Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	pray_v	spirit_n	supplication_n	6,826	5	11.2274	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61467	England's faithfull reprover and monitour	Samwayes, Richard, 1614 or 15-1669.	1653 (1653)	Wing S547; ESTC R1746	86,140	264

and absurd then for men to esteem or vilifie love or hate any thing not according to the worth or unworthinesse thereof not as it may be usefull or hurtfull in its own nature to them but in opposition to others without due discretion or judgement had of the matter in question or thing what and how it is or may be in it self to account it vile because they have a good opinion or honourable conceit thereof and for no other reason to detest and loath it then for that their enemies fancy or bear a liking to it First loving or hating it and afterward searching out if possible rationall motives and arguments to give a just account of either to the world And yet such was the condition of these bitter and eager adversaries as may appear by the following instances For to begin with the received set form of Prayer and Liturgy once generally used in the Assemblies of thy people for the worship and service of their Maker though since become through the subtle malice of Satan the main bait of their furious and lasting contentions what could have been more profitably devised for the instruction of the ignorant then this What more conducing to order and peace then it in a setled Church What more inoffensive and harmlesse then the rites and ceremonies thereof What lesse obnoxious to any just exception of superstition errour impertinency or absurdity And yet notwithstanding the grosser ignorance of the vulgar people is solely or chiefly imputed unto it by the opposite party together with the generall profanenesse of life and meer externall formality in the acts of piety and devotion every where conspicuous in the nation And it hath been thought by some a sufficient ground not of separation only from the unity of thy body but of war also between thy members even unto rapine spoyle conflagration and bloud at least a fair pretence for these and like courses not inferiour to them Besides this it is too well known what large accusations have been brought against it by many of Idolatry will-worship contradiction tautologie indecency inadvertency redundancy in some deficiency in other parts thereof and what not which might in any respec detract from the worth thereof or make it contemptible and odious with the people To omit the taunts and reproaches which were usually cast upon the orders and ceremonies thereof and the great indignities offered to the persons of them who according to their conscience office and duty maintained it by their preaching and practise All which being taken into the consideration of prudent moderate and peaceable men were judged by them to be nothing else then the fruits of giddy passion or of distemper in judgement and in zeal And indeed he that shall but indifferently weigh and examine the reasons and exceptions which the dissenting and separating brethren alledge against the use of the English Liturgy will finde them for the most part so invalid and weak that one strong argument may be drawn from hence to prove it lawfull because whatsoever hath been hitherto brought by way of reproof to evince the unlawfulnesse thereof hath had in it no greater strength of reason and demonstration very requisite in a cause so important as this and in a charge so furious as was made against it But however reason and truth were wanting to their cause the opinion and confidence of both resting on their side was so deeply rooted in them that I verily beleeve it would be an hard matter to finde any sect either modern or antient who have more obstinately adhered to their principles or more vehemently prosecuted their designes then they As if they had been acted with a spirit of infallibility and carried on thereby in these proceedings when that of errour contrariety and spleen against the adverse party seemeth to have been their chief if not only guide wherefore they oppose themselves with might and main against the established order of prayer and diseipline and to disgrace and depresse the former they highly commend and above measure extoll and likewise use upon all occasions unpremeditate or as some term it conceived prayer A very forcible engine raised by them against Church-conformity and in all likelihood that which hath more upheld strengthened and encreased their faction then any one means whatsoever honouring it with the glorious title of praying by the Spirit and that by way of propriety in opposition to praying with any set form of words composed beforehand or framed to our ordinary use As if the Spirit of God did immediately suggest unto their mindes both the matter and form sense and words of these their supplications but was not assistant to the other or the other inconsistent with the grace and help thereof whereas upon due search into the Scriptures concerning this point we shall finde this pretended praying by the Spirit not to be so much as mentioned therein and for this cause at the best but warrantable and lawfull for us by the generall rule of indifferent things the which are left to the judgement of Christian prudence to be done or omitted by us as we shall see it most convenient for our selves or for other men not of necessary use as many of them suppose and maintain seeing that they cannot produce any expresse or implicite command for the same out of the written word of God For although mention be made there of prayer and supplication in the Spirit Ephes 6.18 yet it canbe proved either by that which precedeth or by that which followeth in the Text that the Apostle doth mean by this form of speech the same kinde of praying which they so much magnifie and contend for But rather he understandeth by prayer in the Spirit that in which the hearty affection is joyned with the mouthes expression and the desire of the soul is answerable to the positure and devotion of the body see Rom. 1.9 or that assistance of the Spirit whereof he speaketh Rom. 8.26 27. Otherwise the Apostle in this place and by these words doth shew what it is to pray alwaies namely not to be continually muttering prayers with our lips as some have vainly imagined but to be in a perpetual disposition of the heart towards this holy exercise yea and to be assiduous and constant in desire of those things which we want without slothfull intermission or faith lesse fainting in case we do not perceive a sudden grant of our requests Luk. 18.1 either of which is farre different from the former as appeareth at the very first sight thereof And yet how great advantage have they gotten upon their adversaries by their facility of utterance and volubility of speech in prayer without thought as they professe and premeditation in the least measure of what they were to say Many of which though learned and eloquent men either because they were ill affected to this practise or for that they did not exercise their gifts and parts this way being unwilling or unable