Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	word_n	worship_n	zeal_n	103	3	7.9195	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35047	Reformation not separation, or, Mr. Crofton's plea for communion with the church ... in a letter, written July 20, 1661 ... / by the said R.S. to whom it was written ; unto which, is added the copy of another letter, written on the same occasion and subject.	Crofton, Zachary, 1625 or 6-1672.; P. E., Reverend.; R. S.	1662 (1662)	Wing C7000; ESTC R12168	52,912	78

the Word of God because it is unfitly mangled into parts and parcels urduly fixed unto places unreasonably appropriated unto dayes and times Surplices and canting quiering singing boys and men and published in unseemly vestures and voyces I confess their Common-Prayer is my burden by reason of its defects and disorder and the rudeness of the Ministerial Method I stand convinced it ought to be altered yea ab lished See the Epistle to the Liturgical considerato● considered by reason of its Symetry to the Romish Mass superstitious Order and unsutableness to Solemn Publick Prayer yet I must confess I find in it no Matter to which on a charitable interpretation a sober serious Christian may not say nay can deny his Amen And though I distaste the Ministeri●l M●thod I cannot disown in it the essential Form of Prayer viz. A calling upon God in the Name of Christ That Set-Forms of Prayer are used is an Act and Argument of weakness that they are imposed on Gods Church and Ministers is an Act I cannot acquit of wickedness And that this defective disorderly Form is retained yea by forc● returned into the Church of England I fear will be found an Act and Argument of wilfulness against Gods mind yet neither the one nor the other maketh it cease to be Publick Solemn Pray r nor do I see on what ground I can deny or refuse my Amen to what is prayed for because I know there are many things wanting to the Church which are not not indeed can be by this Form expressed or not joining desires to God with and as a Member of his Church because they are rudely and unfittingly expressed whil'st the irregularity of that common Order is no Bar to Gods acceptance of my more regular Amen thereunto given Departure from Babylon is the indispensable Duty and will be the property of all whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life but the Object must be Babylon in the very abstract Setting the mark of the Beast on them who partake with her Rev. 13.8 17 4 13 8. bearing in her hand the Cup of Abomination and so appearing to be formal spiritual Aegypt an● Sodom I cannot believe every or any Society retaining some B●●●… 〈◊〉 ●…stures and Orders with a protested and apparent recession from Babylon can be the Object thereof and the last of these is the capacity of Englands Church Certainly the Temple of the Lord is not to be disowned or renounced because it hath been sometime trodden down by the Antichristian Gentiles and vitiated by the seat of the Beast when these are expelled though the dirt of their tramplings and stink of their session remain behind them My good friend let it be seriously resolved is there no difference between Israel and Judah Rome and a reformed Church a professed sacrifising Priest and a Minister of the Gospel fondly affecting and retaining that Appellation between a calling on the only true God in the name of Christ though in a defective rude confused and unfitting order and praying unto Saints and dumb Idols between the disorderly administration of the worship for matter and form Gods own appointment and the Ordinance nullifying administration in an unknown tongue to which the hearers cannot say Amen and abstraction or alteration of the Elements beyond yea contrary to Gods prescription or what the possibility of nature and entity of the ordinance will admit between Sacraments with some unwarrantable superstitious Appendants and a Sacrifice expiatory for the quick and dead must we depart from Israel returned from Egypt and Babylon though retaining the savour some of the Manners and Customs and an hankering mind to go back unto those accursed places I pray God keep England in her now retrograde motion from going back to Rome then through his Grace I shall not dare to renounce her Communion though my soul mourn for her corruption for so long as we enjoy in her the very matter and essential form of Gods worship and Ordinances though in an humane unfit corrupt ministerial method and order with some vaine and needlesse appendants of humane invention we are not without confidence of Gods presence and a possibility of salvation and we therefore are without a sufficient ground for separation or non-communion Consid 3d. Communion is no bar but a help to reformation Thirdly let it be considered Communion with the Church under many and great corruptions is not inconsistent with zeal care and contest for reformation thereof the designs of Hell may agree in the end but disagree in the means but it is not so with the determinations of Heaven the Devil may suggest and provoke the correction of sin by sin or make zeal to purity a spurre to separation and the shiprack of vertue to and in the Church 1 Cor. 11.13 14.15 he can make the white Witch heale what the black doth hurt by him one Conjurer doth blesse what another doth curse the Angel of light doth often expel and lay the Angel of darknesse but yet they be both evil Angels he sticks not at nor stirreth against Piety or Religion provided it be but sinful he is content men go in a via lactea sacra to the place of woe and steere by Conscience if erronious to their own condemnation but it is not thus with God and the dictates of his holy Spirit all his commands are competible his Graces concatenated 2 Pet. 1.5 c. 7. All the duties of a Christian are to be discharged without interfering interruption or destruction by one another he alloweth not one sinful step in the way of salvation though paved with never so fair a pretence of sanctity if therefore his people stumble thereinto they must return and go back if they will go to heaven no one duty at any time damps zeal unto another they may be desparata but never are opposita different but not contrariant one to another the discords in true Religion do ever constitute the clearest harmony all extreams are equally odious unto the God of order excesses finde no more acceptance with him than defects in Religion be not righteous overmuch is a divine dictate though many times unduly Eccl. 7.16 17. and unjustly pleaded by men as well as be not over-much wicked Gods Israel may not turn to the right or left hand Deut. 5.32.17.20.18.14 departing from the way of his Statutes the true Christian must walk in all well-pleasing in every good word and work and hate every evil way Col. 1.10 It hath been a scandalous Blasphemy from its very first being of Christianity to say or suppose it doth direct its subjects to do evil that good may come thereby sincere Saints are ever acted by the Spirit of peace and love to seeke and zealously pursue the purity of Gods worship in union with his Church Rom. 3.8 Reformation a duty zeal care and contests for Reformation of Gods Church and worship subjected to the least corruption can