3 Doct. that set prayers are both lawfull and necessary to be used by the faithfull both in their private and publique meetings And this is proved by these examples in holy Scripture God himselfe prescribed to the Priests a set form of blessing the people which they constantly used for God said to them Thus shall ye blesse the children of Israel numb 6.23 c. and say unto them The Lord blesse thee and keep thee The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be mercifull unto thee The Lord lift up his Countenance upon thee and give thee peace The 92. Psal is called a Psalm for the Sabbath The 102. Psal is a prayer for the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. Hezekiah the King and the Princes commanded the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David 2 Chron. 29 3â— and of Asaph the Seer which is the 136. Psal This was also used by Jehoshapht 2 Chron. 20.21 And in the Gospel the Disciples came to Christ and told him that John had taught his Disciples to pray and desired him to teach them and he taught them the Lords Prayer which doth imply in the judgment of the best learned that John had taught his Disciples a set form The reasons are first for hlep of the infirmities of such as have good affections in them but cannot so well express them that they may be directed lest they should utter any thing rashly of themselves For thus the spirit helpeth their infirmities by those who can direct them and in themselves using these set formes This much advanceth the service of God when men before hand have their petitions drawn and shall need nothing but zeal and faith in the delivering thereof to God Herein we are like to poore petitioners that come to the King who not trusting themselves with their own suites do get some wiser than themselves to set down their mindes and then they have nothing to do but to importune the Soverreign Majesty of the King to hear them and to grant their requests This serveth for the maintenance of Unanimity the Congregation knowing before they meet what they shall aske at the hands of God it resteth that they bring affections fit to joyn one with another in supplications This maintaineth outward Uniformity when the whole Congregation joyn together in an outward worship and service of God This admonisheth us 1 To take it for a great blessing of God that he hath provided these helps for our weaknesse Vse 2 It sheweth us that God for our good doth so labour to fit us to his service as that he is pleased that one of us be helpfull to another therein 3 It reproveth those who out of a presumption and overweening of the graces of God in themselves do not onely despise those helps themselves but disgrace them in others in which number we may reckon all the depravers of our Church prayers 4 Here the prayer of the Prophet is used This teacheth that the fittest persons to be used for direction of devotion are the Prophets and Apostles 4 Doct. and Ministers of the word The reason is because they are the most fit to speak to God for us and to teach us how to speak to him who are set apart to speak to us for God and to instruct us from him These are the Phisitians of our souls and should best know our diseases and defects and therefore best able to direct us to the remedy for as in the state of bodily health many superficially in-sighted in some empericall Physick do hurt themselves by being their own Physitians So in the state of the spirituall man many do overthrow their spirituall health by presuming to be their own Divines and trusting too much to their own skill Therefore it is wisedome for the flock to be directed Vse especially in the service of God by their Pastours and to hear his voyce let Habbakuk teach Israel how to pray And for us howsoever the spirit of contradiction which likes nothing long have laboured long to disgrace our publique Service yet because many faithfull and godly Pastours of the Church have zealously joyned their united forces of piety and charity to compose this book and the approbation and authority both of Church and Common-wealth hath commanded it to the use of our Congregations and the malignity of all the times since hath not been able to remove it let us embrace it and use it as Gods ordinance sealed with the seal the double seal both of prescription of time and good successe in the use of this Church of England 2 He putteth this prayer into verse and maketh a song of it and fitteth it to be sung by the Church with an instrument of Musick for so the last verse of the Chapter directeth it to the chief Singer on my stringed instruments This manner of praising God is ancient and of much use in the Church Mr. Beza hath taken the paines to collect fourteen songs eleven out of the old Testament and three out of the new which he hath interpreted by way of Paraphrase and hath annexed them to his Paraphrase of the book of Davids Psalmes and they are translated into English I shall not lose my labour nor you your time to shew you where you may finde them Exod. 1.15 The song that Moses taught Israel to sing to the praise of God for their deliverance from Pharoah and his armies which is of such excellency being a type of the deliverance of the Church from the adversary power of the world and the tyranny of the beast that there is mention of it in the Revelation Rev. 15 3. And they sung the song of Moses the servant of God Deut. 2.32 When Moses drew neer his end he maketh a Propheticall song for the use of the people both to commemorate Gods mercies to them to lay open the judgements of God against them to chide their rebellions and to comfort them with types of grace in the revelation of the Messiah And promising them the gift of the spirit of repentance to returne them into the favour of their God 3 The triumphant song of Deborah and Barak Judg. 5. after the victory of Jabin King of the Cananites 4 1 Sam. 2.1 the song of Hannah the Mother of Samuel in thanksgiving for the blessing of her fruitfulnesse conteining in it both thanksgiving doctrine and prophecy 5 2 Sam. 1.19 the elegie of David bewailing the death of Saul and Jonathan 6 2 Sam. 7.18 A song of David in thanksgiving to God after Nathan the Prophet had from God told him that the Messiah should be the Sonne of David 7 Isaiah 5. Conteining the rebuke of the people which is a Satyricall Psalme 8 Isaiah 26.1 the song of the Church conteining consolation and prophecy 9 The song of Hezekiah when God comforted his sickness with promise of recovery Isaiah 38. 10 The song of Jonah in the belly
that abuse it or to stop the course of his justice to them whom correction doth amend then we say he repenteth him of that which he hath either promised or threatned for clearing whereof understand That God never changeth in promise or in threatning but only in things concerning this life as in all the examples repeated all those promises and threatnings be used as motives to induce obedience and therefore they are not absolute but conditionall For it is no good argument to perswade a man to be Religions and to fear God abstaining from all the pleasing delights of the world to promise him his hearts desire if he know that that promise doth bind God that whatsoever he do he shall be partaker of the promise And it is no inducement to disswade sin by the commination of judgment if the judgment must of necessity be inflicted Therefore this revealed Will of God is conditionall and hath reference to our obedience and faith and good life and use of the means ordained by God and tendered to us This is the rule of life and by this Will is the Church of God governed for by this he doth reveal himself both in his word and in his permissions and in his operations 1. God signifieth his Will by his Word for that doth declare in precepts prohibitions and examples what God would have to be done what not to be done it revealeth both rewards and punishments and it useth both promises and threatnings 2. God signifieth his Will by permissions because he declareth thereby that what he suffereth to be done that he willeth to be effected 3. By operations for what God doth he doth according to his Will 2. Voluntas beneplaciti is the secret Will of God reserved in himself in wiâ—ch 1. There is consilium the wisdom of God foreseeing what is to be done 2. There is decretum determining it and herein the counsell of God is not the rule of his Will for there is nothing in God above his Will but wiling all things to be thus as he hath decreed he foreseeth in wisdom what he willeth and therefore the rule is not with God This is good therefore I decree it but this I decree therefore it is good Now sometimes there seems to be an opposition between these two Wils of God which is thus reconciled The Will of God is revealed to man 1. Either for necessary and absolute obedience as in the whole morall Law of God 2. For probation and tryall as in the commandment given to Abraham to offer up Isaak wherein God concealed his secret Will which was to preserve Isaak and concealed the purpose of his commandments which was to try the saith of Abraham So on the contrary he sent to Pharaoh commanding him to let Israel go yet it was not his secret will that Israel should go yet but the commandment was given to convince Pharaoh of hardnesle of heart and as in Abraham the commandment did cause him to declare his faith so in Pharaoh did it convince him of rebellion to the Will of God So all our preaching wherein we perswade repentance and promise life eternal it serveth to direct all that look for salvation in the way of life and it serveth to convince the world of unrighteousnesse if they obey not The answer then is that whatsoever God willeth and decreeth voluntate beneplaciti by the will of good pleasure doth take effect What God willeth voluntate signi by the Will signified not always Reply How then shall I know what to do seeing the signifying Will of God is my rule and that seemeth uncertain and not agreeable to the secret Will of Gods good pleasure Sol. Do as Abraham did prepare to offer thy son do as thou art commanded leave the event and the disposition of thy obedience to God who wil further reveale himselfe unto thee Do as Hezechiah did set thine house in order yet use the means by repentance and Prayer to prolong thy life Do as the Ninivites did fast and repent and call upon the name of the Lord and try him as the Prophet saith Whether hâ— will shew thee mercy or not But to bring this home to my text when God pronounceth the Decree of Judgement against the enemies of the Church and promiseâ—h mercy to his Church believe him in both for neither can Gods enemies repent to change the course of his Iustice neither can his Church sinne unto death that he should take his mercy utterly from it So then the Argument holdeth strong God hath said and decreed what he wil do against these Chaldaeans what for his Church therefore it shall come to passe Quest But if this be true Quest what need then is there of Prayer doth it not argue in us a kind of distrust in the favour of God when we do not take his word but are still importunate to sollicite his favour To this our answer is that this cannot discourage Prayer because the decree is past and unchangable this is the proper foundation of Prayer for the Apostle saith And this is the confidence that we have in him 1 John 5.14 that if we ask any thing according to his Will he heareth us So that it is a necessary knowledge before we undertake to pray to know what is that good that acceptable and perfect Will of God For we not only lose our labour but we do also offend God if we ask any thing against or beside his Will therefore that we might not run into the errour of the sons of Zebedee Nescitis quid petatis you know not what you should ask Our Saviour hath set down a forme of Prayer so absolute as that we cannot justifie the asking of any thing according to the Will of God that hath not reference to one of those petitions Reply If then we prevail in our Prayers Object why do we commend Prayer seeing all events do follow Gods will and decree and not our Prayers Our answer is that though the supreme agent in all operations be the Will of God Answ yet the hand of operation in many things is prayer which God hath ordained and commanded as a means to draw forth his Will to execution So God giveth every good gift yet we are without any wrong to God thankful to men by whose means any good cometh to us So that the doctrine doth remain firm Whatsoever God hath promised to his Church or threatned the perverse enemies therof that he will surely perform for the decrees and the word of God are unchangable Quest But when God threatneth me punishment and denounceth judgement against me how shall I know whether it be voluntas signi or bene placiti is there not an hope left me that God may repent him of the evil that he threatned It is a note of the evil conscience to feare where no fear is â—e where there is no cause of fear an elect man fearing judgement threatned which shall not come near him feareth where no cause
canit By singing prayed and by praying sung So the 70 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Tremelius and Junius read Oratio Habak Prophetae secundum odas mixtas That is not accommodated to any set kind of verse but mixt of sundry kinds And so they do not understand the word Sigionoth to be the the name of the instrument upon which it was sung but the name of the verse into which their prayer is digested As the Greeks and Latines had their severall kinds of verses Heroick Iambick Asclepediake Phaluciake and such like I cannot better expresse this to the understanding of the weakest judgment then by referring you to the varieties of verse in our English Psalmes that we sing in the Church for if they were all composed in one kind of verse they might all be sung to one tune Some have their set tunes and admit no other because they are of a severall kind of verse So I take it that this Sigionoth was the name of that kind of verse in which this Psalme was written Thus much of the words of the title The things which we may make profit of in this title are these 1 That the Prophet composeth a prayer for his own use and for the use of the people in captivity 2 That he putteth this prayer into a song or psalme Concerning the first The contemplation of the Justice of God in punishing the sins of his Church Doct. of the vengeance of God revenging the quarrels of his Church and of the mercy of God in healing the wounds of his Church and restoring it again to health doth give the Faithfull occasion to resort to God by prayer The reason is because these things well considered that God is just and mercifull do breed in us Fear and Faith which being well mingled in us cannot chuse but break forth into prayer Fear discerning the danger of his power wisely and Faith laying hold on the hand of his mercy strongly For howsoever Fear be an effect of weaknesse yet doth it serve to good use in the fitting of us to prayer because 1 Fear breedeth humility which is necessary in prayer as St. James adresseth Cast down your selves before the Lord and St. Peter Jam. 4.10 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God And howsoever the proud despise humility as too base a vertue for heroick and generous spirits St. Peter commendeth it for a speciall ornament Deck your selves inwardly in lowlinesse of mind 1 Pet. 5.5 That feare which is in the reprobate doth drive them quite away from God but the fear of the elect brings them to his hand and casteth them at his feet the Publican full of fear yet it had not power to keep him from the Temple nor from prayer rather because he feared he came to Church to pray 2 Fear breedeth in us a desire to approve our selves to God and keepeth us in awe setting both our sins always in our own sight and our selves in the sight of God which sheweth what need we have to fly to him 3 Fear doth serve for a spur to put us on and to mend our pace that we may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 run the way of Gods Commandements For men run for fear With this fear is joyned faith which layeth hold on the comfortable promises of God and so filleth us with the love of him that we resolve under the shadow of his wings we shall be safe This also doth break forth into prayer as the Prophet saith I believed therefore did I speake Fear directed by Faith will soon finde the face of God For fear humbleth us faith directeth this humiliation to the mighty hand of God Fear makes us ful of desire faith directeth our desire to God Fear makes us runne faith sheweth us the face of God and biddeth us runne thither and thus the contemplation of Gods justice and mercy doth fill the heart with zeale and the spirit of supplications as in this present example The Church seeth God remisse in forbearing them it feeleth God sharp in punishing them it discerneth him just in avenging them and it is promised mercy and favour in delivering them therefore the Prophet teacheth them to pray We are taught to think on these things 1 Vse which may move us to seek the face of our God and that is a work for the soul when it keepeth a Sabbath of rest unto the service of God as appeareth in the Psalme Psal 92. for the day wherein the Church doth consider the justice and mercie of God Our idle and wandring thoughts runne all the world over in vain imaginations we could not bestow them better then in sweet contemplation of the works of God here in the government of the World We are taught also when we behold these things to pray to God for prayer being a conference with God we cannot offend him in any thing that we shall say out of fear and faith This duty is by God commanded he hath directed it he hath promised his Spirit to helpe us in it hee hath made many promises to them that use it aright and it is here prescribed as a sovereign remedy against affliction to use it for it is fitted for the use of the Church in captivity in Babylon This prayer being made for the use of the Church 2 Doct. as we have said we are taught That the afflictions of this life cannot separate the society of the faithful but that even in exile they will assemble together to do service to their God and therein also to comfort one another 1 The reason is in respect of themselves the faithfull are one body and the ligaments and bonds of their communion are love and peace therefore much water cannot put out this fire of charity neither can the flouds drown it so afflictions are in Scripture resembled in flouds and waters 2 In regard of the service they know it to be a debt from them an honour to God and though each of them in severall may do it yet when a Congregation meeteth together their conjoyned zeal is like a bonefire for every ones zeal enflameth another What needed the faithful else to seek out corners and private places to assemble in in the times of persecution for their devotion if single and severall persons had been either so fervent in it self or so acceptable with God so that before persecution ceased they began to build Oratories for their meetings Therefore Vse though some do separate from our society others tarry with us to disturbe our peace some cry out against the use of our Churches let us thank God that we have liberty of Religion and places to meet in to serve our God and let us not neglect the society of the Church Ecce quà m bonum quà m jucundum Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is to see one holy congregation set upon God by prayer This prayer made for the use of the Church doth teach
God is armed vvith povver to punish evill doers 4 That in all this God vvas glorified First the consideration of former mercies doth strengthen faith in present troubles Therefore do they commemorate the manner of Gods glorious comming from Teman and of Paran vvherein he had glory in the heavens and prayse upon the earth David did make good use of this point often For vvhen my distresse came he found comfort in this remembrance Novv thou art farre of and goest not forth with our armies Thou makest us turn back from the adversary Psal 44.9.10 and they which hate us spoile for themselves c. To comfort this affliction he beginneth that Psalme We have heard with our ears O God and our fathers have told us what thou didst in their days and in the times of old How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand and planted them c. So Psal 74 9. again complaining of great afflictions We see not our signes there is no more any Prophet this is his comfort God is my King of old working Salvation in the midst of the Earth Thou didst divide ehe Sea by thy power c. So again Psal 77.2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my soar ran and ceased not and in the night my soul refused comfort Then I considered the days of old Verse 5. Psal 4.1 and the years of ancient times Thou hast enlarged me when I was distrest The reason why this doth minister comfort to the Church 1 Reas is because we have learned that our God is constant in his love whom he once loved he ever loveth for he is without variablenesse and shadow of changing as the Apostle and the Psalmist saith But thou art the same thy years shall have no end Ps 102.27.28 The children of the servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee The goodness of God endureth continually Psal 52.1 Reas 2. Because the commemoration of former benefits is a work of thanksgiving and prayse and that is the highest service that we can perform to God in his worship this is Sicut in coelo it is heaven upon earth For it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing prayses to the Name of the most High Psal 92.1 Ps 50.23 It is good for God for He that offereth me praise glorifieth me and for that he made us It it good for us for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased there is our happiness for in his favor is light Reas 3 Again the thankfull commemoration of former mercies of God to us doth draw on new benefits for thanksgiving as it is Gods crop which he gathereth from us of the seed of his many favours so it is our seed which we cast into the ground of Gods kindness and it bringeth us an harvest of new blessings Every man thinks his seed well bestowed in good ground that yeeldeth an encrease and God hath said Them that honour me I will honour 1 Sam. 2.30 This point is of excellent use Vse to stir us up to a wise consideration of the constant love of God to such as fear serve him Benefits are soon forgotten therefore as David saith I called upon the Lord in my trouble so he stirreth up himself to thankfulness My soul praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits He found great comfort in this looking back When he undertook Goliah and Saul discouraged him as unable for it he looked back to the time past and remembred how God had delivered him from a Lion and a Bear and from that experience of Gods good help he resolved to attempt the uncircumcised Philistine And in his declining years when age grew upon him he comforted his drooping spirits thus Thou art my hope O Lord God Psa 71.5 even my trust from my youth Vpon thee have I been stayed from the womb thou art he that took me from my mothers bowels Cast me not off in the time of age forsake me not when my strength faileth There be three sorts of men that do even run themselves upon the edge and point of reprehension we cannot here forgive them a chiding 1 Those that tanquam prona pecora as groveling beasts do look onely upon the time incumbent mistaking St. Paul who saith I forget that which is behind Lyranus understandeth him legalia terrena Theophilact better Praeteritarum virtutum nihil reminiscor nec memoria repeto Phil. 3.13 sed ea omnia post tergum relinquo So we must forget all the good we have done as being short of perfection that we may mend our pace in the ways of Gods Commandements But the Apostle did look back to times past to see what Christ had done for us how he loved us when vve vvere his enemies how he washed us in his bloud how he forgave him his sins and how he obteined mercy of him because vvhat he did he did it ignorantly through unbelief 2 Those also are here reproved vvho look only to the time past and see therein nothing but Gods temporall favours but regard not the times present and consider not Gods spirituall graces Some that lived in the time of Popery do prayse those dais then vvas good house-keeping easie rents a constant fashion of apparrel that many Gentlemen had the lands of their grandfathers in possession and their cloaths on their backs then vvas no seeking of reversions or buying of offices no market of Church-livings Israel did so Remember the fish that we are in Aegypt for nought the Cucumbers and the Melons and the Leeks and the Onions num â—1 5 and the Garlick I deny not but when the people of this Land vvere fewer and the vanity of the pride of other Nations and many of their foul sins kept home and were not imported hither there were better times for the belly then these are But let us see the state of souls at that time they were then in the house of bondage under Pharaoh of Rome Beef and Mutton Wheat and Barly were cheap but the two Testaments the two breasts of the Church vvere like a Fountain sealed up and like a Garden enclosed But when Queen Elizabeth began to rest in this Hemisphere like the Sun to run her race she turned that night into day and maintained this light till she vvas taken up into heaven and she that vvas a shining star on earth and blest the Church of God here vvith benigne aspect and influence vvas made a glorious ever blessed Saint in heaven In the beginning of her raign God came from Teman The Holy one from mount Paran God revealed himself in the glorious Sun-shine of his Gospel of peace 3 They are also reproved vvho out of too much fore-casting fear of the times to come do quite forget both the former and the present mercies of God and astonish themselves vvith representations of hideous formes of ensuing
dangers The God that gave us his light of Truth and hath continued it so many happy years of peace amongst us hath begun he will also make an end by this light no doubt many faithful souls have found the way to the throne of grace whose continuall prayers to God for the happy estate of his Church are able to make this Sun stay his course and not withdraw his light from us their prayers and devotions know the way to heaven so well and plead the cause of the Church so effectually that we have cause to hope that the goodness of God which endureth yet daily will not fail us but that we shall fee it and tast of it in this land of the living Once let us remember under whose shadow vve live a learned gracious King who hath seen into the darkness of Popery and laid it open no Christian Prince so much no Christian more he hath put his hand to the Plough and he cannot forget Lets Wife Let us not make our selves certain afflictions out of uncertain fears and draw upon us the evils of to morrow For sufficient for the day is the evil thereof Queen Elizabeth brought into this Church and Land True Religion and Peace King James hath continued it let us be thankfull to God for it and let us be ever telling what the Lord hath done for our souls Let not our unquiet vvranglings amongst our selves provoke the God of Peace against us neither let our busie eves-dropping the counsels and intendments of State which are above us and belong not to us make us afraid our work is In all things to give thanks For what we have received already for what we do possesse and enjoy and pray continually for that we would have for all men especially for our King that under him we may lead a quiet and and peaceable life in all godliness and honestie 1 Tim. 2.2 and then Rejoyce evermore Rejoyce in the Lord and again I say rejoyce He that came from Teman and Paran to a people that sate in darkness and in the shadow of death and gave us light hath ever since so supplyed us with oile that we may say difficiunt vasa the want is on our part for truly God is good to Israel to all such that have faithfull and true hearts To this end let me stir you up to a remembrance of the times past beginning at the Initium regni November 17 in Anno 1558. for so long hath this Sun of righteousness shined clear upon our Church 2 Doctr. The Church hath a speciall interest in the power and protection of God gathered from hence he had hornes comming out his hands and there was the hiding of his power There is a power that God openly sheweth and that is extended to an universall protection of all the works of Gods hand but there is a power that he hideth and that is his speciall protection of his Church 1 He protecteth them David gives them a good instance in the former mercies of God to this people When they were yet but few and they strangers in the land 1 Châ—on 16.19 And when they went from nation to nation from one Kingdome is another people He suffered no man to do them any wrong but reproved even Kings for their sakes saying Touch not my anointed and do my Prophets no harme And the Psalmist can give no other reason of this speciall protection but on Gods part because he had a favour to them and on their part that they might keep his statutes and observe his lawes And these be motives that establish Gods protection upon his Church in all the ages thereof His mercy and our obedience which lesson if we take out vvell vve shall learne thankfulnesse to him for his favour and holinesse in our lives And this is that godlinesse vvhich hath the promises of this life and that vvhich is to come 2 He hideth the horne of our Salvation 1 From his Church in some measure to keep us from presumption so that vve do often rather believe then feel the loving kindnesse of the Lord and to stirre us up to prayer for the more vve are made sensible of our vvants the more are vve provoked to invocation of the name of the Lord. 2 From the vvorld that hateth his Church that they may fulfill their iniquity and declare their uttermost malice against the Church and when he had suffered PHAROAH and his hoast to follovv his people of Israel into the red Sea and there taketh of their Chariot wheels then they shall see it and say we will fly from the face of Israel Exod. 14.25 for the Lord fighteth for them against the Aegyptians Great is the profit of this point in the case of those spirituall desertions Vse vvhereby God for a time seemeth to forsake his own children Well are they described by Gods ovvn mouth For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee Isa 54.7 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Which sheweth that the hiding of Gods protecting power is not totall but partiall for it is in a little anger and it is not finall but temporary for a small moment 1 In outward things In the example in my text God hid his hand in his bosome the horn of his Salvation was almost all out of sight for the space of 70 years during the captivity of the Church So many of Gods dear Servants drink deep of the bitter cup of affliction suffering the contempt and injuries of the world in bonds imprisonments oppressions scourges such as the world is not worthy of yet do they not want a secret feeling of the power of Gods protection quickning their patience and reviving his own work in them in the midst of the years 2 In spirituall graces Sometime God taketh away from his children their feeling of his love and of the joy of the Holy Ghost and that they finde with much grief 1 In the oppression of the heart with sorrow wherein they feel no comfort as David My soar ran and ceased not my soul refused comfort Psal 77.2 3. I did think upon God and was troubled In the ineffectuating the means of salvation for a time For many holy zealous souls desirous to do God good service do complain that they hear the Word do not profit by it they receive the Sacraments and do not tast how sweet it is they pray but they feel not the Spirit helping their infirmities they give thanks and praise to God but they do not feel that inward dancing of the heart and jubilation of the soul and rejoycing in God that should attend his prayse yea rather they perceive in themselves a going backward from God as the Church complaineth O Lord Isa 63.17 why hast thou made us to erre from thy ways and