Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A85238
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Zealous beleevers are the best subjects to Cæser or An exhortation to all good Christians to pray for their princes : there being nothing wherein they can better shew their allegiance. Published invindication [sic] of the saints against the false imputations of such as count it rebellion to be religious. / by I.F.
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Ferret, John.
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1643
(1643)
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Wing F818; Thomason E1103_2; ESTC R208364
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54,637
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135
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Next to this as a second means for the suppressing of popery I vvould subjoyn the casting out from among us all appearance of popery every thing that looks like Rome every thing of vvhich the papists may say This you borrovved from us c. I condemne not every thing receaved from Rome as simply evill but certainly as long as the papists see any such things among us in our publike vvorsbip they vvill but scorn us and our religion as imperfect and unable to furnish us in the service of our God vvithout being beholding to them If ye knovv these things happy are ye if ye doe them Iohn 13 17. in all parts of the kingdome to demolish all Idolatrous reliques and superstitious monuments as they have already most worthily begun with that great Image of many faces in Cheapside to punish open Idolatrie blasphemie swearing cursing Sabbath-breaking and all such as are lawlesse disobedient traytors ungodly sinners unholy prophane murderers of fathers murderers of mothers manslayers whoremongers defylers of themselves with mankind men stealers lyers periured persons c. 1 Tim. 1 9. 10. but to uphold and maintaine those that walke godly righteously and Tit. 2 12. soberlie among them though it should not be just in that way and manner of publike worship which the Parliament shall set up For I can not but hold well of that which that faithfull and able minister of the gospel Mr. Henry Aynsworth hath long since written Counterpoy Pag. 232. concerning the Parliament of England saying Howsoever all subjects are and ought to submit to the good civill lawes there inacted and obedience may be inforced by the sword Rom. 13. if any resist yet in cases of conscience every man must live by his owne faith Hab. 2 4. Nen must gladly receave the word Act. 2 41. out of which all religion must be gathered all Kings and Kingdomes submitting unto the lawes and ordinances in Christs testament Psal 2 10. 11. 12. if they would have blessing and salvation by him With which agreeth well that excellent note of an antient writer and there are many that reverence antiquity in matter of religion and indeed it is the old way in walking wherein we find rest who teacheth us that Bern in Cant. fides suadenda est non imperanda For the Apostle plainly declareth that none can Rom. 10 14. 15. 17. call upon him in whom they have not beleeved neither can they believe in him of whom they have not heard and heare they can not without a preacher and none can preach except he be sent of God and furnished for that service So that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God not by the commandements or traditions of men which are of no such power to perswade the conscience as the word of God is And if the heart conscience be not perswaded in feare of God to yeild obedience what will come of it but an inforced hypocrisie a drawing neare to God with the lip when the heart is farre from him which is a service abominable in his sight and wherein there can be no true inward comfort and assurance which is the life and marrow of religion and that which begetteth true loyaltie to the higher powers For surely it is a true saying that was once spoken unto this present Parliament in a publike sermon by one of their owne ministers Junij 20. 1641. viz That there are a great many ministers that are not resolved what to doe c. they will wait for what the Parliament will doe you may set up what religion you please they will be of your religion still So also may be said of others they wil be of what religion the king is of so long as he hath any power to support them and any boones or offices to give them Yea some think it high presumption to be of any other mynd that way than the king or Parliament is of If this be not a serving God after the will of man I know not what is Let us not therefore Rom. 14 13. judge one an other any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way but let every man be fully perswaded in his mynd Vers 5 23. and doe no thing without faith in this kind for whatsoever is not of faith is sin and Heb. 11 6. without faith it is impossible to please God Now Ephes 2 8. faith is the gift of God wrought in the heart by his holy Spirit useing thereto as the outward meanes thereof the ministery of the word of reconciliation and be sure of this that so soone as the heart is truly moved by the work of the Spirit there cannot but be a most free and readie joyning to the Lord in faithfull submission to his will for saith the Spouse Draw me Cant. 1 4. and we will run after thee and the prophet David I will run the way Psal 119 32. of thy commandements when thou shalt inlarge myne heart And untill the heart of the people be moved all that the kings and parliaments of the earth can doe by their outward force and power shall not prevaile to establish the service of God in its due and right order yea though they should be as godly and zealous as Iehoshaphat the King of Judah of whom the scripture noteth that he walked in the way of Asa his father and departed not from it doeing that which was right in the sight of the Lord 2 Cron 20 32. 33. Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers And if such a zealous and powerfull prince as K. Jehoshaphat could not prevaile in the reformation of externall and visible abuses in religious worship and that becaus the peoples hearts were not prepared c Much lesse shall anie earthly prince or potentate be able by his worldly power to make this people to Ioh. 4 23. worship the father in Spirit and truth and such he seeketh to worship him The reason is becaus the kingdom of Christ is not of this world neither can be planted or established by worldly power for so long as the vaile 2 Cor. 3 13. is over mens hearts they can not looke to the end of that which is abolished but when the Lord shall mollifie their hard and stony hearts and give unto them hearts of flesh when he shall enlighten their myndes and open their understandings and so turne them from Idols to serve the living and true God then the vaile shall be taken away Now the Lord is 2 Cor. 3 16. 17. that spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty to wit from the bondage of sin to serve God in righteousnes and holynes all the days of their life Gal. 5 1. Rom. 6 22. 7. 6. Luc. 1 74. 75. Wherefore that was a good decree of King Cyrus who being appointed to
of the gospell and not to this day called home again though they may say with the prophet Daniel that before God innocency was found in them and before the King they had done no hurt Dan. 6 22. wherfore the Lord hath preserved them unto this day and provided for them an hiding place from the stormie wynds and tempests of his wrath which are fallen upon our English Region And who can tell but this may be a scourge upon them for their banishing and cruell persecuting of the Saints whose cause the Lord doth to this day justifie by his gratious administrations toward them and whose righteousnes he shall bring forth Psal 37 6. 9. 39. 40. as the light and their judgment as the noone day for evill doers shal be cut off but those that wait upon the Lord they shall inherite the Earth For the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord he is their strength in time of trouble and the Lord shall helpe them and deliver them he shall deliver them from the wicked and save them becaus they trust in him In this treatise thou mayest plainly perceave if thou be not prejudiced by partiallity or worldly mindednesse how unjustly the people of that profession espetially those that sojourne at Amsterdam are charged of being disturbers of the Commonweale and enemyes to Kingly powers on earth whiles they approve such doctrine to be taught amongst them as hath bin alwayes their profession from their first separation from the Church of England as may be seen by their Apologie or defence published against the groundlesse imputations of the Oxford-doctors in the yeare 1604. and dedicated to K. Iames of famous memory By which Apologie thou maist perceive for whom it is that I make this defence not for all that are called Brownists for I must confesse with the * Ansvv to the K. decla concering his victory Oct. 3. 1642. honourable court of Parliament of England that there are many now a dayes that goe under the name of Brownists that come farre short of the principles which those which heretofore have only had that name cast upon them doe hold such as are Semi-seperatists as they are termed who can hold one foot in the Church of God and the other in the Synagogue of Satan partake of the Lords table and the table of divels and many forward professors whom I leave to stand or fall to their owne master knowing that God is also able to make them stand Rom. 14 4. but only for a small company of poore despised Christians who are constrayned to dwell in a strange Country a Rev. 1 9. for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ But blessed be the great God of heaven and earth the father of mercies the God of all consolation who alwaies causeth them to b 2 Cor. 2 14. tryumph in Christ and hath c 2 Cor. 1 4. comforted them in all their tribulaâ—ion and made them able to comfort others that have bin iâ— trouble by the comfort wherewith they themselves are comforted of God For the substance of the treatise â— hope thou shalt find it agreable te the a 1 Pet. 4 11. word of God for I desire to utteâ— nothing in publike but what the scripture hath first spoken or endited to me by which b Rev. 2 29. the Spirit speaketh unto the churches But beautifull oâ— loftie stile to please humane phantasies thou mayst not expect from onâ— that is no scholler in humane sciences and studyeth for no greater learning than to speak the truth in plain English nor such sobriety and gravity as dotâ— befit so weighty a subjeâ—t from one thâ— is so tender in age and hath bin buâ— foure yeares in the schoole of Christ and is full of like c Acts. 14 15. passions and humane infirmities as other men are Wherâ—fore if any thing be let fall through mâ— unadvisednesse herein not beseeminâ— the gospell of Christ and the ministery of the same I know those that feare God will not rejoyce in it and the wise will lovingly reprove me for it and I by God's grace shal be ready to acknowledge it and an other time to amend it if I can I have bin moved to the publishing hereof by the divers speeches and declarations which have bin given out on all handes in these troublesome times wherein those that feare God and seperate from sin as much as in them is have bin inveighed against as a companie of scismaticall and troublesome spirits to the State Yea writings have bin published in the name of the King 's most excellent maiesty whom we ought all under God to reverence as the father of our Country and God's vicegerent in his dominions wherein have bin great imputations of evill against such under the name of Brownists as if they and Anabaptists with the assistance of K. Declar. against the Parl. assessing dat Dec. 8. 1642. Pag. 5. vitious and deboished persons of desperate fortunes take upon them to breake up rifle houses as publike avowed ministers of a new invented authority c. and afterwards it is said whilst Scismaticall illiterate and scandalous preachers fill their pulpits churches with blasphemy irreverence and treason and incite their auditors to nothing but murder and rebellion c. And again pag. 7. These are the men who joyning with the Anabaptists and Brownists of London first changed the governement and discipline of that City would undoe the Kingdome c. And some thing I have read in some former writings striking at the godly people at Amsterdam also as if they were the originall of these stirs and tumults when as it is nothing els but for the sins of the land that God's hand is stretched out against them Wherfore it is imputed as a blame to the Parliament and city of London that they maintaine countenance Brownists c. See declar of vict Oct. 3. 1642. and his Majesties answere to the Cities petition for peace read in a Common hall c. Now the law hath required me not to revile or d Exod. 22â— 28. Acts. 23 5. curse the ruler of my people neither can I easily be brought to think that these expressions proceeded originally out of his princely heart which if yet they did farre be it from me to censure him for them in my e Eccl. 10 â— 20. thoughts I have also heard and understood and the current of writings maketh me somewhat to credit it that it is a common practise of their parsons and vicars in their pulpits that they may curry favour with the bad counsillers about the King to inveigh against Brownists and Seperatists as the only seditious and rebellious persons of the Kingdome But by the following treatise thou majest plainly perceave gentle reader that whosoever are guilty of those faults yet that poore Congregation for whom I plead who have their habitation in a farre Country are free and innocent of the