A Guide to Go to God, Preface · Section 17
§. 17. Of the direction which Gods being in heauen giueth vsus for the manner of praying.
Q. DOth this deſcription of Gods greatneſſe giuegive vsus any direction for Prayer?
A. Yes. Both for the Manner and Matter of Prayer.
Q. No image of God to be conceiued i… prayer Exod. 20. 4.What direction doth it giuegive for the Manner of Prayer?
A. 1. That in Prayer we conceiue no Image of God. For whereunto can he, who is in heauen, be reſembled? It cannot but much impaire the ſurpaſſing excellencie of Gods glorious Maieſtie, to be likened to any creature: and that much more then if a great Monarch ſhould be ſaid to be like a toade, or viper. Oft and earneſtly hath God fore-warned his people to take heed thereof:Deut. …. 15. &c. and much conteſted againſt them for it.Iſa. 40. 18 &c. This one point of palpable idolatrie, if there were no other, is enough to keepe vsus from communion with Papiſts.
2.No carnal thing to be conceiued of God. That we conceiue no earthly or carnall thing of God who is in heauen. To thinke that God dealeth hardly with vsus, miſiudgeth our intents,Iob 10. 4. accepteth not our good deeds, reſpecteth perſons, or any ſuch thing,Iob 34. 18, 19. is to conceiue a carnall thing of God. Is it fit to ſay to a King, thou art wicked? or to Princes, ye are vngodly? How much leſſe to him that is in heauen, that accepteth not the perſon of Princes?
3.God not to bee meaſured by mans reaſon. That we meaſure not God, his word, nor workes by the laſte of our reaſon. He is in heauen: we on earth. This therefore is to meaſure things heauenly with an earthly meaſure, which is too ſcantie.Iſa. 55. 9. As the heauens are higher then the earth, ſo are my waies higher then your waies ſaith the Lord. This is to be noted eſpecially againſt ſuch as in their diſtreſſes, when they can ſee no ordinarie meanes of helpe, thinke God himſelfe cannot helpe: as the Iſraelites that ſaid,Pſal. 78. 19. Can God prepare a table in the wilderneſſe? and like the Prince that ſaid,2. King. 7. 2. Though the Lord would make windowes in heauen, could this come to paſſe? This alſo is to be noted againſt ſuch as vtterly diſpaire of merciemercy,Gen. 4. 13. as Cain, Iudas, and others.Math. 27. 5.
4.Goodneſſe of earthly parents tranſcendently applied to God. That we apply all the goodneſſe of earthly parents to God after a tranſcendent, and ſupereminent manner. For as the heauen is higher then the earth, ſo great is his merciemercy, &c. If ye being euill know how to giuegive good gifts vntounto your children, how much more ſhall your Father which is in heauen,Pſal. 103. 11. giuegive good things to them that aske him?Math. 7. 11. On this ground hauehave the Saints in former times ſaid, Though Abraham be ignorant of vsus,Iſa. 63. 16. and Iſrael acknowledge vsus not, yet thou,Iſa. 49. 15. ô Lord, art our Father, &c. Can a woman forget her ſucking child? yea though they may forget, yet will not I forget, ſaith the Lord. Pſal. 27. 10.When my Father and mother for ſake me, then will the Lord take me vp. According to this tranſcendent application of fatherly louelove to God, we ought to hauehave our faith ſtrengthened therein. How much comfort may ſuch Parents as are tender ouer their children, or ſuch children as hauehave tender Parents, or any other that know the tenderneſſe of earthly Parents, receiue by this application, if they beleeue, as they ought, That Our Father which is in heauen, is as much more tender then fathers on earth, as Heauen is higher then earth? Yea ſuch as hauehave impotent and vnnaturall Parents on earth, may vphold themſelues through faith in their Father who is in heauen, being as a Father, readie, and, as in heauen, able to ſupply all their neceſſities.
5. That with all reuerence we proſtrate our ſelues before God our Father in heauen. Reuerendly bow before God.For this end, firſt a true feare of God muſt be planted in our hearts,Pſal. 95. 3, 6. according to this patheticall wiſh of God himſelfe,Deut. 5. 29. O that there were in their hearts a feare of me! Then muſt this feare be manifeſted by beſeeming geſture and words,Placendum eſt diuinis oculis & habitu corporis, & modo vosu. Cypr. de Orat. dom. §. 2. neither ouer-curious, nor ouer-careleſſe. Hereof wee hauehave an excellent patterne in the Lords Prayer, wherein there is admirable art (as we hauehave ſhewed*§. 1. Eccl. 5. 2. before) and yet no frothy curioſitie. The wiſe man, vponupon the ground here noted, giueth a like direction. His direction is this, Be not raſh with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be haſtie to vtter any thing before God. His ground is this, God is in heauen. As for our geſture, on a due conſideration of the greatneſſe of God, we are exhorted to fall downe, Pſal. 95. 3, 6.and kneele before him. The Publican with all humilitie caried himſelfe in Prayer before God:Publicanus humiliter …r…uit, & exaudiuit orantem qui humilibus ignoſcit. Cypr. ibid. §. 4. and kneele before him. The Publican with all humilitie caried himſelfe in Prayer before God: and he who pardoneth the humble heard his Prayer. To conclude this point, all the reuerence both inward and outward, that poſſibly may be, is to be manifeſted to our Father in heauen, leſt his father-hood make vsus ouer-bold. Thus ſhall we in truth ſay vntounto God, MercieMercy is with thee, Pſal. 130. 4.that thou maiſt be feared.
6. That we make no place a pretext to keepe vsus from Prayer. Pray eueryevery where.For as the heauen, and the Sunne therein is eueryevery where ouer vsus, ſo as we cannot withdraw our ſelues out of the compaſſe thereof: ſo much more is God in eueryevery place ouer vsus, and with vsus: neither can we withdraw our ſelues out of the compaſſe of his preſence. We may therefore, yea we ought, (as iuſt occaſion and fit opportunitie is offered) pray in any place. We reade of the Saints prayers made inb1. King. 8. 23. the Temple, incActs 10. 30. their owne houſes, on thedActs 10 9. houſe top, ineGen. 24. 63. the open field, infLuke 6. 12. a mountaine, in gIon. 1. 6.a ſhip, inh—3▪ 2. the mid'ſt of the ſea, ini—2, 1. a fiſhes bellie, inkGen 24. 12. a iourney, inl2. Chron. 14. 11 a battell▪ and in ſundrie other places. This being ſo, what need is there of going on pilgrimage to this or that ſhrine? Is our Father which is in heauen, tied to one countrie, or to one place in a countrie more then to another? An heatheniſh conceipt! For the heathen imagined their Apollo, from whom they receiued their Oracles to be at Delphi, Cuma, Dodona, and ſuch other particular places.Pure hearts in Prayer.
7.m1. Tim. 2. 8. 2. Tim. 2. 19. Pſal. 26. 6. That we liſt vp pure hearts in Prayer. For heauen, where God is on his Throne of Grace, and whither our ſoules in Prayer aſcend, is a pure, and holy place:nReu. 21. 27. into it no vncleane thing can enter. Beſides, from heauen can God eſpie with what minds and hearts we come before him.oPſal. 11. 14. His throne being in heauen, his eyes behold, his eye-lids trie the children of men. Now he can endure to iniquitie, no hypocriſie.pPſal. 66. 18. Ioh. 9. 31. If we regard wickedneſſe, God will not heare our Prayers. qPro. 28. 9. Iſa. … 15.They are abomination to him.
8. That our Prayers be made with an holy ſubiection to Gods will: ſaying as Chriſt,Subiection to Gods will in Prayer. Not my will be done, but thine. God being in heauen hath an abſolute ſoueraigntie: his will muſt, and ſhall ſtand,Mat. 26. 39. whether we will or no. But by our willing ſubiection we make a vertue of neceſſitie:Luke 22. 42. which is a great point of wiſedome.
9.Pray in faith. That in faith we lift vp eyes, hands, and hearts into heauen. Our Father on whom we call is in heauen. Pſal. 123. 1.But locally in our bodies we cannot go thither.Lam. 3. 41. Spiritually therefore, with the wings of faith we muſt flie vp thither. Faith is the eye, hand, and foote of the ſoule.
10.Effectuall Prayer. That our Prayer be ſo ſent forth as they may pierce the heauens where God is. This is to be done with extenſion not of voice,Dcus non vo…is, ſe…co…dis auditor eſt. Cypr. de Orat. dom. §. 3. but of Spirit. The ſhrilleſt ſound of any trumpet cannot reach vntounto the higheſt heauen: no nor the ſtrongeſt report of any canon. But ardencie of ſpirit can pierce to the Throne of Grace. Such a Prayer was that which Moſes poured out when God ſaid,Exod. 14. 15. Why CRYEST thou vntounto me? The Apoſtle ſtileth ſuch deſires as Gods Spirit raiſeth in our ſpirits,Rom. 8. 26. Groanes which cannot be vttered.
11.Pray with confidence. That we pray with confidence in Gods almightie power: beleeuing that God is able to grant whatſoeuer we ſhall aske according to his will.2. Chro. 14. 11. As the title Father gaue vsus ground of confidence in Gods fatherly louelove: ſo this placing of him in heauen, giueth vsus as good ground of confidence in his power. Thus ſhall we (as Abraham did) GiueGive glorie to God, Rom. 4. 20, 21.being fully perſwaded that what he hath promiſed he is able alſo to performe.
12.Pray with courage. That we pray with courage, not fearing what any on earth can do to hinder the fruite and ſucceſſe of our Prayers. For our Father to whom we pray, and from whom we expect the accompliſhment of our deſire, is in heauen, higher then all. Daniel without queſtion did well know and conſider this ground of confidence, when notwithſtanding the decree made againſt all that ſhould aske any petition of any God or man, Dan. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.he prayed three times a day his window being open.