Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	heart_n	pray_v	prayer_n	13,124	5	6.7659	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59963	A hind let loose, or, An historical representation of the testimonies of the Church of Scotland for the interest of Christ with the true state thereof in all its periods : together with a vindication of the present testimonie, against the Popish, prelatical, & malignant enemies of that church ... : wherein several controversies of greatest consequence are enquired into, and in some measure cleared, concerning hearing of the curats, owning of the present tyrannie, taking of ensnaring oaths & bonds, frequenting of field meetings, defensive resistence of tyrannical violence ... / by a lover of true liberty.	Shields, Alexander, 1660?-1700.	1687 (1687)	Wing S3431; ESTC R24531	567,672	774

affronted wickedness and hatred of Godliness may give ground to doubt of it as Christians had of Iulian the Apostate 2. We are obliged to love our Enemies to Bless them that Curse us to do good to them that hate us to pray for them that despitefully use persecute us Math. 5. 44. Accordingly Our Master who commanded this did give us a Pattern to imitate when He prayed Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luk. 23. 34. And His faithful Martyr Stephen prayed for his Murderers Lord lay not this sin to their charge Act. 7. ult We are to pity them and not to seek vengeance against them for any injuries they can do to us Yet as this doth not interfere with a holy zealous Appeal to God for righting resenting requiting the wrongs done to us that He may vindicate us our Cause and make them repent of their injuries done to us to the Glory of God and Conviction of Onlookers and Confusion of themselves which may well consist with Mercy to their Souls So all we can pray for them in their opposition to us is in order to their repentance but never for their prosperity in that Course And we may well imitate even against our enemies that prayer of Zecharia's The Lord look upon it and require it 2 Chron. 24. 22. But we are never to pray for Christs stated Enemies as to the bulk of them and under that formality as His Enemies for we must not love them that hate the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 2. but hate them and hate them with a perfect hatred Psâl. 139. 21 22. We are to pray for the Elect among them but only to the end they may escape the vengeance which we are obliged to pray for against them 3. We are not to exsecrate our enemies or use imprecations against any out of blind zeal or the passionate or revengefull motions of our oun hearts Our Lord rebuked His Disciples for such preposterous zeal Luk. 9. 55. Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of But against the Stated Declared Enemies of Christ as such while such we may well take a pattern from the imprecatory Prayers of the Saints recorded in Scripture such as do not peremptorly determine about the eternal State of particular persons which determinations except we be extraordinarly acted by the same Spirit whose Dictates these are are not to be imitated by us We find several sorts of Imprecations in the Psalms other Scriptures Some are imitable some not Some are Propheticall having the force of a Prophecy as Davids Psal. 35. 4. Let them be confounded that seek after my Soul Let Destruction come upon him Psal. 55. 15. Let them go doun quick to hell And Ieremiah chap. 17. 18. Let them be confounded that persecute me destroy them with double destruction Without this Prophetical Spirit determining the application of these threatenings to particular persons we may not imitate this peremptoriness Some are Typical of Christs Mediatory devoting His Enemies to destruction who as He interceeds for His friends so by virtue of the same Merits by them trampled upon He pleads for vengeance against His enemies Which Mediatory vengeance is the most dreadful of all vengeances Heb. 10. 29. So also Psal. 40. He whose ears were opened and who said lo I come vers 6. 7. that is Christ does imprecate shame Confusion desolation vers 14. 15. As also Psal. 109. the Psalmist personates Christ complaining of imprecating against His enemies particularly Iudas the Traitor vers 8. It must be dreadful to be under the dint of the Mediators Imprecations And also dreadful to clash with Him in His Intercessions that is to apprecate for them against whom He imprecates or pray for them against whom He intercedes But some Imprecatio●s against the enemies of God are imitable such as proceed from pure zeal for God and the Spirit of Prayer as that Psal. 109. ult Put them in fear O Lord that the Nations may know themselves to be but men Psal. 83. 16. fill their faces with shame that they may seek thy Name This is to be imitated in general against all the enemies of God Psal 129. 5. Let them all be confounded that hate Zion without condescending on particular persons except obviously not odiously desperate presumptively Christs implacable Enemies 4. Touching Magistrates it is a great duty to pray that God would give us Magistrates as He hath promised for the Comfort of His Church Isai. 1. 26. Isai. 49. 2. Ier. 30. 21. Promises should be motives foments of Prayer We ought to pray against Anarchy as a Plague and with all earnestness beg of God that the mercy of Magistracy may aga●n be known in Brittain of which it hath been long deprived 5. And when we have them it is a necessary Duty to pray for them for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet peaceable life in all Godliness honesty 1 Tim. 2. 2. Where it is specified what sort we should pray for and to what end As we are not to pray for all men absolutely for some as they are declared to be out of the precincts of of Christs Mediation so they must be out of our Prayers So there may be some in actual Rule that may be excepted out of the verge of the Christians Prayers as was said of Iulian the Apostate But he that is a Magistrate indeed and in Authority the subjects are to pray and to give thanks for him not as a man meerly but as a Magistrate Yea though they be Heathen Magistrates Ezra 6. 10. We may pray for all in Authority two wayes As Men as Kings As Men we may pray for their Salvation or Conversion or taking them out of the way if they be enemies to Christs Kingdom according as they are stated and upon Condition if it be possible and if they belong to the Election of Grace Though for such as are opposites to the coming of Christs Kingdom as it is a contradiction to the second petition of the Lords Prayer Thy Kingdom come So in the experience of the most eminent wrestlers they have found less faith less encouragement in praying for them than for any other sort of men It is rare that ever any could find their hands in praying for the Conversion of our Rulers And though we pray that the Lord would convince them yea confound them in mercy to their souls yet this must never be wanting in our Prayers for Tyrants as men that God would bring them doun and cause Justice overtake them that so God may be Glorified and the Nation eased of such a burden But if we pray for them as Kings then they must be such by Gods approbation and not meer possessory Occupants to whom we owe no such respect nor duty For whatever the Hobbists and the time-serving Casuists of our day and even many good men though wofully

desire it as Darius did that we might offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of Heaven and pray for the life of the King and of his sons Ezra 6. 10. we could not refuse to pray for him so far as might consist with that Prayer of the same Darius in that same decree vers 12. that God may destroy all Kings people that shall put to their hand to alter and destroy the House of God. We can pray no Prayer inconsistent with this And to pray that God would save this King and yet destroy all Kings that put to their hand against His House were to pray Contradictions But they know they deserve no Prayers and must force them if they get them And all the world knows that Compelled Prayers are no devotion and if they be no devotion they must be sin Imposed Prayers are not the Prayers that God will hear accept And if we have not the faith of acceptance in them they must be sin for whatever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14. ult All Prayers which God will hear must proceed from the heart voluntarely and fervently in Spirit in Truth with the whole heart But imposed compelled Prayers cannot be such especially when they are not only by them imposed but prescribed as to the form of them Which sets and formes prescribed by men and such men as usurp a Supremacy over the Church cannot be subjected to according to the Word of God and the Principles of our Reformation 3. That infallible Proposition of the Apostle Whatsoever is not of faith is sin must be urged yet a litle further And that with a reference both to the Person required to be prayed for and to the matter of the duty more generally First if we cannot pray for this man neither as a Christian nor as a King then we cannot satisfie this imposed demand for it will not satisfie to pray for him as a Heathen But we cannot in faith pray for him either as a Christian or as a King Not as a Christian for besides that he is an excommunicate Apostate by a sentance which we beleeve stands yet rate in Heaven Pronounced by a faithful Servant of Christ and a Papist which as such can no more be prayed for than the Pope as Pope for whom and all the limbs of Antichrist the only prayer that Protestants can pray is that the Lord would consume him with the Spirit of His Mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming 2 Thess. 2. 8. we cannot reconcile the prayers of some that pray against the Pope and his supporters and upholders of his tottering Kingdom and yet for this his Antichristian vassal His rage resolution in prosecuting a war against Christ and His followers is such that if we may make Comparisons our faith will have litle more ground to pray for Iames than Christians of old could find for Iulian the the Apostate Nor as a King for that we cannot do because he is none with Gods approbation and may not do for a very heathen could teach us to pray that God would destroy all Kings that put to their hand to alter destroy the House of God Ezra 6. 12. And besides in the Second place with respect to the matter of the duty in general That cannot be in faith which wants a warrant in the Word either by precept promise or practice But to pray for wicked Tyrants Enemies of God wants a Warrant in the Word either by precept promise or practice There is no precept for it either General on particular neither express nor any to which this is reducible And who dare adde without a precept in the Worship of God either for matter or manner or end what He hath not commanded for such presumption Nadab Abihu were destroyed Levit. 10. 1 2. because they did that which the Lord had not commanded What Command can there be for praying for that which is against the preceptive Will of God But it is against the preceptive Will of God that there should be Tyrants Therefore to pray that these may be preserved in the World cannot fall under a Command of God. There is no promise for it which is the foment foundation of Prayer We can pray for nothing that we have not a promise for either General or Particular But we have none nor can have any for the preservation of a plague to us as Tyrants are There is no Practice for it in Scripture to pray for Kings that put to their hand to destroy the House of God. Samuel did indeed mourn for Saul but the Lord reproved him for it How long wilt thow mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him from being King over Isrrel 1 Sam. 16. 1. belike this reproof was for his praying for Sauls preservation as King for otherwise we may mourn for wicked wretches for their sin Miserie both But hence if the Lord reprove His Servant for mourning for a King whom He disoun●d then we may not pray for such a King whom the Lord disounes as He disounes all Tyrants for they are set up not by Him But the Antecedent is true in that example of Samuel Therefore also the Consequent that we may not pray for them as Kings whom the Lord disounes 4. Moreover to confirm this yet further That Prayer is not of Faith and so sin which is contrary to the Precepts of God and his promises and the practices of the Saints But praying for wicked Kings their preservation is contrary to these precepts promises practices c. Ergo It is contrary to some Divine precepts both Affirmative Negative There is an Affirmative precept prescribing what Prayer should be used under the Domination of Tyrants that they should weep and say Spare thy people O Lord give not they Heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people where is their God Ioel. 3. 17. If it be a reproach to be under Heathen Rulers and if we should pray that they may not Rule but that Our God may shew Himself where He is and who He is in delivering His people from their Domination Then it is contrary to this to pray for the preservation of Tyrants that do rule over them to their destruction reproach For it is contradictory to pray that they may not Rule and that they may be preserved in Ruling There is a negative precept prohibiting the salutation of Hereticks and Enemies of the Gospel which will condemn this salutation of Heretical Kings for in the Original God save the King is no more than a solemn salutation or apprecatory Wish that he may prosper 2 Epist. Iohn vers 10 11. If there come any and bring not this Doctrine neither bid him God speed for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds God speed in the Greek is the same with God save in the Hebrew If then we must not say