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	pray_v	time_n	2,021	5	3.8212	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86504	A sermon, preached before the Right Honourable, Thomas Foote, Lord Maior, and the right worshipfull the aldermen, sheriffs, and severall companies of the City of London. Vpon the generall day of thanksgiving, October the 8. 1650. at Christ-Church, London. / By Doctor Nathanael Homes, teacher of the Church at Mary Staynings, London.	Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1650 (1650)	Wing H2576; Thomason E614_4; ESTC R202565	34,476	51

to them they fall they surely fall they fully fall before the authority power and prayers of the holy people of Parliament Army magistrats ministers Churches and all saints And with great reproach as well as ruine to them that fall In Ireland about Dublin neere 19000. fall and fly before about 4000. of ours In England in the North neere 31000. Scotts invading us under Hamilton fall and fly before about 8000. of ours In Scotland as this day remembers 11000. of ours encounter with 22000. of the Scots some of themselves since confesse they were more and 6000. of ours thereabout do the worke to give that numerous Host of Scotts the totall Rout. Many glorious circumstances there are of this last overthrow but because I have been long and would not prevent my reverend Brother that is to follow I will speake but of one maine one and that in the way of a case of conscience as the nature of it requires The Scottish enemie wee cannot but say merited this their overthrow by invading us and that without warning of us A case of Conscience whether the overthrow of the Scots be the return of prayers and declaration of Gods mind against their unrighteous dealing or onely a casual event refusing also to give us any satisfaction though both these were desired They used the meanes to bring it upon themselves by severall fierce on-sets upon us they strikeing the first blow They yet further pursue and seeke after their ruine by a furious march after us netreating many miles I name not particulars because so excellently set down in the Narrative before the Act for this dayes praise And last of all we must say they prayed for this their ruine implicitly and interpretatively as the event proves For they invoked God in prayer making therein their appeale to God to determin between them and us as we did we confesse make the like appeale to him Behold then and lay all together according to their sinne fore-going in wronging our Nation according to their following ohstinacy in their sinne in refusing to give satisfaction and according to their prayers in the concluding that God would take part with the right and oppose the wrong doer hath God dealt with them and answered them by their ruine But now siince they say in their letters from Edenborough Castle to our Generall t is but an event of casuall happ no declaration of the mind of God against them But mark now in answer to that but these 5. things First Their and their partyes the Scotified in England opinion of providences following upon prayer made in relation to those providences First when the Scots Kirk party prayed that Hamilton might not prosper it seems now it was only because hee came against us not with their consent as Leven did this last time and Hamilton did not prosper they cryed it up mightily with many iterations that his overthrow was the returne of prayer and of their prayers we are sure it was of ours who then prayed and were heard which with other the like instances of our praying and Gods answering above farr what human meanes could effect as in this last overthrow of the Scots makes us with confidence of faith plead divine custome that providences ushered in by prayer pardon the phrase are Gods gratious returnes of such prayers Yea and we have learned we truly speak our experience of our selvs that when God doth not answer our prayers so as we are apt to choose we look upon the insuing providences of God as a distinct returne of our prayers that then that and that only and no more is good for us Secondly when the Scots immediatly afore their first on-set upon us about Mussleborough had had a day of prayer they did ere they close undertake as it were to prophesie so confident were they of the return of their prayers that their men should go forth and only stand still and we should fall before them and to further encourage them diverse of their Ministers came with them to the fight of which we had most certain intelligence by spies or prisoners taken in that fight or otherwise Thirdly when we were another time retreated on this side Mussleborough a party of them comming thither and finding us gone they then made great bost in their prayers and of their prayers that had sent the Sectaries packing as our men returning thither upon them neer found them at it to a great terrour on them to a suddaine flight but could not so quickly and cleanly carry away al but that our men knew this passage I now mention and wrote it up to us Fourthly when they made their long march after us retreating to Haddinton and thence to Dunbarre then in many expressions openly to our Scouts as they met they did infinitly boast of their hoped successes as the returne no doubt of their prayers the Kirk party contrary to the opinion of the old souldiery Jehu-like putting on to fight concluding as they sayd that now they had us in a Cornish pound And last of all let us not forget the voyce of som of our neighbours Scottified ministers at home which is but the eccho to the Scotts who upon our retreat to Dunbarr gave thanks publikly as the return of their prayers and the Scots prayers that our Army was brought to this passe of retreate to that effect or intent Which will be further expounded by one of the hearers of those morning excercises saying to a very godly Freind thus Lo you now Mr. you see now what it is for your Army to go against the prayers of Gods people you prospered indeed against the enimie at home and in Ireland because Gods peoples prayers were not against you But in going against the Scotts you go against Godly mens prayers and therefore you see what it comes to To that effect hee 2. This Case in the substance of the Appeale I intend it and extend it not further as to debauch Persons or performances is the same with the case of Elijah and Baals Priests appealing to God in a way of Prayer which usually was conjoyned with Sacrifice Luke 1. The difference only is but in the degree of the signe of Answer that was a Miracle above Nature and our deliverance was in a marvell many wayes above Nature as we shall see presently Baal Priests were convinced God had determined against them So that we reade not of any apologie they could make for themselves when they were put to death for their imposture 1. Kings 18. And truely if Heathens had looked on us and the Scots thus solemnly appealing and God thus manifestly answering and yet we not agreeing that it was a manifest determination of the minde of God those Heathens doubtlesse would either conclude that our God were no God or else that we had no Religion in us This will be plainer in the next particular 3. T is mightily considerable to our Case in hand that God hath a singular

yet the last-named Tribes will neither fight nor praise Therefore in this Chapter where their part should come in there is as we say in Musick a Large-Rest They sing not keep not tune nor time Yea their part is smeared with a blot upon record by God himself to disgrace their evil deed to this day The Case of David mourning over that Victory of which others were glad But there is a greater wonder then this of David 2 Sam. 18 c. that when the danger was neer even in the bowels of the Kingdom of David and the foundation of the Insurrection was laid in the hearts of the most of his own Subjects headed by his own leud son likely to pull the Crown from his fathers head who now with his petty Army is fain to flee from his own Throne yet upon the obtaining of a glorious Victory against that Arch-rebel and Rebellion David is so far distempered in spirit that he mourns over the matter and means of his deliverance and not unlike some others would comply * See 2 Sam. 19.2 as the manner is with a King or at least frown upon them that wrought the deliverance But Joab and his Army were glad as they had good cause You will say Can ye blame David Absalom that was slain was his son And some of Davids BRETHREN fell in Battel with him Was he The Rebellion was the more horrid the danger far the greater if Absalom had prevailed and therefore the merciful deliverance was of the same size and should have been the measure of Davids joy And to our business the Objection is our advantage Absalom was his son and that was neerer kin to David then any King to us And they that were beaten in Battel were Brethren and therefore neerer allied to David Joab and to the conquering army in Notion and Nation in form of Worship union of Policy Blood Territories and Temple then the Scots are to us yet for all this 't was Davids failing his great failing to mourn over Absaloms death See D. Har. in Absal funeral and his armies downfal .. So learned and godly Divines urge the story for the proof of Saints weaknesses and unto that form and shape the divine story most emphatically limbs it out to the life And Joabs wise carriage on the contrary part Chap. 19. is as singularly pourtrayed his honour emblazoned and he commendatorily described for rounding the King to purpose for his indiscretion 2 Sam. 19.5 c. Thou hast saith Ioab to David shamed the faces of all thy servants this day which this day have saved thy LIFE and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters and the lives of thy wives c. in that thou LOVES thine ENENIES and HATEST thy FRIENDS for thou hast declared this day that thou regardest neither Princes nor servants for this day I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all we had died this day then it bad pleased thee well Now therefore arise go forth and speak comfortably Heb. to the heart to thy servants c. A notable speech and looks keenly with a piercing eye on some that now mourn for our Victory and worse then David who did it in his private chamber but they in their publike prayers With this ●ouzing home and just Oration David is convinced of his folly he ariseth yea and goes and sits in the gate to incourage and comfort the people for winning that victory Now therefore was it not well done of Joab and his Army to rejoyce in the victory though the King was the head and chiefe of them that would have turned it into a day of mourning But is there no regard to be had to the slaughter of Brethren and shedding of blood for which Israel mourned in the Case of Benjamin Judg. 21 Marke it once for all we rejoyce not at all in the shedding of blood precisely considered as shedding of blood much less in the shedding of the blood of Brethren But that the wronged English party as the several Declarations of the Parliament have demonstrated do rather Conquer then are Conquered therein we justly rejoyce and praise God for it though because it could not be avoided it cost blood and the blood of Brethren Benjamins Case discussed touching the Israelites mourning after their overthrow So in Hamilions invasion and in the relations of it in print and from other good testimonies to the Author as in the Case of Absalom For the Case of Benjamin we will refer our Case to that to be tryed It sures to our condition and is exceeding much for us The story is in the 19 20 21 Chapters of Judges I need not relate it but onely apply it The cause of the other Tribes of Israel warring against that of Benjamin was far less then ours against the Scots Ours was their pub-like invasion of our Country with a mighty Army by authority of the Parliament of Scotland wasting a part of our Nation killing some of our men occasioning the death of others taking away our children captives making their parents to redeem their own children with money and some more then once undoing many families with intolerable taxes plundering men of their goods and cattle calling our land Scotland as they further invaded us threatning death to them that contradicted them therein And since that they have proclaimed a King over this Nation of England contrary to the Declaration of our Parliament And for all this have refused to give in any satisfaction But the cause of the Israelites war against Benjamin was but personal some vile fellowes of Gibea ravishing the Levites Concubine to death that town and the rest of the Tribe of Benjamin refusing to give satisfaction in delivering up the malefactors though Israel were warned and wo●ed thereunto that so guilt might not lie upon the land Yet for this cause inferior to ours the Israelites make warre upon the Benjamites farre nearer brethren to them then the Scots to us Therefore thus farre no cause of sorrow to Israel or us a good cause is no cause of sorrow In prosecution whereof Israel asked counsel of God several times as did we they were bid by Oracle several times to go as we were by many clear impressions upon our Spirits upon solemn daies of Humiliation So it was impressed upon the hearts of the Army and of the Churches in London as they gave in their accounts after the dayes of Humiliation kept for that end to know the minde of God So that nor yet was there any cause of sorrow to us or them The ultimate event of the totall overthrow of the Army of the Benjamites sealed it to the Israelites that God was with them as the same seal was given to us in the totall rout of the Scotish Army And in this also precisely considered as Gods answer of prayer his performance of his own Counsel the manifestation of his presence with the innocent with punishment upon the wrong-doer