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	life_n	natural_a	5,868	5	6.7181	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61175	A sermon preached at the anniversary meeting the Sons of Clergy-men in the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, Nov. vii, 1678 / by Thomas Sprat ...	Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713.; Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy (London, England)	1678 (1678)	Wing S5055; ESTC R16678	19,762	52

is represented to our imperfect indeed but yet to our sincere imitation in the glorious primitive Patern of most perfect most adorable goodness in the Divine Nature it self by which the whole Frame of the Creation the whole stock of Mankind the sound the unsound part the good the bad were all made and have been always sustained and encompassed with such inexpressible Grace such unbounded Mercy as is always ready for those that desire it always finds out those that seek for it often stands in the way of those that would avoid it and overtakes them that flye from it From that most blessed Original of doing good that is essential to the infinite Being of our Creator we have an excellent Copy transcribed for all our use in the Gospel here made necessary to us by innumerable Precepts here illustrated to us by a most gracious Example here made easie for us by Promises of Divine Assistance here rendred pleasant and profitable to us by assurances of unspeakable Rewards This Doctrine of Gods good-will towards men this command of mens proportionable good-will to one another is not this the very Body and Substance this the very Spirit and Life of our Saviours whole Institution It is intermingled with all the Truths He teaches It overspreads and gives one colour to all his Precepts 't is the very distinguishing Character of the Christian Law by which that has exceeded and advanced all the true Dictates of Natural Reason by which it has excell'd and put to shame all the best Pretences of false Worships nay by which God himself seems to have made the last Addition to his own Discoveries and Instructions to Mankind For as in many other things the Gospel appears in respect of the Law to be a clearer Revelation of the mystical part so in this it is apparently a far more benign more generous Dispensation of the practical part of the True Religion In this matter what need we Christians be our own Witnesses or our own Judges We might refer the examination of it to any sober judicious Heathen or unprejudic'd Jew if any such could be found 'T is true they might at first sight observe the common practice of too many that call themselves Christians to be very different from the Doctrine they seem to own They might justly wonder that men so taught so obliged to be kind to all gentle to Strangers merciful to the Afflicted loving even to Enemies should behave themselves in every point so contrary to such heavenly Instructions such indissoluble Obligations that so many that any fierce stubborn revengeful avaritious uncharitable Passions could possibly spring up under the shadow of such a Religion nay that some men should make such a Religion and their Zeal for it to be the pretence and excuse even to justifie even to sanctifie such passions All this the Adversaries of the Faith have too much reason to object against too many of its Professors but against the Faith it self nothing at all In that all things of this nature must excite their admiration or overwhelm them with confusion Should the wisest Heathen search into all the highest flights of their best Moralists should the most devout Iew recollect the most virtuous Counsels and Traditions of their Patriarchs and Prophets and then should both these compare what they can find in either of them with the free-spirited the large-hearted the universally-charitable design of the whole tenour of our Blessed Saviours Teaching and Life and that unanimously expounded by all the inspired Writers after him and they must both at last agree that here are introduc'd far more Heroic Principles of Meekness Forgiveness Bounty and Magnanimity than ever all the Learning of the Heathens could invent or all the Antiquity of the Iews could boast of What could the light of Nature what could the Mosaical shadows which yet were clearer than that what could either of these produce that is comparable to the true Evangelical Spirit By our Law of doing Good no good is to be left undone towards all not the good of the Tongue the Hand the Heart none is to be done unwillingly to any none only for our own sakes none only in one season but always Here are confirm'd all our other Natural Civil Political tyes of Mutual good Offices nay here when they are not or cannot be Mutual Here many new Titles of kindness many new Relations of endearment are superadded to them Here the foundations the desires the occasions of Envy Malice Coveteousness Revenge are abolish'd Here a new race of Virtues and Graces more Divine more Moral more Humane are planted in their stead If I will believe and obey the Gospel no difference of outward condition no Calamity no Misery can make any man not to be equal to me or to deserve my neglect no distance of Place no strangeness of Country no contrariety of Temper or Interest can make any Man a stranger to me or to deserve my indifference no ill Will no ill Speech no ill Deed of another against me can make any Man an Enemy to me or to deserve my hatred With Men indeed these considerations are usually naturally the causes of Despite Disdain or Aversion from others But with God they seem to pass for so many new reasons of our greater tenderness towards others even as so many new degrees of our Consanguinity with them Should we not do good to Strangers The Gospel allows no such term as a Stranger makes every man my Neighbour Should we not forgive our Enemies those that Curse Persecute and would Destroy us The Gospel knows no such thing as an Enemy We are to bless to pray for to love our Enemies and if not for that very reason yet notwithstanding it Ought we not to pity and supply the Poor and Afflicted though they have no Relation to us No Relation That cannot be The Gospel styles them all our Brethren nay they have a nearer Relation to us our fellow Members and both these from their Relation to our Saviour himself who calls them his Brethren his Members and makes them his proper Charge his peculiar Care Titles of Honour and Priviledges which the Rich and the Great as such can never deserve and will never have unless they employ their Riches and Greatness for the help and protection of these the true Wards and Children and Friends of God Wherefore since we are to do good to the Poor to Strangers to Enemies those whom Nature is too apt to make us Despise Disregard or Hate then undoubtedly we are to do good to all Men To all Men as we have an opportunity which is my second particular I cannot but take notice of the fulness of the Original Phrase in this place For though it is evident that the Holy Ghost is scarce ever so Various and Copious and Efficacious on any one Divine Argument as when it recommends to us the great duty of Charity yet there are few expressions on this very subject so expressive

mystical Houshold In a particular more eminent manner the Ministers of that Houshold the Dispensers of that Faith and so many of the best Interpreters understand my Text. Hence therefore we behold to whom all Christians are to do good to all Men especially to all Christians more especially to all the Ministers of Christ. And this being laid down as undeniable if you give me leave to make one short step farther we may then by an easy and necessary consequence reduce this general advice to our present particular purpose For if the Fathers and Husbands of those whose relief this your Meeting intends were unquestionably of the Houshold of Faith both as the Members and Ministers of it and if on that account all were especially to do good to them then certainly their Relicts and Children cannot be Strangers in this Houshold ought not to be Strangers to the Good that is done in it if they want it If to the Ministers of Christ whilest Living all are to do Good as to the chief Officers of the Houshold of Faith then certainly when they have ceased from their labours at least as much to their posterity to whom there is near the same obligation too frequently a far greater need and occasion of doing good And if all Christians are bound to do good in a peculiar manner to the Houshold of Faith so understood then no doubt those of the Houshold it self who are in some estate of Prosperity which God be prais'd is your case have much stronger ties to do good to the other members of the same Houshold who are in adversity You now see Reverend and Beloved in our Lord and Saviour the course of my Text has brought us to the great design of this our Assembly which is mercy to those distressed persons who have the same relation to this Houshold of Faith with our selves But before I come to them I beseech your patience whilst I speak something to our selves here present to whom from what has been said methinks a little seasonable Counsel some honest humble intreaties at least are due from me at this time as from all of us a relief is due to the others We have heard our Common our Proper Title to the Houshold of God laid open before us We find our selves inrolled in this heavenly Family as Servants as Sons as Sons to the chief and most Sacred part of this Family The best Philologers say that the Original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here translated of the Houshold does not only signifie Domestic as oppos'd to Foreign to those without doors but also private as oppos'd to common and those that are only just within doors On both these Senses our claim is founded We are not only of the Houshold out of which a great part of the World is excluded but we are more privately more intimately of the Houshold in which a great part of the Faithful are only as common Members Thus we have all a double relation to it some of us a threefold All of us as Christians all as Sons of the Ministers of Christ some not only so but as Ministers our selves And can our duty then be single Is there nothing expected from us more than from other Christians Does our greater privelege require nothing from us but what is Common Yes certainly very much Let me briefly put you in mind what it is First since we claim a proper interest above others in the preeminent rights of the Houshold of Faith then no doubt to make good that claim we are all proportionably oblig'd above others to conform to the proper manners and virtues that belong to and become this Houshold and distinguish it from all others then no doubt if in every one of such Virtues whether they respect God or Man we do not exceed others we scarce do our ordinary duty what great deficience is it if we come short of others what hainous shame if we notoriously offend in the opposite sins We have far greater obligations than all others to do good we have not so much as the false excuses that some others may think they have to do evil If we forsake the waies of Grace and Goodness we cannot allege any colour of Ignorance or want of Instruction we cannot say we have not learn'd them or we could not nay we cannot say we have forgot them They were familiar to us from our Cradles imprinted on our Childish Memories insinuated into our tenderest Age endear'd to us by the nearest Examples Virtue in us not only our Duty but should be our Portion our Inheritance Vice in us were not only wickedness but Apostasie degenerate wickedness Wherefore of those Graces which no Christian can be without we ought to exhibit a greater measure of those which adorn a Christian Life we should aspire to the most excellent degree Far should be from us not only all scandalous evil but all the least appearance of evil and as Caesar said of his House not only the Sin but the suspicion The spotless modesty of private and public life that sobriety of Conversation that mildness of behaviour that Innocence that Benignity of words and actions that Liberal that Generous Spirit which all other other Christians ought to labour after should look in us as if they were natural to us and born with us In those good things which all others are to study and imitate we are to give some of us Rules all of us Examples What all others should practice we should scarce to know how to practice otherwise I urge this the rather because we live in an Age when there is an universal complaint and God knows there is too much reason for it of an universal Corruption of good Manners The complaint indeed is far more general than the indeavours to redress it Abroad every Man would be a Reformer how very few at home But in truth if all would really intend an amendment and set about it in good earnest I cannot imagine any more likely means to effect it than to have it seriously begun and steddily carried on by men of our birth Great and powerful I am confident irresistible would be the influence which this very Assembly would have on the whole Kingdom If judgment begins at the house of God says St. Peter where shall the ungodly and wicked appear And why should we not expect that judgment will begin at the House of God if reformation begins not there But then let me add if reformation begins at the Houshold of God where shall ungodliness and wickedness appear Your Examples will meet it at every turn and put it out of countenance in every place even in private corners 't will soon lose that confidence which now it too much assumes in public Secondly This consideration that we are all united in one Houshold are all of the more inward part of the same Houshold may suggest to us all that we especially of all Men of all Christians ought