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
A89587	The strong helper or, The interest, and power of the prayers of the destitute, for the building up of Sion. Opened in a sermon before the Honorable House of Commons assembled in Parliament, upon the solemn day of their monethly fast, April 30. 1645. / By Stephen Marshall, B.D. minister of Gods Word, at Finching-field in Essex.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1645 (1645)	Wing M790; Thomason E280_1; ESTC R200033	40,798	62

Zion But the second is the main Secondly The Lord doth then answer the prayers of his people when he builds up Zion because in truth the building up of Zion is the all in all of all his peoples prayers that is as Solomon saith Money answers all so whatsoever particular suites Gods people have offered up the building up of Zion hath been such a request that the answering of that answers all others whatsoever he denies them it skils not they have enough they are abundantly satisfyed they will clear all books and break all Tallies with God they will give in all other bills whatsoever if this be but done that this is so observe I beseech you wheresoever in the Scripture you read of the prayers of Gods people as by the way you shall hardly read of any godly man but you shall read of his prayer you will finde that the strain and the stream of all their prayers runs for Zion read Moses his prayers Joshuahs prayers goe on to David to Solomon to Ezra to Nehemiah and the severall Prophets read all their prayers and you shall finde that Zion is the bulk of them all In thy good pleasure doe good to Zion and though there are many particular suites to themselves yet what they beg to themselves is only begged as a means but when they beg for Zion they beg it as an end Thy Kingdome come to Gods people is next to Hallowed bee thy name It is more to them then all the rest of the Lords Prayer Give us our dayly bread Forgive us our trespasses Leade us not into temptation Deliver us from evill They are all inferiour to Thy Kingdome come the building up of Gods Church is that which hath swayed all with the Saints in all their prayers And it must be so it can be no otherwise with true godly men if you consider either the relation that the Church hath to God or that which they have to the Church First that of the Church to Christ it is his Love his Dove his Fair one his Spouse his Jewell that which he hath laid all his own glory upon one to whom he stands in all relations which argues intimative dearnesse and tendernesse what-ever is done to them is done to himself Yee did it to them therefore yee did it to mee The Churches cause is his Her rising is his glory her reproach is his dishonour Arise O Lord plead thy own cause remember how the foolish people reproach thee forget not the voyce of thy enemies when the Synagogues of the Church was pulled down when the Church was wasted And to themselves likewise it is their Mother in whose womb they have laine whose breasts they have sucked it is the Magazine wherein all their treasure is laid up a vessel wherein all their wealth sinkes and swims if the Church be safe they are safe and no thought of safety if it miscarry salva Ecclesia salva omnia as they were wont to say of Rome Salva Roma salva patria salva omnia so next unto God the Church is their all and therefore the building up of Zion the welfare of the Church of God must needs be the answer to all their prayers Give me leave to present you with a twofold Use of this Lesson and then I hasten to that which I chiefly intended First this Lesson may serve to every of you for one of the greatest discoveries of your owne spirits that can be whether in truth your hearts be right with God thinke how you could answer this one question Would the Lords building up of the Church the setling and establishing of Religion in purity and peace would that be to thy soule the answer of all thy prayers art thou able to say it before God Build but up Zion and I have enough No man under heaven can say it but a Saint and there is not a Saint upon earth but may say it I know it lies in the bottome of his soule But how shall we know it I le give you but one way of tryall If the welfare of Zion the building up of the Church be the summe of all thy prayers then it is likewise the summe of all thy endevours thy studies thy time thy wit thy parts thy interest what ever may be called thine are mainly laid out in promoving in helping forward the welfare of Zion This you shall finde cleare in the book of God that as all the prayers of Gods people run upon Zions welfare so now I say in the second place all the endevours of all that prayed for Zion run to help it forward Zion was the summe of all their prayers and of all their joyes and cares no joy to them like the joy they had in the prosperity of Zion when the Lord at any time turned back the captivity of his people they were like men that dreamed their mouth was filled with laughter and their tongue withjoy and no sorrow like that which was caused by the affictions of Jacob then they would even dye with griefe then they would name their children Ichabod then they would mourne and not be comforted and consequently all they had or could contribute was most readily afforded The Prophets and Apostles cold preach as well as pray and all their Sermons were for Zion Kings could plot project counsell c. as well as pray all their plots and projects were to build up Zion Souldiers could fight as well as pray all their warres were the warres of God Rich men could lay out money as well as pray all their wealth was a Sacrum to God a devoted thing to him when the Church needed it their penny went as willingly as their Pater noster other learned men if any man could write histories if any Poet could make songs all was laid our about the Church about furthering the welfare of it or if any were found among them who would professe love to it and joine in prayer for it yet mind their own affaires build their owne houses and let Gods house lye wast they are branded for degenerate hypocriticall ignoble spirits These were the Potters and those who dwelt among hedges there they dwelt with the King for his work a base people who would tarry in Babylon to get wealth and not go up with their brethren to build the house of God and even thus may we judge of our selves And therefore I say to you Honourable Senators that are Noble-men and Gentlemen engaged in this great work the present service you are called to if really you doe make the building of Zion to be the answer of your prayers it is the great Parliament project this day to settle the Church I know when Nehemiahs work was to build the walls of Hierusalem one halfe of his servants were faine to carry the Arms while the other built and many times those that built were faine to have a sword in one hand as well as a trowoll in the

the noble Generall said at the first victory we obtained at Edge-hill That there was never any thing wherein there was lesse of man and more of God So in most of our businesses we may truely say Man hath failed and God hath helped that is prayer hath prevailed you have a good handsell a good encouragement to goe on Secondly And truely our extremities and difficulties are such which yet remaine to be conquered as can be overcome by nothing but prayer All your Learning Counsell Strength your Wisdome your Treasure and what ever else you have to contribute are not like to deliver us unlesse prayer bring God in for our helper You know the Kingdome is brought low and though we have a considerable strength both in the Armie the Citie and the Navie yet you know divided Kingdomes doe not stand and God hath for our sins brought this great judgment upon us that we are divided and subdivided into minutula frustula into the least bits of all in Church and State every where there are heart-burnings divisions among our selves and a potent enemy very vigilant to take advantage and many Malignants every where ready to blow up and encrease our distractions many mens estates undone and brought to poverty and beggery and if these bloudy wars continue ere long famine and desolation will come upon us beside all the guilt of our former and later provocations these all are visible before your eyes and all your helps are not like to doe it suddenly unlesse God come in unlesse prayers fetch him downe Therefore pray I beseech you Noble-men Gentle-women and all other pray pray follow the Lord and remember this is the Strong helper which must save or we perish we have as much need of prayer as ever we had therefore you who are the Lords remembrancers and have his eare ply the Throne of grace diligently let not your heart grow sluggish remember what the Prophet said unto the King who smote with the arrows three times and then stayed Thou shouldest have smitten five or sixe times and then thou shouldest utterly have smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it Say thou so to thy owne heart Thou shouldst in these dayes have prayed 10000 times more then thou hast done go on now with it humbly spread our sad condition before him plead with him daily thou canst not want arguments tell him it is his owne cause we are engaged by him and for him tell him how long and how much his people have suffered under their oppressors and how violently they rise up still to spoile all that there are abundance of his Saints engaged in this work and they will never give him rest till he have set up Jerusalem to be a praise upon the whole earth and when the unworthinesse of the Kingdome comes in and objects against us that we are a sinfull wretched Kingdome fit to be destroyed you may still find answers and arguments enow in Gods grace and favour He hath begun to build and surely he will not be like the foolish builder that begun and then gave over he himselfe blames them who goe about a work and not goe through with it tell him we will give him all the glory of it and serve him better if he will give us grace that if our enemies prevaile it will be worse with his people then ever his name will be more dishonoured then ever Thus follow him with a mourning heart a melting eye do it constantly doe it daily I confesse these monethly Fasts are grown to a most wretched formality in many places the Lord of heaven teach us how we may be more quickned in this great work of prayer and let every one who hath any interest in heaven remember Bradfords usuall Motto and exhortation Pray pray pray But before I dismisse you I must put in this caution You must not thinke every man and every prayer will be thus effectuall Alas no here are it may be three or foure thousand people at Church God onely knowes whether every fourth man hath a praying Spirit It is not every man who will pretend to pray whom God will accept When they fast saith God of the wicked Israelites Jeremy chap. 4. I will not heare their cry when they offer an oblation I will not accept them but I will consume them Doe not I beseech you thinke that the prayers of Blasphemers and Drunkards and Whore-masters and Scorners of God and Religion of those that pretend to be for him and are against him doe not I say imagine that God will regard such as these are though they cry Arise and save us I will not say to these men Pray not but I will say to them as Peter did to Simon Magus Pray if it may be possible that the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee for thou art in the gall of bitternesse but be you assured that these mens prayers will not come into the shot of those that shall build Gods Church or deliver us No no the Philosopher could teach thus much who when they were at Sea in a Tempest and all went to their prayers and among the rest a profligate wicked wretch amongst them went to his prayers the Philosopher called to him Hold thy peace lest the Gods heare thee and drown us all for thy sake He who would be one of this number whose prayers shall come before God must be acquainted with God Acquaint thy selfe with God be at peace with him then thou shalt make thy prayer to him and he shall heare thee but these men have no acquaintance with him he will say to them as the evill Spirit said to the sonnes of Sceva Paul I know but who are ye so the Lord will say Prayer I know but what are ye Doe you whore and drinke and sweare and lye and abuse my Name and Ordinances and think you of praying No no beloved these are not the people beleeve it they are not they are the prayers of his Saints and of his Saints onely which he regards And then secondly as it is not every man so it is not every prayer will doe it I know it may be a weak prayer a prayer where there may be very weak utterance weak gifts and weak judgement and memory yet it may be accepted God knowes how to interpret the meaning of his owne Spirit in them but they must not be dead prayers livelesse formall slight perfunctory customary prayers not the saying over of prayer as if a Lesson were onely read out of a book without spirit understanding devotion but prayer must be prayer it must be the pouring out the soule it must be fervent prayer it must be humble prayer it must be from a pure heart and faith unfained it must be prayer offered up in the name of Christ in the strength of the Covenant of grace these things must at least be aimed at and endevoured in prevailing prayers These things deserve