Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	form_n	prayer_n	word_n	7,107	5	5.2255	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09491	An inuitation vnto prayer, and the practise of piety, directing the way to true happinesse Wherein is principally to be considered, these foure things. 1. What prayer vnto God is. 2. The necessity of it. 3. The profit we receiue by this holy exercise. 4. The maner and vse of it.	Perrott, James, Sir, 1571-1637.	1624 (1624)	STC 19774; ESTC S100356	25,890	144

is most profitable for vs as well for the fulfilling of Gods heauenly will as for the accomplishing of our owne godly desires And also if wee see so many comfortable plaine patternes of the great safety and saluation that hath come doth daily grow vnto the seruants of God by hearty faithfull praiers vnto him then haue we no cause to doubt the profit of prayer or to deferre the doing of it with our best deuotion And lastly if wee looke into the plaine and effectuall promises of our All-powerfull God for the performance of that which we do effectually pray for then there shal be no need of more perswasion of the inestimable benefit which powerfull prayer doth bring with it neither shal there bee any necessity or motiue to follow frequēt the same but willing minds directed and assisted by heauenly grace to bee often conuersant in this most holy and heauenly exercise of zealous prayer which is so profitable vnto man so acceptable and sweet a sacrifice vnto the Creator of mankind CAP. IV. Of the manner of Prayer HAuing as we hope shewed what praier is and proued the necessity and profit thereof next comes to be considered the manner of it consisting in three things that is the time place and words to bee vsed in prayer First for the time of prayer it ought not alwaies to bee limited how often or how long wee should pray but as often as conueniently wee can and as long as our faith without fainting or time without distraction will giue leaue Neither are the prescribed rules of the Romish Church in this behalfe so profitable or so tollerable as to obserue Mattin at such houres to say so many Creeds so many Aue maries so many Pater Nosters and to recite the name of Iesus or the like so many times or to vse such and such prayers vppon such Beades vnto such Saints for such men soules As though God would haue mens deuotions practised more according to the obseruation of those prescribed rules and times then at any other time or in any other manner or as if you were bound to heare them more in these regulated rehearsals then in any other sort when they shall be deuoted to offer vp the lncense of Prayer Thanksgiuing being sti● 〈…〉 therto by the inwar● good motion of zeale and deuotion which ought to be in vs at all times as well as at any time certaine But if the mind be not at al times well prepared to Prayer yet as often as we may find time and meanes we must endeuour to bee exercised therein without ouer stri●t obseruation of times limited other then at such times as we are called therto by a generall assembly of the Church and Congregation wherein we liue 2 Likewise for the place of Prayer it cannot be alwayes restrained nor appointed no more then the time can be alwayes limited For although the Churche● where the congregation of the faithfull are or ought to bee assembled bee the fittest place● for Prayers yet it ought not to be lonely there but also elsewhere because men cannot be alwai●s or most commonly in the Church And if th●y may not bee there yet euerie faithfull mans he attri●●●● time of prayer is the temple of God Whether therfore hee bee alone or in company or to what place soeuer he bee his faithfull prayers shall be heard and he is bound to pray as Christ went alone in the Mountaine to pray David prayed in his house toppe Ionas in the Whales belly Daniel in the Lyons den Peter in the pris● 〈…〉 the child 〈◊〉 so Go●● might 〈◊〉 pray in all places where they come and as they ca●● whether it bee in the Church in the house in the fields in the war and in time of peace at home and abroad 3. Lastly for the words that shall be vsed in prayer it is a matter worthy of consideration whith●● they ought alwayes to bee set downe ce●taine● eyther in writing or in the memory before we come vnto prayer Or whether they must be alwayes left vn●● euery m●ns meditation present deliuery as occasion and his inuention shall serue him or as the Spirit of God shall direct him wherein as they do affirm that prayers ought alwaies to be set downe in certaine words may not haue allowance of their opinions so on the other side such as auerre that the forme of prayer shold be at no time certaine nor set downe in writing or in the memory must not be beleeued nor their assertions allowed as true and infallible For the first sort which say that one forme of praier in the selfesame words is alwayes to be vsed they tye Gods guifts and grace● which are in euery man in some measure or other ther more or lesse vnto prescription and to formal obseruation which most commonly begetteth cold affection in prayer For when a mans deuotion and all his meditation are tyed vnto certaine and vsuall words there familiaritie of vttering one thing often taketh away the feeling of that which is vttered so that it becommeth ●●it ●ip-labour and loseth the feruent zeal of an inward deuotion which doeth best please God in prayer and without the f●●uency praier is of none effect Then touching their opinions who affirme that there should bee no set forme of prayer at any time or in any place they do asmuch erre as the former which follow tradition and prescription onely in prayer For in Churches in Congregations and in Assemblyes where publike Prayer is vsed and where manie doe frequent to pray together there no doubt that a form of prayer is very profitable both for vnity and vniuersall framing of mens mindes and inward affections in one sence in one saying and at one time to lift vp both hands harts vnto God which is the sweetest harmony that can bee on earth And more then that it is the heauenly harmony that transporteth our bodies our minds and our soules from earth vnto heauen But as this vnity and setled forme of prayer is most profitable and needefull in the publike assemblies so in priuate prayers and inuocations ought no man to bee forbidden the vse of his secret and seuerall Meditations according as God shal giue him grace and abilitie to praise him and to pray vnto him For although it be not euery mans guift to deliuer in apt wordes the secret and particular desires of his soule in praiers vnto God yet there is no doubt but the man of meanest conceite and vnderstanding hauing a desire to performe his duty in this seruice of God shall finde by exercise and practise heerein his minde more apt This sences more sharp and his words more ready with daily and continuall vse of prayer Therefore as euerie man ought not in publicke places of prayer to follow his owne forme and separate himselfe in prayer from the Congregation so in priuate prayer no man ought to bee forbidden that forme of prayer which his faith and

capacitie can affoord according to the sense and feeling of his sinnes the longing of his soule and the necessitie of his present estate Next vnto the time the place and words for vs to vse in prayers there followeth to bee considered the Faith and feruencie that should accompany our prayers with a most principall essentiall part thereof this ought to be in feruency of spirit without fainting for to pray without zeale is but to tempt and mocke God And God will not bee worshipped in words onely without the inward affection of the hart which is as well knowne to God the searcher of reines and heart as the words that are vttered in prayer Therefore they which pray without faith without feruency performe no more then plants which growe without feeling Nay they do not so much for the one doth performe the workes of nature which it is not taught to doe but the others do forsake not follow the rules of Religion which by reason and instruction they are informed and required to doe It is not then sufficient to say many prayers and to continue long in prayer for as one saith the true effect of prayer consisteth not in bare words nor in the multitude of wordes that wee speake but in the cogitations and faithfull desires of the heart And it is not our words but our desires that enters into the secret eares of the All-hearing Al-giuing and Al-seeing God How much then doe they wrong the Maiesty of God and the saluation of their soules which runne to prayers as vnto a stage play without any preparation without any Faith or without any zeale but heaping vp prayers yet scarce thinking what they say or to whom they do pray The Astronomers affirme that the Moone is Eclipsed when the earth is interposed betwixt her and the Sunne so may it be auerred that the meditations which we deliuer in praier are much eclipsed and darkned when earthly cogitations doe interpose betwixt the mind of man his diuine Meditation which is the Sun shine clearest light of his soule Prayer vnto Gody is i● secret conferrence with God therefore Augustine calleth the booke of his prayers and meditations his Soliloquium that is the alone talke or secret conference of his soule with God How carefull zealous and humble then ought wee to be in our conferre with so great a Lord and our onely God For when any men doth conserue with his better especially with one that is farre his superiour as a Nobleman a Prince or any great personage how circumspect will hee be to shewe all the signes of reuerence and duty in word in gesture and countenance and if he doe not vse all these obseruations which may testifie his humility and obeisance vnto his superiour he may feare to bee noted of presumption and to incurre the displeasure of him with whom hee conferreth If then such ceremony and reuerence bee vsed and required in conference betwxit man and man how much more careful watchfull and fearefull ought euery man to bee in prayer which is his conference with God Therefore hee that will pray vnto God effectually ought in the time of prayer wholly to exercise his mind and his senses in the constant faithfull deuout and feruent calling vpon his Creator hauing mind on no other matter then on his meditations which he doth present nor on any other person then his God to whom hee doth deliuer them CAP. V. A preparation to prayer HAuing considered and discussed somewhat the property of prayer to God and what it is the necessity manner and profit thereof it will not be amisse or vnnecessary to shew something of the preparation that should be made before we do enter into this holy exercise For as before wee f●ll into any actiuity of the body exercise of the mind or other action of accompt which wee desire should bee acceptable vnto them before whom wee present the same there is alwayes some time of preparation taken to the end the same may be the more exquisitely managed so is it much more needfull that before this spirituall exercise of prayer a sound preparation of the mind and soule should still be premised otherwise it may fall out in this holy exercise as it doth in matters of far losse moment that 〈◊〉 that is not well prepared may bee soone intrapped distracted The best rules therefore that my simple iudgement can affoord for preparation to prayer are these 1 First before wee begin our prayers we should fall into some strict examination of our selues touching our sinne and the estate of our life wherein wee may best consider what we had most need to craue at Gods hands 2 Next we must call to remembance the mercies of God his iustice his iudgments and his wonderfull workes whereby in our prayers we may learne and vse aswell as in the rest of our life to loue him for his mercies to feare him for his iustice and iudgements aswell as to magnifie him for his wonderfull workes which cogitations conioyned may make our following meditations more perfect and profitable 3 Thirdly before wee fall vnto prayer wee ought to sequester our senses from all wandering idle vaine cogitations and to cast away all euill thoughts as Helias did cast his Mantle to the earth when he ascended to heauen resoluing fully with the fauour of God whom we purpose then to serue not to entertaine any worldly thoghts that may with-drawe our deuotions from his diuine Maiesty but to banish all passions pleasures and perturbations of the mind and to recall vnto memorie our last and most pressing sins by an inward feeling of them ioyned with repentance a purpose to pray for pardon and amendment Then being thus christianly resolued we must yet before wee begin to pray labour to bring with vs by faith a liuely and a longing apprehension of Gods promises and mercies and an vndoubted beleefe of his most iust heauenly performance of that which he hath graciously promised and we doe faithfully pray for Afterwards when by meditation we haue made this passage for prayer which requires faithfull watchfull progresse if yet wee finde as vsually wee may finde that any euill or vaine thoughts doe assalt vs when we are comming on to this holy exercise we must seeke euen at the first feeling thereof to resist and reiect it without giuing any kinde of small entertainement thereto considering that euill cogitations are of two kinds either immitted or permitted they are immitted by the frailty of the flesh the temptations of Sathan the weaknesse of the inner senses being deluded by the obiects which the exterior senses especially the sight doth conuey vnto them and these immitted euill cogitations doe hurt the heauenly Meditations of our prayers especially when they are permitted to harbour and to remaine within vs. Therefore as soone as any such temptations come towards vs in our prayers we must presently pray vnto God to strengthen our Faith forgiue

distrust diffidence of thy power or mercy that so through thy onely and all-able assistance I may bee made of a sinfull soule though not a perfect yet an acceptable worshipper of thee my Soueraigne Lord and onely Sauiour Short Admonitions concerning the premises I Shall desire the charitable viewer of these imperfect rules concerning prayer to conceiue that they are not set downe either to informe the learned or any that are well exercised in prayer But to giue some light vnto such as are young simple ignorant or not much vsed to prayer Neither should any of them bee tied onely to these words or formes heere set downe but it is in their choise to take the sence of the same so farre as they shall finde it to further their good and godly indeauours in prayer And if GOD shall indue them with better abilities they may vse them ought to be thankfull for that heauenly talent they haue and not to hide or to abuse it A prayer for deuotion in prayer SInce all good gifts comes from thee our gracious God the author of all goodnes grant vs thy speciall sauing grace of sanctified feruent prayer in frequent and zealous supplications Wee haue it not of our selues we seeke it of thee nether can wee seeke it without thou first send the motions thereof into our hearts and mindes prepare vs therefore for this holy duty grant vs the practice and power of it before we come to it touch our hearts with the remembrance of our sinnes and repentance for the same Call to our memorie and meditations how slowe wee haue beene to present our selues to thy presence by prayer how cold wee are in deuotion how distracted in our thoughts and how full of fantasies and of fond imaginations which draw our zeale and deuotion from thee even in the time of praier when our thoughts should bee pure and our hearts onely setled vpon thy seruice so that in stead of bringing a blessing we bring iust curses to our selues by these our more formall then faithfull praiers O Lord therefore infuse grace into our hearts kindle zeale fortifie our faith let not our secure and sensuall seruice of thee increase more of our abounding sinnes nor adde more to thy deserued anger but be thou in the middest of vs by thy assisting holy Spirit When wee lift vp our hands lift thou vppe our hearts vnto thee when we speake vnto thee speake thou peace vnto our Consciences giue vs words to vtter faith to beleeue feruencie in our prayers an earnest desire to abandon all euil affections and loose carriage of our cogitations and so closely to settle our soules vnto thy seruice When we come to make our supplications before thy Maiesty let this instant time of prayer whilest we now speake bee the beginning of our better seruice and so continuing in the same with humility constancy and fauour thou maiest haue the honour and wee the benefit To thee bee giuen all honour and glory now and all times Amen Morning prayer in a familie O Lord God light of lights thou that giuest light vnto our soules and to our bodies thou that hast brought vs from the darknesse of this night to see the comfortable light of this day bring vs from the darknesse of ignorance and of sinne and from the corrupting of our soules wherein wee haue liued both day and night As thou hast raised vs from our rests to follow our callings so raise vs from security sloath dulnesse distraction lust couetousnes selfe-conceites pride and all other corrupt affections which carry vs headlong after the vaine imaginations of our owne harts and euill affections Good Lord when we go abroad about our worldly affaires let not our mindes bee led altogether from heauenly meditations but let thy blessed Spirit be our motioner to put vs in minde of the shortnesse and vncertainty of our liues let vs haue before our thoughts often the sinnes wee haue committed the good wee might haue done and haue omitted the time wee haue mispent either in doing no good at all or in doing that is euill And this good Lord teach vs to tell our selues and our owne soules not with wordes onely comming from the lippes but with inward sighs and groanes from the heart and when through the assistance of thy holy Spirit thou hast made vs to search our sins and to smite our hearts then blesse thou the works of our hands in all our good endeauours and as by the same our store doth encrease our thankfulnes to thee may encrease As thy blessings are bestowed so our prayers praises may bee rendred and redoubled At our going out in our rest trauaile and returne bee thou with vs by the blessing and assistance of thy holy Spirit let this day good Lord bee a beginning and a new birth day of faith repentance for our sinnes and of reconciliation to thy Maiesty that so thou mayest receiue vs to mercy Let al the rest of our dayes be an amendment of our sinfull liues past Blesse good Lord thy Church our King his Realmes with faith truth peace and prosperitie guide the rest of the States of this land in their seuerall conditions callings that both they and we may maintaine thy truth set forth thy glory keepe a good conscience to our selues shew charity one vnto another So wee may liue in thy feare dye in thy fauour and after this mortall life is ended we may enioy an immortall life with thee in heauen there to magnifie praise and glorifie thy most glorious Name world without end Amen A Morning Prayer to be vsed in priuate THis day our good God appearing and thy mercies appearing by our deliuerance from dangers this night past and in the ordaining of dayes and of all thy other workes what praises shall we render for thy workes of Creation and of preseruation If we should not praise thee yet one day telleth another and one night certifieth another but I most sinnefull soule haue neyther expressed nor felte what belongs to the visible workes of thy inuisible Maiesty neither can I comprehend it in thy workes and made known by thy reuealed word for thy Maiesty is so great thy Wisedom so vnserchable and thy Word so deepe that I am not able to conceiue them It sufficeth great God vnto thee that art al-sufficient in thy selfe to expresse thy self vnto vs sinners in such sort as we are able to apprehend thee And I one of the least and vnworthiest seruants doe confesse my selfe to be a most greeuous sinner in thought word and deede I haue followed mine owne wicked fantasies I haue broken thy commandements and betrayed mine owne soule yet my hope is in thy mercie and therefore in the beginning of this day I beginne my prayers vnto thee teach me therefore to pray that I may this day and the rest of my life call vpon thee and praise thee through the assistance of thy power which graunt vs good Lord. A Prayer