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	nature_n	soul_n	16,493	5	5.5392	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07567	Minucius Felix his dialogne [sic] called Octavius Containing a defence of Christian religion. Translated by Richard Iames of C.C.C. Oxon.; Octavius. English	Minucius Felix, Marcus.; James, Richard, 1592-1638.	1636 (1636)	STC 17953; ESTC S112688	38,739	185

alienate with themselues so many as they can from the true service of God The Poets acknowledge these to bee cunning spirits Philosophers dispute of them Socrates was not ignorant of them who at the direction and will of one still present with him did decline or vndertake businesse The Magicians also doe not only know them but act all the sport of miracles by their helpe By their inspiration and infusion they worke impostures making those things appeare which are not and those things not apeare which are Of these Magicians Hostanes the chiefest both for speech and deed doth attribute vnto the true God his deserued maiesty and makes honourable mention of his angells that is his messengers who tremble at his word and countenance he also makes mention of those other cunning wandring terrestiall spirits enemies to mankind And Plato who thought it so great a businesse to finde out God doth easily discouer both these vnto vs and in his feasting dialogue striues to expresse their nature He will haue them to be a middle substance betwixt soule and body halfe mortall halfe immortall compounded with a mixture of terrestiall heauinesse and celestiall lightnesse He will haue them cause in us the first incentiue sparkes of loue to informe and slide into mens brests to mooue their senses fashion their affections and then powre in a fiery heate of lust Wherefore these vncleane spirits as the Magicians the Philosophers and Plato shew lurke vnder consecrat statues and images and by an inspiration doe gaine with people authority to be reputed Gods whiles they sometimes seeme to possesse their prophets to abide in temples to animate the liuers of the sacrifice to gouerne the flights of birds rule lotteries and deliuer oracles involu'd with much falshood For they are deceiud and doe deceiue as not knowing truth sincerely nor confessing that which they know to their owne perdition So doe they draw vs from heauen and call us from the true God vnto these materiall things They disorder our life trouble our dreames creepe secretly into our bodies as being thinne spirits forge diseases terrify mindes distort members that they may force us to a worship of them when after a sacrifice of beasts and feasting at their altars they seeme to be appeased and release and cure those whom they had afflicted These are also the causes of those mad men whom you see breake forth into the streetes Their owne Prophets also are sometimes possest when they are forth the temple they roule their heads and rage These spirits incite both although to a diverse purpose And from them proceede those things of which you haue before spoken when Iupiter causd a new celebration of sports according to a dreame when the little ship did follow the matrones girdle when the Castors were seene with their ●orses The most of you doe know that these spirits confesse so much of themselues as often as by vs with torments of wordes and fire of praiers they are driuen out of bodies Saturne himselfe and Serapis and Iupiter and all the the rest of your Gods whom you worship are with griefe commanded to speake what they are plainly Neither would they lye to there owne disgrace especially when many of you are present When they doe thus confesse truth of themselues then belieue from there owne witnesse that they are euill spirits when we coniure them by the only true God they hardly stay in possest bodyes and either presently leape forth 〈◊〉 vanish by degrees as the fair● of the patient helps or th● grace of Gods minister prevailes So doe they shunne the presence of Christians whom a farre of they prouoke in your rioting assemblies And therefore insinuating themselues into the affections of vndiscerning people they dare but privily incite you to a hatred of vs through feare For t is naturall to hate whom we feare and to doe all the mischiefe wee can vpon those of whom we seeme to stand in danger So doe they forestall your mindes and shut vp your breasts from right vnderstanding that men vndertake to hate vs before they know what we are least knowing they should either follow our example or leaue off to pursue our condemnation But how great a crime it is to passe sentence vpon men vnknowne vntried which you doe belieue our earnest repentance For wee were as you are and in a blinde stupidnesse wee thought as you that Christians did worship monsters devoure Infants make incestuous banquets neither would wee vnderstand that these fables were still talkt of but never searcht vnto proofe when never any was found to giue evidence herein although he was sure to haue pardon for the fact and favour for the inditement And surely this crime imputed to the Christians was so nothing as any of them brought in question of his faith did neither blush at it nor feare only repenting that hee had not beene a Christian sooner Yet wee who did vndertake to defend and preserue in iudgement persons sacrilegious incestuous and even Parricides were of minde that these Christians ought not to bee heard speake for themselues And many times as it were out of pitty did vse on them ragefull cruelty to force a deniall of their beliefe that they might not dye vsing in these things a most perverse triall not to cleare truth but to extort falshood when if any did deny himselfe a Christian through infirmity overprest and vanquished with torment wee did favour him presently as if such deniall and abiuring had made sufficient expiation for all his faults Doe you not see your owne thoughts and actions in vs When if reason had beene iudge and not the instigation of those evill spirits these men should rather haue beene vrged to confesse their incests adulteries impious ceremonies and immolation of Infants then to vnsay their Christianity For with those fables haue your spirits filled the eares of ignorant people to raise in them a horrible execration of vs But no wonder if you doe not here vrge the question since fame which is nourished by dispersion of lies perisheth at the declaration of truth Such is the businesse of your spirits they did sow they did foment this most false rumour and from thence it is that you heare our divine secrecie should bee an Asses head Who would bee so foolish as to worship this Or who is not more foole to haue this imagination of vs but that you doe all-over consecrate your selues for Asses by worshipping the Lady Epona in your stable and sacrificing the same Asses religiously to your Goddesse Isis Oxe heads also and the heads of weathers you both sacrifice and worship You dedicate Gods in shape halfe goates and halfe men halfe Lions and halfe dogges and doe you not with the Egyptians both worship and feede the heyfer Apis Neither doe you condemne their other religious rites appointed to serpents crocodiles beasts birds and fishes and if any kill a God of these hee must by the law suffer death The same Egyptians with many