Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	prayer_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	132	3	9.8957	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51300	Enthusiasmus triumphatus, or, A discourse of the nature, causes, kinds, and cure, of enthusiasme; written by Philophilus Parresiastes, and prefixed to Alazonomastix his observations and reply: whereunto is added a letter of his to a private friend, wherein certain passages in his reply are vindicated, and severall matters relating to enthusiasme more fully cleared.	More, Henry, 1614-1687.; More, Henry, 1614-1687.	1656 (1656)	Wing M2655; ESTC R202933	187,237	340

zeal and eloquence that he fancyed himself the Holy-Ghost 17. And when men talk so much of the Spirit if they take notice what they ordinarily mean by it it is nothing else but a strong and impetuous motion whereby they are zealously and fervently carried in matters of Religion so that Fervour Zeal and Spirit is in effect all one Now no Complexion is so hot as Mel●●●oly when it is heated being like boiling water as Aristotle observs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that it transcends the flame of fire or it is 〈◊〉 heated stone or iron when they are red hot for they are then more hot by far then a burning Coal We shall omit here to play the Grammarian and to take notice how well Aristotles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suites with the very word zeale of which we speake but shall cast our eyes more carefully upon the things themselves and parallel out of the same Philosopher what they call Spirit to what he affirmes to be contained in Melancholy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The spirit then that wings the Enthusiast in such a wonderful ●anner is nothing else but that flatulency which is in the melancholy complexion rises out of the Hypochondriacal humour upon some occasionall heat as winde out of an AEolipila applied to the fire Which fume mounting into the head being first actuated and spirited and somewhat refined by the warmth of the heart fills the mind with variety of imaginations and so quickens and inlarges invention that it makes the Enthusiast to admiration fluent and eloquent he being as it were drunk with new wine drawn from that Cellar of his own that lies in the lowest region of his body though he be not aware of it but takes it to be pure Nectar and those waters of life that spring from above Aristotle makes a long Parallelisme betwixt the nature and effects of wine and Melancholy to which both Fernelius and Sennertus do referre 18. But this is not all the advantage that Melancholy affords towards Enthusiasme thus unexpectedly and suddenly to surprise the minde with such vehement fits of zeal such streams torents of Eloquence in either exhorting others to piety or in devotions towards God but it addes a greater weight of beliefe that there is something supernatural in the business in that the same complexion discovers it selfe to them that lie under it in such contrary effects For as it is thus vehemently hot so it is as stupidly cold whence the Melancholist becomes faithlesse hopelesse heartlesse and almost witlesse Which Ebbs of his constitution must needs make the overflowing of it seem more miraculous and supernatural But those cold and abject fits of his make him also very sensibly and winningly Rhetorical when he speaks of disconsolation desertion humilitie mortification and the like as if he were truely and voluntarily carried through such things when as onely the fatal necessity of his complexion has violently drag'd him thorow the meer shadows and resemblances of them But he finding himselfe afterwards beyond all hope or any sense or presage of any power in himselfe lifted aloft again he does not doubt that any thing less was the cause of this unexspected joy and triumph then the immediate arme of God from heaven that has thus exalted him when it is nothing indeed but a Paroxysme of Melancholy which is like the breaking out of a flame after a long smoaking and reeking of new rubbish laid upon the fire But because such returnes as these come not at set times nor make men sick but rather delight them they think there is something divine therein and that it is not from natural causes 19. There is also another notorious Mockery in this Complexion Nature confidently avouching her self to be God whom the Apostle calls Love as if it were his very essence when as indeed it is here nothing else but Melancholy that has put on the garments of an Angel of light There is nothing more true then that Love is the fulfilling of the Law and the highest perfection that is competible to the soul of man and that this also is so plain and unavoidable that a man may be in a very high degree mad and yet not fail to assent unto it Nay I dare say Melancholy it self would be his monitour to reminde him of it if there were any possibility that he should forget so manifest and palpable a Truth For the sense of Love at large is eminently comprehended in the temper of the Melancholist Melancholy and wine being of so near a nature one to the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But wine makes men amorous which the Philosopher proves in that a man in wine will kisse such persons as a sober man would scarce touch with a pair of tongs by reason of their age and uglinesse And assuredly it was the fumes of Melancholy that infatuated the fancie of a late new fangled Religionist when he sat so kindly by a Gipsie under an hedge and put his hand into her bosome in a fit of devotion and vaunted afterwards of it as if it had been a very pious and meritorious action 20. But now that Melancholy partakes much of the nature of Wine he evinces from that it is so spiritous and that it is so spiritous from that it is so spumeous and that Melancholy is flatuous or spiritous he appeals to the Physitians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore the Philosopher assignes another companion to Venus besides the plump youth Bacchus which the Poets bestow upon her who though more seemingly sad yet will prove as faithfull an attendant as that other and this is Melancholy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now besides this Flatulencie that solicits to lust there may be such a due dash of Sanguine in the Melancholy that the complexion may prove stupendiously enravishing For that more sluggish Du●cour of the blood will be sometime so quickned and actuated by the fiercenesse and sharpnesse of the Melancholy humour as the fulsomnesse of sugar is by the acrimony of Lemons that it will afford farre more sensible pleasure and all the imaginations of love of what kind soever will be ●arre more lively and vigorous more piercing and rapturous then they can be in pure Sanguine it self From this complexion are Poets and the more highly pretending Enthusiasts Betwixt whom this is the great difference that a Poet is an Enthusiast in jest and an Enthusiast is a Poet in good earnest Melancholy prevailing so much with him that he takes his no better then Poeticall fits and figments for divine inspiration and reall truth 21. But that it is a meer naturall flatuous and spiritous temper with a proportionable Dosis of Sanguine added to their Melancholy not the pure Spirit of God that thus inacts them is plainly to be discovered not onely in their language which is very sweet and melting as if sugar plums lay under their tongue but from notorious circumstances of their lives And in my apprehension it will be

Which if I understand any thing is no better then Atheisme For it implies that God is nothing else but the Vniversall Matter of the world dressed up in severall shapes and forms in sundry properties and qualities some gratefull some ungratefull some holy some profane some wise some senselesse some weak some strong and the like But to slice God into so many parts is to wound him and kill him and to make no God at all 48. Again how does Paracelsus justifie the Heathens worshipping the Starres he making them such knowing powerfull and compassionate spectatours of humane affairs And why might they not pray to them as Anne Bodenham the Witch did to the Planet Iupiter for the curing diseases if they have so much power and knowledge as to generate men here below and conferre gifts upon them For it would be no more then asking a mans Father or Godfather blessing For if it be admitted that any one nation is begot by the Starres the Atheist will assuredly assume that they are all so Moreover how shall we repair the losse and damage done to the authority of our blessed Saviour his miracles whereby not onely Christianitie but the first Fundamentalls of all true Religion are eminently established viz. the discovery of a Speciall and Particular Providence of God and an hope of a Life to come For if the Starres can make such living creatures of prepared matter that have sense and understanding which yet have no immortal souls but wholy return into dead mater again why is it not so with men as well as them And if they can contribute the power of such wonder-working wisdome as was in Moses and in Christ or what is so very nigh to it what footsteps does there remain of proof that there is any God or Spirits For all is thus resolvable into the power of the stars A thing that that zealous and industrious Atheist Caesar Vaninus triumphs in exceedingly in his Amphitheatrum aeternae Providentiae Where he cites several Astrological passages out of Cardan under pretence to refute them in which he fetches the original of those three eminent Law-givers Moses Christ and Mahomet from the influence of the stars The law of Moses is from Saturn saies Cardan that of Christ from Iupiter and Mercury that of Mahomet from Sol and Mars The Law of the Idolaters from the Moon and Mars And in another place Cardan imputes that sweetness and meeknesse and wisdome and eloquence that was in our Saviour whereby he was able to dispute in the Temple at twelve yeers of age to the influence of Iupiter Pomponatius also acknowledges the wisdome and miracles of Christ but refers all to the starrs a man as far laps't into Atheisme I conceive as Vaninus himselfe so that these wilde fancies of the Enthusiasts are in truth the chiefe Props or Shelters that Atheists uphold or defend themselves by But how fancieful and confounded an account there is of Astrology let any man that has patience as well as sobriety of reason judge 49. I do not speak these things as if I thought either Paracelsus or his followers thus Atheistical but to shew their Phantastrie and Enthusiasme they so hotly pretending to matters of Christianity and Religion and yet handling them so grosly and indiscreetly blurting out any garish foolery that comes into their mind though it be quite contrary to the Analogie of Faith nor has any shew of ground in solid Reason onely to make themselves to be stared upon and wondred at by the world But the event of it is that as some admire them so others execrate them as men of an impious and diabolical spirit Which I confesse I think too harsh a censure well meaning men being lyable to Melancholy and Lunacies as well as to Agues and burning Feavers Yet a man should be so far off from thinking the better of any discovery of Truth by an Enthusiastick spirit that he should rather for that very cause suspect it because that temper that makes men Enthusiastical is the greatest enemy to Reason it being more thick and muddy and therefore once heated intoxicates them like wine in the must and is more likely to fill their brains full of odde fancies then with any true notions of Philosophy But men of a purer blood and finer spirits are not so obnoxious to this distemper For this is the most natural seat of sublimer Reason when as that more mechanical kind of Genius that loves to be tumbling of and trying tricks with the matter which they call making experiments when desire of knowledge has so heated it that it takes upon it to become Architectonical and flie above its sphere it commits the wildest hallucinations imaginable that material or corporeal fancie egregiously fumbling in more subtile and spiritual speculations This is that that commonly makes the Chymist so pitiful a Philosopher who from the narrow inspection of some few toys in his own art conceives himself able to give a reason of all things in Divinity and Nature as ridiculous a project in my judgment as that of his that finding a piece of a broken oar on the sand busied his brains above all measure to contrive it into an entire ship 50. What I have hitherto spoken I would have so understood as coming from one that neither contemns the well-meaning of the Theosophist or disallows of the industry of the Chymist but I shall ever excuse my selfe from giving any credit to either any further then some lusty miracle transcendent medicine or solid Reason shall extort from me 51. We have spoken of the kindes of Enthusiasme so far as we held it serviceable for our design we shall now touch upon the Cure of this Disease Where waving all pretense to the knowledge of Physick or acquaintance with the Apothecaries shop we shall set down onely such things as fall under a moral or Theological consideration giving onely instructions for the guidance of a mans life in reference to this grand errour of Enthusiasme which a sober man cannot well determine whether it be more ridiculous or deplorable and mischievous Now the most soveraign medicine that I know against it is this Diatrion or Composition of Three excellent Ingredients to wit Temperance Humility and Reason which as I doe not despair but that it may recover those that are somewhat farre gone in this Enthusiastick distemper so I am confident that it will not fail to prevent it in them that are not as yet considerably smitten 52. By Temperance I understand a measurable Abstinence from all hot or heightning meats or drinks as also from all venereous pleasures and tactual delights of the body from all softnesse and effeminacy a constant and peremptory adhesion to the perfectest degree of chastity in the single life and of Continency in wedlock that can be attain'd to For it is plain in sundry examples of Enthusiasme above named that the more hidden and lurking fumes of lust had tainted the fancies of those Pretenders to

themselves persons of honour Dukes Princes Kings Popes and what not Much to this purpose may you see in Sennertus and more in Democritus junior 13. That which is most observable and most usefull for the present matter in hand is That notwithstanding there is such an enormous lapse of the fancy aud judgement in some one thing yet the party should be of a sound mind in all other according to his naturall capacities and abilities which all Physicians acknowledge to be true and are ready to make good by innumerable examples Which I conceive to be of great moment more thorowly to consider I do not mean how it may come to passe for that we have already declared but what excellent use it may be of for to prevent that easie and ordinary Sophisme which imposes upon many who if an Enthusiast speak eloquently and it may be rationally and piously you may be sure zealously and fervently enough and with the greatest confidence can be imagined are so credulous that because of this visible dresse of such laudable accomplishments they will believe him even in that which is not onely not probable but vain and foolish nay sometime very mischievous and impious to believe as That the party is immediately and extraordinarily inspired of God that he is a speciall Messenger sent by him the last and best Prophet the holy Ghost come in the flesh and such like stuff as this which has been ever and anon set on foot in all ages by some Enthusiast or other Amongst whom I do not deny but there may be some who for the main practicall light of Christianity might have their judgments as consistent as those Melancholists above named had in the ordinary prudentiall affairs of the world but as for this one particular of being supernaturally inspired of being the last Prophet the last Trumpet the Angel in the midst of Heaven with the eternall Gospel in his hand the holy Ghost incorporated God come to judgement and the like this certainly in them is as true but farre worse dotage then to fancy a mans self either a Cock or Bull when it is plain to the senses of all that he is a Man 14. But it being of so weighty a concernment I shall not satisfie my self in this more generall account of Enthusiasme that it may very well be resolved into that property of Melancholy whereby men become to be delirous in some one point their judgement standing untouched in others For I shall easily further demonstrate that the very nature of Melancholy is such that it may more fairly and plausibly tempt a man into such conceits of inspiration and supernaturall light from God then it can possibly do into those more extravagant conceits of being Glasse Butter a Bird a Beast or any such thing 15. For besides that which is most generall of all that Melancholy enclines a man very strongly and peremptorily to either believe or misbelieve a thing as is plain in that passion of Suspicion and Iealousie which upon little or no occasion will winne so full assent of the mind that it will engage a man to act as vigorously as if he were certain that his jealousies were true it is very well known that this Complexion is the most religious complexion that is and will be as naturally tampering with divine matters though in no better light then that of her own as Apes and Monkies will be imitating the actions and manners of men Neither is there any true spirituall grace from God but this meer naturall constitution according to the severall tempers and workings of it will not onely resemble but sometimes seem to outstrip by reason of the fury and excesse of it and that not onely in Actions but very ordinarily in Eloquence and Expressions as if here alone were to be had that live sense and understanding of all holy things or at least as if there were no other state to be paralleld to it The event of which must be if a very great measure of the true grace of God do's not intervene that such a Melancholist as this must be very highly puffed up and not onely fancy himself inspired but believe himself such a speciall piece of Light and Holinesse that God has sent into the world that he will take upon him to reform or rather annull the very Law and Religion he is born under and make himself not at all inferiour to either Moses or Christ though he have neither any sound Reason nor visible miracle to extort belief 16. But this is still too generall we shall yet more particularly point out the Causes of this Imposture Things that are great or vehement People are subject to suspect they rise from some supernaturall cause insomuch that the wind cannot be more then ordinary high but they are prone to imagine the Devil raised it nor any sore Plague or Disease but God in an extraordinary manner to be the Authour of it So rude Antiquity conceiv'd a kind of Divinity in almost any thing that was extraordinarily great Whence some have worshipped very tall Trees others large Rivers some a great Stone or Rock othersome high and vast mountains whence the Greeks confound great and holy in that one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies both And the Hebrews by the Cedars of God the mountains of God the Spirit of God and the like understand high Cedars great Mountains and a mighty Spirit or Wind. We may adde also what is more familiar how old Women and Nurses use to tell little Children when they ask concerning the Moon ●●●ting at it with their fingers that it is Gods Candle because it is so great a Light in the night All which are arguments or intimations that mans nature is v●●y prone to suspe●t some speciall presence of God in any thing that is great or vehement Whence it is a stro●g temptation with a Melancholist when he feels a storm of devotion or zeal come upon him like a mighty wind his heart being full of affection his head pregnant with clear and sensible representations and his mouth flowing and streaming with fit and powerfull expressions such as would astonish an ordinary Auditorie to hear it is I say a shrewd temptation to him to think that it is the very Spirit of God that then moves supernaturally in him when as all that excesse of zeal and affection and fluencie of words is most palpably to be resolved into the power of Melancholy which is a kind of naturall inebriation And that there is nothing better then nature in it it is evident both from the experience of good and discreet men who have found themselves strangely vary in their zeal devotion and elocution as Melancholy has been more or lesse predominant in them and also from what all may observe in those that have been wicked mad and blasphemous and yet have surpassed in this mistaken gift of prayer as is notorious in Hacket who was so besotted with a conceit of his own