Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A86435
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A treatise concerning prayer; containing particularly an apology for the use of the Lords prayer. / By Thomas Hodges, B.D. Rector of the Church of Souldern.
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Hodges, Thomas, d. 1688.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing H2323; Thomason E1712_1; ESTC R209609
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38,565
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187
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from the Lord that in this and all other things I may be found faithfull If as often as Gods people meet together to worship God publiquely and especially upon the Lords day this prayer also might be offered up to God being a Sacrifice and Incense which our high Priest hath consecrated to God and his Father and to our God and our Father I should think it might be a good supplement of the defects and some emendation of the errors in our prayers Especially in such dayes of division as ours are wherein good men are split into so many several parties and opinions in matters of Church and State that whilst some holy men in their hearts say Amen to some prayers put up in their name by the Ministers others as holy as they in their hearts say God forbid or that be far from us This is a publique Prayer and no private Christian but ought to say Amen unto it However we are divided in more particular Requests wee ought all to concenter and agree in these generall neessary things herein prayed for Forasmuch therefore as when we come together in the Church to pray there are too too often divisions amongst us though we are together in one place yet not with one heart and because the promise is especially to two or three that agree together to ask any thing and to pray with divided hearts this is in a sense not to pray this is not to seek the Lord in due order to reforme in some measure at least these abuses in prayer I should recommend to all the Churches of Christ and to every Christian in them this one prayer the Lords prayer to which Christians of all Nations Tongues and Languages may agree to say Amen For I have received of the Lord that which I delivered unto you how that the Lord Jesus the same time when he was by one of his Disciples in effect asked this question how we should pray saying Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his Disciples he said When ye pray say c.. Obj. Are these things so why then do you not justifie prescribed and imposed Liturgies or forms of Prayer Answ I shall not so far lanch forth into that controversie now as either to commend or condemne them yet this I say that this was made by an infallible Spirit And againe concerning this our Saviour Christ hath said that which he never said concerning any other After this manner pray ye or when ye pray say Our Father c. I shall conclude all with some use of the Doctrine 1. And first As the Angel said to Joseph concerning the blessed Virgin Mary whilst he thought of putting her away privily Feare not Joseph thou son of David to take unto thee Mary thy espoused wife for that is conceived in her is of the holy Ghost So say I to all those just ones who have had thoughts of putting away this prayer privily feare not to take unto you this prayer which you have loved and as it were espoused for that which is conceived in it is of the holy Ghost But be not ye as the Papists are who think to make satisfaction to God and merit at his hand by the often repetition of their Pater Noster c. although without faith without understanding without holy affections And againe doe not ye slight other prayers made according to this modell or patterne by them who have the spirit or gift of prayer and above all things my brethren beware of blaspheming the spirit of prayer or praying by the Spirit accounting and calling it vaine babling 2. And you who have the gift of prayer so that ye have no need that any one teach you so that ye can goe without crutches and swimme without bladders I meane pray without using formes made by other men yet be not ye therefore lifted up or puffed up And againe be circumspect and never presume to utter any thing before the Lord in publique which will not hold weight if weighed in the balance of the Sanctuary So speak to God as considering that men also heare you And if ever you should have any thing amisse in your prayers either for matter or for manner of expression lay not this at the doore of the Spirit but rather father it thy selfe own it though with sorrow as a brat of thy owne naughty heart or extravagant fancy And farther having such a golden talent as the gift of prayer labour to improve for thy Masters and the Churches and thy owne advantage And if yee would be mighty in prayer be much in the study of the Scriptures in prayer and meditation The best way to the throne of Grace lyes by the Oracles of God And neglect not to eye and follow the cloud of Incense that is the prayers of Saints in Scripture which ascend to heaven when you would goe to God in prayer And you who have the gift of prayer pray for the Grace also and that more earnestly because one dramme of Grace is worth many talents of Gifts 3. You who have not the gift of Prayer so as to compose a Prayer but have need that some one teach you To the Lords prayer to the prayers of David Hezekiah Daniel the Apostle Paul c. in Scripture and to other formes of prayer framed by other men according to Scripture-patternes and after this manner pray ye c. As to formes of prayer composed by men of a fallible spirit use them as learners to swim use bladders so as they may be able at length to swimme without them use to goe to prayer with them as children use first to go by a bench or forme so that after a while you may as they go without them use them not as old men use staves or crutches never likely to lay them aside 4. As for those who pray not alone and with their families if they be Masters of families pretending they know not how to pray this Doctrine renders them in excusable they must needes become silent before God What can they say for themselves If they say they cannot go behold God allows them crutches to help their weaknesse Brethren if you have but a good will to come to draw nigh to God in prayer behold Jesus Christ stretches out his hand to direct you he hath left you this prayer as legs to go withall to his Father you may be welcome to God and Christ If you come but born upon the shoulders of prayers made by others if you cannot come alone of your selves goe therefore to others to teach you to pray as this Disciple did to Christ and let all Ministers Parents and Masters imitate our Lord Jesus Christ in the text and his forerunner teaching their people children servants to pray as John and Christ taught their Disciples 5. Last of all let us that use the Lords prayer ordinarily make it the patterne of our practise as well as of our prayers Let us doe as we say as we pray Let us endeavour that Gods name may be hallowed or glorified by us and others that the Kingdome of sin which is indeed the Devils Kingdome may be thrown down to the ground down to the nethermost Hell that our Lord Jesus by his good Word and holy Spirit may set up his throne in our hearts and in the world farre above the thrones of all the Kings of the earth the Prince of the aire and all the powers of darknesse Endeavour we our selves and perswade we and help we others to do the will of God on earth readily cheerfully constantly as the Saints and Angels doe it in heaven And we that every day pray for daily Bread let us take some honest calling and course to get it Operantibus dabitur your labour shall not be in vaine And content we our selves so with daily Bread with the portion for the day as to take or admit no carking or distracting thoughts for to morrow Let us who pray God to forgive us our offences against him as we forgive our brethren their offences against us let us be sure that we do not play the Hypocrites or dally with God lest our prayer be turned into sin lest our prayer to God prove like the petition of Adonijah for Abishag the Shunamite to be his wife lest it cost us our lives lest God answer and say you have spokn this against your owne lives against your owne soules you will not forgive your brethren Mites and therefore I will never forgive you Millions of talents Let not us who pray to God not to lead us into temptation goe presently and tempt the very Devill the Tempter to tempt us by throwing our selves upon occasions of sinning Whilest we pray deliver us from evill from all evill of sinne and punishment and particularly from that evill one the Devill see that we run not headlong into any sin as a horse rusheth into the battaile knowing that in so doing we cast our selves into the Lions den yea into the mouth of the roaring Lion Devill and as much as in us lieth into hell it selfe that lake that burneth with fire and brimstone And let us that fill our mouthes with Arguments to plead and wrestle with God as Princes in prayer from his Kingdome Power and Glory i. e. his ability to help us Let us with our very hearts and lives as well as with our lips praise him with the song of Moses Rev. 15.3 4. and of the Lamb ascribing to him alwayes the Kingdome the Power and Glory for ever and ever Thus sealing up our Prayer with a reall AMEN FINIS Adde this after the Title Qu. How is the Lords Prayer to be used Ans The Lords Prayer is not onely for direction as a pattern according to which we are to make other Prayers Mat. 6.9 with Luke 11.2 but may also be used as a Prayer so that it be done with understanding faith reverence and other graces necessary to the right performance of the duty of Prayer ERRATA PAge 47. line 17. instead of those words Do not open your doores to be a randevouz for Devils a habitation for Ziim and Iim and every unclean spirit read thus Do not open your doores to be a randevouz for Devils to be made like falne Babylon Revel 18.2 the habitation of Devils and the hold of every foule Spirit and a cage of every uncleane and hatefull Bird.
pray alwaies and not faint 3. The encouraging promises they have to this performance Ask and ye shall have seeke and ye shall finde knock and it shall be opened Mat. 7.7 Luke 11.9 Mark 11.2 4. and againe Verily verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall aske the Father in my name he will give it you John 16.23 24. 4. If we consider how great things Prayer hath done for them wee our selves might Christians say have heard with our eares and our Fathers have told us what wonders it hath done in our daies and in the times before us How it hath like a General commanded the Host of Heaven the Sun Moone and Starres either to stand still or go back and to fight in their courses against Gods enemies They know that this is it which like the key of David opens and no man shuts and shuts and no man opens This is the key of Heaven the key of hearts the key of the barren Womb and of the Grave it opens and shuts all these I had almost said it is the key of Hell too of the bottomlesse pit for there it locks up the Devils that they cannot tempt us and this is it which some Christians have used Luther for one to unlock Hell yea the Devils Cabinet and to recover thence those bonds whereby some have in writing under hand seale given their souls to the Devil Prayer which is our famiar converse with God makes a Christians soule shine The soul of a praying Saint is sometimes whilst he is praying in a sort transfigured as Christs body was on Mount Tabor When Moses fasted and prayed forty daies and forty nights his face was not at all disfigured he did not appeare unto men to fast but on the contrary his face did shine so gloriously that the Israelites were not able to behold him but through a vaile Exod. 34.33 34 35. Observe that at the former forty daies being in the Mount with God whilst God did as it were preach to Moses in the delivery of the Law we read of no such glory abiding on Moses face when he came downe but now when Moses went up the second time und continued interceding for Israel forty days and forty nights at his coming down the skin of his face did shine so that Aaron and Israel were afraid to come nigh him Exod. 34.28 29 30. The name of a praying Christian may be like the name of the Angel which appeared to Manoah and his wife Judges 13.18 it may be Peli wonderfull for how oft have many of them done wonderously as that Angel did for many of them at their departure hence have breathed out their soules in fervent prayer When the flame of their fervent prayers went up to Heaven from the altar of their hearts their soules like the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the Altar Yea as Elijah went up once in a fiery Chariot so do Christians in a sort daily sometimes seven times a day and sometimes seventy times seven times This chariot of Prayer hath foure wheeles Prayers Supplications Intercessions Thanksgiving And let me say the spirit of a living Christian is in these wheeles and when these are lift up from the earth towards heaven then are the living christians in their soules lifted up also What shall I say more of the praise of Prayer for time would faile me to tell of Abraham Isaac and Jacob of Moses Aaron and Sampson of Samuel also and of the Prophets who through prayer subdued enemies wrought righteousnesse obtained promises stopped the mouths of Lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword out of weaknesse were made strong waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the armies of the Aliens women received their dead also to life again c. And now Brethren to the end we may have our conversation such as becomes the Gospel of Christ to the end we may live peaceable and quiet lives in all godlinesse and honesty here on earth and see the face of God and enjoy his presence for ever in heaven I exhort that Prayers Supplications Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made by all men for this is the will of God our Saviour who would have all men to pray and to come to the experimental knowledge of this truth that Gods children or people are a praying Generation or that right Christians are praying Christians Pray therefore my beloved brethren all manner of prayer pray set or continued prayer pray continually sending up every where holy Ejaculations towards heaven Pray when thou art alone in thy closet or secret chamber pray with thy family wife children servants pray in the publick Assemblies in the great Congregation And now as the Apostle Paul to his Thessalonians chap. 4.9 10. As touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you for ye your selves are taught of God to love one another And indeed ye doe it but we beseech you brethren that ye increase more and more So my hearty desire is that I could say concerning all kinde of prayer in secret in the family in the congregation concerning prayer ye have no need that I preach unto you for ye your selves are taught of God thus to pray And indeed you doe it but we beseech you brethren that ye increase more and more 1. Let your closet or secret chamber be perfumed with the sweet incense of Prayer morning and evening Let God have his morning evening sacrifice at least This is but reasonable service Say not thou art so spirituall already that thou art above this and all other Ordinances Be not deceived God is not mocked except thou couldst be except thou wast better than Emanuel God-man thou oughtest to pray for so did our Lord Jesus Christ If thou dost altogether restrain prayer before God thou art so far from being of the highest forme of Christians that thou hast in this denied the Faith and art worse than an infidell thou hast denied the faith and art worse than the Devil for the Devils prayed unto Christ that he would not command them to go out into the deep and that he would suffer them to enter into the herd of Swine Luke 8.31.32 Say not I am an unregenerate person a sinner and God heareth not sinners and if you should pray your prayer would be turned into sin and therefore 't is to no purpose to pray if the sacrifice of the wicked be an abomination to the Lord then his Prayer or Incense is not like to prove a sweet savour in Gods nostrills or an odour of a sweet smell unto him I grant that it is true that God doth not heare grievous sinners impostors and Sabbath-breakers so as at their prayer to cure one that was born blinde But yet I say God that heares the cry of Nature even of the young Ravens when they cry for food he doth sometimes heare the prayers of meere natural men King Jehoahaz was one that did evil in the