Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	good_a	grace_n	lord_n	7,245	5	3.6848	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34480	Jura cleri, or, An apology for the rights of the long-despised clergy proving out of antient and modern records that the conferring of revenues, honours, titles, priviledges, and jurisdiction upon ecclesiasticks is consistent with Scripture, agreeable to the purest primitive times, and justified by the vsance and practce of all nations / by Philo-Basileus Philo-Clerus.	Philo-Basileus Philo-Clerus.	1661 (1661)	Wing C612; ESTC R23895	70,115	98

whole which I shall have more occasion to speak to in the following Chapter yet I am half afraid that the ignorant Superstition of our bountifull Ancestors will find more favour in the great day of reckoning then the knowing Sacriledge of their Penurious Posterity I confesse 't is matter of wonder to me that any enuious eye should repine at the large Revenues of the Church which the Liberality and Magnificence of Princes and other Benefactors have bestowed upon it Did their Purses pay for it there might be some reason for murmuring but when none are oppressed none injured many thousand Tenants gratified by good Leases and the hungry bellies of the poor relieved by the full Tables of Ecclesiasticks it speaks an unworthy sordid spirit to deny others Liberty to exercise that Charity which their covetuousnesse will not permit Who will grudg them a plentiful maintenance that freely receiving freely give But some insist much upon the poverty of Christ and his Apostles which they very zealously commend as a pattern for Preachers of the Gospel exempting all other orders of men and priviledging them from this strictnesse Excellent Doctrine which allows so fair a liberty to the generality of Professors as not concerned to imitate this grand Exemplar nor observe his rigorous Injunctions of leaving all and following him But may it not as rationally be concluded if his life respected no other then those that immediatly attend his Worship his precepts reach no other that no other shall receive benefit by his Death no other be saved by him Though this consequence will hardly be granted which yet undeniably follows from the Premises Indeed we have a Command Luk. 9. that the Disciples should possesse neither gold nor silver no mony in their Purses not two coats neither shooes So that if the Letter must be stuck to why are not all Preachers by vertue of this injoyned to go naked and barefoot May we not therefore safely believe that many of these Precepts were onely Personal and Temporary as that Go not into the way of the Gentiles but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and salute no man which all but the Quaking Principles acknowledge to be no longer binding If then there be any force in those Allegations they equally belong to all that have given up their names to Christ and cannot be restrained to the Clergy alone for if want and poverty were to be their continued portion t was madness in St. Paul to require them to be lovers of Hospitality Tit. 1.8 which they can exercise only in good wishes Again is there no difference between the Apostles and us that their practise is so much urged They had such immediate assistance that there was no need of study for their Preaching whereby they had leasure enough to fish and make Tents for a livelihood but Ours are forced to pore upon Books to meditate write and all hardly sufficient to search out the deep mysteries which cost them no pains the Spirit supplying the place of all Now to make amends for those Extraordinary Qualifications and abundant measure of Spiritual Graces wherewith they were furnisht above us it hath pleased the Lord of the Harvest in these later daies to raise up Christian Magistrates to assist and encourage his Labourers and appoint them a more setled plentiful allowance Others mutter that Affluence is a great Temptation and exposes them to Pride and Luxury For this let experience judge whether many times Diogenes prove not more supercilious then Plato there be not as much insolence under a Freeze-Jerkin as a Velvet Jippo a Geneva Rocket as an Episcopal Cassock Nay there are some Scores will be ready to depose that within these few years they saw as little Humility and as much Voluptuousnesse in some ordinary Heads of Colledges and Pastours of Congregations caeteris paribus as ever was charged upon the late Arch-Bishop of Canterbury or any that enjoyed the fat See of Winchester Let not any one mistake me as a Patron of idlenesse or an Advocate for the Luxury of spiritual persons God and my Conscience bear me witnesse how much I abominate such a thought all my fear is that beggery and the sordid competency which some men talk of and project is the readiest way to usher in Atheism and Prophanenesse For poverty of Preachers brings them into contempt and when once men begin there the next step is to despise * Spotswood in Congullus Religion it self Insomuch that it may confidently be affirmed there is nothing more dishonourable to the Gospel or disadvantageous to the happy progresse of it then the low condition of its publishers Perfection is not here to be expected the holiest men are still flesh and blond and do we not every hour see it before our eyes how much want depresses the spirit and cools zeal A poor Preacher that has a large Family to maintain will hardly take the courage to reprove a bosome vice in his Lordly Patron and dissolute Parishioners if he lives upon their Trenchers and must stand to their allowance many faults must be winked at and a fair construction put upon foul miscarriages But when able parts an upright conversation and suitable revenues meet that a Pastour can as well give as receive courtesies and not depend upon the Benevolence of his people with what authority can such a man deliver himself his Doctrine is imbraced as an Oracle for as one notes t is an errour that will never be beaten out of the pates of the Vulgar who imagine wisdom alwaies to go hand in hand with Riches and Power and t is a complaint as old as Solomon that the poor wise man with all his wisdom is despised Eccl. 9.15 May it not then justly be feared that poverty of the Clergy will beget a dull and stupid irreverence in the minds of ordinary persons Majestie it self being apt to be slighted and trampled upon when destitute of its accustomed state and our Judges find there 's nothing does so much purchase them the Cap and Knee of the trembling multitude as their Robes Pomp and Grandeur Sure I am t is one of the greatest scandals to the Papist to see the Magnificence and Splendour of their Prelates and the meannesse I had almost said beggary of some of ours And though the power of Religion does not consist in these externals yet something must be allowed to Christian Prudence which may well suggest this seasonable advice to our Governours to restore God his own who gave Caesar his Hieronym de Cevallos is my Author that if a true estimate were made of all the Spanish Territories 't would be found the Ecclesiasticks possest near as much if not more then the Seculars * Relat. Vniv L. 1. p. 4. Brerewood Enq. Sands Eur. Spec. Boterus goes a step farther who has a conceit That for the Reverence and Wealth this nation bestowed upon the Clergy God gave them the Indian Mines And their vast Demeasnes in Germany

that they may not grow proud A hopefull design and like well to doe the work when we see Servus Servorum Dei under the disguise of this lowliness take more upon him then Majesty it self making euen Emperours kisse his Toe and hold his Stirrup But the spirit of God is not sparing in asserting their just rights and he might have done well to forbear if there had been any such danger of puffing them up they are styled the Lords Messengers Hag. 1.13 Coworkers with God 1 Cor. 3.6 Embassadours of God 2 Cor. 5.20 Nor is any thing more common then to entitle them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 5.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 13.7.24 appellations of honour given every where to Secular Dignity and cannot be rendred into any vulgar language without borrowing from the Civil Nay let me speake it with reverence never did Court-flattery atribute more swelling names to the proudest Potentate on earth then the scripture does to Preachers of the Gospel styling them Angels and Starres Rev. 1. Light of the world 1 Cor. 11. and higher then which t is impossible to go Gods St. John 10.34 And Hierom notes that when St. Paul tearmes himself the Apostle of Jesus Christ he speakes as loftily as if he said Praefectus Praetorio August Caesar Lord cheif Justice of Augustus Magister exercitus Tiberii Caes Generall of Tiberius Armies So that here I can not but complain with the learned Mede of the Title Minister as very incommodious and improper for the Preachers of the Gospel begetting an erroneous conceit in the vulgar as if they were their servants who may more truely be called their Masters to teach them and this is farther promoted by those who in their common discourse use the language of serving such or such a Cure But is it not a Solecisme to call the shepherd the Sheepes Minister or servant To prevent this he rather recommends the word Priest being only the Evangelical Presbyter contracted or if the long engrossing of that by the Papists have made it odious to nice eares let Presbyter in the full sound be retained a word as soon and as easily understood as Minister But t is a difficult task to alter so rooted a custom and we may sooner suggest what is expedient to be done then find out a way to Reform it Though it neerly concerns the Clergy in such an Age as this to be cautious that they give not the least occasion which may contribute to their own debasing I am not good at Heraldry and therefore shall not take upon me to blazon the several Coats belonging to spiritual Dignities Only I cannot but remark that the Canon Law calls Patriarchs Super-Illustres Arch-Bish Illustres Bishops Spectabiles Doctors Clarissimos Nay Chastanaeus proves out of the Clementines that the Title of Serenissimus belongs to the Bishop But I shall not follow the wild extravagancies of these men whose sordid flattery giving too much to the Clergy has made others unwilling to give any at all at least not their Due Let us passe on to those we can better rely upon Leo Africanus assures us that the Moores call many of their Ecclesiasticks Scriphs i. e. Noblemen The Hebrews had no higher name then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speak Honour and respect frequently applyed to God himself to Kings and Princes both of their own and other Nations the Philistine Lords being called by it Josh 13. yet you find Obadiah Controller of the Kings Family and one that feared God accosting the poor Prophet Elijah in that Language 1. King 18.7 and his servant Elisha saluted with the same appellation 2. King 2. The most Honourable name the Greeks had was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet how familiar is this in the New Testament and if Antiquity may come in to explain it there are no expressions more frequent to writers both of the first and middle ages concerning Bishops then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which if a man should render most holy and Honoured Masters t would hardly consist with the State attributed to them even in those early daies where the Consecration of a Bishop is styled sitting on a Throne Now the Modesty of the Ancients did receive these Titles of Honour without stain of pride or blemish to their Humility having Christ for their pattern who approves his Disciples calling him Lord and Master Gospel meeknesse may well stand with an Honorable Title and no wise man will be puft up with an aery sound T is the affecting of it then that Christ condemns when he forbids any to call his Disciples Master Mat. 23. otherwise if the letter be urged all of us must turn Quakers and shake hands with civility Honour those that are over you Phil. 2. and what lesse honour then in a word Now does God command and shall we scruple to give it and censure them that receive it What Barbarous impiety is it to set so low a rate upon Learning and Religion make them so servile that no Appellation of Reverence or esteem must be given the Professours of them Is it for the honour of England to grudge a small title to the Pastours of Souls which all the Governours of our Bodies and Estates enjoy without regret which any common Artizan that can but scrape together a little wealth and is promoted to Office is saluted with and we saw of late was given to Brewers and Coblers c. Is it for the Honour of England to court and respect the Embassadours of men and to slight those that represent the person of Christ and rank them with the basest Peasants Nor is this due to their persons only for let them be never so vicious their Professions may challenge it For Jesus Christ saith Cyprian L. 3. Ep. 19. yielded honour unto the Priests of the Jews though they retained neither the fear of God nor knowledge of him teaching us lawfully and fully to honour true Priests by his behaviour unto false And Chrysostom speaks roundly Hom. 2. in Ep. 2. ad Tim. This is the cause of all evil that the authority of Ecclesiasticall Rulers is decayed and no honour no reverence no fear yielded to them He that is religiously affected to the Priests will with greater piety reverence God and he that despiseth the Priest cometh by degrees to this that he waxeth contumelious against God himself I know many are scandalized at the Lordlinesse of our Bishops for no other reason then that it comes too near the Roman garb But is it not a piece of folly that every thing which carries with it the face of order and decency must presently be decried as superstitious and Antichristian and all that defend it charged as friends to Rome Cassandrian Grotian Papists I must professe t is my perswasion that the peevishnesse of many Reformers carried them farther from Rome then necessity required and many profitable commendable things have been disused by us because practised by them but is it charitable is it