aduersities presse him disease paine him dangers threaten him sense of sinne pricke him conscience of guilt wound him and corruption worke vpon him now is a time of seeking God in his promises now is a time ofneede when a man sees his owne weakenesse now is the time of obedience to that commandement Is any afflicted let him pray And Psal. 50. Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble and the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke Now is a time when men lay fast hold vpon God and will not let him goe whereas in the time of peace we hold God but carelessely When Iaacob wrestled with the Angell he would not let him goe till he had blessed him Affliction is as bellowes to our prayer to kindle and blow vp this grace to a great flame and brightnesse Thirdly no godly man will pray to any but the true God in trouble First because euery godly man knowes that whom hee prayes vnto hee makes him omniscient that must see the wants of all men and all the desires of all mens hearts he makes him omnipresent that must receiue all the prayers preferred in all the corners of the world and he makes him omnipotent able to supply all the wants which are made knowne vnto him Secondly the ground of all prayer is the Couenant as Isa. 64. 9. Now O Lord thou art our Father loe we beseech thee behold we are all thy people and Psal. 77. 4. Euery godly man knowes that the Couenant is made betweene God and his people and that all the promises of helpe in the Scripture are his and none else can lay claime to vs but God as Dauid said Psal. 119. Therefore godly men being in couenant with none but God they will pray to none but God Thirdly euery godly man knowes the commandement Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue he knowes that God is a iealous God and admits no corriualls for his glory he will giue to no other see Psal. 27. 8. Fourthly euery godly man knowes that hee must beleeue in him on whom hee calleth Rom. 10. 14. And hence it is called the prayer of faith therefore as he must beleeue onely in the Father Sonne and holy Ghost so he onely calles vpon them Fifthly euery godly man knowes that if the Spirit direct his prayer it teacheth him to call Abba Father and if his prayer be squared to the rule of prayer he must goe to our Father which is in heauen He that is a Iew within hates Samaritane-worship who worshipped they knew not what but hee knowes what hee worshippeth Iohn 4. 22. Well if this be so then no godly man euer did or wil pray to the Angels or Saints or to the Court of heauen for this is an high vngodlinesse and idolatrie for First the Angels know not our hearts directly 1. Kin. 8. 39. Heare thou in heauen in thy dwelling place and be mercifull and doe and giue euery man according to all his waies as thou knowest his heart for thou onely knowest the hearts of all the children of men here we see that it is Gods priuiledge to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And if hee onely then not the Angels who therefore are not able to know our wants Secondly the Angels are but fellow-seruants and not gods to be worshipped Thirdly they refuse all religious worship and seruice and honour sauing honor charitatis that is to be loued Reuel 22. 9. See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow-seruant as if he had said If I were God thou mightest worship me Yea but Ioshua fell downe before the Angell and worshipped him chap. 5. 14. It was the Lord himselfe the Captaine of the Lords hoste that is Lord of the Angels and he is bid to put off his shooes as Moses was when God was present Also IOSHVA called him IEHOVA which can agree to none but God IOSHVA non adorâsset sinon agnouisset Deum saith ORIGEN Or lastly IOSHVA was but a man and subiect to infirmities as we are and therefore his action if it had been sinfull may not be our rule Reuel 8. 3. Another Angell came and stood before the Altar hauing a golden censer and much odours was giuen vnto him that he should offer with the prayers of all Saints vpon the golden altar which is before the throne Therefore we must both inuocate them and they offer our prayers to God First by prayers are meant the prayers of the Saints in earth Secondly by the Angell is meant Christ himselfe who elsewhere is called the Angell of the couenant he offers our prayers and the thuribulum aureum the golden censer is corpus eius sanctum and the Altar is himselfe who sanctifieth our prayers as the Altar doth the gift Augustine Thirdly heere is but one Angell to offer our prayers and if it were a created Angell it yeeldeth no ground to inuocate all as the Papists doe naming them seuerally Michael Gabriel Raphael c. Secondly as not to the Angels so neither will a godly man pray to the Saints departed for First Whom haue I in heauen but thee Psalm 73. 25. Whom the Papists will say Abraham Isaac Iaacob and the rest Well but Dauid had none of them Adam Abraham and other godly men were then in heauen yet hee knew not their helpe Secondly the Saints in heauen know not our wants Isa. 63. 16. Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel know vs not If so great Patriarkes saith Augustine knew not what became of the people surely neither did other dead persons know If ABRAHAM and IAACOB know vs not no more doth PETER PAVL the blessed Virgin nor any other of the Saints Thirdly euery godly man will goe to the Father by the Sonne for none comes to the Father but by the Son and There is no Mediatour but one euen the man Christ Iesus 1. Tim. 2. 5. Indeede there is but one Mediatour of redemption but moe of intercession and it is great boldnesse to rush into the Kings presence if way be not made by some of his Councell or Guard Absolom could not come into his Fathers sight but by Ioabs intercession nor Adoniah to Salomon but by his mother First Christ hath performed the whole office of mediation euery way and is our whole saluation and the Scripture was much ouer-seene to omit that distinction if any such were where it had so fit place and necessitie did so vrgently require it Secondly the King hath commanded that we should mediate onely by the Prince and not by any other of the Court or counsell of heauen Thirdly it is a carnall argument from things earthly and ciuill to heauenly and spirituall as in the instance of Ioab and Salomons Mother Fourthly it is but a glosse to vse their distinction seeing euery where they pray the Saints to intercede for them not only by their prayers but also by their
sense of his want his voyce not tuned by the Spirit his lips walke but his heart mooues not so hee babbleth wordes he is soone wearie he is in a businesse that hee is not vsed to and at least hee holds not on till God answere him Fifthly if he obtayne reliefe or release he can impute it to second causes and then he hath done with God till he need him againe Thus he hath neither experience of Gods loue nor increase of loue to God Thus it is hard for him to pray in affliction and he can neuer doe it well that is not a godly man accustomed to prayer in his peace In a time when thou mayest be found HEre is the fourth or last point in the godly mans practice namely the time when hee shall pray The phrase implyeth three things first that prayer is a seeking of God for finding supposeth seeking Secondly that there is a time when God though sought will not bee found Thirdly that there is a time when the godly shall finde him For the first Prayer is a seeking of God Isa. 55. 6. Seeke the Lord while he may be found Call yee vpon him while he is neere The latter wordes expound the former Psal. 34. 4. I sought the Lord and he heard me he saith not I prayed and was heard but I sought and was heard because his prayer was a seeking 2. Chron. 20. 3. When the good King Iehoshaphat proclaymed fasting prayer he is said to set himselfe to seeke the Lord. But God is euery-where present and what neede wee seeke him or seeing hee is neuer absent how can hee bee found In God are two things to be considered first his Essence Secondly his Presence His Essence or Godhead which is not farre from any of vs Act. 17. 27. wee neither seeke nor finde But his Presence or some comfortable signe of his presence and grace we are commanded to seeke and to our comfort doe often finde this is called in the Scripture the seeking of the face of God the face is that whereby a mans presence is knowne and whatsoeuer it is wherein the Lord doth manifest his presence is called the face of God see Gen. 32. 30. Yea but the Lord said to MOSES No man can see my face and liue Exod. 33. 20. The face of God is either prima or secunda praesentia Deitatis or habitationis First the first face of God is his diuine Essence which is inuisible which no man euer saw or can see both because he is a Spirit and cannot be seene of any mortall Creature as also because our weakenesse is such as the brightnesse of such Maiestie would bring vs to nothing for if our eyes cannot without the destruction of themselues behold the brightnesse of the Sunne-beames being a creature how are we able to behold the infinite and surpassing brightnesse of the Creator Secondly the second face of God is his grace and fauour called in Exodus the backe-parts of God when God doth manifest his gracious Presence or some part of his glorie in some ordinarie or extraordinarie reuelation of it Of the former God speaketh to Moses of the latter speakes Iaacob hee had seene God face to face that is more cleerely and manifestly then euer before and therefore he called the place Penuel In the old Testament the Arke of the couenant was called the face of God and the seeking of speciall testimonie of his presence there is called the seeking of his face because the Lord many wayes there gaue speciall testimonies of his presence as First by giuing Answeres and Oracles from the Mercy-seat Secondly by preseruing it from the contempt of his Enemies so as fiftie thousand Bethshemites were slaine for looking into it nay the Priests the Sonnes of Aaron might not see it but onely the high Priest once a yeere Thirdly by winning honour to it by diuers miracles as that before it the waters of Iordan were diuided the walls of Iericho fell downe and Dagon before it lost his head and hands And because God was so specially present there the Iewes must in their prayers turne their faces towards the Arke and towards Ierusalem as Daniel did being in Chaldaea And that the Iewes might know where to finde God at all times hee told them that hee would dwell in the Sanctuarie and sit between the Cherubins Exod. 35. 8. Indeede the Iewes were encouraged hereby to seeke God but what is that to vs If wee had such a set place where GOD had tyed his presence and residence wee should haue more comfort to seeke him then now wee haue Wee want not encouragement of seeking God nor neede doubt of finding him if wee take these grounds with vs First if wee seeke him in his owne house for where should a man be found but in his owne house God had one standing house in the Old Testament not where his infinite essence which the heauen of heauens was not able to containe but where his Name and memoriall dwelt but in the new he hath a number of houses and being omni-present he will be found in them all First the Church-assemblies thefe be so many Bethels or houses of God there the Church sought him and found him Cant. 6. 1. among the tents of Shepheards and Christ was downe in the Garden and among the beds of Spices that is the assemblies of the Saints where graces grow vp as sweet spices in a bed Christ delights to walk in the midst of the golden Candle-stickes therefore in these houses of Prayer seeke him by faithfull prayer and thou shalt not misse him Secondly euery Christian Family is a house of God where two or three consent in any one thing in his name Christ is in the midst them Adams Family where God was worshipped and sacrifices offered was Gods face whence Cain complaines he was cast out And the Apostle saluteth priuate Christians with the Church in their houses Therefore make thy house Gods house by setting vp his worship therein and thou shalt haue him neere thee with all sweet fellowship and fulnesse of blessednesse Thirdly euery Christian soule is a temple of GOD. 2. Cor. 6. 16. Yee are the Temples of the liuing God as God hath said I will dwell among them and walk there Then make thy heart his Temple and if thou wouldst finde him seeke him there thou shalt finde him no where else or sooner then there Adore him in thy soule and worship him in his holy Temple offer vpon the Altar a pure heart thy sacrifice euen the sweet incense of prayer Let the candle of thy faith euer burne before God let the Arke of thy soule keepe the tables of Gods commandements and keepe within thy heart that pot of Manna euen Christ the bread of life By this meanes thy soule is Gods Temple where he will be found as a man is in his owne house Secondly as we must seeke him in his owne house so by his
euen by our best naturall graces much lesse can wee imbrace it or by the power and strength of nature or will follow it against the Papists who teach that we can Secondly learne to pitie naturall men as Dauid here doth who as blind men first see not the way to Heauen secondly and are in danger of harmes though they thinke themselues safe enough thirdly and are soone mis-led for who but ignorant persons are a prey to Iesuites and such like fourthly and lastly they haue no comfort of the Sunne no light of grace or of glorie And a wofull condition are such in as liue without the meanes of knowledge and grace who would liue in a soyle where the Sunne neuer shines or if hee were sure to bee made blinde in it yet many men leaue good meanes for a little pelfe who according to the Prouerbe runne out of the blessing of GOD into the warme Sunne Thirdly wee see hereby how little need there is either to remooue the Word and Sacraments from the people as the Papists doe the light of the Sunne being not so necessarie to the World as the vse of these Fourthly let vs doe as the blinde man in the Gospell did Luc. 18. 35. c. First let vs acknowledge that Christ must open our eyes that he must giue vs eye-salue nay both eyes to see and light to enlighten vs. Secondly let vs pray as he did saying Lord our desire is that our eyes may bee opened that wee may haue insight into heauenly things Thirdly let vs with him stand in the way where Christ comes by in the Temple and the Assemblies of the Saints in the Tents of Shepheards or among the seuen Golden Candlestickes Fourthly being healed he praysed Christ and leapt for ioy so if we see the things of God better then wee did before wee should reioyce exceedingly with hearty thankesgiuing Fiftly hauing his eyes opened he followed Christ and would not bee beaten from him so if wee can get the eyes of our minde opened wee must prayse our good God in word and in deed walke answerable to this mercie become his Disciples sinne no more lest a worse thing befall vs and walke worthy of the light So much of the first point the second followes namely that The word must not onely bee taught but also specially applyed to euery particular person Dauid saith not I will teach the Church or all men in generall but euerie one in particular thee After Adam had sinned how plainely and personally doth the Lord deale with him both in amplifying his sinne that hee might be strucke downe with it and in publishing the promise of saluation to rayse him againe herein teaching euerie Minister and Preacher how to carry the Word home to euery sonne of Adam seeing they are to speake the same wordes which hee whose Messengers they are would speake 2. Sam. 12. Nathan the Prophet of the Lord sent to Dauid while yet hee lay in his sinne was directed by God what to say and he must not onely in a Parable make Dauid condemne the sinne to the death He shall dye that hath done this thing but by plaine dealing with him saying Thou art the man condemne himselfe and confesse I haue sinned Our Sauiour Christ thus carryed his Doctrine applying it home to the seuerall persons it concerned to the Iewes Mat. 3. 7. O geration of vipers who hath forewarned you to flye from the wrath to come to the Pharises Woe bee to you Scribes and Pharises Hypocrites And his Apostles being to deale with wicked people vsed the same course Act. 2. 23. Whom yee slew with wicked hands and hanged on a Tree and Chap. 8. 22. Thy monie perish with thee repent of this thy malice thou art in the gall of bitternesse It may bee thy sinne may bee done away Hence their Sermons were called exhortation which is application of Doctrine and inforcing of it Act. 13. 15. And their Writings are of the same manner euer after Doctrine they vsed exhortations as Rom. 12. hauing deliuered the Doctrine of Faith Iustification Sanctification and Predestination in the former Chapters begins there his exhortations and so continues in them to the end The like may be seene in other Epistles First the vse of the Scripture is to exhort reproue correct and instruct to make the man of God absolute the vse of it is not onely to teach and enlighten the vnderstanding but also to worke vpon conuince quiet and direct the conscience and whole course Doctrine is but the laying of a ground application is the building vp of a Christian. Secondly the life of Ministerie is in application without which the Word is a Sword but without an edge not in it selfe but to vs but being specially applyed it is a two-edged Sword cutting deepe diuiding betweene the marrow and bone and piercing betweene the soule and spirit Heb. 4. 12. Application of the Word is that which leads it to the thoughts and intents of the heart to discerne them to high thoughts to deiect them to the affections if sinfull to captiuate them if set right to enflame them to seuerall temptations and lusts to sub due them and to the whole life and wayes to reforme them Thirdly our owne constitution and weaknesse stands in need of speciall application First because our hearts are naturally asleepe and we are couered ouer with the spirit of slumber spoken of Isa. 29. 10. and need to bee wakened by a voyce lift vp like a Trumpet from some sonne of Thunder Dauid by his grosse sinne had cast himselfe into a fast and dead sleepe therefore Nathan must goe to waken him and say aloud in his eares Thou art the man Secondly our hearts by the neglect of good meanes or securitie are easily hardned and lose their softnesse or tendernesse now the word in speciall application must bee as an hard wedge to our hard knots this makes the Word an Hammer to knocke and breake our flintie hearts Ier. 23. 29. Thirdly as wee cannot apply the Word our selues so wee will not apply it commonly men skip ouer the Law and catch at the Gospell and so being neuer soundly humbled their whole life is led carelesly Fourthly this bad disposition of ours can neuer bee reformed without this speciall application for the Word neuer becomes ours neyther can wee taste any sweetnesse of it without this no fruit of the Law in our humiliation no comfort of the promises in our restitution no vnderstanding of the true meaning of eyther without our owne faith mingling and truely applying both no worke of the Spirits sanctification in our hearts but in applying the Law and Gospell no action of our liues warrantable but by faith which is a speciall application of the Word vnto them First then we that are Ministers must labour herein A good Steward giues euery one his part and then it is the wholesome Word of life when euery one hath that portion