Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	letter_n	scripture_n	word_n	8,209	5	5.0930	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65886	A serious account in XXXV evident reasons (to all who desire satisfaction) why the people of the lord, called Quakers, cannot go to worship at those places called churches and chappels, and to inform the magistrates and ministers that such consciencious people (as are separated from these places) ought not to be compelled (from their peaceable meetings) to their worship and churches, so called, being a short discovery of the way, worship, and principles of the true ministers and persecuted people of God, in several exceptions against the practices, worship, and principles of the priests, both of the Presbyterians, and Episcopal-men, and others of the same affinity, in some of which principles the Presbyterians are the rather concerned, but in others of them, both are concerned in the general / by Geo. Whitehead.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1661 (1661)	Wing W1956; ESTC R20306	27,063	42

reconcile the Scriptures to themselves by their Meanings wherein they intimately accuse the Scriptures to disagree and to be false and imperfect in many things And many of the Priests contradict one another in their meanings upon Scripture when as the Scriptures of Truth were given forth from the Spirit of Truth in the Saints and cannot be broken Joh. 10.35 2 Tim. 3.16 which Spirit is that which must open the Scriptures and give men the true understanding of them Joh. 16.13 and not the Priests confused and invented meanings and senses which proceed from the spirit of Error in them who have denyed that they have the Infallible Spirit or Inspiration in them from Heaven from which the Scripture was given when as it is the Inspiration of the Almighty that giveth understanding Job 32.8 So that they who have not that have not the understanding of the Scriptures and such we cannot own to be our Teachers who being out of that Spirit which the holy men of God were in it 's evident they know nothing but what they know naturally and in these things they corrupt themselves Jude v. 10. XIII Of the Gospel ALso the Priests have shewed their Error and Ignorance about the Gospel in calling the four Books of Matthew Mark Luke and John the Gospel when as the Gospel is Everlasting being the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that believeth Rom. 1.16 And the Gospel was preached to Abraham before the four Evangelists were Gal. 3.8 And there is not to be another Gospel preached than that which is the Power of God which the Apostles preached for he that preacheth another is to be accursed Gal. 1.8 XIV Of the Foundation and only Rule ANd the Priests in affirming the Scriptures to be the Foundation and only Rule of Faith and Life and the Word c. They affirm contrary to the Scriptures themselves and contrary to the Apostles Doctrine who said That another Foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Christ who is the Foundation of Faith 1 Cor. 3.11 though the Priests have preached another and though one while they profess the Scriptures to be their Rule yet another while they set their meanings above them as to reconcile them and act contrary to them and thus shew their Confusion but it is the Spirit of Truth that leads into all Truth And so the Saints had the Rule of Faith and Life before the Scriptures were written as had Abel Enoch Abraham Moses c. And the Gentiles who had the Law written in their hearts who had not the letter of it without had a true Rule of Life in them as many have who cannot read the Scriptures and whereunto the Saints had attained in the Spirit and Life of Christ they were to walk by the same Rule Rom. 2.15 Phil. 3.16 2 Cor. 10.13 14 15. And the Word was in the beginning and was in the hearts of the holy men of God before they spake forth the Words or writ the Scriptures wherein are the words that God spake which are a true Declaration of those things that were surely believed amongst the Saints but the Word of God liveth for ever and was before the words or writings of Scripture without were Psal. 119.11 Joh. 1.1 Luke 1.1 So that the Priests who have so much shewed their Ignorance about the Gospel the Foundation the Word the only Rule and yet say they are Ministers of the Gospel and of the Word we have sufficient cause never to own them as our Teachers XV. Of Swearing ANd the Priests in pleading for Swearing and teaching men that it is lawful for them to swear chiefly bringing Heb. 6.16 for it and some of them telling people that Swearing is a part of the Worship of God The Priests herein have shewed themselves to transgress Christs Doctrine and teach others so to do and so they have not God 2 Joh. ver 9. for Christ who is the end of the Law for Righteousness and the end of the Shadows under it he said to his Disciples It hath been said by them of old time Thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths which Oaths were under the Law and in their time were commanded of God and were not vain nor needless Oaths nor by the Creatures But in opposition to these Oaths as ending them Christ said But I say unto you Swear not at all neither by Heaven nor by Earth c. Mat. 5.33 34. Now he that sweareth by Heaven sweareth by the Throne of God and by him that sitteth thereon Matth. 23.22 So that from Christ's Command we are now to swear by neither And the Apostle James as confirming to the same Testimony said Above all things my Brethren swear not neither by Heaven nor by Earth nor by any other Oath but let your yea be yea and your nay nay left you fall into condemnation Jam. 5.12 And as to that of Heb. 6.16 where it 's said For men verily Swear by the Greater and an Oath for confirmation is to them an End of all Strife which the the Priests object for Swearing In this they are very dark for the Apostle doth but mention this as a Practice which had relation to the Jewes who were under the Law and such as were in the Strife but he gives no Command for Swearing neither doth he vindicate it any more than he doth receiving of Tythes in his saying here men that die receive Tythes Heb. 7.8 which was but a mentioning that as a practice which the Jews upheld as was the other of Swearing for he witnessed the Commandment disanulled by which Tythes were received and the Priesthood changed by which they were upheld Heb. 7.12 18. So that the bare relation of a Practice is no command for it nor vindication of it And the Oath which God sware to Abraham wherein he makes known the Immutability of his Counsel to the Heirs of Promise is greater than man's swearing to end strife for where that Oath of God is received and fulfilled the Blessing to the Seed is manifested and the Strife is ended and the ground of it removed and of this Oath and Covenant mens swearing to end strife without was but a figure type or shadow And as to the Priests saying that Swearing is a part of the Worship of God From this then it follows that it 's an easie thing for Drunkards and Prophane Persons to be in the Worship of God if Swearing be a part of it for what case is it such cannot swear in either by the Lord or otherwise and then they might as well say it's part of the Worship of God to transgress Christ's Doctrine as say Swearing is part of his Worship Surely this is a bad Worship which the Priests preach and set up for Christ commanded not to swear at all and he is the End of all Strife about which the Swearing was and the End of the Law and of the Oaths under it for

suing many honest men at Law for Tythes and spoyling their Goods and fraudulently taking away Goods many times more than the Tythes demanded As also they have cast many into Prisons for Tythes several of whom have dyed in Prisons And thus have they dealt by many that are separated from them whom they do no work for nor preach to and such as can buy none of the Priests ware nor spend their money for that which is not bread knowing the Fountain of LIFE whereto all that thirst may come freely and freely drink without money or price and the gift of the Spirit of God within and a part in his Wisdom which is not to be bought nor sold for Silver or Gold Isa. 55. Job 28. So thus the Priests forcing Tythes and Goods from them they do no work for is both contrary to all Equity Reason or Scripture and their grievous oppression upon the Poor and the Nation hath caused the Nation to groan and the Land to mourn VI. Of their Persecuting and Compelling men ANd the Priests in shewing themselves to be envious men and persecutor's and going about to compel consciencious men that differ from them in Judgment to their Worship and Religion by an outward Power or Law of man and in their Instigating Magistrates to persecute such as cannot for Conscience-sake joyn with them Herein they have greatly shewed themselves to be out of the way of the Gospel and true Ministry for the way of the Gospel and its Ministers is to convince Gain-sayers and to beget men into the love of the Truth through the meekness of Love and Wisdom and so to convert them and not to use Persecution and compulsion to force them to an outward conformity against their Consciences and Faith nor to seek to be Lords over men's Faith 2 Cor. 1.24 as the Priests do wherein they have shewed themselves to be in the way of the persecuting Jews and Papists and not in the way of the Gospel-Ministers for neither Persecution Carnal weapons nor outward compulsion can convince of error nor convert men to the love of the Truth for they that may be thereby made conformable to an outward Profession or Worship it is but in hypocrisie whilst they are not convinced in their Consciences of the thing to be true which they are compelled to and this is but to make men Hypocrites and no further can it bring them For whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin Rom. 14.23 And they who can alter their Religion by outward compulsion or for fear of suffering will change as the Times and Governments change as many of the hireling-Priests themselves do who when their Gospel will not bear them out against their opposers then they fly to the Magistrates and Persecutors for help when as the Ministers of Christ wrastled not with flesh and blood but with Principalities and Powers and spiritual wickedness in high places and their weapons were not carnal but spiritual and mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds Eph. 6.12 and therefore we finding the Priests contrary to them and in the way of the proud Persecutors and of the Beast which made War against the Saints and set up the compelled Worships and many of them in the way of Cain who hated his Brother for his Religion Joh. 3.12 1 Jude v. 11. we are commanded of the Lord not to uphold them nor joyn with them VII Of the manner of their Preaching ANd as for the PRIESTS Preaching what they have invented and gathered out of Authors and Books and not from the Spirit or Revelation of Christ within and their following such a form in their Preaching as dividing a Text into parts and branches and from their own humane knowledge raising Doctrines Reasons Uses Motives Arguments Consequences Applications c. They speak in the form and words which man's wisdom doth teach like heathen Orators and they preach by an Hour-glasse what they have gathered and imagined This the Priests manner and way of Preaching is contrary to the Preaching of the true Ministers for they ministred as they had received the gift of Christ 1 Pet. 4.10 and what Christ revealed in them and sent them to preach and they preached not the words which man's wisdom taught nor used the cunning sleights and devices of men but preached in the power and demonstration of the Spirit of Christ 1 Cor. 2. Eph. 4.14 2 Pet. 1.16 which is not to be limited to men's forms and inventions nor unto an hour-glass and therefore it is against our Consciences to sit under the Priests invented preaching by an hour-glasse it being so much contrary to the Saints preaching who were Ministers of the Spirit of the New Testament in the Revelation of the Mystery which is CHRIST within the hope of Glory VIII Of the manner of their Worship ALso it is against our Consciences to joyn with the Priests and their hearers in their formal and dead Worship at their Steeple-houses as their formal praying in their wills either in a form of their own inventing or by the Book of Common-prayer which was devised by men and then having a Clerk to say Amen which manner of worshipping we néver read of in the Scripture that the Saints used nor that the Saints in the Churches of Christ did ever sing David's Prophecies Prayers Complaints Lamentations in rime and meeter as Priests and People now do which were put into meeter by Thomas Sternhold John Hopkins and others nor that ever the Churches of Christ had drunken Clerks to give them forth what Psalms they were to sing or to give them such a tune to sing by as the Priests and their hearers now usually have whose songs shall become howlings Amos 8.3 but the Saints and true Christians in the primitive times did pray with the Spirit cryed Abba Father by the Spirit of Adoption and they sung with the Spirit with grace and understanding and made Melody in their hearts to the Lord as the Word that dwelt plenteously in them led them Rom. 7.6 chap. 8.15 26. 1 Cor. 14 15. Eph. 5.19 Col. 3.16 and so the Saints served God in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter and such did not set a company of proud covetous persecuting or prophane people of the world to sing Davids Confessions Prayers Complaints and of his Fastings Roarings and Tremblings in meeter in a Steeple-house or Masse-house as the Priests and their Clerks do who many times cause scorners and proud ones to sing That they are not puft in mind they have no scornful eye Psal. 131. And such as are given to sporting and wantonness to say that all the night long they wash their bed with tears See Psal. 6. in the Rime and such as feed themselves without fear and spend the creatures upon their Lusts and live in Fulness and Fatness to sing that they fast their flesh to chast and that they weep and mone and that for grief and pain of heart in