Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	affection_n	understanding_n	will_n	4,333	5	5.6834	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87871	A discourse of praying with the spirit, and with the understanding. Where of extemporary premeditate set forms of prayer. Preached in two sermons at Hillsborough anno 1659. By Henry Leslie (maugre all antichristian opposition) Bishop of Down and Conner. And now published for the redresse of the great abuse of prayer in that diocesse, whereof he had, and ought to have a charge. Whereunto is annexed a letter of Jer. Taylor, D.D. concerning the same subject.	Leslie, Henry, 1580-1661.; Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.	1660 (1660)	Wing L1162; Thomason E1041_4; ESTC R207928	28,259	45

he danced with all his might so he praised God with all his might for resolving to praise God Psal 103.1 He summons all the faculties of his Soul together for the performance of that worke Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name So Psal 35.10 he promiseth that all his bones that is all his strength shall be exercised in prayer All my bones shall say Lord who is like unto thee c. And so should we worship God if we would pray with the Spirit we must pray with all our might even with the whole strength and endeavour of our soul so that there be a concurrence of all the faculties and powers of it of the understanding the will the heart and affections First our understanding must concurr David exhorts us to sing praises with understanding Psal 47.7 So we must pray with understanding and know well what we ask that it is good for us and agreable to Gods will otherwise God who would not accept of a blind sacrifice under the Law Mal. 1.8 will farr less accept of a blind devotion under the Gospel for all our spiritual sacrifices should be a reasonable service as St. Paul saith Rom. 12.1 therefore our understanding and reason must be occupyed in it else it is not reasonable Peter made a motion for making of three Tabernacles one for Christ one for Moses and one for Elias but our Saviour took no notice of it because he knew not what he said Luke 9.33 The sons of Zebedee preferred a suit unto Christ but did not obtain it because they knew not what they asked Math. 20.22 So we may say of all ignorant Papists who say their prayers in Latine that they ask they know not what their devotion is blind their sacrifice is no reasonable service for they make a sound and utter words but with out understanding like Plinie's Raven which could say Ave Caesar imperator or like Cardinall Ascanius his Parrat Lib. 3. cap. 32. In Ps 18. which as Caelius Rodiginus reports was taught to pronounce all the articles of the Creed It is St. Austines comparison and the argument which he useth to diswade men from praying or singing in a language they understand not God hath endued us with reason and understanding and we should use it when we worship God and therefore understand what we pray Again as the understanding so also the will must concurr for nothing is done well but that which is done with the will The Apostle will have all our spirituall sacrifices to be living or quick Rom. 12.1 Now that is said to be living which moveth of it self and that to be dead which doth not move but by outward forcer our prayers must be a living sacrifice and therefore not drawn from us by sickness and pain or by fear or apprehension of danger nor should we pray for ostentation to get applause of men as did the Pharisees nor pray only formally and customarily as performing a taske imposed upon us but we should pray so willingly freely cheerfully that it be our delight to power out our souls before God Finally the heart must concurr and we pray with vehement affection and with an earnest desire of those things which we pray for Look how earnestly a condemned Malefactour begs for his life or a hunger starved beggar for an almes as earnestly must we begg Gods mercie If we pray but coldly and faintly without any great desire of those things which we ask we do ask like Swine who esteem not of pearls but trample them under their feet And so vve give God occasion to deny us for qui timide rogat docet negare Christ vvill have us not only to ask but also to seek and knock He vvill have us earnest Math. 7.17 Luk. 11.5 Math. 15.22 Luk. 18.1 Psal 103. as vvas the man that came to borrovv bread at midnight Instant as vvas the Cananitish Woman Importunate as vvas the Widdovv vvith the Judge crying unto God out of the depths as David did that is from the depth of our hearts For it s only the fervent prayer of a righteous man that availeth much as S. Jam. saith this fervent prayer draweth sighes groans from the heart which cry loud in the ears of God The Lord said unto Moses Exod. 14.15 Wherefore cryest thou unto me and yet Moses spake not one vvord but his Spirit prayed vvithin him and so fervent vvas his prayer that it vvas as a shrill shreek in the ears of God Hannah uttered not her voice 1 Sam. 1. but she prayed so fervently that her lips shook vvithal and she obtained her suit And as in fervent prayer there must be great intentention of affection so also great attention of mind vve must labour to have our minds vvell composed and settled vvhen vve pray free from cares and vvandring thoughts and intent only upon that vvhich vve are about for hovv can vve think that God should hearken unto us vvhen vve do not hearken unto our selves or he be mindfull of us vvhen vve do not mind vvhat vve say unto him Christ giving direction for private prayer Bids us Enter into our closet and shut the doores behind us to avoid ostentation so vve had need to enter into the closet of our heart and shut the door behind us barring out all vvorldly thoughts to avoid distruction We should at least give unto God that respect vvhich civility teacheth us to give unto men especially our superiours not to turne avvay our mind till our tale be done Christ prayed often in a Mountain John 17.1 apart from the World and he lift up his eyes to Heaven vvhen he prayed so should vve turne avvay our hearts from all the creatures and have them vvholy fixed bent and set upon God Thus if vve pray by the direction of the vvord and vvith the assistance of the Spirit zealously and fervently vve are sure that we pray vvith the Spirit And this is the only praying vvith the spirit that can be expected from us novv vvho have not the gift of tongue nor any immediate inspiration Our next care must be to pray vvith Understanding as it follovveth in the text I will pray with understanding also That is I vvill pray so as the congregation may understand me that this is the meaning of the words is evident by that which followeth else if thou shalt bless with the Spirit that is as St. Ambrose well expounds it If thou utter the praise of God In 1 Cor. 14. in a tongue unknown to the hearers how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen seeing he understands not what thou sayest Thou verily givest thanks well but the other is not Edifyed So that to pray or blesse vvith understanding is to pray so as the unlearned may be able to say Amen understand what we say and be edifyed by it And again ver 19. In the Church I had rather speak five