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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	faith_n	overcome_v	temptation_n	1,809	5	9.3055	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80869	An useful tractate to further Christians of these dangerous and back-sliding times, in the practice of the most needful duty of prayer Wherein are discover'd the nature, necessity and successe of fervent prayer: many objections answered, several practical cases of conscience resolved; and all briefly applied from this text, viz. James 5. 16. The effectual fervent-prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Being the substance of several sermons preached in the town of Columpton in Devon. / By William Crompton M.A. minister of that part of Christs Church there.	Crompton, William, 1599?-1642.	1659 (1659)	Wing C7033; Thomason E2142_2; ESTC R210127	70,200	187

common graces in it especially argumentative prayer may perhaps avail through the help of Gods Spirit bringing the soul into a better temper and frame and so making it capable of spiritual and outward b●essings Prophane Esau could go to his father for a childes portion and so could the Prodigal and had it I come to the second qualification of acceptable effectual prayer viz. all the Graces must be set on work faith repentance humility the very lungs whence prayer is bre●thed First Faith for where it lives it will breath in devotion in the Divine History touching what is there revealed to be true because he hath said it Faith in Gods Providence concerning his wise and stable government of the world that he can and will provide for bodies and souls out of the rich Magazine of infinite tre●sures laid up in Christ If an Elijah want the Ravens will come at Gods command and bring him mea● morning and evening Faith in Gods promises which are the air and elements wherein faith breaths touching free justification sanctification and acceptation of you unto life and glory for Christs sake If any want wisdome let him ask of God who giveth liberally unto all men but let him ask in Faith nothing wavering James 1.5 6. And again the Apostle willeth men to pray without doubting 1 Tim. 2.8 the more doubting the lesse faith For he that cometh unto God must believe c. as before He that wants this ingredient doth no more then deny his own requests and shuts up the door of Heaven Q. How may a man know when he praies in faith A. 1. By an hearty resistance with some comfortable power and gaining strength against fears doubts and distractions that do oppose This is the victory that overcometh the world even your faith it overcomes a world of enemies 1 John 5.4 It is a victorious grace and it acts by purifying the heart and mortifying lusts And though a man may be foiled now and then in a skirmish when very hotly charged and over-born by violence yet these foils tend to hi● further establishment and like the tree stands the firmer for shaking This ●s a fruit of praying in faith 2. By st●adinesse of the heart at least in desire and endeavour upon the right object God in Christ Moses his hand being underpropt and stayed by Aaron and Hur as by the Spirit and faith were steady unto the going down of the Sun Exod. 17.12 Christ continued all night in prayer to God Luke 6.12 But take heed of the error of the Heathen Matth. 6.7 that thought to be heard for their much speaking and of the hypocrisie of the Scribes Matth. 23.14 who made long prayers for the praise of men Carry an equal minde in the duty they are not gifts but graces that God looks for in prayer 3. By that calmnesse of minde after trusting God with the successe and resolving patiently to wait When Hannah 1 Sam. 1.18 had made her supplication to God for a childe it is said She went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more sad Which alteration hapned through an inward comfort of Gods Spirit which sealed in her heart that her prayers were heard This is an effect of the witnessing of the Spirit together with ours Rom. 8.16 A refreshing of the heart after duty with a secret content with an hidden approbation If our hearts condemn us not then we have confidence towards God 1 John 3.21 4. By due care in the use of appointed means not to cleave to any particular means with a sinful resolution to have mercy that way or not at all This is to limit a most free agent to circumscribe Gods will and to streighten our selves in a narrow path Psal 78.41 5. By constancy even when the Lord seems to frown and turn away his face A notable instance you have in the woman of Canaan Matth. 15.22 she cried earnestly after Christ Have mercy on me O Lord c. One Copy hath it and cried behinde him which implies that Christ had turned his back on her seeing her now coming towards him well the Disciples intercede he tells them He was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel She comes again but receives a rough answer It is not meet to take childrens bread and cast it to dogs out of all we may conclude great faith to act that poor woman View her temptations in that doubtful case it is Mr. Boltons Observation in his Treatise Of the Nature and Roialties of saith First There was tentatio taciturnitatis the trial of silence she prayes and not a word comes Secondly Tentatio particularitatis first nothing and then worse then nothing I am not sent but c. as if he had said thou dost not belong to the election of grace thou art not in Covenant I came onely to my own not to thee therefore I will not help thee Thirdly Tentatio indignitatis the trial of indignity It is not meet c. And yet see the strength of her faith Truth Lord yet the dogs eat of the crumbs if she may not have a childes yet a dogs portion if not childrens morsels yet childrens crumbs but such as fall from the table such as they have no need of She was that well resolved Christian whose part is as Luther sometime said to believe things invisible to hope for things deferr'd and to love God when he seems most angry with and opposite to him With this measure of faith Christ is overcome Oh woman great is thy faith Such force there is in faithful-fervent prayer A Second Grace to be set on work in prayer is Repentance Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well c. then come and let us reason together saith the Lord Isa 1.16 17 18. I will wash mine hands in innocency and so will I compasse thine Altar O Lord was Davids practice Typified in Aarons washing of his feet befo●e he went into Sacrifice and continued as a borrowed rite among the Turks to wash and put off their shoes before they enter on their idol-worship A plain doctrine that Saint James teacheth ch 4. v. 8. Draw nigh to God c. cleanse your hands ye sinners c. And the reason is because in prayer you crave pardon of sin and removal of judgements with the favour of Gods blessed presence which cannot be without repentance Conscience of sin unrepented of will clip and dull the wings of prayer set a damp on the petitioner separate between him and God but the blood of Christ will cleanse cheer and elevate the soul as the waters did No●hs Ark far above all danger Repentance is a Rain-bow which if God see shining in our hearts when we come before him he will not drown the soul Q. How may true penitency in gracious hearts be discerned from seigned sorrow in gracelesse persons tha● sin and after say they

11.6 He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is the rewarder of those that diligently seek him this you must be well settled in that he is such in himself and such towards you as he stands described in his Word and be acknowledged of God or else the answer will be I have no pleasure in you saith the Lord of Hosts neither will I accept an offering at your hands Malac. 1.10 I care not for your persons I respect not your performances 2. To men whether friends or enemies to be in love and charity Matth. 5.23 24. Matth. 6.14 15. Gods bounty to us requires our obedience to him he will not give except we forgive if you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you Though our love to men be not a cause of our acceptance with God yet it is a necessary antecedent yea forasmuch as he hath made us this promise here our forgiving others seemeth to have the nature of an intervenient cause a cause sine qua non of his forgiving us How can we look our Father in the face or ask him a blessing when we are conscious that he knows hatred or heart-burning between us and our brethren 3. Towards himself he must be an hater of sin if I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer so as to pursue it with a serious intent and hearty desire to have it taken and killed he must be a lover of Gods image where ever it truly appears it was the expression of a good man I dare not but love him in whom I see any thing of Christ If thou love not thy brother whom thou hast seen how canst thou l ve God whom thou hast not seen As Dalilah said to Sampson so it may be said to most men how can yee say yee love God or good men seeing your heart is not with them Now that you may not be mistaken take along with you some properties of men and women thus qualified viz. First They will be ready to part with any thing for Christ Matth. 13.46 to sell all and purchase this pearl Phil. 3.8 I count all things but dung c. Now I know that thou lovest me saith the Lord to Abraham seeing thou art content to part with thy onely son at my word Christ hath taken up their souls unto the top of Pisgah and discovered to them the Land of Canaan and hath given them such more then ordinary tastes of the world to come that the whole lower world though vailed with the most glorious and glistring temptations is all scorned as too low a bribe to draw off the soul from Christ Theodosius will value his Christianity above his Empire Luther would rather be Christianus rusticus quàm Ethnicus Alexander i. e. a Christian clown then an Heathen Emperour Secondly They are not long angry but easily entreated in the matters of God or in their transactions with men ready to any good office Like the waters at the foot of Sion that run softly 1 Cor. 13.4 Charity suffereth long and is kinde Charity envieth not it doth not behave it self unseemly James 3.17 The wisdome that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated full of mercy and good works A good garment for a Christian without which he is naked before God Thirdly They are open-ear'd and handed towards any in misery They resent the misery of others their hearts do yearn over the Brethrens calamities As Pharaohs daughter when she saw the childe in the Ark of Bull-rushes a very sad Cradle and that the babe wept the Text saies She had compassion on him Exod. 2.6 And so in the good Samaritan when he passed by the poor man who had fallen among thieves and saw him stripped of all wounde● this good man had an eye and an hand toward him So it is in this case F●urthly They are wondrous cheerful in see●ing heavy conditions especially in afflictions for the truth's sake rejoycing in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 Which hope holds them above fears so that they are not moved with love or fear as the Romans wrote on their Targets though at first they may be daunted yet at length they look up and gather strength Hannah was much troubled for want of a childe she went to God by fervent prayer an● was no more sad With thi● David was wont to cheer himself in the depth of troubles the Lord hath heard my prayer Fifthly They can deny themselves whom God cannot deny in their fervent suits being divorced from their own will by an over-powering work of the Spirit in Legal convictions they le●● not to their own understandings Thus must the person be qualified fo● Prayer Object Then it seems a wicked unrighteous person may not pray Or if he may his prayer will be to little or no purpose ineffectual A. Prayer is considerable two waies 1. In a large sense as a commanded duty and part of Gods worship in its ordinary use whereby we give God the glory of his Omnisciency Mercy Power and Wisdome 2. In a more strict sense for the putting up of a formal request or petition to God which may consist in an exercise of the soul and of the graces in it whether common or saving And the Answer to the Objection I shall lay thus before you First Prayer considered as a duty must be performed by unrighteous men and a great sin it is to neglect it it is the worst thing can be said of any man that he restraineth prayer before God in Job 15.4 it is joined with casting away the fear of God i. e. with professed Atheisme and prophanenesse Mans defects as he now stands can give no excuse to a wilful neglect his impotency cannot prejudice Gods authority or diminish his own duty Prayer is a thing good in it self and not evil propter fieri because it is done but by accident vitio personae by reason of some defects cleaving unto it In which sense only it is that the Scriptures cry down the prayers of wicked men as an abomintion as Pro. 15.8 28.9 Cartwright on the Text gives that same glosse not that it is so as to the substance of the duty but because whatever it be they pray for they resolve to go on in their wicked practises as the latter Scripture expresses in the beginning of it He that turneth his ear from hearing the Law even his prayer shall be abomination And besides though prayer not made in faith cannot please God as the prayers of holy ●en do yet being good for the substance of it giving glory to God of sundry Attributes of his it may probably avail for procurement of a temporal blessing as the Pharisees prayers had the reward of mens praises Ahabs humiliation and the Ninevites repentance procured a delay of punishment Secondly Prayer considered as a formal request in the exercise of the soul and of some