A Practical Discourse of Prayer, Discourse · Part 3 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. In what way we are to conceive of God in prayer.
A Tenth Caſe is about the thoughts which we are to have of God, when About conceiving of God in prayer.we doe pray: it being requiſite that ſuch as worſhip God in prayer, ſhould in ſome meaſure be apprehenſive, and able to conceive of God whom they worſhip, Iohn 4. 22. We know what we worſhip.
Now for anſwer hereunto obſerve theſe Rules.
1. Look we doe not conceive of God under any ſhape or reſemblance: as God 1. Think not of him under any likeneſſe or ſhape.gave rules of worſhip to his people of old by voice; but in giving the ſame he repreſented no ſimilitude of himſelfe unto them: ſo are his people in like manner to perform obedience to thoſe Commandements of his without framing to themſelves either inwardly or outwardly any ſimilitude of God, Deut. 4. 12. & 15. v. compared. In ſeeking the Lord we ought not ſo much as to think that the Godhead can be reſembled any way to any other thing, Acts 17. 27. 29. verſes compared. This was one main riſe of Idolatry in practice, to make a mentall Idol of God; when men would not glorifie God, in worſhipping of him as ſuch a one as he made himſelfe known in his very works, even as an Almighty one, but would ſtrain to fancy things of him beyond his revealed wil, to ſeem to be men of a deep ſearch and reach, and of profound and exquiſite underſtandings and capacity: then did they vaniſh in ſuch imaginations touching the nature of God, and were more and more dazeled and darkned, and (in the juſt judgement of God) given up to miſ-ſhaped apprehenſions and idolatrous practices, Rom. 11. 21, 22. All things without God are finite, & too ſhort a portraiture of an infinite Majeſty. In all compariſons there muſt be ſome proportion and equality: Now, unleſſe we could equal God to any thing, how can he be likened to it? Eſay 40. 18, 25.
2. Look that we doe not goe about to 2. Prie not too far into his Deity.comprehend in our minds his glorious Eſſence, prying too far into his Majeſty, and the like: his Godhead is one of the inviſible things of God, and muſt no further be reached after by our ſhallow and dark minds, then as ſhining forth in the works and word of God, Rom. 1. 20. If we goe any further, we ſhall become vaine in our imaginations, verſ. 21. Who can by ſearch finde out the Almighty to perfecton? Iob 11. 7, 8, 12. we ſhould ſhew our ſelves in affecting ſuch wiſdome to be but vain men. Ibid. Iacob when he was at prayer, was a little too buſie herein, and too inquiſitive after the name or nature of the Son, or Angel of God; and therefore is rebuked for asking his name: yet his weakneſſe is paſſed over, and the Lord bleſſed him notwithſtanding, Gen. 32. 29, 30. But rather in our approaches unto God, conceive we of him in his back parts, in his glorious Attributes: Conceive of him as one not to be fully conceived by us, and ſo pray to him with ſuch apprehenſions of him. Moſes did deſire in prayer to have God to ſhew him his glory: his inviſible being and Majeſty was too much for him to ask, or to have anſwered: God telleth him, he could not ſee his glory and live; mans finite underdanding and ſpirit would be ſwallowed up, and confounded therein, Exod. 33. 18, 20. but his goodneſſe, and name of grace, his back parts are fitter objects for Moſes to contemplate upon, and to behold, verſ. 19. 25, compared with Chap. 34. 5, 6: When God came down to his people that they might worſhip him, Exod. 11. he came down in a Cloud, that their prying eyes or ſpirits might be bounded: the Altar of Incenſe, where the Incenſe of prayer was to be offered, was before the Vaile that was by the Arke of the teſtimony, before the Mercy ſeat, Exod. 20. 6. God would have his ſervants to behold and mind him in their prayers; but yet his Mercy ſeat was covered with Cherubs wings, they might not prie too far: and indeed it is but an endleſſe work; we may weary our ſelves in this maze of the divine nature, but make nothing of our work when we have done. It is a fruitleſſe bootleſſe work, no good commeth of it, but amazement and diſcouragement: we ſhall but reflect upon our ſelves as if we were very Atheiſts: conceiving and believing nothing at all of God, when we goe about to conceive more of him then is meet. When at any time the Saints of God, out of a witty kind of reaſoning of their deceitfull hearts, perſwading that it is meet that we ſhould conceive of God, to whom we pray, and the like, (which is in a ſenſe true) doe lance out in their ſlender skiffs or Canows into this vaſt Ocean, without the Cord and Compaſſe of the Scriptures: now if any guſt of temptation ariſe (as twenty to one but it doth) how are they amazed and affrighted, and know not where they are, nor how to get ſafe aſhore again, having forgotten the work they intended at the firſt? and commonly the work and buſineſſe of prayer is for that time diſappointed, and left undone, or as good, being never at ſuch a time performed to any purpoſe. Beſides, the advantage we give to the enemy of peace and truth hereby, which is great; and if no worſe thing follow, yet we get a check from God for our labour, as Jacob, Gen. 32. 29. and Manoah, are reproved for asking after the name of that Angel the Son of God, which was ſecret, Iudg. 13. 17, 18. Why askeſt thou after my name, ſince it is ſecret?
3. Conceive not God abſolutely, as out 3. Think of him relatively as ſuch or ſuch a one to thee in Chriſt.of Chriſt, but as in Chriſt, and ſo mercifull, gracious, and abundant in goodneſſe and truth. We muſt look, as they of old, to the glory of God, in offering up our ſpirituall Incenſe; but as in Chriſt, conſidered as Mediator, who is that Mercy ſeat; for ſo the Hebrew Capporeth, tranſlated uſually by the Septuagint, by the word Hilaſterion, and approved by the Holy ghoſt, Heb. 9. 5. which in Rom. 3. 25. is applied to Chriſt, whom God hath ſet forth to be Hilaſterion, the mercy ſeat, or mercifull Covering, or propitiation for our ſins; or that Capporeth, to which Gods Prieſts muſt look when offering their Incenſe of prayer, Exod. 30. 6. & 25. 20, 21, 22. compared. We are not taught in the Lords prayer to look at, or think of God abſolutely, but relatively, as a father; namely, in Chriſt. Our thoughts of God muſt be ſuitable to our worſhip of him in prayer; which is a comming to God not immediately, nor abſolutely conſidered, but in and by Chriſt. Heb. 7. 25. Which eome to God by him.
4. Let us not too much beat our thoughts about particular and perſonall apprehenſions of God, or conclude that we are 4. Goe not too far in perſonal thoughts of God.Atheiſts in defect thereof: but be ſatiſfied in conceiving and believing that of him, that he is, and that he is a rewarder of ſuch as ſeek him, Heb. 11. 6. with ſuch other generall apprehenſions, which ſerve to keep the heart humble, awfull and attentive: namely, that he to whom we pray, is ſuch a God, which ſeeth and knoweth all our ſecrets, our thoughts, wants, and ſins, and the like: that he is ſuch an one that is with us whereever we are; and that we are in him, and live by him; that he obſerveth what, and in what manner we do any ſervice before him, that he is a very holy God; that he is ſuch a one which comprehendeth us, albeit we cannot ſo fully comprehend him; and that therein lieth our bliſſe, Pſal. 139. 6. and ſo throughout the Pſalm: & 2 Sam. 7. 20. & Acts 17. 27, 28, 29. Fix we our minds ſomtimes upon God under one, and ſometimes under another of ſuch like notions touching him; and let the aw and impreſſion of God, either as one that is moſt holy, or that is moſt wiſe, or that is moſt mighty, carry us as far along as the Lord helpeth, and then conſider of him under ſome one or other like notion; and in our prayers carry that along in our minds as far as we can; and if our ſpirits wax flat, or ſlight notwithſtanding, try them with thoughts of God under ſome other notion, as before mentioned.
5. Look that we limit not God to our 5. Limit not God to our conceivings.ſhallow comprehenſions of him; but in all our thoughts of him, conceive of God as infinitely above all our conceivings: as Agur did, Prov. 30. 1, 2, 3, 4. yet conceive of him to be one that is ready, yea who is engaged to teach us to conceive and know him; Heb. 8. 10, 11. and to doe for us above what we are able to ask or think of him, Eph. 3. 18, 19, 20.
6. Let us with wiſdome proportion out 6. Think of him ſuitably to our needs of him.our conceivings of God, under ſuch a notion of his name and nature revealed in his word, as is moſt ſuitable to that which we are about in prayer. When God had proclaimed divers Attributes and Branches of his Name, Moſes doth not goe about to fill his mouth or his mind with them all at once, but ſelecteth out of them all, ſuch a one as is moſt ſuitable to the requeſt he hath hereupon to make for himſelfe, and for Iſrael; which was, that God would pardon their iniquity, Exod. 24. 8, 9. which was ſuitable to one of the laſt mentioned Branches of the name of his grace, namely, that be was one forgiving iniquity, tranſgreſſion, and ſin, Verſ. 7. and the like courſe doth hetake in that prayer of his mentioned Numb. 14. 17, 18, 19, 20. We are to glorifie God in prayer thus, according to what we know of him. Rom. 1. 21. eſpecially to improve that of Gods nature, by which he hath practically diſcovered himſelfe to us; conceive of him as we have found of him by experience, and as we are convinced he hath carried himſelfe towards us: have we found the experience of his wiſdome? pray to him as one infinitely wiſe: have we taſted of the fruits of his faithfulneſſe? pray to him as ſuch a one, and that part of his Name wherein he hath laſt held himſelfe forth unto our hearts & ſpirits, in a convincing manner; and with which we are laſt affected moſt of all; worſhip him, and pray to him under that notion, but eſpecially conſider and conceive of him in the glorious and precious demenſions of his love, Eph. 3. 18, 19. that we may comprehend with all Saints what is the height, and length, and bredth, and depth, and to know the love of Chriſt, which paſseth knowledge.
7. Let holy admiration ever and anon 7. Let our thoughts of him iſſue in holy admiration.upſhot our conceivings of God, as it did in David, Pſalm 139. 1, 2. compared with v. 7. 17. whether ſhall I goe from thy ſpirit? or glorious Deity; he looketh at it as wonderfully, and unexpreſſibly filling all places; and verſe 17. he cannot expreſſe the thoughts of God towards him. And likewiſe let humility and reverence attend the ſame. Ibid. SO it was in Habbakkuks prayer, wherein he is carried out to a glorious conceiving of God: Hab. 3. 1, 2, 3. his heart the while trembling, verſe 16. The Incomprehenſibleneſſe of God, and his unſearchable excellency, muſt make men therefore fear him. Job 37. 23, 24. Let our ſhallowneſſe in conceiving of God drive us more out of our ſelves, and abaſe us much that we know ſo little of him, and inflame us with deſire after that time when we ſhall in a glorious manner conceive of him: we underſtand but as Children, but in part, in compariſon of that time when we ſhall know the Lord as we are known by him, according to the meaſure of our capacity, 1 Cor. 13. 12.