Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A51980
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The vanity, mischief and danger of continuing ceremonies in the worship of God humbly proposed to the present convocation / by P.M., a minister of the Church of England.
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P. M.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing M68; ESTC R19138
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38,859
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48
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For 't is Holiness they hate more than Nonconformity The rage and cruelty of our furious Bigots was lately grown bigger and taller than ever they had quite trampled under foot the Dissenters and began a wild Cariere against Piety and Sobriety in their own Body they spared neither Nobles nor Gentlemen nor Clergy all good men in their communion had been ground to powder if the ascent of the late King to the Throne had not put a stop to their madness The Church may be improved in Piety by that storm but it is no thanks to those furious debauchees When God le ts loose evil men upon his Flock it is not to gratifie their ravenous lust but to make his sheep love his fold and keep to the pastures which he appoints them Persecutors are Gods scullions to scour his vessels of Honour for the Kingdom of Glory The removal of Ceremonies will take away the vizour with which Formalists Hypocrites Wicked and Prophane men do cover themselves When Religion is stript of these things and nothing injoyned but what is plainly commanded by God they only will be counted Pious who live according to the Doctrine of the Gospel Drunkards Swearers Whoremongers and such like will be known to be what they are a meer herd of Bruits The aim of Pastors it is hoped will then be to promote a spiritual worship that in all the duties of piety the hearts of the people may be engaged The souls sincere return and resignation to God in every service is the top-stone of holiness God being a Spirit we cannot converse with him but by our Spirits To worship God in the spirit c. as it is most agreeable to the nature of the Divine Majesty Corbet's Kingdom of God Pag. 21. which is worshipped and best fitted to glorifie him as God indeed so it is also most efficacious to make the worshippers more knowing in Religion more holy and heavenly in Spirit and Conversation and every way more perfect in things pertaining to life and Godliness Ministers will have something else to do than to preach against Non-conformists we may expect that their great design will then be to endeavour to promote the Glory of God to convince men of a future state to advance holiness sobriety peace and useful diligence in the world These things will come home to the faculties of considering men and they will think that their Teachers are in good earnest when they are Zealous for things wherein the interest of their own souls is concerned Bishop Patrick gives excellent advice to Minssters in two Particulars Divine Arithmetick pag. 72. 73. I. Let us be much in private prayer Our time is short as well as other mens and many times shorter though our account be greater therefore let us spend much time with God as we endeavour to spend it all for him Let not a croud of thoughts in our Studies nor a croud of company thrust God away from our Souls but let them frequently retire unto him as the fountain of all light and good Prayer before our studies is the Key to unlock the secrets of God and prayer afterward is the turning of the Key to lock them safe into our hearts Prayer sharpens our appetite after truth and when we have found it it sets an edge upon the truth and makes it more cutting and penetrating into the heart II Let us look to our ends in our work Without this our labour would be in vain Let us believe our selves what we speak and then we should mind the Glory of God and not our selves Alas what is the applause of men when we are gone but like a sound in a dead mans ear And what is it when we are alive but an empty breath that is lost sooner than got and is got oftentimes by idleness sooner than taking pains c. Let the good of men therefore and the Glory of God be the mark at which we aim And the Lord in Heaven hear our Prayers and bless our Preaching If all our Clergy by what Titles or Dignities soever distinguished did truly follow this advice there would be no Zealots among us for Impositions the destroyers of Piety and Charity V. Mischiefs in promoting a mighty increase of prophaneness and all kind of wickedness The Zealots for mens devices have little regarded what evils corrupted Church and State if the honour of these toys was supported They have been so mindful of maintaining these things that by their neglect they have suffered if not worse a flood of prophaneness and other wickedness to break in upon us I. Prophaneness in the outragious contempt of holy things There is scarce any thing in Religion that hath escaped the scorn and reproach of blind Zealots The Ordinance of Preaching the Lords day the Scripture our Holy Religion and Jesus Christ himself all have been struck at The Ordinance of Preaching The constant serious diligent performing of this would spread knowledge amongst the people to the prejudice of human Impositions in Divine Worship They would see what light things they are in the service of God Preaching hath therefore been struck at under pretence of promoting Prayer as the chief work of a Minister Dr. Holdsworth takes notice of it and on the contrary maintains at large this Thesis Prae dicatio verbi Dei opus est ordine primum maxime proprium Praelect Theolog. in Mat. 13.52 Lect. 3. pag. 19. longe praecipuum inter omnia Curae Pastoralis exercitia ad quod sua studia animum se totum imprimis maximè saepissimè appellere debeat c. Yet some have been so fierce against preaching Gods Word that Lectures have been diligently suppressed Prayers have been much advanced above Preaching as that which might be spared if the others were read Let us hear another Dr. concerning this abuse and the Practice of the Church in the primitive times Dr. Stilling Iren. pag. 333. Men that were imployed in the Church then did not consult for their Ease or Honour and thought it not enough for them to sit still and bid others work but they were of Pauls mind necessity was laid upon them yea wo was unto them if they Preached not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 Publick Prayers were not then looked on as the more Principal end of Christian Assemblies than Preaching c. Were the Apostles Commissioned by Christ to go Pray or Preach and what is it wherein the Ministers of the Gospel succeed the Apostles Is it in the office of Praying or Preaching c. Are Ministers in their Ordination sent forth to be readers of Publick Prayers or to be dispensers of Gods Holy Word pag. 334. c. This is one of the unhappy consequences which follows mens judging of the service of God rather by the Practices of the Church when it came to enjoy ease and plenty than by the ways and Practices of the first and purest Apostolical times c. People need
of doors to the great disservice of God and the Church If we will not see some disorders that are among us and reform them the members of both Houses of Parliament see them in their several Counties and there is hope that they will find a remedy In the mean time the people see them and there is in them such a hunger after Gods Word that in some dark neglected corners of the land they go in great numbers to hear a Non-conformist and are glad if he visit them once a month But above all God sees what is amiss amongst us and if we do not our duty he will find a Besom to cleanse his house Isa 14.24 Mal. 2.9 and make them contemptible and base before all the People that have been partial in his Law When I have pleaded with a Reverend Divine in the behalf of excluded Ministers and endeavoured to represent to him some of the manifold mischiefs to Souls by our rigour in imposing unnecessary terms I have been put off with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all things be done decently 1 Cor. 14.40 Will the violent wresting that Text in the defence of mens Inventions cover the guilt of destroying innumerable Souls one of which is worth more than the whole World and their ruine may be for want of the labours of those able Ministers whom we exclude for toys Is the blood of Christ and of Souls so vile as to be set to Sale for Stubble and Straw These things would be most contemptible if we had the same value for Souls that Christ had when he counted the whole World too light to be put in the ballance against one Soul Mar. 8.36 and when he laid down his life to redeem us from the wrath to come We may by our rigidness drive many from our Communion into the dark Sectarian paths in which they may perish but how shall we repair the mischief that we have done Tho we pour from our Eyes Rivers of Tears or from our Veins Seas of Blood we can never recover one lost soul The redemption of their Soul is precious Psal 49.8 and it ceaseth for ever IV. Mischief's to Piety The most learned Divines and the wisest States-men in the World are but bunglers when they take upon them to add unto Gods Worship what he hath not appointed Human Institutions are but like clouts with which Chips are drest up into Babies for Children to play with With these inventions Heathens and Atheists are habited like Christians for the service of the Devil to corrupt and destroy true Christianity The World hath a long time groaned under them it is high time for people to be Wise Mankind hath for many Ages been possest and tormented with a furious Spirit the Devil of Imposition it will never be well till this Spirit is cast out Piety may now as well live and flourish without our ceremonies as it did mount without them above Idolatry and conquered the World It may be raised unto a new life from its decay caused by a long and heavy oppression under a load of humane Inventions True Piety hath been hid in Corners remove stumbling-blocks and it will come forth and appear in publick with all its beauty and glory Dr. Stilling Iren. Pag. 121. Allowing a liberty for matters of Indifferency and bearing with the weak who cannot bear things which others account lawful we might indeed be restored to a primitive lustre far sooner than by furbishing up some antiquated Ceremonies which can derive their Pedegree no higher than from some ancient Custom and Tradition Ceremonies in Worship corrupt peoples minds with vanity make them light and trifling in the weighty concerns of God and their Souls Pomp and Train of Ceremonies retained will be apt to take up the heart of such as are busied in them Corbets Kingdom of God Pag. 103. and corrupt the worship of God and make it a dead work and carnal service and so the Spirit and Power of Godliness will decay and die amongst people by this means Many think they have done much if they have exactly conformed to Rites and Ceremonies Such are apt to forget the awe and dread they should have in the Worship of the Divine Majesty They are so careful of outward Postures and Habits that they mind not the bringing of their Souls unto God in whose service all the faculties should be engaged What are all the inventions of men to our converse with an infinite glorious Spirit We cannot approach unto him but with our Spirits The use of Ceremonies tends to the oppression of the life and power of Christianity They are like painted windows which may make a gaudy shew but they much lessen the light or like Garments clog'd with Snow or Ice they may load a man but not warm him The use of them wasts sincere Piety The pressing of them is the cramming of Christians with Stubble and Straw and will sooner choke than nourish true Piety and Charity They when multiplyed strangely eat out the Heart Heat Life and Vigour of Christianity The carnal part of the world is easily engaged for them against holiness Dr. Scilling Iren. Pag. 67. and to such a degree that serious Piety hath been scorned and scoffed at not only by the Mobile but by higher ranks not excepting the Tribe in the long robe when engaged to be Advocates for Impositions witness Samuel Oxons Books of Ecclesiast Pol. and of Loyalty The use of Ceremonies hath so blinded men that multitudes have been inraged with a mad spirit against the life of Religion There hath been for a long time amongst us a bitter hatred of serious Christians that endeavoured to be pure in heart such have been reproached with the name of Puritans Mat. 5.8 Piety hath been scorned vilified and persecuted under the notion of Puritanism There is no doubt but this Church tho its Government and constitution be so pure Mr. Bolde's Sermon against Persecution Pag. 14.15 Justifiable and consonant to Apostolical Practice would suffer very much should but the almost Ordinary Miscarriages of a great number who pretend to the Clergy be exposed to Publick View with an account of the encouragement they meet with or at least how free they are from Threats and Molestations while others who live better Lives and are more constant and diligent Preachers and do express on all occasions more of that charity and forbearance towards all men which Christianity doth so much commend and enforce are frowned upon and left open to the rage and fury of besotted frantick and debauched Bigots With such as these if any man press for Regeneration Dr. Wallis Sermons to the Vniversity on John 3.3 pag. 41. Sanctification and a Holy Life he was to pass heretofore for a Puritan then for a Round-head now for a damn'd Fanatick Nor shall he escape this censure tho never so great a Church-man and do exactly conform to the Church as now by Law established