A53685:140
A discourse of the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer with a brief…
A discourse of the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer with a brief enquiry into the nature and use of mental prayer and forms / by John Owen ...
London: printed for Nathanael Ponder, 1682
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And yet it is marvellous to consider how little mention of these things occurreth in most of those compositions, which have been published to be used as Forms of Prayer. They are generally omitted in such endeavours, as if they were things, wherein Christians were very little concerned. The Gospel positively and frequently determines the present Acceptation of men with God, or their Disobedience, with their future Salvation and Condemnation according unto their Faith or Unbelief. For their Obedience or Disobedience are infallible consequents thereon. Now if things that are of the greatest Importance unto us, ⟨p. 66⟩and whereon all other things, wherein our spiritual Estate is concerned, do depend, be not a part of the subject matter of our daily Prayer, I know not what deserveth so to be.
Secondly, The matter of our Prayer respects the Depravation of our natures and our wants on that account. The Darkness and Ignorance that is in our Understandings, our unacquaintedness with heavenly things, and Alienation from the Life of God thereby, the secret workings of the Lusts of the mind under the shades and Covert of this darkness; the stubbornness, obstinacy and perverseness of our Wills by nature, with their reluctancies unto, and dislike of things spiritual, with innumerable latent guiles thence arising, all keeping the Soul from a due conformity unto the Holiness of God, are things which Believers have an especial regard unto in their Confessions and Supplications. They know this to be their Duty, and find by experience, that the greatest concernment between God and their Souls, as to Sin and Holiness, do lye in these things. And they are never more jealous over themselves, than when they find their Hearts least affected with them. And to give over treating with ⟨p. 67⟩God about them, for Mercy in their pardon, for Grace in their removal, and the daily Renovation of the Image of God in them thereby, is to renounce all Religion, and all designs of living unto God.