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	holy_a	scripture_n	6,955	5	5.9774	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63706	Clerus Domini, or, A discourse of the divine institution, necessity, sacredness, and separation of the office ministerial together with the nature and manner of its power and operation : written by the special command of King Charles the First / by Jer. Taylor.	Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.; Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667. Rules and advices to the clergy of the diocesse of Down and Connor.; Rust, George, d. 1670. Funeral sermon preached at the obsequies of the Right Reverend Father in God Jeremy Lord Bishop of Down.	1672 (1672)	Wing T299; ESTC R13445	91,915	82

the first part of his sanctification is a separation of the person to the power of intercession for the people and a ministerial mediation by the ministration of such rites and solemn invocations which God hath appointed or designed And now this sanctification which is so evident in Scripture tradition and reason taken from proportion and analogy to Religion is so far from making the power of the holy man less than is supposed that it shews the greatness of it by a true representment and preserves the sacredness of it so within its own cancels that it will be the greatest sacriledge in the world to invade it for whoever will boldly enter within this vail nisi qui vocatur sicut Aaron unless he be sanctified as is the Priest who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzen calls him a Minister co-operating with Christ he does without leave call himself a man of God a Mediator between God and the people under Christ he boldly thrusts himself into the participation of that glorious mediation which Christ officiates in Heaven all which things as they are great honours to the person rightly called to such vicinity and endearments with God so they depend wholly upon divine dignation of the grace and vocation of the person 2. Now for the other part of spiritual emanation or descent of graces in sanctification of the Clergy that is in order to the performance of the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 's the sence of it that God who is the lover of souls may grant a pure and unblameable Priesthood and certainly they who are honoured with so great a grace as to be called to officiate in holy and useful Ministeries have need also of other graces to make them persons holy in habit and disposition as well as holy in Calling and therefore God hath sent his Spirit to furnish his Emissaries with excellencies proportionable to their need and the usefulness of the Church At the beginning of Christianity God gave gifts extraordinary as boldness of spirit fearless courage freedom of discourse excellent understanding discerning of spirits deep judgment innocence and prudence of deportment the gift of tongues these were so necessary at the institution of the Christian Church that if we had not had testimony of the matter of fact the reasonableness of the thing would prove the actual dispensation of the Spirit because God never fails in necessaries But afterward when all the extraordinary needs were served the extraordinary stock was spent and God retracted those issues into their fountains and then the graces that were necessary for the well discharging the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Priestly function were such as make the person of more benefit to the people not only by being exemplary to them but gracious and loved by God and those are spiritual graces of sanctification And therefore Ordination is a collation of holy graces of sanctification of a more excellent Faith of fervent Charity of Providence and paternal care Gifts which now descend not by way of miracle as upon the Apostles are to be acquired by humane industry by study and good letters and therefore are presupposed in the person to be ordained to which purpose the Church now examines the abilities of the man before she lays on hands and therefore the Church does not suppose that the Spirit in Ordination descends in gifts and in the infusion of habits and perfect abilities though then also it is reasonable to believe that God will assist the pious and careful endeavours of holy Priests and bless them with special aids and co-operation because a more extraordinary ability is needful for persons so designed But the proper and great aid which the Spirit of Ordination gives is such instances of assistance which make the person more holy And this is so certainly true that even when the Apostle had ordained Timothy to be Bishop of Ephesus he calls upon him to stir up the gift of God which was in him by the putting on of his hands and that gift is a Rosary of graces what graces they are he enumerates in the following words God hath not given us the spirit of Fear but of Power of Love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of a modest and sober mind and these words are made part of the form of collating the Episcopal order in the Church of England Here is all that descends from the Spirit in Ordination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Power that is to officiate and intercede with God in the parts of ministery and the rest are such as imply duty such as make him fit to be a Ruler in paternal and sweet government Modesty Sobriety Love And therefore in the forms of Ordination of the Greek Church which are therefore highly to be valued because they are most ancient have suffered the least change and been polluted with fewer interests the mystical prayer of Ordination names graces in order to holiness We pray thee that the grace of the ever holy Spirit may descend upon him Fill him full of all faith and love and power and sanctification by the illumination of thy holy and life-giving Spirit and the reason why these things are desir'd and given is in order to the right performing his holy offices That he may be worthy to stand without blame at thy Altar to preach the Gospel of thy Kingdom to minister the words of thy truth to bring to Thee gifts and spiritual Sacrifices to renew the people with the Laver of Regeneration And therefore S. Cyril says that Christ's saying Receive ye the Holy Ghost signifies grace given by Christ to the Apostles whereby they were sanctified that by the holy Ghost they might be absolved from their sins saith Haymo and S. Austin says that many persons that were snatched violently to be made Priests or Bishops who had in their former purposes determined to marry and live a secular life have in their Ordination received the gift of continency And therefore there was reason for the greatness of the solemnities used in all ages in separation of Priests from the world insomuch that whatsoever was used in any sort of sanctification of solemn benediction by Moses law all that was used in Consecration of the Priest who was to receive the greatest measure of sanctification Eadem item vis etiam Sacerdotem augustum honorandum facit novitate benedictionis à communitate vulgi segregatum Cum enim heri unus è plebe esset repente redditur praeceptor praeses Doctor pietatis mysteriorum latentium Praesul c. Invisibili quadam vi ac gratia invisibilem animam in melius transformatam gerens that is improved in all spiritual graces which is highly expressed by Martyrius who said to Nectarius Tu ô beate recens baptizatus purificatus mox insuper sacerdotio auctus es utraque autem haec peccatorum expiatoria esse Deus constituit which are not to be expounded as if Ordination did

precept is but twice reported of in the new Testament though the institution of the Sacrament be four times And it is done with admirable mystery to distinguish the several interests and operations which concern several sorts of Christians in their distinct capacities S. Paul thus represents it Take eat This do in remembrance of me plainly referring this precept to all that are to eat and drink the Symbols for they also do in their manner enunciate declare or represent the Lords death till he come And Saint Paul prosecutes it with instructions particular to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them that do communicate as appears in the succeeding cautions against unworthy manducation and for due preparation to its reception But S. Luke reports it plainly to another purpose and he took bread and gave thanks and brake it and gave it unto them saying This is my body which is given for you Hoc facite This do in remembrance of me This cannot but relate to accepit gratias egit fregit distribuit Hoc facite Here was no manducation expressed and therefore Hoc facite concerns the Apostles in the capacity of Ministers not as receivers but as Consecrators and givers and if the institution had been represented in one scheme without this mysterious distinction and provident separation of imployment we had been eternally in a cloud and have needed a new light to guide us but now the Spirit of God hath done it in the very first fountains of Scripture And this being the great mystery of Christianity and the only remanent Express of Christ's Sacrifice on earth it is most consonant to the Analogy of the mystery that this commemorative Sacrifice be presented by persons as separate and distinct in their ministery as the Sacrifice it self is from and above the other parts of our Religion Thus also the Church of God hath for ever understood it without any variety of sence or doubtfulness of distinguishing opinions It was the great excellency and secret mystery of the Religion to consecrate and offer the holy Symbols and Sacraments I shall transcribe a passage out of Iustin Martyr giving the account of it to Antoninus Pius in his Oration to him and it will serve in stead of many for it tells the Religion of the Christians in this mystery and gives a full account of all the Ceremony 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. When the prayers are done then is brought to the President of the Brethren the Priest the Bread and the Chalice of Wine mingled with Water which being received he gives praise and glory to the Father of all things and presents them in the name of the Son and the Holy Spirit and largely gives thanks that he hath been pleased to give us these gifts and when he hath finished the prayers and thanksgiving all the people that is present with a joyful acclamation say Amen Which when it is done by the Presidents and people those which amongst us are called Deacons and Ministers distribute to every one that is present that they may partake of him in whom the thanks were presented the Eucharist Bread Wine and Water and may bear it to the absent Moreover this nourishment is by us called the Eucharist which it is lawful for none to partake but to him who believes our Doctrine true and is washed in the Laver for the remission of sins and regeneration and that lives so as Christ delivered For we do not take it as common bread and common drink but as by the Word of God Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world was made flesh and for our salvation sake had flesh and blood after the same manner also we are taught that this nourishment in which by the prayers of his word which is from him the food in which thanks are given or the consecrated food by which our flesh and blood by mutation or change are nourished is the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus For the Apostles in their Commentaries which they wrote which are called the Gospels so delivered as Jesus commanded For when he had given thanks and taken Bread he said Do this in remembrance of me This is my body And likewise taking the Chalice and having given thanks he said This is my blood and that he gave it to them alone This one Testimony I reckon as sufficient who please to see more may observe the tradition full testified and intire in Ignatius Clemens Romanus or whoever wrote the Apostolical Constitutions in his name Tertullian S. Cyprian S. Athanasius Epiphanius S. Basil S. Chrysostom almost every where S. Hierom S. Augustine and indeed we cannot look in vain into any of the old Writers The sum of whose Doctrine in this particular I shall represent in the words of the most ancient of them S. Ignatius saying that he is worse than an Infidel that offers to officiate about the holy Altar unless he be a Bishop or a Priest And certainly he could upon no pretence have challenged the Appellative of Christian who had dared either himself to invade the holy Rites within the Chancels or had denyed the power of celebrating this dreadful mystery to belong only to sacerdotal ministration For either it is said to be but common Bread and Wine and then if that were true indeed any body may minister it but then they that say so are blasphemous they count the blood of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as S. Paul calls it in imitation of the words of institution the blood of the Covenant or New Testament a prophane or common thing they discern not the Lord's body they know not that the Bread that is broken is the communication of Christ's body But if it be a holy separate or divine and mysterious thing who can make it ministerially I mean and consecrate or sublime it from common and ordinary Bread but a consecrate separate and sublimed person It is to be done either by a natural power or by a supernatural A natural cannot hallow a thing in order to God and they only have a supernatural who have derived it from God in order to this ministration who can shew that they are taken up into the lot of that Deaconship which is the type and representment of that excellent ministery of the true Tabernacle where Jesus himself does the same thing in a higher and more excellent manner This is the great Secret of the Kingdom to which in the Primitive Church many who yet had given up their names to Christ by designation or solemnity were not admitted so much as to the participation as the Catechumeni the Audientes the Poenitentes Neophytes and Children and the ministery of it was not only reserved for sacred persons but also performed with so much mysterious secrecy that many were not permitted so much as to see This is that Rite in which the Priest intercedes for and blesses the

if all the Clergy may then all the People may and you may as well poison the Sea as poison all the Springs and it is more likely all the Ideots and the ordinary persons in the world should be couzened out of their Religion than that all the wise men and Antistites the Teachers Doctors and publick Ministers of Religion should And when all men turn Mariners or Apothecaries or that all men will live single lives and turn Monks and so endanger the species of mankind to perish for there is a great fear of that too that is when all the world chuse one thing for if two men do two thousand may do it if they will and so may all upon this ground then also we may fear that all the Governours of the Church may fail because some do and more have and all may till then there will be no need of an extraordinary Commission but the Church shall go on upon the stock of the first calling and designation which was extraordinary The Spirit issued out at first miraculously and hath continued running still in the first channels by ordinary conduct and in the same conveyances it must run still or it cannot without a miracle derive upon us who stand at infinite distance from the fountain Since then there is now no more expectation of an extraordinary calling and to do so were an extraordinary vanity it remains that the derivation of the ministerial power be by an ordinary conveyance The Spirit of God in Scripture hath drawn a line and chalked out the path that himself meant to tread in giving the graces of Evangelical ministrations At first after that Christ had named twelve one whereof was lost they not having an express command for the manner of Ordination took such course as Reason and Religion taught them They named two persons and prayed God to chuse one and to manifest it by Lot which was a way less than the first designation of the other eleven and yet had more of the extraordinary in it than could be reasonably continued in an ordinary succession The Apostles themselves had not as yet received skill enough how to officiate in their ordinary ministery because the Holy Ghost was not as yet descended But when the Holy Ghost descended then the work was to begin the Apostles wanted no power necessary for the main work of the Gospel but now also they received Commissions to dispense the Spirit to all such purposes to which He was intended They before had the office in themselves but it was not communicable to others till the Spirit the Anointing from above ran over the Fringes of the Priest's garments they had it but in imperfection and unactive faculties so saith Theophylact He breathed not now giving to them the perfect gift of the Holy Ghost for that he intended to give at Pentecost but he prepared them for the fuller reception of it They had the gift before but not the perfect consummation of it that was reserved for the great day and because the power of Consecration is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or perfection of Priestly order it was the proper emanation of this days glory then was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the perfection of what power Christ had formerly consigned For of all faculties that is not perfect which produces perfect and excellent actions in a direct line actions of a particular sort but that which produces the actions and enables others to do so too for then the perfection is inherent not only formally but virtually and eminently and that 's the crown of habits and natural faculties Now besides the reasonableness of the thing this is also verified by a certainty that will not easily fail us by Experience and ex post facto For as we do not find the Apostles had before Pentecost a productive power which made them call for a Miracle or a special providence by Lots so we are sure that immediately after Pentecost they had it for they speedily began to put it in execution and it is remarkable that the Apostles did not lay hands upon Matthias he being made Apostle before the descent of the Holy Ghost they had no power to do it they were not yet made Ministers of the Spirit which because afterwards presently they did concludes fairly that at Pentecost they were amongst other graces made the ordinary Ministers of Ordination This I say is certain that the Holy Ghost descending at Pentecost they instantly did officiate in their ministerial offices they preached they baptized they confirmed and gave the holy Spirit of obsignation and took persons into the Lot of their Ministery doing of it by an external rite and solemn invocation and now the extraordinary way did cease God was the fountain of the power but man conveyed it by an external rite and of this Saint Paul who was the only exception from the common way takes notice calling himself an Apostle not of man nor by man but by Iesus Christ implying that he had a special honour done to be chosen an Apostle in an extraordinary way therefore others might be Apostles and yet not so as he was for else his expression had been all one as if one should say Titus the son of a man not begotten of an Angel or Spirit nor produced by the Sun or Stars but begotten by a Man of a Woman the discourse had been ridiculous for no man is born otherwise and yet also he had something of the ordinary too for in an extraordinary manner he was sent to be ordained in an ordinary Ministery And yet because the ordinary Ministery was setled S. Paul was called to an account for so much of it as was extraordiry and was tied to do that which every man now is bound to do that shall pretend a calling extraordinary viz. to give an extraordinary proof of his extraordinary calling which when he had done in the College of Ierusalem the Apostles gave him the right hand of fellowship and approved his vocation which also shews that now the way of Ordination was fixed and declared to be by humane ministery of which I need no other proof but the instances of Ordinations recorded in Scripture and the no instances to the contrary but of S. Paul whose designation was as immediate as that of the 11. Apostles though his Ordination was not I end this with the saying of Iob the Monk Concerning the order of Priesthood it is supernatural and unspeakable He that yesterday and the day before was in the form of Ideots and private persons to day by the power of the Holy Ghost and the voice of the chief Priest and laying on of hands receives so great an improvement and alteration that he handles and can consecrate the divine mysteries of the holy Church and becomes under Christ a Mediator Ministerial between God and man and exalted to hallow himself and sanctifie others The same almost with the words of Gregory Nyssen in his book De

Work and employed upon an excellent Subject A Discourse upon the Beatitudes which if finisht would have been of great use to the World and solv'd most of the Cases of Conscience that occur to a Christian in all the varieties of states and conditions But the All-wise God hath ordained it otherwise and hath called home his good Servant to give him a portion in that Blessedness that Jesus Christ hath promised to all his faithful Disciples and Followers Thus having given you a brief Account of his Life I know you will now expect a character of his Person but I fore-see it will befal him as it does all Glorious Subjects that are but disparaged by a commendation One thing I am secure of that I shall not be thought to speak Hyperbole's for the Subject can hardly be reached by any expressions For he was none of God's ordinary works but his Endowments were so many and so great as really made him a Miracle Nature had befriended him much in his Constitution for he was a person of a most sweet and obliging Humour of great Candour and Ingenuity and there was so much of Salt and fineness of Wit and prettiness of Address in his familiar Discourses as made his Conversation have all the pleasantness of a Comedy and all the usefulness of a Sermon His Soul was made up of Harmony and he never spake but he charm'd his Hearer not only with the clearness of his Reason but all his Words and his very Tone and Cadencies were strangely Musical But That which did most of all captivate and enravish was The gaiety and richness of his Fancy for he had much in him of that natural Enthusiasm that inspires all great Poets and Orators and there was a generous ferment in his Blood and Spirits that set his Fancy bravely a work and made it swell and teem and become pregnant to such degrees of Luxuriancy as nothing but the greatness of his Wit and judgment could have kept it within due bounds and measures And indeed it was a rare Mixture and a single Instance hardly to be found in an Age for the great Tryer of Wits has told us That there is a peculiar and several Complexion requir'd for Wit and Iudgment and Fancy and yet you might have found all these in this great Personage in their Eminency and Perfection But that which made his Wit and Judgment so considerable was the largeness and freedom of his Spirit for truth is plain and easie to a mind dis-intangled from Superstition and Prejudice He was one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sort of brave Philosophers that Laertius speaks of that did not addict themselves to any particular Sect but ingeniously sought for Truth among all the wrangling Schools and they found her miserably torn and rent to pieces and parcell'd into Rags by the several contending Parties and so disfigur'd and mishapen that it was hard to know her but they made a shift to gather up her scatter'd Limbs which as soon as they came together by a strange sympathy and connaturalness presently united into a lovely and beautiful body This was the Spirit of this Great Man he weighed mens Reasons and not their Names and was not scared with the ugly Vizars men usually put upon Persons they hate and Opinions they dislike nor affrighted with the Anathema's and Execrations of an infallible Chair which he look'd upon only as Bug-bears to terrifie weak and childish minds He considered that it is not likely any one Party should wholly engross Truth to themselves that Obedience is the only way to true Knowledge which is an argument that he has manag'd rarely well in that excellent Sermon of his which he calls Via Intelligentiae that God alwayes and only teaches docible and ingenuous minds that are willing to hear and ready to obey according to their Light that it is impossible a pure humble resigned God-like Soul should be kept out of Heaven whatever mistakes it might be subject to in this state of Mortality that the design of Heaven is not to fill mens heads and feed their Curiosities but to better their Hearts and mend their Lives Such Considerations as these made him impartial in his Disquisitions and give a due allowance to the Reasons of his Adversary and contend for Truth and not for Victory And now you will easily believe that an ordinary Diligence would be able to make great Improvements upon such a Stock of Parts and Endowments but to these advantages of Nature and excellency of his Spirit be added an indefatigable Industry and God gave a plentiful Benediction for there were very few Kinds of Learning but he was a Mystes and a great Master in them He was a rare Humanist and hugely vers'd in all the polite parts of Learning and had throughly concocted all the ancient Moralists Greek and Roman Poets and Orators and was not unacquainted with the refined Wits of the later Ages whether French or Italian But he had not only the Accomplishments of a Gentleman but so universal were his Parts that they were proportioned to every thing and though his Spirit and Humour were made up of Smoothness and Gentleness yet he could bear with the Harshness and Roughness of the Schools and was not unseen in their Subtilties and Spinosities and upon occasion could make them serve his purpose and yet I believe he thought many of them very near a kin to the famous Knight of the Mancha and would make sport sometimes with the Romantick Sophistry and phantastick Adventures of School-Errantry His Skill was great both in the Civil and Canon Law and Casuistical Divinity and he was a rare Conductor of Souls and knew how to Counsel and to Advise to solve Difficulties and determine Cases and quiet Consciences And he was no Novice in Mr. I. S. new Science of Controversie but could manage an Argument and Reparties with a strange dexterity He understood what the several Parties in Christendom have to say for themselves and could plead their Cause to better advantage than any Advocate of their Tribe and when he had done he could confute them too and shew That better Arguments than ever they could produce for themselves would afford no sufficient ground for their fond Opinions It would be too great a Task to pursue his Accomplishments through the various Kinds of Literature I shall content my self to add only his great Acquaintance with the Fathers and Ecclesiastical Writers and the Doctors of the first and purest Ages both of the Greek and Latin Church which he has made use of against the Romanists to vindicate the Church of England from the Challenge of Innovation and prove her to be truly Ancient Catholick and Apostolical But Religion and Vertue is the Crown of all other Accomplishments and it was the Glory of this great man to be thought a Christian and whatever you added to it he look't upon as a term of diminution and yet he was a Zealous Son of the Church of