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	scripture_n	19,615	5	6.1818	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45208	Loves companion, or, A short treatise of the nature, necessity, and advantages of moderation being the substance of two sermons preached at Ousburne, By J. H. M.A. and minsiter of Ousburne.	Hunter, Josiah, minister in York.	1656 (1656)	Wing H3768; ESTC R221350	40,104	56

if ye find that the Scripture approves of them then make use of their example for imitation and encouragement As a man in a ship hath his hand upon the rudder and his eye upon the Star so it is good to have your eye upon the examples of godly and judicious men but let your hand be alwaies upon the Scripture let go your hold of that ye will run the hazard of making a shipwrack of your faith I dare confidently say that there is no truly godly man though never so learned will presume so much upon himself as to impose upon others his example or practice farther than he can prove the necessity thereof by Scripture why then should any man take a yoke upon him which is not laid upon him I exhort you saith (t) Vos hortamur ut non quod vobis placet aut nobis audire quaeratis sed quod domino complacet consonum est Scripturis Basil in Hom. adv Sabellian Basil not so much to enquire what pleaseth you and what pleaseth me but what is pleasing to God and agreeable to the Scriptures To what inconveniences Augustine had bound himself if he had strictly tied himself to the Fathers before him though very holy and of great learning is well enough known But (u) Alios Scriptores praeter Canonicos ita lego ut quantâlibet sanctitate doctrinâve perpolleant non ideo verum putem quia ipsi ita senserunt sed quia mihi vel per alios auctores Canonicos vel probabili ratione quòd à veritate non abhorreat persuadere potuerint Aug. Epist 19. ad Hieron saith he other Writers besides those that are Canonical I so read that however they may excel in learning and pietie yet I do not think any thing to be true meerly because they have thought so unles they can perswade me by certain testimonies of the Scripture or probable reasons that what they say is true But was Augustine willing that other men after him should deal with his Writing as he did with the Fathers before him Yes For (x) Negare non possum nec debeo sicut in ipsis majoribus ita multa esse in tam multis opusculis meis quae possunt iusto judicio ac nullâ temeritate culpari Aug. ad Vincent Victor lib. 2. saith he I neither can nor ought to deny but as in the Antients so likewise in my works there are many things which may justly and without any rashness be blamed (y) Neminem velim sic amplecti omnia mea ut me sequatur nisi in ●is in quibus me non errata perspexerint Nam propter●ae nunc facio libros Retractionum ut nec meipsum in omnibus me secutum suisse demonstrem Aug lib. de Bon. perseverantiae cap. 21. And I would not have any man so to embrace all my writings as to follow me in all things unlesse he see that I have not erred in them for therefore do I make my book of Retractations to shew that I my self have not in all things followed my self Above all 4. Take heed of making crooked the rule and wresting it to the maintenance of any ertoneous or self-Conceit This is a dreadfull sin and he who doth it knowingly speaketh lies in hypocrisie It was a fearfull evil for Lucifer to say I will ascend up and be like the highest is it not as great a sin for any to seek to make the highest become like Lucifer so do they that drag down the Scriptures to patronize any erroneous opinion of their own heads or any evil of their own hearts they go about to make the blessed God and the Holy Ghost the Father of lies than which what can be more abominable It is accounted a capital crime in a Commonwealth to put the States stamp upon false Coin and to put the stamp of the Spirit of God upon an error upon a conceit of a mans own is certainly a great evil before the Lord. We doe with one consent blame the Papists for making the Scriptures a nose of wax that a man may writhe which way he pleaseth let not any Protestant practise that which he so severely condemns in a Papist be his pretence never so plausible Yet alas who doth not see and cannot but be grieved to see how horribly we wrest the Scriptures I should not have said it but that it is too manifest to be hid For it is but usual when mens opinions do not agree with the Scriptures to wrest the Scriptures to make them agree with their opinions The reason of it is this Men receive opinions before they have well examined them by the Scripture having once entertained them out of weakness the strength of their pride causeth them to use this means for the maintaining of them and though it be but some additional point in Divinitie yet now it must needs be fundamental in Religion because it is fundamental to his reputation (z) Optimus Scripturae lector est qui dictorū intelligentiam ex dictis expectat potius quàm importat et retulerit magis quàm attulerit nec cogat id videri dictis contineri quod ante lectionem praesumpserit intelligendum Hilar lib. 1. De Trin. Hilarie hath an excellent saying with which I will shut up this head He is the best reader of the Scripture saith he that carrieth away the sense of any place of Scripture after he hath read it not he that bringeth 〈◊〉 with him and so even after a forcible manner labours to make that appear to be in such a Scripture which he presumed was to be found there before he came to read it Men that do thus may not unfitly be compared to Camels that diink not of the fountain as Historians tell us till they have pudled in them with their feet But what if the Scripture in some things be silent prescribing only rules in the general as that 1 Cor. 14. Let all things be done decently and in order not peremptorily enjoining any thing in particular to be observed in such a Church what is most convenient for a moderate man to do in such a case To this I answer according to mine own judgement Fifthly That it is most meet where the Scripture is silent we should hearken to the voice of the Church in the first place the Primitive Church and next to that the Church wherein we live Where the Scripture speaks I would have the Church only our Comment but where the Scripture is silent I would have the Church our Text and judge it most fitting that men should follow the great Wheel of the Church and move by that not reserving any proper poles or motions from the Epycicles of their own brains It argues monstrous pride in any man in things of indifferency for in things of absolute necessity I presume the Scripture is resolute to lean unto his own judgement or the opinion of a party against the general assent of the Church I see no reason why our own Church should be slighted by them that cannot deny themselves to be her children much less the Primitive and Ancient Church from the Apostles times Where the Scripture is silent let us hearken and adhere to her testimony I knew that Novelty hath much prevailed against Antiquity in this last age but I see little hopes of Moderation till Antiquity come into more estimation than at present it is In the mean time for so I chuse to break off abruptly Consider what hath been spoken and the Lord give you understanding and Moderation in all things FINIS