Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	good_a	seed_n	tare_n	1,657	5	12.7414	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49114	An exercitation concerning the frequent use of our Lords Prayer in the publick worship of God and a view of what hath been said by Mr. Owen concerning that subject / by Thomas Long ...	Long, Thomas, 1621-1707.; Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1658 (1658)	Wing L2966; ESTC R2625	105,187	198

for it both matter order and words for though it be a gift of the Spirit yet it is not to be expected that it should suddenly be infused into us without any premeditation of our own no more then the gift of preaching for which the ablest Ministers are bound to prepare themselves with diligence and study there being not any ground for a man to expect more immediate supplies from above in the duty of Prayer then in that of preaching And page 15. Because there will be sometime a necessity that our affections should follow and be stirred up by our expressions which is especially to be aimed at when we pray in publick in reference to those that joyn with us and will very often fall out likewise in our secret devotions therefore it is requisite that a man should be alwayes furnished with such premeditated forms as may be most effectual to this end namely to excite the affections and to this purpose if those heads which will be alwaies pertinent and of continual necessity were comprehended in some set forms studied with care and diligence they might perhaps be more serviceable for the stirring up our faith and affections then they could otherwise be if they did proceed onely from our own sudden conceptions and page 17. Such crude notions and confused matter as some by their neglect in this kind will vent doth rather nauseate and flat the devotion then excite it page 18. There is nothing more unsuitable to the solemnity of this duty to that reverence which we owe to the Divine Majesty then to be speak him in a loose careless empty manner And to that objection from Matthew 10. 19. Take not thought how or what ye shall speake for it shall be given you in that same houre He answers When men may use the common means it is a great presumption to depend upon extraordinary helps such as were there promised to assist them in special services The son of Sirach saith Before thou prayest prepare thy self and be not as one that tempts the Lord he that rusheth upon this duty without using the common means of fitting himself for it doth tempt God Of this those are guilty who depend so much upon immediate infusion as to neglect all previous study This de jure concerning the lawfulness and great conveniency of formes The matter o fact and the constant use of them in the Church hath been sufficiently testified already from those ancient Liturgies before named many of which though as all Protestants grant have been lamentably adulterated by the additions and alterations of late Sophisters doe yet retain manifest impressions of antiquity so that though it may be disputed concerning them as about Theseus his ship at Athens whether it were the same ship or not every part almost being changed yet it was granted that such a ship there had once been Even so certain it is there were Liturgies in those Primitive times though we cannot affirm of any one Liturgy now commended to us under those Apostolical names that it is compleatly the same as it was of old Rivet indeed reckoneth those Liturgies among zizania or tares which were sowne by the enemy while the husbandmen slept but certainly the husbandman had sown good seed in those fields though the enemy tooke the advantage of sowing suddenly after them the foundation was good though ungodly men built hay and stubble on it St. Augustine observed many corruptions in these publick devotions in his time but yet highly commended the praiers of the Church Utinam tardi corde c. I would to God that they who are of a slow heart would so hear our disputes that they would also consider our prayers which the Church hath alwayes had and will have unto the worlds end The Magdeburgenses have this observation from St. Cyprian that the rite observed in the publick Prayers of the Church was this The Priest at the beginning of Prayer did stir up the people to a devout calling on God saying Sursum corda Lift up your hearts and they answered We lift them up unto the Lord and they adde Formulas quasdam precationum sine dubio habuerant They had without doubt certain forms of Prayer Origen hath some remains of those ancient forms he sayes they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ordained Prayers to some of which he often alludes as on Jeremy Frequenter in oratione dicimus c. We often say in our prayers Grant this O heavenly Father grant us a portion with thy Prophets and the Apostles of thy Christ. Eusebius saith that Constantine had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for his Army and Family and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 studied premeditated and appointed prayers The Councel of Laodicea speaks of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Liturgy of Prayer and that at the entrance into the Church first the Prayer of the Catechumeni was said then that of the Penitents and lastly that of the Faithful And the Councel of Carthage ordained thus Quicunque preces aliunde desumit c. Whoever did frame any other prayers should first consult with his more learned brethren The Milevitan Councel took care that the Prayers of the Church and no others should be used Then St. Basil Though we are bid to pray concinually saith he yet may we not despise the prayers of the Church And Concil Gangren hath made one Canon to this end Ne orationes Ecclesiae contemnantur That the Prayers of the Church be not contemned The chief Objection against the use of forms of Prayer is for ever silenced by Doctor Preston The Objection is this That in stinted Prayers the Spirit is straitned when a man is tied to a form then he shall have his Spirit as it were bounded and limited that he cannot go beyond that which is prescribed and therefore say they it is reason a man should be left to more liberty as he is in conceived Prayer and not tied to a strict form To this I answer saith he that even those men that are against this and that use this reason they do the same thing dayly in the congregation for when another prayes that is a set form to him that hears it I say it is a set form for put the case that he which is the hearer and doth attend another praying suppose that his spirit be more inlarged it is a straitning of him he hath no more liberty to go out he is bound to keep his mind intent upon that which the other prayeth and therefore if that were a sufficient reason that a man might not use a set form because the spirit is straitned a man should not hear another pray though it be a conceived Prayer because in that case his spirit is limited it may be that the hearer hath a larger heart a great deal then he that speaks and prayes so that there is a bounding straitning and limiting of the Spirit to him and therefore that reason