Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	free_a	life_n	sin_n	5,436	5	4.6243	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78174	Censura cleri, or A plea against scandalous ministers, not fit to be restored to the churches livings in point of prudence, piety, and fame. By a true lover of the Church of England in doctrine, ceremony and discipline.	Barnard, John, d. 1683.	1660 (1660)	Wing B852; Thomason E1035_2; ESTC R209059	14,798	23

resurrection having a spirit of life put into them by the vigorous breathings of a gracious Prince judge and condemn those notoriously scandalous or insufficient and set free the innocent and guiltless a judging and reexamining there should be of every mans case or else the sin of not judging such wicked offenders will still be a provocation of God against the Nation and intolerable shame and ignominy fall upon the Church and precious Clergy The Church hath never spared but inflicted punishment on lesser crimes whensoever they are proved not only for incontinency swearing drinking but less offences have no countenance from the Church but are absolutely condemned So exemplary a strictness would it impose upon the Clergy to be patterns of imitation to all others Deponatur clericus qui in caupona cibum sumpserit Carantza Can. Ap. 54. Let a Clergy man be deposed for eating in a common victualling house viz. as the Comment instances it unless it be upon an extraordinary case of a journey Laodic Conc. Can. 24. The Laodicean Council saith Nullus Ecclesiasticorum in tabernis comedere debeat No Clergy man should eat in Taverns why so but because they are scandalous places for them to frequent drawing the same Infamy as if they went into Stews and Brothell houses because they are places of bad report doth it not indeed represent a shamefull aspect of disgrace upon the whole cloth to behold a Minister cupping and piping with the vulgar people or the gentry of a dissolute life what is it but to draw the same reproach upon Christianity Tertull. Apol. cap. 13. as Tertullian writes of the Heathens who carried the images of their gods into Ale-houses that Religion may beg an alms there Who doth so lively represent the image of God in his calling office sanctity and purity as a Minister who speaks in persona Christi 2 Cor. 5.20 that men would be reconciled from their sin to the fear of God and shall this be a drunken swearing image wanton and unclean as if the god whom it Symbolizeth with were Bacchus or Priapus or Florus Oh let us purge out all scandalous gods For amongst the idolatrous priests of Jeroboam who were scraped into the office of Priesthood ex faece populi from the dregs of the most inferior people so men more prone to gross vices yet we find them not Drunkards Whoremasters and common Swearers for then few would have been induced by their example to worship the Calves of Dan and Bethel much less in the number of Christs Apostles do we find any other but one Son of Perdition Jerom. in Mat. 26. who was as S. Jerom speaks Scandalum Christi omnium Apostolorum the scandal of Christ and all his Apostles but it had been better for him never to have been born then to have brought that Scandal into the world Such an exact behavior there was among the primitive Christians in their times unspotted from vice Tertuli apol cap. 44. that Tertulliam appeals to the Registers of the Heathens for the unreproachable testimony of their integrity of all the malefactors brought before you is there any of them accused of murder robbery or sacriledge or can you tax them of smaller crimes that their life is like other prisoners that is in intemperance rudeness unchastity gluttony No surely we find not the common sort of Christians blemishing their professions with odious sins much less their Bishops or Priests which the Heathens would have taken notice of so highly that what was accounted a mote of offence in the least disordered conversation of a Christian was a beam of great magnitude in a Minister and by the Churches censure would undoubtedly be suspended if not utterly deprived of his office And this was indeed the very opinion and practice of the Gentiles from the very light of nature and reason who thought their Priests no longer worthy to celebrate mysteries and holy things or to continue in the office of priesthood Rosin Antiq then they approved themselves to be of unblamable life that if the Vestall Virgin suffers her chastity to be defloured she is not only discharged of her office from serving at the sacred fires but for her Scandall put to a cruell Death 4. It must be acknowledged that scandalous Ministers have turned the hearts of the people from Episcopacy and the established orders of the Church who otherwise would have entirely loved them but through offence of their scandall who were Episcopal did prejudice their judgements with a dislike of whatsoever they commended that they would rather embrace any other form of Church government Presbyterian or Independent then this which is so ancient and proper and deducible from the Apostolicall times because the people are more led by the Authority of example then reason both in Religious and Civil matters following the president of pious upright men and those especially that bear the outward shew of holiness above others as how were they bewitched with the seeming sanctity of the Scribes and Pharisees their painted Sepulchers and washed Pots their hypocriticall zeal of prayer in the streets A Heretick of a severe life shall Arius-like from one spark set the whole world on fire That it concerns the Orthodox to shine in eminency of piety as well as they and to exceed them in lustre and brightness as the Sun doth the Stars and the Stars the poor Glowworms 1 King 2.26 Abiathar must be put out and Zadock take his office because iniquity was found in him and the other was righteous according to his Name the Lord signifying by Zadock what a righteous Ministry he will establish and no other in his Church so were all the Apostles and seventy disciples except Judas the Traitor and is not this righteousness sutable to their calling and imployment they attend who are to offer up prayers and supplications for the Church that as it is well observed by S. Cyprian he that is imployed to prefer the Petitions of many to a King must be one specially chosen that is a Favourite of the Prince or else the Petitioners may go without audience and relief So for the offering the Congregations Petitions and solemn requests to the King of heaven and earth its necessary he should be chosen one who is in grace and favour with God for his righteousness of life and not a drunkard or debauched person to whom God may say What hast thou to do to take my Name into thy mouth And indeed as such Priests were formerly debarred of their service who had fallen into gross sins and put into inferiour offices because they had gone astray there is the same reason of excepting against a scandalous mans Ministry that he shall not be permitted in the celebration of high mysteries as prayer and intercession and the administration of the Sacraments but put into some inferior service as the Church shall think fit if it should bring back the ancient orders of Lectores acolouthi