Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	lord_n	son_n	13,150	5	5.2455	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91475	Good tydings for sinners, great ioy for saints; or, A word to the world, and two to those that are chosen out of the world. Wherein is held forth, first, the sweet tenders of grace from the father through the son to all dejected sinners; he invites them, he woes them, he intreats them, nay, he beseecheth them to accept of mercy. In the second part of this book, called, Two words to those chosen out of the world, is spoken to the saints under their severall forms, taking notice first of the things commendable in them: and in the second place reproving them for things amisse among them. With a short prophesie of the downfall of presbyterie, independencie, anabaptismie, vaine notions, free-will. With a brief description of a true church-state, against which the gates of Hell shall not prevaile; it being founded upon a rock, it will stand against all waves and storms, that either men or devils can raise against it. I will give you all one heart, and one way. Then the Lord shall be one, and his name one. / Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.; Parnell, Robert, attributed name.	1649 (1649)	Wing P542; Wing P4234; Thomason E557_12; ESTC R27528	60,728	77

sandy foundations I shall then shut up all with one word of advice to all Oh ye sons of Sion Behold your union with God consider also that yee are one not with some onely but with all the Saints under whatsoever forme they be Wherefore love them all pitty them all doe good to them all and as you are united in one spirit so let the the word and spirit be your rule When you have gathered your selves together according to the order of the Gospell choose to your selves Pastors and Teachers Elders and Deacons make use of all Gods ordinances but rest upon none looke upon them all but as Pipes and Organs through which he conveyes himselfe to the soule c. Quest But me thinkes I heare some say What religion or at least opinion is he himselfe off that hath written this Treatise He can be no Presbyterian for he writes against them He is no Independent for he reproves them No Anabaptist for he dislikes them No Free-willer for he writes directly against them What then is he Answ I answer I am a Christian You will say So are all the people of England Christians But that I deny For though there are many Christians of mans making yet there are few yea very few of Gods making But you will say What are they then if not Christians I answer There are many Heathens and Turkes Jews and Infidels many Canaanites and Amorites Perrizzites c. But I am a Christian This name was given first to the disciples in Antioch I beleeve in one God Father of all and in one Lord Jesus Christ redeemer of all and in one sanctifying Spirit of Grace I beleeve that it is the office of the Father to elect the office of the Sonne to redeeme and the office of the Holy Ghost to Sanctifie those and onely those whom the Father hath elected and the Sonne redeemed And I doe beleeve my owne interest in all these without which the knowledge of it is nothing the Father loves me freely the Son manifests that love to me and the Spirit doth evidence it in me The Father loveth me as redeemed by his Sonne The Son lookes upon me and loves me as being given by the Father for him too redeeme And the Holy Ghost seeing the love of the Father in choosing me and the love of the Sonne in redeeming me he also sets his love upon me and manifests this unto me which is the earnest of my inheritance I beleeve that God hath his being in himselfe and gives being to all other creatures and the cause why he made mee was for his owne glory and the end why he elected me in Christ was that I should bring forth fruit to him I know I am not my own I am bought with a price wherfore I desire to glorifie God with my body and my soule which are the Lords I endeavour as to love God so also to love his people not some but all and to love my enemies desiring to become all things to all that I might in my place gaine 〈◊〉 I doe bel●●ve that I 〈◊〉 to give no just offence to the Jew nor the Gentile 〈◊〉 the Church of Christ wherfore as much as in me lieth I endeavour to keepe a conscience voide of offence both towards God and towards man I love all and yet I desire to withdraw my selfe from every brother that walketh disorderly I doe beleive that I am a Servant of Christ I doe beleeve I am a Friend of Christ John 15.15 I doe beleeve that I am a Brother of the Lord Christ Heb 2.11 I doe beleeve that I am in as neare relation to Christ as the wife is to the husband Rev. 1.9 I doe beleeve that I am a Member of his owne body 1 Cor. 12. verse 12. I do beleeve that I am a Joynt-heire with Christ Rom. 8.17 I doe beleeve that I am joyned to the Lord and so one Spirit with him 1 Cor. 6.17 I doe beleeve that the Lord takes all the evill done to me as done to himself Zac. 2.8 Mat. 25.45 I doe beleeve that I have everlasting life already according to that John 3.36 1. In the promise feare not little flocke it is your fathers pleasure to give you a kingdome 2. In the first fruites for what is heaven hereafter but a more full enjoyment of what is begun here 3. I have everlasting life already in possession by my head Christ I doe beleeve that all this is but a taste of what I shall be according to that 1 John 3.1 2. Now are yee the sons of God and it doth not yet appeare what you shall be But when he shall appeare yee shall be like him The serious consideration of which I doubt not will draw up my conversation more and more to be in heaven even whil'st I remaine here on earth I doe beelve that my sinnes by Christ are taken out of the sight of God I doe beleeve that the designe of Christ was to take it away out of my Conscience that there might be no more conscience of sinne Heb. 9.14 I doe beleeve that as Christ hath taken away sinne out of the sight of God and out of my owne Conscience so in due time he will take away sin out of my conversation according to that scripture 1 Pet. 1.15 and Luke 1.75 In a word I doe beleeve my sinnes past present and to come are all laid upon and done away by Christ Isa 53.6 I doe beleve that as there was no good fore-seene in me that did cause the Lord to set his love upon me so there is no evill that can be done by me that can cause him to hate me A Word to the Parliament the Representative body of the Kingdome I Cannot put a period to this little Volume without one word to you who are Members of the High Court of Parliament Honoured Worthies you have begun well go on that we may finde in England that that was so earnestly sought for in Jerusalem Jer 5.1 Men executing judgement and speaking the truth And then why may we not expect to be partakers of the mercy there promised a pardoning of the sin and a healing of the Land Eye the Lord Jesus in all your actings and advance his Kingdome as much as in you lyeth honour him and hee will honour you and endeavour with David to deliver his Lambs out of the Lyons mouths for they are tender in your Fathers eyes let them be so in yours Your undaunted courage in not fearing the faces of men and your executing of justice upon all offenders without respect of Persons or partiality as it is very acceptable in the sight of God so the sound of it is very sweet in the ears of his People And as the Saints in England have put up many Petitions at the Throne of Grace that God would give you undaunted Spirits and having by experience found God answering their request by your late actings as touching the King and Lords they are now

remembrance let us plead together Declare thou that thou mayest be justified as if the Lord had said If thou canst declare any thing why thou doest not come that lyeth in thy way I will remove it and thou shalt be accepted Ier. 2.5 Thus saith the Lord What iniquity have your Fathers found in me that they are gone farre from me Vers 31. Have I been a barren wildernesse to Israel Ezek. 18.25 Hear now ô house of Israel are not my ways equall are not your waies unequall as if the Lord had said doe you think in your conscience that these wayes that you walk in are right Is this equall that sinners should go on their dayes and passe their time in sin and when they can sin no longer then to plead for mercy Is this equall If this will not doe the Lord will say Conscience let him alone So conscience may be quiet but the Lord hath left pleading with him 15. Again the Lord hath many times brake forth into tears to see the stubbornesse of m●ns hearts O Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets c. if thou hadst known in this thy day the things that make for thy peace Now suppose that Christ should come and weep over a company of poore sinners as he did over Jerusalem saying ô thou sinfull soule hadst thou known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace and suppose thou shouldest see one tear trickling down after another and he should say Oh that this people did but know the things that belong unto their peace If thou hadst a heart of stone it could not but melt 16. The Lord doth foresee what a little honour hee shall have of this sinner when he hath brought him home he seeth still that thou wilt have abundance of corruption in thy heart and that thou wilt grieve his holy Spirit and walk very offensively dishonour the way of Religion and open the mouths of the enemies as David I say God doth foresee that after he hath taken all this pains to bring thee unto himself what a little honour he shall have by thee and yet he doth perswade thee to come This also doth note his willingnesse to save thee Lastly consider that after the Lord our tender Father hath used all these means and many more to bring in sinners yet he is contented to waite a long time upon sinners and to take advantages to win them Isa 30.18 The Lord doth waite that he may be gracious unto you O how many years hath the Lord waited upon me and thee and other sinners How long hath he knocked and yet we let him stand at the doore O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean when shall it once be Isa 51.17 18. I smote him and he went on frowardly but I have seen his waies and will heal him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners Though he went on frowardly I will restore comfort to him Now put all this together and see how infinitely willing God is to save thee ô thou drowping sinner Quest If any should ask a reason why God is so importunate and desirous to draw up sinners to himself Answ 1. The ground of this love is in himself and I can give no reason of it but the same that he hath left upon record Exod. 33.19 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy 2. He doth this because mercy pleaseth him Micah 7.18 I will pardon because mercie pleaseth mee saith the Lord Now then that that doth please a man he is ever desirous after The scripture saith He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men but hee sheweth mercy willingly because he delighteth in it 3. The blood of Christ his onely sonne doth cry aloud in the ears of the Lord for mercy and that obedience of Christ wherewith the Lord is satisfied is so well pleasing to him that whatsoever this blood doth plead for God must needs grant Now the blood of Christ cryeth mercy mercy Lord for sinners the blood of Abel cryed vengeance vengeance but the blood of Christ speaketh better things and cryeth pardon pardon Nothing in the world can stop the current of Gods mercy to a people when it doth come to the blood of Christ Then saith the father of mercies open all the flood-gates now and let mercy be shewed in the highest degree seeing the blood of my sonne cryeth for this though this be wonderfull mercy to pardon such a great sinner there is not a drop onely but a Sea of mercy to cleanse thee throughly Come saith the Lord let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as Snow Isa 1 18. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own name sake and will not remember thy sins Isa 43 25. Put me in remembrance saith the Lord put me in remembrance of this my promise and let us plead together saith the Lord Declare these words with thy mouth that I have put into thy heart that thou mayest be justified Isa 43.26 O thou troubled sinner for to thee I speak I mean thee to whom sin is a but then See how our tender father hath dealt with our brother prodigall Luke 15 28. He arose and came to his Father but when he was yet a great way of his Father saw him and had compassion on him and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him 1. Take notice his father sees him before he sees his Father No sooner doth a sinner think of looking toward heaven but the Lord spyes him and pities him 2. He saw him whiles he was a great way off he was but in the beginning of his way to come his father might have let him alone till he had been come quite home to his house and it had been singular mercy to have bid him welcome then but it is done whiles he is a great way off So thou art at a great distance from the mercy of God in thy apprehension that is thou canst not believe nor scarce hope in his mercy yet he will draw nigh to thee 3. The scripture saith his father had compassion on him I see the Lords bowels yearn work and stir within him at the sight of his son Jer. 3.20 Therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Jer. 9.24 I delight in loving kindnes Mich. 7.18 He pardoneth because mercy pleaseth him 4. It is said that his father ran How rich abundant mercy had it been in his father though he had stood still till his son had come to him But what mercy is this he will go towards him and give him a meeting O mercy that his father ran not from him but what mercy call you this that he runs to him Why would it not have served if he would needs go meet him to have walked toward him with a soft and grave pace No no

worldly honour and power earthly riches will they preach if their profit invite them not Doe they reckon themselves rewarded if they receive not money Is not their cry great and their labour extream for Mammon judge you But these Ministers are made such in a way of imitation They say they follow the pattern of the Apostles But is it so The Apostles had a glorious Spirit of light and power poured out upon them mightily manifested in them so that they were in a holy extasie seeming as men drunk filled not with Wine but the Spirit that they plainly saw the promises and prophesies fulfilled in them and the world also might see and say that God was in them because of the works that were done by them They professed and declared that they had not their doctrine of man nor by man but by God they were not instructed through or by means of the fleshly Organs or faculties of their bodies or any fleshly or outward forme But say they the Gospel of God is revealed in us from Faith to Faith the Spirit of God doth reveale it to us we have tasted and seen and felt of the Word of Life The things of God knows no man but the Spirit of God but we have the Spirit c. And now are the pourings out of the Spirit upon all flesh heretofore prophesied and promised c. By all which and other expressions of scripture which are many and abundant it is apparent that the Apostles had a ministration of light life power and efficacie in them which went forth by them in marveilous operations Now they could with great boldnes and clearnes declare and Preach the mysteries of the Gospel because they had a clearnesse of sight of them by a proper demonstration and immediate manifestation the Spirit of God dwelt in them taught them plainly and they certainly knew that he taught them they had sure experience as wee by our bodily sight have experience or knowledge that the Sun shineth But amongst all these pretenders to the ministry and that appropriate to themselves that function so distinct as being the true and singular Apostle-imatators or as if they were thereunto anointed and sanctified above the rest of Christians their brethren where is he that God hath made so distinct by any guifts or endowments which either are comparable to those of the primitive Christians or doe competently inable him to declare the mystery of the Gospel which as spirituall so deepe and mysterious Or wherein is he a Minister more than an ordinary Christian Nay I will be bold to say that if they that are called the Ministers had but so much true light of the Gospell revealed in them as many private weake Children of God it would cause them absolutely to be ashamed to be termed Ministers so unlike are they to and untruly counted such Can their humane wisedome their schoole-learning and arts which are flesh and of the world unfold unto them the mystery of Godlinesse so great If so then the Apostle said not truly That God hath hid the things of his Spirit from the wise and prudent of the world and revealed them to babes And then also may the naturall man perceive the things of God though Paul saith he cannot And now if all your worldly and fleshly wisedome be no more to be accompted of what then is your ministry What is your complaint and murmuring against the Authority of the Nation What are they pulling down Apostles of Christ or imposters of Antichrist Shepherds that feed the Sheep or Wolves that devoure them do they pull downe their feeders or else their fleecers Are they pulling downe leaders or seducers May I not say to you in this case as our blessed Lord said to Nicodemus in another case John 3.10 Are you Masters in Israel and know not these things Indeed they are pulling downe such a ministry as is spoken of by the Prophet Micah Micah 3.5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my people erre that bite with their teeth and yet cry peace and he that putteth not into their mouths they even prepare warre against him And in the next verse you may reade their judgement at large Well then will you be offended with Parliament and Army for pulling downe such a magistracie and ministry as this let me beseech you Give over with speed least you fall with them Againe My friends I doe admire that you complaine of the badnesse of these times surely you doe but dreame for if you doe awake you shall plainly see that they are the best times with us in England that ever we had to live by faith what Hath the Lord with the Besome of destruction swept away the head of the enemies of truth And yet sad times What Doth hee take Princes and Lords which were so high and bring their Heads so low as the Blocke And yet sad times What Have the Saints in obedience to the command of their Father given them to drink of the bitter that they have given you so long And yet sad times What Is the Lord making inquisition for blood and meeting the same measure to his enemies as they have meeted to his people And yet sad times What Is the Lord magnifying the attribute of his Justice upon his and our implacable enemies And yet sad times What Is the Lord pulling downe the powers of the world and the Kingdomes of men and setting up or at least making way to set up the Kingdome of his owne deare Son And yet sad times Hath the Lord prospered our Armies and given us so many Victories over them that would have devoured us And yet sad times My Brethren I am afraid you did not mourne with Jerusalem because you doe not now r●joce with her It is true unto some the times are sad but to whom Answ To the deceivers of our nation for these times doe discover them and plainly it is a bad time for false Prophets and corrupt Judges for God hath threatned their ruine it is bad times for Babylon and all her brats for the day of her destruction is dawning and the houre of her plagues is comming when Kings and Princes Nobles and Merchants shall all lye howling weeping and wailing crying alas alas And all the Saints shall stand before the presence of their tender Father singing rejoycing and praising the Lord for his judgements upon their enemies Againe You Ministers of the Presbiterian Congregations methinks you have lost your beauty I doe not see you in the affections of the Heires of promise the Sonnes of Sion as formerly the cause of this must be in the people or in your selves and I have spent a little time and made diligent search for to finde where the cause lyes and have with an impartiall heart weighed the Saints in one ballance and you in another And I finde you not them to light I meane I finde the cause of your being sleighted to be in your selves wherefore let me

and Paul renounced it also and said I came not with excellency of words or of wisdome shewing unto you the testimony of God Neither saith he stood my Word and Preaching in the enticing speech of mans wisdome but in plain evidence of the Spirit and of power that your Faith should not be in the wisdome of men but in the power of God And we speak wisdome and not the wisdome of this world c. but we speak the wisdome of God in a mystery even the hid wisdome c. which the Princes of this world have not known c. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit which searcheth the deepe things of God c. and which we have received that we may know the things that are given to us of God c. Which things also wee speak not in the words which mans wisdome teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth c. 1 Cor. 2. chap. throughout which you see doth abundantly testifie that Paul spake not according to humane learning reade also 1 Gal. 12.16 2. Peter here saith that one of those difficult sayings of Paul which the unlearned understood not was this That the long suffering of our Lord is salvation which being a spirituall thing as all the things of salvation are cannot be understood by natural wisdome for the things of God knows no man but the spirit of God therefore Pauls wisdome was spirituall and their unlearnednes there spoken of was this that they had not that wisdome in which he knew salvation that is the wisdome of God for worldly wisdome they might have and bee neverthelesse ignorant of all spirituals Thirdly They were unlearned that is they had not the learning by which they might understand those things in the sence which would tend to their salvation or true knowledge of God and that surely is onely a spirituall sence For else to wrest it to another sence could not be to their destruction Fourthly Peter here exhorts the Saints to take heed of that errour of the wicked least they also should be lead away with it accounting it you see a wicked errour And then in the next place exhorts them to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ as being a thing contrary to that wicked errour and a remedy against it Now if the knowledge of Christ and growing in grace be a remedy against that errour then it is most plain That their unlearnednesse which is there said to be the cause of their errour was not of humane tongues and sciences for then Peter would have bidden them studie these to keep them from errour But it was of the grace of God and of the knowledge of Christ they were ignorant or unlearned and therefore he bids them grow in that grace and knowledge that they might not erre So that that saying of Peter being thus truly understood it is most plain that their unlearnednesse which caused them to erre was their ignorance of Grace and of Christ not of humane learning To which also let me adde these rules viz. First That a mans principle by which he doth converse with or apprehend any thing must be of a nature suitable to the nature of that thing which he converseth with or apprehendeth as in particular You cannot apprehend or discover any object of sence by the principle of reason for example you cannot by your reason or any thing else but your sence of hearing apprehend or know that there is any sound or noise nor how it soundeth But the care and voice are suitable not a voice and another sence as we cannot see a voice c. Just alike impossible it is for reason meerly naturall to know spirituall things as the scripture saith the naturall man knows not the things of God nature hath not a power suitable to attain to them Second rule Every evill or defect is remediable onely by its contrary good or supply as darknes is remediable by light carnalnesse by spiritualnesse weaknes by strength ignorance by knowledge c. Which two Rules if you observe them will help to the underderstanding of those words of Peter But if yet you are perswaded that your Universitie learning can dive into the spirituall sence of scripture I would propose to a whole Synod of your function to reconcile these Scriptures hereafter cited that are in the letter so contradictory one to another for instance One Scripture saith Thou must love thy Father Mother Wife Children c Another Scripture saith Thou must hate all these if thou wilt be my disciple Luke 14.26 One Scripture saith of God Anger is not in me Another saith He is angry with the wicked every day Psal 7.11 One saith Yee doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost Acts 7.51 Another saith They could not resist the Spirit by which he spake Act 6.10 Another Scripture saith That he that saith he hath not sinned is a lyar and the truth is not in him 1 John 1.8.10 One Scripture saith of John That he was not Elias John 1.21 Another saith of the same John That he was Elias Math 11.14 Matth. 11 12. I might instance in at least 40. Scriptures thus contradictory in the letter Now this is the thing that I would aske you whether through the understanding of tongues or arts humane you can give the true genuine sence of those Scriptures surely you cannot for these Scriptures were pend by the holy Spirit whose mysterious language the eare of man naturall cannot heare nor his heart conceive much lesse his tongue expresse or interpret To conclude you doe ignorantly looke upon your selves as so many learned Apostles now considering that there are many Aquillas and Priscillas that can teach you the way of God more plainly Read and well consider that Acts 18.25 26. That place of Peter about the unlearned hath led me to a long digression but now to returne againe to advise you Fourthly Lay aside or leave off your kindling of flames in the State and blowing the bellowes of contention and vaine jangling and fall to preaching the Gospel of peace Let the State Governours alone with the State affaires And also let the Lord Christ alone with the discipline of his Church Let it not be said of you as once it was of the high-Priests that they were the onely enemies to the Kingdome of Christ and yet the great pretenders to it Doe not reproach the Lords people as once they did for beleeving in and following of their Lord Christ saying Have any of us the Rulers beleeved on him No none said they but a few ignorant people that know not the law Doe not accuse the Lords people in your Pulpits as the Priests did Paul Act. 24.5 saying he was a pestilent fellow amover of sedition and a ring-leader of the sect of the Nazarens Least the Lords people should answer you as Paul did them Acts 24. v. 14. After the way which you call heresie so worship I the God of my Fathers c. So having

time in speaking evill of almost all other Christians that walke not by your rules and hold not to your errours you back-bite and reproach them with that bitternesse of spirit as is more suitable to the principles of Heathens than of Christians I will forbeare to speake the one halfe of what I have beene an eye witnesse unto of this kinde in that little time when I was among you You spend your time to spye a Mote in your Brothers eye but when will you pull the Beame out of your owne eyes Againe You hold that a man may fall from Christ or Grace you have often affirmed that a man may bee a childe of God to day and a limbe of Satan to morrow that he stands by obedience and not by grace When he doth well he is accepted When he doth ill be is rejected And so by your errours our salvation seemeth to depend upon workes and so the free grace of God is nullified and the obedience of Christ made of none effect and in effect you plainly deny Christ In a word You hold more foolish sottish unsound unwarrantable and uncomfortable points than any Sect And your conversation is just answerable to your principles so joyne both together and behold their ill shapen forme and fruit 1. By them both you dishonour God 2. You grieve his people 3. You delude the world 4. You cause the way of truth to be evill spoken of Remember therefore from whence you are fallen and repent or else the Lord will come unto you quickly and fight against you A word to the new upstart Wantons that deny Gods Ordainances or New NOTIONISTS full of Whimsies MY Freinds I have spent a few dayes and made diligent search to finde something in you worthy of commendation that so I might speake to you as I have to other Churches taking notice of your Good and of your evill but my Friends I cannot finde any thing among you but blasphemy and heresie and trusting in lying vanities Therefore as John said in another case 1 Iohn 1.3 I shall say to you in this case That which I have seene and heard declare I unto you and what I shall now charge you with I have beene an eye and care witnes of in conversing with you and being among you Our Lord Christ speaking to the seven Churches of Asia by John discovereth in each of them something worthy of commendation but when he comes to the seventh Church the Laodiceans there was not so much as one graine of goodnesse to be found in her And yet this Church looketh upon her selfe as the only excellent Church transcending all the rest Rev. 3.17 I am rich and encreased with Goods saith she and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and poore miserable blinde and naked Here is thy state to a haires breadth oh thou New Notionist thou lookest upon thy selfe as one gone beyond all others in high enjoyments and that can live upon God without use of ordinances and worship God without formes You say the Scriptures are not the word of God Some of you have said the Scriptures will teach you to lye and steale you say God cannot be dishonoured by any Action you doe And some of you have said the reason why they will not be drunk is because they would not waste their money and cause others to laugh at them and because it is hurtfull to their bodies not for any dishonour to God You say That the Scriptures doe not concerne you that it is onely a declaration of the Administrations that others have formerly beene under and worshiped God in you say there are one hundred and fifty lyes in it You deny the resurrection and the judgement and say that there is no sinne in the world but that all actions are alike You say that the highest enjoyment and perfection that a Christian shall have is in this life You make your owne wils your rule and when you are carryed forth by them you say you are carryed forth by the Spirit of God You say there are neither Angels nor Devils but an administration of life and an admistration of death or one of light and another of darknesse When you come together you spend your time for the most part in jesting stories and Carnal merryment and if any reprove you for it you say you are carryed forth to it You speake evill of others that waite upon God in the use of means you call them Legallists Formallists c. Most of you despise to heare any Minister preach though never so excellent a teacher Some of you say that you can make better Bibles your selves than that which is made already saying this Bible is but the opinions of men You call Prayer and all other Ordinances bondage You say if one man kill another it is God that doth it yea you can use deceipt in your particular Callings and say you do no evill You care not for the weak how you offend them nor for the strong if you grieve them And you above all other Sects in the world cause the way of truth to be evill spoken off most of the offences are come by you wee be unto you as saith the Scripture The Presbyterians heare of your blasphemies errours and abhominable things that you hold and because some of you were heretofore Independents and some Anabaptists It makes the Presbyterian cry out so bitterly against the Independents and Anabaptists thinking them to be all such as you are when I must needs bear witnes for them both they doe hate your principles and practices as they do the Devil the father of them In a word you have turned with the Dog to the Vomite and with the Sow to the wallowing in the mire Wherefore If there by any sparks of grace remaining in you If there be any consolation in Christ any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels of mercies then oh then remember from whence you are faln and repent Learne of the Prodigall Son and come back again to your Father for you have fed a long time upon husks and your companions have been the Swine You have back-slidden from your God return to him again It may be he will receive you Seek meeknes seek righteousnesse it may be you may be hid in the day of the Lords anger Wash you make you clean put away the evill of your doings cease to doe evill learn to doe well There is also another sort of people called Millenarians who hold that Christ shall come and Reign a thousand years upon earth personally But seeing the number of these is but few and their errours for the most part but in circumstantials not in substantials I shall at present omit to say any thing to them A Word to another sort of People that are under none of those Forms THere are also a quarter part if not more of the People of England that are not under any of the aforesaid

from the Lord if it come not to passe it is not from the Lord. Againe I have by faith seene all these opinions fallen and I have heard from many others that they have seene them fallen also Therefore that which I have heard and seene declare I unto you that you might have fellowship with the Father and the Sonne in the spirit for then and not till then you will give over saying as in effect you doe I am of Paul I am of Appollo I am of Cephas Then you will not so much crye up a forme but endeavour the power of godlinesse Deliver thy selfe then oh Zion that dwellest with the daughter of Babilon Zecha 2.7 For the Lord shall slay Babylon and call his Servants by a new name Isa 65.15 A short description of a true Church-state or communion of Saints that shall stand against al opposers PAul writing to the Church of Corinth beseecheth them in the name of Christ that they would endeavour a perfect joyning together in one minde and one judgement and good reason he had for so doing for he well knew that all joynings whatsoever that were imperfect were not of God and so could not stand In opposition to all such imperfect unitings or unsound communions he disswades this Church of Christ from pleading or standing for patties and from saying I am of Paul I am of Apollos c. He doth in effect tell them they must cease from knowing Christ and Christians after the flesh for that must vanish He doth perswade them not to build upon the sand for that will fall The Spirit of Christ doth exhort you to give over saying lo here is Christ lo there is Christ for that is unsound and cannot stand That communion of Saints that shall stand against which the gates of hell shall not prevaile let the winde blow the raine descend and the floods come and beate upon it it will not fall for it is founded on a rocke That communion then is this A communion that doth arise or flow from union I say It is a communion of Saints arising from a cleare apprehension of their union with Saints 1 Cor. 12.13 14. For by one Spirit are we all baptised into one body whether we be Jewes or Gentiles bond or free And have beene all made to drinke into one spirit for the bod●●s not one member but many verse 20. For now are they many members yet but one body Now when a Saint comes to see that every one in whom the Lord Jesus appeareth though in the least measure is a member together with him in the same body whereof Christ is the head then his heart longeth to joyne himselfe in fellowship with such who have fellowship with the father and the son in spirit whether in ordinances or otherwise He considers that he and all the faithfull under the whole Heavens have all one father all one mother all one elder Brother all one calling all one hope of their calling all cloathed with the same robe all inclined to the same worke all united by the same spirit all ruled by the same word and so he honours them all as the body of Christ and nourisheth and cherisheth them all as his owne body Oh who can breake the linkes of this golden chaine Who can throw downe this spirituall building No no The gates of hell cannot prevaile against it Reade and well consider that in the 1 Pet. 2.5 Yee also as lively stones are built up a spirituall house an holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ c. or as it is in the margin be you built up a spirituall house Goe now through all the Shires and Cities of England and enquire nay make diligent search among all sorts of people professing and pretending to Christ for such a Congregation that of lively stones hath built up such a spirituall house and note that Church It shall never fall Oh where is such an assembly of Saints to be found as is spoken of Ephes. 2.22 that are built together for an holy habitation of God through the spirit Shall I appeale now to thy very conscience and aske thee oh thou zealous Presbyterian Is your building which is so much cried up in England such a building Shall I appeale now to thy conscience oh thou Independent and aske thee Art thou built up for an habitation of God through ●he spirit Doest thou indeed offer up a spirituall sacrifice Me thinks there is so much truth in both the Presbyterian and the Independent as to answer in the negative Well then Hence it is you love one Saint and hate another because you are not perfectly joyned together You yet know Christ and Christians after the flesh you have been joyned together in one forme but not united together in one spirit But the day is dawning before you and the day star is rising in you at the appearance of which your communion shall be in the spirit as well as in the forme and your love shall be to all as well as to some and when you are absent in body as Paul you will be present in spirit joying and beholding their spirituall order Now there are many reasons why the Saints ought to bee thus joyned together Take two 1. Because they are commanded to stand fast in one spirit Phil. 1. 27. And how can they stand fast in the Spirit if they be not joyned in the Spirit 2. Because that worship wherewith they must worship God must be a spirituall worship John 4.23.24 1 Pet. 2.5 And untill Saints are thus joyned together they are not fitly joyned according to that Ephes. 4.16 Neither untill they be thus united in one spirit can they be said to have any fellowship of the Spirit according to that Phil. 2.1 Againe untill they be thus united in one spirit how can they yeeld obedience to that command Ephes. 4 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace And that they might keepe the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace see what powerfull convincing arguments hee brings Ephes. 4.4 5 6. There is one body saith he and one spirit even as yee are called in one hope of your calling One Lord one Faith one Baptisme One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Mark then I beseech you the Lord by Paul doth here lay downe 1. The union thou hast with him 2. The union thou hast with his people and from both these as from the ground he puts his people upon a sweet communion and fellowship both with himselfe and his people Upon this rocke hath Christ built his Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against a Church thus stated But I have beene in communion with all sorts of Professors now extant in England and waded out of one forme into another and at the last I have clearly found that much of their building hath beene upon