Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	great_a	son_n	8,014	5	5.2790	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29122	A sermon ad clerum at the visitation of the deane and chapter there, holden the 19th day of November, anno Dom. 1662 : by the Most Reverend Father in God Acceptus, by Divine Providence Lord Arch-Bishop of York his Grace, Primate of England and Metropolitan / preacht by Thomas Bradley ...	Bradley, Thomas, 1597-1670.	1663 (1663)	Wing B4137; ESTC R36506	23,744	42

burne the Bands and Cords with which they were bound but not to touch an Haire of their Heads or a Hemme of their Garments Thirdly He walkes in the midst of them Erudire to Teach and to Instruct them to Awe them to keep them in order For he is the beloved Sonne of the Father in whom he is well pleased whom we must Heare and Obey Matthew 3.17 He the great Prophet of his Church whom we are Commanded to Heare with a severe intimation by his Spirit by his Word and by his Pastors sent out by him doth he teach the Churches to the worlds end And so he walks in the midst of them as a Schoole-Master in the midst of his Schoole and his Disciples or Schollers Fourthly He walkes in the midst of them To Observe them to take notice of their Carriage their Manners their Order and their Behaviour as appeares by the particular Charges which he gives to these severall Churches in this his Visitation in all of them making good what in Generall he tells them before he come to deale particularly with them Novi Opera tua I know thy Works And so he walks in the midst of them as the Master of the Feast in the Gospel walk't in his Dining Roome to take a View of his Guests to see who had and who had not on his Wedding Garment And to this purpose it is observable in what manner of Posture and Gesture he is here seen He is seen Walking Not Sedet Otiosus as Bullinger observes not Stat Negligens he doth not sit as being Idle He stands not still as being negligent but he is seen Walking from end to end forward and backward to and fro that at every turne he might take a View and at every step cast an Eye that nothing done or said amongst them may escape his Cognizance Lastly he is walking in Medio in the midst of the Candlesticks Non in Angulo non in exteriori aliquâ parte Not in a Corner not in some Skirt or Outside of them but In medio Candelabrorum in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks that he might look over them every way and they at an equall distance on all sides might receive from him that Direction Protection Comfort and Encouragement which is their Light and Life The truth is He bought them he layd down a Price for them which was far more pretious then Gold his own Blood he had need see what becomes of them and he is to deliver them up to God the Father he received them by weight and he received them by tale Of those which thou hast given me have I lost none It is his great Care that he may deliver up his full Tale and that he may deliver them up Pure and Bright and Cleare and that he may present them without spot or wrinkle and therefore is it that he hath such a speciall Care of them such a vigilant Eye upon them continually resident among them and walking in the midst of them Oh how happy are the Churches under the inspection of such an Eye under the Care of such a Guardian under the Protection of such a Patron in the Favour of such a Prince the Teaching of such a Prophet the Intercession and Benediction of such a Priest continually present with them President over them and resident among them walking in the midst of them and how holily ought they to carry themselves in such a Presence how circumspectly under the Inspection of so severe an Eye that when he shall come to visit them as here he doth this Church and to take an Account of them they may give up their Account with joy when he shall say unto them as here to Ephesus Novi Opera tua I know thy Works they may be such as they need not be ashamed of such as may stand by us and abide the tryall such as may prayse us in the Gate such as upon the enquiry and examination he may approve of and upon which we may expect the Promise here in this Visitation made Vincentibus To them that over come to Eate of the Fruit of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradice of God to Receive the White Stone and therein the New Name Written which none can Reade but he that receiveth it to be Cloathed with White Rayment washt in the Blood of the Lambe and in it to follow the Lambe whither soever he goeth and to be ever in his Presence in whose Presence is fulnesse of joy and at whose Right Hand there is pleasure for evermore Which the Great God of Heaven and Earth be pleased to admit us unto for his sake which Holdeth the seven Starrs in his Right Hand and Walketh in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks To whom be all Honour and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS

am confident it will as the Sunne shine forth more and more unto the perfect Day I doe not doubt but God hath a great people among them to be gathered and that there will be a glorious Church amongst them before the Consummation of the world But take heed least as I intimated before as God turning his Hand from Shem to Japhet left Shem in darknesse under which to this Day he lyes So when God shall turne his Hand with the Starrs in it from Japhet to Cham or Canaan he leave us also in the Darkenesse wherein at the first he found us and their Sunne-rising be our Sunne-setting our Barrennesse Unfruitfulnesse Aposte●● falling from our first Love our Schismes and Divisions our Hypocrisie Formality generall irreligiousnesse and profanenesse seem to portend and bespeak no lesse presages of it we have sure our Golden Candlesticks lately tottering and sore shaken the Famous Lights in them put out others burning in them blue and dimly all manner of Heresies that ever the Church hath been pestered withall Revived Countenanced Encouraged the Seamelesse Coate of Christ Torne and Rent into an hundred pieces by Sects Schismes and Divisions Factions and Fractions The Discipline of the Church layd by the holy Worship despised and trampled under foor the Sacraments throwne out all Ordinances but Preaching and Extemporary Praying cryed downe the lowest of the people made Priests and the Priests made the lowest of the people the Churches turn'd into Stables and Stables into Churches And how much did all this come short of the Abomination of desolation standing in the holy place How neer did all this come to the execution of the judgement threatned against Ephesus in this Chapter Of removing the Candlesticks out of their places Well blessed be God they are not yet removed they yet stand in their places the Lights shining and burning in them the right Hand of the Almighty is yet stretch't forth over us with the Starrs shining in it Let us be admonished by all these threatning punishments to walk in the light of them better then ever we have done while we have it amongst us as Children of the Light to walk up to the Light to rejoyce in it to be thankfull for it and to bring forth the fruit of it this is the best way to keep it and to continue it among us And thus you heare what it is which the Spirit saith unto the Churches in this Metaphoricall Expression Of holding the Starrs in his right Hand It followeth now That we consider of the next Part of the Description Of this Wonderfull Person Christ the Sonne of God as he is here represented Walking in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks Not to trouble you with the speculations of Expositors upon this sacred and misterious number of seven so often mentioned in this Mysticall Book in all the Visions which Saint John saw Seven Spirits seven Angels seven Starrs seven Candlesticks seven Seales seven Trumpets seven Heads seven Hills seven Vialls seven Plagues all by sevens a sacred and misterious Number and many are the Mysteries which some perspicatious witts have told us of conteyned in that Number But to passe by that Two things we have here to enquire into 1. What is meant by these Candlesticks 2. What by his Walking in the midst of them And for the first our Lord himself hath Interpreted it unto our Hands what is meant by them In the last verse of the Precedent Chapter The seven Golden Candlesticks are the seven Churches meaning of Asia Where take up this Observation by the way That notwithstanding there were many Corruptions in them in Doctrine in Worship in Discipline in Government in matters both of Faith and Manners yet our Saviour still vouchsafeth them the Name of Churches The seven Candlesticks are the seven Churches Ephesus is fallen from her first love ver 4. Smyrna had Hipocrites among them Which said they were Jews and were not ver 9. Pergamos had in her those that held the Doctrine of Balaam and the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans which God bated ver 14.15 Thyatyra suffered that Woman Jezabel which called her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and to seduce men to commit Fornication and to Eate of things sacrificed unto Idolls ver 20. Sardis had a Name that she lived but was dead Chap. 3.1 Philadelphia was the purest of all the rest yet she is Charged with her defect too she had but a little strength ver 8. Laodicea was neither cold nor hot but lukewarme she had a high and Pharisaicall Conceipt of her self that she was Rich and Wanted nothing where our Saviour tells her She was Poor and Miserable and Blinde and Naked and yet notwithstanding all this a Church still notwithstanding all these Defects Corruptions Blemishes in all the rest yet all this did not un-Church them all Churches still The seven Candlesticks are the seven Churches and the seven Churches the seven Candlesticks nay Golden Candlesticks still for all this It was not a little Drosse amongst them not a little Dust nor Rust adhering to them that made them cease to be Candlesticks yea Golden Candlesticks still for all this The seven Golden Candlesticks are the seven Churches Surely Christ the Lord of the Churches is more Charitable more Indulgent to us in this point then we are one to another We have a Generation among us I pray God they be not such a Generation as Solomon speaks of Prov. 30.12 A Generation that it pure in their own Eyes yet are not cleansed from their iniquity I hope the best But such a Generation we have amongst us which out of a high Conceit of their own transcendent purity think themselves too good to joyne with others others too bad to be admitted with them into Church-fellowship Where they see any Defects Errors Miscarriages though they be but personall not Congregationall and such as we doe no way allow of but reprove cry out against lament and bewaile where we cannot help it yet these men take such offence at them that they with-draw themselves separate from our Congregations un-church us revile reproach rayle upon us as Synagogues of Satan Lymbes of Anti-Christ and cast a greater reproach upon us then the Papist themselves But my beloved Brethren From what spirit comes this from that spirit and wisedom which is from above which is first pure then peaceable gentle easie to be intreated c. Or from a spirit of pride singularity disdain vain glory and hypocrisie surely these things proceed not from that spirit which descended in the likenesse of a Dove in all meeknesse and gentlenesse but rather that of Boanerges the Sonnes of Thunder which called for Lightning and Fire to destroy and to avenge But if the same minde were in you which was in Christ Jesus in this Text you would be more Charitable He owns the Churches yet for Candlestickes Nay for all the Rust and Dust and Drosse which they were Corrupted withall for Golden Candlestickes The seven