Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	blood_n	body_n	flesh_n	8,072	5	6.9865	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84015	The English hermite, or, Wonder of this age. Being a relation of the life of Roger Crab, living neer Uxbridg, taken from his own mouth, shewing his strange reserved and unparallel'd kind of life, who counteth it a sin against his body and soule to eate any sort of flesh, fish, or living creature, or to drinke any wine, ale, or beere. He can live with three farthings a week. His constant food is roots and hearbs, as cabbage, turneps, carrets, dock-leaves, and grasse; also bread and bran, without butter or cheese: his cloathing is sack-cloath. He left the Army, and kept a shop at Chesham, and hath now left off that, and sold a considerable estate to give to the poore, shewing his reasons from the Scripture, Mark. 10. 21. Jer. 35.	Crab, Roger, 1621?-1680.	1655 (1655)	Wing E3089; Thomason E826_1; ESTC R25357	16,709	21

that Scripture in Matth. 15.11 where he saith these words That which goeth into the mouth defileth not the man but that which cometh out of the mouth that defileth the man which is murthers adulteries fornications thefts false testimonies slanders c. If this be meant that any thing put into the mouth cannot defile the body then no man can can be poysoned but there hath been many a man poysoned by taking things into the mouth If so then nothing ought to be taken but that which is nourishable to pure nature except they have faith and power of sanctification to exclude the venom so in short my judgment is of every place of Scripture which speaks any thing of this nature that to him that believeth all things are lawfull as in relation to Christ in the Spirit but some things not expedient Now to those that will not unlink themselves from the world as to deny father and mother wife children lands and livings and all for Christs sake in the Spirituall essence but will rather serve him according to the flesh in the ten Commandements Now this is the wonderfull and admirable love of God that hee will give them a reward also according to that dispensation they are under for he hath promised them a blessing in basket and in store their children long life in the Land for their obedience to their Parents in the flesh but no more then fleshly rewards can be given for fleshly obedience for hee that dyeth with fleshly desires fleshly inclinations and fleshly satisfactions this being a composure of the spirits of darknesse in this body must rise again in the same nature and must be taken into the centre of Mars the god of flesh blood and fire so that every man shall receive the things which are done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or evill 2 Cor. 5.10 Then how happy are they that takes Christ and the Prophets for their example Christ being an innocent pattern to the whole world exposed himself to all danger and difficulty not for his owne ends in the flesh but for others sakes even them that persecuted him and violated him with terms of ignomie calling him a Glutton and a wine-bibber blasphemer and a Devill and at length killed him out-right and hanged him shamefully upon the Crosse the persons that did it were the Priests Councellors Lawyers and the rude multitude instructed by them filled all with envy against innocency but all this worketh together for the best to them that fear God in humblenesse and meeknesse together with love and charity where envy cannot be but some glimps of the spirituall light which discerneth all things even the deep things of God according to the Scriptures 1 Cor. 2.10 But reason it selfe will discover a glimps of Gods proceedings in these our dayes he hath tryed almost every sort of men and every sort of sects according to their Pedgree in our Land 1. The King and Bishops were exalted next to Christ 2. The Parliament who found fault with them not pulling the beame of Covetousnesse out of their owne eyes and their Sects depending were all exalted in stead of the other 3. The Army with their Trades and Sects depending upon the same account became exalted So the Gentlemen and Farmers have had their turn in Offices and dearth of Corn and now they will try inferiour Trades as Journey-men and Day-labourers and their associates depending even to the Orphan and Alms-man and now giveth them the fulnesse of bread and cloathing and silver and all according to their respective place and capability they are in So that now we look over all their proceedings and judg by their fruits and it will be a hard matter for a low capacity to judge which of all these parties hath been most just but I being of the lowest sort and unlearned being amongst day-labourers and journey have judged my selfe with them the worst of all these parties in pride gluttony drunkenesse lying desembling swearing cursing covetousnesse disobedient to Parents breeding up children to disobedience and all other abhominations Were not the most High wonderfull and mercifull to us one of these sinnes are enough to bring judgement and terrors upon the whole Land namely the sinne of drunkennesse being explained will prove it when the allseing eye looks into every Ale-house of this Nation and seeth of which sort are most there and they will appear to be labouring poor men which in times of scarcity pine and murmure for want of bread cursing the rich behinde his back and before his face cap and knee and a whining countenance and some are cholerick and discontented and will not speak at all neither of them considering what they did in the time of plenty when they drank in one day as much as a bushell of barly will make which will keep two ordinary families a whole week in bread this two men will doe twice or three times a week and when Sunday cometh they will hear two sermons and have their child christened by the vertue of his faith and receive the Sacrament at Easter and then all is well his conscience being seared up he returns to his companions and falls on as before to drunkenesse and gluttony spoiling backbiting his neighbours swearing and cursing and reviling against the Higher powers for oppressing him making a good construction of his fellowdrunkard which is drunk three or four dayes in the week they will say he is an honest fellow and no foe but his own although both he and they that so do are the greatest oppressors under the Sunne and the greatest enemies to the poor fatherlesse orphans widdows and strangers which are below them for by their drunkennesse and gluttony Corn is made dear and Corne being dear Land is made dear so that the Farmer must give a great rent for his Farme and is constrained to hire many more Acres By this means cattle and Corne hath been at a high rate the Farmer being coveteous minded to uphold his wife and children in pompe and pride feasting and gluttony at Christnings and Banquettings by which means surfets and diseases drives them to the Physitians who wait for their prey to get their money to purchase Lands and houses that they may let it out to them againe Thus you see that the body of England is become a Monster God hath created eyes in us that are the feet to discover her nakednesse as far as the middle we have a little light of her armes and her head which keeps her pomp by sword and violence but our fight being weake and most work to do at home and most convenient for every man to pull the beame out of his own eye according to the Scriptures Mat. 7.3 that we may see clearer and justly judge the tree by his fruits we shall try the inferiour and lower sort of feasting among women called by the name of Christnings which are these First to exchange upon some body

an Author for I should not give credit to it A rich Citizens sonne having left him by his Father thirty thousand pounds in ready money besides Jewels Plate and Houses richly furnished was so prodigall as to consume all his whole estate in three yeares and hee had a great longing to please all his five Sences at once and did accomplish it allowing to each Sence a severall hundred pound it would be too tedious to mention all the story hee grew at last to all debauchednesse that could be named and was forced shamefully to beg of his acquaintance and was after prest for a common Souldier see pathe last of that Booke above mentioned I shall no longer detaine the Reader from the Hermits relation these things I thought would be most pertinent to impart to thee hoping thou wilt make this good use of it by avoyding these two Extreams and walking in the golden meane of true godlinesse which hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come Vale One more remarkable thing hee told me That when hee was in Clarken-well Prison the 17. of this January 1654. His Keeper having a prejudice against him and ordered the Prisoners not to let him have bread with his water and shut him downe in the hole all night The next morning being something hungry walking in the Prison yard there came a Spannell and walked after him three or foure turnes with a peece of bread in his mouth He looked upon him and wondered why the Dog walked as he thought with a Chip in his mouth He looked at the Dogge and he layd it downe and perceiving it was bread he walked away againe and the Dog walked after him with it againe then he stooped and the Dog layd it downe to his hand then he tooke and wiped it and eate it Epist. 1.18 leave out 50 s a year TO Mr. Godbold Preacher at Vxbridge in Middlesex I Dedicate this my Discourse Because he was my friend to help conquer my old man by informing my friends of Chesham That I was a Witch and was run away and would never come againe You being a publick Preacher may doe me greater service in helping me to dishonour him for I have been almost 3. years conquering my old man by dishonour Therefore if you can stirre up any more to forward this work pray do if it be not hurtfull to your self and they that do so I rest Your reserved friend Roger Crab To the Impartial Reader IN whom malicious envy delights to be for birds of a feather draw together But such a Constitution is not to be condemned lest we should condemn the worke of God in the flesh but rather to be instructed with the light of the Scriptures that thereby he may know himselfe and judg himselfe to be undone and empty that love and zeale may take possession and then he will be more valiant and bold for God and the Scripture then he that is moderately constituted Then let us labour for a single eye which maketh the whole body light I meane a single heart in single designes which cannot stand with lindsey woolsey garments nor with double tongues nor varieties of fancies after meates and drinks for Christ himselfe was to eate butter and honey till he came to knowledge to choose the good and refuse the evill Isa. 7.15 And if naturall Adam had kept to his single naturall fruits of Gods appointment namely fruits and hearbs we had not been corrupted Thus we see that by eating and drinking we are swallowed up in corruption for ever since Noah came out of the Arke the world being drowned and no fruits nor hearbs on the earth man was ordered to eate the flesh of the Creature which came out of the Arke so that by that meanes our desires were made strong after flesh That when the hearbs innocent food was come forth we slighted it calling it trash in comparison of a Beast or beastly flesh so that by that meanes the flesh-destroying Spirits and Angels draweth neer us and frequently attendeth man kind This you may see by the Angels that came to Abraham to destroy the flesh of the Sodomites Abraham knowing their designe killed them a Calfe and made them a fleshly feast so that we may see God hath all sorts of creatures for all sorts of designes and for all sorts of food both in heaven and in earth Innocent creatures for innocent food and beastly creatures for beastly and fleshly food I rest your friend as you please Roger Crab From my poore Cottage neere Uxbridg Jan. 1654. THE ENGLlSH HER MITE AT ICKNAM NEER VXBRIDGE SEeing I am become a gazing stock to the Nation a wonderment to many friends in this my reserved life I shall therefore indite a few lines as the most high shall direct me wherein I shall give an account of this my undoing owning Christ and the Prophets to be exemplary both in prophecying and practising as farre as God shall give power to any man I having truly examined it and often disputed it with all Sexes and Ministers in most Counties in England and most of them grants me that the practice of Christ and the Prophets is written for our Learning and if this be granted that wee ought to be imitators of their righteousnesse hereby the judgment of God may be seen to a Sodomite generation living now upon English ground but first I shall begin with my self who have transgressed the commands of God and so found guilty of the whole Law living in pride drunkennesse and gluttony which I upheld by dissembling and lying cheating and cozening my Neighbors But now that light which enlightneth every man that cometh into the world according to Johns writing bath discovered the love of God to my understanding which causeth me to with-draw from what I have done and instead of strong drinks and wines I give the old man a cup of water and instead of rost Mutton and Rabbets and other dainty dishes I gave him broth thickned with bran and pudding made with bran Turnep leaves chop 't together and grass at which the Old man meaning my body being moved would know what he had done that I used him so hardly then I shewed him his transgression as aforesaid so the warrs began The law of the old man in my fleshly members rebelled against the law of my mind and had a shrewd skirmish but the mind being well enlightned held it so that the old man grew sick and weak with the fluxe like to fall to the dust but the wonderful love of God well pleased with the Battle raised him up againe and filled him full of love peace and content in mind and is now become more humble for now he will eate Dock-leaves Mallows or Grasse and yeelds that he ought to give God more thanks for it then formerly for roast flesh and wines and certainly concludes that this must be of God if it be done out of love and not out of selfe-ends

Towns or Cities that shall defraud his brethren and shall advance themselves in pride by oppression and tyranny imitating Sodome and Gomorrah in all manner of abhominations if any see this imitated in England it 's high time for we or they that so see to become imitators of Christ and the Prophets first in order of the Prophets that came before Christ who were ordered by their practice to shew Israel their transgressions in drinking water by measure and in making bread for Ezekiel took of wheat barly and beans and lentiles and millet and fitches and put them in a vessel and made bread thereof and insteed of butter and spice he was to take cows dung insteed of mens dung to prepare his bread with and he was to have his portion by weight Ezek. 4.9 Thus the Prophet was to shew them their error in matter of food and for clothing you may see in Isa. 20. Who was a Prophet of God ordered not onely to weare sack-cloth but to go naked and without shoes three years If these Scriptures are written for our learning imitation and practice then we are to judge which are the Prophets of God by this practice in Scripture and if so where shall we finde Prophets of God But some will say we are to follow Christ and the Apostles in the New Testament and if you will have it so then we must exactly see what orders they had in their Commission that we may know them from hirelings We finde in the Commission that they were to go and preach without mony or scrips or shoes on their feet but to bee shod with sandalls Marke 6.8 So we may doubt whether we shall finde any Apostles too if we shall judge by Christs Commission but if you will not own these Scriptures neither let us try them that mark out the false Apostles and Teachers namely John 10. where he saith the hireling is not his Shepherd and Mat. 7. where he saith ye shall know them by their fruits inwardly they are ravening wolves Many more Scriptures to this purpose there are but if you have a minde to your hirelings still you will belive no Scripture that is against him neither is there any for him so that all the true practicall part of Scriptures must bee layd aside onely talk of it and dispute of it a little and pick out of it a few places to preach out off and to write to get some mony to uphold their pride and honour in this world to please the old man in the flesh Surely if John the Baptist should come forth againe and call himself Leveller and take such food as the wildernesse yeelded and such cloathing and Preach up his former Doctrine He that had two coats should give away one of them and he that hath food should doe likewise How scornfully would our proud Gentlemen and Gallants look of him that hath gotten three or four Coats with great gold and silver buttons and halfe a score dainty dishes at his Table besides his gallant house and his furniture therein therefore this Scripture must be interpreted some other way or else denied and this is our condition if the Scripture will not serve for our own ends to fulfill selfeish desires to uphold the old man in his fleshly honour which belongeth to the Magistrate onely who God hath made a Minister for thy wealths sake and doth not at all belong to innocency nor Christ in the Spirit for there is small signe of the olde mans dying or putting off whilst he smites his fellows for the liberty of his fleshly desires and this is our condition that loveth the world in whom the love of God cannot be 1 John 2.15 16. Love not the world neither the things of the world If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him for all that is in the world as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world These Scriptures have I endeavored formerly to interpret some other way by absurdities and consequences how that if we should not weare superfluous things thousands of people would starve for want of Trading and so by consequence bring greater evill upon us So I being not willing to loose my pride and worldly pomp I questioned the truth of the Scriptures and even God himselfe and all for want of some glimps of spirituall light which my naturall eyes in reason could not discerne Therefore the most high was pleased to convince me with naturall formes namely birds of the Aire which every day brought me intelligence according to my worldly occasions for almost three years space I have observed them for they would foretell me of any danger or crosse or any joy from friends I mean any danger or dishonour to my person or losse of cattell or corne or any other disadvantage to my advancement in the world and this cleerly convinced me that there was a power above man Then I considered the wise mans saying Eccles. 10.10 Curse not the King no not in thy thought neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber for the fouls of the heaven shall carry the voice and that which hath wings shall declare the matter Also I considered that God made use of a bird to feed Elias the Prophet by this I saw that he made use of naturall causes to fulfill naturall desires so I came to know God in nature Moreover I considered the Scrptures where the Lord speaks against the Sooth-sayers and against Astrologers Sorcerers and wizzards all these I found to be the spirits of darknesse and will reach no further then the old man in the flesh yet very necessary to be known that we may avoid the evill thereof Christ and the Prophets knew all these things or else they would never have spoken against them but we in the old man have often spoken against things that we knew not out of blinde zeale but not according to knowledge Therefore let the Scripture rule us that wee judge no mans heart which belongeth to God only in the Spirit but our judgement must be externall of every tree according to their fruits For by their fruits we ought to know them So to reprove every man his Neighbour to his face leave off backbiting and slandering one another and making up our laughter in deriding the actions of others which we cannot do unlesse we think our selves wiser then they This sad thing have I observed in many Families when they have hapned in any discourse it seldom or never ended without backbiting or deriding one another behind their backs with their tongues which causeth envy and sets on fire every man that useth it against his Neighbor according to the Scripture Jam. 3. and this cometh for want of mortifying the old man in the flesh Rom. 8.13 These and many other helps there are in the Scriptures if we will believe it to overcome the flesh for Christ saith

Mat. 7.8 Whosoever asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall it shall be opened This Sccripure seems to reach further then the Disciples in some czses for some that did not believe made use of his name to cast out Devils and it seems the power of God assisted them therein for they could not doe it by the power of the Devill for then they would not have made use of Christs name Again Christ himself saith If Satan cast out Satan his Kingdome cannot stand Mat. 12.26 And it 's contrary to any reason that God should cast out God or the Devill cast out the Devill So we find according to the whole tenour of Scripture that God answereth all sorts of people according to that dispensation they are under if their desires are servent whether it be for their good or their hurt as have proved sufficiently in my discourse concerning the flesh given to the children of Israel 1 Sam. 8.7 where God saith to Samuel Hear the voyce of the people in all that they shall say unto thee So God condiscended to the desires of the people for the hurt of their bodies in granting them a King but if any out of zeale towards God in the Spirit will pray unto him and yet would uphold the righteousnesse of God in the flesh God answering them with such spirits as may dishonour them in this world by lying or false prophecying to destroy the honour of the old man in them that they may be brought forth as tryed in the fire more pure in the spirit of Light but if any shall enquire after God at the mouth of his Prophets only to uphold the honour and ambition of the old man in this world God will send them false spirits to preach lyes of purpose to destroy them and this will come upon those that are for their own ambitious ends as you may see in 1 King 22. where the false spirits wait on God for their messuage and God sends them forth and bids them prosper to please Ahab in his request Thus wee see for the love of this world people are destroyed Then let us conclude that it is high time to cast off the old man with his rudiments with his malice and envy and entertain light love and peace and joy in the holy Ghost That this may be our treasure leading us up to that throne of grace full of unspeakable joyes where Christ sitteth in the Councell of his Father with all his Angels entertaining all with fulness of joy that entereth in at this narrow gate wiping away all teares and all desires shall cease and sorrow shall never more come neare them and instead thereof such joy that neither tongue of men or Angels can expresse If men and Angels do prove silent than Why should not I an inferiour man Now am I silent and indite no more Pray use no violence then against the poor O Mortall forme what dost thou mean To make such long delay Keeping thy soule so poore and leane Against the dreadfull day To whom we all must once appeare To receive our sentence deep The sorrowing hearts and terrible feares Making our soules to weep Two 〈◊〉 ●●ere are to us propos'd Whilst we on earth do dwell In choosing one the other 's lost Let it be heaven or hell Then must our choise be circumspect Without a worldly mind Lest God one day do us reject And we no mercy finde If heaven we choose then hell is lost we cannot it embrace But to the glory of joy we must Swallow'd be in endlesse grace If hell we choose the world is gain'd Which is that flesh desires Then need we nothing to refrain That pride and lust requires Such is our lusts and covetousnesse The belly and backe to please With selling and buying dissembling and lying Yet we cannot live at ease But still in discontent abide Desiring after more Our envy would that all had dyed That loved not the whore Her Merchants they do bowle and weep Their traffique none will buy They wishing now to sow or reape One yeare before they dye In Revelation Chop nineteen In truth there you may read Who 't is shall beare the Scepter When the old whore is dead Thus to the wise in their conceit As I my selfe have been They now shall know that once they might Have left the greatest sinne O England then repent For the misery thou art in Which have all by consent Liv'd on each others sinne If pride should banish'd be away Then Tradesmen out would cry Come let us kill eate and slay Or else for want we dye Then would the Gentry mourn Without pride they cannot live And slaves to get them Corn Whilst they themselves deceive Thus pride becomes our god And deare to us as life Whose absence makes us sad And cannot please our Wife If the poor labouring men Live of their onne encrease Where are your Gentry then But gone among the Beasts If any would know who is the Author Or aske whose lines are these I answer one that drinketh water And now a liver at ease In drinking cannot be drunk Nor am I moved to sweare And from wenching am I sunk My bones are kept so bare For it is the grossnesse of the flesh That makes the soule to smart And is the cause of his owne lust That commits adultery in his heart FINIS