Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	apostle_n	speak_v	word_n	1,386	5	3.9429	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45151	Peaceable disquisitions which treat of the natural and spiritual man, preaching with the demonstration of the Spirit, praying by the Spirit, assurance, the Arminian grace, possibility of heathens salvation, the reconciliation of Paul and James, the imputation of Christ's righteousness, with other incident matters : in some animadversions on a discourse writ against Dr. Owen's Book of the Holy Spirit / by John Humfrey ...	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1678 (1678)	Wing H3702; ESTC R21932	66,481	118

gifts of prayer does but offer a stinted form which is said commonly as to the hearers particular state and the stinting of the Object does not yet stint the Spirit however in his operation on the affections Praying alwaies with all manner of prayer and supplications in the Spirit Praying with the Spirit or by it in the last place is that we find in the dayes of the Apostles when they had extraordinary administrations of the Spirit in gifts that were miraculous insomuch that they spake with tongues and so preached and prayed Those that spake I apprehend understood not themselves what they delivered but every one in whose tongue they spake were edified and therefore we read of some that did interpret Those were such it is like as had skill in more tongues than their own or else in case there were none such the fame miraculous power might enable some for the interpretation as others to speak Thus praying with the Spirit is opposed to praying with the understanding and the Apostle prefers praying with the understanding before it There is no person had cause therefore to brag of this if he had it and there is none of any sect among us that pretend to it And so I think having said what I intended otherwise that neither the Gentleman nor I need to be put to any more words about it I will pray with the Spirit and I will pray with the understanding also CHAP. IV. Of the closer judgement of the Author in his sixth Chapter which is Arminian and of Election Free-will and Grace upon account of his opinion Of the salvability of Heathen and other incidental matters I Descend to his sixth Chapter which is to shew us who those are to whom the Spirit is promised and given These persons are Believers who yet are not holy persous This is his Notion They cannot be holy till they have the Spirit to sanctifie them and yet they must believe and pray because that is the condition upon which the Spirit is given The holy Spirit consequently and his special grace is necessary to Good works or sanctification but Believing is antecedent to it or must be in a mans power before it I must confess I am made sensible of the sagacity of this Author upon my reading this Chapter which I did not heed so much before and I perceive which way his mind is hankering It was this very light which carried St. Augustine so much in his first writings The doctrine of Pelagius at the first broaching consisted mainly in this point that God did give his grace according to mens merits This doctrine seemed to the Father too arrogant for man and derogatory to God That the grace of God and eternal life is given to some and not to others is manifest That the reason must be in regard of something that one man does and not another seemed to him undeniable That good works should be it appears against the Scripture not by works lest any man should boast Besides if a man should be allowed to be able to do any good works to merit Gods grace by the strength of nature what need were there of prayer for aid from God or the help of his Spirit Man should have need of industry here not prayer If not works then what must it be but that which is so often contradistinguished to works and that is Faith For the Scripture that saies not of Works but of Grace does say likewise It is of faith that it may be of Grace Here then is that which must be in mans power That a man could not do good works without grace St. Austine always asserted for this was his meaning when he saies that good works do not preceed but follow justification understanding by justifying the making a man just by inherent grace as the Schools do after him But that a man can believe if he will by the use of his natural faculties only is what he did maintain readily thinking no body could deny it According to this clear apprehension prehension as he then took it up he did proceed to his doctrine of Election which being defined by the Ancients before his time always ex praescientia he now determines to be of this Faith foreseen It must not be ex operibus praevisis because that will oppose grace but ex praevifa fide and that will salve all objections We are to conceive of other things to follow agreeably as Arminius that acute and I think pious Divine hath since taken up the notion when Augustine himself retracted it and upon his own stock improved it It is me now I must say something notable to see the seeds of the same light springing up in this Gentleman as formerly actuared two such searching Divines as Austin and Arminius were and I cannot therefore without guilt of disingenuity pass over any thing which he hath offered for the farther cultivation of it For doing this I observe he enters first upon an adventure to make some change of our terms in Divinity The state of nature and a state of Grace are terms that signifie Regeneration and Unregeneration with all men even in our practical Books and he will have us by a state of Nature to understand the state of a Heathen and by a state of Grace the state of every one under the Gospel The Gospel now bringing a man into this state a state of Grace he distinguishes of this Grace the Gospel brings And it is either that which goes before our Faith or follows it That which goes before he accounts it all Common Grace that which is given after it special Grace Ordinarily by the way that grace which is given to the Reprobate as well as to the Elect we call Common Grace and that which is peculiar to the Elect we call special grace whether before or after Faith But he offers his reason The Grace which the Gospel brings is either says he that which is given upon condition or that which is given upon none That which is conditional must be given only to some because it is some only perform that condition and that which is given but to some is special Grace That which is given upon no condition must be therefore or rather may be appropriated to all and so is Common Grace Thus he Theologizes when we ordinarily do not account it common grace because every one has it but because the Reprobate as well as the Elect have it and we do not call it special Grace only because some have it but because the Elect only have it so that that Grace which is given but to some if it be given to any Reprobate as well as the Elect we call not special but common Grace Well but these terms being premised that Grace now which he calls special the grace of the Gospel is promised on the condition of Faith It is Faith is the first thing upon which all depends If this be not in the power of every one the

groans or desires which are unutterable both in regard to our selves in that we know not the things of Heaven and cannot utter them and in regard to the nature of the things which are expresly called by the Apostle when he was ravished in his Spirit up thither to see them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things not possible to be uttered And yet are they prepared for us though above our comprehension and God who does above what we are able to ask or think and knows what is the mind of his own Spirit will grant them because this Intercession is by his appointment and we are to support our hearts that this time is coming when not only all these miseries shall have an end but we shall see Gods end in them all in making them work for us a far more exceeding weight of Glory Here are two interpretations then which I leave to the Reader and he perhaps may choose neither of them but in both of them that objection which is obvious from the Lord's Prayer is prevented Christ hath taught us what we are to pray for and yet does the Text tell us that we know not what we should pray for as we ought There are things in the Lord's Prayer which we are to pray for and know that we ought to pray for them and do pray for them yet do we know them but in part and we are more short in our knowing how to pray for them as best for us When we pray for deliverance from evil and temptation that includes our present troubles and these are the things we know not according to the first Interpretation When we pray that God's Kingdom may come that includes the things of heaven and these are the things we know not according to the second Interpretation That which cannot be denied in regard to these two Petitions must be acknowledged in all others under a like condition There is little reason for this Author then to pick a quarrel with Doctor Owen for attributing too much to the assistance of God's Spirit in the making our Prayers who is so very cautious to allow any thing but in regard to the matter of them when there is so much more included here in the Spirits praying for us and that for the things we know not as it may make any man at a stand who goes about to limit the Holy One almost at all for fear of presuming on the Ark of his imperceptible operations Having said this I have but three or four notes more upon this Text which must not be waved It is to be considered first we have the Spirit put here into the Office of Intercessor and there is a practical case requires satisfaction Christ hath promised again and again that whatsoever we ask by Faith in his name according to his will we shall have it There is many a good man now troubled at this that he hath prayed often and not been heard It must be answered therefore upon this account that whatsoever request we make or any one makes with the qualifications exprest it is and must be put up to God by the Holy Spirit and though it be not answered according to our mind it is according to his who maketh intercession for us A second note is this that though the Apostle be supposed to bring in these words We know not what we should pray for as we ought with regard to the Context it will not follow from the instance of one or other of these particular matters to be intended that all others must be excluded but rather that the universal matters of Prayer so far as they are subject to the like condition must be certainly also concluded Note in the third place that though there does appear some reason from the objection mentioned for limiting these words We know not what to pray for there is no reason for limitation of the first part of the Text The Spirit helpeth our infirmities For when it is affirmed that it is by reason of our infirmity that we know not what to pray for it does not follow that therefore that is all our infirmity We have many more infirmities to be helpt than this in making our Prayers Note in the last place that though the groans unutterable in the Text be expounded in both these interpretations with regard to the matter prayed for they may very likely be better expounded with regard to these infirmities to be helped that is though we are such many of us as are so weak that we cannot utter our requests or frame our desires into petitions yet by the Spirit we are assisted some way to put these small unutterable groans with his good motions together so as they are accepted in Heaven It is not by reason of the intensiveness or greatness but because of their smallness said Master Perkins that these groans are unutterable I do not think therefore that it is in this Authors power to divert that favour which this Text does cast upon those Prayers which he calls ex tempore the Ancients ex pectore feeing such Prayers do follow or slow most genuinely from the motions that are upon the soul and which so long as they are good we are to ascribe to the Holy Spirit And when this is granted on all hands that he does excite our affections who is there can say what influence or how much that work alone hath or must have on our expressions The Holy Spirit being intimate to our souls can affect us when we are not sensible of it and produce effects upon our minds in that manner as if they were meerly the effects of our own reasoning says this very Author And why then do such able and good men for such I hope they indeed are and that they do not speak what they do as Scoffers let such Discourses and Debates as these come from them which carry a tendency in them to repress that devotion that has in it or pretends at least the most of warmth and enlargement of affection in this duty as if a coldness or beadishness in the performance was to be preferred as more safe and wise when Christ that hath taught us to pray does also exhort us to fervency and importunity I cannot tell what they would have by it unless it be that all should come in to the Liturgy or else they should have no other Prayers But this is more than can be expected in conscience The circumstances of praying in a Book or without is not so material as that they should be so earnest I am a profest Neuter against extremes and will apply that saying of the Apostle If we be besides our selves it is to Godward and if we be sober it is for your cause And so having got over this one Text I will now present you my poor thoughts more closely on this subject with reference to Liturgical and Extempore Devotion There are four things here therefore to be distinguished and presented The Spirit of