Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	death_n	law_n	sin_n	21,523	5	5.8429	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42360	Two speeches of Mr. James Guthry before the Parliament one after the reading of his indictment, Feb. 21, 1661, the other immediately after the reading of the processe, April 10, 1661.	Guthrie, James, 1612?-1661.	1661 (1661)	Wing G2267A; ESTC R12166	12,150	16

and standing upon these Kingdomes and that they are agreeable unto the actings of publick Authority before the Englishes invading of this Nation to the Canons of the Church and the Laws of the Kingdome and the publick declared judgment both of Church and State before that time And my Lord if this may not plead an Indempnity and Oblivion for me but that notwithstanding thereof I shall be judged a seditious person and a Traytor not only shall the whole Church and Kingdome of Scotland be involved in the guilt of Sedition and Treason and few or none have any security for their lives and honours and estates further then the Kings mercy doth give them but also a very dangerous foundation shall be laid for the time to come for men of differing judgments upon every emergent revolution to prosecute the worsted party unto death notwithstanding that they have the publick Authority and the Laws then standing to plead in the defence of their actings I know my Lord that it lyeth upon the spirits of some as a prejudice against me that I am supposed to have been a chief instrument or a Ring-leader in these Declarations and Canons and Laws and publick actings of the Church and Kingdome which I do now plead in my own defence I shall not say that this hath any rise from any who to lighten their own burthens would encrease mine holding that to be unworthy of any man of an ingenious spirit and most unworthy of a Christian As I charge no man in particular with accession to any of these things so as to my self I do for the truths sake ingenuously acknowledge that throughout the whole course of my life I have studied to be serious and to deal not with a slack hand in what I did look upon as my duty and yet my Lord lest I should attribute unto my self what is not due unto me I must for shunning of pride and vain-glory also say that I was not honoured to be of these who laid the first foundation of the work of Reformation in this Church and Kingdome I am not ashamed to give glory to God in acknowledging that until the beginning of the year 1638. I was treading other steps and though God did then graciously recover me out of the snare of Prelacy and the Ceremonies and Service-book and a little thereafter put me into the Ministry yet did I never judge my self worthy to be accompted a Ring-leader in any of the superstructures of that blessed work there being a good many elder for years and more eminent for piety and prudence and parts and faithfulness and zeal whom I did reverence and gave the precedency unto in these things 3. It may also happily my Lord be and a little I have been informed of it that besides any thing contained in the Indictment there be some other things that bear weight upon the spirits of some of the Members of this House from reports that have passed of my carriage towards his Majesties Royal Father and towards himself and some others As to these things my Lord if there be any thing of that kind I do most humbly and seriously beg and think that I may justly expect both in order to Justice and to the peace of their own consciences that seeing they have no proof of it but at best have taken it upon information that they would either altogether lay it aside and lay no weight upon it or else before they give Judgment of me they would let me know of it and allow me a fair hearing upon it and if I cannot vindicate my self let me bear the burdning of it 4. In the next place my Lord knowing that it is wondred and offended at not by a few of the Members of this Parliament that I should stand to my own justification in the things whereof I am challenged and that this I looked upon as a piece of peremptory and wilful humour which if I pleased I might easily lay aside My Lord I humbly beg so much charity of all who now hear me as to think that I have not so far lost the exercise of all conscience towards God and of all reason towards my self and my dearest relations in the world as upon deliberation to hazard if not cast away both my life and soul at once God knows it is not humour but conscience that sticks with me and could I lay it aside and not sin against God not dissemble with men by confessing or professing what I think not I should not stand to the defence of any of these things for the minute of an hour but my Lord having with prayer and supplication unto the God of truth searched the Word of God and consulted the judgement and practise of the Reformed Churches especially of our own Church since the time of Reformation from Popery and writings of many sound and Orthodox Divines and having frequently conversed and conferred with the godly Ministry and praying people of this Nation and try the pulse of their spirits anent the National Covenant and the Solemn League and Covenant the particulars contained in them and superstructures that have been built upon them anent sin and duty and the power of the Civil Magistrate in matters Spiritual and Ecclesiastical I find my practise and profession anent these things agreeable unto all these and therefore cannot reckon my light for humour and delusion but must hold it fast until better guides be shown me to follow 5. My Lord I shall in the last place humbly beg that having brought so pregnant and clear defences from the Word of God so much divine reason and humane Law and so much of the common practise of Kirk and King done in my own defence and being already cast out of my Ministry thrust out from my dwelling and maintenance my self and my family put to live upon the charity of others and having now suffered eight moneths imprisonment your Lordship would not put more burdnings upon me I shall conclude my Lord with the words of the Prophet Jeremy in a like case Behold saith he I am in your hands do with me what seemeth good unto you but know ye for certain that the Lord hath commanded me to speak all these things and that if you put me to death you shall bring innocent blood upon your selves and upon the inhabitants of this City My Lord my conscience I cannot submit but this old crazy body and mortal flesh I do submit to do with it whatsoever you will whether by death or imprisonment or banishment or any thing else only I beseech you to ponder well what profit is in my blood it is not the extinguishing of me or of many others that will extinguish the Covenant and work of Reformation since the year 1638. My blood bondage or banishment will contribute more for propagation of these things then my life or liberty could do though I should live for many years I wish to my Lord Commissioners Grace and to all your Lordships a spirit of judgement and wisdome and understanding and of the fear of the Lord that you may judge righteous judgement in which he may have glory and the King honour and happin●ss and your selves peace in the day of your accompts FINIS