence being rather against Grammar then Scripture if the intelligent Reader will please but to indulge him with a favourable Aspect the Quakers will pass it by The Third and Last Conclusion is clearly this as before asserted That without a Measure of the holy Spirit of God received and turned unto whereby the Vail is ●ent from the Heart no Man living can understand or discern the Authority and Mind of the holy Spirit as he spake in old time by his Prophets of the great Mystery now revealed to wit Christ in you the Hope of Glory And this gives a full and undeniable Probation unto that grand Position the Ground and Original of the Anabaptists great Controversie with the Quakers That the holy Spirit of God is the only Supream Judge Discerner and Revealer of the Mind and Mystery of God and of the Duty of Man required in the Scriptures Now if any Man object against this and say I have been too rash and hasty to conclude thus only upon one Mans Error and Mistake and that many others may notwithstanding be more clear I answer Be it far from me to conclude all under this Man's Error and Idolatry nay I know there are many of the People of the Lord who by the Illumination of his good Spirit are inabled to discern in measure what his Mind and Will is but if you do but impartially consider the Ground and Cause of this Man's Error and Idolatry you may perceive the Argument will hold from Particulars to Generals as thus If one Man be blind for want of his Eyes then ten thousand Men wanting their Eyes must be blind also If this Author hath committed a gross Idolatry for want of the

with us nor received our Doctrine nor acted by that Spirit which guides us as in that Query thou affirmest for if he had been conversant with us some of us at least should have known him but that we never did witness this Certificate from a Quarterly Meeting at Lincoln who certainly know all that are or have been of us From a General Meeting of the People of God call'd Quakers in the County of Lincoln the 26th Day of the 4th Moneth 1672. WHereas a Report is gone out of this County from Ralph James and other Persons which have alwayes had a Prejudice against the Truth and People of God call'd Quakers by which Report the Nation is Abused and those which are over-credulous made to believe a Lye viz. That Richard Anderson of Panton was a Quaker These are therefore to certifie that the said Richard Anderson did never frequent any of our Meetings nor did he ever joyn with us in Worship nor was he ever owned by us nor any of us so that they have not any just Ground to call him a Quaker And this Testimony we give forth to preserve the Simple-hearted from being prejudiced against Truth and from believing a Lye Given forth at a Quarterly Meeting held at Lincoln where some Friends from each Meeting in the County were present William Garland Abraham Morice William Everatt Joseph Richardson Augustin Smith John Winklep Samuel Hobman John Richardson Tho. Summers Rich. Baxter John Walcot Tho. Sowter John Mills Joseph Pope Thomas Wresle William Ashby William Hargate James Browne William Bowman Robert Browne Tho. Everatt Rich. Parnell Joseph Wilson And if Richard Anderson had received our Doctrine he had been Still and Quiet in the Light of God till his Heart had been cleansed from Ignorance Pride and Wickedness and that would have preserved him from that Shame and Dishonour which his own Folly and Madness and your Subtilty hath brought him to And if he had been led by the same Spirit that leads us it would not have let him use his Tongue to say The Lord saith when the Lord had not spoken to him but his own Imaginations in a groundless Imitation of the Scriptures which Imaginations he followed and therefore both the Spirit and Scriptures and we who are led thereby are clear from all the Evil he hath done and it lies at his and your Doors amongst whom he both before then and after walked for he had not any Demonstrable Character of being a Quaker as in Reproach they were first called nor may any be justly termed so but those that fear God and tremble at his Word who have believed in the True Light and live in God's Power being exercised in Obedience to his Law written in the Heart and in Self-denyal taking up the daily Cross to their own Wills and Wisdom and in Silence to that waits on God that they may worship in Spirit and walk after the Spirit of God by which they are Baptized into the Body of Christ which is his Church who receives them as living Members having the Savour of that Life which the Spirit has given them And no other way do we take Members into the Church but are constant in this as is visible to those that are conversant with us have the immortal Eye open'd But we shut not our Doors to hinder any from coming into our Congregations to observe our Order and hear our Testimony Yet as the Apostle said concerning a Jew I say concerning a Quaker He is not one that is one Outwardly in Shew only but he is one that is one Inwardly whose Baptism is that of the Spirit and whose Praise is not of Men but of God But that Richard Anderson was neither one Outwardly nor Inwardly is sufficiently made manifest by what hath been already said In a Postscript writ by this Author he seems to own the Light within but hath sufficiently shewed his Ignorance of that True Light which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World as also of its Power and Efficacy putting Darkness instead of Light and then tells of several things that are wholly beyond the Common Principle of Light Understanding or Judgment of Man which Light being of Man is indeed Darkness since the Fall and therefore the things of God belonging to Man's Eternal Peace are all so far beyond it that the Natural Man with his own Light Understanding or Judgment that he hath of himself as a Man perceives them not And therefore we diswade Men from following their own Spirit Understanding or Judgment and perswade them to receive and follow Christ Jesus that True Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the World that he may give them an Understanding that is True and a Judgment that is Sound And beyond him that was and is the True Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the World there is nothing for by him was All Things made and whatsoever hath been known of God to Men he hath manifested or revealed it though at sundry Times and in divers Manners And though Men have the Scriptures which declare what was revealed to Men by that true Light and an Understanding or Judgment which is Natural yet thereby there is not any which truely know God or what he requires of them nor ever can they know him till they turn to that true Light which shines in their Hearts and is not of Man but of God who in his own Light or Son that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World manifests and reveals himself and his Will and Mind to Man being wholly sufficient and also present to teach man in this Age what belongs to their eternal Peace as he was in Ages past and also to give unto men positive Laws and Directions how they must Worship and Serve him being no more bound from altering or abolishing outward shaddowy things at first practised by some in the Church since the Coming of Chist then he was from altering Circumcision Sacrifices other Jewish Orders Observances which Moses some of the Prophets had said should continue sorever or throughout their Generations but may lay aside and draw his People from outward Observations or visible Signs and Shaddows of Things when he sees them Idolized or Abused or that the Substance of them is come as he did Circumcision Sacrifices and Pass-over And therefore this Author ought not to limit him to outward Ordinances and Shaddows from Christ's Coming to the End of the World no more then he was limited before Abraham's time or before the Coming of Christ nor ought he to accuse the Quakers as opposing themselves against things requir'd by the positive Laws because they cannot own his Water-Baptism Breaking of Bread in Imitation of the Apostles and primitive Christians no more then the professing Jews ought to have accus'd the Apostle Paul and his Fellow-Labourers in the Gospel for denying the positive Laws who by the Authority and Power of Christ in them cryed down their