Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	call_v	scripture_n	word_n	5,563	5	4.4592	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67898	A discourse concerning prayer ex tempore, or, by pretence of the spirit. In justification of authorized and set-formes of lyturgie.	Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.	1646 (1646)	Wing T312; ESTC R201248	24,488	46

they writ by the Spirit Since then we cannot pretend upon any grounds of probability to an inspiration so immediate as theirs and yet their assistances which they had from the Spirit did not exclude humane arts and industry but that the ablest Scholler did write the best much rather is this true in the gifts and assistances we receive and particularly in the gift of Prayer it is not an ex tempore and an inspired faculty but the faculties of nature and the abilities of art and industry are improved and ennobled by the supervening assistances of the Spirit And now let us take a man that pretends he hath the gift of Prayer and loves to pray ex tempore I suppose his thoughts goe a little before his tongue I demand then Whether cannot this man when it is once come into his head hold his tongue and write downe what he hath conceived If his first conceptions were of God and Gods Spirit then they are so still even when they are written Or is the Spirit departed from him upon the sight of a pen and Ink-horne It did use to be otherwise among the old and new Prophets whether they were Prophets of Prediction or of ordinary Ministery But if his conception may be writt●n and being writt●n is still a production of the Spirit then it followes that set forms of Prayer deliberate and described may as well be a praying with the Spirit as sudden formes and ex tempore out-lets Now the case being thus put I would faine know what the difference is betweene deliberate and ex tempore Prayers save onely that in these there is lesse consideration and prudence for that the other are at least as much as them the productions of the Spirit is evident in the very case put in this very argument and whether to consider and to weigh them be any disadvantage to our devotions I leave it to all wise men to determine So that in effect since after the pretended assistance of the Spirit in our Prayers we may write them downe consider them try the spirits and ponder the manner the reason and the religion of the addresse let the world judge whether this sudden utterance and ex tempore forms be any thing else but a direct resolution not to consider before-hand what we speak But let us look a little further into the mysterie and see what is meant in Scripture by praying with the spirit In what sense the holy Ghost is called the spirit of prayer I have already shewne viz. by the same reason as he is the spirit of faith of prudence of knowledge of understanding and the like But praying with the spirit hath besides this other senses also in Scripture I find in one place that then we pray with the Spirit when the holy Ghost does actually excite us to desires and earnest tendencies to the obtaining our holy purposes when he gives us zeale and devotion charity and fervour spirituall violence and holy importunity This sense is also in the latter part of the objected words of Saint Paul Rom. 8. The spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us with groanings c. Indeed this is truly a praying in the spirit but this will doe our reverend Brethren of the Assembly little advantage as to the present Question For this spirit is not a spirit of utterance not at all clamorous in the eares of the people but cryes loud in the eares of God with gr●anes unutterable so it followes and onely He that searcheth the heart he understandeth the meaning of the spirit This is the spirit of the Sonne which God hath sen● into our hearts not into our tongues whereby we cry Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. And this is the great {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for mentall Prayer which is properly and truly praying by the Spirit Another praying with the Spirit I find in that place of Saint Paul from whence this expression is taken and commonly used I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also Here they are opposed or at least declared to be things severall and disparate where by the way observe that praying with the spirit even in sense of Scripture is not alwayes most to edification of the people Not alwayes with understanding And when these two are separated S. Paul prefers five words with understanding before ten thousand in the spirit For this praying with the spirit was indeed then a gift extraordinary and miraculous like as prophecying with the spirit and expired with it But while it did last it was the lowest of gifts Inter dona linguarum it was but a gift of the tongue and not to be the benefit of the Church rectly or immediately By the way onely If Saint Paul did so undervalue the praying with the Spirit that he preferred edifying the Church a thousand degrees beyond it I suppose he would have beene of the sam● mind if this Question had beene between praying with the Spirit and obeying our superiors as he was when it was between praying with the Spirit and edification of the Church because it I be not mistaken it is matter of great concernment towards the edication of the Church to obey our superiours not to innovate in publick formes of worsh●p especially with the scandall and offence of very wise and learned men and to the disgrace of the dead Martyrs who sealed our Liturgy with their blood But to return In this place praying with the Spirit is no more than my spirit praying For so S. Paul joynes them as terms identicall and expressive one of anothers meaning as you may please to read ver. 14. and 15. 1 Cor. 14. I will pray with the Spirit and my Spirit truly prayeth It is the act of our inner man praying holy and spirituall Prayers But then indeed at that time there was somthing extraordianary joyned for it was in an unknowne tongue the practice of which Saint Paul there dislikes This also will be to none of their purposes For whether it were Extempore or by premeditation is not here expressed or if it had yet that assistance extraordinary in prayer if there was any beside the gift of tongues which I much doubt is no more transmitted to us then the speaking tongues in the spirit or prophecying Extempore and by the spirit But I would adde also one experiment which S. Paul also there addes by way of instance If praying with the spirit in this place be praying ex tempore then so is singing too For they are expressed in the same place in the same manner to the same end and I know no reason why these should be differing senses put upon them to ●erve p●rposes And now l●t us have some Church-musicke too though the Organs be pulled down and let any the ●est P●alm●st of them all compose a hymne in ●etricall forme and sing it to a new tune with perfect and true musick and all this extempore For all this the holy

the supplying the place of a Vocabulary and a Copia V●rborum For as for the matter it is all there described and appointed and to those determined senses the spirit must assist or not at all onely for the words he shall take his choyce Now I desire it may be considered sadly and seriously Is it not as much injury to the spirit to restraine his mat●er as to appoint his words Which is the more considerable of the two sense or Language Matter or Words I meane when they are taken singly and separately For so they may very well be for as if men prescribe the matter onely the spirit may cover it with severall words and expressions so if the spirit prescribe the words I may sti●l abound in variety of sense and preserve the liberty of my meaning we see that true in the various interpretations of the same words of Scripture So that in the greater of the two the Spirit is restrained when his matter is appointed and to make him amends for not trusting him with the matter without our directions and limitations we trust him to say what he pleases so it be to our sense to our purposes A goodly compensation surely 5. Did not Christ restraine the spirit of his Apostles when he taught them to pray the Lords Prayer whether his precept to his D●sciples concerning it was Pray this or Pray thus Pray these words or Pray after this manner or though it had been lesse then either and been onely a Directory for the matter still it is a thing which our Brethren in all other cases of the same nature are resolved perpetually to call a restraint Certainly then this pretended restraint is not such formidable thing These men themselves doe it by directing all the matter and much of the manner and Christ himselfe did it by prescribing both the matter and the words too 6. These restraints as they are called or determinations of the Spirit are made by the Spirit himselfe For I demand when any Assembly of Divines appoint the matter of Prayers to all particular Ministers as this hath do●e is that appointment by the Spirit or no If no then for ought appeares this Directory not being made by Gods Spirit may be an enemy to it But if this appointment be by the Spirit then the determination and limitation of the Spirit is by the Spirit himselfe and such indeed is every pious and prudent constitution of the Church in matters spirituall Such as was that of S. Paul to the Corinthians when he prescribed orders for publique proph●cying and interpretation and speaking with tongues The spirit of some he so restr●ined that he bound them to hold their peace he permitted but two or three to speak at one meeting the rest were to keep silence though possibly six or seven might at that time have the Spirit 7. Is it not a restraint of the Spirit to sing a Psalme in meeter by appointment Cleerly as much as appointing formes of Prayer or Eucharist And yet that we see done daily and no scruple made Is not this to be partiall in judgement and inconsiderate of what wee doe 8. And now after all this strife what harme is there in restraining the spirit in the present sense What prohibition what law what reason or revelation is against it What inconvenience in the nature of the thing For can any man be so weak as to imagine a despite is done to the spirit of grace when those gifts to his Church are used regularly and by order As if prudence were no gift of Gods spirit as if helpes in government and the ordering spirituall matters were none of those graces which Christ when he ascended up on high gave unto Men But this whole matter is wholly a stranger to reason and never seen in Scripture For Divinity never knew any other vi●ious restraining of the Spirit but either suppressing those holy incitements to virtue and good life which Gods Spirit ministers to us externally or internally or else a forbidding by publike authority the Ministers of the word and Sacraments to speake such ●ruths as God hath commended and so taking away the liberty of prophecying The first is directly vitious In materia speciale the second is ●yrannicall and Antichristia● And to it persecution of true religion is to be reduced But as for this pretended limiting or r●straining the spirit viz. by appointing a regular forme of prayer it is so very a C●imera that it hath no footing or foundation upon any ground where a wise man may build his confidence 9. But lastly how if the spirit must be restrained and that by precept Apostolica●l That calls us to a new account But if it be not t●ue what meanes Saint Paul by saying The spirits of the prophets must be subject to the Prophets What greater restraint then subjection if subjected then they must be ruled if ruled then limited prescribed unto and as much under restraint as the spirits of the superiour Prophets shall judge convenient I suppose by this time this objection will trouble us no more But perhaps another will For why are not the Ministers to be left as well to their liberty in making their Prayers as their Sermons I answer the Church may it she will but whether she doth well or no let her consider This I am sure there is not the same reason and I feare the experience the world hath already had of it will make demonstration enough of the inconvenience But however the differences are many 1. Our prayers offered up by the Minister are in behalfe and in the name of the people and therefore great reason they should know beforehand what is to be presented that if they like not the message they may refuse to communicate especia●ly since people are so divided in their opinions in their hopes and in their faiths it being a duty to refuse Communion with those prayers which they thinke to have in them the matter of sinne or doubting Which reason on the other part ceases for the Minister being to speak from God to the people if he speakes what he ought not God can right himsel●e however is not partner of the sin as in the other case the people possibly may be 2. It is more fit a liberty be left in preaching than praying because the addresse of our discourses and exhortations are to be made according to the understanding and capacity of the audience their prejudices are to be removed all advantages to be taken and they are to be surprized that way they lye most open But being crafty I caught you saith Saint Paul to the Corinthians and discourses and arguments ad hominem upon their particular principles and practices may more move them than the most polite and accurate that doe not comply and wind about their fancies and affections S. Paul from the absurd practice of being baptized for the dead made an excellent argument to convince the Corinthians of the Resurrection But