Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	hear_v	lord_n	time_n	7,447	5	3.8734	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52042	Meroz curse for not helping the Lord against the mightie being the substance of a sermon, preached on a day of humiliation, at St. Sepulchers, London, Decemb. 2. 1641 / by that powerfull and Godly divine, Mr. Stephen Marshall ; published in one sheet of paper, (not by the author) but by a lover of the truth, for their good especially, that are not able to buy bigger bookes ; being a very seasonable subject, wherein all that either out of policie or sloth, rfuse to helpe the Lord, may see their danger, and they that are willing are called, and directions given to them both what manner of persons they ought to be, and what they ought to doe to help the Lord ; wherein also every true Christian may see, that though they be never so weake or poore, yet they may, and ought to helpe the Lord, and by what meanes.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1641 (1641)	Wing M761A; ESTC R12794	6,603	9

prevaile with God to doe it it is prayer that bringeth all Gods promises into performances there is not any part of the world but a Christian can reach it by prayer there is not a blessing in heaven but prayer can fetch it downe prayer can knocke downe enemies when Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed David by prayer choked Achitophel Hester and her people by prayer hanged Haman So that I may say of prayer as the Author to the Hebrewes saith of the faith of those worthyes there mentioned the time would be too short to reckon up all that a Christian can doe by prayer And yet alas I feare me there are some Christians who have grace in their hearts that have not imployed this their talent for the good of Gods Church whose conscience will witnesse unto them that they have not spent an houre in their closets in exercising this talent for the good of Gods Church O be humbled this day for this your selfe-love and want of love to Gods Church And I am perswaded that the want of this hath beene the cause that the enemies prevaile so in Ireland at this time and that things goe on so heavily at Parliament here at home Wherefore you that feare God I beseech you be humbled for your omission of this duty and be exhorted to set upon the practice of it O pray pray for the Parliament O pray pray for Ireland and call upon others to pray there is no man so meane in his estate or weake in his body but if he be a Christian he may contribute something towards this great worke though he be not able to lend a peny yet he may give a subsidie of prayers Beloved if all Christians would exercise this talent aright their prayers would be as a thundring Army against the enemies of Gods Church But how shall I doe to exercise this talent aright First be sure that prayer be prayer let it not onely be in speech but powre out thy desires before God and to this end get a heart truly affected with the thing thou prayest for Labour to get an humble and selfe-denying spirit remember Abraham when he came before the Lord in prayer confessed he was but dust and ashes and Icob when he came before the Lord in prayer confessed himselfe unworthy of the least of all Gods mercies and David cryes out Heare me O Lord for I am peore Alwayes when thou goest to prayer be sure to carry thy Mediator along with thee by faith in the promises and begge earnestly for the Lords sake as Daniel did that so thy prayers may be fervent O beloved Christians if you would pray and pray thus you would be the most usefull people in all the world yea you would be the very props to these united Kingdomes marke it then you men of the world you sonnes of Belial that have beene wont to scoffe at praying Christians and to wish them all packed hence and at new England alas you know not what an evill you wish unto your selves therein if they were gone woe be to you And thus much shall suffice to have beene spoken of the talent of prayer in the next place what outward abilities soever thou hast thou must also imploy for the good of Gods Church for hee that is a rich man if hee pray and hold his purse hee cannot expect that his prayers should be availeable Wherefore if God have given thee both grace and money I doe in the name of God beseech thee to imploy both for the good of Gods Church and people else it is to be feared it may be as truly said to thee as the poore man said to the Bishop who asking him a penny for Christ his sake the Bishop answered I will not give thee a peny but I will give thee my blessing the poore man answered ah Master if you loved your blessing as well as your penny you would not give mee that neither Wherefore then to conclude whatsoever God hath given thee that may do the Church good be willing to part with it for the Churches good FINIS 1. 2. Doctr. Doctr. 2. Doctr. 3. Doctr. 4. Doctr. Doctr. Vse ● Iudg. 8. 7. 2. Vse 1. 2. Phil. 2. 20. 21. Ruth 1. 16 3. Quest Answ. 2. 3. Quest Answ. 2. Exod. 17. 11 Quest Answ. 2. Gen. 18. 17. Gen. 32. 10. 3. Dan. 9. 17.

negligence as you may reade Iudg. 21. 8. c. to wit how they fell upon them and destroyed them because they came not up to Mizpeth to the Lord The next use shall be for exhortation to you all is it so that they are cursed that help not the Lord against the mighty why then brethren as you desire to be freed from this curse and to obtaine a blessing at the Lords hands be exhorted to put forth your hands now to the help of the Lord I pray you looke on me as on one that commeth amongst you this day to beat a drum in your eares to see who will come out to follow the Lambe Now then beloved so many of you as are willing come and I will give you direction what to doe that you may all of you afford some help to the Lord at this time And first let me tell you that the Lord doth not require your help so much for any need he hath of it as for to honour you thereby for beloved you are to know that it is an honour to help the Lord the Lord as I may say scornes to have help from every one no you must be fitly qualified before you be meet to helpe the Lord and that with these three things First you must be godly or else you are unfit to be helpers of the Lord the Lambes followers must be such as are chosen and called and faithfull they must be holy men and holy women therefore you that are ungodly persons believe it you are not called to this help of the Lord Secondly you must be selfe-denying persons you must deny your owne profit your owne ease your owne friends yea and all that you call your owne the Apostle Paul writing to the Philippians saith hee hath no man like minded to Timotheus and in the next verse hee gives the reason saying for all seeke their owne and not the things of Iesus Christ Therfore I say you can never be fit to helpe the Lord untill you put off all that is your owne and say to Christ as Ruth said unto Naomi Whither thou goest I will goe and where thou dwellest I will dwell thy people shall be my people and thy God my God Thirdly you must be such persons as have a love to the Church for beloved you shall meet with so many rubs in the way so many discouragements to flesh and blood that if you have not a great love to the cause of Christ you will be subject to turne backe from the Lords cause when there is most need of your helpe therefore alluding to that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. I say unto you the most excellent way is love it is that which constitutes a man to be a meet follower of Christ you know it is said of Iacob Gen. 29. 20. that the seven yeeres he served for Rachel seemed unto him but a few dayes because hee loved her even so brethren if you get a love to Christ and his Church you will willingly help the Lord though you meet with some difficulties therefore never rest untill thou hast so much love as to say as I remember a godly Minister said I praise God I am not troubled at any crosse but at the afflictions of Gods Church nor I care for no welfare so much as for the welfare of Christ Church But it may be some will say O Sir but how should I doe to get such 〈…〉 the Church of Christ 〈…〉 ●●nsider how dearely Christ hath loved it that he hath given 〈…〉 it 〈◊〉 consider that he hath left his Church here amongst us and 〈…〉 distresse to try our love to it 〈…〉 ●●nsider that if thou be a member of it then all the rest 〈…〉 thee even thy brethren and sisters But 〈…〉 be willing to helpe the Church to my power what direction 〈…〉 〈◊〉 give me that I may put forth that power wich I have First 〈…〉 godly Nehemiah Daniel and old Eli did that is enquire diligently what the state of the Church is and let me tell you brethren I am perswaded that it is a great fault of many of us here in England that wee doe not performe this dutie as we ought wherefore be exhorted to labour at this time to find out the state of Gods Church both in England and in 〈◊〉 Secondly when thou hast sound out the state of the Church and so consequently what it wanteth then in the next place consider what thou hast in thine hands to supply the want thereof thou must observe this rule that whatsoever good God hath put into thine hands thou art but a Steward of it and thou art to imploy it for the good of Gods Church all Gods people have an interest in that talent that God hath committed to thy imployment Now there is one talent which I am sure every childe of God that is effectually called hath though they be never so poore and that is the talent of prayer for indeed it is the surest evidence to witnesse unto them that the spirit of Christ is in them when they can cry Abba Father according to the lawes of our Kingdome a child cannot be proved to be borne alive except there be witnesse that it was heard to cry even so we say in Divinity that every one that hath the new birth can cry to God his Father in prayer so that I say every child of God hath this talent of prayer And this talent the Lord requires they should use and imploy for the good of his Church and people according to that Scripture Pray for the peace of Ierusalem and that in Isay 62. Yee that are the Lords remembrancers give him no rest till he set up Ierusalem the praise of the world and beloved let me tell you the exercise of this talent of prayer is charged upon all ranks and conditions of men for that the exercise of no other talent can doe any good without this neither the governing of the Magistrate nor preaching of the Minister nor fighting of the souldier nor the contribution of the rich man will doe any good without prayer it is prayer that brings a blessing downe upon all yea the exercise of this talent of prayer many times doth more good than all the rest A praying Christian let me speake it with holy reverence can doe all that God can doe and therefore in 1 King 8. Salomon reckoneth up all the hard conditions that the Church of God can fall into and alwayes concludes then heare thou in heaven c. and then God answers I have heard thy prayers and supplications that thou hast made before me with this talent of prayer the servants of God have overcome God and held his hands in so much that the Lord if I may so speake hath been glad to intreat them and command them to hold their tongues and let him alone Beloved as God onely can remove the Churches troubles so prayer onely can