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
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
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
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
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
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
other which are briefly contained in the three first petitions of the Lord's Prayer Since it is so that we must pray to God for every grace and every good thing we are to know that we cannot have them of our selves without his gift If we know how often we have resolved against any particular sin and yet when we have but entred into temptation we have again done the like Though we must needs acknowledg this and pray to God that we be not any more tempted And ascribe it to him that he suffereth us not to be tempted above our ability That we may be able to stand let us diligently consider and weigh all those snares of Satan whereby we are subject to be overcome and have fallen and more especially watch and pray against these that thou mayest be able through the spirit to overcome them And pray allso against such temptations which thou seest other men overcome by and doubtest whether thou thy self couldest have resisted And particularly those whereby thou readest in the word of God that men have been overcome especially those whereby good people have fallen beginning with our first parents temptation to eat of the fruit of the Tree of knowledg For though our blessed Saviour hath overcome Satan for us yet must we overcome him also and tread upon him therefore hath he forwarned us and armed us to fight and given us his Spirit to assist us in praying and fighting and watching against him and his temptations viz. The cares of the world and the vain pleasures and deceitfulness of riches and persecutions c. Pray then that thou mayest not hearken to any of the suggestions of Satan much less believe them as Eve did Though he pretend kindness nor give ear to those who are overcome by him as Adam did to her though he knew that the suggestion came from Satan Beware that the consideration of the many graces which thou findest in thy heart do not embolden thee to transgress or make bold with God in small matters for which fault some of the seven Churches of Asia were reproved and severely threatned but pray against this temptation Look not upon what thou hast so much as upon that thou wantest and comest short in Sometimes Satan speaketh directly against Gods word alledging that to be no sin which God hath forbid or that the punishment which God hath threatned shall not be inflicted but the contrary good shall be to the sinner thus he dealt with our first Parents and prevailed And thus he attempted our Lord and Saviour Sometimes he extenuates it sometimes he makes use of the falls and sins of other Saints and Servants of God as an excuse for us if we do the like some are perswaded they can repent when they will To some he pretends the Gospel to be a law of liberty and a licence to sin and that they shall not be condemned for sinning but for want of believing the Forgiveness and Remission through the blood of Christ through whom we Hope for mercy To this I answer that we must seek glory by grace he that doth not so will miss it The desire of our soul is to thy name my soul thirsteth for God Psal 42. And many other prove this And when ever he makes use of true premises he insers false conclusions Generally he assaults by surprise and takes the advantage of time and place as when our Saviour had fasted forty daies and forty nights and was hungry and in the wilderness where was no relief he tempts him to make bread of stones He will not suffer them to consider the danger nor mind the cure till it be late and then he perswades them it is too late or incurable When ever he makes use of Scripture he misconstrues it and misapplyeth it By small and imperceptible degrees he draws us to greater and greater When he hath made his way by one sin or one degree in a sin he argues this is no more than that we have already done therefore why may we not do it now as heretofore That he may not deceive thee by this fallacy make a covenant with all thy senses and look not upon that which tempteth nor harken to it Another fallacy of Satan is that he preswades some that they do not sin unless they are within the express letter of the Commandment The Fornicator he makes believe that simple Fornication is not forbid in the seventh Commandment for that forbids adultery So the covetous he makes believe that he is not within the condemnation of the second Commandment though he worships Mammon in his heart It is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he gives his goddess And likewise the Papists when they pray to the Blessed Virgin and other Saints And when they fall down to the host or any thing else carried in lieu thereof by the knavish bearer they pretend they worship not Idols but yet in their catechises they have left out that Commandment and split the tenth Commandment in two to make up the number Another deceit is in misvaluing time whereby he steals away the present opportunity and by anon and to morrow he puts off from the present Idleness and delayes are pernicious most of Satans Fallacies may be urged against himself as the reasoning of the unprofitable Servant because he knew his Master to be a hard man he hid his Talent in a Napkin it was more strongly urged against him For he ought so much the more to have improved it This way of refelling him is like the cutting off Geliahs head with his own sword When he makes use of his fairest Insinuators be not ashamed of rudeness to them Thou mayest answer all his suggestions with a Scriptum est as our Saviour did This sword of the spirit cuts all Satans snares asunder As Joseph cut them asunder saying How can I do this and sin He would not so much as hearken to the fair tempter nor be with her when she laid hold of him he fled from her without a complement So must we keep Satan at swords point for if we suffer him to come within it we lose our guard Non sic retribuam Domino may be answered to all Non sic Patri Adjutori Salvatori consider the many pleasures comforts and enjoyments which the Lord allows thee to sollace thy self withall how free how pure how satisfying and contenting they are and compare them with those which are offered by Satan and see how thy exceed them in goodness For these which Satan tempts thee to are allayed so with bitterness that the very sweetness is turned into bitterness the Hony into Gall The damnable alloy which I mean is the gripes of conscience in the very act of enjoying them and the flashes of Hell fire as oft as they come into memory expressed by that of the Poet Et coeco verbere pulsat That is they are slashed by their own conscience Also the detrement which these bring to the body estate and good
to make him rich So it is said of Jehosaphat that his heart was lifted up in the waies of God This joy and rejoycing in the Lord is enjoyned us as a duty and it proves our sincerity When God is sweet unto us for himself in the want of outward blessings when we can trust God and not see him 't is a sign we trust him in truth when all the providences of God seem to run counter to his promises That fruit is sound that can hang in a windy day T was a proof of Abraham's love to God that he could follow him into a strange place where he had no place to set a foot on This joy as it begets mortification and self-denyal so these begets this joy It is a sure preservative against Apostacy He that can rejoyce in God when he is in adversity will not be removed by adversity the joy of the Lord is our strength and stability Phil. 4.7 The Peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus Coloss 3.15 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts It rules in us if we can rejoyce in a God All-Sufficient Then the Soul saith to all the Devils offers we have enough already according to that saying of the Apostles to our Saviour Lord whether shall we go thou hast the words of Life The reason why Satans offers seems great to Men is because Gods seem little This is a holy disposition of the Soul that doth most glorifie God Therefore 't is said of Abraham that he gave Glory to God he did not stagger through unbelief It may well be called a Treasure as the Apostle saith we have this Treasure in Earthen Vessels and our blessed Saviour speaketh of the Treasure in the Heart for by this we are assured that all things are ours if we are Christs Whereas on the contrary if we are none of his we may think that we are rich and encreased in goods and have need of nothing yet we are in truth wretched miserable poor blind and naked as it is said of the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3.17 and this treasure is Christ formed in us of whose fulness we receive Grace for Grace And 2 Pet. 1.4 we are said to be partakers of the divine Nature because it is in us and our blessed Saviour saith that we are grafted into him and unless we abide in him we cannot bear fruit That is the fruit of the Spirit which is by him derived to his Members as he saith If I live ye shall live also The same are the fruits of Righteousness and fruit unto Holiness and all have the same end viz. everlasting Life Treasure where ever it is is matter of joy If sin and departing from God be an evil as every Man finds early or late when he casts away the bait that beguiled him with anger then Holiness must needs be good and yield joy Though the Children of God are often sad yet every act and working of the Spirit upon the Soul of Man either is matter of joy immediately or mediately the heart that is broken by the Spirits operation finds it self bound up when it hath been broken enough and hath joy Particular instances of the Assertion That the Saints have joy from the assurance of the pardon of their sins is express that the knowledge of our pardon is matter of joy our Lord and Saviours speech to the sick Man proves Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee for by this speech our Saviour did intend to give him more comfort than by restoring to him his bodily health Blessed is the Man whose Iniquities are forgiven the Apostles knew they had this blessedness as it is expressed In whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the forgiveness of our sins David was assured of his pardon by Nathan sent to him upon that very message and as we pray daily Forgive us our Trespasses so we find that David after he knew he was pardoned his sin did so pray likewise for remission and did also believe that they were remitted and rejoyce in it as he expresseth Ps Praise the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits which forgiveth all thy sins c. And all other Servants of God pray for and obtain it in due time Priviledges of Saints Those that are Gods Servants have the Tutelage of the Angels Ps 34. They tarry round about them that fear him They have God God standing by them to save them Ps They have Jesus Christ strengthning them I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me and the Spirit helpeth them The knowledge of our Interest in God and Christ that he is our God and we his people he our Father we his Children he our Shepherd we his Flock that he is our Strength our Rock Castle and Defence Psal 18. he our Beloved we his he our portion and we his portion he our Head we his Members he our Redeemer c. And all those Texts which express his Relation to us or ours to him And what he hath done doth or will do for us must needs comfort us and rejoyce us in all conditions Psal 23. The Lord is my Shepherd therefore I shall not want he maketh me to lye down in green Pastures c. And holy David when the people talked of stoning him he encouraged himself in the Lord. And our blessed Saviour would banish all fear from the hearts of his people by vertue of their Relation Luke 2.32 Fear not little Flock it is the Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom And none can deprive us of enjoying our interest in him as the Prophet Habakkuk expresseth it no condition no time nor no place when the Apostles were cast into the Dungeon they sung 1 Thess 5. Rejoyce evermore God would not command it always if it were not possible to be This enjoyment of our interest in God is greater than any other enjoyment and the Soul most desires it Cant. 1. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth his Love is better than Wine That the Saints have peace of conscience and joy proceeding thereof is proved by that Rom. 5. That being justified towards God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access through Faith unto this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce under the hope of the Glory of God They are called the peaceable fruits of Righteousness They are said to be found in peace of them that love peace And every Man that hath made tryal of it hath reaped this fruit peace and tranquility and enjoy it in their Souls according to the promise of our Saviour Matth. And ye shall find rest to your Souls and it is the design of the Gospel to give this peace and rest to the Souls of Gods people by assuring them of pardon of sins and Salvation according to that Prayer of David say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation The excellency of the
produced must be good also and must proceed from that good principle viz. Faith without which it is impossible to please God but these good fruits are not proportionable to the goodness of his heart for he is sorry that they are no better blushing ever at their imperfections not boasting of them nor craving honour for them the end also must be good These qualifications the good works have They are described from their cause Gal. 5.22 The fruits of the Spirit are love joy peace meekness c. Rom. 6.22 described by their end these are fruits unto holiness Another difference is that some of those works are secret and invisible to Men such as are terminated in the action within as the secret risings of the heart against corruptions as was in St. Paul when he said That which I would I do not and groans for deliverance saying who shall deliver me from this bondage of corruption also secret longings after Christ and God and Holiness also dependency upon Christ and God inward mournings for sin c. 2. Such works as have opus ad extra as to shew forth a good Conversation True Holiness defined It is a grace supernatural infused by the Holy Spirit renewing us after the Image of him that made us whereby God is in us Christ is in us and the Holy Spirit is in us and we are in Christ by an inseparable Union and Communion of Natures 1 John 4.16 Gal. 2.20 and 4.19 1 John 4.13 'T is infused because of our selves we are not able to think a good thought and Christ saith That without him we can do nothing God worketh in us both to will and to do though he commands us to work out our own Salvation and the words following viz. with fear and trembling denote the weakness and disability of our selves and the ability which the command doth suppose is from Gods assistance we doing our endeavour our blessed Lord and Saviour compares it to leaven It is an Universal change of the whole Man If any one be in Christ he is a new Creature old things are passed away and all things become new It reneweth us after the Image of him that made us Both the inward Man and the outward are changed as Saul's heart was changed when he was anointed to be King so is every Saint changed by the Spirit of God that is in him and the understanding desires and thirsts after no knowledge but to know God and Jesus Christ and him Crucified because the understanding before was darkned and alienated from the Life of God through the Ignorance that was in it But now it is enlightned and the darkness is passed away because the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ which is the Image of God hath shined into it for the Gospel is Light and Jesus Christ is that Light that enlightens every one that cometh into the World by this it cometh to pass that the Soul knowerh that all Gods Commandments are True Righteous and Faithful that they are tryed to the utmost That it is Wisdom and Understanding to do thereafter It now puts a true estimate upon God and Christ Heaven and Grace and Glory This is that wise Merchant spoken of in the Gospel that having found a Pearl of exceeding great value in a Field sold all to buy that Field his knowledge is practical diligent and not slothful rests not in the inquisition but proceeds to the acquisition of its true everlasting interest through the knowledge of Jesus Christ as he is revealed in the Gospel Rom. 12.2 Be ye transformed in the renewing of your minds that ye may prove what is the good acceptable and perfest Will of God As the undestanding is changed so the affctions love hatred hope fear c. Are accordingly changed he that before counted the Sabboth weariness now he calleth it a delight He that before rejoyced in the increase of Corne Wine and Oyl and in satisfying the senses his joy now proceeds from higher and nobler causes viz. The light of Gods countenance communion with God in holy duties reading the word of God praying thanksgiveing meditating and the most severe duties of fasting humiliation and repentance and every meanes of begetting and improving grace he preserreth before satisfying of the senses with pleasant viands which whilest they cherish and delight the body they deprave the better part possibly not the intellect and rational faculty of the soul for that may be improved too by God usage of the body so it be not to excess But the new nature the divine Image which is begotten in us by the word of truth is starved stifled and grieved which image and new nature though it be in the understanding yet it doth so far surpass the reason as that doth the senses and is no other thing but the holy Spirit of God which every regenerate person hath received in some measure for this is that which did regenerate him which if any man have not it is certain he is none of his It is known to be the Spirit of God because it works not as reason doth by arguments deduced from things visible to sense nor such as can be proved by reasonable consequence but it is oftentimes directly opposite and repugnant to reason as in Abraham and so in all that undergo any trialls and who doth not undergo them This new soul or new life of the regenerate is not somented nourished or cherished by the elements of the natural sensual vegetative or meerly rational soul but by the word of God and the dictates of the Spirit for which it panteth as the Hart panteth after the water brooks and breaketh out for the very fervent desire that it hath alwaies to Gods commandments which it esteemeth above Gold and thirsteth after as the body doth for the necessarys of life and yet the most regegenerate and renewed person hath the flesh and coruption alwaies remaining in him and must and doth pray sometimes with holy David for renovation Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me For we have this treasure but in earthen vessels we are not assured of the continuance of it therefore we watch against our inbred corruptions and pray for divine supportations knowing our slippery standing our own weakness and the strength of our spiritual adversaries which assails us without intermission And when we think our selves most strong we may fall as the great Apostle that denied his Master did because in the best of Saints the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and sometimes leads them captive and suffers not to do the good which they would but draws them to the evil which they would not the law of the members warring against the law of the mind Were it otherwise there would be no virtue nor occasion of resisting The sense of which corruption and uncleanness makes them mourne bewaile and abhor themselves
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