Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	pray_v	spirit_n	utter_v	2,382	5	9.4981	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85833	An exhortation to peace: with an intimation of the prime enemies thereof, lately delivered in a sermon, and newly published with some small addition, by Lionell Gatford, B.D. rector of Dinnington in Suffolke, now a prisoner in Ely-house in Holborne.	Gatford, Lionel, d. 1665.	1643 (1643)	Wing G333; Thomason E94_1; ESTC R2004	27,384	44

neither the Prophet nor the Apostle could expresse and therefore they cry out in admiration thereof quam speciosi pedes c. how beautifull are the feet of him or them that publish or preach peace and as there is beauty in the publike preaching the Gospell so there is beauty in the publike praying unto God and praising of him as also in the rest of Gods publike worship and service rightly performed and therefore is the whole worship and service of God in his house called as you heard but now by the kingly Prophet David the beauty of the Lord Psa 27. and the beauty of holinesse Psal 29.2 But beloved in what places is this beauty and excellency of Gods worship and service to be found Not in those places wherein the sound of the trumpet and alarme of warre are daily heard for what agreement hath the preaching of the Gospell of peace with warring and fighting or what entertainment can praying finde where killing and murthering are professed and who can hope to heare the voice of praising God where cursing and blaspheming his Name are so uncontrolledly practised 't is a short but a smart and pithy examination of the Souldiers Pater-Noster which Erasmus takes in his Querimoniae pacis I will adde but a little to it and by it you may guesse how God is worshipped and served in those places where such men keepe their Randevooze quid quaeso orat miles what I beseech you saith Erasmus does the Souldier pray or how Doest thou say Our Father O impudent mouth doest thou dare to call God father who art flying at the throate of thy brother to cut it or teare it out Doest thou say hallowed be Thy Name when Gods Name is by none more blasphemed and dishonoured then by thee and thy Comrades Doest thou say thy Kingdom come when none is a greater enemy to the Kingdome of grace and hath lesse hope of the Kingdome of glory then thy selfe Doest thou say Thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven and yet when God tels thee that 't is his will that thou shouldst follow peace with all men and holinesse thou delightest in war and all manner of wickednesse refusing all just conditions of peace and adhortations to piety Doest thou say Give us this day our daily bread and yet takest away by violence and rapine all the bread and other necessaries of life that thy poore brother hath laboured for in the sweat of his browes Doest thou beseech the Lord to forgive thee thy trespasses as thou forgivest them that trespasse against thee when as nothing but thy brothers blood will satisfie thee and his too who never did nor would have offended thee didst not or hadst not thou first beyond measure provoked him Doest thou pray not to be led into temptation and yet accountest it pusillanimity not to venture upon any thing that thy lusts tempts thee unto And doest thou supplicate to be delivered from all evill and yet art never at rest from plotting and practising all the evill thy heart can invent making it thy trade of life to live all thy dayes in that evill of evils bloody warre What is all this praying but a mocking of God and blaspheming of his Name and how then can praying or any other part of Gods service be performed as it should in those places where warres rage when the actors in that bloody tragedy being the onely men of power and sway in those places are so flatly opposite in all their practises to what is commanded by God or desired from him I but will some Souldiers of these times say you are quite mistaken in us we doe not use the Lords Prayer at all but we pray onely as the Spirit teacheth us but what Spirit is it I beseech them Whose teaching they follow in their prayers when they lay aside and despise the prayers which the Lord Christ himselfe hath taught them Certainly 't is not that Spirit of God which helpeth our infirmities and when we know not what we should pray for as we ought doth it selfe make intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Rom. 8.26 For that Spirit would never teach men to contemne and reject that prayer Christ by the same Spirit hath taught them but on the contrary would so instruct and quicken them in their powring forth that and other prayers now slighted by them that the using thereof once would more effectually prevaile with God and more feelingly comfort themselves then all the vaine tedious tautologising bablings that ever fall from them besides men taught by that Spirit would abhorre to appeare in any acts so repugnant to each clause of that prayer I confesse for my share that as where I call to minde the reigning sinnes of these times such as blindnesse of heart pride vaine glory and hypocisie envy hatred malice and all manner of uncharitablenesse fornication and other such like deadly sinnes sedition and privy conspiracy false doctrine and heresie hardnesse of heart and contempt of Gods Word and Commandement c. I doe not wonder to see and heare of such multitudes that startle at our set formes of publike prayer wherein these sinnes are set forth ript up and prayed against with so much plainnesse of expression and no lesse vehemency and ardency of devotion and to desire rather to use some loose prayers of their owne wherein they may take their owne liberty and pray against those sinnes as frees any suit whereof others are guilty not themselves So when I observe of what spirit many men are calling daily for fire from heaven upon their fellow brethren or stirring up what fire earth and hell can helpe them to kindle against them I doe not admire that even the Lords prayer also is which is composed of a spirit so much contrary to theirs laid aside by them But 't is a sad case in the interim that should either be given up to such a reprobate mind or live the least time in such an ungodly course of life as not to dare to use that forme of prayer which Christ hath prescribed or if they doe their very using thereof proves no better then a mocking or an abusing of him that prescribed it I doe not condemne all Souldiers nor all souldiers prayers the faith of that Centurion in the Gospell Math. 8. Acts 10. and the prayers of that Centurion in the Acts and the faith and prayers of many devout souldiers both before and since would rise up in judgment against me if I should so judge them and their devotions but the more devout souldiers are the more they will assent to truth propugned by me that warres are an enemy to publike devotion whatsoever interruption private praiers suffer by them I doe confesse we doe not read that ever David was more fervent or frequent in his prayers then when he was encompassed or pursued by his warlike enemies but then it must be also acknowledged that even in those times David prayed for

the people being a rebellious people lying children children that will not heare the law of the Lord Isa 30.9 have said to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things v. 10. Or else they have shewn themselves too well pleased with them when they have so prophesied but not a word more now either of Prophets or people in that way I am to present you with an Exhortation to Peace and therfore I shall avoid as much as I can whatsoever may exasperate any that are peaceably inclined The Prophets Priests Princes and people of Jerusalem had all of them sinned highly against God and so provoked him that he had made a breach amongst them which threatned utter destruction unto them as you may read at large Ezek. 22. And yet God of his infinite mercy was pleased to seek and to seek but for one man amongst them all to make up the hedge and stand in the gap before him for the Land that he should not destroy it v. 30. How then should we of this Nation notwithstanding all our sins of Prophets Priests Princes and people so resembling Judah's as if coppied out by them our rebellion onely excepted wherein we exceed both them and the most of other Nations how should we be encouraged to seeke to God to have our breaches made up and to approach boldly unto the Throne of his grace Heb. 3.1 that we may obtaine mercy and sinde grace to help in time of need How should we be quickned in our prayers and best endeavours for the peace of our Jerusalem when the prayers and endeavours of one man is so prevalent with God for the making peace for a whole Nation and for the averting destruction from it Whether our prayers prevaile with God for the peace of our Jerusalem or not we our selves that so love Jerusalem as to pray for the peace thereof are sure to prosper we have Gods Word for it in our Text. To our prayers then to our prayers with all possible constancy and fervency and so to the Sermon with all due reverence and submission humbly beseeching our most gracious God whose Word is here tendred us to make this his Word so effectuall to us all that it may help to make us to pray more and more effectually for Jerusalems peace on which depends all our prosperity Amen Amen So prayes A prisoner of the Lord and your daily Orator Lionell Gatford Ely-house Feb. 1642. Text. PSAL. 122. vers 6. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee THE Scriptures saith Saint Paul are able to make a man wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 Liber psalmorum c. The Booke of Psalmes saith Saint Augustine comprehends in it as in an epitomie or abstract whatsoever necessary things all other books of Scripture contain at large Now amongst the Psalmes the Psalmes of degrees are by many accounted Psalms of some degrees of excellency above other Psames and amongst the Psames of degrees if there may be comparatio gradus ad gradum a comparing of a degree with a degree where each Psalme is in its degree so admirable this Psalme of degrees out of which my Text is taken is none of the lowest degree The text it selfe I am sure is one of the sweetest and pleasantest straines in all the Psames For what more delightfull and pleasing to God then prayer the prayer of the upright saith Salomon is Gods delight Pro. 15.8 and let my prayer saith David be set forth before thee as incense Psal 141.2 that is let it ascend as a sweet perfume and pleasant smell into thy nostrils it being the peculiar honour of prayer as Dionisius Carthusianus hath observed to have the stile of incense attributed to it for nulla justatia saith he thumiamits comparatur nisi sola oratio No other theologicall vertue is compared to incense but onely prayer at least not so properly And this we finde incited unto in the first word of my text pray pray c. Againe as nothing is more delightfull and pleasing to God then Prayer so nothing is more sweet and acceptable to men except they be men of Belial then Peace Pax non re duntaxat amica sed nomine quoque ipso jucunda saith Nazianzen Peace is not onely lovely in the thing but pleasant also in the very name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Basil the absolutest of Blessings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Chrysostome there is no Blessing equall to Peace and the Scriptures make good what they all say by putting Peace so often for all Blessings as comprehending all other Blessings in the bosome of it as amongst other places Psal 125.5 But peace shall be upon Israel and Psal 29.11 The Lord will blesse his people with peace or as the ordinary translation reads it The Lord shall give his people the Blessing of peace In both which places the word translated Peace as expositors have observed non tantum pacem sed reliqua bona omnia complectatur et corpori et animo necessaria doth not only comprehend peace within it's signification but all other good things whatsoever necessary both for body and soule as it doth also in sundry other places of Scripture And this we are called upon here in my Text to pray for pray for the peace c. The peace what peace not the peace of Babylon though when the Jews were delivered into the hands of the King of Babylon and carried away captive thither they were commanded both to seek the peace of that City and to pray for it Jerem. 29.7 but the Peace that our text exhorts to pray for is the Peace of Jerusalem that is according to the literall sense the Peace of that City which the Lord hath chosen among all the tribes of Israel to place his name there 2 Chr. 6. as also to place the throne of David and so of justice and judgement there 2 Sam. 5.5 both expressed in the three immediate verses before my Text as arguments to make way for the praying for the peace thereof Jerusalem is builded as a City that is compact together whither the tribes go up the tribes of the Lord unto the testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord for there are set thrones of judgement the thrones of the house of David then followes pray for the peace of Jerusalem c. Or els by the peace of Jerusalem we may understand here according to the misticall sense of the words the peace of Gods Church in what Cities or Nations soever it be planted called Jerusalem which is above and the mother of us all Gal. 4.26 the City of the living God the heavenly Ierusalem Heb. 12.22 and that not without allusion to that and the like prophesie of preaching the Gospell Esay 2.3 Out of Sion shall goe forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem that is the Gospell shall first be preached and so the Church first planted

in Ierusalem and from thence the Gospell shall be published and so the Church transplanted in all the world and therefore the Church having her first rise and beginning from Jerusalem she might well beare Ierusalems name Pray for the peace of Ierusalem I had once thought to have opened the other part of the Text ere I had let you further into the treasurie of this but me thinks I see you impatient of being kept off any longer from tasting of these rarities which have been already presented before you I forbeare therefore all super-addition of arguments to invite your attention to the Text and fall close to the unbowelling of it The Text at the first touch fals into two parts a Precept and a Promise The precept in the first words pray for the Peace of Jerusalem The promise in the following words they shall prosper that love thee In the precept these five particulars offer themselves to our consideration 1. The Act or Duty commanded and that is to pray Pray c. 2. The object of that Act and that is peace Pray for the peace 3. The Specification or determination of that object not for all peace nor the peace of all but for the Peace of Ierusalem Pray for the Peace of Ierusalem 4. The party by whom this precept is delivered and that as the title of the Psalme shewes is David David the King of Ierusalem take Ierusalem in the letter but David the sonne or citizen of Ierusalem take Ierusalem in the misterie 5. The party unto whom this precept is recommended and they are no where expressed but fully implyed in the word precamini or rogate pray ye all ye that have any interest in or relation to Ierusalem pray for the Peace thereof so farre the precept extends but the promise reacheth further and fetcheth in all those that love prosperity assuring them that they shall all prosper that so love Ierusalem wherein three other particulars require our observation 1. The subject matter of the promise and that 's Prosperity they shall prosper 2. The condition of the promise and that is the loving Ierusalem so as to pray for her peace they shall prosper that love thee 3. The extent of the promise collected from the persons unto whom this promise is made namely they and all they and onely they that so love Ierusalem as to pray for the Peace thereof These are the parts of the Text and these are the particulars of each part but for feare lest the Text might lose some of its strength and virtue by being chopt into so many small pieces I shall forbear the prosecuting that division and subdivision and choose rather to give you the juce and substance if not the spirit and quintessence of all these particulars in these 4 propositions 1 That the peace of Jerusalem is a thing most desirable worthy of the best prayers and the prayers of the best 2 That the prime meanes both of procuring and preserving the peace of Jerusalem is to pray for it 3 That it is the duty of all men that have any interest in or relation to Jerusalem to pray for the peace thereof themselves and to incite others to doe the like 4 That they and all they and onely they shall prosper that so love Jerusalem as to pray for the peace thereof I begin with the first proposition That the peace of Jerusalem is a thing most desirable worthy of the best prayers and prayers of the best This proposition I shall endeavour to make good both according to the literall and according to the misticall acceptation of this terme Ierusalem and first according to the literall Doct. The peace of Jerusalem as Jerusalem is taken for the place of Gods worship and the seat of justice and judgement was then and so is the peace of all such places still a most desirable thing worthy of the best prayers c. Tantum est pacis bonum saith Saint Augustine lib. 19. de Civitate Det cap. 11. ut etiam in rebus terrenis atque mortalibus nihil gratius solcat audiri nihil desiderabilius concupisci nihil possit melius inven●ri such is the good of Peace that amongst earthly and transitory things nothing is to be heard of more acceptable nothing is to be wished for more desirable nothing can be found out more excellent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysos ho●● 3. in Coloss saith Saint Chrysostome the mother of all good things are the ground of all joy and as there is no man qui gaudere nolit who would not rejoyce so there is no man qui parem habere nolit who would not have peace is Saint Augustines position in the booke before cited cap. 12. and he there makes it good and 't is so good what he there saith that I thinke it worthy both of our repeating and observing ipsi qui bella volunt saith that stout Champion of the Church nihil aliud quam vincere volunt they that most desire warres doe therefore desire them that may conquer and overcome and so in the upshot they desire wars that may obtaine a more glorious peace for what is victory or conquest but the subduing and bringing into subjection those that oppose and resist and what is that when it is accomplished but very peace so that warres themselves are waged upon an intention of peace and peace is the desired end of all warres They which doe most disturbe the peace which they enjoy and therefore are accounted enemies of peace yea of their owne peace they doe not so properly hate peace as desire to exchange one peace for another neither would they that there should be no peace at all but that such a peace should be as they would The most factious seditious fellowes that are though out of their factious seditious spirits they seperate themselves from society and peace with others yet with their fellow-conspirators they observe and keep an exact kind of peace or else they could never improve their conspiracies to so much mischiefes as they doe Theeves and robbers could not either with the least safety or successe infect and trouble the peace of others unlesse they did preserve a firme seeming peace amongst themselves or if there be any such beast of prey that is either so powerfull in strength or so fearfull by nature that he need not or dare not commit himselfe to any companion but plots and acts all his robberies and other outrages himselfe alone yet in his owne house with his owne family he studies peace and quietnes and if any disturbance chance therin none more forward then he to correct and vindicate it domus suae pacem si ita necesse est saith Saint Augustine of such a one etiam saeviendo componit he composeth the peace of his house if it be needfull so to doe even by tyrannizing and exercising cruelty on those that infringed it Nay I will crave leave to step one step further with that father let us for

nothing more then for such times wherein he might againe as formerly he had in times of peace Psal 27. Psal 42. Psal 84. present both himselfe and his prayers to God in Gads house has holy Temple or Sanctuary the place of publike worship The Scythians who as Herodotus reports of them did worship very many Gods did erect neither Temple Altar nor statute to any God save onely Mars the God of warre intimating that where warres are predominant there all constant publike worship and sevice of God or whatsoever is called God is quite cashiered This we finde in sacred records the Prophets prophecying to the Jews the free liberty happy enjoying of Gods publike worship service amongst them did commonly join with it or rather promise before it some promise of peace Isa 52.7 a place even now cited How beautifull upon the mountaines are the feet of him that bringeth good tiings that publisheth peace c. then follows v. 8. Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice c. There is little or no lifting up of the voice of watch-men to be excepted in any place till peace be proclaimed So Nahum 1.15 Behole upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace then followes O Judah keep thy solemne feasts performe thy vow where peace is there the publike worship and service of God may be performed with some solmnity but where peace is not though men should divote themselves to it never so much yet they cannot performe it with any solemnity nay scarce with any tolerable reverence if then there were no other reason of praying for the peace of Jerusalem but its being the place of Gods publike worship and service that alone is sufficient to ingage any man in that duty that desire to worship and serve God as he should But then confider Jerusalem as it is also the seat of justice and judgment and so the force of the argument for the praying for the peace thereof is in a manner doubled let judgement saith the Prophet Amos run downe as waters and righteousnesse as a mighty streame Cap. 5.24 that is let justice and judgment have their free course and run in their owne channell without chick stop or outlet now that cannot be but where God is pleased to grant peace to a place if God do not extend peace to a place as a river Isa 66.12 Justice and Judgement can never run downe there as a streame Righteousnesse and peace saith the Psalmist have kissed each other Psal 85.10 't is as true of this Righteousnesse and peace whereof we are now discoursing as of any and since they first greeted it can never be found where ever this Righteousnesse was without peace though this peace hath been in many places without Righteousnesse Just and strickt discipline may be and is observed in warre so farre as it may advantage either the designe in hand or the whole Armies safety or the Commanders honour but for common justice equally communicating it selfe unto all men 't is onely to be sound where peace is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Maximus Tyrius warre is the teacher or master of injustice In warres 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as that woman complaines in Homer they kill men they fire Cities into ruinous heapes they lead away women and children into captivity or as Tacitus described the iniquity of a warre waged by Antonius and is found true of all warres Non dignitas non at as protegebat quo minus stupra caedibus caeda stupris miscerentur c. neither honour nor age nor ought else did protect any but rapes warre mingled with murders and murders with rapes hoarihared men and superanuated women esteemed not worthy to be made a prey or spoyle were drawn and dragged up and downe the streets for sport and pastime and young and tender Virgins together with youthes of any comelinesse and feature were even torne in peices by the lustfull Souldiers and the Souldiers themselves many of them slaine in their lusts by their owne fellowes burning in the same lusts with them O the injustice of warre 't is not to be expressed with just expressions 't is a maxime of warre quodcunque libet facere victori licet 't is lawfull for the victor to doe what him pleaseth and victor or not victor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Euripides hath it he is accounted an ill Souldier that does not some mischiefe and if any that are injured or abused prove so ridiculous or rather so mad as to complaine thereof either to the Generall or to some subordinate Commander the best answer they can expect is that of Caesar to Metellus when Metellus urged certaine lawes for not taking away the money in Saturnes Temple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The time of warre is no time for observing lawes or that of Caius Marius to some that accused him and his Souldiers of great wrongs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I cannot heare saith he the lawes for the noise of Armes the ratling of drums and the roaring of Ordnance silence the lawes strike the very Judges themselves deafe If then it were but for Jerusalems being the seat or place of justice there being the Thrones of judgment the Thrones of the house of David Jerusalem deserved and so doe all such places still the best prayers and prayers of the best for the peace thereof Thus you have been showne the desirablenesse of Jerusalems peace as Ierusalem is taken litterally for that place which God had made choice of to be the place of his publike worship and service and the seat of justice and judgement now take Ierusalem in the mistery as it signifies Gods Church in what place or places soever it be planted or dispersed and so the arguments for the desirablenesse of Ierusalems peace may be doubled and trebled but I shall for the present choose rather to give you the application of what hath been delivered and reserve my meditations on the peace of Gods Church till I have liberty to enlarge them to some proportion befitting that subject If the peace of Ierusalem as Ierusalem is taken for the place of Gods publike worship and service and the seat of justice and judgement were then and so the peace of all such places is still a thing most desirable worthy of the best prayers c. In the first place you may from hence learn what to think of them in part who goe about to disturbe the peace of such places yea and to banish if it were in their power all peace from them I say you may from hence learne what to thinke in part of such for what heart so large what thought so vast as to be able to comprehend what they deserve in the totall Blessed saith our Saviour are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God Math. 5.9 And if the Peace-makers are blessed we may conclude by the law of contraries that surely the peace disturbers are