unto the ends of the world For thus only could Nebuchadnezzar be brought to this knowledge Dan. 4.33 And thus by feeling that hand of God which they refuse to see let all thine enemies be forced to acknowledge thee And thou O blessed Jesus bruise them with a Rod of Iron and break them to pieces like a Potters vessel because they have said That thou shalt not rule over them General Rules It appeareth from this that it is not the worship which God requireth which is forced from them by compulsion with an unwilling mind as that of the Israelites in the wilderness Ps 78.34 When he slew them they sought him The Rules which will shew us how to worship God acceptably are 1. That we pray read meditate and perform the like services to God from this belief That we cannot spend our time in any worldly affair so well or so much for our Profit Joy Comfort Delight and Satisfaction as in this or that duty 2. That we give our Alms with this belief that it is the best way of improvement of our wealth and therefore do it freely to such as you can never expect any return from them but from God only 3. That upon these accounts we perform our services to God with all our might These three prove our cheerfulness and willingness 4. That we perform them constantly and early 5. That we perform them invisibly to man not expecting any reward from men nor a good word 6. That we pride not our selves in our services and dispise others with a stand off I am holier than thou but count our selves unprofitable servants and desire that our very best services be cleansed purified perfumed and accepted only through the merits and mediation of Christ Jesus and confess that we can offer him nothing but that which is his own for he gives both the will and the deed that is good and puts his Spirit into us and causeth us to walk in his statutes and confess also that we have need of Christ Jesus as our High Priest to bear the iniquities of our holy things 7. That in all our services which we perform we seek principally the glory of God Thus we see that most of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer are and by thus doing we give proof that we are God's children for they seek God's glory though it be with the spoliation of their own glory as David dancing before the Ark. And the glorious Angels worship and fall down before God casting their Crowns at his feet Apoc. 4.10 8. That we faint not in our mind nor be weary but work out our salvation with fear and trembling 9. That we prepare our selves for holy duties Of Prayer THIS being the first Duty which we learn in our tender age and the first in our daily practice whether it be because that the sense of our own needs and wants driveth us to seek our supplies and succours from the omnipotent being that we thus begin the day or from the nature of man which being yet undefiled with the corruptions of ill examples followes its own Instinct and inclination and is therefore easily taught this practice or else takes it in its minority or whether it be that all do teach their infants this part of divine worship first as most necessary or that they are best capable of So it is that this is the first in order of practice and eminent for its Vertue if it be rightly performed and of most frequent use It will be therefore proper enough to begin with a Regulation of my self in this particular Which that I may do I will consider 1. The manner and circumstances And 2. The matter of prayer And 3. motives to excite my self to it The various manners of prayer are to be found in the Psalms of David And in those prayers which we read in scripture made by our blessed Saviour the Saints however it will not a little avail thee O my soul so set down those particulars which shall come to thy thoughts as well concerning the inward manner as the outward The inward is particularly expressed in Eph. 6.18 praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit Watching c. In the Spirit must be the manner for though Watching fasting and all other outward manners be had if this be wanting only it is but a lame or blind Sacrifice Because as it is said Rom. 8.26 We know not what to pray for as we ought Though we have the first fruits of the Spirit ib. v. 34. But we have help for our infirmities from the assistance of the Spirit And it maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered v. 27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God When thou art such in thy prayers to God and puttest up such petitions with intention sighing and groaning of Spirit and not extention of voice thou knowest by whose assistance it is and that thou art accepted therefore crave it of God And though thou findest disability in thy self or an indisposition because the flesh cannot keep pace with the Spirit thou wilt find the intercession of the Spirit in thy heatr unutterable be not therefore discouraged or dejected because thou canst not pray vocally for those prayers that are not expressed are as powerful with God as theirs that are well expressed when thou findest in thy self a desire to draw nigh to God do it though thou wantest words As the fire from Heaven consumed Elias Sacrifice so look up to Heaven and crave Gods assistance and thou mayest find such inlargement in the duty to put up effectual fervent prayers in the Spirit whereby thou mayst take Heaven by force our lifting up of our hearts to God moveth him to bow his ear to us And having such an Almighty Helper what need we to fear infirmities let us trust to our Succours The Spirits Asistance consists in these particulars It excites holy desires which are pleasing to God and sometimes dictates them verbally sometimes without words and expressions The Spirit of Grace causeth a Christian to beg for Spiritual blessings comforts and injoyments and to desire to long breath and pant after them uncessantly It causeth fervency of Spirit firing our affections with holy Zeal for Spiritual gifts and Graces injoyments and satisfactions helpes and improvements and keeps up those holy flames which it kindles So that it preserves us from looking back with Lots wife from drowsiness slightness in performing duties and from faintings tipified by Jacob wrestling with God it unites our hearts to God and helps us against discurrency of thoughts which naturally we are subject unto Unless we are carried on in the duty by an apprehension of Spiritual enjoyments It drives away fears and doubts which are subject to arise from guilt and supplieth us with a holy confidence and child-like desposition ingenuity and assurance and freely opens
our minds to make known our requests to him whereby we can call God Father Gal. c. 4 v. 6. because ye are Sons he hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your heart whereby ye call him Father therefore as oft as we find our Souls thus let us wrastle it out with God till we get the blessing and desir'd grace Men that want the Spirit of God have these three dispositions Slavishness Mercenariness and Sensuality They pray out of fear and in doubt of acceptance and when they have their desires their Prayers cease unless they be customary and formal Prayers and they crave but sensual things The Spirit also supplyeth a Christian with holy ends and represseth carnal ends so that in all our requests we seek the glory of God as it is sought in all the petitions in the Lords Prayer in such the largeness of our desires doth not hinder the obtaining of them but furthereth rather for he hath commanded open thy mouth wide and hath promise to fill it The larger the desires the more pleasing to God and the more like to speed for the more of the Spirit is in them There is no colour then why any should neglect this duty upon pretence of having the Spirit for the Apostles and Disciples of our Lord continued in Prayer and breaking of Bread after they had received the spirit for God is to be found met with in those ordinances as he saith he walketh in the midsts of the Golden Candlesticks And the Spirit is to be sought in these for the best of Saints have need of seeking it in a greater measure and for continual supplies and watering every moment which they obtain in and by their communion with God in this duty But the more we have of the Spirit the more we ought to be conversant in this Duty because we are furnished with ability and for not using our Talents they may be taken away and by using they are improved And the more effectual and fervent they will be by this that they are more spiritual Much less may we neglect prayer if we think we have not the Spirit for we pray for it And this circumstance of fasting and watching is sometimes joined with this duty to the end our prayers may be more spiritual I mean a Fast from a meal that none may perceive not a Fast of 40 days nor exchange of Flesh for Fish Fasting doth as much promote it as the contrary doth let and hinder it though possibly we may use the same expression full as fasting yet they who have tryed know the advantage which this gives above that to the fervency and earnestness and the holiness of our desires and prayers and to repentance and sorrow for our sins And our Saviour tells his Disciples of a sort of Devils which could not be cast out but by fasting and prayer And Mark 9. Cornelius thus prayed and thus Daniel Dan. c. 9. both with good success David also humbled himself with fasting for they knew well that words of course as a Sacrifice that costs nothing is nothing worth And unless we thus pray in the Spirit it appears we cannot please God for the prayer cannot otherwise be holy and for such things as are pleasing to God for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Although we ought to pray in this manner yet nevertheless ought we not to neglect the duty though we cannot perceive the assistance of the Spirit for God feedeth the young Ravens that call upon him If they can call upon him no man can pretend a disability And David in the 107 Psalm sheweth how people that are plagued for their wickedness because they rebell'd against the Lord and contemned the counsel of the most high v. 11 and 17. Yet crying unto the Lord in their trouble he deliveretd them out of their distress Though these prayers were extorted from them in their extremities when their soul abhorr'd all manner of Meat and they were even at Deaths door And when they were at their wits end and ready to perish through their hunger and thirst and bondage which for their sins they suffered yet in their extremities they cry to God whom they had sinned against and he delivereth them These were not such prayers as are put up by the Spirit for such relief even nature though degenerated can easily pray but the dictates of the Spirit are spiritual yet in regard the heart and lip go together those are prevalent much more if prayed in faith If God heareth such prayers and thou thy self hast obtained thy Requests for these or the like benefits and temporal deliverances thou mayest then be emboldened and encouraged to ask and continue praying for all thou lackest as David expresseth Psal 116. I am well pleased that the Lord hath heard the voice of my prayer therefore will I call upon him as long as I live And if thou hast been heard for things temporal thou needest not to despair or doubt when thou prayest for those things which are pleasing to God which he hath commanded thee to ask and Jesus Christ also hath commended to thee to seek and promised to procure Not but that a Child of God may and must by Faith and by the Spirit ask the things of this life for our blessed Saviour teacheth us to pray for our daily bread he pray'd Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me yet not my will but thy will be done This submission made that prayer which was natural to be spiritual although he prayed for that which he knew was impossible And since God in his mercy hath given his peculiar people many promises of temporal blessings they may and must ask them in faith in such order as Jesus Christ hath appointed viz. seeking the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof first and with modesty and such other circumstances as hereafter is express'd and God will grant our requests as far as is for our good But that which is sure to prevail is the holy appetite that planteth Hungers and Thirsts after righteousness for to that is the promise annexed and blessing too Matth. 5.6 Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye Isa 44.3 I will pour water upon him that is thirsty The desires of such shall be satisfied though not utter'd with full expressions nor strength of Lungs as Prayers learn'd may be Importunity which our Saviour Christ so much presseth is comprehended under this of praying in the Spirit for he taught nothing but what was spiritual And his practice too proves it to be the operation of the Spirit that makes us importunate in Prayer for when he prayed he was frequently in agonies and prayed most earnestly It reproves those that mind other things when they pray how shall God mind their prayers what he teacheth and urgeth for this is in Luke 18. where he sheweth that for our importunities sake we are hear'd of God and argueth that we ought always
anger malice revenge covetousness lust concupiscence or the like and mourning over it humbly intreat him to succour relieve help heal cleanse wash purge and purify them by the renewing of the Spirit Or else as he answer'd St. Paul praying against the Thorn in his flesh he will supply them with grace sufficient for them From these promises we may see the reason why our blessed Saviour in that form of Prayer teacheth us to pray in the plural number our and us for this includes our selves and our fellow-members of the mystical body of Christ some whereof are but Babes or Children in religion and cannot pray for themselves as not having received so great measure of the Spirit so that they have need of our Prayers and our charity including them doth not hinder our requests for our selves but rather promotes them We see also why sometimes they pray more particularly but for themselves as the Apostle Paul did against his particular malady and burthen which he groaned under And so David did pray against his own particular sins and sufferings Deliver me from bloody-guiltiness Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken me in thy Law Incline my heart to thy Testimonies and not to covetousness c. For which particular graces we may upon occasion pray in the behalf of others according to that precept of the Apostle If any man see his Brother sin a sin which is not unto Death he shall pray for him and it shall be forgiven him Likewise may we pray for the deliverance of them from their afflictions and perils which they lie under as the Apostle Paul desires the Saints to whom he wrote to pray for his deliverance for nature dictates these prayers for our selves but grace for others that are our Brethren in Christ The Hope of speeding is that which incourageth and excites with strength and courage in every undertaking we go about If we seek of God in prayer the things which are according to his will those gifts and graces and Improvements which he hath promised to give those things which he hath invited us to ask or commanded us to ask those that our Saviour and his Apostles have taught us to ask those which the experience of other Saints and servants of God proves to be acceptable and proper requests those graces which we are commanded to have those degrees of grace and those means which we are commanded to use and those spiritual joys and injoyments which we long for and cannot be happy without why should we doubt of our success or why should we not expect a quick Return Let us then apply our selves to seek out those things As the original of all graces we first are taught by our Saviour to pray to God to give us the Holy Spirit And he that obtains this obtains also the fruits of it Love joy peace meekness gentleness patience c. And all graces whatsoever for as the Lord taught us our whole duty in one word viz. Love so here he teacheth us in one word the sum of all we need to pray for for although we pray for many things yet the sum of all spiritual things is contained in this And if we seek the spiritual gifts and graces which is signified in that expression Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness the other things shall be added unto us without seeking In this also is summed up all that we ought to pray against viz. all our spiritual enemies the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life and every thing that Satan overcomes the sons of men withal This general is branched into six petitions in the Lords prayer for by the Spirit of God in us we are made holy the Temples of the Lord and are made capable to sanctify Gods holy name the love of God is spread abroad in our hearts Gods law is written in our hearts and put in our inward parts By the Mission of the holy Spirit into us we all know him and know his Judgments and do them the Kingdoms of the World become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Righteousness will run down as a River and holiness to the Lord shall be writ upon us and all our comon things every pot in Jerusalem shall be like the bouls before the Altar And Jesus Christ shall have the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession when these and the like promises are fulfill'd And the earth shall be full of the knowledg of the Lord so that we pray implicity for these promises when we pray these petitions in the Lords prayer likewise when we pray Thy will be done we pray for the Spirit to enable us to do it and we pray to God for the fulfilling of those promises of the New Covenant which relate to it viz. That God will be our God and we shall be his people that we shall run and not be weary walk and not faint mount up with wings like an Eagle and renew our strength like an Eagle that we shall be a willing people So in the other petitions Namely that for remission of sins we cannot be assured of it nor have peace of conscience but by the operation of the Holy Ghost in our hearts by faith exciting in us unfeigned sorrow for those sins wherewith we have grieved it and working in us a stedfast resolution and purpose never to commit the like again Also when we pray against Temptations it is intended that we crave this aid by the assistance of Gods Holy Spirit to escape them for thereby we are made sufficient and able to fly them or to overcome them and to be more than conquerors so that no Spiritual weapon formed against us shall proper And if God gives us his holy Spirit we obtain also the other petitions namely to be delivered from evil and to enjoy food and raiment and all the necessaries of life for these are inseparably contained in the priviledges of the Saints For God is a Wall of fire round about them bread shall be given them and their water shall be sure so that petition also is by reason of the promise contained in that of asking the holy Spirit The rather for this that all other promises of the New Covenant are implyed in this This notwithstanding we find the Saints and Servants of God praying in other words and formes and by the Spirit too Whose Assistance I humbly crave for my further progress in these meditations Certainly when the Holy Spirit assists us in prayer it doth not only inable us to say or pray in a perscribed form but dictates the words and things prayed for according to the necessities of the person praying and prayed for Although we are not under the law but under grace that being dead wherein we were held that we should henceforth serve God in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the latter Yet must we pray against all
priviledges which Jesus Christ hath purchased for us Give us more assurance of the pardon of our sins and our reconciliation to God and the joy thereof Give us the peace of conscience and the Peace of God which passeth all understanding Give us the Joy which is in the Holy Ghost which we enjoy in holy duties Let us taste and rellish these sweet enjoyments with more satisfaction and joy that the excesses of our souls may be in these enjoyments and we may keep them in our mouths and hide them under our tongues as we do sweet morsels And let the enjoyment of these carry us through all difficulties Give us more confidence in our accesses to the Throne of Grace and a belief that thou art more ready to give than we to ask for thy fulness is more full than our emptiness is wanting Thy fatherly care to provide for us is more faithful and careful to do it than we to seek it though we are resolved to be alwaies begging and craving because we know we shall alwaies be wanting in this life and we will not lose our desires and thy bountiful gifts for want of asking The cause which moved thee to make such gracious invitations to us and such great and precious promises of grace and mercy was only in thy self for thou invitest the thirsty to buy Wine and Wilk without mony or price What then is there that we can buy it with that is neither mony nor price it can be nothing but to exchange our thirst for the thing which we thirst for to relieve it to open our mouths Therefore as the cause which moved thee to make these invitations and promises was in thy self Lord seek in thy self the cause which may move thee to perform them The qualifications of thirst want and need we have and shall have as long as we have any life But if we be dead in trespasses and sins quicken thou us because thou only canst do it by thy holy Spirit In the assurance of thy free mercy then whereof thou by thy free promises hast convinced us and by the performance of the chiefest of them hast fully satisfied us inable us to assure our souls of thy readiness and willingness to hear and help us through the merits of Christ Jesus and in assurance thereof to come boldly and with confidence to the Throne of Grace And give us sure evidence of our interest in all other priviledges That our joy may be full assure us that our place of defence is the munition of Rocks That bread be given us and our water shall be sure Bless us and make us a blessing Let showers of blessings come down upon thy people Give us to lay hold of Christ for only Wisdom our only sufficient Righteousness our Sanctification and Redemption Tread Satan under our feet that we may bruise his head as often as he goeth about to sting our heel Destroy his works Let the Spirit of the Lord set up his standard against him And let not Antichrist any more deceive the Nations but destroy thou him and the Whore which is drunk with the blood of Saints Succour those that are tempted Be with thy people in the fiery Tryal that is to come upon all the world to try them as thou wast with Joseph in the prison Lord let not our sins stand as a cloud to hinder these our prayers from ascending to thee or cause thee to turn away thine ear For though they are so many that we scarce know how to confess them yet thou hast pardoned as great sinners as we when they turned unto thee and it is usual with thee to seek thy lost sheep and to receive thy returning Prodigals Lord thy free promises and importunate invitations by thy self and thy Son give us this boldness of access to thee for thereby we are assured that thou art more desirous to give than we to receive Hear us therefore through the merits of thy Beloved Son our Eternal High Priest in whom only we hope to prevail with thee in whom thy Promises are Yea and Amen And accept us in him who hath purchased this Access for us in whom we trust that he now intercedeth for us whilst we are praying to thee And that he persumes and presents these our supplications at the Throne of Grace To whom with Thee and thy blessed Spirit of Grace be all honour praise and glory Eternally Amen Enter not into Judgment with us O Lord for our best services for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified A shorter Prayer for daily use LOrd draw nigh unto me now that I draw nigh unto thee for thy promise sake for thy mercy sake and for Christ Jesus sake And assist me with thy Spirit that I may pray unto thee in the Spirit and in Faith believing that thou art more ready to give than we to ask or receive thy graces and thy mercies Lord relieve me according to all my needs and according to thy infinite goodness and according to thy gracious promises and invitations Relieve my spiritual blindness with that eye-salve which thou hast invited the blind to come unto thee for Relieve my spiritual nakedness with that fine white linnen which thou hast invited the naked to seek of thee and cloath me with humility patience temperance chastity and charity and every grace Relieve my spiritual poverty with that fine gold which will enrich our souls to eternity and make me rich in good works Relieve my spiritual hunger and thirst with the bread of life and the water of life so that I may never hunger or thirst after any thing else And make me more hungry and thirsty for thee and thy grace and more sensible of my needs Lord I pray not for my self alone but for me and mine and all the Israel of the Lord. Let my seed be a seed unto thee and all that shall come of them to the end of the world Remember the entail of thy blessings to us and to our seed for a thousand generations Let the Kingdoms of the world become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Let holiness to the Lord be writ upon all our common things Make us all to know thee from the greatest to the least Let us need no more to teach one another saying Know the Lord. Let us all be taught of God and let us hear the sweet voice behind us saying This is the way walk ye in it when we turn to the right hand or to the left and make Jerusalem a praise Love us freely pardon us and heal us Subdue our iniquities and cast our sins into the bottom of the Sea that they may never rise up against us Give us new hearts Put thy Laws into our hearts and write them in our inward parts Be thou our God and make us thy people Put thy Spirit into us and cause us to walk in thy Statutes and to know thy Judgments and do them Cause us to love thee with
to pray and not to faint to which agreeth 1 Thes 5.17 Pray without ceasing To the same purpose our Saviour teacheth Luke 11.5 Where he sheweth that Importunity prevailed more than Love and Friendship 1 Sam. 1.15 It is said I poured out my Soul before God Zeal maketh Importunate and fervent in Spirit serving the Lord. If our Lord and Saviour sweat blood we must undergo some pain and if we apprehend the greatness of the benefits which we beg it will make us zealous Another part of the manner which our blessed Saviour hath enjoined is to ask in his name Ephes 3.12 In whom we have boldness c. He hath not only commanded it but to the observance of the command annexed a promise of reward as large as we can desire John 14.13 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name I will do it this is an odoriferous perfume to our prayers In his name every knee must bow it is not at his name in the original He is our only Mediator and high Priest who ever liveth to make intercession for us He presents them and recommendeth them to his Father mixing them with sweet odours purifying them from those corruptions of our nature which attend them as Salt water is made fresh by passing through the bowels of the earth And there is no Mediator to this Mediator and we must needs know our own unworthiness to be such that there is nothing in us to deserve acceptance Another part of the manner is that we pray in faith firmly believing that we shall receive he that prayeth for wisdom St. James bids him ask in Faith nothing wavering James 1.7 He forbids that man to think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord that wavereth and calls him a double-minded man for as we oblige men to be real to us and faithful by believing them so we do God This manner of praying is commanded in many places to this belongeth waiting upon God Isa 30.18 There is no promise to those prayers which superstition hath made to the blessed Virgin nor no command for them therefore they are not of faith Another part of the manner is that we pray with reverence and humility Psal 66. Bow down thine ear O Lord and hear me for I am poor and needy Psal Let us draw nigh to him with reverence and Godly fear for our God is a consuming fire The consideration of God's greatness and almightiness must needs beget a reverence in our approachings to him This reverence is discribed in the Publican Luke 8.13 The Publican standing a far off could not so much as lift up his eyes to Heaven but smote upon his breast saying Lord be merciful to me a sinner 6 Mich. 8. What doth the Lord require of thee but that thou do justice love mercy and walk humbly with thy God Isa 57. He resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble The people of Israel were injoyned that when they came before the Lord with their Sacrifices they should say A Syrian ready to perish was my Father and came down to Aegypt with a few We come as Beggars to him for his almes and having nothing but what we receive of him we must therefore ascribe all to his goodness and bounty as we have an example 1 Sam. 2.6 The Lord killeth and maketh alive bringeth down to the grave and up again ver 8. he raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth up the Beggar from the dunghill to set them among Princes And Isa 66.7 He saith To him will I look that is poor and of a contrite Spirit The lifting up of a pure heart and clean hands and a reverent posture of the body are mentioned as necessary in the manner of praying Whilest Moses his hands were lifted up Israel prevailed but when they were down the Amalakites prevailed Our Saviour fell on his face and prayed He hath also taught us paucity of words as most agreeable to the Omniscience Highness and dignity of God and condemneth vain repetitions which inculcate the same thing again for these are nauseous both to God and men and are as much the Sacrifice of fools as their prayers who neglecting all other things of the manner of praying and matter too think it enough to say Amen They bring religion almost to nothing that they may gain the more proselites He enjoyneth also The circumstances of place Mat. 6. That our private prayers be put up in private places where no eye seeth but God alone for such prayer is sincere because it expects a reward from him only Hypocrisie expects it from men The same circumstance he requires in fasting Alms-deeds also and a perfect reconciliation to our offended brethren is required to make our prayers acceptable as our Lord and Saviour teacheth Matth. 5.23 Leave thy gift before the Altar go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then offer thy gift 1 Tim. 2.8 the Apostle commands to pray without wrath and doubting The circumstance of Time is also material although we have alwaies need to pray because of the manifold temptations we meet with yet we read of the Apostles that they went up to the Temple at the hour of prayer That sheweth that there is a time designed for that duty Act. 3. and Apocal. 1. St. John was in the Spirit upon the Lords day for though this duty is alwaies seasonable yet there be Special seasons as we may find by experience wherein we are freer in our holy desires and better disposed and God is nigher the oportunity in every work is half the work therefore observe these Mollissima tempora fandi As under the law The first fruits were to be Sacrificed and the first that opened the womb were to be holy to the Lord. By a parity of reason the services that we do to God under the Gospel are to be of the first things Remember thy Creater in the days of thy youth Eccles. 12. Psal 63. Early will I seek thee and the reason of his so seeking is in the following words my soul thirsteth for thee so Psal 42. my voice shall thou hear betimes in the morning and early will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Psal 5. when I awake I am present with thee Prov. 8.17 Those that seek me early shall find me But he that seeketh not early may seek long before he find an accepted time We read Gen. 4.3 In process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. And Abel he also brought of the firstlings of the flock and of the fat thereof And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering But to Cain and to his offering he had not respect The difference of the offering shewed the sincerity of Abl's heart above Cain's For he offered but it is not said the first fruits of the ground but the contrary is understood by the opposition of the offerings and
by those words which God spake to him viz. If thou do well shalt not thou be accepted From whence we are taught this Rule viz. That they who will offer their service or any thing to God may not offer any but the best Nor defer the time to serve him for that which we defer we are loath and unwilling to do or indifferent whether we do it or no that which we desire to do or do with good will and love we hasten fearing lest we should be prevented The more forward and early our services are the more acceptable to God and men for this persumes them Now is the accepted time He then that deferreth loseth the Accepted time 2 Cor. 6.2 And Psal 69.13 David urgeth it as an Argument why God should hear him and deliver him because he made his prayer in an accepted time therefore slip not the seasonable time though thou be indisposed He that is early in his service and constant too cannot possibly miss the accepted time when God will be found as he was found of Cornelius For these two are joyned together by David seek the Lord while he may be found seek his face evermore for by this we shall be sure not to miss Psal 116.1 The Saints first and only refuge is prayer and it is the last refuge of the wicked They who fear they shall be prevented of their usual time let them take the present It is a high point of Wisdom to know the fit time and place and the ignorance of it makes the misery of man great David practised what he taught and did not only seek early but late too Psal 141.2 he saith Let the lifting up of my hands be as an evening Sacrifice The morning and the evening Sacrifice were not to be omitted and he that doth omit them or either of them finds his mind less disposed for the duty and the injoyment and comfort of it which he useth to have when he performeth them without intermission for by the omission of one duty God seemeth to be withdrawn and gone further from us and not so ready to be found or to hear us by how much we have withdrawn from him and neglected and forsaken him We also find Isaac going out to meditate in the evening And Daniel persisted in his practice of praying three times a day notwithstanding the peril of his life David kept the same times as he saith Psal 55. At evening at morning and at noon day I will pray unto thee Love need cause frequent early visits those who are greatly beloved of God God beloved of them do pray often Weread of other circumstances as that of Daniels opening his windows and looking towards the temple but we are not restrained to this manner of ceremonies for those things are abolished by the substance the more we observe of these circumstance the more joy comfort and satisfaction we shall reap by the duty Take time enough for preparation for if thou straiten thy self thou mayest be diverted But we are commanded to pray alwaies with all manner of prayer that is as the occasion will permit or requires for there are various manners we cannot be alwaies upon our knees in publick prayers or in private nor must one duty justle out another All times and all places afford us opportunity and occasions of lifting up our hearts and hands to God in the Heavens which may be accepted sometimes as well as Sacrifice And as in heaven we shall never cease from praising God so while we live here we shall never cease from praying to him Psal 122. I give my self unto prayer Lastly this duty that it may be acceptable doth require preparation premeditation Psal 10.19 thou preparest their heart and thine care harkneth The next thing to be considered is the matter of prayer Which is Twofold viz. The Inducements to be used and the subject matter for which we pray Seldom is there any prayer without Inducements and motives perswasive with which we urge God and press him to grant us the things we desire The Lords prayer which is as brief as may be concludes with three Inducements viz. for thine is the Kingdom the power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen We find in the Psalms of David variety of those Sometimes he urgeth the promises of God Sometimes the Commandment of God some motives he fetcheth from the name of God some from his nature and being as from his Truth his Holiness his Goodness his Faithfulness his Mercy his Power his Justice his Righteousness his Almightiness He urgeth the pledges of Gods love already bestowed his loving kindness of old And his thankful acknowledgment of them Also he urgeth his Relation as Servant I am thy Servant O grant me understanding that I may know thy statutes Some he urgeth from his own Misery Need Necessity Trouble and Affliction Some from his Innocency uprightness simplicity sincerity c. Psal 59. Some from his holy desires Intents vows purposes and Resolutions and his service done for him His hope in God his Trust and affiance in him His love to him and his word He urgeth also that he makes his prayer in an accepted time Psal 69.13 Psal 119. Hear me O Lord and I will keep thy statutes Let my Soul live and it shall praise thee Let thine hand helpe me for I have chosen thy Commandments give me understanding according to thy word So that we see that it is a good motive when we ask any grace to shew how we have endeavoured and used the means to attain it as he doth purpose to use them In this Psalm throughout he shews how he studied Gods statutes meditated and delighted himself in them Psal 71. He urgeth his trust In the O Lord have I put my trust let me never be put to confusion This Motive he useth very often as though trusting did engage God not to fail him It followeth Be thou my strong hold whereunto I may alwaies resort For thou hast promised to help me In the two next verses he urgeth his love and desire of God as an Argument why he should deliver him from his ungodly enemies And this motive he useth often and he very often useth that of his promise In the 9 ver of this Psal he urgeth his trouble Mine enemies speak against me c. Go not from me O God my God hast thee to help me Look upon my affliction and misery and forgive me all my sin From my youth up thy terrors have I suffered with a troubled mind c. In the 12 13 16 19. and 20. verses he urgeth his Resolutions of trusting in God waiting upon him serving him and praising him ver 12. As for me I will patiently abide alwaies and praise thee more and more 13. My mouth shall daily speak of thy righteousness and thy salvation for I know no end thereof I will go forth in the strength of the Lord and make mention of thy Righteousness only
And prayeth Forsake me not in the time of mine Age when my strength faileth me until I have shewed thy strength unto this Generation and they Power unto all c. Psal 72. He urgeth his holy Resolutions Give the King thy judgements c. Then shall he Judge the people according to right and defend the poor c. He shall keep the simple folk by their right and punish the wrong doer Psal 5.2 Hearken unto the voice of my calling my King and my God Motiv for unto thee will I make my my prayer my voice shalt thou hear betimes O Lord early in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Psal 86.11 Teach me thy way O Lord the motive And I will walk in thy truth knit my heart unto thee the motive that I may fear thy name Psal 16. Preserve me O God the motive for in thee do I put my trust Psal 17. And in sundry other Psalms he urgeth the wickedness of his enemies as a motive ver 8. Keep me as the apple of the eye hide me under the shadow of thy wings from the wicked that oppress me the motive with their mouth they speak proudly c. In the 38 Psal he also urgeth the malice and wickedness of his enemies together with his own sorrow and misery by reason of his sins and his enemies ver 2. Thine arrows stick fast in me and thine hand presseth me sore There is no health in my flesh because of thy displeasure neither is there rest in my bones because of my sin ver 20. Of his enemies he saith they were against him because he followed the thing that is good but he will confess his iniquities these motives introduce this prayer Hast thee to help me O Lord God of my salvation In the 4 Psal He makes use of Gods former benefits as a motive for further beneficent saying Hear me when I call O God of my Righteousness the motive for thou hast set me at liberty when I was in trouble Psal 86. He urgeth his afflictions he suffered under Gods hand and his enemies malice and the goodness and mercy of God And concludes O turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me Usual in his prayers is that expression for thy Name sake They who would make use of this as all must must know him in that name which he himself proclaimed Exod. 34.6 For David did refer to this The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin c. The Lord cannot forget his own name therefore cannot forget to be gracious If we can use that inducement of Moses Lord if I have found favour in thy sight it is peculiar to his favourites and obligeth God to hear This is a large Field and may afford great plenty and variety but every man may supply himself with it that list to read and observe the Psalms It is noted by Bishop Cooper that it is not sufficient to seek from God because of that which he is but we must also consider what we are Otherwise as Jehu said unto one demanding Is it peace What hast thou to do with peace So the Lord may answer us though the Lord be gracious what is it to us As to the subject matter of Prayer the Children of God are sometimes mistaken about it and are in doubts St. Paul accordingly confesseth in the behalf of himself and others we know not what to pray for as we ought We find Moses also mistaken in the matter of his Prayer Exod. 33.18 Shew me now thy Glory for God answer'd him that no man could see his face and live and that he could not see it yet Almighty God to shew his propensity in hearing prayer came as neer his request as he could for God answered him in that which was as profitable and useful for him He made all his goodness to pass before him and let him see his back-parts so that Moses lost not his Prayer though he did not obtain the thing he asked Much more may we expect success in our Prayers when we ask such things as he hath commanded us to seek which we know are according to his will and our blessed Saviour also hath engag'd for our obtaining The invitations being so many so importunate and so free viz. To come and buy without money and without price to open our mouths wide to ask and have it appears and we must so believe that Gods bountifulness is such that he is more ready to give than we to ask or receive And like as a Mother whose breasts are full is more desirous to give suck to her Babe than that to crave or receive it such is Gods freeness to us It concerns us then to advise what these rich benefits are which we are to beg and buy without money or price And if we may have what we lack for asking certainly we shall be convinced of the greatest folly in the world if we will lose them for want of asking Many are ignorant of their own wants as the Church of Laodicea who knew not that she was wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked but thought herself in the contrary estate But God adviseth her of her wants and the remedy of it which he sheweth her is to be had of him only viz. Gold tried in the fire that she might be rich and white raiment that she might be cloathed and eye Salve that she might see and freely invites her to buy them of him though she were poor blind and naked and had nothing to purchase them withall therefore we may infer that all men be their condition what it will may come to God in this duty of Prayer for all their needs as we read Jonah 1.5 The Mareners cryed every one to his God For our better direction that we may not miscarry in our suits as the Mother of Zebedees Children did our blessed Saviour hath plentifully instructed us what we should pray for as he here directs the Church of the Laodiceans Matth. 6.9 and Luke 11.2 The Disciples sensible of their own insufficiency do make it their suit to him to teach them thereupon he gives a pattern and rules for them and us to use In which Prayer the three first and the three last petitions are spiritual According to the rule which he gives ver 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof From this prayer of our Saviour and the rules by him given and from the precepts elsewhere and the prayers of the Saints we find but these three things necessary to be prayed for viz. Grace and the means of Grace and the rewards promised thereto For though the Children of God do most frequently use confession of their sins and thanksgivings together with their Prayers as Daniel did And Davids Psalms are most of them thus and whether we use them as
inducements for the things we pray for as we use confession as an inducement for pardon and thanksgiving may and ought to be used as an inducement for obtaining further mercies or else we look upon them as distinct duties they are proper enough but not always necessary to be joined with this duty therefore we refer them to their proper places and judg them much more easy as to the verbal expression than fervent Prayer for grace and spiritual enjoyments When God hath filled our heart with food and gladness and hath wrought deliverance for us and so hath given us matter of thanksgiving if the Heart be but enough thankful words of praise and outward actions cannot be wanting but thanksgivings and confessions are peculiar things and for this duty this one motive may be sufficient to enforce it viz. That it pleaseth the Lord better than a Bullock that hath Horns and Hoofs Psal 69.32 These three viz. Grace and the means of Grace and the rewards I conceive they contain all the promises and all that God hath engag'd by the new Covenant to give to his people They contain also all that God hath commanded and enjoyned his people and requireth of them and they contain all that they need or can desire to make them happy here and hereafter And there is no Petition in the Psalms of David or in any prayer in all the Scripture but is contained under one of these heads for all the Prayers of the Saints tends to this end viz. The glory of God and the promotion of his Kingdom and the means thereof Those Prayers which are against the opposites namely against sin and iniquity and the occasions and helps thereof and against every degree of sin and the punishments and curses due to sin and sinners That the rod of the Wicked may not rest upon the lot of the righteous Psal 125. These are of the same nature with the former for the overthrowing plucking down and destroying of sin and Satans Kingdom and the treading him under foot is the preparing the way of the Lord that his Kingdom may come therefore we do in this pray against those and in praying against those we pray for this Hence it is that God hath made promises accordingly of subduing our iniquities and to tread Satan under our feet That no Weapon formed against us shall prosper That sin shall not have dominion over us And we pray for the performance of these promises when we pray the second Petition of the Lord's Prayer Thy Kingdom come for the Kingdoms of the World cannot become the Kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ but by the subsersion of Antichrists Kingdom This notwithstanding it is our duty to pray expresly as we are strengthned and assisted by the holy Spirit as well for these as against those and against those as well as for these although implicitly he that prays for the Kingdom of God prays against sin and Satan See Psal 119. Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity c. Likewise when we pray thus generally in these words of our blessed Saviour we do implicitly pray for the conversion of the Jews Yet ought we notwithstanding expresly to pray for it because we are commanded to give him no rest till he make Jerusalem a praise What persons we are to pray for is also taught by the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.1 I will therefore that Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men but yet we are chiefly to pray for the chosen people of God for thereby we express and declare our fellowship with them and our relation to them as members of the same mystical body in Christ Jesus and thereby endeared to us more than our natural relations Therefore we find the Apostles in their Epistles praying for those they write to and requiring the like of them again Paul to the Ephesians prayeth for them c. 1.17 That God would give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledg of him that their understanding being enlightned they might know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand c. and Chap. 3.16 Prayeth that they may be strengthned with might by the Spirit in the inner-man that they may know the love of Christ for the Saints at Philippi he prayeth that their love may abound more and more in knowledg and all judgment that they may approve things that are excellent that they may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the praise and glory of God Philip. 1.9 By these and the like Prayers of the holy Apostles we learn what to pray for as well for our selves as others We learn from St. Pauls prayer for the Hebrews c. 13. To pray that God through the blood of the everlasting Covenant would make us perfect in every good work to do his will working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. For it is through Jesus Christ if any thing we do is pleasing to God and it is God himself who works it in us Those that do not pray for the peace of Jerusalem are not Citizens thereof therefore they do not love her But they that do pray for her peace and give God no rest until he make Jerusalem a praise are Citizens of that Jerusalem which is from above which is the mother of us all and they receive comfort from her welfare and are sure that she shall receive a benefit by their Prayers and hope to receive benefit mutually by her Prayers for as the Apostles in their Epistles to the Churches pray for them so they do also desire their prayers I infer that every particular Christian in his Prayers must put in suit the general promises viz. That all her people shall be holy all righteous all be taught of God and holiness to the Lord shall be writ upon the Bells of the Horses They who pray for these Spiritual gifts and graces for themselves and others do pray in the Spirit and seek the Glory of God And by their fervency and zeal and frequent addresses to God for them and for repressing and subduing their opposites viz. The sins which so easily beset them their iniquities and corruptions They shew forth their weariness of them and burthen which loadeth them from which they groan and cry to be eased and deliver'd by God because they are not able by all they can do to be deliver'd by their own industry And because our blessed Saviour hath promised to ease such therefore they may be sure to be heard if they confessing their particular burthen of corruption whether it be pride
those corruptions of Nature called the old man those infirmities and weaknesses and indispositions to the new nature to grace and to the meanes of grace and for those graces those helpes and occasions and meanes of grace which the Saints and Servants of God under the law have prayed for and God promised to give them As for instance all those petitions of David in the Psalms shewing his own corruptions weaknesses failings sins and infirmities wandrings and strayings from Gods Commandments and praying for the Lords help against them we now under the Gospel if we flatter not our selves as some sects do we all at sometimes shall find by sad experience that we have need to pray so too And those that are most renewed and most conformable to the Image of God those search out most and know there own failings in grace and proneness to sin for it may be said of us All have sinned and are justified freely by his grace for if St. Paul counted not that he had atttained perfection but pressed forward neither may we imagine that those of this age who pretend to it have attained it for in many things we offend all Therefore in as much as those graces are to be in us which they sought and prayed for that they should be in them we also are to imitate their examples of praying for them and the improvement of them and against the contrary viz. the corruptions and sins which we find our natures liable to Every mans condition doth shew him what temptations he is most liable to and what graces he hath most need to pray for Those that will be rich the Apostle saith fall into temptation and a snare and divers noisome lusts they will be rich though therefore have need to pray against those temptations of pride anger disdain oppression contention strife wilfulness covetousness love of the World and all those lusts which accompany a plentiful fortune as gluttony drunkenness effeminateness the love of pleasure c. and that they may escape all those snares whereby the Soul is taken and held captive viz. those advantages which they have of sinning with impunity those helps which their wealth ministers and all the opportunities which wealth makes for them that by the help of Gods holy Spirit they may be able to take off their affections from things below that so they may set them on things above that they affect not mind nor nor converse with these things of the world which they have plentifully to enjoy That notwithstanding their abundance they may have their conversation in Heaven and mind only heavenly things and use the World as if they used it not buy as if they possessed not and be rich in good works and may be able to deny themselves and may be crucified to the World and buried with Christ in Baptism and rise again with him in newness of life that the life which we now live we may no more live it but Christ may live in us and the life which we live we may live by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us A special help and incouragement it is to us if we can find out a promise of obtaining these graces which we thus pray for in time of need for having these precepts as here before mentioned it urgeth us to the practice of them as the Apostles profess they practised But the promise puts hope into us of obtaining the like graces if we seek them by Prayer Meditation and other means appointed by God to be used The promise then which we may urge and charge God with in our prayers may be this viz. The Sun shall not burn thee by day nor the Moon by night or that That all things shall work together for good to them that love God For these promises were therefore given to us that we should have boldness at the Throne of Grace The contrary condition of life Poverty hath likewise its temptations Therefore we find the wise Agur praying equally against it and riches shewing the temptations of both and the blessedness of the middle or mean estate Those that experience the extremity of poverty not having a place where to lay their head have many promises of a God alsufficient to trust unto and he will never leave nor forsake his Servants In like manner other conditions of life are accompanied with multiplicity of temptations Therefore the Scripture gives cautions and admonitions to all to warn them and arm them against them young and old Masters and Servants Parents and Children Husbands and Wives Kings and Subjects Priests and People and every mans daily experience tells him what temptations he lies under and his proneness of nature and inclination to them which when the Scripture in particular warns us against and instructs us how to avoid we know that we ought by Prayer to seek assistance and help from God because without his almighty help we are not able to overcome them For instance The Lord commanding to fly youthful lusts If we find our selves by natural inclination liable to those lusts we may as the Apostle St. Paul hath given us an example Beseech the Lord that this Messenger of Satan may depart from us and never cease to beseech him until we obtain an answer like to that which he obtained sufficiency of grace or else removal of the temptation and as often as it recurs we may pray with holy David Psal 119. Hold thou me up and I shall be safe And whilest we do continue praying and caling upon God why may not we be confident in it as the Apostle was That the Lord will deliver us from every evil work since the promise is to all that trust in him That he will stand by them and save them and deliver them Or if by nature we are inclined to covetousness David's prayer will stand us in stead Incline my heart to thy Testimonies and not to covetousness In like sort he fearing to be overtaken with that common sin of lying prayed to God to take from him the way of lying to grant him his Law and to teach him his statutes for he well knew that there was no remedy against sin but grace And the Law of God dwelling in his heart that he might run the way of God's Commandments without halting or looking back If we have been overtaken with this sin this prayer suits for our occasion for by praying to God to take from us the way of lying we intend we have more of it than we ought and so probably he intended or else how could it be taken from him And if we should be so unhappy as to be so overtaken with lust as he was If in the bitterness of our soul and sorrow of a broken heart washing our bed with our tears having no health in our flesh nor rest in our bones because of God's displeasure We pray as he did with humble confession of our sins and vileness to him to wash
ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity Nevertheless we must continue praying though the Lord seems inexorable for though he tarry long it may be that he only intends to exercise thy faith and patience and other graces And he will fulfil his promise for thy deliverance in his own time not thine The Rod of the wicked may rest a long time on the back of the Righteous but shall not alwaies With this direction too that thou observe when thou prayest against any affliction or calamity that thou chiefly prayest against the causes of them and those sins upon which God useth to threaten and denounce those calamities especially if thy conscience tell thee of any particular sin which might procure them And that thou submit to him who sends it with patience if his will be not to remove his hand confessing it to be his mercy that thou art not consumed and hear the Rod and him that appointed it And if by thy great afflictions thou beest deprived of all comfort and made the spectacle of all misery yet thou art to trust to thy amends at the last day Though worms consume thy flesh yet it may be comfort enough to support thee that thou know that thy Redeemer lives and thou shalt see him at the last day So Job By execution some go to Heaven as the Thief upon the Cross The promised Blessings and Enjoyments Benefits Deliverances and Immunities and earthly Comforts must not be taken or understood absolutely but subordinately and relatively viz. as may conduce and further the spiritual and eternal welfare of those who are heirs to them and have title to claim them therefore they must be sought with submission and modesty as we find Jacob praying but only for food and rayment and our Blessed Lord and Saviour when he prayed that the bitter cup of his sufferings might pass from him it was with submission Nevertheless not my will but thy will be done Because these prayers are the dictates of nature which the Saints and Servants of God do not use to inlarge but suppress albeit God oftentimes grants them with an overplus as when David asked life and God granted him long life viz. for ever Solomon wisdom and God gave him besides riches and honour And Jacob asked but food and rayment and the Lord increased him to two bands And Abraham a child and God granted him seed like the sand of the Sea But in these prayers too we do not find the dictates of Nature only but the dictates of the Spirit usually combining in the same petition For it is probable that Hanna did design the Glory of God in asking a child as the consecrating him to God gives reason to suppose although we read of another cause which was the contempts which she sufferd for her barrenness and her grief thereof conceived which drove her to seek to God for succour and praying vowed if God would give her a male Child then she would give him to the Lord all the days of his life which vow she performed If we also praying for ontward blessings vow and retribute to God our prayers are warranted and are spiritual Especially if we design the glory of God therewith Those who have received such prayers with an overplus are much more bound to consider what they shall retribute and if they they have vowed too let them perform lest they lose all again for their unworthiress and Ingratitude And with these cautions God doth sometims allow beggars to be chusers as 〈…〉 what sex her Child should be And so Lot got Zoar to be spared when God had appointed it to destruction The good Emperour Titus thought it an unbeseeming thing that any person should depart from his Princes presence sad therefore he granted all petitions then shall not his Prince be much more gracious To sue to God upon his own promise is an argument of faith much used by the faithful people of God as we find in many of the Psams And an argument wherein God delights as he doth in every work that is of faith And no man that ever prayed thus lost his labour I cannot affirm that they alwaies obtain the things of this life because they are not absolutely promised Though godliness hath the promise of this life and that which is to come and no good thing shall be wanting to those that live a godly life they that fear the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good Psal 34. Yet these worldly blessings are not absolutely good for every person in every condition therefore are not absolutely promsed But yet if we do seek these bodily comforts by use of means we ought to joyn prayer with the means else God will frustrate the means As we read 2 Chron. 16. he did when Asa sought to the Phsiycians to be healed and not to God But spiritual mercies and graces and the gifts of the Spirit are absolutely good and absolutely promised and every man may and must seek them evermore because they are commanded to have them and to seek them and they are promised to those that seek them and those who seek them not are threatned Those graces which we have we are not able to retain and keep of our selves the Church of Ephesus Apoc. 2.2 was labourious patient zealous against evil persons tryed the pretended Apostles and for the name of Christ Jesus laboured herein without fainting And yet for all that reproved in the next words Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love The like perils I suppose attend all the Sarvants of God Though some are of opinion that the Elect cannot fall away yet we see they do sall foully And therefore they shall do well to pray to God for supportation As David Psal 119. prayeth Hold thou me up and I shall be safe And he prayeth for all graces in particular but it cannot be supposed that he was destitute of all therefore it is certain that he prayed for many which he then had Probably because he was sensible of his weakness and danger of falling if God did not water him every morning and every moment as he hath promised to do or if God did not keep him watch over him strengthen him hold him up with his arm which the Lord hath promised to do Therefore we may be sure that we need it all And that he must be sought too to perform these gracious promises And the Lord will keep and encrease in us those graces which we have And deliever us and save us from those corruptions and lusts which we think we are free from otherwise we who seem both naturally and spiritually fortified against some sins may fall in the thing wherein we excel for so did Moses he spake unadvisedly with his lips though he was the meekest man upon the earth
What perfection then can any man pretend to in any grace so great as not to need continual prayer to God to support him water and strengthen him with his grace and holy Spirit lest he fall David protests his delight was in Gods Commandments Psal 119. v. 39. And yet he there prayeth v. 35. Make me to go in the paths of thy Commandments Incline my heart to thy Testimonies In regard the people of God do esteem grace a thing infinitely desirable and sin infinitely detestable and formidable therefore they think they have not enough of any grace till they can do Gods will on earth as it is done in Heaven And think they are in danger of falling because they have seen great Saints sometimes to fall into dreadful sins Therefore pray to be kept from all sorts of sins Keep me from presumptuous sins said holy David and they think they can never fear them enough or fly them enough nor pray against them enough The wickedest of men will pray for remission of sins but they seldom pray for healing them and renewing their hearts that they may be inclined to Gods Commandments that they may be a holy people and that God would fulful his promises of grace in them to put his Spirit in them and to write his Laws in their inward parts It is cursory with common swarers upon their oaths to say immediately God forgive me and presently swear again This shews no repentance nor sorrow for sin nor desire of amendment it rather begs license to offend with impunity what other thing do those who make their daily confession to their Priests and Friers of such sins which they have committed and intend to commit again upon the first opportunity and never think of repentance or amendment to pray for it themselves or to desire others to pray for them prophane Esan shall rise up in judgment against them But do thou pray to be deliver'd from thy offences Psal 39.9 That God would create in thee a clean heart and establish thee with his Spirit Psal 51. And that God would open thine eyes that thou mayest see the wonderful things of his Law and that he would teach thee his Statutes and make thee to go in the paths of his Commandments and the like and then thou wilt be sure of pardon and sanctifying grace Psal 119. and peace of conscience and that thou hast fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son 1 Joh. 1.3 And thy joy shall be full v. 4. ib. Because thou abidest in him walking as he walked though not so perfect We must also pray for these graces with a full purpose and resolution of endeavouring our selves to the utmost in the use of the means for attaining them otherwise our Prayers are but only said as Children are taught to say a Prayer It is but lip labour to draw nigh to God with our lips when our hearts are far from him And those who pray for any grace which God hath promised and resolve not to use their own endeavours for the attaining it do not pray in faith because they separate the Commandments from the promises For he that hath promised to give them to us hath also commanded us to get them and to labour for them to strive for them to sell all for them And yet to continue instant in Prayer for them too that he would bless our endeavours and give us the desired grace for Jesus Christs sake in and by whom only thou canst hope to prevail We must also be sensible of our own need which we have of these graces which we seek or else we shall not be servent in Prayer For instance if thou prayest to God to fulfil that promise that he will tread Satan under thy seet thou must be sensible of this that he doth in some temptations get some ground of thee more or less for which thou art grieved and countest it thy unhappiness It may be thou perceivest thy self to have been more angry than became a patient man or that thou hast spoke more than thou didst perfectly know of thine own knowledg or else hast through the bad example or importunity of thy company drunk one Cup too much or hast had uncharitable thoughts or been tempted to any sin Thou art therefore grieved that Satan hath found any thing in thee to work upon and dost desire so much strength as to shake him off resolutely and readily at thy will and pleasure as Joseph shook off his Mistress if God will be pleased to grant it according to this promise and many more to the same estect Thou must also be sensible of the great advantage and benefit which the grace desired will bring If thus thou canst pray thou mayest be sure to speed whatever promised grace thou desirest whatever degree of grace any Saint of God hath had thou mayest have it for asking if thou ask in faith The patience of Job the chastity of Joseph the zeal of David the Justice of Lot the righteousness of Noah the meekness of Moses the faith of Abraham and Peter the charity of St. John the temperance of the three Children and love of God whereby they gave their bodies to be burned for him c. For God hath promised that the weak shall be as the house of David and the house of David as God It is not my scope to enumerate all those promises of grace which God hath made it is every mans great concern to know them and crave them of God as their portion which Jesus Christ hath purchased with his blood for them and to live upon them and lay hold on them Those general promises which God hath made to his Church and People if thou canst not clearly entitle thy self in particular thou mayest notwithstanding pray in the behalf of the Church and shalt not fear to speed Those promises which tend to the ruine of the enemies of the Church and God's enemies are every mans concern to pray for and though he be weak in faith that he can hardly lay hold of them yet if he pray for them that God may be glorified he doth well and may assure himself that he shall succeed because he seeks it for God's glory For the promises of destroying sin and Satan and his works and treading him under foot is God's own interest as well as ours And God is more ready to do it than we to ask it therefore we can never doubt of the granting of these petitions Now most of the promises of the New Covenant which are to express what God will do for his people are of this nature either what God will do against their enemies or for them And being they were freely made they may we hope be freely performed if we seek them These are briefly contained in the four last petitions of the Lord's Prayer and if we can find faith to believe that we shall receive these we shall easily find faith to believe that God will do the
the dulness and indisposition of my soul to this religious and most necessary duty of a Christian and desirous by all means to shake it off for a better disposition I held it expedient to consider of some Motives which may awaken me out of this spiritual Lethargy These I fetch from four heads or Topicks viz. A Jucundo Ab Vtili A Necessario and A Facili The four Angels of this Quadrature are to seek him as a Beloved as a Portion as a God as a Father To prove the pleasurableness of it are these places Isa 12.3 With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation Joh. 16.24 Ask that you may receive that your Joy may be full and many of the Psalms and the Book of the Canticles throughout proves this From whence we may infer That the more we use this duty the more joy comfort and satisfaction we enjoy I will make them joyful in the house of Prayer He that with a sincere heart hath made tryal in the time of his sadness can testifie the truth of these promises by his own experience And the Scripture testifieth of Hannah That when she had prayed her countenance was no more sad To know God in all his Attributes is comfortable to his servants but of all to know him in this That he is a God hearing Prayer and hath heard thine is most soveraign for the warming and strengthening of thy faith and all other graces and quickening thee in holy duties One prayer heard is the earnest of hearing another and consequently of helping thee in all thy needs This is intimated in those expressions Eccles 9.7 Go thy way cat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for the Lord hath accepted thy work For if these services be God's delight no reason that they should be our burthen or a melancholly task This cannot be no man was ever made sad by this duty but the melancholly are made cheerful by it alwaies and transported with joy And if they be accepted by him with delight then we know that they shall not go unrewarded The suits of a Lover to its Beloved how readily are they embraced and answered Such is relation between God and his Saints We know also how acceptable and delightful the service of a child is to his Father though it be but weak and small yet it is sweet pleasant and delightful and doth more endear them to one another and when children are wronged whom else should they fly unto for succour Herein we enjoy God as a loving Father in Christ and he enjoyes us as children and caresses us This urgeth us to present these duties for we endeavour that our presents and services we do to men should yield them delight for thereby we expect acceptation of our persons and a grant of our suit And as a Father he obligeth us to it by his lading us with his daily benefits And bearing us in his arms as a man beareth his Son in all the way that we ge Deut. 1.31 All which he easily forgets who neglects this duty but he that duly performs it acknowledgeth God in all his waies And as the heavenly Hoast rejoyce to fall down and worship him that sits upon the Throne and the Lamb so the Saints militant by the offering of prayers and praises rejoyce before God The Motives ab Utili to prove the profitableness of it All temporal and eternal good that is or ever shall be is the profit which is proposed to be reaped by this Duty and on the contrary the avoiding of all temporal and eternal evil First It easeth us of a great deal of care Be careful in nothing but let your requests be made known unto God c. St. James c. 5. Is any man afflicted let him pray Luke 18. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation Joh. 16.23 Whatever you ask the Father in my Name he will give it you The Lord hath invited and perswaded us to this Duty by the greatest promises that we are capable of Rom. 10.13 Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved Jer. 33.3 Call unto me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you Isa 30.19 At the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee Joh. 15.7 Ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you Matth. 21.22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing ye shall receive it Joh. 14.13 Whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name I will do it Matth. 7.7 Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you Job 22.7 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him and he shall hear thee Zech. 10. v. 1. Ask of the Lord Rain in the time of the latter Rain c. Matth. 6.6 Thy Father who seeth thee in secret shall reward thee openly Psal Thou shalt call upon me in time of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise me When we can hope for no help from men God will even then help those that call upon him These and many other promises hath God of his mercy and goodness made to thee to invite and incourage thee to the performance of this Duty for thine own good and profit of soul and body in things temporal and eternal and for the shunning and avoiding of all evils and inconveniencies fins and the punishments thereof and all that humane nature is liable to suffer or fear And by these the Utility of the due peformance of this Duty appeareth And all those who have made trial in sincerity will confess that it is good to draw nigh to God If we know that in him we live move and have our being that he is God that made us and preserves us and upholds all things by his power then to him we will seek for all things necessary for our life and happiness because we know that what we have or desire to have we must have it from him of his free gift And knowing that we brought nothing into the world we must acknowledge that all we have we have it from him Therefore if we desire the continuance and preservation of that we have or seek any other good we must seek it by humble prayer and supplication of his free mercy and goodness This the Light of Nature teacheth Those who seem to themselves to be rich and to have need of nothing like the Church of the Laodiceans Rev. 2. do but deceive themselves These miserable wretches cannot perceive or understand what need they have of praying They have the more need because they understand not their need If the Thief upon the Cross obtained Heaven with a prayer of six words who will not come to such a liberal giver If we consider of God in his relation to us as a Father and our selves as
his children we can have no stronger motive than this to draw us to seek all good things we stand in need of from him For if we can by faith in Jesus Christ apprehend this relation how can we doubt of receiving the things we ask and stand in need of for we must needs know his love to be great to us if we find a reciprocal love towards him And although we be prodigals and but of little faith our blessed Saviour tells us that yet we are children and under his care And this argument he makes use of to invite us to come to God in prayer the force of Nature must needs be strongest in him who made Nature The motives which excite him must needs be stronger and greater than those which excite us as he is greater And he makes use of the argument to those who are evil If you being evil know c. To prove that God will give his Spirit to them if they ask it though before they had received the Spirit of Christ they were none of Gods children by adoption for this is given by Christ to those only who believe in his name Joh. 1.12 Between God and his adopted children there is a double Relation of paternity That citation in the Acts of the Apostles out of the Poet Aratus that we are Gods off-spring doth relate to the general relation whereby God is the Father of all man-kind as he was Adams So Abraham is the Natural Father of the Jews But the Relation by faith between God and us and Abraham and the Jews is the only saving Relation By the first Relation we do know that we must worship God and pray to him and we may hope to prevail but by the second we are sure to speed we have boldness and title to all the promises and access with confidence to the throne of grace The motives from necessity are of two sorts The first are fetched from the necessity of the absolute Command of God laid upon us The second from our own needs and necessities which press us to it Those commands already mentioned in the precedent motives may be resorted to without repeting them In every thing let your requests be made known to God This duty in many places is perswaded to us with gracious promises rather than commanded which manifests the Infinite goodness of almighty God thus to draw us to our duty with the cords of love as in the precedent heads Here follows some absolute commands engaging us to it Ezek. 36.37 I will be cried after Jer. I will be called upon 1 Pet. 4.7 Watch unto prayer 1 Thess 5. Pray without ceasing Continuing in stant in prayer Praying alwaies with all manner of prayer and supplication 10. Zac. 1. Matt. 6.6 And pray Our blessed Lord and Saviour joynes to the precept the strongest argument to inforce it that can be conceived Joh. 14.13 He propoundeth and promiseth for our reward whatsoever we ask the like Joh. 15.7 And as the use of this duty gaineth us every thing so was it the use of this that first gained us an interest in God as to our feeling and the more frequent use of it we make the more interest we gain in him and again disusage of this loseth the sense of our intrest in God and Christ and this is the finding promised such shall know God and them selves to have interest in him The motive which most strongly forceth us to this duty whether we will or no is our own wants which force us to seek to him as our refuge Josephus tells how that in the siege of Jerusalem the Romans army passing over a lake that was frozen the Ice began to crack and the whole army together fell down upon their knees and prayed The Mareners that were in the ship with Jona in the Tempest did the like So David shews in the 107 Psal How people afflicted with all miseries for their sins when they are at deaths door call upon the Lord in their trouble and are delivered for he saith in another Psalm The Lord is known as a sure refuge Let us therefore find out our needs for soul and body for they are sent for this purpose to move us to resort to God in this duty which for lack of the sense of them is often neglected And we forget our Creator and our dependance upon him till by the rod upon our backs we are made to hear him that hath appointed it and to seek to him as our God our Rock our Castle our Buckler the horn of our salvation and our present help Generally First consider the slipry estate of thy youth wherein thou standest environed with daily temptations and dangers through which of thy self thou art not able to pass without many falls man knoweth not how to walk Eccles This consideration will move thee to seek to him to be guide of thy youth who only can guide thee and hath promised to guide thee continually and to keep thee Isa 40.17 I am the Lord which teacheth thee c. Which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go Psal 25.22 Thy soul will hang on him if thou consider that his right hand upholdeth thee Psal 63.8 Confider what is in thy heart naturally what thoughts and Imaginations come spontaneously into thy mind are they holy thoughts and motions which stir and are fomented at such times as this duty is either wilfully neglected or through much business omitted or are they vain worldly profane and sinful if these be then be careful that when thou awakest thou be present with God and let thy soul instantly fly unto him And seek him early in those words of David in the 63 Psal througout O God thou art my God early will I seek thee c. Or in the like words and Let thy soul fly unto him before the morning watch Psal And continue seeking him ever more All those that know God as theires their Interest in him gives them this boldness of seeking him in all occasions And if any seek him not early they doubt of their interest and property in him Or of their needs for we are not afraid to lose that we never had nor desire to have neither do we think we can make use of that which neither owneth us nor we own that That which we seek early constantly and solicitously is that which we know we need and live upon and cannot live without Therefore thus seek thy God and thus shew thy carefulness to preserve thine Interest in him and to improve it and to make use of it at all times and to acknowledge him in all thy waies in thy outward blessings and preservations and inward gifts and graces c. Thou that art at thy best as Adam was thou must needs know thy mutability and instability and that thou also though strong art in danger of falling at all times and in all places as he fell And the Rock it self the Apostle Peter fell and David by slender
day watch over them Be a Sun and a shield to them a wall of fire about them and so for the rest of their priviledges Besides the precedent Motives and many more which might be alledged we may consider the examples of those who have practised this duty with success some few we will here insert As Moses first when his hands were lifted up Israel prevailed against their enemies in battle when they were down the Amalakites prevailed against them One pair of hands lifted up to Heaven in prayer prevailed more than many Thousands that were lifted up in battle Moses recounts several such gracious dispensations of God towards him Deut. 9.19 and 10.10 He fell down before the Lord forty daies and forty nights and the Lord hearkned unto him ver 25. He fell down again before the Lord forty daies and forty nights when the Lord would have destroyed them and 10. c. 10. v. And the Lord harkned unto him at that time also And the Lord would not destroy them Exod. 32.10 The like Many times would the Lord have destroyed them had not Moses put up his petitions for them Numb 11. The fire consumed the people and Moses prayed and it wa quenched Phineas when Gods wrath was hot against this people to destroy them with the plague prayed and so the plague ceased How often did he yeild to Abrahams prayer for sparying Sodom so often that Abraham was ashamed to urge him any further And Samuel is among such as called upon his name and he heard them and while Daniel was speaking in prayer he obtained his suit David saith Psal 36.4 I sought the Lord and he heard me and deliverd me out of all my fear And in divers other Psalms he testifieth the same and Jehosophat when he knew not what to do against the great host of his enemies prevailed by prayer 2 Chron. 20. Which examples and many more the scripture sets forth to shew how prevalent acceptable and delightful this service is to God and to excite us to it with boldness and confidence as the Apostle makes use of the example of Elias who by prayer opened and shut the Heavens for this purpose to excite us to the duty for though there be passions and infirmities in us and our services be but weak yet God looks upon us as a tender parent looks upon his child and pittieth and pardoneth the defects in regard of the willingness of the obedience and receives our services with delight because he seeth something of himself in us and so he is loth to deny any thing God was not offended with Isaiah when to satisfy one man he required that the Sun should go back And so loath is God that any prayer should be put up to him in vain without success that he wills us not to pray for such things as he intends not to grant When Samuel prayed for Saul How long saith he wilt thou pray for Saul since I have rejected him 1 Sam. 16.4 So Jer. 7.15.16 I will cast them out of my sight therefore pray not for this people neither make intercession for them for I will not hear thee What shall we then think of the strength of prayer It seemes to hold Gods hands that he can not do what he would for Deut. 9.13 Before cited God saith to Moses I have seen this people that they are a stiff-necked people Let me alone that I may destroy them Exod. 32.10 Moses would not let him alone and God hearkned unto him and did not destroy them So that it was as Moses would O omnipotent prayer that thus prevailest with the almighty O invincible and all conquering believer that canst wrastle with the almighty and prevail as Jacob did that canst hold him so fast that he cannot go unless thou please to let him else why doth he say let me go and Jacob answered I will not unless thou bless me and he did bless him Jacob got what he would of him before he would let him go so God suffered himself to be overcome In like sort when the sentence of Death was gone out against Hezekiah his prayer caused God to change it Furthermore he is not only overcome but commanded by prayer understand it with reverence Isa 45.11 Concerning the works of my hands command you me accordingly we find Joshua speaking Sun stand thou still in Gebeon and thou Moon in Ajalon Josh 10.12 And they stood still We read how prayer changed nature altering the property of fire that it neither burned nor scorched the 3 children stopped the mouths of the Lions whereby we see how that by means of this we may be safe in any place and God will be with us and nothing shall be able to hurt us Psal 91.15 He shall call upon me and I will answer him It hath no limitation of matter or restriction of time or place so that we need not dispair of any thing we ask It is necessary also that we pray for the fulfilling of the Prophesies thereof Mala. 1.11 In every place incense shall be offered unto my Name and a pure offering the epis of Ye are a Royal Priest-hood Exod. 19.6 Ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests Therefore we must have something to offer Heb. 8.3 The Spirit of prayer and supplication is in stead of the legal Sacrifices If the people of God have such holy appetites as they express Psal 42 1â— As the Hart panteth after the water brooks so longeth my soul after thee O God My soul is a thirst for God and Psal 63. My soul thirsteth for thee My flesh also longeth after thee And in chap. of Isaiah With my soul have I desired thee in the night and in the Canticles throughout begining v. 1. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for his love is better than wine The soul is kissed by Christ when it is assured of his love to it and of its own love to Christ and the Heavenly spouse her desire is to her beloved as is the wives to her husband And is as unsatiable in her desires as the greedy Userer is for riches Then must they needs seek him whom their soul loveth and desireth and longeth for in this and in all other ordinances as the spouse expresseth her solicitousness and vigilancy in the seeking and persuit of him That they may relieve their needs and satisfy their spiritual thirsts and hungers and that they may mitigate and asswage their grief and pain caused by the holy love-sickness for if they are forced by occasion of business extraordinary to omit some duty they cannot injoy themselves and then they long for those spiritual refreshments which duties afford There be two principal motives which make us frequent and earnest suitors at the Throne of grace viz. Desire of communion with God and enjoyment of him in his ordinances And desire of more grace And God doth most commonly satisfy these two desires in this in all other duties for being wel performed from
these two principles they are our sollaces and delight and also Gods delight Therefore will he hear them and reward them Albeit Gods holy people ask temporal blessings of him and the comforts of their life and temporal deliverances so that it may be objected that they have other principles and motives natural of performing duties than these two spiritual I Answer that it is the disposition of the New nature of the child of God to desire the obtaining of temporal mercies and blessings by and through this way and meanes of seeking them of the gift of God by prayer only that so they may enjoy them as pledges of his fatherly love mercy and faithfulness and as returnes of their prayers And so they will be the more careful to use them to the honour and glory of God And in them they enjoy God and his loving kindness which they value and comfort themselves with more than with his gifts as it is expressed in the Psalmes in this saying thy loveing kindness is better than the life it self and the heavenly Spouse desireth not to be inriched but by her husband and for further answer I say If God hath at any time heard us for outward blessings I conceive he hath obliged us to ask them of him still as if I salute or visit my neighbour and acquaintance and he returnes the like civilities I am to continue my complisance but if he answer them not then he casts me out Another Motive may be fetched from the Priestly office of Christ who ever liveth to make intercession for us And offereth up our prayers in his golden censer perfumed with incence and sweet odours If so then must we be careful and make sure that he have our prayers alwaies to offer up for us else we shall neglect him and his office and the access with confidence which he hath purchased for us Also we shall neglect the mercy of almighty God who is said to be rich in mercy to all them that call upon him in Faith Ephes 3. Also we shall neglect the gracious assistance of the holy Spirit which helpeth our infirmities in this duty Consider also what Vows and promises we have made to God upon extraordinary occasions for the due performance of this duty Psal 61.8 I will alwaies sing praise unto thy name that I may daily perform my vows Psal 116.16 Consider whether the facility of the duty be not a sufficient Motive to it for I conceive that there could not be made a more easie command than this of our blessed Saviour Ask and ye shall have Man could not have desired an easier It is expressed by David in his Psalms thus Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it To ask is the easiest thing that we can do unless it be to open our mouthes In this respect Christs burthen is light The prayers which he enjoins are short he forbids long ones Besides the great rewards of so small a service make it yet lighter because of the disproportion between this and that And they are yet more light by reason of the assistance we have from Gods holy Spirit I intend not that all prayers are performed with ease alike The fervent prayers of the Saints which are put up for such graces as they need and against such lusts temptations corruptions trials as they labour under are mixed with sighs and groanes which cannot be uttered but all their prayers are not such for those which are but for common mercies ought not to be such for even the wickedest will pray and howl for Corn and Wine as it is in Hose few words are injoined in these prayers And thus they are most consistent with faith in Gods promises that he will not suffer us to want these Necessaries of life Compare these services with the chargable Sacrifices of the Jewish law and the burthen of ceremonies which they were not able to bear and these will appeare but easie and light But that which facilitates this duty most is faith whereby believing we shall obtain we ask of God such things as we need for our soul and body as confidently and boldly as children use to ask of their parents the things they need their food and rayment and the like these esteem it no difficulty to ask whatsoever they have a mind to but a pleasure and delight and doubt not of speeding especially when they are invited and incouraged by promises The freeness and easiness of access which we have to God in Christs name makes the duty facil for Jesus Christ the Son of God hath made way for the poor and needy and empty handed begger they need not bring a present to make their way But then when thou seest no good in thy self if thou grieved thereat desirest grace and seekest to him for it these are Motives with which thy Saviour will be perswaded to give thee of his fulness grace for grace and will be moved thereby to intercede for thee to his Father what begger will not go thither for relief where he is assured to speed The paternal relation between God and us instructs us of the easie access what ever we need we know he is ready as a Father to give he takes care of us and will provide for us he expects but to be asked he hath prevented our asking with invitations and will hardly stay till we have done asking but he will grant it because he delighteth in granting the requests of his children else he would not grant them with such overplus nor invite us to ask And it evidenceth to us that we are his children when we do make use of our free access upon all occasions And believe his readiness to grant And if a prodigal Son might find such free and kind reception as our Saviour saith then he that is the dear Son and pleasent child and hath title to all cannot be denied 1. Preparatory Ejaculations Lord draw nigh to me Now that I draw nigh to thee and if for my unworthiness thou canst not be so propitious to me as thou wouldest be to thy child that is obedient then draw nigh to me as the Father was pleased to do to his unworthy prodigal son But if thou wilt neither of these yet be thou pleased to help me as thy Servant and Son of thine handmaid but if this thou wilt not then Lord relieve me as thou didst the Cananitish woman as a Dog of thy family with the crums of the bread of life thy holy Commandment hath taught us importunity therefore if thou canst not hear me for any relation hear me for my Importunity 2 Preparatory Ejaculation Lord thou hast made thy Servant to know his own insufficiency I find daily that fain I would do good and be such as thou commandest us to be but when I would do good evil is commonly present with me and how to do the good I would I know not This sense of my own insufficiency in every grace makes me a daily
work to think of the reasons that moved them to sin and to refuse such duties and to see the folly of all those reasons this will be shame and confusion O Lord let me be ashamed of my sins in time savingly by true repentance that I may avoid the eternal shame and confusion and remember with grief all the hard thoughts which I have had of thee and thy waies and grieved that I turned no sooner from sin to God That being derided for holiness I have so little of it But let me not be of them of whom it is said The Lord hath laughed at their calamity for he hath seen that their day is coming Made upon hearing of Mr. J. B. O Lord give me that earnest and first fruits of eternal life which thou usest to give thy afflicted servants in this life which may make me as it did them to rejoyce in afflictions with joy unspeakable and glorious to undergo with joy all manner of slanders and to take joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing that they have a more enduring substance in Heaven give thy servant to know this of himself which may make me able for the like sufferings and to undergo all that the wicked can inflict not accepting of deliverance and grant that I may see him by faith who is invisible and Jesus Christ my Saviour my Helper and my Redeemer my Recompence and my Reward O Lord let me not put any stress upon my own works for my salvation If with thy servant Paul I could say that as touching the Law I am blameless yet then also must I not count that I have attained but desire to be found in Christ not having mine own righteousness and be sensible that I have deserved thy wrath and fly to the Righteousness of Christ and say with David I will make mention of thy Righteousness only And with Daniel Not for our righteousness but for thy mercy sake save us Deliver me from the Legal Pharisaical spirit thinking to establish its own righteousness not submitting to the Righteousness of Christ Let my righteousness exceed theirs Let me mortifie the body and live strictly as they did and whatever duties they performed let me perform but let me not leave the others undone and those which I do let me not do to be seen but let me perform them to thee in secret that thou mayest reward me openly Neither let me trust in my felf nor despise others nor strain at a Nat and swallow a Camel Lord let not worldly things disturb my quiet though the Earth be moved and the Mountains shake at the tempest of the same Let the River of Life of thy holy City make glad the people thereof Give me the peaceable fruits of Righteousness Give me grace voluntarily to take Christ's yoak upon me and to learn of him meekness and humility that I may find rest to my soul which I can never find without holiness of life and faith therefore give me both that I may be able to say in all conditions the Lord is my Shepherd therefore I can lack norhing Lord as thou hast given us many commands for the duty of prayer and watchfulness the reto with constancy without ceasing and that in all things we should make our requests known unto God and to incourage us herein thou hast promised to reward it openly what we pray for secretly and hast set forth unto us in thy word how thou art a God hearing prayer and many examples of it And that it is the duty in which thou dost most delight and by my own experience I have always found thee such Therefore let me redeem the time for this so beneficial duty according to the example of thy Servants David seven times a day and Daniel three times in spight of the Tirants threats for thou hast always given me the mercies which I asked and I fear I have lost many for want of asking Lord in my distresses and troubles let me not seek for vain comforts in the Creatures but for those comforts which thy word and thy Spirit afford thy Servants for Christ hath promised that he will not leave us comfortless but will send us a comforter O now send this comforter into my heart that I may rejoice with the joy of thy chosen ones and not with the joy of the World this thou hast often refreshed thy Servant with in the midst of the sorrows which he had in his heart Lord let me not neglect the day of my visitation for thou hast said that thy spirit shall not always strive with us Therefore when we feel thy holy Spirit inclining our hearts to good or drawing us from evil let us follow its motions and the express calls of thy word when it seems to us to speak in particular to our soules that we may escape that threatning which saith because I have called and ye have refused you shall call and I will not answer I will laugh at your calamity so when thou visitest us with mercies or afflictions then thou bowest our ear to discipline for in affliction the wicked often will seek thee but not to see thee in thy merciful dispensations is more brutish then the Ox or Ass who know their keepers that feed them Lord let me know the time of my visitation let me lose no opportunity to do good for we know not how soon the opportunity or our lives will be taken away therefore let me lay hold on all opportunities and redeem all time possible for God's service As Paul in the Gaol converted the Gaoler and Philip in his Journey the Eunuch and Christ when he was on the Cross dying conveyed grace to the hearers and salvation to one of the thieves Let me value my time by the duties which may be done in it and let me not spend it in doing that which is impertinent or doing nothing much less in doing ill but in things necessary which is but one thing to serve God the things of this world being only for convenience Teach me to number not only my daies but my hours that I may husband them well to thy glory especially my youthful time let me consecrate to God since I cannot be too soon out of the paw of Satan into the arms of Christ Let me not listen to the Devil when he tells me I shall serve God hereafter but let me give thee the first fruits of my age and of the day and not the flower to the Devil and the dregs to the Lord and let me consider what value I shall have of time when I come to die Lord when thy afflicting hand is stretched out to afflict me in the ruine of my estate or the loss of my reputation and honour or any earthly good how do I search and try my spirit and fear to commit the least sin against thee but no sooner hast thou removed thy hand and the danger that threatned is overpast but then how careless do I walk again and think
not of the terror of the Lord to keep my heart in awe neither do I fear thee according to my fear I had when in danger neither do I seek to thee serve thee and delight in thee according to all my vows and admiration of thy goodness because thou hast been so merciful to hear my prayer and deliver me from all my fear but I am ready to think that it is for my own goodness and virtue that thou hast wrought this Of this sin thou warnedst the Israelites and we are all too prone to it O pardon Lord thy servant and heal him of this evil and give him to walk in the same awe and fear of thee and the like obedience to all thy commandments and love to thy waies watchfulness against sin and in it self examination and humility when the trouble and danger is past as when it is impendent and then I shall know that I have a filial fear of thee and not a servile fear Lord since thou makest thy Mercy and thy Almighty Power the inducements to awe us and allure us to keep and observe thy Statutes saying to Israel I am the Lord the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage therefore enjoynedst thy people to keep the Commandments following Let me alwaies keep a remembrance of thy mercies and because thou didst injoyn them the keeping of the Passeover in commemoration of their deliverance out of Egypt and that they should continually when they made their offering acknowledge that their Father was a Syrian ready to perish Lord let us in like sort reflect upon thy mercies and deliverances and our former sufferings to humble us and to be thankful to thee and praise thee and whilst we enjoy the benefit let us give thee the glory and the rather because one mercy is the earnest of another as holy Paul argued God hath delivered me and will deliver me therefore let me put a due estimate upon them by apprehending my unworthiness of them which the more I apprehend the more able I shall be to know the true value of the mercy and God's goodness in it The more low I am in my own eyes the more high will God's mercies be in my eyes If we pray for mercies it is for love of our selves but our praises are not so many nor so earnest as our prayers for them Lord increase our praises and let us say with David Praised be the Lord who hath remembred us in our low condition and hath delivered us from all our fears and troubles and keepeth all our bones so that none of them is broken and ladeth us with daily benefits and maketh our life comfortable And let my soul praise him not only with my lips but with a constant living to his praise and using the mercies which he hath given me to the honour of him who gave them Lord give us grace to mortifie our earthly members and affections since the promise is that as we have been planted with Christ into the similitude of his death so we shall also be into the similitude of his resutrection And let this mortification be universal of all our sinful and sensual affections and let it be constant and perpetual without intermission looking to the pattern of Christ on his Cross for our imitation and instructed thereto by thy holy Word and stirred up thereto by a godly sorrow for our sins committed And to this end let us cut off the superfluities of every lust and corruption that may fortifie and strengthen it And that we may destroy it in the birth and keep far off the danger of it as holy Job made a Covenant with his eyes not to look upon a Maid considering that I can never be safe near a danger though sin seem to me as a right eye or hand yet by thy grace let me have power to renounce it not only forbearing the act for fear of punishment but destroying and mortifying the habit and inclination And although the body of sin and death do remain as in Paul it did yet let it be to me as a burthen and grief of soul crying out with him O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death LORD God the fountain of goodness above all things give me faith in thee for then I must of necessity love thee if I believe thou hast loved me and given thy Son for me and shall have in my soul the joy that is unspeakable Lord when thou layest thy heavy hand of affliction upon us to cause us to search and try our waies and that we should examine our selves and turn unto the Lord in stead of this our wicked heart is prone to cast off God and say Why should we wait upon God any more what profit is there in serving him Who is the Lord we will own him and his goodness no more In stead of humble repentance we are prone with Job's wife to curse God and with those wicked ones prophesied of to come in the last times in the book of the Revelations of whom 't is said That after all the Vials of wrath and the 7 last Plagues poured out they repented not but cursed God or else we are prone to charge God foolishly as they in Ezek. 8.12 said God hath forsaken the earth or 18 Ezek. That our Fathers have eaten sowre grapes and our teeth are set on edge yet we their children have eaten sowre grapes too or we are tempted to have hard speeches of God accompanying our natural complaints and call God's providence into question as if thou didst not govern the earth or not well because we think thou dost not hear us soon enough saying Why have we fasted and thou hearest not Now that we may eschew these iniquities let us see first the fruitlesness of this course though we roar all like Bears and mourn like Doves it doth not better us nor abate our afflictions So is it causeless for thy plagues are the just punishments for our sins and it is the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed as said the Church in Babylon and that we are living And why should a living man complain for the punishment of his sins for that we are alive is more than we deserve That thou givest us our life for a prey for we know we are all sinners and our sins exceed our punishments It was never so bad but it might have been worse with us and at the worst we have some mercy For David saith I know that of very faithfulness thou hast afflicted me In thus murmuring we overlook all Gods mercies As Haman when he had reckoned all his advancements yet said all this is nothing so long as Mordecai the Jew vailed not to him In this we shew our exceding great pride which makes us think all that God hath given us is no more than our due In this is direct rebellion against our God and
loathsom vice of beastly intemperance but let me avoid them and not look upon the Wine when it moveth it self right and giveth a pleasant colour in the Cup or if it should be so that I have no inclination of my self to this or any other sin yet let me not therefore venture my self upon the temptation but let me fear sin always considering how foully Noah and Lot fell let me never be found standing or walking in the way of sinners nor sitting in their seat but let me be always found in the way of God And what is said of the adulterous Woman whoever toucheth her shall not be innocent let me fear the same in every temptation and avoid the least medling with it or approaches to it and as it is also said concerning the same avoid it pass not by it turn from it pass away so let my practice be in all other temptations And as it is said of Gluttony for remedy of it if thou beest a man given to thy appetite set a Knife to thy throat So in all other temptations let me lay violent hands upon the peccant member if my right eye offend me let me pluck it out Lord thou knowest that I am resolved not to sin to avoid the greatest suffering therefore teach me wisdom that I may prevent and guard my self against all provocations to sin that I may not draw upon my self a necessity of suffering MAKE us to accept Jesus Christ our Saviour upon his own terms as he offers himself to us in the Holy Gospel to be our King to rule us and reign over us our Prophet to teach and instruct us as well as to be our high Priest to attone and sacrifice for our sins Let us not think to have the priviledges of Christians without the duties Make it to be a greater pleasure to us to deny our selves in sins then ever it was to give our selves up to them that we may be meet to receive Heaven into which flesh and blood cannot enter Let the Holy Spirit inflame us always with that divine fervent affection to God that inspired the Spouse when she said or ever I was aware my Soul was like the Chariots of Aminadab O sweet Christ do thou put grace into our hearts by that sweet voice behind us saying this is the way walk you in it for thou only art our great Prophet and teacher who canst make us learn and our high Priest and mighty Saviour delivering us from our sins and making us as innocent by thy attonement as if we had never offended for those whom thou makest free they are free indeed if thou wilt not take away the being of sin in us in this life yet assist us with thy grace to subdue it deliver us out of the power of darkness and the Prince of darkness And what benefits thou hast purchased for us by thy death apply them to us by thy intercession deliver us from death and give us the Crown of life which thou hast promised to all them that love thee and since thou art desirous of our salvation and it is because we will not come unto thee that we have not life O Christ make us a willing people as thou hast promised for our salvation is wholly from thee But our damnation from our own wills and if we perish our blood is upon our own heads O sweet Christ our Prophet and teacher teach us by thy word and thy Spirit the things that belong to our peace Guide me by thy Spirit and then bring me to glory LORD what is there in us for which thou shouidest desire our love Lord in thee is every thing that is lovely therefore ought we to chuse thee for the object of our love But we seek that happiness in the World which we cannot find any where but in thee and having found nought but emptiness vanity and the loss of all our labour in the pursuance of content peace and happiness in the affaires and matters of the world let us at last betake our selves to seek it in thee and thy waies to learn of thee to take thy yoak upon us that we may find rest to our soules LORD what pretence can sinners have for which they cast off thy yoak and will not have thee to rule over them upon whose daily benefits they live when they rebel against their Princes and shake off their yoak it is either for their leud lives and wickedness that they judge them unworthy to rule therefore scorn to be subject unto them Or for their oppression that they are not able to bear their grievous burthens but what iniquity have sinners found in thee thou hast put the Question to them but they can find no answer LORD since thou hast shewed me that every Saint must live in the same holiness of life that thy Servants the Apostles attained and St. Paul said of himself that he was crucified with Christ yet he lived yet not he but Christ lived in him and he lived that life by the faith of Christ who gave himself for him give us thy grace in like manner to crucify our selves to the World and to live no more to it nor to our selves but to live by Christ in us so as we may be said not to live And if thou givest us to live the life of faith and not to the World and live to thee let us not impute this our well doing to our selves for of our selves we cannot think a good thought but to Christ who liveth in us who only can inable us thus to live In all our distresses let us pray to the Lord and use the meanes as when the Arabians Ammonites and Ashdodites conspired against Jerusalem 't is said Nehemiah 4.9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God and set a watch against them day and night But let us not like King Asa seek to Physicians in our sickness and not to God LORD while I am supported by thy Spirit I shall be able to live blamelesly as Lot did in the midst of Sodom but the strongest of thy servants will fall as he afterwards did if thou withdraw the Assistance of thy Spirit and shall be as that Apostle who denied the Lord Jesus Christ whom before he sought for and resolved to dye for though he was the Rock Therefore let me never be confident lest thou leavest me as thou didst him And when I hear of others miscarriages let me be thankful to thee for holding me up and ascribe it to thee as the Angels in the Book of the Revelations are said to cast their Crowns at thy feet and let us learn not to judge uncharitably of those that are overcome by temptations LORD when we pray unto thee our prayers are so interrupted with worldly and sinful thoughts and the things we pray for being mostwhat temporal mercies and deliverances from bodily evils they are not such prayers as our own reason can think worthy thy acceptance But Lord though we offer thee
the lame and the blind if we have no better in our flock thou wilt accept it therefore I will not cease to pray unto thee though I cannot approve my own prayers for thus I come unto thee without money or price that thy gifts may be free O that I could account the corruption of my nature to be my misery as Saint Paul complaining of the law of his members warring against the law of his mind so that he could not do the good he would cries out Miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin And make me as sensible of the strength of it as this holy man was LORD if I fall into sin let me not be insensible of it as the adulterous woman who eateth and wipeth her mouth and saith I have done 〈◊〉 wickedness But like as David after he had sinned and the Prophet Nathan had told him God had done away his sin yet his grief and sorrow for having offended God gave him no rest so that he wept day and night So let my sins grieve me as oft as I remember them Meditation SINCE the Apostle Peter wherein he was confident of his strength above all others immediately fell I will ascribe my standing to God only and praise him who holds me up And pray with David Lord hold thou me up and I shall be safe And watch and take heed to my self and alwaies fear lest I fall since I know that I stand not by my own strength for corruption of nature is as strong in me as in others and the tempter the same to me as to them but the Spirit of God only makes the difference therefore I will praise God who upholds me and keeps my feet from falling for it is not I that live the life of faith but Christ that lives in me therefore with the Elders in the Revelations I will cast my Glory and Crown at his feet from whom I have received it And the consideration of this my weakness shall teach me charity towards those that are overcome with temptation that I may restore them in the spirit of meekness but not judge them lest I condemn my self as David did himself in the Parable of the yew Lamb And as Judah condemned himself in condemning Tamar And let me not flatter my self like the Scribes and Pharisees who said If we had been in our Fathers daies we would not have been partakers with them in killing the Prophets LORD establish thou me with thy free Spirit whereby I may stand in the hour of Temptation and run the ways of thy Commandments freely without rub or let without dulness and without danger of stumbling or falling that the Spirit may be willing though the flesh be weak And with Paul when he was full of the Spirit he was content not only to be bound but to die for Christ so may I also since thou lovest only the chearful giver And as it said 5 of Judges 9. Thy heart is towards the governours of the people that offered themselves willingly So make me alwaies to cast off readily and freely every tempter that goes about to seduce my affections from thee disdaining to harken to them LORD give me to avoid not only gross sins but also the smallest and first degrees of sins viz. To turn away my eyes from beholding vanity Not to look upon the wine when it moves it self right in the cup to make a covenant with my eyes not to look upon a maid gives me understanding in the way of God that I may know these small degrees of sin to be sins and the danger of them to avoid them and all other of the like nature Then I shall know that I have a New heart and that thou hast put thy Spirit into me which I desire to know above all things LORD let not my heart deceive me either making me think that I have more grace than in truth I have as Peters did him so as that he thought though all men denied thee yet he should not or by making me think I have not those corruptions that I have as Hasael 2 King 1.13 When the Prophet told him what cruelties he would commit upon the Israelites he answerd is thy Servant a Dog Yet did he commit the same but let me know my own weakness and vileness that I may not trust to my own strength in any temptation but let me rejoice in God my strength and know that thou art my strength and that thou only holdest me from falling and keepest my feet from slipping and orderest my goings and makest me to run the waies of thy Commandments And inclinest my heart to thy testimonies O hold thou me up and I shall be safe Keep thy Servant also from presumptuous sins and from the sins of infirmities and let me always know my own insufficiency weakness and corruptions and watch and pray against them not only against gross sins which the heathen and unbelievers detest as drunkeness swearing murther and adultery theft and the like but against every degree of sinfulness and every vain and lustful thought and idle word unseemly gesture which I can easily espy as motes in anothers eye while I hardly discern the beam in my own but do thou O Lord take away from me this blindness of heart with the effects and consequences thereof by causing the day star to arise in my heart LORD let my former experiences which I have had of thy goodness beget a confidence in me in all dangers as it did in David when he went to encounter Goliah He remembered the slaughter of the Lion and the Bear and concluded the Philistin should be like one of them And breakes out saying though 10000 men should set themselves against me round about yet will I not be afraid and though as many Devils also are against me let me not be afraid let me remember thy promise saying call upon me in the time of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shaltpraise me And let me not rely upon nor trust in the outward meanes the arm of flesh though I do make use of it as Nehemiah whenhe builded the walls of Jerusalem he set watches and they took their arms with their spades so wisdom teacheth but yet not to trust to the Sword or think that our bow shall help us for so did that Philistine Wherefore said David thou comest to me with thy sword thy spear but I come to thee in the name of my God Lord teach me the power of prayer especially mingl'd with faith And to consider that thou hast heard the wicked when they have sought thee as Ahab because he walked heavily and mourned thou wouldst not bring the evil in his daies And thou heardest Manasses and thy poor people that cry unto thee in their trouble thou deliverest out of their distress as exiles prisoners Marriners and sick persons when their soul fainteth in them and they cry unto thee being at their wits end And
my soul let thy impatiente bearing of lyings slanders backbitings and false accusations humble thee and drive thee to seek to God by prayers and tears to assist and help thy weak patience and faith and make thee more conformable to Christ thou canst bear other injuries learn to bear these that thou mayest be blessed O my God do thou preserve me support me and hold me up that I may not fall by wrath and impatience though the injuries I receive be never so great unjust and false yet let me be supported by thy word and thy Spirit in me assuring me of reward in heaven O my God let me contentedly submit to thy chastisments and let me be assured that thou wilt bring good out of evil and that they are sent by thee for my good that I should not be condemned with the world 1 Cor. 11. And by thy assistance I shall go forth to thee without the camp bearing thy reproach Heb. 13.14 And my patience shall be perfected And assure me that in this unjust suffering I take up the Cross of a Christian Another end why God afflicts us is to make us call to mind our sins which procured the afflictions as Josephs brethren called to mind theirs of selling their brother It makes us to search and try our selves what sins we lye in and have not repented off Meditation LORD Sanctify them to us for this end that we may not lye in our sins nor dye in them But may be awakened to search and try our waies and call to mind our sins and repent of them with a godly sorrow unto salvation and turne unto the Lord with all our hearts lest otherwise we perish with the world And let the blessedness which thou hast pronounced upon thy mourners and the comfort which thou hast promised them come on them in the sight of their persecutors for their comfort will be the discomfort of them Another end why Gods afflicts us is to restrain us from some sin which we are prone to so he restrained St. Paul from pride for if God did not restrain us we should fall oftener than we do not only into those same sins which we have formerly committed but also into all others which the nature of man is subject to commit and which we think our selves quite free from as Hasael when the Prophet told him what Villanies he would commit answered him saying Thinkest thou that thy Servant is a Dog yet he did what the Prophet had foretold 2 King 8. So God withheld Abimeleck from sinning with Abrahams wife so David before he was afflicted he went astray but learned Gods judgments by afflictions And said Thy Rod and thy Staff have comforted me by which saying of David it appeares That another end of Afflictions is for Spiritual comfort Therefore 't is said in St. James Count it all joy when you fall into manifold temptations For as sin as soon as committed flies in our face and tells us that we have deserved all the curses threatned in Gods word for our consciences immediately tels us that the wages of sin are death and damnation so afflictions brings to mind our sins and makes our consciences search themselves what sins lye unrepented off Then our repentance brings remission and peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost communion with God and watchfulness and carefulness against sin for the future But to make us more capable of the comfort it seems meet to God to visit us by afflictions Another end of afflictions it to abase and humble us That we may walk humbly with our God humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may lift you up where both these ends of afflictions are conjoyned viz. The joy of being lifted up with the humiliation he humbles whom he in tends to exalt Another end is for purgation I will purge away all the dross and tinn Which doth supose that there are some sins committed by and some corruptions remaining in the Servants of God as it is in the 9 of Daniel 11. Yea all Israel have transgressed thy law even by departing that they might not obey thy voice therefore the curse is poured upon us and the oath that is written in the law of Moses because we have sinned Every branch in me that beareth fruit he purgeth Isa 27.9 By this shall the iniquity of jacob be purged As our Saviour was made perfect by suffering so all that are made perfect are made perfect by sufferings When our consciences checks us it causes us to search and try our waies as it is in the Prophet after I was afflicted I smote upon my thigh Another end to bring a man to himself when before he would not know himself nor could understand his frailties and weakness also to bring a man to Christ and to make him go out of himself and the thought of his self-sufficiency and self confidence to seek his salvation in Christ alone for if the word doth not work upon us God doth work by the Spirit of bondage upon hard consciences as David said my reines chasten me in the night season So was the Prodigal Son brought to himself to bethink him of his Fathers house and to return home LORD sanctify them to thy Servant for all these ends that I may find all those opperations wrought in me and let me wait patiently upon the Lord laying my mouth in the dust As water that stands still without motion or agitation putrifieth and the Air corupteth unless it be moved with some gales of Wind so the minds of men become degenerate and their virtues and graces soon languish unless they be excited and exercised by variety of fortune troubles and new difficulties the most troublesome accidents that befall teach and improve a wise man most and learn him the best lessons Time of Trouble is the season for Prayer If Esau had not come against Jacob with an army he had not wrestled with God nor got the blessing Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the time of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise me so it is the season for Gods mercy to those who seek it by prayer And as if the sense of our necessities would not force us enough to this duty of prayer he injoynes it by precept and inviteth with a promise which shews both our backwardness to the Duty and Gods readiness to accept our prayers and shew mercy to us and sometimes he is fain to be found of them that seek him not and he is fain to send his Spirit to help us to pray and sometimes he is fain to hear us when we have but a purpose to pray as David said in the Psalms I said I wll confess my sin and thou forgavest my iniquities and sometimes God is fain to prevent us as Isa 64.10 Before they call I will answer and sometimes he will not stay till the end of our Prayer as it is said Whilest they cry I will say
here am I. So the Lord speaks Jer. 31.21 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself so whilst Daniel was praying at the beginning of his Prayer God answered Dan 9. the Prodigal desired to be but as a hired Servant and the Father brings forth the Fatted Calf to entertain him so God gives us more than we ask Is any man afflicted let him pray it teacheth that Gods Children are not free from troubles nor can expect so to be It teacheth also that those prayers that are extorted from us by necessity are heard necessity may first set men awork to pray as it did Jacob. Though men would object against them who come to them in their necessities yet Christ and man had never come together had it not been for necessity necessities are not a putting us off but a drawing us to God as appears by these Invitations 'T is folly to neglect God in our trouble When Joab would not come to Absolom he sets his Corn on fire and then he came Dan. 9. Though all this be come upon us yet have we not made our prayers unto thee Gods aims are accomplish'd when thou comest to him Hos 5.15 I will hide my face and they will call upon me early Let not the affliction simply without regard to the precept and promise drive us to God 2. Cor. 1.10 11. God hath delivered me and will deliver me c. Your helping together in your prayers The qualification of the Persons and of the prayer are contained in this the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much Nothing will make us more fervent than afflictions Sometimes God doth not hear us at the first to make us more fervent his delays are no denials God hath several ways of deliverance that we know not of we must not obtrude our own model upon God David Ps 34. I sought the Lord and he heard me and deliver'd me out of all my trouble Sometimes God will not give a temporal deliverance that he may give a spiritual sometimes he will give both As St Paul said God hath delivered me from the mouth of the Lion and will also deliver me from every evil work The Martyrs in the 12th of the Hebrews would not accept of deliverance from men There is a Spiritual deliverance in part as Pauls from the Thorn in the Flesh or in the whole God sometimes delivereth us by death as Sampson was from the Philistines sometimes he delivereth by death from eternal death Again seldom doth deliverance fail when either we are inlarged to pray for it or incouraged to wait upon God for it when thou preparest the heart O Lord thou inclinest thy ear so Fathers teach their Children to ask what they have a mind to bestow Till we are past sinning we shall not be past suffering Because suffering follows sin as the effect follows the cause and suffering is the usual means which God makes use of to restrain us from sin and to set our graces on work which begin to decay in the Sun-shine of prosperity Though affliction be the fruit of sin it may be the mother of vertue where it is not the mother it may be and most commonly is the Nurse or foster mother making us renew our vows and resolutions for God brings good out of evil or otherwise he would not permit unjustice and opression to be done to his children by the men of the World of whom he saieth he that toucheth you toucheth the the Apple of mine eye And if the members suffer the head suffers also and our blessed Lord and Saviour saith that he that offendeth the least of the Children of God 't were better for that man that a Mill-stone were hanged about his neck and that he were thrown into the midst of the Sea than that he should offend one of those little ones Since Christ himself accompts their sufferings his as these and many other Scriptures prove he doth if in all theit afflictions he is afflicted if they affect him in the tenderest place the apple of his eye then surely he will not permit them to be inflicted in the least degree or quantity more than he seeth necessary fortheir good From hence viz. the sense of Gods tender love to his Children might spring that undaunted confidence and full assurance of faith which Gods people sometimes discover as Holy Job said Though he kill me yet will I trust in him David when the people talked of Stoning him encouraged himself in the Lord. Habakkuk the Prophet would rejoyce in the Lord though the Fig-Tree should not blossom neither should fruit be in the vine though the labour of the Olive should fail and the Field should yield no encrease though the Flock should be cut off from the fold c. The innumerable company of Martyrs in the late Queen Mary's days and in the 10 persecutions when the bodies of the Servants of God were given to be meat for the wild beasts and others burned with fire for the testimony of Christ and would not accept deliverance in hopes of a better resurrection Their faith was the substance of the things hoped for and it secured the possession of them which verefied that truth in Psal 107. He shall not be afraid for any evil tidings his heart is fixed and he trusteth in the Lord. Faith draweth off the mind from temporal things to eternal and then from the dark waies of Gods providence to his promises in his covenant and so makes a man to commit himself to God as it is 2 of Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have trusted Faith puts all into Gods hand and we are safe when we know our goods are in a sure hand Submission to God is an act of faith and love and an act of obedience thereby Job blessed God taking away David submitted himself to God Saying if the Lord hath said to Shimei curse David who shall say why hast thou done so c. Who can tell whether the Lord will requite good for his railing readily did Hezekiah submit to all that God pleased when the Prophet told Eli of the judgments threatned against his House 2 Sam. 15.21 His submissive answer is 'T is the Lord let him do what seemeth good in his sight he laid his mouth in the dust Guilt makes us fear when God removes the pillar of security from under our heads by any affliction but the knowledg of God by former experience fortifies faith This made the Apostle argue God would deliver him Psal 35. I trusted in thee for I said thou art my God His interest in God and Gods Interest in him made him trust in him 2 Chro. 13.18 The children of Judah prevailed against the Israelites because they relied upon the Lord. Another help of faith is prayer Thou shalt ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance Another is obedience the old Prophet went out of Gods way and the Lyon slew him The comfort of the Cross to the People of God
let me be strong and of good cheer and undaunted incouraging my self in the Lord let me not be so cowardly and fearful and base spirited as to lye down under afflictions Let me remember thy loving kindnesses of old that I may encourage my self with them Thou hast delivered me therefore let me trust that thou wilt still deliver me and therefore let me bless thy name when thou shalt take away from me remembring how freely thou gavest it to me LET the righteous be bold as a Lyon and daunt their enemies so that they may never rise up against them any more SINCE thou hast often given me clear and undoubted evidence of my Title to eternal life and hast shewed me that the way by which I must pass thither is through many tribulations make me willing to take the means with the end and to go to Heaven by that way as thou hast appointed to all Saints How can I imagin that thou hast exempted thy Servants from affliction when thou hast said the contrary and that Judgment must begin at the house of God and that through many tribulations they must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and I know by my own experience that it is good and beneficial to my soul that it should be so Therefore I do not only submit to them but chuse them as Moses did I chuse rather that Satan should prevail against me to impair my estate or to cast me into prison if thou wilt have it so as thou hast foretold thy Saints that some of them shall be Revel 2. For their probation That thereby I may be restrained from sin and made to walk humbly with my God and closely than that thou shouldst suffer me to fall into any sin that should wound my conscience ever after LORD If in our affliction we stand to thee we know thou wilt not leave us But will stand the by us and save us and break all the snares of ungodly to pieces therefore fear not worm Jacob. LORD cause the uncessant lies and slanders with which the world afflicts thy people that they serve to make their vertues more conspicuous because thy promise is to make their righteousness as clear as the light and their just dealing as the noon day therefore do thou assert their righteousness though for a while their enemies Eclipse them yet let their bright shining break out like the Sun out of a Cloud and dazel the eyes of their enemies and remember too thy promises to root out those false tongues which slander them and to stop the mouths of those that speak lies and since it is vileness that vilifies goodness and baseness debaseth honour let us contemne them and let us look to the weight of glory which they work for us The Soliloquy O my soul that thou couldst in this thy day see the things that belong to thy peace that thou couldst have grace to lay hold on this season of Prayer the time of thy affliction seasonable both to thee to Pray and to God to hear and to implore his mercy with strong crys and tears and give him no rest with thy Prayers who gives thee no rest with his Chastisments as his hand is heavy upon thee day and night so let thine eyes be ever looking unto him from whom thy salvation must come and let thy hands be ever lifted up to him and always be mindful of his promise and word wherein he hath caused thee to put their trust Saying call upon me in the time of trouble and I will deliver thee Let it be thy comfort in thy trouble to quicken thee in thy faintings that thy hope may not faile nor thy patience tire nor thy Prayers cease nor the holy fire of Zeal upon the Altar of thy heart go out That fire that came down from Heaven Divine love to him that made thee and redeemed thee and to his servants and all that bear his Image Let thy affections be set on things above and wait thou still on the Lord hold fast on him stay thy self on him though with Jonah thou shouldst be cast into the Sea or with the 3 children into the fiery furnace for his hand is not shortned that it cannot save now say Lord look upon my assliction and misery and forgive me all my sins Lord pitty and pardon and heal our souls let not thy wrath wax hot against the people of thine inheritance whom thou hast redeemed Let not thy jealousy burn like fire for ever Lord remember thy loving kindness of old wherefore hast thou made all men for naught Lord all thy waves and storms are gone over me yet is my soul resolved not to go back from thee nor to behave her self frowardly in thy covenant nor to charge God foolishly still I will learn obedience by the things which I suffer still will I make my Prayer unto God and cease not but increase them and still will I make my confession before him still will I believe that my Redeemer liveth and that I shall see him with these eyes though wormes consume my flesh for I shall utterly faint unless I can still believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and unless I can with patience tarry the Lords leisure and still put my trust in the Lord although he should seem to make me as his enemy still will I bless God though he should take away all my comforts for I can enjoy none in the want of health or inward grief of Soul Though my troubles and griefs are never so many I have Gods word that he will deliver my soul out of all and he hath delivered me and therefore will deliver me afflictions shall not always rest upon the back of the righteous in measure he will debate with them the end of the righteous is peace Bless the Lord O my Soul if he hath spared thee nothing but thy life and confess it to be his mercy that thou art not consumed and that it is because his compassion fails not And though he visit thy iniquity with rods and thy sin with scourges yet it is his Fatherly mercy that he doth not utterly take his loving kindness from thee That he thus bringeth thee to the sight of thy sins and restraines thee from others Meditations on several Scriptures of Zeal Rom. 10.2 They have a Zeal of God but not according to knowledg Med. LORD Teach me to bound and moderate all my affections and duties which I perform to thee according to the rules which thy word hath laid down lest I mis-serve thee as the Jewes did and Saul before he was converted and instead of a reward procure a punishment Teach me to labour first to know thy will then to do it and not to overdo it as Peter who would not have his feet only washed but his head also Let knowledg proportion my Zeal to thy will This teacheth me in repenting for my sins not to sorrow above measure and so
priviledge may be gathered from this Argument that it was Jesus Christ's Legacy which he left to his Friends And it may be gathered from the Prayers of the Apostles 2 Thess 3. Now the Lord of Peace himself give you peace always by all means 1 Pet. 5.14 Peace be with you all that are in Christ Isa 26.3 Thou shalt keep him in perfect Peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee vers 22. O Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us That the Saints have freedom and confidence in Prayer and joy thereof If the Lord hath delight in their prayers he will give them reciprocal delight The promise of our blessed Saviour assures us of this priviledge he saith Whatever you shall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full David found the truth of it when he said The Lord hath heard my petition The Lord will receive my prayer Psal And Moses in The Lord heard me this time also And Jam. 5. v. 16. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much The greatness of the Joy is expressed in the instance of Hanna her countenance was no more sad after she had prayed And agreeable hereto is that of Solomon Eccles Eat thy bread with joyfulness for the Lord hath accepted thee He that hath once obtained his desires of God by prayer is transported with excess of joy and is emboldened and encouraged for all that he wants and can hardly be dejected or dismayed in any trouble if he call to mind the same for the experience of this priviledge inlargeth the soul to enjoy God as his God in whom he hath a sure interest and to a thankfulness of consecrating those mercies as Hanna did to God As they have priviledges of enjoying so have they of doing That the righteous person performs holy and virtuous actions by the assistance of the Spirit with more freeness facility and delight than they can be performed by any principle of morality good nature or ingenuous education is plain for this and that being compared we shall easily see that those that are virtuous by the light of Nature have had more falls than those that are illuminated by the Spirit and the Word of God Therefore David prays Psal 51. Establish me with thy free Spirit And Psal 119. I shall run the waies of thy Commandments when thou hast set my heart at liberty For instance consider with what facility and readiness Joseph being solicited and tempted by his Mistriss to unchast embraces avoided put by and cast off the temptation How can I do this great wickedness and sin Gen. 39. And it came to pass as she spake to Joseph day by day that he hearkned not unto her to lye with her or to be with her And it came to pass that Joseph went into the House to do his business and there was none of the Men of the House there within And she caught him by the Garment saying lye with me And he left his Garment in her hand and fled and got him out Here encountred and assaulted with so strong a temptation of unchastity importunately and uncessantly assailing him backed and assisted with the temptations of Ambition and Covetousness and fit opportunity to accomplish it with secresie and no restraint at all but the All-seeing eye of God would any of the moral Philosophers thus easily and readily have conquered such a Temptation and held it out against the continual importunity and opportunity by the strength of Right Reason Honesty and Truth Certainly they would have broken out into Impatience Rage and bitter invectives of an angry proud Spirit studying revenge and defamation of the Tempter and the extolling of their own virtue or otherwise have transgressed against some of the cardinal virtues which would have giveâ— an offence another way to their own disparagement the offence of others and the discredit of the profession of Philosophy But the freeness readiness and facility of the new Nature yieldeth abundance of peace joy delight and satisfaction to him who is renewed and acted by it and giveth no offence to the beholders but full satisfaction And as in this instance of Chastity we have considered it so may we as fully and clearly see the sweet face and comely beauty of this new Nature and the joy that it yields in the mirrour of patience acted by holy Job And his facility of repelling and vanquishing all the Temptations of Satan his Wife and his three Friends And this freeness smoothness readiness and facility is so delightful in all the encounters that the new Nature hath with the old corrupt unregenerate part that the generosity thereof being compared with the morosity of the severe sullen churlish rigid Philosophers that like the beams of the Sun will make this quite lose its borrowed lustre like the Moon at mid-day Yet those virtuous persons found such sweet delight in virtue by the dimn light of Nature that they esteemed the contemplation thereof above all enjoyments and all content to be in the practice thereof For they were not Men stripped of outward enjoyments and forced to retire but eminent Among the rest Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius the Emperour How great then must the joy and content be which the Soul enjoyeth when it feeleth the actings of the holy Spirit carrying it above the strength of Nature in Holiness and every Grace through the Spirit whereby it is assured that Christ liveth in it and enjoyeth him as the Spouse enjoyeth her Beloved in which relation the Soul rejoyceth with exceeding joy as it is described in the Canticles And this relation is inseparable from that Relation of being the Sons of God 1 John 1.1 2. We are the Sons of God but it doth not appear what we shall be The joy of being a Son of God and to be accepted of God as it is said Acts 10.35 In every Nation they that fear God are accepted This must needs satisfie the Soul with joy peace and content and remove all grief and fear The Apostle saith This is our rejoycing that in simplicity and Godly sincerity we have our conversation in the World it is the Nature of Grace to give inward joy And it is often pressed as a duty incumbent upon Believers to rejoyce in the Lord. For such have no cause of fear distrust or despair be their condition what it will Psal 46. Though the Earth be moved and the Mountains shake at the Tempest though the Waters rage and swell here is repose and rest and refuge in the midst of troubles And every grace of the holy Spirit doth causally bring satisfaction peace and joy in themselves And as they excite one another they cause happiness as well efficiently in genere causarum as conditionally by virtue of the pact or Covenant of God made in the Gospel through the merit of Christ Jesus And by those Graces we are restrained from those evils of sin and
danger of the Judgment ver 28. Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath comitted adultry v. 33 34. He tells them it is not sufficient not to forswear themselves but saith swear not at all and ver 39. bids them not to resist wrongs therefore we ought to be such persons and that commanding word that made the world can make us to be what he commands us to be and he hath prayed Sanctify them by thy truth and his prayers were alwaies heard and it is the office of the Holy Ghost to sanctify us It is the only end and design of the ministry as it is said by St. Paul of whom I travel in birth till Christ be formed in you The Apostle writes to the Disciples do as you have us for an example and Revel 2.8 The Church of Smyrna their graces wanted nothing but God would try them whether they would hold on to the end and the Church of Philadelphia God commends her and bids her hold on That Holiness is the only true Interest 2. Meditation Mot. A Good conscience is a continual feast The Authority of the Scriptures do prove it generally and particularly and do refel and destroy and baffle all other Interests according to that saying of the Apostle Godliness hath the promise of this life and of that which is to cemo Consider my soul a while the interests of of the mistaken men of the world whose ends designs and restless endeavours is after the vaine and transitory things of the world which they think to enjoy and repose themselves in the injoyment thereof as in their happiness Oh my Soul thou hast made some trials in these vaine sollacies but hast not found that satisfaction which thou promisedst to thy self and therefore hast vext thy self to see what thou hast ventured even thy soul and body and eternal happiness for a thing of nought that could not satissie thee and of thine own experience thou canst say that in the acquiring and in the keeping and injoying too they are meere vanity and vexation of Spirit and so full of labour as man cannot utter it Thus Solomon found before thee Thus Ammon having enjoyed his lusts desired object in a moment loathed it Thus Judas threw away the bate of his unsatisfied covetousness the like fruit attended all Sinners whether they repented or not So Naboths Vineyard yielded bitter grapes to Ahabs family and Davids bitter sweets which he found by stolen pleasures are by himself sufficiently deplored in Psal 51. The sweet enjoyment of Noahs Wine brought shame to himself and a curse upon his Son and his seed Ambitious Haman fell by his Ambition just then when he expected the greatest height of honour and Herod assuming to himself divine honours immediatly was seized upon and devoured by vermine the same cause procured Julius Caesar murther Many like instances my Soul thou hast heard and read both sacred and civil writers testifying what sad exits have attended pursuers of these sensual interests of covetousness lust gluttony drunkenness ambition c. Thou hast seen in thine own time many of these examples chiefly of lust drunkenness pride and covetousness All Historians testifie these and the like vanities and vexations attending the pursuers of these worldly Interests though carried on with power and with villany Sensual persons themselves notwithstanding the beam in their own eye can see the vanity of one anothers Interest and design and reproach them And do thou compare those vicious persons with the opposite virtuous But for an instance of that which most brave heroick valiant and eminent persons adorned with many excellent virtues stumble at in the height of their honour when to extinguish all their happiness and enjoyment in a moment some mean and unworthy person envious at their height and worth because it is above himself endeavours to suppress and abase that worth which he dispairs himself to attain to reviles calumniates or otherwise puts an affront upon them The examples hereof abound This they conceive they are bound to revenge that they may vindicate their honours which otherwise will be lost but this by which they pretend to assert their honour taints it The vanity of this mistaken worldly interest David's example towards his reviling enemies reproveth because by the eyes of faith he beleived that God was the Author of his sufferings and would reward his patience therefore he submitted to it And if God be provoked by us poor dust and ashes every day we may be contented if he causeth our meaner Bretheren sometimes to provoke us or our Servant Eccles 7.22 Nam lingua mali pars pessima servi Juv. And it serves to humble us which is necessary both to make us know our selves and also to know God And consider that detraction alwaies follows worth as Scipio Annibal or rather Jesus Christ and his Saints have felt And as for anger it resteth in the bosom of fools Eccles 7.10 Therefore he warneth as the Apostle doth to be slow to it It transporteth to lunacy as it did Saul to the destruction of Nob as it did Caracalla to the destruction of the Alexandrians the madness and folly of anger sufficiently manifests it self in the countenance speech habit gesture actions and effects which is repentance for that which cannot be undone again therefore brave and virtuous minds are not so much troubled with this passion as the base weak sick and infirm are for it shews greatness of mind to be unmoved and to disdain affronts and to keep it self serene and clear like the pure Heavens when free from clouds And become like to God himself and shew the greatness of our mind by being merciful to pardon injuries by clemency and slowness to anger and this Princely quality made the Emperour Titus so beloved and honoured And if we would have God so to us we should be so to our Brethren but we suffer our selves to be deceived with shadows as Titus 3.3 We our selves were sometimes disobedient deceived c. So that this may suffice to convince that godliness is most profitable for all things in this life and that which is to come But if thou wilt not be satisfied with this do but examine thine own heart whether every holy action which thou dost upon holy principles doth not yield present tranquility and satisfaction and sweeten thy life ever after And on the contrary whether every sinful action doth not disquiet and disturb thy mind and conscience with often flashes of horrour and imbitter thy life ever after viz. if not repented of with horrour and if repented of with grief and discontent with thy self for the unkindness done to so good a God for a thing of nought Let thy examination be made first in this particular viz. for what injuries received by thee which thou hast forgiven or else revenged and what joy or sorrow thou hast had thereof And how little thou enjoyest thy self or any thing else which thou possessest when thou art enraged
in the time of our trouble and promised that he will deliver us But how can they now pray when they want the assistance of the Spirit it may be answerd That God sometimes takes away the comfort of the holy Spirit and yet the other effects of it remain Isa 63.15 16. Look down from Heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holiness where is thy Zeal and thy strength and the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards me are they restrained Doubtless thou art our Father thou O Lord art our Redeemer c. Some incouragement the Church found for prayer and if it should be so with us that we cannot call God Father yet the duty of prayer is not to be neglected Luke 11.8 Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his importunity he will c. Though we think our selves unworthy to call God Father like the prodigal Son which desired to be but as one of the hired Servants this humility is the way to obtain our requests Another way whereby we may come to him in prayer is to pray to him as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus for Christ is not ashamed to call us his Bretheren therefore God will not be ashamed to be our Father And with fervent prayer let us use reading and meditating in the word of God 2 Pet. 1.10 Give all deligence to make your calling and electtion sure Assurance differs from security in this that Assurance fills the soul with admiration of the grace of God and his unspeakable love Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed us that we should be called the Sons of God but security never urgeth the soul to thankfulness Another difference that assurance urgeth the soul to free obedience but security not when the soul knoweth that what ever her infirmities failings and wants are she shall receive of his fulness grace for grace When the Spirit beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the Sons of God When we have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are freely given unto us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 When the Heavenly Bridegroom brings his Spouse into his Banqueting House and his banner over her is love Cant. 2.4 He treats her with flagons and comforts her with apples then she is sick of love to him and then is the season when he will give her his loves his left-hand under her head and his right hand embracing her and as he charesses her so she doth the like to him as lovers vie with one another in love If she finds him without she promiseth to kiss him Chap. 8. And to lead him and bring him into her Mothers house and Chap. 3. She finds him and holds him and will not let him go until she brings him into the Chamber of her that conceived her Chap. 1.13 She calls him a bundle of myrrh and layes him all night between her breasts namely in her heart by love to him and she gives him the pledges of her love Thus the soul at times doth enjoy her beloved then she is sure of him and of his love But he knocks when she is in bed and she makes excuses for not rising to him though her bowels were moved for him as soone as he put in his hand at the door but her love was too slow and did not keep pace with his love for this unkindness he withdraws himself when she opens to him she called him and he gave her no answer she sought him and she could not find him but while she seeks him she is taken by the Watch stripped smitten and wounded and her vail taken from her So also may a true believer loose in part the knowledg and sense of his assurance which he hath sometimes enjoyed though they continue in the faith rooted and grounded therein so as they never waver nor fall away yet they may slumber so as to be awakened by the motions of the holy Spirit though possibly not so soon but that he may have withdrawne himself as it is there described in those words I sleep but my heart waketh The voice of my beloved that knocketh Open unto me my Sister my Love my Dove my undefiled But yet when her beloved hath withdrawn himself he doth leave behind him such a sweet perfume upon the handles of the locks as may inflame the well disposed soul to seek him with such eager and restless pursuit as to retrive her beloved again and then she will hold him fast and will not let him go until she hath brought him into the Chamber of her that conceived her that is shee will go to those ordinances and those opportunities of grace where she first tasted the prelibations of glory the first kisses of his mouth and pledges of his love and when she doth again tast them and these pledges of his love are again renewed and she again sits under his shadow with delight What other thing can I esteeme this but the injoy ment of Heaven in the first fruits for where Christ is there is Heaven he makes it so he gives all as is desirable here then must needs be assurance for the posture of fitting and the manner of the posture with delight both do imply it As also that other expression doth imply viz. Her bringing him into the Chambers of her that conceived her And that also ch 2. his left-hand was under me and his right-hand embraced me for if she be in the armes of Jesus her Saviour she can not be safer no not in Heaven And faith thus acted and acting liveth in and by her beloved and breaks out into these and like expressions with the heavenly spouse in the Canticles And makes her boast of God all the day And by him is able to do mighty acts and to suffer any thing for the love of him Meditations Art thou dejected O my soul in the apprehension of thy meanness or vileness as Jacob was when he seemed but as a worme look upon the goodness of God to such persons He doth not abhor thee Levit. 26.11 Nor despise thee Job 36.5 He will love thee freely Hose 14.4 And Deut. 7.13 He saith I will love thee And our Blessed Saviour Jo. 14.21.23 Saith He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him And Hos 2.19.20 God saith I will betroath thee unto me for even yea I will betroath thee unto me in righteousness and judgement and in loving kindness and in mercys and I will betroath thee unto me in faithfulness He will not forsake thee 1 Kings 6.13 He will be with thee and will not fail thee Deut. 31.8 Though thou fall thou shalt not be cast down utterly for the Lord upholdeth thee with his hand for the Lord loveth Judgment and forsaketh not his Saints but preserveth them for ever And Matth. 1.21 He shall save them from their sins Dost
a noise in the ear without any profit would God require such love from us but that he is Love Gracious Merciful and full of compassion slow to anger hateth nothing that he hath made what can he say more free to thee though thou art as an adulterous Spouse to him yet thou maiest returne and he will receive thee again though thou bringest no merit but demerit to provoke He hath excluded none from his mercy unless they be such as will shew no mercy or else those that sin of malicious wickedness and sin in despight of the Spirit wilfully against light The entail of his mercy is to thousands of them that love him 2 Meditation on Gods Mercy Lord if thou shouldest be extreme to mark what is done amiss who may abide it but there is Mercy with thee c. LORD be merciful to me a sinner we have all sinned and hope in thy Mercy only through the merits of our Saviour If we were not sinners thy mercy would be of no use towards us And our Blessed Lord and Saviour would be of no use to us nor faith nor hope would be of any use nor prayer nor praises But because I am a sinner I pray for thy mercies I praise thee for thy mercies I hope for thy mercies I trust in thy mercy revealed to sinners I believe in the merits of my Saviour and renounce all merit in my self therefore Lord cast me not off because I am a sinner shut not out my prayers for this I will not sin that grace may abound but though I have sinned I am an object of Mercy and thy grace that abounded to Mary Magdalen to Paul to Publicans and sinners may also extend to me Thou hast sent thy Son to call not the Righteous but Sinners To the lost sheep of the house of Israel to seek and also to save that which was lost to quicken them who were dead in trespasses and sins To preach the glad tidings of the Gospel of our Salvation though thy Mercy in giving up thy Son to dye for us that by his death we might escape death and live because he bore the iniquities of us all and by his stripes we are healed That precious blood that he shed upon the ground when the speare was thrust into his body was a sufficient ransom for the lives of all man-kind And as my sins had a concurrent demer it procuring his death so I hope they are joyned in the effect the attonement and expiation That his righteousness may be imputed to me also as my sins were to him 2 Cor. 5. That I may be made the righteousness of God in him Therefore we have need that he should be made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption because we were foolish disobedient and deceived serving divers lusts and therefore hast thou proclaimed thy self abundantly pardoning because our sins abound Isa 55. As our Blessed Saviour is the chiefest and greatest of all mercies because he is of more value than all so is he also to be esteemed because in him as in the Fountain are all others contained for by him and faith in his merits only we pray for all others which we need therefore above all we praise thee for him and in him and by him we praise thee for all 3. Meditation All our spirituall mercies as well grace here as glory and eternal happiness hereafter are free without any merit of ours of meer gift and mercy Tit. 3.3 5. We our selves were sometimes disobedent c. But after the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by workes of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ c. He is the medium by whom they are derived to us and not our own merit of his fulness we have received grace for grace as the members derive their vital Spirits from the head The converting grace and the confirming graces are both free Ephe. 1.13 In whom after ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance He worketh in us both the will and deed that is good when of our selves we cannot think a good thought Therefore above all we pray that thou wouldst give us thy Son whom thou hast given for us all freely and then with him thou givest us all things and as a Father pittieth his own Children so doth the Lord pitty them that fear him Thy bowels cannot see them want any thing Let him live in us by his word by his Spirit by his image in us by his graces which we receive from his fulness let him be formed in us and by him dwelling in our hearts let us be crucified to the world and dye daily and be buried with him and yet live but so that we may be said not to live our selves but Christ in us Thus let the word and the Sacraments convey him to us Since thou hatest nothing that thou hast made and thy delight is among the Sons of men Pro. 1. Certainly thou dost not afflict nor grieve willingly the Sons of men Therefore when we cry unto the Lord in our trouble he delivers us out of distress Psal 104. He cannot forbear to kiss and embrace his prodigal Son O let thy revelation of thy love to man recall mans straying affections to God If we believe this our faith will work love to him again and we shall be as willing to be reconciled to him as he to be reconciled to us 2 Cor. 5.20 If while we were enemies Christ died for us whom hath he not died for who is excluded from his mercy much more being justified by his blood will he save us seeing he hath done so much for us when we were worse now that we are put in a better relation by the blood of Christ and are reconciled to him and made just persons much more now will he do the rest which is but the consequence of the justification to save us All this is free mercy Not of workes which we have done but of his own good will he begot us and accordingly we are justified freely by his grace 4. Meditation I find no condition annexed to be precedent to make a subject capable of mercy but only want and desire of mercy want I have without my own act or endeavour desire of relief too ariseth spontaneously without my endeavour and largeness of desire proceeds from a covetous mind an eye unsatisfied yet such is the ocean of mercy that it requires but only that we open our mouth wide and he will fill it as he promiseth As long as the widow brought empty vessels the Oyl ran he giveth liberally and upbraideth not he giveth more then we are able to ask or think the debtor doth but desire forbearance but the Lord forgives him the debt Jacob only desired food and