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	holy_a	scripture_n	10,125	5	6.0328	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51652	Motives and reasons for dissevering from the Church of Rome and her doctrine wherein after the declaration of his conversion, he openeth divers absurdities practised in that Church, being not matters of report, but such things whereof he was an eye and ear witness / by Chr. Musgrave, after he had lived a Carthusian monk for twenty years.	Musgrave, Christopher, fl. 1621	1688 (1688)	Wing M3143; ESTC R28845	14,573	39

should alter his mind and if it were permitted yet the obligation a Novice hath to learn the Ceremonies and Observations of the Order which are both many and very difficult will not afford a Novice to do any thing else but only to dedicate himself wholly to the practice of them which to do well will require three or four years Labour and Industry Being freed from that Inconvenience and stealing time even from that little time which was limited for rest to wit the space of six hours in a Night I betook my self to earnest consideration of every thing wishing and desiring that it might please Almighty God to shew me the means and way how to attain unto such knowledge And he that is always most ready to help such as fly unto him for Aid to wit Jesus who according to the Interpretation of his Name is the true Shepherd and Saviour of our Souls vouchsafed to make Clay and anoint mine Eyes by laying a great number of serious Observations before the Eyes of my Soul wherewithal my Eyes were not a little dazeled at the first until it pleased the same Jesus by the Inspiration of his Spirit to bid me go to Syloam indeed a two-fold Syloam one of the Holy Scripture and the other of Ancient Fathers and there to wash my Eyes and undoubtedly I should by practice of them be restored to my sight and understand aright those doubts and difficulties wherewithal I was perplexed and be able to discern Light from Darkness and Truth from Falshood And betaking my self to the reading of the Scriptures and ancient Fathers and comparing the State of the Primitive Church with the present State and Government of the Church of England and of the Church of Rome I soon perceived how far the Church of Rome had plunged her self into that noisome puddle of Superstition and was quite faln from her wonted Purity and as I may term it Innocency and now polluted with a multitude of Deformities which have sprung from out the roots of Ambition Avarice and Hypocrisie On the other part I considered how that our Church of England howbeit for many years past our sins having deserved that scourge it had adhered unto the Church of Rome had now not only shaken off the Yoke of Superstition but also lymphed her self of all those Deformities which any way did stain her ancient Beauty and was restored to her former Purity and Splendor of the Primitive Church Mine Eyes being opened I saw an infinite number of Absurdities and how far I my self had been deceived and into what great danger both of Soul and Body I had cast my self by undertaking that course of Life wherein great Piety is pretended and prescribed but great Dissimulation and Hypocrisie practised as I shall briefly with Examples whereof I have been an eye Witness justifie CHAP. II. Containing the first Motive of dislike of the Church of Rome and her Doctrine THE first thing that moved me to search and look into the Errors of the Church of Rome was the consideration of the great Insufficiency and want of Learning in many Persons of the Order of Carthusians there being indeed in most Monasteries of that Order divers admitted not only to that Order but also unto the dignity of Priesthood which can hardly read much less understand their Mass but to speak or write Latine altogether unable I could nominate divers both English-men and Strangers of this stamp whose Names for their honours sake I conceal But wondring with my self what should cause Superiors of that Order to admit such insufficient men and asking familiarly of some grave and wise men what might be the reason they gave me a twofold reason The first that Carthusians living a solitary and retired course of Life and not going abroad to Preach and converse amongst Seculars had not need of any great Learning But I answered that they were bound both by the Canons of the Church and also by their Statutes to admit none but such as were sufficienter docti sufficiently learned The second Answer was that it was the policy of many Priors in that Order to admit simple and unlearned Men to be Monks to that end that the Priors themselves might keep their places of Superiority the longer and with more security whilst there were no Persons sufficiently qualified for to supply such Places This gave me a great distaste for howbeit I my self was too too presumptuous in taking the Dignity of Priesthood upon me nevertheless I could never endure that Men more unfit than my self should be admitted howbeit divers by shifts and sleights were admitted which are not only in respect of their ignorance burdensom both to themselves and others but also according to that saying that Learning hath no greater enemy than Ignorance So no men are more envio●… more full of spite more malicious and more troublesome than such blind Buzzards which cannot give the definition of a Priest nor construe three lines of their Mass. CHAP. III. Concerning the Oppression of Inferiour Religious Men by Superiours amongst Carthusians ANother dislike that I did take both of the Order of Carthusians and of the Church of Rome did arise from the ordinary Oppression of poor honest-hearted and zealously-minded Men howbeit not according to knowledge I mean of such as out of a true desire to observe regular Discipline being also bound by their Statutes thereunto did at any time inform against the dissolute and debaucht living of their Superiours such Men as in respect of their true fervour and earnest desire to keep their Order and Statutes deserved both Love and Commendations amongst Men of their own Profession were sure to find all bitterness and persecution vsque ad internecionem And howbeit their complaints were clariora Luce meridiana clearer than the Sun notwithstanding Sup●●●ours of that Order one to support another would make them more obscure than Darkness it self and so devise all means possible to oppress their Inferiours And hereof I will put down one or two Examples Johannes de Sancto Huberto sometime Vicar of the Carthusian Monastery of Martins Busse in Flanders being most certainly informed of many irreligious actions of his Prior and amongst other matters that his Prior had got a Maid with Child he being Vicar thought himself bound in Conscience as he was indeed to inform against his Prior unto the Superiours of that Order and being desirous to have the Advice of Father Brullot who had sometime been the Proctor of Martins Busse and was dwelling at Lyre did write unto him and his Letter being intercepted and opened by the Prior of Martins Busse who perceived that his Vicar intended to prosecute that business against him the Prior sent for the Visitors of that Province to complain against his Vicar how that he had defamed him by writing such a Letter unto Father Brullot The matter came to scanning and Joannes de Sancto Huberto did produce two Priests of the same Monastery that gave witness against the