Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	good_a	know_v	2,039	5	3.4458	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65713	The Protestant reconciler. Part II earnestly perswading the dissenting laity to joyn in full communion with The Church of England, and answering all the objections of the non-conformists against the lawfulness of their submission unto the rites and constitutions of that church / by a well-wisher to the churches peace, and a lamenter of her sad divisions.	Whitby, Daniel, 1638-1726.	1683 (1683)	Wing W1735; ESTC R39049	245,454	419

of the Holy Ghost and therefore their Apologies were of Divine Authority and many of them are to this day received as parts of Scripture or the Word of God but will any man in his wits admit or urge this consequence our Lord promised to assist his Apostles when arraigned before Heathen Judges for his sake by miraculous inspiration therefore in every ordinary case of Prayer he will assist all the faithful by the same inspiration or will these very Persons arrogate thus much to themselves or their own Prayers that they proceed from the same special and divine assistance Object 3 God say they hath promised his good Spirit to help our infirmities Rom. 8.26 27. when we know not how to Pray as we ought and therefore by tying of our selves to a prescribed Form we prejudice the assistance of this Holy Spirit and do not suffer him to help our infirmities by teaching us to Pray when we our selves do not know how to do it Answ 1 The Spirit is here said to help our infirmities by making intercession for us with sighs and groans unutterable and therefore cannot be a spirit of utterance yea it is farther intimated v. 27. that he alone who is the searcher of the heart doth understand the meaning of the spirit the Person therefore whom he thus assists is one who doth not understand his meaning and therefore neither can nor should thus Pray in publick where he is obliged to Pray not only with the spirit 1 Cor. 14.15 but with the understanding also this therefore certainly can be no promise or example of the assistance of the Spirit in pouring forth extemporary Prayers in publick 2ly The assistance of the Spirit promised here is only in the time of great temptations and afflictions and when we know not what to Pray for and therefore can with no shew of reason be extended to the continual assistance of the Spirit at all times 3ly Chap. 5. §. 6. from p. 218. to 230. That excellent Person who hath writ with great accuracy of Judgment touching the operations of the Holy Ghost hath made it evident beyond all possible exception that this Text makes nothing for the pretence of uttering the suggestions of the Spirit in extemporary Prayer but that if by the intercession of the Spirit we understand his interceding for us in the proper sense the import of the Words is this viz. The Gospel of Christ affords us this relief against impatience under afflictions that whereas we know not whether afflictions or deliverance and ease be best for us at present and consequently as to these respects know not what to pray for in particular the Spirit of Christ intercedes for us with unuttered groans i. e. earnestly and powerfully for by an inexpressible desire we commonly understand one that is vehement and God who searcheth our hearts and understands that we do sometimes desire such things as tend not to our advantage knoweth also what the Spirit intercedeth for and that he requests in our behalf better things for us than we do our selves for we are ever ready to desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such things as seem best to man but he asks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what God knows to be best for us But if the Holy Ghost is only said to intercede for us by enabling us to do so then will the words admit this Paraphrase Whereas when we pray for deliverance from afflictions we know not whether it be best for us to have our desires granted the Holy Spirit enclines us to an entire submission of our selves to the Divine Will and together with our most earnest prayers of that kind there is all along mingled that secret and more vehement desire of what God seeth best for us which is a Grace of the Holy Spirit whereby the forwardness of our appetites after the ease and comforts of this World is corrected and governed Now though this earnest request be not uttered the particular matter of it being not yet known since we are ignorant what will be most profitable for us yet he that searcheth the heart understands it perfectly and knows that we vehemently desire not so much that deliverance or worldly advantage which is the matter of our uttered groans and prayers as that good which the Spirit moveth us to pray for and which we cannot particularly utter that namely which God seeth best for us This indeed is a desire of the heart which proceeds from a Divine cause and God is so pleased with it that he will not fail to grant it so that if afflictions continue we know they shall work together for good and thus the Holy Spirit relieveth us under our infirmities and distresses by bringing all our worldly appetites under submission to the pleasure of Divine Wisdom and Goodness Object 4 Moreover it is objected that we are required to use the Gifts vouchsafed to us 1 Pet. 4.10 not to neglect our Gifts 1 Tim. 4.14 Rom. 12.6 Having Gifts different vouchsafed to us according to the different Grace of God to imploy them for the publick good Having therefore say Dissenters such a Gift of prayer we are engaged to imploy it in the publick Worship for the benefit of others and therefore cannot submit unto those Forms which lay upon us a necessity of neglecting this our Gift Answ 1 That though these places are produced in favour of the supposed gift of prayer yet do they speak of no such thing but all of them touching the gift of publick teaching of the Word of God Thus v. g. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Gift of Timothy is say Interpreters munus publicè docendi the gift of publick teaching and this doth the connexion of the words most fairly plead for viz. V. 13. give attendance to reading exhortation and doctrine neglect not the gift c. The Speaker in St. Peter is say the Commentators on that place the instructor and teacher of the People is qui praedicat verbum Dei in Ecclesia he that preacheth the word of God in the Church The gifts in the 12th of the Romans are prophesying teaching V. 6. exhortation since then Dissenters think not themselves obliged to perform these things ex tempore by vertue of these precepts but chuse to do them in a Form of words why should they think themselves obliged to pray ex tempore by vertue of these words for that prophesying preaching and exhortation are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or spiritual gifts these Texts inform us more plainly than any other do that prayer is so quis tum discrevit who therefore made the difference that the one should be performed ex tempore the other not Answ 2 All these Texts seem to speak not of such ordinary gifts as are invention and elocution but of the extraordinary gifts vouchsafed then unto the Church for in all the forecited places the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth most properly import such gifts