Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	prayer_n	spirit_n	supplication_n	1,486	5	11.4562	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65369	The displaying of supposed witchcraft wherein is affirmed that there are many sorts of deceivers and impostors and divers persons under a passive delusion of melancholy and fancy, but that there is a corporeal league made betwixt the Devil and the witch ... is utterly denied and disproved : wherein also is handled, the existence of angels and spirits, the truth of apparitions, the nature of astral and sydereal spirits, the force of charms, and philters, with other abstruse matters / by John Webster ...	Webster, John, 1610-1682.	1677 (1677)	Wing W1230; ESTC R12517	396,606	368

carnal and therefore we are to prepare our selves against all spiritual assaults but as for any visible carnal or bodily there is not nor can be any such because the Apostle that declared by his Preaching and Writings the whole counsel of God hath revealed no such thing as the visible appearing of Satan much less of his making of a visible League with the Witches or the sucking of their bodies or the having carnal Copulation with them which must of necessity be lyes and figments because the Holy Ghost hath not warned us of any such which we ought certainly to believe he would have done if there had been any such matter And the holy Apostle who was not ignorant of the devices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notions or intentions of Satan would not have omitted to have warned the godly if there had been any such matter as a visible League sucking of their bodies or carnal Copulation the thing being of so great weight and concern For as one said well Grave est de vita bonis periclitari sed multò gravius insidiantem habere Satanam And he that so often hath given us warning of the wiles devices and snares of the Devil if there had been any such dangerous snare as this would without doubt have given us notice of it 2. We are to consider the end of this Warfare that it is for no less than a Crown and that not a terrestrial but a celestial one not a fading one but an everlasting one a Crown of eternal life of immortal glory even for an house given of God eternal in the Heavens Therefore this being a thing of the greatest concern that belongs to a Christian the Apostle would not doubtlesly omit any thing that had been necessary to the obtaining of such an inestimable prize and such an important Victory and therefore cannot in reason have concealed or omitted such a weighty matter as a visible League and the like if there had been any such thing 3. We are to consider that this Armor prescribed for the Souldiers of Jesus Christ is the whole armor of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the compleat armor of God as Dr. Hammond renders it perfect both for defence and offence And therefore the Apostle describes it fully by a Metaphor taken from such Arms as the Roman or other Nations in his time did use saying Stand therefore having your loyns girt about with truth and having on the breast-plate of righteousness And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace Above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints And as it is a compleat and perfect Armor both in respect of defence and offence so it is a spiritual not a carnal corporeal or bodily armor because the warfare is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places against spiritual enemies not against corporeal and carnal ones for as the enemies are and the warfare so are the armor and weapons From whence we truly urge that the Apostle led by the Holy Ghost and the Wisdom of the Father and knowing the whole counsel of God especially in this point hath omitted nothing that is fitting armor for a Christian either of defence or offence whereby he may be inabled to get the victory against Satan and all his spiritual Army And therefore that either Satan hath not power or doth not assault Christians after a visible carnal and bodily manner or else that the Holy Ghost hath been defective in prescribing armor against such assaults and consequently that the armor of a Souldier of Jesus Christ is not compleat or else there is no such bodily assaults of Satan at all as to tempt visibly to make a corporeal League to suck upon the Witches bodies nor to have carnal Copulation with them But we affirm and that as we conceive with sound reason that the Scriptures in this particular of a Christians armor and the compleatness of it is abundantly sufficient against all spiritual assaults whatsoever and consequently that there is no other kind of assaults but meerly spiritual and therefore the Word of God the most proper Medium with sound reason to judge of the power of Spirits and Devils by 3. That the Scriptures and sound reason are the only true and proper Medium to decide these Controversies by is most undeniably apparent because God is a Spirit and the invisible God and therefore best knows the nature and power of the spiritual and invisible World and being the God of truth can and doth inform us of their power and operations better than the vain lyes and figments of the Heathen Poets or the dreams of the Platonick School either elder or later nay better than all the notional and groundless speculations of the School-men of whom it may truly be said that Rivulo divinae Scripturae relicto in abyssos vanarum opinionum incidêrunt Nay these can better inform us in this point than the Writings of all Mortals besides and therefore whatsoever may be said to the contrary may receive its answer from the Father Quod de Scripturis sacris authoritatem non habet eâdem facilitate contemnitur quâ probatur Therefore he being the King eternal immortal invisible and the only wise God of none can we so truly and certainly learn these things as of him who hath plentifully taught us in his Word all things necessary to Salvation that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished to every good work Nay he is the Father of Spirits and therefore truly knoweth and can and doth teach us their Natures Offices and Operations 4. The Scriptures especially the Writings of Moses considered only as Historical are of more antiquity verity and certainty both as to Doctrine Precepts matters of Fact and Chronology than all other Histories whatsoever whether of the Phenicians Egyptians Chaldeans or Grecians as the learned person Dr. Stilling fleet hath sufficiently proved Now if there had been such an one as a Witch that made a visible League with the Devil and upon whose body he suckt and with whom he had carnal Copulation something of that nature would doubtless have been recorded in the Scriptures of which notwithstanding there is not the least tittle or mention And Moses who was so perfect a Law-giver as in a manner to omit no kind or sort of sin or evil that men possibly could commit but to forbid it and make a Law against it could never have left out such an horrid unnatural and hellish wickedness as carnal Copulation with the fallen Angels if there had been any such matter For he saith after he had forbidden all sorts of Fornications