Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	let_v	pray_v	sick_a	2,056	5	9.3427	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30390	A modest and free conference betwixt a conformist and a non-conformist about the present distempers of Scotland now in seven dialogues / by a lover of peace.	Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.	1669 (1669)	Wing B5834; ESTC R27816	70,730	152

but say a little for ●ustifying the King the Lawes and our Consci●nces and for undeceiving the people of these ●ists you would cast over their eyes then you ●●ry out that we are uncharitable bitter and malicious Sure you who are so much for de●enfive arms may at least allow us to defend the truth the law and our selves with our Tongues and Pens DIALOGUE V. N. I Confesse you have much shaken me in the matter of the Bishops though I never find in my heart to love them But one thing stil● sticks they are great friends to the Common Prayer-Book which I cannot think upon in patience and therefore I cannot joyn with them C. Truly if that be your chief quarrel agains● them it is as well grounded as the rest N. How do not you think it a great matter to take from us the pure and spiritual Worship of God and in stead thereof set up a dea● and formal Liturgy C. I perceive you are still abused after on● manner your Leaders put big words in you● mouthes to make you stick stiffl●y by them you● Government they taught you to account the interest and Kingdom of Christ they also woul● make you believe your Worship to be the onl● spiritual one and all others but carnal Now ● will let you see the great fallacy of this prayin● by the Spirit as you understand it To pra● by the Spirit is when out of a deep sense of ou● misery and need and firm confidence in God w● draw near to him to offer up our prayers an● praises to him through Jesus Christ. Our heart● being moulded in this frame we pray by th● Spirit use we words or not the same or di●ferent expressions Nay it will appear w● are carnal when we need to have our devotion tickled and provoked with new words N. Now I clearly see the rottennesse of your heart and your superstitious cold formality C. This is great arrogance for you thus to judge of things ye understand not Consider then the Will is the supream power of the Soul and the fancy is a lower faculty the true and spiritual devotion therefore must be that which lies in the Will and not in the Fancy now the varying of one thing into several shapes is only a gratifying of Fancy and all the devotion can be raised by such Chimes is only sensible whereas one of a deep and stedfast spirit is equally affected with a thing though still in the same dress Since then for instance our petition for pardon of sin is fully comprized in this have mercy upon me O God doth it not shew that the thing and not the words affect him who with the newnesse of affection can make that prayer though an hundred times repeated at every return new whereas he must have a lower minde who needs a new phrase to renew his servour And thus you see it expresseth a more spiritual temper to be able to worship God in simple and constant forms N. I never thought to have heard the Liturgy-Worship called spiritual and the conceived one carnal You that are Schollers make any thing of any thing with your Logick but you will never make me think but our Ministers prayed by the Spirit C. It needs but a very little knowledge of our selves and none of Logick to make you comprehend this for do you think the heating of the fancy cannot make wicked men pray without the Spirit as to appearance very spiritually Finally words and all the heat begot by words gesture voice or phrases or the like are but a false fire in the natural powers of the Soul which may well heat the brain draw forth tears seem to wring the heart and all this is but a sensible fervour which as the temper raised by musick amounts to nothing but to a present tickling whereas the true devotion of the heart is an inward still humbling and melting thing and so equable that it is above these frisking fits of the fancy And it is certain to pray by the Spirit must be the immediat work of the Spirit of Grace Since then we see that the praying in words depends most upon Memory Fancy Eloquence Confidence and Custome he that abounds in these is like to excel in it whereas one defective in all these so that he cannot pray in a variety of words yet may understand interior prayer and spiritual converse with God better than any other N. This is new doctrine to me And I cannot understand nor believe it C. Consider then that the sublimest way of prayer is in the simplest acts such as these thou art my God and I am thine And in such breathings a devout minde will persist long with great sweetnesse and in this God hath strangely shapt Religion so that the highest strain of it is what the simplest minde can most easily reach Nay perhaps multiplicity doth lead out the minde from pure and still devotion And thus extemporary prayer cannot be called praying by the Spirit except by spirit you understand the animal or natural spirits for if it be by the Spirit it must be infallible since all that is dictated by the Spirit of God is so yet your people do not assert their prayers as such Further let one with a short-hand follow that mans prayer who you say prayes by the Spirit then may not that prayer be read and used over again or is the Spirit in the prayer so volatile that it evaporats in the saying and the prayer becomes carnal when it is repeated Finally if praying by the Spirit be a praying in new words then only he that conceives the prayer prayes by the Spirit since they who hear and joyn with him are tyed to his words N. The words were dictated by the Spirit to him that conceives them C. Then to the people it is not necessary the words be new since to them it is all one if it were once dictated by the Spirit But why do you not believe the prayer composed by the Church to be of the Spirits dictating as well as that of your Ministers And since the people can joyn and pray by the Spirit though the words be not of their framing why may not the Minister pray in the Spirit though he use words framed by others All this shows how weak and ill grounded a notion that of praying by the Spirit in the sense you understand it is And it clearly appears that the dresse of the prayer in words and the life begot by them is but sensible and low N. But doth not the Spirit help our infirmities and teach us to pray C. If you consider the words aright they speak out a thing very far different from what you would draw from them The Spirit teacheth us to pray for what we ought that is the matter of our prayers and as we ought that is the manner to wit the temper of our hearts For that words are not meant appears from what follows and maketh intercession for us with groannings

will find no difference in this since you cannot say we are bound to use the Psalms in Meeter or with Tunes for nothing proves we ought to use them with vocal Tunes but will conclude as strongly for all Davids Instruments Besides who told you that all David's Psalms were to be constantly used in Worship It is clear most of them was not intended for constant use they relating to particulars of David's History and Victories which belongs not to us And it is hard to say we ought to sing his imprecatory Psalms As also many things are in the Psalms which we cannot sing because we do not understand them And it is clear we ought to praise God with our understandings and not above twenty of the Psalms were used by the Jews in Worship To conclude why may not the Christian Church compose new Hymns as they of Corinth did for which they are approven by St. Paul And this is the more necessary because from David's Psalms we are not furnished with such full and clear Hymns upon the great Mysteries of the Christian Belief as were needful And what kind of reasons can you have who plead so much for a liberty in Prayer and yet allow none in making of Hymns Why then do not ye use the Glory to the Father N. Because it is not in the Scripture and is but a device of men C. Who would not be sick with such pitiful folly Show me a reason why you may make prayers and not praises Beside are not your Meeter Psalms a device of men And they recede from the Text as I can trace it in an hundred places as much as the Doxology doth from Scripture words And you understand Musick little if you do not know that the Psalms in Prose may be sung as well and as Musically as they can be in Ryme Besides since the Mystery of the S.S. Trinity is not so clearly in the Old Testament nor in any Psalm why may not the Church use an acknowledgement of it in the end of their singing as well as in the end of prayer is ordinarily said To the Father Son and Holy Ghost be glory for ever and ever Such childish weakness makes me sometimes doubt whether your rational faculties be not troubled since what difference can you pretend betwixt singing and saying But I will return to Prayer Consider next how Hosea the Prophet prescribes a form when he saith take with you words and say c. Our Saviour also prayed thrice and though the third time was more fervently yet it was in the same words which shows that fervour consisteth not in a varying of the phrase Next it is clear that in the Church they used forms very early since in the Council of Laodicea it was decreed that the same Liturgy of Prayer should be used morning and evening It● is true there was not an universal Liturgy then agreed to but Bishops had their several Liturgies So we have the Liturgies of St. Basile St. Chrysostome and St. Ambrose not to mention those of St. Iames and St. Mark But never were extemporary heats used in the Church and all the Reformed Churches have their Liturgies so we had ours at our first Reformation N. But we are a purer Church than any of them and therefore we are not to learn of them C. I know you were made believe that all the world were wondring at you but this was a cheat upon you like that of your alledged Prophetess for I can assure you there was no such thing true One thing is strangely inconsequential amongst you you will not pray in a Liturgy and yet you alwayes bless the people in a set form Do you think prayer for a blessing is not a prayer Or do you think the spirit is not stinted when the form is short but only when it is long Sure these things shew you are not governed by reason N. What then conclude you from all this is it that the English Liturgy be brought in C. It is that you consider better how you ought to worship God As for the English Liturgy I do not say any thing is absolutely perfect but God yet till I see a better Liturgy compiled which I never hitherto did pardon me to think it an excellent rule for Worship although your deep but groundless prejudices against it have rendred you so uncapable of receiving good by it that such is your Soveraign's Princely tenderness and your Superiours discreet prudence that they do not obtrude on you while you are but babes this stronger food but are willing to let you be doing with your milk N. This is easie way for men to read their Prayers off their Books God keep us long from it C. Truly if by easiness you mean what is pleasant to a man it is far from it for certainly the natural man would be much better pleased to be running out with his own conceptions and to have all the Worship depending upon his lips this is indeed to be Rabbi But to use the form of the Church is a more simple and a more humble way of Worship N. I begin to think you can have no piety who are so in love with that dead and dull Worship C. Would to God you and I had more of it than we have but it is perhaps your stupidity that makes you dead and dull in it And I know godly people who protest they never in their lives worshipped God with more pure and simple devotion than when they joined in the English Liturgy-worship therefore in such matters speak more modestly N. But what vain repetitions are in the Liturgy how often redouble they Lord have mercy upon us C. I have not yet asserted that it is in all things perfect but truly I can think that no fault except you will also quarrel with the Psalms particularly with the 136. in which is repeated 26. times for his mercy endureth for ever it being in every verse But in the true sense of vain repetitions I fear there is ground to say many of ●our prayers may be censured for them N. But what a confusion is it that all say some of the prayers together and use Amen C. It seems you have read the Scripture well else you would have found Acts 4. how a whole company there lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said c. And St. Paul plainly intimates that there was a custome of saying Amen at the giving of thanks Why then do you not in this follow the express Scripture-rule And what imaginable ground is there that the people shall all with their voice join in the Psalms and not also in the Prayers N. Well I see you are zealous for that Service-book but should you speak till to morrow you should never perswade me to join in it but are you as keen for the Ceremonies C. I verily believe your prejudice against it though ill grounded yet is so deep that no reason will overthrow it but