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
A09491	An inuitation vnto prayer, and the practise of piety, directing the way to true happinesse Wherein is principally to be considered, these foure things. 1. What prayer vnto God is. 2. The necessity of it. 3. The profit we receiue by this holy exercise. 4. The maner and vse of it.	Perrott, James, Sir, 1571-1637.	1624 (1624)	STC 19774; ESTC S100356	25,890	144

is most profitable for vs as well for the fulfilling of Gods heauenly will as for the accomplishing of our owne godly desires And also if wee see so many comfortable plaine patternes of the great safety and saluation that hath come doth daily grow vnto the seruants of God by hearty faithfull praiers vnto him then haue we no cause to doubt the profit of prayer or to deferre the doing of it with our best deuotion And lastly if wee looke into the plaine and effectuall promises of our All-powerfull God for the performance of that which we do effectually pray for then there shal be no need of more perswasion of the inestimable benefit which powerfull prayer doth bring with it neither shal there bee any necessity or motiue to follow frequēt the same but willing minds directed and assisted by heauenly grace to bee often conuersant in this most holy and heauenly exercise of zealous prayer which is so profitable vnto man so acceptable and sweet a sacrifice vnto the Creator of mankind CAP. IV. Of the manner of Prayer HAuing as we hope shewed what praier is and proued the necessity and profit thereof next comes to be considered the manner of it consisting in three things that is the time place and words to bee vsed in prayer First for the time of prayer it ought not alwaies to bee limited how often or how long wee should pray but as often as conueniently wee can and as long as our faith without fainting or time without distraction will giue leaue Neither are the prescribed rules of the Romish Church in this behalfe so profitable or so tollerable as to obserue Mattin at such houres to say so many Creeds so many Aue maries so many Pater Nosters and to recite the name of Iesus or the like so many times or to vse such and such prayers vppon such Beades vnto such Saints for such men soules As though God would haue mens deuotions practised more according to the obseruation of those prescribed rules and times then at any other time or in any other manner or as if you were bound to heare them more in these regulated rehearsals then in any other sort when they shall be deuoted to offer vp the lncense of Prayer Thanksgiuing being sti● 〈…〉 therto by the inwar● good motion of zeale and deuotion which ought to be in vs at all times as well as at any time certaine But if the mind be not at al times well prepared to Prayer yet as often as we may find time and meanes we must endeuour to bee exercised therein without ouer stri●t obseruation of times limited other then at such times as we are called therto by a generall assembly of the Church and Congregation wherein we liue 2 Likewise for the place of Prayer it cannot be alwayes restrained nor appointed no more then the time can be alwayes limited For although the Churche● where the congregation of the faithfull are or ought to bee assembled bee the fittest place● for Prayers yet it ought not to be lonely there but also elsewhere because men cannot be alwai●s or most commonly in the Church And if th●y may not bee there yet euerie faithfull mans he attri●●●● time of prayer is the temple of God Whether therfore hee bee alone or in company or to what place soeuer he bee his faithfull prayers shall be heard and he is bound to pray as Christ went alone in the Mountaine to pray David prayed in his house toppe Ionas in the Whales belly Daniel in the Lyons den Peter in the pris● 〈…〉 the child 〈◊〉 so Go●● might 〈◊〉 pray in all places where they come and as they ca●● whether it bee in the Church in the house in the fields in the war and in time of peace at home and abroad 3. Lastly for the words that shall be vsed in prayer it is a matter worthy of consideration whith●● they ought alwayes to bee set downe ce●taine● eyther in writing or in the memory before we come vnto prayer Or whether they must be alwayes left vn●● euery m●ns meditation present deliuery as occasion and his inuention shall serue him or as the Spirit of God shall direct him wherein as they do affirm that prayers ought alwaies to be set downe in certaine words may not haue allowance of their opinions so on the other side such as auerre that the forme of prayer shold be at no time certaine nor set downe in writing or in the memory must not be beleeued nor their assertions allowed as true and infallible For the first sort which say that one forme of praier in the selfesame words is alwayes to be vsed they tye Gods guifts and grace● which are in euery man in some measure or other ther more or lesse vnto prescription and to formal obseruation which most commonly begetteth cold affection in prayer For when a mans deuotion and all his meditation are tyed vnto certaine and vsuall words there familiaritie of vttering one thing often taketh away the feeling of that which is vttered so that it becommeth ●●it ●ip-labour and loseth the feruent zeal of an inward deuotion which doeth best please God in prayer and without the f●●uency praier is of none effect Then touching their opinions who affirme that there should bee no set forme of prayer at any time or in any place they do asmuch erre as the former which follow tradition and prescription onely in prayer For in Churches in Congregations and in Assemblyes where publike Prayer is vsed and where manie doe frequent to pray together there no doubt that a form of prayer is very profitable both for vnity and vniuersall framing of mens mindes and inward affections in one sence in one saying and at one time to lift vp both hands harts vnto God which is the sweetest harmony that can bee on earth And more then that it is the heauenly harmony that transporteth our bodies our minds and our soules from earth vnto heauen But as this vnity and setled forme of prayer is most profitable and needefull in the publike assemblies so in priuate prayers and inuocations ought no man to bee forbidden the vse of his secret and seuerall Meditations according as God shal giue him grace and abilitie to praise him and to pray vnto him For although it be not euery mans guift to deliuer in apt wordes the secret and particular desires of his soule in praiers vnto God yet there is no doubt but the man of meanest conceite and vnderstanding hauing a desire to performe his duty in this seruice of God shall finde by exercise and practise heerein his minde more apt This sences more sharp and his words more ready with daily and continuall vse of prayer Therefore as euerie man ought not in publicke places of prayer to follow his owne forme and separate himselfe in prayer from the Congregation so in priuate prayer no man ought to bee forbidden that forme of prayer which his faith and

our frailty and assist vs with his holy Spirit against such temptations Also when wee begin and after wee haue begun our prayers we must bring with vs and keepe with vs this consideration and resolution not to seeke so much temporall as spirituall blessings at Gods hands And if our necessities call vpon vs to craue temporal blessings yet let our desires be so farre limited alwayes to submit our wills to Gods heauenly will let vs begin to begge of God things spirituall before temporal blessings though both be necessary and neither to be neglected To all this must bee added Charity in pardoning offences that are committed against vs according to the president precept which our Sauiour himself hath set downe in that forme of prayer vvhich ought to be the rule of all our prayers and so reconciling our selues first by charity to our aduersaries we may come with more cleere Consciences and more acceptable sacrifice in our supplications vnto God For if wee aske forgiuenesse of our sins and do not forgiue others wee can find but little assurance to obtaine what we aske So then we see it is not fit nor safe to runne rashly vnto prayer without preparation premeditation faith repentance reconciliation and resistance of temptations CAP. VI. An entrance to Prayer HAuing prepared our mindes and our heartes for Prayer we may then most safely make our entrance into it which consisteth chiefely of these parts Inuocation Confession La●ding or Thankesgiuing Supplication Inuocation is a calling or appellation on the name of God most high Which declareth denounceth the attributes belonging to the nature of God and these doe concerne his Iustice Mercie Power his Prouidence His Iustice as a most iust God who by thy Iustice doest distribute dispose vnto all creatures all that belongs and is most fitte for them who therby dost gouerne and guide 〈…〉 and men with all that is in heauen and earth His Mercy as thus Most mercifull and gracious God whose mercy is aboue all thy other wonderfull workes in pardoning and preseruing from destruction and in sending thy Son to saue sinners The inuocation of Gods Power may bee made after this manner O God of vnspeakeable power and might which madest all things of nothing by thine owne onely word wisedome and art able at all 〈◊〉 ●●ing all this againe vnto nothing The inuocation of Gods prouidence may be in this wise O Lord God of wonderful wisedom he whose prouidence all things are preserued and from whose wisedome we haue all our knowledge and wisedom These and the like inuocations according to the appellation and declaration of Gods attributes uttered in this or the like sort may serue as some instruction to the ignorant so from Introduction and entrance into their prayer vntill by practice they bee made more perfect as the first part thereof yet to be altered amended augmented as euery mans capacity and ability shall affoord him meanes Next to Inuocation in prayer Confession hath her proper place For if we haue offended God as there is no man but dayly and hourely doth it then it is most needfull 〈◊〉 first we do confesse our selues before we ask any benifits This Confession is of two kindes the one generall the other particular That generall as when one doth declare and deplore his greeuous sinnes that hee is polluted with the same thoroughout all his parts and faculties the latter which is a mention and recitall of seuerall sinnes such as euery man may finde himselfe to bee most burdened with as those which were last committed most fresh in memory namely that this day of late I haue done these euils in thy sight I haue seduced such personnes I haue slandered my neighbour I haue in this denyed or darkened the truth I haue harbored these euil thoughts of such persons without iust cause giuen I haue followed this vaine desire affected this fond inuention presented to me by others or entertayned by my selfe I haue not withstood such an euill worke when I could haue done it I haue bene silent in such a cause when I might haue made the truth manifest And so of our seuerall sinnes either committed whereof wee may take knowledge or of necessary duties omitted which in Christian dutie wee ought to haue done when wee make faithfull confession vnto God ioyned with some repentance and the same accompanied with acknowledgement Thanksgiuing for mercies receiued are the best preparatiues in our prayers After this and the like both generall and particular confessions of our sins in prayer vnto God a lauding and a thankesgiuing for the blessings imparted vnto vs wherof we ought to be sensible and not to be silent comes next in place For it were vnseemly inconuenient and improuident to ask any new good turnes of any man before we return any shew of thankefulnesse for what good we haue receiued so would it bee as vnbeseeming and altogether as vnprofitable for mortall man to pray vnto the immortal God for any encrease of mercies before hee acknowledge those which haue beene formerly powred on him The forme of this praise and thankesgiuing may bee made after this manner We praise and magnifie thy Diuine Maiesty most glorious God for thy fauour and goodnesse extended alwayes on vs sinfull Creatures since our Creation for giuing vs vnderstanding of thee and of thy wil for preseruing maintayning and protecting vs more particularly for c. Lastly supplication or petition is to be made especially for the pardoning of our sinnes for freeing and keeping vs from falling into the same or the like againe for the obtayning of spirituall graces and of temporall necessities for the pardoning of sinnes it may bee in such like sort Thou that art the God of mercy shew mercie and compassion on me a most miserable sinner Lord let thy mercie shine aboue all thy other works Cast not thy louing countenance from me bewayling my many heynous transgressions Lord God thou seest our wantes and our weakenesse I beseech thee strengthen me in body and in health Blesse me in estate that I may be the better able to serue thee and imploy what thou shalt affoord according to thy sacred will pleasure The supplication for spirituall graces may be after this wise Though wee haue deserued no goodnes hauing done so much euill yet according to thy wonted goodnes grant vs such graces and heauenly gifts as may make vs blessed in thy sight and beloued of thy Saints Giue me a stedfast faith an humble contrite heart penitence for all my sinnes past watchfulnesse ouer my waies for time to come zeale of thine honour and glory a loue of thy truth and of such as loue the same an vnderstanding heart to discerne it constancie in following and keeping thy commandements teach me to examine mine owne heart to search it strictly to see if there yet remaine any hypocirsie or hollownesse in it Take from mee the temptations of lust vaine-glory malice sensuality

distrust diffidence of thy power or mercy that so through thy onely and all-able assistance I may bee made of a sinfull soule though not a perfect yet an acceptable worshipper of thee my Soueraigne Lord and onely Sauiour Short Admonitions concerning the premises I Shall desire the charitable viewer of these imperfect rules concerning prayer to conceiue that they are not set downe either to informe the learned or any that are well exercised in prayer But to giue some light vnto such as are young simple ignorant or not much vsed to prayer Neither should any of them bee tied onely to these words or formes heere set downe but it is in their choise to take the sence of the same so farre as they shall finde it to further their good and godly indeauours in prayer And if GOD shall indue them with better abilities they may vse them ought to be thankfull for that heauenly talent they haue and not to hide or to abuse it A prayer for deuotion in prayer SInce all good gifts comes from thee our gracious God the author of all goodnes grant vs thy speciall sauing grace of sanctified feruent prayer in frequent and zealous supplications Wee haue it not of our selues we seeke it of thee nether can wee seeke it without thou first send the motions thereof into our hearts and mindes prepare vs therefore for this holy duty grant vs the practice and power of it before we come to it touch our hearts with the remembrance of our sinnes and repentance for the same Call to our memorie and meditations how slowe wee haue beene to present our selues to thy presence by prayer how cold wee are in deuotion how distracted in our thoughts and how full of fantasies and of fond imaginations which draw our zeale and deuotion from thee even in the time of praier when our thoughts should bee pure and our hearts onely setled vpon thy seruice so that in stead of bringing a blessing we bring iust curses to our selues by these our more formall then faithfull praiers O Lord therefore infuse grace into our hearts kindle zeale fortifie our faith let not our secure and sensuall seruice of thee increase more of our abounding sinnes nor adde more to thy deserued anger but be thou in the middest of vs by thy assisting holy Spirit When wee lift vp our hands lift thou vppe our hearts vnto thee when we speake vnto thee speake thou peace vnto our Consciences giue vs words to vtter faith to beleeue feruencie in our prayers an earnest desire to abandon all euil affections and loose carriage of our cogitations and so closely to settle our soules vnto thy seruice When we come to make our supplications before thy Maiesty let this instant time of prayer whilest we now speake bee the beginning of our better seruice and so continuing in the same with humility constancy and fauour thou maiest haue the honour and wee the benefit To thee bee giuen all honour and glory now and all times Amen Morning prayer in a familie O Lord God light of lights thou that giuest light vnto our soules and to our bodies thou that hast brought vs from the darknesse of this night to see the comfortable light of this day bring vs from the darknesse of ignorance and of sinne and from the corrupting of our soules wherein wee haue liued both day and night As thou hast raised vs from our rests to follow our callings so raise vs from security sloath dulnesse distraction lust couetousnes selfe-conceites pride and all other corrupt affections which carry vs headlong after the vaine imaginations of our owne harts and euill affections Good Lord when we go abroad about our worldly affaires let not our mindes bee led altogether from heauenly meditations but let thy blessed Spirit be our motioner to put vs in minde of the shortnesse and vncertainty of our liues let vs haue before our thoughts often the sinnes wee haue committed the good wee might haue done and haue omitted the time wee haue mispent either in doing no good at all or in doing that is euill And this good Lord teach vs to tell our selues and our owne soules not with wordes onely comming from the lippes but with inward sighs and groanes from the heart and when through the assistance of thy holy Spirit thou hast made vs to search our sins and to smite our hearts then blesse thou the works of our hands in all our good endeauours and as by the same our store doth encrease our thankfulnes to thee may encrease As thy blessings are bestowed so our prayers praises may bee rendred and redoubled At our going out in our rest trauaile and returne bee thou with vs by the blessing and assistance of thy holy Spirit let this day good Lord bee a beginning and a new birth day of faith repentance for our sinnes and of reconciliation to thy Maiesty that so thou mayest receiue vs to mercy Let al the rest of our dayes be an amendment of our sinfull liues past Blesse good Lord thy Church our King his Realmes with faith truth peace and prosperitie guide the rest of the States of this land in their seuerall conditions callings that both they and we may maintaine thy truth set forth thy glory keepe a good conscience to our selues shew charity one vnto another So wee may liue in thy feare dye in thy fauour and after this mortall life is ended we may enioy an immortall life with thee in heauen there to magnifie praise and glorifie thy most glorious Name world without end Amen A Morning Prayer to be vsed in priuate THis day our good God appearing and thy mercies appearing by our deliuerance from dangers this night past and in the ordaining of dayes and of all thy other workes what praises shall we render for thy workes of Creation and of preseruation If we should not praise thee yet one day telleth another and one night certifieth another but I most sinnefull soule haue neyther expressed nor felte what belongs to the visible workes of thy inuisible Maiesty neither can I comprehend it in thy workes and made known by thy reuealed word for thy Maiesty is so great thy Wisedom so vnserchable and thy Word so deepe that I am not able to conceiue them It sufficeth great God vnto thee that art al-sufficient in thy selfe to expresse thy self vnto vs sinners in such sort as we are able to apprehend thee And I one of the least and vnworthiest seruants doe confesse my selfe to be a most greeuous sinner in thought word and deede I haue followed mine owne wicked fantasies I haue broken thy commandements and betrayed mine owne soule yet my hope is in thy mercie and therefore in the beginning of this day I beginne my prayers vnto thee teach me therefore to pray that I may this day and the rest of my life call vpon thee and praise thee through the assistance of thy power which graunt vs good Lord. A Prayer