Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	king_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	27	3	8.4149	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01935	Certaine sermons preached upon severall occasions viz. The vvay to prosper. The vvay to be content. The vvay to vvell-doing. A summer sermon. A vvinter sermon. Vnknowne kindnesse. The poore mans hope. By Iohn Gore Rector of Wenden-lofts in Essex.	Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to prosper.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to be content.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to well-doing.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Summer sermon.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Winter sermon.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Unknowne kindnesse.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Poore mans hope.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Oracle of God.	1636 (1636)	STC 12071; ESTC S120526	199,234	334

great thy corruptions never so many thy passions never so strong He that could calme the sea can calme thy sorrowes and speake peace unto thy soule in the midst of all thy troubles and therefore if at any time thy passions be stirred and thy heart disquieted within thee know of a surety that there is some Ionah that hath raised this storme some sinne or other that hath caused this trouble to thy soule then fall to thy prayers as Eliah did and give God no rest till God hath given rest to thy soule Eliah was a man subject to passions and 〈…〉 It followes How did he pray My text 〈◊〉 he prayed earnestly in the Originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In praying he prayed or he prayed a prayer we translate it He prayed earnestly and it is to very good purpose for it implies thus much that no prayer is a prayer indeede but an earnest prayer Cold and carelesse prayers counterfeit and superstitious prayers they be but res nihili in Gods account no prayers at all I will give you an instance Act. 9. 11. When Paul was converted and stricken with blindnesse Almightie God sent Ananias to him to lay his hands upon him and to recover him of his sight now least he should mistake the man and lay his hands upon a wrong party God gives him this prive token to know him by for behold he prayeth Now let me demand do you think that S. Paul never prayed to God till that time or doe you imagine that was the first prayer that ever Paul made It is the first we reade of but doe you thinke he never prayed before I beleeve hee did many a time and oft and I will give you my reason Saint Paul you know was a Pharisee one of the strictest and devoutest of all the Sect as he testifies of himselfe and the Pharisees you know were altogether given to long praying it was their glory and their gaine to that they could make long prayers in every place in the open streets in widowes houses and no doubt but Saint Paul had as excellent a faculty that way and could pray as long and as largely as the best of them all but see the issue Almighty God who stiles himselfe the hearer of prayers gave no eare tooke no notice of all his formall Pharisaicall hypocriticall prayers which he had made in former times till he came to this humble this earnest this heart-breaking prayer And now saith God Behold he prayeth hee never prayed indeed till now for as Philo saith well God doth not numerare but ponderare not number our prayers but weigh them if he finde them cordiall if he finde them hearty that they have some substance and so●e weight in them then he records and registers and sets them downe in that booke of remembranc● which the Prophet speakes of Mal. 3. 16. If otherwise they be dull and heartlesse lazy and spiritlesse God doth by them as hee doth by onr sinnes of ignorance Act. 17. 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 winke at them over-see them passe by and take no notice of them let no man therefore deceive himselfe to thinke that all kinde of praying speeds alike for no prayer is a prayer in Gods account but an earnest prayer Eliah prayed a prayer because he prayed earnestly Furthermore it is worth your noting to see the constant disposition of this holy man Eliah was well knowne to be a hot spirited man in all his actions exceeding zealous and earnest in all his reprehensions both of the King and of the people Now here you may observe the equability the evennesse of Eliahs zeale as he was earnest in his reprehensions so he was as earnest in his devotions and as zealous in his prayers as he was in his anger There is many a man hot and fiery in his anger but cold and luke-warme in prayers such zeale is never right Gal. 4. 18. It is good to be alwayes earnest in a good thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is the word to be hot and fiery and zealously affected in one good thing as well as another in devotion as well as reprehension in prayer as well as in anger When a mans zeale is equable like Eliahs then it is right and pleasing to God As Physitians judge of the state of a mans body Vniversalia salutaria particularia ex morb● as thus if a man be hot in one part and cold in another if the palmes of his hands burne and the soles of his feet be key-cold then all is not right but if he be of an indifferent equall heate all over that held a good signe of good health in the body By the like rule judge thou of the state of thy soule if thy zeale be equable and uniforme both in prayer and in anger it is a good signe of grace and sanctification in thy heart but if it vary and differ that there is too much heate in the one too little in the other all is not well within It was the reason which old Father Latimer gave why men in these dayes doe not prevaile with God in their prayers as Eliah and such others had done in former times Deest ignis saith he deest ignis There lackes fire there lackes fire his meaning is our prayers want that zeale that heate that earnestnesse which they put into theirs For as Incense without fire yeelds no smell no more doth prayer without zeale and earnestnesse and as Hony is no Hony if it have lost its sweetnesse and Vinegar is no Vinegar if it have lost its sharpenesse so Prayer is no Prayer if it be void of earnestnesse Eliah prayed indeede because he prayed earnestly Now I come to the subject and matter of his Prayer which I told you was first for a judgement and then for a blessing first for a drought and then for raine as it followeth He prayed earnestly that it might not raine and it rained not on the earth by the space of three yeares and sixe moneths Here are two weighty points to be considered 1. What should move Eliah to pray for a judgement 2. Why hee made choise to pray for this kind of judgement of drought and dearth rather then for any other I will tell you my opinion of both 1. Vpon what ground or by what warrant did Eliah pray for a judgement S. Paul in my conceit seemes to taxe him for it Rom. 11. 2. and he brings it in with a notandum wote ye not i doe ye not marke and observe what the Scripture saith of Eliah how he made intercession to God against Israel Good men in former times were wont to make intercession to God For the people not Against them Abraham prayed for the wicked Sodomites Ieremy prayed for the Idolatrous Israelites till God forbad him and gave him a countermand Pray no more for this people for I will not heare thee Ier. 11. 14. The Husbandman in the Parable entreates his Master for the unfruitfull tree that hee

of David 〈…〉 upon me and would take no repulse but else more they rebuked him for his clamour so much the more he cryed Thou sonne of David have mercy on me God thy way saith our Saviour thy faith hath saved thee what kinde of faith was his it was ●n earnest ●aith a zealous a prayerfull faith faith without zeale without 〈…〉 and importunity to God in prayer will never save 〈◊〉 man it is the zealous faith that is the saving faith That is another vertue that must be added to our faith 6. Lastly Fides 〈◊〉 Mat. ● The faith of the Centurion 〈◊〉 Saviour himselfe admired it and said I have not found so great faith 〈…〉 in Israel What kinde of faith was his it was a mercifull a compassionate faith the Centurion ayled nothing himselfe onely he had a poore servant that lay sicke at home visited by the hand of God and his heart could 〈◊〉 bee as rest till h●e had wrought a meanes to our Saviour to relieve and restore him Here is 〈…〉 man 〈…〉 to them that are in misery Faith without compassion and mercy to the poore and needy will never save a 〈…〉 it is the mercifull faith that is the saving Faith These be the vertues that 〈◊〉 be added to our faith without which whatsoever we professe are cannot 〈…〉 in truth and reality to beleeve 〈◊〉 in God If 〈◊〉 bee away all the rest of ●osephs brethren might as good stay at home so if vertue be wanting our faith will stand us but in little stead to 〈◊〉 and therefore marks what followes in the 〈…〉 God 〈…〉 I might here by the way observe from 〈◊〉 order of the words that before a man can doe good workes that may be acceptable to God and availeable to his owne soule hee must first be a beleever and be endued with faith and other graces from above for if the water be soule in the well it must needes be soule in the bucket if the heart be uncleane within the workes that issue from it must needes bee so much the worse But I never loved to dishearten any man from well-doing to tell men as some doe because they have alittle authority for it that the best workes that men can doe if they be unsanctified to their thinking and unregenerate are but splendida pec●ata glorious and glittering sinnes that may perhaps slake the fire of Hell but not extinguish it and make a mans damnation it may be somewhat more tolerable but not a whit the lesse durable what miserable comfort is this to a weake well meaning Christian it is just for all the world like that which Bias calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Backeward forwarding of a cause it is rather terrifying then induring and wil sooner drive a man off then draw 〈…〉 God with his substance and to helpe himselfe to heaven by well-doing for my owne part I am of the same minde for matter of good workes that Saint Paul was for matter of preaching Phil. 1. 15. some saith the Apostle preach Christ of ●●vie and strife and 〈◊〉 of good will and love what then saith he why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 whether in pretence or in truth so that Christ bee preached I therein doe rejoyce yea and will rejoyce for I know that somebody shall fare the better for it It shall 〈…〉 my 〈◊〉 ver 18 19. Thus say I some men doe good workes out of faith and a good conscience others perhaps out of vaineglory and ostentation what 〈◊〉 Why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Any way so that good workes be done sincerely 〈…〉 sincerely I for my part both do wil cōmend 〈…〉 for I 〈◊〉 that God must needes have some glory the Church the poore some good and themselves without all doubt shall be ultra condig●um rewarded for it In the 9. of Luke there was one that cast out devills in Christs name who followed him not the Disciple tell our Saviour they had forbidden him our Saviour rebuked them and said noe I will none of that Forbid him n●t for ●ee that is not against us is for us ver 50. Christ would have no man hindered or discouraged from well-doing whether hee follow him or follow him not but let them have all the encouragement that may be to forward and further men in doing good You know what God sayd to Caine Gen. 4. 7. If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted and you know what Caine was to shew that God will accept of any mans well doing Some men no doubt doe good workes Obediently because God commands them so to doe others perhaps doe it onely R●tinually because they thinke well of it themselves what then as long as God accepts it what reason have we to speake against it I say no more but what was said to Gideon Vp a●●kee doing and the Lord shall 〈◊〉 with you for good So I come more neerely to the Apostles in junction touching the maintenance and continuance of good workes among men which are of three sorts 1. Opera pirtatis workes of piety and devotion to God as prayer thankesgiving besides other divine expressions and exhibitions of ou● duty of 〈…〉 our God for Gods services are of two sorts some are cheape services that come gratis and cost us nothing comming to Church hearing of Sermons receiving the Sacrament and few there bee that make any scruple of these because they come of free cost yet the old world was 〈…〉 other some a●● chargeable service● 〈…〉 the may●tenance of Gods ministry the building and repayring of his sanctuary and those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Apostle speakes of Heb. 7. 4. paying tythes of the best and principall of allthings in 〈…〉 did when it comes to these as 〈◊〉 said 〈…〉 The Lord pardon his servants in these things 〈…〉 have not one to an hundred but will haggle and dodg● with God most shamefully and basely when it comes to a matter of cost what law compels them that they doe but it is 〈…〉 God knows against the haire nay against the very heart of them to part with any to the Lord from whom they have received all things just as one said of his Saint Martyn Martinus ●onus in auxilio churu● in negotio he was a good saint for his assistances but a chargeable saint for his businesses so basely doe many thinke of God they like his succour well but hot his service He is a good God for his comforts but for his costlinesse they would willingly have that abated Time was when men faulted in excesse the Iewes were faine to be restrained by Proclamations our Ancestors were faine to be restrayned by Statutes of Mortmayne now there needes none of all this men know how to shut their hands alone and strive rather to be injurious then any way helpefull to God and his Church I say no more but referre you to our Saviours determination Hee oporte● facere these works of piety must not be left undone