Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	body_n	soul_n	whole_a	13,673	5	5.8632	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40399	A resolution of two cases of conscience in two discourses : the first, Of the lawfulness of compliance with all the ceremonies of the Church of England : the second, Of the necessity of the use of common-prayer in publick.	Francklin, John, d. 1689.	1683 (1683)	Wing F2082; ESTC R22618	22,030	42

he will be at a loss For 't is to be supposed that we are acquainted with our own wants before-hand and the sense of our misery and wretchedness in our selves is usually the first motive and inducement to prayer And therefore the assistence of the Spirit and operation on the understanding and invention is not to furnish us with new matter and words at prayers but in keeping alive a serious and constant apprehension of our condition which should remain with us not onely in times of our devotion but also be a continual guide throughout the course of our life He is to be accounted rather an infidel heathen or unbeliever than a true Christian a man altogether unacquainted with his spiritual estate and condition that knows no Attributes of God to be celebrated no sins he is guilty of no judgments he is afraid of no graces in which he is deficient no mercies he stands in need of but all of these are the matter of Prayer and all of these every one that knows any thing of Christianity must be in some measure acquainted with before he performs the duty of Prayer The knowledge of them being not onely requisite to that duty but necessary to constitute and denominate him a Christian And though some may think they have new discoveries in time of Prayer which I shall not now dispute of what nature they are yet the general ground and foundation of their Prayer is no new-invented matter but such which before-hand they must be acquainted with and so invention of new matter is not requisite to the spiritual performance of the duty And as for new words to think the change of these so needfull would be to place the excellency of this divine duty in a tone and to turn this spiritual into formal and lip-service besides if the Spirit should dictate every new word to us all these Prayers might pass for canonical and be accounted the word of God indeed And yet most people through their ignorance have placed the spiritual performance of this duty in invention of new matter and words which is quite otherwise and consists in the sanctification of the whole man as to body soul and spirit in the sanctification of the understanding memory will and affections by the Spirit of God And yet farther that we may pray with the Spirit using a form of words may appear from that Prayer which Christ taught his Disciples Luke 11. 2. When ye pray say thus which was spoken in answer to the desire of one of Christ's Disciples to teach them to pray Secondly That in singing of Psalms we sing with the Spirit and yet almost all the Psalms are Petitions or Thanksgivings to God that is also Prayers which comprehend both Petitions and Thanksgivings And the Apostle joineth both together praying with the Spirit and singing with the Spirit No Sect yet however have been so distracted as to venture on singing extempore And it is the practice of those who condemn Forms of Prayer to use notwithstanding Psalms which although they owe their matter to divine inspiration yet their composition afterwards to the art of man And very good reason for if they undertook to sing extempore every body would presently perceive that they were out of tune or rather never in it and that their songs were as void of rhime as reason And therefore if verses and metre though composed forms by humane invention are fit for and consistent with the spiritual elevation of our hearts to God by way of thanksgiving why is not prose in elevation of our hearts by way of petition not to say that some Psalms are perfect petitions as the 51 Psalm Thirdly I would willingly be resolved by those who are altogether for extempore-praying Ministers because those Ministers pray by the Spirit whether they themselves when they hear them pray with the Spirit or no. And I suppose that they have a better esteem of themselves than to think otherwise or to deny that they pray with the Spirit Praying by or with the Spirit as it respects the spiritual performance of the duty is actually incumbent on the people as well as the Minister But yet they themselves have no extemporary expressions nor will be allowed to have extemporary enlargements of heart Their Spirits are bound up by the Spirit of their Minister who if they should not diligently heed his words and give their full assent and consent and go along with him in every sentence would doubtless accuse them of negligence profaneness or hypocrisie because they do not mind the ordinances of the Lord that is that Prayer which he dictates to them and tieth up their spirits and thoughts that they keep close to it without wandring Should any of his Congregation pretend that God had put holy thoughts into his heart that he could not attend to all that he said this pretence would be so far from being made a note of the Spirit that it would be thought some diabolical suggestion which withdrew his heart from giving attention to his Prayer So this people by the same breath they cry up their Minister condemn themselves For if it be legal and carnal to be tied to a form of sound works which others have composed for us without enlargements of our own if it be carnal not to make use of our own parts and inventions in offering up our petitions if it be carnal to have our Spirits bound up limited and confined by words which others have dictated to us then are all the Congregation carnal no spiritual person not onely in respect of office but also of real qualifications beside the Minister who is their mouth and spokesman for dare any of his hearers pretend to other revelations are not their spirits confined to his spirit words and sentences for enlargement of matter is denied onely that of affections in admiration of his matter allowed Deviations from it or digressions would be a note of profaneness and irreligion the sowing of tares among the wheat But if their Ministers were not partial they should by their own Principle allow every member of their Congregation that liberty at the same time which they challenge to themselves leave every man to his particular enlargement and not confine them to his own Prayer lest the Spirit be stinted in his Brethren who may have at the same time several motions raptures and illuminations much like the Corinthian Church 1 Cor. 14. 26. How is it brethren when ye come together every man hath a psalm hath a tongue hath a doctrine hath a revelation hath an interpretation But seeing we must join in Prayer or else the Congregation be left distracted it followeth even hence that praying with the Spirit consists not in new invention of matter and words I now come to consider the second qualification of Publick Prayer by which all our spiritual gifts in their use and exercise ought to be directed and regulated that is The good and edification of the hearers This