enter into the very chamber of thine heart That thy praier may not be an emptie or a windie praier puft or blowne from the lungs or from the lippes but a heartie and a pithie praier a sacrifice which hath marrow and fatnes Such a sacrifice as Dauid offered whenas hauing first said My heart hath failed me I haue lost my heart anon after he saies I haue now O Lord found my heart again to pray vnto thee Salomon deckt garnished his temple before he praied in it and so before thou praiest prepare thy heart Be sure thou finde and furnish thy heart which is the true temple of him who is greater then Salomon And as that woman that sought her groat swept ouer all the whole house so whē thou seekest any thing of God sweepe ouer the whole house of thy heart say with Manasses O Lord I bow vnto thee the knees of my heart seeing thou hast saide Seeke ye my face thy face O Lord doe I seeke yea I doe seeke thee with my whole heart seeing thou hast saide Seeke and you shall finde Yet it is not enough for vs to seeke with the heart we must also knocke with the hand For he that was borne blinde could notwithstanding both see and say that God heareth not sinners but that euery one which calleth vpon the name of the Lord must depart from iniquitie So that it is to litle purpose for a man to seek though with neuer so faithfull a heart except also he knocke with a righteous hand The heretikes called Euchitae professed to doe nothing els but pray Because the Apostle exhorteth vs to pray continually But they did not consider that to pray alwaies is to serue God alwaies And that a godly life knocks aloude and is a perpetuall praier to God So that professing to pray and to doe nothing else in effect they did nothing lesse Seeing as Theodoret reporteth of them They did nothing for the most part but sleep Whereas in Basils iudgement a praier should be filled not with syllables or good words so much as with good workes Which none can doe who either with these heretickes doe nothing at all or else no good thing at all but onely that which is ill with others When you shall multiply your praiers vnto me saies God I wil not heare you because your hāds are full of blood If a subiect should offer vp a supplication hauing his hands imbrued in the blood of the kings sonne tell me I pray you what thinke you how would the king take it would he grant him his request trow you or rather would he not be most wrathfully incensed and enraged against him And euen so doth God take it at our handes when we knock with bloody vncleane hands presuming still to pray and yet continually crucifying the sonne of God by our sinnes Therefore say the godly Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes They say not Let vs lift vp our hearts alone but let vs lift vp our hearts with our hands Let vs not only seeke with our hearts but also knock with our hands yea euen with innocent hands And another Let my prayer be directed vnto thee as incense let the lifting vp of my hāds be an euening sacrifice vnto thee And yet another I will that men pray euery where lifting vp pure handes For as the precious stone diacletes though it haue very many excellent soueraignties in it yet it looseth thē al if it be put in a dead mans mouth so prayer which is the only pearle and iewell of a Christian though it haue very many rare vertues in it yet it looseth them euery one if it be put into a mans mouth or into a mans heart either that is dead in sinne and doth not knock with a pure hand Hence it is that the Church is said to be perfumed with frankinsence and myrr By frankinsence is ment a burning feruencie of affectiō whenas an enflamed heart seeketh By myrr is ment mortification and dying vnto sinne when as an vndefiled hand knocketh As when the Church saies My hands drop downe myrr and my fingers pure myrr vpon the handles of the barre This is that holy perfume of the tabernacle which god appoynted to be made of pure myrr and frankinsence of each like waight Note that Of each 〈◊〉 waight But we for the most 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it in the making For we put into this perfume of prayer whole pounds of frankinsence but not a dram nay scarce so much as one graine of mirr We put into it much frankinsence much pretence of faith much shew of seeking with the heart but little myrr litle true mortification little holines of life little sound knocking with the hand Nay that which is most lamentable or rather most detestable of all some are not ashamed in stead of this pure myrrhe to put in the very drugges and the dregges of their vile sinnes Which is the cause why many a mans praier is so lothsome and so odious to God Whereas if we would make this perfume as it should be made according to Gods prescription and put in as much of the myrrhe as of the frankinsence of each like waight then I assure you no pomander which is made of amber and muske would be so pleasant in the nostrils of God as this perfume of praier wherewith the Church is perfumed which is made of frankincense and myrrhe Of frankincense in a heart that seeketh and myrrhe in a hand that knocketh When Moses praied in mount Oreb his hands were holden vp by Vr and Aaron Yea they did not onely hold vp his hands but also they held his rod in his hands Now the rodde of Moses was a figure of the crosse of Christ. Whereby we are taught that we must not knocke with our owne hands but with Moses rod in our hands not trusting to be heard for the works of our owne hands for our own merits but for Christs mercies For this rodde of Moses is the crosse of Christ the key of Dauid the key wherewith Elias knockt or rather indeede he stood not without knocking like a stranger but with this key of praier he lockt and vn lockt heauen at his pleasure Among them that haue beene borne of women there hath not risen vp a greater then Iohn Baptist. Not a greater True Onely the first Iohn Baptist Elias was as great as the second Elias Iohn Baptist. For both of them came in one and the selfe same spirit in one and the selfe same power No maruell then though Elias beeing such a holy man one while by turning the key one way did locke vp the whole heauen another while by turning the same key of praier as much another way in the turning of a hand did vnlocke all the dores and windowes of heauen and set them wide open Why doe ye maruell at this Euen we we our selues I say shall
The power of praier A SERMON PREACHED in the Cathedrall Church of Exeter in August 1596. By THOMAS PLAYFERE Professour of Diuinitie for the Ladie Margaret in Cambridge PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINter to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1603. And are to be sold in Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the Crowne by Simon Waterson To the Queenes most excellent Maiestie REligion dread and deare Soueraigne is an vnmoueable foūdation of highest authoritie and honour O then howe blessed are all we how sure and vnmooueable is our peace and ioy God hauing blessed vs with a king who in religion and learning excelleth all aliue and his Maiestie with a Queene in due proportion answerable to himselfe Wherefore as it is our dutie to ioyne both in our daily praiers so neither would I separate you in my humble endeauours For the present felicitie and glory of this realme resteth wholly in his Maiestie but the future hope to haue these infinite blessings continued vpon vs and all our posteritie euen vnto the worlds end ariseth from you both in respect of that most happie royall issue you haue had alreadie and which if it please God you may haue hereafter Which as it will be our greatest securitie and comfort so that it may be no danger to your Maiesties health especially that which your Highnesse now goeth withall we shall continually and importunately pray and beseech at Gods hands And what the power of praier is this short sermō which I presume to offer vnto your sacred Maiestie doeth in some sort shewe Your Maiesties most deuoted and obedient subiect Thomas Playfere THE POWER of prayer THE TEXT Aske and it shall be giuen you seeke and you shall finde knocke and it shal be opened vnto you Matth. 7.7 BEfore I come to the particular intreatie of this text it will not be amisse as I take it generally to obserue some fewe things Our Sauiour saies not here as to one Aske thou seeke thou knocke thou but as to many Aske seeke knocke For it is Our Father though it be I beleeue A sparke of fire in the fire keepes fire by it selfe of it selfe goes out A droppe of water in the sea is safe beeing alone is soone dried vp Euen so in priuate praier that small sparke of zeale which is in vs may quickly be put out and that little droppe of deuotion which is in vs may quickly be dried vp but in publique praier it is not so Whereupon Daniel requesteth his companions Sidrach Misach and Abednago to pray with him Yea Ioel aduiseth them to gather a solemne assemblie and to call the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord to offer vp praiers vnto God A threefold cord is not easily broken Now what is praier els but a cord wherewith we binde Gods hands when he is readie to smite vs for our sinnes Euen as Esay complaining to god saies There is none that calleth vpon thy name none that riseth vp to take hold of thee to hold thy hands and binde them fast with the cord of praier But if a twofold cord or a threefold cord cannot easily be broken whenas two or three of Daniels companions are gathered together in the name of Christ then much more a hundred-fold cord or a thousand-fold cord cannot easily be broken whenas not onely two or three of vs haue agreed vpon a petition in earth but euen Ioels solemne assembly such a solemne assembly as here is many hundreds yea many thousands of the faithfull are gathered together in the house of the lord to offer vp praier vnto God Such a strong cord of praier as this is so well twisted by so many must needs most forcibly draw downe from heauen infinit graces for vs. And therefore our Sauiour saies here not as to one but as to many Aske seeke knocke So likewise it is not saide here as in the time present that by and by we obtaine the thing we pray for but as in the time to come And it shall be giuen you and you shall find and it shall be opened vnto you For as Laban kept Iacob a long while from his yongest daughter whome he loued best that his loue might be more increased continually so God oftentimes holdeth vs a while in suspence that he may the more sharpen our appetite and inflame our desire Because saies Gregorie The more earnestly he is desired of vs the more sweetely he is delighted in vs. Wherefore as a marchant beeing about to put money into a bagge and perceiuing the bagge will scarce hold all the money first stretches out the bagge before he put in the money after the same sort in this case dealeth God with vs. God knowing that those blessings wherewith vpon our praiers he purposes to inrich vs are so great that our hearts as yet are not capable of them staies a while till afterward when our hearts are more inlarged and stretched out like a wide bagge we may thē receiue them when we are fitter for them Whereupon the princely prophet saies Lord I crie vnto thee in the day time and thou hearest not also in the night time and yet this is not to be thought follie in me Some perhaps would thinke it a great point of folly for a man to call and crie vnto him who stoppes his cares and seemes not to heare Neuertheles this follie of the faithfull is wiser then all the wisdome of the world For we know well enough that howsoeuer God seem at the first not to heare yet The Lord is a sure refuge in due time in affliction First in due time then in affliction Because for the most part in helping vs God rather respects the due time then the affliction So that although as soone as we pray he doe not alway presently free vs from affliction yet if we can be content to wait a while and tarie the Lords leisure in his due time he will surely releeue vs. And therefore it is said here not as in the time present but as in the time to come And it shall be giuen you and you shall finde and it shall be opened vnto you Now then in this whole sentence two principle parts would be considered The first what we in our prayer must performe to god The second what God for our prayer will performe to vs. What we in our praier must performe to God is in these wordes Aske seeke knock Aske with the mouth seeke with the heart knock with the hand What God for our praier will performe to vs is in these wordes And it shal be giuen you and you shall find and it shal be opened vnto you And it shall be giuen you that 's for temporall things and you shall find that 's for spirituall things and it shal be opened vnto you that 's for eternall things Aske seek knock and it shal be giuen you and you shall find and it shall be opened vnto
that time her heart loued her bed better Therefore sayes Augustine Seek what you seeke but seeke not where you seeke Seek Christ that 's a good what Seek what you seeke But seeke him not in bed That 's an ill where But seeke not where you seeke Moses found Christ not in a soft bed but in a bramble bush So that the bed is no fit place to find him in who had not where to rest himselfe But goe into the garden among the bramble bushes and there you shall find him not sleeping but sweating dropps of blood for your redemption and calling you to him Come vnto me all you that labour not you that lie a bed and are secure but you that labour and are heauie laden and I will refresh you Take my yoke vpō you and you shal find rest for your soules If you seeke rest with you hearts with your soules you shall find rest for your soules that rest also which is not to be found in the bedde of pleasure but in the yoke of Christ. If thou seekest for this spirituall rest as for siluer and search for it as for treasures then shalt thou vnderstand the feare of the Lord and find the knowledge of God Therefore seek the Lord not in the bed of sensuality but where he may be found And seek the lord while he may be found Or rather indeed though not in what place soeuer yet at what time so euer we sinners seeke we shall be sure to finde him that saies I am found of them that sought me not So that no man seeking God shall returne with a Non est inventu◠but we that haue erred straied like lost sheepe shall finde him or rather we shall be found of him before we seeke him And that which is most wonderfull of all we shall not onely finde oftentimes before we seeke but also we shall finde much more then we seeke That good Centurion sought onely one word Dic verbum saies he but he found more Christ vttered not onely one word whereby his seruant was healed but also very many words wherein he gaue himselfe a most singular praise and commendation for his faith Dymas the theife on the right hand sought onely to be remembred when Christ should come into his kingdom but he found more What talkest thou of beeing remembred saies Christ as though thou shouldst be farre from me out of my sight Tush man I will doe more for thee then so Thou shalt not onely be remembred but thou shalt be with me And why saist thou Whē I come into my kingdome as though it would be a long while first This very day shalt thou be with me in my kingdome this day shalt thou be with me in paradise That needie man in the Gospel sought onely to borrow three loaues but he found more God his good friend bad him welcome at midnight and did not onely lende him but frankly and freely giue him not onely three loaues but as many as he needed He gaue him as many as he needed Salomon sought onely wisdome but he found more Seeing he sought first the kingdome of God the righteousnes thereof all other things besides were added vnto him Wherefore if any man want wisdome or any such spirituall thing let him with Salomon seeke it of God he shall finde it Yea we shall finde infinitely aboue measure more then we seeke or can deuise to seeke of him that saies Seeke and you shall finde Yea not only you shall find spirituall things but also it shall be opened vnto you that 's for eternal things Yet we read that some began to knock saying Lord Lord open vnto vs and it was not opened vnto them But the reason is euident elsewhere Because they did not knock with their hands They had I grant lampes in their hands but they had not oyle in their lāps So that all their knocking was but as a sounding brasse or as a tinckling cimball Whereas if we would knocke to purpose indeede the way were as Christ teacheth vs elswhere not to crie Lord Lord but by setting to our hands to doe and worke the will of our heauenly father Loe ye saies Chrysologus how loath our good Lord is to denie vs any thing seeing though he were neuer so much disposed to keepe vs out yet here he teacheth vs a way how we may breake open the dores and presse in vpon him and get the kingdome of heauen whether he will or no by the violence and force of faith from him For ther 's a great difference betweene Diues and God though there be a great agreement betweene Lazarus and vs. Lazarus was a beggar full of sores so are we all by nature beggars standing without and knocking at the dore Yea his bodie was not so full of sores as our soule is of sinnes Lazarus desired to be relieued with the crummes of bread which fell from the rich mans board so haue we all neede God wote to be refreshed with the crums of mercie which fall from our masters table Yet in one respect we are better then Lazarus In that it was his hard happe to knocke at the dore of a cruell a wretched a miserable caitiffe who could see no time to open vnto him But we knocke at the dore of a most kind a most liberall a most mercifull father who as soone as he heareth vs rapping with a liuely faith which worketh by charitie hath no power to keepe vs out any longer but presently he openeth vnto vs. And euen as S. Peter when he saw that lame cripple lying vpon the ground crauing an almes at the beautifull gate of the temple said vnto him Siluer and gold haue I none but such as I haue health and recouerie I giue thee so Christ when he seeth vs lying prostrate groueling on the groūd before him and knocking for an almes at the beautifull gate of his holy temple by and by openeth vnto vs and giues vs not siluer or gold or any such corruptible thing but health and saluation to our soules and all the inestimable riches of his glorie and all the eternall treasures of his kingdome O that some of you would a litle trie whether this be true which I say or no! that you would bounce as hard as euer you can at this beautifull gate and say with the Psalmist Arise arise O Lord why sleepest thou I warrant you you should heare him answer you in another Psalme Now for the pitifull cōplaint of the poore I will arise saith the Lord I will sleepe no longer I will arise and open vnto them So it was opened to the poore Publican He went vp to the temple to pray and when he came thither he knocked his breast and said Lord be mercifull vnto me a sinner Therefore the dore of mercie was opened vnto him and he went home euen into heauen his long home more iustified