Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	call_v	lord_n	sinner_n	2,337	5	7.5568	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43573	Closet-prayer a Christian duty, or, A treatise upon Mat. VI, VI. tending to prove that worship of God in secret is the indispensible duty of all Christians ... together with a severe rebuke of Christians for their neglect of, or negligence in, the duty of closet-prayer, and many directions for the managing thereof ... / by O. Heywood.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1671 (1671)	Wing H1762; ESTC R24371	90,506	148

at last arrive to those mens arrogant demand Who seeth us Or that positive conclusion Psal 97.4 The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard But what saith the Psalmist to these brutish So●s He that planted the ear shall he not hear He that formed the eye shall he not see ver 9. Let these Atheists know that God sees and sets down all their secret wickedness and will bring it forth before Angels and Men at the great day of reckoning The sin of Judah is written with a pen of Iron Jer. 17.1 and with a point of a Diamond it can never be razed out but by the blood of Christ and though by multiplyed acts of notorious sinning some may blur the engravings of sin on the table of their heart yet it shall be as writing with the juice of Lemmons being held to the fire of Gods wrath 't is as legible to the conscience as the first moment when the sin was committed Oh the secret wickednesses that wicked men have to reckon for But where are the secret Prayers Alas how rarely or how formally do they wait on God alone Custom vain glory and carnal interest may put them on joyning in publick Prayer or Family-duty but they are strangers to this spiritual self-denying duty of Closet-Prayer The carnal hypocrite exposeth all to open view he is like an house with a beautiful Frontispiece but every room within is dark as one saith he is a rotten Post fairly guilded he hath dressed himself in the garb of Religion and will be as devout as the best in Temple-worship but follow him to his Closet he cannot afford God one hour in a week he doth not make conscience of secret Prayer this gains him no credit with men and therefore is little used This rightly performed opens the heart to God which the unsound professor dare not do I shall shew hereafter whether the Hypocrite may use Closet-Prayer and wherein he is distinguisht from a sincere soul in that duty At present I am reproving those that never use it that look upon it as below them they either dare not be alone or scorn to stoop so low and sigh out their hearts to God in a corner as though they would not be beholding to the great God for any mercy but in their hearts and practice speak the language of those proud Atheists in Jer. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more unto thee But let such know they shall dye like Men and be damn'd like Devils that imagine they are gods and will not be beholding to our God for mercy Lord have mercy on these poor prayerless sinners that understand not the necessity and mystery of Closet-Prayer but look upon it as needless and are ready to say It s more ado than needs but let these prepare to make good that desperate assertion at the Bar of Gods justice with flames about their ears and let such know that God will answer their cavils against plain duty after another manner than his Ministers can do now To which dreadful Judgment we leave them except prevented by a speedy and sincere Repentance SECT II. The Godly reproved BUt the persons to be principally reproved at present are the professors of Religion that acknowledge this to be a duty but grievously neglect it I fear God's Children are not so constant and conscientious in the performance of this duty of Closet-Prayer as they ought to be Are not good Souls guilty of frequent omissions intermissions at least negligent performance of this duty It was one of old Mr. Dod's Instructions that at night we should ask our selves Have I twice this day humbled my self before God in private Who goes to bed and doth not pray Maketh two nights to every day Herbert And again How did I pray in Faith and Love I am afraid many of us should give but a sorry account of these serious inquiries Let 's be ashamed lay it to our hearts and give God glory by repentance and reformation For the humbling of our hearts in this case let me propound these ten awakning Interrogatories that we may mourn for our neglect of this duty of Closet-Prayer 1. Are you not very unlike Jesus Christ Is not he the perfect copy that we should write after And do we not find him often in private Prayer We meet with him in this solitary duty sometimes in the day Luk. 6.12 Mat. 26.36 sometimes in the night sometimes all night in a Garden in a Mountain he took all opportunities to go to his Father All the dayes of his flesh he offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong crying and tears Heb. 5.7 As he was a man of sorrows so he was a man of Prayers and the sharper his sorrows the stronger his cryes Luk. 22.44 Being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly And was not this for our example And for our advantage Should we not learn of him Nay doth not our very Christianity consist in our conformity to Christ Alas how unlike him are most of us Shall we pass for Christians that follow not his steps Was it not blessed Paul's study and ambition to be conformed to this blessed Pattern Can we imitate a better person Was it necessary Christ should wrestle for us and is it not as necessary we should wrestle with God for our own souls Or doth Christs praying for us excuse our pleading for our selves No no as it was for our example and benefit in the days of his flesh so his present intercession in Heaven doth both imply and incourage our praying for we are to ask in his name and imploy our dear Advocate that we may speed And shall not we as it were set him awork and send up our Prayers to be mixt with his sweet incense The Lord humble us for and pardon to us our neglects and omissions 2. Are you not herein very unlike the Saints of God The seed of Jacob are wrestlers with God God hath no Children still-born they all cry Abba Father Jacob wrestled with God in secret Prayer and ever since all the Saints in all ages have born that name Psal 24.6 This is the generation of them that seek him that seek thy face O Jacob Selah i. e. That seek the God of Jacob as Jacob did Psal 32.6 And indeed every one that is godly will thus pray There might be brought a cloud of witnesses in all ages of praying Saints that conversed with God in secret 't is recorded of the Apostle James that his knees were as hard as Camels feet with praying Some have sought out for private places to pray in others have risen out of their beds to pray others have set days apart to humble themselves in secret by Fasting and Prayer others would never adventure on business without seeking God Such as are acquainted with Ecclesiastical Histories or Christian Experiences may find store of instances of this sort And why should we be unlike our Brethren Have we not

positive Scripture-warrant to bind my conscience I dare not do otherwise I may say If I be deceived thou hast deceived me but I am sure plain Texts are no cheats I cannot otherwise understand such a Command and oh my God since thou hast thus ingaged me in thy work wilt thou suffer me to miscarry therein 4. He pleads a particular promise I will deal well with thee Surely a comprehensive word containing in it all that Jacob wanted Thus must a Christian search the Scriptures get hold of a promise spread it before the Lord whether for spiritual grace inward comfort or outward supply as thus Lord I find a promise in such a place to a person in my very case pat and pertinent to my very condition as if it had been calculated purposely for me in this juncture now Lord make it good to my Soul and Seed thou hast made it good to others in my state and why not to me Am not I an heir of promise And must not I have a share therein 5. Jacob lays himself under the sense of his own unworthiness I am not worthy saith he of the least of all thy mercies This is the property and excellency of a Saint to nullifie himself and Omnifie God as I may so say thus Abraham in his pleading calls himself dust and ashes and the Centurion judged himself not worthy that Christ should come under his roof Thus then abase thy self Lord I am not worthy to enjoy any common mercy not fit to lift up mine eyes to thee less than the least of thy mercies behold I am vile I am not only destitute of merits but full of demerits Hell is my desert I can challenge nothing as mine but sin and the fruits thereof Lord I condemn my self do not thou condemn me and cast me from thee 6. He is affected with Gods faithfulness in the performance of his promises acknowledging the truth of God shewed to his servant There is mercy in Gods making a promise to Abraham Mic. 7.20 truth in making it good to Jacob. Well then with Jacob thus plead Lord 't is true there was nothing of desert in me to engage thee either to make or keep thy gracious promise but sure the word is gone from thee yea and notwithstanding all my treachery and unfaithfulness thou hast kept it to this day Oh keep it still it depends wholly on thee let not my vanity alter the course of thy mercy but pardon and accept as thou hast done from my Aegypt until now 7. Jacob further recounts his former meanness his low condition With my staff I passed over this Jordan I came hither in a poor contemptible manner a sorry pilgrim thus do you plead Truth it is Lord thy grace is absolutely free there was neither wit nor wealth to move thee to do what thou hast done I can remember the time when I was as sorry and silly a creature as was in all the Countrey there was no capacity in me to do thee any remarkable service thou didst not set thy love upon me for any natural or moral accomplishments even so Father because it pleased thee and wilt thou now forsake me Thou mightest have done that at easier rates 8. Here 's Jacob's Stone of memorial for by-past and present mercies Now saith he I am become two bands i. e. two great companies of wives children servants flocks herds I may say These where had they been 'T is strange to see poor worm Jacob thus rich oh the bounty of God! So do thou say Lord take notice what thou hast done for me must all this be in vain Wilt thou throw away these good things Wilt thou not rather crown these gifts with continuance of thy kindness Wilt thou return to do me hurt after thou hast done me all this good Dost thou not remember my convictions consolations my fears tears doubtings refreshments Oh the passages of love betwixt thee and me Shall I be the grave of these mercies Lord forget me not 9. Here 's his sense of approaching danger Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my Brother for I fear him c. A Brother offended is harder to be won than a strong City Jacob's danger was a spur to his Prayer A pursued Hart runs fast for shelter so do thou Soul when afraid flie to the Lord and say Oh my God I have deadly enemies within without my case is forlorn desperate I have none to run to but thy self Hast not thou said that in thee the fatherless find mercy Other refuge fails me no man cares for my soul Lord relieve deliver this sinful wretch else I go down into the pit 10. Once more doth Jacob plead the promise and inlarge the granted Charter Thou saidst I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the Sea Thus do you still seek out suck sweetness from and put in suit the promises by earnest prayer In this manner Lord hast thou not promised an heart of flesh a broken heart Why then is my heart hardened from thy fear Dost thou not say thou wilt give thy holy Spirit to them that ask it This Lord I want to be a spirit of truth and illumination a spirit of prayer and supplication a spirit of grace and sanctification and of satisfaction Oh bestow this mercy upon me Dost thou not promise to take away my inqiuities by pardoning Grace for thine own Name sake And to subdue my corruption and increase grace and bring me to glory Lord remember thy word unto thy servant in which thou hast caused me to trust Thus much for helps in pleading with God and for that use of Instruction CHAP. VIII An Vse of Exhortation urged SECT I. THe last Use is for Exhortation to put us on to the performance of this sweet duty of Closet-Prayer My beloved friends I beseech you suffer the word of Exhortation you see the work before you you see a plain Scripture-warrant for it you have heard many Instances of Scripture-patterns you see the manner of the performance let none now plead ignorance or look upon it as needless or make excuses or evasions Is it not equal and reasonable Is it not worth the while to converse with your God in a Corner Look over the reasons of the Doctrine and see if there be not some weight in them But besides those I shall propound to you these expostulatory Motives 1. Would you not be such as make conscience of every commanded duty You are no real Saints unless you have respect to all Gods Commandments Psal 119.6 If you pick and chuse in your obedience you are hollow-hearted hypocrites And can you deny this to be a duty And will you stand dodging with God Must he raze this Sentence out of the Bible to humour your conceits and sloth Is not Closet-Prayer a Christian duty Dare you argue against it Out of what Topicks will you fetch your Arguments And do you acknowledge it to be a duty and

used to say My God and I are good company This this is to be thorow-paced in religion this is Enochs walking with God a conversation in Heaven a fellowship with the Father an emblem of glory and the sweetest happiest life a soul is capable of in this world and much of this consists in a conversing with God in the duty of secret Prayer And all this flows from a due apprehension of Gods omniscience and omnipresence and this reason Cyprian renders Denique magisterio suo Dominus secrete nos orare precepit in abditis secretis vel semotis locis in enbiculis ipsis quod magis convenit fidei ut sciamus Deum ubique esse praesentem audire omnes videre majestatis suae plenitudine in abdita quoque occulta penetrare sicut Scriptum est Jer. 23.23 24. Prov. 15.3 Cypr. Serm. de orat Dom. p. 409. why Jesus Christ here doth prescribe our Closet-devotions as most agreeable to our Christian Faith that we may know God is everywhere present hears all and pierceth with the fulness of his Majesty into the inmost rooms and hidden places according to the Scriptures And truly this is a Doctrine worth confirming by such a practice and this is a practice worthy of such a Doctrine That 's the third Reason SECT IV. The last Reason is drawn from Gods rewarding openly 4. LAstly The Text saith Thy Father that seeth in secret will reward thee openly This Reason is drawn from Gods munificence Wherein we have 1. The promise that 's a reward 2. The manner of performance openly This is a comfortable Circumstance 't is worth something to know that our labour is not lost it shall be rewarded yea it shall be rewarded by God whose rewards are great like himself yea it shall be rewarded by thy Father A Father takes in good part a little service from an obedient child and gives a great reward for a little work yea Closet-Prayer shall be openly rewarded The observableness of the mercy inhanceth the rates of it tending more to the Christians comfort example to others incouragement to right worshippers and glory to God All these things might take up much time but I shall only hint what is that open reward that God gives to such as are constant in Closet-Prayer That 's these four wayes 1. By returning a visible answer to secret Prayer None saw Jacobs wrestling hand to fist as it were with the Angel Gen. 32.24 with Chap. 33.4 but all might observe the loving embraces betwixt that good man and his hostile brother Esau There was no witness of Moses's intercession for Israel in the Mount but all the congregation and the whole world Exod. 32.10 11 14. may bear witness of Gods hearing his Prayer for sparing an offending people When Eli observed Hanna's lips move and heard no voice he misjudged her to be a drunken woman but the truth is she was busie with her God in earnest Prayer and though he knew nothing of it then yet afterwards he saw the effect 1 Sam. 1.13 with ver 27. For this child I prayed and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him Ecce signum behold a sign of his favour behold an evident token that I prayed in truth Many a time yea many a time was I provoked by my scoffing adversary Peninnah and as often did I make my moan to my Heavenly Husband and see here the fruit of my sincere devotions in a corner None saw my Tears all may see my Child none heard my cryes in Prayer but the voice of my Samuel may be heard by all Israel He shall carry the memorial of answer to secret Prayer in his name to the grave And cannot many a soul speak the same language Cannot you seal to the same or like experiment Cannot some of Gods children say This mercy I got from God in such a Room Chamber or Closet No creature upon earth knew what I did there But now all may see the happy effects of my hard travel I find that 't is not in vain to seek God in private none knows the meaning of the mercy but my self I may call it Napthali Gen. 38.8 for with great wrestlings have I wrestled with my God and prevailed This mercy bears a double price to all the rest for 't is won by Prayer and now may be worn with praises and triumphing so that a soul may say This is my God I have waited for him he will save me Isa 25.9 this is my God Jehovah I have waited for him I will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation Lo here he is I can now make my boast of my God Wicked men are wont to say Where is thy God Now I can answer them Lo this is he that returns such answers to my Prayer that appears so gloriously for me This is my God in whom I have trusted on whom I have called and he hath answered I am not disappointed Blessed be God these appearances are the visible returns of my secret prayers 2. God rewards secret prayer openly by discriminating Providences in a common calamity God usually takes them into the chambers of his protection that retired themselves into chambers of devotion Isa 26.20 They that enjoy most of God shall be best secured by God Psal 91.1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty i. e. He that by faith and prayer hath got most intimate communion with God is lodged in the safest shelter in the day of danger And who is so likely to enjoy God as that Christian that waits much upon God in secret he gets into Gods secret place who is much with God in secret places David put up many a hearty prayer in solitary caves and how remarkably doth God secure him in the day of apparent hazard to the conviction of Saul and his Courtiers We find the mourners in Sion lamenting secretly the abominations committed openly and God sets an obvious character upon their foreheads seen discernably by the destroying Angel and known apparantly by the effects thereof to the world in their exemption from the general stroak of desolation Ezek. 9. Jer. 13.17 with Chap. 39.11 4 6. Jeremiahs soul weeps in secret for the pride and prophaness of Israel and he was strangely secured in the day of Israels dreadful destruction 'T is very remarkable what 's recorded in Gen. 19.29 God remembred Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow Why what did Abraham The former Chapter tells us that Abraham had been with God in Prayer in secret and this was the effect of it God will snatch Lot out of that dreadful burning as a return of secret Prayer God takes a time to put a difference betwixt his praying people and others Faith and Prayer are two feet of the soul whereby the righteous run into the Name of the Lord which is their strong Tower