Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 5 · Verse 14, 15
1 JOHN 5.14, 15.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.
And if we know that he hear us, whatſoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we deſired of him.
VErſ. 18. he had ſhewed a double ſoone of his writing; th… atte… …, that they might believe on the Name of the Son of God. This he exhorts Chriſtians to, verſ. 14, 15, 16. by three arguments.
1 From the confidence ſuch may have of the hearing of their petitions, verſe 1…4.
2 From the certain knowledge ſuch may have that their prayers are granted.
3 From the prevalency of our prayers with God that as we ſhall be aſſured of the granting of our petitions, ſo we ſhall thereby, obtain life for our Brother, that both not ſinned a ſin unto death.
Doct. A prayer that is made well, never ſpeeds ill. Or thus,
A prayer made according to Gods will, God will grant according to our will.
Notable is that incouragement Chriſt gave to the Woman, Matth. 15.…6. O … I great is thy faith, Be it unto thee even as thou wilt. As if God would let ſuch into his privy treaſury, and grant them what they would.
For explication.
Q What is it to pray according to Gods will? Theſe two things it holds forth at the firſt view,
1. When we pray for ſuch things as are agreeable to Gods will, viz. his revealed will, we ſhould ask nothing but what he commands us. In the Lords prayer Chriſt tels us what he would have us pray for, for thoſe things we have warrant to pray.
2. What ever we ask, we ought to ask with ſubmiſſion of our wills to Gods will. So did Chriſt himſelfe, Matth. 26.39. Not as I will, but as thou wilt. But for further inlargement.
1. A man is ſaid to pray according to Gods will, partly as his will is expreſt in his word, and partly as his will is revealed in our hearts.
For the will of God expreſt in his Word.
1. God requires that we ſhould ask for nothing but what he commands us to doe, and therefore had need to pray for; whatever duty God requires of us, that we are to pray for. So did David, Pſal. 119.4, 5.
2. Whatſoever we pray for, God commands us to ask it in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt, Joh. 16.22, 23, 24.
To ask in the Name of Chriſt requires two graces of us, Humility and Faith.
Humility of ſpirit in prayer is expreſt in four acts.
1. We acknowledge our ſelves leſſe then the leaſt of Gods mercies, Gen. 32.10. So that if God ſhould grant him nothing, he would juſtifie God.
2. Another act of Humility, is to pray in ſenſe of our inſufficiency to think a good thought, much more to pray according to Gods will, 2 Cor. 3.8. Rom. 8.26.
3. A man prayes in Humility, when he doth not deſire God to ſatisfie any of his ſinfull luſts, but that Gods will may be done, Matth. 26. verſ. 39.
4. To pray in Humility, is to make mention of no mediation in our prayers, but onelyonly of Chriſt, Col. 2.18. They made a ſhew of Humility, as not being ſo bold as to have immediate acceſſe to God, therefore put up their prayers through the mediation of ſome Angell; but to goe lower then God allows, is but pride of heart.
2. To pray in the Name of Chriſt, is to pray in Faith. Which is expreſt in four acts.
1. Faith directs us to put up our prayers onelyonly to him on whom we believe, Rom. 10.14. But we believe only in God, therefore neither Saints, nor Angels, nor the Mother of Chriſt, the Virgin Mary, are to be prayed to, but we are to pray to our Father onelyonly, Gal. 4.5, 6. Rom. 8.15.
2. Faith makes us come with ſome child like confidence to God as our Father.
1. By Faith we come to God as our heavenly Father in Chriſt, and well affected to Chriſt, as loving us himſelfe, Joh. 16.36.
2. We come to him as a Father Almighty, full of goodneſſe, readyer to give then we to ask.
3. A third act of faith is, for a man to come truly cleaving unto Chriſt, not ſtanding in demurre, whether we had beſt leave our luſts or no, whether we had beſt become altogether Chriſtians or no. This wavering cannot ſtand with faith, for it's ſuch a wavering as whereby he is foreign, a double-hearted man, an heart for God, and an heart for the world; ſometimes for God, ſometimes for his own luſts. Let not this man think he ſhall receive any thing. Jam. 1.6, 7, 8.
4. A fourth act of faith, is to believe that what we have asked according to Gods will, he will certainly grant, Matth. 11.24. So far as you have asked with ſubmiſſion to his will, ſo far will he grant according to your wills, and though he deferre, yet make account your prayers are heard, that he will either grant what you ask, or what he knows will be better for you, and as welcome to you, for God looks not ſo much at the petition as at the end you aim at in opportuning ſuch a bleſſing, and that he will grant even when he ſeems to deny us our petitions, Heb. 5 9. Chriſt was heard in that he prayed for. Why, how was he heard? did he not drink of the cup he prayed againſt? Yes, yet he was heard:
1. Chriſts will was that his Fathers will might be fulfilled, not his; in this he was heard.
2. It's ſaid he was heard in that he feared, though he did drink of the cup, yet he was ſaved from thoſe fears and terrors that overwhelmed him.
3. The main end of Chriſt was, that his Church might be redeemed, which God granted; ſo God granted the end of his petition, though not the thing it ſelf. So Moſes prayed earneſtly that he might goe over and ſee the good Land, God told him he ſhould not goe over, yet God let him ſee that good Land as well as if he had gone over. If we ſubmit our wills to Gods will, and pray in humility and faith, make account God ſeriouſly ponders the aime of your hearts in begging ſuch a mercy, and though he ſeems to croſſe ſuch your petitions, and to delay them, yet he knows how to grant the end of your petitions by other means then you conceive, even then when God is diſpleaſed with our weake and unworthy prayers, as he was with Moſes, Deut. 3.22, to 28 Yet then he knows how to grant what we aimed at. And this magnifies the name of Chriſt, that though in our own name we ſhould never find acceptance yet in Chriſts name he will grant our petitions.
2. We pray according to the will of God, when we pray according to his will revealed in our hearts, in the ſpirit of him that prayes, Jude v. 20. Eph. 6.18. Now we pray according to Gods will revealed in the Spirit.
1. When the Spirit raiſeth our hearts to reach forth ſenſibly with longings and breathings after the bleſſings we want. Thus Hannah poured forth her ſoul unto God, 1 Sam. 1.15. She expreſt not ſo much in words, as in the reaching and breathing of her ſpirit after the bleſſing ſhe prayed for. So Iſa. 26.9. With my ſoul within me have I deſired thee; as if there were another Spirit in his ſpirit. When we pray in a further meaſure of ſtrength then our own hearts could reach to, ſuch a prayer is of the Spirit.
1. When we pray with fervency and earneſtneſſe, Jam. 5.16. This is that which is called wreſtling and ſtriving with God, Rom. 15.30. When our hearts are ſo ſet on Gods favour, as they will not let goe, till we have prevailed, Gen. 32.10, & 24, 25, 26. expounded, Hoſ. 12.4.
3. We pray in the Spirit, when we perſevere in praying and are importunate with God, Luk. 18.1, to 10. This is expreſſed by the importunity of the Widow that prevailed with the unjuſt Judge: Shall a ſinfull Judge, a mortall man be prevailed with by the importunity of a poor Widow, and will not God much more avenge his elect that cry to him day and night? You may think God regards not your prayers, but the poor Widow did not more trouble this Judge, then God is troubled with your prayers, ſo that he cannot reſt untill he have fulfilled your deſires. To the ſame purpoſe, Luk. 11.5, to 11. Though God ſeem to be aſleep, yet if you continue knocking, God will open unto you; therefore when you have a good petition in hand, never give over but pray continually, and watch thereunto, Eph. 6.18. till he anſwer. To what end doth he call it knocking, but to imply that our prayers make as much noyſe in heaven, as men doe by knocking at our doores? Matth. 7.7: So the woman of Syrophaenicia, ſhe knocked and continued knocking, and would not have a denyall, ſo that Chriſt anſwers her, O woman! great is thy faith, be it unto thee as thou wilt: As if he were overwreſtled by her importunity, to grant her petitions.
Reaſ. 1. Becauſe when we pray according to Gods will, he fulfills his own will when he grants our petitions. It's Gods will that we ſhould pray ſo, now Gods will muſt be fulfilled.
2. Becauſe when we pray according to the will of God, in the Name of Chriſt, our prayer is Chriſts prayer; as if you ſend a childe or ſervant to a friend for any thing in your name, the requeſt is yours, and he that denyes your childe or ſervant in this caſe, denyes you; ſo no more can God deny a prayer put up in Chriſts name, then he can deny Chriſt himſelf, Joh. 16.23, 24.
Reaſ. 3. From the interceſſion of the Spirit in ſuch a prayer; no prayer put up in the manner aforeſaid, but is the prayer of the holy Ghoſt, and God knows the meaning of his Spirit, Rom. 8.26. God knows our prayers would be weake and cold, except there were another Spirit beſides our own; if therefore he diſcern his own Spirit in our prayers, he cannot deny his Spirit; nay further, as the Spirit makes interceſſion for us, ſo Chriſt himſelfe prayes for us, Rom. 8.34. He takes up all our prayers for us as the great Maſter of requeſts, and he doth ſo perfume them, and take out all weakneſſe out of them, that he preſents them as a ſweet odour to God, Rev. 8.3. Even as if a younger Brother ſhould goe and gather a Poſie for his Father, he out of ignorance gathers many weeds withall, but his elder Brother takes it, and pulls out all the weeds, and perfumes the flowers with ſweet water, and then preſents it to his Father in his Brothers name: ſo Chriſt ſees many ſinfull weakneſſes in our prayers, but he takes away all unſavourineſſe, and perfumes them, and ſo preſents them to God, and he accepts them.
Ʋſe 1. As ever we deſire that our ſelves or ours ſhould ſpeed well, let both our ſelves and ours learn to pray well, you have enough if you can but pray wel, you can but ſpeake and have, deſire and it ſhall be granted, open thy mouth wide and God will fill it; as long as you have an heart opened to pray, you ſhall want no bleſſings, therefore above all bleſſings beg of God a ſpirit of prayer. Now that you may pray well.
1. Take heed that you be not of a wavering double minde, Jam. 1.6, 7, 8. partly for God, partly for our ſelves; pray with a ſingle heart, Act. 11.21. that is,
1. Give up your hearts wholly to God.
2. Be carefull to keep all Gods commandements, for as we hearken to Gods commandements, ſo will he hearken to our prayers; if we obſerve his words, he will obſerve ours.
2. Have reſpect to pray according to Gods will in Faith and Humility.
Ʋſe 2. For them that doe pray according to Gods will, be aſſured that God will grant your petitions according to your wills, God hath ſpoken it, and therefore he will not deny it. Notable is that place, Dan. 9.23. & ch. 10.12. At the beginning of his ſupplication the commandement came forth, only God was bringing it about in the Court of Perſia. The King oft-times grants a petition the firſt day it is put up, but it muſt paſſe many hands before it come to the ſubject; ſo the very firſt day we put up a lawfull prayer, God grants it, there be many means to bring it about, which we muſt waite for.
Doct. Such as do believe on the name of Chriſt for ſalvation, may come to have confidence and knowledge of the hearing and having all their petitions.
For explication.
How do theſe two great benefits, confidence and knowledge of granting our prayers, ſpring from what St. John hath written in this Epiſtle?
Anſw. Five things concur to this confidence, and all of them inſiſted upon by St. John in this Epiſtle.
1. Our adoption expreſt by St. John, ch. 3.1. He wonders at the admirable love of God, not only indebaſing of himſelfe to behold things here below, as David did, Pſal. 113.4, to 8. but in looking on us poor earth-wormes, and raiſing us up to be Sons and daughters to God: So that this is the firſt ground of our confidence in prayer, viz. our adoption, that we are Sons of God, Gal. 4.5, 6. Rom. 8.15. To whom may a Son come more boldly then to his Father? And what aſſures him more of the grant of his petitions, then that he is his Son?
2. Chriſts advocation breeds confidence in us, 1 Joh. 2.1, 2…. Chriſt pleads with his Father on our behalfe for the hearing our petitions, and for the granting of what we want. An Advocate puts the petition, that it may be was rudely drawn by a man, into a form of Law, and ſo it holds currant in Law; ſo doth Chriſt with our prayers, he puts them into a right form and ſo pleads for us.
2. The atonement or propitiation of Chriſt, is another cauſe of confidence, 1 Joh. 2.2. So that whereas many a Chriſtian may be afraid that his prayers ſhall never be heard, he is ſo ſinfull and unclean; Why, (ſaith St. John) If any man ſin, we have an Advocate with the Father, and he is the propitiation for our ſins. He is not onelyonly an Advocate but a propitiation, to make atonement for our ſins, that they ſhall not hinder our acceptance.
4. The anoyntment of the Spirit, whereby we know all things, 1 Joh. 3.20. is a ground of much confidence, that though we be blind and dull, and know not what God doth for us in our prayers, or how they ſpeed in heaven; why, Chriſt like an Advocate ſends down his Spirit, and lets us know how all things ſpeed. This unction teacheth us all things, 1 Cor. 2.12.
Q. How doth the Spirit certifie us of the hearing of our petitions?
1. By helping us to pray; for we know our own hearts are dead and ſtraight, not able to put up any good prayer, if therefore the Spirit come like oyl, and make us pray affectionately, and ſenſibly, we know a prayer well made cannot ſpeed ill, a prayer made by Gods Spirit cannot but be heard, for God knows the meaning of his Spirit, Rom. 8.26.
2. This Spirit puts in us a perſwaſion of faith, that what we pray for God will anſwer, Matth. 11.23, 24. And ſo God gives us an Amen in our hearts. Pſal. 6.8. David was in a ſore tryall and affliction, he prayes to God then, Verſ. 8. Away from me all ye workers of iniquity, for the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping. In the midſt of his mourning, this unction fills him with a perſwaſion of the granting of his prayers; and ſo God often times ſatisfies the heart of a Chriſtian with this perſwaſion. Hannah when ſhe had poured out her ſpirit before God, and Eli had ſaid to her, The Lord grant thy petition thou askeſt of him: Why, ſhe took this as a voyce from heaven, and ſo ſhe went away comfortably, and ſhe feared that petition no more, 1 Sam. 1.16, 17.
2. There is another act of faith beſides perſwaſion, and that is a conſtant wreſtling againſt all diſcouragements which come betwixt us and our prayers; famous is that example of the woman of Syrophaenicia, Matth. 15, 26, 27, 28. If the holy Ghoſt doth but give us ſo much reſolution, as not to be overwearyed with d fficulties, then Be it unto thee thou wilt.
3. This Spirit works as a Spirit of hope, and this ſtirs us up to wait patiently on God, till he anſwer; our carnall ſpirits would be ready to ſay, Wherefore ſhould I wait on the Lord any longer, as that wicked King did, but now a ſpirit of hope waits on God, till God ſhall give an anſwer of peace, Pſal. 85.8. Pſal. 130. 2 laſt verſ. When God gives us ſpirits to wait on him, he ſeals up unto us the grant of our petitions. A wiſe Prince if a petition be put up that is lawfull and he bid me wait for it, I count it granted: ſo if I put up a prayer, and God give me an heart to wait for it, I make account he will grant it.
4. This Spirit is a Spirit of fear, Pſal. 145.9. Doſt thou walk in thy Chriſtian courſe depending upon Chriſt, reverencing his name and Ordinances? Why, God will fulfill the deſires of them that fear him, Jer. 32.40. And ſo he keeps covenant with us. If God give us an awefull reverent heart, that keeps us from departing from God, and God from departing from us, then the Lord will be neer when we call upon him, and this is from the unction of the Spirit which make us profit in all our wayes, Iſa. 11.2, 3.
5. This is a Spirit of obedience, and that gives us good aſſurance of the hearing of our petitions, 1 Joh. 3.21. For as we hearken to God, ſo God hearkens to us, Prov. 28.9. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law, his prayer ſhall be abominable. But if you hearken to God, God will hearken to you, Judg. 9.7. If we ſay, Speake Lord, for thy ſervant heareth, 1 Sam. 3.5. then what we ſpeake God will hear. An obedient Chriſtian is a powerfull petitioner, mighty in prayer.
6. From the root of confidence, which ſprings partly from Gods nature, partly from faith in Chriſt, partly from the unction of the Spirit; now for thoſe things we ſee many promiſes belong to us, our adoption aſſures us of Gods Nature, that he is a mercifull Father; our Father aſſures us that Chriſt is our Advocate; the unction of the Spirit breeds in us experience that we have the Son, that we are Sons; it aſſures us of our election, vocation, and ſalvation; and if it aſſure us of greater matters, then much more of the grant of our prayers, Rom. 8.32. But now knowledge is a further work, knowledge ſprings either from ſenſe or experience? Now then this unction of the Spirit which gives us experience, not only gives us confidence, but knowledge, that our prayers are heard, Eph. 3.19. This Spirit of God in our hearts, gives us both ſenſible and experimentall knowledge of Gods favour, and breeds certain knowledge of the hearing and having our petitions granted; hearing, that is, of Gods accepting them, Verba ſenſus cum affectu, & effectu ſunt intelligenda; and having, that is, of the performing and fulfilling of our deſires, chiefly of the ends and aims of our prayers.
Ʋſe 1. Serves to take off our hearts from confidence in any worldly thing, and incourages them to believe on the name of Jeſus Chriſt; why, becauſe hence you ſhall not only be aſſured of ſalvation, (which yet is more then all the travails, and p lgrimages, and devotions of our Fore-fathers could reach unto) but by believing on the Name of Chriſt, you ſhall have confidence that all your prayers are heard.
Ʋſe 2. For them that doe believe in Chriſt, here is a method, whereby they may be aſſured of the granting their petitions.
1. Make ſure your adoption, for that breeds much aſſurance in prayer.
2. Meditate much on Chriſt, that Chriſt is your Advocate▪ and atonement for your ſins.
3. Labour for a Spirit of faith, and hope, and fear, and obedience, and ſo you ſhall grow up to confidence and knowledge that your prayers are granted. Many a Chriſtian falls ſhort of this confidence, becauſe he conſiders not who helps him to make his prayers, who makes interceſſion for him, or elſe he is wanting in ſome of thoſe graces, and ſo his prayers are full of doubtings.
Ʋſe 3. Of conſolation to all that believe on Chriſt; why, This is our confidence, that whatſoever we ask according to Gods will, he heareth us. How comfortable then is the condition of a beleever? Be his eſtate never ſo miſerable, his wants never ſo great, if he can but pray well, he may goe on comfortably.