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	sing_v	understanding_n	6,386	5	10.0280	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59894	A short summary of the principal controversies between the Church of England, and the church of Rome being a vindication of several Protestant doctrines, in answer to a late pamphlet intituled, Protestancy destitute of Scripture-proofs.	Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707.	1687 (1687)	Wing S3365; ESTC R22233	88,436	166

take it Let us then consider how he can adjust this Matter with St. Paul and the sum of what he says is this that St. Paul only forbids Inspired and Extempore Prayers in an unknown Tongue where there is no body to interpret but the setled Forms of Divine Offices may be in an unknown Tongue for all that This is certainly as little as can be said and as little to the purpose for whoever considers the place will find that all the Apostles Arguments are against an unknown Tongue for this very Reason because it is unknown and not understood and then if we must not use an unknown Tongue in Religious Worship we must not use an unknown Tongue in our setled and ordinary Devotions There are three Arguments the Apostle uses which I think will reach our ordinary Devotions as well as inspired Gifts 1. That it is contrary to the Edification of the Church 2. That it contradicts the natural use of speaking 3. That it is contrary to the nature and end of Prayer 1. It is contrary to the Edification of the Church Now Brethren if I come unto you speaking with Tongues what shall I profit you except I shall speak to you either by Revelation or by Knowledge or by Prophecying or by Doctrine That is unless I speak something to you which you can understand and which may inform your Judgment as he adds In the Church I had rather speak five words with my Understanding that by my voice I might teach others also than ten thousand words in an unknown Tongue Now if these extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit were to be valued and used only for the Edification of the Church and to speak to the Instruction of others is to be preferred before speaking in an unknown Tongue by Inspiration then certainly the ordinary Service and Worship of God which is instituted on purpose for the Edification of the Church must be in a known Tongue when the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit themselves must give place to Edification For if the Apostle would have made any exception methinks he should have excepted these extraordinary Gifts For one would think whenever the holy Spirit inspires men they ought to speak whatever Language it be in for it seems strange that any man should forbid these to speak whom the Spirit inspires and yet we see the Exercise of these Gifts were restrained to make them serviceable to the Church and not to be for meer Pomp and Ostentation But for men who have no pretence to any such Inspiration to affect to speak in an unknown Tongue that they may not be understood is to deprive the Church of the Edification of Religious Offices without any pretence for doing so 2. To speak in an unknown Tongue contradicts the natural end and use of Speech For even things without life giving sounds whether Pipe or Harp except they give a distinction in the sounds how shall it be known what is piped or harped For if the Trumpet give an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to the Battel So likewise you except ye utter by the Tongue words easie to be understood how shall it be known what is spoken for ye shall speak into the Air There are it may be so many kinds of Voices in the World and none of them without signification therefore if I know not the meaning of the Voice I shall be unto him that speaketh a Barbarian and he that speaketh shall be a Barbarian unto me Is this Argument only against inspired Tongues or against the use of all unknown Tongues among Persons who do not understand them For this relates to the use of Speech in common Conversation as well as in the Offices of Religion and if Speech was given us to communicate our Thoughts to each other if it be so vain and absurd and useless a thing to talk to men in a Tongue which they do not understand it is much more absurd in Religion which does more straitly oblige us to mutual Edification For the use of words even in Prayer is not for the sake of God but men God knows our thoughts and therefore a mental Prayer is as acceptable to him without vocal words but the use of words is either to affect our selves and then they must be such words as we our selves understand or to direct others in the matter and form of their Prayers and then they must be such words as they understand or to unite the Affections and Desires of the whole Congregation at the same time in the same Petitions which is essential to publick Worship and then they must be such words as we all understand but to speak words which no body understands is to speak to no purpose which is absurd in common Conversation but profane in Religion 3ly Another Argument St. Paul uses against an unknown Tongue is That it is contrary to the nature of Prayer and religious Worship which must be a reasonable Service and therefore requires the exercise of the Understanding as well as Affections For if I pray in an unknown Tongue my Spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful What is it then I will pray with the spirit and will pray with the Understanding also I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the Understanding also Else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned that is every ordinary Christian who has not this gift of Tongues or of interpreting Tongues for there were no Clarks in those days to say Amen for the whole Congregation say Amen at thy giving of thanks seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest And if the Exercise of supernatural Gifts themselves which the Apostle seems here to call praying by the Spirit be not an acceptable Worship to God without the acts of our Reason and Understanding certainly an unknown Tongue is much more unjustifyable in our ordinary Devotions If the whole Congregation must say Amen to those Prayers which are offered to God and it be a ludicrous thing to say Amen to what we do not understand then whether the Prayers be inspired or composed it is necessary that the whole Congregation should understand them But our Author though very timerously insinuates an Answer or two to this one Reason why he thinks the setled Forms of Divine Offices are tacitely excepted by the Apostle and need not be performed in the vulgar and intelligible to every Auditor comes in in a Parenthesis and indeed was as fit for a Parenthesis as any thing could be for he will presently see that it might have been spared To many of which Divine Offices there is no necessity that all specially joyn and intend By which I suppose he means that there are several Offices in the Church of Rome which People are not bound to attend to nor joyn in and therefore there is no need they should understand them 1. Now in the first place I desire to know why