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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61900	Of confirmation a sermon preach'd at St. Benedict Grace-Church, March 14th, 1693, the day on which the Right Reverend Father in God, Henry, Lord Bishop of London, confirmed there / by Philip Stubs ...	Stubs, Philip, 1665-1738.	1693 (1693)	Wing S6078; ESTC R14889	15,679	42

any Office of the Church by some outward Gift for the Conversion or Edification of others had only some outward shew passed upon them for the greater Evidence of the inward Gifts of the Spirit of Grace Gratiae gratum facientis This in short then I take to be the Sence of our Church in this Matter That the Holy Ghost is given us in this Ordinance not to make us able to prophesie to speak with Tongues or the like But to know the Word and to do the Will of God as well as we can To which Purpose that I may conclude this Head hear what St. Austin said long ago against the Donatists De Bapt. contra Donatist lib. 3. cap. 16. Neque enim temporalibus sensibilibus miraculis per Manus Impositionem c. The Spirit which is now given by Imposition of Hands is not attested by temporal and sensible Miracles as it was at first for the Commendation of our Faith while 't was young and to enlarge the Beginnings of the Church For who expects now That those on whom Hands are laid for receiving the Holy Ghost should presently begin to speak with Tongues But yet the Divine Love is understood to be secretly and invisibly inspired into their Hearts by the Bond of Peace which enables them to say The Love of God is spread abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Spirit that is given us The Consequence of which will be That we ought not any of us to despise Confirmation because 't is not attended with miraculous Gifts which have ceased above 1200 Years ago since though it imparts no Gifts to us now yet it may be the means of communicating such Graces as may enable us to perform our Duty and practise it to the obtaining of Eternal Life which is far better As for those therefore who would have Confirmation now wholly laid aside as not according to the Example of the Apostles because in the Infancy of the Church the Holy Ghost was in some Cases miraculously bestowed by such Imposition of Hands which ought not for good Reasons to be expected now See Falkner 's Libertas Ecclesiastica Book II. Chap. 4. §. 2. They may as well 't is thought assert that the Imposition of Hands for Ordination is not continued in the Church from the Example of the Apostles because then the Holy Ghost was sometimes extraordinarily given thereby or that our Praying and Preaching is not a doing that for which we have the Apostles for an Example because we cannot by them expect we do not any where find amongst those that pretend chiefly to the Spirit such wonderful Gifts as sometimes were conferred under the Apostles Doctrine and by their Prayer But 2dly If the Rite of Imposition of Hands in Confirmation is to be perpetual Our next Enquiry must be where or with whom the Power of thus Laying on the Hands is lodg'd The Presbyterians all say With the Priests We of the Church of England unanimously With the Bishops and that for this Reason amongst others Because the Dignity of their Office chiefly gives Authority to bless according to that Rule of the Apostle without all contradiction The Less is blessed of the Greater Heb. 7.7 Which Reason as it was back'd by that early notable Example of St. Peter's and St. John's Mission from Jerusalem to Samaria to confirm those whom St. Philip had baptiz'd but could not confirm made this Custom so prevail in the Church L'Estrange his Alliance of Divine Offices chap. 9. p. 258. That we are told there cannot be produc'd any authentick Testimony out of Ecclesiastical History where a mere Presbyter presumed to exercise the Office of confirming which was ever in the Primitive Church reserved to the Bishop alone This I might largely prove out of Antiquity particularly that known Place of St. Cyprian Cypr. Ep. ad Jubaianum de Bapt. haereticis Qui in Ecclesia Baptizantur Praepositis Ecclesiae offeruntur c. Those that are Baptized in the Church are presented to the Bishops to be confirmed Vt per nostram orationem ac manus Impositionem Spiritum sanctum consequantur That by our Prayers and Imposition of Hands they may receive the Holy Ghost But I must hasten to my Third Head remarking this by the Way That whether the Power of Confirmation be lodg'd with Bishop or Priest we of this Church are certainly in the right which our Dissenting Brethren may not be For if those only can Confirm who are called to the Office of a Bishop as the Primitive Writers generally affirm conformable to the Practice of the Catholick Church we have such Bishops amongst us whilst they confessedly have not If Priests may do it our Bishops are by the Confession of them all Lawful Priests in the Church of God So that the Case stands thus betwixt us If Priests may confirm we have such as well as they by their own Concession If Bishops only as most but themselves hold we have them whilst they have not But now in pleading for Confirmation by Bishops only I would not be thought as some slanderously insinuate we of the Church do endeavour to make it a Sacrament nay set it above either of the Sacraments instituted by our Blessed Saviour because we allow a Deacon to officiate in the Lord's Supper and a Priest to Baptize but only a Bishop forsooth can confirm No in this we only follow the Institution and Practice of the Catholick Church which reserv'd Solemn Benedictions as Acts of Paternal Authority to the Bishops alone but are so far from holding Confirmation a Sacrament That we expressly say Art 25th of the Church of England Those Five commonly called Sacraments in the Church of Rome viz. Confirmation Penance Orders Extream Unction and Matrimony are not such for that they have not any outward visible sign or Ceremony ordained of God as Tokens of inward and spiritual Grace thereby conferred And the Papists must suffer us to beg their Pardon if we reject the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or anointing Oyl made use of by them in Confirmation as an outward visible Sign c. which yet we confess was anciently used in Baptism and in Confirmation too as a Ceremony only together with the Box on the Ear which the Bishop gives the confirmed Party the Binding of the Forehead for Seven Days after and Abundance other Legerdemain Tricks foolishly and superstitiously brought into this Religious Performance by them till we have as express Warrant from Scripture or Reason for them as we have for Imposition of Hands which they have irreverently I may say Sacrilegiously thrown out of this Office but we have restor'd since the Reformation to its Primitive Vsage Nor do we allow this Imposition of Hands to be a sacramental Sign of pardoning and satisfying Grace as Water Bread and Wine are in the Sacraments properly so called and which are Means of conveying that Grace unto us But we look upon that Ceremony here used only V.