to inform them in some general and common Learning But such is the vast compass of Learning as that a young Scholar would not know how to furnish a Library so as to have Books of all sorts to serve himself of upon all Occasions Or as in the Accommodations of Life an ordinary Person may easily know how to furnish himself with necessaries or what may serve him to live in a mean or sordid Manner But there are many more things required to live neatly and handsomly if a man be exact and curious which an ordinary Man would not think of Now thus it is in Matters of Christianity if a man can satisfy himself to live at all Adventures with God Lev. 26.21 as the Expression is in the margent of our Bibles a little will serve his turne But if a Man will walk circumspectly Ephes 5.15 or accuratly as a Christian ought to walk taking heed to his Ways pondering the Paths of his Feet taking heed to his Spirit keeping his Mouth as with a Bridle filling up every Relation with the Duties belonging thereto filling up every Duty with the Graces required therein exercising the Graces requisite to every Condition loving Enemies praying for those that persecute him and despitefully use him denying himself crucifying the flesh with the Affections and Lusts watching against Temptations there is much required to such Manner of Life and we shall have many particular Mercies to beg of God in Order thereto Secondly We know not what is meet and convenient for us to ask and so sometimes as the Sons of Zebedee Matt. 20.22 ask we know not what No man knows what is good for him in this Life Eccles 6.12 And so we pray many Times for that which would be a Cross or a Curse to us rather than a Comfort or Blessing What we pray for as Bread would if God should grant it prove as a Stone to us Matt. 7.9 rather break our teeth then refresh or nourish us Probably our Saviour might in these Words refer to some proverbial Speeches among the Jews For there were Proverbs of like Import or to the same Purpose in other Nations as the Learned know As in these things there was a near Resemblance or Similitude as to outward Shew But the greatest Difference as to their use and effect So as a Child seeing some kind of Stone as a Pumice-stone or some such like might desire it as Bread to satisfie his Hunger yet his Father knowing what it is would not give it him as knowing how unfit it would be to answer the Childs End And the like may be said of some Fishes and Serpents Yea of an Egge and a Scorpion if that be true which Naturalists report of them The drift of our Saviours Discourse is that though Children are so ignorant as to desire many things as good for them which their Parents see not good to grant as knowing them to be improper means for the attainment of that end which the Children aim at or propound to themselves So we do many times in our Prayers fix on such things as God sees would not reach the end which we think to attain thereby So that God does sometimes deny us in mercy as well as answer us in mercy For Riches Honour Wisdom Learning Beauty Wives Children are great Blessings where God is pleased to make them so But if we peremtorily and absolutely insist upon them in our Prayers as Abraham for a Child Gen. 15.2 as if all that God could do for him were nothing if he went childless God can give us them alone without that comfort which we expect with them and so we receive them as he did a Ring which he had lost with great Joy rewarding him that brought it without taking much notice of it but upon further Observation saw that there was his Ring without the Diamond so that it was not worth the reward which he gave for finding of it Outward good things without that Blessing which should make them comforts to us are not worth asking Now the Spirit helps this Infirmity by giving us more Wisdom and spiritual Understanding And here I shall do these two Things First shew you that this Wisdom and Understanding is from the the Spirit of God Secondly shew you how much this conduces to help us in our Prayers For the former it is evident from the Testimony of the Scripture The Apostle praies for the Ephesians Eph. 1.17 that God would give them the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of him For the Philippians Phil. 1.9 that their Love might abound more and more in Knowledge and in all Judgment For the Colossians Col. 1.9 that they might be filled with the Knowledge of God's Will in all Wisdom and spiritual Understanding All which doth imply that it is God that giveth these and that he doth it by his Spirit is without question 1 Cor. 2.12 it being thereby that we know the things freely given to us of God It is he that takes of the things of Christ and shews them unto us Joh. 16.14 and so is a Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding making Christians in their Measure quick of Understanding in the Fear of the Lord. Isa 11.2.3 Now if we could not conceive of the manner of this Worke of the Spirit yet we should rest in this Evidence that there is such an effect of it And we may further suppose that he gives us an experimental Knowledge of Christian Graces or Vertues by Working them in us that he brings the Heart unto Wisdom or causes us to apply our Hearts thereto by awakening us to a serious sense of the great importance of heavenly things and that he doth open our eyes or elevate our Understandings to understand the marvellous things of God's Law Psal 119.18 Rev. 3.18 and so is as eye-salve to anoint our Eyes that we may see And if any shall yet expect a more satisfactory account of this work of the Spirit let them consider how little it is that we understand of the nature of Light Eph. 5.13 though it be that which makes all other Things manifest And though we all by experience know the Benefit thereof and serve our felves of it Now in the next place I shall shew how this helps our Ignorance in Prayer and first we hereby come to understand more of the Compass and Latitude of our Christian Calling and how far our Duty extends Wherefore the Apostle in the forementioned places prayeth for this Knowledge Judgment Wisdom and spiritual Understanding Phil 1.1 that they might be filled with the fruits of Righteousness and that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing Col. 1.10 being fruitful in every good Work Hence it is that serious Christians are so inlarged many times in their Prayers Some men go to Markets or Fairs only for company or out of Curiosity to see and be seen and
were moved more agreably to their Natures in a more sober rational way So that their stile is more even compos'd and one thing depending more methodically upon another and they are not so disultorious as the Prophets makeing frequent and sudden Transitions from one Subject to another of a quite different Nature and agreable hereto is the ordinary Assistance which we now have from the Spirit of God which being in such a calme connatural Way or Manner is not so easily observed as the Transports or more violent Motions of Prophets and prophetical men of Old And as in Preaching when men have by giving attendance to Reading 1 Tim. 4.13 Study both got a stock of habitual Knowledge and made actual Preparation for delivering a Sermon it pleases God sometimes to suggest things to them that may serve his own wise and holy End which they never thought of in their Preparation as in the case of Austin who converted Firmas a Manichee by something which he did besides his Intention fall upon in his preaching And the experience of many can witness that they have had many things brought to mind in Preaching which they had never prepared So in Prayer though the Spirit of God do not ordinarily assist either Ministers or private Christians so as he did those that had the Gift of Prayer in the primitive Church but they do ordinarily consider what Errand they are going to God on beforehand yet as is said in another Case there is many times given them in that hour what they Mat. 10.19 should speak And divers things suggested to them by the Spirit of God who doth doubtless put into them many Good things as the evil Spirit steals away Good things from us And though I would not impute the difference that is in the Prayers of Christians alwayes to the unequal Assistance of the Spirit yet on the other Hand we should not impute it wholly to the uneven working of mens Fancies or the different motion of the natural Spirits Another Infirmity which we are subject to in our praiers is Unbelief That this is a sinful Infirmity is evident from the displeasure of God against the Noble-man that would not believe the plenty that should be in Samaria 2 King 7.19 and against the good man Zacharia that did not believe the things promised which were to be fulfilled in their season Luke 1.20 And we are subject to this Infirmity in three cases especially First when we are under great and clear convictions of Sin when we have our sin set in order before us and reprefented by the Spirit of God in all the Circumstances which may aggravate it For first the pardon of it seems to be no light matter but an act of Divine Power As Moses praies that the Power of the Lord may be great therein Num. 14.17 I know it may be interpreted of his power in bringing them into the Land of Canaan upon the pardon of their sin But yet it is an act of Divine power to pardon sin in that God doth so far prevail with himself therein we should not be able to overcome our own passion so far as to pardon such as had so far offended us and were so much in our power But further those who are under such convictions have such an esteem of Gods pardoning grace that they are afraid to believe it or please themselves with the hopes of it lest their hopes should fail them and such a disappointment aggravate their trouble Gen. 47.26 Thus Jacob was backward to believe the advancement of his Son Joseph looking upon it as too good news to be true So when Christ was risen they believed not for joy Luk. 24.41 Quod nimis volumus haud facile credimus tarda solet magnis rebus inesse fides Whereas unhumbled sinners that were never made sensible of the evil of sin are so ready to believe the pardon of it that they can hardly believe that God will punish it but think it would be rigour and severity in him so to do A second case is when we are in great straits and difficulties as the Israelites Psal 78 19. Can God furnish a table in the Wilderness Ezek. 37.11 Can these dry bones live Our hope is lost we are cut off for our part It is made an argument of strong faith in Abraham Rom. 4.18 19. to believe in hope against hope A third case is when the answer of our prayers is deferred or denyed Sometimes God seems to be angry against the prayers of his people Psal 80.4 and when they pray things go worse and worse And it was an argument of strong faith in the woman of Canaan that she did not east away her confidence when first Christ seemed not to regaad her prayers He answered her not a word and when he did answer did in effect deny her telling them that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Maâ— 15.22 c. and when she perfisted in her suit upbraids her as one unfit for mercy this would be to take the childrens bread and cast it unte dogs It is hard to hold on when God thus beats us off Now the Spirit helps this Infirmity First by strengthening the habit of Faith in us Heb. 12 2â— Jesus indeed is the Author and Finisher of our Faith Ioh. 16.14 yet it is by the Spirit that he doth it Phil. 1.19 the work of Faith is fulfilled as well as begun with power Thes 1.11 He doth so fully convince us of the infinite Wisdom Power Goodness and Truth or Veracity of God Eph. 1.19 that we do not confidently rely upon his Promises or Attributes Psal 60. so far as the Scripture gices us encouragement to do it Secondly he doth this by witnessing to us our Adoption so as we can come to God with a filial boldness crying to him Rom 8.15.16 Abba Father Many suppose this testimony of the Spirit to be an internal immediate evidence of the Spirit of God to the Soul of a Believer saying as David prayes I am thy Salvation Psal 35.3 or as Christ to him that was sick of the Palsy Matt. 9 2. thy sins are forgiven thee Now to affirm there is no such testimony of the Spirit because we find no such thing in our selves is as the Philosophers speak to measure vertue by our selves and to think nothing can be done which we cannot do our selves Seneca Epist 71. And for what is objected against this from the countenance that it gives to Enthusiasmes and pretences to secret inspiration and the tendency that it hath to make men deceive themselves by Satanical suggestions and delusions It is answered that though this Testimony be not mediately by the Word it is always according to the Word so that men do in vain pretend to such a Testimony while they have not these characters of the Children of God which
the Scripture makes an Evidence of Adoption and that the Spirit doth witness so plainly and clearly as to set a man above all suspition of Delusion as it did the Apostles and Prophets when they were inspired thereby Though it is not denied that men may verily think that the illusions of Satan are the Testimony of the Spirit as he that is awake may certainly know that he is so though he that dreams may verily believe he is awake Yet to affirm that this is the Testimony of the Spirit which Believers may ordinarily expect would rather create Scruples in the minds of many who not daring to speak by guess or hear-say or boast of what Christ hath not wrought in them cannot say that they ever had any such Testimony Neither will these places of Scripture which are alledged in this case prove any such thing for not only things are said to witness in Scripture which can do it only objectively as the heap of stones cast up by Jacob Gen. 31.48 Job 16.8 Job's Wrinkles and Leanness our sins But persons according to Scripture Isai 59.12 do witness objectively by their actions in respect of which those mentioned by the Apostle Heb. 11. are called Witnesses Heb. 12.1 And if it be further urged that the Apostle saith the Spirit himself witnesseth not his Graces I answer Acts 5.32 God himself is said to witness when he doth it only by the Effects or Operations of the Holy Ghost Heb. 2.4 So that the Spirit himself may be said to witness to our Spirits or with our Spirits when he acts us and leads us Yet I will not deny that the Spirit doth more towards assuring us of our adoption as a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Eph. 1.17 in the knowledge knowledg of Christ He may assist or enlighten our understandings both to discern those Characters of Divinity which are in the Scripture evidencing the Authority of it and likewise to know the things that are freely given to us of God or to discern or make a right Judgment of the Work of Grace in our own Souls 1 Cor. 2.12 some way answering to the gift of discerning of Spirits in the Primitive Church And this is one effect of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.10 to enlighten our Understandings to know the exceeding greatness of his Power towards those that believe Eph. 1. â—2 But what ever we determine concerning the manner yet for the thing it self the Scripture plainly affirms that the Spirit witnesses that we are the Children of God Thirdly the Spirit helps our Unbelief by bringing things to our Remembrance Mat. 16.9 Forgetfulness is many times a cause of Unbelief Deut. 7.17 and the Remembrance of what God hath done both for our selves and others Psal 77.11 a great support to our Faith Now Christ promised that the Spirit should bring to Remembrance whatsoever he had said to his Disciples Ps 78.35 Joh. 14.26 I know this might be verified in his effecting or accomplishing what Christ had foretold As when the Disciples saw the Zeal of Christ in purging the Temple John 2.17 it put them in Mind of that which was written in the Psalms the Zeal of thine House hath eaten me up But yet this may have a further meaning and as he doth assist our other faculties so he may the memory also not only by habitual Grace disposing our hearts to the love of heavenly things Psal 119.97 which makes us more frequently think of them but by suggesting things to us as occasion requires which is not improbable Luk. 8.12 If we consider that the Divil steals things out of our hearts whereby we become forgetful hearers and not doers of the Word so that the holy Spirit to counter-work him doth often keep things in the Imagination of the thoughts of our Hearts 1 Chron. 29.18 and bring back what the Devil hath stollen away And further we know by experience that it hath been with many Christians as with Hagar that sate and wept as if there was no way but her Son must perish for want of water Gon. 21.16.19 till God opened her Eyes to see a well of Water So many have refused to be comforted forgetting the exhortation or consolation which speaketh to them as to Children Heb. 12.5 till some Promise or other passage of Scripture hath been suggested to them from which as from Wells of Salvation Isa 12.3 they have drawn Water with Joy and Comfort I might add that the Spirit of God may make some extraordinary Impression of confidence upon the Hearts of Christians in their Praiers for some temporal Mercies as in Luther when he prayed for his Friend Myconius and Edward the sixth when he prayed for his Tutor Sir John Cheek But these are extraordinary cases Matt. 21.22 neither is want of Faith herein an Infirmity That Faith of Miracles Mark 11.24 which some had in Prayer in Christ's time James 5.15 and the times of the Apostles not being now repuired of us Another Infirmity which we are liable to in our Praiers is Hypocrisie when we flatter God with our mouth Psal 78.36 and lye to him with our Tongue And this happens happens in two cases first when we pray according as we are convinced in our consciences we ought to pray or as we have been taught by Forms or otherwise to pray and so the matter of our prayers is such as it ought to be but we cannot bring our hearts freely to consent thereto or our corrupt lusts put in exceptions and plead for an indulgence as Austin Ingeniously confesses of himself Confess l. 8. c. 7. At ego adolescens miser valde miser in exordio ipsius adolescentiae etiam petieram a te castitatem dixeram da mihi Castitatem Continentiam sed noli modo Timebam enim ne me cito exaudires cito sanares a Morbo Concupiscentiae quam malebam expleri quà m extingui That is I a wretched young man unhappy in the very beginning of my youth had even then desired Chastity of thee and said give me Chastity and Continency But do not give it me yet for I was afraid lest thou shouldst hear me too soon and shouldst too soon cure me of my Disease of Incontinency which I desire rather to have satisfied than extinguished Thus many take up the words of David as it is too ordinary for men to make use of expressions borrowed from Scripture to fill up their prayers without that spirit wherewith they were there spoken Set a Watch O Lord Ps 141.3 before my Mouth keep the door of my Lips When they would be loth to be taken at their words and be kept from speaking many things which God would keep them from should he set a watch before them Again many pray that God would not lead them into temptation when they would be loth to be kept from many things which are a
particularly when he would set himself to Prayer his Mind wandered from him and drew him to other things and before he was aware his Prayer was interrupted and he was deceived by his Imagination and a little after he adds Quare Anima mea si sapis noli de viribus liberi arbitrii gloriari donec pervenias ad libertatem gloriae filiorum Dei that is Wherefore O my soul if thou be wise do not boast of the Power of Freewill till thou come to the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Grad 8. pag. 176 177. and Grad 16. pag. 321. speaking of those words of the Apostle Jam. 3.2 in many things we offend all he adds What must we say that fall so far short of the perfection of the Apostles We pray to God and presently our Imaginations carry us away to think of other things and we turn the back as it were on God Now thus to trifle with God in Prayer is very unsuitable to the Majesty and Greatness of that God whom we should serve with Reverence and godly Fear Heb. 12.28 very unbecoming those that have or should have such a sense of the Worth of those things we pray for and the need which we stand in of them and such Prayers are no way answerable to those expressions of Scripture whereby the Nature of Prayer is set forth Gen. 32.24 as wrestling with God striving with him Rom. 15.30 Esa 26.16 Psal 102.1 pouring out a Prayer to him out our heart before him crying to him Psal 62.8 searching for him with all our heart Jona 2.2 Jer. 29.13 Esa 64.7 stirring up our selves to take hold on him lifting up our Soul to him So that we lose much of the Comfort and Benefit of our Prayers and finding little Sweetness therein and rare returns thereto another evil followes hereupon and that is Tediousness or Weariness of Spirit therein It is with us as with Servants that goe with their Masters when they visit their Friends The Master who is taken into some inner Room and hath the delightful Converse of his Friend and some Collation or Banquet to entertain him thinks time hastens too fast away while the Servant that stayes without and hath no Company to converse with nor any thing to refresh him thinks time long and tedious Or it is with men in Duties of Religion as in reading Books A School boy to perform his task toyls about words without regard to the Matter thereby expressed and burdens his Memory with what he understands not But when he comes to be a man and capable of Understanding the Matter of the Book and to suck out the Marrow and Sweetness of it what was a burden to him before is now a Delight So while we are Christians only by Profession we tire our selves with the meer out-side or shell of Duties But when we come to be Christians in truth we come to the marrow and kirnel thereof and so they are sweet and delightful to us Now the Spirit helps the distraction and wandring of our minds and consequently the tediousness and weariness that followes thereupon by making intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered inspiring us with those earnest and fervent desires which our tongues that ordinarily out-run our desires are not able to express And it is the first direction that a learned Man in his exercises of holy living gives against Wandring Thoughts in Prayer that besides the moral Industry that we should add to be steady in our Thoughts we should pray for the Spirit of Supplication and use Prayer to be assisted in Prayer Psâ—l 86.11 And as God can unite our Hearts to fear his Name so he can unite them or keep them close unto himself in Prayer For not to insist upon that immediate or Physical Influx that he may have upon our Minds to determine them to any particular Object we may conceive how this may be done in a moral way as a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation assisting our Understandings in the knowledge of Spiritual things that having a due Sense of the Majesty and Greatness of God with whom we have to do and the Necessity and Excellency of the things we pray for our Minds may be more intent and fixed on the Object and Matter of our Prayrs Acts. 3.5 as the lame man gave heed to Peter and John expecting to receive something from them Further the Spirit of God doth both encourage our moral Industry and likewise assist us therein And as I before explained the Greek Word here used in the Text helps or takes over against us by giving us some sweet tasts of Spiritual Comforts in Prayer As the learned man last mentioned observes in the beginning of Religion most frequently and at other times irregularly God complies with our Infirmities and encourages our Duty with little overflowings of spiritual Joy and sensible Pleasure and Delicacies and Prayer so as we seem to feel some little beam of Heaven and great refreshments from the Spirit of consolation though he addes that it is not safe for us always to expect them for when we do so it is apt to make us cool in our enquiries and waitings upon Christ when we want them This seems to be that which the Church means by being brought into the chambers of her beloved Cant. 1.4 which are places of most intimate and familiar converse and into the Banquetting-house Cant. 2.4 or Wine-cellar to taste those spiritual Comforts which are as the best Wine Cant. 7.9 that causeth the Lips of those that are asleep to speak and though we tast not these Comforts alwayes in Prayer nor frequently though this be as Bernard saith rara Hora a time that seldom happens yet Psal 63.1 as David's Soul longed to see Gods Power and Glory as he had seen it in his Sanctuary so this will make us long and hope to taste the like refreshments in prayer as a good man when he had lost a Son and was very much afflicted thereby he was observed on a sudden to be very chearful and being asked what was the reason of so sudden a change he answered that to enjoy those comforts which he had found with God in prayer he could be content to lose a Son every day in the year The Fifth and last infirmity which I shall speak of is Sorrow or Grief which many times makes the soul as a Vessel without vent Cura livis loquuntur ingentis stupent Esa 26.16 light afflictions do many times makes us pour out our prayers to God but great afflictions amaze and stupifie So the Psalmist was so troubled Psal 77.4 that he could not speak Yet this is an infirmity for we should pour out our complaint before the Lord even when we are overwhelmed Psa 102.1 Now according as this sorrow or trouble is different so is the means whereby the Spirit doth help or ease us Sometimes our affliction may be