Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A94771
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The Christians dayly practice; or, A practical discourse of prayer. By Sampson Tounesend, minister of Gods word at Hackford in Whitwell in Norffolke. Imprimatur Edm. Calamy.
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Townsend, Sampson.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing T1985; Thomason E1803_2; ESTC R209927
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46,210
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172
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others So much for the second thing I come to the third thing propounded Thirdly The Preparations to Prayer I shall mention onely two 1. Prayer 2. Meditation First Prayer Pray that you may pray Pray that God would direct you how to pray Thus did David Psal 141.1 2. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keep the dore of my lips As if he should have said O Lord do thou so order and direct me in my Prayers that there may not a word proceed out of my mouth but what is acceptable unto thee When a man prays dayly that he may pray by his constant custome of praying he will be the better fitted for Prayer A second preparation to prayer is Meditation Especially meditate on these three things First Meditate upon the Infinite greatnesse of the Majesty of that God to whom thou prayest Be not rash with thy mouth Ecles 5.2 and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God For God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy words be few This meditation of Gods greatnesse will make thee humble as it did Jacob Gen. 32.9 10. who acknowledged he was not worthy of the least of all the mercies of God Secondly Meditate on the Promises of God Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee Mat. 7.7 Ask and it shall be given you With many others of the like nature this Meditation will make thee confident in Prayer Thirdly and lastly Meditate on thine own wants and vilenesse and acknowledge them to God so did Ezra Ezra 9.6 7. This Meditation will make thee fervent in Prayer and it is the Prayer of the humble faithfull fervent soul that shall prevail with God So much for the third thing propounded Fourthly Fourthly I shall shew you the duties or graces requisite in Prayer and there are divers requisites in Prayer First Knowledge and understanding I will pray with the spirit 1 Cor. 14.15 and I will pray with understanding also As if he should say I will understand and know what I pray for Secondly Faith It is the condition upon which the promise of answer of Prayers is made Let him ask in Faith nothing wavering c. Jam. 1.6 7. Let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord that asks doubtingly Thirdly Humility It is the humble soul that shall prevail with God in Prayer Psal 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble He giveth grace to the humble Jam. 4.6 4. Fourthly Purity of heart Let us draw neer with a true heart Heb. 10.22 in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience He that draws nigh to God with an evil heart or defiled conscience shall never speed in his Prayers Psal 66.18 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me If thy heart incline to sinne Gods ear will not incline to thy Prayer Fiftly Love to our brethren is an other duty required in Prayer If thou prayest for pardon of sin and hast not so much love to thy brother as to forgive him an injury done to thee God will not hear thy prayers nor pardon thy sinnes for the promise of pardon is upon that condition Mat. 6.14 15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you But if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will you Father forgive you your trepasses Sixthly Zeal and Fervency is required in Prayer The colder the sutour the greater the sinner The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Jam. 5.16 Prayer is not effectuall unlesse it be fervent though it proceed from a righteous man Seventhly Unwearied constancy we must not give over praying because we have not present answers For this purpose our Saviour Christ mentions the Parable of the unjust Judge and the Widow Luke 18.1 to 9. That men ought alwayes to pray and not to faint And the woman of Canaan teacheth us this lesson of Constancy She would not give over praying though she had many repulses Mat. 15.22 to 29. Gen. 32.26 till she had that she prayed for And Jacob he would not let God goe till he had a blessing All which examples shew we must use unwearied constancy in prayer Eighthly We must pray in the holy Ghost so we are commanded Praying in the holy Ghost Jude 20. that is by the help of the holy Ghost This help is promised in Prayer Rom. 8.26 Likewise also the spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Without this help our Prayers will not be prevalent Those are the best Prayers that have most of the spirit of Gods help in them Ninethly Pray in the name and mediation of Jesu Christ saith Christ 1 John 14.13 14. John 16.23 Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do Whatsoever ye shal ask the Father in my Name he wil give it you To ask in the name of Christ is to ask relying upon the Promises Merit and Mediation of Christ or to desire to be heard for the merit and mediation of Christs sake Tenthly Pray for things agreeble to Gods will saith the Apostle 1 John 5.14 This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us We can have no confidence of being heard in that which we doe not know whether or no it be according to Gods will Christ did justly deny the request of her that askt she knew not what Mat. 20.21 22. Eleventhly Use a due order in Prayer Seek Heavenly things first and most seek earthly things in the second place Saith Christ Mat. 6.33 Seek first the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse So we are taught in the Lords Prayer to seek first the things that concerne Heaven and Happiness before we seek Earthly blessings We must seek Heavenly things absolutely but Earthly things conditionally because Heavenly things are absolutely necessary for us as Faith Repentance Sanctification c. these things we know are agreeable to the will of God and therefore we are to pray for those things absolutely and not with a condition if it be thy will But now for Temporall things they are not absolutely necessary for us as health or freedome from the malice of unreasonable men or deliverance out of this or that trouble or to prosper or increase in their estate in the world or the like For these things we must pray with condition if it be the will of God Because God giveth or denieth these things to his children according as he sees best or most fit for each of their