The Amendment of Life, Book 2 · Chapter 6
Of the duetie both of domeſticall and priuate praiers of eueryevery faithfull. Chap. 6.
NOw as we hauehave ſhewed that publique praiers in the Church, and the preaching of Gods word, are vntounto vsus moſt profitable & neceſſary, ſo are we to vnderſtand, that notwithſtāding the ſame we are not neuertheles to neglect the vſe both of Domeſticall and priuate praier, nor yet to forbeare the reading of the holy Scripture in our houſes. Theſe be two points, wherein, as in that they be more cōmon & pernitious, in reſpect of negligence & ſlouth, ſo are we the more hartely in dutie to ſeeke to Amend. As for the praiers which eueryevery houſholder is to practiſe among his family Morning & Euening, we will ſpeake of them hereafter, where we entreate of the duties of houſholders. But for the priuate praiers of eueryevery perticuler perſon, ther is no man, but beſides his publique and domeſticall exerciſes, ought dayly to exerciſe himſelfe therin. Were we endued with the true knowledg both of our ſelues & our eſtate & condition, & of the efficacie of praiers, we ſhould need no ſolliciter to put vsus in mind many times to preſent our ſelues before God: to pray him more and more to reueale his truth: to encreaſe in vsus faith, louelove, & pacience, and other his ſpirituall gifts: to mortifie our corruptions: to ſtrengthen vsus againſt the temptations and aſſaults of the fleſh, the world and the deuill: to prouide vsus of ſuch and ſuch neceſſaries wherof we are in want: to preſerue vsus from ſo many daungers wherwith we are enuironed: To be ſhort, to grant vsus his holy ſpirite, happyly to conduct vsus all the daies of our life. He that feeleth not the neceſsity of ſuch graces, and conſequently of praier to obtaine them, is ſenceleſſe and voide of al vnderſtanding, as alſo eueryevery man perticulerly in his vocation hath great need of Gods aſsiſtance and conſequently of praiers: Parents, that God will giuegive them grace vertuouſly to bring vp & wel to nurture their children: Miniſters of the word, in holines to employ themſelues in their miniſterie: Marchaunts and artificers, faithfully to follow their traficke and trades: Generally all men, that God will vouchſafe to bleſſe them in their vocations, workes and labours. And beſides there may be many of our acquaintance whoſe eſtate and condition bindeth vsus to pray to God for them alſo.
2 To be briefe, ther is not any, but after all priuate petitions accomodated to the time, to the perſons, or to the occurrēces, ought dayly to put in practiſe the doctrine of Ieſus Chriſt, where he ſaith. You ſhall pray thus, Our father which art in heauen &c. as followeth. In this forme of praier teaching vsus that eueryevery of vsus ought dayly to preſent himſelfe before God, is a procurer firſt of his glorie, then of the benefit and ſaluation of the congregation. The zeale of Gods glorie, as alſo our louelove towards our neighbours do bind v… dayly to make this praier, and that with greater diligence and feruencie, becauſe that making it as it were from the month of Chriſt, the author thereof, we ſhall be aſſured of hearing, and conſequently it ſhall make greatly to the aduancement as well of the glorie of God, as of the good and ſaluation of our neighbours: whereupon alſo, as God in the obedience of his law, doth more reſpe…t the obedience of his children, then the worke it ſelfe, ſo may we ſay that this praier, whereby in the three firſt petitions we ſeeke the glory of God, and in the three laſt the good and neceſsities requiſite both for the body & ſoule, as well of our neighbours, as of our ſelues, being dayly with hart and mind poured forth, is as it were a fulfilling of the lawe, the ſumme whereof conſiſteth in this, that wee louelove God with our whole hearts and our neighbours as our ſelfe.
3 Moreouer, in theſe praiers lifting vp our hearts vntounto God, and ſo communicating dayly with him, we do by little and little forget the earth and the world, and doe grow ſpirituall and heauenly: Euen as Moſes in olde time hauing conuerſed with God fortie daies and fortie nights, when hee came downe to the people, ſeemed to hauehave ſhining beames in his face. And indeede as by little and little we learne the maners and language of thoſe with whom we do ordinarily conuerſe, beſides that by ſuch conuerſation ther breedeth a certaine affection betweene them more then others: ſo by this our conuerſing with God in our praiers, we learne both the manners and language of heauen: and in our ſelues doe perceiue ſome encreaſe of louelove towards God. Which is more, as wee are but to much enclined either to our ſelues, or at other mens ſolliciting to ſome riot or iniquitie, ſo when we call to mind that in the morning we hauehave praied vntounto God that he would vouchſafe to keepe vsus, alſo that at night we are to return againe to do the like, the ſame is vntounto vsus a mightie bridle to reſtraine vsus from wickednes and to retaine vsus in due obedience towards God. Beſides, as when we pray vntounto him, we hauehave regard to his promiſes, & the experience of his benefits, and ſo cal him father, beſeeching him to guide vsus as a father doth his children, the ſame is a good meanes to ſtrengthen our faith, and a foundation of comfort in euerie vocation and eſtate whereinto it pleaſeth God to call and place vsus: aſſuring our ſelues that by ſuch praiers eueryevery thing that ſhall come to paſſe, ſhall be according to the worke and conduct of our father, yea euen the accompliſhment of his will, which cannot be bad vntounto vsus. To be ſhort, ſuch as through Gods grace doe dayly exerciſe themſelues therein, do by experience find what a comfort, benefit and contentation they receiue by the ſame.
4 This is the reaſon why the moſt excellent ſeruants & children of God hauehave beene the rather addicted thereto. How ſeruently did Moſes employ himſelfe therein, when hee continued groueling before God in prayer for the ſpace of fortie dayes and fortie nightes. Likewiſe Samuell, when hee ſayde. God ſorbid that I ſhoulde ſinne against the Lorde and ceaſe praying for you. Deu 9.18. 1. Sam. 12.23. Pſa. 119.147. Pſal. 88.14. Act. 10.2.4Eſpecially the princely Prophet Dauid, who in his Pſalmes ſufficiently declareth that he was as it were tyed thereto by dayly exerciſe. As perticulerly wher to this purpoſe hee ſayth. I preuented the morning light to praye to God, Againe. My prayer preuenteth thee in the Morning. Cornelius the Centurion ſo laboured therein that he prayed continually. Whereby finally the Lords Angell ſayde vntounto him,Pphil. 1.4. Ehe. 1.16. Col. 1.9. 1. Theſ. 1.2. & 5.17. Col. 4.2. that his praiers were come in remembraunce before God. S. Paul in many Epiſtles proteſteth that he ceaſed not night and day to pray for the Churches. As alſo in many places he carefully commendeth himſelfe to their praiers, and by his example exhorteth vsus to pray without ceaſing, and to perſeuere in prayer with watching and thankeſgiuing.
5 That we may the better therefore employ our ſelues in this dutie, it is meete that we practiſe the ſaying of Ieſus Chriſt? When thou prayeſt enter into thy chamber, Mat. 6.6.and when thou haſt ſhut thy doore, praie vntounto thy father which is in ſecret, and thy father which ſeeth in ſecret, ſhall reward thee openly. True it is, that this exhortation tendeth eſpecially to reproue the hipocriſy of thoſe that ſeek to make a ſhew, and to boaſt of their deuotion: yet with all it miniſtreth a generall and very profitable inſtruction, that wee ſhould exerciſe our ſelues in praiers, not onelyonly in publique, but alſo priuate, withdrawing our ſelues ſolitarily & apart, to employ ſome time therin, with aſſurance that it ſhall not be without fruite. And to that purpoſe wee reade that Iſaac went from among his familie into the field to pray: That Peter went into the toppe of the houſe (among the Iewes the roofes of the houſes were flat) to pray: Did not Ieſus Chriſt many times goe a ſide alone to pray to God his father?Gen. 24.63. Act. 10.9. Mark. 6.46. Mark. 1.36, Luk. 6.12. Saint Marke ſaith that he went vp into the mountaine to pray: Alſo, that riſing while it was yet night hee went forth into a deſert place and prayed. And Saint Luke ſaith, that beeing gone into the mountaine to praie, he ſpent the whole night in praier. As therefore by his example, we ought to ſeeke out all ſecret opportunities, wherby we may the more freely lift vp our hearts to God in praier: So when we find our ſelues alone, vponupon occaſion or otherwiſe in the houſe, or in the fields, by night or by day, ſuch ſolitarineſſe ſhould be vntounto vsus as a warning and allurement by and by to thinke vponupon God, that we may praie and praiſe him. For as the ſpirite cannot be Idle, ſo being alone from noiſe, companie, or companion to talke with, it giueth occaſion to the children of God that are not to much entangled in worldly affaires, to enter as it were into familiaritie with God, and to call onelyonly vponupon him.
6 And in as much as we are but meanely enclined and giuen to theſe ſpiritual exerciſes, it might well beſeeme the childrē of God to binde themſelues to certaine houres: not in ſuperſtition, but for a remedie to our in firmities, becauſe otherwiſe we will many times ouerſlippe the whole day without this dutie. But hauing limited ſome certaine houre for that employment, the ſtriking of the clocke will admoniſh vsus of our dutie, that wee ſhoulde not let it eſcape. Dauid, a man greatly exerciſed in praier, practiſed this courſe, as he ſheweth ſaying, that he called vponupon the Lord at night,Pſal. 55.18 Dan. 6.10. Auguſt. 10 Proba. in the morning, and at noone daie. Daniel alſo thrice a daie entered into his chamber, to pray to God. And Saint Auguſtine writeth, that the brethren of Egypt in his time, vſed many prayers to God, but verie ſhort, caſt forth as darts into heauen, leaſt through tediouſnes, the ſeruencie that ought to be in prayer might quaile. By the premiſes therefore it appeareth, that for the amendement of our liues, we ought according to the exhortation of Ieſus Chriſt to correct the negligence and ſloth that hath taken holde of vsus, & to imploie our ſelues in praier and priuate ſupplications, & thereto heereafter to giuegive our ſelues with ſuch zeale,Luke 21.36 Pſal. 4.6 that by continuall watching and praying to God, our petitions in all things may bee made knowen to him by praiers and ſupplications, with thankeſgiuing, as beeing aſſured that the more that we exerciſe and accuſtome our ſelues thereunto, the greater ſhal be our comfort and affection to abide therin to Gods glory, and the benefit and ſaluation both of our neighbors and our ſelues.