Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	holy_a	paul_n	7,516	5	6.4255	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76020	A treatise of adhering to God; written by Albert the Great, Bishop of Ratisbon. Put into English by Sir Kenelme Digby, Kt. Also a conference with a lady about choyce of religion.; De adhærendo Deo. English	Albertus, Magnus, Saint, 1193?-1280.; Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665.	1653 (1653)	Wing A876; Thomason E1529_2; ESTC R25226	62,177	159

whereby to give them yet further a supernaturall assurance and infallibility which they may with an humble confidence in his unlimited goodness expect and claim at his divine hand when they are reduced to that state as is convenient for the reception of such a supernaturall gift 14. Our fourteenth conclusion therefore shall be that God hath given to his Church thus composed the holy Ghost to confirm it in the true faith and to preserve it from error and to Illuminate the understanding of it in right discerning the true sense of those Mysteries of faith that are cōmitted to the custody of it and to worke supernaturall effects of devotion and sanctifie in that Church And this I prove thus Considering that the doctrine of Christ is practical and aymeth at the working of an effect which is the reduction of mankind to beatitude and that mankinde comprehendeth not onely those that lived in that age when he preached but also all others that ever were since or shall be till the end of the world It is apparent that to accomplish that end it was necessary Christ should so effectually imprint his doctrine in their hearts whom he delivered it unto as it might upon all occasions and at all times infallibly expresse it selfe in action and in the delivery of it over from hand to hand should in vertue and strength of the first operation produce ever after like effects in all others Now to have this compleatly performed it was to bee done both by exteriour and by interiour means proportionable to the senses without and to the soule within The outward means were the miracles that hee wrought of which himselfe saith If I had not wrought those workes that no man else ever did they were not guilty of sinne but now they have no excuse or to this purpose and he promised the Apostles they should do greater then those And that miracles are the proper instruments to plant a new doctrine and faith withall the Apostle witnesseth when he saith that miracles are wrought for the unfaithfull not for the faithful and God himselfe told Moses that hee would once do some prodigy in his favour that the people might for ever after beleive what he said to them But it is manifest by the fall of the Apostles themselves that onely this exteriour means of miracles is not sufficient to engraft supernatural faith deep enough in mens hearts when as they upon Christs Passion not onely for fear through human frailty denied their master but had even the very conceit and belief of his doctrine exiled out of their hearts and understanding notwithstanding all the miracles they had seen him work in almost four years time they continually conversed with him which appeareth plainly by the discourse of the Disciples going to Emaus when they said we hoped c. and expressed their sadnesse for the contrary successe to their expectation and by saint Thomas his saying that he would not believe his resurrection unless he saw him and put his fingers into his wounds c. And by the rest of the Apostles that were so long before they would believe his resurrection as having given over the thought of his divinity and after his death considered him but as a pure man like other men Therefore it was necessary that some inward light should bee given them so clear and so strong and so powerfull as the senses should not be able to prevail against it but that it should overflowingly possesse and fill all their understandings and their souls and make them break out in exteriour actions correspondent to the spirit that steered them within And the reason is evident for while on the one side the senses discerne apparantly miracles wrought in confirmation of a doctrine and on the other side the same senses doe stifly contradict the very possibility of the doctrine which those miracles testify the soul within having no assistance beyond the natural powers shee hath belonging originally unto her is in great debate and anxiety which way to give her assent and though reason doe prevail to give it to the party of the present miracles yet it is with great timidity But if it happen that the course of those miracles be stopped then the particular seeming impossibilities of the proposed faith remaining alwaies alike lively in their apprehension and the miracles wrought to confirme it residing but in the memory and the representations of them wearing out daily more and more and the present senses and fantasy growing proportionably stronger and stronger and withall objecting continually new doubts about the reality of those miracles it cannot be expected otherwise but that the assent of the soul should range it selfe on the side of the impossibilities appearing to the present senses and renounce the doctrine formerly confirmed by miracles unlesse some inward and supernaturall light be given her to disperse all the mists that the senses raise against the truth of the doctrine Now the infusion of this light and fervour we call the giving of the holy Ghost which Christ himselfe foreknowing how necessary it was promised them assuring them that he would procure his father to send them the holy Ghost the spirit of truth that should for ever remain among them and within them and suggest unto their memory and instruct them in the right understanding of the faith he had preached unto them And this was prophesied long before of the state of the law of grace by Hieremy whose authority S. Paul bringeth to prove that the law of the Gospel was to be written by the holy Ghost in mens hearts and in their mindes and accordingly he calleth the faithful of the Corinthians The faith of Christ not written with inke but with the spirit of God nor graven in stony tables but in the fleshy ones of their hearts And in performance of this prophesy of Christs promise the history telleth us that on the tenth day after the ascension of Christ when all his disciples who were then all his Church and were to preach and deliver it to all the world were assembled together the holy Ghost was given them and that in so full a measure as they not onely were confirmed so perfectly in their faith as they never after admitted the least vacillation therein but they immediately casting away all other desires and thoughts were inflamed with admirable love of God and broke out into his prayses and into a vehement ardor of teaching and converting others and when by reason of that zeal of theirs any thing happened to them contrary to flesh and blood humane nature as persecutions ignominies corporall punishments and even death it selfe they not only shunned it as before but greedily rann to meet and imbrace it and joyed and gloryed in it all which were effects of the holy Ghost residing in them and filling their minds and governing their soules Where upon by the way we may note that in what Church soever we find not a state of

life for sanctitie and neer union with God and contempt of worldly and transitory things raised above the pitch of nature and morality we may conclude the holy Ghost inhabiteth not there for every agent produceth effects proportionable to the dignity of it and the excellency of any cause shineth eminently in the noblenesse of its effects Now that this gift of the holy Ghost is to remaine with the Church as long as the Church remaineth to illuminate it with the spirit of truth and to give it a supernaturall and divine unction will appear manifestly upon consideration of the cause why the holy Ghost was to be given at the first which remaineth alwaies the same and therefore the same effect must alwaies follow and accordingly Christ promised his Church upon his ascending into heaven that he would alwaies remaine with them untill the end of the world to wit by this holy spirit for he was then at the point of withdrawing his corporeall presence from them 15. Our next conclusion shall be that this Church or congregation of men spread over the world conserving and delivering the faith of Christ from hand to hand is even in its owne nature perpetuall in time and cannot faile as long as mankind remaineth in the world This needeth no further proofe then that which we have already made which is derived from the necessity of supernaturall faith to bring mankind to the end it was created for and that there is no meanes to deliver this faith to mankind in the ages after Christ but by the tradition of the Church and therefore as long as mankind lasteth this meanes must be continued Yet in this way of reasoning that I use we are to examine our conclusions as well by the genuine and orderly causes that beget them and by their owne particular principles as to assent unto them for the necessity that we see in them in regard of the end that they are referred unto And when we haue retrived those and evidently discerned their force it giveth an admirable content and satisfaction to the understanding Thus then as philosophers conclude that it is impossible any whole species or kind of beasts should ever be utterly exterminated and destroyed that is diffused up and downe over the whole face of the earth because the amplitude of the universe is greater then the variety of causes can be from which such a generall and entire corruption must proceed In like manner we may confidently conclude that it is impossible any depraved affections should so universally prevaile and so absolutely raigne in mens mindes throughout the whole world as would be requisite to extirpate and roote out a doctrine universally spread over it all that was at the first taught and confirmed with such seales of truth as the miracles that Christ and the apostles wrought that in its selfe is so pure and agreeable to the seedes that every man findeth sowed even by nature in his owne soule that worketh such admirable effects as the reformation of manners in mankind that withdraweth mens affections from humane and worldly contentments and carrieth them with a sweet violence to intellectuall objects and to hopes of immortality and happinesse in another life that prescribeth lawes for happy living even in this world to all men of what condition soever either publicke or private as working a moderation in mens affections to the commodities and goods of this life which else in nature is apt to blind mens mindes and is the cause of all mischiefs and evills and lastly that is delivered over from hand to hand from worlds of fathers to worlds of sonnes with such care and exactnesse as greater cannot be imagined and as it is requisite to the importance of that affaire which is infinitely beyond all others as on which the salvation and damnation of mankind wholly dependeth Now unto these rationall considerations let us adde the promise which Christ made to his Church that the gates of hell should not prevaile against it and I thinke we have sufficiently maintained that the Church of Christ in which the true doctrine of Christ is conserved can never faile but must infallibly continue unto the worlds end Thus having proved that a supernatural doctrine is necessary to bring mankind to beatitude that Christ taught this doctrine that from him the Church received it and is the sacrary in which it is conserved that this Church cannot erre in the tradition of this doctrine that besides the infallibility of it this Church is perpetuall It remaineth now that we close up this discourse by applying all these premises unto the question in hand which is where we shall find out this infallible Church that by it we may gaine the knowledge of the true saith of Christ whereby we are to be saved 16. For this end our sixteenth and last conclusion shall be that the congregation of men spread over the world joyning in communion with the Church of Rome is the true Catholike Church in which is conserved and taught the true saving faith of Christ The truth of this conclusion will without bringing any new proofes appeare evidently by reflecting upon what we have said and onely examining whether the Romane Church be such a one as we have determined the true Church of Christ must be or whether the notes which we may inferre out of our discourse to belong inseparably to the true Church may not rather with more reason be acknowledged of some other then of that in communion with the see of Rome This point after these grounds layed requireth no very subtill disquisition but is discernable even by the weakest sights and therefore this way of arguing appeareth to me most satisfactory and contentfull when taking the whole body of the question into survey and beginning with the first and remotest considerations of it we drive the difficulties still before us and pursuing of them orderly at every steppe we establish a solid principle and so become secure of the truth and certainty of all we leave behind us which course although it may at the first fight appear to be a great way about and looking but superficially upon the matter we may seeme to meete with difficulties which concerne not our question yet in the effect we shall perceive it is the most summary method of handling any controversie and the onely meanes to be secured of the truth of what we conclude and that will recompence the precedent difficulties by making the conclusion which is the knot of the affair plaine easie and open I say then first that unity of doctrine in matters of faith is inseparable from the Roman Church and can never be found in any other it onely having a precise and determinate rule of faith For it hath believed in every age all that hath bin plainly and positively taught unto it by their Fathers as the doctrine of faith derived from Christ and admitteth no other article whatsoever as an article of faith Whereas on the other

an excellent judgement and strong naturall witt to be able to wield and make good use of these weapons without which they would but advance him the faster to ruine and pernicious error With which excellencyes how few are there in the world fairely adorned Fourthly it is evident that the Roman Catholicke Church onely hath had a constant and uninterrupted succession of Pastors and Doctors and tradition of doctrine from age to age which we have established as the onely meanes to derive downe the true faith from Christ Whereas it is apparent all others have had late beginnings from unworthy causes And yet even in this little while have not beene able to mantaine themselves for one age throughout or scarce for any considerable part of an age in one tenor of doctrine or forme of Ecclesiasticall government Lastly we may consider how the effect of the holy Ghost his inhabiting in the Church in regard of manners making the hearts of men his living temples shineth eminently in the Catholick Church and is not so much as to be suspected in any other whatsoever For where this holy spirit raigneth it giveth a burning love of God as we have touched before and a vehement desire of approaching unto him as near as may be Now the soule of man moveth towards God not by corporeall stepps and progressions but by intellectuall actions the highest of which are mentall prayer and contemplation in which exercises a man shall advance the more by how much he is the more sequestred from the thought and care of any worldly affaires and hath his passions quieted within him and is abstracted from communication with materiall objects and is untyed from human interests and according to the counsailes of Christ in the Gospell hath cast off all sollicitude of the future and remitteth himselfe wholly to the providence of God living in the world as though he were not in it wholly intent to contemplation when the inferiour part of Charity calleth him not downe to comply with the necessity of his Neighbours This forme of life we see continually practised in the Catholick Church by multitudes of persons of both sexes that through extreame desire of approaching as neare unto God as this life will permitt doe banish themselves from all their friends kindred and what else in the world was naturally dearest unto them and either retire into extreame solitudes or shut themselves up for ever within the narrow limits of a straight Monastery and little cell where having renounced all the interest and propriety in the goods of this world and using no more of them then is necessary for the sustenance of their exhausted bodyes which they mortifie with great abstinences watchings and other austerities that they may bring them into subjection and roote out as much as may be the very fewell of concupiscence and passions and having of their owne accord barred themselves of all propriety of disposing of themselves in any action and renounced even the freedome of their will and thus in summe having taken an eternall farewell of all the joyes and delights that this world can afford and that carnall men would bee so loth to forgoe for any little while yet by the internall joyes that they find in their prayer and contemplation unto which all these actions of retrenchment from superfluities or outward solaces doe serve as a ladder to ascend unto the top of it they live so happily and cherefully and with such tranquillity of mind and upon occasions say so much of the overflowings of their blysse as it is aparent they enjoy there the hundred fold that Christ promised in this life Nor can it be objected that men usually betake themselves to this course of Religious life upon being distempered by melancholy or for the ill successe and traverses they have had in affaires of the world or out of simplicity and weaknesse of understanding since it is evident that this angelicall forme of living hath ever heene practised by persons of the best composed and cheerfullest dispositions and by multitudes of such is and hath beene imbraced and that in the world overflowed with all the blessings it could afford them and were of strongest parts of understanding and judgement and were most eminent in learning So that it is apparent they had no other motive thereunto but purely the love of God and fervour of devotion which being an effect of the holy Ghost residing in their hearts to his inspirations and admirable wayes of working in those his temples of flesh and blood these extraordinary effects are to be imputed Whereas on the other side no such examples or supernaturall forme of life are to be mett withall in any other Church whatsoever Rather they disclaime from them and like men of this world which is the expression that Christ useth in the Gospell to designe those that are not of his Church not being able to discerne things of the spirit but being blinded with the lustre of them too great for their weake eyes they neglect and disdaine them and imagine that all Christian perfection consisteth in an ordinary humane morall life which is the uttermost period that any among them seek to attaine unto And therefore we may hence conclude that they have no interior worker among them more sublime then their owne humane discourses and judgements and that supernaturall sanctity an effect of the holy Ghost is confined onely to the Catholick Church Besides wee may observe by daily experience how those persons that addict themselves to such an extraordinary way of life doe absolutely prove the very best or the worst of mankind the one excelling in admirable piety fervour of devotion abstraction and sanctity of life and some of them soaring up to a pitch even above nature the other abounding in all sorts of impiety wickednesse and dissolution of manners till at length their hearts become even hardened against correction and all sence of spirituall things whereas it ordinarily happeneth that the most flagitious men among those who live in a vulgar worldly estate of life doe upon occasions frequently receive notable impressions from divine objects to the amendment and change of their dissolute course And this being a constant certaine effect noted at all times and in all places it must be attributed to a constant and powerfull cause which can be no other then the neere approaching of those persons to the originall fountaine of sanctity goodnesse which being like a consuming fire worketh vehement effects in them according to the disposition they are in and to the nearenesse that they have unto that fire so that as the sunbeames which are the authors of life and foecundity to all plants and vegetables shining upon a tree that hath taken solide rootes in the earth maketh it budd flourish and beare fruit and on the other side if it be weakely rooted their heate and operation upon that tree maketh it the sooner to wither and die And as the fire sendeth an influence