THE CHARIOT and Horsemen of ISRAEL A Discourse of Prayer shewing what it is as also the meanes to attaine to the practise of it AN EXERCISE SO RARE in the world and yet so requisite as few vse it aright and none may omit it By HENRY LANGLEY Minister of the Word of God at Treswell in the County of Nottingham IAM 4.2,3 Ye fight and warre yet ye haue not because ye aske not Yee aske and receiue not because yee aske amisse AT LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Edmund Weauer 1616. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE EDMVND Lord SHEFFEILD Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter Lord President of his Maiesties learned Counsell established in the North and Lord Lieutenant there Grace and Peace in Iesus Christ THere be two points Right Honourable as witnesseth that worthie Oratour a Cic. Offic. lib. 2. to bee obserued in committing things to publique view That they bee not satis nota sufficiētly knowne before and that they bee Cognitione digna worthie to bee knowne If the first they are tedious If not the second they are odious If either idle at the least if not naught If both both idle and naught I hope this little Treatise need feare iust exception on neither part Many I confesse haue written on this Subiect and iustly may it bee asked what I haue found which in their learned labours hath not alreadie been brought to light yet dare I professe that this small Tractate absit inuidia verbo will affoord vnto the illiterate some things for manner at the least if not likewise for matter worth the reading And for Prayer The nature of it is high it being a peculiar fruite of the Spirit the Immunities great the power wonderfull and the profit incomparable As did not this succeeding discourse shew it I could discouer at large In a word It is the Chariot and Horsemen of Israel Why want wee necessaries for soule and body seeing the earth is the Lords yea the Heauens and the Heauen of Heauens and our God is abundant in goodnesse and truth Wee pray not Why are we with Ephraim in crosses as a cake vnturned b Hos 7.8 We pray not Why are the Heauens as brasse and the earth as yron Why is there such decay frō yeere to yeere in our stocke and complaining in our streetes We pray not For could the carnall man pray and did the man already regenerate vse this dutie as hee ought mercies would be more plentifull iudgements not so vsuall and the rod of the wicked would not bee suffered to lie so long vpon the lot of the righteous Requisite is it therefore and of speciall consequence that wee learne this great lesson taught so carefully of Iohn to his disciples and begged so instantly of Christ by his dis◅ples I meane How to pray The Doctrine is here handled the which out of my thankfull remembrance of the many fauours receiued from your Lordship for my quiet libertie in my Ministrie and preferment as also in respect of the reuerend opinion which the Church of God hath a long time and I hope shall haue occasion to doe no lesse vnto the end conceiued of your Lordshippes Christian affection towards God and godlinesse I do humbly dedicate vnto your Honour Now the God of peace c Heb. 13.20,21 that brought againe from the dead our Lord Iesus the great Shepheard of the sheepe through the blood of the euerlasting couenant make you perfect in euery good worke to doe his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ to whom be glorie for euer and euer Amen Your Honours in the Lord most humbly HENRY LANGLEY The particulars of this Discourse CHAP. I. I. The definition shewing what prayer is II. The Notation whence the terme is fetched in Hebrew III. The Genus of Prayer viz. Inuocation and what Prayer hath in commō with the other kinds of Inuocation the which are An Oath A Vow IV. What it chalengeth to it self in speciall noted here handled after in the doctrine of the forme more at large V. How God is our Father considered as the Obiect of Prayer CHAP. II. The Causes of Prayer or the things whereby Prayer commeth to be that which it is And they are foure I. The Efficient and therein 1. The maine efficient and that in respect of both the Forme of prayer Matter of prayer Where is handled the state of Adoption in which euery one that prayeth is of necessitie to stand because otherwise God becommeth not fit to bee prayed to Man fit to pray nor the things wee want fit to bee prayed for 2. The Motiues working from Within Without 3. The meanes of performance and they such as doe Fit vs before Serue in performance Further. II. The Matter whereon our prayers are made and of praying or of exhibiting our prayers to God III. The Forme the soule of prayer ministring life vnto it And therein is considered Faiths two-fold worke 1. The one whereby wee are assured that the promises as they are true in Christ so doe they concerne vs. 2. And wee shall haue these requests put vp according to his will IV. The Ends or wherefore wee doe pray and they are considered 1. Either simplie 2. Or in respect of God the father Christ The holy Ghost The Word Our selues Prayer The things our prayers doe concerne CHAP. III. The Effects of prayer considered in regard of 1. God 2. The things aimed at 3. Our selues CHAP. IV. The Subiect of Prayer and that I. Receiuing the which is Mentall Verball Locall II. Whereabout Prayer is exercised consisting in Things Persons Where is handled For whom we are to pray Through whom we are to pray To whom we are to pray And there withall is shewed how we are 1. To conceiue of God in prayer 2. To direct our prayers to him CHAP. V. The Adiuncts of Prayer considered I. Simply II. In respect of these foure things viz. The person praying The Ends of praier The Subiect The Time CHAP. VI. The distribution of Prayer into I. The parts the which are Confession Petition Thankesgiuing II. The kinds considered in respect of the Effects of Prayer Subiect of Prayer Obiect of Prayer THE CHARIOT and Horsemen of ISRAEL The Preface MAster say the Disciples to our Sauiour teach vs to pray a Luke 11.1 as Iohn also taught his Disciples Whence it appeareth that though the Holy Ghost be our schoolemaster teaching vs what to pray as we should yet for the guiding our desires in things warrantable expressing our mindes in fitting termes and the cōtriuing our matter in order and forme In a word for the doctrine of prayer we may and should bee helped wherein wee are defectiue by ordinarie meanes I haue therefore aduentured vpon it A Subiect as worthie to bee well knowne so no lesse weightie to be throughly handled My purpose is not to enter into any large discourse but summarily to runne ouer these sixe heads following namely
And therefore hee saith not to his Disciples ioyntly I goe to our Father but distinctly I goe to my Father n Ioh. 20.17 and to your Father A Father to both but in diuers respects to him by generation to them by adoption By Creation God is a Father to all his creatures One God and Father of all saith the Apostle o Ephes 4.6 And Adam p Luk. 3. is called the sonne of God But Father is not so taken here The couenant is broken on our parts and his image is defaced And there is no specialtie of creation that will hold plea but all make directly against vs. Therfore in the third place God is a Father by adoption viz. to that peculiar companie which is according to the election of grace who hold all things by vertue of the Euangelicall couenant hauing disclaimed the vnwarrantable right of Creation and sued out a fine of recouerie from God in Iesus Christ by heartie prayer and faith vnfained Adoption is to make choice of another mans child to be ours and so to make him our heire or ioynt-heire Now wee were all estranged and cut off from God in Adam and became the bastards of that grand-Fornicatour the Diuell and old Strumpet the world Insomuch that wee must all confesse that our first Father was an Amorite and our Mother a Hittite q Ezek. 16.3 But it pleased the Lord to chuse out of this forlorne companie a number to himselfe to make them a holy nation a royall Priesthood a peculiar people euen partakers of the adoption of Sonnes Here then by Father is meant God in Christ who hath in him I. Chosen vs before time II. Redeemed vs in time III. And made vs in part personally partakers of both abounding toward vs in all wisedome and prudence r Eph. 1.8.9 hauing made knowne vnto vs the mysterie of his will CHAP. II. The causes of Prayer The Causes of prayer THe Causes of Prayer are foure I. The Efficient II. The Matter III. The Forme IV. The End I. Efficient The maine Efficient in respect of 1. The Forme 2. The Matter Euery one that praieth must stand in the state of election the which maketh 1. The Lord fit to be praied to 2. The person fit to pray 3 The things fit to be praied for c. The Efficient or cause making prayer is Principall or lesse-principall The lesse-principall is either Impulsiue or adiuuant Here then are three things to bee handled in generall I. The main-Main-efficient II. The Motiues III. The meanes of performance The Principall or maine-maine-efficient of Prayer in respect of the Forme is the Spirit of God by his grace teaching and enabling yea praying in vs Rom. 8.26 The Principall Efficient in respect of the matter is the Person praying Who in respect of the Lawes exaction is euery man All are bound to pray Want of grace doth disable but exempt none But in respect of ability it is only the elect called iustified and sanctified In a word The adopted ones of God In which state that euerie one must stand which prayeth we may see if we consider the vse of it in respect of I. The Obiect God to whom we pray II. The Person praying III. The Things desired in Prayer For the First Not God simply but God a Father reconciled and made at one with vs is our obiect And therefore not being within Adoption there is no right relation betweene God and vs. This was intimated by the vaile a Exod. 24. which excluded the people of the Iewes out of the Holy of Holies Into the which saith the Apostle b Heb. 10.16.20 Wee haue liberty to enter in the bloud of Iesus by the new and liuing way which he hath prepared for vs through the vaile that is to say his flesh Heere wee may take notice of three faults in prayer I. Many pray to the Lord but put no difference betweene his being in himselfe and what hee is to his Church in Christ But so they pray to God it serues II. Many conceiuing aright of God in generall as a Father are not perswaded neither labour to be perswaded in speciall that he is their Father They hope well but naught can they beleeue They but goe to God by heare-say III. Some doe perswade themselues that God is their Father Not from the earnest of the Spirit but rather from the ignorance of sinne want of due examination and from carnall presumption Againe This Adoption is of absolute vse in respect of the Person praying Because I. Hence ariseth his abilitie to call God Father and poure out his heart aright before him For otherwise as there is an antipathy betweene the Lord and his heart so likewise hee wanteth that new tongue requisite in euery one that would cal vpon the Lord without which his wordes are barbarous and not of the right dialect of Canaan For which cause the Lord calleth the Iewes crying howling c Hos 7.14 II. Without this Adoption his Person is in disgrace and his offering must needs be reiected as d Gen. 4. Cains was III. Heereby wee are made fit obiects of Gods blessings The which we are not vnlesse we be his adopted ones called c. For I. Otherwise the Lord hath made no promise to vs. If ye abide in mee saith Christ e Ioh. 15.7 and my words abide in you yee shall aske what yee will and it shall be done for you II. Otherwise we haue no part in Christs Prayer I pray for them saith Christ f Ioh. 15.7.20 I pray not for the world and who they are wee may see after Neither saith hee pray I for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue on mee through their word III. The Lord giueth all things for the glory of his name Now wouldst thou not willingly giue a man a staffe to strike thy selfe with And canst thou looke that GOD will giue thee any good thing to dishonour him withal whiles thou art out of Christ called and like a distempered stomacke turns wholsome meat into noysome humors Lastly by the vertue of this adoption the things wee desire and want are made fit obiects to bee prayed for being all of them parcels of our spirituall inheritance as also such as with comfort we may be thankefull for §. 2. The Impulsiue or mouing cause worketh from within or from without The Motiues working 1. Frō within 2. From without Those which worke from within inciting and mouing vs to praier are I. Conscience of our duty as prayer is commanded vs by God II. Loue of God as it is a conference with God III. Zeale as it is a sacrifice to God IV. A Christian loue of our selues as by it we receiue supply from God V. Hope as we haue a promise to be heard of God Quest How commeth it to be peculiar to grace to moue vs to pray and that nature hath no hand in it Answ I answere I. Nature in our wants