Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	great_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	37	3	8.1878	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17297	Conflicts and comforts of conscience a treatise, shewing how the conscience, in cases of deepest distresse and distraction, may recollect it selfe, and recouer solid and sound comfort / collected from priuate proofe, for publike profit, by H.B. ...	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1628 (1628)	STC 4140.4; ESTC S259	75,671	324

his balme but by small drops and as patients newly recouered from a strong feuer diets vs with small bits and pittances at a time least by ouerfull a diet the weake stomacke of the soule be ouercome with a surfet and so fall into a relaps Secondly to obserue the strength and ability which God hath left vs I meane of spirituall grace whereby we are assisted in the performance of spirituall duties publike and priuate domesticall or Ministeriall Herein may hee comfort himselfe when vpon his repentance he findeth the graces of Gods spirit no way abated but rather by prayer increased and his zeale to Gods glory and his truth more inflamed now then formerly as being incensed by a kinde of holy indignation and reuenge for his sinne to expose himselfe to the greater malice and obloquy of the world whose malice is doubled against those who are most couragious and zealous for the truth So that when a man obserueth how the Lord prospereth his indeauours and labours with a rich successe of the seruice of Gods people he may with the greater comfort and courage goe on this being a notable euidence of grace of his reconciliation with God of that well of liuing water in his soule springing vp vnto euerlasting life Notwithstanding by the way all along he meete with many rubs and obstacles difficult to incounter with but more difficult to ouercome as will appeare in the insuing Conflicts For being reconciled to God yet the penitent shall finde a world of discomforts or the discomforts of the world to exercise his patience meekenesse and humility Euen as a Ship riding at anchor in the Rode or Harbour hauing escaped the stormes in the main Ocean yet is tumbled and tossed with sundry proud waues and billowes that it hardly findes any steddie rest The second thing is to obserue certaine infallible marks and tokens of grace in the penitent soule and these are besides those reckoned vp by the Apostle 2 Cor. 7.11 first a sincere purpose of heart with prayer to please God in all things hauing respect vnto all his Commandements Ps. 119. Nor are we to rest in a purpose and desire thogh neuer so sincere but to add a most carefull indeuour in the vse of all means tending thereunto as prayer publicke and priuate hearing of the Word reading meditating conferring communicating and the like all singular and necessarie helpes to our Christian obedience being as the Oyle to cause our Lampe to flame forth and withall to be no lesse carefull of auoyding all those meanes and occasions which might lead a man back again to the seruice of sinne least also by comming neere to danger hee tempt God and expose himselfe to Sathans temptations Hast thou fallen by lust Hast thou repented of it abandoned it not onely in resolution but practice of all good meanes Yet if thou fearest not occasions how apt is the new cured wound to be offended Hieron ad Nepotian Nec in praeterita castitate confidas There is no trusting to thy former chastity Nec Dauide sanctior c. Thou art neither holier then Dauid nor stronger then Sampson nor canst thou be wiser then Salomon Hieron regulae c. 4 Cum proximat stipula accendit ignem And he saith of himselfe Creditas experto c. Belieue him that hath had experience c. Much lesse trust we to the facility of repentance if we be ouertaken Hee that once hath knowne truely what repentance is will not readily come into the fire againe They that sin and repent and repent and sinne doe but dally with repentance as they doe with sinne they neuer knew yet what true repentance meant Nec statim nobis poenitentiae remedia blandiantur Hier. reg c. 22. quae sunt infaelicium remedia Cauendum est vulnus quod dolore curatur Nor let vs be readie to flatter our selues with the remedies of repentance which are the remedies of miserable men Beware of the wound which is cured with griefe But on the contrary if being conscious to thy naturall corruptions which way they bend thou art carefull to shun the occasions not onely reioycing for ouercomming them but for not comming into them Though Nulla est laus ita esse integrune vbi nemo est qui aut velit aut conetur corrūpere● Cic. Yet Ego arbitror securionis esse cōtinētiae nescire qd quaeras Hieron this is a sure signe of grace raigning and remaining in thee For though it be a greater glory to ouercome temptation by buckling with it yet it is greater safety not at all to come into it The cold Iron void of motion yet comming where the Load-stone is how quickely is it drawne towards it and affected with it so forcible are dispos●tions and obiects when they sympathize together Therefore he that best knew our weake temper taught vs to pray first lead vs not into temptation but if led Deliuer vs from the euill And Pray that ye enter not into temptation He is fairely blest that hath hardly escaped shipwrack from amidst the sands and Rockes But hee that dwels safely on Land and neuer tryed the Sea hath he not cause to blesse God for keeping him farre from danger into which many run wilfully some of necessitie In a word he must euer be bewailing his defects and contending after perfection and the more slips or trips or falls he hath taken in the Race the more must he mend his pace So running that hee may attaine the price CHAP. III. Conflict with Gods people offended specially when the faithfull Pastour is afflicted for the least offence giuen by him to his Flocke THIS conflict next to that wherein the Conscience wrastleth with the wrath of God may challeng precedencie of all other in afflicting the soule and plunging it into infinite perplexities For to a faithfull Minister who makes a conscience of his Calling and so of his answerable conuersation to whom nothing in the world is more precious then the Spirituall well-fare of that Flocke committed to his charge what can bee a greater corrosiue then to haue a stumbling blocke cast before his people and that which is most grieuous of all by his owne carelesse procurement How many sentences now stand vp against him Wo bee to that man by whom the offence commeth better a Mill-stone were hanged about his necke and hee cast into the bottome of the Sea then hee should offend one of these Little-ones Whereupon the Conscience inferreth Then what woe is due to me to me a Minister for giuing offence and that not to one alone but to the whole Church of God but specially which most neerely toucheth mee to mine own Flock Againe the Apostle admonisheth Timothy Let no man despise thy youth And A Bishop must bee blame-lesse But the Conscience inferreth I haue been obnoxious both to contempt and blame Againe Ministers must feed their Flockes by the Word by Hospitaltie by Example But the Conscience inferreth I haue beene faultie in the

subministreth to the Soule when plunged in the deepth of perplexed dolours As Dauid in that short but pithy Penitentiall Out of the deepes haue I cryed vnto thee Ps. 130.1 O Lord. Ionas prayed vnto the Lord his God out of the Fishes belly Yea Out of the belly of Hell cryed I and thou heardest my voyce And when Dauid said in his hast I am cut off from before thine eyes Neuerthelesse saith hee thou heardest the voyce of my supplycations when I cryed vnto thee Prayer is of force to bring againe the dead Child to rayse dead Lazarus euen the stinking Soule out of the Graue No place no case of calamitie Spirituall or Corporall whence Prayer may not procure deliuerance Onely out of Hell is no deliuerance Why They pray not there to God In the Parable Diues prayed but to Abraham to a Saint not to God enough to cause his prayer to be reiected as not worth a drop of cold water A good example for all such Clyents as inuocate Saints for their Aduocates A practise learned from Diues in Hell but which findeth neither Precept nor Promise in the Scriptures and so can hope for no better successe Now among the many admirable vses and effects of prayer two are of singular note the first that prayer is a most effectuall antidote to preuent the committing of sinne What neede I speake of the infinite experiments my selfe haue found in this kinde Let euery child of God but take notice of his owne proofes herein For my part how many forcible temptations prouocations inuitations occasions to sinne haue made battery vpon this weak Fort when it hath beene ready to hang out the flagg of parle and of yeelding and onely prayer steps betweene working a suddaine strange alteration in the affections it bringeth a fresh supply of of grace fortifieth the weakest places repaireth the breaches repulseth the batteries causeth the enemy for that time to retreat I could produce strange instances in my selfe but I forbeare Nor is there any lawfull affaire of this life but if prayer haue an oare in it it makes the better way to arriue at the wished port But for the preuenting of sinne and restraining of our inordinate passions it is in a manner the onely effectuall meanes Neuer hath any temptation further preuailed but as prayer hath beene neglected I am sure this is true in mine owne experience And surely where the daily practise of prayer is not there it is no maruaile if Sathan keepe his reuels Dauid noting the many corruptions and abominations of wicked men and persecuting Tyrants hee renders the reason of all They call not vpon the Lord. Psa. 14·4 But doe not such men pray Yes they may but as the Pharisees in an outward formalitie and vnder a colour of long prayer they deuoure widdowes houses Who are more for a ceremonious and solemne formalitie of endlesse and superstitious prayers then the Church of Rome which yet the Holy Ghost styleth the great Whore Can such blind prayers be effectuall but to pull down vengeance vpon their heads which by their pompous solemnitie haue vndermined the verie ground-worke and Pillar of all true Religion and deuotion the preaching of the Word now turned into Masse and Matins But no maruaile if the Seuen-branched golden Candlesticke be there remoued and turned into an Idoll-Altar where the verie * Prayer in an vnknowne tongue Light of Deuotion is quite put out and the Oyle dryed vp The second principall vse of Prayer is after a man hath beene ouertaken with a temptation in any degree tending at least to the actuall committing of sinne and to the fulfilling of it in the lust thereof to rayse vp the humbled Conscience to a hopefull expectation to a constant affiance and in fine to a comfortable fruition of Gods mercie We see what strong cryes Dauid all along the most peerelesse patterne of practick pietie in this kind lifted vp when his soule was cast downe for his sinne as all his Penitentials but specially the 51 doe witnesse And surely had not the sinne-burthened Soule accesse to the Throne of Grace and Mercie by the meanes of Prayer what hope were there But Prayer is like Noah's Doue which returning brings the poore sinner tidings that the Deluge of Gods wrath is asswaged and in token thereof presents him with the Oliue-branch of peace and reconciliation Or as when God is on his March against vs with his great Army of terrible Iudgements Prayer is the Herald sent to make an humble treaty for truce And therefore in all Spirituall conflicts there is no dutie which Satan goes about more to diuert from or disturbe in then this of Prayer Yea he is readie to present a man with and to foist in a thousand by-occasions or cogi●ations either about our profits or pleasures thereby to diuert the Soule from praier perswading a man he may doe that as well another time as now And it is more then proaable that Dauid was thus carried away when for almost a yeeres space that sinne of his in the matter of Vriah and Bathshabe lay as a charmed Serpent sleeping in his bosome vnrepented of till Nathan came and by his Riddle vncharmed it and so rowsed him from his Lethargie Obiect But did not Dauid all that while exercise the dutie of Prayer Had he not at least the Arke in his Court and there his morning and euening Sacrifices of Prayer Answ. No doubt But it is likely hee contented himselfe with the publike solemn Seruice and Sacrifice of Prayer neglecting in the meane time his more intimous and priuate deuotion wherein hee should haue more punctually humbled his Soule cast himselfe downe naked in Gods presence and made speciall supplication for the pardon of his sinne and so haue demeaned himselfe in his holy wrastling with God in secret as he could not doe in publike with any decorum or without beeing censured by men of indiscretion or folly As Hannah for her zeallous prayer was thought of Eli to haue beene drunke or madde Or at leastwise not intermitting his times of priuate prayer yet hee remitted of that feruour and zeale of that extraordinarie sorrow and teares requisite for obtaining the pardon of such a sinne Or if among other his sinnes hee bewayled this sinne yet hee went not to the quicke hee searched not the wound to the bottome His repentance as yet was but an ordinarie and euerie-day-repentance whereas his extraordinarie sin required an extraordinarie sorrow Hee might also the while pray for mercie and pardon but not so effectually and heartily for such a measure of mercie as his sinne required And the reason that his repentance and consequently his praier for pardon at the best was not yet so sound as it ought which was the cause that as yet he found not that comfortable fruition of Gods fauour and mercie as afterwards vpon his more serious repentance was his want of due consideration in waighing the horriblenesse and hugenesse of his sinne For