Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	holy_a	put_v	5,164	5	5.0928	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43573	Closet-prayer a Christian duty, or, A treatise upon Mat. VI, VI. tending to prove that worship of God in secret is the indispensible duty of all Christians ... together with a severe rebuke of Christians for their neglect of, or negligence in, the duty of closet-prayer, and many directions for the managing thereof ... / by O. Heywood.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1671 (1671)	Wing H1762; ESTC R24371	90,506	148

way to hire souls to approach to him by holding out promises of reward as we do offer Apples Fruit c. to children to intice them to us nor is it a Bait to couzen and insnare us but real offers of kindness to us whereof we may partake and wherewith we may be happy Suppose a Prince desire a Beggars company with expressions of dear affections and promises of many kindnesses Is it not gross ingratitude if she fling away and scorn the motion Or suppose a potent Person send to a poor man a loving message telling him he hath considered his case and hath appointed time and place that they two together may confer about the necessary concernments of this poor man he shall have free admission and liberty without disturbance to present his petition and ask what he will and it shall be granted none shall be present but only they two shall converse familiarly together for the good of the poor man But instead of a thankful acceptance of this kindness the poor man picks quarrels with the messenger or message grows sullen and perverse runs away and saith I need neither his counsel nor assistance Let him bestow his kindness where he will I will not meddle with him Were not this gross ingratitude And how would it be taken The case is thine Soul that neglectest secret duties the God of Heaven gives thee notice to meet him in such a room to negotiate freely the main concernments of thy precious soul and thou art coy and shy and wilt not come near him but either plainly deniest or heedlesly delayest Oh monstrous folly Oh gross ingratitude Be ashamed of it be humbled for it thy God takes it ill that thou art so loath to be happy that thou even forsakest thine own mercies and wilt go twice as far another way to gratifie a friend rather than go alone into thy Closet to please thy God and profit thy poor soul How long must God watch and wait and strive and sue to have thy company and thou dost still neglect and grow averse thereto Oh be ashamed of it SECT VI. Three more sad Considerations for our Humiliation 8. DO you not by neglect of Secret Prayer resist the motions of the blessed Spirit And is this no fault Is it nothing to neglect communion with God the Father or to improve the intercession of Jesus Christ the Mediator but you must also slight the motions of God the blessed Spirit This is sad How often doth the holy Ghost knock at your doors stir you up spur you forwards unto duty and take you by the hand offering its assistance if you 'l go to God and yet do you refuse Do you make nothing of quenching grieving yea vexing the good Spirit of God Consider what you do as you deal with it so it will deal with you if you do not embrace its call perhaps it will not be present at your call And what can you do in duty without it If you strive against it it will cease striving with you Be it known to you you have not this Heavenly wind at your command and you may toss in the boat of duty long but shall not approach the port without it Nothing but the Spirit of God can carry thy soul to God And what can excite and comfort thee when thy Assistant and Comforter is slighted and sadned Grieve therefore Christian for thy grieving of the Spirit lay to heart thy careless quenching of this holy fire and let those waters of lust or negligence cost thee the waters of godly sorrow and repentance that this sin may not be laid to thy charge Say as that Divine Poet And art thou grieved sweet and sacred Dove When I am sowr And cross thy Love Grieved for me The God of strength and power Griev'd for a worm which when I tread I pass away and leave it dead See the rest in Herbert's Poems on Eph. 5.30 Pag. 128. 9. If you can only pray in company what will you do when your company is gone A time may come when you may be left alone as Christ saith he was You had need ingage the Father to be with you that you may say as the Apostle 1 John 1.3 Truly our fellowship is with the Father 'T is true communion of Saints is desirable but external communion is not always attainable you may be thrust out by divine Providence now it will be sad to be at a loss when persons are alone 'T is a strange expression of some that they know not how to live it such and such Christian friends or godly Relations be taken away why what 's the matter Are they in the place of God Is your spiritual life maintained by the leaden pipes or by the living springs that stream through them Alas sirs if you more understood and used this art of drawing influences from God immediately through Christ by secret Prayer you would not be so discouraged with the loss of friends you would say Indeed 't is true my loss is great such a one had a notable gift in Prayer and spoke my very heart to God but though he be gone is my God gone Is Prayer gone Though I cannot get such moving expressions as such had yet I opened my heart to God as I could in secret formerly and there 's the same refuge now the same road unto this City and Sanctuary I went in and therefore all my comfort is not gone blessed be my God But a poor soul that hath leaned upon the staff of others inlargements will be shrewdly put to it when that staff is gone And Is it not a great disparagement to a noble and immortal Soul that it cannot treat and entertain its God alone What cannot God and an Heaven born soul converse together without Auxiliaries Must another interpose as an instrument without whom you cannot injoy communion with God Be ashamed of it and chide your selves as not acting suitably to your rational spirits much less to a supernatural Principle of grace 10. Lastly let me further demand of you what if our Lord should call you away and find you under the guilt of the neglect of this known duty What confusion grief and jealousie would possess you if death arrest you in such a state What an hurry was forlorn Saul in when the Philistines were upon him and he had not offered sacrifice unto God And what a desperate plunge will you be put to when the King of terrors is upon you and you have not personally and privately been seeking God Though you may be right and safe for the main yet your spirits will be much perplexed and you will suffer shrewd rebukes from your own consciences for your omissions and will be put to that last prayer of a dying Saint eminent in the Church The Lord forgive me my sins of omission and possibly may want that spiritual solace in a dying hour that praying souls may have Oh what a blessed thing will it be if our dear

reach the ear of God for he knoweth the mind of the Spirit Phil. 3.3 Jude 20. This is that which is called a worshipping God in the spirit a praying in the holy Ghost i. e. either as to the matter of the Prayer dictated by the Spirit or as to the manner of praying the soul being actuated by the holy Ghost See Mark 11.36 13.11 For I conceive it may import the former as well as the latter as other Scriptures compared hold forth Alas flesh and blood will put up such petitions as God will not accept or in such a manner as is no way suitable to his spiritual Nature The truth is Christians you will but bungle at the work without this help of Gods Spirit and God will take notice of you except he hear his own language do not think you can wrestle out the business your selves you must be beholding to God for help in Prayer as well as for hearing your Prayer your own spirits will not carry you to Heaven that which is from the earth is earthly and riseth no higher than earth but the holy Ghost will elevate your souls to God Therefore I beseech you Sirs beg the Spirit yield to its motions improve its operations say when you are going to duty Lord now stir up thy self and stir up thy grace in my heart Awake oh North-wind and come thou South blow upon thy Garden Cant. 4.16 My Soul that the spices thereof may flow out that graces may be exercised and exerted Lord I am low flat hard send the powerful arm of thy blessed Spirit to work all gracious dispositions in me and raise up my affections to thee I see I am below the duty and infinitely below thee in the duty but thou and thou alone canst raise me up quicken soften my dead and rocky heart come Lord and shew thy powerful Arm let it appear what God can do for a sorry worm Oh lift me up to thee that my soul may enjoy some sweet communion with thee Send thy spirit to fetch in my wanton wandring heart Oh for some fire from Heaven to burn up my sacrifice or else it will lye like a lump of flesh and be no true Holocaust of pure Incense before thee Let thy Spirit scatter these mists of ignorance and drive away these flies of distracting thoughts that my heart may be with thee and my performance may be as sweet savour in the nostrils of God SECT IV. More Essentials in secret Prayer A Third ingredient in Prayer is that it be according to God's will it must have a warrant from the Word a word of Precept or Promise or Example must be the ground of our petitions a command is our warrant a promise our incouragement an example is our tract and the footsteps of the flock wherein we must walk He that asks amiss shall not speed but if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us and then we know we have the petitions that we desired of him 1 Joh. 5.14 15. Now we ask according to his will when both the matter of our petition is aright and our end in asking is Gods glory and our own or others spiritual good otherwise if we ask of God what we conceit to be a mercy and have not asked counsel at God's mouth or ask so as to consume it upon our lusts we may well meet with a denial My friends you may not say what you please in the presence of God Consider God is in Heaven you are on Earth therefore be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter any thing before God let your words be few and well weighed Eccles 5.2 The work you are about is a solemn business do not ramble in extravagant desires of unlawful things think not that God will patronize your lusts and when you have asked that which you conceive is according to his will refer it wholly to his Will say The Will of the Lord be done submit your selves to his dispose for time manner means and all circumstances for giving of it ask temporal mercies conditionally and spiritual Comforts with submission to Gods will learn that petition Thy will be done to pray it as well as say it Indeed Luther could say Let thy will be done but he come off with this My will Lord because my will is melted into thine there 's but one will betwixt us Let God's will be your will 't is fit it should be so our heavenly Father is wiser than we Consider Haec repraesentatio debet esse submissa humilis alias enim non esset precatio religiosa à creatura subdita ad supremum Numen Creatorem directa sed vel imperium superioris ergo inferiorem vel quasi familiaris collocutio quatis est inter aequales Ames medull theol lib. 2.6 p. 255. a man cannot pray in faith for that which he hath no warrant to ask Besides Amesius saith If a man come not with an humble submission to Gods will it were not a religious prayer directed to the supream Creator but a kind of command by a superiour to an inferiour or a familiar discourse as amongst equals Therefore let us humbly plead Gods Will as Abraham did Gen. 18.27 Further consider the design of Prayer is not to incline God before unwilling to our mind and desire for with him there is no variableness nor shadow of change but that we may obtain of him by Prayer what we know afore-hand he is willing to give Lastly consider we Christs example Mat. 26.39 If it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt This is right praying to ground our petition upon a promise yet freely to leave all at Gods feet to dispose of us as he sees good Our prayers and Gods promises should point towards each other as those two figures 9 and 6. Promises do bend downwards and after the same motion must our prayers ascend upwards so will there be a blessed harmony and seasonable return This is the third Direction Let your Prayers be warranted by the Word 4. Improve your Advocate Joh. 14.13 Whatsoever you ask in my name that will I do To ask any thing in his name is not rudely customarily or complementally to conclude with these words Through Jesus Christ our Lord c. but in confidence of his merit and intercession to call upon our heavenly Father as Daniel pleads for the Lords sake Dan. 9.17 For since the Fall none can come immediately to God but through a Mediator nor are we to fetch a compass by the groundless invocation of Saints and Angels I hope you have otherwise learned Christ I am most afraid in the practick part that in particular acts at least precious Souls are in danger to miscarry especially in Closet-Prayer when a Christian is got alone and there finds a sweet gale of the blessed Spirit helping his heart to mourn for sin bewail

God 3. Obj. But I am a Servant and must obey my Master I am kept too hardly at work to get time for secret Prayer I am called to work betimes dogged to it all the day Answ Though you be servants to do mens work yet not slaves to their lusts in that respect you must not be the Servants of Men if you be Servants you are the Lords Free-men if free yet you are Christs servants 1 Cor. 7.22 23. Remember you have a Master in Heaven no mortal creature can discharge you from your attendance on God You must do Gods work as well as your Masters and your Masters work for God's sake Eph. 6.6 7. Oh sirs do not neglect your duty to God to pleasure men Can your superiour answer for your neglect Or interpose betwixt flaming wrath and your sinning souls But I am afraid some lay the blame on Masters when the fault is in themselves Deceive not thy self by accusing others to clear thy self this was Adam's fault Think not that anothers rigour can excuse thy neglect Let me tell you there 's never a servant so strictly watch'd but might steal some time from his Master for his God and yet do him no wrong Only see that you be prudent in chusing such seasons as may not justly provoke your Master or prejudice his occasions And be often in your callings lifting up your hearts to God be content with your condition had you more liberty it may be your hearts would not be in so good a frame But let me bespeak Masters indulgence to poor and pious Servants oh hinder them not in any good work rather put them upon it encourage them in it bless God that you have praying servants this is a hopeful presage of good success Let not your servants fare the worse but the better for being God's servants 4. Obj. But I have no Closet to pray in no convenient room for secret Prayer I have a little house a busie full family and cannot retire my self Answ A good good heart will find room either within doors or without a gracious soul will seek out places to pray in any sorry cote will be a Bethel where it can injoy its God or if he cannot get to it under the roof he will with good Isaac walk out into the fields to meditate and to pray Could Heathens and Idolatrous Jews plant groves for their superstition in an Apish imitation of Abraham's practice And cannot a Bird of Paradise take its flight out of some Wood or Arbour into Heaven But most need not make this silly slight excuse they have good roofs to be in and need not worship God sub Dio in the open air few of us but we have convenient rooms but most of us want affectionate hearts to visit God therein But Christians make good use of your houses to serve God therein else they may justly spue you out and leave you harbourless and then what a dreadful sting and guilt will follow you whither-soever you go Oh consider London's flames and ruines your houses are no better built nor more secured from the like Catastrophe do not weaken their foundations by wilful neglects or scandalous sins 5. Obj. But I know some good Christians that never use it yea that maintain it in their judgements that it is not necessary except in some extraordinary cases What say you to that I Answ I never yet met with such persons that had the face of Religion that ever spoke against the ordinary practise of this duty of Closet-Prayer I confess I have met with some who being urged to Family-Prayer have put it off with this evasion that they would pray in their Closets how well the God of Heaven knows But if any professors judgement be so far bribed to plead for the flesh in this neglect the Lord rebuke them and forgive them they know not what they say This is a lamentation that there 's scarce any truth so sacred or duty so spiritual but it hath been contradicted in these licentious daies Some have pleaded against Family-Prayer Catechising Christian-meetings and what not But they can produce no solid arguments do not you follow their example contrary to plain Scripture precepts and precedents Many were produced for confirmation most whereof were not only in extraordinary cases but were an ordinarie practice And can you find the day that affords not some special matter to occasion you to make addresses to God in secret Prayer If you be sensible and observant surely you will see great need for such retirements in ordinary practice Remember this that you follow no man but as he follows Christ but I am sure our precious Saviour used this practice SECT III. More Objections answered 6. Obj. BUT I find not my heart affected or prepared Is it not a tempting of God to go when the spirit doth not move me I Answ 'T is a dangerous mistake to think you may not go to duty but when the spirit moves you For it may be long before it stir the spirit bloweth where and when it listeth You are therefore to lay your selves in the way of the spirit call in its aid which ordinarily comes when souls do their duty Holy performances are as it were the walk of the spirit the air where he breaths and be sure he is most likely to be found in his own way and walk but you cannot expect him in the neglect of plain duty Try this way put God to 't plead his promise you cannot think to be warm if you run from the fire If you have not an appetite to pray you must pray for an appetite for neglect or omission of a duty never fits but alwaies unfits for a duty If you 'll heed your trifling spirits and accept every excuse which they make you shall never pray If you play the truant one time you 'll have less mind to go to God the next time guilt makes you afraid and you dare not come near that God whom you have wronged as Adam run from God and Peter would thrust Christ from him when conscious of guilt How dare you look God in the face whom you have slighted Besides you 'll find that neglect of duty doth not make the next performance more easie but more difficult It will as one saith require more time and pains for you to tune your instrument than for another to play his lesson And is it not more likely God should come to you in pains-taking than total omission Do you not read in the Psalms how often David begun faintly and ended triumphantly Try the Lord and see if he be not better than you expect 7. Obj. I but saith a poor soul I meet with temptations when I go to God in secret Satan assaults me I am timorous and dare not be alone or in the dark but am afrighted Answ 'T is a sign the duty is good because so bad a spirit opposeth it the more Satan sees a duty is for the souls advantage