Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	baptism_n	john_n	water_n	8,157	5	7.3530	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12622	An epistle of comfort to the reuerend priestes, & to the honorable, worshipful, & other of the laye sort restrayned in durance for the Catholicke fayth.	Southwell, Robert, Saint, 1561?-1595.	1587 (1587)	STC 22946; ESTC S111067	171,774	436

presides vsque ad extre mū terrae How fayre are the feete of the preachers of peace for these are they that carye my name before Kinges and rulers and to the verye ende of the worlde Thus we see how the wordes of Christ are veryfied Nisi granum frumenti cadens in terram mortuum fuerit ipsum solum manet si autem mortuum fuerit multū fructū affert vnlesse the cornel of wheat fall into the grounde and dye it selfe remayneth alone but if it dye it bringeth forth much fruite Saynt Ambrose noteth that in the vinyardes of Engaddi a citye of Iurye there is a tree that if it be pricked or cutt it distilleth out most precious balme and yeeldeth a moste sweete sauoure neyther of which thinges it dothe being lefte whole Euen so happeneth it in the Martyrs whose blood by their woundes gushing oute is more precious sweete acceptable then the balme And of this maye we vnderstand those wordes of the Spouse Botrus Cypri dilectus m●us mihi in vincis Engaddi A cluster of Cyprus is my beloued vnto me in the vyne yardes of Engaddi For as S. Hierome sayeth Ideo odor disseminatur inter gentes subiit tacita cogitatio nisi verū euangeliū nunquā sanguine defenderēt By this meanes is the sauoure of Christianitye spredd emonge the Gentils and this secret thought cōmeth to theyr mynde that excepte the Gospell were true men wold neuer defend it with their blood The swetnesse of the rose if it be vntouched soone withereth awaye with the leafe which to day is fayre and to morow fadeth But put it into the still couer it frō the cōforte of the Sunne yea scorche it with the fyre it vapoureth out most delicate water which maye be longe preserued imparteth sweetnesse to whatsoeuer it toucheth So that whether it be by fyer or by naturall course the rose wythereth but in the firste manner both the leafe keepeth a pleasant sauour distilleth from it a most sweete liquour wheras in the seconde bothe the leafe is lesse lykesome and the water lost So fareth it with Gods Martyres Whyle they lyue they are sweete in their vertuous conuersation If they dye their example for a tyme doth some good but put them in pryson keepe them from worldlye comfortes yea scorche them burne them and vse them in all extremitye then doe theire vertue geue the best sauoure and their bloode whersoeuer it is shedd engendereth a wonderfull alteratiō in mens māners makinge them embrace the trueth and become Christi bonus odor incensū dignū in odorē suauitatis A good sauoure of Christe an incense worthy to be odour of sweetnes wheras in their naturall deathe though theyr example wold haue done good yet neyther theyr leafe had ben so odoriferous nor they re precious lyquoure to such benefitt of the church And therfore maye we say with Salomō O quam pulchra est casta generatio cū claritate cum presens est imitantur illam desiderant eam cum se eduxerit in perpetuū coronata triumphat incoinqui●atorū c●rtaminum praemia vincens O how fayre is a chaste generation with bryghtenesse whyle it is present men doe imitate it and longe after it when it is departed and tryumpheth crouned with perpetuall glorye winning the rewardes of they re vndefyled encounters Personable men of comelye feature though they be by sicknesse or dirte disfigured yet keepe they the tokens of seemelynesse yea and then theyr seemlynesse is most seene when it is compared with some contrarye deformitye And so is it in Gods Martyres euen in the depthe of worldlye disgrace doe they shew the glorious grace and beautye of they re mynde and when they re vertue encountereth with the persecutors vyce then doth it shyne brightest and is vnto the behoulders most pleasinge and amyable O vnspeakable force of the bloode of Martyrs then most powrable when it is spilte and then moste victorious when it is troadden vnder foote No Adamant so hard but though it resiste to the strokes of preaching yea and to the mightye force of myracles yet yeeldeth it to the blood of innocent lambes of which Christe speaketh Ego mitto vos sicut agnos inter lupos I sende you lyke lambes amonge wolues No leaprosye so vncurable but the blood of these infantes in innocencye thoughe not in age in malyce though not in discretion cannot cure And albeit Constantine refused a bathe of the bloode of Infantes in age yet doubtlesse had not these Infantes in innocencye I meane the Martyres bathed him in theyres God knoweth whether euer he had ben rid of his spiritual leaprosye Which he himselfe in a manner acknowledging whē he came to that famous Coūcell of Nice fynding manye of those Fathers that had some parte of they re bodye maymed or disfigured with the tormētes suffered for the Catholike Fayth he embraced thē in humble sorte most deuoutlye kissing the scarres of they re tormentes as most honourable badges of Christianity Three testimonyes recoūteth S. Ihon in this world tres sūt qui testimoniū dāt in terra spiritus aqua et sanguis There are three that geue witnesse in earthe the spirite water and bloode The firste dyd S. Ihon Baptist see in the forme of a doue the second and thirde S. Iohn Euangelist cōminge out of Christes syde In one sense these three thinges haue caused our spirituall lyfe in another they mayntayne our corporall Our inward man is quickned by Gods spiryte clensed by the water of Baptisme redemed with the blood of Christ. But nether wold this spirite haue quickned nor the water washed vnlesse the blood had redemed The Spirit soweth the water rypeneth the blood reapeth The spirite appeared in Christes baptisme though the heauē was opened yet nether earth nor hell gaue any signe of his comming The water was shed whē Christe weeped at Lazarus raysinge though hell was enforced to render her praye yet neither heauen nor earth were moued at it But when the blood came out of Christes woundes bothe the heauens denyed lyghte the earthe quaked and hell deliuered vppe the deade and then was it fulfilled si ●xaltatus fu●ro a terra omnia traham ad mcipsū If I be exalted from the earthe I will draw all things vnto me Our corporal lyfe also dependeth partly vppon breathing partlye in watrye humours but chieflye in blood Yet those are by natural course tokens of lyfe while in the bodye they performe theyr seuerall effectes But for our present consideration it importeth more to consider that theyr spirituall value and force is shewed when the bodye is bereaued of them No man was moued by seeinge Christe drawe breath but when with a greate voyce hee gaue vpp his spirite and loste his breath then dyd the Centurion strayte crye vere filius dei erat iste In verye deede this was the sonne of God Whyle the blood and water were in

full make and free from the impotencye of other broode as Epiphanius writeth And thus martirdome doth with our soule bringing it forth with such perfection that it is strayght enhabled to haue the perfect syght and loue of God wherin consisteth our blisse and happynesse without any delaye of further grouth or sufficiency In the baptisme of water saith S. Thomas the Passion of Christe worketh by a certayne figuratiue representation in the baptisme of spirite by a desyre and affection in the baptisme of bloode by perfecte imitation Lykewyse the power of the holy ghost worketh in the first by secret vertue in the seconde by commotion of the mynde in the thirde by feruour of perfect loue So muche therefore as immitation in deede is better then representation in the figure and desyre in the thoughte So muche doth the baptisme of blood surpasse those of water and spirite Baptisme is the cloude by which Moyses guided Gods people and shrouded them in the deserte but martirdome is the ryuer Iordan thorough which Iosue leadeth them into the lande of promise Baptisme appareleth Mordocheus in Kinges attyre yet leaueth him a subiecte But martyrdome with the robes inuesteth him also with royall dignytye No Naaman is so foule a leaper that this water of Iordan cannot cure No man so blynde but that the washing in this poole of Siloe can restore to sight No disease so vncurable but this ponde vppon Probatica can perfectlye heale It accomplysheth the laboures of the vertuous godlye satisfieth for the sinnes of the sinfull and wicked is to those a rewarde and to these a remedy Vidimus sayth S. Cyprian ad hunc nominis titulū fide nobiles venisse plerosque vt deuotio nis obsequiū mors honestaret Sed alios frequentur aspeximus interritos stetisse vt admissa peccata redimentes cruore suo loti haberentur in sanguine reuiuiscerent interempti qui viuentes putabātur occisi Mors quippe integriorem facit vitam mors amissam inuenit gloriam We haue seene manye of noble faythe to haue aspired to this title of Martirdome that their deathe might honoure their seruiceable deuotion We haue seene others to haue stoode without feare that redeeminge their offences with their bloode they might be knowen to haue bene washed in the same and might be reuiued by killing that alyue were accoūted dead For this deathe maketh lyfe more perfect and recouereth the grace that was loste And if S. Chrisostome extollinge baptisme sayeth that it not onlye maketh vs free but also holye not onlye holye but iuste not onlye iuste but children nor only children but heyres not onlye heyres but heyres of the same inherytaunce with Christe Not onlye heyres with Christe but members of Christe Not only members but temples not onlye temples but also instrumentes of the holye Ghost Then may I farther enlarge my selfe in the prayse of Martirdome and saye that martirdome geueth a freedome voyde of all seruitude a holines and iustice without any faulte or feare of losse It so maketh vs children that we cannot become enemyes It make●h vs heyres not only in right but in full possession It maketh vs heyres with Christ not onlye of hys grace but also of his glorye It maketh vs mēbers that can not be cut of temples that cannot be defyled suche instrumentes of the holy Ghost as cannot be abused Finally it geueth vs the crowne wherof baptisme is the pledge In all which poyntes it is superior vnto it To praye for the baptised is a benefitt Quia nescit homo finem suum no man knoweth what his ende shall be but to praye for a martyr S. Augustine termeth it an iniurye seeing we ought rather to commende vs to his prayers Iniuria est orare pro martyre cuius debemus orationibus commendari It is an iniurye to praye for a martyr to whose prayers we must be commended For these causes dothe the Churche call the dyinge dayes of martyrs their byrth dayes For though we be borne agayne by baptisme yet are we not come to a ful birth and perfecte healing For as S. Augustine sayeth Filij dei quamdin mortaliter viuunt cum morte confligunt quamuis veraciter de illis dictum sit quotquot spiritu dei aguntur hi sunt filij dei The children of God so longe as they lyue a mortall lyfe they struggle with death and though of thē it be truelye sayde that so manye as are ledd by the spiryte of God they are Gods children Yet so longe as the bodye opresseth the soule Often times tan quam filij hominū quibusdam motibus humanis deficiunt ad se ipsos et ideo pereunt Lyke children of men with carnall motions they fall into their oune fraylty so perishe Likewyse vpon these wordes of S. Ihon in iudiciū non venit sed transit a morte ad vitā Ecce inquit in hac vita non dū est vita transitur a morte ad vitam vt in indiciū non veniatur He came not into iudgmēt but passed from death to lyfe Lo sayth he in this lyfe there is yet no lyfe we passe from death to lyfe to auoyde the cōminge vnto iudgment We therfore sayth Origen Doe not celebrate the day of the Sayntes natiuitye which is an entrance of all griefes and molestations but the day of their death which is a rid dāce of their sorowes a farwell to the deuiles assaltes We celebrate the daye of theire death because thoughe they seeme to dye yet in deed they dye not When you here therefore named sayth an other Father the birth daye of the Sainctes vnderstand not that which breedeth them of fleshe into the earth but which bringeth thē from the earth into heauen from laboure to reste frō tētations to quiet from tormentes to delightes from worldlye laughters to a crowne of glorye For as S. Ciprian noteh scimus eos non amitti sed praemitti recedentes praecedere We know they are not loste but sente to leade vs the way and gone from vs to make way before vs. Natales vocamus dies sayeth Eusebius Emissenus quando cos martyrij vita gloriae fides dum ingerit morti genuit eternitati perpetua gaudia breui dolore parturiit We call their natall dayes whē the life of martyrdome and the glorye of their Fayth while it putteth thē to a temporall death begetteth them to eternall lyfe and with a shorte payne bringeth them forth to perpetuall pleasure Worthely are they called birth dayes by the whiche they that were borne into this myserye of mans frayltye sodaynly are borne agayne to glory taking of theire end death a beginning of an endles lyfe For if we call those birth dayes in which in sinn sorow we are borne to sorowe in this worlde more iustly may these be called birth dayes wherin frō corruptible lyght they come into