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	die_v	live_v	5,530	5	5.7934	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20946	Heraclitus, or, Meditations vpon the vanity & misery of humane life first written in French by that excellent scholler & admirable divine Peter Du Moulin minister of the sacred word in the Reformed Church of Paris ; and translated into English by R.S. gentleman.; Heraclite. English. 1609	Du Moulin, Pierre, 1568-1658.; Stafford, Robert, 1588-1618.	1609 (1609)	STC 7325; ESTC S2575	27,860	136

God And in the meane time to employ his endeauors to the edification of the Church stretching out his hand to the Erroneous for to reguide thē into the right way of Salvatiō rather then to hide his Talēt in the earth and to cut himselfe cleane off frō the body and all civill society as an vnprofitable member So did the Apostles and those glorious lampes which haue enlightned the Church of God and which shine to this daie amongst vs they being dead I know wel that the opinion of Aristotle in the beginning of his Politiques is true that He which is of a solitary di●●●sition is either of a most divine or very base spirit because that hee doth estrange himselfe from all society either for that hee hath vertues more then humane or that he is so contemptible and meane in respect of man that he is vnworthy to approach neere him But let him knowe which doth affect solitarines because hee doth surpasse all men in vnderstanding or vertue that he ought to repell that humour and to condescend by humility and meekenesse to the imperfections of others labouring for the good of the Church or Common-weale either by worde or worke For what are al those perfections any more then shadowes obscure traces of those perfections which are in Iesus Christ Notwithstanding he tooke vpon him our shape and conversed amongst men that there by he might saue them and win soules to heauen Therefore to conclude this point Jf to fly from the world be a vanity how much more to follow it If vices and torments doe harbor in the desert how much more in presses and throngs of people Truely if vanity bee in euery place let vs say that All is torment and affliction of Spirit But in the meane time that Old age Man is busied about all these vaine conceipts while hee is pushing ●ime with his shoulder endevouring nothing al daies of his life but to rise to go to bed to apparel himselfe to make himselfe vnready to fill his belly to evacuat his stomacke Which is no more then a Circle of the selfe same importuning occupations much like vnto a Millers horse that alwaies treads one compasse While hee is thus busied with such occasions beholde olde age stealingly arriveth to which few do attaine and all desire But if any doe peradventure gaine that time they desire to haue it prolong'd to the vtmost This age being as grapes which haue lost their iuice and as the sinke of mans life is without question the most vnhappy for those men that are worldly as on the contrary it is the most blessed for such as are godly For worldly men in this age are doubly possessed with waywardnesse their feare and distrust doth encrease their iudgement waxeth weake and begins to diminish Wherefore wee doe wrongfully call a melancholy humour wisedome or a disability sobriety because oldnesse leaueth not pleasure but pleasure leaueth it And therefore hee doth vndeseruedly complaine that the time manners of men are chāged into worse while nothing is changed but himselfe For in his youth all things pleased him if they were neuer so bad in his old age all things disliked him if they were neuer so good Like vnto those which being in a shippe thinke that the baukes moue vvhen it is onely themselues It is also a vice incident to this age for to speake much because they are no more able to performe any thing and that they think also thēselues most fit to propose precepts to youth and to declare thinges of time long since Like vnto a declining state as that of the Romaine Empire where there are manie talkers but few valiant not much differēt from the aged time of the world where are many curious disputers but few of the true religion In this age also doth encrease the loue of wealth earthly cares doe summon new forces against man hee waxeth all gray and every thing in him beginneth thē to wither onely his vices excepted That ancient man of whom the Apostle maketh often mentiō being ready to dote waxeth not olde in worldlie age but then is hee in his full vigour He then fore-feareth approaching death and holdeth his life like vnto an Eele which slideth away In the meane time he determineth of tedious designes and heapeth vp riches as if death stoode a far off and durst not appeare Thē man hath least feare to die when nothing of worth remaineth in him but the very leese dregs of life Then doth hee prepare himselfe least to gaine the future blisse when age forwarnes him every gray haire doth ordinarily advertise him yea many times death takes for a gage one part or other of our body as an arme or eie or legge to serue for an advertisement that he will very shortly fetch the rest For old mē are affianced to the earth by a long vse and habit notwithstanding they are vnwilling to go to it whē nothing remaineth in them but euill This is also a vanity and great griefe of Spirit In conclusiō of all this vnprofitable wearisome travaile Of death behold the approach of death before they haue learned to liue much lesse to die The most part of thē being taken out of this worlde before they know to what end they entred in They vvoulde willingly prolong the date of their life but death admits no composition for it hath feet of vvool but armes of Iron it commeth insensibly but having taken once holde it never looseth her prize To this pace or step man commeth so slowly as possible he can For if a ship should sinke amongst the waues two hūdred leagues from land notwithstāding every passenger would striue to swimme not with an intent to saue his life but to repell death for some minutes and to render nature her last inevitable tribute Every mā trembleth at this passage and laboureth to settle himselfe here The sole memorye of death mournefull funerals and the reading of Inscriptions engrauen on sepulchres doth make the very haire to stare and stand on end and strikes man with an horror and apprehensiō of it Some represent death terrible to the aspect and deprived of flesh others consider it with compassion mixte with dread Some particular man which not long since was clad in silke and shined vvith Diamōds is now assaulted with troupes of wormes and breathes foorth intollerable sents while that his heire doth laugh in secret and enioyeth the fruit of all his labour which he himselfe never enioyed And never thelesse in this his very dust and corruption doth appeare an ambition and pride doth rest it self within his tombe For then behold stately Sepulchers ingraued stones that report some famous actiōs and proud titles vpon his tombe set out with false narrations to the end that passengers by may say Here lyeth a goodly stone a corrupted body Surely this is a vanity of vanities and one extreame vanity But all these are as Roses

himselfe Such pleasures are like vnto guilded pils which vnder their external beauty include bitternes They are also like vnto fresh Rivers that end their course in the sea loosing their sweet relish in an Ocean of saltnes True zeale cannot flourish vnder so nice and delicate a government nor cā the perfect knowledge of God which is a celestiall guift be subiected to the belly it cannot remaine amongst swine that habitatiō is only agreeable to the Divell who b●… the permissiō of Iesus Christ hauing entred into a hear● of swine compelled them to runne headlong vnto thei● owne ruine and who as it i● recorded in the holy writ nourisheth prodigall childr●● with the huskes of pleasure insteed of their parēts brea●● This heat being somwha● Ripe age allayed by age and man no● come to his maturity behold other vanities which a●tend on him although no altogether so violētly scho●ching yet more opinionated troublesome For the comes irremoueable care domestique troubles the knowledge of husbandry contentions in law and the labour of painefull Mechanique Arts all to the end that he may gaine somwhat for his children who sucking from him al that he hath it may bee is onely requited with ingratitude reproch These infelicities are the occasion that man is alwaies wearied with the things present desiring onely things to come continually endeavouring to catch at sōewhat that is already escaped whereas if by chance they obtaine it it dissolveth to nothing as it is in their handes or if they enioy it it yeelds no contentment nor doth any way appease their fear or satisfy their desire This evil● hath many inconveniences There are many men Couetousnesse which will hazard their life to win a little mony that is to loose their being for to gaine the meanes to bee which misse the end to obtaine the accessories As he which selleth his sword to buy a sheath or his horse to haue some provender and to gaine worldly pelfe not to serue his occasions but rather for himselfe to serue it to haue riches as one hath a feauer which doth more often possesse the grieued then the grieued it To bee like vnto a greedy dogge which lying vpon hay and not eating it himselfe will snarle when any other commeth neere vnto it O miserable people that liue poorly to dy rich that are most couetous in their declining age which is to prouide for a tedious iourney when it is euen finished But a man that feareth God for to avoid so great an inconuenience will consider in himselfe what is the worth and estimation of such drosse and will conceipt that the Divell is the only giuer of these things and seducer of mindes from true piety and the diuine knowledge of the Almighty who sheweth vs what estimation wee should haue of riches in giuing largely to the wicked within whose breasts it doth fall as a purse into a stinking privie Iesus Christ doth giue vs an example what repute is to be held of it in committing his purse to Iudas when as he gaue his holy spirit to his faithfull Apostles And if he had thought wealth to haue bin the true felicity no questiō he would haue gathered it more abundantly but hee had not so much where to lay his head on He hath willed vs to honour poverty by his example And the great King of Luk. 9. the worlde will despise all things that shall intice vs to affect the contrary A little wealth will suffice vs to liue well and lesse to die happily godlinesse with contentment is 1. Tim. 6. a great gaine wee are come naked into the world naked shall wee goe out peacable pouerty is much better then troublesome riches But mā is so foolish that he had rather draw water out of a great disturbed riuer with difficulty and perill then frō a little cleere brook with facility and ease had rather take a great masse of gold vvith torment and danger then a little with peace and security and in fine hee will be nothing the more satisfied Moreouer he oftē thinketh that to bee lost vvhich was neuer gained by him this kind of auarice is alwaies linked vvith enuie If peradventure a mā lose his worldly fortunes according vnto that vvhich Salomō saith that Prou. 23. 5 Riches taketh her to her wings it doth somtimes distract humane sense for to ransake a couetous person is to flea his skin frō his body to take from him his riches is to depriue him of his heart since that such doe vvholy deuote both heart and affection to their vvealth The faithfull considering these things wil say vvith the wise man that This is also a vanity affliction of spirit Like to this former vanity Ambition is that of those which aspire to honour greatnes with an extreame desire Amōgst that multitude of people which presse themselues in mounting vp those that follow endeuour to march vpō them which go before and at length three partes of them being driven to stay behinde swell with envy and griefe at the rest when as those that haue attained to the height of honour drawe vp after thē their scaling ladders fearing that otherwise some by aspiring might parallel their worth But oftentimes when they haue possest thēselues with these dignities they are like vnto Apes which having once climbed to the top of a tree or house doe sit and make ill fauoured faces at passengers retaine the people to gaze at their moppes For then ordinarily their weaknesse doth encrease and their vices growe eminēt in so much that they finde more care and feare in that state of greatnesse then whē they were most meane The highest boughs are most shaken by the winde and the points of steeples most beatē by stormes lightening A man hath least minde to sleepe in beds of silke embrodered with gold The greatest feare of poisoning is at Tables furnished with variety of delicate dishes Whereas on the cōtrary it hath not beene heard that any hath received hurt out of woodē cups After an innocent travell sleepe seemeth pleasing in a bed of straw This is also a vanity and affliction of Spirit Aboue all that vanitie The life of Courtiers which corruption doth continually attend there doth appeare in Princes Courtes a certaine noble captiuitie where vnder the colour of greatnes is the highest servitude those gilded chaines that fetter mens mindes He which wil liue here must alwaies be masked prepared in one howre to cōvert him selfe into twentie several shapes to entertaine manie servāts but no friends There innocency is accoūted meere simplicity and to affirme anie thing is to disproue the same There are two sorts of people in Court which hate one the other each knowing of it notwithstanding there is alwaies an emulation betweene them which should first attēpt any point of honour to do the other service and bee the last that shoulde end it But such ridiculous complements

man vvith much knowledge so also it addeth vnto him more care and trouble of minde For Salomon saith that hee which doth augment his knowledg doth but increase Eccl. 1. 18. his sorrow Ignorance is neuer vvithout some commodity and in conclusion when vve haue gotten all the precepts of this knowledge it extends it selfe not far and is of smale vse For man cannot by all his Philosophy attaine to the perfect knowledge of a small fly or gardē lettice much lesse of his owne composition We desire to trauerse our spirits through all things but remaine strāgers to our selues We vvill knowe much and performe little To speake more properly our study is no labour but rather an idle action vvhich doth torment vs vvithout any hope of aduancement Like vnto the Squirrells that runne continually vvithin turning Cages thinking to get avvay vvhen as after al their paines taking they still remaine in the same place We learne little vvith great paine and that little doth scarcely amende our imperfections but rather oftentimes addes more to them One drop of wisdome guided by the feare of God is more vvorth then all humane learning For what doth it profit a Lawier in taking paines to gaine the processe of another if hee himselfe be at variance with God What commodity reapeth a Physitian to iudge of another mans health if he himselfe be not as yet resolu'd to feele the pulse of his owne conscience What good is it to any that haue learned the ancient histories if they be ignorant of those things that passe in this time Or to haue learned by Astronomy the motions and influences of heauen if they knowe not the meanes how to come thither There be some that vndertake Of Travailers Pilgrims long tedious voyages gaining many hostes but few friends promising to learne much in their iourney whē as oftentimes they returne more foolish then thy went and perchance hauing circuited the earth doe sorrowfully bequeath their body to it for a conclusion to their perfected resolutiōs as flies when they haue passed many times round about the candle at length enter into the flame After they haue seene so much land there only requires a handful for to couer them With this vanity are they iustly afflicted which make long voiages toward some Saint for to desire that they may get children when it may bee at their returne they finde that some officious neighbour hath discharged them of that care This is also a vanity and affliction of Spirit Perchance our ciuill vertues Of Civill vertues haue some thinges that are of more cōsequence But here out of this also doth bud another vanity seeing that those vertues haue no motion but by vices For choller giues an edge to valour Cowardice doth make a man to be more circūspect and wary Ambitiō Auarice Enuy are as stings to study Industry The feare of an ill report in many womē is the cause of Chastity many are sober out of a couetous humour others for necessity friendships are contracted either for the desire of pleasures or for the hope of profit the first being no otherwise then a paltry brokery nor the last thē a marchandise Religiō it selfe doth often serue for a cloake to such couetous persons for many followe Christ in the desert onlie to haue breade Ioh. 6. 26. which is to subiect their vnderstanding to the belly and the chiefe of vertues to the meanest of vices but I knovv not which is worse either to fly away from Christ or to follow him for gain to serue him for mony or to serue the Diuel for nothing Whether it doth seeme most iniurious and ignominious towards God either to leaue his Sonne Iesus Christ or in following him wrong fullie to make him a vallet to our concupiscences What can these vertues then bee that march vnder the Pay of the Deuill Surely this is also a great vanity and manifest corruption Wherfore some not perceiving anie thing in the worlde which is exempted out of this vanity that vices impiety haue infected all sorts of estates and conditions in humane life doe thinke to wrest themselues out of it by cōfining their bodies to some desert and condēning their minde to a perpetual care where being secluded frō all company they liue in continuall silence never speaking but with God and themselues This solitarie humour in manie doth proceede from a brutish cōceipt in others from a weake spirite incapable of humane society in others frō an ambition to be remarkeable for some extraordinary profession and in others out of discontent envy that they are wearied in swimming against the current of this worldly streame and in having received all things stil contrary to their desire Notwithstāding I do not doubt but that there be some which doe embrace this sort of solitary life to banish themselues from the vices of this world to serue God with more liberty But such are much deceiued who willing to forsake the world do returne farther into it by other meanes and are assaulted by worse tēptations For then passionate griefes curious cogitatiōs peeuish Idlenes Hypochondriacall humours dispaire presumptiō and selfe admiration doe insensibly glide into mēs spirits vnder the professiō of an extraordinary sāctity all which do render the spirit discontēted of an insolent melancholy and presumptuous devotion which oftētimes degenerateth into madnes and want of sence A solitary man in the extremitie of his griefes and sadnes hath no bodie to comfort him comparing himselfe with none other but himselfe hath this conceipt that he is some excellēt thing But then lustful desires do doubly burne within him For mā is of this nature that hee thinketh those thinges most beautiful which are farthest remote from him So Saint Hierome being in the St. Hi●rome in his epistle to Eustochium midst of a desert in his greatest abstinency doth confesse that his minde was then amongst the dances Ballads of young maides and that he did burne with incontinency and desire Besides the Devill following Jesus Christ in to the desert doth plainelie shew that hee did iudge that place most convenient for temptation Then if the Son of God was assailed by the Devil in the desert how scapeth an Hermite or secluded person that can neuer be exempted Therefore the surest way for a man is to seperate himselfe from the world not with his feet but with his affection to expel it altogither from him and his heart fearing otherwise that departing frō this world notwithstanding hee carrieth it with him For as it is possible to be worldly vicious liuing far from the world So is it possible to leaue the world with out flying into a desert to liue alone in the middest of company To bee within a Court or Pallace spectator of vanity and troubles without participating of them in the midst of a babling multitude to talke only with him selfe and to entertaine his thoughts with