Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	holy_a	read_v	scripture_n	8,342	5	5.9261	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64241	Jacob wrestling with God, and prevailing: or, a treatise concerning the necessity and efficacy of faith in prayer Wherein divers weighty questions and cases of conscience about praying in faith, are stated and resolved. For the comforting and satisfying of weak and scrupulous consciences: the conviction of formal hypocrites, and awakening of all saints, both weak and strong, great and small, to this great duty of prayer. By one who hath obtained mercy to be a minister of, and sufferer for, the gospel of Jesus Christ in this hour of temptation.	Taylor, Thomas, 1624 or 5-1700.	1663 (1663)	Wing T555; ESTC R222503	60,235	214

JACOB Wrestling with GOD AND PREVAILING OR A Treatise concerning the Necessity and Efficacy of Faith IN PRAYER Wherein divers weighty Questions and Cases of Conscience about Praying in Faith are stated and resolved For the comforting and satisfying of weak and scrupulous Consciences The Conviction of formal Hypocrites and awakening of all Saints both weak and strong great and small to this great duty of Prayer By one who hath obtained mercy to be a Minister of and Sufferer for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this hour of temptation John 16.24 Ask and yee shall receive that your joy may bee full LONDON Printed in the year 1663. TO THE READER WHoever thou art that takest this Book into thy hand know that as to thy spiritual state thou art either a Sinner or a Saint a Beleever Joh. 3.36 1 Joh. 5.12 or an Unbeleever in Christ or out of Christ for betwixt these there is no Medium or middle state Now if thou beest a sinner an unbeleeving Christless soul Then here is the root of all thy spiritual misery which is great beyond expression and the bar that keeps out all spiritual good and mercy from thy soul that thou art at a distance and estranged from communion the sweet and soul-enriching soul-sanctifying soul-saving and soul-satisfying communion of Jesus Christ Joh. 17.3 which is the life of grace the life of glory the life of God! Ephes 4.16 Alienated form the life of God And this is thy Hell upon Earth Eph. 2.12 though thou knowest it not that thou art without God and without Christ in the world i. e. without true spiritual enjoyment of God and Jesus Christ through want of the life and exercise of Faith in thy soul and through a sinful neglect or a mis-performance as of all other holy duties so especially of this great duty of prayer in the constant and right performance whereof such sweet and blessed communion with God may bee enjoyed as Galeatius Caracciolus that famous Italian Convert having tasted the sweetnesse thereof in his own soul and having forsaken all that was dear to him in the world upon that account was wont to say That hee was not worthy the name of a Christian that did not prize one moments communion with God before a thousand worlds Now Reader know that if thou beest such a one as art yet a stranger to communion with God it is one design of this following Treatise to lead thee unto the Father by the Son and to instruct thee into this great duty and mystery of praying in Faith which if the Lord shall give thee rightly to understand and wisely to improve will open such a door for escape out of thy spiritual misery and for the letting in of all spiritual mercies and blessings into thy soul as may make thee happy to all eternity If thou beest a Saint a Beleever a Soul in Christ Psa 37.25 Cant. 1.2 Psal 63.1 2 3.5 then to injoy communion with him is thy life thy glory thy joy thy crown thy heaven upon earth nothing so sweet nothing so precious nothing so desirable to thy soul as communion and fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ through the spirit and in the constant and right use and performance of these heavenly ordinances and holy duties which are the sweet walks of Jesus Christ Rev. 1.13 wherein hee delights to communicate himself to the souls of his people And those spiritual Galleries Cant. 7.5 in which the King is held and retained by his beloved Spouse Cant. 4.9 in most sweet embraces Cant. 2.4 5 6 and soul-endearing converses to the ravishing of the hearts of each other Amongst which spiritual walks and galleries there is none in which Jesus Christ doth more delight and abundantly communicate himself to the souls of his people than in this great ordinance of prayer which is therefore called his delight Prov. 15.8 Now 't is also the design and scope of this Treatise to further thy souls communion with Jesus Christ in this ordinance of prayer by shewing thee 1. The Necessity 2. The Efficacy of Faith in Prayer Resolving divers scruples and Cases of Conscience about it Awakening and stirring up thy soul to it teaching thee to bee spiritual and heavenly in it and revealing unto thee the great and glorious things that may be done and obtained by it Therefore whether thou beest Sinner or Saint in Christ or out of Christ strong or weak in grace read this small Treatise and the Lord give thee to understand what thou readest sincerely to imbrace and faithfully to practice what thou understandest and to reap the spiritual fruit thereof in grace here and glory hereafter And if thou reapest any fruit and benefit to thy soul by this discourse give him the glory who is the Author of Truth not the Instrument And if thou reapest no fruit or beest made worse by it blame neither the Author nor the Instrument but thine own heart as the cause of it To the Reader By a Friend of the Authors THis ensuing treatise was put into my hand by the worthy Author therof whose humility was jealous of the publication of this peece By a cursory view of it I quickly perceived the spirit of it and prest to the publishing of it for the relief quickening and consolation of such as understand praying in the Holy Ghost And do therefore think meet to acquaint you that the Author of this treatise of prayer is well known to be a judicious and faithful Minister of God and servant of Jesus Christ who hath witnessed a good confession and that in bonds for the Commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus In which condition no doubt his soul was conversant in this heavenly exercise and was taken as others of his fellow servants into a more intimate communion with Jesus Christ whose breathings and cryes with others of his brethren are gone up into the ears of the Lord of Hosts Psa 97.11 The Accuser of the Brethren hath great wrath against the Spirit of prayer in this Houre and hath blasphemed it at the highest rate that ever was heard of in any generation being greatly tormented thereat crying out Oh Away with this praying in the spirit Wonderful it is that men pretending Christianity and to have read the Holy Scriptures should decry praying in the Spirit which is perfectly opposed to stinted forms but that the way of the Spirit in the hearts of the called of God is foolishness even to the wise and learned that know it not The Author of this Book as a good witness of Jesus Christ hath given out a holy and experimental Testimony to this Spirit of prayer and hath discovered the abomination of Hypocritical praying in the vain repetitions and saying long prayers for a pretence Mat. 6.7 and 23.14 to justle out the spirit of prayer promised to all Ministers sent by Jesus Christ and all Saints especially in the New Testament daies If