Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	worship_n	worship_v	worshipper_n	4,806	4	12.4611	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36539	A collection of texts of Scripture, with short notes upon them, and some other observations against the principal popish errors; Abrégé des controverses. English	Drelincourt, Charles, 1595-1669.; Comber, Thomas, 1645-1699.	1688 (1688)	Wing D2160B; ESTC R14004	125,272	218

those that pretend to the Reformation But we are not at all surprized at it or moved to think e're the worse of the Reformation from the Church of Rome because we don't agree in some things amongst our selves For we are foretold that so it should come to pass Rom. 16. 17. Mark them which cause Divisions It implies that Divisions there would be And 1 Cor. 11. 9. For there must be Heresies that they which are approved may be made manifest Heresies are some of the Works of the Flesh Gal. 5. 20. And therefore as long as the Flesh is so predominant with many it is no wonder that there should be Heresies which are the Works of it If Christianity at first could not prevent it we can have no expectation that the Reformation should do it 2 Pet. 2. 1. There were false Prophets among the People even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them And they doing it privily it may not be presently discerned neither till after some tract of time But say they You have not the means of Vnity among you for you want a Judg of Controversies which is absolutely necessary in a Church and therefore there are so many Heresies and Divisions among you But this pretended means of Unity is refuted before in the Chapter of the Infallibility of the Church c. where it is proved that there is no such thing or means appointed We have as much the means of Unity as the Primitive Church had which was as much as God thinks fit to appoint in the Church They had infallible Teachers to teach them the Doctrine of God and we have the Doctrine which was taught by these infallible Teachers recorded in the Scriptures which is of the same use to us as it was to them But neither they nor we have an infallible Judg to dermine our Assent nor can have unless you will put out the Eyes of humane Nature But every one is left to judg for himself by the Rule of the Doctrine delivered God hath given us a plain Rule as hath been proved and is ready to assist us with his Spirit in all things necessary to our Salvation if we be humble and teachable And then we should do well enough without an infallible Judg. But yet these means were not effectual in the Primitive Church to prevent Divisions and Heresies because Men did not use them aright for all Men will never be so sincere and honest and diligent as they should be though they were sufficient to have done this if Men had used them as they ought And therefore how can we expect now they should be of better success The Church of Rome indeed pretends to such a means of Unity which we prove that Christ never appointed viz. An Infallible Judg of all Controversies But then as they pretend to that which they think is a greater means of Unity so one would think that they should have a greater Unity too among themselves But is it so indeed Is there nothing but Unity in the Church of Rome Are there no Divisions or were there never any Schisms Hath this pretended Judg of Controversies determined and put an end to all Controversies No he neither hath done it nor dares attempt it But we agree say they in all the fundamental Points In what Is not the Doctrine of the Infallible Judg a fundamental Point it self And do they all agree in that and who this is And if they did so do we agree in the same Rule of Faith the Holy Scriptures And why is not our agreement in the same Rule of Faith as good as their agreement about the Infallible Judg But they all agree likewise that Protestants are in the wrong And we all agree as much that Papists are in the wrong So that if this Point of agreement signify any thing here we are even with them But do they agree among themselves in other things No no more than Protestants do among themselves but have differences the same or as great as any Protestants can have whatsoever they be And notwithstanding the decisions of their pretended infallible Judg they do as much differ in particular Doctrines in the sense of those decisions which are for the determining of the sense of Scriptures as the Protestants do about the sense of Scripture without the decisions of such a determining Judg Therefore we think it very reasonable that the Church of Rome should do as our Saviour directs when they cry out so much upon our Divisions that they would first pull out the Beam out of their own Eyes and reconcile all Differences at Home and then they shall see the more clearly to cast out the Mate out of their Brother's Eye Which they can never do whilst the Beam is in their own or at least I hope we shall never go to them to do it FINIS This Chapter should have come in after Chap. XI That there are some Places more Holy than others and that it is a Work of Piety to go in Pilgrimages to them Bellarm. de Cultu Sacris lib. 3. cap. 8. THis is to revive Judaism again For God dwelt among the Jews indeed in an appropriate manner in the Temple of Jerusalem where were the Symbols of his Presence The Temple was God's House and therefore an Holy Place because God was there peculiarly present Thither were all the Males of the Children of Israel to resort three times a Year and there alone offer their Sacrifices and Oblations to God And the Place made the Worship acceptable to God which was offered there so that the Worship was not so acceptable to God which was performed in other places for the Presence of God sanctified the Place and made it Holy and that sanctified the Worship and gave value to it and therefore it was more acceptably performed there than in another Place But now under the Gospel there is no such Holiness of Places because there is no such symbolical Presence of God in one place more than in another for God's Presence is no longer confined to any one Place but he equally accepts the Worship that is devoutly offered him all the World over John 4. 21 23 24. Woman believe me the Hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father as the peculiar and appropriate Place of his Worship as if he were more especially present there than in any other Place or would better accept the Worship performed there than in any other Place For now all such religious distinction of Places for Worship shall be taken away But the Hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him as well in one place as another And such devout Worshippers shall be acceptable to him in any Place Mal. 1. 11. For from the rising of the Sun unto

distinguish'd one from the other but they think as long as they make a Protestation of 〈◊〉 owning the Supreme God alone for God and worship him accordingly though they render the Saints the same outward Adoration in all the Circumstances of it yet that cannot be supposed to invade his Worship But we find in Scripture that there is a certain outward Adoration which there are certain outward Circumstances to determine appropriated to God and the giving of this with any such Circumstances as in the construction of the Fact do determine it only to God to any Creature is condemned whatsoever the inward Intention of the mind may be of reserving to the Supreme God his own Prerogative And what shall we think then of the outward Adoration of the Saints performed in the Church of Rome which in all the Circumstances of it is the same with what is performed to God If this be not Idolatry then there is no merely outward Idolatry at all And the three Children might have given an outward Adoration to Nebuchadnezzar's graven Image so as they had but reserved or directed their inward Intention aright See what our Saviour saith to the Devil Luke 4. 8. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Where it was only outward Adoration or bowing down to him that the Devil did desire and not so as that he himself should be owned for the Supreme God or the Worship given to him with any such intention For he did not pretend in this Request to be the Supreme God or to challenge Worship as such for he in the same breath pretends that he had the disposal of all the Kingdoms of the World not in his own right but because it was delivered to him which implies an owning of a Supreme God above him But yet our Saviour refuses to render him such Adoration or to bow down to him for this general Reason only that thou shalt worship the Lord thy God alone without considering the distinction of supreme or inferior Worship or that the outward Adoration was to be determined by the inward Intention alone which the Devil would have been content to have left to him Nor doth he assign that as a Reason of his refusal that the Devil was a wicked Spirit but gives a Reason which would have been equally against it if he had been a good One. And the same Reason as much reaches us as it did him Col. 2. 14. Let no Man beguile you of your Reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels intruding into those things which he hath not seen vainly puft up by his fleshly mind Where the Humility censured by the Apostle which is the ground of this Worship of Angels is not that which implies a submission to them themselves as Supreme Gods but that which implies a respect to the only Supreme God upon the same ground as what is now practised in the Church of Rome viz. That because the Majesty of God is so high and inaccessible as he is it becomes us therefore to sue to him by the Intercession and mediation of Angels as his special Favorites or to trouble those with our Devotions rather than him so much Which is a specious sort of Humility but is here notwithstanding condemned And the practice of praying to Saints in the Church of Rome being founded upon the same Reason is also liable to the same Apostolical Censure Rev. 19. 10. 22. 8 9. When St. John fell at the Feet of the Angel to worship him who shewed him these things The Angel forbad him See thou do it not for this reason I am of thy Fellow-Servants and of thy Brethren that have the Testimony of Jesus worship God. So that none of our Fellow-Creatures are to be worshipped but God alone Acts 10. 25. When Cornelius fell down at St. Peter's feet and worshipped him it could not be supposed that he intended to give him supreme Divine Adoration as God. But yet St. Peter took him up saying Stand up I my self also a● a Man. For that reason alone refusing it And he is a Man too now he is in Heaven as well as he was then but only now he is out of his Body and more perfect in his Spirit As for what concerns the Virgin Mary in particular the same Reasons make it alike unlawful and idolatrous to pray to her as to pray to the other Saints Neither is there any thing of Prerogative left to her in this respect in the Scripture Luke 1. 46. Mary said My Soul doth magnify the Lord This is far enough from calling her self Lady according to the stile of the Litanies Vers 47. My Spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour She owns God for her Saviour which is far enough from calling her self the Salvation of others Vers 48. From henceforth all Generations shall call me Blessed She doth not say All Ages shall adore me and shall address their Prayers to me but all Generations shall call me Blessed as we do But Chap. 11. 27 28. When a certain Woman among the People said unto him Blessed is the Womb that bare thee and the Paps which thou hast sucked Then said he unto her Yea rather blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it How can this consist with such a strange Superiority as is pretended to belong to her John 2. 4. Jesus saith unto her Woman what have I to do with thee My Hour is not yet come Which our Saviour doth not speak out of any want of respect or love to her but to check her interposing in the Office and Work that was committed to him And can we believe then that she doth share with him in the Office of Mediator much less that she hath Authority to command him Mat. 12. 47 48. When a certain Man said unto him Behold thy Mother and thy Brethren stand without desiring to speak with thee He answered Who is my Mother and who are my Brethren And he stretched forth his Hands towards his Disciples and said Behold my Mother and my Brethren For whosoever shall do the Will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Brother and Sister and Mother There is neither here nor at any other time the least encouragement given to that Worship and Service that is performed to her He doth not bring out his Holy Mother before the People that stood round about nor say to them Behold the Queen of Heaven and Earth before whom every Knee should bow Behold the Ladder by which you shall ascend into Heaven and the Door by which you shall enter into Paradise see that ye place your Hopes and Confidence in her But rather gives certain Instructions quite contrary to prevent this Superstition As for what is pretended that there is no difference between begging the Prayers of our Brethren upon Earth and the Popish praying to Saints in Heaven to pray for us There is a vast difference our Brethren upon