Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	let_v	pray_v	sick_a	2,056	5	9.3427	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15108	A sermo[n] preached at Pawles Crosse on Sunday the thirde of Nouember 1577. in the time of the plague, by T.W.	White, Thomas, ca. 1550-1624.	1578 (1578)	STC 25406; ESTC S111738	33,572	100

more except you would haue vs sée all and say nothing And though héere I shall say nothyng but that that hath bin sayd yet that is no shame to me But I woulde fayne knowe of all that hath bin sayde what hathe bin done whiche is or may bée a great shame for you Desperate were the dayes of Ieremye wherein superstition and sinne as two scorpions were growen so ranke that high time it was for the very safegard of Gods remnant that the sounde of vengeance the exclamations of wee and terrible threatnings of God shuld be giuen out to terrifye and staye a● many as he had appointed to repente And oure age being in no better case but well worse hath extreame néede of eiulation and exclamation of the like woes and curses to stoppe and it maye be the intollerable abuses of our time to turne and it be possible our stubborne and stony hartes at length vnto the Lord. It is lamentable my brethren that the husbandmans corne can fynde no good ground but the enimies tares not sowne but shed and scattered doe yet take roote prosper and preuayle to the vtter choking and smothering of the Lords haruest But as where the word is not preached there the people perish So where it is plentifully deliuered and the people wilfully negligēt there is déepe damnation and vtter distruction shortly to be loked for Our Sauiour truly sayd the Haruest is greate and the labourers are fewe let vs follow his coūsel therfore pray the Lorde of the haruest to sende in more paynefull and faithfull labourers leaste the Bore of the woodde doe roote vppe the vyne leaste the cockle doe ouergrowe the corne leaste the Diuell make hauocke of altogither And in this prayer let vs commende vnto him his vniuersall Church and specially England and Irelande and herein particularlye our most gracious soueraigne Queene Elizabeth and all hir moste honourable Counsellers the whole ministerie and euerye priuate member of his body praying for the reste that in his good time they may be plāted in or else supplanted out that if they wil neuer bee good that they may yet neuer do harme vnto Israel which is of god Amen Wo to that abhominable filthie and cruell Citie she heard not the voice she receiued not correction shee trusted not in the Lord she drew not neere vnto hir God hir Rulers within hir are as Roring Lions hir Iudges are as Wolues in the euening c. THis Texte maye well be deuided into foure partes as it lyeth and séeing the words themselues doe leade me to so good an order I will contente my selfe and not séeke to be wyser than the holy Ghost The firste and principall parte is a gréeuous accusation of the whole state of Ierusalem both for life and religion Secondlye an enumeration of the particular causes thereof Thirdly a reprehension of the persons but especially of Magistrates and Ministers And fourthly a denouncing of woes and plagues against thē For the firste it is wonderfull to sée that nothing will doe the wicked anye good And agayne there is nothing can doe the godly any harme All the woes in the world will not make the wilfull once to beware but to the faithfull seruaunte of God one worde is ynough When the Lyon roreth who quaketh not and when God threatneth who is not afrayde Wide open were all the Prophets mouthes and euery one cryed woe but words are but winde and will not preuayle with the wicked who are sworne to sinne and solde ouer to worke wickednesse without measure And Gods owne children sometymes are taken tardy too and threatninges are in vayne euen to thē But as where wordes will take no place there blowes must be put in proof So where one nor other can doe anye good at all there remaynes nothing but a horrible expectation of destruction Neuerthelesse the verye reprobate and cursed wretch should quake at Gods checke who though he haue no holde nor hope of Eternall life for lacke of faith yet to auoyde the verye bodily plagues and miseries of this mortall life shoulde tremble and shake at his irefull and fearefull Iudgements Gods threatnings haue a tw●folde operation and effect the one in the chosen and it toucheth them verye néere and turneth their hearts and humbleth them in all their soule as Niniuie may be a liuely example the other in the wicked and they are made more obstinate froward and hard at the hearte and thereby more inexcusable as the example of Pharao in Egipt doth testifie It is and hathe bin euer a mercifull manner of our God to speake before he strike and he is not by by at a worde and a blowe neither but giueth time and space for repentance but and hys patience be wounded once then hys wrath kindleth as the coale and flameth as the fire and no man is able to abide the rage therof Flintie and peruerse were this people and this Prophet preuayled not amongst them hée was one of the last that preached to them before their captiuitie into Babylon Yet I trust better of you and pray better for you and am perswaded that you will doe those things that wée warne you of though we thus speake as Saint Paule saide of the Thessaloniās 2. Eph. 13. Cap. Let this driue you somewhat more néere your selfe that God will not be mocked and when hée accuseth it is but lost labour to excuse and as his word endureth for euer and euerye iotte thereof is perfecte to bée performed so these woes being a parte of his word can not returne in vayne thy Prophete yet be perused and read Ieremies bookes as it seemeth and foūd out the Prophecie of the peoples captiuitie .70 years which he calles w●●●s that so long Iuda shoulde lye by it and that for theyr transgression And the Angell Gabriel reuealed to him afterward that the Lord in mercy would yet restore them seuen fold again that is .70 times seuen which amoūteth or multiplieth in accoumpt to 490. yeres and then this Messias should come Ieremy here speaketh indefinitelye and sayth the time commeth where the present tyme is put for the future as I take it not to expresse the shortnesse but the assuraunce of the tyme when Christe shoulde come The Wyse man sayth all thinges haue a time and it is a high poynt of wisdome to knowe the tyme of all thinges but to knowe this tyme of all tymes is wisdome of all wisdomes The Prophetes foreshewed it to the Iewes but yet he was chieflie receyued of the Gentiles for he came to his owne his owne knew him not I pray God for the second triumphant kingly cōming it fall not out so that to whō he is most preached they be least prepared How long was it I pray you that Israel longed to come out of Egipts bondage and how lōg loked Iuda to be deliuered frō Babilons captiuity But for the great fréedom indéed from the perpetual euerlasting

Agayne there are a sorte that goe downe into Egypte whome Esay curseth whyche séeke wyse women olde beldames for yong women wyth childe Witches and cunnyng menne for thynges loft It was a greate faulte in this people Manasses the Idolater was sorely gyuen to it to obserue dreames singyng of byrdes and the lyke paltrie as manye doe nowe the howlyng of Dogges the gnawyng of Rottes the spottes in the hande the crying of Rauens the flying of Owles a sorte of fonde obseruations and dreames olde wyues fables whereby the Diuell deludeth manye and weakeneth theyr faythe Saule woulde néedes consulte wyth a Witche thoughe hée hymselfe hadde putte them downe yet when Samuell the Prophete was deade so bewitched was Kyng Saule but shortlye after if not the nexte daye hee ranne on hys owne Sworde There is a Plague in store for all forsakers of GOD and séekers to the Diuell hée dothe abhorre it and precisely forbydde it in the eyghtenth Chapter of Deuteronomie Nowe for them whyche flye the Plague whether they trust in the Lorde or no héere are manye would fayne knowe and I wyll bée as willyng to declare my opinion therein I can not defyne it absolutely or fynallye determine the case but I leaue it to my betters and it is conscience in déede that strykes the stroke of trust or mistrust and therein euerye manne canne best tell hymselfe for as thy lyfe dothe declare thée to manne so thy faithe dothe shewe thée vnto GOD and Tenera res conscientia est quae nec tangi nec angi debet Conscience is a tender thyng and maye not bée touched nor troubled I maye tearme it a signe of weakenesse but not flatte infidelitie for thou mayest both tarrie and flée an Infidell And there is a desperate kynde of tarrying with preposterous wordes whyche I vtterlye mislike and that same harde opinion flatte agaynste all Phisicke that the Plague is not infectious I canne not allowe they haue no reason to make it good that so saye but they bryng particulare experience whych is no proofe at all as though God coulde not be god and the Plague infectious Let him that hath a gift to tarry praise God for it and let him not triumph ouer him that hathe it not and yet I woulde euerye man were as he But mans nature is verye frayle and hys fleshe soone afrayde and euerye bodye hathe not the like measure of perfection and strength Agayne some are more bounde to tarry than other some as publike persons the Magistrate the Minister the maister of householdes that haue any publike office charge or function let them looke vnto it and for the rest that flye away if they doe prouide that their neyghbours doe not lacke that conueniente comforte and sufficiente succoure whyche their presence myghte yéelde I say it is the safer But to aunswere rash concluders whiche are hastie to giue sentence and do condemne their brethrens conscience whiche say absolutely it is lacke of faith and altogither vnlawfull it is to flye from God c. As though God were the plague I say if you wil néeds proue your fayth for your tarying and playing the men then must you find a promise for your fayth or els it is no faith For eternal life we haue a promise and therfore a faith wher in al the Scriptures haue you anye promise that God wil spare him or hir that vpō their trust remaine tarie by it whereas as godly and as faithfull are takē away as Infidels and wicked nay I think rather the worst are left behinde to amende and it will be or to féele a sorer plague For as Augustine sayth it is a temptation not to be tempted so surely may it be a horrible plague not to be plagued as I haue proued before Away with that Heathen prouerb which is too common among Christians He that dieth this yere is scused for the next Nay he that dieth this yéere not in the Lorde is excused neuer but dieth for euer Let vs rather pray the Lorde to enable vs to doe our dutie in all spiritual strength and to comfort one another in sicknesse and in health and let vs beséech the lord to remoue this plague far frō vs séeing we can not remoue our selues from the plague the wings of the morning cānot do it for he is euery where Haue mercy vpon vs therfore O Lord according to thy wonted mercy like as when thou commaundedst thy Angel to cease from slaughter in the time of king Dauid so if it be thy blessed will take frō vs nowe this pestilence of mortalitie and shewe thy louing countenaunce once agayne and be not angry with vs for euer She drew not neare to hir God. This is the fourth and last cause As a wilde Asse in the mountayne cōmes not neare his catcher so Israel withdraweth hir self frō god hir kéeper Christes crying Come vnto me c. Mat. 11. dothe tell vs that he can not abide that we should wander stray to any other To come néere is not thy bodily going to the church or Pharisaical pressing to the high Aulter but it is a spiritual approching euen as God is a spirit Iohn 4. Which words S. Iames vseth too expresseth what it is to draw nea●● vnto god it is to clense our hands to purifie our hartes It cannot be but a great comfort to vs that God is euery where religion doth nothing els but ioyne vs vnto him as superstitiō doth separate vs frō him and therfore it is called fornication Also prayer is a speciall of this generall wherby we talke with God come before his presence as Abraham talked with God for Sodome euery faithful child of God for himselfe But they that séeke other shifts neuer aske of god as king Asa sick of the gout sought Phisitiōs and neuer sought the Lord they are runagates frō god they shal dye as the king did without help for the Lord is soueraigne ruleth al things by himself and though he lend vs ordinary meanes yet he leaues vs not to thē alone but would haue vs séeke all things of him who is the fountayne of al good things Hir Rulers are as roaring Lions Least the Prophet should séeme to saye any thing that ●e could not proue and so slaunder the state of Ierusalem therfore as he named the faults before so he commes nowe to the persons also and that the very chéefe Note héere howe necessarie it is to come to particulars and to poynt at and paint out sinne in whom soeuer it is He that speakes generally speakes to no man now a days for euery body can post it off or sport it out so pretily As the woman of Samaria by the well of Sichar was verye pleasaunt with Christ vntil he tooke hir vp for hir adulterie So euery man had bin faultlesse héere and the Prophet had not bin very playne they woulde haue set as good a face on