Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	according_a	hear_v	will_n	2,497	5	6.2604	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62883	A brief testimony to the great duty of prayer shewing the nature and benefit thereof. To which is added, above one hundred eminent and select instances that God did answer prayer. Collected out of the record of Holy Scriptures. By J.T. one of the people call'd Quakers. With a postscript by J.F.	Tomkins, John, ca. 1663-1706.; Field, John, 1652-1723. Earnest perswasive, by way of postscript, for all to mind and receive God's Holy Spirit in their hearts.	1695 (1695)	Wing T1831; ESTC R222215	22,136	114

Perswasive By way of POSTSCRIPT For all to Mind and Receive Gods Holy Spirit in their Hearts That thereby they may be taught True Prayer And be thoroughly Qualified for the Right Performance of all other Religious Duties Ephes 5. v. 18 20. Be not Drunk with Wine wherein is Excess but be filled with the Spirit giving Thanks always for all Things unto God even the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ By JOHN FEILD POSTSCRIPT BY the foregoing Testimony and Instances it plainly appears That Prayer is of great Use and Benefit and hath been greatly Answered and wonderfully Encouraged by the Lord. And it is natural to all those that God by his Word hath begotten unto a lively Hope in Christ his Son and hath sent forth his Spirit into their Hearts for them to cry Abba (a) Gal. 4.6 Father It s their Duty to make their Supplications unto him that hath begotten them because it 's by the Spirit of his Son in their Hearts that they see their Wants and the Sufficiency and Willingness there is in him to supply them who is a God that heareth Prayer It 's Gods Spirit that makes sensible of Wants begets Desires and raises Cries in the Soul to him and is therefore principally to be minded and waited in Whosoever slights Gods Spirit neglects to wait in it and disregards the Work and Motion of it in their own Hearts can never rightly and sensibly know their Wants nor what to ask or pray for or perform that Duty of Prayer as they ought It 's my tender Council and Advice in great Love and much good Will to all that believe this is the Gospel-day long since (b) Joel 2.28 prophesied of And that own the time is come wherein the Father hath according to Christ's Prayer whom he always hears sent the Comforter even the Spirit of Truth which is the Holy (c) John 14.26 Ghost and that Credit what the Apostle saith who declares a Manifestation of the Spirit is given to (d) 1 Cor. 12.7 every one to profit withal To such I say 1. Prize O prize the great Love of God and Christ herein 2. Be humbly thankful unto God for this unspeakable Gift 3. Answer the End for which he hath given this blessed Spirit receive it wait in it hearken to it turn at its Reproofs and give up to be led by it that ye may be the Sons of God 4. And then you thereby will not only like the Publican (e) Matth. 18.13 see your Conditions be moved to Pray in a Sense of your Wants but be enabled to serve God acceptably through Jesus Christ and taught thereby to worship and live to him and know his Things and understand the Mysteries of his heavenly Kingdom Therefore I earnestly be-beseech all sligh not grieve nor (f) 1 Thess 5.19 quench the Motions of it neglect not this Gift nor your diligent waiting upon God in it at all Times and in all Places in all Services and Religious Duties wait in it to be fitted by it and neither pray nor sing without it for the true Praying (g) 1 Cor. 14.15 is with it and true Singing in it And there is no Access unto God nor Admittance to the Throne of his Grace to receive Help in the time of Need but through (h) Ephes 2.18 Rom. 5.2 Jesus Christ and by this Spirit And altho' the World that lies in Wickedness hates and grieves this Spirit mocks and derides at it and those that direct to it and are guided by it yet this Spirit convinceth (i) John 16.8 them of their Sin and Unbelief of their Righteousness and Judgment which is not given them nor wrought in them by this Spirit and therefore it reproves them thereof Oh therefore tender Reader love receive wait in joyn to obey and follow this Holy Spirit and then it will open your Understandings quicken your Souls to God make you alive and beget you anew to him wash and sanctifie your Hearts purge your Consciences from dead Works and bring you to serve the living (k) Heb. 9.14 God who is a Spirit in the Spirit and Truth and enable you to walk in newness (l) Rom. 7.6 of the Spirit and out of the oldness of the Letter and beget encrease and continue Love in your Hearts and Souls to God and Christ to his Church and People to his Law and Testimony and to the Holy Scriptures which the Holy Men of God wrought as they were moved by this Holy Ghost or Spirit which Spirit I am commanding and recommending unto you to be your Conductor and Leader your Guide and Instructer in your Pilgrimage through this low World and Vale of Tears that so you may pass the time of your sojourning (m) 1 Pet. 1.17 here with Fear and give your selves to Reading the Holy Scriptures and to Waiting upon God in this Spirit and Praying to him in it and Asking of him Wisdom and Meditating in his holy Law that converts (n) Psal 19.7 the Soul and regarding his Testimony that makes wise the Simple and do not content your selves only to hear of God and Christ and those Memorable Things and Noble Acts of the Righteous recorded in Holy Writ and that plenteous Redemption eternal Life and Salvation they were Witnesses and Partakers of nor with saying over Words compiled and put together by the Wisdom of Men called Prayers but through Receiving and Obeying this Holy Spirit and believing in God and Christ from whom it proceedeth may know and partake of that Life and Understanding it gives be born of it baptized (o) 1 Cor. 12.13 by it washed sanctified and justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit (p) 1 Cor. 6.11 of our God and also taught and assisted thereby to pray to him which is the sincere Desire and hearty Supplication of your well-wishing Friend Who once more earnestly entreats you not to quench this Spirit neither disregard the inward and secret Convictions Reproofs and Counsel of it in your Hearts For it is that Spirit that searcheth (r) 1 Cor. 2.10 all Things yea the deep Things of God and God by this is certainly reproving and counselling the Children of Men in this Age and Generation as in days past and shews and Reproves them for their evil Thoughts wicked Words ungodly Deeds and execrable Oaths and by this Spirit is certainly counselling People to think on him to consider their Ways to amend their Doings to speak in his Fear And to Refrain from Oaths and Cursing and all ungodly Speaking and to Crase to do Evil and Learn to do well that he might wash away their Sins and pardon their Offences for Christs sake Therefore have a care Oh! have a care I beseech you for your never-dying Souls sake for your present Peace and future Happiness-sake that you do not like them of old set at nought all (s) Prov. 1.24 to the end Gods Counsel nor slight his Reproofs for then know assuredly God will laugh at your Calamity and mock when your Fear cometh like Defolation and your Destruction like a Whirlwind when Affliction and Anguish shall come upon you Then O then if you call upon him he will not answer if you seek him early you shall not find him because you hated Knowledge and did not chuse the Fear of the Lord therefore you shall eat of the Fruit of your own ways and be filled with your own Devices But whosoever obeyeth Gods Holy Spirit and is guided by it shall be quiet (t) Prov. 1.33 from Fear of Evil become his Son and have a Place in his eternal Kingdom for evermore Therefore love and obey it saith Thy Real and Well-wishing Friend JOHN FEILD FINIS

cannot do any thing acceptable to God This is the Comsorter that teacheth all things the word of Faith nigh in the Heart (t) Rom. 10.8 and in the Mouth It is also called the word (v) Acts 20.32 of Grace which is able to build us up and give us an Inheritance among them which are sanctified through Faith which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This Word Spirit Light or Grace which came by Jesus and and thro' him is extended unto all Men is a remedy which God hath in Mercy provided for Man and it is as universal as the disease For as by the Offence of one Adam (†) Rom. 5.18 Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation even so by the Righteousness of one Jesus Christ the free Gift came upon all Men unto justification of Life This is the Christians guide and teacher in all things especially in things immediately relating to God and as this Spirit sanctifies the Heart and brings forth a pure Offering out of it God accepts thereof he regards Truth in the inward Parts not outside appearances only but the sincerity of Heart It was his demand of Old (w) Prov. 23.26 Son give me thine Heart Not a multitude of words without this will prevail with God Our Lord reproved (x) Mat. 23.14 the Pharisees for their long Prayers when their Hearts went after their Covetousness yet thought like the (y) Mat. 6.7 Heathen to be heard for their much speaking or vain repititions but he commended the poor Publican who in the sense of his Sins made a full Confession but a short Prayer (z) Luk. 18.13 God be merciful to me a Sinner and pronounced him rather justified than the Pharisee And because we dare not offer up Prayers to God until we feel our Hearts moved thereunto by his Spirit which maketh (a) Rom. 8.26 intercession for us according to the will of God no more can we joyn with those who pray without the sense of this Spirit and fear of God and can immediately turn from their vain and idle Discourses to Prayer and from their Prayers back again to their Discourses We have been convinced not only that such Prayer availeth nothing with God but also that he is displeased with it for he hath said (b) Exod. 20.7 I will not hold them Guiltless that take my Name in vain The Publick Prayers put up to God in the name of Jesus in our Solemn Assemblies for the Worship of God as many Thousands can bear us witness are evident Proofs that we do not only own but use true Prayer 2dly It is our Spiritual Interest to be frequent in this Practice for we daily reap the benefit thereof If God take care of Sparrows (c) Luk. 12.24 to 28. cloath the Grass and array the Lilies and feed the Ravens (d) Job 38.41 when their young Ones cry unto him will not he regard us and hear our Prayers and Cries when we make Supplication to him in the Name of his Son in whom he is well pleased (e) Mar. 1.11 and for whose sake he is pleased with Man and grants us supplies suitable to our Necessities We have good reason to love Prayer even from the Experience we have felt thereof in our selves And truly as the case stands with us we should be very unhappy without this priviledge It is well known manifold and cruel have been the Sufferings of this People whom Men have persecuted reviled and spoken all manner of Evil against falsly for the sake of Christ and the Righteousness of his Kingdom as our Lord foretold long since (f) Mar. 5.10 11. would be the portion of his followers and they have not only patiently born what was permitted to come upon them from unreasonable Men but Satan also by himself hath used great and manifold endeavours if possible to drive them from their Faith and Obedience in Christ to effect which hath raised Enemies within and we have often found it to be as our Lord said a Man's Enemies (g) Mat. 10.36 are those of his own House Inward Assaults Temptations and Buffettings The Devil envied and raged at them the World hated and persecuted them what sad Condition should we be in if we had not this priviledge to fly to God and seek his Face like Children when they are apprehensive of Danger run with great boldness to their Parents and tho' sometimes they cannot express themselves to relate their fears and troubles yet their Parents have Compassion and receive them with open Arms and ready to defend them to their utmost How much more as our Lord said (h) Luc. 11.13 Joh. 10.29 Shall our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him None is able to pull us out of his Hands he is greater than all It cannot be related what immediate Comfort and divine Aid such have received who truly sought his Face whereby they have many infallible Proofs that there is a God (l) Psal 65.2 who heareth Prayer and lifts up the Light of his Countenance upon his Children whereof their Souls are more joyful than those (m) Psal 4.7 whose Corn and Wine increaseth and they have been thereby so strengthened and filled with Heavenly Joy that they have esteemed all their Sufferings Tribulations Slanders and Reproaches as Riches being so many tokens of their Discipleship to Jesus whom they desire to follow that they may receive the Promise (n) Mat. 5.12 Great shall be your reward in Heaven Therefore let none slander nor defame us with this false Charge of denying Prayer for we do faithfully declare as above that we sincerely own and practise it and have good cause to continue therein both our own Experience and the Examples of others Holy Men and Women as they are recorded in Holy Scriptures in the several Ages of the World they prayed to God upon many Occasions and Exigents I shall give some instances of such who prayed and the Lord did signally appear and granted them their Requests Let us pray in Faith as they they did and our Petitions shall be heard for God is the same as ever he was as willing to hear and as powerful to save as in former Ages My Hand is not shorten'd that I cannot (o) Isa 59.1 and 10.2 save neither is my Ear heavy that I cannot hear saith the Lord. But before I shall mention those places of Scripture that regard the vertue and power of Prayer I would be well understood what I mean by Prayer true Prayer is a desire of the Soul whether express'd by words or not from a sense of the want of that the Soul prays for which sense no Man can give himself It is the Spirit of God alone and to those this Spirit of Prayer is given who in some measure obey the Spirit turning at its reproof from the evil and that which is reproveable in the sight of God and this is the true reason why so many miss in

Abraham prayed to the Lord for King Abimelech his Queen and Family and they bare Children who before were Barren Gen. 20.17 18. 4. Abraham prayed for Sodom and the Lord was intreated so far that if there were but Ten Righteous Persons therein he would spare the City for those Ten sake Gen. 18.23 to 33. 5. At the Prayer of Lot the Lord spared the City Zoar for a refuge when he fled from the destruction which came upon Sodom Gen. 19.18 to 23. 6. The Eldest Servant of Abraham prayed to God to give him success in his Errand and a Token whereby he might be certain which was the Person that was to be his Master's Wife and the Lord granted him his Request that that very Maid coming to the Well and should with willingness upon his asking her for Water say to him drink and I will give thy Cattel also was she whom God had appointed to be a Wife for Isaac Gen. 24.12 to 45. 7. Isaac being Childless for twenty years after Marriage with Rebekah prayed to the Lord for his Wife and the Lord was intreated of him and Rebekah bare Jacob and Esau Gen. 25.21 26. 8. Rebekah being with Child enquired of the Lord and God answered her two Nations are in thy Womb and two manner of People shall be separated from thee and the one People shall be stronger than the other and the Elder shall serve the Younger Gen. 25.22 23. 9. Jacob in his return from Padan-Aram News was brought him that his Brother Esau was come out against him with Four Hundred Men and Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed and prayed unto God for deliverance from the hand of his Brother and God heard Jacob and turned the Heart of Esau so that when he came near he ran to meet Jacob and embraced him and kissed him Gen. 32.6 9 and 33 and 4. 10. Jacob wrestled with the Angel and wept and made Supplication to God and like a Prince had power with God and prevailed and obtained what he prayed for a Blessing and the Lord blessed him and changed his Name from Jacob unto Israel Gen. 32.28 35 9 10. Hosea 12.4 11. The Children of Israel sighed by reason of their great Bondage under the Egyptians and they cryed to God and he heard their Prayers and Groanings and remembred his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and said I have heard their Cry by reason of their Task-Masters and I am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians Exod. 2.23 35 3.7 8 9. Numb 20.16 12. At the Prayer of Moses the Plague of Frogs over the Land of Egypt ceased and the Frogs died Exod. 8.12 13. 13. Moses prayed and the Plague of Flies also ceased throughout Egypt for the Lord did according to the word of Moses and removed the Swarms of Flies from Pharoah and his People there remained not one Exod. 8.29 30 31. 14. Again at the Prayer of Moses the Plague of Thunder Lightning c. ceased in the Land of Egypt for as soon as Moses went out of the City and spread abroad his Hands unto the Lord the Thunder and Hail ceased and Rain was not poured upon the Earth Exod. 9.28 to 33. 15 At the Prayer of Moses the Plague of Locusts ceased for the Lord turned a mighty strong West Wind which took away the Locusts and cast them into the red Sea there remained not one Locust in all the Coasts of Egypt Exod. 10.17 18 19. 16. When Israel murmur'd at Marah because of the bitterness of the Waters Moses cryed unto the Lord and the Lord shewed him a Tree which when he had cast into the Waters the Waters were made sweet Exod. 15.24 25. 17. Israel murmured against Moses at Massah for want of Water he fled to the Lord by Prayer and cried unto him God heard and commanded him to go to the Rock at Mount Horeb and smite it with his Rod and Water gushed out thereat sufficient for the whole Camp Exod. 17.2 3 4 5 6. 18. Because of the Idolatry of Israel in Worshiping a Molten Calf when Moses was in the Mount God's Wrath was kindled against them and the Lord said to Moses now therefore let me alone that my Wrath may wax hot against them and I may consume them at once and Moses besought the Lord his God for his great Names Sake to turn away from his fierce Wrath and the Lord repented of the Evil which he had thought to do unto his People Exod. 32.1 to 14. 19. Moses prayed to the Lord for his Presence and that he would please to shew him his Glory and the Lord promised him his presence and also condescended to Moses in his later request as far as poor Mortal is capable to receive and God said to him thou can'st not see my Face and live behold there is a place by me thou shalt stand upon a Rock and it shall come to pass while my Glory passeth by I will put thee in a clift of the Rock and cover thee with my Hand and I will take away my Hand and thou shalt see my back parts Exod. 33.10 to 23. 20. Israel murmured at Taberah and God was angry with them and kindled a Fire which burnt amongst them and consumed them in the uttermost parts of the Camp and Moses prayed to the Lord and the Fire was quenched Numb 11.1 2. 21. Because of the sedition and murmurings of the Israelites Moses was sorely oppressed and spread his Case before the Lord complaining that the governing those People was a Burden too heavy for him to bear and God heard his Complaint and commanded him to gather seventy Elders of the People promising he would take off the Spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon them and they said the Lord shall bear the Burden of the People with thee that thou bear it not thy self alone Numb 11.10 to 17. 22. Aaron and Miriam murmured against Moses for which God was angry with them and struck Miriam with a Leprosie as white as Snow and Moses prayed to the Lord saying heal her now O God and after seven days she was received into the Camp again whole Numb 12.11 to 13. 23. Upon the Evil Spies report of the good Land Israel was about to chuse them Captains to return back to Egypt again and then Moses Aaron Joshua and Caleb disswaded them from it for it provoked God grievously and he said to Moses I will smite them with the Pestilence and disinherit them and will make of thee a greater Nation c. And Moses prayed to the Lord for Israel saying Let the Power of my Lord be great and pardon I beseech thee the Iniquities of this People and God answered Moses I have pardoned according to thy word Numb 14.1 to 20. 24. At the sedition of Corah Dathan and Abiram the Congregation was gathered against Moses and Aaron and God bid them separate themselves from the People that he might destroy them in a moment and they