Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A18925
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A tract of prayer by He. Clapham.
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Clapham, Henoch, fl. 1600.
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1602
(1602)
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STC 5346.5; ESTC S749
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9,973
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42
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A TRACT OF PRAYER By He. Clapham AT LONDON Printed by W. White dwelling in Cow-lane 1602. ⧠To the Right Woo. M ris Grissell Sheffeild all true happinesse here and in the worlde to come RIght Woo. as I am much to prayse God for your vn-uariable Christian fauours from the very entraunce of my seruice vouchsafed still vnto me So I haue neuer since lacked Will though destitute of Meanes whereby to testifie my summisse duetie But hauing experienced the fruites of that diuine spirit which from Infancie is reported to haue held his succession in you I haue aduentured to offer some signe of gratitude Homely is the Forme but heauenly is the Subiect whereon my Pen runneth What is lacking in the Manner is countenanced in the Matter And so this 2. of December 1602. I ende remayning Your Woo. wherein he shal be able Henoch Clapham A TRACT OF PRAYER An Introduction PRayer is nothing else but a powring foorth of the soules-sense according to the instinct and motion of GOD his holy Spirit And herevpon it is that Moses is sayd to cry Exod. 14. 15. though he vttered no worde and Hannah to pray 1. Sam. 1. 12. though she spake onely in her hart And this is called Prayer Mentall as that which is by mouthes vtterance is called Prayer Vocall That I say this speach of the Soule must be according to the motion of God his Spirit it is because no vtteraunce mentall or vocall is true Prayer otherwise then it is vttered by the Holy Ghostes direction For his office it is to teach vs what to pray And herevpon it is that the Apostle teacheth not onely that God sendes foorth his Sonnes spirit into our hartes vpon the very first action of our Adoption Gal. 4. 6. 9. for teaching vs to Cry that is earnestly to Pray but also to deny that the most learned is able to pray without the direction of that Spirit For thus he sayth The Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed Rom. 8. 26. And least any should obiect Alas we speake imperfectly or sigh confusedly he addeth But he that searcheth the hartes knoweth what is the meaning of that Spirit for he maketh request for the Sainctes according to the will of God So that no wordes or sighinges are heere reputed Prayer otherwise then they receiue their character of Christes Spirit Which obserued it conuineeth the Papist and Brownist two extreames of extreame ignoraunce The Papist thinkes if so he say ouer some certaine forme of wordes prescribed in his Iesus or Ladyes Psalter or her etofore drawen by Pope Sixtus or some other idolatrous Woorthie he hath done very well though God knowes he is so farre from following the instinct of Christes Spirit therein as ordinarily he Apishly imitateth some brutish inuention and if it be Latine his owne Spirit he being a common Papist ignorant what his lippes vttereth For the Brownist hee thinkes on the other hand that if he haue vttered a number of words not according to any written forme but of the abundance of his owne hart then he hath performed a worthie worke for no wordes borrowed from else where he holdes can be deliuered for Prayer And herevpon it is that he denyeth to vtter the words in Mat. 6. 9. c. for Prayes as if the same wordes could not bee vsed for Doctrine and Prayer Thus condemning all the Worlde for ignoraunce in Prayer he shewes himselfe to be ignoraunt what is Prayer Prayer as before receiues not his Beeing from Wordes for one can pray truely that is dombe with Zacharie but be they words or sighes or Soules breathinges they be then true Prayer when God his Spirit is one with our Spirit in the vse thereof And therefore to impute any thing to Wordes in that manner as they do is flat Merit-mongry And because in vocall Prayer the selfe same words may againe be vsed in the same and like case our Sauiour who had more varietie of wordes then any Brownist hee repeated the same wordes againe Marke 14. 39. And the Apostle againe and againe in the entraunce of his Epistles Rom. 1. 7. 1. Cor. 1. 3. 2. Cor. 1. 2. Galat. 1. 3. Ephess 1. 2. Philip. 1. 2. Coloss. 1. 2. 1. Thess. 1. 2. 2. Thess. 1. 2. 1. Tim. 1. 2. 2. Tim. 1. 2. Philem. 3. Thus farre was S. Paul from acquaintaunce with Brownisme And yet I could prooue vnto them that some of themselues both publiquely and priuatly haue vsually vsed a flat Forme of Prayer cond by hart But who will easily dispute with Spirits of priuate interpretation Prayer consisting in Sighes new or accustomed in wordes olde or new Etiamsi nihil dictum quod non dictum prius prouided the same be formed by the Holy spirit Some ignorauntly it may be will inferre Then the vnsanctified with Iudas Iscariot pray not truely seeing the Holy Ghost is not giuen them I answeare the vnsanctified person praying with and for others may as did Iudas Iscariot pray truely and may haue glorious effectes following the same as followed Iscariots ministerie so well as the others Mark 6. 13. and Luk. 9. 10. and this because he prayeth according to the motion of the Holy spirit though he enioy not the same Spirit For great is the difference betweene being Acted by him as Balaam was in his ministerie and hauing the Spirit dwelling in one as he doth in the sanctified Rom. 8. 9. This remembred I will as God shall enable in the next place delyuer vnto you an Exposition of the Lordes Prayer and that also in forme of prayer AN EXPLICATION OF THE Lords Prayer OUr Father Father by creation as we were set out of thine hands in our fore-parents Adam and Heuah but more speciallie a Father through the worke of Redemption who as we voluntarily were cast away of the first man hast recouered vs to thy selfe againe by the second Man Christ Iesus his glorious obedience Twise a Father by Nature and Grace but we vtterly vnworthy once of the name of Children so great hath been our transgression both against Nature and Grace As thou teachest mee not to cry My Father as minding either my owne particuler onely or heretically iudging better of my selfe then any others but hast commaunded mee to cry Our Father as a feeling member of that Catholique Church sparsed ouer the earth to whom Christ Iesus is onely Head so hereby thou callest me to ioyne with Fayth Loue that so my Fayth in thy promises may declare it selfe to be true Fayth by the workes that issue therefrom as in other thinges so in the action of Prayer For thou wouldst haue vs to know that all Fayth is but dead which worketh not by Loue First towards the head of our Head Christ Iesus Secondly towardes our fellow members which is the corporation of true beleeuers Our