Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	aaron_n	beard_n	garment_n	86	3	8.8292	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20769	Certaine treatises of the late reverend and learned divine, Mr Iohn Downe, rector of the church of Instow in Devonshire, Bachelour of Divinity, and sometimes fellow of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge. Published at the instance of his friends; Selections	Downe, John, 1570?-1631.; Hakewill, George, 1578-1649.	1633 (1633)	STC 7152; ESTC S122294	394,392	677

world make a flourish to the contrarie expressely confesseth that the Spirits of the Patriarchs and Prophets before the comming of Christ were not so worshipped and called vpon as the Apostles and Martyrs now are because as yet they were detained in those infernall prisons where they had not the beatificall sight of God Now if the Patriarchs then saw the face of God as farre forth as the Saints doe now as indeede they did the argument is so much the stronger if yet all that while they were never called vpon In the new testament likewise we finde no warrant for it even by their owne confession And Salmeron the Iesuite rendreth reasons thereof For saith he the Iew that never had called vpon any of the Patriarchs or Prophets would hardly haue beene drawne to pray vnto those newer Saints the Gentiles would haue thought that insteed of those many Gods which they had forsaken a multitude of other Gods had beene put vpon them As for the times after Christ and his Apostles it was long before it crept into the Church and when it entred it was but the opinion of some private men and not the publike doctrine of the Church All the Fathers which proued the Deitie of the Sonne of the holy Ghost by this dutie of Invocation must needs if they will not contradict themselues be against it So must they also and they are not the least or meanest part of them who held that the Faithfull hence departed are not admitted into heauen but continue elsewhere in some secret receptacles without the vision of God vntill the day of iudgement For vpon that vision even in the iudgment of our aduersaries their particular knowledge of all things here done on earth dependeth vpon this againe their Invocation In a word whensoeuer or howsoeuer it began as it grew on so was it still opposed and neuer gate publike strength vntill the blinde times of superstition overswaied true devotion The cafe then standing thus that Invocation of Saints and Angels is neither necessary nor pious nor profitable but rather impious and extreamely dangerous as being derogatory to the glory of God the honour of Christs Mediation and that no ground or warrant at all can bee found for it either in the old or new Testament or in the writings and practise of those holy Fathers who flourished when the Church was in her primitiue puritie the case I say thus standing our safest course will be to follow the precedence and direction of our blessed Saviour and with him to addresse our selues vnto our heauenly Father and to none other It is he alone who at all times can both heare and helpe Neither is he more able then ready and willing to grant our requests if we come vnto him in his sonnes name Night and day he stretcheth out his armes towards vs he invites vs with all louingnesse to come vnto him hee chargeth and commandeth vs in all our needs and necessities to direct our prayers immediatly vnto him Let vs not therefore sollicite any other mediators or spokesmen for vs as if we doubted of his fatherly goodnesse and affection towards vs but let vs rather come directly with all boldnesse vnto the throne of grace to the end we may obtaine mercy and finde grace to be holpen in due season So to doe is not Presumption but Faith and Dutie And so much for the first part of our Saviours prayer Quem orat to whom he prayes The second is Pro quibus orat for whom he prayes Hee prayes for the Church mysticall as some tearme it or as it may more fitly be called for Christ mysticall that is the whole body consisting both of the Head which is Christ and all the rest of his members That it may more fitly bee called Christ mysticall we haue the warrant of S. Paul who expressely calleth it so As saith he the bodie is one and hath many members and all the members of one body though they be many yet are one body euen so is Christ Where by Christ nothing can be meant but the whole consisting both of Head and Members Had the Church as it s distinguished against the Head beene vnderstood hee would haue said as St Austin obserueth ita Christi so is Christs that is the body of Christ or the members of Christ but hee saith ita Christus even so is Christ vnum Christum appellans caput corpus calling both the head and the body one Christ. The same doth St Austin elsewhere also obserue vpon those words of the Apostle He saith not and to seeds as speaking of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ. Now saith he some perhaps will say if Christ be the seed of Abraham are we so also Remember that Christ is the seed of Abraham and if by this wee also are the seed of Abraham then are we also Christ. Vnto this warrant of Scripture adde we the reason thereof that Christ and his Church being twaine and yet constituting but one mysticall body it is fit the denomination of the whole should be taken from the better and more worthy part which is Christ and not the inferiour which is the Church But of this by the way For Christ mysticall then doth our Saviour pray but first for himselfe and then for his members For himselfe from hence vnto the ninth verse for his members from thence vnto the end of the Chapter If any demand a reason of this order I answere first Christ is the more worthy person For hee is Emanuel God-man appointed by his Father to be the Head of the Church and in all things to haue the preheminence And therefore as he hath in our Creed before the Church so in this Prayer also he deserues to haue precedencie Secondly hee knew it could not goe well with his Church vnlesse first it went well with himselfe For vnder his Father he was to be the fountaine of life and grace the vniversall cause of all good vnto his Church and to this end was hee to be annointed of the Spirit without stint or measure So that vnlesse the ointment be poured vpon Aarons head it cannot descend vnto the beard and from thence vnto the skirts of his garment And vnlesse Christ be first replenished himselfe we cannot of his fulnes receiue either grace for grace or glory for glory That therefore it might goe well with vs he prayes first for himselfe But then in the next place he maketh sute for his Church as if without her welfare it could not be well with him For as for her he was incarnate so without her hee counts himselfe imperfect For so it must needs be if as St Paul saith she be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all The reason because he is her Head And therefore though he fill all in all yet without her he wanteth of his owne fulnesse because he