Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	cast_v	devil_n	fast_v	3,166	5	10.2336	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80721	Prayers prevalencie for Israels safety. Declared in a sermon preached in Saint Margarets Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons, at the late solemne fast, June 28. 1643. / By Thomas Carter, minister of Dynton in Buckingham-shire. ; Published by order of that House.	Carter, Thomas, d. 1646.	1643 (1643)	Wing C668; Thomason E60_2; ESTC R22771	35,268	44

graine of his Wheate shall be lost g Amos 9. 8 9. he will either keepe them out of the furnace or preserve them in it hee will either save them from the judgement it selfe or from the evill of it that it shall not hurt them one way or other he wil be an hiding place a Isay 32. 2. Isay 8. 14. and a Sanctuary to his own servants as here he promiseth to save his servant Moses so this unchangeable God with whom is no respect of persons wil doubtlesse doe the like for them Thirdly he will not onely save their persons but also recompence their losses if Moses lose his principalitie God will give him another it shall be the raysing not the overthrow of his house if any of Gods servants shall with Amaziah be troubled for losse of their offices lands revennues or mony as hee for his hundred talents c 2 Chro. 25. 9. the answer of the man of God may satisfie him Is not the Lord able to give thee more then this First for losses voluntary have you willingly laid out much for Christ in the service of the Church and State remember how God dealt with Abraham d Heb. 11. 8. he in obedience to God and for his sake left his native country all he had and yet was no loser for the Lord recompenced his losse and gave him a better for it Secondly for losses castigatory consider how God dealt with Job he was plundered by the Chaldeans at one time and by the Sabeans at another even quite undone yet the Lord raised him up to a greater estate then ever e Job 42. 1● Vse Now therefore Gods people have cause to bee well contented to suffer with patience the spoyling of their goods not only upon this ground that they shall have in heaven a better and an enduring substance f Heb. 10. 34 But also even in this life they shal have an hundred fold g Marke 10. 30. Not onely that which is equivalent in spirituall graces but also even in outward things so farre as shall bee for their spirituall good They shall be no losers as our Saviour promiseth that in all the troubles that were to come upon the world they should not be an haire the worser h Luk. 21. 12 The rivers emptie themselves into the Sea and the Sea fils all their channels againe and so will the Lord returne backe whatsoever his servants lay out upon him nay they shall be gainers they scatter and are the more encreased i Prov. 11. 24. Now wee are come to the last point The Lords intimation of the remedy let me alone that c. which how howsoever it seemeth to be a prevention of Moses his mediation yet as Augustine Non pracipiendo sed monendo et exprimendo quid illum a supplicio revocet Aug. in Exo. q. 149. well observes the words doe not carry in them a prohibition of Moses praying but an intimation of the remedy that would stay his hand from destroying and an indirect incouragement to the use of this remedy of prayer for them whetting his desires and blowing backe the flame to make it burne the faster and this use Moses made of it for in the next Verse wee finde him earnestly praying and mediating for them so that from hence this truth naturally ariseth Doctr. 6 That the fervent prayers of Gods people are the most effectuall meanes to save a stiff-necked people from present ruine This here the Lord intimates and the event proved it so for upon the earnest prayer of Moses we finde Verse 14. that the Lord changed his minde from the evill he intended against them a Exod. 32. 14. and which he had brought upon them had not Moses stood in the gap b Psal 106. 23. We reade that the prayers of the Church did great things on the behalfe of Peter c Act. 12. 5 6 c. brake open the prison doores made his chaines fall off made the Iron gate flie open of its owne accord and so removed all obstacles that might hinder his enlargement I confes here were the prayers of many for one so the lesse wōder but we may reade of Jacob d Hos 12. 4. that when his brother came against him with an army he alone by his prayers and teares so prevailed with God that he obtained a glorious victory not conquering the Army but overcomming his brothers heart that all ended in Gen. 32. 24. 33 4. brotherly complements expressions of love in a sweet agreement We finde one Lot prevailing for a whole Citie f Gen. 19. 20. and Abraham for five Cities g Gen. 18. 32. and Deborah by her prayers trode downe the Churches enemies h Jud. 5. 21. And if fasting and prayer will cast out Devils why not the Churches enemies i Mat. 17. 21 and if the prayer of faith will save a sicke person from the naturall death k Iam. 5. 15. why not a sicke dying State from a civill death And yet howsoever the prayers of Gods people are effectuall meanes yet have we no certaine assurance that they shall actually save such a stiffe-necked people from ruine and therefore we finde the promises made to encourage men to seeke the Lord in a time of publike danger for such a people to be set downe in a doubtfull manner with an if in respect of the contingencie of the event if God will thinke upon us that we perish not l Jona 1. 6. and who knoweth if God will turne from his fierce wrath that we perish not m Jona 3. 9. Jo. 2. 14. For first their prayers may be so faulty in the manner that they may become vaine and fruitlesse performances n Isa 1. 13. and Saint James tels us that oftentimes the cause why men are not successefull in their designes is either because they sought not God by prayer or failed in the manner Yee have not because yee aske amisse o Iam. 4 2 3. Or secondly the sinnes of a Nation may be so great in themselves and so aggravated and the Lord so wearied in repenting p Ier. 15. 6. in often calling backe his anger and reversing his sentence that had gone out against them that he peremptorily resolves to repent no more yea though Daniel Noah and Joab though holy men should entreat for them yet shall they save but their owne soules q Ezek. 14. 14 Or thirdly the safety of a Nation is but a temporall blessing though a great one and we have no absolute promise to obtaine them by our prayers indeed spirituall mercies are bona absoluta and bona bonum habentem facientia they are ever good to him that hath them and therefore we have an absolute promise to speed in our Mat. 7. 11. Luke 11. 13. prayers for them he will never deny things truly good to them that aske But outward blessings are only bona

agent and the object a reall or at least a virtuall closing Nor secondly the prayer of some cannot profit others by way of retribution whether absent or present for every one shall reape the fruite of his owne worke But thirdly the prayer of some may prevaile for others though absent by way of impetration Either first in respect of the prevalency of importunity set forth in that parable of the Widowes a Luke 18. 5. 7. overcomming the unjust judge Luke 18. 5. 7. or else secondly upon Gods purpose and promise of good unto others upon condition of his servants prayers it being the Lords will that the prayers of his servants should give vent to his mercies that they may flow from God as water from a full spring upon the thirsty ground as also it being the Lords purpose to grace his servants in gratifying great Kings and Kingdomes upon their prayers as hee did Abimelecb upon the prayer of Abraham b Gen. 20. 7. 17. and Pharaoh and his kingdome upon the prayer of Moses c Exod. 8. 28. 29. Now the prayers that are usefull for the saving of a Nation from ruine are of two sorts First the prayers of the Nation it selfe Secondly of Gods owne people for the nation First the prayers of the nation it selfe which also are two-fold first of the representative body of a nation for as the proper acts of those organs which by natures deputation are appointed for performance of those Acts for the good of the whole body as namely of the eye in seeing the tongue in speaking the eare in hearing c. the acts I say of those parts are the Acts of the whole man a Totus homo videt c. non totum hominis so the acts of the representative body of a nation not onely acts civill but sacred even their heart breaking and repenting prayers offered up for a nation in the name of the whole and that with their if not actuall yet virtuall consent surely these acts interpretatively are the acts of the nation and therefore in and by them the nation prayeth Secondly the prayers of the essentiall body of a nation when a kingdome in all its parts if not all or the most men in it Vniversally yet generally all sorts of all degrees in all places like the Kingdome of Nineveh upon the preaching of Jonah and command of authoritie b John 3. 5. 6 7. 10. shall be up in prayer fasting weeping reforming and crying unto the Lord there were then great hope of an happy issue because the nation prayeth Now these nationall humiliations and prayers as the Lord prescribes them as meanes to save a nation Isa 22. 12. So have they Isay 22. 12. 2 Chro. 20. Jonah 3. beene alwayes performed with great successe as wee see in the Ninivites Jehoshaphat and others The second sort of prayers availeable for the procurement of a nations safetie are the prayers of Gods own faithfull people for the nation for though they are very few yet their prayers are exceeding prevalent for that purpose as hath beene shewed in so much that it is noted as a wonder that seldome happens that the prayers of Daniel Noah and Job such holy men should availe but for the safetie of their owne lives d Ezek. 14. 20. Now their prayers are two wayes considerable either as the petitioners are First dispersed in sundry places Secondly congregated in assemblies First as they are scattered here and there throughout the kingdome and so though divided in place yet as lines from every part of the circumference round about doe all meet in the center and as Starres every where round in the heavens doe meet in their influences and worke strongly on the earth so the heartie prayers of Gods people from all parts of the Kingdome agreeing in the same request with one heart doe all meete at the throne of grace and worke strongly there Secondly the prayers of holy men are considerable as they are conjoyned in congregations with one heart and mouth to seeke the Lord for a nation for as a bundle of stickes being cast on the fire one sticke sets another a burning untill all 's on a flame and as Saul among the prophets prophesied also a 1 Sam. 19. 23. so in a congregation the zeale of some provokes many and sets their hearts a burning surely the prayers of a Congregation are most prevalent for if the prayer of one righteous man availes much b Jam. 5. 1● and a three-fold cord not easily broken united strength the joynt prayers of many must needs be much more effectuall if when two or three godly men shall agree upon a request and send up their joynt petition to heaven it shall be granted as our Saviour hath promised c Matth. 18. 19. how much more shall the joynt petition of hundreds of holy men in a Congregation Object But you will object indeed If our Congregations did consist onely of Saints their prayers would be very prevalent but alas it is otherwise with us Answ I answer that it is true that the prayers of such a Congregation is exceeding prevalent And yet we finde Joel 2. and Jona 3. that in a time of publike danger they should gather a Congregation Joel 2. 15 16. and call an Assembly of all sorts and ages yea sucking children not Jon. 3. 5. 7. excluded to seeke the Lord and at Ninive we finde that even the brute creatures did beare a part in the Fast For howsoever as hath beene shewed onely Gods servants can ground their hopes upon a promise yet all that stand not in open rebellion against God can ground their hopes upon the mercie of a gracious God as the Ninivites did Yea brute creatures and poore babes that cannot put up a formall prayer yet their moane and cry as being all lost in the common calamity may move the Lord to mercy as we have shewed and we accordingly finde that the moane of the one hundred and Jon. 4. 11. twenty thousand infants of Ninive yea of the cattle did much move the Lord to pitie From this Doctrine we may inferre two corollaries First when the Lord intends to save a Nation he drawes up Corol. 1. the hearts at least of his owne people to seeke it as when he intends a shower to the earth he drawes up the vapours and fils his bottles so when he intends to refresh a people with a shower of mercies he not onely gives to a competent number the spirit of prayer but draweth out their hearts in the actuall performance of Ier. 29. 10. 12 13 14. the duty As we may see Jer. 29. by comparing the 10. 12 13 14. verses together that when the time approached which the Lord intended for the deliverance of his Church out of captivity then he caused the earnest prayers of his people to fall in as the meanes to effect it then saith the text shall they pray and cry