reconciled to thy brother Mat. 6. 12. For give us our debts as we forgive our debters but if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive ye your trespasses A fifth Let is despairing doubts of being answered Jam. 1. 5 6. If any man lack wisdome let him ask it of God that giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him but let him ask in saith nothing doubting for he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the wind and tossed let not that man think he shal receive any thing at the hand of the Lord whatsoever ye shall ask in my name believe that you shall receive it and ye shall receive it Mark 11. 24. We shall now speak of Helps to prayer or saith some I would but I cannot pray I want words all that I can do is to sigh for a Help to this First labour to get a feeling of the necessity and excellency of Prayer so as that thy heart goeth under a grievous burthen because thou canst not pray Jer. 5. 3. O Lord are not thine eyes upon the truth thou hast stricken them but they are not grieved Here the Prophet complains that though Israel are stricken smitten and afflicted yet they have not grieved clearly implying that a grieved burthened state at the sense of want is a fair step in the way to obtain supply Psal 38. 4 6. For mine iniquities are gone over my head as a heavy burthen they are too heavy for me I am troubled I am bowed down greatly cast thy burthen upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee Psal 55. 22. Secondly study much how to get deep sense of your great wants of Gods daily help All my springs are in thee without me you can do nothing For in him we live move and have our being Acts 17. 27. 28. Thirdly Consider God hath provided no way for you to acquaint him with your wants but prayer and if you cannot pray how will you make your complaints to God Phil. 4. 6. In every thing by Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God 2 Chron. 26. Vzzia sought God in the dayes of Ezra and as long as he sought the Lord God made him to prosper call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Psal 50. 15. Hos 5. 15. Fourthly consider that all your outward mercies becomes blessings through Prayer 1 Tim. 4. 5 6. For every creature of God is good if it be reeceived with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the word of God and Prayer Give us this day our daily bread When Jesus had made the multitude sit down upon the ground he looked up to Heaven and gave thanks or said grace as the old translations read it Fifthly Consider what a miserable condition will yours be if cast into the Lyons Den Whales Belly or stocks if you cannot pray They poured out their supplications when thy chastening was upon them Sixthly Intreat Jesus Christ to teach you to pray Luke 11. 1. And it came to pass as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his Disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his Disciples as the Lord commands us to do so he must help us to Pray Zech. 36. 37. CHAP. VIII Shewing the great Decay to Christianity when mindless to Reading and Meditation in the holy Scriptures with six Calamities very observable which Scripture Ignorance brings SIGN VIII VVHen Reading and Meditation in the holy Scriptures is not delightful but burthensome unto you When Israel was pleased to chuse them a King God is pleased to set him his work lest they lose their end and God lose his honour And it shall come to pass when he shall sit upon the Throne of his Kingdome that he shall write him a Copy of Gods Law in a book and it shall be with him and he shall read therain all the dayes of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God that his heart he not lifted up above his brethren In like manner when Joshua enters upon the Government he hath this charge from God that the Book of the Law should not depart out of his mouth but he must meditate therein day and night that he might observe to do according to all that 's written then should he make his way prosperous and have good success And when King David declares who is the blessed man He is one that delights in the Law of the Lord making it his meditation day and night This premised discovers most pretious worth attainable through Scripture reading with meditation and if need were might call for a multitude more witnesses both from Scripture and Experience But it being not so much my proper work to assert Scripture Excellency as to show and prove that Christian to be dying to Christ that is not delightfully taken up with Meditation and Reading in his Word I shall therefore proceed in a plain method Thus where delight to Reading and Meditation grows low there negligence to Reading and meditation must needs grow high there decay grows great such must decline in their spiritual estate this negligence bringing with it much ignorance and so covers the eyes and hearts of such as with a vail so as that they cannot so see as the spiritual growing man sees Gods Precepts how they command him Gods promises how they uphold him Gods threatnings how awfully they perswade him the Scripture being his Treasury or Store-house from whence he is made able through the spirits help to withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one saying after Christ Jesus his Captain thus and thus it is written It is evident to the meanest capacity that doth but consider how great incapacity all such must needs be in to understand and resist the manifold temptations and wiles of the evil one except they be well acquainted with Gods holy Word that hath in it Armour for the whole man with directions how to put it on and it becometh thus excellent for that all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thorowly furnished to all good works 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. Ignorance therefore here must make sore desolation and bring as I humbly conceive upon persons these six Calamities First It makes you in a wilderness when sickness and affliction comes because you will not know how and why they come Sickness and Affliction are of two sorts inward and outward Inward are such as seize upon the mind as a judgment caused upon the person where they come Isa 6. 9 10. And he said go and tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes
lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed So Rom. 1. 21 28. Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness Now such fore judgments as these are come upon and procured by many who turn the grace of God into wantonness professing to be most spiritual live as the almost most carnal little minding because greatly ignorant of those spiritual causes they may run into to the bringing upon themselves such spiritual judgments or sicknesses and afflictions as these And indeed how comes it to pass that such afflictions are not feared before they come to the provoking such to walk so as may prevent their coming but ignorance of the Scripture they not conversing often with them to the well informing themselves what judgments may come on their minds and what are the Causes God assigns of their coming so as to be in trembling and dread continually to the keeping themselves out of that channel where such bitter waters runs Again there are outward sicknesses and afflictions and they are such as these Deut. 28. 58 59 60. If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this Law that are written in this Book that thou maist fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful and the plagues of thy seed even great plagues and of long continuance sore sicknesses and of long continuance Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt which thou was afraid of and they shall cleave unto thee Levit. 26. 15 16. If ye shall despise my Statutes or if your soul shall abhor my judgments that you will not do them but that you break my Covenant I also will do this to you I will even appoint over you Terror Consumption and the burning Ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and ye shall sow your seed in vain for your Enemies shall eat it But I shall speak fully to the Causes of Affliction in the Twenty second Sign and therefore proceed no further here but come to the second Calamity that Scripture Ignorance brings Secondly That your uneven walking with God may bring upon your selves death before its time This Particular is proved thus Long life promised to the obedient Exod. 20. 12. Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Also Deut. 32. 46 47. Set your hearts to all the words which I testifie among you this day command them your Children for it is not in vain because that through this thing mark that ye shall prolong your dayes in the Land whither ye go over into Jordan to possess it This is also proved by the contrary which comes upon the disobedient Deut. 11. 16 17. Take heed to your selves that your heart be not deceived and ye turn aside and serve other Gods and then the Lords wrath be kindled against you and ye perish quickly from off the good Land which the Lord giveth you Eccles 8. 13. But it shall not be well with the wicked neither shall he prolong his dayes which are as a shadow because he feareth not before God So Chap. 7. 17. Be not over much wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou die before thy time Thirdly By means of Scripture Ignorance you cannot know to ask in faith the things you want for soul or body that is you will not know where to be absolute or positive in your asking and whereto be submissive and conditional in your asking Now the Scripture gives directions as to the putting up Petitions to God and men may easily err by not observing them Gen. 32. 26. And he said to wit the Angel Let me go for the day breaeth and he answered to wit Jacob I will not Let thee go except thou bless me So Exod. 32. 12. Wherefore should the Egyptians say for mischief did he bring them out to slay them in the Mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth Turn from thy fierce wrath and repent of this evil against thy people So Acts 12. 5. Peter therefore was kept in prison but prayer was made without ceasing unto God for him By these Scriptures we may observe that to be conditional or indifferent in our asking when God may be dishonoured by denying is not good therefore in this case may a man coming in Gods way be bold to ask pardon of his sins peace to his conscience power over his corruptions without condition in such case Gracious and humble resolutions to have no denial greatly liketh God and suits with his will Isa 62. 6 7. I have set Watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem which shall never hold their peace day nor night you that make mention of the Lord keep not silence till he establish and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth But observe in all cases Petitions putting up must not thus be framed Acts 21. 14. And when he would not be perswaded we ceased saying the will of the Lord be done So Rom. 1. 9 10 For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son that without ceasing I make mention alwayes of you in my prayers making request if by any means I might now at length have a prosperous journey by the will of God mark that to come to you So Jam. 4 15. For that ye ought to say if the Lord will we shall live and do this or that I shall leave this to consideration and proceed to the fourth Calamity Fourthly Negligence to Reading and Meditation will make you ignorant wherein you may prevent the presence and comforts of Gods holy Spirit that is that God may either take away his spirit from striving with you or you away from his spirit My spirit shall not alwayes strive Gen. 6. 3. 1 Sam. 16. 14. But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him Psal 51. 7. Take not thy holy spirit from me Neh. 9. 30. Yet many years didst thou for bear them and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy Prophets yet would they not give ear Therefore gavest thou them into the hands of the people of the Land But they rebelled and vexed his holy spirit therefore was he turned to be their enemy and fought against them By these Scriptures we may see that the holy Spirits company may be put away from us through ungracious
sweeps away by hundreds on our right hand and on our left and we remain untouched this certainly is never to be forgotten so the red Sea deliverance the pillar of Cloud by day and of Fire by night together with the dividing of the Waters of Jordan are Parables doubtless in Gospel dayes and we under as gracious Obligations to remember with thankfulness Gods loving kindness David that good man makes observation in this case of old Israel and hath left their stain for Generations to come to read and take warning by Psal 106. 9 10 11 12 13. God rebuked the red Sea and it was dryed up and redeemed them from the hand of their enemies yet they soon forgot his works and waited not for his counsel so 2 Chron. 32. 24. Hezekiah was sick to death and he prayed to God and he gave him a sign but Hezekiah rendred not again according to the benefit done him mark that his return was not as signal as his favour therefore God suffers wrath to come upon him by all which it is clear that more than ordiâ—ary favours cals for more than ordinary returns and where it s a wanting God is provoked to suffer such to fall I pray God make this hint as acceptable as it is seasonable to those that shall meet with it Fourthly A fourth Mark how persons may know when God will suffer them to fall into Sin When under great straits you are not much with God for wisdome and counsel Neglect here must needs be dangerous for it is a kind of tempting God a daring as it were the holy One of Israel When under great straits that for good ends he brings upon them they are careless to request his help for their escaping and answerable gaining No man that trades in the way to heaven but at times is exercised with great straits of one kind or another the very entrance into it promiseth nothing less Mark 8. 34. Whosoever will come after me let him take up his Cross dayly and follow me So that Jesus Christ would have persons count upon meeting with hard things that will be his Disciples For man is born to trouble as the sparks flie upward Job 5. 7. Now that none may sinck under them Jesus Christ hath made provision which if they neglect they are like to perish Mat. 26 4. The Shepheard shall be smitten and the Sheep all scattered now the best preservative against such a danger is Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation Luke 21. 26. Mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after what shall come to pass for the Powers of heaven shall be shaken Therfore watch ye and pray alwayes that ye may be accounted worthy to escape By these Texts together with Phil. 4. 6. Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God Clearly noting that persons under straits are not in Gods security out of the way of prayer well therefore may this prove an acceptable caution to every Christian when he undergoeth his share in the Cross of Jesus to make his complaint and earnest cries to him by prayer with supplication No doubt but such will find Christ seasonably helping him but if you find a secure drowsiness attend the heart then conclude your misery is not yet at the height The Disciples are found asleep three times together and cannot watch with their Lord one hour before their misery will be greater by his being taken from them but I shall end this Mark leaving for our gracious pattern the example of Jesus Christ Who being in an Agony and swet as it were great drops of blood he at that time prayed the more earnestly Luke 22. 44. Fifthly When you readily close with occasions to sin this tempts the Devil to tempt you and tempts God to leave you Sampson in Judges 14. seeks to take a Wife among the Uncircumcised that he might seek an occasion against them Even so doth not the Devil make his attempts whereby he may give an occasion to Gods People to sin The ready closing wherewith tempteth him further to tempt them and indeed tempteth God to leave them Now occasions to sin comes many wayes and from different objects that may have but little beginning and yet tall conclusions sometimes the ear heareth that which sets the heart on fire sometimes the eye seeth that which brings wo to the mind witness David who at the top of his roof as he was walking seeth Bathsheba washing her self and her beauty passing through the casement of his eyes this small occasion took possession and made him a prisoner to his great overthrow so Joshua 7. 21. Achan saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish Garment and a Wedge of Gold his eye looked and his heart lusted till he was ruined Now every man that knoweth any thing of sins way knows that it seeks and takes occasion from very small beginnings Behold how great a fire a little spark kindleth it begins by little taking its degrees and is carried through the eyes to the thoughts then to conception then to affection then to consent then to action Now the provision the holy Scripture makes in this kind is positively engaged by way of Precept To astain from all appear ances of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. Clearly noting that in order to persons certain security from the commission of all evil they must abstain from its Appearance Very observable is Gods care to Israel of old no sooner were they out of Egypt but he seeks to take all occasions of sin out of their way Exod. 13. 17. And it came to pass that when Pharaoh had let the People go that God led them not through the Land of the Philistines although it was near note that lest peradventure the people see War and return to Egypt again So Exod. 23. 13 33. Also Deut. 7. 25. Prov. 22. 24 25. They must cut down their graven Images and burn them with fire and desire none of the silver that 's on them lest they be a snare unto them So the Wise-man counsels to make no friendship with an angry man and with a furious man no not to go lest we learn his wayes and get a snare to our souls Sixthly When you are not pittiful to the tempted but in your prosperity forget their calamity God is pleased many times to suffer Satan to be let loose upon some Christians and to try them sorely yea to engage them deep in actual War whilest other Christians as it were are lookers on to let the one see how weak he is in the hands of this spiritual Adversary if left to himself and to try the other what frame of heart he carries towards his brother in distress and this if wisely improved turns to the great advantage of both The personal sufferer if he endure becomes heir to the promise annexed to the condition of the tempted Jam. 1. 12. And the looker on if he by beholding