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	saint_n	6,082	5	5.8116	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30532	Many strong reasons confounded, which would hinder any reasonable man from being a Quaker and offences taken out of the way, but particularly foure and twenty arguments overturned and confuted, put forth and sent into the world by Richard Baxter, a professed minister, but a frequent contenter against the ways of God ... / ... by ... E.B.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1657 (1657)	Wing B6011A; ESTC R14497	21,411	23

doth condemn unrighteousnesse and bring war and a sword upon earth as Christs Doctrine did And this is the good where wee come Many are changed from wickednesse rudenesse and ungodlinesse to live soberly righteously and purely in this present world without offence towards God and men For to say We make people both to hate godly Teachers and people this is utterly false for we endeavor to bring people to the true Teacher Christ Jesus and to have fellowship with the Saints It 's true in the world our Doctrine doth make division and doth set a man at varience and doth set Father against Son and Son against Father even as Christ did and his Doctrine so he saith we do But again he belyes us in saying We bring people into confusion and abominable error or that we cast people into a malicious mood or tincture of bitterness this is also false and this is my Answer He that doth the will of our Father knows of our Doctrine whether we be of God or of our selves and to all the world besides we are unknown and desires to be manifest to every mans conscience in the sight of God and not to that wisdom which is of this world And though he scorn at such who are made to cast off their Points and Lace yet is not this more then any fruit that his Doctrine hath brought forth for as we do so did the Apostle exhort against all superfluity of naughtiness as Points and Laces are and it seems that such as depart from iniquity become a prey to such wicked mens slandering and scornful tongues and a maner to make Bookes of to send into the world 17. His seventeenth Reason Saith he It is no great encouragement to us to turn Quakers when we consider who are their followers very few experienced sober Christians turn to them saith he but such who are ignorant and ungrounded and raw professors c. Ans. To this I answer Let no man take encouragement from without to turn Quaker or to own the way of Gods salvation but let every one feel a measure of God in his own heart converting him from sinne unto righteousnesse and drawing his mind from the vanity and hypocrisie of this world to the truth and singlenesse of heart And he appears to be of the spirit of the Pharisees who said None but a company of poor people which were accursed followed Christ and so saith he in effect None but such as are ignorant and such like But what if there were not any other but such who owned the way of the Lord this is a confirmation of it rather then a cause of objecting against it when such who are ignorant are brought to the knowledge of God But yet his words are false for it is known that very many honest humble sober men and people who have all their dayes been sincere towards God in what they have known of him have and do own us and indeed all that ever owns God and Salvation shall own us for we are of God and he that is of God heareth us and the whole world lyes in wickednesse And such as are self-conceited and in pride and wise in their own eyes and in the wickedness of the world such are his followers and not ours though he falsely say it for such as follow Christ have we fellowship with and not with such as walk in darkness 18. His eighteenth Reason Saith he It is an evident judgement of God upon these people that turn Quakers and a punishment for their former sins c. Ans. To this I answer The Lord God his Angels and all his Saints and Servants I call to record against thee and they all shall witnesse that it is mercy and not judgement upon them that owns the way of the Lord And them that owned the Quakers in truth and sincerity have and do witness a remission of their former sins and forgiveness of them by Jesus Christ and not a punishment for them And Richard Baxter may please himself and some others with his reasonless Reasons as these are yet they are not worthy of the name of Reason they be so senseless and utterly false And though he railes against the Anabaptists as well as against us yet any man whose eye is open sees his folly turns it upon his own head And he may conceit himself in these things for a moment but the day of the Lord will declare it otherwise and that upon us mercy and peace shall be and not judgement nor wrath 19. His nineteenth Reason Saith he They are already in division among themselves as the contention between Nayler and Fox and their followers doth shew To this I answer Though an occasion may come and be taken against the truth yet wo unto him by whom it comes and to them who doth receive it for the testimony of truth abides for ever But as about that division he speakes of it hath been answered by writings several times and now I say It happened but as a tryal to the Lords people and not to destroy them though the enemy boasts himself because of it yet the Lord knows how to preserve his in the midst of temptation But these things are now at an end though a temptation presented it self yet it overcame not and truth is the same and the testimony thereof doth never change and all these refuges which the wicked flyes unto shall not cover them when the Lord appears 20. His twentieth Reason And saith he To make all their delusions more odious wickednesse they father it upon the Holy Ghost c. Ans. His words are utterly false yet we say we have received the Holy Ghost which teacheth us and leadeth us into all truth and by it are we lead out of all wickedness and delusion and all wicked speeches which he brands us withall and these things are his own for he is seen to be in delusion and odious wickedness and wicked speeches And saith he They speak against the DOCTRINE of the SPIRIT and cryes down the love of the Saints and against the Ordinances of the Ministers of Christ To this I have answered In the love union with all the Saints we are and Ministers of Christ but against Hypocrisie we declare such who profess what they are not and use their tongues and saith the Lord saith when the Lord hath not spoken to them and sprinkle Infants and saith it is ●n ordinance of Christ and singing Davids Experiences in Rime and Meeter with many other things which the Priests hath in their practice such things we deny to be Ordinances of Christ and them to be Ministers of Christ which do practice them and this we do say by the spirit of truth But that we prenounce damnation against Gods Church and holy Servants this is false again and is but the fulfilling the number of his lyes and though he charge us secretly with preaching another Gospel then that which Paul preached is false and if we

MANY Strong Reasons CONFOUNDED Which would hinder any reasonable Man from being A QUAKER And Offences taken out of the Way But particularly Foure and twenty Arguments Over turned and Confuted Put forth and sent into the World by Richard Baxter a professed Minister but a frequent Contender against the wayes of God And this is an Answer to a sheet of his cryed up and down the streets in London as some excellent piece But is proved to be full of Lies Slanders and false Reproaches against an innocent People and this is sent forth in the pursuit thereof that people may not be deceived with every lying Monster vvhich is brought forth to publike view but first let all things be tryed and onely that which is good held fast And this is for the satisfaction of honest people by a friend E. B. London Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth neer Aldersgate 1657. MANY STRONG REASONS CONFOUNDED Which would hinder any reasonable man from being a QUAKER AND Offences taken out of the way c. HOW long shall it be ere the wickednesse of the wicked come to an end and the measure of this generations iniquity be fulfilled who rush into iniquity as a Horse into the battel and who hastens to fill up the largest measure of iniquity of any generation that ever went before Is it not plain and manifest to all people that have but an eye to see How doth the wicked run on greedily drinking up iniquity as an Oxe drinks water How doth the Archers of Babylon shoot at the innocent and makes the harmless their prey But this is but fot a moment the end thereof is nigh and because the Devils time is but short therefore he is come down in rage and hath filled the hearts of many people with raving envie and despite against the Lord and his people whom the Lord is a gathering out of the mouths of all their enemies and the Serpents seed it bruiseth the heele but its head is deadly wounded by the seed of God And whereas many hath set themselves in opposition against the Lord and their work is become a stinck and a proverb to be laughed at in generations to come yet must not the wicked cease their wickedness til their measure be perfectly accomplished And whereas Richard Baxter a professed Minister in Worcestershire known to many by his fruits to be a corrupt Tree which brings not forth good fruit who sends out of his study lyes and false reports and vain arguments to blind the eyes of people that they may not see the truth and hath written once and again against the people of God which he in scorn calls Quakers some of which writings hath been sufficiently answered and his shame and folly seen openly by all people yet he as a man not weary of wickednesse hath sent forth a Paper which he calls A Sheet against the Quakers wherein what was wanting of wickednesse in his former is now fully brought forth out of his vessel a malicious heart which cannot contain within it self its rage and fury and madness against the innocent but needs must his folly break forth openly that all men may see it And in this his foolish paper he hath twenty four reasons which he saith Moves him to conceive that no Christian or reasonable man should be a Quaker or approve of or excuse their way now his Reasons we shall try But first of all I say It had been more honest for him to have made a sufficient Reply to have defended his former works and cleared himself of his former lyes and slanders truly charged against him then to have past that slightly and begin a-new to revile for that Book which he often mentions and boasts of callled The Quakers Catechism was sufficiently answered and his folly laid open by a friend to the truth in a Book called An Answer to the Quakers Catechism to which Book he never equally replyed to this day which had been more honest to have cleared himself from what is truly charged against him in that answer then to have begun afresh to reproach and speak wickednesse and this all people may consider of 1. His first Reason which he brings forth against the Quakers is That they deny and revile the Churches and Ministers of Christ and yet saith he cannot tel indeed of any Church or Ministry which is to be preferred before those that they do despise Answ. To this I answer That is utterly false for we do not deny the Church and Ministers of Christ nor do revile them or any others whatsoever but speaks the truth in nakedness to all people The Church of Christ we own and are of it which are gathered out of the world through the preaching of the Gospel and seperated from the world and all its works and wayes which are evil and are joined to Christ the Head in the Spirit and one to another as members of Christ and these are born again and are redeemed out of the world and are of the kingdom of Christ and of his Church and members of his body and this we own to be a Church and are of it who hath no fellowship with darknesse nor no part with the practice of the workes of darknesse And the Ministers of Christ we own who have received the gift of the Ministry by the Holy Ghost and exerciseth that gift by the Holy Ghost whose call is from God and their work of God and their end alone his glory such we own to be Ministers of Christ and doth not revile or deny as he falsly saith such a Church and such Ministers of Christ but this we do and without offence to God too we do deny and bear our witness against such a people who professeth themselves to be a Church and yet are in the pride in the wickedness and in the evil of this world and not redeemed clensed and seperated from the works and iniquities thereof such we do reprove for their hypocrisie even all them that owns a title to a Church because they were sprinkled when they were Infants and hath not another ground and such who professeth themselves Ministers of Christ who hath not received their Ministry by the gift of the Holy Ghost neither are lead by the Spirit of Christ but are such as Christ and the Apostles declared against such we cannot own to be Ministers of Jesus Christ but doth reprove them and deny them even such who preacheth for hire and hath gifts and rewardt for preaching and set-places for so much a yeer these we disown and yet doth not offend God herein And this in honesty I do shew to all people what that professed Church and professed Ministry is which we do deny and what that Church and Ministry is which we do set up to be preferred which is a right Ministry and a right Church And thus his reasonless reason is overturned and confounded and is found to be no sufficient reason wherefore a man should

the Scriptures and Ministry which the Quakers make so light of c. To this I answer This is as false as the rest for with all the Saints that ever was upon earth both in doctrine and practice we agree with them and as for the peoples sakes of England I wish his words were true and that they had indeed found a renewing light and life by this Ministry but though he may boast of it now in the day of Gods righteous judgements it shall be found otherwise when it shall be tryed that the renewing hath been but in form and appearance from one likenesse to another and not a renewing from death to life and though there hath been something of God sometime appearing a zeal and a desire after him in the Ministry of England in times past yet from this day hath the Lord forsaken them and such as were sober and sincere in what was made manifest are now become revilers and reproachers slanderers and persecutors of the people of God and from henceforth shall they not boast of many being converted by them from sin unto the way of righteousnesse But further he saith We tell the people that their Ministry doth the people no good and none are the better for it If we do we tell them true And though he saith The experiences of many thousands doth confute this yet say I the experiences of ten thousand times so many more shall confirm it It is true there may be thousands like himself which will not stumble to belye their own souls as he hath done of us yet betwixt him and I in this matter God shall be our Judge who hath not sent this Ministry and yet it hath run therefore it doth not nor shall not profit the people at all He saith It is quite contrary to the nature of Saints to damn and reproach the Saints and call them the children of the Devil This is true but it is not contrary to the nature of the Saints to reprove Hypocrites such as professe that which they do not enjoy and speak that which they have not received from the Lord but steal from other mens words such are many of the Teachers of England and it was the way of Christ and his Apostles soundly to reprove such And this is our way and we do not reproach the Saints nor damn them and yet to the wicked which are not Saints we dare not cry peace but do say The wicked and such who forget God shall be turned into Hell And for this David is our example 14. His fourteenth Reason He saith The Quakers are unlikely to be better then other men seeing they are so notoriously proud and thus this pride doth appeare Saith he It is the supposed spirit as God and the extraordinary holiness and inspiration and abilities that they are proud of and saith he They proclaim themselves perfect without sin And this is the pride he chargeth us with c. To which I answer We say that in Christ we are compleat as the Apostles said to the Churches and do not boast of it neither are proud of it more then the Churches were but in the Lord we will golry and in him rejoice again and again and it is that which we presse after and exhort all to presse after to be perfect in him who takes away our sins and gives power over the temptations of the Devil And he saith We pretend to know mens hearts Yea we do know that the heart of man is desparately wicked and deceitful above all things and by mens words and works we do know their hearts to be evil that acts and speakes wickednesse For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh And if we should say we do not know mens hearts that acts and speaks wickednesse we should be lyars but as I said What we are it is by grace in Christ and we boast not of it in the flesh but our glorying is onely in the Lord in spirit that our names are written in the Book of life And as for our crying against deceivers which he so much stumbles at it is but the practice of Christ and his Apostles as may be read thorow the Scriptures and yet we do it not no more then they did in self-exaltation though he would charge us with it 15. His fifteenth Reason Saith he They plainly discover a persecuting spirit Why saith he what man can in reason think but that they run up and down the world to bring Ministry into hatred c. To this I answer Little of this doth appear that our spirits are persecuting spirits for we pray for our enemies and doth forgive them that doth evil intreat us and renders to no man evil for evil for if we had sought vengeance or prosecuted the good Laws of England against those that had wronged and robbed us and unjustly caused us to be put in prison many might have deeply suffered by true Justice before this day if we had not forgiven our enemies and blessed them that hated us Such hath been the cruelty acted upon us that many might have been arraigned for felony if we had sought the prosecution of the good Laws and not forgiven our enemies Why but the main thing is because we are moved to go up and down the world and declare against the false Ministers and holding forth that Ministry and truly applying it to many of the Teachers of England But let all the world know this is not from a persecuting spirit no more then Isaiah did it and Micha and the rest of the Prophets and Apostles who did zealously give their testimony against such as went for gifts and rewards as the Teachers of England do but this is that which he is offended at and calls it a persecuting spirit which is not so but in love to peoples souls that they may deny the evil and follow the good And that our Ancestors have persecuted to death as he saith This is also a lye and of the Devil for our Ancestors were the Saints who were called of God and were not of the world even as we are not of the world and we are persecuted but seeks not to persecute any and gives our witnesse faithfully against this generation and against the sinnes both of Teachers and people and this I suppose is it even our zeal for the Name of the Lord against unrighteousnesse which he falsly calls a persecuting spirit 16. His sixteenth Reason is Some Interrogatories saith he What reasonable man should turn Quaker that sees the common fruit of their Doctrine what good do they do whereever they come but saith he hate both godly Teachers and people c. Ans. To this I answer The fruit of our Doctrine is begetting people to the knowledge of God and a converting them from sin and death and from the wayes and works of unrighteousnesse to be the servants of the Lord and every spiritual man doth see this to be the fruit of our doctrine It