Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	prayer_n	spirit_n	supplication_n	3,599	5	11.3996	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61638	Shecinah, or, A demonstration of the divine presence in the places of religious worship being an essay, tending to promote piety, prevent apostacy, and to reduce grosly deluded souls, first to their right wits, then to the right waies, of Gods publick instituted worship / by John Stillingfleete ...	Stillingfleet, John, 1630 or 1-1687.	1663 (1663)	Wing S5680; ESTC R9466	109,230	256

teaches and then wee can condemn all for carnal that stick to Ordinances and call these outward forms beggarly elements Instead of Davids language Oh when shall wee come up into the house of God Psal 122.1 wee may hear when shall wee meet in some obscure corner or other Rom. 10.15 And instead of St. Pauls exclamation How beautiful are the feet of those that Preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tydings of good things Wee may hear how excellent a thing is it to hear no Ministers at all but to sit still in silence and to expect heavenly raptures Quakers To meet together to sit in an amazed posture as if all were possessed with a dumb Devil To this end that which was spoken about a temporal deliverance I have known and heard used to defend this practise viz. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. And this uttered by one who was so impudently absurd as to avouch more good to bee gotten by such dumb and silent meetings than by hearing those who were Ordained Ministers But must wee not needs look upon such practises as grosse delusions when wee have neither precept precedent nor promise in all the Word of God to give any countenance to them It is an endlesse delusion and grosly uncertain in the very foundation that such give themselves up unto that wait for the Spirits teaching without the Word For what rule have I to try the Spirit by but by the Word revealed and written in the Scriptures When as Christ sayes search the Scriptures And St. John try the Spirits whether they are of God or no. But how shall I know whether I am taught of the Spirit See before c. 13. ss 8. or no unless the Word direct mee As for those that are deluded out of Gods way into this endless path of errour I look upon their case as sad and miserable and yet it calls for the prayers of all their friends relations and acquaintance yea and in this respect their condition is much the more to be pittied in that their obstinacy in errour puts them upon rejecting as by my self sometimes hath been heard even the benefit of others prayers for them Mee thinks it might startle any sober-minded Christian to consider that those glorious Martyrs that submitted their necks to the block and their bodies to the flames yet never suffered for any of those things which these obstinately maintain who have fallen from hearing the Word and have left the Ordinances which wee have good ground from the Word of God to brand as errours and gross delusions And they that fill the world with so great a dinne of their purity perfection and sanctity of life when they are searched to the bottome it amounts to no more than a senselesness under sin or at the best but a freedome from some gross and scandalous sins of the world § 12. 2 Reproof to such formal Hypocrites as are meerly for the teaching of the Word without the inward teaching of the Spirit of God When wee plead for Ordinances wee say not the bare hearing of Sermons and presence at Prayers will bring souls to Heaven The way of dull formality and outside boasting Pharisaical Hypocrisie was never the way prescribed to eternal salvation 'T is a small commendation to be a good Church-man and yet some praise it doth deserve because it speaks them to be upon Gods ground whilst they are waiting upon the outward means But to frequent Sermons on the Sabbath and the Ale-house on the week-daies is a Religion that pleases none better than the Devil and boon companions Such are but Religious Atheists Religious in their Profession and Atheists in their Practice The Devil would never have raised persecution against the Christian Religion if none that professed it would ever go further then the bare outward performance of Gospel-duties The Devil loves Hypocrites well and therefore hath prepared them a principal seat in Hell Hypocrites and unbeleevers are placed in the very fore-front of the damned crew Mat. 24.51 3 Reproof to such carnal wretches as through meer laziness and negligence throw off Gods Ordinances An afternoons sleep is far better to such than an afternoons Sermon Any business that cannot be dispatched on week-daies or would hinder other work by the doing of it then on the Sabbath they have time enough for it though with the loss of Publick Worship They can be bold with God to trespass upon him in that way that if others should but trespass so much upon them in the like nature they would endeavour to recover damages of them Such neither care for the Word or Spirits teaching all is a case to them they can do well enough without either Let such consider that passage of St. Paul 2 Thes 1.8.9 When the Lord Jesus shall bee revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power A place that might startle a carnal and careless wretch into the serious minding of Gods waies § 13. IV. From the teaching and presence of Gods Spirit there arises matter of Consolation to Gods Children God is present to teach them by his Spirit and is not this matter of very great comfort to have such a Teacher and especially if wee consider that they are taught by him 1. The best Lessons 2. To walk in the best way 3. And to aim at the best end 1. They are taught the best Lessons by the Spirit of God Men indeed may propound the same Lessons but the Spirit of God onely can effectually teach them These four Lessons they are taught effectually First Recte credere to beleeve aright 'T is the work of God Joh. 6.29 that wee beleeve on him whom hee hath sent True Faith is fixed upon Christ as hee was sent by the Father and not as hee is fancied to be by our corrupt minds and this is a work of the Spirit in the soul St. Paul sayes 2 Thes 3.2 All men have not Faith Those that have it are true Christians and do receive it as a special gift at Gods hands By grace are yee saved through Faith and that not of your selves Ephes 2.8 it is the gift of God The Spirit works this Faith by opening the eyes of the understanding convincing of the conscience of sin in himself and righteousness in Christ then the will is renewed and made willing to accept of Christ not onely out of safety but out of delight Secondly Recte vivere to live aright As many as are the Sons of God are lead by the Spirit of God Rom. 8.14 It holds true thus as that of the Apostle doth As many as are lead by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Faith in a true Christian is not a dead Faith The Just shall live by Faith As the Spirit helps Christians to receive Christ by Faith so hee helps them to live in Christ and to Christ by new obedience Thirdly Recte diligere to love aright The fruit of the Spirit is love Gal. 5.22 They that are taught of the Spirit of God are taught love both to God and Men they then love God for himself and Men for Gods sake 'T is Love not envy not malice not reviling not hatred not backbiting and slandering others that are not just of our opinion that is the fruit of the Spirit of God The Spirit of Love teacheth men to be conscientious and not to be censorious Fourthly Recte orare to pray aright With what face can any pretend the teaching of the Spirit and either neglect or contemn the use of prayer When as the Spirit is set out in Scripture by this Title Zach 12.10 The Spirit of Supplication And in that known place Rom. 8.26 The Spirit helpeth our infirmities and teacheth us to pray The grace of prayer is one of the sweetest flowers that grows in a Christians Garden and so very comfortable and cordial § 14. 2. They are taught to walk in the best way Some run on in a way of carnal pleasures others are taken up meerly with Ceremonies of Worship with a neglect of sanctity others in a way of separation and error but a Childe of God guided by the Spirit walks on in the way of Holiness and Peace Heb. 12.14 They are taught to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace Ephes 4.3 They that are not men of Peace and Truth in Gods Church are not men of God They are Fire-brands of Hell that are alwaies kindling the flames of contention and division in the Church of God 3. They are taught to aim at the best end viz. Gods glory and their own salvation Carnal minds have carnal ends A mans aims discover much a mans temper Voluptuous men aim at pleasure ambitious men at honour covetous men at gain and profit c. But a Saint of God makes Heaven and Happiness and the things of Eternity his aim and his main design These are spiritual ends and so speak the man to be spiritual Now then to close all those that are thus taught of the Spirit of God The best Lessons to walk in the best way and to aim at the best ends must needs have more comfort than those carnal wretches who live in ignorance walk in errour and whose end is eternal destruction FINIS Imprimatur Geo. Stradling S. Th. P. Rev. in Christo Pat. Gilb. Episc Lond. a Sac. Domest Ex Aed Sab. Jul. 21. 1662.