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
B03435	A fathers advice to his son at the university: wherein is hinted some general directions, which may be usefully read by persons of any age or sex.		1693 (1693)	Wing F553A; ESTC R176976	82,678	160

to be disposed of for their payment 45. Be very cautious anent your engaging your self Suretie for any it being amongst the greatest of Snares that concerns your worldly being You have Solomon who had the greatest knowledge disswading it I say Cautious because I cannot but acknowledge the case may ex●●●t wherein your freinds wel-being may absolutly require it for he is a miserable Creature that acts in his Concerns as if he were only born for himself and that is not concerned in the Well-being of his Neighbour but especially of his Friend yet would it be necessity that makes 〈◊〉 do it and so do therein as may be con●●●●nt with the Substance of your self and Family in your Station And I advise you rather to be helpful to him in giving the use of what you are able to spare of your own for the Inconveniency of Surt●eship and its lying over unpayed hath often proven very hurtful to these engaged in it 46. Where you are Creditor to any Person it is your Duty with diligence to concern your self in your being satisfied but if they be in Want and willing to Pay beware of exacting too rigorously for the true use of Law on that Head is but to compel such who uses not the utmost of their Endeavour to pay what they are endue and I advise you rather to Clemency albeit it should be your loss than too severe exacting upon Persons in Want lest you be found to have wanted the Bowels of Compassion and Mercy toward your Neighbour when you appear before the Tribunal of our God before whom there is no standing but as he is infinitely merciful to sinful Creatures in Christ Jesus 47. As detraction or reporting falsly any thing to your Neighbours prejudice is utterly unallowable so Flattery is a Crime most unbecoming a man it is an aggravation of Lying which is amongst the basest of Crimes and its Iniquity is held forth Prov. 26.28 A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it and a flattering mouth worketh ruine The exercise of Reason would prevent our flattering or being flattered a Reproof being truly more Savoury than Flattery as in Prov. 28.23 He that rebuketh afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue 48. Civility and Complacency are the Bonds and Ligaments of Society and whosoever is void of these are but troublesome to all they converse with Let it be your care so to behave as your Company may be acceptable yet let your Complacence have Reason for its Rule and beware of every thing that is sinful and unbecoming your Station 49. Be cheerfully affectionat to your Relations and Friends and with freedom allow them such a part of your Heart your Time and your Means as is consistent with your other Duties for surely there is at least to my Apprehension no earthly satisfaction to that of an Affectionat Correspondence with and Converse of Friends 50. As you are to be sincerly affectionat to all your Friends and Neighbours and to prize a cordial and intimat Correspondence with them so let no cross Dispensation befalling them allienat and estrange you therefrom For Friendship only entertained in prosperity is not solidly founded neither upon Christian nor Moral Principles Yet so general and great is the Corruption of Mankind and every one so ready to decline from Duty as it is almost the practice of all not only to undervalue such a Correspondence with the Mean and Low in the World albeit otherwise having what may in some measure induce thereunto but even to forbear and let fall that intimacy of Correspondence they have had with such upon whom Providence seems to frown and albeit some and it may be said but a few from their natural Affection and Kindness to their friends and from Conscience moving not altogether to desert them in their need may not be wanting in many things when required Yet is it evident any familiarity retained is not with that freedom and willingness of heart as formerly Be ye careful that such with whom ye enter into Friendship be from their Humor and christian Conversation desirable and when engaged do not desert the same so long as your Friend changes not and let nothing but either Desertion on his part or his being guilty of what is inconsistent with a Christian and Friendly Correspondence diminish any part of your Respect and Familiarity And where you are engaged by any Benefite be not forgetfull thereof evidence by your carriage that you remember it with thankfulness and abhor your being guilty of Ingratitude for it is truly said Si ingratum dixeris omnia dixeris 51. In Society innocent Jesting is not unallowable but beware of giving Offence thereby for the exercise of little Reason may satisfy you that the advantage from the wittiest of Jests is too dear bought the price being Offence given to the most inconsiderable of Persons and seldom do's ordinary Jesters miss the giving as much Offence in a little time as the Jests of their whole life are worth to themselves or others 52. Make not the Miseries the Infirmities or Deformitie of others the Ground and Matter of your Jests and of all kind of Jesting beware of doing it with things Sacred It is too much the practice of many to use in their ordinary if not sinful converse Texts of Scripture without any seriousness only for Diversion to themselves or the Company they converse with which is surely the height of Wickedness and an avouched declaring they believe not the Scriptures to be dictated by the Holy Spirit of our most Blessed God who will surely recompense the Iniquity of such 53. If your Occasions shall sometimes tryst your being in Company not desireable guard against your being concern'd in any Debate or Quarrel for the usual Effects of such Contentions are most lamentable And for what is most unreasonably called Honour and pretends to oblige to accept of a Challenge to Fight it is so entire a Device of the Devil and inconsistent with Religion as I am sure none that hath the use of Reason but sees that Practice to be foolishly Mad and Abominable for nothing that hath either Honour or Vertue but it is fully agreeable to the Rules of Religion and this Practice is so absolutely a Device of the Devil as it truly hath in it nothing either honourable or vertuous and is altogether inconsistent with the serious belief of a Judgment to come where the Immortal Soul will receive the final and incontravertible Sentence of etetnal Salvation or Damnation The Devil that Enemy to Soul and body is undenyably the Author of this Wickedness it striking directly at the destruction of both and surely there is nothing honourable to which a man dares not seek of God a Blessing and any man's offering to pray to God before his entering upon that Action is most unreasonable and an extreamly Arrogant Wicked and sinful seeking of God to bless him in doing what is palpably held forth in

the trouble of giving any particular account the Errat● I expect that not only the Epistle recommending the reading these Sheets but thy own perusal will satisfie that thy time in reading and the 〈◊〉 of this small ●●●k shall not be thrown away and now whilst they are printing there is come to my hand six Letters from a Gentleman to his Neighbour which albeit the Author of either the Advice or Letters be unknown to me yet I apprehend both to be done by one hand and since the Subject can give offence to none and the consideration thereof may be useful to stir up Gentlemen and others to Correspondence of that nature and may besides the diversion in reading thereof be helpful for direction in some Occurrences I presume their adding to the bulk of this little Book will not be grudged at I have some Information there are more of this kind written if they come to my hand before the impression be finished and be such as these are they shall be added and I have confidence my doing thereof will not be resented Sir MY yielding to your Inclination to have what I wrote as advice to my Son published might justly be repute censurable and an Action not only conceitedly foolish but impudent yea it might be thought strange that any of my Capacity and Literature should allow any thing written by themselves be design'd for publick perusal What I did therein to my Son was not from any sense of his wanting in many books which may be easily had better and more pertinent Directions tending to his temporal and eternal Well-being then it was possible for me to give him but having at sometimes as the Actions of others and my own have given me occasion observed what I thought to be Duty or reprehendible therein I did consider thereupon and thought my particular directing thereof to him might be to his Advantage not because of any Excellency therein but that it being from his Father and written to himself he might be induced to the more serious and profitable perusal thereof for I have often observed that in hearing the Word preached or having other publick Means of Instruction every one is apt to hear or read of Duties pressed as if they were the concernment of their Neighbour and not their own which has made me much prize Ministers diligence in visiting Families and Catechising what being at these occasions spoken to poor people they do usuall more seriously attend thereunto it is like you ca● not upon perusing it again but see how unreasonable and unnecessary your desire is and be sensibl● that its uncorrectness would make you asham●● to own an Interest therein nor do I know a●● thing could be an Argument for printing there● except that the Advices therein having as● shall acknowledge some Endeavours to perswa●● to at lest some Duties doth come from one u●● fitted many ways for doing thereof for som● times what of this nature is pertinently pressed 〈◊〉 any judicious and learned Minister of the Gospe●● or any else otherwise of known Parts is hear●● but cursorly whereas something of the san●● Nature coming from one not expected it m●● occasion a particular Reflection and thereby o●● lige the Hearers to apply it to themselves I ha●● since I had your desire read it over agai●● but with little intention of bettering it not th● I am insensible of its need to be corrected fo● think I have never at any time read it over any part thereof but I saw in it Incohesion wa● of Grammar and much Uncorrectness and ●●ving upon pieces of Paper at several times as t●● Subject hath occurred written it to be of so●● use to my Children the Directions therein a●● not Methodically set down and being witho●● consideration of what I had already done as t●● Matter thereof hath occurr'd to me not witho●● Repetitions and will make obvious to any jud●●cious Reader the foolish Arrogance of preten●●ing any thing so written for publick reading a●● sometimes my Pen beyond what was compete●●● to me or it may be what might be much use●● to my Children hath run out upon some Subject and in Taxing of some Professions but a● the full and overflowing sense of their Practice led me to it so it yet makes me wish that these in a Capacity to do it would not only hold forth but by suitable Means prevent Practises so much prejudicial to Society I do confess that the smallest of books when done with seriousness pressing Duty are most useful for seldom are books of any Bulk read over and I could wish some fitted for that Work would do something in such Terms as might engage to the reading thereof not that there is want of abundance of books of that nature but the Novelty and Succinctness of what might be pressed would be helpful to induce to a serious perusal There is indeed great need of suitable Directions against our selfish sinful Inclinations for it is obvious that self is the Devil 's great Engine to destroy Soul and Body yea Covetousness and almost every other Vice proceeds from that Root and as the Devil and Corruption within us makes every vitious Habite to have some appearance either of its being necessar or of the Vertue that is most opposite thereto so the Covetous are apt to construct their Actions only to be frugal it is true being careless of what Providence trysts us with or Lavish or Exorbitant in using thereof is not only against the Command of God but is often accompanied with an otherwise sinful and vitious Life yet are the Covetous as grosly Faulty and the Holy Spirit of God in the Scriptures doth plainly declare his Abhorrence thereof I could wish some Pen fitted for that Work would direct Mankind particularly and succinctly to understand the true middle betwixt these Extrems and let them see that as unconcerned and prodigal spending is very unallowable so is anxious caring for things of this World and the love thereof as much so for the Generality do's satisfy themselves in this that if they seek after but what is their own and that by no unlawful worldly Means which is a length the most part comes not to they apprehend not the inconveuiency of doing it with too much intentness not that any can be too careful in their lawful Calling if it encroach not upon their other Duties but where either the having or losing of Money or any worldly Goods does further influence us then the procuring our valuing them not so much for their own worth as that they come from God to be used at his Direction it is surely unallowable and when they are lost we are not to grieve for the want thereof but to search our ways and to acknowledge our sins as the true cause of every cross Dispensation that befalls us and neither to rejoyce in the having of temporal Goods but as they are the marks of his love nor to be concern'd at the loss or want thereof