Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	answer_v	lord_n	pray_v	4,027	5	6.1000	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78555	A motive to peace and love. Delivered in a sermon at Pauls the first Lords Day in June, anno Dom. 1648. By Humfry Chambers, D.D. and pastor of Pewsy in the county of Wilts.	Chambers, Humphrey, 1598 or 9-1662.; City of London (England). Lord Mayor.	1649 (1649)	Wing C1916; Thomason E467_12; ESTC R204211	25,089	38

that is effectually serve Gods saving mercy for the good of his people pray therefore earnestly all ye that can pray unto the God of Heaven and pray in faith for this needed mercy of a civill peace to be afforded to our land though I doe not say that such should pray in an absolute assurance of the particular mercy presently to be enjoyed yet they may and should pray in a faithfull dependance upon the power goodnesse and faithfulnesse of the God of Heaven hoping that the Lord who hath done so much for us already will at the length answer the prayers of his servants and crowne their desires with that peace and civill union which they groane to see established in the land and in the Kingdomes annexed unto it One word more that this peace may be premoted Follow peace with all men with that cautionarie addition and holiness● Universall peace is to be pressed after as farre as possibly may stand with due regard to holinesse Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord This holinesse here pointed at by the Apostle I take to be the just bound of that if it be possible in the Epistle of Paul to the Romans If it ●e possible as much as in you is Ro. 12.18 live peaceably with all men There ought to be in Gods servants as farre as respect to holinesse will beare all possible endeavour to obtaine and maintaine peace with all men I presse not this to interrupt the course of judgement according to righteousnesse Amos 5.24 may it ever flow out like a streame in the land and overflow all malicious unreconcileable enemies to the peace and union both of this land and the Kingdomes annexed whoever they be but with this proviso that the streame of judgement according to righteousnesse may run in the channell of safe and saving mercie as much as may be Zac. 7.9 considering that there shall be judgement without mercy to him that shewes no mercy and mercy rejoyces against judgement As farre as a due respect to holinesse Iam. 2.13 and judgement according to righteousnesse doth admit there ought to be in all a conscionable pursuance of peace with all men and I suppose that a civill peace can never be well expected in a Scripture way in this Kingdome unlesse the holy Ghosts counsell be followed herein Now then for you that are the Inhabitants of this great City not to reproach you by ripping up any of those flaming contentions which appeare amongst you the Lord avert the evill which they threaten for his mercies sake let me speake unto you as one that desires seriously the peace and welfare of this place be exhorted to pray for and to pursue peace with all those who are together with your selves Members of this City as far as a due regard to righteousnesse and holinesse may possibly beare Doe not you see that a sweeping destruction is ready to invade you at the wide gate of your divisions and let the Inhabitants of this land be perswaded with due respect to righteousnesse and holinesse to follow peace with all those that are together with themselves Members of this State Let every man in his place study to bring the Parliament the Army the City the severall Counties and if it be possible the King and Kingdome the head and Members of our State into a bond of peace and love that there may be a sweet joyning of all together for the mutuall defence securitie and benefit one of another and for the good of the whole And for those that are the Inhabitants of the three Kingdomes let them all be perswaded to pray for and pursue a stable peace betwixt the nations that these three Lands may be as a threefold Cord twisted together in the hand of Gods mercy to such a strength as shall not need to feare the force or furie of any publique or common Enemy It were very happy if this speech of the Apostle in my text might generally ring throughout the Kingdome yea throughout the Kingdomes If ye bite and devour one another take heed that ye he not consumed one of another There is a very great danger of a common consumption whilst men goe on in so much particular bitternesse fomenting civill divisions and contentions amongst themselves It was the Prophet Habakkuks complaint There are that bring in strife and contention Hab. 1.3 And are there not such amongst us are there not such in the the Kingdome in the Kingdomes at this day who like bellowes filled with the arie of Hell doe continually breath out lying suggestions and studied intimations of grounds of jealousie amongst brethren for no other end but to blow up an everlasting contention in the land and betweene the Kingdomes that they whom God hath greatly blessed may at the length be sadly ruined together shall such men be so diligent to divide and to de stroy and shall not every man that soves God and loves the Kingdom be awak●ned to presse on and pray for a peacefull union of Parlialiament City Army Country Magistracie Ministerie and if God have such a mercie in store for us of him with all whom we would be glad to enjoy as head of all in faithfulnesse and righteousnesse that there may be an union of all in the feare of God almighty to be really assistant one to another as fellow-members of the same State for the mutuall good and benefit one of another I shall say no more to this point but what you finde in the epistle of James namely That the wisedome which is from above Jam. 3.17 heavenly wisedom it is First pure then peaceable gentle easie to be entreated full of mercy and good fruits without partialitie and without hipocrisie and the fruit of righteousnesse is sowne in peace of those that make peace Mat. 5.9 And blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the Children of God Therefore let all with a due respect unto the glory of the God of Heaven in maintenance of holinesse and righteousnesse which I lay still as the foundation and boundstone of our peace be ever carefull to promote and maintaine an universall civill peace in this and the annext Kingdomes which may be the foundation of comfort and safety to us and our posterities Thus I come to speake Unto the second kinde of biting and devouring which the Apostle had a speciall eye unto in my Text. And now I am to enter upon a very sad argument to mourne over the bitter railings and oppositions which mutually prevaile amongst many brethren joyning together in the confession of the same faith and worship of the same God But before I begin because I desire to speake plainely I shall endeavour to prevent all mistakes by laying downe in the enterance First that I doe not bewaile the zeale of any brethren who in a way of love and faithfulnesse doe give testimonie to the truth of Jesus

in those wicked lusts which Warre within them against the law of God The multitudes of men lye under a wicked feare of having the yoake of Jesus Christ put upon them and if the truth were spoken out what it is that makes many so much discontented and enraged against Presbyteriall Discipline it is clearely this Because they be afraid that if that should prevaile they should not hold the name and outward priviledges of Christianitie together with their sinfull lusts with so much freedome as formerly they have done It is a matter of just and great lamentation at this day to see how the most struggle with their heads tongues and hands to make good a libertie for their lusts and in that regard rise up in an hostile enmity against all those that are any wayes active or instrumentall for their restraint And this is doubtlesse a head spring of our civill imbroylments at this time Thus we have learned from the Scripture foure severall causes of our present contention viz. The open practise of notorious wickednesse proud ambition self-seeking and sinfull lusts maintained in their regencie I come now to speake something of the course which is to be taken for remedie of our sore maladie of civill contention but I must doe that very breifly that I may reserve some time in the second place to bewaile our irreligious contentions in matter of religion That we may by the mercy of God attaine deliverance from this civill bitternesse and enmity I shall direct you to the meanes which may be of force to remove the forementioned causes of this our present miserie remove the cause you cure the disease and might the causes of our contentions which I have before pointed at be taken away I doubt not but our enmitie would soone be changed into amitie and our bloodie contention into sweet affection That these evill causes of our civill contentions may be removed the servants of God ought to mourne over them in private in their addresses to the Lord according to that of the Prophet Jeremiah If you will not heare my soule shall weepe in secret for your pride Mourne all ye that are Gods hidden ones mourne in secret for the open wickednesse the pride the selfishnesse the sinfull lusts which prevaile in the land Who can tell whether Childrens teares shed in secret may not prevaile with the Father of mercie for the removing of those publique sinnes with which their righteous soules are grieved from day to day The servants of God ought to mourne over these sinnes in speciall confessions when they appeare in dayes of solemne humiliation before the Lord At such times the servants of God should with Ezra take shame to themselves and lye in the dust for these notorious sins this pride this selfishnesse these lusts which worke our ruine Ezras 9.6.7 Ezra 10.22 When Ezra bewailed the sinne of the people God poured out a spirit of reformation upon the people were our publique mournings serious we might finde the Lord in his returnes equally gracious Thirdly the servants of God are earnestly to pray for a removall of these sinnes both in a way of remission and reformation Turne to the Lord saith the Prophet take ye words unto you and turne to the Lord Hos 14 2. and say take away iniquitie and receive us graciously and we will offer to thee the fruit of our lips God taketh away iniquitie only for this his mercy sake yet will for this mercy be sought unto by his servants that he may afford it and therefore Gods people should fix their eyes on the Lord Christ as that mediator by whom their prayers are made effectuall with their God and Father and then bend themselves to pray downe asmuch as may be in themselves and others these crying sinnes which are the causes of our publique miseries The servants of God should endeavour the removall of these sinnes first in themselves and then in others It is a preposterous course to be tampering with the reformation of every one before a man begins with himselfe It concernes the people of God first of all to labour against these corruptions in themselves and then in others according to the Apostles rule Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse but rather reprove them First a Christian is to looke that he hath no fellowship with workes of darkenesse himselfe and then as occasion is offered to reprove them in others unto all which duties beleevers are made sufficient not through their owne power Phil. 4.13 but as being able to doe all things through Christ that strengthneth them and were this course taken for the removing of these corruptions which are the occasion of our miserable contentions I cannot but beleeve that wee might with abundance of comfort expect to have the spirit of virulencie cast out of the land at least wise so farre cast out as that it might not worke so desperately as at present to the working of our ruine And now though I know that there are but too too many contentions in the land yet give me leave to presse one contention more upon you a new one New things take Oh that this new motion might finde assent and acceptance according as it deserves I hope a contention might be named which could like Aarons rod swallow up all those other contentions which the infernall Master of Magicians hath throwne in amongst us The contention I speake of and move for is this that every man would contend to goe before each other in the example of a reall reformation in regard of the forementioned and the like hatefull and hurtfull evills which lye at the root of our contentions and of all the miseries which doe prevaile in the land This Christian contention might it once take would take up our unchristian contentions at the roots and bring us after all our tossings to that faire Haven of civill rest where we would bee And now I would gladly speake two words more to carry on yet further an endeavour for the removall of our contentions and for the promoting of an happy civill peace amongst us The first is this Let every one that can pray to the Father in the name of his Sonne pray for this blessing I know many talke of prayer that know not how to goe to God by Christ to lay a prayer at his feet I forbid not such to pray not knowing how farre the voyce of nature groaning under pressures may prevaile with a faithfull and gracious Creator but let every one that can pray in the name of our prevailing Mediator who hath a promise of gracious audience pray for the peace of our ferusalem pray for the peace of the land of our Nativitie and habitation pray for the peace of the Kingdome and pray in faith Despondencie of heart deadeth pray●r Jam. 5.15 faith in Gods power and faithfulnesse animates prayer The prayer of faith shall save saith the Apostle in the way of instrumentall efficacie