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	trinity_n	7,211	5	10.1332	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70901	The pillar and ground of truth a treatise shewing that the Roman Chvrch falsly claims to be that church, and the pillar of that truth, mentioned by S. Paul in his First epistle to Timothy, Chap. III. vers. 15, which is explained in three parts.	Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707.; Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707.	1687 (1687)	Wing P833; ESTC R12795	90,521	140

take part with us in our flesh and blood is to make himself liable to sufferings and death In these few words therefore are contained many principles of Christian truths viz. that Jesus Christ was really God not God the Father whose being is here supposed but God the Son and that he was incarnate and really made Man of the Substance of his Mother being perfect God and perfect Man and as really suffered for us in the flesh as S. Peter speaks 1 IV. 1. Which were the Doctrines that were first assaulted by the Devil and his Agents in the beginning of our Religion such as Simon Magus and the rest of that Tribe but proved to be undoubtedly true by the mighty power of his Spirit II. Which is the second part of this Mystery justified in or by the Spirit Which sufficiently convinced all gain-sayers that he was no less than the Son of God though in the likeness of sinful flesh and that by a Sacrifice for sin he condemned sin in the flesh VIII Rom. 3. For as he was conceived in his Mothers Womb by the Holy Ghost I. Luke 35. So at his Baptism he was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power X. Act. 38. there being then a visible descent of the Spirit of God in a Glorious manner upon him together with a voice from Heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased III. Matt. 17. And as it then lighted on him so it abode and remained on him I. Joh. 32 33. as appeared by the power of such Miracles as neither Men nor Devils could work but only the Spirit of God. Which was so evidently true that to ascribe them to the Devil was the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost XII Matt. 28.31 32. III. Mark 29 30. by whose power not only Devils were cast out but even the Dead were raised whereby he was manifested to be the resurrection and the life XI Joh. 25. By the same Spirit he himself also was raised from the Dead and declared again the Son of God with power I. Rom. 4. And having all power in Heaven and Earth given him he sent the Holy Ghost upon his Apostles on the day of Pentecost as a further Justification of him XV. Joh. 26. V. Act. 32. Nay more than this by the laying on of their hands poured it out upon others who believed on his Name II. Act. 38. VIII 17. Which was the unction from the Holy One whereby they knew all things as St. John calls it 1. II. 20. i. e. were assured of all the Christian Truth revealed unto them For all these were illustrious witnesses unto Christ and justified this grand truth that he was God manifested in the flesh for such ends and purposes as he pretended against all opposers who accused it of falsity And who is there that doth not see several other principles of God's holy Truth contained in this particularly that the Holy Ghost is God the third person in the Holy Trinity being the Spirit of God which knows the things of God as the Spirit of Man doth what is in him 1 Cor. II. 11. and led or guided the Apostles into all Truth XVI Joh. 13. and dwells in the whole body of the Church as his Temple 1 Cor. VI. 19. which no created Spirit can do and gave such a Divine testimony to our Saviour that to speak against it was unpardonable blasphemy That other great article of our Faith also is included in this which S. Paul declares in these terms Though he was crucified through weakness yet he liveth by the power of God 2 Corinth XIII 4. III. This was a thing notorious to the Angels themselves which is the third particular in this Mystery Was seen of Angels both at his birth III. Luke 9 10 13. and in several passages of his life IV. Matt. 11. XVII 5. I. Joh. 51. and at his death XXII Luke 43. and at and after his Resurrection XXVIII Matt. 2. XX. Joh. 20. and also at his Ascension I. Act. 10 11. when they testified to the Apostles that this same Jesus who was taken up from them into Heaven shall so come in like manner as they had seen him go into Heaven Where when he came they all Worshipped him I. Hebr. 6. and admired at the wonderful Wisdom of God which was made known to them by the Church 1 Pet. I. 12. especially this Mystery of Christ as the Scripture calls it which is the fourth particular in this Catalogue of Christian Truths IV. That this Doctrine thus confirmed and attested was preached unto the Gentiles who were assured that they should be made fellow-heirs with the Jews and partakers of God's Promise in Christ by the Gospel as S. Paul speaks III. Ephes 6. Vnto whom this grace was given to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all Men know what is the fellowship of the Mystery which from the beginning of the World was hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ An astonishing Grace this was declaring the infinite love and kindness of God that they who thought not of it who had no promises to make them expect it who were strangers to God and the Covenant of Promise were on a sudden surprized with the revelation of God's good will to them in Christ and by belief of it were made fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God. That is the Church was made truly Catholique all the World being taken into fellowship with the Apostles whose fellowship was with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ 1 Joh. I. 3. V. And another great wonder was that notwithstanding all the opposition which was made by the Potentates by the Philosophers and Disputers of the World by the Devil also and his Angels who though they also saw 〈◊〉 and could not but confess him yet set themselves against him with their whole power and notwithstanding all the strong prejudices that were in Peoples minds against it this whole Mystery of Godliness was entertained and received with great joy every where Which is the fifth particular seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World. So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed as S. Luke speaks Act. XIX 20. The reason was because Christ the Head of the Church being raised from the dead was exalted at God's right Hand far above all Principality and Power and every name that is named either in this World or in the other so that neither Men nor Devils could hinder the propagation of the Gospel by the working of that mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the Dead and set him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places VI. For that is the last part of this Mystery of Godliness he was received up into or in Glory that is in a glorious manner received up into Heaven And being gone into the Heavens as S. Peter writes 1 III. ult is on the

de Trin. I beseech thee preserve this undefiled Religion of my Faith and grant me this voyce of my Conscience to the last breath that what I professed in the Symbol of my Regeneration being baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost I may always obtain viz. I may adore thee our Father and thy Son together with thee and do honour to thy Holy Spirit who is of thee by thine only begotten For he is a sufficient witness to Faith who said Father all mine are thine and thine are mine my Lord Jesus Christ who remains in thee and from thee and with thee always God who is blessed for ever and ever Which I the rather mention because it serves to illustrate the prudence and charity of S. Austin and the rest of the Christian Bishops of those days who though they looked upon the Donatists as Hereticks in denying the Church to be Catholique by confining it to themselves yet distinguished them from such Hereticks as erred in the prime and most Fundamental truths of our Religion about the Divinity and the Incarnation of our Christ and such like That is they made a difference even in the Articles of Faith and lookt upon some as more Fundamental than others being of more importance and of greater weight and moment and therefore judged more mildly of them than they did of such as denyed the Holy Trinity or held any Doctrines which impeached the glory of the Father or of the Son or of the Holy Ghost And therefore they still called these Donatists Brethren they pitied them as Men seduced by their Guides and professed sincere love and affection to them whether they accepted it or no. Though such was the peevishness of that Sect that they abused this charity of good Catholique Christians towards them just as they of the Church of Rome do our charity now For from thence they took occasion to argue that they were in the right even by the Concessions of their Adversaries which justified both them and their heretical Schism For you said they (m) August L. 2. contra lit Petiliavi cap. ult can find no faults in our baptism nor consequently in our Faith into which we baptize for if you could you would baptize those over again who come from us to you as we baptize those again who come from you to us Which is as much as to say you allow there is a Church and Salvation among us but we allow no Church no Salvation among you therefore it is safest for all to joyn with us not with you Which is the very Charm whereby they of the Church of Rome endeavour now to work upon the spirits of simple people among us though no wiser than this argument of a company of mad men would be if they had so much cunningremaining as to say to us we deny you to be Men but you allow us to be Men therefore we are fit for all Mens society not you who are but a herd of Beasts And what S. Austin answers to the Donatists is a full answer to the present Romanists which is this in short (n) L. 1. de Baptisino contra● Donatistas C. X. for it is besides my business to do more than mention these things when we speak favourably of you it is for the sake of What you have of ours not for what you have of your own let that which you have of ours be set aside and we approve of nothing at all among you But I will not further enlarge upon this nor say much of the next which is very plain V. They therefore who condemn those as Hereticks who Excommunicate them and pronounce Anathema's against them that believe the whole Catholique Faith are the great disturbers of the Christian World and the true cause of the Divisions and breaches that are in the Body of Christ And who they are that do thus is visible to every eye the Church of Rome having thought fit not to rest satisfied with the simplicity of those often mentioned Catholique fundamental Truths which are without Controversie and unquestionable but as if that Faith which the old Christians thought compleat they take to be defective have adjoyned as many more n●w Articles to the old body and that under the pain of damnation if we do not believe them I have told you what they are and if you look them over again you will find that upon those have all the Contests risen between us and them The necessary fundamental Truths which constitute the Church which was built upon no other for many Ages are on both sides unquestioned but because we question or rather deny those which they would impose which we are certain are no part of the Christian Doctrine they call us Hereticks That is because we will not yield Obedience to their usurpt authority because we cannot believe their new inventions to be Catholique and fundamental Doctrines Here is the true reason of all the miserable ruptures that are in this part of the World nay this is the just grievance and complaint of all Christians who know any thing of these matters but themselves alone VI. And their guilt is herein the greater because the best learned among themselves have confessed these Additions to the Creed to be doubtful opinions unnecessary and superfluous Doctrines Novelties unknown to the ancient Church Concerning every one of which three things our Authors have given the clearest evidence 1. The first of them the doubtfulness of those Doctrines appears in this that there is not only variety but contrariety of judgment about them in their own Church which argues plainly great perplexity and uncertainty Of which there needs no other proof as Doctor Potter (o) Answer to Charity mistaken p. 69. observes but the famous Books of Bellarmine who in the entrance upon every Question there stated gives an account of the Contentions and Contradictions of those who have-written upon it among themselves And at this day they are not better agreed in the Explication of several Points in difference between us See the late Answer to the Bishop of Meaux's Exposition of Faith. particularly about the Worship given to Images and the Invocation of Saints which some of their greatest Doctors mollifie and sweeten as they do other points into downright Heresie as such Explications are accounted by others 2. The very same may be clearly shewn out of their own Authors and hath been demonstrated by our Divines concerning the Second thing that those Doctrines are not necessary but superfluous For the Roman Catechism (p) Praefat. S●ct 12. it self having observed that their Ancestors had most wisely distributed all that belongs to saving Doctrine into these four heads for the help of the Peoples understanding and memory the Apostles Creed the Sacraments the Decalogue and the Lord's Prayer immediately confess concerning the first that all things which are to be held by the Discipline of the Christian Faith whether

discourses in that very Book against Manichaeus (q) Cap. XIV contra Epist quam vocant Fundamenti his Letter from whence the fore-named saying I had not believed the Gospel unless the Churches Authority had moved me to it is wont at every turn to be objected to us by those of the Romish perswasion Thou dost nothing but praise what thou believest and deride what I believe Now since I can be even with thee and do the very same praise what I believe and deride what thou believest what is to be done but that we leave and relinquish those who invite us to know things certain and afterwards require us to believe things uncertain let those of the Roman Church mark this and that we follow them who invite us first to believe that which we cannot yet see into that being made stronger in the Faith it self we may come to understand what we believe NOT MEN NOW BUT GOD HIMSELF INWARDLY ESTABLISHING AND ILLUMINATING OUR MIND It is impossible to read this passage and not see that this Father thought our Faith is not ultimately resolved into the Testimony of the Church but by that being invited to believe the Holy Scriptures we are established upon the serious reading of them in the Christian Faith and Knowledge of the Truth by God himself Upon whose Word in the Holy Scripture and not upon Men we bottom our Faith. Upon the Testimony and Authority of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and the Testimony of divine Men inspired by them who by Miracles and Signs and mighty Deeds and a prophetical Spirit proved themselves to be sent of God and have left his Mind and Will upon Record in the Scriptures of Truth Which the Church indeed in all parts of the World hath kept and preserved and faithfully transmitted down to us and now propounds to our Faith but it is not merely what the Church saith that makes us believe but what God himself saith in the Holy Scriptures concerning his Son Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ saith concerning his rising from the Dead and sending the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles Which being fulfilled evidently proved him to be the Son of God the Saviour of the World and them to be his Apostles and Ministers who declared to Men the true way of Salvation So the Church directs and guides us to the Scriptures of Truth but they resolve and assure our Faith being the very Word of God. The authority of God's Church is the first motive which leads us to esteem the Scriptures but being led thither we find in the matter of them that which gives us full satisfaction by bestowing our pains in reading or hearing and considering the Mysteries contained therein The Church holds out this light to us but it is by this light that we see what is the mind and will of God. To this the Church points us and bids us attend to it for this it disposes and prepares us it leads us by the hand to this as the only sure foundation of our Faith because herein we find God himself speaking to us and moreover by the Ministery of the Church we are assisted in understanding the sence of the Holy Scriptures but they contain in themselves that Divine Authority and Truth whereby we come to a certain Faith. The Church tells us such and such things are true and we find them to be so by examining the Scriptures Which the Beraeans searched daily whether those things were so which the Apostles preached and therefore many of them believed not merely because the Apostles told them they ought so to do but because they found what they said in the Holy Scriptures XVII Act. 11 12. And so far as any Church speaks according to the truth contained therein it is to be believed and followed But if it bring no Divine word for its warrant if it propound other Doctrines which are not there it hath no authority to make such Doctrines the matter of our Faith much less to set up its own authority above the Scriptures as they do who say The Scriptures receive their authority from the Church Which is the Doctrine of no less Men than Baronius and Bellarmine to name no more The former of (r) Ad Annum 53 〈◊〉 X XI which argues that because we receive these Holy Books to be writings of the Apostles and Evangelists and not forged under their Names upon the testimony of the Church therefore all the writings of the New Testament received their authority from the Churches tradition which is fundamentum Scripturarum as he ventures to say the foundation of the Scriptures The other (s) L. 2. de Sacrament C. 25. Tertium is no less positive that if we take away the authority of the present Church and the present Council we call in doubt the whole Christian Faith. For the firmness of all ancient Councils and of all Doctrines depends upon the authority of the present Church This is very presumptuous talk for by the Church they mean themselves and then by the testimony of the Church that is their own testimony they mean such a Divine witness as assures us by its own authority without any other proof Which are the great points of difference between us in this matter For we assert first that the office of leading Men to the Holy Scriptures and so to Faith belongs to every Church as much as to them and secondly that no Church can bring People to Faith by its own testimony and authority but by the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures nor is any Church whatsoever to be heard in matters of Divine Truth further than it can prove its Doctrines by the authority of God's Word and teaches things agreeable thereunto II. Which leads to the Second thing briefly to shew what power and authority the Church cannot pretend unto in matters of Faith. 1. And first it appears by what hath been said that it hath not a Soveraign Absolute Prophetical authority independent upon the Rule of the Holy Scriptures so that we must take whatsoever it saith for true without consulting them This is the ambitious pretence of the great Doctors of the Roman Church who give the Church meaning thereby the present Roman Church an authority over all things not depending on the Scriptures but upon which the Scriptures themselves depend So that without the authority of this Church all truth is doubtful Which is a manifest principle of Infidelity making all Religion stand to the courtesie of a company of Men who in such matters are the least to be trusted of all other Christians that we are acquainted withall 2. The Church hath no authority to propound any Doctrine as necessary to Salvation which is not delivered in the Holy Scriptures but depends solely on the authority of its own Tradition This is another of their ambitious attempts who having arrogated to themselves alone the whole power of the Church make that power so unlimited that it can supply the