Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	call_v	faith_n	word_n	6,953	5	4.4090	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90361	The English Episcopacy and liturgy asserted by the great refomers abroad, and the most glorious and royal martyr the late King his opinion and suffrage for them. Published by a private gentleman for the publique good.	Peirce, Edmund, Sir, d. 1667.	1660 (1660)	Wing P1062; Thomason E1032_10; ESTC R208951	27,962	48

who though under a quite contrary pretence and zealous shew of detesting Popery and Superstition yet acted the part of the stoutest and most dangerous Champions to introduce it as that Age could any way have afforded Certainly that Liturgy and form of Divine worship must needs be very neer the Golden Mean and no lesse blessed and happy in its composure whose fate it hath alwayes been to be crucified between two grand contrary opposing partyes and stigmatized with their several Characters the one branding it for Novelty and Heresy the other for Superstition and Popery And this no doubt but was fore-seen by the Reformers whose great wisdome and piety in their labours therein can never be enough Admired and Celebrated they stoutly and piously flinging off all both in that and the doctrine of the Church which had any tincture or savour of Superstition or Popery in it and with as little outward alteration which was their singular wildome and discretion as such an affair could possibly admit keeping and Retaining all recommended and practised by pure Antiquity And which doubtlesse is as free and cleer from any true charg of Popery as any period expressed in the writings of such who have laid that heavy charg upon it they knowing well that Liturgy Moderation Charity and as neer a compliance as possibly might be admitted without Sin was a far better and more probable way to convert Papists and confirm Protestants than Sequestration Directory and Ordination by Presbyters only Nor did they forget that there were many thousands of Parishes in this Realm and Nation where there is no such promise of Divine inspiration to be relyed on But that in all probability many of the Minsters will not be alwayes able publiquely to speak as in the presence of Angels which the woeful experience of the late times hath abundantly verifyed to us To say nothing of the flat and empty Nonsence and hydeous Blasphemies the expression whereof had they been duly collected in all places would surely fill a volume and are far more fit to be buryed in utter Oblivion than that it should arrive at the ears of Posterity to accuse the Rashnesse and Folly of such persons who would needs thrust out the unwearyed Labours Piety and Wisdom of so many Glorious Martyrs and instead thereof bring in only the extemporary volatile expressions of particular Persons how able soever into the publique Worship and Service of Almighty God refusing the standing Treasures of the Church for help and assistance and making use of such Coyn as is so far from having any stamp upon it as that it is perpetually to be new run and mynted Not remembring or duly considering at least that there were in the Apostles times divers gifts and every Minister had no promise to succeed in all But one in one and another in another gift yet all by the same spirit c. It is believed that Doctor Preston is not without a pretious Memory amongst the chief of such who have opposed Liturgy his observation therefore may not unduly be here hynted which was this That whilst those who in opposition to set forms require the Minister to conceive a Prayer for the Congregation They consider not that the whole Congregation is as much stynted and bound to a set form viz. of those words which the Minister conceives and pronounces as if he read them out of a Book Nor will the prescription of the matter at all help out in this case of unpremeditated and extemporary prayer as some perhaps may think for if that be flown too for refuge and cure of obliquities That remedy proves every whit as bad as the Disease the Spirit being in that case stynted likewise the only thing in pretence to be avoyded The matter prescribed every way as much hindring and obstructing that which they call the Freedome of the Spirit in Prayer as if the very words themselves were confined and prescribed also And whereas this sacred form of Prayer and service of Almighty God and some other rites and usages of the Church have been so much and often accused to savour of Popery and to keep those of the Romish faith in hopes and encouragement of our return to them The quite contrary Argument may certainly with far more reason be thence assumed and taken up It being our complyance with the Antient Church of the purest times and not with them which we practised And our retaining and keeping those antient forms and Rites being a more probable way of gaining them to us than any hopes they could thence have of our coming in to them Nor could such complyance of ours with them so far as any way we lawfully might signifie ought else to any rational Papist But that we meant thereby which questionless is the truth to leave them without all excuse if they did not answer us in the like compliance with us in what they might And so restore the so much desired Peace and Union of Christendom And of this certainly the Jesuits and others amongst them were in such dread and fear that it might be effectually operative upon the moderate sort of Papists here amongst us that none were more mortally hated by them than such as were chief upholders favourers and supporters of that Antient Government Order Rites and Service and the strict rules and prescriptions thereof which they so much feared and were offended at for the cause and reason aforesaid And therefore if Romes Master-Peice a book appointed by the long Parliament to be set out say true The late Glorious King and the then Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Dr. Laud whose wayes and course in this particular they saw so crosse and opposite to their designes and putting them into such frights of losing all their game prey and Mart here were in particular destined by them to the slaughter as persons questionless whom they not only utterly despaired ever to gain to them but were very likely to endanger the ruine of the whole Roman Cause Others there were too They knew who seemed in Noyse indeed far their greater Enemies yet we never had the least murmure of any such design against any of them though it cannot but be believed such were truly and really their Enemies likewise They knew too well what use to make of their Zeal and discontent And doubtlesse excellent good use might have been made against the Romish designs of such-their Zeal and fervour if they would have permitted it to come under a due and prudent management by those who had just and lawful authority over them I promised brevity and therefore but one word more is to be Craved and although by me but Craved yet it is such as may justly clayman Audience and Regard from and a convincing likewise to the most wilful and obdurate whatsoever in these particulars of Episcopacy and Liturgy It is a word from a King Their own King their own dying King nay Their Martyred King Martyred chiefly upon this very score and accompt

and exceptions of those who thought it a part of piety to make what prophane objections they could against it especialy for Popery and Superstition Whereas no doubt the Liturgy was exactly conformed to the Doctrine of the Church of England And this by all Reformed Churches is confessed to be most sound and Orthodox For the manner of using Set and prescribed Forms there is no doubt but that wholsom words being known and fitted t● mens understandings are soonest received into their hearts and aptest to excite and carry along with them judicious and fervent affections Nor do I see any reason why Christians should be weary of a well composed Liturgy as I hold this to be more than of all other things wherein the Co●stancy abates nothing of the excellency and usefulnesse I could never see any reason why any Christian should abhor or be forbidden to use the same forms of Prayer since he prays to the same God believes in the same Saviour professeth the same Truths reads the same Scriptures hath the same Duties upon him and feels the same dayly Wants for the most part both inward and outward which are common to the whole Church Sure we may as well before-hand know what we pray as to whom we pray and in what words as to what sense when we desire the same things what hinders we may not use the same words our appetite and disgestion too may be good when we use as we pray for Our daily bread Some men I hear are so impatient not to use in all their devotions their own invention and gifts that they not only disuse as too many but wholly cast away and contemn the Lords Prayer whose great guilt is that it is the warrant and original pattern of all set Liturgies in the Christian Church I ever thought that the proud ostentation of mens abilities for invention and the vain affectations of variety for expressions or in publick Prayer or in any sacred administrations merits a greater brand of sin than that which they call Coldnesse and Barrennesse nor are men in those novelties lesse subject to formal and superficial tempers as to their hearts than in the use of constant Forms where not the words but mens hearts are too blame I make no doubt but a man may be very formal in the most extemporary variety and very fervently devout in the most wonted expressions nor is God more a God of Variety than of Constancy nor are constant Forms of Prayers more likely to flat and hinder the Spirit of Prayer and Devotion than unpremeditated and confused variety to distract and lose it Though I am not against a grave modest discreet and humble use of Ministers gifts even in publique the better to fit and excite their own and the peoples affections to the present occasions yet I know no necessity why private and single abilities should quite justle out and deprive the Church of the joynt abilities and concurrent gifts of many learned and godly men such as the Composers of the Service-Book were who may in all reason be thought to have more of gifts and graces enabling them to compose with serious deliberation and concurrent advise such Forms of Prayers as may best fit the Churches common wants inform the Hearers understanding and stir up that fiduciary and fervent application of their spirits wherein consists the very life and soul of Prayer and that so much pretended Spirit of Prayer that any private man by his solitary abilities can be presumed to have which what they are many times even there where they make a great noise and shew the affectations emptinesse impertinency rudenesse confusions flatnesse levity obscurity vain and ridiculous repetitions the senslesse and oft times blasphemous expressions all these burthened with a most tedious and intolerable length do sufficiently convince all men but those who glory in that Pharisaick way Wherein men must be strangely impudent and flatterers of themselves not to have an infinite shame of what they so do and say in things of so sacred a nature before God and the Church after so ridiculous and indeed profane a manner Nor can it be expected but that in duties of frequent performance as Sacramental administrations and the like which are still the same Ministers must either come to use their own Forms constantly which are not like to be so sound or comprehensive of the nature of the duty as Forms of publick composure or else they must every time affect new expressions when the subject is the same which can hardly be presumed in any mans greatest sufficiencies not to want many times much of that compleatnesse order and gravity becomming those duties which by this means are exposed at every celebration to every Ministers private infirmities indispositions errours disorders and defects both for judgment and expression A serious sense of which Inconvenience in the Church unavoidably following every mans several manner of officiating no doubt first occasioned the wisdom and piety of the Antient Churches to remedy those mischiefs by the use of constant Liturgies of Publick composure The want of which I believe this Church will sufficiently feel when the unhappy fruits of many mens ungoverned ignorance and confident defects shall be discovered in more errours schisms disorders and uncharitable distractions in Religion which are already but too many the more is the pity However if violence must needs bring in and abett those innovations that men may not seem to have nothing to do which Law Reason and Religion forbids at least to be so obtruded as wholly to justle out the publick Liturgie Yet nothing can excuse that most unjust and partial severity of those men who either lately had subscribed to used and maintained the service book or refused to use it cried out of the rigour of Laws and Bishops which suffered them not to use the Liberty of their Consciences in not using it That these men I say should so suddenly change the Liturgy into a Directory as if the Spirit needed help for invention though not for expressions or as if matter prescribed did not as much stint and obstruct the Spirit as if it were cloathed in and confined to fit words So slight and easy is that Legerdemain which will serve to delude the Vulgar That further they should use such severity as not to suffer without penalty any to use the Common-Prayer-Book publiquely although their Consciences bind them to it as a duty of Piety to God and Obedience to the Laws Thus I see no men are prone to be greater Tyrants and more rigorous exacters upon others to conform to their illegal Novelties than such whose pride was formally least disposed to the obedience of lawful Constitutions and whose licentious humors most pretended Conscientious liberties which freedom with much regret they now allow to Me and My Chaplains when they may have leave to serve Me whose abilities even in their extemporary way comes not short of the others but their modesty and learning far