Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A59669
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The sincere convert discovering the paucity of true beleevers and the great difficulty of saving conversion by Tho. Shepheard ....
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Shepard, Thomas, 1605-1649.; Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing S3118; ESTC R9618
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105,576
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306
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and flames of hell for a heart as stiffe as a stake to bow as hard as stone to bleed for the least prick not to mourne for one sin but all sinnes and not for a sit but all a mans life time Oh it is hard for a man to suffâ—r himselfe to be loaden with sin and prest to death for sinne so as never to love sinne mâ—re but to spit in the face of that which he once loved as dearely as his life It is easie to drop a teare or two and be sermon sick but to have a heart rent for sinne and from sinne 〈◊〉 is is true humiliation and this is hard 2. The straight gate of Faith Eph. 1. 19. its an easie matter to presume but hard to beleeve in Christ. It is easie for a man that was never humbled to beleeve and say 't is but beleeving but it is an hard matter for a man humbled when he seeth all his sinnes in order before him the devill and conscience roaring upon him and crying out against him and God â—rowning upon him now to call God Fathâ—r is an hard worke Iudas had rather be hanged than bâ—leeve It is hard to see a Christ as a rocke to stand upon when wee are overwhelmed with sorrow of heart for sin It is hard to prize Christ above ten thousand worlds of pearle 't is hard to desire Christ and nothing but Christ hard to follow Christ all the day long and never to be quiet till he is got in thine armes and then with Simeon to say Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace 3. The straight gate of Repentance It is an easie matter for a man to confesse a mans selfe to be a sinner and to cry God forgivenesse untill next time but to have a bitter sorrow and so to turne from all sinne and to returne to God and all the wayes of God which is true repentance indeed this is hard 4. The straight gate of opposition of Devills the world and a mans owne selfe who knock a man downe when he begins to looke towards Christ and Heaven Hence learne that every easie way to Heaven is a false way although Ministers should preâ—ch it out of their Pulpits and Angels should publish it out of Heaven Now there are nine easie waies to Heave as men thinke all which leade to Hell 1. The common broad way wherein a whole parish may all goe a breadth in it tell these people they shall bee damned their answer is then woe to many more besides me 2. The way of civill education whereby many wilde natures are by little and little tamed and like wolves are chained up easily while they are young 3. Balams way of good wishes whereby many people will confesse their ignorance forgetfulnesse and that they cannot make such shews as others doe but they thanke God their hearts are as good and God for his part accepts they say the will for the deed And My sonne give me thine heart the heart is all in all and so long they hope to doe well enough Poore deluded creatures thus thinke to breake through armies of sinnes devils temptations and to breake open the very gates of Heaven with a few good wishes they think to come to their journeys end without legs because their hearts are good to God 4. The way of formalitie whereby men rest in the performance of most or of all externall duties without inward life Mark 1. 14. Every man must have some Religion some fig-leaves to hide their nakednesse Now this Religion must be either true Religion or the false one if the true he must either take up the power of it but that hee will not because it is burdensome or the forme of it and this being easie men embrace it as their God and will rather lose their lives than their Religion thus taken up This forme of Religion is the easiest Religion in the world partly because it easeth men of trouble of conscience quieting that Thou hast sinned saith conscience and God is offended take a book and pray keepe thy conscience better and bring thy Bible with thee Now conscience is silent being charmed downe with the forme of Religion as the devill is driven away as they say with holy water partly also because the forme of Religion credits a man partly because it is easie in it selfe it 's of a light carriage being but the shadow and picture of the substance of Religion as now what an easie matter is it to come to Church They heare at least out wardly very attentively an houre and more and then to turne to a proofe and to turne downe a leafe here 's the forme But now to spend saturday at night and all the whole Sabbath day morning in trimming the Lampe and in getting oyle in the heart to meete the bridegroome the next day and so meete him in the word and there to tremble at the voice of God and suck the brest while it is open and when the word is done to goe aside privately and there to chew upon the word there to lament with teares all the vaine thoughts in duties deadnesse in hearing this is hard because this is the power of godlinesse and this men will not take up so for private prayer what an easie matter it is for a man to say over a few prayers out of some devout booke or to repeate some old prayer got by heart since a childe or to have two or three short-winded wishes for GODS mercy in the morning and at night this forme is easie but now to prepare the heart by serious meditation of God and mans selfe before he prayes then to come to God with a bleeding hunger-starved heart not only with a desire but with a warrant I must hâ—ve such or such a mercy and thereto wrastle with God although it be an houre or two together for a blessing this is too hard men thinke none doe thus and therefore they will not Fifthly the way of presumption whereby men having seene their sins catch hold easily upon Gods mercy and snatch comforts before they are reached out unto them There is no word of comfort in the Booke of God intended for such as regard iniquitie in their hearts though they doe not act it in their lives Their onely comfort is that the sentence of damnation is not yet executed upon them Sixthly the way of sloth whereby men lye still and say God must doe all If the Lord would set up a Pulpit at the Ale-house doore it may be they would heare oftner If God will alwaies thunder they will alwaies pray if strike them now and then with sicknesse God shall be payed with good words and promises enow that they will be better if they live but as long as peace lasts they will run to Hell as fast as they can and if God will not catch them they care not they will not returne Seventhly The way of carelesnesse when men feeling many difficulties passe
wrath present to them if they see it not ready every moment to light upon their hearts they are never melted but thâ—y remaine hard-hearted secure sleepy wretches and never groane to come out of their woâ—full estate and this is the reason why many men that have guilâ—y consoiences thought they have many secret wishes and purposes to bee better yet never cry out of themselves nor ever seeke earnestly for mercy till they lie upon their death-bed and then oh the promises that they ply God with try me Lord restore me once more to my health and life againe and thou shalt see how thankfull I will be because that now they apprehend wrath and misery neare unto them Heb. 3. 13. Thirdly Because they thinke they can beare Gods wrath though they doe conceive it neare at hand even at the very doores men thinke not that Hell is so hot nor the devill so black nor God so terrible as in deede he is And hence wee shall observe the Prophets present Gods wrath as a thing intolerable before the eyes of the people that thereby they might quench all those cursed conceits of being able to beare Gods wrath Nahum 1. 6. and hence we shall have many men desperately conclude they will have their swinge in sinne and if they perish they hope they shall be able to beare it it is but a damning they thinke and hence they goe on securely O poore wretches the devill scares and feares all the world and at Gods wrath the devills quake and yet secure men feare it not they thinke hell is not so terrible a place Fourthly because they know no better an estate Hence though they feele their wofull and miserable condition yet they desire not to come out of it Although men finde hard lodging in the world hard times hard friends hard hearts yet they make a shift with what they finde in this miserable Inne untill they come to Hell for such a man pursued by outward miseries or inward troubles there stayes O miserable man that makes shift till he come to Hell They may heare of the happy estate of GODS people but not knowing of it experimentally they stay where they are Ioh. 4. 14. Take a Princes childe and bring it up in a base house and place it never aspires after a Kingdome or Crowne So men hatcht in this world knowing no better an estate never cast about them to get a better inheritance than that they scramble for here Wives mourne for the long absence of their beloved Husbands because they know them and their worth God may absent himself from men weeks months yeares but men shed not one teare for it because they never tasted the sweetnesse of his presence It is strange to see men take more content in their cups and cards pots and pipes dogges and hawkes than in the fellowship of God and Christ in Word in Prayer in Meditation which Ordinances are burdens and prisons unto them What is the reason of it Is there no more sweetnesse in the presence of Gods smiling in Christ than in a filthy Whore Yes but they know not the worth sweetnesse satisfying goodnesse of a God yet into fresh waters they will never returne because now they taste a large difference of each estate So it is here if men did but once taste of the happinesse of Gods people they would not for a thousand worlds be one halfe houre in their wild loose Sea agaiâ— e. Fifthly because if they doe know a better estate yet their present pleasures their sloth doth so bewitch them and Gods denyals when they seeke unto him doe so farre discourage them that they sleepe still securely in that estate A flothfull heart bewitched with present ease and pleasures and delights considering many a teare many a prayer must it make many a night must it breake its sleepe many a weary step must it take towards heaven and Christ if ever it come there growes discouraged and deaded and hard-hearted in a sleepy estate and had rather have a bird in the hand then two in the bush Prov. 1. 32. Ier. 48. 11. The Israelites wished that they were at their Onyons and garlike againe in Egypt Was there no Canaan yes but they wished thus because there were walls built up to heaven and Giants sonnes of Anack in the Land difficulties to overcome O slothfull hearts Secondly because God sometime put them to straights and denied them what they sought for they were of such a waspish teasty sullen spirit that because the Lord had them not alwayes on his knees they would runne away so many a man meets with sorrow enough in his sinfull dropsie drunken estate he heares of heaven and a better estate yet why goes he to his lusts and flesh pots againe Oh! because there are so many difficulties and blockes and hindrances in his way and because they pray and finde not ease therefore they eate drinke laugh sport and sleepe in their miserable estate still Matth. 7. 14. therefore men walke in the broad way because the other way to life is straight and narrow it is a plague a burden a prison to be so strict men had rather sit almost an houre in the stockes than be an houre at prayer men had rather be damned at last than sweat it out and runne through the race to receive a Crowne and hence men remaine secure Sixthly because of the strange strong power of sin which beares that sway over mens soules that they must serve it as prisoners stoope to their Jaylor as souldiers that have taken their pay their pleasure of sinne must follow it as their Captaine though they goe marching on to eternall ruine nay though Doomes day should be to morrow yet they must and will â—erve their lusts As the Sodomites when they were smitten with blindnesse which tormented their eyes as though they had beene pricked with thornes for so the Hebrew word signifies even when destruction was neare they groped for the doore Men cannot but sin though they perish for sinne hence they remaine secure Seventhly Despaire of Gods mercy hence like Cain men are Runnagates from the face of God men thinke they shall never finde mercy when all is done hence they grow desperately sinfull like those Italian Senators that despairing of their lives when upon submission they had been promised their lives yet being â—onscious of their villany made a curious banquet at the end of it every man dranke up his glasse of poyson killed himselfe so men feeling such horrible hard hearts and being privie to such notorious sinnes they cast away lives and heaven and soules for lust and so perish wofully because they lived desperately and so securely Eighthly Because men nourish a blinde false flattering hope of Gods mercy hence many knowing and suspecting that all is naught with them yet having some hope they may be in a good estate and God may love them hence they lie downe securely and rest