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	holy_a	soul_n	16,669	5	5.2335	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02525	Contemplations vpon the principall passages of the holy storie. The first volume, in foure bookes by J.H. ...	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1612 (1612)	STC 12650; ESTC S122621	82,503	377

praise thee in our selues All thy creation hath not more wonder in it then one of vs other creatures thou madest by a simple command Man not without a diuine consultation others at once Man thou didst first forme then inspire others in seuerall shapes like to none but themselues Man after thine own image others with qualities fit for seruice Man for dominion Man had his name from thee They had their names from man How shold we be consecrated to thee aboue all others since thou hast bestowed more cost on vs then others What shall I admire first Thy prouidence in the time of our creation Or thy power wisedome in the act First thou madest the great house of the world furnishedst it then thou broughtest in thy Tenant to possesse it The bare wals had beene too good for vs but thy loue was aboue our desert Thou that madest ready the earth for vs before wee were hast by the same mercy prepared a place in heauen for vs whiles we are on earth The stage was first fully prepared then was man brought forth thither as an actor or spectator that he might neither be idle nor discontent behold thou hadst addressed an earth for vse an heauen for contemplation after thou hadst drawne that large and reall mappe of the world thou didst thus abridge it into this little table of man hee alone consists of Heauen and earth soule and bodie Euen this earthly part which vile in comparison of the other as it is thine O God I dare admire it though I can neglect it as mine owne for loe this heape of earth hath an outward reference to heauen other creatures grouel downe to their earth and haue all their senses intent vpon it this is reared vp towards heauen and hath no more power to look beside Heauen then to tread beside the earth Vnto this euery part hath his wonder The head is neerest to heauen as in place so in resemblance both for roundnesse of figure and for those diuine guests which haue their seat in it There dwell those maiesticall powers of reson which make a man all the senses as they haue their originall from thence so they doe all agree there to manifest the vertue how goodly proportions hast thou set in the face such as though oft-times we can give no reason why they please yet transport vs to admiration what liuing glasses are those which thou hast placed in the midst of this visage whereby all obiects from farre are clearly represented to the minde and because their tendernesse lyes open to dangers how hast thou defenced them with hollow bones and with prominent browes and lids And least they should bee too much bent on what they ought not thou hast giuen them peculiar nerues to pul them vp towards the seat of their rest What a tongue hast thou giuen him the instrument not of taste only but of speech How sweet and excellent voyces are formed by that little loose filme of flesh what an incredible strength hast thou giuen to the weake bonds of the iawes What a comely and tower-like necke therefore most sinewye because smallest And lest I be infinit what able arms and actiue hands hast thou framed him whereby he can frame all things to his owne conceit In euery part beauty strength conuenience meet together Neither is there any wherof our weaknesse cannot giue reason why it should be otherwise How hast thou disposed of all the inward vessels for all offices of life nourishment egestion generation No vaine sinew artery is ydle There is no peece in this exquisite frame whereof the place vse forme doth not admit wonder and exceed it Yet this body if it be compared to the soule what is it but as a clay wall that encompasses a treasure as the woodden boxe of a Ieweller as a course case to a rich instrument or as a maske to a beautifull face Man was made last because hee was woorthiest The soule was inspired last because yet more noble If the body haue this honor to bee the companion of the soule yet withall it is the drudge If it bee the instrument yet also the clog of that diuine part The companion for life the drudge for seruice the instrument for action the clog in respect of contemplation These external works are effected by it the internall which are more noble hindered Contrary to the bird which sings most in her cage but flyes most and highest at liberty This my soule teaches me of it selfe that it selfe cannot conceiue how capable how actiue it is It can passe by her nimble thoughts from heauen to earth in a moment it can be al things can comprehend all things know that which is and conceiue of that which neuer was neuer shall be Nothing can fill it but thou which art infinite nothing can limit it but thou which art euery were O God which madest it replenish it possesse it Dwell thou in it which hast appointed it to dwel in clay The body was made of earth common to his fellows the soule inspired immediatly from God The body lay senselesse vpon the earth like it selfe the breath of liues gaue it what it is and that breath was from thee Sence motion reason are infused into it at once From whence then was this quickening breath No ayre no earth no water was heere vsed to giue helpe to this worke Thou that breathedst vpon man and gauest him the holy spirit didst also breath vpon the body and gauest it a liuing spirit wee are beholden to nothing but thee for our soule Our flesh is from flesh our spirit is from the God of spirits How should our soules rise vp to thee and fixe themselues in their thoughts vpon thee who alone created them in their infusion infused them in their creation How should they long to returne backe to the fountaine of their being and author of beeing glorious Why may we not say that this soule as it came from thee so it is like thee as thou so it is one immateriall immortall vnderstanding spirit distinguished into three powers which all make vp one spirit So thou the wise creator of all things wouldest haue some things to resemble their creator These other creatures are all body man is body and spirit the Angels are all spirit not without a kind of spirituall composition Thou art alone after thine owne manner simple glorious infinite No creature can bee like thee in thy proper being because it is a creature How should our finite weake compounded nature giue any perfect resemblance of thine Yet of all visible creatures thou vouchsafest Man the neerest correspondence to thee not so much in these naturall faculties as in those diuine graces wherewith thou beautifiest his soule Our knowledge holines righteousnes was like the first coppy from which they were drawne Behold wee were not more like thee in these then now wee are vnlike ourselues in their losse O God we now praise our selues to our shame

For Adam though in Paradise hee could not bee innocent yet was a good man out of Paradise his sinne and fall now made him circumspect and since hee saw that his act had bereaued them of that image of God which he once had for them hee could not but labour by all holy indeuours to repayre it in them That so his care might make a mends for his trespasse How plaine is it that euen good breeding cannot alter destiny That which is crooked can none make straight who would thinke that brethren and but two brethren should not loue each other Dispersed loue growes weake and fewnesse of obiects vseth to vnite affections If but two brothers bee left aliue of many they thinke that the loue of all the rest should suruiue in them and now the beames of their affection are so much the hoter because they reflect mutually in a right line vppon each other yet behold here are but two brothers in a world and one is the butcher of the other Who can wonder at dissentions amongst thousands of brethren when he sees so deadly opposition betwixt two the first roots of brotherhood who can hope to liue plausibly and securely amongst so many Cains when hee sees one Cain the death of one Abel The same diuell that set enmity betwixt man and god sets enmity betwixt man and man and yet God said I will put enmity betweene thy seed and her seed our hatred of the serpent and his seed is from God Their hatred of the holy seed is from the serpent Behold here at once in one person the seed of the woman and of the serpent Cains naturall parts are of the woman his vitious qualities of the serpent The woman gaue him to bee a brother the serpent to be a manslayer all vncharitablenesse all quarrels are of one author we cannot entertaine wrath and not giue place to the Diuell Certainely so deadly an act must needs bee deepely grounded What then was the occasion of this capitall malice Abels sacrifice is accepted what was this to Cain Cains is reiected what could Abel remedy this Oh enuie the corrasiue of all ill minds and the root of all desperate actions the same cause that moued Satan to tempt the first man to destroy himselfe and his posterity the same moues the second man to destroy the third It should haue beene Cains ioy to see his brother accepted It should haue bene his sorrow to see that himselfe had deserued a reiection his brothers example should haue excited and directed him Could Abel haue stayed Gods fire from descending Or shold he if he could reiect Gods acceptation and displease his maker to content a brother Was Cain euer the farther from a blessing because his brother obtained mercy How proud and foolish is malice which growes thus mad for no other cause but because God or Abel is not lesse good It hath beene an olde and happy danger to be holy Indifferent actions must bee carefull to auoide offence But I care not what diuell or what Cain bee angry that I doe good or receiue good There was neuer any nature without enuy Euery man is born a Cain hating that goodnes in another which hee neglected in himselfe There was neuer enuie that was not bloody for if it eat not anothers hart it will eat our owne but vnlesse it be restrained it will surely feed it selfe with the blood of others oft times in act alwaies in affection And that God which in good accepts the will for the deed condemns the will for the deed in euill If there be an euill heart there will bee an euill eye and if both these there will be an euill hand How earely did Martyrdome come into the world The first man that died died for religion who dare measure Gods loue by outward euents when hee sees wicked Cain standing ouer bleeding Abel whose sacrifice was first accepted and now himselfe is sacrificed Death was denounced to man as a curse yet behold it first lights vppon a Saint how soone was it altered by the mercy of that iust hand which inflicted it If death had beene euill and life good Cain had beene slaine and Abel had suruiued now that it begins with him that God loues O death where is thy sting Abel sayes nothing his blood cries Euery drop of innocent blood hath a tongue and is not onely vocall but importunate what a noise then did the blood of my Sauiour make in heauen who was himselfe the shepheard and the sacrifice The man that was offered and the God to whome it was offered The spirit that herd both saies it spake better things then the blood of Abel Abels blood called for reuenge his for mercy Abels pleaded his owne innocency his the satisfaction for all the beleeuing world Abels procured Cains punishment his freed all repentant souls from punishment better things indeed then the blood of Abel Better and therfore that which Abels blood said was good It is good that God should bee auenged of sinners Execution of iustice vpon offenders is no lesse good then rewards of goodnes No sooner doth Abels blood speake vnto God then God speaks to Cain There is no wicked man to whom God speakes not if not to his eare yet to his heart what speech was this Not an accusation but an inquiry yet such an enquiry as would infer an accusation God loues to haue a sinner accuse himselfe and therefore hath he set his deputy in the brest of man neither doth God loue this more then nature abhors it Cain answers stubbornly The very name of Abel wounds him no lesse then his hand had wounded Abel Consciences that are without remorse are not without horror wickednes makes men desperate the murderer is angry with God as of late for accepting his brothers oblation so now for listening to his blood And now he dares answer God with a question Am I my brothers keeper where he shold haue said am not I my brothers murderer Behold he scorneth to keep whom he feared not to kill Good duties are base and troublesome to wicked minds whiles euen violences of euill are pleasant Yet this miscreant which neither had grace to auoid his sinne nor to confesse it now that he is conuinced of sinne and cursed for it how he howleth how he exclaimeth Hee that cares not for the act of his sinne shall care for the smart of his punishment The damned are weary of their torments but in vaine How great a madnesse is it to complaine too late He that would not keepe his brother is cast out from the protection of God he that feared not to kill his brother feares now that whosoeuer meets him will kill him The troubled conscience proiecteth fearefull things and sin makes euen cruell men cowardly God saw it was too much fauour for him to dye he therfore wils that which Cain wils Cain would liue It is yeelded him but for a curse how oft doth God heare sinners in anger Hee shall