Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	beget_v	father_n	son_n	11,645	5	6.8465	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08025	Iacob's ladder consisting of fifteene degrees or ascents to the knowledge of God by the consideration of his creatures and attributes.; De ascensione mentis in Deum per scalas rerum creatorum opusculum. English	Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.; Isaacson, Henry, 1581-1654, attributed name.; H. I., fl. 1638.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1638 (1638)	STC 1839.5; ESTC S122555	138,468	472

satisfied with seeing nor the eare filled with hearing as saith the Preacher whatsoever is offered to man cannot satisfie his desire why because he is capable of infinite good and all created things are circumscribed within certaine limits But he whch beginneth to drinke this heavenly water in which all things are contained covets nor desires any thing more But of this hath beene formely spoken in the rest of the mind in God alone as its proper Center Fourthly Water joynes together and reduceth into one those things which one could not imagine would have beene so united As many graynes of wheate by the mixture of water make one loafe of bread and of many parts of the earth by the same mixture bricks and tiles are made But much easilier and with a stronger tye or band doth the water of the Holy Spirit bring to passe that many men become one heart and one soule as it was with the Primitive Christians in the Acts of the Apostles upon whom the holy Ghost descended This unity Christ himselfe going to his Father commended and foretold when he said I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve in me by their word that they may be all one as thou O Father art in me and I in thee that they may be also one in us and a little after that they may be one as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one To which unity the Apostle also exhorts endeavoring to keepe the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your vocation O happy Vnion which makes many men to be one Body of Christ which is governed by one Head and to eate of one meate and drinke of one drinke and to live with one spirit and being joyned to God to be made one spirit with him What more can be desired by a servant then not onely to be partaker of all the goods of his Lord but also by an indissoluble bond of love to be made one with him And all this the grace of the Holy Spirit brings to passe as a living and quickning water when it is devoutly received into the heart and there kept with diligence and care Lastly Water as●●nds and riseth as high as it falls low And because the Holy Spirit descends into earth from the highest heaven therefore in that man into whose heart it is received is made a well of water springing to eternall life as our Saviour said to the Samaritane woman Wherefore being thus instructed in the properties of this uncreate water let us thirst after it and say with groanes and sighs unutterable Lord give us of this water which may wash off all our staines coole the heat of our concupiscences appease and qualifie the thirst of our desires may make us one spirit with thee and raise us to the height of thy eternall mansion It was not without cause that the Sonne of God said If ye then being evill know to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that aske it He saith not he will give you bread or apparell or wisdome or love or the Kingdome of heaven or eternall life but he saith He will give the Holy Spirit because in it are contein●d all things Cease not then to put God daily in mind of his Sons promise and say to him with earnest affection and assured hope of obteining Holy Father I powre out my prayers unto thee not trusting in mine owne righteousnes but in the promise of thine onely begotten Sonne Make good therefore this promise of thy Sonne who glorified thee upon earth and was obedient to thee unto death even the death of the Crosse give to me that aske thy good Spirit give me the spirit of thy feare and love that I thy servant may feare nothing but offending thee and may love nothing but thee and my neighbour for thee Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me Restore to me the joy of thy salvation and stablish me with thy free Spirit We come now to the resemblance which rivers or fountaines of water have with God and by it the mind may be lift up to contemplate the wonderfull and excellent work of the Creator For it is not without cause that the Scripture saith that God is a Well of life a Fountaine of Wisedome the Fountaine of living waters And that he is the very Fountaine of being may be gathered out of his owne words to Moses I am that I am and I am hath sent me unto you All which the Apostle seemes to comprehend in this speech In him we live and move and have our being In him we live as in a Fountaine of life in him wee move as in a Founteine of wisedome and in him wee have our being as in the Founteine of being A Founteine of water here with us hath this propertie that from it the flouds arise and whensoever they leave to flow immediately they dry up but the Founteine it selfe depends not upon the flouds because it receives no water from them but not onely hath water in it selfe but communicates with others This is a true resemblance of God and an Embleme of the Godhead for God is the very Founteine of being he receives no being from any thing but from him all things take their being because the essence of God is to be and his existence is his essence so that it cannot come to passe and it were blasphemie to think that God was not or will not be for ever Other things may be not be for a time because a being is not properly to their essence For example it is of the essence of man that he be a reasonable creature and therefore he cannot be a man not be a reasonable creature if it were of the essence of man to be it could not be otherwise but that he must be alwayes but because it is not of his essence to be therefore he may be not be God therefore ●s the onely Founteine of being because in his essence the act to be is alwayes included And these words signifie so much I am that I am that is I am the thing to be and receive not being from any but have it in my selfe to me onely it is proper that essence to me should be to be and hence also it comes that eternity immortality is proper to him onely as the Apostle speakes To the King everlasting immortall c and Who onely hath immortality All other things receive their being from God so that unlesse they alwayes depend on him and be preserved by a certaine influence

and say to GOD with the Prophet Thou hast beene my helper forsake me not and speake to him not out of custome but heartily againe and againe Thou art my helper and redeemer O LORD make no long tarrying Mans soule hath also a rationall will which not onely can desire good things present particular and corporall such as are proper to beasts to covet but also good things absent generall and spirituall which are demonstrated by faith or reason and indeed GOD himselfe which is the chiefe and infinite good And this is it which makes a Man capable of great vertues especially of love the chiefe of all other and the f●●●taine from whence all good guists are derived and which joyneth Man to GOD in so strong a tye that GOD shall remaine in him and he in GOD For GOD is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him But if this be so great a happines of the created will how great will that happinesse be with which the uncreated will is replenished The will of God is onely capable of infinite love where with the infinite goodnes of God is worthy to be beloved Neither doth this will want vertues nor hath it need to bee directed by the understanding for Gods will and understanding are both but one as his wisedome and love are one and the same thing in him Besides Mans soule is in a humane body but farre otherwise then the soules of bruire beasts are in their bodies for the soules of bruits are materiall and extended through all parts of their bodies so that part of it is in part and all in the whole body But Mans soule which is an indivisible spirit is after an admirable manner all in the whole and all in every part of the body and whereas it fills the whole body yet it occupies no speciall place in it neither increaseth it as the body encreaseth but only begins to be where formerly it was not and if a member of the body bee cut off or wither the soule is not lessened or made dry by it but leaves to be in that member without any may me or impayring This is a true mirrour of Gods existencie in things created for God is an indivisible spirit yet fills the whole world and all the parts of it nor occupies it any one place alone but is all in the whole world and all in every part of it and when a new Creature is made God begins to bee in it and yet is not moved and when any Creature perisheth or dyeth God dyes not but onely leaves to bee there and yet changeth not his place And therefore in these things God and the soule of man agree but God is much more excellent then the soule for the soule to be in a body to rule and stirre it must of necessity have a forme of a body made for it and to be so joyned to it that of the soule and body a man may bee made God needes not the forme or soule of a world nor that of him and the world one compounded substance should bee made but of his owne immensitie he hath this preheminence to bee every where of his indivisible unitie to bee all every where of his omnipotence to governe move and sustaine all things Againe the soule of man though it bee said to be in the whole body yet properly it is not but in the living or animate parts of it and therfore is not in the humors in the hayre nailes dry or dead members God absolutely is in all things not onely corporall but spirituall nor can it be that there should be any thing in which God is not Lastly it is not a soule but in it's owne body and that a streight and small one wherein all the parts are tyed together for if any part as is said be severed from the other in that part the soule cannot be But God is all in this universe of things though it be great and the parts thereof not tyed or joyned together though they be neere one another and if there were more worlds God would be in them all to which purpose it is said Heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot conteine thee for if there were other heavens and another earth created or more heavens and earths without number God would fill them all and where he were not nothing would be at all Againe mans soule hath in it though obscure the Image of the most holy Trinitie aswell in that it hath a fruitfull memorie power to understand and power to love as also because the mind thereof by understanding formes a certaine word and from the mind and word proceeds love because that which is knowne by the mind and represented by the word is presently as it is good loved and desired by the will But after a much higher and diviner manner God the Father begets God the Word the Father and the Word breath God the Holy Spirit who is the living love and the living fountaine of all chast love And in this respect the mystery of the Trinit●e transcends the naturall meanes of knowing nor can a learned Philosopher come to the knowledge of this without a supernaturall light for the soule of man produceth a word and a love which are not substances but accidents and in that regard are not Persons but GOD the Father begets to himselfe the Consubstantiall Word and the Father and the Word breath the Holy Spirit consubstantiall likewise to them both whereby it is that the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost are rightly and worthily called three Persons The soule of Man also produceth a Word which is of no long continuance and the will bringeth forth a love which lasteth not long but GOD the Father begets the eternall Word and the Father and Word breath the eternall Holy Spirit nor can GOD be without his Word and Spirit Againe Mans soule by one word represents but one thing and therefore multiplyeth words not onely of the mind but of the mouth and mans will must produce many acts of love if it will love many things But GOD by one Word speaketh all true things and with one act of love loves all good things 10 Lastly the soule of Man while it is in the body hath this property that though it be not seene heard nor moved and is hardly conceived to be in it and that leaving it the body seemes to want nothing it had before yet it is that which causeth all good to the body sense motion speech subsistence beauty and strength for what is the cause that while a man liveth hee seeth heareth talketh walketh and is strong and beautifull nothing but because he hath a soule in him and why cannot a man see nor heare nor speake but lies deformed unprofitable and unserviceable after hee is dead but that his soule is departed from him from whence all these benefits and good things were derived to him So thy GOD whilst

heaven be made and it was made Let the earth be made and it was made Let the light the Sun and Starres be made Let trees creatures Men and Angels be made and all were made and adde to this which hath been said that the same GOD may if he will destroy with one be●ke all these things and the whole world as we said before out of the Booke of the Maccabees 4. To these wee may adde one depth more that all these things so many so great and composed of so many members and parts were made by GOD in a moment With us art and nature must have long time to bring any worke to perfection we see seeds sowen long before the herbs grow trees aske oft times many yeares to fasten the roots to sprout spread and beare fruit the fruit of the womb is long in the womb and long in the nursing before it come to any growth to speake nothing of art seeing it is so obvious to us that artificers must have much time to perfect any thing they take in hand How great then is the power of GOD who sooner then a word can be spoken can perfect so great workes It is not my purpose to dispute whether GOD in one moment absolved and finished heaven earth and all things in them or whether he spent sixe whole dayes in the first creation of things for this Treatise was intended for our ascent to GOD and not for dispute but this is it which I affirme and admire that every thing should be made perfect by the omnipotent Creator in a moment and concerning the earth the water ayre and fire no man doubts but that together with all the Angels they were created in a moment Concerning the firmament and the dividing of waters it is well known that they were all made by the onely power of the word speaking Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and that in a moment for it followeth that it was so done upon which place St. Chrysostome thus He onely spake and the worke followed and the same Authour upon the words Let the earth bud forth c. Who saith he will not be astonisht to thinke how the Word of GOD Let the earth bud adorneth the face of the earth with an admirable embrodery of divers flowers you might suddenly have seene the earth deformed before and untilled and untrimmed to contend with heaven in comlinesse and bravery and upon the words Let there be light he saith He onely spake and this admirable element was brought forth I say the Sun and what if I added that the Moone and all the Starres were made by the same word and in the same moment by the same Creator and lastly upon these words Let the waters bring forth in abundance c. he thus speaketh What tongue can be sufficient to set out the praise and glory of the workeman For as he onely said of the earth Let the earth bud and presently a plentifull variety and multiplicity of flowers and herbs appeared so by saying here Let the waters bring forth so many creeping things and foules were created as no speech can recount Who therefore is like unto thee ô Lord among the Gods By all this thou mayst understand plainly the great power of thy Creator who by his latitude extends himselfe to all things by his longitude continues alwaies and without wearinesse supports and governes all things by his altitude attaineth to the making of those things which seeme to be and are impossible to all but himselfe and by his depth and profundity doth so make all things as that the manner and meanes of making them passeth all created understanding considering that he makes them of nothing into nothing without instruments without time onely by his word and command Hee spake the word saith the Psalmist and they were made hee commanded and they were created By this thou mayst gather if thou be wise how much it concernes thee whether it were best to have him thy angry enemy or thy well pleased friend For he can suddenly bereave thee of all good and load thee with all misery nor is there any that can deliver thee out of his hands for who dares contend with him that is omnipotent If thou shouldst being naked meet with an implacable enemy bending a sharpe weapon against thee what wouldst thou doe but in trembling and fearefull manner prostrate thy selfe at his feet and implore his mercy and yet he being a man thou mightst perhaps escape him by flight or resistance or wresting the weapon from him but what canst thou doe against an angry God from whom thou caust not flee he being every where nor resist him being omnipotent nor make delayes seeing he doth all in a moment and by his sole command and therefore not without cause did the Apostle say It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living GOD. On the other side if thou make him thy friend who more happier then thou for he can if he will and he will if he be thy friend satisfie thee with all good things and deliver thee from all evill and it is in thy power either to make him thy friend or enemy while thou livest here GOD himselfe and he by his Prophets and againe by his Son and his Apostles in the Scriptures ever call and invite sinners to repentance and the just to keepe his Commandements that so he may have both sorts of men his friends or rather deare children and heires of eternall salvation Heare Ezechiel As I live saith the Lord God I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live turn you turn you from your evillwaies for why will ye die ô ye houfe of Israel and as Ezechiel so Esay Ieremie and the rest of the Prophets being moved with the same spirit cry for the conversion of sinners Heare the Son of GOD when he began to preach Amend your lives for the Kingdome of God is at hand Heare the Apostle St. Paul speaking of himselfe and his fellow Apostles We are Ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you through us wee pray you in Christs stead that ye be reconciled to God What more cleare more comfortable The Apostle in Christs name doth beseech us to be reconciled to God to have him our friend not our enemy Who can doubt of Gods mercy if he seriously returne to him he will receive all converts as the loving Father received the prodigall Son But when we are returned and have found indulgence and favour what doth he require of us even to persevere as frends and children and to keep his Commandements If thou wilt enter into life keepe the Commandements saith our Saviour If thou wilt say without the helpe of God his Commandements cannot be kept heare what St. Augustine saith speaking of the hardest precept of all other that is