Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	call_v	ghost_n	son_n	5,433	5	5.5632	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18693	The vvarfare of Christians concerning the conflict against the fleshe, the world, and the deuill. Translated out of Latine by Arthure Golding.	Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606.	1576 (1576)	STC 5201; ESTC S116490	35,443	84

●●ey take not holde of Gods spirite by reason of their vnbeliefe and sensualitie but walke vnreasonably after their own lustes And the prophets call thē cattell wyld beastes common custom termeth them brute beastes without reason and in all the Lawe it selfe calleth them vncleane And anon after For the same cause sayth he the Lorde termeth them dead men For hee biddeth them let the dead bury their dead bicause they haue not the spirite in them that quickeneth the man Contrarywise as many as feare God and hope for the comming of his sonne and settle the holie Ghost in their hartes by fayth shall iustly be called men and cleane and spirituall and ghostly and alyue to God bicause they haue the spirit of the father which maketh a man cleane and rayseth him vp to the lyfe of God. Many things doth Irenaeus alledge there cōcerning this matter which are in deed worthie to be red but yet am I compelled to omit them for auoyding of tediousnesse Neuerthelesse I thought it good to set downe some parte of them for the better vnderstanding of the things that I haue alledged out of Paule concerning the Flesh the spirit only so farre forth as belongeth to the present purpose Of the VVorld NOw followeth that we treat of the World which prouoketh men to many euils and cōmonly ministreth occasions opportunities of all kynds of sin corrupting mē by example vndoing thē by stūbling blockes First of all therfore the World stirreth vp the Fleshe which of it self rūneth a main as is said to vainglory prid● ouerweening For wheras all of vs are naturally desirous of glorie more or lesse according to euery mans dispositiō y World quickneth vp pricketh forward and as it were wakeneth that affection by innumerable wayes No man can willingly finde in his hart to be vnnoble vnrenoumed much lesse to be vtterly despized as a rascall there is no man but he coueteth to place put him self foorth before others And there bee a great sort who loking to be alonly magnified honored of all men not only despize other mens meanenesse in comparison of themselues and make no reckening of them but also doe alwayes eyther by open resistance or by priuie vndermyning malice and guile bite their equalles and matches for very spyte and cankred euill will bycause they enuy their vertue prayse and glory as in maner dayly examples shewe And oftentymes it falleth out that when wee see other men in honour authoritie and credite wee also stryue to bee equall with them and whatsoeuer it bee whereby renowme authoritie or dignitie may be gotten we giue our selues to it with might and mayne to atteyne the same and enuy other men for them For commonly Pryde is accompanyed with spitefulnesse But it cannot be said how great a vice Ambition or Pryde is nor howe many mischiefes spring of it Therfore that the godly man may eschew pride let him bethink him of this saying of our Sauiour in the Gospel He that exalteth himself shal be brought low And of this in the Apostle Sainct Peter See that ye haue lowlinesse of mynd setled in you for good withstandeth the loftie giueth grace to the lowely Therefore humble your selues vnder gods mightie hand that he may lift you vp when time serueth Saint Iames as it were poynting with his finger to this saying of S. Peters sayth Humble your selues in the sight of the lord he wil exalt you There are other textes of scripture besides these which are able to scare men from pryde And certesse it is very hard for a man to asswage and represse this loftinesse of mynd to think lowly humbly of himself For the roote of it is fastened deepe in mans brest springing out of the blynd self-loue which is ingraffed in all men by nature Hereof commeth the estimation and trust of our owne vertues power and wisdome and the misknowing of mans weaknesse and infirmitie This doth oftentymes breede the despizing and oppressing of others A braunche hereof is that vyce whereof the Diuell rather than the world is the breeder namely the hypocriticall pryde pharisaicall ouerweening where through men doe not only conceyue some singular opinion of their owne righteousnesse but also despize other men as vngodly in comparison of themselues Of the which matter there is a parable in S. Luke wherein Christ speaking of the praying of the pharisie and of the Publicane addeth this after speeche in the end of it that whosoeuer exalteth himself shal be brought low and whosoeuer humbleth him self shal be exalted Heerewithall agreeth the saying of the blessed virgin and mother of God that god lifteth vp and exalteth the lowlie and pulleth downe the mightie from their seates But now let vs proceed to the rest Lyke as the Fleshe is naturally giuen to ryot vnrulinesse wantonnesse euen so the world ministreth sundrie furtherances of lust nurrishments of vnstayednesse and firebronds of lecherie to the Fleshe adding fyre to fyre and oyle to the flame It setteth all kyndes of pleasures before it and whereas of it owne accord it gapeth to greedily after such things it not only quickeneth it vp with the smoothe enticementes of them but also tolleth it on and holdeth it snared in captiuitie to them Whatsoeuer the Fleshe lyketh of what sorte soeuer it bee bee it right or wrong the world doth in all poyntes feede the humor of it most perniciously soothing following smoothing and commending all things and suffering it to be caryed headlong into all mischiefe by foading the vyces and leaudnesse of it And verily the World is to the Flesh as a fit couer for such a potte as the prouerbe saith so iump doe they agree togither in all poyntes as I will shewe more playnly in due place Oftentymes also the World yeldeth both causes and occasions of spiting of backebiting of hatred of reuenge of hartburning of malice of anger of impatience of enmitie of quarellyng of slaunderyng of scoldyng of raylyng and of innumerable other sinnes And this is so true and manifeste as it can neyther bee denyed nor ought to be set foorth with moe woordes Therefore let vs bee euer in a readinesse as it were to some battell whensoeuer wee intende to set foote out of doores and to goe abroade● Let vs alwayes set sure watche vppon our selues and vppon our owne myndes and when wee shall haue to doe with other men let vs looke well aboute vs vppon all our sayinges and dooyngs as though wee were among the thickeste of our enemyes Let vs eschewe Stages Gamyngs Syghtes Dauncing schooles and throngs of people least anye thyng happen to come in our syghte whych maye eyther corrupte vs by example or hurte vs by giuyng vs offence Thou meetest a woman of verye good fauour and bewtie beware thou fasten not thyne eyes vppon hir For hee that looketh vppon a woman to luste after hir is an aduouterer alreadye in hys harte sayth our Sauyour Thou meetest with a

Flesh they that are after the spirite do mind spiritual things Surely to be fleshly minded is death but to be ghostly minded is life peace bycause that Fleshlymindednesse is enmitie against God for it is not obedient to Gods law neither can be They therefore that are in the Flesh cannot please god The same Apostle to the Galathians sayth thus Walke in the spirite yee shal not fulfil the lustes of the flesh For the Flesh lusteth against the spirite the spirit against the flesh And those two are at strife one against another so as yee cannot do what yee woulde And again They that are Christes haue crucified the Fleshe with the affections lusts therof To be short the Apostle warneth vs almost euery where to kepe cōtinual battel against the Flesh when we be once regenerated and to stryue with al earnestnesse to holde downe and subdue the sinfulnesse and corruption of our nature sticking still in our Flesh by the spirite of God to crucifie that old man of ours with Christ to clenze away the olde leuen dayly more and more and that I may vse the Apostles owne words to mortifye our earthly members as lecherie vncloanesse nycenesse and euil concupisence Therfore let vs not promise ourselues rist safetie in this life we must stand always as it were in battelray so long as wee carrye the olde man about vs and we must fyght against the Fleshe without ceassing that the bodye of sin may be done away and perish as the Apostle saith to the Romans And they that are sanctifyed by the spirite must not in any wise so deale as sinne may raigne and beare swaye in them but they must with all force withstande the sinfulnesse and forewarde inclination to offend which is bred in them and as S. Peter sayeth they must absteyne frō fleshly lustes which mayntaine warre against the spirit ▪ and they must not abandon their members as seruants too vncleannesse vnrighteousnesse from leaudnesse to leaudnesse but as seruants of rightuousnesse vnto holines Nother must they runne forwarde with blinde brayde whither so euer the flesh driueth them nor heape sinne vppon sinne but they muste fight I say continually against the fleshe as long as they liue They must subdue theyr naughtie affectiōs and not cocker themselues in their ouertēdernesse nor giue head to their lustes Finally we must by al meanes endeuor to put off the old man according to that former cōuersatiō which is corrupted w deceitfull lustes to be renued in the spirit of our mind so as we put on the new man which is created to Godward in true holinesse rightuousnesse as Paule saith to the Ephesians I say to put off the olde man with his deeds and to put on the newe which is renewed to the knowledge and image of him that made him as the same Apostle sayth to the Colossians and lastly to forsake all vngodlynesse worldly lustes and to liue soberly vprightly and godlily in this present worlde wayting for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and sauiour Iesus Christ who gaue him selfe for vs to redeeme vs frō all vnrightuousenesse and to clenze vs for a peculiar people to himselfe that we myght be followers of good workes as the same Apostle writeth to Titus I will adde this one thing more before I make an ende There hath bin some stryfe in our dayes who are rightly to bee taken for fleshly and who for ghostly I wil touch the matter shortly He therefore is sayde to bee Fleshly whiche strayneth not himselfe to the vttermost of his power to keepe downe the corruption and naughtie affections that are in the fleshe and as it were to purge away the old leuen but is caried by them into al kind of leaudenesse and wickednesse and rusheth wittingly and willingly against the precepts of the ten commaundements and shaking off the force of god beareth too muche with him selfe being a seruant to his bodie and that I may vse the words of the apostle Iude walking after his own lusts Contrariwise he is spirituall which being stirred vp by Gods spirite endeuoreth with all his harte to liue a holye life to obey Gods commaundements to kepe himselfe vndefyled of the world to put off the old mā to subdue the sinfulnes that is bredin him as saith the Apostle to kil the deeds of the body thorow the spirit and which feeling his f●esh striuing ther against doeth yet after a sorte offer violēce to his owne nature and suffereth not him self willingly to be ouercome of his owne lustes in so muche that if he can doo no more at leastwise he suffereth not sinne to reigne in him but vpon trust of Gods hope indeuoreth to liue out of the flesh being in the flesh in the meane while bewayling his own infirmitie and weakenesse and bicause he cannot put away the renants of sinne that sticke fast in his flesh he prayeth too haue them pardoned for Christes sake For let no man looke too plucke vp quite and cleane or too remoue whole away the inbred corruption whiche is as the roote of all sins Alwayes there remains some behind vntill the flesh be brought again into dust and consumed to nothing For only death is it that dispatcheth that mischiefe In respect whereof Augustine sayeth thus there is alwayes a fighting in the bodie of this death bicause the cōcupiscence wherwith we be borne cannot be ended as long as wee liue It may dayly be diminished but ended it cannot bee Concerning this difference between the fleshly the spiritual man I will cyte a few things out of Irenaeus who in his fifth booke against the Heresies of Valentine writeth in maner thus They that haue the pledge of the spirit serue not the lusts of the flesh but submit thēselues to the spirit leade their life in all poynts agreingly too reason them doth the Apostle rightly call spirituall bicause Gods spirite dwelleth in them And after a few other words the vnion of the soule and bodie saith hee taking Gods spirit vntoo it maketh a man spirituall But as for them that reiect and forsake the counsell of the holy Ghost serue the lustes of the flesh liue not according too reason but are caried headlong into all sensualitie and being vtterly destitute of the breath of Gods spirit doe liue after the maner of Swine and Dogges them doeth the Apostle iustly call Fleshely bicause they mynd nothing but Fleshly things so foorth The same Authour anon after sayth thus For they that are such doe beare men in hande that they beleeue in the father and the sonne but yet doe they neuer set their myndes vppon Gods woord as they should doe neyther are they bewtifyed with the workes of righteousnesse but as I sayd afore they liue like swine and dogges giuing themselues to vncleannesse gluttome and all other vyces Iustly therefore doth the Apostle terme all such men fleshly and sensual forasmuch as