Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	apostle_n	holy_a	lord_n	6,631	5	3.5276	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08319	A treatise, maintaining that temporall blessings are to bee sought and asked with submission to the will of God Wherein is confuted the presumptious way of absolute praying for temporals, in the particulars, broached, and defended by Mr. Rice Boye, in a late pamphlet, intituled The importunate beggar. As also a discovery of the late dangerous errours of Mr. Iohn Traske, and most of his strange assertions. Both necessary to be knowne of all for the avoiding of the like errours, and continuing in the truth. By Edw: Norice.	Norris, Edward, 1584-1659.	1636 (1636)	STC 18646; ESTC S103140	33,983	192

are called See Christian Synagogue lib. 2. cap. 5. nor yet is it in our power to imitate his actions but in matters of morall obedience Vide Amesium in 1. Petri. cap. 2. ver 21. as in Patience Humility Meeknesse Love Submission to the will of his Father his example and patterne is proposed and recorded for our imitation and practise and of this nature is the point in question Which I therefore propose not indefinitely as to say that That which our Saviour Christ did in generall without limitation is to be done of us But what hee did in this matter of Praier being a Morall duty and so likewise the Apostles Which to say is a doctrine fit to bee spewed out of the Church as the Temporarie doth in his answer how beastly and blasphemous is it And for the ground of his speech that we are to live by rules and precepts and not by examples that being a Pillar of the Church of Rome it is even as vaine Exemphim Christi est praxis theologiae ibid. For are wee not commanded to follow the examples of Christ in those things as before hath been shewed Which generall commaund comprehends all particulars of that nature that they need not bee mentioned as the Temporarie foolishly requireth neither is this any Pillar especially a chiefe Pillar of the Church of Rome as hee speaketh to imitate our Saviour Christ and the holy Apostles in Morall duties and matters of obedience for then they would have better Pillars to support them than we know they have any It is well spoken for them but simply for himselfe who condemneth all the Churches of Christ as no Churches for not imitating those first patternes of the Apostles and their examples in those times as hee elsewhere alleageth Therefore herein I teach no Will-worship nor Idolatrous action nor any thing tending that way but what is warranted by Scripture and backt with reason Keck de locis commu pag. 281. See Perkins in Math. 6. pag. 328. Exempla enim nihil sunt aliud quàm generalis doctrinae regularum universalium specialia symbola Our Saviour himselfe confuteth the Pharisees and defendeth his Disciples partly by examples Mathew 12.3 St. Paul proveth and confirmeth the greatest Article of our faith by an example Rom. 4.22 23. The holy Scriptures oftentimes recommend unto us the examples of the Patriarcks the Prophets the Martyrs as patternes for our imitation to follow them Heb. 11. c. Therefore how rude is this man to reject the examples of Christ himselfe and the Apostles with such foule language as hee doth But hee hath somewhat to say against the Proofes 1. That Prayer of our Saviour he saith was extracted from him the horriblenesse of the punishment for mans sinne retaining for a time the whole humane mind untill his Divinitie raised him up againe after which hee spake after another manner as Matthew witnesseth alledging the testimony of a namelesse authour that it was Nequaquam justa precatio Christ knowing full well that hee must die c. Whereunto I answer that is certaine that our Lord did never any finfull action neither was hee subject with Moses to speake unadvisedly with his lips through distemper Psal 106.33 Nor was his Humanitie ever tainted or overcome with any sinfull perturbations Vide Melancthon De Passione Christs per Pezelium pag. 282. or impotent Passions as either to desire or to utter things unlawfull or evill that none might imitate therefore howsoever his agonie was very great Christi trepidationes non fuerunt similes nostris ibidem and the Humanity did that which was proper unto it seeke the diverting of an evill if it might be yet withall at the same instant hee doth advisedly and holily submit himselfe to his Fathers will therein without any reluctancie at all being one entire action How suspitiously and dangerously then doth the Temporarie handle this Praier as if it were some unadvised speech and fall of the Humanitie out of which the Divinitie recovered him againe For the defence wherof he would make one Evangelist to contradict another and citeth a namelesse Author saying that it was Nequaquam justa precatio a speech that had need be warily understood and all this to explode this example Or rather to be abhorred from imitiation and so to establish his errour But for the clearing of all this I thinke it fit to produce the judgement of a godly learned Author on the place speaking thus It is the collection of most Writers Attamen ut liberetur petit unde colligimus c. Yet hee desireth to bee freed Whence wee gather that it is lawfull for us to deprecate those evils that are approaching For if it be naturall to grieve for them then are not they to be condemned that desire to be freed from them But herein the moderation or correction that Christ doth use is diligently to bee marked when hee addeth Yet not my will but thine be done In which saying hee asketh that which hee teacheth us to aske Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven This therefore may be a rule to us of all our Praiers concerning things of this life wherein it is not certaine to us what the Lord would have to be done And such are too bold and confident as will undertake to prescribe unto him on whose sole pleasure we depend and all ours This being the reason why the Praiers of manie are not heard because they are bold not so properly to pray as with a kind of authority to command and to prescribe unto God what they will have to bee done for them Gaulther in Luke 22.42 Which one testimonie might be sufficient to end the Controversie were the Adversarie reasonable but hee hath more to say 2. That of Rom. 1.10 doth shew the desire St. Paul had to come to them but hee had no promise of God that hee should come to them and therefore it 's no marvell that hee puts in an If as any one must doe when hee asketh what God hath not promised c. To which I answer 1. That herein I cannot but marvell at the daring spirit of this man that in the former Proofe doth little better than taxe the LORD JESVS himselfe of some fall and fault in his conditionall Praier And here hee accuseth the holy Apostle for praying and that very often for such a thing as for which hee had no promise that hee should be heard Without ceasing alwaies ver 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is no marvell saith hee though hee doubteth seeing hee had no promise c. For whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin and where there is no promise at all there can be no faith Therefore those frequent praiers of St. Paul were offred up without faith and were sinfull Praiers by his opinion who elswhere affirmeth Page 15. that faith and doubting are so contrary that côdem instanti they cannot stand together

which hee would have to bee the judgement of the world onely recited by Salomon but not approved of that the world doth so thinke and speake that all things come alike and there is one event but it is not so indeed this being an evill under the Sunne which Salomon saw that men thinke and speake so making that a paralell unto it in Malac. 3.13 Your words have beene stout against mee in that yee say it is in vaine to serve God c. Wherein 1. he walks alone having no Expositor to concurre with him or assist him in that sense that hee knew as hee confessed in a private Letter 2. Hee runnes directly against Salomons intendment See Eccles 2.14 15. and overturnes the coherence with the former words and the drift of the place which is to shew that the persons and workes of good and bad are so under the power and providence of God and ordered by him that no man was certaine to better his outward estate by his obedience righteousnesse but that the same event in outward things might befall him that befell the wicked and ungodly which is an evill under the Sunne that is one of those grievances that in this world denyed any perfect happinesse to the just themselves in as much as all their obedience could not secure them from the common evill events of the ungodly but that all things came alike to all and no certaine difference did outwardly appeare betweene them in life or in death Which is confirmed by that pertinent place to this purpose chapter 8.14 There be just men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked and there be wicked men to whom it happeneth according the worke of the righteous A wicked man may be visited with Famine Pestilence or the Sword so may the righteous an ungodly person may be crossed and afflicted in his person off-spring estate and name so may the most godly and faithfull See Weemes Christian Synagogue lib. 2. cap. 5. fully of this point The holy Scriptures are full of examples as in Iob David Hezekiah and many others for as died Saul and Ahab so died Ionathan and good Iosiah As for that place then in Malachie it containes nothing but the evill consequence and use that some men made of the prospering of the wicked and the afflictions of the just As if therefore it were in vaine to serve God and there were no profit at all in it either here or hereafter which very Temptation assaulted the heart of David Or of Asaph as some thinke as hee confesseth Psal 73.13 Verely I have cleansed my heart in vaine c. But hee was satisfied and resolved to the contrary out of the word of God All which doe plainly prove the point in hand that outward blessings or benefits are not necessarily and infallibly annexed to faith and to the faithfull for the fruition of them and so the contrary to unbelievers as the Temporarie would have it to difference the one from the other And concerning that other testimony taken from Math. 5.45 Hee labours to avoid it by shewing that the outward benefits the faithfull enjoy they have by promise through Christ but the others not so whereas that is no part of the Question how or by what claime either of them have these things but that they have them neither of the internall difference that faith and grace makes between one and another which no man doubteth of but the externall difference in outward things whether that be certaine as thereby to difference the good from the bad which is the point controverted and this not onely the former instances disprove but this testimonie confirmed by common and daily experience in that the evill and the good the just and the unjust are equally partakers of the benefit of Sun and Raine Muscul in locum Quare Deus non discrimines inter bones males with other generall effects of Gods gracious providence and goodnesse as our Saviour there reasoneth which I say therefore doe belong to all that is that by a generall dispensation all are partakers of them And thus I conclude not to trace him further in his wandrings that the promises of outward things are not so absolutely made unto the faithfull as that by the fruition of them they are certainly differenced from others and that the Lord must bee unjust if hee deny these things unto his servants upon their Praiers or they wanting in faith or some necessary grace in themselves which is the maine opinion of the Temporarie So to proceed The fourth Argument Argu ∣ ment 4 That which the Lord Jesus and his Apostles did pray for or against conditionally is so to be done of us for wee are bid to follow their Examples and to try our Spirits and Practises by theirs and not theirs by ours But our Lord and his Apostles did so Ergo This is proved by two places First Luke 22.42 Father if thou be willing let this Cup passe from mee yet not my will but thine be done Here is the deprecation of an outward evill not absolutely but with submission to the will of God Secondly Rom. 1.10 Making request if by any meanes I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you Here is an outward benefit yea somewhat more a service to the Church desired with submission to Gods will And St. Iames layes downe a rule for all to follow in such cases Yee ought to say If God will Iam. 4.15 What is it then to teach that wee ought not to say If the Lord will but directly to crosse the word of God Explication The Argument is grounded upon the examples of our Saviour Christ and the Apostles in a morall dutie that concernes all Christians in all times to practise that is prayer unto God and submission therin to his will In which cases wee have Commandements given us in the Word to follow their steps and to doe as wee have them for examples For I have given you an example that yee should doe as I have done to you John 13.15 Leaving us an example that we should follow his stepps 1. Pet. 2.21 Bee yee Followers of mee as I also am of Christ 1. Corin. 11.1 To make our selves an ensample to you to follow us 2. Thess 3.9 Those things which yee have both learned and received and heard and seene in mee doe Phil. 4.9 Wherein Examples in morall duties are proposed for imitation especially those perfect patternes of him who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth 1. Pet. 2.22 The generall Orthodoxe Doctrine of the Church of God This being the Divinitie that I have learned That in matters peculiar to his Office of Mediatorship as to bee a sacrifice for sinne to make atonement to present our prayers unto God or peculiar and proper to his divine nature and power as to walke upon the water to raise from the dead c. Wee neither

have not answered his Arguments or mis-transcribed his Writings because I have not rehearsed every impertinent speech or idle passage in thē which I held needlesse but onely the substance of his Doctrine drift as hee defendeth it in his Booke vvherein I have not wronged him that I know a syllable And thus Reader commending all to the blessing of God and thy selfe to his grace praying that we may all be guided by a right Spirit I remaine Thine in and for the Lord and his Truth Envv. Norice A TREATISE MAINTAINING that Temporall Blessings are to bee sought and asked with submission to the will of God as it is in the fourth Petition Give us this day our daily bread Math. 6.11 OVr Lord JESUS CHRIST the great Shepherd of the Flocke hath left nothing unsaid or undone that may serve for the instruction or comfort of his people and therefore knowing how necessary Prayer is for the procuring of the same being his owne Ordinance hath left them direction for that also how it ought to be framed with what Petitions and to what ends and that not onely by divers speeches and passages occasionally uttered to that purpose but by a forme and frame of prayer purposely made to give them direction therein commonly called The Lords Prayer containing the summe of all lawfull petitions and the order of them Now these wordes are a part of the same and containe the fourth Petition or principall request as they are reckoned in order concerning outward things or the matters of this life very necessary to be known for our better direction in the seeking of such matters at the hands of God The matter then desired according to the letter is Bread and that for the day whereby is meant all the absolute necessaries of this life as bread or somewhat answerable unto it is absolutely necessary in respect of the meanes for the preservation of the life of man whence the Scripture so often mentions the same as the chiefe Gen. 28.20 Gen. 49.20 2 Kings 25.29 Eccl. 9.11 c. for that errour of supersubstantial conceited by some out of the originall to apply it to the Sacrament c. I meddle not with it being sufficiently confuted * See Mr. Scudder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 11.2 by others By Daily is meant that which is requisite for the day or for the time present without further sollicitude so that in summe maintenance for life is here desired wherein we consider for our present purpose three things 1. Who may hopefully and warrantably aske outward things at the hands of God and that is such as have first sought heavenly things of God as their Father from the Coherence 2. On what termes and by what claime they may aske outward things and that is onely as a gift Give us 3. In what quantity and measure those things are to bee sought that is such as are necessary for the present time This day c. bread Part. 1 From the first branch drawn from the coherence with the former petitions we observe that Doctr. 1 Such as have first truely sought spirituall blessings may comfortably aske the supply of their outward wants When Ezra and the Israelites had set their faces towards Sion and bent themselves to erect the worships of God at Jerusalem they celebrate a Fast to seeke a right way for themselves their little ones and all their substance Ezra 8.21 Nehemiah and all the true Israelites having humbled themselves for their sinnes before the Lord at Jerusalem and sought for grace then they put up their request for the fruits of the land and temporall things which the enemies possessed Nehemiah 9.36 37. The Prophet David a man of much faith and grace and a great worshipper of God doth often sollicite the Lord for outward deliverances mercies and in his owne behalfe and the Churches puts up this petition That their Garners may bee full from kinde to kinde that their Sheep may bring forth thousands their Oxen strong to labour c. Psalm 144.13 14. The like did Iacob and Agur for their parts in their times being both beleevers and worshippers of God Gene. 28.20 Prov. 30.8 And all these prayed in faith which hath reason for it Reason 1 1. Because so runne the Promises Seeke first the kingdome of God and all these things shall bee added Math. 6.33 The Eye of the Lord is on them that feare him upon them that hope in his mercie to deliver their soule from death and to keepe them alive in famine Psalm 33.18 19. Such may expect it Reason 2 2. Because the hearts of such onely are sincere in asking these things that they may use them to right ends the others intending them for their lusts which are therefore denied Iam. 4.3 Reproofe of two sorts Vse 1 1. Such as wholly and alone seeke for earthly and outward matters the things of this life that they may have supply according to their desires and care for no more nor look any higher These as commonly they pray not at all for them so yet if they doe they have no promise of obtaining because their hearts are not upright in the desires of them there being no good end proposed but the satisfying of their lusts neither doth the Lord owne them as his people but they are people of the world whose portion is in this life Psalm 17.14 such as whose God is their belly that minde earthly things Phil. 3.19 though these therfore may have possesse outward matters as oftentimes they do yet not as the fruits of Gods speciall providence nor testimonies of his favour and grace but as effects of his generall providence wherby he feeds and preferves all creatures both man and beast Psal 36.6 2. Such as aske in prayer and seeke in the meanes some spirituall blessings as knowledge and faith and grace so farre as may concerne their owne particular good to assure them of heaven and keepe them from hell and so to secure them from evill but not out of any true love to the things themselves their Hearts being upon the world much lesse the glorie of God the advancing of his kingdome the doing of his will which are the Precedents to this fourth Petition These are but selfe-lovers and not true lovers of God for his owne sake and therefore have no promise of any good temporall or spirituall Zech. 7.5 Vse 2 Comfort to all such as in the truth of their hearts seeke desire and pray for the remission of sinnes the favour of God the renewing of their hearts the honour of Gods name the advancing of his kingdome c. in the first place with the chiefe affection as their onely choise whatsoever else be denied them These have the evidence of adoption they may come unto God as their Father and expect at his hands any spirituall or temporall good bread food apparell life good successe in their lawfull endeavours c. as things promised to

him in his troubles Acts 20.4 he should not offer up a prayer for him in his sickenes being present with him shall still be uncredible to me and the contrary no secret nor uncertain collection Now if he did pray for him and yet he was not recovered by it as the Text sheweth then it followes that the faith of myracles and gift of healing and so all prayer for temporall blessings on our selves and others are confined unto the will and pleasure of God The a. Epistle to Tim. seemes to be written long after S. Paul was at Miletum Ergo Trophimus remained sick long in respect of the particulars although the promises runne absolute and generall and therefore have implyed conditions in them which is the point in Question Whence it will also follow that prayers offered up for all such things are to be made with the Conditionall If it stand with the will and pleasure of GOD expressed or implyed and intended And thus have I fortified my Five Arguments which the Temporary so scornefully opposeth not tracting nor following therein his rambling discourses and wandring impertinences which were endlesse much lesse his ridiculous descants In his Answer to the Second part and idle inconsequences as not becomming the gravitie of the matter and point in hand but onely discovering and urging what I conceive for substance to bee pertinent to the point and agreeable to the Truth There were also a Question or two added and resolved necessary for the removing of such scruples and doubts as may arise in the mindes of any concerning this matter which I thinke fit to set downe and explaine Quest If any aske how then shall we pray in Faith for any outward things if it be uncertaine whether wee shall have them Answ I answer wee beleeve that we shall have whatsoever is good for us which the Lord best knoweth either the outward benefit or grace to supply it as 2 Corinth 12.9 Explication That which is said to bee good for us I understand two wayes Positively or Privatively 1. Positively when wee have the very benefits themselves in particular that wee desire as Abraham had a sonne of his owne to be his heire Sampson had water at his request Iudges 15.19 c. 2. Privately when the thing wee desire is denied us but a better is bestowed upon us either corporall or spirituall as Abraham was denyed Eliezer or Damascus which hee intended Gen. 17.18 19. and Ishmael though hee prayed for it but had an Isaack to bee his heire Gal. 4.28 the heire of promise Deut. 3.24 c. Moses was denied an entrance into the earthly Canaan but was received into a heavenly Saint Paul was denyed upon his earnest and often request 2 Cor. 12.9 the remooving of a temptation but had a better thing given grace sufficient for him and a blessed use of the affliction Which things were all good for them and farre better than the things denied which they requested and prayed for And this by the Lords disposing who knoweth best what is good for his servants and for the glory of his owne name denying therefore many things in mercie which he might grant in judgement Now this then is certaine that whatsoever is good for the people of God they shall obtaine by prayer according to his gracious promises made to them upon which they are to ground their confidence in prayer Ps 34.10 17 psa 84.11 without any wavering or doubting at all which is sufficient though they bee held in suspense concerning the particulars and resigne themselves therein to the will of God Quod utilo est agr●t● magis novit madieus quā agr●tus Aug. therefore is such a submission no prejudice to faith in prayer at all neither are their prayers in vaine though they bee not their owne choosers Object Wee may pray absolutely for things necessary as wee may to doe the will of God and that his name might bee glorified by us seeing such things conduce thereunto Sol. The will of God is done and his name glorified as well by our passive as by our active obedience in suffering quietly his pleasure and will and hath the like reward Ioh. 21.19 Iam. 1.12 Explication I hold and beleeve that such things as necessarily and directly tend to the glory of God and the salvation of mens soules they may absolutely pray for as being the summe of all our desires and that therfore we may absolutely pray for grace Iere. 31.18 Luke 11.11 Luke 17.5 Math. 6.10 for faith for repentance for the feare of God for his holy Spirit which necessarily conduce thereunto But for externall things with their personall relations wee cannot in that manner importune the Lord for them because wee know not what way God will be glorified by us whether by the injoying or the not inioying of them nor by what course hee will save our soules whether by giving us these things or by denying of them which is the more usuall nor yet yeeld us helpe and comfort by remooving our temptations and sorrows or by giving us grace and strength sufficient to beare them and rightly to use them For the confirmation of which truth heare Master Calvin answering an Objection Calvin in 2. Cor. 12 9. Whether Saint Paul seeing he was denied his request prayed in faith or not for the removing of the temptation upon him I answere saith hee as there is a divers way of asking so there are two kinds of obtaining Wee aske those things simply of which wee have a certaine promise such are th' establishing of the kingdome of God the hallowing of his name remission of sinnes and whatsoever tends to our salvation but when we thinke the kingdome of God may or ought to be furthered by this or that way or meanes this or that thing to be necesary for the hallowing of hisname we are often deceived Likewise do we manytimes faile in things that concern our salvatiō Therfore those former things we aske safely and without exception yet is it not our part to appoint the manner or meanes which if we do expresse alwayes a secret condition is included Therefore was Paul heard in the end of of his prayer though he had repulse in the forme of it c. Thus Mr Calvin And what else is the contrary but the setting up of mans wisdom above the wisdome of God and our wills above his will to make our owne choyse as we thinke good and to have all our owne way confining as it were the Lord himselfe by our peremptory praiers Therefore seeing the maine end of our prayers may be attained as well by suffering as by doing and by wanting outward things aswel as by enjoying them wee are not absolutely without any exception at least implied to offer up our prayers for those things nor so to understand the promises To these Questions and Answeres hath not the Temporary given a word of resolution although they containe the very substance