Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	pray_v	sing_v	understanding_n	6,386	5	10.0280	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31362	The moderate enquirer resolved in a plain description of several objections which are summed up together and treated upon by way of conference, concerning the contemned [sic] people commonly called Quakers who are the royal seed of God and whose innocency is here cleared in the answers to the many objections that are frequently produced by their opponents : which may be profitable for them to read that have any thing against them, and useful for all such as desire to know the certainty of those things which are most commonly reported of them / written in behalf of the brethren, in vindication of the truth, by VV. C.	Caton, William, 1636-1665.	1658 (1658)	Wing C1515; ESTC R29186	28,001	70

world Res. This is but words springing forth of ●heir persecutors and back-biters will not say the same to their face when they are present to answer for themselves and for the Truth But tell me couldst thou with M●ses rather s●ffer affliction with such a people to wit Imprisonment spoiling of thy Goods loss of thy good name and reputation and be bitten with the Priests mouths to be deprived of thy liberty estate to be seperated from thy wife and children kindreds and relations wouldst thou suffer this for the truth's sake as these people are ready to do when they are thereunto called Would not this cross fall on thee heavy this way prove to thee strait and this gate narrow Wouldst thou not rather chuse to enjoy the pleasures of sin the delights and vanities of the world the pleasures and renown thereof while that thou livest in the same thou maist enquire after the certainty of the reports which are reported of those that are redeemed from those things in which thou livest and confess the truth of that which they possess and thou thy self be out of it Enq. That is true but I hope we need not be so severe and strict so wil●ul as to leav● our wives and children and callings for dost 〈◊〉 not know that he that doth not provide for his Family is worse then an Infidel Res. Thou canst not be too strict and severe in godliness but thou waist be too wilful peevish and perverse in wickedness too faithless in trusting God to provide for those that he hath given thee in that particular thou maist be as an Infidel thy self or as one of the Gentiles which seeketh after things pertaining to this life saying What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithall shall we be cloathed but by taking of thought they cannot add one cubit unto their stature Now if thou come to the light wherewith Jesus Christ hath enlightned thee it will bring thee to the faith of Gods elect by which the ust doth live and then thou wilt come to provide things honest in the sight of all men to be diligent in the creation serving the Lord in thy place calling wherein thou art to abide and not voluntarily to leave thy wife children without providing for thy Family that which is honest decent and fitting otherwise thou wilt be condemned by the light in thy conscience which is a swift witness against all wilfulness peevishness and perversness both in Jew and Gentile Enq. Well these things doth pertain to one● own particular ●hich indeed are good in thems●●ves but I woul● be further informed ●oncern●●g these people called quakers in general I would have thee tell me how they came to have that name and who gave it them Res. To speak of things which concerns ones own particular is commonly the most beneficial but it is the property of fools to be busie in other mens matters but let us come to thy question how they came to have that name the which I intend to declare unto thee if the Lord will After that the Lord had visited them in his everlasting love and convinced them of his eternal truth then did he manifest his eternal power in them which made the strong man to bow himself and the keepers of the house to tremble by the operation of which power the bodies of some of these people came to be shaken like as David's was and this being apparent unto many spectators who despised and wondred at the workings of the power of the Lord these despisers and wonderers who were also scorners did from hence give these people this Name so that thou may take notice that it was the generation of scorners that gave them it Enq. Now I understand it but thou hints David as though he had been a quaker 't is true fearfulness trembling came u●on him but was there any other of the holy men of God that quaked if so why then do the people think it so strange now Res. The work of the Lord was eve● strange to the world for when David qu●ked trembled and roared all they tha● saw him laught him to scorn so that h● was a reproach of men and despised of the people and his words do the scoffers and scorners o● this generation read and sing and reproacheth and despiseth them tha● tremble quake at the Word of the Lord as he did There were other of the holy men of God that were quakers as for example Mo●es he was one that did fear and quake and the Prophet Haba kuk his lips quivered his belly shook and rottennes● entred into his bones and that was strange to the men of his generation like as David's quakings and roarings was strange and wonderful in his dayes and several more examples might be instanced by which the ignorance of this generation might more fully be understood and manifested Some of which hath not been afraid to call the power of God which hath made thes● people to quake and tremble Wi●chcraft and to say that it was of the Devil but they were such as spoke evil of Dignities and did erre not knowing the Scripture which speaketh of quakers nor the power of God which causeth the fleshly man to quake and the keepers o● the house to tremble the which these people do witness Enq. But as touching their Worship or the manner of it what is it Read they sing they or pray they in their Meetings Or deny they singing and praying as is reported of them Res. Their manner of Worship doth differ very much from the world and they that are of the world can neither take pleasure nor delight in it for when they come together they wait upon the Lord in his light it may be sometimes two or three hours in silence and sometime it hapneth that in less space then one hour some of them may be moved to speak more or less to the edifying of the rest in the mos● holy Faith but their Worship consisteth not in words but in spirit and in truth and in the light of truth they read their own conditions which light doth open unto them the misteries of the kingdom And for singing and praying they do them both with the spirit and with understanding but the formal singing and praying of the world which is not in the spirit nor with understanding this they do deny for they see that God is not honored by it and that which dishonoureth God they disown but that which honoreth and exalteth him alone to that their souls are united and dearly they do it own Enq. But this doth seem very strange 〈◊〉 me that they should sit some hours together silence had they not better read pray an● sing that they might thereby get the motion● the spirit by exercising of themselves in s●cred devotion Res. It seemeth not strange unto the● alone but unto thousands more who can● not apprehend that which they are

suppose is much wrested about that point is it not Res. Yea very much For they that are against it heapeth up all the Scripture-places that possibly they can of the Saints failings of their expressions spoken in the time of their warfare and places of Scripture they produce which was spoken of men in their unconverted estate and these Scriptures they wrest pervert and doth add their meanings and conceivings unto them therefore it is that thousands hath so much to say against that point which they will as earnestly plead against as any other particular thing that is in dispute among men at this day Enq. What such men are they that do wrest the Scripture and differs so much in their in●●rpretati●ns which these People cryes so much against Res. They are such as are unstable and unlearned who errs not knowing the Spirit nor the guidings and leadings thereof but are truce-breakers and incontinent who seek to subvert whole Countries by their delusions which people are led into by giving heed unto their false interpretations which they give of the holy Scripture which is of no private interpretation and they are such as gain-say the truth being p●oud and presumptuous doting about questions and strife of words unruly and vain talkers such as teach things which they ought not for filthy lucre sake these such like do these people cry out against for each of them do wrest and pervert the Scripture to their own ends seeking thereby to confirm their erronious opinions which are contrary to Scripture and contrary to Truth so that these people have good reason to testifie against them being that the Name of God is so much dishonored by them and the holy Scripture s●●●taordinarily wrested among them by the different interpretations thereof Enq. How d● these people understand the Scripture Is there not strife and contenton a●mong them about the meaning of it Res. By the same spirit by which the● were guided that spoke forth the Scripture do these People understand it every one o● them according to their measures and the light in which they walk doth give the●●●he same understanding in the holy Scrip●●ure which they had that spake forth 〈◊〉 ●cripture although many among them 〈◊〉 ●rt of so large a measure as the Authors the holy Scripture had yet that under●●ding which God hath given them by holy Spirit is the same which holy men God had in its measure so that they far from striving and contending about meaning thereof among themselves for 〈◊〉 which the light opens to one is not ●tradicted by them that are in the light ● therefore they are at peace among ●●selves and in unity one with another Enq. It is reported of them that they go in●any Churches to disturb them and that ● speak before the Minister have ended and ●ieth themselves unruly in the time of his ●ed Devotion is this true 〈◊〉 'T is true some of them have gone in●any Congregations as Lambs among ●lves in obedience to the motions of the ●er of the Lord and in the Assembly 〈◊〉 have spoken that which was revealed ●hem while they stood by and he that ●ld have holden his peace who had first ●en left his matter in hand and cryed 〈◊〉 Constable or an Officer to take him ●y that begun to speak his Revelation 〈◊〉 the unruly speaker that should have ●en his peace and kept the people in or●● beginning to be so ●urious and angry ●●st the other this occasioned great disorder in the Congregation which 〈◊〉 have been prevented if the spirit of the Speaker had been subject to the spirit him that had the Revelation then m● the thing have been done decently an● order according to the rule of the 〈◊〉 ●stle I Cor. 14 30 32 40. And as touc● carrying of themselves unreverently 〈◊〉 is said of them because they do not their hat in the time of their Prayer join with them in their unholy devoti●● which they are not free unto neither 〈◊〉 they bid them God speed because 〈◊〉 know that they are out of the Doctrin● Christ ● offering unacceptable sacrifice● which act these people will not be pa●●kers but for any of them to go purpo●● with an intent to disturb any Congre●● on I believe such a thing hath never en● into their thoughts for commonly 〈◊〉 they have gone upon service for the 〈◊〉 to such places it hath been in the cross● their own wills whose lives have bee● great danger in them houses called C●●ches and much of their blood have 〈◊〉 spilt many bruises they have gotten most shamefully have they been intrea● handled in them places called Churc● by those that have resorted unto them this hundreds will witness and testifie 〈◊〉 ● been eye-witnesses of it ●nq It is a strange thing that they will not from such places then had they not better ●ill and quiet and molest none then so to ●ard their lives or at least to take other op●unities then when People are at Church ●es The thing is strange in the eyes of 〈◊〉 that they should so as it were ha● their lives among unreasonable men seeketh to do them mischief but that ●er of the Lord by which they are mo●o go to such places doth oftentimes ●culously preserve them and into his 〈◊〉 they commit their life who hath gi●t them the which they could freely ●own for the truth's sake if ther●unto were called Now if they should mo●ny in their own wils by speaking their words to them they had better be still ●iet then to do so but if the Lord move 〈◊〉 to speak to any or to go to any place had better obey him then bear his ●em●nts for disobedience if the par●oken unto be one that cannot bear ●d Doctrine then will they be offended ●olested by him that speaketh like as ●ziah Amos 7. 12 13. was molested Amos and therefore would he have ●im to have fled into another Land ●ot to have prophesied at Bethel because it was the Kings Chappel and Court as now several there are 〈◊〉 would not have these people to come their Churches because the congrega●●on is disturbed by them like as the Ki●● Court Chappel was disturbed by mos and the Synagogues of the Jews Christ and the Apostles and many 〈◊〉 perswade them to the contrary but 〈◊〉 perswasions of such they do no more gard then Amos regarded the persw●ons of Amaziah Enq. What go they to Churches then cause Amos went to the Kings Chap● and because Christ and the Apostles wen● the S●nagogues as their manner was Res. O no if they had no other grou● then were they but wilful imitators 〈◊〉 like unto the false Prophets who run w● the Lord had not sent them but these 〈◊〉 are moved by the same power 〈◊〉 moved Amos to go the Kings Chap● by the same power I say are they mo● to go to steeple-houses other place bear testimony unto the same truth 〈◊〉 Amos held forth the same