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A94771
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The Christians dayly practice; or, A practical discourse of prayer. By Sampson Tounesend, minister of Gods word at Hackford in Whitwell in Norffolke. Imprimatur Edm. Calamy.
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Townsend, Sampson.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing T1985; Thomason E1803_2; ESTC R209927
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46,210
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every day in their Family or in secret or both in their Family or secretly For your Comfort go along with me in these eight or nine things following First There is no Family where Prayer is constantly used Morning and Evening but God usually blesseth those Families As God blessed the house of Obed Edom 2 Sam. 6.11 because the Ark was in his house So God blesseth those Families where prayers are daily used Secondly There are no secret prayers made unto God but shall be answered Saith Christ When thou Prayest enter into thy closet Mat. 6.6 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 Thirdly If thou canst pray in Faith it is a certain signe thou haft the truth of Grace thou art a child of God and shalt be saved 1. It is a signe of the truth of grace Saith the Lord I will pour upon them the spirit of grace and supplication Zach. 12.10 He that hath the spirit of Supplication hath the spirit of Grace first otherwise he could not have the spirit of Supplication 2. It is a signe thou art a child of God Saith the Apostle Gal. 4.6 Because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba Father If thou wert not a sonne thou couldest not call upon God as a Father 3. It is a certain signe thou shalt be saved Rom. 10.13 For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved He that by Faith calls upon God may misse of the particular mercy he begs for here but he may be assured he shall not misse Eternal Salvation hereafter For the spirit of Supplication is a certain signe of Salvation 4. If thy heart be sincere in thy Prayers to God God will accept of thee although thou hast many failings For if there be first a willing minde 2 Cor. 8.12 it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not God accepts not of our service according to the worthinesse of the work but the willingnesse of the mind in the work So as he that unfainedly prays for and earnestly desires Faith Repentance and other graces he hath these graces in Gods esteem because God accepts of the will for the deed 5. If thou in the want of ability to utter words to God as thou desirest canst weep before the Lord and sobbe out thy complaints with sighs and groanes These thy desires is a certain signe thou hast the spirit of Prayer for these sighes and groanes could not be in thy prayers to God but from the Spirit of God helping thy infirmities in the duty as the Apostle saith Rom. 8.26 The spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with greanings which cannot be uttered These unutterable groanes proceed from the supernatural motion of Gods Spirit in thee Sixthly If thou canst sincerely seek God by Prayer thou maiest have comfort in all afflictions and trials that befal thee You shall find David complaining of the unkind dealing of his Adversaries Psalme 109. but saith he ver 4. I give my self unto Prayer Psa 109.4 As if he should have said I use no unlawful meanes against them but my onely refuge and defence is prayer unto God So did Job Job 16.20 My friends scorne me but mine eyes poureth out tears unto God I weep in my prayers and wait upon God to right my case And doubtlesse those that accustome themselves to a constant course of seeking God shall have cause to rejoyce and magnifie God in the greatest trials that can befal them according to that prophetical prayer of David Psa 40.16 Let all those that seek thee rejoyce and be glad in thee let such as love thy salvation say continually the Lord be magnified Seventhly If thou keepest thy heart in a constant course of praying unto God It is a certain signe that the sinne or judgement thou prayest against shall be removed or the mercy thou prayest for shall be granted Exod. 17.11 While Moses held up his hands in Prayer Israel prevailed There was no fear of enemies Conquering while Moses was praying And you shall find Moses devotion prevented Gods indignation against his people Exodus 32.10 to 15 verse saith the Lord to Moses Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them and that I may consume them But Moses would not let God alone but continued praying for them His Prayers are answered the Judgement is diverted Verse 14. Exod. 32 14. And the Lord repented him of the evil which he thought to doe unto his people And Jacob Gen. 32.26 29. who continued wrestling for a blessing obtained it If Prayer be not slackned mercy shall be speeded If thou continuest in a constant course of praying against sinne for grace and for the removal of judgements or afflictions know for thy comfort thy sinnes shall be pardoned grace shall be conferred and the judgements or afflictions shall be removed from thee or sanctified to thee for thy good Eightly It is certain That that God that calleth thee to the duty of Prayer he is able ready and willing to hear and help thee When Bartimeus went to Christ for his eye-sight and it was told him Be of good comfort Mark 10.49 arise he calleth thee Out of all question at this report the heart of Bartimeus leapt within him and he was confident that seeing Christ called him he intended to grant his request in restoring his sight So beloved you may be confident that God that calls you to the duty of Prayer he intends to hear and answer you For he is able to help you Psa 115.3 Our God is in Heaven and he doth whosoever he pleaseth And he is willing to help and comfort you For like as a Father pittieth his children Psal 103.13 so the Lord pittieth them that fear him Ninethly and lastly Lastly All the Prayers of Gods faithful servants on earth shall undoubtedly be heard and answered in Heaven This is alwayes true with these three Cautions First That thou beest a Righteous person that doth the will of God Jam. 5.16 The Prayer of the Righteous availeth much Saith Christ Joh. 15.7 If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you Secondly If ye ask in the Name of Christ For so saith Christ Iohn 16.23 Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name he shall give it you Thirdly If your Prayers be according to the will of God Saith the Apostle This is the confidence that we have in him 1 John 5.14 that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Onely know this That although the Prayers of Gods servants shall be
prayed for conditionally pag. 15 Temporal things given to them that have no grace pag. 117 Be as ready to be thankful to God for what you have received as to seek him for what you want pag. 106 Three special duties to be daily practised by every Christian pag. 2 Times of prayer pag. 40 U Vocal prayer pag. 6 Vnbelief a greater sin than all thy other sins pag. 65 Vngodly and wicked men pray not pag. 81 W Wait Gods time for an answer of prayer pag. 100 Wandering thoughts must be avoided in prayer pag. 104 Wicked men that pray not may have temporal but not spiritual blessings pag. 56 Wicked men how they have a right to what they do enjoy pag. 57 Wicked men cannot please God in prayer pag. 76 Words shall not be wanting to him that hath a sincere heart to seek God pag. 115 Z Zeal and fervency required in prayer pag. 11 Faults escaped may be thus corrected PAge 14. line 21. read these p. 17. l. 10. blot out may p. 19. l. 8. after glorifie God adde in your body and in your spirit which are Gods p. 25. l. the last bl out mance p. 28. l. 20. after deadnesse adde and dulnesse p. 36. l. 13. after of adde from p. 38. l. 15. r. God p. 65. l. 4. r. from his sins p. 78. l. 9. r. him p. 85. l. 12. bl out as p. 86. l. 6. after say r. to God p. 86. l. 15. r. teacheth p. 91. l. 9. r. and secretly p. 99. l. 3. r. whatsoever p. 114. l. 19. r. assistance p. 117. after before me adde because he humbleth himself before me p. 121. r. acknowledged Marginal faults correct thus Page 13. line 6. r. John p. 19. l. 22. r. Acts 9.40 p. 45. l. 2. Heb. 13.5 p. 50. l. 22. Phil. 4.6 p. 55. l. 12. r. 1 Corin. p. 63. l. 18. Mat. 9.12 p. 68. l. 6. r. Heb. 5.7 p. 76. l. r. Psal 143.8 p. 101. l. 5. Isa 8.17 THE CHRISTIANS DAYLY PRACTICE OR A practical discourse of PRAYER Very useful for every Christian By Sampson Tounesend Minister of Gods Word Pastour of Hackford and Whitwel in Norffolke Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice Psal 55.17 Imprimatur EDM. CALAMY LONDON Printed by E. M. for George Calvert at the signe of the Half-Moon in St. Pauls Church-yard over against the little North-door 1659. THE CHRISTIANS DAYLY PRACTICE Being the substance of eleven SERMONS preached on 1 THESS 5.17 Pray HAving undertaken to speak of Prayer I have chosen this Text as the subject upon which I intend to build my discourse The Apostle having in the former Chapter spoken of the last Resurrection the coming of Christ and the blessed condition of those that die in the Lord after the Resurrection In this Chapter he prevents a needlesse inquiry that some might make as they in Mat. 24.3 When shall these things be He tels them it shall be sudden and unexpected verse 1 2 3. and then he exhorts them to watchfulnesse that they may be prepared for it ver 5 6 7 8. And from the 13 verse to the 23 he exhorts them to several duties In the 23 verse he prays for them In the 25 verse he desires them to pray for him and so concludes his Epistle In the verse before my Text in the Text and in the verse following he requires three speciall Duties that are dayly to be practised by every Christian Rejoyce evermore Pray without ceasing In everything give thanks Teaching us that our joy should be such as it doe not hinder Prayer and our Prayers should be such as they doe not exclude spirituall Joy and then we shall have occasion at all times in every thing to give thanks The Text it holds forth to us this Doctrine That it is the duty of the people of God to Pray Doct. Concerning which I intend to clear up unto you these things 1. To shew you what Prayer is 2. The severall kindes of Prayer 3. The preparations to Prayer 4. The duties in Prayer 5. The gestures in Prayer 6. The motives and encouragements to Prayer 7. The times of Prayer 8. And lastly I shall answer divers Objections about Prayer And when I have gone through all these I shall make Use and Application of all First of the nature of Prayer First Definition what it is Prayer it is a work of Gods Spirit and so floweth out of the spirit and heart of man First It is a work of Gods Spirit and hence it is that it is called the spirit of grace and supplication Zach. 12.10 And the Spirit is said to help Gods Children in Praying Rom. 8.26 27. And we are commanded to pray in the holy Ghost Jude 20. That is by the help of the holy Ghost And saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray with the Spirit So you see it is a work of Gods Spirit Secondly It floweth out of the spirit and heart of man saith David Psal 62.8 Pour out your heart before him Psal 42.4 I will pour out my soul in me When God poures out upon the Soul the spirit of Grace and Supplication then the Soul pours out it self to God And therefore you may take an other definition of Prayer thus It is a talking of the heart and soul with God Definition and of such a heart as is prepared by God When the strength and stream of the heart and affections are drawn out after God in Prayer This is the Prayer that God will hear and answer And ye shall seek me Jer 29.13 and finde me when ye shall search for me with all your heart And none can thus seek God with all the heart till God prepare and dispose the heart thus to seek him Psal 27.8 When thou sayest seek ye my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek God must first speak to the heart before the heart can speak so to God as he will hear Psal 10.17 Thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine ear to hear So much for the first thing propounded Secondly Secondly I shall shew you the severall kindes of Prayer First There is mental prayer or the prayer of the minde And thus Moses is said to cry unto God Exod. 14.15 although he uttered no voice And thus Hannah prayed She spake in her heart onely 1 Sam. 1.13 her lips moved but her voice was not heard Secondly There is vocal prayer Psal 77.1 I cryed unto God with my voice even unto God with my voice and he gave ear unto me Again there is secret prayer Mat. 6.6 When thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy dore pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly And there is publick Prayers with the Congregation and Prayers lesse publick in the Family or with