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	truth_n	15,566	5	5.7471	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77148	Good counsell for evil times. Or, A plain sermon preached at Pauls in London, April 16. 1648. / By Edw: Bowles M.A. of Katherin-Hall Cambridge. Printed by the desire and order of the Lord Maior and aldermen of that famous city.	Bowles, Edward, 1613-1662.	1648 (1648)	Wing B3872; Thomason E435_35; ESTC R204201	25,559	35

of divine precepts and in some circumstantials rather be content with the undoubted title of Christian prudence then the questionable tenure of divine right It may be said we want matter for this new building it 's too true but better an hedge with some unsound stakes in it then none at all But to prevent this great mischief how necessarie were it that more then ordinary care should be taken for removing scandalous and insufficient Ministers and enemies of Reformation for as things now stand in many places some Presbyteries would be looked upon as knots of good fellows and others as conspiracies of disaffected persons It was once a ground of commendation layd by the Jews on the behalf of the Centurion He loved our Nation and built us a Synagogue but how much more commendable would it be in any that give us reason to say He loved our Countrey and sent us a faithfull Minister Let us walk by this principle which is certainly that the saving of Kingdoms as well as souls depend upon a good Ministery And let me adde one thing more that is a tender regard to such as are indeed Saints of God who are very dear to him If they be really so they will not put us to much expence of charity or patience let them have what is fit and necessary The Lord will take it very kindly at our hands and he is able to requite us for the King of Saints is also King of Nations Let no man think that ●lacking Reformation and gratifying the back-friends of it i● retarding it can be a safe way to settle us That one instance of the Jews returning from Captivity may be a sufficient caveat for men to give up a begun Reformation notwithstanding all opposition They took their interruptions for sufficient excuses for not going on with the Temple work but it would not be so taken for all their outward advantages to which they addicted themselves were blasted by that neglect as will clearly appear to him that reads Hagg. 1. 6 7. 2. Reformation in matters of justice is exceeding necessarie to better these evill dayes Scripture reason experience tell us so Amos 5. 15. Establish judgement in the gate it may be the Lord will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph We have the same God to deal with who said it and changes not Hear ye the Word of the Lo●d ye house of David execute judgement in the morning and deliver him that is spoyled out of the hand of the oppressor lost my fury go out like fire and none can quench it because of the evill of your doings It is highly pleasing to the Lord to see men follow that which is altogether just Deut. 16. 19 20. And as in Religion it is so so in reason it must be so Justice which is a giving to each their due hath a naturall and necessarie tendency unto establishment it settles the spirits of men It is therefore called by the holy Ghost The judgement of truth and peace because of its influence thereunto Zach. 8. 16. Nothing hath done more mischief to present Authority then the unequall distribution of rewards and punishments and the wretched partialities which factions favours and relations have put men upon Whereas if we could follow justice or that which is altogether just we might live and inherit the Land which the Lord hath given us But yet let men take heed of seeking justice by violence lest we give occasion to the old sad complaint Proh quanta injustitia in quaerenda justitia 3. To this must be added personall reformation let men frame and fancy what new moulds and devices they will for bettering the times till men and manners be better it will not be times are alwayes alike in themselves they have no evil but by concomitancy and reflexion cast upon them from the evill of men Therefore let not us wander in untrodden paths and wayes not cast up but ask for the old way and the ancient paths that we may find rest and what are they but the prescriptions of the Lord 2 Chron. 7. 14. If my people shall humble themselves and pray and turn from their evill wayes I will hear in heaven forgive their sin and heal their land Walk by this rule Vnholy men make unhappy times Let none say to the prejudice of the Kingdom and his own soul What can my leaving my profanenesse covetousnesse uncleannesse do good to the Nation Yes it may God doth not powre out his indignation upon a people till the measure of iniquity be full it is not indeed for one man or a few to empty the vessell of sin in this Nation but yet they may keep it from being full But howsoever if thou canst not save a Kingdom yet it is a good way toward the saving of a soul to repent and reform if withall the heart be sprinkled with the blood of Christ the price and author of salvation to them that obey him Never doubt of the fruit of amendment for he that soweth righteousnesse hath a sure reward It is no small matter to be brought under the protection of those precious promises made to righteous men as that light shall arise to them in the midst of darknesse that in the dayes of famine they shall be satisfied that their very enemies shall be at peace with them when their wayes please the Lord that he shall not be afraid of evill tydings And let Magistrates masters parents according to their double engagements bestir themselves herein it must be confested they are upon much disadvantage in these loose and lawlesse times when men are grown as the horse mule wh●se mouth must be holden with a bridle but yet there is no sitting down nor giving way to the torrent of iniquity The Waterman going against wind and stream doth not because of the difficulty lay down his Oares and suffer himself to be carried down into the Ocean but plyes his work the harder and redoubles his strokes so must those in Authority not suffer themselves to be carried down by the floods of ungodlinesse risen up among us but redouble prayers and pains and use more vigilance and courage then ever lest they be carried down to the waves of the sea and madnesse of the people And oh that London would look to Reformation and do it's first works take heed of profaning the Lords day and opposing the vindication of it that they would avoid and abhor that frequent drinking healths not so much of good fellowship as of faction which were wont to be confined to Taverns but are now got into private houses and publick streets and are ready to fill us with drunkennesse and dash us one against another The reckoning of these drinkings is like to be very sharp unlesse we be more sober and vigilant Lastly all this must be accompained with humble and hearty frequent and fervent prayer it is evident enough that as nothing hath been

heaven and not allowed for the lot of this pilgrimage and if differences were wisely distinguished we should have more peace and never the lesse Truth among us But that way should be given to a licencious lawlesse boundlesse Vorstian libertas Prophetandi as it s called that every one whose brain is big of some new conceit or the transmigration of an old error should have the Midwifery of a Toleration to produce and propagate it how soone would it turn both Church and Kingdome into a Babel of confusion The fruits of this practise have been found in Poland and Transilvania And whereas it is usually objected that some place neerer hand flourishes notwithstanding this I answer or rather aske in what they flourish is it in the life and power of Religion or in other things onely And let it also be considered whether this indifferency connivence there hath not given advantage to a secret and subtill enemy to undermine the very foundations of their liberty the issues whereof may too soon appear Where all Religions or all things called religion are exercised the product is commonly no religion or a prevalency of the worst Therfore never let us think to establish our selves with those things for which other Churches have been threatned and probably wasted as of Thyatira and Pergamus Rev. 2. 14. 20. 5. To these I may adde a fifth consideration and its this No violent or sudden change of Civill Government according to the Idea's and chimeraes in the minds of more witty then wise men is likely to better these times If things could be acted as easily as imagined and compassed as soon as contrived it were another matter But revolutions of times and States are the fancies of men but the works of God It is said indeed of some that they shall think to change times and Laws Dan. 7. 27. but it 's the power and priviledge of the most high to change times and seasons to remove Kings and set up Kings Dan. 2. 21. The weight of Kingdoms is too great to be turned by the weak engine of humane invention God uses to suit providences and spirits of men to great works when he intends them and it 's he that makes agreements of people and not a few of the many And those dreams of parity in Civill affairs is unequall and impossible Philosophers say of naturall bodies Non datur temperamentum ad pondus because that body could consist no where were there not a predominant element to determine it It 's as true of civill and politick bodies Those that now are for equality while they are inferiour would be for superiority when things were equall if the Vine and the Olive were taken away the Bramble would rule over the trees for some body will Thus we see what will not do the businesse so much desired let us briefly consider what will And to this purpose know in one word Reformation would do the work and that 1. In Religion the settling the affairs of which would have a very great influence into an alteration of times for the better For not onely men that have the power but even all that have the form of it will be ill at ease till it be established And more especially it being acknowledged that the God of heaven hath the soveraignty of times and seasons in his hand this must necessarily be granted that to procure better times must be to comply with that which the Lord looks upon as his main interest if I may call it so which is the ordering the affairs of his Church and that in Doctrine and Worship Truth is a glorious beam of the Sun of righteousnesse I mean Gospel truth the Word of truth the Gospel of salvation which God is very choice of how slightly soever men may esteeme it and tosse it at their pleasure the foundation of that stately structure was layd in the blood of his Son and hath been raised by the blood of his Saints and who so would have the eye and heart of God to be toward them must have theirs to his truth To the bettering therefore of these dayes how usefull and acceptable would it be how pleasing to God and profitable to men if the more grosse injuries and affronts offered to the truth of God were more discountenanced and punished especially if pertinacy and contumacy be added thereunto And so to make a graduall progresse to a more full vindication of it by a mixture of power and means of information There are some damnable heresies that bring swift destruction to persons and places and there must not be delay in them there are opinions and practises against the light of nature and evident light of Scripture that have been broached in these licentious times which can hardly pretend to conscience which should be carefully repressed Let not men be afraid of endangering peace by asserting truth If it were so yet it were no just plea because we are bid to buy the truth but not to sell it no not for peace though that be a pearl it 's not the pearl of price but it will not be so beside the meraphisicall relation of verum and bonum you will find a frequent connexion of them in Scripture Truth and peace So for Worship much hath been done by Authority that way for the draining of it from the muddy mixtures of humane ceremony and invention Onely the coldnesse of inferior offi●ers trusted with execution of Laws together with the corruption of men addicted to the easinesse of externals in Religion have rendred them in a great measure unprofitable so tha● men are left still halting betwixt God and Baal saying 〈◊〉 after a new fashion and holding the people in hand that there is yet hope of a re-establishment of former customes whereby an intolerable envy and mischievous prejudice is raised against them who practise Reformation And that God may be pleased in worship you must look not onely to avoid superstition but formality also the usuall bane of Religion in places where it is much professed Remember that God is a Spirit bare words and externals hold no communion with him he will be worshipped sutably that is in spirit and in truth I doubt the quarrell mentioned Isa. 29. 13. is executed upon us and upon the same ground we have in our ordinary and extraordinary duties too frequently honoured God with our lips when our hearts have been far from him and therefore is the wisedome of the wise men perished and the understanding of the prudent hidden And as a fence to both these how necessary also were it that Government were settled according as the most considerable part of Godly men have advised Let it not be looked upon as too rigorous it is not found so in other places where it is exercised remember whose language it is Let us break their bands in sunder but lest this Scripture should be misapplyed let men take heed of putting of their own rules under the notion

best of them that we read of Nehemiah himself desires to come off with a pardon Lord remember me for good and spare me according to the multitude of thy mercies Let us deal with our titular gods as our onely true God deals with us who rejects not any good for the evil and infirmities that cleave thereunto but picks out integritie out of the midst of our infirmity and remembers the kindnesse of our youth when we grow worse or at least weaker by age who spares us as a father spares the son that serves him 2. And where this evil speaking is not untrue yet it is very unpolitick if it be fit to use such a word here and unwise there may be ground for evil reports yet there can be no good fruit of them especially as things now stand He is a very great stranger to this Nation and the good of it who knows not how much it is concerned in the power and reputation of Parliaments what an high way were made to our ruine in their dishonour and destruction to make them vile is but to pave a way to our own villanage it were just such a peice of policy as for a company of men who live upon the Sea coast and pull down those banks which are their defence from the waves of the Sea and tumult of the people It beasts were not beasts they would never bark or root up the tree that shelters them let not men be beasts and do so It is the temper of people to love things past to hate things present and earnestly to expect changes accordingly we are very unsatisfied with our present condition But suppose a man stand upon a ragged rock where his feet are pained will he not consider where he is like to light before he leaps down Let us be so wise and know that upon our demolishing this present structure howsoever ruinous enough we can expect little better then what the Lord threatens to a people of whom he declares he would have no pitie Zach. 11. 6. the place may be perused and considered at leisure But oh that while I plead for Magistracie Magistrates would plead for themselves not by words and writings but reall amendments for nothing else will do it and leave off faction partiality private interests and those things that tend to nothing but mischief and miserie that would much better the times 2. New commotions and warres are no way like to better the times this also is evident Psal. 34. he that would live many dayes to see good let him seek peace and insue it if ever it need insuing it is now when it is flying so fast from us We have seen and felt what a big-bellyed evill War is how fruitfull in the twins of sin and misery What through the dissolution of Courts and dissolutenesse of camps it makes iniquitie overflow like a common deluge We see how dearly that little good that is gotten by warre cost us we cannot have Religion settled but there must first be no Religion or twenty religions as they are called We cannot have Law but by breaking Laws nor Liberty but we must first be as it were slaves Who so thinks by new stirres to prevent errors and oppressions exceedingly mistakes for error is kept up by confusion as mud by stirring the water which would settle to the bottom after a little quiet Who gains any thing by war but he that hath nothing to lose Beleeve it before you feel it the little finger of the next war is like to be heavyer then the loins of this though broken Peace Those that now so studiously foment new broils suppose they should prevail yet doubtlesse our fate abides them which is mutuall animosi ies and divisions for if they have not as many ends to bring together as other men I am much mistaken but taking in the certain hazard with the uncertain event the people had better learn to pray without book to be prepared for the Sacrament before they receive it to submit to Church Discipline and Taxes also for a time then further new commotions which will be bitternesse in the end beside the ruggednesse of the way 3. The opening of a back doore for the receiving in again of old Offices Orders and Ceremonies in the Church is not so hopefull a way to better times as many imagine It is indeed a question whether the abolition of them might not have been more graduall that the hearts of people might have been prepared to the Lord but the dispensations of providence and the Authority of Reformers having so ordered things that they are abrogated to resume them stands neither with prudence nor piety as for the matter of piety sure there was little in them neither is there so much in any externall thing as may be supposed before it 's tryed Their nature must be very much abstracted from their practise or they must necessarily go in the number of plants which our heavenly Father never planted Neither in prudence is it hopefull for if not more yet more considerable persons to the true welfare of the Kingdom will be disengaged by the retaining those forms and formalities then by rejecting them and my reason is this Those that assert them do it ordinarily more out of faction then conscience for I perceive many ready to fight for a Common Prayer book who never made any conscience of hearing it but would leave the Priest and Clerk almost desolate and faction or humor though very busie and earnest for a time yet is easilier satisfied then conscience and the fruit of readmitting such things would be in probability this a fire would break out of those brambles to consume the Cedars of Lebanon 4. As not the opening a back doore to old Superstitions so neither the setting wide a paire of broad gates to a new Toleration would contribute hereunto if it should produce some present peace yet that peace would be both miserable and short it would be miserable because of the losse of Truth which is the foundation and beauty of peace in all Christian Kingdomes at the best it would but render our Kingdome as the French speaks of a beautifull harlot a Paradice for the eye but a Purgatory for the soule And were it sweet yet it could be but short for where Religion is so much taken to heart as it is in this Kingdom and not so much swallowed up in worldly interests as in some other it would be very hard to conserve peace in the middst of so many differences I speak not as if there might not or ought not to be a mutuall forbearance among Christians who hold the head and walk as becomes the Gospel and disturb not the publick peace and welfare of the Church seconded with an endeavour of restoring one another to unity in a spirit of meeknesse for that men should in all points agree is rather to be wished then hoped it is reserved for the happinesse of