inflamed by the holy spirit of Christ and powerfully vttered priuatly vnto God in Christ whether in silence in sighes or words cannot be expressed to the capacity of a carnall man and therefore it may seem that priuat praiers in priuat cases somtimes work more effectually to the comfort of the soule then the publik But in cases more generall when the more faithfull soules conioyne in effectuall prayer so much the more auaileable is their prayer with God Fathers of children and Masters of families who content themselues onely with a bare seruâ—ng of God in shew once in the week on the Sabbath day are to bee reproued who seem to hold it a needlesse and superfluous worke to trouble themselues their families morning or euening in prayer and exhortation to the feare of God and dehorting them from sin which times they haue assigned in their opinions to more profitable vses both for themselues their seruants forgetting or not vnderstanding that in euery Christian family eyther God or Sathan is serued Christ or Belial obeyed sanctity or sinne embraced For there is no priuat person but is or holdeth of one of these coÌ„sequently no societie but partaketh of the fruits arising of good or euill If then either priuat man or publike assembly be it prouinciall parochiall or domesticall do forget this most high dutie of seruing the liuing God it followeth of necessitie that a contrary power hath there the command and nothing more discouereth to which any of the former lend their obedience then the fruits that eyther of them produceth if carnall effects as louing the world the pleasures of the flesh and the vanities of this life it argueth that priuat man or that society to be profane If it were sufficient to serue God on the sabbath what needed the Apostle to aduise vs to pray coÌ„tinually and the commandement of Christ Watch and pray that yee enter not into temptation to loue righteousnesse and to slie sinne How doe they awakeâ—or watch that slumber from Saboth to Saboth Are they not all that time in darknesse not vsing the duties of the light Christ is the light in whome whosoeuer liueth not hee is in darknesse And hee that hath but one day of light in seuen How great is his darknesse It is true this day the Saboth was set apart by God that in it men should imploy themselues to serue and to glorifie him And in that day they shuld not only not doe but also not thinke of anie Worldly affaires But are not some so far from celebrating the name and seruice of God that day as they prophane it aboue all other dayes doe they not turne the glorie of God into wantonnes to banquetting dicing dauncing drunkennesse gluttonie and to what sinne not This commonly is the day that many appoint for merrie companie to laugh and to be jouiall as they call it without meane or modestie And yet this day is sufficiently kept holy as they thinke if they spend an houre in the fore part of the day and halfe an houre in the after-noone in the Church though all the rest be consumed in most lasciuious vanities and carnall occasions How can this discharge the duty of a Christian that hath no care to serue God any other day in the weeke Doe we not credit the premonition of the Apostle Saint Peter that the end of all thinges is at hand And how follow wee his counsell namely to bee sober watching in prayer To whom speaketh the Apostle this to his Countrimen the Iewes only no euen to vs that are come as it were to the Worlds period And therefore high time it is for vs to looke vp to watch pray to liue religiously and soberly least that the Master of this great family come suddenly and find vs buffeting one another blaspheming swaggering drunken faithlesse insolent couetous and few or none doing the seruice of our Master It wil bee a dreadfull sight to see him come with his iron rod in his hand to crush his enemies in peeces The salt of the earth hauing lost it saltnesse shall bee cast to the dung-hill The Tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast in the fire The Magistrates saltnesse is profession of the Gospell and the execution of Iustice. The saltnesse of the Minister is the true preaching of the word and example of godly life The saltnesse of Fathers is their sincere conuersation before their children and the educating them in the feare of God and holy life The saltnesse of Masters of Families is to liue honestly religiously aud gouerning their charge in the feare of God And vnder these four estates of men are all conditions comprehended subiects vnder Kings children vnder fathers and young men vnder tutors and gouernours Euery of these in their places of superioritie and inferioritie haue their seuerall duties and all vnder one God whome they ought all to obey Superiours in rightly commanding and inferiors in duly obeying Neyther of these duties can bee rightly performed without knowledg of the wil of God by his word This knowledge is not perfect without practise This practise is imperfect without faith And faith is known by the fruits the chiefe whereof is loue And this loue most shineth and sheweth it selfe in doing good to all but especially to them of the family of faith The greatest good that can bee done to the Church of God is Prayer And therefore Saint Paul willeth to pray continually not for our selues onely but for Kinges al the members of Christs mysticall bodie Kings and Magistrates ought to imitate Dauid to accompanie the people to the house of the Lord Fathers and Masters ought to pray with and for their Children and Families not on the Saboth day only but with all perseuerance Some refer the duty of praier only to the Minister and thinke it a kinde of vsurpation of the Ministers office to pray for or with any but for himselfe contrarie to the precept of Saint Paul Who willeth that all men make prayers in all places heauing vp pure handes without strife or enuying vnto the Liuing God Where it appeares that vnder the word all Men Kings Princes Nobles and men of all degrees faculties and functions are comprehended and because they shall not thinke there is no place but the materiall temple he commands that dutie to bee performed in all places euen in euery particular house with caution that it bee done without strife and enuying free from vaine ostentation and desire of popular glorie CHAP. XXXIIII The true vse of the Lords Prayer about which friuolous questions haue risen It is the rule of all other prayers and euery petition ful of high matter of instruction THE most absolute praier and the most ordinarie which not only the Primitiue but the Moderne Christian Churches their members haue in vse is the Prayer that Christ taught his Disciples But wee must take heed wee doe not take this
the liuely and feeling affection of the heart faithfully beleeuing to receiue what we religiously desire we cannot but blush to come vnto God as the Pharisie did arrogating vnto our selues such perfection as if God were rather beholden to vs for our fasting tything almes and prayer then that wee needed to bow our hearts in humblenesse before his maiesty crauing pardoÌ„ for our sin when we pray therefore we must leaue behind vs all presumption and conceit of self-merit And in al humility aske beleeuing to receiue otherwise our praier wll become vnprofitable in not obtayning and sinfull in not beleeuing And therefore the Prophet Esay forewarneth vs to take heede that wee come not neere vnto God with our lippes namely to vse many and good words and yet our hearts wherein consisteth the force or frailty of faiâ—h and prayer be far from him CHAP. III. How we ought to approch before God in praier depending on Gods promises and not on carnall means which howsoeuer the vnfaithful respect not yet are the godly moued thereby THat praier is not true prayer which is not grounded vpon a liuely faith in the promises of God in Christ. It is promised to all beleeuers that if they aske they shall receiue yet for the merits in the mediation of Christ in whom if we beleeue not wee may seeme to send forth as many sighes and poure forth as many verball prayers and appeare in our gestures outwardly as deuout and zealous as any man and yet be as farre from being heard and come as farre short of obtayning what we desire as he that praieth not at all the very Publican will preuent vs. If we had not the promise of obtaining for our faithfully asking what would become of Faith Prayer If we rested as doubtfull vncertain to receiue our requests at the hands of God as many a poore begger is that asketh almes of mortal men in his Name should we not passe by more houres in a day more dayes in a weeke nay many weekes in a yeare neuer remember our duties of beleeuing and praier For it seemeth notwithstanding the promise by our generall slacknesse in praier that we hardly beleeue Christ vpon his promise nor God vpon his oath For as long as the carnall man hath worldly meanes to supply his wants or to free him from danger he will hardly seeke God by praier for earthly things because hee feeles no present neede of them nor for spirituall because he is a stranger vnto them Many seeme as miserable of offring praiers to God as they are of giuing him of their goods in his members But as they keepe their goods to the time of necessitie so their praiers they wil spend none but vpon meere extremitie Pharoh neuerentreated Moses to pray for him as long as he felt not some plague but when the extreme hand of the powerfull God was vpon him then called he for Moses to pray to God for him And yet that zeale continues but as do his plagues the one ceasing the other are staied Carnall men make their praiers as the water mooues the Mill-wheele when the water ceaseth the wheele staieth so when troubles faile faith praier cease Man by nature trusts rather his owne present worldly meanes then Gods promises his owne wealth then Gods word as he that obserues the rules of carnall reason cannot but collect how far the confidence men repose in worldly meanes ouersway their trust in God namely as farre as the earth is distant from the heauens For according to the portioÌ„ of euerie earthly blessing hath euerie carnall man trust in his means Golâ—ah in his strength Pharoh in his greatnes Senacherib in his Armie Achitophel in his policy Haman in his fauor with the King Nebuchadnezzar in his greatnes Belteshatzer in his vain-glorie and infinite others trusting in their own seuerall means long since gone to their places but haue not carried hence with them this vaine confidence froÌ„ mortal men For euery carnall man in his owne nature extendeth his confidence onely so farre as he hath visible and carnall meanes Quantum habet nummi tantum habet fidei We trust so farre as we see probable carnall meanes in naturall reason fit to be depended vpon which failing Faith faileth The couetous man is called an Idolater because he puts his trust in his riches so may euery man be truely called that trusteth in carnall means whether it be riches strength friends or other the like And the reuerence that men naturally yeelde vnto these meanes differeth not much from that they doe vnto God onely what they pretend towards God is opeÌ„ but what they do towards their earthly meanes is secret They seeme not visibly to kneele nor verbally to pray to the meanes but they in their hearts preferre that they see and enioy aboue that they haue but heard of the promises of the inuisible God And therefore rather then they will diminish their wealth to doe good vnto Gods people as God hath commanded as touching their abundance they will be bolde to straine a point of Christian obedience and rather giue ouer their following of Christ and abandon his presence with the Gergesites then to lend vnto God though they shall be assured not only ten of the hundred but one hundred-fold more then they disburse And therfore no maruell though they neuer or seldome pray vnto the inuisible God Their soules are not so deare vnto them as their liues and their liues not so pretious as their wealth nay liues and soules are of smal value with them in comparison of their worldly riches and carnall pleasures Tell a rich worldling that he ought to make his praiers vnto God hee will in his heart aske you for what hee should pray hee hath wealth at will as the rich man in the Gospell he hath health at his hearts desire his cattell prosper his corne oile wine abound for what should hee pray It is a strange exercise you would draw him vnto that concerneth not his worldly profit or carnal delight The like may be also said of euery meere carnall man bee hee poore or rich who rather then hee will embrace the promises and faithfully depend vpon the prouidence of God hee will aduenture the most vnlawful and vniust attempts against the lawes both of God men wheras if they could or would incline their eares to hear and their hearts to vnderstand the word of truth they could not but abandon all vniust deuises the rich would pray vnto God for direction to dispose of their wealth to Gods glorie and their owne soules health and the poore for supplie of all their corporall necessities and relie vpon Gods promises and prouidence bending al their powers to serue the liuing God in obedience and praier The godly and faithfull poore man beeing pâ—nched with penurie visited with sicknesse in feare of enimies and in whatsoeuer danger flieth vnto one onely God
forth the Doue of true contrition out of the Arke of our repenting hearts it may bring vs the Oliue branch of reconciliation and peace with God Prayer preuenteth perils and howsoeuer some misconceiue that there are but few truely religious faithfully zealous yet no doubt God hath his seuen yea seuentie thousand that cease not to solicite him not only in publique but in their priuate clossets not for themselues alone but for the king kingdome people whose praiers haue promise to preuaile And therefore it cannot be said that the prayers of the faithfull are either none or few or little or not auaileable as some men thinke because as they affirme they respectiuely precede not euery vnknown or vndiscouered danger As if God knew not whereof Nations Kingdomes and people haue neede eyther of things wanting to be supplied or things dangerous to be preuented If he be truly called vpon in one danger he deliuereth from many as if in Famine a people bee relieued by their faithfull praiers vnto God hee in regard of their humiliation and repentance doth free them froÌ„ the plague which hee purposed should haue followed the Famine and of Warres that should haue followed the Famine and Plague As he did with the people of Samaria whom he did not only relieue with plentie after their famine but from their enemies also And this holdeth not in generall multitudes only but with priuate men fearing and faithfully seruing GOD in constant perseuerance CHAP. XXIV Deuotion lately hote is now become more colde which may presage some consequent danger but the practise of the word and prayer preuaileth with God the neglect whereof maketh men senselesse of sinne IT is to be lamented to obserue how the coldnes of Christian deuotion encreaseth especially considering how zeale flourished within these few yeares and how fruitfully it wrought in the hearts of many insomuch as there seemed a kinde of religious emulation in yong and old who could be most forward in hearing the word preached in the Churches in reading the same and praying together not only in the Church but also in their Families but now many are slack in that Christian duty and some hold it a sufficient seruice of God to visite the Church once a weeke on the Sabbath day to heare the word to conioyne in concluding the ordinary prayers saying Amen and somtimes to receiue the outward signes of the Sacraments neglecting in the meane time to meditate vppon the word of God which they haue heard to confirm the beleeuers faith And faith begetteth all other graces especially prayer which preuaileth with God aboue all other duties if it be feruent and is as it were the life of al other vertues the life mouing of the soule The neglect whereof may bee well compared to the foolishnes of a man voluntarily staruing himselfe for as the neglect of moderate receiuing food doeth by degrees macerate and in fine consume the bodie and it perisheth so the contempt of prayer workes in the soule a loathing of the word whereon vnlesse the soule doe feed it cannot but wax feeble in faith the want whereof is the absolute confusion of the soule which as the Fish cannot liue out of the water the Salamander out of the fire nor the Camelion out of the ayre cannot liue out of it owne element the word of God by which it was created the word profits not without meditation and praier hearing reading and often ruminating the same For as the seede sown though in a good soil if it haue not the former and latter raine it will not grow to perfection so the word vnlesse it bee watered as it were by continuall practise and prayer fructifieth not although the carnall man growing from ill to worse feeleth it not nor findes how he decayeth but as one in a consumption dieth spiritually The regenerate man by the Word the Sacraments and Prayer perceiueth in himselfe a daily increase of liuely effects working in his heart more and more assurance that all things shall worke together for the best in this life and after this life his endlesse glorie Moreouer the spirituall man apprehendeth in himselfe the lest motion of sinne hee perceiueth when the flesh or his corrupt thoughts begin to rebell in the least measure then beginneth hee to encounter them by abstinence and prayer But the carnall man sold vnder sinne is of another more obdurate temper hee feeleth nothing to be sinne But as a man may make what corosiue or incision he will in a dead member without feeling or pain as in a gangrine or the like so when the soule of a man is dead in sinne and his conscience seared vp nothing can be felt to be sinne Contrarily as the least pricke of the point of a needle annoieth the liuely flesh so the least prick of Sathans temptations is felt and auoyded by the regenerate man CHAP. XXV Beasts foreseeing flye danger more then reasonable men besorted with securitie and the pleasures of this life THere is no creature in the world so dul and insensible but can foresee and by natures instinct endâ—uor to preuent and flie danger and yet a carnall man endowed with reason oftentimes runneth wilfully into his owne ruine As while he with the foolish flie soareth about the vaine pleasures of this world scorcheth the wingâ— of diuine obedience and falleth into endlesse destruction He may be compared to Esops Hart who while hee beheld his beautifull head in the water forgetting the perrils which follow securitie is suddenly surprised by death euen while hee is foolishly admiring his owne vaine pride and worldly delights in the glasse of vulgar admiration Such men therefore that thus loose themselues in the wood of worldly contentments seldome or neuer finde the Temple to pray in with profit but for fashion and depart not iustified at all but rather condemned When theeues assaile or enemies approch to beleager a Citie euery man betakes him to his weapons and he that endeauours not to preuent the danger cannot but be held an enemie How stands it then with vs who haue permitted the house of our soules to bee robbed Are wee not enemies to our owne soules The pleasures of the world the lusts of the slesh haue stolne away our hearts from the liuing God the vanities of our minde the riches and pleasures of the world and the pride of life haue not only besieged but entred and surprised our vnderstandings captiuated our wils they haue depriued vs of our defensiue weapons stript vs of our spirituall ornaments they haue disarmed vs of the sword of the Spirit taken from vs the shield of faith the buckler of patience despoyled vs of the brest-plate of righteousnesse and the helmet of saluation haue they defrauded vs of Thus haue our theeuish delights and our enemies sinnes of all sortes dealt with vs and yet such is our sottish senselesse condition as being left naked of all goodnes wee feele not our