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
A90965	Honey out of the rock, or, Gods method in giving the sweetest comforts in sharpest combates. Chiefly intended, as spirituall plunder for plundered beleevers.	Price, John, Citizen of London.	1644 (1644)	Wing P3343; Thomason E46_14; ESTC R22911	32,070	38

God my high tower God gives unto the soule the wings of a Dove as David hath it Psalme 55.6 viz. of his Spirit whereby he flies away and is at rest Tell me you experienced holy ones did you ever feele the strength of faith more glorious in you then since these troubles came upon you have you not found your faith a great deale weaker under lesser troubles then now when happily you are plundered of all you have Fourthly as the Spirit of God shewes the soule where his sccuritie is and the doore hereunto and gives legs and spirit to run unto it it shewes God and Jesus Christ and brings the soule unto God through Christ So in the fourth place it enables the souleta treat with God in prayer and to prevaile with him to be his securitie his rocke his defence c. The Spirit of Christ moves the soule towards God through Christ and then suggests and dictates its request unto him Gal. 4.6 Because you are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts whereby you cry Abba Father the Saints of God are sons of God Ye are sons saith the Text the free grace of God maketh them so by adoption the Spirit of God makes them so by the infusion of the Divine Nature viz. so farr as communicable the sons of God have the Spirit of Christ because you are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts where hee gives the priviledges of his Sonne he gives the Spirit of his Sonne into their hearts not onely the knowledge of his Sonne into their heads and the confession of his Sonne into their tongues but the Spirit of his Sonne into their hearts whereby ye cry the Spirit of Christ is a spirit of prayer and of fervency in prayer ye cry Abba Father the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of adoption and that to the Greeks as well as to the Jewes and the Spirit perswades that now the sonnes of God are not onely of the Jewes but the Gentiles and that hee is a Father to all that call upon him in Truth whether Jewes or Greekes and therefore the Apostle here speaketh in the language both of the Jewes and Greekes viz. the whole world Abba Father the maine that we note here to our purpose is that the Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of prayer and it cheares the soule in time of trouble by enabling it to powre out it selfe unto the Lord in prayer which is a sweet supporting exercise God commands in nothing to be carefull but in every thing to let our requests be made knowne unto him in giving of thankes Philip. 4.6 God would have his people live in quietnesse not in anxious troubles and solicitous cares of the minde be so carefull for nothing turne not your troubles into cares but into prayers in every thing by prayer and supplication let every thing occasion prayer and supplication and let your prayers be alwayes dasht with thanks-giving your present wants may move your prayers and earnest requests your supplications and your present enjoyments calls for your thanks-giving This God commands in many places in the holy Scriptures Open thy mouth wide I will fill it Psal 81.10 we cannot out pray Gods power and goodnesse No he is able and therefore willing to doe abundantly above all that we are able to aske or thinke Ephes 3.20 I might bring in many more places as that in the Canticles 2.14 Let me see thy face let me heare thy voice and againe Call upon me in the day of trouble I will heare thee and turne thy prayer into prayses thou shalt praise me Psal 50.15 The Spirit puts the soule into an improvement of these incouragements in this duty And here againe let me appeale unto you Oh ye afflicted and persecuted Saints did you ever feele the Spirit of prayer so swectly breathing in your souls as since your troubles Have you not found that freenesse and inlargednesse of spirit which you neuer found in all the dayes of your pilgrimage cannot many a secret corner witnesse such pantings such movings such powring forth of prayers and teares and holy and heavenly affections as you never knew before and hath not this been a most sweet strengthning ordinance unto you though God hath touched you as it were in the hollow of your thigh I mean your estate your friends and outward comforts that perhaps you may halt all the dayes of your life in respect thereof yet have you not had such a blessing through your wrastling with God as that you would not want it for all your former wonted comforts That is the fourth particuler Fiftly as the Spirit of God doth minde the soule of God his tower of Jesus Christ the doore into it gives strength to come unto it enables to pray and prevaile with God for protection and supplies so in the last place the spirit proves in the soule grace sufficient to support to uphold during the trouble it lies under 2. Cor. 12.9 The Apostle Paul lying under some great pressure of spirit what it was is the different judgement of many godly learned yet it drove him unto God in Christ and his answere was that the grace of God was sufficient for him the grace of God that is the favour of God is sufficient to appease and satisfie his conscience from guilt and the grace of God that is the Spirit of grace is sufficient to support and keepe up the heart notwithstanding the power of the affliction This Spirit of Christ convaies as it were the influence of Gods attributes his power goodnesse and mercy and the influence of Christs Offices and Merits and applyes and brings home the sweet and luscious promises and the strength of supporting ordinances in that experimentall and sutable manner unto the condition of the soule that no man knowes the meaning hereof but spirituall Christians indeed And tell me againe O ye afflicted of the Lord have you not felt the secret workings of the attributes of God Offices Blood and Merits of Christ the Promises of the Gospel and Ordinances of Gods Worship like the still dew of heaven dropping upon your soules and making you fruitfull in all peace and joy in beleeving filling you with patience meekenesse and all other graces of the Spirit to the praise of his grace And have not you beene in respect of your inward and spirituall security like God himselfe a bove all storms and troubles belowe able to laugh them to scorne have you not felt such refreshings to come from the presence of the Lord which have been as waters out of a rock in a thirsty land Have you not been hereby able to see all things beneath you and your selves like God in securitie when clouds and darknesse have beene round about you solacing your selves in your God pertaking of that fulnesse of joy and drinking from those rivers of pleasure which are in his presence for evermore And that is the fourth generall

1. Cor. 2.14 15. Fiftly The Spirit of Christ gives a being unto the word of God in the soule and this doth steare and guide the heart and life this is sweeter unto them then the honey or the honey-combe it maketh them set to their seale that God is true that his word is tried Psal 18.30 setled in beaven Psal 119.89 that God hath magnified his Word above all his Name Psal 138.2 That the word of the Lord shall stand Esai 40.8 That heaven and earth shall passe away before one jot or tittle of his word shall faile Matth. 5.18 This is setled in the heart by the Spirit and there it frames the heart according to it and this is called Gods writing his laws in the heart of Beleevers Heb. 8.10 Hence it comes to passe that they obey from the heart that forme of doctrine that is delivered unto them Rom. 6.17 So that they rejoyce at the word of promise as one that findeth great spoiles Psal 119.162 And they stand in awe of the word of threatning verse 161. and the word of instruction direction consolation reprehension from the mouth of God hath most deepe weight and roome in the heart This is one of the most clear durable and effectuall evidence of the Spirit of Christ so that when many other quallifications faile and there is no difference in the soules apprehension between it selfe and the vilest of sinners when little or nothing at all of the fruits of the Spirit appeare when instead of faith hope patience meeknesse c. the soule is apprehensive of nothing but unbeliefe and feare passion pride hardnesse of heart c. Yet then the word of free grace and the promise of healing mercy this stayeth and supporteth the heart Now this is differenced from that vain common pretended dependance that meere formalists have of the word of God in such particulers as these First Beleevers in and through Christ waits for the fulfilling of the Word in him they expect all to be Yea and Amen So that being acquainted with the manifold mysteries of God in Christ through him they expect the performance of all his word so that though flesh faile and heart faile yet God through Christ is his portion and help for ever and this is unto him as good as currant money in his purse which answers every condition whatsoever whereas meere formalists in a sleight general and confused notion of God and Christ very faintly professe faith in the word but their eyes and their hopes are after carnall and secondary supports which failing their spirits faints Secondly The whole Word of God hath a proportionable being and power in the hearts of beleevers The word of promise of threatning of terror of comfort of command of prohibition consolation direction c. each of these hath its proper work upon the heart of Beleevers so that there is a sweet commensurable and proportionable influence thereof in the heart making it to rejoyce with trembling and to tremble with rejoycing Every notion of God hath a particular work upon the heart working up the whole frame of the soul unto a sweet and blessed posture of the inward man But it is not thus with Formalists they haply may be affected with the word of promise and sometimes terrified with the word of threatning but the word of direction and instruction seldome takes hold upon their hearts they are sometimes tickled with flashy raptures of joy in a conceitednesse of their interest in the promises and again as deeply cast down with unbelief and despair when a threatning of the word seiseth upon their hearts but they are not proportionably ballanced with ingenious constant mutuall and sutable affections from every part of the whole Word of God Thirdly the Word of God is a Beleevers meditation his study and that for obedience and conformity sake here unto insomuch that it hath an influence throughout his whole course of life Look upon him in his relations whether master servant husband wife father child c. or in his conditions whether poore or rich high or low or in his calling in buying selling working c. the Word of God runs in his mind and how he might conform unto that as may be clearly shewed from the Scriptures in many instances but that it would leade into too large a discourse But now it is not thus with formalists the Word of God runs not in his thoughts but his ends and aimes and not the will of God steers him in his whole conversation so that we may conclude it an undoubted character of the presence of the Spirit of Christ viz. it s giving a being unto the whole Word of God in the soul which is the fifth Testimony of the Spirits presence in the Saints Shall we apply this with reference to the comfort of those whose outward comforts are lost and gone is it thus with you do you find Christ in you spiritually in the sence formerly spoken of Do you find your hearts alwayes by a sing towards Jesus Christ in respect of the bent and frame thereof do you find the Spirit of Christ trading with you for God as Christ with God for you do you find your hearts affected with spirituall objects hath the whole Word of God a being in your hearts is it not thus with you in some sweet and precious measure Oh do not deny God in you I know it is thus with you lift up then your hanging-down hands and strengthen your feeble knees rejoyce and be exceeding glad great is your portion in heaven be not cast down at your present condition God hath taken away the lesser testimonies of his love that he may clear it up by greater and is this your sorrow You have heretofore offered up your selves and your estates unto God he hath accepted of your offering is this your complaint He hath taken away his ordinarie and common favours that you might partake of his extraordinarie and speciall grace and shall this grieve you He hath taken away your shels and husks the creature that he might feed you with kernels even himself and is this your dejection Chear up then you children of the most high sitting haply for the present in sackcloth and ashes forget not your consolation which speaketh unto you as unto children My son despise not the chastening of the Lord neither faint thou when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son that he receiveth Hebr. 12.5 6. Though you are afflicted and tossed up and down yet behold now you are the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what you shall be but when Christ which is your life shall appear then shall ye appear with him in glory 1 Joh. 3.2 All your present troubles extend no farther then your meer carcasse your vile bodies which God shall one day change making it like unto the glorious body of Jesus Christ Philip. 3.21 Yet a little while and the Lord shall wipe away all tears from your eyes yea he that shall come will come and will not tarry In the mean while take these directions for your present practice the fruit whereof will be sweet and comfortable to your souls First take heed of sinning in the time of your affliction this will torment more then any thing Secondly study not your losses pore not upon your miserie little good will come by that but melancholly and afflicting thoughts Thirdly study the severall grounds of comfort mind your Consolations it will be a heart-raising work Fourthly observe every dayes providence and the Almighty his carefull provision for you this will heighten your experiences and fill you with joy Fiftly be frequent in prayer and in nothing be carefull but in all things let your requests be made known unto God in prayer and supplication with giving of thanks And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall preserve your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Philip. 4.6 7. FINIS