God and held his hands Quis tenet te Domine saith one Lord who holds thee that thou sayest let me alone Moses his prayer did in a manner binde the hands of God There is an almighty power in prayer because it overcomes him that is almighty But it may be objected that how dare miserable men dust and ashes presume to speak to God being so excellent and omnipotent and as Jacob confessed now being lesse then the least of his blessings This is answered thus by one non presumptione tua sed promissione et permissione sua God not onely permitteth it but addeth a promise to them that use it and commands us to call upon him In the Psalm before alledged call upon me in the time of trouble and I will hear thee And Saint Peter and Saint Paul both confirm the truth of this when they quote this of the Prophet Joel whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved And the joyning of two places in the Gospels will make us call on God with great confidence Every one that asketh saith Saint Matthew receiveth and that in Saint John whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you There can be no more said then that every one that asketh shall have and whatsoever you aske you shall have whereas on the contrary Gods sury will be powred upon them that call not upon his name And as God is ready to promise so is he also to perform yea so ready is he on his part that he saith before they call I will hear To testifie this he erected a mercy seat in the Tabernacle and when the temple was built he gives it a name from this duty of prayer The House of prayer to shew how ready he would be to hear the prayers there put up and that not onely by his own people but even by strangers too for whom Solomon prayed at the consecration of the Temple and this was acknowledged by the Persian King who calls it the house of the God of Heaven Herein was the mercy seat placed and the first part of the service was incense which as we shewed before is often interpreted to signifie prayer and so it is intimated in the Gospel when we read that the people were without praying while the Priest was within at the typical worship burning of incense And as God had a seat of mercy then on earth so hath he now erected a throne of grace in Heaven from whence si ascendat 〈◊〉 descendet gratia if prayer ascend grace descends And because that we cannot have accesse by our selves by reason of our sins therefore order is taken that we may have accesse per alium by another even by Christ who to assure us the more of the efficacie of our prayers not onely in his flesh offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears but still makes intercession for us and therefore in the Revelation he is figured by an Angel that receives the prayers of the Saints in golden censures mingles them with incense to make them acceptable and so offers them up to his Father So that as he prayeth for us himself so he makes our prayers acceptable and therefore he makes us Priests to God to offer this spiritual sacrifice of prayer and praises and as it was promised to pour upon us the spirit of grace and supplication so it is performed by Gods sending the spirit of his Son into our hearts whereby we cry Abba Father which spirit helpeth our infirmities and when we know not how to pray makes intercession for us with sighes and groans that cannot be expressed So that we have no reason to doubt of the 〈◊〉 of our prayers with God but to rest assured that God is highly pleased with them and is ready and willing to hear us and to grant what we ask according to his will Thus we see all is performed on Gods part Now for the duty it self This duty of Invocation here commanded contains in it two things 1. A lifting up of our soul a fixing of the minde upon God as the Authour and giver of all good 2. A pouring out of our soul a full declaration of our desires and meditations or what it is we require of God Invocation or prayer is divided into 1. Petition and that either for ourselves which also is subdivided into Deprecation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the removal of some evil Precation for the obtaining of some good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or for others which we call Intercession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Thanksgiving 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. The first part of Petition is Deprecation that evil felt or feared may be removed and this is most properly and usually the matter of our prayer Is any man afflicted saith S. James let him pray and though hope apprehends nothing but good yet the removal of evil hath rationem boni and so may be the object of hope and the subject of prayer And this consists in three points 1. Vt malum avertatur that evil may be turned away before it come I beseech thee O Lord saith the Prophet let thine anger and fury be turned away That Gods wrath may be turned away before it come upon us 2. Vt malum anferatur that evil may be taken away after it hath seized upon us Deliver Israel O Lord out of all his troubles 〈◊〉 being in trouble we may be delivered out of it and this is called 〈◊〉 deliverance 3. Vt malum minuatur that evil may be 〈◊〉 Let thine anger cease from us saith the Psalmist mitiga iram tuam when we pray for a diminution that so we may be able to bear it But as a necessary preparative to this the Saints have ever used Confession and acknowledgment of sins The Prophet in sundry Psalms runneth first over all his sins sins of omission and commission of thought word and deed against God his brethren or himself by instigation of others or of his own accord For Prov. 28. 13. He that covereth his sins shal not prosper that 's a dangerous saying and in Psal. 32. 3 4. 〈◊〉 dangerous example till he had 〈◊〉 his sins his bones consumed and his moysture was turned into the drought of summer So likewise did Daniel make confession before he comes to petition 1. The chief thing to be prayed against maxime deprecandum is to be kept from falling into sin by temptation That we may not be winnowed by Sathan Not to wish as commonly we do I would I were out of the world but as our Saviours prayer for his Disciples I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil And we desiring but thus certainly Gods promise will not be unperformed for he is faithful who will not
in either aright 3. They must be 〈◊〉 They must be made in the spirit of humility els are they no prayers the Hebrews call such prayers and no prayers We see the humble supplication of the Publican was accepted when the vaunting prayer of the Pharisee was rejected God turns himself to the prayer of the poor destitute Saint Bernard saith concerning this and the last qualification Quando fidelis et humilis et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sine 〈◊〉 penetrabit unde certum est quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whensoever our prayers are faithful humble and fervent we may be assured they will pierce the heavens 〈◊〉 will not return empty 4. Our prayer must not be absurd oratio sine ratione prayer without reason As accedere Deum pro pace sine pace pro remissione peccatorum cum retentione as Tertullian saith to come to God for peace without peace to pray for forgivennsse and be far from forgiving ourselves Our Saviour sets us a rule to pray forgive us as we forgive others how can we say to God forgive me and to our brother pay me who so stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor he shall also cry himself and shall not be heard as the wise man speaks If there be a receiving there must be a giving When you pray saith our Saviour forgive if ye have ought against any that your father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses And thus our prayers shall be reasonable otherwise prayer withour charity is as they call it the prayer of Cain who offered sacrifice to God and murthered his brother 5. It must not be the Bethulians prayer Help must come within five dayes or els farewell prayer This is contrary to our Saviours rule who taught men to pray and not to saint and to the Apostles Pray without ceasing Yet it is not meant that we should ever be praying and doing nothing else as the Euchita dreamed or that God is pleased with many words or battology for non in sermone multo sed diuturno offectu not in many words but with long affection as Saint Augustine Nor is it our Saviours meaning in the parable of him that went to his friend for loaves that he knocked at the door continually but interpolatim ever and anone till he was heard non continua interpellatione sed interpolatione our prayer must be renewed often for in this frequency and continuance in prayer there are two extreames to be avoided 1. First that which Saint Augustine tells us was in the Euchites as before who never left or discontinued prayer but neglected all other duties of religion which was condemned by the Church as an heresie 2. The other is that which Isidore mentioneth of some that hold that men were onely to pray in the night and to spend the day in other affairs These are like our noctna owles that never cry but in the night The practise of many among us is like theirs that pray not but when they are in their beds if then both these must be avoyded and we must walk in the middle way There may be a defect also in the manner of praying when it is not qualified so as we have above specified Also our thanks may be in this two wayes defective 1. when a man hath benefits and slighteth them now our soule is dried away we can see nothing but this Manna It was the Jewes fault to murmur unthankfully 2. Or our thanks may be formall cold and carelesse vsu magis quam sensu of course and not from a true sense and feeling such sacrifice to their own net Hab. 1. 16. Naaman received a benefit and he would be thankfull for when one talent was asked he would give two Now because prayer is the means to obtain all other graces it cannot properly be said to have means to obtain it Yet are there diverse helps to it 1. There is no greater help or spur to prayer then the consideration of our own wants and imperfections by taking a view of our soules and frequent examining our own hearts whereby we come to see the evils we are most inclinable to and the good things wee want This knowledge and sense of his own wants made David thirst after God and powre out his soule before him Psalm 42. 1. 2. 4. 5. 2. Another help is the remembrance of Gods benefits to us King David was so well versed in this duty that there is not a benefit he received or that we may but that there is a Psalm for it psal 40. 3. He had still canticum novum for beneficium novum when he wants any singular benefit then he reckons up the lesser which Saint Augustine calls colligere fragmenta the gathering up the fragments and these he made great account of and as the woman of Canaan was thankful for the crums Mat. 15. 27. so was he for the least mercies when he had no new benefits then he takes up old benefits and makes of them a new song as Psal. 38. and 70 and rather then faithe remembers to God and gives thanks for his wonderfull forming in his mothers womb Psal. 139. and sometimes enlargeth himself to those benefits that are common to all the world as psal 8. 19. 104. yea to the very wild asses quenching their thirst in the wildernes 3. Another is fasting and alms which the Fathers call the wings of prayer S. Augustine saith Jejunium orationis robur oratio vis jejunii fasting is the strength of prayer and prayer the like of fasting And jejunia elemosynae orationem juvant fasting and alms are assistants to prayer These both are the wings that prayer mounts up by Illud hanc corroborat haec illud sanctificat as fasting strengthens our prayers and prayer sanctifies our fast so alms 4. If our own prayers be weak then are we to desire the prayers of the Church according to S. James's direction Si oratio tua fulmen sit saith one ascendat ad coelum sola per se otherwise esto gutta in nube grandinis if thy prayer be fervent or as a thunderbolt it may ascend to heaven by it self but if it be as a drop in a cloud it will need the help of others 5. If none of all these help yet there is oratio fidei as well as oratio sensus though I cannot have the prayer of feeling yet I may have the prayer of hope For spiritual duties are likened to seed of which harvest comes not presently but lie in the 〈◊〉 of the earth till the time that the Lord fructifie The signes of praying aright or that our prayers are rightly qualified and like to prevail are diverse 1. Earnestnesse of the soul when that sends out sighes and groans unutterable gemitibus non sermonibus constat hoc negotium this businesse consists not in words but groans 2. The second signe is if
To have been mindfull of God in prosperity is a good ground for hope in adversity 2. The second is Saint Johns Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself keeps a pure conscience doth not as they which presume make their conscience a receptacle of corruption upon hope For as the fathers say Conscientia bona custos spei if it be kept clean our hope is true and right 3. The third is Davids Hope in the Lord and be doing good it must be active and doing good The heathen call labour the husband of hope There is hope the harlot and hope the married woman now hope the wife may be known from the harlot by this that she is alwayes with her husband accompanied with labour Sacrificate sacrificium justitiae et sperate in Domino offer to God the sacrifice of righteousnesse and put your trust in the Lord. There must be travaile and strife to do good in a true hope 4. The last is Saint Pauls who makes good hope to hold 〈◊〉 in tribulation It is that which tries whether it will hold the touch or not In silentio et 〈◊〉 erit sortitudo vestra in quietnes and confidence shall be your strength saith the prophet Esa. 31. 15. If we faint in adversity it cannot be true The heathen call hope the blossom or bud of tribulation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if the bud be nipt nofruit can be expected it will be but 〈◊〉 bastard hope but if it blossome in tribulation it will bring forth fruit in due season The last of our rules is that we should not onely have this hope in our selves but provoke it in others also It was Davids desire many shall see it and fear and trust in the Lord. That all the people may trust in him That the house of Israel The house 〈◊〉 That al that fear the Lord might trust in him To the furtherance whereof he promiseth to teach the wicked and tells the fooles that they deal madly in setting up their horn that is in trusting to themselves And thus much for hope CHAP. II. The sixth duty is prayer The end of prayer Gods glory The necessity of it The power of prayer The parts of prayer 1. Deprecation 2. Petition why God denies somethings we ask 3. Intercession 4. Thanksgiving which consists of 1. 〈◊〉 2 Complacency 3. promulgation 4 Provocation of others The excellency of praising God The properties of true prayer The helps to prayer Signes of faithfull prayer Of causing others to pray Now concerning prayer VNto every affection there is an operation suteable and so every grace hath its proper 〈◊〉 and operations besides which one grace usually depends so upon another that one may be called the fruit and effect of another Thus the fruit of faith is hope and the fruit of hope is prayer Speioperatio oratio hope works by prayer And so the property of hope is to 〈◊〉 us up to prayer and the property of prayer is to be interpres spei that is to expresse the desires of our hope In which respect as the Articles of our faith are summa credendorum the summe of things to be beleeved and the Law summa agendorum the sum of things to be done so the Lords prayer is summa sperandorum the summe of things to be hoped For the soul of man by considering and beleeving the judgements of God being brought down dejected and humbled to the dust and as it were struck dead hath some life put into it again by conceiving hope in his mercy for which we must repair to God by prayer and nothing better beseemeth a suitor for it then prayer and supplication Saint Augustine saith Precibus non 〈◊〉 ad Deum The way to God is by prayer not paces Therefore that hope may be partaker of its object mercy we are to know that mercy is onely to be expected and obtained from God by prayer And therefore Saint Augustine saith ut descendat miseratio ascendat oratio let prayer ascend that mercy may descend and so there shall be a blessed entercourse between his mercy and our prayer while we speak of prayer lest we mistake we are to conceive that prayer consists not onely in that which we outwardly make in the congregation which the Prophet calls vitulum 〈◊〉 the calves or sacrifice of our lips but inwardly also in lifting up the heart as the Apostle speaks Orabo 〈◊〉 orabo mente I will pray with the spirit I will pray with the understanding which is when the spirit ascends to God which howsoever it be not heard by men how vehement it is yet we know it is powerfull with God We see the experience of it in Moses The Lord saith to him why criest thou to me though there be no mention of any word he 〈◊〉 and this is principally and truely prayer for without it the prayer of the lips prevaileth not Our Saviour seemeth to taxe the Scribes with resting in outward 〈◊〉 when he quoteth a speech out of the prophet This people draweth neer unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is far from me And he tells his disciples in the sermon upon the mount that it is not the ingemination of Lord Lord that will gain the kingdom of heaven And therefore Saint Augustine saith Hoe negotium plus gemitibus constat quam sermonibus This work 〈◊〉 more in groans then words the spirit makes intercession for us with groanings unvtterable 1. Now the main end and scope of prayer is Gods honour and glory It pleaseth God by the prophet to account this as an especial honour done to him that even as the eyes of servants look to the hands of their masters and the eyes of an handmaid unto hand of her mistresse so our eyes wait on the Lord untill he have mercy upon us or as Saint Augustine Magna est gloria Dei ut nos simus mendici ejus It is Gods great honour that we are his beggars though it be of persons without the Church as in Cornelius whose prayer was accepted Act. 10. 2. or of persons within the Church yet out of Gods favour by their sinnes who call to God de prosundis out of the depth of misery Psal. 130. 1. though the person be an heathen yet his prayer inregard of the act it self is in some degree acceptable to God And this he accounts as an addition to his glory when we ackowledge that what we have we have not â—rom ourselves but from him Besides he takes it as a further honour to him as an homage we render him when we thank and glorifie him either for benefits or deliverances and to encourage us to this duty he addes a promise Call upon me saith he in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee but upon what condition and thou shalt glorifie me But this we may see set down most excellently by the Prophet where
to 〈◊〉 at a stay but proceed and profit every day and make progresse in our knowledge for as there are places in scripture as is before said where every lamb may wade so are there also deeper places where an 〈◊〉 may swimme We shall never be so perfect as to be free from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Search the scriptures For teaching children by way of Catechizing is no new thing 1. It is warranted even before 〈◊〉 flood The offerings and sacrifices of 〈◊〉 and Abel are a strong argument to induce our 〈◊〉 that they had been instructed by their father Adam in matter of Religion And though the word was yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 written from the Creation till after the flood yet Gods worship could not have continued had instruction ceased and not been used 2. After the flood in the time of Abraham the scripture beareth witnesse that he taught his children and family the fear of the Lord. Ab condam 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 saith God shall I hide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing that I will doe for I know him that he will command his children c and they shal keep the way of 〈◊〉 Lord. And what he would teach them is evident by the summe 〈◊〉 the Law delivered to him by God Ambula coram me c. Walke before me and be perfect As also by the summe of the Gospell In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Th fruits of this catechizing and the effects thereof appeared first in his son Isaac The tex saith Et exiit Isaac ut oraret in agro vesperi and 〈◊〉 went out to pray in the field at eventide And secondly in his servant who 〈◊〉 he undertooke his masters businesse 1. began with prayer 2 he ended with prayer and thanksgiving for his 〈◊〉 successe 3 shewed his care in performing his Masters busin sse he would not eat though he had travelled far untill he had declared his message 3. And as this appears in Adam concerning the instruction of his children before the flood and in Abraham after it and 〈◊〉 the Law so it is not to be doubted but that there were divers other godly men in both ages that successively instructed their children receiving it as a duty by tradition so to do For there is no writing extant till Moses time though it appears by Saint Iude that something was proph sied by Enoch who was the 7 th from Adam and that the story of Job seems to be more ancient then that of Moses life and actions though the Church place Moses first to whom by tradit 〈◊〉 was conveled the story of former times and perhaps Moses his story might be first written 4. Besides the divine goodnesse so disposed that no age from the 〈◊〉 to the time of Moses should want some godly men successively to deliver his will to their child en As before the flood 〈◊〉 Seth Enos Kenan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Enoch Methusalem Lamech of which number Adam and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole time from the Creation to the flood which fell in the year of the world 1656. For Adam lived 930 years And Methusalem 969. and 〈◊〉 in the year of the deluge So that Methusalem living 243 yeares with Adam must needs be well instructed by him concerning all points of Religion and that no doubt 〈◊〉 his youth as also were they that were born between them 5. After the deluge God sent into the world many excellent men also before the Law As Noah Sem Arphaxad Sale Heber Peleg Reu Serug Nachor Thare Abraham Isaac and Jacob. and no doubt 〈◊〉 it appeares that Abraham instructed his family but that he also receiued instruction from his Parents 〈◊〉 his from theirs before them For Noah lived 950 years and was 600 years old at the time of the flood and no question but he was well instructed by conversing with so many fathers of the first age of the world And his son Sem lived many years with him being born 98 years before the deluge and therefore wanted no documents Now for the posterity of Abraham we finde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was grandchild to 〈◊〉 by Levi as Jacob was to Abraham and li ved many years with his father Levi and his grandfather Jacob and benig grandfather to Moses it is Probable that he with his son Amram 〈◊〉 Moses in God service as their predecessors had instructed them And thus much for the time before the Law written 6. Under the Law immediatly after it was given God gave command to the 〈◊〉 to instruct their children And that foure severall wayes 1 They were to teach them diligently The word teach there in the original signifies to whet or sharpen which by the learned is expounded to 〈◊〉 rehearsing 2. They were to conferre and talke with them about the Law in the house morning and evening and when they walked with them abroad 3. They were to binde the commandments for signes upon their hands and as frontlets before their eyes that their children might continually take notice of them 4. Lastly for the same intent and purpose they were commanded to write them upon the gates and posts of their houses 7. The practise of this after the law made we may see in David who in the Text before quoted saith Come ye children hearken unto me and I will teach you c. and more particularly towards his son Solomon as he professeth himself I was my fathers son saith he tender and onely beloved in the sight of my mother and he taught or catechized me And this he did not onely as he was Pater-familias the father of a family but as a Catechist in publike before the people And thou Solomon my son know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart Nor did Solomon discontiue this practise for he instructed his son Rehoboam at large as may be seen in his first seven chapters of his Proverbs So was young king Jehoash instructed by Jehoiada the high Priest 8. Under the captivity and after because there are no examples in writing extant in the Scriptures but that Apocryphall of Susannae of whom it is said that she was instructed by her parents in the law of Moses we must repair to the records of Josephus who affirms that there were never lesse among the Jews 〈◊〉 four hundred houses of catechizing where the law and the Talmud were expounded And it is recorded that there was an act made at Jerusalem that children should be set to catechizing at the age of 〈◊〉 yeers whereunto Saint Paul seemeth to have relation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 catechised out of the Law 9. Under the gospel there is an expresse precept or commandment to Parents not onely to enter their children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to bring them up in nurture and admonition And it was Saint Pauls practise as you may see by
its own nature and quality So if we hear the word of God it must be leaven unto us and turn the whole lump into the tast of it self If it be not so with us but that we hear continually without preparation or practise there is a bitter place against us we shall be like roots bearing gall and wormwood bitternesse it self And thus much for the general notion of preparation Now for the particular how we ought to prepare our selves The Rabbins prescribe fourty eight rules to this purpose which may be reduced to two 1. Praeparate in timore prepare your hearts in fear Take heed to thy feet saith the Preacher when thou entrest into the house of God That is come not to Gods house to hear his holy Word carelesly or unreverently but with reverence and fear We are not to come thither as to an ordinary place but with an awful preparation as in Gods presence How fearful is this place saith Jacob this is none other but the house of God And it is fearful in respect of the majesty of God more fully here then in other places as being the presence-chamber of God where he will be waited upon with all due preparation and respect Serve the Lord with fear was king Davids counsel and it was his practise too I will come into thy house saith he and in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy Temple 2. Another reason that we should be qualified with fear when we come is That because as Solomon speaks fear is the beginning or head and chief point of wisdom it must needs be the ground-work and foundation of our preparation The fear of the Lord as he also leadeth unto life It is the high way to all other Christian duties His salvation saith the Psalmist is nigh to them that fear him It stands us 〈◊〉 upon to be thus prepared else the Wise man would have spared this 〈◊〉 Be thou in the fear of the Lord continually In 〈◊〉 Preparation by prayer is the other main point 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our selves before we come and indeed it is the salt that seasons all holy duties King 〈◊〉 as you heard before practized it and began his very prayers with prayer Let my prayer saith he be set forth in thy sight c. And 〈◊〉 made way by prayer to the dedication of his Temple Daniel set his face unto God by prayer and while he was in this act of preparation the Angel was sent to him to let him know that his petition was granted Solomon prayed to the Lord for wisdom you may read that God yeelded to his request Cornelius was initiated into the Church by this means and Saul by it of a persecuter became Paul an Apostle for Behold saith God to Ananias he prayeth Saint Augustine calls it gratum Deo obsequium an acceptable service to God And 〈◊〉 Nihil potentius homine 〈◊〉 Nothing more powerful then a man that prayeth Nemo nostrum saith Saint Bernard parvi pendat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enim 〈◊〉 quod ipse ad quem or amus non parvipendit 〈◊〉 let none of us make light accompt of prayyer for I tell you that he to whom we pray doth not lightly esteeme of it For indeed as Saint Peter 〈◊〉 us Gods ears are open to prayers And 〈◊〉 we see that King David often prepared himselfe by those kinde of prayers which the fathers call ejaculations or short prayrs of which the hundred and ninteen 〈◊〉 is full As open thou mine eyes that I may see the wondrous things of thy Law and when he 〈◊〉 any extravagant thoughts to seiz on him Averte oculos Turne away mine eyes from beholding vanity And when he grew dull in spirit Quicken thou me With these and the like we must prepare our selves Now as these are the two rules for preparation so are there four other for our coming 1 Venite 〈◊〉 in fervore spiritus with fervency of spirit Our coming must not be cold not Luke-warm like the Church of Laodicea lest we be spued out but fervent and zealous Be fervent in spirit saith the Apostle And in another place It is good to be zealously affected in a good thing If we come to hear we must come with a longing desire Zeal is compared to oyle which keeps the lamp ever burning It was one of King Davids 〈◊〉 I have 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 commandements The zeal of the Gentiles saith Saint Ambrose 〈◊〉 them life everlasting wheras the coldnes of the Jews caused their losse of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nullum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tale sacrificium quale est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no sacrifice so acceptable to God as the zeal of the spirit And as it is well 〈◊〉 to him so he he rewardeth it He satisfieth the longing soul saith the psalmist He that comes 〈◊〉 qualified never returns empty 2. Venite in puritate cordis Our coming must be also in purity of 〈◊〉 K. David asketh the question who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord or who shall rise up in his holy place and answereth 〈◊〉 in the next verse even he that hath clean hands and a pure heart Our thoughts and actions must be pure and undefiled else there 's no coming to Gods house no bettering our selves by coming 〈◊〉 For the word of God being pure will not enter into them that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Belial cannot accord But Cor purum 〈◊〉 est Dei gaudium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiritus sancti A pure heart is Gods court the delight of Angels and the 〈◊〉 of the holy spirit This is the second 3 Venite in fide Come with the garment of faith too If thou 〈◊〉 beleeve all things are possible to him that beleeveth A beleever though in the estimation of men he be of small understanding yet shall he be able to conceive and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficient to work out his salvation We see it in the Apostles who though they 〈◊〉 poor ignorant and simple fisher-men diverse of them yet coming to Christ by faith were able to confound the wisest and most learned men in the world But without faith it is impossible to please God and if to please him certainly come 〈◊〉 as often as we will to reape any good from him For he that 〈◊〉 to God as it is in the same verse must beleeve that God is The 〈◊〉 shall live by his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prophet and according to our faith shall we receive benefit by our coming for it is by faith that we have accesse to grace And the Apostle 〈◊〉 that the Jews were excluded from the promise because that which they sought for was not by faith This is the third rule 4 Venite frequenter Being fortified with faith 〈◊〉 frequently and often then you cannot come too oft Not upon the solemne fast only once a moneth perhaps will serve the turne but as
he particularly exacts the dutie from five severall sorts of men in one Psalm that are there mentioned as more especially bound to God 1. They that wander in the wildernesse and are harborlesse and in distresse and want and are relieved 2. They that are at the point of death and are restored to life and health 3. They that are in prison and are delivered 4. They that are delivered from shipwrack 5. They that are preserved from the hands of their enemies These several sorts of men as he there speaketh when they cry unto the Lord he delivereth them out of their distresse and therefore he often reiterates this and saith Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnes and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men And this deliverance by prayer hath three effects whereby God is glorified 1. When an humble minded man upon his prayer finds this deliverance he is thankful and glad 2. By this sinners seeing Gods goodnesse in hearing the prayers of his servants shall be converted 3 The mouth of all wickednes shall be stopped By all these wayes prayer brings glory to God If then prayer bring such glory to God and that without it God is like to be defrauded of a great part of his honour 2. It concerns us necessarily to practise it and that not onely in respect of God but of our selves too Our Saviour sheweth this by the parable of the widdow and the unjust judge where her importunity prevailing with a wicked judge shewes a majori how powerful prayer is with God a father of tender mercies and that we ought to pray allwayes and not faint And therefore having a care that we should know how to pray he himself who never did any superfluous act and who is our advocate and daily intercessor with God set down a form to our hands to instruct how to pray daily In the use whereof that comes to minde which Chrysostom observes in his first book de orando Deum out of Dan. 6. 10. where bodily death being set before Daniel if he prayed during thirty dayes on the other side tanquam si as if the forbearance for that time would be the death of his soul he chose rather to hazard his life then to neglect his daily custome In the Law besides the observation of the Sabbath there was a morning and an evening sacrifice Which was a type and is explained by the Psalmist to be prayer Prayer as incense in the morning and lifting up of hands which is nothing else but prayer for the evening sacrifice The fathers have for the most part written largely upon the necessity of this duty and call it Clavem diei et seram noctis the key to open the day and the bar to shut in the night Saint Chrysostom calls it signaculum diei the seal of the day out of the Apostle who saith that the creatures are good being sanctified by prayer else not and so it is a seal to confirme a blessing of the Creatures for the day following And in this respect it is said that our Saviour blessed the loaves by looking up to heaven that is by praying as also the meat at supper by blessing it be fore and singing an hymne of thanksgiving after And this is no new thing but a custome as ancient as Abraham as the Jews record who continue it still the chief of the family first takes bread and blesses it by prayer and then breaks it and the last thing is to take the cup and then to give a second blessing this being so holy a practise the whole Church of the Jews to our Saviours time observed it as a thing most necessary from which custome Christ translated the use of it to his own supper The Apostle fits all the rest of the spirituall armour to some speciall part as to the head the breast the feet but specifies no part for prayer because it is to cover all over and to make all the other armour useful Therefore the fathers upon that place of Epes 6. 13. call it Armaturam 〈◊〉 the armour of all other most necessary as if all the other were of no more strength then if we were naked if we put not on this And they stile it also flagellum demonum the Devils scourg Athanasius is confident that the bare but faithful recital of this ejaculation Exurgat 〈◊〉 Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered will make all the devils in hell to quake And Maximus another father affirms that he ever found this verse hast thee O God to deliver me make hast to help me O Lord effectual to deliver him from any temptation And Saint James prescribes no other remedy for afflictions then this Is any among you afflict d Let him pray even when humane hope fails yet 〈◊〉 for that which is impossible by our selves is possibile per alium possible by God to whom we pray And indeed it hath been ever of such power that it hath wrought miracles 1. In the ayre By it Elias the Prophet shut up the middle region that no rain could come down for three years and six moneths and he prayed again and the heavens gave rain c. 2. If we desire to see the like in other elements we may in Fire by the same Prophet for he by prayer brought down fire which consumed the captain and his fifty men 3. In the Earth At the prayer of Moses the earth opened and swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abiram with their company 4. In the water At the prayer of Moses the red sea divided it self and the waters were a wall to the children of Israel and returned and covered the host of the Egyptians 5. And this efficacie it hath wrought not onely in the elements but in heaven also At the prayer of Josuah the Sun and Moon stood still 6. In putting to flight earthly powers also At the prayer of Moses when he lift up his hands Israel prevailed David stayed the plague By it Hannah of a barren womb became fruitfull The Ninevits escaped the severe judgements of God examples are infinite but these seem lesse because it hath power over spiritual powers death and hell and sathan 7. It hath power over death Ezechias having received a message of death by prayer obtained fifteen years addition to his life I have heard thy prayer and seen thy tears c. 8. Over hell and the devill Our Saviour tells his Apostles that by prayer and fasting the devills were to be cast out 9. And lastly which is the most remarkable it overcometh God himself we read that Moses used no other means but onely Prayer yet God saith Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot as though while Moses prayed God himself could do nothing against the Isrealites or as if Moses by prayer had offered violence to
suffer us to be tempted above that we are able And either our strength shall encrease with the strength of our crosse or as our strength so our crosse shall diminish The enemy shall not be able to do us violence 2. We are to deprecate temporal dangers as Jehosbaphat did We know not what to do hoc solum restat ut ad te oculos dirigamus Domine Our eyes are upon thee O God And then in our trouble and distresse Nomen Domini shall be turris fortissime The Name of the Lord will be a strong tower to us But yet concerning temporal evil we must stand affected as the three children were who answer'd K. Nebuchadnezzar our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery fornace but if not because the promise and covenant is conditionall we will not serve thy God c. And thus far and no farther went our Saviour when he used deprecation Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me neverthelesse not my will but thine be done The second branch of Invocation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Precation which is the desiring of some thing that is good There is no one thing more common in the Psalms then this as 1. Give me understanding So 2. Establish the thing that thou hast wrought in us c. As the first prayer is to give what we want so the second is establish and confirm it in us when we have it 3. The third is that of the Apostles to our Saviour Lord increase our faith in us We must not keep at a stand in grace but desire an increment that we may grow in grace as the Apostle counselleth us Concerning this part of prayer petition of the good we want It is true our desires are not alwayes granted for as Christ answered the sons of Zebedee ye ask ye know not what so it may be said to us we often desire 〈◊〉 that which is agreeable to our own humours then to Gods will as Chrysostome reports of a Thief who purposing to continue in his sin orabat Deum ut non caperetur eo citius capiebatur he prayed that he might not be taken and was taken so much the sooner because he so prayed Therefore the rule we must follow and whereon we must ground our prayer is that promise Quicquid secundum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever we ask according to his will he will grant us such are the graces of his spirit and whatsoever is necessary to salvation as the Word Sacraments publique Worship c. These are that unum 〈◊〉 which the 〈◊〉 so earnestly begged unum petii a Jehovah One thing have I desired of the Lord. He desired many things but one thing especially 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to dwell in the 〈◊〉 of God all the dayes of his life to continue in the Church of God all his life where he might glorifie God and work out his own salvation Whatsoever is absolutely necessary to these ends we may safely ask and be sure God will grant and therefore our Saviour tells us that God grants his Spirit to those that ask him this is one thing which he will not deny us Now with these or after these we may pray for temporal things that is we may pray first for a competency not for superfluity The 〈◊〉 Jacob prayed onely for food and raiment and Agur the son of 〈◊〉 prayes Give me neither poverty nor riches but sufficientiam victus a sufficiency onely whereupon S. Augustine faith non indecenter petit quia hoc petit non amplius it is no unbeseeming prayer because he asks onely so much and no more 2. We must desire them with condition if God see it expedient submitting to his will as Christ If it be possible and if it be thy will so did David praying for restitution to his kingdom If I have found favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again c. if not here I am let him do what seemeth good to him He resignes all to Gods will and there is no more compendious way to obtain what we need then to resigne all to Gods pleasure whatsoever means we use or however we struggle nothing will avail without this Now that which was mentioned before concerning omnis omnia falls in best to be expounded here It seems strange that every one that asks shall have and that whatsoever he asks he shall have seeing it is certain that many ask and have not 1. We must remember that of S. Augustine that our duty is to pray however for as he saith Jubet ut petas si non petis displicet non negabit quod petis si non petes doth God command thee to pray and is he displeased if thou prayest not and will he not deny thee what thou prayest for and yet dost thou not pray 2. We must know that the cause why we receive not is not in his promise but in our asking Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amisse saith S. James For it is not a demonstrative signe of Gods favour to us to have all we desire granted for we see that the Israelites desired flesh and flesh God sent them but is was with displeasure for while the meat was yet in their mouthes the wrath of God came upon them and flew the mightiest of them and smote down the chosen men of Israel And upon the peoples violent desire to have a king God gave them one but in displeasure Nay it is so far from a favour that God sometimes grants the Devils whom he favours not their requests as in the case of Job and the Swyne 3. And as this is not an absolute signe of favour so Gods denying of our requests is not alwayes a signe of his displeasure This we may see in S. Paul who obtained not that he desired concerning the prick in the flesh 1. One reason S. Isidore and S. Aug. give Saepc multos Deus non exaudit ad voluntatem ut exaudiat ad salutem God oft-times hears not many as they desire that he may hear them to their good 2 Another reason is given by S. Aug God denies not but only defers to grant that we might by his deferring them ask and esteem of them more highly Desideria delatione crescunt cito data vilescunt desire encreaseth by delay and things soon given are of light esteem and therefore he adds Servat tibi Deus quod non vult cito dare ut tu discas magna magis desiderare God keeps for thee that he will not give thee quickly that thou mayest learn with more affection to desire great things 3. A third reason is that we might the more earnestly ask for them which our Saviour intimates in two parables to us one of the unjust judge and the importunate widow and the other
of the friend that called up his neighbor at midnight by both telling us how much importunity prevails with God 4. A fourth is God though he gives not quod petimus what we ask yet he will give quod novit utilius what he knows to be more profitable for us as in the case of S. Paul My grace shall be sufficient for thee 5. Some things we pray for may be hurtful to us as knives for children so as that non accipiendo accepimus we are better by wanting then possessing them Chrysostome calls prayers for such things childish and aguish prayers as S. Aug. male usurus eo quod vnlt accipere Deo potius miserante non accepit God in compassion lets not him receive that which he meant to use ill And therefore sometime to misse that which we conceive to be a benefit is a blessing And therfore we will conclude this point with a saying of S. Aug. fideliter supplicans Deo pro necessitatibus hujus vitae 〈◊〉 auditur misecorditer non auditur quid enim infirmo sit utilius magis 〈◊〉 medicus quam aegrotus God in mercy hears and in mercy hears not a faithful suppliant for the necestities of this life for the Physitian knows what is profitable for the sick man better then himself These reasons are from the matter of our prayers others taken from the manner of our asking may be mentioned hereafter The third part of Invocation is Interpellation or Intercession which is prayer either for the prosperity or against the crosses of others The Fathers seldome quote the Fathers but in this S. Aug. cites S. Ambrose Frater mi si pro te rogas tantum pro te unus orabit si autem pro omnibus rogas omnes pro te rogabunt My brother if thou only pray for thy self one shall pray alone for thy self but if thou pray for all men all men will pray for thee And S. Gregory saith Quisquis pro aliis intercedere nititur sibi potius ex charitate suffragat pro semet ipso tanto citius audiri meretur quanto magis devote pro aliis intercedit whosoever prayes for others doth the rather pray for himself and by so much the sooner deserves to be heard for himself by how much the more devoutly he intercedes for others S. Chrysostome hath an excellent speech to this purpose Pro se orare necessitas cogit pro aliis charitas fraternitatis hortatur dulcior autem ante Deum est oratio non quam necessitas transmittit sed quam charitas fraternitatis commendat it is meere necessity that compels a man to pray for himself but it is a brotherly affection that draws a man to pray for others and that prayer is more acceptable to God which is caused by love then necessity This part of invocation hath divers branches As we are to pray for all men 1. For sinners that have not sinned unto death and there is a promise that prayer shall be heard In which respect there is a prayer in our Liturgie first for them that are without the Church for their conversion as Heathens Jews Turks Hereticks Schismaticks then for those that are in the Church which are with us and yet not of us but are still in blindnesse and ignorance or know but practise not 2. We are to pray for them that not onely are oppressed with outward afflictions but inward temptations and the 〈◊〉 of their sins 3. For those that stand that they fall not but persevere 4. For them that are our enemies and persecute us And for this we have not onely our Saviours percept but the practise of holy men Saint Gregory Hum. 27. in Evang. upon that place in Jeremiah 15. 1. where God saith though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my heart could not be towards this people c. asks the question why Moses and Samuel are especially named and gives this reason Because the prayers of such are most powerful with God who having received an injury can presently pray for those that wronged them Now such are Moses and Samuel For Moses when the people were ready to stone him presently prayeth for them Samuel though the people desired to cast off his government yet saith God forbid that I should cease to pray for you And of these prayers it is said that they shall return into our own bosome They are very effectuall for in these cases Qui pro aliis orat prose laborat he that prayes for others labours for himself 5. For Kings and Magistrates as the Apostle adviseth 6. Lastly but most especially for the peace and good of the Church O pray for the peace of Jerusalem saith the Psalmist who also wished that his tongue might cleave to the roof of his mouth if he forgate to pray for it The fourth branch of Invocation is Thanksgiving Invocation is for that we want and desire Thanksgiving is for that we have received So that whether we be answered before we call as the Prophet speaks when God gives before we ask or whether it be given us when we ask in both cases we have cause to enter into this consideration Quid retribuam Domino what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits And indeed the chief end of all should be the glory of God For for his glory all things that are made were created the seventh day when he had finished his work of creation was instituted for his praise and glory And for this purpose man was placed in Paradise to praise him and after his fall mankinde had perished and all things had been again reduced to nothing but that God might have some to glorifie him Now it is plain that God takes and accepts of thanks as a great part of his glory And therefore were the thank-offerings among other sacrifices for Gods service and glory instituted of old and he that offereth me thanks saith God by the Prophet giveth me glory and the Apostle All things are for your sakes that the aboundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God That which the Heathen said is true Gratus animus est meta benignitatis gratitude is the end of bounty And it is the condition of our obligation to God and of Gods to us Call upon me in i me of trouble and I will hear you there is Gods and thou shalt glorifie me there is ours The Hebrews make Thanksgiving to consist of four parts according to the four words used by thankful persons in Scripture 1. Confession or acknowledgement Confitebor I will confesse that we have nothing but that we have received from God That our help cometh from the hills from no inferiour creature from above 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Father of lights Nor must we conceal what we have received Saint
Augustine saith that as he Qui putat se habere quod non habet temerarius est he is rash that thinks he hath that he hath not so he qui non 〈◊〉 quod habet ingratus est that confesseth not what he hath is unthankful And therefore we must acknowledge them as data not innata as of Gods gift not of our own acquiring 2. The second is contentment and complacency in Gods gifts by a gratefull acceptation of what it pleaseth God to bestow upon us complacui I am well pleased King David may be a pattern to us in this point The Lot is fallen to me in a fair ground yea I have a goodly heritage it liked him well he desired no more For as Saint Bernard saith Spiritui gratiae contumeliam facit qui beneficium dantis grata mente non suscipit The undervaluing of gods blessings by not being content with what he sends us is a reproach to the spirit of grace And it was the disease of the Israelites fourty years together Of which Saint Augustine saith De nulla re magis Deum offendisse ille populus Judaicus dicitur quam contra Deum murmurando The Jews offended God in nothing more then in murmuring against him Saint Paul learned better that is to be content in whatsoever estate he was And his counsel was be content with that ye have 3. The next is Promulgation or publishing to others the benefits we receive Anuntiabo I will declare I will tell you saith the Psalmist what God hath done to my soul and in another place he saith he will not onely tell it in private but publickly in the congregation and in magna congregatione in the great congregation and that being not enough to all the people and among all nations And yet higher to his seed and posterity and beyond that to all generations to come Which he hath done we see it For as Saint Chrysostom saith well Optima beneficiorum custos est ipsa memoria beneficiorum et perpetua confessio gratiarum The best preserver of benefits is the memory of them and perpetual thankfulnesse for them 4. The fourth and last is Incitatio a stirring up or provocation of others to do the like Venite O come let us sing unto the Lord c. Saith the Psalmist And praise the Lord O Jerusalem praise thy God O Sion And again praise ye the Lord Sing unto the. Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of Saints And his last Psalm is all incitation not onely to men but to the creatures to perform this duty Now as there is Deprecation or intercession for others so this duty of thanksgiving is to be performed not onely for our selves but also for others in which the first example we have in Scripture is Abrahams servant after he had found a wife for his masters son Gen. 2. 27. So did Daniel for the secret revealed Dan. 2. 20. Moses composed a song for the deliverance out of Egypt Exod 15. 1 Deborab and Barak for the victory over Sisera Judg. 5. and so Saint Paul usually begins his Epistles with thanksgiving for others as Rom. 1. 8. 1 Cor. 1. 4. and 2 Cor. 1. Ephes. 1. 3. To stir us up to this duty of praise King David hath the commendation above all other of the Patriarches for his exact performance of it in all the parts above mentioned and in this respect was called a man after Gods own heart as Samuel told Saul S. Chrysostom examining why he was so stiled rather then Abraham and Moses and the rest saith he could finde no other reason for it but this because God desires that his name should be exalted and praised above all he laboured more plenteously in this point then any other and in that respect deserved that title better then any other In the 55. Psalm he professeth that he will keep his hours for prayer In the Evening and morning and at noon day will I pray But for praises in the 119 Psalm Thrice a day shall not serve but seven times a day do I praise thee Yea he would praise God at midnight Psalm 119 62. Psal. 6. 7. and Psal 118. 17. and Psal. 39. 15. And the desire he had to have his life prolonged was to praise God O let me live saith he and wherefore and I shall praise thee and this the rather because he knew that it was not onely the end of mans creation but of Angels also whom he desired to imitate who continualy praise God It was is their song Glory be to God on high and in the Revelation Blessing glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power be unto our God for ever and ever And in this respect it was that David accounted his tongue the best member he had and called it his glory because he employed it to the glory and praise of God which was the end why God created both it and all the other members And as it was the cause why God created man so was it also of all the creatures and they as the Psalmist saith perform their duty herein The Heavens saith he declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work c. Insomuch as we see that he calleth upon the very worms to performe this duty upon which Saint Chrysostoms note is that they were in worse estate then worms that neglect it But for the Church there it is the most natural duty that can be performed In thy Temple every man speaketh of thy praise what is preaching predicare but to declare to all the world his benefits of creation redemption by Christ and other benefits we have by him in publishing whereof we praise and honour God and therefore the conclusion of all sermons is with a Doxology To whom with the Father c. be all honour c. As was usual with the Fathers For the Sacraments that great mystery which is the complement and perfection of all our service on earth is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thanksgiving for what is it but a solemne commemoration of that grand mercy and benefit of our redemption by Christs sacrifice upon the crosse and therefore it ends with a gloria Glory be to God on high c. and for prayer we pray that we may have matter of praise yea praise for benefits received must be joyned and goe along with our prayers els they are not acceptable so that we in all our church exercises tend to this The Psalmist saith of unity that it is good and pleasant The Fathers observe from hence the excellency of vnity for that some things are good but not pleasant others pleasant but not good but this is both The same may be said of praises the Psalmist tells us that it is both good and pleasant and addes a third thing for whereas some thinge may be both good and pleasant but not comely
he therefore saith that it is both good and pleasant and a comely thing to praise the Lord and to be thankfull Besides this le ts consider that this is a profitable and an excellent service profit is a great mover and all excellency without this is contemned Here is excellency and honour for beatius est dare quam accipere It is more blessed to give then to receive Now here we give some thing to God and there is nothing els we can give or return to him for his benefits quid retribuam saith David I will take the cup of salvation c. that is offer the sacrifice of praise that 's all I can return God esteems it an addition to his honour and therefore it is called magnifying glorifying and sanctifying of his name as if we made him hereby more great and glorious and holy then he is And as the duty is thus excellent so it is profitable for we never give praise and thanks but we receive some thing Deus vult nos gratos esse ut capaces simus majorum benificiorum by gratitude for benefits received we are fitted for greater benefits Ten lepers were cleansed and onely one returns back to give thanks who hereby became capable of a greater mercy Christ tells him his faith had saved him Our gratitude is never done gratis but gets a reward as there is first ascensus orationis the ascent of prayer and then descensus gratiae a descending of grace So as Bernard saith when there is recursus gratiarum a sending back of thanks then there is a new decursus gratiae a descending of benefits and si 〈◊〉 recursus gratiarum cessat decursus gratiae if thanks be not returned there will be noe more return of grace and other benefits that grace we have received if it stand still and be not in recursu in perpetual succession by returns then like water to which its oft compared it stands still and putrifies and rots all the gifts and graces bestowed formerly The same Father on Act. 7. makes a question why those excellent and rare examples of grace and vertue which were so common in the primitive times are not now seen we have the same beginnings they had and we admire those that continue as thy begun in grace but they not onely continued but increased and went forward and had their gifts increased which is as he saith because Gods hand is not shortned or his good will altered but our thanksgivings are scant and thinn sowen and therefore our harvest must be scanty and thinn too and therefore he saith vae 〈◊〉 nostrae propter ingratitudinem wo to our age for unthankfulnesse this is the reason why there is not the same progresse of grace in us as was in them For as Prosper saith Gratiae nullum certius est signum quam gratiae there is no surer signe of grace then thanksgiving Nay we see that we are tied to it though we should be prohibited from it it must needs be an excellent duty which must not be omitted though forbidden by God Our Saviour when he had healed the leper inhibited him from telling any body what he had done unto him yet we see he 〈◊〉 it and it is recorded to us for his great praise and this was a godly disobedience for it was onely a commandment of trial as some think Now there are five rules to direct us that our invocation may be rightly grounded 1. It must be 〈◊〉 it must have life in it Saint Bernard saith upon that of the psalm Cor meum dereliquit me nihil in mundo fugacius corde ther 's nothing more fleeting then the heart Our extravagant thoughts come so thick upon us in our prayers that they hinder our prayers from ascending unto God And it is a common fault our prayers are exanimes without life And therefore the Psalmist begins and ends a Psalm praise the Lord O my soul and praise the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy name we must not onely have a tongue but a soul to praise him I powre out my heart by my self saith he and so he willeth others powre out your hearts before him And the Apostle I will pray with the spirit and will pray with understanding also And indeed ordinary civility should teach us thus much to do no lesse to God then to men to minde that which we speak to him But the neglect of this is much augmented by an humour of men in our age that are much delighted with long prayers in private praying beyond the measure of their abi ities Saint Augustine speaking of the Monks of Egypt and their worship saith dicuntur fratres Egypto crebras orationes babere sed eas brevissimas et raptim quodammodo 〈◊〉 the brethren in 〈◊〉 are said to pray often but their prayers were very short and ejaculations c. and his reason was ne per productiores moras evanescat atque hebotet intentio lest by long continuance their good intentions should vanish and grow dull These ejaculations were a remedy against dulling of our good intentions and therefore his advise is intentio non est obtundendae si 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 our intention is not to be blunted if it cannot hold out and si perduraverit non cito 〈◊〉 if it can hold out it is not to be broken of for indeed we have need of all helps to our devotion which is easily interrupted Cupio 〈◊〉 fieri saith he sed non 〈◊〉 cogitationes vanae I desire to be saved but my extravagant thoughts hinder me Domine vim 〈◊〉 a cogitationibus meis responde pro me Lord I suffer violence answer thou for me The 119. Psalm is full of these ejaculations and every one of them is a prayer The Lord will not take notice of those ascending thoughts but of our prayers if they displease us and if in our drawing neer to God we cannot drive away those fouls from our sacrifices yet if we have a care to prepare our hearts short ejaculations will be effectual though we be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary as Hezekiah speaks 2 Chron. 30. 18. 19. 2. Our prayers must be constantes For he that wavereth in his prayers saith Saint James is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed with every winde prayer is Interpres spei as the Fathers terme it and hope is the Anchor of prayer and if this anchor fail we shall flote up and down nay we shall receive nothing of the Lord Tertullian calleth prayer breviarium fidei the abridgement of our faith Whatsoever we pray for according to Gods promise we must beleeve that we shall receive it for as one saith non frustrain Deo positae sunt spes et precs quae cum recte fiunt inefficaces esse non possunt Our hope and prayers are not placed upon God in vaine which cannot be uneffectual when they are
a man have a taste of Gods mercy in the remission of his sins The Prophet David being before cast down presently saith Verily God hath heard me he hath attended to the voice of my prayer S. Augustine asketh how David knew this and answereth himself habuit gustum aliquem divinorum he had some taste that God had forgiven him his sins 3. The third is when a man continueth in a patient waiting of Gods leisure as King David did 〈◊〉 till God came to him he would walk in a perfect heart and take no wicked thing in hand O when wilt thou come unto me saith he I will walk within my house with a perfect heart 1. The signes of true thankfulnesse likewise are diverse The first is when a man feeleth himself filled with marrow and fatnesse as rapt with consideration of Gods favours and benefits 2. When a man is jealous of his own ingratitude that after his cleansing he wallow no more in sin and lest he make himself uncapable of Gods hearing his prayer for any more mercies 3. When beneficia become veneficia when his benefits charm us and make us withstand strong temptations as Joseph did though his Mistris tempted him very strongly yet he answered her My Master hath done this and this for me how can I then do this great wickednesse and sin against God This is a great signe that a man is truely thankful unto God that when God hath bestowed his benefits upon him he is the more careful thereby not to break his law 4. The last signe is when we defer not our thanks A type of this was in the law The sacrifice of thanksgiving was to be eaten the same day not kept longer No procrastination of thanks Nihil citius senescit gratia nothing grows old sooner then thanks Now concerning the sixth rule as in the former we are to procure this duty to be performed by others 1. Saul when he should have betaken himself to prayer thought the enemies came too fast and not only layed away the ephod himself but willed the Priest to withdraw his hand it is noted by the holy Ghost to Sauls infamy Therefore as we are to avoid all impediments to our selves so are we not to discourage others with them in Job Who is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit should we have if we pray to him One of the Fathers maketh this answer Beneficium projicitur ingrato collocatur grato a good turn is cast away upon an unthankful man but bestowed upon a thankful person He is kinde unto the unthankful and evil 2. And as we must not hinder others so for the affirmative part the invitation we have Davids and it is in the beginning of our Liturgie O come let us sing unto the Lord. O come let us worship and fall down And O praise the Lord with me and let us magnifie his name together But especially in the hundred fourty eighth Psalm he is not contented onely to the company of men in this duty but dragons snow fire and all creatures not that they could praise the Lord but that there is not the basest creature of them all that had not cause enough to praise the Lord if they could And thus much for prayer CHAP. XII The seventh vertue required is Love of God That God is to be loved Of mercenary and free Love The excellency of Love The measure of Love The opposites to the Love of God 1. Love of the world 2 Self-love 3 Stupidity 4. Loathing of God All the motives of Love are eminently in God 1. Beauty 2. Propinquity 3. Benefits bestowed Six signes of Love Of drawing others to Love God THe next duty is Love The same which the Apostle saith of the Law to have been for a time till the promised seed came may be said concerning the other affections and their actions that they were onely till the love of God came of which the Fathers say that occupare amorem to have love in us drowneth all other affections For we have fear first and being delivered from that we feared we love and being heard in what we hope and pray for we love God and say with the Prophet dilexi quia audivit c. I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice There is a coherence between love and prayer We have formerly said that to enjoy and have a thing we are first to know it and the knowledge of it breeds in us a true estimate of it and the estimate of a thing makes us love it so habere Deum est scire to possesse God is to know him and this knowledge breeds a true estimate of God whereupon we love him for according to our estimation our love is more or lesse to that we have These affections of fear and hope are for this end that when God hath bestowed on us the things we either fear to lose or hope to enjoy we may the better esteem of them For as cito data vilescunt we sleight those things which are easily got when we can but ask and have so the things we have felt the want of so long and for which we have been humbled when they come we will the better regard them and love him the better for them The object of love is bonum in which the very natural reason of man hath found two properties viz. that it is 1. Communicative 2. Attractive 1. Every good is desirous to communicate it self to as many as are willing and meet to partake of it As we see in the Sun and other celestial bodies in the natural elements so there is in God a quality of desiring to communicate his goodnesse and indeed it was the cause why he created all things to have a church and to shew his glory and mercy on it So that the minde of man seeing this nature in God consequently hath a desire to it and that desire goeth so far till it come to a conjunction and that to an union ita conjungi 〈◊〉 uniantur because by the union of two good things there will come good to the desirer which he had not before and whereby he is made better 2. Secondly it hath vim attractivam It hath been said that if inferiour things be coupled and united with things of more excellent nature they are thereby made more noble As a potsheard being covered with gold As on the other side things which are excellent being joyned with viler are made more abject as the minde of man with inferiour creatures And there can be nothing which can make the minde more transcendent then the conjunction of it with that which in it self is all good and containeth all good things and that for ever and from hence ariseth this attractive property and force for in every good there is that force which allureth And therefore to shew us this good it is nececessary that faith and knowledge precede
question but we must do the like to the pillers whereon they stand which are defiled as well as the garment for God commanded that there be not so much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the piller basis or statue raised for them And in another place God protesteth that the silver and gold the materialls whereof they are made are abomination to him and therefore commandeth them to burn them lest they be snared with them Nor must any groves be planted whereby they might have occasion to set them up for not onely they but even the high places whereon they were planted were abominable and therefore it is that through the story of the kings it is laid as an imputation to them that they digged not down the high places though they had taken away the Idols So that these things which seem good of themselves are condemned because they had some semblance or shew of symbolizing with the Heathen Idolaters Therefore are we to have no conceites of our own tending that way and though there might be a good intent in saving the best sheep and oxen yet because it came within the compasse of facis tibi when God had expresly forbidden it therefore God abhorres it 5. We are not onely commanded not to use images to the dishonour of God our selves but to do our best to hinder others too not to steale them as Rachel did for that means is not commendable but to deprive others of them by all lawful means as Jacob did with the idols among his own houshold which he took and buried under an oak Gen. 34. 4. Had not the altar which the two Tribes and a half erected bin onely for a Testimonie and remembrance to the Lord but for sacrifice the other Tribes would have demolished it or else much blood would have bin shed about it And thus much for the Negative part of the Commandment what we are prohibited Now for the Affirmative part of Gods outward worship what we are Commanded Of the affirmative part of this Commandment And this is in few words set down by the Apostle All things must be done according to the patterne shewed in the Mount in Gods outward worship Now as Moses had this commendation from God himselfe that he was faithful in every point to follow his pattern so hath Christ also the like commendation Christ is said to be as faithfull as Moses and therefore his Pattern is to be as precisely followed by us Saint 〈◊〉 in his sermon to the people that came to see a Cripple cured and S. Steven in his Apology for himself being accused of blasphemy quot the prophecy of Moses concerning Christ. A prophet shal the Lord thy God raise unto thee from the midst of thee of thy brethren like to me unto him ye shall hearken And therefore whatsoever he shall command us we must observe to do it not alter or change any thing of it nor leave any part undone that is of what he hath expresly appointed but in such things as he hath left to the liberty of his Church being guided by his spirit and enabled by his authority in such things which tend to the better observance of his ordinances and are no way contrary thereto or corruptive of them to obey his Church is to obey him Luke 10. In the external worship of God we are to consider two things 1. The Substance 2. The Ceremony The substance consists of four parts 1. Preaching 2. Prayer 3. Sacraments 4. Discipline 1. For preaching It is a substantial and essential part of Gods worship Preaching is a duty of perpetual necessity under the gospel and may in a general sense be styled a part of Gods worship as reading the Scriptures catechizing and other wayes of instruction may because by publick declaring Gods will and setting 〈◊〉 his excellent nature with his great works and benefits to us as motives of obedience some publike honour redounds to God and therefore the Casuists refer preaching to the duty of publike praising or lauding God which is properly a part of Gods worship as Reginald prax lib. 18. tract 2. cap. 19. So Fileucius and others but in a strict and proper sense it is not part of Gods worship as Prayer and Praises are for the immediate object of these is God and their immediate end is Gods honour but the immediate object of preaching are the men to whom we preach and their instruction how to worship and serve God is the immediate and proper end of Preaching and so these differ as the means and the end Preaching is of great Antiquity He preached to the spirits that are in prison 1. Before the Law Noah was a Preacher 2. Under the Law Moses enjoyned the Priests to gather the people together men and women to hear and learn c. And S. James tells us that Moses had in every City them that preached every Sabbath-day And the Priests office was to teach to burn incense and to offer sacrifice 3. In the time of the Prophets Esay speaketh of preaching good tidings and the Prophet Jonah was sent to preach to Ninive And the prophet David professed that he had preached the righteousnes of God in the great congregation His Son Solomon also was entituled by the name Preacher 4. This continued to the time of the second Temple Ezra stood upon a pulpit of wood and preached to the people 5. In Christs time he not only preached himself but gave a Commission to his disciples to preach to all the world which they did every where as it is in the end of Saint Marks Gospel Saint Philip preached to the Eunuch and Saint Paul not onely preached as you may see in divers places but makes it an ordinance of God to save them that beleeve So that this we see hath bin a substantial part of Gods external worship in all ages 2. For prayer or invocation which the Prophet calls vitulos labiorum the calves of our lipps it consists of two parts 1. Petition 2. Thanksgiving and this hath bin of great antiquity also 1. Before the flood many 100. years there is mention made of invocation of the name of 〈◊〉 which some learned n en refer to publick formes of worship or liturgies then vsed as Drusius 2. After the flood Abraham prayed for Abimelech and 〈◊〉 servant for his good successe Aaron and Moses prayed for Pharoah 3. When the church was gathered together the Ark nor the army never removed or stood still without prayer Ther 's a set forme of blessing the people by the priest with invocation set down in the same book of 〈◊〉 Solomon at the dedication of the Temple vsed a prayer and therefore the Church is called the house of prayer by the Prophet which place our Saviour cited when he drove the buyers and sellers out of the Temple
Lastly we have a set form of prayer composed by our Saviour upon the petition of the disciples 2. The other Thanksgiving We see it vsed also before the flood by Abrahams servant when he had finished his busines successefully And we finde this duty commanded by God himself afterwards Moses had a set form of thanksgiving after the deliverance of the people from the Egyptians And King David in many places commends this part of prayer highly and penned a set form of it in a psalm which he entituleth a 〈◊〉 or song for the sabbath day Solomon his son in the time of the first Temple practized it and so did the people vsing one of King Davids psalms the burden whereof as we may so speak was for his mercy endureth for ever Ezra also vsed it after the building of the second Temple together with the priests and people So did our Saviour I thank thee o father c. In the time of the Gospel they sung a psalm Lastly it was not onely practized by the Apostle as you may see in many places I thank God through Jesus Christ and thanks be to God c. but commended by him to others speak to your selves in psalms and Hymns c. as unto the Philippians where he joyns both 〈◊〉 of this duty in one verse in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God And to omit many others in the Epistle to the Hebrews giving thanks i called the sacrifice of praise 3. As the word is Gods speech to us and Invocation ours to him so the sacraments are the Covenants between God and us Such are the type of circumcision instead whereof Baptism succeded and the type of the Passeover instead whereof we have the Lords supper And these two only we receive as sacraments generally necessarily for all But for our justification in thispoint S. Augustine saith upon the words of Saint John cited out of the institution of the Passeover A bone of him shall not be broken vnus emilitibus c. A souldier with a speare pierced his side and forthwith came out of it water and blood which are the two Sacraments of the church our mother And in another place Quedam pauca pro multis c. The Lord and Apostilical doctrine hath left to us a few in stead of many and those easy to be kept most excellent to the understanding and most pious to be observed the Sacrament of Baptisme and the celebration of the body and blood of the Lord. 1. The first Baptisme is so necessary a Badg for a Christian that he cannot be without it Saint Augustine saith sic accipiendum est c. That which the Apostle saith is thus to be understood that by the lavacre of 〈◊〉 and the word of sanctificational former sinns of the regenerate are cleansed and healed and not onely all sinns are remitted in Baptisme but those also which are afterward contracted by humane ignorance and infirmity and in another place Dimittitur eis regeneratione spirituli quod traxerunt ut 〈◊〉 dixi ex adami generatione carnali By this spiritual regeneration as I have often said whatsoever they have drawn from Adams carnal generation is forgiven them And this Sacrament is a service of faith For though children baptized cannot be properly said to beleeve of themselves by reason of their minority yet are they beleevers by their fidejussores or Godfathers and Godmothers and parents who present them and desire to have them baptized in the faith of Christ and received into the Church as were the Jews children by circumcision Inter credentes saith Saint Augustine 〈◊〉 populos baptizatos 〈◊〉 nec judicare aliter ullo modo audebis si nonvis esse apertus haereticus Thou art to repute little children that are Christened among beleevers nor must thou dare to judge otherwise if thou wilt not be an open heretick And in the same place Absit ut dicam non credentes infantes c. God forbid that I should call Infants unbeleevers I have disputed it before They beleeved by another and offended by another It is said They beleeve and it is enough to make them of the number of the faithful that are baptized This hath the authority of the Church and the Canon founded upon the truth obtained 2. The other the Lords supper is a substantial part of our servicetoo For in it is a whole Oblation of our selves souls and bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively sacrifice to God as we acknowledge in our liturgy In it we acknowledge confesse bewaile and repent us of our sinnes which cost our Saviour his most precious blood to make attonement for them And in it we professe that we are in love with God and our Neighbours which is the fulfilling of the Law Herein is a commemoration of that sacrifice which Christ offered for us upon the Crosse in which respect it may be called a sacrifice for as our reverend author else where speaks The Eucharist ever was and by us is considered both as a sacrament and a sacrifice A sacrifice is onely proper and appliable to 〈◊〉 worship c. In a word we hold with Saint Augustine de Civit. lib. 17. Chap. 20. Hujus sacrificii caro et sanguis ante adventum Christi per victimas similitudine promittebatur in passione Christi per ipsam veritatem reddebatur post adventum Christi per sacramentum memoriae celebratur Answer to Card. Perron p. 6. 7. And lastly by it we offer a most acceptable sacrifice and service to God of thanksgiving this Sacrament being called Eucharistia which signifies so much for bestowing so great a blessing upon u whereby every faithful Communicant is strengthened in the faith of Christ. Therefore Accedens debet esse plenus sanctitate he that comes to it ought to be as holy as he may for all our services to God are to be done in purity which is true internal worship and with decency which is external and both these make that compleat holinesse which becometh Gods house 4. The last part of the substance in the external wórship of God is Discipline by which men are regulated in the fear and service of God This we finde commanded Mat. 18. 15. 16. c. John 20. 22. Executed extraordinarily Act. 5. 4. By Saint Peter ordnarily 1 Cor. 5. 3. By S. Paul and Rules set down for the ordering of it 1 Tim. 5. It is as Barnard saith the yoke to keep us within the bounds of Order and as Cyprian Custos spei et retinaculnm fidei a preserver of hope and stay of faith Saint Augustine affirmes that it brings delinquents to repentance whereby they recover that which they had lost by their 〈◊〉 For it is sure enough that the Church of God hath in it of all sorts
witnes of the truth Sain Paul attributeth sanctification of every thing to prayer premised and therefore it is termed the preparative to all the duties of a Christian more plainly Our Saviour very early before day went out into a solitary place and there prayed and afterward came and preached in the Synagogue which is very probable to have been on the sabbath day whereby we may observe that Christ himself took prayer to be the first means of sanctification 1. Now for the times of this exercise of prayer on the Lords day they are two 1. Before the other publick duties and 2 After 1. That before is either private as of a master and his family 2. Or else in the congregation which is publick Both which the psalmist comprehendeth in one verse I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart secretly among the faithful there 's the first And in the congregation there 's the last 1. Concerning the first we see in the place before quoted that our Saviour went out into a solitary place as also elsewhere As soon as he had sent the multitude away he departed into a mountain to pray 2. For the other we may gather out of that place in the Acts that amongst the very Heathen the religious Hellinists which were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which were a kinde of proselytes that worshipped the God of Israel vsed to assemble themselves to pray by a rivers side But more plainly the Apostle saith that to the prayers of the congregation every one should joyn his own Amen Again prayer is to be vsed after For as we are not fit to receive any spiritual grace before without it so neither to keep it after the devil will take the word out of our hearts after we have heard it unlesse we desire of God that it may remain with us and seek his blessing that the seed may fructify And this was in the law to come from the Priests mouth The Lord blesse thee and keep thee By vertue whereof the devil wil lose his power in taking the word out of our hearts but it shall continue with us and fructifie in us 2. The second is the word which is magnified or sanctified by God for our sanctification for as the prophet saith God hath magnified the law that is his word and made it honorable and else where plainly the hearing of the word is made one end of publick assemblyes gather me the people together saith God and I will makethem hear my words Now the word upon the sabbath hath a double use 1. First as it is read and heard read onely 2. And secondly as it preached or heard preached 1. For the first the Church in great wisdome alwayes thought it most convenient and necessary that reading should precede preaching that when it should be preached it might not seem strange to them that heard it But as that is thought a thing fit by the Church so would it be no lesse expedient that before we come to church we would meditate on it yet such is our wretchlessenesse in matters spiritual that we think we have done enough if we can apprehend it when it is read whereas if we would meditate on it before hand we might make the better 〈◊〉 of it when it is read and be the better confirmed in what we hear preached The Jews had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the preparation to the sabbath and about the ninth houre of it which is our three of the clock in the after-noon they usually met and spent their time in reading of the scriptures that they might be the better fitted against the sabbath The publick reading of the word in the congregation on the sabbath day is warranted by diverse passages in holy writ as by that in the Acts of the Apostles where it is said that when Paul and his company came into the synagogue at Antioch on the sabbath day the rulers of the Synagogue after the 〈◊〉 of the Law and the Prophets sent to them saying ye men and brethren if ye have any word of exhortation say on And by another passage in the same Chapter where it is said that the Prophets were read every sabbath day And by another a little after which saith thus that Moses that is the law was read in the Synagogue every sabbath day And lastly Saint Paul gives a special charge by the Lord to the Thessalonians thathis Epistle to them be read unto all the holy brethren There is a vse also of private reading and that of great consequence for Christ saith plainly that his witnesses be the Scriptures and therefore will he have them searched because they testified and prophecied of him That this exercise is profitable the prophet maketh plain by a question Should not a people enquire at their God which he explains in the next verse by seeking To the law and to the Testimony And again Seek in the book of the Law and read And therefore we see that the Bereans were much commended and storied for wiser and nobler 〈◊〉 other people why because they searched the Scriptures daily to confirm their faith in the points preached to them There are other vses also in reading In the Revelation there is a blessing pronounced to those that read or heare the words of that prophecy because it might excite men to praise God when they see all fulfilled Man seeing the prophecies fulfilled may thereby give him praise And for this cause there were anciently Monuments kept in Churches which preserved and set forth the accomplishing of Gods promises or threatnings As the memorials of the warres of God on the behalf of the Israelites which was called liber bellorum Dei the book of the battels of the Lord and their verba 〈◊〉 or Chronicl es of Nathan Gad Shemaiah c. these they permitted in a holy use to be privately read that seeing his promises and his threatning denounced in them to have been fulfilled men might the better be stirred up to the praise and fear of God 2. Another use was the understanding of hard places in the Scripture It is recorded of Daniel that while hs was reading the book of 〈◊〉 about the accomplishment of the number of the 70 years captivity mentioned by the same prophet God sent an Angel to him to informe him in that great 〈◊〉 about the time of Christs sufferings So the Eunuch while he was reading in the book of Esay had the exposition of Christs sufferings from the Apostle Philip sent for that purpose by God and because God doth not now by such extraordinary means informe us in the true sence of Scriptures therefore we are to read such as have written 〈◊〉 upon such places and so no doubt but if Philip had written any thing at that time upon Esay that the Eunuch would have read it and made use of
he may for a time leave a good Prince so from others sometimes he may quite take away for ever his good spirit and send an evil spirit as he did to Saul So that it is all one with God to make an evil Prince good and to set an evil prince over the people at first And though he set an evil king over the people yet as in the case of 〈◊〉 God hath given him the kingdomes and it was his will the nations should serve him And the king of Assur is called the 〈◊〉 of Gods wrath as purposely sent by him to correct the people and because it is his doing therefore the people are by the Prophet commanded to pray for Nebuchadnezzar under whom they were captives and to submit to him and obey him So likewise in the new testament the Apostle willeth that prayers be made for governours though they were not Christians then and Saint Peter commandeth all men to honour the king which then was Nero to whom saint 〈◊〉 appealed from his deputy though he were one of the greatest tyrants that ever was But this must be added out of Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that whatsoever honour we attribute to such evil Princes is not to them as men but to God himself and in reverence and obedience to his ordinance not barely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the person but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the vizard that God hath put upon him or if to the person as it cannot well be conceived otherwise for the person and office must not be severed yet not to the person barely for it self but to such a person as it is vested and clothed with authority from God We may see this in the case of Mordecai when Haman advised the king what should be done to the man whom the king would honour which was to put on the royal apparel c. upon him It is plain that the honour done by the people to Mordocheus was in respect of the kings robes upon him and so are we to conceive of evil judges governours rulers and Princes that they weare but Gods robes and Gods crown for which onely we are to give honour to the person The heathen embleme was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An Asse loaden with the Image of the Goddesse Isis to which the people fell down and did reverence but the inscription was non tibi sed religioni not to the Asse but to the Goddesse To this we may adde in thelast place that be a government never so bad yet it is far better then to have none at all as Tyrannie is better then Anarchy where there is no ruler at all And better it is to live under one Tyrant then under many under an Oligarchie then in Anarchy for thouhg as the prophet saith God gave his people a king in his anger yet he took him away and left them no head or ruler how in his wrath or fury which is the extremity of anger The punishment is greater to that land where there is no king at all then where there is a bad one The second question goes a degree further and that is 〈◊〉 malo in malo 〈◊〉 ad malum sit obediendum whether a man is to obey an evil man in an evil thing or whether a man oweth absolute obedience as they call it to an evil superiour The answer to this is negative for that which they call absolute obedience is due to to God onely For the clearing of this point it is first to be considered whether he that commands be nobis Rex for every one is not a Ruler the robes qualifie him not so far but as he is our king and no farther then quatenus nobis imperat as he rules over us or hath right to command us 1. For the first entrance into this question we are to embrace the rule of the fathers They say that lex charitatis the law of Ghrist did not abrogate legem 〈◊〉 the law of nature and therefore it is good reason that the law of nature upon which the authority of fathers and mothers is grounded should not weaken but strengthen the law of God We cannot say when we do evil that the law of nature is the cause or that the law of nature which requires obedience to parents can warrant our disobedience to the law of God 2. The second thing is this That because as we shewed before Princes are called Gods because the word of God came to them Joh. 10 35. 〈◊〉 their authority is not absolute but by commission as delegated from God and therefore in the Proverbs the wisdome of God which is the word of God the second person in Trinity saith per quod per me Reges regnant by me kings raigne now id per quod res est that is the essence of it so every superiour hath somewhat that giveth the essence to him as he is a superiour and that is the word which gives him commission Now as in the case of Saul Samuel tells him because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord the Lord hath rejected thee When a Magistrate wholly casteth aside the word of God if it be cleere and evident that his command is contrary to his commission he ceaseth in that particular command to be our superiour 〈◊〉 his commission extends not to command against God and therefore though in other things he must be obeyed still and his commission continues in force for other matters yet in that wherein he acts without or against his commission he must not be obeyed Now for the better and more prospicuous handling of this we shall do well to take notice of the word in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shelabim which signifies degrees and in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 order 3. In order there are two things there is summum or 〈◊〉 the topp in respect of which all the rest are but as steps or stayers So that step is better which is neereer to the top and then there is a series a line coming down from the top wherein every one is placed in their 〈◊〉 order or rank according to their calling as on several steps or stayers one under another God being the highest and on the next step under him kings and Princes and so others in their order and in this series there are bounds to limit all persons beyond which if they exceed they transgresse For God onely is without bounds being infinite and superiour to all Now these may be referred to two 1. When a mangoeth aside from that summum principium the top and that is when he doth accedere or recedere go 〈◊〉 neerer to it or down further from it then his rank then he breaks the 〈◊〉 or order and exceeds his limits in which respect we are still to keep our station and rest in our places and so we shal be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
have more respect to his own life then the life of another 2. Another division is here to be considered a man may be slain either ex 〈◊〉 or praeter 〈◊〉 either of purpose or besides it In natural things we do not 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 to nature which is onely per 〈◊〉 by accident and not per se. Now answerable to this distinction of per se and per accidens in things 〈◊〉 is that of ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeter 〈◊〉 in things Moral and therefore if blood be shed praeter 〈◊〉 without any purpose of shedding it this is not to be accounted murder For God himself appointed Sanctuaries to be built for them to fly unto that shed blood praeter 〈◊〉 and God would not build Sanctuaries for any sin If one be hewing a tree in the wood and his hatchet fall and by chance kills his Neighbour he having no such intent or purpose the 〈◊〉 must deliver him from the avenger of blood and restore him to the city of refuge S. Augustine goes further and proves that the intention is so necessary in murder that if we take what is praeter intentionem for murder then we must cease to have or use any thing that may be an occasion of hurt a man must not have 〈◊〉 instruments of husbandry as spades axes c. because with these a man may be killed nor must one have trees in his orchard or 〈◊〉 to plow withal because a man may hang himself on one of the trees or the ox may gore nor have any windows in his house because one may be cast 〈◊〉 of a window and be slain thus by this means a man must have nothing because almost every thing may be used praeter intentionem besides his intention But absit as he saith God 〈◊〉 when they are kept for another end Yet to make a man innocent in this case that kills 〈◊〉 praeter 〈◊〉 besides his intention there must be two qualifications 1. He must have been imployed in re licita in a lawful businesse otherwise he is not to be excused If men strive saith the law and hurt a woman with childe that she die then life for life must be paid This in case of contention which is res 〈◊〉 an unlawful act The like may be 〈◊〉 in gaming 〈◊〉 and the like 2. There must be debit a 〈◊〉 a due and just care taken to have 〈◊〉 his death as in casting timber stone or tile from a house to give warning the case is set down in Exodus of a man opening or digging a pit and not covering it again as he might have done CHAP. IIII. The extent of this commandment Murther committed 1. Directly 2. Indirectly A man may be accessory to anothers death six 〈◊〉 A man may be accessory to his own death diverse wayes Of preserving life THus much for the restraint of the Commandment and in what cases the death of a man comes not within the compasse of murther Now for the extent of it There are diverse cases wherein a man is guilty of wilful murder and that either 1. Directly 2. or Indirectly A man may commit this sin 1. Directly as Joab killed Abner and Amasa If one man smite another with any instrument of 〈◊〉 stone wood c. whereby he kills him he is a murtherer saith the law and 〈◊〉 die for it 2. Indirectly and this is of three sorts 1. When it is not openly 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in some colourable way as 1. by poyson as they in Jeremy Mittamus lignum in panem ejus let us put some poysoned wood into 〈◊〉 meat 2. By 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 under the Law 3. By killing children in the womb by medicamenta 〈◊〉 a grievous murther 〈◊〉 by two Councils If a woman take strong purgations 〈◊〉 partum 〈◊〉 cause abortion she is 〈◊〉 a Murtheresse 4. If a man be Cooperator Accessorie as 1. Judas was accessory to Christs death by betraying him with a kisse he coloured the 〈◊〉 with a kisse So did Joab when he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Amasa He tooke Amasa by the beard and kissed him and then smote him under the fist 〈◊〉 2. By bringing one into danger as 〈◊〉 did David who made him captain against the Philistims to what end my 〈◊〉 shall not be upon him but the hand of the 〈◊〉 shall be upon him As Saul dealt with David so did David with 〈◊〉 when he wrote letters to Joab to set 〈◊〉 in the forefront for though the enemies slew him yet it was Davias murther 〈◊〉 hast 〈◊〉 Vriah the Hittite saith Nathan 3. By bearing false witnesse as those that testified against Naboth 4. By advising the death of the innocent thus 〈◊〉 was guilty 5. By exhorting and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 up others the Scribes and High Priests did not put Christ to death yet they stirred up the people and perswaded Pilate c. And therefore were murtherers of Christ. 6. By consenting to the death of another as 〈◊〉 did to the death of Steven 7. By not hindring when a man is in authority and may and ought to hinder it Pilats washing his hands would not acquit him The not punishing of 〈◊〉 for the blood he unjustly shed troubled David when he was neere death and therefore he gave order to 〈◊〉 to take a time to punish him 2. A man is indirectly guilty by unnecessary exposing himself to danger when he may by ordinay means prevent it in this case he that doth the first an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the last is accessory to his own death Qui amat periculum periculo 〈◊〉 saith the wise man Our Saviour would not thrust himself into it we must not tumble down when there are staires to go down For prevention of danger we see God prescribeth a law to prevent infection of leprosie The Leprous man was to be shut up and if any would go to him and endanger himself this was presumption and And Saint Paul though he had Gods promise to come 〈◊〉 to land yet he commanded the Centurion to use the means when he was in a storm to avoyd the danger by lightening the ship c. 3. By neglecting the means which God hath given for the preservation of life as Diet Physick moderate labour and recreation When a man is sick the Son of 〈◊〉 gives good counsel In thy sicknes be not negligent why what must a sick man do but in the first place send for the physitian No he prescribes a rule contrary to the practize of the world first pray unto the Lord leave off from sinne order thy hands aright and cleanse thy heart from all wickednes here is prayer and repentance first then give place to the physitian for the Lord hath created him let him not go from thee there is his place not the physitian of the body first and of the soul last And we see that in the case of