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A53685
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A discourse of the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer with a brief enquiry into the nature and use of mental prayer and forms / by John Owen ...
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Owen, John, 1616-1683.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing O738; ESTC R11815
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119,966
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289
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used by the Apostle in this matter whereby the general Nature of the Work of the Spirit herein will further appear In this place he saith God hath sent forth into our Hearts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit of his Son crying Abba Father Rom. 8. 15. He saith we have received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Spirit of Adoption the Spirit of the Son given us because we are Sons whereby or in whom we cry Abba Father His acting in us and our acting by him is expressed by the same word And the enquiry here is how in the same Duty he is said to cry in us and we are said to cry in him And there can be no Reason hereof but only because the same Work is both his and ours in divers Respects As it is an Act of Grace and Spiritual Power it is his or it is wrought in us by him alone As it is a Duty performed by us by virtue of his Assistance it is ours by him we cry Abba Father And to deny his actings in our Duties is to overthrow the Gospel And it is Prayer formally considered and as comprizing the Gift of it with its outward Exercise which is intended The mere excitation of the Graces of Faith Love Trust Delight Desire Self-abasement and the like animating Principles of Prayer cannot be expressed by crying though it be included in it Their actual Exercise in Prayer formally considered is that which is ascribed unto the Spirit of God And they seem to deal somewhat severely with the Church of God and all Believers who will not allow that the Work here expresly assigned unto the Spirit of Adoption or of the Son is sufficient for its end or the discharge of this Duty either in private or in the Assemblies of the Church There is no more required unto Prayer either way but our crying Abba Father that is the making our Requests known unto him as our Father in Christ with Supplications and Thanksgivings according as our State and occasions do require And is not the Aid of the Spirit of God sufficient to enable us hereunto It was so of Old and that unto all Believers according as they were called unto this Duty with respect unto their Persons Families or the Church of God If it be not so now it is because either God will not now communicate his Spirit unto his Children or Sons according to the Promise of the Gospel or because indeed this Grace and Gift of his is by men despised neglected and lost And the former cannot be asserted on any safe grounds whatever the latter is our interest to consider This two-fold Testimony concerning the Promise of the Communication of the Holy Spirit or a Spirit of Supplication unto Believers under the New Testament and the accomplishment of it doth sufficiently evince our general Assertion that there is a peculiar Work or special gracious operation of the Holy Ghost in the Prayers of Believers enabling them thereunto For we intend no more hereby but that as they do receive him by vertue of that Promise which the World cannot do in order unto his Gracious efficiency in the Duty of Supplication so he doth actually incline dispose and enable them to cry Abba Father or to call upon God in Prayer as their Father by Jesus Christ. To deny this therefore is to rise up in contradiction unto the express Testimony of God himself and by our unbelief to make him a Lyar. And had we nothing farther to plead in this cause this were abundantly sufficient to reprove the petulant folly of them by whom this Work of the Holy Ghost and the Duty of Believers thereon to Pray in the Spirit if we may use the despised and blasphemed expressions of the Scripture is scorned and derided For as to the Ability of Prayer which is thus received some there are who know no more of it as exercised in a way of Duty but the outside shell and appearance of it and that not from their own Experience but from what they observed in others Of these there are not a few who confidently affirm that it is wholly a Work of Fancy Invention Memory and Wit accompanied with some Boldness and Elocution unjustly fathered on the Spirit of God who is no way concerned therein And it may be they do perswade many no better skilled in these things than themselves that so it is indeed Howbeit those who have any Experience of the real Aids and Assistances of the Spirit of God in this Work and Duty any Faith in the express Testimonies given by God himself hereunto cannot but despise such fabulous Imaginations You may as soon perswade them that the Sun doth not give Light nor the Fire Heat that they see not with their Eyes nor hear with their Ears as that the Spirit of God doth not enable them to pray or assist them in their Supplications And there might some probability be given unto these pretences and unto the total Exclusion of the Holy Ghost from any concernment herein if those concerning whom and their Duties they thus judge were generally Persons known to excel others in those Natural Endowments and acquired Abilities whereunto this Faculty of Prayer is ascribed But will this be allowed by them who make use of this pretence namely that those who are thus able to pray as they pretend by virtue of a Spiritual Gift are Persons excelling in Fancy Memory Wit Invention and Elocution It is known that they will admit of no such thing but in all other Instances they must be represented as dull stupid ignorant unlearned and brutish Only in Prayer they have the advantage of those natural Endowments These things are hardly consistent with common Ingenuity For is it not strange that those who are so contemptible with respect unto natural and acquired Endowments in all other things whether of Science or of Prudence should yet in this one Duty or Work of Prayer so improve them as to out-go the Imitation of them by whom they are despised For as they do not as they will not pray as they do so their own Hearts tell them they cannot which is the true Reason why they so despitefully oppose this praying in the Spirit whatever Pride or Passion pretends to the contrary But things of this nature will again occurr unto us and therefore shall not be here further insisted on Having therefore proved that God hath promised a plentiful dispensation of his Spirit unto Believers under the New Testament to enable them to pray according unto his mind and that in general this Promise is accomplished in and towards all the Children of God It remaineth in the second place as to what we have proposed that we declare what is the Work of the Holy Ghost in them unto this end and purpose or how he is unto us a Spirit of Prayer or Supplication CHAP. IV. The nature of Prayer Rom. 8. 26. Opened and Vindicated PRayer at present I take to be a Gift Ability
judged by them a serving of God with the best that they have I shall not take the least notice of them nor of any Dissent about them But whereas a perswasion not only of their lawfulness but of their necessity is made use of unto other ends and purposes wherein the Peace and Edification of Believers is highly concerned it is necessary we should make some enquiry thereinto I say it is only with respect unto such a sense of their nature and necessity of their use as give Occasion or a supposed Advantage unto men to oppose deny and speak evil of that way of Prayer with its Causes and Ends which we have described that is that any way consider these Forms of Prayer and their Use. For I know well enough that I have nothing to do to Judge or Condemn the Persons or Duties of Men in such Acts of Religious Worship as they chuse for their best and hope for Acceptance in unless they are expresly Idolatrous For unless it be in such Cases or the like which are plain either in the Light of Nature or Scripture Revelation it is a silly Apprehension and tending to Atheism that God doth not require of all Men to regulate their Actings towards Him according to that Sovereign Light which he hath erected in their own Minds What the Forms intended are how composed how used how in some Cases imposed are things so known to all that we shall not need to speak to them Prayer is God's Institution and the Reading of these Forms is that which Men have made and set up in the Likeness thereof or in Compliance with it For it is said That the Lord Christ having provided the Matter of Prayer and commanded us to pray it is left unto us or others to Compose Prayer as unto the Manner of it as we or they shall see cause But besides that there is no Appearance of Truth in the Inference the direct contrary rather insuing on the Proposition laid down it is built on this Supposition That besides the provision of matter of Prayer and the Command of the Duty the Lord Christ hath not moreover promised doth not communicate unto his Church such Spiritual Aids and Assistances as shall enable them without any other outward pretended Helps to pray according unto the Mind of God Which we must not admit if we intend to be Christians In like manner he hath provided the whole Subject Matter of Preaching and commanded all his Ministers to Preach But it doth not hence follow that they may all or any of them make one Sermon to constantly read in all Assemblies of Christians without any variation unless we shall grant also that he ceaseth to Give gifts unto Men for the Work of the Ministry Our Enquiry therefore will be what Place or Use they may have therein or in our Duty as performed by Vertue thereof which may be expressed in the ensuing Observations 1. The Holy Ghost as a Spirit of Grace and Supplications is no where that I know of promised unto any to help or assist them in composing Prayers for others and therefore we have no ground to pray for him or his Assistance unto that End in particular nor foundation to build Faith or Expectation of receiving him upon Wherefore he is not in any especial or gracious manner concerned in that Work or Endeavour Whether this be a Duty that falls under his care as communicating gifts in general for the Edification of the Church shall be afterwards Examined That which we plead at present is that he is no where peculiarly promised for that End nor have we either command or direction to ask for his Assistance therein If any shall say that he is promised to this purpose where he is so as a Spirit of Grace and Supplication I answer besides what hath been already pleaded at large in the Explication and vindication of the proper sense of that Promise that he is promised directly to them that are to pray and not to them that make Prayers for others which themselves will not say is praying But supposing it a Duty in general so to compose Prayers for our own or the use of others it is lawful and warrantable to pray for the Aid and Guidance of the Holy Ghost therein not as unto his peculiar Assistances in Prayer not as he is unto Believers a Spirit of Supplication but as he is our Sanctifier the Author and efficient cause of every gracious Work and Duty in us It may be the Prayers composed by some Holy men under the Old Testament by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost for the use of the Church will be also pretended But as the Inspiration or Assistance which they had in their Work was a thing quite of another kind than any thing that is ordinarily promised or that any Persons can now pretend unto so whether they were dictated unto them by the Holy Ghost to be used afterwards by others as meer Forms of Prayer may be yet farther enquired into The great Plea for some of these external Aids of Prayer is by this one Consideration utterly removed out of the way It is said that some of these Prayers were prepared by great and Holy men Martyrs it may be some of them for the Truth of the Gospel and Testimony of Jesus And indeed had any men in the World a Promise of especial Assistance by the Spirit of God in such a Work I should not contend but the Persons intended were as likely to partake of that Assistance as any others in these latter Ages Extraordinary supernatural Inspiration they had not And the Holy Apostles who were always under the Influence and Conduct of it never made use of it unto any such purpose as to prescribe Forms of Prayer either for the whole Church or single Persons Whereas therefore there is no such especial Promise given unto any this Work of composing Prayer is forreign unto the Duty of Prayer as unto any Interest in the gracious Assistance which is promised thereunto however it may be a common Duty and fall under the help and Blessing of God in general So some men from their acquaintance with the matter of Prayer above others which they attain by spiritual Light Knowledge and Experience and their Comprehension of the Arguments which the Scripture directs unto to be used and pleaded in our Supplications may set down and express a Prayer that is the matter and outward Form of it that shall declare the substance of things to be prayed for much more accommodate to the conditions wants and desires of Christians than others can who are not so clearly enlightened as they are nor have had the Experience which they have had For those Prayers as they are called which men without such Light and Experience compose of phrases and Expressions gathered up from others taken out of the Scripture or invented by themselves and cast into a contexture and method such as they suppose suited unto Prayer in