Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	saviour_n	spirit_n	worship_v	2,314	5	9.2452	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34547	A peaceable moderator, or, Some plain considerations to give satisfaction to such as stand dis-affected to our Book of common prayer established by authority clearing it from the aspersion of popery, and giving the reasons of all the things therein contained and prescribed / made by Alan Carr ...	Carr, Alan, d. 1668.	1665 (1665)	Wing C627; ESTC R18228	69,591	90

least Allowed for the Minister to use in Publick Divine Administrations And if we look upon Antiquity the Presbyterians themselves will and do confess in their Sm●ctym●●us The occasion that moved the Church to appoint a Publick Form and Liturgy at first was when the Arrian and Pelagian Heresies did invade the Church then because those Hereticks did convey and spread their poysonous Doctrine in their Forms of Prayer and Hymns the Church thought it convenient to restrain that Liberty and set an Order that none should vary in their Prayers but all should use the same Form which was approved of and prescribed Now be pleased to consider rightly of it doth not the same reason hold good with us Have we not too much cause to complain of our Errours Schisms Heresies and Divisions and so just cause and reason upon the same grounds to tie all to one Form not upon any Opinion that we conceive a set Form to be of an Absolute necessity but only expedient to stop Schisms and Errours to prevent those Extravagancies and to preserve Unity and Order 2. Be pleased without prejudice or any strong over-ruling Affection or Passion to take into your serious consideration this Argument If the Ministers conceived Prayer which he doth make as the Mouth of the Congregation wherein all the Congregation doth or should joyn with him in his suit to God for them and in their behalf is no stinting of the Spirit of God to them nor counted unlawful though it be a form to them why should a Prayer conceived by others and made and framed according to the Rules of prayer prescribed to the Minister to use for himself and the Congregation be a stinting of the Spirit to him or them That the Ministers conceived prayer is a Form to the people and Congregation assembled cannot be denyed they are tied to it as to a Form because they may not vary from him in their hearts but ought in their hearts to joyn every way with him in their Petitions to God still in their hearts going along with him for Matter Form and Manner of expression The tie in regard of a form is still one and a like if the people may be thus tied to the conceived prayer of their Minister which is a form to them why may not the Minister likewise be tied to a form conceived by others made according to the rules of prayer and prescribed to him both to use and follow If it be no stinting of the Spirit of God in the one then how can it be in the other We confess that without the help of the Spirit of God we cannot pray at all that is pray aright so as to find acceptance with God For the Apostle Paul telleth us 2 Cor. 3. 5. We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God and Phil. 2. 13 It is God which worketh in you the Will and the Deed even of his good pleasure So that i● must be the Spirit of God within us must move us to pray and work it within us moving our hearts to pray and we know God regardeth not multitude of words Matth. 6. 7. Floquent or Elegant Phrases or neat expressions it is the heart God looks upon how that is affected he regardeth the groans and desires of the heart issuing from true faith and proceeding from the Spirit of God as he telleth Moses Exod. 14. 15. Why dost thou cry unto me Neither can we think that the Spirit of God excludeth reason and prudence setting a mans Tongue so agoing that he cannot rule it and guide it or stop it at his pleasure Object 2. Prayer is a Spiritual work proceed●●g from the Spirit and a work of the Spirit therefore needeth not a Form or Book to pray b● or to read it upon a Book Our Saviour saith John 4. 23 24. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth for the Father requireth even such to woship him God is a Spirit and they tha● worship him must worship him i● Spirit and Truth And the Apostle Paul telleth us Rom. 8. 26. Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to p●ay as we ought but the spirit it self maketh Intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered or as the Old Translation is with sighs which cannot be expressed so that prayer needeth not the help of a Form or Book Answ Those words of our Saviour were spoken to the Woman of Samaria and are grounded on ver 20. as an answer to her words where she speaketh of the difference between the Jews and the Samaritans about the place of Gods worship The Samaritans tied the place of Gods worship to that Mountain called Gerizim The Jews to Jerusalem Christ telleth her that the time is now coming under the New Testament that the worship of God shall be tied to no certain place neither to that mountain nor to Jerusalem but the true worshippers shall worship God in Spirit and Truth The word Spirit is there set against that Commandment which is called carnal Heb. 7. 26. And Truth against the outward Ceremonies of the Law which were only shadows of things to come The meaning of them then must be this that under the New Testament Gods worship shall be tied to no certain place neither shall it consist in any outward corporal or carnal things sacrifices purifyings washings and the like Ceremonies of the Law they shall all cease and be ended in Christ But the true worshippers shall worship him in spirit and truth that is in a spiritual manner not with outward observances but the inward Devotion of the heart and mind The mind is there called the Spirit it is not meant of the Spirit of God but of the mind the spirit of man with true faith true love reverence obedience holiness and righteousness Now this we do acknowledge doth forbid and cut down all carnal worship if any man think that the outward action of reading a prayer upon a Book or in a ●ook is the worship of God but no man can deny but a man may pray by the spirit of God with sighs and groans proceeding from Faith when prayers are uttered after a prescript form or read upon a Book And for the words of the Apostle expositours give us the meaning thus There is no cause why we should faint under the burthen of our Afflictions seeing prayers yield us a strong defence help and comfort which cannot be in vain because they proceed from the spirit of God likewise the spirit helpeth our infirmities besides the support of faith hope and patience mentioned before the spirit helpeth to bear up 〈◊〉 burthen that we sink not under it for we know not what to pray as we ought but the spirit maketh Intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered that is the spirit doth move us and stir us up to prayer and doth as it were dictate words groans and

require nor injoyn these things altogether without reason Take a view examine all particulars the several gestures injoyned commanded by our Church The chief of all are these 1. Kneeling in the time of prayer 2. Standing up at the rehearsal of the Apostles Creed 3. Bowing at the Name of the Lord Jesus 4. Kneeling at the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper 1. Kneeling in time of prayer the Scripture doth hold out unto us especially these three several Gestures in the time of prayer 1. Prostrating and casting down our selves upon our faces in our prayers to God for this we have the example of our Saviour Christ Matthew 26. 39. it is said there of our Saviour Christ a little before he was apprehended That he went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed c. and Mark 14. 35. it is said He went forward a little and fell down upon the ground and prayed And thus we read of the Primitive Christians in former times the warning sound was no sooner heard but the Churches were presently filled the pavement covered with bodies prostrate and wash'd with tears of devout joy Ad Domos statim Dominicas currimus Corpora humi sternimus mixtis cum Fletu Gaudiis supplicamus faith Salvianus 2. Standing some suppose that the Israelites did many times stand and pray this Christ our Saviour seemeth to intimate Mark 11. 25. saying When ye shall stand and pray forgive 〈…〉 read of the Pharisee and Publican when they came b●●h 〈…〉 the Temple to pray Luke 18. it is said of the Pharisee 〈…〉 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself and of the 〈◊〉 ver 13. But the ●ublican standing afar off c. and Christ speaketh of the Pharisees Matthew 6. 5. And when thou prayest be no● 〈◊〉 the Hypocrites for they love to stand and pray in the Synagogues 〈◊〉 corners of the streets 3 Kneeling that was always the most usual Gesture thus we find everywhere in Scripture it is said of Solomon 1 Reg. 8. 54. when he had ended his prayer and supplication to the Lord for the Temple that he arose from kneeling upon his knees it is recorded of Daniel Dan. 6. 10. that he usually kneeled three times a day upon his knees and prayed praised his God and of St. Paul and the Church with him Act. 21. 6. When he departed from them they kneeled down upon the shoar and prayed Now the usual Gesture among us in time of prayer is either standing or kneeling we do not altogether disallow of standing in prayer but we may stand as a servant before his Master or as a subject before his Prince we may kneel upon our knees St. Stephen as we may suppose used both these Gestures praying for himself we may conjecture he prayed standing Act. 7. 59. it is said they stoned Stephen who called upon God and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit but ver 60. when he prayed for his enemies the Text saith And he kneeled down and prayed with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their charge But kneeling we account and judge the fittest posture to shew our true humility and our reverence to God This no man questioneth 2. Standing up at the rehearsal of the Apostles Creed and making our Christian confession this many stick at The reasons why this posture is injoyned and required may be these upon conjecture 1. To stir up the dulness and sluggishness of people and to keep them from slumbring and sleeping and to stir up their attention to consider of the several parts of the Service of God Common people are very dull and lumpish and many times very drowsie in the performance of the Service of God and having sate long in hearing the Psalms read unto them and the Chapters read are many times overtaken with slumbring and drowsiness and this standing up then at the rehearsal of the Creed may be a good means to cause them to shake off their drowsiness to keep them from slumbring and to quicken their attention to the Service they are about If there were nothing else this might in some mens judgments be a sufficient ground for this injunction as long as the Gesture is indifferent in it self 2. This standing up at the Creed the Confession of our Christian Faith may be required to teach blind and ignorant people and to inform them that the Creed is no prayer There be too many ignorant people notwithstanding the great Light we have and the plentiful means of instruction by continual Preaching Teaching and Catechising here among us yet still take this Creed to be a prayer which formerly by most was accounted among their prayers and so used by them as a prayer Now because ordinarily in our prayers we do kneel as is fitting and we are required This very posture of standing up at the rehearsal of this Creed may convince them fully that it is no prayer but a publick Confession and Profession of our Christian Faith 3. The chief reason at all why we stand up at the rehearsal of this the Apostles Creed is to shew our Christian resolution to maintain and defend this our Christian Doctrine For this Creed is a short abridgment and Epitome of all the Apostles Doctrine which they received from Christ our Saviour and delivered to us in the New Testament The rule of our Faith the Touch-stone of Truth the very Pith and Substance of our Christian Religion the very Badge and Cognisance of a Christian whereby he is not only known from Pagans but distinguished from Hereticks Therefore we are injoyned not only to stand up at the rehearsal of it but to joyn our selves also in rehearsing it to testifie to the world our readiness and constancy to maintain this our Religion and Profession being the true Catholick Faith whereof this is a full abridgment that we are willing to stand to it to the death and to live and die in the Profession of it 3. Bowing at the Name of the Lord Jesus this indeed is also required that as all persons should reverently kneel upon their knees when the general Confession and other prayers were made stand up at the saying of the Creed and Belief so when in the time of Divine Service the Lord Jesus should be mentioned due and lowly reverence should be done by all persons present testifying by these outward Ceremonies and Gesture their inward humility Christian Resolution and due acknowledgement that the Lord Jesus Christ the true and eternal Son of God is the only Saviour of the world in whom alone all the Mercies Graces and Promises of God to mankind for this life and the life to come are fully wholly comprised according to that of S. Peter Act. 4. 12. Neither is there Salvation in any other for among men there is given none other Name under heaven whereby we must be saved Though all do not agree that this bowing is either commanded in those words of the Apostle Phil.