Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	day_n	prayer_n	time_n	3,022	5	4.0718	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85370	The discoverie of a publique spirit: presented in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons at Margarets Westminster, at their publique fast, March 26. 1645. / By William Goode B.D. pastor of Denton in Norfolk, on of the Assembly of Divines.	Goode, William, b. 1599 or 1600.	1645 (1645)	Wing G1093; Thomason E279_4; ESTC R200027	24,847	37

in the way of our happinesse That which prayer cannot bring to passe no other meanes in the world will ever be able to effect As Sampsons conquering strength lay in his haire so the most prevailing strength of a Christian lyeth in his prayers The greatest blessings and deliverances we have hitherto had have been the births of prayer How many dangerous Plots against us have been discovered and prevented how many victories gotten how many impediments removed and great workes done towards the happy settling of this Church and State to many of which we have contributed little or nothing but our prayers Thirdly Church-worke the perfecting of the work of Reformation is especially the work of prayer when Daniel understood that Gods time was come for the reparation of his Church he sets most earnestly upon this work of prayer Dan. 9. 17. saying Now therefore O Lord heare the prayer supplication of thy servant and cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake God will doe his Churches work and make her glorious but not without his peoples prayers The heathen round about shall know that I build the ruined places and plant that was desolate I the Lord have spoken it and I will doe it I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to doe it for them When God speaks of the glorious times the Church should enjoy he then promises to heare the prayers of his afflicted Saints Psal. 102. 16 17. When the Lord shall build up Sion he shall appeare in his glory he will regard the prayer of the destitute he will not despise their prayer Fourthly there is no prayer made to God but brings a blessing either that we aske or els that which is better for us If we cannot pray the Kingdome into peace and the Church into a perfect reformation in our dayes yet we shall pray our soules into heaven Now what I have here spoken of prayer must be understood of holy a humble b faithfull c fervent d constant waiting prayer e made in the Name and mediation of Iesus Christ f ●●to God I now come to the duty of the day What I am now teaching and you hearing we are all now professing that all other endevours for the publique good are of little consequence without earnest prayer to God for his blessing upon them We are all this day called to pray for the kingdome and to wing our prayers with faith fasting mourning for our sinnes and reformation of our lives O that God would be pleased of his free grace to helpe us rightly and spiritually to performe this dayes duties and then all other services for the good of Church and Common-wealth would be more successefull We must remember we are to pray for a kingdome the cryes of whose sinnes are exceeding loud and will be too hard for cold and formall but especially for sinfull prayers Oh that we could present God with the sacrifice of prayer from hearts truly broken and in deepe sense and abhorrence of all our former sinnes we can doe no such service for the Kingdome as this would be Surely our prayers would have beene more prevailing if God could have said to none of us as to those Isa. 29. 13. You draw neare unto me with your mouthes but your hearts are farre from me When ye fast ye fast for debate Isa. 38. 4. With your mouth you shew much love but your hearts run after your covetousnesse Ezek. 33. 31. Consider Prayer and Fasting are the Kingdoms plaisters but woe be to us if through formalitie or want of reformation of our lives we turne those plaisters into poison and make the sores of the Kingdome the more to gangrene Beloved I beseech you trifle not with God this day take not his Name in vaine get your hearts broken your spirits afflicted for your owne and Englands sinnes let no burden in the world be so heavy to you as sinne Accept of the punishment of your iniquities and covenant strictly to obey God in all his wayes for the time to come we are sure our sins among others have multiplied the Kingdomes sores how then should we strive with God that our sighs our tears our prayers may be the Kingdomes cures You have long had two beautifull children at the birth Peace and Reformation but there was never yet strength to bring forth because the right midwives have not beene used unfeigned faith and true repentance Thus much in generall I now come honoured Senators to a particular exhortation unto you Godly men have ever beene serviceable to their generations Be you then exhorted worthy Patriots courageously wisely sincerely and throughly to serve your owne generation You have better opportunities then ever any Parliament of England had before you to be effectuall means of the happinesse both of Church and Common-wealth Remember you must give a strict account unto the King of Kings of that price that is put into your hands Labour to doe publique service with publique spirits let no false Bias upon your hearts rob you either of the comfort or successe of your great adventures of your long and unparalleld labours in the publique cause It is the greatest honour and happiest priviledge in the world to be employed for God and the good of others Publique service done with an upright heart for Gods glorie is the best seed that can be sowne and will returne the most plentifull Harvest of temporall and eternall happinesse If this be your wisdome sincerely to improve all your talents for the glory of God and the Publique good Solomon tells you length of dayes are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Pro. 3. 16. God tels the Iews when they had laid but the foundation of the Lords Temple From this very day I will blesse you Thou shalt build me a House saith God to Solomon 2 Sam. 7. 15. And I will establish the Throne of thy Kingdome for ever Riches and Honour both are the reward of Publique service Jehoiadah was honoured because he had done good in Israel 2 Chro. 4. 16. This leaves the sweetest perfume in the world upon our names unto posterity What honour will be like this when it shall be read out of the Records of this Parliament Such a man was a David a Iosiah a Nehemiah a Zerubbabel unto his generation in the time he lived in You see what happinesse it is to be sincerely and succesfully serviceable to the Publique Now that you may be thus serviceable to your generation I desire to present you with some Scripture directions and I have done First undertake publique service with personall Reformation get a sure interest in Christ Iacob was called Israel because as a Prince hee had power with God when hee wrestled with him by prayer * Labour all to be such Israels and then there is no worke will be too hard for you The greatest naturall parts will

the curtaines and removed the vaile from our deceitfull hearts I now desire that you all especially such as have the highest employments for the Publike may now take a serious view of your own hearts and truly consider what spirits you are of Let me intreat you for your owne comfort to apply these few rules to your own lives and try your publique actions by this touch-stone of sincerity and then aske your consciences that question which Luther commended to the Christians of Argentina to be the first and last question in their Disputations which was this Whether have I that by which I may know that I am a Christian or no A second use we may make of this point is of exhortation and first in generall to all If it be every godly mans duty to serve his generation then let me exhort you every one to be forward and zealous in this work at this time when the Common-wealth is in so sad so bleeding a condition by reason of a Kingdom-sincking civill warre and the Church so out of order by those wide divisions and distractions that are among us Chrysostome to move compassion and to quicken up our dead hearts to works of mercy adviseth this as a good way Namely to goe to the Lazar-houses or Hospitalls where some are lame some blind some maimed some wounded these sad spectacles of humane misery if any thing will put our hearts into a melting frame The most places of this Kingdome are now such Hospitalls where wee may see war and desolation poverty and palenes and garments rolled in blood where we may hear the wofull groanes of dying men and the bitter lamentations of children for their parents and parents for their children because they are not And who then would not bee a Samaritan to help on the cure of such a wounded Kingdome that hath any bowels in the world But perhaps some will say What should we doe we are in no such places of authoritie as have a calling to make up publique breaches I answer there is no member in Church or Common-wealth so mean but hath some talent to serve his generation withall Some have wealth some wisdome some authority but all have parts or grace or strength or time or prayers to serve the publique with If thou beest of the meanest forme of Christians and hast small worldy endowments yet there be two wayes to make thy services very usefull to the Publique and comfortable to thy selfe First the lesse power thou hast with men labor to have the more power with God and then make use of that David did more with his sling then Goliah could do with his spear because he went against his enemy in the Name of the Lord Israel were as much beholden for their safety to Aaron and Hur that held up Moses hands as the men of war that fought their battells Secondly thou mayest make thy Little Much with much Love which will be much Comfort to thy Soul God accepts not onely the will and the deed but the will for the deed and they that have much will to do though little doers are of great account with God The rich men in the gospell of their aboundance no doubt cast in abundance into the treasury of God and yet our Saviour saith of the poor Widow that cast in but two mites she cast in more then all Vincentius Ferrer reports a story of one Sophia a gracious woman in Constantinople who when there was a Church in building there a cart laden with stones and drawn with oxen for the building of it came by this womans house the cattell by reason of the heat of the weather began to faint and stayed at this womans door which she perceiving went and fetched some hay to refresh the oxen which she did with so much affection to the work in hand that after the Church was built there was found written over one of the doors in golden letters Sophia built this Church The truth of this sto - I leave to the author but this is unquestionably true Though wee cannot do much service to Sion yet much love to Sion will do much good unto our selves Psal. 122. 6. Pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that love thee It is further observable out of these words of David that he puts prayer for the Church love of the Church both together and not without cause The best argument to prove we bear much love to the Church of God is to be much in prayer for it Of all the meanes we have to serve the Publique with there is none so effectuall as this of prayer Luthers own experience made him think there was a kinde of Omnipotency in it Ask and it shall be given you Matth. 7. This promise receives no other limitation but this what and when it shall be good for you to receive Prayer charms the wrath of God opens and shuts his hands extorts mercies removes judgements and never will away without its errand As David said of Goliahs sword when Ahimelech told him there was none but that Give me that there is none like unto it So say I of prayer whosoever is to deal with an enemy can finde no such conquering weapon as prayer is Alexander the bishop of Constantinople had many disputes with Arrius the heretique but never could silence him at length he spent an whole night in prayer to God beseeching him to vindicate his owne truth the next day after as Arrius was coming to the conference a pain tooke him by the way and going aside to ease himselfe he voided his bowels together with his excrements and so died Marcus Aurelius having had experience of the power of the Christians prayers that were in his army wrote to the Senate of Rome to permit the Christians to have their liberty gave this reason for it He would have no such weapons a● the Christians prayers to be used against him {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Before I passe from this duty and pretious priviledge of prayer I desire to engage both my self and you to the more frequent and zealous exercise of it by shewing some of the excellencies of prayer that may remaine as indeleble Characters upon our hearts of the benefit thereof First we can undertake nothing either of publique or private concernment with comfort without prayer The blessing of all our actions depends on this we are commanded to endeavour the supply of all our wants by prayer Gal. 4. 9. In every thing by prayer and supplication with thankesgiving let your requests be made knowne unto God Secondly there is no blessing that is good for us to enjoy but in Gods time prayer will obtaine it 1 Iohn 5. 14. If we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us this is that golden Key that can open the locks of all the treasuries of Gods mercies and remove all the impediments in heaven and in earth that stand