Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	altar_n	angel_n	golden_a	2,087	5	10.8116	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49262	The zealovs Christian taking heaven by holy violence in severall sermons, tending to direct men how to hear with zeal, [how] to pray with importunity / preached by ... Mr. Christopher Love ...	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.	1653 (1653)	Wing L3185; ESTC R31563	89,088	190

me and I have nothing to set before him And be from within shall answer and say trouble me not the doore is now shut and my children are in bed with me I cannot rise and give thee I say unto you though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needeth Which Parable consists of two parts 1. A Prayer 2. An answer to it In the prayer here are foure parts 1. The relation of the person praying to him to whom he prayes his friend vers 4. Which of you shall have a friend c. Whence observe God must be a friend to us before any of our prayers can be accepted 2. The time of his addresse ver 5. at midnight in times of greatest need of extreamest necessity Isa 26. 9. With my soule have I desired thee in the night From whence observe That the chiefest time for Gods people to be earnest in prayer to God is a time of trouble 3. The matter of his request Lend me three loaves By which some Interpreters understand the three persons in the Trinity the Father the Son and the holy Ghost Some refer them to the three cardinall graces Faith Hope and Charity but these are vaine interpretations It is observable that in Parables some things are used for ornament onely not for the sense The intent and designe of it is this That we are to order our prayers according to our present necessities 4. There is the occasion of this request verse 6. A friend ●f 〈◊〉 in come to 〈◊〉 and I have nothing c. The Answer returned to this request is double 1. By way of negation ver 7. Trouble me not c. Observe● that God● people may have denialls to their prayer The reason of this deniall is the doore i● now sh●●● and my children are with me in bed There are some times when Gods own people may pray to him yet he shut his eates to their prayers God will a● it were hide himselfe from the prayers of his own people that they shall not come at him Not onely the doores are shut but his God 〈…〉 in bed with him These children here spoken of are the creatures of God from whence observe That there may be times where God may take away all his creature comforts from his owne people that they shall not any wayes he help full to them 2. By way of concession and that is in the words of the text I say unto you though he will not arise and give him because he is his friends yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him 〈◊〉 ●●thy as he needs In which words you have first the relation of him that prayes ●o him whom he prayes a friend Obser●● There must be a state of friendship between God and a sinner before his prayers can be heard 2. The condition upon which the prayer was heard and than is set downe two wayes 1. Negatively he will hear him not because he is his friend 2. Positively he will 〈…〉 him because of his importunity Obs 1. That meerely a state of friendship and reconciliation with God is not a sufficient ground for us to beleeve that our prayers shall be heard and accepted by God Obs 2. There must be an holy importunity even in Gods own friends in their prayers to which they expect a gracious returne 3. Here is the amplification of the concession There is more given in the concession then was desired in the supplication He desired but three loave and because of his holy importunity he did rise and give him as many as he needed Whence observe That where there is an holy importunity in our prayers God doth in his returnes to that soule give more then was desired The first part of the text was the relation of the prayer to him to whom he makes his prayer The observation is this Doct. 1 A 〈…〉 be brought into a state of friendship or reconciliation with God before any prayer he makes can be accepted I will prove this doctrine by three reasons and then apply it The reasons are three Reas 1 1. God accepteth not the person for the prayers sake but the prayer for the persons sake We read Gen. 4. 4. God hath respect unto Abel and unto his offering first to Abel then to his sacrifice God did accept of his serivce because his person was in a state of favour with God God is first pleased with the workes before he can accept the works This is also laid downe Heb. 11. 5. by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God Now without faith in Christ to justifie thy person thou canst not please God Here lies the great difference between the Papists and us The Papists say that works justifie the person we say the person justifies the worke for make the tree good and the fruit must needs be goodst 2. Because till we be brought into that state of reconciliation we have no share ●n the intercession satisfaction and righteousnesse of Jesus Christ And till we have a share in the● our prayers can not be accepted Jacob could not receive the blessing from his father but in the garments of his elder brother not can we receive any thing from the hands of God but in the Robes of Christ No prayer can be accepted by God but in and through the intercession of Jesus Christ If Christ be not an Intercesson in Heaven no prayer will be heard 〈…〉 in the 8. Chapter of Rev. 1. v. 3. ● is written there was an Angel thus came and stood at the Altar having a 〈…〉 and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer i● with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the throne The word in the Greek is to this purpose That he should add it to the prayers of the Saints As if the prayer of Christ and a Believer were all one In the 56. of Isal 7. God promiseth I will bring my people to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer c. In the Hebrew it i● thus I will make them joyful in the house of my prayer Our prayers ar● but as so many cyphers that signifie nothing till the intercession of Christ is added to them without that they cannot be accepted Reas 3 3. Because till we are in a state of friendship and reconciliation we have not the assistance of Gods Spirit to help us and if we have not the assistance of the Spirit wee shall never finde acceptance with him All ●●quests that are not dictated by the Spirit are but the breathings of the flesh which God regards not Now till we are reconciled to God we cannot have the Spirit Gal. 4. 6. And because ye are sons God hath sent

the Holy Ghost What was his end in desiring the Holy Ghost Was it to obtain a spiritual mercy No but it was that he might work miracles And further when Peter put him upon the begging of a spiritual mercy vers 22. pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee But Simon Magus followed not Peters rule he had no great desire of the pardon of sin or any spirituall mercy but he prayes That none of those things which Peter had spoken might come upon him vers 24. That is that his money might not perish nor he perish with it that his gifts might not perish this was his great request and desire 3. An holy importunity of Gods people is more in sensibleness of the inward affections of the heart then in the outward expressions of words Psal 38. 9. All my desire is before thee and my groanings are not hid from thee Davids heart panted and failed him vers 10. but not a word of expressions though his expressions were very good Rom. 8. 26. The spirit helps our infirmities with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered It is said Revel 5. 8. The four and twenty Elders had golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of the Saints They are called odours for their sweetnesse golden for their excellency and vials which are vessels of large extent in the belly but narrow mouthed The hearts of Gods people are like vials many times inlarged within when they are straitned in their words and expressions There are many times most dilated desires in the hearts of the Saints and yet they are so narrow mouthed that they are not able to utter But now it is otherwise with hypocrites they have more in the expression then in the action It was Gods complaint against the Jews of old They draw nigh to God with their lips when their hearts were far from him An hypocrite indeed performes duty but his duties never reach to his heart They are like a pot that is hot at the top but cold at the bottom 4. An holy importunity makes a man more inlarged before God in secret then before men in publike O my Dove that art in the clifts of the rock in the secret places of thy stairs let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voyce and thy countenance is comely The voice of Christs Church is sweet even then when she is in secret when none but God beholds her Cant. 8. 13. Thou that dwellest in the gardens the companions harken to thy voice cause me to hear it But now an hypocrite doth never care to have any secret communion with God he cares not to pray alone and if hee bee brought to that hee takes no care of his heart he curbs not his thoughts all his care is in company popular applause and vain-glory is as the wind to the sails of a Ship that makes their affections move the faster An hypocrite in this regard may be resembled to a Nightingale which sings sweetess when any man stands neer her So carnal men when others are witnesses of their actions then they put forth the utmost of their ability They are of John's temper he was zealous onely upon that condition that others would see it 5. This holy importunity makes a godly man the more humble the more enlarged he is to prayer The reason is because he looks upon his enlargements not as coming from the strength of his natural parts or abilities but as the free-gift and gracious dispensation of Gods Spirit and so he sees he hath nothing whereof to boast and so it makes him low in his own eyes You know a violet that is one of the sweetest flowers growes lowest in the earth The fullest ears of corn do most hang down The fullest barrels make the least noise So the most gracious heart is the most low and vile in its own apprehensions is the nearest earth but dust and ashes The fuller he is of divine discoveries or enlargement the less boasting doth he make in the world A ship the heavier it is laden the lesse it is tost with winds and waves the more empty it is the more it is lifted up above the water so a man the more empty the more tost too and fro with every wind of applause Grace is as it were the balast of the soul to keep down a mans spirits and make him humble in the midst of wit and parts Be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer Be sober and not puffed up do not boast of your enlargements Though it is true it doth refer to another thing yet Byfield refers it to prayer and he saith That man that prayes to God with most enlargednesse of affections towards God that man cannot but he must watch and be sober Sobriety is opposed to pride for a man may be dumb with his own gifts and graces and watchfulnesse is opposed to remisnesse and deadnesse and carelesnesse of spirit in the performance of duties Thus it is with a sincere man that hath this true importunity in him But now wicked men if ever they have enlargements in duty it puffs them up It is with them as it was with Uzziah 2 Chr. 26. 16. When God had helped him marvellously til he was strong But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction When God helps the soul of such a man in duty it makes him to lift up himself against God and be puffed up above his brethren 6. He that hath this holy importunity in him his desires are rather quickned then abated by denials You finde this in the woman of Canaan Matt. 15. 22. She cryed unto Christ saying Have mercy on me O Lord thou Son of David my daughter is grie vously vexed with a divel Jesus Christ takes no notice of her He answered her not a word vers 23. There is one discouragement One would have thought she would have d●●sted but she prayed again and the Disciples besought him to send her away vers 23. There was another discouragement which would have knocked off the desires of many but she continues her request still Jesus Christ himself answers her I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel vers 24. There is a third discouragement and yet this doth not cool her affections but she comes afresh upon Christ she came and worshipped saying Lord help me vers 25. Yet she found another repulse and that worse then any of the former It is not meet to take the childrens bread and give it to doggs vers 26. Christ you see calls her a dog and yet all this doth not cast her off but she takes encouragement even from this discouraging answer And she said Truth Lord yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table vers 27. She was resolved she would not give over till she got what she came for till Christ