peremptorily condemneth but this sacred fire of fervency cleareth the clouds of the understanding so that the formes of divine motions are more quickly and purely framed in the passive faculty thereof and are more soundly and judicially wrought on by the active faculty so the fire be compact so that you see this fire is of a heavenly operation and from heaven well may it bee compared with that divine fire which came out from before Iehovah and consumed the burnt offering upon the Altar But the strange fire in the seeming zealous hypocrite is nothing like for first it is but a supernaturall cōmon gift of the spirit at the most againe it is rather an inflāmation of the brain arising from the rapture of some vainglorious conceipt deceiving the heart and running all along like a devouring wild-fire rather I say then any true fire warming and quickning the life of supplication Secondly this true celestiall fire hath no fuell but the spirit but the strange fire hath either private injury or publike applause for the fuell Thirdly this true fire hath for the end or object Gods glory and the salvation of those that are heated with it cōsuming every thing that stands in the way of either of these The spouse speaking of the nature of this zeale telleth us that the coales thereof are coales of fire which hath a most vehement flame Of this David saith the zeale of thy house hath eaten me up and in another place my zeale hath consumed me or suppresseth me because mine enimies have forgotten thy words But counterfeit zeale in prayer hath for its end or object the ravishing of mens conceipts the glory of applause the gaining of some worldly commodity so far as the sun shine of Gods glory is adored by the times and state so much will hypocrisie seem to advance it like cloudes they will follow the Sun and seem to carry Gods glory right on before them but when the current crosseth it they goe no further with it but like a running hound they cast up and with an open mouth they run another way Fourthly this true fire though it set all on fire within and without and turneth all that it toucheth into the nature of fire carrying all upward with it according to the proportiō of fire yet it humbleth the soul exceedingly and maketh it vile in its own eyes for by this true fervency the stubble and rubbish of mens corruptions and interposition being removed and consumed Gods excellēcy mans meanes Gods mercy and mans misery the more appeareth which be the meanes and motives of mans humiliatiō But with the strange fire-workmen it is not so for as Cookes by unnaturall heat of the fire extinguishing the naturall heat and exhausting the radicall moisture and by excesse of drinking become hydropicks so these are puffed up with a swelling conceipt of themselves by the unnaturall or adventitious heat of this strange fire crying in effect with Iehu come with me and see my zeale for the Lord yea if these counterfeits of true zeal be not admired they are all off the hinges they count their charges and paines to be lost Their zeale is like to the vertues of the Heathens from which if you separate as one saith the splendor of glory vertue it selfe will goe bitter to them So take from the zeal of seeming zealous Hypocrites the swelling cloud of puffing up applause their fervency falleth presently into an atrophie or pining away under abūdance of means so that their pride not maintained with applause either like a handfull of gun-powder carrieth fire and fuell and all that lieth in the way out of the chimney top or like a dropsie by peecemeale it consumeth the naturall heat and drinketh up the radicall moisture But the heat of the truly zealous is like the harth of the Altar hallowed by humility for the receit of Gods fire and for the keeping and increasing of the heat thereof Fiftly and lastly the true fire of fervency is never extinguished it is for divers causes more intense or remisse higher or lower in the best of Gods children yea the sparkles may lye very low overlaid with ashes notwithstanding it is true fire though it be never so litle or never so weake in nature alwaies like the fire upon the Altar which burneth continually and shall not bee put out to the which the spirit affordeth the fuell stirring blowing it up for the consuming of the sacrifice But the strange fire is but a flash quickly out and unorderly kindled like a fit of an Ephemera or diary feaver and is as quickly extinguished either by the oyle of prosperity or by the water of adversity yea like a rotten sulphurous fiery squib it cracks and flashes stinks and dieth Let every soule examine its own fervency in prayer by the particulars by which examination if they can finde in the least measure these notes of fervency they may assure themselves to their exceeding great comfort that they can pray in the holy Ghost But some distressed soule will say they can finde no life of fervency in their prayers they are takē in the duty with syncopes or many fainting and sounding fits of the heart many a cold sweat goeth over them they are taken with many Lethargies of the understanding mad melancholy aberiations in the imagination much forgetfulnesse in the memory yea with a cold astonishing stupefaction of the whole man what fire of the Spirit can be here Surely say they none at all Conclude not so for true fire may be raked up in the ashes of neglect or distemper though it doe not appeare Againe the sence and sorrow of and for the overswaying suppressmēts must needs arise from the light and heat of true fire be it never so weake or litle for the common gifts and most glorious excellency in counterfeit Prayer cannot truly and ingeniously discover an essentiall defect in Prayer Againe the sparkles of life that the most distressed and daunted of Gods people finde in Prayer now and then make the strongest kind of demonstration that the Fire of Gods Spirit inlivens their Prayer For where there is action there is life and where is life there is heat for life consisteth in heat As the Spirit of faith in the Disciples was very weake when they counted the relation of the Resurrection but as an idle tale so that they would not believe it yet the Spirit of faith was not extinguished witnesse the burning of their hearts within them while he talked with them in the way to Emaus which arose from the quickning of the Spirit which lay as it were quenched in them even so the fervency of the Spirit of Prayer may seeme to be quenched yet the flames bursting out now and then in sighs and Groanes that cannot be expressed argueth heavenly fire to inspire thy Prayer howsoever thou wilt not be perswaded of it Lastly observe thy earnest desire
breadth from the marke Secondly the way is hard and difficult that is also implied in the words Thirdly the dayes are evill nay sure never worse Many stumbling blockings rubbes much opposition both on the right hand and on the left within and without when Trading groweth hard Wares grow slight Pirats abound Merchants cheat their Chap-men Chapmen fill the earth with bankrupts and the Prisons with black smoke and beastlinesse is it not very hard for a faire trader to walk with a streight foot to give every man his owne and to make good his stock and maintaine his family yes sure every man averreth it How much harder is it in these wofull times to make good this spirituall traffick wherein the Parents will defraud the children the children cheat the parents the husband the wife the wife the husband the brother the brother yea a man will cheat and cozen his own soule It standeth every one therefore upon it to look to his own accompts because every one must give an account for himselfe This taske I must confesse is somewhat hard to set upon the rather because it will not stand with neglect or intermission but assuredly the constant use of it shall make a man see better and more comfortable dayes then ever heretofore he hath seene By this course he shall be brought to see himselfe often as in a glasse and by the sight of his failings he shall be brought to softnesse of heart to tendernesse of conscience to deprecate the evil of commission and omission and to supplicate for power against future assaults This shall make him watchfull over his waies wary of his company strict in his carriage zealous for his God and holy and profitable in all manner of conversation In a word the experimentall utility of this practice will shew such necessity of it that thou wilt not believe it till thou try it Try then and hold fast the practice it shal never repent thee To this daily accompt joyn thy weekly accompt and thy accompt of more weekes before thou goe to the sacrament and by use of time thou maist become an excellent accomptant The more thou attendest it the lesse thou shalt have to doe yea by the practising by it thou shalt be the more willing to attend it though thou canst not be like that Emperour that attended suits till he had no suiters for thou shalt alwaies find enough to doe yet thou shalt find thy selfe by Gods mercy much inabled to goe cheerfully through with the worke and if thou art faithfull in thine accompts thou shalt every time find thy selfe a gainer The eighth particular of the Spirit 's evidence in Prayer is from that infallible ground of the faith of the Saints viz. The precious promises of God The same Spirit called the Spirit of supplication is also called the Spirit of promise which doth not only signifie to us the residence of the Spirit in the Saints whereby they are distinguished and discerned from the wicked but also after an Hebraisme or Hebrew Phrase the assuring of them of those great and precious promises or things promised is understood on which the Prayers of the Saints make their stand and rise These were the supporters of David's faith Remember thy word to thy servant upon which thou hast caused mee to hope wherein is well observed by the Ancient that David in all his supplications had recourse to the promises of God And now Lord God saith the same Prophet the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant establish it And againe thou art God and thy words are true whereupon shall the weake sights of a weary and overladen soule and the heavy groans of a loaded conscience cast themselves but upon that sweet and comfortable promise of our Saviour Come unto me all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you How shall the poore distressed selfe condemning bankrupt presse home his earnest suit upon God with any confidence of discharge but by putting God to his promise of the new Covenant I am he I am he saith the Lord that blotteth out thine iniquities for my names sake and will not remember thy sinnes The soule in Prayer may put God to remembrance of his promise not to remember sinne Also how should the soule tyrannized over by the body of some corruptiō ever look by Prayer to prevaile against the power of it but upon the promise of God to put the power of the word into the heart whereby the heart is changed from a stony and rebellious dispsition into a soft pliable and obedient disposition How shal the fainting soule support her supplication in the day of distresse or how should she wrestle with God in the time of calamity when God by contending desireth not only to be gone but in sence is already departed except they have at hand that promise Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee Lastly how shall ever the soule attaine by Prayer to rest it selfe upon the hope of glory but by interessing it selfe into the promise of the Crowne of Glory laid up for him and all them that love the appearing of the Lord Iesus Christ So that these promises are like Aaron and Hur holding up the hands strengthning the heart of Prayer yea as the remembrance and application of these faileth or increaseth so the Spirit of Prayer faileth or increaseth And here lyeth a main difference of the Prayers of the regenerate and unregenerate The Prayers of the former are upholden and supported from an externall principle namely the promises of God that cannot faile but the Prayers of the later lean upon the broken reed of something within thēselves namely some workes of charity equity or out-side pietie the worth of their Prayer it selfe or the mud-wall of civill honesty all which are but as a rotten wall whereupon the best Praiers that they build are but straw and stubble and both foundation and building being naught they must be burnt with fire If any object that Nehemiah desireth the Lord againe and againe to remember his workes of Piety and Iustice and that he would not wipe out the good deeds he had done for the house of his God and for the offices thereof So King Ezekias in his Praier desireth the Lord to remember his walking before the Lord his integrity of heart and doing good before the Lord. I answer that neither the zealous Ruler nor the godly King did presume any whit upon the worth of their works as though thereby they should make their Prayers of acceptance with God but if the places be well observed they cast themselves wholly upon the mercies of God and not upon the merit of their Prayers desiring God out of his promise made to respect the integrity of the heart and the righteousnesse of the actions to make good his promise like unto that in
who wil try a litle of this mans skill a litle of the others but will not set himselfe to any constant course of physick by which hee might be perfectly cured finding no good by this course hee resolveth peremptorily never to take any more Physick yea further desperately determineth to forbeare nothing be it never so hurtfull but use every thing that his minde giveth him to Iust so the hypocrite in his distresse will have about with prayer fall very fresh upon it for a fit or a start but finding the event not immediately to answer his desires he fals a quarrelling with it and casheeres it with a resolution to attend it no further yea and not only casteth himselfe upon the subordinate meanes but imbraceth the worst meanes that the Divell will offer him A pregnant instance wee have of this in Saul who in his distresse made a seeking of God for he is said to inquire of the Lord But he did it neither in sincerity nor constancy and therefore in another place he is said not to enquire at all he enquired not of the Lord for not to enquire of the Lord in truth is not to enquire at all But God not vouchsafing him an answer hee commeth from him to the Divell for an answer Let every soule then put it selfe to triall upon this point whither dost thou goe in thy troubles whereon dost thou stay thy selfe dost thou be take thy selfe to prayer dost thou walke with this staffe over the rocky steep and invious mountaines of thy distressefull troubles Then thou talkest by the spirit thou walkest by the spirit the spirit protecteth and directeth thee though thy feet stick fast in the clay thy soul be sunk in the pit the Lord will take thee out and set thy feet upon a rock If thy troubles as Iob saith were more and heavier thē the sand of the sea yet the Lord will ease thee and deliver thee though all the waves of the Lord goe over thee ply but the oares of prayer in the boat of faith and they shall neither drowne thee in the depth of despaire nor split thee upon the rock of Apostasie If all thine enimies conspire against thee and all thy friends for sake thee bee thou ever with God in prayer and God will ever be with thee to preserve thee yea in life and death he will never forsake thee and this shall be an undeniable evidence in thy soules deepest distresse that God is with thee But if thou canst be content in thy trouble onely to make thy triall of praier and if thou findest not present successe to prefer other meanes to this and yet thou wilt use this but as if thou used it not then thou dealest in this case as Achas dealt with the Altar of God He brought in as the History telleth us the Altar of Damascus whereon all his offerings and the offerings of the people must be laid but the Altar of the Lord must haue an inferiour place and be reserved only to consult withall a litle for fashion sake So though thou canst bee content to prate with praier having given it an inferiour place and respect yet all thy sacrifices are for the subordinate meanes As the Lord abhorred Achas and his offerings so will he never look upon thee in this case nor on thy prayers to doe thee any good Therefore looke to it as thou lovest to thriue All lawfull meanes as I have shewed thou maist and must use because the neglect of them is a tempting of God but be sure to use them in subordination to prayer by which they must bee either sanctified or supported or they will prove but rotten and deceitfull reeds But here by the way thou must observe a necessary Caveat that Gods dearest childrē may bee so deaded with distresse of soule and pressure of afflictions that they cannot pray or as I have shewed so distempered and distracted that they dare not pray but this may stay their heart that they would fain pray their heart beareth them witnesse that they prize nothing so much as prayer if they had all the meanes in the world at command they will give none the place of prayer yea they had rather pray then be delivered And there is great reason why thus they should esteeme of prayer above all other meanes because the greatest thing that they can effect is but hearts desire in things like the meanes themselves but prayer over and besides procureth greater familiarity with God which is the highest honour and the richest profit that the soul can attain unto A notable instance wee have of this in Daniel who though he understood by holy Writ that the time of Ierusalems deliverance was come yet he fals hard to prayer and that to his great rejoycing for the Angell of the Lord becommeth the Herald of the Lords affliction towards him calling him a man of desires or as it is translated much beloved or desired of the Lord. So if thou hast assurance of the thing desired yet thou shouldest not cease to desire it in prayer It is further true that Gods deare people may in the damp of their distresses look more to the subordinate meanes than they should and lesse to prayer than they ought yea in this particular wee may all lay our hands upon our mouths and with shame enough confesse our faultinesse In this we labour of the squintnesse of the eye of the soule for as this is caused in the eye of the body from loosenesse of the muscles or nerves or from inversion of the Christaline humor or from the suddain sight some fearefull object So the other of the soule ariseth from the weaknesse of Faith the terrors without and the feares within making us look a squint upon that which should help us and more directly to that which cannot help us but the cause being removed the sight being rectified they looke streighter and more directly upon the proper object or if you will wee may be compared to unadvised patients who being in a direct and approved course of Physick not feeling such present good as they looke for they fall presently upon some Emperick medicin either from a Mountebanck Foe or an ignorant Friend the evill and disorder whereof when they begin to feele they confesse their errour and resolve thence forth to walk by the rule So the people of God in their brain-sick fits count with Naaman the rivers of Damascus more medicinable thē the rivers of Israel but upon better consideration they conceive and finde it to be true that one bucket full of Iordan is better thē al the rivers of Damascus A few graines of the spirit are of more force then all the friends and means whatsoever in the world And as a wise patiēt grown wise to his cost from foolery and experimented evill of a hurtful Medicine resolveth hence forth to cleave to a methodicall course and to die or live by the Book So the