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
A96074	The constant man's character. Intended to be sent first as a letter from a gentleman in the country, to a gentlemen his esteemed friend and countryman, a Member of the House of Commons. Since inlarged into a discourse by way of humble advice to keep him from revolting, either directly or collaterally by the side-winde of being Presbyterially affected, through the mistaken and unhappy conceit, that those who have taken the Covenant, cannot without breach of the same, assent and submit unto the late proceedings of the Parliament, when as the parts of the Covenant seem to be inconsistent within themselves, as the author's observations here discoursed do manifest. The scope whereof is 1 Historically to set down the occasion and beginnings of the war. ... 4 To prove the fitness and necessity (as matters now stand) of complying with, and submitting unto this present government. For the powers that be are ordained of God, Rom. 13. Together with some animadversions incident hereunto on the same book, and on the two declarations, intituled The declarations of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament at Oxford. The one touching a treaty for peace, [the] other concerning their endeavors for peace. Printed there, 1643.	S. W.	1650 (1650)	Wing W105; Thomason E595_7; ESTC R204161	52,955	81

of the stuff which is offered them Scripture is given to all to learn to teach to interpret only to a few It is the voice of God confessed by all that the sense is Scripture not the words it cannot therefore be avoided but that he that wilfully strives to fasten some sense of his own other then the nature of the place will bear must needs take upon him the Person of God himself and to be an inditer of Scripture No Scripture is of private Interpretation There can be but two certain and infallible Interpreters of it either it Self or the Holy Ghost the Author of it it self doth then expound it self when the words and circumstances do sound unto the Reader the prime naturall and principal sense Besides these two all other Interpretation is private wherefore as the Lords of the Philistines sometimes said of the Kine which drew the Ark unto Bethshemesh If they go of themselves then is this from God but if they go another way then it is not from God it is but some chance that hath happened to us So it may be said of all pretended sense of Scripture If Scripture come unto it of it self then it is from God but if it go another way or violently urged or goaded on then it is but a matter of chance of man's devising and invention As for those marvellous discourses of some framed upon presumption of the Spirit 's help in private in judging and interpreting difficult places in Scripture their boldness cannot be sufficiently wondered at The Spirit is a thing of dark secret operation the maner of it none can descry As underminers are never seen till they have wrought their purposes so the Spirit is never perceiv'd but by its effects The effects of the Spirit as far as they concern knowledg instruction are not particular information for resolution in any doubtful case for this were plainly Revelation but as the Angel which was sent to Cornclius informs him not but sends him to Peter to School so the Spirit teaches not but stirs up in us a desire to learn desire to learn makes us thirst after the means pious sedulity and carefulness makes us watchful in the choice and diligent in the use of the means The promise to the Apostles of the Spirit which should lead them into all Truth was made good unto them by private and secret informing their understandings with the knowledg of high and heavenly Mysteries which as yet had never entred into the conceit of any man the same promise is made unto us but fulfilled after another maner For what was written by Revelation in their hearts for our instruction have they written in their Books to us for information otherwise then out of these Books the Spirit speaketh not When the Spirit regenerates a man it infuseth no knowledg of any point of Faith but sends him to the Church and to the Scriptures when it stirs him up to newness of life it exhibits not unto him an Inventory of his sins but either supposes them known in the Law of Nature of which no man can be ignorant or sends him to learn from the mouth of his Teachers More then this in the ordinary proceeding of the Spirit in matter of instruction no sober man could ever yet determine So that to speak of the help of the Spirit in private either in dijudicating or interpreting of Scripture is to speak they know not what Which is the rather worth the notice because by experience we have learnt how apt men are to call their own conceits the Spirit which because it is an especiall Error charged by a * S. Augustine Father of the Church on this kinde of men to be the more prone to kindle Schism and Contention in the Church by how much the more they seem to themselves to be endued with a more eminent measure of Spirit then their Brethren deserves reproof whilst under pretence of interpreting they rudely and rashly broach their own conceits Sir there may be much spent upon this one effect of this Civil War I have been too long in these digressions the labour of another man but that you may be hereby satisfied how improbable it is that well-bred wise and learned men however Malice hath cast this Contumely on them do wilfully and willingly countenance these unlearned Sectaries and rude Intruders into Moses Chair They are willing for ought it appears to the contrary to promote the means of Learning to give encouragement to the increase thereof by their favour and respect shewn unto the Schools and Nurseries in their Acts and Ordinances exempting them from any Charge or Taxe for raising Monies towards this War by placing painfull and sober Governours in the severall Societies of the Universities to reduce them to their former temper of acquiring Learning and good Manners that what the fury and fierceness of a War was likely to demolish and destroy is yet recoverable by the care and industry of their Governours and whereas there is a disproportion and Antipathy between Science a soft milde and tender habit and a War a privative and destroying judgment there is yet by God's blessing left a possibility and means of a Regress from a War and Garrison of Souldiers in one of them to an acquisition of Sciences and Nursery of Scholars Neither doth the Parliament for ought we see neglect or dis-esteem the Vniversities or other Seminaries of Learning or take away the Endowments of Colledges as their Enemies give out because of able and learned Scholars of the Vniversities and elswhere sequestred for a time and dispossest of part of their Estates by reason of their constant prejudice and ill-will against the Parliament and their Proceedings the Parliament knowing such to be interested engag'd not long since seasoned by the Enemy Garrisoning in one of the Vniversities to contrive their overthrow Delinquents Compounding for their offence or the Sequestring their estates a Punishment inflicted by the Parliament is easier to be born taking withall the justice of the Cause which is here examined then the Confiscating the Parliaments Friends estates for adhering to that side which they could not but expect when Spectators only taking part on neither side are in danger and a Law enforced for their a See the Oxford Declaration p. 27. forbearing to defend the King The unhappiness of this Disease viz. of Heresies abounding of the unlearned their broaching them of the causes and consequences thereof is to be ascribed to the Authors and Occasion of the War before which and b Jewell in his Apolegie of the Church of England many years together the Church was at Peace and Unity within it self it had none of this sort of Adversaries to disturb the same But enough of this To your other Objection That Independency as 't is called denies all Order and Government when as they have Remonstrated and Protested for the contrary Whatsoever they may for a time for reasons best known