Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A41823
|
The prisoners vindication with a sober expostulation and reprehension of persecutors / by John Gratton.
|
Gratton, John, 1641-1712.
|
1683
(1683)
|
Wing G1585B; ESTC R28044
|
20,540
|
36
|
not I who am a peaceable man and wrongs no man but loves all men have my liberty to live as I dare dye Seeing I must answer for my self and stand or fall to my own Master what have you to do to judge me who am the Lord's Servant And if not must stand or fall to him I serve Or how dare you smite your fellow Servants and fling them in Prison that have done you no wrong nor owe you nothing but love when he that put in his fellow Servant in Prison that owed him a hundred Pence was so severly judged of his Lord who had forgiven him a greater Debt And has taught to use those words in Prayer Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And would you not have God answer your own desires Consider these things and learn to do as you would be done unto for with the same measure you mete it shall be measured unto you again And remember what our Saviour layeth down as great offences at the last day to those on the left Hand Go you Cursed into everlasting Torment with the Devil and his Angels Or Depart from me ye workers of Iniquity I know you not for I was an hungry and you gave me no Meat thirsty and you gave me no Drink Naked and you cloathed me not Sick and in Prison and you visited me not And when they answered When saw we thee an hungry thirsty naked c. and did not minister unto thee He told them Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these that believe in me you did it not to me By which its clear he takes that which is done to his Followers as done to himself for indeed it is for his sake who teaches us to live Righteously Soberly and Godlily in this present evil world and because we obey him and keep his Commands therefore are we hated of all men for his Name 's sake but the Wicked are not thus treated by you the Swearer Lyar Drunkard Proud Person c. are set at Liberty and in these dayes the men in Fashion But if it be so great an offence not to visit the Servants of Christ when in distress what will it be to those that layeth them in Prison and keep them there which is a means to bring them into Nakedness Hunger Thirst and Sickness Was it not said That it was better a Mill-stone was hanged about his Nick and he cast into the Sea that offended one of those little Ones that believed in Christ than he should have done so If so then what will his portion be that not only offends them but persecutes them imprisons them spoils their Goods belyes and slanders their Person and misrepresents them to the World takes the Righteousness of the Righteous from him and strips him from dear Wife and Children and causeth them to suffer also though it s said Cursed is he that parts Man and Wife Oh! what excuse can you make at the last day for these things How unlike are you to him that is good to all men and laid down his Life a ransom for all and doth cause his Sun to shine upon all and his Rain to descend upon all and his Grace that brings Salvation appears in all and strives with all And this also you might consider that it hath never been the practice of any Prophet or Apostle or Servant of Jesus Christ to persecute any man for Conscience sake or for his Faith but on the contrary it hath ever been the practice of the false Prophets that run on in the way of Balaam for Gifts and Rewards greedy Dogs that can never have enough blind Guides that love Darkness and hate the Light Serpents that have perfect Enmity against the Children of God and so are Enemies to Christ Jesus Babylon's Merchants who come in the Power of the Beast these in all Ages persecute the Lambs followers and hate the appearance of him where-ever it is so that the Apostle saith He that 's Born after the Flesh persecutes him that 's Born after the Spirit Even so it is now and hath been in all Ages ever since Cain's time who slew his Brother Abel because Abel's Works were righteous and his own were evil So Cain was the first Persecutor and the Lord was displeased with and avenged the Blood of Abel upon him in Righteousness Now I might mention many after Cain that were Persecutors as the Sodomites who said concerning Lot This one fellow came in to sojourn and he will needs be a Iudge because he entertained the Angels of the Lord they pressed sore upon him but the Lord delivered him whose Righteous Soul was grieved with the filthy Conversation of the wicked Sodomites and brought down his Righteous Judgments upon their heads in a dreadful manner And the Aegyptians who refused to let Israel have liberty to go and serve the Lord persecuted them very sore but the Lord wrought their Deliverance and rendered unto Pharaoh and his People according to their deeds as you may read at large in Exodus Likewise Iezabel that persecuted them that would not worship Baal God Almighty brought down his heavy Judgments upon her and the false Prophets of Baal that fed at her Table Remember Proud Haman that was full of Indignation against Mordecai because he stood not up nor moved for him and how hot he was in his mind to have Mordecai and all the Iews young and old destroyed and killed in one day charging them to the King to whom they were very good Subjects as appeared by Mordecai who discovered the Treason of two of the King's Chamberlains Keepers of the Door who sought to lay hands on the King That there were a certain People scattered and dispersed among the People in all the Provines of his Kingdom and their Laws saith he are divers from all People neither keep they the King's Laws therefore it is not saith he for the Kings Profit to suffer them though we do not hear but they were all peaceable and hurt no man only in matters of Worship and Conscience they differed from the People of the Land that could bow to proud Haman who digged a Pit for another and fell into it himself and was taken in the Net which he spread for others glory unto God forever whose Eyes are over the Righteous and his Ears open to their Prayers Remember it was Pashur the son of Imer the Priest that smote Ieremiah the Prophet and put him in the Stocks Ier. 20. 12. For what for obeying the Lord. Also in chap. 26. when he spoke the Word of the Lord in the hearing of the Priests and of the Prophets and People then the Priests and the Prophets and all the People took him saying Thou shalt shurely dye and the Priests and Prophets spoke unto the Princes and to all the People saying This man is worthy to dye for he hath prophesied against this City What Priests and Prophets were these Such