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	brother_n	priest_n	49	3	7.1674	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60175	Sarah and Hagar, or, Genesis the sixteenth chapter opened in XIX sermons / being the first legitimate essay of ... Josias Shute ; published according to his own original manuscripts, circumspectly examined, and faithfully transcribed by Edward Sparke.	Shute, Josias, 1588-1643.; Sparke, Edward, d. 1692.	1649 (1649)	Wing S3716; ESTC R24539	246,885	234

the executioner So that the Lord may take up that complaint Isa 43. You have made me to serve with your sins Surely there is not that esteem and awful respect of God Application that ought to be in mens mindes for if they were perswaded of his greatness and Majesty neither would his Name be so cheape and trivially used nor would he be so often called unto for witnessing and judging they would not mention God without fear nor would they appeal to him or wish him to do any thing but upon sad and weighty consideration Who durst be so rude God not at all to be attested without awful reverence and unmannerly and bold as to call the King to witness upon every flight passage or dare say Let the King judge this man or revenge my wrong upon thisman And yet thus bold are men with him that is the King of kings and Lord of lords that bindeth nobles in chains and princes themselves in links of iron Certainly those mindes are prophane that have not awe and dread of God that tremble not to think of his dreadful majestie Abraham that was the friend of God yet speaking to him kept his distance And Moses a great favourite of his yet coming before him did fear and quake And Daniel though a man greatly beloved yet fainted and was sick with fear when he had to do with Him Such awe hath been always in good mindes if they have rejoyced in him Psal 2.11 it hath been with reverence according to that Psal 2. And certainly whosoever they be whose confidence eateth out their reverence they are more bold then welcome Preached October 13. 1641. THE EIGHTH SERMON GEN. 16.6 But Abraham said unto Sarah Behold thy maid is in thine hand THe next event is Abrahams yeelding up Hagar into the power of her mistress We have heard how bitter Sarah was to him how she had expostulated with him charged him unduely and concluded with an imprecation S. Chrysostom in locum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Saint Chrysostom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What doth this adamant now this generous souldier of the Lord Why saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he giveth proof of that habit of vertue that was in him and beareth all that had been said patiently and wisely And first we will observe that he replieth Secondly the manner of his reply wherein he sheweth himself both ways a discreet man and a loving husband Musculus The first Objurgatus ab uxere non tacet sed respondet saith Musculus Being chidden of his wife he is not silent but replieth And he did so for two Reasons Observ 1. Vnseasonable silence betrayeth a mans innocency 1. If he had replied nothing it would have more provoked his wife it might have seemed a signe of contempt It is observed of Xantippe that vixon the wife of Socrates that when upon her clamorous invectiveness her husband gave her not a word it madded her the more for she interpreted it as a kinde of scorn 2. If Abraham had not answered it would have confirmed his wife in her unjust suspition of him and she would have said See he hath nothing to reply self-guiltiness bungs up his mouth for were he faultless why doth he not speak and purge himself but he well knoweth I have charged him with nothing but truth he hath animated my maid to her base carriage towards me and fomenteth her still in her petulancy And therefore cùm clamat conscientia silet eloquentia when the conscience is clamorous the tongue is mute He had reason therefore to answer that he might clear himself And certainly as in regard of the former Reason it is a fault in a man when he seeth another angry to do anything whereby he may be provoked to a further measure of passion though some take a delight to do it so in regard of the second a man is not to be so cruel to his own reputation as not by a modest and sober answer to wipe off the dirt that is cast upon him It is not enough to say as the man in Jerome Sufficit mihi conscientia mea 8. Jerome habeo Deum judicem conscientiae my conscience is sufficient for me and I have God the sole judge of my conscience For Job had both Testem in coelo as himself saith my witness is in heaven and he had his conscience witnessing for him and yet he stands up against those friends of his that unjustly charged him and would needs have his sufferings to be the punishment of his hypocrisie And so did Jeremiah open his mouth against his adversaries and so did Steven and Saint Paul and divers others To be innocent of a crime objected is a great blessing of God and therefore for a man not to stand up in the defence of his innocency but to suffer dead flyes to be cast into his ointment and not to cast them out thereof but to stand silent he betrayeth his innocency nay he seemeth to despise so great a blessing and he may for the present lie under an unjust disgrace which to an ingenuous nature is no little affliction so he may another day be judged pro otioso silentio as well as pro otioso verbo saith Saint Ambrose S. Ambrose for that same idle silence as well as for other idle words It is true we read in Scripture that when reproaches have been sent out against holy men they have been silent but it was not out of a neglect of their credit but out of some other swaying considerations to which even credit it self was to give place Numb 6. Numb 6.12 Aaron and Miriam speak against Moses and use words of diminution Tostatus in loc Tostatus maketh it a question Whether Moses were present to hear them or no and he thinks it more probable that he was not present But 't is like enough he quickly heard of it and yet saith he non legitur quod respondit 't is not mentioned that he answered What might be the reason of that Was it because he took knowledge that God had took knowledge of it and he would leave it to him to revenge Certain it is that the less a man striveth for himself the sooner God espouseth his quarrel and becometh his champion Or secondly was there not another reason of it namely that if he should have made a reply and so a contest and altercation about it he feared it would have been matter of rejoycing to those that loved none of them all for they did not more emulate him then many of the people did them all Thirdly Quia Mosen in Ducem Aaron in Sacerdotem Miriam in Prophetissam elegit Deus saith Ferus Ferus in locum because God had chosen Moses for a Leader Aaron for the Priest and Miriam for a Prophetess unto his people to some of whom this would have been a delight to see brother and sister against brother to see

the Prince and the Priest and Prophetess clash Therefore rather then he would give cause of insulation to malevolent and envious spirits tacitus voravit injuriam Calv. in locum as reverend Calvin saith he swalloweth the injury with a patient silence So we read that when Shimei railed at David and cursed him he answered not though he were within hearing 2 Sam. 16. 2 Sam. 16. For 1. He was a contemptible person 2. It was no time for David being in his flight to answer him 3. He saw no hope by answering such a rabidus canis as the Father calls Julian such a mad dog Silence in some cases vertuous to quiet him and therefore he wisely forbore a reply It may be he hath reference to this Psal 38. where he tells how when men did speak mischievous things against him he was as a deaf man that heard not and as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth he was silent It may be by answering them he should have provoked them further and therefore he would prevent their sin Our blessed Lord before the high-Priest being accused held his peace Mark 14.61 And Chap 15. and answered nothing Mark 14. and Mark 15. being accused before Pilate and the high-Priests he answered nothing Saint Chrysostom gives the reason He knew he should nothing advantage his cause nor perswade them but enflame them further And he would not answer Herod Luke 23.9 when he earnestly questioned him Luke 23. So would not he answer a word when these did malitiously accuse him Nay there is one example above all the rest save Christ When railing Rabshakeh had spoken most blasphemously against God it is said The people held their peace and answered him not a word and that Hezekiah had commanded them not to answer him 2 Kings 18.36 2 Kings 18. It was not onely to spite the railer with silence but Hezekiah knew by a reply he might be exasperated but not reformed And secondly the rebounding of those multiplied blasphemies might make some ill impressions in the multitude and therefore they suffered him to lie in his own smoak To shut up this Point Application It is true in such cases as these silence is fit nay necessary if God may lose glory or our brother thereby rendered the more sinful or if no fit time or place for speaking For it is a great piece of Prudence to know when and where to answer But all this hinders not but that a man or woman when unjust aspersions are cast upon them may reply unto them and make a just apologie vindicate their reputation and do what they can to set themselves upright in the opinion of those that misjudged them The servants of God have done it in all times God himself hath put into the mouthes of his Prophets answers to those cavils and exceptions that people have made against his proceedings The Son of God himself did it as it appeareth in the Gospel and we may lawfully do it always provided we do it modestly as Abraham did here And so we come to the manner of his replying S. Chrysostom Wherein as Saint Chrysostom saith is observable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the admirable prudence of this righteous man and the multiplyed exaltation of his patient temper for he is not only not offended with the harsh words that were given him but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Observ 2. The piety and prudence of milde reproofs with cautions and remedies for their contraries he maketh a very gentle answer and here he playeth the part of a discreet and religious man as I said before and of a prudent and a loving husband First he sheweth himself a discreet and religious man for both discretion and religion guide a man to pacifie wrath by fair and easie language and not to irritate it further by retorting provoking words yea though a man be innocent yet he must not be passionate and though the party incensed be justly to be reproved The prudence and piety of milde reproofs and answer yet neither is that the time for sharpness For as the Physitians rule is Remedia in remissioribus applicanda Medicines are to be applyed not in the paroxysm or strength of the fit but the abatement So a man is not to be reproved in his careir as good talk to a man that is absent as good talk to a drunken man Abigail said nothing to her husband being overcome with wine until the next morning and as it is no fit time to reprove another in fury so neither is harsh language the way to do it for this adds but fewel to the fire S. Augustine and as Saint Augustine saith in the like case Quemvis correctione facis pejorem In stead of amending him thou wilt make him worse and more outragious But there is prudence and piety in a meek answer the Cannon shot loseth its force when it lighteth upon soft earth or wool so the violence of anger is mitigated when it is not resisted but meets with a meek spirit This is that which wise Solomon hath Prov. 15.1 Prov. 25.15 Prov. 15. A soft answer putteth away wrath but grievous words stir up anger and are as oyl to the flame and so Prov. 25. A soft tongue breaketh the bones or as it is in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 t will break a man of bone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such an one as is most stiff and obdurate a notable example we have of this in Gideon who when he had gotten that glorious victory over the Midianites was set upon by those of Ephraim to charge him with ambition and pride as unwilling to have any sharers in his conquest the text saith Judg. 8.1 they did chide with him sharply Judg. 8. He could not but be sensible of the affront where he deserved thanks to be quarrelled for what he had done but what did he in this case Sure that which became a pious and prudent man he did not upbrayd them with their cowardliness in that they did not offer themselves to the battle mildeness a conquering vertue or tell them that after the exploit done every coward can be valiant and after the fray ended none speak bigger then the fearfullest nor doth he twit them with their unthankfulness for his good service done unto them and all the people but he gently speaketh and extenuateth his own act and advanceth their performance his was but a gleaning in comparison of their full vintage he gives them good words and the issue is Verse 3. Their anger was abated towards him saith the text Vers 3. Joshua 22. An other example we have in Josh 22. When the Reubenites had set up an Altar their Princes send a sharp message unto them they begin with a challenge and charge them not only with transgression but apostacy and rebellion their words are very sharp and ful of wrath now had the