Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	gift_n	grace_n	6,936	5	5.6824	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41330	The questions between the conformist and nonconformist, truly stated, and briefly discussed Dr. Falkner, The friendly debate &c., examined and answered : together with a discourse about separation, and some animadversions upon Dr. Stillingfleet's book entituled, The unreasonableness of separation : observations upon Dr. Templers sermon preached at a visitation in Cambridge : a brief vindication of Mr. Stephen Marshal.	Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.	1681 (1681)	Wing F962; ESTC R16085	105,802	120

part The Spirit in prayer helpeth our Infirmities not only in the manner of our prayer but even in the matter of our prayer the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so are the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Quid oremus this infirmity the Spirit helps but now you will spare the Spirit that trouble for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things and words are all set down to a syllable Obj. The Fr. Deb. falsly so called for neither Author nor Book answer the title part 1. p. 88. tells us The Spirit of God doth not now suggest to any of us when we pray the very matter and words which we utter Ans 1. That the Spirit suggesteth All the words and matter I easily deny but that the Spirit doth help his people in the very matter of their prayers the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I must own it or give the lye to the Text. 2. Let me appeal to the experience of praying Christians Ministers and others when we have been called forth in our Ministerial work or at other times to pray that was the work lay before us when our hearts have been oppressed with some temptation our spirits quite down dead and flat the thoughts of our duty a terrour to us because we found no ability to it we could not tell what-to say unto the Lord we wanted words we wanted hearts we wanted every thing but to our work we must go we could not avoid it Well when we have been entred into our work have we not found a supply afforded our tongues untyed our hearts enlarged words and matter have come flowing in such sentences words and matter as were never in our minds before yet very apt and pertinent melting and warming that the best prayers ever we made have been at such times when we have gone most pressed with the sense of our own inability though it be not always so the Spirit is a free agent yet at these times whence could it come but from this good Spirit Shall he lose his glory 3. I thought that praying men use before-hand to pray for that good Spirit for a presence of Grace as to the spiritual manner of our work and a presence of assistance as to the matter of our work being conscious to our selves of the truth of the sayings of that great Apostle 2 Cor. 3.5 and 2.16 how the Spirit inspired the Prophets we enquire not but that he helpeth our Infirmities in our Duties shew me the sace of that Minister that feareth the Lord who will deny it and doth not feel the want of him Having these Scripture-grounds I go on to Arguments deduced also from Scripture 4. That practise which nourisheth Ministers in their laziness and sluggishness is certainly an unlawful practise But this practise of Composing and Imposing these Forms c. according to the question do so Ergo Ministers duty is to stir up the gifts of God which are in them 2 Tim. 1.6 but that duty now as to the gift of prayer is layed by The Fr. Debat tells us Part 1. pag. 124. That some of the Nonconformists are for Liturgy but they think it not convenient for men of their parts and gifts Truly Sir when our hearts are in any trim becoming the duty of prayer we find it a very great hindrance to be tyed up to the Forms of other men we cannot open our hearts nor spread before the Lord our desires in other mens conceptions we cannot work with their tools But when laziness despondency and unbelief prevail it is as convenient as may be for men of our sinful tempers I could tell you something of the experience of my own carnal heart as to this point but I find you are a person that jeer at the experiences of Christians and therefore let it alone 5. We are to pray for spiritual gifts 1 Cor. 14.1 I hope not only for extraordinary gifts Every good and perfect gift Jam. 1.17 tells us whence it comes Then for a gift of Preaching and a gift of Prayer But why should we pray for it if when the Lord hath given it we must not use it but be tyed up to other mens Forms 6. If you may impose Forms of Prayer then you may impose Forms of Preaching so leave us nothing but Forms of Prayer and Homilies to read as indeed they came in both together We have Forms of Preaching in the Scripture as you have of Prayer by what authority you take away one you may take away the other Your Humane reasons that I have met with as yet will as strongly argue for Forms of Preaching as of Prayer When this argument was urged in the Commencement-house the Respondent yielded it But Dr. Fern being then Moderator thought this was too gross and so denied the consequence Because in Prayer we spake to God but in preaching to men But the Doctors answer was invalid for in prayer we represent and are the mouth of a people of Infirmities we are but persons of Infirmities Here Infirmities are but like us the Lord expects no other from us Rom. 8.26 The Spirit helps our infirmities in prayer But in Preaching we speak from God we come in his Authority and require Faith and Obedience to what we preach therefore here we had need have a care what we speak for now we come with Thus saith the Lord. 7. Diversities of Gifts and Operations are the Spirits work and glory 1 Cor. 12.4.6 Diversities of Kinds and of Degrees in those kinds this diversity is seen in the gift of Prayer as well as in other gifts As to have in one Lords-day many thousands of Ministers confessing of sins petitioning for mercies pardon purging healing praying also for Kings c. they all aim at the same thing in their Prayers but the words sentences whereby they express the conceptions of their minds and desires of their hearts how various are they the same Spirit that gave this diversity of gifts assists them in the exercise of them And it is his glory which is taken away while these thousands of Ministers are tyed up to the same syllables in their Book This multi-form unity if I may so call it for here are various expressions different sentences yet all tend to one and the same thing hath better ground for it in Scripture than Vniformity in syllables 8. What want of wisdom care or grace yea want of all this with your Ceremonies charges upon the Apostles all men may see you pretend much wisdom and care of Gods worship in these things were the Apostles so defective in wisdom and care that they could not foresee the usefulness of these things in the Church and appoint them as well as you And that when there were the same reasons that you urge for them now in their time We are built upon the foundations of the Prophets and Apostles and take them to be as wise as any of their followers To conclude how honourable is this for the Ministry I will

several houses at that time where they had prepared in one house such bitter herbs as Sichory Wild Lettice which they say they used in another house Wormwood and Horehound in another Centory Germander in another bitter Almonds and Gentian c. so mention twenty more differences yet if Bitternesses were observed the rule was kept Again shall these bitternesses be boiled or raw beaten into a sawce like our Mustard as Scaliger saith the Churoseth was here is nothing determined be sure there be bitternesses and the general Rule is kept Again here is no mention made of drink but to have a Lamb and unleavened bread eaten and bitter things and not drink it had been a dry Feast fit to choak them Again the Lamb must be roast but how must it be without a Spit as we use sometimes or with a Spit and if so whether with a Spit made of Iron c. or Wood and that of a Pomegranate tree as a Learned man supposeth who can tell there is nothing determined or expressed and I prefume that Learned Author was not there to turn the Spit Again it must be roast but must the fire be made of wood or coal or turff or other combustible matter not a word of any such thing Thus I might reckon up many more circumstances that I wonder at this Author and another of his party answering for their Ceremonies telling us This is the difference between the Law and the Gospel that under the Law all ceremonies and circumstances are exactly prescribed not so under the Gospel How true this is the Reader may judg Leaving then this Author a while let us come to the stating of the Questions and for the first about Forms of Prayer Mr. Carre begins his Book and states the Question thus 1. Forms of Prayer are lawful thus it was stated in the Commencement-house when Dr. Fern was Vicechancellor and moderated I yield it being my own practice to compose Forms for my Children and for others who could not express themselves in fit words in their families before their servants and what then what is this to our business 2. For the Ceremonies The Church hath power in circumstances and who denies it 3. For Government some Episcopacy is lawful The Proposition must not be universal for then we shall setch in a Universal Bishop which as yet our opponents do not like Make it particular for my part I yield it I shall therefore now give the true state of the Questions and then leave it to the judicious Reader to see whether any one argument the Conformists use conclude the Questions For the First about imposed Forms of Prayer the question is this Quest The Question about Forms Prayer stated Whether the Lord Jesus hath given such power to any ordinary persons Civil or Ecclesiastical to compise and impose their Forms of Prayer upon his Ministers in the Gospel-church whom he hath sufficiently qualified for his work unto which he hath called them so that in their ministration and worshipping of God by prayer his Ministers must be tyed up to those very Forms and Syllables and not vary from them Let me open the Question 1st That Christ is Lord of his House King of his Church having the only power over it to institute what he please no Christian will deny 2ly True Ministers of the Gospel are his Ministers they have their talents and abilities from him their call and authority from him Their Laws and Doctrine what they must preach and how they must order all things in the Church from him They have a promise of his Presence and unto him must they give an account of their work 3ly These Ministers being his are sufficiently qualified in one sense it is true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 2. 16. who is sufficient but yet again Timothy is charged that those whom he takes into the Ministry be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficient men Praying and Preaching are the two great works of a Minister Act. 6.4 to declare the will of God to the people and to open and present the wants of the people unto God is their business and whom Christ sends of his errand he fits them for both or never sends them Ephes 4.8 11. He prepareth gifts for his If your Forms of Prayer will make a man sufficient I know not who shall be insufficient if he can but read well 4ly These are Christs Ministers in the Gospel church I hope 't is no strange thing to put a difference between the Ministers of the Old and New Testament Gal 4.1 2 Cor. 3 c. that the Spirit is given by Christs Ascension in a greater measure both as to gifts and grace to the body of the Gospel-Church than to the old Church hath been unquestioned Divinity by the Conformists 5ly For ordinary persons to impose such as cannot dare not lay claim to an extraodinary Mission as the Prophets and Apostles had Yet the Apostles never imposed their Prayers on the Churches 6ly For these to tye up Christs Ministers to words and syllables in Prayer from which they must not vary This is the practise indeed but this is the question by what right this is done What I have heard in answer to it is that the Church allows our own Prayers before and after Sermon 1. Whether the Church allow it I cannot tell the genuine Sons of the Church say no and will use only the Canon-prayer The Arch-Deacon in his Visitation did dehort the Ministers from the use of their own prayers with these words Though I do not command nor enjoin you yet I advise you to it it is more out of fear it would cause such an Odium among the people should they take them off from their own prayers wholly in places where there is any knowledg in ignorant places they use none at all but the Common-Prayer as I have certain intelligence of divers places The Fathers of the Church in their Conterence with the other Ministers at the Kings first coming in thus express themselves Account of the Proceedings c. p. 19. VVe heartily desire that according to this Proposal great care may be taken to suppress those private conceptions of pray ers before and after Sermons As the Judges are the Interpreters of Statute-Laws so surely the Bishops of the Canons Now it is clear they would take away all but Book-prayer The judgment of Bishop VVren and Bishop Cozens is well known 2ly But if superiors being but ordinary persons have power to impose their Forms at Baptism the Lords supper c. all but before and after Sermon is it because their power of imposing is limited by God where I pray certainly by what power they take away the use of our own prayers before and after Sacraments they may before and after Sermons and that we see they desire it might be done but that they fear the consequence Let us come to their reasons for this One they draw from the Scriptures and that is

hereafter To conclude this If foundness of Doctrine purity of Worship and a conversation in some measure becoming the Gospel be any true notes of a Church of Christ then there have been and I know are such Churches where no Forms of Prayer are composed much less imposed upon the Ministry that it was but a bold assertion of him to say All Churches had them I find no more in Mr. Carre nor the Fr. Debat I see Mr. Falkner hath summed up five Reasons which have been used by others most of them His first The security of the Worship of God This we had before His second That needful comprehensive petitions for all common and ordinary spiritual and outward wants c. with fit Thanksgivings may not be omitted c. Ans Surely Sir he is but a mean Minister that cannot do this without a Book though I know there is a vast difference in gifts yet there is no true Minister but is able in some good measure to do this the different Congregations are to be considered some mens gifts may serve for some places well that will not for others His third That the affections and hearts of pions men may be more devont c. when they may consider before-hand what particular prayers they are to offer up Ans Who are further off from these and care less for them than your most truly pious men who walk most with God such as can pour out their souls before God in prayer I speak of private men in another manner than most of your Ministers can do how have I heard them complain of these as deading their spirits That truly Sir your argument from pious and religious hearts was quite beside the business they are your formal Christians who sooth up themselves in their outward performances that are the most devout at these But 2ly since I see you have twice quoted the Liber Ritualis in the Bohemian Churches on your side and against us let me give the Reader an account of it out of Comenius the same Author and Book which you quote When a Minister is ordained the Ritual-book is given to him so far you say true but then he goeth on which you conceal this Ritual-book the common people were not to see when the Minister died the Book was returned to the Elders again Not that the Ministers were bound up to those words and syllables in the Book saith Comenius but they were left free This is quite against you He goeth on By this means the hearers were made more attentive and greater admirers of the grace of God For to rehearse only Forms or things prescribed what will there be to excite attention Quite cross to you The reason why they suffer not the people to have these Books is that the people might not slight or despise them Had the people the Books as ours the Common-Prayer Book they would more observe whether the Minister read right c. saith Comenius Thus we see when we go from the Scriptures to Humane Reasons how Reasons clash against one another Comen in Annotat. ad Rat. Ord. Discipl Frat. Bohem. p. 100 101. who adds more that makes against you Something I may say as to the Walacrian Classis whose judgment * Thus in the Dutch Churches Minister preces vel dictante spiritu vel certa sibi proposita formula concipiet Har. Syno Belg. Cap. 11. Canon 21. Apollon p. 172. Comment on Exod. 28. Def. of B. Land pag. 102. you produce against us 't is true what you quore but withal if you please to read the latter end of the first Paragraph you will find them rejecting the ceremonies and forms of publick worship in England introduced in these latter times And in the second Paragraph condemning Forms of Prayer and publick worship though materially well disposed if imposed as absolutely necessary and essential parts of Divine Worship with a certain tyranny and violent command upon the consciences of men I could also quote Rivet whom you quote on your side for Ceremonies he mentions your Surplices in England which you retain ex reliquiis Papismi and saith if you do it in imitation of the Jews or for some mystical signification which you do then 't is not to be born saith he In his pious and learned Homily de Orig. errores grounded on the 2 Cor. 11.3 he saith Mens departing from the simplicity of Christ is the original of all error Christs wisdom is too low for men There you will find something more Dr. Stillingfleet according with him in this tells the Jesuit piously and truly If your Church had kept to the Primitive simplicity and moderation the occasion of most contreversies in the Christian world had been taken away I may say the same for England I will not deny but you may quote many against us But 1. I am of that Faith concerning Churches which the Church of England is concerning General Councils Act. 21. when General Councils are gathered together for so much as they be an assembly of men whereof all be not governed by the Spirit and Word of God they may err and sometimes have erred in things pertaining to God c. even good men may err We know but in part 2ly We have Churches if there be any true in the world that are against these things so that here is the Testimony of Churches against Churches 3ly The Holy Scriptures are the Rule of all Churches to which they ought all to conform Wherefore Constantine said right and as became a Christian in the Council of Nice Let us take our resolution of questions out of the Books that are Divinely inspired To be sure they do not err Mr. Falkner's fourth Reason From the difficult parts of Church-offices of Baptism and the Lords-Supper there a Form is needful c. Ans He that doth not understand the nature of those Ordinances and is not able to unfold them to his people is not fit to be a Minister Christ doth not send fools of his Errand he hath provided for those whom he sends Now if they do understand them and be found in the Doctrine of them which is best known by Confession of their Faith they may be able to compose prayers suitable to the Ordinances 2ly Or if such be composed for your Tyrenes when they first come into the work must they needs be continued when they are grown more able the ablest and oldest men in England must be tyed up to words and syllables as if they were still Novices 3ly Truly Sir you must not much boast of your Form in this Administration for the Parental-Covenant which is the only foundation of the administration of that Ordinance to Infants the God of Abraham and his seed this is not at all taken notice of in your Form Besides many other things which I shall not meddle with now for I do not aim at your Liturgy more than any other in my discourse 5. His last reason To be an evidence