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	body_n	clothing_n	21	3	10.5595	5	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