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	pray_v	trespass_n	2,036	5	11.2620	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69028	The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as it affordeth both milke for babes, and strong meat for such as are at full age / by ... Nicholas Bifield ; ... now published ... by his sonne, Adoniram Bifield.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.; Byfield, Adoniram, d. 1660.	1626 (1626)	STC 4233.3; ESTC S113882	419,023	572

speakes on the Crosse is the words of his intercession Luke 23. 34. which should be an admirable paterne to teach vs to goe and doe likewise Neuer was there a greater man on earth nor did euer man suffer such wrongs and yet you see how he is affected He that bids vs pray for our enemies doth it himselfe in a harder case than euer can be ours If we will be true disciples we must shew it by forgiuing men their trespasses and by praying for them especially when we are about to die if we would euer haue God forgiue vs we must forgiue men their trespasses against vs. This prayer of Christ was heard as appeares by the conuersion of many of those enemies of his after his death Yet obserue he prayes not for such as sinned of malitious wickednesse but for such as sinned out of ignorant zeale or generall prophanenesse of Nature many of the people were carried with blinde zeale and many of the Gentiles were ignorant of the true story of the life and cause of Christ for which he suffered those were curable and for those he prayes And this may be a comfort to vs he that can obserue this difference in his persecuting aduersaries will much more shew it in considering the frailties and ignorances of his owne seruants that desire to please him though they faile of that they desire to doe through strength of temptation or other weaknesse and ignorance Againe note it is not enough for the partie offending that the partie offended doe forgiue but God also must be sought vnto for forgiuenesse Lastly our Sauiour shewes his religiousnesse in his maner of dying by his deuout care for his owne soule shewed in his prayer when he said Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit Luke 23. 46. when he had be queathed all other things as Peace to his Disciples his body to the Iewes his garments to his Tormentors Paradise to the Theefe pardon to the penitent and his Mother to his Friend now only remained his Soule and that he commends to God Euen Iesus can carry nothing with him out of the world but his Soule and therefore he prouides for that Which should teach vs what we should doe our greatest care should be that our soules may be safe when we die and that they may be so we see here two things must be done while we liue First we must get assurance that God is our Father we are his children and then when we come to dye we must commit our soules by faithfull and heartie prayers into his hands and for feare of the worse wee should begin betimes to prepare for death and by daily prayer to put our soules into Gods hands Obserue that these words were first vsed by the Prophet Dauid Psal 31. 5. who committed his soule to God being horribly persecuted by Saul and in great danger and hauing no friend to trust to Now our Sauiour being in like but greater distresse doth make choice of Dauids words to expresse his prayer in which should teach vs to acquaint our selues with the Scriptures especially of this kinde for as it will be accepted if our prayers be made according to Gods will so is it a speciall aduantage and helpe to our faith and prayers to fashion them to the very paternes in Gods Booke and to say as the godly haue said to God in the like case Finally this practise of our Sauiour may be a great comfort to vs and that two waies for first we may gather from his example that if once we haue committed our soules to God he will keep them safe as Paul said 2 Tim. 12. And secondly it will be comfortable for vs in death or danger to flie to Iesus Christ to beseech him to helpe our soules with his Father who cannot forget that once himselfe on earth made the same moane to his Father that we doe now to him Thus Stephen doth Act. 7. The fourth question is for whom Christ died and the Answer is giuen distinctly in many places of Scripture First he died for men not for other creatures Heb. 2. 14. 18. Though the effect of his death reach to other creatures as to the Angels Phil. 2. 10 11. and to the creatures that suffered vanitie for mans sinne Rom. 8. 19 20 22. Secondly he died not for his friends but such as in the state of nature were his enemies and sinners not iust men Rom. 5. 8 10. Thirdly he died not for Iewes only but for the Gentiles also 1 Ioh. 2. 2. Fourthly hee died not for goats but for his sheepe Ioh. 10. 11 15. not for the world but for the Church Ioh. 17. 9. Eph. 5. 25. euen for such as should beleeue in his name Ioh. 3. 16. Fifthly he died not for some beleeuers but for all beleeuers Rom. 8. 32. and so not for learned men or great men but for all men of all sorts that beleeue 1 Tim. 2. 6. Sixthly he died not for those that did beleeue his words but for all that should beleeue the words of his seruants afterwards to the end of the world Ioh. 17. 21. And so he died for vs many hundred yeares before wee were borne Seuenthly not for all beleeuers in generall only but for euery particular by name Ioh. 10. 3. 14 15. And the knowledge hereof should serue for diuers Vses For first it should be very comfortable for all sorts of Christians to thinke that Christ died for them and did thinke of them in particular and by name Secondly it should much affect vs with admiration of the greatnesse of his loue that would die for such vile wretches as we were by nature wicked and enemies to him as the Apostle vrgeth it Rom. 5. 6. to 10. And thirdly in speciall it should much incourage such as are burthened with the greatnesse of their sinnes to know that he well vnderstood it that he was to die for the vngodly Fourthly it should teach Christians to restraine censure and iudging of them that are without The vertue of Christs death may reach to many more than we know and to such as for the present are vile enemies to the Christian name Fifthly wee should all labour to be such as Christ hath described to haue actually a part in his death And so Saint Paul tels vs we must be such as see and acknowledge how vile and wicked we are by nature whatsoeuer gifts or priuiledges we haue and how ciuill soeuer we haue liued in comparison of others Rom. 5. 6 c. and our Sauiour tels vs we must be beleeuers and sheepe such as will heare and be ruled by his voice and 2 Cor. 5. 15. the Apostle saith We must be such as will liue to him that died for vs and Saint Iohn saith Reuel 14. 3 4. we must not be defiled with women that is with Idolatry or spirituall whoredome that is with any beloued sinne and must follow the Lambe whithersoeuer he goeth Finally if Christ died for vs it must needs

beleeue Thus of the first Question For the second we shall finde in the Story of the Euangelists that the chiefe Witnesses of Christs death were women that followed Christ from Galile and ministered to him by name Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of Iames and Ioses and Salome and the mother of Z●bedees children These a farre off beheld what was done Of all the Apostles and seuentie Disciples here is not one but onely Iohn the Euangelist who was by the Crosse with the Virgin Mary Thus will God exercise the faith of his seruants the Church must receiue the report of the things that concerne the death of Christ from women as the chiefe Witnesses and hereby did Christ honour the pietie of these women that followed him to the death when the Disciples fled and left him which is an euerlasting honour to their sex and shewes that God can make women glorious confessors of the Truth euen at such times as men hide their heads for feare What a shame is this for the Apostles to be absent from a spectacle vpon which the saluation of the whole world doth depend Besides hence we may gather that Christ can preserue vnto himselfe some number that professe his Truth and can arme them against the feare of danger euen in the most desperate persecutions Yea some such as will neither flie nor hide themselues Now for the third Question there are many things to be noted in the manner how Christ died for 1. Hee died truly It was not a putatiue death but a true death He died in deed and not in shew or appearance onely 2. He died a grieuous death for hee died a painfull death and he died a violent death and he died a cursed death There were certain in ancient times that held that Christ receiued many wounds was smitten whipped nailed and shed his bloud and died his Soule going out of his Body but yet neuer indeed felt any paine He had they said a body that could suffer but not a Nature that could grieue or feele paine But that he did feele paine is not only manifest by his owne words but is expresly affirmed by the Prophet Esay Chap. 53. He suffered also a violent death he did not die a naturall death and it must needs be so because Christ had nothing in him to cause him to die and besides he thereby answers to the Types in the Sacrifices of the old Testament which were not onely beasts dead but beasts slaine Thirdly he suffered a cursed death for such was the death of the Crosse and God had before pronounced it a cursed way of dying Galat. 3. 13. All which as it shewes the grieuousnesse of our sinnes by nature so doth it import the greatnesse of our blessednesse by grace for therefore did Christ die a cursed death that wee might liue a blessed life as the Apostle shewes Gal. 3. 13 14. Yea and besides hereby the Curse is remoued from our death so as it is a blessed thing for a Christian man to die and go out of the world when God calls for him 3. He died willingly not by compulsion he laid downe his life for no man could take it from him Ioh. 10. 18. and that may appeare by the Story for Christ cried with a loud voice and gaue vp the ghost Now men that lye a dying languish and their voice failes them or at least growes weake Againe it is said Christ laid his head aside and then gaue vp the ghost whereas other men first giue vp the ghost and then their heads fall aside and further to shew that he died when he listed he was found dead sooner than other men that died on the Crosse which Pilate himselfe wondered at Now this is for our great comfort that he died so willingly for it both addes to the sufficiencie of the propitiation in his death and shewes vs the greatnesse of his tender loue to vs and withall it should fire vs to a holy resolution with all willingnesse to doe any thing he would haue vs or suffer any thing for his sake 4. He died most religiously and his piety in his death is commended for his obedience to his Father and for his care for his Mother and for his loue to his enemies and for his deuotion in respect of himselfe His obedience to God his Father in his death is commended Phil. 2. 9. because hee did not onely obey all the Morall Law that all men were bound to but obeyed the singular commandement giuen by his Father euen that of dying for the people which as Man he was not bound to but as a Mediator Which should teach vs abnegation of our selues whatsoeuer it is God commands vs we should be willing to do how hard soeuer Gods work seemes to be This care for his Mother is recorded by Saint Iohn Chap. 19. 25 26. when he saw his Mother standing by with the beloued Disciple he said Woman behold thy Sonne and vnto him Behold thy Mother Thus is Christ a most perfect Patterne of righteousnesse in both Tables for as hee had before shewed his godlinesse in the first Table so doth he here shew his naturall affection and tender care of his Mother in the second Table Now was the time come when Simeons prophecie was accomplished vpon his poore Mother now did the sword of bitter sorrowes pierce thorow her righteous soule while shee beholds that dolefull spectacle of her matchlesse Childe suffering death vpon the Tree Luke 2. 35. And therefore now to comfort her doth he commit her to Iohn his beloued Disciple with charge that he should looke to her after his death taking this care for his Mother of whom he was made man and commending her to his Disciple with such humane affection he shewes himselfe to be that high Teacher sent of God The Tree to which the members of Christ dying were fastened was a chaire of a spirituall master teaching for hereby he teacheth children how they should honour their parents and continue a reuerent loue to them euen to their last gaspe and hereby he teacheth hearers how to performe gratefulnesse to their Teachers not only by releeuing their Teachers while they liue but by helping their parents or children when they are dead He calls her Woman not out of contempt but to tell her and all men that he that then was a dying was more than the Sonne of Mary Yea and thereby the comforts her for he intimated that being more than Man hee was able to ouercome death and could not be van quished by his enemies His loue to his enemies he shewes by praying for them when they most outragiously and blasphemously persecuted him to the death He said Father forgiue them they know not what they doe The crie of their blasphemies and his innocent bloud went vp to heauen against them but Iesus makes haste to send vp the crie of his prayers for them that they perish not for euer and therefore the first words he