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	part_n	soul_n	20,019	5	5.7069	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52357	The true liberty & dominion of conscience vindicated, from the usurpations & abuses of opinion, and persuasion	Nalson, John, 1638?-1686.	1677 (1677)	Wing N117; ESTC R19982	50,790	152

done positively to tell them This is matter of Conscience and that no man can do with a safe Conscience whilst in truth they were either not matter of Conscience in a strict and proper sense or if they were they were such matter of Conscience as all people were obliged to act in contrary to both their Doctrine and Practise I say had they done this which was their duty they might have done God good service and promoted our common happiness by Peace Unity and Charity which now to the great dishonour and decay of Christian Religion and true Piety and irreparable mischiefs in our Politick capacities are almost grown strangers amongst us For whosoever shall without partiality consider the affairs of these Nations for this last Century shall find That Liberty of Conscience has introduced amongst us the Synagogue of the Libertines which now has more Votaries than the true Religion and all others put together There are two things which of late have been obtruded upon us whether ignorantly or maliciously God he knows under the specious name of Conscience and these are Opinion and Persuasion To this luckless Mother and fatal Daughter we owe all those divisions that strife those bitter envyings debate variance and in truth all those intollerable mischiefs under which both Church and State have for many years so heavily groan'd and so deeply suffer'd Some men it is to be feared out of Pride Avarice Ambition or desire of Novelty having embraced such Opinions as were most suitable to their private Interest or Designs presently usurp Heaven's Royal Prerogative and stamp these courser Metalls with the Divine Impress of Conscience which immediately makes them currant Coin amongst vulgar and undistinguishing Judgments These Opinions countenanced by the success of numerous Disciples and warranted by zealous Defenders and over-eager Promoters grew amongst many into firm Perswasions and having been rooted by long continuance and naturalized by Custom then they must be matters of Conscience then they must be obliging to all and give indispensible Laws to all then they are to be defended and maintained with Life and Fortune and supported with no less rigorous Penalties than Eternal Damnation to all those who will not fall down and worship this golden Image of Conscience I will therefore endeavor to shew what Opinion and what Persuasion are and how they differ from Conscience how far they do oblige and wherein their lawful right and dominion in the management of humane Actions do consist Let us act like Men and Christians with prudence and justice let us render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to GOD the things which are GODS let us not blindly injuriously and dangerously transfer the Title Dignity Power and Supremacy of Conscience the immediate Vicegerent of our Almighty Sovereign unto these two Vsurpers who in reality are but his Subjects I will begin therefore with Opinion as being the elder of the two And that you may know that it is far inferior unto Conscience this is the description which the learned Aquinas gives of it Opinio est dispositio ad Scientiam it is a disposition to Knowledge that is Opinion is an imperfect degree of Knowledge where still there is a liberty to doubt or suspect that this or that Opinion may not be exactly true As for Example that the Sun shines at high Noon this is demonstrative knowledge but because the Sun when it shines does communicate both light and heat that therefore the Sun is a vast Globe of Fire this is but Opinion because it may be so and it may not be so Or that the Moon is peopled with Inhabitants is but Opinion because being capable of doubt I can have no way to ascertain my self of the truth of either of these whether in reality the Sun be a Ball of Flame or the Moon another habitable Region so that Opinion is that private judgment which a Man makes of things or actions which are of an indifferent nature without any certainty of knowledge where he wants the assistance of some rule or way and means to attain to such a certainty And that I may not give only instances of Philosophy thus that there is such a place as Hell the residence of the damned is a matter of knowledge as being of Divine Revelation besides that it is founded upon the reason of rewards and punishments in a future estate But whether the Fire of Hell be material or sigurative or both these are matters of Opinion and it is indifferent to believe either or both because I am not positively directed to believe either of them more than the other neither if I do believe one of them rather than the other is any other Man obliged to believe it upon my affirmation of one part to be my Opinion but is still left at his liberty so he believe any to follow that part of the Opinion which to him appears most robable and the reason is because I want a certain Rule to determine me there being no Divine Revelation of it nor any way or means to attain to a demonstrative knowledge of it and further in its own nature it appears indifferent whether those infernal Flames be material or figurative or both since whatsoever they are God Almighty is thereby able to accomplish his design which is the punishment of the fallen Angels and such of Mankind as must there be eternally miserable and tormented because they would not accept of happiness upon Gods terms and conditions Come we now from Opinion to Persuasion which as before was said is the Child of Opinion and is nothing more but that belief which a Man embraces of any Opinion in indifferent things or actions which are undetermined by any certain way or rule of knowledge where the mind follows that part which appears most probable and likely to be true so that in Persuasion as well as Opinion there is no absolute certainty of knowledge to determine the mind only Men sit down with that as a determination for the present which carries the fairest appearance of Truth and with that rest satisfied though still they reserve to themselves a liberty to change their Judgment and Persuasion so soon as a clearer evidence or better way to find out the Truth about which they are uncertain offers it self unto them Thus to one Man the flames of Hell appear most probably to be material sire because the Bodies of the damned as well as their Souls must be there most exquisitely tormented and for that purpose he thinks this sort of sire most proper and therefore that part of the Opinion passes with him into his Persuasion To another who considers that the condemned Spirits and Souls of Men which are of an immaterial substance must there be punished as well as their Bodies a figurative Fire appears most probable and that is his Persuasion To a third who considers that both Souls Bodies and the wicked Spirits must have their share of pain and torment both