Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	body_n	call_v	soul_n	13,519	5	5.4839	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56469	The Jesuit's memorial for the intended reformation of England under their first popish prince published from the copy that was presented to the late King James II : with an introduction, and some animadversions by Edward Gee ...	Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610.; Gee, Edward, 1657-1730.	1690 (1690)	Wing P569; ESTC R1686	138,010	366

other points of importance have been touched by me elsewhere concerning these matters as also about the new Militant Order that may be erected and brought in I shall here make an end both of this subject and of the Second Part of this Memorial appertaining to the Clergy The THIRD PART of this MEMORIAL Appertaining to the LAITY The Third and last that treateth of Laity or Temporalty hath three principal Heads or Members no less than the former to wit the Prince with his Council the Nobility and Commonalty of every one of which we shall speak in order as in the former Parts hath been done CHAP. I. Of the Laity or Temporalty in general BY that which I have spoken in the First Chapter and Second Part of this Memorial about Clergy-men the difference and distinction may appear that is betwixt these two principal branches of a Christian and Catholick Commonwealth to wit the Clergy and Laity which is a distinction observed from the very beginning of Christian Religion and the Primitive Church as may appear by the first second third eight seventy and divers other Canons of the first general Council of Nice where often mention is made of this distinction And before that again Tertullian a most learned and ancient writer not only setteth down the same distinctly of Clergy and Lay-men as received generally in his time but sheweth also and reprehendeth earnestly the Emulation and Envy that even then began by art of the Devil to be in divers of the Laity against the Clergy using the same objections that Luther and Calvin and other Hereticks of our time set on foot again now against the same sort of Men. When we Lay-men saith Tertullian ' in his Book de Monogamia become proud and are inflamed against the Clergy then we say we are all one and that all Men be Priests for that Christ made all Priests and unto God his Father but when we come to be exhorted and provoked to observe Priestly Discipline equally with them then we lay down our Vomits and confess that we are different and inferiour to them By which words of Tertullian we learn not only the great antiquity of this Distinction between Lay-men and Clergy-men but also the antiquity of that hatred and emulation which our times have received between these two States to the infinite hurt and prejudice of God's Catholick Church and in like manner the antiquity of that heretical Objection which Calvinists and Lutherans make against Clergy-men saying That all Men are Priests as well as they by which is seen that as God's Church hath been ever one from the beginning holding always this distinction of these two Members so hath also the Devil's malice been one from that time hither in setting divisions between the same The Derivation and Original of these two names is known to all the World being deducted of the Greek wherein Clergy signifieth Inheritance Lot or Portion which the holy ancient Father St. Hierome in a certain Epistle to one Nepotian saith may be understood in two ways and both of them true to wit for that either Clergy-men be the peculiar Inheritance Lot or Portion of God or for that Almighty God is the peculiar Inheritance Lot or Portion of Clergy-men above the rest of other People which People in the Greek Language is called Laity And we in England from the first time that we were Christians to explicate more the matter and to make the distinction betwixt these two sorts of Men more full and plain have used to call them the Temporalty and Clergy-men the Spiritualty and so we say in all the Acts of our Parliaments to wit the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in this present Parliament gathered together And the very Hereticks themselves that first envied so much against this distinction of Laity and Clergy are now come to use the very same speech and phrase in their Parliaments that is to say the Spiritualty and Temporalty for better understanding of which distinction of Spiritualty and Temporalty for that it is as I have said most ancient in our Realm it is to be considered that as in Man there are two parts first and principally the Soul which is a Spirit and endureth for ever and consequently the matters belonging thereunto are Spiritual and Eternal And Secondly the Body which endureth but for a time and therefore the things appertaining thereunto are called Temporal Even so for that the Office of the Clergy-men is principally about the Soul and Life to come and of Lay-men about matters appertaining to the Body and to the life present therefore the former are called Spiritual and the other Temporal whereof ensueth that as much as the Soul exceedeth the Body and Spirit excelleth Flesh and as much as the Life to come passeth the Life present and Eternity excelleth Time so much excelleth the State and Vocation of Clergy-men the State of Temporal men as St. Gregory Nazianzen St. Chrysostome and St. Ambrose three worthy Doctors of Christ's ancient Church in their several Treatises about Priesthood do declare notwithstanding that in their particular Lives a Lay-man may be better than a Clergy-man and be preferred before him in matters of his Salvation For more Explication whereof it is to be understood that Christ at his being upon Earth shewing his coming to be only for gaining of Souls would not meddle in Temporal Government but framed unto himself a new Order of the Clergy for this purpose choosing first Apostles and giving them authority to ordain others for their Successors by Imposition of Hands by the name of Bishops and besides these other inferiour Orders also by the name of Priests Deacons and the like and to this sort of People which he called the Light and Salt of the Earth he committed the managing of Souls and all authority and jurisdiction necessary for the same as to Teach Preach Baptise Administer Sacraments to bind and loose from Sin to correct and reprehend to make intercession by Prayer and finally the opening and shutting of the Gates of Heaven Which heavenly jurisdiction over Souls to the end he might shew how high and worthy a thing it was and not depending any way of the Temporal Jurisdiction and Government of Emperours Kings and Princes which respected Temporal ends but much higher and far more eminent he did ordain it and caused to be in practice for many Years together when all Temporal Princes of the World were Infidels and Enemies and knew not of this But yet on the other side was not this Government of Secular Princes impeached taken away or hindered by this other and different Spiritual Government of the Clergy but rather confirmed and established by the same so far forth as they tended to common Justice Peace Equity and Vertue which this Spiritual Government of Christ did principally procure as means as well to their ends that is to the Salvation of Souls as to the Temporal end of the Weal publick And therefore when afterwards Princes

and Physicians were also before in other Colleges whence they are removed And more than this also there may be some certain number of Priests and Chaplains established in these Colleges now occupied by Lawyers and Physicians to say Mass daily for the Founders which with Dispensation of the See Apostolick seemeth would be a reasonable and sufficient Compensation And this is so much as for the present occurreth to my mind to be suggested about the reforming and perfecting of our English Universities whereof would follow no doubt great honour and profit to our Commonwealth if it might be done as it should be and if besides all this a third University might be added to the two which we have already and be placed in the North Parts of England about Durham New-Castle or Richmond as before hath been mentioned in the Chapter appertaining to the Council of Reformation where reasons also were alledged for the same The utility no doubt and honour thereof would greatly import the benefit of our Weal publick and principally the parts near about where it should be placed which I leave to the wisdom of them who shall have authority to dispose thereof at the wished day that we expect and pray for CHAP. VII Of Religious Men and Women and matters appertaining unto them IN divers former Chapters there hath been mention made of Religious Orders both Men and Women which being the third principal part or member of the Clergy as before hath been signified should have in this place some peculiar Treatise also but that there has been so much spoken thereof already upon different occasions as little remaineth to be added here The principal point that seemeth needful to be remembred is That this part of the Clergy I mean Religious People is or ought to be the ornament of all the rest and that by the height of their Vocation they should participate in a more ample and eminent sort of those excellent names of Lights of the World and Salt of the Earth which our Saviour vouchsafed to attribute to all his Portion and Clergy but yet are they more due unto the State of Religious Persons which bind themselves by Vow to a life of greater perfection than the rest and consequently ought to be clearer Lights and more excellent Salt than any other And he that would consider of Religious Orders as he should seeing them intermixed among other People in a Catholick Commonwealth he should imagine them as Veins and Arteries spread throughout Man's Body to give Blood and Spirit to the fleshy parts that lye about them And again as Wells Springs Brooks and Rivers divided all over the Earth to minister moisture and life to the Fields and pasturages adjoyning unto them and so consequently as when the Rivers of any Country or Veins or Arteries do wax dry or are corrupted or give evil moisture nourishment or infection all the rest must needs perish and putrifie so when Religious People themselves be corrupted and do infect or scandalize others by their evil example or do dry up and fade away all the rest must needs come to desolation This hath been tryed in no Country more for times past than in ours and for that cause is the greater care and desire of good Men to have it well remedied at the next change and that as on the one side it is desired as before hath been noted that all the approved Religious of God's Church should be admitted again into England for more honourable satisfaction of impieties committed against them in times past so on the other side is there no less desire of good Men that none should be admitted but called for and chosen and such as will promise the perfect observation of their first Institution and Rule so as they may be true Lights and Salt indeed The Edict or Proclamation whereof I spoke before to be made at the very first beginning against the entrance of any Religious People but only upon Licence and Approbation of the Council of Reformation will help greatly to this effect if it be observed as it ought to be with exactness For otherwise all idle and wandring People and such as best may be spared in other places will flock to us All Emulation and Contention among Religious Orders must be carefully avoided at that day whereunto it seemeth that two things will greatly help first That no Religious be admitted but reformed as hath been said for that between good and perfect Men there is never Emulation or Contention both Parties being united in Christ Qui fecit utraque unum as the Apostle saith non est exceptor personarum and so the nearer that each part is united to Christ in Holiness and Perfection the nearer are they united with others also then can there be no difference between them according to the Rule most certain of Euclides that such things as are united in a third are united also between themselves so as wheresoever there is Contention or Emulation between Religions that profess both of them to serve Christ the off-spring is Imperfection in one or both parts and the more Contentious is ever the more imperfect and this is the first point The second help or remedy may be That the Council of Reformation with Faculty of his Holiness do take upon them the Distribution of all Ecclesiastical Livings and Lands which shall be restored according to the present necessity conveniency and utility of the time present without respect of former Possessors Great and special care must be had of erecting Monasteries for Women which are like to be far more in number than Men that will enter into Religion at the beginning having been violently debarred thereof all the Reign of this Queen And no one Impiety of our Hereticks perhaps hath been greater or more barbarous than the forcing of Virgins to break their holy purposes or not permitting to execute the same by entering into Religion And for that the scarcity of able Men will be such at that time and so many other things wherein to employ them as they shall be hardly able to attend to the Government of the Nunneries for a time which yet cannot well go forward without the Direction and oversight of some such grave vertuous and discreet Men. For this cause it behoveth to consider well what Orders of Religious Women are to be admitted at the first and how they may best be governed to the end that such strifes may be avoided as oftentimes in Catholick Countries about these and the like affairs do fall out In divers Parts and Provinces of Christendom there are some Religious Orders in these our days more reformed than others and of these ought our Council of Reformation to call before the rest For as the first Foundation shall be laid in England so will the rest follow and go suitable to that and as the Clock is first set with us so will the wheels walk afterwards and the hours follow accordingly And for that all