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	speak_v	word_n	13,397	5	4.4123	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41326	The liturgical considerator considered, or, A brief view of Dr. Gauden's considerations touching the liturgy of the Church of England wherein the reasons by him produced for imposing the said liturgy upon all, are found to be so weak, his defence of things offensive in it so slight, the arguments against the liturgy by himselfe afforded, are so strong, that some, who upon His Majesties declaration did incline to the liturgy, are now further from it, by reading his wordy discourse about it : also some reasons humbly rendered, why many ministers, as yet cannot conform to that liturgy, but not out of disloyalty, pride, ingratitude, peevishness, nor schismatical petulancy, as the sarcastical pen of this uncharitable doctor hath published ... / by G.F.	Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.	1661 (1661)	Wing F956; ESTC R843	47,787	64

find warrant in his Rule this seems to be Gods infirmity who did not reveal the best way of worship This is brave reverence to charge him with want of wisdom Secondly By this argument take away the whole gift of Prayer for if we pray but once before Sermon by our own gift we are incident to this ruden●ss c. Yet you allow us once to pray Thirdly This argument from reverence speaks of the inward frame of heart a grace which the Spirit not a Liturgy must help to but if of the outward expression it is like to be most reverend where the heart is the dictator without prescribed words which may be repeated with little or no regard Fourthly Let the rude and unreverent worshipers have this imposed on them if it will help them but I never saw more rude worshipers than many if not most of those who use it Fifthly It is true and a thing to be lamented do what we can it is hard to keep our minds and affections but they will be gadding though we set our selves never so close to our work and pray from our own gifts yet this is one means to help our vile hearts to keep in when our minds are upon our hearts to express our desires rising first from thence to what they are when a mans eye is upon his book reading what is there when especially through often reading he hath been accustomed to his road the Carrier with such a Horse may sit on his Horse back and sleep his Horse knows his Road. Sixthly Hath Doctor Gauden seen all the behaviours of Ministers heard all their prayers at Sacraments since that Liturgy was laid by No I am sure he hath not Why then doth he charge all men thus by nature we are bad enough but what are men nothing by grace and that growing nothing by gifts imparted and these excellent and not onely so but assisted by the Spirit of God And what if the Spirit doth not alwayes alike assist to humble us and make us know our dependance on him must we by and by bring in a humane invention But O the reverence that I have seen the excellent prayers full of divine matter fluently poured out that I have heard from some Ministers who use not the Liturgy would to God many that use it did appear like them Seventhly By this Argument you may take away all preaching I am sure men have shewn as much rudeness deformity barrenness in this Ordinance as in the other especially your Liturgical men what stories do men tell of some of them I hope the Divine Majesty is as well concerned in preaching as prayer Eighthly If these evils you mention be so subject to all men now they were ever so since the Fall I am sure Paul was as careful of the Reverence of the Divine Majesty as you are yet he did not find out this means against those evils which you do What had Paul no skill how to order and provide for the August and Reverend worship of God Sectio tertia Reas 2 HIS second Reason is this A Liturgy is a great defence to true Doctrine and a means to prevent the spreading of corrupt opinions Answ 1 Answ 1. Not every Liturgy some may be bad enough this was the first Reason as some conceive with laziness which first brought in Liturgies the Arrian and Pelagian Heresies in which time yet Ministers did compose and use their own prayers though they were first review'd But it may be the Doctor hath an honest design in this for he knows well that abundance of the Episcopal men now preferred are stout Arminians of the same blood with Pelagius and he fears these men will spread Pelagianism under a little finer dress and so would have the Liturgy imposed to keep them from doing this mischief Ah Doctor this will not do such men call for the Liturgy more than any but if this were your only intent we thank you for your honesty Secondly Confessions of Faith and Catechisms being sound Orthodox and Substanti●l imposed on all were the best means to attain this end witness the several Creeds of the four first general Councils of Nice Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon against the Heresies of Arrius Macedonius and Eudoxius Nestorius and Eutyches Thirdly By this you must take away all prayer by our own gifts for if men pray but once they may vent their Heresies Fourthly By this you take away all preaching by our own gifts for men vent their Opinions and people mind the Opinions of men and take them more from their preaching than prayer and so the us to the Homilies as necessary and of constant publick use Fifthly The Church of Scotland had no Liturgy for many years yet what Church so clear from Heresies as that and some other Churches I know England had far more when the Liturgy was in use Sixthly The Apostles were troubled with corrupt Doctrines in their times we find indeed mention made of Catechisms in the Epistles but for this way to keep out corrupt Opinions we find none Seventhly If men be corrupt in Doctrine they will be known and if we be such turn us out of our places Sectio quarta Reas 3 HIS Third Reason is this A Liturgy much advanceth a holy harmony amongst Christians while praying the same things all men say Amen c. Answ 1 Answ 1. If ever this specious Argument had any force it was then when the Apostles preached and planted Churches in Asia Europe and Africa for then had they composed a Liturgy which had been perfect we are sure and imposed it upon all these Churches there had been a holy harmony not only in Parochial and National Churches as you say but in the Catholick visible Church through the World all Churches in the World praying the same things and then saying Amen But this device never came in their heads How do we excell the Apostles in wisdome In page 30. he tells us That he hath seen the most and the best Liturgies Ancient and Modern I entreat him that if amongst them he saw the Apostles Common-prayer book which they imposed upon the Churches that he would please to get it re-printed for the first impression if ever any is quite out We will use that without question Secondly Are not these men more curious then God is doth He so call for a verbal harmony Is it not sufficient that we pray the same things though in divers Forms if we keep to the Lords Prayer begging the same things though in other words ●s Austin saith Is not this Harmony as much as God calls for and cares for Indeed for Doctrines where the altering of a word as in the Trinity c. may bring in a Heresie there the same words are good and it is needful as much as may be to hold to a wholesom Form of words but this is not the same case Thirdly By this take away all prayer by our own gift for verbal Harmony is not to be found

just Interest that it may rationally be concluded I would not in the least decline His just Desires or deviate from his Royal Command did not Conscience towards God countermand the Compliance with them And I am so much affected to the peace of the Church that I have of late preached what God assisting I resolve to practice viz. That many and great corruptions in Gods Worship are to be grieved for and patiently groaned under before Schisme be consented un o or seperation consulted Provided nevertheless I be passive not active in them I can keep communion under that Form of Worship whereby I cannot administer and heartily say Amen to the matter of those Petitions which are put up●n an order so confused preposterous and indigested that it seems to me to be so much below the gravity of the Church whose mouth I must be the seriousnesse of the Office whereby I minister the sanctity of the Duty I am to perform and the s●ored nature of the Object to whom they are presented that I dare not stand between God and his people with the same Calvins Epistle to Mr. Knox Mr. Wittingham and the brethren at Franck ford and therefore cannot but in my place and capacity contend against it and with Calvin in this very case allow their constancy who strive for a just cause being forced against their will unto contention and worthily condemn the frowardness which doth 〈◊〉 and stay the holy carefulness of ref rming the Church Let not men mistake us I profess it for my self and presume I may do it for many of my Brethren we are not against Set-forms of prayer or their use in publick we believe them lawful and convenient but not necessary and therefore not to be exclusively imposed they may be helps to weakness and happy expressions of special emergent occasions of prayer or praises in the Church I do believe the Church of the Jewes had certain Set-forms of prayer and praises but I believe also they were occasional and transient indited by the Holy Ghost and composed by Holy men for that present and peculiar occasion of this nature was the Song of Moses Deborah and Barak and Davids Psalme in 2 Sam. 22. and that at placing the Ark in the Tabernacle 1 Chron. 16. which beareth this Note upon it Then on that day David delivered this Psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his Brethren and many other Psalms and Set-forms which are referred to their special occasions for which having served they were added to the Canon of Scripture as witnesses of Gods dealings and directions of his peoples duty in all future Ages but were never compacted into a set Liturgy prescribed and imposed as the only standing Form of Worship the Jewish Rabbines tell us from Moses to Ezra more than one thousand years the Jewes had no stinted Forms of prayer in their Church and yet they had two considerable Reasons to have enforced it which we Christians have not their infant weak estate wanted Crutches and the time of the pouring out the spirit of supplication was not yet come 2. The Forms were indited by holy men in this very act inspired by the Holy Gkost I am easily perswaded the several parts of the Service-book were composed by single persons and who so will read Isidior Durandus His Parallel of the Liturgy and Mass-book and the Rationalists will find the time when the occasions on which and the reasons for which they were appointed in the Church Mr. Baylie hath assigned many parts thereof to the particular Popes Ecclesiastical policy Book 5. Pag. 265. and seasons prescribing the same and our own Hooker reports so much of the Letany or Rogations that chief part of our Service but that these things perished not with their Authors and occasions I see no good Reasons for it admit we that they were the good expressions of good men on good occasions yet they were only expressions of men not inspired by the Holy-Ghost and unwarrantably resolved into a Liturgy and made unjustly exclusive to the expressions of good men succeeding as in time so in capacity to express their own desires as their occurrent occasion should direct in no less sacred expressions the alterable condition of the Church doth necessitate their expression to be alterable I pray what part of our contended-for Liturgy as exactly perfect shall solemnize the saul-humbling memorial of the malicious mischievous Murther of His late Majesty to be held on the 30th of January or the God-praising memorial of the Happy and Honourable Return of his Sacred Majesty that now is to be observed Annually on the 29th of May. I hope men shall not be indicted for making mention thereof by conceived prayer or praises none being in the Book prepared or prescribed which can do it for it is most unreasonable that we should be imposed upon by the personall composures of private fancies who without warrant compose set forms and therein vent their own superstitious notions as hath been attempted by the books published as forms of prayer for the 29th of May and 30th of January the last of which was sent in the name of the Bishop of London to our Churches if by his Authority I conceive not more to the offence of many Godly men then Breach of the Laws and Usurpation on his Majesties Authority and abuse of his Royal Power punishable with a Praemunire In reference to this variation the Church might and must keep a standing Council to vary the Liturgy if we be not bound to dependance on the Spirit which the Apostle directeth when we know not what to ask Rom. 8.26 as the only help to our infirmities and so excludeth all prescribed prayers which must render the dictating power of the spirit uselesse unlesse the prayer be in an unknown Tongue or ambiguous phrase much at one with latine-service where the spirit is needed as an interpreter not dictator or most perfectly comprehensive words that the mind may expatiate upon and that is peculiar to the Lords prayer and so that must be our only Liturgy That St. John the Baptist taught his Disciples to pray I yield and that our Saviour teaching his propounded to them a most perfect prayer compendious for the manner but most comprehensive for the matter of the expression to be their pattern no serious sober Christian can or will deny but that they were confined to the only or constant use there of none do or dare affirm or that it should be to them the Dictator of a standing Liturgy cannot be rationally inferred because the prescription of it affords no premifes to enforce such a conclusion the Disciples who learned that they might teach the Church never improved it to such an end themselves prayed often and openly in the Church yet only in their own expressions for ought appears to us by holy writ and the nature and order of prayer being a serious expression of the hearts sensible conception doth

Prayer I cannot deny but a Liturgy may be useful to many Ministers at least who go for such in this Land men of meaner abilities and not able to expresse themselves publickly in every prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yea so far am I from conceit of my own gifts though the Doctor charge us with pride and ostentation that if my gifts be not sufficient I will freely use the Liturgy when purged from things offensive as the Doctor would have me or rather lay down my Ministry as thinking Christ never called me to it if He hath not bestowed on me a gift of prayer in some measure sufficient So that this will clear me that I am not a man absolutely against Liturgies nor the Book of Common-prayer But because I am weak and need it that therefore it must be imposed upon the ablest men and so that in the Sacraments pag. 27. All Ministers must be commanded wholly and solely to use the Liturgical Forms as this Doctor would have it this I am not as yet satisfied in nor can I yield to it However this man scoffs at mens private gifts yet he cannot but acknowledge pag. 19. that some men have real and useful gifts which he esteems and denies not their use and in pag. 39. tells us That God be thanked by Divine permission people may enjoy them How is this by Divine permission Is this all the Warrant we have from God for the use of the gifts which he requires to be in a Minister and gives to them whom he calls into the Ministry What no more than for the foulest sin which God permits What say the learned Permittere propriè loquendo est Twis Vindic Gra. 2. p. dig 3. neque facere ut aliquid fiat neque impedire ne fiat But if you say Perm●ssion reacheth to things that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Have we no more warrant for the use of our gifts from God than we have to go this or that way to London which we please This is strange Divinity For my part when I think of these things First That Jesus Christ purchased and when he ascended gave gifts to men Eph. 4.8 and some of these men are Pastors v. 11. and I am sure the gift of Prayer is one Secondly That God promised to give the gift of prayer Zech. 12.20 which Bishop Hall interprets thus I will pour out upon my Church c. though I think it hath a more special reference to the Jews as yet to be converted yet the Lord doth not onely promise to them Thirdly When I read Rom. 8.26 That the Spirit is given to help our infirmities when we know not what to pray for as we ought Fourthly When I cannot find that ever Liturgies were imposed upon the Church not upon the Jews in their best state nor I am sure upon the Christian Churches though the Apostles had more ability to compose and authority to impose Liturgies upon the Church than any now Fifthly When I observe the Arguments men produce for Liturgies do take away the whole gift of prayer from the ablest man Sixthly When the same Arguments were in as much force in the Apostles days as they are now yet they were not so witty to invent Liturgies or to impose them on the Church Seventhly When men may as well take away the gift of Preaching as of Prayer the same Arguments will remove the one as well as the other Eighthly When I see the same Confessions Petitions c. which are made in the Liturgies read are presently made with more enlargement by those who pray by their own gift with the assistance of the Spirit Ninthly When this tying up to Liturgies and that wholly in Sacraments c. quite destroys that Petition in our preparations and prayers for the assistance of the Spirit as to the matter of our prayer acknowledging our own inability to think one good thought for we are tied exactly to words When I consider these with other Arguments and some which I shall mention when I come to the Doctors pressing our Liturgy I cannot be satisfied how any Liturgies can be imposed on any whom God hath qualified and they make me question our use of them when they are imposed especially when I come to add what I find against ours in Dr. Gauden Sectio secunda NOw then to the Doctors reasons for Liturgy which he gives us pag. 9 10 11. In general I may onely say this if the giving of seeming reasons for a thing in which the Doctor hath some advantage through great words and Rhetoricall flourishes will prove it a truth in Divinity what Heresie shall not be a truth Then those reasons which Perronus offered to give the King of France to prove there was no God might have proved that to have been a Truth which Atheistical hearts would have to be true and Vaninu like a simple man could suffer in the defence of But in these things I provoke Doctor Gauden to King Charls the First his Rule i.e. the Scriptures of God To Deut. 4.2 to Isa 8.22 Matth. 28.19 20. 2 Tim. 3.15 16. Is the Word a perfect Rule or no if it be what do Carpenters and Masons with their Rules do they not apply them to their works and see how they answer them Do you the same with this Divine Canon apply it to your whole discourse and see how it agrees apply the second Commandment if all you have said accord with that Rule we will readily obey and fools we were to stand out to hinder our liberties and carnal preferments But however let us weigh his Reasons he is so full of words that I must contract what I can His first is this A Liturgy conduceth much to the more solemn august and reverent worship of the Divine Majesty in Christian C●ngregations where otherwise the venerable Mysteries must be exposed to that rudenesse and unpreparednesse that barrenness and superficialnesse both for matter and manner judgment and expression to which every private Minister is daily subject as late experience hath taught us Answ 1 Answer Is there such a Divine Majesty as you speak of then the good Lord humble and pardon me for want of due reverence becoming his presence it seems you take care for the reverence of him 't is well done But Sir hath not this Divine Majesty given to the sons of men a Rule according to which they must worship him then show your reverence to this Divine Majesty by proving your humane inventions in his worship and of imposed Liturgies on his ablest servants by his Rule else what ever you talk of reverence 't is but will-worship as the Apostle hath it Col. 2.23 If I through my sin and infirmity am not able to reverence him as becomes him this is my infirmity I desire to repent and fly to my High Priest for pardon but for men to bring in their Modes of worship as more highly conducing to his reverent worship for which we cannot