Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	great_a	holy_a	lord_n	8,454	5	3.5600	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90061	The craft and cruelty of the churches adversaries, discovered in a sermon preached at St. Margarets in Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons assembled in Parliament. Novemb. 5, 1642. By Mathew Newcomen, minister of the Gospell at Dedham in Essex. Published by order of the House of Commons.	Newcomen, Matthew, 1610?-1669.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1643 (1643)	Wing N907; Thomason E128_1; ESTC R18223	52,376	80

thinke there is any thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either in the one or in the other that can adde unto your light if any thing spoken or written may excite or encrease your heat I shall enjoy much of the end I propounded in this Service I dare not undertake to direct in any thing if in any thing I may erect your spirits in times so full of distempers with a Christian holy dedignation of all oppositions to carry on the great businesse of the Lord Iesus in establishing Religion Reforming the Church rooting out Popery I have enough if I faile of this it is the sin of my infirmity not my intention Luther in sad tumultuous times was wont to say to his Brethren and those about him Come let us sing the 40. Psalme Me thinkes you Right Honourable in these sad conflicting times may say one to another come let us reade the Booke of Nehemiah there you may reade experiences encouragements quicknings directions presidents to spread them before you is not the worke of an Epistle nor is it needfull having beene fully and excellently offered to your view in a Fast Sermon Dr Gouge his Sermon onely this as you have made the same preparations to this service you are now upon Nehem. 1. which Nehemiah did addressing your selves thereunto by Fasting and Prayer and have met the same varieties of oppositions and discouragements so persisting in the same pathes of Zeale for God compassion to his Church dependance on his power adherence to his cause constancy in his Service Doubt not but the same mercifull hand of his and your God after your Nehemiah like conflicts shall crowne your faithfullnesse with Nehemiahs successes which were so glorious that when all their enemies heard thereof Nehem. 6.16 and all the Heathen round about they were much cast downe in their owne eyes for they perceived that the worke was wrought of God And they that are of you shall build the old waste places shall raise up the foundations of many Generations Isa 58.12 and yee shall be called the repairers of the breaches the restorer of paths to dwell in which hath been and is the Prayer of The least and unworthiest of your and the Churches servants MATH NEVVCOMEN A SERMON Preached to the Honourable House of Commons now assembled in PARLIAMENT Novemb. the fifth 1642. NEHEMIAH 4.11 And our adversaries said they shall not know nor see till wee come in the midst among them and slay them and cause the worke to cease The Introduction THis chapter gives you a veiw of the various discouragements which that gracious man Nehemiah met in that glorious work of repayring Jerusalem and restoring the lapsed State of Church and common-wealth Discouragements you shall behold in this chapter breaking in upon him like waves of the Sea while he stands as a rock unbroken unshaken in the midst of all Like Iobs Messengers before the first be dispatched there appears a second before that be answered a third like Ezekiels prophesie mischeife Ezek. 7. upon mischeife and rumour upon rumour In the first verse you have the adversaries rage When Sanballat heard that we built the wall hee was wroth and tooke great indignation In the second you have this rage venting it selfe in foame in scoffs and sarcasmes cast upon Nehemiah his brethren and their undertaking What do those feeble Jewes will they fortifie themselves will they sacrifice will they make an end in a day c and Tobias said even that which they build if a fox go up hee shall breake downe their stone wall But this is the coolest of their rage the heat of it reaches unto blood so you find verse the 7. and 8. When Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians c. heard that the walles of Jerusalem were made up they conspired all of them together to come to sight against Jerusalem and to hinder it Withall the people at the same time begin to murmur verse the tenth And Judah said the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed and there is much rubbish so that we are not able to build the wall And this as it is probable gives incouragement to the adversaries to antidate their triumph and glory as if the Jewes had beene their request their prey already And our adversaries said c. Division of the Text. In which words you may please to observe First a strong combination against the church of God And our adversaries said Secondly a wicked designe they were combined in To cause the work to cease this is first in their thoughts though last in their words Thirdly a bloody meanes propounded and agreed on for the accomplishing of that design and that is slaughter Slay them and cause the worke to cease Lasty a subtile way projected for the effecting of that slaughter we will come upon them secretly suddenly they shall neither know nor see till we are in the midst of them slay them and cause the worke to cease I intend not to prosecute the particulars of the text but to give you the sum of the whole in one observation The Doctrine The great designe of the enemies of the church is by craft or cruelty or both to hinder any worke that tends to the establishment or promoting of the churches good All the visible enemies of the church of God are but the Emissaries of Satan his agents and therefore they observe his (a) Ephes 6.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 methods his rules of art in their attempts upon the church Now as Satan himself sometimes opposes the church by force and then he is b Isaia 27.16 His allegoricis appellationibus figuratur sublimitas omnis tam spiritualis quam corporalis quae adversus deum se extolleret vi fraude vel utroque simul Iuni ad locum Esai 34.16 a piercing Serpent and sometimes circumvents the church by craft and then hee is a crooked serpent vel rectus venit vel tortuosus vel leonem agit et saevit vel draconem agit fallit So doe his auxilliaries those that fight under his colours against the churches peace and good craft and cruelty are their chiefe engines of mischiefe and not one but both they use that as the scripture speaks of those birds of prey and desolation none of them shall want their mate And as some write of the Asp he never wanders alone without his companion with him so the craft of the enemies of the church is never but accompanied with cruelty and their cruelty seldome without craft and both bent to hinder any worke that tendes to the establishment and promoting of the churches good Proved by Exemplification To give you ocular proofe of the crueltyes wherby the enemies of the church have from time to time indeavoured to cause the worke to cease would be the businesse not of a sermon but of a volume and yet easily done had we but time because their cruelty ever appeares in its

owne likenesse in the shape of one of those beasts that Daniel saw in his vision that had three ribs in the mouth of it and they sayd unto it arise devoure much flesh Dan. 7.5 You may trace the monster foot by foot from Abel unto this present in steps of blood The persecutions of the Jewish church under Pharoah Nebuchadnezar Antiochus and of the christian church vnder the heathen and after them the Arrian Emperors and Bishops since them vnder Antichrist on the one side and the Turk on the other are so knowne I need not mention them but this they all declare that the indeavoures of the adversaries have alwayes bin by cruelty to cause the worke to cease And indeed if wee consider those floods and seas of blood which in the successive persecutions of the church have beene exhausted wee may wonder the church is not quite extinct save onely the bloud of Martyres extra venas is not cruor but semen and by the irradiation of the sunn of righteousnesse becomes miraculously fruitfull to the producing of a new succession of Saints But to trace the adversaries of the church in their craft t Secondly of the oraft of headversaries which are severall Prov. 30.19 hic labor hoc opus they are serpentina soboles the seed of the serpent and as the way of the serpent upon a rocke is unknowable so are their wayes of undermining the church yet as farre as either in history or scripture I may I shall trace them and give you a breife veiw of the severall arts and crafts whereby the adversaries of the church have sought to hinder their proceedings and cause the work to cease First The first design that ever was against the Church of which we reade in Scripture is that of Pharaoh and his Councellors Exod. the first Come let us deale wisely with them and what is the result of this consultation not to deny them presently the liberty of their Religion we take away but by burdening and oppressing them in their liberties and estates to breake their hearts and imbase their spirits that they should have no heart to minde Religion or any thing because of their great anguish and affliction a designe that hath bin practised against the church of God many a time Thus the Persian Tyrant thought to have subdued the spirit of Hormisdus that noble christian He would not kill him but enthrall him Turne him out of his possessions throw him from his honour give his wealth diguitie wife to the basest of his slaves Turne him naked our of dores to keepe Mules in the Wildernesse by this meanes thinking to choke and smother that holy fire God had enkindled in his heart And this is the art of the great Turke at this day though he pretend to let the Christians in Greece and those countries under him enjoy their lives and their religion yet so heavy is his yoake upon them that they have little joy of their lives and for the most part as little care of their religion scarce any thing more than the name of Christ generally to be found among them Second The second art whereby the adversaries of the church have sought to prejudice it hath beene by procuring matches and mixtures of some of the members of the church and some of their owne that were Idolaters This was the art of Balaam when hee saw hee could no otherwise fasten a curse upon the Israel of God he gave the King of Moab councell to ensnare the men of Israel with the daughters of Moab whereby they were drawne not onely to corporall but to spirituall adultery The history of this you have Num. 25 1 2 3. The people began to commit whoredome with the daughters of Moah and the people did eat of their sacrifices and bowed downe to their gods and Israel joyned himselfe to Baal-Peor And that this was the plot of Balaam is cleare Numbers 31.16 These caused the children of Israel through the councell of Balaam to commit trespafle against the Lord It was Balams councell this and wicked councell it was This mixing with unbelievers hath bin ever looked upon as a thing of dangerous consequence to the Church of God which is the reason that Nehemiah was in such a heat of indignation against the people for this thing Nehe 13.25 26. ver I contended with them and cursed them and smote certaine of them and plucked off their haire and made them swear by God saying you shall not give your daughters to their Sonnes nor take their daughters unto your sonnes did not Salomon King of Israel sin by these thinge yet among many Nations there was no King like him who was beloved of his God Neverthelesse even him did outlandish women cause to sin Great dangers the Church of God is exposed unto by this designe First of being corrupted by this meanes and drawne from the true Religion which is the very reason why God forbad such marriages in the old law Deut. 7.4 For they will turne away thy sonnes from following me that they may serve other Gods so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and desroy thee suddainely And sad experience of this sad effect and consequent of marrying with Idolaters and those that are enemies to the Church The Church of God hath had not only in Salomon whose heart his jd●●●●rous wives turned away from God and so capti●●ted that he did publiquely tolerate their idolarour worship 1 Kings 11.4 When Salomon was cold his wives turned away his heart after other Gods and vers 7. Then did Salomon build an high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moah and for Moloch the abomination of Ammon and likewise did he for all his strange wives and sacrificed to their Gods Nor onely in Iehoram the Son of Jehosaphat the reason of whose deflection from the practice of his father and the principles of his education unto Idolatry is rendered by the holy ghost this for the daughter of Ahab was hie wife 2 King 8.18 Nor onely in other of the Kings of Israel and Judah but even in christian Kings and Princes when they have matched though not with Pagans and Heathens but with such as have professed the christian Religion onely not in purity Valens the Emperour was at first a true Orthodox Professor but being married to an Arrian Lady she soone insnared him with her flatteries and captivated him to the same heresie with her selfe and he proved a most bloudy persecutor of the true Orthodox Church Theod. 4.11 Or secondly If there be such establishment of heart in the truth that the unbeliever dares not attempt to draw the believing yoak-fellow from the true Religion or attempts it but in vaine This inconvenience yet followes thereupon that the unbeliever will as much as they can viis et modis promote the false Religion and subvert the true The Church of God had experience of this in Justinian the Emperour Evagr. 4.10 whose

christiano c. 2● Papistry saith he can neither stand with peace nor piety The State therefore that would have these things hath just cause to suppresse it But what course is to be taken for the suppressing of it Shall wee take that course for the suppressing of popery which some of theirs prescribe for the suppressing of the truth Decretum fuit in consiliis Toletanis c. They made decrees in some of their counsels That every King before he bee installed should sweare among other things That hee would permit no man to live in his Kingdom that is not a Roman Catholick but will pursue all Hereticks with the sword I know it is disputed among Divines Whether it be lawfull to use compulsory meanes in matters of Religion And no lesse among Politicians whither it would bee successefull I shall neither take upon mee to determine those disputes Nor direct the wisdome of the great councell of the kingdome in a course for suppressing popery Only in briefe the meanes to be used to this end are either sacred or civill Acts of Religion or of State For religious meanes I conceive that as the re-establishment of Popery in Queen Maries dayes was an Act of State and of the whole Kingdome assembled in Parliament so if the State the Parliament now assembled would please to indict some Day or dayes of solemne Nationall professed humiliation for that sinne of the Nation which as farre as I could ever learne was never yet done it might bee a happie meanes to expiate that sinne and to purge the Land from that bloud of Martyrs which it yet groanes under and would blessedly prepare the heart of the Nation for a more thorow perfect Reformation We observe it in particular persons that if they slide out of profane and sinfull wayes into wayes of more retirednesse without any evidence of a sincere and proportionable Humiliation That Reformation seldome proves lasting or saving I know not why the same may not bee verified in Nationall Reformations And among other things which possibly might bee causes why the wrath of the Lord was not removed from Hierusalem notwithstanding Josiah's so glorious Reformation this may bee one because the Land was never humbled for the Idolatries or Bloudsheds of Manasses but looked upon the reformation as sufficient without humiliation which verily hath been Englands course to this day we have blessed our selves in a kinde of Reformation But never tooke to heart the Idolatrous and bloudy Lawes enacted by our forefathers to bee humbled for them Next to this as a second meanes for the suppressing of Popery I would subjoy ne the casting out from among us of all appearances of Popery every that lookes like Rome every thing of which the Papists may say this you borrowed from us True it is the Israelites by Gods expresse commandement borrowed of the Aegyptians Iewels of silver and Iewels of Gold but when they imployed those Egyptian Iewels to Egyptian worship and turned their Egyptian gold into an Egyptian God you know what followed I condemne not every thing received from Rome as simply evill But certainely as long as the Papists see any such things among us in our publike worship They will but scorne us and our Religion as imperfect and unable to furnish us in the service of our God without being beholding unto them The third Meanes is To ridd the Church of scandalous Ministers that what by their corrupt doctrine what by their abominable lives have exceedingly hardned the Papists against our Religion and strengthened them in their owne Fourthly By complying as neare as possible may be with other reformed Churches in all things The resolution you have put on for uniting with the Church of Scotland is one of the blessed'st things for the utter subversion of popery that hath beene since the first reformation And lastly Plant a faithfull painefull powerfull Ministery through the Kingdome And give maintenance and incouragement answerable But O Lord in such a corrupt State of Clergie and Universities where shall we finde faithfull men to plant the Nation with The harvest is great the labourers few O pray yee the Lord of the Vineyard to send forth labourers into his harvest To give the word that great may be the multitude of them that preach it As for Civill meanes of rooting out Popery I shall wholly leave them to the Councell of the State Only one thing more let me adde which I cannot without sinne forbeare If ever you would root popery out of Engl●nd with the uttermost of your vigour prosecute the affaires of Ireland If Popery prevaile to the suppressing of the true Religion there Doe not thinke you can prevaile to suppresse popery here I know your Domesticke affaires are great your occasions of expences vast yet I remember what the Historian saith of the Roman State There was nothing did more evidence the greatnesse of their spirits then that at such a time as Hanniball was even Ad portus Their treafure exhausted by long Warres Their Armies routed diverse times The State at the lowest ebbe that ever it was in Yet even then when a mighty Warre lay upon their backes They did not remit the care of any affaires though never so remote from them And nothing did more make Hannibal despaire of taking Rome Then that he heard supplies of Souldiers were sent out of the Citie into Spaine even then 〈…〉 22. c. 3● when he with his whole army lay before their walles I know not whither any thing would more please God or procure a blessing upon your affaires at home I am sure scarce any thing would m●●e dant your adversaries at home and abroad then to see you at such a time as this sending supplies into Ireland And you my brethren the rest of you that stand before Exhortati●● the peopl● the Lord this day Withdraw not your assistance from the honourable Houses of Parliament in that or any other worke so just Honourable and pious You see they meete with opposition from their adversaries impossible it is it should be otherwise Oh let them not meete with discouragment from their friends from their brethren No question it was worse to Nehemiah to heare Iudah say The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied and there is so much rubbish wee cannot build the wall Then it was to heare the adversaries say We will come upon them and they shall neither know nor see till we are in the midst of them and play them and cause the worke to cease That which the adversaries said was no more then he looked for But this of Iudah was unexpected O let not London say let not England say The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied The expences of the Irish warre and of the English affaires are such a burden wee can beare no longer our strength is decaied wee cannot build the wall the worke must cease I know your burdens this way have been great and in this City farre