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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	child_n	parent_n	provoke_v	1,966	5	10.4177	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96904	A treatise of prayer. Two quæries resolved touching formes of prayer. And six quæries relating specially to the Lords Prayer. That the reader may have full resolution, specially to the fourth of these quæries, relating to the Lords Prayer, he shall find in the end of this treatise, that holy and learned mans judgement, Dr. Owen, as to that matter in his answer to Mr Biddles second question of prayer. Pag.667, 668, 669.	Woodward, Ezekias, 1590-1675.	1656 (1656)	Wing W3508; Thomason E880_9; ESTC R206598	68,060	83

Disciples nor should a parent give his child any forme of prayer whereafter to pray And if he shall so doe we are inclined to thinke he hath not by so doing taught his child to pray we meane by giving the child a forme whereafter to pray We will heare as hitherto we have don what we have heard said for the holding forth the Affirmative and First This is forced against us without any shew of reason as we conceive That we allow not a parent to teach his child to pray Truely we would not say it for a world for we know it is a parents Duty to teach his Child to pray and to make it their very worke and their buisinesse that their Child may be still Learning at that high worke Secondly But this cannot be done but by giving them a forme of words wherebyto pray We think yes it may by Gods blessing upon the Parents faithfull and Constant endeavour this way and that a forme of prayer prescribed will rather hinder than further the worke as was said before Thirdly But ye in so saying doe Crosse I verily beleive the practise of most the Godly all over the world It is but your Faith and it is quickly said and impossible to be Proved That most of the Godly give their Children formes of prayer to teach them to pray though you doe so you will not conclude that others so doe You may be as was said norma publica as a patterne or standard to your owne people and Children not so to others Fourthly We are sure we have a sure patterne for it John Baptist himselfe We had rather you had said we have a sure word for it from the Lord God Himselfe Yet we refuse not this patterne As farre from Despising what John the Baptist did as we are from rejecting what John the Baptist said And this you say John did he Luke 11. 1. taught his Disciples to pray we yeild it and that every Godly parent is to make him his patterne in teaching his Child to pray Fifthly The● he must give his Child a forme of prayer not possible else to teach him to pray Besides so taught John his Disciples to pray as worthy Hild sayes by giving them formes of prayer to say We move heavily here because against the Streame even of the Learned in this very matter John's teaching his Disciples to pray Yet if we have the Mind of Gods Spirit and the tide of the Scriptures with us we shall hold-on our course and attaine our end anon To this wee say then That it is very possible to teach a child to pray without giving them formes of prayer to say And so wee are perswaded John taught his Disciples to pray wee would be rightly understood here speaking after the manner of men and according to the possibilitie our heavenly Father for his onely Sonnes sake hath made possible unto men It is not cleare to us nor doe wee thinke it possible for any man to make it cleare to himselfe from the word of God That John taught his Disciples to pray by giving them formes of prayer to say He taught them to pray that is out of all question for so wee read and so he did his dutie and full-up to his charge But that he gave them formes of prayer to say this is of mans adding and upon an ungrounded supposition as wee conceive That it was not possible for John but by those formes to teach his Disciples to pray Wee conceive yes And that John in those dayes and that a godly parent in these our dayes can skill better to teach his child to pray without formes of prayer than with them Surely John did teach his Disciples To Whome they were to addresse themselves in prayer after he had told them first what a solemne and sacred worke it was And then acquainted them with the New and living way unto the Father through Whome and John 14. 6. Heb. 7. 19. 10. 19 20. Eph. 2. 18. by Whose hand introduction or hand-leading they have accesse unto the Father He manifested unto them as he could for that was his great worke to doe The Messias he shewed Him openly before them and what lost ones they were without Him And what glorious creatures they are being found in Him not having their owne righteousnesse which more insnareth the soule and indangereth it also than the grossest sins doe It is a grave and weightie Dr G trial gr 1. 53. speech which that excellent man hath There is no danger to be lifted-up hy the righteousnesse of another for it is without us wee can't vainly boast of it for that faith that apprehends it emptyes us first of our selves and goeth out to another for it But sanctification being a worke wrought in us wee are apt to doate on that as too much upon any excellency in our selves Surely John beate them off from their owne righteousnesse the putting any confidence in their flesh he clubbed downe that Monster for so Luther calls it he treated much with them as wee reade about Repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and dealt with them much specially with his Disciples in this what blind poore naked emptie ones they must be in their owne sense and feeling before it can ever enter into their thoughts to pray for the anoynting with eye-salve that they may see a far-off or before they will looke after faith which pitcheth the soule upon Christ and then fetcheth in all that maketh truly rich and putteth upon the soule the glorious cloathing of the Saints emptieth the soule and then fills it with the fulnesse of God through Jesus Christ Thus wee conceive and by no other meanes did John teach his Disciples to pray Wee cannot reach to his words and may seeme too bold in making offer that way But thus wee conceive and wee say it againe John taught his Disciples to pray And not by prescribing them certain formes of prayer to say when they come before their God And this wee conceive to be the ready way a godly parent takes now to teach his childe to pray to his God What way must he take This he may know better than wee But he must teach the childe to know God first or if to pray first then to pray that he may know Him beleeve in Him and obey Him And this the parent cannot well teach the childe till he hath taught the poore simple creature to know it selfe first in some measure and what need he hath of a God in Christ for so the parent dropps into the childe as he can a little vessell and a lesse mouth to receive in and how much falls by and how little is in when it is there in such matters as these are But this wee were saying the godly parent endeavours to doe now a little and then a little A little more knowledge of himselfe what he is in the first Adam as he was borne in the world a childe

barren These are stout words indeed and argue the stoutest heart and much pride of Spirit as usually spoken by proud Men It is as if so be a man should say I sinne and I will sinne But I will not say unto God I have sinned what shall I doe If He will take my Confession from another's-mouth let Him take it I will not confesse my selfe a sinner with my owne Mouth nor will I aske Him pardon These are as stout words to our seeming as can be spoken upon the Readers thoughts we leave them When we have added this more As we are Creatures and have our dependance upon God every moment we are obliged to pray unto Him As sinfull Creatures such as sin and Satan can make us we are obliged to confesse unto Him with our own Mouths We would answer a Question one or two more before we give Resolution to the other Case Quest 6. But would not praemeditated formes prevent many rude Crude or indigested expressions Answ Yes sure with those that know not in the world how to pray without them If sensuall men not having the Spirit wholy carried by sense and minding nothing above the place their foote treades on if these should pray without the booke possibly as their parts might be low and meane they would use strange and uncouth expressions But they who set themselves before their God and expect the supplies of His Spirit from Him looking upon their owne strength as rottennesse to be rested on knowing they cannot thinke a good thought as of themselves and would not for a world utter rash words in His presence surely they shall finde the assistance they looke for and such a supplie as shall be best for them And if they rise not from their knees more comforted They shall be more humbled which is as good for a groane from the heart is as good as a teare from the The Spirit of adoption may be in a groane as well as in a prayer Mr. Ford. sp Ador. 480. eye And they shall be kept from speaking that in prayer which is unbecomeing their God to heare or the Asking of that which is unbeseeming their God to grant But we would add this which we thinke more properly relates to the Resolution of this Question A wicked mans prayer we meane him who is resolved to goe-on in his wickednesse comes from his necessities feare and dread being before him trouble and anguish upon him perhaps and terrour within him looking upon death now not at a distance but as the King of terrours requiring his soule of him and killing him with death his prayer now as we were saying comes from his necessities not from his heart therefore shall not come neare Gods heart to speake after the manner of men And then it is all one whether he pray by the book or by his owne Spirit the one as the other hath the same acceptance with God Deare children followers of God alwayes are alwayes heard though they doe but chatter like a Crane And children of Belial who never heard God speaking unto them in His Word are not heard of God for He heareth not such sinners who wallow in their sinne as doth a swine in the myre and returne unto it as doth a dog to his vomit Whether then their expressions are exact and as well composed as words in print can be or rude indigested or incomposed it is much the same and comes to as much as nothing Such a wicked-mans praying is but tatling and babling or to speake as the holy Scripture doth It is as the roaring of Beares or howling of Doggs Isa 59. 11. Hos 7. 14. Quest 7. Moreover It is said doe not they who dare not bring praemeditated formes before their God rush upon dutie without useing the Common meanes of fitting themselves and so tempt God Answ To this we say that to expect any thing from God without useing the meanes allowed by God as helpes that way were to tempt God and provoke Him to His face Therefore doubtlesse it is the wicked man that rushes upon Dutie not bethinking himselfe before-hand unto what a glorious presence he is come and what is the worke he is to engage upon and what the danger is of miscarrying He that thinkes of none of all this he Rusheth upon Dutie And indeed what needs the meditation of what I am to speake unto God when it is suggested unto me I can reade it with mine eyes and see my selfe speake But that man that prayeth in the Spirit though he doth make a totall resignation of himselfe unto the hands of the Spirit expecting His immediate suggestions Yet so as he hath omitted no meanes before to fit and prepare for that high service as thoughts of himselfe and his nothingness of the glorious Name of God and all his expectations therein and from the same These things together with the word of God he gives himselfe to meditates upon and is wholy in it and is so as the season fitts he addresseth himselfe before his God He knowes That that glorious promise Math 10. 19. Take no thought how or what ye shall speake for it shall be given you in the same houre relateth to extraordinary services when God calls forth unto them that then they may expect extraordinarie assistance But when he may use Common and ordinarie means of Gods appointment to prepare him for this praying worke and should be negligent in the use thereof which through grace he cannot br then it were a great presumption to depend upon extraordinary helpe So now before we come to give some resolution to the Second Querie we would in the close of this give-in some Counsell which we hope shall be well agreeing with the word of God to them who being sensuall not having the Spirit must needs be wholy unacquainted with the Lord and Christ who is the way the Truth and the life and yet haply they pray to God and praise Him as ordinarily as they rise-up from their Beds and Tables lye downe upon the one and sit at the other This is the Counsell we would give That they would cease from their formes of praying or from praying by a forme which differs as much from praying in the Holy Ghost as doth the Sunne in the firmament from the Sunne painted on a signe-post And apply themselves to hearing the Word whereby faith cometh-in to the soule so may they by the blessing of God attaine to the knowledge of Him to whom they are praying and of Him in whose Name they must pray and find accesse unto the Father of Him also through whose intercession within us the prayer is formed Rom. 8. 26. and so finds acceptance by the Mediation of that Advocate with-out us at the right hand of the Father being as sweet Odours now all that from the flesh adhering to them being seperated from them Hereby also we meane by diligent hearing the Word preached they may attaine to a knowledge of themselves

whereby to teach his childe to pray It is not the worke of a day or two as was said in another case but the worke of every day while the childe is under the parents eye and eare To teach the childe to pray Nay to adde this It is easie for the vilest person in your Nationall Church to teach a childe to pray if to give him a forme to pray be to teach him to pray for so much he or she can doe having learnt so much themselves to pray that way But sure he or she must be taught to pray and helpe by the good Spirit to pray before they can teach their childe to pray Fourthly And in the fourth place we thinke it at least coasteth neere the brinke of presumption nay is it not downe-right presumption to teach a childe to pray by giving him a forme of prayer to say As thus for as wee said so plaine wee would be Deare childe what ever thy ignorance is of God the Father thou prayest unto or of God the Sonne manifest in the flesh in whose name thou prayest what ever mercy thou hast received and wouldst praise God for what ever want thou feelest and wouldst pray to Him for a supply from Him what ever thy sinnes are thou shouldst confesse before Him yet doe thou childe pray in these words according to this very forme I have prescribed unto thee Surely wee will not feare to say this were presumption and so as may be feared it will be accounted before his God Fifthly Besides and so wee have done In so doeing wee meane so teaching this childe to pray by a forme The parent hath told a loud lye in the eares of God and of all the godly for he tells God and men both he hath taught his childe to pray when indeed there is no such thing done he hath not taught his childe to pray for by his owne confession he hath given his childe a forme whereby to pray which forme will become a prayer well-pleasing unto God when copper becomes gold the bramble a vine the Moone a Sunne or when the Sunne painted on a signe-post shall shine in the firmament of Heaven And so wee have taken in your reasons and examined the reasonablenesse of them That a parent teaching his childe to pray must give him a forme whereafter to pray Wee have given in our reasons also from sacred Scripture as wee suppose That by giving your childe a forme whereby to pray is not to teach the childe to pray But let it be committed to Him Who guides into all truth CHAP. IX Sixt and last Querie Q VI. WEE are come to our sixt and last Querie to give in our thoughts thereunto Whether a Godly parent hath any Command from Christ to teach their children the Lords prayer thereafter to pray saying the very same words Wee said a Command from Christ for wee suppose it granted That a Godly person will in every thing he doth specially in matters of so high concernment look first to his Warrant This I doe I have a sure Word for what I doe And having his Lords S●quis De●●h ●empe●et jam ut da●ne u● a ●en tum Mand●●● tis est h●h●r D●um ●uth● ē Lum 3. 38. word for that he doth should he be condemned by an hundred worlds to use excellent Calvins words he has enough to beare him out his Lord Commanded him But Sir before we proceed we crave leave to give-in a sho●t account wherefore wee meddle with this here your selfe giving the occasion thereof and little lesse though perhaps against your purpose provoking us so to doe Our account in short is this Our Minister in the course of Catechizing his people as was hinted before in our Introductive part fell upon the Exposition of the Lord's Prayer and as an Introduction thereunto he put some Queries about this prayer and among others of speciall use all as we thought this was one Whether a Godly parent ought to teach his Children this prayer and so resolved it from Scripture as wee suppose in the Negative he ought not But how were the Godly people they seemed such to be and we would hope they some of them more than seeme stirred at this as much every whit as the ungodly are when their Idol is pulled at to pull it-away for whereas we tell you the words of one of them they could have pulled out their eyes for their Minister before he meddled with the Lord's prayer now they were more enclined at least to pull out their Ministers eyes from him than their owne for him Truely we judge Charitablie as our dutie is and conceive good hope that the Opposers or contrary-minded herein some of them are godly in the maine onely seduced or misguided by former guides though one of them well stricken in yeares was taught that prayer at the first when he was a Childe and seldome said any other to that day as hath been told to us by one that did know if any did To Conclude our narrative part These persons thus moved and disquieted addressed themselves to you Sir as their Oracle whereas their Dutie was to have Consulted with the Scriptures our Minister laid before them and afterwards as occasion required with himselfe But it is not our manner to doe things after their right manner Though yet we Blame them not for adviseing with you onely wee say they should have searched the Scriptures and have advised with their Minister first Your Answer to them was sweet and comely farre otherwise than was reported by one of them who may be as much taken with that prayer as some are with that they make an Idol Onely this you said to them which they lookt for and it pleased them well and it was aboundantly enough to marre all our Minister had said from the Lord unto them That you teach your Children that prayer or allow it they should be so taught And now wee are forced to call your practise into Question which truly but for the Truth 's sake wee shall doe unwillingly and so wee shall state the Question in the Negative That a Godly Parent ought not to teach his Children the Lords prayer You hold the Affirmative for thereafter you practise wee would hope you can make full proof that your practise is Godly So Sir we crave your reasons at least wee crave your leave to guesse at them by what we have heard from others and so to sett downe as may be allowed us in these cases what probably your reasons may be to hold-forth your practice with your children to be godly and holy full-up to your rule and prescription in Gods word whereafter you order wee hope your whole conversation your sayings and doeings before your people and your whole house your children specially the maine and principall parts and your cheife goods there for by your well-ruling of them and care over them you will make full proofe what care you take of the Churches of God for he

beleives much prayes much though he say not a word A good life is a good prayer it is a continued prayer as you have read Wee will close with this Traine up a child saith the wisdome of God in his way of Gods prescribing and when he is old he will not depart from it As if he had said He will be the better for it while he liveth Traine up a child in formes Prov. 22. 6. according to the wisdome of the flesh and when he is old he will not depart from them As if wee had said he will be the worse for them while he liveth if grace interpose not These are too sweet to the flesh for the flesh to leave these are all the comfort the flesh hath while the man is living but dying shall stand the man in no more stead than a paper wall can defend against a Cannon shott or the Cawle of the heart against the paw of a Lion Wee will shutt up with this and so call to remembrance That there was an huge great person who had learnt that in his Cradle which he could not unlearne on his throne and it was no small dishonour to him So may a child be taught a forme of prayer in his cradle which if through the favour of the times he be admitted to the pulpitt he will use there also and so exact he will be therein that all that heare him may conclude he was taught that forme from his cradle It is important sure and very momentous else Quintillian wee rather mention him had not been so full and large upon it what choice wee should make of Nurses because commonly these parle first with the child in the morning and last at night and much all the day long And if they be bad not knowing their dutie or carelesse of what they know wee are like to have as was once said wirtily but truely a child or a boy of him all his life long The summe is this Be well advised about that you teach your child in the morning of his yeares he will savour of it to the evening of the same Nurses or mothers who should make all commonly marre all if speciall grace interpose not No more for this containes much if not all Now we will Contract what hath been said of this subject prayer and the scope whereto it tends and give it in this breif We have shewen what a serious worke it is and what a slight and vaine thing formes are wee have declared against a wicked mans prayer for so the Lord himselfe doth it is an abomination yet it is his dutie to pray though a greater abomination it is to say the Lords prayer Wee have shutt it out of the Closet It is too short for Closet-worke And too long for an after prayer being who knowes how full of heavenly sense and spirituall meaning Therefore wee have cutt it off from the Ministers prayer in the pulpit If he will sett it too againe be it at his pleasure it may be to his perill Wee have questioned it very much and endeavoured to put it out of question that John did not teach his Disciples to pray by giving them formes of prayer to say Wee have cleared it to be a parents dutie to teach his child to pray and as wee could wee have directed his practise and concluded That a parent teacheth not his child to pray that gives him formes of prayer to say for that they learne without teaching too prompt and ready that way The Spirit of the Lord teacheth parent and child to pray and the first thing the Spirit teacheth wee thinke is to say that they cannot pray yet wee should tempt God if wee our selves should not pray and teach our children so to doe to pray that they may be enabled to pray To shutt up The God of all graces and father of mercies in and through His Sonne gives forth no temporall much lesse eternall salvation no common mercy much lesse any spirituall grace which is eternall to His marvelously Psal 4. 3. seperated ones His gratious Saints but He will stirre them up to inquire after Him first before He gives it They shall aske before they have and but aske and have yet not for their asking Now it is marvelous to consider Satans devises here that implacable enemy and adversary of all righteousnesse He perswades the wicked to sit downe fully content with their condition and satisfied with common mercies and not pray at all and if they will be praying it shall be but ●prating and babling A meere prophaneing of Gods Name if not blaspheming If they will pray as the most will they shall pray in anothers words and no matter in whose name by a booke or without it by the memorie never with the heart unlesse for the remooving of some plague felt or feared But never about the plague of the heart the plague indeed And for these gratious Saints This adversary shewes himselfe such an one in no one thing more than in this To keepe them from praying but if that cannot be then he imployes all his force policie and might to hinder and interrupt prayer and for the effecting of this what will he cast in and how readily doth flesh comply with him But these know whom they have trusted And that His grace shall be sufficient for them AMEN Postscript WEE have purposely forborne to discharge our Treatise of that charge of blasphemie once and againe charged upon it wee have given a marke in the margine all along where the yong-man in the name perhaps of his elders enters not his dissent onely but the charge of blasphemie against us It is humbly referred to God and His Scriptures to judge how just that charge is And if it shall please those whom God hath made able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Leter but of the Spirit for the letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life to give-in thei● judgement here also we are assured it shall be according to Truth Wee will adde two words more The one we borrow from him whose words we shall hereafter set downe It is far more facile to give the hardest Censures than to Answer the easiest Arguments The other is this which one of us has read some where A good Cause when plainely told is learnedly pleaded especially if a Meeke Moses or just Joshua be the Judge thereof So we come to set downe here as was specified upon the Title page the words of that holy and learned Man who speakes to all matters he undertakes in the Name of his God to speake unto after his manner which is to say all that can be said in any subject whatsoever This encomie or high Commendations was given to Grotius by one of our own in some matters of the highest concernment relating to our deare Lord and Christ of the same perswasion with him And so thought it not enough to Commend the said man without any exception but he must