The Return of Prayers, Part 1 · Chapter 3
Chap. 3.CHAP. III.
The ſecond Caſe, concerning prayers made for others: of our friends, &c. How they are anſwered?
THe ſecond caſe is, concerning anſwers to our prayers for others, for particular men, as friends, and kinred, &c. and likewiſe for temporall bleſſings.
Pray for others you know wee muſt:Pray for others wee ought. ſo the Elders of the Church for thoſe that are ſick, Iam. 5. 15, 16. Pray one for another, ſayes S. Iames: as in caſe a man is troubled with a luſt, tell ſome private friend of it, Confeſſe your ſins one to another; that when a mans owne prayers are not ſtrong enough to caſt it out, it may bee done by the help of anothers praiers joyned with his. (So it followes, That yee may bee healed, ver. 16. For in that ſenſe I underſtand healing, in ver. 16.) So alſo, 1. Iohn 5. 16. If a man ſee his brother ſin a ſin, which is not unto death, that is not againſt the Holy Ghoſt, hee ſhall aske life for him, and God ſhall give him life, that ſins not unto death.
Concerning this caſe I give theſe conſiderations, how ſuch prayers are anſwered.
1. Conſideration.§. 1. Such prayers for others God often granteth. Such prayers God often heareth; why elſe are any ſuch promiſes made? as That they ſhall bee healed in their bodies, James 5. 15. Healed of their luſts, ver. 16. Converted to life, 1. Ioh. 5. 16. God hath made theſe to encourage us to pray, and to teſtifie his abundant love to us; that it ſo overflowes and runs over, that he will heare us, not onelyonly for our ſelves, but for others alſo: which is a ſigne we are in extraordinary favour. So God intimates concerning Abraham, to Abimelech, Gen. 20. 7. He is a Prophet, and he ſhall pray for thee, and thou ſhalt live: and as he was a Prophet, ſo wee are Prieſts; as for our ſelves, ſo for others alſo, to God our Father: and it is a prerogative we have through the fellowſhip wee have, and communion of Chriſts Prieſtly office, Revel. 1. 6.who hath made us Kings and Prieſts, to prevaile and intercede for others; and a ſpeciall token and pledge of extraordinary love. For if God heares a mans prayers for others, much more for himſelfe in his owne behalfe. So when Chriſt healed the man ſick of the palſie, it was, as it is ſaid, For the faith of the ſtanders by, Matth. 9. 2. Hee ſeeing their faith, ſaid, Thy ſinnes are forgiven thee; the meaning is, not as if for their faith ſake he forgave that man his ſins,Hab. 2. 4. for, The juſt doth live by his (owne) faith: but to encourage them, who out of faith brought that ſick man to him; and us all in like maner to bring others, and their plaints, by prayer, before him; he therefore then tooke occaſion to declare and pronounce forgiveneſſe to that poore man;§. 2. hee therefore then ſaid,Yet alwaies they do not prevaile for the parties prayer for. Thy ſinnes are forgiven thee.
2. Conſideration: yet ſecondly, prayers for others may often alſo not obtaine the particular thing prayed for them. So Samuels prayer for Saul, 1. Sam. 15. 35. So David for his enemies, Pſalm. …7. 13.
For it is in this,The reaſon. as it is …n the uſe of other means and ordinances for the good of others; God making ſuch like kinde of promiſes to our prayers herein, as hee hath made to our endeavours to convert when wee preach to men: that looke as wee preach to many, and yet but few beleeve,Rom. 10. 16. for, Who hath beleeved our report? even as many as are ordained to eternall life; wee become all to all, and winne but ſome: So we pray for many, not knowing who are ordained to eternall life, which whileſt wee know not, wee are yet to pray for them, 1. Tim. 2, 3, 4. OnelyOnly as where God hath ſet his Ordinance of Preaching, it is more then a probable ſigne hee hath ſome to convert, and uſually the word takes among ſome, though often but a few: So when hee hath ſtirred up our hearts to pray for others, it is a ſigne God will heare us for ſome of thoſe we pray for: yet ſo as we may be denied. For God doth require it as a duty on our parts, becauſe it is an outward meanes ordained by God, by which ſometimes Hee uſeth to bring things to paſſe: but yet not as ſuch a certaine, and infallible meanes, as hee hath tied himſelfe univerſally unto, to bring the thing to paſſe on his part.
And though indeed his promiſe to heare and accept the praier is generall and univerſal:Such promiſes to hear us for others, being but indefinite, not univerſall. yet the promiſe to heare it, by granting the very thing it ſelfe praied for, is but an indefinite promiſe; ſuch as he makes to other meanes of doing men good, as to our admonitions and reproofes, and to our preaching, &c. Hee makes ſuch promiſes, becauſe ſometimes hee doth heare and convert by them. For inſtance, that promiſe, Iam. 5. 15. of healing the ſick, cannot be univerſall: for it might then be ſuppoſed as a truth implied in it, that ſick men might never die, whē as it is appointed for all men once to die, Heb. 9. 27.ſeeing it may bee ſuppoſed that the Elders may at all ſuch times of danger of death ſtil come and pray with them: but the meaning is, that it is an Ordinance, which God hath made a gracious promiſe unto, becauſe he often doth reſtore the ſick at their praiers: and therefore upon every ſuch particular occaſion, wee are to rely upon God for the performance of it, by an act of recumbencie; though with an act of full aſſurance that we ſhall obtain it, we cannot; the promiſe being not univerſall, out indefinite.
Of the like nature are all other promiſes of things temporall and outward,Illuſtrated by the like tenour of all promiſes of things temporall. (of which wee herein ſpeak) as when God promiſeth to give long life to them that honour their parents; riches and honours to them that feare Him; the tenour and purport of which promiſes is not, as if abſolutely, infallibly, & univerſally God doth alwayes performe theſe to thoſe that are yet truely qualified with the conditions ſpecified in thoſe promiſes; The contrary both Scripture, inſtances, and common experience ſhewes: they are therefore indefinitely meant, and ſo to bee underſtood by us; for, becauſe when ever God doth diſpenſe any ſuch mercies to any of his, hee would doe it by promiſe; All his wayes to His being truth, that is, the fulfilling of ſome truth promiſed; and alſo God having purpoſed in his outward diſpenſation of things here in this world, to beſtow riches and honours upon ſome that fear him, (though not upon al, for how then ſhould all things fall alike to all? Eccleſ. 7. 2.Poverty and cotempt upon them that feare God, even as well as thoſe that feare him not.) Hee hath therefore indefinitely expreſſed His gracious diſpenſation herein:The faith towards them required to be but an indefinite act of recumbency not of aſſurance. requiring anſwerably an act of ſaith (which principle in us is ſuited to a promiſe, as a faculty is to its proper object) ſuitable to that his meaning in the promiſe; That as hee intended not in ſuch promiſes an abſolute, infallible, univerſall obligation of himſelfe to the performance of them to all that feare him: ſo the act of faith which a man is to put forth toward this promiſe, in the application of it for his owne particular, is not required to be an abſolute, infallible perſwaſion, and aſſurance that God will beſtow theſe outward things upon him, having theſe qualifications in him; but onelyonly an indefinite act (as I may ſo call it) of recumbency and ſubmiſsion; caſting and adventuring our ſelves upon him for the performance of it to us, not knowing but he may in his outward diſpenſations make it good to us, yet with ſubmiſſion to His good pleaſure, if otherwiſe Hee diſpoſeth it.Though of aſſurance to the promiſe in generall, yet not in the application of it.
It is true indeed, that that act of generall aſſent, which faith is to give to this promiſe in the generall abſtract truth of it, is to bee an aſſured certaine perſwaſion and beleefe, that God hath made this promiſe, and that He certainely will, and doth performe it unto ſome according to his purpoſe expreſſed therein; which act of generall aſſent, is that beleeving without wavering, namely of the truth of the promiſe in general, which S. Iames calls for in prayer, Iam. 1. 6. But yet that ſpeciall act of application (as Divines call it) required in this faith, wherby I am to reſt upon it, for my owne particular, is not required to be ſuch an undoubted perſwaſion, as to thinke that I ſhall certainly have this particular promiſe in kinde fulfilled to me; for the truth, purpoſe, and intent of the promiſe, is not univerſall, but indefinite. So as it is but an it may bee (as God elſewhere expreſſeth ſuch promiſes, as Zeph. …. 1, 2.) That it ſhal be performed to mee: and yet becauſe it may be God wil perform it unto mee, therefore my duty is to caſt my ſelf upon God, and put in for it, with ſubmiſſion to His good pleaſure for the performance of it to me. So that ſo farre as the truth and intent of it, is revealed to be infallible & certain, ſo far a man is bound to have an anſwerable act of faith, of certaine and infallible perſwaſion towards it, as to beleeve without wavering that God hath made ſuch a promiſe, and will perform it according to His intent in making it, which is unto ſome: but yet withall becauſe the tenour of it is but indefinite, and in that reſpect, whether it ſhal be performed to mee or no, is not therein certainely revealed; Therefore God requires not of mee in the application of ſuch a promiſe, an abſolute full perſwaſion that He will performe it to mee in ſuch or ſuch a manner, &c. But only an act of dependance and adherence with referring it to his wiſe and righteous good pleaſure towards me.
And yet againe if God ſhould at any time give a man ſuch a ſpeciall faith concerning any ſuch particular temporall bleſſing for himſelfe or another,Yet when God ſometimes gives a ſpeciall faith, then we are to bee aſſured the thing ſhall bee done. then hee is bound to beleeve it thus in particular: as when Hee gave power to any to work miracles, (as to his Apoſtles Hee did, with a Commiſſion to work them,) then they were bound to beleeve that ſuch and ſuch a miracle ſhould infallibly bee wrought by them; as that the Devils ſhould be caſt out by them, &c. And therefore in this caſe Chriſt rebukes His Diſciples, for not beleeving thus upon ſuch particular occaſions, Matth. 17. 20. And then it is alſo true, that if God give ſuch a faith, Hee will infallibly perform it: and thus thoſe his words are to bee underſtood, Matth. 27. 22. Whatſoever yee aske in faith beleeving, An objection prevented.yee ſhall receive, hee ſpeakes it of the faith of miracles, for 21. ver. he had ſaid, If ye beleeve and doubt not, yee ſhall ſay to this Mountaine, remoove into the ſea, and it ſhall be remooved: ſo that, when God works ſuch a faith, and wee are called to it, we are bound to beleeve with a certain perſwaſion that ſuch a thing will be done, and it ſhall bee done: but unto ſuch a kinde of ſpeciall faith in temporall promiſes for our ſelves or others, God doth not now alwayes call us. If indeed at any time wee did beleeve and doubted not, by reaſon of a ſpeciall faith wrought by God, that GOD would remove a mountaine into the Sea, or beſtow any outward mercy, it ſhould be done: for he that ſtirred up ſuch a faith, would accompliſh the thing: but it is not that, which God requires of beleevers, that they ſhould without doubting thus beleeve concerning outward things; the promiſes thereof being not univerſall, but indefinite; and therefore anſwerably a man is not abſolutely bound to beleeve that God wil certainly beſtow ſuch a temporall bleſſing on him, no not though he ſhould have the qualification, which the promiſe being not univerſal, made …o all ſo qualified, but indefinite to ſome of ſuch ſo qualified. The caſe is the ſame of beleeving promiſes made to our praying for others, which is the thing in hand.
§. 3. Such prayers for others are often returned into our own boſome.3. When the prayers …re thus made out of concience of our duty for ſuch, whom yet God doth not intend that mercy unto, then they are returned againe into our owne boſomes to our advantage: even as S. Paul ſaith, that his rejoycing that others preached, though they loſt their labour, ſhould turne to his ſalvation, Phil. 1. 20. So prayers for others, though to the parties themſelves we prayed for they prove in vaine, yet they turne to our good So Pſalm. 35. 12, 13. When his enemies were ſick, David he praied and humbled himſelfe; and my prayers (ſaies he) returned into my boſome David did by this his prayer in ſecret for his enemies, teſtifie the ſincerity of his heart to God and his true forgiveneſſe of them (for it is the uſuall diſpoſition of Gods children, to pray for them that are the greateſt enemies to them,) and this prayer though it did not profit them, yet it turned to Davids owne good, it came back, and home againe to him, with bleſſings to himſelfe; God delighting in, and rewarding ſuch a diſpoſition in his childe, as much as any other; The Reaſon.becauſe therein we reſemble Chriſt ſo truely, and ſhew that God is our Father, and our ſelves to have his bowels in us; and God ſtirreth up this praying diſpoſition in his children for their enemies, not alwaies that he means to heare them for them, but becauſe he meanes to draw forth, and ſo have an occaſion to reward thoſe holy diſpoſitions, which are the nobleſt parts of his image in them and wherewith hee is ſo much delighted; and ſo their prayers returne into their owne boſome, and it is taken, as if they had prayed for themſelves all that while. Thus in like maner, when Moſes prayed ſo earneſtly for the people of Iſrael, God offered to returne his prayer into his owne boſome, and doe as much for him alone, as hee had deſired that God would doe for them.Exod. 32. 10. I will make of thee a great Nation (ſaies God to him) for whom I will doe as much for thy ſake, as thou haſt prayed I ſhould doe for theſe. As in preaching the Goſpel, Chriſt told the Diſciples, That if in any houſe they came to preach peace, there were not a Sonne of peace, Luke 10. on whom the meſſage might take place, and their peace reſt, Your peace (ſaies hee) ſhall returne unto you againe. So is it, if your prayers take not place.
§. 4. Good often in the end caſts ſuch out of our prayers hee intends not to heare us for.4. If wee have prayed long for thoſe, whom God …ntends not mercy unto, hee will in the end caſt them out of our prayers and hearts, and take our hearts off from praying for them. That which he did by a revelation from heaven to ſome Prophets of old, as to Samuel and Ieremiah, the ſame hee doth by a more undiſcerned worke; that is, by withdrawing aſſiſtance to pray for ſuch; by withdrawing the ſpirit of ſupplication from a man, for ſome men, and in ſome buſineſſes. Now thus he did with Samuel; Why doſt thou mourne for Saul? The Reaſon.1. Sam. 16. 1. So with Ieremiah, Jer. 7. 16. Pray not for this people: and this he doth, becauſe he is loath when his people doe pray but to heare them; and would not that ſuch precious breath as that of prayer is, ſhould bee without its full and direct ſucceſſe, or be in vaine: therefore when he meanes not to heare, he layes the key of prayer out of the way, ſo deſirous is hee to give anſwers to every prayer. It falls out in this caſe of praying for another, as in reproving another. One whom God intends not good unto, God will lock up a mans heart towards ſuch a man, that hee ſhall not bee able to reprove him, when towards another God doth inlarge it as much, where hee intends good; thus it is ſometimes in praying for another; ſo as in praying a man ſhall not be able to pray for, as not to reprove ſuch a man, though his heart was to doe both: but it fareth with him as God threatneth concerning Ezekiel towards that people, that he makes his tongue cleave to the roofe of his mouth.Ezek. 3. 26.
§. 5. God ſometimes anſwers thoſe prayers in ſome others whō we prayed not for.5. God will heare thoſe prayers for, and anſwer them in ſome others, in whom wee ſhall have as much comfort, as in thoſe wee prayed for: and ſo it often proves and fals out. God,The reaſon. to ſhew he lookes not as man lookes, nor chooſeth as hee chooſeth, lets our hearts be ſet on work to pray for the converſion or good of one hee intends not mercy to; and then anſwers them in ſome other, whom Hee makes as deare unto us. When God had caſt off Saul, ſtill Samuels heart lingred after him, and hee mourned for him: but God at the ſame time, when hee bids him ceaſe mourning for Saul, 1. Sam. 16. to ſhew that yet hee accepted that his mourning as it came from him; Goe (ſaies hee) and anoint one of the ſonnes of leſſe, 1. Sam. 16. 1. Samuel deſired to ſee a good ſucceſſor in that government, and he having been their ruler, it was his ſpeciall care; and he having anointed Saul, it exceedingly grieved him, that he ſhould prove ſo wicked; and God ſaw and anſwered the ground of his deſires; and therefore immediately upon his prayers, ſent him to anoint the beſt King that ever was upon that Throne, who was the iſſue and Man-childe of thoſe his prayers. And again, when Samuel came to anoint one of the ſonnes of Ieſſe; when he ſaw Eliab, ver. 6. Surely (ſaies he) the Lords anointed is before me: If Samuel had been to chooſe, hee would have choſen him, and would have prayed for and deſired him: but God ſeeth not as man ſeeth, ver. 7. and chooſeth not as man chooſeth: but in David was his praier fully heard, and anſwered, and that better. So Abraham he had prayed for Iſhmael; and Oh let Iſhmael, live in thy ſight! Gen. 17. but GOD gave him Iſaac in ſtead of him. So perhaps thou prayeſt for one childe more then for another, out of thy natural affection, looking on his countenance and ſtature; as Samuel did on Eliabs: but yet thy prayers being ſincere in the ground of them, in that thou deſireſt a childe of Promiſe, God therefore anſwers thee, though in another, for whom yet haply, thy heart was not ſo much ſtirred; who yet when he is converted, proves to thee as great a comfort; and it is as much as if that other thou diddeſt moſt pray for, had bin wrought upon.