meat with Publicans and sinners they said He was a friend of Publicans and sinners Do not entertain hard thoughts of Christ not of the wayes of Christ for that Indeed if religion were any cloak for sin if it did countenance and incourage men in sin it were something but it is that which makes of a sinner a Saint Conversion though it finde us vile and bad it doth not leave us so 2 Take heed you do not suck this poison from it that when you hear the worse men are before conversion the better they will be after conversion Some it may be will draw this inference from it That it is the best to be as vile and wicked as one can for so one shall be most zealous afterward Take heed of that For 1 It is a great question whether God will convert thee or not and if thou be not converted all thy sins will be so many cords to tie thee in hell the aggravations of thy sin will be additions to thy torment and punishment 2 The deeper thou art in sin the greater must thy humiliation be Will any wise man break his leg because a broken bone well set and knit again will be stronger then ever it was before Knotty timber shall have most blowes 3 The longer thou continuest in sin the longer will God keep thee under suspension and it will be long before he vouchsafeth the comforts of his Spirit he will fill thee with indignation and horrour Though great sins cannot vast are gratiam lay waste the grace of God yet they may vast are conscientiam lay waste the peace of conscience though it may be they will not put thee into a state of ejection yet they will bring thee into a state of dejection if thou art not cast off yet thou shalt he cast down and therefore take heed thou doest not abuse this precious doctrine And so much for this last use And so I have done with both Doctrines and finished the Text And from the dayes of John the Baptist untill now the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force FINIS The Zealous CHRISTIAN Holding Communion with God in wrastling and importunate Prayer LUKE 11. 8. I say unto you though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his importunity he will give unto him as many as he needeth MY Text is the conclusion of a familiar Parable used by Christ whereby he instructs his Disciples touching the Doctrine and use of prayer The occasion offered to Christ-to fall upon this Subject is intimated ver 1. of this chapter One of his Disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray as John also tought his disciples Whether it was a one of the twelve Apostles or one of the seventy Disciples that propounded the question is not easie to determine nor is it materiall to know Hereupon Christ gives them a plâ—â— for me or directions for prayer to direct them about the matter and withall gives them a parable to informe concerning the manner of praying For the matter of it you have it in these words when you pray say Our father c. Not as though it were a command from Jesus Christ that alwayes when we pray we should use that forme of speech which is here set down Jesus Christ indeed intended it for a platforme or a patterne to direct us in the making of our prayers for there is nothing we stand in need of and goe to God for but it is to be found in these words but he never intended to tye up his people to this forme And that I will prove by some reasons Reas 1 1. Because though Luke here saith when you pray Say Our c. yet Matthew varies in his expression and saith when you pray say after this manner Mat. 6. 9. to reach us that we are to stick to the matter contained in this prayer but we are not confined every time we pray to use the same expressions By Luke we learne that the using of this forme of words is lawfull by Matthew that it is not necessary Reas 2 2. A second reason is this Because in the recitall of the Lords prayer by Matthew and Luke there is much difference and though the difference be not materiall yet it is verball which is enough to prove what I intend to wit that we are not bound to the words In the third Petition it is thus in Matthew Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven In Luke it is thus thy will be done as in heaven so in earth In the fourth Petition it is said in Matthew Give us this day our daily bread In Luke it is said Give us daily day by day our daily bread In the fifth Petition it is said in Matthew and forgive us our debts In Luke it is said for we forgive every one that is indebted to us Lastly it is said in Matthew For thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory for ever Amen But these words are wholly left out in Luke Which variance teacheth us thus much that you must not recede from the matter or purport of the words yet we are not to be superstitious and sollicitous about the expressions as Chemnitius observes Reas 3 3. Another reason to prove that we are not limited to that forme is this Because Jesus Christ himselfe and all his Apostles did never use this forme in all their prayers And if there had been a necessity that we should have used it Christ would as he might easily have left a command behinde him in the word and also he would have practised it himselfe that it might have been our example This reason Chemnitius gives There are many prayers in Davids Psalmes many in the Prophets many in the Acts of the Apostles many in the Epistles of Paul which are different in expression from this forme and yet doubtlesse received acceptance from God 4. Reas Another argument is this Because it is the worke and office of the Spirit of God not onely to help the people of God in the manner how but also in the matter what to pray to put even words into our mouthes Rom. 8. 76. We know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit helpes our infirmities And upon these grounds it appeares that we are not bound to use that forme of words Ministers doe sometimes use this forme of prayer to justifie the lawfulnesse of it and sometimes they doe not use it lest people should dote too much upon set formes And so much for the matter of prayer I come now to the manner and that is expressed in this Parable which Parable is laid down in the 5 6 7 8. verses And be said unto them which of you shall have a friend and shall goe unto him at midnight and say unto him Friend lend me three loaves For a friend of mine in his journey is come to
they might have in their prayers We should therefore chuse the fittest seasons for prayer It is said of Luther by Vitus Theodorus who was present with him at Coburge and many times heard him at his private prayers in a letter of his to Melanchthon That there was no day passed over his head wherein Luther did not spend three hours at the least in prayers and those not hours that he could best spare unseasonable hours but such hours as were the fittest for his study And that was a reason that Luther was very importunate in his prayers as the same Author informs us Good God with how much reverence did I hear him pray With how much boldnesse and confidence c. And on the contrary one reason why men have so little of this holy importunity is for want of taking fit seasons for the work 4. Another reason of the want of this holy importunity is the difuse and neglect of prayer in your Christian course Many there are that pray sometimes and leave off praying again now this doth very much dull mens affections in prayer There is a Proverb Use makes perfectness I am sure it is so in the duty of prayer let a Christian pray often and he will come to pray well and to pray with much enlargednesse of heart and let him leave off prayer and he will finde his heart exceedingly streightned Take a Key if you use it frequently it will be bright but if you lay it aside it will soon grow rusty thus will it be with a mans heart use prayer much keep it close to the performance of duty it is the way to have thy heart bright Let this Key of prayer which doth open heaven be used it will be kept bright and thy prayer will enter into heaven but let this Key of prayer be laid aside and do not thou often use it and it will quickly grow rusty again thy prayers and performances will not be able to enter neaven and thou wilt not be able to perform duty in that manner that God expecteth If thou dost not watch unto prayer with all carefulnesse thou wilt loose thy zeal and servent affection and thy holy desires after God in duty As it is with a Pump use it every day and water will come but if you forbear the use of it two or three dayes water will neither come so easily nor so plentifully If you do not pump out your holy desires every day they will quickly flag and grow remisse Physitians observe concerning the teeth that that side of the teeth that is not used is most subject to rheumes and distillations That heart that is not inured to prayer and holy duties is most subject to Satans instillations and suggestions This is the fourth reason Reas 5 The fifth reason why this importunity is wanting is this because men tye themselves to prescript forms of prayer I do not say that it is unlawful to use set forms of prayer we finde that Jesus Christ himself used a form Matt. 26. 39. Christ went and said Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me Vers 42. He went again the second time and prayed saying O my Father if this cup may not passe from me thy will be done Vers 44. He went away again and prayed saying the same words To shew that it is lawful 〈…〉 forms of prayer but not alwaies You are to strive for the spirit of prayer A man that will use his crutches constantly shall go â—ame all the dayes of his life 〈…〉 live in an age wherein Religion is 〈◊〉 professed and the Gospel is fully 〈◊〉 known Do not content your selves 〈◊〉 forms labour for the spirit of prayer 〈…〉 you may go to God and spread 〈…〉 him your wants and necessities and 〈◊〉 those mercies that are most sutable to 〈◊〉 wants and exigences Forms indâ—ed will teach you to beg pardon for sin in general but you must beg pardon for particular sins You must not onely beg mercy in general but you must also beg 〈◊〉 particular mercies that are most 〈…〉 you And this set forms are 〈…〉 which yet is the main work in prayer He that tyes himself alwaies to another mans form will not be able to pray alone but weakly and coldly and formally This is the fifth reason 6. Another ground of this importunity is a giving way to an accustomed continuance in a sleight and carelesse performance of duties this enervates the affections and emasculates the spirits what men are accustomed to that they get an habit of so that they cannot do the contrary As a Carriers horse that is used to a dull and slow pace cannot go out of it The lessening of Acts makes Habits more remisse That is the last reason And so much shall suffice for answer to the sixth Question LUKE 11. 8. Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his importunity he will give unto him c. THE Fourth paticular is this By wat helps may a man attain to this holy importunity in prayer For answer I shall lay down six or seven Theological helps by which a man may come to attain this holy importunity 1. Possesse thine heart with an lawful fear of the Almighty God This was the ground of Davids importunity as you may see Psal 5. vers 3. he saith My voice shalt thou hear in the morning And in the 7 verse you will finde this holy fear did lye at the bottom Lut as for me I will come into thine house in the multitude of thy mercy and in thy fear will I worship towards thine holy temple David came to duty with a strong 〈◊〉 of Gods greatness and dreadfulness So it is the advice of the Apostle that if we would serve God acceptably we must do it with reverence and godly fear Heb. 12. 28. That fore-cited Author Vitus Theodorus writes concerning Luther That he prayed with so much confidence as if he had been speaking with his friend and familiar and yet with so much reverence as one that considered the great distance between God and him I may allude to that place Isal 60. 5. though the words are spoken to another purpose Thy heart shall fear and be enlarged An holy fear breeds an holy care If a man once comes to this that he is fearlesse of God he will quickly be carelesse in prayer Job 15. 4. Yea thou castest off fear and restrainest prayer before God A man that doth cast off the fear of God doth soon cease to pray unto God He that fears God most that man will certainly pray to God best That is the first help Help 2 2 Another help or meanes to get this holy importunity is this To recollect thy thoughts by holy meditation before thou comest to this weighty duty of prayer to God And upon this ground we finde meditation and prayer to be put together Psal 5. 1 2. Give eare to my words O Lord
it may be it is in temporall favours but not in spirituall mercies God gives thee a temporall mercie but he denies thee spirituall mercies It may be thou hast begged riches and God hath granted thee this request to make thee rich in the world It may be thou hast desired honour and thou art raised to places of honour But remember thou doest beg Christ thou dost beg grace and glory if God doth not give thee these thou shalt never see the face of God and consider what will all these doe thee good They will but feed thee sat for the day of slaughter and make thee a sweet morsell for wormes and Devills Now consider what benefit this will be to thee to have riches pleasures and worldly contentments and they prove a snare to thee So then it is no just ground for a man to conclude that he hath prayed aright because God hath answered him That is the third ground A fourth ground of mens presumption of the goodnesse and acceptablenesse of their prayers is this they pray by heart and not by booke they use not set formes they pray ex tempore But this also is but a false ground as appeares by these considerations 1. It is possible and usuall too for men to pray without booke and yet without heart too A man may pray a third way he may pray and yet neither pray with books nor with heart he may pray by the strength of naturall parts as I told you even now 2. A man may pray without a forme and yet make but a formall prayer A formall prayer is not to use a forme of words for that Jesus Christ did he prayed three times saying the same words A man may possibly use a forme of words and yet not be formall And on the other a man may be formall and yet not use a forme of words that is he may pray and yet not have his heart and affections wrought upon in that prayer 3. Prayer is not a worke of the memory invention or expression but a worke of the heart Prayer doth not consist in varietie of phrases or change of the method and expression used in prayer but a worke on the affections God doth not account that to be a prayer that doth not come from the heart and is not accompanied with the heart And therefore you finde this expression concerning the Saints prayers formerly Hannah poured out her soule before the Lord and so the Psalmist he is said to poure out his heart and the Israelites are said to poure out their hearts like water before the Lord. So that this proves to be a false bottome And so much for the first use of Caution LUKE 11. 8. I say unto you though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth 2. THis may be for caution to the godly to prevent the mistakes of those that have this importunitie and thinke they have not Yet here also they have some seeming reasons I shall name them and withall answer them Their first reason is this Others pray better then I saith a godly man Others performe duties with more inlargednesse Now this reasoning is not good For 1. It may be those that thou apprehendest to pray better then thou are of longer standing and larger experience in the wayes of God then thou art God doth not expect any more from a man but according to that measure of grace that he gives the man and according to his growth and standing in grace Paul was not at all discouraged because Epinetus was the first fruits of Achaia unto Christ Rom. 16. 5. nor at Andronicus and Junia that were of note among the Apostles and in Christ before him verse 7. And if Paul was not discouraged why shouldest thou be discouraged to see other Christians outstrip thee it may be they are of longer standing then thou 2. It may be thou doest judge and compare they selfe with others at a great disadvantage As first it may be thou dost compare thy selfe and thy praying in secret with the praying of others in publick Now this is very disadvantageous for in publick men have not onely inward but also outward incouragements and so thorough the corruption that is in all our hearts they are more drawne forth at that time then in secret 2. It may be thou dost compare their expression with thine affection it may be there is more in thy affections then in all the multitude of their expressions Thou are not to compare thy affections with the multitude of other mens words 3. Iâ— may be thou dost compare thy 〈◊〉 with others when they are at the best and highest and thou at the worst and lowest There is a great difference betwixt a man and himselfe at severall times now you judge unequally if you compare your selfe in that manner 3. In some cases this may be no discouragement to thee as 1. If thou art weaker in naturall gifts Though good affections flow from grace yet good expressions proceed from the goodnesse of naturall abilities 2. In case thou art not of as long standing in religion 3. It thou hast lesser time and opportunities for prayer by reason of necessary cares and encumbring employments When Jonah was entered into the ship there was a great storme in so much that the ship was ready to sinke now all the Mariners were at prayer every man cryed to his God but Jonah was fast aslâ—â—p now one would have thought that Jonah had been a most stupid man but the reason was the greatnesse of his journey a little before which caused him to be so heavie to sleep It may be a man that hath lesse grace then thou may pray better then thou because he is not troubled with these worldly incumbrances that thou art necessarily ingaged in 4. God doth not distribute gifts and graces to all alike God hath not appointed that all men should grow in grace alike To this purpose I may apply Nehem. 11. 17. Mattaniah the son of Micha the son of Zabdi the son of Asaph was the principall to begin the thanksgiving in prayer and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren and Abda the son of Shammuz the third God doth not intend that all should be alike in grace or gifts God hath his first second and third one may fall short of another and yet all have truth of grace yea all have some growth in grace Another may pray better and yet thou pray well Another may pray more affectionately and yet thou pray as acceptably in the sight of God so much for Answer to the first reason 2. Many a poore soule may say I can remember since I could pray better and more largely Now if I could pray better formerly then now I am now grown remisse and want this holy importunity But this is no sound reason for 1. It may be