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
A64240	Impostor magnus, or The legerdemain of Richard Delamain now preacher in the city of Hereford. Being a narrative of his life and doctrine since his first coming into that county. Faithfully collected and published by one that will assert the truth of each particular. Yay.	Taylor, Silas, 1624-1678.	1654 (1654)	Wing T553A; ESTC R219169	24,689	35

corruptions Of Heaven or the Spirit under which dispensation he then was That the Scriptures were darkness that the same Spirit dwelleth in us that did in them that penned the Scriptures which he prosecuted with strange deductions and conclusions never considering that testimonies are for clearing not obscuring that the Scriptures testifie of Christ and do reveal him that darkness doth not reveal things it is light that makes manifest that what is darkness is in our understandings by reason whereof we apprehend not the Scriptures c. He further declared that we were taught of God immediately and not of men whereupon Mr. S. the School master of Hereford asked him why he then took upon him to teach men he answered we do not teach but only shew men a learned distinction but that you may further see what he meant by Scriptures or how in himself he did approve of them being urged to back some Tenent or other of his with Scripture he answered That he did not much trouble himself with the Scripture I need not apply it for by this you may easily know his minde but he proceeds and tells you that that which is in us is Christ and he cannot sin that it was needless for a Saint to ask or make request for any thing because all was theirs and they could want nothing his phrases were mostly obscured in Allegories dreaming the whole Scripture was nothing else and here he rumbles up strange applications of old Adam and new Adam light and darkness lise and death Christ and Antichrist flesh and Spirit heaven and hell Sion and Sinai bright clouds and dark clouds vails dispensations administrations illuminations living up the Allegorical applications of Grace and glory of Christs cross grave burial resurrection and ascention with all his miracles and actions which were so misused misapplyed misapprehended so bumbasted squeized wrested wrung and wreathed into a seeming sense that it would have puzzled a man of judgement in the least to have apprehended them These are the clouds without water Jude 12. carried about of winds trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead plucked up by the roots 2 Pet. 2. These are empty wells without water clouds that are hurried with a Tempest to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever for when they speak great swelling words of vanity they allure them to error while they promise liberty but being now wrapt up in the admiration of his own non-sence it was asked him how it was that he preached such a Sermon of terrors when he first came to Bredwardine he answered as his use was most commonly with some misapplyed place of Scripture that he was perswaded to it by Mr. Hill but it was his liberty and he could become all things to all men to gain some he should have said for some gain nevertheless some of his admirers were not so far deserted and led aside as totally to leave off duties which by his example and preaching he alwayes held forth for as he said of his preaching that admission or probation Sermon at Bredwardine it was much against his inclination and Spirit so was the use of any duties at evening or morning either before or after meat Jude feeding himself without fear and where he had liberty with some of his most absolute proselites he laughed at them saying we perform duties because we look on God as a judge and that it is the Spirit of bondage yet at Bredwardine which is observable he was in a sort constrained for keeping in with the old Gentlewoman before and after meat to pretend a duty which was nothing else but an impudent complement with God not prosecuting the designed ends of those duties which were to pray for a blessing on the creatures or give thanks for the reception of them but his words were an odd pack of stuff Delamains Grace at meals of non-sence and blasphemy as these O Lord Thou art us and we are Thee Thou art in us and we in thee Thou fillest us with thy presence and we are full of thy fulness Thou lovest none but us and we love none but thee The creatures are thou Thou art our light our all our all in all To thee we give our all we receive thee we see thee we delight in thee and thou in us to thee be glory c. all this was not much to the purpose but observe I pray what a sad object of Audacity is set before you what strange blasphemy to hold forth not only that every Christian is God but that every creature is God may even the Devil himself because a creature doth not he spin a fine thread and winde up a skein or clew of strange Corollaries How can he be said with this complement Heb. 12.28 29. to come before God that is a consuming fire with reverence and Godly fear or how doth he follow the example of Christ who for our pattern prayed for a blessing on the creatures before he used them The Spirit enjoyning us in all things to make known our requests by supplications and prayers and that continually yet to what a degenerate impiety was this fellow grown to confess him in words but in deeds to deny him but if you will needs have duties you must take them as he can afford them for he tells you that he hath waited many years and could never finde comfort while he used them Nemo repente fuit turpissimus Juven but leaving them he found much that before he in dutyes sound nothing but dryness and deadness mislaying that upon dutyes which was really the epileptical disease of his own Soul and though at first in publick he concealed his venom and poyson yet in families he very freely traded with it nay he would preach one thing in publick and another in private and in private again deny what he had preached in publick thus did he at Worcester and truly he was engaged to it upon a force or constraint else he could not maintain his position into practise of becoming all things to all men to gain some nor have been suffered to preach openly again but that in the mean time you may see how he laid himself open to his proselytes in these opinions observe what one of them answered to an honest man of Ludlow who at Leominster demanded of him why Delamain at the time of the publick exercise did preach in private from whom he received this account because that he preached there what was not fit to be preached or heard in publick or if you will hear Delamains phrase it was because as yet people could not bear his words and Doctrine Thus did he frame himself to his work in the prosecution of his design of causing his Disciples to sit loose from duties because we are frequently warned not to rest on dutyes he would have us leave them off That is a sure way not to rest on them indeed which would open a Gate to all