must doe as Mary did shee layed up all the sayings that shee heard of Christ and pondered them in her heart Luke 2.51 The Disciples often questioned of Christ which proves that they pondered his Words in their hearts So the Nobles of Berea they searched the Scripture so Iacob hee noted the saying of Ioseph and laid it up Yee doe not heare thus if you doe but lend your eares for the time if yee worke it not upon your affections ye profit not The reason why there is so much preaching and so little profit is for want of this There are two kinds of ill hearers the first are such as heare as Swine and trample all they heare under feete the second such as heare as Dogs snarling at the doctrine if yee offend in eyther of these yee heare amisse Of all the foure grounds that was worst which received not the Word When men heare the Word there is more than a naturall forgetfulnesse in them the Divell helpes it Iam. 1.23.24 He that heares the Word and recals it not or practiseth it not is like one that beholdeth his face in a glasse for he beholdeth himselfe and goeth away and straight way forgetteth what manner of man he was yee must recall it before yee can practise it else yee will be like to those that behold their face in a glasse and wipe not away their spots Be not therefore forgetfull hearers and for this first recall and repeate what yee have heard when yee are gone Secondly practise it afterwards there is a blessing promised to mindfull hearers there is a curse denounced against those that are forgetfull Ioh. 13.15 If yee know these things happy are ye if you doe them but there is a curse for you if you doe not profit God will make you to heare and will not give you his Spirit Regard to prize the Word if ye will not be forgetfull Rom. 1.28 those that did not like to retaine God in their knowledge those that did heare the Word and not regard it God gave them up to a reprobate sence to an Injudiciousnesse to doe those things that were not convenient not being able to profit by it The ancient Fathers much pressed the repetition of Sermons and one of them useth this similitude A man that comes into a pleasant garden will not content himselfe with the present sent only but he wil carry some of the flowers home with him So in a cold day a man will not be content to heate himselfe at anothers man fire but he will carry away some fire with him to keepe him hot at home So doe yee when ye come to heare the Word carry home some flowers of it with you carry some fire home with you to heate and warme your hearts God regards not flashes and moodes and such negligence in performing of holy duties as will not warme your hearts Men are like a Sive in the water it is full whiles it is in the water but being taken out of it it hath nothing it is not the hearing of the Word of God or the doing of it negligently that will profit if ye heare it only pro forma and negligently it doth you no good but it brings Gods curse upon you Gods curse is on many they grow not in knowledge or grace for want of diligence wherefore in the 2 Pet. 3 17. the Apostle bids us beware least being led away with the error of the wicked we fall from our owne stedfastnesse to prevent this grow in grace and for this purpose grow in knowledge for then ye grow in grace The fift meanes to heare profitably is to prize the Word and the voyce of Christ speaking to the heart pray earnestly for it that ye may seeke it earnestly at Gods hands beseech him to speake to your hearts your hearing is nothing without this it is the great sheapheard of the flocke that must feede you It is the Spirit that must teach you Therefore when as you come to heare pray earnestly to God to speake unto you by his Spirit It is the Spirit that quickneth Ioh. 6.63 the Word is spirituall and wee are carnall therefore wee must pray for the Spirit to helpe us for to heare the Spirit is not bestowed without prayer Act. 1.14.15 God promised to give his Spirit to his Apostles yet they continued long in prayers ere he gave it them Luk. 11.13 God gives not his Spirit but to such as aske it to such as coÌ„tinue praying asking and knocking Dauid prayes to God to open his eyes that he might see the wonders of his Law Men may heare the Word yet God opens not their eyes without seeking to him God speakes unto you by his Ministers Paule and Apollos are yours we are the Ministers of God for your sakes for your service If God open the dore of utterance it is not for our sakes but yours that you might seeke the Word at our mouthes and beleeve Act. 14.1 a great company of Iewes and Gentiles beleeved by hearing the Word preached and receiving of it The world receives not the Spirit because they seeke it not Ioh. 14 17. We in preaching can doe nothing it is the Spirit that must doe it 2 Cor. 3.18 we can shew you the Image of God but it is nothing to you if ye be not transformed into the same image from glory to glory and it is the Spirit that must thus transforme you Conclude therfore with God in prayer let not him deny you one Word from him is more than a thousand from us God fastning his Word upon your hearts it changeth you without him we preach in vayne The sixt meanes to heare profitably is to come with vacuity of minde free from all things that hinder else wee sow but amongst thornes Ier. 4.4 we speake to men prepossessed the seed falles on fallow ground we speake to men whose hearts are full of lusts they have a noyse of businesse within them and so they heare us not because their hearts are forepossessed The arrowes head being in the wound it is in vaine to lay plaisters upon it therefore Iam. 1.24 when as wee come to heare the Word wee are commanded to lay aside all superfluity of naughtinesse and to receive with meekenesse the ingrafted Word which is able to save our soules Dâ—e in hearing the Word as men doe in grafting cut off all superfluous branches come with empty minds attend to the matters of grace Men who have full stomacks God feeds not He feeds the hungry others are sent empty away they are alwayes hearing but never profiting I should speake now to Ministers and people to Ministers that they speake in the voyce of Christ that they speake as he did not in wisedome of words but in the evidence of the Spirit To the people that they must heare them by whom Christ speakes those who have Livings to bestow ought to bestow them on such as speake the Words of Christ they that
is expressed 4 Phil. in these words Be in nothing carefull saith the Apostle And that you may see wee have ground for this generality In nothing bee carefull but in all things make your requests knowne unto God That is whatsoever your case bee I make no exception at all but whatsoever you stand in neede of whether it concernes your soules or your bodies your name or your estate yet be in nothing carefull This is a great matter There is none amongst you that heares me now but sometime or other hee is carefull of something or other for which he is solicitous Now when a man hears such a voyce from heaven that the Lord himselfe saith to us Bee carefull for nothing doe no more but make your request knowne it is well enough I will surely heare in heaven and grant it It is a great comfort Beloved comfort your selves with these words and thinke this with your selves that this is that Charter great Grant that the Lord hath given you and to none but you that what prayers you make to him hee heareth you But it will be objected why is this said so generally That wee must in nothing be carefull but in all things make our request knowns For then if a man were but a poore man it is but going to the Lord and asking riches and hee shall have them If a man were sicke of an incurable disease it were no more but going to the Lord and hee should be sure to be recovered If a man hath an enterprise to bring to passe it is no more but goe to him and it shall be done what is the reason then that godly and holy men have not these things granted to them To this I answer you must understand it with this condition even as it is with a Father I will prove it to you by that suppose he should say to his sonne I will deny thee nothing whatsoever I have I will deny thee nothing but thou shalt have part in it Though he say no more yet we understand it with these conditions First that if his Childe shal aske him for that that is not good for him or if the child should refuse to have that done or pray his Father and say I beseech you doe it not when the Father knowes it is good here the Father is not bound hee thinkes as for example if a Father sees his childe needes Physick it may be the child finds it bitter and therefore is exceeding loath to take it it makes him sicke and is irkesome unto him so that hee earnestly desires his Father that hee may be excused that he might be freed from it In this Case the father will not heare him for hee knowes the Child is but mistaken On the other side if the Child aske something that is very hurtfull if he aske for wine in a feaver the Father denyes it him No saith hee you are mistaken I know your desire is that you might have health and recover and this I know will hurt you though you know it not This the Father understands and therefore he puts in that condition So when the Lord saith In nothing be carefull but in all things make your requests knowne If you mistake the matter at any time and your prayer shall not bee the dictate of the Spirit so that yee alway make request according to his will but the dictate of your owne hearts and shall bee the expression of your naturall Spirit and not the Lords Spirit In this case there is no promise of being heard and yet the Lord makes his Word good Be in nothing carefull but in all things make your requests knowne Secondly a Father when he saith to his Child I will deny you nothing but you shall have part in all that I have yet the Child may carry himselfe so that the Father upon such an occasion may deny him and bee ready to say unto him Well if you had followed your Booke if you had not runne into such disorders if you had not bin negligent to doe what I gave you in charge I would have done it In this case the Father withholds the blessing that hee will bestow upon his Child not because he is unwilling to bestow it but because he would thus nurture his Child he useth it as a meanes to bring him to order So the Lord saith to Moyses That because he had spoken unadvisedly because he had not honoured him before the people at those waters the waters of strife therefore the Lord tels him by the Prophet he should not goe into the good land And so he tels David that because he had sinned against him hee would not give him the life of the Child So the Lord saith to us sometimes I will not grant you this request for though I bee willing to grant it yet this is one part of the discipline and nurture that I use to my Children That such a particular request I will deny you for such an offence as worshipping of Idols c. Beloved this is not a generall denyall this is not for our disadvantage but it is a helpe to us it makes us better that sometime we should be denyed knowing hereby that it is denied to us for our sinne that we may learne to come to the Lord and renew our repentance and to take that away that we may come to prevaile in our prayers with him Thirdly when a Father is willing to grant it yet hee will thus say to his Child Though I be willing to doe what you aske at my hands yet I will not have you aske it rudely I will have you aske it in a good manner and a good Fashion For when wee come to call upon God come in an unreverent manner in such a case the Lord heares not Or againe hee will say to his child I am ready to heare you but you must not aske in a negligent manner as if you cared not whether you had it or no So the Lord saith to us I wil have you to pray fervently you shall aske it as that which you prize Againe he will say to his child I am willing to bestow this upon you but I do not give you this mony to spend it amisse to play it away to spend it in trifles and geugawes that will do you no good So saith the Lord I am willing to give you riches but not to bestow upon your lusts Thus speakes the father to his child when hee comes to aske hee tels him hee must come in such a manner as becomes a child hee must speake to him as to a Father he must spâ—â—ke with confidence to receive it So also the Lord tels us wee must come in faith So that in a word this is to be remembred That though the Lord promise that hee will give whatsoever we aske and bids us In nothing be carefull but make our requests knowne yet notwithstanding this hee would have us
watch but in vaine It is in vaine to rise up earely to goe to bed late to eate the bread of carefulnesse Yee shall not reape the fruit yee expect unlesse God bee with your labour If Christ bee absent the Disciples may labour all night and catch nothing but if he be present with them then their labour prospereth then they inclose a multitude of Fishes So when as wee labour and take paines and thinke to be strong in our owne strength without Gods helpe wee goe to worke with a strong key which will not open but if Gods hand bee in the businesse wee doe that with greater facilitie and ease which God hath appointed wee should doe You may see this in Ioseph God purposed to make him a great man see with what facilitie he was made the Governour of Egypt next to Pharaoh without his owne seeking and beyond his expectation So it was with Mordecai so with David God appointed to make them great and therefore they became great notwithstanding all oppositions On the contrary let man goe on in his owne strength and he shall labour without any profit at all Hence it is that many times we see a concurrencie of all causes so that we would thinke that the effect must needs follow and yet it followes not and if it doth follow we have no comfort in it First because God makes an insutablenesse a disproportion betwixt the man the blessing as betweene Iudas and his Apostleship A man may have tables well furnished Riches in aboundance a Wife fit for him and yet have no comfort in them because God puts a secret disproportion betwixt him and them Secondly though there bee a concurrencie of things yet God may hinder the effect sometimes for good sometimes for evill As Elisha his servant was ready in the nicke when the Shunamite came to beg her possessions and Land of the King 2. King 8.5.6 He was then telling the King how Elisha had restored her sonne to life which furthered her suite So on the other side Abraham When hee was to offer up his sonne Isaac in the instant God sent the Ramme tied in the Bush Gen. 22.13 So Saul when as he had purposed to kill David God calls him away to fight with the Philistims and as God hinders the effect for good so hee doth for evill Thirdly God doth it sometimes by denying successe unto the causes The battell is not alwayes to the strong when there are causes and the effect followes not it is because God doth dispose of things at his pleasure and can turne them a contrary way health and comfort joy and delight follow not outward blessings except God puts it into them The fourth Deceipt is this These things are certaine and present but other things are doubtfull and uncertaine we know not whether we shall have them or no. To this I answer it is not so Future spirituall and eternall things are not uncertaine but those things which wee enjoy here are those things which we here enjoy as also wee our selves are subject to changes and alterations we are as men on the sea having stormes as well as calmes Wealth and all outward blessings are but transitory things but faith and spirituall things are certaine and endure for ever we have an Almighty and unchangeable God an immortall incorruptible inheritance that fadeth not away reserved for us in the highest heavens In temporall things who knowes what shall bee to morrow in them thou canst not boast of to morrow but as for spirituall things they are certaine there is no ambiguity in them But the maine answer that I give is that here we must use our faith consider the grounds on which faith relies and then the conclusions and consequences that arise from them take heed to them and be not deceived If ye beleeve God to be the Rewarder of all those that trust in him as you say he is why rest you not on him Why are yee not contented with him for your portion Why thinke yee not him sufficient If the creature be God then follow it but if God be God then follow him and be satisfied with him Labour therefore for faith unfained and walke according to it If then it be vaine and sinfull to seeke helpe and comfort from any creature or from riches and to thinke that they can make us live more comfortably hence then consider the sinfulnesse of it and put it into the Catalogue of your other sinnes that formerly yee have had such thoughts Every one is guilty of this sinne more or lesse and this is a sin not small but of a high nature It is Idolatry In the times of ignorance Sathan drew many men to grosse Idolatry to worship stockes and stones but now he drawes them to another Idolatrie lesse perceptible and yet as dangerous in Gods sight as the other who is a spirit and can discerne and pry into it Let us therefore examine our hearts and consider how much wee have loved and trusted the creature let vs condemne our selues and rectifie our Iudgements and judge of things as they are Let us not thinke our selues happy for that we enjoy the creatures let us not thinke ourselves blessed in them but onely in Christ because it is not in their power to make us happy If wee have so joyed in these or loved them so as to love God lesse it is adulterous love and joy We have no better rule to judge of adulterous love than this when as our love to the creature doth lessen our love towards God Now least we bee deceived in our love to the creature I will give you these foure signes to know whether your love to it bee right or no. First see if your affections to the creature cause you to withdraw your hearts from God Ier. 17.5 Cursed bee the man that maketh flesh his arme and whose heart departeth from the LORD It is a signe wee make flesh our arme when as wee withdraw our hearts from God we make the creature our aime when as it withdrawes us from God 1 Tim. 5.5 She that is a Widdow indeed trusteth in God and continueth in supplications night and day This is a signe that they trusted in God not in the creature because they pray unto him Consider what your conversation is whether it bee in heaven or no Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven the neglecting and not minding of earthly things in the former verse shewed him not to be of an earthly conversation The more our hearts are drawne from God the more are they fixed and set on earthly things Secondly consider what choise yee make when as these things come in competition with God and spirituall things what Bils of Exchange doe you make Doe ye make yee friends of the unrighteous Mammon not caring for these things when they come in competition with a good conscience or doe yee forsake GOD and sticke to them Thirdly
come very neare within a step or two to heaven and yet misse it many there are which do much like the young man yet some thing is wanting that also must be had els there is no Salvation Why is there so little change in men but because they thinke that lesse will serve the turne This cold overly and customary performance of holy duties marres all therefore consider but this First that it doth you no good at all what good did the Laodiceans luke-warmnes doe them they had as good bin cold yea God wisheth that they were either hot or cold Rev. 3.15 What good did all that Amafiah did to him seeing that he did it not with a sincere perfect heart These dowbaked services as I may so stile them these carkases without life these slight services profit not therefore there are conditions added to them in the Word prayer prevailes If it be fervent Iam. 5.16 If thou beleevest with all thine heart Act. 8. Effectuall faith diligent hope and fruitfull love 1 Thess. 1.3 It is a good observation of Divines that God loves adverbs better than verbes well doing above doing those that came to the wedding not having wedding garments were shut out Math. 22.11.12.13 as well as those that came not those that offred strange fire as Nadab and Abihu and their company were consumed as well as they that did not offer at all Secondly consider the nature of the thing what it is to be religious Is it an easie thing to turne nature to worke a change Is it easie to get ground of a raging lust It is as hard as to get ground of the Sea Consider the difference betwixt the Law and us That is spirituall wee are carnall Rom. 7. Consider the distemper of your affections and know your selves all that we have in us is either common or corrupt nature Gods graces are beyond the one and contrary to the other must we make these duties of religion to be onely in the by Prayer keeping of the Sabboths are to most men but as things in the by the streame of their affections runs in an other channell There is another thing required of us than this we must love the Lord with all our hearts and strength Deut. 6.5 This is it which all must do they must love God with all their strength else they are not worthy of him There is a qualification required of all that are saved he is not worthy of Grace or Heaven that seekes them not with his utmost indevour The difference twixt Cains Abels sacrifice was this Gen. 4.3 4.5 The one did it negligently brought the worst of his fruits the other brought the best he had Cursed is every one that doth the worke of the Lord negligently that is contenting himselfe with the outward performance of it doing it as a taske and being glad when it is done and over to doe it diligently is to worke with an eye to that which it tends to and to obtaine the end The end of prayer is to quicken you to performe holy duties when you obtaine this end then is your prayer diligent To do things onely for shew is nothing the effect and end is all you esteeme not your servants works unlesse they obtaine their end there is nothing that you esteeme the end of it being not done What is it to pray the end being not done men not being built up by it Iude 20. We must build up our selves in our most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost A cold formall performance doth but hurt us breeds more coldnesse and deadnesse in us In habits the more imperfect the acts are the more they weaken the habits the duties of religion coldly performed weaken grace Let a man accustome himselfe to write carelesly and crookedly it marreth his hand Let us therefore do all we do to God with diligence and fervency consider that those whom you thinke least needed for to do it did so their diligence should stir you up You know that Iacob wrestled with God all night Gen. 32.24 and so should you wrestle with him with strong prayers Christ himselfe spent many nights in prayer looke upon the prayers of David the fastings of Daniel aâ—ove all others looke upon Paul you may see him in watching in prayers and in fastings often he had a continuall strife with his heart to bring his body that is the deeds of his body into subjection I keepe under my body saith he and bring it into subjection 1 Cor. 9.17 My body that is the sinfull lusts of my body must bee brought downe I must go thorow fighting till I have the victory else I shall be a cast-away I shall else have onely an outward shew but yet bee nothing accounted of with God Consider this if a little diligence will not serve the turne adde more if prayer will not doe it adde fasting to it As there are some divels that will not be cast out without fasting and prayer so also are there some sinnes Make the plaister fit to the disease Complaine not with the sluggard who puts his hands in his bosome and doth nothing at all or doth not proportion his labour to the worke Lesse labour would serve the turne if our soules were as dry wood but they are as greenwood there must be much blowing ere they will bee kindled It is hard to get our soules to good duties hard to keepe them on the wing we must continue in prayer and that instantly too Men are ready to give over and to sit downe but you must continue Eph. 6. We must watch thereunto with perseverance there must every day be a new winding up of the soule there is a spring of sin in us so there must be a spring of holy duties we must doe them constantly you have daily new crosses and impediments therefore you must mend your pace in the way to heaven and bee more diligent you must be fervent in spirit serving the Lord and not slothfull Rom. 12.11 Doe your owne worke up and be doing and the Lord shall be with you 1 Chr. 22.16 God will deale with you as he did with the Eunuch hee was reading of the Scripture and God sent Phillip to him for to teach him Act. 8.26 c. So Cornelius hee was praying and God sent his Angell to him first and afterward Peter Act. 10. So the Apostles when as they rowed all night as Christ bade them he at last joynes himselfe to them and helpes them Matth. 14.24 c. The worst natures with his helpe can doe any thing the best without him can doe nothing Fiftly if the wayes of God are so full of crosses and difficultyes then learne from hence to justifie the wisedome of the Word of God and the Religion in the Scriptures It is an argument that it comes from heaven because it is not a whit agreable with our natures It is a pure and no leaden Lesbian rule it is
enable a man to beleeve it I answere that certainely there is a mighty power that goes out from God and Christ that enables thee to beleeve with efficacy so that when the object is set before thee there goes out a power from Christ to worke faith in thy heart whereby thou truly beleevest it and so it appeares in thy life We think we beleeve those things but our lives do manifest the contrary namely That there is not a powerfull faith wrought in us for all the errours of our lives though we observe them not arise from hence that these Principles are not throughly beleeved if they were it could not bee that there should be such inconsequences in the lives of men Therefore consider if this faith bee wrought in thee whether such a power hath gone out to worke such a faith that hath changed thy whole course as it will doe if it bee once wrought in thee by the power of Christ So also consider whether there hath a vertue gone out from him to worke love in thy heart to the Lord for otherwise it is certaine that there is no man in the world that is able to love God or to come neere him for all love riseth from Similitude there must bee an agreement and similitude betweene those two that love Now every man by nature is as contrary to Gods pure nature as fire is to water without an almighty power to change his nature and to worke a particular affection of love in him he can never be able to love God therefore it s the baptisme of the holy Ghost which workes this He will baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire that is with the holy Ghost which is fire I will multiply thy sorrowes and thy conceptions That is the sorrowes of thy conceptions Now love is as fire in the heart and one fire must beget another And therefore you have it in the common proverbe Love is a thing that cannot be bought with mountaines of gold and silver yet if thou bee in Christ there goes out a vertue from him that stampes upon thy heart this holy affection that breedes in thee this holy fire of love so that thy heart cleaves to him thou lovest him with as true with as genuine as naturall and as sensible love as thou lovest any friend as thou lovest any creature in the world Consider if this be wrought in thee or no. And so for thy knowledge there is also a power in it consider whether any such vertue hath gone out from Christ to make the knowledge which thou hast powerfull You will say what is that That is to bring on these truthes which thy heart assents unto to bring them with that evidence and fulnesse of demonstration that thou shalt yeeld unto them and practise them according to thy knowledge Beloued there is much knowledge among us but who practiseth according to his knowledge We know God but wee glorifie him not as God and the reason is because there hath not gone a power with that knowledge to make it lively and effectuall to passe through all the faculties of the soule and to overrule them for if there were such knowledge it would alwayes draw affection and practise with it So likewise consider whether there hath gone a power from him to mortifie thy lusts Whosoever is in Christ hath crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts not to lay them asleepe onely but to mortifie and subdue them See likewise whether there hath a power gone out from Christ to helpe thee to overcome the world The lusts of thine eyes the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life for whosoever is in Christ overcomes the world and all that is in the world The world hath many things to worke upon us and to resist and oppose us It hath persecutions it hath disgraces it hath slanders and reproches which it casts upon holy men upon the holy wayes of God And the men that are actours in this are the divels factours though they thinke not so as the Apostle Iames expresses it Their tongues are set on fire of hell to devise slanders and false reports and to fasten them upon holy men especially upon the Ministers of the Gospell and so upon all the wayes of God I say they are the divels factours though they thinke not so and those that beleeve them are the divels receivers the one hath the divell in his tongue the other in his eare But the Lord hath appointed this This is one thing whereby the world fights against the wayes of God to discourage men and to hinder them that they might be stumbling blockes to them So it was with Christ hee was the falling of many in Israel by reason of this so was Paul as a deceiver and yet true c. Consider if thou hast this efficacy put into thy heart that thou art able to overcome this that thou art able to overcome all the offences and persecutions all the slaunders and reproaches that are cast upon the wayes of God and notwithstanding that to thinke well of them and to walke in them and practise thē Likewise as it hath these things on the one hand so it hath pleasures preferments glory riche◠credit and all things of that nature on the other art thou able to overcome all these So to shut up this point prosecute it no further thus you shall know whether you be in Christ for that is the point Wee have assurance in him that if we aske any thing we shall be heard but first we must be in him now 〈◊〉 know whether we be in him as you have heard there must be an act of ours and secondly an act of his which is this power that goes out from him to change to take and comprehend us So much for the first thing Now for the second if a man will apply or take to himselfe the priviledges wee have by Christ as this particular priviledge of being heard in our prayers of comming to the Sacrament or any other know this that it is not enough to be in Christ only but there must be a certaine qualification a certaine immediate fashioning and preparation of the heart or else though thou have a right to the priviledges though they belong to thee yet thou art suspended from the use benefit and comfort of them And this is considered in these Five things I will but name them very briefely First when a man comes to receive the Sacrament it 's not enough for him to be in Christ no nor when he is come to do some other duties but moreover there must be this also those grace thou hast this change this new creature that is wrought in thee which is but a heape of particular graces these must be acted and stirred up upon such an occasion It is true no man ought to come except he have the graces of Gods Spirit wrought in
any of these in the Church put it up to him and put it up with confidence For this is a marriage day as it were it is the time when he reacheth out his scepter as you know the things I allude to and thou maist come to his presence You know when Hester was admitted to the presence of the King then said he What request hast thou when thou art admitted to the familiarity and presence oâ— the Lord he looks for it he asks what request you have to put up to him and the promises are large enough I will give it whatsoever it be if you aske according to my will and therefore do in this case as Moyses used to do you shall find when Moyses drew neere unto the Lord when he was admitted into his presence and saw him face to face for that was the great priviledge Moyses had when there was any special apparition of the Lord to him Moses makes this argument saith hee It is a great mercy that thou wouldest shew mee this that such a poore man as I am should have this priviledge and give mee leave to make use of it Lord if I have found favour in thy sight that is since thou hast vouchsafed mee such a favour in thy sight do thus and thus for me you see he made this request for the whole Church of God and saved them or else they had beene destroied If thou hast not any particular argument in this case say If I have found favour in thy sight do this so I say when thou hast this promise confirmed that Christ hath given himselfe to thee and the symboll of that promise is the bread and wine which he hath given to thee put up thy request O Lord if thou hast vouchsafed to give mee Christ wilt thou not with him give mee all things else Lord if I have found favour in thy sight to do so great a thing for me deny me not this particular request Thus we ought to doe especially when we come to things that are beyond nature when we come let us consider with our selves Indeed I have a naturall disposition that carries me strongly to evill I shall never be able to overcome it there are such duties to doe I shall never be able to performe them In such a case thou must doe it the more earnestly thou must sigh groane to the Lord. Elishah when hee comes to doe a thing so much above the course of nature as to raise a dead child to life hee sighed unto the Lord that is he prayed earnestly Eliah when hee would have Raine he cryed he tooke much paines he prayed So must thou do in this case and know this for thy comfort that though thou thinke thou shalt never be able to doe these things to overcome such lusts such hereditary diseases yet the Lord is able to helpe thee though these are past naturall helpe yet they are not past the helpe of grace though the spirit in us lust after envy yet as the Apostle Iames saith The Scriptures offer more grace that is the Scriptures offer grace and ability to doe more than nature can doe nature cannot heale a spirit that lusteth after envy or any other thing a spirit that lusts after credit after money after the sinne of uncleanenesse or whatsoever is presented now the Scriptures offer that grace that will overcome any of these sinnes be they never so strong or so old Christ healed hereditary diseases he healed those that were borne lame and blind so though thou be borne with such lusts Christ is able to heale thee you see a Prophet could heale Naaman of his Leprosie when there was no other that could doe it so saith Christ Come unto me all ye and I will heale you So that you see wee must put up our requests to God The third Sermon WE have already made some entrance upon the words I told you what the Apostles scope is in them which is to make knowne to all Christians to whom he wrote another great priviledge besides that which hee named before that is That he that hath the Son hath life this saith he is another priviledge that whatsoever you aske you shall have onely remember that you have this assurance in him that is in Christ Iesus That point what it is to be in him that it may be the ground of all the benefits and priviledges wee injoy we handled the last day Now wee come to the priviledge it selfe If we aske any thing according to his will hee heareth us The words are so plain I shal not need to spend any time in opening of them but deliver you the point that lyes so evidently before us which is this That all the prayers of the Saints made upon earth are assuredly heard in heaven whatsoever we aske saith hee according to his will hee heareth us onely the conditions must be observed When you heare such a generall as this it must be limited there are certaine bounds set to it which we will name unto you which are these foure conditions First all the prayers that are made upon earth shall be heard in heaven if they be the prayers of a righteous man and are faithfull and fervent The person must be righteous that must first be remembred because although the prayer be never so good yet except the person bee accepted from whom it comes the Lord regards it not you know in the old Law the blood of Swine was reckoned an abominable Sacrifice yet if you take the blood of sheepe and compare them together you shall find no difference It may be the Swines blood is the better then what 's the reason the Swines blood is not accepted even because of the subject of it it was the blood of Swine and therefore you see it was put downe that it was an abominable Sacrifice So it is with prayer Take the prayer of a Saint and the prayer of a wicked man it may be if you looke upon the petition or whatsoever is in the prayer it selfe you shall finde some time the prayers of a godly man more cold and lesse fervent the petitions are not so well framed as the wicked mans yet because this comes from such a person the Lord regards it not you know the condition is mentioned Iames fift The prayer of the righteous man availeth much if it be fervent Now as this is required in the person so there is somewhat required in the praier also that is that it be fervent and faithfull that it be fervent you have it in the same place The prayer of a righteous man availeth much if it be fervent that is it must be a prayer made from the sence of the misery that is in us from the mercy of God when a man takes a thing to heart that he prayes for and comes with confidence to bee heard for that makes him fervent This the Lord will have and also he will
not onely doe the duty and therefore when wee exhort you to it not onely to call upon God for men are ready enough to doe that especially in the time of distresse but with these conditions I have named You know Gehazi when hee had got the staffe of Elisha hee went to the Child but it was not the staffe that could raise the child from death to life there was something more required So in prayer it is not meere prayer that will doe it there is something else there must be other conditions that must bee observed For wee are wont to doe with it as those Conjurers were wont to doe with the name of Iesus they thought if they used the name of Iesus it was enough but yee know what answer the Spirit gives them Iesus we know and Paul we know but who are yee So I say we are wont to doe in this case we thinke it is enough to make our request and that is all No there is somewhat more required you must make your request in such a manner as ye ought Then I adde this further that when thou makest them in such a manner yet thou must not thinke to be heard for thy praiers sake that is another thing we are apt to faile in When wee have made fervent prayers and have beene importunate with the Lord wee thinke now surely we shall not faile No you must know this the promise is not made to the prayer but to the person praying You shall not finde throughout the whole scripture that any promise is made thus because wee pray fervently wee shall be heard but it is made to the person praying the prayer is but the instrument but the meanes by which the blessing is conveyed to us is a meanes without which the Lord will not doe it for the promise is made to the party A cold prayer so there be no neglect in it so a man seeke the Lord and pray as well as hee can it will prevaile sometimes as well as a fervent prayer Who indites the petition who makes the prayer fervent Surely not thy selfe but the Holy Ghost he makes request in us sometimes hee makes thee more fervent hee enlargeth the heart more sometimes againe the heart is more straitned in the performance of this duty but both may come from the same Spirit Not but that wee have cause of much comfort when wee are able to pray fervently for this is a ground of our comfort that when we pray fervently it is an argument that the Holy Ghost dwels in our hearts and that our prayers are dictated by him it is an argument that our prayers come from a holy fire within And therefore fervent prayer may give us hope of being heard but yet it is not meerely the prayer but because it is an evidence that it comes from a right principle that it comes from the regenerate part and is made by the assistance of the Holy Ghost it is not the very fervency that prevailes And therefore when you heare this that the Lord is ready to heare I say make that use of it bee fervent in this duty remember the conditions and yet withall know that you are not heard for the very prayers sake but for Iesus Christ his sake He makes every praier acceptable hee mingles them with his sweete odours And if you object O but I am a man full of infirmities You know how it is answered in the Fift of Iames saith he Eliah when hee was heard he was a man and a man subject to passions to the like passions that wee are As if he should say do not thinke that Eliah was therefore heard because hee was an extraordinary Prophet for it was because the Lord had made a promise to him and hee comes and urges that promise to the Lord and therefore the Lord heard him So saith hee should every one of you if you have the promise you may goe and urge it as wel as Eliah did though you be subject to many infirmities Eliah was even so You know there are infirmities and passions expressed in the Scriptures that he was subject to And this is the first use we are to make of it to be frequent and fervent in this duty since wee have such a promise Secondly if wee have such a promise then wee should learne hence when we have put up our prayers at any time to make more account of them than we doe for the truth is that we pray for the most part for fashion sake many a man saith thus with himselfe I will seeke the Lord if it doe me no good it will doe no hurt but if wee made that account of our prayers as we should we would performe this duty in another manner but we doe not make that account of them as wee ought Wee thinke not with our selves that the prayers that wee make are surely heard ther be many evidences of it what is the reason that when wee seeke the Lord we doe it so remisly that wee have scarce leasure to make an end of our prayers we are so ready to hasten and goe about other businesse wee are ready to turne every stone to use all meanes to seeke the creatures with all diligence but who prayes to the Lord as he ought to worke his heart to such a fervent performance of that duty as hee should men have scarcely leasure for it is usuall with them when they have businesse to doe and enterprises to bring to passe they are exceeding diligent to use all meanes and yet are remisse in the chiefe what is the reason els that wee see the doores of Princes and great men so full of suiters though there bee porters set on purpose to drive them away but the gates of heaven are so empty It is indeed because wee doe not beleeve our prayers are heard wee do but make our prayers for fashion What is the reason likewise that we use prayer in the time of distresse if it will be an effectuall meanes to helpe us when all other meanes faile why use we it not before But that is an argument that wee trust not to it seeing we use it onely in the time of extremity for if it be not effectuall why do we use it then If it be effectuall why do not wee use it till that accident Therefore this use wee must further make when wee heare that the Lord heares our prayers to make more account of them than wee do to thinke that our prayers when they are put up to the Lord shal be heard Say thus with thy selfe Well now I have prayed and I expect that the thing should be granted that I have prayer for when I seeke to the Lord. It 's true I deny not but wee must use the meanes too wee must lay the hands upon the plough and yet pray both ought to be done as sometimes we use two friends but we trust one wee use two Physitians but