Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	believe_v	faith_n	grace_n	6,672	5	5.9648	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09999	The saints daily exercise A treatise concerning the whole dutie of prayer. Delivered in fiue sermons vpon I Thess. 5.17. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1629 (1629)	STC 20251; ESTC S105990	87,396	182

that brings things to passe therefore that must bee remembred vse the meanes that you vse with dependance vpon God with an eye vpon him that your hearts rest not vpon them for if they doe it is an inordinate vse of them Lastly you must take heede of sticking in any particular meanes for if you doe it is a signe trust not God as you ought to doe It is a fault commonly we pitch vpon such a particular way and we thinke that must doe it or nothing Now if God be trusted to hee hath more wayes to the wood then one he hath more meanes to bring a thing to passe then one And therefore we must leaue it to him who often doth it best by another meanes then we dreamed of As for example David had a promise of the Kingdome Now when he had the Kingdome of Iudah yet you know the Kingdome of Israel stood out for Ishbosheth had the Kingdome and Abner was his chiefe Captaine besides in his comming into his Kingdome of Iudah we see how God wrought the businesse without device by a meanes that he never thought of in that battaile when Saul was killed and so many of his sonnes there was so much way made for him when himselfe vsed no meanes to bring it to passe Afterward when the Kingdome of Israel was kept from him and he had onely Iudah we see God caused a division between Ishbosheth and Abner his chiefe Captain vpon that comes Abner and offers to David the whole Kingdome but yet he was but a reconciled enemie and what Abner might haue done he knew not Therefore God by his providence though Ioab sinned in it caused Abner to bee taken away by Ioab when this was done yet Ishbosheth was aliue still then were there two men set by the providence of God though it were a great sinne in them to take away his head and so the Kingdome came wholly to David for there were but two sonnes Mephibosheth that was lame of his seete and Ishbosheth that was lame in his minde a weake man vnable to mannage so great and weighty a businesse to purpose So God brought the businesse to passe by a way that David thought not off Therefore though wee may vse means yet after the vse of them wee must depend vpon God and leaue it to God to take one meanes or other We must doe in this case as we doe when wee goe to a man that is very skilfull to doe a worke for vs If we goe to a Carpenter and tell him we haue such a thing to bee done or if we goe to those that we call 〈◊〉 that bring water from place to place we tell him this is our desire but how he will worke and which way he will bring it to passe we know not and yet we trust such a one for we say he is an honest man of his word and if hee haue vndertaken it it is enough Why will you not trust God that goes so much beyond vs that hath an infinite wisedome and an infinite power And therefore we should so vse the meanes that withall we keep our dependance vpon him that we leaue it to him to vse this or that meanes as it pleaseth him For sometimes it may be he ta●…s away that which we are about sometimes he leaues vs partly destitute and findes●… way of his owne that we might trust to him and consider his power and his wisdome what he is able to doe So much likewise shall serue for this Case Another Case is what it is to pray in faith You know that is required Now there is a common errour in this point for a man may say if I pray for the salvation of another I ●…ue no promise how can I pray in faith when a man prayes to bee guided in such a businesse to haue such an enterprise to bee brought to p●…sse to h●…ue 〈◊〉 from suc●… a tro●…ble facts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nesse from such a calamity that he lyes vnder he findes no particular promise and for ought he knowes it shall never be granted How can hee bee said to pray in faith for to pray in faith is to beleeue that the thing shall bee done I answere that to pray in faith is to goe as farre as the promise goes Now no particular man hath any particular promise that hee shall haue such a deliverance that he shall haue such a particular mercie granted him and therefore it is not required to belieue that particular thing should be done But you will say what faith is it then that is required I say it is enough to beleeue that God is a father that hee is readie to heare and not onely that hee is readie to heare but that hee is readie to doe that which is best for mee in such a particular for both are required that you beleeue him to bee well affected towards you as a father as one that tenders your good and not onely so but that hee will doe that in that particular that shall bee most for his owne glory and for your good and if you doe so you pray in faith though for the particular you know not whether it shall be granted or no. Indeed if we had a particular promise as Elias had that it should not raine c. in that case we were bound to beleeue in particular but not having that wee are not tyed vnto it for the promise is the obiect of faith and the habit is not to worke beyond the obiect for the obiect is the rule and the limit of the habit therefore you may pray in faith when yet you haue no ground to belieue and to thinke that that particular thing should be granted For example if a father pray that his sonne may haue grace wrought in his heart that his soule may be saved it may be the Lord will never doe it or if one friend pray for another to the same purpose though the thing be not done yet the prayer returnes into his bosome hee is no looser by it there is a reward belongs to him for seeking to God in sinceritie it is his duty that he should doe so The like I may say for every particular case And this incouragement you may haue that there is never any particular prayer put vp wherein you seeke things that are not granted but you mistake in it for if you believe thus farre as I said to you be sure that your prayers are accepted God will doe that which is best for you and your prayers shall not be lost So much also for that The last case is how shall a man know whether his prayer be heard or not For answere to this we will giue you this one rule and that is as farre as wee can goe that those prayers that are made by the ●…ssistance of Gods holy spirit it is certaine they are alwayes heard If you finde that at any time you neede make no question but that

God and confidence in the vse of the meanes for it falls out oft times when wee haue businesse of moment in hand there is a turning and posting from one creature to another from the vse of one meanes to another that we cannot get time in prayer not so much for want of time simply but because we minde the meanes too much we intend them too much we doe not trust God enough with the businesse if wee did wee might spend lesse time in them and more in seeking to him So much for that case Another case of Conscience in this businesse of calling vpon God is what a man is to doe for the vse of the meanes for when we are bid to pray and seeke to God that is the ordinarie question But may wee not vse the meanes too To this I answere That prayer is so farre from excluding the meanes that it includes them for if the desire be servent when we desire any things at Gods hands it will make vs diligent in the vse of the meanes to vse a convenient diligence as it will make you earnest in seeking to God and in putting vp your requests to him for if a man shall pray and bee negligent in the vse of the meanes I will be bolde to say it it is but like the desire of the sluggard that is a languishing ●…ting desire He desires but his soule hath nothing hee desires but hee putts his hand into his bosome The desires which you expresse when you pray they are not servent they are not earnest if you bee remisse in the vse of the meanes Hee that desires grace desires strength against sinfull lusts and temptations and yet is remisse in the vse of the meanes by which grace should be increased and strength gained to resist those corruptions and temptations Certainly those desires are but vaine desires Besides it is an an argument that wee trust not in God That wee make not accompt of our prayers except wee bee diligent in the vse of the meanes therefore wee are farre from excluding them for if you seeke to God and trust to your prayers and thinke that they will prevaile with him it will worke this effect That you will bee carefull to vse such meanes as God hath ordeined to bring the thing to passe Even as if a man seeke to a Phisitian to such a Phisitian that hee trust to into whose hands hee would put his life When this Phisitian prescribes such a course such a dyet and such a thing to bee taken at such a time the more hee rests vpon the Phisitian the more carefull hee will bee to obserue his prescription and rules And so in this case the more you rest on God the more carefull you will be to vse such meanes as hee hath appointed when hee hath said these and these meanes are to bee vsed In this case I say it is a signe your prayers are more to purpose when you are diligent in the vse of them when you dare not sleight nor neglect them Againe you must consider this that when we pray at anie time wee doe not pray to haue any thing done without meanes but we pray to haue a blessing vpon the meanes but we pray to haue a blessing vpon the meanes and if we pray for a blessing vpon the meanes our minde is not that they should bee omitted for you see God doth all things by second causes he saues us not without our selues that is he vseth vs as instruments he doth everie thing by men and by creatures and by meanes and the end of our praiers is not to haue them done without meanes but to haue a blessing vpon them But that that is chieflie to be observed to cleare this point to you is this That praier is not the onelie meanes it is but part of the meanes to bring anie things to passe There are two things to effect a businesse that is praier and meanes both we doe not say praier is the onelie meanes indeed then the other were excluded but since it is but a part and the other makes vp the totall meanes of bringing any thing to passe it doth not exclude them but they may bee both ioyned together praier and the vse of the meanes This is enough to shew that we may vse means we may pray lay our hand on the plowe wee maie seeke to God and bee diligent and as diligent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodie else But now these three Cautions are to bee observed The first is That if wee doe vse meanes wee vse those that are right for if you trust God and depend vpon him you will not step out to anie inordinate meanes nor vse lawfull meanes in an inordinate manner If you doe so it is an argument your praiers are of no value in your owne esteeme you doe not rest on God for if you did you would not vse other meanes then hee hath appointed Secondly though you vse the meanes and pray both yet you must so vse the meanes that your confidence be in your praiers for it is one thing to vse the meanes and it is another thing to haue confidence in them And therefore wee say to you in this case that you must doe as hee that vseth the light of the Sunne he so vseth the light that he hath an eye vpon the Sunne from whom that light co●…nes for he knowes that if the Sunne were set the light would be gone Or as he that takes water in a Cesterne or River he so takes it as that he hath an eye to the fountaine he knowes if the fountaine were stopped the River would bee quickly dried vp So you should thinke with your selues if I use any meanes any creature any instrument to bring things to passe mine eye must be vpon God for all the helpe that we haue from the creature it is but as a beame to the helpe that comes from God himselfe And therefore you must doe in this case as Phisitians are wont to doe they put many ingredients into a thing but it is one principall ingredient amongst the rest that hee makes account will cure the disease So doe in this case make vse both of the prayer and of the meanes yet you must know that prayer is the principall effecter of the thing and the principall meanes it is that wherein your confidence is to bee for indeede it is God that doth bring every thing to passe There is no good in the Citty nor no evill but he doth it you know he takes all to himselfe All the meanes by which Good and Ill is conveyed to you they doe not doe the thing they are but the v●…ls they are but the Instruments as the beere and the wine wherein the ph●…sicke is taken but it is the phisicke the medicine that cures So all the meanes cannot doe it it is the helpe and the power of God the efficacie that comes from him