Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	heart_n	spirit_n	supplication_n	2,255	5	10.7199	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47172	A seasonable information and caveat against a scandalous book of Thomas Elwood, called An epistle to Friends, &c. by George Keith.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.; Raunce, John, 17th cent.	1694 (1694)	Wing K203; ESTC R674	41,164	46

glad to have kept Meetings with many or most of the People of the Meeting of the other side after the Separation was begun believing and knowing that they were in great measure beguiled and led astray by their Leaders that they were too much given up to follow yet retaining a measure of Simplicity but we could not meet with them in Peace after their Leaders on the other side had begun the Separation not having freedom given us or Permission peaceably to exercise our gift among them but were always interrupted and molested when we met together and otherwise most unchristianly abused And thus I hope I have sufficiently shewed the good Consistency betwixt my saying I and my Friends had Unity with the most there at that Meeting considering the Circumstances then of that Meeting and yet did remain in a Separation both of Spirit and outward Fellowship from many of that Meeting both then and since and the same Answer here given may serve to answer the same Objection and Accusation made against us very unduely in the Book called The Christian Doctrine and Society of the People called Quakers page 18. of the said Book XXIII page 47. His Perversion of my words about the word many and very many in my saying it was my charitable Perswasion that the worthy Name Christian doth belong to very many of that People where by very many he construeth my Sense to be only these few I had an experimental proof of through intimate Conversation and frequent verbal Communication with since I came last into England But this is a gross Forgery and Perversion for I did really mean not them only but all them whom I have at any time formerly bad Experience of their Christianity by intimate Conversation and verbal Communication either in England or any other part of the World that have given me no occasion to think otherwise of them as many have not though some have and my Charity leads me to believe and judge that there are very many called Quakers that are true Christians both in Faith and Practice that I have had no outward knowledge of but I cannot in Charity esteem them Christians who have unchristian'd themselves either by their bold and open contradicting the great Truths of Christianity or by their persecuting and otherwise unjust and wicked Practises XXIV page 48. His Perversion of my words that though I said in my last Book called The causless ground c. I have not charged the People called Quakers either in the general or in the plurality he will needs have it to be understood only of these few I have intimately conversed with since I came last into England Oh! How hath prejudice blinded him But how can he or I either be positive to say the People called Quakers are good Christians either in general or in the plurality when Geo. Whitehead hath told us in his printed Epistle printed about four years ago at London and was re-printed in Penstlvania called A Christian Epistle to Friends in geneneral c. That few sincerely seek the Lord c. And very few have their Minds and Spirits really and inwardly exercised in frequent Prayer and daily Supplications to God or in heavenly Meditation or spiritual Contemplations in Gods pure and spiritual Laws Ways Judgments and Works or in holy Scriptures by the Holy Spirit which opens them but too many have their Minds Hearts and Affections taken up with these fading Objects and things below or overcharged with the love of Riches Ca●es and Cumbers of this Life to compass the Earth wherein many a good Talent has been hid and poor Soul buried in Captivity And concerning Friends Children and young Persons he saith It 's but few in Comparison that come in at that door viz. the work of Regeneration And who will say that the worthy Name of Christian doth belong to such And yet by G. W's charge they must be at least the plurality when very few do otherwise though some formality and something of the form of Truth as he saith they may have by outward Education But let none think I blame G. W. in this it may be a true charge for what I know to the contrary but why should I be so much blamed for charging neither the generality nor plurality but some particulars when he hath charged many more with things as bad as Errors in Principles and that publickly in Print beside that Errors in Practise do commonly go along with Errors in Principle But it seems strange to many as well as to me that Errors in Principle as Pride vanity of Apparel Covetousness Envy Backbiting may without offence be publickly reproved by word of Mouth in Meetings and also in Print but Errors in Principle must not be reproved and witnessed against either in publick Meetings or in Printed Books Do Errors in Practise as Pride vanity of Apparel Covetousness Envy and the like when publickly witnessed against in Print or in Meetings open the Mouths of Adversaries and grieve faithful Friends less than Errors in Principles unless it be said that reproving Errors in Principles reflect upon the Preachers but reproving Errors in Practise reflect only upon the People but if any of the Preachers be guilty why may they not and ought they not to be as publickly reproved as the People unless we respect Persons and that both for their Error in Doctrine and Practise Is it not a just charge upon some called Preachers which Christ charged upon the Scribes and Pharisees They loved the Praise of Men more than the Praise of God and therefore cannot beat to be reproved for it hath been the general default of Teachers and Leaders of the People in former times to hide their own Faults and expose the Faults of others especially of such as did not flatter them and gave them not honour enough before Men. And nothing can be said against my Printed Books in reference to my publick witnessing again the Errors in Principles whereof some are guilty in Pensilvania and elsewhere but what may be as much said against G. Whitehead his reproving these great Vices and Immoralities among many called Friends having the Name and form of Truth Have my Books tended to the dishonor of God disservice to Truth reproach and grief of Friends for my Printing against the vile Errors whereof some called Friends are guilty And hath not G. Whiteheads printed Epistle had as much that tendency for his printing against the vile Practises of many more than ever I charged But in reality I judge and many others do judge that the faithful witnessing against Mens gross and vile Errors either in Doctrine or Practise is no proper and direct cause of such Effects as the dishonour of God the disservice of Truth the reproach and grief of Friends but on the contrary the proper and direct cause of Gods being honoured Truth cleared the Reproach removed and faithful Friends comforted with a publick Testimony borne against such publick Sins and

our Society But this is altogether false I own no other Door but Christ and he both as sincerely believed in not with a bare literal historical Faith but a divine spiritual Faith begot in our hearts by the Spirit of Faith and as sincerely confessed the sincere living Confession flowing from a sincere living Faith in the heart XXXVIII pag. 61. His perversion That I make a bare profession verbal confession or Declaration of Principles Doctrines and Practises the Terms of Church-communion This is false I make them not the Terms at all when the profession is but barely verbal but when the Confession or Profession floweth from the living Faith of Christ and from his Life in the heart I said and still say they are secondary Terms of Church-Communion the inward life of Christ in the heart being the principle XXXIX p. 61. His perverting of my words to a wrong sense never intended by me my words being The Causless Gro●●● p. 8. But that some Principles and Doctrines and points of Faith are necessary to be agreed upon c. and to be owned professed and declared by us to be as it were the Terms c. As if my sense were That men were to contrive and cut out their own Terms But how doth prejudice blind and byass him Knoweth he not that men may well agree together in one faith by the Spirit 's inward working in their hearts as well as they may agree together in one prayer by the Spirit without contriving and cutting out their own Terms I mean not by agreeing or agreed an humane political contrivance or design but a divine agreement XL. p. 60 61. His perversion first in most fraudulently putting a false gloss upon my words about the word agreed on and next deceiving and abusing his Reader as if I did put the same gloss upon R. B. his words p. 48. of his book The Anarchy Also his most disingenuous endeavouring to make the Reader believe I wrong R. Barclay in citing some words of his and that because I cite not so many of his words as he thought fit to cite after me in that place p. 48. But I cited as many as were sufficient to prove That it is R. Barclays Doctrine and Testimony that Principles and Doctrines and the Practices necessarily depending on them are as it were the Terms that have drawn us together and the Bond by which we became centered into one body and fellowship and distinguished from others yet not this so the Bond but that we have also a more inward and invisible the Life of righteousness And in my book called The Reasons and Causes of the Sep. p. 24 25. I have cited R. B. his words at great length to confirm his agreement with me in this particular which he will never be able with all his silly quibles to overthrow But when he cannot fairly dispute he goes to pervert and invent false things first he quarrels with the word agreed but I did not say R. B. used the word agreed but it must needs be his sense That whoever believes the same Doctrine by the Operation of the Spirit of God in their Hearts they must needs agree in that faith Secondly he saith R. B. doth not make a bare profession verbal confession any Terms at all and no more do I and to suppose I do is an invention of his own Thirdly he saith The Principles Doctrines and Practises themselves he calls not the Terms and Bond strictly and properly but as it were But that manner of Phrase as it were doth not hinder that they are truly in his sense the secondary Terms or Terms in part and that properly enough but they are not the only or principal but the inward Life of Righteousness as man's body may be said as it were to be the man and yet not the principle part of the man for that is the soul XLI p. 62. His gross perversion insinuating that in my book Some Reasons and Causes c. p. 16. I had cited R. B's words but it was not his words but his Doctrine that I mention in that place as to the substance of it but not as to that particular Circumstance of answering to some plain questions with yea or nay This Circumstance I did not say was in R. B's book but the substance of the Doctrine but all his proof that it is not his Doctrine is that he assures the Reader it is not but let the Reader compare my Citations at length in my Reasons and Causes of Sep. p. 24. 25. and he shall find it is his Doctrine notwithstanding T. E. his boldly affirming it is not XLII p. 58. His perversion by insinuating That all the most necessary Principles and Doctrines of our Faith both common and peculiar are published and made known by the general Consent Advice and Approbation of the most Judicious Wise and Understanding Friends now alive In answer to my proposition desiring it might be so he saith by way of insinuation Is that a new thing to be done now I reply it is a new thing yet to be done and I believe he is not able to shew me that book where it is done by general consent for it is not the consent of a few or of the Second Days Meeting at London who take too much upon them and have published and recommended books that Truth cannot stand by that I mean but the general Consent of the most Judicious Friends the which if it were done were not to be imposed but to be recommended to other Friends XLIII p. 62. His perversion as if I said That the lesser matters of plain Languages and plain Habit c. were so the Terms of Friends Communion as if every one should thereby be intituled to our Communior who speak the plain Language wear plain habit but I neither said nor thought any such thing XLIV p. 62. His perversion in owning these lesser things when sincerely performed to be fruits effects and signs of that inward and invisible Life of Righteousness but not the Terms so much as in part as if fruits effects and signs joyned with the inward life of Righteousness were not a part of these Terms which is as much as to say because the body is not the whole man therefore it is no part of a man XLV p. 64. His error and perversion in laying more weight on these lesler matters of plain language plain habit c. than on the outward profession and confession to the great Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Faith This is apparent from his words XLVI p. 64. His perversion in falsly charging me That I spurn disdainfully at the advice given me to retract the bitter Language as some call it in my books whereas I modestly promise to do it when they have told me what hard or bitter words I have given to any that are not due unto them withal desiring some to give me their good Example Is this any disdainful spurning XLVII p. 64. His