A30585:663
Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general and…
Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general and particularly in these three great ordinances, viz. [brace] 1. hearing of the Word, 2. receiving the Lords Supper, 3. prayer / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being the second of the seven volumes lately published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general and particularly in these three great ordinances, viz. [brace] 1. hearing of the Word, 2. receiving the Lords Supper, 3. prayer / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being the second of the seven volumns lately published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1653
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.
First, When thou goest to prayer, account it to be a great work; set a high price upon thy prayer; not as having any excellency in it as it comes from thee, but set an high price upon it as a great Ordinance of God, wherein there is communion with God to be enjoyed, and the influence of the grace of God to be conveyed through it; so set an high price upon prayer, at every time thou art going to prayer; Lord, I am now setting upon a work that is of very great consequence, and much lies upon it, and I would account it to be a sore and a great evil to me, if I should lose but this prayer: this would be a special means to compose thy spirit, and to keep thee from wandering; as Nehemiah in Nehem. 6. 3. a place which I have sometimes quoted upon such an occasion; when the enemies of Nehemiah that would hinder the building of the Temple, sent ⟨p. 287⟩to him that they might talk together, no saith he; I am doing a great work to that I cannot come down; so when the Devil and the vanity of thine own heart, would send to thee to parley, and talk as it were with thee, give an answer, I cannot stand parleying with these things; the work that I am about is a great work; there are very few people that do account the work of prayer a great work; if thou didst, it would help thee much against the vanity of thy thoughts.
First, When thou goest to prayer, account it to be a great work; set a high price upon thy prayer; not as having any excellency in it as it comes from thee, but set an high price upon it as a great Ordinance of God, wherein there is communion with God to be enjoyed, and the influence of the grace of God to be conveyed through it; so set an high price upon prayer, at every time thou art going to prayer; Lord, I am now setting upon a work that is of very great consequence, and much lies upon it, and I would account it to be a sore and a great evil to me, if I should lose but this prayer: this would be a special means to compose thy spirit, and to keep thee from wandring; as Nehemiah in Nehem. 6. 3. a place which I have sometimes quoted upon such an occasion; when the enemies of Nehemiah that would hinder the building of the Temple, sent ⟨p. 287⟩to him that they might talk together, no saith he; I am doing a great work to that I cannot come down; so when the Devil and the vanity of thine own heart, would send to thee to parly, and talk as it were with thee, give an answer, I cannot stand parlying with these things; the work that I am about is a great work; there are verie few people that do account the work of prayer a great work; if thou didst, it would help thee much against the vanitie of thy thoughts.