The Return of Prayers, Part 1 · Chapter 5 – Chapter 6
Chap. 5.CHAP. V.
Common directions helpfull in all caſes and prayers. Firſt, from ſuch obſervations as may be taken, from before, and in praying.
HAving premiſed theſe Caſes, I come now to more generall and common directions to help you in diſcerning and obſerving the minde of God, and his anſwers to you in your prayers. All which directions are ſuch, as may be helpfull in all the forementioned caſes, and in all ſorts of prayers whatever. And they are taken from obſervations, to bee made upon your prayers, &c. Both before, in, and after praying;
§ 1. Before: when God prepares the heart to pray.Firſt, Before praying; when God beſpeakes a prayer, (as I may ſo ſpeak) that is, when God ſecretly ſpeakes to the heart to pray much about a thing; I expreſſe it thus according to that phraſe of David, Pſal. 27. 8. Thou ſaidſt ſeeke my face: and I ſaid, Thy face Lord will I ſeeke: now God then ſpeakes to the heart to pray, when not onelyonly hee puts upon the duty by ſaying to the conſcience, this thou oughteſt to doe: but Gods ſpeaking to pray is ſuch, as his ſpeech at firſt was, when hee made the world, when hee ſaid, Let there be light, and there was light: ſo hee ſayes, Let there be a prayer, and there is a prayer, that is, hee powres upon a man a ſpirit of grace and ſupplication, a praying diſpoſition; hee puts in motives, ſuggeſts arguments and pleas to God; all which you ſhall finde come in readily, and of themſelves; and that likewiſe with a quickning heat, and inlargement of affections, and with a lingring, and longing, and reſtleſſeneſſe of ſpirit to bee alone, to powre out the ſoule to God, and to vent and forme thoſe motions and ſuggeſtions into a prayer, till you have laid them together, and made a prayer of them. And this is a ſpeaking to the heart: and obſerve ſuch times when God doth thus, and neglect them not; then to ſtrike, whileſt the iron is hot; thou haſt then his eare, it is a ſpeciall opportunity for that buſineſſe, ſuch an one as thou mayeſt never have the like. Suitors at Court obſerve molliſsima fandi tempora, their times of beging, when they have Kings in a good mood, which they will be ſure to take the advantage of; but eſpecially if they ſhould finde that the King himſelfe ſhould beginne of himſelfe to ſpeake of the buſineſſe which they would have of him: and thus that phraſe of Pſal. 10. 17. is underſtood by ſome, that God prepares the heart, and cauſeth the eare to heare; that is, hee faſhions it, and compoſeth it into a praying frame. And ſure it is a great ſigne that God meanes to heare us,The difference between Satans unſeaſonable urging us to pray, and Gods moving us. when himſelfe ſhall thus indite the Petition.
And by the way let me give this note of difference, betweene theſe ſpeakings to the heart, and thoſe whereby Satan puts us upon ſuch duties at unſeaſonable houres and times; as when we are otherwiſe neceſſarily to be imployed in our callings, to eate, or to ſleepe, &c. then to put upon praying, is a device of his he uſeth, to tire out new converts with. The difference will appeare in this, the devill comes in a violent imperious manner upon the conſcience, but inlargeth not the heart a whit unto the duty: but whenſoever God at ſuch extraordinary by-times doth call upon us, hee fits and prepares the heart, and fills the ſoule with holy ſuggeſtions, as materialls for the duty; for whatſoever he calls to, he gives abilities withall to the thing he calls for.
And thus uſually, when hee will have any great matters done & effected, hee ſets mens hearts a worke to pray, by a kinde of gracious pre-inſtinct; hee ſtirres them up and toucheth the ſtrings of their hearts, by his Spirit ſent downe upon them: Thus againſt the returne of the captivity he ſtirred up Daniels heart, Dan. 9. 1. Hee knowing by bookes, the time to be neere expiring was ſtirred up to ſeek God: Dan. 9. 2.and ſo hee that made this Pſalme, Salvation being then nigh, ver. 9. 10. then God ſtirred him up to pray, and pen this prayer for their returne: which God had foretold hee would doe, Ier. 29. 10, 11, 12. For having promiſed ver. 10. I will cauſe you to returne after ſeventy yeares: Then (ſayes he, ver. 12.) ſhall ye call upon me, and ye ſhall goe and pray unto mee, and I will hearken unto you: he ſpeakes it not onelyonly by way of command, what it was they ought to doe; but as prophecying alſo what they ſhould doe; for then he meant to ſtirre up their hearts; as then hee did, as appeares by thoſe forementioned inſtances. Therefore obſerve what things, God, thus by an inſtinct doth inlarge thy heart to pray for at times, and ſometimes at extraordinary by-times, when haply thou diddeſt not think to pray about any ſuch thing, yet hee then ſtirred thee up moſt, it may be, as thou wert walking, &c. and having ſpare time, he drawes thee into his preſence and moves thee in that maner ſpecified.
§. 2. 2 In praier: Gods ſpeaking to the heart in prayer, an evidence of hearing: which may be diſcerned.Now ſecondly: as God thus ſpeakes to the heart to pray, ſo alſo in praying; and his ſpeaking to the heart in prayer may bee diſcerned by theſe particulars.
1 By giving a quiet reſt of ſpirit about the thing prayed for, in and by prayer.1. When God quiets, and calmes, and contents the heart in prayer, which is done by ſpeaking ſomething to the heart, though what is ſpoken, be not alwayes diſcerned: If you ſhould ſee one, who was an earneſt and importunate ſuitor and exceeding anxious when he went in to a great man, but behold him after comming out from him contented, and quieted, and cheerefull in his ſpirit, you would conceive that certainly ſomething had beene ſaid to him, which gave him encouragement, ſatisfaction and contentment in his ſuit; Thus when thou goeſt to God, and haſt been importunate in a buſineſſe, (as ſuppoſe for Chriſt, Oh give me Chriſt, or elſe I die!) and thy deſires were exceedingly up for it; But thou riſeſt up with thy minde calmed and ſatisfied, and feeleſt the anxiouſneſſe, the ſolicitude of thy heart about the thing taken off, and diſpelled; This is a good ſign that God hath heard thy Prayer, and hath ſpoken ſomething to thy heart, which makes it thus compoſed. When Hannah out of much bitterneſſe and with ſtrong deſires (which by a long delay had bin made more violent, ſo as her heart was much diſquieted (for, Prov. 13. 12. Hope, and by the ſame reaſon, deſire alſo deferred makes the ſoule ſick) when out of the abundance of her griefe, ſhee had poured her ſoule out before the Lord, 1. Sam. 1. 16. Eli the Prieſt joyning in prayer alſo for her, The Lord grant thy petition! after that prayer ſhe found her heart ſo quieted, that ſhee looked no more ſad, as the Text ſayes there; She aroſe quieted, and calmed, and it was that prayer, that did both fill Elies mouth, with that word of prophecie, and her heart with quietneſſe, and a ſecret word from God accompanying it, that did ſtill thoſe waves: and accordingly God gave her a Son, a Son of her deſires. And the like God doth now, by ſpeaking (as I ſaid) ſomething to the heart: as by dropping in ſome promiſe or other into the heart, or ſome like conſideration; ſaying as it were to the heart, even as Eli from God did to her, The Lord grants thy petition; As to S. Paul, when he was earneſt with God about removing his buffetings by Satan (which whether they were the ſtirring up a luſt, or temptations of blaſphemy, I doe not now diſpute) I beſought God thrice, that is, earneſtly (ſayes hee,) that it might depart; and to this hee had an anſwer in the meane time given him, till it ſhould bee taken away; enough to ſtill and quiet him, ſo 2. Cor. 12. 8, 9. And he ſaid, that is, in prayer the Lord did put in this conſideration and promiſe into his thoughts, And he ſaid unto me, my grace is ſufficient for thee, and my power is made perfect in weakneſſe: This anſwer thus comming in, this promiſe thus ſeaſonably ſuggeſted ſtayed and quieted Pauls heart. In like manner thou haſt (it may bee) been long praying againſt poverty, or the like diſtreſſe, and God lets fall this or the like promiſe into thy heart, I will never leave thee, Heb. 13. 5.nor forſake thee, which quiets and contents thy minde. This is an anſwer, and obſerve ſuch anſwers, for they are precious.
2 When God drawes nigh and reveales His love in and upon ſuch a petition.2. If whileſt thou art a praying, God doth draw nigh to thy ſoule, and revealeth himſelfe to it, in and upon ſuch, or ſuch a particular petition. As in caſe thou didſt mainely intend when thou diddeſt begin to pray, to ſet thy ſelfe to beg ſome temporall merciemercy at his hands, ſome great matter for the good and proſperity of the Church (as Daniel, Chap. 9. did ſet himſelfe to ſeeke God for the returne of the Captivity:) and even before thou commeſt to aſke it, or in aſking it, God ſmiles upon thee, welcomes thee: falleth about thy neck and kiſſeth thee: This thou art to obſerve as a ſigne hee heares thy prayer, and accepteth both thee and it; when there is ſuch a ſtrong ſenſe of Gods favour, and preſence, whileſt thou art upon ſuch a ſuit and requeſt, more then at other times, or then in other paſſages of the ſame prayer, this is a token God heares thee, in that particular, and thou art to obſerve this his ſpeaking to thy heart: When thus thou ſhalt no ſooner come into his preſence to enquire of him, but hee ſayes, Here I am, as the promiſe is, Eſay 58. 9. Therefore, Pſal. 69. 17, 18. Heare me ſpeedily ſayes David; and (that I may know thou heareſt mee) draw nigh to mee: therefore when God drawes nigh to thee, it is a ſigne hee heares thee. Daniel having faſted and prayed for three weekes together, Dan. 10. 2, 3: Then an Angell came, and one of the three Perſons came and told him, hee was a man greatly beloved, ver. 11 and 19. when in like maner God by his Spirit comes downe, and meets thee, and tells thy heart in ſecret that thou art His beloved, and Hee is thine, then thy prayers are certainly heard: for if hee accepts thy perſon, much more thy prayers, 1. Iohn 5. 19, 20. Men, falſe men, (falſe upon the ballance, as David ſpeakes, when they come to bee tried and weighed,) they will out of cunning uſe ſuitors moſt kindly then, when they meane to put them off, and deny them their requeſts: But God who is truth and faithfulneſſe it ſelfe, doth not uſe ſo to deale, but when he means to anſwer the prayer, Hee withall ſometimes reveals his free grace moſt, to the end they may ſee and acknowledge the fountaine of all, to be his everlaſting love, and ſo take the thing granted as a fruit of it, and thereby come to bee the more abundantly thankfull.
OnelyOnly let me adde this Caution,A caution: That yet this is not alwayes an infallible ſigne the thing is granted, though that the prayer is accepted. which may bee of great uſe to you. That it is not alwayes infallibly true, that when God drawes nigh to you in a particular requeſt, that that requeſt in particular, ſhall bee granted in that maner you deſired, but it is a certaine evidence that thy prayer is heard, and that the thing thou aſkeſt is agreeable to his will, and that hee approves of thee and thy requeſt exceedingly, and thinketh the better of thee for it, and hee will give thee it, or ſomething that is better▪ There may be herein and ſometimes is a miſtake of Gods meaning, to thinke that alwayes, then the thing ſhall be granted, when God drawes nigh to a man: experience ſometimes ſhews the contrary.
Queſt. But you will ſay, Why doth God draw ſo nigh if he meanes not to grant it?
Anſw. 1. He ſhewes thereby His approving will of the thing prayed for. Now GOD approves many things, hee decrees not. The reaſons why God ſometimes drawes nigh when he grants nor the thing.There is his approving will and his decreeing will. God may ſhew his approving wil of the thing thou aſkeſt, (as ſuppoſe it bee in view a matter which is of great conſequence for the Church;) which hee doth for thy encouragement: but yet it followes not, that his decreeing wil is for the accompliſhment of that very thing in particular.
2. God may accept the perſon and the prayer, when hee doth not grant the thing prayed for; and by that drawing nigh witneſſe his acceptation of thy perſon and the prayer. Yea,
3. That revealing of himſelfe is oftentimes all the anſwer he intended to ſuch a prayer, and it is anſwer enough too, to enjoy in the ſtead of a particular mercy the aſſurance of Gods love. As ſuppoſe thou didſt pray againſt ſome evill comming upon his Church, which he yet intends to bring; which hee did ſet thy heart a worke to pray againſt, thereby to manifeſt the ſincerity therof; and then hee ſeeing thee thus ſincere drawes nigh to thee, and tells thee, however, it ſhall go well with thee, and that thou art greatly beloved of Him: Thou art ſometime to take this for all the anſwer hee meanes to give. And this hee doth ſometimes alſo to content the heart, and prepare it for a deniall in the thing: whereas, otherwiſe, the deniall of what a Chriſtian hath been earneſt in, might occaſion (as in many it doth) a queſtioning and doubting of Gods love.
§. 4. God ſome times ſtirs up a particular faith of aſſurāce in ſome buſineſſes.3 When God ſtirres up in the heart a particular faith in a buſineſſe: as ſometimes He doth, and upholds the heart to wait for it, maugre all diſcouragements. So hee did in David, Pſal. 27. 3. David was then in great hazards by reaſon of Saul or Abſalom, and thoſe ſuch and ſo often, as that to ſenſe and outward probabilities hee was like never to live quietly againe at Ieruſalem and enjoy Gods Ordinances there in peace; but for this David had prayed, and had made it as the grand requeſt of his whole life (as every man hath ſome one great requeſt of all other, even as Hee hath ſome ſpeciall grace above all other, or gift, &c. ſo requeſt to God next to His ſalvation, as haply for his Miniſtery, or the like, therefore ſayes David, verſe 4. This one thing have I deſired) and accordingly God gave him a ſpeciall faith in this thing above all other, becauſe it was his great requeſt, In this will I be confident▪ verſe 3. And though an hoſte of men ſhould againe and againe incompaſſeme, ſaies he, yet in this I will be confident, that I ſhall ſtill eſcape, and ſee Ieruſalem againe, and enjoy the Ordinances and live in peace; and though his faith failed him often (as in the perſecution of Saul it did) for he ſaid he ſhould one day periſh by the hand of Saul: 1 Sam. 27. 1yet at other times his faith was marvellouſly upheld, and hee was confident in this. Hee uſed not to be ſo, in other requeſts thus abſolutely particularly and diſtinctly, and therefore he ſayes, In this, &c. As there is a witneſſe of the Holy Ghoſt immediate to the heart, ſealing up adoption to a mans perſon, ſo in ſome caſes, there is the like teſtimony for the obtaining of ſome eminent thing we have aſked. Which particular ſpeciall faith, doth in a kind of ſimilitude anſwer to the faith of miracles of old, whereby a man had a particular confidēce, that God would doe ſuch a miracle by him: ſo in & by meanes of prayer, in ſome things there may be a particular ſtrengthning & aſſuring the heart, that God will doe ſuch a thing for a man: which I confeſſe is rare and extraordinary, as alſo that immediate teſtimony concerning our perſons is, which many want that goe to heaven. And haply this other concerning the accompliſhment of ſpeciall mercies, is much more rare; and but in ſome buſineſſes; and is a thing which ſome men are not acquainted with, but yet may bee in ſome caſes exiſtent to ſome mens ſpirits, as it was to Davids in the thing mentioned.
And concerning this alſo I will alſo adde a Caution, A caution, that herein a conditionall evidence be not taken for abſolute.as about the former. That it doth not alwayes fall out upon all ſuch kind of evidences made to a mans ſpirit, and that by God, that the thing prayed for doth come to paſſe. For theſe very perſwaſions ſtirred up by God, may bee and are often but conditionall, though thus immediately made to a mans ſpirit, and are ſo to bee underſtood, and not peremptory and abſolute. It cannot bee imagined that all theſe ſhould alwayes be of greater abſoluteneſſe and peremptorineſſe, than were many of thoſe revelations made by God to the Prophets, wherein Hee manifeſted his gracious purpoſe towards ſuch a man or people, either to vouchſafe them ſuch a merciemercy, or bring ſuch a judgement; which forewarnings though they were particular and expreſſe, yet limited and intended with a condition, according to the performance, or not performance of which, it fell out, either the judgement expreſly threatned was diverted, or that good thing which was as directly and fully promiſed, was not beſtowed: as it was in the caſe of Ionas threatning the deſtruction of Nineveb; and ſo in the promiſe concerning Ely's houſe, 1. Sam. 2. 30. I ſaid indeed that thy houſe, and the houſe of thy father ſhould walke before mee for ever, but now the Lord ſayes, it ſhall not bee ſo: For they had broken the condition which was implied in it; they had deſpiſed the Lord; and them that deſpiſe me, ſayes God there, I will deſpiſe. In like manner is Gods meaning, expreſſed towards us in ſuch like perſwaſions wrought in us by prayer, to be underſtood; as that ſuch mercies will ſurely come to paſſe, but ſtill under a condition of obedience, and performing of thoſe vowes, which a man joyned with thoſe his petitions, to move the Lord to grant the things; which if a man faile in, or ceaſeth to goe on to beleeve, it may and doth often come to paſſe, that things fall out contrary to that perſwaſion, and then wee are apt to queſtion whether it was from God or no; which it might bee, and truely wrought by his Spirit and yet not alwaies abſolutely meant (that was your miſtake ſo to take it) but conditionally onelyonly. For in ſuch great requeſts of the ſoule unto God there uſe to paſſe mutuall covenants betweene God and us; and Indentures are drawne and ſealed unto by us, that is, we in prayer, offer and promiſe to doe thus and thus, if God will vouchſafe us ſuch a mercy, and pleade it to God to move him to beſtow it; and God, hee thereupon (it may bee) ſeales a covenant on his part to grant the thing, & works ſuch an undoubted perſwaſion; but if wee in that interim of waiting for that mercy, doe deale falſely in that covenant which we made; and this even whileſt wee are yet in dependance upon God for it; whereby it appeares that we would have done ſo much more after wee ſhould have received it once, in this caſe God denies the thing, and yet notwithſtanding, that perſwaſion and evidence was from God that heard the prayer. He ſaid indeed he would doe thus and thus for thee: (as he told David, I would have given thee much more:) becauſe thou ſaidſt to him, thou wouldſt walke thus and thus, or didſt vow this or that to him; thou faileſt in thy word, upon which God uttered his; and thereupon ſayes God as to Ely, Now it ſhall not be ſo, and yet God had ſpoken it afore, and not Satan, nor thine owne heart onelyonly.
§. 5. Whē God puts a reſtleſſe importunity into the heart, to pray for a particular mercy.4. When God doth put a reſtleſſe importunity into the heart, maugre all diſcouragements. So in that Pſalme 27. 4. One thing I have deſired, and I wil ſeek after it, that is, as I have ſought it, ſo I will not leave ſeeking to God for it: when God maintaines this in the heart, it is a ſigne he heares, and will anſwer: for you know the Parable, that the unjuſt Iudge heard her for her importunity; therefore when God puts an importunity into the heart, he meanes to heare.
OnelyOnly this likewiſe is to be added in this,A double importunity: one accepted, not the other. There is a double importunity: one out of ſuch an inordinate deſire to a thing, as the heart knows not how to be without ſuch a merciemercy, and ſo continues to aſk, but asketh amiſſe, and ſo receives not, Iam. 5. But there is an importunity joyned with a ſubjection to Gods will; which when it runs along with it, then God hath ſtird it up, and then looke for ſomething to come; otherwiſe you may bee importunate, as they ſeeke mee daily, when yet God heard not, Eſay 58. 2.
Chap. 6.CHAP. VI.
Further Obſervations to be made, on the diſpoſitions and carriage of our hearts, after Prayer: untill the iſſue of the thing prayed for.
NExt: after thou haſt prayed, obſerve, what God doth towards thee.
§ 1. Whē God gives an obedient dependant heart, in walking before him.As firſt, how hee doth guide thy feet and heart after praying: there is much in that: that which was the Spirit of ſupplication in a man when he prayed, reſts upon him as the ſpirit of obedience in his courſe; ſo as that dependance hee hath upon God for the mercy hee ſeekes for, is a ſpeciall motive, & meanes to keep him fearefull of offending, and diligent in duty; to looke to his paths to walke and behave himſelfe as becomes a ſuitor, as well as to come and pray as a ſuitor. Thus David, he walked by this principle, Pſal. 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not heare me; that conſideration ſtill came in as a curb unto ſinne; and without this a man provokes God, and ſo caſts himſelfe behind-hand againe, and by ſinning loſeth what ground hee had got by praying. Therefore David, Pſal. 145. 8, 9, 10. when he was to pray, even as for his life, (as then he did, it being a deliverance from his enemies he ſought) he ſpecially prayes God to direct him and keepe him, that hee might not ſin againſt him; for he knew by ſinning hee ſhould enervate and ſpoile all his prayers: not onelyonly heare me ſpeedily (ſayes he) but alſo Cauſe me to know the way wherein I ſhould walke; Teach me to doe thy will; this he eſpecially prayes for, and more then for deliverance, for elſe he knew God would not heare him. Therefore when thou art in treaty with God for any mercy, obſerve, doth God ſtill after praying keep thee in a more obedient frame of ſpirit? it is a ſigne hee intends to anſwer thee; as in like manner, when hee keeps thee from uſing ill meanes, &c. When hee meant to give David the Kingdome, hee kept him innocent, and his heart tender, that it ſmote him but for cutting off the lap of Sauls garment: he was not ſo tender after. Therefore in Pſal. 18. when hee was delivered from all his enemies, hee ſayes, God dealt with him according to his uprightneſſe: for I kept my ſelfe from mine iniquity. So alſo Pſal. 27. 11.
2 Whē God gives a heart to waite for & expect the mercy.2 When God after prayer ſtrengthneth the heart to wait for the mercy. So Pſal. 27. ult. David having prayed, ſayes to his ſoule, Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he will ſtrengthen thy heart. Honeſt men, when they nouriſh hopes in one that is in dependance on them, who waiteth and is obſequious upon the hopes he hath of a ſuite, uſe not to deny him: it were diſhoneſty in thē to keep a man underhand, and then fruſtrate his expectations; Therefore when God keeps thy ſoule after praying in ſuch a dependant frame, looke for ſome good anſwer. And indeed when a man hath prayed long, in the end he begins to wait (as I may ſo ſay) rather thā pray (though he pray ſtill) becauſe now he looks God ſhould performe: before, and at firſt, he told the Lord he deſired it, but now he can with ſome boldneſſe tell him, that he waits for it and expects it. The hope of a godly man and his expectation ſhould make him aſhamed if it were not anſwered, therefore in this caſe anſwers uſe to come.
Both theſe two laſt we have together joyned Pſa. 37. 34. Wait on the Lord, & keep his waies, and he ſhal exalt thee.