Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	world_n	worship_n	worship_v	1,635	4	8.6836	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13823	The revvard of religion Deliuered in sundrie lectures vpon the booke of Ruth, wherein the godly may see their daily and outwarde tryals, with the presence of God to assist them, and his mercies to recompence them: verie profitable for this present time of dearth, wherein manye are most pittifully tormented with want; and also worthie to bee considered in this golden age of the preaching of the word, when some vomit vp the loathsomnes therof, and others fall away to damnable securitie.	Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?	1596 (1596)	STC 24127; ESTC S105980	250,925	363

were imploied in their own busines let not the new soddaine vp start wealthy men among vs disdaine at poore laboring persons or thinke it any disgrace to do as their fathers did faithfully to labour in the meanest vocation Secondly after Boaz came to the field he saluteth the reapers saith The Lord be with you they answered The Lord blesse thee where wee see the first thing he doth he prayeth for the labourers in this his godly salutation for he wisheth the presence of God to be with them which is his fauour for his presence signifieth his fauour and blessing as absence betokeneth his iudgments and cursings This we may see in the dedication of the temple by Salomon the glory of the Lord so filled it that y e priests were not able to sacrifise in it the angel saluteth Mary the mother of Christ w t the selfe same wordes The Lord be with thee wherin he signified the wonderfull fauour of God vnto her which should be the mother of the Messiah And on the contrary the absence of the Lord is the heauy wrath of his maiesty as appeareth by that complaint of Dauid Wil the Lord absent himselfe for euer or hath he forgotten to be mercifull and Paul saith that the wicked are separated with euerlasting destruction from the glory presence of God By the which we learn how reuerētly we must vse our salutations least when we wish the fauour of the Lord to be present with others his mercy through our vnaduised praier be absent frō our selues for how lamentable is it to heare in many places with one breath prayers to be powred out for other and bitter blasphemyes against the maiesty of God with wofull curses to the death of their soules May wee gather any comfort by these salutations when men in derision passing by other shall vse the salutation of Boaz other wishing they know not what do as well by their ignorant greetings pray for their owne destruction as their neighbours prosperitie such precious balmes let them not come vpon the heads of the righteous for this is as certaine as the world shall haue an end that all their supplications either at morning noone or euening are but mere customary speeches proceding of the vsage manner of men not of the spirit or religion of the faithful Yet let it not grieue vs to vse this language of Canaan the phrase of the scripture in our ciuill and godly comunication and though al the world cry out puritanisme puritanisme yet blessed is hee that is not offended at Christ Let the Samaritās worship in their mountaines but we will worship at Ierusalem in spirit in truth and let vs vse in despight of the world y e weighty wordes of God his spirit that they may be our owne mother speech we the children of the church the heires of saluation But in this it is noted to be the duety of all men to salute them whome they meete to pray for the successe of laborers and workmen For wel we must remember that except the Lord doe build the house the builders build but in vaine and except the Lord do giue the victorie what though millions of horses be prepared of y e battel surely it is in vain to rise early and to go late to bed eate the bread of carefulnes to labour hard cōpasse the world by a thousand deuises except their own prayers the prayers of the faithful appeare in the presence of the eternall for thē And this noteth the carnal constitutions of many mens harts among vs which rashly enterprise their workes without calling on the Lord vnprofitably end thē to their owne destruction Oh how it grieueth God his Saintes dayly to heare his name abused by swearing euen among them that husband the earth They crye out on theyr seruants morning and euening abroad abroad to worke to the field but who sayth come let vs first fall downe together and humble our selues in the presence of God and call for a blessing vppon our labours or saie thus much The Lord bee with vs no no that will hinder their dayes worke they hire theyr seruants to labour and not to praie Therefore the prophet sayth You sowe much but you bring but little in you eate but you are not filled you drinke and are not satisfied you cloath your selues but you are not warmed and he that receiueth wages putteth it into a broken bag therefore thus sayth the Lord Hearken vnto my wayes This is the plague vppon vs that minde our wealth and not the welfare of God his Church therefore we labour lyke slaues but other receiue the benefite by vs wee imagine the earth bringeth forth of it selfe children are borne by nature the cloudes must needes raine and our fruites must needs increase thus wee make many Gods while wee ascribe the power of God to his creatures But be not so rude as brute beasts the dogge will craue his meate at the hands of his master more accursed are they which pray not for a blessing at the hands of God the father Thirdly by this salutation of Boaz wee obserue the dutie of elder persons or superiors which is first to salute or speake to their inferiors as masters to seruants magistrates to subiectes and pastours to their people yet against this in outward behauiour we haue many and dayly offences for you shall haue Gentlemen and yeomen which will hardly speake to a poore man being asked a question by him much lesse when they meet him will they giue anie curteous or friendly greeting But heere we see Boaz though honorable yet humble saluteth his poore and hired reapers who condemneth ten thousand that are contrarie minded for proud and surly persons Olde Eli would speake to young Samuel a little boy though hee were the high priest yet hee scorned not so gentle a child what then shall become of these stately person which being saluted will not salute againe as if euery word were gold that commeth from them so sparing are they to speake to a poore or a simple man whereas with their betters their tongs are too bigge for their mouthes whome they wearye with their vnprofitable bablings This kind of euill spirite wil not be cast out till the heart be humbled pride abated sorrowe for sin increased and the whole man perfectly regenerated for by thy wordes thou shalt bee iustified and by thy wordes thou shalt be condemned for an humble heart will shew it with meeknes but a proud heart will looke strangely Fourthly as Boaz praied for the reapers so the reapers returned to him and sayd The Lord blesse thee Where wee see a mutuall salutation much commended for as hee saluted so was hee resaluted like to the Queene of Shebah which gaue princely gifts to king Salomon and Salomon gaue royall rewardes to her againe so that inferiours are bound by the same lawe with as kind affection to pray for

THE REWARD OF RELIGION Deliuered in sundrie Lectures vpon the Booke of Ruth wherein the godly may see their daily and outwarde tryals with the presence of God to assist them and his mercies to recompence them Verie profitable for this present time of dearth wherein manye are most pittifully tormented with want and also worthie to bee considered in this Golden age of the preaching of the word when some vomit vp the loathsomnes therof and others fall away to damnable securitie L v c. 12.32 Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers will to giue you a kingdome Cyprian in the end of the 6. Epist lib. 4. Dearely beloued brethren let this bee rooted in your hearts let this be the preparation of our weapons let this bee your Meditation day and night to set before your eyes and consider with minde and sences the punishments of the wicked with the rewards and deserts of the righteous what penaltie he threatneth to them that denie him and what glorie hee promiseth to them which confesse him Seene and allowed LONDON Printed by Iohn Windet 1596. TO THE RIGHT Honourable vertuous and Christian Lady the Lady Margaret Barronnesse Dacres of the South grace mercie and peace be multiplied in this life present and eternall felicitie in the life to come RIght Honourable Ladie it is reported that the inhabitants of the mountaine Cassius by Seleucia at the third watch of the night doe behold the Globe of the Sunne so that on the one side they see our accustomed darkenesse couering the face of the whole earth on the other side the glistering beames of the shining light displaying the shadow of the nightly darkenes In my opinion this hill doth verie fitly resemble the excellencie of the word of God and the inhabitants thereof the professors of Religion for long since the Sun of righteousnesse the Sonne of God departed from the sight of the world and declined like the Sunne of the firmament hath left the vniuersall Orbe of the whole earth in palpable darknes Yet to vs liuing in this world the beames of his brightnesse the light of his spirit the power of his person and the glorie of his godhead is most euidently manifested by the Scriptures and preaching of his holy word so that there we behold infinite thousands walking in darkenesse and standing on the left hand of God ready for damnation but here wee see a few persons professors of Religion like the men of Cassius liuing in the sight and presence of our Sauiour whom they behold shining in the Scriptures and standing on the right hande waiting for saluation For this cause the voice of the eternall God soundeth so often vnto vs in the Scriptures that wee were vnder the prince of darkenesse that wee were darkned in our cogitation that it was night but now the day starre from on high hath visited vs and therefore we must cast away the deedes of darknesse and put on the armour of light and the Scriptures euery where testifie that the Church of God is in the toppe of the mountaines meaning that the dignitie of our calling as farre excelleth the fancies of the world as the hils arise aboue the vallies of the earth This is the infallible word of life and all the writings of men are but the Apes hereof from hence they heard of their Golden ages their feareful wonders their strange inuentions and their incredible fictions which they haue broched concerning heauen and earth When Ptolomeus Philadelphus king of Egypt builded his famous Librarie and had furnished it with al the writings of the heathen hee also by Ambassadours to the high Priest in Iudah obtained the olde Testament and sixe men of euery Tribe to Translate it out of Hebrewe into Greeke then Demetrius Phalerius one of the Schollers of Theophrastus certified the King that among all the writings of their learned Philosophers they onely were Diuine and the Caelestiall Oracles of the euerlasting God For their truth the secrete nature of euerie hart is forced to confesse for their substance it is altogether occupied on heauenly things for their sinceritie it is established in the promise of him who neuer changeth for their stile neither the principles of Plato the demonstrations of Aristotle the inuentions of Hippocrates the sleights of Carneades the exclamations of Cicero or the conceipts of Seneca were vttered in so plaine eloquence or commendable phrases as the Scriptures of our saluation Also if your Ho. consider the often changes of the lawes of godlesse Gentiles you shall perceiue that they haue had as many Religions as generations but you shall finde that we haue now the Religion of Adam the faith of Enoch the Arke of Noah the sacrifice of Abraham and all the true worship of God as the Church possessed it many thousand yeares agoe and all because the rule hereof the heauenly word of God remaineth for euer Lycurgus the best law-maker that euer was among the Gentiles when he saw his lawes to be amended of the Spartanes for very griefe thereof famished himselfe at Crissa The lawes which Papius Iulius gaue to the Romanes were disanulled by Seuerus the Emperour all the world erreth some one way and some another mutually condemning each others superstition onely the Church of God in euerie age retained one God one faith one Baptisme and one substance of Religion because it followeth one voice of the holye Ghost speaking in the Scriptures It were infinite to set downe all the commoditie we receiue by this heauenly writing By it our manners are mollified our minds instructed our liues blessed and we deliuered from Atheisme Paganisme and Papisme Atheisme denieth all things Paganisme corrupteth all thinges and Papisme confoundeth all things therefore by the word of God wee are freed from doubting the truth deceiuing our owne soules and confounding Religion And because this requireth some proofe I beseech your Ho. to beare with my tediousnesse while I manifest my minde so briefely as I may omitting Atheisme fitter for dogges to beleeue then men to professe I will briefely declare how the Gentiles such as wee were before the worde wrought our calling haue falsified the whole Scripture and corrupted the tradition thereof with the inuentions of their owne Poets and how the Papists are but confounders of Heathenisme heresie and Christianitie First to begin with the Gentiles while reason and nature enforced them to confesse a God which is onely and truely learned in the scriptures they imagined a multitude of goddes and goddesses in the Scripture we finde the mention hereof that euerie nation had a peculiar God The Zidonians and Sirians had Astaroth or as some call him Astartes the Moabites had Chemosh the Ammonites had Milcom or Moloch the Babilonians Bel the Philistins Dagon the Egyptians worshipped many beastes but especially a sheepe among other writers we find that the Athenians had Apollo and Minerua the Boetian Thebes Bacchus and Hercules Carthage had Iuno Cyprus and Paphus Venus Rhodes Apollo Taenarus Neptune

vs from heresie but also a salue or remedie if wee haue been poysoned by falshoode The sting of the Scorpion is cured by applying the Achates stone the grasse Alimos preserueth the famished person from death The Baare hauing eaten Mandragora saueth his life by the little Emmet and the poyson of the Chamelaeon is expelled by a Baye leafe euen so the word of God cureth the heresies of Poperie which are compared to the stinging of the Scorpions in the Scriptures it is the fruite of the tree of life and whosoeuer eateth and disgesteth in shall neuer die it is a preseruatiue against all poyson and the leaues thereof shall cure the nations By this alone the Lord hath wrought the calling of his children the confusion of his enemies the comfort of his Saintes and the replenishing of his kingdome All the Kings of the earth haue beene in armes against it yet the ministers thereof who neuer bore armes against them by their onely preaching haue wonne a glorious fielde All Egypt coulde not resist Moses and Aaron because they came on the Lordes message no more shall all the world ouercome the preachers of peace so long as they faithfully performe their heauenly Ambassage Wordes haue wrought more then weapons the spirite hath pearced more then the Speare the wals of Paper and the ordinaunce of Fathers haue battered downe the stately kingdome of the whoore of Babilon learning hath done better seruice then Launces Gownes haue conquered moe then Gunnes Bookes haue done more good then Bullets and the prayers of the faithfull haue preuailed more then the Pikes of horsemen the stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner this is the Lordes doing it is maruailous in our eyes the bloude of the dead Martyrs hath giuē greater wounds in this quarrell then the swords of the liuing souldiours But thus I haue too long troubled your Hon. with that which you knewe before and haue presumed on your fauour for the acceptation of these my slender labours vpon one parte of Scripture the booke of Ruth which as the holy Ghost hath vouchsafed to call by the name of a woman to the praise of the whole sexe and euerlasting commendation of her Religion so am I emboldned to Dedicate it to so Honourable a Lady as your selfe whome I know to be a Ruth by Religion though a Noble woman by birth For many witnesses can testifie this also if I should be silent and the ordinarie exercises at Seuenoke will sound your name because your presence and diligence at them hath stirred vp manye meaner persons comforted some godly people thereabout and much euery way countenanced and encouraged the preachers of the same There are many causes which might compell me though vnwilling to commit my labours to the Presse yet willingly to present them to the world vnder the name of your Honour For I am assured of the acceptation of any small thing that shall bee offered in the name of Religion much more of this which comprehendeth the recompence and rewarde of our profession Your Honour knoweth that better is it to see the smoke of ones owne Countrie then the fire of another so I trust my slender studies which are but as smoke being compared with the burning coales of others knowledge such as dayly you heare shall be the better accepted because there I had my being where your Honour hath your dwelling Also I am hereunto moued that I might haue any occasion to testifie my bounden dutie which I owe vnto that Noble and worthie Gentleman Sir Henrie Leonard your Sonne of whome I haue receiued especiall encouragementes in the course of my studies and to whom I must remaine a debtour to the ende of my dayes being no wayes able to recompence his wonted kindnesse but onely by this daylye to praye for the life and prosperitie that hee may be as the heyre of your Honour so an ornament of the Noble house of the Dacres And the God of all peace blesse your owne person with such blessings as you daylye desire that you may still liue to the comfort of the godlye in this present life to the enlarging of your owne Honour to the reioysing of your whole family and to the endlesse saluation of your owne soule with Iesus Christ the Sauiour of all them which haue vnfainedly embraced true religion London this first of October 1596. Your Honours to command in the Lord. Edward Topsell To all them that haue vnfainedly embraced true Religion DEarely beloued in Christe when I consider that comfortable Oracle of the Apostle when he saith that godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of the life to come it commeth into my mind that religion is none of the meanest professions that is laboured for in the worlde for the greatest rewardes are promised to the chiefest exploytes and the worthiest enterprises are Crowned with glorious benefits Ioseph for his wisedome was made the gouernour of Egypt Othniel for his seruice receiued Aisah the daughter of Caleb for his wife Iiphtah for his victorie was made iudge of Israel and Dauid for his Musicke was made one of the Courtiers of Saul In so much as it seemeth an ordinarie practise that euerie knowledge is rewarded with some curtesie whereby wee are certified that it is no maruaile to heare hope for so excellent blessings as are promised to the Religious For they are the house of the Lorde and as hee dwelleth with all maiestie in heauen so he raigneth with all Authoritie in the righteous they are a chosen generation borne of God a Royall and holy priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people the free men of Christ the inheritours of the earth the iudges of the worlde the coheires of Christes kingdome and the Cittizens of heauen If wee looke for their Nobilitie they are the Sonnes of God if for their instruction they are taught of God if for their tuition the heauenly Angels are their seruants if for their degrees they are kings and priestes for the eternal God if for their calling they are Saintes if for their life it is heauenly if for their wealth it is the whole worlde and finally their death is the birth day of all felicitie For this cause Dauid desired rather to bee a doore-keeper in the house of God then a dweller in the stately tents of the wicked as if the meanest condition among the professors of Religion were more excellent then the chiefest estates among the worldlings their Crosses excell the others Crownes their barrenesse the others fruitfulnesse their humilitie the others honour their ignorance the others knowledge their simplicitie the others wisedome their weakenesse the others strength and a little thing that the righteous hath is better then the great possessions of the vngodly When there is famine they are satisfied when ther is warre they are deliuered when there is plague they are without daunger if fire fall from heauen it shall not burne them if the waters arise aboue

founde to be nothing but rotten woode good for nothing But to come to Ruth shee perfourmeth her promise to God as Dauide sayth though it bee to her owne hinderance shee knoweth it with the appostles better to obeye God then men to followe Christe and not the flesh for the world it selfe shall bee shortelye consumed and then the louers thereof shall bee vtterlye condemned Oh let vs then practise the deniall of our selues before the time of tryall come let vs as the martirs did trye the burning of our fingers before wee venter our whole bodyes let vs giue some of our wealth to the poore nowe rather then keepe all to be spoyled by the wicked apostataes then but howe will men doo this at that fierye tryall when nowe in peace they will forsake and forsweare the Lorde some for their merchandise other for rentes reuenewes some to bringe the poore Nabaothes into destruction many for worldly profite and temporall gaine but this quene of worldly desire shall one daye bee meate for the dogges when it shall bee sayd that happye are all you that in wealth and pouertye haue followed the sonne of righteousnes in sinceritye 〈◊〉 Feare not my daughter His prayer and the reason thereof being ended nowe followeth the consolation hee giueth to Ruth in these wordes bidding her to caste awaye feare for what soeuer lyeth in his power he would doe for the whole citty would testifie the estate of her person and vprightnes in her liuing and therefore hee should bee much to blame if hee denyed so lawfull a request Out of the which we note First here is set down the duetie of all magistrates which is with meekenes and gentlenes to heare the petitions of their sutors for Boaz was a publike person or els Naomi had complayned to the magistrate but himselfe being a godly elder the suite is first priuately handled with him Therfore they must follow y e example of Bohaz here declared which is with the kindest wordes to intreate them and iust iudgementes to proceede for them alway yeelding to equitie where the cause is required For our sauiour accompteth a magistrate that is contrary minded neyther to feare God or to respect man that is such a one is hated of God and man For if magistrates loue God or regarde their subiectes they must bee easily entreated by the voyces of their suitors Therefore is that euerlasting commendation of Moyses y t hee sate in the door of his tent in iudgment frō euening vntil morning where al the people might freely haue accesse to his presence and godly conference with his person the which all the iudges in christendome might imitate without impeachment to their honours Olde Samuel when he had annointed and appointed Saule to raigne in his steade ouer all Israel appealed to the people what iniury he had done to any and the people iustified him in all thinges now hee was easily come vnto at all times when Saule and his fathers seruant seeking for asses woulde go to the man of God meaning Samuel Oh that all that are in authoritie would hearken to these examples that with all gentlenesse they might intreate the people of God committed to their gouernment that they might freely come to them and frendly speake with them that at the daye of their deathes they might haue the poore saintes of God praying for their deliueraunce their consciences vnburthened their duties discharged their subiectes satisfied iustice offered and their soules euerlastingly saued Secondly by this wee gather that iudges and iustices must especially looke to the godly for Boaz saith that all the cittie knew Ruth to be a godly woman So that hee bindeth himselfe by her religion to be as carefull for her being a stranger as if she were his naturall daughter For as all the cittie knewe her religious so they would all reioyce to see her aduanced And this is the cause wherefore the Lorde hath so much commended vnto vs the estate of widdowes and fatherlesse children because for the most parte they are oppressed and not oppressors vexed and not vexours receyuers and not doers of iniurie And surely such are simple godly men they will beare many burthens before they complain for euery trifle they wil not trouble a magistrate Therefore euery magistrate must saye with Dauid My eyes shalbe on them that speake truth on the earth and they that walke vprighly shall be my seruantes so haue you respect of persons though not in iudgement yet in common opinion for the professors of religion are your dearest friends who without ceasing powre forth their prayers for you that in equitie you might drawe your sword for them Oh howe lamentable is it to heare how poore godly men are dayly blasphemed and reproched for their religion when wicked Atheistes carnall persons common swearers godles wretches haue their harts desire at the hands of the magistrate Surely such persons who desire your aide against other deserue your swordes of iustice against themselues for they neuer come into your presence but to the dishonour of God Execute iudgement therefore for them and vpon them Thirdely by this wee gather what it is that most commendeth women for Boaz saith vertue and if all y t world crie the contrary yet Bathsheba the mother of king Salomon will confirme it for thus she saith Fauour is deceitful beautie is vaine but a woman that feareth God shee shall get praise for her selfe for vertue and the feare of the Lorde are both one thing So that this is the thing they are most commended for if religion will take any roote in their hartes for beauty is worne by age proportion of body lost by sicknes loue of men at the wagging of a hand and braue apparell when wealth decayeth onely the feare of the Lord endureth for euer We reade that Vasti the queene of Asuerus was exceeding beautifull but she disobeyed her husbande and was put from her princely roome when godly Ester was taken in her steade If the feare of God had beene in the former to obey her husbande Esther had not so soone come into her place But the Lorde that hee might punish the pride of the one and reward the religion of the other lifted vp vertuous Esther and cast downe that stately Vasti to shewe vnto vs that much better is the feare of the Lorde then all the beautie and glorie of the world We finde many commended in the worde of God for their faith but fewe for their fairenesse that all shoulde learne more earnestly to labour that the hid man of the hearte may bee founde in incorruption of a gentle and a quiet spirite which is very precious in the sight of the Lord. Lastly let vs all learne by this aswell rich as poore gouernours as subiectes men as women that aboue all thinges we followe the example of Ruth to please God more then our selues to labour for vertue and religion as for a treasure