obteining remission both to faith and to prayer which they ascribe to the Sacraments especially of Baptisme for sinnes going before and Penance for sinnes following after Baptisme which they hold do free from sinne and conferre the grace of justification ex opere operato whereunto they require neither prayer nor faith nor any other good motion or disposition in the party save onely that he do not ponere obicem peccati mortalis put in the way the barre or stop of mortall sinne affirming that the Sacraments do contein grace as vessels and that they are physicall causes of grace justifying by efficacie put into them by God as the heat of fire is the cause of burning abusing that place Acts 22. 16. Be baptized and wash away thy sinnes having called on the name of the Lord. But let us come to their objections To the first I answer That we do teach that remission of sinnes is obteined by prayer and that to that end our Saviour hath taught us to crave remission and hath acquainted us with the example of the Publicane who by prayer obteined justification as David Manasseh and the faithfull and penitent sinners in all ages have done which hindreth not but that we are justified by faith alone For it is not every prayer but the prayer of faith as S. James calleth it which is impetratory I say it is the prayer of faith which by prayer obteineth pardon To the second Where our Divines define faith to be a full and certain perswasion of Gods love towards us in Christ forgiving our sinnes c. they define it in the highest degree and perfection thereof whereunto we must alwayes aspire But there are two principall degrees of faith The first is an assent to the truth of Gods word and more especially to the promises of the Gospel assuring salvation to all that believe in Christ. This assent in the judgement to the Law and Gospel if it be true lively and effectuall worketh in the heart and will a lothing of our sinnes a resolution to leave them a desire of grace and a hungring and thirsting after Christs righteousnesse and a resolution to acknowledge Christ to be our Saviour and to rest upon him alone for salvation And howsoever those who have but this degree cannot say that they are assured of forgivenesse and salvation yet their desire of grace proceeding from this lively faith expressed in their prayer is acceptable before God and obteineth that which is desired Now they which have this degree must proceed to the second For seeing the promises belong to them concerning justification and salvation they ought to apply them to themselves And look how sure a man may be that he believeth that is giveth a true and lively assent to the doctrine of the Gospel so sure ought he to be of the remission of sinnes and salvation by Christ. And of this assurance there are degrees according to the measure of grace received To conclude therefore this point We ascribe to faithfull prayer efficacie to obtein that which we desire in the name of Christ according to the will of God and by the Scriptures do demonstrate the efficacie of prayer which now we are to shew by the wonderfull effects which by prayer have been brought to passe CHAP. V. Of the great and wonderfull efficacie of prayer AS first in the elements the earth the water the aire the fire At the prayer of Moses the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up Korah Dathan and Abiram with their families Numb 16. At his prayer also the hard rocks sent forth rivers of waters Exod. 17. Samson having slain a thousand Philistines with the jaw-bone of an asse Judg. 5. 18 19. whereupon the place was called Lehi which signifieth a jaw-bone and being ready to perish with thirst by prayer obteined a well of living water which continued to posteritie which the Lord opened unto him in Lehi not the jaw-bone but the place so called which for a perpetuall monument of the efficacie of prayer he called En-hakkore the fountain of him that prayed At the prayer of Moses Exod. 14. the waters of the red sea gave place to the Israelites and overwhelmed their enemies But come we to the aire Elias being a man* subject to the like passions with us which the Apostle James noteth chap. 5. 17 18. that we might in like manner hope to be heard prayed a prayer that is prayed effectually that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth for three yeares and six moneths and he prayed again and the heavens that is the aire gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit Concerning fire we have two examples of the same Elias the former 1. Kings 18. where by prayer he brought down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice the latter 2. Kings 1. where also by prayer he brought down fire from heaven to destroy the two captains with their fifties But leaving the elements let us in our cogitations ascend into heáven For most admirable is that example Josh. 10. 15. where at the prayer of Joshua for he is said to have spoken to the Lord and the Lord to have hearkened to his voice the sunne stood still in the middest of heaven for the space of one whole day untill the Israelites were avenged on their enemies And no lesse admirable is that example of the Prophet Isaiah 2. Kings 20. 11. at whose prayer not onely the shadow in the sunne-diall but the sunne it self in the firmament went back ten degrees Isa. 38. 8. Ecclus 48. 23. Neither is the efficacie of prayer seen upon those creatures alone which are without sense but upon those also which are indued with sense and reason Jonah when he was swallowed up of the whale and lay in the belly thereof as in a grave for the space of three dayes and three nights having cried to the Lord de profundis he was restored safe to land Jonah 2. As touching men the efficacie of prayer appeareth in the deliverance not onely of particular men but also of whole cities and countreys from the fury and force of their enemies were they never so mightie or so many When Peter was by Herod cast into prison and kept by foure quaternions of souldiers lying in the night before he should be put to death between two souldiers bound with two chains the keepers also before the doore keeping the prison at the instant prayer of the Church which effectually prayed for his deliverance the Lord sent his angel to set him at libertie Acts 12. 5. Elias the Prophet being armed with the spirit of prayer when Ahaziah the king had sent three captains of fifties one after another to apprehend him he not onely brought down fire from heaven to destroy the two first with their fifties as I said before but also he brought the third captain upon his knees humbly intreating him that his own life and the lives of all his companie might be precious
prayer or petition for what or for whom they pray in particular the Spirit of God in the Scriptures hath not revealed and it is but foolish curiositie to seek to be wise above that which is written For herein especially is that verified Quae supra nos nihil ad nos that is Things above us belong not unto us much lesse ought we with the superstitious Papists upon an erroneous conceit of theirs I mean the Saints and Angels in particular that is such Saints and Angels praying for us in particular ground an idolatrous practice of our praying unto them But of this also more hereafter 2. Seeing we consider it as the dutie of the living Isa. 38. 19. we are more particularly to consider both who in this world are required to pray and also what is required in them that do pray This dutie is required of all men living without exception All are to call upon God And that their prayer may be accepted of God it is required of all that they should have faith For as much therefore as we are to define prayer as it is effectuall and acceptable for that cause I defined it to be the speech of the faithfull not but that all are bound to pray but that none pray effectually and acceptably but they onely that believe Concerning the partie therefore which is to call upon God I am to shew these two things 1. That it is required of all to pray 2. That it is required of all which do pray that they be faithfull The former I am the rather in this place to perform lest when I have defined Quid sit and so taught how we are to pray I leave place to the question An sit Whether we are to pray at all or not For howsoever it is a great honour and favour for a sinfull man who is but dust and ashes as Abraham upon this occasion confesseth Gen. 18. 27. that the Lord should admit him to familiar speech with his great and glorious Majestie For as Chrysostome saith Quis non admirarâ—…tur tantam benignitatem quam in nos declarat Deus qui nos mortales dignos habuerit qui cum ipso colloquamur nostráque vota apud ipsum deponamus that is Who would not admire this so great goodnesse which God declareth towards us who esteemeth mortalls worthy to talk with him and to lay before him all our suits and that he should be near unto us in all that we do call upon him for Deut. 4. 7. and therefore a thing greatly to be desired and highly to be esteemed of us yet naturally men abhorre from the performance of this dutie which caused the Prophet Isaiah to complain that there was none that called upon the name of the Lord. The reason is because sinne having made a separation between God and us the man whose conscience condemneth him of sinne unrepented of as not being reconciled unto God flieth from his presence as the guilty person or malefactour from the sight of the judge so farre is he from presenting himself voluntarily before the Lord as we see in the examples of our first parents Gen. 3. 8. in Peter before his effectuall calling who perceiving by the miraculous draught of fish the Divinitie of our Saviour Christ desireth him to depart from him for I saith he am a sinfull man in the Gergasines or Gadarenes who being strucken with fear at the miraculous dispossessing of the legion of devils besought our Saviour to depart out of their coasts Matth. 8. 34. Luke 8. 37. It shall be needfull therefore to use some reasons and motives to move us to the performance of this dutie CHAP. II. Reasons moving to the dutie of prayer FIrst therefore the law of nature teacheth all men this principle That there is a God and that this God is to be called upon and worshipped For which cause all nations being never so barbarous though they know not the true God yet by the instinct of nature think themselves bound to call upon that which they suppose to be God If therefore those nations which did not call upon the true God whom indeed they did not know are subject to the curse of God Psal. 69. 6. Jer. 10. 25. how shall they escape the curse of God who knowing him do not call upon him for by their not calling upon him they do deny him Tit. 1. 16. and therefore this is observed as a note of the foolish Atheist who saith that there is no God that he doth not call upon the Lord Psal. 14. 4. Secondly It is a principall part of that worship of God for which the nature of man was at the first created according to his image and for which it was redeemed viz. that we might worship him in holinesse and righteousnesse and therefore those who will not call upon him rob God of that honour that is due unto him and as much as in them lyeth go about to frustrate that end for which they were created and redeemed So principall that sometimes the duty of invocation is put for the wholâ—… worship of God as Gen. 21. 33. 26. 25. as if it were all in all In which regard the temple which was provided for Gods worship was called the house of prayer Esa. 56. 7. And no marvell for by this one duty of invocation we exercise and testifie our religion our faith our love both of God and man our affiance and hope c. Thirdly It is injoyned in the morall law of God which is generall and perpetuall and is therefore also required in the gospel And if you ask in what part of the law I answer In both tables as a duty of religion to God and of charity to our neighbour for whose good we either pray or give thanks In every commandment as the common means whereby we are enabled to peâ—… form the severall duties and to attein those vertues which are therein prescribed But chiefly it is commanded in the commandments of the first table the obedience wherâ—…of in a great part consisteth herein For hereby God is worshipped in the spirit or inwardly prâ—…cept 1. adored in the body or outwardly prâ—…cept 2. sanctified or glorified in the mouth praecept 3. and a good part of the sanctifying of the sabbath praecept 4. standeth in this Now if any man shall object That he is a sinfull man and that by his sinne he hath made himself unworthy to tread upon the earth or to look up unto heaven and much more unworthy to present himself before the Lord with hope to be heard and consequently that it were great presumption for him to call upon the Lord I answer That it were indeed greater presumption to come before God then it was to rush into the presence of the kings of Persia were it not that the Lord did in like manner hold out unto us the sceptre of his word therein by his manifold commandments injoyning us this duty and by his
back this I knâ—…w for God is for me Psal. 86. 7. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee for thou wilt answer me In the merits of Christ whereby we are accepted and in his intercession whereby our prayers are made acceptable Heb. 10. 22. And in this sense also we are to pray in the name of Christ that is not onely with desire that for Christs sake we may be heard but also with perswasion and some measure of assurance that for Christs sake we shall be heard John 16. 23. To call upon God in the name of Christ implyeth two things 1. To desire that for Christs sake we may be heard 2. To believe that for Christs sake we shall be heard That we are thus to pray in faith appeareth both by testimonies reasons Rom. 10. 14. How shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed Heb. 11. 6. Without faith it is impossible to please God For as Bernard saith How shall be please God whom God doth not please for he that believeth not maketh God a liar 1. God is to be worshipped with a willing mind and chearfull heart 1. Chron. 28. 9. which cannot be done in prayer unlesse we be perswaded that our prayers are accepted of God 2. There is no accesse unto God but by Christ John 14. 6. nor to Christ but by faith To come unto God Heb. 11. 6. and unto Christ is to believe in him John 6. 35. Through Christ we have boldnesse and entrance with confidence but it is by faith in him 3. What benefit we reap by Christ we receive by faith For which cause the same benefits which we have by Christ are ascribed to faith And therefore as without Christ we can do nothing John 15. 5. nothing belonging to a spirituall life which may be acceptable to God so without faith we can do nothing and much lesse pray as we ought For without faith we are without Christ and by faith we are ingrafted into him I believed and therefore I spake that is with faith I called upon God Psal. 116. 10. 4. It is the prayer of faith which is available and acceptable Jam. 5. 15 16. 5. The promises made to prayer are to be understood with the condition of faith Matth. 21. 22. If ye believe Which may be understood of this more generall faith or the speciall This is hard to be performed by a sinfull man c. impossible to be performed by a Papist without speciall revelation For he cometh in his own worthinesse yet knoweth not whether he be worthy or not Qualis erit ista oratio O Domine ego quidem an exaudire me velis dubius sum sed quia anxietate premor ad te confugio si dignus sum mihi succurras What a kind of prayer is this O Lord I am doubtfull whether thou wilt heare me or no But because I am pressed with anxietie I flie unto thee and if I be worthy help me Vide Calv. Instit. 3. 20. 12. But we know that in our selves we are unworthy and yet believe that in Christ we are accepted Our faith is grounded not on our own worthinesse in our selves but on the love and promises of God and on the merits and intercession of Christ. For though we be sinners in our selves yet believing in Christ God the Father justifieth us Though we know not how to pray or what to ask as of our selves yet God the Spirit maketh intercession for us in helping our infirmities and teaching us to pray according to God And though our praiers be unperfect and unworthy to be offered to God yet Christ our Saviour sitteth at the right hand of his Father making intercession for us Rom. 8. 26 27 33 34. and perfuming the incense that is the prayers of the faithfull with the odours of his own sacrifice Revel 8. 3. CHAP. XIX Of Humility required in prayer HItherto we have spoken of the mind Now we are to enquire what is required in the heart In the heart three things are requisite humilitie reverence and heartinesse The first respecting our selves the second God the third the things for which we do invocate For the first That properly is said to be humile which is even with the ground Where therefore it is required that we should humble our selves before the Lord when we call upon him it is meant that we should abase our selves as it were to the ground to which purpose the faithfull were wont in the Eastern Churches to cast themselves down to the ground when they called upon God laying aside all manner of conceit of our own worthinesse whereby we might be lifted up in our selves and acknowledging our own nullitie and unworthinesse in our selves to appear in the presence of God For compared unto God we are as nothing or as lesse then nothing Isa. 40. 17. And therefore when our Saviour took upon him our nature he is said as it were to have annihilated himself Phil. 2. 7. For this cause prayer in Hebrew is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which hath affinitie with the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which fignifieth to fall or cast down our selves To teach us to humble our selves before God when we call upon him And to the same purpose Augustine defineth prayer thus Oratio est mentis devotio i. conversio in Deum per pium humilem affectum Prayer is the devotion of the mind that is a conversion unto God by an holy and humble affection How necessary and profitable this is to be indued with humility when we call upon God may appear both by the testimonies of Gods word and examples of the godly Psal. 10. 17. Lord thou hearest the prayer of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilâ—… cause thine eare to heare Psal. 7. 12. He forgetteth not the cry of the humble Luke 18. 9. our Saviour telleth us a parable of a Pharisee and a Publicane which went to pray The Pharisee cometh in a conceit of his own worthinesse the Publicane in conscience of his sinfulnesse The Pharisee in a brave manner thanketh God that he was not a sinner like other men the Publicane in most humble manner acknowledgeth himself to be a sinner and craveth pardon for his sin But what was the issue of their prayer Which speedeth better the humble sinner or the proud justitiarie The Publicane goeth home justified the Pharisee remaineth in his sin according to that John 9. 41. And the reason is because as our Saviour saith every one that exalteth himself shall be brought low and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted To this accordeth Psal. 138. 6. The Lord is high yet he beholdeth the lowly but the proud he knoweth a farre off Psal. 51. 17. The sacrifices of the Lord that is that which he esteemeth above all sacrifices are a contrite spirit a broken and contrite heart he will not despise meaning that he doth in speciall manner
of the coming of Gods kingdome 1. The Devil 2. The World Matth. 6. 24. 3. The Flesh The hypocrisie of many detected Things to be believed We must expect I. with faith II. with earnest desire 1. of eternall life 2. of Christs coming III. With patience qui In Psal. IV. With vigilancy 3. We must remain constant in Gods love 4. We must walk worthy of God 5. We must so live as ready to meet Christ. In Matth. Hypocrisie detected All that God willeth is properly good Of the things which God willeth Quest. Whether Gods will be alwayes done Answ. How can the wicked sin seeing they do Gods will Answ. How sinne is by Gods decree Answ. Gods secret and absolute will is not here meant John 6. 4â—… Cyprian Gal. 6. 10. We must pray according to Gods will We must do Gods will as the Angels 1. In knowledge Heb. 11. 6. 2. In sincerity 3. Willingly Rom. 8. 18. 4. Readily and speedily 5. Fully and totally 6. Constantly 7. Faithfully The hypocrisie of many discovered How things apperteining to our own good are to be asked The ordâ—… Why we ask temporall blessings before spirituall Ulpian Why all commoditieâ—… are comprehendedunder the name of bread Bernard What ouâ—… bread signifieth What is meant by daily bread Piscat The evils that accompany riches The evils that accompany poverty The same measure is not convenient for all men In what respect God is said to give God giveth onely the usâ—… of all God onely blesseth us in the use 1. Cor. 13. Quest. Answ. That it is lawfull to provide for the time to come Cautions Object 1. Answ. Object 2. Answ. We ought to ask temporall blessings of God 2. We must ask them aright Peculiar duties Generall duties Joâ—… 1. 21. The second common duty is Faith 1. generall 2. speciall Hypocrisie of worldlings discovered Two main benefits required in the two last petitions Justification and Sanctification The order We must be justified before we can be sanctified The connexion with the former petition Psal. 4. 6. The connexion with the latter petition Parts That our sinnes are debts The reason why sinnes are called debts The Papists confuted who hold that God forgiving the fault reteineth the punishment Their practice foolish who deâ—…rre their repentance What is meant by our trespasses What is meant by this word foâ—…give By this petition we are put in mind of our misery and Gods mercy No man can satisfie Gods justice for his sinnes proved Reason 1. 2. 3. â—… Object Answ. 1. Duties are 1. more peculiar 2. more common Meditations to increase our sorrow for sinne The graces which we desire The necessity 1. of the remission of our sinnes 2. of faith 1. We must be adorned with humility 2. We muâ—…t believe in Christ. 3. We must repent of our sinnes 4. We must fear by sinne to offend God 5. We muâ—…t use means to increase our faith 6. We must labour to please God 7. We must forgive our neighbours Hypocrisie discovered The reason confirming our faith in the assurance of râ—…mission 2. Reason why these words are added Our forgiving no cause of Gods forgiving us What is meant by debters Object Answ. Quest. Answ. Object How we can be said to forgive Answ. 1. Answ. 2. Object 2. Answ. That it is lawfull to to seek help from the Magistrate with these cautions observed 1. 2. 3. What is meant by As we Not equality but likenesse here to be understood That our forgiving should be sincere and not feigned A threefold use of these words Uses for instruction 1. He that hath offended must soek for 〈◊〉 2. How we are to behave our selves towards those who have offended us Duty 1. Means to moderate our anger Duty 2. Reasons moving us to forgive 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason Pretenses of those who will not forgive taken away 4. Reason Duty 3. 4. We must labour to win him An use of consolation An use of reproof The coherence and order Being freed from sinne we must become the servants of righteousnes Those whom God pardoneth the devil tempteth The necessity of this prayer Not to be lead into temptatiâ—…n The latter part of the petition expoundeth the former Of probations and trials Of Gods trialls 1. by prosperity 2. by afflictionâ—… Of tentations for and unto evil I. Of the flesh II. of the world 1. By words 2. By example 3. By the desires thereof By evils and crosses III. of the devil 1. Tentations of errours and heresies Of doubting Of presumption Tentations touching obedience 1. in hearing the word 2. in prayer 3. in â—…he sacrament Tentations drawing men unto evil Object Answ. Object Answ. How God may be said to tempt A consolation Satan can neither tempt nor overcome without Gods permission That it is not evil to be tempted but good to Gods children In Psal. 60. What is meant by Deliver us from evil How we are to pray against tentations How we must pray against tentations of the flesh How we must pray against the tentations of the world How we must pray against the tentations of the devil That we must pray for these graces in assurance of faith This conclusion authenticall and necessarie Our faith confirmed by this conclusion by three reasons drawn from three of Gods attributes What is meant by thine is the kingdome The kingdome of grace and glory Psal. 24. 1. The difference between the power of God and the creatures Everlasting kingdome power and glory belongeth to God These words are a form of praising God What Amen importeth and signifieth Duties to be performed 〈◊〉 Hypocrisie discovered