Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	pray_v	prayer_n	supplication_n	6,912	5	11.1562	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41120	Practicall divinitie: or, gospel-light shining forth in severall choyce sermons, on divers texts of scripture Viz. 1. The misery of earthly thoughts, on Isa. 55. 7. 2. A sermon of self-denial, on Luke 9. 23. 3. The efficacie of importunate prayer in two sermons on Collos. 1. 10. 5. A caveat against late repentance, on Luke 23. 24. 6. The soveraign vertue of the Gospel, on Psal. 147. 3 7 A funeral sermon, on Isa. 57. 1. Preached by that laborious and faithfull messenger of Christ, William Fenner, sometimes fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, and late minister of Rochford in Essex.	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.	1647 (1647)	Wing F693; ESTC R222658	119,973	322

it that man shall never speed well before God Thirdly as men have mean thoughts of their sinnes so they have base thoughts of God They cannot think that God should damne a man for drinking a pot with his friend I cannot think God will be so strict No no I love God with all my heart say they and they think that God is of their mind and if they were as God they would not be so strict So Psal 50. They thought I was such a one as themselves they think God will pardon them and therefore because of this men are not importunate with God God hath sent me a crosse saith one but I hope to rub it off well enough Why God will not keep his anger for ever Jer. 3. 5. Suppose a man be absent from Church or break out into some unsavoury speech will God be angry for this Suppose a man be negligent in a good duty will God require every dayes work Tush tush God will not Psal 10. 13. A company of Puritans say he will but I know he will not and hence it is that men will not be importunate Lastly because they have wrong conceits of importunity If a man knock once or twice or thrice and none answer presently he will be gone this is for want of manners thou wilt knock seven times if thou be importunate with them They within may say Hold thy peace be gone c. but thou wilt not so be answered Beloved men are close-handed they are loth to give and they are close-hearted too they are loth to take the pains to ask of God they are loth others should be be importunate with them and therefore they are loth to be importunate with God Examine your selves then in this duty for importunate prayer is ever more the prayer of an importunate man THE EFFICACIE Of Importunate PRAYER The second Sermon BY That laborious and faithfull Messenger of CHRIST WILLIAM FENNER Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Minister of Rochford in Essex THE EFFICACIE OF Importunate Prayer LUKE 11. 9. Ask and it shall be given unto you Seek and you shall find Knock and it shall be opened unto you TO proceed then There be six signes to know whether our Prayers be importunate or no. First importunate prayer is evermore the prayer of an importunate man and the man is importunate if his praier be importunate But how can a man importune God for mercy when his person importunes God for vengeance It must be the prayer of a godly heart Preserve my soule for I am holy Psal 86. 1 2. David makes a prayer and he was holy when he made it his prayer could tell him that he was one that labored to work in holines Therefore when thou goest to God in praier consider whether thou canst say Lord hear me for I am holy and I would fain be holy but if the saying of these words choak thee then thy prayer condemns thee Of all begging it is a great matter who it is that begs at the door Who is that saith the indweller and when he opens the door and sees it is a thief c. Oh is it you saies he you may stand long enough you shall never have alms of me So in praier it is all in all who it is that prayes The woman in the Gospel having an issue touched our Saviour he looking about asked who touched him and when he saw the woman Oh is it you saies he bee of good chear Luk. 8. 48. So when a man prayes to God Who is that saies God that would have these mercies And when the Lord sees it a Drunkard or a covetous man c. is it you saies the Lord you may stay till Dooms-day and yet never find mercie The spirit of supplication and the spirit of prayer is called the spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. If then thou hast not the spirit of grace thou canst not pray The text saith not Whosoever asketh the Father in my name but whatsoever you ask the Father in my name there is many a man may use the name of Christ at the throne of grace but certain it is none but those that are in Christ can pray and with them every thing operates A man that will walk with God in obedience to his laws must be a holy man hence is that saying of our Saviour John 15. 7. a place fit for the purpose If you abide in me and my word abide in you c. as if he should have said You may ask what you please intreat God all the daies of your life yet unlesse you abide in me you cannot speed That man that walks not in holinesse of life can never be an importunate orator as was Moses the man of God but a wicked mans prayer as Augustine speaks is tanquam latratus canum c. no betrer then the barking of dogs or the grunting of swine therefore you whose consciences tell you that you live in sin your praiers never speed at the throne of grace for eternal mercie Secondly an importunate praier is the praier of a pure conscience Suppose a man doth not see that he lives in sin yet if his conscience crie guilty if he have a foul conscience his praier never prevails with God If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not hear my praier saith David Psal 66. 18. that is if I can say or my conscience can tell me that I regard iniquitie in my heart the Lord will not hear me A man must have a pure conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. else let him not look God in the face beg he may but he shall never speed as long as he goes on with a conscience that can tel him he regards iniquitie There be many pray for indeed their conscience will make them pray but they may pray till they come to hell yet they shall never be delivered if there be but one sin unrepented of I remember a storie of a poor woman being troubled in conscience and many Ministers using to visit her at last came one which after much talk and praying hit upon one sin which she was guilty of and loth to part with Then the woman cried out Till now you have spoken to the post but now you have hit the mark my conscience tels me I have been loth to part with this sin but I must leave it or else I cannot be saved Mala conscientia bene sperare non potest The Pagans had so much divinitie as to say The gods must be honoured with puritie therefore they wrote on the doors of their temples Let none having a guilty conscience enter this place Thirdly Importunate prayer is evermore a prayer that is full of strong arguments And hence it is that Job saith I will fill my mouth with arguments Job 23. 4. like an importunate man who will bring all reasons and arguments to effect his cause even so an importunate man at the throne of grace will bring

Lord must have something to please Kings you know must be pleased so the King of heaven would be pleased by all that come unto him Now nothing is more pleasing unto him then prayer Seventhly Importunate praier is a willing prayer There be many that pray to God for mercie and yet they are loth to have it why because they are not importunate When a mans lust runs on the world and worldly pleasures c. he speeds not When the woman of Canaan was importunate Christ saith unto her Woman be it unto thee as thou wilt she had a will to grace Mat. 15. 28. Eightly Importunate prayer is the only faithfully prayer A begger never goes away from a gentlemans door so long as he believes he shall have an alms so as long as a soul is importunate with God it is a signe that it is a believing soul O woman saith Christ great is thy faith Why Because her importunitie was great therefore Christ concludes her faith was great The means to get importunitie in prayer are these First Labour to know thine own misery See Ephes 6. 18 19 20. They could not have prayed importunately unlesse they had known how it had stood with Paul so unlesse thou know thy miserie thou canst not be importunate If a Drunkard or Whoremaster or Sabbath-breaker or Swearer c. knew that they should be damned they would get out of their sins Secondly You must be sensible of your miserie Simon Magus knew his miserie yet because he was not sensible of it he sayes Pray ye to the Lord for me Act. 8. 24. If he had been sensible he would himself have fallen down before the congregation and he would have confessed how he had committed that sinne in a more apprehensive manner Thirdly Observe the prayers of Gods people as here the disciples of Christ did they hearing Christ pray say unto him Master teach us to pray they were so affected with Christs prayer that they said Oh that we could pray thus Oh that we had such a spirit Master teach us to pray So I say consider Gods people how they pray they can pray as if they would soare up to God in supplication they pray as if they would rend the heavens If men did but consider this it would quicken them Fourthly Get a stock of prayer That man must needs be rich that hath a stock in every market So if a man have a stock of prayer it is a signe he is like to speed as I Cor. 4. 2. If God did lend his ears to the Corinthians when they were crying for Paul then certainly Pauls prayers were importunate Fifthly If thou wilt be importunate labour to be full of good works Qui benè operatur bene orat as Act. 10. Cornelius his alms and prayers were come up to God now if he had committed drunkennesse that had come up to God with his prayer therefore was it happy for Cornelius that he was full of good works so thou canst not be importunate unlesse thou be full of good works take heed that swearing and lying c. crie not louder in Gods eares then thy prayers Sixthly If thou wilt be importunate in prayer labour to reform thy houshold VVhen Jacob was to call on God he said to his houshold Put away your strange gods Gen. 35. THE NECESSITIE OF GOSPEL OBEDIENCE In two Sermons BY That laborious and faithfull Messenger of CHRIST WILLIAM FENNER Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Minister of Rochford in Essex THE NECESSITIE OF Gospel-Obedience COLOSS. I. 10. That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull unto every good work THere is a double sense in these words First wherein we may not not cannot walk worthy of GOD. And secondly there is a sense wherein we may and must walk worthy of Him The first sense wherein we cannot walk worthy of God is twofold First We cannot walk worthy of God with an absolute worth of exact proportion for in this sense the Angels of heaven cannot walk worthy of God they blesse God and praise him uncessantly but God is above all blessing and praise Nehem. 9. 5. Their holinesse c. had a beginning but God is infinite Oh then how much lesse can we walk worthy of God! Secondly We cannot walk worthy of God with a sinlesse worth of a mortified condignitie so worthily as we might have done if we had not had sinne for we are compassed with the flesh and sinne which leads us on to all impieties And in this respect John saith I am not worthy c. Luk. 3. 16. It was no idle complement in that good man That he was not worthy to untie Christs shoo-tyers or to carry his books after him as we use to speak but it is certain in regard of sinne which makes us unfit to do any dutie to God God is worthy of better service then the best of us can performe and to have better attendance then we can give him Neverthelesse there is a sense wherein we may and must walk worthy of God And this is also twofold First quoad dignitatem non repugnantiae As a niggard or a sparing servant is an unworthy servant to a bountiful master or a drunkard to a servant of God there is a repugnancie between a master and such a servant He that will not take up his crosse and follow me is unworthy of me Mat. 10. 37. And in this sense we must walk worthy of God that is not contrary to God Secondly This worthy includes dignitatem condecentiae Walk worthy of God i. e. sutable unto him A correspondencie there must be between Christ and those that are his between the children of God and God we must walk answerable to him God is holy gracious mercifull c. now we must walk worthy viz sutable to those attributes and not to deal basely wish God who hath dealt bountifully with us and hath delivered us from hell and helps us to heaven Let us not then put unworthy tricks on God but let us walk as men renewed So much for the sense This speech is directed to the professors of the gospel of Christ in Colosse for first Epaphras had given out that there were godly soules in that city Secondly as it was reported so this report came to Paul he heard that there were a company of men that went for Gods saints We have heard saith he c. vers 4. I Paul heard so and hence it is that Paul directs his speech As if he should say for so it is in the ninth verse I hear that there are professors among you Now I pray God that you walk worthy of God You professe Christ and his word I pray God you may walk worthy of the master you serve Hence observe That those that professe Christ must walk worthy of christ worthy of Christ whom you say you serve or they serve This is further commanded and that expresly in I Thess 2. 12. That you

the reason the Apostle cryed O wretched man that I am c. I speak not now to the children of God who are troubled w th bie-thoughts in their praiers For they the more bie-thoughts they have the more earnest they are in praier they mourn with David in their praier Consider ô Lord saith he how I mourn Psal 55. There was something in the Peophets praier that did vex him and that made him so much the more to mourn before God But as for you that can have bie-thoughts in praier and let them abide with you your praiers are not importunate the Heathen shall rise up against you and condemn you I remember a storie of a certain Youth who being in the temple with Alexander when he was to offer incense to his god and the Youth holding the golden Censer with the fire in it a coal fell on the Youths hand and burnt his wrist but the Youth considering what a sacred thing he was about for all he felt his wrist to be burnt yet he would not stir but continued still to the end This I speak to shame those that can let any thing though never so small to disturb them yea if it were possible lesser things then nothing for if nothing come to draw their hearts away they themselves will employ their hearts Ba●ls Priests shall condemn these who did cut themselves with knives and all to make them pray so much the more stronglie What a shame is it then that we should come on life and death to pray for our souls and yet come with such loose and lazie praiers Think you that a malefactor when he is crying at the Bar for his life will be thinking on his Pots and Whores c Was it ever heard of that a man at deaths-doore should be thinking on his Dogs can he then think on them Do you think that Jonah prayed on this fashion when he was in the Whales belly or the Thief on the crosse or Daniel in the Lions den or the three Children in the fierie furnace or Paul in prison Do ye think that these prayed thus What shall I be at prayer and my minde in the fields No no if I will pray I must melt before God and bewail my sins and be heartilie affected in prayer But as long as I pray thus I pray not at all And as God said to Adam where art thou so may he say to thee Man where art thou art thou at prayer and thy mind at mill is thy mind on thy Oxen and art thou at prayer before me what an indignity is this Should a man come to sue to the King and not minde his suit will not the King say Do you mock me know you to whom you speak The Lord takes this as a hainous sin when men come into his presence with such loose hearts Now seeing these things are thus take a word of exhortation to labour for importunate Prayer Prayer is the art of all arts it enables a man to all other duties it is the art of Repentance c. Samuel confessed if he had not had the art of Prayer he could not have had the art of Preaching 2 Sam. 12. 23. See the antithesis between these two words God forbid as if he should say God forbid that I should cease to pray for you for then I should not teach you the right way A Minister can never preach to his people that prayes not for his people It is the art of Thanksgiving a man cannot be thankfull if he cannot pray Psal 116. 12. It was the meanes whereby the Prophet David would be thankfull to God he would take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. A man hath not a good servant unlesse he can pray for his master see the storie of Abrahams servant Gen. 24. Prayer helps to perform all other good duties How dost thou thinke to have benefit by the Word unlesse thou be fervent in prayer with God to get a blessing upon it We can do nothing but by begging Secondly as Prayer is the art of all arts so it is the Compendium of all divinitie Therefore to call zealouslie on the name of the Lord is to be a Christian Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord c. It includes repentance humiliation sorrow for sin joy in Gods goodnes thanksgiving for mercies obedience to his commandements yea the whole dutie of man therefore we must labour to be importunate in prayer A Reasonable soul is eminently all souls so Prayer is eminently all good duties Psal 72. The prayer of David the son of Jesse that is all his repentance in all passages he did humble himself before God all Davids duties are included by the name of the prayer of David the son of Jesse And therefore thou hadst need to make much of Prayer for thou canst never repent unlesse thou pray well Thirdly Prayer is a mans utmost reference a man cannot have Christ but only by Prayer 'T is bad enough for a man to be a Drunkard or to live in any other sin but yet after all this if a man have the spirit of prayer there is hope of this man if after all his sinnes committed he can pray to God there is hope But for a man to sinne and not to be importunate in prayer is dangerous What saith the Psalmist They are corrupt and become abominable they have not called on the name of the Lord Psalm 14. 4. Oh fearfull condition Fourthly Prayer is that which Gods people have though they have nothing else it is the beggers dish as I may so call it A begger hath no way to live but by beging thererefore he had need beg hard so we have nothing to live on but praying I mean nothing that is to be done on our side all the promises of God are to be gotten by prayer Suppose a man have nothing to live on but his fingers ends no house nor land nothing left to maintain his wife and children but his fingers ends will he not be toyling all the day he is a day-labourer as we use to say So to pray earnestly is a Christians fingers ends When a house stands but upon one pillar will not a man be fearfull and carefull of that pillar why Prayer is a mans pillar is this be gone down falls all the hope of salvation Fifthly Prayer is that which hath the command of Mercie we are such unprofitable servants that Mercie will not meddle with us unlesse it be commanded Patience is loth to beare we have so provoked God that Mercie is loth to make or meddle with us for unlesse it have command from God it will not admit of any soul When David begged for loving kindnesse he was importunate else mercie and loving kindnesse would not look on David Psal 42. 8. Sixthly Prayer is Gods delight The supplication of the wicked is abomination to God but the prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15. 8. The

all arguments to perswade God If a man be to pray for any particular grace he will bring all the arguments he can devise to get it as Lord it is a grace of the Covenant for the want whereof I endure many temptations thou hast made me a Minister I cannot work on mens consciences untill I have it he presseth all arguments he can devise A good orator before God must be a good logician It was noted of the High-Priests that were to pray before God they were to have Vrim and Thummim and that was two parts of Logick viz. knowledge and perfection such a one should a Minister be he must be a good Logitian at the throne of grace Fourthly importunate prayer is a stout prayer Continue in praier saith the Apostle Col. 4. 2. a weak-hearted praier is a cold praier a praier without a spirit yet these men that have weak spirits to pray have strong enough to sin and wit enough to sin and knowledge enough to sin but bring them to grace then they have no strength Thou canst not strive to prevail with God unlesse thou stand to it How came Jacob to prevail with God but by wrestling Prayer is called fighting it is a holy kind of violence Thou canst not obtain a mercie at Gods hand unlesse thou lay all thy force on it Even as a Father who hath an apple in his hand and his child would fain have it he first opens one finger then another till the apple drop out So is it with a poor soul at the throne of grace the Lord opens his hands and fills all things living with plenteousnesse What is the meanes that is used why the praiers of his children they by their praiers open Gods hand and so make the blessings to descend Go for grace why the Lord will say unto thee Thou art proud thou must be humble and so open that finger Thou art carelesse thou must go quicken thy self and so open that finger God saies thou wilt not make much of this grace when thou hast it but thou wilt turn it into a wantonnesse then thy soul must learn to mortifie its members and so open that finger thou canst not get grace at Gods hand unlesse thou do open all his fingers and then it will fall down There is a severall power in all Gods children some have more some have lesse yet all must be powerful else none can prevaile with God Fifthly if thou pray importunately thou praiest wakefully he must be deeply awake that praies his soul his heart his understanding must be awake that man that praies drowsilie praies not powerfullie Watch therefore saith Christ and pray Luk. 21. 36. Watch to pray q. d. for as there is a sleepie head so there is a sleepie heart As a Begger who is begging is all awake head feet hands c. all is awake to beg so must that soul be that means to speed in praier Sixthly importunate praier is an assureance-getting praier a praier that will not be quiet till it have got assurance that God hath heard it Wicked men pray and presume that God hears them but God hears them not nay many of Gods dear children pray many times and are not heard How long wilt thou be angry with thy people that praieth Ps 80. 4. Not only with their persons but with their praiers also How then think you is the praier of such as live in their sins taken who pray but their praiers vanish away in the aire like clouds these may pray and pray but they get nothing Behold he praies saith the voice to Saul Act. 9. 22. What did he not pray before Yes he had made many a long praier else he could not have been a Pharisee but now he did not onlie pray but he praied unto God as David did who did lift up his heart to God Psal 25. 1. or else his heart could not have praied and then in the next verse David begins his praier Our hearts are just like a bell which so long as it lies on the ground will make no musick till it be lifted up Our hearts are not like the bell of Rochea which they say will ring of its own accord but our hearts must be lifted up else they will make no delightful musick in the eares of God Wherefore if you pray and labour not to bring your hearts home to God that so he may hear them in mercie he will it may be heare them but it will be to your condemnation as he hears the praiers of wicked men therefore if thou praiest pray ferventlie There be six or seven marks of Praier that is not importunate and he that praies so may go to hell for ought I know The first is a lazie praier An importunate man works hard to bring up his suit his understanding his counsel and all his policie works so if the soul be importunate then it is a working praier Praier is a labour 2 Cor. 1. Labour with me in praier That man that plowes his field and digs his vineyard that man praies for a good harvest if a man pray to God never so much yet if he do not use the meanes he cannot obtain the thing he praies for Even so it is with grace A man may pray for all the graces of Gods spirit and yet never get any unlesse he labour for them in the use of the means God cannot abide lazie beggers that cannot abide to follow their calling but if they can get any thing by begging they will never set themselves to work So many there be that if they can get pardon of sin for begging then they will have it but let such know that the Lord will not give it for such lazie kind of praying but if thou wilt have pardon of sin thou must labour for it thou must get it with thy fingers ends God gives not men Repentance Faith c. by miracles but by means Thou must then use the means and keep watch and ward over thine own soul that so thou maiest get the grace thou praiest for Secondly a praier that is not a full praier never speeds with God but an importunate praier is a full praier it is a pouring out of the heart yea of the whole heart Psal 62. 8. the Psalmist saith poure out your hearts before him trust in him at all times poure out your hearts the addition is made in the Lamentations of Jeremie like water It may be thou pourest out thy praier like tar out of a tar-box half sticking by the sides but when thou praiest thou must out with all before God When thou givest thanks dost thou labour to remember all the blessings of God when thou dost petition to God dost thou poure out all thy heart before him dost thou cast all thy care on God Thirdly Snatch-prayer is no importunate prayer when men pray by snatches or peecemeals by breaking off a limme of their praier because of sluggishnesse or because their hearts are eager about