Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	law_n	life_n	sin_n	22,698	5	5.7840	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95070	The true magistrate, or The magistrates duty, and power in matters of religion, or in things meerly relating to conscience. By a well wisher to a publick good.		1659 (1659)	Wing T2758; Thomason E1000_1; ESTC R207834	6,743	12

shall the Magistrate be able to judg the power of Godliness since he is to be kept within the Sphere of his own activity and this seems to be above him I Answer he may judge by our Saviours rule the tree by it's fruits In which though sometimes we may be mistaken as when Hypocrites come forth in all those seeming Acts of goodness yet we must not expect thorns and briars out of a figtree but corrupt water out of a polluted Fountain for every good Tree brings forth good fruit and every pure Fountain clear water The Magistrate then judges the power of godliness as the same appears in life and conversation Thirdly The Magistrate is to cherish a godly spirit or a spirit fearing God and hating covetousness and as much to discountenance and rebuke by putting all wholesome Laws to that end in due execution a wretched profane spirit that delights in sin and manifests it self in all manner of wickedness and as the first is to be owned without respect of persons as the same appears in all forms or judgements so the other is to be punished and disowned without partiality Fourthly The Magistrate is not to involve himself with any corrupt interests under any pretence whatsoever whereby he insensibly becomes insnared to preserve and keep up what God has given up to destruction especially when times of reformation are growing upon us when God will lay open every corrupt Person and thing that set themselves in the way against his design to bring in new Heavens and new Earth wherein dwells Righteousness which he has long promised to make good in the latter days a Pet. 3.13 The next thing to be considered is what power either God or man hath given to the Magistrate in things spiritual or meerly relateing to conscience for this is most certain if neither have given him power he has none but what he assumes of himself which is a plain intrusion and so the exercise of it must needs be unlawful But before we proceed to determine the question we must first take notice that God has given all power in Heaven and in Earth to his Son the Person of Christ for none can pretend to any power whether in civils or spirituals which he derives not from him in civils we have already shewn that there are subordinate Magistrates set up in the world under Christ the great Potentate and King of Kings to whom we are to be subject for conscience sake being an Ordinance of God Rom. 13.2.5 in spirituals is now the question what power Christ has derived to man or whether he has reserved the sole power to himself in things that meerly relate to conscience wherein we are to stand and fall to our own Master and not to be judged by others Secondly By things meerly relating to conscience we must understand those inward workings in our spirits that form a perswasion in us of what we receive to be according to the mind of God tending either to his service and worship or to the encrease of knowledge in things of a better life for as to matters of conscience order or discipline in the Church we do find a latitude left us in the Scriptures and by the practise of those primitive times it not being yet nor like to be agreed which form of Church-Government is most according to the mind of Christ and consequently the best some apprehending that to be Episcopacy others Presbitery others the Congregational way c For it were end lesse to enumerate all these may suffice to let us see those places of Scripture and the practise of those primitive times do admit variety of interpretations As if God by way of condiscention to the weakness of man would leave in the Magistrates power as to a National Religion to chuse what form of Church Government may best suit with the civil provided he assume not a power which was never given him to impose the same upon others who dissent from him or are of another mind Thirdly As God allowes this liberty to the Magistrate so likewise he gives the same to private Christians under the Magistrates protection united together in Church fellowship to chuse for themselves what government appears by the Scripture most agreeable to his will that two diverse Churches growing up together under one civil Magistrate may set up that order of discipline amongst themselves as to each appears most consonant to the word for the Magistrate in this case is not to infringe them of their liberty but to rejoyce at the presence of the Lord so accompanying them in their several apprehensions as to see the power of godliness coming forth in its kinds and practise And that this liberty is intended by God himself both to the Magistrate and the several Churches is manifest by this that all those places of Scripture that relate to Church Government speak the mind of Christ so obscurely in such dark expressions that to this day they that pretend to the best are forced to borrow from humane inventions to make up a compleat form and those that stick closest to the Scripture not admitting any thing but what they bring from thence are not able to satisfie others nor scarce themselves with clearness of Scripture expressions to prove their form Jure divino so that this liberty must needs be allowed till Christ set up his spirit in power and evidence in the hearts of his Saints to make up that unity of spirit to which all must yeild subjection Now to answer the question clearly and positively I affirm that Christ who is the immediate and sole Trustee of all power from his Father has given none to the Magistrate in things spiritual or meerly relating to conscience the reasons are these First because the Magistrate is no proper Judge of the inward workings of mens spirits but only God who searcheth and trieth the Reines and therefore has no power given him in matters of that nature least by mistaking light for darkness and darkness for light he offend one of them little Ones that are precious in the sight of God Secondly because we are to stand and fall to our own Master who is God having power to destroy both soul and body but the Magistrate has onely power over the body and what relates to the outward man Thirdly Because the Magistrate whose Office and charge chiefly relates to civil things may easily judge truth for errour and errour for truth as did Pontius Pilate and the ruling Elders amongst the Jewes when they delivered up Christ to be crucified for the greatest Malefactor who was the most innocent Person Neither has man given to the Magistrate any such power over the consciences of their brethren because the Magistrate can pretend to no power but what is derived to him from the people or Governed for they are the Original of all just power but the people have no such power in themselves and therfore can by no means give the same