Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	act_n	faith_n	grace_n	4,322	5	5.9067	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01139	The groanes of the spirit, or the triall of the truth of prayer	Foxle, George.	1639 (1639)	STC 11250.3; ESTC S114872	54,217	260

of fervency striving endeavour to goe on though thou feelest but litle or no comfort these be true flames of the Spirit which were never kindled in the least measure in the breast of any Hypocrite will an Hypocrite with all his painted flames hold out No they will murmure if God heare them not but the godly will trust in him though hee slay them Let every one then stirre up the gift that is in him whatsoever it be and the Lord will be with us ere we be aware The sixt evidence of the Spirit of Prayer is that godly traine of all-saving graces garding it strengthning it and attending upon it Hee that can doe an errand to God is destitute of no gift as Paul saith of the Corinthians that Embassie is guarded with all the graces of God in some measure as first it ariseth from that impregnable pallace of faith which ascendeth like a Cloud with Prayer in it never ceasing but still increasing the motion till it come to heaven In and from this Pallace Prayer is armed with an irresistible violence and commeth forth like a valiant Champion beating all down-right before it that standeth between God it Innumerable instances of this in Gods servants put that immediate principle of the Spirit out of all Question Whatsoever yee shall aske in Prayer believing yee shall receive David and all the Saints make ever this foundation of their Prayer Vnto thee will I pray Iehovah thou shalt heare my voice Secondly as Prayer is grounded from faith so it is under-propped by Hope I will looke unto the Lord saith Micha and I will waite for the God of my Salvation My God will heare me This place expresseth also the Christian patience wherewith the Prayer of the Saints is seasoned and also that perseverance whereby the Charriot of faith is drawne These set the soule upon the watch-Tower as Habacuk speaketh and maketh her waite and hearken what the Lord will answer David's Praier in his distresse was thus qualified I will looke out saith the Prophet Further Prayer made in the Spirit is attended with Preparation Opportunity and Diligence Preparation maketh ready the Charriot of faith awaketh Prayer attireth it with a holy disposition of heavenly position Opportunity as a guide taketh it the nighest way and Diligence as the driver of the Charriot driveth more nimbly then Iehu the sonne of Nimshi All these attend David's Prayer I will direct my Prayer unto thee or I will orderly addresse unto thee there is his Preparation In or at the morning that is early there is his opportunity I will looke out or else espy there is his diligence or I will pray that is still doe pray and cease not Try then or let thy Prayer be tried by these clouds of witnesses whether it be of the spirit or no for the Prayer of the Hypocrite hath none of these witnesses or attendants as it is said of faithlesse hearers that the Word heard did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith They may make a faire shew in seeming to lay hold on God deceiving others their own hearts they will leane upon the Lord saith the Prophet and say is not the Lord among us c. But they build upon the sand and hence are their ruines neither is their hope any better then Hypocrites hope which shall perish as for their patience wherwith their Prayer should be seasoned If God attend not their pleasure in answering of their desires it is quickly turned into murmuring In this they are like that gracelesse servant of that godlesse King because this evill is of the Lord why should I waite for the Lord any longer As for the attendants of Prayer namely Preparation Opportunity and Diligence the Hypocrite is not acquainted with them the counterfeit shews or shadowes of these he may have but the things themselves in the true nature of them he neither hath nor desireth to have The Hypocrite rusheth into Gods presence without premeditation of Gods most glorious presence and without consideration of his own vilenesse and unworthinesse to speake to so glorious and great a God His best Preparation is but a vizard of Prepation or outward shew of seeming holinesse in the position of the body Their best opportunity is base and by respect and their diligence carrieth the duty no further then customary performance or so farre as it is in request with the times So never an Hypocrite you see can be an Embassadour to God for he wanteth both the Commission of the Spirit and that traine of attendants that doe accompany the Commission It is no-wonder then that their Prayer be converted into sinne for they are Traytors to God in taking upon them his Embassie without his Cōmission Let them pray then that can pray yea it standeth us all upon to looke to it whether we pray or prate or bable For Lord Lord a multitude of faire words and faire shewes will not serve An Embassadour with a gilded coach of temporary faith will not serve the turne yea though it were full of miracles attended with a many imbrodered Lackeyes of smooth words courtly complements and eare-pleasing musick shall never have admittance to God nor audience of God look to it then that thou be an Embassadour indeed that thou hast thy Commission sealed and art sent by the Spirit and that thy traine be such as may be heartily welcome to God and make thee welcome In the first place make triall of thy faith and that by the inward acts of purifying the heart uniting it to God by victory over temptations casting thy selfe upon the Lord by contentment of thine estate also by the extensive worke of love first to God for himselfe then to thy neighbour in him and for him The heart so purified by faith is a fit lymbeck for Prayer Out of this the Prophet David was bold to presse his Prayer upon God Hearken to my Prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips or without lips of deceipt by which is meant the syncerity of the heart agreeing with the words of the mouth Nothing so much adorneth the heart as faith nothing commendeth faith more then Prayer and nothing graceth Prayer more then syncerity This with the proud Pharisee all Hypocrites want drawing nigh God with their mouth and honouring him with their lips but their hearts be far from him or as the Psalmist they flatter or flatteringly allured him with their mouth with their tongue lied to him for their heart was not right with him or not firmly prepared with him And this especially maketh the Praier of the Hypocrites of an evill savour in Gods Nostrills for as he is the hearer of the heart as one saith and not of the voice so he loveth the syncerity of the heart and hateth the hollownesse and rottennesse thereof in Prayer above all things because they

God was put by God in the Clift of the rock and covered with his hand till he passed by that he might see his back parts so thou and thy prayers must be put in the Rock Christ Iesus if ever thou com'st to see the face of God in favour As they that would make an echo repaire to some rocky place whereupon the words resound so they that will have an answer from God must either ply their prayers upon the Rock Christ Iesus or no ccho no answer at all As they that are dim-sighted make the object more apparant by the use of spectacles or as some speak through a trunck that they may bee the better heard So the Saints look through Christ speake through Christ that they may see God and heare God giving a gracious answer As some glasse maketh things presented by it to be the same colour So God looking upon us in Christ seeth us to be of the colour of his Son and wee looking on God through Christ see God reconciled to us in Christ Therefore whatsoever wee offer to God let us present it to him through Christ set alwaies Christ betweene thee and him and whatsoever God giveth to thee labour to entertain it alwaies through Christ herein comfort shall abound to thee honour to God As by some kind of Perspectives a man may bring two objects together So by the Perspective of faith directing the prayer to God in and by Christ thou maist bring God and Christ all the promises home to thy soule at one sight The tenth evidence that a man prayeth by the Spirit is the betaking of himselfe to it in the time of trouble as to a rock of defence or the making of it his especiall remedy in the time of misery For this indeed is the very best as David said of Goliah's there is none like this so there is no sword like unto the sword of the Spirit This is a true Panacea to heal all maladies a balm for the wounded conscience a precious medicine for all diseases of the body a plaister for all sores a cordiall against all discomforts armes invasive defensive against all enimies The Apostle delivereth all this in few words If any bee afflicted let him pray It is the safest guard against all evills of sin and evills of punishment it is the onely best meanes of deliverance from both these witnesse first that great Physitian God himselfe for so hee calleth himselfe I am Iehovah that healeth thee or I am thy healer or Physitian Now what receipt giveth he thee this is it call on mee in the day of distresse Secondly look but on the soveraigne nature of the medicine it self where in it differenceth it selfe from all other meanes of life and godlinesse All other meanes are sanctified by this but this is the immediate motion of the spirit of an unexpressible vertue and irresistible force Thirdly what glorious things in Gods book are spokē of this inestimable peece of spirituall armes witnesse S. Iames for all the rest laying downe the excellency of prayer first in generall termes The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man prevaileth much then hee instanceth it in the prayers of Elias what great effects were wrought by it The devout Ancients hardly satisfie themselves in commending this excellent peece There is nothing saith one so sensibly sweet to the soule nothing doth weane the minde so much from the loue of all this world nothing stirreth up a man to the exercise of all and every grace nothing prevaileth so much against evill of sin and evill of punishment whether for preservation or deliverance nothing standeth in better steed for the increase of Gods kingdome by the conversion of soules For as prayer brake Peters fetters set open the prison doore so it shaketh the chaines of sin in peeces openeth or breaketh up the iron gates of a sinners heart offers violence to heaven for the enterance of a sinner One of the Ancients doth attribute Pauls conversion to Stevens prayer Had not Steven prayed for Paul saith he the Church should never have had Paul for a teacher In a word nothing maketh a man so amiable to his God so deare and faithfull to his friend so formidable to his foe so contentfull to himselfe and so profitable to the place where he liveth Fourthly all the people of God in all their straits have made this their Master-peece and prospered by plying it were it famine pestilence sword captivity contempt persecution or any other evill to be feared or inflicted yea or evill of sin whereby God was offended or the soule troubled did they not alwaies fall hard on the worke of petitioning and did they ever in sincerity so doe went away without a gracious answer Instance Iacob Moses Iehosophat Ezekias Manasses Samuel Eliah the Cananitish woman the Publican the Theefe upon the Crosse with many others known to the meanest reader of the book of God What was Moses his best fight when Amaleck charged Israel Prevailed not this sword of prayer more then the sword of Ioshuah If this bee so then of the excellency and efficacy of prayer why doe not men run to it and trust to it in the time of need Because the spirit dwelleth not in them Every one that hath but a shew of profession yea prophane men too wil acknowledge the theory or speculative truth thereof but a woe it is to see how few confirme it by their practise The worser sort of men cannot do this if they would and the better sort will not doe it to their shame be it spoken in that measure and manner they should and as the troublesome times require it and for the hypocrite when hee commeth into any strait hee maketh a faire shew in the flesh at the first onset bearing the world in hand that hee esteemeth prayer aboue all the meanes in the world but first his heart can tell him that he relieth more upon subordinate meanes which may and ought to be used in their time and place and useth prayer only for a triall of a conclusion which if it prove not according to their expectation then farewell prayer they will have no more to doe with it they look for good of it and finde none and not being acquainted with the vertue of it they say of it as the ignorant say of Christ What is this so much extolled medicine more then another medicine we have tried it found no good in it but rather hurt by neglecting the meanes therefore wee will use the meanes that most prevails amongst men for prayer we will not altogether cast it out of doores but wee will lay it up in some by-corner of the house reserve it till it come in request we will peruse it now and then but this is not time to trust to it In this the hypocrite is like one labouring of an inveterate disease