Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	pray_v	prayer_n	6,987	5	6.6304	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09024	Abba father: or, a plaine and short direction concerning priuate prayer Also, sundry godly admonitions concerning time, and the well vsing of it. By Elnathan Parr, minister of the word.	Parr, Elnathan, d. 1622.	1618 (1618)	STC 19312; ESTC S100366	23,147	146

cheerefulnesse and reioycing for benefits receiued then it 's not vnsitting that thankes-giuing should bee in the ●●st place If thou findest thy heart more affected with griefe for sin then if thou pleasest let confession of sin and desire of pardō precede Wait vpon God wi●● an honest and reuer●●● heart and the anno●●ting will helpe thy 〈◊〉 firmities and teach th●● to cry Abba Father An example of the parts before propounded in their order O Lord 1 I confesse that I am a vile sinner 2 I beseech thee of 1 Pardon by Ies●● Christ 2 O Lord giue mee faith that I may fee●● this pardon liuelily in my heart 3 And I beseech thee ●●ue mee true repen●ance to amend my ●icked life that my ●aith may bee seene in the fruits of holy obedi●nce 4 And whereas thou hast called me to this estate and calling ... Direct mee therein I ●umbly pray thee by ●he wisedome of thy spirit and furnish mee with such necessary gifts that I may discharge my duty to thy glory the good of others and the comfort of mine owne soule 5 And because Satan is a deadly enemie and I am weake O Lord I beseech the forsake mee not in 〈◊〉 houre of tentation 〈◊〉 stablish my heart in grace giue me perseuerance in goodnesse and in the end victory by Iesus Christ 6 This which I beg for my selfe I humbly craue for thy whole Church vpon earth that it may please thee to performe all thy promises to thine elect and to bring vs all to thy heauenly kingdome O Lord thy name be for euer praised for all thy loue and for all my benefits spirituall ●nd temporall thereby ●estowed vpon me And I humbly intreat thee to preserue me in safety this night through my Lord Iesus Christ to whom c. or in whose name c. praying in the words of the Lords prayer The same with the thanksgiuing in the first place O Lord I humbly thanke thee for all thy fauours spirituall and temporall of the least of which I am most vnworthie by reason of my great sinnes for I confesse that I am a vile sinner c. The enlargement of these parts followeth Before we particularly s●●●k of enlargemēt be thou admonished of 2. things 1 Feruent praying though short is more accepted then long praying with coldnesse The Publicans prayer ſ Luk. 18.13 was short in words but full of sense and desire of more worth with God then all the long praiers of the Pharisies for God measures not our deuotions by the length and by the outward habite of words but by the inward meaning of the spirit So our blessed Sauiour in the garden t Mat. 26.39.42.44 vsed but few words but his desire and the gronings of his spirit wherin is the power of our prayers were vnutterable Hee that vseth many words without the desire of the heart speaketh indeed but prayeth not for prayer is the desire of the heart crying Abba Father words but the expressing of this desire The noyse of our lips without the voice of the heart is no more a true prayer then ringing of belles or babling of a Parrot As a body without a soule much wood without fire a bullet in a gun without powder so are words in prayer without spirit Prayers are as gold in a little quantitie of words there must bee a great value of spirit He that is feruent in the spirit prayes much though he speake little 2 Secondly when thou prayest let thy words follow thy desire If thou findest a dulnesse of spirit and coldnesse of thy affections be the shorter and conclude with a groning of the spirit for thy drowsinesse with a lifting vp thy heart to God that hee would looke mercifully vpon thee and quicken thee Let this bee an occasion to humble thee the more and it will be a meanes to worke thee to more liuelinesse and feruency the next time thou presentest thy selfe before God And if thou bee'st truly humbled it will driue thee to God and thou wilt thinke long till the time come about wherin thou maist complaine and poure forth thy heart before him If thou findest a viuacity and cheerfulnes of minde and the desire of thy heart to be strong and feruent prompting thee with matter and words conclude not thy praiers and praises too soone but let thy soule take her fill of celestiall delicacies in her familiar conferēce with God If the desire of the heart be weak and faint it is not to bee wearied and oppressed with words The enlargement of the seueral parts in prayer is either 1. Generall or 2. Particular The generall is that which in common belongs to al the parts and it is twofold 1 The vsing of some description of God whom wee inuocate from his Attributes Promises Effects c. Such a beginning hath the Lords Prayer Our Father which art in heauen u Mat. 6.9 Thus began our Sauiour in the Garden * Mar. 14.36 Abba Father all things are possible vnto thee Thus lehosophat begins his prayer x 2. Chron. 20.6.7.8.9.10 Thus Peter and Iohn y Acts 4.24.25.26 looke the places which are to long to be transcribed Such description is to be vsed in the beginning of our Prayers for the helping of our faith and assurance in which we ought to pray and may also be well vsed in any of the seuerall parts when wee would stir vp faith 2 A begging of audience So Dauid a Psa 5.1.2.3 Psal 102.1.2 Psal 140.1.2 Both these are excellently vsed by Hezekiah b 2. Kings 19.15.16 This also may very fitly bee vsed in the conclusion of our prayers as thus Daniel most passionately and feruently endeth c Dan 9.17.18.19 The particular enlargement is of each part by it selfe The arguments ordinarily seruing hereunto are the causes The effects The subiects The adiuncts The contraries Similitudes and comparisons Distributions Testimonies There are certaine ornaments also not to be neglected for the polishing and beautifying our speech in prayer as 1 Comely transitions and passings from one part to another 2 Exclamations whē we speak of the goodnes of God thus How great is thy goodnes to them which feare thee d Psal 31.19 When we speake of the promises thus How sweete are thy promises to my mouth e Ps 119.103 When wee speake of our owne wretchednesse thus O wretched man that I am f Ro. 7.24 c. 3 Interrogations as when Dauid lay vnder a great affliction of mind and cried out Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer And will hee shew no more fauour Is his mercy cleane gone for euer Doth his promise faile for euermore Hath God forgotten to bee mercifull Hath he shut vp his tender mercies in displeasure g Ps 77.7.8.9 The power of these Interrogations Who is able to expresse it Whose heart ake● not in the very reading of them How doe they increase our feeling and raise our desires 4 Options or wishes as