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	pray_v	set_a	5,316	5	11.1216	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04495	The mothers legacie, to her vnborne childe. By Elizabeth Iocelin; Mothers legacie to her unborne childe	Jocelin, Elizabeth, 1596-1622.; Goad, Thomas, 1576-1638. aut	1624 (1624)	STC 14624.5; ESTC S105581	25,697	155

oft as the Camelion doth colours it will fit it selfe to all dispositions and which is most strange it will so disguise it selfe that he must be cunning who discernes it from humilitie nay it may lie in thine owne heart and it thou beest not a diligent searcher of thy selfe thou shalt not know it but it thou watch well thou shalt take it for it hath one property that cannot change as the common people beleeue the Deuill cannot alter the shape of one foot It is true of pride that though it bee changed into that Angell of light Humility yet thou maist know it by selfe-loue if thou findest that within thee be sure pride is not farre off For humility will make thee seeme vile in thine owne eyes it will make thee see thine owne faults and confesse them to bee greater than other mens so that thou wilt respect euery man aboue thy selfe But the rules of selfe-conceit are iust contrary they stand on tiptoes reckning their vertues like the proud Pharisie scorning to be like other men Shunne it for thy soules sake for if thou entertaine it it is such a shamelesse flatterer that it will make thee beleeue thou art greater wiser learneder than all the company when indeed thou wilt proue thy selfe the greatest foole of them wearying them all with thy vaine talke Solomon saith Pride goeth before destruction Prou. 16. 18. And a high minde before the fall And our blessed Sauiour the true patterne of humility exhorts vs to learne of him that was lowly and meek in heart Mat. 11. 29. And if we doe so he promises we shall find rest vnto our soules Neither want there curses threatning where perswasions will not serue Whosoeuer exalteth himselfe shall bee humbled Luke 14. 11. Reade the holy Scriptures often and diligently and thou shalt finde continuall threatnings against pride punishment of pride and warnings from pride Thou shalt finde no sinne so heauily punished as this it made Deuils of Angels a beast of great Nabuchodonezzar dogs meat of Iezabel and I will conclude with a good mans saying If all the sinnes reigning in the world were burnt to ashes euen the ashes of pride would bee able to reduce them all againe I know in fewer words there might much more haue beene said against this sinne but I know not who will say so much to thee when I am gone Therefore I desire thou maist bee taught these my instructions when thou art young that this foule sinne may be weeded out before it take deepe root in thy heart I will returne now to my first purpose which is to set thee downe one day for a patterne how I would haue thee spend all the dayes of thy life 6 Therefore auoiding all manner of pride make thy selfe decently ready which being done retire to a place alone where humbling thy selfe vpon thy knees againe renew thy prayers humbly confessing and earnestly desiring forgiuenesse for all thy sinnes and vse Doctor Smiths morning prayer than which I know not a better nor euer did I finde more comfort in any In aduising you to a set forme of prayer I doe not prohibit conceiued Prayer but humbly beg of God to giue you grace to pray often out of your owne meditations according to his will But when it shall please God to call you to the charge of a family I will not direct but deliuer my opinion that then a set forme of prayer is most necessary my reason is that your seruants being vsed to it are alwayes ready to goe along with you in their hearts word for word as you pray and continuance makes them to vnderstand euery word which must needs cause greater deuotion and giue more life to the prayers 7 When you haue finished your priuate prayer be sure that you absent not your selfe from publike prayer if it bee vsed in the house where you liue which ended goe and vse any lawfull creation either for thy profit or pleasure and from all these exercises reserue a time to fit downe to some good study but vse that most that may make thee greatest Diuinitie It will make thee greater richer happier than the greatest Kingdome of the earth though thou couldst possesse it If any man serue me saith Christ him will my father honor If Mordecay were thought so highly honoured by Ahasuerus for a little gay trapping what shall be done to him whom God will honour Therefore if thou desirest honour serue the Lord and thou art sure of it If riches bee thy aime Saint Paul assures thee that Godlinesse is great gaine If thou couet pleasure set Dauids delight before thine eies I haue had more delight in thy testimonies than in all manner of riches Psal. 119. And in the 92. Psalme hee saith Thou Lord hast made mee glad by thy workes In the 4. Psalme Thou hast giuen mee more ioy of heart c. and reading the 91. Psalme thou shalt see what manner of blessings they are that God makes his children merry withall And when thou hast once fixt thy heart to this study it will be so sweet that the more thou learnest the more thou wilt desire and the more thou desirest the more God will loue thee Thou wilt study so well in priuate and practise it in all thy actions publikely thou wilt weigh thy thoughts so euen that thy words shall not bee light and a few lines I will vse to perswade thee to bee aduised in thy words 8 Though it is as much to say Remember thy Creator when thou speakest as if I could vse all the exhortations and tell thee all the perils that belong to speech yet so apt are wee to forget God in our foolish talke that sometimes wee by our discourse would make Gods of our selues Therefore it will not bee amisse to receiue a few instructions though weake from mee for ordering thy speech The morning I haue dedicated to meditation praier good studies and honest recreation The noone time is most vsed for discourse it being all a man can doe while hee eats and it is a time wherein a man ought to bee carefull of his speech hauing before him Gods good blessings to refresh his body and honest company to recreate his minde and therefore ought to bee no way offensiue in his speech either to God or good men But most especially take heed that neither heedlesnesse nor earnestnesse in thy discourse cause thee to take Gods holy Name in vaine but alwaies speake of him with reuerence and vnderstanding Next let not thy neighbour suffer in thy speech but bee rather silent than speake ill of any man though hee deserue it And that thou maist doe thus obserue this rule whensoeuer thou hearest one ill spoken of before thou second it examine thine owne heart and it is ods but thou maist finde in thy selfe either the same fault or a worse than that hee is accused for So thou shalt bee forced either to mend thy selfe or not to condemne him Also shunne multiplicity of

and delude thee Againe in being disobedient thou art a theefe an impudent theefe for thou doest not onely secretly steale but openly detaine the honour reuerence and obedient duty which all the world can witnesse is thy fathers And how wilt thou auoid being a false witnesse will not one sinne draw on another Wilt not thou bee ready to excuse thy vnnaturall obstinacy by throwing calumnious aspersions on thy parents giuing thy tongue leaue to lie against thy conscience And lastly Oh horrible how easie a step is it to couet what thou thinkest thy parents life too long detaines from thee Thus thou seeft in being disobedient thou breakest six Commandements from which outrage I beseech Almighty GOD preserue thee and giue thee grace to bee obedient to him and to thy parents I am sure thou hast a father who will neuer command thee any thing contrary to the Commandements of God Therefore I haue no need to speake to thee how farre a father ought to bee obeyed but humbly desire of God to continue him in his good desires with long life that he may bring thee vp in the feare of the Lord and to giue thee a heart ready to embrace all religious learning 13 The next duty equall to this thou must performe to all the world in generall Doe to all men as thou wouldst they should doe vnto thee This is the commandement our Sauiour giues vs Loue one another by this wee shall bee knowne to be his if we loue one another as hee hath loued vs. Yet of all that is commanded vs there is nothing more contrary to our wicked nature than this louing our neighbour as our selues Wee can with ease enuie him if hee be rich or scorne him if he be poore but loue him nay the Deuill hath more craft than so It were hard for him if men should once begin to loue one another therefore hee vseth all Art to stir dissention among as many as he can to mix loue with dissimulation To auoid this consider well that God is the Author of peace and loue and that strifes and contentions proceed of the Deuill Then if thou beest the child of God doe the workes of God loue thy neighbour as he hath cōmanded lest thou prouoke our blessed Sauiour when hee shall see that marke of the Deuill malice in thee to say as once to the vnbeleeuing Iewes You are of your father the deuill and the lusts of your father will you doe Ioh. 8.44 Oh take heed thou offend not God thus grieuously that hee shall disclaime thee as none of his because thou doest not loue those that are his This if well weighed were enough to make euery man charitable if it were onely for feare to hate whom God loued But to beleeue or iudge that God should hate where thou doest were such an impious vncharitablenesse as a good Christian must needs tremble at God hath giuen thee no authoritie to iudge any man but he hath commanded thee to loue thine enemie Loue your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt and persecute you that you may be the children of your father which is in heauen Matth. 5.44 A man may finde wayes enow to possesse the Deuill of his soule but none with lesse pleasure to himselfe than this hee may sell it as did Iudas to satisfie a couetous desire hee may lose it as does many a lazie man his worldly estate because hee will not trouble himselfe to looke ouer an account of his fortune hee sinkes ere hee thinkes of it so fares it with a negligent Christian. Thirdly hee may pawne it like a foolish vnthrift who pawnes that which should keepe him all his life to purchase a gay toy which shall serue him a day or two so doth hee that pawnes that rich iewell his soule to the griping vsurer the Deuill for pleasure haply hee meanes one day to redeeme it but runnes on his selfe-pleasing course till the vse hath deuoured the principall and his vnmercifull Creditor hales him to a dungeon where he has time for euer to be waile not only his present misery but the losse of infinite happinesse These are strange enough that a man should sell eternitie of ioy for wealth or sleepe away the time wherein hee might make such a purchase or pawne an inestimable treasure for things not worth esteeme But yet they are all better than hee that giues away his soule for nothing as doth the enuious man The couetous gets riches the slothfull ease the wanton pleasure but this hater of his brother gets nothing no not in present but torment fretting and vexation he is not the fatter for his meat nor doth hee rest though hee sleepe yet he for whom or against whom hee thus toiles his spirit haply eats sleepes and laughes at his enuiers folly or peraduenture pitties him The more easily to auoid this sinne consider well the disprofits of it Reade in the first Epistle of Saint Iohn 3. Chap. 14. and 15. Verses and in the 4. chap. the 8. and the 20. verses reade the 13. of the first to the Corinthians there Saint Paul shewes that without charitie euen spirituall graces are of no worth As the want of it brings infinite miserie so the posession infinite ioy By Charitie wee performe our Sauiour Christs commandement who often requires this of vs as if hee should say I haue satisfied my father for all the commandements that you haue broke Now your taske is easie I leaue you nothing to doe but to loue one another doe this and you doe all By it we fulfill the Law Rom. 13. 8. and 10. verses By it wee abide in the light 1 Iob. 2. 10. Is it possible when these are well weighed that any man should bee so mad to beare an vncharitable heart about him or so foole hardy to harbour a spleene that shall hazard his saluation Can wee be so cruell to our selues as to deny Christ one commandement For all his loue to vs he requires but this testimony of our loue to him which we cannot choose but performe if we doe loue him Therefore take heed if thou feele any malice towards thy brother bee sure thy heart is not vpright toward God So root it out from thy heart that no sting of it bee left for it will grow faster than Ionahs Gourd Answer mee not with Flesh and bloud cannot doe this I know it But if thou desire God to giue thee his holy Spirit thou shalt bee strong to suffer and ready to forgiue Thou must not in any thing bee subiect to the flesh for the wisdome of the flesh is death But alwayes make thy spirit thy guide for there is life and peace The deuill would desire no greater aduantage than that thou wouldst trust thy soule to the discretion of thy corrupt flesh he would soone inueigle that to betray thee But when thou hast put thy selfe vnder the spirit submitting thy will to the will of God he is no more able to hurt thee The next excuse I would take from thee is a very foolish one but so common that I feare you may happen on it and that is this If I should suffer wrongs patiently what will become of my reputation what will the world say Truly if you remember Christ hath suffred more for you than it is possible for you to suffer yet hee neuer reuiled any of his enemies nor strake his persecutors but prayed for them And his example teaches all that loue him to doe the like He wils you to turne the left cheeke to him that smote the right to giue to him that takes from you and to goe with him that compels you But these are strange rules for a generous spirit in these times nay sure if I be strucke I must strike againe else I am a coward Indeed as for giuing if it were to one that would desire it at my hands I had rather giue a fragment of my right than goe to law but if hee will not sue to mee I le spend all I am worth ere I yeeld Or I would goe out of my doore to shew a man his way but I would faine see who could compell mee I mary this is of the right straine but now looke with a considerate eye vpon this custome of the world and the former Commandement of Christ and thou shalt finde them iust opposite Therefore take heed and let it bee thy chiefe care neuer to prize thy reputation with men equall to the saluation of thine owne soule But if thou desirest to keepe thy credit vnblemished serue God with an vpright heart and doe nothing to any man that thou wouldest not bee content hee should doe vnto thee Open thy hand to the poore according to thy abilitie meddle not with other mens occasions but where thou maist doe good and hast a calling to it And if it bee in thy power to hurt thine enemy let it passe doe him good if thou canst and boast not of it he that sees thee in priuate will openly reward thee Lastly let thy heart bee kept alwayes in awe of this want of charity by continuall remembring that thou hast of thy Sauiour no other forme of praier to desire forgiuenesse for thy selfe than that wherein thou couenantest to forgiue others All the other petitions wee present vnto God absolutely onely this is conditionall hee forgiue vs as wee forgiue others Our Sauiour hath taught vs no other way to desire it and in the 18. of Matthew hee shewes God will no otherwise grant it Sine fine finis Heb. 9 17. 2 Tim. 3.15 16 There wanis not poore at euery doore