Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	holy_a	know_v	16,529	5	4.2676	3	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00765	A treatise of prayer, and of the fruits and manner of prayer. By the most Reuerend Father in God Iohn Fisher Bishop of Rochestre, Preist and most eminent Cardinall of the most holy Catholike Church, of the title of S. Vitalis. Translated into English by R.A.B.; Tractatus de orando Deum. English	Fisher, John, Saint, 1469-1535.; Roe, Alban, 1583-1642, attributed name.; Anderton, Robert, attributed name.; Batt, Antonie.; R. A.	1640 (1640)	STC 10890; ESTC S115046	39,954	190

other good worke still imployed eyther to gett this fervour of charitie or in increasing or nourishing the same never suffering it so farre as he is able tho rough his negligence or fault to be extinguished or to grow cold nor suffers the good motions and inspirations of the holy Ghost to die in him without some fruit he without all doubt in short time shal come vnto that vnspeakble tranquilitie of mind and to such Ã pleasant ioy in heart as incomparablie surpasseth all wordly solace and contentment all ioy all laughing and meriment all pleasure that heere can be affoorded or expected And thus let vs come to the third qustion Wether the prayer of the heart onely is more aduantagious then that which is made both with heart and speech CHAP. IV. IT remaineth now that we treate whether prayer of the heart only or prayer which is made with the heart and lipps together be most proffitable vnto him that prayeth I doe protest heere that it is not my intention to affirme any thing in derogation of vocall prayer such as is eyther receiued by custome or ordeined by the constitutions of the Church or inflicted by way of pennance or assumed by vow or any other promise whatsoever by which a man hath bound himlselfe to vocall prayer But my opinion is that whosoever is free from theise bonds and in possession of his absolute libertie and desires to serve God after the best purest and most pleasing way vnto him it is farre more proffitable for such an one to pray with his heart only then with his tongue and heart together Because as Saint Augustine in a certaine Epistle of his to Proba speaking of the fruit of prayer affirmeth saying The office of praying is better performed by sithinge and mourning then by speech of lipps Epist 121. better by weeping then speaking Which if it be so verily the prayer of the heart from whence the sorrow breaketh is much more availeable then the wordes which proceede from the lipps And rightly by cause as saint Cyprian testifierh De oratione pau lo pÃ²st principium God is the hearer of the heart not of the voyec he is not to be moved by clamour or noyse who sees the inward thoughts of the mind Wherefore a poore Wretch who casteth himselfe prostrate on the earth with great humilitie acknowledging himselfe to be a sinner and laying open his miseries pouring forth the bottome of his heart before God not vttering words but pittifull groanes this poore soule without all question shall soone obteine what he requireth att Gods hand Which appeares plainely to be true in Anna the mother of Samuell For she being barren earnestly desired att the hands of God that he would giue her a sonne for which cause she often frequented the temple imploring his diuine goodnesse by dayly prayer that he would be pleased to be propitious vnto her in this her suit yet did she not forme any one word att all but prayed in hart only as the Scripture sayth She prayed in her heart and novoyce was heard for her lipps onely moved Why doe I vse many words By this only prayer that is of her heart she obteined what she asked for she brought forth a sonne whome she with so many teares and soe much sorrow had begged att the hands of God and not with the noyse of her lipps and tongue To this also doth saint Hierome agree explicating that of S. Mathewe But thou when thou prayest enter into thy chamber Math. 6. and having shutt the dore pray to thy father It seemeth to me sayth he we are rather commanded to pray vnto our Lord Hier. in cap. 6. with our thougts in our breast then with our lipps as we reade in the booke of Kings that Anna did her lipps sayth the Scripture were moved and hervoyce was not heard Thus S. Hier. in this way of prayer vehemently moves his diuine Majestie and powerfullie inclines him seedily to heare vs. Moreouer the holy Ghost is our teacher and aduiser to this way of prayer as S. Paul testifieth Ro. 8. who sayth what we should pray as we ought we know not but the spiritt himselfe asketh for vs with groanings in speakeable As if he would say we know not after what manner to aske any thing but the spiritt of God inwardly stirring vp our hearts makes vs with vnspeakeable groanings to aske what is most fitting for our soules health Yet notwithstanding I doe not denie but that some deuout person may beginne his prayer with what wordes he pleaseth from his lipps But soe soone as ever he shall find himselfe a litle enkindled and as it were set on fire with that sweet flame of the holy Ghost then it will be fitt for him to leave of vocall prayer and follow the leading of the diuine spiritt and in sileÌ„ce to permit himselfe to be wholy gouerned by it For as I sayd a litle aboue the end which we should prefix to our selues in our prayer is cheifely the fervour of charitie with which we begin to be possessed and inflamed then by devout prayer our minds are stirred vp and clevated vnto God on high As soone therefore as we find our selves to have atteined to this end then must we striue by all meanes to continue it in vs which to doe without all doubt we have no better way then to follow the leading of the holy ghost whose conduct farre more advanceth our affaire then any words we can invent or bring forth Wherefore must wee with all our might follow the instinct and motion of the holy spiritt whether soever it shall leade vs neyther neede we from thence forth vtter any words of our owne Not vnlike vnto him who after great labour and long travaile hath passed the sea A similitude and is arrived at his desired haven then he forsaketh the shipp that brought him and applieth himselfe wholy to the end and purpose for which he came and is no more sollicitous for the poore vessayle that brought him thither So also he that by the helpe and vse of vocall prayer as by a shipp hath atteined vnto the inward consolation of his soule and to this fervour of charitie in God must then make it his cheifest care and study that this fervour by no meanes grow cold but then leaving of his vocall prayer he must follow this holy spirit who hath brought him to this fervour wither soever it shall leade him then he must not vse his owne words but whatsoever the holy Ghost shal suggest vnto his heart that let him desire not with words but with burning sighes of ioy But that thou mayst more certeinely know that this manner of prayer to wit which is offered in spirit and mind is more excellent then that which is performed with speech and words listen to that which Christ sayth in the ghospell IoaÌ„ 4. God is a spirit and they that adore him must adore him in spirit and veritie

Behold as God is a most spiritual thing so doth he require a sacrifice most spirituall therefore the prayer offered to him in spirit and mind is more acceptable then that which is offered with the grosse pronountiation of words which cannot be formed vithout corporall ayre And let it not trouble thee that it is said in saint Iohn adorare to adore and not orare to pray for the one of theise cannot be donne without the other for when God is prayed vnto then is he truly adored and when he is adored then is he also prayed vnto God then requires you see to be adored in spirit and mind of the most spirituall and elevated minds for such as these he seeketh after as S. Iohn sayth to adore him Wherefore I feare not to say that spirituall men who have carefully exercised themselves in this manner of prayer and have had theire hearts alwayse lifted vp to God and have tasted of the sweetnesse of this fervour I fcare not I say to affirme that they have much more profited by this prayer of the heart then if they had repeated innumerable psalmes and prayers as very many doe overburthening their minds and by that meanes so excluding themselves from the end of their prayer that they never tast any spirituall sweetnesse att all And without all question the desire of running over such a multitude of prayers doth oftentimes hinder and divert Gods holy visitation from their hearts which otherwise he would be very readie to give them Forlikeas the sunne sends forth the beames of light to euery place so is almightie God most readie to powre into euery one of vs this bounteous sweetnesse if the passages into our minds be not with our multitude of words as with certeine thike and condensed clouds hindered and blockt vp whereas we should be intent to nothing att all but God and that with all our desires and minds if we wil be pertakers of this sweetnesse But such persons attend not to God but to the quicke pronouncing of a great many words neyther doe they consider the presence of his diuine Majestie but with how great celeritie and speede they can runne over such a number of psalmes and prayers with which studie and desire they doe so busie and ouerwhelme theire minds as not one dropp of this sweetnesse can fall vpon them and yet they perswade themselves that they please God most insomuch that they cannot satisfie rheir consciences vntill they have prayed their stinted number of deuotioÌ„s And if by chance any part of them I doe not meane of such as are commanded by the Church but which they have vndertaken of their owne accord to say be left vnsayd alas poore soules how great a scruple doe they forme in their consciences How miserablie doe they torture their minds Not marking that saint Hierome sayth Citet by Gratian in cap. noÌ„mediocriter de consecratione dist 5. The saying or repeating of fiue psalmes with puritie of heart and spirituall ioy is better then the repeating of the whole psalter with a troubled and distracted mind And it is much more to be wondred at that they will not marke what Christ sayth in the ghospell admonishing them that pray When ye are praying speake not much Mat. 6 yet must you not thinke that Christ is displeased with long prayer seing it is read of himselfe that He was long in prayer Luc. 6. but that we should not trust in the multitude of our prayers and especiallie the affection of the mind being not present nor that we should thinke him to be more moved with the multitude of words then the affection of the heart But contrary he is more moved with one only true affectionate and inward lifting vp of the mind then with all the prayers we can say voyd of affection Whereupon saint Augustin sayth Epist 121. ad It is one thing to speake much it is an other to be well affected Proba cap. 10 He speaketh much to God that sure thinketh he can move his clemency by a long and a numerous company of words by which God is not moved att all but with the sincere affections of the soule For the clamour or noyse of the tougne maketh a very dull sound in his eares and the vehement burning of the affection moveth him instantly because God is more delighted with our affections then voyces and them most that are accompanied with sighes and teares For this manner of praying doth as it were overcome God who otherwise is inuincible and this doubtlesse is better performed and offered to God in spirit and mind then with any words formed with the mouth For the spirit soe soone as it is moved and a litle sett on fire executeth its office with farre more celeritie then the motion of the lipps or the corporal forming of words is able to doe By which that is made apparent which we have so long discoursed of to witt that the prayer of the mind and spirit onely is more powerful with God and more to be esteemed and practized by vs. For the motion and agitation of the lipps is slower and the corporal weight of the tongue pronouncing the words is lesse apt for the purpose And not onely this but the now opening now shutting of the mouth is more laborious then that it can assist the spirit or mind in any thing especiallie it being once inflamed and set on fire by this diuine love For then it is caried with so great celeritie and swiftnesse that neyther the lipps mouth or tongue are able to follow it and if they doe follow they helpe it in nothing but are rather trouble some and full of molestation I could wish therefore that who are delighted in prayer and willingly spend their time in it and cheifely such as haue both time and leysure enough to imploy therein I could wish I say they would not soe vnproffitably burthen themselues with so great a multitude of vocal prayers but that time vhich they spend in them to so litle profitt they would speÌ„d in setting their affections on fire towards God that so at last they may atteine to some tast of that vnspeakable sweetnesse which God questionlesse will powre vpon their soules which will easilie be brought to passe if that they doe worthily prepare themselues and proceede to the manner we haue before set downe That is first that they offer themselues in all humilitie to God then diligently performe their prayers with a true and iust attention of mind and lastly doe their best indeavour to finish their prayers with all attention of heart They may also beginne their deuotions with some vocall prayer such as they haue heeretofore been accustomed to be inflamed with but then finding themselves thus inflamed sweetly affected and drawne by almightie God in Gods name leaving off their vocall prayer let them with teares and sighes follow the tract of the holy ghost whither soeuer it shal leade them then begging instaÌ„tly at the hands of almightie God whatsoever the holy spirit shal

or shapeth to it selfe of God must not be vnder any colour or light or figure or any other corporal likenesse for all these things are created and so not God whereas we seeke the vnion and coniunction of our selues with God only and not with any other thing distinct from him If therefore one goeth about to thinke of God himselfe let him with his vnderstanding flie aboue all things created Hovv vvemay atteine to the conceiving of God alone conceiueing in his mind a thing most high most excellent and by infinite degrees surpassing all other things imaginable This if he can doe without the apprehension of anie light colour figure or likenesse as I sayd before then hath he apprehended God himselfe In which affaire if thou wilt continue and diligently imploy thy selfe thou shalt at last atteine to that vnspeakable sweet ness and withall obteine the three fould fruit of thy prayer But if in the beginning this way seeme difficult to any one The meditation of the humanitie of Christ leadeth to higher contemplation of God let him first exercise himselfe in thinking vpon Iesus Christ who is both true God and true man let him therefore fix the eye of his vnderstanding vpon him as true God calling to remembrance his holy Incarnation birth painfull labours and cruel death Let him consider likewise his heavenly glory where with he now shineth sitting att the right hand of his father Whosoever shall diligently exercise himselfe in these or any other meditation of Christ Or more proportionable for him shall easily from his most sacred humanitie mount to the contemplation of the most vnspeakeable inscrutable diuine Majestie of God For this is the necrest way that leadeth vs to the tast of that most pure and diuine sweetnesse And if perchance he cannot yet atteine vnto this inward comfort and sweetnesse almightie God withdrawing himselfe eyther because as yet he seeth it will but litle proffitt him or because he is not fervent enough or sufficieÌ„tly attentiue considering the greatnesse and dignitie of the thing he desires yet for all this he shall not loose the reward of his prayer The best therefore and most pure way of prayer is The most perfect vvay of prayer if one after he hath most seriously recollected himselfe and directed his mind with all his force vnto God himselfe who is verely there present doth offer vnto him from the bottome of his heart and with a pure affection the prayers which he is about to say whether he vnderstand them or not it is not materiall and shal soe fix his mind vpon God that his imagination waÌ„ders not Such an one shal proffit more in the love of God which is the end of prayer then if he were never so attentiue to the words or sense of them For this setling of his mind vpon God is for the most part accompanied with such an eleuation of heart that the mind having forgotten all earthly things many times knoweth not where it is or what it doth as if a man were become a meere stranger to himselfe and the spirit is sometimes soe greatly moved that vnadvisedly it cryes out or doth some other action which immediately after a man remembers not because the spiritt worketh so mightily in him that he can by no meanes suppresse those actions in himselfe And as the holy fathers whoe in this art were very expert and skilfull affirme there is oftentimes so great sweetnesse tasted in prayer that it even redoundeth to the flesh so that the flesh is made pertaker of so great sweetnesse and such as it never tasted before To which the Prophet David accordeth saying My heart and flesh have exulted in the living God as if he should say my heart through the bounteous overflowing of my spirit hath received so wonderfull a sweetnesse from God that my very flesh through delight of it is over come with ioy and such as I am not able to coÌ„teine my selfe This very exultation is as it were a sparkle of eternall life which we shall inioy after the vniucrsall resurection of our bodies for then the glory of the soule shall so exceedingly abouÌ„d that it shall flow into the bodie and both soule and bodie with this abundaÌ„ce shal be fullie satisfied Out of what hath heere beeÌ„ sayd before in this chapter it may easily be gathered that the cheifest attention to be vsed in prayer is to have continuallie in our memorie the presence of God to whom we pray and to fix him immoueablie before the eyes of our heart which to doe though in the beginning of this exercise it be some what difficult and trouble some yet by successe of time and vse of prayer it will become more easie and more pleasant but to them cheifely whoe are most inflamed with the spirit of deuotion and contemplation Now let vs passe to the next question How long our prayer ought to be CHAPT III. NOw in the second place we must inquire how long our prayer ought to be for being it may be longer or shorter as we please therefore to know of what length or how short it must be belongeth to the manner of prayer I say therefore that although Iesus Christ admonisheth vs alwayse to pray it is not so to be vnderstood as we have declared in the first chapter that we ought alwayse actuallie to pray for no man is able so to continue our weakenesse and frailtie being such that it will not permitt vs to be still intent eyther to vocall or mentall prayer without any intermission yet notwithstanding doth Christ admonish vs rightly for that we are in continuall neede of Gods aide and assistance which we must continuallie begge and intreate at his hands It hath pleased therefore some grave Authors to giue vs this rule that we should so farre prolong our prayer A similitude vntill we have atteined the end for which it was first instituted For as the phisitian applieth no greater or stronger medecine to his patient then will serve to cure his disease which is the end of the art of phisicke Even soe must our prayer be soe long till wee have atteined to the immediate end for which it was instituted But the first and cheifest end of prayer is the fervor of charitie which is the healh of our soules It is fervor then of charitie that God requireth of vs for he doth despise the lukewarme and in the Apocalyps he preferrethe the key cold before him saying I would thou wert hot or cold Apoc. 9. but by cause thou art luke-arme I will beginne to vomitt thee out of my mouth See heere in how great hatred almightie God hath those that are luke-warme Wherefore we must labour by all meanes possible to procure in our selves this feruency of charitie For the obteining of which fervour prayer is of all things most necessarie which feruor so soone as we have obteined we are exceedingly enabled with great alacritie to vndertake any worke whatsoever we thinke to

he was in his sight keeping him that he should not be moved that is not fall in to sinne Humilitie most grare full to God By this thou seest most deare brother how highly allmighty God loveth humilitie who is alwayse neere at hand to him that is indued with it and all wayse looketh vpon him For it is written Psal 112. Psalm 10. He who dwelleth on high respecteth the humble and againe his eyes lookes vpon the poore But my deare brother when thou hearest this word poore doe not apprehend one that wants worldly fortune For many Kings haue highly pleased God Vvhois truly poore Mat. 5. and many beggars have perished But poore here is poore in spirit according to theise words Blessed are the poore in spirit because theirs is the Kingdome of heaven 1. Pet. 2. Soe dearely beloued humble thy selfe vnder the mightie hand of God Matt. 18. that he may exalt thee in the Kingdome of heaven which our Saviour hath promisedvnto the humble For thy Targett or Buckler arme thy selfe with the signe of the Crosse The Crosse che buckier signing therewith all thy body and thy heart and not onely with thy hand but euen with thy very mind all thy studies and end eauours thy entrance into any place and thy going forth thy sitting downe also and thy rising vp thy bed and whatsoever thou doest signe it first in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy Ghost for this is a most strong armour or defence and none can ever hurt thee if thou beest signed with it For if one that carieth the protection of an earthly King noe man dareth affront him how much more ought we not to feare bearing the protection of our heavenly Emperour Vse therefore deare brother theise armes in all thy actions they are preualent against the enimie yea against the sword which is bitter and malevolent anger For this two edged sword killeh in a moment it striketh Anger the svv ord of the enimie as it is written a moment of wrath is his ruine Eccl. 1. Therefore my deare brother never neglect to signe thy selfe and thou shalt breake the netts the devill layeth to ensnare thee as it is written in the way that I walked in they haue layed a net for me Psal 139. Be therefore dayly signed with the Crosse and noe evill will come neere thee For thy bowe lift vp thy hands in prayer as it is written Prayer the bovve And thou hast made my armes as a bowe of steele For verily the hands of him who prayeth in Knowledge are as a bowe of steele against his enemies or as an arrow directly and forciblie shott by the bowbender For if in prayer you suffer your mind to wander you wil be iust as he that holdeth Ã bow in his hand but cannot direct his arrow against his adversarie shooting it att Randome and without ad vice Yet sometimes it striketh some feare in thy enimie when he seeth thee bend thy bow though the arrowe come not so neere him but a distance of Soe I say my bretheren when one prayeth with devotion and suffers not his thoughts to be wandring abroad but vnderstands to whome he prayeth that this such prayer tendeth to God himselfe then is the enimie most vehemently contristated as being peirced through the heart with a sharpe dart For how much more the soule profiteth in grace so much further of doth he flie Psal 34. as the dust before the face of the wind for the Angell of God doth persecute him fee in what thing he wounds him thus 1. Cor. 14. because he prayeth in devotion and know ledge and he is more strengthened because he restrayneth his thoughts and suffers them not to wander abroade And thou O my brother powre forth thy prayers in knowledge But if whilst thou prayest thy mind be distracted eyther by the wandering of thy eye or the catching of thy eare or evagation of thy thoughts or by any other cause know this to be his working yet make not to much hast to end thy prayer but rebuke thy selfe and recollect thy spiritts and then againe pray in know ledge that thou mayest know for whome thou prayest vnto God and for what thou prayest and vse not many and superfluous words For it is the worke of the devill to scatter our thoughts vpon many impertinent things and he doth not willingly suffer vs to persist in the intention we first made For he knoweth full well that if a man perseuereth he that made him will heare him not with standing he hath committed innumerable sinnes wherefore he suggesteth many idle and superfluous words and thoughts that the mind being repulsed from her first intention may wander through various distractions and our first intention of prayer be diuerted to some other thing wherefore my brother Vve mustaske of God vvhat is most necessarie for vs. demand of god what vrgeth thee most and for those things thou hast most neede of Remember those two blind men crying after him Haue mercy vpon vs sonne of David what sayd our lord vnto them Mat. 9.20 Marc 10. Lu. 18. but what will you that I doe vnto you And they according to the greife and affection of their heart requested that their eyes might be opened Did they aske any other thing of which they stoode in very great neede Did they say giue vs a garment to couer vs for we are very poore Noe certes but they asked God that of which they stood most in need Mat. 15 Mar. 7. Behold the woman of Canaan crying and saying vnto him lord haue mercy vpon me for my daughter is sore vexed with a deuill and sayd nothing els but vttered the greife and affection of her heart in fine all that euer came to our Lord and Saviour what did they but lay open before him the afflictioÌ„s and greife of their hearts Did not alsoe that woman which was troubled with the bloodie flux come vnto him and desired him to stopp it who I pray you goeing to the phisitian or chirurgian Mat. 9. Mar. 5. Luc. 8. Esa 6. doth not forth with open the very bottome of his disease or wound Doe thou also my deare brother offer vnto him the greife of thy soule behold him with thy spiritual and intellectuall eyes of fayth sitting vpon a most high and eleuated throne and troopes of Angells and ArchaÌ„gells assisting rouÌ„d about him and casting thy selfe before the sight of his goodnesse powre forth thy prayers before him first confessing thy sinns then in humilitie and deuotion vrging thy necessities vnto him and the sorrowes of thy heart vntill he shall in his goodnesse and clemencie haue mercy vpon the saying Ã´ faithfull soule be it vnto thee as thou desirest But withalle take this councell my brother if he shall delay and not forthwith grant thy petition yet desist not to crye vnto him Remember the Cananaean and imitate her perseuerance for

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