Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	keep_v	peace_n	unity_n	7,015	5	8.9407	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78553	An apology for the ministers of the county of Wilts, in their actings at the election of Members for the approaching Parliament. In answer to a letter sent out of the said county, pretending to lay open the dangerous designes of the clergy, in reference to the approaching Parliament. Wherein is shewed, the notorious falshood of the said letter: how injurious it is to the gentlemen elected: and the dangerous designe of it against the ministry. By some of the defamed ministers of the Gospel in the same county. Humphrey Chambers, D.D. John Strickland. Adoniram Bifield. Peter Ince.	Chambers, Humphrey, 1598 or 9-1662.; Strickland, John, 1600 or 1601-1670.; Byfield, Adoniram, d. 1660.; Ince, Peter, b. 1614 or 1615.	1654 (1654)	Wing C1914; Thomason E808_9; ESTC R207523	21,209	31

say it is a most false and unchristian accusation and such as could not have been fastned upon us by any discerning eye But there is no sense against the calumnies of men forestalled with prejudice and blinded with malice It may be the pen-man of this Letter reckons all those amongst the vilest of men that are not registred in his Catalogue of Saints and so would have dominion founded in grace and Saintship to be the only qualification for government We deny not but it were much to be wished that governours might alwayes be endewed with grace and the knowledge of God in Christ added to their other qualifications but we cannot subscribe to that principle which is truly called a State-heresie by the Author of the true estate of the case of the Commonwealth in reference to the late established government viz. That godly persons though of small understanding and little ability of minde in publick affaires are more fit for government then men of great knowledge and wisdome if endewed only with natural parts and moral vertues But if our Author be not infected with that heresie we further answer when he shall be pleased to tell us whom he doth meane by the vilest of men and in what act of ours he did plainly see our joyning with such we shall be able to give a better account by way of answer to him and in the meane time if he have not too much worke upon him already to make good his other charges against us we shall put him to that farther trouble to name but any one of the ten that were chosen whom we cryed up and voted for that can in the least give an occasion to such a charge and in this he hath a double task to make good one that the party is of the vilest of men and the other that we voted for him and we are wel assured he cannot make good either the one or the other We list not to recriminate and desire to avoyd all personall reflections otherwise possibly there might be some just ground found to retort the charge but we forbeare Onely we desire him seriously to consider with whom he joyns in his slandring of the Ministers of the Gospel surely this is the practise of the vilest of men For that other branch of the charge our not joyning with those who crosse our carnall interests and dissent from us though never so godly A. We answer We doe so far honour and prize the power of godlinesse as that we should be heartily glad to close with such in whom we finde it in all waies of love and peace it hath been our prayer and shall be our endeavour that all who accord in fundamentals of Gospel-truth and holinesse may be brought to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace we hope through mercy we have learnt not to value our carnall interest before the Churches peace and unity and to think and speak of divisions emulations and breaking into parties and factions amongst those that are truly godly as we doe think and speak of theft whordome murder and the like fruits of the flesh But yet we say First we dare not under the specious pretence of joyning with the godly party close with any who are or seem to be such in actings of that nature as are destructive not so much to our carnall interest as to the true interest of the glorious Gospel of the blessed God for so we doe conceive the upholding of the Ministry and its maintenance is more the interest of the Gospel then our own lest whilst we seek to knit with men we disjoyne our selves from God and whilst we would make up strife with others we make a greater breach between God and our own souls Secondly we see but little hope that ever there should be a happy closure with those who do so factiously engross all the honour of Saintship yea honesty and faithfulnesse to themselves and their own party for so the Author seems to carry it throughout the Letter Himselfe and his party he mentions as the poor despised Saints as the approved faithfull men in the County honest publique spirited men men that are most faithfull to the publique interest such as have been valiant in the field and ventured their lives in the high places for the liberties of the people such as have all along in the greatest revolutions and dangers appeared in their purses and persons for the true interest of the Nation such as have poured out floods of tears and prayers for the cause of Christ But the rest who doe oppose them or not joyn with them are called a Time-serving generation a company of time-serving Cavaliers and corrupt persons such who in the greatest Revolutions and Dangers durst not shew their faces unlesse it were at Oxon where some of them sate and acted a company of unworthy time-serving men such as never did the State any faithfull service such as doe unworthily and vain-gloriously in their own persons hunt after worldy honour and popular applause and doe even hate and abhor the poore despised Saints An. We would be loth to be justly ranked amongst those who doe hate and abhor the poor despised Saints we desire to love and honour them all as the excellent ones in whom is our delight yet we doe hate and abhor that cursed dividing principle whereby Godliness and Saintship is made a faction with many whilst they inclose and monopolize it unto themselves and their own party so as that none shall be counted Godly and Saints owned loved and esteemed as such but those of their own way we doe not doubt but that God hath many whom he will own as Saints who yet are branded as carnall nay as antichristian And we could heartily wish that even amongst those who are most forward to ascribe and appropriate this title to themselves that there were more of Saintship to be found in them The true Saints of God are indeed often despised and reproached by the men of the world but it is certainly no evidence of Saintship to be despisers and reproachers of their fellow brethren and of any of the faithful Ministers of the Gospel If the tree must be known by its fruits how little Saintship shall we finde amongst many of those who yet doe ingrosse all unto themselves We shall not goe about to make our selves guilty of that which we have already condemned in the Author of this Letter viz. making odious comparisons and descriptions of all that are not of our party yet we are not assured of this either that all who did appear for that List for opposing whereof we are so much reviled were Approved faithfull men publique-spirited men c. nor that they onely of that party were the onely honest approved faithfull publique-spirited men in the County being very confident that there are very many in our County who though of a different perswasion in matters of Religion from the Authour and his party he