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
A09266	An introduction to the worthy receiving the sacrament of the Lords Supper by that late learned minister of Gods holy word, William Pemble ... ; published since his death by his friend.	Pemble, William, 1592?-1623.; Capel, Richard, 1586-1656.	1633 (1633)	STC 19580.5; ESTC S2842	67,079	98

him by Ioseph namely to crosse my hands of purpose and contrary to my usuall course lay my right hand on the head of the yonger my left hand on the head of the elder brother I mean that whereas in the handling the nature of the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper a twofold consideration offers it selfe the one concerning knowledg in the explication of the nature of the mysteries contained therein the other concerning our religious practice in the celebration thereof You will not be displeased if I first begin with practice insisting vpon such holy dueties as concerne us in going about this businesse laying aside for a while such contemplations about the nature of this Sacrament as serves only to informe our knowledge I have made choice of this course as that which is 1. mere necessary for this Auditory 2. most necessary for this subiect the Sacrament wherof we are to speake I may in charity hope that there is none among us so rudely and ignorantly bred up under such governors as Countrey or Vniversity hath afforded but that he is furnished with such a competency of knowledg as to give a reasonable account of his faith touching the doctrine of the Sacraments Yet if there be any whose ignorance in this behalfe may make them blush to such I wish an increase of godly carefulnesse in their governours that they will provide for the advancement of Religion as well as Learning in those that are under them and also a more conscionable industry in themselves to hearken unto instruction and to make use of all such means as they shall be directed unto for the attainment of knowledg in this and other points of true Religion For the Sacrament it selfe wee shall not erre in following that rule which holds true in all Divinity that Wee shall the better know the nature of secret mysteries by first making conscience to practice our knowne duety And therefore this Sacrament being instituted in the Church for the continuall exercise of many heauenly graces of the Saints much rather than for the employment of their wits in long disputes curious speculations about the nature of this holy ordinance it will bee I hope not unfit first to acquaint you how this Sacrament serues for the increase of grace in the hearts of the godly and hereafter as God shal give ability and opportunity to unfold the truth in such controverted doubts as have beene raised touching this Sacrament rather by the darknesse superstition of mens braines than from any true difficulty that can be found in the institution it selfe I come therfore in the first place to put you in minde of that which concernes our Christian practice about this Sacrament where our duety is twofold 1. A frequent celebration of this Sacrament 2. A right remembrance of Christs death set forth unto us therein Both these dueties are comprised and commended to us in those words of the institution in 1. Cor. 11. Againe Verse 24. This doe ye in remembrance of mee And Verse 25. This doe as oft as yee drinke it in remembrance of mee Verse 26. For as often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this c●p ye doe shew the Lords death till he come These words doe plainely containe those two forementioned dueties concerning the time when this Sacrament is to be celebrated and that is often and touching the maner or end of its celebration which is a perpetuall remembrance of the death of Christ. For the first that its a necessary duty which lies upon every one often to frequent this Sacrament it were only to be wished that our practice were as conformable as our consciences are generally convicted of the truth of it Yet if any man list to doubt these reasons may perswade him that will not be obstinate 1. The Commandement of Christ This doe as often as yee drinke it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here implies a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as often as yee doe it therefore doe it often not once in our age as Baptisme neuer to be repeated nor once a yeere and no more as the Passeover but many times in our age many times in a yeere according as the Saints in the Primitive Church understood the meaning of these words and not as some in these times when Sophistry hath wrangled out Diuinity would seeme to cavill that because the words runne Doe it as oft as yee eate this bread and drinke this cup therefore it is at their discretion to doe it as seldome as they please 2. Their owne necessity may perswade them if they can be sensible of their spirituall weaknesse and wants Let them looke inward and see how great need they have of many and often confirmations of their Faith renovations of their Repentance of stirring up the graces of God in the soule to adde an edge and eagernesse unto all spirituall affections after holinesse to get unto themselves the most powerfull provocations unto obedience Every one that hath grace knowes how frequently the power thereof is impaired by temptations weakned by worldly distractions even of our lawfull imployments and over-mastered by the force of sinnefull lusts so that they must needs discover a great deale of ignorance in their spirituall estate that feele not in their soules a pronenesse to affamishment as well as in their bodies at least they bewray intolerable carelesnesse that finding the emptinesse and leanenesse of their soules yet neglect to repaire often unto his holy Table whereon is set forth the Bread of life whereof when they have eaten their spirit may come againe their hearts may be strengthned their soules may bee replenished as with marrow and fatnesse Wherefore give mee leave to perswade you to the practice of so needfull a duety and withall to tell you of that fault whereof this age is extreamly guilty A very shame it is to compare the slacknesse of our dayes with the forwardnesse of those primitive times of the Church in the often celebration of this holy Sacrament Then it was administred almost euery Lords day now we are fallen from fifty times a yeere to once twice thrice or for the greatest part to foure times in the yeere It is true that as in other so in this divine institution Satan hath done much by his malitious policy to corrupt mens hearts in the observation of it When the Sacrament was administred often hee brought it into contempt by the commonnesse of it now that it is administred seldome thorough ignorance it is abused and neglected as unnecessary I may not prescribe how often the celebration therof is fit to be used our Church hath partly left it to the discretion of her Ministers partly injoyned the solemnization therof at the least three times a yeere Shee hath seene the untowardlinesse of her children who must be compelled by Law to come in unto this feast or else the Lords Table is likely to stand unfurnished of guests A strange matter that men should neede a

Law to bring them to the Sacrament One would thinke that mens consciences should herein be a Law unto themselves and that there were no necessity to have a Statute for hungry men to eate or for sicke folke to take physicke But here is the intolerable infidelity and irreligion of our times did not feare of Law and shame of the world prevaile more with many than any benefit which they perceiue is to be gottē by frequenting the Sacrament they that now come but seldome would come never they have no appetite to this spirituall bread their taste cannot rellish this Angels food and thence the Table of the Lord is contemptible in their eyes and their very soule loatheth this bread of heaven I confesse indeed that persecution is a sharpe spurre to put men on upon the diligent practice of all religious duties and so it was in the Primitive Church that the bitternesse of afflictions gave a sweeter relish to religion Neverthelesse they must needes be ill nurtured that will doe nothing without beating and very strange it is that men should constantly wait upon the service of God when paine and disgrace terrifie them from it and then fal off to neglect it when honour peace and liberty invite them to it And what my brethren had the bloud of Christ a fresher taste in these first ages after it was newly shed had his sacrificed body a more fragrant smell inviting the Saints like birds of prey to flye from far with maruellous swiftnesse unto this dead but yet all-quickning carkasse Hath it now through tract of time lost that swetnesse wherwith hertofore it cheared both God and Man No t is we have lost our senses our faith our zeale our love Christs bloud like the Manna in the Ark putrifies not but endureth for ever to feed us also in these last ages of the world unto everlasting life That fountain which was opened in his side runs yet afresh hath an everlasting vertue to cleanse us from the leprosie of sinne and to coole the heate of a weary soule inflamed with sin and the fire of Gods wrath only if we can be sensible of our thirst and that our hearts can pant after these waterbrooks running amaine unto them for refreshing when wee are furiously chased by our iniquities following us at the heeles Wherfore my beloved brethren let us be admonished henceforward to make conscience of frequenting the Lords Table so often as by fit opportunity wee may enjoy the benefit therof lest our lazie sloathfulnesse be at last punished for a profane contempt of the precious bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ. This be spoken of the first duety in comming to the Sacrament the next followes touching that which is to bee done about the celebration of it Now this is in general A soleme commemoration of the death of Christ expressed in those words Doe this in remembrance of me and in those Yee shew forth the Lords death till he come Which words doe summarily declare what was the end and intent of Christ in instituting this Sacrament and what is the duty which he requires of euery Christian in the solemnizing thereof namely That therin we should make a perpetuall commemoration of his death and passion unto the end of the world till hee come againe to iudgement Now this remembrance of the death of Christ in the Sacrament is to be taken in a double sense 1. In opposition to the outward Elements and Ceremonies in this Sacrament 2. In relation to those spirituall graces of the soule which are to bee exercised in this commemoration In the former must be shewed upon what our hearts thoughts must be fixed in the holy Sacrament namely not on the Elements and actions of the Sacrament but on Christ and his benefits all the desires of our soules must be towards him and to the remembrance of his Name In the latter it will appeare how in what manner our soules must be fixed on Christ namely not in a bare historicall remembrance of his sufferings but in a powerfull and gracious feeling of the vertue of his death working life and holinesse in our soules Of these two points in order and of the first briefly which is this That our thoughts are not to dwel upon the outward elements and actions of the Sacrament but from them to bee raised up to the meditation of Christs sufferings and the benefits we obtaine thereby Doe this in remembrance of mee saith Christ i. e. of my death and your redemption by it not Do this for it own sake looking no further than what is visible to your eies in the outward solemnity Never was any Ceremony legall Euangelicall appointed for its own worth as if either God were pleased or mans soul● edified in grace by such carnall observations For God is a Spirit and will alwayes be worshipped in spirit and truth and mans soule is a Spirit of a pure and immortal substance which cannot bee nourishd and maintained in life and strength by any outward fading thing or action but only by that which is proportionable to its owne celestiall and spiritual quality Now this alone is the grace and favour of God the treasurie and store-house wherof is the person of our ever-blessed Mediator Iesus Christ unto whom the ancient church was directed in all Leviticall observations to whom these Evangelicall Sacraments doe still direct us Wherefore you are againe to be admonished those especially of the younger sort That they do attentively observe what that thing is whereabouts all their meditations are to be employed in this sacred businesse Remember that here Christ crucified is all in al in every element in every action When thou seest the Bread and Wine separated by consecration unto this holy use thinke on Christ ordained and fore-appointed by the Father from everlasting unto the accomplishment of our redemption by his bloud-shedding When thou seest the Bread broken and the Wine powred forth thinke on Christ torne and rent in his precious body with stripes and wounds pained even to the death in his most holy soule full of the wrath of God indignation of the Almighty by whom he was smitten for thy sinnes and plagued for thy transgressions When the Minister offers to thee the bread wine think on Christ given unto thee of God freely and giving himselfe unto thee if thou wilt receive him When thou receivest and eatest these elements think on Christ that living Bread that gives life unto thy soule and by his merits preserves it from eternall death Knit thy heart unto him by the band of an holy faith throw thy selfe into his armes stretched out on the Crosse to embrace thee wash thy soule in his bloud that thou maist bee cleane hide thy selfe in the holes and clefts of this rocke from the stormy tempest of Gods wrath that i● m●y not touch thee put thine hands and thy fingers in his side and the pr●nt of the nailes and cry out with that