Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	age_n	year_n	young_a	352	4	5.7811	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68091	A preparation to the most holie ministerie wherein is set downe the true meanes to be well prepared to the same, by an exact description, and consideration, of the necessitie, excellencie, difficultie, and great profit therof; with the maruellous effects of the same: also a liuely exhortation to all youth, to giue themselues to the studie therof: and a confutation of the obiections which may be brought in any sort to touch the same: verie profitable and necessarie in these our times, ... Diuided into two bookes. Written in French by Peter Gerard, and translated into English by N.B.	Gerard, Pierre.	1598 (1598)	STC 11754; ESTC S108635	151,047	320

and being brought before the Senate of the citie for the profession of the truth hee disputed with so great admiration against the aduersaries of the same that he was carried frō thēce vnto Rome to Pope Paulus the fourth where being assaulted with disputatiō he answered so to the purpose in the Popes court that all they which were present were rauished with a●miration obiected to him that they were ashamed that hee shoulde correct the church for they disputed about the church seeing that he was not yet 24. yeares of age he answered to this obiection that we reade in the scripture That vnderstanding is not giuen by age Luk. 1. Dan. 2. but that the spirit breatheth where it listeth Iohn Baptist receiued the holy ghost in his mothers wombe Daniel was a yong child when hee was brought before Nabucadnezer yet neuerthelesse the scripture saith that he was filled with wisedome and vnderstanding the three Hebrewes which were with Daniel wer likewise yong for they were called children yet they were wise of vnderstanding in diuine matters Timothy and Titus were not verie olde when they were chosen Bishops Gal. 4 And dooth not Saint Paul say that they are in bondage the obserue daies and times moneths yeares what answere you to your own laws which cōmandeth the bishop being aged The last Chapter distinc 38 not to refuse to learne of those which are yonger learneder thē himselfe If this be so why doo you blame my youth I pray God that this and such like words may be wel practised especially by old men thē the church of god shuld recciue such cōmodity oftentimes as it is hindered in many places because these things are not so well marked Wherfore let vs conclude in one word that whē question is made of the choise of a minister that no regard is to be made so much of the multitude of yeares as of the graces of God which are in them by whom God will bee serued prouided alwaies that these graces be accōpanied with a modest grauitie which doth recompence the default of age which may bee thought to cause some contempt of those that be yong CHAP. IX The third part of the difficulties of the ministrie which do consist in diuers maners of afflictions vnto which ministers be subiect LEtte vs come now to the sixt and last difficultie which may bee of great force to make al mē loath the ministrie which beareth any loue to the same and that is cōtempt opprobries ignomynies iniuries vnto which ordinarily pastors are exposed But because these accidents be almost infinit we will recite only the greatest we will reduce them all to eleuen or twelue in number the which we wil set down in order The principall afflictions vnto which the Prescher of the w●t be subiect as we haue done in other matters which we haue handled before placing the least more tollerable first afterwarde those which are more hard troublesome to suffer Not that we say that the Pastors alwaies shall fall into these accidents but because they haue happened vnto the prophets and Apostles the Ministers also which do succeed them in the preaching of the Gospell may fall into them as they do indeede when it shall please God so to try them 2 Chro. 32 First they are exposed to laughter and mocking as we reade of the messengers of God who hauing reprooued the people of Israel because they had forsaken the Lotd and had giuen themselues to the abhominations of the gentiles it is said That the Princes Ezech. 12 24. 1 Cor. 4 and the priests the people mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets vntil the wrath of the Lord arose against his people and till there was no remedy Saint Paule saith speaking of the Apostles we are made a gazing stock vnto the world and to the Angels and to men 2 Chro. 8 Secondly they are deadly hated of prophane men and euen of Kings as wee may read what Ahab answered Iehosophat the King of Iuda when hee had demaunded of him whether there were any other prophet of the Lord to enquire of him whether God woulde deliuer out of their handes Ramoth Gilead or no which they both beseeged Psal 109 hee aunswered I say to Iehosophat that there was one Michaiath the sonne of Iuda but he hated him These be those of whom Dauid complayneth calling them traytors and flatterers who haue rendred euill for good and hatred for loue Thirdly they are iniuried sometime one way sometime another way The good Elizeus going vp to Bethel heard the children that did iniurie him calling him Ball pate hall pate 2 King 2 The Prophets are called men of contention that striueth with the whole earth Fourthly Iere. 15 Ose 4 they are subiect to false accusations Osea was persecuted after this manner and almost all the other prophets Fiftly Iere. 29 they are subiect to be most villainously betrayed as Ieremias was by Semeias the Nehelamite because of a booke that he sent into Babilon Sixtly they are subiect to many ambushers which are prepared for thē as we may read how Elyas complaineth that he was left alone 1 King 19 of the Prophets of the Lord and that they sought to take away his life Seauenthly they are subiect to slanders as that they are seditious turbulent blasphemers This is a reproach to Elyas also to Ieremias Eightly 1 King 18 Iere. 43.5 that they are subiect to imprisonment Examples whereof we may see how Ahab imprisoned Michcas 1 King 22 Also by Ieremie who was at diuers times put in prison when Nabucadnezar besieged Ierusalem Iere. 20.32 by Zedechias the King of Iuda Hanani the Prophet hauing reprooued the king Asa for making allyance with the King of Syria 2 Chro. 16 he was imprisoned by him The Apostles also were often thus vsed as wee my reade in the booke of the Acts. Ninthly they are brought vnto iudgement to bee condemned as euill dooers we may see this in the prophesie of Ieremias Iere. 26 who when he exhorted the people to turne vnto god he was made a prisoner by the false prophets finally broght to iudgement S. Paule was vsed liwise after the same maner Tenthly they are subiect to blowes as we read of Micheas who receiued a blow vpon the cheeke of Ziakiiah the sonnne of Chenaanah also of Ieremiah who was stroken by Pashur and the other Apostles passed by this way Iere. 20 Eleuenthly we may ad the they must bear also which is most hard intollerable to be reuiled of wicked mē 2 Sam. 6 2 King 9 Wisd 5 Mark 3 whē they are enraged as Dauid Iehu iust mē S. Paul Iesus Christ himself And to this we may ioine another difficultie which is not lesse greeuous then the other The prophes are subiect to famine that they are subiect to famine Elias was

the greater the ambition if it creepes into them that exerciseth that calling as they passe them in dignitie so there is greater danger that this worme of ambition shuld breed in them We see commonly by experiences that wormes doo not breede in new and hard trees but in Cedars and other more tender wood and moathes in the finest wolles not in the course so likewise ambition is the proper vice of those that are most perfect And this ought especially to be considered that amongst al the gifts of the spirit there are none of more reckoning then the graces of God in preaching the word and as they are of more value so ambition doth more attempt them which are endued with these graces who are in perpetuall danger to be ouercome of her eyther by reason of their eloquence or because of the conceit of their sufficiencie or because of the general applause of the people so that they ought diligently to beware that she doth not seise vpon the heart for if shee once enters it is certain that such doth bring forth more bad fruite secretlie vnder the pretence of reason to maintaine their ambition that they do no good which is perceiued in the gouernmēt of their calling euen as a litle wormwood cast into a vessell of wine spoileth the whole and a little inke being powred dinto clean water maketh it blacke so a little ambition may spoile all those excellent vertues which a Pastor hath attained But how shall a Pastor saith some auoid this ambition How a Pastor may auoide ambition It doth consist onely in not seeking for honour but also to reiect the same when it it offered as far as possibly they can especially then when occasions are giuen of commendations as when hee goeth to preach For it may so fall out that then when one is prepared to speake well hee may be tickled with a certaine humour of glory as vppon the Sabboth day or some solemne feast day then say I hee must remember his dutie which is to behaue himselfe humblie and to giue all the glorye to God To this ende Philo Iudaeus applieth the forbidding of the people of Israel to eate leauened bread at the feast of the passouer as though hee would say that euen as the leauen hath this property to puffe vp the dowe so the praise which that day maye bee giuen may make the hearte to swell and as leauen was forbidden them the day of the Passeouer so likewise vppon other dayes when they went about any good worke especially in Preaching the worde then wee ought to flye this vaine glorie which is so indeede for the most parte more diligently then at another time because then shee doth present her selfe and may insinuate her selfe into the soule more then at some other time Let vs come to anger of which we may say that this diuellish passiō is so cruel to those who yeeldeth thereunto The mischiefe of Anger that it depriueth them of sence and vnderstanding Assoone as it entereth into any it taketh away from them all the light of reason and consequentlie all counsaile and aduice in bringing our purposes to passe Afterward it tyrannizeth as commonly Tyrants vse to do ouer thē which are subiect vnto thē For euē as those that haue once taken possessiō of any coūtry they take away from the same al those that may hurt thē as they see in wisdom so this hauing once seised vpō the hart doth choak al wisdom which there may be hid it causeth vs to be of a turbulent spirit it cōfoundeth al our thoughts and causeth all our countenance to be altogither disordered Hippocrates the Prince of the Phisitions saith that the sicknesse is to be feared which causeth an alteration of the countenance of him which is diseased Choller then is so much the more daungerous that it transformeth in such sort the estate of the body and minde that if one could paint such as are thus metamorphized no such monsters would appear For chollericke men sometime frowne sometime laugh sometime blush sometime waxe pale sometime they knock their feete against the grounde sometime they clap their handes sometime they mocke nod their head make a mouth as children vse to doo and to bee breefe they make so many faces as one saith as they that vse to foote out the moriske daunce If this demeaner of an angry man bee not sufficient reasons to perswade any to leaue these follies yet this vice ought to be abhorred because it maketh the maners of those that be chollerick to be rude and sauage and all their nature so wilde and barbarous that if it bee considered as it ought to be we shall finde that it is more like the nature of lions Choller doth extinguish in mē all Christian vertues beares and tygers then of men because this passion doth so abolish mercie curtesie temperance honest and modest grauitie that nothing can be seene in them more then is in cruell and wilde beasts Some blame pleasure because it transformeth men into swine as Circes did the companions of Vlisses But choler ought more to be discommended because it doth not onely transforme men into Tygres and Lyons which are beasts more dangerous but also euen into the person of the Diuell as we well obserue in a learned treatise of a famous man of our age which hee made of choller drawing these reasons heere alledged to proue that it depriueth vs of the spirit of God by which we are regenerated for if that spirit were in them it should make them of wolues lambes but choller bringeth vs to our sauage nature it causeth that of lambes we become wolues and in one word choller is the Prince of disorder which is in the world and the true cōtrarietie which opposeth it selfe directly against all that which God hath made Briefly seeing that this passion is not only deformed but also pernitious those which are preferred vnto or desire the calling of a minister ought so much the rather to banish the same frō them not only for the horrible mischiefs which it bringeth with it but also because of that springeth another passiō which is called Enuy no lesse dangerous and pestilent vnto men then Anger nay rather more if all things be duly considered We say that it springeth of choller because it dooth communicate with it as all vices depend one vppon another But according to Saint Austen we may say that it proceedeth from Ambition because it is called the daughter of ambition but so it is that the parents being so neare it was verie necessarie that I shoulde touch some thing hereof by the way because they that are too much giuen to choller and especially to ambition cōmonly are infected with enuy And this is that which S. Austen would signifie Aug. de ver b. dom super Mat. saying That Enuy is the daughter of pride and that the mother thereof which is ambition cannot be barren but that euerie place