The Pathway to Prayer and Piety, Preface 1
A PREFACE OF PRAYER: TO MINE Honourable, Worſhipfull, and Chriſtian Auditors, at Saint Martins in the Fieldes; Grace and PEACE.
CHriſtian Auditors: There are three things in regard of God which eueryevery good perſon muſt bee acquainted withall; the firſt is how hee muſt talke with God; The ſecond, how hee muſt liue before God; The third, how hee muſt come to God, when the ſeale of his ſaluation is offered in the Sacrament. Of all …heſe three I am bold at this time to preſent vntounto you this little Manuell.
Lycurgus, a Law-giuer amongſt the Lacedaemonians, made this one Law of ſacrificing to the gods, that they ſhould not bee preſented with many things, and thoſe of either ſmall or no great value. If things are to bee eſteemed rather by weight, then worth, I hauehave obſerued this law in this preſent gift. I offer vntounto you but three things; the firſt number of which, all can bee ſpoken. And I preſent vntounto you but ſmall things; for what can be contained in ſo few ſheetes of paper? yet if it pleaſe you to giuegive theſe few ſheetes the reading, you ſhall know better how to pray, learn better how to liue, and vnderſtand better how to come to Gods table, ſo long as you ſhall either pray, liue, or receiue. And becauſe I hauehave concerning the firſt, Preached to you of late many Sermons,The dignitie of Prayer. I am willing at this time in way of Preface, to commend vntounto you the dignitie of Prayer.
By it wee conferre and talke with God and by it we procure much good vntounto man: By it we doe pierce the very cloudes, and by it we hauehave whatſoeuer is meete. Doe wee want any thing that is good for vsus or others? Prayer is the meſſenger whom wee muſt ſend towards God. HaueHave we receiued any ſpeciall fauour from him? Prayer is our Ambaſſadour to giuegive him thankes.
Are wee in the morning to begin our worke? this is the Key to open the day.Clauit diei. Are we at euening to ſhut our ſelues in? this is theaSera noctis. locke to ſeale vp the night. If we would bind the AlmightiebVinculum inuincibilis: Bern. to do vsus none hurt, heere is the band by which he is tied cVis Deo grata. Chryſoſt.. And if we would vntie him to do vsus good, heere is the porter of the gates of heauen. It is our Oedypus to diſſolue our doubts, it is our commentarie to vnderſtand Gods worddClauis Scriptura. Origen. It is aeDeo ſacrificium, diabolo flagellum, homini ſubſidium. Auguſt. The praiſe of praier. ſacrifice to God, a ſcourge to the diuell, and an helpe to our ſelues in all our troubles. Wherefore, as the Apostle by examples, commended faith to the Hebrewes, ſo may I by examples commend prayer to you.
By it Abrahams ſeruant obtained a wife for Iſaac, and by it Moſes obtained a pardon for Iſrael. By this, the ſame Moſes ouercame the Amalekites, and by this Abraham interceded for the Sodomites. By prayer Iacob was deliuered from Eſau; Ioſuah from the men of Aie; Dauid from Goliah; The Prophet from Ieroboam; Elizeus from the Samaritans; Hezechiah from death; Iehoſophat from the Aramites; Manaſſes from captiuitie; Ieremiah from his aduerſaries, and Daniel from the Lions: the d…ſeaſed from his leproſie, the Apoſtles from priſon, & the Church from perſecution. By prayer Hannah obtained a ſonne, Dauid deliuerance, Salomon wiſedome, Elias the reſtoring of a dead child, Elizeus the opening of his ſeruants eyes, Nehemiah the kings fauour, the Centurion his ſeruants health, Chriſt comfort in his agonie, the Apoſtles a ſucceſſor to Iudas, Stephen pardon for Paul, and Monima the conuerſion of her ſonne S. Auſtin.
In Pſal. 63Thus true it is which that Auſtin ſaith, Great is the profit of pure prayer, and as a faithfull meſſenger, deliuers her arrand, and pierceth thither, whither fleſh cannot come. And this it was which made Bernard to ſay; Brethren let none of vsus lightly eſteeme his prayer: I tell you, that hee to whom wee pray doth not lightly eſteeme it: after it is out of our mouth, he writes it in his Booke: and one of theſe two wee may doubtleſſe expect, either that hee will grant our petition, or that which hee knoweth to be better for vsus.
Call vponupon me, and I will heare, ſaith God: aske; and you ſhall hauehave, ſaith Chriſt. Before they crie I will heare them, ſaith Iſaiah. The Lord is nigh to all that call vponupon him, ſaith Dauid, but to ſuch as call vponupon him in truth. And if we may belieue the Apoſtle Iames, the prayer of a righteous man auaileth much.
Pray therefore, and we had need to pray.Why wee ought to Pray. Satan will deuoure thee: pray for deliuerance. The world will allure thee: pray for aſsiſtance. The fleſh will betray thee: pray for defence. The wicked will ſeduce thee: pray for continuance. What, beloued? If God had commaunded vsus a great thing, ought wee not to doe it? how much more when he ſaith, pray and preuaile, aske and hauehave, ſeeke and finde, knock and it ſhall bee opened vntounto you? aske Temporall things, and hauehave them, ſeeke for Spirituall things and find them, knocke for Eternall things, and the gates of heauen ſhall ſtand as open to you, as the gates of the priſon did to the Apoſtle Peter.
By this, with Eliah, you may open and ſhut the verie gates of heauen, and by this with the Apostle you may ſhake the foundations of the earth. O pretious praier, what could not onelyonly wee, but euen the whole world, doe without thee! Thou increaſeſt the earth, calmeſt the ſea, aſſwageſt the fire, purgeſt the ayre, protecteſt our Gouernours, confoundeſt our enemies, preſerueſt our health, inſtructeſt our mindes, bleſſeſt our actions, encreaſeſt our wealth, exalteſt our honour, ſpeakeſt but the word, and we are preſerued.
Prayer in all places.Pray wee therefore in all places, at all times, for all perſons, and for all things. Pray wee in all places, but in eueryevery place lifting vp pure hands vntounto God. Thus, Iſaac prayed in the field, Iakob in his bed, Iſrael in Egypt, Moſes on the Mount, Ioſuah at Iericho, Elias in the chamber, Hezekiah on his couch, Ieremie in the dungeon, Ionah in the Whales bellie, Daniel in the Lions den, Chriſt in the Garden, the Diſciples in a ſhip, Peter in a Tanners houſe, Paul at the ſea ſide: and the Iewes at Ieruſalem. Call vponupon him in thy priuate chamber, and crie vntounto him with thy familie in thy parlour. Thou needest not to fall downe at ſome piller with hypocrites, but praiſe him eſpecially in the congregation of Saints: for there many voices are Gods best melodie.
Pray alſo at all times: at euening,Pray at all times. and morning, and at noone day, will I pray vntounto thee, yea at midnight will I riſe to call vponupon thee, nay ſeuen times a day wil I praiſe thee, ſaith Dauid. Daniel did ſo three times a day, Paul did it day and night, Hannah did it all the daies of her life, and the Pſalmographer vowes it, I will praiſe the Lord as long as I liue, as long as I hauehave any being, I will ſing praiſes to my God. Pray continually, not as thoſe Heretiques,Euchitae. who would euer do ſo, but as Chriſtians who know when to do ſo.
With morning prayer, the day begin:
With euening prayer the night ſhut in.
Without this prayer ſit not to eate:
Without Gods praiſe riſe not from meate.
And forget not to pray for all perſons, Pray for ad perſons.for the King as the head, his Senatours as the eyes, his Clergie as the mouth, his Souldiers as the hands, his Subiects, to all trades, as the feete vponupon which the Common-wealth doth ſtand. Art thou a Miniſter? pray for thy flocke. An Auditor? for thy Preacher. A Father? for thy child: an Husband? for thy wife: a Maſter? for thy ſeruant: or a Gouernour? pray for thy family. Is any Sicke? pray for his health: Poore? for his wealth: Impriſoned? for his libertie: Seduced? for his recouerie: Confirmed? for his constancie: or in any Diſtreſſe? for his deliuerie. Pray for all men, that their bodies may be preſerued, ſoules ſaued, eſtates maintained, that thy, and their thoughts may bee ſanctified, your words ſeaſoned, and your actions ordered by the Spirit of God.
To whom we muſt Pray.Will you know now to whom wee must pray? not to a Calfe, as the Iſraelites did, nor to Baal, as his Prieſts did, nor to an Image, as Idolaters did, nor to any Saints, as our fathers did; but as we are bound to ſerue God alone, ſo are we bounden to pray to God alone; for hee alone knoweth our wants, heareth our petitions, hath promiſed to helpe vsus, is able to doe for vsus, and is the alone preſent helper in the needfull time of trouble.
I will draw to an end. You hauehave ſeene beloued, the neceſsitie of this ſeruice,How wee muſt Pray. let mee ſhew you a litle the qualities of this ſeruice. Pray we muſt in knowledge with vnderſtanding, in faith by beleeuing, in remorſe with feeling, in zeale without cooling, in intention without wandering, in reuerence without contemning, in conſtancie without reuolting, and in louelove without reuenging. Let our eyes be fastned, hearts fixed, knees bowed, mouthes opened, & our hands lifted vp as to the King of Kings. And as Iacob would not let the Angell goe till he were bleſſed, ſo let not vsus let him go till we be heard. Let not the woman of Canaan bee more earneſt with Chriſt militant, then we will be with the ſame Christ triumphāt. Let neuer the Queen of Sheba ſo willingly come to Salomon, as we must willingly come vntounto Christ: hee loueth most, willing and importunate ſuters. Wherefore, as Dauid ſaid to Abner, neuer ſee my face, vnleſſe thou bring Michal with thee; ſo I ſay vntounto you, neuer look God in the face, vnleſſe you bring Prayer with you.
As I hauehave declared to you the dutie of prayer, ſo ſhould I ſpeake ſomewhat of giuing of thankes. Many can be content to pray in troubles: but few giuegive thankes for deliuerance out of trouble. Multi petentes, pauci promittentes, pauciſſimi reddentes, ſaith an ancient Father: there are many Petitioners, few Promiſers, moſt few thankeſgiuers. Are there not ten cleanſed? where are the nine? there is none returned to giuegive thankes but this one, and he is a Samaritan. If euer people vnderunder the cope of heauen had occaſion to praiſe God, wee are they, eſpecially for his Word and Goſpell, and for many deliuerances ſhewed to our Princes and people.
But becauſe at the end of this Treatiſe, I hauehave ſet downe a forme both of prayer and thankeſgiuing, I referre you to the peruſing of thoſe two platformes.
I doubt not of your patience for the length of this Preface, becauſe I deſire to leaue it as an occular Sermon, instructing you continually how to call vponupon God, and preparing you to the expoſitiō of the Lords Prayer, which of many through ignorance is as much prophaned, as euer God was by ſaying the Pater-noſter in Latine, or repeating other Roſaries in an vnknowne language.
Now hauing ended, as you ſee, theſe questions and anſweres, I make queſtion with my ſelfe, to whom I may commend them; and becauſe for theſe ten yeares immediately paſt, I hauehave liued and preached amongst you, and that by the aſsignement of your Reuerend Pastor,M. Doctor Montfort. I am bold in generall to preſent them to you all. You hauehave, I confeſſe, known my conuerſation, been acquainted with my miniſtrie, countenanced me in my calling, maintained me in health, comforted me in ſickneſſe, and afforded vntounto me much more kindneſſe, than can be requited by this paper preſent. And ſince it pleaſeth God to diſpoſe of mee ſtill in ſuch vncertaine places, as that I could neuer yet ſay, heere muſt I reſt: I bleſſe God that euer I came vntounto you, whoſe louelove and larges hath bin, & is amongſt many of you (for what lecturer for ten yeares together can pleaſe al) ſuch vntounto mee, as makes mee to ſay of my late exile, Perijſſem niſi perijſſem, I had beene vndone, if others had not ſought to vndoe me.
Since I came vntounto you, I hauehave preached painfully, liued honeſtly, and ſtudied carefully to do you ſeruice: with what conſcience I know, with what danger you know, and with what profit God knowes. Surely this good I ſee done amongst you; you hauehave beautified the houſe of the liuing God; praiſe that worthy Knight, whoſe louelove and labour was firſt in that worke; you hauehave enlarged that houſe which is for the dying Saints; pray for that good King who gaue you that piece of ground; and your congregation is as the thouſands of Iſrael. Bleſſe God for thoſe trumpets of yours, who hauehave euer called you to ſuch holy aſſemblies. Bleſſed be that God, who thus bleſſeth you: bleſſed be you, who thus bleſſe God: and bleſſed and billeted vp be they in heauen, who thus prouide for the liuing and the dead, and withall remember their painfull Teachers.
Now though I cannot ſay to you, as Paul did to the Corinthians, I am yours to liue and die with you: (for no Miniſter can ſay it, who dependeth vponupon voluntarie contribution) yet this I will ſay, and ſay for euer, I am yours to liue, and pray for you, that you may ſo know God, as you may pray to him, ſo pray to God that you may liue before him, ſo liue, that you may euer be fit to receiue his Sacrament, and ſo both fit to know, pray, liue, and receiue, that after you hauehave knowen him by Chriſt, prayed to him through Chriſt, liued before him in Chriſt, and receiued his fauour in the ſeales of Chriſt, you may in the end die in his faith, as you hauehave liued in his feare, and at the laſt day in bodies and ſoules, be partakers of eternall glorie. To the grace of this God I commend you, to your grace I commend theſe Treatiſes, doubting not but many of you will be as readie to reade them, as you hauehave beene willing to heare them. From your Pariſh of Saint Martin, in the fields.
Iune 10. 1613. Your ſeruant in the Lord, ſo long as it ſhall pleaſe God and you, ROBERT HILL.