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	scripture_n	19,615	5	6.1818	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66483	Mnemonica, or, The art of memory drained out of the pure fountains of art & nature, digested into three books : also a physical treatise of cherishing natural memory, diligently collected out of divers learned mens writings / by John Willis.; Mnemonica, sive, Reminiscendi ars. English. 1661	Willis, John, d. 1628?; Sowerby, Leonard.	1661 (1661)	Wing W2812; ESTC R24570	62,111	192

other most skilful Physicians Philosophers Anatomists Herbarists to frequent publick Lectures but also to be present at Dissections and to gather Herbs with their own hands that they may never after forget what their eyes have once seen I perswade the same thing in this Book form a lively Idea of that thing which you desire to remember with an imagination so strong as if you did see it indeed For even as an ember almost dead is resuscitated by application of a Match and breaketh forth into a flame So a Notion languishing of it self by mental conspection of its Idea is vivified and reassumeth strength Seeing all understanding is deduced from external sence it doth consequently follow that intelligible things reduced to sensible will sooner inform the understanding Hence the Holy Ghost submitting himself to humane capacity doth oftentimes in Scripture attribute corporeal members and external sences to God himselfe and to invisible Spirits Because we do better understand the nature of such things veiled in that manner with sensible things I omit the Imaginative faculty is so called of framing Idea's or Images in the Brain As also that Intellect is said to be derived ab interna lectione Idearum from internal election of Idea's retained in Memory Memory so far as it is strictly taken for the common receptacle of Memorandums is meerly passive and doth retain and conserve imaginary Notions transmitted thereunto by the understanding in the same manner as Paper preserveth words written therein As it is the office of a Scribe not of Paper to write and read things written so to dispose Idea's in Memory and aptlp to use them is the work of Understanding not of Memory Why are there any memorable monuments extant as it were truly visible Idea's by which the memory of things past are committed to posterity Thus the Funeral Pile of Semiramis and the Columns of Hercules have preserved the memory of them both in succeeding ages Thus in sacred story we read that twelve Stones were reared in the River Jordan for a lasting monument of the Israelites passage Josh 4.9 Also that a great stone was placed under an Oak in memory of the peoples Covenant with God Josh 24.27 Why else were Sacraments ordained by God but as visible Idea's of invisible things whereby he admonisheth us too forgetful of his benesits Lastly it is a common thing even amongst illiterate and ignorant men to remember things by Idea's One being to keep in mind the name of a certain man called Fisher to imprint this name deeper in memory thinketh of a Fisherman placing his Nets Another having some business committed to his care which he feareth to forget bindeth a Ribbon or Thred about his little finger by sight of which visible Idea he is admonished of his charge Whence it is apparent that the excogitation of Idea's to fix things in memory is in some sort natural seing Nature it self hath taught men destitute of Learning to use the same Now there onely remaineth Answers to Objections by which the Adversaries of this Art indeavour to obumbrate the lustre and diminish the credit thereof First they object that the faculty of Natural Memory and Ingenuity by use of this Art is unmeasurably impaired for such Authors as have treated of this Art do usually prescribe provision of a multitude of Places wherein occurring Idea's of Memorandums may be distributed to remain alwaies with a weekly or at least monthly perusal or over-looking of them all least at any time they should be forgotten which is certainly a transcendent labour and must needs dull the edge of humane understanding To which I answer I am of the same opinion to wit that if any man indeavour to retain all things he desireth to remember by Places and Idea's to be reviewed once a month he undertaketh a work that would weary the dullest witted men much more ingenious persons who loath nothing more then frequent meditation of things formerly learned It is also unnecessary because writing of things worthy memory in books is much easier more certain and readier for use The way of Memory I prescribe 〈◊〉 onely to preserve things lately heard read or invented until they may be transcribed that the mind sinking under this burthen may be relieved as speedily as may be Moreaver it is certain that the virtue of natural Memory is very much corroborated by this way of Remembring proposed in this book For the mind being daily accustomed to Revocation of sentences slipped out of Memory and that of thy a word or two is more enabled in discharge of its office then is credible to one unexperienced whereby also wit is more and more exacuated Neither have I used any principles in this Art prejudicial to the faculty of Memory but do rather admonish you not to use them least they procure great damage to your natural Memory Secondly they say it is a great trouble in the Roposition of one Idea to enter upon two or three considerations I answer that they which speak Latine observe a manifold construction of words yet do readily pronounce each word in its case gender number person and tense without study nor is the Memory thereby any way confounded because they are frequently conversant in practice of Grammar rules In like manner when all the rules of the Art of Memory are exactly known it will not be difficult to attire all Idea's with their proper circumstances If any man blame or accuse me as dissenting from Logicians who affirm that any thing may be kept in memory by help of Logical method he is much mistaken for it is evident they speak onely of long speeches But no sober man did ever ascertain that method was sufficient to remember common businesses words phrases numbers and particular sentences all which things are faithfully kept in memory by Idea's aptly disposed The dignity of method reserved which I acknowledged to be very great it cannot be denied but the very method of a long Oration partly forgotten may be recalled to mind by the order of disposed Idea's But some may say it is a fantastical business to be imploied in excogitating and composing toyes and therefore this is not worthy to be called an Art which is occupied in such trifles How I pray is the Art of Memory wholly fantastical when it is onely busied in framing phancies whereby phantasie is aided to serve the memory more faithfully That this is an Art I prove thus Reason and Memory are distinct faculties of the mind though not divided asunder Therefore if there be any Art to inform Reason as such is Logick why not also an Art to inform Memory as this is Lastly if any man ask what cause moved me to divulge this Art my answer is that having diligently read over all the books I could procure of this Art and bestowed much labour with great loss of time besides great defatigation of mind in practising other mens precepts when I perceived some things impious obscure and superfluous