wee must therefore craue the assistance of Gods holy spirit the spirit of grace and supplication that he may helpe our infirmities and teach vs to pray according to God 3. The third thing to be considered is the person to whom our prayer is to be directed Call vpon me sayth the Lord our God the mightie God described vers 1. Hee sendeth vs not to any other either as deliuerers or as intercessours but commaundeth vs to come directly vnto himselfe For of them which in their necessitie flie vnto others may that complaint of the Lord bee verified My people haue committed two euils they haue forsaken me the fountaine of liuing waters to dig them pits euen broken pits that can hold no water Now we are to call vpon God first because it is he that afflicteth vs For when we are iudged that is afflicted we are chastised of the Lord. It is hee that maketh peace and prosperitie and it is he that createth euill and affliction And shall there be euill namely of affliction in a citie and the Lord hath not done it Seeing therefore it is the Lord that afflicteth vs it behooueth vs acknowledging the authour of our affliction to turne vnto him that smiteth vs as the Prophet Esay speaketh But here some man will say If God were the authour of mine affliction there were great reason that I should both patiently beare it and also flie vnto the Lord for deliuerance but this affliction which I sustaine it is to be imputed to the vnfaithfulnesse of such a pretended friend or to the mallice and injurie of such an enemie c. and therefore I see not why I may not wreake my selfe vpon them But I answere whatsoeuer is the seâ—ondarie cause of thine affliction be it the deuill himselfe it is the instrument of God who is the authour and principall cause thereof When it was told Iob that the Sabeans and Chaldeans had carried away his oxen and cammels he acknowledged the hand of God and said The Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. When Shemei reuiled Dauid although his tongue were set on fire from hell as Iames speaketh of such cursed tongues notwithstanding Dauid acknowledged the cursed tongue of rayling Shemei to haue beene Gods rod to correct him And Ioseph likewise though hee knew that his brethren for mallice and enuie had sold him into Aegypt yet he acknowledgeth them to be the instruments of God who by their meanes did in great mercie send him before them to prouide for them in the time of famine Which must teach vs when we are wronged not with the dog to snarle at the staffe wherewith he is beaten but to turne to him that smiteth vs and to pray vnto him that it would please him to remooue his hand from vs. Secondly as the Lord afflicteth vs so it is he alone that can and will deliuer vs. For who is able without his leaue to remooue his hand from vs He is our refuge and deliuerer he is our hope and strength and a most present helpe in trouble Come therefore and let vs returne to the Lord for he hath spoiled and he will heale vs he hath wounded vs and he will bind vs vp Thirdly he onely that commaunded vs to call vpon him he onely hath promised to helpe vs he onely is able to heare our prayers and to graunt our requests Therefore thou which hearest the prayer vnto thee shall all flesh come Fourthly when as we flie vnto the Lord in time of trouble we glorifie him acknowledging him to be infinitely good and therefore willing omnipotent and all-sufficient and therefore able to helpe and deliuer those which call vpon him And for this cause the Lord in this place preferreth the sacrifice of prayer before all the sacrifices of the law Wherefore grieuously do they offend who when the hand of God is vpon them doe not call vpon him for they are not onely injurious to themselues but to the Lord also whom they rob of that honour which is due vnto him And this commeth to passe either because they doe not acknowledge the hand of God but thinke it to be some misfortune or rest altogether in the secondarie causes after the manner of carnall and heathenish men or because they distrust Gods helpe and therefore either flie to witches and wizards that is to say to the instruments of the deuill that by his helpe the hand of God may be remooued from them or else to some other vnlawfull meanes whereby they make shift to saue their bodily life for a time with the wofull losse both of bodie and soule for euer or else because they beleeue not the promises of God made to our prayers and therefore are discouraged from praying and become desperat as though it would nothing auaile them to call vpon God 4. The fourth and last thing to be considered is the time when we are to pray vnto God We are to pray alwayes and without ceasing but especially as here we are directed in the day of trouble and that for these reasons First because our prayers then are most necessarie for then we feele and feeling doe confesse that Gods helpe is so necessarie for vs as that we vtterly are vndone vnlesse the Lord doe helpe and succour vs. Vnto thee O Lord sayth Dauid doe I crie ô my strength be not deafe towards me least if thou answere me not I be like to them that goe downe into the pit Secondly because our prayers then especially proceeding from the inward sence of our want are most feruent and effectuall For euen as water whiles it runneth at large hath a still motion but being gathered into straits runneth with violence so it fareth with many men who being at large in ease and prosperitie either pray not all or very coldly but being brought into straits they poure forth their soules before the Lord like to a streame of water as the Prophet Ieremie speaketh To which purpose Esay sayth Lord in trouble haue they visited thee they poured out an humble and effectuall prayer when thy chastening was vpon them Thirdly because the Lord doth therefore afflict vs that we should flie vnto him therefore doth he bereaue vs of other helpes and meanes that wee might the more firmely relie vpon him For if wee were not afflicted it may be we should not seeke to him or if wee had other meanes we would relie vpon them This is testified by the Lord himselfe in the prophesie of Hosea For I will be sayth he vnto Ephraim as a Lion and as a Lions whelpe to the house of Iudah I euen I will spoile and goe away I will take away and none shall reseue it I will goe and returne to my place that is I will withdraw my comfortable presence from them for a time till they acknowledge their fault and seeke me In their affliction they will
basely of our selues as being worthie not onely of that judgement which is vpon vs but of all the plagues threatened in the law and vnworthie of the least of Gods mercies vnworthie of food signified by our abstinence therefrom vnworthie of our garments which therefore wee lay aside vnworthie to tread vpon the earth which they were wont to signifie by putting earth vpon them In a word the outward abstinence is therefore ordained that by afflicting the bodie the soule may be humbled Yea such an vsuall companion of fasting is the humiliation of the soule that not onely the faithfull in the Scripture are said to humble their soule by fasting but sometimes also euen the outward fasting is called the humbling of the soule This inward humiliation consisting partly in the godly sorrow and partly in this base estimation of our selues is very needfull for vs if indeed we would be humble suiters vnto the Lord with hope to obtaine For the sacrifices of God are a contrit spirit and a broken heart which the Lord in no wise will despise yea he hath respect to those who are of a contrit spirit and hee is neare vnto them when they call vpon him 32. And that we may attaine to this humiliation we are seriously to meditat of the judgements of God presently either threatned or laid vpon vs for therefore the Lord doth threaten his judgements that by humbling our selues before him and preparing our selues to meet him they might be preuented and turned from vs and that judging our selues we might not bee judged of the Lord. And therefore also doth the Lord inflict his judgement that we might be humbled vnder his mightie hand For not to sorrow when the Lord smiteth it is a signe of an hard and incorrigible heart And secondly we are to enter into a serious meditation of the haynousnesse of our sins and of our wretched estate in our selues by reason thereof which we may conceiue first by the deserts of them and namely by that judgement of God which perhaps is the occasion of this exercise For whatsoeuer other causes there may be thereof the author and inflicting cause is God and the meriting cause is sinne And not onely that judgement but also all those plagues both temporall in this life and eternall in the world to come which in the word of God are threatned against transgressors And these threatnings of the law we are both vndoubtedly to beleeue and also effectually to apply to our selues Againe the same appeareth by the sufferings of Christ For hereby it is most euident that our sinnes are so heynous and grieuous in the sight of God that nothing in the whole world could bee found a sufficient ransome to satisfie Gods justice and appease his wrath for them or to expiat vs from the guilt thereof but the precious death of our Sauiour Christ the sonne of God And therefore if God hath giuen vs the spirit of grace and supplication we shall lament and mourne as a man weeping for his only sonne when we looke vpon him whom we haue pierced And thirdly our sinne will appeare exceedingly sinfull if we compare and lay together Gods vnspeakable bounties towards vs and our almost vncredible vnthankfulnesse towards him For if thou doest truly and vnpartially consider what thou hast rendred to the Lord for all his benefits which he hath bestowed on thee and findest nothing but a heape of sinnes whereby thou hast shewed thy selfe so vngracious towards him who hath beene so gracious vnto thee and dishonored him that hath so honoured thee this if anything in the world will make thy heart relent and melt within thee And to these former considerations let there bee added when we come to make our request to God who is in heauen full of majestie and glorie a remembrance of our mold that we are but dust and ashes which humbled Abraham when he was to intreat the Lord in behalfe of the Sodomits Behold saith he I haue begun to speake to my Lord and I am but dust and ashes And forasmuch as naturally we are selfe-conceited and hard hearted we are therefore to pray vnto the Lord that he would giue vnto vs soft and fleshly hearts and that with the eye-salue of his spirit he would annoint the eyes of our mind that we may see and with the finger of his spirit hee would effectually touch our hearts that we may be humbled for our sinnes 33. From the inward humiliation two other things arise which vsually accompany deprecations Namely from the inward sence of our woe and sorrow for our miserie proceedeth an outward bewailing and lamenting of our estate which in the faithfull sometimes breaketh forth into expostulation And from the base esteeming and judging our selues ariseth confession of our sinnes in respect whereof we acknowledge our selues vnworthie of the lest of Gods mercies but worthie of his greatest judgements Lamentation is the outward expressing of our inward mourning whereby we particularly bewaile our wofull estate before the Lord making our mone vnto him and pouring foorth our griefe as it were into his bosome Examples hereof we haue in Dauids Psalmes as Psal. 6. 22. 38. 79 c. in Ieremies Lamentations In Ezekias who in his griefe did chatter like a crane or a swallow and mourned like a doue Thus some expound that place 1. Sam. 7 where it is said that the Iewes bewailing their miserabe estate Drew water and poured it soorth before the Lord that they vsed this ceremonie before the Lord to signifie that without his special mercie and assistance they were as water spilt vpon the earth to which purpose Dauid saith vnto the Lord Psal. 22.14 I am like water poured out and the wise woman of Tekoah vnto Dauid 2. Sa. 14 We shall be like water that is spilt on the groūd which cannot be gathered vp againe And to this bewailing of our estate before the Lord we may be induced by consideration of Gods mercy who because hee is mercifull doth heare the cry of his creatures in their distresse for if the Lord doth heare sometimes the cry of wicked men in their anguish although perhaps it be not a prayer but the voice which the extremitie of their griefe expresseth from them yea the crie of vnreasonable creatures as of the yong Lyons and the rauens c. how much more wil he haue respect to the mournefull crie of his owne children But the faithfull sometimes in ther mourning and lamentations doe proceed as I sayd to expostulations which are vehement interrogations expressed from them by their griefe whereby they doe expostulat with the Lord concerning either the greatnesse or continuance of their affliction As Moses Exod. 5. Iosua chap. 7. Dauid Psal. 6.3 22.1 2. Iob oftentimes the Church afflicted Psal. 79. 80 Lam. 5. And our Sauiour on the crosse Math. 27.
carefull to auoid our sinnes if we desire that our affliction may be remoued for they are as a wall of separation betwixt God and vs. If therefore thou wilt not ceasse to sinne neither will God ceasse to afflict thee vnlesse perhaps hee will giue thee ouer as one that is incurable as Phisitians sometimes giue ouer their patients when they thinke them past cure And to conclude this point if when thou callest vpon God in the time of trouble the Lord doth not deliuer thee examine they selfe whether thou doest not continue in sinne without repentance and if thou doest breake off thy sinne by repentance and turne vnto the Lord and he will heare thee for so he saith by the Prophet Esay after hee had protested that hee would not heare their prayers whiles they continued in their sinnes Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your workes before mine eyes ceasse to do euill learne to do well seeke iudgement releeue the oppressed iudge the fatherlesse defend the widdow Come now and let vs reason together saith the Lord though your sinnes were as crimson they shall be made white as snow though they were red like scarlet they shall be as wooll The second limitation is in respect of the prayer it selfe For we haue no assurance that God will heare euerie prayer but onely such as is made according to his will reuealed in his word as Iohn saith this is our assurance that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth vs. We must therefore be carefull that our prayer be conformable to the word of God both in respect of the maner and forme how we pray and also in regard of the end as touching the manner there are three things which are especially required First that we pray in truth for it maybe that when thou callest vpon God thou prayest in hypocrisie and not from thine heart either because thou prayest with wandring thoughts or with fained lippes With wandring thoughts when as thy tongue vttering a prayer thy heart goeth a wandring or whoring after the vanities of this world or is otherwise distracted with other vnseasonable thoughts For if when thou commest neere to the Lord with thy lippes thou remouest thy heart from God thou maist justly feare left in steed of the blessings which thou seemest to aske thou pull down the judgements of God vpon thee according to the threatning of the Lord by the Prophet Esay chapter 29. For if thou shouldest joyne into one speech the thoughts of thy mind and the words of thy mouth both which the Lord doth vnderstand a like thou wouldest be ashamed to deliuer such a speech to a mortall man which thou art not ashamed to vtter vnto the immortall God Or how canst thou looke that God should heare or regard thy prayer when thou doest not heare nor regard thy selfe With fained lippes thou prayest when the desire of the heart doth not agree with the prayer of thy lippes when thou askest with thy mouth that which thou doest not desire with thine heart or when thou pretendest that in thy prayer which thou doest not intend or promisest that which thou doest not meane to performe this is no better than lying vnto God when men cry vnto God but not from their harts as the Prophet Hosea speaketh for what doth a man but lie when hee speaketh otherwise than he thinketh This is a common fault of men when they are in affliction to promise and pretend great matters when notwithstanding their heart is not vpright with God and therefore the more carefully to be auoided of vs lest we seeme with the vnsound Israelits when the hand of God was vpon them to go about to deceiue the Lord with our mouth and with our tongue to speake lies vnto him It is true indeed that God hath promised to heare the prayers of them that call vpon him but this promise is to bee vnderstood with restraint to them that call vpon him in truth As Dauid most plainely teacheth Psal. 145 The Lord is neare to all that call vpon him what to all yea to all that call vpon him in truth For that payer which is acceptable to God is not onely the moouing of the lippes or the speech of the tongue or the lifting vp of the eyes or hands but it is the lifting vp of our soules as Dauid describeth his prayer Psal. 25 A lifting vp of our hearts with our hands vnto God in the heauens as Ieremie exhorteth vs to pray it is the pouring forth of our soule before the Lord as Anna expresseth her prayer 1. Sa. 1 and as Dauid willeth vs to pray Ps. 62. The second thing required in respect of the maner is that we pray with feruencie of spirit It may be when thou callest vpon God thou prayest for fashion rather then for feeling and so vtterest a cold or luke-warme prayer like to thy selfe which thou mayst justly feare is no more acceptable vnto God than luke-warme water to the stomacke It is true that the prayer of the righteous man auaileth much but with this addition if it be feruent This is that prayer which pierceth the clouds and is effectuall with God If therefore we would obtaine our sute let vs craue the assistance of Gods spirit by whose helpe and direction we may pray with sighes that cannot be expressed let vs learne to poure forth our soules like a streame of water let vs as the Apostle speaketh in the Epistle to the Thessalonians pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 superabundantly or exceedingly let vs with reuerence be it spoken to the glorious majestie of God wrestle with the Lord in our prayers as the Apostle speaketh which kind of wrestling Iacob hauing vsed Gen. 32 he became Israell that is one which preuaileth with God as the Prophet Hosea sheweth chapter 12.3 4. The third thing required in the manner is that wee pray with faith It may bee when thou prayest thou art in doubt whether thou shalt be heard and therefore mayst not looke to obtaine thy sute For it is the prayer of faith to which the promise is made whatsoeuer you aske in prayer saith our Sauiour Christ if you beleeue you shall receiue it Likewise Iames If any man saith he want wisdome let him aske it of God and it shall be giuen him But let him aske in saith and wauer not for he that wauereth is like a waue of the sea tost of the wind and caried away Neither let that man thinke that he shall receiue any thing of the Lord. If therefore thou wouldest pray acceptably thou must pray with faith for without faith it is impossible to please God With faith I say in God for how canst thou call vpon him in whom thou doest not beleeue with faith in Christ being assured that both thou though sinfull in thy selfe thy prayer though vnperfect in it selfe
the Lord hath commaunded vs in this place Now if it bee our dutie in affliction to flie vnto the Lord by prayer it may not be denied but that we are to pray in a sence of our want and consequently that wee are to be humbled vnder the mightie hand of God and that we are to mourne vnder the crosse because by our sinnes wee haue offended God our gracious and louing father and prouoked him to lay his rod of correction vpon vs. It becommeth not Christians when they are afflicted to be like Stoicks or stockes without sence and feeling for it is a signe of an hard heart not to mourn when God afflicteth Ier. 5. Lord thou hast stricken them but they haue not sorrowed thou hast consumed them but they haue refused to receiue correction Neither is there patience where this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or want of feeling is neither is it possible that any man should profit by affliction who taketh it not to heart neither hath any sence thereof Iob though the most notable patterne of patience yet was he notably humbled vnder the hand of God For when the tidings were brought him of those manifold calamities which had befallen him it is said that he arose and rent his garment and shaued or polled his head and fell downe vpon the ground and worshipped And Dauid who was both a valiant man and a man according to Gods owne heart professeth of himselfe Psal. 6. That he fainted in his mourning that he caused his bed to swim euery night and that he watered his couch with teares And Psal. 38. that he went mourning all the way that he roared for the very griefe of his heart c. Wherefore the hardnesse of their hearts is greatly to be lamented who are touched with no sence of this common judgement neither take to heart this fearefull plague for of such may the Lord most justly take vp that complaint Ier. 2. I haue smitten your children in vaine they receiued no correction And yet more fearefull is their estate of whom that complaint of the Prophet Esay is verified chap. 22. In that day the day of publicke trouble and common calamitie did the Lord God of hosts call vnto weeping and mourning and to baldnesse and girding with sackeloth and behold ioy and gladnesse slaying oxen and killing sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine eating and drinking for to morrow we shall die But what followeth And it was declared in the eares of the Lord of hosts Surely this iniquitie shall not be purged from you till you die sayth the Lord God of hosts But to conclude this point let vs follow the aduice of the Lord by his Prophet Ioel Therefore also now the Lord sayth Turne you vnto me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning rent your hearts and not your garments and turne to the Lord your God c. And thus it appeareth that if we are to call vpon God in the day of trouble then are wee to humble our selues before God in the sence of our miserie Againe if we are to pray in affliction we must pray with feruencie and with faith for the sence of our want must not dismay vs or discourage vs from calling vpon God but must serue as a spurre to pricke vs forward and to stirre vs vp to pray with feruencie of spirit and with sighes that cannot be expressed And that wee may pray with the more earnestnesse it is very expedient that with our prayer we should joyne fasting onely let vs take heed that our fasting bee not externall onely but that it be an extraordinarie exercise of prayer and repentance least wee seeme to fast no better than the beasts of Niniuie And as wee are to pray with feruencie so also with faith being assured that the Lord doth not onely accept of vs and our prayers in the name mediation of Christ but also that our request shall be graunted to vs so farre forth as is expedient for Gods glorie and our good For as Iames sayth If any man want wisdome namely how to demeane himselfe in affliction let him aske of God who giueth to all men liberally and reprocheth no man and it shall be giuen him But let him aske in faith and wauer not c. For it is the prayer of faith that saueth the sicke and helpeth in affliction And this faith as it must relie vpon the intercession and mediation of Christ our Sauiour who presenteth our prayers vnto God and perfumeth them with the odours of his owne sacrifice that they may be acceptable vnto him so also vpon the gracious promises of God made vnto vs in Christ and namely and especially vpon this promise Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee Which promises of God if we cannot find in our hearts to beleeue to what purpose should we pray Wee are therefore to pray in faith and thereby to comfort our selues in the Lord our God and to rest quietly in his good will and pleasure assuring our selues That God will cause all things to worke together for the good of those that doe loue him Lastly we must pray with perseuerance and without fainting as our Sauiour teacheth vs by the parable of the widdow and the judge Luke 18. And therefore wee must not thinke that euery delay is a finall repulse but by the delay of the benefit which we aske our desire of obtaining it should be encreased And hereunto belong the exhortations of the Apostle Rom. 12. Col. 4. to perseuere in prayer and to watch in the same with thankes-giuing And to apply this exhortation to the present occasion If God in this common visitation doth not seeme to heare vs at the first and according to our desire remooue his plague from vs wee must neither faint in prayer as though he did altogether reject vs neither must we circumscribe or limit him as that if he deliuer vs not by such a time wee will call vpon him no more but wee are with faith and perseuerance to craue and with hope and patience to expect his grace and mercie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to helpe in due and conuenient time As therefore it is our dutie to call vpon God in the time of trouble so must we be carefull if wee would bee heard to pray according to God or as Iohn more plainly speaketh according to the will of God and namely and especially that wee pray with sence and feeling of our want with feruencie of desire to haue our wants supplied and our requests graunted with assurance of faith grounded on the mediation of Christ and on the promises of God and lastly with perseuerance and patience without fainting or circumscribing of God to wait vpon him for his mercie to be exhibited vnto vs in due time And forasmuch as we know not what to pray as we ought