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	way_n	5,772	5	4.7678	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36873	The love of God, or, Love divine being the subject of these ensuing meditations / collected out of Mr. Gorings English translation ; originally penned by Peter Du Moulin ... ; digested into divine poems by William Wood ...	Wood, William.; Du Moulin, Pierre, 1568-1658.	1656 (1656)	Wing D2588; ESTC R37780	15,390	32

Divine it hath no sympathie For the Philosophy that 's naturall With Nat'ralists is deemed best of all Contrarily the Scriptures do decla●e That nat'rall love with heavenly holds no share For since that Sathan hath defac'd the Image Of God in Adam and in Adam's Image Man's turned towards the world in his desires From heav'n to earth his groveling thought retires Our carnall thoughts our Mundane base delights Hold enmity against the God of spirits If any one have grace his God to love The gift's not ours but God's that dwells above Therefore our Jesus saith in 's Gospell Law None comes to him except his Father draw And blessed 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 Did pull us out ●id●us●ful 〈…〉 The sacred verity of this 〈…〉 in●●r●'d We must love God bee use he lov'd us first This also 〈…〉 and firm● effect Of Gods true love if 〈…〉 Next under heave●● 〈…〉 w● should require More then this grace to love with whole de●●●● For to the faithfull this doth testifie That God with 's love his soul shall satisfie This lov 's the very first effe●● of faith Traceth Gods image as the Scripture 〈◊〉 It is the mark and 〈…〉 For they are endow'd wit● love and fil●ull fear This love 's the so●● of vertues 〈◊〉 and oth●● Hath soveraign eminen●● 〈◊〉 elder brother She sits as Judge our 〈…〉 reg●leth Summs up the La● 〈◊〉 Judg● and 〈◊〉 This love sustaineth 〈◊〉 did S●●ph●● A ladder that can each ●● high as Heaven She 's peace of conscienc●● y●elding that content Is superexcellently 〈◊〉 Yea it is such I dare ●ith boldnesse say Gives us a ●aste of Heav'n ●● this our day It here begins the u●●on endlesse ●●st Communion with God amongst the blest Our thoughts and muse in this sweet meditation Cannot soar up to higher contemplation For what is th●●● th●n God that i● so gr●●t Or then his love to tell on o● to ●eat The profit likewise surely is no lesse Then it is sweet which no tongue can expresse Men are not good nor bad because that they Beleeve and trust but that they do obey 'T is said they 'r good even those that love good things None else is such but God the King of Kings Who not alone in goodnesse doth transcend But makes there so that love him to the end Let 's be instructed by Gods holy Spirit That 's love it self so shall we heav'n inherit And which will form our hea●●● unto the frame Of reall love and not a love in 〈◊〉 Least we should take a love corporeall In lew of love that 's true and spirituall An itching love that is importunate A furious heat our brains in 〈◊〉 ●●ate To wit of vices that 's extr●●mly ill For chief vertue● which God's ●ests fulfill A brutish sicknesse 〈…〉 For a perfection that 's Angell 〈◊〉 'T is doubtlesse 〈◊〉 of him that shall dispose Himself to love his God i● one of those Neglects all base and by consider●●ions For serving God with willing inclinations Though he incurre the worlds malignant hate He 's not dejected nor 〈…〉 Starts not nor shrinks for all 〈…〉 disdain This worlds harsh hatred bring● th●e ●ndlesse gain Earths brittle pleasures Heav'ns afflicting rod Do work the weal of them which love their God Evills turn blessings not to on● b●fall Whom God shall scourge with stripes corporeall The bodies sicknesse proves a speciall cure Unto the soul the Magi hold it sure Heavens high Phisitian by 〈…〉 skill Can cure with poison that wa● wont to kill His strokes are balm as holy David saith Matter of patience for to try our faith The passive sufferer meekly bears his Crosse And for Gods cause he values not his losse The●e sufferings are like scarrs upon the face And honours man received in bloody chase Conformities unto our Captain Christ As Christian soldiers numbred in his list And all through under propping of this love Tartnesse i● temp●red that it sweet doth prove And maketh us entirely to rejoyce Some one will say and thereto doth assent Th● love of God'● a ver●ue excellent And that to love him we before must know What is this duty which to him we owe And that our knowledge here is most obscure Both dimme and dark bemisted and impure Yet in no wise we must forbear forget To study knowledge that 's before us set Our Ignorance must have no toleration Nor cause neglect in God's negotiation Of God although our knowledge be but small It us incites to love him therewithall One glimpse of his most radiant rayes and gleams Exceeds the Sun with his most splendent beams The knowledge knowing God with dark'ned sight Surpasseth nat'rall and the Gentiles light So if a prisoner do in dungeon lye And at a think some beam of 〈◊〉 espy● By that he knows the beauty of the light Which comforteth the silly Captive wight The petty portion and the 〈◊〉 of skill In knowing God whose fulnesse all things fill Sufficient is for to delight our taste With 's excellence above the Heav'ns plac't And with his love our souls so to enflame His love alone gives cause to blesse his name Besides God's knowledge that 's made known to any May savingly sufficient be to many The debts we owe to God by obligation For 's goodnesse in his love 〈◊〉 admiration Are fully set forth to ●● in his Word As sacred Oracles the same record Which Paul the convert preaching hath not spared But Gods whole Councell unto us declared The fi●st degree of the love of God is to lo●● God because of the good which he doth ●● ●●d which 〈◊〉 to receive of him THe first and lowest step is God to love Mercies received hereto may us move On this degree David did much rejoyce Blessed his God because he heard his voyce For so it must be truly ●nderstood God will be lov'd in tha● hi● doth us good It 's God that made preserves and doth us guide Instructs our souls for bodies doth provide Redeems ●s by his Son next by his Spirit He sanctifies us Heaven fo● to in h● it Directs us by his Word him for to serve Makes us his friends we shoul'd not from him 〈◊〉 Yea ev'n his children with himself 〈◊〉 Such love like this as yet 〈◊〉 ever none Plato in his blind way to God 〈◊〉 thanks For three things which he harsh●●● in their ra●ks First making him no Beast but made hi● 〈◊〉 Next born a Greek and no 〈◊〉 Yet to his lustre more to make it shine He termed was Philosopher Divine We that in quainter Schooles have been instructed In better wayes of pray●e have 〈◊〉 conducted His name of us ought also to be blest For three things likewise which are here exprest First that in mercy men he did 〈◊〉 make Next that of holy truth we do partake Thirdly ' mongst those who Christians called 〈◊〉 He makes us faithfull on ●● through his ow● 〈◊〉 A fourth ●e'l adds that by his own dec●●●ing He did adopt 〈…〉 world had b●●ing For if a

catch a fall As in a crosse-way man is set to stand Sometimes the spirit then flesh gets upper hand Between the love of God and worldly love Some strange suggestions do him try and prove How oft i● it after Gods love prevailed By fresh assaults the faithfull ●●e assailed And the fresh forces the Spirit do withstand Against Gods fear and love themselves do band The faithfull being by these appetites Beset with lusts and such like lewd delights Shall feel this love of God within his heart Thus speaking Man whence is it thou doest start O wretched man whether now wilt thou go Doth not God see 't thy inclination know Despisest thou his menace and his frown Rejectest thou his promises to own Forgettest thou thy honoured high vocation Dares thou provoke Gods Spirit to indignation Why shouldst thou on his Church a scandall bring Since Christ thereof is Soveraign Lord and King Where are the promises which thou hast made him For guifts receiv'd as yet thou hast not paid him Is this the way to Heaven thou dost devise And being fall'n art thou assured to rise And for short pleasures which have lost their tast Thy peace of Conscience must it be displac'd For pottage wilt thou of thy right bereave Thy self and vainly so thy birth-right leave At these suggestions will the faithfull stay Crosse his desires and let them bear no sway But all 's not done our frailtie's yet not quelled Nor froward flesh which hath so long rebelled For after these our holy resolutions We have great dulnesse causing diminutions And then the Divell doth espy occasion Makes a fresh onset by a re-invasion If we be idle use bad company Neglecting pray'r or duties else of piety Then our desires do rouze themselves again The Flesh and Spirit for mastery strive amain Which makes the faithfull in this restlesse strife Desire his death and 's weary of his life O wretched nature it selfs enemy Destroyes it self pursuing misery O thou corruption that takes root so deep O mutinous sedition that doth keep In us hostility and doth not slack But us as slaves to Egypt would bring back Which like Lots wife lookes back with her desire On sinfull Sodom flaming all with fire If we have thoughts that fixed are on death Our flesh will whisper we may yet long breath If we shall hear or read Gods sacred Word Threatning our ruine by his glittering sword It soothes us up and doth us so perswade VVe are secure to others it is said If we Heav'ns glory shall recount consider It will suggest we shall come early thither If thou incited be to help the poor I● doth suggest it will impair thy store If thy friends frailty thou wouldst reprehen● 'T will over-aw thee lest thou him offend Each good affection hath ev'n as it were Like to a Pot on either side an ear By which the world and flesh take hold upon Striving to lett the execution Rebekah's steps we next must imitate VVho great with Childe her God did supplicate VVho instantly resolved her request Two striving Twinns they did her Womb molest A lively figure not so old as true Of man it represents the old and new The old man's carnall by corrupted nature The other new is the regenerate Creature As in a conflict both do daily strive And are at odds so long as wee 're alive Unto Rebekah's suit God did decree The old unto they young should subject be The flesh unto the spirit must be subjected And by that means shall be of God accepted The fift degree is that wherewith we shall love God in the life to come NOw here remains the last and chief degree This highest step is Heav'ns felicity VVhich is the love wherewith at last we shall Love God in 's glory that 's Coelestiall For we love things by nature here below According as by science we them know VVe therefore shall God love much better then VVith love of Saints and not as mortall men Now as th'Apostle saith we know in part But then revealed open and apart As in a Glasse we see but here obscurely But then perspicuously as Christall purely VVhen he in glory shall consummate grace Then shall we see as it were face to face Our love which here dstractedly doth stand And sees far● off shall then see near at hand Our love on God shall onely fixed be Being the obiect of felicity As when two swelling Rivers proud and high Encountring each other furiously They joyn in force and by their strong invasion Do make a marvellous flood and inundation So that the love of God and self affection Are like two Streams on earth have no connexion Which no where else hencforth shall have their meeting 'Till they in Heav'n each other give the greeting When these affections twain shall be commixt And in one love are fast and firmly fixt For then in loving God our selves may love Because that league God doubtlesse will approve And dwell in us where he delights to dwell Resembling him whose north no tongue can tell For Saints and Angels they undoubtedly Do love themselves with ardent fervency Let us forbear to love untill that time Our selves or ought in us doth not incline Our hearts and make them hopefull of this love Which is eterniz'd in the Heav'ns above But now for that this love wherewith we shall Love God in Heav'n is supernaturall Springs from the view and lovely contemplation Of his own face beyond all admiration Love is not kindled else but by the sight Let 's learn what sight this is brings this delight Our bodies eyes two wayes discern and see Or apprehending what the image be For so the bodies to our view exposed They are apparent visibly disclosed Or by in letting to our nat'rall sight The thing we see which truely is the light So do we see the day no otherwise Then that it daily enters in our eyes Now God that is the chief supremest light In 's glory will shew souls that hee 's most bright For in his Saints he keeps his habitation And 's in them all in all without cessation But in this life we in his works behold His wondrous workmanship so manifold In which he made an abselute impression As 't were his vertues Picture past expression Therefore as now we see the nat'rall light Then shall we see our God with such a sight But now we see it not but with these eyes The bodies windowes and no otherwise For then the light of God through all our parts We shall receive which holifies our hearts Ev'n as a man were only eye throughout As he should see at once things round about This sight of God it will assuredly Transform us like himself in puritie For as a mirrour by the Suns reflection Shines like the same in clearnesse sans defection For God receiveth none to contemplate His face save those are in Celestiall estate He doth transform them that the semblant prove Like to himself irradiate in love As God himself is perfect love and charity It man behoves to imitate his paritie Upon this view and heavenly radiation Should be inflam'd with loves association And burn with heat of this hot spirit'all fire Whose ardency the Saints in light acquire A fire which to the Seraphims gives name So call'd because their ardour aye inflame The summe of all is their officious love Their fervent zeal their service to improve Here these degrees and steps of love must end For higher Heav'n-ward we cannot ascend Of Jacobs ladder this step is the last By which we mount where speechlesse joyes are plac't FINIS