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	son_n	way_n	5,888	5	5.0772	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50464	Krypteuchologia, or, A plain answer to this practical question, what course may a Christian take to have his heart quickned and enlarged in the duty of secret prayer? by Richard Mayo ...	Mayo, Richard, 1631?-1695.	1664 (1664)	Wing M1524; ESTC R9146	22,504	48

conceive of him as he is and as he hath revealed himself in his Word to be This will greatly conduce to the quickning of you Conceive of him 1. As of an Omnipresent God that he is really though not visibly present in all places and in that place where thou art a Praying more particularly that he sees thy heart as plainly as thou canst see thine own hands that he observeth thee as narrowly as if thou only wert alive in all the world or as if thou alone of all the children of men wert making thy supplication to him When ever thou settest about this duty a How would you Pray if men were present to see and hear you Sic loquere cum Deo quasi Homines ad starent Seneca set God before thine eyes as David did and represent him to thy self under this notion of an Omnipresent all-seeing God 2. Conceive of God as one that is full of Majesty and Greatnesse That passage in Mich. 6.6 Wherewithall shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the High God doth intîmate what apprehensions we should have of God when we come into his presence viz. that he is a High God infinitely above any of his creatures betwixt him and the Holy Angells or the highest of the children of men there is a wider difference then betwixt the Potter and his Clay Oh how would this apprehension both quicken and awe us in Prayer 3. Conceive of God as one that is exceeding gracious and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon him That known Scripture Heb. 11.6 He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him doth hint what conceptions we should have of God in Prayer as of one that is exceeding bountifull we must believe not only his being but his bounty he gives not only what we ask but more yea b Eph. 3.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Supra quam redundanter abundantly more then we can ask Oh what quickning and confidence doth this notion of God afford To apprehend God in his greatnesse doth c Vitus T●cod says of Luther that he Prayed with such reverence is became one that pake to he great God and with confidence as became one that spake to his Father or Friend stir up feare and godly reverence To apprehend God in his goodnesse doth stir up Faith and holy boldnesse God who is our father likes that we his children should come before him in this manner he gives us leave so we doe it awfully to d Eph 3.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proprie est libertas dicendi ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 omne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dictio speak all our minds to him T is said of Flavius the Emperour that he would not that any man should present a petition to him as if he were offering meat to a Lyon or Elephant with a trembling hand God likes that we should lift up our hands to him as without wrath so also e 1 Tim. 2.8 without doubting 4. Conceive of God in Prayer as one God f ●id Dr. Hall Deca 3 Ep. 7. not divided and yet distinguished into three Persons the Father Son and Spirit This is a great mystery fitter for admiration then humane conception and yet all along this duty God must be thus apprehended as one substance in three subsistances as one essence in three relations all which do concur to the Prayers of Believers and have a different office about them there is the Father hearing the Son interceding and the Spirit helping their infirmities Lastly conceive of God not g Luther was wont to say Nolo ●●um absolutum Heb. 12. ult absolutely but in Christ God in himself is a consuming fire but in Christ he is a mercifull Father h Heb. 7.25 Themistocl understanding that ● Admettus was angry with him took his young son in his armes and treated with the father holding that his darling in his bosome and thereby he appeased the Kings wrath There is no coming to God but by him I might enlarge upon this head but I forbear only remember this you will never pray to any purpose unlesse you carry along with you in your minds a right notion and conception of that God to whom you pray 5. Entertain and maintain very honorable thoughts of the Duty of Prayer it self this will both move you to the Duty and marvellously quicken you in it What the i Ps 87.3 Psalmist says of the City of God that may I say of the Duty of Prayer Great and glorious things are spoken of it If any should ask me as that King did the Prophets servant k 1 Kin. 8.4 What great things hath thy Master done So what great things hath Prayer done it would require more lines then I intend in all to return a full answer I might easily write a large history of the great exploits that Prayer hath done in the world You read Heb. 11. of many wonderfull effects of faith the effects and fruits of Prayer are as many and as great It hath l Dan. 9.2 3 4. Isa 37.15 16 c. Ion. 2.1 2 c. Josh 10.12 14. Act. 12.5 Dan. 2.18 2 Sam. 15.31 Est 4.16 Obtained promises subdued Kingdoms turned to flight the armies of aliens it hath raised the dead stopt the Suns course yea made it to go back It hath opened prison doors and unlockt such secrets as have puzzled the Divell himself it hath disappointed the plots of adversaries and rumbled those into the pit themselves which they have maliciously digged for others What shall I say more it hath m Jam. 5.17.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. c. 〈◊〉 affectionibus obnoxius opened Heaven and shut it again These and such like memorable things have been brought to passe by the Prayers of such sinfull and infirme creatures as we our selves are Let me add this it hath said hold on God himself and put him as one says to a mercifull retreat when he hath been marching in his anger against persons or people Jacob by Prayer n Hos 12.3 had power with God and by wrestling with him o Caelum tundimus 〈◊〉 miserecordiam extorquemus Tertull. wrested mercy from him God speaks as if his hands were held and tyed up by Prayer Let me go saith he to Jacob and to Moses p Au● on Exod 32.10 thus glosseth Domine quis tenet te c. Let me alone q Manton on James 5.86 One observes that God in Exod. 32.10 doth indent as it were with Moses and offer him composition if he would hold his peace Let me alone saith he and I will make of thee a great people Wonderfull is that passage r Some read it interrogatively thus Concerning the works of my hands command ye me if we read it right in Isa 45.11 there God sayes Concerning the works of my hands command ye me These and the

such a manner as he doth the Spouse Cant. 2.10 Rise up my love my fair one and come away Or as 't is Vers 14. Come let me hear thy voice for it is sweet To pray at such a season is to hoise up sail before the wind it is like rowing both with wind and tide Being thus excited by the Spirit you may expect the assistance of it if Prayer be now neglected the Spirit of God is quenched and I 'le pronounce him a novice in Religion or rather a stranger to it altogether that doth not confess it necessary to the lively performance of this Duty that the Spirit of God doth act and quicken him therein Our motions are exceeding dull and heavy in holy Duties when the Spirit of God doth not help our infirmities Whensoever therefore God says by the secret whisperings of his Spirit f Ps 27 6. Seek ye my face our hearts should answer and eccho back as Davids did Thy face O Lord we will seek Yet here I would have it remembred I do not say a Christian should never pray but when he finds the Spirit of God egging him forward this hath been the gross mistake of some who hereupon have discontinued the duty for several days together because they have not perceived the Spirit moving them thereunto No let this be thy practice to wait upon God in his way and it may be the Spirit of God will meet thee therein Know this though the Spirit of God should not put forth his hand to lead thee yet the Word of God holds forth a precept to command thee and set thou about the Duty out of pure obedience to the command of God It may be ere thou art aware thou wilt find Him whom thy soul desires Though the Spirits assistance be never unwelcome to a Child of God yet many times it comes unexpected Abraham saw not the Ram for the sacrifice till he was in the Mount Often in the Mount in the time of Prayer the Spirit of the Lord is seen and felt Mariners have put forth to sea in a calm when they have made but little way and anon they have met with fresh and unexpected gales of wind that have brought them with full sail to their desired haven I leave you to apply it Again I do not deny but the evil spirit who is Gods Ape may sometimes transform himself into the likeness of Gods Spirit and may excite a Christian to this duty but then his motions are irregular and unseasonable they tend to the hindering of him from another and for that time a more seasonable duty suppose it a work of mercy to himself or others or such like Christian exercises must be wisely subordinated one to another whereas the Devil desires to make them interfere and to set them at variance 3. When we find our hearts in a setled and composed frame then also it is a sit season for secret Prayer when g Ps 57.7 as David's our hearts are fixt and not pre-occupied with any secular matters To pray at another time is like playing upon an Instrument that is out of tune what harsh and unpleasing melody doth it make Many when they go to seek God they have their heart to seek Few can say with David that h 2 Sam. 7.27 In the Hebrew t is onely the found to pray they have sound their hearts to pray We render it he found in his heart but it may be read he found his heart to pray a prayer unto God i It was the custome of the Heathens to address themselves in the morning early to their Idols vid. Herod l. 10. The Primitive Christians were wont to be early at their devotions Vid. Pl. ep 57. ad Trajan Tertul Apol. c. 2. See Christs practice Marc. 1.35 Qui mene surgit precandi causa dicit manicare Deum Drus Usually in the morning the mind is most composed then a man meets with least diversions in duty the evenings repose hath in great part discharged the mind of all that did distract it and it were well if we would be with God as soon as we awake if we did offer up to him the first-fruits of every day if as soon as we lift our bodies off our beds we did in Prayer lift up our souls to God This was Davids manner Psal 5.3 Under this Head I will suggest these three cautionary Rules 1. Do not take Prayer in hand when you have any other matter in hand if so you attendance upon God must needs be with distraction and your heart will be stollen from you do what you can Set by all worldly occasions when you set about this duty say to them as k Gen. 22 5 Abraham did to his young men Stay you here while I go aside to worship God 2. Do not ordinarily go to prayer when your anger is stirred and your mind full of perturbations if you do t is ten to one but you will offer up the sacrifice of a fool and speak unadvisedly with your lips The l 1 Tim. 2.8 Apostles advice is that we lifts up to God holy hands without wrath m 1 King 19.11.12 God was not in the Wind nor in the Earthquake nor in the fire that passed by Elijah but in the still small voice And you must be of still and quiet spirits if you will see or find him 3. Do not usually engage in Prayer when you are enclin'd to sleep drowsinesse if so you are like to make but dull and drowsie work of it n Mat. 26.40.41 The rebukes of Christ could not awaken his Disciples to Prayer when there hearts were heavy and asleep You must be wakefull when you pray if you would watch unto Prayer 2. A second Help is this Allot and set out a due proportion of time for this Duty It is not enough to choose a sit time for Prayer but you must allow sufficient time to Prayer No service whether secular or spiritual can be done well unless you allow a due proportion of time for the doing of it How is Prayer huddled and slubbered over many times for want of this you think of making an end as soon as you begin you are straightned in your prayers because you are straightned in your time Qu. If you should ask How much time must a Christian set apart in a day for secret Prayer Ans In my answer I must have respect to the callings and conditions of Christians that time is sufficient for one which is not sufficient for another 'T is observable that under the Law there were different sacrifices for the rich and for the poor God required that mens sacrifices should hold some proportion with their abilities And by parity of reason God looks that the rich and those that have little else to doe should double the time of the poor in Prayer and of those whose callings call for their continuall attendance And yet I must add this too let a mans condition be