Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	earl_n	lord_n	robert_n	1,688	5	9.7342	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09410	An exposition of the Lords praier in the way of catechisme By William Perkins; Perkins upon the Lords praier	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1593 (1593)	STC 19701; ESTC S113660	46,459	156

AN EXPOSITION OF THE LORDS PRAIER IN the way of Catechisme By William Perkins EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT Walde-graue Printer to the Kings 〈◊〉 1593. TO THE RIGHT honourable Edward Lord Russell Earl of Bedford grace and peace be multiplied RIGHT honourable if you consider what is one of the cheife ornaments of this noble state vnto which God hath aduanced you It will appeare that there is none more excellent then the spirit of grace and praier For what doth your heart affect would you speake the languages Behold by praier you may speake the most heauenly toung that euer was euen the language of Canaan Would you haue the valor of knighthood By praier you may stand in the place where Gods hand hath made a breach and do as much as all the Chariots horsmen in a kingdome Would you enjoy Gods blessings which you want By praier you may as it were put your hād into the cofers of Gods treasures and inriche your selfe Do you desire the fauour of Monarks and Princes By praier you may come in presence and haue speeche with Iehoua the King of heauen and earth Lastly would you knowe whether now liuing you be dead that being dead you may liue for euer By praier a man may knowe whether he be dead to sinne dead to the world liue to God liue to Christ and liue eternally Praier then being so excellent a point of Religion I am imboldened to commend this small treatise your honour not so much for itselfe as because it doth set out the matter and true maner of inuocation of Gods holy name And I hope for your fauour in accepting of it the rather because I doubt not but your desire is to be answerable to your most honourable and for Religion most worthie ancestors in the care of maintaining and countenancing any good thing that may any whit serue for the furthering of the gospell of Christ. Now Iesus Christ our Lorde and God euen the Father which hath loued vs and giuen vs euerlasting consolation and good hope through grace stablish your Honor in euerie good word and worke to the end Your H. to command William Perkins AN EXPOSITION of the Lords prayer in the way of Catechisme By M. Perkins Matth. 6. ver 9. After this maner therefore pray yee Our Father c. THe occasion and so also the coherence of these wordes with the former is this The Evangelist Matthew setting downe the Sermons and sayings of our Sauiour Christ keeps not this course to propounde euery thing as it was done or spoken but sometime he settes down that first which was done last and that last which was done before according as the spirit of God directed him Which thing is verified in these wordes where the praier is mentioned yet the occasion wherfore our Sauiour Christ taught his disciples to pray is not here specified But in Saint Luke 11. verse 1. the occasion of these wordes is euident For there it is said that the disciples of our Sauior knowing that Iohn taught his disciples to pray made request to their master that he would do the same to them likewise These few words set before the praier are a commandement and it prescribes vnto vs two duties the first to praie the second to pray after the manner following Touching the first point considering verie fewe among the people know how to pray aright we must learne what it is to pray To make praier is to put vp request to god acording to his word from a contrite hart in the name of Christ with assurance to bee hard For the better opening of these words we are to consider six questions The first is to whome wee are to pray The answer is to God alone Rom. 10. 14. Howe shal they cal on him in whome they haue not beleeued c. Marke how inuocation and faith are linked together And Paules reson may be framed thus In whome we put our affiance or beleif to him alone must we pray but we beleue only in God therefore wee must onely praie to him As for Saints or Angels they are in no wise to be called vpon because not the least title of Gods worde prescribes vs so to doe because they cannot heare our praiers and discerne what are the thoughts and desires of our harts and because invocation is a parte of diuine worship and therefore peculiar to God alone The second question is what kinde of action prayer is Answer it is no lip-labour it is the putting vp of a sute vnto God and this action is peculiar to the verie hart of a man Rom. 8. 26. The spirite makes request for vs But how with grones in the hart Exod. 14. 15. The Lord said to Moses Why criest thou Yet there is no mentiō made that Moses spake any word at all the Lorde no doubt accepted the inward mourning and desire of his hart for a crie The third question is what is the forme or rule according vnto which we are to pray Answer It is the reueiled wil and word of God A man in humbling his soule before God is not to pray as his affections carrie him and for what he list but all is to be done according to the expresse worde So as those things which God hath cōmanded vs to ask wee are to aske and those thinges which hee hath not commanded vs to ask we are in no wise to pray for 1. Iohn 5. 14. This is the assurance vvhich vvee haue of him that if wee aske any thing according to his will hee heareth vs. This then is a speciall clause to be marked that men must praye in knowledge not in ignorance Here weigh the case of poore ignorant people they talke muche of praying for themselues others they imagine that they pray verie deuoutlie to God but alas they doe nothing les because they knowe not what to ask acording to Gods will They therefore must learne Gods worde and pray according to the same else it will prooue in the end that all their praying was nothing but as mocking and flat dishonoring of God The fourth question is with what affection a man must pray Answer Prayer must proceed from a broken and contrite hart This is the sacrifice which God accepteth Psalm 51. verse 17. When Ahab abased himselfe though he did it in hypocrisie yet God had some respect vnto it 1. King 21. verse 29. Saith the Lorde to Eliah seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me This contrition of heart stands in two thinges The first of them is a liuely feeling of our own sinne miserie and wretched estate howe that we are compassed about with inumerable enemies euen with the Deuill and all his Angels within a bound even with huge seas of wants and rebellious corruptiōs whereby we most grieuouslie displease God are vile in our own eies Being therefore thus beset on euerie side wee are to be touched with the sense of this our gret miserie And he that wil pray aright