Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	adoption_n	cry_v	father_n	9,732	5	5.0154	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82002	A sober and temperate discourse, concerning the interest of words in prayer, the just antiquity and pedigree of liturgies, or forms of prayer in churches : with a view of the state of the church, when they were first composed, or imposed. Together with a discovery of the weakness of the grounds upon which they were first brought in, or upon which Bishop Gawden hath lately discoursed, the necessity of a liturgie, or the inconveniency of altering the English liturgie, the utility of church musick, and the lawfulness of ceremonies : in which are mixed reasons justifying those godly ministers, who forbear the use of the Common-prayer, against the late out-cryes of the said bishop. / By H.D. M.A.	H. D. (Henry Dawbeny); Collinges, John, 1623-1690, attributed name.	1661 (1661)	Wing D449; Thomason E1086_14; ESTC R208152	100,305	119

but to loath pious souls And indeed those phrases which do this excellent deed are experimentally found to be such as the inwardly affected heart of the Speaker immediatly dictates to his Tongue It being most undoubtedly truth That words coming from the heart of the Speaker find the nearest and readiest way to the heart of the Hearer and the Souls of the hearers shall acknowledge themselves most affected when the Speaker finds his heart most warmed and enlarged as if there were a Sympathy of devout Souls which is indeed from the mighty secret working of the same spirit of Prayer acting both and at the same time preparing the Speakers heart and tongue to dictate and speak and the Hearers souls to hear sigh groan and to give a fiducial assent Rom. 8.26 CHAP. II. The Gift of Prayer is partly Natural partly by Industry acquirable That it is promised by God denied to none that will duely use means to attain it but they may so far attain it as in publick to pray without forms so as God shall accept it and none have just cause of Scandal That none worthy of the office of the Ministry need to want it nor do but through their own Sin and Negligence I. THE Gift and Grace of Prayer are two things The Grace of Prayer is a spiritual ability in the Soul from which it is enabled from the Spirit of Adoption to go unto God saying Abba Father with an holy boldness fiducial confidence fervency of spirit begging of him things according to his Will This Nature doth not teach Industry will not necessarily bring us to for this God must send forth the spirit of his Son into peoples hearts crying Abba Father Gal. 4.6 And none can do this but those who have received the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 But the gift of Prayer is nothing else but an ability of mind to form words expressive of such desires of our hearts as are according to the will of God conjoyned with a faculty of memory and of expression and elocution II. Hence it appears that the gift of Prayer is partly natural for from nature is the faculty of Meditation and Speech partly by Industry attainable For let us duly consider what he hath to do that prayeth more than to speak that is in reference to the external part of Prayer performable by the gift of Prayer Prayer consisteth of a Confession of all sins Supplications for supply of wants for our selves and others and a thanksgiving for Mercies received Sin is either Original or Actual Actual sin is a transgression of the Law of God This Law of God is contained in his Word all violations of it in thought word or deed are sins Supposing a man in a capacity to meditate and speak what is wanting to any save Industry only why he should not compose a Confession of Sins If he knows what the Scripture saith of the imputed guilt of Adams sin of our being conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity What the Law of God requires and forbids and considereth his own and other mens words and actions and his own heart to which other mens hearts answer in a great measure why should he not be able to form a Confession in his heart and if he have any elocution to speak it with his Lips And if he hath any habit of knowledge of the Scriptures as to these things why should he not be able to speak this Confession to God ex tempore as well as a Lawyer shall speak in matter of Law or a knowing Philosopher discourse Philosophical Learning rationally many times to the admiration of his Hearers It is further reasonable that to a Confession of sins should be added an acknowledgment of the Justice of God in case of any Judgments already brought upon us or others or upon supposition if God should bring upon us any Surely every Christian knoweth or should know that the wages of sin is death that the least sin exposeth us to the wrath of God here and hereafter c. And if he hath a tongue to speak can say so to God in Prayer In the supplicatory part of Prayer we deprecate Judgment we implore Mercy for our selves for others for souls for bodies all according to the Will of God whoso knows he hath a Body and a soul and knows the wants of both knows what to ask for and he that knows the Scriptures is advantaged in that knowledge and further is by them directed what to ask for absolutely what conditionally what Promises to urge upon God in Prayer what Judgments to deprecate and in what manner Nor is any so ignorant as not to know what is good for himself or others in a natural sense the Scripture tels him what is so spiritually and truly and if he hath a tongue he can surely say O God I thank thee for c. Doth he want Expressions The Scripture is full of Expressions directive of him III. In short setting Elocution aside now that the Word of God is in our own Language there can be nothing but particular Christians horrible neglect of acquainting themselves with it or their non-observing their own hearts or not using themselves to the exercise of Prayer that can hinder any private Christian from being able to speak unto God in Prayer fully profitably acceptably and so as none but prophane hearts shall be scandalized And this Assertion is demonstrable Rom. 8 26. Luke 21. Mark 13.11 IV. Besides this God hath promised the help of his Spirit as to words and matter in the use of means the Spirit shall teach us what to pray for nor is this beneath the Holy Spirit any more than to give unto suffering Saints what to speak in the very hour they shall be called before men for Christs sake for which there is a Promise and they allowed therefore to take no care what to speak before-hand We acknowledge that the Gift of Prayer is no special distinguishing Gift but a common Gift but by no means can allow our selves in the suppressing of it V. Hence it is that many a person whose constant employment is not in the work of the Ministry is able to poure out his soul in Prayer before God in proper and apt expressions without any further premeditation than is necessary to take the noise of his worldly business out of his head so orderly and methodically and in such handsom expressions that any godly sober Divine though never so Learned shall approve his performance and bless God on his behalf VI. That any owning the Name of a Minister of the Gospel should not be so able is a great reproach to our Church considering that this disability must proceed 1. From a want of knowledge in the Scriptures which every Minister ought to know exactly Or 2. From a want of a due observance to and a watchfulness upon his own heart and waies whereas he ought to excel others in the practical part of Holiness Or 3. From

revealed will that in such publick devotions some particular persons should be the mouth of the rest unto him whose Prayer according to divine Institution is made the common performance of the whole Society whether it be that of a whole Family or that of a greater or lesser Congregation by their concurrence in spirit with him that speaketh and their rational and fiducial assent to what he speaketh as well on theirs as his own behalf Now there being no other ordinary way of correspondence which God hath allowed rational souls each with other in their united estate but by the tongues of men animated by the souls to that very purpose that they might be their Interpreters It is impossible that publick Prayer should be performed without words and those both audibly and intelligibly pronounced which is also conformable to the will of God who hath taught us when we pray to say Our Father Whence it appears that both the silent mute Meetings of Quakers and the Latine Service of Papists and the Prayers of any others said or sang so that People cannot hear or understand what is said are all of them abominable in the sight of God and to be abhorred of every reasonable Christian VI. But seeing words are no more than the desires of our souls interpreted And there being no further use of them in the duty of Prayer than that by them we might sacrifice unto God the devotion of our hearts by the Calves our lips 2. And by the help of them we might interpret the otherwise not intelligible desires of our souls unto others And 3. Restrain the extravagancies of our own Spirits A Curiosity of phrase in Prayer seems neither necessary nor reasonable Not necessary because as our holy Father who understands the thoughts of our hearts before they be brought forth into words hath no need of well turn'd Language to affect his sacred ears nor hath required more than according to the ability which he hath given to several souls So the plainest phrase is best intelligible to the most of those that hear us who are to give a rational assent and say a fiduciary Amen to what we speak VII Nor are the Prayers of the poorest Rustick who ordinarily salutes his neighbour and expresseth his mind to him in terms which the Critick cals Nonsence for their Grammatical incongruities or defects in Rhetorick less acceptable unto God than the softy strains and luxuriant issue of wanton Rhetorick in the prayers of others are whose great study possibly is to put their prayers into handsom Language Who knows not that many Idiomes in other Languages are perfect nonsence in English Yet who doubts but God accepteth in every Nation pious souls powring out their hearts unto him in Prayer by their mouths according to the Dialects of their several Countries VIII In very deed the only Nonsence that can attend Prayer is the incongruity of the tongue of him that speaketh with his mind and heart or with the understandings of those who joyn with him Let but the tongue be the true interpreter of the heart towards God and the expressions of it be commensurate with the capacity and understanding of those that hear and the Prayer shall be discharged from any guilt of Nonsence in the sight of God accruing from a want of Grammatical order in words unless such want proceed from the Speakers non-attention and carelesseness of his Spirit Yea the Prayer which the wanton Orator the curious observer of words and Pryer into the proprieties of them may call Non-sense may be most admirable sense in the ears and judgment of God and good men whose eye is upon higher things in spiritual duties than a well tuned esse posse videatur IX Yea there may be in him that speaketh such an affectation of nitid words and curious phrases such a superlative care that Noun Substantives and Adjectives may stand in due places and Verbs be put in right Moods and Tenses that too many monosillables or pollysillables may not hobble or rumble after one another such a study for paranomasia's and other Fooleries of phrase as may make the Prayer abominable both to God and to all good men Whilst not the holy Omniscient God only but even sober men easily discern the heart of him that speaketh as to its secret intention gone a whoring from God to whom it should be united in Prayer after that Strumpet Rhetorick in which he never took any delight Nor is the Prayer thus patched and painted and disguised by this Taylor-like art of words understood by those who would better know it and to whom it would appear far more lovely in the morning-dress of a homebred natural inaffected phrase X. Yet in regard that it cannot be reasonably presumed that any publick Congregation should be made up of persons equally intelligent in the mysteries of Godliness nor equally intelligent of words and phrases nor equally considering that words are but the shell and skin of Prayer Nor so but that there will be many amongst them of carnal hearts it is very reasonable that he who speaks in publick Prayer should so speak that whilst he humbleth his phrase to the meanest capacity and understanding that his Prayer may not lose their Amen he also elevates his words above the nauseam and just reproach of the most sqeamishears even of those who far more regard the starching of the Prayer that it be pull'd right in every corner and round about than the matter of which it is composed or the fervency of heart with which it is uttered XI And doubtless who so in this thing keeps a due mediocrity in the publick performance of the duty of Prayer neither by too much curiosity of phrase and attention to that diverting his soul from the more serious and fixed contemplation of God nor by mixing too much of mans d●ing as Luther cals it alluding to that of Ezechiel with spiritual bread makes the duty a loathing to spiritual souls Not yet by too much rudeness and carelesness of phrase shall either give a just suspition to others that his heart attends not what his Tongue speaks or offers a temptation to the more carnal part of his Hearers to loath and contemn the Service hath sufficiently discharged his duty and needs be no further careful of words in Prayer unless which it may be is not impossible he can find out or invent some modes and forms of expressions which upon the evidence of experience shall appear to be more proper means than the use of other words to warm the hearts of those that are to joyn with him and to boyl them up to a greater degree of fervency in spirit whilst they are in that duty serving the Lord. To which purpose handsom cadencies of periods a lofty rouling stile affected Paranomasia's pedantick quiblings of words and phrases fine Knacks to please childish ears with are so far from signifying any thing that they are cusus contrarium's in the business good for nothing

want of Elocution or freedom of speech or such other natural gifts without which none can judge himself called of God to that holy Employment Or 4. From want of exercising himself in the duty of Prayer All which are lamentable things for any professing himself a Minister so much as to be suspected of VII Yet that de facto there have been such called by the name of Ministers amongst us and that there are many such amongst us still cannot be reasonably denied But we dare to assert That all such are either such as for want of Natural Parts are by all Scriptural Rules determined insufficient and not fit for the Ministry or such as according to all Scriptural and Ecclesiastical Rules ought to be removed from the Ministry as neglecting to use the Gift of God bestowed on them or neglecting to study the Scriptures or such as live in open and known courses of Debauchery or finally such as have so used themselves to the lazy Devotion of Book Prayers that they have choaked their abilities or provoked God in righteous Judgment to deprive them of them VIII It yet remains a most demonstrable truth that the work of Prayer is not such as to the use of words in it but that any Minister of any competent abilities as all Ministers ought to be and who is in any reasonable degree acquainted with the holy Scriptures and with any Christian diligence either observeth his own heart or peoples converses and watcheth over his Flock but with half an eye may so perform as neither God shall be offended with his performance nor any sober Auditor scandalized and made to nauseate the Duty And it will upon experience be found impossible for any State or Church to maintain by imposing Forms of Prayer the credit of any Ministry whom the people shall discern so wofully neglective of their duty and defective in so noble a performance in which they are excelled by the meanest of the Vulgar There being no other way when all is tried to maintain the Authority of the Ministry than the employment of such and only such persons in that work who shall evidently appear to People as to the Gifts and Graces of Gods Spirit bestowed upon them to be taller by the Head and Shoulders than those are over whom God hath set them Other Devices may be tried this only in the end will be found efficacious CHAP. III. The Original of Lyturgical Forms of Prayer None for 400 years after Christ None imposed upon any considerable Part of the Church till 800 years after Christ when all manner of Superstitious Usages had defiled the Church I. VVHich being premised it is no wonder at all that neither Christ nor his Purer Church ever imposed upon the Church any Books of Lyturgies Duranti rationale l. 5. c. 2. Durantus indeed tels us That Christ himself who certainly had an infallible Spirit and a proportion of it without measure if that may be called a proportion yet used that excellent Form of Prayer called the Lords Prayer by which he taught his Disciples to pray And that the Apostles used the Creed called but never yet proved their 's But he confesseth that in Primitivâ Ecclesiâ diversi diversa quisque pro suo velle cantabant dummodo quod cantabant ad Dei Gloriam pertinebat In the Primitive Church every one sung or prayed for that he called singing as they pleased so what they all did related to the Glory of God When Christ sent out his Disciples to preach he was so particular in directing them that he takes care to direct them to provide a Purse and a Scrip but none for a Service-Book Nor did the Apostle Paul in his particular directions to Timothy or Titus whether they were Evangelists or Bishops though he ordered them to ordain Ministers and charge them to fulfil their Office by putting up Prayers and Supplications for all men c. so much as mention any Missal or Lyturgy for their directions which it is strange they should have omitted had Lyturgies been so necessary as we are now told they be that Religion without them cannot be preserved nor Heresies without them restrained II. Those holy Servants of God knew that the Spirit of Prayer was powred out in the world and that the gift of Prayer was one of those gifts which their Master when he ascended up on high did give unto men and were tender of delivering ought to the Church which they had not received from the Lord And which Tertullian said afterward were willing that Ministers should pray sine Monitore quia de pectore without a Monitor not a Mummer as some would have it because it was their duty to pray from their hearts they therefore even in the Confession of our Adversaries and the greatest Masters of the Ceremonies left no Lyturgies for the Church of God III. Indeed Claudius de Sainctes and Pamelius two Popish Divines have discovered to the world the Terra incognita of certain Lyturgies fathered upon St. James St. Peter and St. Mark De Missae apparatu l. 7. c. 21. which Josephus Vicecomes takes notice of but doth not think fit to insist upon them Cardinal Bellarmine in his Book de Scriptor Eccles neither mentions that of Peter nor Mark but brands all Books not mentioned by him attributed to St. Peter with the names of spurii supposititii That of St. James indeed he mentioneth Bellarm. De Script Eccl de Jac. Apostol but tels us that it is so basely augmented that none can determine what of it was St. James's But the Learned Mornay hath said enough to prove that these pretended Lyturgies of the Apostles were all Fictions and it will be no hard matter to evince every sober Reader the truth of it Who knows not how hard a thing the Bishops in the Councils of Ephesus and Calcedon found it to find a place or two in the Writings of the Ancients where the Virgin Mary was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where had the difficulty been if these Lyturgies had been in the world and in Proclus his hand too who was present in the Council of Ephesus who they say transmitted that of St. James to the world for in that Lyturgy it is 5 or 6 times over Nor certainly would the Members of the Synod of Constantinople have been at a loss to have proved out of this the calling of the Holy Spirit consubstantial with the Father had they ever seen this new invented Toy Both in this and St. Marks Lyturgy Christ is again and again called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with his Father which certainly would have determined that great Question about that Word in the Nicene and other Councils Both in St. James's and St. Marks Lyturgies we have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 invented by Felix 480. To say nothing of the Notions of Altars Temples burning Frankincense Censers such as lived in Monasteries Confessors the Prayer for the Pope In St. Marks Lyturgy the