Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	life_n	live_v	lord_n	6,554	5	3.9231	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29428	A brief answer to three very great and concerning questions		1662 (1662)	Wing B4547; ESTC R214758	8,898	12

be looked upon as an office a stewardship and to be managed as a trust for a faithful discharge of which they are to be strictly accountable [d] Cor. 4. c. 1.2 Let a Man i. e. let every one so account of us saith the Apostle Paul meaning himself and other Preachers of the Gospel in his time as Ministers of Christ and stewards of the Misteries of God now as the same Apostles adds what is required of stewards is that they be found faithful but to be faithfull is not to lay up our Lords Money but to lay it out and to Trade with it for our Masters advantage thus are we all commanded to deal with spiritual gifts [e] Pet. 1.4 v. 10. every one as he hath received a gift Minister thereof to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God and this the Apostle Paul makes to be his warrant and apology why he was so laborious and constant in preaching [f] 1 C● c. 9. v. 16.17 for saith he if I Preach the Gospel I have nothing to boast off because a necessity lyeth upon me yea there is a woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel because I am intrusted with a stewardship As Moses was faithfull in all Gods house which is mentioned by God himself [g] Nu. 12. v. 7. and afterwards repeated by the Apostle as his highest commendation so are all those to be whom God hath been pleased to honour with calling them to be his Servants in that work then not their own ease safety or Proffit but their Masters honour and intrest is to be consulted by them which none can faithfully attend who either sloathfully imprison their ●ight or cowardly desert their station Thirdly R. 3. another Argument may be taken from the nature of Preaching gifts which increase by using they are like the Widdows Oyl which while it stood in the Vessel had no increase but multiplyed as it was pouring out Grain in the floor doth not inrich the earth but when it is Sown it prospers to an Harvest as a spring if you stop its Current will presently be choaked up or a fire when you leave off blowing goes out so is it with spiritual gifts which in this respect as well as others are compared to Fire and Water because they must be kept up in a continual exercise or elseweare in danger of loofing them [a] 1 Cor. 12. v. 7. the manifestation of the Spirit i. e. that gift whatever it is whereby the Spirit of God doth manifest it self to act in any is given to proffit not our selves principally but others withall and therefore we are commanded [b] c. 14.12 to excel that we may benefit the Church which end when it is not religiously designed and attended to we may fear that our talent shall be taken away as it was from the evil and the sloathful servant whereas he that useth what he hath received hath the promise of a Blessing (c) Mat. 25. v. 28. and shall be made to abound and so much the more as he goeth through greater difficulties in the exercise and imployment of his Talent Lastly since our Lord Christ hath called all such R. 4. as are truly Gospel Ministers unto that work and hath promised to be with them and to assist them in it there can be nothing more dishonourable to his power and authority then to decline any part of the Duty we owe to him for fear of men for our Lord is a great King as he is able to defend so he hath promised that he will amply reward all his faithful servants he knows all our works [d] Rev. 2.10 and who they are that call themselves Jews or Christians that are not such but rather the Synagogue of Sathan it is from such as these nominal Christians but real Devils that all our sufferings in the last days are to be expected who make use of the name and of the form of godliness with the greater dexterity and advantage to oppose and persecute the power of it and yet even these he hath commanded us not to fear though they may prevail to deliver us into Prisons and unto death yet we are not to fear any of these things we may suffer because our Lord Christ who was dead now lives for ever and well give all his witnesses a Crown of Life In expectation of which recompence we should daily tryumph and rejoyce whereas to do or forbear doing any thing in religious concernments meerly that we may avoid persecutions argues a poor low and ungospellike Spirit as the Apostle observes in those Conformists in his time who preached up Circumcision and legal Ceremonies he saith they did it meerly [a] Gal. 6. v. 12.14 that they might not be persecuted with the Cross of Christ whereas were we Christians indeed we should as he professeth he did glory in nothing more then the Cross of Christ and in our Conformity to that by which the World would be crucified to us and we unto the Terrors and allurements of the World And so much to the first Question The second Question is whether believers in order to the more solemn serving of God Que. and their mutual edification are bound to continue their assembling together when the civil Magistrate doth expressly prohibit such kind of meetings this question though it may seem sufficiently decided by the answer given unto the other for if it be the duty of Ministers to preach it must necessarily follow that it is the peoples duty to hear i● the Shepherd to the utmost hazard of his Life must go before then certainly the sheep must follow after and hearken to his voice yet because of those distinctions and shifts which carnal fear hath found out under the notion of christian prudence I shall speak more fully for the affirming of it Arg. 1 First The Apostle doth expresly command that Believers should not forsake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assembling or gathering together into one place as the Greek word properly signifies but be dayly admonishing one another and so much the more as they saw the day i. e. the evil day of persecution and distress approaching (a) Heb. 10. v. 25. where he is so far from making the persecution then coming upon them of which he speaketh and against which he incourageth them in the following chapter to be a motive for the forbearing of meetings that he useth it as an argument to quicken them unto greater diligence and frequency therein and according to this command so was the Practice of the Primitive Christians for as soon as ever they were converted they did not think it sufficient to keep their Religion to themselves and to serve God in private but (b) Act. 2 42. Continued constant unto the Teaching and fellowship of the Apostles and that not only before but after the Apostles were by publick authority silenced (c) Act. 5. v. 12.13 for then all i. e.

A Brief Answer to three very great and concerning Questions There are at this day three great Questions which if they were rightly stated and thoroughly resolved they would serve very much to confirm the minds of Believers in an active discharge of those duties which the present season requires from them or else quiet and compose their spirits if they are called to suffer THe first question is concerning the Ministers of the Gospel I mean such as are otherwise rightly qualified to preach as being gifted by God Quest 1 and called by the people but are forbid by the Civil Magistrate to exercise that office the question concerning them is whether in obedience to the commands of the civil Magistrate they are to forbear preaching or not I answer by no means and that Ans 1 First from the example of our Saviour and his Apostles who though they were as subject to the Law as we are now and injoyned obedience to all the lawful commands of civil Magistrates yet when ever the civil Authority was abused to hinder preaching they did constantly refuse to obey them Thus our Saviour who as man behaved himself wisely [a] Isa 52.13 and commands all his followers to do so yet in his preaching he did not walk by those rules of secresie and concealment which are now accounted prudential for when he was questioned concerning his Doctrine he answered [a] John 18.20 I spake openly or freely Mat. 10. boldly plainly for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often rendred to the World I ever taught in the Synagogue and in the Temple whither the Jews always resort and in secret I have said nothing thus did our Saviour really what is figuratively but with respect to him spoken concerning wisdom [b] Pro. 1.20.21 wisdom cryeth without she uttereth her words in the streets this preaching in publick our Saviour maketh to be one great part of doing his Fathers will [c] Psal 40. v. 9 10. I have saith he in that Prophetical Psalm preached righteousness in the great congregation Lo I have not refrained my lips O Lord thou knowest I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation In order to the fulfilling this Prophecy it is very remarkable that our Saviour began his Ministry at that very time when and in that very place where John was cast into Prison which circumstance is observed by 2 of the Evangelists after that John was cast into Prison saith Mark [d] Mark 1. v. 14. Jesus came into Galilee which was under the Jurisdiction and command of Herod [e] Luke 3. v. 19.20 who had newly imprisoned John preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and from that time saith Mat [f] Mat. 4.12.17 i. e. From the time of Johns Imprisonment Jesus began to Preach thereby shewing in his own example that no danger should discourage a Gospel-Preacher from the discharge of his duty VVhat our Saviour did himself he doth likewise advise his Disciples unto and therefore in that very Chapter [g] Ma● 1.10 where he sent them forth to preach though he directs them to beware of men [h] 4 6.1.7 and to be wise as Serpents yet withall he commands them to preach publikely what I say to you saith he in the dark do you speak in the light and what you hear in the ear publish on the house top and as foreseeing that the Disciples might raise some objections against this because of the certain danger and hazzard rhat would attend such a practice our Saviour doth no less then three times expresly command them [a] Mat. 10.26.28.31 not to be afraid of them that only kill the body whereby mentioning the worst and utmost that men can do in a way of opposition he doth sufficiently arm his ministers against lesser difficulties and to shew that he did not leave the duty of preaching publikely unto his Apostles liberty as a thing they might do or forbear as they pleased he makes it afterwards to be a part of their confessing him [b] v. 32 which he requireth as an indespensible duty from all his followers and accordingly when the Apostles after the descent of the holy Spirit upon them were commanded to be silent by the High Priests and to Preach no more [c] Act. 4. v. 19.20 in the Name of Christ Though the Persons which injoyned this were their lawful magistrates yet they absolutely refused to submit unto them and upon the account of an Argument which is still of equal force if it be righteous before God say they to obey you rather then God judge ye for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard and afterwards when they assembled together v. 29. they did not pray either for the favour of the Magistrates or for wisdom to conceal themselves or for their own preservation but appeal unto God to be a righteous Judge between their rulers and them and for themselvs do beg nothing but courage to discharge their duty and now say they v. 31. O Lord look upon their threats and give unto thy Servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word In which Prayer is being agreeable to the will of God they were presently heard and answered for they were filled with the Holy Spirit and as an effect thereof they spake the word of God with boldness The same Prayer and for the same ends doth the Apostle Paul desire the Ephesians to make for him when he was in Prison Praying [d] Eph. 6.19.20 saith he for me not that I may be released from my bonds and set at liberty but that utterance may be given to me by the opening of my mouth with boldness to make known the Mistery of the Gospel that I may be bold therein as I ought to speak and in his advice to Timothy whom he instructs as a Pattern of all following Teachers he exhorts him to stir up the gift that was in him the meaning of which advice is as he himself explains it in another place [a] 2 Time v. 2 preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all manner of long suffering and Doctrine for which Assiduity and diligence in Preaching he gives a reason which holds true and binding in all Ages [b] 2 Tim. c. 1. v. 7.8 because God hath not given to us whether we are believers or preachers the spirit of fear but of power and therefore we now as well as the Apostles afore us are not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord but to suffer hardship with the Gospel according to the power of God [c] 2 Tim. 2.1.2 ● 2. as good Souldiers of Jesus Christ Secondly another Argument may be taken from the Nature of a Gospel Ministry which to whomever it is committed is to