Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n
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A86646
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Quaking principles dashed in pieces by the standing and unshaken truth. Being an examination of the tenents held forth by certain northern people, viz. 1. Slighting of the written word. 2. A speaking to that within man. 3. Denying the use of reason in the matters of God. 4. A denying of the ascension and being of the body of Christ. 5. A denying of all the ordinances of Christ. 6. A denying honour to men. 7. Affording absolute perfection at one instant. / By Henoch Howet.
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Howet, Enoch.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing H3152; Thomason E821_2; ESTC R207358
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15,546
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20
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our comfort or hope should be taken from us For comfort and hope they are in two respects First what cause of comfort is there when all our experiences are the same that have been of old declared in Scripture And if Satan in the time of Gods withdrawing should go about to perswade us that our experiences were false and we would say they were revealed from God and the same that were written in the Scriptures of truth Dan. 10.21 What a comfort would that be to us Note here in this place of Daniel when the Angel would comfort him he doth it not onely by touching his lips by lifting him up by speaking to him but also that he might seal up all his experiences he saith I will shew thee what is written in the Scriptures of a truth there is none that holdeth with us but Michael your Prince The second respect wherein we are comforted by Scripture is in respect of our exspectation when we hope for nothing but what God hath in Scripture promised this makes us come boldly to the Throne of Grace Dan. 6. I Daniel understand by Books c. and I set my face to seek the Lord by prayers and supplications c. and when things come to pass that God hath promised it fils the heart with praises and will make all that have Davids spirit to say In God will I praise thy Word But now lest some should say that I make the Scriptures the sole cause of knowledg which the Saints are to look unto for Life and Salvation I answer No I minde them to be but the testimonie of Christ but yet such a testimonie as is able in the hand of the eternal Teacher to make the man of God wise to Salvation yet if we come not to Christ by the drawing of the Father we can have no saving life nor light although we have the whole outward knowledg of them in the written letter John 5.39 Sure it is they that were instructed by Moses had the outward teachings of the now written letter and so still for the organ of the ear or eye letteth into the understanding whilest God applieth it to the heart and by this means the Saints in the hand of God are humbled at his feet to receive of his Word as in Deut. 33.3 Though Moses spake these words of Christian experience yet they administred to the ear that sweet dropping oration in Deut. 32.33 which by the Spirit of God applying is made powerfull in operation and is now left also upon record for our instruction according to that of Christ who saith They have Moses and the Prophets when they had but the words which Moses writ The Scriptures prove the work of the new birth counsels us to buy of God milk and wine and teacheth us to bear the hand of the Lord patiently till he bring us forth to the light and shew us his righteousness Micah 7. from the 7. to the 9. v. It teacheth us perseverance to the end and he that heareth and knoweth this except he do it it availeth nothing in Ezek. 33.31 32. And divers sweet directions and promises together with records of Saints former experiences all which applied by Gods spirit to the believers heart is able to make the man of God wise to Salvation And now I come to the second of their mistakes that is A speaking to a thing within thee I would fain know what can be meant by the thing within men for there is nothing in man to be spoken to but man if it be Light it hath enlightned man and then man is to be accounted and spoken to as enlightned so then they cannot speak to his Light as distinct but to man enlightned for Christ and his Apostles always spoke to man It 's true Satan that hath sent forth his Angels transforming himself into Angels of Light to publish his delusions and deceits may and it 's likely hath therewithall sent forth a spirit in men to perswade the receiving that his dark and delusive Light and hereupon the Angels of Satan without may speak to the spirit of Satan within under the notion of Light but unless they speak unto Satan or some of his Legion in man I know not how they can speak unto any Light in man distinct from him It may be his language but it is none of Gods for it 's no form of sound words which we are commanded to hold fast 2 Tim. 1.13 And now I come to the third of their mistakes that is The denying the use of reason or consideration in the matters of God calling it Serpentine and many other terms of contempt and upon this ground they will not do as the Apostles of Christ and Christ himself who did dispute or reason with the gain-sayers of the truth Christ disputed with the Jews 6 8. chap. of John and Stephen Acts 6.9 10. There arose certain of the Synagogue called Libertines and Cyrenians and Alexandrians and of Cilicia and Asia and disputed with Stephen and they were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which he spake And why was it but because of the strength of demonstration that was in it The Spirit of God makes use of reason or wisdom and tongue in man and all the faculties of bodie and soul in a godly man to honor himself and to resist unto bloud striving against sin and to contend earnestly for the faith once given to the Saints So that ye see how far different these men are from the words and practice of Christ and his ministrie As for reason carnally implied we justifie it not which hath this character it is pitying it self and therein Satan is conversant for when Peter said to Christ Master pitie thy self none of these things shall befall thee c. for this Reason where it rules will not let any follow God or Christ further than they can carrie their own things viz. their own honors pleasures ease worldly beloveds that their worldly lusts may have life and delight and so throw by the things of Christ his Cross his afflictions c. and consequently his Crown too this made the Apostle complain All men seek their own things and none the things of Christ. We allow and honor reason in considering the works of God Eccles 7.13 As thus in so much that God hath made one creature I mean the Air that is present in all places at once and without it no creature that hath life can live And another creature to give light to the whole frame of nature I mean the Sun How easie a thing then is it by reason to conclude this God to be in all places at once viewing wickedness and creating new hearts and giving light to all though they sit in darkness and in the shadow of death Like to this David reasons Psalm 94 9 10 11. 2. In so much that God is the Author of all memorie and wisdom whereby all things in the earth may be remembred some things by
one some things by another some things by a third c. and all this is by the virtue of Gods working c. How easie a thing it is for the wicked sinning wretch to his conviction or terror to believe from reason God is able both to remember and take account of all his sins and to set them before him at the day of judgment 3. Considering that God hath created the whole world in six days how easie a thing is it conclude that he is able to send down the new Jerusalem from above according to the Word Rev. 21. And let those be silent that ask where shall there be room at the Resurrection for all to stand for as they are not able to comprehend what was spoken of before till it was brought to pass so neither are they able to comprehend how there shall be room more than they are able to create room for those that shall appear to judgment But we allow not that Reason that will not let the Word run and be glorified but reproach it and speak against it as those that believe not Election but stand questioning the justice of God as if God could be no further just than they could see him just These do in effect denie his Name Wonderfull for they would have him so little and narrow a God that they are able to defend him or else they would think it their part to stand still and wonder when they cannot see through his justice and not ask how they should defend his justice when any thing exceeds the compass of their reason Paul thought these persons not worthy of an answer Rom. 9.19 20. and therefore he takes them off short saying Nay but who art thou O man that repliest against God c. Neither do we allow of that reasoning which will take a Text of Scripture and raise an argument from it and thereupon conclude their own salvation and so get a conclusion instead of Christ for their assurance when as the Scripture telleth us it must be wrought out saying Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for Christ is to be noted for to be manifested to his John 14 21. revealed in Gal. 1.16 And therefore let us know that there is a day to dawn and a day star to rise in our hearts 2 Pet. 1.19 all which we are in prayers to be violent for and wait patiently for This is the good use of reason to resist the gain sayers of truth in disputes to be readie always to give answer to every man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in us 1 Pet. 3.15 and to taste of the goodness of God till we have lost our selves in it and to crie out with Paul O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledg of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out Rom. 11.33 And now I come to the fourth of their mistakes viz. Their denying of the Ascersion or the Being of the Bodie of Christ under the pretence of this Scripture Flesh and Bloud cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven It is true that flesh and bloud without the Spirit and Life of God cannot but he that is joyned to God is one spirit so if we should say This bulk or lump or form of man or mans flesh could not continue upon the earth it were true meaning without life for it would rot putrefie and stink c. But we shall prove first the burial of that Bodie of Christ John 19. at the later end of the Chapter his Resurrection chap. 20. his shewing his hands and his side to his Disciples and after to Thomas but to prove this fully that it was the bodie that walked upon earth he saith himself Luke 24 39. Handle me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have And that it is the same Jesus it is proved in Acts 1.1 2. The former Treatise have I made O Theophilus of all that Jesus began both to do and teach untill the day in which he was taken up which proves that the doing and teaching Jesus was taken up and I affirm it was the bodie for when he was upon earth he did no actions but with his bodie nor spake words but with his tongue that is a member of that bodie and that the same Jesus was taken into Heaven is plain in Acts 1.11 Ye men of Galilee Why stand ye gazing up into Heaven This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven This same Jesus must be he who is spoken of in v. 1. who is not without the bodie being the things that he spake and did were spoken and done with his bodie And now it follows that I prove he is in Heaven in Heb. 4. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God And it is proved that this High Priest is not without the bodie because he is called a man and I hope all men will say the bodie and soul is the man And that this man continues for ever is proved in Heb. 7.24 But this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood And in Heb. 8.3 It is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer And v. 4. For if he were on earth c. which proves that the manhood is in Heaven And in Heb. 9.24 For Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us And if any doubt whither it is the man there spoken of look in Heb. 10.12 for the speech is continued and there it is said But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down at the right hand of God And if any man doubt whither the man be now in Heaven let him look into Acts 3.20 21. And he shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you whom the Heaven must receive untill the times of restitution of all things Now Christ was preached a crucified Christ so that the bodie must needs be in Heaven 1 Cor. 1.23 We preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness It was the greatest stumbling block that could be to the Jews in the world to think that he that should come to deliver Israel should first be crucified These things thus proved let no man hereafter say that that bodie of our Lord which was crucified without the Gates of Jerusalem is not in Heaven And thus you see how these men denie the Lord that bought them if they denie that bodie that was crucified for them for he bought Lordship over all things by his death and so by that bodie that bled and suffered on the Cross and by that death became their Lord Philip. 2.7 8 9