Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	heaven_n	lord_n	praise_v	1,325	5	9.3148	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36465	The doctrine of practicall praying together with a learned exposition on the Lords prayer / by George Downam.	Downame, George, d. 1634.; Downame, George, d. 1634. Godly and fruitfull exposition of the Lords prayer.	1656 (1656)	Wing D2060; ESTC R25565	260,703	451

understood by any 2. The minister and people meeting to publick prayer use not publick prayer but private for it is not the place but the congregation that maketh it publick But the minister praying in an unknown language his prayer is private and the people when they do pray at all betake themselves to their private devotions Hereunto adde examples and precedents For the Patriarchs and Prophets under the law the Apostles and Primitive Church did alwayes pray in a known tongue Neither can any sound testimonie or approved example be produced to the contrary for six hundred yeares after Christ. Vitalicus the Pope about the yeare 666 which is the number of the beast whose name is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is thought to have been the first authour of this ordinance concerning Divine service to be done in Latine Origen saith That every nation in their mother tongue make their prayers unto God and yield him due praises So Basil Epist. 63. ad cler Neocaesar And to the examples of the ancient Church we may adde the practice not onely of the reformed Churches but also of the Ethiopians and Egyptians Syrians Armenians Moscovites Moravians and Sclavonians all which at this day observe the ancient form of praying in their vulgar languages De Cyrillo Moraviorum praesule qui vixit 900 Aeneas Sylvius Hist. Bohem. cap. 13. scribit Ferunt Cyrillum cùm Romae ageret Pontifici supplicasse ut Sclavorum linguâ ejus gentis hominibus quam baptizaverat rem Divinam faciens uti posset De qua re dum in sacro senatu disputaretur esséntque non pauci qui contradicerent auditam vocem tanquam de coelo in haec verba missam OMNIS SPIRITUS LAUDET DOMINUM ET OMNIS LINGUA CONFITEATUR EI. Indéque datum Cyrillo indultum c. They report that Cyrill when he was at Rome sued unto the Bishop that executing Divine service he might use the tongue of the Sclavonians to the men of that nation which he had baptized About which when they disputed in the sacred senate and there were many that gainsaid it a voice sent as it were from heaven was heard uttering these words Let every spirit praise the Lord and let every tongue confesse unto him And so Cyrills suit was granted c. And yet will the Papists be counted Catholicks who in this point as in many more go against the practice and doctrine universall of the Primitive Church for six hundred yeares after Christ. But say they the Latine tongue doth better become the majestie of the Divine service which is diminished in vulgar languages The commendation of prayer consisteth not in the language whereof there is no difference to be made in respect of God but in the sense of the words and devotion of him that prayeth That which the Apostle speaketh against praying in unknown tongues is as much verified concerning the Latine tongue in respect of them which understand it not as concerning any other Yea but holy mysteries are not to be communicated to the vulgar nor precious stones are to be cast unto dogs and hogs But holy mysteries are to be expounded to the people of God who may not be compared to dogs or swine by whom are meant profane persons and scorners of religion But since prayers have been made in vulgar tongues devotion is waxed colder in those parts and religion decayed Many are made worse by the preaching of the Gospel and where best means are used the people if they be not the better are the worse In respect of them devotion is decayed but in respect of all sound Christians it flourisheth Neither was that true devotion or religion which they say by vulgar prayers is decayed but will-worship and superstition in which men are usually more fervent then in the profession of the truth For such is the common hypocrisie of men that when they think to satisfie the Lord with outward observations they will be forward in that kind Micah 6. 7. Now as touching private prayers in an unknown tongue it is certain that they which so pray do scarcely perform any dutie that is required or exercise any grace which is to be shewed in prayer For first he prayeth without understanding and therefore not as a man but rather as an unreasonable creature as Augustine saith Quid hoc sit quod in Psalmo dicitur AB OCCULTIS MUNDA ME intelligere debemus ut humanâ ratione non quasi avium voce cantemus Nam merulae psittaci pici hujusmodi volucres saepe ab hominibus docentur sonare quod nesciunt What this should be which is said in the Psalme Cleanse me from secret sins we ought to understand that we ought to sing with humane reason and not as it were with the voice of birds For even black-birds parrots pies and such like birds are often taught by men to sound that which they do not understand So Cassiod in Psal. 46. Nemo sapienter facit quod non intelligit No man doth wisely that which he understandeth not 2. Neither doth he pray in spirit but the prayer not understood is a mere lip-labour The sound of the soul is the understanding Neither is that any speech of the soul which it doth not understand neither can they pray but with continuall wandring thoughts For the mind will not attend that which it doth not understand or if they do they do but attend to the words and not to the matter which they do not understand 3. As he which prayeth before others in a language unknown to them his understanding is unprofitable to them neither are they edified thereby so when a man prayeth in a language which himself understandeth not his understanding is unfruitfull to himself And as he which praying in an unknown tongue to others is to them a barbarian so he which prayeth in a tongue which he doth not understand is a barbarian to himself 4. Neither can he pray with faith that his request shall be granted when he knoweth not what his request is 5. What reverence is here shewed to the majestie of God when men presume to babble before him they know not what And what conceit have they of God when they hope by such lip-labour to satisfie for their sinnes and to merit eternall life 6. How can men either ask with fervencie of spirit or give thanks with alacritie of heart when they do not so much as know whether they pray or give thanks 7. Bodily exercise profiteth little 1. Tim. 4. 8. for God respecteth not the mouth but the heart But this prayer in an unknown tongue is a mere bodily exercise and so in the church of Rome is usually injoyned to penitents as a penall work 8. Battologie is to be avoided in prayer Matth. 6. But this babbling and multiplying of prayers without understanding especially joyned with numbring of them on their beads as though by how much the more and longer

everywhere then is he also in heaven But God is said to be in heaven not that he is included therein 1. Kings 8. 27. and therefore not circumscriptivè by circumscription as the body of Christ nor definitivè definitively as the finite spirits but he is there and everywhere repletivè filling all places ●…er 23. 23. but yet so as he is every-where totus wholly But y●…t after a more speciall manner he is said to be in heaven Because there especially he manifesteth his glory there he is seen face to face there he communicateth himself thence he sendeth down his blessings judgements Rom. 1. 18. thence he speaketh to men thence Christ descended thence the holy Ghost Matth. 3. thither Christ ascended there he sitteth and thence he returneth to judgement And as the soul is said to be tota in toto tota in qualibet parte all in the whole and in every part all and yet in respect of the chief operations is said to be seated in the head as it were the heaven of this Microcosme so God who is everywhere wholly both in the world and out of it is said to be in heaven Heaven is his throne Isai. 66. 1. there he prepared his seat Psal. 103. 19. there he sitteth Psal. 2. 4. that is the habitation of his holinesse c. Isai. 63. 15. the place of his habitation 1. Kings 8. 30. Secondly when Christ saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the heavens he meaneth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heavenly as Matth. 6. 26. And he is called heavenly because the shallownesse of our minds cannot better conceive of the unspeakable glory and excellent majestie of God then under this name For nothing more excellent and glorious is subject to our sense then the heaven Whereas therefore the Scriptures give this title to God they teach us to ascribe unto him majestie glorious essence omnipresent power infinit●… wisdome unspeakable mercy endlesse The sense therefore of these words is this Tho●… that sittest upon heaven as thy throne glorious in majestie infinite in essence power wisdome and mercy Vses concerning prayer I. THe adoration of images reliques condemned we are taught to lift up our mind eyes hands to God being in heaven We may therefore say as Psal. 121. 1. Should I lift mine eyes to images whence then should I have help my help is from God Therefore as Psal. 123. 1. To thee I lift up mine eyes O thou who dwellest in the heavens II. We are taught not to direct our prayer towards any certain place as the Jews towards the temple but we may turn any way towards God in heaven And if we are not bound to look towards any certain place much lesse to go on pilgrimage to it III. Neither must our minds go on pilgrimage whilest we are praying but above the earth and all earthly cogitations our minds with our hands are to be lifted up unto the heavens Lam. 3. 4. Psal. 25. 1. as at all times so especially in the time of prayer our conversation ought to be in heaven IV. When we are commanded to call God our heavenly Father we are taught to abandon all base conceits concerning God Psal. 50. 13. and to ascribe unto him incomprehensible glory and majesty infinite power and essence wisdome unsearchable mercy endlesse Majesty as sitting upon the heaven as upon his throne the earth being his footstool Isai. 66. 1. Which must teach us reverence and not rashly to utter any thing before God For God is in heaven full of majestie and glory and thou upon earth dust and worms meat Eccles 5. 1. Power that is Might infinite omnipotencie Right infinite and authority universall Potentia Power Psal. 115. 3. Our God is in heaven whatsoever he will he doeth Which must teach us to pray with affiance being assured that our heavenly Father is able to do for us according to yea above our requests yea above our thought Ephes. 3. 20. Thus Jehoshaphat 2. Chron. 20. 6. Art not thou God in heaven so as power is in thine hand which none can resist Potestas Authority So saith Jehoshaphat Art not thou God in heaven and dost not thou rule over all nations So Psal. 103. 20. The Lord hath established his seat in heaven and his kingdome is over all On him therefore our trust must be reposed by whose providence and power all things are governed in heaven and in earth For hereby we learn that the Lord is not onely able in respect of his might but hath right also to bestow upon us any good thing Audacter Deum roga nihil illum de alteno rogaturus Beg boldly of God seeing thou canst ask nothing of him which belongeth to another Infinite essence and omnipresence for so is the heaven said to be his throne as that the earth also is his footstool and so is he in both as that he is also everywhere and in every place totus For we may not think that God is farre from us Acts 17. 27. because he is said to be in heaven as the wicked imagine Job 22. 13. but we must acknowledge that he is alwayes present with us Psal. 139. 7 8 9 c. and as it is Psal. 145. 18. Deut. 4. 7. near unto us wh●…n we call upon him yea where two or three are gather●…d together in his name he is in the middest of them Matth. 18. 20. If theresore thou prayest in secret the Lord heareth thee Matth. 6. 6. if in the closet of thine heart without any speech he heareth the voyce and cry of the heart Exod. 14. 15. 1. Sam. 1. 13. Assure thy self therefore that thou speakest not into the air or utterest thy words in vain but that thou pourest forth thy requests into the bosome of the Lord. Wisdome unsearchable For as the heavens are high above the carth so are the Lords thoughts above ours Isai. 55. 9. We must therefore submit our selves to his will which is most wise and just neither let us circumscribe him but rather resigne our selves unto him who best knoweth what is fit for us Mercy unspeakable Whereby all these attributes are effectuall to our good For if earthly parents do know to give good things to their children much more doth our heavenly Father Matth. 7. 11. This therefore must not discourage us that he sitteth above in heaven in the high throne of his majestie for though he dwelleth above ●…t he mercifully abaseth himself to behold the things which be in heaven and in earth Psal. 113. 5 6. He looketh down from the high place of his holinesse even from heaven doth the Lord look down upon earth that he might heare the mourning of the prisoner and deliver the children of d●…th Psal. 102. 19 20. Neither ought his power to terrifie us for he useth it to our good Deut. 33. 26. Herideth or sitteth upon the heavens for our help Him therefore let us exalt who rideth on the highest heavens Psal. 68. 4. Here therefore