Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
diversity_n	administration_n	operation_n	spirit_n	1,261	5	5.4089	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51412	The spirit of man, or, Some meditations (by way of essay) on the sense of that scripture, 1 Thes. 1:23 ... by Charles Morton ...	Morton, Charles, 1627-1698.; Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728.; Mather, Increase, 1639-1723.	1692 (1692)	Wing M2825; ESTC R31044	42,571	116

whe●●e the word for signifies either as much as or Instead of and then it Imports that a Spirit of Judgment is fit for Judges as Strength and Courage is for Souldiers or else it signifies the same with that ch 1. 26. I will Restore thy Iudges as at first and thy Counsellors as at the beginning that is by Raising up either in Providential Dispensations or special Qualifications men that should b● Repairers of their Breaches and Restorers of paths to dwell in ch 58. 12. from all which it appears that this Moderate Spirit is not only apt to be Governed but also it is fit to Rule and Govern in the World because of the Wisdom and Discretion that is used to accompany it especi●lly when it is Sanctified and Over-ruled by God As to that General Vertue in respect to the Will or Volitive Faculty to which it is Adapted as the Philosophers faelix temperies happy temperament by Sanctification these Moral Vertues become True Graces In Heathens where is no Sanctification yet if God Excites their Spirits they become eminently Serviceable So Cyrus who was of a Generous Noble Temper in himself yet how much did he act above himself when God stirred up his Spirit 2 Cor. 36. 22. The Lord stirred up the Spirit of Cyrus King of Persia upon which he Issues forth a Noble Proclamation v. 23. It was Cyrus his Spirit tho' stirred by God and Inclined to this special Service But where Sanctification Renews the whole man and gives New Principles and Ends in all their Actions The whole Nature of their Laudible Atchievements is also changed so that their Natural Spirit of Candour becomes the Character of a Blessed man in whose Spirit there is no Guile Psal. 32. 2. Their Fidelity comes from that Faithful Spirit which on just occasion Concealeth the matter and is commended for it Prov. 11. 13. Their Moderation of Affections is also from a principle that not only Restrains as Heathen Morals do but Mortifyes the Affections and Lusts. Gal. 5. 24. Col. 3. 5 Their Firmness is farther fortifyed by Might in the Inner-man Eph. 3. 16. whereby they are stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord. 1 Cor. 15. 18. for if their well-considered Reasons do fix their purposes Much more will their well-grounded Faith establish them In a word it s own Nature is Lovely But Grace super-induced renders it most Exemplary Amiable and Useful in the World And thus we have done with the Diversity of Spirits that are in men The Hot the Cold and the Moderate How they Differ in Themselves and how they are farther Differenced by Natural Corruption or Sanctifying Grace We shall now Reflect upon what has been said and with some few practical Inferences conclude the present Discourse INFERENCE 1. And by considering well the many Scriptures that have been alledged we may fairly see That 't is no strained Notion which is the Design of this present Treatise It must indeed be acknowledged that in many of those Scriptures the word Spirit may be taken in some of the common Senses put upon it As for Instance it may be taken for the Soul in general and in some for the Inward Part as an Expression of Sincerity But to take it for the Higher Faculties of Intellect and Will as the Rational part contradistinct from the Soul or from the Liver This tho' it be the most common and approved Interpretation of this Text I must confess I do not see sufficient Reason to allow it I do not find to my Understanding the word so taken in any other Scripture And therefore I take it to be but a strained Sense and thought of only for this particular place because of some Difficulty that appeared therein 'T is true indeed there is one Scripture usually alledged Heb. 4. 12. wherein Soul and Spirit are Distinguished one from the other of which place Dr. Smith in his Portraiture of Old Age hath Discoursed and Laboured to Evince That Spiri● there signifies the Superiour Faculties of man And Soul the Inferiour This Discourse of the Doctor 's was Considered in a former Draught on this Subject which now because that Ingenious Gen●leman is some Years since gone to his Rest I think fit to omit only he that has Leisure may compare what is there said with what we have said of the same Scripture in the beginning of this Discourse and then judge as he sees meet And as for the many other places quoted wherein Mans Spirit is mentioned on which I now Desire you to Reflect I suppose you will judg with me That they may for the most part be very genuinely understood in our sense and that the Interpretation of those Scriptures will according to our proposed sense be very Currant 2. We may also hence In●err That 't is Unjust and Unchristian to Cen●●re a●d Cond●mn men for their Humane Spirits To blame the Diversity of them is to quarrel Gods Work of Creation or Providence Why hast thou made me or him thus Rom. 9. 20. for Natural Temper and Modification of it by Outward Circumstan●es is more Dependent on his Will then our Industry We should rather observe how all this variety of Spiri●s may be made Eminently Servi●●●ble for that every Spirit has its particular Natural Excellency Tho' all have not that wherein thou perhaps mayst peculinly Excel One Servant of God is Chearful and Sings at his work Another goes sadly and carefully about it for fear of miscarriage yet both may be good and Faithful Servants and neither shall Lose his Reward but Enter into his Masters Joy Surely the Manifold Wisdom of God would not be so well made known by the Church in many Respects as Eph. 3. 10. Nor the Manifold Grace of God 1 Pet. 4. 10. If every man having Diversity of Gifts Did not so Minister even as he hath Received the Gift In the 1 Cor. 12. is a Large Discourse of Diversities of Gifts v. 4. Administrations v. 5. Operations v. 6. All by the same Spirit and all Tending to the same holy Ends Gods Glory and the Churches good The following verses set forth the Church under the Parable of a Humane Body wherein every Member has its peculiar Ability and Use so as the Eye cannot say to the Hands or the Head to the Feet I have no need of you v. 21. But all are Servicea●le in their place and kind This he says he wrote that there should be no Schism But the Members should have the same care or regard one for another v. 25. If this were well considered and a Charitable Estimate made of every mans several Spirit or Genius it would much advance Love Unity and Mutual Honour among Christians Remove that Censorious Offensive and Froward Temper in many that doth so much Disturb Peace and Tranquility both in Church and State and incline every man to think and say if I Excel any man in some things He may Excel me in many more USE 3. We may hence

External to the Essence of man the Accidental Inherents and Adjacents do but somewhat Modify and Affect the former constitution which will still appear in some Degree or other Naturam Expellas furca licet ipsa recurret Drive Nature out with Pitch forks t will Return And act its part as sure as fire will Burn. And because the Soules Primitive facultyes are supposed to be all Equal in every man t is the Bodyes Temperament that especially gives the great Diversity in Mens Spirits we shall therefore speak of these more Distinctly And that not Exactly according to the common four First Qualityes Hot and Dry Cold and Moyst which are said by their Mixture to give the four Complexions Sanguine Cholerick Melancholy and Phlegmatick of which Physicians do so often speak But I shall Treat of them according to the Actives Hot and Cold with a Mean Temper between them Taking notice of the other By the way only as occasion is offered For it is not Physical composition or Medical Di●posi●ion of spi●its which we have now to do with But Spirits as they R●late to Humane and Moral Actions into w●ich these three Hot Cold and Mean h●ve the greatest In●luence Besides a●l men will admit of a Hotter and a ●ooler Temperament even t●ose who Rej●ct Elementary Mixtures and have no great Regard to the four Comp●●xions I● any like better to have it express●d by Matter more or less moveable or move● They may please themselves There is no Di●ference in the Thing however ●●pressions vary I say therefore some mens Spi●its are Hot and they do commonly Act war●● Others are Cold and they usually Act Cooly Others have a Spirit of a fine Mean between these two Extreams and their Actions are participant of both qualifications viciously if Unsanctified and under natural Corruption vertuously if Sanctified and mens Spirits be●guided and act●d by the Spirit of God All commonly according to their several Capacities But if at any time a man be acted contrary to his peculiar Genius 't is by a special hand of the Good or Evil Spirit upon him some special Instigation and Assistance upon a particular occasion And according to this Method we shall Treat of the several Spirits first Describing themselves and then their States both of Unregeneracy and Sanctification 1. The more Hot Spirit Discovers it self in Chearfulness Activity Courage and Angry Zeal or Jealousy 1. Chearfulness Heat joyned with a convenient Moisture answerable to the Sanguine Complexion Renders a man Chearful Vivid Sprightly and upon occasion with apt Circumstances Joyous Refreshed Merry and Comfortable It makes him look Ruddy and of a Beautiful Countenance like David in the flower of his Youth and pleasant like the face of all things in the Spring David we may suppose was of a Natural Chearful Spi●it His Musical Inclination whereby his skill was great seems to speak so much for this and his prudence in matters so we Read in the Text but in the Margin prudent of Speech 1 Sam. 16. 18. for these things I say He was sent for by Saul that so his Musick and his prudent Mirth might Drive away Sauls Evil Melancholly Spi●it This Chearful Spirit as it was in Young David Natural so it was in Old Iacob upon occasion when he heard good News of Ioseph and saw the Waggons that were sent for him Gen. 45. 27. 't is said The Spirit of Iacob their Father Revived Such also were the Refreshed Spirits mentioned 1 Cor 16. 17 18. I am glad of the coming of Fortunatus for they have Refreshed my Spirit and Yours And that of Titus his Joy 2 Cor. 7. 13. Because his Spirit was Refreshed by you all The meaning of all is Their Spirits were Chearful and Vivid upon these Comfortable occasions The Spirit also signifyes Health and strength as in the Hunger●starved Egyptian 1. Sam 30 who being left sick v 13 having now Eaten and Drank after the three Days fasting t is said v 12. His spirit came again to him that is He had now some life in him and could do something like himself who before was as one Dead with sadness and Desperation But now Doubtless was glad that he was alive This Chearful Spirit If Unsanctifyed and Corrupt is grosly abused to Levity froth vanity and foolish Jesting which is not convenient To Lasciviousness in them who make Provision for the ●lesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof To Pride Haughtiness self●conceit and glorying i● their own strength and Beauty to forgetfulness of God feeding themselves without fear yea to wax fat and Kick against their Maker and Rejoyce in their Beastings But all such Rejoycings are evil Iames 4. 16. ●ut If Sancti●yed The Ioy of their Spirit becomes Spiritual ●oy I● like Marys Luke 1 46. 47. My Soul doth Magnify the Lord And my Spirit hath Rejoyced in God my Saviour It Lisposeth them to Thankfulness and adapts for Praysing and Glorifying of God It fits men for Chearful Service to him which much commends Religion to the World who are apt to be frighted from it by Conceits of nothing but Mortification and Self Denial therein Chearful Christianity adds a Lustre to Profession and convinces men That they may be merry and wise Now tho' this doth chiefly arise from the Tes●imony of a Good Conscience and the Sealings of the Comforting Spirit of Adoption yet Subservient thereunto is this our Natural Spirit which Renders men more apt outwardly to express it David was as is b●fore noted of this Sanguine and Cheerful temper and he did Eminently Glorify God by his Musick and Psalmody agreeable to the Apostles Rule James 5. 13. Is any among you merry Let him sing Psa●ms This of Cheerfulness 2. Activity is another effect of the Hotter Spirit it shews it self in a willingness and readiness to be employed as also sometimes in strong inclinations and vigorous motions in a great inquisitiveness and earnest search after things that are out of common view This Temper is very natural to Youth which is usually fitter for Execution then Deliberation and because of this Spirit t is called the Sprightliest time of mens Lives This Active Spirit while Unsanctifyed is like as in a brisk Monkey a very unlucky thing It renders men Idle Busy-Bodys Medlers with other Mens Matters Grievously Troublesome both to the Church and World Restless in themselves and suffering none to be quiet by them this fruitful Soyl uncultivated brings forth a multitude of Weeds if set upon mischeif one such will do more then many others like the active Element of Fire where it is not employed in profitable Service it works Destruction and Desolation The Inquisitiveness that attends such unsanctified Spi●its does often make men Seekers in Religion never satisfi●d with setled Truths but Scepticks Rambling and Uncomposed Sect arys tossed about with every wind of Doctrine or if they hap to be Sect-Masters they 'l compass Sea and Land to make a Proselyte In a word They are the nimblest Servants of the Devil