Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	proper_a	sense_n	signification_n	2,806	5	9.7840	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61679	A sermon against rebellion shewing deceivers to be deceived in their wicked mistakes. Preached at St. Paul's, October 20th 1661. By Sam. Stone, M.A.	Stone, Samuel, 1602-1663.	1662 (1662)	Wing S5736; ESTC R222079	26,397	53

Spirit of Grace with the ordinance of Gods word in the Letter of the words clauses and propositions of it to make it effectual in the hearts of the hearers for their Salvation without which work of the Spirit the Gospel it self would be as dead and killing a letter as the very Law Secondly Another opposition of Letter and Spirit is Rom. 2. the three last verses about the Jew and one of his Marks and Cognizances viz. Circumsion which the Apostle distinguisheth into outward and inward or in the flesh or in the heart and spirit verse the last resembling the outward circumcision in opposition to circumcision that is inward and spiritual of the heart by the terme or simily of a Letter which whether one or more in the composition of a word pronounced or written is but the mere outside of that word compared with its sense and signification and so it may well be put to resemble the outward circumcision of the flesh as contrary to the inward or spiritual circumcision of the heart or as the bare empty Letter of the Law is contrary to the quickning spirit of the Gospel as dead to living or old to new Rom. 7.6 But from thence to reason a double and contrary sense or signification the one Literal the other spiritual either of the words of institution of Circumcision it self which expressely declares both Mystery and Ceremany or outward and inward of that Ordinance or of any other text of Scripture is a most fallacious and pittiful non concludence Circumcision is outward and inward exprest by the opposition of Letter and Spirit therefore there are two different senses in Scriptures Literal and Spiritual of the same words or sentence is a most absurd consequence The third Text occasioning this deception is John 6.63 My words saith Christ are spirit the words that I speak they are Spirit and they are life therefore say the mistakers Christs words must be understood spiritually or in a spirituall sense not litterall Nay but my Brethren what an inconsequence is this For what were the words that Christ then spake they were verse 53 54 56. of cating his flesh and drinking his bloud in order to eternall life the mystery whereof they not understanding because he spake in a figure he explaines himself in the verse mentioned by a distinction of flesh and spirit the flesh profiteth nothing saith he but the spirit quickneth and my words are spirit as if he had said think not therefore that I mean you thould eat my flesh and drink my bloud after a carnal or corporal manner for that would not profit you The slesh profiteth not but feed upon me in communion with my spirit by faith and so shall ye be quickened unto eternall life 'T is a spiritual eating of my flesh that my words mean my words are spirit But neverthelesse beloved not to be understood of a diverse or contrary meaning from the Letter for the Letter as of all Scripture so of this is twofold Proper and Tropical First Proper which expresseth the thing by a word signifying a meaning plainly answering the nature of the thing Secondly Tropicall which expresseth the thing by way of allusion or similitude or types and parables conversively putting a word of similitude or parable for a word proper to the nature of the thing it self Now the eating Christ speaks of here is not proper of fleshly eating but in the Trope and Similitude that is spiritual eating for as Corporal eating nourisheth the body unto life Natural so doth Spiritual feeding upon Christ by faith nourish and quicken the soul unto life eternall and so though Christs words here are spirit as he saith my words are Spirit that is import a spiritual eating yet the sense of them is never the more spiritual as if different from the Letter for the Letter of this word Spirit gives the sense of the Trope denoting Spiritual eating yet with the help of a little Logick too the Abstract put for the Concrete Spirit for Spiritual and in the Concretion the adject Spiritual connoting its subject Eating is as much as Spiritual eating and so the sense being Tropical is in that respect nevertheless Literal the sense of Scripture with this amongst the rest being of two kinds Proper and Tropical as aforesaid and both Literal You will wonder it may be I should say There is no sense of Scripture but only Literal and thereupon Object What Divines should mean by observing a distinction of the Letter from some other thing differing in the meaning of the words besides it To which I answer 'T is true as I said at the first of this passage many wife and good Christians generally mistaking these oppositions of Letter and Spirit which I have but now oponed and are the only to that purpose throughout the whole book of God and all professing a Literal sense That for want of a term contra-distinct unto Literal have in that necessity allowed a sense Spiritual but unsatisfied therewith I conceive upon further disquisition have been found to understand themselves only in a sense of a Rhetorism or a Trope which not knowing what to oppose unto the Letter under the said mistakes they have called Spiritual though indeed it be in true understanding only Literal according to the common manner of speaking by Tropes and Figures which bear their part in expression of the mind in all Languages and together with Grammar make up the whole business of Utterance or the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word discovering the sense of the minde bearing a signification either plain and proper and so hath been taken for the Letter or Tropical and more mysterious and so hath been taken for Spiritual but in true judgement the literal word is common to both Proper and Tropical the Trope and Rhetorism both in word and sense being in the letter of the Scripture also as well as the Proper though not so frequent as the Proper and Grammatical yet so of a meaning literal as well as the other and in that respect all senses of words Typical Parabolical or otherwise Tropological as I humbly conceive with submission to better judgements can be thought no more then Literal and the mystery of them to be understood by endeavouring to find the extent of the Letter only Away therefore with that deception of a Spiritual sense of Scripture whereby the safety of Divine Truths hath been and may be still much in hazzard And let us conceive of Gods meaning in his Word speaking to us as we speak to one another according to the use of sensing the words in the practice of Nations without which we can never be supposed to understand him and if we cannot yet reach the mystery of every letter let us be content till God in the seasons of his Grace and Wisdom shall afford us helps of a further discovery by his blessing upon the labours of Pious and Learned men whom God hath set forth hitherto and doubtless will