Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	holy_a	scripture_n	19,615	5	6.1818	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96904	A treatise of prayer. Two quæries resolved touching formes of prayer. And six quæries relating specially to the Lords Prayer. That the reader may have full resolution, specially to the fourth of these quæries, relating to the Lords Prayer, he shall find in the end of this treatise, that holy and learned mans judgement, Dr. Owen, as to that matter in his answer to Mr Biddles second question of prayer. Pag.667, 668, 669.	Woodward, Ezekias, 1590-1675.	1656 (1656)	Wing W3508; Thomason E880_9; ESTC R206598	68,060	83

what lost-ones they are in themselves and that they must be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power if they know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and be found in Him which may put them upon praying that they may profit by hearing Indeed we would take off these sensuall persons not having the Spirit from praying by the booke and Reading the Holy Scriptures as they read them and apply themselves to the hearing Gods Word in season and out of season and attend upon the moovings of the Holy Spirit upon the Word preached which is the Chariot of the Spirit therewith for so it is appointed of God the good Spirit comes into the heart as the Sunne into the house workes Faith there and makes us light in the Lord so as now we can see clearely how to pray and how to read and set our seale to it whereas before we did not pray nor did read the booke neither did we looke thereon * Revel 5. 4. See Bright We say it againe this is the Counsell which hath been given to us and through mercy we have received it and therefore we would give it to others who may be as we were when time was as much versed in reading the Holy Scriptures as they are in praying and all this while as we did slighting the place appointed for Hearing and despising the Word preached there Thus then as we were saying we would advise them to frequent Sermons and give all Diligence to profit thereby we meane to get faith by hearing that therewith they may mixe that they heare and make it profitable unto them For if we enquire at the Holy Oracle we beleeve it will resolve us as to Reading the Holy Scriptures before we have profited by Hearing That the word of God preached which is called we thinke The sword of the Spirit is as different from the Word read in our house as is a sword in the hand of a Mighty man different in point of working or making execution upon our lusts from the sword lifted-up in Georges hand upon a signe-post Give we then all Diligence in Hearing that we may read and pray at home with understanding This is our Counsell and this our Conclusion That whosoever rejecteth it multiplies Transgressions as he multiplies prayers and praises Nor can he think and shew himselfe a man That he shall be taught of the Father who heareth not His Word or that Christ appeares in the presence of God for him in heaven when he visibly and apparently appeares against Him on earth turning His Word behind his back and setting his heart against it We proceed to the second Querie SECT II. Q II. WHether Babes in Christ newly converted ones renewed in the spirit of their mindes have need of formes those commonly called crutches and helpes of Devotion when they appeare before their God Answ We humbly conceive no If they that were Lame before cannot now leape like an Hart yet they can goe to God without a Crutch And this we thinke the Scripture holds forth before us that the Adopted of God in Christ His Sonnes and Daughters have out-growne their Crutches and helpes of Devotion though some of them but Babes in Christ For whensoever The Spirit tells a person he is the sonne or daughter of God having wrought faith in his heart The second thing the Spirit doth it teacheth him to pray that is to Call God Father which is the voice of Gods Spirit in a sanctified soule It enableth him G●la 4. 6 to Cry Abba Father to pray earnestly to be fervent in prayer They were cold prayers before but a lip-labour onely But the Spirit comeing-in to witnesse with his Spirit and bringing faith with Him makes the Childe to goe to God and looke upon Him as a Father whose favour he doubts not off or if he doe he would have his doubts resolved and his evidences cleared and for this he cries and is not helped at all as we conceive by any set forme which heateth the Spirit no more than the Censer is without fire for the Holy Ghost having sanctified the heart and put it into a whole-frame of Grace The heart speakes to God as it is quickned acted and moved by the Spirit of God And herein we would appeale to the experience and practise of all that are but Babes in Christ whether ever they were gainers by any formes of Devotion prayers sett before them And if they say no then they will not be easily perswaded to pray by those formes from which they gaine nothing but more dullnesse drossinesse and indisposednesse in their Spirits It is our perswasion That a child of God who is afflicted with the sense of sinne and affected with the sense of a pardon had rather speake five words to God with his understanding and sutable affections than ten thousand words prompted or suggested to him by a visible Books are a memory without us and memory is a book within us booke before his eye or an invisible his memory And more acceptance should he find with his God He hath told his errand in his owne words perhaps he wants words and can but chatter like a Crane It is as was said a prayer notwithstanding and may crie aloud in the eares of his God It is delivered with understanding with suitable affections with Humility an excellent ingredient in prayer with an inward sense of his Condition It is a good prayer sure and finds acceptance with his God We are generally deceived about prayer It is thinke we a worke of memorie of a good witt a readie invention a voluble tongue This makes an excellent prayer in the esteeme of a mans selfe and in the account of others But this is not prayer Prayer is the worke Mr. Ford. p. 629. 525 526 545 546. of Gods Spirit in a sanctified heart and feeles no need of Crutches to support and beare it up Heaven-ward these help us not we find when we are lame it is granted these hinder us when we are sound The Lord Christ is the Churches Advocate by Office The Spirit her Advocate by Energie and operation All the prayers Rom. 8. 26. which prevaile with God are formed wrought and fashioned in our hearts by the Spirit of God Now we suppose here is a B●be in Christ as weake as Babes are notwithstanding he hath Bez no need of a forme he is in Christ and therefore hath the Spirit of Christ and therefore in the Spirit he can pray The Spirit helpeth his infirmities Rom 8. 26. helpeth The Greek word is very emphaticall a De-compound helpeth as a Father helpeth the little Child at a burden The Child onely puts to his hand the Father his strength Indeed the Father doth all so doth the Spirit in this Babe and if any thing else come to helpe with Him He will not helpe at all If the Crutch doe any

admire him also sine modo and without just reason May it not be feared That he feareth not his Maker as he ought nor Considers how soone He can take him away who can give such flattering words or high commendations to that man who hath such low thoughts of our dearest Lord and Saviour To say no more Surely such an honour as this to say what can be said in any subject belongs to that Man who honours God and whom God doth honour whose whole heart is taken-up with the love of Him his tongue with the praise of Him and whole life with the service of Him And blessed be our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who giveth gifts unto Men plenty of his Spirit and variety of His Graces for the perfecting of His Saints for the worke of the Ministry and for the edifying of the Body of Christ. Having spoken this which every man we thinke that hath read all or any part of this learned mans works as one amongst us hath done will find himselfe pressed to speake and so give that honour to the said excellent Man to say what can be said in any subject his God shall ingage him upon We shall now sett downe what he saith for the readers fuller resolution especially to the fourth Query relating to the Lords prayer as was specified in the Title page Q. ii Did not Christ prescribe a forme of prayer to his disciples so that there remaineth no doubt touching the lawfulnes of using a form A. Luk. 11. 1 2 3 4. Ans If Christ prescribed a forme of prayer to his disciples to be used as a forme by the repetition of the same words I confesse it will be out of Question that it is lawfull to use a forme but that it is lawfull not to use a forme or that a man may use any prayer but a forme on that supposition will not be so easily determined The words of Christ are when you pray say Our Father c. If in this prescription not the matter onely but the words also are attended and that forme of them which followes is prescribed to be used by vertue of this command of Christ it will be hard to discover on what ground we may any otherwise pray seing our S●viours command is positive when you pray say Our Father c. That which M. B. is to prove is that Our Saviour hath prescribed the repetition of the same words ensuing and when he hath done so if so be he can do his conclusion must be that that forme ought to be used not at all that any else may If our Saviour have prescribed us a forme how shall any man dare to prescribe another or can any man do it without casting on his forme the reproach of imperfection and insufficiency Our Saviour hath prescribed us a forme of prayer to be used as a forme by the repetition of the same words therefore we may use it yea we must is an invincible argument on supposition of the truth of the proposition But our Saviour hath prescribed us such a forme c. therefore we may use another which he hath not prescribed hath neither shew nor colour of Reason in it But how will M. B. prove that Christ doth not here instruct his Disciples in what they ought to pray for and for what they ought in prayer to addresse themselves to God and under what considerations they are to looke on God in their approaches to him and the like only but also that he prescribes the words there mentioned by him to be repeated by them in their supplications Luk 11 he bids them say Our Father c. which at large Mat 6. is pray after this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to this purpose I doe not thinke the Prophet prescribes a forme of words to be used by the Church when he sayes Take with you words and turne to the Lord and say unto him Take away iniquitie Hos 14. 2 but rather calls them to fervent supplication for the pardon of sin as God should enable them to deale with him And though the Apostles never prayd for any thing but what they were for the substance directed to by this prayer of our Saviour yet we doe not find that ever they repeated the very words here mentioned or once commanded or prescribed the use of them to any of the Saints in their dayes whom they exhorted to pray so fervently and earnestly Nor in any of the Rules and Directions that are given for our praying either in reference to our selves or him by whom we have accesse to God is the use of these words at any time in the least recommended to us or recalled to mind as a matter of dutie Our Saviour sayes when ye pray say Our Father on supposition of the sence contended for and that a forme of words is prescribed I aske whether we may at any time pray and not say so seeing he sayes when you pray say whether we may say any thing else or use any other words whether the saying of these words be a part of the worship of God Or whether any promise of Acceptation be annexed to the saying so whether the spirit of grace and supplication be not promised to all beleivers And whether he be not given them to enable them to pray both as to matter and manner and if so whether the Repetition of the words mentioned by them who have not the Spirit given them for the ends before mentioned be availeable and whether prayer by the Spirit where these words are not repeated as to the letters and Syllables and order wherein they stand be acceptable to God whether the prescription of a forme of words and the gift of a spirit of prayer be consistent whether the forme be prescribed because Believers are not able to pray without it Or because there is a peculiar Holinesse force and energy in the letters words and syllables as they stand in that forme And whether to say the first of those be not derogatory to the Glory of God and efficacy of the Spirit promised and given to Believers and the second to assert the using of a Charme in the worship of God whether in that respect Pater n●ster be not as good as Our Father whether innumerable poore so les are not deluded and hardned by satisfying their consciences in and with the use of this forme never knowing what it is to pray in the holy Ghost And whether the Asserting this forme of words to be used have not confirmed many in their Atheisticall blaspheming of the holy Spirit of God and his Grace in the prayers of his people And whether the repetition of these words after men have been long praying for the things contained in them ●s the manner of some is be not so remote from any pretence or colour of warrant in the Scripture as that it is in plaine termes ridiculous When M. Biddle or any on his behalfe hath answered these questions they may be supplyed with more of the like nature and importance An End

The Counsell that Daniell gives to Nebuchadnezzar Chap. 4. 27. and the direction Peter gives to Symon Magus Acts 8. 22. cleares this unto us that a wicked mans duty is to repent and pray and doe the workes of righteousnesse though he is no more able of himselfe to doe it than a mountaine can moove and teare it selfe up by the roots and mount up into the Moone or a bramble yeeld grapes or a Thistle figgs or a Serpent spit pearles naturall impotency can give no excuse to willfull neglect A wicked mans necessitie of sinning must not nullifie the Law of God which requireth the doing of these things though not with such an uncleane heart as he doth them The impotency of man must not eyther prejudice Gods authoritie or Diminish his own dutie These are the words of our Learned Rainolds in his Treat pag 246 247. where the Reader may meet with much more giving resolution to the same case with this that a wicked man ought to pray it is his dutie And oh that he could pray for a sight of his sinne and sence of that wrath which he is treasuring-up every day against the day of wrath being busily imployed every houre of the day in damning himselfe that so he might looke after Him whome the Father sanctified and sent into the world to be a propitiation Joh. 6. 36. 1 Joh. 2. 2. for the sinnes thereof and oh that he would pray against the Grand delusion of his desperately wicked heart which will perswade him to beleeve that he lookes after Christ Jesus the Lord for life and immortalitie from Him while yet he lookes not after the meanes but turnes his backe upon the Glorious Gospell whereby He is declared to the world to be a Prince and a Saviour all salvation in Him and none other Name given among Men Acts ● under Heaven whereby we might be saved The desperate heart of man will perswade to turne the Back upon all this The Gospell of the Lord Jesus Christ and yet he shall have Salvation by Him though not receiving His Word To our seeming now this is fully proved That a wicked Man ought to pray though he doth not pray neither can he nor will he unlesse as Pharoah did take away the plague remove this evill of punishment And then perhaps he will crie Lord Lord for possibly he sees death sinne and judgement not as formerly at a distance but neare at hand and upon him and then with Balaam he may say My God And oh that I may dye the death of the Righteous Therefore he that liveth like a Devill would die like a Saint and so he may pray at the houre of his death when his time is gon and the time of Gods patience is spent and the houre of judgement is come but then it will be too late no remedie now but a Torment He must live to God that prayes to God walke with Him and before Him who lookes for speciall mercy from Him For if we expect God should come to us in wayes of mercy we must attend upon Him in wayes of Dutie dealing with us as Creatures endued with Reason understanding wills affections But because all these are miserably depraved he deales with us as such and so depraved wholy dis-inabled in our selves for the useing or improving any the forementioned without speciall Grace from Him which He bestowes upon us in the use of meanes He vouchsafeth to us But though wicked men doe none of this nor is it possible as his estate now is that he can doe it nay it is the abhorring of his soule to doe it for he abhorr's the Lord yet he ought to doe it That is the point and we thinke cleared he ought to pray it is his dutie CHAP. IV. Q. 1. Q. I. BUt whether he may pray the Lords Prayer that is the Question which now we shall endeavour to put out of Question A wicked man ought not to say the Lords prayer he is a proud bold and dareing person he will adventure herein It is probable he know's no other prayer and this he received by Tradition from his Parents who possible knew no other prayer neither But he ought not to say this prayer say we and these are our Reasons for so saying First It is the Churches prayer we meane not a Nationall Church we have not a thought of it when our thoughts are upon This Church the Church of the living God A Nationall Church a huge vast body a Monster rather and as cold as frost which we know congregates fastneth together very heterogenious things which heate seperates we meane not that commonly called a Church which takes-in very heterogenious persons wicked and righteous the Beleiver and the Infidell if not worse the Disciple and the Drunkard the True Saint and the Reall Devill together for these were borne in a Church and quickly after Baptized there and growing up though in their Debauchednesse getting strength therein as yeares come on yet by virtue of their water Baptizement are become visible Saints we meane not these nor that called a Church a●d ●ath but a Name onely till the Spirit within gives the thing we meane a company of New Creatures differing as much from the common or Nationall Church as Men doe from Beasts That we may be cleare at this point we meane the Generall Assembly and Church of the first-Borne The Sonnes and Daughters of God begot and borne unto Him in Christ of water and of the Spirit It is their prayer It is the Disciples prayer their's who are disciplined by the Gospell received beleived and obeyed by their Lords appointment it is theirs Both the Scriptures Math 6. 9. Luke 11. 2. we conceive holds it forth clearely pray ye And when ye pray say Our blessed Lord spake to His Disciples here is the mould wherein to cast your prayers this shall be to you a Rule and Sampler according to the which all your prayers shall be framed but of this hereafter It is the Churches prayer the ●eleivers the Disciples and Saints prayer really such and indeed which they can hold forth and have to shew for not onely because they were borne in England and Baptized there a meere vanitie and lesse if lesse can be but they were borne of God through Christ by the Spirit with the Word and so baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost it is their Prayer It is true the wicked man claimes it for his because he was borne and Baptized in this Nation so doth he Childrens Bread too it belongs to him upon the same score But he hath right to neither as we have heard and may yet more fully heare Wee proceed Secondly And humbly offer this to the thoughts of reasonable men can we thinke that our Blessed Lord would put these words into a wicked mans mouth Bid him call God Father Whome he knowes not endeavours not to know nay abhorr's to know He indeed will say for who so willfull as he

Disciples nor should a parent give his child any forme of prayer whereafter to pray And if he shall so doe we are inclined to thinke he hath not by so doing taught his child to pray we meane by giving the child a forme whereafter to pray We will heare as hitherto we have don what we have heard said for the holding forth the Affirmative and First This is forced against us without any shew of reason as we conceive That we allow not a parent to teach his child to pray Truely we would not say it for a world for we know it is a parents Duty to teach his Child to pray and to make it their very worke and their buisinesse that their Child may be still Learning at that high worke Secondly But this cannot be done but by giving them a forme of words wherebyto pray We think yes it may by Gods blessing upon the Parents faithfull and Constant endeavour this way and that a forme of prayer prescribed will rather hinder than further the worke as was said before Thirdly But ye in so saying doe Crosse I verily beleive the practise of most the Godly all over the world It is but your Faith and it is quickly said and impossible to be Proved That most of the Godly give their Children formes of prayer to teach them to pray though you doe so you will not conclude that others so doe You may be as was said norma publica as a patterne or standard to your owne people and Children not so to others Fourthly We are sure we have a sure patterne for it John Baptist himselfe We had rather you had said we have a sure word for it from the Lord God Himselfe Yet we refuse not this patterne As farre from Despising what John the Baptist did as we are from rejecting what John the Baptist said And this you say John did he Luke 11. 1. taught his Disciples to pray we yeild it and that every Godly parent is to make him his patterne in teaching his Child to pray Fifthly The● he must give his Child a forme of prayer not possible else to teach him to pray Besides so taught John his Disciples to pray as worthy Hild sayes by giving them formes of prayer to say We move heavily here because against the Streame even of the Learned in this very matter John's teaching his Disciples to pray Yet if we have the Mind of Gods Spirit and the tide of the Scriptures with us we shall hold-on our course and attaine our end anon To this wee say then That it is very possible to teach a child to pray without giving them formes of prayer to say And so wee are perswaded John taught his Disciples to pray wee would be rightly understood here speaking after the manner of men and according to the possibilitie our heavenly Father for his onely Sonnes sake hath made possible unto men It is not cleare to us nor doe wee thinke it possible for any man to make it cleare to himselfe from the word of God That John taught his Disciples to pray by giving them formes of prayer to say He taught them to pray that is out of all question for so wee read and so he did his dutie and full-up to his charge But that he gave them formes of prayer to say this is of mans adding and upon an ungrounded supposition as wee conceive That it was not possible for John but by those formes to teach his Disciples to pray Wee conceive yes And that John in those dayes and that a godly parent in these our dayes can skill better to teach his child to pray without formes of prayer than with them Surely John did teach his Disciples To Whome they were to addresse themselves in prayer after he had told them first what a solemne and sacred worke it was And then acquainted them with the New and living way unto the Father through Whome and John 14. 6. Heb. 7. 19. 10. 19 20. Eph. 2. 18. by Whose hand introduction or hand-leading they have accesse unto the Father He manifested unto them as he could for that was his great worke to doe The Messias he shewed Him openly before them and what lost ones they were without Him And what glorious creatures they are being found in Him not having their owne righteousnesse which more insnareth the soule and indangereth it also than the grossest sins doe It is a grave and weightie Dr G trial gr 1. 53. speech which that excellent man hath There is no danger to be lifted-up hy the righteousnesse of another for it is without us wee can't vainly boast of it for that faith that apprehends it emptyes us first of our selves and goeth out to another for it But sanctification being a worke wrought in us wee are apt to doate on that as too much upon any excellency in our selves Surely John beate them off from their owne righteousnesse the putting any confidence in their flesh he clubbed downe that Monster for so Luther calls it he treated much with them as wee reade about Repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and dealt with them much specially with his Disciples in this what blind poore naked emptie ones they must be in their owne sense and feeling before it can ever enter into their thoughts to pray for the anoynting with eye-salve that they may see a far-off or before they will looke after faith which pitcheth the soule upon Christ and then fetcheth in all that maketh truly rich and putteth upon the soule the glorious cloathing of the Saints emptieth the soule and then fills it with the fulnesse of God through Jesus Christ Thus wee conceive and by no other meanes did John teach his Disciples to pray Wee cannot reach to his words and may seeme too bold in making offer that way But thus wee conceive and wee say it againe John taught his Disciples to pray And not by prescribing them certain formes of prayer to say when they come before their God And this wee conceive to be the ready way a godly parent takes now to teach his childe to pray to his God What way must he take This he may know better than wee But he must teach the childe to know God first or if to pray first then to pray that he may know Him beleeve in Him and obey Him And this the parent cannot well teach the childe till he hath taught the poore simple creature to know it selfe first in some measure and what need he hath of a God in Christ for so the parent dropps into the childe as he can a little vessell and a lesse mouth to receive in and how much falls by and how little is in when it is there in such matters as these are But this wee were saying the godly parent endeavours to doe now a little and then a little A little more knowledge of himselfe what he is in the first Adam as he was borne in the world a childe