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	bring_v	fruit_n	58	3	7.4968	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59072	God, the king, and the church (to wit) government both civil and sacred together instituted ... and throughout all, the Church of England ... vindicated : being the subject of eight sermons, preached ... / and now published by George Seignior ...	Seignior, George, d. 1678.	1670 (1670)	Wing S2417; ESTC R19835	158,466	284

warping not yeilding either to the terrours of some no nor being inticed because of advantage by the allurements of others and yet throughout all manifesting a Spirit of meekness this mans Message shall be accompanied with honour with his humility he shall win upon the people by degrees for no other reason but that they shall be convinced at length of his integrity in that he has not performed his Duty by Degrees comes not upon them with his after-claps he has not in the least dissembled either with God or them It is not whatsoever some may think in their worldly wisdom which is not so pure as they prerend it peaceable alwayes advantagious to comply with and suit our selves to present necessities to attemper our selves to the humours of men and the swing of the times to be less sollicitous in such circumstances which for a while will go against the grain and a little popular indifference is not that which will induce the vulgar to Magnifie Gods service neither will it contribute much to the keeping of all things for any considerable time quiet And yet for all this the Servant of God must not be pievish he may be resolute but not froward and let him bear patiently this reproach if for his constancy to that to which he has subscribed so often he is counted violent by some pert and pragmatical by others who have no other plea to excuse their own Hypocritical luke-warmeness then by traducing the stedfastness of such who according to that way which they once counted Superstition and at this day think not so expedient for it seems a mechanical sanctity does not suit so well with a new mechanical Philosophy Worship the God of their Fathers Notwithstanding these corrupt Principles fomented amongst false Brethren may the poor deluded People whose immortal souls are precious be convinced when they see their Priests cloathed with Righteousness in relation to God and his Church and with humility in reference to them this should raise their veneration of them and esteem for them It is not beneath the Dignity of an Apostle provided he does not build what he once destroyed or destroy that which he would seemingly pretend to build and so either way make himself a Transgressor nay it makes much for the Magnifying of his office in the sight of all the People when in a constant regular performance of his own Duty he shews hmself gentle and courteous even to the froward and perverse Call it what you will either Moderation as it respects the Subject and is a personal qualification or Popularity as it has an influence upon others and is some kind of aery satisfaction upon the performance of any thing that has been well taken the true notion either of one or the other or of Both as one and the same I am sure in many persons they are convertible and one Definition will serve Both in whom all their Moderation is their popularity the true Notion I say of each is not the abatement of our own strictness but to labour the supporting those that are weak to restore such as are gone aside to that stedfastness which they may see us profess in a Spirit of love and charity it is not an unworthy sneaking compliance like Elie's sons in the Priests office to do any thing for a Morsel of Bread or a piece of Silver but it is an affable winning behaviour in converse to allure those who are disaffected to embrace that order which they may see us so severely practice It were a strange way we should think to heal the sick and raise him up again should the Physician feign himself to be in the same distemper with his Patient it would surely be to better purpose to apply gentle and healing Medicines and not by an affected indisposition court both himself and his patient unto death And shall the Physicians of Israel lick up the sores of the people Suit themselves to their Maladies be partakers of other mens sins were it not both honester and much the safer course both for the Doctors credit and the Peoples health to pour in Wine and Oil Wine that may throughly search and cleanse and Oil that may kindly close up that so the Wound of the Daughter of his People be not slightly healed is it not more becoming his profession thus to behave himself rather then that such a one as is ingaged in the cure of souls should by a sordid imitation humour the Fancy of the Diseased or Disaffected and though somtimes Corrosives are to be applied and not always Cordials whatsoever are the hurts of the people they are to be opened and touched to the quick yet the Spiritual Chyrurgion as he is to have a Lions couragious heart so he must have a gentle easie and a skilful hand even in holy and strict Discipline the Rod it self may be managed dexterously and with a Spirit of meekness The blooming budding Rod of Aaron yielding Almonds and those were the fruits of Peace that Peace which the very People when by the blessing of Aarons God upon them they do experience it shall magnifie yea and Magnifie those that bring it to them saying Blessed are they that come to us in the Name of the God of Peace that so our Houses may no more be left unto us Desolate Speciosi pedes Thus shall they look upon the Feet of an Evangelist as beautiful yea although the Terrors of the Lord may sometimes accompany his message even they shall perswade as here in the Text the fruit of all which in Gods due time shall be Peace unto those that seek Peace in keeping their due Distance from in giving due Praise and Honour to those who are the Ambassadors of Peace from Heaven to all and yet their Embassy is to be managed with Power and Authority that so their Persons may be had in honour for their employments sake considering whom they represent and that is the next thing to be considered under this second branch 2. To the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this the honour of these Saints their Persons to be magnified amongst the multitudes And here it is observable that the Admiration or Praise which was given to the Apostles was given to them all indifferently and that in a whole community as they were all assembled with one accord agreeing together as Brethren in the Kingdom and Patience of our Lord Jesus it was not so a respect as to set one above another much less to set them against each other St. Peter was no more magnified then all the rest though the next words to the Text tells us that there was healing to all such as passed but under his shadow and St. John though once a Beloved Disciple in the success of his Ministry does expect no more honour from the People then had others of his Brethren And here the People are to be advised that although they ought to have the persons of Apostolical men in honour and admiration

next Generations sake which is to come they would not further promote the establishing of this iniquity by law lest whilst they do gredily catch at the portion of meat which is upon Gods Altar they unawares bring a burning coal along with it not to cleanse their lips but which will burn their nests and kill their young ones destroy their whole Family Whosoever thinks to raise his House upon the Churches ruines let it be in a literal or a metaphorical sense both the Ground is holy and so is the portion likewise that is alloted for the maintenance of the Building lays his Foundation if not upon Sand yet in Fire the Fire from Gods Altar hid as it were in its own Embers at the bottom sometime or other will break out afresh the ruine and destruction will be inevitable a sad Desolation not at all to be withstood Not unlike this were in a great measure the Signes and Wonders in the Text which were causal of a reverent esteem in the people of the administration of Gods service to wit Gods sore displeasure manifested against the sin of Sacrilege and this should have the same effect now were there not a Generation of Vipers amongst us who delight in nothing but in Eating through the Bowels of their Mother-Church who notwithstanding the judgments of God so visibly terribly in the earth will not be perswaded to learn righteousness 2. Signes and Wonders still and those the occasions of a great Veneration being there were Wonders of Mercy to all those who stood in need of healing whilst the People took so great a delight under and found so much benefit in St. Peters shadow they could not but have respect for the substance nay though Multitudes came out of the Cities round about bringing sick folks and those that were vexed with unclean Spirits they were all healed every one Thus from the beginning the fruit of the Tree of life was for the healing of the Nations that so the people might find a place of rest under and at the same time satisfie themselves in admiration of the Branches of it The Gospel of the Kingdom was ordained of God in the hands of Jesus as a Mediator in the Mouths of the Apostles as the Dispencers of it to be for health both unto Body and Soul forgiveness of sin to the one taking away all manner of Distempers from the other and so a perfect salvation unto Both whilst unto those who fear and reverence the word of God which is to be magnified above all his name Christ as the Son of righteousness his Apostles and their Successors as the Stars in his right hand they have their sweeter influences and He Himself ariseth nothing less from all but healing in their wings And although at this day these extraordinary benefits are with-held there being no need of such wonders now to confirm that word of life into which we are no sooner born then baptized and we all of us may or should suck in the sincere milk of the Word with that which we draw from our Mothers brests our parents according to the flesh being as Tutors and Governours to bring us to God our Father to Christ our elder Brother and to the Church our best Mother yet methinks there are some Wonders of Providence like those antient Miracles of Mercy still continued to consider that outward peace plenty and prosperity which God usually gives in as a Temporal advantage to that Nation or people amongst whom his worship is celebrated in the Beauty and Glory of it when the Tribes of Israel go up to the Mountain of God to serve the Lord in that place which out of all the Tribes he has chosen to himself lo in the same City where is the Temple of God do they behold with admiration and count her Towers mark well her Bulwarks and reckon up the Fortresses thereof this the security and strength of the City but then for its glory and splendor see there also Majesty as most excellent there are the seats for judgment and the throne is there established for the House of David But on the contrary whence come wars and tumults intestine broils or hostile invasions are they not most usually directed providentially as to the ultimate end of them in order to the removal of the Candlestick from those who do not value it who care not to rejoice in the Light that is fixed in it hence the Kingdom of God is taken away from those who lightly regard it given to those who will reverence its Dispensation bringing forth the fruits of holiness in Patience and Sobriety Where is the Church of Corinth now or where are the seven Churches of Asia what is become of Antioch where our Religion was first Christened the name of our Lord called upon his followers I might mention the rest to whom St. Paul writes his Epistles how were they once exalted unto heaven in their glorious and great injoyments but now they are almost reduced to their former Gentilisme for surely they did not continue stedfast to the goodness of their God Nay closer yet to make the case our own if the Administration of the Gospel of peace doth not still keep along with it as its concomitant the miraculous gift of healing all manner of diseases and bodily infirmities yet certainly it continues health where it doth not restore it or at least the prophanation of it is that which kindles Gods wrath against us and provokes him to plague us with divers Diseases and sundry kinds of death as our Liturgy in the preparatory exhortation to the Communion most piously observes to consider what ruines have been made by Pestilence Famine and Sword in Christian Common wealths may we not say with the Apostle that for this cause many have been sick many weak and many have fallen asleep so that in some sense it is manifest that the due and right ministration of the Mystery of Godliness has the continuance of this Life as well as the promise of that which is to come would we have our days prolonged in the Land which the Lord our God has given us this is the Commandement and it is the first with a Promise Remember we the performance of it as of children by our holy Church we have been taught That we submit our selves to all our Governors Teachers Spiritual Pastors and Masters that we order our selves lowly and reverently to all our betters in a word which is the sum of all the rest that we magnifie that Religion the due solemnities of which in its wonted beauty is under God who to be sure will take care of his own worship either to vindicate or promote it the only means to make us externally happy if the fence be well set about the Sanctuary this will heal all our other breaches and restore us places to dwell in to be sure provide for us everlasting habitations God will upon this account onely delight in us to build and to