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	saint_n	6,082	5	5.8116	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93683	A sermon preached in Oxford before the Kings Maiesty, April 19. 1643. VVherein is handled the vnlawfulnesse of non-preaching bishops, non-residents, plurality of benefices, &c. with the utter destruction of images. According to the votes of both the houses of Parliament, scripture, ancient writers, and reason it selfe. By Richard Spinkes, minister of the word of God, and imprisoned there for the said sermon.	Spinkes, Richard.	1643 (1643)	Wing S4982; Thomason E104_10; ESTC R212784	18,404	23

Ministrorum pret to sissimo apparatu id est not in painting and pargetting of the wall with Mosaick works not in anticking the windowes with Legends not in coping the Ministers in sumptuous and gorgeous apparell but in the humble and fervent devotion of prayer the sincere and powerfull preaching of Gods word the only image that ought to be in every Church is the Minister who if he be painfull and religious is as lomens Alexandriuus Strom. lib. 5. calleth him A living image of God by whose exemplary carriage the people should learne to frame and fashion their lives For such a one whiles others are mechanically striving to convert Tables of wood into Altars of stone doth by the blessing of God upon his labours and by the sacred Chymistry of the holy Ghost convert stones into gold for a broken heart saith Saint Chrysost Hom. 4. in Mat. is Aureum altare a golden Altar How God is present at others Altars let them dispute that worship them but sure I am that the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken and will save such as are of a contrite spirit I would they were cut off that trouble you saith Saint Paul Gal. 5.12 The truth is there might well be spared a great number among us who like fruitlesse trees doe but cumber the ground and fraudulently attract the nourishment which would sufficiently releeve and maintain many others but it were rather to be wished that those trifles about which they beat their fellow servants were utterly abolished Upon the Reformation of Religion in Helvetia Anno 1528. They of Basil pulling downe all their Images out of their Churches brought them into their publique market place there to be divided for fuell among the poore people but when they fell a fighting and brawling about the sharing of them it was at last generally agreed by the Counsell of the City to make one faire fire of them publiquely and to burne them all together which day being Ash-wednesday is yet in the memory of that act celebrated with many pastimes and solemnities So were it a happy thing for this Church and Commonwealth if all those Reliques of superstition were burnt together rather then such combustions such heart-burnings should be fomented and maintained among us and that all would joyntly set themselves to the preaching of the word which is that unum necessarium many matters of lesse importance called for with a great deale of more rigour are but things of veniall indifferency but this is of an absolute and undisputable necessity every Priest every Minister is indebted is bound in conscience to discharge this duty I am to prove it 1. Reason First they are bound by the calling which they have undertaken Let every man wherein he was called therein abide with God 1 Cor. 7.24 Every man ought to have some calling or other whereby he may be serviceable to God or usefull to his neighbour God and man saith Hesido who have nothing to doe who idle drone away all their dayes It is well observed by Tertullian that in all the day workes of the Creation the Creator is onely stiled God God said Let there be light and God said Let the earth bring forth grasse but he never used the name of Lord till man was framed and then it is said Gen. 2.8 The Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden and so ten times in that Chapter but in the very beginning of the next Chapter the Divell being to seduce the woman and through his subtilty to worke the 〈…〉 mankind leave that out Gen. 31. Yea hath God said Ye shal not eat c. But God in the despite of him and all his instruments is the onely Lord of all mankinde his Lawes doe alone binde the conscience If he say to one Goe he must goe if to another Come hee must come there must be no pretending of Statutes and Dispensations from Popes and Princes It is said to all Christians 1 Cor. 7.23 Yee are bought with a price be ye not the servants of men But above all men Ministers are by speciall relation and dependancy the servants of God so they are termed by the holy Ghost 3 Tim 2.24 The servants of the Lord that is the Ministers must not strive And in the Parable of the Talents Math. 25.14 it is said that the Lord called unto him his owne servants and therefore if they looke for any wages they must doe his worke they need not be ashamed of it it is the same which their Lord and Master was sent to doe and was imployed about of whom the Prophet Isaiah foretold Isa 61.1 and our Saviour it to himselfe Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord i● upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel As my Father sent me even so send I you saith Christ otherwhere What was his meaning Saint Paul plainly telleth us 1 Cor. 1.37 God sent mee not to baptize but to preach that was the maine ●nd of their vocation and this was the employment and practice of all th●se Primitive Bishops and Martyrs who sealed the doctrine they painfully taught with their owne bloud Prodig●i instar erat as saith ●spencaeus for ●●ny hundred yeares after 〈◊〉 hee was counted a very prod●gy of Christianity who tooke upon him the name of a Bishop and was not a constant and an assiduous Preacher And to this day in the forme of consecration of Bishops over Sea is the clause used I know not how well observed Vade praedica Evangelium populo tibi commisso Goe and preach the Gospel to the people committed to thy charge And in our present forme of Ordination of all Ministers the Bishop askes the party to be ordained Will ye faithfully instruct and teach the people committed to thy charge he answers I will God being my helpe which I take to be an oath and as much as God shall helpe me And therefore I cannot perceive how they who have forgotten that promise can satisfie their conscience in case of perjury unlesse God himselfe hath disabled them by some corporall infirmity Neither have some upon the same reason thought it lawfull for those who have taken upon this profession to intermeddle with secular ●●●…crity or to execute any 〈…〉 teth the opinion of some ancient Divine to this purpose To conferre a place of civill government or outward policy upon a Priest were to reconcile things in their owne nature incompetible to joyne those together whom God himselfe hath put asunder when some in the Councell of Trent provided that as the best meanes to provide for the residency of Prelates to prohibit them the Courts of Princes and to forbid them to undertake any civill Office or to be Judges Chancellors Councellors Secretaries of State or the like which those mutinous humorists as they call them urged to be expressy forbid out of the word of God 2 Tim. 2.4 A good souldier of Jesus Christ ought not to intangle himselfe with the affaires of

this life The Bishop of the five Churches for so was his title being their Ambassadour for the Emperour opposed that saying That if Prelates were forbid to wait upon Princes as they were admitted at that present into the Courts of the greatest Princes and Prelates of Christendome and there managed the great affaires of State it would bring the Church into contempt and if Ecclesiasticall persons and lay officers were made incompatible none of the Nobility would ever after so much releeve their blond and discent as to accept of orders This was a reason of State rather then of religion and conscience Had Saint Paul been of their counsell but alas the poore man had he appeared in the threed bare cloake which he left at Troas in the midst of such an Antichristian conventicle of mitred and scarseted Prelates he would have beene of as ominous a presence as the Owle at the opening at Constance he would have beene of the same minde that he was Rom. 12.17 Let us that are of the ministery wait on our ministery and he that teacheth on teaching he would never have given his counsell that those who profest themselves of this calling should leave the word of God to serve Tables I doe not know how sit such undertakers are for an earthly kingdome but that flourishing Aristocracy of the Venetians out of just dislike have excluded the Clergy out of their consultations for when they goe about to advise of matters of moment and secresie the Praeco stands up and cryes Let all Priests depart the roome how ever I am sure that of the Gospel is true Luke 9.62 No man having put his hand to the plough and looking backe is fit for the kingdome of heaven Saint Paul telleth us of some that worke not at all and yet are busie bodies 2 Thes 3.11 There is no greater idlenesse then to doe nothing to the purpose Minister dix●● hoc age Preaching is the high worke the prop and maine worke of that high calling which that worthy and painfull Bishop Saint Cyprian was so well affected too as that he was wont to wish that he might be surprised by his persecutors in the very act Tanta fuit illa sermonis sacra cupido as Pontius in his life relates of him ut optaret sic sibi passionis vota contingere ut dum de Deo loqueretur in ipso sermonis opere necaretur That when he was in the Pulpit his soule should make him like the chariot of Aminadab that if the malice of his enemies would give him that honourable interring the Pulpit might be made his coffin and the Church his Monument Let others study to gaine the name of Politicians such as he was are the most faithful and wisest servants that God hath Math. 24.25.26 VVho then is a faithfull and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over his houshould to give them meat in due season blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he commeth shall finde so doing 2. Reason They are in debted and bound in conscience to this duty by reason of the gifts and graces which God hath bestowed upon them for the discharge of this service God never intended any for this calling but he first furnished them with gifts and abilities for the conscionable execution thereof So the Apostles and Disciples were forbidden to depart from Jerusalem till the promise of the Father the gift of the holy Ghost was poured upon them Acts 1.4 They indeed were miraculously and at an instant instructed by the Spirit of God and it is still the same Father of lights that enlightens every one that commeth into the world from whom comes every good and perfect gift who gives a blessing to our studious endeavours For the Church can neither conferre gifts necessary to the ministry nor prescribe God the parties upon whom he should bestow them but are onesy to rake notice of and choose those whom upon tryall and experience of their gifts they perceive the Lord hath fitted according to the rule of the Apostle 1 Tim. 3.10 Let them first be examined and then admit them In justice none ought to be admitted to the Ministery unlesse they bring Gods Conge de estire with them unlesse they be enriced by him in all utterance and in all knowledge 1 Cor. 1.15 Now these gifts are not in propriety our owne they are called his substance Math. 25.14 we are but usufructuaries to improve our talents to the use and interest of our Lord and Master All those therefore upon whom God hath conferred such gifts doe become indebted to the people of God especially to their pastorall charge over which the holy Ghost hath made them overseers for God giveth us them not to please our selves in the conceit of them but to employ them to the benefit and edification of his Church that Church with which we are betrusted whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas all are yours saith Saint Paul 1 Cor. 3.22 I am said the same Apostle Col. 1.25 made a Minister according to the gift of God which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God As every man hath received the gift saith Saith Peter 1 Pet. 4.10 even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold graces of God And to shew you plainly that it is a due debt the Lord hath given the people a Letter of Attorney to call for the same and demand it Col. 4.17 whence he bids the people say to Archippus Take heed to thy ministery which thou hast received of the Lord that thou fulfill it that is that thou preach in season and out of season importune opportune For what the Scripture saith of that union and mystery of marriage that the body of the husband is not his owne but his wives is true of the spirituall tye and conjunction betweene a Minister and his charge his body his health his strength are not his owne but the Churches as Athanasius writ to Dracontius the Monke who being chose to a Bishopricke for some inconvemences of ayre or sicuation perhaps refused it Non sibi amplius sed Ecclesiae utilitati serviendums esse you must no longer said that holy and religious Patriarch serve your selfe seeke your owne ease and advancement but the profit and welfare of Gods Church I cannot perceive but the City of Corinth was by reason of the proximity of two Seas situate in as dangerous and obnoxious an ayre as any whatsoever yet this holy Apostle though he was called from them and distracted with the cares of other Churches yet he was never Nonresident in heart 2 Cor. 12.15 I will very gladly spend and be spent for you though the more I love you the lesse I am beloved There is a great deale of prodigality in the Greeke it is as our Anselme expounds it Vit on meam fotritus meos fanguinem meum effundam exhauriam pro vobis I would very gladly shed my bloud lay downe my life