there in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then was Prayer made which was stretched out upon the Tenters not so much namely in the length and largeness of the intercessions of such as put up the same as in respect of the thoughts holy affections and exercise of the graces of the spirits of those godly Suppliants in their prayer So in Acts 26. 7. prayer was one speciall piece of that service intended in that there mentioned Our twelve Tribes instantly serving God day and night The words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a stretched out manner serving God Psal 119. 145. I cryed with my whole heart Davids whole heart acted in that prayer with all earnestnesse his prayer was the common cry of all that was within him his desire love hope and all the graces of his spirit in his heart put forth themselves in his prayer So Rom. 12. 12. Continuing instant in Prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 continuing with all your might in prayer The acceptable prayer is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inwrought praier A prayer wherein all the active hands within the suppliant are set on work according as there it is said of him Coloss 4 12. Alwayes labouring fervently in prayer for you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wrestling for you in Prayers A fervent Suppliant doth Wrestler-like bend and writhe and strain every joynt of the new man in their souls yea of their whole mind and heart so far as sanctified that they may take all helps and advantages of the Lord to prevaile with him in prayer All our lines must meet in this center of Prayer our whole man must wait upon this as the creature of the holy Ghost as it will share in this blessing so it must act in begging it and then it will put on the garment of prayses also for it Like as before the whole man went as it were in mourning weeds in the want of that blessing so the mercy will be sweetest to the whole man when it is thus holily imployed in the begging of it or if the mercy be delayed yet it can the more quietly sit downe in the want of it when it hath used Gods means for it A gracious Christian that prayeth much can want much hee hath that inward peace that guards his heart and mind from discontent Phil. 4. 6 7. Make your request knowne to God and the peace of God shall keep your hearts 2. Importunity in prayer consisteth in 2 In frequent renewing of our suits a frequent renewing of our suits when wee are at this holy work early and late the Psalmist was at it early when hee sayd Psal 88. 13 My prayer shall prevent thee and 119. 147. I prevented the dawning of the morning and cryed c. He was a good husband and earnest in this holy work who was at it so early a lively Christian will be up in his spirit and hard at this work when other lazy and drowzy professours are not stirring this way And verily hee had need be up betimes who preventeth the Lord with his prayer whose use it is before we call to answer us Isai 65. 24. Psal 21. 3. The importunate suppliant also will be late at it come for bread at midnight when he might have it inwardly suggested to him that he cometh unseasonably as that parable holdeth fotth Luke 11. 5. 8. He will pray with the first and with the last too he will pray againe and againe For this I besought the Lord thrice 2 Cor. 12. 7 8. His fresh suits freshen up the suppliants praying graces put a new glosse upon his faith love feare zeal holy desires and the like Sometimes the heart is more praying ripe then at other times importunity tryeth conclusions seeth how our hearts prayer-pulses beat at all times the heart is sometimes more full of holy motions and workings much more resolute more fixed upon God and good much more tender and sensible Importunity taketh all advantages of the heart of a Christian an importunate suppliant is wont to bee alwayes taking the skales and ballances into his hand and in his thoughts putteth in the mercies hee needeth and longeth for in the one skale and all his prayers pleas and tears for the same in the other And perceiving the mercies to weight downe all his praiers he then layeth in more prayers and sighs and yet alas they are not weight which makes him still to be laying weight after weight prayer upon prayer al his days Prayer is the souls messenger which it speedeth to heaven there to relate in the eares of its God and King the various cases which do concern it and as good speeding messengers are the most serious and the most serious messengers speed best so it is in the case of prayer yea as messengers are sent againe and againe till their errand bee fully told and their businesse dispatched or sufficient order raken for it so it is here Prayer after prayer is sent up to heaven until either the Lord doe what is desired or that which is equivalent to it as in Pauls case 2 Cor. 12. 7. hee said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made knowne in weaknesse An importunate suppliant hath the art of praying and so hath his divers spiritual topick places as I may call them whence he frameth variety of holy arguments and pleas in prayer which is an holy reasoning with God as it is called he hath a great deal of spiritual eloquence and holy rhetorick so that hee is seldome nonplust in prayer but with sweet and apt variety of supplications is againe and againe pressing upon the Lord for mercy and when ordinary prayer seemeth not to prevail importunity in prayer will bee expressing it selfe in an extraordinary way fasting shall be joyned to crying mightily as Jonas 3. 6. and if our prayers alone prevail not it will make us goe another way to work with God even to set others on work to seek God with us and for us Cant. 5. 6 I sought him but found him not verse 8. If you find my beloved tell him I am sick of love 3. It consisteth in a holy impatience 3 An holy impatience of delay or denyall of an answer of delay or of denyal of our holy requests it maketh a gracious suppliant to stand as we say upon thornes the captive exile hasteth to be delivered Isaiah 51. 14. The Church is even sick of love for want of the desired presence of Jesus Christ Cant. 5. 8. Heare me speedily saith David my spirits fayle least I be like to one of those that go down to the pit Psal 147. 7. it is even death to such to be delayed much more to be denyed hence those frequent ingeminations How long Lord how long Ps 13. every day week or month is as seven to importunity love in the soul to the Lord his favours and fellowship keepeth due and true account how long he hath held us off and therefore
pray Luke 21. 27. when he had been imployed in the day time in preaching in the night time he went apart into the Mount of Olives namely to pray and meditate Luke 22. 41. He was withdrawne from his Disciples about a stones cast and prayed and verse 44. He prayed more earnestly c. and verse 45. He rose up from prayer and came to his Disciples And how he prevailed by these very solitary but strong cryes and tears in these dayes of his flesh or humane infirmity is testified Heb. 5. 7. He was heard The fourth Reason is taken from the sutableness 4. The sutable presence of God in secret of the presence and favour of God which he is wont in secret to exhibit to them unto their aimes and desires Their desire is Psal 4. 7. Lord lift up thou the light of thy countenance upon us And when is the Lord more with his Saints then when in secret When Jacob is alone praying then Jehovah the Son of God that Angel is in such a glorious manner with him Gen. 32. 23 24 28 30 and Hosea 12. 3 4 compared This being one special way of the Saints walking with God he cannot but be much in company with them the neerest and dearest acquaintance and fellowship with God is mentioned by these secret communings with God and holy wisperings in his ear the secret chamber is the most sutable and freest place for these Spouses of the Lord to be telling their secrets to him and there is the place where most ordinarily and usually he is wont to meet and greet and secretly embrace them Now let us come to such Objections as Objections against it answered are made against this holy exercise for we may perceive by Job 21. 15. that mans carnal heart is ready to cavil against it and to object cui bono to what purpose it what needeth what profit is it if we pray to him Verily it is an ordinance wherein the Lord is wont very graciously to communicate himself to his Saints and therefore so long as Satans wily head and mans deceitful heart can find out cavils and quarrels against it it shall not want for Objections Many a deadly wound is given to sin and Satan by these prayer-darts which the Saints thus secretly cast at them besides it s a most spiritual service requiring a special measure of sincerity and self-denial and no wonder that of all other Duties mans heart be so backward to this In prayer with others there is more to bribe even the carnal heart to be speaking but here is little or nothing to move from mans applause or the like It is a duty very costly if rightly performed in secret are the choice wrestlings and weepings and the like and mans carnal heart would take the easiest and cheapest way rather we are too apt to be objecting against our maine spiritual foundations and no wonder then if against this building work We are too apt to failings and falls and no wonder if so backward to this closer closet way of making up personal and particular accounts unto the Lord. It were rather a wonder if there were not then that there are so many Objections against this If we must both pray with the Assembly Object 1 and with the Family and yet also in our We must labour six dayes closets too alone will not this too much prejudice our ordinary callings and occasions and intrench upon that charge of labouring six dayes The Lord indeed will not have now any Answ 1 more solemn dayes in the week to be ordinarily True yet pray also set apart onely for his service besides the Lords day but yet as of old when the Jewish Sabbath was in force the Saints made conscience of constant seeking of God in secret and are commended for it by the Lord as Daniel chap. 6. 10. David Psal 55. 17. So now the Jewish Sabbath is abolished and the Lords day appointed of God in its stead yet Cornelius is commended and graciously rewarded for his conscionable praying to God alone day and night for as he was praying in his house namely by himself alone a man in bright cloathing or an Angel appeared to him and said Cornelius Thy Prayer is heard Acts 10. 30 31. not that prayer alone which he made in that day of Humiliation but as ver 2 3 4. shew his prayers his Prayers which he made alone whether with his houshold or by himself alone none else were with him praying then as it seemeth for he only saw that man in bright cloathing to him alone the Angel addressed his present speech saying Cornelius thy Prayers are heard ver 4. 31. God would not have the hand-maid to perk above the Mistris or ordinary particular callings to thrust Religion out of doors or so to straiten it that scarce any leisure is afforded to worship God in publick private and secret Nay rather clean Christians typed by those clean Beasts must rightly part the hoof Lev. 11. 3. rightly divide their time giving a due share thereof to God in matters of his Worship and a meet proportion of it to God in their particular calling 2 It is the express charge of God that we We must buy out time for prayer reedeem or buy out time and that for prayer as well as other holy exercises Col. 4. 2 3 4. the Lord wisheth us to continue in prayer and ver 5. biddeth us redeem the time which Exhortation is directed to all sorts husbands wives parents children servants and Masters as the Context sheweth from chap. 3. 18. to chap. 4. 6. All and every of them are to buy out time for instant prayer as al together in the family so apart in secret as occasions are offered the charge is not limited to Church or Family prayer only Yea but how shall we get so much time will they say Redeem the opportunity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith God If the Lord offer you any opportunity to pray together or asunder be at any cost for it Christians must be wise and frugal Market men and women of praying opportunities Let not the Divel or world outbid us for such seasons which are so gainful to our souls A wise Daniel will be willing to hazard the losse or parting with either honor or pleasure or profit yea life it self rather then be debarred from taking his times this way for God and for his soul to satisfie the wretched desires of the wicked therein or to seem to yeild to Satans wily suggestions and plots in his instruments for that end Dan. 6. 10. 3 This is a maine part of our spiritual We must ply this as our holy Trade trading with God by improvement this way of the Talent of the gift of prayer also Matth. 25. 16 17 This is as part of our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our City Imployment Ephes 2. 19. Phil. 3. 20. Having hereby commerce and converse with God in Christ and it is a rich
A PRACTICAL DISCOURSE OF PRAYER Wherein is handled The Nature the Duty the Qualifications of Prayer the several sorts of Prayer viz. Ejaculatory Publick Private and Secret Prayer With the Necessity of and In. gagements unto Prayer Together with sundry Cases of Conscience about it By THOMAS COBBET Minister of the Word at Lyn in New-England Psal 141. 2. Let my Prayer be set forth before thee as Incense and the lifting up of my hands as the Evening Sacrifice Imprimatur EDM. CALAMY London Printed by T. M. for Joseph Cranford at the Phoenix in Pauls Church yard 1654. TO THE READER Courteous Reader I Have adventured twice already into the Presse in matters controversall and through grace what I have written hath found good acceptance in the eyes of the godly wise and now upon the earnest perswasion of godly and worthy friends here unto the Lord and unto me I am sending forth this discourse which respecteth a matter practical It s not a little exercise unto godly minds and much more grievous is it in the sight of the God of truth and peace that there is so great and confused a noyse of axes and hammers now adayes in the Lords Temple and ah when will that blessed time come when unto all the Lords people whatsoever there shall bee but Zech 14. 9. one Lord and his Name one Verily its strange to see that in these dayes the Lord according to his promise should so graciously afford to his people the meanes even turne to the people a pure lip a pure Zeph. 3. 9. Ministry and yet the promised end thereof is not attained namely the serving of the Lord with one shoulder or with one consent I know there are many lets thereunto but surely this is not the least that the word held forth by the purer Ministry thereof hath not had such effectual force upon their hearts who injoy the same as to bring them to be conscionable in calling upon the Name of the Lord which is the more immediate end of such a Ministry For so saith the Lord I will turne to the people a pure lip or language that they may call upon the Name of the Lord for then the next effect would follow which there also is promised they would come to serve the Lord with one consent But the subtle enemy to all purity and power of godlinesse he bestirreth himselfe what in him lyeth to heighten increase as many differences in judgment in Christians as may be and that way breed and feed distances in affection and so undermine any such nnanimous attending to serve the Lord. The heads and hearts both of Preachers and Professors shall be so busily and continually taken up with endless disputes that they shall have little leisure or list to attend the practicals of Religion wherein the life and power of pure Religion doth mainly consist Disputing times about the Speculatives of Religion are wont to be declining times in the Practicals and Vitals thereof Witness former ages wherein the Schoole-men and their notions flourished but purity and power of Religion withered And ah that this present age which yeildeth so many Scepticks in Religion had not withall increased the Spitals of decaied unsound spiritually sick lame blind deaf dumb yea dying and twice dead Christians Surely If christians had maintaineâ—â—cquaintance with God in praier they 〈◊〉 never fallen in thus with so many delâ—â—â—ve fancies and so come to have fallen out with the weightier matters of God so as to be at such distances from them in their Spirits If they had faithfully repayred to the Lord for his counsel their ears and hearts had not been so open to Satanicall whisperings How much was that man of God in prayer to be kept sound in the faith witnesse his frequent requests this way mentioned Psal 119. 10. O let me not wander from thy commandments and verse 29. remove from me the way of lying doctrinally as well as practically considered and grant me thy law graciously Ve. 43. Take not away utterly the word of truth out of my mouth so shall I keep thy law continually Ver. 66. Teach me good judgement and knowledge for I have believed thy commandements Ver. 80. Make my heart sound in thy Statutes that I be not ashamed The corrupt prophets and priests of old who seduced the people from the truth were persons that made no conscience of prayer Jer. 10. 21. The Pastours are become brutish and have not sought the Lord. Those Apostatizing Newters in Religion of old they were men that were careless of seeking of God and counselling with him in their prayers Zeph. 1. 6. And them that are turned back and those that have not sought the Lord nor inquired for him The like may be wel feared in Christians in these Apostatizing times from the truths and wayes of God that they doe not talk much with God in prayer and hee as little delighteth to speak to their hearts They grow loose-hearted and strangers to God and Satan espying this distance betwixt them and God falleth in with them entereth other delusive discourses with them and at length withdraweth them yet further from the Lord. But thou Christian Reader plye it with the Lord in prayer that hee would draw thee after him and he will bring thee into his Chambers Cantic 1. 4. Hee will bring thee into the secret of his Counsels presence and protection where thou shalt hee kept safe in judgement heart and life in the worst times Fervent and faithfull prayers would also help very much to cast out the uncleane spirit out of the land and to dispossesse the spirits of many Christians who are even possessed by an erring spirit If there were also but more men of God who might Moses like continue holding up their hands in prayer no doubt but Amalakite spirited seducers would soone be put to the worse yea though Philistine-like they had even routed the Churches of Christ yet a few such blessed worthies of God who are mighty with God in prayer would like so many Shammahs or Eleazers soon prevail for a blessed day over them If Jonathan had not wrought with God in Prayer 1 Sam. 14. 45. Israel had never had so glorious a day as they had against tbose Philistins If men had even given themselves to the Divel as too many now have to spirits of Error yet if Luther-like we were more in prayer there might be help that way and they rescued and those Spirits discarded And what gracious heart can bear it to see so many poor Christians even drawn to death and forbear crying to the Lord for their deliverance Mystical Babylon devoted to ruin hastneth to its downfal and shall not we be up and doing in prayer now to help dispatch her as they of old did that other Babylon Jerem. 51. 35. The violence done to me be upon Babylon shall the Inhabitants say My blood upon the Inhabitants of Chaldea shal Jerusalem say namely in their earnest prayers The
expressions in prayer Prayer is called a talking with God Job 5 Prayer a talking with God 15. 4. thou restrainest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 talking before the Lord Psal 55. 17. evening and morning and at noon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will I talk or pray Psal 64. 1. hear my voyce O my God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my talke or prayer the Hebrew word is used to signifie some studyed excogitated thing in the mind Amos. 4. 13. he telleth to man what is his Secho his thought or some serious solicitous discourse 1 Kings 18. 27. he talketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Saints in prayer do familiarly commune with the Lord as Abraham did in his petitioning of the Lord. Gen. 18. end But yet are they very serious and intent in this their holy discourse with the Lord and though they do wrestle with the Lord in their pleas in prayer yet do they not tumultuously wrangle with him but their spirits are still and calme as but talking with the Lord. Prayer is a secret silent submissive whispering 6 Prayer an holy whispering Esay 26. 16. they have powred out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a softly speaking the word is used of their muttering when Davids childe was dead 2 Sam. 12. 19. True suppliants they are so sensible of their own vilenesse and troubled about their owne unworthinesse that they are in a holy wise afraid and ashamed to speak out to the Lord as sometime Ezra was Chap. 9. 6. yet through faith do they eye the Lord as one so near them that it sufficeth them to whisper to him the desires and ailes of their hearts and as one so faithfull that hee will wisely consider of what they thus impart to him The Hebrew word is sometimes used for charming Jer. 8. 17. Serpents to whom there is no charming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or which will not be charmed But verily a godly mans prayer is oft times such a spiritual charming of serpentine divellish suggestions yea and of these inward vile distempers and lusts which Satan too oft maketh use of to ensnare them that they doe even bring them under command and allay by grace the height and the heat of them they even pray downe blasphemous atheistical thoughts or a lust of the world c. Prayer is called a wrestling with the Lord 7 Prayer an holy wrestling in Gen. 32. 24 25. There was a mutuall wrestling of the Lord 's with Jacob which was by divine tentations of Jacob's with the Lord and such as whereby he prevailed over him and that was his supplication or prayer as Hosea chap. 12. 4. expounds it hee prevailed over the Angell he wept and made supplication Col. 4. 12. alwayes wrestling for you in prayers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 striving as they did for masteries in the Olympick-games and Rom. 15. 30. Striving together with me in prayer Praying work is wrestling work crosse and harsh to the flesh and bloud The Saints are put to it by their ungenerate part to strive with that to get into a praying frame Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh yea with Satan too Eph. 6. 12. And when got into such a frame here is much conflicting with the enemies of prayer to keep in it but as if this were a small matter a supplyant hath God himselfe to wrestle with and who is sufficient for these things We had need indeed with praying Jacob of Gods strength that thereby we may prevail with him Hos 12. 3. and by his strength God's strength hee had power with God the Lord is willing to forgive ready to help and hear yet he delighteth to try his owne strength of grace in his people the strength of their faith in Christ and in his covenant the strength of their holy desires and pleas c. When such holy strength is put forth in prayer then we pray indeed for then wee wrestle When in prayer we close with the Lord get fast hold of him of his grace goodnesse power and truth or the like and keep our hold so fast so long that we are got within him as I may say that we have him where we would have him as I may say that we get our spiritualized wils of him that he expresseth a holy yeilding to heare and help us so as that therby our very hearts are cheared quickned and quieted by it now have we prayed for wee have wrestled to purpose And for this end that our praying may be such indeed or that it may bee wrestling conscience is to be made of preparation as for wrestling 1 Cor. 9. 25. to be temperate in all things forbearing any inordinaries of cares fears desires delights imployments and to dyet our selves feed and delight our selvs in such sort as may fit us for prayer To exercise our selvs in holy ejaculatory prayers and holy meditations and to get our souls well oyled and suppled by the praying graces of the spirit before hand Prayer is a serving of God and a serving 8 Prayer a serving God in the spirit of God in the spirit Act. 26. 7. Our Tribes instantly serving God night and day that is praying Rom. 1. 9. My God whom I serve in my spirit that is to whom I pray A Suppliants prayer is to him his only work and businesse such as if hee had then nothing to doe beside yea it is his Lord and Masters businesse which he in obedience to his command is ready to attend a businesse to be done with all his might hee loveth to make something of it before he leaveth it if he seemes sometimes to idle out his time in distractions and distempers how greivous is it to such an one to seeme to have lost such a morning or evening without doing any thing of moment for the Lord for his owne soul or others Hee loveth to get him a-heat at this holy work to pray whilest his heart bee well warmed nor is the Lord wont to bee behind-hand with any such as so serve him hee payeth them best in holy recompences of his grace in them which pray most to him The people concluded that Jonathan had wrought with God that day wrestled prayed hard when they saw so apparently the stamp of God imprinted upon that victory given into him and by him 1 Sam. 14. 45. yea verily it is no smal reward to the supliants of God that the Lord doth account that when they are praying to him they are serving of him when they are telling him of their spiritual wants and inabilities to doe him service confessing their failings in his service and what unprofitable unthankful servants they have been to him how the Lord reckoneth they are doing him very acceptable service the poore Saints are ready to complaine that they can do God no service c. No Can you beg Can you pray This is service of God indeed Prayer in the manner of carrying it on is an
love thee be like the Sun in its might If the Lord breath upon our hearts at his table or in his word the spirit of God draweth out our hearts to send some ejaculatory lift of praier either in way of petition or thanksgiving or the like When the Lord Jesus speakes effectually to Johns heart I come quickly thence springs his ejaculatory Amen even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Revel 22. 20. Christ effectually preaching that hard lesson of brotherly forgivenesse It caused that ejaculation from them Lord increase our faith Luk. 17. 1 2 3 4. with 5. If David hear that word twice that all power belongs to God Psal 62. 11. his spirit is elevated to make this short hearty speech verse 12. Also to thee O Lord belongeth mercy From the Angels lively discourse with Mary about Christ who was to be incarnate and to be formed in her her heart being warmed shee turneth her speech to the Lord who sent that his angel Be it to thy servant according to thy word Luke 1. 38. So then holy ejaculations are the very spirits of the spiritual workings of God or at the least wise from the Lords spiritualizing of his Saints in his providences or ordinances and therefore great in their excellency Let us add another infallible Argument of the excellency of this duty of ejaculatorie It s of choice respect with God praier and that is from the high esteem and real respects which God himselfe hath expressed thereof Habbacucks discourse chap. 3. though most what doctrinal and onely something mentioned in a short way of petition verse 2. and of praising God verse 18 19. yet as from the most excellent part in Gods account it is all called his prayer ver 1. The penitent thiefs ejaculation Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdome is graciously owned and answered by Jesus Christ This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Luk. 23. 41 42. The Publican ejaculatorily praying Lord be mercifull to me a sinner goeth away justified Luk 18. 13 14. yea that ejaculatory Apostrophe of Moses to God Ex. 5. end Why hast thou so evilly intreated the people yet hath its gracious returne from the Lord chap. 6. 1. Then said the Lord Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharoah The Israelites at the red sea were so afraid with a distrustfull fear that Moses bids them not to feare Exod 14 13. yet being thus afraid they cryed unto the Lord verse 10. 12. and both Nehemiah chap. 9. 9. and Joshua chap. 24. 7. testifieth that God heard that crie of theirs and put darknesse betwixt them and the Egyptians and drowned the Egyptians in the red sea David when in such a hurry of distrust that he said to God I am cut off from thy sight yet saith neverthelesse thou heardest the voyce of my supplications Psal 31. 22. the many short prayers which he then made Ejaculations are but short breathings of the Saints spirits but being breathed once they scarce ever expire in respect of the efficacies and issues of them These short speeches are as I may say best remembred their memorials are of a very long date with the Lord. That grey-headed ejaculation of Noah God perswade Japhet to dwell in the tents of Shem hath had now hath and still will have its answer in the Gentiles of Japhets coming into the fellowship with the Church Gen. 9. 27. The day of judgement that day although not a season of praying yet of full answers of such like praiers made with respect to the day Pauls short prayer 2 Tim. 1. 18. The Lord shew mercy to the house of Onesiphorus at that day shall have then a full return At that day when the Saints treasures layd up in heaven shall bee opened these lesser peices shall have their weight worth and use when it shall bee said these and these have been the prayers of such and such of the Saints and these and these are the issues and fruits of them to such and such Thus much touching the excellency of The necessity of ejaculatory prayer by reason of Sudden straits such ejaculations now of the necessity thereof The Saints sudden straits require prayer but will not afford time for continued prayer Room now then for ejaculatory praier At this dead lift now Moses his cry will doe well Exod. 14. 15. Then Jehoshophat must hye to heaven when begirt with blood thirsty men in continued prayer hee cannot but by ejaculatory prayer he may 2 Chron. 18 31. Then Jehoshaphat cryed to the Lord. Scrabling is but a poore shift for David when known in the presence of the King of Gath 2 Sam. 21. 10 11 12 13. and when no place or space for solemne prayer then welfare ejaculatory prayer Psal 32. title with verse 4 6. I sought the Lord and he heared me this poore man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him Asa when to join battel thus cryed unto the Lord his God with marvellous successe 2 Chron. 14. 11. David in that strait prayeth against Achitophels counsels Lord turne Achitophels counsel into foolishnesse 2 Sam. 15. 31. and the issue sheweth it took 2 Sam. 17. 23. Moses among a company of murmurers Exod. 15 24. hath none fit to joyne in prayer in a more solemne way yet verse 25. though he spake nothing vocally hee cryed thus effectually he cryed to the Lord and he shewed him a tree to make the bitter waters sweet Philistins are upon the Israelites then is onely roome for Samuels ejaculatory crye 1 Sam. 8. 7 8 9. and Samueâ— cryed unto the Lord and he heard him Hezekiahs deadly sicknesse will onely give him leave to pray thus 2 King 20. 1 2 3 7. heâ— turned his face to the wall and prayed Oâ— Lord remember me c. Sudden and strong tentations disable David to make such continued prayer but hee will then make manâ— Tentations of these ejaculatory requests Psal 30. 22 Neverthelesse thou heardest the crye of â—â— supplications when I cryed to thee Great griefs and presages fill the Saints hearts and lay their speech but then their hearts burst forth into inutterable sighs groans whose meaning the Lord knoweth Rom. 8. 26. Surely Saints as men of tender consciences ever and anon offending indeed but Failings as frequently smitten in their hearts for it cannot but bee often put upon it in the interims of continued prayer to bespeak mercy and pardon whilest their hearts are thus afflicted 2 Sam. 24. 10. And Davids heart smote him for numbring the people and David said unto the Lord I have sinned c. I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant And as sudden faults of ours so sudden stroaks of God put the Saints upon this 2 Sam. 24. When David saw the Angel smiting the people he said It is I that have sinned what have these sheep done Sudden injuries from men cause an injured Injuries Jepthah to make his short appeale to the Lord saying The
Stevens ejaculatory praier at his death Lord lay not this sin to their charge And assuredly many of the blinded Jews who ignorantly crucifled the Lord of glory fared the better for the ejaculatory prayer of Christ Father forgive them for they know not what they doe Luk. 23. 34. Witnesse the conversion of thousands of those who had a hand in crucifying the Lord Jesus Acts 2. 36 37 38 39 40 41. verses compared Other Saints likewise fare the better for this that the ejaculatory prayers of others of their brethren for them are acceptable prayers to God Onesiphorus will fare the better for the short prayer of Paul at the very day of judgment 2 Tim. 1. 18. The Lord grant that he may find mercy at that day How well then is it in all respects that God will have his Saints praying continually with ejaculatory prayer also 2. In that it is a service which the Lord Second Motive It is that upon which the spirit putteth us often by special motion of his Spirit put his saints upon oft times as well as by general command requireth the same Let me hear thy voice saith Christ to his people Cantiâ— 2. 14. To which the Church answereth in an ejaculatory prayer verse 17. Turne my beloved and be thou like a Roe So Cantic 8. 13. The Lord putteth them upon speaking to him Let me hear thy voice to which they returne an ejaculation ver 14. Make haste my beloved now it will not bee safe to neglect any such motions made by the Lord and by his spirit lest being grieved he withdraw from us 3. In that the most spiritual persons Third motive it is that which the choysest Saints practise much have been and are thus exercised in those holy ejaculations as was Christ as Luke 3. 21. When he was baptised he so prayed when those Disciples returned with that successe he lifts up his heart Luk. 20. 21. I thanke thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth So John 2. 27 28. Father glorifie thy name And so Luke 23. 31. Father forgive them for they know not what they doe So Matthew 26. 46. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me So Luke 23. 46. When to leave the world Father into thy hands I commit my spirit Thus David and Nehemiah and Moses and others who were most spiritual how oft were they thus praying 4. In that ejaculatory prayer hath prevailed Fourth Motive it s very prevailing with God with God for great things persons have been healed of plagues As upon such a prayer of Hezekiah 2 Chron. 30. 18 19 20. verses God hearkned and healed the people Wonders have been done by it as when upon such a Prayer of Isaiah the Sun goeth backward 2 Kings 20. 11. Isaiah cryed unto the Lord and the Sun went back ten degrees Such wonders were done hereby at the red Sea Nehem. 9. 9. as formerly was shewed Now in the second place consider of some Helps to pray thus 1 Heavenly mindedness Helps to help us this way 1 Get and maintain a spiritual frame of heart walk much with God in Meditation and the like and frequent occasion will be offered of such like talking with him A heavenly heart will be often lifted thus heavenward When Simâ—on was in such a frame then Lord lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace Luke 2. 29. So when John is in a like frame then Come Lord Jesus Come quickly Revel 22. 20. One Ejaculation or other ariseth out of the heart in such a frame and as a branch thereof get our hearts weaned from the things of the world be as one leaving the world and then an old Jacob will be mounting thus Gen. 49. 18 Lord I have waited for thy Salvation David who was a weaned child was much in holy Ejaculations so was Davids Lord who was so much above the world such have most to do in Heaven and therefore so oft moving that way 2 Get a humble soft heart sensible of sins and self emptinesse Broken hearts will bee often breathing out Ejaculatory sighs and requests The humbled Thief upon the Cross and Publican in the Temple had their Ejaculations 3 Keep in life and light as much as may 3 Sense of Gods love be the sense of the love of God in Christ when the Church is in Christs armes and as in his bosome then she hath her Ejaculatory request Set me as a seal upon thy arm c. Cant. 8. 5 6. This stirreth up holy love in us to God and that will be making ever and anon abrupt expressions of its desire to him Touching the third thing consider of these Cautions Cautions 1. That it bee not too seldom 1 Content not our selves that more rarely wee have some one lift this way but be ever and anon sending up some short requests unto the Lord foure times in one Chapter is Nehemiah doing thus upon several occasions 2 Look that we do it not in a Petitionary 2. That it bee not only in a Petitionary way way only but praising way as well So David Psalm 8. 3 4 5. When I see thy Heavens c. I said What is man that thou art thus mindful of him So Jesus Christ I thank thee Father Lord of Heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes Luke 10. 21. and John 11. 41 42. Father I thank thee that thou alwayes hearest me 3 Look that be not a bare formal cry 3. That it be not in an affected way for fashions sake a customary Lord have mercy upon me or Lord blesse me or the like in a morning or at going to bed resting therein as if now some goodly service were done or that sufficeth or a more forced out-cry to God occasioned from sudden terrors or distrusts and the like or an hypocritical semblance of a heart lift to heaven by an affected lifting up the eys when in others company or in a seemed squeezing out a hollow hearted sigh in stead of such cordial Ejaculations to which we have been all this while exhorting Lastly Look that none under this pretence 4 That it thrust not out Solemn praier lay aside the due and constant exercise of publick or private Praier in a more continued way Let not one duty justle out another Continued Praier in solemn manner is our duty as well as Ejaculatory Prayer as God willing we shall see in the following part of this Discourse we are the rather to make conscience of Ejaculatory Praier that we may be sit for solemn Prayer and we are so to pray in a continued Prayer as it may leave us sending up our after Ejaculations unto heaven CHAP. III. Touching more solemn and continued Prayer and particularly of Publick Prayer WE have spoken of Ejaculatory Praier proceed we now to consider of Solemn and continued Praier which is either Publick or Church Praier Private or Family Prayer Secret or Closet Prayer Begin
we now with the consideration of Publick or Church Praier which is also included in this indefinite Precept written to the Church of the Thessalonians collectively as wel as distributively considered 1 Thes 1. 1. Whence also in this Chapter hee exhorteth them to due esteem of their Officers vers 12. and vers 20 of the Ordinance of the Ministerial Dispensation of the Word So then Publick or Church Prayer is a Duty also which we ought conscionably to attend in the season thereof 1 Tim. 2. 1 2 3. Paul exhorts that in the first place Prayers Act. 16. 13. be made for all sorts of men namely Publick Prayers and maketh the same very good and acceptable in the sight of God It is emblematically set forth under the notion of four living Creatures and four and twenty Elders met in way of worship of God Rev. 4. 8. 5 8 10. For our better proceeding herein consider 1. Of the requisites to Publick Praier 2. Of the Reasons of it 3. Of some Use of it Touching the first Some things are Things required of such as are to pour out publick praier required to such as are to bee the mouth of the Church in Praier some things in such as joine with them Of the former sort of requisites are 1. A publick Call So it was of old Deut. 1. A publick Call 21. 5. The Priests the sons of Levi shall come neer for them hath the Lord thy God chosen to minister to him and to bless in the name of the Lord which was in Prayer-wise as Num 6 23 24. c. On this wise shall ye blesse the children of Israel saying The Lord bless thee and keep thee the Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious to thee c. Now this Call to become the peoples mouth to God as it respecteth God so it is amongst other things Gods fitting them with abilities as for Preaching so for Prayer and his sequestring them accordingly thereunto as to their work whence that Acts 6. 4. We will give our selves to Praier and to the Ministry of the Word namely as we are Ministers and in an Authoritative way both alike are Ministerial acts and gifting for the one as well as for the other is a choice part of a Ministerial Call That which we render consecrate Aaron and his Sons namely for their work Exod. 29 9. It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So Lev. 8. v. 22. The Ram of Consecration of the Levites is in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ram of Fulness or as it is in the Hebrew Fulnesses As if such men by their Calling were very full men of all Abilities for their Ministerial works yea as if it were one maine part of their Call to be that way as complete as may be Hence also the Annointing of the Priests Exod. 28 41. In taking of the holy unction of the spirit and the gifts thereof in them Joshuah the Priest must have as the garments of Righteousness and Holiness through Christ with other Saints Zach. 3. 4. so a fair Mitre upon his head ver 5. as one honoured above all others in a manner for his head Ornaments and Abilities in his Ministry The Elders in the Apostles dayes called to that Office they were gifted upon any occasion to make an inwrought Prayer James 5. 14 Let them send for the Elders and let them pray over him and vers 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inwrought Prayer of a Righteous man availeth much Both the Officers yea and Members also of pure Churches in the dayes of the Gospel as those four living Creatures and twenty four Elders graver Christians are represented as gifted for Prayer Having Vials filled with odours of Prayers Rev. 5. 8. And surely such as are to be the Chosen constant Speakers of the Assembly to the Lord they had need have choice skil in all holy and heavenly praying-oratory such as are to be the chosen champions as I may say of the Congregation to wrestle it out with God on their behalf they had need have the art of holy wrestling or prayer Such as are the chosen Solicitours for this or that corporation as they had need to bee acquainted with the people well that they may be able to make every ones prayer and plea and complaint and the like So had they need to have the choice skil and holy art of pleading with the Lord as cause shall require This call of such as are to be the officers and more constant mouth of the Congregation in prayer consists in their free Election and full Approbation for that and other ministerial work some way manifested and expressed by the people together with their owne free consent thereunto Thus the Levite set apart of God to the ministry of old and amongst other things therein to blesse in the name of the Lord or to pray and praise God publickly Deut. 10. 8. The Elders of the Congregation on the congregations behalfe are to impose hands upon them Num. 8. 9 10. in testimony of their solemne call of them to ministerial work God will have no one to bee the mouth of any Church who shall be a burthen or grievous to it he will have none forced upon it but rather have such a mouth as the body shall desire gladly thereby to breath out its requests and desires to the Lord. Nor was the Lord more tender of old of the orderly administration of his publick worship then he is now then the peoples call was Gods call he set the Levites apart to bless in his name in their setting them apart for that end And so it is now publick prayer is the publick act of the Church there should then bee a publick hand in it not onely in joynt consent to the petitions but by solemne call of him which preferreth the same in their names to the Court of heaven It is of great concernement to every one in the church as what words and how so by whom the same are spoken in the Lords ears as their words They who draw so near to the Lord to deal in Christs name for so many others had need be approved of God for that end and that they are not if not approved of his people In a word it is no small incouragement to such so called against all inward and outward discouragements and tentations which they meet with in their work that as they are in Gods way so in the place and about the work in special to which the Lord by his people did call them A second requisite to him who is to 2d Requ 2 Praying in the spirit pray as the mouth of the assembly is that he pray in the spirit Eph. 6. 18. praying with all manner of prayer and so with publicke prayer also in the spirit not alone with our hearts or spirits but praying in the holy Ghost Jude 20. Or by a gift and by the immediate help of the holy Ghost Even
to the Wars Deut. 2. 1 5. 4. When it is occasioned from necessary Travels and journeying as in that Parable of the Noble man journying far off and leaving Matters to his servants Luke 19. 12 13 and Matth. 24. 46 47 48. So Jacobs sons go into Egypt once and again from their wives and their children to buy corn Gen. 42 and 43. So upon more weighty occasions of publick Messages from States 2 Sam. 20. 2 or of changes as Epaphroditus Teacher at Philippi Phil. 2. 25. yet sent to Rome to minister to Pauls necessities Phil. 4. 18. 22. So others 2 Cor. 8. 23. The Cautions are two First That all wise and lawful means be used for a seasonable compacting of the family in such sort that neither they nor we live too solitary lest that befal us which did Lot and his daughters in the Mountaine Gen. 19 30 31 33. 2 Let us appoint some godly servants or sons over that part of the family where neither of the Guides can bee usually present When is family Prayer to bee performed Concerning the time of family praier morning and evening Morning and Evening as of old they had their daily Sacrifice respecting the household morning and evening Numb 28 3 4. the two special seasons of houshold instruction fittest to be so sanctified and honoured Deut. 6. 4. The widows which shew their piety at home in Prayers there also as well as otherwise are to do it night and day 1 Tim. 5. 4 5. Quest Quest Whether should not family Prayer be first performed in the morning as much as in us lieth before any other thing bee done Answ Yes when we rise up its best doing Answ 1 of it Deut. 6. 7 For first 't is meet that God and not our selves or others should have the first of our daily time and the first fruits of the services of our souls and bodies daily which are given and preserved and daily loaden with his blessings by him The first day of the week is now his day and the first of each day should be as much as may be devoted in this sense to him And if it cannot be so soon in the family yet let them have it in the closet David would not put off God till noon as too many of us do and make no morning of it for prayer in family as wel as closet But at morning and evening and at noon he wil be praying and praising of God Psal 55. 17. 2. That at our uprising the family is unscattered which haply severed is not easily gathered in any season 3 Then if at all before heads and hearts are actually busied in and on outward occasions and imployments are minds and hearts fittest for God 4. It is most seasonable sanctifying and begging thereby of a blessing upon the days occasions before we have begun to meddle with them 5. In the interim of some few hours space wherein morning family prayer is deferred some sad disasters may befal some of the family which then must needs be the more grievous Job fearing this through some miscarriages of his children at their Festivals sends for them each day and as it is day by day sanctified them Job 1. 5. Let us now wind up all in a word of Exhortation to a conscionable performance Vse of this duty and attendance thereupon and Motives to it the rather 1 In that the Lord hath honoured family prayer also as well as other prayer with special 1. Blessings got by it respect as to those of Cornelius his prayers with his houshold as well as to those in his house alone Act. 10. 2 4. whence he and his got more clear knowledge of Jesus Christ as that promised Messiah in whom they more confusedly believed before Besides the gift of the Holy Ghost which they also attained as the sequel in the Chapter sheweth 2. Even family Prayer hastens ruine upon the Churches enemies bent to destroy them 2. Enemies ruine hastned by it When God will seek to destroy Nations which will come up against Jerusalem Zachary 12. 9. there is a mighty spirit of prayer shining in good families He then poureth out upon Jerusalems Inhabitants such a spirit of grace and supplication as that they are mourning in prayer before him both privately and secretly families apart and wives godly persons apart Zach. 10. 11 12. 3 Family prayer is a very good meanes 3. It helps to keep off any curse to clear even the very house from any secret curse which as a Leprosie by reason of sin may take hold as it were of the very timber and walls thereof as Lev. 34. 34 35 Zach. 5. 4. Prov. 3. 33. Let us hereby dedicate the house to God but in the practise hereof observe these things Rules about it 1. Rid the family of grosse sins 1. Look that the houshold be before-hand cleansed of any known and grosser evils which may lye upon it or any in it as Jacobs houshold-Gods must bee put away before hee go up to Bethel with them there to worship the Lord Gen. 3. 2 3. 2 Let the Guides of the family as 2. Let husband and wife carry it wel to each other the Husband and Wife look to it that their mutual carriage each to other be amiable and regular that so the family Prayers be not hindred 1 Peter 3. 7. 3 Let there be some little space of withdrawing 3 Take a little time to prepare for it from other words or works before we set about the duty with one breath to be speaking and carnally or to be but then talking of a very Swine and forthwith without any more ado rudely and unpreparedly to begin so solemn a speech to the great God it is very unseemly and very irreverent CHAP. V. Touching Closet Prayer VVE come now to the third branch of solemne and continued Prayer namely Secret and Closet Prayer the injunction reacheth as the Church of Thessalonica collectively considered as a Church and the families there as Christian families so each particular Christian there personally considered what hee is to do apart as well as what he is to do as a member of the Congregation or Family and by Analogy every other Christian is bound and concerned in this precept to pray alone also and that without ceasing Mat. 6. 6. But thou when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut to thy door pray to thy Father which seeth in secret c. he saith not when you pray but thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet c. as speaking not so much of a joynt Duty of many together as of a duty which each person is to do alone as in the other verse 3. When thou doest thine Almes c. It is an injunction not so much of what the godly are to do in some joint way of Charity but what each gracious person is to do apart and alone as occasion is offered even when or where none else
haply can or will do as they do So Chemnitius Cartwright Aretius and Musculus upon Matth. 6. 6. they expound this of prayer in retyred places And albeit the intent of Christ be not meerly to prescribe closet Prayer in that Scripture as each Christians proper duty and much lesse to prescribe it as all the prayer which he calleth for from his people yet we may safely conclude that hee therein commendeth and commandeth closet praier of each Christian alone by himself as one special way of praying to him who seeth in secret and as that wherein they shall give a special testimony of their sincerity and avoid that vain-glorious affection of mens praise which the Lord Jesus there blameth in the Scribes and Pharisees Touching this Duty then consider we 1. Who must pray thus alone 2. Why And 3 What use wee are to make thereof Touching the first we say none are excepted Each one must pray alone who are of understanding to know what they are to do therein whether younger or elder high or low rich or poor bond or free Male or Female as they are all one in point of dignity and priviledg in Christ Jesus Colos 3. 11. Gal. 3. 27 28. as they have and professe each of them an interest in him who is and seeth in secret as their Father Matth. 6. 6. Pray to thy Father which seeth in secret c. Every one severally apart as well as jointly together is to cry in secret also Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. the very wives apart must be improving their spirit of Supplication in an humble and contrite manner as well as together with their family yea sometimes in an extraordinary manner must they thus mourn even pray and fast apart and therefore much more may they must they pray contritely in an ordinary way when apart from the rest of the Family the wives who have so many occasions more then others from little ones and other houshold affairs to take up their time above others yet are not exempted from this holy exercise and therefore by proportion none else are exempted from it Touching the second The Reasons enforcing Reasons why 1 Gods promise undertaking and encouraging it this duty are 1. Taken from the Promise of God partly undertaking that it shall be so that his people shall be enabled to pray apart by themselves and shall exercise themselves therein as Zach. 12. 10 11 12 13. he promiseth to pour upon them the spirit of Supplication and that they should mourne or pray in an humble and contrite manner by themselves alone and partly from his promise to his people when at any time thus exercised in secret prayer when none else sees them when or how or how long they pray he will reward them openly partly in this life All shall see and manifestly perceive by the fruit thereof that Isaak Hannah and Zacharias did pray alone to their heavenly Father for the fruit of the womb The Holy Ghost recordeth it in the Scriptures and thereby holdeth it forth to the view of every eye to whom the Word shall come how honourably God hath accepted and rewarded secret praier All shal see that Moses is wont to be with God alone by his manifest and notable prevailing with God if he but go aside and pray to the Lord blinded Pharaoh himselfe shall do it and therefore is often entreating his prayers for him and his people Exod. 8. and 9. and 10. so the Jewes could not but perceive it whence they recourse oft to him to pray for them Numb 11. 1 2. and 21. 7 8 9 and the places shew a manifest reward of that his praying granted and given out thereupon How openly did God reward Daniel who was wont to pray to his God in secret Dan. 9. 10. with manifest deliverance from so great a death ver 23. and with the notable ruine brought upon those who would have forbidden and hindred him from that holy exercise of his but three dayes together verse 5 6 7. and 10 11 12 24. compared The more the Saints do thus secretly also acquaint themselves with God the more notable good shall come to them the very light of God shall shine upon the wayes of such the very Iland where they are shall fare the better for them Job 22. 21 27 28 30 compared And as in this life so in that which is to come will God reward them openly when God will bring every secret work to judgment of remuneration Eccl 12. 14 when the Saints shall receive according to the good they have done in the body 2 Cor. 5. 10. Then shall their secret seeking of Gods face also come to light It shall be shewed before the whole world how many many a time such and such of Gods hidden ones have been serving him with their spirits and that they have been and now fully are thus and thus graciously rewarded not a tear of theirs shed in their pouring out their souls thus before God but he bottled up Psalm 56. 8. and at that day it shall appear they were not lost their waters at that wedding day will be turned into wine The second Reason is taken from divine providence ordering Closet occasions fit 2. Closet occasions only for secret expressing and opening them before the Lord as some secret personal heart-plague 1 Kings 8. 38. Some secret snares layed for this or that Saint of God by men or divels as by so many cursed Fowlers But in the use of this means of calling thus personally and particularly upon God he delivered both Christ the Lord and his members in particular Psal 91. 3. He shall deliver thee from the snare of the Fowler c. and ver 15. He shall call upon me and I will answer him c. The Saints by secret prayer do countermine the secret stratagems of their subtle enemies Psalm 9. 13 15 16. The third Reason may be taken from the approved examples of the choicest of Gods 3. Examples of the Saints so exercised Saints this way exercised As that of Daniel three times a day Dan. 6. 10. that of David as oft Psalm 55. 17. that of Isaac using daily to go out into the fields alone there to meditate or pray as the Geneva Bible reads it Gen. 24. 63. That of the Lord Jesus Mark 1. 35. Early in the morning before he healed the Leper he was praying alone in a secret place And Luke chap. 5. 12 13 14 15. compared with verse 16. instanceth in a like practise of his after that cure which he wrought He withdrew himselfe and went into the wilderness and prayed yet not much space of time betwixt the one and the other Luke 6. 12. He went out into a Mountain and continued all night in prayer and he was then alone for verse 13. When it was day he called unto him his Disciples Matth. 14 22. he sendeth away his Disciples first by ship and verse 23. He goeth apart into the Mountain to
faith and love makes Paul echo forth the sound thereof in the ears of God by praying for him Philem 4. 5. And it would be good to keep a fresh memorial of others graces as Paul did of those in the Thessalonians whence it was that he was so earnest for them in his prayers 1 Thes 1 2 3. 3. Prize we grace in others as well as 3 Prize grace in others in our selves 2 Cor. 9. 14. And by their prayer for you which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you 4 Put we our selves in others stead So 4 Put we our selves in others stead Jesus Christ teacheth us in the Lords prayer to be our selves needing dayly bread and remission of sins and reseue from the evil of temptations if others be so So Moses Let the Lord go with us and pardon us Exod 34. 8 9. So Daniel puts himselfe in the number and case of such and such suffering ones Dan 9. 4 5. c. 5 Look we maintain an holy life in prayers respecting our selves When the root Keep lively in praying for our selves of a spirit of Prayer is kept fresh and springing it will be sprouting forth into all the variety of the branches thereof respecting others as well as our selves If that pipe be kept open it will be conveying waters of Grace to others houses and hearts as well as our own If the Spring Tide be up our neighbours creeks as well as ours will be supplyed with waters The supplies of the oyle of Grace from the Lord of the whole earth will be beneficial to the whole Candlestick the Church and the several Bowles and Lamps of it Zech. 4. 2 3 11 12 13. We cannot as members of this body sensibly think or speak for our selves but more or less we shall bee mindful of other parts and members of the body of Christ in special sort 6 Put wee one another upon praying 6 Put we one another upon it one for another Heb. 13 18. Pray for us saith the Apostle Lay open your cases one to another begging each others prayers Tell my Beloved saith the Church that I am sick of love Cant. 5 8. Many hands contribute this way even to a poor decayed Christian and will help him into a way of spiritual trading with God as formerly As many Simples put togethet will make soveraign Physick to recover a sick man so I may say of particular mens prayers meeting in one fâ—rther others souls welfare and health Some Favourites Prayers may help others who may be under some displeasure of the Lord to come into renewed terms of favour with him upon requests made for them Therefore as Mordecai will set Esther on work to intercede for him with the King and for his people so should we crave the prayers of such who are upon better termes possibly with the Lord then we our selves are at present God himselfe sends Jobs three friends under his present distastes for not speaking so rightly of him as Job had done unto Job who though he had miscarried yet had made his peace again with God and he must pray for them Job 42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Job must break the ice to clear their passage Even the injurious Gibeonites must in case blesse Israel or else they are not to look to speed so well from the Lord 2 Sam. 21. 1. 2 3 4. c. God will have all the members of Christ to see the need and use of other members even the meanest as the Church of Jerusalems daughters to tell Christ in their praiers of her condition Cant. 5. Touching the third thing the Marks Marks of praiers heard for others of our prayers speeding for others and that the favours shewed to others are fruits of our prayers are 1 When God stirreth up their hearts for 1. Others faith that we shall be heard for them whom we pray to be by faith perswaded that God will hear us for them Phil. 1. 19. For I know that it shall turn to my salvation through your prayers Philem. 22. For I trust that through your prayers I shall be given to you When God doth thus send word before hand and give notice to his Saints what he meanes to do for them at the request of such or such of their brethren it is a pledg that the ensuing success was that way brought about 2 When God in the conferring of such 2 Others faith that we were heard for them and such mercies upon others doth secretly and strongly perswade them that they are the fruit of the prayers of such and such of his servants for them it is verily so indeed As when Paul is perswaded that his liberty and life restored and the gracious fruits thereof that they were the fruits of the Corinthians and others prayers a gift bestowed by the means of many and you also helping by your Prayers 2 Cor. 1. 10 11. As when a King shall send word to some Subjects of his that he hath done thus or thus for them because of the request of such or such of his Courtiers Or as a School-master shall tell his Scholers who begg'd their play day So here in such holy motions in others hearts the Lord signifieth to them that such or such a refreshment enlargement and succour in such or such temptations are issues of the requests of such or such of his servants for them 3 When God stirreth up injured persons 3. When they are the prayers of injured persons by them they pray for to pray feelingly and fervently for such as have wronged them as Job for his friends Job 42. 8 9. The Prayer of Christ for many of his Persecutors Father forgive them c. Luke 23. 34. It took well witnesse that blessed change wrought in many of them so soon after Acts 2. 36 37 38 39. This fruit of Divine love in the Saints argueth a root of it in the Lord himself toward such persons for whom they make such requests and such strong living currents and rivers of kindnesse and compassions argue an Ocean of the same bowels in God towards them such love speeches being dictated by the special motions of Gods Spirit are wont to be owned by the Lord. 4 When some are stirred up to earnest Prayer for some one or more for whom 4. When persons prayed for are praied for as well by many others as by us many others of the Saints unspoken to haply and unthought of do in like sort intercede with God When many help this way toward the bestowing of one and the same gift it seldom faileth 2 Cor. 1. 11 You also helping by your prayers viz. together with others in like sort stirred up in other places to pray for the same gift There is ever most of God in such unanimity and accord When the Spirit of the Lord doth thus tune many hearts as several Instruments to answer one another when the same Lesson of the Spirits setting
and Barnabas but they prayed not against each other Abraham and Lot engaged in their Herdmens contentions Gen. 12. 7 8. yet Abraham prayeth for Lot chap. 18. 25. and 19. 29. compared I heartily wish that all Gods servants of either Congregational or Presbyterial way take heed of the breaking out of any such fire as this is which will be found to be wild fire one day As for the cursed crew of cursing Ranters who curse those whom God hath blessed yea it may be the blessed God himself also our God will one day accomplish that dreadful word upon them if they repent them not throughly of their Blasphemies I wil curse them that curse thee and let none of them think that in cursing they blesse them for they are contraries as the Lord there sheweth I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee He would not curse men for blessing his people but blesse them rather they may as well imagine that God in cursing such doth but blesse them and if they dare adventure to undergo Gods curse and yet dream of his blessing let the blind lead the blind 2 Look that our curse against others 2 Causelesse be not causeless Prov. 26. 2. The curse that is causeless shal never come as when Jeremy in a distemper cursed him that told his father first that a man child was born unto him Jer. 20. 15 16. It is extreme injustice and taking the name of God in vain nor will he hold such as do thus guiltless to call for vengeance against the guiltlesse and to assay to make divine Justice subservient to the unjust desires of the flesh If a reviling Racha be under the head of murder of another Matth. 5. 21 22. What is this It is foulest impiety under a covert of piety of prayer to seek to devour others 3 Look we that though there be some 3. Rash seeming cause yet that wee be not rash in imprecating but very deliberate consider throughly of our own spirits therein the want whereof was rebuked in James and John though seeming to consult with Christ about it Wilt thou that we command fire from Luke 9. 14. heaven c. but Jesus rebuked them saying You know not c. of what spirits ye are We are easily mistaken in our spirits at such a time in such a work In other cases not so intricate we understand not too often what is that which chiefly acteth and moveth us therein much more in this we may soon miscarry here both in the persons against whom and the things which and the end for which we imprecate If in other cases we should not be hasty with our mouths or rash to utter a thing before God Eccles 5. 1 2. much lesse should we be rash in our Imprecations 4 Look that we imprecate not in our own 4. Not in personal cases meerly persons barely Eccles 7. 22. As when servants provoked wil be cursing their Masters our hearts and consciences will smite us for it if thine heart knowes that thou thy selfe hast cursed others ibid. this were to imitate Heathens in a way of revenge 5 Look that we do not therein cut 5. Nor with â—reach of bonds of relations in sunder the bonds of special relations which the Lord hath laid upon us as for children under any pretence whatsoever to curse their parents Prov. 20. 20. Whoso curseth his father or his mother his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness Such wild and strange fire never came downe from heaven such a cursing tongue is set on fire of Hell 6 Look that we do not secretly imprecate 6 Nor when pretending to blesse against such as we pretend to blesse Some there are who blesse with their mouth but curse with their inward parts Psal 62. 4. but such persons are rotten hearted and neare ruine like a tottering wall ver 3. It is as monstruous that out of the same mouth should proceed blessing and cursing as for a fountain to send forth bitter and yet sweet or salt and yet fresh waters James 3. 10 11 12. It is grosse hypocrisie and that wisdome which contriveth it is carnal sensual and divellish ver 15. The Divel himselfe will sometimes carry towards men as if he wished them well and in heart curse them 7 Look that we do not abound in imprecations 7 Nor abounding as that cursed cursing generation of Ranters sprung up of late little else to be heard but Lord confound such and such Lord cut them all off God damn them body and soul c Prayers so continually besprinkled with gall argue a root bearing gall and wormwood Deut. 29. Their grapes are grapes of gall their clusters are bitter and so their vine is a vine of Sodom Deut. 31. 32. guile is under their tongue which is full of cursing Psal 10. 7. They are Jews professou rs of religion in shew but really carnal Gentiles not sincerely righteous whose mouths are full of cursing constantly and onely cursing Rom. 3. 9 10 14. verses compared such doe not experimentally know the grace of Christ and the blessing of grace verses 11 14. Nor are sincere seekers of the Lord. ibid. But rather wander as persons dangerously deluded and misled in by-wayes leading to destruon verse 12 13 14 And are at best unprofitable and such as doe nothing formally good ibid. Lastly look that we doe not delight and 8 Nor delightful glory in imprecations The Prophet in Psal 109. 17. speaks of one delighting in cursing and by verse 8. compared with Acts 3. 20. Judas is pointed at therein who it may seem thereby was a man much given to cursing and delighting much in imprecations and himselfe in the meane space a cursed hypocrite and traytour to Jesus Christ Caution 2. Now consider wee affirmatively We may pray against others so 1 Being more ready to blesse then curse in what way we may pray against others Answ 1. We must be more ready to blesse and pray for others then to curse or pray against others Blesse or pray for them that persecute you Rom. 12. 14. and Matth. 5. 44. compared yea blesse saith the Lord and curse not ibid. The charge of blessing or praying for others is reiterated and a prohibition given to the other shewing how ready and forward we should be to blesse others but be very rare and cautelous in imprecating and praying against them for the prohibition there is not taken absolutely and indefinitly in no case and at no time the Saints may or ought to curse or pray against others the Scripture elsewhere as we have seen allowing of it in case and injoying of it 2. We must blesse long before we may 2 Blessing long before we curse dare to imprecate in case they be professed freinds to the Lord. As Jeremiah did who prayed long for those revolters of his time until forbidden of God to pray any more for them Jer. 14. 7. 11. Pray
not for this people yet verse 19 20 21 22. he is at it againe beseeching of God for his Names sake not to abhorre them Chap. 11. 1. God telleth him there is no good that way to be done for them though as mighty men in prayer as Moses and Samuel stood before him afterwards indeed Jeremy once or twice prayeth against them in Jer 55. 10 15. and 18. 21 22 Remember that I stood before thee for them to turne away this wrath from them yet Lord thou knowest all their counsell against me to slay me forgive not their iniquity c. God is long before he inflicts his curse My spirit shall not alwayes strive with man yet his dayes shall be an hundred and twenty years Gen. 6. 3. We may then bee long before we wish the curse of God upon the ungodly Jesus Christ was by and heard his persecutors imprecating so against themselves and children saying his blood bee upon us and our children Matth. 27. 25. and one would think he might well say Amen thereto nay but he would not he did not for as in that Luke 22. 34. he prayeth rather that God would take off that curse Father forgive them for they know not what they doe Imprecations had certainly miscarryed if they had been made by any of the Saints against Manasseh or Paul who yet went very far in rebellion and enmity against God 3. Look that we imprecate and pray 3 We imprecate rather with respect to blessing that such or such calamities may light upon others so as in reference to blessing of them if the Lord please Psalm 83. 15 16. So persecute them with thy tempest and make them afraid with thy storme fill their faces with shame that they may seek thy Name O Lord. The Church she anathematizeth a wicked person but it is not for their destruction but of their flesh in them and that their soules might if possible be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 5. 4. So here 4. Look that we imprecate and pray 4 We pray rather against their sins then persons rather against their sin and wickedness then their persons against whom we pray 2 Sam. 15. 3. Turn this counsell of Achitophel into foolishnesse Acts 4. 29. Lord behold their threatnings Psal 7. 9. Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end It is the wickedness and the enmity of Gods wicked enemies which most properly striketh at God which is most mischeivous to the Church and most hurtfull to themselves and others wherefore spare no arrows against that and as far as worldly greatness is an occasion and instrument of their wickedness we may pray against that Psal 58. 6. Break the great teeth of the young Lyons 5. Pray against the enemies of God 5 We imprecate conditionally suppositively and conditionally namely if they persist in their emnity against God that they be implacable that they bee reprobates persons devoted to ruine and ripe for it David prayeth against the inraged enemie that God would judge them Psal 7. 6. but verse 12 If he turne not God wil whet his sword and the Lord himself declaratively curseth the wicked by his Ministers but yet with a tacit condition if they repent not and the like Jer. 18. 7 8. 36. 2 3. and so are the Saints to wish that curse 6 Imprecate indefinitely of God against them with the like tacit condition if they repent not and the llke 6. Pray against the enemies of God indefinitely and abstractively not so much eying this or that person in particular Deut. 33. 11. Smite through the loynes of those that rise up against him that they rise not againe Moses did not eye one enemy of Levi more then another So Numb 10. 35. Let them that hate thee flye before thee the like Psal 68. 1 2. 1 Cor. 16. 22. Let them that love not the Lord Jesus be Anathema Maranatha There is ever most of God and least of selfe in such indefinite imprecations And the Saints may in that way of imprecating bee both more free and have more help to their faith in Gods promises wherein he ingageth himselfe in an indefinite way to plague such and such a sort of desperate and ripened enemies and the like without particular reference to this or that person in particular 7. Look that as we propound for our 7 We imprecate with faith and that with respect to Gods glory and the churches good end in such imprecations the glory of God and the Churches good and as Pauls respect to the glory of God in his word makes him wish them accursed that preach another Gospel Gal. 1. 8. And his respect to the Churches good and peace maketh him wish them cut off who trouble them Gal. 5. So for the manner of imprecating we doe it in faith Psal 36. 11 12. Let not the foot of pride come against me There are they fallen and he by faith seeth them fallen against whom he prayed Psalm 10. 15. Breake thou the arme of the wicked verse 15. The heathen are perished out of his land Yea that it be with holy griefe of heart that wee have any cause to imprecate against any enemies of God As Matth. 18. 31. When the fellow servants saw what was done by that cruel and mercilesse wretch against one of their fellows they were sorry and came and told the Lord. As Christ the Judge pronounceth that sentence against those his enemies with expressions of much bowels he beheld Jerusalem and wept over it and said they shall not leave thee one stone upon another because thou knewest not the day of thy visitation Luke 19. 41 42 43 44. So should the Saints which as witnesses or assessors either give in evidences or verdicts upon the testimonies of their acts of enmity against God and his Church they should doe it with griefe Touching the third thing propounded We must pray against treacherous enemies we say we may and must pray against treacherous enemies which should have been freinds as those of Meros which should have helped the Lord against the mighty were cursed Judg 5. 23. Psal 69. 20. I looked for some to take pity but there was none c. verse 22. Let their table become a snare 2. Against sligh undermining enemies such as pretending to pity and help will 2 Sly enemies hurt the people of God Psal 55. 15. Let death seize upon them his words were softer then oyle yet were they drawne swords Such as can use all fraudulent expressions to insinuate to murther soules Psalme 10. 7. and verse 8. They lurk and lye in wait to take all advantages to murther the innocent yea their very souls if it were possible as well as their bodies by wily tricks to draw them to sinne against their consciences verse 9. They would bee drawing them into their net Yea verse 10. Hee crowcheth and humbleth himselfe that the poor may fall And verse 12. Arise O Lord
O God lift up thy hand and verse 15. Break thou the arme of the wicked Such enemies who professing the true religion yet against their owne light will be plotting all the wayes they can aginst the Saints and to reproach and to disgrace the wayes of God Jer. 18. 18 19 21. these are very like the Devil transforming himselfe into an angel of light but against his light using all his wiles to insnare souls and bring them to like perdition with himselfe These doe the more mischeife to the Church and people of God and possibly cause many truly godly ones through their wiles to go halting and bleeding to their graves 3. Against mocking scoffing and insulting enemies who like Tobiah and Sanballat 3 Mocking insulting enemies doe deride and jear at the gracious practises of the Saints as they did at that good work of theirs in building Jerusalems walls Nehem. 4. 2 3. But verse 4 5. Heare O God for we are despised and turn their reproach upon their owne heads Psal 69 10. When I wept and fasted that was to me a reproach or ver 11. I became a proverb to them And verse 26. They talk to the greif of them whom thou hast wounded verse 27. Add iniquity to their iniquity c. Such as are ready to gnash their very teeth at the righteous and to make themselves merry at any evill befalling them Psal 35. 16. Hypocritical mockers in feasts who gnash their teeth upon me they open their mouth wide against me and said Aha aha our eye hath seen it verse 26. Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoyce at my hurt Such are old standers in the ways of sinne and have long walked in the counsels of the ungodly and now taking up their rest as it were in the way of scorning at God and good Psal 1. 1. These have most venome in them that can laughingly smile on the Saints when yet they had rather be gnashing their teeth at them and so are riper for Gods curse as even ready to glory in any wicked pranks which are played against the Saints 4. Against apostatized enemies As 4 Apostatized enemies an Achitophel a Judas Psal 55. 12 13. 14 15. An Alexander 2 Tim. 4. 4. Alexander hath done me much hurt the Lord reward him according to his deeds Such do much hurt indeed they know the wayes of the Saints they are most imbittered against them Like Christians turning Turkes proselited pharisaical persons more hellish in their malice and fury against the godly then Turks or Pharisees themselves Math. 23. 15. the sweetest wine turning the sharpest vinegarlike spirits against the Saints 5. Against such as apparently oppose rather 5 Enemies against God in Saints persons God in their persons then the persons themselves opposing persons every way amiable in their eyes for parts parentage good behaviour and repute and only because godly and so hating them without any personal cause Psal 69. 4. onely for Gods sake they reproach them verse 7. Because they pray and fast that is to their reproach verse 10. Let the table of such become a snare c. verse 22. Psal 35. 7. Without cause on my part they have hid for me their net c. Therefore let their way be death And verse 20. They devise deceitfull matters against them that are quiet in the land Persons that meddle not with others or other matters but have their conversations in heaven they themselves cannot charge them to bee turbulent but they are pious they are conscientious that is enough against them in such mens eies yea where-ever or in whomsoever such persons see the image of God they doe like their father the Devil maligne it Yea though they gaine neither credit nor profit by maligning such persons as the Devil himselfe doth not but are rather losers by it yet they are well appayed if they can but wreak their despight upon the Saints let the ways of such be slippery the angel of the Lord persecute them Ps 35. 6 7. c. 6. Against such enemies who are so 6 Enemies past the reach of mans justice great that they are even past the reach in a manner of humane justice none other left in a manner to break their teeth but God onely Such as say wee will speak and doe thus and thus with them and let us see the proudest He of them all which dare contradict or oppose us Our tongues are our owne who is Lord over us As for the Saints they make a puffe at them such poor snakes as they are and some vilest persons haply being exalted to the highest place of rule such wicked enemies walk on every side without curb or controule Now it is high time for the poore and needy to cry against them and God will arise at their cry Psal 2. 3. 12. 4 8. with 1. 5. verses compared In this case Christ maketh it the Saints duty to cry night and day for vengeance against such enemies And God at length will hear them Lu. 18. 1 2 3 7 8. Bloody minded Joab being too mighty to be reached by King Davids justice is prayed against 2 Sam. 3. 29. Let this blood rest on the head of Joab and verse 39. I am this day weak though anointed King and these men the sons of Zerviah bee to hard for me The Lord shall reward the doer of evill according to his wickednesse 7 Enemies with whom divine justice hath begun 7. Against the enemies of God which divine justice hath already found out and begun to seize upon If the fire of God hath begun to kindle on them and in them we may blow it up by this holy breath Psal 21. 9. c. and verse 13. compared If God sheweth that it s his will to cut down such ripened stalks we may help onward to their cutting downe if he hath begun to wound such mad dogs such wolves such serpents we may help to kill them outright If he hath routed such Midianites our prayers must help for the chase of them When persecuting Babylon is once begun to be battered at and closely besieged through Gods sin revenging hand Then the inhabitants of Zion shall say the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea shall Jerusalem say Jer. 51 31 32 33 with 34 35. Lastly against general enemies such as 8 General enemies Antichrist the Saints may and must all and every one of them muster up al their spiritual forces against such an enemy To conclude Quest It may be demanded When the Quest Saints prayers against the enemies of God may be sayd to be heard or how it may be known that such judgements as the Lord inflicteth upon his enemies are fruits and issues of the Saints prayers Answ I answer 1. When God bringeth Answ strange judgments upon persons prayed Such prayers answered when strange judgements come upon them against As Hezekiah
no extraordinary inspired prayer he prayeth against blaspheming Senacharib 2 Kings 19. 5 16 c. and verse 20. God heard his prayer which appeared ver 35 by the strange hand of God against him and his Army of 185000. who are cut off by an unusual stroak or plague of the angel and he himselfe in an unheard of manner is killed by his owne sons whilst he is worshipping in the house of his God verse 37. 2. When God bringeth upon such enemies speedy and untimely deaths and 2 Speedy and sudden judgements come on them not long after imprecations of the Saints made against them as that night after Hezekiah had so prayed the angel wrought that unheard of slaughter of the Assyrians and soon after that parricide is committed upon Senacharib himselfe Doubtlesse the Saints which made such earnest request for Peter did not forget Herod that bloodyman to intreat God to convert him or else to cut him off if ripe for it and Acts 12. 5. 23. you see it is not long after that in that unwonted way he cometh to his end by the stroak of an angel when the very next day Arius dieth by voiding his bowels as he went to ease himselfe it is a sure token that the prayer of that godly Bishop of Alexandria which hee made against him the night before did speed him Theodoret. Eccles hist lib. 1. cap. 4. When within five or six dayes after that fasting and prayer of the Jews wicked Haman is unexpectedly brought to his end surely God hath respect to his peoples requests in their mournings and this their enemy came to fal before them Hester 4. 7. compared according as the very night after Hesters feast that unexpected way was made by God in the kings heart for Hamans fall Chap. 6. When Achitophel within a day or two after David had prayed Lord turne the counsell of Achitophel into foolishnesse 2 Sam. 15. 31. compared with chap. 17. 1. 23 cometh to his end it evidenceth the same to be an issue of Davids imprecation it s a sign that God heard that cry of Moses against the Egyptians when that very day the Lord in a wonderfull manner overthroweth them Exodus 14. 13 15. 33. compared So when Jehoshaphat and his people solemnly and humbly request the Lord to judge those inhumane ingratefull enemies of theirs 2 Chron. 20. 2 3 4 5 10 12 13. and the very morrow after Grd doth in an unwonted manner bring ruine upon those enemies verse 16 17 22 23 24 25. compared all may safely conclude that those prayers speed them 3. When the manner of the ends which God bringeth upon such enemies against 3 Reproachfull ends befall them which his pray is reproachfull and shamefull as when a wicked Haman which a little before was the greatest in the kingdome cometh to be hanged upon a gallows Esther 7. 9 10. When the great Oracle of the people and Counsellour of state Achitophel cometh to so shameful an end as to dye by an halter yea to hang himselfe When that deputy King or Governour Herod hee cometh to so base an end as to bee eaten of basest vermine of lice so when wretched Arius cometh to so base an end it argueth that some godly Alexander hath told his errand to the Lord. 4. When the judgements God bringeth 4 When the very same judgements prayed for follow upon his enemies are the very same which his people desired against them in their prayers God doth not indeed alwayes hear his people in the very particular but in something equivolent yet sometimes he doth and when he doth so it the rather argueth the same to be an answer of prayer As when not alone a Prophet extraordinarily inspired prayeth against Judas in another enemy like him and the things desired are inflicted as Psal 109. and Acts 12. 18 19 20 compared But Jotham an ordinary man hee prayeth that five may come from Abimelech and devoure the men of Sechem and againe that fire may come from the men of Sechem and devour Abimelech and the issue presently afterwards answereth the same for both were instruments of each others ruine it is a sign that Jothams prayer sped them both Judges 9. verse 56 57 compared 5. If when persons prayed against are 5 They perish without being desired swept away without any desiring even of their associates to the contrary even they pity them not there is none no not of their companions in evill to shew them mercy all blessing from any hand almost is far from them Psal 109. 12. 17. The very wicked which drew them which counselled them to such treacherous enemy-acts against God and Christ cast them off without pity as the Priests and Scribes did cursed Judas in his saddest out-cries and troubles What is that to us they will not owne him nor his acknowledgement look thou to it Matth. 27. 4. Nay such enemies prayed against if the prayers be effectual will like those Ammonites help forwards one anothers ruines 2 Chron. 20. 10 11 12. with verse 22. c. Such bloody Shechemites so prayed against will help forward murtherous Abimelechs death and misery as he did theirs Judges 9. 56 57. PART II. 1 Thess 5. 17. Pray without Ceasing CHAP. I. Touching the modification of the exercise of Prayer and therein of Importunity in Prayer HAving dispatched the Discourse about the nature sorts and parts of Prayer We come to consider of the modification of the exercise of Prayer injoined and implyed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which implyeth praying importunely opportunely and indesinently Some Interpreters make account that Paul hath reference herein unto that speech of Christ Luke 18. 1 that men ought to pray always and not to faint namely through spiritlesness sluggishness or slightnesse so here pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without giving out giving over leaving off or intermitting any space of time which must needs imply importunate praying as that of the widowes plying that unjust Judg with earnest Suites for Justice notwithstanding any seeming discouragements or denyals And indeed such as pray importunately earnestly and servently when they do pray they in Gods intent and account do pray continually or without ceasing Now for our better handling this Duty of praying importunately consider we 1. Wherein importunity of Prayer consisteth 2. The Qualifications of it 3. The Reasons inforcing it 4 Some Helps furthering it 5 Some Marks discovering that importunity of Prayer which the Lord meaneth Touching the first Quere Wherein importunity Importunity of praier consisteth 1. In the utmost improvement of mind heart and the gifts and graces of the Spirit therin in Prayer of Prayer consisteth I answer It consisteth 1. In the extensiveness and intensiveness of the mind and heart and of each praying Grace of a godly Suppliant in his prayer Our new Translation rendreth that in Acts 12. 5. by a like phrase as this in the Text Prayer was made without ceasing but the word
very well bear the dry blows they meet with in fighting to enter in as the force of that Phrase Luke 13. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holdeth forth fighting as those of old in the Grecian exercises some whereof were with fists and batts Brave spirits are up in the soul when a spirit of importunity in prayer is stirring and they will make suppliants bear any thing so much also the force of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used both Col. 4. 21. and Rom. 12. 12. For continuing instant in prayer holdeth forth continuing therein with much patient bearing of incumbrances or molestations 6. It consisteth lastly in being in a holy In holy insatiablenesse with mercies received wife unsatisfied with smaller measures of prayer-blessings pressing still on for more Importunate Abraham hath his additionall requests to the former when they are granted Gen. 18. 17 20 30. So Moses when heard for Israels pardon so far forth Exod. 32. 10 11 12 13. yet hee wants and must have the Lords gracious presence along with him and then Exod. 33. 12 13 17. when that is granted yet he wanteth a further light of Gods glory v. 18. And when he hath got that yet chap. 34. 8 9. he hath a further request for Israel againe verse 8 9. Gideon hath scarse ever done asking one signe and token of Gods gracious presence with him after another granted him Judg. 6. 17 18 37 38 39. compared Those earnests make them presse harder for the receipt of farther and larger sums of grace those gracious recoveries makes them to renew their suits and pleas those tastes do but whet their appetites after more of such spiritual cheare such first-fruits make them long the more for gathering in more of that blessed harvest now and then a view and kisse of their beloved at their request makes them more enamoured with love-desires after more Now of the second thing propounded Importunity in prayer must not be 1 Unseasonable What manner of importunity is required To which I answer 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively Negatively also two wayes 1. Look that it be not unseasonable importunity but a seeking of Christ early in the day time of grace not in the evening the close and ending of that day Prov. 1. 28. Thou shalt seek me early and not find me when the door of grace is shut to cry Lord Lord open to us it is in vaine Luke 13. 25. when men have wearied out the Lord with knocking at their hearts and with calls and they answer not him they shall cry saith the Lord but I will not heare 2. Looke that it be not an inordinate 2 Inordinate or for a lust importunity an importunity of some lusts like Rachels wrastling in prayer also with great wrastling for a son Quest How may Inordinacy of affection Quest or lust be discerned to be the spring and give rise to importunity in prayer 1. Answ When importunity in prayer Answ 1 for mercies which we want is uttered with Markes of earnest prayer when from our lust 1 Undervaluing of mercies received undervaluing of the blessings wee already have or with discontentment at them Numb 11. 4. You fell a lusting and wept saying who will give us flesh and verse 6 We can see nothing but this Man Like children that whilest crying for an apple from their fathers hand will fling away the cake that is in their owne and so get a whipping rather then a pippin as wee say so such get a lashing rather then their longing which argueth an inordinacy in such children 2. When such importunity in seeking such 2 Valuing of things desired even with a bad estate or such things from God is accompanied with a prising of a very bad estate in the enjoyment of the things we ask as we remember say they the flesh we did eat in Egypt Numb 11. 4 5. they are so eager for flesh that Egypt it selfe where they had such flesh hath now an honorable memoriall with them and they could even be glad of Egypt againe upon condition they had but flesh enough as formerly A place of bondage a place where sacrificing to the Lord was an abomination to the Egyptians would be a welcome place with that desired flesh they crave Luke 15. 12. The younger said father give me the portion of goods which falleth to me he will have it though he want his fathers presence and the communion of his family and be left to himselfe to shift for a living The Israelites will have a King though they are told from God that they will be in a farre worse condition under their tyrannous usages then ever they were under the government he appointed over them even under their Judges 1 Sam. 11. 11. to the 18. And vers 18. And you shall cry out in that day because of your King which you shall have chosen you and the Lord will not hear you in that day verse 19. Neverthelesse the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel and they said nay but we will have a King over us Like some young men that against all their fathers wholsome admonitions will needs have such an one for their wife and night and day sollicit their father to let them have her though told that they will but undoe themselves by it 3 Asking things unsutable to our condition 3. When we aske things of God that are unsutable for our condition as for the younger sonne to ask his father to have all at his own dispose when no way fit to manage it Luke 15. 12 13. So for Israel in a wildernesse to desire quailes a meat altogether unsutable for their place and estate So for James and John to desire that one might sit at his right hand and the other at his left hand in the Kingdome of heaven Mark 10. 35. 37. before they are fitted to suffer with Christ or for him to be riding on horseback ere they are able to goe on foot 4 Rashnesse in asking 4. When wee are rashly importunate as James and John were Mark 10. 36. You aske you know not what they considered not understood not what they asked or as in that request for fire to come down from heaven to consume those Samaritanes Luke 9. 54. Christ told them you know not what spirits you are of they considered not from what spirit they were moved in that request When we waite not for Gods counsell advise not with the Lord about what we are to aske or not seasonably before our hearts are growne inordinate with their desires Psalm 106. 13 14. They waited not for his counsel they lusted in the wildernesse when desires prevent or outrun deliberate judgement they are not right or when judgement the mistresse must waite upon these her maids there is disorder When your princely minde must go on foot whilest servantly affections ride on horseback there is confusion when understanding must only dance after affections pipes there must needs be
even upon our lawful occasions when our spirits are 2. Too much eagernesse upon lawfull things or occasions even rivited to our occasions they wil not be easily got free for prayer they must be even filed off againe no ordinary pulling at them will doe when we are too too busy all the day long in speech with such occasions they will be calling even in prayer for a word with us 3. Inconsiderate rovings of minde 3 A wandring minde before in the interims betweene our praying seasons when wee let our fleet thoughts flie hither and thither without restraint they will not be so easily lured by us and come at our call to become fixed in prayer 4. Admission of wandring thoughts in prayer and too easie yieldings to sleightinesse 4 Distraction in prayer therein they grow unmannerly bold when in the least entertained 5. Resting in graces and comforts 5 Resting in grace received received in and by prayer we are sure to become remisse in praying the next time if wee seed our thoughts too much upon what we got the last time we prayed or if sleighty once in prayer because secretly thinking to make amends the next time we shall be then also the more sleighty 6. Misgiving Apprehensions touching Diffidence God and his grace That thought Job 21. 15. What profit should we have if we pray to him maketh them carelesse of coming near the Lord. A petitioner must needs be heartlesse in his suit if he think that the King is wroth with him And a beggar hath no minde to stand begging at a known churles doore Quest To the last querie touching Quest 5 the markes of right and acceptable importunity in prayer Answ I answer wee may discerne Answ our importunity in prayer to be acceptable Marks of acceptable importunity 1 Selfe abasement in prayer when our importunnity is the importunity of a suppliant of a beggar in spirit when it is attended with much selfe abasement as the importunate Canaanite who looked upon her selfe as a dog Matth. 15. 26 27. Truth Lord yet the dogs take of the crummes under the table Importunate Abraham looketh at himselfe as dust and ashes Genesis 18. 27 29. 2. Answ When our hearts in prayer are Answ 2 well warmed fire hot then the end of prayer 2 Holy warmâ—h in prayer fervent prayer is attained when our hearts wax warme by it and the meanes is acceptably used then Gods ends in the use thereof are attained 3. When we are in speciall wise attent as to the work wee are in hand with 3 Holy waiting for an answer so to the successe thereof as that woman that besought Christ in an acceptable way of importunity you may see she lay at catch for she picketh out something for her holy advantage out of even that word which Christ let fall in way of Answer Matth. 15. It is not meet to take childrens bread and give it to dogs truth Lord yet the dogs take of the crums falling from their masters tables that prayer was full of holy pleas and so are importunate prayers Psalme 58. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. And the Prophet beleeveth it was acceptable verse 8. He will speak peace unto his people but withall he was in a lifting posture after his answer I will hear what God the Lord will speak 4. When we are as earnest and serious 4 Hearty prayses afterward in returning praises for mercies received and begged as we were in begging for them Luke 17. 12 13. The Samaritan among the other leapers he also lifted up his voyce with them saying Jesus Master have mercy on us and verse 15 16. he is as earnest and loud in his prayses and one of them when he saw he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down at Jesus feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritane and verse 19. Christ himselfe justifieth his importunity as a fruit of his faith Goe thy way thy faith hath made thee whole CHAP. II. Touching Opportunity of Prayer VVE come now to the second thing included in the Modification of this duty of prayer that it bee without ceasing Namely that we pray opportunely When Paul saith that without ceasing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he had remembrance of Timothy in his prayers night and day 2 Tim. 1. 3. He meaneth that upon all occasions and as he had any opportunity hee did remember him in his prayers Hee taketh all opportunities offered by the Lord to pray and omitteth them not he praieth without ceasing It is then the duty of all the Lords people to pray opportunely or to take all holy opportunities to pray unto the Lord. For the better handling of this duty consider these particulars First that it is seldome that any time is unseasonable for prayer Secondly that yet there is a time when the Lord will not listen to prayer no not of his owne people Thirdly that in mercy the Lord useth to offer unto his people opportunities and seasons of prayer Fourthly that the Lords people are bound to take or improve all such opportunities of prayer Touching the first very briefly that it is Prayer is rarely unseasonable at any time very rare that any time is unseasonable for prayer it appeares in this that the Saints are injoyned to pray alwayes Luke 21. 36 Ephes 6. 18. And this that the title of God is to be a God hearing prayers Psal 65. 1 2. O thou that art hearing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayers He is alwayes hearing the prayers of some of his people and ready to hear the rest Touching the second a little more largely Sometimes prayer is not so seasonable that there is a time when the Lord will not listen to prayer no not of his people so that praying at such times they pray out of due season It is not then so fit a time for them to pray As 1. When they are under offences unrepented 1 When the persons praying are under just offences of Matth. 5. 24. First be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift It is not seasonable for Jobs freinds to come to offer to God until reconciled to injured Job Job 42 78. If we are out with the favourites of the King of Saints it is not seasonable to come to the King with petitions It is not a season to seek peace with Christ the head when peace with his members is not sought If our heavenly Father should not hold off his respects to childrens requests who offend their brethren they would never seek to be reconciled 2. When any of them doe too willingly 2 When under some guilt of sin not actually repented of and contentedly remaine under the guilt of some known sinne against the Lord. Isai 1. 15. When you make many prayers I will not heare your hands are full of blood ver 16. wash you make you cleane put away the evil of your doings c.
of it it is high time to draw a solemne petition to our gracious King to take some effectuall order to suppresse it 3. In case of some weighty service of God 3 Difficult service which we look at as above our strength Now must young Solomon that thinks himselfe but a child for such imployment ask of God 1 Kings 3. 5 6 7 c. 4. In case of greatest danger impendings 4 Danger impending as when Yet forty dayes and Niniveh shall be destroyed Jonah 3. 4. Now if ever poor Ninivites must call mightily to the Lord and verse 10. God saw their works and repented him of the evil Exod. 32. 10. Gods hand is up against Israel with his slaughtering weapon Now pray Moses or never and he did so v. 11 14. God repented of that evill also Touching the last particular that wee are bound to take these opportunities of prayer it is undenyable we are bound to pray without ceasing and therefore to bee taking all opportunities to pray And wherefore else doth the Lord put such a talent of opportunity of Motives prayer into our hands but that he expecteth the faithful and fruitful improvement thereof to be made by us or else he will assuredly take his time to expresse his displeasure against us for so grosse a neglect of his grace and of our own souls advantage But that we may be quickned up to pray opportunely or to take all opportunities of prayer Consider 1. That opportunity is the very cream and This Opportunity is the best and all of Time flower and spirits yea the very All of time Hence this Pray continually i. e. opportunely he that prayes as oft as he hath opportunity prayeth alwayes 2. That opportunity of asking offered 2 'T is an ingagement to the Lord to hear by the Lord doth as I may say ingage the Lord to answer Why should the Lord set out such almes-dayes and audiencedayes and some way signifie it to his people if hee meant not to heare and help them Friends in such a case stand upon their credit if they appoint times to meet and to entertaine a friendly discourse with their friends they are not wont to faile them so here opportunity of asking given us by the Lord it imboldneth us to ask and to expect a seasonable answer 3. That opportunity of Prayer it 3 It is the grace and beauty of prayer doth grace and beautifie our Prayers As every thing else is beautifull in its season Eccles 3. 11. So is Prayer in its season opportunity is a wheele to the chariot of prayer which safely strongly and swiftly carryeth it in before the Lord. A word spoken in season to men is in the Hebrew phrase a word spoken upon the wheeles Prov. 25. 11. So is it in these words spoken to the Lord in their season yea opportunity helpeth to carry our praier also in an holy state before the Lord as upon a royall Chariot-wheele Opportunity of Prayer greatly furthers their acceptance in Christ These fruits of our lips also are then best and most welcome to the Lord when brought forth in their season 4 It useth to succeed well 4. That seasonable prayer is ever speeding prayer Psal 5. 13. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning namely praying in the season of prayer 5. That opportunity of seeking and 5 It is beg'd for us by Christ getting grace by prayer and other means is begged for us by Christ In an acceptable time have I heard thee as saith the blessed Father to the Mediatour Isai 49. 8. And thence it is that the members of this head of the Church have any such time of acceptance 2 Cor. 6. 2. For hee saith in an acceptable time have I heard thee Now is the acceptable time 6. That great will bee our disadvantage by letting such holy opportunities of Prayer slip for besides the losse of such jewels and of what wee might have gained by trading with the same our spirits will come to bee very much straitned and hardned as sad experience in the Saints themselves witnesseth CHAP. III. Of Constancy in Prayer WE come now to the third and last thing held forth in the modification of the practise of this duty of prayer that it be without ceasing i. e. Indesinently or constantly It is then our duty to pray indesinently or constantly Now for this Consider 1. What it is to pray indesinently or Tâ— pray constantly is 1. Not to give out from prayer constantly or what is implyed in it and why we must so pray and then make we one briefe Use of it Touching the first To pray indesinently or constantly is Not to give out from praying not to let God alone untill hee doe blesse us To pray and not to faint Luke 18. 1. Not to give God rest Esa 62. 61. To look to him in prayer untill he shew us mercy Psal 123. 1 2. Quest May any true childe of God give off prayer for a season Quest Answ Yea verily Gods own dear Saints may be weary in praying though Answ 1 not so weary of prayer The duty it selfe is to them very desirable in it selfe but the discouragements may be such in tempted times that they may be even afraid to goe to God to seek his face sometimes Psal 6. 6. I am weary with my groaning and 69. 3. Godly ones may give out from prayer for a little season I am weary of my crying yet hee gave not off wholly or not long verse 13. But as for me my prayer is unto thee If they give out for a spurt from solemn Prayer they cease not to be darting up ejaculatory prayers Jonah 2. 4. I sayd I am cast out of thy sight yet will I looke unto thy holy Temple When God in deserted times seemeth to turne his back upon his Saints or they through distrust and distempers are as if turning their back upon him yet they give many of these love-casts of the eyes of their souls towards God desires will be ever and anon stepping out of such a gracious heart to look after the Lord. That holy fire within the heart albeit it blazeth not out yet will be ever and anon sending out these sparks There are times wherein the Saints are so spiritually sick of sinne and of temptations that their very speech faileth them even they have their spiritual swounds and may lye a while speechlesse yet either they are making these holy signes in their fainting fits or some of this holy breath is stirring If Hezekiah cannot speak out in solemne prayer yet can he chatter and make these shorter holy mutterings of his heart and these dove like moanes of his spirit Isai 38. 14. I am oppressed O Lord undertake for me Quest How cometh it to passe that any Quest such sad silence or speechlesnesse in respect of solemn Prayer doth at any time or for any shorter space befall Gods owne people Answ Sometimes through some dangerous fall
is done mostly by Meditation upon Gods word and works daily meditation whereby we doe in a holy wise sit and dwell upon and draw out the sweet and sap which is in Gods words and works Psal 5. 1. Consider my meditation he meaneth his prayer What David suck't and brought into the retired corners of his soul by holy contemplation he dropped it out in prayer Meditation filleth the vessel of a gracious heart and prayer broacheth it openeth the heart letteth and poureth out the precious things therein By meditation we beat the spices and cut the offering to pieces and lay them in order fit to be offered and then we are the fitter to offer the same up in prayer Meditation diggeth and searcheth and findeth out the precious mettals and materials which being ready at hand are the sooner and the better minted in prayer 2. Let such be improving all praying 2 Improvement of motions to prayer motions and stirrings We shall never hold on in prayer without ceasing 1 Thes 5. 17. and in continual praysing ver 18. unlesse we attend that counsell verse 19. Quench not the spirit even in any strong warme and lively motions also which he may make that way in our hearts David who saith Psal 109. 4. That he gave himselfe to prayer or as it is in the Hebrew I prayer As if made up of prayer and doing little else but praying he saith also Psal 27. 8. When thou saydst seek my face my heart answered thy face Lord will I seek hee did not slight or put off or put by any strong motions of the spirit in his heart to seek the Lord but made faithfull and fruitfull improvement thereof Christ putting the Church upon it to let him hear her voice Cantic 2. 14. she verse 17. hath a request ready for him And so Chap. 8. 13 Cause me to heare thy voice saith Christ to the Church verse 14. She speaketh prayer-wise Make haste my beloved c. 3. Let such be oft and much in ejaculatory 3 Frequency in ejaculations praier we may be sure to find our hearts in elevated frames when we have been oft heaving and lifting at them When wee have been dealing with God just before and have made so many short essayes we are the fitter to deale with him more solemnly Moses was as I may say tampering and catching at the Lord thus before he spake out so solemnly as Exod. 32 11 12 13. Lord why doth thy wrath waxe hot against thy people c. For God verse 10. saith to Moses let me alone When we have so oft whispered thus with God beforehand we are the fitter to talk and speak out before him Psal 61. 1. Hear my cry attend to my prayer yet nothing expressed what hee sayd he was at it in ejaculatory crying and praying and thence is so bent for more solemne prayer expressed in the verses following From the end of the earth will I cry to thee c. These running grasps and trips do much help our holy wrestling praying-art and skill and courage when we do in ejaculatory prayers oft sally out upon our spiritual enemies sinne Sathan and the world we are the fitter to maintaine a solemne fight against them in our more solemne prayers 4. Let such maintaine in their soules 4 Poverty of spirit that precious frame poverty of Spirit That will teach us praying eloquence help us much with praying Arguments and quicken up in us all praying desires as we see persons pinched with extreame wants and penury of all others the poore oppressed ones as the Hebrew is Psal 10. 17. have their hearts set and fitted by God for prayer Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore thou wilt prepare or fix their heart namely to pray thou wilt cause thine eare to heare namely their prayer 3. To pray indesinently is to be very 3 To pray very often frequent in prayer so we use to say you are alwayes doing thus or thus wee meane you are very often doing so Joh. 16. 23 24. Ye have asked nothing i. e. but very seldome Aske that is more frequently frequent prayer keepeth every grace active frequent uttering our wants and Ayles keepeth us humble the often opening of our spirituall wounds keepeth us tender the more wee trade with God about heavens Commodities the more it keepeth up the price of them in our hearts wee then vend and utter them readily in other parts of our holy conversation and making quicker sale that way we make the quicker returne againe to God for more Quest How oft must we pray Quest Answ As oft as opportunity is offered Answ as was said before yet twice a day at the least must bee to us a time of praying How oft we must pray Henâ—â— that morning and evening sacrifice of old unto which the Prophet alludeth and calleth it a seeking of God evermore as held out in his Tabernacle Psal 105. 4. The very Birds morning and evening and some also as the Nightingale in the night also are in their manner lifting up their notes unto their maker and maintainer Give us this day our daily bread must needs imply a daily prayer for it and as twice a day at least our bodies need supply of bread so is it sit that both body and soule be imployed twice a day in solemn seeking of the Lord about that and all other things which we need or the blessings of the Lord thereupon Quest Suppose a Christian take the Quest seasons of morning and evening for family prayer must he likewise take the same seasons for closet prayer also Answ Yea we should as much as Answ in us lyeth and the providence of God ministreth opportunities of it indeavour the same one duty may not willingly bee omitted because of the other It hath been proved that both are duties and the Saints will have respect to all and every of Gods Commandements As a Christian is considered singly and absolutely so closet secret retired prayer apart lyeth upon him but as in relation to others so also prayer with others is his duty as his estate is so is his bond of duty doubled The carnall heart of man will more cavill and startle at secret prayer by our selves alone then at that with others our natures will lesse easily be strangers to services to which others are privie as we see in Hypocrites and Familists than to such as the Lord onely beholdeth but no wiles or slights of our hearts or Satan should draw us from a commanded duty in Scripture And indeed we under the Gospel should not be lesse in holy serving of God with our spirits than those under the Law but rather more Hence it is that the wooden or Incense Altars for the incense of prayer is in Ezekiel Typically represented to be much larger under the times of the Gospel than ever under the Law That under the Law was a Cubit in length a Cubit in breadth and two Cubits in height
Exod. 30. 1 2 3. That which Ezekiel seeth in vision is three Cubits high and two Cubits long the breadth is indefinite and unlimited Ezek. 44. 22. Shewing that the Saints under the Gospel would make much more improvement of the Lord Jesus their holy Altar in prayer and make use of his mediation and Intercession by Faith in their heavenly sublimated supplications for height more sublime for continuance more stable and lasting c. than the Saints of old were ordinarily wont to doe Hence a Spirit of supplication promised in those dayes not to be barely dropped but abundantly to bee poured out upon the Saints Zech. 12. 10. 4. To be indesinent in prayer is to be 4 To be constant in a course of prayer constant in a course of prayer daily implyed also in dayly prayer to be made for daily bread Hence Paul injoyning praying alwayes joyneth persevering or holding on our course in prayer Eph. 6. 18. so Col. 4. 2. Continue instant in prayer As for Reasons why we ought to pray Reasons why we must pray constantly thus indesinently they are briefly these 1. In that the Lord is very constant 1 God is constant in calling upon us in calling upon us Esa 65. 12. He daily spreads out his hands to us we may well bee daily lifting up our hearts and hands to him 2. In that Jesus Christ intercedeth for 2 Christ is constant in pleading for us us without ceasing he ever liveth to make intercession for us coming unto God by him It is all his worke in a manner Heb. 7. 15. and 9. 14. Therefore wee may well be so much taken up with this businesse of prayer 3. In that the maine matters of our 3 Choice things beg'd are perpetuall prayers are everlasting matters and everlasting mercies call for incessant prayers yea the prayses one day to bee returned for answers of prayers will be everlasting and there would bee some proportion of perpetuity in our holy prayers 4. In that the Lord ceaseth not blessing of us till we cease begging but if we 4 God continueth to blesse whilest wee continue to aske give out from praying hee will forbear his wonted giving so long as Abraham held on asking the Lord held on answering Gen. 18. When Abraham left off Communing with the Lord he goeth up from Abraham If Joash be scanty in smiting with his darts his victories over the Syrians are the lesse 2 Kings 13. 18 19. Fewer spirituall wrestlings will issue in fewer spirituall Conquests The oyle of grace still runneth as long as there are empty vessels to receive the same As sometime Sir Walter-Raleigh answered Queen Elizabeths demand when he would leave begging of her not till your Majesty said he cease giving so should we perceiving that whilest wee seek the Lord he is found of us As 2 Chron. 15. 2. We should resolve to hold on seeking pray as long as wee prosper in it 5. In that holy constancy in prayer 5 Constancy in prayer argueth integrity in it will bee an argument of most integrity in it The Hypocrite will not pray alwayes Job 27. 8 10. They are elect ones which are so incessant in prayer Cry night and day Luke 18 7. They are naturall fruits to trees which they bring forth constantly So constancy in holy prayer argueth prayer to be in a holy wise naturall to us as Saints and that there is in us some praying nature It is a beame of Divine Immutability amidst variety of Changes in other things yet to be inchangeable in our way and course of holinesse and so of prayer The Saints as Saints whatever their changes otherwise may be yet are suppliants Zeph. 3. 10. From beyond the river of Aethyopia shall my suppliants come That is my Saints my effectual called ones which will be continually even naturally making holy supplications to me If abroad they are conscionable of prayer and so likewise if at home If free then free to pray if bond yet the Lords free men to pray In priviledged and peaceable times they continue praying and so they doe in boysterous and troublesome times whilst the light of God shineth in their tabernacles and on their spirits they labour in prayer and so in darknesse of temptations afflictions c. and yet they hold on praying 6. In that special and desirable benefits 6 Special blessings attained by constancy in prayer come by constancy in prayer for which onely consider that place Luke 21. 34 35 36. It s a special help against all worldly temptations If we would not be far charged with cares of this life pray alwayes Men much in prayer with God are ever the most weaned from the world They have so many sweet discourses with God that other talks with the world are more harsh and burthensome to them they are so oft in speech with the Spouse of their souls that they cannot affect to speak familiarly with that Strumpet They are so much in heaven that their spirits cannot bee much in earth Psal 3. 19 20. They drive so rich and gainful a trade in that celestial City that they have little list or delight to bee pedling elsewhere about trifles They fare so well at their fathers house that they care not for the devils husks or the worlds scraps It is likewise a meanes to escape the displeasure of God which lighteth upon others to escape that which cometh as a snare which taketh and holdest fast and bruiseth crusheth and killeth others ibid. Besides it is a means to fit us for Christs second coming Pray alwayes that ye may bee accounted worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Sonne of man Persons much in prayer do so oft set up Tribunals in their owne hearts so frequently doe they make up just accounts with God in Christ and so many times in their prayers are they making references of matters unto that day that they familiarize with their Judge and do in a manner facilitate the businesse of that day so far as it concerneth them But here we might justly reprove such Use in our dayes who have formerly been more constant in family and possibly in Closet Prayer but now leave it off seldome or never pray in their closets and will not joyne with others in prayer This is charged upon hypocrites as their guise and garbe Job 27. 10. Will hee alwayes call upon God Quest Whence cometh it to passe that any Causes of ceasing in praier faint or grow weary or cease from praying Quest Answ Many bring with them to prayer Answ 1 too many incumbrances and they tyre 1 Incumbrances in prayer them they cannot travell on to hold out in a course of prayer when they use themselves to carry so much luggage with them 2. Many do but slightly waste their time in 2 Slightnesse in prayer prayer to no purpose so getting nothing by this their trade they grow weary of it and men shut up
to prayer then that lawfull working of heart which proceedeth from faith in Gods immensity And nothing more quickning to serious attention and intention to the duty and to comforble expectation of the issue then a lively apprehension that we speak not to an absent but to a present deity not to a friend out of hearing but to one that is with us and by us when we are praying 2. Faith in Gods omniscience is also 2 In Gods omniscience required in prayer Thus David in his and Jeremiah in his and Solomon in his prayer look at God as one that tryeth the heart and the reynes 1 Chron. 29. 17. Jer. 32. 16. 19. 1 King 8. And faith in prayer cometh not to bring light to God but rather to borrow light from him in all the businesse of praier It knowes his all-seeing eye as well as his all-hearing eare Faith maketh a sincere heart the more free and bold with God because it eyeth him as one who is privy to all it hath to think or speak in prayer Nothing more terrible to sinners thoughts in their wayes then that God seeth them But nothing more comfortable to godly ones then this perswasion that now they are before an all-seeing one they are glad that they serve such a Master and speak to such a father who doth throughly know them and watchfully eyeth them The suppliants of God have secret things in secret corners to commit to the eares of God and oh how well is it for them in their esteeme that they may pray to God which seeth in secret Matth. 6. 6. Pray to thy Father which is in secret saith Christ Suppliants are to seek Gods face about matters carryed on by Gods and their own enemies secretly and slyly and had need eye the Lord as one who seeth what is contrived and done in the dark yea sometimes they are so sorely assailed and charged by the wily enemies of their soules that they have no way left them but to appeale in prayer to the Lords all-seeing eye to judge of the false charges of men and divels and sometimes of their corrupted tempted consciences accusing them when they should excuse disquieted when they should rest in God Hence why art thou so sad O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me trust still in God Psal 42. 5. and verse 7. Deep calleth to deep and verse 8. My prayer shall bee to the God of my life That Tepilla or appeale prayerwise unto the Lord as one that heareth where the right lieth helped much Sometimes we know not what to ask as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered Rō 8. 26 27. and he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the spirit So said Pauls faith so saith the faith of each gracious suppliant 3. Faith in Gods all-sufficiency is requisite 3 In Gods all-sufficiency wherefore Christ teaching us to pray teacheth us to look at God as one whose is the kingdom and the power and the glory Mat. 6. 9 13. compared Hence the lowest room and one days residence in Gods house of prayer is desirable to David Ps 84. 10. He believed that God is a sun and a shield and would withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly verse 11. Moses prayeth to the Lord for mercy as one whose mercy would fill all the desires and corners of their soules Psal 90. 14. O satisfie me early with thy mercy None are more selfe-empty and needy then true suppliants and therefore faith in Gods all sufficiency is most needfull to them None are more sensible of their utter inabilitie to withstand the force and guile of their soules enemies and so need such a faith the more yea the truth is true suppliants use not to seek of God this or that so much as God and Christ in that which they seek of him God in a spouse in a friend in liberty in health in ordinances in comforts and the like and therefore they must needs eye the Lord as all in all and all without him to be nothing yea in a barren land where no desirable comforts are and can then in seeking him by faith be satisfied with him as with marrow and fatnesse Psal 63. 1 2 3 5. c. 4. Faith in Gods Almightinesse is requisite in prayer Paul who bowed his knees 4 In Gods Almightiness or prayed unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Ephes 3. 14. hee looketh on him as one who was able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power that worketh in us ver 20. So Jehoshaphat in his prayer argueth by faith with God thus 2 Chron. 20. 6. And in thy hand is not there power and might that is there is So Jeremy in his prayer Chap. 32. 16 17. I prayed unto the Lord saying Ah Lord behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and outstretched arm and there is nothing too hard for thee Sometimes Gods suppliants are put hard to it in the course of their prayers the last grain of their faith and patience seemeth to be put into the scale their pressures are such that they even squeeze them to the last drop of their faith and patience there appeareth but some small spark thereof under the ashes they seem to cease in some fainting fits to be even departing onely some gasping panting symptomes left of life therein namely some workings of faith in Gods Almightinesse that he is yet able to help and succour them A may be a possibility in respect of Gods Almightinesse is eyed by faith and that carryeth them out in prayer Sometimes the very faith of Gods suppliants is at a stand at a non plus in regard of Gods will it is an if to them whether he will help yet they beleeve he can help and therefore pray as hee did Matth. 8. 2. Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean and such a faith in the Lords Almightinesse doth great things by prayer For hence that I will be thou clean saith Christ immediately his leprosie was clensed v. 3. He who prayeth in faith of Gods power shall have beyond his faith the benefit of his gracious and energetical will So the Centurion in his prayer to Christ believeth that if he but will his servants cure hee can work it he can even command it by his soveraigne word Matth. 8. 8. Speak the word onely and my servant shall be whole He is not sure that he will give out that energaticall word but if he would but speak the word he concludeth that hee hath power over all desirable blessings as servants at his command even as his souldiers were at his beck v. 9 10. And Christ approveth of this his faith in his soveraigne power saying Verily I have not found so great faith no not in Israel So the man mentioned Mark 9. 22 23
An unregenerate heart who of it selfe is averse from any way of God and would not be subject to the law of God would gladly have such a Tenent to hold up against God and his servants to excuse them from seeking unto God by prayer as not bound to do it Let us therefore give answer to the several branches of the case propounded and shew 1. That an unregenerate person Unregenerate Persons are bound to pray â—ecause is bound to pray 2. That such a one may be strangely carryed out in prayer 3. That God may heare and answer his prayer 1. Then that an unregenerate man is bound to pray is evident from this indefinite injunction Pray without ceasing whether regenerate or unregenerate The wicked man who Isai 55. 7. is charged to forsake his evil wayes and thoughts is first charged verse 6. to seek the Lord whilst he may be found to call upon him whilst he is near Psal 65. 2. All flesh shall come to thee whether they are good or bad persons For First it is a duty which lyeth upon 1 Prayer is natural worship required of all sorts in the first commandement all men as created and made by God It is a naturall worship It is that which the law of nature as well as that of the word of God doth put men upon Hence even the most Pagan people all doe call upon some God Jonah 1. 5. The mariners cryed every man to his God Isai 45. 20. They pray to a God that cannot save Among other things contained in the Law they do this also by nature Rom 2 14. If they omit calling upon God their naturall conscience will accuse them for it or if they do call upon God it will so far excuse them and incourage them in it v. 15. other naturall men which live under the light of the word if they neglect it they sin both against the light of nature and the light of the word of God Heathens and other naurallmen will be damned for this sin of not calling upon God Hence are they twice imprecated against as under that consideration of not ho nouring of God so of not calling upon him as highly sinning in the one as well as in the other Psal 79. 6. and Jer. 10. 25. Powre out thy wrath upon the Heathen that know thee not and the Families that call not on thy Name Unregenerate persons as well as others are bound by the first commandement to have no other Gods but God and therefore bound to worship the Lord onely and no other God but him alone and therefore to love him and no other God to fear him and no other God to trust in him and no other God to pray to him and no other God beside him c. as they are bound to make no graven images of God to worship the true God onely with his owne instituted worship and not any other of mens inventing and as they are likewise bound not to take Gods name in vain c. 2. Prayer is a meanes ordered by the Lord even for the obtaining of regenerating 2 It is an instituted means of Grace and Blessing to them grace Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart wil I give you c. compare this with verse 27. Thus saith the Lord I will yet for this be sought or inquired of by the house of Israel to doe it for them God will give even first grace in the use of his own appointed meanes and that is in a way of seeking for it Hence also God owneth this as his own appointed meanes for obtaining other blessings of his as deliverance from dangers supplies of wants and the like albeit the persons which pray are unregenerate So when Sea-men of all sorts whether ungodly or godly are in stormes and dangers they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he bringeth them out of their distresse Psalm 107. 23. 28. If it were simply sinful in them being unregenerate to cry and pray to God he would never thus incourage them or others in their case to cry then unto him 2 Chron. 26 5. Vzziah sought God in the dayes of Zechariah and when he sought the Lord God made him for to prosper if he had been downright godly he had sought God all his dayes yet though an hypocrite so unregenerate as long as he doth that which is for the matter of it right in Gods sight ver 4. which is expounded ver 5. He sought God God prospereth him Vzziah did what was right in Gods sight as Amaziah his father did which was not with a perfect heart for the manner of doing it 2 Chron. 25. 2. yet seeking of God even by such a one whose heart is not perfect with God is in it self considered that which is right in Gods sight and a due and direct means to prosper in what such a one taketh in hand Exod. 22. 27. When he So Exod. 21. 22. 23. Deut. 15. 9 24. 15 cryeth unto me namely as one oppressed as one in necessity be he who he will be Regenerate or Unregenerate I will hear him for I am merciful That scoffing lad Ishmael was an Unregenerate person yet when in distresse and crying to God Gen. 21. 17. Fear not saith the Angel to Hagar his mother for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is if it had been simply sinful and that which Ishmael ought not to have done the Angel would never have encouraged Hagar from such an Argument as Gods hearing Ishmaels cry 3 God may and doth bestow praying abilities 3. God may doth give them praying abilities to be improved upon Unregenerate persons Hee giveth to some the gift of prayer to whom he never vouchsafeth the spirit of prayer The gift of prayer is as common to hypocrites as the gift of Prophesie Not every one that saith to me Lord Lord is large and earnest in prayer to me shall enter into heaven Matth. 7. Unregenerate Ministers Magistrates Parents Masters Tutors may have such a gift of Prayer by the use whereof others may be instructed helped and encouraged in a way of Prayer yea in a right way of prayer and if he give such a gift surely he requireth the use of it That slothful servant albeit a Reprobate yet having such a like gift and Talent he is damned for not improving it Matth. 25. 30. 4 That practice or religious performance 4. The omission and neglect thereof is charged on them as their sin must needs be a Duty even of unregenerate persons the omission or neglect whereof is charged by the Lord upon them for their sin for if it were not an Anomy or Transgression of some rule of God it could not be sin but the omission or neglect of prayer or calling upon God even by Unregenerate persons is charged upon them by God as their sin therefore the performance of that service of calling upon God was their Duty The Assumption is evident when the Apostle would prove
musings 8 Spiritual drowsinesse sluggishnesse 8. Sluggishness and slightiness of heart When heart and mind is of a drowzie temper it is of a dreaming temper full of impertinent fancies even when to be imployed in prayer or the like yea if both body and soul be not in a waking and watching plight the soul wil be apt to be hurried with impertinencies temptations Matth. 26. 41. Watch and pray lest yee enter into temptation Now touching the second thing propounded Remedies against distractions in praier even the Remedies of such distractions in prayer Let but diligent heed be taken and conscionable indeavour used against each of the former occasions and causes thereof and it will help to redresse the same Espy out and bewaile the secret guile and wilinesse of heart get your heart rid of those distrustful cares of that Disconcontent and inordinacy of affection banish that spirit of Lust and of Error from your souls beware of that family contention and that spiritual or corporal supineness and you wil in a good measure get rid of such distractions in prayer But yet for our better help herein 1 Make conscience of holy and due Holy â—â—â—paration unto prayer preparation of our selves unto prayer Exod. 34. 3. Moses must come alone to God and leave the flocks Jacob ferrieth over all belonging to him on the other side of the river before wrestleth with the Angel Gen. 32. Abraham leaveth the servants and the Asses at the foot of the hill when to goe to sacrifice to the Lord. Gen. 22. David had got his heart into a very serious and fixed frame for that praising part of his prayer and yet as thinking that all too little saith hee will yet rouse himselfe up to that work Psal 57. 7. O God my heart is fixed my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise and verse 8. I my selfe will arise right early So good Deborah rowseth up herself amain to powr out prayses to the Lord Jud. 5. 12. Awake awake Deborah awake utter a song A gracious heart should think it self never enough awaked to such holy work experience of Saints will prove it and when they can by grace get their minds and hearts a little sequestred to consider seriously of the work they are going about and of God and Christ before whom they come and of themselves who are to come before the Lord and the like before they actually addresse themselves to solemne prayer how intently and spiritually and strongly they are wont then to bee carryed through the duty and all other times when they more suddenly and inconsiderately set upon prayer how unprofitably they are wont to spend such a time and how many hurries of spirit this way and that way they are cumbred with and much adoe to make any thing of it at such times 2. Spiritual wisedome is another help 2 Godly wisedome Godly wisedom will choose places for prayer which are freest from any distracting occasion Hence Christ so often repaires to the mountaine to pray Wisedome will seasonably discern a deluding cheating thought yea though it come with its vizard or with its painted face wearing in view the very livery of our heavenly Father and much readier will it espy other thoughts which would slyly withdraw our minds by little and little from the present businesse of our souls Wisedome is before him that hath understanding Prov. 17. 24. whilst the fools eyes are wandring in the corners of the world The wise Christian keeps his eye from gadding after vaine objects and keeps it rather intent upon wisedomes works and wayes The heart of the wise is at his right hand the instrument of action Eccles 10. 2. He hath his heart and spirit at an holy beek to be imployed as wisedom shall direct as there is need of the exercise of thoughts or desires or griefe or joy or feare or anger in an holy way or work a truely wise Christian hath them at hand to do their several homage to the Lord being thereto commanded by his spirit The wise mans eyes are in his head Eccles 2. 14. The truely wise Christian hath the ready and seasonable use of the eyes of his mind and understanding holy thoughts and apprehensions are not to seek when the Lord calleth for the use thereof as in prayer or the like but they are then active and so ready to keep out worse or unjust thoughts A wise Christian being also privy to his owne inability to keep his heart close to God he betaketh himselfe to the Lord as he did Psal 86. 11. Vnite my heart to fear thy name He would have the Lord to keep his heart close to any part of his fear or worship that it scatter not wander not therefrom Intruders cannot get in unseene and untaken notice of whilst this lightsome watchful grace is imployed as they will in darker places This skilfull Pilot at the helm by keeping its eye upon Gods compasse avoids many yawes and much lee-way in a gracious Christians course in prayer or otherwise which other unwise Christians make 3. Wathfulnesse which is the seasonable 3 Watchfulnesse and practical use of that holy wisedome upon every occasion This will bee examining such as knock at the door of the heart whilst the spirit is talking with God in prayer Those godly Church-officers described Revel 4. 6 8. with their eyes before and behind and within also to observe all without and as well also within themselves they goe on uninterrupted in the worship of God as though their cry was but one and the same continued cry night and day They rest not night nor day saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which is and was and is to come This pondering the path of our feet is a help to going right on in this or any other way of God without diversions from it or stumbling in it Prov. 4. 26 27. Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy wayes be established Turn not to the right hand nor to the left the former is the meanes to the latter A good watch at the City gates the out-lets and inlets of suggestions to the mind or motions from it will keep us from trouble-Cities such trouble-souls as are these distractions and help rid them of such Vagrants as they are Such holy careful oversights of the banks will prevent the dividing of the streams and issues of our minds even our thoughts that they run in no other channel and way then is meet for them When we go to prayer we are assaying by the ladder Jesus Christ to climb up to heaven and this holy care of our feet keeps them from slipping and us from falls Look to thy foot when thou goest into the house of God namely to worship God in prayer or otherwise Eccles 5. 1. When wee go to pray we go spiritually to plow and this holy minding of our work and our hand helpeth to keep us in our right furrow 4 Holinesse and
sadnesse and smoak Eccles 7. 5 6. The song of fooles is like the crackling of thorns under a pot Like those that in seeking God Hosea 5. last in their affliction they will seek me early they had such motions of returning to God Hosea 6. 1. Come let us returne to God and of following on to know him verse 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord but verse 4. their goodnesse was like the early dâ—w and clouds vanishing away So Psalm 78. 34. in seeking God when he slew them they had motions materially good stirring as verse 35. For they considered that God was their rock and the high God their redeemer But their heart was not right with God neither were they stedfast in his covenant It was then without force upon their hearts which indeed were never sincere and serious but deceitfull But when the spirit moveth upon the face of our souls in any ordinance whether it be in and by motions of conviction or consolation it maketh the spices flow out it causeth the various graces of God in the soule to give their fragrant smel Cant. 4. 16. Awake O North wind and blow O South upon my garden that the spices may flow out When Christ cometh to us in prayer or in any other of his holy ordinances by the motions of his spirit he cometh as showres that water the earth Psal 72. 6. the force thereof mollifieth our souls and makes them fruitfull Isai 44. 3 4. 7. Such motions which are various confused 7 When confused and independent one upon the other or upon the present businesse which then we are in hand with in our prayers Such albeit they may be for the matter of them good yet being not distinct methodicall or seasonable they are not from Gods spirit but from some other delusive spirit Such Items are not words upon the wheeles in due order according to our particular suits c. which are then in motion and agitation Christs lips when he speaketh to us more immediately by his spirit or otherwise they are as lilies dropping sweet smelling myrrhe Cant. 5. 13. His words and motions come not in heaps but orderly drop after drop and pertinently as of the same myrh-like nature all of them as he guideth his truly wise servants so that their tongue useth knowledg aright Prov. 1â— 2. so the fruit of his lips by his spirit floweth forth aptly dependingly in a right order season and manner but those of a delusive spirit they are like sea waves tumultuous independing in no certaine course or channel 8. Such motions materially good which 8 When puffing up the heart put us upon high thoughts of our selves and of our good estates which heave up our spirits they are delusive like those in Zedekiah who was confident that the Lord moved him to speak 1 Kings 22. 11. Thus saith the Lord saith he and that his spirit had been with him verse 21. yet see how proud hee was and how he despised Micaiah who indeed was moved by Gods spirit to speak he smote him on the check saying which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee The spirits motions in prayer tend to humble rather As in Abrahams praying and saying which am but dust Gen. 18. 26 27. Those lilly like drops from Christs lips of which we spake from Cant. 4. 13. they are as myrrh of a holy funeral abasing and mourning use as myrrhe used about dead bodies to keep them from putrefaction 9. Such motions materially good suggested in prayer which put us upon any breach 9 When putting upon breach of relations of special relations or duties of our callings are delusive As when Jonah thinketh how mercifull a one God is and thence is put upon it to turne aside from his calling to pray at Niniveh Jonah 4. 2. O Lord was not this my saying when I was yet in my countrey therefore I fled before unto Tarshish for I knew that thou are a gracious God and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repentest thee of the evil Or if a private man should be followed in praier with Scriptures urging him as he thinketh to cast off civil subjection to higher powers such as 1 Cor. 7. 23. Be not the servants of men Or Mat. 17. 16. Then are the children free or if some private man should be moved in prayer very strongly to kill such or such a wicked Ruler from Ehuds example Jud. 3. 15. Such like motions would be found to be delusive The Apostle to prevent such abuses saith 1 Pet. 2 16 17. As free but not using your liberty as a cloak of maliciousnesse 10. Such things materially good as are 10 When tending to justifie any unwarrantable practice moved in prayer either to justifie some former evil thing in us as Jonah in his praier now mentioned Jonah 4. 2. he reviveth in his mind those former thoughs of Gods gracious nature as a plea whereby to have justified him in that refusal to obey his call to Niniveh O Lord was not this my saying c. Or when they are moved to ground some present distemperd request in prayer as that pretended humble motion of Jobs in prayer Job 7. 11 17 18. What is man that thou visitest him brought in as it may seeme to back his distempered desire not to live any longer in such misery expressed verse 15 16. I loath to live my dayes are vanity and verse 17. what is man c. So 1 Kings 19. 4. distempered Elias saith he is no better then his fathers good yea but it s brought in to plead that God would dispatch his life O Lord take away my life for I am no better then my fathers and this was delusive Lastly when God in judgement ordereth 11 When tending to harden a person in some unsafe way it to some false and perverse seekers of him that some things which they conclude to be good shall be suggested to them whilst seeking of him but in judgement for some inordinacy or hypocrisie in their requests and so in wrath not in mercy God had once told Balaam inquiring of him that hee should not goe with Balaks messengers Num. 22. 12. Thou shalt not go with them and yet out of his covetous mind and desire of the wages of unrighteousnesse he will goe againe to move him for his counsell about going verse 19. Tarry yee here saith he to Balaks second messengers this night that I may know what the Lord will say more to me and ver 20. God came to Balaam at night and sayd to him if the men come to call thee rise up and goe with them Balaam was inordinately set to goe and God when he againe inquireth about going doth in judgement bid him go For ver 32. The angel telleth him behold I went to withstand thee because thy way is perverse before me Ezek. 14 47. Every one that putteth the stumbling block of
pray and plead first ere he wil answer us Christ prevented Zacheus and bad himselfe to his house Luke 19. 5. Zacheus come down quickly for I must abide at thine house to day yet usually he went to no house but he was first invited which maketh way to answer another objection Obj. 3. God may and doth bestow upon his people many desirable blessings without so much a doe in pleading for them The penitent thiefe did but say Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome and Christ presently answered him This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Luke 23. 42 43. and the Publican did but cry Lord be mercifull to me a sinner and he went away justified Luke 18. 13 14. And David did but in a short ejaculatory Psal 3 way seek the Lord and he delivered him from all his feares Answ 1. Some extraordinary examples doe not take away from the force and course of an ordinary rule in this businesse of prayer nor any other 2. The cases of the Saints may be such and so circumstantiated that a few broken expressions may be as much yea more in them and from them then many pleas in themselves or others in other cases and at other times As in the poor thiefe incompassed with so much sense of guilt of his former leud courses with bodily tortures feare of death c. So in David in that instant when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech Psal 34. title So in cases of poore tempted Saints under bonds bolts and keepers as it were and with heavy weights upon their spirits They make short cries in depths Psal 130. 1. 3. God wil sometimes order passages for peculiar examples of his royall bounty that none may glory in man nor in prayers nor in pleas although acted therein by the spirit of grace and that none may be dismayed albeit they cannot sometimes plead the cases of their souls 4. The Scripture in recording the Saints prayers doth not alwaies expresse all but rather setteth down the summe and substance of what was uttered by them 5. In short prayers there may be couched many pleas as in that of the Publicans prayer wherein almost every word includeth a secret plea. As that term of Lord is a plea of respect to an humble servants request so that be propitious includeth pleas from Gods own mercy and Christs merits So that to me a sinner that is chiefest of sinners it was a very plea for grace to him that was such a one in his own sight and sense To be sure he had a pleading spirit in him Obj. 4. God is not as man to be moved by our pleas but abideth unchangeable in his purposes of what he wil doe so that as he said to Samuel touching Saul 1 Sam. 16. 1. Why mournest thou for Saul seeing I have rejected him God is not as man to repent what pleas soever are made to the contrary 1 Sam. 28. 15. God answereth me not saith Saul neither by Vrim nor by Prophets Lord Lord plead they in Luke 13. 25 26. have we not eaten and drunken in thy presence And Matth. 7. 21 22 23. Have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out divels but both in vain I know you not saith the Lord depart from me c. Ans 1. It s true Amidst Gods divers expressings of himselfe to us sometimes as frowning sometimes as smiling there is no change with God God is the same when he carrieth it to us as willing or when as unwilling to hearken to us because by an immutable act of his counsel he ordered it to carry it so diversly towards us in his dispensations 2. It s true also that there is nothing done in time but the Lord decreed it immutably before all time as that he would confer upon his people such and such a mercy but in such a way of moving them to pray and plead for it 3. It s true also that there is a time when pleas availe not as 1. For a time and so the Lord may expresse distaste and carry it as one that is angry with his own yea when pleading in prayer The Church pleadeth Psal 80. 1. Heare why so O thou shepheard of Israel c. yet vers 4. expostulateth Why art thou so long angry with the prayers of thy people yet were their pleas and prayers and teares treasured up for a fit season of help 2. For ever namely in case of expiration and ending of the date of the day and season of grace with any Prov. 1. 28. They shall seek me early and not finde me 4. Albeit the Lord be not moved by our pleas yet are our pleas his ordinance and therefore we are to attend thereto and they are an ordinary way and meanes in the use whereof God will give promised mercies yea they are a means which the Spirit of God maketh use of to move and quicken up our sense and feeling of such and such wants our desire of such and such mercies and our faith in such and such promises or attributes of God or the like to put us upon the serious urging of such and such holy pleas in our prayers Now we come to the second thing propounded namely what pleas we are to use in our prayers to the Lord. There are in arguing the cases and intricacies of our soules spirituall Topick places as I may call them certaine radicall notions in God and Christ and the Word which yield fruitfull and forcible arguments in this our holy discourse and reasoning with God true it is that it is not every puny in Christianity that can raise so aply seasonably strongly plentifully and graciously such prevailing pleas some are but Juniors and Freshmen in the schoole of Christ others are Senior Students in this holy Logick there is much skill required to become one of Heavens Barristers But for the better help and direction in Pleas with God respecting himselfe as from his own name this Art and fruitfull practice thereof let us reduce these pleas to three heads Some respect God some our selves some others Briefly then of some pleas respecting God and there we finde the Scripture recording some approved and as I may say unanswerable pleas As first the engagement of his own name in the cases before him When a petitioner hath such skill in pleading his suit that he can prudently involve the petitioned party in his case and so make it as well the case of the petitioned as of the petitioner this with men is undeniable pleading So is it here with God thus Exod. 32. 11 12. Why doth thy wrath wax hot c. Wherefore should the Aegyptians speak and say for mischiefe did the Lord bring them out to slay them in the mountaine c. As if he had said Lord I say not how the name of thy grace wisdome faithfulnesse and long-suffering may suffer in the eyes and hearts of thy professed people if thou shouldest deny my request but
audience Fourthly the integrity of our hearts The integrity of our hearts and waies and waies in former workings after God and service for God may by faith in Christ as all in our justification be also pleaded Esay 38. 3. Remember that I have walked before thee in sincerity c. Psal 71. 17 18. O Lord thou hast taught me from my youth and hitherto I have declared thy wondrous works Now also when I am old and gray headed O God forsake me not Psalm 119. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee O let me not wander from thy Commandements The Lord himselfe maketh it to himselfe a motive to shew mercy to his people Esay 63. 8. They are children that will not lye so be became their deliverer Jer. 2. 2. I remember thee the kindnesse of thy youth c. onely we must use this plea more rarely and sparingly in a self-denying way in faith in Christs righteousnesse as made ours The like also may be said of our integrity with men which in some cases as of reproach slander or injurious dealing from men may be by way of appeale pleaded before the Lord. Jer. 15. 15. Know O Lord that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke Psalm 26. 1. Judge me O Lord for I have walked in mine integrity Fifthly we may plead our sufferings Our sufferings especially those that are most directly and properly for God and his cause Other sufferings also may be pleaded as Nehem. 9. 32 33. Let not all the trouble seem little to thee which hath come upon us Howbeit thou art just in them Psalm 90. 15. Make us glad according to the daies wherein thou hast afflicted us But especially plead those which are undergone for the Lords sake Psalm 44. 22 23. For thy sake are we killed all the day long Awake why sleepest thou Sixthly our former experiences of mercy Our former experiences in like cases may be pleaded as Esay 63. 15. Where is the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards me are they restrained Which is as much as to say Lord thou hadst wont to be a compassionate God I have had experience in various conditions and cases of thy bowels how commeth it to passe that they are so shut up now So Psal 71. 17 18. Thou hast taught me from my youth up forsake me not now when I am old Psalm 61. 23. Lead me to the rock that is higher then I For thou hast been a shelter to me Lastly the great good which we might both get and doe may be also pleaded The good that we might get and doe God put that plea in their mouthes Hos 14. 2. Take away iniquity and receive us graciously why so so will we render the calves of our lips And Vers 3. We will no more say to the works of our hands ye are our Gods Psalm 119. 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy Statutes and I will keep it to the end V. 34. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law Psal 51. 12 13. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation Then will I teach sinners thy way And as the Saints may plead the good which they may do if answered so that good of inward quickning encouragement and enlargement which they may thereby receive Psal 90. 14. O satisfie us early with thy mercy why so so shall we rejoyce and be glad before thee all our daies A third sort of pleas are those respecting Pleas respecting others As their experience of a like help others which are these 1. Others experiences of the like mercy in like cases as Psal 119. 132. Be mercifull to me as thou usest to doe to those that love thy name Lord doe not change thy wont doe to me as thou hast ever done to others in my case Let not me be the first Anomalon 2. Others discouragements or encouragements Their discouragements or incouragements in ours in ours Psal 69. 6. Let not them that wait on thee be ashamed for my sake 29. Let thy salvation O God set me up on high why so vers 32. The humble shall see this and be glad If thou heare me others wil be encouraged or if not they wil be ashamed 3. The subtle and malicious desires of Enemies plots and desires ours and Gods enemies Ah Lord our miseries snares feares straits temptations and falls they are that for which they plot and wait and are ready to reproach us with and therefore the rather tender our case Thus may we plead as others have done Psal 27. 11. Make my way plain because of my enemies Ps 38. 16. I said hear me lest otherwise they rejoyce over me Psal 39. 8. Deliver me from all my transgressions make me not a reproach to the foolish Now touching the last thing propounded namely the rules which we are to attend to in pleading in prayer they are these 1. Look that we plead in faith yea with some strength of faith acted suitably Believingly to our pleas Esay 53. 15 16 17. Where are thy bowels towards me Doubtlesse thou are our Father Why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy fear 2. Look that we doe it with holy skil Improving those promises or Attributes Skilfully of God which are most suitable to our present cases which are most strongly speaking most apt to move at least our selves to believe and such as used to prevaile that way formerly So did the Church Esay 63. 15 16 17. 3. Look we be submissive in our pleas and not inordinate impatient or distempered Submissively Moses was somewhat distempered in those pleas Exod. 5. 22 23. Wherefore hast thou evil-entreated this people why hast thou sent me and Numb 11. 12 13 15. Whence should I have flesh for so many I am not able to beare the burden alone If thou deale thus with me kill me 4. Look that we be humble and self-denying Humbly therein and come not to God to stand upon terms with him or to chop Logick as we say with the holy one Job was too blame herein Iob 23. 4 5. and so were they Esay 58. 3. Wherefore have we fasted and thou regardest it not So Matth. 7. 21. Have not we prophesied in thy name and in thy name done wonderfull works 5. Look that we be sincere in our pleas Sincerely that there be nothing lurking with us and too well approved by us which may be counterpleaded against us and that justly by our own consciences As Esay 58. 3 4. Behold ye fast for strife So Matth. 7. 22 23. Depart from me ye workers of iniquity CHAP. VII About straitnings in Prayer and their Causes Cures and Differences HAving spoken of sundry cases of Conscience touching the incessant practice of this duty of prayer we come now to speak of the seventh Case considerable therein namely concerning straightnings incident to the Saints in prayer and therein we shall enquire of Quae. 7 About the Saints
his people whom he admitteth and inableth to be so free in opening their minds and heart unto him and as David saith Psalm 18. 32 33. God girdeth mee with strength and maketh my way perfect maketh my feet like Hinds feet so may we apply the same to this case that verily the Lord maketh our way perfect when there are no more such blunders therein and he communicateth special strength to us when we can more freely without such stops lets and abruptions and restings keep on in this part of our Christian course and race yea and it is an Argument that we shall by him be enabled to do great things when he thus enlargeth our steps ibid. v 35 36 37. He setteth me on High places and thou hast enlarged my steps c. And that the Lord hath known our souls in adversity he hath owned us and so also will when in this wise also he setteth our feet in a large room Psalm 3 1. 7 8. Thou hast knowne my soul in adversity thou hast set my feet in a large room I have urged this the more to be so apprehensive of the evil of this imprisoning of our spirits in prayer if ever wee mean to get at liberty because there are a sort of Spiritual Prisoners whose hearts and spirits are shut up in prayer and other holy Ordinances and yet they lay it not to heart or when they perceive and feel themselves to begin a little to be restrained they are but slightly affected with it they think all is not well with them indeed or so well as formerly and wonder what is the matter that they are not so free and so much carryed out in prayer as heretofore but it may be this is but nine dayes wonder to them and so by degrees their spirits are still more and more straitned and then they begin to have more serious troubles and fears about the same what the issue thereof may prove and sometimes their fears are more desperate lest the Lord hath thus laid them up as intending ere long to proceed against them in a way of wrath and justice and then they begin to bestir themselves and make out for help But if this straitning continue long with them then haply as it is with prisoners which although at their first coming into prison it seemed somewhat strange and sad to them which but then walked at liberty to be thus cooped up and they many times sadly bemoan their case yet having been long in prison then they begin to grow more resolute and desperate and are less solicitous of using meanes to get out So is it here with many Christians at first they are much troubled at their straitnings in Prayer but when they have been a long time shut up in their spirits truly then they are apt to grow more desperate and secretly to think and conjecture that there is little hope now that they should recover their former freedom of spirit they have used such and such means but all in vain they seem but to strive against the streame in wrestling in their poor measure with God and themselves for their liberty and therefore they were as good even to be content and quiet and so suffer their sins like Dallilahs to lull them asleep and to bind them in such sort that their strength departeth from them and they are made a miserable prey and reproach unto the enemies of their peace So much of this first Means of cure 2 Plead it with God that his Promise 2. Plead Gods Promise to inlarge us and Covenant is to inlarge us Jer. 31. 9. If he will lead us with Supplications then with multiplyed inlarged expressions of our hearts in Prayer if with weepings too then with inlarged affection also For what God promised to them of old hee is the same to make it good to us as need requireth I will saith God lead them with weeping and supplications in a strait way wherein they shall not stumble Yea set we our faith on work inforce such sutable Promises made to persons even in their sad plight upon our owne hearts let them shamefully give God the lye If they doe if they dare to deny to expect freedom by vertue of the same Since the Lord Jesus is annoynted appointed and fitted of God for this very purpose to speak and that effectuallly liberty to the Captives indefinitely surely then to such poor souls as are spirit and heart-bound groaning under and mourning over the same as their extreme misery Isai 61. 1. God is verily faithful in his promise to make the dumb to sing and speak forth his praise for Gods opening their mouthes loosening their tongues in his Service Isai 35. 6. Yea but will some poor soul say I have given just cause of this my Imprisonment I am in for debt and delinquencies I am justly inhibited and restrained my former freedom of spirit and therefore what have I to plead Answ We will grant all this and if thou have nothing to plead then cry Guilty and confesse all is just and put thy self upon the King and Judges mercy yet withal plead the benefit of the Kings pardon and of his Royal Clemency ingaged in the word of a King for the deliverance of just Captives Isai 49. 24 25. This Promise being as well verified in the delivery of imprisoned and captivated spirits as in that of Babels Captives of old which were justly delivered for their sins Imitate David herein whose case was a like case after his grievous fall he felt himself in the net his spirit strangely hampered intangled and bound up yet he purposeth that he would constantly wait and expect and look for his liberty again Psal 25. 11. My eyes are even unto the Lord he shall pluck my feet out of the net So do you and albeit while you plead and urge your case before the Lord and presse the same upon your own spirit yet you seem to your selfe but hard and slight as the Church whilst and when pleading strongly yet cryeth out of her hardnesse of heart Isai 63. 15 16 17. Why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy fear c. yet cease not to do it still and when at any time you doe get hold of any word of Grace and grant of your liberty from the Lord hold it fast and be not beaten out of the same by any cavils of the enemies of your peace If when we go on in this or any other way of God we would not have our steps any more straitned take fast hold of any item of Gods mind of Grace and if we once get such a gracious Instruction and Information of Gods love in his Promise set home by his spirit then keep it for the very life and livelihood of our souls depends thereon Prov. 4. 12 13. When thou goest thy steps shall not be straitned Take hold of instruction let her not go keep her as thy life 3 Improve we the Offices of Christ 3. Improve the
meek or submissive to any course that God would take with them Isai 6. 1 2. And they make it the maine of their begging then then in a manner that they might be inlarged and free to speak to God especially to his prais in their freedom Open thou my mouth c. Psal 51. 15. 142. 7 But the other are in a manner wholly sottish and senselesse and speechlesse Mat. 22. 12. and therefore doomed to a place and state of weeping afterwards verse 13. 6. Those are prisoners of hope and 6 Is not finall now and then suffered to walk abroad yea to come into their Lords gracious presence Zech. 9. 12. But these are for ever thence forward excluded Gods gracious presence They are taken away cast out Mat. 22. 13. Heb. 10. 26 27. Those have sometimes some crevices and glimpses of light yea of the light of Gods countenance as through the grates at least Cant. 2. 9 But these are cast into utter darknesse therein to reside and abide Matth 22. 13. CHAP. VIII About inlargements in prayer when saving WE are God willing to dispatch the handling of some other cases in carrying on this weighty duty of prayer The eighth case now to be considered of is touching inlargements in prayer how Case 8. About inlargements in prayer which are saving when they are for the manner they are discerned to be from saving and peculiar principles of grace and differenced from those which are but from natural carnal or common causes In answer whereunto we must premise that persons may be strangely inlarged in prayer sometimes from principles that are not saving The Pharisees made long praiers Mat. 13. 14. But from a principle of hypocrisie ibid. From carnal and sinfull aymes ibid. And for a pretence make long prayers From pride as in those rhetorical ingeminations Matth. 6. 7. from errour as trusting to such inlargements thinking to bee heard for their much speaking ib. id And for those in Is 1 15. they made many prayers or multiplied petitions as the Hebrew phrase imports some from carnal emulation of some famous men in the Church will straine this way some from delusive raptures may be wonderfully inlarged in their expressions in prayer yet none of these in the right Now saving inlargements in prayer may be discerned from those that are common 1. They are free not forced or strained 1 Free Cant. 4. 11. As the droppings of the hony-comb not needing squeezing or as the powring out of water or oyle which runneth downe naturally and freely Isai 26. 16. They powred out a prayer to thee So Psal 102. the Title Not but that such inlargements doe ofttimes issue from foregoing struglings and conflictings with much opposition and many intervening lets yea and are not also without sundry present difficulties yet the spirit is free at such times and as far as it is spiritual it is delightfully drawne forth therein 2. They are sweet solid sappy lively 2 Lively strengthning inlargements as hony or milk Cant. 4. 11. and that not onely to us but to others that joyne with us The Churches lips when exercised in prayer as well as preaching run downe like the best wine causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak 3. They are seasonable inlargements 2 Seasonable As when God in his providence calleth to them in speciall sort whether in way of confession of sins or of Gods mercie or in a way of petition for mercies for our selves or others Thus Solomon Ezra Daniel and Christ were then in special wise inlarged These fruits of the lips of the Saints are brought forth in season Psal 1. 3. 4. They are most what secret closet-inlargements 4 Secret There David prayeth and cryeth aloud there doe they powre out largely their secret whispers Isai 26. 16. in the Hebrew the same word with 2 Sam. 12. 19. as hath been formerly shewed Zech. 12. 10 12 13. 5. They are contrite melting inlargements Zech. 12. 10. Not some few drops 5 Contrite of either but abundance of such a spirits influences it is powred out they are led as with supplications so with weepings adjoyned to their inlarged prayers such were those of Christ his strong cryes were with teares likewise Heb. 5. 7. His lips in praier dropped sweet smelling myrrhe betokening some holy bitternesse or brokennesse 6. They are obediential inlargements 6 Obediential David as he offereth a multiplied free-will offering Accept the free will offering of my mouth so he desired to be taught his further duty and teach me thy judgements Psal 119. 108. As he opens his mouth to expresse his inlarged desires largely so is it out of obediential longings to doe the will of God ver 131. I opened my mouth and panted for I longed for thy commandements Lastly they are thankfull inlargements 7 Thankfull Psal 51. 15. Open thou my lips that my mouth may shew forth thy praise if his mouth be opened it wil appear in his prayses and Psal 71. 8. the Psalmist's mouth is filled with prayse his prayse is a fruit and concomitant of the delivery of his imprisoned spirit Psal 142. 7. 2. By the matter of them 1. The most 2 By the matter 1 Respecting our sins acceptable inlargements being mostly and best seen in sensible aggravations of our own wretchednesse as in Ezra and Daniels examples Ezra 9. Daniel 9. Jer. 3. 21. the choice matter of their supplications and inlarged prayer is touching the perverting of their way and their forgetting of the Lord Oh how long will a contrite Suppliant be here in making sad commentaries upon his own wretched heart what large declamations will he make against his own sins 2. In sensible amplifications of Gods 2 Gods grace grace and mercy to us as in David of which his Psalmes are a plentifull proofe The love of God maketh him eloquent in setting out the beauty and excellency thereof to the life 3. In spiritual pleas especially for spi-spritual 3 Spiritual mercies mercies of which the prayers of David and of other Gods servants are full 4 In the cases of afflicted tempted ones especially of afflicted Churches Oh! 4 The afflicted or tempted ones cases how large and unwearied is a gracious Nehemiah in such a case hee will spend dayes in dilating upon so sad a theame in the ears of the Lord. Nehem. 1. 3 4. The substance of the largest prayer that is recorded to be made by Solomon concerneth most what the cases of afflicted ones in some kind or other 1 Kings from the 31. verse to 54. 3. By the occasionall rise of them 3 For the occasion of them The inlargement of the Saints in prayer being occasioned 1 By afflictions Afflicted Hannah 1 Afflictions was large and long in prayer insomuch that Eli observing her moving her lips so long saith how long wilt thou be drunken 1 Sa. 1. 14 15. When Davids spirit is so hard bestead then doth he powr
9. My God whom I serve with my spirit 6. Because such prayer is most costly 6 It s most costly to him who is the Churches mouth and so a Sacrifice most sutable to a Saints own desire and best accepted of the Lord such an one will say as David in another case 2 Sam 24 I will not offer to the Lord that which cost me nothing The Tabernacle and Temple-Incense resembling also Church Prayer as in the matter costly so in the manner it cost much pounding and beating Exod. 30. 36. the Mincah for the Congregation as well as that for any particular person was to be of fine flower Levit. 28. Church Praier also resembled thereby would cost the Officers thereof much sifting The lips of that Spouse or Church of Christ which is fo fair Cant. 4. 7. they are ver 3 like a thred if Scarlet fine spun and twice dyed in the wool and in the thred very costly whether speaking in Prayer or Preaching 7 Because such as are the called officed 7 It s sutable to the gifts of called Officers mouthes of the Church they are as hath been shewed gifted for publick prayer in their names as well as preaching as Gods mouth to them wherefore they ought upon all occasions to be exercising that one Talent as well as the other True it is that some of these Stars differ from other in the glory of their light and brightness but yet every of the Stars in Christs hand shine from an inward light in such publick Worship of God Each ones Vial is not of the same capacity yet each Church Officers Vial and Vessel hath its proportionable fulness of such holy odors of praier Rev. 1. 20 5. 8. 8. Because this way of Praier as it hath clearest warrant from the Word as before 8 It s least offensive to the Saints proved so is of least scandal to the choicest of the Saints as experience of former and later times abundantly witnesseth A third Requisite unto such as are the 3 Requisite Holy wisdom mouth of the Assembly in Prayer is holy wisdom and diligence in observing as their owne souls special occasions so those of the Congregation Those four living Creatures resembling Church Officers Revel 4. 6 8. they are full of eyes for that end to look through both themselves and others as they are publickly to worship the Lord. A fourth Requisite is sympathizing affection 4 Sympathy with the people in their cases as if their own So the people of old Hebr. 5. 1 Other Requisites might be mentioned but I forbear Requisites of the second sort in such as Requisites in the people 1. Assent of faith joyn in Publick Prayer are 1. Assent of faith with oneness of mind and heart sutable thoughts and affections All the precious strings of the gracious minds and hearts of such as are present should be tuneable as it were and symphonize in this Lesson of their chief Musician Matth. 18. 19. if they agree in one or symphonize as the Greek phrase is Those holy Suppliants in Acts 2. 14. They continued with one accord in Prayer Hence that resounding of a redoubled Amen at the publick Blessing Nehem. 8. 6. Hence such care had that publick Prayer may be expressed in a Language understood by all that the people may annex their Amen thereunto 1 Cor 14. 16. 2. A gracious and serious attention and 2 Attention intention of spirit thereon God putteth such of his officed solicitours upon the mention of the several cases of his people present and every one had need attend the calling out and handling as it were of his case not neglecting others Each ones spirit hath need to write as I may say his name to such a Corporation-Petition and be ready in heart to say Lord this indeed is the desire of my soul this is my very grievance and burden Lord c. If poor souls who haply have lien spiritually wind-bound meet with any holy gale of the Spirit therein they had need be ready to hoise their sail to catch it and improve it 3 Amity and sweetness of spirit and of affection both towards him which prayeth 3 Amity in their steads and them which joyn with them therein in publick Prayer all and every one must lift up pure hands without wrath and doubting 1 Tim. 2. 8. for then all are as one in their joint desires and are as persons put in each others steads and cases expecting the love and forgivenesse of God for each other and had need be in such a frame as to yeild love and forgivenesse each to other Matth. 6. 12. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors 4. Holinesse and heavenlinesse of heart 4 Holinesse Publick Praier must have pure hearts as well as hands 1 Tim. 2 8. and James 4. 8. the vials from which both Officers and Members of the Congregation offer up such odours must bee golden Vials Revel 5. 8. 5 Faith 1 Tim. 2. 8. Hands lifted up in publick prayer without doubting Every 5 Faith one should put to his Amen of Faith as well as of assent or desire Lastly Reverence Hence in that representation 6 Reverence of publick Church Worship all fal down and worship Rev. 4. 9 10 Psal 95. 6. O come let us worship and bow down and let us kneel before the Lord our Maker What gesture is most meet in publick Quest prayer Such a gesture as may best express much Answ holy reverence as kneeling or standing Touching the gesture Kneeling or standing not sitting up not sitting And that for these Reasons 1 In that in publick prayer there is a more solemn presence of God and of his holy Angels We are in special wise before the Lord our Maker and regard is to be had to our carriage in Prayer because of the Angels 1 Cor. 11. 4. 10. compared The very Angels cover their faces when the Lord is in his Temple as on his Throne Isai 6. 1 2 3. much more cause have we who in publick prayer do all come a begging to come with a publick Petition to our glorious King to offer it up to him upon our bended knees to be very reverend in our gesture 2 In that God giveth it in most special charge in publick Worship of Prayer that it be very reverent for that charge of each other recorded Psal 95. 6. Let us bow down kneel before the Lord our Maker respecteth not any other part of Worship so properly as publick prayer as is evident and that mutual charge of Gods people each of other is but the eccho and result of Gods charge first given to them so to do If Daniel in secret prayer will be kneeling much more should we in publick prayer Dan. 6. 10. He kneeled upon his knees three times a day c 3 In that the examples of the Saints exercised in publick prayer is either standing 2 Chron. 20. 3 6. And Jehoshaphat stood
in the Congregation and said O Lord c. or mostly kneeling 1 Kings 8. 54 The King rose up from kneeling on his knees Acts 20. 36. Paul kneeled down and prayed and so chap. 2. 5. He kneeled down and prayed and in secret prayer it was his constant gesture Hence putting bowing of his knees for prayer For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father c. that is I pray and lesse reverence should not be expressed in publick prayer 4 In that in publick prayer we should all edifie one another by our reverence in gesture as being too apt naturally to commonness and slightness therein Hence Gods people are presented as calling one upon another to bow downe and kneel before the Lord their Maker Psal 95. 6. 5 In that all care should be had by the Saints that they give no occasion of stumbling to others who savingly know not the Lord Jesus Christ Our unreverent gestures before them will harden them in their careless yea haply affected unreverent gestures and carriages David sate before the Lord 2 Sam. 18. Object That was private Prayer of himself alone Answ 1 none else that we read of joyning with him therein and in sundry cases more liberty may be used in our gestures in private then in publick prayer 2 The Hebrew word is oft used for staying and abiding and so it may seeme here to hold forth rather the time of his continuance in Prayer then his gesture Of the use of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see Gen. 22. 5. and 24. 55. and 27 44. and 38. 11. and 29. 14. Exod. 24. 14. Levit. 14 8. Numb 20. 1. and 22. 19. 1 Sam. 20. 19. and 2 Sam. 10. 5. and 11. 12 1 Kings 15. 16. and 2 Kings 22. 46. and 14 10. Judges 6. 18. Psalm 101. 7 and elsewhere 3 It is not probable that he who professeth Psalm 109. 24. that his knees were weak through fasting or praying on Fast dayes that he did now sit in prayer At the best then this instance of Davids sitting is but a may be and no other instance that I know of of the like in Scripture but both rules and examples of the other gestures are clearly set down in Scripture therefore these are most safe and sutable gestures in ordinary course in publick prayer extraordinary cases of bodily infirmities wherein mercy pleaseth God rather then the strictness of this or that gesture in sacrificing or praying not varying or nullifying the ordinary Rule Come we now to the Reasons enforcing Reasons for publick praier this Duty of publick prayer Publick Ordinances being sanctified also Reas 1 as are other things by prayer 1 Tim. 4. 4 Publick Ordinances sanctified by it Call for Publick Prayer Wherefore Gods House of publick Worship is called an House of Prayer as if that were one most choice part thereof Isaiah 56. 7. Acts 2. 42. They continued as in the Apostles Doctrine attending upon preaching and breaking of Bread partaking of the Lords Supper and in prayer sanctifying the rest Because publick occasions call to it Reas 2 1 Tim. 2. 1 2 The cases of publick persons Publick occasions call to it in Commonwealths of Churches c. call thereto Publick wants call for publick Petitions publick sins for publick confessions The plaister must be as large as the sore the Land must repent Jer. 18. 7. so every Congregation in it must down on their knees to ask the Lord forgiveness Members of Congregations must somtimes give themselves to Church fasting and prayer as well as Family or Closet fasting and prayer 1 Cor. 7. 5. Because gracious persons are of a publick Reas 3 spirit God be merciful to us was the Churches Gracious persons are of publick spirits Prayer of old Psalm 67. 1. 2 wherein Make thy way knowne to all Nations Cant. 8. 8. The Church moveth Christ to do something for her sister Church being ready for her part for them otherwise what shall we do for our sister c. Christ teacheth all to pray plurally Give us this day forgive us our trespasses and lead us not into temptation c. As holy Priests in Christ Rev. 1. 5 6. they offer up severally and jointly Sacrifices of Prayer and praises respecting oothers the publick good By the blessing of the upright on the prayer of the upright pleading and prevailing for a blessing that way the City is exalted Prov. 11. 11. Now in publick prayer there is a holy confluence of the breathings of such publick spirits and the Lord in Wisdome Faithfulnesse and Mercy to all sorts will have this for a stated Ordinance that such gracious dispositions in his owne may be exercised and exerted 4. Because publick prayer is a publick Reas 4 profession and confession of God of the 4 A publick profession and confession of God onely true God and that one Mediatour Jesus Christ yea of the onenesse of the Saints with each other in the same Father and Saviour When the Apostle Rom. 10. 10. had spoken of confession to the Lord with the mouth ver 12 13. hee instanceth in calling upon God as one special branch of it Nor is it the least honour to the Lord as a great King to have so many several companies of subjects waiting on him with petitions for his royal favour it is an holy joynt homage and service for many to joyne as one man in prayer Calling upon the name of the Lord and serving him with one shoulder are joyned Zeph. 3. 9. Publick prayer is a publick profession and expression of one and the same faith of many in one and the same Father in one and the same Mediatour of the covenant and in one and the same covenant of grace it is a joynt cry of one and the same spirit in and from many childrens hearts calling one Abba Father it is a common meeting of the several desires of several good hearts in this one common center It is a holy burning-glass wherein the several bright and warme rayes of the faith of many suppliants being in an holy wise contracted in one point as it were breaketh forth into a holy fire of love-expressions to the Lord and their own and others soules welfare it is a joynt out-cry by reason of a serious sense of the same grievances of many if others sorrowes sufferings wants burthens be not the same with thine or mine yet in praying thus wee make each ones ayls ours as they doe make ours theirs Wee come to pray in publick with variety of cases differing from each other in sundry respects but in publick prayer each ones soule is put as it were in anothers stead publick prayer is a publick hue and cry made out by the joynt consent of this or that imbodied people against some common enemies of their soules and dangerous enemies to their blessed King his crowne and his dignity Publick prayer it is a publick condemnation therefore voiced by our owne mouths against any private discords
and divisions if any such should be amongst us Reason 5 5. Because publick prayer is in a special 5 It s very delightfull to the Lord. sort delightful to the Lord hee putteth his people in special wise upon it Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide in prayer and I will fill it hee is therefore troubled if publick prayer as well as private be neglected Esay 43. 22. Thou hast not called upon me O Jacob Jesus Christ is very ready to present and perfume publick as well as more private prayers of his Saints Rev. 8. 3. The Lord is ready to reward it in his people Let all the people or Gentiles prayse thee was the Churches prayer Psal 67. 5. and verse 6. Then shall God even our God blesse us they praying for a blessing upon others triumph for a blessing as upon others so upon themselves It is good and acceptable to him that publick prayer bee made for all Saints 1 Tim. 2. 1 2 3. Christ took it kindly that the multitude opened their mouthes to beseech mercy for one that had an imperfection in his speech and beseech him to lay his hands upon him Mark 7. 32. Vpon which he cured him verse 33 34 35. Reason 6 6. Such manner of approaches of Assemblies 6 It s a fruit of Christs death and represents his publick spirit to the Lord are a fruit of Christs purchase that way to Gods throne i◠made by the rending of the vaile of Christs flesh Heb. 10. 19 20 22 25. compared it represents the very spirit of Christ which is all for the publick good of his people There are in publick prayer the special influences of the spirit which were scattered in many compacted and gathered as it were in one the waters of various graces running in several gracious hearts as in sundry channels doe here disburthen themselves as in one pleasant and mighty streame One instrument alone well tuned will make good musick in Gods eares but he delights much in these praiers in consort where sundry two or three symphonize in what they ask it shall be done Matth. 18. 19. For there is Christ in the midst of them when thu◠gathered together in his name verse 20. Reason 7 7. Because publick prayer is a publick It s a publick ingaging and uniting of hearts engaging and compacting of the hearts and spirits of Gods faithful ones Acts 2. 42. They continued stedfastly in prayers ver 44 And all that believed were together and hal◠all things common Zeph. 3. 9. That they may all call upon him to serve him with one consent or one shoulder as it is in the Hebrew As if the former were meanes of the latter The joynt exercises of mutuall graces in the common work breedeth and feedeth love and mutual respect As it is with any two or three Ministers or other godly persons using to pray most together they love and cleave most together as Musicians that use to play often in consort together they use to be most friendly to each other So is it in an assembly of persons conscionably exercised in publick prayer Let us now apply the consideration of this of publick prayer as our duty First in way of reproofe of such who Vse 1 come not constantly or if they doe they Evils of not or late coming to publick prayer come not seasonably to publick praier but they come dropping in when the duty is halfe or almost finished These write not after their copy set them in that representative of pure worship in Gospel-Churches Revel 4. 8 9 10. When the foure living creatures representing the officers are to lead the rest and to begin and carry on the publick worship the rest of the Congregation represented by twenty four Elders for their gravity and experience in matters of the Gospel they are also present ready to fall downe in testimony of their joynt accord in the worship And observe it none of the number are wanting There is not a third or fourth part or half or three parts of the company as too oft with us when to give glory to God in prayer and thanksgiving but there are the whole assembly of Gods spiritual Priests by profession and holy calling the whole twenty foure This also is not according to the expresse pattern of the Primitive Church and the members there they continued stedfastly as in other parts of worship so in praier and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noteth their ready attendance upon the same as well as their continuance therein The same word is used Acts 10. 7. for the Souldiers waiting upon Cornelius and of Rulers attending on their work Rom. 13. 6. But for the further whetting and sharpning this admonition Consider First that it is a sinne of omission such 1. It is a sin of omission doe not joine in a duty of publick worship to which each of the assembly are bound being therefore publick as that which concerneth all such doe not give the Lord this holy sacrifice in the time of it God is not now lesse interested in the time of his worship as well as in the worship it selfe then of old Numb 28. 2. You shall observe to offer them in due season The very Prince who of all other hath weightie occasions lying upon him to withdraw or delay his coming into the assembly in the time of publick worship under the Gospel allusively represented under notions proper to that of the Law yet Ezek. 46. 10. And the Prince in the midst of them when they goe in shall goe in and when they goe forth shall goe forth He is to be there with the first and stay till the last all the professed subjects and lovers of Jesus Christ are to watch dayly at his gates and wait at the posts of his doors Prov. 8. 33 34. They are therefore to be in readinesse as those who watch and wait for any holy opportunitie of Christs publick ordinances and worship and so of this of praier among the rest or else they break rule neglect their duty How unsutably doe such walk to the example of other godly people abroad mentioned in Luk 1. 21. The people were there al waiting til Zachary had done offering incense and Exod. 35. mention is made of troops of women assembling at the doore of the Tabernacle 1 Sam. 2. 22. Yet women in regard of family occasions of children and the like if any might have been excused Peter and John went to the Temple at the houre of prayer The Tabernacle and Temple then where they were wont to assemble had publick prayers offered up among other services And not less diligence in ready attending publick worship prayer among the rest is prophecied of as in these dayes of the Gospel witness that Psal 110. 3. Thy people shall bee willing or free and forward sacrificers in the day of thy power Esay 60. 8. Who are these that flye like doves to the windowes Zach. 8. 21. Let us goe
speedily to pray before the Lord say the Gentiles and to seek the Lord I will go also 2. It is a scandalous evil it offendeth the 2. It s matter of just offence to others godly part of the assembly which are there seasonably to joine in the duty And the officers also whose spirits they are not to grieve Heb. 13. 17. For the unseasonable coming in of some and then of others disturbeth Ministers and people present and occasionally hindereth their continued fervency and interrupteth attention upon that worship in hand it occasionally hardneth luke-warme and back-sliding Christians in their neutrality of respect to the parts of publick worship and profaner persons in their grosser neglects and contempts thereof When they see Professours haply of note and name bee so slack and slighty in their attendance thereon 3. The ordinary practise of such carelesse coming 3. It s a symptom of a bad estate to joine in publick prayer before other publick worship performed in the assembly is a speaking symptome of an evill estate in persons guilty of it Christ hath had little power on their hearts who are no more ready and forward sacrifices Psalm 110. 3. Such upon whom he hath power being willing and forward that way it strongly argueth that such want a publick spirit love to the publick good through sense of publick evils and that they have little love to publick ordinances or delight in publick fellowship with the Saints as being so constantly carelesse of seasonable addressing themselves to publick prayer wherein all those are to the life expressed 4. Such cannot so groundedly expect a 4. Strips us of a publick blessing blessing upon other Publick ordinances then dispensed as the word preached or the like which regard not to joyne in Publick Prayer for the same Wherefore let all such who professe the feare of God be afraid any more to grieve his spirit or the spirits of his Saints by any such remissnesse and slacknesse in attending upon an ordinance so precious and prevailing with the Lord yea let them blush that in Popish times of superstitious blindnesse so many should from blind zeal bee so forward in awaiting Latine service to say nothing of other service Common-Prayer lately discarded in attending whereupon too many have placed their main Religion and Christians in these precious times of Gospel light and liberty should bee no more forward to improve that liberty of pure worship of God as other wayes so in Publick Praier which both Christ hath purchased so dearly and for which the Saints have wrestled so much with God and conflicted with so many difficulties with men The second Use therefore may serve to The second use of exhortation to attend upon publick prayer exhort all the people of God to seasonable conscionable attendance upon Publick Prayer presented in an holy manner in his Churches by such as the Lord calleth thereunto let not God have any cause to complain that Publick calling upon God is out of request with us Esay 43. 22. he accounteth we are weary of him if neglectful of that Thou hast not called upon me O Jacob but thou hast been weary of me O Israel Surely the Lord hath magnified his faithfulnesse in bringing us strangers into his holy mountain according to Isaiah 56. 7. and is as ready to make us joyfull in his house of Prayer if we are not wanting to our owne soules God honours this part of his worship before others and therfore by a synechdoche putteth it for his whole worship his house of worship he calls an house of yrayer as being a choice part of his worship Neglect that neglect all as being that which instrumentally putteth life and lustre into all other parts of worship their burnt offerings saith God there shall be accepted For my house shall be called an house of Prayer Look then that wee put special honour upon this ordinance Yea these instrumentally occasion more honour to God Prayers made in Zion have their answers God is a God honouring Church-Prayer also and therefore hath Church-Prayses too Prayse waiteth for him in Zion Psal 65. 1 2. As gifts are bestowed by occasion of many so thanks come to be given by many 2 Cor. 1. 11. And who would not then if they love the Lord bee ready to give a lift to such honour of his name Yea wee shall come to have more abundant honour by it in the eyes of others to be stiled and owned as under God helpers to them in the attaining of such and such begged blessings you also helping by your Prayers saith Paul to the Church of Corinth In a word it is the priviledge of the Saints purchased at a deare rate by Jesus Christ by whose cause it is that their enmity being slaine Eph. 2. 16. both such as were nigh and such as were a farre off verse 17. through him have both an accesse by one spirit unto the Father verse 18. and are fellow-Citizens verse 19. And as such they trade with God publickly as well as privately in praier for the furtherance of the whole Cities good and every part thereof There is a City treasury of Prayers from which oft times even other decayed Citizens instrumentally get relief Many a decayed Parish as I may call it in the great City of God in the Church universal is raised againe by it and many a back-sliding Christian raised up againe by it as others keep that blessed stock going for us so should we for them And as a means the more to farther us this way let every gracious person make conscience to quicken up each other to this duty So these converts do Zach. 8. 21. Come let us go speedily to pray before the Lord I will goe also CHAP. IIII. Of Private or Family Prayer HAving spoken of the first branch of continued Prayer even Publick Prayer we must now speak of Private or Family Prayer required also implicitely in this undefinite injunction Pray without ceasing respecting the families in the Church Family prayer distinguished of Thessalonica as well as the whole Church collectively considered Family Prayer is either extraordinary or ordinary both are dutyes in their seasons Of extraordinary Family Prayer such as to which fasting is joyned is that 1 Cor. 7. 5. That ye may give your selves to fasting and prayer namely considered as members of the family privately as of the Church publickly whether upon occasion of removal which may and must be done by one family alone sometimes as well as by many families joyning together at other times Ezra 8. 25. That we may seek a right way for us and our little ones c. upon occasion also of publick losse of some pious rulers as those of the Jews did for Josias 2 Chron. 34. 24 25 26. unto which allusion is made Zach. 12. 11 12. And many other occasions might be instance on this way Ordinarie private Praier in families is either occasional or more properly oeconomical occasional Private
something which we have lost if wee mind it not seriously we shall have trifles enough in veiw to draw our eyes to them so is it in slighty seeking to God in prayer 3. Carelesnesse and slightinesse in 3 Instability in prayer prayer breedeth and feedeth inconstancy and instability in prayer Any yea sometimes no occasion shall cause a sleighty Professour to neglect his praying Any pretence that will but seemingly serve to stop conscience its mouth or any discouragement will put him by praying it is verified in such an one Job 27. 10. Will hee alwayes call upon God that is hee will not doe it on constantly Their goodness in seeking God in prayer also is but as the early dew which goeth away Hosea 5. last and 6. 1 2 3 4. compared Nor will it be onely an occasional omission sometimes of Prayer but an habituated instablenesse in Prayer now off now on now having a mind now no mind to pray until at length such an one waxeth weary of prayer which did not call upon God to wit seriously Isaiah 43. 22. Thou hast not called upon me namely importunately but thou hast been weary of me O Israel As it is with the sluggard Prov. 6. 10. yet a little slumber and yet a little sleep and as one sleep and slumber stealeth upon another so one sleighty prayer begetteth another at least a disposition thereunto and one ommission of Prayer occasioneth another though it may be an awakened conscience would faine have it otherwise or as it is with a sleighty workman if he doe but now and then forbear working labour groweth tedious to him or at least hee cannot hold out to any constancy in working The like befalleth him that is sleighty in Praying he cannot be constant in Praying Such an one will rather run any hazards to shark and shift for comfort otherwise then bee constant in labouring in Prayer for it 4. Slightinesse in prayer it rather strengthens then weakens the sinnes wee pray against When Professours grow remisse in praier then corruptions presently gather head and get the better if Moses his hands grow heavy and remisse in praier flying yea and wounded Amalakites will rally and give a fiercer and more victorious charge Exodus 17. 11. Whilst a Christian Souldier handleth this weapon of praier carelesly he leaveth an open mark for an enemy and lust to foile and wound him if not mortally and irrecoverably Should a Christian traveller though like another traveller with his pistols in his holsters and his sword by his side be well weaponed yet if carelesse and as good as asleep by the way side he is a fit prey to any lust to spoil and rob him of his treasure or if suddenly awakened in conscience to see his danger yet he is but as one suddenly awakened in a kind of amazement and hardly in case to resist and fight against any such robber Yea sleightnesse in praier laies a Christian open to all manner of temptations It even tempts that arch-robber and murderer of soules the Devil to bee making a booty of such sleighty professours Mark 14. 37 38. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation The disciples carelesness of praier made the more ready way to Sathan to tempt them to forsake their master And it was an ominous presage to Peter in special of his sad fall soon after Simon sleepest thou watch and pray lest yee enter into temptation Supiness and sleightness in prayer is an 5 It is an inlet to delusions in-let to delusive fancies and conceits The sleightest Christians in holy performances are most haunted with groundless and vanishing toyes and hopes as is evident in hypocrites who are habituated in such a sleighty way of prayer and other religious exercises Joh. 8. 11 12. 13. As it is with other persons who are betwixt sleeping and waking they are subject to dreames so is it with such like Christians 6. Such Sleightness in prayer is an 6 It brings in Apostacy in-let and sad forerunner of Apostacy if not seasonably redressed The professours in Josiahs time that so soon turned back from God were such as did not seek God namely to any purpose but at most formally and carelesly Zeph. 1. The foolish virgines who for fashion and forme sake goe out to meet Christ in his ordinances making it their great care to get so much oyle of grace as would make them shine in religious exercises their oyle at length failed them and their profession and religious performances ended in a snuffe and in smoak Matth. 25. 8. Christians come not from one extreame of rash and hypocritical zeal and fervency to the other of utter contempt and neglect of God and good but by this midling temper of sleightness from hot they come to bee quite cold by this lukewarmeness when Christians are once beginning to take from the heighth and steep of fervency they then haste downeward apace and if the Lord prevent not they stay not till they fatally fall into the bottomeless pit When Christians grow indifferent in their desires of grace they grow as indifferent in their indeavours after it and when once indifferent whether they do work for God or no they are fittest to bee hired to doe some worse work When Christians through carelesnesse in driving this holy trade of prayer do not thrive but go downe the wind amaine 't is twenty to one but they will be taking up some other trade it may bee of covetous persons it may be of time-servers it may be of drunkards it may be of adulterers it may be of hereticks or opinionists or the like Consider wee now of some evils of punishments Evils of sorrow accompanying slightnesse in Prayer and sorrow attending this for this being in Gods account the guise of deceivers That when we have a male in our own flock as sometimes the Lord spake Mal. 1. 8. 14. we have serious spirits in other matters of the world or the like Yet offer such an accursed thing as carelesse and slighty prayers a curse of God is wont to A blast upon the gifts attend it God is wont to blast such in their spirits and gifts so that their very gift of prayer is by degrees taken away from them there is a secret moth that eateth out the strength and beauty of it and it is too often found that whilst such are slightly hapething and trifling about the greater matters of their souls the Lord leaveth offering his rich mercies to them and whilst they are making some complemental suits to Divine forsakings Christ hee at length will be woed no more by them and that sad curse of God threatned against them in Jer. 44. 26 And the Lord will be no more named by any mouth of the men of Judah cometh to be fulfilled in such loose-hearted professours Prayer is cast out of their families and closets as some refuse service as is to be seen in these later dayes in too too many or
if by some awakening afflictions sent upon them they come to be roused yet it is too often their just doome to be earnest indeed but without any regard thereunto by the Lord. They shall cry but I will not hear Zeph. 7. 11. Isai 65. 13 14 But at best any degree of such a slighty spirit in prayer will become very grievous to us if truely gracious whence that way of complaint Isai 64. 7. There is none that calleth upon God no not one that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of Saddest heartgreifs God It is as grievous to such soules to have their spiritual joynts either bound or benummed as it is in a like case to men when their body hath its numb palsie when in prayer a gracious heart is ever reaching out to take an approaching mercy and then through a little incogitancy remisness the mercy is let slip and the advantage at that time lost it must needs bee grievous to the godly To the fourth Query Quest What means we should use to be Quest 4 importunate in prayer I answer get thee more abundant Answ knowledge of God and of our selves but Helps to importunity in prayer 1 Distinct knowledge of the Lord. especially acquaint our selves with Gods friendly and mercifull disposition towards us Luke 11. 7 8 5. verses compared Hee who was importunate for bread knew he was at a friends door like the Syrians hearing that the Kings of Israel were mercifull Kings this quickned them up to that earnestnesse in seeking their favour 1 Kings 20. 31. It will make a beggar earnest for an almes when he knoweth where a bountiful person liveth who is not wont to send any beggar away empty 2. Cherish wee hope of the Lords 2 Lively hope of mercy mercy to us Jonah 3. Let them cry mightily to the Lord verse 9. Who can tell if God will turne and repent the possibility that the Lord was within hearing and might open to the Ninivites made them knock so hard at his doore of grace 3. See wee bee sensible of our utter destitutenesse 3 Sense of our owne helplesnesse of what we are to ask of God and our shiftlesnesse to get it any other where or way Luke 11 3 6. Lend me three leaves for a friend of mine is come and I have nâ—thg to set before him Luke 15. 17 18 19. I perish for hunger I will arise and goe to my father and say make me as one of thy hired-servants Psal 143. 4. My heart is desolate within me ver 6. My soul thirsteth after thee When all other meanes and doors fail such spiritual beggars that one only door of grace is left for their reliefe or else they must famish how earnestly will it cause them to knock there Jer. 3. 21. A voice of weeping and supplication was heard verse 23. Truly in vaine is salvation hoped for from the hills Truely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel 4. Look that we account highly of the 4 High esteem of what is desired in prayer mercies we ask in prayer Prov. 2. 3. If thou cryest after knowledge and liftest up thy voyce after understanding verse 4. If thou searchest for her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasure The Church was sick of love Cant. 5. 8. and useth all meanes to find him and no wonder her beloved was the chiefest of ten thousand to her ver 10. 5. Take we holy advantages of the gales 5 Opportunity of prayer and movings of the spirit in prayer and of Christs approaches to us opportunity helps importunity in prayer Mat. 20. 30. And behold two blind men sitting by the way side when they heard that Jesus passed by cryed out saying have mercy on us O Lord thou Sonne of David And verse 32. And Jesus stood still and called them and sayd what will you that I doe unto you verse 33. they say to him Lord that our eyes may be opened When Christ by his spirit calleth us to him puteth us upon asking and when hee stands still waiting to be gracious to us now let him not goe till hee blesse us When beggars come whilst a bountifull person is giving out his dole to the poore or in dinner time when victuall is stirring they will not away without something so if we perceive the Lord to bee on the giving hand put in hard for a blessing 6. Improve we former advantages gotten 6. Improve experiences of God in and by prayer I will cry to God most high unto God who performes all things for me when we see crying will doe it will put us on not to spare for crying Now in this holy search after experimental knowledge of Gods grace wee now and then light upon a smaller vain of such treasure we will not spare any pains in digging when in our daily woing of Christ in praier we meet now and then with a smile and kiss and love-token it will make us follow our suit close 7. Goe we about prayer as our onely 7. Make praier our only businesse businesse which then wee have to doe ingaging our selves to attend it Saints are spiritual solicitours by their calling as Saints That which made Abraham so urgent in his request Gen. 18. 27. is this Behold now I have taken upon me to speake to the Lord. 8. Chide we our selves sadly and bee wee seriously abased for any sleightinesse 8 Chide our selves out of sleightinesse in prayer at any time in prayer as the Prophet complaining thereof Isa 64. We have now called upon thy name nor stirred up our selves to take hold of thee and Isa 63. 17. Why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy feare As Elisha was wroth with Joash for smiting but thrice and then staying 2 Kings 13 18 19. Saying thou shouldest now have smitten five or six times or as they did chide sleeping Jonah when hee should have been praying Jonah chap. 1. 6. Awake thou sleeper and call upon thy God So chide we our sleighty spirits to awaken unto prayer 9. Set we the examples of the most 9 Set before us the best examples of importunity in prayer importunate suppliants of God before our eyes James 5. 17. Elias prayed earnestly that it might not raine and it rained not a very dullard will pluck up his feet when he seeth how nimble his leaders are Lastly take heed of all such things as are enemies and impediments to Importunity Le ts to importunity in prayer 1 Inordinate desires after other things in prayer Such as are inordinate desires after other things we cannot to any purpose follow severall suits at once in severall Courts we cannot ply the worlds court and Gods too The messengers are sent out another way which should importune heaven and they cannot be here and there too whilst our winged desires are hasting after other things and booties we are slowest in moving heaven-ward with wings as Angels 2. Immoderate intentness