a secondary respect Whereunto we may adde the practice of the godly Gen. 28. 20. 1. Kings 8. 33 35 37. Prov. 30. 8. and the precept of our Saviour Christ teaching us to say Give us this day our daily bread It cannot be denied but that in asking temporall things many do erre either asking them chiefly or absolutely but as we must ask and seek them in a secondary respect so also conditionally so farre forth as they stand with the glory of God and our own spirituall good But these outward things are not to be cared for and therefore not to be prayed for Christ doth not forbid curam providentiae sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 curam solicitudinis diffidentiae the care of providence but carking care and diffidence Phil. 4. 6. Be nothing carefull but in all things let your requests be manifested And where they think these things unworthy the Lords gift they must understand that his providence submitteth it self to the lowest creature and he giveth food to all even the basest creatures The mind in and by prayer is to be lifted up to God and not to be depressed to things below But when we pray for temporall things the mind is not elevated but depressed When we so ask temporall things for themselves resting in them as the end our mind is depressed and our heart is set upon them but not so when they are asked as means to further Gods glory and our own spirituall good CHAP. XXXIV Of Deprecation NOw followeth Deprecation which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The evil which we do deprecari that is desire either to be delivered from whether in whole ut avertatur that it may be averted or in part ut mitigetur that it may be mitigated if it be upon us or to be kept and preserved therefrom if we be in any danger thereof ut antevertatur that it may be prevented is either the evil of sinne or the evil of punishment In the former we pray that our sinnes may be removed and taken away that is that we may be delivered either from the guilt of sinne which is our justification or from the fault and corruption which is our sanctification In prayer for the forgivenesse of sinne these things specially are required First in the action it self confession of sinnes And of this Augustine speaketh excellently Hortatur nos saepius Scriptura ad medicamenta fugere confessionis Non quòd Deus indigeat confessione nostrâ c. The Scripture doth often exhort us to flee to the medicine of confession not that God needeth our confession unto whom all things are present which we think speak and do but because we cannot otherwise be saved unlesse we confesse penitently that which we have done amisse negligently He that accuseth himself in his sinnes the devil hath not whereof to accuse him in the day of judgement If at least confessing he do by repenting blot out what he hath done and doth not again renew them c. Let the sinner whilest he liveth confesse the sinnes which he hath committed because confession is fruitlesse in hell neither doth repentance there profit to salvation Behold now is the day of salvation now is the time acceptable to God now is the time of pardon to the penitent but after death there will be a time of vengeance for those that neglect to confesse their sinnes For all wicked men have bitter repentance in torments but it doth not profit theÌ„ for pardon but their conscience toâ—…tureth them for the increase of their pains which they suffer c. All hope of pardon consisteth in confession So Aâ—… fratres in Eremo Serm. 30. O honto ne tardes converti ad Deum c. O man saith he do not delay to turn unto God Examine thy mind search all the secrets of thy heart consider before thou comest to confession that thy heart hath sinned in coveting evil things thine eye in beholding vanity thy mouth in speaking falshood thine eare in hearing lies thy hand in perpetrating blows and murders c. Let therefore thine heart griâ—…ve thine eye weep thy mouth pray without interâ—…ssion thine eare heare the word of God thine hanâ—… give alms c. thy feet come to Church thy knees bow and labour c. And do not deferre it For God hath promâ—…sed pardon to the penitent but he hath not promised life till to morrow to him that delayeth it Thus much Augustine Now this confession is both prositable and necessary It hath the promise of forgivenesse So to the hiding of our sinnes is pardon denied 1. John 1. 8 9. If we deny our sâ—… we deceive our selves and there is no truth in us but we bewray our selves to be hypocrites If we consesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive our sinnes and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse Prov. 28. 13. He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that 〈◊〉 and forsaketh them shall have mercy We see this verified in the example of David For while he concealed his sinne the hand of the Lord was heavy upon him to afflict him Psal. 32. 3 4. but when he confessed and acknowledged his iniquity the Lord forgave him his sinne vers 5. Assoon as David reproved by Nathan confessed his sinne the Propher presently assureth him that his sinne was forgiven 2. Sam. 12. Now this confession is to be made of unknown sinnes generally Psal. 19. 13. of known sinnes particularly together with the aggravating circumstances Psal. 51. 4 5. and in both we are freely to acknowledge what we hâ—…ve deserved â—…or the same Ezra 9. 6 7. Dan. 9. 4 5. that judging our selves we may not be judged of the Lord 1. Cor. 11. 31. and that the Lord when he judgeth may be justified Psal. 51. 4. To which purpose we are to abhorre our selves in dust and ashes Job 42. 6. and to behave our selves before the Lord as Benhadad and â—…is followers before Ahab the King of Israel 1. Kings 20. 31. And that this confession may be made accordingly we are in our preparation both to try and examine ourselves by the law of God to find out our sinnes which we are seriously to confesse Lam. 3. 40 41. and also labour that we may see and feel our miserie in respect of them that labouring and being wearied under the burden of them we may out of an humble and contrite soul poure out our supplications unto the Lord. The neglect whereof is reproved Jer. 8. 6. And that we may obtein forgivenesse we are also to come in charitie being as desirous to forgive our brethren that have offended us as we desire to be forgiven of the Lord Matth. 6 14 15. See Ecclus 28. 2 3. 1. Tim. 2. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without wrath And likewise we are to repent of those sinnes the pardon whereof we desire For that is pretended in our asking forgivenesse that is both to be sorie
for our sinne past and to promise and purpose unfeignedly amendment for the time to come And both these duties of charity and repentance are likewise to be practiced in our lives after we have craved forgivenesse at the hands of God For as touching the dutie of charity in forgiving others If after we have desired forgivenesse and in our conceit have obteined pardon if we deal unmercifully with our brother whom we will not forgive it will be an evidence against us that our sinnes indeed were not pardoned Matth. 18. 23 to 35. And for the other duty of repentance A man cannot have assurance of the forgivenesse of his sinne which he doth continue in For God doth not remit the sinnes which we our selves retein He that confesseth and forsaketh his sinne shall have mercy Prov. 28. 13. And as we are to pray for the forgivenesse of sinne or taking away of the guilt so we must also pray that we may be delivered from the corruptions and preserved against tentations alluring unto sinne for the time to come And as we are to pray against corruptions and tentations so must we in our lives strive and fight against our corruptions and resist tentations avoyding also occasions of evil otherwise how can we ask that of the Lord which we our selves will not yield unto in our practice So much of prayer against malum culpae the evil of sinne There is also prayer against malum poenae the evil of punishment both spirituall and temporall and also eternall The spirituall is when God doth punish sinne with sinne blinding the eyes of men and hardening their hearts and giving them over to a reprobate sense The temporall when God doth either for chastisement or triall or punishment afflict men with the afflictions and calamities of this life against which sort this kind of deprecation is most usuall Psalmus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nè perdas Psal. 57 58 59 75. But in this kind of prayer especially we must wholly submit and resigne our selves unto the good will and pleasure of God who knoweth what is good for us better then our selves with pâ—…tience and comfort to bear what it shall please God to lay upon us after the example of David 2. Sam. 15. 26. and of our Saviour Matth. 26. 39 42. For herein especially that is verified Rom. 8. that we know not what to ask For to be afflicted is not simply evil but contrariwise worketh for the good of them that are afflicted Rom. 8. 28. Insomuch that David professeth that it had been good for him that he had been afflicted Psal. 119. 71. and Jeremy Lam. 3. 27. yea David pronounceth the man blessed whom the Lord doth chastise and nurture in his law Psal. 94. 12. Deprecation of calamities is often joyned with Lamentations particularly bewayling their state and Expostulations Example of the former in the Lamentations of Jeremie Expostulations are vehement interrogations of the afflicted expressed from their grief whereby they expostulate with God concerning the greatnesse or continuance of their afflictions Psal. 22. 1. But here we must take heed that our expostulation be a lively fruit of a strong faith lest perhaps it do degenerate into open murmuring and repining against God David Psal. 22. 1. and our Saviour Christ being assured that the Lord is his God and therefore calling him My God my God expostulateth with him why bâ—…ing hâ—…s God he had forsaken him So much of Petition or Prayer CHAP. XXXV Of Thanksgiving THanksgiving is that invocation whereby we do render due thanks and prayse unto God for his benefits As touching the name This duty is by divers names expressed in the Scriptures Psal. 100. 4. Isai. 12. Psal. 145. 2. As To prayse God Gen. 29. 35. To blesse him Psal. 103. 1 2. and 104. 1. 1. Chron. 29. 13. Jam. 3. 9. To confesse unto him Matth. 11. 25. Hâ—…b 13. 15. To give him thanks Psal. 105. 1. 1. Chron. 16. 8. 1. Thess. 5. 8. Rom. 1. 21. Eph. 5. 20. To magnifie the Lord Luke 1. 46. Act. 10. 46. and 19. 17. To extoll him Psal. 145. 1. To exalt his name Psal. 34. 3. To glorifie him Matth. 9. 8. and 15. 31. Luke 2. 20. To make his name glorious Psal. 66. 1 2. To offer viz. a voluntary oblation â—…hanksgiving and prayse Psal. 50. 14 23. To offer the sacrifice of prayse unto God that is the fruit of our lips confessing to his name Heb. 13. 15. as Hosea speaketh chap. 14. 2. To render the calves of our lips To sacrifice unto God with the voice of thanksgiving Jon. 2. 9. Psal. 116. 17. To sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving The duties required in thanksgiving are either common to it with prayer or proper and peculiar unto it For when I say that thanksgiving is a kind of invocation you are to understand that all those things which were spoken of in the generall treatise are particularly to be applied to thanksgiving The which I will the rather do because commonly those things are delivered not as generall points but as particular to prayer Thanksgiving therefore as well as prayer is a religious speech of the faithfull unto God in the name of Christ made according to the will of God by the help of the holy Ghost concerning good things apperteining to Gods glory and our own good I call it a religious speech because it is a principall part of that religious worship which we ow unto God whereby it is also distinguished from the civill thanksgiving to men and is therefore religiously to be performed In the rest of the definition I noted six things which are essentiall to all invocation and without which it cannot be acceptable unto God First That the party which doth invocate must be faithfull for God heareth not sinners And thanksgiving being a sacrifice the holy Ghost telleth us that the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord Prov. 15. 8. The proper subject of Gods prayse is the Church Eph. 3. 21. To him be prayse in the Church Psal. 65. 1. Praise waiteth for God in Sion The Lord Psal. 50. 14 15. exhorteth his saints and his peculiar people to offer unto him thanksgiving and to call upon him in the day of trouble But v. 16. unto the wicked saith God What hast thou to do to declare my statutes and to take my covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and castest my worâ—…s behind thee Sacrifices are to be offered by none but priests and all the faithfull and they onely are a royall priestâ—…ood to offer up spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1. Pet. 2. 5 9. Revel 1. 6. This duty is necessarily required of all and cannot without sinne be omitted by any but cannot be acceptably performed but by the faithfull And therefore the faithfull are in a speciall manner exhorted to this duty Psal. 30. 4 and 145. 10. and 149. 5 6. And this sheweth the
against God some against our neighbours and some against our selves In respect of all and every whereof we are every of us debtours unto God and therefore had need to pray that he would forgive us all and every of our debts Psal. 51. 9. which how many and great they are we may easily know if we will diligently look into our obligation and examine our lives by the law of God c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our In this word confession of sinne is included For it is in effect thus much O Lord we have sinned against thee have mercy therefore on us O Lord according to thy goodnesse and according to the multitude of thy mercies do away our offenses Wash us from our iniquities and cleanse us from our sinnes For we acknowledge our transgressions and our sinnes are alwayes before us Psal. 51. 2 3. Therefore with asking of pardon confession of sinne is conjoyned And this form of prayer is prescribed to be used of the perfectest men in this world as of the Apostles because there is no man that doth good vpon the earth and sinneth not Eccles 7. 20. If we say saith the holy Apostle John that we have no sinne we deceive our selves and there is no truth in us If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and to 〈◊〉 us from all iniquity If we say that we have not 〈◊〉 we make him a lâ—…ar and his truth is not in us 1. John 1. 8 9 10. Here therefore both the Catharists which dream of perfection in this life and also the Pelagians and Papists which hold that a man may fully and perfectly keep the law of God in this life are confuted For such cannot make this petition except they will mock God as all those do that have a conceit of their own perfection Which conceit is in not onely the Catharists and Papists but also in the greatest part of ignorant and securâ—… men who affirm that they love God with all their heart and their neighbour as themselves they never did any man hurt they never doubted of their salvation For howsoever the Scripture speaketh of perfect men and such as walked in all the commandments of God yet certain â—…t is that thereby is meant the uprightnesse of their will and endeavour not the perfection of their obedience which uprightnesse notwithstanding the Scripture calleth perfection the Lord accepting the will for the deed so that upright men may indeed be said to be perfect but in affectu potiùs quà m effectu in their affections rather then their actions Forgive The Lord in forgiving sinnes as he is mercifull so is he just 1. John 1. 9. Neither doth he forgive any sinne for which his justice is not satisfied by the obedience and sufferings of Christ Rom. 3. 26. He is therefore said to forgive our sinnes when as he inputeth them not unto us but accepting of the obedience and sufferings of Christ as a full ransome and satisfaction for them washing away our sinnes in his bloud covering them with his righteousnesse imputing our sinnes to Christ and his obedience to us so that we howsoever sinfull in our selves appear righteous before him in Christ. When as therefore we do pray for the forgivenesse of our sinnes we do not so desire him to be mercifull as that we would have him forget his justice but we come unto him in the name and mediation of Christ in whom he is well pleased beseeching him to accept of his obedience sufferings as a full satisfaction for our sinnes For remission of sinnes as it is a free work of mercy in respect of us who neither can deserve pardon nor satisfie his justice so in respect of Christ who hath satisfied for us it is a work of justice Now whereas our Saviour Christ doth teach every one of us every day to ask forgivenesse with assurance to be heard we are put in mind both of our misery and Gods mercy Our misery who day by day commit sinne and therefore have need every day to crave remission of our sinnes Gods mercy and long suffering who though he be offended every day yet he is ready to forgive their sinnes who come unto him by hearty and earnest prayer confessing their sinnes and craving pardon of them But this mercy and long-suffering of God must not encourage us to presume but invite us unto repentance Rom. 2. 4. and 6. 1. Ecclus 5. 4 5 6. Psal. 130. 4. There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared Joel 2. 13. and encourage us to call upon him This long-suffering of God is to be imitated of us For if he be content to forgive us that sinne against him every day then ought we freely to forgive them that offend us c. though it be to seventy times seven times Again if every one of us be he never so righteous is bound to make this prayer that God would freely remit our sinnes then it followeth that none of us can discharge the debt or by any thing which we are able to perform satisfie for our sinnes but either they must be freely remitted for Christs sake or else we must suffer the punishment due for them Divine remission and humane satisfaction cannot stand together We must crave remission therefore we cannot satisfie Remission of sinnes and justification are free Rom. 3. 24. Ephes. 1. 7. Isai. 43. 25. but in satisfaction there is recompense Therefore those that trust to their own merits and use this prayer they mock God and condemn themselves They mock God because they desire him to forgive their sinnes which they do not desire should be forgiven them but trust to satisfie for them They condemn themselves because they confesse themselves to be debtours unto God unlesse he remit their debt and yet stand not to his remission but to their own satisfaction by which they appeal to his justice rather then implore his mercy And that no man can satisfie by any works of obedience the justice of God for his sinnes it may further appear by these reasons 1. Because our best obedience is unperfect and our righteousnesse like unto a polluted â—…lout and therefore if God should enter into judgement with us he might justly condemn us for our best actions as being not performed in that manner and measure which his law requireth and therefore every one had need to pray as Psal. 143. 2. Enter not into judgement c. Secondly because whatsoever obedience we can perform it is a debt and duty Luke 17. 10. When we have done all that is commanded we must say that we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 12. and 13. 8. Gal. 5. 3. Now certain it is that we cannot satisfie debt with debt but notwithstanding our latter obedience we shall be debtours in respect of the former debt unsatisfied Seeing therefore we are not able