Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	holy_a	lord_n	pray_v	9,375	5	6.2204	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12309	A sermon preached before the King at VVhite-Hall, the third of December. By Robert Skinner chaplaine in ordinary to His Maiestie. Published by His Maiesties command	Skinner, Robert, 1591-1670.	1634 (1634)	STC 22628; ESTC S121771	14,611	48

Lord God most holy doth inhabite and possesse them as his proper Mansion or dwelling House for did he not take possession when the Cloud covered the Tent and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle Exod. 40.34 What did hee else by that sacred inumbration but take as it were Liverie and Seisin And just so it was at the finishing of the Temple The glory of the Lord filled the House of the Lord 1. Kings 8. And they were thereupon called and counted his dwelling Place for ever after by David O thou that dwellest betweene the Cherubins Psal 80. by our Saviour Who so shall sweare by the Temple sweareth by it and by him that dwelleth therein Matth. 23.21 And can any Christian doubt whether hee bee present in our Christian Congregations where holy Prayers are powred forth his holy Gospel preached his holy Sacraments administred his most holy Body and Blood communicated Is it not deepe infidelitie and heresie to thinke Christ to bee absent from his Body and Blood Most certainely present he is though not by his glorious yet in a singular way by his gracious presence Yee may as well saith S. Chrysostome shut God out of Heaven S. Chrys horn 36. in 1. Cor. as exclude him hence For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this indeed is Heaven upon Earth and here the Tabernacle of God is with men and God himselfe is with them Revel 21. Holy then wee see because the Lord is there by his holy presence And now it begins to be open day with us we may clearely perceive why the Prophet would have us worship rather in the place of holinesse than elsewhere Because the Lord is sure to be found there And wee are to seeke the Lord as well where as while hee may be found Where will yee enquire of the Master but at his House And the House of God is the House of Prayer Esa 56. Where shall yee hope to finde the King so soone as in his Court So the King of Heaven will be found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his holy Court above any other place True the Lord will be found of his humble devout servants in what place soever and I would have nothing understood to the prejudice of private prayer For Moses in the Sea Iob on the Dunghill Ieremie in the Dungeon Daniel in the Den Ionas in the Whale the Children in the Furnace S. Peter and Paul in Prison calling upon God were heard as S. Basil noteth And therefore the Apostle would have men pray every where lifting up holy hands 1. Tim. 2. Yes every where with holy hands But are holy hands every where What shall the sinner doe that is destitute of holy hands What else but to the Temple with the Publican There he shall meete with holy hands in the holy Assembly and may speed the better be graciously accepted for their sakes as Iobs friends for his sake Iob 42. In my devotions let me joyne with the righteous and then his prayer I shall hope will make way for mine Nay and how shall my charitie be augmented my zeale kindled my faith confirmed when I heare the whole congregation quasi manu factâ to implore and send up an army of prayers Tertull. for the pardon of my sinnes For thus it is ever in these sacred meetings All for every one and every one for all that God may be gracious and have mercy upon all great reason then we should worship there And so often as we worship there would God wee would remember where we are that the place whereon we stand is holy ground It vvas certainly part of the Prophets meaning that the very name of Holinesse should make us beware of prophanenesse He termes it rather a place of Holinesse than the Tabernacle or the Temple to put us in minde of that venerable grave religious behaviour evermore requisite and expected here For Holinesse becommeth thy House O Lord for ever Psal 93. to put us in minde to looke well to our feete when wee goe to the House of God Eccl. 4. To our Feete not to make that a walking place and to our Tongues not to make that a talking place and to our Eyes not to make that a gazing place And he that whipt the buyers and sellers out of the Temple would he not thinke we have silenced our praters in the House of Prayer and have charged our Church-walkers to leave the Church Antiquitie so understood it I am sure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 36. in 1. Cor. In the Church unlawfull even to speake but to a neighbor saith S. Chrysostome and much more unlawfull to contrive drive a Bargaine there as if at a Mart or common Market And how unsufferable then that the Church should be made a place of rude contentions and uncivill contestations But was not Antiquitie too precise No they knew Religion is upheld by nothing more than Reverence that wee can never bee too cleane in the Sanctuarie nor too holy in the place of Holinesse where we are to meete with our Maker and to worship the Lord most high and most holy Let us passe on now from this holy place as it is holy and behold it a while as beautifull for beautifull it is as well as holy even the beautie of Holinesse O worship c. Expositors finde themselves at a losse and therefore strive to make it up as they may by various expressions Some say in Sanctuario magnifico in the stately Sanctuarie Some in magnificentiâ Sanctitatis in the sumptuousnesse or magnificence of Sanctitie Some in splendore Sacrarii in the splendour or glory of his holy Place Some in decore Sanctitatis in the comelinesse or Beautie of Holinesse Now put them together and the Place recommended is holy comely stately sumptuous glorious not more holy than comely nor more sacred than sumptuous A most fit Place this to worship the Lord in O worship the Lord in the beautie of Holinesse But is not our Prophet mistaken heere Or is not this combination made up of inconsistents For can Holy and Stately Beautie and Sanctitie runne in a Line Yes may and ought as much as may be and where they part and goe asunder both abate of their perfection for as nothing magnifies Greatnesse more than Godlinesse so nothing sets off Godlinesse more than Greatnesse Poore and godly are as little esteemed of the many as poore and wise and yee know what the Wise man sayes and shewes too The poore mans wisdome is despis'd Eccl. 9.16 And on the other side what is a great ungodly man without amendment but like a great unsound Cedar every day fitter and fitter for the fire But where Greatnesse and Goodnesse Highnesse and Holinesse Sanctitie and Sublimitie meet there Gods worship is in the full there God is magnified indeed and wee cannot but hope the Lord will goe on to magnifie with the full measure of his Blessings And wee shall quickly perceive Gods worship to be advanced as well

beyond all discovery Holinesse hath had her habitation As for Tatnai and Shetherbosnai and Sanballat open or clandestine enemies to the beauty of Holinesse Fill their faces with shame that they may seeke thy name O Lord That we and they and all that lay claime to true Holinesse may preferre the beauty of Holinesse before all other beauties and with cleane hands and pure hearts delight to worship the Lord in the proper place of his Worship the beauty of Holinesse I haue done at last with the properties of the place Holy and beautifull Now followes the Prophets entreaty which I shall treate of in very few words and so conclude O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holinesse Take it joyntly together and it is not more a Precept than a Prayer a very emphaticall obsecration full of holy importunitie and which argues in our Princely Prophet an extraordinarie love to the Place and the Service here commended that his chiefe delight was there For How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts Ps 84. And how disconsolate when hee was driven thence Woe is mee that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech and to have my habitation among the Tents of Kedar Ps 120. seemes to envie the filly Birds The Sparrowes and Swallowes may lay their young even by thine Altars O Lord of Hosts my King and my God nor so desirous though to be there alone but there with his people I was glad when they said unto me We will goe into the House of the Lord Ps 122. It joyed him to be seene In medio Ecclesiae in the midst of the Congregation will I prayse thee Ps 22. Hee would pay his Vowes in an exemplarie way in the presence of all his people Ps 116. And wee cannot otherwise understand him here Come children hearken unto me doe as yee see mee doe adorate and adorabo went together we may be sure And a blessed sight it was to see Religion countenanced and the people religious not more by his Regall Precepts and Edicts than his Presence and Practice Now blessed are the people that be in such a case Looke we then to the practice of King David what he was wont to doe in Gods House and wee shall soone discerne why hee is so earnest to send us thither Thither went David as well for resolution as devotion and his religious attention was a good part of his adoration there I will hearken what the Lord God will say Psal 85. Et quaeram in Templo ejus and I will enquire in his Temple Psal 27. And he tells us hee could not be satisfied till hee went into the Sanctuary of God Psal 73. For the Sanctuary of old was the set place for satisfaction in doubtfull cases even from Moses to David omnis populus qui habebat aliquam quaestionem Exod. 33. All that had ought to say any doubt to bee resolved resorted thither for expedition Prince and People all without exception And now it is a cleere case it might vvell import him as a King to be earnest in this point that his people vvould goe and receive instruction in publique in the place appointed the right place because Conventicles and private meetings under colour of Religion too often serve unto dangerous practises Seditious opinions and turbulent positions have beene ever first invented and vented in private There it is that peremptory pens and sawcie tongues are thought consciencious because audacious and hee commonly reputed the best man that is the worst subject Or consider him if yee please as a Prophet so I am sure he could not be too earnest for worship in publique For the only way this to preserve Religion and the truth untainted to have Holinesse duely taught in the beautie of Holinesse Your intermingling and adulterate doctrines have beene still begotten in private and have passed by peece-meale from the Chamber to the Chappell and so to Church For when or where I pray you did the envious man sowe his tares it was dormientibus hominibus while men slept in all likelihood in some private meeting about midnight when the watchmen of Israel were asleepe Wee may not doubt but peace and truth both depend upon it that we assemble to worship the Lord in the proper place of his worship But David they will say though a King and a Prophet was under the Law and is he a fit president for professours of the Gospell Let them appeale then if they will from David to the sonne of David our blessed Saviour And how stood he affected That he was all in all for the publique most manifest it is by the good confession which he made Ioh. 18.20 I spake openly to the world I ever taught in the Synagogue and in the Temple whither the Iewes daily resort and in secret have I said nothing Heare this you that love to whisper it in a corner that stand so much for Privatus aliquis a private spirit or a private brother in a private place how directly contrary are you to Christ you for omnia Christ for nihil in occulto good Christians in the meane while For that our Saviour could not away with this Parlour-preaching and these Chamber-congregations plaine it seemes by that charge which he left to his Church Matt. 24.26 If they shall say unto you behold hee is in the desart goe not forth behold he is in the secret chambers beleeve them not For I beseech you where hath beene the meeting place of our Anti-Canonicall Canonists and where have they enacted their Antisynodicall Sanctions but in deserto or in Cubiculo there is therefore no beleeving them Alas when they have set up once in private the great idoll of their own imaginations have consulted their grand Oracle I was saying at the Idols table they will not sticke to say and decree any thing No appealing then from David to the son of David in this case both are for the publique for the solemne assembly both for the Temple and the holy place the beautie of Holinesse And now represent we David to our thoughts as a King or a Prophet we must needs confesse that this entreatie here is to singular good purpose that it makes very much for truth and unitie and pietie Now the God of peace and truth leade us into all truth and bring us unto that peace which passeth all understandding bring us all in mercy from the beautie of Holinesse in the kingdome of Grace to the Holy of Holies in the kingdome of Glory Amen FINIS