Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bear_v	flesh_n	spiritual_a	5,844	5	7.6525	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12558	Munition against mans misery and mortality A treatice containing the most effectual remedies against the miserable state of man in this life, selected out of the chiefest both humane and divine authors; by Richard Smyth preacher of Gods word in Barstaple in Devonshire.	Smyth, Richard, preacher in Barnstaple, Devonshire.	1612 (1612)	STC 22878; ESTC S100020	65,151	158

credit in the world hindered that delight which they tooke in admiration of their own imaginarie excellencie which was a meere shaddow or rather a detestable idoll 6 But the Christian at least the true Christian is more moved vvith sin than with the punishment of sinne and apprehends sin not only as a politicall or morall evill but as a spirituall evill that is to say as it defileth the soule and makes it odious vnto God and defaceth his image in vs after the which we were first made trāsforming vs into the image likenes of Satan his and our sworne enemie in a word as it dayly worketh in vs in gratitude disobedience and rebellion against the most high in whome wee liue moue and haue our being Our sinnes then are the evils of evils and it is an vncontroulable principle in Divinity that the least evill of faulte is worse then the greatest evil of pain and that wee are bound rather to endure the greatest evill of paine then to commit the least evill of faulte For as long as we bee meerely passiue and suffer only although the things bee not only grievous but also infamous they cannot hurt vs nor endanger vs but that rule will ever hold that no man is hurt but by himselfe Wherefore e August de Civit. Dei lib ● cap. 19 S. Augustine saies of the ravishing of Lucretia by Tarquinius that Tarquiniꝰ Lucretia were two yet it was but one of thē that cōmitted adultery 7 Sinne then I say is that vvhich principallie makes a man miserable sin is the very leprosie of the soule sinne transformes a man into a monster and makes him a base degenerate creature yea the worst of all sensitiue creatures This hath so altered man that as f Idem Ibid. lib 1 c. 2● S. Augustin elegantly expresseth it he that should haue beene spirituall in his flesh is now fleshly in his spirite his meaning is that whereas if man had continued in his innocencie his flesh should haue beene in a manner spirituall because all the senses and motions of the flesh shoulde haue beene comely regular and holy nowe his very spirit is become fleshly because all the operations and motions of the very minde and soule are inordinate and vitious And how fowly sin hath deformed vs and distempered nature and what confusion it hath vvrought in vs appeareth by this that whereas the soule in man whom some haue sitly tearmed a little world is the principle agent the body the instrument reason the Soveraigne and appetite and sense the subiects sin hath turned this little world quite vpside downe The body is become the master and the soule the servant or rather the body a Lord and the soule a slaue appetite and sense command and sway reason is brought into subiection vnto them and must do as they wil haue it Thus as the common saying is the cart drawes the horse The soule should lift vp the body but the body pulles downe the soule and forceth her to suspend her proper operations that appetite and sense may act all Wee place cur happines not in things proper to vs as the right vse of reason contemplation of heavenly things vnion with God and the like which indeed are the life of the soule but in things common to vs and beastes in the satisfying or rather glutting of appetite sense although g Sen. ep 93 the very Gentill could say that pleasure is the chiefe good of beastes Nay sinne makes vs worse then beastes For although beasts are guided in all their actions with sense and appetite only yet are sense and appetite in them so regular and vniforme that they hold one cōstant course only seeking to satisfie nature not to oppresse it and therefore neither surfe it with eating nor are drunken with drinking nor in copulation betweene male and female exceede the necessitie of generation for multiplication and continuance of their like which being accomplished they afterwardes liue most temperately and in all these things as we vse to say doe but their kinde And all this they doe being destitute of reason and discourse herein more happy then man h Bernard in Cantic serm 8. as S. Bernard well saith that they are not iudged because they themselues cannot iudge But man on whom God hath bestowed reason to cōduct and direct him in his doings disdaineth to be governed by reason yea purposely rebelleth against it thinkes it his glory to bee vnresonable he despiseth even pleasure it selfe if it be naturall and such as God alloweth him vsing artificiall enforcements as it were to disguise Gods ordinances and to forge newe delights of his own although sometimes they be rather torments then delights Of all materiall and visible creatures he onely knowes order and yet onelie breaks order herein inferior not only to beasts but to senslesse and lifelesse creatures The sea in ebbing flowing the sun and moone in rising and setting the starres in moving and turning the very earth in springing and withering keepe a certaine order whereas man must needes be exorbitant and out of course as if his reason had been given him to make him mad and void of reason 8 And which not a little aggravates this part of his miserie hee is so intangled in the snares of sinne that of himselfe hee cannot possibly vntvvine himselfe nay to speake properly hee truelie desires not to vntwine himselfe but whereas all other prisoners loath and hate their fetters the sinner loues his he is in bondage and yet is well pleased with his bondage One would thinke that necessity and vvillingnesse vvere incomparible and coulde not stande togither yet sinne hath ioined them in one men cannot chuse but sinne and yet are willing to sin Thus i Bernar in Cant. serm 81. as a divine author complaineth after a strange maner neither necessitie can excuse the will be cause it is willing nor yet the will shake of necessitie because it is content to bee allured to evill and to be over-ruled by such necessity So that this is after a sort a willing necessity a favorable or gentle violence flattering vs while it forceth vs and forcing vs while it flattereth vs. 9 And hence it is that men often relapse into the verie same sinnes which they had formerly renounced and abiured The verie Gentiles perceived and condemned this vanity or rather madnesse of men so farre forth as it was a morall evill the extent whereof we haue seene before k See Barth Keckerman System Eth. lib. 3. cap. 3. Polybius was wont to say that others thought a mā to be the wisest creature that was but for his part hee thought him to bee the most foolish because other creatures woulde beware of those things by whom they had bin once hurt wheras mā oftentimes fals backe againe into the same vices And l Sen. ep 20 de vita beata ca. 28 as Seneca expresses it returneth to the thinges which he

the head h Idem in Psa● 88. Yea we may assure our selues that being members of such a head yea body to it we are in ●ff●ct where ou● head is For saith Augustin this body cannot bee beheaded but if the head triumph forever the members must needes triumph for ever also And that wee haue this benefite by Christs ascension into heaven before hand for vs i Bern. serm de eo quod legitur a pud Iob. in sex tribulatio nibus c. Bernard excellētly sheweth Bee it saith he that only Christ is entred into heaven yet I trowe whole Christ must enter and if whole Christ then the body as well as the head yea every member of the body For this head is not to bee found in the kingdome without his members Hence it is that the Scripture speakes of the faithfull as already raised from the dead placed in heaven with Christ yea as of them that shall not nor cānot die as k Ioh. 11. vers 26. Hee that liveth and beleeveth in me shall never die And l Ioh 5. v. 24. againe Verily verily I say vnto you whosoever heareth my word and beleeveth in him that sent me hath eternall life and shall not come into iudgement but hath passed from death to life And Hee saith m Ephes 2. v. 6. S. Paul hath raised vs vp togither hath placed vs togither in heaven with Christ He saith not he will raise vs vp hee will place vs in heaven with Christ but he hath so raised and placed vs which is spoken both for the certaintie thereof also for the streight vnion betweene the head and the body by means whereof that which is already actually accomplished in the head is said to bee so also in the body In a word the head being aboue water the body can never bee drowned although it bee never so much beaten and tossed with waues And thus much for our first and principall defense against death the sum whereof is this that it is not onelie a weakenesse but also a shame for the members to fear an enemy which the head hath already conquered subdued 5 There are also diverse other Christian comfortes against death which I wil briefly touch And first as we heard * Chap. 7. Sect. 2. leq before that all other evils of paine are to a Christian chaunged into another nature and of punishments become favours and benefits so is it also in this of death For now it is not a tokē of Gods anger for sin but an argument of his loue and mercy it is not properly death but a bridge by which wee passe to a better life from corruption to incorruptiō from mortality to immortality from earth to heaven that is in a word frō vanity and miserie to ioy and felicity And who would not willingly passe over this bridge whereby hee passeth from all cares and sorrowes and passeth to all delights and pleasures leaveth all miseries behinde him hath all contentation and happinesse before him 6 The Gentils taking it for graūted that after death either wee should be happy or not be at all and so concluding that at least death would free vs from all evill and misery therevpon made litle reckoning of death nay manie times voluntarilie procured their own death and imbraced it as a rich treasure as wee haue * Chap. 4. Sect 3. Chap. 5. Sect 3. already heard But how fowly they were mistaken herein hath withall beene sufficiently declared It is the Christian only that enioyeth this benefite by death namely the exemption from all cares and troubles and an ende of all sorrowes Wherefore the death of the godly is called n Esai 57. vers 2. Dan. 12. v. 2. 1. Thes 4. vers 13.14 Revel 14. v. 13. in Scripture by the names of bedde of rest sleepe peace and such like being all names of benefite and commodity How sweet is peace to them that haue beene vexed with warres and broiles how plesant is the bedde rest sleepe to the weary and those that are overwatched The labourer is glad when his daies work is done the traveller reioiceth when he is come to his waies ende the marriner and passenger thinke themselues happy whē they arriue in the harbour and all men shun paine and desire ease abhorre daunger and loue securitie It were madnes thē for a Christian to feare so advantageous a death and to wish for continuance of so wretched a life I conclude this pointe with that elegant laying o Tertul. de testim animae cap. 4. of Tertullian That is not to bee feared which sets vs free frō all that is to be feared And indeed what weaknesse folly is it to fear a superfedeas against all the things which heare we do feare 7 But the true Christian hath yet a farre greater benefit by death For it doth not only put an end to the evils of paine but also to the evils of fault not only to the punishments for sin but to sinne it selfe Now we haue often heard before that the evils of fault are farre worse then the evils of paine yea that the least sinne is more to be abhord and shund thē the greatest punishment for sinne H●w welcome then should death bee vnto vs that endeth not only our sorrowes but also our sinnes As long as wee liue here and beare about vs these earthly tabernacles wee daily multiply our rebellings against God and sustaine a fierce conflict and continual combat in our very bosomes while p Galat. 5.17 the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and q Rom. 7 2● the lawe in our members rebelleth against the lawe of our minde as S. Paule speaketh and leadeth vs captiues to the law of sin which is in our members O bondage of all bondages to be in bondage vnto sin r Sen ep 37. 39. The Gentill that apprehended vice only as a morall evill could say that men beeing in bondage to their lusts were more cruellie handled by them than any slaues were by the most cruell maisters Howe much more should wee that feele sin as al spiritual evill and groane vnder the burden thereof account the bondage there of intollerable and worse than subiection to the most barbarous Tyrant in the world And how welcome should he be that would set vs free from the same Now it is death and only death that can doe this for vs and indeede doth it for vs. What great cause them haue wee with all willingnesse to imbrace it ſ Diogenes Laertius vit Phil. l●● 7. Zeno the founder of the Stoicall sect helde it lawfull for them that had loathsome diseases vvhich were incurable to kill themselues that so they might be rid of them and t Con. Nepos in vita Titi Pomp. Attici See also the like of Tullius Marcellinus in Seneca ep 78. Pomponius Atticus others put it in practise If they counted it a