Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	know_v	see_v	word_n	6,183	5	3.9903	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53117	The fall of man by sinne delivered in a sermon preached at the late solemne fast, Aug. 28, 1644 : wherein these three positions are briefly handled : 1. That all men are miserably fallen from God by sin, and are in a lost condition, 2. That we must see ourselves thus fallen, and utterly lost in ourselves, before we can convert and turn to God by repentance, 3. That formes of prayer may, in some cases be lawfully and warrantably used : published at the request of that truly religious and vertuous gentlewoman, mistris Elizabeth Barnham, wife to the worshipfull Robert Barnham, Esq. / by William Newport, Preacher of the word at Boughton Monchelsey in Kent.	Newport, William, Preacher of the word at Boughton Monchelsey in Kent.	1644 (1644)	Wing N940; ESTC R3278	14,865	30

but argue a quick apprehension and nimble expression c. no doubt but he that askes them the same may aske them with as much earnestnesse and as good an affection as the other Our Saviour in his agony said Father if it be possible c. and went again and again and used the same words Matth. 26.49 Not that he that was the eternal Word of the Father wanted variety of words to expresse himself but for our example to shew that wee may even with zeale and earnestnesse aske the same things again and again in the same words Howbeit for a Christian to be absolutely word-bound to be tied so to anothers forme or his own that he hath no liberty to vary in any expression is a great bondage and deading to his spirit and may occasion a great deale of meere formality in prayer But now when a Christian hath need to aske some speciall mercy either in his own behalfe or the behalfe of his neighbour or in the behalfe of the whole Church of God or when he receives some new mercy There is no question but he is to aske the one and to give thankes for the other in new expressions This therefore is that which I determine viz. that weak Christians may use forms as helps to their infirmity until they gather more strength and that then they are to lay them aside as a lame man his crutches when hee is recovered his lamenesse And as for those that are better able they may aske those things they daily need in the same words and give thankes for those things they daily receive in the same expressions so that they looke that they bee not meerely formall in what they do and that otherwise every growne Christian is to vary as his occasions do vary Harris in his Quaeries and cases touching theory and practice of Prayer And this is the sentence of one of our Divines of that Assembly that comes behind none of them as I suppose for learning naturall abilities or grace Vse 1 This blames therefore two sorts of men 1. The Anabaptists and those of the Seperation that condemne not only corrupt formes but all formes of prayer holding the use of them to be a meere superstitious will-worship for they say it is not to pray in the spirit and if the formes bee composed by others that it is to worship God by mens inventions Of whom I would know whether the godly Jewes using this forme prescribed by the Prophet with a good heart did pray in the spirit or no I hope they will not deny it Next I would know by whose invention they worship God when they conceive a prayer If they shall say that 't is by the invention of the Spirit of God that is the opinion of the Entheusiasts which look to have the Spirit put words into their mouthes which is as much as ever it did for the Prophets and Apostles whereas the Spirit in ordinary times such as ours only stirs up holy desires in the soule the formation of these desires into verball petitions depends upon mens naturall abilities as we may see by every dayes experience Rom. 8.2 The spirit helpeth our infirmities with sighs and grones not with words and phrases There are that looke for all those gifts now that the eminentest in the Apostles times had viz. That their sonnes and their daughters shall prophesie that their old men shall dreame dreames and that their young men shall see visions Joel 2.28 I am confident that many both old and young in this age dreame more dreames and divulge them too then tend to the glory of God or the good of his Church But why doe not these and their children undertake to foretell things to come too as Agabus and others did in the Apostles times If they cannot do that I le ne're beleeve they can speak by the spirit of prophesie Besides what do these men think of all those formes of prayer mentioned before used by Moses Christ and his Apostles Object Reading and praying bee two things therefore a man cannot doe both at once reade a forme and pray too Answ I deny the consequence they are two such things as may well enough goe together A man may sing and pray and therefore no doubt he may reade and pray too The modulation of the voice in singing is as likely to take off the heart from the matter as the use of the eye in reading 2. Some formalists thinke that nothing can be done without formes and therefore when they are in any distresse presently they mumble over the Lords Prayer or some other that they have learnt by rote without any understanding or heart at all These are just like our foolish Papists that use their prayers in all temptations and afflictions as charmes and spels to remove the evils from them This is only to take the Lords Name in vain to abuse his Titles and his Word and to provoke him to more wrath and indignation against them Though I like not the former yet I like these you must thinke worse by many degrees the former have some good-wil to Religion though mis-led but these are grossely ignorant and dangerously hypocriticall for they draw neere to God with their lips and honour him with their mouthes when their hearts are not with him Let mee exhort those that in regard of knowledge and utterance cannot pray without the help of a forme to labour to get good and wholesome formes and to make use of them we see that the use of them in this case is warranted But let such take these two cautions along with them 1. Let them look that they be not meerly formall in what they do in this kind And therefore they should get them such formes as they understand and must when they have them looke that they utter them with an apprehension and feeling of their own wants in every petition and with an earnest desire to have them supplyed 't is the understanding and the fervent prayer that prevailes with God 1 Cor. 14.15 16. James 5.16 2. Let them not rest upon forms thinking they doe enough because they make use of them and pray by them but let them resolve to use them only as helpes to their dulnesse and incapacity for a time with a purpose to lay them aside when they shall through Gods grace and their earnest endevours get more knowledge and better abilities And therefore they yea all of us should be much imployed in searching out our own wants and in the study of the holy Scriptures that in the one wee may find matter of Prayer and in the other we find out fit words and phrases to expresse our selves in that variety of occasions that wee shall meet withall in the many turnings and windings of our lives He that takes this course with a resolution through Gods assistance to get ability in this kind will find a great deale of comfort in it and get that ability to speak in prayer pro re nata as doth almost as much excell formes as a living man doth a dead cakasse FINIS

justice before we will appeale to the Throne of Mercy Vers 2 3. Take with your words c. HEre the Prophet shewes them the manner how hee would have them performe the duty hee would not have them come to the Lord empty but with these words Take away all iniquity and c. where he doth endevour to support their infirmity because a mind astonished knowes not what to say for Curae leves loquuntur ingentes stupent therefore he prescribes them a short but a pithy forme Turne to the Lord and say Take away c. Where wee have a kind of Antithesis laid downe betweene true and false repentance as if he should have said Yee have hitherto sought the Lord with sheepe and oxen chap. 5.6 yee have thought to please him with these sacrifices which hee loathes without true repentance But now saith he Take unto you words and shewes them what words they should use And lest they should thinke that there was nothing else but bare words required of them to be uttered like Parots without understanding apprehension or heart as hypocrites doe who thinke they have done enough when they have run over a forme of confession and praiers though after never so heartlesse a maner he shews that the thing signified by these words likewise is necessarily required viz. True conversion and turning to God that the mouth in prayer may speake from the heart and the heart by the mouth and therefore hee addes Turne to the Lord and say Take away all iniquity c. that is say it not only with your mouthes but from your hearts And the forme of words prescribed them stands of two parts First of a petition for mercy Secondly a restipulation of duty without the one we cannot be saved without the other we shall shew our selves ungratefull hypocrites and therefore both are necessary to true conversion The benefits that hee teacheth them to aske of God are two First That hee would remove all their evils of faults guilt and punishment Take away all iniquity and they say All because they acknowledge themselves guilty not of one sin or of a few transgressions but polluted with many This is a petition for the remission of sins Secondly They are taught to aske acceptation regeneration by the Spirit and the continuance of outward benefits in these words Receive good as 't is in the originall that is take it as it were in thine hand to give it us As Agar tooke a wife to Ismael her sonne that is gave him one Gen. 21.21 And as Christ when he ascended up on high received gifts for men Psal 68.18 that is to say to bestow them upon them The summe of the petition therefore is pardon our sinnes accept us in Christ regenerate and guide us by thy Spirit remove our calamities and afford us such temporals as are necessary for us In the restipulation we have a double promise 1. That they would celebrate the name of God with praise for his mercy Ashur shall not save c. so will we render the calves of our lips 2. That they would reforme their lives and so First That they would renounce all their sinnes especially their confidence in creatures and idols Secondly That they would endevour to performe their duties especially that which they had so much neglected viz. that they would hence-forth depend upon their God as a pupill or fatherlesse child upon his guardian So that in the manner of their repentance prescribed we have First the prescription of a forme of Prayer Take with you words returne and say Secondly the substance of the forme prescribed which stands First of a Petition Secondly Restipulation The Petition stands First of deprecation for the removall of evill Take away all c. Secondly Supplication for acceptation and a supply with all benefits spirituall and temporall In the Restipulation they promise First praise for mercies Secondly amendment of life First that they would abjure and renounce their former evil courses Secondly that they would performe neglected duties I begin with his prescription of a forme In that to helpe their weaknesse he prescribes them one wee may learne That formes of prayer in some cases may lawfully and warrantably be used As the people here by our Prophet so the Priests by the Prophet Joel are prescribed a forme Let the Priests the Ministers of the Lord weepe between the Porch and the Altar and say Spare thy people c. Joel 2.17 Moses a Prophet of the Lord who talked with him face to face used one forme when the Arke set forward and another when it rested Arise O Lord and let thine enemies bee scattered and let all that hate thee flee before thee And return O Lerd to the many thousands of Israel Numb 10.35 36. And so the Priest used a forme of prayer to blesse the people withall Numb 6.23 24. The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee c. The Psalmes are some of them wholly prayers and some prayers for the most part and yet all used by the Jewes in the solemne worship of God in the formes wherein they are written Our Saviour taught his Disciples a forme saying in one place After this manner Matth. 6.9 and in another When yee pray say Luke 11.2 intimating thereby that it may be used as a prayer so that it be done with understanding and heart and not used onely as a copy to write by Lastly the Apostle useth formes of benediction and malediction Grace to you and peace c. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. And since hee used short formes no doubt but we in some cases may use long ones Quest. But in what cases may we use them Answ 1 In case of infirmity as here when Christians for lack of naturall abilities of invention memory orutterance or being newly converted for want of exercise in the Word of life and for want of experience are not able to expresse themselves without a forme there is no doubt but they may make use of a forme either written or printed or learnt by heart As a man that is lame may make use of his crutches or a staffe to helpe him to go so may he that is weake in knowledge and utterance during the time of his weaknesse make use of a forme to pray by Howbeit when it pleaseth God to give him more strength Perkins Cases no doubt he is to lay aside his formes as a lame man recovered his crutches and to pray without them For without question every man is to serve God with his best abilities 2. In case a man hath occasion to aske againe and againe or daily the same things there is no question but a man may aske them in the same words therefore a man daily needs pardon of sinne strength of faith fortitude and patience c. There is no doubt but a man may aske these things daily in the same words to aske the same things in variety of words every time doth