faith in Gods promises prayeth hypocritically that is more with his tongue than with his heart Seeing then that Gods promise is sure and certaine he would not haue vs so to pray as that we should doubt and call into question whether wee should bee heard or no. And this he sheweth by an excellent and very fit comparison for as the waues of the sea are tossed and carried away so they that beleeue not both are vnquiet alwaies in their minds yea though they haue prayed and are altogether vnworthie to receiue any thing Therefore when wee come to God in our prayers let vs beforehand beleeue that hee will heare vs and so pray in faith and say as this people doth here I know that God will heare and helpe so shall our prayers be acceptable vnto God so shall we receiue that that we aske of him and so shall our minds bee pacified and quiet Few pray in any assurance that God doth heare them Let vs then examine our selues and see whether alwaies when we haue come to prayer we haue had this faith and assurance that God would heare vs and helpe vs and then we shall find that some haue beene so farre from it that they haue neuer once thought of it but they haue come to prayer neither knowing any such thing nor regarding it And thus haue they done not only in the dayes of ignorance superstition whē they held it an error for a mā to think that he might be assured of any thing from God though he prayed for it neuer so earnestly and when they prayed in an vnknowne tongue and so knew not themselues what they said and therefore could not by prayer haue any assurance that they were heard but also in this cleare light of the gospell many haue and do still both in their priuat prayers and in these publicke come so coldly to God and as it were for fashion that they neither know nor desire to know nor thinke it possible to know that God will hear them And so these wauering minded men being vncertaine in their minds and tossed too and fro like the waues of the sea may be assured That they shall obtaine nothing of God Iam. 1.7 And so obtain nothing of God as the Apostle saith But let vs endeuour to put that in practise which the people did here that euery one of vs may say I know that God will heare so shall we obtaine such things as we aske Matth 17.17 For if the disciples of our Sauiour Christ could doe nothing for the fathers child possessed with a deuill when there was most need because of their vnbeleefe then shall wee also for the same vnbeleefe of ours obtaine nothing neither for our selues nor for others when there is most need And as on the other side hee said againe vnto them That all things were possible to him that beleeueth so shall we find it to bee true in our selues then when wee pray in faith it shall be possible for vs to obtaine all things according to Gods will euen those that vnto the vnbeleeuers shall seeme impossible Now though this place of Scripture doth not so properly require to shew how wee shall come to this faith and assurance in prayer that God will heare it but rather onely that wee ought to haue it and not to pray without it yet that I might not leaue this doctrine vnperfect it is necessarie to say somewhat of it First therefore as euery good and perfect gift is of the spirit of God Iam. 1.17 and commeth from aboue euen from the father of lights so doth this most of all Act. 16.14 And as the Lord by his spirit opened the heart of Lydia that she beleeued that which Paule preached so Christ Iesus is he vpon whose shoulders as the Prophet speaketh is laid the key of the house of Dauid that is Isai 22.22 of the whole Church of God so that he onely openeth and no man can shut and he shutteth and no man can open that is he onely by his holy spirit openeth our hearts that we may beleeue and giueth vs assurance in all things of the fauour of God How this assurance of being heard is wrought in vs. therefore we must pray to him that hee would giue vs that assurance and so open our hearts that we may beleeue that he doth heare our prayers But because this is wrought in vs by meanes and our faith is grounded specially and onely vpon the promises of God and all assurance of being heard ariseth from thence we must know and beleeue and meditate vpon them before we pray that so by them we may be assured that he will heare vs according to the vndoubted truth of the same And the more that wee can doe thus the greater assurance of being heard shall we haue when we pray vnto God And besides this we must know that the same assurance is confirmed and encreased by our former experience dayly so that when we haue marked how God hath at other times and in other things heard vs we may assure our selues from thence that he will doe so now also For as among men when we haue oftentimes made triall of a friend in the time of our need wee goe to them afterwards as any necessitie shall be vpon vs with great confidence and doubt not before wee come to them but we shall speed if they haue it so vpon our former experience with the Lord we ought much more boldly to come vnto him in times of need who hath not onely promised and so is willing but being almightie is also able and being true and iust in his promises will helpe vs. And according to experience of former times some doe read this text that we haue in hand although I approoue of the other rather which I haue followed after this manner Now know I that the Lord hath saued his annointed and will heare him from his Sanctuarie and so they confirme their hope by the time past in that they haue marked the goodnesse of God towards their king in sauing him before in other dangers as he was in many and so doubt not but that hee will heare them for him now and still saue him But to returne to that that we spake of before namely How we shal come to this assurance of being heard First of all we are to consider of the promises of God First by meditating vpon Gods promises vpon which our faith must be grounded and which must giue vs assured knowledge of being heard we may see how to this end the holy Patriarch Iacob did meditate vpon them to strengthen his faith and in his prayer did as it were put God in mind of them and comfort himselfe in hope of them when he prayed thus O God of my father Abraham Gen. 32 9. and God of my father Izaack Lord which saidest vnto me Returne vnto thy countrey and to thy kindred and I will doe thee good I
or any of ours if we had from time to time marked and remembred in all these how God hath answered vs gratiously we might now when we meet to pray for the remouing of this visitation haue had greater hope of being heard than we haue and greater assurance of Gods goodnesse towards vs. But seeing we haue beene so vnprofitable in times past to our owne hinderance let vs make the best vse of the time present that we can And therefore now seeing in this mortalitie of the plague we see so great fruit of our prayers at the last And namely how God hath lessened the plague at our prayers that as in other places it is greatly diminished so in the chiefest citie of this land it is fallen from three thousand and foure hundreth a weeke to lesse than two hundred for the which Gods name be praysed let vs profit by this experience to know what hee will doe for vs at all times when we pray And thus much out of these wordes both for the assurance of faith in which we should pray and for the meanes whereby we may attaine vnto it The nineteenth Sermon vpon the sixt verse Now know I that the Lord will helpe his annointed c. I Shall not need to call into your remembrance the doctrine of the last day gathered out of this verse Now know I. concerning the assurance of being heard that we should pray in which is so necessarie that without it we cannot pray acceptably to God comfortably to our selues nor profitably to others I am now to proceed and here to consider of these words where hee saith Now I know for seeing this faith that God will heare vs is so requisit in prayer it may be demaunded VVhy he did not begin with it at the first and to say in the beginning I know that God will heare but that he commeth to it so slowly and as it were at the last to say I know VVhat did he the author of the Psalme euen Dauid did he not know it vntill now that he sayth Now I know did he not know it before this time VVas all the former part of the prayer with doubting or without knowledge of this Or would he haue the people whom he taught thus to pray and left this forme for them not to haue this knowledge or not to labour for it till they come to this Yes vndoubtedly both himselfe did know in the beginning that the Lord did and would heare him els to what end did he pray and he would haue them euen at the first and before they began or spake one word to beleeue that God would heare them otherwise they could not pray in faith and so neither please God therein nor looke for any thing at the hand of the Lord for him VVhy then doth he himselfe say and teach thē also to say not onely VVe know but Now I know that God will helpe Surely to this end to shew that as he hath faith in the goodnesse of God that hee would heare him indeed so he had it in measure and it encreased in him by degrees By continuing in prayer our assurance of being heard encreaseth as it doth in all other men Therefore as hee was directed to make this prayer by the spirit of God so when he came to this part of it it did specially shew forth it selfe in the assurance of faith which hee had thereby and so caused him to breake out into these wordes Now know I because that by continuance in prayer he attained vnto a greater measure of faith and assurance than he had at the first And this great affection of the mind in prayer he was willing to commend vnto them to that end that they might both labour for it and looke to come vnto it euery one in their measure namely that the longer and the more earnestly they prayed for him the greater assurance they should haue by the spirit of God that the Lord did and would heare them And therefore though they did know at the first that God would heare them according to his will as hee had promised which promises they were not ignorant of yet by continuing in prayer or after their prayer they might looke to be further assured of it from God by his holy spirit that was in them For the Lord God vseth thus to worke by his spirit in those that be his that when their hearts are prepared aright to serue him As in all the parts of Gods seruice the longer wee continue in thē the more doth his spirit by them work in vs. the longer that they continue vnder the meanes of their saluation the more effectuall is the operation of his holy spirit in them thereby As for example in the hearing of the word of God they are more affected in the middest than they were at the beginning and many times most of all in the ending if they be diligent and attentiue hearers and not drowsie and carelesse and labour to stirre vp the spirit of God in themselues So is it in praying also when they come to it with due preparation of the heart the children of God doe often find that though they had some good measure of faith in Gods promises and feeling of his loue in the beginning yet by continuance in prayer the same was greatly enlarged and encreased in them so that it was more at the middest than at the first in so much that then they could say with greater freedome of the spirit and assurance of faith Now know I indeed that the Lord will helpe me and doth heare me from heauen and in the end they haue had more assurance and sometimes after they haue done praying most of all Thus their faith knowledge and assurance that the Lord did hear them it hath growne by degrees and encreased till it came to the full when they haue prayed feruently And hereupon it commeth to passe that we find in the Psalmes that very often they breake out into some sudden passion of ioy or glorying in the Lord and as it were boasting of the goodnesse of God towards them as though they had then euen alreadie obtained their desire because they felt and found that the Lord did giue them some good assurance of it As wee see how besides that which they professe here in the end of the Psalme they vtter these words of great confidence as though the victorie were alreadie gotten which if it had been it had beene in vaine to pray for defence against enemies they speake I say thus confidently They are brought downe and fallen but wee are risen and stand vpright And this is that which wee may obserue and most clearely see first of all in the third Psalme where hee beginneth his prayer very vncomfortably Thus Dauid beginning his prayer somewhat doubtfully endeth with great assurance Psal 3.1 and greatly complaineth of the multitude of his aduersaries that rebelliously were risen vp against him saying Lord
how are mine aduersaries increased How many rise against mee Many say to my soule there is no helpe for him in God Afterwards he confirmeth his faith in the goodnesse of God by the consideration of his nature that he is a defence buckler to them that are vnarmed and without defence and he giueth glory to them that haue ignominie cast vpon them without a cause and he rayseth vp them that are falling Verse 3. saying But thou Lord art a buckler for me my glory and the lifter vp of my head And then he gathereth more strength of faith from former experience Verse 4. saying I did call vnto the Lord with my voyce and he heard me out of the holy mountaine and to this he addeth Shelah to shew how greatly it did affect him and what comfort he had in this to remember that God had heard his prayer in former times and then further addeth for the strengthening of his faith that the Lord in other great danger had defended him Verse 5. saying I laid me downe and slept and rose vp againe for the Lord sustained me And thereupon inferreth this confident speech Verse 6. full of assurance I will not be afraid for ten thousand of the people that should beset me round about VVhere he doth glory by faith that though his enemies were neuer so many and himselfe in neuer so great danger of them hee would not bee too much afraid of them but was assured that the Lord would defend him in the middest of them And this assurance of Gods defence hee obtaineth now at the last by continuing in prayer and by those meditations which he had in prayer of the goodnesse and mercie of God towards all his and now specially towards himselfe which he hath set down in the former verses and part of his prayer So falleth it out with others that the spirit of God in them which is the spirit of prayer and of all assurance as it stirreth them vp to pray and when they cannot tell of themselues what or how to pray as they ought the same spirit helpeth their infirmities Rom. 8.26 and stirreth vp in them sighes and grones and desires of the hart which are acceptable and which God alloweth of because they are according to his will so the same also helpeth their infirmities in this point that whereas they began to pray in great weakenesse and much doubting because of their temptations by calling into their minds more freshly than before the promises of God made in his word and the often performance of the same to others to themselues it causeth them to grow in faith doth giue thē some greater assurance of Gods fauours and of being gratiously heard than they had in the beginning they know then more fully that he doth heare them and will helpe them And so the spirit of God in prayer helpeth the infirmities of the rest of his seruants Hebr. 12.1 And though this may seeme strange to such as are not acquainted with prayer who vse it very seldome or not at all and make it but a matter of forme and custome yet I doubt not but that we haue a great cloud of faithfull witnesses who vsing prayer often of conscience and in the feeling of their wantes and making it a dayly exercise and therein deale with the Lord in good earnest as those that would obtaine some thing at his hand and rest not in the bare action of prayer as in a worke wrought or a certaine taske performed and done who doe and are able to subscribe most willingly vnto the truth of this by their owne practise So that as Dauid making this prayer when his sonne Absolom with Achitophell and many others raysed vp a rebellon against him in which for the safegard of his life he was compelled to flie out of Ierusalem as appeareth by the title of the Psalme did by continuance in feruent prayer obtaine this assurance That the Lord would defend him and confound them all and therefore he would not be afraid of them if there were ten thousand of them and they all should beset him round about that is if he were brought into great straits as indeed he was and truely it came to passe in the end for Achitophell did hang himselfe and Absalom was hanged by the haire of the head As I say Dauid then had assurance of this before hand so also others of Gods seruants in their daungers and troubles praying to God feruently as he did haue in some good measure to their owne comfort and the comfort of others that haue prayed with them obtaitained of God by his spirit an assurance that the Lord did heare them and would be mercifull vnto them and they by faith haue professed the same to others beforehand Dauid againe by continuing in feruent prayer groweth in assurance of being heard And this growing and increasing in the assured hope That the Lord will heare vs whereof we now speak Dauid againe setteth downe by his owne experience in the sixt Psalme as indeed I must needs confesse that he was a man of wonderfull great experience both of his owne infirmitie and of Gods mercifull dealing towards him which Psalme was made when he was grieuously sicke and like to die and did not onely feele the hand of God heauie vpon himselfe this way as appeareth by his grieuous complaints and outcries but he was troubled in his mind for his sinne and in this estate he prayeth vnto God To remoue from him this great token of his wrath and displeasure that was vpon him and to take away this grieuous scourge that he was then afflicted with and to giue him both health of bodie and quietnesse of mind of both which at the last hee obtaineth so great assurance by faith through the inward working of Gods spirit that he doth openly glory of it against all his enemies that reioyced at his fall And for the vnderstanding of this it is requisit especially for the simpler sort to whose capacitie I haue especially framed my selfe requisit I say to set down in order the words of the whole Psalme for otherwise neither the great confidence and reioycing of his faith which in the end with much striuing he attained vnto nor the feruencie of his prayer which was a meanes whereby Gods spirit wrought it in him can be so fully perceiued or made plaine vnto you Thus therfore he beginneth his prayer O Lord Psal 6.1 rebuke me not in thine anger neither chastise me in thy wrath haue mercie vpon me O Lord for I am needie heale me for my bones are vexed My soule is also sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thou delay Returne O Lord deliuer my soule saue me for thy mercies sake for in death there is no remembrance of thee in the graue who shall praise thee I fainted in my mourning I cause my bed euery night to swim and water my couch with teares Mine eyes is dimmed
of his flocke And it were well that this way wee were all of vs a great deale more beholding one to another than we are in that we would in brotherly loue acquaint others with our estate and desire their prayers and then they would pray for vs according to the counsell and aduice of the Apostle Acknowledge your faults one to another and pray one for another Vers 16. that ye may be healed for the prayer of a righteous man auaileth much if it be feruent If we should for our owne benefit and good acquaint other with some speciall sins that haue been the cause and so consequently that may bee the cause of some great crosse that they vpon the knowledge of it might in greater feeling and faith pray for vs that they might bee forgiuen and wee deliuered from the punishment of them then should wee make them acquainted with other of our necessities to that end much more As in other things wee need the help one of another so in prayer and therefore should desire the same And that wee might bee perswaded vnto this duty of crauing the prayers of others in the feeling of the great need that we haue of them let vs first of all consider how the Lord hath so made vs all that he would haue vs helpe one another and know that we neede the help one of another both for soule and bodie and euery way else and therefore that we should seeke for it one of another as in the naturall bodie all parts doe need the mutuall helpe one of another as the eyes of the feete and the belly of the hands and doe in a sort seeke vnto them for it and by a naturall instinct as it were begge and craue it And all experience teacheth vs that in all other things none of vs is sufficient of our selues and therefore we craue the help of others as in counsell in labour and in all worldly affaires why then should it not be so in praier also Yet such is our corruption that we rather seeke helpe in any thing as distrusting our selues sauing in this wherein wee most neede it But we haue found the other true by our owne experience and so doe vse it if we did beleeue this and would doe thereafter wee might finde the fruite of it as sensible We desire men to sue for vs to Princes so should wee do vnto God Secondly when we haue suites vnto Princes or great men we desire those that are in fauour with them to further our suites and those especially that are most gracious with them and wee rest not in our selues though we be well knowne vnto them especially if the matter that wee sue for bee of any moment why should wee not then much more speak vnto others that they would pray to God for vs and commend our suites vnto his high Maiestie For though Gods loue be not partiall as mans is Matth. 18.20 but his promise is to all alike yet experience sheweth that some are more acquainted with prayer then other and so haue more accesse vnto God as it were and come oftner into his presence and neerer vnto him and so there is more hope that they should bee sooner heard Especiallie when God hath made a speciall promise that when two or three bee gathered together in the name of his sonne hee will be in the middest of them and therefore when diuers or the whole Church pray for vs there is more hope of being heard than when wee pray our selues alone The Papists pray to the Saints that are dead that they would pray to God for them that hee would heare their prayers for which there is no warrant in the Scripture but the whole word of God is rather against them but here is an example to desire the prayers of the Saints on earth that are liuing with hope of great fruite and few do follow it Thirdly when we pray When wee wrastle with men we desire help so should wee when wee striue in prayer with God Gen. 32.24 we doe as it were striue with God to obtaine some thing as was shewed to Iacob in the vision of an Angell wrastling with him all night long to teach vs that when we pray we must not come coldly or sleepely vnto it but with all earnestnes of desire and not giue ouer vntill the Lord blesse vs as Iacob would not let the Angell goe vntill he blessed him and then the Lord will assuredly blesse vs if we perseuere as he did Iacob and as Christ hath shewed in the parable of the wicked Iudge who was ouercome by the importunitie of the widow Therefore as when we wrastle or striue with a man Luk. 18.2 we knowing his great strength and our owne weakenes and so how hard it is to ouercome we would gladly haue others to helpe and to striue with vs against him and so we may more easily do that by the helpe of others which alone hardly or not at all we could do So when we striue with the Lord God in prayer being priuie to the weakenes of our owne faith and how many sinnes there are to hinder vs and what an hard thing it is to obtaine any thing in respect of our great vnworthinesse we should desire others to helpe vs with their prayers and therein as it were to striue with vs. And in this respect it is a singular great blessing if it were rightly esteemed and accordingly vsed to haue many in a familie or in the Church to pray with vs and for vs. Thus speaketh the Apostle and thus did hee practise when hee so earnestly intreated the Romanes to pray for him Rom. 15.30 32. saying Brethren I beseech you for our Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the loue of the spirit that you would striue with me by prayer to God for me that I may come to you with ioy by the will of God and may with you bee refreshed He had often and of a long time purposed to come to them Chap. 1.10 as he professeth in the first chapter and prayed that by some meanes one time or other he might haue prosperous iourney by the will of God to come vnto them Paul desired the Church to striue with him in prayer now at the last he desireth them also not only to pray but to pray earnestly and to striue with him in their prayers that he may come with ioy and doth beseech them that they would doe so euen for the loue of Christ and of the spirit If hee then after so many and earnest prayers did desire them to striue with him how had we need much more to doe it who pray seldomer and more coldly And truly as great things may be done when many striue together which none of them could seuerally doe so by the prayers of many great things are obtained which by the prayers of one alone are not so easily gottē So the same Apostle writeth to the Corinthians that
know it well enough yea their children kneele downe and aske them blessing and put them in minde of it and notwithstanding al this many doe forget it and though they cast out certaine words of course yet they doe not thereupon determine seriously to pray for them what would they doe then if their children by asking them their daily blessing should not put them in minde of it at all Therefore euery manner of way we see what great reason there is of this to desire others to pray for vs and so much for this present THE SECOND SERMON vpon the inscription To him that excelleth A Psalme of Dauid THat I might prosecute that argument which I began the last day as you heard wee want not examples in the Scripture for the practise of this dutie Example of those that haue desired others to pray for them 1. Sam. 1.6 in the faithful seruants of God men and women of al sorts who haue wel seene in how great need they haue stood of the prayers of others and haue accordingly desired the same Hannah the wife of Elkanah a very godlie woman as appeareth in her storie being barren and thereby being vpbraided of her aduersarie was troubled in her minde and prayed vnto the Lord and wept sore and she prayed for a manchild not so much for her self as for the glory of God for she vowed him vnto God in her prayer Hannah desired Hely to pray for her Hely the Priest sitting in the Temple before her and perceiuing her lips onely to moue but not hearing a word thought she had been drunken and told her so but she said no and told him what she did then Hely prayed God to heare her prayers Vers 17. saying Goe in peace and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him Then she said againe Let thine handmaid finde grace in thy sight that is I beseech thee pray for me still as now thou hast done that God would grant me my petition for what grace or fauour else could she meane seeing that in other things as for the ill opinion hee had conceiued of her she had satisfied him before and so God heard them both as appeareth in the sequell of that storie The Israelites also being in feare of the Philistims So did the Israelites desire Samuel to pray for them Chap. 7.8 came to Samuel the Prophet and desired him that as hee had prayed for them alreadie so hee would not cease to doe it still saying Cease not to crie vnto the Lord our God for vs that hee may saue vs out of the hand of the Philistims and he did so and the Lord heard him Vers 10. and thundred with a great thunder that day vpon the Philistims and scattered them so they were slaine before Israel Here many seeke to one for his prayers then much more may one seeke to many for theirs When Rabshakeh was sent by the King of Ashur with a great hoast against Ierusalem and came vp to the walles of the citie and spake blasphemously against the Lord and against his annointed Hezekiah the King came into the house of the Lord and prayed 2. King 19.1 Hezekiah desired the prayers of Isaiah and sent messengers vnto the Prophet Isaiah desiring him that he would pray for them saying Lift thou vp thy prayer for the remnant that are left and he did so and God heard him for them and the same night the Angell of the Lord went out Vers 35. and smote in the campe of the Assyrians an hundreth fourescore and fiue thousand Paul also the Apostle as we haue heard alreadie desireth the Romanes to pray for him saying Brethren I beseech you for our Lord Iesus Christs sake Rom. 15.30 And Paul of the Romanes and Corinthians 2. Cor. 1.10 and for the loue of the Spirit that yee would striue with mee by prayer to God for me And so doth he to that end intreate the Corinthians with these words God hath deliuered vs from a great death in whom we trust that yet hereafter hee will deliuer vs so that yee labour together in prayer for vs. This holy man who was often in prayer for himselfe and for all Churches desireth others to pray for him Thus the best seruants of God as they haue not neglected this benefit of prayer from their brethren so they had the fruit and comfort of it in great measure and truly if wee beleeue rightly the Communion of Saints and that God hath appointed one to doe good to another by the graces that hee hath bestowed vpon them why should wee not thinke that part of the communion consisteth in this that wee communicate in the spirit of prayer as well as in the spirit of counsell or of comfort and that this way we may giue and receiue helpe one from another as well as any other way Hester that noble and vertuous Queene who as it seemeth had vsed often to pray her selfe Hester desireth the Iewes to fast and pray for her and with her maides else she could not haue promised that for them which she did in a matter that greatly concerned the glorie of God and the good of his Church doth not onely pray her selfe with her seruants three daies and three nights Hest 4.16 and that with fasting but doth desire that all the Iewes that were in that citie would doe the like for her So that sometimes wee had need not onely to desire others to pray for vs but euen to fast and pray for vs. The wicked haue bin constrained to desire the prayers of others and haue gotten great good by them And truly the vertue and power of the prayer of one man is so auaileable for another that the very wicked haue seene it and been driuen to acknowledge it and so haue desired the seruants of God to pray for them and haue had great benefit thereby Then if the vngodly and prophane men of the world who are not at all acquainted with prayer yet haue thought that the prayers of others might doe them good then they that know what prayer doth meane and that haue accustomed themselues to prayer and haue obserued the fruite of it in themselues may bee assured that the prayers of others shall be of like or a great deale more force for them If they whose consciences tels them that for their vngodlinesse they are altogether out of Gods fauour and so they had no heart to pray to him themselues neither had any hope that hee would heare them yet haue had some hope that God might heare some others for them and so haue sought vnto them for their prayers then how much more they who liuing in a good course haue hope that God is wel pleased with them in Christ may be perswaded that God will most willingly heare others for them and so in great faith desire their prayers And to conclude if they that are not of the Church of God but
our owne experience and incourage them to cal vpon God with good hope by our own example for we shall be able to say vnto them that wee haue obserued how God hath dealt with vs in the like case of theirs and this shall be no small comfort to them to heare it or to our selues from others to heare at their mouth how God hath dealt with them in former times And so doth Dauid to this end speake to other of his owne experience which he had gotten by marking how God dealt with him after his prayers when he saith This poore man cried and the Lord heard him and saued him out of all his troubles And a little before Psal 34.6 Vers 4. I sought the Lord and he heard me yea he deliuered me out of my feare they shall looke to him and runne to him and their faces shall not be ashamed saying This poore man cried and the Lord heard him We see how confidently hee speaketh vnto others and assureth them that if they pray to God he will heare them for hee had well marked how the Lord had so dealt with him before Let vs then in all things wherein we haue prayed vnto God so marke his dealing towards vs that we may see how he hath turned our burnt offrings into ashes that is how he hath declared vnto vs that he hath heard our prayers that so we may reioyce in Gods benefits the more and hee may bee praised for them and our selues and others be confirmed in hope by experience through them Turne thy burnt offrings into ashes Lastly concerning these words wheras in them he teacheth generally to pray We must not limit the hearing of our prayers to any one particular thing that God would shew that he had heard his prayers and doth not limit it to any particular thing as to say shew it by doing so and so but that concerning the things that be prayed for hee desireth that hee would shew which way it pleaseth him that hee had heard them and that hee and they might as euidently see it as those did who had their sacrifices consumed with fire from heauen It teacheth vs that in al outward things especially we should not tye the fauour of God and the hearing of our prayers to any one speciall thing as to say If God would giue me such a thing that I haue prayed for or deale so and so with me I would beleeue that he had heard my prayers but vntill I haue that I cannot be perswaded of it For in all things we ought to pray that God would giue vs such and such things so farre foorth as it is his holy will as he knoweth it to be good for vs and for his glorie and with these conditions also must wee pray for others So then if the Lord see it not expedient for vs and so doe not giue it vs at all or when we would haue it or in that manner that wee would yet wee must desire this that hee would some way shew that he hath heard our prayers by giuing vs minds readie to submit our wils vnto his patience to beare things and that hee would giue vs some thing els for recompence or supplie of it and that hee would turne all to our good and that we might also see it to be so and this must be sufficient for all Rom. 8.26 For we many times know not what to pray as wee ought but the spirit of God in vs maketh request then for vs vnto God with sighes and groanes which cannot be expressed and the Lord who is the searcher of the hearts For God will giue not according to that that we name but that his spirit in vs meaneth knoweth what is the meaning of the Spirit for it maketh request for the Saints according to that that they asked or named which in temptation thēselues knew not well but according to the meaning of the spirit in them For euen as those that are sicke of some hot pestilent burning feuer or some other disease that distempereth their braine when they aske any thing those that attend vpon them will not giue them that which they haue named but some other thing in steed of it which is better for them in that case and in so doing they giue them according to their meaning for they did meane that that was best for them though they erred then through distemperature or ignorance in the particular and so when they are well and can iudge of things themselues will confesse So doth the Lord deale with his seruants so must we be contēted to be ordred by the Lord that whatsoeuer we aske he would giue vs that which hee knoweth to bee best for vs and so giue vs according to the meaning of his spirit in vs that so wee may see that hee hath heard our prayers 2. Cor. 12.8 Saint Paul prayed three times that the messenger of Satan which buffeted him might depart away from him and the Lord heard his prayers but how he gaue him this answere My grace is sufficient for thee Vers 9. for my power is made perfect through weakenes So that when in all temptations of the diuell hee held out in a good course and God did vpholde him in his weakenes As he did to the Apostle Paul that he was not ouerthrowne though the messenger of Satan did not depart from him according to that which he had named in his praiers yet he saw wel enough that God had heard his prayers by giuing him strength against him This is worthy to be diligently obserued because we are giuen wholy to tie the hearing of our prayers vnto the receiuing of that particular we aske and cannot for the most part otherwise discerne of it as for example if we aske health and wealth and God giue them then will we beleeue that he hath heard our prayers and otherwise not whereas the Lord may no lesse shew that he hath heard our prayers and deny vs both of them when hee shall giue vs minds contented with our estate and to waite vpon his blessed will in all our wants We haue now a long time prayed vnto God for this sicknes and mortalitie and wee desire to see that God hath heard our prayers and so we may also though it be not lessened but increased yea though it should come among vs and bee vpon our owne bodies So will he doe in this visitation of the Plague For in that he hath not begun with vs at the first according to our deserts nor is come vnto vs with this visitation as yet but sheweth himselfe slowe to anger and vseth great patience towards vs yea that hee daily warneth vs by the harmes of others and not maketh vs a spectacle vnto others therein hee hath sufficiently shewed that hee hath heard our praiers And now further if he should come and deale with vs in our owne bodies and then with all should giue vs grace to
Selah as when he saith The Lord is known by executing iudgement the wicked is snared in the worke of his owne hands Higgaion Selah This Psalme was made as a solemne thankesgiuing for the conquest he had ouer the proude Philistim Goliah as appeareth in the title therefore when hee commeth to this to shew how the Lord was knowne by executing iudgement vpon him and euen this iudgement that hee was snared in the worke of his owne hands as many other wicked men are for he was slaine in that combate by little Dauid and that without armour euen with a stone and a sling as it were with the hand of God miraculously in that combat I say whereunto he had proudly challenged all the hoast of the Israelites with blasphemous words tending to the dishonour of God he addeth these two notes Higgaion that is This is worthy to be meditated vpon and thought seriously on of all men that the wicked are snared in the workes of their owne hands Selah As if hee had said yea in deed this is worthy most seriously and with great affection to bee thought vpon But we shall make further vse of this doctrine hereafter THE ELEVENTH SERMON vpon the third verse Selah WE heard the last day the meaning of this word By Selah here they were stirred vp to the affections of Prayer namely that it serued to note out some speciall affection according to the matter where it was vsed Wee are then now to consider what speciall affections were in him and should be in the people here and so what is and was the vse of it in this place Generally it being ioyned vnto a prayer they were to haue the affections meet for prayer and for this thing that here they prayed for Therefore the speciall affections that ought to be in the people when they prayed thus were these or such like First when hee willeth them to pray that God would heare his prayers and shew that he did so and then addeth Selah a note of affection or stirring vp of the mind it was to teach them As namely to pray earnestly that he would haue them affected with it to pray for it earnestly And in requiring this earnestnes here his meaning was not that they should bee colde in the former and negligent but here he required a speciall feruency of the spirit that after a speciall manner they would pray that God would heare his prayers and declare it By which example wee learne that though we ought alwaies to pray from our hearts and neuer with the tongue onely as many doe and haue done not only in Popery when if they had said a certaine number of prayers it was thought sufficient though they knew not what they said it being in an vnknowne tongue and so could not possibly haue any desire at all vnto that which they prayed for and so that was verified of them that Christ speaketh of in the Gospell Matth. 15.8 This people draweth neere vnto me with their lippes but their heart is farre from me but also in these dayes when many though they say Amen at the end of prayers yet haue had their mind occupied about other matters and so though their tongue hath spoken yet their mindes haue desired nothing John 4.24 whereas God is a spirit and wil be worshipped in our spirits and he is the searcher of the hearts which when it is prepared then hee heareth as it is said thou preparest the heart Psalm 10.17 Psalm 57.7 and bendest thine eare thereto So that whensoeuer we pray we must say as the Prophet doth My heart is prepared my heart is prepared O God I will sing and giue thanks Therefore wee must not come rashly to prayer and vnaduisedly on the suddaine but prepare our hearts beforehand as Christ teacheth vs in that forme of his O our Father which art in Heauen c willing vs to consider of Gods fatherly loue and of his almighty power and so pray to him as to one whom wee are perswaded is most willing and able to heare and helpe vs. Greater earnestnes is requisite in some part of the prayer then of other Ephes 6.18 And though wee must alwaies thus pray if wee will bee heard yet we are to striue with our affections in prayer and as something shall be more materiall for vs and wee stand in more need of it so there and for that to pray more earnestly and as we must continually striue with our owne dulnesse in prayer and as the Apostle saith watch thereunto so wee must offer violence as it were to our selues in such things as doe most concerne vs. So that our prayers must not flowe from vs like a still streame which is alwaies like it selfe and neuer standeth still like a poole so wee must not haue alwaies the like desires in prayer yea though they be desires of the heart in deed and the heart bee truly moued with it and not stand still senselesse and dead in the affections of it like a lake which is without motion which yet it were well if all men could come vnto and it is a great worke of the spirit if wee can doe so but our hearts in prayer must bee working like the great Ocean Sea that sometimes commeth with great billowes so that it bringeth vp things that are at the bottome of it So we according to our speciall need and the necessitie of others that we pray for must stirre vp the least desire that we haue euen from the bottome of our hearts and though our hearts were moued before yet when wee come to such a thing they must bee mooued a great deale more that God may see how earnestly we desire them that so hee may fulfill them And this we must doe not onely in our priuat prayers And that is true not only of priuat prayer but of publike according to that that we stand in need of as we all finde that we need something more then other for that wee must bee most importunate though wee must alwaies pray earnestly But also in the publike prayers of the Church as these of the people were as wee must alwaies during the time of prayer marke diligently what is said and haue not onely our minde occupied about it but our desires going with his words that prayeth as it were step by step that thus they may all waite vpon him and as it were hang vpon his mouth as it is sayd the people did vpon our Sauiour Christ but when there is any speciall thing prayed for which concerneth vs neerely Luk. 19.48 or any of ours or the glory of God and Church of Christ there to stirre vp our minds with some more earnest desire to call vpon God for it and as it were to say Selah that is Oh that God would grant that so would it come to passe that God would giue vs our desire Luk. 1.53 as he hath promised to fill the hungry soule with
truth in Christ I lie not that I might vse the words of the Apostle that I haue been desired of many often to pray for them in their seuerall troubles but of very few desired againe to be thankfull for the same which sheweth that though at the first it may be they desired the prayers of others with Selah that is with great earnestnes in the feeling of their owne estate yet afterwards they were not so much moued with it as Dauid was here and so forgat to bee thankfull themselues at leastwise did not desire others to be thankfull for them or not with that feeling that they desired them to pray for them before Let vs then I pray you consider how wee esteeme of this that God heareth our prayers at any time We esteeme it may be of the things themselues that God bestoweth vpon vs at our prayers whether it bee health or wealth or any thing els our owne need driueth vs vnto it but doe we account it to bee so great a fauour of God and confesse our selues to be so vnworthie of it that wee shall be bound to serue him and praise him for it When wee haue it I beseech you doe we enter seriously into the consideration of the mercie of God and of our owne vnworthines to say What a good God is this that hath dealt so gratiously with mee Surely surely we shall finde that few do it either before they pray or when they haue done to say What a thing is this I that am so vilde a wretch that haue no goodnes in me at all that haue so many waies offended God that he should notwithstanding heare my prayers whereas hee might iustly haue brought vpon mee that curse that is spoken off in the Prophet That as the Lord cried vnto me often in his word Zach. 7.13 and I would not heare him so I should crie to him in my prayers and hee not heare me Therefore it was needfull for them by this word Selah to bee stirred vp and wee must learne thereby to make more account of the hearing of our prayers than we doe For though God hath made a promise vnto vs in Christ that if we aske wee shall receiue Let vs stirre vp our selues to make more account of the hearing of our prayers yet when wee consider how many waies for our part wee haue broken the couenant and how weake our faith is wherby we receiue all we may iustly thinke that God may denie vs all things and that it is his great mercie if he heare vs in any thing And namely so must wee doe at this present for this sicknes acknowledge our selues vnworthie of all his former mercies much more that we are vnworthie of any new as Iacob did when he said O God of my father Abraham Gen. 32.10 I am not worthie of the least of all the mercies and truth which thou hast shewed vnto thy seruant Therefore if it please God to shew vs any merâ—â—â—is way wee must so esteeme it that we binde our selues remember it and to be thankfull to him for it all the daies of our life and then let vs remember what we haue promised and labour to performe it which grace God grant vs for Christ Iesus his sake Amen THE TWELFTH SERMON vpon the fourth verse And graunt thee according to thine heart and fulfill all thy purpose The meaning of the fourth verse THese are the words of the people vnto God for their King and part of the prayer which they made for him namely that God would grant him according to his hearts desire and fulfill all his purposes that is whatsoeuer his heart did wish and desire that God would giue and whatsoeuer hee purposed God would bring to passe As if they had said O Lord whatsoeuer he desireth in his heart that grant thou and whatsoeuer he purposeth in his minde that bring thou to passe Now Dauid teaching them thus to pray we may presume that he did determine to haue nothing but good desires in his heart and good purposes and the people by the great experience that they had had a long time of his goodnes did thus iudge of him else neither could he haue desired them so to pray for him neither they haue done it in faith First then as in all other things we must approue our selues vnto God from our very heart which is the chiefest thing that he looketh vnto and that especially he requireth of all according as it is written My sonne giue me thy heart Prou. 23.26 so in our prayers most of all that wee desire in our heart nothing but that that is iust and lawfull and according to his will All the desires of our hearts in prayer must be agreeable to the will of God And so againe whatsoeuer we goe about the meanes that we vse must be lawfull and such as God may allow of that so in our prayers we may commend them vnto God Then may wee boldly pray God to fulfill them and desire others also to doe so and they being so perswaded of vs by good proofe may safely and with a good conscience thus pray for vs though they knowe not all our hearts desires and purposes For God hath promised that whatsoeuer wee aske according to his will he will grant it vnto vs. And al the promises that are made vnto prayer are thus to be vnderstood and no otherwise As when Christ saith Aske and it shall be giuen you seeke and you shall finde Matth. 7.7 knocke and it shall be opened vnto you for whosoeuer asketh receiueth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened And againe Whatsoeuer yee aske in my name Joh. 14.13 that will I do that is which is good and according to Gods will As it is euident by that which the Apostle writeth to the Romanes Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities Rom. 8.26 for we know not what to pray as wee ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed But he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the meaning of the Spirit And such prayers God will heare for he maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God So that when a man prayeth by the instinct and motion of the Spirit of God which directeth him to aske according to his will and word then he heareth and such we may boldly desire others to pray that God would grant So likewise it is said in the tenth Psalme Psal 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore thou preparest their hearts thou bendest thine eare thereto Where the Prophet confesseth to the comfort of the Church that God is readie to heare the prayers of his poore Saints but how when their hearts by Gods spirit bee prepared to desire good things according to Gods will then hee is readie to bend his eare and the more that our hearts be thus prepared
the more may we be assured of it Dauid here in this Psalme being priuie to the goodnes of his owne heart that in sinceritie and truth hee desired to please God was bold to commend his desires vnto the people that they might commend them to God And such we may commend vnto men that he would grant them If then we would haue our prayers heard and also haue any comfort in the prayers of others for vs let vs haue no wicked or vngodly desires nothing contrarie to the will of God For such desires wee can neither our selues commend vnto God nor any other for vs neither will he fulfill them if wee should And here that wee might not wander and goe astray in our desires to our owne hearts our Sauiour Christ hath directed vs in that forme of prayer which hee taught his Disciples In which wee are taught first to pray for such things as concerne the glorie of God To this end we must follow that forme that Christ hath taught vs. the aduancement of the kingdome of Christ here vpon the earth and then for all outward things appertaining vnto this life and for life it selfe so farre foorth as they may stand with these and afterwards for the forgiuenes of our sins and for power against our temptations that wee be not ouercome If then wee pray after this manner God will heare vs as it is said in another place Seeke yee first the kingdom of God Matth. 6.33 And seeke for the direction of his spirit to teach vs to pray and his righteousnesse and all these things shall be ministred vnto you Therefore it is agreeable vnto Gods will to pray first for heauenly things and then for earthly and such prayers God will heare And yet though wee haue this forme as a direction to guide vs in our prayers many times we may be so distracted especially in some temptation that we shall not know what to aske aright Rom. 8.26 as the Apostle saith then Gods spirit in those that be his helpeth their infirmitie herein and stirreth vp in them at the least sighes and groanes that cannot be expressed which being of the spirit of God and so also according to Gods will hee heareth and granteth the meaning of them Therefore for our further direction we must pray to God for the assistance of his holy spirit in prayer that it may moderate all our desires and teach vs thus to pray according to the will of God that so hee may grant according to our heart and fulfill all our purposes as it is said here Thus did our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ himselfe pray who when hee was in such great agonies that hee said Matth. 26.38 My soule is very heauie euen vnto the death he prayed vnto God and said O father if it be possible let this cup passe from me and this hee did three times but in the end hee said Vers 42. O my father if this cup cannot passe away from mee but that I mu t drinke it thy will be done and so God heard him as the Apostle saith Heb. 5.7 That in the daies of his flesh he did offer vp prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death and was also heard in that which hee feared Luk. 22.43 Christ in prayer submitting his will to Gods will was heard For there appeared an Angell vnto him from heauen comforting him Thus his hearts desire as at all other times so in this distresse of his being according to the will of God he did grant it So look to al the prayers of Gods seruants in the old and new Testament and we shall see that when they haue submitted their wils to Gods will then he hath granted their desires Now the will of God is that we should absolutely first of all desire those things that might make for his glorie the saluation of our selues and of our brethren but al outward things so farre foorth as they may stand with these and further them and so farre will God graunt them Iacob when hee went to Laban maketh his prayer in the way after this manner Gen. 28.20 The will of God is that we preferre heauenly things before earthly Desiring God that he would be with him and keepe him in that iourney which he went and giue him bread to eate and cloathes to put on so that hee might come againe to his fathers house in safetie and in a word That he would be his God for so doe the best interpreters reade this text So that this he desired principally though it be last named That God would be his good God and continue his couenant of fauour with him to forgiue him his sinnes to increase in him all graces needfull for his saluation c and to shew his fauour this way in protecting him in his iourney though it were but in giuing him things necessarie as meate and drinke and cloathing Now because his prayer was thus agreeable to the will of God that he first desired the continuance of his fauour and then all things needfull for this life so farre as it might stand with that God heard him and hee confesseth it afterwards in his returne that the blessing of God had been greatly vpon him when he saith Chap. 32.10 And he hath heard his seruants that haue thus prayed I am vnworthie of the least of all the mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewed vnto thy seruant for with my staffe came I ouer this Iordan and now haue I gotten two bandes The like may bee said of the prayer of King Salomon That when in Gibeon the Lord appeared vnto him in a dreame by night 1. King 3.5 and sayd Aske what I shall giue thee and hee prayed thus Giue vnto thy seruant an vnderstanding heart to iudge thy people that I may discerne betweene good and euill So that hee asked wisdome that hee might bee fit to serue God in his calling This did so please the Lord that he gaue him this answere Verse 11. Because thou hast asked this thnig and hast not asked for thy selfe long life nor riches nor the life of thine enemies but hast asked for thy selfe vnderstanding to heare iudgement Beholde I haue done according to thy words loe I haue giuen thee a wise and an vnderstanding heart so that there hath been none like thee before thee neither after thee shall arise the like vnto thee And I haue also giuen thee that which thou hast not asked both riches and honour so that among the Kings there shall bee none like vnto thee all thy dayes This must teach vs all to knowe the will of God that it might direct vs in all things euen in our prayers that wee doe not rashly hand ouer head aske wee cannot tell what Let vs aske that that may further vs in our saluation as the forgiuenes of our sinnes Thus must we
betweene saying Surely thou wilt heare mee O God because God gaue him then to beleeue it more fully VVhich full persuasion if he had had before in that measure that he had then we may be assured that he would sooner haue professed it to the glory of God and his owne comfort A fourth example of it in Dauid I will conclude this point with that which is in the eight and thirtie Psalme which Psalme was made when he was in some great distresse of sickenesse as some think or some other at the least And the whole Psalme is full of grieuous complaints as may appeare to them that will but read it when he beginneth thus O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Psal 38.1 neither chastise me in thy wrath for thine arrowes haue light vpon me and thine hand lieth vpon me there is nothing found in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones because of my sinne and so forth for the whole Psalme is too long to be set down yet it is necessarie for thē to read it ouer who desire to see the truth of this that we speak to be in the Prophet He first complaineth of the heauie wrath of God that was vpon him and of his sinnes which he acknowledgeth to be the cause of his punishment of the infirmitie and great weakenesse that he found in himselfe both of soule and bodie and of this also that he was forsaken of his friends and left desolat of the mallice of his wicked enemies all which made him as hee saith to poure out his whole desire before the Lord so that his sighing was not hid from him Vers 9. And then at the last he commeth to haue some good assurance that the Lord would heare him and doth openly professe it in these words On thee O Lord doe I wait Vers 15. thou wilt heare me O Lord my God and so from this assurance hee endeth the Psalme somewhat more comfortably than he began it saying Hast thee to helpe me O my Lord Vers 22. my saluation Thus we see how by continuing in feruent prayer and striuing against all things within him and without him that might discourage him the spirit of God did so encrease in him that hee gat some small assurance at the least and more than he had before that the Lord would heare him and so endeth with a more peaceable and quiet mind than he began And though I am not ignorant that some of the learned doe read that fifteenth verse somewhat otherwise yet they agree with me in this point for which it is brought That in the same he professeth his faith that the Lord would heare him All these examples doe not onely shew vs the truth of this doctrine namely that the seruants of God praying vnto him in their seuerall troubles as this people did here haue by little and little growne in a further assurance to their owne comfort and the glorie of God By this experience in another we see what assurāce God may worke in vs if we vse the same meanes that he will heare them but they shew vs the same by great experience which is the best tracts and able to instruct the most simple for wee haue heard how Dauid oftentimes professeth it of himselfe which sheweth vs what we may looke for that the Lord should worke in vs also for there is no respect of persons with him if we pray in that feeling of our wants and that humilitie vnder the crosse and that feruencie vnder hope and that continuance by patience that he did Therefore let vs labour after it euen that we may find the spirit of God so working in our hearts by prayer that it may certainly and comfortably witnesse to our spirits that the Lord doth heare vs and that the same testimonie of the spirit may encrease in vs aswe encrease in praying And it may come to passe that as in the morning we see the Sunne arise higher and higher whereby we haue a greater feeling of the heat of it as the day encreaseth so we might see the sonne of righteousnesse so arising in our hearts Malach. 4.2 dispersing all the mysts of ignorance and vnbeleefe that we may haue the comfortable feeling of the fauour of God in our hearts encreasing more and more to cheere them vp with the light and heat of it as it were as we shall continue longer in prayer Let vs labor after it I say because that few doe know what it doth meane because they doe not so much as once seeke and inquire after it Obiect The best seruants of God complaine that they haue no assurance that God heareth their prayer Now if any doe seeke this and cannot find it and so they still complaine as many of the best seruants of God haue done that he heareth not their prayers neither haue they any assurance of it for when as in their troubles they pray vnto God this grieueth them much that they haue no persuasion that God heareth and will helpe them for if they had this they could bee contented to wait vpon him and to tarry his leisure but they pray and pray and can haue no assurance that hee doth heare them Ans And a reason of the same To satisfie all those and to strengthen them in this weaknesse of theirs we must consider That they that haue had the greatest assurance at any time that the Lord did heare them haue had it but in time and in measure and not alwaies alike but sometimes more sometimes lesse and sometimes not at all as the spirit of faith or their owne vnbeleefe hath preuailed in them For in these forenamed places we see that in some of the Psalmes hee professeth greater assurance than in other and so is it with all men Euen as with the eyes of our bodie we sometimes see a thing more clearely than at other times and our eyesight is not alwayes alike no more is our faith whereby wee behold Christ and in him the fauour of God it is not alwaies in the same brightnesse Besides as the ayre is not alwaies alike for our sight but sometimes more troublesome and souring yea darke which hindereth vs from the sight of that that we looke vnto when our eyes are at the best so we haue sometimes in our mind greater and more violent temptations than at other as it were thick mystes or rather darke clouds in the aire to hinder our faith from beholding the cheerefull countenance of the Lord as it were the light of the Sunne which shineth alwayes alike though we by reason of these cannot alwaies see it alike So the Lords loue is alwaies one and the same but we are not alwaies alike disposed in our selues to behold it in that brightnesse that it shineth in it owne nature Therefore we must not be dismaied if we haue not alwaies this assurance in our prayer after the same manner but see what
is the cause of it and striue against that that so wee may come vnto it in time and in that measure that the Lord shall bestow it vpon vs. Secondly we must consider Another reason of it that this people doth pray very feruently and often for this That God would heare and helpe their king before they come to this assurance as appeareth by all the former wordes when they say The Lord heare thee the name of God defend thee send thee helpe and strengthen thee let him remember thine offerings and turne thy burnt offerings into ashes graunt thee according to thine heart fulfill all thy purpose c. VVhere there are many short and earnest petitions for the same thing which doubling of their words and of their requests in so great shortnesse doe sufficiently shew how feruently they prayed For wee must not thinke that they vse vaine babbling heaping vp a multitude of words without any sence feeling or desire of the thing answerable vnto the same as it is the manner of hypocrits and heathen to doe who vse repetitions and thinke to be heard for their much babling Matth. 6.7 against whom our Sauiour Christ speaketh in the Gospell But this prayer being first made by Dauid who had the spirit of God and for the Church which is ruled by the same spirit we may by their words very cleerely discerne see their spirit that they prayed with namely with great earnestnesse and feeling especially when this word Selah which noteth some great affection of the mind is added and thus doing they come to a greater assurance at the last I meane by this continuance in feruent prayer So in all the other Psalmes of Dauid which we alledged before wee see that he prayeth not coldly or in a word but very earnestly often and long before he professeth this assurance Therefore if we will come vnto it in our measure we must labour to haue the feeling of our want and to be troubled for it and so pray earnestly we must come also in the faith of Gods goodnesse and hope of being heard by considering the promises of his word and the fulfilling of the same we must continue in prayer and pray often for the same thing so shall it come to passe that we shall not onely beleeue beforehand generally that God will heare vs but more particularly in that very thing that we pray for find some assurance encreased in vs that he will helpe vs and we must wait vpon him also to haue a greater assurance of it wrought in vs afterwards Therefore let vs doe thus and see whether the Lord in many things that we pray for will not giue vs that assurance that he will helpe vs some way or other either by mitigating the thing that is vpon vs or deliuering vs cleane from it or giuing vs patience vnder it or encreasing our strength to beare it or turning it vnto our good so that wee shall see the more wee pray the more quiet shall we be in submitting our wils to the will of God and assuring our selues that some way or other the Lord will heare vs and helpe vs. And furthermore concerning this particular that they pray for euen for Dauid their king they had this assurance that God would heare him How we may be assured that God will hear vs for others and helpe him And so I doubt not but that many faithfull subiects and people in this land hauing in like maner prayed for their kings and queenes and gouernours God hath giuen them assurance that he hath heard them for them and the more that any haue done so the greater assurance haue they had As many praying for the life of our late Queene Elizabeth God did not onely preserue her person from a number of treasons intended against her but they had by their prayers comfort ouer it for the time to come that the Lord would do so still And so shal we now haue for his most excellent maiestie that now is though he be subiect to many perils as appeareth by the terrible murthers and treasons that haue already broken out against his royall person and whole progenie that if we vse to pray often for him publikely and priuatly and that feruently with all our desires and beleeue that he is the Lords anoynted that is that he is set ouer vs by the Lord in his iust title and inheritance As for the king that the Lord who is the defender of all right will not onely preserue him still maugre their heads as hitherto he hath done but will assure vs of it in some good measure that wee shall quietly submit our selues to his peaceable and gratious gouernment and not greatly feare the malitious attempts of his and our enemies But as hee is religious himselfe and vseth to pray for himselfe and putteth his trust in God so we praying often also and earnestly for him shall know more and more that the Lord will heare him and vs for him And this is true not onely of our gouernours but of all men so that if we vse to pray often for others and if they haue made knowne and commended their estate vnto vs to that end and we thereupon be feruent with the Lord for them And for them that are visited with the plague it will come to passe that not onely the Lord will heare vs for them but we shall haue good hope of it and so we shall haue comfort beforehand that God will doe good vnto them and the oftner that we pray for any in any distresse of theirs the more assurance shall we haue God in his good time will heare vs for them And I doubt not but that in this time of sicknesse and mortalitie many haue found this to be true by experience that by continuall and feruent prayer they haue not onely obtained this assurance for themselues that the Lord will helpe them but for others Let that experience mooue vs for the time to come to pray still for those that are in this visitation or in the feare of it that we may know at the last that the Lord will heare vs for them also and helpe them in his blessed time by the mightie power of his right hand which we beseech him that we may find at his mercifull hand for Iesus Christs sake our mediatour and redeemer Amen The twentieth Sermon vpon the sixt verse I know that the Lord will helpe his annointed and will heare him from c. Why the number is changed in these words of their prayer THis being the voyce of a multitude euen of the whole Church is set downe after this meanes not we know but I know in the singular number or person of one not onely for this cause that we haue alreadie heard of namely to teach them all that they should labour to pray in this faith That God would heare them all and euery one of them but also to shew that as Dauid the
to encourage men to desire others to pray for them in the time of their need Therefore when many striue together of vnequal strength about one thing as to remooue a great stone or some peece of timber if there be among them young men or women and children and sicke folke and such as can doe little or nothing and but one strong man in their company like vnto the great gyant Goliah or vnto Samson though all of them may helpe some thing yet this one by his great strength shall doe so much that all that the other doe shall not be discerned and so all shall be ascribed vnto him and he alone shall be said to doe it because all of them could not haue done it without him and they all did nothing in comparison of him And besides he may be of that great wisedome and so know the measure of his strength and what is fit for such a purpose that he may say whiles they are about it or before they begin Now I know that the thing is ouercome or as good as done when others shall feare that they shall doe no great matter or are like neuer to preuaile and so they shall not onely obtaine their purpose by his meanes but by his wordes be encouraged in the doing of it yea comforted before they begin So is it when many of vnequall faith pray together Therefore as it is well for them that shall haue such strong men in their company to labour with them so shall it be much more happy for those that shall haue them that are now weake in faith to pray for them The like may be sayd of that that befell the Iewes in the dayes of king Hezekiah as it is set downe in the second booke of the Chronicles 2. Chro. 32.1 where first it is said that Saneherib king of Ashur when he came vp against Ierusalem with a great host they were all afraid of his greatnesse but at last this good king getteth by prayer more assurance of faith then the rest and so bad his nobles and people not feare him Verse 7. Hezekiah had assurance of Gods helpe for the comfort of all his people saying Be strong and couragious feare not neither be afraid for the king of Asshur neither for all the multitude that is with him for there bee more with vs than bee with him with him is an arme of flesh but with vs is the Lord our God to helpe vs and to fight our battels and then it is said that the people were comforted by his words insinuating that they were wauering and doubtfull before Now that he came to this assurance by prayer there is no doubt though there be no mention of it in these words for besides that the Lord doth thus vnusually giue it as hath beene seene before this good king in this distresse we may be assured did not neglect it especially when afterwards in the same chapter there is mention made of his prayer Thus the king for himselfe and for the rest had this assured vnto him that he knew that God would helpe them so was not only comforted himselfe but comforted others in this great feare Afterwards it fell out that when the daunger increased and his faith somewhat fayled he receiued this benefit of comfort in his feare from another euen for the Prophet Isaijah For it is said And afterwards the Prophet had it for the comfort of the king Verse 20. that after this the king of Asshur sent his captaine Rabsakeh who with great threatning and rayling wordes sought to terrifie the people who to that end cried out vnto them vpon the wall in the Iewish language Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the Prophet prayed against this and cryed to heauen but it seemeth that the king for all this had yet no great assurance in himselfe that God would deliuer him but Isaiah that prayed with him had it for him and for the rest and did comfort him For it is thus written of Hezehiah that he went into the house of the Lord to pray and sent messengers to the Prophet to desire him 2. King 19.1 that he would do so to and so he did and thereupon sent him this message which assurance God gaue him by prayer for the rest That he should not feare his words Verse 10. for he would send a blast vpon him and he should heare a noyse and should returne into his owne land and there he should die by the sword as it also came to passe And here though hee was a Prophet to whom God shewed many things extraordinarily yet he prepared him for that worke of his spirit and prayer being one speciall meanes to make vs fit to receiue any grace of the spirit here it is said that he prayed and had this assurance And so here in this distresse many praying together the Prophet Isaiah onely for all the rest sayth Now know I that the Lord will heare and helpe vs. But before this I should haue placed the example of that good king Iehoshaphat which is set downe also in the same booke of the Chronicles both because it was before this in order of time and especially because it is most fit for this purpose 2. Chron. 20 2. Iehoshaphat praying for helpe against his enemies one of the cōpany had assurance of it for all the rest For in his dayes a great hoast of the Ammonites and Moabites and out of mount Seir came vp against Ierusalem which did so terrifie him and all the rest of his people that he set himselfe to feare the Lord and proclaimed a fast through all Iudah and they all gathered themselues together to aske counsell of the Lord and they came vp out of all cities of Iudah to inquire of the Lord and Iehoshaphat was in this congregation in the house of the Lord and there in the midst of them made a feruent prayer vnto God for helpe against them saying O Lord God of our fathers c. Verse 14. as it is set downe at large there And it is further added that there was one Iahaziel a Leuit and vpon him after or in the time of this prayer came the spirit of the Lord in the middest of the Congregation and hee said Hearken ye all Iudah and you inhabitants of Ierusalem and thou king Iehoshaphat Thus sayth the Lord vnto you feare not neither be afraid of this great multitude for the battell is not yours but Gods to morrow go you down and meet with them in such a place ye shall not need to fight in this battell stand still moue not and behold the saluation of the Lord towards you again very confidently he biddeth them not feare but go out against them the Lord would be with them and so it came to passe as appeareth in the same chapter for the Lord layd ambushments against them so that the children of Amon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of mount Seir
it and as for prayer they know not how to pray one word aright So did hee also heare the man of God that prayed for Ieroboam the idolatrous king of Israel when his hand was dried vp as we haue seene euen now so that both these were deliuered from their seueral plagues that were vpon them by the prayers of others when they neither knew how to pray themselues neither had any desire to learne The like may be said of the prayers of Abraham which hee in great compassion made for the filthie wicked Sodomites Gen. 18.32 that the Lord did heare him sixe times praying for them though they were so beastly minded that they could haue no care to pray for themselues Therefore though they who in faith and loue to their brethren pray for others may hope to be heard for them that doe not neither can pray for themselues at all as the Israelites were willed to pray for the prosperitie of the King of Babylon in the time of their captiuitie Ierem. 29.7 and Paul willeth the Church to pray for the Romane Emperours 1. Tim. 2.1 who were Heathen and wee doe pray according to the will of God for the Iewes Turkes and all Infidels yet they that desire others to pray for them But wee can haue little comfort in the prayers of others if wee pray not for our selues and looke for some benefit by their prayers must be sure that they pray themselues for themselues otherwise they can haue little comfort in them For euen as when wee stand in neede of the helpe of some great man and hee not onely pitieth our estate but mindeth to doe vs good and therefore willeth vs to come to him and to make our estate knowne vnto him and yet we should neglect to doe that but goe and desire others to speake for vs and they also should doe so would not he say vnto them wherefore doth hee not come and speake for himselfe Will he set other men aworke and take no paines for himselfe And so many times their speech for vs when wee refuse to open our mouthes for our selues shall not onely not further our suites but rather hinder them where if wee did first intreate our selues and then they come after vs or with vs they might greatly further vs So when wee come vnto the Lord to make our requests knowne vnto him in supplication and prayer as hee calleth all men thereunto indifferently without respect of persons saying Iam. 1. ◠If any man lack wisedome let him aske it of God who giueth to all men liberally c and for all this in our great need we will not pray our selues or not as wee should but desire others to pray for vs and trust only to that it shal be said vnto vs by the Lord Why do you not pray your selues I haue commanded you to call vpon me in the time of your trouble Psal 50.15 and I wil heare you deliuer you whereas if we do pray earnestly our selues and others at our request doe second our prayers the prayers of many euē of two or three shal greatly preuaile further our prayers Thus wee see what intent and purpose we must haue whē we desire others to pray for vs namely not to neglect our owne prayers because of that Dauid desired the people to pray for him and did pray himselfe also We haue a notable example of this euen in this Psalm in the person of Dauid who desiring many men euen the whole church of God at Ierusalē to pray for him did not only himself in all his actions from day to day vse feruent prayer but openly professeth it vnto them before hand desiring them to further his prayers So did that good King Hezekiah when he was in feare of the hoste of Senacherib 2. King 19.1 hee went himselfe first into the house of the Lord to pray to him for his defence and then hee sent messengers to the Prophet Esay Vers 4. and desired him to pray for him and for the remnant of the people that were left and so he did So did Hezekiah when he desired the prayers of Isaiah and therefore it said that both of them did pray euen Hezekiah as well as Esay the King that sent vnto him as well as the Prophet whose prayers were desired and he rested not in this that hee had sent to the Prophet Esay a man of God who was well able and willing to pray for him and for all the rest for thus it is written that when the Captaine of the hoste of the King of Ashur had spued out his blasphemie against God and against Hezekiah in the eares of the people that Hezekiah the King 2. Chron. 32.20 and the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amoz prayed against it and cried to heauen So did the Apostle Paul not neglect to pray himselfe for the obtaining of those benefits wherein he desired the help of the Romanes and of the Corinthians For he thus writeth of himselfe God is my witnes Rom. 1.9 whom I serue in my spirit in the Gospel of his sonne that without ceasing I make mention of you alwaies in my prayer And Paul when he craued the prayers of the Romanes and Corinthians Chap. 15.30 beseeching that by some meanes one time or other I might haue a prosperous iourney by the will of God to come vnto you And afterwards Brethren I beseech you for our Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the loue of the spirit that yee would striue with mee by prayers to God for mee that I may come vnto you with ioy by the will of God And to the Corinthians We trust in God that hereafter he will deliuer vs so that ye labour together in prayer for vs. 2. Cor. 1.10 So that in both these places he insinuateth thus much that as hee had often prayed for himselfe so he would do still willing them not onely to striue but to striue with him in their prayers for him For to shew it in that comparison which the Apostle vseth as if one should bee striuing to obtaine some great thing and then should desire others to put to their helping hand he would not giue it ouer himselfe and lay the whole burden vpon them but striue still with them so did S. Paul here and so must we doe But the example of Queene Hester is most fit for this purpose And Queene Hester when she desired the Iewes to fast and pray for her Hest. 4.16 who in that great and common calamitie of the Iewes which Hamans malice had brought vpon them shee was determined to make suite to the King for them she commanded that all of them should not only pray but fast for her and that three daies and three nights she did not purpose to take any libertie to her selfe thereby but said plainly that she her selfe and her maides would doe so likewise And thus when all prayed together God
our gouernours that for certaine causes best knowne vnto themselues which it is not meete for vs to inquire into it was not lawfull for any of the common sort to haue discourses of the heire apparant and so few of them thought of him that we haue now or of any other But this is most of all to be wondred at And for his peaceable entrance that he came to the kingdome so peaceably and with so great approbation of all sorts of men and trauelled through the length of the whole land almost euen at the first for meaner men haue not come to their inheritances and taken vp the possession of them so quietly For truly by the grace of God to his praise bee it spoken there is no more alteration in the land in any estate or in priuate mens condition for the most part than if the Queene were still aliue And this benefit is the greater because we feared the contrarie and none could haue looked for after her death such times as we haue now And if there be any change at all And that in this short time since his comming things are bettered it is from worse to better so that since his comming many things are better in the Church commonwealth For by the gracious proclamations of his Maiestie many abuses of Playes and Interludes with Bearebaitings and Bulbaitings vpon the Sabbath day are put downe with Monopolies and ingrossings of wares into the hands of a few men many worthy men are aduanced to greater honour and worship the Papists in lesse hope of any toleration for their Popish idolatrie than before And vnto all these benefits this is none of the least And all things very cheape that God hath added this plentie of all things euen at this time whereby victuals and other things are resonable cheape least by scarcitie there might be occasion of dislike Therefore in respect of them all let vs be thankfull vnto God and yet againe let vs consider that all these come not without some punishment as this plague which is so scattered in many parts of this land especially the chief cities wherein wee must also acknowledge the great mercie of God But we are fallen into Gods hand by reason of the plague that wee haue escaped that which wee had deserued and had most cause to feare euen to fall into the hands of our enemies that they might make a pray of vs and of al that wee haue which Dauid accounted a great mercie and chose it when both of them were offered vnto him saying Let vs fall now into the hands of the Lord for his mercies are great and let me not fall into the hands of men 2. Sam. 24 14. therfore let vs be thankfull vnto God for this mercie also and so ioyning thanksgiuing vnto prayer for these causes that wee haue heard let vs pray vnto God for the preseruation and honour of our Lord and King Iames whom the Lord at this time with so many great benefits hath sent vnto vs and let vs take these words of the Psalme into our mouthes from which I haue a little vpon this occasion that you haue heard of digressed and say The Lord heare thee in the day of trouble c. The Lord heare thee These are the words of the prayer of the people for Dauid their King but as Ioab taught the woman of Tekoah what she should say to the King Chap. 14.19 and did put those words into her mouth which she spake before him so Dauid made this prayer for them and taught them what they should say vnto God in his owne behalfe and did as it were put these words into their mouthes when they should come before him And so hee not onely as a King taught his subiects what dutie they did owe vnto him but as a Prophet also speaking by the inspiration of the spirit of God 2. Pet. 1.21 as other holy men that wrote the Scriptures informeth the Church of God what duties they owe to him and to their superiours Dauid teacheth the people their dutie to himselfe So that he doth not in teaching them this duty of prayer for him ambitiously seeke himselfe and stand vpon his own prerogatiue to say Oh I am your King you ought to pray for me and to doe so and so but he knew it to bee his owne dutie to informe them that were committed vnto his charge in all duties to God and men euen to himselfe and therefore doth thus discharge it knowing also that in his owne safetie did consist their welfare and therefore in praying for him which hee taught them to doe they should benefit themselues So may and ought all superiours do to their inferiours So that by his example it is lawfull for all publike persons in the Church and commonwealth to teach those that are vnder them what duties they should doe to them and to require them at their hands without all suspition of ambition vainglorie or any waies seeking themselues Yea they ought to doe it and no man to finde fault with them for it not only because all superiours must teach their inferiours but also and especially because the inferiours in doing such duties vnto them shall greatly profit themselues Thus may and ought all the Ministers of Gods word in wisedome teach the people and flocke that is committed vnto them As the Minister to their people and flocke what duties they owe not onely to God and other men but euen to themselues and in so doing not to be thought of any ambitious proud c or their doctrine any waies disliked or suspected and to shew vnto them whether for reuerence of their persons to haue thē in singular estimation for their workes sake or for obedience of their doctrine 1. Thess 5.13 Heb. 13.17 to obey it that they may goe on with cheerefulnes or for maintenance or recompence of their labours in worldly things 1. Tim. 5.17 to giue them double honour or in any thing els what they should do vnto them Not only because they be faithfull in Gods house as Moses was Heb. 3.2 and so deliuer vnto them the whole counsell of God Act. 20.27 as Paul did and so teach them all-things and therefore of necessitie there must bee a time for them but also because the people in doing these duties to them they benefit themselues For in preseruing the authoritie of the ministery of the word inuiolable in their consciences and in the consciences of others consisteth the peoples welfare So that as this people was not to except against this prayer when it came to them from Dauid for it came not by the way of intreatie as an indifferent thing but by a princely iniunction or propheticall instruction and so as a necessarie dutie of theirs and therefore they were to thinke that they were bound vnto it and that hee did necessarily require it at their hands and not to make
sheweth what hee would then doe namely flee to God for succour pray to him and call vpon his name that he might heare him and defend him He would vse all good meanes fit for that purpose but he would not neglect this knowing that all they were nothing without this for they must haue their successe and blessing from God by prayer For he knew that though he had men and horses and munition fit for war yet as he saith in another Psalme I trust not in my bow Psal 44.6 33 16. neither can my sword saue me and againe The King is not saued by the multitude of an hoste neither is the mightie man deliuered by much strength An horse is a vaine helpe and shall not deliuer any by his great strength for as Salomon saith when the horse is prepared against the battell Prou. 21.31 yet then saluation is of the Lord who is truly and properly called the Lord of hostes because hee is aboue all and commandeth al and therefore as King Asa confesseth in his prayer it is nothing with him to helpe with many or with no power 2. Chron. 14.11 Therefore he was determined especially to pray to God in all his troubles that he might saue him and so he did as appeareth by Psalm 21. So did King Hezekiah when the hoste of the King of Ashur came vp to Ierusalem against him Jsai 37.16 So haue other good Kings done saying O Lord of hosts God of Israel which dwellest betweene the Cherubims thou art very God alone ouer all the kingdoms of the earth thou hast made the heauē the earth incline thine eare O Lord and heare open thine eyes O Lord and see c. Saue thou vs out of the hands of Sanecherib that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou only art the Lord. Thus also did good King Iehosaphat one of his predecessors when the Ammonites came to battell against him and did not onely seeke to the Lord by prayer but proclaimed a fast 2. Chron. 20.3 that he might pray the more feruently and the forme of his prayer is set downe there And in thus doing hee followeth the example of his good father King Asa Chap. 14.9 who when Zerah of Aethopia came out against him with an hoste of ten hundreth thousand chariots hee went out also before him and set the battell in aray but then hee cried vnto the Lord his God saying Helpe vs O Lord our God for wee rest on thee and in thy name are wee come foorth against this multitude O Lord thou art our God let not man preuaile against thee So that it appeareth that this which Dauid did now hath been the common practise of all the godly Kings when they haue been in feare of their enemies and so it hath been a day of trouble with them as it was now with him So must all men seeke to God in all kinde of troubles Now that that is said of this kinde of trouble and of these kind of men is true of al other both sorts of trouble and degrees of men that whatsoeuer troubles or daungers not onely Kings but al others shall fall into at any time great or small if they will haue comfort in them or looke for any deliuerance out of them they must seeke for it at the hand of God by supplication and prayer who onely can giue it of whom alone commeth al the means of our deliuerance and the whole disposition and wise vsing of them and the whole successe and blessing vpon them from whom also may come that that we seeke for without all meanes and without whose aide all things will doe vs no good For as it is said man liueth not by bread onely Deut. 8.3 but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and as Christ saith in the Gospel no mans life consisteth in the abundance of that that he possesseth Luk. 12.15 that is in all things it is not the meanes but the blessing of God vpon them that must doe vs good So that in all troubles wee must put that in practise which the Lord speaketh of Call vpon me in the day of trouble Psal 50.15 so will I deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me We are readie to seeke to this bodie and to that and to call vpon them for help but God saith Call vpon me and that we might doe it he hath bound himselfe with a promise that he will heare vs and deliuer vs. And this Dauid beleeued when he saith in the words following Vers 6. Now know I that the Lord will heare c. And vnto this agreeth that which the Apostle Saint Iames setteth downe Is any among you afflicted Jam. 5.13 let him pray where he speaketh vnto all and in what kind of affliction soeuer they be Therefore as prayer is alwaies requisite and necessary according to the doctrine of the Apostle who saith 1. Thessal 5.17 Pray continually and in another place Pray alwaies with all manner prayer and supplication in the spirit Ephes 6.18 and watch thereunto with all perseuerance so most of all in the time of trouble For as Peter when he walked on the water to go to Iesus and saw a mightie winde so that hee was afraide and began to sinke cried saying Master saue me Matth. 14.29 The time of trouble is the speciall time of prayer so all men the more euident and dangerous their trouble is the more earnestly should they pray vnto God for helpe For the lesse able that they are to helpe themselues or others to doe any thing for them the more should they seeke for help from God who is able sufficiently to affoord it And truly many times God doth of purpose bring vs into trouble that wee might call vpon him and so hee might heare vs in the day of our trouble So that no trouble should so dismay vs that it should hinder vs from prayer but rather quicken vs vp vnto it and to a greater feruency in it Psal 10.1 For when the Church saith Why hidest thou thy selfe O Lord in due time euen in affliction it sheweth that as that is the fittest time for the Lord to heare and helpe vs so for vs to pray vnto him and to seeke for helpe at his hands Therefore let vs not onely not thinke that trouble doth exempt vs from prayer or that it is so great that we cannot pray and if wee were out of it and so might haue our mindes quiet we would pray as that we beleeue rather that God at no time looketh for so much prayer at our hands as when hee laieth affliction and trouble vpon vs. Both publike and priuate So that if our troubles bee priuate wee must often and earnestly pray priuately and if they be publike wee must haue publike prayer thereafter that so God may heare vs euery way in the day of our troubles which he cannot doe
haue been thus strengthened by the meanes of Gods worship in Sion As appeareth in Iob. We may see both these in the example of Iob who is a patterne both of great weaknes of great strength in the weaknes of his faith and before that he was sufficiently strengthened by the word he fell into great impatiencie and cursed the time that euer he was borne saying Let the day perish wherein I was borne Job 3.2 and the night wherein it was said there is a manchilde borne and so goeth on and saith much to that effect See whether a mans weaknes will carrie him if he haue no strength frō the word yea though hee be a very good man as Iob was But when hee was sufficiently strengthened by the word of God and had the feeling of it in his heart hee was able to beare all things as not only when he said The Lord hath giuen Chap. 2.21 and the Lord hath taken it blessed be the name of the Lord but when in greater affliction hee said If the Lord kill me Chapt. 13.25 Chapt. 19.25 yet I will put my trus in him And also I am sure that my redeemer liueth and I shall see him and mine eyes behold him and none other for me See againe what we shall be able to beare when wee haue gotten sufficient strength of faith and patience from the word though wee were neuer so weake before Seeing it is so wee may well know in this visitation of the plague if it should come among vs from whence wee must haue strength to beare it yea and any other triall also that now or hereafter God shall lay vpon vs euen from his word and from that faith and hope that wee haue gotten from thence and so much strength assuredly shall we haue as we haue true faith and without that wee can haue none the weaknes of our faith is the cause of little strength This should make all of vs diligent to come to the Church Therefore in this time of the plague all should labour to get strēgth from the word and to see that we haue cause to doe as wee now doe not onely to come and pray that God would turne away his heauie hand but to heare his word carefully that by it wee might grow in faith and hope and so receiue strength to beare whatsoeuer God shall lay vpon vs. In so much that if a man had no care before now he had neede to begin and hee that was diligent before must be more diligent now for he hath need of greater strength and to prouoke all his family to come that they also might be strengthened with him against the day of trouble els if affliction doe come among them their weaknes and impatiencie may trouble him whereas if he haue gottē any strength of faith he shall haue it not for himselfe alone but his strength shall doe them much good and all of them being strong in faith one shall comfort and vphold another For in all companies the more strength that euery one of them hath the better shall it be for them all And let not men deferre vntil Gods hand be vpon them and thinke that they will get strength then And doe not deferre it vntil Gods hand be vpon them Ephes 6.12 for when they haue done all that they can they shall finde that they haue strength little enough to wrastle with the paines of their bodie and temptations of their minde euen with the prince of the darknes of the world with spiritual wickednesses and that in the matter of our saluation so that when wee haue the whole and complet armour of Christians vpon vs euen our loynes girt about with the girdle of truth and the breastplate of righteousnes and our feete shod with the preparation of the Gospell of peace and the shield of faith and the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit yet we shall haue much adoe to resist in the euill day and hauing finished all things to stand fast Besides it is not wisedom for a man to defer to seek for any thing then when he should need it in worldly matters we would be glad to haue them before-hand let vs bee as carefull for our soules and so I pray you for the loue of Christ and of your owne soules not only to come still but to profit by your comming as much as you can to get strength against trouble from Sion euen from this place of Gods seruice where it is to bee had Otherwise it will come to passe that besides many great weaknesses that you must needes fall into this shall be a grieuous accusation to your consciences to think to complaine somewhat too late Oh how might I haue strengthened my self against these euill daies if I had made more account of the word if I had come to it more diligently profited by it more effectually but alas now what great weaknes of faith is in me how full of distrust and of impatiencie am I how am I out of all hope because I haue neglected the meanes of my strength Let euery one therefore examine his owne strength and according to the great weaknes that he findeth in himself so let him make more account of comming to the word and let them now whilest they haue time giue themselues plentifully to the reading and meditating of the sweet and comfortable promises of the same at home in their houses that they and theirs may get as much strength therby as they may against the time of neede And as this is our strength so it must be the strength of all our brethren and therfore as Dauid willeth them here to pray for him In this respect what we shuld pray for those that are vnder the plague both for the preachers and for the hearers that God would strengthen him out of Sion that is by the word which he had heard there that now God would call it into his remembrance and confirme his faith by it So wee must pray for them that with this visitaion of the plague they may still haue his word among them and that it may be diligently preached and to that end that the Lord would watch ouer and preserue his faithfull Ministers the preachers of his word as the chiefe captaines that should incourage strengthen the rest and that the people may reuerently esteeme of the word and of them for the words sake so be careful of thē and of their liues And that all would willingly come to the word that may and they that are sicke or shut vp and cannot that God would forgive them their negligent hearing of his word in time past whereby they might haue gotten more strength and that hee would blesse that that they heard heretofore that by it they may be strengthened and by it be assured of the forgiuenes of their sinnes and may haue hope of eternal life and so patiently abide whatsoeuer God
profit by it to amendment of life if he should also giue vs patience yea if hee should take vs away in this plague and should assure vs in the middest of all pains and feares of death of the forgiuenes of all our sinnes and giue vs good hope of euerlasting life and of the resurrection of our bodies that when wee giue vp the Ghost wee might boldly say Father into thy hands I commend my spirit might wee not bee well assured by these that God had heard our prayers Therefore if affliction and trouble doe come let vs see how we profit by it and what patience God giueth and so accordingly be assured that God hath heard our prayers And that the Lord in mercy will thus deale with vs wee may be assured of it so many as pray to him aright and this must be sufficient for vs and a sure token that God hath heard our prayers that wee might bee thankfull to him for it Therefore let vs not cease praying vnto him night and day not doubting but that God in his good time will turne our burnt offerings into ashes that is some way or other shew that he hath heard our prayers to his glory and the comfort of our selues and of our brethren Selah The vse of it for musicke Selah The Hebrew word retained in the Latine and English translations for the Greeke hath it not vsed for the most part only in the Psalmes which were made to bee sung in the temple noteth a vehement lifting vp of the voyce and especially thereby also a contention and affection of the minde so that the Musitions when they came to this word which was vnto them as a direction in Musicke did not so much sing it or say it as we doe now but letting it passe thereby did know that they should lift vp their voyces on high to that end that thereby their minds and the minds of others might be moued with that that was then sung according to the matter thereof And so it was a note of some change in the musick and thereby also in the minds euen as wee when wee speake of any waightie matter wee put in some note of exclamation or word to stir them vp to attention and to marke it diligently as our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell often in such cases and to this end vseth this word Behold So was this word vsed to stirre vp their voyces and thereby to stirre vp their minds That kinde of musicke that was then vsed in the temple for which this was written is now ceased with the rest of that Leuiticall kind of seruice And for the affections of the mind and so there is no more vse of it that way yet still it is carefully retained in the text and there is good vse of it in the Church for it serueth to the stirring vp of the mind with some speciall affection vnto that whereunto it is affixed which affection must alwaies be according to the matter contayned in those words whereunto this is adioyned And therefore it noteth out not any one speciall affection of the mind as some interiections doe but diuers and generally all kind whatsoeuer which must be in vs diuersly according to the matter As in the third Psalme it is vsed three times for three seuerall affections according to that that is said there Psalm 3.2 as Many say to my soule there is no helpe for him in his God Selah As if he should say O what a great calamitie or crosse is that I am greatly affected with that and would haue others to bee so too and pity mee thereafter Verse 4. And I did call vnto the Lord with my voyce and he did heare me out of his holy mountaine Selah They said God had forsaken him but hee prayed vnto God and God heard him and then hee addeth Selah as if hee had said Oh what a good God is that and how is that to be marked And lastly in the same Psalme Saluation belongeth vnto the Lord Verse 8. and thy blessing is vpon thy people Selah As if he had said God only can saue and he saueth his people and then affixeth Selah As if he had said Oh what a blessed thing is that and how should wee therefore put our trust in him So here when Dauid had willed them to pray that God would remember his prayers and shew that hee had heard them he addeth Selah to stirre vp their minds and his owne Theirs that they might pray this earnestly for him and know that he had great need of it for hee commended it vnto them with some feeling and hee knew that it was a great thing to offer vp any thing to God that should bee acceptable vnto him if we consider his excellency and our own vnworthines And for himselfe that he would esteeme this as a great benefit if the Lord would shew that he had heard his prayers euen as hee confesseth in the next Psalme Psalm 21.2 Thou hast giuen him his hearts desire and hast not denied him the request of his lippes where hee doth also adde this note Selah to shew that as before they did earnestly pray for it so now they should be greatly affected in thankesgiuing with it and as they had a feeling of their want in praying for it so they should haue of the goodnes of God in giuing thankes for the same and so both in the one and in the other to haue their minds specially moued with that they said Generally wheresoeuer this is vsed The generall vse of this word we must carefully marke it and make some good vse of it according to the matter where it is vsed For though the whole Scripture be excellent in it selfe and in euery part of it as being giuen by the inspiration of the holy Ghost 2. Tim. 3.16 and is profitable to teach to conuince to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good works yet some parts haue more speciall vse to vs in some cases than other and therefore some are commended vnto vs with the title of excellencie as all the Psalmes commonly called of degrees Psalm 120.1 or as others reade it of excellencies because in that shortnes they containe some excellent matter So also in the same Psalme some part may bee of greater vse and of more note and obseruation for some causes than some other part of the same as here in this Psalme though hee commended the whole Psalme vnto them and whole matter of the same as appeareth by the title and inscription of the same and the whole discourse of it yet in it the matter of this verse he doth specially commend vnto them for some causes with this marke or note then well knowne because it was in great vse when he addeth Selah So also in another Psalme Dauid commendeth one thing vnto them with a double note Psalm 9 16. Higgaion
the time of Poperie Besides wee must doe all things after that manner that hee hath prescribed in his word with pure consciences 1. Tim. 2.8 2. Tim. 2.19 and lift pure hands in all places as the Apostle saith and he that calleth vpon the name of the Lord let him depart from iniquitie for God heareth not sinners as the blind man in the Gospell said Iohn 9 31. but if any be a worshipper of him and doth his will him he heareth And for want of this he refused the very sacrifices and oblations of the Iewes yea their solemne fastings as wee may see in the Prophet and namely in the Prophet Esay Jsa 1.11 What haue I to doe with the multitude of your sacrifices saith the Lord I am full of the burnt offrings of rammes and of the fat of fed beasts and I desire not the bloud of bullocks bring no more oblations in vaine Incense is an abomination vnto me I cannot suffer your new Moones nor Sabbaths nor solemne daies they are a burthen vnto me and I am wearie to beare them and so foorth as followeth in that place and after hee sheweth the cause of it that their liues were vngodly and so they offred them with an il conscience and therefore he addeth Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your workes cease to doe euill and so foorth So then we must be of this minde Therefore therein wee must vse all diligence and preparation that it is a very hard thing to serue God as we should and therefore in all parts of his worship wee must vse great diligence that they may bee done in that manner that he may fauourably accept them As now thus to come to the Church weekly as we doe to serue him in hearing of his word in prayer and fasting are things commanded of God but to doe them so as God may receiue them fauourably and blesse vs for them and to be assured of it this is a great thing and euery one must striue to doe them so as God may gratiously receiue them at their hands Wee must be farre then from that Prophets minde which is in some to thinke so basely of God and of his seruice that euery thing should be good enough for him and that he must needes accept all things at our hands and so care not how wee doe them as how we pray how we heare his word how wee receiue his Sacraments c. Doth not our Sauiour Christ say Take heede how you heare Luk. 8.18 to shew that all kinde of hearing is not sufficient vnlesse wee heare his word as wee should and He that hath eares to heare let him heare that is as hee should namely diligently and carefully and as the Apostle saith Let him be swift to heare Jam. 1.19 So that in nothing wee are to vse so much diligence and preparation as in the seruice of God that it may be accepted This lesson doth Salomon teach vs very well in the booke of the Preacher in these words Take heede to thy foote Eccles 4.17 when thou entrest into the house of God and be more neere to heare than to giue the sacrifice of fooles for they know not that they doe euill Where by the feete he meaneth the affections of the minde for as the one carrie the bodie so doe the other the minde and bodie Therefore saith he It is not sufficient to come to the church but wee must come prepared as wee ought 1. Sam. 15.22 thinke not enough to come to the Temple but consider with what mindes you come that is come religiously soberly deuoutly and as you should come and be readie to heare what God requireth of you and doe that and doe not rest in the outward sacrifices as though they were sufficient as many foolish men doe For obedience is better than all outward seruice of God and all sacrifices as was said to Saul That so wee may offer vp our selues vnto God that is our soules and bodies to bee readie to serue him with both as liuing sacrifices Rom. 12.1 holy and acceptable vnto God as the Apostle saith which is our reasonable seruing of God For without this all is euill euen our cōming to Church and prayer to God though foolish men doe not consider of it as Salomon saith They know not that they do euil Prou. 15.8 For the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable vnto him So then it is not enough to come hither but euery man must consider with what minde he commeth that so God may accept of him of his comming and of his seruice And this wee had neede to bee put in minde of because men for the most part are more carefull about their owne busines Men vse greater diligence about their owne busines than about Gods seruice yea about other mens busines that all may be well done than about Gods In the sixe daies of the weeke how busie are men at home but vpon the seuenth day which is the Lords and so called in the Scripture how slowly doe they come how sleepely do they behaue themselues here as though it made no matter at all how they serued God Yea seruants are commonly more diligent about their masters busines at home more carefull to please and more loath to offend than they are in the Church about the Lords busines and so they shew by their deedes that though it be an hard thing to please their masters yet as they think it is an easie thing to please God Why doth Dauid then desire them so earnestly to pray that God would fauourably accept his seruices and to inforce them vnto it doth adde this word Selah if it were so easie a matter to serue God as they imagine and that hee were bound to take any thing at our hands We see then by this that few men in deed know rightly what it is to serue God when they come to it so hypocritically and so coldly But euery one as they are desirous to serue God in truth as Dauid was here so they finde it to be more hard to doe any thing in such manner But the best seruants of God haue thought so highly of his seruice that when they haue done the best they haue found fault with themselues that they haue done no better Act. 2.37 as may bee acceptable vnto him And this is that that the best seruants of God that haue been tender hearted haue found fault with themselues for and haue beene greatly troubled in their minds about not so much for any great sinnes that they haue committed which by the grace of God they haue been free from as that their prayers that they haue made haue not been in that faith and feeling in that power of the spirit and assurance of being heard that they should and so God might reiect them and that in other part of
grones which are stirred vp in vs the Lord acknowledgeth and answereth vs according to them Therefore we must hearken to the exhortation of the Apostle and practise that Ephe. 6.18 Pray alwaies with all manner prayer and supplication in the spirit and watch thereunto with all perseuerance and supplication so that what kind of prayer soeuer wee vse as he speaketh of all manner prayer whether long or short with words or without publicke or priuat alone or with others it must alwaies be in the spirit and from the heart and that it might be so he giueth vs counsell to watch thereunto that is to haue an eye to our heart and to set a watch vpon the affections of our mind and suffer them not to bee carried away and this we had need to doe carefully because else they will too soone wander suddenly before we be aware as all of vs doe find it to be true by too great experience Seeing then that prayer is a worke of the heart and of the spirit as we haue heard and not of the lips and of the tongue so much euery one that commeth vnto prayer must especially labour in this one point that he may bring his heart vnto God and not to stand so much vpon words If we haue good desires the want of fit wordes must not hinder vs from prayer And this must be no barre vnto any to keep them from prayer to say I haue no fit words I cannot vtter my mind well I haue a good heart but my speech is naught c. For first of all if we be sufficiently touched with the feeling of our wants we shall haue words inough to vtter the same for all experience sheweth that euery one can complaine well inough to the vnderstanding of men of any thing wherein they are grieued be they neuer so simple as the poorest creature that is that is pinched with hunger and thurst can aske bread and meat and no man need to instruct him what words he should vse in such a case and if any be oppressed they cā sufficiently lay opē their wrongs we see that young children can doe that and almost naturall fooles Then assuredly if we had that inward sight and feeling of our sinnes and of the want of the graces of Gods spirit that we should haue we should haue wordes inough to vtter the same vnto God and to poure out our whole mind vnto him and to say Good Lord giue me this and giue me that Therefore let vs first labour for that and then the other will soone follow that is let vs haue the feeling of our own wants and we shall want no wordes in prayer But say that wee want words indeed it maketh no matter one whit God looketh not to that but to the desire of the heart he heareth that sooner than the other For God looketh to the heart nay without the other Hannah sayd nothing spake not a word with her lips no more did Nehemiah as we heard euen now but they both prayed in the spirit and powred out their soules before the Lord and God heard them Therefore if we could say nothing at all nor speake one word yet if we doe but sigh and grone in our hearts that shall be as acceptable vnto God as all the well ordered words in the world King Hezekiah when hee was sicke vnto death prayed most earnestly vnto God for life and he added fifteene yeares vnto it but how prayed he then and what were his words he speaketh thus of it himselfe Isai 38.14 Like a Crane or a Swallow so did I chatter I did mourne as a Doue where he confesseth that if God had respected his wordes his paine and feare then was so great that it was more like the chattering of a Crane and the confused noise of a doue than any thing els yet in his heart he had great desires and God satisfied them Let vs pray for our brethren that are visited with the pestilence that God would giue them their hearts desire and therfore that he would put into their minds good and holy desires and according to those when they shall be so weake euen at the point of death all the powers of the bodie shall faile them that he would deale with them in mercy either for comfort or for deliuerance or for both And so must we labour with our own hearts that not onely they be free from ill desires but that they may not be emptie and barren of good that others may pray for vs Giue them according to their heart and we may haue the fruit of their prayers when our desires shall be good and euen then when we shall not be able to speake a word Giue thee according to thy heart Thus he willeth them to pray for him But what was he he was a king It seemeth that all kings may soone haue their desires and so need not pray to God to fulfill them and a mightie prince therefore if any might haue their hearts desire then he most of all For what can a king desire but he shall haue it if it may be bought for money if it may be gotten by sea or by land if it may be compassed by the wit strength of men They can desire nothing but there are ynow that will procure it for them if they be kings and princes all at their commaund and are glad to please them with their desires in all things what needed he then to be so carefull for this that he might haue according to his hearts desire and that they should pray so earnestly for it was there any need of it was there any feare of it if he had bene a meane man it had bin another matter or one that could not haue holpen himselfe nor had had any to doe for him but all seeke to satisfie the desires of kings if it be with the hazard of their owne liues Dauid had experience of this himselfe who when he was in an hold and the garison of the Philistims was then in Bethlehem he longed said 2. Sam. 23.14 Oh that one would giue me to drinke of the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate Then three mighty men brake into the host of the Philistims and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem and brought it to Dauid who would not drinke thereof but powred it out for an offering before the Lord and sayd O Lord be it farre from me that I should doe this is not this the blood of the men that went in ieopardie of their liues therefore he would not drinke it Thus though he repented him of this rash and foolish desire yet we see how soone he had his desire and how ready his men were to satisfie it euen in a very hard thing and wherein they did hazard their liues for him Hauing then so many worthy Captaines as he had what might not he presume that they would doe for
for dispight and sunke in because of all mine enemies Here we see that in these seuen first verses he complaineth most grieuously of his owne estate prayeth most feruently vnto God for deliuerance and no man can say more either to expresse the griefe of his mind or his feruent desire to haue releefe and comfort See then I pray you in the words following what a great alteration there is made in him of the sudden and what a wonderfull great change he findeth in himselfe when he sayth thus Away from me all ye workers of iniquitie Vers 8. for the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping The Lord hath heard my petition the Lord will receiue my prayers All mine enemies shall be confounded and sore vexed they shall be turned backe and put to shame suddenly VVhere he sheweth what gteat comfort the Lord gaue him at the last in this trouble of his euen that he should be deliuered out of it when his enemies looked that he should perish and be swallowed vp in it and he attaineth vnto so great assurance of this that he is not able to containe himselfe but againe and againe professeth that the Lord had heard his prayers and the voyce of his weeping And not onely that is to be marked but especially this that he commeth vnto this assurance not vntill the end of many long and feruent prayers and that in the beginning either he had it not at al or nothing in that measure that there he professeth it for then no doubt he would haue done it sooner and not so long haue fed himselfe with such grieuous complaints and lamentable outcries as there hee doth And so may we do for God giueth it by ordinarie meanes So is it possible for vs in what trouble soeuer we shall be in if we pray vnto God in all humilitie and sorrow for our sinnes as he did euen with great aboundance of teares for he saith That he watered his couch and made his bed to swim with them by which hyperbolicall kind of speech he meaneth That he wept very much not only in the day but euen in the night also and if we did pray with that feruencie that he did not fainting nor giuing ouer but stretching out our affections and desires according to our present need it is possible I say for vs to attaine by degrees vnto that measure of persuasion of Gods goodnesse towards vs that may suffice vs. And though wee come not to that great measure that was in this holy man because we pray not in that feruencie and zeale and tendernesse of heart that hee did yet in some acceptable measure and more than we had in the beginning For I am not of that opinion that this was inspired into him as he was a Prophet who had many things extraordinarie neither that any man can come to haue any assurance or full persuasion either of their saluation or that God heareth their prayers or of any other fauour from him without some reuelation and so it should be thought presumption in a man to say he is assured of such things but that God giueth this assurance and increaseth it by ordinarie meanes and namely and especially by prayer For seeing prayer is very fitly compared vnto wrastling or striuing as we haue seene heretofore by which we labour with all the power of our soules and bodies A comparison to shew the truth of it to obtaine some thing of the Lord as by bodily striuing men seeke to obtaine some masterie among men and thus the Apostle speaketh of it to the Romanes Rom. 15.30 Desiring them to striue with him by prayers to God for him as in striuing a mans strength is not alwayes greatest at the first neither can himselfe or others perceiue so well whether he shall ouercome but sometimes yea most vsually when after some paines taken his bodie is well heat he increaseth in strength of bodie and agilitie of lims whereby it commeth to passe that he findeth that in himselfe which giueth him greater hope of preuailing against his aduersarie than he had before So is it when we pray to God and as it were striue with him that though wee put all our strength vnto it at the first that is pray with all the desire of our hearts yet when by continuance in praier the spirit of God in vs is well heat as I may say and the heat of it increased we shall find that both our desires are greatly increased also our assurance from thence of being heard is inlarged So that in the middest or ending of our prayers we shall perceiue our minds more pacified and quiet and our selues more readie to submit our wils to the will of God and to rest in the hope of his defence and deliuerance than before VVhereof if we were asked though we could giue no great reason from outward things for all things are still with vs as they were before yet we find it to be true by experience and must account it a fruit of our prayer in that the Lord hath giuen vs greater assurance than wee had before and so we are contented to wait vpon him The like may bee shewed in many other Psalmes Another example of this in the person of Dauid as indeed that one booke as it is full of godly prayers so of notable examples of this kind of the working of the spirit of God in his children and seruants but for breuitie sake I will content my selfe with one or two now In the seuenteeth Psalme he prayeth vnto God to be preserued from his enemies either Saul or some other for indeed he had many and saith thus Heare the right Psal 17.1 O Lord that is my righteous cause consider my crie hearken vnto my prayer of lips vnfained Let my sentence come forth from thy presence and let thine eyes behold equitie Thou hast proued and visited mine heart in the night thou hast tried me and foundest nothing for I was purposed that my mouth should not offend Concerning the workes of men by the words of thy lips I kept me from the paths of the cruell man Stay my steps in thy path that my foot doe not slide Then he breaketh out into these wordes of comfort Vers 6. I haue called vpon thee surely thou wilt heare me O God incline thine eare to me and hearken vnto my wordes VVhere after many prayers and reasons to mooue the Lord to heare him as the goodnesse of his cause the vprightnesse of his mind the feruencie of his prayer and such like he saith that he did then assure himselfe that God would heare him and so doth continue his prayer vnto him in that assurance of faith But it is to be noted for this purpose that we haue in hand for which this is alledged that though in the beginning he prayed and then againe returneth to his prayer vnto the Lord that hee would heare him yet he putteth this in