Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bond_n	peace_n	unity_n	8,534	5	8.8402	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76834	Speculum Culmerianum wherein all persecuting, and malitious priests may behold the blindnesse of their zeale, the shame of their hypocricy, and the just reward of their unsatisfied malice. Being an answer to a scandalous book called A parish looking-glasse for persecutors of ministers, pretended to be writ by Richard Culmer the younger, in defence of his father Richard Culmer, Minister of Minster in the County of Kent ... / By Stephen Blaxland.	Blaxland, Stephen.	1657 (1657)	Wing B3176; ESTC R170684	13,355	46

it is very well known that the Parish abounds with many inhabitants now the more their misery in respect of so troublesome a Minister that were not then nor had any cognizance of the difference between you and your Parishioners For my own part I was no inhabitant at the same time when you and the Ryotors fell out but the greatest cause that the Parishioners had to put him in Clark was charity which is indeed a stranger to you in respect he was aged and lame and not in a capacity of relieving himself and not be a charge and trouble to the Parish Culmer pag. 34. l. 40. Who is a prophane scoffer at the Communicants calling them Master Culmers Disciples Answer In respect that I know you mean me I shall in short answer for my self and let the World know what an undeserving scandal you have cast upon me I thank God I have been and am though not by you better principled in my Religion thn to be a Prophane so offer as you term me at holy Ordinances neither did I as you falsly suggest in dirision call them your Disciples for indeed I rather will pitie than laugh at them knowing what a bad and Hypocritical Master they have As for the Chancel windowes you make mention of I confesse I did not repaire them till I was absolutely informed whether I had right to a Pew which I built in the Chancel which your Son learning humility of his Father broke down saying that he was placed there by order but when I knew that the right lay in me you very well know I mended them according to the time limitted by the Justice Culmer pag. 35. l. 21. But they need not seek revenge further than their own avenging themselves by their calumnies and false accusations and railings against Mr. Culmer Answer I never knew any that sought revenge against you except you account it revenge for people to seek for right in their own cause neither did any calumniate you except you look upon truth as a calumny because your civil or to speak truth your uncivil deportments and misdemeanours deserved to be taken notice of and whereas you declare that we combine to put you to charges in the Law you are very much mistaken for you know that your Tithes were never denied you for you sued me and the rest before we denied payment have put us to unjust charges as the successe of your sute will manifest Culmer page the 35. l. 25. But it seems nothing will satisfie their malice and rage but his purses bleeding to death by taking away his means of lively-hood and subsistance by his ejection or removeal from his place and station Answer If we endeavour your removeal it is because you endeavour our disquiet and instead of making peace amongst us you endeavour to bring us into confusion Neither is your Ministerial imployment all your lively-hood for we very well know that you have except you have spent it in Law 120 pounds per annum besides your Land in Ireland but because you will make your condition to be the more commiserated you begger it by an untruth and say we go about to take away your lively-hood and subsistance but I will not trouble my self with any more of your impertinences onely give a glance upon the 37th page Culmer pag. 37. l. 2. It is a sure signe commonly that a Minister is good when all the Parish is against him and commonly when a whole Parish loves a Minister and speaks well of him he is stark naught Answer This indeed is a prime sentence and very worth the taking notice of for here you say that you must upon necessity be very good because your Parishioners hate you as indeed the most part doe And other Reverend Divines not farre from you because they are generally beloved of their Parishioners are stark naught I hope some of them will give you no thanks for this expression but indeed this is something like your Flectere si nequeo superos acharonta movebo Moreover by this you condemne all the Apostles who found love and respect from Christians wheresoever they came but you no where Then again you condemne the Fathers for I never read but that Augustin was very well beloved and his death very much lamented by his Parishioners at Hipo where he was Minister And Chrisistome at Constantinople and Barnard Jerome and the rest at their respective Parishes how happy are you nay and are like to continue so that all your Parish hate you neither dare we believe that you will give us cause to do otherwise for if we should we should make our selves guilty of your being stark naught so that now we may say and you may be proud of it if you please Good Master Culmer Thus having answered to all or most part of your most material vilifications give me leave to desire you to look upon a place of Scripture which I believe you either never saw or very little minded It is the third of Timothy beginning at the second verse where we shall be informed what a true Minister ought to be and if you can approve your self to be so then let me and others be condemned for our disrespects Verse the second a Bishop or Minister must be blamelesse the Husband of one Wife vigilant sober of good behaviour given to Hospitality apt to Teach Verse the third not given to Wine no striker not greedy of filthy lucre but patient not a brawser not coveteous One that ruleth well his own house having his Children in subjection with all gravity Verse the sixth not a Novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devil Verse the seventh moreover he must have a good report of them that are without least he fall into reproach and the snare of the Devil Verse eight he must be grave not double tongued Now Master Culmer if you can prove your self to be any of all these except it be the Husband of one Wife then go on and hold the mysterie of faith in a pure conscience and follow the prescriptions of your Lord and Master who says Learn of me for I am meek and indeavour to keep the Unity of the spirit in the bond of peace remember what he said to St. Peter Peter Peter lovest thou me feed my Sheep remember the charge that he gave to his Disciples Preach to all Nations unity peace and concord doe you the same to your Parishioners and if it be your Parishioners weaknesse to offend let it be your goodnesse to forgive so shall you be sure to purchase a good report here and a happie enjoyment hereafter But before I conclude let me intreat you not to misconstrue what I have writ but prove when you have read a Dove without gall and as I hope you will read without prejudice so I protest I have not writ one Syllable out of malice or envy but with a serene and calm spirit and I hope what I have writ will not procure me the name of a busie-bodie in respect I have not medled with any mans businesse but my own for indeed it is a very great argument that he which shuffles himself into other mens businesse has little to do of his own Moreover as one very well sayes a busie-bodie talkes without credit lives without love dies without teares or pitie onely some may say 't was pitie he died no sooner And as I have writ nothing to boast of so I hope I have writ nothing to blush at except it be the reiteration of your Invectives which indeed will prove foul spots in your reputation except you wipe them off by a discreet acknowledgement for a crime timely acknowledged is half expiated and I hope you will not so much abuse your discretion as to justifie that which the World condemnes give me leave to furnish you with that advice which I never had from you which is speak evil of no man do good to all let not the Serpent of your envy devour the innocent Dove of your charitie let your life teach us to die and if the World revile you without a cause remember our Saviour or if you have denied our Saviour either by the omission of those things which are necessarie for salvation or by the Commission of those things that are inducements to destruction do as Peter did goe out and weep bitterly so shall your bitter teares be sweetned with a plentifull remission and our Saviour as Noah did his Dove will take you into the Arke of his mercie Sir Let me intreat you not to doe to me as the Jewes did to our Saviour laugh me to scorne for what I have spoken say not nay think not that I have writ any thing out of vain glorie or to argue my self discreet above my Neighbours but rather believe that I have told you these things out of the humilli●ie of my spirit desiring you to observe what I have writ or to write me better things for my observation It is reported that the Lion the King of beasts is directed to his Prey by a Jacka which is a very small beast yet so great for the Lions benefit that his lively-hood depends upon him Sir I speak this because knowing my self inferiour to you I have presumed to hunt out these observations and lay them before you for though the Lion has the better judgement to chuse his Prey and the better stomack to digest it yet the Jacka has the better sent Neither despise me because I am many degrees lower in my judgement then your self but know that though you are like Saul higher by the head and shoulders then the rest yet I will endeavour like short legg'd Zacheus to get up into a Tree but I will see my Saviour Luther sayes that a man lives fourty years before he knowes himself to be a Foole and by that time he seeth his folly he dies I am of Luthers opinion and shall onely add this that though we do know our selves to be fooles at fourty yeares old yet we are ashamed or at least unwilling to confesse it at three-score To conclude all I shall desire Mr. Culmer seriously to consider ●●d ruminate upon What I have express in my preceding answer and if he conceives I have injur'd him by my objections let him justifie himself by his answer or prove himself guilty by his silence FINIS