Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	word_n	work_n	yield_v	262	3	6.5401	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76101	The arrovv of the Almighty shot out of the creatures bowe, against the uncalled ministers in England. Or, A messages sent to them to forewarn them of their determined destruction, before it fall upon them. Likewise here is shewed, from whence they had their calling into the ministery; and how all people have been decieved by them. Here is also a glass wherein all formalists may see their own deformity, and so seek after that which is the substance, wherein all their deformity shall be done away. Likewise here is opened the mystery of the Lords Supper, and the mystery in Baptism; and how there is a threefold Baptism, having relation to the three fold name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; with other truths very needful to be known. All of them being laid down in as brief a manner as possiblemay be, for the use and instruction of the Presbyterians, Independants, and Anabaptists, so called; or for the good of all others who have a minde to seek God in a right way; and in the conclusion, a word to the free-gracians. By Geo. Baitman.	Baiteman, George.	1653 (1653)	Wing B1095; Thomason E712_16; ESTC R207148	119,470	138

nay for I something doubt you have but a false interpretation of the words But canst thou tell what the work of the Lord is before he return the pure Language to any people canst thou tell what is the voice of this pure Language I doubt you cannot But here I will give you a glimpse what they both are if thou have but an eye to see and a heart to understand when the same is somwhat held out to thee First for the work of the Lord before he return to any this pure Language is partly expressed in the foregoing verse of the same Chapter where the Lord saith Therefore wait ye upon me until the day Iarise to the prey for my determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour upon them mine indignation even all my fierce anger for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousie Zeph. 3.8 Hast thou known thy soul brought into such a sad sorrowful condition being voide of all help or comfort from all created and things acted and hast thou known thy soul so set and compassed about with sin and selfness pleasure praise and profit anger envy discontent both with God and man roving of thine imagination thy thoughts inclinations and desires bended down to created things hath the want of the lovely presence of God pressed thy Spirit so sore night and day that both thy sleep in the night departed from thee and thy appointed food by day refused hath thy soul known it self in captivity thus in and with these things and hast thou known thy soul in the lowest Hell under the chains of ghostly death and hast thou here born the indignation of the Lord for thy transgressions and hast thou here waited upon the Lord till he arose to the prey viz. To pluck thy soul out of the foresaid captivity and hast thou seen all these thy ghostly captivers assembled together and the fierce anger of the Lord poured upon them and devoured them all and hast thou known the fire of his jealousie viz. Anger and love mixed together that thereby all created and earthly things was devoured in thee so that all thy adversaries and captivers was captived so that Death and Hell is swallowed in victory and that now thy soul is carried upon the flying Cherubims so that now thou hast not a thought inclination or desire to either profit of the world praise of men pleasing of thy sences or affections with any delight but that as a brand pluckt out of the fire or as gold seven times refined thy soul doth so appear before thy God and then in the clear manifestation of the presence of God thou shalt have this pure language restored to thee viz. Then shall thy soul know how to pronounce Hallelujah rightly then shall thy soul know how to sing the new song expressed in Rev. 13.3 then shalt thou know how to call upon the name of the Lord for then thou shalt know what is his name because the same shall be written in thy forehead viz. In the noble faculty of thy soul even thy pure understanding for then thou shalt know truly that his Name is Wonderful Mighty and Merciful c. and so shalt praise him according to the knowledge of his Name But I will proceed no further in showing the nature of the pure Language nor what is to be done in every soul before it shall have that Language returned for by this glimpse those that have it can testifie the truth hereof and so can express what I mean because they understand my minde by what is already said and then there is enough and to those who know it not nor believe it because they have not known the same I suppose if more had been said it had but been lost labor and so to them this is enough also Neither indeed dare I explain any further for now in these days the cunning comprehending devil is let loose and he hath got into the wit of men and there he sitteth like a God and teacheth men how they shall learn this pure Language and new Song when they hear the same spoken or sung by those who have the same returned to them But yet this cunning devil in the wit of men doth not teach any thing but onely a sound of words for all the Devils in Hell nor all the wit and learning of men nor all the Angels in Heaven can return to man this pure Language nor teach this new Song unto any soul until it be redeemed from the earth and earthly things and till it be cloathed in the white robe and follow the Lamb whether soever he goeth and that have the white stone with the new Name which no man knoweth but he that hath it and none can teach this Language but the Lamb slain from the beginning c. But I have digressed too far from the thing intended but yet in my digressing I have a secret aim viz. To pitch something before the eyes of those whom I aim to shoot at afterward that while they be looking at what is set before them I may come the better to hit my mark for my Bow is ready bent and the Arrow of the Almighty is set in it and who cometh first in view I will let it flie at them whether I hit or miss A Spiritual Vision of the Presbytery and all other Forms without God included in it BUt methink I hear a voice speaking as though it were spoken by those who are of the Presbytery order and thus I hear them speak Indeed it is true The Lord had need to shoot out his Arrows at the wicked for they are mightily increased at this time for the poor Church and pure Church of Christ is like to be swallowed up by the power of strange wicked Sectaries who are risen up in these days and the reason is because of an unfaithful Parliament whom we too much trusted to for they have swarved from the trust we committed to them but if we had known how they would have proved we would never have acted so against the King for we little knew then what priviledge we had though our power was not so great as we should have had and which did wholly belong to us we being the onely people of God and had knowledge to govern both Church and State but the Parliament being metamorphised from the shape of Holiness they have given Liberty of Conscience to every one in their Religion and will not execute Justice upon men when they erre from the Faith which we have And this was their blindness and ignorance in adhering too much to that beast set out in the Revelation 13. viz. to Cromwel and a sort of wicked Sectaries under him who by their power have brought the Saints into bondage but if the Parliament had but stood to their first principles of Faith which we profess all these had been surprised for then had our power been strong and

THE ARROVV Of the Almighty shot out of the Creatures Bowe AGAINST The uncalled Ministers in England OR A Message sent to them to forewarn them of their determined destruction before it fall upon them Likewise here is shewed from whence they had their Calling into the Ministery and how all People have been deceived by them Here is also a Glass wherein all Formalists may see their own deformity and so seek after that which is the Substance wherein all their deformity shall be done away Likewise here is opened the Mystery of the Lords Supper and the Mystery in Baptism and how there is a threefold Baptism having relation to the threefold Name of Father Son and Holy Ghost with other Truths very needful to be known All of them being laid down in as brief a manner as possible may be for the use and instruction of the Presbyterians Independants and Anabaptists so called or for the good of all others who have a minde to seek God in a right way and in the conclusion a word to the Free-Gracians By GEO. BAITMAN And the Lord shall be seen over them and his Arrow shall go forth as the Lightning and the Lord shall blow the Trumpet and shall go with the whirl-wind of the South Zach. 9.14 London Printed by R. I. for William Hutcheson and are to be sold at his Shop in the City of Durham 1653. A PROSCRIPT TO THE Unsent Priests in England FRiends you who pretend to be or call your selves the Ministers of the Gospel sent by God to declare his will and minde to the people c. and who have these many hundred years reigned and ruled by means of Authority and Devillish Popish and Kingly power by which your heads have been born up and your hands made strong and your hearts made haughty so that you are become great in your own eyes yea and wise in your own conceits and who but you for wisdom but I should have said who but you for wit for wit and wisdom differeth both in the ground and in the operation and in the effect but no more of that for my intention is not to argue cases or stand upon distinction of words but to speak the simple and substantial truth and to lay open both to your selves and all the world what hath been kept hid from you and by your means the knowledge thereof hath been kept from others whereby most of the sons of men is become blinded of that which is the cheif good And to this day the mystery of the knowledge of the cheif good hath been kept under by you so that even those souls who cry you up and bless God for having you to be their Teachers shall one day as fast cry you down and shall curse the time that they so much adhered to you but this shall not be until the day of the revelation of truth and in that day you shall be all of you accounted as an abomination amongst men in so much that shame shall cover all your faces and that you shall be had in as great dis-esteem as ever you have been had in honor yea and that man that lendeth a hand to pull you down shall be accounted happy yea and shall receive a reward of God for his work But this will not come upon you so soon as some imagine neither shall this day be deferred so long as others think but this day shall overtake you and as you have kept the truth in obscurity so shall you be kept in obscurity by the truth This day is in dawning but the full noon-tide shall be your obscurity and as yet you have some seeming splendor among men therefore your deceit is not as yet truly manifested and as yet authority stands for you But let me tell you in plain English Authoritie shall not be able to defend you though the Parliament should do nothing else but act for your upholding yea though all the Armies in the Land should fight for you and though you both preach and pray for your selves and against all others yet all shall be to little purpose for the truth shall be your overthrow For why you have in your generation been the chief opposers of the truth and so the truth shall be your ruine and be as envious as you can and be as cunning as you can yet truth will finde you out wherever you have hid your selves I know you may beguile men by changing your coats from black to gray and by turning from Popery to Prelacy and from Prelacy to Presbyterie from Presbytery to Independency and from Independency to Rebaptizing c. I know you may do this yea and will do this if you can but perceive more safetie in one thing then in another but yet for all your subtil changing you carry your old selfish hearts with you and in your subtil dealing you shall not be secure for though thereby you oft-times beguile the eyes of blinded-men and make them conceive that you are new converts because your Coat and your Form is changed yet the eie of jealousie seeth you and will finde you out and neither shall your changed Coats nor your changed Forms be able to shelter you from the hand of Justice for turn you what way you will so long as your pride and covetousness is in your hearts you are but the enemies of God and his truth though the fame be hid from your own beholding And I much marvel that men should be so far from the knowledge of truth and yet so fair to pretend truth But this is a mysterie bound up in and among Gods treasures and the most in your generation is bound up fast under lock and key from the knowledge of this mysterie And this hath faln upon you in your generation and when God shall begin to make his truth appear among men he will not own you to be his instruments in that work but shake you off for you shall have neither lot nor portion in that matter for you think yea and are not ashamed to say That you are Gods Ministers and so think that you have God obliged to your Ministrie and so have and would have all other people tied under you by the bonds of captivitie but you shall see it otherwise when God beginneth to bestir himself for you shall then see that he is not tied to Universities nor any of those Ministers that have learned the art of preaching there No no the truth shall dash you and your art to peeces and the people shall be delivered from your cruel bonds But this shall not be in this old poisoned generation who delight to live on the empty husks you give them who delight in nothing but that which pleaseth their curious wit and foolish fancy which always delighteth to have things framed according to its own conceiting And you have been the cause of the destruction of many a poor soul who have been bewitched by your smooth charms and yet poor hearts

them before others insomuch that some may judge them to have received something of God but yet this is but the proper work of wit which hath power to metamorphise man into any shape which it conceiveth to be most in fashion and wherein most safety seems to be But others amongst you I know that their pride and malice is so great that they will beat down truth both with word and sword and their zeal is so great for the advancing of the glory of God that they will both preach pray and fight against the truth and by all means seek to devour and destroy all persons in whom the truth appears But it is no marvel for truth always found many enemies amongst men but especially among Priests in all ages and it will be so as long as the order of Priests is in date Yet I confess though your coming into the Ministry be absolutely against the minde and command of God as was the first order of Kings in Israel and that God hath winked at you above thirteen hundred years and suffered you to come into the Ministry by the ordinance of man yet as God owned some of the Kings in Israel so I make no doubt but that God hath owned some amongst you but yet I beleeve Solomons account may be their number and those amongst you whom God hath owned or to this day do own they are made to see and confess the emptiness of their wits and schollarship in the understanding of the minde and will of God and findeth their art learned in the Universities to be one of the greatest enemies against the truth of God the which they have to deal withal and they can speak by experience that Universitie learning is but a meer cheat and a foolish thing to make a right Minister of the word of truth and so is made to renounce all the curiositie of art and schollarship And as they have received the truth from the Fountain of truth so are they made to speak and these souls cannot envy any man in whom the truth is but rejoyceth to see them and hear them speak and accounteth them as the Ministers of God though they were never put to the Holy Universitie for the same spirit proceeding from the same Fountain maketh no difference and these men accounteth it their joy to be in the societie of people who be experienced and they seek no Lordship over the people nor are they so hungry hearted after Tithes and great Benefice but can rather condescend to work with their own hands for their Bread But I beleeve you have not many of these amongst you for the curse hath covered the faces of the most of you in your generation under which you are close sealed from the right knowledge of truth and can no more beleeve your deceit then the Apostle Paul before his Conversion But seldom doth God execute justice upon any people before he give them warning of their sin and after that a time to repent But who is it that dare bring such a Message from the Lord as shall declare the iniquitie of the Priests and give them warning to repent and forsake their sin and falshood and foretel them of their destruction if they repent not Who I say dare be so bold as proclaim such a thing seeing the Authority of Nations stands for them and accounteth them men worthy of honor and sit men for the promulgating of the Gospel and most of the people esteem them little less then gods yea and themselves account themselves the onely men fit to be forewarners and instructers of all others May not such a one as bringeth such a sad Message to them expect to be envied and evil spoken of yea and persecuted to death I know the man that shall be sent with this Message cannot escape no more shall I for when first the Lord put this into my heart the which my Pen hath put down in these lines I was very unwilling to yeeld obedience thereunto because my Reason set before mine eyes the great hazard I should run if I should meddle in any such thing but the Lord would not suffer me to be quiet until I undertook this Message and better had I abide your fury and the displeasure of all men then to be disobedient to the voice of the Lord And as the Lord liveth in me my malicious part hath not caused me to write these lines though you may so judge of me for I protest in the presence of God I unfainedly wish all your good and should very much rejoyce to know of your repentance and should no less be heartily sorry for your destruction if I should live to see it For that which I have received of God teacheth me to love all men and wish well to all men and I am glad at the welfare of all men and cannot but be sorry at the suffering of any though he be my greatest enemy and would lend him my help if I could do him any good if he came into distress either of body or minde Therefore my spirit being free I hope to bear all that any of you shall either inflict upon my name or person and though you shall hate me yet I cannot chuse but love you as you are my fellow Creatures and of the same flesh and blood with me And my advice to you is that you slight not these lines but search your own hearts and if the light of God go along with you you shall finde that I have not wronged you at all for what I here declare unto you shall be found true either to convince you or to be a witness against you But my Friends I would have you to know that I have not said the tenth part of what I have committed to me to speak concerning you for I have been as much sparing as possible I could be in what I had to declare to you and if this my first Message be slighted by you and return upon my self it is very possible it will draw out a fivefold heavier message with it but I will not be too tedious at present If I may pray for you I wish that God would open your eyes and make sensible your hearts that you might be acquainted with the great Mystery of sin and selfness in you and out of the true knowledge and right sence thereof that you may be made fit to discover the mysterie of sin and selfness in all other And that you may be rightly made partakers of the mystery of the Divine Nature that from the enjoyment thereof you may be made able to know and comprehend with all Saints what is the height and depth c. And to know the fellowship of the love of God which passeth knowledge that so you may be able to hold out to others the mysterie therein contained and then shall you be acquainted with the Will and Minde of God and what you know that shall you speak and then you should see that

all your Art and Schollarship is not worth a straw and that all your Uses and Doctrines from thence proceeding is but a meer foolish and fantastick invention whereby the form of truth hath been upholden by you and the power of truth kept down by that invention From whence it is That the hearts of the people hath been so glewed to sin and selfness and covereth themselves from the knowledge thereof by a fair seeming form taught them by your art through the help of your good thinking Friends fare you well I have no more to say at present and what you finde in these ensuing lines make good use of them for there is more in them then fools can know or beleeve but the wise shall reap the benefit thereof Yours as you love and know the truth as it is in Jesus Geo. Baitman THe rising of the Sun destroyes the darksome night The Foolmerts and the Owls therby is put to flight The ravening Wolves afraid their prey they shall not get The Fox with all his wiles is putten to his wit All Creatures who do use to raven in the night Begins to grieve full sore at splendor of this light For Nature teacheth them their working time is done When night is swallowed up by rising of the Sun Then do they hide themselves for fear they shall be found By him who seeks them out with his well-sented Hound Who wisely searcheth out each foot-step as they went For why they left behinde a very stinking sent Which doth direct unto the holes wherein they lurk And taken is also and plagued for their work When this is brought to pass then may the sucking Lamb Without being destroyed lie safely by its Dam. So may the old Sheep too feed safely without fear For why the Beasts are slain that off their Wool did tear The Epistle to the Reader CHristian Reader if thou have any desire to seek after the chiefe good for the everlasting well being of thy Spirit for thy better understanding and true information I have drawn these ensuing lines but I would not have thee to thinke that I expect any praise of thee if there be any thing in them praise worthy for I confesse these lines had never come to thy view with any consent of mine as I am a weake and worthlesse creature had it not been that he who hath the commanding power over all Creatures by the command he hath over me did over-master me and as it were forced this insuing Treatise to be written by me for I confesse I did as much resist the Word of the Lord in commanding me to write these lines as ever did any of his Prophets when hee sent them to pronounce any Judgement upon any people for their transgressions but while I gain-said the Lord in what he would have me to speake I had but little rest day or night untill I set on worke and put my Pen to paper to draw these insuing lines and as farre as I have declared to you the minde of these motions that wrought so strongly in me so farre I have found rest yet I know I have not here declared at large what I ought to have declared and therefore as yet my spirit is not at that peace the which it desires yet I have prevailed that what I have here written may be acceptable untill further opportunity But what is here presented to thy view I wish thee to weigh seriously and though it may seem to crosse thee in that which thou dost beleeve to be truth yet in questioning it I wish thee to question thy selfe also and if the same spirit be in thee which was in the Author when he wrote it thou shalt be made to see that there is a truth in it the which as yet hath been hid from thee especially if thou be one that hath had no other sight of truth but what thou receivest through the spectacles of the false Priests and hast knowne nothing of God but what thou hast been taught by their precepts and so hath blinded thee of the true knowledge both of God and of thy selfe and have closed thee up within the Prison walls of weake formes wherein thy poore soule hath been kept prisoner and fed with Pulse and Huskes and as for that which is the chiefe food of thy soule thou hast not as yet had a taste thereof But if thou have but any of the pure operations of the truth of God in thy soule by which thy desire is led out in seeking that which is the chiefe good I hope this will be of some use for thee for herein thou shalt in some measure see how thou hast been blindly led by the blinde Priests and their precepts and thou shalt see how they had their calling into the Ministery and from whence their originall beginning was and how they have continued to this day and wherein they have been the cause how the true knowledge of God is kept from appearing amongst the sons of men and likewise here thou shalt see discovered the emptinesse of all formes and the ground of formes and how the most part of things contained in formes is but only traditionall and therefore but superstitions and how the purest things in formes are but Idolatry when the minde of him that ordained them is unknown And here is set out before thine eyes that which is the mysterie and the minde of him who left the some in darke types and gave command for the observing of the same that so his minde might be found out in the mysterie of these types whereby the soule might be drawne out of that which is the type into that which is the mysterie of the type And if thou be either in the forme of the Presbyterian order or Independent Congregation or of the Brother-hood of the Anabaptists if thou be not setled on the lees in thy forme I know thou wilt be made to see that there is not that happinesse in thy form the which thou thoughtest there had been in it and then I hope this will partly shew thee what the substance of truth is and where it is to be found and how it ought to bee sought and as thy desire is upright in the seeking of that which is the life and substance of all things thou wilt be made to accept this weake discovery of truth but if thou be one who is setled on the lees in thy forme I know thou will but finde little herein to please thee for I know it will bee in appearance to thee as a thief who would take from thee thy treasure thou livest of and delightest in and wilt rather snarle and fight with it in thy wit then to yeeld thy selfe to be robbed by it But whatever thou art or in what forme soever thou livest I would have thee to understand my minde truly in what is here offered to thee for I would have thee to know that I am not such an enemy to formes as that I would

each to raise out Doctrines Uses c. and so declaring the minde of God and Christ according to their own Schollership Wit and Knowledge got from Scriptures and other mens labors Thinkest thou it was such he meaneth of or did intend these words for them if thou do thou art a fool But I will tell thee who he aimed them for viz. Such as himself who had the right knowledge of and lived in the power of what he held out to others and had not his doctrine to fetch out of his study and brain-knowledge gotten from what others had said but he had it from the right Fountain that Fountain living in him and he in it and he was acquainted with that he lived in and could witness the truth thereof truly and as he had heard and seen so did he testifie to others for he had seen the Lord Jesus in Spirit and he had felt his love and lived in that love and from thence he had his freedom both to speak and talk what was freely given him by those whom he had brought to be partakers of the spiritual blessing viz. The shedding abroad of the love of God in their hearts by which love they were more willing to give then he was to receive And these people he spoke these words to were wrought into the same condition as himself witnesseth 1 Cor. 9.2 And therefore knowing that he was one whom the Lord had sent to work his work and that the work was wrought even upon those upon whom this work was fulfilled he thought no great offence to take what they would freely give him and to such whom he had wrought up into the faith and love of the Lord Jesus Christ he sheweth that if he did take any thing of them yet he did not transgress and to shew them how reasonable it was if he did so he brings before them these foresaid metaphors which all of them being rightly weighed was worthy of the reward they hoped for and from thence he draweth this conclusion That it was as lawful for him to take something of them as a Souldier to take the wages he ventureth his life for And as reasonable it was as for the Husband-man to eat of the fruit of his own labor c. And the Law of Reason will allow this Well this may sound something as like thou wouldst have it but minde what is said before and what cometh afterward and then see where thou art for thou art not the man that hath the right to take of any any thing for what thou dost for thy work is not worth a Bodwill per annum for thou art not the man that hath any due at all to a peny for thy work for thy work is but thy own and thou hast learned it as men learn other trades and yet by what thou hast learned from others thou wilt take upon thee to enter upon the work of the Lord and to be a declarer of his will and minde to others whereas thou bearest but false witness of the minde of God for thou hast not seen the Lord Jesus neither ever did he call thee to what thou dost nor ever hath the minde of Christ Jesus been made known unto thee in the Mysterious manifestation of his loving kindness to thy soul neither dost thou live in the life of and love of God and so thou art far enough from knowing what his will is for he doth not own thee in thy work neither will he bless thy work for it is none of his but thy own and so thy own blessing falleth upon it and that is nothing but a false name thou puttest upon it making foolish people believe thou art something even Simon Magus like who deceived the people And thou makest some believe that thou hast converted them to God yea and thou art so perswaded thy self too when alas they are but the same they were in their hearts onely they differ from what they were before in the outward man and because thou hast put out their eyes they give up themselves to be led by thy direction and for so doing thou dost pronounce them blessed but yet poor souls their hearts are not turned to God but live in the world Look back I pray thee at the foresaid Mystery and the fair Garment for they be the very emblems and just pictures of thy self and thy converts for all which thou teachest and what they learn of thee is but to work that Garment and both thou and they pretend what you will of God your work is but your own and the creature may go so far and farther too by the power in them by Creation the common grace added to it and all this you boast of is but the Creatures acting and in this you have but made them twofold more the childe of Satan then they were before Matth. 23.15 And you are the very men that heal the wounds of the people very slightly Jere. 8.11 But take to you and lay it to heart for the saying of our Saviour doth belong onely to you and such as you for he saith If the blinde lead the blinde c. Matth. 15.14 And this is all you bring to pass to deceive the souls of the people And thus you pay them for their hire and this is the work you work for your wages and these are the spiritual things you sow to them whereby you imbolden your selves to take their carnal things and this is the Gospel you preach whereby you get your living and yet you cannot see how you are blinded but runne on in your sin strengthning your selves with the wrong understanding of the words of the Apostle whereas you neither be the man he was neither inwardly nor outwardly neither have you the right calling into these places you are in neither do you work the work he wrought and yet do you most unjustly take an occasion from his Word to take from the people that which belongeth not unto you but being partial in your own cause you take in Scripture what may seem to make for your own gain and what seemeth to be against you that you wave and will not minde it For though the Apostle by right of his calling and rightness of his work might have received something of the Corinthians as due to him as the Souldiers wages yet he kept himself free from receiving any thing of them 1 Cor. 9. Yea his own hands ministered to his necessity as may be seen Acts 20.34 But this you take no notice of because if you should follow his example your Kingdom would fall down and that you have no minde to let fail But in this your doing I assure you That you are the greatest theeves in all the world nay you are both theeves and robbers yea and the greatest cheaters in the world too and I will prove it too For first you take of the people that you have no right to take because it doth not belong to you as is

upon the heart and thus your prayers is turned into sinne and this you have by asking and receiving counsell of your blinde Priest and hereby you make a cover for your selves that you may adde sin to sin this you may plainly see in Isa 30.1 but those who knew or doe know the true ground of Prayer were never tied to set times but to occasions and the occasions being so many made our Saviour give out this caveat so oft Watch and pray Mar. 13.33 and the Apostle who knew the ground of prayer and the many occasions to pray made him bid the Thessalonians pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5.17 and those who know the evill of themselves shall not need to have one to teach them when to pray or how to pray neither can they be tyed to set times for they shall finde that sin in themselves that cannot bee limited to times and therefore they cannot limit themselves to pray against it at times for to those both sin and prayer is unlimitable and this made the Apostle utter his desire in the well-wishing of those whom hee taught in the truth and right knowledge of God and themselves and willed them to pray every where 1 Tim. 2.8 Secondly for the forme you use in your prayer it is but your owne human invention which causeth you to straine your braine drawing out from thence so many words and multiplication of speech and to fill up your houre is oft put to use the same words over and over and so contrary to the command of our Saviour you use vaine repetitions Mat. 6.7 And herein you differ not from the Heathens for they think to be heard for their much speaking and this your beat-braine Duty is but the sacrifice of fooles and yet you know not that you doe evill but this your doing pleaseth your selfe and pacifieth your blinde Conscience and from hence you draw conclusions that God is pleased also making him such a one as your selves Psa 50.21 but those who know the right ground of prayer they are not tyed to times neither are they tyed to a forme in prayer for the true ground of prayer turneeth set times into occasions and it turneth selfe formes and repetitions into short and feeling expressions yea oft times such expressions as you could not heare if you were besides the Persons who uttereth these expressions and those are the cryes that ring and eccho in the eares of the Lord of Hosts and these are the prayers that prevaileth with the Lord in answering and filling the desires of such soules and these prayers and cryes are the very vigorous out-pourings of the Spirit which maketh intercession for the Saints and he who is a Spirit knoweth the minde of the Spirit Rom. 8.26 and in this manner Moses who knew the right ground of prayer called upon the Lord in his greatest distresse not so much as speaking one word that any of the people heard and yet his spirit cryed out so vehemently to the Lord that the Lord said unto him Wherefore cryest thou unto me and all that while his spirit was calling upon the Lord with his tongue he was admonishing the people to beleeve in the Lord as you may see Exod. 14.13 14 15 c. And in this manner Hannah poured out her prayer to God and prevailed with him in the thing she desired though Eli before he knew the truth accounted her a drunkard 1 Sam. 1.13 14. but the truth is that you know not the right ground of prayer and therefore you cannot depart from your set times and set formes and therefore you aske and receive not because you aske amisse Jam. 4.3 And the reason why you have not the right ground of prayer is because you know not God but as a Person and not as he is a Spirit and you know not the wisdome righteousnesse and power of God viz. his Christ but according to the flesh and therefore all your worship and holy duties as you call them is framed according to the knowledge that you have of God and Christ and this knowledge you have is no more but by relation of others as you have heard and seen in the Scriptures and the speaking thereof by your relative Priests and from hence it is that you have formed in your heads an Historicall faith and fantastick beleeving for as yet you have not been in the City of God and what you have heard and seen therein you cannot speake of and no further then you have knowledge of God you can beleeve God and no further then you can beleeve God can you call upon him and what God is in his Spirituall being you have not yet beleeved then how can you call on him in whom you have not beleeved Rom. 10.12 and why is it that you have not rightly beleeved even because you have not rightly heard of God and why is it that you have not rightly heard of God even because you have not had him rightly preached to you by your Priests and the reason why they could not rightly declare and preach God as he is a Spirit and Christ as he was and is in the Divine nature is because they were never sent Rom. 10.14 15. But I know that you may object against me and say that you you have some examples in Scripture both for your set times and set forms of prayer for you will say that David praised at even morning and at noon c. and that our Saviour himself prayed at sundry times and the Apostles themselves used prayer in this manner very oft with others c. It is true I do not deny vocal prayer and times for vocal prayer in case the right ground of prayer be in the person or persons praying for I would have you to understand what I have formerly said for I do not deny but confess occasional praying but that which I deny is the set-times and set-forms of prayer which is but good thinkings rules and blinde Priests precepts without any command or example in Scripture but vocal prayer occasionally the persons rightly grounded this is all that you or any can gather out of any example in Scripture And in this wise David oftentimes both prayed and praised and occasionally Christ in the flesh both prayed and praised and occasionally did the Apostles and the believing people in the primitive time both prayer and praise And according to this same rule the Apostle bad those that were afflicted pray and those that were merry he would have them to praise in singing of Psalms Jam. 5.13 And so I would have all men while they be in the body and the body of sin in them to use vocal prayer occasionally and that their expressions may arise from the very sence of the occasion and such prayers or expressions of desires accompanied with the right ground God will hear and answer the desires of such and will deliver them from fear and trouble and then shall such have cause to praise and glorifie