Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	word_n	work_n	7,504	5	5.1951	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33777	A sermon of conforming and reforming made to the convocation at S. Pauls Church in London / by John Colet upon Rom. xii, 2 ... writ an hundred and fiftie years since : to which is now added an appendix of Bp. Andrews and Dr. Hammonds solemn petition and advice to the convocation : with his directions to the laity how to prolong their happiness.	Colet, John, 1467?-1519.; Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536.; Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.; Andrewes, Lancelot, 1555-1626.	1661 (1661)	Wing C5096; ESTC R26033	47,218	88

observation of all those laws that sound to any lucre setting aside and despising those that concern the amendment of manners What should I rehearse the rest To be short and to conclude at one word all corruptness all the decay of the Church all the offences and scandals of the world come from the covetousness of the priests according to that of S. Paul which here I repeat again and beat into your ears Covetousness is the root of all evil 4. The fourth secular evil that spotteth the face of the Church is continual secular occupation wherein Priests and Bishops now adays do busie themselves becoming the servants rather of men then God the warriours rather of this world then of Jesus Christ. For the Apostle Paul writeth to Timothy 2 Epist. ii 3. that no man who is a good souldier of Christ or that warreth for God entangleth himself with the affairs of this life is turmoiled with secular business The warfare of Gods souldier is not carnal but spiritual Our warring is to pray devoutly to read and study Scriptures diligently to preach the word of God sincerely to administer the H. Sacraments rightly and offer sacrifice for the people For we are mediatours and intercessours unto God for men which S. Paul witnesseth writing to the Hebrews Every Bishop saith he taken of men is ordained for men in those things that be unto God that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins Wherefore those Apostles that were the first Priests and Bishops did so much abhor all manner of meddling in secular things that they would not minister the meat that was necessary to poor people although it were a great work of vertue but they said It is not meet that we should leave the word of God and serve tables we will give our selves continually to prayer and preaching the word of God Act. vi 2 4. And S. Paul cryes to the Corinthians 1 Epist. vi 4. If you have judgements of things pertaining to this life set them to be judges that be most in contempt in the Church Many evils doubtless do ensue from this secularity when Clergie-men and Priests leaving all spirituality turmoyl themselves with earthly occupations I. First the dignity of Priesthood is dishonoured which is greater then either that of Kings or Emperours equal with the dignity of Angels But the brightness of this great dignity is sore shadowed when Priests are employed in earthly things whose conversation ought to be in heaven 2. Secondly Priesthood is despised when there is no difference between such Priests and Lay-people but according to the prophesie of Hosea As the people be so are the priests 3. Thirdly the beautifull order and holy dignity in the Church is confused when the highest in the Church do meddle with vile and earthly things and in their stead vile and abject persons do exercise high and heavenly things 4. Fourthly the lay-people have great occasion offered them of evils and cause to fall when those men whose duty it is to draw others from the affection of this world do by their continual conversation in this world teach men to love the world and by the love of the world cast them down headlong into hell Moreover in such Priests that be so employed there must needs follow hypocrisie For when they be so mixed and confused with lay-people under the garment and habit of a Priest they live plainly after the lay-fashion And through spiritual weakness bondage and fear being made weak with the waters of this world they dare neither do nor say any but such things as they know to be pleasing and gratefull to their Princes ears At last through ignorance and blindness when they are blinded with the darkness of this world they see nothing but earthly things Wherefore our Saviour Christ not without cause did warn the Prelates of his Church in this manner Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this world Luk. xxi 34. The cares saith he of this world wherewith when the hearts of Priests being sore charged they cannot minde the other life nor lift up their souls to high and heavenly things There be many other evils beside these that follow of the secularity of Priests which were long here to rehearse but I make an end These be the four evils that I have spoken of O Fathers O Priests by which we are conformable to this world by which the face of the Church is made ill-favoured by which the state of it is destroyed much more truly then it was in the beginning by the persecution of tyrants or afterward by the invasion of hereticks that followed For in the persecution of tyrants the Church being afflicted was made stronger and brighter in the invasion of hereticks the Church being shaken was made wiser and more skilfull in holy writ but since this secularity was brought in since the worldly manner of living crept in among Church-men the root of all spiritual life that is charitie hath been extinct which being taken away the Church can neither be wise nor strong in God In this age we are sensible of the contradiction of lay-people But they are not so much contrary to us as we are to our selves Their contrariness hurteth not us so much as the contrariness of our own evil life which is contrary both to God and Christ who said He that is not with me is against me We are also now adays troubled with hereticks men intoxicated with strange opinions but the heresies of them are not so pestilent and pernicious to us and the people as the naughty lives of Priests which if we beleeve S. Bernard is a kinde of heresie nay the chief of all and most perillous For that holy Father preaching in a certain Convocation to the Priests of his time had these words in his sermon Many men are Catholick in their speaking and preaching which are hereticks in their works and actions For what the hereticks do by evil teaching the same do these men by ill example viz. they lead the people out of the right way and bring them into errour of life And these men are so much worse then hereticks by how much their works prevail more then their words This that holy Father S. Bernard spoke with a fervent spirit against the sect of evil Priests in his time By which words he sheweth plainly that there be two kinds of heresies one arising from perverse teaching the other from naughty life of which two this latter is far worse and more perillous reigning now in Priests who do not live like themselves not priestly but secularly to the utter and miserable destruction of the Church of God Wherefore you Fathers you Priests and all you of the Clergy at last rouze and look up from this your sleep in this forgetfull world and being well awaked hear S. Paul crying unto you Be ye not conformed to this world Thus much for the

whatsoever § 18. In all my life I never saw a more happy wit and thence it came that he was exceedingly pleased with such wits as were like himself but at all times when he might choose his discourse it was of such things as prepared him for the immortality of a life to come And when at any time he refresht himself with pleasant stories he did not fail to make use of his philosophy in them He was much pleased with the purity and simplicity of nature in little children to the imitation of whom we are called by our blessed Saviour being wont to compare them to angels § 19. Now for the second particular his opinions much differed in them from the vulgar The Scotists of whose acuteness most men have an high conceit he esteemed heavie fellows and any thing rather then ingenuous And yet he had a worse opinion of Thomas Aquinas for what reason I know not then of Scotus For when I sometimes commended Thomas to him as no contemptible authour among the moderns because he seemed to have read both Scriptures and Fathers as I guessed by his Catena Aurea and to have somewhat of affection in his writings Colet seemed not to minde me two or three times said nothing But when at another discourse I spoke the same again with more vehemency he lookt 〈◊〉 upon me to see whether I were in jest or in earnest and when he saw I spoke seriously he replied thus in a passion Why do ye commend this man to me who if he had not been very arrogant would never so rashly and yet so magisterially have presumed to define all points of religion and if he had not savoured too much of the spirit of the world he would not have polluted all the doctrine of Christ with so much of his own profane philosophy I wondred at the enthusiastick posture of the man and after that set upon reading Aquinas his works more attentively and I must needs confess that my opinion of him abated much § 20. No man was more a friend to true Christian piety yet he had little or no kindness for Monks or rather I should say for those who are now for the most part falsly so called and therefore while he lived he gave them but little and when he died nothing Not that he 〈◊〉 the profession but because he saw they did not live according to it Yet his desire was to have disingaged himself from the world and betaken himself to a Monastery if he could any where have found a society that was truly and unanimously resolved upon an Evangelical life And when I went into Italy he charged me to seek for such an one telling me that he had found some Monks there who were really prudent and pious commending also some Germans among whom he thought that the footsteps of the good old Religion did still remain § 21. Though he lived very chastly himself yet he had a very charitable opinion of those Priests and Monks who had no other crime but venery Not that he did not heartily abhor the sin but because he found such men far less mischievous then others if compared who were haughty envious backbiters hypocrites vain unlearned wholly given to the getting of money and honour Yet these had a mighty opinion of themselves whereas others by acknowledging their infirmity were made more humble and modest He said that to be covetous and proud was more abominable in a Priest then to have an hundred concubines not that he thought incontinence to be a light sin but covetousness and pride to be at a greater distance from true piety And he was not more averse to any sort of men than such Bishops who were wolves in slead of shepherds and commended themselves by external service of God ceremonies benedictions and indūlgences to the people while with all their hearts they served the world that is glory and gain He was not much displeased with them who would not have images either painted or carved gold or silver worshipt in Churches nor with them who doubted whether a notorious wicked Priest could consecrate the Sacrament Hereby not favouring their errour but expressing his indignation against such Clergy-men who by an open bad life gave occasion to this suspicion § 22 He said That the Colledges in England which are large and stately hindergood literature and are receptacles of idle people nor did he much regard the publick Schools because there ambition and gain did corrupt the sincerity of all old discipline As he did much approve of secret Confession professing that he never had so much comfort from any thing as that so he much condemned anxiety in it and repetition Whereas it is the custome in England for Priests to consecrate the host and receive it almost every day he was content to sacrifice on Sundays and Holi-days or some few days beside either to gain more time for his sacred studies and fit himself the better for his pulpitemployments and the business of his Cathedral or because he found that his devotion had a greater edge when it was sharpened with intervals And yet he would not condemn them who were minded to come to the Lords table every day Though he was a very learned man himself yet he did not prize that anxious and laborious fort of wisdome which is fully attained by knowledge of several sciences and reading a multitude of books saying oft that the native sound constitution of mens parts and the sincerity of their wit was lost thereby and that they rather got a learned sort of madness then any true incentive to Christian innocence simplicity and charity § 23. He attributed very much to the Epistles of the H. Apostles but when he compared them w th that wondersull Majestie w ch is to be found in our Saviours own sayings and sermons he thought them somewhat dry He had very ingenuously reduced almost all the sayings of Christ to ternaries and intended to write a book of them He wondred that Romane Priests should be forced to say so many prayers every day nay though they are much employed whether at home or in a journey but he much approved of the performing divine service magnificently He dissented from innumerable opinions now commonly received in the Schools in which he would sometimes tell his minde to his friends but say nothing to others lest he should 〈◊〉 a double inconvenience viz. loose his own credit and do them no good perhaps harm There was no book so heretical that he was not willing to reade over attentively professing that sometimes he advantaged himself more by such than by their works who determine every question which they handle in such a manner that they often flatter their leaders and sometimes themselves §. 24 He endured not that any one should in speaking fluently be guided altogether by the precepts of Grammar that he said oft hindred one from speaking well but by his reading the best authours Which opinion brought its