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
A82320	The stumbling-stone, or, A discourse touching that offence which the world and worldly church do take against 1. Christ himself. 2. His true word. 3. His true worship. 4. His true church. 5. His true government. 6. His true ministry. Wherein the University is reproved by the Word of God. Delivered partly to the University-congregation in Cambridge, partly to another in the same town. Together with a brief touch in the epistle (for the present) on the late quarrelsom, weak, and erroneous Animadversions of one Mr. Chambers, called Doctor in Divinity, and Pastor of Pewsy in Wiltshire. By William Dell minister of the Gospel, and Master of Gonvil and Cains Colledge in Cambridge.	Dell, William, d. 1664.	1653 (1653)	Wing D930; Thomason E692_1; ESTC R206987	41,191	48

his utter Enemies And this also was foretold by Simeon Luke 2. Where he saith that by the coming of Christ in his word the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed and then that unbelief and enmity against Christ that before lay hid is discovered and brought forth by the Preaching of the Word as we have seen heretofore and still see by daily experience And for this cause also they are offended 5. They are offended at the true Word because everywhere so 5. Because so few entertain it few entertain it and embrace it As when Christ himself preached there were very few in all Iudea and Ierusalem that entertained his Doctrine and though sometimes many thronged to hear him yet at another time they were so offended at his Doctrine that they all forsook him so that Christ said to the twelve Iohn 6. Will ye also go away Now this makes many to be offended at the true Word that when it comes to any town or people the far greater part should reject it and speak evil of it and they for the most part the greatest wisest and learnedst men and that only a few poor and contemptible people should receive it this also exceedingly offends 6. And lastly They are offended because the true Word of Christ 6. Because it occasions troubles where it comes in any evidence and demonstration of the Spirit brings Troubles Tumults Stirs and Vproars in the VVorld ac to that of Christ Mat. 10. 34. I came not to send peace but a sword for I am come to set a man at variance against his Father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in law against her mother in law For the true word of Christ is such a sword as cuts in sunder all Natural and Civil relations and takes away the peace of any place where it comes in power Christ saith also Luke 12. 49. I am come to send fire on the earth and what will I if it be already kindled This fire that Christ sends is the word in the ministration of the spirit of which the Lord saith by the Prophet is not my word as fire and this word comes to burn up all the corrupt Manners Fashions Customes Yea all the lusts and sins of the world and all the Antichristian Doctrine and formes of worship in the outward Church And when this fire begins to burn anywhere presently all the people are in an uproar and lay all their heads and use all their hands together to quench it So that where-ever the true word comes the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing the Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take councel together against it and say Let us break these bonds in sunder and cast away these cords from us which no fl●sh and blood especially the Rich Wise Learned Honourable would endure to be bound in Now this exceedingly offends For say they before this kind of word came in all things were better and more quiet Under Episcopacy The world say before the Gospel came all things were quiet all things were wel and in good order But since this new Doctrine came in all things are full of trouble mischief wars and death and therefore they reckon this word the cause of all the evils we have and do endure But yet the cause of all these tumults are not truly in the word The word is not properly the cause of these Tumults but by accident but in the world and in the Devil Christ he will have his Christians to publish his word and thereby to gather together his elect unto him now the World and the Devil the Prince of it will not suffer this to be done quietly and hence arise all tumults The Devil who hath the first possession of the world would have all things quiet that he might keep his possession but Christ will not suffer it to be so but he will have all those whom his Father hath given him out of the Devils possession by the might and efficacy of his word but the Devil will not endure that this should be done quietly but stirs us all the World against the word And so where ever the word comes in truth there are alwayes troubles and uproares but where the word is preached and the world is quiet that for certain is not the true word of God Wherefore the dull and drousie Divinity of Synods and Schools The ordinary Divinity of the Schools is none of Christs Word cannot be the true word of Christ for that meets with no opposition and contradiction at all from the World or worldly Church it meets with no enemies and avengers amongst them but it is rather praised and embraced and honoured with degrees and Scarlet and the Professors and Publishers of it are in credit with men and worldly Powers and receive from them riches honour and quiet life whereas the true Doctrine of Christ can never be published without the offence of the world And thus much for their offence at the true word of Christ 3. They are offended at his true Worship 3. At his true Worship For Christ under the New-Testament hath instituted a New-Worship and this the World and worldly Church are also greatly offended at Because this Worship is wholly spiritual and hath nothing carnal Because it is Spiritual De instituendo cultu notanda est haec regula Sine Spiritu Sancto non est suscipienda ulla ratio aut modus colendi Dei Luther in c. 35. Gen. Cultus Dei principaliter vere consistit non in externis operibus sed in fide spe dilectione Dei. Luth. in cap. 25. Gen. in it but consists altogether of Grace and truth according to that of Christ Ioh. 4. 23. The hour cometh saith He and now is that the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth For the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth and there is no worship in truth but that which is in Spirit And Paul saith of true believers Phil. 3. 2. we are the Circumcision who worship God in the Spirit and have no confidence in the flesh Now this spiritual VVorship stands in Faith Hope and Love whereby our old nature is mortified and we bring forth spiritual fruit unto God and to our brother And this Worship of the New-Testament being wholly spiritual is free from Time Place and Person as all spiritual things are and so at all times and in all places alike this worship may be performed by all persons alike who are true believers And so accordingly do all true believers at all times and in all places alike believe in God and trust in him and fear him and love him and delight in him and speak good of his name and also do good to their brother in Instructing Teaching Exhorting Comforting him and Helping him as freely as Christ hath

Christ Offended at them Now the World and the Worldly Church are Offended 1. At Christ Himself 2. At his true Word 3. At his true Worship 4. At his true Church 5. At his true Ministry 6. At his true Government Of these things I shall speak in Order according to the good hand of God with me and shall desire to be so faithfull to Christ as not to depart one hairs breadth from his truth though it may be it will come to pass that all or the greatest part of you will be grievously Offended at it I begin with the first and will shew that the World and Worldly Church are offended 1. At Christ Himself 1. At Christ himself and in him And they are offended at him in many regards of which I shall mention these five 1. They are offended at the meanness of his ontward condition 1. At the Meaness of his outward condition in the World in the World For indeed he was in a very low plain simple and contemptible condition in the dayes of his flesh as any ordinary Tradesmen in this Town and lived with Ioseph in his Trade of a Carpenter Wherefore Paul saith of him Phil. 2. that he made himself of no account and took upon him the forme of a servant and was made in outward appearance as any other man That is he was in the outward condition of any ordinary man in the World Now this mean condition of Christ did much offend them for thought they is this the Christ of whom all the Prophets have spoke such glorious things whom all the Iews expect and who is the desire of all Nations Is this He whose name is wonderfull Councellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace of the increase of whose Government and Peace there should be no end upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom to order it and to stablish it with Justice and Judgement from henceforth and for ever Is this plain ordinary man the Messias how can this thing be For they thought that the true Christ of whom such excellent things were spoken should be some great Prince or learned Priest and that that form of a servant and mean condition in which he was could in no measure agree or be sutable to the true Christ And for this cause they were greatly offended at him and thought Him not worthy to be in any place of reckoning 2. They were offended that he being in so mean an outward 2. That in so low a condition such high things were spoken of him condition John Baptist should yet speak such high things of Him and he of Himself Iohn Baptist testified of him that he was the only begotten Son in the bosome of the Father the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World the fountain of the fulness of all the Saints the beloved Son unto whose hands the Father had given all things and that he that did believe in him had everlasting life and he that did not should not see life but the wrath of God should abide on him c. and these all were wonderfull things to be spoken of one whose outward condition in the World was so plain and contemptible And as Iohn had spoken these things of Christ so Christ every-where gives forth himself as the Son of God and said He and his Father were one And this exceeding offended the Iews as you may see Iohn 5. 18. The Iews sought to kill him not only because he had broken the Sabbath but also because he had said God was his Father making himself equal with God And Iohn 10. 31. The Iews took up Stones to Stone him and said we Stone thee not for a good work but for blasphemy and because thou being a man makest thy self God And so they were all offended at this Mystery God manifest in the flesh in the flesh of so mean and despicable a person in the eye of the World 3. They were offended at Christ because in him was no humane 3. Because in Christ was no meerly humane nor carnal thing or worldly thing which any Natural or Carnal man could possibly like of or delight in He excercised no worldly witt Wsdom Reason Learning Parts nor any thing that might commend him to the World neither did he live in any outward formes of Religion or Worship which might commend him to the carnal Church There was nothing in Him but the presence and manifestation of God the Word of God the Righteousness of God the Nature of God the Spirit of God the Works of God and God was all in all in Christ and God is wholly contrary to the World and the World to God And so the World and worldly Church were wholly offended at Christ He being altogether in the Father and the Father in him in such sort that the Father in him spake all the words and did all the works and he could neither do nor speak any thing of himself he was taken up unto so neer Union and Communion with God 4. They were offended at the reproaches and misreports that 4. They were offended at his Reproaches went commonly abroad touching Christ raised for the most part by the Scribes and Pharisees and Rulers of the Church because they knew and were assured that Christs prevailing would be their undoing Therefore they gave out that he was a Sabbath-breaker a Blasphemer an unlearned and ignorant man and that made him err a Vitious man a Glutton and Winebibber a friend of Publicans and sinners and that he had a Devil and was mad these were the common reports that were commonly divulged abroad touching Christ and that by the Teachers of the best repute in the Church and the common-people reckoned them to be very true and thereupon were horribly offended both at Christs Doctrine and works And this was Christ a very sign to be spoken against which Isaiah foreseeing in the Spirit speaks thus in the person of the offended Jewish Church Isai 63. 3. He is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not And Christ himself by the Prophet complains of this usage saying they laid to my charge the things that I knew not But yet these false reports so far prevailed that he became a Stranger to his brethren and an Alien to his Mothers own Children 5. They were offended at him because of his bitter and shamefull cross and sufferings and herein lay the heighth and depth of that 5. At his sufferings Offence for which the VVorld and worldly Church look at Christ For the Ecclesiastical Power condemned him as a deceiver and blasphemer and they also prevailed with the secular Power to condemn him as a Seditious person an Enemy to Caesar and a Rebel And so after all the works of God which he had done and works of God which he had taught they