Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	bear_v	body_n	sin_n	5,827	5	4.7431	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42135	Essayes and characters written by L.G.	Griffin, Lewis.	1661 (1661)	Wing G1982A; ESTC R40526	25,748	100

presumption the other would drive him to despair in short there is nothing does more resemble his life then the taking a pipe of tobacco for his gains proffits are that which he sucks in his expences disburstments that which he puffes out his actions like the smoake are offensive to many and pleasing to few or none at length he knocks out the ashes and so Concludes But the soul is mans more noble part which is capable of having communion with God and therefore ought not to be subject to the body The body is Hagar the Bondwoman But the soul is Sarah the free Woman Sarah must not be a slave to Hagar if the flesh deny subjection to the spirit she must like Hagar by mortification be put away that so the free born soul may enjoy her liberty which is to serve God The Philosopher gives this definition of the soul Anima Rationalis est perfectio Corporis Organici The Perfection of the body Now as the soul is the perfection of the body so is Christ the perfection of the soul For as the body without the soul is but a loathsom lump of rotteness and putrefaction so the soul without Christ is a thing dead in sin as odious in the sight of God as that in the eyes of men As salt that hath lost its savour such is the soul that hath lost its Saviour There are two faculties of a Rational soul the will and the understanding which mutually help and assist one the other I have heard of two men which travelled together the one blind and the other lame the blind carried the lame and the lame directed the blind The will of man is blind and therefore must be directed by the understanding The understanding is lame and therefore must be carried by the will When truth it self treated of self denial he commanded us to cut off Right hands and to pull out right eyes Where note that he means not the members of the body but the faculties of the soul the understanding is the souls eye by which she sees The will is her hand by which she acts and these or said to offend when they offend God but when the one is joyned with faith and the other with obedience they are both instrumental to bring us to the enjoyment of our Saviour for by the understanding we know Christ and by the will we lay hold of him Every man is either spiritual or carnal like Solomons two Harlots The one carries a living child in her bosome that is the spirit the other a dead one that is the flesh The living child is that which breaths in holy desires cries in devout prayers sucks in hearing the word grows in grace and is made perfect in glory but the dead neither growes cries feeds nor breaths but is a peice of formal deceit a religious carcase a whited sepulcher which is beautiful without but within ful of corruption The first thing which he that was miraculously restored to his sight beheld was men like trees walking there is nothing in all the creation so fit an emblem of man as a tree for as in trees there are three things to be observed leaves blossomes and fruit so also in men there are three things to be considered words thoughts and deeds He that is onely verbally good is like the Barren fig tree which brought forth nothing but leaves The words of men are like the leaves of the trees yet oftentimes we know by the leaves what Fruit the tree beareth the words of the malicious are like the leaves of Holly very offensive and full of prickles the words of the unconstant are like the leaves of Aspine continualy wavering and not to be credited the words of the deceitful are like the fig leaves which they sew together and make both coverings for their nakedness and cloakes for their iniquity as for thoughts they are but blossoms for he that onely thinks to doe good and puts it not into excecution like K. Agrippa or the young man in the Gospel is a false fair promising tree that is full of blossomes but the fruit is nipt in the bud blasted and never comes to perfection but mens actions are their fruits some are like sower grapes which set on edge the teeth of all with whom they have to doe others like the apples of Sodome appear fair without but at the first touch turn to ashes but a godly man like a good tree brings forth pleasant fruit which like the sweetnesse of the Vine both pleases God and refreshes men To conclude all men are trees they which are good shall be removed from hence to Paradise but they which are evil shall be cut down and cast into the fire A Religious Prince IS a representative of God in a threefold respect as a Man as a King and as a Christian He is composed of Greatness and Goodness the Conjunction of which Stars portends happiness to his People In his breast is the Throne of Honour and the Parliament of Vertue where Power and and Pietie meet together and Majestie and Mercie kiss each oother The Rod of Moses brought not so many miseries upon Egypt as his Scepter brings blessings upon England His very presence makes his Land become a Canaan for his innocence and sweetness like milk and hony refresh the hearts of all his Loyall Subjects To make him a Man after Gods own heart he hath been educated in afflictions he hath carried the Crosse before he wore the Crown and is religious by his second birth as well as royal by his first so that he is a King not onely by descent but merit for there is none fit to be the Viceroy of Christ as he who hath been twelve yeares his Standard-bearer If you look into the Court wonder not to see phantastick Gentlemen and proud Ladies for even Solomon had his Apes and Peacocks but take notice that he hath besides these a more Heavenly retinue which obtain not their places by bribes or interests The Cardinal Vertues are his Domestick Servants and the Graces are his Maids of Honour His best Harbingers are fervent Prayers His Cup-bearer is Temperance and Divine thoughts attend him in his Bed-chamber when he would be instructed the Holy spirit is of his privie Counsel and when he is in danger the Angels are his Life-Guard He is byas'd in his actions and Ballasted in his passions by the fear of God Augustus Caesar could not so easily allay his anger by repeating the letters of the Greek Alphabet as he by thinking of him who is Α and Ω. In a word we may observe that England in those late bloody times was like the Sonne of Cis Tormented with an evil spirit which could not be driven away till we had sent for David the anointed of the Lord our lawful King How excellently he hath turned his instrument let all the world that sees our Reformation Judge For he hath made Prudence his Tenour Justice his Base and Mercy his

Tyre and Sidon There are scandals in Grain and sinnes of a deep Die which not onely crie but roare for vengeance There is no man lives without offence and yet there are some offences which make men unfit to live as Treason Murder and others There is no Minister without sin and yet there are some sins which may make a minister unworthy to follow his Function If a Lawyer be once proved to be faced like Janus and to receive a Fee from the Plaintiffe and a Bribe from the Defendant he is presently thrown over the Bar and suffered no longer to Plead and why may not a Priest that pleads for God in his words and yet sollicits for the Devil in his actions be cast out of the Pulpit and suffered no longer to preach If thy right eye offend thee pull it out and cast it from thee If the Parson who is or at leastwise should be the right eye of the Parish be scandalous let him be pull'd out and ejected for better it is that one man should suffer in temporal things then that a whole Congregation of souls should perish for want of knowledge Now there are divers scandals which brings stains to the Black-Coats of the Clergy There is idleness swearing Sabbath-breaking and drunkenness the old-fashioned sins of the Cassock which caused our late Eclipse of Episcopacy And there is Pride Covetousness Hypocrisie Envie Malice and others the new fashioned sins of the Jump who have or I hope will cause the downfal of that Dagon Presbytery And all these are abominations in the sight of God burdens to the people Black-patches in the face of Divinitie and blots in the Scutcheon of Levi. A scandalous Minister is a prophane ignorant dunce whom his Parents looking more at the durty lucre of Tythes then the weightiness of the Calling designed for the Priest-hood although he were as unfit for that work as blind Tobit to be a Centinel or Mephisbosheth to be a Foot-post In order to his preferment they sent him to the Vniversitie where he ate drank and slept plaid a match or two at Foot-ball stole a Pig ran away from the Proctor and staid seven years to as much purpose as the King of France with twenty thousand men went up the Hill and so came down agen At length making a Friend of Mammon he obtaines a Benefice where by his weak discharging of Cure and his evil ordering of his Conversation he made the Clergy begin to grow odious and many Conscientious people for want of bread at home to run to other Churches and if it were not to be had there to turn Separatists keep private Conventicles listen to Lay-Preachers and at length come to be preachers themselves for his weakness made them too much presume upon their own strength For because many through bribery and corruption have obtained an outward Call to the Ministry without Qualifications it hath made others exercise their Qualifications without a Call Were it not for slothful Shepherds the Wolves would be kept out and were it not for such pittiful Sir Johns we should not have so many Sectaries He is in his Pulpit A Cloud without water a black thing hanging over the heads of the people but there is no Doctrine drops from him like the Rain nor Speech like the Dew upon the tender herbs but a strange hodge-podge discourse stuft with the husks and shells of Divinity which in stead of Explaining the Scripture makes it more dark like a thick Curtain drawn before a window which keeps out the light and makes those that are in a Lethargie of ignorance to sleep more securely Many years had he not followed this trade but as though providence had had a mind to wean him from the dugs of the Bel-ropes he was by Cromwells Commissioners unlawfully had hanged him up I think they had neither committed Murder nor he suffered Martyrdome But now thrusting himselfe in amongst those learned and pious Divines who suffered for Conscience Truth and Loyalty he is returned with a prodigious Omen to his poor neighbours who figh to see the Ravens come back as well as Doves he hath now possession of his Pulpit although it would be fitter for him to be amongst the Bears in Paris-Garden And blind Balaam is once more got into the saddle but I beshrow that hand which held him the stirrup And now instead of promises of Reformation he begins to Court his Parishioners with Rehoboams Complement telling them that now his finger shall be thicker then his loyns were before and that now he may tipple Cum Privilegio and as for swearing the Crime is Venial And lastly that nothing which can be charged against him can make him uncapable of injoying his Benefice save only if he speak against the Persons or power of Prelates Truly Reader If it were so the Bishops would stand as long as the Pageants in London streets and no longer If they be zealous in punishing their own enemies and slack in punishing the Enemies of God If he that speaks against an earthly Prelate must taste of a Pillory and have his ears pay for the boldness of his Tongue and yet prophane swearers who blaspheme the name of Christ who is the Bishop of our souls be mildly checkt with a Not so my sons and still permitted to serve at the Holy Altar we shall then see Lawn sleeves once again whipped out of the Temple if they will not maintain the Honour and Glory of God then God will not maintain theirs but suffer their Glory to be taken from their heads and their Honour to be laid in the dust It was a great Errour in old Eli to condemn Devotion for Drunkennesse It would be a greater in his Successors to tolerate Drunkenness in stead of Devotion But let the Countrey have more honourable thoughts of the Reverend Hierarchy and expect a sudden winnowing and sifting of the Ministrie For both God in his Word and the King in his Declaration have promised us able Preachers and the Overseers must take care that their will be done A Loyal Subject FEar God and Honour the King are two duties which the Apostle hath joyned together and therefore no man can seperate them He that is not a good Subject cannot be a good Christian He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen can not love God whom he hath not seen and as in love so in fear honour and obedience we may observe that he that honoureth not the King who is his visible God can not serve God who is his invisible King It was a sad complaint of Cardinal Woolsey that he had been very diligent and careful to serve the King but too unmindful and negligent to serve God I wish that his words be not fit for the mouths of some of our age Yet the Modern Rebels made a shift to avoid that Rock but lost themselves in the Quick-sands of Disloyaltie And pretended to serve God whilest they denied obedience to his Vice-gerent And