Motives to holy living, or, Heads for meditation divided into consideratins, counsels, duties : together with some forms of devotion in litanies, collects, doxologies, &c.

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Title: Motives to holy living, or, Heads for meditation divided into consideratins, counsels, duties : together with some forms of devotion in litanies, collects, doxologies, &c.
Author: R. H., 1609-1678.
Publication: Oxford :: [s.n.],; 1688.
Rights/Permissions: This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
Subject terms: Christian life -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item: http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A66967.0001.001
Cite this Item: "Motives to holy living, or, Heads for meditation divided into consideratins, counsels, duties : together with some forms of devotion in litanies, collects, doxologies, &c." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A66967.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 6, 2024.

Pages

§. 85.

The ordi∣nary condi∣tions, that it may be effectual. A strong faith and Confi∣dence in God, &c.

1. Faith, and Confidence, not only that God can (Mat. 9.2.) but will, perform our request; will, if there be no defect on our part, and the request be for our good; but this our good considered together with the greater ad∣vancement of God's glory, (which thing since we cannot certainly know, neither may our perswasion of receiving our petitions be absolute; else our perswasion will some∣times be false. See 2. Cor. 12.8, 9. Where the Apostle, not destitute of this faith, yet received a Denial, See 2.

Page 162

Sam. 12.16.22. Matt. 26.39.) And such confidence we should have especially, where humane hopes fail, and we have nothing else, besides God, whereon to rely, (See 2. Chron. 16.8. Matt. 9.22.28. Mark. 11, 24.—9.23. Act. 14.9.—3, 4. Matt. 15.28.—19.26.—13.58.14.30, 31.—21.21. Mark. 6.5.—9.23.—1. Tim. 2.8.) This faith being required, and rewarded, by God, because it is a great giving of glory to him; both to his power, as we believing him able; and to his goodness, merciful; and to his truth, and promises, faithful.

2. Much patience, importunity, and perseverance in our devotions, (the continuing of Prayer still rendring the Soul more and more capable of what it petitions for) and constant dependance on God, and waiting for an answer (Ps. 27.7.14.); and, in using means and prayer, reli∣ance on prayer, not the means.

8. Concerning the grounds of Confidence.