Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	true_a	worship_n	worship_v	7,455	5	9.1341	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33462	Capel's remains being an useful appendix to his excellent Treatise of tentations, concerning the translations of the Holy Scriptures : left written with his own hand / by that incomparably learned and jucicious divine, Mr. Richard Capel, sometimes fellow of Magdalen-Colledge in Oxford ; with a preface prefixed, wherein is contained an abridgement of the authors life, by his friend Valentine Marshall.	Capel, Richard, 1586-1656.; Marshall, Valentine.; Capel, Richard, 1586-1656. Tentations.	1658 (1658)	Wing C471; ESTC R5922	60,793	168

since the Apostles there are no men in the world but are subject to deceive and to be deceived All infallibility in matters of this nature having long since left the world Again too like unto this is that of Master Wotton who cantell saith he what the signification of the Hebrew and Greek words is even in the Bible but by the report of men And to the like purpose is that observation That the two Tables written immediately by Moses and the Prophets and the Greek Copies immediately penned by the Apostles and Apostolical men are all lost or not to be made use of except by a very few And that we have none in Hebrew or Greek but what are transcribed Now transcribers are ordinary men subject to mistake may faile having no unerring spirit to hold their hands in writing These be terrible blasts and do little else when they meet with a weak head and heart but open the doore to Atheisme and quite to fling off the bridle which onely can hold them and us in the wayes of truth and piety this is to fill the conceits of men with evil thoughts against the Purity of the Originals And if the Fountains run not clear the Translation cannot be clean The best is this doth concern the learned who can best get out of such scruples as these it being made plaine to them by the Jewes themselves no friends to Christian Religion That the Hebrew Text is curiously preserved by them in its integrity For if the Oracles of God were as they were Rom. 3. 2. committed them it deeply concernes the Providence of God to look to it that the Jewes should keepe the Oracles of God not onely safe but pure not onely from not being lost but also from not being corrupted It 's out of question that the same God who committed the Oracles to the Jews did also take care that they should preserve them safe and sure uncorrupt and pure It is the use of Saint Paul much to follow the Greek translation which doth use to use the Greek word translated Oracles to meane the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets And what if there be scapes in some Copies yet other Copies runne clear But sith this concernes the Learned whom I much look not after from the Originals let us turne to the businesse of the Translations As for other matters about the Greek and Hebrew which it is and what is the meaning of the words I passe as a meere excrement of wit sith this is cried downe by all the learned world whither Christian or unchristian and therefore is not like to take to doe any hurt unto the soules of any 2. As touching Translations IT is granted that translators were not led by such an infallible spirit as the Prophets and Apostles were In the Councel of Trent after much debating by witty and learned heads they concluded That Translators were not Apostles but very near unto them The greatest Papists are of the same mind onely Sixtus Senensis is of opinion the seaventie two Translatours of the old Testament into Greeke were infallible Some are so quite another way that they like not any translations at all Smith the Se-baptist is utterly against reading translations in times of worship Amongst his Reasons two are the chiefest One is that we must worship God with the best we have Translations are not the best but the Originals Yet I hope they that know not the Originals Translations are the best they have If this were true then none can worship God in and by reading of the Scriptures but such as understand the Originals nor is that currant in reason or Divinity that we must serve God with the best There is good there is better there is best of all So that if one do that which is good he sinnes not though he do not that which is better if he do that which is better he sinnes not though he do not do that which is best of all He sinnes not who keepes within the circle of that which is good albeit he do not do that which is better or that which is best of all Againe a thing may be absolutely better in it self yet a lesse good thing in it selfe may be better in some respects and circumstances As simply in it self marriage is simply better then a single life yet in some respects Paul shews that a single life is better then marriage and this is Pauls Divinity Though a man do not that which is better nor that which is best yet as long as he doth do that which is good he sins not His other reason is That we must worship God with our owne gifts not with anothers As Translations are not our doing but made by the gifts and paines of others To this we say that 't is true we must worship God with our owne gifts but it is not true that in the worship of God with the help and by the meanes of that which is anothers we do not exercise our owne gifts The maine of the worship of God is That we worship him in and with the Spirit and truth in the inward parts and so we must and may doe and do do when we make use of Translations When we reade translations we must reade them with Faith and with the Spirit which are our inward gifts and graces else our reading is not to profit our selves withal and what hinderance the translation is to the use of Faith and the Spirit they do not they cannot prove So we are said to sing with the Spirit and yet we sing with the Spirit the better for that and to pray with the Spirit and yet the book is no hindrance to that neither Others gifts as long as they rather further then hinder the use of our own gifts can be no blur in the worship of God The same man doth wrangle with the originals too not denying them but denying the use of the book in the originals themselves in worship for that the Prophets and Apostles wrote books but did never divide their books into Chapters and Verses till Henry Stephens but the other day first made the verses of the New Testament which being man invention is not saith he to be used in the worship of God But whether Stephen Langton Arch-bishop of Canterbury did it first for chapters or Robert or Henry Stephens for the New Testament did it into verses is not material sith we place no Religion in it and this provision is known to be a great helpe to men in the worship of God We passe by this as a giddinesse of a weak braine in this Sebaptist He grants Translations are of good use but not in the worship of God and if of good use elsewhere why not there Saint Paul exhorts the Collossians That the Word of God might dwell in them richly in all wisdome They being Grecians I take it for granted that the most of them were not skilled in the

improper in matters of Religion they savour of singularity breed i rents and divisions amongst Preachers and People and take off the minde from things more essential Learned men have observed the advantage that hereticks got by the unwarie speeches of the Fathers Some of Calvins expressions not so well pondered have done no great good to some in our times a Nesto●ius fell into his heresie by defending an improper speech of his and Eutyches thinking to mend it fell into the other extream Dr. Thomas b Taylour speaks much to this point to very good purpose and tells us in Conclusion If we will keep the faith of our Fathers we must keep the words of our Fathers 5. For the singlenesse of his heart he was with Jacob a plain man Gen. 25. 27. that is down-right honest as 't is in the c Original a very Nathanael an Israelite indeed John 1. 47. in whom though there was some infirmity yet there was no guise He had a deal of the Wisdom that 's from above and was as far from hypocrisie as any man that ever I knew If others were made of his mettal Momus had no need to complain of the want of a window at any mans breast He was what he was in deed and in truth without dissimulation very high in his conformity to the d primitive Christians and left a brave President to all that would be what they should be in this particular We of this doubling and deceitful generation had need to look about us and see what was here set before us in Romane Characters that we may learn to be more above-board in all our dealings We are fallen into an Age like that of the Prophets wherein every one hath too much of the hypocrite We may well cry Help Lord for the faithful faile with a double heart and a double tongue do they speak The most be for all Tides and Times for any manner of Mode so as they can serve their own turnes by it a Alcibiades could swagger it at Athens take any paines at Thebes live most sparing at Lacedaemon bib amongst the Thracians hunt amongst the Persians Some can be any thing but what they should be We had need to beware of men when every brother will supplant b b The hypocrite with his mouth destroyes his neighbour 'T is good to be wise as the Serpent but we must be innocent as the Dove Though it be just with God that the doe iver shall be deceived and some c like it well yet will it not be just in us to do it They that turn aside to crooked wayes shall be led forth with the workers of iniquity Psal. 125. 5. Plain-dealing is a jewel yea though it be in sin as this acute man d tells us 'T is a dainty fine thing in our e confessing repenting and in all we are to act in He that useth it whatever men say or think shall neither live nor die a f begger Down-right honesty is the best policie 'T is delightful to God Prov. 12. 22. 't will be a comfort to us 2 Cor. 1. 12. This is our rejoycing we never eat our meat with more gladnesse then when with singlenesse of heart Act. 2. 46. 6. For the usefulness of his life He was born for the common good with M●l●ncthon and lived for the publike benefit of the whole Countrey First whilest he was at his pastoral charge he gave himself fully and wholly to Reading Exhortation and Doctrine and his profiting appear'd to all so that he was generally and justly reputed a man approved of God rightly dividing the Word of truth 'T is well known what paines he took and to how good purpose during the whole a time of his abode there preaching twice constantly every Lords day and lecturing there besides one day weekly though he had but an infirm body until he was taken off by sicknesse after that his Sabbath-dayes work excepted he preached only upon the festival dayes His lips were touched with a coale from the Altar b Musculus his words so would his pierce like a two-edged sword He could be a Boanerges but his bent was most to be a Son of Consolation He was a true Evangelical Preacher and comforted many a drooping heart by his labours in publike and gave abundance of satisfaction in private to many troubled spirits that used to resort to him out of all Countreys both far and near And after this also he shewed himself to be a Tree of Gods own planting by bringing forth still more fruit in his Age When the times were such some flying so extreamly high the ceremonies being prest with rigour and such grievous penalties inflicted that he being tender in matters of conformity must needs a quit his Pastors place He betook himself then to his little b Cell as Samuel to his Ramah that had never been look't upon if he had not come there no more the Arpinum if not for Tullie nor Is●ebium and Bretta if not for Luther and Melancthon and there he had more health and cheerinesse of spirit then formerly which he improved well for publick advantage divers wayes 1. In his falling upon the practice of Physick His studies had bent that way before-hand foreseeing what followed yet he would do nothing in that kinde it not being his Calling so long as that great Work lay upon him But when he had quit that more special Tie of the Care of mens Soules He took himself then to be ar more freedome and upon a c Licence sent him by one that might d authorize him he fell upon the cure of mens bodies And being of great sufficiencie his fame was quickly up He was looked upon as a very Trismegistus and a second Aesculapius He could do much at the diving into a disease and in applying of medicines proper and fit Not like some that will be tampering with that Profession and give their doses * at Adventure He was quick yet in case of danger he would weigh things well In desperate diseases he would adventure far according to the Rules of Reason What he gave should be safe he mixed all with his own hands he would stoop to the meanest and serve all at an easie rate His recipees amounted not to the half nor quarterth part of a common Apothecaries Bill He was blest with good successe and had such resort especially towards his lattenend out of our own and other counties that he had not time to sit at his own meales in quiet Many times he was quite tired out so God took him to his rest 2. In the words he would let fall His tongue was a tree of life his lips fed many Who ever came near him should have something dropping if he did but heed it worth his carrying away with him 'T is true he would be pleasant and jest more freely then many did or could well like Some of his

say their Church cannot erre in matters of Faith And why forsooth Because it is infallibly guided by the strait line of the spirit We say The true Church cannot so erre in matters of faith or life as to fall away from Christ and so to fall into damnation And why Because besides other helps the true Church is guided by the certain and infallible direction of the spirit the vicar general to our Lord Jesus Why then may not we twit them rather then they do us with the private spirit Aquinas the first through-Papist that ever was It is Dr. John Rainolds censure of him shall speak last for this point All holy learning is proved out of the Scriptures onely necessarily out of all other authors only probably For our faith doth rest on the revelation made to the Apostles and Prophets who wrote the Canonical Books and not on any other revelation if any be made to other Doctors So he and he was preferred by Innocent the Pope before all Writers next to the Scriptures well might the Pope so do saith the same Dr. Rainolds for that he deserved better of the Papacy then all the Fathers These things are so plaine that to argue more were to weaken them As I have read it to be the observation of Tully That things perspicuous and clear are much obscured by much arguing I hope the Papists for shame will give over fooling against us that we run after private Spirits and revelations since Aquinas the flower of the Papists speaks out as much as we do as touching the sealing of the Spirit The Application of all I have made a long and tedious discourse about the Originals and Translations because I find by my self that things let fall in Print by learned men and great reformers as touching the Originals that none can say this is the Hebrew that the Greek but because Linguists and learned men say so and they may erre Nor that this is the English of the Hebrew or of the Greek which we say is but men subject to trip do so say That the Originals transcribed into many Copies might erre and mistake and for the translations that there be flaws in them too since the transcribers and translators were no Prophets but men though not willing perhaps yet subject to speak and write besides the matter that translations are not the Word of God nor our rule These and such things as these I doubt not do stagger the thoughts of weak of strong Christians too and drive a many towards Atheisme And now saith a sick soule What shall a poore feeble-hearted Christian do My counsel is that when he is come to be certain without actual doubting by reasons arguments consent of times of the Church that our Bible is the Word of God that he would in all humility and sincerity apply himselfe to read it to hear it read to heare it preached and he may promise to himself that by the use of the word the Spirit of God will infuse inspire divine saving faith into his soul and free him not only from all actual but possible doubting that the Bible translated is the word of God And if the translation then the Originals For what ever is the instrument to convert the soul must needs be the pure word of God Some are firme that God never works a miracle but to confirme truth This is past question that the Spirit of God doth never work this miracle to convert the soule but by Gods word So say Now I know that it is the pure word of God for that it is a means to convert my soul so Psal. 19. 7 The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul By this then I know that it is without dispute the perfect Law of the Lord because it doth not only evince and convince me but convert my soul St Austine saith that he was converted by reading the last verse of the thirteenth to the Romans and that did prove to Austine that it was the perfect Law and word of God It is storied that Cyprian was converted by reading the Prophet Jonas And Iunius in his life written by himself saith that he was converted by reading the first Chapter of the Gospel of Iohn For Austine Cyprian I think neither of them had much skill in the Originals no nor Iunius neither at that time wherefore it is plain enough that they were converted by reading translations When then a man doth finde that by reading or hearing translations read or preached upon it hath pleased God to warme thy heart to turn and change thy poor soul to convert thee into a new creature go thy ways doubt nothing its an argument past answer that the Bible even as translated is the Word of God Go on look on it as Gods word read on still be diligent to hear it with the best ears thou hast and thou shalt finde it more and more to convert and sanctifie thee and so by consequence to assure thee by an undoubtful and divine faith inspired and infused into thy poor soul by the Spirit of God that this book no other is the very Word of God By this you see where and how the poor crazy soul may find rest and it is to rest on the translated Word of God waiting therein on the line of the sweet providence who by the use of the word will breath into his soul divine faith infused by the sure influence of the Spirit of God which spirit brings a light with it by which we know that what we know this is done by a divine faith not by humane conjecture being wrought in us by a special providence of God perswading and drawing us to acknowledge the contents therein to be of Divine authority Nor is this as I said to make our private spirit the rule of our faith but we lay all at the foote of the divine providence to put light into our minds and then to work in us a firm assent to the Word of God that it is indeed and truth the very Word of God And none of this is done otherwise then by the Word of God itself and the spirit joyning with the Word In a word nothing can work saving grace in any man to the conversion of his soule but the very Word of God But this the word translated hath wrought in me therefore I know by this that the Scripture translated is the word of God sith nothing but Gods word can turne and convert the soul Make the most of that which some call universal tradition it can bring us no farther then an humane belief little better is it then that which the Papists call the authority of the Church The Ministry of the Church we grant needful and useful but for the authority of the Church we acknowledge none Thus the Jewes are for their Rabbines and their universal tradition So did the Saracens like as the Gentiles