Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	flesh_n	fulfil_v	walk_v	7,124	5	7.8550	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26121	[The life of St. Antony originally written in Greek by St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria ; faithfully translated out of the Greek by D.S. ; to which the lives of some others of those holy men are intended to be added, out of the best approved authors.]; Life of St. Antony. English	Athanasius, Saint, Patriarch of Alexandria, d. 373.; D. S.	1697 (1697)	Wing A4107; ESTC R1937	47,348	99

against thee as against many others I have been weaken'd and overcome Who is this said Antony that talks thus to me The Devil answer'd in a wretched whining Tone To this Day I have ply'd soft fleshly Allurements in Young Persons and have been call'd The Spirit of Fornication How many when willing to be Sober have I deceiv'd How many have I by Hypocrisie and sense-affecting Motions drawn aside I am he of whom the Prophet speaks Hos 4.12 Ye have been deceiv'd by the Spirit of Fornication 'T was by me that they were tripp'd up I am he who have so often disturb'd thee and 〈◊〉 often been humbled by thee Antony therefore having paid his Thanks to God and being be come more valiant in Spirit said Hence ' ti● plain that thou art very contemptible for the Soul is black and swarthy and thou art wea● as a Child neither will I for the future give way to any Solicitude upon thy Account for the Lord is my Helper and I shall look down upon mine Enemies with scorn which he had no sooner said but the Black Monster fled away being afraid to speak or come near the Heroe● 5. This was St. Antony's first Conflict with the Devil or rather to speak properly and as I ought this was our Lord's first defeat of the Devil in Antony who Rom. 8.3 4. Condenm'd Sin in the Flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the Flesh but the Spirit But for all this St. Antony did not neglect himself as if the Devil were intirely under his Feet Nor did the Enemy as though vanquish'd desist from forming Stratagems for he rang'd about like a roaring Lyon seeking out some pretence against him Antony had learnt from the Holy Scriptures that the Wiles of the Devil are many continually and therefore continually gave himself to exercise considering that since the Devil could not deceive his Heart by Pleasure he would try the more subtlely and diligently to ●o it by other Methods for the Devil is Sin 's ●●e Friend Wherefore Antony tam'd his Body more and more lest after he had conquer'd in ●●me Combats he should be dragg'd a Captive ●y him in others Hence he resolves to accu●tom himself to severer Discipline still At which Resolution many were startled through ●●prize But however he went thorow with 〈◊〉 very patiently for the bent of his Soul having lasted a long time wrought such a good habit in him that he seiz'd on every even the last Occasion of exerting his strenuous pursuit after Vertue 6. He watch'd so very much that oft-times he lay without Sleeping all Night long and this not once or so but very often to admiration He eat once a Day after Sun-set sometimes but once in two Days nay and sometimes but once in four Days His Diet was Bread and Salt His Drink only Water Instead of a Feather-Bed he lay on a Mat and sometimes in the bare Ground He never anointed himself because he said 't was more proper for the Younger to addict themselves to Ascetick Exercises than to seek out those things which effeminate the Body They should rather accustom themselves to labour and to bear the Apostle's saying in their Mind 2 Cor. 12.10 When I am weak when I am strong for then said he the Vi●our of the Spirit is renew'd and becomes Athletick when the Pleasures of the Body languish and are impair'd This also was an admirable Thought of his viz. That he do not think it proper to measure our Progress 〈◊〉 Vertue by the length of the Time we first 〈◊〉 out or by our Retirement so much as by our Divine Desires and Longings and the Encrea●● of our Holy Purpose And therefore he would not remember the Time past but every Day as though it were the first he would express a more ardent Thirst and Endeavour after a further Advance Speaking by the way of Solloquie that of the Apostle Phil. 2.14 For getting that which is behind and pressing forward And remembring the Voice of the Prophet Elias who saith 2 King 18.15 As the Lord of Hosts lives before whom I stand I will sure● shew my self to day for he observes from the Prophet's saying To day he did not take 〈◊〉 measure of the Time past but every day as 〈◊〉 it were laying the first Foundation of his Ve●tue he studied to approve himself such an o● as he ought to be before God pure in Heart and ready to obey his Will and no ones els● Every Christian Ascetick said he ought 〈◊〉 see and learn within himself his own Life from Elias as in a Glass 7. Antony having by this time and by the● means recollected and simplify'd himself Trave● led to the Tombs which were at a considerable 〈◊〉 stance from that Town having first acquainted one of his Acquaintance with it who supply'd him with Bread enough to subsist upon a good while When he was got thither he went into one of the Tombs and shut the door over his Head and tarried within there by himself Now the Devil not being able to away with this and afraid lest in a little time the whole Desart should be fill'd with Asceticks came one night with a great company of Devils and beat and bruis'd him at that fearful rate that he lay a long time Dumb because of the Extremity of his Torments for he protested his Pains were so great that 't was impossible Men should be the Instruments of the like But by the Providence of God for the Lord does not forget those who hope in Him the Day after an Acquaintance came with some Loaves to him who as soon as he had open'd the door seeing him lying along like a Dead Man upon the Ground took him up and carried him to the Town-Church and laid him upon the Pavement where many of his Relations and Towns-People sat by him as they there us'd to do about the Corps of the Dead Now about Midnight Antony came to himself and awoke and saw all asleep but himself and his Acquaintance that brought him from the Tombs Antony therefore becken'd to him and desired him to carry him back to the Tombs without disturbing any of them Accordingly his Friend carried him 8. And when he was return'd thither shuting down the Tomb-top he tarried within there as before and not being able to stand because of the Stripes the Devil gave him he pray'd lying prostrate and after he had pray'd he said aloud I Antony am here I don't run away for your Stroaks or Terrours For though you inflict more upon me nothing shall separate me from the Love of Christ. Then he sung that of the Psalmist Though Hosts encamp against me yet shall not my Heart be afraid Thus did Antony think and speak But the envious Enemy and hater of all Good wondering to see him appear so confident in spight of all that he endur'd sounded his Hounds together and being burst with Envy said See here we have