in it or the verdict will be to his cost and damage That which boils gently over a small fire may be of use to us which if it should boil hastily and run over it may raise ashes enough to spoil it self The way to lose our requests for temporals is to be as hot and hasty for them as if they were our all even our eternals That incomparable patern of prayers the Lords Prayer which is like a Standard-measure in a Corporation Town for present use and an example for others hath five petitions for Spirituals and but one for Temporals God hath promised spiritual things absolutely therefore thou mayest desire them absolutely For pardon and the image of God and the blood of Christ and fulness of joy in the other World thou mayst be as earnest so humble and reverent as thou wilt And O! what a mercy is it that God though like a wise father he deny us leave to cry for the candle which would burn and the thorns which would prick our fingers yet he giveth us liberty to nay commandeth us to besiege and storm Heaven to follow him up and down to cry day and night to give him no rest to be instant urgent and fervent with him that our persons may be justified our natures sanctified and our souls and bodies glorified eternally Fourthly Thy prayers must be constant Thy duty is to give thy self to prayer as a servant devoted to and at the command of his noble Master This fire like that on the Altar must never go out day nor night Night and day praying exceedingly 1 Thess 3.10 Paul speaks as if his practice had been nothing but prayer he did that so much that he seemed to do nothing else Prayer is a Saints breath which he constantly draweth Ephes 6.18 Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints Those that work in Iron Mills keep a continual fire though they suffer it sometimes to slack or abate yet never to go out A Christians prayer may have an intermission but never a cessation Our blessed Saviour besides his set times for ordinary did pray whole nights David was a good Husband up early at it mine eyes prevent the dawning of the morning Psa 119.147 At night he was late at this duty at mid-night will I rise to give thanks to thee Psa 119.62 this surely was his meaning when he said he should dwell in the House of the Lord for ever he would be ever in the House of Prayer Gregory writes of his Aunt Trucilla that her Elbows were as hard as an horn by often leaning upon a Desk when she prayed Jâ—â—chim the Father of the Virgin Mary used to say that prayer was his meat and drink There is no duty injoyned a Christian for his constant trade so much as prayer Pray always pray continually pray without ceasing pray with perseverance pray evermore But why is all this would God have his people do nothing else but pray must they cast by their callings cast off all care of their children and shut themselves up into some Cell or Cloyster and there be always upon their knees at prayer as the Euchites fancied No I shall therefore give a brief description of this praying without ceasing 1. Thy soul must be ever in a praying frame The Souldier hath his Weapons ready though not always in fight with his enemy Thy heart must be ever in Tune and ready upon the least touch to make heavenly Musick The Churches lips are compared to an hony-comb Cant. 4.11 The hony comb doth not always drop but it is always ready to drop The beleivers spirit is like fire upon the Hearth though it do not blaze yet its ready upon any opportunity to be blown up into a flame 2. No considerable business must be undertaken without prayer Thou art Gods servant and thy duty is to ask his leave in all thou dost Ephes 4.6 In all things let your requests be made known to God When thou risest up or liest down when thou goest out or comest in prayer must still be with thee Prayer is the way to prevent evil The Worlds poison may be expelled with this antidote Joh. 17.11 He that converseth with God by prayer dwelleth in Heaven and to such a one the earth is but a small point Prayer is both a Charm to inchant and a scourge to torment Satan It ingageth Christ in the combat with the Devil and so assureth the soul of conquest When the Saint is fighting and like to be foild either by the World the Flesh or the Wicked one prayer is the Letter which he sendeth Post to Heaven for fresh supplies of the spirit whereby he becometh more then a conqueror Prayer is the way to procure good he that will not speak must not expect to speed It sanctifieth our food raymont sleep callings and all our enjoyments to us The Christian like the Chymist extracteth all good things out of this one body of prayer 3. He that prayeth constantly hath set times every day for prayer The Morning and Evening Sacrifice were called the continual Sacrifice Numb 28.4 The Christian hath his set meals for his soul every day as well as for his body With the Mary-gold he opens himself in the morning for the sweet dews of Heavens grace and blessing and he doth at night though his occasions hinder him in the day like a Lover find some opportunity to converse with his beloved He is most free and fresh in the morning the top of the milk is the cream and he doth not think his best too good for God His evening fare is sometime extraordinary like the Jewish feasts which were at Supper The spiced cup is best at the bottom Prayer is the key of the morning to open the door of mercy and prayer is the bolt at night to shut him up in safety The Jews prayed in the Temple the third sixth and ninth hour of the day our priviledges under the Gospel are enlarged and I know no reason why our prayers should be lessened He that prayeth continually doth upon all occasions in the day time whatever he be about put up his supplication to God He hath his ejaculations his holy Apostrophes wherein he doth turn his speech at least internal and inarticulate â—â—om man to God This liberty is a great priviledge and this practice turnes to wonderful profit When Jacob was blessing his Sons he takes breath with I have waited for thy Salvation O Lord Gen 49.14 Nehemiah when at the Kings Elbow would not open his mouth to the King till he had opened his heart to God Neh. 2.6 When Noah was cursing Cham he had a short ejaculation for a blessing on Japhet God shall perswade Japhet to dwell in the tents of Shem which prayer hath been answered and will be to the end of the World We Gentiles fare the better for that prayer Christ upon the Cross darted up a short
omit prayer either for their meat or labour Grace as well as nature teacheth a godly man not to neglect either his Family or body but it teacheth him also to prefer his soul and his God before them both Seneca though an Heathen could say I am greater and born to greater things then to be a drudge to and the slave of my body A Christians Character is that he is not carnal or for his body but spiritual or for his soul Rom. 8. It was a great praise which Ambrose speaks of Valentinian Never man was a better servant to his Master then Valentinians body was to his soul This is the godly mans duty to make Heaven his Throne and the Earth his foot-stool It s the exposition which one gives upon those words Subdue the Earth Gen. 1.28 that is thy body and all earthly things to thy soul Our earthly callings must give way to our Heavenly we must say to them as Christ to his Disciples Tarry you here while I go and pray yonder and truely godliness must be first in our Prayers Hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom come before give us this day our daily bread and first in all our practices seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof and all other things shall be added to you Mat. 6.33 Secondly to make Religion ones business containeth to pursue it with industry in our conversations A man that makes his calling his business is not lazy but laborious about it what pains will he take what strength will he spend how will he toil and moil at it early and late The Tradesman the Husbandman eat not the bread of Idleness when they make their callings their business if they be good Husbands they are both provident to observe their seasons and diligent to improve them for their advantage they do often even dip their food in their sweat and make it thereby the more sweet Their industry appears in working hard in their callings and in improving all opportunities for the furtherance of their callings 1. Thus he that makes Religion his business is industrious and laborious in the work of the Lord. The heart of his ground the strength of his inward man is spent about the good corn of Religion not about the weeds of earthly occasions He makes hast to keep Gods Commandements knowing that the lingring lazy Snail is reckoned among unclean creatures Levit. 11.30 and he is hot and lively in his devotion knowing that a dull Eo quòd pigrnns tardum aniâ—◠〈…〉 est â—ellarm drou sie Ass though fit enough to carry the image of Isis yet was no fit sacrifice for the pureand active God Exod. 13.13 He giveth God the top the cheif the cream of all his affections as seeing him infinitely worthy of all acceptation He is not slothful in business but fervent in spirit when he is serving the Lord Rom. 12.11 He beleiveth that to fear God with a secondary fear is Atheism that to trust God with a secondary trust is Treason that to honour God with a secondary honour is Idolatry and to love God with a secondary love is Adultery therefore he loveth and he feareth and trusteth and honoreth the Lord his God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength Mat. 22.36 37. His love to God is a labour of love as strong as death the coals thereof are coals of Juniper which do not onely burn long some say twelve moneths together but burn with the greatest heat His measure of loving God is without measure The Samseans in Epiphanius were neither Jews Gentiles nor Christians yet preserved a fair correspendency with all An Hypocrite is indifferent to any never servent in the true Religion It is reported of Redwald King of the East Saxons Cambd Brittan the first Prince of this Nation that was baptized that in the same Church he had one Altar for the Christian Religion another for the Heathenish Sacrifices The true Beleiver doth otherwise he that makes Religion his work gives God the whole of his heart without halting and without halving Set him about any duty and he is diligent in it In prayer Innuit certamen quasi luctam cum deo ipso Epis Dav. in loc he laboureth in prayer Col. 4.12 he cryeth to God 1 Sam. 7.9 he cryeth mightily Jonah 3.8 he poureth forth his soul Lam. 2.19 he strives in supplication with God Rom. 15.30 stirs up himself to lay hold on God Isa 27.5 and even wrestleth with Omnipotency Gen. 32.14 When the mill of his prayer is going his fervent affections are the waters that drive it There is fire taken from Gods own Altar not the ordinary hearth of Nature and put to his incense whereby it becomes fragrant and grateful to God himself His fervent prayer is his key to Gods Treasury and his endeavour is that it rust not for want of use When he goeth to the Sacrament he is all in a flame of affection to the Author of that feast With desire he desires to eat of the Passover He longs exceedingly for the time he loves the Table but when he seeth the Bread and Wine the wagons which the Lord Jesus hath sent for him oh how his heart revives When he seeth the Sacraments the Body and Blood of Christ in the elements who can tell how soon he cents how fast this true Eagle flyeth to the heavenly carkass At hearing he is heedful he flyeth to the salt-stone of the Word with swiftness and care as Doves to their columbaries Isa 60.8 As the new born babe he desires the sincere milk of the Word and when he is attending on it he doth not dally nor trifle but as the Bee the flower and the childe the breast suck with all his might for some spiritual milk Isa 66.11 Deut. 28.1 he hearkneth diligently to the voyce of the Lord his God let him be in company taking notice of some abominable carriage he will rebuke cuttingly Tit. 1.13 If he gives his bitter pill in sweet syrrup you may see his exceeding anger against sin whilst you behold his love to the sinner he is though a meek Lamb when himself yet a Lion when God is dishonoured his anger waxeth hot when men affront the most High Exod. 32.19 If he be counselling his child or friend to minde God and godliness how hard doth he woo to win the soul to Christ how many baits doth he lay to catch the poor creature you may perceive his bowels working by his very words How fervent how instant how urgent how earnest is he to perswade his relation or acquaintance to be happy He provokes them to love and to good works Set him about what religious exercise you will and he is according to the Apostles words zealous or fiery fervent of good works like spring water he hath a living principle Plin. lib. 5. cap. 5. and thence is warm in winter or like Debris in Cyrene is seething hot
upon our earnest attention to the Word Luk. 19.48 It s said there the people were very attentive to hear him They hanged on Christ as if their ears and minds had been tyed to his tongue or as eagerly as the little Bird on the Dams Bill for Corn. In prayer also be heedful watch unto prayer Mark 13.33 Nehemiah when building did work and watch watch and work because of his Enemies when thou art at prayer temptations without will be waiting corruptions within will be working and therefore its requisite for thee to be watching Those that performe their duties as Papists say their Pater nosters and Musitians play their Lessons with their Fingers when their minds are busied about other things will make but harsh and displeasing Musick in Gods ears O God saith the Psalmist thou art terrible out of thy holy places Psa 68.35 The Sanctuary or place of Worship was divided into three parts thence called thy holy places now out of them God was comfortable to his watchful and diligent Servants but terrible to the slothful and negligent He is terrible not onely in the high places of the field but also in the holy places of the faithful How canst thou expect that God should heed thy prayers when thou dost not heed them thy self Wouldst thou give Almes to a Beggar that by his carriage and language should slight both thee and thy bounty If a condemned malefactor were suing to a Prince for his life and in the midst of his intreaties should see a Moth or a Fly and leave his suit and follow after that would this wretch deserve a pardon And is it not as unreasonable that God should grant thy requests if thou wilfully follow those foolish objects which thy heart or the Devil offer to thee in the midst of thy prayers monstrous compositions wherein is the face and voice of a man the heart and feet of a beast must needs be odious to God O bind thine heart to its good behaviour when thou goest into Gods House Men put Locks and Fetters on Wild Horses whom no inclosure can keep in This watching the heart in duties will fasten and tye it as with cords to the Altar Secondly Act grace in duties the acting of grace in a duty is the grace of a duty The Christian must attend on the means of grace in a gracious manner the manner of performing duties Non tantum considerandum est id quod agimussed etiam quibus circum â—antiâ—s Caâ—et in Thom. 1 〈◊〉 quest 9. is the most spiritual part of them and therefore must most of all be minded God made a breach on them who sought him not after the due order 1 Cron. 15.13 If the matter of thy performance be according to the word and thou wilfully fail in the manner thou wilt instead of a blessing meet with a blow God had Sacrifices from the Jews of his own appointment for the matter and yet they were unsavoury to him Isa 1.13 14 15. It is the manner which makes or mars every action that is the form which specificates all our devotion grace is Gods own Image abundantly amiable in his eye and that must be Stampt on all our Coyn of duties or they will never be currant with Heaven Kings suffer no Coyn to go in their Dominions but what hath their own stamp Tamberlane would not own a pot of gold which his Souldier found and brought him because it wanted his Fathers impression Christ will own no performances unless they have his Fathers Picture somwhat of his Image on them Indeed the Christian hath no natural power for these spiritual performances but God gives him his Spirit for this purpose that he might be enabled to do sacred duties with sutable graces we know not how to pray as we ought but the spirit helpeth our infirmities 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.26 Man is impotent but the spirit is an able assistant helpeth our infirmities The word is either an allusion to a Nurse which helps her weak little Child to go so the spirit affords his hand and helps us to go to God in duties or as the composition of the word imports it s an allusion to those who lift at a weighty peice of Timber too heavy for one alone one man tugs and puls hard but he cannot wag it till one stronger then he comes and helps him then he bears it away chearfully so the Christian be puls and hales at his own heavy heart in a duty to perform the duty aright and yet makes nothing of it till the spirit comes and helps him and then he goes along comfortably through the duty As to Preaching there is required external mission so to every prayer and performance there are required internal motions therefore we find the spirit of grace and supplication joyn'd together Zach. 12.10 Samsan when his lock was cut off became like another man the Christian when the spirit withdraweth that grace be not acted he performeth duties like a carnalman It is the bâ—eath of the Spirit of God in a duty which is so sweet and savory to God gifts may do somwhat as to the outward part of a duty as a Carver may make an Image with the external lineaments of a man but unless grace and spiritual life be in it it is but the counterfeit the resemblance of a true duty The two special graces which I shall speak of to be acted in Religious exercises are fear and faâ—th upon these two feet David walked into Gods House I will go into thine House in the multitude of thy mercies there was his faith and in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy Temple Psa 5.6 here is his fear The Christian like a Net must have both the lead of an holy Fear and the cork of a lively Faith if he would catch any thing out of the waters of the Sanctuary if the cork of Faith was without the lead of Fear the Net would lie too high if the lead of Fear were without the cork of Faith the Net of the Soul would fall too â—owâ— and so nothing would be caught but both together lay in the likest place for a good draught 1. Fear and awful apprehensions of Gods infinite Majesty is requisite in our religious actions This must he the hand-maid to wait upon the Mistris of the soul in all its addresses to the King of Heaven Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Psa 2.11 God alloweth an humble familiarity in the walks of Obedience yet he will always have the children of men to know their distance And though this habit of Fear must be ever in our hearts as fire was constantly on the Altar yet he expects that it should be blown up and flame out at the time of offering sacrifice â—â—od non netur coâ—â—â—m uâ— quod â—temâ—â—ur 〈◊〉 â—li ur Act. de ira c lib. 8. Our greatest reverence is then most needful when we approach the great God in
blessing of an Idol Isa 66.3 I shall therefore for thy right management of this duty which is of such weight and importance to thee speak to these three particulars 1. To the Antecedents or those things which must go before prayer 2. To the Concomitants or those things which must accompany prayer 3. To the Consequents or those things which must follow after prayer 1. To the Antecedents of prayer Preparation is necessary before prayer Zopher acquainteth Job how his prayers might come to be prevalent If thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hand unto him Job 11.13 The heart is the Forge where these Vessels for the Sanctuary are formed and fashioned and made in secret the tongue is but the thop wherein they are exposed to publique view therefore the heart must do its work well before the tongue can commend its ware the heart must indite a good matter before the tongue will be as the pen of a ready writer God commandeth us both to look to our hearts and mouths when we are in his house be not rash with thy mouth to utter any thing before God and keep thy feet when thou art in the House of God Eccles 5.1 2. The former is a bridle for our mouths and expressions the latter is a guard for our hearts and affections In reference to the Antecedents 1. Some things which will further the duty must be used 2. Some things which will hinder the duty must be refused First Those things which will further the duty are meditation and the stirring up of grace Meditation will be helpful to the matter of prayer The quickning and stirring up of grace will be helâ—ful to the manner of the duty First Meditation Meditation fits the soul for supplication Meditation fils the soul with good liquor and then prayer broaches it and sets its a running David first mused and then spake with his tongue Lord make me to know mine end Psa 39.3.4 Nay to assâ—re us that meditation was the Mother which bred and brought forth prayer he calls the child by its parents name Give ear to my words O Lord consider my meditation Psa 5.1 Meditation is like the chargeing of a piece and prayer the discharging of it Isaac went into the field to meditate Gen. 24.63 The Septuag the Geneva translation and Tremelius in his marginal Notes on it read it to pray and the Hebrew word Suach used there signifieth both to pray and meditate whereby we may learn that they are very neer a kin like twins they lie in the same womb in the same word meditation is the best beginning of prayer and prayer is the best conclusion of meditation When the Christian like Daniel hath first opened the windows of his soul by contemplation then he may kneel down to prayer Prayer is a building which reacheth up to Heaven meditation layeth in all the costly materials which are requisite for this building He that would make any riddance of his work must take care that all his materials be brought in before-hand if they be to fetch when he comes to work he will make long and tedious Church-work indeed Something thou art to meditate on relating to thy self somthing relating to God Those things which relate to thy self are thy sins wants and mercies There are three parts of prayer though I know some reckon the first rather an adjunct Confession Petition and Thanksgiving Now meditation gives each of these the work which they are to do like a faithful Steward it gives every one their proper and peculiar portion Meditation on our sins helpeth in confession Meditation on our wants helpeth in petition Meditation on our mercies helpeth in thanksgiving A Christian ought to keep a Catalogue at least in the Table book of his heart of these three particulars David did so He Registred his unrighteousness or the wrong he had done to God my sin is ever before me Psa 51.3 He thought much upon his wants and sufferings He often cryeth out I am poor and needy Psa 109.21 Psa 25. my sorrow is ever before me Psa 38.17 And for Gods mercies he did not write them in the Sand but he treasured them up in his memory Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes Psa 26.3 And though some of them were stale ancient mercies yet they were not sowre to Davids taste he did not throw them away as Old Almanacks out of date I will remember the days of old the years of antient times Psa 77. Rather then God should not be paid his thanks for favours to his Fore-fathers David would take the Debts from their score and set them upon his own File Confession of sin must be with shame and sorrow petition for mercy must be with faith and fervency Thanksgiving must be with admiration of God and delight in God Now it is meditation of our sins wants and miseries which provides fuel for the fire of these graces to work upon and which they break out into an Heavenly flame Meditate on thy sins Thy duty in prayer is to Indict Arraign and Condemn and Execute those Malefactors and Transgressors of the Royal Law which can never be done till they are apprehended If thou wilt kill those Foxes that spoil the Vine those lusts which hinder thy regenerate part from thriving thy care must be by meditation to hunt them out of their lurking holes and take them Thy wounds which stink and are so unsavoury to God must by serious consideration be searched and felt before they can be healed When thou art going to prayer do as Jehu when he went to sacrifice to Baal send out and fâ—â—châ—n all thy false Worshippers those Enemies of the true God that deny his supremacy and bowed the knee to the World or the flesh and then by an humble penitential confession and self judging cut them off Who ever bewailed his sins that did not know their sinfulness or who ever was ashamed that did not see his own nakedness When the Jews came to know that they were the betrayers and Murderers of the Lord Jesus then they were pricked to the heart O do that for thy self which God will do for many others set thy sins in order before thine eys thine original and thine actual thine omissions and commissions thy personal and relative thy secret and publique thy sins about natural civil or spiritual actions thy sins under mercies and against afflictions Say to thy conscience as Samuel to Jesse Are all thy Sons here Are all thy â—ins here if any be wanting to thy knowledge cause it to be sent for and brought and sit not down to Sacrifice before it come when this is done put them all into their own colours accent them with their several aggravations consider what light what love what motions of Gods spirit what convictions of thy own spirit they were committed against Above all meditate on the infinite Majesty Purity and Mercy of that God against whom thou hast sinned Those three Attributes duly weighed would
matter of their thaâ—ksgiving We read of them that when like Thieves they had robbed others looked up to Heaven and blessed God for a good booty that they had prospered in their calling Thus saith the Lord God feed the flock of the slaughter whose possessors slay thee and they that sell them say Blessed be the Lord I am rich Zach. 11.5 6. That spurious Brat the Devil begot upon their cursed hearts they lay at Gods door as if he were its Father Take heed Reader of exceeding the limits of prayer those Beasts which will not be kept within their bounds are soonest caught and kild Israel had their wish to their woful cost when they cryed out Would God we had dyed in the Wilderness Numb 14.27.28 29. Be not unwise but understanding what the Will of the Lord is Ephes 5.17 Indeed the Christian may have any thing of God if he do but in his prayer secure Gods honour but he that exalteth his own will not minding Gods like a proud begger will be a chuser and therefore he shall be sent away either without an Alms or else with the Serpents which he desired instead of the fish which he denyed The Christians Charter is wide enough he hath no cause to defire its inlargement And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us John 1.5 and 14. 2. The Petitioner must be a justified and regenerate person or the prayer will never be prevalent He must be a favourite at Court that presenteth his supplication with confidence of success Others must pray and may speed through Christ but where there is no faith there will be much fear about the event The precept is to all but the promise is onely to the beleiver The righteous cry and the Lord heareth and deleivereth them out of all their troubles The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open unto their cry Psa 34.15 17. Strangers may howl and we take little notice what they ail it is a venture whether we releive them or no but if our children cry being in great distress we hasten to their help Our relation to God may well strengthen our hope that our desires shall be heard He that can cry Abba Father may be confident of the success of his suit and that God will deal with him as a Son Faith in Christ is essential to prayer as I shewed in religious duties in general and therefore omit it here now an unbeleiver goeth to God without the blessed Saviour and therefore may well come away without an answer The Israelites in their prayers were still to mind the Temple either to pray in it or towards it which Temple was a type of Christ the alone Altar upon which our prayers must be offered if ever they be accepted 2 Chron. 7.38 Dan. 6.10 Kings will not gratifie or pardon Traytors whilst they continue in their Treasonable designes A sinner even while he is wooing God for mercy is warring against God when his voice is the voice of Jacob his hands are the hands of Esau and therefore with what face can be expect favour I will saith Paul that men lift up holy hands 1 Tim. 2.8 meaning in prayer Where the hands are unholy and wicked the heart is worse and God cannot abide a stinking breath Some write of Diacletes that it hath many excellent vertues in it but if it be put into the mouth of a man without life it loseth all Prayer as I shewed before hath many rare and incomparable qualities but being in the mouth of one that is dead in sins and trespasses it loseth them all When a vicious man propounded in the Roman Senate a most excellent Law they rejected the motion because it was made by a bad mouth When the face is comely the person beautiful through Christ then onely the voyce will be pleasant Cant. 2. Eccles 14. When Godfrey of Beloign was demanded in the holy War by an Ambassador from the King of the Sarazens How he became so strong to fight and to do such exploits He answered Quia manus semper habui puras Because I kept my hands always as clean as I could from the filth of sin A pure hand in prayer is ever prevalent through Christ to conquer the strongest Enemies But it is a principle in nature that God heareth not a sinner John 9.31 The prayers of a natural man are like Jehoshaphats ships which were made to go to Tarshish for gold but were broken by the way they come short of that merchandize which is better then silver and that gain which is more precious then choice gold for which they pretended to lanch forth But the prayers of a regenerate person are like Solomons Navy which were sent forth to Ophir went through with their voyage and brought from thence four hundred and twenty Talents of gold Unsearchable are the riches which the vessel of his prayer returneth fraught with 1 Kings 22.48 1 Kings 9.28 3. The properties of our prayers they must be Humble Hearty Fervent and Constant 1. Our prayers must be humble Prayer is one of our nearest approaches to God on this side Heaven in it we speak to God mouth to mouth and therefore must be poured out with much humility Rebecca though she rode along on the road mounted upon a Camel yet when she drew neer to Isaac she lighted off her stately beast putteth on her vail and presenteth herself to him in an humble posture Humility ought to be a Christians câ—nstant cloathing Be ye cloathed with humility butit never fits him better then when by prayer he doth solemnly draw near to God We are then most careful to put on our best raiment when we go to speak with great persons Subjects present their petitions to their Soveraigns upon their knees O come let us Worship and bow down let us kneel before the Lord our Maker Psa 95.6 Princes must have silken words given them as the mother of Artaxerxes told one Our words to the great God must be submissive The special end of prayer is to exalt God and debase man he therefore that is proud in that performance doth wholly thwart Gods end in its institution and may be confident that God will thwart him in his petitions When we go to God in this duty for grace and mercy we do not go to him as those that go to market to buy or relieve but as those that go to a rich mans door to beg an alms And surely of all persons beggars who live wholly upon anothers charity have least reason to be proud The proud beggar never got any thing at Gods door It is observable how the children of God though they were never so rich in grace were poor in spirit and humble in language and carriage when they approached the Lord of glory Every one of â—hem notwithstanding the greatness of their spiritual stock sued in forma-pauperis Behold now I
obtaineth the crown above all take the shield of faith Other jewels are of great value but this is the fairest sparkling Diamond Among all duties prayer seems to challenge the garland of honour Concerning the work of my hands command ye me This is the Favourite in the Heavenly Court to whom the King of Kings can deny nothing This duty is of such weight that it is frequently put for Gods whole worship Seek ye the Lord seek his strength seek his face evermore Psa 105.4 5. Gods Temple which was the beauty of holiness the habitation of the most high was baptized by God himself with this name My House shall be called of all Nations an house of prayer Isa 56.7 Gods people which are higher then the Kings of the Earth are known to be nobly born by this practice This is the generation of them that seek him that seek thy face O Jacob Psa 24.6 Nay God himself is pleased to wear prayers Livery and to be distinguished by the royal Robes of his relation to this duty O thou that hearest prayer unto thee shall all flesh come Psa 65.1 2. Pearles of a very high price are never set but in gold the choicest mettal The Worship and people of God are more worth then all this World but O how much is God worth yet all these glister gloriously in the ring of prayer There is no duty in my observation which hath so many precepts for it or promises to it as prayer and sure I am there is no duty which giveth more honour to God or receiveth more honour from God then prayer Prayer hath a twofold preheminence above all other duties whatsoever In regard of the universality of its influence and opportunity for its performance The universality of its influence As every sacrifice was to be seasoned with Salt so every undertaking and every affliction of the creature must be sanctified with prayer nay as it sheweth the excellency of gold that it s laid upon silver it self so it speaketh the excellency of prayer that not onely natural and civil but even Religious and spiritual actions are overlaid with prayer We pray not onely before we eat or drink our bodily nourishment but also before we feed on the bread of the Word and the bread in the Sacrament prayer is requisite to make every providence and every ordinance blessed to us Prayer is needful to make our particular callings succesful prayer is the guard to secure the fort royal of the heart prayer is the Porter to keep the door of the lips prayer is the strong Hilt which defendeth the hands prayer perfumes every relation prayer helps us to profit by every condition prayer is the Chymist that turnes all into Gold prayer is the Master workman if that be out of the way the whole Trade stands still or goeth backward What the Key is to the Watch that prayer is to Religion it winds it up and sets it a going It is before other duties in regard of opportunity for its performance A Christian cannot always hear or always read or always communicate but he may pray continually No place no coâ—pany can deprive him of this priviledge If he be on the top of a House with Peter he may pray if he be in the bottom of the Ocean with Jonah he may pray if he be walking in the field with Isaak he may pray when no eye seeth him if he be waiting at table with Nehemiah he may pray when no ear heareth him If he be in the mountains with our Saviour he may pray If he be in the prison with Paul he may pray where-ever he is prayer will help him to find God out Every Saint is Gods Temple And he that carrieth his Iemple about him saith Austin may go to prayer when he pleaseth Indeed to a Christian every house is an house of prayer every closet a chamber of presence and every place he comes to an Altar whereon he may offer the sacrifice of prayer Prayer is an humble lifting up the heart or pouring out the soul to God in the name of Christ It is a crying Abba Father As Scripture is Gods Letter wherein he openeth his mind to man so Prayer is mans Letter wherein he openeth his mind to God It is fitly resembled to Jacobs Ladder the bottom of which was on earth but the top reached to Heaven A thought can fly speedily to the uttermost parts of the earth so can prayer in a moment to the highest heavens One of the Fathers compareth it to a chain one end of which is tied to mans tongue the other end to Gods ear Another Ascensus mentis ad Deum A lifting up the mind to God Paul calls it a making known our requests to God Phil. 4. Jamblicus a prophane writer calleth prayer Rerum divinarum ducem lucem copulam qua homines cum Deo conjunguntur The guide and light of Divine truths the band whereby God and man are joyned together Clavis instarqua Dei penetralia aperiuntur Like a key that openeth Gods secrets Austin calls it Dei sacrificium diaboli flagellum Christiani subsidium A sweet savour to God a terror to the Devil and a shelter to a Christian Bernard calls it Vinculum invincibilis â—he Conqueror of him who is invincible Luther saith It is omnipotent Archimedes made such an engine that saith he Could I but finde where to fasten it I would not doubt but to remove the whole earth with it Such an engine is Prayer By prayer fire hath been quenched waters divided the mouths of Lions stopped iron gates opened the bottles of heaven opened and stopped the course of nature overturned diseases removed health restored sin subdued grace bestowed Kingdoms supported Church enemies scattered the blind restored the dead enlivened devils dispossessed and the blessed God himself conquered The Jews have a proverb Sine stationibus non staret mundus alluding to their standing posture in prayer the World would not stand without prayer When a great fire in Constantinople had fastned on a great part of the City took hold of the Church flamed in at several of the windows the Bishop ran into the Church fell down on his knees and would not rise from prayer till the fire was vanquished And as prayer hath hindred fire so it hath brought down water The Legions of Christians under Aurelius in a time of drought intreated rain of God and prevailed for which they were called The lightening Legion Prayer is the Midwife to bring all those mercies into the world to the Beleever which are conceived in the womb of the Promises It is the Christians messenger which he sends to Heaven for the supply of his necessities and like Jonathans bow it never returneth empty Oftentimes as the Eccho doubleth the voyce so doth the answer the prayer when the soul like Gehezi asketh but one talent God like Naaman forceth two upon it The Lord is rich unto all that call upon him Rom. 10.12 Prayer is
the Thames in which all sorts of commodities are brought up for the releif of the Citizens of Zion Some say of Cornucopia that it hath all things necessary for food in it Prayer hath in it all things pertaining to this life and a better It is said of the Pope He can never want money while he can hold a pen His writing of Pardons and Indulgencies filleth his coffers It is more true of the Christian he need never want if he will but pray Prayer is a key to Gods own coffers wherein there are infinite and all sorts of comforts I have no friends said a good woman but I have a prayer and so long as I have a praying heart God will find a pitying heart and a helping hand It is but ask and receive seek and find knock and it shall be opened Matth. 7.7 8. The child presenteth his petition to his Father and at the foot of it there is Fiat quickly written Prayer is like the Spaniards Plate fleet which returns home worth thousands and millions A Courtier will sometimes get more by a petition to his Prince in a morning then some Tradesmen do all their lives A regenerate person being in favour at Court gaineth more by a morning 〈◊〉 then a wicked man though he works hard gets while he liveth I never said to the seed of Jacob seek ye me in vain Some asked but the cure of their bodies when God healed their bodies and souls too he hath forced many an unexpected favour upon an upright fervent prayer Prayer is not onely a Storehouse of mercies but a Fort-royal to defend the soul against miseries as some write of the herb Panaces it is good for all diseases When Satan entred the field against Paul the Apostle held up this shield of prayer to defend himself against his fiery darts For this I besought the Lord thrice 2 Cor. 12.7 Prayer hath stormed and surprised more Cities conquered and routed more Armies then old mens heads or young mens hands then all the policy and power on earth Prayer is like the ring which Queen Elizabeth gave to the Earl of Essex bidding him if he were in any distress send that ring to her and she would help him God commandeth his people if they be in any perplexity to send this ring to him Call upon me in the day of trouble I will hear thee and thou shalt glorifie me Psa 50.15 O what a priviledge dost thou enjoy Reader in having freedom of access to the Throne of Grace The Persian Kings took state upon them and enacted that none should come uncalled upon pain of death But the gates of Heaven as the Aediles at Rome are always open Thou hast liberty night and day of presenting thy petitions in the name of â—hrist to the King of the whole earth and needst not fear so thy prayers be according to Scripture directions so much as a chiding for thy presumption The poets say that Litae Prayers are Jupiters Daughters and always about the Throne If it be esteemed such a favour to have an earthly Princes ear what a favour art thou invested with that hast the ear of the blessed and onely Potentate Elisha offered his courteous Host a great kindness when he asked her wilt thou be spoken for to the King 2 Kings 4.13 Some purchase that liberty as the chief Captain his Roman freedom with a great sum but thou mayst speak to the King of Kings thy self and be welcome and needst not be at the charge of having either Saints or Angels thy mediatours or any of those Heavenly Courtiers to bring thee into the Kings presence The Son of God himself will do it for thee gratis In him we have boldness Ephes 3.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 liberty of speech freedom to speak all thy mind to lay open thy very inwards to God If thou art in doubts about thy spiritual estate and about thy title to the inheritance of the Saints in light thou mayst by prayer go to him who is marvellous in counsel and have his advice for nothing If any disease appear in thy soul which thou fearest may endanger its life at least hinder its peace and health thou mayst by prayer knock up the true Physician at mid-night and prevail with him to hasten to thy help and cure If thou art surrounded with many and bloody Enemies that thou knowest not what to do nor where to go thou mayst by prayer send post to Heaven and thou needst not fear but Christ will meet the Messenger half was and come in timely to thy rescue If thou art bound wiâ—h the bond of iniquity and like Peter watched narrowly night and day nay though thou art encompassed round with the black guard of Hell lest thou shouldst make an escape yet prayer without ceasing would knock off thy chains break open the Prison doors and in spight of all the Legions of Devils that kept thee set thee at liberty If thou art like the Psalmist over-whelmed with sorrow this sighing into Gods eares by prayer will ease thy heart When the Glass of thy soul is so full of those strong spirits fear and grief that it threatneth to burst thou mayst give it vent by prayer to God and there will be no danger Whilst thou art in this valley of teares thou art encompast with Enemies hast many and urgent necessities doubts and dangers but prayer like Moses will go before thee ingage him on thy side that will overcome them all and guide thee all the way through the Wilderness of this World to the very borders of Canaan and never leave thee till thou comest to enter into the place of praiâ—e But Reader the more richly this Vessel of prayer is laden the more careful and skilful must the Pilot be that steers it lest it suffer Ship-wrack Queens that have great heirs in their wombs must be tenderly used lest they miscarry If prayer be so bountiful a friend as thou hast heard thou oughtest to be the more fearful of abusing it Princes who allow firourites their eares yet expect that they should know their distance and ask in such a maâ—â— as they appoint and such things for the matter as will be consistent with their honour to give or else instead of a grant they may meet with a repulse and a sharp reproof Haman though he were so intimate with the King that he had his Hand and Seal at pleasure found by woful experience what it was to abuse the Kings favour by desiring the satisfaction of his own lust in that which was exceedingly to the Kings loss The Incense under the Ceremonial Law was a tipe of prayer Let my prayer come before thee like Incense but if it had not been made exactly both for matter and manner according to Gods own prescription who himself gave special direction about it Exod. 30.34.35 36. as sweet as the Spices were it had been loathsom and unsavoury to him the burning of Incense had been but as the
distance will quicken thee to reverence Gods greatness and mans vileness are both arguments to make man humble and wary in the Worship of God Couldst thou behold God in Heaven in what Majesty he there appeareth on his Throne of glory how his heavenly Courtiers vail their faces in his presence lay their Crowns at his feet and serve him though joyfully yet humbly and awfully with what reverence and holy fear wouldst thou go to prayer Meditate on his mercy and goodness what promises he hath made to prayer how bountiful he is to his suppliants He doth more then they can ask or think he gives liberally without upbraiding It was said of Severus the Emperor that he was more troubled that men asked nothing then that he gave much God delighteth both to be sought and found This is necessary to strengthen the faith He that commeth to God must beleive that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 He that would pray and obtain a blessing must beleive Gods being that he is and Gods bounty that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Meditate on his rich bounty Abraham asked but one Son God gives him seed like the Stars in the Heavens for multitude the Debtor desires but forbearance and he freely forgives the whole Debt The shekel of the Sanctuary is double to the ordinary shekel God delighteth to see men joyful in his house of prayer Isa 56.7 to see their countenances commend his chear now meditation of his Royal bounty how he giveth like a King like a God will help thee to this hearty chearfulness Beleive before thou prayest that thy hand of prayer shall not knock at Heavens gate in vain that God will not send thee away sad It is reported of the Emperor Flavius that he should say I am sorry that any man should present a petition to me as if he were offering meat to an Elephant with a trembling hand Consider not onely his habitation which art in Heaven but also his relation to thee Our Father before thou callest he will answer and when thou speakest he will say here am I Isa 65.24 Thus when thou hast by meditation cut the Sacrifice in peices put the wood in order and laid all upon the Altar thou mayst by prayer put fire to them and offer up a Sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling savour Secondly As Meditation so the stirring up of thy graces is needful to further this duty Meditation will do much towards it as thou hast heard I shall therefore speak the less to it Every person that hath grace doth not always pour out his prayers rightly Graces must be exercised in our duties Grace may lie as fire under ashes upon the hearth of thy heart and be so far from flaming that it may not so much as glow and how then canst thou expect any warmth from it thy duty is therefore to stir up the coales and endeavour that the fire may blaze out It is the language of Canaan communication seasoned with grace which onely is savoury to God Cato being asked why he was so diligent to learn the Greek language in his old age answered I hear the Gods speak Greek and I would willingly speak to them in their own language All the words of God are gracious It s said of his Son Grace is poured into thy lips Psa 45.2 Those therefore that would not speak to God in an unknown language a tongue wich he understandeth not must accent all their expressions to him with grace It is the smell of the spice of grace in the Israelite not of Garlick and Onions in the Egyptian which is so pleasant and fragrant to God Who is this that cometh out of the Wilderness like Pillars of smoke perfumed with Myrrhe and frankincense with all powders of the Merchant Cant. 3.6 Some take the words to be the voice of the Angels those friends of the Bride groom admiring the Churches gracious expressions and continual assentions of her soul in her prayers to God others take them to be the words of Christ being ravished with the odoriferous smell of those graces which his Spouse acted in her Sacrifices he stood amazed at the beauty of her person and the sweetness of her breath the graciousness of her petitions What lovely Lady what woman is here so the Hebrew What peerless Paragon is this which sendeth up such Spiritual Sacrifices such sweet Incense kindled by the fire of Gods own Spirit laid upon a meritorious Altar ascending and fuming up like the rowllings and agglomerations of smoak to the Lord himself and more welcome and grateful then all the costly evaporations of myrrhe and frankincense and all powders of the Merchants The Angel which ascended to heaven in the flame of the Altar is said to do wonderously Judg. 13.19 20. It was wonderful both to Christ and his friends to behold the acceptance of his Spouses gracious performance how it ascended to Heaven elationibus fumi like pillars of smoak and came up for a memorial before God The desire of nature in prayer is like sparks which fly out of the tunnel of the chimney and then vanish but the desire of grace in prayer is like pillars of smoak which mounteth up to the highest Heavens When Jacobs sons went down to Egypt to fetch corn they carried some along with them to support them by the way when the Christian goeth to Christ by prayer for more spiritual food he must carry some along with him to strengthen him in the duty A little water poured into the pomp will fetch up much a little grace acted in a duty may help thee to much more As the ship is sometimes wind-bound that it cannot move towards its haven so without the exercise of grace the soul is wind-bound there is no stirring towards Heaven A graceless man in prayer as was said of Alcibiades may talk much but speaketh little 2. Some things which will hinder the duty must be refused All sin in general sin regarded in the soul makes prayers disregarded of God If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my prayer Psa 66.18 He that expecteth pardon must throw down his Weapons of Rebellion The Child that asketh forgiveness of his Oaths must not desire it of his Father with Curses in his mouth When dust clogs the Wheel of the Watch or Clock they cannot strike true when sin hampereth and clogs the Wheels of the affections the mouth will never speak true or right in its Petitions He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law even his prayer shall be an abomination Pro. 28.9 It is high impudency for him that will not hear God to look that God should hear him When the sin of the petitioner is before Gods eyes his petitions cannot enter into Gods ears The wide mouth of sin out-cryeth the voice of his prayers as the Fish called the Remora though it be but little will stop a
great Ship in its full career truely so the sinallest sin loved and liked will hinder the course of prayer though it be never so instant and vehement The Lords ear is not heavy that it cannot hear but your iniquities separate between you and your God Isa 59.1 2. Men by falls somtimes lose their speeches men by fin lose their prayers When the Ninivites prayed and turned from their evil ways then God granted their requests Jonah 3. The Israelites cryed to God but in vain he bid them go to the Gods whom they had served till they put away the strange Gods from among them then his soul was greived for the misery of Israel Judges 10.10 to 17. Reformation is a good usher to go before supplication When the Duke of Saxony prepared War against the Bishop of Magdenburg the Bishop hearing of it falls to praying and reforming saying At ego curabo ecclesiam meam Deus pugnabit pro me I will take care to reforme my Church and God will take care to fight for me When the Duke heard this he Disbanded his forces with this speech I am too weak for him that caningage God on his side Be sure Reader to put away iniquity far from thee when thou art drawing neer to the throne of grace then shalt thou make thy prayer unto God and he shall hear Job 22.23 27. Prayer is as it were a plaister to heal a man that is wounded Now as a plaister to one peirced with an Arrow or Bullet will do no good till the Dart or Bullet be taken out of the body so prayer will not be healing and prevalent till sin in regard of love and delight be taken out of the soul As all sin in general most be laid by so Worldly thoughts and wrath in particular Wrath Anger like Leven sowreth the acrifice I will that men lift up holy hands without wrath 1 Tim. 2.8 He that beggeth peace at Gods hands must not do it with war in his own heart How canst thou think that God will forgive thee many millions when thou wilt not for give thy bâ—other one mite God is peremptory that he will reserve for them his wrath who will not remit their wrongs Mat 6.15 Cont. Vigâ—l Hierom confessed of himself that when he had been angry he durst not enter into the Church but totum animo corpore contremuisse he did tremble very much both in body and mind Christians must be singular as in their principles so in their practices It is more comfortable to love a friend but this an Heathen may do it is more honourable to love an Enemy and this every Christian must do There are two things in forgiving those that wrong us First An inward remission of the fault so much as it concerneth us or a removal of wrath and revengeful desires towards the person wronging us and this if we do not we lose our prayers A stormy troubled Sea casteth up mire and dirt so when there is a storm of passions in the soul the heart foameth up its own shame in prayer it bubleth up a great deal of filth Secondly In forgiveness there is an outward profession of this inward remission and this must be done when the party acknowledgeth his fault If the offender say I repent the offended mast say I remit Surely did men but consider the infinite wrongs they do and affronts which they offer to the glorious God every day and yet how they expect to be pardoned they would when abused say as Francis the first King of France to one that begged pardon for a friend of his who had used ill speeches against his Majesty Let him for whom thou art a Suitor learn to speak little and I will learn to pardon much The Spouse of Christ is compared to a Dove which some say is sine-felle without Gall The very Heathen when they offered Sacrifice threw the Gall of the Beast away and Reader wouldst thou offer to God the Gall of malice revenge wrath and bitterness with the Sacrifice of thy prayers Remember where the Gall is broke the flesh tasteth bitter and when the strings jar the Instrument will make but harsh Musick Mat. 5.24 Worldly thoughts must also be laid by Our Saviour when he taught us to pray by the preface to the Petitions telleth us where our affections in prayer should be Our Father which art in Heaven Our hearts in prayer must be in Heaven the eys of our minds must look up thither as well as the eyes of our bodies The Mahometans in India when they begin their devotion stop their ears and fix their eyes that nothing may disturb their minds or divert their thoughts When the meat is fly-blown it quickly corrupts when our petitions to God are blown upon by worldly thoughts and mingled with mental discourses with men they lose their sweetness Some poor people whose houses are troubled much with Vermine have sometimes a great part of their small provision eaten up of Rats and Mice truly sometimes a poor Christian loseth half a meal by these Vermine of Worldly thoughts they devour sometimes half his prayer Resolve before thou prayest to watch thy heart narrowly that these may not hinder thee in prayer CHAP. XIII Of the Concomitants of Prayer SEcondly I come now to the Concomitants of prayer and herein I shall speak 1. To the matter of our petitions 2. To the person that prayeth 3. To the properties of our prayers 1. To the matter of our prayers Gods Word and Will must be the rule of our prayers what we must ask of him as well as of our practice what we must do for him Subjects must set bounds to their desires and take heed that their petitions do not encroach upon the Prerogative Royal. Divine precepts what God commandeth us to act Divine promises what God engageth himself to do for us and Divine prophesies what God hath foretold shall come to pass are to be the bounds of our prayers he wandereth to his loss that in his requests goeth beyond these limits â—alaam would needs ask leave of God that he might be the Devils Chaplain to curse Israel but mark the issue he hath an ironical concession to go to his own destruction the sharp razour indeed of his tongue would not pierce the Israelites who had armour of proof but the sword of the Israelites soon entred his body and sent his soul to receive its wages of that Master that set him a work The Israelites on a sudden are all in a hurry for a King God gave them a King in his anger for their pâ—nishment rather then for their protection and how soon were they sick like children of that which they cryed so loud for the King and people at least many of them perished together O how much better is a favourable denial then an angry grant of such prayers but immodest desires never have profitable answers And as some erre in the matter of their petitions so others in the
have taken upon me to speak unto thee Lord who am but dust and ashes saith Abraham Gen. 18.27 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies which thou hast shewed to thy servant saith Jacob Gen. 32.10 I am a worm and no man saith David So foolish was I and ignorant even as a beast before thee saith Asaph I am more bruitish then any man I have not the understanding of a man saith Agur. O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee for our iniquities are encreased over our heads and our trespasses is grown up unto the Heavens saith Ezra I am a man of unclean lips saith Isaiah They all have learned the same Lesson as Scholars in the same form they all speak the same Language as children of the same Father It is reported of Aristippus the Cynick that he used to fall on the ground before Dionysius when he presented a petition to him O what posture is low enough when we go to the infinite and incomprehensible God in prayer He humbleth himself to open his eyes upon us well may we be humble when we open our mouthes and hearts to him Job 14.3 Reader if thou wouldst have thy prayers heard let them be humble God loves to walk in the low valleys Lord thou hast heard the desires of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart and wilâ— bow thine ear Psal 10.17 Though God behold the proud afar off and disdains so much as to open his eyes or give them a look yet he will be sure to draw near to the humble and vouchsafe to open his ears and his very heart to them Psal 138.6 Isa 66. â—2 He that can have his face shine and take no notice is a fit person to go up into the Mount and converse with God 2. Thy prayers must be hearty Thy tongue and heart must keep time and tune Give ear to my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips Psal 17.1 If in prayer thou art as Ephraim a silly Dove without an heart and givest God onely the calves of thy lips they will be as unacceptable as Jeroboams Calves at Dan and Bethel which provoked the Lord to anger The Jews have this Sentence written in their Synagogues where they meet to pray A prayer without the heart is like a body without a soul What a deformed loathsome spectacle is a body without a soul truly so is thy prayer without thy heart God respecteth the heart in prayer above any thing men minde the expressions most but God mindeth the affections most Let us draw night to God with a true heart let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the Heavens Heb. 10.22 Lam. 3.41 God looketh not so much to the Elegancy of thy prayers how neat they are nor to the Geometry of thy prayers how long they are but to the sincerity of thy prayers how hearty they are Senec. lib. 1. henefic cap 8. Socrates made more account of poor Aeschines for giving himself to him then of Alcibiades and other rich Scholars who gave him large presents God esteemeth infinitely more of an heart-sprung though broken prayer then of dissembling petitions cloathed with and drest up in the neatest and most gaudy expressions The heart is the mettal of the bell the tongue is but the clapper When the mettal of the bell is right and good as silver such will the sound be if the mettal of the bell be crackt or lead the sound will soon discover it to a judicious ear God can see the diseases and spots of the heart upon the tongue O it is dangerous to do as some Princes with their neighbours who set on foot a Treaty of peace for their own ends but resolve beforehand that it shall never be brought to any period As Jacob said to his mother If I dissemble my Father will finde me out and I shall meet with a curse instead of a blessing So say I to thee if thou dissemblest in prayer thy God will finde thee out and thou wilt meet with a curse a blow instead of a blessing There is no going to God as Jeroboams wife thought to go to the Prophet in a disguise Under the Law Notandum illud est quod quae offeruntur in Holocaustan interiorasunt quod exterius esi Domino no offertur â—tpel li Hom. 5. the inward parts were onely to be offered to God in Sacrifice The skin belonged to the Priests whence Origen inferreth That truth in the inward parts is that which is most pleasing in a Sacrifice Indeed others compass God about with lies and therefore highly provoke him They did flatter him with their mouth and they lyed unto him with their tongue for their heart was not right with him Psal 78.36 37. Hosea 11.12 It is sinful for thee to tell a lye to thy fellow Creature but how abominable is it to tell a lye to the Almighty Creator Thy prayer without thy heart will be Sacriledge not a Sacrifice When the heart is Rector chori cheif leader of the Quire then the voice is pleasant indeed in Gods ear The Lord is nigh to all that call upon him to all that call upon him in truth Psa 145.18 When the Wife giveth the Husband her heart and defileth not the Marriage bed he will if wise bear with many infirmities in her When the heart in prayer is devoted to God he is pleased out of his grace and goodness to pardon and pass by many imperfections in the duty but if that bed be prostituted to any other he gives a divorce to the Sacrifice and putteth it away for he is a jealous God Jacobs small present could not but be acceptable to Joseph because it was the best of the Land The heart of man is but little yet it is the best of man and therefore taken kindly by God The main enquiry at prayer is concerning the heart As Jonadab was asked by Jehu so is the Christian by God Is thy heart right as mine is Then come up into my Chariot then come to the Throne of grace and welcome Thirdly thy prayers must be fervent Prayer is a duty which consisteth not in words or expressions but in the working of the affection therefore it is called a crying to God Out of the depth I have cryed to thee Psa 130. a renting the heart Joel 2.13 as if the heart were by prayer torn in peices and a pouring out the soul as if the body had been left without life the soul being departed and ascended to Heaven in holy petitions The true Beggar is ever earnest for spiritual Almes he will not let God go without a blessing Gen. 32. Paulus Aemilius being to fight with the Macedonians would never give over Sacrificing to his God Hercules till he had some sign of victory The Christian is more urgent with the true God then the Heathen is with his God of clouts When Daniel prayed with what force were his words uttered with
what fire was his Sacrifice offered O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord defer not for the Lords sake That wine is best which is fullest of these heavenly spirits Winter fruits are sowre and unplesant to men and so are cold petitions to God Dan. 9.13 Reader when thou art praying for pardon how shouldst thou even poure out thy soul Alass when thou considerest if God do not pardon I perish eternally if sin be imputed I am damned how should thy heart cry out Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness after the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out mine iniquities again Wash me from mine iniquities and cleanse me from my sin and again Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities once more Deliver me from blood guiltiness O God thou God of my salvation Psa 51.1 2 11 14. When thou art begging grace and purity with what earnestness shouldst thou pray beleiving how destructive sin is to thy precious soul and how offensive to the jealous just and Almighty God and in what absolute necessity thou standest in of holiness without which thou canst never see God As when the Clock strikes the Wheels within move notably we may hear them run round so when thy tongue is pleading with God for remission of sins and repentance towards God for the Son of God the Spirit of God and thine everlasting Salvation how should thine heart move what work should there be among thine affections to enforce those weighty petitions This fervency is necessary to prepare thy soul for the mercy thou desirest What men get lazily they spend lavishly but that food which a devout woman longeth for she prizeth much and eateth with most delight When one whispered Demostenes in the ear that he was beaten and desired him to plead his cause the Orator would not believe him till at last the man cryed out Now saith he I feel your cause It is the intension of the Spirit which giveth efficacy to our petitions It is not the length of the arm but the strength of it which draweth the bow so as to make the arrow fly fast and far Fervency to prayer is as wings to the Bird by which it mounteth up to heaven The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous prevaileth much James 5.16 When prayers are drivel'd like rhume out of a mans mouth they fall down at his feet The Mother will let the childe alone if it onely whimper and whine a little in the cradle but when it crieth outright then she hasteth to take it up This poor man cryed was not dull and drowsie there is his fervency and the Lord heard him and delivered him out of all his troubles Psal 34.9 here is his prevalency There is no getting to the Indian Mines by the cold Northerz Seas though because it is a shorter cut some have attempted that way but they lost their labour Other duties are a serving God Prayer is a seeking God Now they that seek him early shall finde him Prov. 8.17 A low voice doth not cause a loud eccho neither doth a lazy prayer procure a liberal answer Sleepy requests cause but dreams meer fancied returns Where there is a cushion of ease under the knees and a pillow of idleness under the elbows there is little work to be done When Daniel had been fervent all day at prayer an Angel is sent to him at night with an answer Importunity prevaileth with an unjust Judge much more with a righteous and gracious God Though God be Almighty yet a fervent prayer through his grace hath held his hands Let me alone Exod. 32. Who holdeth the Lord saith Austin Moses earnest cry was the cord which I may speak with reverence fastned Gods hands Prayer is a sword to wound both sin and Satan but fervency is the edge of it doing the execution Zeph. 18.2 Cor. 12. For this I besought the Lord thrice When a man strikes his Enemies with his full strength then the wounds are made The lack of this fervency is the loss of many prayers The lazy petition tires before it comes half way to Heaven indeed it is eaten up as the cold honey of Wasps and Flies of wandring thoughts when fervent prayers like honey boiling over the fire is free from such ill guests An idle prayer like a lazy beggar wandreth and gaddeth up and down and as a rowling stone gathereth no moss The working of the affections in prayer like Davids harp allayeth those Devils which would disturb the Christian in this duty When a man is intent upon the God to whom he prayeth and eager after the mercies for which he prayeth though the World whisper him in the ear he cannot hear though Satan jog him by the elbow he will not heed him But here a caution will be seasonable The fire of thy fervency must be from Heaven not such strange fire as Nadab and Abihu offered to the Lord I mean it must not be the voice of nature an earnest cry for the enjoyment of creatures but the voice of the Spirit an importunate desire for conformity to and communion with the Lord Jesus Christ We read of those that howled upon their beds for corn and wine and oyl Hosea 7.17 Many like children roar are much out of quiet disturb others with the noise they make but it is for clouts for a Babey Who will shew us any good The voice of a Saint must be as of a wise son at full age for the inheritance Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me The Petitioner herein must be very careful he that rides apace had need to be sure that he is in the right way or else the freer his horse is the more he wandreth to his loss The greater the fire is the more watchful we must be that it be kept within the chimney the more earnest our affections are the more we must minde what our petitions be The promises of God must be the foundation of our prayers What he promiseth to give I may pray to receive Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope Psal 119.49 but its dangerous for the building to jet out upon the Kings high-way beyond the foundation this may cause the house to fall or be taken down Because godliness hath the promise of this life I am bound to pray Give me this day my daily bread Temporal good things must be part of the matter of my prayer but because God promiseth these things conditionally so far onely as he seeth fit for his honor and my comfort therefore I must pray for them conditionally The Apish childe that crieth and squeeketh for the knife to be its own carver and will not be satisfied with its Parents feeding it deserveth the rod our prayers both for the matter and the manner must run parallel with Gods promises Prayer is a putting Gods promises into suit but he that sueth a Bond must minde the condition
ejaculatory prayer for his Murderers Father forgive them for they know not what they do and as an answer to it we find some thousands of them presently converted Truely Reader I would commend these ejaculations as an excellent receipt for all companies and in all conditions If thou art a stranger to it thou dost not know the vertue of it It is as some write of the herb Panaces a universal remedy for all diseases a special though cheap preservative both against the evil of sin and suffering This is the best way to avoid dangers to overcome difficulties and to prosper us in our lawful designs Gen. 24.12 When thou receivest a sudden mercy hearest unexpected good news thou mayst presently rear an Altar and offer up a Sacrifice of praise to God If thou art protected through grace from any transgression in which thou wast falling or afflictions of which thou wast affraid thou mayst suddenly dispatch a Messenger to Heaven with thanks who will be more welcome there then thou art aware of So did a good Servant Gen. 24.26 and a godly Souldier and governour Iudg. 7.15 I will bless the Lord at all times saith David his praise shall be continually in my mouth When thou art in a suddain plunge thou mayst dart up a thought to God for counsel or protection these short breathings would prepare thee for a long race There are indeed some seasons for prayer which must by no means be slighted when the Spirit of God stirreth in thee and cometh for thee then make haste to God Courtiers watch for convenient seasons to present their petitions to their Kings and will be sure to lay hold of such seasons If the King himself offer any discourse relating to their requests then they will close and strike in When the Spirit of God in a morning or evening or in the day time commandeth thee to go and cry to God for pardon and life I speak of regular motions for no other come from the Spirit then is a fit time to present thy requests he sendeth for thee for that end Take heed of delaying or denying Thou saidst seek ye my face my heart said thy face Lord will I seek Suitors have their mollissima tempora fandi their special times of wooing Hester waited once and again for a fit time to beg her life and the lives of her people of the King and when Ahashuerus put her upon it gave her an opportunity she then did it and prevailed Whatsoever actions thou entrest upon whether Civil Natural or Religious let prayer be to thee as the Baptist to Christ the messenger to prepare the way before thee Bonaventure that Seraphical Doctor being asked by Aquinas How he got such Divine knowledge pointing to a Crucifix in his study said Ille est liber meus by praying to that Crucifix A Christian by praying to God in the name of a crucified Christ may get saving knowledge Be confident of this those mercies will be most savoury which come flying to thee upon the wings of prayer Those favours are suspicious which steal in at a window and come not in at the door of prayer How sweet was that water to Sampson whieh streamed to him in the channel of prayer Judges 15.19 he called the name of it En-hakkore the well of him that prayed Jacob saw God smiling in Esau's smooth countenance because prayer was the Sun which scattered and cleared that sky When thou canst say of the mercy which God giveth thee as Hannah of Samuel For this childe I prayed saith she he is the travel of my soul as well as of my body he is the fruit of my heart as well as of my womb when thou must say For this blessing I prayed many a time did I weep and make supplication and lo I have prevailed Such a mercy will be a double mercy a Samuel indeed Asked of God and Dedicated to God As Jesus Christ was more welcome to Mary his Mother when she and his Father had sought him sorrowing so those blessings especially spiritual will be received with most joy which were sought with most sorrow What thou winnest with prayer thou wilt wear with prayer But it may be Reader thou art one that art so far from constant praying that the garment of the Atheist will fit thy back very well They call not upon God Psal 14.4 if so bethink thy self for thou livest like a Beast as Nebuchadnezzar did though thou hast the shape of a man They are become brutish and have not sought the Lord Jer. 10.21 Brutes are like Mutes O it is a dreadful condition to be possessed with a dumb Devil When men once grow speechless it s a sign death is hard by If that bloody Butcher can but muzzle thy mouth and with cords hinder thy crying expect the stroke of the ax Or possibly that livery which Eliphaz made for Job though it was much below him yet will become thee Thou restrainest prayer before God Job 15.4 The pulse of thy soul faulters thou layest by thy prayers as some do their best cloathes till they go to Church again or for some Holy-day O this is a sad sign that prayer which should be thy element is thy torment Friends that love one another long to converse together and take all opportunities of sending to and hearing from each other Hadst thou any love to the blessed God it would be so with thee But as painfulness in speaking often argueth unsound inwards so thy inconstancy in praying giveth thee cause of suspecting thy spiritual unsoundness and insincerity CHAP. XIV The Subsequent duties after Prayer THirdly I shall speak to the consequents or those duties which must follow after prayer and they are principally two Watching and Working 1. Watching for an answer Pious prayers are precious commodities and who unless a mad man or a fool will throw away what is of value and worth When thou hast shot thine arrow observe where it lights and how near it flew to the mark Wise men when they have delivered their petitions to their Prince watch and wait sometimes a year together all the while longing and looking for an answer Thy requests to God are of infinite concernment thy Heaven thy eternal happiness is involved in them with what holy impatience then shouldst thou desire an answer In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Psa 5.3 The words discover Davids posture in prayer and his practice after prayer His posture in prayer I will direct my prayer unto thee Disponam tibi Calvin The word is an allusion to an Archer or to a General as some observe on it 1. To an Archer and then the meaning is I will be up betimes and take as good aim as I can possibly at the mark and so draw my bow and direct my arrow that I may hit it 2. To a General and then it importeth thus much I will rise early and set my requests to God as Souldiers
in Battalia in rank and file in good array I will so marshal them that they be not routed by being out of order I will see that they stand in their places and keep their ground and what then his practice after prayer And will look up I will observe what became of the arrow I shot Or the word being an allusion to a Watchman as the former word to a Commander in chief of an Army speaketh this When I have marshalled my prayers in good array and sent them forth to fight against my spiritual Enemies and to wrestle with God himself for his grace and love I will get up to my Watch-Tower to see what execution they do upon my adversaries what power they have with God whether they get or lose ground whether they prevail and win the day It was the custome in those days when forces were sent forth to fight for the General to command one to watch in some high place if he could spie any coming from the Armies with news So when Davids Souldiers were engaged with Absoloms the watchman went up to the roof over the gate and spied Ahimaaz and Cushi coming with tidings Thus holy David stood as it were sentinel and watched as a spie longing every moment to hear and see the event issue and success of his prayers Men that work for a dead horse as we say when their business is done look no further because they had their pay before-hand but those whose reward is behind labour in expectation of it and after they have wrought look for it An unbeleivers hopes are in this present world and therefore if he procure but some earthly profit it is no wonder if he look no more after his prayers he had his pay before hand But a beleiver whose reward not of debt but of grace is ever behind and to come while he is upon earth when he hath prayed in obedience to Gods precept cannot but expect the performance of Gods promise He that ventureth nothing in a ship save a small parcel of pins or a few quire of paper or something which is little better then nothing takes little thought what becomes of the vessel if it sink or swim it s all one to him he loseth not a moments sleep for it But the Merchant who ventureth all he is worth in a Vessel and sendeth it out very richly laden though it be a long journey yet he is impatient to hear of it many an anxious thought hath he about it many a time he putteth the supposition to himself What if this Ship should miscarry What will become of me my Wife and Children He can hardly eat or drink with comfort or sleep with quietness till he hears it is safe A wicked man that is worth nothing ventureth nothing in his prayers and therefore whether they miscarry or no it matters not much with him when he prayed for pardon and grace he counted them little worth he prized his stock and his riches at a far higher rate and so must needs be very indifferent whether the Vessel wherein things of such small worth in his esteem were hazarded come home safe or no. But a godly man hazardeth all he is worth for this and the other world in his prayers he knoweth that all his happiness is involved in the pardon of his sins in the righteousness of his Saviour in the love of his God and the renovation of his nature all which he beggeth with strong cries and groans He esteemeth these things as the very life of his life and the very soul of his soul and O thinks he how richly laden is this Vessel which I have sent forth My precious soul my dearest Jesus my interest in the covenant of grace my eternal fruition of the ever blessed God are all aboard her If she should miscarry good Lord what would become of me I am lost I am damned I am undone eternally Was ever Ship better fraught Her burden is of inestimable value My joy my peace my love my delight my hope my heaven my all are in her Oh what should I do if the Arch-pirate Satan should seise her or if she should split upon the rock of my presumption or sink in the quicksands of my infidelity Alass alass whether should I go where should I appear Such a soul never failed of a rich return of his venture Reader when thou hast prayed wait and expect an answer Though thy prayers were mingled with many imperfections if they were the travail of thy soul upright I mean do not give them over for lost When Moses Mother could keep him no longer she made an Ark of Bul-rushes and daubed it with Pitch and put him in and hid it in the Flags by the River brink and his Sister stood a far off to see what would become of him And Pharaohs daughter came to wash her self spied the Ark sent and fetched it the babe wept and she had compassion on it sent for the Mother gave it her to nurse paid for its nursing and the Child became the great deliverer of Israel Truely so when the fruit of thy heart thy tears and sighs and groans and prayers are ready in the eye of sense to be given over for dead they lie floating upon the water let thy faith and hope be near at hand to see what will become of them the Kings Son may take pity on the weeping babe pay the charge of its nursing up bringing it into favour at the heavenly Court and make it serviceable for the conducting thy soul through the Wilderness of this World towards the true and celestial Canaan Though the Messenger thou sendest to Heaven tarry long yet wait and expect his return Those that send to the Indies for the golden wedges wait many months though they long every moment for their arrival If after thy expectation thou findest little fruit of thy petitions do not therefore lay aside that calling Continue in prayer and watch in the same Col. 4.2 Anglers though they have fished many hours and caught nothing do not therefore break their Cane and Line but draw out their hook and look upon their bait which it may be was fallen off or not well hung on and mend it and then throw it in again So when thou hast been earnest in prayer and yet received no answer reflect upon thy prayers consider whether something were not amiss either in thy preparation for the duty or in the matter or manner of thy petitions it is possible thou mightest desire stones instead of bread or fuel for thy lusts or didst forget to deliver thy petitions to the onely Master of Requests the Lord Jesus that he might present it to the Father if any of these were the fault no wonder if they failed what ever it be be diligent to find it out amend it and fall to thy work again with confidence that thou shalt not work at the labour in vain The Archer if he shoot once and again and miss
the mark considereth what the reason was whether he did not shoot too high or too low or too much on the right hand or too much on the left hand takes the same Arrow again onely reformeth his former error and winneth the wager Secondly Working is necessary after prayer as well as Watching Begging and Digging must go together Thy duty is to pray as knowing assuredly that thou canst do nothing of thy self and yet to work as if thou wert to do all by thine own power He that doth not indeavour in a lawful use of those meant which God affordeth him to attain the mercies he needeth and asketh doth tempt not trust God and may expect a rod sooner then releif A good use may be made of that story A Carter having over-thrown his Cart sat in the way crying help Hercules help Hercules was counted by the Heathen a God for his strength O Hercules help At length one appeared to him in Herculus shape with a good Cudgel in his hand and beat him handsomely saying Ah thou silly lazy fellow dost thou call to me for help and sit still thy self arise and set to thy shoulder do thy part and I will do the rest If thou prayest for thy dayly bread be thou diligent in thy calling or else expect a crop out of the Ocean If thou prayest against some particular sins avoid the occasions of those sins If it be against Drunkenness avoid evil company If it be against Pride avoid and discourage such as will flatter thee for otherwise thou dost as he that runneth into the fire and prayeth to God that it may not burn him such a man mocketh God but himself most if thou prayest for Holiness and Grace hear read meditate watch use the means and expect a good issue from God Observe David his prayer was Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keep the door of my lips Psa 141.3 But now because he had committed the main charge of this unruly prisoner his tongue to God desiring him to lock the double doors of his lips and teeth fast upon it and to have a main guard always watching before the doors least it should break through and attempt an escape doth he therefore sleep himself thinking the prisoner was safe enough no he himself would be upon the guard I said I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth with a a bridle while the wicked is before me Psal 39.1 2. David as he desired God to put a good bit into the mouth of this wanton beast so he would himself keep a strict hand and rein him in A good Wish about prayer wherein all the forementioned particulars are epitomized PRayer is one of my nearest and solemnest approaches to the most high God The Introduction to prayer analyzed and one of my choicest priviledges on this side the place of praise wherein I may go to my God at all times and acquaint him what I ail where it is well where it is ill with my poor soul I wish in general that I may never suffer this key to Gods own treasury to rust for want of use nor to be ineffectual to the opening of the Divine bounty by my unskilfulness in turning it that neither by my unfitness for the duty miscarriage at the duty nor misbehaviour after the duty I may demean my self unworthy of so great a favour so high an honor and so good a Master In particular I wish that I may at least morning and evening before I enter upon this ordinance The antecedents to prayer 1. Meditation Of sins whether in my closet or family make a privy search for those Barabasses which have moved sedition in my soul and murthered my dearest Saviour and that I may have such a sight of them all in their horrid nature and bloody colour that I may arraign them at the Tribunal of God with confusion of face and contrition of heart and may with all possible ardency plead for their execution Of wants I wish that my necessities may ever be in my memory that as the sick childe I may point readily to the place of my pain when ever I go to make my moan to my heavenly Father and that affected with the weight and importance of them I praying feelingly may pray the more fervently I wish that the many and weighty mercies which I unworthy Wretch enjoy Of mercies may be written so firmly in my minde and presented to me before prayer in the various and lively colours of their freeness fulness and seasonableness that I may never steal the custom of thanks from my God which is all he desires for those rich and full vessels which he sendeth me in every day but may pay him this impost of Praise and Glory with all uprightness and alacrity I wish that my Graces may never be like Jonah Quickning of grace asleep when I am to call upon my God but as the Heavenly Host they may be moving in their several places and fighting in their courses against my spiritual Enemies O that like holy Bradford I might never leave confession without sorrow for sin petition without some sense of the worth of mercies nor thanksgiving Laying asâ—â—â— what may hinde prâ—yâ—â— without some solace and joy in God the Author and Fountain of all my happiness I wish that I may draw nigh to God with a pure conscience and before I go to desire the lovely portion of his friends All sin in general give a bill of divorce to all my lusts and at least banish from the bed of my heart those enemies of his which would not have him to reign over me I wish that I may never desire mercy at his hands with the least degree of malice in my heart Anger but may love as Saints because they are Christs seed so sinners and them that hate me for Christs sake and as a special medicine against that poison whatsoever friend I should forget in my prayers I wish I may resolve before hand to remember in particular my Enemies to beg of God that he would pardon sanctifie and save them I wish that my affections may not as Sauls person Worldly thoughts be hid among the stuff of Worldly affairs when I should be busie about the concernment of an eternal crown but that I may leave those servants always at the door behind while I go in to speak to the King of Nations Concomitants of prayer and may all the time of the duty serve and seek the Lord my God without distraction I wish that I may be specially careful to look up to the Master of requests Person must be justified the Lord Jesus Christ First for the justification of my person and then for the acceptation of my prayer and that I may be so enabled with the hand of faith to put on the glorious robes of his perfect righteousness that neither the nakedness
will it be for me to finde death about the lips of Christ to fall into Hell with a stumble at the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven How exceedingly am I concerned to set my heart to all the words which I shall hear this day for it is not a vain thing but it is for my life Deut. 32.46 47. Urge thy soul in earnest with these particulars As Elisha stretching himself upon the young dead child at last got life and quickning into it so thou forcing and stretching as it were these things upon thy heart mayst quicken it how dull and dead soever it is Thirdly if thou wouldst prepare thy self for the Word entreat God to bless it to thee The operations of the Spirit must accompany the administration of the Word or it will be ineffectual It is the Spirit that quickneth John 6.63 The fire burneth naturally and the water cooleth naturally but if the fire of the Word ever burn up thy corruptions or the water of the Word refresh thee with real consolations it must not be by its own nature but by a Divine power If thine eye be opened by that eye-salve of Scripture to see Christ in his native beauty or thy self in thy natural deformity God must anoint thine eyes therewith therefore David beggeth this favour at Gods hand Open mine eyes that I may see wonderful things out of thy Law Psal 119.18 As good sight as David had he could not read in Gods Law without Gods light If the door of thine heart be opened by this key to give admission to the King of Glory Gods hand must turn the key The Lord opened the heart of Lydia that she attended to the words of Paul Acts 16. Paul might have preached his heart out before Lydia's heart would have opened to let the Word in if God had not undertaken the work If the Sword of the Word pierce thy soul hack and hew and slay thy most beloved sins those enemies within thee which would not have Christ to reign over thee the arm of the Lord must weild it The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God 2 Cor. 10.4 Surely that voice of Thunder must come from Heaven which can pluck up the strong trees of thy natural unbelief and senslessness and pull down the high Towers of pride and self If the Word which is called a Seal Rom. 6.17 ever imprint thy Saviours Image on thee to thy Regeneration God must adde weight to the Seal or it will make no stamp He hath of his own will begotten you by the Word of Truth James 1.21 He that made the Watch can make it strike right and he that made the Word can make it strike home even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow Hebr. 4.12 If the Word which is called life John 6.63 quicken thee to thine eternal Salvation God must breathe on thy dry bones and bid thee live I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ which is the power of God to salvation Rom. 1.16 It was the Angels troubling the waters which made the Pool of Bethesda medicinal to the diseased people And it is not the water of the Word which can heal thy soul-sicknesses unless the Angel of the Covenant work in it and with it Elijahs mantle could not divide the waters of Jordan but the Lord God of Elijah did it The Preacher may shew thee thy Lesson but God onely can help thee to learn it Reader before thou hearest Remember it is Gods prerogative to open thine ear Mine ear hast thou boared Psal 40.6 There is a thick film in thine ears naturally which hindreth thine hearing thine ears are stopt that Sermons can have no passage Now God alone can with his Seringer dissolve the wax congealed there and break through the skin whereby thou mayest come to hear and live Remember that the seeing eye and the hearing ear the Lord hath made them both Prov. 20.12 Therefore intreat him to open thine eyes that thou mayst see his comely face in the Glass of the word and to open thine ears that thou mayst hear his lovely voice in the word and to open thine heart that thou mayst receive grace from him through the word Say as David Shew me thy way O Lord teach me thy paths Make me to understand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous works Psa 25.4 Psa 119.27 And be not discouraged either at the misteriousness of the word or at thine own dulness for he that made the lock can help thee to a key that will fit all its wards But be sure thou forget not to commend thy Minister to God As thy duty is to beg a door of entrance for thy self so a door of utterance for thy Pastor Withall praying for us that God would open to us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ Col. 4.3 Ephes 6.19 Thy profit by him will be not a little furthered by thy prayer for him He that loves his child will often remember the Nurse that feeds it He that loves his precious soul will often mind the Preacher that prepareth and bringeth its spiritual portion I have known some to praise their Cooks highly when they would prevail with them to dress a Dish curiously for their palates I am sure thy way is to pray for thy Pastor fervently if thou wouldst have him provide such food as may be for thy souls pleasure and profit Starve the Mother and you starve the child in her womb If the Heavens do not favour the Hils with shours they cannot fatten the Valleys with their chalky streams If the Pipes be broke which convey water to our houses from the River we can expect no supply 4. Let thine end in going to hear be to please God and profit thy soul Propound a good endin hearing if thou wouldst have a good end of hearing Some go to Church for nothing like the Athenians the greatest part knew not wherefore they were met together Act. 17. They have as much as they come for They come for nothing and they often go away with nothing Others go to carp and catch at the Preacher as the Herodians went to Christ to entangle him in his talk Mat. 22.15 These go not to hear Gods word but to do the Devils work and he will pay them their wages These flie to the carcass not to defend it but to devour it A third sort go to hear wit and parts neat expressions and an affecting graceful pronounciation like the Jews to hear Ezekiel Lo thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument Ezek. 33.32 These go to hear man not to hear God They hear out of curiositie not out of conscience they desire to have their ears tickled
puddle water Reflect on them thy self and compare them with the Law of God and thou wilt find cause to pray over thy prayers to weep over thy tears to be ashamed of thy shame and to abhor thy self for thy self abhorrency Do not think with thy self I have examined my heart faithfully and find that I do not come short of the grace of God I have acknowledged mine iniquities and been sorrowful for my sins and therefore I cannot miscarry at this Sacrament Such a trusting of thy self would be a tempting of thy Saviour and would certainly hinder the success of the Sacrament It would be to thee as the cutting off Sampsons locks was to him Judg 16.20 He thought to have gone forth as at other times and shake himself And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him Thou mayest think after such self-confidence to go to the Lords Supper as at other times but alas what wilt thou do for the Lord will depart from thee and then what sport will Satan and sin those uncircumcised ones make with thee Reader let me perswade thee when thou hast been diligent in the trial of thy spiritual estate and hast with many tears bewailed the pollution of thy nature and transgressions of thy life to cast thy self wholly upon Jesus Christ for assistance in the duty As Jehosaphat when he had 50000. men ready Armed for the battel cryed out O Lord our God we have no might against this great company 2 Chron. 20.6 neither know we what to do but our eyes are unto thee So after thou hast made the greatest preparation possible as beleiving the weight and worth of the supper the purity and Majesty of the Master of the Feast do thou look up to Christ and say Lord I have no ability no might for this great supper for a right performance of this great ordinance neither know I what to do but my eys are unto thee When Asa had an Army of two hundredand fourscore thousand men of valour to fight with the Ethiophians he prayeth and trusteth to God as if he had not one man Lord it is nothing for thee to help whether with many or with them that have no power Help us O Lord God for we rest on thee 2 Chron. 8 1. and in thy name we go against this great multitude So do thou say Lord I have no power for this holy Supper help me O Lord my God for I rest on thee and in thy name I go to this great and weighty Ordinance Truely couldst thou after all the provision thou hast made disclaim it wholly in regard of dependance and cast thy self on Christ for assistance I durst be the Prophet to foretel a good day The gaudy flower which standeth upon its own stalk doth quickly wither when the plain Ivy that depends upon the house and leans on it is fresh and green all the year He that trusteth to his own legs in this duty is as sure to fall as if he were down already the weak child walketh safest that all the way holdeth by and hangeth upon its parent If thou wert now going to receive be advised to write after Davids Copy He looked up to God both for assistance and acceptance I will go in the strength of the Lord I will make mention of thy righteousness yea of thine onely Psa 71.16 Let thy practice be sutable to his when thou goest out of thy house And let thy prayer be the same with the Spouses when thou art entring into Gods house O then look up to heaven and cry mightily Awake thou Northwind and come O South blow upon my Garden that the Spices thereof may flow out Let my beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruits Cant. 4. ult CHAP. XIX How a Christian may exercise himself to godliness at the Table I Come to the second particular about the Lords Supper Secondly and that is thy behaviour at the Table or in the time of receiving In reference to which I would advise thee 1. To mind the sutable subjects which are to be considered at it 2. To observe the special graces which are to be exercised in it There are three principal subjects of meditation when thou approachest the Table in order to the three graces which must then be acted The Subjects of meditation are Christs passion his affection and thy own corruptions The three graces are Faith Love and godly sorrow Christs death is sure footing for Faith Paul never desired better 1 Cor. 2.2 it is not onely an elect and precious but a tried stone and a sure foundation on which whosoever beleiveth shall never be confounded Isa 28.16 Faith picks excellent food from this heavenly carkass The love of Christ displayed in his death causeth and calleth forth the love of a Christian Faith bringeth the soul that is like a dead coal near to the live coals of Gods burning love in giving his onely Son and Christs burning love in giving himself and by these it is turned into fire all in a flame of love as the Eccho answereth the voice it returneth the love it receiveth Our own sins meditated on stit up the third grace which is godly sorrow Though indeed this liquor will run from any of the three Vessels if they be but peirced When Christ hung upon the Cross under the weight of Gods wrath water came out of his sides as well as blood Who can think of his sufferings without sorrow and of his blood without tears His love in its heat may well thaw the most frozen spirit but sin the cause of his sufferings will like a knife cut and prick to the heart indeed but First I begin with the subjects of meditation and among them in the first place with the passion of Christ First Meditate now on the suffering of thy Saviour the wound of Christ out of which came precious balsom to heal all thy sinful sores ought never to be forgotten but the remembrance of them is never so seasonable as at a Sacrament One end of the institution of this Ordinance was the commemoration of Christs death As oft as ye eat this brrad and drink this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till he come 1 Cor. 11.26 27. The Sacrament is a lively crucifix wherein Jesus Christ is evidently set forth crucified before thine eyes When thou seest the bread and wine consecrated and set apart consider how God the Father did from eternity set a part his onely Son for his bloody passion and thy blessed redemption Consider he was a Lamb slain before the foundation of the World When thou seest the bread and wine upon the Table consider that as the Corn was ground in the Mill to make that bread and the grapes squezed to make that wine so thy Saviour was beaten in the Mill and Wine-press of his Fathers wrath before he could be meat indeed and drink indeed to nourish thee unto life everlasting When thou seest the bread broken
through with the burden of instructing my children Though others nurse children for the love of wages let me nurse mine for the wages of love Let all my actions towards them flow from sincere affection to them and not onely my counsel and comforts but even my rod of reproof like Jonathans be dipt in this hony When I am rebuking them cuttingly and frighting them from sin with the fear of the unquenchable fire let all my bitter pils be given in this sweet syrrup of love that they may know and acknowledge my greatest anger against their sins to proceed from a tender respect and love to their immortal souls I wish that being a sworn Souldier of the Lord of Hosts Full of courage whatsoever trials and tribulations I meet with in my holy warfare whatsoever dangers and death shall look me in the face I may never flye from my colours or forsake my Captain but endure hardshipas a good Souldier of Jesus Christ When I first listed my self in his Muster-Roll I understood the greivous hardships and various hazards which all his Army but especially his Officers must encounter with that to Preach the Gospel is as Luther saith to draw the hatred of the whole World upon a man yea that Earth and Hell would both conspire and plant their strongest batteries against the Bulworks of the Church under God the Ministers of the word notwithstanding all which I entred my name as a Volunteer and promised to live and dye in his quarrel and shall I now because the enemies appear numerous and the Bullets flye thick like Peter deny my righteous cause and disown my glorious Captain Lord let me dye with thee rather then deny thee Enable me through thy strength to be ready not onely to be bound but to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus My onely safety consisteth in keeping close to my Saviour Should I through cowardliness run away I must expect Marshal law If any man draw back thy soul will have no pleasure in him If I like Jonah should run from thy presence as unwilling to deliver an unwelcome message I must expect a storm to follow after me and either the waves to swallow me up or the Whale to swallow me down I should but go out of thy blessing into the warm Sun If the service of my God be not in all respects the best why did I chuse and like it If it be why should I refuse and leave it My cause is good I fight against sin and Satan the desperate and bloody enemies of my soul My Crown is better after a a temporal conflict followeth an eternal Crown of glory O my soul be thou faithful unto death and thou shalt have a Crown of life but my Captain is best of all he looketh upon me goeth before me fighteth for me and as he leadeth me on to this tryal so he will not like the Devil and the World who leave their servants and Lovers in the lurch but bring me off with triumph either safe on earth or safe to heaven Lord whatsoever dirt of calumny shall be thrown in my face whatsoever dart of cruelty shall be stuck in my body Act. 20.22 for keeping the word of thy patience in an hour of temptation yet let none of these things move me neither let me count my life dear unto me so that I may finish my course with joy and the Ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie the grace of God As to the preaching of the Gospel The several duties of a Minister 1. To preach the Gospel which is the principal work of the Minister as being the main Engine in the hand of God wherewith he undermineth and overturneth the strong-holds of sin and the Kingdom of darkness I wish that I may prepare for this work diligently ever handle this weapon warily deliver the message of my God soberly as may be most for his glory and my peoples good not with the enticing words of mans wisdom but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power To this end I desire His Sermons must be the fruits of servent prayer that all my Sermons may be like Monica's son children of many prayers and tears and thereby the more unlikely to perish Luther saith He that prayeth hard studieth hard Lord let all my Sermons as dew be Heaven-born that they may drop down upon my people like rain upon the mown grass Let prayer be the key to open the mysteries of Christ to me and let prayer be the turning of the key to lock them up safe within me Let prayer open and shut all my Books form and write begin and conclude every Sermon Ah how should he pray both for his preaching and before he preacheth who by every Sermon preacheth his beloved Neighbours into Eternal burnings or Eternal pleasures I wish also for the furtherance of the former ends Preached over first to his own soui That I may preach over every Sermon to my own heart before I preach them to my hearers That I preaching feelingly may preach the more effectually and the milk of the Word coming warm out of the Mothers breasts may be as more natural so more pleasing and nourishing to the children Why should I like a Lawyer plead the cause of my God for my fees and 〈…〉 have my own person concerned in it O let 〈◊〉 rather as a Physician drink of those potions my self which I prescribe and administer to my Patients I desire He must preach the Word 1. Purely That I may never dare to play the Huckster with the Word of God to sophisticate or adulterate it by my additions to it but that I may receive from the Lord what I deliver to men and feed all my charge with the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby If it be Treason to counterfeit the Kings Coyn what High Treason is it for me to imprint the King of Kings stamp on my brass Money O that as I am an Ambassador I might keep close to my Instructions and as a Builder may lay every stone in his Temple by the line and rule of his Word and as a Physician may never try experiments upon the souls of my people but hold fast to the form of wholesome words and ever prescribe those tryed and approved receits which the Great Physician hath left me under his own hand Because my work is to touch and pierce my hearers hearts 2 〈◊〉 and not to tickle and please their ears I wish That I may preach a crucified Saviour in a crucified stile That I may not blow up my Sermons as Butchers some joynts of meat to make them shew fairer with a windy pomp of words but by using all plainness and stooping to the lowest capacity may become all things to all men that I may save some I am a Barbarian to my people whilest I preach to them in an unknown language I starve their souls whilest
I give them such meat as they can never digest Let me not read Authors as the Butter-fly goeth to flowers onely to gild her wings but as the Bee to gather honey and bring it home to the hive for the supply of her young Lord let me never be guilty by painting the windows of hindring the light of thy glorious Gospel from shining powerfully into the hearts of men and women My prayer is 3 Prudently That I may not strengthen the hands of sinners nor sadden the hearts of the godly but be able to distinguish between the vile and the precious and accordingly give them their several portions That I may give milk to babes and strong meat to stronger men order my prescriptions suitable to their particular constitutions use the needle of the Law to make way for the thread of the Gospel and lead my sheep as Jacob drove his flock as they were able to bear it and as Christ taught his as they were best able to hear him 4 Powerfully O that I might not onely preach prudently but also powerfully That my Sermons may be delivered not as Prologues to a Play as matter of sport or pastime but as the Message of an Herauld with all imaginable seriousness and fervency as containing Conditions of Life and Death The Word is an hammer but it will never break the stony heart if lightly laid on What is preached coldly is heard carelesly Lord let me not like the Moon give some light without any heat but cause me to lift up my voyce like a Trumpet to give as fire heat as well as light to be eaten up with the zeal of thine House to beseech poor souls to be happy with as much fervency as if I were begging for my life and to preach so successfully that I may raise up much spiritual seed to my Elder Brother I wish 2 To pray for his people That all my Parishoners without exception may have so deep a share in my affection upon a Religious account that without ceasing I may make mention of them always in my prayers That my hearts desire and prayer to God both in secret private and publique for poor and rich may be that they may be saved O let me daily offer Sacrifice for them confess their iniquities bewail their misery and cry mightily to God for mercy Lord let me prevail with thy Majestie to speak to their hearts and I shall prevail with them to hearken to thee yea I shall stand before thee at the last day with courage and say Behold here am I and the children which thou hast given me Because the small keels of children are quickly overturned when they meet with the high winds of temptations 3 To cathechise as they sail along in the Sea of this World if they be not ballasted with the principles of the Oracles of God I pray That I may be a diligent Instructer of babes and a faithful Teacher of the simple That I may season through Gods help those new vessels with the precious water of life that they may retain their savour to their old age That the younger amongst my people may from their childehood know the holy Scriptures be wise to salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus I wish 4 To administer the Saments That in the Administration of the Sacraments I may have an impartial regard to the fitness and meetness of the subjects lest I set those precious Seals of the Covenant of Grace to blanks whereby they should signifie nothing especially that about the Lords Supper as I would not be partaker of other mens sin nor be an instrument of furthering their eternal suffering I may be tender and walk altogether by the rule of Scripture O let me never pollute that Sacred Ordinance by giving it to prophane persons nor be so prodigal of my dearest Saviours blood and body as to give those holy things to Dogs and to cast those Pearls before Swine who will trample them under their feet Ah it is much better that such scandalous sinners should be angry with me on earth for my wholesome severity then curse me for ever in Hell for my foolish pity and soul-damning flattery I wish That like a faithful Shepherd 5 To visit his flock and to admonish advise and comfort as occasion shall be I may often visit my flock and warn every one night and day with tears and not as a careless non-Resident expose them to the rage and cruelty of the devouring Wolf by my absence from them or by my negligence when present among them lest another day when it s too late they cry to me and complain of me Sir if thou hadst been here our Souls had not dyed The Priest under the Law visited the suspected or leprous houses enquired how it was with them and as he found it so gave sentence O that I might under the Gospel visit diseased hearts and diligently enquire how things stand betwixt the great God and their poor souls and give them suitable savoury and profitable advice Though I therefore desire a great Auditory because among many Fish there is the greater probability that the baits of the Gospel will take and catch some yet therefore I should desire a small Parish because thereby I am in the greater capacity to deal with every one in it in particular about the concernments of their everlasting peace Lord let thy strict Command frequently come into my minde I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and dead at his appearing and his Kingdom Preach the Word be instant in season and out of season Reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine 2 Tim. 4.1 2. I wish 6 To give a good example in his conversation That I may be as the Baptist both a Burning Light in my Sermons and a Shining Light in my Conversation lest my works give the lye to my words Whilst I as Mercury direct others in the right way but walk not in it my self The Priests under the Law had their Vrim and Thummim signifying purity of Doctrine and sanctity of life a bell and a pomgranate a Bell and a pomgranate typifying that Preaching and practice must go together O that I might preach as powerfully by my life as by my lips and like a faithful nurse avoid the scandals of distempers and even forbear those meats which I love though lawful in themselves when not expedient not onely for my own sake but also for their sakes to whom I give suck Nazianzen saith of him that was the voyce of one crying in the Wilderness That he was all voice a voice in his habit a voice in his diet a voice in his conversation 2 Titus 7. Lord enable me in all things so to shew my self a pattern of good works to my people 1 Tim. 4.12 to be such an example to beleivers in word in conversation in charity in
times a day At six in the morning eight at night and before dinner and Supper in his Chappel David returned to bless his house 2 Sam. 6.21 that is say Expositors to bless God with his Family and to beg Gods blessing on his family He ster prayed and fasted with her Maidens Hest 4.16 The holy Ghost enjoyneth Husband and wife to dwell together as fellow-heirs of the grace of life that their prayers be not hindered 1 Pet. 3.7 Our blessed Saviour is to be our pattern now he prayed with his family of Disciples And it came to pass as he was alone praying his Disciples were with him Luk. 9.18 He was alone not secretly to exclude all society but privately to include onely his own family Our Houses are Gods Houses and in Gods House there must every day be morning and evening Sacrifice I will that men pray every where surely then in private as well as in secret and in publique 1 Tim. 2.8 Families need direction in the day and protection in the night and truely either of them is worth a prayer Thy family sins must be pardoned thy family wants must be supplied and if they do not deserve a prayer they deserve nothing Horses kneel before they lye down at night and when they rise up in the morning and shall thy house be worse then a stable of beasts They that will not beg family supplies and blesse God for family mercies may well be branded for ungodly and ungrateful wrethces Prayer and prayse are like the double motion of the lungs what we suck in by petition we breath out in thanksgiving and without this Religion cannot live in a family What dangers are thy family liable to every day and without prayer thou hast no guide no guard Origen going once to comfort a Martyr was himself apprehended and constrained either to have his body abused by a Blackamore or to offer to the Idol which latter he did but bewailing it saith I went out that morning without prayer which I know was the cause of that evil It s said of the Egyptians that there was a great cry at midnight for in every house there was one dead Reader are there not dead souls in thy family Children and servants dead in sins and trespasses and shall there be no cry no complaining to God there I must tell thee thy house is worse then a Pest-house for thou hast infected and dangerously diseased souls in it and not so much as Lord have mercy upon us written on thy door Heathens and families without prayer are fitly joyned together Jerem. 10. ult The truth is such persons are English in their language but Indian in their Athiestical carriage They feed and cloath their bodies like English men but they starve and go naked in their souls like Indians Onely herein they differ that they cannot be prayerless in their Houses at so cheap a rate but must expect an hotter Hell because they sin against a clearer light Many families are the picture of Hell one may hear twenty Oaths for one prayer the Master will often curse but seldom or never bless his family he loveth cursing so it will come to him and as he delighted not in blessing so it will be far from him Do not say thou canst not pray Had the father of spirits ever any dumb children Every begger at thy door who is pinched with hunger will tell thee that sence of misery will teach thee to be earnest for mercy If thou wert condemned to be hanged thou wouldst not want words to pâ—en for a pardon Surely eternal death to which thou art liable is far more lamentable and if ever God make thee sensible of it which must be done or thou art lost for ever thou will quickly follow him with prayers and tears for grace and life Thy affections in prayer if right will abundantly make up thy want of expressions A sanctified Heart is better then a silver Tongue Though thou hast not the gift of prayer yet if if thou canst act grace in prayer all will be well Pray much in secret and thou wilt quickly learn to pray well in private Use at any Trade will make me prompt and perfect Rather use a form out of a Book then omit the duty They who cannot dress their meat themselves must be beholden to their Neighbours to do it for them Set upon it presently it is thy honor thy priviledge and use crutches till thou art able to go alone onely do not content thy self with them Alas who ever was proud of stilts but labour to gain knowledge in spiritual things by reading secret praying and conference that thou mayest throw them away 2. The Word of God must be read in thy Family and thy Houshold instructed there As by prayer thy duty is to acquaint God with thy family-wants so by reading some portion of Scripture daily thy duty is to acquaint thy family with Gods will An house without light is in a dreadful lamentable condition Thy houshold without the Word sit in darkness and thereby in the shadow of death The Commandment is a lamp and the Law is Light Prov. 6.23 Alas how can thy servants or children do their heavenly Masters and Fathers work when they are wholly ignorant of his will The weeds of sin grow of themselves but the ground must be ploughed and sown and harrowed and watered before good Corn will spring up God expecteth that thou shouldst be both a Priest to offer up Sacrifice for and a Prophet to instruct and teach thy Family A good House-keeper is like that Nobleman who had for his impress two boundles of ripe Millet with this Motto Servare servari meum est for the nature of Millet is say some to guard it self from corruption and that which lieth nearest to it The Word of God and holy instructions to a Family are as salt which is helpful against putrifaction Mat. 5. Ye are the salt of the earth Masters must be sure to have salt in themselves and for their families It s said that the Hammanients in Cyrene made their houses of salt hewn out of their hills in maner of stone Hierom counselled Leta Let thy children daily give thee some account of some choice flowers gathered out of thy Bible Teach thy children to remember their creatour in the days of their youths It is too late to season flesh when it crawleth with wormes Do it therefore betimes Bishop Rider read and expounded the Psalm 101. which treateth the good Government of Families often to his houshould and hired them with mony to learn it Abraham had letters testimonial from Heaven of his sincerity and the favour to be trusted with Arcana imperii Gods secrets because of his faithfulness in this particular And the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham the things which I do For I know him that he will command his Children and his House hold after him and they shall keep the Way of the Lord Gen. 18.17
will bring the plague along with them One scabbed sheep may wrong the whole flock one putrid grape corrupt a cluster a little Leaven Leaveneth the whole lump Lord in the choyce of inhabitants for my house let my eye be not onely upon my own welfare and their fitness for my work but chiefly on thy glory and their willingness to work the work of him that sent them into the World Ioh. 9.4 Psa 26.4 5. and 119. Let me hate the congregation of evil doers Let me not sitwith vain persons Let mine eyes be upon the faithful in the Land Let them that fear thee turn unto me and such as keep thy righteous judgements Let me dwell with them here on earth with whom I shall dwell hereafter in the house not made with hands but eternal in the Heavens I wish that that there may be a Church in my house and all the persons in it 2 Mind holy performances in thy Family both Morning and Evening at least imploved in those holy performances which my God requireth My house should be a resemblance of Heaven Above in his greatest and most glorious house my God is served without ceasing and without sinning O that though in his lower and lesser house natural and civil actions cause intermission of and the body of death causeth imperfections in holy duties yet he might be worshipped both constantly and perfectly in a Gospel and Evangelical sence I have read that amongst the worst of Turks the Moors it is a just exception against any Witness by their law Prayer that he hath not prayed four times in every natural day â— Hall Contemp. I wish that none in my Familie may be worse then Turks but that both all apart may secretly and all together may privaetly offer up the Morning and Evening Sacrifice of prayer and praise to the Lord my God Daniel would pray three times a day though he were cast to the Lions for it and shall my Family neglect prayer when the Omission of it will make them a prey to roaring Lions It is the honour and happiness of my house to exalt the Worship of my God in it his Service is the greatest freedom his work is a reward to it self why should we be our own enemies in banishing our best friends out of our family The mercies of my God are renewed upon me and mine every Morning his care and love is continued to us all the day long the dews and showrs of his compassion fall down upon us every Evening shall we be forgetful of him who is every moment so mindful of us O let my Family never be so void of grace and manners as not to bid our God Good-Morrow and Good-Night upon any pretence whatsoever I wish that the word of Christ may dwell richly in my heart and house Scripture instruction and Catechising that my whole familie may have their set meales every day of this Spiritual food How can I expect that Children or Servants who know not the God of their Fathers should serve him with perfect hearts Alas how often are their ignorant hearts like dark Cellers abounding in vermine full of sin 1 Cron. 28.9 O that I might so talk of the Word of God in my house Deut. 6.7 8. when I lye down and when I rise up that it may be written upon the Posts of my House and on my Gates that I may so often water the young plants in it that their first acquaintance may be acquaintance with God and from their childhood they may know the holy Scriptures and be wise to Salvation through faith which in Christ Jesus Though others care be to instruct their Servants onely in their own work let my care be to instruct mine in Gods Will and Word Though others labour to leave their children rich let my endeavour be to leave mine religious Lord enable me so to teach them thy Trade in their youth that they may not depart from it when they are old Prov. 22.6 that their young years well led may be like the Sweetness of a Rose whose swell remaineth in the dried leaves I wish That all the voyces in my house may tuneably sing Gods praises Singing Psalms yet that they may not like Trumpets and Pipes make a sound being filled onely with winde but have hearts fixed and prepared when they sing and give praise O that all the Viols in my house may be so in tune and their strokes so true that singing with grace in our hearts we may make melody to the Lord. Drunkards have their Songs in derision of them that are good Atheists have their Sonnets in dishonor of the blessed God Why should not the voyce of joy and rejoycing be in the Tabernacle of the righteous Psal 118.15 Though my house is a Tabernacle and all the inhabitants in it Travellers yet our work is pleasant O let us go merrily on and make Gods Statutes our Songs in this house of our pilgrimage Because my pattern of evil will do more hurt to my family 3 Set them a good example then my precepts can do good servants and children being apt to be led more by the eye then the ear I wish That I may take heed to my self weigh and watch over all my words and works not onely for my own but also for the sake of them that are committed to my charge Distillations from the head often consume and destroy the vitals My family is like a flock of sheep if the first leap through into a ditch or river the rest are ready to follow O that I might therefore be wary in all my ways and be so serious in Spiritual so sober in Natural actions so righteous towards men so religious towards my God so faithful in every relation and so holy and heavenly in every condition that I may have cause to say to my children and servants as Gideon to his Souldiers Look on me and do likewise Judg. 7.17 I wish 4 See that thy family sanctifie the Lords Day That my house may not onely spend some part of every Week day but also the whole Sabbath day in the service of my God It is a special priviledge granted me by the Lord for my families profit wherein I may be singularly helpful to my own and my housholds everlasting happiness O that not the least part of it may be lost or prophaned by any within my gate either by worldly labour pastimes or idleness but that I may be so mindeful of my charge as to take care that my children and servants do forbear what my God forbiddeth and spend that Sacred Day altogether in Sacred Duties To which purpose I desire That all my houshold both males and females if of capacity may appear before the Lord in publique and in his Temple give him praise and that in private I may whet the Word on them as the mower doth his sithe by going over it again and again according
Families page 523 Mind Religious duties in their Families page 529 Prayer must be in Families page 530 The Scriptures must be read in Families page 533 Psalmes must be sung in Families page 536 Governours of Families must give a good pattern page 538 All in a Family must be imployed page 549 The Governour of a Family must take care that his whole Family sanctifie the Lords day page 542 He must set up Discipline in his Family page 545 He must maintain love in his Family page 553 Godly Fear requisite in holy duties page 120 Fervency requisite in Prayer page 172 G THe things of God are the things of the greatest weight page 53 Godliness taken two ways page 8 9 Godliness Vide Religion Godly men meet with much opposition in the way to heaven page 65 Godliness must be our principal business page 94 95 In every part of our lives page 102 103 H A Good Harvest Gods gift page 485 486 It is our duty to Hear the word page 200 Evil Frames hinder us in Hearing page 205 Prejudice against the Preacher must be laid aside by them that would profit by Hearing page 206 to 211 The Heart must be affected with the weight efficacy and excellency of the word which we Hear page 212 Prayer requisite before hearing page 216 Right ends in Hearing to be minded page 221 False ends in hearing to be avoided page 220 Worldly thoughts hinder our Hearing page 221 222 We must hear as in Gods presence page 223 We must pray after we have Heard Vide the Word God looks much after our Hearts page 17 170 Heaven not to be obtained without diligence labour page 60 to 65 Humility required in prayer page 167 168 I IDolaters are zealous and prodigal page 418 419 Idleness the evils of it page 552 Intemperance a great sin page 417 The mischeifs of Intemperance page 418 419 Joy in God seasonable on a Lords day page 364 L LOrds day of divine institution page 337 338 God takes special notice how we keep the Lords day page 339 Preparation needful for a Lords day page 342 Wherein preparation to a Lords day consisteth page 343 to 346 Lords day a great priviledge page 348 Lords day a spicial season to get and increase grace in page 353 Publique Ordonances chiefly to be minded on the Lords day page 356 to 362 The whole Lords day to be sanctified page 372 Brief Directions for the Sanctification of the whole Lords day page 381 to 391 A good Wish about the sanctification of the Lords day page 391 A good Wish to the Lords day page 396 Lords day Vide Families and Meditation Love of Christ Vide Christs Love to Christians tried page 273 Love a help to Godliness page 553 M. MAn created for Religion Vide Epistles and page 39 Good Counsel about Marriage page 425 Meekness requisite in a Wife page 562 Meditation needful before prayer page 138 Meditation a duty on a Lords day page 377 Ministers must be godly page 6 and 498 A Minister must be industrious page 6 7. 502 People must pray for their Minister page 219 220 Ministers must act from right principles and for right ends page 499 500 Ministers must be able 501. Compassionate 504. Faithful 501 Full of courage 505. Ministers must Preach plainly purely prudently and powerfully page 507 to 510 Ministers must pray for their people page 510 Administer Sacraments 511. Chatechise 510. Visit people page 512 Ministers must be exceeding tende what example they give their people ib. Ministers must not be discouraged if their labours be not successful page 513 Ministers must give the glory of their success to God page 514 N HOw a Christian in Natural Actions may make Religion his business page 400 A good wish about Natural Actions page 441 O OBedience required page 322 341 Obedience must be in heart and life page 17 18 Obedience must be Canonical page 19 Ordinances their ends and use page 130 131 Ordinances Vide duties and Lords day P GOd hath an extrodinary respect for a Penitent soul page 277 278 Perseverance required page 35 Perseverance in prayer page 189 Pleasures Vide Recreations The excellency of Prayer page 137 138 The Prevalency of Prayer page 141 142 Prayer hath a twofold Preheminence above all other duties page 138 The Nature of Prayer page 140 The Antecedents to Prayer page 147 Meditation an help to Prayer page 148 Meditation of our sins wants and miseries needful before Prayer page 149 to 155 Meditation of God helpful to Prayer page 155 Quickening and stirring up of grace needful to Prayer page 157 Sin hindreth Prayer page 159 160 Anger hindreth Prayer page 161 Worldly Distractions hinder Prayer page 162 Gods Word must be the rule for the matter of our Prayers page 163 The Person Praying must be holy page 165 Prayer must be Vpright 170. Humble 167. Fervent 172 Constant page 178 What it is to Pray Continually page 180 A Caution about fervency in Prayer page 176 Its an ill sign to be Prayerless page 184 185 After Prayer wait for an Answer page 186 Means must be used for the obtaining our Prayers page 191 Preparation to Religious duties needful page 343 Preparation to Hearing Vide Hearing Preparation to the Lords day Vide Lords day R REcreations are lawful 446. they must not be our occupation 450 they must be used for good ends 454. In due season page 456 Recreations are unseasonable on a Lords day page 457 458 and in times of the Churches sufferings page 461 A good wish about Recreations page 462 Religion must be our business page 10 What Religion is page 13 14 The several derivations of the word Religion page 13 What it is to make it ones business 21. It implieth to give it precedency 22. To pursue it with industry 26. To persevere with constancy page 35 Why Religion must be made our business page 39 Religion is the end of mans creation page 40 Religion is a work of the greatest weight 45 to 49. It is Soul-work 49. It is God-work 52. It is Eternity-work page 57 The necessity of making Religion our business page 60 to 70 Religion much neglected page 72 The neglect of Religion bewailed page 73 79 Our greatest care must be about Religious duties page 108 Vide Godliness and Duties Repentance consisteth in mourning for sin and turning from sin page 276 280 S SAints called Lillies why page 268 Saints shamed by sinners page 88 89 92 93 Scripture a great mercy page 198 Vide Hearing and the Word Sacrament of the Lords Supper a seal of the Covenant page 251 The Sacrament a resemblance of Christs death 252. An evidence of his love 253. A great Supper in four respects page 253. The excellency of the Sacrament page 255 Much care about the Supper page 255 256 The danger of receiving the Supper unworthily page 256 to 262 Christ takes notice how men prepare for the Sacrament page 257 Preparation requisite before it 264 265. Wherein preparation for it consisteth page 266 to 279 Our dependance must be on Christ for assistance after our greatest preparation for the Sacrament page 282 Subjects to be meditated on at a Sacrament 285. Christs sufferings 286 to 293. Christs love 293 to 300. Our own sins ib. Graces to be exercised at the Sacrament 300. Faith in its threefold act 303 to 310. Love 312. Repentance page 315 What a Christian should do after a Sacrament page 319 320 Men to be very careful in the choice of Servants page 526 527 Sinners very zealous for sin page 87 88 89 Sobriety vide Temperance Sleep how to be ordered page 437. Its ends 440. Quantity page 437 Season page 439 Soul-work weighty page 49 The welfare of the body dependeth on the Soul page 51 The Souls excellency page 50 T. TEmperance commended page 416 Vide Natural Actions and Eating Thankfulness enjoyned 413 415. For the Word 236. For the Sacrament page 319 U. VNgodliness brancheth it self into Atheism and superstition page 1 2 Uprightness acceptable to God page 171 Unthankfulness page 408 W GOod Counsel about the Choice of a Wife page 525 526 Word why called the grace of God page 203 Gods power alone can make the Word effectual page 217 218 When the Word cometh with power then it profiteth page 229 Its woful to live under the Word and not to be changed by it page 231 We must bless God for his Word page 237 The Word must be obeyed page 240 241 242 Word Vide Hearing Worldlings eager for the World page 74 to 78 Our Worship of God must be inward and outward page 14 to 19 Man made for the Worship of God Vide Man God is very choice in his Worship page 109 110 Gods Worship must be according to his Word page 19 20 God alone the object of Worship page 16 Its ill to dally with Gods Worship page 112 Much Watchfulness required in the Worship of God page 113 Y YOuth Vide Family instruction FINIS