Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A43039
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The marriners card and compass. Or The best way to attain heaven amidst a sinfull and crooked generation. By William Harvey, minister of the Word
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Harvey, William, fl. 1657-1705.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing H1093; ESTC R218426
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15,444
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43
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capiunt volucres In cap. 9. Eccl. St. Hierom thus discribs the heretiques Their affable speeches fair tongue are a gin and snare wherewith they catch the poor birds and fishes But of these the people of God are admonished to take heed Beware of false prophets saith our Saviour himself Matth. 7.15 And in another place Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces chapt 16.6 and that 24.25 and 26. vers read the words And the disciple follows his Master Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God and he giveth the reason because many false prophets are gone out into the world 1 Epistle of John 4. chapt v. 1. Thus should every Christian do if they would not be seduced Should a Goldsmith hand over head take all moneys without trying I believe he would receive much adulterated coine To prevent which he brings all to the touchstone If Solomon had not been wise he could never known the true Mother for the harlots were both aâ— their pro and con Heresis Aocta est mentiri non tantum lingua sed vita si fidem imerroges whil bristtanius si conversactonem nihil irreprehensibilius Bernd and in one tale 1. Kin. 3.23 c. Wherefore the best way to find out the false play of these juglers is to bring them to the touchstone of Gods word For all is not gold that glisters The property of Heresie is to lye not in tongue onely but in Life If thou questions his faith not better Christian if his Conversation none more irreprehensible saith Benard And Ireneus of false prophets goes on thus They speak to us the same things Similia nobiscum loquuntur dissimilta vero sentiunt lib. 1. epist 59. but think the contrary And truly had we not recourse to the sacred springs of holy Writ the whole world would go after them You know who said it My sheep hear my voice and again The sheep follow him for they know his voice And a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him For they know not the voice of strangers John 10.4.5 It was a voice from heaven which said hear him Matthew 5.16 And he that came from Heaven the Son of man who is in Heaven said of those hypocrites Mittite eos Let them alone they be blind leaders of the blind c. Matth. 15. â—4 In the next place If Christ be the truth then by consequent his word is truth and we ought to subscribe to it without dispute Ipse dixit was sufficient a Scholar of Pythagoras If their Master once said it it carried as much weight with it as delivered from an Oracle Me thinks the word of God should be of more credit with us If that once speakes we should presently lay our hands upon our mounths and by silence express our consent I am with you unto the end of the world that is by his Spirit Grace word c. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God John 3.5 There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one 1 John 5.7 and verse the 20. St. John speaking of our Saviour saith This is the true God and Eternal life And according to St. Paul God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 These and whatsover we find recorded in the word we must believe without Cavelling seem they never so contrary to naturall reason This condemns the foul Heresie of the Photinians who deny the Divinity and Godhead of Christ upon this account onely because their blind reasons cannot comprehend it as if our faith were pinn'd upon reasons sleeve I have read of one who was in his dumps and deep contemplation to define fully what God was and this he would do forsooth by Phylosophy and reason In this his brown study by the sea-side he seeth a Child go often to the sea and bringing from thence water in a shell and then to put it in a little hole which was hard by The Philosopher asked the Child why he did so The Child replyed because I will bring all the Sea and put it into this hole That is impossible said the other again So it is as impossible saith the Child again for thee by reason to define what God is Worthy is that of Cassianus Doest thou ask me a reason of the Word I do not tell thee God hath said it his word is all the reason The person of him alone that speakes it is sufficient for my belief What need I enquire how that is true that God hath spoken when I must not doubt because it is true because God hath spoken it If this course were taken it would not only prevent blasphemy and mistakes of Scripture but be a great obstruction to sin and wickedness Did our Anapabtist but steer this way they would not cavill so much at the Baptisme of Infants What though their baptisme be not positive or demonstrative yet it is deductive deduced from Scripture as plain as a mans nose on his face Will they play the thieves and rob a poor Child of the Sacrament upon this fond cavill What good doth it doe them And they have no faith which is more then they can prove for they have Sacamentall faith and the Seed of faith And further they urge that Children are not capable of teaching and so ought not to be baptized As if that text had relation to the adulted Men and Women of ripe years and not to Children They make themselves simple Logitians for they understand not a distinction If they ask what good it doth them Aqua corpus absoluitur Spiritu animae delicta mundantur Saint Ambrose will tell them The body is cleansed by the Element Water the spots sins of the Soul by the Spirit I will end this with that of Crysost meaning Tertullians works Da mihi Magistrum da mihi Magistrum Give me my Master give me my Master So say I and so let us all say of the word of God da nobis Magistrum c. Give us our Master give us our Master Thus Christ is the truth Thirdly as he is the way and the truth so he is the life and that in three respects Creando Conservando Regenerando Sanctificando Resuscitando Glorificando By Creating and Conserving us By Regenerating and Sanctifying us By Raising again and Glorifying us First he is said to be the Life not so much in relation to his essence in which respect he is life eternall 1 John 5.20 but in relation to us in that he hath creared us and kept us ever since by the hand of providence So David Psalm 100.3 Know ye that the Lord he is God it is he that hath made us and not we our selves we are his people and the sheep of his pasture And the Apostle In him we live move and have
The Marriners Card and Compass OR THE BEST WAY TO ATTAIN HEAVEN Amidst a Sinfull and Crooked GENERATION By WILLIAM HARVEY Minister of the Word AUGUST Vae etiam laudabili vita hominum si remotâ misericordiâ discutias eam Haec via ducit in urbem LONDON Printed in the Year 1659. To the right Honourable ANN Countess Dowager of SCARSDEL And To the rest of that Noble Family Grace Mercy and Peace c. Madam THe world for the most part is like the Cypress-Tree long and fruitless and like Tullies strange Soyl for all the sweet showres that fall upon it it 's still dry as dust The cause of it is either ignorance or negligence want of Knowledge in the will of God or Non-Improvement I have endeavoured to remove these Obstructions and to take the rubs out of the way There are but two extreams Presumption and Desperation which like Scylla and Charybdis make shipwrack of all the vesseds they met with Where these waters break out they beat down all before them They are alike dangerous faith Chrysost For Presumption falls him that standeth and Desperation after a fall admits no rising This small Tract Madam by Gods assistance will inform the one and reform the other It will be an eye to the ignorant and a spur to the negligent for it treats only of Christ and as the Star the Wise men will conduct them to him But I am loth to take too large a survey in so small a piece of ground They that write must not forget that Rule of the Orator ut titulum legant to read the Title of their Books least like the gates of Mindus it proves bigger then the City it self I was ambitions to dedicate it to your Honour that it might kiss your hand which hath been so often open to men of my calling and condition and in particular to my self the meanest of them who serve at the Altar Now the God of Heaven be your continual guard and guide his Blessings in a plurality light upon your Honour and your whole Family as the dew on Gideons Fleece This shall alwayes be the unfeigned Prayers of Your Honours most humble and grateful Servant William Harvey JOHN 14. 6. I am the Way the Truth and the Life THese words are an answer to the precedent verse and they are Allegoricall rately adorn'd partly metaphorically and partly Meronymically and they are brought in to inform Thomas and the rest of the Disciples more fully in the way of Salvation We know not saith Thomas whither thou goest and how can we know the way Our Saviour presently resolv's him in the words of my Text. I am the way the truth and the Life Aurea Sententia A golden Sentence The wife men of the East opened their treasures and presented unto him guifts even Gold Frankincence and Myrrh but he presents unto us guifts more precious in that they fit the Soul in her divine progress to Heaven and as the Angels Lazarus carry it into Abrahams bosome But I will come to the severall branches of the Text. And they are three Via veritis vita The way the truth and the Life First Christ is the way docendo by way of teaching because he alone instructs in the way to happiness The Law is our Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ Gal. 3.24 and Christ is our Schoolmaster who brings us to Heaven he is that pillar of a cloud and fire leading us the way to the Heavenly Canaan Exod. 13.21 St. John saith No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him John 1.18 He is the true Mercuries finger that directs the poor wandring traveller the right way to his heavenly Mansion None but he can fit us for that blessed Academy above were we shall all be Fellow-Communers with the Saints and blessed Angels Secondly he is the way promerendo by way of Meriting Conerning this notable is that of St. Paul Rom. 5.16 17 18 19. For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and the guift of righteousness shall reign in Life by one Jesus Christ c. read the Text. He alone is that Sampson who hath broken the Cords of our Sins from us by which we were so fast bound and with that woman in the Gospell even bowed together That strong man Satan by him is overcome and his armour wherein he trusted taken from him and his spoiles divided Luke 11.22 The Apostle to the Colossians saith In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of our Sins Col. 1.14 and v. 20. Having made peace through the blood of his Cross by him to reconcile all things to himself To omit a cloud of witnesses St. Peter positively thus Neither is their Salvation in any other for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Acts. 4.12 And thus he is the way promerendo by way of merit Thirdly He is the way applicando by way of application And that in Severall respects First by his word so the Psalmist Thou wilt shew me the path of Life Ps 16.11 And in another Psalme I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which you shalt go I will guide thee with mine eye Ps 32 8. Secondly by his Sacraments by which God hath not only saved us according to his mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour that being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternall Life Titus 3.5 6 7. But also he doth Confirm unto us as by undoubted Seals and assurances the way of Salvation righteousness and eternall Life So the Apostle speaking of Abraham And he recieved the sâ—gne of Circumcision a Seal of the righteousness of faith which he had being yet uncircumcised that he might be the Father of all them that believe though they be not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed to them also Ro. 4.11 Thirdly By holy and fervent prayers According to that of St. Paul Eph. 2.18 For through him we both have an access by one Spirit unto the Father c. chap. 3.12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him And to the Romans he saith For ye have nor received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear but ye have received the Spirit of adâ—ption whereby we cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 To this purpose we are commanded in our Pater Noster to supplicate Almighty God in that sweet Epithete and name of Father Our Father c. * ut vere credamus eum nostrum verum parrem nosque ejus veros filios esse ut eo confidentius plena fiducia adcum accedamus eumque invoeemus quemadmodum videmus liberos certa fiducia aliquid aparentibus suis potere Luth in