The Marrow of the Oracles of God, Chapter 14 – Title page 5
CHAP. XIIII.
Promises that concerne Prayer.
HItherto of Promises that concerne affliction. And in as much as my purpose was but to fence the godly man (settled in his iustification) against the grieuances which might befall him in respect of afflictions, during the time of his pilgrimage here, I shall end with the discourse of those promises: sauing that I will giuegive a taste of the last sort of promise, viz. such as are encouragements to holy graces or duties.
I will not instance in the promises made to the louelove of God, to meeknesse, to such as seeke God, to the louelove of the word, and the like: but onelyonly I wil open the promises made to the prayers of the godly, and the rather, because Christians are most troubled about their prayers.
The promises that concerne Those promises referred to three he…des.prayer, may be referred to three heads; For either they are such as assure vsus that God will heare the prayers of his seruants; or they shew vsus, what in prayer he will heare: or else they describe the wonderfull goodnesse of God in the manner how he wil heare. For the first, that the Lord will certainly heare prayer, these places of Scripture doe most comfortably assure vsus.
Esay 58. 9. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer: thou shalt cry, & he shall say, Here I am.
Math. 21. 22. And whatsoeuer ye shall aske in prayer, if ye beleeue, ye shall receiue it.
Iohn 14. 13. And whatsoeuer ye aske in my name, that will I doe, that the Father may be glorified in the Sonne.
1 Iohn 5. 14, 15. And this is the assurance that wee hauehave of him, that if w… aske any thing according to his will, he heareth vsus.
And if we know that he heareth vsus, whatsoeuer we aske, we know that we hauehave the Petitions that wee hauehave desired of him.
Iob 22. 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer vntounto him; and hee shall heare thee, and thou shalt render thy vowes.
Iob 33. 26. He shall pray vntounto God, and he will be fauourable vntounto him, and he shall see his face with ioy, for he will render vntounto man his righteousnesse.
Psal. 34. 15, 17. The eyes of the Lord are vponupon the righteous, and his eares are open vntounto their cry.
The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them, and deliuereth them out of their troubles.
Psal. 50. 15. Call vponupon mee in the day of trouble, so will I deliuer thee, and thou shall glorisie mee.
Iohn 15. 16. That whatsoeuer ye shall aske of the Father in my name, he may giuegive it you.
Iohn 16. 23. And in that day shall ye aske me nothing: Verily, verily I say vntounto you, whatsoeuer ye aske the Father in my name, hee will giuegive it you.
For the second, it may much comfort vsus, if we consider that God will not onelyonly heare our praiers in generall, but our voice, Psal. 5. 3. Our very desires, Psal. 10. 17. Our teares, Psalme 29. 12 The very naming of Christ shall not be done without regard, 2. Tim. 2. 19. Our groaning, Psal. 102. 20. When we are destitute of words to expresse our selues, our groaning, our teares, yea the very desires of our hearts is an effectuall prayer to God. He doth not looke what wee doe say, but what wee would say. If we come like little children, and but name our Fathers name, and cry, making moane, it shall bee heard.
3. But in the third point appeares the wonder of his compassion: For
1. God will heare without despising their prayer, Psalm. 102. 17.
2. He will not reproach them, nor hit them in the teeth with what is p…st, or their present frailties, Iam. 1. 5.
3. He will prepare their hearts too; he will as it were helpe them to draw their petitions, Psal. 10. 17.
4. He takes delight in hearing their prayers, Prou. 15. 8.
5. Hee lookes from heauen of purpose to heare their groanes, Psal. 102. 19, 20. his eares are open, there is not the least impediment in his hearing, Psal. 34. 15. It is his very nature to be a God that heareth prayers; It is not contrary to his disposition, Psal. 65. 1, 2.
6. Hee thinkes thoughts of peace, to giuegive an end, & expectation, Ier. 29. 11, 12, 13.
7. He will be plenteous in mercy, to them that call vponupon him, Psal. 86. 5. Iam. …. 5. He giueth liberally.
8. He will answer them, and sometimes shew them wonderous things, which they know not, Ier. 33. 3.
9. Hee will refresh them also with much ioy and comfort of heart: He will be many times as the dew vntounto their hearts, Iob 33. 26.
10. It is a singular compassion, that he will heare eueryevery one that comes with petitions to him, he will except no man: all shall bee heard: whosoeuer asketh shal hauehave, Mat. 7. 7. Luke 11. 10.
11. It is yet more compassion, that God will heare them in all they aske, whatsoeuer they desire of him in the Name of Christ: They may hauehave what they will, Marke 11. 24. Iohn 15. 7.
12. The Spirit shall helpe their infirmities, when they know not what to pray for as they ought, Rom. 8. 26.
13. God will crowne the praiers of his Seruants with this honour, that they shall be the signes both of their sanctification, and of their saluation, Iohn 9. 31. Rom. 10. 13. If God heare their prayers, hee will receine them vp to glory.
14. Lastly, The Lord shewes a wonderfull compassion in the very time of hearing prayer: he will heare in the morning, Psa. 5. 3. In the very season, the due time, when wee are in trouble: yea so, as hee will in our affliction in a speciall manner let vsus know, that hee is our God, and that hee will deliuer vsus, Zach. 13. 9. Psa. 50. 15. and 91. 15. He is ready to be found, Psal. 46. 1. Daniels praiers were heard from the very first day he made them, Daniel 10. 12. Yea God will heare vsus while we speake vntounto him, and answer vsus before we can expresse our selues vntounto him many times, Esay 65. 24. Yea the Lord heareth the prayers of his people, euen when they thinke they are cast out of his sight, Psalme 31. 22.
FINIS.
THE RVLES OF A HOLY LIFE.
OR, A TREATISE CONTAINING the holy order of our liues prescribed in the Scripture, concerning our
carriage
Towards God,
Towards men,
Towards our selues.
With generall Rules of Preparation, that concerne either the helpes or the manner of a holy conuersation.
By N. BIFIELD late Preacher of Gods Word at Isleworth in MIDDLESEX.
Psalme 50. vlt.
To him that ordereth his conuersation aright, will I shew the saluation of God.
LONDON, Printed by Iohn Legatt, for Robert Allot, at the signe of the Beare in Pauls Church-yard.
1630.