Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	deed_n	flesh_n	mortify_v	5,880	5	10.8136	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06472	The glory of their times. Or The liues of ye primitiue fathers Co[n]tayning their chiefest actions, workes, sentences, and deaths.	Lupton, Donald, d. 1676.; Glover, George, b. ca. 1618, engraver.	1640 (1640)	STC 16943; ESTC S108921	238,060	544

his cry either struck with shame or despaire left off her enterprize Upon this thinking it not safe to dwell with Serpents of this nature he intended to remove and though the world seem'd to flatter him with hopes of honours wealth preferment pleasures and the like yet hee was desirous rather to take the yoke of his Saviour on his shoulders and thereupon enquired what place would best fit such a practice and at that time there being an order of Cistercians come up and having as yet by reason of their poverty of life and austerity there were but few that followed this course of life and as yet few or none admitted It so fell out that after long debate with his associates he resolves upon this to enter himselfe a member of that society and so in the yeer of our Lord 1113 and of his age the two and twentieth with thirty more he entred into this Monastery under the government of Stephen then the Abbot and from that time it pleased God to shew him singular mercy and favour and he made good use of it not turning the grace of God into wantonnesse but did set himselfe wholly to the worke of the Lord and often would say to himselfe Bernarde Bernarde ad quodingressus es that is O Bernard Bernard to what purpose entred you in hither and when by the appointment of Stephen he was made Abbat of Claravallis his fellows have heard him say often yee that doe enter in here leave the fruits of the flesh and bring in the fruits of the spirit for this is a schoole to exercise grace in not nature This Claravallis was in the Territory of Lingonia and was once called Absynthialis for the abundance of Wormwood that grew there it was a Den of Robbers and was not farre from the River Elbe but now this Bernard and those that came with him made this Den of Thieves the House of Prayer where these professors liv'd in great want and penury in hunger and thirst in cold and nakednesse in Watchings fastings and prayers spare in their dyet especially this Bernard lying often on the ground and this did hee onely to mortifie the deeds of flesh Plenus autem erat saith my Authour devotione mansuetudine charitate humilitate he was full of devotion imitating the Apostles rule be instant in prayer and pray continually endued he was with the spirit of meeknesse so that hee had learned to practise that of our Saviour Learne of mee for I am humble and meeke and as he knew meeknesse to be a fruit of Gods holy Spirit so he put it upon his soule abound he did likewise in charitie knowing it to be the bond of perfection and the chiefest above Faith or Hope and would fast himselfe to give to others that were in want he could never indure to keep any wealth by him but all that he could spare charitie dispos'd of God crowns the intent where hee finds not the faculty true charitie proceeds not from a full purse but from a free bosome His humility was likewise admirable for hee said hee had learnt it of so good a Master that hee should not bee a good scholer if hee should forget it Nay hee was so devout in prayer that as it is said of him Orabat stans die noctuque donec genua ejus infirmataè jejunio corpus sustinere non potuere He prayed standing night and day untill his knees were so weary with fasting that they could not uphold his body for prayer is the chiefest thing which a man can present God withall he seldome did drinke wine and when he did he was very sparing and mixt it with water because he said as Salomon it was a mocker and that strong drinke was raging and being ordained Minister this lustre of holinesse of life and frugality how did they procure him reverence authoritie obedience how happy were they that could be admitted for his auditors and the first thing hee tooke speciall care of was to have decent and reverend carriage used in Gods house and had an excellent gift and grace in preaching the Word to the people I● is reported of him that being in the Priesthood and having remained some yeeres in the said Monastery that it happened one Iosbertus a noble man who liv'd in the next Towne to that Monastery was taken speechlesse and was as it were void of reason which thing being related to Saint Bernard by his sonne he said thus Notum est vobis quod homo iste in pluribus gravavit Ecclesias oppressit pauperes offendit Deum that is it is knowne to you how in many things this man hath burthened the Churches oppressed the poore and offended God Now if hee will restore what hee hath taken from the Churches and leave off to oppresse and vexe the poore and pray heartily to God and confesse his sin and repent him of it hee will by Gods mercie be restored so all things were promised to be performed and this Saint Bernard did servently pray and cry unto God to restore him that they which thought it impossible might see it and so believe in all saving mercie it fell out so that this Iosbert performing what was enjoyned him hee was restored and Bernards brother who did not give credit to his words was convinced whose name was Gerrard so was his Uncle Gardricke His fame spread farre and wide and abundance of people came to heare his Sermons so that Pope Innocentius got him to Rome and how was he there admired for his abilities did he not worke upon the Emperors heart and for his Holinesse were not all Church businesses moderated by his onely advise and counsell and how did hee repell the intention of the King who intended to have made Theaters of Churches and did not he reconcile the Religious men of Millain to him and pacifie all things that then were in combustion● where were not his counsels held as Oracles and what did he faile to effect which he undertook and what Bishopricks were not offered him The Church of Lingonium the Church of Cathalaunia did seeke for him with teares and petitions to be their Bishop How many Cities in Itali● especially Millain did thirst after his doctrine and desired his government Did not Rhemes doe the like by all sollicitations that could expresse reverence and love With what teares was hee welcomed after his journey to his old Monastery● What feares were there that hee would bee made a Bishop and so leave them● Yet how humbly did he in the midst of all these offers demeane himselfe How untainted was hee from the sins of the times How zealous for Gods glory● Was it not hee whom Theobaldus a Prince gave large means to for the due sustenance of the Societie Was it not he that by his sinceritie of life and purity and efficacie of preaching made men of all estates willing to afford reliefe for the repairing and enlarging their seat How did he stop the fury of the Schismaticks and

the Sonne which did relish of Arrianisme and specially upon those words of Psalme the foureteenth Dixi Domino Deus me●s es Tu I have said unto the Lord Thou art my God The fifth of this name was this reverend Father whose Life and Actions I now describe who was Bishop of 〈◊〉 in Cyprus whom St. Hierome and other famous Historians have largely and highly commended Read his Life therefore with a care and purpose to imitate his piety and vertues Hee was borne in a Towne of Phoenicia not farre from the City which takes her name from Eleutherius borne he was of poore and obscure Parents and his father died when he was yong and so he was le●t with his mother and his sister Callitr●pe to bee brought up but they having but short meanes were not able to nourish him and themselves had not Tryphon tooke compassion on them who adopted this Epiphanius for his owne sonne and did likewise allow a sufficiency of provision to his mother and sister during their lives Therefore saith a wise man give unto the good and hee will requi●e thee againe or lend it unto others but give to the evill disposed and hee will begge and crave more neither have compassion on the needy for he that may give and giveth not is utterly an enemy And he that promiseth forthwith and is long ere he doe it is but a suspicious friend● what neede words to our friends when we may succour them with works of our Almes It is not right that wee render those who are in necessity onely our tongue which is the worst thing without of whom we receive the Heart which is the best thing within Nor yet when thou hast bestowed thy Charity boast not of thy good deeds least thine evill be also called to remembrance and laid to thy charge But remember this that a vertuous and charitable Hand is not bound to make the Tongue a foole Now I cannot but praise God who hath raised many a famous instrument for the good of his Church out of poore and meane families He takes the poore from the Dung hill to set him with the princes of his people saith that Princely Prophet and here poverty is not to be despised or ●lighted nor men to be disparaged by the meanes of their families A man were better live poorely being assured of the blisse of heaven than to be in doubt thereof possessing all worldly riches For no man is poore but hee that thinketh himselfe poore This Triphon was a Ie● well instructed in the Law of Moses who as most thought took this Epiphanius unto him to marry him to his onely daughter so this Ep●phanius did live with this Triphon and grew in yeares and obtained an excellent knowledge in the Hebrew thus it pleaseth God to make roome for those whom He intends to advance Wel God so disposing all things this Triphon and his daughter both dyed and this Epiphanius was left with their whole estate which was very large by Triphons onely appoyntment Enjoying this faire estate with the affluence of all contentment his Mother also being dead he tooke his sister into his house and lived wondrous pleasantly It so fell out that on a time this Epiphanius going to the Towne in which he was borne by chance there met him a Man a Christian by Religion whose name was Lucianus famous for his Learning and Vertue God doth use to dispose of Times and Persons It was well for Epiphanius that God lent him this fair occasion to embrace Christianity This Lucianus led a Monastick life strict and holy the professors of it were in those times and followed it onely that they might the more sweetly and quietly addict themselves to prayer meditation and reading neither was it lesse commodious for writing and to shunne the snares and tentations of the World to subjugate the flesh to the spirit and to mortifie sinfull lusts and affections so being by this man instructed in Christianity he was together with his sister baptized into the Faith of Christ Iesus by the Bishop of that place and so having disposed all his goods to the poore hee with Lucianus embraced a Monastick course of ife This Lucianus put him to Hilarion to learn whose Manners and Learning Epiphanius so imitated that he made the vertues of so great a Master more conspicuous He increased wonderfully in Learning daily so that people began from all parts to resort to him so that his Fame being growne to such an height he could not enjoy that privacy in that course of Life which he desired Upon this he made a departure into Aegypt where he also was highly esteemed for his rare gifts and endowments From hence after some time he returned to his own place where being come and knowing that Hilarion was sailed to Cyprus having a great desire to see him Epiphanius sailed to Paphos and at the first meeting with Hilarion was almost overcome with joy presently Hilarion appoynted him to goe to Salamine and so it fel out that that Church at the same instant being voyd and destitute of a Pastor the faithfull Christians by prayers having intreated God that they might have one that was faithfull instantly Epiphanius presented himselfe in that place and by the prediction of Pappus Bishop of Cytria an holyman of life and specially God disposing it so Epiphanius was appoynted the man who modestly at first refused this imposed dignity but afterwards was made Bishop of that See in which hee so lived that as one sayes well of him vitam Doctrina Doctrinam vita Comprobaret that his Doctrine approved his Life and his Life defended his Doctrine he was as the same Writer speakes semper Haereticor●m acerrim●s oppugnator alwayes a sharpe opposer of Heretiques witnesse that admirable and painfull work of his called his Pammachion He quite stopped the blasphemous mouth of Aetius the Valentinian Bishop and did reduce all of that sect to the Orthodox faith no easie piece of worke to bring those to embrace the truth who for the most part are filled with the spirit of Contradiction and Contumacy He purged all Cyprus defiled and slurried with this and other Heresies and having gained an Edict from the Emperour Theodosius he cast out all the Hereticks out of the Iland Well He was a great Engine in promoting the Christians cause and as some doe report of him he was famous for some Miracles At length it so fell out that Eudoxia the Empresse deeply hating Iohn Chrysostome this Epiphanius was by her called to Constantinople where being come he was layed at by all the faire baits that could be to stand against this famous Chrysostome and to consent to his deposition but all their slights could never move him from his integrity and love to that worthy Father So hee departs from the Emperours Court and entred into a Ship to have returned to Cyprus and made a famous speech to his fellowes in which hee did by all perswasions that could be