Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	abraham_n	lord_n	zion_n	14	3	8.6493	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15144	The vvay to the celestiall paradise Declaring how a sinner may be saued, and come to life euerlasting. Contained in three bookes.The first second third sheweth that a sinner may be saued, & come to life euerlasting. By faith, apprehending Christ for his iustification, & applying to himselfe the promises of the Gospell made in Iesus Christ. Repentance, hauing his sins washed away in the bloud of the lambe Iesus Christ. Prayer, calling vpon God in the name of Iesus Christ. By Robert Whittell, minister of the Gospell.	Whittle, Robert, d. 1638.	1620 (1620)	STC 25441; ESTC S120396	338,769	458

vpon him but we haue also his promise for audience if we call vpon him in our trouble he hath 2 God promiseth to heare vs promised to heare vs and to deliuer vs out of trouble So hath the Lord said k Psal 50. 15. Call vpon me in the day of trouble I will deliuer thee saith the Lord as if he had said goe to none other in the time of thy trouble neither seeke thou helpe and deliuerance from any other but in the day of thy trouble come vnto me seeke vnto me cry and call vpon me and I will deliuer thee for there is none besides me that can deliuer thee out of thy trouble The Lord our God is not like the Gods of the heathen which haue l Psal 115. 6. eares and heare not hee is not like to Baal vpon whom his Prophets m 1 Kin. 18. 26. called from morning euen vntil noone saying O Baal heare vs but there was no voice nor any that answered To whom Elijah the Prophet of the Lord said in derision of their God Baal Cry alowd for hee is n Vers 27. a God either he is talking or pursuing or he is in a iourney or peraduenture he sleepeth and must be awaked But so is not our God whom we worship for our God is in heauen beholdeth the things on earth he made the eare and he heareth he is neither busie in talking nor pursuing his enemies nor in his iourney nor yet sleeping for o Psal 121. 4. he that keepeth Israel neither slumbreth nor sleepeth as saith the Psalmist but the p Psal 34. 15. eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are open to their cry Thirdly we are sure that the Lord our God is both able 3 God is both able and willing to heare vs. and also willing to heare vs able for q Psal 94. 9. he that planted the eare shall he not heare and willing for r Psal 145. 18. the Lord is nigh to all that call vpon him to all that call vpon him in truth Wherefore I conclude that we are to make our prayers to none other in heauen or in earth but to God and to him alone Vse This serues to reprooue those who make praiers to Against those which make prayers vnto Saints Reasons not to pray vnto Saints For Saints departed vse their mediation to God for helpe in trouble For First it hath beene prooued before that God hath commanded vs to call vpon him in the day of trouble but we haue no commandement in all the Scripture that enioynes vs to pray to any Saint not to S. Peter nor to 1 It s not commanded S. Paul nor to the Virgin Marie for that ſ Luke 1. 28. Aue haile Marie c. is no praier but a salutation of the Angell It is no forme of praier for vs to vse to the Virgin but it was a salutation of the Angell Gabriel whom the Lord sent to doe a message to the Virgin Marie and therefore not to be vsed of vs as a prayer And seeing that we haue no warrant in the word of God to pray vnto Saints it is a bold and rash presumption for vs to pray vnto any Saint whatsoeuer though it were to the Virgin Mary There were certaine in the dayes of Epiphanius who adored the Virgin Marie and offered vnto her But Epiphanius iudgeth them as heretiks and confuteth them saying t Reuera virgo erat ipsa virgo honorata sed non ad adorationem nobis data verum ipsa adorans ●um qui e● ipsa car●e genitus de calis vero è sin●● patris venerat Epiph. co● Collyridian The Virgin indeed was a Virgin and honoured but was not giuen to vs to be adored but she her selfe did adore him which tooke flesh of her but came from heauen from his fathers bosome And so we acknowledge the Virgin is to be honoured but not to bee worshipped and adored and therefore no prayer to be made vnto her Secondly It hath beene prooued that if we pray vnto 2 Wee haue no promise of helpe from any Saint to God he promiseth to heare vs and to deliuer vs but we haue no promise in the word of God that any of the Saints no not the Virgin Marie her selfe will or can helpe and deliuer vs in the time of our trouble Thirdly the Saints departed doe not know our particular 3 The Saints departed doe not know our particular wants wants neither doe they hearken and attend to the praiers of particular men as it is manifest by the praier of the people of God in Esay saying u Isa 63. 16. Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel acknowledge vs not thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy name is from euerlasting Heere the people pray not to Abraham nor to Isaak nor to Iacob but to the Lord and the reason is because they are sure that the Lord heareth them and remembreth them though Abraham and Israel that were dead were ignorant of them and acknowledged them not It is manifest then that Abraham and Isaak and Iacob that Peter Paul and the Virgin Marie and all the Saints departed though they be Saints in glory yet because they are but Saints and not Gods they are ignorant of vs they know not our particular wants and distresses and it is onely the Lord that is our Father and remembreth vs and heareth and helpeth vs in our trouble and therefore we are not to pray either to Abraham or to any of the Saints but onely to the Lord our God our Father and our Redeemer Fourthly we cannot pray vnto Saints but wee must 4 To pray to Saints is to belieue in them to put trust confidence in them beleeue in them according to that saying of the Apostle o How shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeued Where S. Paul giueth vs to vnderstand that before we can call vpon the Lord wee must first belieue in him and so for Saints if wee call vpon Saints and x Rom. 10. 14. pray vnto them to helpe vs in our trouble we must first belieue in them wee must put trust and confidence in them that they can helpe vs. Now this is contrarie to the truth of Gods word for wee are to belieue in none saue onely in God neither ought wee to put our trust and confidence in any saue onely in the Lord our God But they that maintaine and vse prayer to the Saints Obiect make this defence for themselues We say they pray to Saints vsing them as Mediatours to God because wee acknowledge our selues to bee farre vnworthy to come directly vnto God but haue accesse vnto God by the mediation of Saints To which I answere Answ First here is feare where no feare is Are wee afraid to come vnto God to call vpon his name Behold hee biddeth vs call

vpon him y Psal 50. 15. Call vpon mee in the day of trouble And the Apostle bids vs z Heb. 4. 16. come boldly vnto the throne of grace Secondly I confesse that by reason of our vnworthinesse we haue need of a mediatour to make intercession for vs but what M●diatour Not any of the Saints of God but onely the mediation of the Sonne of God For the Apostle saith a 1 Tim. 2. 5. There is one God one Mediatour betweene God and men the man Christ Iesus And Christ Iesus is the mediatour not onely of Redemption but also of Intercession as S. Paul also saith b Rom. 8. 34. It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe who is euen at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for vs. And Christ himselfe saith c Ioh. 16. 23. Whatsoeuer ye shall aske the Father in my name he will giue it you S. Paul saith that Christ is our Mediatour and he that maketh intercession for vs. And Christ himselfe will haue vs to pray vnto the Father in his name promising that whatsoeuer wee shall aske the Father in his name he will giue it vs he saith not whatsoeuer ye shall aske the Father in the name of S. Peter or S. Paul or in the name of the Virgin Marie he will giue it you but in my name that is in the name of Christ Iesus Thirdly the ancient Fathers of the Church doe not approoue of the mediation of Saints S. Chrysostome saith A●que homines si qu ●ndo exorare oportet ●anitoribus prius occur●ere c●nucnit parasitisque histrionibusque suadere c. In Deo nihil est tale Sine mediatore exorabilis est Chrys de paenit Hom. 4. If a man haue a su●e to great men hee must first meete with the Porters and come in by their leaue then hee must speake his followers ●●ire c. In God there is no such thing he will be entreated without a mediatour And S. Ambrose saith e Ideo ad Regem per tribunos aut comites itur quia homo vtique est rex c. Ad Deū autem quem vtique nihi● late● omnium enim merita nouit promerendum suffragatore non opu● est sed mente deuota Amb. in Rom. 1. We goe vnto the King by mediation of his Officers his Lords and Nobles because the King is but a man c. But he that commeth vnto God who knoweth all things and nothing is hid from him hath no neede of any one to speake for him to doe him a pleasure but onely a deuoute minde To conclude seing that the dead are ignorant of vs and our affaires seeing that the dead know not what the liuing doe and seeing that it is altogether vncertaine and doubtfull whether the Saints departed heare vs and that it is most certaine and without all doubt that the Lord our God heareth vs and knoweth what things we haue need of Why then should we pray vnto Saints And wherefore is it that men will bee so blinded to choose rather that which is vncertaine then to hold fast and sticke to that which is certaine Doubtlesse the Lord is our God and will heare vs Our Father and knoweth what things wee haue neede of Our Redeemer and will helpe and deliuer vs though Abraham be ignorant of vs and though Israel and the Saints departed acknowledge vs not CHAP. V. Shewing for whom we ought to pray and First of praying for The Liuing TO whom we ought to pray hath bene declared The third thing in regard of the persons 3 For whom we are to pray Two sorts whom prayer concerneth is for whom we are to pray And they are of two sorts for we are to pray First for our seluers 1 For our selues Twofold Secondly for others First for our selues and that either generally including 1 Generally others as when we pray Our father Giue vs and forgiue vs c or a Mat. 6. 9. 11. 12. Particularly in regard of our owne priuate wants or dangers either of body or soule as Dauid praieth 2 Particularly b Psal 69. 1. Saue me ô God c Psal 51. 1. haue mercy vpon me ô God And as the penitent publicane praieth d Luk. 18. 13. God be mercifull to me a sinner Secondly for others which praiers for others are 2 For others properly called e 1 Tim. 2. 1. Intercessions and these Intercessions or praiers made in the behalfe of others I consider two waye Twofold First affirmatiuely in regard of the liuing for whom 1 For the liuing we are to pray Secondly negatiuely in regard of the dead for whom we are not to pray Twofold First we are to pray for the liuing and that either 1 Generally For all Generally for all or Particularly for some certaine persons For the First We are to make praiers for all which the Apostle exhorteth vnto saying f 1 Tim. 2. 1. I exhort therefore that first of all supplications praiers intercessions and giuing of thanks be made for all men What must we pray for all men for wicked and vngodly men yea for all for all of all sorts for wicked Quest bad men as long as there is any hope of their amendment Answ An ancient Father demands wherefore the Apostle would haue vs to pray for all men seeing that there are so many wicked and vngod●y men on the face of the earth And he answereth himselfe saying g Forsitan aliqua fiet eorum mutatio Chrys a● pop Antio Hom. 69. It may be they may be changed and altered from their euil● course of life They that are now bad may become good We are to pray for euill men then that they may be amended we are to pray for good men also that they may be bettered and for those that are amended and bettered that they may perseuere and continue in their goodnesse But the Lord forbids Ieremie the prophet to pray for Obiect the people h Jer. 11. 14. Pray not thou for this people neither lift vp a cry or prayer for them for I will not heare them c. And S. Iohn saith i 1 John 5. 16. If any man see his brother sinne a sinne which is not vnto death be shall aske he shall giue him life for them that sinne not vnto death there is a sinne vnto death I doe not say that he shall pray for it I answere we may and ought Answ to pray for all men except they be knowne to be such rebellious and obstinate sinners as those were for which Ieremie must not pray namely such as were obdurate and whose hearts were hardned that they would not returne Or if they be not such who through Apostasie fall away wholy from God and the knowne truth and so of Christian professours become professed aduersarie● to the truth for which S. Iohn will not haue vs to pray because they sinne

glasse Moreouer in this heauenly Cittie and ble●●ed place there is no darknesse but all light For as S. Iohn saith againe t Verse 23. The Cittie had no neede of the Sunne neither of the Moone to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lambe is the light thereof Such is the excellency of the place of happinesse prepared for the righteous after this life Secondly the eternall blessednesse of the righteous is 2 The greatnesse of their happinesse to be considered in regard of the greatnesse of their happinesse which is vnspeakeable For as the Apostle saith u 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seene nor care heard neither haue entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that loue him But the greatnes of that eternal happinesse of the blessed ones in the kingdome of heauen euen of all the faithfull and true beleeuers of all true penitent sinners which haue repented of their sins and are washed from their wickednesse will appeare the For more if we consider it in these particulars 1 They shall be partakers of glory First they shall be partakers of glory in heauen they shall be glorious So S. Paul saith x Phil. 3. 20. 21. The Lord Iesus Christ shall change our vile bodie that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body And our Sauiour Christ saith y Math. 13. 43. The righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the kingdome of their Father Secondly they shall see God in his glory they shall 2 They shall see God in his glory en●oy the cleare vision of God Our Sauiour Christ saith z Math 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God a 1 Cor. 13. 12. Now we see through a glasse saith S. Paul but then face to face And S. Iohn saith b 1 Ioh. 3. 2. Beloued now are we the Sonnes of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but we know that when hee shall appeare we shall be like him for wee shall see him as he is When Moses was desirous to see the glory of God and said c Exod. 33. 18. 19 20. 21. 22. 23 I beseech thee shew me thy glory The Lord answered him Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and liue Yet the Lord yeelded thus farre to Moses that he might see his backe parts It was a great fauour that the Lord shewed to Moses an earthly man that he might see the backe parts of God but neither Moses nor any earthly man could euer possibly see the face of God and liue But in Heauen the blessed Saints shall come into the presence of the Lord shall see the face of God and shall behold his glorie To be in the company of the holy Angels to behold the Patriarchs and Prophets to see the Apostles and all the Saints d Gloriosa sunt hac sed multo glori●sius est present●m Dei vultum cernere Aug. Man c. 17. These as S. Augustine saith are glorious things but it is farre more glorious to be in the presence of God and to behold his face Againe he saith * Hac est plaena beatitudo tota glorificatio hominis vid●re faci●m Dei sui Aug. So●●lo c. 36 This is the full blessednesse and the whole glorification of m●n to see the face of his God In the cleare vision of God stands the perfection of glorie Thirdly they shall be with Christ in glorie For so Christ hath prayed to his Father for them e Ioh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast giuen me be with mee where I 3 They shall be with Christ am that they may behold my glory which thou hast giuen me This was the happinesse that S. Paul so much desired I am saith he in a straight betweene two hauing a desire to f Phil. 1. 23. depart and to be with Christ which is farre better Fourthly they shall haue the company of the holy 4 They shall haue blessed company Angels the fellowship of the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs and all the Saints of God as saith the Apostle g Heb. 12. 22. 23 Ye are come vnto mount Sion and vnto the Cittie of the liuing God the heauenly Ierusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the generall assembly Church of the first borne which are written in heauen and to God the iudge of all and to the spirits of men made perfect Fiftly they shall haue eternall felicity euerlasting happinesse 5 They shal haue eternal felicity and endlesse ioy S. Mathew saith h Math. 25. 46. These shall goe away into euerlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternall Of this Dauid saith i Psal 16. 11. In thy presence is fulnesse of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore The ioyes of the eternall Cittie are eternall Sixtly In heauen they shall haue no hurtfull thing to 6 They shal haue no euill nor want any good thing annoy them and shall want no good thing to make them happie For as S. Iohn saith k Reu. 21. 3. 4. God himselfe shall bee with them and be their God And God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall therebe any more paine for the former things are passed away Moreouer there shall be the l Re. 22. 2. 3. 4. 5. pure riuer of water of life and the tree of life and there shall be no more curse but the throne of God and of the Lambe shall be in it and his seruants shall serue him And they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads And there shall be no night there and they neede no candle neither light of the Sun for the Lord God giueth them light and they shall raigne for euer and euer In Heauen there shall bee euery good thing and there shall be no euill thing m Non enim est ibi malus neque malitia c. Aug. Man c. 6. There is as Augustine saith neither any wicked one nor any wickednesse There is no aduersarie there is no prouocation to sin there is no want no vnquietnes no discord no variance no violence no oppression there is no sorrow nor sicknesse no paine nor griefe there is no more feare of death nor Hell All these things are past but there is peace and concord loue and charity there is sweet vnity and agreement there is continuall reioycing and praising of God for euermore Now whereas repentance procures to penitent sinners blessings temporall spirituall and eternall This hath a double vse First it serues for instruction to teach and admonish vs Vse 1 To repent of our sinnes and to amend our waies if To repent of our sinnes and amend our wa●es if we would be either h●p●ie