Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	forgive_v	lord_n	trespass_n	3,485	5	11.3824	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41516	A plea for free-grace against free-will wherein matters about grace and providence are plainly and fully cleared and contrary opinions demonstrated to be against Scripture, the judgment of the primitive church and the doctrine of the Church of England / by J. Gailhard.	Gailhard, J. (Jean)	1696 (1696)	Wing G123; ESTC R25092	199,562	244

Man shot at a venture the Arrow was guided to the place where it did wound him The Blood ran out of the Wound into the Chariot wherein he was carried dead to Samaria The Chariot is washed in the Pool of Samaria and whilst it was a washing and his Armour the Dogs licked up his Blood according to God's Word by Elisha in the same place where they had licked up the Blood of Naboth How what remained of God's Judgments was afterward executed upon Jezabel and the rest of Ahab's whole Family Scripture makes a large mention of and therein God's Providence is visible and wonderful One thing more to be observed is that there is no other account given of the success of the Fight as if that part of the Chapter had been written only to relate Ahab's Death the manner of it and nothing else Because at that time the chief work upon the Wheel of Providence was the beginning of execution of God's Judgments upon Ahab's person which were next to follow upon his Son Ahaziah who died of a fall Jehoram was killed by Jehu who destroyed the whole Family All Dispensations of God's Providence are attended with Wisdom Power Holiness and Immutability Every thing that happeneth doth so according to the same wonderful Providence God from eternity having unchangeably decreed to do or to permit every thing that happeneth in time and whatsoever he hath decreed and appointed shall infallibly be For if it were not so God would be mistaken in his Prescience Divine Providence cannot be hindered seeing there is nothing more potent than God for who hath resisted his will or who can resist it he being Almighty Rom. 9.19 That makes him put a Question with Defiance Is there any thing too hard for me Jer. 32 27. which in that same Chapter 10. verse before the Prophet answers in the negative there is nothing too hard for thee ver 17 God for the things he purposeth to himself hath appointed fit sufficient and effectual means to obtain the same or else he could be frustrated of his ends which is contrary to his wisdom and power Some deny this immutability of providence under pretence that it takes away Contingency and Liberty but it doth not for in the disposition of providence many things are done by Causes which God would have in themselves to be Contingent and Free for such he made and preserveth them whence their effects are well called Contingent that is happened by Chance and Accident as to Second Causes though in relation to Divine Providence they be unchangeably done And 't is much to be observed how this Contingency is wholly and only on the side of near Second and particular Causes for in relation to the first and Universal nothing is Contingent but all necessary not of a necessity of the Cause but of the immutability Against this 't is objected if all things be out of an unavoidable necessity of God's Providence then Counsels Precepts and Prayers of godly Men are of no use for Counsels are taken to obtain a good success of our undertakings and avoid bad ones prayers are made to get good things and avoid evil ones but if all things be done by an unchangeable Providence these are in vain which we deny for this reason that Counsels and Prayers are means subordinate to God's Providence whence God granteth prosperous success to prudent Counsels and pious prayers God in his word bindeth us to these means thus the forgiveness of sins is an Article of our Creed 't is matter of Faith for we believe it yet in the Lord's Prayer we are commanded to pray God to forgive our trespasses And if sometimes he doth not hear us yet our Counsels and Prayers are not altogether in vain for they who use the means which God hath prescribed do perform their duty and serve God not without benefit one way or other and the same thing we pray for though not granted for the present yet often 't is so in God's due time (a) Dan. 9.2 3 and Rev. 22.17 20. Saints pray for those things which they know will be infallibly They which use this argument against prayers dispute like those who deny the world shall be consumed with Fire because by an unchangeable Decree it is to be consumed Now these Counsels and Prayers are not made use of as lets thereby to change the Decrees and stop the course of Providence but to the end that yielding obedience to God's law and following the usual course of providence we may obtain a good Conscience and be filled with good hope leaving the success of what we pray for to the most wise God A last Objection is this if God's actual Providence be immutable then none of God's precepts or promises are conditional for a condition doth imply a possibility of change to the contrary according to the performance or no performance of the condition but it doth not follow neither is the proof universally true but false in particular as to the condition of God's precepts or promises it is uncertain only on Man's side for on God's side it is most certainly decreed and determined Though already we sufficiently declared we ought not to separate the means from the end yet because about these disputes it is a fundamental truth I cannot forbear for confirmation of it here to insert two Instances one out of the Old Testament the other out of the New The first is concerning King (b) 2 Kings 20. Hezekiah after God had sent him word by the Prophet Isaiah to prepare for Death and here by the by take notice how the last message differed from the first given him a Reprieve for fifteen years though without any means God might have cured him yet he is pleased to make use of some and the remedy prescribed was proper for the Disease for a lump of Figs which are a great drawer is laid upon the Boile which thereupon broke and so the malignant humour came out The other instance out of the New Testament is very remarkable (c) Acts 27. Amidst the great danger of Shipwrack which Paul and other Men in the Ship were under God promised him not only his life but also of all them that were with him in the Ship which made him assure them there should be no loss of any Man's life though 276 were in it Yet after so positive a promise though God could have saved them all to shew how means must be used when he saw the Seamen under a pretence of casting Anchors were about to flee out of the Ship Paul said to the Centurion and to the Souldiers Except these abide in the Ship Vers 31 ye cannot be saved Now all that remaineth for me to say upon this whole matter is to observe how many a good use may be made of the Doctrine of Divine Providence and so conclude with it And first out of the administration of all things we must own the infinite Power Wisdom and goodness