Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A78145
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Reformed religion, or, Right Christianity described in its excellency, and usefulness in the whole life of man by a Protestant-Christian.
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Barker, Matthew, 1619-1698.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing B777aA; ESTC R42840
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61,592
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137
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be charged with Schism And these Rules observed would have prevented those Persecutions which have bin in the Christian World upon the account of Rites and Ceremonies or some little difference in Religion And this is all I shall speak about christian-Christian-Worship in the External part of it And therefore shall next speak of it in the Internal part of it Of which our Saviour speaks John 4. 23. The hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth But this is General but more Particularly he that worships as a Christian 1. He Worships in the Faith of the New Testament which is a Faith respecting Christ as already come and not as yet to come as the Faith of the Old Testament did And he worships in greater assurance of Faith also which the Apostle speaks of as proper to the New Testament Heb. 10. 22. Christ having now actually Suffered and the New Covenant sealed with his Blood and ascended Heaven to make Intercession as our great High-Priest The Faith of the New Testament hath more assurance in it wherein the Saints do worship and draw nigh to God. Let us draw nigh with full assurance of Faith c. Heb. 10. 22. Let us come boldly to the Throne of Grace Heb. 4. 16. Having therefore boldness to enter the Holiest Heb. 10. 19. 2. He Worships not in the Oldness of the Letter but in the Newness of the Spirit This oldness of the Letter referrs either to the Ceremonial or Moral Law. The true Christian worships not in the oldness of the first Covenant He worships not in the Ordinances of the Ceremonial Law but only in what was spiritually signified in them His Incense is fervent Prayer ascending to Heaven in the Fire of the Holy Ghost His Peace-offering is hearty Thanksgiving His Heave-offering is an Heart lifted up to Heaven His Wine-offering Joy in God His Sin-offering is Repentance Confession of Sin and a Broken Heart His Burnt-offering is his whole Body of Sin offered up to be destroyed He keeps the Feast of Tabernacles by living as a Stranger upon Earth and Travelling towards the Heavenly Countrey He keeps the Feast of Passover in his worshipping and living without the Leaven of Hypocrisie and Malice in his Heart all his Days His Washings and Purifyings are the Sanctifyings of his Heart and Conscience And his looking towards the Temple in Worship is his looking to Christ herein And this is one part of his worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth and not in the Letter of the Ceremonial Law. So also he Worships not God in the outward Letter of the Moral Law that is meerly by the force of an outward Letter without the inward Principle of a renewed mind when the outward Letter of the Law striking upon the natural Conscience carries a Man sorth to Worship without any love to the Duty any life or delight in it this is to worship in the oldness of the Letter Rom. 7. 6. The Letter is said to kill but the Spirit giveth life 2 Cor. 3. 6. So that all Worship in the outward Letter without the Spirit is dead Worship and not truly Christian 3. The true Christian Worship is not to Worship in a Spirit of Bondage but in a Spirit of Adoption As the Apostle speaks of Christian Believers Gal. 4. 6 7. that They were no more Servants but Sons so they serve not God in the Spirit of Servants but of Sons Not so much for fear of Wrath and Punishment as love to please God honour him and enjoy him which is the Principle that they act from Perfect love casts out fear for fear hath Torment 1 Joh. 4. 18. And God hath not given us the Spirit of fear but of power love and a sound mind 2 Tim. 1. 7. And to the same purpose Rom. 8. 15. Christianity brings not Men to Mount Sinai where are Thunders and Earthquakes Blackness and Darkness and Tempests which made not only the People but Moses himself to fear and quake And in this Principle of servile fear did the Jews for the most part serve and worship God which is not the proper principle of true Christian Worship Though this Worship excludes not all fear of God but requires it Let us have Grace to serve God with Reverence â—nd Godly Fear saith the Apostle Heb. 12. 28. A Reverential Fear of God atâ—ended with an holy Modesty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Caution as the Greek words import ought to be found in all Christian Worship He worships God as a Father and with a filial fear suited to that Relation but not with servile fear 4. The true Christian Worships God as a Redeemer in Christ and so it is distinguisht from the worship of the Heathen who worshipt him only as the Creator of the World. They worshipt and adored him beholding the Characters of his Power Wisdom and Goodness in the Works of his Creation but the Christian Worships and Adores him beholding his Love Mercy and Grace c. manifested in the Work of Redemption He worships God rather as he is in Christ than in the Creatures And the Heathen worshipping God in the Creatures did lead them at last to worship the Creatures themselves and so became Idolaters instead of true Worshippers yea the Apostle saith They worshipt and served the Creature more than the Creator Rom. 1. 25. They did not worship God in his Creatures but divided their worship betwixt God and his Creatures and the Creatures got the greater share of it But none of this is Christian worship The Apostle gives account how he Worshipt God 2 Cor. 1. 3. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ c. And Eph. 3. 14. I bow my Knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus And the Worship performed by the Elders and Angels and all Creatures that we read of Rev. 5. 13. is directed to him that Sits upon the Throne and the Lamb even that Lamb that hath Redeemed his People by his Blood. So that the Right Christian Worshipper looks at God as in Christ and as manifested in the Work of Redemption And so beholding him is inwardly acted and moved thereby to Adore and Worship him The true Principle of a Christian Lastly The true Christian Worshipper worships in Humility of Mind The Christian Religion so clearly shewing man above all Religions his lost and wretched State in his Fall and that he hath all his Righteousness Life Strength and Hope in another out of himself It teacheth him to worship in Humility As the twenty four Elders worship falling upon their Faces and casting down their Crowns before the Throne Rev. 4. 10. A Representation of right Gospel-worship which Christ therefore would have drest up in a decent plainness that it might be performed in Humility and not in Ostentation Thus we see what is the Internal part of Right Christian-Worship Not that it doth not require also the humble Gestures and Adorations of the outward
flattering Encomiums and Deisying Venerations as when the People shouted to Herod's Oration It is the Voice of a God and not of a Man it proved in the issue no honour nor kindness to him Again He will not be found in any wicked Conspiracies against Lawful Governours and abhors those Principles which justifie the Lawfulness of Killing and Assassinating Princes upon the account of Religion or any account whatsoever but thinks himself obliged to detect and discover them when they come to his knowledge neither will he publish false News or invent or scatter Seditious Libels in design to exasperate the Minds of People and disturb the peace of the Nation Lastly A good Christian Subject judgeth himself Obliged continually to Pray to Almighty God for the Peace and Welfare of the place where he dwelleth and of the Civil Government under which he is protected that he may live a peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesty and will take heed of that Sin and Wickedness which bring down the Judgments of God upon a Nation And to speak truly to be a right Subject requires a Man to be a true Christian As Constantine or rather Constantius is said once to make tryal of his Servants by such a Test saying Qui in Deum etiam in Imperatorem perfidi essent Sozomen Lib. 1. Cap. 6. They who are perfidious to God will not be true to their Prince Thus I have run briefly through many particulars and given the World a short Taste what Christianity is and if it run in the Truth and power of it through Men in all Degrees Ranks and Relations it will make us an happy People in this World and that which is to come The Nation I know hath been sadly divided and in this woful State that one part of the Nation hath thought it their Interest to destroy the other and the foolish Names whereby we have distinguisht Men proclaimed our Folly to the World and argued the displeasure of Heaven against us By many years Experience it is made evident That there will never be Peace and Settlement in the Nation if we do not somewhat Codnescend to one another and 'till there be some Settlement Trading will decay Industry will be discouraged we shall have Breaking upon Breaking and Men will not dare to trust one another and the Revenue of the King will suffer in the End. I find most Men satisfied in the Model and Frame of our English Government Dissenters and all for the most part and can swear Allegiance to it unless a few odd People who scruple all Oaths And I believe after this unhappy and threatning Storm of the Papists is now as we hope blown over and the Providence of God so eminently appeared in the sudden scattering of it mens Minds are much disposed to quiet and settlement especially since their Majesties acceptance of the Regal Power and the Concurrence of the Lords and Commons therein And is it not a brave sight to see all sorts of People to follow their several Vocations without Distraction and Trouble The Countrey-Farmer improving his Land and Stock and paying well his Landlord The Plowman following his Plough the Carter to go Whistling by his Horses side the Sheppherd with his Dog attending his Sheep the Shoomaker sitting at his Last the Taylor upon his Board the Weaver at his Loom the Smith at his Anvill the Trades-man busie in his Shop and the Merchant exporting and importing to the enriching of the Nation To see â—o leading into Captivity no complainâ—ng in our Streets but Mens Swords turned â—nto Plough-shares and Spears into Pruning-â—ooks to which I may add with the Psalâ—ist as the Conclusion of all Happy is that â—eople who are in such a Case yea happy is that â—eople whose God is the Lord. Psal 144. ult v. But if War should arise I hope it will not continue long and the Ancient Proverb made good Bellum in Angliâ non senescit And that â—â— will soon issue in an happy Peace And â—othing is likely more to shorten it than a â—rm Union amongst our selves England beâ—ng compared by the Historian to a great Aâ—imal that will not dye until it Kill it self Of Right Christian Worship I Call it Christian to distinguish it from Jewish Mahometan Pagan or any false Worship That Worship which Christ hath appointed for his Church under the New Testament â—his I call Christian which I touch'd upon before this Worship is either External or Inâ—ernal External consists in the Ordinances appointed by him wherein the outward man is concerned As all Nations have some outward Rites Modes and Forms which they use in their Worship besides the Worship of the inward Man. God appointed such for the Church of the Old Testament and Christ hath appointed some for the Church of the New But hath laid aside those many Figures and Shadows and significant Ceremonies which clouded the Old Testament-Worship intending a more spiritual Worship for his Church in its adulâ— State conversing more immediately with theâ— heavenly things themselves and so nearer resembling the Worship of Heaven And intending to give more of the help of his Spirit hath provided fewer sensible helps in his Worship And because he went out of the World before the Gospel Church and Worship werâ— fully establisht he sent forth his Spirit to direct his Apostles herein And we may observe 1. How they make no mention of the Blooâ— or Flesh of any Beasts or Fowls to be offereâ— in Sacrifice or of Flower Wine Oyl Incense c. as were used under the Law to be used in the New Testament-Church 2. Neither do they mention any Altar oâ— Earth Wood or Stone to which the Ministers of the New Testament are to approacâ— in the Service of God as the Priests were appointed under the Law. 3. Neither have they given notice of anâ— one general Place that is appointed for hiâ— People to assemble in as the Jews did at Jerusalem 4. Neither do they mention any particular Times or stated Days Months or Years to be observed for solemn Fasts or Festivals as God appointed under the Law Or any of the Jewish Sabbaths but only that of the Moral Law changed from the Seventh to the First day 5. Neither did the Apostles give Order about Consecrating of Temples and Worship therein whereby it might be the more acceptable to God for the Places sake as it was under the Law or prescribed the Forms or Dimensions of any such Temple or Temples as it was then 6. Neither have the Apostles mentioned any thing about Musicians and Choristers by Office or Singers or Players upon Instruments of Musick as the Law required 7. Neither have they left any thing upon Record about the Confining of the Instituted Worship of God to any particular Family Seed Countrey or Nation as it was under the Old Testament when the Ordinances of Gods Worship were the Inheritance of the House of Jacob Psal 47. 4. 8. Neither have they told us of any High-Priest or