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	watch_v	2,594	5	9.9201	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44035	The one good way of God contrary to the many different ways of mens making : with loving warnings, exhortations & cautions to all sorts of men, concerning their souls, and to be at peace amongst themselves / by Richard Hodden.	Hodden, Richard.	1661 (1661)	Wing H2283; ESTC R28665	62,810	78

and therefore so many under pretence of prayers and praises to God stick not to scoft at the teachings of the holy Spirit gift of the holy Ghost silent waitings upon God watching praying new lights c. and so go on blaspheming the Father of lights and the holy Name by which his saints are called as things most contrary to their natures and fleshly affections and therefore it highly concerns you every one to consider well with what you come before the Lord and to examine your selves whether you are in the faith whether Christ Jesus be in you or you are reprobates Now if Jesus Christ be forming in you then the body is dayly dying and if he be there formed the body is dead because of sin and the Spirit alive for righteousness sake and then all sensible things of bodily wits of imaginations natural reason and understanding are brought under the true light and heavenly Spirit and yeilded up so as to know and do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus wherein I do not mean onely naming him as his names are written in a Book or on a Wall or spoken of by polluted Livs but in the light and by his Spirit with the thoughts and affections naked bare and free from beholding bodily or earthly things as altered from fleshly likings and affections into spiritual savour sweetness and delight in his divine presence wherein the Spirit of prayer is freely given and felt as a flaming desire in the heart to Jesus Christ the mighty power love and wisdom of God by the heavenly touch of spiritual love which is neither bodily nor can be bodily felt onely the soul that is wholly devoted to God may and doth feel it but not with any bodily wit wisdom or skill because it is not felt but in the spiritual desire of the soul that is cleansed or waiting to be cleansed from all unrighteousness and there it doth so warm heat and quicken to watchfulness in prayer and obedience that it enliveneth the soul and ravisheth it more and more with pure joy and consolation in him so that the thoughts are gathered in at all times to think speak and act soberly sadly and seriously and in prayer ever to express such words as God onely by his Spirit putteth into the heart like an eccho of mans voyce to his friend which prayer is much alone as Christs also was free from all lets and interruptions and is the gift of the holy Ghost and lasteth not very long at a time in the fervour of it for that it is laborious to the Spirit though very pleasant through the passion of love therein felt truely tasted and sweetly savoured not much unlike that of Moses when he opened not his lips or of Hannah when she did but move her lips which breaketh down all lusts and likings of earthly things with so great force as that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence thereby while the soul is wounded with the sword of love and thereby overcomes and obtains the requests in some sense as Jacob did but the body then seems to fall down and may not bear it because the working is of so great force that the most vicious and fleshly man on earth so touched would be right sorrowful and sad therewith for the time and loath all his lusts and fleshly likings of earthly things by him most delighted in before as Jeremy said the love and feeling of God was made as burning fire in his heart and this is the holy Ghost and fire even the love of God in man burning and wasting all other loves and likings in mans soul as a fire sticking in the bones and filling all the powers of the soul with grace and glorious sweetness as marrow fills the bones and yet not without the wits but within them so full of might and power where it worketh within that if smiteth down into and through all and throws down the body into quaking and trembling for that it is so far unlike and contrary to the body that the body cannot skill of it nor bear it as was in like manner witnessed in Moses David Habakkuk and others and also in some of my dear friends that are living witnesses thereof yet in the flesh onely our Lord Jesus moderateth it and tempereth it into a soft and sober sweetness by abating the fervour and motion in time convenient and administreth life and peace as the soul becomes capable of it So that the holy Spirit teacheth for what and how to pray watch meditate and move to please God without any mans teaching and so our prayer is continual without ceasing and most and best alone in the heart that is made pure and clean by the operation of the holy Spirit that teacheth to do all things and live ever in the love and sweet presence of God without any great letting of lusts vanities or other tentations as the soul becomes clean and purely devoted to him We read in holy Scriptures of the womans lost Groat the pearl and tre●sure hid in the field selling all buying c. which certainly are matters of some importance to man because so significantly exprest by Jesus Christ of himself and mans soul as of lighting a candle sweeping searching finding rejoycing digging deep selling all other merchandize buying c. and therefore it skills much to have this Candle lighted whereby mans soul may see this treasure in its self and know the value of it whereby it may be induced to sell all for it which may not be until it be known that it is lost and where as in the inner part of mans own house for as Jesus Christ was lost in mans soul so there he is to be found what was lost there by Adam is to be found there in Christ Jesus the pure pearl of high price and primitive perfection but he may not be there found in naming of him by any his outward names nor as by faining his name or any power in mans heart by the labour of his minde or studying that name never so strongly or earnestly for in this manner do those that are far out of the way think to finde him and by so seeking miss of him as neither knowing his Voyce Name nor Nature or taste any savour of him or see comeliness in him to desire him but live without as strangers to him even without GOD in the world but he that comes to have an inward sight of a little of that spiritual fairness and dignity which the reasonable soul had of and in God at first that was lost in Adam and is to be had again by grace in Christ Jesus as it shall be enlightned to see him spiritually and shall not hide that light as under a bushel by over-laying it with earthly business or affections but shall love it above all earthly things even as the soul is swept with the fear of God washt with tears within c. and so the groat the pearl the Kingdom of

him and his motions and the more is the soul alive and active to him accounting it a shame to be fed with swines meat of fleshly things and savours wherein he feels no spiritual refreshment or true joy of love and delight And therefore he ever sets his heart and mind spiritually upon good meditates on him to know what he willeth and to please him see him know him have love and enjoy him by his grace and by degrees more and better and as the soul ever keeps to these desires it will be shewed plainly in the light what is evil and what good what is pleasing to God and what is contrary to him and teach him all needful things for salvation gain them for him and bestow them on him and therefore as there is a standing fast in this watchful desire victory will be given so that the soul wait and meditate meekly and patiently until Jesus Christ accept thereof give spiritual savour and accomplish his own work therein with victory as to other saints in his own time and so as it may become that souls chiefest joy to know and do that heavenly will because of the true spiritual delight therein But if man should comply and strive with his bodily wits and worldly wisdom that will but drive him farther off and a wretched thing it is for any man to leave the inward watch and keeping of his heart and shape to himself any outward form figure likeness or habit of vertue and holiness in meditation prayer or other performance to live in such a form of outward exercise beholding joyning with or imitating others and supposing himself right and righteous in so doing for thereby he departeth from the light guidance and government of Gods blessed Spirit and deceiveth himself by thinking he hath acceptance with God in his own doings which so done are directly against God though they might be right and acceptable in those that were led thereto by the Spirit of God In this general calling of souls employment nothing is rightly done but in watching and prayer nor any true watch kept or prayer presented but in the light and with a spiritual understanding wherein vertue wisdom and strength comes to be received and rightly employed but this consists not in learning to say words or know how many parts prayer hath or how to word it wisely for the drawing of others affections and so to make long prayers for pretence or as to be heard for much speaking in the way that mans wisdom teacheth of bodily exercise as did the Pharisees whereof Christ warned his Disciples and lifting up themselves in their own strength for the applause of men that they may be reputed able Christians of excellent parts full of knowledge better then others c. By which means many are themselves deceived by thinking they have the grace of Christ and spiritual knowledge and thereupon do so worship and please themselves in their hearts as if they were the onely men to pray praise and give thanks to God for with and above others while all is but with their lips vain words and bodily wits wherewith they onely dishonour God and defile themselves and others that so joyn with them in words before their hearts and souls are therein agreed by stealing the thanks praise and worship from God to themselves like the Pharisees that would presently be thanking God in words and judging others without the fear of God faith in him or any true love in feeling or affections or desires to know their own hearts and the iniquities thereof much less that God or others should know them or they their duties to him But these forward minds are far from any sure savour of delight or being in God and therefore their prayers or praises find no place with him neither are they fair or seemly in the mouths of such men where self is loved and their minds employed to provide for the outward man and their pride is the greater that so move while they keep no true watch and guard over their thoughts have no hold of their hearts or stay of their minds but multiply words in a powerless way of mans wisdom by imagining evils finding faults accusing themselves and others and asking sometimes what they do not in truth desire and oft what they do not want but to spend upon their lusts wherein the most are misled as their consciences witness being ignorant of the A ostles doctrine fellowship and prayers as they are of the knowledge of God and the Godhead in the manhood of Christ But that no man may mistake my understanding in the commands of Christ Jesus my Lord how to pray or my practise in obedience thereto let every one turn in their minds to his light and there wait to know how he said Enter into thy closet and shut thy door forget not that and pray to thy Father in secret So Christ himself prayed in the mountain in the garden in the desart alone from his Disciples and required th●m to watch and pray And also appointed joynt praying and said Where two of you shall agree upon any thing to ask it shall be granted of my Father which is in heaven but said he Use no vain repetitions as the heathen do And again Hitherto have you asked nothing in my Name ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full And his Disciples did afterwards so ask in his Name in faith and feeling and that without wavering as it is written and prayed much without ceasing with all manner of prayers and supplications in the Spirit and with the Spirit and understanding not knowing what to ask but as the Spirit helped and made requests with sighs and groans not to be uttered and so asking they received whether privately alone as Paul when he felt the grace sufficient for him or as agreed in particular cases as was that in chusing one in the room of Judas their praying together with one accord their sitting so together waiting for the gift of the holy Ghost while they had received but the first fruits of the Spirit So likewise the Church prayed for Peter and for others on other occasions but still more and more in the pure power and fervent love as they received the more spiritual gifts of the holy Ghost By all which it is most evident that the fire of that blessed Spirit of holiness at all times kindled the sacrifice and the praise was not of men but of God And thus they prayed in Christs Name as they were made partakers of his divine Nature But what outward naming of Christ was there in all this which is a work that the rude and un●●ly soul the wild and worldly mind knows nothing of Or what of set times places or personal respects was used therein though now men have learned frequently to take the Name of God and Jesus Christ in vain into their mouths while they hate to be reformed and neither know his Nature nor his Name