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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	common_a	lord_n	prayer_n	2,904	5	6.1819	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65377	A weeks work: shewing the whole duty of a Chritian Laying down in seven particular heads for the practise of the seven days of the week, what prayer is, how to use it profitably, wherein is shewed the true nature, power, and effects of vocal and mental prayer; with advice and instructions (for such as be ignorant in prayer and spiritual duty) how to attain to a true spiritual, effectual, and proficient way of praying. Very useful and requisite to be read in societies and families. To which is added seven copper-plates, suitable to each days exercise.	G. V.	1668 (1668)	Wing W1250AB; ESTC R220908	22,326	107

IMPRIMATUR Ex Aedibus Lambethanis Aug. 20. 1667. Tho. Tomkins R Rmo. in Christo Patri ac Domino Gilberto divina Providentia Archi-Epipcopo Cantuariensi a sacris domestices A Weeks Work Shewing the WHOLE DUTY OF A CHRISTIAN Laying down in seven particular heads for the practise of the seven Days of the Week what Prayer is how to use it profitably wherein is shewed the true Nature Power and Effects of Vocal and Mental Prayer with advice and Instructions for such as be ignorant in prayer and spiritual duty how to attain to a true spiritual effectual and proficient way of praying Very useful and requisite to be read in Societies and Families To which is added seven Copper-plates suitable to each days Exercise LONDON Printed by E. O. for William Crooke without Temple-bar near Essex-house 1668. TO THE READER AFter I had finished these Exercises which I designed at first for a private use only but upon serious reflections of the great importance some considerations on this so needful a subject might be I have here adventured to present to the publick these private Meditations hoping that thou mayst find as much comfort in the reading as I have done in the writing hereof I seek not any honour or profit hereby nor do I desire you to * Job 6. 22. Give a reward for me of your substance for these my Labors but only and earnestly desire these Instructions may come home to thy heart and all that I shall expect is from the Wise-man's mouth * Prov. 11. 18. To him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward I desire thou wouldst bring with thee a heart void of prejudice towards those Holy Duties that are to be performed that with a sincere and humble Elevation of the mind you may say with the Holy Prophet * Psal 109. 5. I give my self unto prayer It might possibly be expected here should have been Forms ef Prayers for proper occasions but I thought it not so needful to concern my self in a Task that hath been so often and so well performed by able and Religious men for all occasions both publick and private so that I do not find there needed any more assistance by that want of prayers but which was to much wanting to quicken the coldness and dullness of prayer I have here indeavoured to set down some motives to draw you to the more fervent use of it That so it may be more effectual and proficient to the saving of your souls and that your prayers may not be an offence to God as Judah's once was * Isa 1. 15. When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine Eyes from you Yea when you make many prayers I will not hear But rather that we may so pray that we may hear the Holy Spirit sounding in our hearts from the mouth of the same Prophet saying * Isa 38. 5. Thus saith the Lord c. I have heard thy prayers and I have seen thy tears c. Octob. 26. 1667. G. V. SUNDAYS Exercise Cain Murthers Abel Gen 4. And Cain brought of the fruit of the ground v. 3 And Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock etc And the Lord had respect unto Abel etc. vers 4. but unto Cain c. he had not respect etc. vers 5. And Cain rose up against Abel his brother slew him vers 8. CHAP. I. Of Prayer Sect. 1 MAny that are given to Prayer gain little profit thereby because they do not know nor consider what Prayer is for had they known it they would be more Prayer not well known attentive in it and use it as they ought And so we should have more Saints then there are and Heaven more Souls Sect. 2 You must therefore understand that Prayer generally taken is an Elevation or Application What prayer is to God so that if a man pronounce many good words with his Mouth and seem to Pray not having this Elevation it is no Prayer by reason the Mind is not elevated or applied to God As for example suppose a Child required by his Parents to read very Godly prayers in some devout and pious Book either to pass away the time or know whether he can read or no he cannot in so doing be said to Pray though he reads the most devout Prayer that can be Why so because he intended not to Pray and the principal thing which is the application to God is wanting Therefore our Saviour speaking to the Pharisees ye Hypocrites did not Isaiah prophesie well of you saying This people doth praise me with their Lips but their Heart is far from me This he said in the behalf of God by which you may observe our Saviour doth term him an Hypocrite and Dissembler who maketh shew of that which is not moving his Lips as in Prayer but not applying his Heart to God Sect. 3 But alass how many Pharisees Of Hypocrites and Hypocrites may be found this day even among the best of Christians that make shew of praying and serving God their Hearts being far from him We have the Lord's prayer appointed The Lord's prayer by our Saviour to be said as the most excellent of all Prayer we have our common-Common-prayer or The Common prayer Liturgy composed by most pious and prudent Christians establish'd by the Law of the Land duely used in our Churches we have many Godly books with Godly books devout Prayers all for the use and benefit of Christians and though vocally said yet they are of great power in the sight of Good use of them all God being well and attentively used according to a sincere and devout Application Yet I am sorry there be many so worldly and negligent that pray no way Neglect of prayer though in Christian duty obliged to pray nay there be some that scarce call to mind whether there be a God or no which the Turks do not forget So that at their going to Bed or rising up before meat or after they give no Thanks but Not give thanks couch and feed as the brute Beasts do or as if they were not obliged being reasonable Creatures to praise and give God thanks for their Beeing Life Health Food Conservation night and day from sudden Death and other Dangers which as others they are subject to and if by chance they go to Church to hear Divine Service they being thereunto bound by Law they mind more to gaze here and there on this or that Body's Attire or new Fashionable Christians Fashion or give their minds to wander on idle things more than what they ought to do in that place And when they do begin their Devotion they know not what or how they say it they are Unattentive so much Destracted their minds it may be in the Market Tavern or some worse place and if Prayers be but short yet they seem so long to them that they are wearied and think they will never end And

or how dare I presume to come to thy presence my God and King of infinite Majesty and Glory for I am nothing but Dust and Ashes meat for worms and which is worse a wicked Sinner who have often offended thee and deserve thy wrath and indignation rather than any favour which makes me with fear and trembling now appear before thee Sect. 9 But because thou art Goodness it self and as well the God and Lord of Sinners as Just having all Power over both and art very desirous of the good and Salvation of all thy Subjects being infinitely mercifull and canst forgive more in an instant than I have done or ever can commit with an humble and submissive heart yea with shame and confusion I do come to thee Oh most merciful and great God of Glory being a grievous Sinner yet desirous to amend my Life and never more offend thy Divine Majesty Wherefore I humbly beseech thee not to cast me from thy presence but give me Audience my dear God and incline thine Ears and Heart my most gracious King unto my words and hear what I shall say for I will not despair but confide in thy mercy and goodness and do humbly beg of thee to grant me thy Grace that I may truly open my Heart and make the cause of my Soul known unto thee Sect. 10 These or the like words you may use and then read in some pious and divine Book possessing Reading your self of the quality of the business by Reading Sect. 11 Then will necessarily follow The second part of prayer being Meditation Meditation by which you do consider that Matter or Subject with all its circumstances and conveniences as how it was is or may be for your Spiritual good and profit what and how great a benefit it is to you or you may get thereby and what Obligation it doth cast upon you For the end for which we Meditate is to move the Will to some good Affection which once had Meditation or Discourse is needless and will rather hinder than profit the Soul which remaining in any pious Affection doth spend the time very profitably Sect. 12 But if you be not moved or the Affection governeth cold go on with your Meditation or Discourse thus O Lord how spightfully are they striving who shall abuse thee most and consider that when they rested a while they begin again as it were in your presence and what approbrious and injurious words they speak unto him laying heavy Lashes on every side and not so much as once to favour him or to take compassion on him The Meditation of his holy Passion is very great but I am sorry that so few have a feeling of it by reason they do not try how sweet our Saviour is to all that through Love do come to him Consider that our Saviour by his Suffering made satisfaction to his Heavenly Father for our sins and the great Torments that in Hell we were to suffer for them which is a great and special benefit that ought to move you to take compassion upon Him to hate Sins and to be very thankfull for his Love in suffering for you And consider your great Obligation to serve him ever after with more fidelity and sincerity procuring your Salvation with so great pain meerly of his goodness and love without any merit or desert of thine Sect. 13 This well considered and your Soul well possessed of this great Obligation she may say of her own feeling blessed mayst Soul 's own feeling thou be my God for all thy favours I do acknowledge and confess this to be so great that it doth oblige me for ever to thy Love and Service Oh Jesus how admirable how excessive great is thy Love to me Dust and Ashes the worst of Creatures the greatest of Sinners O Lord thy Goodness is incomprehensible and thy Mercy is truly far beyond all thy Works and thus Meditations with Reason is to move the Will to acknowledge God's benefits and to induce it to love and gratitude Sect. 14 For if you meditate of Sin and that thereby you offend God who might cast you into perpetual Torment yet did not what a benefit this is to bear God's forbearance with thee expecting thy repentance and conversion if the pains of Hell be considered how often have you deserved them by breaking the Laws of God yet this punishment was not inflicted then when you were in Sin and thereby the Slave of the Divel how many sweet inspirations and remorses of Conscience had you from God which by the benefit of his holy Sacrament brought you to Grace and freed you from the power of Satan which is no small favour now do not many thousands Rot in the filth of Sin and Sin and 't is feared will be Eternally damned Sect. 15 If you think of Death how often you might by it have been deprived of Life and time of Repentance when in Sin you might have perished in Body and Soul for ever which by God's goodness and mercy was God's goodness prevented though daily many others are suddenly Dead and God knows in what case If you consider the Joys of Heaven which you lost by Sin and see that it is recovered again and purchased for you with no less price than the precious Blood and Death of Christ our Saviour what a high Obligation doth it cast upon you of some requital of Love you see how all these and what else you can consider in Prayer do plainly appear to be great benefits of Almighty God to the knowledge and feeling understanding of which Meditation doth bring you and consequently to be thankfull to love and serve his Divine Majesty with great sincerity and fidelity I have written these Examples briefly to help you the better to meditate and know what to conclude upon out of what you do consider Sect. 16 The next part of Prayer that The third part of prayer being Thanksgiving follows is Thanksgiving for when you perceive by what you have Meditated that you received a benefit from God stands it not with reason you should acknowledge the favour but also give him thanks in the best words and expressions you are able or can make your thankfull mind known which may be thus done O Lord my God the true lover and most faithfull friend of my Soul when or how shall I be thankfull unto thee for all thy gracious favours and gifts and for this particular benefit bestowed and done unto me poor wretch wholly unworthy of thy Love Oh my dear Jesus how shall I requite this thy tender affection Oh how shall I serve thee or wherein can I please thee Oh how shall I praise thee being what I am Oh how shall I honour thee my God who hast so highly exprest thy love and desire of my Salvation in this great benefit Oh most loving Creator how near and dear to thy sweet Heart the Creature is Rest in this if you can looking on

the amendment of your Life and better serving of God ever after and in this you ought to be exact because you passed your word to God FRIDAYS Exercise Jonah is delivered from the fish Jonah 〈◊〉 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fishes belly v 2 etc And the LORD spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry Land vers 10 CHAP. VI. Instructions for those that cannot Discourse and therefore in Prayer have no content Sect. 1 SOme there are that cannot frame Similitudes Dull capacities nor Reasons to help themselves in Prayer These when they go to Prayer may frame some thought of making reverence to God in contrition for offending him of thanks for his benefits and love to them and praising him for his goodness and mercy and it will be acceptable to God thus to pass the time of Prayer without tediousness also it will be requisite to have some devout Books to read as helps to Piety and Devotion reading as often as they see themselves carried away with any Temptations shutting the Book after some time Reading and thinking upon what they have Read that so they may be inwardly imploy'd untill God seeing their diligent care may visit them with his Holy grace Sect. 2 It may also much prevail in Read the Life of our Saviour Prayer when they know not what to do to run over the Life of our Saviour in a general manner from his Infancy to his Death to keep their mind imployed in good thoughts and it is like that in some part they may have a feeling of their Sins or of his Love or the like good Affection it may do well to say Mentally some devout Prayer with great attention considering the meaning of every Petition as you think of them yet you must not commonly give way to your imaginations to run upon many things but for the most part meditate upon some Mistery in Divinity by reason the Soul is apt to gain a Custom thereby and if it be an evil one it will hardly be well settled or recollected which will be a great Obstacle to Contemplation in Prayer for he is scarce worthy of thanks when he goes to Prayer can pass the time with any vain or pleasing Discourse and differs little in the effect from he that goes to Prayer with a repugnancy and loathing of it Sect. 3 Our Souls must indeavour to Conscience kept pure keep purity of Conscience sincerity of Affections and we must often hear the Word and receive the holy Sacrament frequently and practise Acts of Virtue as Humility Contrition Charity Patience c. And in times of Barrenness these will inflame the Soul with godly desires and at the end of Prayer leave her with content SATURDAYS Exercise Daniel in the Lions Den. Daniel VI. Then the King commanded and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of Lions etc v. 16. Then the King arose very early etc. v. 19. And when he came to the den he crye'd etc v. 20. Then said Daniel etc. v 21 My God hath sent his angel and hath shut the Lions mouthes etc v. 22 CHAP. VII Of the proficient way in Prayer Sect. 1 HEre the Soul is to be The soul must understand what virtue is made understand what Virtue is and how to bring it and preserve it untill it come to perfection you must observe that some do 〈◊〉 … ake notice what it is to go forward in due Order in the way of Virtue and perfection but before they well know themselves or what Mortification is or how they ought to go in the Exercises of proficient Prayer their Passions being unmortified their Senses not heeded or well governed and consequently if they use Prayer many years they gain small profit and little virtue by it Sect. 2 Therefore you must not ascend Purged from the affections of the things of this world to proficient Prayer untill you are well and sufficiently purged from all the affections to the things of this World and so mortified in your Senses and Passions till you come to the knowledge of your own Insufficiency Vileness and Ignorance Sect. 3 But the Soul having got over The souls step forward the Hedge from the foul miry way wherein she was to a dainty Plain from the Winters night to a Summers day and that the tempestuous operations of the Passions are gone the understanding in his Native light doth begin to appear more seriously to work according to reason and the Sun of Justice casting his Rays upon him by which he is enlightned that he plainly sees the great misery the Soul was in and that only by the Exercise of Virtue she can be preserved from returning thither again then by degrees this Soul encreasing in purity and gaineth a facility in Prayer Sect. 4 By this the Light is greater The souls having the plain understanding and the Soul more plainly understands those things of God which may induce her to love him in a high degree and maketh her heart tender and inflames it with a great desire to imitate the Life of our Saviour and to reprint them deeply in the Soul for this is the true pattern of all perfection it is not in the understanding of any to conceive nor in the Eloquence of any Tongue to express the comfort the Soul that is come thus far hath in Prayer yet it is not sufficient to have renounced all things in the World and use Retirements outward and inward and great Austerity to the Body but you must examine and mortifie your Affections even in Spiritual things and withdraw your selves from their Sensual delights The End A Table CHAP. I. OF prayer pag. 2. CHAP. II. Of profitable Praying p. 22. CHAP. III. Of the dignity and profit of Mental prayer p. 30. CHAP. IV. What Mental prayer is and the parts thereof p. 41. CHAP. V. Profitable advices concerning the use of Prayer p. 66. CHAP. VI. Instructions for those that cannot Discourse and therefore in Prayer have no content p. 82. CHAP. VII Of the proficient way in Prayer p. 87. FINIS Books newly Printed for William Crooke nigh Essex-house in the Strand AN Elegy on the late fire and ruins of London by E. Settle Oxon. Praxis Curiae Admiralitatis Angliae Auctore Fran. Clerke A Book of great use to all persons conversant in Civil and Ecclesiastical Courts c. De Principiis Ratiorinatione Geometrarum ubi ostenditur incertitudiuem falsitutemque non minorem in esse scriptis eorum quam scriptis Physicorum Ethirorum contra Fastum professorum Geometriae Auctore Tho. Hobbes