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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	run_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	28	3	9.6865	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22481	A commentarie vpon the epistle of Saint Paule to Philemon VVherein, the Apostle handling a meane and low subiect, intreating for a fraudulent and fugitiue seruant, mounteth aloft vnto God, and deliuereth sundry high misteries of true religion, and the practise of duties œconomicall. Politicall. Ecclesiasticall. As of persecution for righteousnesse sake. ... And of the force and fruit of the ministery. Mouing all the ministers of the Gospell, to a diligent labouring in the spirituall haruest ... Written by William Attersoll, minister of the word of God, at Isfield in Suffex.	Attersoll, William, d. 1640.	1612 (1612)	STC 890; ESTC S106848	821,054	582

nor cold but luke warme The Idolaters both among counterfeit Christians and ignorant Gentiles exceede oftentimes the true professors in feruency and zeale they spare not their substance and possessions The Pharisies compasse o Math. 23 15 Sea and Land to win one Proselite It is a shame and reproch for vs to come behinde them that are so blindly led God will not be dallied withall in the matter of Religion either we must serue and acknowledge him as we should or not at all The Prophet cried out to the Israelites p 1 Kings 18. Why halt ye betweene two opinions If God be God follow him but if Baall be God follow him It is a vaine worship to serue the Lord with the Blinde Leane and Lame as it were with the offall of our affections or with the Dregs of our workes and to turne vnto him halfe our face and the other halfe to the Deuill or to our owne lusts Is not this an igdinity q Mal. 1 8 9. which a man of any place and reckoning will not take at our hands It were better for vs neuer to know or acknowledge true Religion then to know and acknowledge it negligentlie without profite without conscience without zeale without yeilding vnfained obedience vnto it hauing it onely swimming in our Braines and resting in our Lippes but neuer entring into our hearts Vse 3. Lastly seeing we must be feruent in good thinges it serueth to season our zeale and to temper it with knowledge that it be not blinde If our zeale bee blind and ignorant the more earnest and forward the worse it is the faster we runne the further we hasten out of the way True zeale is a feruency of the Spirit arising of a mixture of loue and anger compelling men earnestly to maintaine the glory of God and drawing from them sorrow and greefe of hart when he is any way dishonoured This is grounded vpon the word and is caused by beholding a breach of Gods Commaundements This appeared in Lot when he beheld the vncleane conuersation of the beastly Sodomites Blind zeale is when we are hot and hasty beside the warrant of the word of God The Apostle Paule witnesseth touching the Israelites r Rom. 10 2. That they had the zeale of God but not according to knowledge yea he testifieth of himselfe before his conuersion Å¿ Gal. 1 14. That he profited in the Iewish Religion aboue many of his Companions and was much more zealous of the Traditions of his Fathers So Christ foretelleth t Iohn 16 1. That the time should come that whosoeuer killed them should thinke that he did God seruice Let vs therefore take heede that we giue not liberty to our best affections to runne out but rule them as they ought and order them within the compasse of the word All thinges are not to be done of all men Euery Man must consider what belongeth vnto him in his place and calling Wee must weigh our guifts and how we are fitted to euery worke so shall we haue praise of God and comfort in our worke And thus much touching the generall Doctrine arising from the earnest manner of the Apostles writing vsing all meanes to perswade Philemon to receiue his Seruant Now let vs come to the wordes particularly and in order Paul a Prisoner c. In other Epistles he calleth himselfe an Apostle of Christ and a Seruant of God but heere hee calleth himselfe a Prisoner which is as glorious a Name and as honourable a Title as the other among all the faithfull and he doth more glory in this then in the other He was a chiefe Apostle piller of the Church of God the Teacher of the Gentiles yet we see he is imprisoned and is not ashamed to mention it but remembreth his imprisonment and suffering as an aduantage to gaine credit with Philemon in his suit Doct. 2. It is no disgrace to the Seruants of God to be cast in prison for the Gospels sake We learne from hence that it is no indignity or dishonour to the true Seruants of God to be clapt in the Stockes to be cast into Prison or to be put to death for the Gospels sake I say imprisonment afflictions and troubles fall vpon the best Seruants of God without any reproch or shame vnto them We see this in Ioseph who through the false suggestion of his Mistris and rash credulity of his Maister u Gen 39 20. was committed to prison When Michaiah had deliuered the truth of God and resisted the false Prophets that deceiued the King x 1 King 22 27. He commaunded him to be put in Prison and to be fed with Bread of Affliction and with Water of Affliction vntill he returned in peace Ieremy is put in prison because he prophesied y Ier. 32 2. That the Citty should be taken and the people deliuered into the hands of the King of Babylon Iohn by the commaundement of Christ writing to the Church of the Smyrnians telleth them z Reu. 2 10. That it shall come to passe that the Deuill shall cast some of them into Prison and bring them vnto tribulation but willeth them to feare none of those things which they should suffer So the Apostle Paul is not ashamed of his afflictions but reioyceth in them and after a sort boasteth of them a 2 Cor. 11 25 enduring the bitternesse of the Crosse the hardnes of imprisonment the danger of death the bearing with Roddes the perrill of Shipwracke the stoning with stones the buffeting of Sathan the blewnesse of the woundes that were giuen vnto him Paule and Silas were cast into prison b Acts 16 24. And had their Feete made fast in the Stockes but they prayed and sung Psalmes vnto God so that the Prisoners heard them All these consents of Scripture serue to teach vs that it is no disgrace or reproch vnto the Children of God to suffer in a good cause at the hands of euill men Reason 1. Let vs weigh the reasons which helpe to wipe away the shame of the Crosse First of all God in the sufferings of his Seruants aymeth at their good and benefit he would haue their Faith purified their patience tryed and their obedyence manifested The Gold is cast into the Furnace not to consume it but to refine it not to wast it but to purge it Thus doth Peter the Apostle teach in his first Epistle c 1 Pet. 1 7. That the tryall of your Faith being much more precious then Golde that perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found vnto your praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Iesus Christ. So Iohn teacheth the Church that the Instruments of the Deuill which are the cruell persecuters should cast some of them into prison that they might be tryed He might haue said that they might be destroyed that they might murmur against God and despaire of his mercy for this was the purpose of the

perfect and endeuour to drawe on others to perfection Reason 1. Let vs see the Reasons First Christian profession is a way in which men must not stand still but must walke and go forward in the way they must not stay in one estate but be alwayes stirring forward So when the Apostle had exhorted the Thessalonians to encrease more and more hee addeth f 1 Thess 4 1. As yee haue receiued of vs how ye ought to walke and to please God We are now in this life in our iourney we must not thinke that we are come to our iournies end which cannot be before our liues end As then they that haue a great iourney to go do not rest till they come to their iourneyes end so must it be with vs we must make hast on our way and be swift in our race The way which we are to go is our profession the Traueller that entreth into the way is euery true Christian the end of our iourney is the entrance into life the iudge of our going and giuer of the victory is God He that standeth stil can neuer come at his iournyes end it is he that goeth in his way runneth in his race that shall receiue the crowne of euerlasting happinesse Reason 2. Secondly Christians are compared to Children Children are alwayes growing in age encreasing in stature going forwarde in knowledge and in Wisedome if they do not prosper and proceede we commonly call them and account them Vrchins and Changelings So must wee grow in grace vntill we come to a perfect aged man in Christ The Prophet speaking of the faithfull that were zealous in the worship of God saith g Psal 84 7. They goe from strength to strength So the Apostle exhorteth that we h 1 Cor. 14 20. should not be Children in vnderstanding but as concerning maliciousnesse we should be Children but in vnderstanding we should be of ripe age He would haue vs as Children and he would not haue vs as Children he would haue vs Children in malice but he would not haue vs Children in knowledge Wee see they fall out i Terent. in Hecyr pueri inter sese quàm pro leuibus noxis iras gerunt for light offences because the minde is weake that ruleth and guideth them one word will raise anger and another word will make them friends and therefore though they fall out quickly yet their falling out is farre from malice and they are easily reconciled Thus hee would haue vs to bee children but in wisedome in knowledge and in vnderstanding he would haue vs to be of ripe age proceede in these gifts as we do in our yeares No mans life standeth at a stay let vs encrease in the other as we doo in this that so the graces of God may bee perfected in vs. Reason 3. Thirdly we must so walke in our way and hasten to our iournies end that we may obtaine the prize Hee that k 1 Cor. 9 25. Math 24 13. Reuel 2 26 27. 3 5 12. ouer-commerh and holdeth out to the latter end onely shall bee saued Hee that giueth ouer is a faint souldier a weake Worke-man a slow runner a feeble wrastler We must so fight that we may ouercome we must so worke that we may rest we must so runne that we may obtaine we must so wrastle that we may receiue the Crown we must so proue Maisteries that wee may win the victory Staying in one state is a token of reprobation and reiection from God they are cast into a spirite of slumber and drowsinesse they sleep in security and cannot see their way This did the Prophet prophesie and this doth the Apostle testifie to be true concerning Israell l Rom 11 8. God hath giuen them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and eares that they should not heare vnto this day Seeing then that our profession is the way wherein we are to walke toward the heauenly Ierusalem seeing we must be like Children that grow in age and yeares and lastly seeing we must labour to obtaine the Crowne to winne the victory to receiue the price and to get the wages it followeth that we all must endeuour to go forward and to bring others forward toward the Kingdome of Heauen Vse 1. The vses remaine to be handled that we may haue the profit of this Doctrine First we learne that God hath a iust action and suit to commence against all idle bellies and vnprofitable Drones that be Truants and no proficients in the Schoole of Christ The church of God is the Schoole of Chrst he is the Maister all of vs are or should be his Schollers We are brought forth into the world that when we come to yeares of vnderstanding we may be Schollers in his Schoole If any of vs put our Children to a free Schoole to be taught if they should still stay and stand in the lowest forme and neuer a whit proceede in learning we would iudge them either void of ordinary diligence or destitute of ordinary capacity We looke when we set them to Schoole that they should encrease in learning We haue a common prouerbe that Schollers of all other haue the best conscience that whereas others neuer thinke they haue enough they thinke they haue to much for their mony But let vs see how it fareth with vs who are likewise Schollers in the best Schoole that euer was the Church of God and haue the best Master that euer was to wit Christ himselfe God hath put vs to Schoole to learne at the mouth of Christ who hath committed vs to Pastors and teachers as to his Deputies to be instructed It is required of vs that we grow in knowledge in faith in zeale in obedience and in all the workes of sanctification If we be good Schollers we must grow forward and ascend higher we must proceed from grace to grace and from one step to another But alasse how many are there in our congregations who hauing liued vnder the Gospell that offereth saluation to men all the daies of their life and continued ten twenty thirty forty yeares hearing the word of God sounding in their eares m Ephe 4 14. yet are no wiser in Religion then a young Child and are no forwarder then when they first stepped and entred into the Schoole-house of God I doubt not but they are wise in matters of the world but in the booke of God and in matters of their saluation they haue no knowledge They receiue the grace of God in vaine and are Dunses and Dwarfes in this Schoole of Christ without growing and encreasing in Godlinesse They are not in truth able to say vnto their owne Soules I haue receiued some greater measure of knowledge I haue attained better strength of Faith I haue found some increase in Godlinesse I haue felt some care and conscience to please God Nay we may truely say that many are more ignorant in knowledge more lewd

did Paule him so Or doth hee thinke it enough to make him almost a Christian No halfe a Christian is no Christian and almost godly is not godly Therefore his desire was to take him by the hand or rather by the heart if he could haue sounded into the depth and bottome of it and to haue led him from Almost to Altogether Hence it is that when he seeth him comming toward Christ hee casteth out his Net to catch him if it were possible saying vnto him I would to God that not onelie thou but also all that heare mee to day were both almost and altogether such as I am except these bondes Thus he ceaseth not continually to call vppon the Churches to encrease more and more and to proceed from grace to grace Againe it belongeth to euery Maister of the Family to water that which himselfe or the Minister hath planted and to be alwayes weeding out the bitter roots that spring vp in his Garden If we haue brought any of his family to godlinesse and to embrace the Gospell let him make much of them let his countenance bee toward them let him fauour them aboue others and admonish them to frequent the exercises of Religion remembering that it is as great a Vertue to keepe as to get to preserue as to finde to holde fast as to take Moreouer as it is a generall dutie belonging to all of vs h Hebr. 3 7. and 10 24. to exhort one another while it is called to day and stirre vp one another to good things so if by our example of life or lighting of them a Candle to see their wayes they shall come to the acknowledgement of the truth we should loue them dearly and prouoke them to go farther forward in good works assuring them that such as continue to the end shall be saued This serueth seuerely to reproue those who hauing beene zealous in the faith and witnessed a good confession before many witnesses and beene a meanes to open the eyes of others to behold the glorious light of the Gospell that before wandered in darknesse are now gon back themselues or seeme to stand at a stay i Reuel 2 4. and haue left their first loue To whom I can say no more but wish them to turn backe to consider what they haue beene and to remember what they are knowing that it had beene better for them k 2 Pet. 2 21. neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnesse then after they haue acknowledged it to turn away from the holy Commandement Let all such therefore call to minde the exhortation of Christ to the Angell of the Church of Ephesus l Reuel 2 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first workes or else I will come against thee shortly and will remoue thy Candlestick out of his place except thou amend It is a great shame to shew the way to another and to go out of it himseife to teach another and not to teach himselfe to stir vp another to go forward and himselfe to go backward to kindle zeale in others and himselfe to grow cold lukewarme and therefore to giue occasion to others to think that their former profession was but an heate of youth seeing they decline in their olde age On the other side such as haue bin won to the Gospell by others ought entirely and feruently to loue such as haue conuerted them to shewe themselues euery way thankfull vnto them The Apostle beseecheth the Thessalonians m 1 Thess 5 12 13. To acknowledge them that labour among them and are ouer them in the Lord and admonish them that they haue them in singular loue for their workes sake Who is it if he were blinde and had his sight restored vnto him would not speake well of him by whom it was restored and acknowledge himselfe bound vnto him all the dayes of his life We are all naturally borne blind haue not one eye to see the sauing truth of godlinesse If then we attain the sight of our selues and to knowe our naturall blindnesse how ought wee to praise Gods mercy toward vs and to loue those by whom we haue the eyes of our minds enlightned He is a very vnkind and vnthankfull person who hauing lost his way in a great and terrible wildernesse where hee knoweth not which way to turne or returne not whether to goe to get out meeteth with a certaine guide that is able and ready to conduct him and to enstruct him in his way wil neuer so much as open his mouth to giue him thankes Or hauing beene cured and recouered from a daungerous and desperate disease that brought him to the doores of death will neuer acknowledge the benefit and good turn that he hath receiued So is it with those that haue wandered a long time in the vanities of this world and in the pleasures of the flesh as in a wildernesse it is the greatest ingratitude not to acknowledge those his best and surest friends that haue shewed them the strait gate and the narrow way that leadeth vnto life And if our soules haue bin saued from death to which we made hast and ranne with greedinesse if there bee any comfort of loue or fellowship of the spirit or any compassion and mercy in vs we ought to shew it to those that haue bin as spiritual and speciall Physitians vnto vs to deliuer vs from death and to restore vs to life Whom I haue sent againe Hitherto we haue spoken of the first reason that concerneth the person of Onesimus who was vnprofitable but now is becom very profitable The second sort of reasons are touching Paule himselfe and touch either the present action of his sending of him backe or the common friendship that a long time had bin betweene Paul and Philemon The first of these reasons is in this 12. verse which may be thus concluded If I haue sent Onesimus backe vnto thee then it is thy duty to receiue him But I haue sent him backe againe Therefore it is thy duty to receiue him If there had not bin great cause that Philemon shold receiue him the Apostle would neuer haue sent him especially seeing hee found his abode with him and his seruice done vnto him very profitable Now we are to mark in this place that Paul requireth not Philemon to make his seruant free and to discharge him of his bondage and albeit Paul had great need to haue vsed the ministration of Onesimus in the extreamity of his imprisonment yet beeing another mans seruant and not his owne belonging to his own Maister and not to him and knowing that he ought not to couet another mans seruant he would not detaine him but sent him backe to Philemon to whom hee did appertaine and from whom he departed This is consonant to the trueth and purity of the Gospell this the Maister might well require and this dutie the seruant was bounde to performe euen to returne and repaire againe

Exod. 35 5. 21 22. They had a willing heart And againe Euery one brought somewhat whose heart encouraged him and whose spirit made him willing both men and weomen as manie as were free-hearted came and brought Taches Earings and Rings c. The like is mentioned of Araunah the Iebusite that he had in the seruice of God e 2 Sa. 24 22. The heart of a King Now where there is a free spirit a willing minde and a perfect heart there is no dallying or delaying in the duties of piety and obedience but so feruent and zealous a proceeding that we see men voluntarily inclined to do more then we could desire of them Reason 3. Thirdly their ioyfulnesse in the workes of righteousnesse and godlinesse do exceed the triall of necessity Though the Lorde try his people with manifold afflictions yet they are so farre from quailing and cooling their willing readinesse and ready willingnesse to do according to that they are required nay aboue that they are required that they make the same much more excellent and famous This is the reason expressed by the Apostle that the Churches of Macedonia were liberall according to their ability beyond their ability f 2 Cor. 8 2. Because in great trial of affliction their ioy abounded and their most extreame pouerty abounded vnto their rich liberality Such ioy and comfort do the faithfull take in doing the duties required of them that they think they can neuer do too much or proceed too farre Reason 4. Fourthly they acknowledge all things to be from God and to bee his and therefore they will yeeld freely where he requireth and what hee requireth and as farre as he enableth them to their vttermost strength This maketh striue with themselues euen to out-go themselues The Prophet Dauid acknowledgeth this vpon the practise of a good dutie performed with an earnest and zealous affection he blessed the Lord before al the Congregation and saide g 1 Chro. 29 10 11. Blessed be thou O Lord God of Israell our Father for euer euer Thine O Lord is greatnesse and power and glory and victory and praise thine is the kingdome O Lord and thou excellest as head ouer all c. The same doth the Apostle remember of them of Macedonia h 2 Cor. 8 5. This they did not as we looked for but they gaue their owne selues first to the Lord and after vnto vs by the will of God All these Reasons being laide together and duly considered do perswade to our Consciences this truth that we should shew our selues readie to yeelde more rather then lesse touching those duties that are required of vs. Vse 1. The Vses remaine to be handled First from hence we learne this point that forwardnesse and zeale in good thinges is greatly to bee commended We cannot yeeld more then is looked for at our hands vnlesse we be earnest and feruent in the spirit as men that are led by the spirite True it is there is no warrant to walke without our warrant or to runne too fast without any guide Hence it is that Salomon saith Eccl. 7 18 19. Be not thou iust ouer-much neither make thy selfe ouer wise wherefore shouldst thou be desolate Be not thou wicked ouer much neither be thou foolish wherefore shouldest thou perish not in thy time Meaning thereby that as we should not suffer sinne to raigne in our mortall bodies though we cannot wholly driue it away so we should not seeke a righteousnesse beyond the Law This ouer-much righteousnes was in him who being commanded in the name of God i 1 Kin. 20 35. to smite the Prophet in smiting to wound him refused to obey because it seemed strange vnto him to wound a man that was godly and not guilty of any crime The like is that which Saul did k 1 Sa. 15 21. who being expresly charged and forbidden to saue aliue any persons or Cattle that belonged to the Amalekites preserued the chiefest of the things and the choisest of the Oxen and Sheep to offer vp in sacrifice vnto the Lord. But the one of them was slaine of a Lyon the other lost his kingdome to teach vs that to obey is better then sacrifice to hearken is better then the fat of Rams So then we must vnderstand that albeit we are to be ready to yeeld more then well can be required of vs yet we must not thinke to do more then God requireth of vs. If we speak of the duties that God commandeth we come far short when we haue done what we can we must confesse we are vnprofitable seruants but when we speak of good and Christian duties which our Ministers or brethren craue of vs desire vs to practise we should willingly perfourme more then they aske at our hands Let vs therefore bee feruent and zealous in al lawful and honest thinges It is good alwayes to be earnest in a good thing The Lord abhorreth and detesteth the Luke-warme Laodiceans that are neither hot nor cold but wil spew them out of his mouth If any should deale in our cause for vs we would not haue him deale negligently and carelesly shal we then be remisse and carelesse when we deale in matters that belong to God and our owne saluation Shal we deale as men benummed with cold that seeme to haue no life in them but are frozen-hearted and haue no motion of the spirit of God in vs Let vs not stand at a stay but alwaies proceed forward as Trauellers that hasten to the end of their iourney or as Sea-faring men that thinke it long vntil they lye at rode in the Hauen as in a safe harbour from winde and weather This serueth to reprooue al those that accuse and reproach others for being too forward and zealous If wee bee not zealous in Religion we are of no religion whatsoeuer we account of our selues Vse 2. Secondly this Doctrine is a comfort to our selues and to other the seruants of God and an occasion of great ioy when as we our selues or others are forward and chearefull beyond expectation in good things A notable example of both is offered to our consideration in the prouision that was made and the furniture that was prouided for the building of the Temple 1 Chron. 29. 9. Where we see that when Dauid himselfe hauing a great zeal and delight in the house of his God gaue of his owne Gold and Siluer and the people and Princes following his example spared no cost and expenses it is said The people reioyced when they offered willingly for they offered willingly to the Lord with a perfect hart and Dauid the King also reioyced with great ioy Againe there is great occasion offred vnto vs to glorifie God to praise his name whensoeuer he worketh this willingnesse in the hearts of his childsen and when we see their zeale to abound and their readinesse to go beyond any request that we can make vnto them