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
A33973	A reasonable account why some pious, nonconforming ministers in England judge it sinful for them to perform their ministerial acts, in publick, solemn prayer by the prescribed forms of others wherein several of their arguments are modestly propounded, opended and justified against pretended answers given to them, either by Ireneus Freeman, or Mr. Falconer, in his book entituled Liberitas ecclesiastica, or others : the strength also of the several arguments brought by them, for the lawfulness of forms to be used universally by ministers, in their publick ministrations, is fairly tried.	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.; Freeman, Ireneus.; Falkner, William, d. 1682. Libertas ecclesiastica.	1679 (1679)	Wing C5330; ESTC R14423	97,441	180

ministers duty in Preaching What is the reason Because he who doth not exercise his own gift in inventing and composing Christ hath bid us Go Preach What then is the meaning of that Have not all Divines agreed to interpret it thus Go stir up the gift that is in you Give your selves to the study of the holy Scriptures and to Meditation Compose discourses of Christ and Gospel-doctrines then communicate them by your voice to people opening to them the sense of the Scriptures applying the will of God reveiled in them to the consciences of all dividing the word of God aright that you may shew your selves workmen that need not be ashamed Christ hath also bid us Pray his great Apostle hath commanded That supplications prayers intercessions and givingthanks be made for all men How come we to interpret this thus Go read a form or forms of words which other men have made for you We do not so interpret Go preach It is true as we hinted before there is a praying in the Spirit which some who have no mind to consider the force of an argument may object to us but we are speaking of Vocal ministerial prayer and what is the will of God in commands which relate to that species of prayer Such prayer alone he can use who in that duty ministreth unto others and every one will grant That there is such a duty A whole Congregation must not pray in the Spirit onely without any voice heard The Question is Whether he who in prayer ministreth to others more fulfilleth the precept of God concerning ministerial prayer then he who readeth or reciteth onely other mens Sermons fulfilleth the precept concerning Preaching We think not § 3 It is yet a farther question If he onely readeth such prayers Because the words used in Scripture in all languages to express reading are quite other from those used to express our duty in praying and the action of Reading and praying are quite differently expressed to us Those who know any thing know That the Hebrews had a great scarcity of words the Radical words in their language hardly bearing the proportion of a fifth part to those in Greek or Latine So as they are forced to make use of the same words to signify sometimes quite contrary actions Ordinarily to signify diverse actions if they have but the least cognation each to other So that it is not so easy to argue from the old Testament upon this Topick Yet we cannot but observe that the words used Hos 14. 2. Joel 2. 17. is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We will not be too confident of it but we are not aware of any text in the old Testament where it signifieth that kind of speech which is but the recitation or repetition of words formed by others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indeed which is generally used to express Reading when it is joined with upon the Lord or upon the name of the Lord doth sometimes signify the action of prayer As it never signifys to read without the addition of The book of the law or the law or some such substantive following it Both Pagnine and Buxtorf say it properly signifyes Clamare voce significativâ verbis expressis conceptis But as we before said the execeding penury of words in that language makes it hard to establish an argument from proper and significant words in it In the Greek the case is much plainer The precepts for prayer are every where expressed there by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. never by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the proper word used to signify reading In short Speaking may be conceived by us as a Generical term and is either Mental or Vocal The first we call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a speaking to the capacity and understanding or sense at least of others so as they may know what we say And this again is twofold 1 The one is The re-forming of words which others have first conceived in their minds and committed to writing for us or which they dictate to us If they be written down or printed for us and we recite them looking upon the characters in the books This we call Reading Criticks tell us That Legere est oculis scripta percurere quoniam literae oculis legi id est collegi videntur This cannot be done without the help of our eyes which gathering up the letters makes a representation of them to our understandings This action the Greeks express by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or else we Reform words conceived by others and dictated to us our ears there gathering up the sounds of them This in English we call Reciting or Repeating The Latines Recitare Repetere from re and cito or re Peto 2 There is a speaking which is the forming of words which we have first formed and our selves conceived in our own hearts Neither Legere nor repetere nor recitare in Latine Nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Greek are expressive of this action Every one would deride him that being to express the action of him who made an argument or pronounced an Oration should either in Greek say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in Latine Legit orationem The words express Actions specifically distinct so as though we lay a greater stress upon our arguments before mentioned then upon t is yet we cannot think this altogether vain and impertinent we cannot but make a great question Whether if we should think to fulfil the command of God for our duty in Vocal and ministerial prayer by a reading forms ready composed for us we should not come short of what God requires of us in the action and so both mock God and deceive our own souls we can find neither precept nor president for such praying CHAP. VIII The Seventh Argument from the tendency of the principle to level the sacred office of the ministry to the capacity of the meanest of the people stated proved The last from the Vnblest effects of forms universally imposed Three bitter effects or consequents instanced in proved from experience and Reason The conclusion of the Arguments against the lawfulness of prescribed forms to be universally imposed or used § 1 WE proceed to a Seventh Argument That principle which levelleth the performances of the great and sacred office of the ministry to the capacity of the meanest of the people cannot be a true principle But this Principle That it is lawful for a minister of the gospel ordinarily to perform his ministerial acts in prayer by the prescribed forms of others levelleth the performances of the great and sacred office of the ministry to the capacity of the meanest of the people Ergo. That Principle is not true The proposition doth but presume the truth of this That God would never have erected an office or order of persons in his church to

becometh an unlawful mean and lawful for us to omit it though we pray less fervently therefore he tells us p. 23. He that is by the Magistrate forbidden to go to the next church and therefore is necessitated to go to one more remote must needs be more indisposed to prayer by his long journy except some men of a temper by themselves so that he shall not perform the duty with so high an intention of mind or fervency of Spirit as might probably be experienced in case he came to the church less wearied and weather beaten but yet such a man may lawfully go to the farthest church and pray there though these hinderances of intention and fervency be consequent thereupon because they are necessary not voluntary he wisheth the case were otherwise with him but as the case standeth if he should go to the next church contrary to the Magistrates Prohibition he should sin and Evil is not to be done that Good may come of it especially when a greater evil might come of it then the good aimed at as in this Case § 20 To all which we answer God send his church in England better Divines then this Author The case is this The unlawfulness of ministers ordinary use of forms prescribed by others was indevoured to be proved because it hindred intention of mind and fervency of Spirit Two things from reason and by Gods special command and determination necessary to every good prayer He grants they are both necessary whence it followeth That he who omitteth any means given or allowed him by God being natural rational which may help him in this must needs sin against God whose law commanding an End always commandeth the use of all proper Means relating to it He granteth this a Mean in it self lawful he must acknowledge it proper and natural yet he saith It is no sin to omit it and so consequently no sin for one to serve God with a lesser intention and fervency when we have a natural power to serve him with a greater intention and fervency And why none Because he saith It is necessary not voluntary Is it not voluntary That is strange he did not put the case of the Magistrates forcing him to be draged to another place at such a distance where his Spirits must be exhausted before he could come How was it necessary then Not naturally not by coaction It remaineth therefore that it must be necessary by some divine determination In what leafe of Scripture shall we find it He offers no texts but what commands our obedience to Magistrates But is there any Scripture requireth an obedience to man in all things Or must those texts be limited to such things where we may obey them without disobeying God Thus this Author hath finely answered by begging the question which is Whether it be lawful to omit the use of a proper Mean given by God for the performance of an Act in his worship according to his will The Apostles surely determined better Whether it be better to obey God or man judge you To his instance therefore the Answer is easy If when we may with equal advantage to our souls go to a nearer church and to one farther but yet not at such a distance as before we come there we shall be spent our Spirits exhausted and we fitter to sleep then to serve God we think we ought to obey But if they will command us to go to a place at such a distance as we cannot reach in any time or without such a wasting tyring of our Spirits as when we come there we shall be unfit for the service of God we cannot obey He trifleth to say The thing is Inexpedient It is unlawful and he is a fallacious Sophister in Divinity who talkes of chusing lesser evils of sin before greater There can be no necessity of sinning § 21 In his p. 26. he seemeth to hint a time when a less intention is more acceptable to God then a greater That time we would gladly know for the Scripture saith nothing of it He tells us when the Over-plus ariseth from the gift not from the Grace This is a strange nick of time we always thought The grace exercised in prayer lay very much in Gods assistance of us to keep our minds attent to our duty and intent upon fervent with God in our duty so that to us it seems a strange piece of sense That the overplus of Attention Intention and Fervency should proceed not from the Grace but from the gift he goes on tells us p. 28. Seeing the same things are prayed for in the Litany which can be the matter of the longest conceived prayer though not in that variety novelty and elegancy of Phrase if the heat and the intention they speak of proceeded from the strength of their desire to the things themselves it would be equal in both cases but seeing it is not equal it must needs proceed from some other cause and probably from some of those assigned § 22 He saith true It must either proceed from some different matter or some other cause But 1 we doubt whether what he sayes of the Litany be true We think it far short of conteining the whole matter of ordinary Confession or Petitions or thanksgivings See what the Commissioners at the Savy in their papers since printed have said to this But suppose 2 The matter were ful Can there be nothing else frigidam suffundere to cool a Christians Spirit What if there be a mixture of something else which a Christian cannot in his judgment allow In the Popish Missal is much excellent matter but we should think him but a luke-warm Protestant that could be fervent in Spirit serving the Lord by it It is a great cooling to a Christians Spirit when his mind suggests doubts to him Whether this be a way mode or method of worship which God will accept because never directed by him Here we instead of stirring up exercising our own gifts and ministring them borrow the gifts of others and serve God with what costs us nothing but a little lip labour § 23 To conclude for this Author we need no more then Mr. Ireneus against Mr. Freeman Every man is bound to pray with the highest intention of mind and fervency of Spirit which he can by just means attain But he who having an ability to express his own wants wants of others to God in prayer in words first formed in his own heart doth in the exercise of prayer use the forms of other men doth not pray with the greatest intention of mind fervor of Spirit which can be obtained by just means Ergo. This is M r. Ireneus argument in his book called The Reasonableness of Divine service Let M r. Freeman answer it we profess we cannot The Major is made up of M r. Ireneus his own words in the aforesaid book p. 22. The Minor is not onely said by Mr. Ireneus but proved too

by the learned Author of Altare Damescenum in conceived prayer The heart is first inflamed and made apprehensive of the Greatness Majesty of God the vileness sinfulness of its self c. And upon the working of these affections words are formed in the mind and then thrust out at the lips In the use of the prescribed forms of others words are first which indeed uttered may excite some affection or in the uttering be attended by some affection but there is a great deal of difference betwixt the workings of the affections thus commanded and prest into the service or thus caused and following words uttered and the workings of affections first inflamed then commanding our words It is true That if a man be to use prescribed forms there may be some general previous preparation of the Affections but he who will deal truly with his own soul will find it hard to keep them up and warm so long as until he cometh to his work Nor do we think it possible that the words of another should so well fit our hearts and be so expressive of raised Affections as our own An orator let him be as much an Artist as he can will find it no easy thing to give one of Tullies Orations recited by him such an accent as he can easily give one whom he himself hath formed There is something not so easy to be expressed what in our own words to express the Affections of our hearts and conducive to keep up their warmth vigour which is not in the words of another which are to the soul as Sauls armour to David we hardly think it possible we are sure not ordinary for a minister to preach a sermon of anothers with that life and vigour with which he can do one formed by himself § 9 If the minister readeth his forms there is a manifest impossibility of the like degree of intention For it is the soul which looking through the eye directeth it so as a man readeth true so is plainly diverted from its immediate contemplation of fixation upon God § 10 But here the author of The Reasonableness of Divine service comes across us tells us for a first answer to this Argument P. 30. He that prays without book especially with Vocal prayer must needs look upon the like Prints and stamps made in the brain or whatsoever things the species are without which a man can neither think nor speak they must be accounted objects And the legible signs in the book do serve to bring the inward phantasms more readily in actual view and to marshal them with less labour diversion or disturbance He saith well or what ever things the species are It is indeed a notion vulgarly received That all understanding is by some sensible or intelligible species or prints of things in the brain But it is very like the author knows that Philosophers have found it hard to determin what those effluvia are Where they lodge How the soul worketh in the use of them and in these things the best Philosopher is but a Lover of wisdom cannot say it shall dy with him Suppose a child born blind deaf yet it may understand something but by what species we cannot tell To say it is by some connate species contradicteth Philosophy Acquired it can have none If we say it is by Infused species we make it an early Enthusiast and we have better ground by far to say That he who prayeth hath such because the Spirit is promised in the case Rom. 8. 26. Because we know not what to pray for § 11 But supposing what he saith That he who prayeth Vocally by words first conceived in his own heart must first attend to the prints in his brain of the words which he is about to utter yet Surely the Author of this answer might have considred 1 That he who readeth forms must first attend to the prints in his book and then to the prints which are made by the Effluvia from the book in his brain before he can speak so as here is a double act whereas the other is but single 2 Again The first attention to the prints in our brains is necessary according to the order of Nature our author himself tells us without them we can neither speak nor think 3 Farther That Attention of the soul within it self is an immanent act but the viewing of a book and the prints there and its excercising it self in the composition of those syllables and words is not so not terminated within the soul not naturally necessary to the action nor necessary from any immediate divine precept But a perfect unnecessary diversion and a most certain hindrance of the minds intension because it is impossible that any created being should in the same action duly intend two objects We remember the schoolmen first supposing what is false That when Christ in his last Supper gave his body to his disciples he did also offer it up as a Sacrifice to God start a question How he could do both these at the same time with a due intension They say he could Quia intentionem habuit perfectissimam Because he had a most perfect intension a Priviledge we hope our Brethren will not challenge for every clergy man But this is enough to have said for the Ministers intention § 12 The Intension of the people is matter of far more subtil disquisition The very learned Author of the book called Altare Damascenum p. 1614 hath this expression Et puto ego auditores c. And I think saith he that the people do feel another kind of flame or Affection when the minister goeth before them in words determined from his affection going before then from affections following after words especially when the hearers are a little wonted to the prescribed forms We do think the same thing and believe it a notion which will justify it self to the experience of every pious deliberate Soul Possibly it is not so easy to assign the true reason of this difference whether it be some secret sympathy of pious souls 2 Or some more special assistance of God to and influence upon his ministers doing their duty suggesting to them what to speak best suted to their peoples souls Or whether we should lay it upon peoples infirmity indisposing them to bend their minds so to forms said over over Which if it be it is such as human nature is not like to quit it self off Nor in our case is it at all necessary to assign the reason The question being onely about the Ansit Whether it be so or no And we cannot but observe that the Author of the Reasonableness of Divine service p. 31. doth after some words confess That he who himself is in speaking affected is most like to affect others if he be as clear as rational and persuasive The Noncon will easily agree that he is not so likely if his discourse be irrational confused dark flat

§ 13 But the same Author offers at a second answer he had granted both the Major Minor proposition The Major p. 22 in these words Every man is bound to pray with the highest intention of mind and fervency of Spirit which can be obtained by lawful means we dare say no Noncon will ask him more The minor he grants again again Sect 7. p. 25 26 27. What will he deny then nothing remains but the Conclusion He would fix this intention of mind in conceived more then in prescribed forms of prayer upon some as he thinks false bottoms He instanceth in 8. 1 Prejudice against the use of forms 2 Novelty of words and phrases 3 The exercise of gifts with which we are more delighted then the exercise of grace 4 The Natural delight men have in their own more then in others Inventions 5 The scope men have conceived in Prayers for glory ostentation 6 The tumults of bodily Spirits 7 The bending their minds in Invention 8 The straining their bodies by drawing out words Now to this we answer First § 14 Either these must be the onely causes of greater Intension fervency of Spirit in conceived then in prescribed forms of prayers or else this is nothing to the purpose and onely concerneth those to whom these alone are the causes of such greater fervor intention But we have before shewed these are not the onely causes but because the soul is not so much diverted c. as it must be in the use of forms § 15 But Secondly When we have reminded our Reader what we understand by fervor and intention of soul we will consider the eight particulars which the Author confesseth contributary to it By the souls Attention we mean It s immediate contemplation of God without diversions to other objects A thing so necessary that the soul which doth not its utmost toward it doth but mock God and cannot be serious with him A Schoolmaster if he can discern it will not indure the Omission of it in a boys saying his lesson to him It is in short for the soul hoc agere indeed to do what it pretends to do My heart is fixed ô God! saith David my heart is fixed By Intention Fervor of Spirit we understand That holy zeal heat which the soul should be in in all religious acts required of all Gods servants Rom. 12. 11. Commended in Apollos Acts. 18. 15. But especially in Prayer called crying unto God A pouring out of our souls hearts before him A wrestling with him as in Jacobs case Hos 12. 4. This prayer is that which St. James calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam. 5. 16. Thus Epaphras laboured in prayer fervently Col. 4. 12. We mean nothing less by it then the heat of the Brain or the body about which this Author trifleth at a strange rate we mean the heat of the Inward man which lies in the intense motions of the affection of Sorrow in confessing sin Desires in putting up petitions Joy in thanksgivings c. The eagerness of the soul to and in its work That which David calls The souls pressing after God Jacob A not letting God go The Prophet A not being quiet not holding our peace c. The duty required in the first commandment so far as concerneth prayer serving God with all our heart all our soul all our strength This being now every Ministers yea every private Christians duty We say Whatsoever means nature it self reason or our particular experience or Gods word dictateth as proper in order to it we must not we can not in Obedience to mans command barely omit And whatsoever either Gods word or nature it self or reason or our Experience sheweth us will in any degree hinder this it must be sinful let who will require it as being contrary to our Duty expressly required in the First and Great commandment And in many particular Scriptures referrable unto that § 16 This Assertion standeth upon that foundation confessed by all Divines That the precept requiring the end doth also include the means which surely must not be interpreted with an exception viz. Except superiours forbid the use of such means or commands the use of the contrary c. The precept legitimateth the means if another particular divine precept hath not forbidden them which it most certainly hath not § 17 To come then close to our Author 1 If the Bending of the mind to think what to ask of God how to ask it 2 If the exercise of gifts at the same time when grace is to be exercised will conduce to the farther exercise of grace and the not exercising them will in any degree hinder such exercise of grace 3 If the natural proness which is in man rather to have his heart dilate to be fervent in the use of words first formed in his own heart do evince that this fervor doth most usually attend conceived Prayers 4 If the tumult of bodily Spirits as he calls it being first occasioned by the souls intension upon its work being raised once will help the fervor of the soul nay 5 If the novelty of words and phrases will do it and these are five of the eight things which himself confesseth may cause it he must shew us they are sinful causes or he hath granted all we contend for § 18 If indeed as that Author would uncharitably enough insinuate the fervor of him who prayeth by conceived prayer be meerly from prejudice against forms though he should have done well to have opened to us that causation it is something hard to conceive or 2 from a sinful end of Vain glory or foolish ostentati●n we do wholly condemn it And for his Eighth particular to us it wants an Interpreter how straining the body by drawing out words should cause fervency of soul So as what this Author pretendeth for an answer to our arguments is but a bundle of impertinencies having no cognation to an answer And indeed he who had so justly before granted us both Major Minor had nothing to do but like a young Logician to deny the Conclusion or to amuse us what he could with long and impertinent discourses But let us further take notice of some other loose passages in him and see whether any thing in them or in his distinctions will save him harmless § 19 He telleth us This fervency must be obtained by the use of just means This is most true and is not the use of a Gift given us by God for that end a just mean Is it not Natural Rational Scriptural Such a mean as the servants of God have used Is not this a just means think we That which he would have us to believe is That though it be our duty to pray with utmost fervor intention of Spirit and though in order to this Praying in the use of our own gifts be more proper effectual yet if the Magistrate forbiddeth us the use of this Mean it