Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	believe_v	faith_n	holy_a	10,213	4	5.4982	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02706	Peters enlargement vpon the prayers of the Church. By Master Harris	Harris, Robert, 1581-1658.	1624 (1624)	STC 12839.7; ESTC S120172	14,964	35

there is too that speakes who prayes not if thou wilt pray thou must open thy needs to God as thy Father through Christ God-man as thy Mediatour from God the holy Ghost as the inditer of thy prayers if thou wilt pray thy heart must be 1. Psal 66.18 emptied of purposes of sinne 2. broken 3. purged from guile by faith which faith must then worke before thou beginnest Psal 86.7 And the 56.9 say with David I will call and God will answer mee and when thou hast done conclude I haue spoken and shall in due time and manner be answered thus doe and be sure that thou neither begin nor end a lawfull petition of such onely we speake before thou art aware let faith enter thy sute and end and subscribe it and thou prevailest Now to particulars How findes the Angell Peter Sure he cannot sleepe this night being vpon his life to morrow and in all likelihood knowing of it by the Church howsoever not sure of life one day to an end but like enough to be sent for at an houres warning as Iohn Baptists head was Notwithstanding all this Peter sleeps as soundly as ever in his life and wakes without terrour whence was this from corruption no from naturall courage no when Peter was younger and therefore naturally bolder he was a distard whence then consider the reasons before and it will be found that it was from speciall comfort and confidence in God which comfort most attends prisons and persecutions here see the strength of spirituall peace and comfort The Lord hath comforts for his children Doct. 2 that will quiet and support them in any feares straits his consolations will make a man sleepe without a bed liue almost without a soule They will make one bold in danger quiet in trouble liue in the iawes of death The ioy of the Lord is strong Nehe. 8. saith Nehemiah strong indeed that will carry a man over all Peter had a strong heart that can thus sleepe thus wake that can looke vpon Chaines vpon Prisons vpon Tyrants vpon Torments vpon Angels good and bad and never breake his sleepe for the matter Pauls ioyes were strong Act. 15 that made him sing in the stockes Davids saith strong that made him say I will lye downe and sleepe Psal 3. I will not feare though ten thousand rise vp against me those were strong and strange ioyes that supported Dauid in all his feares and made him say In the multitude of my thoughts Psal 94 1● thy comforts glad my soule Those strong that triumphed over rackings mockings scourgings c. as in the eleventh to the Hebrewes Quest But whence comes their strength 1. Q Whence these comforts Because they be Gods ioyes the ioyes of the Spirit derived immediately from the fountaine Reas 1 and things be purest and strongest there 2. Because spirituall for as spirits are more actine and powerfull then bodies so spirituall things then bodily and naturall 3. These ioyes are most certaine and durable these overcome and out-liue all crosses and all other comforts 4. They are al-sufficient and borrow no helpe from creatures Nature and Art worke with instruments and by meanes they cannot support without meate strengthen without sleepe giue sleepe without warmth nor warmth without a bed c. But God can beyond meanes without means work comfort make one see in the darke liue in death Quest But what be these comforts of God 2. Q. What. Ans Precious promises applyed by God in due season Answ 1 and brought home to the heart which reviue the spirits more then any balme and these promises come thicke vpon Peter now He thinketh hath not God said that the fighing of prisoners comes to him that he bottles vp all our teares that we should cast our care vpon him and he will care for vs that in six and seven troubles they shall not come neare me that in fire and water he will he with me did not I heare my Saviour say Blessed are they that are per secuted for righteousnesse sake reade not I how David said I will lie downe and steepe and therefore I will doe so too 2. Strengthening graces God poures the spirit of faith patience power courage into his in due time and they raise the heart as wine the fainting spirits every saving grace is healing is strengthening 3. Hourely experience of Gods care and providence dence and a childe never sees the loue of his mother so much as when he is sicke so Gods children c. Now that makes them plucke vp their feete with Iacob and say with Paul I know whom I haue trusted and with the Church Thou wilt guide vs to death and after as David addes receiue to glory 4. Speciall peace of conscience and ioy of the holy Ghost by new expressions of Gods fauour and ravishments of heaven then God opens heaven and they see their life and crowne and so are carried over all Quest When doth God thus comfort his 3. Q. When Ans When they most need it as then the mother brings out her preserues when the childe is sicke first when they be most humbled and emptie of themselues therefore after greatest humiliations come greatest consolations as Dauid Abraham and others ever found 2. But specially in the day of tryall and persecution the more the Devill bestirres him the more God bestirres him thus the sweetest nights that ever Iacob spent were in the field and so for Peter Gen 28. and 32. chap. Psal 219. and when had David those large affections to rise at midnight when was the Word so swcete but when his troubles were bitter The Vse is double Vse 1. get these comforts we get aqua vitae ready against qualmes Bezoar-stone and cordials against fits but the cordials that helpe all is the holy Ghost the Comforter Art is blind and often posed Nature weake and often foyled like a bow that must not be drawne beyond compasse onely grace and spirituall comfort is invincible get this and you may sleepe in a dungeon liue in the darke want all and yet haue all want these and a flea may breake your sleepe Dan. 5. and a hand-writing dash your mirth in the midst of all friends 2. Let such as haue spirituall hearts thus affected stay themselues here feare not povertie there be comforts beyond the paine of famine feare not sicknesse there be comforts beyond all fits of sicknesse feare not death feare not chaines feare not any thing that you can or shall suffer Not any thing Rev. 2.10 Why a man is subiect to racking to burning c. yet feare not and why the Lord hath comfort in all and aboue all tribulations when he cals a Saul to a crowne 1 Cor. 1. he makes him another man so when he cals a man to a chaine Peter is not the man in prison he was out of prison at the first he was fearefull of a wenches word after he was

mercy grace wisedome power and shall not these prevaile Prayers set God on worke and all in God his wisedome his power his Angels and what then can hinder Looke backward Vse 1 and call to minde your sinne this day see many a Peter hath beene in prison and prayers were not made by the Church many a member sicke and prayers were not made by the Elders yea many a Church distressed Bohemia afflicted the Palatinate and Valtoline distressed yet we did not pray the enemy could curse but wee did not pray and therefore how iustly might God distresse and leaue vs destitute of his helpe and the Churches prayers 2. Looke forward and preserue and improue this your interest in God let no Peter no Preacher no Christian no neighbour lie in the chaines by you whether in the chaines of sicknesse or povertie or debt or paine or sinne or temptation but doe you repriue him you haue a key that will open any locke a medicine that will heale any wound a weapon that will prevaile in any place draw this weapon vse this medicine if men be sicke pray them whole if poore pray them rich if sad pray them merry But is this so easily done yes verily by the whole Church as it is for the outward estate when one is very poore it is hard for two or three to set him vp againe but nothing for a thousand and when one is in a pit it is much for one but not for many to pull him out see here it is long of vs that men lie so long vnder their burdens would wee ioyntly commend them to God our prayers would take mens chaines would off Ob. true spirituall chaines Why if so were it not worth the while Ans what may wee ease our brethren of temptations of passions of lusts and will wee not But for outward crosses saith not Saint Iames let the prayers of the Church heale the sicke saith not the story the prayers of the Church procured Peters liberty But say they bee not alwayes delivered Ob. yet it is good to get the crosses mitigated sanctified Ans sweetned and something will be done if wee pray doe this then or nothing perhaps you will excuse other negligences you would visit your sicke neighbour but you question his disease your welcome you would relieue your poore neighbours but you haue it not why there is no Christian man but hee hath an interest in God a spirit of prayer lift vp a prayer for thy brethren if thou canst doe nothing else and this will doe thee and him good prayer in this case for others is a cleerer evidence of grace then for our selues Heere is comfort and encouragement comfort for our selues if members of the Church if wee bleede with her if we pray for her if wee say If I forget thee O Ierusalem then let my right hand forget her cunning the comfort is great wee haue that which Saint Paul thirsted for the prayers of the Church and this is a priviledge worth ten worlds and a comfort beyond all apprehension when a man lookes round about him and can say there is a towne I haue some prayers there there is another I haue stocke going there nay in every shire euery nation some that bee enlarged when I am barren some quickened when I am dull and I am an adventurer in the Churches shippe I haue a stocke in her treasure and an interest in her prayers this keepes the head aboue water and preserues from sinking 4. For encouragement to pray for the Church would Gods people enter into a holy league and tye themselues in their severall closets to spend so much time weekely or dayly in prayer for some particular person or place Church or Nation I wonder how they should misse tell mee where ever the Churches ioynt prayers did ever mis-carry or proue abortiue in what place in what case for what people prayers haue beene made for men out of the Church and haue sped witnesse Ninivie for men in the Church good men bad men and haue sped prayers haue beene made by Land and haue prevailed on the Seas by Ianah and haue sped they haue prevailed vnder the earth in dens and dungeons and caues prayers haue been made for sicke men and haue holpe them for dying men for poore men for captiues for prisoners and haue holpen for men against persecution against temptation against sorrow against beasts against men against divels prayers haue beene omnipotent heretofore why not now Ob. Why now Ob. if we were as others Gods hand wee knowe is not shortened his eare not heavie but our sinnes our crying ripe sinnes hinder good things from vs Ans Why therefore set against those sinnes by prayer cast out your owne cry downe other mens Ans out-cry them Ob. Oh but they cry loud Ob. Ans Yet prayer hath the stronger voyce Ans the blood of Christ speakes better things then bloody sins c. Let Sodome yeeld ten holy men Gen. 18. Iames 5. Amos 7.1.2 and shee shall bee spared let one Elijah stand vp for stiffe-necked Israell and one Amos plead for rebellious Iudah and God will shew mercy Ob. True indeed if we had such as they Ob. but our prayers are weake and faint Ans 1. They were men subiect to like passions Ans 2. The prayer of the righteous is prevailing Iam. 5.16.17 3. These here mentioned were new converts yet prevailed with God for Peter Ob. Oh but here the whole Church ioyned Ob. if all Israel might meete from Dan to Beersheba there might be some hope Ans We may and doe more then these might Ans 1. we may meet in publique assemblies euery Sabbath 2. these were but few that lived in the darke and met in the night and in Hesters time in their severall families and the whole State was then against the truth and against the Scriptures and all religion was disgraced yet then they prevailed much more we now Ob. But now it is too late Ob. many Churches abroad be quite scattered many men at home haue their backs and hearts quite broken with wants temptations discouragements Ans Whilest God cals in his word Ans it is not too late God is vsed to see men sinking before he sets in their extremitie is his opportunitie when Peter is within one night of the sword then is his time Ob. Ob. But I haue waited and see no successe Answ Ans So did the Church they pray for Peter this weeke the next and the next the doores be still shut the chaines be still on well now they haue but one night more to waite Gen. 22. they waite that but ere morning all is wonne If then we haue but one day one night one houre to spend hope pray waite that day that night that houre God will be seene in the mount deliverance shall come if prayer goe on the errand it ever was so ever shall be so dispute not but beleeue there is who prayes and speakes not