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	temple_n	7,031	5	7.9574	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61664	An essay on a question relating to divine worship viz. whether it be contrary to the apostolical laws of decency and reverence for a man to have his head covered in the time and place of Gods solemn publick worship? : aff. / by Samuel Stoddon ...	Stoddon, Samuel.	1682 (1682)	Wing S5712; ESTC R34621	48,463	62

aptly expressive of it is both profitable and acceptable The case is the same as that of St. James between Faith and Works either being alone is dead and unprofitable that is where both are requir'd but in conjunction they are amiable and absolutely necessary to the right performance of the duty 3. If it be unnecessary because a bodily exercise then all bodily exercise must be condemn'd by the same Law as unnecessary in the Worship of God The giving of Alms the visiting the Sick the going to hear the using of the voice in Prayer Preaching Singing Hearing Reading Conference and the like or the bowing the knee before God and many other things are all but bodily exercises and if therefore unnecessary this will at once throw all the visible worship of a Deity out of the world and turn it into meer Atheism But 4. God hath required us to glorifie him with our bodies as well as with our Spirits 1 Cor. 6.20 and on this account because both are Gods both are his and by both he will be worshipped Nay our bodies as well as our souls are the members of Christ ver 15. and the Temple of the Holy Ghost ver 19. therefore it were very impious to deny him the Worship of both But this is more than enough for so triffing an Objection Ob. 4. Others there be that will allow it to be necessary by the Rules of Decency and Reverence to be uncovered in prayer and in singing and perhaps in reading of the Scriptures too but not in preaching And their reason is because in preaching we have not the pure word of God but mixt with mens own private opinions and improvements Ans 1. The truth is I cannot but blush to look upon the wickedness of this Argument and the more that any men of sobriety and learning should own it It 's a sign the cause is bad when such poor shifts are made to uphold it But 2. As for the venting of mens private opinions in their preaching I answer thus 1. So they may and often do in their praying too and yet it seems the Argument will not be allowed in that Ordinance though the reason of the Argument be the same 2. Either those private opinions which they vent are true or false if they are true then are they one where or other expresly or consequentially contain'd in the Scriptures and so are a part of the sense of Scripture and the very mind and will of God though it may be impertinently applied If they be false they ought to be reproved and disciplin'd according as such errors do deserve But it is an hard case if there be no other way to correct anothers impertinencies or extravagancies but by our own irreverence and indecencies 3. I would know what other reason can be given why men should be uncovered in time of praying or singing c. but this because it is the Ordinance of God whose Worship we are bound to reverence both with body and soul If this be not the reason I would fain learn what it is And if so I would as willingly understand by what Rule in Divinity it is found that preaching is not altogether as much Gods Ordinance as praying or singing or any other For my own part I ever took Preaching to be the great Ordinance of the Gospel for I never heard that Christ sent forth his Apostles to sing or to pray though these indeed be included as parts of his Worship but always sent expresly to preach the Denomination of their office being taken a Majori Now if one Ordinance be to be reverenced because it is sacredly instituted shall onother which is more expresly instituted be prophaned as unholy In prayer and singing we speak to God or of God in Preaching God speaks to us is there not as great a Reverence due when God speaks to us as when we speak to him Shall I speak to my Prince uncovered but as soon as my tale is out clap on my Hat while he speaks to me as if I owed the honour to my own words not to his Methinks the bare mention of such unavoidable absurdities should be enough to make the frivilous Objectors blush 4. It seems very strange and audacious that Preaching should be excluded while the Apostle himself hath expresly joyn'd it with Praying I wonder out of what arbitrary Court this Bill of divorce first issued for the putting asunder what God had joyned together or how it came to pass that prophesying hath so forfeited its Honour What hath Preaching done that the Greeks scorn it as foolishness and babling The Jews look on it as a stumbling-block and Christians themselves so degrade it and rob it of its due Reverence and respect what hath preaching done to deserve this Why it hath beaten down the strong holds of the Devil in the World and erected the Kingdom and Scepter of the Lord Jesus Christ and for this will the Devil be reveng'd on it as he is able because he cannot banish it out of the World he will pour what contempt he can upon it But it is sad that such as call themselves Professors should be his Instruments in so cursed a Design Ob. 5. Others it seems argue after this fashion This uncovering of the head in Divine Worship is a thing that hath been so abus'd and rested in by a company of dead Formalists and so zealously affected by such as dote on foolish and superstitious Ceremonies that to shew our dislike of their ways we think it expedient to act contrary to them in this thing also and not to symbolize with their Superstitions Ans Had I not heard it from some that pretended to sobriety I could not have expected such an Objection from any but a mad-man For 1. By this Rule we must cast off every thing that belongs to the external Worship of God yea and the Worship it self too because it hath been abused by such as are formal and superstitious To argue the unlawfulness or inexpediency of a thing from the abuse of it would make mad work in the world for what good thing is there that hath not been by some or other abused 2. As for such things as are of our own device and appointment in the Worship of God for the more orderly and profitable performance of it if any thing of that nature in length of time come to be generally abused and lose their first end and use and cannot be restored to their true intention and service it is expedient to lay them aside and to supply the defect by that which is more proper to reach the good end and by this measure all humane institutions ought to be dealt with But the matter in question is no Humane but a Divine institution and that express therefore he that will cut this off from the publick Worship of God had need first to cut it out of his Bible 3. To rest in the bare external and outward Ceremonies of Worship is gross