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
Zelo domus dei qui omnia quae ibi videt peruersa cupa emendare c. Aug. tract 10. in Iohn of God there to bee performed but by prophane imployments polluted A thing so prouoking his spirit that hee could not expresse indignation enough in rescuing the honour of that place from such abuses This action so well beseemed Christ himselfe that euen by this hee clearely demonstrated to his Disciples the substance of that Type which Dauid once was they then remembring that it was writteÌ„ the Å¿ Ioh. 2.17 ex Psal 69.9 zeale of thine house hath euen eaten me vp And what need wee any further precept any better warrant herein Howbeit as in defence of the Word the rule of worship most Zeale must bee spent for points fundamentall so care must be had in maintaining the Worship it selfe to fortifie the Substantialls most Such was the flame of Elias Zeale t 1 King 18.40 that nothing but the bloud of all Baals Prophets could quench it But marke the obiect of it It was no smalle matter It was for no lesse then Gods Couenant which by their meanes the children of Israel had forsaken u Ibid. ver 10. for his Alters which they had throwne downe and for his Prophets which they had slaine with with the sword Thus when any Substantiall part of Gods Worship is corrupted deteyned remoued or endangered then is a time for Christians to quit themselues like men in vindicating the same But here a Caution touching the former example It is no warrant for our Zeale to breake out so farre as his did it onely shewes vs wherein we must be zealous so farre as the bounds of our Calling admit It had not been lawfull for Eliah to put those Idolaters to the sword if hee had not been able to pleade his speciall Commission from God as he did * Ibid. ver 36. I haue done all these things at thy word The want of which warrant made Peter liable to reproofe of our Lord euen when he fought in defence of our Lord and cut off but an eare of the high Priests seruant For this little Christ applied vnto him that Lawe against Murtherers x Mat. 26.52 Ex Gen. 9 6. All they that take the sword shall perish by the sword Not that this little deserued that iudgement but to giue him notice whereto his Zeale would make him obnoxious if hee proceeded to the taking away of any mans life vpon so slender a ground It is then the duty of Christians if priuate men to pray zealously if Ministers to preach zealously in defence of Gods Worship vseing no Armes but those of Ambrose to Augustus Prayers and Teares y Rogamus Auguste non pugnamus non timemus sed rogamus Hoc Christianos decet vt tranquillitas pacis optetur fidei veritatisque constantia Amb. Epist. 33. ad Marcellinam And againe Orat. in Auxentium coactus repugnare non noui dolere potero potero flere potero gemere aduersus arma milites Gothâ—s quoque lachrymae meae arma sunt c. aliter nec debeo nec possum resistere Hee that being vnder Authority will rather resist then suffer makes the cause suffer by his resistance and so in steed of standing zealously for it he doth in effect raise forces against it It was not the prohibitions and threats of the Iewish Gouernors that could silence Peter and Iohn from preaching Iesus z Act. 4.18.19 20. because their Commission from God must be executed against all iniunctions of Men. But on the other side their Zeale neuer made them resist with hostile force euen in their greatest affronts If they were apprehended they suffered with patience and reioycing if they could they fled Zeale may stand with suffering and flying but not with resistance which is flat Rebellion And no good cause calles Rebellion to aide Christ giues not onely liberty but precept when we are persecuted in one City to fly into another not meaning we should be lesse zealous but spare our selues for better times and occasions If it were contrary to Zeale to fly Christ would neuer haue giuen a Reu. 12.14 wings of a great Eagle to the woman that she might flie into the wildernesse into her place from the face of the Serpent And though our Sauiour makes it the trik of an b Ioh. 10.12 hyreling to leaue the sheepe flee when he seeth the Wolfe comming yet that is when the Wolfe comes to worry and deuoure the flock principally not when many Woules come directly against the shephard himselfe after the best sheepe bee slaine or fledd and the rest ready to ioyne with the Wolues against him Then a Minister may yea must flie if he can when his flock notwithstanding his best care and diligence bee either so scattered that hee cannot draw them together or so ouergrowne with the scab of heresie that it is impossible to cure them and euery man ready to seeke his life to take it away making the quarrell personall against the Shephard rather then generall against the sheepe In this case Eliah fled from c 1 King 17.3 Ahab and that by Gods own direction And after from Iezabl when he thought that d 1 King 19.10 hee onely was left alone though at that time there were seauen thousand that neuer bowed knee vnto Baal yet so scattered that he knew not where to finde them So also Paul fled from Tessalonica to e Act 17.13.15 Athens and from the Gouernor of Damascus desirous to apprehend him f 2 Cor. 11.32.33 being let downe through a window in a basket by the wall and so escaped his hands So did Athanasius often flie from the Arrians Nor is any man debarred this benefit if the case bee alike Herein if in any thing the Prouerbe is true One paire of heeles is worth too paire of hands which any man may vse without disparagement to his Zeale or danger to be branded with the opprobrious Marke of an Hireling But in matter of Circumstance or Ceremonies which are not parts but onely appurtenances of Worship g Non partes cultus sed ad cultum ceremoniae no neede no warrant to be so hot as for defence thereof to incurre such perills In Substantiall duties of Worship hee that is not with God in a zealous defence is against him h Luk. 11.23 And yet in things of lesse moment he that is not against him by an open crossing is with him i Mark 9.40 by holding the maine Zeale therefore must not spit fire at such as are not foes but friends nor be at defiance with those who holding the head doe not putrifie the members I thinke no wise man doubts that euen in the purer times of the Old Church in Israel corruptions grew in Ceremonies as well as in the substance of Gods worship And yet pry into the Scriptures neuer so carefully wee shall not finde any of the most zealous Saints fall