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	zeal_n	zealous_a	82	3	10.0769	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79995	The civil magistrates povver in matters of religion modestly debated, impartially stated according to the bounds and grounds of scripture, and answer returned to those objections against the same which seem to have any weight in them. Together with A brief answer to a certain slanderous pamphlet called Ill news from New-England; or, a narrative of New-Englands persecution. By John Clark of Road-Island, physician. By Thomas Cobbet teacher of the church at Lynne in New-England. This treatise concerning the christian magistrates power, and the exerting thereof, in, and about matters of religion, written with much zeal and judgement by Mr. Cobbet of New-England, I doe allow to be printed; as being very profitable for these times. Feb. 7th. 1652. Obadiah Sedgwick.	Cobbet, Thomas, 1608-1685.	1653 (1653)	Wing C4776; Wing B4541; Thomason E687_2; Thomason E687_3; ESTC R206875	97,858	126

abuse their power contrary to the mind of God That abuse of their power must not invalidate and take away the due use of their power Churches are ecclesiastically to cut off such as trouble the Churches but they may abuse their power to cast out their best members for the truths sake yet this their sinne dischargeth not Churches from the dutie It is alike here abuse of civil power taketh not away this due use of it 2. Just persecution of men sinning against Gods Rules and the Dictates of a right guided conscience which require persons to obey Superiours in all their lawful commands is not to persecute men for attendance unto Gods Rules or to the Dictates of a good conscience and it were absurd to reason thus Men may not be persecuted for a good cause and conscience therefore they may not be punished for maintaining a bad cause and that which is interpretatively against their conscience The exercise of any such power by godly Rulers is cross to Object 9 the meek Spirit of Christ and to that merciful and peaceable Spirit which he requireth of his Saints Rom. 15. 1. Gal. 6. 1 2. Eph. 4. 32. 2 Tim 2. 25. James 3. 15. 17. 1. All that is required of Church Officers and Members Answ such to them so considered are those speeches in special wise directed as the contexts shew yet are Church Officers and Members as those of Ephesus commended also for their zeal when through zeal they could by no means bear with corrupt Tenents and Doctrines of the highest strain and held forth with the highest pretences of Divine Truth and no lesse then Apostolical Revel 2 2. Thou canst not bear them that are evil and hast tried them that say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them liars and they are required to avoid and reject and cut off such as vent corrupt doctrines and the l●ke Rom. 16. 17. Gal. 5. 10. Tit. 3. 10 11. 2. Zeal of God in sharp punishing of such like corruptions stood very well with Christs Dove like Spirit none so meek as he yet none so zealous this way The zeal of Gods House even consumed him and made him lay on so hard with his scourge upon those who polluted the Temple Iohn 2. 16. with 14. 15. 16. 30. so Moses that King in Iesurun the meekest of mere men in his own cause Numb 12. 3. yet how Lion-like in that cause of pollution of Gods worship Exodus 32. 26 27 28 29. So in Hezekiah who was such a shadow to the Saints Esay 32. 2. yet a very fierie flying Serpent against the enemies of God and the Church Esay 14. 29 30. This is contrarie to what was Prophesies of us Gentiles Object 10 That our swords should be beat into plowshares Esay 2. 4 and that none should hurt or destroy in all Gods Mountain 1. Although all sinful and rash quarrelsomness all self avengings Answ or means thereof and all injurious and unwarrantable slaughters should be excluded Gods Mountain yet this hinders not but that gentile Rulers as ordained of God must bear his sword not in their scabbards and at their girdles suffering it to rust for want of use for that were to bear the sword in vain contrary to Gods own order Rom. 13. 4 but to be used against all evil works coming under their Cognizance whether respecting God and Religion more specially or man and righteousnes whether in way of the vengeance of God against domestick offenders or in way of just war against other enemies of God his Cause or Saints If any reply hereto that this place in the Romans intendeth not any matters of Religion at all but onely matters of civil righteousness 1. Evident it is that as good and evil doing whereof the civil Magistrate taketh cognizance are opposed Rom. 13. 3 4. so are incouraging rewards to weldoers as by that of prayses and vindicative rewards to evil doing and to evil doers opposed now none will deny that the civil Magistrate is bound to incourage the Preaching Profession and practice of the Truth worship and wayes of God and therefore by paritie of reason is he to be an avenger of what cometh under his cognizance contrary thereunto 2. The persons more specially spoken to upon that ground to doe well because then they have praise of the same or in case they do evil then they are to fear the vengeance of the Lord to be executed by his Minister the Magistrate they are Professours Officers and Members of Churches such as they were at Rome Rom. 1. 7. and 12. 4 5 6 7 8. compared with chap. 13. 3 4. If thou do that which is evil fear c. which all will confess to be liable to evil doing against the first as well as the second Table 3. He is by Gods Ordinances to be a terrour to evil works indefinitely For rulers are not a terrour to good works but to evil vers 3. v. 4. He is the Minister of God the avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil be he who he will be coming under his power or be the evil what it will be coming under his view Now the Scripture reckons especially the doing of persons of corrupt judgements as persons so corrupt to be evil deeds Hence if a Christian bid God speed to persons who bring not the Doctrine of Truth he is partaker with him in his evil deeds 2 Joh. 10. 11. Hence Paul calleth those corrupt circumcision teachers evil works Phil. 3. 2. Beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the concision And the opposition Rom. 13. 3. evinceth this Rulers are not a terrour to good works but to evil whence the argument is strong Those good works and acts which ciuil Rulers are not to be a terrour unto unto the contrary evil works they are to be a terrour to good works and acts civilly such respecting the Truth worship and wayes of God civil rulers are not to be a terrour therefore to evil works contrary to the truth waies and worship of God are they to be a terrour If any yet reply that this in Rom. 13. is spoken with reference to the present power that then bare chief sway at Rome or at least with sole reference to such like civil powers that were christian and looketh not to civil powers becoming christian and so is no rule for christian rulers The Answer is ready albeit those who were in highest power when Paul writ this Epistle were Pagan and not Christian yet the context carrieth the words spoken about higher Civil Powers to be extendible yea especially appliable to Christian civil Rulers 1. When the Apostle saith Wilt thou not be afraid of the power do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same Who knoweth not that Nero then ruling was so far from giving encouragement to any Christian Romans either in a way of piety or honesty that he was a very Lyon rather cruelly to devour them 2 Tim 4.

Mahomet this also should be Christs Kingdom in a special respect because they tolerate all religious and amongst others the true Christian Religion Surely then by the Saints praises here for this authoritative service and subjection to Jesus Christ before mentioned it appears to be in the dayes of the New Testament not alone lawful but a praise worthie blessing of grace A fourth Reason of that assertion is taken from the zeale Reason 4 foretold to be in inferior Christians in the purest times of the Gospel whereby they should provoke civil authoritie to such a work as the use of the civil sword to curb and punish persons notoriously guiltie of corruptions in Religion Zacharie prophesieth of times when those both of the ten and of the two tribes shal be brought on to Christ and their Rulers with them whence such holy mourning of that Tribe of Shimei and of the other families yea and of all the land together with that of the inhabitants of Jerusalem Zech. 12. 10 12 13 14. compared and as that in the people so in their Rulers those of the house of David mourn over Christ crucified also verse 10. and are such as the Godly can safely confide in vers 5. 6. Now in that very day and time when it should be thus with them as the Lord will purge them by the bloud of Christ from their sin Zech. 13 1. so in the same dutie shal they be all zealous to purge the land from all corruptions in Religion which may provoke the eyes of Gods glory Zech. 13. 2 1. and if notwithstanding exemplary punishments that way mentioned verse 2. Any under pretence of the name or of ground from the word and counsel of God shall hold forth false Doctrine then as verse 3. If any shall yet prophesie or speak lies in the Name of the Lord his father and his mother that begot him shall say unto him thou shalt not live for thou speakest lies in the Name of the Lord and to shew that it is no rash threatning of capital punishment for such false Doctrines they will be active also to bring them to condigne punishment for so it followeth His father and his mother that begot him shal thrust him through when he prophesieth Nor can these punishments of corruptions in Religion in persons notoriously guiltie thereof be meant of punishments immediately Divine by some immediate stroak of God or Christ for the father and the mother in some cases thrust them thorough verse 3. In other cases they are branded and wounded in the hands by their friends verse 6. Nor yet are they ecclesiastical punishments or censures here spoken of for what have Churches or any Church members as such to doe to slay persons or to thrust them through or to inflict upon any delinquents visible corporal punishments such as leave their marks in persons hands as verse 3. and 6. expresse Nor yet are these corporal punishments of such persons meerly aeconomical and parental corrections of their children in a private way unless any will say that even in times wherein godly civil Rulers who put forth their civil power of the sword against open enemies Zech. 12. 5 6. are to be had and made use of godly parents may execute death upon their children for holding corrupt Doctrines without making use of civil authoritie for that end It remaineth therefore that the punishments here mentioned are such as are of a civil and political nature by the use of the authoritie of the civil Magistrate whereas even godly parents and friends shal be active and shal in a sense punish them after that manner of witnesses against them having been convented convicted and censured by lawful civil authority alluding to that Deut. 13 6. where when a man or womans son or daughter c. should be themselves corrupt in Religion and seek to corrupt others they were not to conceal or spare him but they were to kill him verse 9. which is expounded by that following Thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death and afterwards the hands of all the people which is further expounded in a like case of capital punishment of a persons worshipping Idols c. Deut. 17. 2 3. As he must die for it upon legal proof ver 5. 6. so verse 7. It s said The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death and afterwards The hands of all the people So that a private man or woman in such cases did regularly stone and kil another as giving in casting evidence against him for his fault and then as witnesses by order of that politie did cast the first stone at him and so killed him and as much and no more is here held forth as orderly in the dayes of the Gospel This use therefore of the coercive and vindicative power of civil authoritie in matters of the first Table is the more observable as that which wil be called for by the Saints in the best times and likewise exercised by godly civil Rulers even when the Jewes shal come home to Jesus Christ and observable it is who it is that ingageth that these things shal be so done even the same Jehovah mentioned Zech. 12. 1. Who saith verse 10 That he will powre out the spirit of grace and supplication upon them and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him which John applieth to Jesus Christ the Son of God John 19. 17. and Rev. 1. 5 6 7 This same Jehovah saith Zech. 13. 2. I will cause the Prophets and the unclean spirit to depart out of the land By Prophets are understood such as vers 3. Prophesie lies in the Name of the Lord. By the unclean spirit is meant that pack and knot of corrupt Teachers which then shal arise to hinder that glorious work of the puritie of the Religion of these times by their several false Doctrines so 1 John 14. 1. Trie the spirits namely the Teachers or the Doctrines of your Teachers and every spirit that confesseth c. That is every Teacher that so confesseth figuratively noting the effect for the impulsive cause every Teacher and the Doctrine he teacheth cometh from some spirit either pure and holy as is the holy Ghost or unclean and impure as is the Devil Hence corrupt doctrines called doctrines of Devils 1 Tim. 4. 1 2 3 4. Now Christ here ingageth to curse his peoples land to be rid of these false Teachers so that so far as political Governours in the civil sence of the converted Jewes shal rid their land of such false Teachers whether they doe it by banishment or death according to their several demerits the Lord Jesus owneth their juridical vindicative acts as his acts he causeth this That Government is Christs Government as John phraseth it Revel 11. 15. he banisheth when they do it he killeth them and thrusteth them thorough when they do it or if their punishment run not so high but

lawfully requireth it nor yet forthwith actually doe it but humbly desire time and help to be cleared in the lawfulnesse of it and afterwards give in their Answer and accordingly seriously and conscionably using the best means usually and ordinarily accompanied with the Lords speciall blessing they groundedly doe what is required So in case of such putting away a wife to which erring conscience urgeth they resolve not wholly to forbear such a thing but at present to suspend upon desire of the best information which attained they forbear now upon a well informed Conscience what they durst not have wholly refused in the former state of their erring Conscience Now if such persons through pride wilfulnesse peremptorinesse contempt falshood or false conceit will refuse the due and reall use of such means and of the ordinary way of God to help them out of this Labyrinth they refuse a manifest knowne duty and expose themselves the rather to Civil Justice 4. Because else according to the ground work layd in the objection what horrid outrages blasphemies idolatries and the like enormities can ordinarily come under the curb or lash of Civill Authority In case of murders of a Protestant Prince or person or people by Papists in whose Conscience they are acts more then ordinary pleasing to God and meriting heaven so in case of committing of filthinesse with the wives of others of their Judgements by persons of famalisticall consciences or in case of sins which yet are not against Natures light as in Arrians out of Conscience denying Jesus Christ to be the Son of God or in others out of conscience crying downe all Church Societies and Ordinances and from the same erring conscience peremptorily yea seditiously opposing and despising them and all Civill Authority which would or doth maintaine the same will you now have them punished for doing their duty in hearkning to their Consciences O● for not sinning against their Consciences in not doing those things which they in conscience stand bound to doe If the Objectors say yea God forbid it should be otherwise all Civill and Church peace and priviledged proprieties are else undermined if such be not punished then have they the weight of their owne objection taken off if they say no none of them may be punished by Civill Authority but they must be left to Gods Judgement I doubt not that godly wise Rulers are otherwise minded and know and will do their duty therein Now let us also briefly clear up some few Scriptures wrested against the Conclusion Object The Parable of Tares Matth. 13. is Objected Let them saith Christ grow till harvest and therefore Heretiques Schismatiques persons otherwise corrupt in matters of Religion such in judgement and practice are to be continually tolerated by Authority Answ 1. If this prove any such matter of Toleration it must prove immunity of all the children of the wicked one of all that are to be cast into hell of all that offend vers 38. 41. All these as well as Heretiques which are but some of that sort must be let al●n● they must also all be free not alone from the Civil sword but from Church-censures yea whether the persons those tares and wicked ones within the field of the visible Church doe sin against the first Table by professed Atheisme Blasphemy Idolatry Perjury Witchcraft c. Or against the second Table by Murther Adultery Treachery Robbery or the like yet both Church and Common-wealth must let these Tares in the visible Church-field alone to the last day and dare any say so Observable it is that Christ Expounding all the rest of the Parable cometh not over that sentence againe Let them alone to the Harvest as practically appliable thereunto or enjoyning any such to be rationall 2. The drift and scope of the Parable is to shew what by Gods providence will be ordered not in this or that particular religious State or Church in it but what will fall out in the field of the whole visible Church thorow out the world over which no one Civil State or Church hath power that even in this great field taken in from the rest of the world and this field sown by God and which in a more speciall manner is his Kingdome there will be mixtures of good and bad and the rooting up not of this or that Tare or wicked person but of all the Tares in generall or of all the children of the Devil within the pale of the Church will never be till the generall day of Judgement which will be an universall and infallible kind of severing sorting and censuring and when there shall be a totall and finall ridding of them from amongst the Children of the Kingdome or the righteous Although God in the mean space by his own hand immediately and by the hands of men sometimes mediately will be cutting off this or that Child of the Devil this or that Witch Traytor Atheist Blasphemer Murderer or the like As he will be gathering in many particular godly ones as good wheat and seed into his Garner leaving the generall severing and gathering of both good and bad wheat and tares unto that generall last and great harvest day The like is held forth in that Parable Matth. 13. 48 49 50. Object That speech of Gamaliel Acts 5. is objected Let these men alone c. if of God yee cannot resist if of men it will come to nothing Answ 1. He spake this in a doubtfull newtrall way not closing with either hence he saith If it be of God and if it be of men is this therefore a ground to godly wise or regulated Rulers either to be of Gamaliels doubtfull spirit in matters of God or of the Church when all Christians are required to be established in the Faith Yea in that Doctrine of God which respecteth Church-order also Col. 2. 5 6 7. in which they are to be men of understanding 1 Cor. 14. 20. sheep who know Christs voyce John 10. 4. Or is this any ground that they should be of a newtrall spirit leaving all to God either to determine the right therein or to maintaine his owne cause and to ruinate the contrary which was Gamaliels ground of his newtrality If this thing be of men it will come to nought God himselfe by his providence will bring them to ruine Upon which ground what need is there for Magistrates to punish Adulterers or fraudulent dealers or the like for God professeth himselfe to be an Avenger of such evils Heb. 13. 4. 1 Thess 4. 10. Yea but Rulers say we are Gods Ministers to avenge such like evils And so in matters of God it is alike as was shewed in thesi it might be truly said What is of God cannot be resisted what is of men will come to nought and God is an avenger of such things he can defend his owne worship and wayes and his truth is able to defend it selfe else who would regard either yet God also would have Moses to promulge