Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	heart_n	law_n	sin_n	7,752	5	4.9628	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02497	A sermon preached at St Maries in Oxford vpon Tuesday in Easter vveeke, 1617 Concerning the abuses of obscure and difficult places of holy Scripture, and remedies against them. By Iohn Hales, Fellow of Eton Colledge, and Regius Professour of the Greeke tongue in the Vniversitie of Oxford.	Hales, John, 1584-1656.	1617 (1617)	STC 12628; ESTC S103638	21,539	44

He●od the voice of God and not of man If he then that abases the Princes come deserues to die what is his desert that insteed of the tried silver of Gods word stamps the name and character of God vpō Ne●ushtan vpon base brafen stuffe of his owne Thirdly No Scripture is of private interpretation saith the Apostle There can therfore be but two certaine and infallible interpreters of Scripture either it selfe or the holy Ghost the author of it It selfe doth then expound it selfe when the wordes circumstances doe sound vnto vs the prime and naturall and principall sense But when the place is obscure involu'd and intricate or when there is contain'd some secret and hidden mystery beyond the prime sense infallibly to shew vs this there can be no interpreter but the holy Ghost that gaue it Besides these two all other interpretation is private Wherefore as the Lords of the Philistines sometimes said of the kine that drew the arke vnto Bethshemesh If they goe of themselues then is this from God but if they goe another way then is it not from God it is some chance that hath hapned vnto vs so may it bee said of all pretended sense of Scripture If Scripture come vnto it of it selfe then is it of God but if it goe another way or if it bee violently vrged and goaded on then is it but a matter of chance of mans wit invention As for those marvailous discourses of some fram'd vpon presumption of the spirits helpe in private in iudging or interpreting of difficult places of Scripture I must needs confesse I haue often wondred at the boldnesse of them The spirit is a thing of darke secret operation the maner of it none can descrie As vnderminers are never seene till they haue wrought their purpose so the spirit is never perceaved but by its effects The effects of the spirit as farre as they concerne knowledge and instruction are not particular information for resolution in any doubtfull case for this were plainely revelation but as the Angell which was sent vnto Cornelius informes him not but sends him to Peter to schoole so the spirit teaches not but stirres vp in vs a desire to learne Desire to learne makes vs thirst after the meanes and pious sedulitie carefulnesse makes vs watchfull in the choice and diligent in the vse of our meanes The promise to the Apostles of the spirit which should lead them into all truth was made good vnto them by private and secret informing their vnderstandings with the knowledge of high and heavenly mysteries which as yet had never entred into the conceit of any man The same promise is made to vs but fulfil'd after another manner For what was written by revelation in their hearts for our instruction haue they written in their bookes To vs for information otherwise then out of these bookes the spirit speaks not Whē the spirit regenerats a mā it infuses no knowledge of any point of faith but sends him to the Church and to the Scriptures When it stirres him vp to newnesse of life it exhibits not vnto him an inventory of his sinnes as hitherto vnknowne but either supposes thē knowne in the law of nature of which no man can bee ignorant or sends him to learne them from the mouth of his teachers More then this in the ordinary proceeding of the holy spirit in matter of instruction I yet could never deserie So that to speake of the helpe of the spirit in private either in dijudicating or in interpreting of Scripture is to speake they knowe not what Which I doe the rather note first because by experience we haue learnt how apt-men are to call their private conceits the spirit And againe because it is the especiall errour with which S. Austine long agoe charged this kinde of men tantò sunt ad seditionem faciliores quantò sibi videntur spirit● excellere by so much the more prone are they to kindle schisme and contention in the Church by how much they seeme to themselues to bee endued with a more eminent measure of spirit then their brethren whilst 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St Basils speakes vnder pretense of interpretation they violently broach their owne conceits Great then is the danger in which they wade which take vpon them this businesse of interpretation temeritas asserend● incertae dubiaeque opinionis saith St Austine difficile sacrilegij crimen evitat the rashnesse of those that averre vncertaine and doubtfull interpretations for Catholike and absolute can hardly escape the sinne of sacrilege But whereas our Apostle saith their owne destruction is the destruction onely their owne this were well if it stretched no farther The ancients much complaine of this offence as an hinderer of the salvation of others There were in the daies of Isidorus Pelusiota some that gaue out that all in the old Testament was spoken of Christi belike out of extreame oppositiō to the Manichees who on the otherside taught that no text in the old Testament did foretell of Christ That Father therefore dealing with some of that opinion tels them how great the danger of their tenent is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for if saith he we striue with violence to drawe and apply those texts to Christ which apparantly pertaine not to him we shall gaine nothing but this to make all the places that are spoken of him suspected and so discredite the strength of other testimonies which the Church vsually vrges for the refutation of the Iewes For in these cases a wrosted proofe is like vnto a suborn'd witnesse It never doth helpe so much whilest it is presumed to bee strong as it doth 〈◊〉 when it is discouered to bee weake St Austine in his bookes de Genesi ad litteram sharply ●●proues some Christians who out of some places of Scripture misvnderstood fram'd vnto themselues a kinde of knowledge in Astronomie and Physiologie quite contrary vntosome parts of heathen learning in this kinde which were true and evident vnto sense A man would thinke that this were but a small errour and yet hee doubts not to call it 〈…〉 pernicios●● maxi●● cavendum His reason warrants the roundnesse of his reproofe For he charges such to haue beene a scandall vnto the word and hinderers of the conversion of some heathen men that were schollars For how saith he shall they beleeue our bookes of Scripture perswading the resurrection of the dead the kingdome of heauen and the rest of the mysteries of our profession if they finde them faultie in these things of which themselues haue vndeniable demonstration yea though the cause wee maintaine bee never so good yet the issue of diseas'd and crazie proofes brought to maintaine it must needs bee the same For vnto all causes be they never so good weakenesse of proofe when it is discovered brings great prejudice but vnto the cause of religion most of all St Austine obseru'd that there were some qui 〈◊〉 de aliquibus qui

antequam discant every one presumes much vpon his skil and therefore to be a reacher of Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Nazianzen speaks as if this great mystery of Christianitie were but some one of the common base inferior and contemptible trades I speake not this as if I envied that all even the meanest of the Lords people should prophecie but only that all kinde of men may knowe their bounds that no vnlearned beast touch the hill least hee bee thrust through with a dart It is true which we haue heard surgunt indocti rapiunt regnum coelorum they arise indeed but it is as St Paul speakes of the resurrection euery man in his owne order Scripture is giuen to all to learne but to teach and to interpret only to a few This bold intrusion therefore of the vnlearned into the chaire of the teacher is that which here with our blessed Apostle I am to reprehend Learning in generall is nothing else but the competent skill of any man in whatsoever he professes Vsual●●●●● call by this name onely our polite and Aca●● micall studies but indeed it is common to euèry one that is well skild well practised in his owne mystery The vnlearned therefore whom here our Apostle rebukes is not hee that hath not reade multiplicitie of Authors or that is not as Moses was skilfull in all the learning of the AEgyptians but he that taking vpon him to divide the word of God is yet but raw and vnexperienced or if hee haue had experience wants iudgement to make vse of it Scripture is never so vnhappy as when it falls into these mens fingers That which old Cato said of the Grecian Physicians quandocunque ista gens literas suas debit omnia corrumpet is most true of these men whensoever they shall begin to tamper with Scripture and vent in writing their raw conceits they will corrupt defile all they touch Quid enim molestiae tristitiaeque temerarij isti praesumptores c as S. Austine complaineth for what trouble and anguish theserash praesumers saith he bring vnto the diereeter sort of the brethron cannot sufficiently be exprest when being convinced of their rotten and vngrounded opinions for the maintaining of that which with great levitie and open falshood they haue averd they pretend the authoritie of these sacred books and repeat much of them even by heart as bearing witnesse to what they hold whereas indeed they doe but pronounce the words but vnderstand not either what they speake or of what things they doe affirme Belike as he that bought Orphem Harp thought it would of it selfe make admirable melodie how vnskilfully soever he toucht it so these men suppose 〈◊〉 Scripture will sound wonderfull musically if they doe but strike it with how great infelicitie or incōgruity soever it be The reason of these mens offence against Scripture is the same with the cause of their miscarriage in civill actions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Th●cydides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rude men men of little experience are commonly most peremptory but men experienced and such as haue waded in businesse are slowe of determination Quintilian making a question why vnlearned men seeme many times to he more copious then the learned for commonly such men never want matter of discourse answeres that it is because whatsoever conceit comes into their heads without care or choice they broach it cum doctis sit electio modus whereas learned men are choice in their invention and lay by much of that which offers it selfe Wise hearted men in whom the Lord hath put wisdome and vnderstanding to knowe how to worke all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary like Bezaleel and Aholiab refuse much of the stuffe which is presented them But this kinde of men whom here our Apostle notes are naturally men of bold daring spirits quicquid dixerint hoc legem Deiputant as Saint Ierome speakes whatsoever conceit is begotten in their heads the spirit of God is presently the father of it nec scire dignantur quid Prophetae quid Apostoli senserint sed ad suum sensum incongrua aptant 〈◊〉 But to leaue these men and to speake a little more home vnto mine owne auditorie Let vs a little consider not the weaknesse of these men but the greatnesse of the businesse the manage of which they vndertake So great a thing as the skill of exposition of the word Gospell is so fra●ght with multiplicitie of authors so full of varietie of opinion must needs be confest to bee a matter of great learning and that it cannot especially in our daies in short time with a mediocritie of industrie be attaind For if in the Apostles times when as yet much of Scripture was fearsly written when God wrought with men miraculously to informe their vnderstanding supplied by revelatiō what mans industrie could not yeeld if I say in these times St Paul required diligent reading expresly forbad greennesse of schollarship much more thē are these conditions required in our times wherein God doth not supply by miracle our natural defects and yet the burden of our profession is infinitely increast All that was necessary in the Apostles times is now necessary and much more For if we add vnto the growth of Christian learning as it was in the Apostles times but this one circumstance to say nothing of all the rest which naturally befals our times and could not be required at the hands of those who guided the first ages of the Church that is the knowledge of the state and succession of doctrine in the Church from time to time a thing very necessary for the determining the controversies of these our daies how great a portion of our labour and industrie would this alone require Wherefore if Quintilian thought it necessary to admonish young mē that they should not presume themselues satis instructos si qaem ex ijs qui breves circumfernutur 〈…〉 libell●●● edidicerint velut dicretis technicorum tutor put●nt if he thought fit thus to doe in an a●● of so inferiour and narrow a sphere much more is it behoofefull that young students in so high so spacious so large a profession be advised nor to think themselues sufficiently provided vpon their acquaintance with some Notitia or systeme of some technicall divine Looke vpon those sonnes of Anak those Giant like voluminous writers of Rome in regard of whom our little tractats and pocket volumes in this kinde what are they but as Grashoppers I speake not this like some seditious or factious spie to bring weaknesse of hands or melting of heart vpon any of Gods people but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to stirre vp and kindle in you the spirit of industrie to enlarge your conceite and not to suffer your labours to bee copst and ●●ed vp within the poverty of some pretended method I will speake as Ioshua did to his people L●t vs not feare the people