One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 25
SERMON XXV. Of the Promiſes, and of Prayer.
JOH. 17.5.
And now O Father Glorifie thou me with the glory I had before the world was.
WE are treating on the Petition it ſelf, and whereas we ſee our Saviour praying for that which was appointed and promiſed before the Petition for it, we may obſerve,
That even thoſe things God hath promiſed and decreed to give to his people, Doct. Things promiſed muſt be praied for.muſt yet be accompliſhed to them praying for it; Gods purpoſes and promiſes require our Supplications; This is the order God hath appointed, Ask and ye ſhall have, ſeek and ye ſhall finde, knock and it ſhall be opened to you, Mat. 7. Thus when God had promiſed he would do ſuch and ſuch things for his Church by his Prophet, he addeth, Nevertheleſſe he would be ſought unto by the Houſe of Iſrael for thoſe things, Ezek. 33.33.
There is much conſiderable matter in this Doctrine, and therefore it needs the more diligent explication:
As 1. There have been two contrary errours about Praier; Some have looked upon it as neceſſary and ſtrictly commanded that they thought we might do nothing but pray; That we were to caſt off all other employments and betake our ſelves to that duty only; They were called the Euchetae, they were deluded from the miſtaking of theſe places, Pray alwaies and Pray without ceaſing: Others have runne into a contrary extremity, making praier altogether uſeleſſe and unneceſſary, and that becauſe all things came about in an inevitable and fatal manner, as they ſay, and therefore praier doth no good at all, but the ſeverall commands of this duty, do ſhew the impiety of that opinion; The Socinians though they grant men did pray in the Old Teſtament, yet they ſay there was no command for it till the Goſpel-diſpenſation; They ſay, Chriſt required it as a new duty, it not being a duty before, but this alſo is falſe; For doth not the Old Teſtament ſay, Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will hear thee, and thou ſhalt glorifie me, Pſa. 50.15. So that to pray is not an indifferent or arbitrary thing, Neither may it be judged uſeleſſe but of great power and prevalency.
2. It cannot be denied but that if a man ſhould pray with theſe thoughts, that he ſhould change Gods minde, and make him alter his will, ſuch a man hath falſe and ſinful thoughts of God; and yet how many are plunged into ſuch falſhoods; They conceive they have to do with God, as with a man who is mutable, and therefore by entreaties and importunities we make him change his reſolutions, and do thoſe things he never purpoſed to do, as we ſee in the importunate Widow with the unjuſt Judge; If therefore thou in thy Praiers to God ſhould go with theſe thoughts, as if by thy praiers thou couldſt provoke God to will that at the preſent which he did not will before from all Eternity; or that when he had purpoſed one thing, by thy praiers he ſhould be perſwaded to do another thing; In this caſe thou haſt ſinful and diſhonourable thoughts of God; Thou thinkeſt of him as a man like thy own ſelf, and the ground why ſuch apprehenſions are ungodly and unbeſeeming the Majeſty of God, is becauſe he is immutable and unchangeable in his nature: There is no ground of change or alteration in him, becauſe there is no ignorance in his underſtanding, he foreknoweth all things, no mutability in hi… will, therefore thy praiers though they are neceſſary and uſefull, yet they have no ſuch influence upon God as to change his minde, or to make him of unwilling, willing.
3. There are ſome things ſo abſolutely promiſed that do not ſuppoſe any condition of Praier on our parts; As the initiall workings of grace, The beginning… of our converſion, eſpecially that promiſe, Zech. 12, that God will pour on us the Spirit of praier and ſupplication; The fullfilling of this promiſe cannot be by way of praier, for it's a promiſe to enable us to pray, and ſo we could not make it ſelf to be a condition for it ſelf; Indeed we may pray for the Spirit of praier, but that is to be underſtood in regard of a further meaſure of this Spirit; As we may exerciſe Faith in the promiſe for a further degree of Faith, we may beleeve that God thereby may encreaſe our faith, and make it more ſtrong: Thus the promiſe of ſending Chriſt into the world, and giving him to be a Saviour to his people, doth not ſuppoſe our praier, but rather praier is a gift from this; We therefore pray viz. acceptably, becauſe we are united to Chriſt, and have his Spirit dwelling in us: Thus God alſo in the converſion of his people cometh in with his grace upon them, before they deſire or ſeek after him, at leaſt in a right manner, I was found of thoſe that ſought me not, ſaid Chriſt, Iſa. 65.1. Therefore this is not to be underſtood univerſally of every good thing that God hath promſed, but for the moſt part of thoſe things which do ſuppoſe us already godly, and put into a capacity and ſpirituall ability of praier, Then God will not do for us, till we ſeek unto him: As the Mother doth not expect the childe that cannot yet ſpeak, ſhould ask for ſuch a thing at her hands.
5. God hath required Praier as a conſtant duty to be performed by all, notwithſtanding any purpoſes or promiſes made by him; I ſay as a conſtant duty required of all, and therefore that is an unjuſtifiable poſition of ſome, That it's not lawfull, or a duty, for wicked men to pray: But when our Saviour ſpeaks ſo univerſally Ask and ye ſhall have, and Gods wrath is to be poured upon the Families of the earth, becauſe they call not upon God; It's plain, it's their ſin, that they do not pray, and although God will not hear the Praier of ſinners, but it's an abomination to God, yet for all that it's their duty to pray, not indeed to pray ſinfully, not to keep up their ſins and their praiers together, but to empty themſelves of their poiſon, to lay aſide their ſuperfluity of naughtineſſe, and ſo to come with pure hearts and pure hands to God, as David, I will waſh my hands in innocency, ſo will I compaſſe thy Altar, Pſa. 26.6. It's therefore a duty enjoyned all and that indiſpenſably to pray unto God; Again I ſay, It's a conſtant duty required of all, not as if there were to be no intermiſſion, but when the time and ſeaſon doth require it, as they are called conſtant Sacrifices, which were offered every day, though not all the day long, and this overthroweth that opinion of ſome who think it no duty to pray, unleſſe when they feel ſome motion or impulſe of the Spirit of God upon them, ſo that if they are a day, a monethmonth, a year without this, they will not pray; This is not according to the Rule: Again it's a conſtant duty required of all, Therefore it's a preſumptuous conceit of thoſe who apprehend themſelves above Petitions; They will do nothing but ſing praiſes to God, and give him thanks, as if they were Angels in heaven, but as for Petitions and Confeſſions they are ſo perfect they are above them, Why do not ſuch men refuſe to eat and drink, ſaying, they have ſuch perfect bodies they need no ſuſtenance? Doth not Chriſt himſelf here importunately and fervently put up his Petitions to the Father?
5. Though God will not perform the good things he promiſeth without our praiers, yet our Praiers are not meritorious; They deſerve not at Gods hand: Though we cannot have the promiſed bleſſing without Praier, yet not for our Praier; Therefore it's not only arrogant but an irrationall doctrine in Popery, to aſſert Praier to be a meritorious work. Doth the beggar deſerve an alms, becauſe he asketh? Who would not rather ſay that praier is a plain profeſſion of our beggery, emptineſſe, and utter impotency; Thereby we proclaim that of our ſelves, we are not able to procure the leaſt mercy; Therefore when we come to God, take heed of truſting in Praier, of idolizing thy duties, It's a ſin we are prone too, but as they ſay of clothes, Pride of them is an extreme vanity, becauſe the very putting them on ſhould put us in minde of our ſin that made nakedneſſe a ſhame, ſo our very praier ſhould make us abhorre our ſelves and ſet up God as the only fountain of all hope and comfort, if we could help our ſelves why pray we to him?
6. Therefore it's diſputed whether God doth require Praier for the mercies ſake. or give the mercy for Praiers ſake; As for example God hath promiſed encreaſe of grace, ſanctification of all afflictions, if we rightly pray to him; Now the Queſtion is whether he giveth this mercy for praier ſake, or not rather becauſe he will give ſuch a mercy, therefore he enableth us to pray, and certainly this latter way is the truth, God gives us not the mercy becauſe we pray, but becauſe he will vouchſafe ſuch a mercy, therefore he quickneth us up to pray; The mercy is not referred to praier, but praier to the mercy.
Therefore 7. As long as God keeps up our heart in a praying way ſo long there is hope of the accompliſhment of the mercy we pray for: Thou prepareſt the heart and heareſt with the ear, ſaith David, Pſa. 10.17. Not but that in ſome temporal mercies the ſoul may be kept long in a praying waiting frame, and yet the mercy it ſelf be never given us, but then it will be with us as with Paul, My grace is ſufficient for thee, 2 Cor. 12. So that ſtill God is good to thee though thou haſt not that thou praieſt for, if a praying frame of heart be on thee; on the other ſide, it's an heavy defection not to be able or willing to pray: I ſpeak not of a tempted Chriſtian, who praieth even while he ſaith he doth not, he cannot pray, but of thoſe who by their ſins have made themſelves as a barren Wilderneſſe, and the heavens like braſſe.
In the next place let us conſider why God who hath purpoſed and promiſed to do ſuch things,Reaſons. yet requireth our praiers for the accompliſhment of them.
And the firſt may be generall from the goodneſſe of God who loveth to communicate himſelf,I. Generall and common. and therefore though he could do all things without ſecond cauſes and means, yet he is pleaſed to uſe them, not from indigence but indulgence; So that as we ſee in all natural effects that are produced, God doth not thoſe things immediatly himſelf but hath ſecond cauſes and means whereby they are compleated, So it is here; God in the wonderfull things he hath predeſtinated or promiſed for his people, hath appointed means for the performance of them; Hence as he converts by the Word, ſo he beſtoweth his mercy upon a praying people; This reaſon is common with all other his works in the world,II. More proper and peculiar Reaſons. but then the more proper and peculiar Reaſons for praier are,
1. God will be ſought to becauſe hereby he is acknowledged the authour and fountain of all the good we have; Did we not pray, were we not commanded to come to him, it might be doubted whether he was the cauſe of the good things we deſire, and this is the reaſon why we may not pray to Angels or Saints, but God only, becauſe he alone and none elſe is the Authour of all good things, Jam. 1. From him cometh every good and perfect gift, So that if we take praier away, we do in effect take God away; He that liveth without praier, liveth as if there were no God, as if all things came by a natural neceſſity or uncertain chance, and not from a wiſe God, ſo that to pray is to give a ſolemn Teſtimony unto the world, that we beleeve there is a God who governeth in the world, with whom are the treaſures of all good things, and that there is not the leaſt mercy we want we can have a ſupply of, but from him; That as the Scripture ſaith he hath the Key of the Heavens, he ſhutteth and no man can open, ſo he keeps the Key of all other mercies, No wonder then that though God will give us good things, yet we muſt earneſtly pray for them, for otherwiſe God would not be owned, there would not that glory be given to him as is due.
2. As God hath appointed this for his honour, ſo likewiſe for our honour, that we may be admitted into his preſence, and have holy Communion with him; It's the greateſt honour that we are capable of, that we are allowed at all times to make our requeſts known to him, For Praier is an heavenly commerce with God, God and man cannot meet together unleſſe they be agreed, how can the conſuming fire and ſtubble be near one another? Might not God ſay to all, which he doth to ſome, What haſt thou to do to take my words into thy mouth? Pſal. 50. As Chriſt rebuked the devils, and would not own their confeſſion of him though it was true, ſo might God abhorre our Petitions, and account it a diſhonour for us to come near him, yea, and that though we had no ſinne, becauſe we are but finite creatures, and ſo not able to do any thing ſutably to his great Majeſty: Oh then let us not look upon a praier as a burthen, as a task, farre be it from us to be haled and pulled to it, when any ſuch liſtliſneſſe and unwillingneſſe is on thee, Oh conſider can there be more glory and honour put on me? Did Haman grudge to come in Ahaſhuerus his preſence, and to the Royall Banquet? Did he not rather glory of it to his Wife and Friends?
3. God will have us pray becauſe Praier is an appointed means by him as well as Faith and Repentance; Now Gods purpoſes and promiſes they muſt never be oppoſed to, or ſeperated from the means, ſo that as God promiſeth pardon of ſinne and ſalvation, but it is if we repent and beleeve, ſo likewiſe it is, if we earneſtly pray and ſeek to him, and this is the very reaſon why Divines ſay that though God hath abſolutely decreed and promiſed ſuch mercies, yet Praier is not uſeleſſe and unneceſſary, becauſe God hath decreed and promiſed praier as well as other things, ſo that it's a prophane cavil to ſay, What need I pray, I cannot alter Gods purpoſes what he hath purpoſed, ſhall be, whether I pray or no; This is falſe reaſoning; For as God hath appointed ſuch mercies, ſo alſo ſuch means whereof Praier is the chief, without which they cannot be had, as Auſtin ſaid, If Steven had not praied for his Perſecutors, the Church had never had ſuch a glorious Doctor as Paul was.
4. God hath appointed Praier not only for our honour but alſo for our ſpirituall advantage and profit; By praying fervently the heart is raiſed up, made more heavenly, and lifted up even into the third Heavens; If there were no other end of Praier but this, it were precious, that hereby the ſoul is put into a glorious transfiguration; That as it was with Chriſt while he was praying, his countenance was changed, and there was great glory fell upon him; So it might be with us, did we in a right manner draw nigh to God; as it was with Moſes, we ſee upon his talking with God his face did ſhine, and Saul when he came among the Prophets, the Spirit of Prophecy fell upon him, ſo when we come into Gods preſence and pray effectually, a divine Spirit, an heavenly frame of heart may come upon us, we ſhall go from Praier raviſhed with the Church, ſaying, My Beloved is the chiefeſt of ten thouſand; It will be like the food that Eliah had from the Angel, enabling him to go a long journey; How patient in afflictions, how heavenly in worldly employments: We ſee thoſe we company with in the world we love and admire, we are apt to imitate them, and become like them; By going in the Sun, we get the colour of the Sun; By going where oyntment is, we get the ſweet ſmell of it; May we not ſay the prophane, earthly and carnall life of moſt men, argue they have not Communion with God, They are not often in his preſence?
5. God will have us pray becauſe hereby we muſt teſtifie our deſire and high eſteem we have of the mercy praied for; Do we not ſay that is little worth which is not worth asking? Now then ſhould God do all our good things for us, and we not pray, the deſire and eſteem of the mercy would not be expreſſed; Hence it is that God loveth wreſtling and fervent praiers, God loveth importunity and an holy violence, as we ſee by the Parable of the unjuſt Judge, yea, the fervent praier of the righteous, and that only availeth much, Jam. 5.16. Now why doth God delight in ſuch praiers of agony, only becauſe hereby we diſcover our earneſt deſires, hereby we ſhew our ſtrong affections, and hence it is that praier doth not draw God to us, but our hearts to God; In our earneſt Petitions we do not bring Gods will to ours but ours to him; Praier is a golden chain that reacheth from heaven to earth, and although we think to move God to us, yet we move our ſelves to him, as the Ship that is faſtened with the Cable, doth not bring the haven to it, but it's ſelf to the haven, ſo that the change praier makes is not on God, but on our ſelves.
6. Praier is neceſſary becauſe hereby. Faith is drawn out in all the choice and excellent effects of it; Praier without faith is like the muſicall Inſtrument without an hand to make a ſound melodious; It's like a picture without life, but of this more in the qualifications of a praier. The demand then may be,Queſt. What is that Praier, and how muſt it be accompliſhed, that is a fruitful Praier, ſuch a praier as will bring about what we deſire.
And 1. It muſt be the praier of a righteous man, ſuch who waſheth himſelf from his ſinnes, for ſinnes they have a tongue, and they cry for vengeance,Anſw. and will quickly cry louder then our praiers; Hence a wicked mans praier is ſaid to be an abomination to the Lord, Pro. 28.9. and the blinde man could ſee and ſay this, God heareth not the praiers of a ſinner; There is a twofold ſinner, a ſinner wilfully going on in his wickedneſſe, and ſuch God will not hear, but then there is a ſinner praying, mourning and repenting, as the Publican, who ſaid, Lord be mercifull to me a ſinner, and ſuch ſins God doth hear; Nay, all men are ſinners in this reſpect, and thus God ſhould hear no praier at all, if he did not hear ſuch; But for other kinde of ſins, of which all places are full, thoſe God doth loath and their duties; David hath expreſſed it fully, If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear me, Pſa. 66.18. Oh then look to thy ſelf and thy life when thou goeſt to pray; If the tongue that praieth be a curſing, ſwearing tongue, If the eyes lifted up to heaven be full of wantonneſſe and adultery, If the hands held out towards heaven be full of violence, fraud, and injuſtice, God is of purer eyes then to behold ſuch,
2. They muſt be fervent, zealous praiers; The effectual fervent praier of a righteous man availeth much, Jam. 5. He muſt be righteous, but many a righteous godly mans praier may have no ſucceſſe, if it be full of dulneſſe, diſtractions and lukewarmneſſe; Therefore it muſt be fervent; We muſt be Jacobs wreſtling with God, ere we can be Iſraels prevailing with God; Praier is compared to Incenſe, and it's the fruit of Gods Spirit, which is compared to fire, Rom. 8. They are ſaid to be groans unutterable; It's not then enough to pray, unleſſe it be fervently and zealouſly, otherwiſe they are like a Bird without wings, or a Meſſenger without feet.
5. They muſt be beleeving praiers; Let him ask in faith nothing doubting; For he that doubteth is to conclude he ſhall not receive any thing; in ſpiritual things that are neceſſary, our faith is to be abſolute, in other things our fiducial faith is to be guided by our doctrinal faith, ſo farre as thoſe things make for our good and Gods glory, our faith is to conclude of them. This is the grace that crowneth our praiers, This grace God highly honoureth, inſomuch that Without faith it's ſaid it's impoſſible to pleaſe God, Heb. 11. Now though preſumption be a weed that comes up of it ſelf, yet Faith is a gift of Gods own planting, and great oppoſition great difficulty there is to put this forth.
Laſtly, It muſt be perſevering and conſtant Praier, our Saviour ſpake that Parable of the unjuſt Judge, that we ſhould pray inceſſantly, not give God over till we obtain the bleſſing, not to be diſcouraged though we meet with many delaies and great diſcouragements, like that Woman of Canaan, whoſe Praiers had an holy kinde of impudency and pertinacy in this, to take no deniall.
Ʋſe of Exhortation To be a people much in praier, that it may be ſaid of thee as of Paul, Behold he praieth, and of thy houſe as of Gods Temple, an houſe of Praier; Oh what ſhall thoſe prophane perſons and prophane Families expect but Gods dreadfull vengeance, who riſe and go to bed without ſuch fervent, zealous praiers? never expect good from that man or Family that is not tender and conſtant in this duty, he is like a Tree in the barren Wilderneſſe that cannot bring forth any fruit, and do not ſay, I have no time to pray, this and that buſineſſe puts it out, Wouldſt thou have time to receive mercies from God, and no time to go by praier to God? Shall the Sluggard ſit ſtill, neither plow, or ſow, or take pains, and yet expect his ground ſhould yeeld a plentiful crop? oh what hope would there be that God would bleſſe the Miniſtry, work converſion by it, If ye were more diligent in this duty; But how greatly is it neglected by moſt, and thoſe that do it, how formall and cuſtomary are they, ſo that it brings no good at all to the ſoul. Think of theſe things more and tremble under them.