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	heart_n	word_n	8,179	5	4.0825	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69765	Some reflections on that part of a book called Amyntor, or, The defence of Milton's life, which relates to the writings of the primitive fathers and the canon of the New Testament in a letter to a friend.	Clarke, Samuel, 1675-1729.	1699 (1699)	Wing C4560A; ESTC R15286	14,145	50

majus aliquid homine in C●r●sto agnovisse hoc quidem tempore constanter nec sine magnis argumentis negant Scriptores antiqui Grot. in Mat. 4.3 Grotius not without good Grounds denied the Devil to have known any thing at first of the great Mystery of the Incarnation will not for this passage condemn Ignati us of Ignorance 3. The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippiaus is a very valuable Monument of Antiquity containing nothing in it unworthy the Character of so great a Father * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Hist l 4. c. 14. ex Irenaeo Irenaeus calls it a most compleat Epistle out of which they that are careful of their own Salvation may learn what was the Belief of that Apostolical Man and what the form of sound Doctrine which he delivered in his Preaching 4. The Pastor of Hermas is a Book full of very excellent Moral Instructions delivered for the the most part in easie and natural Similitudes and these also explained at large to the apprehension of the meanest capacities For which reason though it was not received into the Canon of Scripture yet as Eusebius testifies it * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Hist l. 4. c. 3. was judged by the Ancients a most necessary Book especially for those who were to be instructed in the first Principles of Religion and was therefore accordingly read in Churches And Origen who was far from being an ignorant Man judges it to be a * In Rom. 16 14. most useful Book But Mr. T. saith it is the silliest Book in the World Why he should think so I cannot apprehend unless it be because there are here and there some few odd Passages scattered in it very different from our modern way of Writing which perhaps he can single out and expose And so there is hardly any Book extant in the World which a witty Man may not turn into ridicule All the Objections which I think have been hitherto made to this Book are these That * Libri fabulosi sunt in quibus contra Apostolicum consensum adstruitur Liberum Arbitrium una Paenitentia Solitudo Monastica quod memoratu dignum purgatorium ab anu quâdam in visione tertiâ prosertui Scultetus de Script Apoch it contains fabulous Visions That it makes too much for Free-will That it assigns to every Man two Angels That it favours the Novations in allowing but one Repentance That it favours Monkish Solitude and that it speaks of Purgatory The three first of these Objections we shall consider immediately But the three latter are so directly false that one would wonder how prejudice could possibly be so strong as to make Men see in any Author those things of which there is not the least syllable or hint in the whole Book That the Visions contained in it are fabulous we ought not to say unless we be sure either that God never afforded any Visions to the first Christians or that these Visions have some particular Circumstances which prove that they could not come from God But if it were so yet taking that which is used in this Book to be no other than a Parabolical way of Writing wherein the Church is introduced as representing its own Doctrine and Discipline to a Person in a Vision it ought not to be stiled fabulous any more than * Parable of the Pilgrim of the Prodigal c. other Books of that kind which are written in our Age. That maintaining the freedom of Mans Will in the sense that Hermas asserts it is a good Objection against a Book I suppose neither Mr. T. nor any Man else at this time of day will contend That Hermas assigns to every particular Man two Angels if the Titles of the Chapters were of any Authority could not indeed be questioned But in the Book it self there is no such thing expresly affirmed All that the Author there says is only in general That * Duo sunt nuntii cum homine unus aequitatis unus iniquitatis Mandat 6. there are two Angels with Man one of Righteousness the other of Iniquity and that when good thoughts arise in a Mans heart then the Angel of Righteousness that is some good spirit is with him and when evil thoughts arise in his heart then the Angel of Iniquity that is some evil spirit tempts him Which perhaps is no more than what all Christians believe So that Cotel●rius in his Notes upon the place might have spared the pains of proving other Fathers to have been of the same opinion with Hermas till he had shown that these words do necessarily signifie that Hermas himself was of that Opinion That Hermas by allowing but One Repentance for great and scandalous Crimes favours the Novatians whose Heresie consisted in allowing no other Repentance at all than that of Baptism is so far from being true that he in express words opposes his One Repentance to Baptism and says more for the validity and efficacy of that after-Repentance for Crimes committed by Baptized Christians in this one little Book than perhaps is to be found in all the other Wrirers of the three first Centuries put together insomuch that Tertullian after he turned Montanist and had embraced the Opinion of the Novatians * Cederem tibi si scriptvra Pastoris quae sola maechos amat non ab omni concilio Ecclesiarum inter Apocrypha falsa judicaretur adultera ipsa inde patrona sociorum De Pudicitia exclaims with all imaginable bitterness against this Book for that very reason because it was more favourable than any other Book then extant in allowing Repentance to Adulterers after Baptism which the Novatians denied That this Book favours Monkish Solitude is also so far from being true that on the contrary it even expresly allows † Mandat 4. Second Marriages which was more than most Writers of that Age were willing to do Lastly So far is this Writer from establishing the Doctrine of Purgatory that there is not one syllable about it in the whole Book All the places where he speaks of Mens undertaking many hardships and so purging themselves from their sins being as plainly meant of the Penances to be gone through according to the then established Discipline of the Church as 't is possible for any thing to be expressed by words 5. The Epistle of Barnabas was very much esteemed among the Antients And though it must indeed be confessed that it contains some very strange and allegorical Interpretations of Scrigture yet he that considers how much that manner of Interpretation was antiently in use among the Jews in their Targums and how many important truths were that way conveyed so that the Apostles themselves in their arguing with the Jews did often make use of it as we see in their uncontroverted Writings I say whosoever considers these things will rather chuse modestly to suspend his Judgment than rashly to upbraid this Author with the Terms of foolish and