A Godly and Learned Treatise of Prayer, Chapter 7 – Chapter 8
CHAP. VII. Of the profit of prayer.
THe third question: Whether any further profit is to be expected from prayer besides obteining our requests.
The profit is twofold: the one of reward freelyTwo benefi…s accrewing by prayer. bestowed by God on him that calleth on his name: the other, the increase of grace wrought in them by Gods Spirit who give themselves to prayer.
As touching the former; Though by reason of our wants and imperfections in prayer the Lord if he should deal in rigour with us might justly reject our prayers, yet such is his merciemercy that he doth not onelyonly cover our wants, and for the intercession of Christ accepteth our prayer, but also granteth our desire; and not onelyonly that, but because prayer is a dutie of pietie, and a principall part of that worship whereby we glo…lfie God, he doth graciously reward it, godlinesse having the promise of this life and that which is to come. Our Saviour therefore promiseth, Matth. 6. 6. that when we call upon God, though it be but in secret and private prayers, and much more in publick, our heavenly Father will reward us openly. The Lord is rich to all that call upon him: for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved, Rom. 10. 12, 13.
For the other: By the frequent and religious exercise of this dutie our faith and affiance in God is increased, our experience of his bountie and goodnesse towards us in hearing us confirmed, our love to his majestie augmented, Psal. 116. 1. our hope nourished, our patience exercised. By it we grow in acquaintance with God, and tast how good and gracious the Lord is: By it we learn, being Gods daily suiters, so to behave our selves as not to be ashamed to appear before him: By it we elevate our minds above earthly cogitations to mind things that are above, and to have our conversation in heaven: By it we grow into assurance of our election, because the same spirit, which is the spirit of supplication, is also the spirit of adoption whereby we cry in our hearts, Abba, Father; and which testifieth Rom. 8. 26.to our spirits that we are the sonnes of God; and if sonnes then also heirs, &c.
But the Papists not content herewith, ascribe twoThe Papists confuted, who hold that prayer is satisfactorie and meritorious. other fruits to their prayers; that they are also Satisfactorie for their sinnes, and Meritorious of eternall life. Satisfactorie, as being penal works; and therefore both voluntarily undertaken, and by their Priests injoyned by way of penance. So that this exercise which is so honourable and so profitable as you have heard, being also a chief prerogative to the faithfull to have free accesse to God, is to them a punishment or work of penance to satisfie for sins. But their prayers performed with these conceits of satisfaction and merit are sacrilegious and derogatorie to the all-sufficient satisfaction and merit of Christ, though otherwise they were commendable. But the impietie of their assertion will better appear, if we take a brief survey of their prayers. For first, whereas our prayers ought to be directed unto the Lord alone, they pray to Saints and Angels, yea before images and crosses, and by their prayers commit most horrible idolatry. 2. Neither do they pray in the name and mediation of Christ alone, but unto him joyn other mediatours of intercession, by whose merits and intercession they desire and hope to be heard. 3. The most of them pray without understanding for that which they utter in prayer, as praying in an unknown language; and consequently pray without attention or actuall intention, which they say needeth not; without faith or hope, without reverence. 4. They number their prayers upon beads oftentimes by most grosse …attologie, repeating the same words, perswading themselves that the more Pater nosters, Ave Maries, and Creeds (for those also are prayers with them) they shall mumble upon their beads, the more satisfactory and meritorious their prayers be. Now their prayers being thus every way abominable and odious, what horrible impudencie and impietie is it to obtrude such prayers upon God, not onelyonly as acceptable service unto him, but as satisfactory and meritorious? by which they can merit nothing but damnation, and for the wickednesse whereof they shall never be able to satisfie but with endlesse torments.
Let this suffice us, that prayer is of so great profit and admirable efficacie, that our prayers rightly conceived and made are alwayes heard and granted; that besides the benefit of obteining, our prayers have their reward with God, and notable fruits, conferr…ng and increasing Gods graces in us.
CHAP. VIII. Of a threefold necessitie of prayer.
NOW I come to the necessitie of prayer: which is necessary by a threefold bond of necessitie: 1. Necessitate praecepti, necessitie of precept; as being a dutie most straitly injoyned, and a principall part of that worship and service which we ow unto God. This necessitie is not absolute, but if we will avoid his curse, Jer. 10. 25. 2. Necessitate medii, necessitie of the means; as being the means ordained by God for the obteining of all good things which he hath either purposed or promised to bestow upon us for our good: so that if we ask aright, we have; if we ask not we have not, as S. James saith chap. 4. 3. Necessitate signi, necessitie of the signe; as being a necessarie signe and cognizance of all true Christians, who are described in the Scripture to be such as call upon the name of God: As contrariwise the foolish Atheist who saith in his heart, There is no God, is deciphered by this note, that he doth not call upon the Lord, Psal. 14. 4. In which respects the holy man Daniel held the performance of this dutie so necessary, that when the king had published a decree which might not be revoked, That whosoever should ask a petition of either God or man save of the king for thirtie dayes, he should be cast into the lions den, he chose rather to be cast into the den of the lions, then to omit this dutie but thirty dayes, Dan. 6. neither did he omit it one day; see vers. 10.