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	truth_n	15,566	5	5.7471	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43623	The horrid sin of man-catching, explained in a sermon upon Jer. 5, 25, 26 preach'd at Colchester, July 10, 1681 / by Edmond Hickeringill ...	Hickeringill, Edmund, 1631-1708.	1681 (1681)	Wing H1811; ESTC R32965	25,824	42

I defranded whom have I oppressed or of whose hand have I received any Bribe to blind mine Eyes therewith And I will restore it you And they said Thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us neither hast thou taken ought of any Man's Hand And he said unto them The Lord is Witness against you and his Anointed is Witness this day that ye have not found ought in my hands And they answered he is Witness What care was here to get a publick and general Acquittance that he had not exercised Arbitrary Government Injustice Fraud or Oppression before he left his place Is not this better than to be turned out for these Crimes and become the common odium and object of the People's Hatred and just Indignation besides the stings and stigmatizings of a gauled and wounded Conscience And therefore you that are Magistrates have a fair Example here as well as fair warning against all Injustice Fraud Oppression and Wrong or countenancing and abetting all unjust or Sham-Prosecutions plotted by wicked Men that make no Conscience of a thousand Oaths and yet can ensnare and catch Men by virtue of one Oath to the ruine of Life Liberty Estate and Posterity Seek Judgment relieve the Oppressed judg the Fatherless plead for the Widow What though these Catch-Poles or Catch-Men say as their Brethren did Psal 12.4 With our Tongue will we prevail our Lips are our own Who is Lord over us And yet this lawless Wretch is described two Psalms before to be one whose Mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud under his Tongue is Mischief and Vanity Heb. Iniquity He sitteth in the lurking places of the Villages in the secret places doth he murther the Innocent his Eyes are privily set against the Poor He lyeth in wait secretly as a Lion in his Den he lyeth in wait to catch the Poor when he draweth him into his Net He croucheth and humbleth himself that the Poor may fall by his strong ones He hath said in his Heart God hath forgotten he hideth his Face he will never see it Arise O Lord O God lift up thine hand forget not the Humble Heb. humbled or afflicted And God heard this Prayer for Psal 12 5. we read For the oppression of the Poor for the sighing of the Needy now will I arise faith the Lord I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him Heb. Him that would ensnare him Though I had not read it to you this Morning in the second Lesson so fresh in your Memories yet there are few of you but know that there was a Plot a horrid Plot and Conspiracy by the Chief Priests and Scribes against our blessed Redeemer's Life and willing enough they were to kill him but they feared the People Wherefore they resolved he should suffer by the Law of the Land for Treason in perverting the Nation and forbidding to give Tribute to Caesar c. But how shall they prove the Indictment Why that 's the easiest thing in the World it is but looking out and they are always at Hand some Knights of the Post some false Affidavit-Men Catch-Poles and false Evidence and the Sham-Plot is perfected the Indictment prov'd and the business done Therefore all heads to work especially the Chief-Priests they must be in at a dead lift and Elders and all the Counsel sought false Witness against Jesus to put him to Death But found none yea though many false Witnesses came yet found they none That was hard but at the last came two false Witnesses And these did the Business for which they came for which they were hired and they were Caesar's Evidence and swore for Caesar and swore the Matter home And these Catchers carried the Cause against the greatest Innocence Mighty glad no doubt were the Chief Priests and Elders and Counsel and mightily caressed and much made of were these two Sham-Evidences and false Witnesses that swore home especially after the former false Witnesses miscarried in the attempt as not having got their Lesson sufficiently by Heart They had need be Men of Cunning and Ability that can swear thorow-stitch and cleaverly mixing some Truth and probable Circumstances amongst many and amongst the main-Lie There is art in daubing From a Lion a Tyger a Wolf or a Serpent we may make some Defence and Provision but this kind of Snake is Anguis in Herbâ no Fore-sight no Caution no Prudence no Innocency can defend from the sting of this forked venemous and murdering Tongue except a Man abandon all Society with Mankind 'T is true Men may keep these Snakes and but perhaps neither out of their Bed-Chambers scarcely out of their Houses however not out of Publick Houses Churches Courts of Judicature Exchanges and Publick Assemblies so that if they can but bring good proof for the Circumstances as that they were at such a time in such a Church Assembly Exchange Publick Meeting in Court City or Country let them alone to witness what they heard there These I say are the great Plague the none-such Pests of all Society the common-Nusance no former Age that I read of can parallel ours for improvement of Vice and Mischief What Block-heads were the French-Men's Ancestors in the Art of Poysoning in comparison of the present Skill and Dexterity What Block-heads were the Irish the native Irish in all Arts and Mysteries imaginable in former Ages But now how ingenious though some of them are but Bunglers still and enough to destroy a neat well laid and well contriv'd Plot in the Management for want of Skill in a subtile Intrigue But time and good Tutors may improve them if there be first a willing mind Tell not me of Conscience and Religion when Men make it a matter of Conscience and Religion to catch Men by false Oaths and so cut their Throats Will you call this Religion and an acceptable day to the Lord Is not this the Religion that I have chosen to loose the bands of Wickedness to undo the heavy Burden and to let the Oppressed go free and that ye break every Yoak Thus have I entertained you an Hour with my Meditations not without some reluctancy I profess for I design'd not 'till this Morning to preach upon my former Text having the last Lords Day left it abruptly for want of time but I could not fix my Meditations nor Heart upon any other Text than this I am no Enthusiast to fancy that every conceit of mine or warmth of Thought is an impulse of the Holy Ghost nor yet such a Libertine as to neglect all observation of the secret and vehement Impulses of God's Spirit and his holy Communion with our Spirits And I have often experimentally found at other times upon the like short previous Premeditation the good success thereof upon the Auditory hoping and praying that what in this Sermon wants of mine or Man's Abilities may be supplyed by that Holy Spirit that best teacheth us to profit

but the Springs themselves were dryed up and many Cattel every where dyed for want of Waters which are the good things mentioned in the Text the good things that God withdrew and withheld from the People for their Sins their crying Sin And what in the 2d place was that crying Sin The Text tells us It was the Sin of ensnaring lying in wait and at catch as he that setteth Snares to catch not Wild-Beasts but Men Honest Men Innocent Men. And that we may the better understand the horrid nature of this Sin of ensnaring Men or catching Men in the Text Let us consider 1. What and who are these Men-Catchers 2. Of what these Men-Catchers make their Snares 3. How and where they lay their Snares 4. What is usually the Effect and Issue of this ensnaring and catching of Men 1. What and who are these Men-catchers Some have thought by these Words of the Text among my People are found wicked Men that set Snares and catch Men are meant Catch-Poles Bum's Spirits so called from their spiriting Men by catching them and selling and delivering them to Thraldom and Bondage Villains to be sure But these of the Text are Villains of a far deeper dye Scarlet-Rogues Rogues upon Record upon the greatest the truest and most antient Record the Record of Holy-Writ Writ These Men-catchers being called in the Text by the Spirit of God that miscall's none and never is guilty of any misnosmer wicked Men or as the Original imports Rogues in Grain Committing the greatest Villanies under Colour of Truth and Law that Rob the Poor or Innocent because he is Poor or Innocent and oppress the afflicted in the Gate that is in Courts of Judicature which were then kept in the Gate-House or Gate of the chief Cities in Israel That commit the greatest Rapacities Murders and Injustice under the umbrage pretence and colour of Law and Justice Wo be to them saith the Prophet that devise or Plot Iniquity and work evil upon their Beds when the Morning is light they practise it because it is in the power of their Hand And if Naboth have a good Vineyard no wonder if he be indicted of Treason in slandering or blaspheming God and the King And two Sons of Belial procured by that Woman Jezebel to swear to the Indictment if Jezebel or Ahab long for the pleasant Vineyard Wo be to such saith the Prophet that covet Fields and take them by violence and Houses and take them away so they oppress a Man and his House even a Man and his Heritage This Sin of oppressing Men or catching Men in Snares by false Witnesses is that crying Sin that brings God's heavy Judgments upon a Nation that made him to withhold the former and the latter Rain in its Season that always ruins a Kingdom at least it brings ruine at length upon the Oppressors upon such Jezebel's upon Ahab's for so it follows in the Prophet Micah Therefore thus saith the Lord Behold against this Family do I devise an evil from which ye shall not remove your Necks No no Jezebel's Neck was broke out of a Window presently after that Sin of Murder and Oppression under colour of Law she did not long enjoy the Fruits of her Subornation of Perjury but was thrown to the Dogs For it is God's Truth That He that oppresseth the Poor to increase his Riches and he that giveth to the Rich shall surely come to want For Oppression and Robbery are so near of kin that the Spirit of God puts them together and makes them signify the same thing and the same Men Only the Oppressor robs by Law the Robber robs against Law the Oppressor robs in the Gate under colour of Law the Robber robs on the Kings High-Way in desiance of Law both of them always or at least most commonly come to an ill end But these latter are little Retail-Rogues in respect of the former that rob safely they think and by whole-sale and brought God's heavy Judgment of Drought and Dearth upon the Nation of Israel in the Text. For a High-way-Man lyes at catch but for a small parcel of Money but these like the Grave swallow all the good the bad Life Liberty Estate Family and Posterity root and branch in one day I mean such as are Trepanners or Countenancers of them Sham-Evidence False Witnesses whose Tongues can swear and unswear whose Tongues perhaps have cut the Throats of many a poor Innocent already and still want more work more work Men of no Honour no Honesty no Religion except of that notorious and bloody Religion that is worse than no Religion you may have more Truth more Kindness more Fidelity fairer quarter from Insidels I know it than from such Bigotted-Catholicks that think it is Religion and pleasing to God to cut Men's Throats Which yet they do not they dare not do always in the down-right Godfrey-way of murdering that has and may prove dangerous no the Devil is crafty and his Agents and Emissaries can improve in Wit as well as Malice They shall do the Feat lay their Snares catch Men not in the Night and be hang'd but at Noon-day and by Law not with cruel hands but a way worth two on 't with venemous Tongues Tongues of a Serpent the Poyson of Asps is under their Lips they kill sure no Law can hinder them nay they 'll make the Law Pimp to them and assist them in the Assassinate And that by false Oaths false Tongues swearing pro and con as if those that will swear you twenty Oaths in an hour for God-have-Mercy will scruple at one Oath for Money and to have all their other Oaths and Sins pardoned into the Bargain Atheism Blasphemy and Bigottism is now so epidemical and common that therefore the wary Hollanders in their Courts of Judicature pump out the Truth not by Oath but cross and sudden Interrogatories in which by use their Judges are as dextrous as happy But by False Oaths wicked Men can do the Business do their own Business get Rewards for catching innocent Men and not always though sometimes the Gallows also for their Pains in setting Snares to catch Men. These are the Men that can also do any Man's Business how innocent soever of these the Prophet David had Experience woful Experience though he was a Man for Integrity after God's own Heart And the good Man was at his Wits end almost and knew not well how to deal with these Men-catchers and therefore puts the question as if he knew not how to resolve it Saying What shall be given unto thee or what shall be done unto thee thou false Tongue As if he should say How should I stop thy Mouth thou false Tongue answering in the next Verse sharp Arrows of the Mighty with Coals of Juniper as if he should say Except the Mighty God with Coals of Juniper the hottest Coals stop the Mouth of these slanderous Tongues by his