Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A17270
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The fire of the sanctuarie newly vncouered, or, A compleat tract of zeale. By C. Burges
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Burges, Cornelius, 1589?-1665.
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1625
(1625)
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STC 4111; ESTC S115748
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142,700
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534
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containing all necessarie rules of Faith d Zelus cum in bono accipitur est quidam feruor animi quo mens relicto humano timore pro defensione veritatis accenditur Alcuinus The office of zeale about this is to preserue the honour thereof vntainted from all blemishes of error staines of heresie indignities of Tyrants and Atheists striuing for the faith of the e Phil. 1.27 Gospell Holding fast f T it 1.9 the faithfull word not quarrelling to separation for euery difference in opinion touching points not fundamentall and vndecided In which case no man must be iudged for his doubting g Rom. 14.1 See the marginall note of our last Translators nor may any doubting man iudge others who h Ibid. ver 3 doubt not The fire of zeale must blaze highest in maintenance of capitall truths i Iude ver 3. Earnestly contending for the faith once deliuered vnto the Saints Wise men will defend that part of a Citie most which may occasion most dammage by suffering a breach And zeale will then especially be as one of the Cherubins with a flaming sword to keepe safe the word of Life when the chiefest mysteries are corrupted or questioned Saint Paul when the honour of his Gospell lay at the stake seemeth vnable to expresse the heate he was in marke his vehemency though we saith he or an Angell from heauen should preach any other Gospell vnto you k Gal. 1.8 then that which we haue preached vnto you let him be accursed A heauie doome most vehemently denounced And yet not satisfying himselfe in shewing so much zeale as he was able to expresse by one single pronouncing this dreadfull anathematisme he doubles his speech as if the fornace of his heart were now heated with zeale seauen times hotter then it was wont l Ibid. ver 9. As we said before so say I now againe if any man preach vnto you another Gospell then that ye haue receiued let him be accursed Thus in cases of like consequence must we be affected But to be all on fire in defence of questionable truths which if they were yeelded vnto vs could adde nothing to that stocke of graces which accompanie saluation is a thing ill beseeming those diuine flames of holy zeale To what profit are those hot disputes and sharpe contentions about the place assigned for that maze of horror vnto vngodly men the Oecumenicall Assise the Equalitie of glorie the Hierarchie of Angels and many more He that putteth himselfe vpon the office of a Superuisor and Controuler of other mens opinions touching points of this nature may breed vaine ianglings but will edifie but a little These things are of the nature of sauce rather then meate dish them out as curiously as Art can deuise and when all is done they nourish not Marke such as are zealous of spirituall gifts if they seeke not to excell to the vse of edifying you shall be sure to finde them excelling in vanitie And more quarrels arise by one such conceited Doctor then many wise men with all their wisedome shall be able to take vp This is that bloudie knife that cutteth asunder the very sinewes of Christian loue This causeth Professors of the same faith to leade huge armies of sectaries like Pigmies and Cranes one against another so wasting their zeale in defence of trifles that they haue none left to make a wall of fire about points of more moment With what heart can we ioyne against a common enemie when euery little difference is prosecuted with such heate as if it were vnlawfull or at least dangerous to vnite our forces for feare of fiering one anothers tents by encamping together He that can be so hote with his brother for a trifle would certainly exceed the proportion of any cause with an enemie destroying more by intemperance then he is able to build by his zeale Witnesse the bickerings betweene some Lutherans Caluinists as they are by some nick-named which haue giuen RELIGION since the last reformation thereof a greater blow then all the thunderbolts of Rome set together Is it not Nuts to our Romish neighbours to see men belch out such bitter raylings and to put out such tart volumes one against another touching the manner of Christ discension into hell the libertie of the Sabbath the power of Witches the possibilitie of Demoniacall possessions the seate of faith the superioritie of preaching reading and praying In all which and many more the diuisions of Reuben are great thoughts of heart Is it now a time to be diuided among our selues when all our forces vnited are little enough to withstand the common aduersarie Oh when will our eyes be opened to see our hearts be mollified to bewaile the breaches of the enemy vpon vs by such vnbrotherly childish contentions among our selues Ere while wee could see nothing in S. Paul but fire when the foundation of the Gospell began to shake by the vndermining of seducers But in an inferiour point which was but as a Pinacle not of so much necessitie as beautie to set out the Pile he layeth his hand off the bellowes and puts out the fire For being consulted touching Virginitie m 1. Cor. 7. and hauing no particular direction therein from the Lord he sparingly and mildly set downe his iudgement and that by way of friendly aduise onely not of command from the Lord. And as if this were not enough to manifest his moderation he will by no means peremptorily determine the question but giueth euery man libertie therein that is of another mind n Ibid. ver 36 to do what he will These two presidents of the Apostle may suffice to declare what temper our zeale must ascend vnto in defence of the Word Maintaine we must with all our might the Principles of faith But of inferiour doubtful truths we may onely gently discourse what seemes most probable not violently hold them to dissention o 2. Tim. 2.23 c. Schisme no though the grounds of such our opinions seeme neuer so solide Herein it is as honourable to yeeld as to conquer since euerie man must follow the things which p Rom. 14.19 make for peace and wherewith one may edifie another 2. The worship of God 2. Another particular which zeale must fortifie is that Worship of God which the Word prescribeth The second Commandement which interdicts Idolatrie and false worship doth as firmely enioyne zeale for preseruation of that true worship which the Lord doth appoint Therfore the Apostle ioynes Zeale and Worship together requiring that worshippers be zealous q Rom. 12.11 in spirit seruing or worshipping the Lord. It is then a good and comely thing to be zealously affected towards and for the worship of God For this our Lord was so zealous that the zeale of the very house of God did euen euen eate him vp by the house no doubt vnderstanding and meaning Synecdochically the whole Worship r Quis comeditur
as Paul appointed the Church of Colosse to doe in stirring vp q Col 4 17. â—ult ipsum Paulâ—â— totius Ecclâ—siae cohortatione animaâ—i in meliuâ— Caluin Archippus Which place doth not allow euery siery spirit and humorous darer to fly vpon the Minister how and when and where they please They may speake vnto him not saucily traduce him or shake him vp as if he were their seruant or their fellow Vnreuerently to reproue him or dispraise him is vnlawfull as r Aquin. in Col. 4 Irreuerenter arguere vitiâ—perare prohibitum est sed monere charitatiue potest Aquinas noteth Israel no doubt was bad enough and somewhat the worse for this that they presumed to Å¿ Hos 4.4 rebuke the Priest Which the Lord obserues in them not without a kinde of holy sarcasme at such intollerable pride He meanes it I confesse of such as rebuked good Ministers for doing of their duty But what is euery Talking Basketmaker or Butcher or mincing Shee a sit iudge of his Doctrine and meete to reprooue and confute him for it Is that Zeale which catches at peeces of Sentences and then runnes away and giues out that hee preaches false Doctrine contradictions or inuectiues to shame him to his flock Saucy Pride pluck off thy Vizar looke in the glasse of true Discretion and be ashamed Is this to try the spirits is this to shew thy Zeale Hath cursed Cham no sport to make no tales to tell but that of Noah's nakednesse was he cursed for speaking but the truth of his drunken Father to none but to his owne sonnes who presently did the duty of good children by couering him going backward And shall they be blessed who maliciously traduce and load with lies their spirituall Fathers and that to those that vpon the newse wil make them naked though they were not so and seeke their vtmost disgrace Saint Ambrose would haue disdained that such vpstarting Mushromes should dare to censure him in matters of his office And so would these busy spirits themselues to see a Minister offer to controule or direct them in their Mechanick Trades That Father made this a matter worthy hooting at euen in his writing to an t Epist 31. ad Valenti nian Quando audisti ClemeÌ„tissime Imperator in causa fidei Laicos de Episâ—â—po iudicasse c. Si docendus est Episcopus a Laiâ—o quid sequatur Laicus disputet Episcopus auâ—iat Episcopus dâ—scata Laico c. Ibid. Emperour Nor is he abashed to appeale vnto him whether euer he heard Laicks to iudge of Bishops in the point of Faith And if Bishops must once be taught of them what must follow next Why the Lay-man must dispute and the Bishop sit by and heare The Lay-man should be the Master anâ— the Bishop the boy to goe to schoole I neither enuy nor disparage abilities in priuate men I know there bee some whose knowledge and wisedome ioyned with it deserueth admiration And all good Ministers will loue them and blesse God for them and so doe I. Such as these will neuer smite a Minister to breake his head their very blowes are healing Plaisters to u Psal 141.5 him But I write this to clip the wings of those Batts Reremice that are ready to fly in the Ministers face vpon all occasions with false accusations saucy reproofes and proud censures of his Ministry desiring to bee teachers of the Law vnderstanding neither what they say nor whereof they x 1 Tim. 1.7 affirme Wherefore to draw this point to a Period let all those that vndertake this office take that aduice of a Learned y Aegid Carler Orat. habit in Concil Basil de punitione pecc man which hee once deliuered to the Councell of Basil touching this very case A Minister may be told of his fayling by an Inferior but alwaies remember that it be a brotherly admonition with all due circumstances obserued in it as namely that hee is a Publique Person a Brother a Father and a Superior all in one Because hee is a Publique Person and a Superior an Inferior owes him reuerence and honour because a Father owes him Loue and because a Brother he owes him a helping hand and in case of any fayling his admonition too which must so be giuen that his honour may bee preserued as well as his fault amended The z Alex. de Hales p. 3. q. 33. mem 4. ar 5 Malo Praelato quà diu ab Ecclesia tolleratur debetur honor c. Personall failings of such a Person is no warrant for Inferiors to despise him so long as the Church allowes him the people must doe him honour for his Place and Calling Thus farre the Rules to be obserued by our Zeale in dealing with Publique Persons I am now come to the other maine company which in the Ciuill consideration of men Discretion accounteth Priuate Persons and teacheth Zeale accordingly to vse them In dealing with a Priuate Person Discretion doth first require the Zealot to consider what he is himselfe whether a Priuate Person or a Minister If a Priuate Person then he must consider whether the Party he would deale withall bee one vnder his speciall Charge as he is a Father a Master of a Family or hath otherwise some speciall interest in the Party as a friend or Tutor or not vnder his Charge Those vnder his Charge hee must diuide into three rankes Elders Equalls Inferiors First if they bee Elders Elders by age onely as old Persons indefinitely or with some further addition of naturall relation as Parents or other kinred towards these he must reuerently and humbly behaue himselfe a Aegid Carler Orat. ante cit Ex parto increpantis distinguendum est Aut enim increpates sunt iuuenes aut senes Si iuuenes debent corripere aut monere humiliter and speake with Prayers It is the Apostles rule to Timothy himselfe Rebuke not an Elder but intreate him as a b 1 Tim. 5.1 Father by an Elder meaning an aged Person not a Minister as c Non dicit hic sacerdotem sed cum qui cosenuit hoc enim ea signâ—ficant quae subiunâ—untur lutâ—â—nes fratres c. Theodoret obserues And this Elder hee must euen beseech d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or speake comfortably to him and as it were with a holy flattery seeke to win him from his errors as Saint e Tract 10. in Ioh. quibus potes blandire Austin and f Pastor curli 3. blanda deprecatione Gregory doe well aduise Age is crabbed and must be flattered rather then struggled with The Gray-haire will and well may looke for honour though he be poore that weares it yea though his folly make it neuer so dishonorable Reproofe is grieuous and harsh to any that haue nothing but nature in them especially to Age and then most of all when youth doth vndertake it g Chrysost hom 13. in 1 Tim. 5. 〈◊〉