Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	church_n	particular_a	universal_a	4,571	5	9.4486	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49397	The plain man's guide to heaven containing his duty 1. Towards God. II. Towards his neighbour. With proper prayers, meditations, and ejaculations, designed chiefly for the countryman, trades-man, labourer, and such like.	Lucas, Richard, 1648-1715.	1692 (1692)	Wing L3406; ESTC R32885	42,925	180

if any spare time remains read some good Book but be sure so to order your Devotion and necessary Affairs as to be at Church at the beginning of Prayers As you go think of the great Priviledge and Mercy you enjoy in being admitted to the House of God to pray and hear his holy Law and the particular blessings of living in a Nation where God's Word is freely dispensed to all think what a sad aggravation of your Fault it will be if you resist or neglect such great Advantages but let not the sense of your unworthiness tempt you to despair or negligence but rather to love and admire the long Sufferance of God and to resolve to improve better these means of grace Enter the Church with reverence and gravity it is the House of Prayer make it not a Den of Thieves by sinful thoughts and hypocritical Designs nor yet a House of Merchandize by thinking or talking of worldly Affairs but so soon as you come to your Seat make an humble Prayer to God for attention and zeal grace to know and do his will a pure unprejudiced mind to apprehend and hold fast the Truth Pray for a blessing on the Minister then present and all other faithful Dispensers of the Word and Sacraments throughout the World that they may be successful Labourers in God's Vineyard and convince and convert many from their sins and build up all through Faith unto Salvation that the Word may be Seed sown in good ground bringing forth Fruit abundantly to the glory of God Pray also against wandring thoughts and drowsiness finally desire the union of your Prayers with all Christians and that the Intercessions of the Universal Church sent up in the Name of its common Redeemer may by him be presented acceptably to God and obtain for it all good things notwithstanding the blemishes imperfections and mistakes of its particular Members These or the like Petitions you may use as time permits till the Minister begins then standing up Of Publick Prayer Matth. 18.20 Isa 56.7 Luk. 2.37 Ioel 2.15 16 17. Hebr. 10.24 35. apply those Texts of Scripture that are read to your self To be able to do this the better read them over at home to consider them then attend to the Exhortation which is to inform you of your Obligation to the Worship of God by holy Scripture the end and benefit of it and manner how you should perform it with a truly penitent heart and therefore with seriousness apply it to your self and do not hear it as words of course which you are not concerned in gazing about as too many do but being composed and recollected as in the Presence of God with bended knees and a contrite heart sensible of your great unworthiness make the following Confession next comes the Absolution To hear this with profit you must first understand the meaning of it it is a short Declaration of God's Mercy and Pardon to penitent sinners that is to those who being truly penitent of their sins are heartily sorry they have committed them and resolve by the assising grace of God never more wilfully to do the like As for Example Almighty God These words sets forth God's infinite Power and Ability to Pardon The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who desireth not the death of a sinner This shews God's infinite goodness and willingness to pardon since he spared not his own Son will he not with him freely give us all things But rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live Here follows the conditions you must turn from your wickedness before you have any right to the Promise of Life and though God had much rather you should repent and live being desirous that none should perish but that all should come to Repentance yet here is no encouragement to hope for any that lead wicked lives but to the Penitent that is such as to the utmost of their power sincerely endeavour to obey God's Commands and to avoid what he forbids doing their Duty as well as they are able yet trusts not to any merit thereby but being sensible of the weakness of their best performance expect Mercy and Eternal Life as the free gift of God for the sake and merit of Christ Jesus only to such Penitents God has given power and commandment to his Ministers to declare and pronounce to his People being penitent the absolution and remission of their sins Which is no other then declaring the terms set forth in the Gospel more largely for the Minister only declares on what Conditions we may be pardoned by Almighty God but does not by this Absolution pardon any who do not perform the Conditions He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent Where observe the Minister does not say I pardon but he pardoneth that is God and that only those that truly repent that is confess and forsake their past sins for without amendment Repentance will not profit so that no one can with comfort apply this Absolution that indulges any wilful sin And unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel that is the Duties and Threatnings as well as the History and Promises Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true Repentance and his holy Gospel Where you may observe you must joyn Prayer to your Endeavours both for Repentance for what is past and the assistance of God's holy Spirit to enable you to do your Duty for the time to come for by our own strength we are not able to do any thing that is good and acceptable to God the rest is so easie that it needs no Explanation If you are sure of your ●art in performing the Conditions of Repentance and Amendment God will most certainly perform his promise which he has authorized his Servant to declare in his Name on which you may rely with comfort and apply with confidence to your self You must not say the Absolution after the Minister that being not properly a Prayer but setting forth the Condition of our Pardon While the Minister is saying the Absolution offer some such Ejaculations as these Let this gracious Absolution pronounced by the Minister be extended unto me Thou art the Father of Mercy who willest not the death of a sinner O fit me and all here present to receive the Remission of our sins by a faithful performing the Conditions on our part Encrease our Faith perfect Repentance and by the assistance of thy holy Spirit help us unfeignedly to believe and sincerely obey thy Gospel that those things may please thee which we do at this present and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy so that at the last we may come to thy Eternal Joy through Jesus Christ our Lord. At the end of this and other Prayers say Amen which signifies your consent to Prayer and desire that God will hear and answer it Then follow the Lord's Prayer which being the most perfect Pattern and comprehensive Form of Prayer is in our Liturgy several times

blessing such Maids need not fear getting an honest Service and are fitted to make good Wives when their Parents think fit be especially careful to prevent fondness in your Daughters and Maids and often set before them the monstrous deformity of an immodest Woman and the great Beauty and Prudence of a chast modest humble Maid As your Daughter ought not to marry without your consent so do not constrain her where she has an aversion nor cross her Affection too much if the Man is sober and honest While at your work in the House or Field be often saying some profitable thing causing your Children to repeat what they have learnt by heart and instead of idle Ballads let them learn Psalms to sing at their work so shall your House be a little Temple of God and a Blessing accompany all your Labour and make you both happy and contented here and dispose you for Eternal Happiness in the World to come which is so great a Hope that nothing but sad Experience could make one think it possible that they that pretend to believe the Truth of Eternal Glory and Happiness can be so miserably negligent in the pursuit of and endeavours after it Having in the fore-going Directions often Exhorted you to think of God and entertain holy Meditations and Ejaculations at your work I will here give you some few Examples not to use in a set formal manner but for the direction and quickning to inlarge as your Devotion directs Meditations and Ejaculations proper for several Occasions IN a Morning when you find your Cattle well or have hopes of seasonable Weather admire God's goodness and look not on these Blessings as the Course of Nature or what you have a right to but as the immediate gift of God and as if they were newly bestowed on you and say in your heart Lord I thank thee for all thy gifts it is thy bounty that first gave them and the same bounty preserve them O give me grace to use them to thy glory that I may never abuse them to sin or vanity to dishonour thee or hurt my Neighbour but be a faithful Steward of all those Talents committed to my charge that so I may find Mercy in the Day of our Lord. If your Cattle is sick or die or the Weather unseasonable consider it is the Mercy of God that you lose not all or that you had not such losses sooner for should he withdraw his protection you might be by the malice of the Devil who hates all those that serve God reduced to the condition of Job and let such Accidents convince you of the great necessity of God's Blessing and how vain all your labour or care is without it not being able to cause a fair day when you want it or restore a poor Beast to health here you may thus meditate Lord thy will be done giving or taking what thou hast given thy Name be blest I thank thee for all thy past Mercies and submit to my present losses sanctifie them to my profit my sins deserve worse punishments whatever thou recallest let it not be any degree of grace or thy favour for so long as I am thy reconcil'd Child I cannot be miserable but without thy love I am most wretched could I possess the whole World for what shall it profit to gain the whole World and lose my Soul When you begin a new work dedicate it to God and say Lord I desire to do all to thy glory all for thy love and in obedience to thy will bless this my labour that it may prosper and grant that I may first seek thy Kingdom and its Righteousness and have such a portion of Temporal Blessings as thou seest best for me If you are sick or in pain look on it as sent from God and submit to it saying Lord keep me from sin the worst of evils the more the Outward man is afflicted the more I beg thy grace to support my Spirit with Faith and Patience When you hear talk of Wars and Trouble in Church or State or are sad at the thoughts of Divisions among Christians Remember that God is infinite in goodness wisdom and power and will bring good out of all When you find your self affected with these Thoughts retire to pray for your fellow Creatures or at least at your work sometimes lift up your heart to God to pray that he would enlighten all Mankind that they may both believe and obey the Gospel that he would unite the Divisions among Christians and reform whatever he found amiss in their Belief and Practice that all Christian People might have a true Christian Spirit a Spirit of Love and Charity proving their Discipleship by their Love to one another that so God might be worshipped in Spirit and Truth to his glory and their salvation When you lye under any Temptations say to this effect Lord let thy power be magnified in my weakness suffer me not to be tempted above my strength take away the Temptation or enable me to resist and overcome it Before you read the holy Scripture pray that God would assist you with his enlightning grace that so your Faith may rest not on the Wisdom of Men but on the Power of God that you may rightly understand and faithfully practise what you know that so obeying the Commands you may inherit the Promises of the Gospel and that the steadfast belief of God's Word may be your Comfort and Support against all Temptations of the World the Devil or your own Corruptions Before you go into company or before you reprove or advise any think how you may do most good and best please God say Lord be present with me sanctifie my Heart and Tongue which I dedicate to thee and give me both courage and wisdom to speak in due season for thy glory and my Neighbours good and let thy Spirit both assist me and supply my defects by its powerful working on the heart of my Neighbour As you sow your Ground you may from thence draw a Meditation of Death and Resurrection of the necessity of grace and good works for as you must do your part to manure the Grounds and sow the Seed and you expect seasonable Weather to make it bring forth so must you do your endeavours to prepare your heart to receive the grace of God and by Prayer to procure his blessed Spirit by which aid alone you are enabled to do the will of God Lord as without thy blessing all my labour is in vain so if thy grace does not assist me I am all weakness O pity thy poor Creature the work of thy hands and both sow the Seed of true Faith in my heart and water it with thy grace that it may bring forth the Fruits of a Holy Life When you see Harvest getting in you may meditate to this effect O Lord grant that I may be as a fruitful Field ready for Harvest that so when Death or Judgment comes I may rejoyce and not mourn that my work being done I shall ever rest not only from labour but from sin and be perfect in loving and serving God If you hear profane People talk or are tempted to doubt in any point of Faith say Lord I believe help my unbelief I believe and am sure that thy Word is most true and that my doubts are only the effects of my own weakness Lord I believe whatever thou hast revealed I renounce all my Errours and beg thou wilt either pardon my ignorant Mistakes or give me light to discover and forsake them thy Word is perfect I believe and desire to obey it If you see any in a mean or miserable condition think of God's goodness to you and say Who is it that made me to differ and what have I that I have not received and if I have received it why do I glory as if I had not received it let my Brother's misery make me thankful to God and charitable to him that he be not tempted to envy my Prosperity If you find your self inclined to discontent say Lord it is enough for me that I may but love thee and be loved by thee Shall I complain of an ill Nights lodging in an Inn when I shall soon be at my Fathers House and have there as large a share of glory and happiness as my Soul is capable of How can I be more honourable than to be a Child of God who is Lord of Heaven and Earth How can I be richer than to have peace here and glory hereafter Let me instead of murmuring admire the great goodness of my heavenly Father and rejoice in my Neighbour's Happiness for in Heaven no one envies another but is made more happy by the Felicity of the rest FINIS