Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	carry_v	young_a	zeal_n	19	3	7.6037	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06431	Granados deuotion Exactly teaching how a man may truely dedicate and deuote himselfe vnto God: and so become his acceptable votary. Written in Spanish, by the learned and reuerend diuine F. Lewes of Granada. Since translated into Latine, Italian and French. And now perused, and englished, by Francis Meres, Master of Artes, & student in diuinity.; Libro de la oración y meditación. Part 2. English	Luis, de Granada, 1504-1588.; Meres, Francis, 1565-1647.	1598 (1598)	STC 16902; ESTC S108896	180,503	650

feare him and deliuereth them The deuils do very well know the strength of this guard ther●…fore one of thē talking with God said Doth Iob feare god for naught Hast thou not made an hedge abo●… him and about his house and abo●… all that he hath on euery side th●… none can hurt him Look how the elder brethren doe carry their younger brethren when they are but little ones in ●…heir armes and howe they doe ●…eep them with great care and ●…rouidence after the same man●…er those happy spirits which are ●…s our elder brethren doe keep ●…end vs who are as their younger ●…rethren and little ones and doe ●…arry vs in their armes as Dauid ●…yth He hath giuen his Angels ●…harge ouer thee to keep thee in all ●…y wayes They shall beare thee 〈◊〉 their hands that thou hurt not ●…y foote against a stone But it is ●…ut a small thing to haue Angels ●…eare vs in theyr handes see●…g that the Lord himselfe our ●…reator doth it as the Prophet ●…stifieth saying I led Ephraim ●…so as one should beare them in his ●…mes but they knew not that I ●…aled them This is the same which he speaketh by his Prophet Zacharte He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And in the same Prophet he saith that he will bee vnto vs a wall of fire compassing vs in on euery side What then doest thou feare ô man being fortified with such a wall dost thou thinke it meet that thou shouldst rather credit thy dreames fantasies then beleeue the diuine works promisses Prayer ought to make thy minde more secure then any other exercise for where Prayer is there according to the iudgment of the best diuines are the Angels especially present that they may help vs in our prayer that they may transport our praiers into the presence of the Lord that they may defende vs from our enemy and from all others which might disturbe that holy silence according to that which the Bridegroome saith in the Canticles I charge you O daugh●…ers of Ierusalem by the roes and by ●…he hindes of the field that ye stirre ●…ot vp nor waken my loue vntill she ●…lease In which wordes silence is ●…ot onely imposed vpon the di●…els but also vpon all other crea●…ures of the world that they di●…urbe not the spouse of Chryst ●…nd her sweet sleepe of contem●…lation and also the authoritye ●…f the holy Angels is inserted ●…ho are vnderstood by the roes ●…d hindes as well for their ●…iftnes as for their quicknes of ●…derstanding as Saint Bernarde ●…yth These and such like things are 〈◊〉 bee meditated vpon of those ●…at be fearefull not onely when ●…re doth set vpon them but also when they are without feare for seeing that the affectiō proceedeth from errour false surmise if so the knowledge of truth hath taken vp the hauen before errour lyes shall finde no footing in it THE FIRST TEMPtation is to much sleepe CHAP. XXXVI SLeepe also is wont to be tro●… blesome to many in the ti●… of praier Sometimes it proceed●… of necessity sometimes of in●…mity sometimes of slouthfuln●… and sometimes it is sent of 〈◊〉 deuill to whome nothing is mo●… acceptable then that this go●… may be hindred When it ariseth of necessity that is not to be denied to the body which is his least in like manner it hinder that which is ours For great is the force of nature and it will not be defrauded of things belonging vnto it when it is bred of infirmity let not a man trouble or vexe himselfe for it is not his fault neither let him be altogether ouercome of it but let him for his part doe what hee may nowe vsing some industry nowe and then some violence that his prayer may not altogether slacke without which nothing in this life can be possessed safely But when it proceedeth of idle●…es or is sent of the deuil thē an●…ther remedyis to be vsed to wit ●…asting or some other austerity of ●…ife which doth prick stir vp the ●…lesh y ● so sleep may be shakē off But especially fasting doth help for sleepe and meate are almost alwaies ioyned together do go together so y ● after too much meat followeth too much sleep and after moderate diet moderate sleep so much as is withdrawen from meate so much in a manner is taken from sleep It is written of Saint Basill that oftentimes hee passed ouer whole nights without sleep for he was very temperate in his dyet And this was the cause why the Saints could watch so much and so long for they were great fasters To be breefe it is a very great remedy for this euill as also for all others to craue ayde and help of him who is alwaies ready to giue it vnto them that aske it For this prouidence is denyed to no creature whether it bee in the sea or vpon the earth much lesse shall it bee denied to man being created after his image likenes Therefore let vs bee humble and faithfull let vs perseuere in crauing mercy which if we doe hee will faithfully giue vs that we desire according to that A carnall man crediteth the law of God the law is faithful vnto him For the promisses of God do not deceiue him to whome faith hope are not wanting This is that which I thought good to speake of too much sleep which is to be auoided not onely for the loue of prayer but also for the time which is vnprofitably spent in it For if one ●…dle word be a sinne and such a ●…inne that an account is to be ren●…red of it at the day of iudgment ●…ow is it credible that an ac●…ount of time shal not be exacted ●…hich any one spendeth so vn●…rofitably in sleeping in which time many exercises acceptable to God might haue been performed And also according to the rule of Phisitions sixe or seuen howers are sufficient to satisfie corporall necessity Wherefore then O Christian dost thou consume whole winter nights in thy bed euery one of which are as yeeres snorting sleeping vnprofitably passing ouer the time turning tossing thy self frō one place to an other no otherwise thē a door is turne●… vpō the hindges now vpō this sid●… now vpon that whē in y ● mean●… season in thy mind thou mighte●… walk throughout heauē view th●… Angels meditate vpon the glory of God But this is worser th●… nowsuch an euil custome is gro●…en in the world that no man su●… poseth it a sinne nor feeleth in 〈◊〉 conscience so great losse of tim●… wherein by sleeping hee looseth so many good thinges which by watching he might gaine vnto himselfe OF DISPAIR AND presumption which are the sixt and seuenth temptations CHAP. XXXVII THe former of these temptations is Dispaire which tel●…eth thee that it is vnpossible that ●…ou shouldest grow to such per●…ctiō ascend to such an height ●…herefore by discouraging

vnto 〈◊〉 se●…fe Take example of the father 〈◊〉 all things who both sendeth ●…orth and retaineth his word ●…y word is thy consideration ●…hich if it goe forth let it not go ●…m thee Let it so goe out that 〈◊〉 may not altogether goe out ●…t it go so from thee that it may ●…t forsake thee Thinke of no●…ng against thine owne salua●…n This word Against I haue ●…t vsed well I ought to haue ●…d Besides Whatsoeuer doth ●…er it selfe vnto consideration ●…ich doth not by some meane ●…other pertaine vnto saluation ●…se and renounce it This also ought to moue them ●…t be studious that so they giue ●…selues to promote the profit of ●…ir neighbor that they doe not ●…t nor hinder their own saluati●… y e they diligently take heed that whilst they desire to profit others they deceiue not thēselues albeit the profit of our neighbour ought to bee lesse in this respecte for the law of charitye doth not commaund vs to benefit others with our apparant hurt and manifest dammage But what and if I shall prooue that not onelye the profit of our neighbour is not diminished but wonderfully encreased and that it is the onely best way to helpe our neyghbour by first helping of our selues Beleeue me my brother if in deed thou studiest to profit thy neyghbour there is none other way more conuenient to doe it then a good life and the exercise of prayer meditation by which this good life is gained vnto vs. Which doctrine I could approue by many reasons but by reason of the smalnes of this volume it shal be sufficient heere to haue set downe a few of them The first is that it is manyfest to all men that the true and proper instrument by which wee may help our neighbour is true wisedome But to obtaine this what is more profitable then the feare of God then an approoued life then the dayly vse and experience of vertues or the prayer and the continuall meditation of the diuine law What is so frequent and common in the holy Scripture as that The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome and The fulnes of Wisedome is the feare of the Lord. Yea without this meane it is vnpossible to obtaine this vertue which Saint Augustine plainely testifieth in these words We finde many moste negligent and careles of righteousnes but most greedy and desirous of wisedome the diuine Scripture doth teach these that they cannot attaine that they desire but by keeping and preseruing that they neglect O my Sonne saith the diuine writ if thou desirest Wisdome preserue righteousnes and the Lord will shew her vnto thee Wisedome is a grace of God and a principall gift of the holy Ghost therefore it is sooner and more easily got by teares then by disputations by prayers then by alterations Rightly therefore saith Augustine They that haue learned of the Lord Iesus Christ to bee meeke and humble in heart doe profit more by meditating and praying then by reading hearing But if wisdome be a principal instrument to help others why shall not also the meanes by which it is obtained bee of the same kinde of which wee haue now spoken The second reason is To conuert soules vnto God is a worke maruellous excellent and supernaturall for by this theyr corrupt nature that liue wickedly is subdued and their euill custome which is little weaker then nature and that which is more the power of the deuill who possesseth and most strongly holdeth captiue their harts are ouercom'd and conquered That such powers shuld be oppressed ouerthrowen it is necessary that greater power strēgth should be present which is not found vpō the earth but in heauen which is not so wel got by study labor speculation as by teares sighings the course of a good life Hence it is that they that are conuerted vnto God are no lesse the sonnes of teares then of words so that prayer hath no lesser part in the conuersion then the finest oration of a most eloquent orator Wherefore as the prayer of Moses rather procured the victory against Amalech then all the swordes that were drawen so also wee muste suppose and beleeue that in this victory the praiers sighes and grones of a true preacher haue no lesser part then all the other voices and words albeit they be ingenious acute and eloquent The third reason is because as experience witnesseth mē do offend more grossely and foulely by the corruption of their owne affections and passions then by the ignorance of the truth Therefore whosoeuer applyeth himself to bridle and restraine others and to reforme their affections hee must rather mooue their will thē instruct their vnderstanding and therefore all the masters of eloquence do teach that there is not a more present remedye for this malady then that first thou bee mooued vnto that to which thou desirest to mooue another This is that which Quintilian saith The sum chiefe of this matter saith he as far as I can gather cōsisteth in this that if we would mooue others that we be first mooued our selues And a little after The oration ought to be pronounced frō such a minde which may mooue For how can it bee that another should grieue that heareth vnles I first greeue that speak how shal I incense another to anger if I my selfe be not angry how shal another weep if he see mee speaking with dry eyes It cannot be F●… nothing setteth on fire or maketh to burne but fire nothing maketh another thing moyste but water neyther can any man impart heate to another if hee hath it not himselfe Therefore according to that of Quintilian who doubteth but that a Deuout man who night day doth nothing els but bewayle and meditate in the law of the Lord is better and fitter to teach then any othe●… although he be wise who hath neuer tryed what it is to shed one teare for the loue o●… God Moreouer that eloquence a●… Cicero sayth which breedeth no●… admiration is of no price An●… if such eloquence bee require●… to handle humane matters wha●… eloquence thinkest thou will be ●…equired to handle diuine mat●…ers to drawe men out of theyr ●…nnes and to repell the forces ●…f enemies which things as they ●…e supernaturall so they require 〈◊〉 spirit and eloquence superna●…urall To obtaine this kinde of ●…loquence it is certaine that no●…hing is more profitable then the ●…oly Ghost and so tō speake ●…hat the sparkles of this Spyrit ●…ay shine in the Sermons wee ●…reach For seeing that this spi●…it doth exceed all the power of ●…ature there is nothing that doth more allure suspend and carry ●…nto admiration the harts of men ●…hen one of his sparckles for by it ●…he strength power of the holy Spirit is foorth with knowen so men are humbled saying with the Magitians of Phara●… This is ●…he finger of God To all these another help is ioyned

these fau●… and graces are not giuen vnto 〈◊〉 that we should be puffed vp a●… despise our neighbour but 〈◊〉 the●… that wee should more se●…uently loue God and that w●… should be humbled before othe●… For otherwise wee receiue the giftes of God not to our profit but to iudgement and condemnation if we contemne our neigh bour Furthermore we must consider that the church of Christ is a most perfect body in which there are diuerse members euery one in differing in figure and office yet all necessary for the ministery and ornament of the body For it is necessary that in the mistical body of the Church there be variety of members that is of diuerse ●…tates and offices that there may ●…e no defect in the office and mi●…istery but that the Church may ●…e altogether beautifull For the ●…oate of Ioseph was also party co●…ured y t the variety of ministers ●…spiritsmight be signified which ●…e in the church all which make ●…ast vnto a happy life but euery one by his seuerall way For euen as from the circumferēce of a circle there are many lines tending to the center so there are many waies by which Christ leadeth his to heauen which is the common center of euery ones selicitie Wherfore Christ leadeth some to this center by the way of praier meditation others by the way of preaching others by the way of patience in aduersity others by abstinence many by pouerty some by humility some by the works of mercy others by other waies al which leade direct to one the selfe same place Which seeing it is so why dost thou perswade thy selfe that thy way is better safer thē y e way of others who hath giuen thee this security If it be God alone y t weigheth spirits searcheth hearts who hath put the ballāce into thy hands to weigh thē as thouthinkest good to make thine end heuier when thou pleasest or who hath placed thee in this chaire to giue such iudgement That man is not so feruent in praier as thou art yet neuerthelesse it may be although no man hath made thee his iudge that he is more patient more humble and more obedient then thou art and that he hath more charity and more mercy then thou hast and so he may excell thee in other vertues which are more laudable He doth not weep so oft as thou weepest neyther doth he feele that thou feelest And doest thou knowe whence these teares spring and whence this feeling is for although commonly wee say that they are of God yet it may bee that they are of an other spyritte it may be that they are rather of nature then of grace that is they may rather flow from the tendernes and soft constitution of the hart then from the spirit of God Furthermore although they proceed frō this spirit yet the height of perfection consisteth not in them but they are onely instruments of perfection the victory of the battaile is not placed in these but they are weapons to obtaine it our saluation lyeth not in them but they are meanes vnto saluation For the good of man cōsisteth not in the instruments in preparations destined vnto it but in their good vse It were ridiculous if any one should say that hee that hath eaten more then others will also digge and delue more then others for it may be that be that hath eaten lesse may labor more seeing that the one doth not of necessity follow the other After the same manner Prayer that comfort that God sendeth are destined and ordred to compasse the loue of God yet there be many that vse not this fauour well and that abuse the water giuen them to refresh the plantes of vertue to the cherishing and fostring of their owne delights that is that turne and conuert the comforts and graces which they haue receiued by which they should further grow in loue with God to their owne recreation and loue of themselues We ought to iudge no man much lesse Ecclesiasticall persons who liue in the professiō of vertues For the contēpt of thē doth engender in the soule a worme so hurtful dangerous that it doth not onely gnaw their persons but also their office ministery which is y e soūtaine and spring of many euilles Neither must we publish or boast of in the market place the faultes and offences of our brethren yea albeit we see thē being mindefull of that curse of Noah which he inflicted vpon his sonne because he would not couer the nakednes of his father but rather let vs follow the reuerence of the other two brethren who discreetly and with honor couered it That great Emperour Constantine had thys spirit amongst whose prayses this especially is numbred that he said If I should take a Preacher or a minister of Gods word in any crime I would couer him with my cloake that he might be seene of none This is properly called zeale and the spirit of Christ but to triumph geere scoffe and disdaine when any of the seruants of God falleth this is proper vnto Antichrist whome all follow that are his members Neyther for ones fault or for the fault of a few are all straightwayes to bee condemned for this was palpable and grosse ignoraunce as if for twoo or three women which seemed good and afterwardes were taken in adulterye one should say that all married women are adulteresses They that liue without the fleshe are alwayes eyther good or euill they alwayes stand or fall but they that abide yet in the flesh sometimes fall and after rise againe Ifin heauen in Paradice in the schoole of Christ in the colledge of the seuen Deacons of the church elected of y e Apostles there was one that fell became disobedient who sold his Master and failed in the faith is it any maruell if a like thing be sound in other states and congregations The fault of them that fal from so high places doth not diminish but encrease their dignity that perseuere and continue in them THE SEVENTH ADmonition that all kinde of singularity is to be auoided CHAP. XLVIII THe seuenth admonitiō is that a Deuout man so liue that as much as lyeth in him he make no vaine shew of his deuotion and that he studiously endeuour himself that he may eschew all kinde of singularity as well in his apparell as in his other actions without offence to God according to the counsell of Seneca writing vnto his friend Looke saith he that thy exteriour figure bee common with other men but that thine interiour habit may differ from them To this admonition it appertaineth that the place of praier be such an one as our Sauiour sheweth when he saith But when thou prayest enter into thy chamber and when thou hast shut thy doore pray vnto thy Father which is in secret thy Father which seeth in secret shal reward thee openly This I say ●…beit there bee many