venia procuratur poena refugitur and proemiorum largitas impetratur wee haue accesse vnto God the prisoner to intreat the Iudge the Iudge is mooued to mercie and his mercie indueth him with all kinde of blessings O therefore prouide in time while it is to day for this happy anchor if not to stay thy tottering selfe in this miserable world yet to defend thy tossed countrey from the boistrous inuasion of the open foe and the deceitfull practise of thy traiterous friend But because this sea is verie boisterous waue following waue and tempest running after tempest It is not amisse to follow Pyndarus his counsell especially 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this winters night to loose two anchors The time was indeed wherein man quasi dies in gratia claruit Greg. morale 35.18 was as bright as the day and as cleare as the sunne walking in the day light of blessed grace But being enwrapped in sin and fallen into the dungeon of iniquitie is now in nocte erroris constrained to wander and roaue in the darkesome night of misleading error So that if we will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pindarus cast anchor for our true safetie and felicitie we must let downe one in the head and another in the sterne of the shippe that so here relying vpon two anchors in this heauen we may there arriue with all ioy in that blessed heauen Wherefore vnto this anchor of prayer let vs ioyne the anchor of stedfast faith and affiance For this is that which the Apostle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a shield against all the firie dartes of the Diuell This is that true Solsequium Marygold Eph. 6.16 that goes and turnes with the sunne of righteousnesse Christ Iesus It is the right Salamander that will liue and continue in the fire without cōsuming And as if a man doe make him napkins and cloathes of the Salamanders haire although they be throwne into the fire they will not be burned and consumed but purged and purified so will not this perish in the fire of persecution but rather with the Salamander quench the fire then be destroyed by the flame Whereof wee haue a cloud of witnesses in the second of the Hebrewes Yea this is anchora animam seruans the anchor of the soule that keepes it sure and stedfast from ouerwhelming and drowning in the boistrous stormes of craggie temptations and grieuous afflictions Wherefore blessed is he that trusteth in the Lord Prou. 16. for he shall be like the mount Sion that cannot be remoued but remaineth for euer And as the mountaines are about Ierusalem so will the Lord be about him for euermore Psal 125. Aura tonet sonet vnda maris fremat orbis orcus Tu tamen insertos nos tibi Christe teges Let the winde thunder and the waues make a noyse yea earth and hel fret and fume yet thou ô blessed Christ wilt bee a wall of brasse for their defence and a shield of proofe to keepe them safe that trust in thee He that thus casts anchor shall be as a man that is prouided of two houses whereof if one should faile yet the other would receiue and keepe him This was Dauids practise to cast both anchors for his assurance For praying vnto God he calleth God his God saying Hearken vnto the voice of my prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 5.2 my king and my God Hearken King there is the first and my God there is the second And in the thirteenth Psalme wherein hee sings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Psalme of triumph yet he begins the same with sorrow saying Gnathana Gnathana Gnathana Howe long howe long repeating it foure times in two verses but he staies his griefe with the anchor of prayer saying Behold heare me But his prayer is mingled with faith for he saith Behold and heare me O Lord my God Heare me there is his prayer but heare me Iehouah Elohai O my God there is his faith And this confidence he sets downe with the cause thereof saying Psal 13.1.2.3.4 But I trust in thy mercie my heart shal reioice in thy saluation and I will sing vnto the Lord. Thus hee that began with sorrowing ends with singing because he did cast this twofold anchor faith and prayer The Cananitish woman whose daughter was troubled with a diuel came vnto Christ by prayer saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haue mercie vpon me O Lord thou sonne of Dauid And the text saith Matt. 15.22.28 that Christ heard her and why because great was her faith therefore it must be vnto her as she desired For God is cordis inspector the beholder and searcher of the heart Wherefore he saith not vnto her O canis magna est fides tua but O mulier mutauit vocabulum quia mutatum vidit affectum Aug. de fide operibus c. 16. O dogge great is thy faith but O vvoman changing the word because shee had changed her faith eudiant haec audiant qui constanter orant necrecedant flexi inquis genua curuasti quidem sed mens tua for as vagabatur corpus intus sensus foras os loquitur mens vsuras cogitat O Diabolus astutus imitare imitare igitur Cananaeam Chryst homil 17. in Matth. Heare this O heare this ye that pray with vnconstant mindes being wearie of your worke if you haue not too soone your reward and continue stedfast Thou saiest I bende my knees it is true but thy minde that runs aroauing thy bodie indeed is in the Church but thy vnderstanding in the streetes thy mouth mutters but thy minde that runs after thy vsurie O the Diuell is craftie that seekes thus to delude thee Imitare imitare therefore the Cananitish woman indure and thou shalt be heard adde faith vnto thy wordes and thou shalt be blessed Ad orationem assisto non orarem si non crederem sed si vere crederem illud cor quo Deus videtur mundarem genas lacrymis rigarem iacerem ad domini mei pedes eosque fletu perfunderem crine tergerem haererem certo trunco crucis nec prius amitterem quam miserecordiam impetrarem Hieron in Dialog aduersus Luciferi anos Marke what a learned father speaketh in thy person I come saith he and set my selfe vnto prayer I would not pray vnlesse I did beleeue I should be heard But if my faith were true then would I cleanse my heart which God so neerely marks then would I moisten my cheekes with my teares then would I hang about my Maisters feete and all to bewash them with the moisture of mine eyes and wipe them with the cleanest of my haire then would I cleaue vnto the Crosse and neuer leaue it before I had obtained mercie But now I walke while I pray sometimes reckening my accounts with my minde sometimes hauing lustfull desires in my thoughts seldome goeth my mind with my lips oh where is faith Thus did not Ionas pray thus did not the
the bottome of the sea and the belly of the Whale cried vnto the Lord and he heard him If we be in igne in the fire by this we shall be deliuered Dan. 3. as were the three children in the middest of the firie furnace who cried vnto the Lord and he deliuered them If we be inter medios Leones among the middest of the Lyons Dan. 6. as was Daniel in the middest of the Lyons denne who cried vnto the Lord and he deliuered him This is Gods precept and Dauids practise For the first saith God Psal 50.15 Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee And for the second saith Dauid out of the deepes haue I called vnto thee O Lord and thou deliueredst me Psal 130. If we be besieged by our enemies by this we shal haue deliuerance as was Elisha 2. Kings 6.18 who prayed vnto the Lord and was deliuered vertit se eo vbi omnes verum auxilium inuenerunt scilicet ad orationem quae vnica desper atorum ancora est And lastly if a whole army be set against vs by this we shall ouercome them Numb 17 as did Moses the Amalekites who prayed vnto the Lorde and was deliuered Glossa For plus valet vnus sanctus orando quam innumeri peccatores praeliando one good man will do more good by praying then an innumerable number of sinners by fighting Thus in the army of Marcus Antonius the Philosopher at the prayers of a band of Christians God sent water and things necessarie for the army Xiphilinus togither with a mightie tempest to the destruction of the enemy And thus the kingly Prophet Dauid praying against his persecuting enemies saith That the Lord thundred from heauen hee sent out his arrowes and scattered them and increased his lightnings and destroyed them Psal 18.13,14 God hath called our army abroad the enemy is encamped about vs and hath shaken his sword against vs and who can tell whether the Lord will likewise shew mercie vpon our prayers The Heathens could giue this report of the Christians Capitolin in Marco nihil esse quod ij qui Christiani nominantur precibus à Deo impetrare non possent That there is nothing which the Christian man by his prayers may not obtaine at Gods hand This was it that so troubled the cruell persecutors in the primitiue Church as Plinius Iunior writing to Traian about the professours of Christianitie acquites them of all faults and offences both against Prince and people excepting this one quod ante Lucanos hymnos in cuinsdam hominis laudem qui 〈◊〉 Palaestina crucifixus erat decantarent That they sung hymnes and psalmes before breake of day touching thankesgiuing and praise for Christ which was crucified in Palestina O has Plinie liued in these daies he would neuer haue found this fault with Christians among whom the name of God and his sonne Christ is more abused to his dishonour then rightly vsed for his praise and honour Notwithstanding neuer was there more neede of prayer then in these daies wherein faith is almost forgotten and charitie waxeth too colde wherein the world is turned vpsidowne and Christ begins to summon vs to our account and wherein God and Satan haue this long time bent their bowes against vs. God hath bent his bow but it is the bow of long suffering the wood whereof is iustitia iustice the string misericordia mercie and the arrowe vindicta reuenge and if we stil abuse his patience by our sins as we haue begun and despise his long suffering by our iniquities as we go forwards then must needs his iustice forget his mercie and send the arrowe of reuenge against vs. Happy therefore shall they be that can cast this anchor of faith and prayer vpon Christ Psal 2.12 For when his wrath shall suddenly burne then blessed are all they that put their trust in him The Diuell likewise hath bent his bowe but it is the bowe of eternall death destruction the wood whereof is malitia the Diuels malice the string experientia his experience and the shafte temptatio alluring and deceitfull temptation which he often le ts flie round about vs woūding some and killing others This man with pride that with gluttony another with couetousnesse and a fourth with periurie Filling the world full with all vnrighteousnesse fornication wickednes maliciousnesse enuie murther deceit debate and what not to bring vs all vnto confusion O beloued neuer more shooting and neuer lesse praying neuer more dartes and yet few or none applies his shield For who now moisteneth his prayers with the teares of true repentance thereby to quench the firie dartes of Satan O lacrymae quo fugistis redite obsecro redite lacrymae flete me coelum terra Lugete me omnes creaturae me plorate omnia elementa peccaui enim crudeliter lapsus sum grauiter cecidi mirabiliter Nullus est morbus vitiorum à quo non contraxi contagium Isiodore Dial hominis deflentis lib. 1. cap. 41. High time it is to crie with the penitent person O teares whither are you fled ô sighes whither are you gone Come againe ye teares and returne ô ye sobs Come heauen come earth and bewaile me O ye creatures lament ouer me For I haue sinned cruelly I haue fallen grieuously there is no sinne wherewith I am not fowly bespotted Did not the heauens raine at Elias prayer 1. King 18 and the rocke send foorth flouds at Moses stroke Exod. 17.6 and shall God smite Satan wound and yet we bee without prayers of repentance The Poets report of Hector that so long as he liued Troy could not be destroyed calling him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the immoueable and inexpugnable pillar of Troy But much more may it be spokē of the beleeuing mā whose praier bindeth God to doe good vnto the countrey As was Lot vnto the Sodomites of whom God witnesseth that he could doe nothing against them so long as Lot liued amongst them Gen. 19.22 In what a lamentable case then is that countrey and place wherein there is no Moses Eze. 22.30 no man of prayer to stand in the gappe before God for the land A token that God intends a present punishment to fall vpon that countrey and on the contrarie where God bestoweth the spirit of prayer he will likewise giue a blessing of mercie For this cause Dauid ioynes prayer and mercie togither saying Psal 66.20 Praised be God which hath not put backe my prayer nor hid his mercie from me noting prayer to be the especiall meanes whereby God will conferre a benefit vpon a people Because Aug. quamdiu Deus non tollit à te orationem tuam non amouebit à te miserecordiam suam so long as God depriues thee not of the spirit of prayer he will not denie thee his mercifull kindnesse Seeing therefore that by prayer Cassianus Ira Dei suspenditur
exerceri in orationibus desiderium nostruÌ„ Aug. Epist 121. our desires might be exercised in our prayers whereby we may receiue those things which he hath prepared to giue vs. And lastly the necessitie of praying consists not in that we should open to God our wants but that we might be put in minde whither to haue recourse in our extremities And for the second we may answere that it is the felfesame fallacion For albeit God be said to change yet that is but by a Metaphore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it is not mutatâ—o Dei but rei not consilij but operis not affectus but effectus not God but the thing is chaunged not Gods councell but Gods worke not his affect but effect Yet this is not the end of our prayers to make God changeable but that by praying we might obtaine those things in time which God hath decreed to bestow vpon vs from all eternitie For prayer is not ad immutandam prouidentiam sed ad insplendam not to alter Gods minde but to fulfill his prouidence seeing that those things quae sancti viri orando efficiunt ita praedestinata sunt vt precibus illa obtineant Greg. moral 16.18 which holy men haue accomplished by praying were so ordained as they should obtaine them by their prayers As when God had promised Abraham Gen. 22. that in Isaac his seede should be blessed yet God gaue vnto Isaac a barren wife wherfore Isaac praied for his wife Rebeccha Gen. 25. and the text saith that the Lord was intreated of him and his wife Rebeccha conceaued This then remaines a firme anchor for this shippe contrarie to the opinion of the auncient Philosophers and the followers of Pelagian yea contrarie to the common Christian who though he professe christianitie in word yet he practiseth Pelagianisme in his works For doe not our liues practise that which Pelagian professed namely that we thinke praier is but needlesse Yea was not this an especial heresie of the Pelagian quod destrueret orationes ecclesiae Aug. Epist 106. that he went about to destroye the prayers of the Church And is not this our profession by our practise who so seldome frequent the Church and seeke indeede by couert meanes to ouerthrow religion Against the second conclusion the aduersarie obiecteth after this order If faith be so necessarie a companion for prayer as without it prayer cannot anchor this heauie shippe then how commeth it to passe that the vnfaithfull mans prayers are oftentimes heard and fulfilled but the godly and faithfull mans requests are often denied and reiected Touching the first learned writers sufficiently resolue thee after this sort First God heares our prayers vel ad iustitiam vel ad miserecordiam Aug. tract 37. in Ioh. either for iustice or for mercie And for both these endes he oftentimes receiues the prayers of the wicked First according to his mercie vt eos beneficijs ad amorem suam alliciat Bellar. li. 1. cap. 4. de bonis oper that he might win them vnto him by his benefits and thus he heard the praiers of the Niniuites not according to his iustice but according to his mercie Secondly according to his iustice and thus he heard the Israelites requiring flesh in the desart But while the meate was in their mouthes Numb 11. the wrath of the Lord came vpon them and destroyed them Metuendum ergo est saith Saint Augustine ne id hoc posset non dare propitius det iratus O therfore let vs take heede least that which God cannot bestow vpon vs as a mercifull God he repayeth as an angrie Iudge A second cause why God heareth the prayers of the wicked is populi sui causa Sadel in vera peccati remissione for the more comfort of his beloued people Seeing that God is so mercifull vnto those which are wicked and his enemies how must they but needes be persuaded that he will bee much more fauourable vnto the godly and his friends Thirdly the wicked are not heard ex speciali gratia sed ex communi miserecordia Caluin lib. 3. confess ca. 20. sect 15. not that God is well pleased at their prayers but to set out his mercie by this circumstance For that euen vnto vnbeleeuers their prayers are not denied the more to pricke forward those which serue God to be carefull at all times to pray vnto him seeing that the verie wicked and prophane oftentimes obtaine their petitions And as concerning the second part of their obiection It is true that the Lord at all times grants not the prayers of the godly For Paul himselfe prayed against the messenger of Satan 2. Cor. 12.2 yea hee besought the Lord thrise that it might depart from him but hee was not heard And the reason was as saith Saint Augustine quia non expediebat Aug. Epist 121. First least that he should be exalted out of measure and secondly that Gods power might be made manifest through weakenesse And yet he was heard and not heard because there is a double kinde of hearing one ad voluntatem another ad salutem Aug. in Epist Iohn one to answere our wils and another for our good So likewise there is a twofolde kinde of deliuerance one ex presentibus periculis one for present dangers and calamities as he deliuered Dauid from Saul Daniel from the Princes the Israelites from Pharaoh that his Church might haue some outward testimonies of his loue and fauour And this is called a corporall deliuerance There is another deliuerance which is called a spirituall deliuerance When God so strengtheneth the harts of his seruants as they patiently abide the afflictions of their foes And thus God deliuereth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil not so much by freeing them from their persecutors as by strengthening them against persecutions Psal 34.17 For the righteous crie and the Lord heareth them and deliuereth them out of all their troubles He heareth them for their good though not for their delight and deliuereth them spiritually albeit not corporally Yet the time will come when they likewise shall be deliuered namely when he shall take them from this miserable life to euerlasting ioyes Wherefore aske saith Christ Iohn 16. in my name and ye shall receiue but ye shall receiue quando debetis accipere quaedam enim non negantur sed vt congruo dentur tempore differuntur Aug. tract 102. when ye should receiue them For some things are not simply denied but conditionally deferred to their proper time and place Let vs therfore aske saith Saint Iames Iames 1. in faith nothing doubting and then saith Christ Matt. 21. whatsoeuer ye shall aske ye shall receiue For prayer thus apparelled Est Dei columba quae ramum oliuae apportat dum pacem hominibus impetrat Is Gods Doue which carrieth the Oliue branche in token of peace betweene God and man Yea the holy Ghost the true Doue that