The Life of Faith, Part 3 · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII. How to pray in Faith.
PAſſing by all the other particular parts of Worſhip as handled elſewhere (in my Chriſtian Directory) I ſhall only briefly touch the duty of prayer; eſpecially as in private.
Direct. 1. Let your heart lead your tongue, and be the fountain of your words▪ and ſuffer not your tongues in a cuſtomary volubility to over-run your hearts. Deſire firſt, and pray next; and remember that deſire is the ſoul of prayer; and that the heart-ſearching God doth hate hypocriſie, and will not be mocked, Matth. 6.1, 3, 4.
Direct. 2. Yet do not forbear prayer, becauſe your deſires are not ſo earneſt as you would have them. For 1. Even good deſires are to be begged of God: 2. And ſuch deſires as you have towards God, muſt be exerciſed and expreſſed. 3. And this is the way of their uſual increaſe. 4. And a prophane turning away from God, will kill thoſe weak deſires which you have, when drawing near him in prayer, may revive and cheriſh them.
Direct. 3. Remember ſtill that you pray to a heavenly Father, who is readier to give, than you are to receive or ask. If you knew his Fulneſs and Goodneſs, how joyfully would you run to him, and cry Abba, Father? John 20.17. Luke 12.30, 32. Mark 11.25. Matth. 6.8, 32.
Direct. 4. Go boldly to him in the Name of Chriſt alone. Remember that he is the only Way and Mediatour. When guilt and conſcience would drive you back, believe the ſufficiency of his ſacrifice and attonement. When your weakneſs and unworthineſs would diſcourage you, remember that no one is ſo worthy, as to be accepted by God on any other terms, than Chriſts Mediation. Come boldly then to the Throne of Grace, by the new and living way, and put your prayers into his hand, and remember that he ſtill liveth to make interceſſion for you, and that he appeareth before God in the higheſt, in your cauſe, Heb. 10.19. Epheſ. 3.12. Rom. 5.2. Heb. 9.24▪ & 7.25, 26.
Direct. 5. Deſire nothing in your hearts which you dare not pray for, or which is unmeet for prayer: Let the Rule of Prayer, be the Rule of your Deſires. And undertake no buſineſs in the world, which you may not lawfully pray for a bleſſing on.
Direct. 6. Deſire and pray to God, firſt, for God himſelf, and nothing lower; and next for all thoſe ſpiritual bleſſings in Chriſt, which may fit you for communion with him. And laſtly, for corporal mercies, as the means to theſe, Matth. 6.33. Pſal. 42.1, 2, 3, &c. Pſal. 73.25, 26.
Direct. 7. Pray only for what is promiſed you, or you are commanded to pray for: And make not promiſes to your ſelves, and then look that God ſhould fulfil them, becauſe you confidently believe that he will do it; and do not ſo reproach God, as to call ſuch ſelf-conceits and expectations, by the name of a particular Faith: For where there is no word, there is no faith.
Direct. 8. What God hath promiſed, confidently expect; though you feel no anſwer at the preſent. For moſt of our prayers are to be granted (or the things deſired to be given) at the harveſt time, when we ſhall have all at once. Whether you find your ſelves the better at preſent for prayer, or not; believe that a word is not in vain, but you ſhall reap the fruit of all in ſeaſon, Luke 18.1, 7, 8. James 5.7, 8.
Direct. 9. Let the Lords Prayer be the Rule, for the matter and method of your deſires and prayers. But with this difference: It muſt alwaies be the Rule which your deſires muſt be formed to, both in matter and method. You muſt alwaies firſt, and moſt deſire the hallowing of Gods Name, the coming of his Kingdom, and the doing of his will on Earth as it is in Heaven, before your own being, or well-being: But this is only a Rule for your General Prayers (which take in all the parts:) For when you either intend to pray only, or chiefly for ſome one particular thing, you may begin with that, or be moſt upon it.
Therefore all Chriſtians ſhould ſpecially labour to underſtand the true ſenſe and method of the Lords Prayer (which God willing, I hope elſewhere to open.)
Direct. 10. Be more careful in ſecret of your affections, than of the order of your words (yet chuſing ſuch as are apteſt to the matter, and fitteſt to excite your hearts) But in your families or with others, be very careful to ſpeak to God, in words which are apt, and orderly, and moving; and to do all with ſuch skill, and reverence, and ſeriouſneſs, as tendeth (not to encreaſe, but) to cure the dulneſs, hypocriſie and unreverence of others, Eccleſ. 5.1, 2. Matth. 6.7, 8, 9, 10, &c.
Direct. 11. Pray as earneſtly as if God himſelf were to be moved with your prayers: Yet ſo as to remember, that the change is not to be made upon him, but upon you. As when the Boat-man layeth hold upon the bank, he draweth the Boat to it, and not the bank unto the Boat. Prayer fitteth you to receive the mercy; both naturally as it exciteth your deſires after it, and morally as it is a condition on which God hath promiſed to give it: when you pray you tell God nothing which before he knew not better than you: But you tell him that in confeſſion and petition, which he will hear from your own mouths, before he will judge you meet for the mercies which you are to pray for.
In ſumm, pray, becauſe you believe that praying Believers ſhall have the promiſed bleſſing: And believe particularly and abſolutely, that you ſhall have that promiſed bleſſing through Chriſt, becauſe you are praying Believers, and therefore the perſons to whom it is promiſed.