may not be neglected carnal and sinful means may not be used Better use none but prayer then use all without prayer As carnal and evil helps are to be avoided so let this give an exhortation for direction to the Sovereign means of help in all our necessities and exigencies to betake us unto prayer that even for the time we pray will mitigate and alleviate the evil and in Heavens appointed time will obtain a removal of it The voice of a good heart is that of the Prophets Hos 6 1â— Come let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us c. Tender before God your troubled spirits lay before him all your sorrows he will be overcome by fervent prayer to lay unto them an equal yea a far more surpassing weight of mercies in giving a gracious deliverance The Prophet knew the vertue of prayer to be so powerful that he falls a wondring why God can be angry with his people that prays Psal 80.4 For how can God be angry with a â—ruly praying heart unless he will be angry with his own Spirit which teaches to pray yea which frames the Petitions his Children put up unto him God cannot be displeased and continue his wrath if there continue in me his Spirit of prayer for then there should be discord 'twixt God the Father and the Holy Spirit when yet they are but one God If we pleaded with the bare spirit of man our Weapons were but Vitrea tela Weapons of Glass Austin as the Father calls Hereticks Arguments quickly broken of no force but being assisted by the Spirit of Grace what shall stand in our way not tribulation not anguish not sorrow of minde not temptations of Devil not malice of men not the failings of our own hearts for he that hath given us his Son to intercede above and his Spirit to intercede below for us and in us how shall he not wtth them give us all things else especially things concerning his Service If God have any marks for his sheep sure this is one that they call upon God and are accustomed in all their needs to shew their rent fleeces their weakness their evils to the eye and ear of the great Shepherd of their Souls by prayer If there be and so carnally foolish as will cavil at and seâ—m this Heavenly habit of prayer saying Who can shew us any good that comes from it many pray but where is their Cross removed and blessings conferred by it Zcch 12.10 to such this good we can shew that though their deliverance do not appear yet this appears a signe of their adoption and which shall certainly bring them peace at the last when all carnal men shall be accursed Psal 14.4 who have carried this mark of Goats that they loved not to call upon God Besides this good shall certainly come their afflictions are sanctified to them by prayer and a sweet communion and fellowship is maintained 'twixt God and the Soul which is the only Heaven to be had upon earth Verse Here are two errors about prayer would be avoided The first of wicked men who despise small evils and use not to fly to the remedy of prayer but at some sore plunge and last pinch when the Boat has tried all other Oars and cannot be brought safe into the Haven It is not the custom of them that are unaccostomed to Godliness not to betake themselves to prayer till worldly helps are out of joynt and cannot help them Then when worldly means will not delp our decayed estate the last refuge is to call on God When the Apothecaries pots cannot draw them out of the bed of sickness after all prayer chuses God for the Physition Mark 5. When 12 years Physick will do no good then the diseased woman cares not to ask Christ his counsel When death or the utmost end of any evil approaches then doth the worldly spirit turn to God because he cannot work it out himself an evil ordering when God must be put in the second and last place Thus justly doth God suffer men to despise small Crosses till they by neglect of prayer grow vehement and immense like waters from the ankle to the chin Well worth St. Austine who In Confess lib. 9. when his teeth did but ake did flie unto prayer and desired them that were present with him to pray for him and with him whereas we only foolishly ungodlily do desire the prayers of others and fly to our own prayers only when evils are grown great and ripe Be our evils never so small yet they may grow greater unless we take prayer the remedy for prevention Second error is of Godly men who by the greatness of their sins or afflictions are kept and affrighted from prayer as if it were only able to remove lighter burdens nay rather they should be more diligent in prayer by how much more vehement their anguish is If your evil be so great why do you encrease it Expectation of deliverance from the most leaden and heaviest weights is not hopeless unless we be prayerless This is as if some silly one should argue Strong ropes and good tacklings firm Masts and whole Sails are profitable in a calm Sea but in a storm and violent tempest nothing will hold all will be broken with the Winâ—s yea â—â—â—â—â—â—less if in our calm or evilâ—â—â—â—â—eâ— be profitable much more is it necessary when the winds blow the rain fall and the storms beat for this will underprop and stablish a Christian to keep him from falling But against prayer in those cases the Godly deeply afflicted have to shifts Fain would we pray 1 Shift but in our prayers we finde no delight no spiritual rellish in this duty and what shall we get in that if we go about it for which we are so unfit and indisposed so shall we rather provoke God than any way please him This is called driness and barrenness in spiritual exercises yet why should this hinder us be our hearts never so dry and barren this is the way to moisten them It may be through the trouble of our hearts we finde no delight in our devotions John 5. we know the Angel was in the Pool when the waters were stirred and troubled so though we think our troubled tumultuous thoughts unfit to meet and commune with God in prayer yet even then Gods Spirit can move in those troubled waters our unfitness cannot hinder the fitness of Gods Spirit whose best and most prevailing language is troublesome groans and sighs that cannot be exprest Rhm. 8. We may go to God unfit for prayer and yet be marvellously fitted by him that works upon hearts in the very act of prayer Yea surely a prayer which is put to God constrainedly not to please our selves for we find no tast pleasant in it but reemly to obey God because it is his will is very acceptable to him The more humble we are in
tell us of taking good heed to these two things which are the complex of the whole counsel of God Acts 20. 27. Repentance towards God and Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ Or lastly take his unum magnum his one great point of exercise To have always a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards Men. Act. 24.16 Gen. 5.12 All comes to this one to imitate Enochs holy Peripateticks to walk with God continually Many things of beauty and novelty are lookt after in this World outwardly glorious and rich things are applauded men and great persons dote upon rarity and splendors of this World and think those men are in a kind of Heaven though they be very fairly forward in a way to Hell Plato in Tâ—aeâ— Thus the glorious Tent and Tabernacle of the great Persian Kings were called Ouranoi the Heavens you have learnt better to know Christ in the Soul and the Soul in Christ to be Heaven upon Earth He that believeth hath everlasting life What a glorious vanity was that of Kings of Cusco and Mexico one of them having a glorious Garden where all the Trees Fruits Lord St. Aug. Herbs Plants Flowers according to order and greatness they have in a Garden were curiously framed in Gold and in his Cabinet all the living Creatures were known in Earth or Sea curiously fashioned and cast in Gold A princely Heathenish vanity would make his life no better then a St. Augustine calls this life A shadow in Moonshine which is little more then shadow of a shadow I know you more study to have all the fair flowers of Heaven Faith Patience Humility Meekness Love of Christ Thankfulness c. cast in a sanctified model by Gods Spirit kept in your heart and life exceeding massy gold Carlo Boccomeo Bp. of Millain Canonised for a Saint said well A Bishop should have no Garden but the holy Scriptures Go you on still to make Prayer your Garden and Flowers and by holy glorifying of God as St. Chrysostome directs Give up your five spiritual senses to wait on God continually For the Soul has spiritual seeing smelling tasting touching hearing which in their way applyed to God and his manifestations you shall not only please God but give him Musick and be his Decachorda Cithara St. Chry. in op Imperfecto in cap. 22. S. Matth. Hom. 24. his ten stringed Harp to praise him No farther will I detain you but pray for you that you may have support of Gods Spirit in your great infirmities tryals and gravid years to answer them from Heaven with grace sufficient for you and very efficient in you that when your strength of flesh and heart fails you God may come in with fresh store and assure you of Holy Asaphs viaticum that he will be the strength of your heart your portion for ever He the Guide Faher of his Israel lead you till per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a right Christian comfortable death he bring you ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to an immortal life which all good Mortals wait for by Jesus Christ the blessed Purchaser and unfailing Preparer of it So prays your observant servant in the Lord. T. C. THE EPISTLE To the READER FAith and assurance the Christians Ourania is better worthy Wooing and fighting for then the Grecians Helena the one is but the subject of a worm-eaten beauty the other carries with it a decor and beauty that no old age no not Eternity it self can wrinkle or furrow with uncomeliness holy Souls find it hard in the getting and meet with 〈◊〉 task that makes them imploâ— all their shoulders and sinews foâ— the keeping of it The Labours of the Saints to fight with the Monsters that Satan sets on work against them 2 Cor. 2.11 Revel 2.24 the scruples doubts fears distempers temptations hellish methods noemata and depths of the Serpent do put a name of softness and facility upon all Hercules his labours Phil. 1.6 Phil. 4.13 sore tryals with Beasts and Men yet this is their comfort their help is more for Christ having begun his Grace will stand by them and work for them till all his Heavenly business be perfected and though the Serpent may rend the Skin and wound the flesh of the Heel yet Gods Servants shall end in capite in the Head both bruising the Head of the Serpent and being sure to have the benefit as members of Jesus Christ their Head of whom they hold The first of these Texts was addressed and dressed for the wounded Heel of a gracious Saint that was struck sick by the Serpent of which sore drinking up the moysture of her Spirits she was dangerously deeply and distressfully sick lying in the valley of the shadow of death 3 Quarters of a Year day and night combating with God about Ecclipses of his Face desertions manifestations of wrath apprehensions of hell which squeezed out frequent confessions and complaints of an estate worse then Cains an owning of the Sin against the Holy Ghost a challenging reprobation as its due portion And besides the sense of an angerful God there was continual combating with the spiteful Spiriâ— of Hell every day ready tâ— write its own Epitaph with the blackest letters of damnation and a lost Soul All these accompanied with solitude and secrecie with two three days together fasting praying and weeping till the eyes were turned into buckets and few spiritual comforters and legati pacis to be met withal save one spirit of Grace that had bound up the Soul in this Resolution Though God will not be my God yet I will die praying and seeking after him and a poor messenger of God who having but a little Oyl in his cruse by dayly dropping of it into the wound it both increased and healed with the dropping It pleased God at length to make the winter and sad weaâ—her of this storm-beaten â—â—â—l to be over end so as the flowers appeared singing of birds was come and the voice of the Turtle was heard a cheerful Soul began sweetly to sing in its Cage of Clay The sorrows were deep the comforts rose very high and as once wormwood waters were drunk in the Cellar of bitterness and the banner over the Soul seemed in â—reat letters to have it The Lord hath forsaken me Cant. 2. Isa 49.14 Now â—t is led into the Wine Cellar of of Gods promises the sweetest comforts are broached and drunk and the Lords banner of love is spread over Here Heaven out of Heaven and some of the masters joy descended down before the Soul ascended up to it After the Vesseâ— had been seasoned some months with this unknown and admirable new Wine of living comforts Largissimum quoddam caeli gremium Bernard in Cantic Ita mihi visus sim tanquam unus ex illis beatis esse O Si duresset Idem in cantic Ser. 23. the Lord by a Chariot of sickness and that a violent one
misliking our prayers the more commonly doth the Lord like them This hindred not the Prophet in his distress Psal 77.34 I am so troubled saith he that I cannot speak yet for all this he prays Esa 38.14 And Hezekiah when his great sorrow so disturbed his prayers that he seemed rather to chatter like a reasonless Crane than to speak like a man or pray like a Servant of God yet this cackling chattering troubled prayer brought to him the sealed Patents of Gods Promise for spinning out the thred of his life to fifteen years length what better prayer could the freest prayer have brought God knows our broken fighs and loves our undigested troubled groans for he commonly dwells most pleasingly in troubled hearts he takes our prayers not as they are heavy and distracted dead and dull but such as we would have them quick and fervent lively and earnest Yea 2 Shift but God seems to be our enemy he hides away his face and if the face be turned away the ear goes with it Here the Serpent shews his tail this is one of Hells Arguments to withhold the humbled heart from approaching the welspring of comfort Suppose God seem to be thy enemy is not Christs counsel good Matth. 5. to agree with thine adversary quickly to appease him and make him thy friend by supplication unto him When two are at odds the best way is to bring a third person to mediate betwixt them Dost thou feel a seeming sense of Gods displeasure then say I in like advise to that given to Abraham Go take his son his only Son Jesus offer him up to his Father upon the Altar of thy contrite heart pray him to be the third Person to mediate betwixt God and thee beseech this Heavenly Proctor and Advocate to plead the causes of thy Soul unto his Father say unto Chrip I dare not speak to God he seems to be my enemy let thy blood speak for me stand thou betwixt him me be my reconciler for in thee he is well pleased The Prophet was in this case he would gladly pray to God Mat. 3. Tantum aberat ut cogitatio de Deo mentem inquietam micaret ut contra nil aeque me perturbaret Beza in Psal 77.3 in Paraphrasi but the remembrance of God troubled him when he saw to his judgment that the tokens of Gods displeasure were upon him But against this fear we may be bold and confident in it that if God be displeased he cannot refuse the sighs of a contrite heart let this sacrifice smoke before him and Gods displeasure cannot long smoke against thee Satan may be displeased at it but believe him not when he tells thee that for all this God is displeased Speedily his request is not only for hearing but for speedy hearing Hear me and hear me speedily answer and answer quickly this is the tone and tune of men in distress Man in misery earnestly sues for speedy delivery In our afflictions and troubles deliverance though it should come with wings we never think it comes soon enough Weak man cannot content himself to know he shall have help unless it be present help Accelera quia magna esset poena mea tarditas tua Card. de Aliaco in Psal 31. Qui nunquam Solem nec orientem nec occidentem viderunt Cicero de finib lib. 2. Smyndirides the Sybarite bragged of his blessed voluptuous life that for 20 years he never saw the Sun either rising or setting Athen. Dipuos li. 6. c. 8. If evil fall upon us in the night we would have it removed ere the morning if in the morning we would not have it our bed fellow in the evening We would have the Lords Promise run thus Your sorrows shall not endure the whole night your joy shall come long before the morning The luxurious Emperour and his drunken mates eat and drank all the night and slept all the day in so much as it was said of them they never saw Sun-set nor Sun-rise Such would we have our evils we suffer of so short continuance as might neither have Sun-set nor Sun-rise to see us in our misery Which makes me marvel at that strange Aegyptian Beast called Pharaoh who being demanded by Moses when he would have Gods Plague of the Frogs removed answered Exo. 8 1â— To morrow Surely here he spake not as a man to whom an hours trouble is accounted a day a day a month a month seems a year For in leaving of two things we change our desires and are much different 1. In leaving of sin there we procrastinate and put off and when God says to day hear my voice we answer to morrow and are like the Levites Father too kind hosts to such bad Guests Judg. 19.6 O my sins you shall not be left to day tarry till the morning our pace to repentance is slow far from haste 2. But for afflictions to leave us Psal 55.6 there we wish they had feet like hindes feet to run away from us or we the wings of a dove to fly away from them and be at rest The Prophet who had good shoulders to bear much yet cares not how soon the weight were off them Psal 40.13 Be pleased O Lord to deliver me How long time would he willingly lie under his troubles doth he desire God to help him after some months and years alas no within some few hours Make haste saith he to help me Yea because God seems to come slowly he intreats him to amend his pace Make no long tarrying O my God Ver. 17. in the day when I call answer me speedily He would be helpt the first day of his trouble nay Psa 102.2 and he would not have the day spent neither speedily let it be betimes even in that day What Prisoner desires not to be presently set free and that liberties soft hand may loose his Iron knots what Mariner wishes a long storm what Servant sighs not for his hard Apprentiship yea who is he thâ—â— if there were an appearâ—â—â—â— of 〈◊〉 offering to take the Câ—p oâ— calamâ—ty â—â—om his mouth saying Thou shalâ—â—riâ—k no more would answer This Cup shalâ— not yet pass â—â—om me I deligâ—â— to carouse and drink deeply of these bitter waters yea this desire extends so far as it comes to the Son of Man the blessed Seed of the Woman who was so clad with our humane weakness as that he earnestly prays for speedy help from his heavy anguish and that not once but often O my Father if it be possible c. and when his Father answers not he cries like one ready to fall under the burden Reas 1 My God my God c. The reason in Christ thus complaining is to be fetcht from thence whence his flesh came even from us it was our humane flesh not his divine Spirit which was so weary of suffering his Spirit was willing it was our flesh that was so weak And
Jâ—â— 12.9 Esa 8.17 Psa 31.24 Esa 43.1 I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him Habak 2.3 See Jonah 2.2 Micah 7.7 8 9. Psal 73.25 26 27 28. Psal 23.4 Psal 42.11 Psal 130.5.6 7. Job 23.10 11. Jerem. 30.11 Lament 3.24 25 26. and 31 32. Rom. 8.18 and 35. to the end 2 Tim. 1.12 Heb. 10.35 36 37. To this purpose the prayer of Fulgentius in his sore sickness was not ill-beseeming a Saints behaviour Doâ—ine da mihi modo patientiam postea indulgentiam Lord here give me a little patience and hereafter thy merciful indulgence Doct. My spirit faileth This is Davids first reason to move the Lord he is at the last cast and even giving up the ghost with long waiting for help from his low condition we may see what is often the condition of Gods Children That the best of Gods servants have waited for comfort â—nd the feelings of his Spirit to the very failing of their own spirit David a man after Gods own heart is yet brought low with the faintness and failing of his heart in waiting for help from God Gen. 3.19 In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread this lies upon the Sons of men But here not to sweat of face only that were but small but to sighs and fainting of the heart lies upon the Sons of God in seeking and hungring after a taste of Gods Bread of life inward comfort assurance and joy of the Holy Ghost Thus the Church was brought to this sick bed ere her comfort came Lam. 1.16 For these things I weep mine eye mine eye runs down with water because the comforteâ— that should relieve my Soul is faâ— from me The Disciples spirits were even failing in the Tempest when Christ slept and seemed to neglect them as if he cared not though they perished How should our spirits do other buâ— fail when our Comforter sleeps when our only friend seems to bâ— our enemy Psa 88.15 I am afflicted saith the Prophet and even ready to diâ— while I suffer thy terrors distracted or with a troubled minde The good man of an house may sit quietly at peace within his own house and under his roof though there be quarrellings and tumults without doors but if there be no troubles without if there be wounds and fightings and terrors within this wounded spirit is hard to bear up have we never foâ— strong reins of patience all is little enough to keep it from fainting The heart of man is much like an unquiet Dame of an house if she be not pleased all is in a tumult the house is full of tempests this dry land is more stormy than the Sea and till she be pacified Pro. 21.9 Solomon thinks if a man get to the house-top he gets him not far enough from the mischief Such tumults in the thoughts such fears in the minde doth the heart disquieted stir up if it want a pacifying feeling an inward settling it disturbs all without and within it maks that there is no rest in the bones no soundness in the flesh all strength fails and all the Orderly Offices of this little Common-wealth of Soul and body are thrust out of order This spiritual inward War being like a Civil War in a State Faelix ille defectus non veniens ex infirmitate animi sed ex fortitudine desiderii iâ— promossum Dei Alhinus in Psal 98. which brings the strength of the best things in it to weakness So we hear the Saints complain of eyes failing with waiting hands with stretching forth Soul with sighing and body pining when God hides his face delays grant of prayer removes not the hideous face of sin from being presented to the Souls eye without hopes of pardon and thereby suffering the heart to be steept in gall and wormwood that if their strength were strength of stones and flesh oâ— brass yet it can harldly hold out as Job argued Job 6.12 Reas Unto such straits will the Lord have his Children brought because comforts thus earnestly and long sought and thus dearly bought are the best for Christians Ex difficultate delatione sanitatis fit diligentior custodia receptae sanitatis Card. de Aliaco in Psal 6. they will do them the most good when they get them When we come so hardly to the sense of Gods love it will make us hug it and embrace it the more and safely lock it up in our hearts that we lose it not to be put to as much cost and care in recovering it When as the Captain said of his Romish freedom so we can say of our spiritual freedom With a great sum I obtained this freedom we shall then count t a precious prerogative and look well to it that we lose not the comforts of it None is so careful of that Lesson 1 Thes 5. Quench not the Spirit as he whom it hath cost much labour to kindle the sparks of that fire Bid such an one in Pauls Text preached to him Quench not Ephes 4. and grieve not that good Spirit he will answer I have good cause to look that I grieve it not for with great grief obtained I the joy of it The Spouse in the Canticles represents every careful Soul that comes hardly to its comfort Cantic 3.1 2 3 4. when she has had weary heart and foot in seeking Christ in bed City streets broad ways at last when she finds him she lays not a slack hand on him but careful to keep her dearbought comfort she holds him fast and will not let him go and carries him to her Mothers house and Chamber is very watchful in keeping him whom she after long labour found And indeed if God should let us come to our desires more easily we should be the more careless in keeping those good things Short gettings have commonly short cares or less esteem and valuing of them Reas 2 Failing of Spirit is both a motive which God means to yielâ— unto and to be won withal and it is also his opportunity when hâ— usually helps It is a strong motive in our prayers to move him for he is pitiful and will not leâ— his Children utterly fail and perish he is a pitiful Spirit to failing Spirits I will not contend saitâ— the Lord for ever neither will be always wroth Why we deserve his wrath should last anâ— take fire for ever against us yea but saith the Lord this is the reason Esa 57.16 The spirit should then faiâ— before me and the Souls which 〈◊〉 have made I love and pity the fainting Souls and Spirits of men I will help my Children how can I see my Creatures whom I made and do love to perish for want of my help David knew the Lords nature and that this was a speeding argument in prayer which made him here and elsewhere so often use it A pâ—tiful Father will no◠〈…〉
â—his Children utteâ—â—◠〈…〉 opportunity he usually helps when all other helps fail that we may â—he more strongly cleave to him and ground our selves upon him as knowing how infirm we are if he confirm us not When mans Cruse of Oyl is dry and fails can drop no more then is Gods time to prepare his Thus helpt he the Israelites at the Red Sea when all mans strength and wisdom was at a stand He loves to be seen in the Mount in extremities These are the truest glasses to shew Gods truth power wisdom goodness and to shew to man his own Nothingness Valeant humana praesidia quae nos deserunt modo in anima spes firma maâ—eat Deum nobis servatorem non de fore qui saepe gentem harc eripuit exitio Philo Iud. in Legat. ad Cajum Emptiness Vanity that he can do nothing with the strongest brawn of his own fleshly arm We should never learn rightly this Lesson of dependance upon God alone if he did not delay deliverance oft-times to the very failing of our Spirits 1. Art thou then in that shiâ— which is tossed and Christ sleepâ— and helps thee not doth thy spâ—rit fail in struggling with the stroâ— sense of inward misery want 〈◊〉 Grace or want of the joy 〈◊〉 Grace Learn at that time tâ— look on thy condition aright Looâ— not on thy self in thy self but looâ— upon thy self in the Saints seâ— thy case in the Saints commoâ— case Thou art not singular God sheep have commonly been thuâ— markt Thou thinkest God has forgotten thee yes he has forgot thee as he forgot his Children heretofore Thus he forgot David Job Paul they were brought to perplexity though not to despair we are cast down but not destroyed I intreat thee tell me if this â—hy comfortless estate shall bring thee the jocund offspring of the world whom conscience sleeping never troubles â— Cor. 4.8 9. Cain the Builder Jubaâ— the merry Musitian worldly Nabal carnal Ishmael temporizing Demas or any of that fleshly Tribe who never knew one sigh of a penitent heart nor ever came â—ear to the failing of their spiâ—it in waiting upon God O no â—hou sayest it is fearful to be sorâ—ed with these whose Candle God will put out who spend their days in jollity Job 11.13 and in a moment â—umble into the grave But now the Lord has dealt well with thee having joyned thee to the number of his own thus hath he scourged though not in the same degree every Son and Daughter he has received thus have they been taught to mourn before him Great joy ought it to be to us that we bear the same Livery and Badge upon earth which they once wore who are now the blest Courtiers of Heaven The Apostle was so far from troubling himself for it that he bids all others cease troubling him and take heed what they do to him for he carries in his body the noble marks of sufferings and wounds for Christ he gloried in it Gal. 6. Let no man henceforth trouble me for I bear in my body the marâ— of the Lord Jesus O high dignâ—tion to be like Christ in any 〈◊〉 state yea though it be in hâ— sweating suffering and sighiâ— out his My God my God why haâ— thou forsaken me 2 Cor. 4.10 For if we bear â—bout the dying of the Lord Jesus is for our future comfort that the liâ— of Jesus may be manifest in our moâ—tal bodies Remember we theâ— always that be our spirits neveâ— so low Gods dearest Childreâ— have been in the same pit yea anâ— lower than we and yet God aâ— length raised them up from thesâ— hopeless depths Psal 22.15 Psal 119.82 They cried tilâ— their tongues failed with long praying for deliverance theiâ— eyes failed with waiting theiâ— hands failed with being lifâ— up And yet which of these waited upon God in vain None of them tell us amongst all these failings that God failed and did not at length give them their hearts desire Meque istis potius societ quam congreget illis Prosper in Verse de Providentia Quos jam summoto permisit verbere cursu Ire voluntatis Use 2 Let the failing spirit be directed to take Davids course though he cried out of failing yet he failed not of crying to his God The weaker we are it should make us cry the faster So long as the Spirit of prayer fails not in us so long the Spirit of power will not fail to uphold us only cry we as men far cast down Lord if thou wilt forsake me yet Lord forsake me not long Psal 119.8 Defect enim Spiritus meus ut impleat me Spiritus tuus Prosper in Psalm Esai 40.29 30 31. My spirit now fails me that thy Spirit may help fill me for so some gloss upon this Verse For this is is the ground of the application of Gods Promise and for our encouragement Are we weak now is the time come he promised to help us He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength Even the youths shall faint and be wearâ— and the young men shall utterly fall But they that wait upon the Lorâ— shall renew their strength c. Anâ— again when we are thinking 〈◊〉 I shall never get out of this troublesome evil the Lord answers Fear not Esa 41.10 for I am with thee be nâ— dismayed for I am thy God Yeâ— but I have no more strength tâ— wait upon God then have wâ— Gods answer I will strengthe thee I will help thee O but thâ— Cross is so heavy I shall fail anâ— perish under it No saith he will uphold thee with the right hanâ— of my righteousness Here is 〈◊〉 large and liberal promise Thoâ— hast Gods Word Gods handâ— Gods help Gods strength thoâ— mayst utterly fail if his strengtâ— fail thee If thou criest on him tâ— look at his Promises and remember his Covenant with his Children he cannot finally neglecâ— thee unless Christ sleep in his seaâ— of intercession or his memory perish that he forgets his Children or he forget his own hands where his Childrens names and necessities are ingraven Esa 54.11 For this end in crying and calling upon him the failing spirit may plead with these two strengthening Arguments As first that it stands much for Gods glory that he do help us in respect of ungodly and impious men Thus may it be urged If thou suffer my spirit to fail and me to perish then Lord thou losest not only thy Creature but thy Glory also let none of thy glory be diminisht Psal 79 10. For why should the Heathen say where is now their God If God cast off his Children and give them not deliverance Religion would receive a great blow and ungodly men would speak evil of his ways and worship They whose service is sin when they see Gods devout Children are at a low ebb in a deep extremity then they throw dung in
the face of Religion and cry there there Psal 35.25 Job 4.6 so would we have it Is not this the fruits of your fear confidence uprightness of your ways and your hope This is the fruits of Religion and profession it spoils all our mirth see how it makes them melancholly and pensive they are all alike unsociable and uncomfortable who will enter that path which leads to such sadness Beseech God to let thy case be no impediment to his Glory by hindring and deferring those that are without from coming in lest they dislike Religion for thy sake God has sometimes said he would do good to his Children Deut. 32.26 27. that their enemies might not have cause to lift up their Horns Call on him to do it for his own Childrens sake that are within the Church Psal 69.6 Let not them that wait on thee be ashamed for my sake O God of Hosts let not them that seek thee be confounded for my sake O God of Israel As if he said There are many weak in the the faith O Lord who trust in thâ—e and if thou fail me they will be scandalized their weakness will make them stagger and start back when they see thy Promises fail towards me how shall they trust in those Promises for themselves which they see have failed others Nay Lord rather deliver me that the weak thereby may be the more strengthened thou shalt get glory by bringing many both to praise thee and trust in thee more confidently for my sake or for thy promises gracious performance towards me Psal 66.16 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me because I have hoped in thy Word yea the righteous shall then resort unto my company I will call them and tell them what great things thou hast done for my Soul Further in thus delivering me much praise and glory shall come to thy name thanksgiving shall be sent to thee by many in my behalf who will shout for joy and say Psal 35.27 Praised be the Lord who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant Use 3 If the comforts of the Soul be bought so dear as they will cost us the very fainting and almost failing of our Spirits let him be lesson'd who hath his Soul repleaâ— with peace and quietness in his God â—eatus es si cor tuum triplii timore repleveris ut tiâ—eas quidem pro accepta ratia amplius pro amissa nge plus pro recuperata â—rnard supra Cantic Serm. 4. to lock the Promises within his heart to cherish and keep burning that good fire lest witâ— many strong blasts of prayers he cannot get it kindled afresh when once it is somewhat quenched and dying out For this purpose it behoves those who are yet in the Sun-shine of peace and lightsomness of heart to rejoyce in God and his mercies to labour as much to keep it as ever they laboured to get it 1. To beware of sin that they fall not into any wickedness for that will devastate the Conscience and spoil its peace 2. They should cherish and make much of Gods Spirit and the joyous motions it stirs up in them Guests stay with us according to their welcome bad enteâ—tainment and neglect of them gives us their backs instead of their faces Ephes 4. Grieve not the Spirit of God 3. Keep we our hearts exercised in good things prayer hearing reading meditation those put forth our Talents we have to come in with more increase Take we heed if such good means be not used we may come to see our Candle burn dim and with perplexed hearts and sorrowing spirâ—ts as Joseph and Mary we may come to seek our Comforter and be long without him till our spirits be ready to fail in seeking because our care and diligence failed in keeping Use 4 Lastly though all the Saints of God have cryed ther spirits fail yet this may make for their exceeding comfort none of their spirits did ever yet so utterly fail but they have had their resurrection to some lively hopes who seemed hopeless We have our spiritual dejections and spirituaâ— resurrections Where is â—haâ— man and who is that Saint anâ— Servant of God that perished in waiting upon God and expecting his help Our comfort may be long in coming but at length it shall come and not deceive us either the tongue shall cry it after long waiting Mr. Gloâ—â—r Mattyr in Foâ—es Acts and â—onum He is come he iâ— come or the heart shall feel it or finde it it may be without but certainly beyond expressions It may be that the noon afternoon evening night may all hold him in the bonds of vexation but undoubtedly joy comes in the morning If it cannot be found in the beginning no nor in a long time in the proceedings yet Mark the perfect man Ps 37.37 and behold the upright for the end of that man shall be peace There are who have been brought from those desperate conclusions made in the strength of temptations Geoffry of Peronne in vita St. Bern. lib. 4. c. 3. I shall never be mermerry again so long as I live to tell the same party being strongly fill'd with new quickning hopes If I told thee before I should never in my life be joyful 2 Tim. 2. now I assure thee I shall never any more be sorrowful Though we should be so low as we were hopeless yet God must continue faithful he cannot deny himself 1 Cor. 10.13 he will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape that we may be able to bear it Doctr. The next request is that God would not hide his face and the reason because in the light of his countenance is life in the hiding of it is very death From Davids request that God would not hide his face see this Position That God hath his times of hiding and shewing his face to his Children and all for their good both by declared favour and seeming displeasure God leads on his Children unto blessedness All the months of the year are not alike some make the earth horrid with frosts and mists and large expences out of the Lords Treasury of Hail and Sow as in Job Job 38.22 the Lord calls â—t others make the fiel◠〈…〉 with abundance of flower 〈◊〉 fruits the Sun with his reviâ—ing heat putting life into bird bud and beast Shall we thanâ— God for May and not for March The dispensing of fair and foul seasons are both acts of Divine Providence for the good of man and beast Epiphan He that is God of the Summer is as good a God of thâ— Winter in spite of the blaspheming Manichees procuring our good in the one as well as in the other Thus is it with Man the abridgement of Gods Creation and with the holy man the object of his more special love The Sun shines not always alike on
hurries the Soul to Heaven first giving it clusters of Canaans Grapes and then making it walk through Jordan to come into the promised Land and eat of all the fruits of blessedness to the full The second Tractate was after the cure of the Heel at the celebration of the triumph in the Head Jesus Christ Titulum frontis erade ut mutasit pagina quod sufficit loquatur materiam non loquatur autorem Sever. Sulpit. in Epist ad Histor D. Mart. We say no more of the discourses and treatises but that they may still be profitable even after the hours of their first hirth they are of age whether they can speak much for themselves or no I know not you may see no great desire there was in the Author to send them abroad though they have been desired They were conceived and born in the year 1632. when the Womb they came from could plead nothing but unripeness and youth and therefore hopes his pardon may be the sooner sued out it is now fifteeen years since almost Horoces noâ—um prematur in annum It hath the same matter and form it had unaltered only that â—f Esay has the Conclusions all â—andled and so suffâ—rs a little â—ddition of what was not spoâ—en to fill up the Text. I have â—â—me reasons why I make this walk in publick for first I owe so much to her memory my self 2. There is some need of â—eviving her graces for others that knew her among whom â—uch examples are rare living â—nd are rarely thought of when the parties are dead for we are very prone to bury good examples but evil examples have a dayly Resurrection 3. No great reason appâ—ars but that now when so many Wild Goose Quills are writing and so many Soul poysoning and Faith blasting Themes are dayly printed and published to the detriment of many Souls set out with the plausible and gay flourishes of new Truth and new Revelations but it will stand the servants of God in hand to put out something practical and sound to fill the hands of their â—riends with that which is wholesome though it be not so gloriâ—as to the eye and fancy We run like the Dromedary in the wilderness after Doctrines of new Theories and we forget the old rules of holy practical Theologie O that in Science we were more sober and in Conscience more sound It was a true censure of our and former times that the Primitive and foregoing servants of God had less Science Beza in Epist lib. Epist 1. Andreae Duditio and more Conscience and our men and age have more Science but less Conscience that is less integrity and simplicity of Consciscience the former times were full of Fire and ours full of Glow-worms That good Soul about whom these ensuing lines were might for a wakened and right Conscience challenge some praise to set her forth as exemplary specially to her rank that they might not strive to be called fine Ladies Ladies always in the fashion but what is better Ladies in the faith and as St. John's Elect Ladies But living she desired it not and dead she needs not any such thing Flatterly commonly and Wit sometimes has gone very far in the praise of things Pirkhaimerus laudavit podagram Janus Dâ—uza umbram Joannes Bruno Italus etiam Diabâ—lum Frid. Taubman in Virgil. Culic where all was an occult quality so hidden as could not be found Augustine saith of Julian the Pelagian that he was idoneus dicere panegyricum Satanae He was fit to make an Oration in praise of the Devil And one Bruno an Italian did expresly do it But away with such fancies it will be better for us to enquire after the great Rabbies and Mastors under which she tutor'd did and we also may profit and attain to exact holiness and they were three great Tutors Melch. Adam in vit Luth. that Luther writes make a compleat Divine Meditation Prayer Temptation Reader peruse ponder practise thou mayst find what rightly considered may teach thee to be a Christian Centinell to watch thy Soul and keep thy spiritual peace carefully lest thou come to the mournning and great cries of Ramath with Rachel to weep if not for the Children of thy womb yet for thy peace and assurance the Children of the Lords womb and be much troubled because they are not A right use of the departure of good Souls may be learnt so much the rather because it is so neglected as if there were no more thoughts of heart to be had about the withering of Roses then the cutting up of Nettles the departure of a Stephen and the death of a Cain Thou mayst if thou wilt receive some benefit if not this is one witness more against thee then thou knewest of before good things if they profit not they hurt I will not abuse my small leisure to a larger prodrom or extended Epistle lest as the lips of a fool swallow up himself Cicero de Accio In orationibus multus ineptus De legibus lib. 1. so my lines might be censured If this and such like Treatises may keep any from conversing in the frothy todder of Pamphlets idle and vain or if any Soul may hereby learn better to mind duty and either keep or recover sense of sweet mercy he shall rejoyce Who is The Churches servant in the Gospel T. C. HEART-SALVE FOR A WOUNDED SOUL PSAL. 143.7 Hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like to them that go down into the Pit IN this Psalm we have the Picture of David without his Harp having laid aside all his pleasant Tools he is now in his poenitential plight sadness sorts not with Musick If we ask the reason of the metamorphosis of this holy man from his heights of joy to such depths of sorrow he may answer with him who was a Patriarch of the same Tribe of affliction Job 30.30 31. My skin is black upon me and my bones are burnt with heat my Harp also turned into mourning and my Organ into the voice of them that weep Or with the words of this Verse My Musick fails for my spirit fails Let the living rejoyce but I am as one dead and ready to be laid in the pit The Septuagint intitle the Psalm In Hieronym quadrupl Psalterio Quum furgeret Saulem Piscator A Psalm of David when he was persecuted by his son Absalom the Original has no such matter The ground of the former is fetcht from the 3 and 9 and last Verses of the Psalm True it is this wicked Son often made his Father sing with a heavy voice where David was deceived in imposing on him the name of Absalom his Fathers Peace his life signified no such thing he being Benoni a Son of sorrow and mischief to his Father whatsoever were the occasion the matter of the Psalm is evident the light of Gods countenance Gods audience of his Prayers the comforts of his
Spirit his power to sustain him his Grace to quicken him all earnestly desired these are the substance of this holy Psalm what the Father saith of that Verse Monachus qui non vigilat hunc versum non potest dicere Hieron in Psal 77. Psal 77 4. Thou holdest mine eyes waking c. a sleepy Monk cannot say that Verse the same may I say in another kinde a sleepy secure Christian that mourns not for his sins and by faith and patience not earnestly trusting and waiting upon God cannot truly say this The Psalm is a congress for a Combat or a pitched field 'twixt faith and distrust the old and new man in the Soul of a sanctified man distrust of the flesh arms it self with a multitude of sorrows and fainting with waiting for Gods delayed help Faith in the new man comes strengthened with a multitude of Gods mercies against the multitudes of miseries waiting to spie Gods face though he do for a while hide it yea as winning the Battel Ver. 9 10 stedfastly concluding Though thou hide thy face yet art thou my God and my hiding place Here about Gods help we have David requesting and reasoning with God The request are two the reasons two to move the Lord to grant his re-requests 1. Request is for audience and that speedily Hear me speedily O Lord. And that is backt with reason why What haste why begest thou for so speedy hearing He gives the reason My spirit fails I can hold out no longer 2. Request is for light of Gods countenance Hide not thy face from me 2. Reason for that is the present peril he is in even ready to die If thou hide thy face Lord I shall perish and accompany them that lie in the pit We may frame him to our understanding as if he thus pleaded with the Lord Sum and Sense How long O Lord wilt thou shut out my prayers look upon me and behold how low I am brought O hear me quickly lest my tired spirit give over lest my faint heart which has now no more strength to subsist without thy help do quite break off as drowned in the whirl pit of my deep sorrows Now at length O Lord after my long waiting send and let shine the light of thy countenance upon me which may glad my Soul shew me thy face which may raise me up again else if thou still delay what is there can keep me alive any longer from the company of them that are laid in the grave and sleep under the câ—oâ—s of death my life without sense of thy love being worse than death .. Doctr. First request Hear me speedily David he is in trouble and he betakes him to prayer Prayer is the sovereign Remedy the Godly flie to in all their extremities The Saints in sorrows have fled for comfort and healing unto Prayers and Supplications Heaven is a shop full of all good things there are stored up blessings and mercies this the Children of God know who flie to this shop in their troubles begging for help from this holy Sanctuary Psal 77.2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. When any vexation makes our life grievous unto us what should we seek but help of whom should we seek but of the Lord how should we seek Psal 116.3 4. but by prayer My sore saith he ran and ceased not so his Soul ran and ceased not to pray to the Lord. When the sorrows of death compassed him and the pains of hell got hold upon him what was his course then he got hold of the Lord and prayed unto him right humbly Then called I upon the name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my Soul We have to confirm this for a sure and saving way Precept Practice Promise Performance 1. Precept God commands us to pray at all times especially in sad times Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me He commands us to depend on him for deliverance and calling upon him is the best dependance 2. Practise the Godly have walked in this way which God has prescribed All Davids Psalms will witness that he coupled his troubles and prayers together Psa 6. Psal 38. So Hezekiah Esa 38.2 at hearing the message of death sent to the Lord a message of Prayers So Nehemiah in Jerusalems destruction Nehem. 1.4 5. sought succour to her distress by prayer 3. Promise the Lord hath armed us in our Petitions with hope Esa 65.24 John 16.23 which is made up of sure Promises we shall not pray to one that is deaf assoon as we can finde our tongue we shall finde his ear Every humble praying sinner shall have a hearing and helping Saviour 4. Performance all Saints are ready to subscribe We prayed the Lord has performed and delivered This poor man cried Psal 34.6 and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles This poor woman even Hannah prayed 1â— aâ— â— 19 2â— and the Lord heard her he gaver her Samuel the thing she asked of God as the name signifies All the Saints cry and by experience witness the Lords performance upon their prayers we have swimmed say they in all Seas of sorrows ready to sink but prayer hath held up our heads I was in the stocks I prayed and am delivered saith Joseph in the Lyons den by prayer I muzzeled those cruel Beasts that they did not bite saith Daniel our bed was made in the fire our coverings violent flames prayer prevailed with the Lord to cool all this heat say the three Children God has thus performed he will still perform our evils are no greater God is not deafer he can still deliver for he is as strong he will still deliver for he is as loving and gracious he must hear and deliver us for he is faithful and will not deny his Seal and Promise which he hath given us Use Away then with all broken reeds learn we not to lean on or to trust to vain confidences flying to carnal remedies in our evils Is there any evil which the Lord hath not wrought Are we in some trouble the arm of Heaven sent it the arm of flesh cannot remove it Has God wounded thee seek not then to the Devil or the Witch his Agent for a Plaister Art thou in poverty trust not to unlawful shifts they may raise thee up again in the world they cast thee twice as low in the world to come O the folly of worldly men who think with pleasures to drown their sorrows with mirth to stop the mouth of Conscience and to laugh away the burden of their evils Jer. 3.23 In vain is salvation hoped for from the mountains if God wound worldly comforts are but foolish Physick There is no way like this to fly to him by Prayer when we trust to earthly helps we take no notice of Gods hand Secondly 2 Use Lawful means