workes is counterfeit and hypocrisie the Lord cannot abide it Esay 1. The Lord saith that their sacrifices burnt offerings incense are abhominations that their new Moones Sabaoths solemne feasts solemne dayes and assemblies are a but then and wearisomnesse neyther will he heare their prayers But they must be washed they must be purged the euill of their workes must be taken away they must cease to doe euill they must learne to doe well This was the sinne of Saul he would séeme to be a true worshipper of God offering sacrifice and therein was he diligent enough but hée was slow enough in doing the will of the Lord when hee was commaunded to slay the Amalekites man woman childe beast c. he spared the King and brought of the best of the things to sacrifice with 1 Sam. 15. 21. 22. There be aboundance of Sauls in these dayes Therefore S. Iames teacheth Be ye doers of the word and not hearers onely deceiuing your owne selues Iam. 1. 22. Hee that looketh in the perfect Law of liberty and continueth therein he not being a forgetfull hearer shall be blessed in his deede And the whole second Chapter throughout Therefore Worship without Obedience is flat hypocrisie Againe concerning ciuill honesty or morall life wherein the common Protestant resteth himselfe with contentment is odious in the sight of God without sincere worship For the frame of mans heart is euill continually Gen. 8. 21. how good soeuer he séeme to be to himselfe and others that cannot discerne betwéene naturall and spirituall life but make a confusion of both vnder an outward profession or rather bare name and title All our righteousnes is as a menstrous cloth Esay 64. 6. and Iob saith Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse Iob 144 vaine therefore are the supposed good works of Papists séeing that they worship not God rightly and as vaine are the workes of vaine-glorious worldlings séeing that they worship not God truely Therefore worship and obedience must go together procéeding from a right fountaine that is from an humble and obedient heart purged from hypocrisie by a working faith and vnfeigned repentance from sanctified affections and a good conscience This is onely acceptable to God and those actions obedience that procéed from this fountaine though stayned with many wants and imperfections God accepteth as pure the impurity not being imputed Psal 32. 1. 2. Furthermore there be sundry reasons why that God heareth the godly namely those that worship him sincerely and doe his will First because that they being redéemed from the bondage of sinne are the sonnes of God they haue the spirit of adoption or of ingenuous and frée-borne sonnes by which they both know God acknowledge God to be their God and loue God their Father and consequently call vpon him Prayers procéeding from a prophane heart doe not pierce the heauens but those which come from Gods owne spirit therefore S. Paul saith Ephes 6. 18. Pray alwaies with all manner prayer and supplication in the spirit And Rom. 8. 26. The spirit maketh request for vs with sighes that cannot be expressed Such holy motions and rauishments doth the spirit of God worke in our hearts as that wée are not able to expresse the same in words but with sighes euen as when words faile vs wée vse to declare our mindes by gestures Such prayers come as it were immediately from the spirit with little vse of mans discourse and phantasie and no vse of the tongue Esau prayed with wéeping eyes but with a prophane heart therefore he is not heard The Pharises make long prayers with an hypocriticall heart therefore they are not heard But Moses prayed onely in minde and his desire is heard Exod. 14. 15. Yea the Lord accepted his prayer as much as if he had earnestly cryed therefore the Lord sayd to him Why cryest thou Goe forward with the people So Anna prayed in her heart with submisse and vnperfect words which caused Eli to thinke that shée was drunke 1 Sam. 1. 13. Therefore the Lord heard her And hence it is that the Apostle bids vs pray continually 1 Thes 5. 17. For with the heart minde or spirit a man may pray alway This teacheth vs in praying to pray for the spirit of Prayer Secondly the Lord heareth the godly because they alone being taught by the word and spirit doe pray aright As Rom. 8. 27. He that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit for hee maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God both teaching them what to pray for and how to pray Which prayers the Lord accepteth as S. Iohn teacheth This is the assurance that wee haue of him that if we aske any thing according to his will hee heareth vs. An example héereof 1 King 3. 9. 10. Because Salomon prayed not for riches nor for long life nor the life of his enemies but that a wise and vnderstanding heart might be giuen him to iudge the Lords people righteously therefore it pleased the Lord and he granted his prayers Thus our Sauiour Christ prayed Not my will but thy will be done Thirdly the Lord heareth the godly because they are truely penitent and sorrowfull for sinne and therefore come into the presence of God clad with the righteousnesse of Christ Psalm 51. 17. The sacrifice of God is a contrite spirit a contrite and broken heart O Lord wilt thou not despise Psal 28. 7. Praised be the Lord for he hath heard the voyce of mine humble petitions Our Sauiour Christ calleth onely such vnto him Matth. 11. 28. Come vnto mee all yee that are heauy laden and I will ease you For the Lord hath annointed mee to binde vp the broken hearted Esay 61. 1. Therefore the poore Publicane confessing his sinnes with a penitent and sorrowfull spirit is heard before the Pharisée iustifying himselfe by his workes Luke 18. Fourthly the Lord heareth the godly because they pray feruently I am 5. 16. The praier of a righteous man preuaileth much if it be feruent Heereby two things are specially necessary in Prayer First a man must be a righteous man Hée is righteous that by faith is ingraffed into the righteous Iesus Christ and in him bringeth forth fruits of thankefull obedience to God Secondly he must pray feruently that is to say seriously or with earnest desire For this feruency argueth that a man praieth in the spirit which ouercommeth the dulnes and drowsines of the flesh which quencheth and oppresseth the spirit This wée may sée in the heauy and sléepy Disciples Matth. 26. 40. though they had a willingnesse and desire to watch and to pray yet the flesh quelled and dulled the spirit Secondly feruency argueth the necessity of the thing that wée pray for Wée most of all and most earnestly pray for that which wée haue most néede of Thirdly feruency argueth Faith in Gods power that hée is able to helpe and in his goodnesse that hée is willing and ready to helpe For this
preserue all things therein for their sakes but for his owne children from whom they snatch and catch all that they can to dishonour God and his children therewith They are the children of Abaddon or Apollyon the destroyer that abuse all things to the dishonour of God the disgracing and harming of the godly and to their owne condemnation And this is the kingdome of the Deuill héere on earth Goe to now you cunning catchers you flouting politicians you proud and wanton damsells you lustfull and Epicurish Gluttons and thou muddy Mammonist on whom haue yee ieasted vpon whom haue ye gaped and thrust out you togue Are ye not rebellious children and a false seede Bastards and not Sonnes Are ye not witches children the seede of the Adulterer and the Whoore Esay 57. 3. 4. You boast your selues to be the children of God and the true members of Christ As for others you make mocks on them with your mouthes and you deuise terms for them to make them sectaries and hypocrites they are your gazing stocks and taunting Prouerbs But where is your Deuotion Where is your Zeale Where is your Feruency Sobriety Prayer Thanksgiuing Humility What fruits of the Spirit appeare in you What loue of God in the zealous exercises of Gods worship What contempt of the worlds pompe pride vanity in your moderate liuing and sober conuersation What regard of the afflictions of Ioseph Yea your bodies are your Idolls and your soules like drudges doe homage to your bodies This appeareth in your excessiue fare in your excessiue apparell in your excessiue varieties of fashions in your excessiue curiosity in the putting on thereof In these excesses ye compare one with another emulate one another and striue to goe beyond one another Your backes and bellies are grown to be so chargeable require so great maintenance like to the Idoll Bell as that the land is hardly able to beare you You grow so insupportable that the earth groneth vnder you I would ye knew but mockers pleasing themselues in their owne fancies will know nothing till they be made sober taught by iudgements that these are no fruits of the spirit but of a sensuall appetite they are no signes of Christianity but of a dissembling and proud heart and of lust that reigneth in your mortall and corruptible members It is to be feared that as God giueth you your hearts desires in all these things so some heauy iudgements hang ouer your heads to purge this shamelesse corruption and filthy rottennesse out of this land that hath had rest for many yeares It is a shame and an abhomination to sée what priding and decking there is of these corruptible carkasses how this earthly masse of mortality this lumpe of sinne and death doth magnifie and exalt it selfe It is a wonder to sée what pride in apparell what curiosity in the fashion and putting on of the same is to be séene on the Lords day a day of humility and denotion but such fleshly shewes and swaggering seruice the Lord abhorres For a penitent humble lowly and deuout heart doth not shew foorth it selfe in such flourishes Such were the conditions and practises of the Iewes in Esayes time Esay 3. and in Ezech. 33. 30. to the end They come to thee as the people vse to come and my people sit before thee and heare thy words but they will not do them for with their mouthes they make ieasts and their hearts goeth after their couetousnesse And loe thou art to them as a ieasting song of one that hath a pleasant voyce for they heare thy words but do them not Ciuility swallowes vp Christianity in this present age and pride deuoureth hospitality the very name whereof is worne out of mans memory Thirdly God granteth the withes desires enterprises and indeauours of the wicked as they are instruments of his iustice and rods of correction For by them as by asword a fire a rod the Lord doth chastise his children and punish the hypocrites Yea by their wickednes the Lord doth effect those things which may be for his owne glory and the good of his children they not knowing what they doe Fire naturally desireth nourishment or fuell wée giue it the same that we may do our works with it yet fire intendeth not the doing of our worke but the consuming of it Therefore wée call it a good seruant but an euill master The Deuill and the wicked are as fire in their owne natures destroyers yet by accident as I may say they are builders and repayrers for such is the power wisedome and goodnesse of God as that hée doth his owne worke by contrary meanes In this respect the Lord calls Nabuchadnezzar his seruant in that by him he punished the rebellious Iewes Nabuchadnezzar did this out of his couetousnesse and pride of his heart magnifying himselfe against God and his people yet he executeth the Lords iudgements on the rebellious and mercy on the obedient But what was the reward of this his seruice what he did out of his own euil heart was one thing what the Lord did out of his power and wisedome is another thing His wages was according to his owne worke Esay 33. Woe to thee that spoylest and wast not spoyled and dost wickedly and they did not wickedly against thee when thou shalt cease to spoyle thou shalt be spoyled when thou shalt make an end of doing wickedly they shall doe wickedly against thee Esay 45. 1. In this respect is Cyrus called comparatiuely the annointed of the Lord. The Lord will by him execute iustice on Nabuchadnezzar for his tyranny pride couetousnes cruelty by him shew mercy on his people in their deliuerance out of their seauenty years captiuity Thus Iudas the high-Priests Pharises had their desires they were not disappointed of their wicked proiects crafty plots but the end and proofe thereof was the building of Christs kingdome which they thought to ouerthrow and the destruction of their owne kingdome which they sought to establish by this meanes Ioh. 11. 48. If we let him thus alone all men will beleeue in him and the Romaines will come and take away both our place and the nation The vse of this Hast thou power hast thou wisdome policy hast thou a iudicious contriuing plotting head hast thou a searching imagination strong memory hast thou learning and eloquence hast thou wealth and friends hast thou a healthfull and strong body these things are much desired admired of the world But consider what thou art not what thou hast How dost thou vse thy power to build the kingdome and Church of Christ therwith or to build vp thy selfe in the destruction thereof to thy power how little soeuer it be How dost thou vse thy poliâ—y and wisedome and wherein are these gifts exercised wherein art thou iudicious what is the ground and end of thy proiects what vse dost thou make of thy learning in what matter and what causes dost thou practise thy
wée doe know in common reason that it is against reason to request earnestly a thing of a man that wee know hee is no way able to doe for vs. But it may bée obiected if a man be willing and ready to helpe vs when we haue occasion to vse him accordingly as hée hath formerly promised vs what néede wée be so earnest So God hath promised that hée will helpe vs when wée come vnto him why is feruency then so necessary To the former part or proposition I answer that good manners require so much For otherwise 1. We should séeme rather to aske a thing of him than to intreat him as though for some respects hée were as much beholding vnto vs when there is no such matter 2. Wée should séeme rather to require a thing of him then to desire it 3. We should cause him to thinke that wée haue no great néede of that which wée request Hence it is that the humble beggar which craueth earnestly doth spéede better than hée that asketh carelesly and much better then hée that asketh commandingly To the second part or reddition I answer that we must come vnto God as a poore harmeles beggar comes to a King to craue almes in whose presence we must estéeme our selues as but a flea as Dauid termes himselfe before Saul 1 Sam. 24. 15. Yea as dust and ashes as Abraham termes himselfe approaching néere to the Lord. The Lord will haue vs to call and crye and as it were clamourously to follow after him when he séemes to turne his backe euen as the beggar doth and as the poore widdow in the Gospell did that claue to the vniust Iudge like a Burre till she had her petition granted And this is indéed a speciall fruit of true faith and an euident signe of trust in God For hereby wée acknowledge him to be our onely helpe and none other and therefore we cleaue fast vnto him as being otherwise destitute helplesse and hopelesse This was the continuall practise of Dauid on this manner to pray This was the practise of the Cananitish Woman whose daughter was possessed with a Deuill Matth. 15. 22. which Christ there taketh for a speciall argument of her faith Wherefore was Balaak so earnest with Balaam to come and curse Israell Euen because he was the onely man in his kingdome on whose helpe he relyed and wherin he most trusted I know saith he that he whom thou blessest is blessed and hee whom thou cursest is cursed Num. 22. 6. Vpon this knowledge and confidence was hée so earnest with him Likewise vpon our knowledge acknowledgement and confidence in God are wée earnest with him otherwise our prayers are cold and drousie heartlesse and lippe-labour yea almost saying in our harts with the wicked what profit shall wee haue if we pray to the Almighty A special example of this feruency in Prayer sée Psalme 143. 6. My soule gaspeth to thee as a thirsty land Likewise 2 Chron. 32. 20. Ezechias and Esay pray to heauen against Senacherib and were heard Thus Anna prayed 1 Sam. 1. Thus the faithfull in afflictions pray Psal 123. 2. The Iewes in captiuity are taught by Ieremie to pray after this manner Lamentations 2. 18. 19. O wall of the daughter of Sion let teares runne downe like a riuer day and night In the beginning of the watch powre out thine heart like water before the Lord. Thus the Lord commaundeth them to pray in the day of their visitation Ierem. 29. 12. 13. Then shall they cry vnto mee and I will heare you and yee shall seeke mee and finde mee because ye shall seeke me with all your heart Fiftly the Lord heareth the prayers and supplications of the godly because they are not wauering minded but constantly relie on the promises of GOD in the vse of those lawfull meanes that in his prouidence hée hath appointed for them Therefore that our prayers may bée heard wée must pray First in the spirit Secondly according to Gods will Thirdly in Humility Fourthly with feruency Fiftly with constancy A Godly Prayer to be said at all times eyther in publicke or priuate ALmighty and euerliuing God maker and preseruer of all things in Heauen and in earth and in Iesus Christ our most mercifull and louing Father wee thy poore and vnworthy seruants being desirous to offer vnto thy diuine Maiesty the fruits of our lippes euen an Euening or Morning sacrifice of prayer praise and thanksgiuing do intreat thy fatherly goodnesse so to prepare our sinfull hearts by thy good spirit as that although in much infirmity and weakenesse yet in sincerity and true desire wee may performe this duty in some sort acceptably to thy gratious will For O Lord we humbly confesse here before thy glorious presence that wée are altogether in thy fight a loathsome masse of corruption conceiued in sinne and borne in iniquity all our righteousnes being like a menstruous cloth our mindes full of ignorance our wills full of rebellion our affections earthly and sensuall our consciences full of pollution continually casting vp mire and dirt our liues a sinfull race of iniquity to iniquity growing riper in trespasses and sinnes then we doe in yeares Innumerable are the sinnes of our deceitfull hearts which for want of knowledge of our selues and due examination we passe by without confession without sorrow without repentance amendment Our omission of all good dueties towards thy maiesty towards our brethren and towards our selues is infinite And the sins that we daily commit against our owne knowledges and consciences through presumption and carnall security are without number And yet our Consciences accuse vs and we féele by wofull experience how full of wants imperfections and frailty we are how prone to all euill how backward to all goodnes how doubtfull distrustfull fearefull and vnconstant in euery good action yea our whole spirits soules and bodies are full of vanity and prophanenesse deadnesse dulnesse and drowsinesse in thy worship and seruice And whereas thy goodnesse toward vs is endlesse in pouring plentifully vpon vs all temporall benefits and spirituall blessings Yet such is our vnthankefulnesse as that the one wée spend vpon our lusts and the other wée haue contemned and neglected or in our liues haue not sufficiently expressed the swéete comforts thereof in thy Gospell reuealed vnto vs. But sith O deare Father thou hast taught vs by thine owne word that thou hast loued vs with an euerlasting loue in Christ Iesus before all times and in time hast héeretofore declared and doest yet continually manifest thy grace and mercy towards all thy people and to vs in speciall giuing vs thy word and worshippe in so peaceable and plentifull manner and together with the same all things néedfull both for soule and body we beséech thée also vouchsafe this speciall grace vnto vs euen a liuely féeling of our sinne and misery that on the one side through the sensible apprehension of thy wrath and sharpe punishment remorse and sorrow may constraine our
for thy fatherly care ouer vs in prouiding all things necessary for our soules and bodies for our food rayment health peace liberty friends which many of thy children want that are as déere vnto thée as our selues But especially aboue all we praise thy name for the blessings of a better life as namely for our election in Christ Iesus before the world was for our creation after thine owne image in the beginning for our estectuall vocation out of the darkenes of this world into thy glorious light and kingdome by the outward preaching of thy word and the inward operation of thy spirit for our iustification by the obedience bloudshed of thine owne sonne for our adoption from the thraldome of Satan into the glorious liberty and priuiledge of Sonnes for our sanctification in the crucifying of the body of sinne and quickning of the inner man for our continuall preseruation against the temptations and conquest of sinne Satan and this euill world for the frée donation of thy holy spirit the earnest of our inheritance vntill the redemption of the possession purchased and for the continuance of thy Gospell the word of truth and the meanes whereby wée are partakers of all these blessings O Lord open our blinde eyes euery day more and more to sée and consider of thy great and maruellous loue towards vs in all these things that by the due consideration thereof we may be drawne néerer vnto thée to loue thée much because thou hast giuen much And as thou doest abound towards vs in all goodnes so grant that wée may abound toward thee in all obedience and thankefulnesse And as O Lord thou being infinite in mercy hast had mercy on vs when wée deserued iudgement euen so we beséech thée be mercifull to all them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death cause the glorious light of thy Gospell to shine in their hearts according to the good pleasure of thine owne will and in whom thou hast already begun the worke of conuersion vouchsafe them also the grace of perseuerance that continuing to the end they may be partakers of glory with thy Saints in light And whereas saluation came of thine ancient people the Iewes but they through vnbeléefe were cut off that wée by faith might be grafted in Lord call them in thine appointed time take away the vaile from before their blinde and vncircumcised hearts and reueale the knowledge of thy sonne vnto them that they and wée may be one shéepefold vnder one shepheard Christ Iesus In the meane time destroy the kingdom of sinne Satan and Antichrist euery day more and more Build vp thine owne kingdome of Grace in the hearts of euery one of vs and hasten thy kingdome of glory that when this miserable life is ended wee may raigne with thée eternally in glory Be gratious and mercifull to them that suffer affliction for the testimony of a good Conscience deliuer them out of the hands of their enemies or so strengthen them with the comfortable assistance of thy spirit that in dying they may ouercome the world death and hell Comfort all that are troubled in mind with the burthen of their sins speake peace to their Consciences say vnto their soules I am thy saluation Come vnto me all ye that are weary and heauy laden and I will ease you And to this end giue the tongue of the learned to thy Ministers that they may know to Minister a word in time to him that is weary Be mercifull to them that are afflicted in body with paines sicknesses or diseases giue them grace to beare the crosse with patient thankefulnesse and to learne by those visitations to confesse their sinnes to acknowledge their faults to call vpon thy name to amend their liues that as heretofore they haue gone astray after the course of this world through the inticements of naturall concupiscence so they may now be brought to the knowledge of thée and of themselues And also strengthen them that are any manner of wayes assaulted by Satan giue them a ioyfull issue with the temptation that thy grace in their deliuerance by them may be glorified and thy power conquering Satan in their weakenesse may be manifested and for euer magnified Thankesgiuing before meate VVE thanke thée O Heauenly Father for all thy blessings and mercies heretofore bestowed vpon vs and still continued renued vnto vs. Especially at this time for these thy good creatures that of thine owne goodnesse and bounty thou hast ordained and prouided for the maintenance of our bodies giue them vertue and power to nourish vs that thereby our strengths being renued we may be more fit and able to serue thée in the duties of our callings to thine honour and glory and to the comfort of our owne soules and consciences through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Thankesgiuing after meate VVE desire to return all honour glory praise thankesgiuing to thy Maiesty for thy fatherly care ouer vs since the beginning of our dayes till this present houre Chiefly for thy heauenly word the foode of our soules for thy Sabaoths and the peaceable exercises of all holy dueties therein And in speciall at this time for these thy good creatures whereof at this present wée haue béene partakers by thy good prouidence beséeching thée so to blesse and sanctifie the same vnto vs as that we may walke in the strength of them in the performance of all good duties to thy glory and our owne comforts through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS