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	soul_n	substance_n	8,320	5	8.4214	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14157	A fruitfull sermon preached in Christs-Church the 13. of Iulie. Anno 1589. By Anthony Tyrell sometime a seminarie priest. But by the great mercie of God made a true professor of the Gospel, and preacher of his holy word: conteining an admonition vnto vertue, and a dehortation from vice. Taken by characterye	Tyrrell, Anthony, 1552-1610?	1589 (1589)	STC 24474; ESTC S118810	26,816	78

2 Pet. 2.21 Oh better had it bin as Peter saith neuer to haue knowen the way of righteousnes then after a man hath knowen it to turne from the holy commaundement that was giuen vnto him Hebr. 10.26 And as the Apostle Paul witnesseth if we sinne willingly after that we haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shall deuour the aduersaries Let vs take héede therefore derely beloued how wee behaue our selues after that we haue receiued the grace of God least for our ingratitude negligence our Candlesticke be remoued Apoc. 2.7 our grace taken from vs giuen to an other that shall bring forth better fruite To come to my Text that it is said that he taketh seauen spirits worse then him selfe they are counted worse in that they come furnished with greater malice to séeke the destruction of the soule of man In that he nameth a nūber of 7. I suppose the Euangelist meaneth a number of perfection that is to to wit the Deuil returneth with an absolute power for vnder this number 7. all power that the Deuil can vse is conteined So we reade that Marie Magdalene was possessed with 7. spirites that our Sauiour cast out of her seauen Deuils Luc 8.2.3 which signifyeth al kind of sin So that the number of 7. importeth that Sathan if he come back and repossesse either man or woman againe hee will omitte no occasion to hinder them that they shall neuer returne vnto God againe and therefore the matter is most daungerous and diligently to bee looked vnto And where it is said in our text that all these spirites doe enter in and dwel there You must vnderstand how and in what maner the deuild welleth in a bodie he doth not dwell as the Philosophers say tanquam corpus locatū in loco as a body placed in a place for the Deuils are spirites and not conteined in any place Nor yet tanquam forma in materia as the soule of a man doth dwell in a bodie For the Deuil is a simple substance of himselfe and not composed or ioyned to any matter but the Deuils dwelling is onely by his power or operation where he hath power there he exercyseth his strength there he is said to dwel The Lord defēd vs from his power and that he dwell not so among vs. I haue bin too long I feare me in my former partes I wil now hasten to the fourth and last part so make an end It followeth in the text And the last state of that man is worse then the first Pars 4. This is the fourth part of my diuision wherein I am to shew how that after a man hath receiued the grace of God and that the foule vnclean spirit that led and tempted him to al wickednes by the greate mercie of God was cast out of him if after he loke not wel vnto himselfe auoiding as nere as he can all occasions and causes of sin but leauing his house emptie that is his soule void of a true faith and good workes that for all his abhominable sinnes that hee hath committed hée hath but swept his house that is made a superficial sorow or repentance for his sinnes and that which is worse leaueth his house garnished that is retaineth stil the remembrance desire affection of his former concupiscence vnto such a man Sathan doth sone returne againe and in returning he bringeth seauen worse spirites then himselfe and they enter in and dwel there then it can not be according vnto our Sauiòur his testimonie but that the end of that man must bée worse then his beginning Wherefore that you may vnderstand how much worse the state of that man shall be in the end it shall not be amisse if you know how bad the estate of a sinner is in the beginning And that you may the better iudge of the vilenes and deformitie of the first sinne I know not which way I may make you to comprehēd it better then to lay before your eies the excellencie of vertue For euery thing as the Philosopher saith is best knowen being compared by his contrarie What man is he that can tel the commoditie of health so well as he that hath bin afflicted w e sicknes or who knoweth so wel the swéetnes of libertie as he that hath had experiēce of captiuity To know therefore the vilenes of an euil thing we must consider the nature and condition of a good thing for the deformitie of a crooked line will appeare best if it be measured by a right rule or square The Philosophers defyned that there was nothing that could bée good which had not all or at least one of these thrée properties that is if it were not honest profitable or delightfull and although the wiser sort of them desined certainly that nothing could bee good that was not honest yet that thing which in his owne nature is not honest if it be either delightfull or profitable it carieth at the least a resemblance of goodnes And thereof it commeth that no man would committe any sinne but the it caryeth some shew of goodnes for although syn in the iudgement of the committer bee no honest thing yet he iudgeth it at the least to be either profitable or delightfull or else hée would neuer do it The fornicatour or adulterer he knoweth the sinnes of the flesh that they are not honest yet he thinketh them delitefull The vsurer or couetous man he knoweth that briberie and extortion is nought and not honest yet he thinketh it profitable So that I say euerie sin that the sinner commiteth he doth it vnder the colour of some good or else hee would neuer do it Goodnes therefore in it selfe cānot be but an excellēt thing And looke how much the more it doth participate of all the thrée properties that is to wit honesty profite and delight so much better it must be Vertue therfore is an excellent thing for it is both honest profitable and delightfull And that thing what soeuer it be that is most honest most profitable and most delitefull must néedes be most excellent be that which is called Summum bonum the chiefest good which all men naturally do desire And who is most honest most profitable and most delightful but onely God God therefore is summum bonum the end that euerie man ought to séek and such an end that he that findeth it shall be blessed for euermore Now at the last wee haue found out our rule and square of goodnes to measure the crokednesse of vice and to sée the deformity thereof As the thing that is most honest most profitable most delightful is most good That thing that is opposite and contrarie vnto the greatest good must néedes be the greatest euill That thing that depriueth a man or woman from the greatest good of all other which is