Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	know_v	6,721	5	4.2859	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76384	A bright starre, leading to, & centering in, Christ our perfection. Or a manuell, entituled by the authour thereof, the third part of the Rule of perfection Wherein such profound mysteries are revealed, such mysterious imperfections discovered, with their perfect cures prescribed, as have not been by any before published in the English tongue: faithfully translated for the common good.; Règle de perfection. English. Part 3	Benoît, de Canfield, 1562-1610.	1646 (1646)	Wing B1867AC; ESTC R223949	72,498	265

things are nothing and though a Man have the knowledge of this nothing of their Annihilation yet may he want the practise Wherefore both these points are equally necessary in this matter as wee said before that God alone may be seen alwayes who is the end of this Annihilation But now to practise this thing duely First I admonish the Reader to pluck up his spirits here that they may worke more supernaturally and I say not further from sense then before but flat contrary thereto For where before he annihilated them when they were absent here he must also annihilate them present Which to doe and that this Annihilation may bee cleare and apparent we will here distinguish it into Active and Passive Passive is when the man himselfe and all other things are cast asleep vainly und be made nothing I call it passive because 't is onely suffered The Imperfections whereof wee have blowne away in the former Chapter The Active Annihilation is when the Man himselfe and all other things are annihilated not onely sufferingly as in the Passive but doingly I meane by Light in the Understanding as well naturall as supernaturall wherein he sees and most infallibly knowes that all those things are nothing and rests upon this knowledge in despight of feeling The one of these Annihilations lives when all Image and feeling of the Creatures is gone The other continues also firme and sure even whilst they remaine after sense and yet by means of this light are seene to bee nothing The one consists in Knowledge drawne from Experience when a man sees himselfe brought to nothing as 't is said I am brought to nothing The other consists in Knowledge true indeed yet not seeming so after sense but after understanding Of these two the Active is more perfect for two reasons Strength and Duration For strength because together with it selfe it nothings all other things Not onely when it sailes with the actuall blast and breath of this Will or Divine Being but even then also when the soule feels drought and barrennesse annihilating all things felt as well as those which be gone and vanisht The which point requires carefull Attention For thus it annihilates as well all things that remain after feeling as also that same which annihilates them i. the owne Understanding and Knowledge with all manner of working thereof Not enduring that any thing whatsoever Image nor feeling remaine but only God For strength also because neither a multitude of outward affaires nor abundance of inward or intellectuall workings can hinder this Annihilation or distract the man himself For strength againe Because 't is not onely farre distant from sense but flat contrary thereto So that it annihilates things not onely when the minde in abstractions rides above them but even then when 't is conversant among them looking on them as if it looked not whence necessarily arises Duration which is the second perfection of Active Annihilation And both these perfections are not so perfectly found in the Passive Annihilation which stayes alwayes the Actuall Lure of God There be many that both know and practise the Passive but few the Active And so they no sooner fasten on any worke bodily or spirituall but they easily sinke fall downe and become divided and so live alwayes in languishing and unsatisfiednesse of spirit These two Annihilations make to a two-fold Love fruitive and practick whereon stands the whole spirituall Life The Passive tends to the Fruitive Love the Active to the Practick For in as much as these two Loves are never perfect till in the Practick love wee can enjoy God even as in the Fruitive 'T is therefore expedient that this Active Annihilation mediate to annihilate the Acts of this Practick Love which otherwise might hinder that enjoying and raise so many middle walls between God and the soule As therefore the Passive Annihilation nothings all things by deading all our feeling of them and transchanging them into enjoying Love So the Active annihilates them also still remaining though in sense wee feele them transforming them into fruitive Love So that the Love which without this Active Annihilation were meerly Practick may thus become fruitive And so by this Active Annihilation we shall continually enjoy God whether we worke and produce Acts or no. But as the same falls not under sense but is onely spirituall and supernaturall So the enjoyance to which it leads us is not perceived in our feeling but in spirit and transcends nature CHAP. XII That this Active Annihilation consists in equalling the Passive The practise of it in Light and Remembrance THE Perfection of this Active Annihilation consists in equalling the Passive in a Death of all things and in a Passive Annihilation after the spirit though not after feeling And the signe shewing it to be absolutely perfect is when it annihilates the things which we perceive by sense as verily as if wee perceiv'd them not And even in the face of all these sensibles brings as Invincible faith peace and union with God as among those things which are already lost and nothing For thus a man seeing sees not when hee holds not the same Formes in Meditation and Debatement And so he lives in a perpetuall Death and dyes in an eternall Life buried in Triumph of Conquest like that valiant Champion Eleazar intomb'd in the glory of his victory when crusht with the fall of the Beast he ended his dayes For this Beast which hee slew is the whole sinsible world which when wee kill and bring to nothing we also slay and annihilate our selves and so are buried as it were thereunder and our Life is hid with Christ in God The summe of the practise of this Annihilation consists in two things Light and Remembrance The use of the Light is generall The use of Remembrance is to raise us again when we forget and grow distracted For the first This Light is no other but a pure simple naked and habituall Faith which Reason helps Experience ratifies and confirmes Nor falls it under sense nor hath any acquaintance therewith yea it resists the same But it resides in the Crowne of the soule and beholds God without any Meane I say 't is pure excluding all help of the senses so as all in vaine should any prop or assurance bee groped for from them which are utterly to bee renounc'd First because the helpe of that Devotion which is had from the senses endures not but this Faith is lasting Secondly because when sensible Devotion is had 't is not certaine but variable But this Faith is con●ant Nor is it sufficient to renounce the senses unlesse we also annihilate them because they be erroneous and lying perswading ●s to believe that things ar● Con●●ariwise this faith is lightsome and points us to walk in the spirit Secondly I call it simple to cut of all multiplicity of Reasoning as a thing repugnant to the purity of this Faith First because it makes it humane where it

against all kinde of Temptations in this Life Supereminent Another Imperfection is to tye the Minde to some particular exercise counting it needfull to end such or such a thing before it suffer it selfe to be raised higher The reason is because thereby he makes that bond bring both him and that excercise in subjection thereto And thus hee lets goe his freedome so that he cannot lay downe himselfe all into the hands of the Bridegroome nor follow his Lure no● nakedly uncloath himselfe whic● yet he must doe if he will attain● to see and fully receive him int● his Soule And lastly in this Scopriation there 's somewhat res●sting Annihilation without whic● Transformation can never be obtained It behoves therefore to stand f●● from such particularity of exerc●ses that without Let that Infini● All may draw suck up and ann●hilate and thus transform us int● himself● Here also wee exclude as impe●fect the retaining of any forms Images how Jim soever either the Divine Will Deity Powe● Wisedome goodnesse yea of t● Unity Trinity or Divine Bein● or yet of this Essentiall Will B●cause al such Images how God-li● soever they appeare yet they be not God himselfe who admits no forme or Image however qualified Whence saith Bon. there is no thinking things of the Creatures nor of Angels nor of the Trinity because this Wisedome hath her ascent in the flame of Desire and not by foregoing Meditation But here we alwayes except the Image of the sacred Passion of Jesus Christ which I would might everlastingly be placed before the eyes of the soul and that as the Crowne of all perfection Where in this Image Uncloathednesse In this Body Spirit In this Man God at one simple sight not severed as in the Vulgar way gives himselfe to bee seene A thing incomprehensible to our Reason as also his Incarnation And to beleeve the same God who is purely supernaturall to be also corporeall Immortall mortall And that the one may be duly practised the other must bee duely pierced and that the one may b● throughly pierced the other mu● be duly practised I except also those Images whic● are lively Mirrours wherein w● behold his Passion As our own● Sufferings Sorrowes or Mortifications which are to be brough● into Union with his Passion so agonizing with sweete Jesus an● that with ardent devotion nev● forsaking the same Hither therefore is to be hastned Mortification of all other Images as well hidden as visible that the soule naked may behold her Bridegroom also naked the which is only compassed by meane of this AnnihiIation and Death For if Man be somewhat he hath also some Image Also he that lives acts bu● no action is without an Image And this Annihilation wee cannot doe but onely suffer for if a Man would worke therein or do something he should finde himselfe the further from God the more hee scufled therein For the more hee workes the more hee is And the more he is and lives the further is he from Death and Nothing Ergo here nothing is to be done but all we can doe is to doe nothing to refraine our selves from action and to let him that lives make us dye in him and he that is let us see in him our owne Not-being A fourth Imperfection is to desire a sensible Union wherein many be faulty and that unwittingly because they discerne it not For though they seeke it not openly yet secretly they doe which they shall know by this signe They can never rest till they have got some feeling of the Union Whence it is that they live a●wayes in languishment of spiri● nor can possibly reach to pure a● supernaturall contemplation ●● as it were hide-bound within t● straits of Nature and impriso●● within the walls of feeling th● cannot goe out of themselves ● supernaturals nor see how G● is absolutely Spirit and Life A● though the Minde now and th● attempt some generous egresse y● Sense resists not able to endure ● be pulled from the pap of Sens●● Comfort But as a Beast alway● bellowes to the Pasture and neig● after the provant never resting ● through Importunity it dra● downe the Spirit soaring aloft The Remedy whereof is to e●change each sensibility with Lo● naked and sequestred from all a●quaintance with Sense the whi● Love is strong durable and ev● the same Assuredly knowing that God is not sensible nor can bee comprehended by the Senses but purely Spirit For he that duely considers these things shal easily see how far he is from sound judgment that would joyne himselfe by sense which wee have common with brutes to him whose Nature is Infinitely purer then the purest Angels Which found to be true he shal willingly and freely suffer this Spirit and Life to kill and annihilate our Feeling and Death Another Imperfection is to seek for any assurance and experimental knowledg of this Union And this differs not much from the former yet somewhat more secret For here some Man perswades himself and so protests that hee seekes not nor wisheth for sensible Comfort but only a spirirituall Union with God although indeed he seeks the other also And that shall he find● by this signe that he cannot b● contented but even doubts himsel● to be separated from God until h● have attain'd some particular Illumination or experimentall Knowledge of his Union with God Wherein hee failes many waye● For first he rests not upon Go● with strong enough Faith but rather doubts of him 2. Hee love● him with a Sensitive and not wit● a naked Love Thirdly he build● upon the sand and trusts to hi● owne feeling staying himsel● thereon as on his strong prop● Lastly this causes that a Man ca● never depart out of his owne Lan● and out of himselfe nor lay dow● himselfe all into the hands of God To prevent this Imperfection Here is not any experimentall assurance to be sought for i. No Ligh● which may be perceived by our feeling but onely to rest united to God by lively Faith and naked Love The which shall most infallibly be accomplisht when we suffer this Infinite Being to reduce us to Nothing For then shal we be no more our selves and consequently shall have no confidence in our selves but seeing God to b● all and every where we shall be most intimately united to him A sixth Imperfection in this Life Supereminent is to lift up the Minde desiring to finde God in another place and in a higher manner then in our selves For 't is a blindnesse in the soule not to know that she is already there where shee desires to be even in God and God in her Whereas the soule cleared of this obscurity sees her selfe to be and live in God more then in her selfe and that shee is more his then her owne Ergo such an act of lifting up the Minde the Soule is to cease from and resting in her own Nothing and constant in this All continually to behold and embrace the same as with a Desire already obtained

him close cryes out I caught him nor will I let him goe And againe with Jacob I will not let thee goe And now his Godhead and Manhood making but one and the same person she cannot see the one without the other Now here begins the wrestle The sight of his Godhead lures her aloft the sight of her Manhood holds him fast below Both which she beholding with one simple sight is drawn at once both up and down If she twine from his Manhood she is taken up by his Godhead But because shee had rather see both then the Godhead alone and how he is both mortall and immortall great and little also cleerly discern his Love Goodnesse and other perfections and abstruse Mysteries And lastly because shee desires and burnes to suffer on the Crosse with her Bridegroome she clings perpetually to his Manhood saying I caught him nor will I let him goe till c. On the other side God who never withdrawes from her the sight of his Godhead consequently by the same mounts her aloft and sweet-speaking her by the Lure she fast to the Crucisix he said Let me goe 't is morning Behold my Godhead the Beginning of eternall Life But she wel-knowing his delight in her harmlesse Nay-say and how much inflaminger 't is to bind then to loose him answers I will not let thee goe till thou hast blessed mee that I may behold thee both raigning in Heaven and suffering upon the Crosse and as nakedly and perfectly love and adore thee in the one as in the other Then her Lord seeing her Invincible and that hee cannot winde from her by the Lure of his Godhead because of her wondrous fidelity constancy to the Crosse he overflows her with his Blessing subscribing to all her requests in the Passion And there he blest her in the same place even of his bitter Passion In the same place because there strength is hid●den under the weaknesse of the Passion The Horns which signifie strength are in his hand For there he brake the powers the Bow the shield the sword and the battle of the World the Flesh and the Devill And these Hornes of the Altar are they from which Joab could not be forc't to depart no though King Solomon himself commanded but chused rather to dye there Intimating that the Passion is never to be forsaken but persisted in to death though some thinke that since God hath vouchsafed them a glimmer of the Light of his Godhead he therefore calls them up and to forsake the Passion For this humility and lowly wrestling with Christ our Lord joyes him above Measure even when with al our heart we love the Contempt and lownesse of the Passion although he seeme to invite us higher For then hee double requites that Humility in that Lownesse revealing the height of his Godhead And this he meant when he counselled us being bidden to the Wedding to chuse the lowest place for then hee calls us and by the Light imparted doubles his Call uncessantly Come up Not to draw to his Godhead alone by forsaking his Passion but that he may shew us his Godhead there in the same place whose sight rayses the soul to the highest without distraction from the lowest Vrias refused the Banquet and Princely Junkets sent him from King David saying The Arke of God and Israel and Judah remaine in Tents and my Lord Joab and the servants of my Lord abide in the open field and shall I goe into my house to eate and drinke Insinuating mystically that if in our Contemplation of the Passion of the lively Arke of God our King let fall some dainties to us from his heavenly Table we ought not so much to greedy on the sweet meates of Consolation that wee forget him on the Crosse and that divine Arke both remaining in so meane a Mansion and so unworthily entreated But rather passing by the Comfort with him that said My soule refused Consolation we are to lodg therwith bewailing the Miseries of our sweetest Redeemer and tasting in Spirit his paines and sorrows This Practise Paul extols who though hee abounded with such plenty of Lights yet profest himselfe to know nothing else but Jesus Christ and him crucified And surely all his writings speake nothing but the Passion and how himselfe was transformed into it By which may well bee gathered that he never abandoned it but all his life nourisht beheld and embrac't it For the third point I judge it easie to confirme that the Contemplation of the Passion wherein appeares both the Divine and humane Nature of our Lord is perfecter then that wherein we behold his Godhead alone The sole Godhead gives light ●n Contemplation but the Man●ood by example instructs in Action Wherefore as to Contemplate ●nd expresse which is Contem●lative and Active in one is perfecter then Contemplation by it self So the Contemplation of both Godhead Manhood in one as is found in the Passion containes more perfection then that of the Godhead alone practised in Abstraction God is more wonderfull without then within himselfe For in himselfe hee 's only great immortal impassible But without himselfe hee 's both great and little immortall and mortall impassible and passible 'T is a strange thing to see a Man through excesse of Love or some other passion carried without himselfe But to see the same in God through his Love to us is much more to be admired at without Comparison Yet betwixt God and Man is this Dfference that when Man is without himselfe hee is not within himselfe But God is both at once Alwithin and All without himselfe His universall power wisdome goodnesse being absolutely without himselfe in his Manhood and within himselfe in his Godhead Besides as t is a stranger thing that God shouldbe without then within himself So 't is more excellent to behold him without then within himselfe But as in the practise of the Passion such a sweetnesse is hidden as never any Will naturally tasted so the Contemplation of the same discovers such a wisdome as never any humane understanding comprehended And as we can come no other way to the knowledg of this tast but only by experience so neither is there any possibility but by the same experience to imagine what a Wisdome it is And therefore as the one hath such sweetnes in it as the world cannot beleeve so the other inrolls such Mysteries and Divine secrets as Man can never imagine The one comes by that infinite goodnesse infused into the Will through the practise and Union of the Crosse The other by that eternall wisedome espoused to the Understanding by Contemplation of this Mysterie Daily are new Joyes of this goodnesse tasted and endlessely new secrets of this Wisedome disclosed And both exhausted from this fount of the Passion For as the world can never conceive how 't is possible that a Man crowned with thornes can expend so many delights or how the fellowship of his sufferings can inebriate the