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	son_n	89,234	5	6.5393	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28333	An earnest plea for peace and moderation in a sermon preached at Barnstaple in Devon, to the ministers and others occasionally there assembled, Octob. 17, 1660 / by Martin Blake.	Blake, Martin, 1594 or 5-1673.	1661 (1661)	Wing B3133; ESTC R25930	13,288	30

ever men may think we cannot in this case better consult either for our acceptance with God or our credit with goodmen than by professing our selves to be overcome of Truth Indeed this is not so much as a foil as an honour for in being thus conquered we our selves obtain a noble Victory Let us reflect here upon that famous Worthy the great St. Augustine who purchased to himself no less venerable esteem in the Church of God by his Book of Retractions than he had done formerly by his other Writings communicated by him to the world My sixth Request as consequent upon the former is that you would not overmuch regard the applauses of the vulgar or it may be the good opinion of some well meaning but mistaking Christians Oh this itch after Popular esteem is a thing of very evil consequence and will surely hazard us if not seasonably cured to many inconveniences Indeed it will make us unfit to be Masters of our own judgement yea it will so weaken our sight and for the present so blinde our eyes that we shall not be able to discern Truth from Error Peace from Faction or the Lovers of Peace from the Troublers of our Israel These are the Requests which I thought good at this time to present you with in reference to your selves I told you there is somewhat else which I would also beg at your hands in reference to others and the Particulars are two First I would entreat that in case you be not yet so cleerly satisfied as to all your scruples and in every circumstance you would not however thereupon grow clamorous by that means endeavour to engage the multude into the participation of your discontent Consider Brethren if the mistake be on your side your sin in so doing will be greatly aggravated first in regard of the Power which you disobey secondly in regard of the Persons whom you mislead thirdly in regard of your selves by adventuring so far in a disputable point upon your own misapprehensions But suppose and for this discourse lake I but suppose it suppose I say you may be in the right yet let me entreat you once more to consider whether the thing you contend for be of that importance as for the sake thereof to embroil a whole Church Or whether on the contrary it be not an act of as great imprudence so to do as for a man to burn his house that he may wast an egg Brethren you know that all Truths are not of the same alloy and that therefore as the case may be some harmless and quiet mistakes in judgement may be comparatively better than some unruly Truths Surely he was a wise man and an Orthodox and well studied Divine who said Though I love Peace well yet I love main Truths better and again on the other side Though I love all Truths well yet I rather conceal a small Truth than disturb the common Peace Remember I beseech you the Truths wherein we all agree are fundamental and me thinks our agreement in them should tye us faster than for every petty difference to fall asunder Give me leave here to commend unto you that seasonable and wholsom advice of St. Paul Philip. 3. 15 16 where he saith Let us as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this also unto you Nevertheless whereto ye have already attained let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same thing To be hot in our disputes about Supposals and in the mean season even by the violence of such disputes to hinder the growth of Reals Oh how unbeseeming how much better would it become us in matters of this kind to leave off contending and to fall a supplicating first to God and then unto Authority that all these obstacles and rubbs in the way of Peace on either side may be lovingly removed Brethren we are now thanks be to God for it under the blessed influence of a gratious Prince whose heart as we may gather from the effects is composed and made up as I may say of Truth and Justice of Love and Tenderness to God and Man To God for the promoting of his Service To Man for the procuring of his Good and how can we but hope for an answerable Care in him to settle Peace and unanimity among us by a gratious condescention in things convenient to weaker spirits Besides under the Government of so good a Prince you may rest assured that no rational Expedient which may really conduce to the Publick satisfaction of all sober and modest Christians will be with-held much less the indicting if need be of a free National and well composed Synod if you will humbly wait the time for it A fair way I confess and indeed a way which God hath blessed from the very infancy of the Church toward the silencing of disputes and the repressing of stirs in this kind which also our late Saintly Soveraign of dear and glorious memory of whom nor we nor as the Apostle phraseth it in a like case the world was worthy did Himself chalk out and recommend unto us in his last dying words when his pretious Soul was as I may say upon the wing toward his heavenly Rest Now under the expectation of all this I beseech you quiet your own minds and let my words find acceptance with you while I say as Joseph sometime did unto his brethren See that you fall not out by the way But secondly there is one thing more wherein I must needs crave your charitable endeavours and that is that you would not onely be thus quiet your selves but also do your best to quiet others As our Saviour said to Peter upon another occasion so shall my Exhortation be to every one of you Et tu conversus confirma Fratres In a common combustion it is not enough to forbear the bringing of more fewel to maintain the fire but every good Citizen must be forward to his power toward the quenching of the flame Beloved you cannot be ignorant that there are at this time great thoughts of hearts for the Divisions of our Reuben Oh now for the Spirit of meeknesse humility and love such as was in Abraham and Moses to intervene and say as they did in effect Sirs why do ye strive thus seeing you are Brethren Why do ye revile and smite and wound each other by your unseasonable janglings Even thus surely it would become us each one in his place and within the compass of his own Calling to expostulate with our Brethren and to endeavour as we can with a sweet and gentle calmness to allay the boisterous and tempestuous violence of hotter spirite and with a grave and sober importunity to call them back if possible unto a right Christian moderation that so these sparks of contention which are but in appearance may dye away and never have the power to kindle into a flame Give me leave here as a hearty well-wisher to the Churches Peace to tread in the foot-steps of a gratious Soul now at Rest with God and upon this occasion to revive the memory of that sweet and heavenly Spirit of holy Augustine who when he saw the bitter contentions between Jerome and Rusfino two great and famous Doctors of the Church in his dayes Heu mibi said he qui vos alicubi simul invenire non possum c. Alas that I can never find you two together How would I fall at your feet How would I embrace them yea and weep over them How would I beseech you either for other and each for himself both of you for the Church and therein especially for those weak ones for whom Christ died and who not without their own great danger do sadly look on and see you two thus fighting one against the other in this Theatre of the world Loe here the lovely temper and peaceful disposition of the Holy Man a pattern well worth our imitation Indeed we have the opportunity which it seems he missed yea and complained that he had it not and therefore let us do at least what he said he would do let let us beg and seek for Peace as we would for life For my own part I do make it this day my humble Request unto you all and could wish now if possible that my Ribs were as strong as Brass and my voice as Ioud as Thunder that the sound thereof might reach over the whole Land to the kindly affecting every heart But Almighty God I trust hath his Agents abroad And may his Blessing make their labours fruitful In the mean season Brethren as to you that are present I shall conclude my plea for Peace and Moderation in a few words It is to me an uncertain thing whether I shall ever meet you thus again together in this place God onely knows but it is probable I never shall And therefore as if now taking my last leave of you let me breath out the very longings of my Soul into your bosoms and shut up all with the words of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally Brethen Farewell Be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of Peace shall be with you To him and to the Word of his Grace I commend you and he mercifully grant that every one who both heard me this day may comfortably return to his own home aut sanior aut sanabilior either actually more sound or at the leastwise in a nearer disposition to be made sound And even so O Holy Father so be it for the sake of thy dear Son Jesus Christ to whom with thine own Majestie and thy blessed Spirit three Persons and one God be all Glorie and Honour Thansgiving and Obedience now and for ever Amen FINIS * See 1 Chron. 15. 1 2 12 13. verses De Baptis lib. 3. cap. 1● * That sweet natured and holy man of pretious memory Dr. Joseph Hall late Bishop of Norwich