Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	pray_v	prayer_n	supplication_n	6,912	5	11.1562	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07826	A treatise of the threefolde state of man wherein is handled, 1 His created holinesse in his innocencie. 2 His sinfulnesse since the fall of Adam. 3 His renewed holinesse in his regeneration.	Morton, Thomas, of Berwick.	1596 (1596)	STC 18199; ESTC S107028	195,331	462

and sayings the simplest man in the world could vse for a temporall commoditie how much more able would he be to call vpon God by prayer wherein there is farre more matter offred whether we regard the wretchednesse of the suter or the mercie and goodnesse of God But to returne to the matter in hande the third difference is that the carnall man prayeth very seldom yea for the most neuer but vpon some vrgent cause as when he is pinched with some grieuous crosse as sicknes or pouertie or when he is in some great danger as being in battaile on Land or in a tempeston the sea as we reade Ionas 1. 5. The Infidels in extream danger fell to praier These extremities will wring out of the most irreligious atheist some kinde of praier but not till he see that all other meanes do faile For till then he neuer thinketh on God But it is farre otherwise with the faithfull man for he praieth daylie hourly to the Lord he neuer wanteth matter of praying but taketh euerie occasion to pray if not openly and in wordes yet secretlie in his heart Yea the faithfull in all their dangers troubles miseries and affaires whatsoeuer do not put the means in the first and cheife place reposing their confidence therein but first they seeke for helpe at the handes of God and then trusting that he will giue a happie successe vse the meanes with all care and diligence Fourthly the carnall man doth not in praying vse either perseuerance in continuing his sute till it please God to heare him or yet patience in suffering with a quiet minde the delay of that which he desireth But if he be not heard at the first he straightway giueth ouer yea most commonly he waxeth so prophane and godlesse that he will neuer afterward pray to God tho he haue neuer so greate need and not resting herein he murmureth against God and in greate rage curseth all things that come in his sight or minde but the godly man is neuer wearied with calling vpon God but is content to tary the Lords leasure considering that God knoweth what is good for him better then he himselfe Fiftly the carnall man prayeth onely for temporall blessings as health peace riches honour and such other And if so be that he haue some knowledge of the life to come he will indeed desire that he may after this life be in heauen but you shall neuer heare him desiring to go in that way in this life which leadeth to heauen He desireth to be happy in the worlde to come but not to be holy and righteous in this worlde He would gladly be partaker of the ioyes of heauen but yet not with the condition of forsaking his earthly pleasures He thinketh it no wisdom to forgoe a certaine and present happinesse for that which will perhaps come but he knoweth not when neither can any man make him as he thinketh any good assurance of it but the faithfull man counteth all worldly pleasures to be as they are in deed but as drosse and dung in comparison of spirituall graces and therefore his prayers are cheifly of those things which concerne his eternal saluation Sixtly the carnall man prayeth onely for him selfe for his children and friendes by whom he may haue some temporall comfort or profit neuer remembring the affliction of Ioseph that is hauing no fellowe-feeling of the miseries of the church of God and of the particular members thereof whereas the faithfull desire the good of their brethren yea euen with their owne hurt if so it stand with the good pleasure of God Lastly which is the maine difference of all the carnall man prayeth without faith and therefore he cannot pray aright Rom. 10. 14. doubting as he hath good cause whether God will heare him or no whereas the faithfull man is vndoubtedly perswaded that God will graunt his desire if it be needfull for his saluation otherwise if it be some temporall blessing or some particular grace without the which he may be saued he knoweth that God will either graunt his request or make him plainely see and confesse that it is more for his good that his minde be not fulfilled in that behalfe Nowe for a conclusion we see howe greatly it behoueth euery one who would be accounted in the sight of God and man a true Christian to giue himselfe carefully to the attaining of this gift of prayer and to the performing of this dutie both by himselfe alone and also with his family especially if we do duely consider the manifolde commodities both temporall and spirituall which may be reaped by this meanes For as touching this present life hearty and feruent prayer comming from a faithfull man is health in sickenesse riches in pouertie safetie in daunger comforte in all aduersity yea it is all in all But farre more notable are the vses of it in regard of the spirituall life of our soules for prayer is the exercise of a mans soule as the worde of God is the foode and nourishment of it So that as a man cannot keepe his body for any long time in health strength vnlesse he vse some exercise yea although he doe fil it with meate and feede it most carefully euen so although a man doe heare the worde of God euery day preached vnto him yet vnlesse he do by this spirituall exercise of prayer drawe the sayd heauenly foode into the seuerall partes of his soule he shall sensibly feele his faith loue patience and all other partes of holinesse to decrease by little and little vntill at length they come to nothing yea as the exercising of the body doth not onely preserue it in the naturall vigour but also encreaseth the strength of it and keepeth it from sicknesse so by the dayly vse of prayer we shall finde that the Lord will encrease in vs all spirituall graces farre aboue our owne expectation or the opinion of any other And therefore let vs giue eare to the Apostles exhortation Eph. 6. 18. Take to you the helmet of your saluation which is the word of God and withall pray alwaies with all manner of prayers and supplications in the spirit and watch therevnto withall perseueraunce not onely for your selues but also for all saints Thus much of the duties of renewed filiall subiectiō which man oweth to God his heauenly father To the which one other duty of filiall subiectiō must be added to wit patience in regard of those manifold and grieuous afflictions wherewith God doth chastise trie and nurture his children For as the goldsmith intending to make pretious and excellent vessels fit for the vse of great kinges doth cast his gold into the fyre that so it may be come pure from all drosse so before that the faithfull can be vessels of honour fitte for the seruice of God in the kingdome of heauen they must be cast into the furnace of affliction and there be weaned from the vaine delightes and pleasures of sinne

entisements in all things Lastly as touching supplication which we make the third filial duty man is so wholly alienated from God that what necessitie soeuer do pinche him he hath not either the minde or the will and as we vse to speake neither the heart nor the face once to go to God by humble prayer for helpe He flyeth to worldly meanes as to his own wisdome strength riches and friendes and if all faile yet he will rather seeke for helpe by sorcery and witchcraft at the hands of his newe father the diuell then he will by prayer call vpon the name of God Thus are all vnregenerate men affected howsoeuer in a shew of religion or as a common prouerbe they will somtimes say God helpe me or God be mercifull to me whereas in trueth they being destitute of faith haue no confidence in God neither any hope of obtaining any thing at his hand Neither is there any cause why they shoulde thinke otherwise for God doth not heare and helpe but detest and plague vnbeleeuers Sect. 3. Of filiall subiection renewed THus we see how man is altogether spoiled by the malice of Sathan of this excellent dignitie of being the sonne of God but by the mercie of God he recouereth it in the state of regeneration in as ample manner as he had it in his first creation For as all naturall men are in Adam vngratious bastardes so they become the sonnes of God in Christ not by partaking his eternall and essentiall filiation whereof no creature is capable but by being renewed and made conformable to the holinesse of his humaine nature For as man lost this dignitie by loosing the image of God to wit his perfect holinesse by vertue whereof he onely of all earthly creatures was the sonne of God so being nowe by the spirite of God restored to the saide image of God he is together restored to the dignitie of being the sonne of God Ioh. 1. 12. As many as beleeued in him to those he gaue power to be the sonnes of God For as we read 2. Pet. 1. 4. We are made partakers of his diuine nature that is of the image or resemblaunce of the diuine nature in that we fly the corruption of lust which is in the world From this prerogatiue of being the sonnes of God the scripture speaking to men according to the manner of men whose sonnes do in time enioy their fathers possessions stirreth vp the faithfull to an vndoubted expectation of eternall glory Gal. 4. 7. We are no more seruantes but sonnes and the heires of God through Christ Rom. 8. 17. If we be sonnes then are we heires the heires truly of God and the fellow heires of Christ and 1. Iohn 3. 2. We are nowe the sonnes of God although our inheritaunce doth not appeare till Christ appeare Nowe to proceed As the faithfull are restored to this dignitie so they are indued by the spirite of God with the disposition belonging to it being so affected to God as children ought to be to their naturall fathers They reuerence him aboue al thinges in the worlde in worde and deed in minde harte and in all their behauiour The great securitie and certainty which they haue of their owne good estate doth not make them any way presumptuous neither doth the familiarity which God vouchsafeth to haue with them as with freindes Ioh. 15 15. Breed in them any contempt of God but they stand continually in awe of him and of his glorious presence yeelding to him his due honour both in word deed and affection whensoeuer they haue any occasion to deale with him This we may obserue as in the other seruants of God so especially in Abraham who although he was the friend of God as he is called Iam. 2. 23. And had familiar conuersation and talke with God as one friende vseth to haue with another yet he durst not speake the second time to God in the behalfe of the Sodomites without vsing some preface of reuerence saying Gen. 18. 27. Behold I haue taken vpon me to speake to God who am but dust and ashes And againe Vers. 30 let not my lord be angrie if I speake for them This affection of the faithfull is described Psal. 123 As the eyes of the seruant are vpon his lord and as the handmaid doth modestly waite in presence of her mistris so are we affected to God Likewise for the second duty which is Imitation the faithfull man endeuoureth by all meanes to conforme himselfe to the absolute puritie and holinesse of God Whereof the Apostle hauing wise consideration vseth the examples of Christes death and resurrection as most forcible argumentes to enforce the mortification of sinne and the viuification of all holynesse in vs Rom. 6. and Eph. 5. 1. Be ye followers of God as beloued children Lastly As a sonne being pinched with any griefe or want doth straight way run to his father for reliefe so doe the faithfull in the manifolde miseries and crosses of this present life seeke for helpe at the handes of their heauenly father For the which purpose they are indued with a notable gift of God called the spirit of prayer that is the grace ability or faculty of praying wrought in them by the holy spirite This grace of God is diligently to be declared and considered for that of all the partes of mans holinesse none is a more vnfallible signe of true regeneration then is this gift of prayer whereby a man is made able willing and ready to pray aright vnto God as the present occasion doth require For this gifte consisteth of many particular graces of Gods spirit the which are needfull for the right performance of this duety and cannot be founde in any carnall man First there is required the true knowledge of those things which belong vnto the good happy state of man which is not attained but by the worke of the holy spirite Rom. 8. 26. We know not for what to pray as we ought but the spirit helpeth our infirmity For all men generally and naturally feele their temporall wants as pouerty sicknesse shame and whatsoeuer belongeth to the maintenance of this present life but as for spirituall graces as the knowledge and feare of God faith loue patience and the rest which concerne their eternall saluation they neuer trouble themselues in seeking them or are greeued for the want of them nay for the most part they neuer thinke of any such matter or knowe what these thinges meane Besides none can pray aright yea although he be enlightned with some knowledge of the spirituall state of man and haue a glimmering of the thinges belonging vnto it as a carnal man may haue vnlesse he haue true faith wherby he may be assured that god both loueth him and wil graunt his requests Rom. 10. 14. The Apostle maketh it impossible for him who doth not beleeue in God to call vpon him But the