Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	prayer_n	read_v	scripture_n	2,527	5	5.9548	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25248	Redeeming the time a sermon preached at Preston in Lancashire, January 4th, 1657 at the funeral of the honourable lady, the Lady Margaret Houghton / by Isaac Ambrose.	Ambrose, Isaac, 1604-1664.; Houghton, Margaret, Lady, d. 1657.	1674 (1674)	Wing A2969; ESTC R29590	26,695	20

yet that they mutually help one another is most manifest and consequently are fit to be joyned together for the word ministers matter of prayer and is the ground of our petition who have no promise to be heard unless we ask according to God's word 1 Joh. 5.14 And the fitness of the morning for these exercises is evident not only because the first of time belongs unto God but also the heart being then most free from worldly thoughts it is therefore fittest for Holy exercises and withal when in the beginning of the day the heart of man is seasoned with Holiness and with the fear of God he shall find himself the better fitted to walk humbly with God all the day after 2. All the rest of the day till evening should I spend my time in the Duties of my particular calling nor know I the least reason why any man in the world high or low rich or poor should be herein exempted Adam must not eat his bread without sweat and labour Abel was a keeper of sheep Cain a tiller of the ground Gen. 3.19 Jabal was a Tent-maker Jubal the father of such as handle the harp Gen. 4.2 20.21 22. Tubal Cain an Artificer in Brass and Iron All the the Patriarchs of Israel were but Shepherds and Jesus Christ himself was a plain Carpenter But you may object may I not herein lose my time as to God's service One would think if this were my last day I should do no other work but pray or hear or read or meditate c. I answer 1. I grant there are such times wherein God calls us extraordinarily to such spiritual Duties all the day long as either in afflictions felt or feared or in some special mercies expected or received And there are those times we call the Lords dayes wherein we are to do no work ordinarily but of a Spiritual nature And there are such times wherein God holds forth an opportunity of exercising graces or of doing good and so to embrace the occasion is one piece or part of our redeeming time Gal. 6.10 As we have opportunity let us do good to all men And your care of me hath flourished again Phil. 4.10 said Paul to his Philippians but ye lacked opportunity It seems their care for the Apostle was intermitted for a season for want of oppertunity to send unto him but now they put forth again as flowers in Spring I doubt not but in such cases as these we may and must for the time dispense with our particular callings Yet 2. In my ordinary constant daily course I am to be in the exercise of my Particular calling with which I may either mingle some actings of grace or ejaculatory Duties as suddenly to look up to Heaven and to behold the face of God to whom I am to approve my self in my particular calling or if they clash I am solely to follow my particular calling and to leave other Spiritual actings till their appointed season Nor do I herein decline God's service For 1. I follow my calling out of an awful respect to the eye presence and command of God who hath said Six dayes shalt thou labour Yea I do what I do in civil business as the work of Christ so that I may say at that time now am I about the work of God and of Jesus Christ 2. Seeing my self thus working for him I may easily apprehend that for that time I honour God as much nay more by the meanest servile worldly act than if I should spend all that time in Prayer Meditation or any other Spiritual employment to which I had no call at such a time It is noted therefore by some of Peter's Wives Mother that when Christ had healed her of her Feaver she sat not down at Table with Christ in Communion with him which no question was sweet but she ministred unto them i.e. she ran to and fro and served him and acted for him wherein she shewed more love Mat. 8.15 and gave him more honour than if at that time she had enjoyed Communion with him in a nearer way But I hear others object May I not take up some little of this time in recreations what must I alwayes be on my calling Is there not a time to every purpose under Heaven Eccl. 3.1 4. a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance I answer There is indeed a time to recreate but that time is then I say onely then when our bodies or minds are wearied with our other employments O what a sad thing it is to see many spend a whole day it may be a whole week in unnecessary sinful recreations What is this to redeem the time or dare I thus spend the last day of my life in this world Surely God's people that make conscience of their Duties should not meddle at any time with recreations though in themselves lawful without true cause and a just calling thereunto nor should they use them any longer nor to any other end but only to quicken their minds or to revive their bodies that so they may return with some lightsomness and alacrity to their callings again He that spends his time lavishly in recreations is like him whose Garments are made of fringes and his meat nothing but sauces I am not against recreations lawfully used but God forbid that we should trifle away our time more worth than worlds upon foolish vain empty end unnecessary toyes 3. The evening should be closed up with spiritual duties If you ask what Duties I answer 1. The evening is a time for prayer Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice Psal 141.2 To this of prayer I joyn reading the Scripture and good books for it is fit to close up the day with the same duties wherewith we began it 2. The evening was Isaac's time for meditation And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even-tide Gen. 24.63 It may be in this Duty the morning is not so seasonable for some tempers but shall the evening pass without some spiritual Holy meditations Some conceive the evening to be the very season of set and deliberate meditation and in this case how fruitful might I be in the use of that Ordinance of Looking unto Jesus as he carries on the great work of our Salvation from first to last O that this Duty of meditation either on that or any other spiritual subject were not so neglected as it is by Christians themselves Jod 1.8 The Lord gave Joshua a charge that he should mediate on his Law day and night Psal 1.2 and David's character of the blessed man is that his delight is in the Law of the Lord Psal 63.6 and in his Law doth he meditate day and night And David's own practice was to remember God upon his bed 1 Tim. 4.15 and to meditate