Duty and Interest in Prayer and Praise for Kings and All in Authority, Part 1
I. For Confirmation.
And for that I shall only offer three consideratious.
1. Reason. The wise God has put all things in this lower world in a state of mixture; none so evil, but has a mixture of good to allay the evil; none so good, but has a mixture of evil to dilute the goodness of it. God oftentimes writes bitter things against a person, against a people, but withal sends some Mercy to sweeten it; at other times he indulges us pleasant morsels, but withal provides a mixture of crosses, that we may not surseit upon the luscious Mercies.
And as the good is distinguisht from the evil, tho not separated; so the evil is mingled with the good, but not confused; good is good still, tho it receives a tincture of evil; and evil is evil still, tho it receives a dash of goodness. Now as mercy and judgment, sorrow and joy, are as it were blended together into one mass, so will our praises and prayers have their proper employments in both. If God sets the good against the evil, Eccles. 7. 14, there's matter for prayer that God would turn the evil unto good, Gen. 50. 20. and matter for praise too, that God has promised it shall work for good, Rom 8. 28. And first let us for the clearing of this point look back into former ages, especially into the Jewish state.
2 Chron. 15. 16, 17. we read that Asa removed his Mother from being Queen, because she had made an Idol in a Grove. To depose an Idolatress was then it seems one good step towards a happy Reformation; And Asa cut down her Idol, and stamp it and burnt it, by the brook Kidron. What rejoycing was there in Judah that the work of Reformation went on so pleasantly? What cause of thanksgiving to God, that he had inspired the King with such a zeal for the true worship of God against Idolatry? But yet 16. 17. The high places were not taken away out of Israel. There's matter of lamentation, that the work advanc'd no further; and of prayer too, that God would raise such a spirit as might pluck them down also: Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. The most perfect heart of the most zealous Prince cannot always go through to a perfect Reformation. But do we not read, that this good King Asa, ch. 14. v. 5. Took away out of all the Cities of Judah, the high places and the images. True! out of Judah, but not out of Israel! Where lay the reason of the Difference? In Judah he had an haereditary right, had better hold on the spirits of the people; there was a sweet harmony between the King and the People, there he might venture farther in Reformation. In Israel he had but an acquired right by Conquest; the People were averse to a through Reformation, there he must use caution and prudence: However the Idols were broken down, there's matter of rejoycing and praise; the high places are not removed, there's matter of sorrow and prayer.
Sometimes the King may be inclin'd to reform, and a restli… People may binder; there give thanks to God for a well inclined King, and pray that he would cure the Peoples bigotry: Sometimes a King may incline to Idolatry, and the People adhere to the true Religion; give thanks for a fixed people, and pray for an averse Prince.
Secondly, Let us but look into our own hearts, and there we shall find too great a mixture; there we shall meet with grace and nature, heaven and earth, flesh and spirit in continual combat, Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. The flesh has its interest, motions, and actings; the spirit opposes it, it cannot do the evil it would: the spirit breathes, moves, works towards God; the flesh opposes it, so that it cannot do the good it would. The Law of the mind commands the serving, glorifying of God; the Law of the members rebels and wars against it; the law of the members leads to bondage under sin, the law of the mind resists it. What reason of strong cries and prayers, that we may be delivered from this body of death▪ Rom. 7. 24. What cause of thanksgiving, that Christ gives us the victory, that with our minds we serve the law of God, v. 20.
In a word, we are furnisht with matter of thanksgiving that we are on this side Hell, and yet have mighty reasons for prayer too because we are on this side Heaven.
Thirdly, Let's view our case at home, we shall find a mixture …here of good and evil, affording us matter of sorrow and joy, and hence of prayer and praise. God has given our King some good success abroad, let us give thanks for that; but our victories are purchased with the lives, the blood of many of our fellow Subjects, there's matter of mourning to cool the joy of our successes; and still for further prayer, that the issue of this bloody war may be a happy, just and honourable peace: We have large matter of thanksgiving, that God by our King has given a check to the Arms of that Monarch who had swallow'd up so many Countries, and threatned the rest; but still cause of servent prayer, that God would yet use his Majesty as an instrument, in the hand of his wise and gracious Counsels, to reduce the man of the earth to reason, that he may no more triumph.
Again, we have abundant reason to give thanks for our King, that under his auspicious Reign we may be as holy as we will; yet have we reasons for further prayer, that men may not be as wicked as they will, and as their own naughty hearts, and the Tempter would prompt them to be.
Such then being the posture of all humane affairs, there is a dark and bright side of the same cloud; they are checquer'd with black and white throughout, that as they administer matter of joy and sorrow, trouble and comfort, and nothing is sincere and without mixture, so they bespeak of us both prayer and praise.
In Hell, the wrath of God is poured out without mixture, Rev. 14. 10. without mixture either of mercy from God, or hope in them. In Heaven, the love of God is given out without mixture, either of anger in God, or fear in the blessed; but we in this middle state have our hopes and fears, our tears and rejoycings, which call for praise in our most depressed, and prayer in our most exalted condition.
II. Reason. Is drawn from the natural and necessary connexion between these two duties, of Prayer and Thanksgiving: they are twins of the same womb, they are born, they breathe, they smile or weep, live or die together.
The renewed nature, the new heart is but one, the actings which proceed from thence are various; the branches are many, they are all one in the root; the streams various, the spring but one: As the Capillary Arteries are innumerable in the extreme parts, yet are all one in the heart; as the lines which reach the circumference are numerous, yet all meet in the center; so are the actings of grace various and multiform, as they are diversified by various objects, as drawn out by different occasions, yet they agree, and are uniform in the habit. Prayer and praise are exerted upon various reasons, but it's the same holy nature which supplies and furnishes out these holy operations.
Phil. 4. 6. In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
The same spirit that enables us to pray, assists us also to praise our God; the answers of Prayer immediately engage the soul to return our humble thanks, that he has heard the voice of our supplications: Those very praises suggest matter of prayer again, that he would graciously pardon the defects of our prayer, and overlook the errors of our praises, and yet still to bless his Name that notwithstanding these failures or excesses, he hath regarded with acceptation both our prayers and praises.
Would we reserve and adjourn all our thanksgivings for heaven? why, here's abundant matter to fill up, and furnish out praises on this side the throne! or do we reserve our Prayers for the extremity of distresses? there's occasion for them in the height of our triumphs.
The state of glory excludes prayers: because the Spirits of just men made perfect are put into the actual possession of whatever they could want, or can possibly desire, without fear of losing it: The state of eternal wrath excludes prayer too, because there's no hope lest in that bottom of despair to kindle a spark of desire to meliorate that evil condition: But our present state admits both hope, and desire, and fear too; now whiles we can hope for promised good, or have reason to fear impending evil, we have proper occasion for prayer; and while we can pray, we have just cause of praise, that God is not out of the reach of our Prayer, nor we out of the reach of his Mercy. Psal. 66. 19, 20. Verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my supplication. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, (from him) nor his mercy from me;
Let us once more consult the Apostle; 1 Thes. 5. 16, 17, 18. Rejoice evermore: Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks. At first view we may imagine the Apostle puts us upon either impossible or impracticable, or contradictory services: Rejoice evermore! As if we had no cause of sorrow, nor any thing further to ask; and yet Pray without ceasing! as if we had no place for, or cause of thanksgiving: Pray, as if you had nothing; and yet Praise, as if you possessed all things: And in every thing give thanks. If the case be good, bless God directly and formally, if evil, yet bless him that it's no worse.
The attributes of God appear to us, and we conceive of them that they really are various; and accordingly, we engage our souls in a various consideration of them, and a different demeanour of soul towards them. We conceive of him as good, and therefore love him; as faithful and true, and therefore believe him, and in him, trust to him, and depend upon him; as bountiful and rich in mercy towards us, and therefore return our thanks unto him: And yet these attributes are but one in God, or rather they are that one God. Thus the graces which a Believer does act and exercise are distinguisht, tho not divided; the soul loves, fears, and believes, and yet'tis but one soul, one new creature that puts forth these various operations.
If we bring all this to the present subject of which we treat, and the solemn occasion on which we meet, it will stand thus. We are here as a people, and I hope really a people that would recognize the divine favours to our King, to us all in him; yet prayer must not be excluded from the present service: that God would never be weary of doing good to him, or to us in him; that God would finish the work that he has begun, and strengthen the King to finish the work which he has begun; Thus to bless our God for the ground we get; and as we gain to pray that we may get more, till this troublesome War shall terminate in a happy Peace; that so Peace being settled abroad, we may lead a quiet and peaceable life at home, in all godliness and honesty.
III Reason. The Truth may be confirmed from the … and alternations of the divine providence; which, as it were, delighting to sport it self with humane affairs, creates those perpetual changes in them, which will employ our praises as well as our prayers.
What we see in the successions of night and day, what we feel of changes in our vile and frail bodies. as to health and sickness, that may we expect in the great political Bodies and the affairs of Empires.
The Psalmist has made … Record of it, Psal. 102. 10. Thou hast listed me up, (there's matter of thanksgiving) and thou hast cast me down. (There's matter of debasement and prayer.)
That which we are to keep in our eye when God exalts us, is a holy fear, lest we exalting our selves, God should throw us down; and that which we should keep upon our hearts when God abases us, is, that we abasing our selves, God may be intreated to lift us up
A deplorable instance of the impotency of humane nature, to bear any thing with a due temper and moderation, is that of Vzziah, 2 Chron. 26. 15. He was marvellously helped until he was strong: But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction So difficult it is to maintain the equipoise, and not to reel and stagger from one extreme to another: A little air swells a bubble, and a little more breaks it.
And this David found, Psal. 30. 6. In my prosperity …, I shall never be moved, thou Lord by they favour hast made my mountain … stand strong. Wherein we may observe, 1. His confidence, that his mountain should never be moved, or however not removed,
2. That this confidence seems to be well founded, upon the favour of God, wherein then lay the evil of his confidence? That he did not duly consider the instability of all things, but presumed that his state was unmovable. 3. That God, to humble his confidence, hides his face, and then his confidence is shaken.
But thus do the affairs of Kingdoms and Commonwealths run in a circle; prosperity awakens pride, pride provokes God to forsake us, and a people forsaken are upon the brink of destruction: Let therefore him that stands take heed lest he fall; and let him that falls, repent and pray that God would raise him up.
It was a deep sense of the perpetual rotations of Providence that moved that great Saxon King, whenever God smiled upon his Arms with Victory, to prepare for adverse events; and whenever he lost the day, to encourage and strengthen himself with the hopes of better success.
Si modo victor erat, ad crastina bella timebat:
Si modo victus erat, ad crastina bella parabat.
All this leads to our Duty: God has favour'd us with good success this Campaign, praise his Name, but persume not; he can send us a rebuke in a moment: If so, he not dejected, but pray, for he has in infinite wisdom attempered all affairs, that prayer and praise shall have their turns, as prosperity and adversity walk their rounds; till prayer be swallowed up of eternal praises to them that fear the Lord, and the presumptuous hopes of impenitent sinners be drowned in eternal despair.
Having now briefly confirmed the truth as was promised, I must more largely improve it, in