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	head_n	203	3	6.3158	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62257	The sacred rite of confirmation discoursed of in a sermon preach'd at Okeham in the county of Rutland at a confirmation there administred ... on May 17, 1683 / by John Savage ...	Savage, J. (John), 1645-1721.	1683 (1683)	Wing S770; ESTC R34219	24,508	36

Gospel a ready entertainment Some that would vilifie this holy Office as it is now administred pretend that none but such extraordinary gifts were at this time conferr'd and that for the constituting of a Church and enabling them to propagate the Faith But how weak and frivolous this assertion is appears from the number of these confirmed Samaritans who in all probability were all that believed and were baptized and those v. 6. were the people with one accord from the least to the greatest v. 10. both men and women v. 12. Now is it likely that a whole City which according to its name was not onely for stateliness of Palaces but multitude of inhabitants august and venerable should be destined and set apart by the Apostles to the holy Ministry What kind of Church were they likely to found at Samaria where like a Dover-court all should be speakers and no hearers especially where so many women were permitted to tattle what a uniform body was this likely to be which should be made up of Eyes and Tongues and Hands and no other Members to secure it from being monstrous whereas St. Paul tells us The body is not one member but many and the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal The holy oyntment that was poured on Aarons head ran down his beard even to the skirts of his cloathing and these great effusions of the Spirit were extended though not in the same yet in a sufficient measure to the meanest of Christs members In Acts 2.41 we read of three thousand souls converted in one day and in Chap. 4.31 we find that the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were all filled with the holy Ghost Here was an extraordinary confirmation and yet no extraordinary gists as we read of bestowed all that is recorded of the effects of this holy Spirits descent is this that they spake the word of God with boldness that they were endowed with a true Christian courage and magnanimity to profess the Gospel nowithstanding the greatest discouragements they met with 'T is not unlikely but that in answer to their Prayers v. 30. God stretched forth his hand to heal and signs and wonders were done by the Name of his holy child Jesus but that any such new gifts were then bestowed we have no ground from Scripture to affirm and that so many thousands should be miraculously impowr'd to preach the Gospel in our modern sense we have no reason to believe Besides those extraordinary Gifts bestowed upon particular persons for special ends and purposes there were the ordinary and internal Gifts of the Holy Spirit the Gratiae gratos facientes that were common unto them all and did render them acceptable unto God Such were the inlightning of their minds the inflaming of their affections the endowing them with meekness and patience with courage and comfort the inward assistances of this Spirit by which their Faith was strengthned their Hope confirm'd their Charity enlarg'd and all their good desires became vertuous habits and all their holy resolutions arm'd with strength for their performance The former sort of Gifts were of a temporary nature to continue no longer than the infancy of the Church then requir'd they were signa tempori opportuna adapted to its present necessities but the second sort of Gifts are proper to all Ages and therefore to continue till the dissolution of the World according to that of St. Chrys in his 13th Hom. on St. Mat. thus englished by a Reverend and Learned Prelate of our Church Bish Sparrow's Ration p. 311 In the beginning of spiritual and marvellous Dispensations outward signes appeared to confirm the new-preached Faith but now that the Faith is sufficiently confirm'd although such Miracles be not wrought yet we receive those inward Graces and Vertues which were signified and demonstrated by those signes Now those Signes were the Gifts by which Simon Magus was at first detected at Samaria and at last baffled at Rome by these the Wise men and the Scribes were silenc'd the Athenian Philosophers confounded and the honest-hearted both Jews and Heathens converted This was the demonstration of Spirit and of Power which the Apostles and their immediate Successours did exercise and yet they did not make the comers thereunto perfect They were Gifts highly admirable and stupendious in themselves and as desirable for their effects and yet as desirable as they were I can shew you out of St. Paul a more excellent way and that is the second thing propos'd viz. II. That the consequents of it now upon its present administration by Episcopal are altogether as valuable as those were that heretofore proceeded from Apostolical hands The speaking strange Languages was a gift highly advantageous to the Church in general but did not sanctifie the heart or create any inward Grace in him that had it Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not charity I am become as sounding Brass or as a tinkling Cymbal The working of Miracles was proper to produce Reverence in the Beholders and to command their assent to what should be delivered but though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have no charity 1 Con. 13.1 2. says St. Paul I am nothing Charity is the Bond of Perfectness the height and eminency of all Christian Vertues 't is that which actuates and invigorates all other Graces without which Faith would be dead and Hope would be presumptuous This intirely unites us unto God and makes us love our Neighbour as our selves This fixes our resolutions and arms us against all manner of Temptations This keeps us low and Infantlike under the most prosperous successes and buoys up our souls from under the hardest pressures This makes us humble and condescending to our Inferiours courteous and affable to our Equals lowly and submissive notwithstanding the greatest disappointments we meet with to our Superiours Finally to conclude this is the Holy Ghost in the Text I mean the complement and perfection of all his Graces that the persons now to be confirmed are to be filled with The promise of the Holy Ghost Acts 2.39 as St. Peter told the Jews was unto them and to their children and to all that are afar off afar off not onely in distance of place but in distance of time and relation and this promise though not of miraculous Gifts yet of what infinitely outweighs them the internal sanctifying Graces of his Spirit the fruits whereof are Love Joy Gal. 5.22 Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance that very Promise will on this day be perform'd and these Graces will now be communicated if they themselves do not put a bar and hinder the efficacy of this holy Office And that you may be confirm'd in the belief of this great truth let me request you to consider well the third thing propos'd viz. III. That the seeming disproportion betwixt the outward means and

the inward effects ought not to prejudice any considerative person against the power and efficacy of this Office Will some say How is it possible that upon so slight an action as laying on of hands and the Bishops Prayers so much strength against all Temptations so much ability to perform all acceptable Duties should be conveyed unto us 'T is true the meanness and simplicity of the Ceremony is apt to scandalize him who understands not the invincible power of God which oftentimes effects great and stupendious Works by light and improbable means here is nothing as in the Church of Rome of pomp and solemnity to attract your eyes and raise your admiration nothing but what the holy Apostles did practise and that in a very plain yet comely dress My Father said the Servant of Naaman if the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing wouldst thou not have done it how much rather when he saith unto thee Wash and be clean Dispute not then the possibility or manner of its conveyance but since thou hast as much need of the Holy Spirit in thy capacity as the primitive Christians had in theirs fully perswade thy self that he will not be wanting to thy devout desires but as readily assist thee as he did them and will no more scorn to be invited down now than heretofore he hath been by Prayer and Imposition of Hands For if this Objection be of any force we may upon equal grounds be scandaliz'd at the two great Sacraments the visible signes whereof are altogether as mean and in themselves improbable Nihil adeo est says Tertullian quod tam obduret mentes hominum De Baptis quam simplicitas divinorum operum quae in actu videtur magnificentia quae in effectu repromittitur Others may again object that if Miracles did now as heretofore attend this Office they should then have reason to believe that great and valuable are the inward effects of it but since those are ceas'd they see not why this Office should not cease with them But in answer to this we must know that Miracles were not of the essence of this holy Office for if they had they would have been essential to other Offices which they did sometimes attend upon The Holy Ghost we find in a visible manner descended upon our Saviour at his baptism S. Mat. 3.16 and yet the Holy Ghosts visible descent never was lookt upon as essential to that Sacrament When St. Peter preacht the Gospel to Cornelius and his Companions we are told that while Peter yet spake those words Acts 10.44 46. the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word for they heard them speak with tongues and magnifie God and yet the Gift of Languages never was imagin'd to be of the essence of Preaching So that we may with equal reason be scandaliz'd at those two great Offices and pretend that the internal Gifts of Gods Spirit do not follow the performance of those Duties because the external ones are wholly ceas'd Neither ought this to scandalize any That they do not meet with sensible alterations violent motions strong convulsions and tremblings for though sometimes the Spirit upon strong convictions may produce such effects yet here where a due preparation is suppos'd and not a dispossessing of Satan but strength against him is wrought such a violent commotion of the Spirits cannot be expected But the Holy Ghost comes here in a soft voice works gently and mildly upon the rational and intellectual parts of man and by degrees moulds and fashions him into the perfect stature of the Sons of God As we are not sensible of our natural growth how every day new accessions are made to the several parts of our body and yet that we do grow our senses do sufficiently evince so neither can it reasonably be expected that we should understand the mode of the divine operations and the way how such vital strength and nourishment is convey'd to our Souls although after a competent progress in the ways of Vertue we may safely conclude that we are grown in Grace The Spirit of God bearing witness with our spirit that we are the Sons of God IV. Behold then the excellency the usefulness the necessity of this great Office an Office whose antiquity bears date with the holy Scriptures whose lawfulness the great Examples of our Saviour and his Apostles not to say any thing of the constant and uninterrupted usage of it in the Church for many Ages do vindicate an Office whose expedience and necessity of continuance the great ends and purposes for which it was instituted viz. the conveying the manifold Gifts of Gods Spirit do sufficiently evince an Office always accounted so sacred that our late Vsurping Presbyters never durst pretend to the actual exercise of it an Office from which baptized persons may expect such great and admirable advantages as far surpass whatever the Gift of Tongues could express or Miracles declare an Office whose good influences nothing can hinder but the bars and obstructions that our selves do set finally an Office which in no part of it lies open to any solid Objections even from the worst of Adversaries To conclude then this our long and as I am afraid tiresom Discourse let all be perswaded in their several Spheres to promote the honour of this excellent Work Old men and maidens young men and children of what state or quality soever let 'em be ready to entertain this blessed Spirit who is now as it were hovering over your heads and willing to come down into all prepared hearts And you that intend this day to be partakers of this great Mystery that desire this holy Comforter to descend from Heaven and take possession of your hearts you that earnestly long for the refreshing and strengthening Graces of Gods Spirit you who are now to engage with Principalities and Powers with the deceitful World and your own Lusts and come hither to be enabled to fight that good fight and to come off Conquerours Let me request you deeply to imprint upon your thoughts not onely the excellency of this Duty with the gracious effects thereof but especially that solemn profession that you are here to make the Covenant with God and his Church that you are about to renew the strict Obligations that lie upon you from thence of being pious and devout just and charitable meek and temperate For if you come prepar'd with such generous Christian resolutions as these you need not question but the Graces of Gods Spirit will by the mediation of this his principal Steward be conveyed unto you for which you have the same warrant as the judicious Hooker observes which the Patriarchs Hook Eccles Pol. lib. 5. Prophets Priests Apostles Fathers and men of God in all Ages have had for such their particular Invocations and Benedictions Address your selves then to the holy Altar with decency receive the Blessing with Faith and Humility turn not the Grace you are this day to receive into wantonness but treasure it up in an honest heart and let the fruits thereof be discernable in your lives then will you secure to your selves that seven-fold Gift of the Spirit which the Bishop with the Congregation will presently pray for The Spirit of Wisdom and Vnderstanding the Spirit of Counsel and Ghostly strength the the Spirit of Knowledge and true Godliness and the Spirit of his boly Fear And for us of the Clergy as we have reason to glory in the number of our Catechumens and to magnifie the God of Heaven for this joyful fruit of our labours So let us be perswaded to continue this good Work that is so happily begun and by catechizing and wholsome instructions prepare the younger sort successively for the like Blessings This will engage his Lordship to continue his intended kindness in coming as it were to our doors though to his great charge to administer this Office and we shall all reap this comfort by it that the Children that are yet unborn will stand up and call us blessed And that this holy Office may have its desired effect that when the Bishop lays his hands upon them they may be filled with the Holy Ghost Let us All here assembled at the pronouncing of each Benediction unanimously say AMEN FINIS