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
A68802	Iaphets first publique perswasion into Sems tents, or, Peters sermon which was the first generall calling of the gentiles preached before Cornelius / expounded in Cambridge by Thomas Taylor, and now published for the further use of the Church of God.	Taylor, Thomas. 1576-1632.	1612 (1612)	STC 23830.5; ESTC S118155	214,432	413

they are communicated the more are they diminished and euery mans share is the lesse but heauenly things are by communication the more increased for we reade not of any man that laid out his tallent but to increase and as the light of the s●nne is neuer a whit impaired by communicating it selfe to the whole world or as hee that lighteth one candle of another diminisheth not in either but increaseth the light so is it in the light of the Sonne of righteousnesse much more and in the kindling of these heauenly sparkles whose propertie is to diffuse themselues as fire the further they spread the greater and brighter is the flame The third fruit or effect of faith is an vndaunted confession of it Rom. 10.10 With the heart we beleeue to iustification and with the mouth we confesse to saluation For where faith is in the heart it will be also in the mouth The spirit of faith and the speach of faith are vndeuided as 2. Cor. 4.13 And because we haue the same spirit of faith according to that which was written I beleeued and therefore I spake euen so we beleeue and therefore also we speake Now there be three actions of faith which helpe forward this free confession 1. It maketh a man bold in a good cause Act. 5.29 Peter beeing full of faith with a bold spirit told the Counsell that had the power of life and death in their hands and himselfe in their power we ought rather to obey God then you 2. Faith keepeth a man in a preparednesse to suffer by leading him along in the deniall of himselfe and hereof we haue a notable example in Paul Act. 21.13 who professed how readie hee was not only to be bound but to die also at Ierusalem if God called him thereunto 3. It worketh ioy yea much reioysing in the heart in the suffring for Christ and a good cause Rom. 5.3 after the Apostle had laid downe the iustification of faith as a ground hee saith that we then reioyce in tribulation and that they did so indeed is plaine Act. 5.41 They departed from the Counsell reioysing that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for his name hence could they sing Psalmes at midnight in the dungeon and fetters and hence could the Martyrs embrace the fire kisse the stake and testifie such ioy in the flames as all men might acknowledge the truth of the speach of our Sauiour Your ioy shall no man take away from you no Tyrant no tormentor nor any kind of torment The fourth and last fruit or worke of faith is that wheresoeuer ●ound faith is it is most diligent in preseruing yea and increasing of it selfe The most couetous man is not more complaining nor gathering then the beleeuer who is euer complaining of want of faith or of the weaknesse of it and knowing the want of it to be so dangerous and hurtfull as without which hee wanteth Christ himselfe as also that the weaknesse of it depriueth him of much comfort and many good things for a man of weake estate must needs want many rich commodities and sweete comforts which the wealthy enioy in abundance Therefore hee vseth all good meanes to encrease his stocke as 1. Hee is much in hearing reading and meditating in the word because hee knoweth faith commeth by hearing and euery thing is preserued and nourished by that whereof it is begotten 2. Hee is much in godly talke and Christian conference by which as the fire by the bellowes so is the grace of God blowne and stirred vp in him 3. Because hee seeth how without prayer both his owne but especially Christs his faith is as readie to faile as Peters was hee is much in prayer and with the Father of the child crieth with teares often Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeleefe and with the Disciples Lord increase our faith And these are the markes by which the soundnesse and currence of faith as by a touchstone may be tried and distinguished from all that false and counterfeit faith which is so stirring in the world and whereby most men are lamentably deceiued The vse of this doctrine is 1. to stirre vp men to examine and by these notes to prooue themselues whether they are in the faith or no to try their faith of what kind it is least in the ende they finde that they haue leaned vpon a staffe of reede By which examination I feare it will bee too euidently seene that these are the last dayes wherein the Sonne of man shall come and scarcely finde faith vpon the face of the earth Sure it is that the common faith of men is neither thus 1. founded 2. nor qualified 3. nor attended 4. nor thus fruitfull as will briefly appeare in the particulars First euery man saith hee hath faith but whence had hee it it was neuer begotten by the word he neuer cared for that that was euer as a sixt finger and superfluitie vnto him It was neuer founded in repentance nor dwelleth with humilitie for most men neuer saw change in themselues they haue loued God and beleeued in Christ euer since they can remember It was neuer cherished with the duties of prayer and invocation they could neuer pray in all their liues except after the minister or by set formes but the spirit of prayer neuer dwelt there It was neuer cōflicted with vnbeleefe they wonder what that should be or that any man should not euer beleeue so as indeed here is no character of the faith of the elect and nothing all this while but a voice and verie carkase of faith 2. Others say they beleeue and bragge of a sauing faith in Christ but they feede a bare fancie for they could neuer beleeue God for lesser things they want the faith of Gods prouidence euen for meate and drinke which is apparant in that they can vse wicked vnwarrantable meanes for them their strong faith they bragge of waiteth not for Gods prouision but will shift for it selfe by hooke and by crooke it holdeth not the heart to patient bearing of the crosse but flingeth out in distempers it putteth not forth in inferiour businesses to giue directions to the particular actions of life and therefore seeing this faith faileth in lesser and smaller things how can it be found in the greatest of all 3. Others boast of a sound faith which were it so it would lay hold vpon the promise and beleeue for themselues and their seed but this it doth not for many who for themselues would rest in the prouidence of God vpon the good and warrantable meanes will yet endanger themselues for their children And hence is it that many who haue liued conscionably in single estate haue remitted much of their care and feare in their married condition and come short of their former vprightnesse and why is this else but that they conceiue not the Lord to be all-sufficient for them and theirs 4. Others there be that challendge as sound a

to finish their course holding out in well doing vnto the ende Thus if we shall doe we shall be conformable vnto Iesus Christ acceptable to God our Father profitable to our brethren here on earth and shall treasure to our selues an excellent weight of glory in heauen But how many be there who hauing receiued many talents and charge to traffique with them bury their gifts and forget their charge against whom the fearefull sentence is not only passed but halfe executed alreadie his talent is taken from the slothfull seruant there now remaineth nothing but the binding of him and casting him into hell And would this were not too true not in many Ministers only but euen in numbers of priuate Christians who haue had both gifts and calling to teach and pray in their families but haue wilfully lost them for want of the carefull vse of them Now more specially this going about of Christ doing good standeth in two things The former in curing the deadly diseases of mens soules by most holy and sauing doctrine reuealing his Fathers whole will and teaching the things of the kingdome not coldly as the Scribes but in most powerfull manner so as his verie enemies were forced to say neuer man spake as this man doth The latter in curing the bodies of men also by most powerfull miracles one kind whereof which was most eminent namely the healing of Demoniaks is put for all the rest in the words following by both which meanes he shewed himselfe a mercifull Sauiour and the cheife Phisicion both of soule and bodie and in one word the verie healing God Of both which points we are to speake something seeing the former is the principall and included in this latter and these latter were but seruants vnto the former It is true that the Iewes were more affected with his miracles then with his doctrine insomuch as they were often wholly carried after him for the bread and belly sake Which seemeth to be the reason why the Apostle Peter speaketh more plainely of these as beeing better obserued and more sparingly of his doctrine which was not so great a rayser of his fame as these were but it must not be so with vs who look for saluation by his most holy doctrine but cannot by his miracles And first for his Doctrine the calling of our blessed Sauiour beeing to seeke and saue that which was lost to reduce the lost sheepe of the house of Israel vnto the fold to finde the lost goat to call sinners vnto repentance how all his life was thus taken vp were too long in euery particular to manifest To omit his priuate life which was nothing but an encreasing in wisedome and fauour with God and man After his solemne and publike inauguration he shewed himselfe a perfect mirrour of goodnesse both in the more generall parts of his propheticall office as also in the more speciall practises of it For the former how faithfull was he in all the house of his Father not as Moses who was but a seruant but as the Sonne who from the bosome of his Father brought and deliuered a most perfect word of truth yea who was not only the bearer of it but the verie author of all truth And therefore according to his power and commission reformed the law corrupted with false glosses of the Pharisies and established it preached the Gospel and dispersed it by himselfe his Apostles and other teachers after them raised by himselfe and fitted with gifts thereunto for the gathering of the Saints instituted and ministred the Sacraments of the new Testament after the abolishing of the old framed and prescribed a perfect forme of prayer vnto which all ours must be squared deliuered as Moses a patterne of the Temple and all things therein namely an absolute forme of externall gouernment for the perpetuall vse of the Church for the well ordering and cutting off disorders in it And for the latter how carefull was he to take all occasions to instruct particular persons in the will of his Father nay not only to take but euen seeke them that so he might make offer of the greatest good that euer men in this world could meete withall If his Disciples only speake of bread hee telleth them he hath other bread that they know not of If a poore woman meete him while she goeth to draw a bucket of water he preacheth vnto her of the water of the well of life If hee looke vpon the sunne he takes occasion thence to instruct those who were about him that he is the light of the world and that whosoeuer follow him walke not in darknesse If hee see but a little child hee thence taketh occasion to instruct his followers in the doctrine of humilitie innocencie and meeknesse If he doe but heare of his mother and brethren hee taketh occasion to shew his spirituall kindred and acquaintance And in both these how meekly gently humbly yea and compassionatly did hee carrie himselfe towards those that were any way teacheable howsoeuer in publike and against gainsayers he taught with maiestie and as one hauing authoritie Besides this how boldly and diligently went he about preaching the will of his Father in the midst of dangers discouragements and reproaches which were raised against him not only when they lay in waite to catch him in his speach but euen to attach his person to mischeefe him How often did the Iewes take vp stones to stone him how did the people assault him to throw him downe headlong from the toppe of an hill how many other deadly dangers escaped he and yet in the midst of death could not be discouraged nor ouercome of their mallice but ouercame their euill with goodnesse Vnto which most holy course of doctrine if we adde his most innocent life in which was no spot or error it addeth also grace and glorie to his doctrine Neuer went any before him or can doe after him doing good as he did for he neuer did otherwise no word or deede euer proceeded from him but was answerable to the lawes perfection so as the Church may wel sing out his beavrie from toppe to toe which is euery way matchlesse and incomparable Secondly Christ went about doing good by many miraculous actions all of them directly tending to the good of man The especiall vses of them all were three First to confirme the truth of his diuine person Ioh. 10.24 tell vs plainely if thou beest the Christ to which Iesus answered The workes which I doe beare witnesse of me and againe If I doe not the workes of my Father beleeue me not and Ioh. 2.11 This beginning of miracles did Iesus in Cana of Galilie and shewed forth his glorie Secondly to confirme the truth of his office thus the Iewes could sometimes confesse that he was a teacher sent of God Matth. 22.16 and Nicodemus affirmed that no man could doe such things vnlesse God were with him and Ioh. 6.14 Then the men