Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
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A26705
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A companion for prayer, or, Directions for improvement in grace and practical Godliness in time of extraordinary danger by Richard Allein.
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R. A. (Richard Alleine), 1611-1681.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing A985; ESTC R19955
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10,781
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A COMPANION FOR PRAYER OR Directions for Improvement in Grace and Practical Godliness in time of Extraordinary Danger By RICHARD ALLEIN Author of Vinditiae Pietatis LONDON Printed by J. R. for T. G. MDCLXXXIV Reverend Sir THE motion made in yours concerning Prayer hath much affected me and hath occasioned some workings of my thoughts which though in a conscience of mine own weakness I more than once laid aside yet they still return'd upon me and I do now here offer the result of them to your Consideration We all know and teach that they are only returning and reforming Prayers that will prevail with God and 't is to be doubted that in this dead and decayed age there are too many professors who will joyn in the design of Prayer whom this must serve instead of Reformation 't is to such especially that the Directions in the inclosed Papers are intended I send them to you desiring you to read them and then to do what you please with them beseeching you and trusting upon your friendly faithfulness herein thar you will take your full freedom either to keep them in silence to your self or else to communicate and make them publick I should thankfully accent of any expungings alterations or additions that you shall think needful The Lord pardon the failings and accent the sincere aims of my soul herein To his Grace I commend you and in him I rest Dear Sir Your unworthy Friend and Servant RICHARD ALLEIN A COMPANION FOR PRAYER OR Directions for Improvement in Grace and Practical Godliness c. TO make way for and to press to the diligent observing the following Directions let these things be premised 1. That the Power of Religion is much fallen at least is at a stand amongst multitudes of Professors in England Sure this needs no proof when we have so many sad ocular Demonstrations hereof before us 2. That for this the Lord hath a controversie with us at this day Rev. 2.4 Whatever controversie the Lord hath with the Belials amongst us whose horrible wickedness hath even repined them for vengeance his special quarrel seems to be with his own people We may guess against whom the special anger is by observing at whose faces chiefly his arrows are levelled Against whom do our enemies the rod of his anger make a wide mouth and draw forth the tongue and lift up their fiercest hands 3. No Prayers will avail nor have the least help in them but the Prayers of such with whom the Lords controversie is taken up and composed those with whom he hath a particular quarrel are like to be unhappy Mediators for others We chuse the savourites of Princes to be our Intercessors with them 4. There can he no taking up Gods controversie unless the matter of it be removed by repentance and reformation Rev. 2.5 Isa 1.15 16 18. When ye make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood wash ye make you clean c Come now and let us reason together Josh 7.10 Get thee up wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned they have taken the accursed thing and v. 12. I will not be with you any more except the accursed thing be destroyed from amongst you Is there no accursed thing amongst even the Professors of Religion Behold the wedg of Gold and the Babylonish garment their pride and their covetousness hid in their hearts for a tent Go search out these and every other accursed thing within you let them be destroyed if ye would have the Lord to be at peace 5. If there may be such a spirit of Prayer stir'd up amongst us as may have his fruit unto Holiness and real reformation of the evils of our ways this would comfort us and give us great hopes in the hardest cases 6. Therefore in all our crying to God for his help in case of publick fears dangers or distresses our eye should be firstly upon and we should wrestle with the Lord for the pardoning purging and sanctification of our own hearts and lives wherein if we prevail not we shall be as a rotten tooth or a bone out of joynt for any help there is in us or in any thing we do unless we can pray up a spirit of Holiness in our selves a spirit of Love and of Power and of a sound mind we are not like to do any thing to purpose in praying down Mercy for the people the Devil will give us leave to vifit the Throne of Grace so we will but carry our hard and uncircumcised hearts with us if we cannot get to be of the Lords holy Ones though we make many Prayers he will not hear here the interest and the hopes of the people of God lye in the shedding abroad of the sanctifying and quickning spirit upon them for this therefore should we firstly pray 7. 'T is not praying alone that will do to the bringing on our Reformation there must be also a constant and sedulous use of all Gods other means in our whole course of Life 8. Some of these means are presented in the following Directions 1. General Directions Direct 1. Take up a deep and serious design of making an advance in serious Religion Sit not down by take not up with what you have already attained but resolve for reaching forward and following after towards that which you have not attained content not your selves to drive gently on as your flesh will bear but stir up your selves to follow hard after the Lord and let this be the deliberate decree and intent of your hearts Say to thine heart How is it with me Doth my Soul prosper Are my ways such as please the Lord What is mine expectation and mine hope What is the aim and business of my life Is it that Christ may be magnified by me and that I may be made partaker of his Holiness and shew forth his Vertues in my generation Can I say with the Apostle To me to live is Christ Ah wretch that I am how deeply hath this self and this world gone shares with my Lord O! how little of my time my parts my strength yea and of my very heart also have been inclosed and consecrated as Holiness to the Lord how much of me hath been left out in common for the world Well but what meanest thou for the future Wilt thou henceforth change the purpose and intent of thine heart Come man wilt take up a design for and henceforth determine and set thine heart upon a more watchful fruitful and heavenly life If thou wilt not be brought to decree and resolve upon a better life much less wilt thou be perswaded actually to it What 's begun well is half done and an holy design deeply laid is a good beginning Direct 2. Let Gods Calls to extraordinary prayer and a sense of the necessity of your recovery and reformation to your prevailing in prayer quicken you on in the vigorous pursuance of your holy design Now is a time wherein
you have your hearts at the advantage having such weighty arguments before you and the opportunity of doing two such great things more as the saving of your selves and also of the people both from iniquity and calamity Direct 2. Do all you do in pursuance hereof in the name of the Lord Jesus He not discouraged at any prospect of difficulty trust in him for his help Encourage your hearts with the words of the Apostle Phil. 4.13 I shall be able to do all things through Christ that strengthens me Direct 4. Keep your eâ—e and your heart much upon God and the other world Be able to say with the Apostle Phil. 3.20 Our Conversation is in Heaven that is there the business of our life lies and that not only above spiritual and heavenly things but with God himself Live at the fountain and spring-head thence all your light and life and holiness and strength must flow down Be much in looking upwards and beholding in a glass the glory of the Lord you will be changed from Glory to glory into the same Image 2 Cor. 3.18 Look much and often upon the things that are not seen if ye would be delivered from the power and malign influence of the things that are seen let your eye be upon the Sun and you will see a dimness and darkness upon the Earth get you cloathed with the Sun and you will get the Moon under your feet Direct 5. See that there be no allowed sin in your hearts or practice Psal 66.18 If I regard Iniquity in mine heart God will not hear my prayer nor help me An allowed sin is as the dead flesh in the wound whatever methods or medicines be taken there will be no healing till the dead flesh be eaten off you may profess and pray and hear all your life long and yet will never prosper whilest you are privy to any one indulged sin Direct 6. Be constant and instant in dayly secret and family prayer Let not extraordinary Prayer excuse your ordinary and let not your neglect of ordinary Prayer unfit you for extraordinary Let not your way to your Closet be untrod He that holds his acquaintance in Heaven by being often with God will be the most like to prevail with God in the most pressing and difficult cases those that are much in Prayer those are the men that use to be mighty in Prayer Direct 7. In all your praying both ordinary and extraordinary let your eye be I say not chiefly but firstly upon the case of your own Souls What improvement you obtain here will be of this double advantage 1. There will be the more hope of your being heard for the publick 2. If the Lord be not prevailed with for publick mercies and deliverances yet you will be the better prepared for sufferings If God should shew mercy as to the publick should scatter our clouds and blow over our storms should cause our light to break forth as the morning and our righteousness also as the noon-day yet what would all this be to thee who art unrighteous What would it be to thee if in all the Land of Goshen there should be light and thou in the midst thereof shouldest be covered over with the darkness of Egypt if there should be dew on all the grass of the field and thy fleece only should be dry if thou shouldest live to see thy people a saved people and an holy and fruitful Nation and thou should'st stand as a withered and dry Tree amongst all the flourishing Cedars Get up thine own heart into good proof or whatever spiritual plenty thou maist see in Israel yet thou wilt not eat thereof Talk no more of thine hopes of seeing good days how little would that be to thee unless thou get thee a better heart Direct 8. Let you prayers be followed with a constant care of your ways Let not your praying serve you instead of repenting and reforming but let it quicken you to your whole duty let your entring into your Closet be your ascending heavenwards and let not your returns thence be the falling down of your Souls from Heaven to Earth Let your duties and ways he all of a piece live like praying Christians Let not the spirituality of your mornings and evenings countenance or encourage you in your all-day carnality Be in the fear of the Lord all the day long Prov. 23.17 Direct 9. Whatever incomes you receive from God into your own Souls be free in dispersing to others I mean in away of holy discourse and conference Dispersing and communicating is the best way to thriving Prov. 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet increaseth there is that withholdeth and it tendeth to poverty 'T is true with respect to spirituals as well as to temporals There are none that grow more rich towards God than those who by bringing forth what they have received labour to make others rich also Give the holy fire within you a vent and it will burn the clearer Keep not your Religion to your selves let your full cup run over let your lips drop as the honey-comb let your mouth be a well of life and your lips feed many Prov. 10.11 Build up one another in the most Holy Faith provoke one another to love and to good works let your Families your Wives and Children your Neighbours and Acquaintance have light from your Candle and be warmed by your Fire Doubtless it s one special part of Gods quarrel with Christians That they are so very many of them of such carnal and unsavoury converses Is it thy case hast thou this to charge upon thy self O! amend amend and see that thou continue not such a barren Soul as low as 't is with thee in grace think not to rise high unless thou wilt make better use of what thou hast 2. Particular Directions Direct 1. Consider what it is whereto you have already attained and be thankful and thence be encouraged to press on and hope for more Hast thou obtained Grace from the Lord and hath he caused his Grace to abound towards thee and in thee and hast thou a witness within thee that thou hast not received the Grace of God in vain But dost thou study to walk worthy of that Grace wherein thou standest O rejoyce in the Lord and let all within thee bless his Holy Name and take what thou hast thus received as an earnest of more Set thy foot upon the neck of every mortified lust take the more heart to thee to go on in the fight and rejoyce in hope of a total and final victory The Soldier when one Wing of his Enemies Army is routed or they do but give ground and begin to fall this raises his courage and he falls more smartly on Go thou and do likewise and let thy beginning much more thy growth in Grace and thy experiences hereof be the oiling of thy wheels for thy more vigorous following on after yet a greater increase Direct 2. Consider what your special