Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	read_v	see_v	2,673	5	3.5053	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09024	Abba father: or, a plaine and short direction concerning priuate prayer Also, sundry godly admonitions concerning time, and the well vsing of it. By Elnathan Parr, minister of the word.	Parr, Elnathan, d. 1622.	1618 (1618)	STC 19312; ESTC S100366	23,147	146

ABBA FATHER OR A PLAINE AND short direction concerning Priuate Prayer Also SVNDRY GODLY ADmonitions concerning Time and the well vsing of it By ELNATHAN PARR Minister of the Word Rom. 8.15 Ye haue receiued the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Ephes 5.16 Redeeme the time because the dayes are euill LONDON Imprinted by F. K. for Samuel Man and are to be sold at the signe of the Swan in Pauls Church-yard 1618. TO THE VERY HONORABLE and most worthy Lady the Lady Iane Cornwaleys wife to the very Noble and Religious Gentleman Master NATHANAEL BACON Esquire Grace and Peace PRaier is the true Christian proper element without which hee can no more liue then without fire Breath is the instrument of the life of the body Prayer is the breath of the soule I haue obserued in many a difficulty of this breathing which I haue endeauoured according to my simple skill something to remedie by this direction I humbly desire your Ladiship to giue it leaue to passe vnder your worthy Name I confesse it can bee no waies vseful to you but it may bee to weaker Christians who are yet as babes newly beginning to cry Abba Father Herein I present my thankfull mind to your Ladiship whose great fauours and encouragements my deserts can neuer equall I daily pray for your Ladiship that as God hath highly aduanced your Name on earth for godlinesse so he would in the time appointed glorifie your soule in heauen for the merits of your Iesus Your Ladiships deuoted seruant in all humble obseruance ELN PARR TO THE CHRISTIAN READER encrease of all good gifts TO condemne a set forme of prayer argues want of sobrietie and wisdome In publike prayers in the Congregation it is necessary to haue a prescribed forme called Liturgy or Diuine Seruice which for more ease of memory is to be read out of the booke The ancientest Fathers in the peace of the Church haue by their practice so iudged it many Councels haue approued it and the best reformed Churches follow it As for priuate prayer of one Christian alone it is more expedient that it bee vttered without a booke and the most compleat performance of that duty is when a Christian is able not onely to repeate and apply to his owne soule and conscience a prayer conceiued by another but also vpon fit matter and heads suteable to the occasion to conceiue and vtter prayers of his own Yet seeing there are many to whom God hath not giuen memory and vnderstanding fitting to expresse in a continued speech the desires of their hearts for such haue I written this direction The reason why I haue vndertaken this businesse considering there are so many good Prayer-bookes in euery mans hand is first because though it bee cōmendable to vse a booke yet it is more comfortable to pray of our selues whose wants may be such as that we shall hardly finde them sufficiently expressed in any booke for euery man is best acquainted with his owne heart Secondly a man may be cast into prison and his booke taken from him how vncomfortably must he needs passe his time if he cannot pray without his booke The booke cannot be vsed in the darke when we may haue iust occasion to pray The booke may bee forgotten or lost but if thou attainest this gift thou canst neuer loose it vnlesse thou loosest thy selfe For these reasons I commend this Treatise to thee which I could haue amplified further and it may be clothed it with a more elegant stile But I aimed at thy profit remembring that I directed beginners for whom shortnesse and plainnesse are most fitting If thou profitest by this which I heere propound to thee praise God and in thy prayers forget not him who hath at least endeauoured to further thee If thou profitest not yet I haue done my good will for the which I desire thee to loue Thy true friend in Iesus Christ Eln. Parr Abba Father OR A PLAINE AND short direction concerning priuate Prayer PRayer is a holy conference of a godly mind with God whereby beleeuing we aske things necessary and giue thanks for benefits receiued Prayer is either Mentall onely or Vocall also this 1. Extraordinary or 2. Ordinary this 1. Publike or 2. Priuate this 1. Lesse priuate with the familie 2. More priuate by one alone Publike is that which is vsed in the publicke Congregation by the Minister with the people Priuate is that which is vsed by priuate persons in priuate places of this is this present Direction It is a great blessing that God will vouchsafe to attend and receiue our deuotions poured forth in any priuate place Great Personages require places sutable to their Greatnes but thy great God respects not the place how meane so euer but the necessitie of his seruant Where there is a Ieremy a Daniel or a Ionas a dungeon a Lions den the belly of a Whale are godly Oratories But remember that neuer any man prayed well priuately who contemned or neglected the publicke prayers in the Church For the comfortable performance of this priuate seruice two things are to be considered viz. 1. Preparation 2. Execution Preparation is an holy and considerate fitting our selues for this dutie This is necessary in a threefold respect 1. Of the person before whom wee present our selues which is the Almighty 2 Of the importance of the thing it selfe which is a speciall part of diuine worship 3 Of the consequence of this duty which is the obtaining of things needfull for this and a better life Vnto this preparation seuen things belong 1 First a fit place which must bepriuat a Ma. 6.5.6 Christ himselfe went into a mountaine alone to pray b Ma. 14.23 and into a solitary place c Mar. 1.35 So Peter went vp to the vpper part of the house d Act. 10.9 not but that it is lawfull to pray euery where e 1. Tim. 2.8 But priuacy is to be chosen that being sequestred from company we may the more fully descend into our owne hearts and be the freer from ostentation and hypocrisie and from discursation and wandring of mind 2 Secondly a fit time All times are for this exercise f Eph. 6.18 1. Thes 5.17 euen the night is a sweet time for prayer as Dauids midnights practise g Psa 119.62 and our Sauiours whole nights spent in prayer h Luk. 6.12 Lam. 2.19 doe testifie Thou canst not alwaies but at certaine set times speake to great men but thou maist alwaies speak to thy God Yet for set and ordinary prayer some choise of time would be vsed I think it to be most comfortable to begin and end the day with praier as the ordinary sacrifice of the Iewes was morning and euening instituted by God 3. Thirdly a freedom of mind from thoughts of the world and the affaires thereof for earthly things are heauy and their thoughts depressing which hinder the ascēt of the mind to God 4 Repentance and a

64.7 I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeleefe m Mark 9.24 and encrease my faith n Luk. 17.5 Seale me to the day of Redemption o Ephes 4.30 and shed abroad thy loue in my heart by thy holy spirit p Rom. 5.5 I humbly beseech thee q 3. For repentance Turne me O Lord vnto thee and I shall bee ●●●ned r Lam. 5.21 Create in me a clea●● heart O Lord and rene●●● right spirit within me ſ Psal 51.10 〈◊〉 take the stony heart out 〈◊〉 my body and giue me 〈◊〉 heart of flesh that I wi●● walke in thy flatutes 〈◊〉 that I may be thy ser●●● and thou mayst be my 〈◊〉 for euermore t Ezech. 11.19.20 u 4. For direction in our personall callings A●● whereas thou hast ca●●● mee to this estate ... 〈◊〉 Good Lord grant 〈◊〉 grace therin to worketh 〈◊〉 which is good x Ephes 4.28 2 Thes 3.12 with q●●●etnesse and to eate mi●●●●owne bread shewing all good conscience that I may adorne the doctrine of God my Sauiour in all things y Tit. 2.15 and in as much as thy disciples must take vp the ●rosse and follow thee z Mat. 16.24 I way thee Deare Father strengthen mee with all might through thy glori●●● pow●e vnto all pati●●ce and long suffering with ioyfulnesse a Col. 1.11 b 5. For perseuerance And because Satan as a r●ring ●●ion seeketh to deuour 〈◊〉 O my God tread down ●atan vnder my feet c Rom. 16.20 stablish me in euery good word and work d 2. These 17 and preserue my whole spirit soule and body blamelesse vnto the comming of our 〈◊〉 Iesus Christ c 6. For the Church Doe good thy good pleasure to 〈◊〉 on and build the mall●●● thy Ierusalē f Psal 51.18 Good 〈◊〉 preser●● thy little flock●● whom th●n hast pr●●●● the kingdome g Luk. 12.32 h Thankesgiuing I th●●● thee O Father Lord 〈◊〉 heauen and ●arth i Mat. 11.25 th●● thou hast deliu●red 〈◊〉 from the power of dar●●● and translated we into 〈◊〉 kingdome of thine 〈◊〉 Sa●ue O Lord thou 〈◊〉 been my God from my ●●●ther ●w●mbe k Psa 22.10 Thou 〈◊〉 ●●pt mee ●nto this d●●● thy pr●●●dence thou 〈◊〉 giuen me bread to 〈◊〉 clothes to put on l 〈◊〉 28.20 I h●●●ly praise thy name and I beseech thee make me dwel 〈◊〉 safety m Psal 4.8 vnder the shadow of thy wings n Psal 17.8 this day or night through Ie●is Christ in whose name c. Or to whom with thee O Father Amen Thou maist also make vse of the Lords Prayer excellently to this purpose IT was giuen for a paterne and speciall direction to the Church vpon earth how to pray There can be no better direction for if wee require wisdome wisedome it selfe endited it if perfection it comprehends all the kinds of all things to be prayed for if order the method is diuine if perspicuous breuity so much could not by any onely-created vnderstanding be compacted into so little if force and power there can bee none more effectuall then that which Iesus Christ the Word of the Father hath left and commended to his Church If thou wouldest profitably vse it Obserue bese things 1 Learne throughto vnderstand it 2 Beare in mind the ●uerall petitions with ●●e it order 3 Note downe in thy memory as thou wert before directed these graces thou crauest in ●uery petition giuing thē their proper place in thy booke in thy memory and in thy prayer 4 Fourthly take due knowledge of thy wants in euery petition vnder their seuerall heads setting downe the phrases and things thou meetest with al concerning them And specially note vpon thy heart and imprint in it the graces thou most wantest the wants which most doe trouble thee Principally meditate of those graces and labour to bee humbled with the feeling of those wants To helpe thee to spell 〈◊〉 this lesson out of the Lords Prayer After a description of God as before keeping the petitions with their order in thy minde thou maist enlarge thē●us The 1. Petition Hallowed be thy name 1 Heere thou maist how how God hath commanded and it is our dutie to glorifie his name in regard of our First Creation Secondly preseruation but specially in regard of our Thirdly Redemption 2 Then acknowledge First thy negligence and carelesnesse this way Secondly thy pride in seeking thine owne glory more then Gods Thirdly thy want of zeale Fourthly such sinnes whereby thou hast dishonoured God most causing his name thereby to be blasphemed Thirdly Desire grace the thou maiest chiefly in all thy thoughts words and deeds propound to thy self to glorifie God and to respect his glory more then euen the saluation of thy soule The 2. Petition Thy Kingdome come 1 Enlarge this by a mourning of thy soule vnto God for thy bondage vnder sinne and Satan amplified from the consideration First of our first Creation Secondly of our present traiterous and rebellious disposition by the power of originall sinne which hath wholly possessed all parts of body and soule 2 Desire that God would First rescue and redeeme thee out of the power of Satan and sinne Secondly that hee would by his spirit rule in thy heart casting out the strong man and diuiding his spoyles Thirdly that hee would make the affections subiect to the regiment of his spirit and renew thee according to his image Thou maist make this the place of repentance 3 Here thou maist remember the Church the kingdom of Christ The 3. Petition Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen 1 Here confesse and bewaile First thy readinesse to doe thine owne will yea the will of Satan making these the rule of thy life and not the will of God Secondly thy ignorance of Gods word which is the copie of his will Thirdly thy negligence in hearing of it Fourthly thy contempt shewed in continuance in knowne sins after admonition 2 Then desire grace First to denie thy selfe Secondly to vnderstand the word Thirdly to loue and reuerence it more Fourthly to make it the rule of thy life in as much as it is the scepter of Christs kingdome Fifthly that thy conuersation may bee in heauen after the example of the Angels Sixthly whatsoeuer be the will of God for thee to doe or suffer that thou maist alwaies with patience and contentation say Thy will be done The 4. Petition Giue vs this day our daily bread 1 Here acknowledge that thy life preseruation and all good things come from God 2 Confesse and bewaile thy First couetousnesse Secondly thy vniust dealing to enrich and maintaine thy selfe Thirdly Matth. 6. thy distrust in the good prouidence of God who feedeth the fowles clotheth the Lillies Fourthly thy earthly and worldly mind that cannot sauor ought but earth and earthly things 3 Then desire First the prouidence of God to watch ouer thee for thy preseruation and main