Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	body_n	soul_n	true_a	7,689	5	4.8842	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07208	Hearing and doing the ready way to blessednesse with an appendix containing rules of right hearing Gods word. By Henry Mason, parson of S. Andrews Vnder-shaft London.	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1635 (1635)	STC 17609; ESTC S102307	184,084	830

spilt as is sowen in that time and if besides occasions of the world do keep us from hearing or hinder us in preparing for it what in this case is bestowed on the world is stollen from God and our owne soules And therefore in the Decalogue where God commanded the Jews to sanctifie the seventh day as a day of rest for Gods service hee telleth them that they had six daies allowed thē to do their own works in but the seventh was a Sabbath of rest in which being freed from the world they should bee at leasure for God For better keeping of which day Moses commanded them that the day before the Sabbath they should (a) Exod. 16.23 bake what they had to bake and seeth what they had to seeth that so they might have no businesse of their own to do when they were to keepe Gods holy day And from hence it was that the Jews called the sixth day of the week (b) Matt. 27 6● Luk. 23.54 the preparation of the Sabbath Some have thought that this was a peculiar title of the day going before the Passeover and sure there is reason to think that it was in an especiall maner used before that day because as that (c) Joh. 19.31 Sabbath day was an high day so this preparation day should be observed with more solennitie and care that it might usher in that great day with the more honour But yet I take it every Sabbath day had his preparation day going before according to that rule of Moses mentioned before And so (d) Parasceve Graeca vox est Latinè dicas praeparationem Eo nomine Judaei vocabant sextam Sabbathi seu sextam Hebdomadae diem eò quòd illo die pararent necessaria omnia ad vivendum die subsequenti ne qua re otium Sabbathi violare cogerentur Brugens in Matt 27.62 Vox Parasceve qua Romani hanc solam feriam sextam compellant communis est omnibus totius anni feriis sextis Parasceve verò praeparatio interpretatur quo nomine Judaei qui inter Graecos conversabantur sextam Sabbathi quae nunc à nobis sexta feria nominatur appellaba●● c. Antiq. Liturg. tom 2. de feria sexta pag. 925. Vide Ca aeū in Cassian Instit lib. 5. cap. 24 pag. 12. learned men generally do affirm Answerably whereunto and as I take it in imitation thereof the Christian Church hath beene accustomed to keepe Saterday half holy day that in the afternoon they might ridd by-businesses out of the way and by the evening service might prepare their mindes for the Lords day then ensuing Which custome and usage of Gods people as I will not presse it upon any mans conscience as a necessary dutie so every man will grant mee that Gods people as well Christian as Jewish have thought a time of preparation most fit for the well observing of Gods holy day And upon this ground I may be bolde to advise every good Christian that before the exercises of the LORDS day he will take care to lay aside worldly occasions and to cleare his minde from the thought of them that so he may have nothing to do with the world while hee is to converse with God nor bee distracted with earthly thoughts when hee is to bee busied about heavenly things In regard whereof I cannot but blame their loosenesse who follow the businesses of their trade in the morning of the Lords day or spend other parts thereof in talking with their servants about the disposing of the next weeks work as if they meant to make the Lords day a preparation day for the week following By which meanes it falleth out not seldome that such people come tardy to Church and heare without attention when they are come and go away without profit when all is done I like not their rigour who allow no word nor thought on a Sabbath day but such as is spirituall nor can I approve their loosenes who take so much libertie for themselves as hindereth any substantiall dutie of Gods service More I say not at this time grant mee but thus much and then ye will not denie but so much preparation is necessary as may make us fit for the duties of Gods service and may make the exercises of an holy day profitable for our soules II. A second preparative duty for right hearing is that wee refresh the body with seasonable moderat comforts that the senses spirits being refreshed the minde may bee made more chearefull in Gods service For our soules work as our bodies are fitted for them and the reason is because the senses of the body are the servants of the soule the spirits are the instrumēts by which it worketh Now if a master-workman doe want servants to assist him he will do but a little work and if hee want tooles or have none but blunt ones he can do no work or none to any pupose And so if the bodily senses bee decaied and the spirits wasted the minde cannot be free or forward in good duties And consequently if we desire that our soules may be fresh lively in hearing or praying or praising God it will be necessary that the body bee kept in vigour by its usuall refreshings And these refreshings are two especially moderat diet and seasonable sleepe In these I require two things 1. that there bee a competent use of them allowed to the body and 2. that this use be moderat and seasonable And this the Apostle meant when hee said Make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13.14 for by these words (a) Cassian Inst Ib. 5 c. 8. pag. 116. saith a good writer non curam ejus omnimodis interdixit sed ut in desideriis fieret denegavit He did not forbid all care but denied the fulfilling of its lusts Voluptuosam ademit diligentiam carnis gubernationem vitae necessariam non exclusit hee tooke away the sensuall care of the flesh but not the right ordering of it according to the course of nature 1. It is necessary that there bee allowed a reasonable use of them that the senses may bee lively and active for their work For wee read of the Egyptian yong man that by long fasting hee was ready to die but when he had eaten some food then saith the Text his spirit came againe to him 1 Sam. 30.12 And so Ionathans eies were enlightened by eating a little honey in his hunger 1 Sam. 14.27 And againe if the people had beene suffered to eate of the spoile of their enemies there had beene a farre greater slaughter among the Philistines ver 30. (b) Efficaciùs semper corde concipitur quicquid sensim absque nimio labor corporis intimatur Cassian Collat. 14 cap. 19. pag. 651. And so in this case sleepe and food are necessary refreshings that wee may bee chearefull in Gods service And the reason is cleare in experience For we see that the famished body is unfit for worke

the Text out of Isai 33.7 He was led as a sheep to the slaughter c. And then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached unto him Iesus In these places it appeareth that Philip and our Saviour tooke a Text to preach upon the one such a Text as the occasion then offered and the other such as himselfe made choise of for the purpose But at other times wee finde that preachers have chosen a theame which they thought usefull for the time and without any Text to ground their discourse on have unfolded that point out of Scriptures and reason applied it to the peoples use Thus our Lord did preach when he made that famous Sermon called by the learned Sermo Domini in monte Our Lords Sermon in the mount recorded by the Evangelist Matt. 5.6 7. chapters For in this Sermon wee have many expositions of Scriptures many doctrines of religion and many exhortations and directions for a godly life but wee finde no Text first read by direction of which he proceeded in his Sermon Thus our Lord and so Saint Peter preached also Act. 2 3. chapters and Saint Stephen Act. 7. and S. Paul Act. 13 17. And of later times some also in these parts of the Church have done the like though the common use now among us is alwayes to ground our Sermons upon some Text even then when men scarse once touch upon the Text in the whole Sermon Of both these sorts of preaching my note is true that if Gods word bee preached aright whether by grounding on a Text or by propounding of a Theame yet the hearing of the word thus preached is a meanes to make him blessed that useth it aright The summe of all is that the hearing of the word preached in which of these sorts soever it be is availeable to blessednesse and alike profitable to salvation And the reason is because by every one of them we may bee instructed alike in the knowledge of God and his service and may be edified in the faith of Christ in the obedience of his Laws which is the only way that leadeth to happinesse and eternall life Thus much for the first point what wee meane by preaching or the word preached II. Quest The next is how it may appeare that the hearing of the word thus preached is a meanes of blessednes And the answere is it appeareth by these reasons 1. Because it is the way and the meanes by which Christ hath founded his Church converted the nations and saved the soules of beleevers So S. Paul saith that by the foolishnesse of preaching so the world esteemed it it pleased God to save them that beleeve 1 Cor. 1.21 And so it is said of the Jews that they did forbid the Apostles to preach to the Gentiles that they might bee saved 1 Thess 2.16 And to these sayings the event proveth answerable For Saint Peter by the preaching of one Sermon converted three thousand soules Act. 2.41 and S. Paul converted many Jews and proselyts Act. 13.43 and more particularly and by name he converted Lydia and the Gaoler Act. 16. and Dionysius Areopagita and Damaris and others Act. 17. And in a word by him his fellow-labourers all the Christian world have beene brought to the faith Experience then sheweth it to be true that the hearing of the word preached is a meanes to bring men to the faith and by faith to salvation 2. It is proved also because God doth send preachers into the world that by their labours hee may bring men to heaven and happinesse For this end it is that God sent his own Sonne to preach the Gospell The Spirit of the Lord God saith our Lord in the Prophet is upon me because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek c. that they might be called the trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Is 61.1 2 3. In these words wee have two things for our purpose 1. the work that our Lord Christ was sent about and that was to preach good tidings c. 2. the end that was intended and effected by it that was two-fold mans sanctification and Gods glory that they might bee called the trees of righteousnes and that hee might be glorified by it And for the like end and purpose our Lord Christ himselfe did send his Apostles to preach Matt. 10.5 7 and the seventie Disciples Luk. 10.1 and S. Paul 1 Cor. 1.17 And to save labour in naming of particulars the Apostle telleth us that when our Lord was ascended up into heaven hee gave some to bee Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers But why and for what end all this why it was saith the Text for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unitie of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Ephes 4.11 12 13. By this we see that as the Apostles did bring men to the faith by their preaching of the Gospell in the beginning so God hath established a setled course of teaching to the worlds end by which men may bee brought to happinesse and eternall life And thus much for answere to the second question III. Quest The last is What help may we have by hearing the word preached beside or more then wee might gaine by hearing the Scriptures read To this my answere is it may furtherus in the way of godlinesse diverse wayes over and beside the benefit that is reaped by the word read For 1. It may further us for the right understanding of many passages of Scripture more then we could gather by hearing of them read For though the principles of faith and rules of a good life be delivered clearely plainely in Scriptures and a man by reading or hearing them read may gaine much help toward salvation yet it is true also that there are many speeches phrases words which are not easily understood by an ordinary Christian but may be explained made cleare by a learned preacher For exāple the disciples understood not the right meaning of that sentence of the Prophet Behold I will send you Eliiah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadfull day of the Lord and hee shall turne the heart of the fathers to the children c. Malac. 4.5 For they conceited that this was meant of Elias in person whereas it was meant of Iohn the Baptist who came in the spirit and power of Elias and because hee resembled him in his office is therefore called by his name This when they understood not our LORD expounded it unto them and made them to know the true meaning of that Scripture as appeareth Mar. 9.12 Againe the Eunuch of Ethiopia did not understand that