Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	faith_n	heart_n	sprinkle_v	2,758	5	11.3113	5	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

upon you by virtue of the anointing and unction of the holy one that is upon you for that end to be the witnesses of Jesus Christ Rev. 11.3 4 5 6 and to open and shut Heaven by your prayers and to smite the earth with plagues as often as ye will to pray down the mighty Kingdome of Babel Rev. 11.15 which is Antichrist and to pray up the glorious and everlasting Kingdome of Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 3.22 13 to pray out these old Heavens and old earth wherein dwelleth wickedness and to pray in the new Heavens and new Earth wherein shall dwel righteousness peace This is an honour I say which the God of Heaven and Earth hath put upon you that ye should stand before the God of the whole earth Zech. 4.14 and be instrumental and influential in and about these great things And this honour can no man take from you this is a priviledge and honour given you from Heaven and 't is not in the power of all the devils in hell by tempting nor all the powers of earth by persecuting to take it from you they may cast you into prisons lay you in the darkest dungeons drive you into exile and banishment but still where-ever you are what-ever your outward condition be Heaven is open over your heads and the spirit of grace is nigh your hearts ye may have access to the throne of grace they cannot keep out the Spirit from you nor shut out your prayers from ascending before God if they will not suffer you to utter words 1 Sam. 1.13 15 Rom. 8.26 27 ye may pour out your spirits and sigh and groan inwardly and hee who searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the spirit I say ye may come freely and boldly to the throne of grace the way is open and none can shut it 't is a new and a living way not of works but of grace not by the blood of Bulls and of Goats but by the blood of Jesus neither your sins nor your enemies therefore can shut it if it were an old Covenant way of access by works and mans righteousness your sins might shut it and you not be able to enter into the holiest or if it were a way of access by carnal and external sacrifices your enemies might shut it and make the daily sacrifice to cease Dan. 8.11 either by denying you liberty or wherewithall to sacrifice But now seeing it is a new Covenant way of access not by works and mans righteousness but by free grace and Gods righteousness imputed by Faith to them that beleeve not by external sacrifice but by the blood and spirit of Jesus the Son of God lift up your heads and know that 't is not in the power of your sins or enemies to hinder your daily access to the throne of grace if you have Faith but as a grain of Mustard-seed and come in the exercise of that Faith by the blood of Jesus yee may ask and have prevail with God by prayer for all things whatsoever there is nothing too great or too good for God to bestow upon you he hath set you no bounds but bids you ask what you will And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer beleeving ye shall receive Let mee therefore close up this exhortation with the words of the holy Apostle Heb. 10.19 20 21 22. Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh and having an high Priest over the house of God Let us draw near with a true heart and in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience Use last Lastly And to shut up all O ye Israel of God who as Princes have power with him thus to prevail in Heaven that all things whatsoever ye ask in prayer beleeving ye are sure to receive give all the glory unto Jesus Christ and cast your crowns down at his feet and give glory to the Lamb through whom alone it is that ye thus overcome and prevail by Faith against all the powers of Hell and Earth Oh learn that new song Rev. 5.9 Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof not we are worthy but thou art worthy to have honour and glory and blessing and power As vers 12 13. for vers 10. Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred tongue and people and nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests Oh know and freely confess before Angels and men that it is not by your own holiness or righteousness that ye do any of these great things but by Faith in the name the blessed and holy name of Jesus let the same mind be in you that was in the holy Apostles Peter and John who when they had done a great work upon the impotent man who was lame from his Mothers womb which drew the eye of the people with great admiration towards them did humble and abase themselves that Christ alone might be magnified have all the glory of what they had done directing the eye and expectation of the people from them unto Jesus the Son of God Act. 3.12 Ye men of Israel why marvel yee at this Or why look yee so earnestly on us as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk The God of Abraham Isaac and of Jacob the God of our Fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus whom ye delivered up c. And vers 16. His name through Faith in his name hath made this man strong whom ye see and know Yea the Faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all Oh here is a choice and excellent spirit indeed here is the life and glory of Faith indeed to do great things in the name and strength of Christ then to give all the glory back again to him Oh ye Saints and Servants of God know that 't is not by your own power and holiness by your own Saintship and worthiness but by the power and holiness by the blood and righteousness by the mediation and intercession of Jesus that ye do any of these great things by Faith in prayer Therefore I say again and again give all the glory to Jesus Christ let nothing be given to faith nothing be given to prayer nothing be given or ascribed to your own Saintship or holiness but let all the glory be given to God and to the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne but the holy Angels the four beasts four and twenty Elders with all the heavenly host whose number is ten thousand times ten thousand are all about the throne not sharing the glory honor with Jesus Christ though they have been ministerially instrumental in the hand of Christ to accomplish these great works but giving all the glory to him and to him alone Rev. 5.11.12 13 14. And I beheld and I heard the voyce of many Angels round about the throne and the beasts and the Elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten-thousand and thousand of thousands Saying with a loud voyce worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdome and strength and honor and glory and blessing And every creature which is in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I saying blessing honor glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever And the four Beasts and the four and twenty Elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever Even so Amen And let all the Angels in heaven and all the Saints in Heaven and earth and all creatures persons and things be nothing be lesse then nothing be overshadowed and dis-appear that Jesus Christ the Lamb of God may be all in all and appear in his glory and shine as the Sun of righteousness in the highest heavens for ever and ever And let all the Saints and holy Angels who are but stars remember and know that they shine but with a borrowed light and therfore must disappear at the appearing of this glorious Sun that all the world may behold his face in Righteousness and the whole earth be enlightned with his glory Let him be true and every man a Lyer let him be holy and every man a sinner he must increase but we must decrease And let every Saint and servant of God say let every friend of the Bridegroom say This my joy therefore is fulfilled for this is the great end of the Saints access unto acceptance with the Father through Jesus Christ Joh. 14.13 And whatsoever ye shal aske in my name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son If God and Jesus Christ be hereby glorified we have our end our all The summ and scope and perfection of all our faith and hope of all our praying preaching hearing reading doing and suffering is this Isa 61.3 That he may be glorified In this therefore let us joy and rejoyce in this let our souls acquiesse and take up as in our spiritual center and Heavenly rest as in our Canaan our Heaven our all which is dearer and sweeter to us then our reputations estates liberties lives yea then our very souls then all our own concernments That Jesus Christ and the Father in him is glorified and exalted by the great things that he doth and will do in Heaven for his poor sinful and unworthy tempted and afflicted Servants here on earth Heb. 13.7 8. Considering the end of their conversation Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever FINIS ERRATA IN the Epistle page 2. line 6. for form read from and page 4. line 11. read those In the Book p. 59. l. 12. r. life p. 75 l. 22. blot out the p. 83. l. 2. r. Non-Ordinancers p. 153 l. 13. r. Demonstration

addresses to God by prayer 't is not enough that the person praying be a Beleever but also that the prayer made be a prayer of Faith or a beleeving Prayer hence it is put in the present tense Beleeving And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer beleeving not having beleeved but beleeving in the present tense intimating to us that a present exercise of Faith is required otherwise the prayer may be an unbeleeving and so by consequence a fruitless prayer though the person be a beleever for a godly man may make a carnal prayer a beleeving man may make an unbeleeving prayer As the good man Joshua seems to do Josh 7 7 8 9. The truth is wee are said to have no more Faith than we act And therefore Jesus Christ reproves his Disciples as faithless when as 't is clear they wanted not the habit but the exercise of Faith in that particular case of casting out the dumb spirit Mark 9.19 Those prayers therefore are faithless prayers in which there is not a present exercise of faith though the person or persons praying be in a state of grace and have the habit of Faith in their hearts 3. Quest or Case of Conscience If the exercise and actuality of Faith be necessarily required in all things whatsoever we ask of God in the name of Christ then whether may such an exercise of Faith be accepted as is accompanied with some doubting and wavering of the mind or is such an exercise of Faith only current with God in Prayer as is clear and stedfast without the least doubt or wavering The reason of this scruple or question is that saying of the holy man James in his chap. 1. v. 6 7. But let him ask in Faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the wind and tossed for let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. Now if such an exercise of Faith as is attended with some doubting be not accepted of God and the prayers of such be altogether fruitless and unprofitable as this Scripture seemeth to import then is the hope comfort and experience of the most of Gods Children thereby cut off and denyed And if otherwise then how is this saying of James to bee understood and reconciled with other Scriptures Ans Two kinds of doubting There is a twofold doubting or wavering of the mind spoken of in Scripture The one which doth alwaies exclude and oppose Faith so that where such doubting is● there is not the least acting o● stirring of Faith in the heart The other which doth onely argue weakness of Faith and is consistent with the exercise and actuality thereof at the same time in some degree The saying of the holy man James above-mentioned is to be understood onely of the former 1 Kind explained viz. such doubting or wavering of the mind as doth oppose Faith and is exclusive to it as is clear by the antithesis or opposition of Faith and wavering being set in the Text the one against the other for saith James Let him ask in Faith And then hee opposes thereunto this word wavering nothing wavering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. not disputing or cavilling so that 't is manifest the Apostle speaketh of such a doubting or wavering as argues a nullity and privation of Faith where there is no beleeving of the Promise and Word of God but a disputing and cavilling against it and an opposing of it As in the case of that Lord on whose hand the King leaned when the Prophet by the Word of the Lord fore-told so great plenty to be on the morrow in the gate of Samaria who disputing and reasoning against the Promise and Word of God out of an unbeleeving heart answered the man of God Behold if the Lord would make windows in Heaven might this thing bee 2 King 7.1 2. This was such a wavering as James speaks of which argued a nullity of Faith and strength of unbeleef in the heart of that Noble man who thus disputed and cavilled against the Promise giving no credit to the Word of the Lord spoken by the Prophet nor in the least acknowledging or relying upon the power of God for the performance thereof And therefore was made a spectacle of divine vengeance for his disobedience and unbeleef being trodden to death the next day in the gate which verified the Word spoken to him by the Prophet Thou shalt see it with thine eyes but shalt not eat thereof vers 2. compared with v. 19 20. And of such a doubting as this is that saying of the Apostle Paul to be understood Rom 14.23 And he that doubteth is damned because he eateth not of Faith for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin 'T is evident in this place the Apostle speaketh of such a doubting as argues a want of Faith and right understanding of true Christian liberty in that particular action of eating In which hee that eateth without Faith is condemned in his own conscience though the thing in it self be lawful yet to him it is sinful and unlawful for want of Faith in what he doth Otherwise a man is not condemned in that action which he doth with some doubting wherein there is also a real and true exercise of Faith though in a weak and low degree As Simon in letting down the Net at the command of Christ Luke 5.5 The second kind of doubting or wavering spoken of in Scripture 2 Kind explained is such a doubting as is consistent with the present exercise of Faith and argues only weakness of Faith but not the want of it which kind of doubting is found in the true Children of God even in their best duties oft times the consideration whereof doth also much trouble and afflict them Now this kind of doubting Gen. 18.13 Mat. 8.26 Mat. 14.31 though it is sinful and to be reproved yet being a sin of infirmity and weakness not o● wilful rebellion or presumption the Lord doth in mercy cover and pass it by in his people and doth not therefore reject their persons or any their sincere and faithful services but doth graciously accept them in his Son Jesus Christ notwithstanding such infirmities as by the following instances doth appear Instance 1 And thus Sarah was accepted of God in the exercise of her weak Faith when the Lord made a promise of a Son to be given her in her old age though therein she was not without some doubting as appeareth by comparing Gen. 18.12 13 14. with Heb. 11.11 In the former viz. Gen. 18.13 She is reproved for her doubting Wherefore did Sarah laugh is any thing too hard for the Lord But in the latter viz. Heb. 11.11 She is commended and approved for her Faith at the same time and in the same action Through Faith also Sarah her self received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a childe when she was past age because she judged him faithful who

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

this therfore come into the hands of any prayerless souls know thou art yet without the spirit and so art none of Jesus Christs Rom. 8.9 Where-ever the Spirit of Grace is it is a Spirit of prayer Zach. 12.10 Dost thou feel the guilt of sin the want of pardon peace grace holiness thou wouldst not need the words of others to help thee in praying but thou wouldst know what it is for the spirit to help the proper and onely help in prayer thy infirmities and couldst bee no more satisfied with dry and empty forms then a hungry man with Air. If thou art a weak doubting soul and complainest of an unbelieving heart which is a good symptome here thou mayest meet with plain and spiritual resolves to thy doubts about the acceptance of thy prayer and the looking for answers thereof and what faith thou art to exercise on promises in order thereunto Yea all Saints may be further instructed in the efficacy and prevalency of prayer and to be encouraged that the Lord will not cast off a praying Generation that cry day and night unto him The Lord hasten to power forth the spirit of light and prayer upon his people and upon the world as the best sign of his own approaching to judge the earth In the waiting for which let all that have received the first fruits thereof be found at this day To which expectation Reader I commend thee and this spiritual treatise to thy perusal and it and thy self to the blessing made over to the seed of Jacob that wrastle it out with God and prevail over him The Saints do in a sense govern the World with Jesus Christ already by the spirit of Prayer that is in them making intercession in them according to Christs intercession in heaven and usually wee may know what God is about to do in the world by the prayers of his Saints especially in this last age of the world when their souls travel and are in pangs for Sions Redemption and the earth-quake to come into the Nations of the world till all the foundations of it as laid for the interest of Babylon and Antichristianism are shaken and out of course which the Lord will hasten in his time But I must break off and be-speak thy prayers for the Author and my self and all the Lords afflicted Ministers that are mourning in corners resting Thy Servant for Jesus sake Jacob wrestling with God and prevailing Matthew 21.22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in Prayer beleeving ye shall receive THis Text is brought in as an Epiphonema or Closing speech to the history of the fruitless Fig-tree which being cursed by Jesus Christ for its barrenness presently withers and is dried up v. 19. to the great admiration of the Disciples vers 20. which action as it was extraordinary and miraculous in its self so in the tendency thereof it was of extraordinary use to the Disciples and did carry along with it a double instruction First To beware of an outside formal Profession without spiritual fruit and a suitable conversation which is alway attended with the wrath and displeasure of God and is nigh unto cursing Heb. 6.8 Secondly To teach the great Efficacy and Power of Faith and what great things may be done thereby either extraordinary according to that dispensation of working miracles which was but for the time present and peculiar to some vers 21. for all had not this gift nor faith of miracles 1 Cor. 12.29.30 2. Or else ordinary according to the gift and force of prayer which is perpetual and common to all the Saints by which they have a constant and joynt access to the Throne of Grace in all causes whatsoever and may accordingly prevail with God provided they pray in Faith as in the Text. And all things whatsoever c. In this Text of Scripture there are two things principally taught and commended to our consideration 1. The Necessity of Faith in Prayer 2. The Efficacy of Faith in Prayer The first viz. The Necessity of Faith in Prayer is gathered from the word Beleeving which is brought in as a specifical and qualifying adjunct or necessary ingredient to all our prayers And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer beleeving ye shall receive The Necessity of Faith in Prayer is also gathered from other Texts of Scripture as Heb. 11.6 But without Faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must beleeve c. And again James 1.5 6. If any of you lack wisdome let him ask of God c. But let him ask in Faith And look as the body without the soul is dead and useless and cannot perform the actions of a man So also Prayer without Faith is dead and unprofitable James 1.6 7 8. So that Faith is the soul and life of Prayer and therefore a necessary ingredient thereto 1. Quest or Case of Conscience But what kinde of Faith is that which is so necessarily and indispensibly required in all our prayers to God is it the Faith of Assurance or the Faith of Relyance seeing James saith it must be without wavering and in nothing doubting Therefore it would seem that there is required in all our prayers to God a Faith of Assurance yea of full and perfect Assurance which admits of no doubting or uncertainty of the mind in the thing asked and that a Faith of Relyance is not sufficient seeing that is alwaies attended with some doubting as in Esther If I perish I perish she relyed upon God in the use of means but yet was doubtful as to the success and event thereof Now if this Faith be not accepted in prayer then the prayers of most of the Children of God are ineffectual seeing most of them have not the Faith of Assurance That saying of the holy man James shall be cleared in its proper place Answ But in answer to the Question it is affirmed That although it be the duty of all Christians to press after the Faith of Assurance as that which tendeth exceedingly to their comfort and inward joy Yet where there is a Faith of Relyance i.e. the heart doth inwardly rest upon Gods alsufficiency mercy faithfulness truth c. yet with doubting and uncertainty of the mind whether the thing shall be done which is asked of God in prayer the prayer is accepted of God and shall certainly have a gracious return in due time But that we may be the more clear and distinct in our handling this point to the satisfaction and comfort of weak and scrupulous consciences we shall first give a brief description of these two kinds of Faith in their distinct and different natures that so the person who is scrupulous may the better judge of his Faith of what kinde it is And then wee shall by Scripture and experience make good our assertion viz. that a Faith of Relyance is accepted of God in prayer where the faith of Assurance is wanting Faith of Assurance described The Faith of Assurance

therefore is a full perswasion Heb. 10.22 1 Joh. 5.13 14 15 1 Joh. 5.6 Rom. 8.16 and certain Assurance of the mind of a Beleever of the thing asked or hoped for grounded upon the clear and infallible testimony of the Word and Spirit of God in their joynt witness Faith of Relyance described The Faith of Relyance is the inward resting of the heart upon God his name and attributes Psa 37.7 Jonah 3.8 9 Esther 4.16 Job 13.15 Dan. 3.17 18 viz. his power wisdome mercy faithfulness truth c. for the performance of his Word and Promise in general without any certainty or assurance of the mind with application thereof to its self in special wanting the particular witness and testimony of the Spirit in the case which alwaies is present in the Faith of Assurance but alwaies absent and wanting in this Faith of Relyance Of this kind was the Faith of the Leper Mat. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean there was a relyance upon the power of Christ to do the thing asked but a doubtfulness or uncertainty of the mind as touching the application of that ability and healing power to himself in particular And therefore he puts it with an if Lord if thou wilt speaking of his particular and secret will in the case propounded which was not yet made known and therefore he might without sin doubt of it But as to his general will and infinite readiness to heal the sick cleanse the Lepers c. which was abundantly revealed and made known both by Scripture and Experience he could not have doubted thereof without great sin and so would consequently have been reproved for it Thus having described these two kinds of Faith in their distinct and different natures whereby every one that cometh unto God by prayer may be able to judge of himself and know what kinde of Faith it is that he comes withall We shall proceed to make good the Assertion viz. Asser That a Faith of Rely ance is accepted with God in prayer where a Faith of Assurance is wanting Proved 1. By Scripture 2 Cor. 8.12 It is accepted according to what a man hath and not according to what he hath not The general equity and force of which Rule reacheth not onely unto the case of Alms to which the Apostle doth there apply it but also unto all other cases wherein wee have to do with God and particularly unto this case of prayer for otherwise God should seem to be a hard Master reaping where he hath not sown and gathering where he hath not strowed and expecting to receive where hee hath not first given which cannot at any time nor in any case be justly said of him who is infinite in mercy and with whom there is no unrighteousness all whose commands are equal and reasonable And who receiveth not from his creature but according to the gift of his own grace which hee hath first bestowed Rom. 11.35 or who hath first given to him Now forasmuch as Faith is not of our selves but is in an especial manner the gift of God who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will and planteth in the hearts of his people different kinds and measures of grace according to his own good pleasure and the use he intends to make of them It remains that where the Lord hath wrought a Faith of Relyance in the hearts of his people to whom he hath not given the Faith of Assurance And they come to him in prayer and in the use of all holy means which he hath appointed for the good of their souls with such a Faith as himself hath wrought in them he doth graciously accept them according to what they have and not according to what they have not Instance 1 2. By Experience and this also is manifest by the common and constant experience of the Saints who when they have so come to God in prayer with a Faith of Adherence where Assurance have been wanting have been graciously accepted of the Lord and received a gracious answer o● such Prayers As in the case of th● Leper above-mentioned Mat. 8.2 3. who when he came to Chris● in prayer only in a Faith of Relyance upon his power to help when as he had no assurance of his particular will and purpose a● to himself and therefore puts a● if upon that Lord if thou wil● thou canst make mee clean wa● graciously accepted of the Lord and obtained a speedy and full answer of that prayer in the very thing he asked vers 3. And Jesus put forth his hand and touched him saying I will be thou clean and immediately his Leprosie was cleansed Instance 2 And so likewise in the case of the Woman of Canaan Mat. 15.22 29. who came to Christ in prayer on the behalf of her afflicted daughter vers 22. Saying Have mercy on mee O Lord thou Son of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil Now here was wrought in this Woman though a Canaanite a stranger an alien from the Common-wealth of Israel a mighty Faith of Relyance by which she did marvelously cling to Jesus the Son of David relying upon his mercy and power to help her though shee had no certain assurance that shee should have her petition granted but many discouraging passages from Christ As First His silence to her prayer answering her not a word v. 23. Secondly His seeming denial of her request with this reason against it That he was not sent save to the lost sheep of the house of Israel vers 24. 3dly His upbraiding her with her stock and generation being descended of the cursed stoc● and generation of the Canaanite● in respect whereof he calls her a dog vers 26. by all which it is most clear she neither had no● could have any assurance but on● ly she exerciseth her Faith of Relyance notwithstanding all difficulties and discouragements and still she prayes and worships th● Son of David confessing her own vileness and unworthiness an● Justifying the Lord in calling he● dog and taking advantage there upon to hope that yet there might besome crumbs of mercy for her vers 27. Truth Lord yet the Dog eat the crumbs that fall from their Masters table And at length with this Faith she prevails and hath a full answer of her petition with a high commendation of her Faith vers 28. Then Jesus an swered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith be it unto th●● even as thou wilt And her Daughter was made whole the same hour And so much by way of answer to the first Question 2. Quest or Case of Conscience But whether is it sufficient to have the habit and being of Faith in the heart when we pray or is the exercise and acting of Faith necessarily required also Answ That it is not sufficient to have the habit and being of Faith in the heart when we pray but the exercise and actuality of our Faith is required in our