Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	apostle_n	pray_v	prayer_n	1,314	5	6.4509	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15434	Thesaurus ecclesiæ: that is, the treasure of the church consisting of the perpetuall intercession and most holy praier of Christ, set forth in the 17. chapter of the Gospel by S. Iohn: which in this treatise is plainly interpreted, with necessarie doctrines enlarged, and fit applications enforced.	Willet, Andrew, 1562-1621.	1604 (1604)	STC 25704; ESTC S102754	86,296	210

vp sacrifice for himselfe as the high Priest did both for his owne sins and then for the sins of the people Hebr. 7. 27. for euen the prayer of Christ for his glorification is for the church that they may behold his glorie Iohn 17. 24. but the scope end of our prayers is onely for the release of our selues 2. Christs prayer is perfect without any doubting or wauering or any infirmity besides for God is in him well pleased Mat. 3. 17. but our praiers are imperfect wee know not what to pray as wee ought Rom. 8. 26. 3. Christs praiers are meritorious as euerie other worke of his was for the lamb that was killed is worthie to receiue power Reuel 5. 14. but our prayers merite not for when wee haue done all we haue done nothing but which was our duetie to do Luke 17. 10. 4. Christ prayeth by himselfe he needeth none other to pray by but our praiers cannot bee accepted without a mediatour yea the Apostle dare not presume to offer thankes vnto God but through Iesus Christ Rom. 1. 8. 5. The prayer of Christ is the prayer not of a mortall man but of one that is both God and man who is inferiour to his father as he is man but equall as he is God who prayeth not as an inferiour when he thus saith Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with mee where I am verse 24. 6. Our prayers because they are weak and imperfect had neede often to bee renewed but this prayer of Christ being once made hath an euerlasting force as the Apostle speaketh of the offering of Christ with one offering hath he consecrated for euer them that are sanctified Hebrews 10. 14. Now hauing thus briefly shewed how the prayers of the head and members differ let vs consider likewise of the difference of Christs praiers the apostle saith that Christ euer liueth to make intercession for vs Hebr. 7. 25. But wee must not imagine that Christ praieth now sitting at the right hand of God as he did while he liued in earth with sighes and groanes as at Lazarus graue Iohn 11. 38. with criee and teares as in the garden Math. 26. 39. sometime lifting vp his eyes Iohn 17. 1. falling vpon his face Marke 14. 35. sometime kneeling Luke 22. 41. We must not thinke that Christ prayeth now after anie such manner by bowi●g the knee or making intreaty or offering supplication to his father as Augustine well saith that these are the cogitations of carnal men to imagine tanquam in alio loco patrem in alio filium patri ast antem pro nobis verba facere That the father is as it were in one place the sonne to stand by in an other speaking for vs and the Apostle saying that Christ in the dayes of his flesh did offer vp prayers and supplications with strong cries Hebrews 7. 5. sheweth that this manner of prayer vsed by Christ then in the dayes of his humiliation doth not beseeme him now in the time of his exaltation and our Sauiour himselfe saith At that day ye shall aske in my name and I say not vnto you that I will pray vnto the father for you Iohn 16. 26. that is in such manner as he prayed in earth he shal not then neede to pray for vs. Wherefore to cleare this point these three waies our Sauior is called our intercessour and mediatour first because the Lord for Christs sake and together with him doth graunt vs all things Rom. 8. 32. and he hath promised that whatsoeuer we aske the father in his name he will giue it vs Iohn ●6 23. Secondly Christ maketh intercession for vs non vòce sed miseratione not by his voyce but in compassion and mercie in continuall succouring of his members relieuing our necessities and therefore he is called by the Apostle a mercifull and a faithfull high Priest Hebr. 2. 17. that is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Hebr. 4 15. Wherefore in this sense also because he alwayes willeth and desireth our good and doth send continuall succour and reliefe to his members he is worthily called our Mediator for his wil and desires and his fathers are all one in that the Lord God the father of our Lord Iesus performeth the will and desire of his sonne toward vs as where he prayeth Ioh● 17. 24. I will that they which thou hast giuen mee bee with me c. herein doth his mediation and intercession consist Thirdly the Apostle saith He is entred into the heauen to appeare in the sight of God for vs Heb. 9. 14. The very appearing then of Christ in his humane flesh before God in the heauen● is his intercession for vs the presence of his humanitie the exhibiting of his glorious bodie the remembrance of his obedience the force of his passion is an effectuall mediation with God the Father for vs there needs no other supplication or request making This Daniel saw in vision one like to the sonne of man come in the heauens c. and they brought him before the auncient of daies Daniel 7. 13. The very approching of Christ to his father and exhibiting of his flesh in his glorious presence is our sufficiēt mediation As the Lord saith concerning the bowe in the cloud that I may see it and remember my couenant Genesis 9. 16. so the very seeing of this mightie Angell which is cloathed with a cloud and the Rainbowe vpon his head Reu. 10. 1. brings to Gods remembraunce the euerlasting Couenant made with vs in Christ. To this purpose Gregorie well saith Vnigenito filio Deum ●ro homi●● interpellare est apud coaeternum patrem seipsum hominem demonstrare For the onely begotten sonne to pray vnto God for man is to shew himselfe before his eternall father to bee man This trueth then concerning the manner of Christs mediation reprooueth the blind superstition of the papists who haue these fond speculatiōs of Mary her shewing her breasts to her sonne Christ his wounds to his father these are their words Securum habes O homo accessum ad Deum vbi pro te mater stat ante filium filius ante patrem mater ostendit filio pectus vbera filius patri latus vulnera nulla poterit esse repulsa vbi tot sunt charitatis insigm● O man thou hast secure accesse vnto God where the mother stands before her sonne for thee the sonne before his father the mother sheweth her sonne her breasts the sonne his father his side and wounds there can be no repulse where there are so many signes of loue These sond conceits and idle imaginations are not beseemi●g the glorious maieshe of Christ and the Apostle speaketh otherwise This man after he had offered one offering for sinnes sitteth for euer at the right hand of God Hebr. 10. 12. He sitteth as partaker of the same maistie he standeth not or kneeleth in token of subiection or humilitie In

heauen the Prophets and Disciples supposed he had bene conueyed to some other place and sought him three dayes but were deceiued so they which suppose to find Christ in the earth are erroniously seduced 4. Diuerse reasons of Christs absence in the flesh in the Scriptures are alleadged first because of the present expediencie for the Church of God Ioh. 16. 7. It is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the comforter will not come Secondly because of the future vtilitie I go before to prepare a place for you Ioh. 14. 2. Thirdly the Angels said to the women Why seeke ye the liuing among the dead Luk. 24. 5. It was not conuenient for our immortall and euerliuing Sauiour to be conuersant still among mortall and sinfull men and to cōuerse with those which are dead in sinne 5. First the Popish fantasie is here discouered concerning Christs carnall presence in the Eucharist For if the heauens must still receiue and containe him how can his bodie be out of heauen if it be alwaies in heauen vnlesse they will make Christ to haue many miraculous bodies for his naturall bodie it cannot be which is but in one place at once The words also of this text are euident that Christ in his flesh is no more in the world so that it is neither visible nor inuisible here for if either then it were vntrue that Christ saith I am no more in the world And therefore Origen soundly writeth Secundum diuinitatis suae naturam non peregrinatur Christus sed peregrinatur secundum dispensationem corporis c. sicut homo ergo peregrinatur Christ is not a stranger or a pilgrim in his diuine nature but he is a stranger in the dispensation of his bodie c. therefore as a man he is a pilgrime and a stranger fr● vs. 2. We are taught that seeing Christ is gone out of the world we in affection and desire should follow after him and as the Apostle saith Seeke those things that are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Coloss. 3. 1. Where a mans treasure is there will his heart be and where the carcasse is thither will the Eagles be gathered together If Christ be our treasure if Christ be our desire our affections must be set vpon heauenly not vpon earthly things that we may say with the Prophet The desire of our soule is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee with my soul haue I desired thee in the night and with my spirit within me will I seeke thee in the morning Isa. 26. 8. 9. I come vnto thee Christs comming to his Father here is by prayer so then by faithfull prayer we draw neare vnto God 1. So our Sauiour saith Where two or three are gathered together in my name there I am in the midst of them Mat. 18. 20. Christ cometh to vs in prayer and we come vnto him then specially is our conuersation in heauen as the Apostle saith Phil. 3. 20. when our minds and affections in prayer are set vpon heauenly things 2. Thus Peter while he prayed fell into a traunce he was rapt in the spirit and saw an heauenly vision Saint Paule was taken vp in spirit to the third heauen 2. Cor. 12. But these examples may seeme to be extraordinarie but that of Hanna is vsuall to all the faithfull who is said to pray before the Lord 1. Sam. 1. 12. And Salomon when he had made an end of that effectuall prayer made at the dedication of the temple said These my words which I haue prayed before the Lord be neare vnto the Lord our God night and day 1. King 8. 59. 3. Like as when the woman that had the bloudie issue came in the preasse behind and touched Christs cloathes and Christ asked who had touched him that woman onely is said to touch Christ because she did it in faith wheras al the multitude did throng him and many touched his cloaths beside outwardly Mar. 5. 30. 31. So although in respect of his power he be present to al yet they which draw nere vnto him in faith are specially said to come into Gods presence 4. Because God is a spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and truth Ioh. 4. 24. they therefore do come vnto God which draw neare in spirit God being a spirit is onely discerned and appoched vnto in spirit and they onely see him whose eyes are annointed with the eye-salue Reuel 3. 18. which is faith 5. This doctrine reproueth two sorts of men first prophane persons that haue no care nor desire to enter into Gods presence which very seldome remember to pray vnto God When we heare in Scripture that Dauid praysed God seuen times a day and Daniel notwithstanding the great affaires of so large a kingdome yet could find time thrice a day to pray vnto God what shall we thinke of those men that pray not seuen times in so many daies nay some not thrice in so many weekes O good God how is the Christian exercise of prayer neglected as though men neither knew any God to pray vnto nor had any Mediator to pray by The Euchites were condemned because they did nothing but pray but men now adayes are more to be misliked because they neuer pray If they which call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued I doubt whether they that call not vpon God can be saued How should a man thinke his labour can prosper which beginneth not with prayer how should a mans meate do him good that is not blessed with prayer How can a man thinke that wife children and seruants should do their duties not being exercised and trayned vp in prayer Secondly the prayer of hypocrites is condemned which pray with their lippes but draw not neare vnto God in their hearts As the Lord by his Prophet complained of the old Israelites This people honoureth me with their lippes but their heart is farre away from me Isa. 29. 13. such are the superstitious prayers of ignorant Papists praying vpon their beades in Latine without vnderstanding such are their prayers that haue an ordinarie stint morning and euening to runne ouer hauing no deuotion or holy feeling at all Augustine saith well Ad Deum acceditur fide sectando corde inhiando charitate currendo we come vnto God following by faith desiring in heart and running in charitie these are the feet which the Preacher biddeth vs to looke vnto when we come into the house of God Eccl. 4. 17. Keepe them in thy name euen thē whom thou hast giuen me c. Then we haue no power of our selues to be kept from euill but our strength and preseruation must proceed from God 1. So the Prophet saith Thou ô Lord hast wrought all our workes for vs Isa. 26. 12. Saint Paul saith The Lord will deliuer me from euery euil worke and preserue me to his heauenly kingdome 2. Tim. 4. 18.