Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	harden_v	hardness_n	pharaoh_n	2,882	5	10.8987	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01935	Certaine sermons preached upon severall occasions viz. The vvay to prosper. The vvay to be content. The vvay to vvell-doing. A summer sermon. A vvinter sermon. Vnknowne kindnesse. The poore mans hope. By Iohn Gore Rector of Wenden-lofts in Essex.	Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to prosper.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to be content.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to well-doing.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Summer sermon.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Winter sermon.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Unknowne kindnesse.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Poore mans hope.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Oracle of God.	1636 (1636)	STC 12071; ESTC S120526	199,234	334

the next day this makes the wayes and passages worse than they were before So when a mans heart shall melt a little on the Sonday and freeze againe all the weeke after as Pharaohs melted for a time and then presently hardned again this relapse is worse than the former as water having beene once heate and then cooled againe growes colder after than before Wee see that even marble in some weather will stand on drops and yet retaines its wonted hardnesse so did Pharaohs heart and Sauls and Ahabs seeme to give and melt for a time but they grew hard againe too soone Take heede of that if thy heart begin to thaw desire God to follow thee with his grace that it may not freeze againe 3. After a thaw though the Snow for the most part be vanished and gone yet under hedges and ditches there wil lie some leavings of it as we call them a long time after so when it hath pleased God to melt a mans heart for sinne yet there wil be some leavings of corruption some remainders of his old sinnes in the blinde and secret corners of his heart So that the continuall care and daily practise of a Christian must be to finde out and purge out these old leavings of sinne that lie unmelted in his soule 1 Cor. 5. 7. 4. The thaw makes the wayes exceeding foule and cloggie which before were faire and cleane so till a mans heart be thawed he never perceives the foulenesse of the wayes of sinne how they bemyre his soule and clogge and hinder him in his passage to heaven Saint Peter calls the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a squalid foule and filthy place so the word signifies 2 Pet. 1. 19. a man shall have much adoe to keepe himselfe unspotted where so much filth and corruption is David found this and desired of God Psal 69 15. Eripe me de ●uto Lord deliver me out of the myre that I sinke not A wicked man thinkes the broad way to be the best way but a man whose heart hath beene thawed knowes it to be full of myre and sloughes and it is Gods mercy if they doe not sinke irrecoverably 5. While the frost holds the plowes are lockt out of the earth no seede can be sowne all husbandry is intermitted till God send a thaw and then their work goes forward So while men are frozen in sinne Gods Plow can make no worke the seed of his word can take no roote 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle calls the Ministrie of the word 1 Cor. 3. God husbandry doth no good till there come an inward thaw to prepare and make way for grace that mens hearts may be wrought upon by the powerfull Gospel of Iesus Christ then it is no griefe for a Minister to take paines in the Word and Doctrine of the Lord. Therefore Iohn Baptist was sent before to prepare the way for Christ and to thaw mens hearts by the preaching of repentance that they might be capable of the Doctrine of Christ who was to sow the seede of eternall life in the world 6. Lastly after a thaw comes a floud so after repentance follow teares It was Peters case Luke 22. 60. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 while he was yet speaking ere the word was out of his mouth his heart began to melt and hee went out and wept bit●erty It was one of Gods charges to his people Exod. 22. 29. that they should not delay their liquors or drink-offrings So we translate it but in the Originall it is non tardabis ●a●rymam tuam thou shalt not delay thy teares therefore if thou hast done any thing that needeth Peters teares and hast not shed them let me be thy Cocke doe it now what ever thou delayest delay not that for it is a ruled case in Divinity that no man can come to heaven with drie eyes therefore if thou findest thy eyes to be so dry and thy heart so hard that faine thou wouldest but canst not weepe for sinne desire God to smite thy heart as Moses smote the Rocke that the waters of repentance may gush forth in abundance or as the words of my Text are desire God to blow upon thy soule with the vitall blasts of his holy Spirit that these waters may flow to wa ● and clense and carry away the mudde and dregs and filth of all thy sinnes I have done with my Text. God of his mercy give a blessing to it for Iesus sake our Lord and onely Saviour Amen FJNJS VNKNOWNE KINDNESSE A SERMON Preached in the Cathedrall Church of St. PAVL in London Anno Dom 1635. BY IOHN GORE Rector of Wenden-lofts in ESSEX Printed at London by T. Cotes for Thomas Alchorne and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the Signe of the Greene-Dragon 1635. Perlegi hanc concionem cui titulus Vnknowne Kindnesse in quâ nihil reperio sanae fidei aut bonis moribus contrarium THO. WEEKES R. P. Epo Lond. Cap. domest Ex aedibus Fulhami Maij 24. 1635. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL M. Doctor DVCK Chancellor for the Diocesse of LONDON RIGHT WORSHIP I Remember that David Psal 23. 4. tooke as much comfort in the Rod wherewith he was smitten as in the Staffe whereby he was upholden And J consider that your Jurisdiction over me is as well corrective for what is amisse as directive in what is aright Take J beseech you this Tender from my hand as a testimony from my heart that J am yours in both and doe as kindly accept of the one as J embrace the other Thus nudus ad ignotum J prostrate my selfe and pray both for your temporall and your eternall welfare Your poore unworthy Friend IOHN GORE VNKNOVVNE Kindnesse PSALME 141. 5. Let the Righteous smite me it shall be a kindnesse and let him reproove me it shall be an excellent oyle that shall not breake my head AS there are two sorts of sinnes against God sinnes knowne and sinnes unknowne I know my iniquity saith David of the one and Father forgive them for they know not what they doe saith our Saviour of the other so there are two sorts of kindenesses from man knowne kindenesse and unknowne kindenesse the knowne kindnesse is that which consists in charity in love and compassion to the poore like that which David shewed to Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9. 3. Is there not any of the house of Saul that I may shew the kindnesse of God unto him saith the King to Ziba that is that I may sustaine releive and doe him good as God in his kindenesse is wont to sustaine releive and do good to those that stand in neede of succour this is the kindenesse of God and that is a knowne kindnesse But then there is another sort of kindenesse that is unknowne such as the world doth hardly know how to discerne from an unkindnesse and that consists in smiting rebuking and reprehension and this is the kindenesse that David doth even begge for here in my Text.

theirs would by their influence so moysten and fatten the earth that they should not need to be beholding to God for any rayne now quoth Eliah here is a judgement to try your gods withall goe to the gods that ye have served let them helpe now or never if they can doe any thing they can send a showre of rayne if not why doe ye serve them I say it was a convincing judgement Eliah did it on purpose to let them see the vilenesse of their Idolatry what base what impotent what unworthy gods they served that could not helpe their clyents to a drop of raine In like manner whatsoever a man makes his god besides the true one I meane puts his trust in for helpe in time of neede shall at length so deceive him and so befoole him that he shall be forced to confesse as these people did in the end The Lord he is God The Lord he is God 2. Because it was a just and a fitting punishment this people were guilty of spirituall barrennesse and God plagued them with temporall barrennesse No Nation under heaven was so husbanded and manured of God so watered with the dewes of heaven I meane with the meanes of grace and salvation as they were and yet none more unfruitful in every good work Now therefore Eliah fits them with a judgement sutable and agreeable to their sinne hee prayes to God that it might not raine that so their lands might be answerable to their lives and their soyles become as barren as their soules Thus it pleaseth God many times to pay men in their owne coyne to come home to them in their owne kinde and to fit his punishments according to their sinnes That as they that sinne in their goods by misgetting miskeeping and mispending them are many times punished in their goods by losses and crosses by fire by water c. And as they that sinne in their children by misloving or misnurturing them are oft times punished in their children as David was in Absolom and Adonijah so they that sinne in their lands it is just with God to punish them in their lands Salomon tells us Prov. 21. 4. that the plowing of a wicked man is sinne That is strange the husbandry and tillage of the ground is generally held to be one of the most honest the most innocent the most harmelesse callings in the world and so it is of it selfe and yet we see when a wicked man takes the plow in hand when a man goes to his plow with an ill minde and an ill conscience his very plowing addes to his sinnes And it is just with God that that land which is plowed sinfully should thrive accordingly and become as bad and as barren as the owner A fruitfull land doth God make barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein 3. Because it was a sensible and a palpable judgement As God Almighty told Cain Gen. 4. 7. that he should be cursed from the earth The Lord knew that Caine cared not to be cursed from heaven and to be banished from the presence of God and branded for a Reprobate but to be cursed from the earth to be cursed in earthly things he being a tiller of the earth that would goe nearest to his heart of any judgement Even such is the disposition of every man of the earth as David termes earthly-minded men they doe not value nor care to be cursed from heaven to be excommunicated out of the favour of God and out of the blessed company of all faithfull people which censure of excomunication if it be rightly carried with a Clave non errante as the Schoolemen speake when there is no errour committed in the use of the Keyes is one of the greatest punishments under heaven But carnall men are not sensible of this and therefore God will punish them in that wherein they are sensible in their wives and children in their corne and cattell c. in such things as are neerest and dearest to them as when David slung his stone at Goliah if he had strucke him upon any part of his harnesse he had never felt the blow but striking him as he did in the forehead which was naked and tender that sunke him presently so it is with carnall men for spirituall judgements they are harnessed their hearts are hardned their consciences are seared they have as the Apostle speakes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a horny hoofe as it were growne over their hearts that makes them insensible of any spirituall blow that can light upon them Therefore Almighty God knowing in what part they lie naked in what kinde they are tenderly affected namely in their affection to earthly things strikes them there plagues them in that and that ●inkes them like Nabal whose heart died within him like a stone As we see in Exodus how Pharaoh and the Egyptians hardned their heart and out stood all the plagues of Egypt till God plagued them in their children and that broke their hearts So beleeve it they that care not for spirituall punishments for the losse of Gods favour the losse of heaven the losse and perill of their owne soules God will finde a time to punish them in that which they do and shal care for in their corne in their substance in that which is neerest and ●earest ●o th● As he did these Israelites here because they were not sensible of the want of grace God punisht them with that would make them sensible with the want of raine that when they had plowed sowne their land and bestowed all their care and cost all should be in vaine for want of moisture to refresh the earth These or the like reasons I suppose might move Eliah to pray and procure this kinde of judgement By the way if any man desire to know the reason why God is not thus marvelous in the Ministers of the Gospel as he was in Eliah and those other Prophets of the Law why we that are his Evangelicall Prophets cannot doe such wonders in our dayes as they did in theirs Answ though that same donum miraculorum the gift of Miracles be ceased in the Church now that the Gospel hath taken roote as Husbandmen when they transplant a tree at first they set props and staies to shore it up but after it hath taken roote they plucke away the stayes and let it grow by the ordinary influence of the heavens I say though the gift of working wonders be ceased yet miracles and wonders in an another kind never cease but are wrought daily by the Preachers of the Gospel For you must know that the micles under the Gospel are of a differing nature from the miraracles under the Law those were ●cularia miracula as I may fitly call them eye-miracles that were visible and outwardly apparent to be seene but these are Auricularia miracula Eare-miracles secret and invisible wrought in the heart by the Word and Spirit of God entring in at the eare and going

of that have ventured confidently on the Ice upon the Thames till it hath broken under them and they have perished irrecoverably so have many made a great shew in the world have beene in great dealings and beene confident of their fortunes till the Ice hath broken their credits have crackt and they sunke on a sudden See 2 Reg. 1. How securely Ahaziah walked on his wonted pavement fearing no danger nor distrusting any ill event and all on a sudden the floore that he walkes upon or some grate that was in the floore brakes under him and hee got such a fall that he never could recover it till his death It is not good therfore for any man to be too confident of his own estate vainely saying with Iob Chap. 29. 18. I shall die in my nest or with David Psa 30. 6. I shall never be moved but rather as the Apostle adviseth Let him that thinketh he standeth take heede least he fall For those that stand fastest upon earth have but slippery footing it is but a kinde of Ice take heede of breaking And yet there is another kinde of Ice which he that can breake or have it 〈◊〉 is a happy man and that is the Ice of sinne I meane the hardnesse of heart for looke how Ice hardens the water so doth sinne harden the heart and make it insensible of any danger and untractable to any goodnesse As long as the frost holds the Ice and the water are all one till the thaw comes and then it breakes into these buccellas these morsels that my text speakes of so as long as a man is frozen in the dregs of sinne and accustomed to a● evill course of life so long his sinnes and he are all one all the perswasions in the world cannot part them till God be pleased to send downe that same Gratiam mollificativam as Divines call it that same mollifying and melting grace that his heart begins to thaw and his sinnes and hee begin to part then doth he cast out those buccellas peccati those morsels of sinne by daily confession and contrition to God which before lay and wounded his conscience that he could never be at peace And this is that which the Scripture calls the breaking of the heart it is just like the breaking of Ice when the heart is dissolved with griefe and Godly sorrow and his sinnes begin to breake away by repentance and reformation of life then doth the Spirit of God which Zachary calls the Spirit of Grace and supplication doe as in the first creation I●cubare super aquas sit and brood as it were upon these waters to hatch new graces to create a new heart and make him a new creature in Christ Iesus I might observe further how reverently how religiously the Prophet David speakes of the Ice and cold that he calls the Ice ejus Glacies Gods Ice and the cold ejus f●igus his cold to shew that God hath a hand in all ill-weather and that we ought not to blame the creatures but to remember their Creatour who for our sinnes justly is displeased But I hasten to the last part of my Text and that is 4. The compassion and tender mercy of God that God hath not the heart to hold his people long under a judgement but as in the tenth of Iudges when the people were throughly humbled his soule was grived for the misery of Israel and hee sent a remedy out of 〈◊〉 and as Davids heart after some space of time began to yearne after Absalan whom for his rebellion he had justly banished and hee must needes recall him home So when we relent God relents when we begin to b●e grieved for our sins then doth God begin to be grieved for our punishments when our hearts are melted within God melts the earth without as it followeth in the text Hitt Emi verbum lique facit c. He sendeth out his word and melteth them Hee bloweth with his winde and the waters ston● He sendeth out his word that is his command for so the ten Commandements are called Decem verba the ten words of God And hee bloweth with his winde in the originall it is flabir spiritus his spirit shall blow for the spirit of God and winde and breath of God are all one Now marke from the connexion of these two How the word of God and the spirit of God goe evermore together Hee sendeth out his word and bloweth with his spirit Iust as in the body of a man the veynes and the Arteryes goe ever together the veynes ●ary the blood and the Arteryes carry the spirits for every veyne in the body there is an Artery goes along with it So wheresoever there is a veyne of truth I meane where the word of God is faithfully preached there is vehiculum spiritus an Artery for the spirit of God to accompany and goe along with it to mollifie and intenerate that same nervum ferreum which the Prophet speakes of that Ironsin●w of unbeliefe and to make the word effectuall for the melting and thawing of the frozon hearts of sinners Now if you looke backe upon this kindly Thaw that God hath sent us after so long and lamentable a time of Snow and Ice and cold you shall see in it a lively resemblance of the inward and spirituall thaw and melting of a hardned heart that hath beene frozen a long time in the dregges of sinne and beene utterly uncapable of any grade untill such time as God doth send out his Word and melteth him and bloweth upon his soule with that same truely so called ventus favonius that favourable winde of his holy Spirit that makes the waters of repenting teares fall downe from his eyes I will but name the particulars and so conclude 1. The Thaw is alwayes accompanied with a change of weather the skie which before was faire and cleare and bright doth then grow cloudy and sad and darke with foggie mists and vapours that a man hath no pleasure to be abroad in it And thus it is with a repenting soule when God sends this Spirituall thaw a man shall finde a change of weather in his heart his joy will be changed into sorrow his mirth into melancholy his songs and merry tunes into sighes and sobbes and hee shall sensibly perceive the foggy vapours of his sinnes arise out of his heart into his head and come trickling downe in teares at his eyes It is said in the Psalmes that therefore the wicked feare not God because they have no changes but still continue in one estate of prosperity and pride and so think to passe a deliciys ad delicias from the joyes of earth to the joyes of heaven but that will not be if ever God intend to save their soules he will finde a time to send a thaw into their hearts and then let them tell me if they doe not finde a change of weather in their consciences 2. If it chance to thaw and then freeze againe

thee more than this so say I to him that trembles at the inundation of debt upon him cannot God if hee were sought unto give an issue out of this cannot God I say if the stumbling-blocke of thy sinne were taken out of the way by a sound and serious humiliation cannot God give thee even more than that thou owest cannot God doe more for thee than thou art aware of assure thy selfe he can nay assure thy selfe he will Take not my word for it but take the Apostles word Phil. 4. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be nothing carefull so we translate it but the word signifies be not distracted or troubled in minde and what is there in the world what worldly thing I meane that more distracts and troubles an honest-minded man than the thought and consideration of his debts and dangers well but is there no remedie is there no reliefe for one in such a case yes there is one universall remedie for all evils whatsoever and that is humble prayer that is the harbour we must put into in all our ill weather and that is it the Apostle directs unto in the place-forecited be carefull for nothing but in every thing let your request be made knowne unto God in supplication and prayer and giving of thankes and the God of peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall keepe and guard your hearts as Kings are kept and guarded from all annoyances This doe then thou that art perplexed and intangled in a labyrinth of debt that thou canst find no outgate no passage no way to escape down upō thy knees to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Chrysostome speaks unclaspe thy conscience before God lay open thy grievances to him unloade thy cares and wants and feares into the bosome of Iesus Christ and ifany meanes under heaven will ease and helpe thee this will doe it Beleeve it brethren all worldly policies without this are but Arenasine calce sand without lime they wil never hold together when wee have most neede of them but like untempered morter will fall asunder let earnest prayer be joyned with frugalitie skill and industrie and then expect with comfort the end that God will give and this is the way to make a poore man prosper I have but one thing more to move you in before I leave this point and that is this that you whom God hath already prospered and blest and enabled to doe good would be pleased and perswaded to give something out of your plentie to the poore and pious uses according as God hath prospered you it is the Apostles own word 1 Cor. 16. 2. He would have every one lay up in store by him to bestow on the poore and needy according as God hath prospered him for the quantitie God hath left it to every mans conscience onely in generall he is directed 2 Cor. 9. to doe as God hath prospered him we should doe therefore in this case as the Iewes doe in another case who because they know not the precise time when the Sabbath should begin and end they beginne it an houre the sooner and end it an houre the later this they call Additionem de prophano ad sacrum an addition from prophanenesse to holinesse I will not dispute the lawfulnesse of that act in particular but generally in such cases as this it is good for every man to doe rather with the most than with the least Quantiscumque sumptibus constet lucrum est piet at is nomine facere sumptus Whatsoever cost a man is at for pious and charitable uses it shall be a gaine unto himselfe We finde 1 Chron. 22. 14 when David had bestowed all his cost in preparation for the Temple a hundred thousand talents of gold a thousand thousand talents of silver thus he exprest it Ecce in paupertate meâ this saith he I have done according to my poverty as if he had said if I had beene able to doe more I would have done more but this was as much as I could reach to and this I trust God will accept say not then in thy heart if I were rich If I were able I would doe thus and thus but doe as God hath prospered thee if thou canst not doe according to thy minde doe according to thy meanes and that is all that God requires we read Mat 21. when our Saviour came riding to Ierusalem some strewed their garments in the way and some cut downe bowes and branches If thou beest not able to strew thy garments in the way of Christ that is to cloath his poore naked members then cut downe bowes and branches at least speake comfortable words to them plead for them and what thou wantest in substance make up in prayer You know the poore widdowes case in the Gospell that put her two mites into the poore mans box our Saviour Christ affirmed that she gave more than all the rest because shee gave all that shee had which testified as one saith not only her liberality to God but her confidence in God that she did verily beleeve though shee left her selfe nothing she should not lacke whereupon Saint Augustine saith Divites largiuntur securi de divitiis pauper securus de Domino a rich man gives and feares no want because hee knowes he hath enough at home a poore man gives and feares as little because he knowes he hath enough above there is one above will supply his wants Beleeve it brethren he that gives any thing with a true intent to relieve the poore and to maintaine the distressed shall doe himselfe more good than he doth them whom hee releeves and I will prove it out of Deut. 15. 7. 10. If there be amo●g you a poore man one of thy brethren within any of thy gates thou shalt not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand upon thy poore brother but thou shalt surely give him and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workes and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto Contrariwise he that is so gripple and so base that he will part with nothing to the poore let him know that in so doing he makes a forfeiture to God of all his goods and God will be a severe exacter of it at his hands when hee comes to judgement We have a president for it in the Gospell of the man that had a talent given him and did not use it as hee ought there came an extent from God first upon the talent Take away his talent from him thē there came an extent upon his person too Take away the unprofitable servant bind him and cast him into utter darkenesse As S. Peter told Simon Magus Thou and thy money perish together it had beene happie for him if nothing but his money had perished but there comes an extent from God against all Hee and his money must perish together As the Idolater as one said of

downe into the soule Though we cannot command or forbid the raine to water the earth as Eliah did if we can water and mollifie the earthen hearts of men with the supernaturall raine of heavenly Doctrine and make a dry and barren soule beare fruit to God Is not this as great a wonder as the other Though we cannot cause nor command the thunder as Samuel did to terrifie the people for their sinnes yet God hath his Boanerges his sonnes of thunder still that by ratling from heaven the terrible judgements of God against sinne and sinners are able to make the stoutest and the proudest heart upon earth even tremble and quake and fall downe before the presence of God and is not this as great a miracle as that of Samuel to bring an unhumbled sinner upon his knees and make glad to cry God mercy for his sinnes In a word though wee cannot cast out devils out of mens bodies as the disciples of Christ could doe if we can cast the devill out of mens soules by the powerfull Gospell of Iesus Christ is it not as great a wonder Beleeve it brethren the conversion of a sinner to God and bringing of a soule to heaven is absolutely without comparison the greatest miracle the greatest wonder in the world And these be the miracles wherewith it pleaseth God to grace the Ministers of the Gospel therefore ye observe that the Collect for Ministers runnes thus Almighty God which onely workest great marvels c. When a soule is sicke to the death with a surfeit of sinne is recovered and revived againe by that same healthfull spirit of grace which God together with his Word doth breathe into the soule it is so great a marvell so rare a wonder that the Angels of heaven rejoyce to see it I have held you over-long in the former part of Eliahs prayer which brought the judgment heare now in a word or two the Reversing of the judgement and I have done And he prayed again the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit It well becomes the Prophets of God to be mercifull Good Eliah had not the heart to hold the people too long under a judgement when hee saw hee had done enough to humble them he desires God to reverse the judgement As it is observed of the good Angels in the old and new Testament when they appeared to any either man or woman their method and manner was this Primò terrent deinde laetisica●t they first terrified them and put them into feare then presently comforted them and put them out of feare Thus did Eliah with this people thus did Moses with Pharaoh that good man had not the heart to hold wicked Pharoah alway under a judgement but upon the least entreaty made suit to God to reverse it So dealt the Prophet with Ieroboam 1 Reg. 13. 6. when he had smitten him with a judgment and had him at the advantage that his hand was withered Ieroboam was glad to submit and say Intreate now the face of the Lord thy God and pray for me that my hand may be restored me the man of God had not the heart to deny him but immediatly besought the Lord and the Kings hand was restored and became as it was before When a judgement comes then Prophets are in season Abraham is better than a King in this case Gen. 20. 7. 17. Restore the man his own for he is a Prophet and he shall pray for thee and ver 17. Abraham prayed unto God and God healed Abimeleeh c. Goe to my servant Iob saith God to his friends Iob 42. 8. and my servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept So Act. 8. 24. When Peter had denounced a curse on Simon Magus he was glad to crouch and cry unto him Oh pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me Thus ye see that judgements and plagues will bring Prophets into request men commonly deale with their Ministers as boyes do by Walnut-trees and other fruit-trees in faire weather throw cudgels at us in foule runne to us for shelter In the dayes of peace and prosperity we are past over as superfluous creatures of whom there is little use and lesse neede but when the wrath of God falls on the naked soule when the conscience is wounded within and body pained without then the Minister is thought on I say no more if you desire their prayers and that God should heare them praying for you in your extremity do not slight them doe not wrong them in prosperity Remember how Ahab and all Israel were glad to be beholden to Eliah to reverse their judgment and you doe not know how soone the case may be your owne therefore as you love your soules love those that have charge of them And he prayed againe c. When I looke into the Story 1 Reg. 18. I can finde no direct prayer that Eliah made for raine But I ●iud there a twofold prayer that he made 1. A virtuall 2. A formall prayer 1. A virtuall prayer not for raine but for their conversion Oh Lord saith Eliah bring backe or b●ing home the heart of this people unto thee vers 73. and this includes all other prayers that can be made A prayer for Conversion is a prayer for every thing Ier. 31. 18. When Ep●ratm prayes for conversion Turne thou me and I shall be turned saith God I will surely have mercy upon him c. Such is the goodnesse of God that he will with-hold no good thing be it raine be it plenty be it any thing that is good for them from them that are converted and brought home by true repentance to him Therefore if thou standest in neede of any temporall mercy pray first for conversion and all other good things shall be super-added and throwne in unto thee or if thou prayest for any child or for any friend to doe him good indeed pray for his conversion and thou prayest for every thing that one prayer is instar omnium insteed of all the rest If hee be in an ill way desire God to bring him backe and for future things take no care 2 A formall prayer when he saw that the people were truely humbled and that their hearts were indeed brought home to God insomuch that they cried out with an ingemmination The Lord he is God the Lord he is God then hee buckles his head betweene his knees to shew the humble prostration of his soule and falls a praying to God for raine After humiliation any prayer comes in season Esay 1. Wash ye make ye cleane put away the evill of your doings c. And now come saith God and we will reason together now let us parle now let us confesse now pray and I will heare you Iud. 10. 17. When the Israelites put away their strange gods and turned themselves to the true God by sincere repentance and reformation the text saith