discourse of the soul with God It is a conversing with God by which Gods love to us and our love to God is encreased It is an humble hearty and holy request made according to Gods will and offered up by Faith to God in the Name of Christ Elton on the Lords prayer for things needful for the body or soul It is a putting up of our requests to God according to his word Perkins on the Lords prayer from a contrite heart in the Name of Christ with assurance to be heard It is the breathing of the Spirit of God Gal. 4.6 Rom. 8.14 28. and a proper action of the sonnes of God You see what the duty is It is a work of Gods Spirit Therefore beg the Spirit that thou maist pray Ps 51.12 Luk. 11.13 It is a free Spirit because it is freely promised to those that ask it Rom. 8.26 And it so helpeth us in the duty of Prayer that it makes us which before we streightned to be free in the work 2 Cor. 3.17 For where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty And from hence it is that Gods Children are so frequent in the Duty which is the second thing I propounded to speak too Believe it God hath never a Child but it is ever craving They pray continually 1 Thes 5.17 because they find continual need of Gods grace and help and they find continual supplies thereof as an answer of Prayers I read That Constantine the Great made his Court a Church where Prayers were made Jerom lived four years with Watchings Fastings and Prayers Bernard prayed day and night till his knees were so weary with fasting and prayer that they could not uphold his body Latimer many times continued so long in fervent Prayer that he was not able to get up without help And I read that Clemens Alexandrinus prayed thrice a day Luther let no day passe over his head in which he spent not three hours at least in Prayer Master Robert Bolton prayed constantly six times a day twice with his Family twice with his Wife and twice in secret Master John Bruen prayed seven times a day And why are Gods servants thus frequent in prayer Surely it is because they find no trade that hath so quick and gainful returnes as this and therefore they follow it so hard And this leads me to the third and last thing I propounded to speak to and that is the excellent and great priviledges that belong to Gods people that are frequent and constant in this Duty O! praying Christian how great are thy priviledges Although thou maiest be slighted and dis-esteemed by man yet thou hast free liberty to conferre with the King of Heaven Cant. 2.14 who not onely delights to hear thy voice but inviteth thee to come unto him and promiseth to give thee whatsoever thou askest of him Mat. 7.7 As long as thou constantly acquaintest thy self with God by prayer thou shalt be sure to have him thy constant friend Job 22.21 24. who will never fail Heb. 13.5 nor forsake thee but will abundantly supply unto thee the want of all unfaithful and unconstant friends that desert thee where prayer is not wanting grace and comfort cannot be wanting John 16.23.24 Thou that art a child of God and dost the will of God let the desires of thy heart to God in Prayer be never so much enlarged God will satisfie all thy desires Joh. 15.7 Psal 37.4 And it must needs be thus for that God that is able to do for his children and many times doth for them exceedingly above all that they ask or think Eph. 3.20 He will not and for his promise sake he cannot deny any of those needful things his children ask of him Ps 81.10 By prayer Gods people not only obtain all the good things they pray for 1 Tim. 4.5 but also a sanctified use of all those good things Whatsoever is given by God to man in a way of mercy is given him as an answer of his Prayers 1 Joh. 5.14 15. Prayer is the key that open all the Treasures of God 1 Kings 8.33 35. It is the great instrument of removing all evils from the soul and the body It is the Character of the Saints It is the condition of Gods promises Ezek. 36 37. the forerunner of Gods performances Jer. 31.9 The happy priviledges of the praying Christian are beyond expression They have a constant Communion with God They have dayly supplies of grace from God 1 Joh. 1.3 whereby they are enabled to serve and please God while they live here Heb. 4.16 and they shall be made everlastingly happy with God hereafter Rom. 10.13 No greater priviledges can be obtained then these yet these are the priviledges of the praying Christian Would you be happy pray pray that your joy may be full John 16.24 He deserves to be miserable that might be made happy by praying and yet will not set upon the Duty But I shall pray and hope that these my labours may be succesful for the ends intended in directing in and exciting to the Duty those that have not used it in comforting and encouraging those in the Duty that dayly practise it And in whomsoever either of these ends be promoted let God have the glory and forget not to pray for him who is to his power Thine in all Christian services for thy souls good Sampson Tounesend July 1. 1658. A TABLE OF THE Contents DOct. It is the duty of the people of God to pray pag. 3 1. What prayer is It is 1. A work of Gods Spirit pag. 4 2. It floweth out of the spirit and heart of man or it is a talking of the heart and soul with God pag. 5 2. The several kinds of prayer Are 1. Mental pag. 6 2. Vocal Publick Private 3. The preparations to prayer Are 1. Prayer 2. Meditation pag. 8 Meditate upon 1. Gods infinite greatnesse 2. The promises 3. Thine own wants and vileness pag. 9 4. The duties or graces requisite in prayer are 1. Knowledge pag. 9 2. Faith 3. Humility pag. 10 4. Purity of heart 5. Love to our brethren 6. Zeal and fervency pag. 11 7. Unwearied constancy 8. We must pray in the Holy Ghost pag. 12 9. In the name and mediation of Jesus Christ pag. 13 10. For things agreeable to Gods will 11. We must use a due order in prayer pag. 14 12. Take heed of loving long prayers pag. 15 Lastly hate the sin you pray against and love the grace you pray for pag. 16 5. The gestures in prayer are 1. Kneeling pag. 18 2. Lifting and spreading forth the hands pag. 20. 3. Lifting up of the eyes pag. 22 4. For men to be uncovered pag. 23 In what case gestures may be omitted pag. 25 Reprehension for these that neglect the forementioned or use contrary gestures pag. 29 Exhortation to use more reverence in prayer pag.
prayed for conditionally pag. 15 Temporal things given to them that have no grace pag. 117 Be as ready to be thankful to God for what you have received as to seek him for what you want pag. 106 Three special duties to be daily practised by every Christian pag. 2 Times of prayer pag. 40 U Vocal prayer pag. 6 Vnbelief a greater sin than all thy other sins pag. 65 Vngodly and wicked men pray not pag. 81 W Wait Gods time for an answer of prayer pag. 100 Wandering thoughts must be avoided in prayer pag. 104 Wicked men that pray not may have temporal but not spiritual blessings pag. 56 Wicked men how they have a right to what they do enjoy pag. 57 Wicked men cannot please God in prayer pag. 76 Words shall not be wanting to him that hath a sincere heart to seek God pag. 115 Z Zeal and fervency required in prayer pag. 11 Faults escaped may be thus corrected PAge 14. line 21. read these p. 17. l. 10. blot out may p. 19. l. 8. after glorifie God adde in your body and in your spirit which are Gods p. 25. l. the last bl out mance p. 28. l. 20. after deadnesse adde and dulnesse p. 36. l. 13. after of adde from p. 38. l. 15. r. God p. 65. l. 4. r. from his sins p. 78. l. 9. r. him p. 85. l. 12. bl out as p. 86. l. 6. after say r. to God p. 86. l. 15. r. teacheth p. 91. l. 9. r. and secretly p. 99. l. 3. r. whatsoever p. 114. l. 19. r. assistance p. 117. after before me adde because he humbleth himself before me p. 121. r. acknowledged Marginal faults correct thus Page 13. line 6. r. John p. 19. l. 22. r. Acts 9.40 p. 45. l. 2. Heb. 13.5 p. 50. l. 22. Phil. 4.6 p. 55. l. 12. r. 1 Corin. p. 63. l. 18. Mat. 9.12 p. 68. l. 6. r. Heb. 5.7 p. 76. l. r. Psal 143.8 p. 101. l. 5. Isa 8.17 THE CHRISTIANS DAYLY PRACTICE OR A practical discourse of PRAYER Very useful for every Christian By Sampson Tounesend Minister of Gods Word Pastour of Hackford and Whitwel in Norffolke Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice Psal 55.17 Imprimatur EDM. CALAMY LONDON Printed by E. M. for George Calvert at the signe of the Half-Moon in St. Pauls Church-yard over against the little North-door 1659. THE CHRISTIANS DAYLY PRACTICE Being the substance of eleven SERMONS preached on 1 THESS 5.17 Pray HAving undertaken to speak of Prayer I have chosen this Text as the subject upon which I intend to build my discourse The Apostle having in the former Chapter spoken of the last Resurrection the coming of Christ and the blessed condition of those that die in the Lord after the Resurrection In this Chapter he prevents a needlesse inquiry that some might make as they in Mat. 24.3 When shall these things be He tels them it shall be sudden and unexpected verse 1 2 3. and then he exhorts them to watchfulnesse that they may be prepared for it ver 5 6 7 8. And from the 13 verse to the 23 he exhorts them to several duties In the 23 verse he prays for them In the 25 verse he desires them to pray for him and so concludes his Epistle In the verse before my Text in the Text and in the verse following he requires three speciall Duties that are dayly to be practised by every Christian Rejoyce evermore Pray without ceasing In everything give thanks Teaching us that our joy should be such as it doe not hinder Prayer and our Prayers should be such as they doe not exclude spirituall Joy and then we shall have occasion at all times in every thing to give thanks The Text it holds forth to us this Doctrine That it is the duty of the people of God to Pray Doct. Concerning which I intend to clear up unto you these things 1. To shew you what Prayer is 2. The severall kindes of Prayer 3. The preparations to Prayer 4. The duties in Prayer 5. The gestures in Prayer 6. The motives and encouragements to Prayer 7. The times of Prayer 8. And lastly I shall answer divers Objections about Prayer And when I have gone through all these I shall make Use and Application of all First of the nature of Prayer First Definition what it is Prayer it is a work of Gods Spirit and so floweth out of the spirit and heart of man First It is a work of Gods Spirit and hence it is that it is called the spirit of grace and supplication Zach. 12.10 And the Spirit is said to help Gods Children in Praying Rom. 8.26 27. And we are commanded to pray in the holy Ghost Jude 20. That is by the help of the holy Ghost And saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray with the Spirit So you see it is a work of Gods Spirit Secondly It floweth out of the spirit and heart of man saith David Psal 62.8 Pour out your heart before him Psal 42.4 I will pour out my soul in me When God poures out upon the Soul the spirit of Grace and Supplication then the Soul pours out it self to God And therefore you may take an other definition of Prayer thus It is a talking of the heart and soul with God Definition and of such a heart as is prepared by God When the strength and stream of the heart and affections are drawn out after God in Prayer This is the Prayer that God will hear and answer And ye shall seek me Jer 29.13 and finde me when ye shall search for me with all your heart And none can thus seek God with all the heart till God prepare and dispose the heart thus to seek him Psal 27.8 When thou sayest seek ye my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek God must first speak to the heart before the heart can speak so to God as he will hear Psal 10.17 Thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine ear to hear So much for the first thing propounded Secondly Secondly I shall shew you the severall kindes of Prayer First There is mental prayer or the prayer of the minde And thus Moses is said to cry unto God Exod. 14.15 although he uttered no voice And thus Hannah prayed She spake in her heart onely 1 Sam. 1.13 her lips moved but her voice was not heard Secondly There is vocal prayer Psal 77.1 I cryed unto God with my voice even unto God with my voice and he gave ear unto me Again there is secret prayer Mat. 6.6 When thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy dore pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly And there is publick Prayers with the Congregation and Prayers lesse publick in the Family or with
Saith Solomon Prov. 1.32 The prosperity of fooles shall destroy them They have no right to it they shall be the worse for it But lest I should be mistaken when I say wicked men that pray not have no right to the outward things they doe enjoy my meaning is they have no right to them by the vertue of any promise neither can they have a sanctified use of them but they have a right to them in regard of Gods free bounty Psal 17.14 for he giveth them the things of this world as their portion and it is all the comfort they shall ever have Son Luk. 16.25 remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things You see the things of this world are called the wicked mans portion his good things therefore they have a right to them and no man ought in the least to wrong or injure them in them But on the contrary Gods faithful servants that pray unto him they have a right too and a sanctified use of all the blessings they doe enjoy First they have a right to them saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3.22 23. All things are yours and ye are Christs And secondly by Prayer every creature is sanctified unto them for their good 1 Tim. 4.4.5 It must needs therefore be farre better with him that prays than with him that pray not But may some say 4. Objection I am unable to pray I would pray but I want Faith and the Spirit of Prayer I Answer Answ It is a good signe in the sense of the want of Grace to desire it Let not this therefore detain thee from the Duty For first thou maiest have Faith though thou feelest it not In Christs feeling his Father had forsaken him Mat. 27.46 If thou mournest for nothing more then the want of Faith it is a signe thou hast it In the Gospel Mar. 9.24 The Father of the Child cryed out with tears Lord I believe help thou my unbelief If thou desirest nothing so much as to believe it is a signe thou hast Faith For as lusting after a woman is Adultery Mat. 5.28 so lusting after Christ is Faith because God accepts of the will for the deed therefore let not this discourage thee Secondly a man may have the Spirit of prayer and pray effectually and acceptably when in his own feeling his heart is utterly indisposed to prayer Thus it was with Asaph in Psal 77.2 3 4. My soul refused to be comforted I remembred God and was troubled c. I am so troubled that I cannot speak Psal 77.1 Yet for all this verse the first God gave ear unto him And saith David I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart And yet in the next Verse he saith Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee Psal 38.8 9. O how sadly did Hezekiah mourn Isa 38.14 ver 5. and chatter in his Prayers yet God heard and answered him It is not the brokennesse of our expressions that hinders the answer of our Prayers if the heart be throughly broken for sinne No no when words fail tears will speak and they have a voice in Gods ears Saith David The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping Psal 6.8 Psal 39.12 Hold not thy peace at my tears Thou tellest my wandrings Psal 56.8 put thou my tears in thy bottle are they not in thy book Yes yes beloved all the tears that Gods servants shed before him for their sinnes they are all put into his Bottle and recorded in his Book Therefore let not the sense of thine own weaknesse and inability keep thee from thy duty but goe to God mourn for thy wants and begge supply of him and he will answer thee Fifthly I would fain pray 5. Objection but I am so sinful and unworthy a wretch I dare not I know God heareth not sinners John 9.31 yet such a one am I and therefore I dare not pray I Answer Answ Take heed thou dost not mistake the Text nor thy condition If God heareth no man that sinneth then no man should be ever heard of God For there is not a just man upon earth that doth good Eccles 7.20 and sinneth not And therefore for the meaning of the Text know that the sinners that God will not hear They are such as live and lie in their sinnes without repentance rejecting the worship and will of God such sinners as these God heareth not he will not accept of a good motion from such a bad mouth but as it followeth in that place John 9 31. If any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth In every Nation Acts 10.35 he that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him But for a further and fuller answer to the Objection know First the sense of thy finfulnesse and unworthinesse should not keep thee from thy duty of praying Psal 40.12 13. David cryed out of his sinnes that they were more then the haires of his head yet he prayed And Ezra Ezra 9.6 by reason of his sinnes was ashamed to lift up his face to God yet he prayed Saint Paul had a deep sense of his sinnes 1 Tim. 1.15 Ephes 3.8 Acts 9.12 he said he was the chief of all Sinners and lesse then the least of all Saints yet behold he prayeth Secondly The more heinous our sinnes are the more need have we to seek to God for mercy They that be whole need not a Physician but they that are sick Thirdly The sense of sinne makes us more capable of mercy none more welcome to God then they that are most sensible of their sinnes See it in five examples in Scripture First The woman that was cured of her bloody issue she came behind Christ as being ashamed to look him on the face and she desired but to touch the hem of his garment Mat. 9.20 21 22. yet she was cured Secondly The Centurion who thought himself not worthy to come to Christ or that Christ should come under his roof Luke 7.6 7 10. yet his request was granted Thirdly The Prodigal who acknowledged to his Father his sinnes and unworthinesse to be called his sonne Luke 15.20 21 22. yet his Father embraced him and entertained him Fourthly The Publican who in the sense of his own unworthinesse durst not lift up his eyes to Heaven and to shew his indignation against himself for his sinnes he smote upon his breast yet was he justified Luk. 18.13 14. acquitted for his sinnes and received to mercy The fifth and last example is the woman of Canaan she acknowledged her self to be a Dog Mat. 15.27 28. yet her prayer was answered By all which examples you see that those that are most sensible of their sinnes are most welcome to God It is not so much sinne as