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	receive_v	18,187	5	5.7163	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45154	A reply to the defence of Dr. Stillingfleet being a counter plot for union between the Protestants, in opposition to the project of others for conjunction with the Church of Rome / by the authors of the Modest and peaceable inquiry, of the Reflections, (i.e.) the Country confor., of the Peaceable designe.	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.; Lobb, Stephen, d. 1699.	1681 (1681)	Wing H3706; ESTC R8863	130,594	165

of Divine Worship did it by the Aid of the Holy Ghost 'T is true this expression could not escape the censure of such as were Popishly affected they thinking it too much that it was said the Book was drawn by the aid of the Holy Ghost as if the import of those expressions had been nothing less than that those persons concern'd in the drawing it up had been extraordinarily inspir'd But 't was well answer'd by such as said That it must not be so understood that 't was only to be taken in that sense as all good motions and consultations are directed or assisted by the secret influences of Gods H. Spirit which doth often help good men even in their imperfect actions where the good that is done is justly ascrib'd to the grace of God For this consult that truly Judicious and Deserving Dr. Burnet in his History of the Reformation Part 2. lib. 1. p. 94. The same that is said of this expression when applied to the first Composers of the Divine Service may be said of such as are assisted in free prayer by the secret Influences of the Holy Spirit Moreover 2. The Clergy at their Ordinination were to receive the Holy Ghost In King Edward's days whenever a Bishop or Priest was Ordained 't was said Receive thou the Holy Ghost in the Name of the Father c. But to what purpose if not to aid and assist them in the discharge of their Ministerial Function viz. in Prayer in Preaching in giving private Admenitions and Exhortations c. Hence I argue The Spirit accordingly is given them or not If not no wonder they reproach its work and gracious Influences to say no more But if they do at their Ordination receive a plentiful portion of the Spirit how can they talk so much against the Assistances thereof vouchsafed to others What is it confin'd unto the Clergy only or unto the Episcopal Clergy that none without canting must mention One word of the Spirit But 3. 'T is surprizing that any of our Clergy should speak any thing against the secret motions of Gods Spirit for surely such of them as are just and true and faithful to God and their own souls have actually felt so much of the Internal workings of the Holy Ghost on their souls that they were thereby quickned and moved to enter on the work of the Ministry Thus 't is with them or at least they are conscientiously perswaded of as much and can such as have felt the power of the Holy Ghost on their own hearts speak evil of the Assistance it affords unto others That the honest among the Episcopal Clergy are such as know what 't is to be moved by the Holy Spirit as they themselves trust is evident from the answer they give to the question propos'd to them when they are presented to Orders which is Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon you this Office and Ministration to serve God for the promoting his glory and for the edifying his people To which the answer is He trusts he is It may be some may inquire How comes it to pass then that so many of the Clergy thus ordained do not only neglect their own work but by their uncomely discourses reflect on this very spirit To this no other answer but that of the Learned and Pious Dr. Burnet shall be given who in his Hist of the Reformation Par. 2. l. p. 145. thus expresseth himself It has been oft lamented that many come to receive Orders before they have seriously read over these Questions and examined themselves whether they could with a good conscience make the Answers there prescribed since it is scarce credible that men of common honesty would lye in the presence of God on so great an occasion and yet 't is too visible that many have not any such inward vocation nor have ever considered seriously what it is If it were well apprehended that heat that many have to get into Orders would soon abate who perhaps have nothing in their eye but some place of Profit or Benefice to which way must be made by that preceding Ceremony and so enter into Orders as others are associated into Fraternities and Corporations with little previous sense of that Holy Character they are to receive when they thus dedicate their Lives and Labours to the Service of God in the Gospel In the Primitive Church the apprehersion of this made even good and holy men afraid to enter under such bonds and therefore they were often to be drag'd almost by force or catcht at unawares and be so initiated as appears in the Lives of these two Greek Fathers Nazianzen and Chrys●stome If men make their first step to the Holy Altar by such a lye as is their pretending to a motion of the Holy Ghost concerning which they know little but that they have nothing at all of it they have no reason to expect that Blessing which otherwise attends on such Dedications And it had been happy for the Church if all those that are authoriz'd to confer Orders had stood on this more critically and not been contented with a bare putting these Questions to those who come to be Ordain'd but had used a due strictness before-hand sutable to that grave admonition of St. Paul to Timothy Lay hands suddenly on no man and be not partakers of other mens sins How would the Church have flourish'd if this worthy Drs. counsel had been both given and taken at the beginning of the Reformation If all that entred on the Ministry had felt the mighty power of the Spirit in turning them from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God! How would they have labour'd for the conversion and edification of their hearers The which work could not prosper in their hands but such as were born of God receiving the Spirit would have been enabled by it to cry Abba Father Spiritual and free prayer would have been from the beginning so well known that the suggesting it to have been Jesuitical would with the greatest contempt and scorn be rejected and those many rash and indecent epithetes given it would have been consider'd but as the overtacts of ill-will to the Reformation of the Church of England § II. The Account our Author gives of the first Separation is very unrrue For 1. It was not the laying aside All forms of prayer that the old Nonconformists prest hard for They were for the amending the Liturgy but not for the removing all Liturgies 'T is true in K. Edward's days there was a contest between Hooper and Ridley c. about the old Popish Vestments but not about Forms of Prayer In Queen Maries days at Franckfort there were great contentions among some of them who before had used the English Liturgy but not that those who were against the use of the English Liturgy at that time were against it as it was a Form of Prayer but they apprehended that they being

days the very same with that of the first Reformation from Popery beginning in Henry the 8th's time and Sealed after with the Blood of our Martyrs THE Deans Substitute doth at last apply himself to the Defence of the Doctor in doing which he considers the Reasons I collected out of the Dean's Preface which the Dean urges to engage the Reader to believe that the Dissenters are a people carrying on the Popish Designs 1. The Dissenters have embraced the Jesuits Principles about Spiritual Prayer and a more pure way of Worship This is what I observ'd out of Dr. Still But our Author who hath read over the Doctors Preface very carefully can find no such thing urged against the Dissenters and adds All that Mr. Lobb founds this Accusation on is That the Dean says It is not improbable that the Jesuits were the first setters up of Spiritual Prayer in England And then goes on to a very decent Censure saying That this is mighty falsely and imperfectly represented Sir If I had insisted on no more than what you here mention as the foundation of my Charge I must acknowledg that 't would not only be imperfectly but impertinently related For what connexion is there between the Jesuits Practises and their Principles Is it not well known that the Principles they profess the Doctrines they embrace concerning many a point in Divinity are one thing even when their Practice is another May they not then in order to the carrying on a further Design set on Practices contrary to their Doctrines Yea surely they may and this is the whole Defence you make in behalf of the Dean with which after an unnecessary Harangue you dismiss the Subject But is this fair to misrepresent an Adversary and then confute what needs no Confutation Doth this redound to the Honour of a Presbyter of the Church of England Was this all on which Mr. Lobb founded his Accusation Did he not add somewhat more than what you relate You say all that Mr. Lobb founds this accusation on is that the Dean says It is not improbable that the Jesuits were the first setters up of Spiritual Prayer in England which is mighty falsely and imperfectly repesented p. 6. Yet whoever will consult the Enguiry will find that I do out of the Dean add That there is no improbality of the thing if we consider the Dissenters pretences about Spiritual Prayer to the Doctrine and Practice of the Jesuits The Dean suggests that Spiritual and Free Prayer even that Spiritual and Free Prayer about which there is such a Pother is suited to the Doctrines of the Jesuits to the Doctrine that is to their Principles What difference is there between the Doctrine and the Principles of the Church of England In like manner I Query What difference is there between the Doctrines and Principles of the Jesuits Doth the Dean then assert such an Agreement to be between the Pretences of the Dissenter about Spiritual Prayer and the Doctrines or Principles of the Jesuits not only the Practices but Doctrines of the Jesuits Who then is the impersect or mistaken Reporter The Dean's Charge against Dissenters is That the Dissenters pretences about Spiritual Prayer are suited with the Doctrines of the Jesuits And 't is our concern to enquire after the truth of this Charge I say of this charge to wit about the Agreeableness that is between our Pretences and their Doctrines For it is no way momentous to enquire after the practice of a company of Villains who can transform themselves into a thousand shapes whenever their Interest obliges them to do so Was it never known that a Papist crept into some great Preferment in the Church of England at which time they did both Assent and Consent to the doctrines of the Church of England What think you of a quondam Bishop of Glocester to mention no more did he not speak well of the Church of England yea even of the Protestant Religion Is it therefore Popery For this Reafon it concerns me not to enquire after those Stories insisted on by the Doctor or to be found in that Pamphlet called Foxes and Firebrands The great Enquiry must be after the Doctrines of the Jesuit whether there is any suitableness between the Dissenters pretences and the Jesuits Doctrines For which Reason the Jesuits Writings were consulted and the Doctor 's Charge found untrue the Dr. being mistaken as to matter of fact He represented the Jesuits Doctrines to be other than indeed they are which to speak softly was a Mistake If the Deans Defender would have spoke to the purpose He should have searched those places I insisted on in Azorius Filiucius and Bellarmine and have shewed wherein I had either made a false report of their sayings or misinterpreted ' em But this was impossible There being nothing else of moment in the Reply to what I offered against the Dean about Spiritual Prayer I might fairly without saying any thing more proceed to the next particular But seeing some have spoken contemptibly of the Spirit of prayer which is said to assist such as use free or extempore prayer as if those who spake of receiv'd help from the Spirit in prayer were Enthusiastical c. and because our Author talks as if the Jesuits had the first hand in the Separation of the old Nonconformists from the Church of England crying down the Common-prayers as a dull formal superstitious Worship and the setting up free prayer in the room of it I will shew 1. The sense of the first Reformers about the aid of the Spirit And 2. What was the great and chief ground of the First Separation § 1. Concerning the Aid of the Holy Spirit by which many are enabled to pray freely or spiritually it hath been by some of the conforming Ministers asserted That such as pretend to receive the aid of the Spirit may as well pretend to inspiration c. That then they 'l believe that persons can pray by the Spirit when they hear the unlearned can pray in Latin Greek or in some other unknown language as if the aids the Spirit affords unto such as pray freely had been extraordinary c. This I cannot but consider as what doth very much reflect on the Dispensation of the Spirit to the great dishonour of true Christian Religion For such is the present state of true Religion that whoever speaks contemptibly of the Spirits Aid must be esteemed not only a Despiser of the first Reformers but of that part of the present Constitution to which our Clergy on their entrance into their Function are principally concern'd 1. T is well known that what the first Reformers did in the Reforming the Liturgy was by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons assembled in Parliament recorded to have been done by the Aid of the Holy Ghost The Parliament in K. Edward's days passing an Act for the confirmation of the Publick Liturgy in the preamble thereof declare That those who drew up that Order