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The saints daily exercise A treatise concerning the whole duty of prayer. Delivered in…The saints daily exercise A treatise concerning the whole dutie of prayer. Delivered in…
The saints daily exercise A treatise concerning the whole duty of prayer. Delivered in five sermons upon I Thess. 5.17. By the late faithful and worthy minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty, Master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inn.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.
London: printed by W. Jones, 1629London: printed by W. Iones, 1629
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
because, if a man be poring on his wants still, if it be […] his mind, when he comes to call upon God, it wi• indispose him, for […] performance, it will beget murmuring, and low•enesse, and discontent, it will embitter his spirit: when as a man remembers many mercies, t•at he hath received, when he makes a catalogue of them, and innumerates them, it sweeten• […] spirit, it makes him more gracious, it acts those graces that are in him, it draws hi• nearer to the Lord, it quickens him, it makes him more contented with his condition, that he is in: whereas, o• the other side, forgetfulness of mercies, when a man is only intent upon his petition to have the thing done, •e •kes in many times into that […] of ⟨p. 139⟩1disposition, that we find in children, that, when they cannot have all that they would, they throw away that which they have; so that is our fault many times, when we come and seek to the Lord for any thing that we need, we are so intent upon that, that we forget all the mercies we have received, as if they were nothing: the Lord would not have it so, but will have us remember what we receive, that we may be content to want, that our hea•ts may be brought to patience and contentment, under the cross, and to want what it sh•ll please him, for a time, to deny us, as Job reasoneth, saith he, I have received good from the Lords hands, it is his answer to his wife, and shall I not receive •ll; so, if a good man be thankful for mercies, it will make him ready to do so, it will make him content with that present want: for he looks to that which he hath had in hand. When a man saith thus with him self, thus, and thus much good I have received, at the Lords hands, what though I want such a thing? what though I be pressed with such an affliction, and calamity? I will be content to bear it, I say, the Lord looks for this, expostulating with him, and murmuring against him, is not a meek manner of asking things at his hands, but, when a man so asks that, withal he is content to be denied, if his good pleasure be so. Now, thankfulness for mercy, makes us ready to be so affected, to be willing to be denied, to be content to resign our selves to the Lord, and therefore he will have thankfulness to go with it,