Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	heat_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	82	3	9.8530	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86435	A treatise concerning prayer; containing particularly an apology for the use of the Lords prayer. / By Thomas Hodges, B.D. Rector of the Church of Souldern.	Hodges, Thomas, d. 1688.	1656 (1656)	Wing H2323; Thomason E1712_1; ESTC R209609	38,565	187

we must no more use bread and wine and water those necessary things either in or out of the Sacrament The instance of the brazen Serpent comes not up fully to the matter in hand For first now there was no possible use of it for that end to which at first God ordained it to be made Num. 21.8 9. And God did never appoint that this should be continued as a monument of that mercy Again the memoriall of the miraculous cure once wrought upon those that looked upon this brazen Serpent was sufficiently preserved in being registred by Moses Gods pen-man or Secretary in the records of the holy Scriptures And Lastly Hezekiah did remove and abolish this brazen Serpent without sin But as for the Lords prayer the case is otherwise in all these or the like particulars It is now of use both as a pattern and as a prayer It is made a portion of the holy Scriptures and so heaven and earth must passe away rather then a jot or tittle of this Prayer If this prayer should be wholy laid aside there is besides no such perfect compleat forme of prayer and rule or touchstone of prayer as this extant in all the Scriptures And lastly the Lord would not hold him guiltlesse who should blot this prayer out of the book of the Scripture But he may justly feare to have his name blotted out of the book of life Our Lord Jesus himself was a Stone of stumbling a rock of offence to many but to them that believe he was and is a choyse stone a precious foundation corner Stone c. And so I say of the Lords Prayer it may perhaps be a stone of stumbling an occasion of fall to some but to them that beleive and use it in faith it is precious and whoever so prays this prayer need never be ashamed of it Obj. Many finde by experience that their hearts are dull dead or very formall as in the use of other formes so of this also Answ Concerning formes in generall I say as before that formes of Prayer are better than no prayer at all and concerning this prayer if our hearts be dead in the using of it I dare say the fault is in us not in the Prayer It may be our hearts are dead at the reading of a Chapter what is the Scripture therefore a dead letter and must it therefore cease in the Church Oh let us never accuse Christs Prayer or Preaching of deadnesse to excuse the sinfull deadnesse of our owne hearts Our Lord Jesus himselfe prayed in the garden thrice saying the same words Mat. 26. and with as much Affection and Devotion and Life the last time as the first Let us goe and doe likewise How is it that our Devotion flags not that our hearts wander not in the joyning with one that prayes a conceived prayer for a quarter halfe an houre or more and yet cannot hold up or keep close to the duty for a moment or two whilst our Lords owne Prayer is rehearsing I should rather thinke that if our hearts have not been duly affected or that there hath been any errour whilst the Minister hath been praying according to his ability that the using of the Lords Prayer and joyning in that perfect forme with double with seven-fold diligence zeale and holy affections in the close of all is very commendable as both pious and prudent for in the generall Petitions of this Prayer are contained all the lawfull particulars both for the Church and every member of it which were mentioned in the foregoing prayer But here I must enter my Caveat I would not be interpreted by what I have said for I doe in no wise meane it God forbid to poure cold water upon any fervent or zealous desires whilst we joyne with others praying according to the gift pretending thereby to reserve all the heat and zeal of our soule for the offering up of the Lords Prayer nor doe I meane farre be it from me to justifie any irreverent gesture by-thoughts or loose and cold affections during the time the Minister or other is exercising his gift in conceived prayer Obj. But the Apostles in their writings when they exhort to prayer and give rules and directions about it never recommend unto us the use of this prayer Ans All that the Apostles did or said is not written Sure I am they have given no rule or direction against the using of this prayer and if it be true which some say that the Evangelist Luke had the Gospell he wrote from the Apostle Paul it is some evidence that the Apostle himselfe was not against the using of this prayer else probably he would not have told him such words as these When ye pray say c. without adding some caution or interpretation to prevent mistake The Apostle Paul speaks sometimes concerning Baptisme but never treats of that forme of words I baptize thee in the name of the Father the Son and the holy Ghost What may we not therefore baptize in that forme of words Surely we may and Mat. 28.19 shall be our sufficient warrant Againe the holy Apostles Col. 3.16 Ephes 5.18 19. James 5.13 give order for and direction about singing of Psalmes but neither there nor elsewhere tell us we are to sing Davids Psalmes or what other Psalmes we should sing doth it thence follow we may not sing the Psalmes of David or other spirituall Songs recorded in the holy Scriptures But put the case that some Christians in those dayes had said to the Apostle Paul teach us to sing Psalmes or teach us Psalms to sing as David the sweet singer of Israel of old taught the people of God and his answer to them had been in such words as these when ye sing sing one of the Psalmes of David one of those songs of Sion or else he himself had composed a Psalme and added this Preface to it or direction concerning it when ye sing sing after this manner or when ye sing sing c. Had not this been sufficient to ground thereupon the lawfulnesse of singing Davids Psalmes or that particular Psalmes so composed and subjoyned by the Apostle I believe it had And now if any ask How often we should pray the Lords prayer To this my Answer is That the holy Ghost in the Scriptures hath left this undetermined as also how oft we are to read the sixt Chapter of the Gospel written by the Evangelist Mathew and this eleventh Chapter of the Gospel according to the Evangelist Luke or any other particular Chapter in the Scriptures as also it is undetermined how oft we are to sing the 92. Psal entitled a Psalme for the Saboth day or any other Psalme I find these things left to Christian prudence and so I shall still leave them not being willing to binde mens consciences wherein God hath left us free as for this I know of no Commandement from the Lord. But herein I give my advice desiring and praying for that mercy

what gifts He addes to him shall one give of the gold of Sheba And according to his word the Queen of Sheba gave King Solomon Gold even to an hundred and twenty talents and of Spices very great store and pretious Stones and yet I have not told you the halfe of Solomons treasury he had an Exchequer of prayers far beyond all gold and pretious stones For when his dying Father as some thinke by the Spirit of Prophecy had blessed him with that wealth he addes that which excelleth all the gold and riches of both the Indies Prayer also shall be made for him continually Psal 72.10 11 15. Again this Royall Prophet when he speakes unto God in prayer hath yet that holy boldnesse as to liken his prayers to Incense to Sacrifice to the evening Sacrifice which because it did most punctually typifie Jesus Christ who was offered up about the time of the Evening Sacrifice might in that respect have the preheminence Psal 141.2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense and the lifting up my hands as the evening sacrifice In all this David sinned not nor spake to God foolishly or unadvisedly with his lips for prayer is as a sweet incense before God in the language of the Old and New Testament Malach. 1.11 Revelat. 8.3 4. And according to the price and value this holy Prophet set on the duty was his practice of it sometimes he prayed thrice a day sometimes seven times a day perhaps thrice a day was his ordinary daily course and seaven times was his practice upon Sabbaths and Festivals Againe sometimes he prayes at midnight and rises to the duty sometimes early in the morning his prayers prevent the dawning of the day Understand this of continued prayer As for Ejaculations sudden short dartings and breathings of his soule after God this kind of prayer was his element the aire his soule delighted to breath in the pulse of his soule beat this way and thus his heart panted toward God continually not onely seven times a day but seventy times seven times When his body was at rest in his bed his soule was fully imployed in following hard after God He makes his bed as it were a Bethel a house of prayer and when the time of feasting is over or ceaseth even in the night watches when he is on his bed then hath he meat to eat which the world knowes not then he doth not as some dreame of a feast but hath his soul satisfied wi●h holy meditations as with marrow and fatnesse A second eminent instance we have in Daniel who as before so after the decree was signed by Darius that whosoever should ask any petition of any God or Man save of the King for thirty daies space should be cast into the den of Lions went into his house and his windowes being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime saith the text Dan. 6.10 It was not the den of Lions could scare him from his wonted devotions and prayers three times a day There were four circumstances which considering that his enemies were many and mighty and such as did watch for his halting did notably commend his zeale 1. He prayed with the window of his chamber open towards Jerusalem though he was at Babylon a ceremony then used because of the Temple there a type of Christ and because of Solomons prayer in case they were in captivity 1 Kings 8.48 If they pray toward their land the city which thou hast chosen and the house which I have built for thy name then heare thou their prayer c. 2. He prayed kneeling he did not omit his wonted humble gesture though a circumstance or cermony no not when his life was in danger and this posture might possibly help to betray him Could he have satisfied himself to pray in his bed for these thirty daies as thousands amongst us do all the daies of their lives if they pray at all saying 'T is good sleeping in a whole skin Why should I stir out of bed to pray there is a Lion in the way it may indanger my life I say could he have done thus probably the sparing his knee might have help'd to have saved his head 3. 'T is not unlikely that his prayer was vocall that he used his voice in this prayer he would not be silent though he knew he should be an offender a traytour for his words that what his Enemies heard him say in his private chamber in a corner they would publish on the house top and punish in the Lions den 4. It may seem that he continued his prayers till his enemies came and found him Dan. 6.11 and yet possibly might have some intimation or notice of their coming before they apprehended him He would not forbeare continued prayer for a moneth nor abate the ceremony of kneeling nor the circumstance of his voice nor change his times of prayer all into the night time nor cut them off by halfs in the day no though his life lay at stake The Lions roared yet Daniel did not feare And as for the New-Testament Saints the Disciples and followers of Christ as their Lord and Master was a man of many prayers so were they of his houshold and retinue It was the cognizance and character of converts in the Primitive times They continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers Act. 2.41 42. yea 't is brought as a convincing argument of the reality of Saul's coversion to Paul frō a persecutor to be a professor a chosen vessel unto Christ Behold he prayeth We are not to imagine but that whilst he was a Pharisee he prayed often But now he prayed more earnestly more from the heart and it may be with strong cries and teares to him that was able to enlighten his darknesse I mean to cure his blindnesse both of soul and body and to save him both from the shadow of death and from utter darknesse Now he prayes to the Lord Jesus Christ whom formerly he persecuted I am Jesus whom thou persecutest Now he prayed after another manner than ever he did before Nor ought it to seem a wonder that Gods children Christians of all men should be most zealous and excellent at prayer if we consider 1. The example of their Lord and Master Jesus Christ 1. Hee was often at prayer witnesse his usuall Oratory Mount Olivet He was zealous at it witnesse his transfiguration on Mount Tabor whilst he was praying and a second kind of transfiguration of his in the Garden when being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly and sweat great drops of blood trickling downe to the ground Luke 22.44 2. If we consider the many precepts and exhortations to this duty Pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5.17 Pray all manner of prayer Eph. 6.18 and Luke 18.1 Jesus Christ spake a parable to the end men should