Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A27034
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A second sheet for the ministry iustifying our calling against Quakers, seekers, and papists and all that deny us to be the ministers of Christ by Richard Baxter.
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Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing B1404; ESTC R17263
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18,288
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16
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hadst immediately from God in Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus that Good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us The Holy Ghost is to help us in keeping that which is committed to us and not to reveal more 2 Tim. 6.13 14. I give thee charge in the sight of God that thou keep this Commandment without spot unrebukable till the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ There was a form of Doctrine delivered to the Church of Rome Rom. 6.17 And 1 Tim. 5.17 The Elders that Rule well are worthy of double honour especially they that labour in the word and Doctrine You see their work was to Rule and labour in the word and Doctrine 1 Tim. 4.13 14 15 16. Till I come give attendance to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrine meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them that thy prof 〈…〉 ing may appear to all Take heed unto thy self and unto thy Doctrine continue in them for in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee 1. Tim. 4.6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things thou shall be a good Minister of Jesus Christ nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine whereunto thou hast attained Mark here the description of a good Minister of Christ One that 's nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine which is the use of Schools and Universities and having attained it makes it his work to teach it and put others in remembrance of it Tit. 1.7 9 10 11. For a Bishop must be blameless as the steward of God holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught mark that that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsayers For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers whose mouths must be stopped who subvert whole houses teaching things which they ought not c. So 1 Tim. 3.1 5. The office of a Bishop is to Rule and take care of the Church of God To take heed to themselves and to all the flock and feed the Church of God and to watch hereunto according to the word of Gods grace which is fully and wholly delivered by his Apostles and is able to build us up and give us an inheritance among the sanctified as Act. 20.28 20 27 35 32. 1 Thess. 5.12 13. We beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you this is their Office and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and not revile them as the servants of Satan do and be at peace among your selves Heb. 13.7 17 24. Remember them which have the Rule over you which have spoken to you the word of God Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with Joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Salute all them that have the Rule over you The Elders of the Church are to pray with and for the sick Jam. ◠14 They must feed the flock of God among them taking the oversight of it 1 Pet. 5.1 2. Thus you see their Office and work 2. And that they were not to bring any new Doctrine further appears in that they have a charge to Preach no other doctrine 1 Tim. 1.3 Nor to be tossed as children with every wind of doctrine Eph. 4.14 Nor carried about with divers and strange doctrines Heb. 13.9 3. Yea if any man bring not the doctrine of Christ we must not receive him into our houses or bid him God speed lest we be partakers of his evil deeds for be that abideth not in this doctrine hath not God 2 John 9.10 11. Gal. 1.8 9. Though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel to you then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed As we said before so say I now again If any man preach any other Gospel to you then that ye have received let him be accursed And Rom. 16.17 18. Now I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them 1 Tim. 6.3 If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholsome words the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness he is proud knowing nothing but do 〈…〉 ing 4. And if all Ministers must be receivers of new Doctrines the Church would never know when it hath all but would be still obeying an imperfect Law 5. And it would be an oppression to the Church instead of a Direction to be so overwhelmed with new Doctrines and Precepts 6. And it would accuse Christ the Lawgiver of such mutability as wise Princes are not guilty of to be still changing or adding to his Laws 7. There was great occasion for the New Testament or Gospel upon the great work of our Redemption but there is no such cause for alterations since 8. The Priests before Christ were not to receive new Laws as is said 9. The companions of the Apostles that wrought Miracles had not all new Revelations but did it to seal up this Gospel 10. What need we more then actual experience that God doth not give New Revelations to the world and none since the Scripture-times have sealed any other by Miracles And thus I have proved to you the two sorts of Ministers as Paul plain 〈…〉 distinguisheth them 1 Cor. 3.10 11 12. Eph. 2.20 There are Planters and Waterers Master builders that lay the foundation and others that build thereon 〈…〉 ther foundation can no man lay then that which is laid but every man that 〈…〉 ildeth hay or stubble and loseth his work doth not nullifie the Ministry We are built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ being the head corner-stone but we are not built on the foundation of every Pastor Teacher Elder Bishop or Deacon Though both in their places Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers are given for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the body of Christ Eph. 4.11 12. That we might be one united Body having one fixed standing doctrine ver. 14 15 16. And how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him mark whence the Church receiveth it God also bearing them witness but not every Elder or Teacher both with signs and wonders and with divers Miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will Heb. 2.3 4. Prop. 2. And now that these later Ministers need not prove their calling by Miracles I prove thus 1. God never imposed such a task upon them nor commanded the people to require such a proof not to believe any but workers of Miracles 2. God gave not all the gift of Miracles that were employed in his work even in the Apostles daies Are all workers of Miracles saith Paul some had by the Spirit the word of
wisdom and of knowledge and others Tongues and others Interpretation and others Miracles 1 Cor. 12.29 7 8 9 10. 3. They that have the Holy Ghost are owned by Christ and so have many without working Miracles See Rom. 8.9 1 Cor. 12.3 Gal. 5.18 22 23 24. 1 Cor. 6.11 Eph. 3.16 5.9 18. 1 Pet. 1.2 22. Rom. 15.13 16. Tit. 3.5 4. The Law of Moses was kept and taught by Priests and Levites that wrought not Miracles 5. If the Laws of all Nations may be kept without Miracles so may the Laws of Christ 6. If humane writings are kept without Miracles as Homer Virgil Ovid Cicero Livy c. so may the Laws of God much more as being the daily subject of the belief meditation conference preaching controversies devotions of Christians through the world and translated into so many Tongues 7. There is nothing in the Nature of the thing that requireth ordinary Miracles Cannot men sufficiently prove without Miracles that there have been such men as Caesar Pompey Aristotle or which be Calvins or Bellarmines writings c. Much more evidently may they prove what doctrine is essential to Christianity and the Scripture that contains the whole 8. Else Parents could not teach their children nor bring them up in the Nurture and admonition of the Lord Eph. 6.4 Nor teach them with Timothy from a child to know the Scriptures which are able to make men wise to salvation through faith in Christ 2 Tim. 3.15 Must no Parents teach their children to know Christ but such as can work Miracles 9. The Doctrine which we preach is fully confirmed by Miracles already by Christ and his Apostles There needs no greater then Christs own Resurrection nor more then were done which Universal unquestionable History and Tradition hath brought down to our hands 10. It is a ridiculous expectation that every person should see the Miracles before they do believe Then if Christ had done Miracles before all Jerusalem save one man that one man should not be bound to believe Or if I could do miracles in this Town or Countrey none must believe me ever the more but those that see it And so you may as well say I should not believe that there is any Sea or Land City or Kingdom France Spain Rome c. but what I see Are these men worthy to be talkt with that believe no body and confess themselves such Lyars that they would have no body believe them It was not all that saw Christs Miracles or Resurrection or the Apostles miracles It seems the rest were not bound to be Christians Even as Clem. Writer told me that no man is bound to believe that Christ did Rise again or the rest of Christianity that seeth not Miracles himself to prove it adding withall that indeed Antichrist may do Miracles and so it seems for all the talk miracles themselves would not serve if they saw them 11. Is it not to put a scorn on God Almighty to say that the Glory of all his most miraculous works should be buried to all that saw them not and that Parents should not tell them to their children or children should not believe them if they do 12. It s injurious to Posterity that the knowledge of the most wonderful works of God shall be only for the good of them that see them and that all ages after shall be never the better 13. It tends to make men mad and as Ideots that must know and believe no more then they see what kind of folks must these be that know not that there is either Prince or Parliament City or Countrey or any folks in the world but those they have seen This will not stand with trading converse Subjection Societies and its doubtful whether such are capable of managing estates or should not be put under others as Ideots 14. Children cannot learn to read nor speak without some kind of belief of them that teach them nor can they obey their parents nor learn any trade nor obey Physitians so that this conceit of incredulity is against the Nature livelihood and life of man 15. And they would tie God to be at the beck of every unreasonable Infidel that shall say Though all the Town have seen thy Miracles yet I will see my self or else I will not believe 16. They expect that God should overturn the course of Nature for if Miracles be as ordinary as the operations of Nature they are confounded 17. And by this they would cross themselves and make Miracles uneffectual For if they were ordinary few would be moved by them as any proof of a Divine Testimony were it as ordinary for the Sun to go backward as forward who would take it for a Miracle To this Clem. Writer answers me that Miracles were convincing in the first Age when they were common Answ. How common Not as natural operations Nor so as for all Countreys or persons to see them 500 saw Christ at once after his Resurrection 5000. were once miraculously fed but as this was not every days work so what was this to others And in that it was but for an age and rarely in after ages shews that they were not for every mans eyes 18. What need we more proof then actual experience that God doth not often now work miracles And he that saith the Gospel and Christian faith and Church and Ministry are therefore ceased its like will not take it ill to be taken himself for an Heathen or Infidel 19. And we have experience of millions that still do actually and stedfastly believe in Christ without Miracles and many have laid down their lives on that belief therefore without miracles men may believe But to this Clem. Writer saith to me These believers of all sorts condemn each other as Hereticks Answ. But not as Infidels None but the ignorant or passionate condemn all other sorts as Hereticks The sober do not And it is not enough to prove you a bastard if an angry Brother call you so 20. Because this sheet alloweth me not room I intreat the Reader to peruse these Texts which tell him aloud that the word and works of God must be believed by Tradition though without Miracles Exod. 10.1 2. 12.14 17 26 27 42. Deut. 11.2 to the 22. 29.22 to 28. Josh. 4.6 7. 22.24 to 32. Psalm 48.13 78.1 to 9. 102.18 145.4 89.1 Joel 1.2 3 4. Acts 1.8 2.32 5.30 31 32. 10.38 to 42. 13.30 31. 1.22 4.33 22.15 26.16 23.11 2 Tim. 2.2 John 20.29 19.35 15.27 12.17 5.33 1.15 32 34. Luke 4.22 1 Pet. 5.1 And that you would read my Determination of this very Question in my Book against Infidelity I proceed