Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A53961
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A practical discourse upon prayer by Edward Pelling ...
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Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing P1088; ESTC R9437
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29,107
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80
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employ them with such seriousness and united consideration as if we were going to die The custom of the Lord Jesus was to go up to some Mountain to pray thereby teaching all his followers to take their leave of the World for the due performance of their Devotion and during the time of it to retire as near as may be to Heaven and to have their minds there and there only To draw nigh unto God with our Lips and at the same time to let our thoughts rove and ramble and run away at a great distance from him is in effect to tell God that we are willing to pay him some outward Civility but care not for the business we come to him about and how then can we expect that God will attend to it 'T is necessary therefore to recollect our selves to fix our minds when we fall down on our Knees before him and in order thereunto we should consider how infinitely great that Being is to whom we make our Addresses and of what vast importance the thing is which we are transacting with him no less than the Eternal Welfare of our Soul and Body which we should pray for with the greater attention because we are not sure of another Opportunity to sollicite God about it At the Publick Service of the Church it is an excellent means to keep our thoughts at Home to give great heed to what is uttered by him that ministreth that is our Mouth and Intercessour not to lose a word but to keep an even pace with him in our Meditations and as he goes along to mind ponder and weigh the things spoken because the Soul lodgeth so near unto the Ear that if the door be open to let in the voice the Inhabitant within cannot but listen and be attentive VI. If we carefully observe this it will help to carry us on to that which is another Qualification of Prayer I mean Affection and Fervency When we apprehend and mind the matter of our Prayers and add to it an Earnestness and Vehemence of desire then is our Devotion truly said to be Fervent and Affectionate And this is one sense of that Phrase which we meet with thrice in the Epistles Praying with the Spirit 1 Cor. 14. 15. Supplication in the Spirit Ephes 6. 18. and Praying in the Holy Spirit Jude 20. In the strict sense it signifies Praying by the Extraordinary Assistance and Gift of the third Person in the Holy Trinity For in those first times of Christianity there was among many other Extraordinary Gifts a Miraculous Gift of Prayer wherewith some of the Church were Divinely and immediately inspired so that they were able on a sudden to conceive and utter Prayers which were apt and suitable to the Christian Religion the old Jewish Forms being then some of them useless and all of them imperfect because the condition of Church-affairs was now changed Upon this account there was then great need of an exttaordinary Gift of Prayer to supply the wants of the Christian Assemblies But this extraordinary Gift ceased in a little time stated Forms of Divine Service being provided for the Churches use Forms which had been Originally conceived by inspired Men and which were afterward preserved and used See Dr. Hammond an Jude the 20th and his Vindication of the Liturgy by those who had benefited so much by them There is no such thing as Praying by the Spirit in a strict sense or Praying by the extraordinary Gift of the Holy Ghost nor in truth is there any need of it now when there is a sufficiency of Useful Ancient and excellent Forms And yet we must in some sense pray in or by the Spirit or else our Prayers will do us no good We must pray with that Zeal which is kindled in the Heart by the ordinary operation of the Holy Spirit We must Pray with Spiritual Affection with ardency of Desire with Fervency of Spirit and with Hearts lifted up and Inflamed Our Prayers must not be Spiritless nor must we be Cold or Lukewarm at them God heareth not Prayers which are offered up by People that do not stir up their Affections nor chafe their Desires nor move their Minds into a Warmth but Pray carelesly as if they were indifferent whether God heard them or no. Such Prayers can never reach the Heavens they are lost by the way they drop down presently to the ground for want of Affection and Fervency which should have been their Wings In short when we call upon God we should imploy all the powers and faculties of our Souls and lay out our whole Man upon the business before us and because the consideration of God's Attributes gives life and vigour to the whole body of Religion we should possess our minds with the sense of those perfections and especially with the sense of his great Goodness For as the Notion of his Greatness Power Justice and Omnipresence is naturally apt to create in us attention of mind to what we say so the consideration of his Mercy and Benignity is enough to Charm our Affections In order therefore to Fervency in Prayer let us think of the wonderful kindness and goodness of God and carry the thoughts of it along with us throughout the whole tenor of our Devotion how good he is in his own Nature how Communicative and Beneficent to his poor Creatures how Gracious to Mankind how Merciful to Sinners how easie to be intreated upon our Repentance and how ready he is to pardon Iniquity Transgression and Sin 2. We should cast our selves down under an humble sense of our own Unworthiness and Vileness and with a thankful acknowledgment of the Happiness we have that Worms Dust and Ashes Nothings Creatures that by our Sins are worse than nothing have the favour and freedom to speak before him and to him These Considerations are good inward means to raise our Hearts and Affections into a warmth when we lift up our voice in Prayer To which I shall add 3. but one direction more touching outward help and it is in all your Devotions to use some wholesome and affecting Forms of Prayer Whatever hath been objected against them they are all Pious and Unprejudiced Spirits of great advantage For thereby the Soul is rid of a great variety of thoughts which bring Distractions The Mind is not at a loss for Words nor the Invention to seek for Matter nor is there that fear upon us which otherwise must needs be upon all humble men of speaking irreverently or unbecomingly to God Every thing else being prepared we have no more to do but to prepare our Hearts and stir our Affections The Wood and the Sacrifice being ready at hand our only business is to bring Fire to the Altar and to keep it burning And here let me recommend unto your special use those Forms of Prayer which our Church useth in her Publick Liturgy Forms that carry with them the true Spirit of Primitive Christianity and are agreeable to those
that all things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in me Grant that I may have power and strength to have Victory and to Triumph against the Devil the World and the Flesh Lord send me help from thy Holy place And evermore mightily defend me Let the Enemy have no advantage of me Nor let the Wicked approach to hurt me Be unto me O Lord a strong tower From the face of my Enemies O Saviour of the World who by thy Cross and precious Blood hast redeemed me save me and help me I humbly beseech thee O Lord. O Lord bless me and keep me O Lord lift up the light of thy Countenance upon me and give me peace Lord hold thou up my goings in thy Paths that my footsteps slip not Keep me as the apple of an Eye Hide me under the shadow of thy wings O cleanse me from my secret faults And keep thy Servant back from presumptuous Sins O remember not the Sins and offences of my Youth but according to thy mercy think thou upon me O Lord for thy goodness O keep my Soul and deliver me Let me not be confounded for I have put my trust in thee Lord hide not thy face from me nor cast thy Servant away in displeasure Thou hast been my succour Leave me not neither forsake me O God of my Salvation Into thy hands I commend my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of Truth O let not the Foot of Pride come against me and let not the hand of the Ungodly cast me down Turn thy face from my Sins and put out all my misdeeds Make me a clean Heart O God and renew a right Spirit in me Comfort the Soul of thy Servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my Soul Teach me thy way O Lord and I will walk in thy truth O knit my heart unto thee that I may fear thy name So teach me to number my days that I may apply my Heart unto Wisdom O let me have Understanding in the way of Godliness O that my ways were made so direct that I might keep thy Statutes I am a stranger upon Earth O hide not thy Commandments from me Open thou mine Eyes that I may see the wondrous things of thy Law Lord look thou upon me and be merciful unto me as thou usest to do unto those that fear thy name I have gone astray like as a Sheep that is lost O seek thy Servant for I do not forget thy Commandments Do well O Lord unto those that are good and true of Heart As for me I am poor and in misery haste thee unto me O God Thou art my helper and my Redeemer O Lord make no long tarrying FINIS BOOKS Printed for and Sold by W. Crooke at the Green-Dragon without Temple-Bar 1693. 1. THe London Practice of Physick or the whole Practical Part of Physick contained in the Works of Dr. Tho. Willis faithfully made English and Printed together for the Publick good To which is bound his Plain and Easie Method for preserving from and Curing of the Plague and all other Contagious Diseases in 8o price bound 8s 2. The Christian Manual in three Parts 1. The Catechumen or an Account given by the Young Person of his Knowledge in Religion before his Admission to the Lords Supper as a Ground-work for his right understanding the Sacrament alone price 8d 2. And Introduction to a plain and safe way to the Communion Table with Prayers fitted for the Communicant Before At and After the receiving of the Lords Supper To which is added the Communicants Assistant Alone price 1s 3. 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