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	golden_a	incense_n	2,065	5	12.3070	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