The Promises, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII.
Promises that concerne Prayer.
HItherto of promises that concerne affliction. And in asmuch as my purpose was but to fence the godly mā setled in his iustification, against the grieuances which might befall him in respect of afflictions, during the time of his pilgrimage heere: I shall end with the discourse of those promises, sauing that I will giuegive a taste of the last sort of promises, viz. such as are encouragements to holy graces or duties.
I will not instance in the promises made to the louelove of God, to meekenesse, to such as seeke God, to the louelove of the Word, and the like: But onelyonly I will 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 heads.prayer, may be referred to three heads; For eyther they are such as assure vsus that God will heare the praiers of his seruants, or they shew vsus, what in prayer hee will heare: or else they describe the wonderfull goodnesse of God in the manner how he will heare. For the first, that the Lord will certainely heare prayer, these places of Scripture do most comfortably assure vsus.
Esay 58. 9. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answere: thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
Math. 21. 22. And whatsoeuer ye shall aske in prayer, if ye belieue, yee shall receiue it.
Iohn. 14. 13. And whatsoeuer yee aske in my name, that will I doe, that the Father may bee glorified in the Sonne.
1. Iohn. 3. 14. 15. And this is the assurance that wee hauehave in him, that if wee aske any thing according to his will, he heareth vsus.
And if we know that hee heareth vsus, whatsoeuer wee aske, we know that wee 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 hee will be fauourable vntounto him, and hee 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 all their troubles.
Psalm. 50. 15. Call vponupon mee in the day of trouble, so will I deliuer thee, and thou shalt glorifie me.
Iohn 15. 16. That whatsoeuer ye shall aske of the Father in my name, hee may giuegive it you.
Iohn 16. 23. And in that shall ye aske me nothing: Verily, verily I say vntounto you, whatsoeuer ye shall aske the Father in my name, hee will giuegive it you.
2 For the second, it may much comfort vsus, if we consider that God will not onelyonly heare our prayers in generall, but our voyce, Psal. 5. 3. Our very desires, Psalm. 10. 17. Our teares, Psalm. 39. 12. The very naming of Christ shal not bee done without regard, 2 Tim. 2. 19. Our groaning, Psalm. 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 effectual prayer to God. Hee doth not looke what we do 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, Psal. 102. 17.
2 Hee will not reproach them, nor hit them in the teeth with what is past, or their present frailties, Iam. 1. 5.
3 Hee will prepare their hearts too: he wil as it were helpe them to draw their petitions, Psalm. 10. 17.
4 He takes delight in hearing their prayers, Pro. 15. 8
5 Hee lookes from heauen of purpose to heare their groanes, Psalm. 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.
6 He thinkes thoughts of peace to giuegive an end, and expectation, Ierem. 29 11, 12, 13.
7 He will be plenteous in mercy, to them that call vponupon him, Psal. 85. 5. Iam. 1. 5. He giueth liberally.
8 He will answer them, and somtimes shew them wondrous things, which they know not, Ierem. 33. 3.
9 He will refresh them also with much ioy and comfort of heart: Hee will be many times, as the dew vntounto their harts, Iob 33. 26.
10 It is a singular compassion that hee will heare eueryevery one that comes with petitions to him, hee will except no man: All shall be heard, whosoeuer asketh, shal hauehave, Mat. 7. 7. Lu. 11. 10
11 It is yet more compassion, that God wil heare them in all they aske, whatsoeuer they desire of him in the name of Christ: They may hauehave what they will, Mark. 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 crown 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 receiue them vp to glory.
14 Lastly, the Lord shewes a wonderfull compassion in the very time of hearing prayer: hee will heare in the morning, Psal. 5. 3. In the very season; the due time, when wee are in trouble: yea so, as he will in our affliction in a speciall manner let vsus know, that he is our God, and that he will deliuer vsus, Zach. 13. 9. Psalm 51, 15. and 91, 15. Hee is ready to be found, Psalme 47. 1. Daniels prayers 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 then when they think they are cast out of sight, Ps. 31. 32.
FINIS.
End of the text · Nicholas Byfield, The Promises (1619)