Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	angel_n	golden_a	incense_n	1,470	5	12.0788	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85709	A patheticall perswasion to pray for publick peace: propounded in a sermon preached in the cathedrall church of Saint Paul, Octob. 2. 1642. By Matthew Griffith, rector of S. Mary Magdalens neer Old-Fishstreet, London.	Griffith, Matthew, 1599?-1665.	1642 (1642)	Wing G2016; Thomason E122_17; ESTC R4434	34,095	58

blessing so generally desired and Prayer is a duty so necessary to be used Oh let the Charity of the Church and the commodity of Peace and the necessity of Prayer invite you all to put in practice what the Psalmist here so fervently presseth O pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Briefly since Jerusalem is maintained by Peace and Peace is obtained of God by Prayer Oh let us constantly and conscionably use the means that we may the better come to the end and accordingly let us all pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Of these three Parts in this Order and I begin with the first viz. The Act or Duty which at this time is too too much neglected yet in the Text it is the main thing to which we are exhorted and that is prayer O pray And for my more Methodicall proceeding herein be pleased to observe both the matter of this Duty and also the manner of the same The matter is expressed viz. Prayer in handling whereof I will touch only these three things viz. The dignity necessity and efficacy of prayer The manner is implied and I shall shew that the Psalmist here insinuates that if you will pray as you are here exhorted then you must do it first generalitèr secondly ferventèr thirdly presentèr fourthly perseverantèr lastly practicè that is you must pray generally fervently presently perseveringly and practically A word of each and first of the matter of this duty and therein of the dignity of prayer which in 141 Psal is called a sacrifice and that of incense Let my prayer come before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice The sacrifice of incense was well pleasing to God under the law and therefore it was called the sweet incense in the 4th chap. of Numbers And there was appointed an alter of gold for it in the 40th chap. of Exodus and this is moralized in prayer in the 8th chapter of the Revelation where wee reade that an Angell came and stood at the altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that hee should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne Marke how for the sweet incense of prayer there was provided a golden Censer and a golden Altar and an Angell to offer it What greater honour can a mortall man who is but dust and ashes as Abraham himselfe acknowledgeth attaine unto Gen. 18 27 then to be admitted to friendly and familiar conference even with God himselfe and yet this is obtianed by prayer which is defined by some to bee an holy colloquy or dialogue betweene God and a devout soule Yea Saint Chysostome tearmes prayer Animam animae The soule of a christian soule for as the soule is the most essentiall part of a man so is prayer of a Christian And as the reasonable soule puts a difference between a man and a brute-beast so doth prayer betweene a true Christian and a Heathen Saint Basil fitly resembles prayer to a chain of gold wherewith the ear of God himself is as it were tyed to the tongue of man for whereas Gods Seat is in Heaven whence all grace and goodnesse distills and mans upon earth which is but a sink of sin and valley of tears There is no other chain to linck God and man together save onely this of prayer And that this combines them it is plain for as a Christian in the 9 Chapter of the Acts is described by this Periphrasis Acts 9.27 That he calls upon the Name of the Lord so God himself in the 65 Psalm is described by another Aequivalent unto it Psal 65 2. for he is stil'd The hearer of prayers O thou that art the hearer of prayers to thee shall all flesh come And indeed to whom should we go save onely to him who can both hear and help us The Saints departed cannot hear us saith Job the Angels cannot help us Job 5.1 Then that with the Papists in their blind devotions we pray not in vain let us addresse our selves onely to God who is the hearer of prayers Let us begin as our Church doth at Almighty and most mercifull Father and let us conclude all our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ our onely Lord and Saviour and then no doubt hee will make good what hee hath promised Ioh 16.23 Quaecunque petieritis c. What ever you aske the Father in my name he will give it you Or if we shall compare the Kingdome of heaven to a pallace or princely mansion-house Iohn 14.2 as our Saviour doth in the 14th chapter of Saint John then is Christ himselfe the onely ready way conducting to this pallace and so he calls himselfe in the 6th verse of that chapter where he saith Ego sum via I am the way And as Christ is the right way that leads to life Iohn 14 6. so faith apprehending him is as it were the door that opens to this way and it is so called in the 14th chapter of the Acts Ostium fidel Acts. 14.27 the doore of faith And as faith is the doore so the word of God and the knowledge of the same is as it were the key that opens this doore and it is so called in the 11th chapter of Saint Luke Clavis Scientiae the key of knowledge And as knowledge is the key Luk. 11. ●2 so is prayer as it were the ring or hammer wherewith we knocke the very terme is used in the 7th chapter of Saint Matthew where our Saviour exhorting unto prayer sayth Matth. 7.7 Pulsate knocke and it shall be opened Then in the name of God let us all take this hammer of prayer in the text and therewith let us knocke and call upon God that hee would bee pleased with the key of knowledge to open unto us the doore of faith that so we may have entrance by the way of life into the pallace and paradise of heaven But leaving the consideration of the dignity of prayer I come now to touch the necessity of the same And this is such that whereas Darius in the 6th chap. of Daniel made an edict that no man for the space of thirty dayes should make any petition to God or man save to the King onely Dan 6 7. yet the prophet Daniel chose rather to be cast into the lyons denne then to forbeare so long the so necessary exercise of prayer The simple necessity whereof will soon appeare if you will but take notice First of our manifold wants both of outward blessings and eke of inward graces Secondly of our manifold evils both of sinne and punishment Thirdly of our manifold miseries flowing both from temptation nnd tribulation Fourthly of our manifold dangers for what Saint Paul speakes of himselfe in the 11th chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthians is true of us all 2 Cor. 11. that we are in perills of robbers in perills of