A discourse of the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer with a brief…

But notwithstanding these things, those of the Roman Church do at this day boast themselves of their Devotions in their Prayers private and public; and have prevailed thereby on many disposed unto a compliance with them, by their own Guilt, Ignorance and Superstition. The vanity of their pretence hath been well detected by evincing the Idolatry whereby all or the most of their Devotions are vitiated and rendered unacceptable. But this also is of weight with me, that the provision of the System and order of their whole Devotion and its Exercise, is apparently composed and fitted unto the Exclusion of the whole Work of the Spirit of God in Prayer. And yet do they continue under an incredible Delusion as to oppose, revile and condemn the Prayers of others who are not of their Communion, on this consideration, that those who make them, have not the Holy Spirit nor his Aids, which are all confined unto their Church. But if any Society of men in the World, maintaining the outward profession of Christian Religion, can do more to exclude the Holy ⟨image 20⟩Ghost and all his operations, in Prayer and Divine Worship, than their Church hath done, I shall acknowledge my self greatly mistaken. It is nothing but Ignorance of him and his whole Work, with all the Ends for which he is promised unto the Church (that I say not, an Hatred and Detestation of them) that causeth any to embrace their ways of Devotion.

But notwithstanding these things, those of the Roman Church do at this day boast themselves of their Devotions in their Prayers private and publick; and have prevailed thereby on many disposed unto a compliance with them, by their own Guilt, Ignorance and Superstition. The vanity of their pretence hath been well detected by evincing the Idolatry whereby all or the most of their Devotions are vitiated and rendred unacceptable. But this also is of weight with me, that the provision of the Systeme and order of their whole Devotion and its Exercise, is apparently composed and fitted unto the Exclusion of the whole Work of the Spirit of God in Prayer. And yet do they continue under an incredible Delusion as to oppose, revile and condemn the Prayers of others who are not of their Communion, on this consideration, that those who make them, have not the Holy Spirit nor his Aids, which are all confined unto their Church. But if any Society of men in the World, maintaining the outward profession of Christian Religion, can do more to exclude the Holy ⟨image 20⟩