Commentary Upon Ephesians 1, Commentary · Verse 16
VERSE. 16 I ceaſe not to giuegive thankes for you, making mention of you in my prayers.
Now he comes vntounto the fact, which ſtandeth of thankeſgiuing and prayer; his prayer being firſt generally mentioned, then more particularly declared to the end.
Doct. 1 In this 16. verſe, marke three things. 1. That on heare-ſay of their faith and louelove, he is thankefull to God. 2. That he doth pray for them. 3. The manner that he doth it, without ceaſing. Obſerue from the firſt, the graces of God in others muſt moue Chriſtians, eſpecially Miniſters, to be thankfull to God; Paul doth it eueryevery where, looke the beginnings of his Epiſtles; yea Chriſtians did no leſſe for Paul, Gal. 1. vlt. they did glorifie God in him. The nature of enuie maketh a man like thoſe who hauehave ſore eyes, they are grieued at the ſpirituall good of others, as the ſoare eye is to ſee this corporall light: An example we hauehave of it in Cain to Abel: but louelove doth congratulate, reioyceth with thankfulneſſe to ſee truth of knowledge, of grace, of holy practiſe, 1 Cor. 13. Beſides, the third commandement doth binde vsus to giuegive honour to God, by praiſing him for theſe his workes of grace in others. If a Schoole-Maſter bring a rude vntoward Boy to behauiour and forwardneſſe in learning, we much commend him, that he hath wrought ſo farre on ſo vndiſpoſed a ſubiect: But how much more is hee to be magnified who doth worke ſuch alterations in ſinners, dead in their ſinnes and treſpaſſes?
Secondly, the nature of ioy is to inlarge the the heart to thankfulneſſe: Now true Chriſtians, eſpecially Miniſters, can ſee nothing which doth more glad them then men walking as the truth is, in Chriſt. 3. Iohn, verſe 4. I hauehave no ioy like to this, when I ſee my children walke in the truth.
Vſe 1 Wherefore let vsus all labour to finde this in our ſelues; that wee are thankefully affected to God in the comming on of other, it is an euidence of true grace in our hearts: EueryEvery thing reioyceth to ſee the encreaſe of thoſe who are like to it ſelfe, eſpecially Miniſters muſt praiſe God in the towardneſſe of thoſe who belong to them. What naturall Parent can ſee the outward proſperitie of his children, but that he is delighted in it, and thankfull to the authors of it?
Vſe 2 Secondly, ſeeing that this is the effect the grace of others hath in the godly, what may wee thinke of them who are vexed to ſee the comming on of others to a godly courſe, yea, who will not ſticke to curſe them by whom they were ſeduced to this Puritan ſtrictneſſe? ſurely that ſeede of the old ſerpent is ſtrong in them, which doth make them ſo full of enmity againſt thoſe in whoſe hearts the ſeed of Grace is now ſowne through Gods mercy.
Vſe 3 This ſheweth Chriſtians what they are to doe: Would they hauehave their Miniſters made glad, and their hearts inlarged to thankeſgiuing? Let them ſhew forth the power of Grace in their conuerſation: If you ſtand ſtedfaſt, ſaith Paul, 1 Theſ. 3.8. wheras if they lie in grieuous ſtate, it doth ſo grieue their Miniſters, that nothing can refreſh them, but their amendment, by whom they are grieued, 2 Cor. 2. Natural parents are ſo affected, that while their children ſtand well with them, they thinke there is no croſſe; but if a croſſe befall them heere, they can finde no content for the time in any thing beſide.
Doct. 2 Obſerue ſecondly, that Chriſtians are to helpe each other with prayer, eſpecially Miniſters their conuerted people. God requireth it of all Chriſtians, and doth ergo make promiſes, that our prayers ſhall be auaileable, as well for others, as for our ſelues, Iam. 5. But Miniſters by office are Gods remembrancers, & muſt offer incenſe as well as teach, Deut. 33. which our Sauiour likewiſe did before his offering vp himſelfe, Iohn. 17. The bounty of God doth encourage vsus vntounto it, who hath ſaid, that they who hauehave any thing in truth, ſhall hauehave more; it is but as a pledge of his further grace to be beſtowed.
Againe, the Deuill is buſie, ſeeking to bring them backe who now are taken from vnderunder his power: we ſee by wofull experience, how many are turned backe from good beginnings; we hauehave need therefore to ſupport them, and when Miniſters ſhould hauehave parent-like affections, how can they but ſeeke their good? How many wiſhes will naturall Parents hauehave about their natural children?
Wherefore let vsus all ſeeke to God each for other: What will we doe for him whom we will not lend a word to for his good? Eſpecially, let vsus Miniſters ſay as Samuel, 1 Sam. 10. God forbid I ſhould ceaſe to pray for you, and ſo ſinne againſt God.
Doct. 3 The laſt thing is, that hee prayed vnceſſantly; whence obſerue, That we muſt with perſeuerance follow God in thoſe things we pray for: This our Sauiour teacheth by thoſe two parables, Luk. 11. of him that went to borrow three loaues, and Luk. 10. of the widdow following the vnrighteous Iudge. There are many conditions in prayer, in regard of the perſons to whom we pray; perſons and things for which we pray; perſons who pray; finally in regard of the prayer it ſelfe; as that it ſhould be humble, feruent, and continuall. God doth preuent vsus with ſome things, he doth giuegive vsus ſpeedily otherſome, but there are others againe, for which he wil hauehave vsus follow him with continuance, before he be…o… them; for ſhould we ſtill no ſooner aske then receiue, Prayer were rather a matter of experience, then of faith: he doth, ergo ſee it fit thus to exerciſe our ſanctity, faith, patience; thus to trie whether our requeſt come from vnſetled humour, or from pouerty of ſpirit, and thirſting deſire. Thus he doth prepare vsus to receiue the things we aske in greater meaſure; for the wider the ſoule is inlarged in deſire, the more abundantly God meaneth to fill it in his time. Againe, by this meane hee doth make vsus poſſeſſe his bleſſings with more delight, and carefulneſſe, then otherwiſe wee would: not to mention that wee in our firſt ſeeking things are vnfit often to receiue them.
But heare two queſtions ſhall be briefly anſwered. Firſt; whether it be ſinne, alwaies to ceaſe from asking this or that. Secondly; whether all ceaſing to goe on in Prayer, doth make our former Prayer fruitleſſe.
To the firſt I anſwere, not all ceaſing, but ceaſing out of vnbeliefe, or impenitencie is ſinfull; firſt, when we hauehave obtained this or that, we may ceaſe to begge any longer as we did before: Euen as the body reſteth when it is now come to the place to which it moueth; ſo the ſoule when it hath attayned that, to which it went by vnfained deſire. Secondly, when we finde the thing not to be profitable for vsus, or otherwiſe not pleaſing to God. Thus Paul was taught to ſee the vſe of that buffeting remaining with him: Thus when Ieremy learned that God had not to giuegive, nor would not be intreated for the proſperity of the people, hee did deſiſt, though hee did well before in asking of it: for that reuealed will, and not the ſecret is that to which our actions muſt be conformed: Though here is ſomthing extraordinary in theſe examples, yet God doth often let his children ſee that they did affect things not good for them, by leading them into fuller knowledge of their owne hearts, and by letting them finde the fruit of ſome outward diſturbances, the remoouall whereof they ſought earneſtly, ſo that they correct themſelues, and no more ſeeke to be free from that which they finde ſo neceſſary by good experience: this deſiſting is holy and good. Thirdly, there is a deſiſting ouertaking Gods children, when God doth locke vp their hearts that they hauehave not power to ſeeke the good of ſome perſons or Churches as heeretofore they hauehave done, which when it is not contracted or cauſed by ſome ſinfull indiſpoſition in the party, but from a ſecret of God not moouing the ſpirit in this kinde, that ſo way may be made for his iudgements, it is ſuch a ceaſing as cannot be condemned for ſinne, though it may alwayes be bewailed, as a ſecret deſertion, which doth foretell heauie things inſuing. Fourthly, Wee ceaſe to pray as before for things, without ſinne, when now God hath, as it were, ſpoken within our ſpirits, that wee ſhall hauehave the thing we hauehave asked, and bid our ſoules after a ſort returne to reſt: For from whence we find God thus good vntounto vsus, wee follow not with our accuſtomed feruency, though execution delayed, may cauſe vsus ſometime ſeeke the ſeaſonable performance of it, the ſoule is more in ioyfull expectance, leſſe then before in carefull petition. The ceaſing therefore forbidden is, when before we receiue things, we doe through vnbeliefe and impatience, giuegive ouer either for a time, which befalleth Gods children, or altogether.
The latter queſtion is anſwered thus. Looke as a brunt of vnbeliefe doth not euacuate our faith formerly grounded on Gods promiſe; for Dauid his ſaying, that Saul would at length catch him, and flying out of vnbeliefe to Gath, did not make his former faith in vaine; ſo intermiſſion for a brunt, while the fit of vnbeliefe, deiection of minde, or impatiencie laſteth, doth not hinder, but that wee ſhall receiue the things wee hauehave vnfeignedly deſired.
The Vſe is to ſtirre vsus vp that wee faint not in following God: Wee louelove not to be troubled, and euen moleſted with inſtancy, but no thing is more acceptable to God then this violence, which will not let him goe till he hath bleſſed vsus. I, but I ſeeke and ſee nothing of my prayers: the harueſt commeth not ſo ſoone as the ſeed is ſowen; though thou feeleſt not the things thou askeſt, nor remoueall of thoſe euils whereof thou complaineſt, yet thou doſt not know what euill this courſe of following God doth keepe from thee, nor what good in other kindes he doth thee for it. Againe, thou ſhalt reape in time if thou vtterly faint not, for that which is denied vsus in life, is often by Gods moſt wiſe diſpoſition graunted in the end of it. But to come to the prayer it ſelfe.