Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	wonder_v	world_n	worship_v	139	3	8.5617	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79837	A full discovery and confutation of the wicked and damnable doctrines of the Quakers. As also, a plain vindication and confirmation of sundry fundamental points of the Christian religion, denyed or corrupted by the enemies of the truth in these times. Published for the benefit of such weak Christians, who are not so able to discover and oppugne the dangerous doctrines of subtil seducers when coloured over with fair words and pretences, and so are more apt to be taken in their snares. Whereunto is annexed an excellent discourse proving that singing of Psalmes is not only lawful, but an ordinance of God. / By Jonathan Clapham, a servant of Christ in the work and labour of the Gospel at Wramplingham in Norff.	Clapham, Jonathan.	1656 (1656)	Wing C4407; Thomason E498_7; ESTC R206047	81,821	100

his last part in the world it 's likely he will use his utmost subtilty in deceiving Our great care therefore should be to preserve our selves from the errours of the wicked and to take heed of the leaven of such seducers how many cautions hath the Scripture given to us herein when Christ had foretold of those seducers Mat. 24. he bids Take heed that no man deceive you and believe them not this being the end of his forewarning us that we might be forearmed against them Heresies are reckoned amongst the fruits of the flesh Gal. 5.20 and are therefore sooner drunk in by people then the precious truths of the Gospel for we cannot receive these without the special help of Gods Spirit to let them in to our hearts how soon did the Arian heresie over-spread the world only one Athanasius visibly withstood it All the world wondered after the Beast and worshipped the same Rev. 13.3 4. Popery soon over-ran the West and North parts of the world and Mahumetanisme the East and South even there where those famous Asian Churches sometimes were seated are now the impure Temples of Mahomet no gangrene sooner over-spreads the natural body then errours and heresies do the Ecclesiastick body 2 Tim. 2.17 What care then should Christians have lest they be infected with the same Adde hereunto these are no lesse deadly to the souls of people then gangrenes or plagues are to their bodies such doctrines eat as doth a canker or gangrene saith the Apostle heresies may prove as damnable to men as moral wickednesse 2 Pet. 2.1 lesser errours indeed men may hold and yet be saved whilest they build upon the right foundation Though they build hay or stubble thereupon they may be saved yet so as by fire 1 Cor. 3 13. their spirits may be scorched their peace and comfort lost but to miscarry in the foundation is damnable who can reckon up the evil consequences of false doctrines they blind the mind and extinguish the true knowledge of God they harden the heart they undermine the comfort of Christians and destroy the Churches peace they mortally infect the inward vitals of Christianity and outwardly deprave the conversation corrupt principles wil at length produce corrupt practises they provoke the Lord to have a controversie with a people where they are tolerated Rev. 2.14 15 20. and will exclude men the Kingdome of heaven Gal. 5.20 21. Let not any Christian therefore look upon the errours and heresies of the times as things of small concernment but make it his great care to be preserved from the infection of them as men do in the time of pestilence to be preserved from the same I shall for the benefit of such humble and sincere Christians as fear the infection of the errours amongst us and are willing to use such preservations against them as the Scriptures afford collect from thence a few antidotes of special use for that end the blessing of the Lord accompanying them Directions showing how Christians may be preserved from the errours and hreresies of the times I. Labour to be rooted and grounded more in the truth if you would not be shaken with every wind of doctrine Col. 1.23 2 Pet. 2.14 it 's ungrounded and unstable Christians who commonly are seduced who never saw on what grounds they took up their Religion but take it on trust from others and then when they meet with such arguments against the truth as they cannot answer they yeild to errour whereas that may be neverthelesse a truth Mat. 22.29 though they cannot defend it therefore search the Scriptures more and labour to see how the principles of the Christian faith are established upon them and be not ashamed to learn your Catechismes wherein you have the fundamentals of Christianity extracted out of the Scriptures and plainly set down even in the Primitive times they had such first principles of the oracles of God Heb. 5.12 and forms of wholsom words 2 Tim. 1.13 for the better grounding of weak Christians and the greatest proficieo●● did first begin there and therein are contained such truths as may exercise us in searching further into all our life time Luther that eminent servant of Christ professed himself a Scholar in the Catechisme Had the Quakers ever been well grounded in the first principles or rudiments of Religion how is it possible they should so soon have been turned from the truth and denyed the doctrine of Christs humanity of the holy Trinity of Justification of Sanctification of the resurrection of the dead c for my part I know but few of them if any that I can judge ever had any clear distinct knowledge of these things and could tell how they were confirmed by the Scriptures Let therefore weak Christians if they would not be seduced use this direction conscionably give diligence to be setled more in the truth and to get a clear knowledge of the great doctrines of the Gospel such things as be fundamental and necessary to be known unto Salvation are clearly set down in Scripture that weak Christians if they study them with humility prayer and diligence may attain the understanding of them as for more difficult points that they cannot yet comprehend let them not too much be troubled about them but waite till God reveale the same unto them and in the meantime it s far safer for them to adhere in such things to what is commonly received by the people of God and embraced by the Saints in all ages Cant. 1.8 to follow the footsteps of the flock of Christ then to be led away by pretenders to new-light the Scriptures having given so many Cautions to beware of seducers in the last times This first direction is given by the Apostle 2 Pet. 3.17 18. Beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your stedfastnesse but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ II. Rest not in a notional embracing of the truth but receive it with love and obedience and labour to finde your hearts bettered therby and then you shall not so soon be induced to desert the truth and embrace errours when men receive not the truth with love they are soon brought to beleeve lies 2 Thes 2.10 but when men taste the sweetnesse of the wayes of God and are in love with Gospel truths for that goodnesse they find in them they will hold them fast such as have experimented the efficacy of the doctrines of faith changing and renuing their hearts quickning their spirits pacifying and comforting their consciences and quelling their corruptions will not be easily induced to exchange them for errours but it 's those that never found those benefits by the same that so soon part therewithal Let therefore the truths of Christ dwell in your hearts and season them as leaven labour to finde your hearts molded by the same and changed into the image of truth the more you grow in grace the more

travel and should have a man-childe whose name should be Immanuel which child was shewed afterward to the Protector for a wonder Many aged and infirme women say they since they came into this way out of weaknesse have become strong and able to travel hundreds of miles on foot These things being objected against by me as being done far of and most of them in corners and therefore far unlike the miracles done by Christ and the Apostles I desired to hear of some done neerer hand the truth of which I might finde out whereupon I was informed of one in this Town wherein I live and another at Norwich That in this Town was reported to me as neer as I can remember in these very words Was it not a Miracle for T. C. that had been brought so low by a Quartane Ague to be so suddenly recovered I answered it was a merciful providence but no miracle and further demanded by what means he was cured It was replyed that Richard Hubberthorne did but go to his door and speak to him and presently he recovered but afterwards enquiring of the man himself what Hubberthorne said to him he told me he said nothing but bade him look to the light in him he did not rebuke his distemper nor command him in the Name of Christ to arise and walk and since that time this poore man hath continued in a languishing condition That other pretended miracle at Norwich was upon Thomas Symonds Weaver one of their speakers a letter whereof I read subscribed with his own hand It was this that upon a Lords day some few moneths agon the hand of the Lord was upon him from morning to evening very sore and he was smitten with a tormenting pain in his bowels and nothing that his friends about him applied could help him insomuch that they gave him over as irrecoverable whereupon the voice within him bade him take a draught of cold water which he doing in the obedience of faith his spirits revived and himself presently recovered and sent out a letter of this to his friends that they might give glory for it to God and be thereby further confirmed and established in their way The Pawwaw do greater cures then this upon the poor Indians to confirm them in their worshipping of devils Besides this is a medicine many have been helped by when troubled with paines upon the distillation of a salt humour upon the inward parts and therefore is no miracle Concerning their quaking trances visions rapture and Revelations I have not heard much in these parts They knowing how prejudiciall these things have been to their way as also their going naked they have much left them Only I have one memorable story to relate about the same which is of Atkinson that notorious impostor when he first came to Norwich who pretended and those poore people did readily believe him that the dread of the Lord fell upon him as he was travelling on his journey and he was smitten off from his horse as Saul going to Damascus and it was told him he was going to as ignorant and blind a City as any was in the world and there should suffer for Christ and be imprisoned but should have unspeakable comforts c. The notorious wickednesse of this wretch now discovered to all may convince that it was no hard thing for him to invent such cheats to delude poore creatures by who are willing to be deceived Now least any weak ones should be stumbled at these pretenses of Miracles and be thereby induced to hearken to them I shall adde these few things for the sake of such 1. If these Miracles or wonders which those persons pretend to work were indeed true and reall and not feigned things yet seeing they are wrought to confirme lying doctrines as the doctrines of the Quakers are before proved to be we are not to hearken unto them Deut. 13. 1 2. If a Prophet shall give a signe or wonder and it come to pass of it be to tempt to follow strange gods we are not to hearken to such for the Lord permits it to try his people and prove them It was before shewed that in these last dayes this power of working Miracles is to be in the hands of false prophets and deceivers Math. 24. 2 Thess 2. And therefore faith Aug. tract in Joh. 13. God hath armed us against such Miracle-mongers by warning us that in the latter daies false prophets shall work signes and wonders c. 2. But how evident is it they are but lying signes and wonders as the Apostle 2 Thess 2. calls them or as Austine speaks of the miracles of Hereticks in former times either the juglings or mockeries of deceitfull men or else illusions of lying spirits For such as were pretended to be wrought in these parts I shewed before those to be no better and for such as be pretended to be done in remote parts we have reason enough to suspect them when we find their deceits at home besides it 's most certain God will never put to his seale of true miracles which he only can work to confirme lyes 3. The enemies of the truth in former times have wrought greater wonders by far then these people have pretended to what wonders were wrought by the Egyptian Sorcerers in the time of Moses by many Hereticks in the primitive times but especially how many and how great miracles have been pretended to be wrought by the Papists these being so eminent we are prophetically warned of them Rev. 13.13 14. where we read that the second beast or the Pope possessing the seat of the first beast or Romane Empire should do great wonders and deceive them that dwell upon the earth by his miracles And indeed hardly any new doctrine that the Papists coyned or superstitious rites and ceremonies but that had multitudes of pretended miracles to confirme the same When they would bring into the Church Transubstantiation or the Doctrine of Christs bodily presence in the Lords Supper they have pretended their wafer-cakes have been seen bleeding as they were broken and eaten by them and that heathens have come into their assemblies and seen the Christians put a little pretty boy into their mouthes c. When they would bring in the worshipping of Images they have pretended that those dead stocks have moved themselves could walk could stirr their eyes and hands could speak could light their owne Tapers could heale the sick and raise the dead how many wonderfull cures and miracles have been wrought as they say by the image of the Virgin Mary some of her chappels have laid up in them very many crutches pictures of armes leggs c. All which they pretend she hath miraculously healed and recovered they that will not believe things done beyond sea nay enquire after the great miracles done here amongst us by the Lady of Walsingham and Ipswich strang things for Images to do and wherefore were all these fained but to draw people to