Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	form_n	prayer_n	use_v	4,815	5	5.9954	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96881	An appeal to the churches of Christ for their righteous judgement in the matters of Christ, the concernments of all His glory, over whom there is a defence. Whether the way of Christ with His people be not paved-forth as a cause-way before them in His scriptures, and to be traced by the footsteps of all His neare-ones. Here you have the epistles only. The first to the churches, giving them some short account of their matters. The second unto the minister who enjoyned that work. The second unto the minister who enjoyned that work. The third to some neighbour-ministers for their judgement therein. The fourth to the Christian reader.	Woodward, Ezekias, 1590-1675.	1656 (1656)	Wing W3478; Thomason E868_6; ESTC R207694	25,432	43

will receive our soules to heaven whom He hath not renued here on earth This being a grounded truth for a man to be alwayes the same he was from the womb borne a childe under wrath and in that state dying is certaine and irricoverable death Oh! this undoes many even all that are undone are undone by it As they never dreame of a change which death will one day make upon them so they never desire a change that grace in this present life should worke on them Therefore heare the Counsell that worthy man Master Burgesse gives thee As Job sayd of the change by death He would every day waite till his change come Job 14. 14. Doe thou say of this change by grace I will every day pray heare reade meditate mourne and roare out before God every day and all the day long till this spirituall change come And doe not accept of the Ministers invitation to the Lords Table though thou findest him very gentile and courteous this way before this change be wrought or in a way of working for heare what that worthy Man sayth Heathens Fornicatours Idolaters Adulterers Theeves Covetous Drunkards Revilers Extortioners became washed and cleansed by the Word but washed Fornicatours Idolaters c. we meane Baptized Drunkards Theeves Covetous These sit under the Word and reforme nothing but make a scorne of it What may be the reason Why They live in the practise of knowne sinnes and in the neglect of knowne dutyes under the dayly exercise of the Word and yet frequent the Lords Table which hath provoked a spirituall Censure and sorest judgement now wholly inflicted upon them whence it is as the Clay under the Sunne so these become more obdurate under the Word from which judgement the Lord deliver thee and us all But beware of this as thou tenderest thy life therefore we caution thee againe That thou dost not goe to the Lords Table in a conceite presumption rather thou shalt receive Christ Jesus the Lord there whom thou haste not received in the Ministry of the Gospel Remember and forget not The rocke shall not be removed out of his place as was spoken by Job that is God will not change the course which He hath setled as firmely as the Rockes or as the Earth He will not alter His method nor goe out of the way He hath prescribed His Word shall profit thee first before any thing else shall or can thou must keepe close to His way if thou lookest to attaine His end We intended more to thee so dearly we love thee as to minde thee well there are but two Masters that can be served and to which of these thou art an obedient servant the Apostle will tell thee Rom. 6. 16 17 18. 2 And as there are but two rankes or sorts of people whereof before so also but two wayes the roade way of the world the broad way the roade way of the Lords redeemed ones the way of holinesse where the uncleane cannot passe nor any Lion can be nor ravenous Beasts being a straight and a narrow way which these cannot indure And thou must certainly know in what way thy foote walketh for suppose it the narrow way and thou wilt finde thy flesh pinched if not tormented 3 And that there are but two Mansion houses where thy soule anon and thy body anon after must dwell that long day or night of eternity the narrow way tendeth to the one the broad way to the other If now thou wilt conferre with flesh and blood we know what way thou wilt choose the broad way and hell to be thy Mansion house for ever for though thou mayst have as the wicked may have a Velliety a faint will for Heaven to dye the death of the righteous and that thy last end may be like his yet walking in that broad way the strength of thy will carryeth thee hell-ward that horrid place of darknesse Therefore give-up thy hand to God having fixed thy eye upon His Word and say Lord plucke me into the way and leade me in it and suffer me not to decline from it In all this we intended to be more large And to touch lightly upon other things also the subject matter of the following discourse but this well digested and pondered-on may suffice And it will be sufficient though thou readest not one word of the Booke for suppose thou art made a Disciple indeed a Christian in truth thou wilt seperate from the world at the Lords Table nor wilt thou eate that is familiarly converse with the men of the world unlesse necessarily as a Physitian with the sick having thy warrant for it thou mayst convey good unto them and thine owne affaires may require it And 2 Thou canst no more observe the day the men of the world call Christmas than thou canst prophane the Lords day for thou mayst have heard that one being asked whether he did observe the Lords day keeping it holy Yes sayd be for I am a Christian And doe you observe Christmas day to keepe it holy No said he for then I were no Christian unlesse in name and that is nothing indeed A true Christian flees from Idolatry for what hath he any more to doe with Idols And be will not put up his Petitions in anothers words he praiseth God for what he hath received he prayeth to God for what he would receive he confesseth the sinnes he hath committed all this with his owne mouth He used set formes of Prayer when time was hee was a Christian in name onely but now that he is through grace a Christion indeed he remembers heartily that a prayer by the Booke left him as cold as it found him it had no more heate in it than hath cold Iron or frost and had he not layd them aside he had proved a Christian when an Ape prooves a man he bares himselfe-up as formerly upon the crutches then as others now doe and he was as well in his owne conceite as others now are bare formes never put the flesh to any paine But to feele no paine Comes we know from the rottennesse of the flesh as well as soundnesse A dead Christian such as he that hath but a name that he liveth feeles no paine hee presumes all is well with him and presumption being a sinne of mans-selfe flattering-heart meets with no trouble though he be desperately wicked that is deadly sick unto death yet aske him how he doth and he sayes well for he was baptized when time was and dealt with as a Saint he thankes his good Minister ever since he grew up to the yeares of understanding But little doth he know how hardly that disease is curable that is so like to health Ille morbus vix sanabitur qui sanitatem vinitatur one sayth seldome or never and he addeth None are more desperate than those that are least despairing in their owne selves through not of the grace of God presumers therefore are in the more desperate condition by how much they are the lesse despairing But what a sad thing is it that men should presume they are rich and want nothing when they are miserably poore and want all things we will pitty those deluded mad men who are perswaded they are such great persons and have such large estates when in the meane time they lye miserable and wretched bound up in chaines in a darke dungeon such a spirituall madnesse is upon most and this renders them more mad if more can be they were baptized and upon that Infant priviledge have free admission to the Lords Table without making the least profession of faith and repentance wherein it comes to passe that as they live like mad men so they are like to ciye being strongly perswaded still upon principles of Infant Baptisme That they are Disciples and Saints while they are Drunkards and Devills they are sheepe and lambs when they are dogges and swine And call themselves grapes and figges when they are thornes and thistles to use and so to end with that Learned Mr Burgesse his words Love that spares no cost nor feeleth any burthen hath drawne us-out thus farre consider what hath been sayd meditate upon it be wholly in it and so doing whoever fareth ill thou shalt fare well FINIS