Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	mountain_n	spirit_n	worship_v	2,218	5	9.6432	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43573	Closet-prayer a Christian duty, or, A treatise upon Mat. VI, VI. tending to prove that worship of God in secret is the indispensible duty of all Christians ... together with a severe rebuke of Christians for their neglect of, or negligence in, the duty of closet-prayer, and many directions for the managing thereof ... / by O. Heywood.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1671 (1671)	Wing H1762; ESTC R24371	90,506	148

true Gospelized Christian hath otherwise learned Christ 'T is true in the Old Testament dispensation after the erecting of the Temple Prayer was to be made at it or towards it as it typified Christ by whom our prayers are accepted But that holiness being ceremonial 't is now abolished by the Gospel Now that takes place in John 4.21 Woman believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor at Jerusalem worship the Father i. e. God now doth not so much stand upon the place as the manner of worship that they worship in spirit and truth ver 23.24 Now is the prophecy accomplished Mal. 1.11 In every place Incense shall be offered to my Name Which the Apostle also asserts expresly 1 Tim. 2.8 Much hath been said in controversie concerning the holiness of places but this seems to be an undeniable argument against that Conceit that if some places be holy by the Churches consecration of them to holy uses then it followeth that other places not so consecrated howbeit applyed to the same holy use are more prophane and less apt to divine worship than places consecrated which would directly contradict the Scriptures last mentioned Eccles polit lib. 5. c. 16. Indeed Hooker teacheth that the service of God in places not sanctified as Churches are hath not in it self such perfection of grace and comeliness as when the dignity of the place which it wisheth for doth concur and that the very Majesty and holiness of the place where God is worshipped bettereth even our holiest and best actions Thus he Confer with Hart. c. 8. Divis 4. pag. 491. To whom we dare not subscribe but rather say with Dr. John Reinolds that to us Christians no Land is strange no ground unholy Every coast is Jewry every town Jerusalem and every house Zion and every faithful company yea every faithful body a Temple to serve God in But I shall not undertake a dispute upon this subject The duty of the Text clears it If God command and accept Closet-Prayer then he doth not make so great a matter of the place for this duty as some imagine since it cannot be imagined that Closet-Prayer can be performed ordinarily in a consecrated place as they call it and there being no such place where a duty can be performed to which God hath more expresly promised a reward than what is performed in a Corner or Closet and therefore we have no warrant to expect acceptance meerly upon the account of one place more than another Indeed there is a common practice of some persons which is to perform their private devotions in publick places For you shall see some at their entrance into a Church or Chappel whatever publick worship is in hand fall down upon their knees or put their hats or hands before their faces and so fall to Prayer I will not call this the sacrifice of fools but I judge it very unseasonable for we should joyn with Gods people in the publick Ordinances and prefer them before any thing that we can then undertake The original of this practice was Eo proposito Dominus ●…etat in conventu or are ut à conventu videatur Chrysost Ho. 13. op im perf sup Math. a conceit that the place was more holy than their own houses and that their Prayer shall be heard there rather than at home 'T is too sad a sign they had not prayed before they came thither I am sure it favours rankly of a Pharisaical spirit for this is the fault our Saviour here rectifies which was their private praying in publick places and in opposition thereunto directs his Disciples to the duty of the Text which is to pray in their Closets SECT II. The Nature of Prayer 2. WE may hence be informed concerning the nature usefulness excellency and efficacy of the duty of Prayer I speak not now of Prayer in general but in reference to Closet-Prayer And on that account there are two Consectaries hence concerning Prayer 1. It follows that Prayer is an immediate worship of God For what hath been said shews that we have to do immediately with God yea that a man alone singly hath to do with God therein it 's different from other parts of Gods instituted worship which doth necessarily require company as in preaching of the Word there must be hearers in the seals of the Covenant as in Baptism and the Lords-Supper there must be a society such a number as may be called a Church Hence the latter is called a Communion because saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.16 17. We being many are one bread and one body But it is not absolutely or essentially requisite to Prayer that there be a society one man or woman by him or her self alone may perform this duty of Prayer as acceptably to God as if in the company of a thousand Saints We deny not the publick or private Meetings of Gods people for Prayer but withal affirm that the nature of the duty is such that it may be performed solitary and alone Hence Schoolmen distinguish of Prayer Aq. 2 2ae q. 83 Art 12. that it is either Communis or Singularis Common or Singular Both have their place and use Though they lay great stress upon Christs promise in Mat. 18.20 promising to be where two or three are met in his Name which as we deny not so we assert the force of this Prayer of a single person according to the Text We give both their due without comparisons 2. Prayer cannot be stopt in its ascent to God All the persecutors on earth cannot hinder a soul's praying This is demonstrated two wayes 1. A Child of God banisht out of all human society may pray still Suppose a man were rejected by men and ejected out of all companies of men and were shut up in the Closest Prison or shut out in the remotest Wilderness suppose a man were in the Caves and Dens of the Earth yet still he might pray and be heard according to Solomon's Prayer that If Gods People were carried captive into the Land of their Enemies far or near yet if they repented and prayed unto God towards their Land and that House of God then he begs that God would hear them and God testifies that he did hear this Prayer of Solomon 1 King 8.46 48. with chap. 9.3 The passage to Heaven is as near and open from one part of the earth as another therefore David saith he will cry to God from the end of the Earth Psal 61.2 A notable instance for this we have in Jonah he was got into the bottom of the Sea as far from Heaven locally as one could imagine into a great Fishes belly which he calls the very belly of Hell and as he was then far from men so he looks upon himself as cast out of the sight of God and he pathetically expresseth his misery and hopeless state What doth he in this doleful plight Why he will look towards Gods holy

86 Sect. 2. 4 Duties consequent to it 87 1 Observe Gods appearance ibid. 2. Walk suitably 88 Sect. 3. 3 Wait for Returns 90 4 Communicate Experiments 91 CHAP. VII Sect. 1. Concerning matter or words of prayer 94 1 Lords-Prayer is paraphrased 95 Sect. 2. 2 Wherein an example propounded from Jacob Exod. 32.10 in ten particulars 98 CHAP. VIII Sect. 1. 4 Vse of Exhortation to Closet-prayer pressed by ten Expostulatory Arguments 103 Sect. 2. Objections answered as 1 I perform Family-duty Answ 110 2. I am a poor Labouring man Ans ibid. 3. I am a Servant and cannot Ans 111 4 I want a convenient place Ans 112 5 I know some Christians against it Ans 113 Sect. 3. 6 I find not my heart prepared Ans 114 7 I meet with temptations Ans 115 8 I get no good by it Ans 116 9 I want gifts for it Ans 117 10 'T is too much ado labour Ans 118 Sect. 4. Cases of conscience answered 1 What difference betwixt Saint and hypocrite 120 2 Whether may a man ingage by vow 121 3 How may we know communion with God 122 4 What must I do if I find no good ibid. The Whole concluded with Exhortation 124 MATTH 6.6 But thou when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly CHAP. I. SECT I. The Context cleared IN this excellent Sermon of our precious Saviour in the Mount we have both the Gospel clearly Propounded and the Law solidly expounded The corrupt and carnal Pharisees had degraded God's holy Law from its spiritual extent and regiment by their low and literal glosses but our Saviour restores it to its dignity and authority over hearts and consciences In this Chapter the best Preacher that ever opened his mouth doth admirably explain the Adjuncts Offices and Exercises of true Piety which are principally three Alms Prayer and Fasting to ver 19. Particularly concerning the Duty of Prayer there were two material destructive Faults which the Scribes and Pharisees were guilty of in that sweet and solemn Ordinance Those were 1. Hypocrisie 2. Battologie or vain-babling Jesus Christ rebukes and rectifies both 1. They were wont to perform their private devotions in publick places meerly for vain-glory to be seen of men as in the Synagogues or in the Streets ver 5. Now for the Disciples practice in this case he commands them to withdraw themselves out of the view of men into some solitary place and there perform that Duty where they are least exposed to the danger of ostentation ver 6. 2. Another fault that our Redeemer rebukes in the Duty of Prayer is vain Repetitions And though he only mention it here as the Heathens fault ver 7. yet certainly the Scribes and Pharisees might also be guilty of it for they are censured for their long Prayers Mat. 23.14 Yet upon different accounts Here the Heathens use vain repetitions that they may move God There the Scribes and Pharisees make long Prayers that they may deceive men and devour Widows houses This Text saith They think they shall be heard for their much speaking just as Baal's Priests 1 King 18.26 They called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon saying O Baal hear us they leapt upon the Altar and cryed aloud and cut themselves with knives and lancers till the blood gushed out upon them No doubt this was done to move their cruel god or rather stupid block to some pity and compassion Just as the frantick Papists do at this day in their self-tormenting penances But our God who is the searcher of hearts delights more in ardent affections than in either extension of the voice or multiplication of words or excruciating afflictions of the outward man Therefore our Saviour tells us that when we pray we come not to inform God of any thing he is ignorant of ver 8. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him But we pray that our own hearts may be affected and that we may have the condition of acceptance And for the rectifying of this abuse of vain babling in Prayer Christ propounds and presents to us an exact draught and compendious platform of Prayer in that which is commonly called The Lords Prayer not as though men should say only those words and no more for then the Apostles had failed in praying in other terms but that this might be a directory for Prayer So that every thing we ask Ut aliter orare quam docuit non Ignorantia sola est sed Culpa Cyp. serm ad orat Domin pag. 408. should be reducible to some of those heads mentioned in this perfect platform So that as Cyprian saith To pray otherwayes than he hath taught either as to the manner or substance of the matter 't is not only ignorance but an offence and indeed we cannot expect to be heard except we ask as well according to Christs mind as in his name But this is not the subject I have chosen to insist upon That which falls under our present cognizance from this Text is The modification of Prayer with respect to the circumstance of privacy solitariness or retirement The Text holds forth the warrant for and manner of carrying on the great work of Closet-Prayer a copious Subject a precious Duty In which are 1 The Place for it a Closet 2 The clossness of the place Door-shut 3 The object of the worship Thy Father 4 The Arguments to inforce thy Duty 1 Gods omniscience he sees 2 His munificence will reward SECT II. The words opened FOr a more distinct opening of the words according to the parts before-mentioned consider 1. What is meant by a Closet here Some understand and interpret it not literally but mystically making an Allegory of it as though it did import interiorem cordis recessum the inner recesses or motions of the heart but though that be a truth and duty That we must pray in the closet of the heart yet I humbly conceive that is not the proper meaning of this place for we need not interpret this plain word in such a borrowed sense since multitudes of Scriptures are so express for worshipping God with the heart Besides that is not suitable to the scope of the place which opposeth self-retirement to the Pharisaical modes of devotion Leigh in Crit. Sac. in verb. The word then is to be literally taken and in general imports any secret place where a thing is laid up Mat. 24.26 Luk. 12.3 particularly it signifies a Safe or Cupboard to lay victuals in or a locked Chest wherein a treasure is usually reserved or it s taken as indeed here and oft elsewhere for a closs or secret chamber a withdrawing-room Quemvis locum occultum notat Par. retiring-place where a person is not seen or heard nor yet is disturbed in his devotions by any noise or