Davids Thanksgiving, Sermon 1
Dauids thankfulnes for the arrainement of the man of Earth.
PSAL. 10. 17. 18.
Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the poore,Text. thou preparest their heart, thou bendest thine eare vntounto them. To iudge the fatherlesse, and poore, that the man of earth cause to feare no more.
THis tenth Psalme doth most liuely describe vntounto vsus a corrupt & peruerse state of a miserable commōwealth groning and fainting vnderunder the intollerable burthens of manifold oppressions, and extreame iniuries heaped vponupon her by the mightie and proud Nimrods of that time, by cruell and craftie worldlings, by godlesse & blasphemous Athists, by secure, and carnall Epicures, by loose and lawlesse Belials, which in Dauids time like Bees swarmed in euerie Countrey & Citie, in eueryevery Towne and Village, and came about the poore seruants of God, daily & howerlie as thicke as hailestones in Aegypt, euen a right picture of that wherin we now liue, which made that princely Prophet and propheticall prince Dauid (as a man amazed at such a forelorne sight, and pitifull complaining that was on euerie side) to speake farre otherwise of the Lord then he is indeed, and in a kind of quarrelling manner to expostulate the matter with the Lord after the manner of man, saying: Why standest thou farr of O Lord, & hidest thy selfe in due time, euē in affliction? euen while the wicked with pride doth persecute the poore? Greatlie (no doubt) did iniquitie preuaile, & strong was the temptation; yea to great boldnes, and courage were the wicked growen when it seemed to Dauid, as if the Lord were carelesse in gouerning the world, and had forgotten to releeue his poore distressed people, or call the wicked to account, but seemed either to let thē do euen what they listed without controlment, which God forbid we should once imagine, but yet in the time of afflictiō & temptation such is the weaknes of faith euē in the verie regenerate, that they cōceiue somtime of God and his works, otherwise then becōmeth thē, or then beseemeth the maiestie of God, the reason hereof is, because they be for the time as men that are buffeted and astonied with blowes, to whose sence the ground seemeth to turne round, when indeed there is no such matter, but the turning and alteration is in themselues, and therfore the temptations of the regenerate are called by Paule the buffetings of Sathan. 2. Cor. 12. 7. And yet notwithstanding (though at a blush they may seeme to iumpe with the wicked, who doe alwaies harbour within them most base and vnworthy conceipts of the most high, who filleth Heauen and earth with his all seeing, and incomprehensible presence, & with whom is neither change nor shew of change, yet between the godly and the wicked there is alwaies this double differēce. First, in the greatest afflictions, and weaknes of faith wherwith the godly are exercised, there is yet some euidence of Gods sanctifying spirit in them, supporting them from finall and desperate falling away from the grace of God, though it be more then they alwaies feele in themselues, for though Dauid complaineth in the beginning of this Psalme of Gods long absence, yet he is certainly perswaded of his presence to him, or else he had praied in vaine. And as earthlie Fathers hauehave a secret affection to their childrē more then their children do alwaies perceiue, so God hath a secret hand in his children to vphold them from falling away, more then they alwaies doe feele, which feeling they want somtime to humble them, and to make them more earnest in prayer, and more carefull to keepe the fauor of God when they hauehave it. And somtime the Lord bestoweth secret fauours vponupon his children more then they know of, as Iosephs brethren had eueryevery man his money in his sacke by the waie, which was more thē they knew, til they came their Inne. Gen. 42. 27. But with the wicked it is not so, for God hath left them to themselues,Rom. 1. 24 2. Tim. 3. 13. giuing them ouer to a reprobate sence that they may wax worse & worse, deceiuing and beeing deceiued, there is no secret hand of Gods grace in them, that can be perceiued either of themselues or of others for them. Another difference is this: when the heat of affliction and strength of temptation is allaied in the godly, and they come to themselues againe, as men doe that hauehave beene beaten and buffeted, they recall their errour, and correct their former crazed opinions, giuing to God afterward that honour that is due vntounto him, but the wicked after they be a little eased, and released of their paine, doe turne againe to their former vomit, neuer once dreaming that they either thought or spake, or did any thing amisse, or against the glorie of God, but praise their owne wit, doing sacrifice to the works of their owne fingers.
After Dauid had complained to the Lord of the pride and crueltie of the wicked and very substantiallie proued those articles which he exhibited against them, in the 12. verse he doth humbly sue vntounto the Lord by praier, that he would arise and shew by some gracious effects that he hath the poore in remembrance, which doe commit themselues vntounto him, and namely by breaking the arme, that is, the power of the wicked which they abused to mischiefe and wronge. And at length as one hauing obtained his request, hee concludeth this Psalme with a holy gratulation or thanksgiuing vntounto the Lord, for that by his spirit he did assure him of some remedie, by taking a iudiciall hearing of the matter on both sides, whereby we are taught to pray for Gods poore distressed people as for our selues, as also to be as thankfull to God for his mercies toward them as if they had beene bestowed vponupon our selues, and in so doing shall we trie whether we be fellow & feeling members of the bodie of Christ, or dead and rotten members, such as are cut of from the bodie, and liue not by the life of God that is in Iesus Christ.
Lord thou hast heard &c. Heere Dauid acknowledgeth the goodnes of God towards his poore helplesse seruants two waies, first generally in the 17 verse, saying. Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the poore, then particularly amplifying this goodnes of God, first by setting downe the efficient cause of the poore mans desire, in these words. Thou preparest their heart, then by noting the formall cause of that readines, and willingnes which is in God to heare their desire in these words, Thou bendest thine eare vntounto them, and then by the finall cause of this goodnes, in vers. 18. & that is double, first in respect of the poore, and oppressed, that they may hauehave iustice and right, secondly in respect of their oppressors (who are called in contempt the man of earth) that they may be no more cause of terrour to the godly.
The first thing heere to be noted, is how Dauid changeth his note, for before he said, Lord thou hast hid thy selfe, but now he saith Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore, that is, thou hast shewed thy selfe in the robes of Iustice and iudgement, Dauid here was like one that during the battaile could not tell what to make of the matter, but after the encounter is past, like a valiant conquerer he striketh vp, and maketh forward in triumph saying: The Lord is King for euer and euer, the heathen are destroyed out of thy sight, Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore, thou preparest their heart, thou bendest thine eare. To iudge the fatherlesse and the poore, that the man of earth cause to feare no more.
And heere we see that verified which is in Psal. 126. 5. 6. They that sowe in teares, shall reape in ioy: And that which is in our prouerbe, A harde beginning maketh a good ending: for one woulde hauehave thought by the beginning of this Psalme that he shoulde neuer hauehave obtained so happy an end, for thus he be ginneth: Why dost thou stand farre off O Lord, and hidest thy selfe in time of affliction: that is, why hauehave we not Iustice executed; but he endeth as you heare: Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore, &c. which is as much as can be desired. Such a blessed and ioyfull end will God sende vntounto all his poore afflicted seruants, when he hath well humbled them, and throughly exercised them with the buffetings of Sathan, and stung them to the very heart with the sence and feeling of their sinnes, and affrighted them with a terrible shew of an angrie & wrathfull countenance, all which the Lord wil do against his dere childrē. First to let thē feele & know what they hauehave, & are of themselues, secondlie, to make them acquainted with sathans mallice, that they take heed how they either obey him or beleue him againe, thirdly, to make the greatnes of his louelove, and gracious mercy more knowen in deliuering them at the last; for by the want of a benefit we know what a benefite is worth, and therefore ioy restored, is more acceptable then ioy continued. Psal. 51. 12. And lastly to make them fit instruments for the conuersion and strengthning of those that are or shalbe in the like case, as Christ said to Peter: Sathan hath desired to sift you, Luk. 22. 31. 32.as wheat is sifted, but I hauehave praied for thee, that thy faith may not faile. Therfore when thou art conuerted, strengthen thy brethren. But in the meane time it goeth hard for any feeling that the afflicted soule hath of any cō fort in himselfe, Oh I cannot feele the louelove of God in my heart, I cannot find Gods spirit in my hart, my heart is not grieued for my sin, I cannot pray, I take no delight in the word, &c. Oh that I could pray that I could beleeue, that I could feele Gods mercy in assuring my heart of the forgiuenes of my sins, but I hauehave abused his mercy, and offended his Maiestie, and therefore I am cast out of his sight, there is no mercy for me, I am damned, and shall goe to hell, &c. And thus the poore soul etaketh on during the winter time of afflictions, and temptations, but soft a while, who telleth thee that thou art cast out of Gods sight, that thou art a reprobate &c. Againe who told thee that thou wantest faith and repentance, & other graces of the spirit? Againe who is it, or what is it that doth so earnestly thirst after those excellent graces of faith, of repentance, of the forgiuenes of sinnes, &c. Surely in this Tragedy be three actors, and eueryevery one doth his part, and here is wisedome to discerne on from the other, here is thy owne conscience accusing, Sathan accusing, & Gods law accusing. Thy conscience sheweth thee thy wants; Gods spirit sheweth thee thy wants, & Sathan sheweth thee thy wants; but that which God doth in louelove Sathan doth in malice, that which God doth to humble thee sathā doth to destroy thee; thou saist thou canst not repent, thou canst not beleeue, thou canst not pray: Oh sweet merciemercy of God, that for the wicked doe not so much as know their wantes, thou art sorie that thou canst not repent, that thou canst not beleeue, &c. Oh what better repentance then to bewaile thy impenitencie? what greater griefe then that which ariseth for no griefe for sinne? What is this but sorrowe it selfe for sinne? thou wouldest pray, thou wouldest beleeue stedfastly, who wrought that hunger and thirst in thee? not flesh and blood, not Sathan, therefore it must needs be Gods spirit, content thy selfe thou shalt be satisfied, and take that desire of grace for grace it selfe, and a pledge of further grace to be receiued hereafter. Thou saist thou feelest not Gods louelove in thee, and therefore he loueth thee not, but doe the Lord no iniurie, measure not his grace by thy feeling, he that tooke a rib out of mans side, while he slept in such sorte that he felt it not, can also put a secret hand of grace into thee, to vphold thee while his spirit doth sleepe in thee, and thou not feele it, and for the proofe of that I say consider with me, how often hauehave many beene tempted to mischiefe themselues and others, yea and practised their owne destruction which yet are liuing, and well? from whence came this, but from a secret hand of God within them that still plucked them as a praie out of the hands of their enenemie. Some againe (that I know) hauehave bene afraid that they should speake blasphemie against God & treason against the Queene, and hauehave beene so tempted the runto, that they hauehave held their mouthes with their hands least it should out, and yet when they hauehave beene willed to vtter it, they could not, but cleane contrarie, in stead of treason and blasphemie hauehave spoken all good in most heartie & holy manner that might be both of God and of the Queene, by which they hauehave perceiued & confessed in the end to Gods great glory, that these were illusions of sathan, and that Gods spirit is stronger in them then the temptation, whē they had suposed that God had cleane forsakē them. Oh I am damned, I am dāned thou criest: who told thee so? Surely it is the voyce of Sathan that would hauehave it so, beleeue him not, for he that is compounded all of lying and falshood cannot possibly suggest any trueth vntounto thee. Oh if I could feele some comfort in my soule, I were well: if I could pray from a feeling heart and beleeue effectually &c. then I were wel. Then I should hope that God would be mercifull vntounto me: but content thy selfe: there is a time for all things saith Salomon, a time to weepe, and a time to reioyce, so there is a time of affliction, and a time of deliuerance out of temptatiō, if that time were come that thou speakest of, then were thy afflictiō at an end, & the tēmptation of no force not effect, but now is the time of casting down & of the tēpters forcible working but waite on God, he is thy present helpe and thy God, with patience possesse thy soule vntill the time be come for thy deliuerance, and verely when Gods rods hauehave had their working, to frame thee vntounto God, the time will come that thou shalt hauehave diluerance, though now thou sayest with Dauid, Lord why standest thou farre off? and hidest thy face, euen in the time of affliction? yet after the conflict is ended (which must be when God will, and not when thou wilt) thou shalt sing ioyfully & triumphantly, Lord thou hast heard the desire of thy poore seruant, thou preparest thine heart, thou bendest thine eare, to helpe thy poore comfortlesse seruant that thy hellish enemie be no more cause of feare.
Againe, that in time of thy spirituall conflict, thy soule may hope for some more comfort & strength in the ende then for the present thou feelest, it shall not be amisse for thee to call to mind the former experience that thou hast had of Gods goodnes towards thee in time past, whereby thou maist assure thy selfe that he wil be good vntounto thee againe, as Dauid said, The Lord that hath deliuered me from the Beare and the Lion, 1. Sam. 17. 37.will also deliuer me from this vncircumcised philistime: so say thou, That God which deliuered mee from such a perill, and gaue me strength against such and such temptations, will one day deliuer me from this▪ that God which once let me feele peace and ioy, and comfort in Christ, will surely giuegive me comfort againe when he seeth fit time: For whom the lord loueth,Ioh. 13. 1. he loueth for euer. And the gifts and calling of God are without repentance saith theRom. 11. 29. Apostle. Thy treasure is laide vp surely in Heauē saith Christ, where neither mothes can eate it, nor rust can corrupt it,Mat. 6. 20. nor theeues can digg through and steale it away, God doth not keep it from moths and from theeues to let the deuill deceiue thee of it, no, it is sure for euer, where neither man, nor Angell, nor all the deuils in hell shall take it from thee, no nor God himselfe, for though we be vnfaithfull, yet he is faithfull,2. Tim. 2. 23. and cannot denie himselfe. And where as thou criest out for it now, saying thou canst not feele it in thy heart &c. it is for that perhaps thou diddest not vse it as thou shouldest, when thou haddest it before, thou wert peraduēture a lazy professor of the Gospell, or a proud hearer of the word, or negligent in the worship of God, both with thy selfe and thy familie, or it may be thou diddest waxe proud of Gods graces, and diddest not giuegive him his due honour, or it may be thou diddest make some rash promise (presuming vponupon thy owne strength) that thou wouldest do this or that, or that thou wouldest neuer commit such and such a sinne againe. And therfore the Lord (to let thee know thy selfe) like a most wise father hath for a time taken away his graces from thee, and the feeling of all spirituall comfort, and yet for all that loueth thee as his child. And heerein the Lorde dealeth with thee, but as thou wouldest deale with thy owne childe if thou hast anie; when the childe abuseth anie thing that he delighteth in it is taken from him, and laide vp till another time, and he made beleeue that it is quite taken from him, the childe woulde hauehave it alwaies in his sight, but that may not be for diuers causes: and in like manner dealeth the Lord with his children, it sufficed Iacob to heare that his sonne Ioseph was aliue, though he saw him not, so it should suffice the afflicted conscience to know that Christ liueth in him, though his spirituall eye be so dazeled, that as yet he cannot see him, yea there is a holy desire to see and feele Christ in thee, as an earnest-penny, though it be as in a bag sealed vp, and in time it shalbe deliuered thee, yea though thou goest as a malefactor that is condemned goeth to execution, out of all hope for life, yet (as some friend of his sueth out his pardon for him, and deliuereth it him euen when he is on the ladder readie to be turned of, to his greater ioy more then he expected, euen to Christ Iesus hath sued out thy pardon, and when thou thinkest there is no waie but one with thee, and that is to hell, euen when thou seemest to thy selfe to be past all hope of recouery, then shall the spirit of Christ step vp in thy heart, which now seemeth to be gone, or to lie a sleepe, and shall deliuer it vntounto thee, with this message of comfort, Sonne be of good cheere thy sinnes are forgiuen thee. And in the meane time know that Christ is not gone from thee but sleepeth in thee, as he did in the ship, and that was but onelyonly during the tempest, but when they in the ship were afraid of sinking, they cried, Saue vsus Master we perish else, and then he awaked and rebuked the winds: so Christ may seeme to sleep in thee during the time of tempestuous temptations, but whensoeuer thou art in any danger, he is awake to saue thee, and in the end will rebuke Sathan and tread him vnderunder thy feete; that Christs spirit is in thee thou maiest perceiue by the voyce of the Church that is in thy case: In my bed by night (saith the Church) I sought him whom my soule loueth,Can. 5. 1. but could not finde him, so thou seeekest him whom thy soule loueth, but canst not finde him, that is, thou seekest him whom thou hast with thee, for there is in thee the louelove of Christ, which cannot come, but from Christ himselfe, now the very louelove of Christ in thy heart though it be but weake, yet is a certaine argument of Christs sanctifying spirit in thee, for though the reprobate may in some sort slauishly tremble at the iudgements of God, and for some carnall respect, ioye in the things of God for a time, yet there is not in them a louelove of God in Christ Iesus: but with their seruile feare is ioyned also a deadly hatred of the Lord as of their mortall enemie.
Againe if thou feele not as yet the gracious presence of Gods spirit in thee as thou wouldest,Psa. 43. 5. yet vse the holy means that God hath appointed for the conuersion & confirmation of his children; frequent the word preached, read in the scriptures, & labours of the godly learned, vse praier, & conference, and meditatiō, & so wait on God, who is thy present helpe and thy God, but thou saist thou canst not heare with delight, thou canst take no pleasure in reading of good books, nor hearing of them redd vntounto thee, thou canst not brooke conference and praier, thou doest distast them all, yet I say vse them still, as a good man taketh meate and drinke, and phisicke though it be against the stomacke, and cast vp all againe, yet he desireth to digest it, and so by often taking, at last doth gather strength, and take that willingly with hope, which before hee receiued against his will with a kind of loathing. So thy sicke soule by often vsing the holy meanes that God hath appointed, at last through his blessing will strengthen thee, and make thee to vse them of louelove & desire, which now thou doest but vnchearfully and with a certaine kind of loathing. There is a defect in the stomacke or some other part of the body which will not suffer wholsome meate to be digested; So in the inward man, the defect may be in the vnderstanding which may be darke, or in the memory which may be brittle, or in the vtterance which may be slowe, or in thy faith which may be weak, or in thy repentance which may be imperfect, or in thy louelove which may be small, or in thy zeale which may be bitter or colde, or in thy minde which may be earthly, or in thy affections which may be vnrulie, or in thy whole man which may be lumpish, heauie, and vntoward to good things: yet in all these remaine a double comfort. First these graces are not counterfet, but in trueth are such as they seeme to be, thou vnderstandest aright, thou vtterest the trueth though but slowly, thou remembrest the best things, and beleeuest the word, and repentest in trueth, with hatred of thy sins, and thou louest God and his word for themselues sake: againe so much as thou vnderstandest and knowest, and remembrest, & beleeuest, & louest, thou also affectest & embracest in heart, & desirest to grow in them, & to practise them to the praise of God, and therfore still hope and wait on God, for though God seeme now to thy soule as if he had no care of thee, yet he doth care for thee, and thou shalt one day ioyfully sing as Dauid doth heere: Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the poore, &c.
Lord, thou hast heard, &c.) The Lord doth heare all mens desires, and knoweth all their thoughtes long before, but he is said to heare the desires of his children after a more speciall, and gracious manner, because he doth in mercy both fauour their sutes, and grant their requests, & so this word of hearing is to be vnderstood somtime in the scripture, as where Dauid saith: If I regard wickednes in my heart the Lord will not heare me: that is, the Lord will not grant me my desire. And so is it taken also sometime amongest vsus in our common manner of speaking, as when we doe not fauour a mans suite, we use to say, I heare you not. This is that which the children of God doe most groane and long for in praier, namely to pray so, that the Lord may heare them, that is, may afford them a gracions hearing, which if they may be assured of, then are their hearts filled with ioy whatsoeuer happeneth to them in the world. And al their feare is, least their sins and sinful praiers should stop the eares not of the Lord simplie, but of his grace and fauour against them. To that end doe they come before the Lord in all humilitie, feare, and reuerence, striuing, sighing, and groaning and troubled in spirit. And to this end the Lord oftentimes seemeth vntounto his children as one that is deafe, he maketh them no answere, but takes away from them for the time all feeling of comfort in praier, to that ende that when he doth speake peace vntounto their harts, they may know what a mercy they hauehave receiued from his Maiestie.
But wicked hypocrites regard not so much whether the Lord doth heare thē or no, but whether men do heare them, that is all their care: they pray to be seene of men, and to be heard of men, onelie labouring with their lips, but without anie strife of the heart. They pompe it, they chant it, they howle it, and throate it to please themselues and others, but whether all that paines of theirs be accepted with God, they neuer so much as once thinke: So that when they hauehave done their stint and taske, they may saie as the harlot said, of whom Salomon speaketh,Pro. 7. 14. To daie I had peace-offerings, I hauehave payed my vowes, and so leaue for that matter, it is no matter whether they be receiued or no, she hath paid them, so saith the Hipocrit, I hauehave said all my praiers to day, I hauehave done al my deuotion, & there leaue for that matter; but the poore child of God whose soule groaneth vnderunder the buthen of his sins, doth not so much boast of the saying of his praiers, as he doth of Gods mercy in hearing his praiers, Lord I thank thee saith (the Pharisie) that I fast and praie so often in a weeke, but Lord be mercifull to me saith the Publican, Lord I praied in thy temple saith the one, as the wicked in the Gospell, Lord we hauehave heard thee preach in our streets; but the other saith, Lord, thou hast heard the desire of thy poore seruants,Doctr. 3., blessed be thy name for that fauour: the desire. He doth not say their cryings, or their sententious and eloquent praiers, or the voice of their lips, although the desires of the heart be counted cryings with the Lord, but he saith: That the Lord hath heard the desire of the poore: Which are the cries and praiers, and voices of the inwarde man, though not alwaies vttered by the tongue, to shewe that the Lord of his goodnes is so readie to heare the afflicted, that he doth not alwaies expect the cryings, and voyces of the outwarde man, or the orderly and set praiers of the lips, for before they cry, he heareth them according to the testimonie of the Prophet Esay, who (speaking in the person of God) saith thus: Before they call I will aunswere, Eisai. 65. 24and while they speake I will heare. And Saint Paule sayeth. The spirit it selfe likewise helpeth our infirmities, for wee know not what to praye as wee ought: but the spirit maketh request for vsus with groaninges,Rom. 8. 20 which cannot be expressed: that is, the spirite helpeth our weake prayers which want strength to come forth, and accepteth the verie sighes and groanes of the heartes of Gods children in stead of prayers, as the tender nurse doth the monefull lookes of the babe that lyeth in the cradle full of payne, and cannot speake.
And these inwarde desires, and groanes of GODS children, are to the children of God as an earnest-pennie of the spirit, and as the first fruites of the spiritituall haruest, now an earnest-pennie is but a pledge or assurance of a thousande pounde to be payed in time, and the first fruits of the corne are but a sheafe or handfull as it were of the whole haruest which afterwards is to be reaped. And this may serue to comfort the afflicted conisciences which cannot pray as they would sometime and therfore thinke they are not regarded of God, it serueth onelyonly to comfort the afflicted soule I say, but no way to confirme vsus in our sluggish, slouthfull, drousie, and sleepie praiers.
Of the poore.) The state of Gods children in this life is not alwaies of the best,Doctr 4. neither in outward account with the world, nor yet in their owne feeling. And therfore they are called sometime: The afflicted ones,Pro. 15. 15 as in Pro. 15. 15. All the daies of the afflicted are euill: Sometime the hungry and thirstie, as in Mat. 5. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousnes. Sometime little wormes as in Esay, Little worme Iacob: And in the Psalmes, I am a worme and no man, saith Dauid: And sometime,2. Tim. 3. 12. The little flocke, 1. Cor. 1.As in Luke 12. And in this place they are called,Psa. 41. 8. The poore: For whosoeuer will liue godly in Christ Iesus must suffer affliction. And they doe still hunger & thirst after Christ their righteousnes:
As the Hart doth after the riuers of water, Like little wormes they are contemned and trodden vponupon by euerie one: And like poore and miserable persons they are alwaies in need of Gods grace and helpe. And yet they in that account with God that he heareth their desires: The afficted hauehave a continualfeast, The hungry shalbe filled with good things, when the rich shalbe sent emptie away. The little worme Iacob is written vponupon the palmes of the Lords hands, and is euer in his sight. The little flocke neede not feare for their littlenes, for they hauehave the kingdome. And the poore seruants of God which are alwaies in need and want of Gods grace and fauour, and alwaies bewailing their owne pouertie and want, are heard of the Lord, and therefore are both rich and happye.
This may teach vsus to iudge wisely of the poore children of GOD that are in contempt, and tribulation in the worlde; and louingly to embrace them as members of our bodie though in shewe vnderlinges to all; like the feete, or rather like the footstooles of the wicked, and not to despise them: For the Lorde heareth the desires euen of the poore. Yea and they may pleasure vsus more with their praiers, then we can hurt them with our persecutions. There is not the best, nor learnedest Doctor in the Church, nor the greatest or wealthiest man in the commonwealth but may, and doth receiue helpe and benefit by the praiers of the poorest man that liueth, if he be a godlie man.
Thou preparest, &c. Heere Dauid acknowledgeth a double grace or fauour of God, First, that he vpholdeth his children, that they fainte not vnderunder their burthens, for he armeth them with courage, and patience, putting vponupon their heades the helmet of good hope, and stirring them vp, thereby to dispatch their prayers as speedie postes and messengers vntounto the hilles from whence commeth their helpe. A singular benefite surelie to hauehave our senses and thoughtes setled in Gods prouidence, and not caried awaie to worldlie deuises, and desperate attempts. Secondly, God hauing thus prepared & setled their harts for praier, he doth also prepare & settle himselfe to heare their praiers, yea, because their praiers be but weake and feeble, that scarce hauehave any perfect voice, but make a soft and still noise, in the secret corners of their hearts, the Lord doth bend his eare vntounto them, and laie it close vntounto their mouth, in most fatherly, friendly, and tender sort, that so he might know what it is that they whisper so inwardly, & so faintly. from hence we learne.
First,Doctr. 5. that to direct our desires to God in affliction is a speciall worke, and fauour of God in our hearts, for otherwise, affliction of it selfe doth breede rather impatience, and dispaire, then any comfortable hope, and heart to praier. And therfore let vsus be admonished when (in any kind of affliction, crosse, and temptation) we feele any comfort in God, or desire to goe vntounto his Maiestie, by praier to giuegive him the whole glorie, and take it as a token of his louelove vntounto vsus. Let vsus also acknowledge our owne weaknesse, and inabilitie to prepare our hearts, our selues to Godward. And most false, and insolent is that popish assertion of freewill in man to praie when he will, and to beleeue when he will, and repent when he will, for it is God (saith the Apostle) that worketh both the will and the deede. Lastly,Phil. 2. 13. let vsus hereby be encouraged to goe to God although it be with broken praiers, and fainting desires, we shall not loose our labour, no the godly doe not in vaine direct their desires to God, nor in hope and patience want vponupon him because the eares of the Lord are open and bent, ready in most gracious manner to heare the groanes of his poore afflicted seruants. And thus much of the manner and matter in generall of Dauids thanksgiuing.