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	grace_n	sin_n	7,550	5	4.8045	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27465	Diatribæ discourses moral and theological delivered by several persons in a plain, practical and friendly conference / composed and collected by William Berkeley.	Berkeley, William, 17th cent.	1697 (1697)	Wing B1974; ESTC R30223	76,603	195

Ribbons and Spangles and Laces and thereupon it catcheth cold and dies Others amongst us who wear Geneva Spectacles see they think a straitness in many crooked Inventions and whilst they are infected with the Disciplinarian Icterism our Primitive and Apostolical Church Government will not appear pure and white in their Eyes These have made it appear that Men have false and witless Apprehensions both in Doctrine and Discipline Others have trod in the same steps in Relation to good Manners and Immoralities as well as Errors have been approved of by them and one main Reason hereof is Because Vices have put on the Garments of Vertues Sins have past without Examination for Graces and Lusts of the Flesh for fruits of the Spirit The Evangelical Esay Prophet speaks of such who call Evil Good and Good Evil and then denounceth a Curse against them It is well known to us that Barabbas seemed worthy of Pardon in the Iews Opinion and our Saviour had the Visage of a notorious Malefactor The Scribes and Pharisees conceived of Christ's Doctrine as we do of Stoical moral Lectures that is as an Institution too rigid and unpracticable as a mere Iargon and an heap of Absurdities but they could spy out much Beauty and order in old Wives Fables and in the pale and wrinkled Traditions of men And I beseech you tell me where can we walk and not meet with Persons of soft Heads and sore Eyes Hath not Atheism found some Logicians to dispute for it Hath nor Schism in the Church and political Schism which is Rebellion been in the Conceits of many as beautiful as Helena and defended as she was by the Trojans with mens Lives and Fortunes Hath not Injustice and Oppression been looked upon as proper 〈◊〉 to raise men up to Riches and 〈◊〉 What think we of Covetousness Is it not the Religion of most places is it not mens Iuno their Diana or some fair Goddess that must help them in their straits and doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paul tell us plainly that it is 〈◊〉 As for 〈◊〉 that breeding Vice in whose Womb lye Ambition and Vain-Glory have not many Persons changed its name into Magnanimity and looked upon this ulcerous Swelling of their Imaginations as some becoming Mole to set them off in the opinion of the World And now I will leave other Instances of like Nature to these to our future Meditations that so we may have occasion to Practice the good Instructions which Meletus hath given us on this Subject and hereupon our selves may add another Course to that delious Feast and go forward to the Reasons why Men are mistaken in their apprehension of Objects and determine that to be wise which is foolish and that true which is false and that 〈◊〉 be Orthodox which is pertinacious Error and vicious Men to be truly good moral Men. And the first Reason is drawn from the Reason 1. natural Darkness of Mans understanding In his natural Condition Man knows little of himself and far less of God he is a Dunce in his own Form and a 〈◊〉 Fool when he meddles higher The Stars and Elements challenge him to give a Reason of their Influences Motions Order and Productions and baffle him Nay the least Phaenomenon in Nature when encounter'd will give him a Fall as being more than Man's match to give a punctual and satisfactory Reason of its Esience and Operations But then when Man ventures to speak of God he lisps and stammers and his Reason is disjoynted and broken and he prates of Religion as a Child would of Philosophy This might easily be proved in the Scheme which might be given of the Religion and Manners of the Heathens who followed that Light of Nature which they found set up within them for by their uncertain Knowledge and Belief of the true God they declar'd that their Light did want snuffing and that there was more requir'd than that single Candle to lead them on to that degree of Divine Knowledge which Man was made capable of They were wanting in that very knowledge they pretended to excel in and wherein they proclaimed themselves Doctors they were but Sophisters When they gave it out to the World Pemb. that their Understandings were grown big and lusty by a true Digestion of their common natural Notions and told the World that they fed well by their thriving upon Examination it appear'd that they had only the Rickets in their heads and that what they took for sound thriving was but a Malignant Swelling and what they supposed an wholsom Dose of Learning was but a gilded Bunch of Diseases So that this being the Case of Man in his Natural Dress it is one Reason also why his Knowledge is mistaken and his Wisdom so thin and thread bare that it will not hold together Secondly Another Reason hereof is Reason 2. Because Man's understanding is mainly influenced by his Will which is in an high Degree irregular and stubborn Now this Faculty will either hinder or promote it 〈◊〉 to the Truth for it can set the Understanding a work to consider of an Object propounded to it or it can render it idle and careless in that matter It can put it upon exercise and give it tools to work with or it can be close fisted in the Distribution of necessary Instruments and so render it uncapable of acting as it should Now that Mans Will doth naturally obstruct his Understanding that it cannot consider as it should and thereby apprehend Truth from Falshood and Wisdom from Folly may appear to all who can see it in its native Colours and can perceive its dogged and ill-natur'd Qualities and how easie it is first to be deceived it self and then to put tricks upon others It is the Nature of it to love it self It affects to be comply'd with and can naturally as little brook opposition as it can the truth What at first it undertakes to maintain it will prosecute and when it hath espous'd a Tenet it plights its Troth to it during life that is during Mans natural Condition and till Grace have form'd another better life in him 2dly As Mans Will loves it self so another quality in its Nature is that it is very stubborn and peevish For it will do all it self without consulting right Reason and it will not have patience to permit the superiour Faculty the Iudgment to deliberate upon any Subject propounded to it If it were so charitable to the lame and blind Iudgment as to seek it out an Hospital where it might be recovered If so officious as to afford it all the helps it could to render it as sound as it was before it was distemper'd which it might do by propounding to it Holy Writ as the Rule of Wisdom and Truth and the most proper Object to be thought upon and consider'd by it then it might be useful first to discover and then to vanquish Error first to 〈◊〉 the Fox and then to hunt it to death or first to

Friend William Berkeley The Titles of the following DISCOURSES and the Names of the PERSONS which deliver'd them Of By 1. Friendly Conference 2. The Prologue to Piety 3. The Wise Fool. 4. Ioyful Sorrow 5. The Only Object 6. The World's Riddle Glyon Meletus Phanias Luperus Theosebius and Sebagius Eumenes Eureketas and Musophil THE INTRODUCTION THE Occasion of the frequent Conventions of those Friends which carry on these following Colloquies was the nourishing and strengthning that Friendship which their Neighbourhood had begot amongst them This being a direct way to that end because the most advantage in this Case springs from it for hereby it becomes profitable for all Conditions and Persons It makes the Day and the Night that is Prosperity and Adversity Light and Pleasant It instructs and disciplines Youth it confirms and encourageth the Elderly and it comforts and supports the Ancient And when this is Experimentally known and noted it will be no easie Task to break that knot which Friendship hath tied but in process of time 't will be like that which Gordius the Phrygian King made with so much Cunning that it shall not be undone and which is the Wonder of this Wonder it will be fastest in the loosest Conditions for as Man's heart tho' it be plac'd in the midst of his Body yet is more inclin'd to his left side and there beats more sensibly tho' it uniformly inspires Life into all parts of it so tho' in a good and bad Condition one Friend should help another yet much the rather in Adversity Now the way of going on in such Conventions for such a Purpose is here set down and these Friends agreeing to Elect one amongst them to regulate their Assemblies when they should appoint them chose Glycon a Person of Glycon from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honey sweet Tongue and Deportment and who was also known to be a Man of true Wit by his sharpness in Search and subtilty in Expression and dispatch in Execution and he complying herein broke silence to put them their several Exercises after this manner CHAP. I. Glycon's Discourse Of Friendly Conference FRiendly Conference hath much profit and advantage and many good qualities to enhance its value and commend it to the Exercise of well disposed Persons For Human Society standeth in the communicating mutual Notions to one another And that it may answer this Character we must be careful what Friendship we contract and in to what Society we engage our selves for such obligation is not a matter of Indifferency or enter'd into only upon account of Form and Custome but will either add to our Personal estate of Grace and Virtue or diminish it and run us deeply into Debt by offending This may be Illustrated from the qualities of Load-stones for put a Thousand Flints in an heap and they shall not receive damage or benefit from each other but put Load-stones together and they 'l prove beneficial or injurious amongst themselves for if they meet in terms agreeable to each others Nature so that the Southern point of one be plac'd against the Northern of the other the weak Load-stone will be drawn and pleas'd and strengthen'd by the strong But if those which be contrary and incongruous do meet the weak stone will be driven back and injur'd Thus it happens in the Friendships and Societies of Men where somewhat of Good or Evil will redound from the Good or Evil which is amongst them for evil Company corrupts good Manners and good corrects and confirm them wicked Persons rub off some Vice to the next and the Good infuse some Vertues And as Diseases bred at some distance spread forth their Infection into the next parts of the Body so the Vices of dissolute Persons are derived upon those who have familiar Conversation with them Moreover for more Illustration in See Bishop Cownham this case we may Note that he who runs down the Hill can sooner put him down who is getting up then the other draw him up to him so in evil Company the worst prevails against the best rather then these against them and the Reason may be because the infected are not so soon cur'd by the Sound as they tainted by their Contagion You know that rotten Apples lying with the sound are not restored to soundness but the sound corrupted with their rottenness and dead Carcases united to living Bodies are not revived but the living if they continue any time united to the dead partake with them of their Mortality and Corruption Now that virtuous Persons are malignantly influenc'd by the vicious may appear from their distinct qualifications and contrary dispositions for the vicious persons being wholly Flesh are more earnest and diligent in the Devils Service then the truly virtuous can be in God's Cause seeing they are Regenerate but in part and the Flesh opposeth the Spirit in all good actions which either respect themselves or their Neighbour This excellent Caution concerning Friendly Communication and the Ingenious application of i● Glycon thought fit to use as one Prologue to another or to introduce thereby a Discourse about the necessary Duty of Meditation which is the Prologue to all good Moral and Divine Actions and they another to a well order'd Conversation for said he when the Royal Prophet had fix'd his thoughts upon his ways this went immediately before Psa. 119. his turning to God's Precepts and when St. Peter had well thought on his S. Mar. 16. ult Denial of his Lord and Master then forthwith he became a weeping Penitent And hereupon he desir'd Meletus to Discourse first on the Duty of Meditation and he after he had Saluted the Company in a well disposed gesture and with an affectionate and Courteous Compellation began to speak thereof after this manner CHAP. II. The Prologue to Piety Or of Meditation Discours'd of by Meletus IT is in such a peculiar manner the Meletus one who thinks and deeply considers from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Meditation Natural Quality of Man to Think that herein he properly excels all Inferiour Creatures for they have not this Reflective faculty to examine any of their Actions or Motions but proceed forward by the Innate Impulse which Nature hath given them for their Rule and Guide However meerly to Think is not such a distinguishing excellency in Man unless he use some means whereby he may put his Thoughts into good Order and Method and thereby so well digest them in his Head that they may not brood unripe and raw Notions in his Mind and such which are so dull and stupid as that they render him like and therefore worse than the Beasts that perish for 't is better to be a Beast than like one In them a want of power to Think is Natural but to Think to no purpose is Folly Now the proper means for this End is Meditation and that I may not huddle over what Idesign to speak of this Duty I shall proceed in this following