Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	form_n	people_n	set_a	2,482	5	10.9989	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67153	A practical commentary or exposition upon the Pentateuch viz. These five books of Moses Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Wherein the text of every chapter is practically expounded, according to the doctrine of the Catholick Church, in a way not usually trod by commentators; and wholly applyed to the life and salvation of Christians. By Ab. Wright; sometime fellow of St. John's Colledge in Oxford.	Wright, Abraham, 1611-1690.	1662 (1662)	Wing W3688; ESTC R221054	292,675	224

of the Wave-offering belong'd to the Priest to teach him to serve the Lord with all their hearts their dearest affections intimated by the Breast and with all their might and strength typified in the shoulder and whereas it is here call'd the Heave-shoulder this signified the heaving of Christ upon the Cross and the heaving up of our heatts to God for so great benefits Verse 23. A set form of Prayer is lawful to be used whether publickly in the Church or privately in the Family and this is most strongly infer'd from hence if we consider the persons to whom this Commandement was given For this solemn form was set not for the simple sort or the most ignorant among the people but it was appointed to be pronounc'd by the Priests and that too not in a corner but in the Tabernacle of the Lord before many witnesses If any were able of themselves to conceive a Prayer certainly they were the Priests of the Lord whose lips must preserve knowledg Mal. 2. 7. and yet are they both allowed and prescrib'd to follow a set form in blessing the people And so likewise at their marching forward and at their standing still there were set forms injoyn'd Numb 10. 35 36. CHAP. VII Verse 8. THe service of the Gershonites was not so much as the service of the Sons of Merari and therefore Moses doth here proportion the assistance answerable to the service two Waggons and four Oxen to the Sons of Gershon but double the number to the Sons of Merari because their service was double to the others and their carriage as much more God knows what every one of his Children is able to bear and therefore proportions the burthen to the Back none of his shall be oppressed though press'd out of measure afflicted they may be and that in an high nature but never brought to despair left for a time but not forsaken for ever Ioseph may be shot at Gen. 49. 23. but he cannot be shot through His bow did abide in strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Iacob verse 24. and thence his safety He used his Bow against his Enemies as David did his sling against Goliah who slung as if he had wrapt up God in his sling Verse 13. No quantity was here prescribed because it was a Free-will offering only it must be fine no Bran in it to shew the puriry of Christs Sacrifice and of our services through him by means of the Oyl of his Spirit and Incense of his Intercession Verse 19. In these words as before and in the words following we see what is offered Silver and Gold they spare nothing they bring the best they have Neither do they bring the best in a sparing manner but they deal bountifully and liberally Which teacheth us to serve God with the choicest and chiefest things we have and that in a large and liberal manner We read Exod. 36. that the people were so forward for the building and furnishing of the Tabernacles that the Workmen complained the People brought too much How far are we from this in our dayes The people bring more than enough for the work of the Lord. O that we might come but one degree behind them that it might be said our people bring enough The Israelites thought they never brought enough we think we never bring too little they offered more than they were commanded we bring no more than we are compell'd and constrain'd to bring They offered with a glad and chearful heart we will do no more than the Law urgeth or not so much They brought of the best we think the worst good enough for God and his Service and Ministers Verse 24. The Spirit of God thinks it not sufficient to set down what was offered in the general but takes notice of every mans particular offering to teach us first that we should apply these Examples to our selves and if we pass over one of them without regard yet we should take hold of the next Secondly to assure us that no man shall have that forgotten to the utmost of his praise who is any way forward in doing good because God will honour them that honour him 1 Sam. 2. All the good works of Gods children done to the setting forth of his glory the advancement of his Worship or the good of his Saints shall be punctually reckoned up and rewarded and as their deeds are here registred in the Book of God so the Doers of them are registred in the Book of Life CHAP. VIII Ver. 3. THe Lamps were placed over against the Candlestick which was over the Table in the Tabernacle and typified the Law of God enlightning the Church and People of God For the Commandement is a Lamp or Candle whereof there is no small use when Men go to Bed or rise betimes He that hath the Word of Christ richly dwelling in him may lay his Hand upon his Heart and say as one dying did Hic sat lucis here 's plenty of light Under the Law all was in Riddles Moses was veil'd and yet that saying was then verified Et latet lucet there was light enough to light Men to Christ the end of the Law Verse 10. There was Imposition of Hands upon the Levite under the Law and why not then upon the Minister under the Gospel Certainly the Ceremony is significant or else it had not been used by Gods people of the Old Testament nor yet by us that are his People of the New And thus much it may import when the Reverend Man laies his Hand on thy Head remember thou art then manumniz'd from all secular ties and sequestred no less from the callings of the People than their vices thou art then brought before the Lord as it is in the Text and dedicated wholly to his Service and certainly the Holy impression of Episcopal Hands set on from above is such an Elixar as by contraction if there be any disposition of goodness in the baser mettal it will render it of the property Verse 14. The Levites are here said to be Gods after a more peculiar and special manner than the rest of the People were For though all the Congregation is Holy even as the Levites all the People of God sanctified as well as his Priests which was the saying of Corah and his Complices and it was true yet they were not sanctified to the same degree of Holiness with the Priests but they sicut populus as Gods people these Sicut Aaron as his peculiar servants they are holy it is true but these Holiest of Holies Hence it was that when the Law kept ordinations certain pieces of the Sacrifices were put into the Priests hands and now instead of that a Bible into ours not only as a Rule to direct but as a sacred Witness of that profession into which we are by a Divine hand invested Verse 17. All the first-born of the Children of Israel are mine saith God

Royal Prophet sings Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound Psalm 80 15. that can discern and feel the comfortable sound of Gods Word the free use of his Ordinances serving God with chearfulness and giving him thanks with exaltation of heart and rapture of Spirit Verse 31. Why doth Moses so earnestly desire this Hobab to be their guide in the way was not the All-seeing Eye of God sufficient had not he promised to conduct them and had they not the pillar of Cloud to go before them most true yet humane helps when they may be had and God offers them to our hand may not be neglected The using of lawful means doth not oppose or afront the providence of God who it is true can work without means but yet we must attend unto his will and not stand upon his naked power without his will Verse 35. It is a great encouragement to know the forms that the Saints prevailed with God of old that God accepted such Prayers at their hands he that accepted them then if we send them by the same Spirit will accept them now And therefore it is that we have mention upon Record of the Prayers of Abraham of Iacob of Moses here and in other places of David of Hezekiah and divers others To what end and purpose but that we might thereby learn to fit our selves with words to attain a habit of Prayer by studying these forms For which reason also it was that in the Old Testament for all duties of piety and Religion there were forms set For the blessing of the People there was a form set Numb 6. In time of Repentance and Humiliation the Prophet sets them a form Ioel 2. and so here when the Ark removed there was a form for that Sacrifice Arise O Lord and let thine Enemies be scattered and when the Ark stood still Return O Lord to the many thousands of Israel CHAP. XI Verse 4. THe thirst of Israel is well quench'd and now they complain as fast for hunger the other mutiny for Water was of some few Male-contents this was of the whole Troop Not that none were free Caleb Ioshua Moses Aaron Miriam were not yet tainted Usually God measures the state of any Church or Country by the most the greatest part carries both the Name and Censure Sins are so much greater as they are universal so far is evill from being extenuated by the multitude of the guilty that nothing can more aggravate it With men commonness may plead for favour with God it pleads for Judgement Many hands draw the Cable with more violence than few The leprosie of the whole Body is more loathsome than that of the part Verse 5. Contentation is a rare Blessing because it arises either from a fruition of all Comforts or a not desiring of some which we have not Now we are never so bare as not to have some benefits never so full as not to want something God hath much ado with us either we lack Health or Quietness or Children or Wealth or Company or our selves in all these We remember when we sate by the flesh-pots of Egypt and did eat freely of their Cucumbers and Melons and Leeks and Onyons Every Mind remembers and affects that which is like its self Carnal minds are for the flesh-pots of Egypt though bought with servitude spiritual are for the presence of God though Redeem'd with Famine and would rather dye in Gods presence than live without him in the sight of delicate and full dishes Verse 8. The same hand that rain'd Manna into the Israelites Tents could have Rain'd it into their Mouths or Laps God loves we should take pains for our spiritual food Little would it have availed them that the Manna lay about their Tents if they had not gone forth and gathered it beaten and baked it Let Salvation be never so plentiful if we bring it not home and make it ours by Faith we are no whit the better If the work done and means us'd had been enough to give life no Israelite had dyed their Bellies were full of that Bread whereof one Crum gives life yet they dyed many of them in displeasure As in Natural so in Spiritual things we may not trust to means the Carkals of the Sacrament cannot give life but the Soul of it which is the thing represented Verse 9. The meat of these Israelites was strange but nothing so strange as their Bread from the first day that their Manna fell till their setling in Canaan God wrought a perpetual miracle in this food a miracle in the place other bread rises up from below this fell down from above neither did it ever Rain Bread till now yet so did this Heavenly shower fall that it is confined to the Camp of Israel a miracle in the quantity that every morning should fall enough to fill so many hundred thousand maws and mouths A miracle in the Composition that it is sweet like Hony-Cakes round like Corianders transparent as dew A miracle in the quality that it melted by one heat by another hardened A miracle in the difference of the fall that as if it knew times and would teach them as well as feed them it fell double in the Evening of the Sabbath and on the Sabbath fell not A miracle in the continnance and ceasing that this shower of Bread followed their Camp in all their removals till they came to tast of the bread of Canaan and then withdrew it self as if it had said ye need no miracles now you have means Verse 18. God tells the Jews here that they had wept in his ears God had heard them weep but for what and how they wept for Flesh there was a Tincture a deep die of murmuring in their Tears Christ goes as far in the passion in his agony and he comes to a passionate deprecation in his tristis anima and in this Si possibile and his Transeat calix But as all these Passions were sanctified in the root from which no bitter Leaf nor crooked Twigg could spring so they were instantly wash'd with his veruntamen a present and a full submitting of all to Gods pleasure yet not my will O Father but thine be done Verse 22. When our own provision fails then not to distrust the provision of God is a noble tryal of Faith Shall our flocks and herds be slain cries even Moses Whereas he should have said God who stopp'd the mouth of the Sea that it should not devour us can as easily stop the mouth of our stomack he that commanded the Sea to stand still and guard us can as easily command the Earth to nourish us he that made the Rod a Serpent can as easily make these stones Bread Why do we not wait on him whom we have found so powerful Now they set the Mercy and Love of God upon a wrong Last while they measure it only by their present sence While we see our daily Bread on our Cubbord we believe let God