Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bless_a	lord_n	soul_n	6,252	5	5.0695	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31093	A sermon preached at the triennial visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, Seth, Lord Bishop of Sarum, held at Reading, Sept. 6, 1683 by John Barrow ...	Barrow, John, 1650 or 51-1684.	1683 (1683)	Wing B966; ESTC R16103	12,922	35

it from Good will to our selves and besides the great fitness that a pure Religion should be taught from a pure Principle there is this Advantage in it which I shall ever think very Considerable that when we sincerely and principally mean the Glory of God and good of Souls by it 't will be that which will secure us in the course of our Ministry from those mean Complyances those unmanly Arts and little Condescensions which make any Man for Interest cheap and contemptible but of all Men a Clergyman most 2. From hence I infer the great Diligence we should use in our several Stations lest those that preach Christ out of Strife and Contention should out-watch and out-labour us If we will not take Care of our Province we are sensibly convinced that others are ready at hand to invade it they will tell our Charge out of Charity to them and thô we know well enough 't is the Charity of our Charge they expect again yet the very Pretence would be taken away from them the very Reproach be taken away from us who ought so well to fill our several Places as to leave no room for any Intruder But room would be left and Advantages taken and the People stray more from us and our own Sincerity be called into question if we were remiss in the work of the Ministry and the Consequence of this as well as the Guilt of so great a Neglect are too well known and I hope so well precautioned as not to need any farther enlargement where I now am 3. From hence I infer the great reason we our selves have not to give any Countenance to Contentious Preachers by Uncanonical Practices or Complyances For so much as we recede in any Point whatever from the stated Discipline of the Church so much Encouragement we manifestly give to those who preach in direct Opposition to it If to gratify any one we will administer the Sacrament sitting baptize without Sureties or the sign of the Cross or marry without Banns or Licence or on any occasion wilfully omit the Prayers of the Church it is to do what themselves could wish and with this further Circumstance that they have it in their Power to say of us we our selves as to these things and the needlessness of them are of the same Opinion with them And what is this but to strengthen their Obstinacy and by our own Example to confirm them in the Contempt of that very Church the Authority of which we have obliged our selves to preserve 4. And lastly From hence I infer the vast Obligation under which we all are to avoid Contention one with another For why should we who have had both the Honour and Blessing of the same Episcopal Imposition of Hands have the same great Concern of Souls to advance and do it by preaching the same Gospel of Peace why of all Men should we have Variance with each other It is too much occasion of Contest our Enemies give us and with them 't is a noble Contention because it is a Contending for the Truth But if to the Breaches they make upon us we will open more of our own Accord and divide that Force with which we should oppose them they may in all probability succeed but it will be little Credit either to our Courage or to our Integrity In two words could so monstrous a thing be supposed as that any of our own Body could fly in the Face of their lawful Superiours betray the Peace and Settlement of the Church of which they are Members and Preach or Act out of Envy and Strife the mildest thing to be said of them is that the greatest Kindness they can shew to our Church next to that of publick Retractation and Amendment would be publickly to Renounce it For the same Reason that it would be better for the Obstinate and Scandalous to renounce their Baptism than under the Pretence of it to fall into such Practices as cause the Name of Christ to be blasphemed From whence in the last place I proceed to the Deductions which may concern the People that are either Hearers of the Contentious Preachers among us or of our selves And here I would pray their Permission to mind them 1. That they would not think the worse of Christianity for the Jarrs and Contentions of the Preachers of it Indeed if all who pretend to teach did but truly follow this Doctrine we should hear of no Divisions The sweet and peaceable Genius of it would either prevent or cure Animosities and Love and Unity would be as of old its Honourable Badges But if instead of this some will propagate more of Contention than Christ and we as it is our Duty withstand them the People from hence would very ill collect that Christianity tended to Variance without considering that it lies more in the Temper of these Men They would much worse collect that because the Preachers of it do not always agree Christianity it self is nothing at the Bottom For our very differing about the Superstructure supposes on all hands the Foundation to be Real They cannot therefore in reason admit any Prejudice against Religion for the sake of its Ministers but ought on the contrary to discriminate those Ministers who do so much Disservice to Religion 2. From hence I would likewise mind them how great Care they ought to take what Spiritual Guides they commit themselves to For if they follow Contentious Preachers it is very great odds but that they themselves will in a short time be as perverse and contentious as they their Nature will be sowred by the Principles of their Leaders and the visible signs of their profiting by their Ministry will be their being more Sowr and more Froward still So that to the Ease and Innocence of their Lives it is necessary they consider who it is that they take for the Conduct of them Not that I mean they are left at large to chuse or to follow what Preachers they will For God and the Government have determined that for them and the same Providence which made them Inhabitants of such a Place has fixed such a one as the Preacher of it from whom they are not without the most weighty Causes to depart But before they depart from a lawful Ministry it concerns them to be well satisfied what other Ministry they put themselves under to try the Spirits and examin whether Doctrines in their natural Consequence tending to Strife the Subversion or Disturbance of all Order and good Government rellish more of pure and uncorrupt Christianity than the quiet Submission to God and to Magistrates which our Church has ever taught and which cannot be left upon any Exceptions for any other Church against which there will not more and more just Exceptions be readily found 3. And to conclude From the whole I infer the great Obligation upon those of the Laity whose Office requires it to use all lawful Means of putting a stop to this sort of Preachers If they will not as one would think by this time they should in Conscience desist I shall think it no hard Conclusion to say it is you that ought in Conscience to suppress them the Places you are in and the Oaths you have taken will press you more to it than I shall now do I shall only tell you if they have no Right to the Apostles Rejoycing they have less to your Favour and if they tell us this is preaching Persecution 't will be very difficult for them to prove that any are Persecuted but for Righteousness sake which can never be their Case as matters now stand unless by a very soft Figure we will call those the Schools of Righteousness which have so lately and more than once appeared the Nurseries of Rebellion I would not say this in the manner I do but that the whole Being of our Church is at Stake These the Men that boldly undermine it and you that are set as the Guardians of it All they can have to plead for themselves your Ministers you need not fear will be able to answer But after all 't is you will soonest convince them I mean you that are in Office and will faithfully execute it Which that you may do and we with like Sincerity perform our Parts and both so successfully as to secure the Peace of Christ's Church Let us in the humblest manner beseech the Prince of Peace and great Bishop of our Souls even the Lord Christ Jesus to whom with the Father and the Blessed and Eternal Spirit be all Honour and Praise and Might and Dominion now and evermore Amen FINIS In Loc. 1 Cor. 1. 12. De Profect Evarg In Loc. v. 3. Ubi supra Rom. 15. 20. 21. a In Loc. b Advers Marcion lib. 5. circa finem c ad Jubaianum Ep. 73. vid. Firmil ad Cypr. Ep. 75. Gal. 1. 8. 2 Cor. 12. 14.