Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	john_n	truth_n	worship_v	7,049	5	9.1128	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78117	An answer to the Essex Watchmens watchword, being 63 of them in number. Or a discovery of their ignorance, in denying liberty to tender consciences in religious worship, to be granted alike to all. Also, shewing how persecution for conscience came in. / By Edw. Barber freeman of Engl. citizen & marchant-taylor of London.	Barber, Edward, d. 1674?	1649 (1649)	Wing B692; Thomason E552_9; Thomason E561_9; ESTC R205724	17,312	22

Lords people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them for know the Ministers of the Gospel are fitted for their service by gifts from heaven as Ephes 4. 8. 11. to the 15. And not by Arts learned at Oxford or Cambridge although I desire not in the least to take any thing from them that is properly due to humane learning as thereby to fit men for the service of the State and Common Wealth Again you say the Warre was begun for the defence of the King and Parliament to end in the death of the King and violation of the Parliament Herein you shew as little judgement in civill things as in spirituall but your London brethren at Zion Colledge hath been sufficiently answered to this Next you speak of the feares about Religion and Parliament which you say is turned into sorrows I blame you not for the mysterie of Iniquity is discovered and your cunning craftinesse whereby you lye in wait to deceive also who are those great merchants of the earth with your weeping and wailing for no man buyeth your merchandize any more The which is much aggravated in you by the Agreement of the people wherein your flattering with the Parliament concerning the tender therof is much discovered And for the draught of poyson you speak of I wish this nation had been no more poysoned with the golden cup of the Whore And for the love care you speak of to the people of your respective flocks your Ordinance for Tyths with treble damages without bayle or mainprize upon refusall will sufficiently demonstrate it wherein you have as your reverend Fathers indeavoured to rule with violence not by love And whereas your hearts tremble to think of the subversion of the ancient well grounded government of the Kingdom the Protestant Religion what do you meane what ayle you Have not your selves done this in cutting of your Reverend Fathers the Prelates Alasse they by their Agreement desire to take away all slaverie and tyrannie brought in by Tyrants and their flatterers in their Civill or Ecclesiasticall Government and instead thereof inright the Freemen of England and their posterity in their civill rights and the liberty of the Gospel of King Jesus in its due to wit to set up his government by his lawes and Statutes only Next you speak of an unlimited power of Parliament and that in Religion surely the word of the Lord is fulfilled Isay 44. 25. Saying that frustrateth the tokens of Lyars that maketh diviners mad that turneth wisemen backward and maketh their knowledge foolishnesse c. But truly Sirs I cannot agree with you in neither of these for first in civill things for which they are properly called together they are not to act for their own ends and by respects but for the good safety and wel being of the people their Trusters or Impowrers by whom they may and ought to be called to an account if they should neglect to performe their duty For if in things civill the Parliament have an unlimited power why complain you of the Executions done in Queen Maries dayes by a Parliamentarie power with the consent of your Reverend Fathers the Prelates As also in Queen Elizabeths dayes upon Barrow Greenwood and Penrie who were hanged for professing against the Common Prayer book which now you practice the case being altered neither are we ignorant of the turnings changings and unchangeings of you Priests as in Henry the eights dayes Papists in Edward the 6. Protestants in Queen Maries Papists in Queen Elizabeths Protestants in K. James and K. Charles his dayes for the Bishops and Episcopal Government Now for the Presbyterian a greater Benefice being a loadstone sufficient to carrie the greater part of you after it like some Lawyers that looks more at the greatnesse of th● Fee then the goodnesse of the cause nay being Feed leaves his Client and turns on the other side I would there were none such fate in the House of Commons Secondly For Religion they receive no authority or charge from God he having given that power and prerogative onely to his Sonne King Jesus they being Masters of the flesh only but God the Father of Spirits and therefore ●is worship being spirituall he requires only voluntary spirituall worshippers to worship him as John 4. 24. God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth c. For the many Oaths Protestations and Covenants you speak of I feare as Jeremiah saith For these the Land mourneth for it had been good if they had been fully debated concerning the lawfulnesse of them before they had been with such violence forced upon the Nation although now you desire not to have them kept for if not lawfull by the word of God they are of no more force then theirs that had bound themselves with an Oath neither to eate nor drink till they had killed Paul Acts 23. 12. And whereas you object against the Ambiguity or darknesse in that it is said it is intended that Christian Religion should be held forth as the publick profession of this Nation yet doth not declare what that Christian Religion is And can you object this Have you forgot the Protestation Covenant Vowes League and Covenant you engaged this Nation in for the Protestant Religion yet never did declare what that Protestant Religion was you intended and so much spake of And whereas you alledge that all Sects and Errors in the Church of Christ nay take the Church of Antichrist to it since the Apostles dayes do all lay claime to Christian Religion and may by this Agreement plead at least stand as Probationers for the priviledge of publick profession I wonder else how could you all this while come in for a share and are you not herein as those of whom the Apostle saith Yee professe that ye know God yet in works you deny him c. Titus 1. 16. And whereas you seem to take offence that only the Popish and Prelaticall are left out I shall desire to include them also otherwise I nor you nor they can obey Christs commands Mat. 7. 12. and Luke 6. 31. to wit to doe to all men as we would they should doe unto us In the next place I joy that you desire that God would increase that care in you and others to have Religion reformed to the greatest puritie in doctrine worship and Discipline according to the word of God and for instructing people in a publick way And for the confutation of Heresie and Errour c. How can this be done and not liberty of conscience granted I hope then the truth will not be confined as it hitherto hath been by you within the Lips only of the Tribe of Levi as you call them But that others shall have liberty to speak either to add unto or contradict if erroneous To the second branch where sound doctrine and a good conversation shall be the only meanes to winne upon the contrary minded

I shall plentifully prove that to be according to the Gospel rule As 2 Tim. 2. 24. 25 26. And the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle towards all men apt to teach patient in meeknesse instructing the contrarie minded c. And for your distinction of Paganisme I have elsewhere proved your state Antichristian and to be farre worse and is compared to Sodom and Aegypt the vety worst of Heathens and therefore not to have given their hands and Seales to Christ nor taken upon them the profession of faith in him unlesse it be implicite to beleeve as the Church beleeves or by tradition of men And whereas you conceive there is so much zeale for God and for his truth in the people of England that did they but know the liberty intended and endeavonred after they would be so far from subscribing their hands to the Agreement that at the very hearing of it they would Rent their cloaths and cast dust upon their heads Sirs I beleeve it for as the children of Israel who had been a long time in bondage and slavery in Aegypt God sending his servant Moses to deliver them in their journey they murmered against him desiring rather to return and remain by their Flesh-pots with Onions and Leekes then to be transported into the Land of Canaan so these having drunk so deep a draught of the golden cup of the Whore from your hands that they are now in the same condition that the Jewes were to whom Paul preached the Gospel Acts 22. 22 23. Who said Away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he should live crying out casting of their cloaths and throning dust into the ayre c. Then you fall into the old strain of enveighing against Anabaptists Antinomians Arminians Arians Socinians Phocinians c. never shewing what they are much lesse confuting their doctrine to be erronious neither can you bring any part of the Gospell to prove that these men were they as erroneous as you pretend should be persecuted for their opinions and not enjoy the Liberty of their Conscience But herein you shew your selves brethren to James and John That would have had fire come down from heaven to consume the Samaritanes But as Christ said to them so say I to you Yee know not of what spirit ye are of for the Sonne of man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them And for your feare of overthrowing the Oath of Allegiance and Supremecie your Shibboleths if they had never been but according to James his words yea Christ himself not to have sworn at all we had been far better and the sin of perjury and swearing would not have lain upon the Land as I feare it now doth The rest of the discourse is as much as in you lyes to hinder a generall Libertie of Conscience in matters of worship which is your Parenthisis your flie in the box of oyutment disabling the power of the civill Magistrate and Societies in private Families And why are you so invictive against the Papists and Prelaticall your late reverend Fathers from whom you had your Ordination being and maintenance Oh Ingratitude That children should so degenerate as to seek the death and overthrow of their Fathers that so they may get into their possessions which you have done by Papists and Prelates And whereas you say Poperie and Prelacie may have liberty by the Agreement because they make profession of faith in God by Jesus Christ do you Presbyters any more Are ye not of those the Apostle speaks of Titus 1. 16. That professe they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate or void of judgement In which your practice you shew your woolvish nature derived from your Fathers that notwithstanding by the providence of God your rage is stopt and teeth struck out Yet like a muzled Woolfe doe you not retaine your nature of snapping and snarling making good the word of the Lord Jer. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin on the Leopard his spots then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evill compared with verse 22. and chapt 5. 19. For your conclusion upon your being better informed and inlightned in your minds I wish your light prove not darknesse for then how great is that darknesse and whereas you do all freely and solemnly underwrite the substance of what is there published concerning the honour of God I shall be of your mind when I see you with the Jewes and the Go●lor cry out What shall we doe to be saved Acts 2. 37. and 16. 30. Or with those that used curious Arts and burnt their books when you go and do likewise Acts 19. 1● Or according to Christs command and the Apostles rule and practice preach the Gospel freely getting that Ordinance for Tiths repealed with your tr●ble dammages or imprisonment without Bayle or Mainprice When with the D●mzell in whom was the spirit of divination Acts 16. 16. You confesse those whom you revile and persecute to be the servants of the living God that shew forth the glorious Institutions of the Gospel of Christ the way of salvation renouncing all Antichristian practice and traditions of men that you have neither precept nor example for Then and not untill then shall I judge you to be no Malignants against Christ nor Sectaries nor Schismaticks from the only rule of Christ But herein Reader take notice of two things the state of the Nationall Church of the Jewes under the Law from the world distinguished by circumcision and the Church of Christ under his government in the time of the Gospel distinguished by baptisme or dipping That being a Covenant of works made with Abraham and his carnall or naturall seed after the flesh The other being a new Covenant made with Christ beleevers Isaac and his spirituall seed being of the faith of Abraham Gal. 3. 7. 26. 28 29. compared with Rom. 9. 7. 8. Iohn 1. 12 13. and 3 4 5. 2. We hinder not men from Instructing Catechising and perswading their families either Magistrates or private persons yea and to powre out themselves with Jeremiah and Paul in prayer for them But not to use any violence or carnall weapons to force them to the worship that God requires under the Gospel by Christ it being spirituall according to that great Charter Mat. 28. 19 20. His Churches being so gathered in the Primitive times and ought to be so gathered after the Apostacie of the man of sin to wit by one and the same rule and ministrie c. being taken from the Heathens or Antichristians although you seem to make a difference for the word sets forth the state of Antichrist to be Sodom and Aegypt the worst of Heathens If you will make a difference I shall now desire to shew you what was practised under the Law as also under the Gospel concerning Liberty of Conscience with the