Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	heart_n	spirit_n	supplication_n	2,255	5	10.7199	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61077	Ton sesosmenon umnon, or, The song of the delevered set forth in a sermon preached in the Colledge of Bristoll the 24. of October : being the day set apart for publick thanksgiving unto God for the memorable victory obtained over the Scottish army at Worcester / by Thomas Speed.	Speed, Thomas.	1651 (1651)	Wing S4907; ESTC R24162	20,766	42

Then do we use our prayers and our armes to their proper end when as we make them not our deliverers but when in the use of both we have our reliance on the Lord. 3. To this may be added a patient waiting upon God by Faith for the accomplishment of his pleasure which way soever made out Which is done when as having poured forth our souls unto God with strong cryes and the Chariot-wheels of his po●●● and goodness seem to run slowly to our succou● 〈◊〉 have our hearts stayed by patience and kept 〈…〉 precipitant excursions When we forbear 〈…〉 of our distress to prefix either the end or time but do bear about in our brests this resolution to comply with the product of our Fathers pleasure what ere it be To speak all in a word then are we to be reckoned among the number of those that do truly call upon the name of God when as having with fervency and a holy boldness spred our case before him in the midst of our clouds and darkness we retain this sweet complacency of spirit in the close of all as to be able to say Father not my will but thy will be done I shall only adde two words by way of Corollary from what hath been said of this first part and so pass to the second part of the Text. 1. They that are dearest in the eyes of the Lord have their dayes of trouble They to whom his ear is open and his hand ready to help have them from whence the Corollary doth naturally follow I shall not spend time to bring a candle to the Sun in making a repetition of those many examples with which the Scripture doth abound to prove an assertion so clear If we look back and consult with the lives of all the holy Patriarchs and Prophets from Adam to Christ and with the lives of all the Saints from him to the last Apostle we shall finde none of them that went down to their graves who in their passage met not with some days of darkness and distress The consideration of which should stay our hearts under the ●●●est of our pressures knowing that no new thing 〈◊〉 ●●●●ened unto us more then what was the portion 〈…〉 many thousands of precious ones which 〈…〉 heaven before us 2. Secondly the surest application that we can make in the day of trouble is unto God When our vain hearts are deceived into confidence on any thing on this side him we do but seek the living among the dead and waters of refreshing in empty pits And so I have done with the first part of the Text viz. The duty together with the circumstance of time The second part that followeth in order to be spoken to is the engagement of grace I (x) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Te eruam will deliver thee Which word is applyed as well to the quitting of the minde from its straits as to the deliverance of the outward man (y) Psal 6.4 David under the apprehensions of divine displeasure cryeth unto God that he would deliver (z) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his soul from that heavy yoke Behold here the gratious readiness of God to comply with the requests of Faith of his distressed people It 's but cry and be heard beg and obtain No distressed childe may with more boldness and confidence make application to his dear father then Christians in the day of their straits may unto their God There are gods many and lords many but there is none like to the God of Israel whose heart and hands are always wide open for the satisfying the desires of his poor little ones The poor Priests of Baal may cry long and loud and like seduced worshippers make the drawing of their own blood an argument to perswade their spiritless Idol to appear for them but he hath neither an ear to hear 〈◊〉 hand to help nor a heart to pitty them But 〈…〉 God of Israel are all these I will deliver th●● 〈…〉 is as much as if God should have said in 〈…〉 thus much In the day of your darkness and distress let not your vain hearts suggest to you thoughts of diffidence or despair know that he that made you and redeemed you hath not left you as Orphans in the midst of cruel men know that when the ears and hearts of men are closed against you here on earth yet even then you have more left you then the whole world can give you viZ. a God in heaven who will plead your righteous cause And as much as you expect the return of the Sun above your Horizon after a few hours setting so confidently may you expect the drawing forth of my power and my love for the revenging of all your wrongs vvhen ever you make your appeal unto me Object But here we meet with an Objection which at first view does seem much to overshadow the glory of this truth which is that we do often see the strongest cryes of Christians go unheard and the most fervent breathings of their hearts go unaccomplished Were there not many prayers put up for the saving of Bristol when it was first taken all which proved fruitless Answ To which I shall give answer in these two words 1. It speaketh as great grace from heaven to lend us support under the trouble as to deliver us from it And on our parts we have properly a deliverance when as though God break not our bonds yet he doth 〈◊〉 upon our souls with such bright rayes of his 〈…〉 presence and spirit as do make our hearts 〈…〉 ●●ich truth is bottom'd upon this Principle 〈…〉 and foundation of all trouble is the absence of God so that to have the glory of his presence is deliverance from trouble We have a most clear demonstration of this in Christ of whom the Author to the Hebrews (a) Heb. 5.7 saith That when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death he was heard in that he feared Now how can it be said that he was heard in that he feared which was death since he did not escape it If Christ drank of the cup of death how was he heard in being saved from it The Evangelist (b) Luk. 22.43 Luke doth unty this knot for us who saith that upon his prayers that that cup which was provided for him to drink might pass from him There appeared an Angel unto him from heaven strengthening him So that Gods sending an Angel for the succour of Christ under his Agony is interpreted by the Author to the Hebrews to be as much a hearing of him in the very letter of his prayer as if he had delivered him from it 2. Secondly Gods wise deferring the accomplishment of the desires of his People untill his own due time cannot be interpreted his refusing to hear them Deliverance is then sufficiently soon when as it 's in Gods time And thus we do now

do seem to hasten to God in the day of trouble in word and pretence yet even at that time do most mens hearts catch at something besides him which they make their stay and their dependance God made 〈◊〉 promises to Israel that he would not withdraw 〈◊〉 presence from them for their protection and 〈…〉 and in the day of their straits God 〈…〉 pretence but their hearts leaned on Egypt We must therefore here come to make enquity what there is wrapt up in the bowels of this expression For that it cannot be understood simply in the Letter as if a bare verbal calling upon the name of God were that which he would honour with acceptance or answer with deliverance There are three sorts of calling upon God which do never finde that acceptance with him so as to obtain answer 1. First there is an hypocritical calling upon God A calling on him with the lips when as the heart strayeth from him The Jews were a people eminent for this None more in lip prayers and mock-Fasts to gain the esteem of being religious then they Job by an interrogation maketh it positive that such prayers do never reach the ear of God when as speaking of the hypocrite he saith (n) Job 27.9 Will God hear his cry when (o) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 trouble cometh on him 2. There is a cursory ignorant calling upon God to which is annexed no other reward then the labour it self A cursory calling is so to call as therein to rest when men pray meerly because they think they must with which is usually joyn'd a deep ignorance when as men are no way apprehensive of the nature of that God on whom they call Such was that calling upon God used by thousands during the sign of that silly Idol the Common-prayer Book 〈◊〉 as the sum of their devotion lay no higher then 〈…〉 hearing so many prayers read in their ears 〈…〉 minding communion with that God they in●●● 〈…〉 which is the life of prayer What heart doth not weep to remember how in any time of distress that heap of confusion must be searcht into to finde out words to express the condition of the distressed And if none pertinent could be found then some impertinency must serve using prayer meerly as a spell or a charm to drive away some eminent evil Such calling on God might well deserve that Inscription which Paul found on the Altar at Athens (p) Act. 17.23 To the unknown God (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For what difference is there betwixt worshipping an unknown God and worshipping the true God in name only but under false notions save this that they retain the name but are strangers to that nature with which it s clothed The Stoicks were more regular in their judgements touching their false Gods then such men are in their practises towards the true God For that they held it (r) Epict. Enchir cap. 38. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The chief thing in the worship of their Gods to have true apprehensions of them 3. There is a prayer of blood and cruelty when as men call on the name of God with their hands full of blood having peace and sweetness in their words but rapine and a devouring spirit lodgeth within Such cryes which call God to aide only to effect the revenge of malitious hearts prove fruitless for he will not hear them God speaketh it with an emphasis Isa 1.15 When ye make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood 'T were well if this age could not give ample testimonies to this when as the Covenant and Vniformity must be made the cloak 〈◊〉 Fasting and Prayers had in secret pretended for 〈◊〉 conciling of Brethren whilst the woundings 〈…〉 and the destruction of the Common-wealth 〈…〉 bottom These cryes God hath not heard so as to favour them with acceptance but he hath given the blood-thirsty blood to drink To Ages of Ages let his name be praised therefore and let all the friends of Zion say Amen These three sorts of invocation being excluded I shall present you with three things which speak out the very heart of that which is true calling upon God 1. The first is the fervent pouring out of the soul to God mixt with (ſ) Vera invocatio non nisi in fide fundata est Calvi Faith and understanding as to one that is able and willing to relieve God doth not always give a particular Faith as to the thing we beg neither is it safe to be peremptory in determining the pleasure of God in relation to the particulars of our requests but the Faith of Christians in Prayer hath this for its object God ready to accomplish the desire of their souls as far as they are subservient to that high End his own glory Now then when those Oratorical sighs and groans are sent Heaven-wards in full vollies and these after God as a tender Father (t) Is demum verè nomen Domini invocat qui per fidem in Christo renatus factus filius Dei accepto spiritu per quem clamamus Abba pater auxilium Dei in adversis implorat Bullin in Act. Apost cap. 2. ver 21. with a holy boldness and child-like familiarity on the Christians part this is after the due manner to call upon his name Jacob can no more let God go without a blessing then a poor childe can the hand of his father when he is ready to sink Hezekiah in the day of his straits runneth to the bosom of God and before him spreadeth his case much like an injur'd son before his tender father I doubt not but the name of God was lately thus called upon by ●●●●sands of waiting souls in this Nation among 〈…〉 many were favoured with a particular Faith as 〈…〉 ●●●ermined issue but all with a sweet hope the Anchor of the soul joyned with this confidence that the end of the Lord should be good 2. With this is joyn'd a naked dependance on the Lord as one whose power alone is able to accomplish the desires of our souls By naked dependance I exclude not the use of means but do intend a looking to God by Faith as the prime agent effecting his pleasure by and through creatures When as in the day of our straits our hearts are most enlarged with desire and our heads and hands most active for the working our deliverance then to keep our eyes fixed on him as the original productive cause of our expected salvation and to lay our highest hopes on him as giving life and vigour to all second causes Iehoshaphat upon the approach of his potent adversaries keepeth his sword in his hand but had his (u) 2 Chr. 20.12 eye on his God (w) 1 Sam. 17.4.40.45 David advancing to dispute Israels quarrel with the champion of the Philistines took his smooth stones in his scrip and his sling in his hand but his heart leaned on the name of the Lord of hosts