had no maruell then they finde it not and yet perswade themselues they haue in some measure what they desire euery man in his peculiar affection and well may it bee sayd in some measure for that in what measure soeuer they haue that they craue yet they want the fulnesse of what they desire And therefore can there be no full content for where there is wanting some thing the want of the thing desired is a kinde of ineuitable miserie and distraction of the minde These things duely considered a kinde of voluntarie blindenesse or rather desperate madnesse seemeth to appeare in the most who contrarie to the aduice of the Apostle that willeth to vse this world as if wee vsed it not vse onely this world and the vaine pleasures of the same as if they perswaded themselues that either they shall euer remaine here or that after this there will be no other being whereas the contrarie is most apparent For this world passeth away and the glorie thereof and therefore should we so liue as only to passe thorow it as the Jsralites thorow the Red-sea that we may arriue in Heauēly Canaan the place of true Felicitie Happinesse and absolute content in deed for the greatest pleasures and deerest delights that this world can yeeld are like the vnsauorie waters of Asphaltis or the sea of Sodome whereof who so drinketh infatuateth or dieth instantly And yet wee see that hee is accounted the happiest man that is euen drunke with this worlds vanities Therefore doe the truely Wise passe by them as it were disdayning to stoope to such deceiuing alurements stopping their eares with Vlisses least these forbidden vanities should inchant them and with their seeming sweet infecting harmony draw them to the gulfe of perdition for the vanities of this world bewitch the mindes of carnall men who though they reade and heare their danger it takes no impression in their obdurate hearts they reade seldome and heare and vnderstand not they yet know too much of that wherof the practice doth shew they are not wise to saluation which indeed is that absolute happinesse that the truely Wise doe onely seeke knowing that it auayleth them not to gaine the whole world and to take all the pleasures and delights of the same to lose their owne soules The best thing then that we are to seeke to be happy is to be assured in this life of the Kingdome of God and our saluation to come and to labour for the righteousnesse thereof for if worldly men take so much paines for the getting of the vanishing things of this world counterfeit happinesse it may well be imputed not onely as a shame vnto vs but a iudgement vpon vs if wee neglect the absolute best thing the saluation of our soules And therefore Saint Paul exhorts vs to the studie of righteousnesse and hatred of sinne the contrary ends of both being set before vs namely as touching sinne wherein the best man hath once defiled himselfe how much more the wicked What fruit had they in it Onely shame and griefe and in the end death eternall without repentance therefore it behooueth vs now to cast off sinne The vanities of the world the lusts of the flesh the pride of life to which things whosoeuer is or hath beene seruant while he liueth therein is free from righteousnesse but now let vs seeke to bee freed from the seruitude of sinne and to become seruants vnto God so shall wee haue our fruit in holinesse and in the end euerlasting life which is the gift of GOD through Iesus Christ which is the greatest happinesse that we can desire or attaine vnto either in this life or that which is to come for the obtayning whereof euery Christian is to be carefull to auoide the vanities of this world and the seruice of sinne in the same indeuoring to become the seruant of God which consisteth in an holy and heauenly conuersation here to which is required the due and diligent hearing of God in his Word and the true practise of the same and faithfull prayer to him By these two rules rightly obserued a man becomes by acceptation perfect and by imputation iust To attaine vnto this degree of perfection and happinesse it lyeth not in our owne powre wee cannot heare without the Word preached and none that heareth vnderstandeth but he whose eares the Lord openeth Carnall men may heare indeed but not profit by hearing vnlesse God open also their hearts as hee did the heart of Lydia for both the Word hearing vnderstanding and practise are all the gifts of God Prayer also is the gift of God so is Gods Spirit by whom wee pray and faith in which we pray and the assurance to obtaine that for which wee pray How many men yet are there of conceit that they can pray when they list and how they list as if earnest and truely cordiall prayer were as familiar with them as to tell a tale Liplabour babling indeed is as easie as to speake any thing else But this kinde of saying prayers is not indeed prayer but prattle a mocking of God and hee deceiueth himselfe that so speaketh prayers A great man would take scorne to haue a tale told him when hee that tells it speakes he knowes not what his minde being vpon some other matter will God then accept of those prayers which onely are from the lippes when the heart thinks of nothing lesse then what the mouth speaketh Their words may bee the words of holy prayer indeed but if the heart consent not nay if the Minde the Will and Affections and the Vnderstanding agree not with the mouth though the words bee good the prayer is counterfeit True and feruent faithfull and feeling prayer will easily bee diserned from cold and counterfeit for whereas a man may fluently without stoppe or stagger powre forth many and good words either by heart or booke thinking that God hath enough if hee haue many and good words he cannot but acknowledge that he doth but flatter God so commits sinne instead of a sacrifice But the prayer that pleaseth God and profits a mans selfe comes from the heart to the lippes or the heart it selfe sighes and groanes vnto God in such vehemencie of spirit as if not with outward teares yet doth the heart rent it selfe within through the feruencie of zeale and power of a liuely faith which kinde of prayer is effectuall and pleasing to God It behooueth therefore euery man to be warie how hee prayeth least hee offer the sacrifice of fooles and so instead of being heard to his comfort hee be reiected with shame Prayer consisteth not in the motion of the tongue onely which is proper as well to the wicked as to the godly But prayer is a diuine exercise of a sanctified heart And therefore before we presume to approch into the presence of God with our Petition we must duely and reuerently consider to whom we speake what we speake and how we speake wherein we may
or his prayers sake but for thy best beloued Soâ—nes sake and such onely prayers as proceed from thine owne Spirit Fulfill therefore good Father all my godly desires through Christ Iesus Amen Let vs pray that wee may pray A Prayer to God for the helpe of his holy Spirit and other blessings Spirituall and Corporall comprehending the most needfull blessings fit at all times for all men to bee desired GRacious Lord God and most louing in Iesus Christ thou hast of thine owne free fauour willed all men in all their troubles dangers and wants of Spirituall and corporall things to come vnto thee to aske in the Name of thy Sonne and they shall receiue whatsoeuer they faithfully pray for to seeke helpe of thee and they shall finde it in due and conuenient time to knocke and they shall be admitted into thy holy presence But good Father as thou hast thus commanded me worke in me power truely to performe what thou commandest to pray I am of my selfe dull to seeke I am by nature blinde to knock I am weake and therefore thou seemest to command things to mee impossible to be effectually performed say therefore vnto mee and performe it namely that thy Spirit may bee a sufficient helpe vnto me Thou well knowest mine insufficiencie Lord for I cannot of my selfe thinke a good thought how then can I of my selfe pray and obtaine seeke and finde what I want or knock and bee heard This sacred vertue none by nature hath it is of thine owne free Grace and they onely to whom thou vouchsafest thine owne Spirit to helpe their weakenesse such in deed can faithfully aske such can dilligently seeke and constantly knock they onely obtaine what they aske they finde what they seeke and they are heard and admitted into thy presence when they knock Oh! admit me Lord into the number of them to whom thou hast vouchsafed this blessed priuiledge for they belong onely to the truely faithfull to such as thou hast chosen of thine owne purpose whom thou hast made fit to aske apt to seeke and constant to knock Apt I am to aske many things because I want manie and I know thou art able and willing to grant euery good thing But I am ignorant so to aske as I may obtaine for I know not what to aske as I ought and therefore though I often aske I receiue not because I aske amisse tending my prayers rather to the obtayning of carnall then Spirituall and heauenly riches and finde them not because thou seest the granting of them rather hurtfull then profitable vnto me Send therefore deare Father send downe thine holy Spirit who onely knoweth how and for what to pray though I bee ignorant of hee knoweth thy will though I bee weake he is powerfull and though I be corrupt He is holy as thou art holy â—ee onely knoweth my wants and how they may bee supplied Therfore none but he Lord can make my Petitions effectuall none but he can speake for me with me and in me Good Father denie him not vnto me leaue mee not destitute of his helpe When he commeth he shall teach mee all things fit for mee to learne hee will prompt and tell mee what is fit for me to aske he will prepare my heart hee will rectifie mine affections he will abandon my darkenesse deadnesse and dulnesse he will vntie my faultring tongue and open my closed lippes hee will inlarge my knowledge and increase my faith If I pray without the helpe of this thy blessed Spirit I doe but vtter a bare voyce O Lord which cannot come into thy presence nor returne any comfort to mine owne soule but speaking in and by him I shall assuredly bee heard for when I pray sinceerely and effectually in deed it proceedeth not from mee but from thine owne Spirit that speaketh in mee and beareth the greatest burden of my prayers though the words passe thorow my lippes they are not mine but his Holy Father euer louing louing in Iesus Christ inkindle mine inward godly desires through the heauenly heate of that Sacred fire touch my tongue with that celestiall cole from thine Alter then shall my heart be prepared then shall my lippes be opened then shall I speake with my tongue according to the meaning of thine owne Spirit then shall mine vnderstanding be inlarged then shall I appâ—ehend thy mercie and fully enioy thy fauour in Christ my Redeemer then shall I finde and feele in my heart an assured testimony that my prayers are come vp into thy presence then shall my guilty conscience burdened with sinne be eased and all my wants spirituall and corporall outward and inward bee fully and timely supplied and all my feare bee remooued and all things howsoeuer seeming contrary shall worke together yea together to my perpetuall peace and comfort in thee Then shall I receiue in this corrupt and weake vessell of dust the Image of my Redeemer bring forth the fruits of his Kingdome and euen here feele and be assured to bee sealed vp in the number of thine Elect Saints and enioy the glorie of that future Kingdome in full which heere I partake and know but in part according to that measure of knowledge which it hath pleased thee through thy holy Spirit to reueale vnto mee in this mortality where yet I finde the merits of my Redeemer preuayling to the washing away of my sinnes I heare his voyce and heere desire to follow him and to obey thee in him submitting my selfe to vndergoe whatsoeuer crosse for his sake as hee endured the death of the Crosse for mine euermore looking for longing to be dissolued freed from this worlds vanities and to bee partaker of the glory which by his death hee hath purchased for all that in faith and holy desire Looke for his second comming for which all that are guided by that thy Sacred Spirit inwardly and dayly cry Come Lord Iesus come quickly and end these dayes of sinne In the meane time thou knowest louing Father that I am inforced to bee combred about manie things of faâ—re inferiour condition following the things of my worldly calling which much hinder mee in the performance of better things and which often hinder the liuely working of thy holy Spirit in me I am much and often oppressed with the strength of mine owne inherent corruption often assayled by that my deadly enemie Satan who seeketh by all meanes to stop the course of thy Spirit in mee But thy Grace is sufficient to preuent him for me Thou knowest also deare Father that I am much and often afflicted heere and stand subiect to many and seuerall tryals as to Sicknesse of the body danger of the decay and losse of my Limbes and the vertue and vse of my Senses vnto Pouertie Enimies and Persecution for the constant profession of thy sincere Religion vnder the burden and feare of these ineuitable miseries I should faint but that I know thee and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ and haue the assistance
GOD of Hostes who sent his Angell and that night destroyed in Senacheribs campe one hundred fourescore and fiue thousand men Thus God can deale with the enemies of his faithfull people hee can destroy them without their helpe as wee our selues haue found by memorable experience to shew that it is not alwayes the multitude of armed souldiers that are the absolute meanes of victorie it is the meere hand of God to declare himselfe to be in deed the GOD of Hosts against whom no power pollicie or humane wisdome can preuaile And therefore admitteth not the arme of flesh though a necessary meane to haue the glorie of the distruction of his enemies he will confound When Joshua was to goe against Jericho a Citie whom God would destroy though hee was accompanied with a multitude of armed souldiers yet the Lord would not haue the ouerthrow ascribed vnto battery and engines of warre violent instruments But at Gods command they blew with Rams-hornes onely about the wals with a shoute and the walls fell downe God by weake meanes can doe wonderfull things for his Fiue mighty kings combined their forces together against Ioshua and though God permitted Ioshua to haue the victory and slaughter of some of them yet God himselfe had the prayse who slew more with hayl stones from heauen then Ioshua slew with the sword Thus doth God manifest his power that all men may see that they that haue God on their side neede not feare though kings combine and people rage as if they would deuoure Gods people at their pleasures casting their accounts and disposing of their pray before the victorie Benadab that mighty Aramite king threatned Ahab king of Israel to depriue him of all that he had His siluer and his gold his women and his faire children But God gaue Ahab the victorie both on the Mountaines and the Vallies Because they obiected against God that he was God in the Mountaines not in the Vallies as if we should say he were God at Land but not at Sea or to impute good or ill successe in these weighty occasions to false and contrary causes as is commonly seen and obserued to ignorance or negligence of some Commanders or to this or that omission ouer-sight or rashnesse which indeed may bee blame-worthy yet for that wee attribute not good successe to God but to humane power wisdome or pollicie and ill euents and issues to our owne sinnefull deseruings and waâ—t of calling vp on God for a blessing God many times permits his owne children to suffer violence when they forget to serue him The Israelites committing wickednesse in the sight of the Lord God gaue them ouer into the hands of their enemies the Midianites for seuen yeares yet vpon their repentance and returning to God hee raysed vp Deborah and Barak to deliuer them Sinne is the cause that God permitteth a mighty multitude to bee ouer-throwne by a few foure hundred thousand Israelites for one sinne were ouercome twice by sixe and twentie thousand Beniamits If God for one sinne suffered his people to bee thus slaine by a few what will hee not permit to bee done vnto a nation that commits infinite sinnes For one seeming small sinn of one man Achan the children of Israel were chased and put to flight by a few to shew that where sinne raigneth there is no strength in the people to withstand their enemies God is a righteous God perseruing and punishing as hee findeth men faithfull or sinnefull not sparing his dearest children when they rebell against him but as long as they truely obay him no enemie shall preuaile against them Let Pharoh pursue Gods children with purpose to consume them let them but call vpon God let them bee faithfull and they shall see the saluation of God the confusion of their enemies by the immediate hand of God without the helpe or hand of man An hoste of men cannot hurt one man whom God will protect and yet permits sometimes one of his to preuaile against many as Samson who slewe one thousand men with the iaw-bone of an asse and Shamgar with an Oxe goad slew six hundred men to shew that God is not tyed to multitudes to auenge him of the enemies of his children and that a multitude to him is but as one man and as easie to bee ouercome And yet he many times permitteth the wicked to take away the liues of the most righteous and innocent as Kain to kill Abel Herod to kill Iohn Baptist James c. he permits bloody massacres and suffers his dâ—arest children to be martyred after many fearefull meanes not that he is not able to deliuer them but that his owne name by their patient suffrings may be glorified On the other side if it please him and that it stand for the good of his hee can and will defend them hee can send an hoste of Angels to defend theÌ„ and fire from hâ—auen to consume the aduâ—â—saries of them that take him for their streÌ„gth But not according to naturall mans reuengefull desire As when his disciples willed him to call for fire from heauen to consume their enemies he answered them Yee know not of what spirit yee are And therefore although he in his iustice in former times hath and yet is in his power to execute his seuere iudgments with fearefull fire as vpon Sodome vpon Nadab and Abihu and vpon the fifties which came to apprehend Eliah yet ought we to be farre from desire to haue like iudgements inflicted vpâ—on our most mortall enemies vpon such as would euen eate vs vp but rather as wee are instructed first to pray for their reformation and serious reconciliation and refer the issue to God though it may be we cannot as properly say of some malicious aduersaries as Stephen sometimes said of his Lord lay not this his death vnto their charge for they know not what they doe No our most malicious enemies are not ignorant that their malice towards vs is sinne against God to whose iudgement we are in charitie to leaue them for to him not to vs belongeth reuenge who being wise in his vnderstanding and iust in his iudgements is also mercifull and patient in punishing and in all things both to them and vs will do that which is equal right and will reward tyranous oppressors malicious persecuters of his faithful children in his time according to his owne will and for his owne he will neuer leaue nor forsake them Although our enemies may pretend Religion the cause of their malice and couer their inward hatred vnder a counterfeit pretence to worke our reformation therein and with many seeming sweet insinuations worke themselues into our thoughts it behooueth vs to be wise lest that in conceiuing they seek our good they get not our goods which are our obedience to God faith in him and perseuerance True it is that Religion is the cause of many both priuat and publike controuersies and quarrels but that Religion that is increased and maintained