The Doctrine of Practical Praying, Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX. Of duties to be performed after prayer.
ANd these are the duties to be performed in the action of prayer. Out of the action, before is required preparation: wherein we are to meditate of such things as may help and further us for the exercise of such duties as are required in the action, which I have already noted in the particulars.
After our prayer is ended we must quietly rest in1. We must rest upon Gods pleasure for the obteining of our suits. the good will and pleasure of God; not doubting but the Lord as he hath heard our prayers, so in his good time will grant the same as shall be most for his glory and our good. And this is the meaning of the word Amen, where with our Saviour hath taught us (as it were) to seal up our prayers: for thereby as we signifie the consent of our desire, so also the assent of faith. This was Davids disposition, Psal. 3. 4, 5. I did call unto the Lord with my voice; there is his prayer: and he heard me out of his mountain; there is his assurance that he was heard: I laid me down and slept; there is his quiet and secure resting in the good will and protection of God who did sustein him. So Psal. 4. 6, 7, 8. Psal. 5. 3. In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, & speculabor, and I will look and wait, untill thou shalt grant my desire. And such also was the disposition of Hannah after she had prayed, 1. Sam. 1. 18.
Secondly, as we crave good things at the hands2. We must use the means to obtein those things for which we have prayed. of God, so we our selves must endeavour to attein unto them by all good means possible. For otherwise our prayer is a tempting of God, as if we would have our desire granted as it were by miracle, and a fruit of no faith or unfeigned desire of the thing asked. For if we did truly believe and unfeignedly desire the thing which we ask, we would leave no good means unattempted for the obteining thereof. As for example, when I pray for faith or any other spirituall grace, I must besides my prayer use all the good means carefully which the Lord hath ordained for the begetting and increasing of those graces in us, as the hearing of the word preached, receiving the Sacrament, reading and meditating in the word, &c. To this purpose there are many worthy sayings of the heathen: as of Aeschylus, foreign, God delighteth to be present with him that laboureth: and, foreign, When as any man useth his indeavour God also putteth to his hand: and, foreign, Manum admoventi invocanda sunt Numina, Divine powers are to be invocated by him that putteth to his own hand: To which purpose is that proverb of Varro, Dii facientes adjuvant, God assisteth labourers: Adag. foreign.
Thirdly, if having prayed and used other means3. We must examine what is the cause that we are not heard. we do not obtein our desires, let us before we go any further labour to find out the cause. If the fault be in our prayer, because we did ask amisse, Jam. 4. 3. as that we did not pray in faith, or in fervency, c. we must endeavour by the assistance of Gods spiri…, which we are to crave, to amend that fault. If the fault be in our selves, as that we lie in some sinne not repented of, we must by repentance wash our selves, and then renew our prayers unto God, Isai. 1. 16, 18. It may be we neither so greatly desire the thing which we ask while we want it, neither would so highly esteem it when we have it, as it deserveth, and therefore the Lord deferreth the granting of our suit, that our desire being deferred might be more fervent, and the thing so hardly obteined might both the more highly be esteemed and the more carefully kept. So Augustine, Deus differt nostra postulata, ut discamus grandia grand…ter desider are: God deferreth to grant our requests, that we may learn to desire greatly great things.
Fourthly, having used the means and endeavoured4. We must persevere in prayer. to remove the impediments, we are to persist and persevere in prayer without fainting. To which purpose our Saviour propounded the parable of the widow and the judge, Luke 18. 1. giving us to understand that those things which we do not obtein at the first, by reason of our perseverance and importunitie shall be granted. To which purpose also serveth the parable of the two friends, Luke 11. 8. To this perseverance we are often stirred up both by precept, Rom. 12. 12. and practice; as of Hannah, 1. Sam. 1. 12. of David, Psal. 109. 4. who gave himself to prayer; of Daniel, when he was forbidden under pain of death to call upon God, Dan. 6. of Bartimeus the blind man, who calling upon Christ and being therefore rebuked of the people did so much the more cry after him, Mark 10. 46, 48. of the woman of Syrophenicia, who having received divers repulses yet by her importunity obteined her desire, Matth. 15. 22. of the Primitive Church, Acts 2. 42. and 12. 5. of Cornelius, Acts 10. of Paul, who prayed without ceasing.
Fifthly, as we are to persist with a kind of importunitie5. We must with patience expect Gods leisure. in our prayers, so are we with patience to expect the Lords leisure, Psal. 40. 1. and 130, 5, 7. and not to be hasty, according to that, Isai. 28. 16. Qui crediderit nè festinet, Let not him that believeth make hast: but, as it is Psal. 123. 2. waiting upon the Lord untill he have merciemercy upon us, knowing, as Jeremy speaketh Lam. 3. 26. that it is good both to trust and to wait for the salvation of the Lord; being assured that the Lord, who is a present help in the time of need, will in his good time grant our requests. And therefore we are exhorted Heb. 4. 16, to come with boldnesse to the throne of grace, that we may obtein mercy and find grace foreign, that is, for opportune help. And because we have need of this patience, Heb. 10. 36. we are to stirre up and encourage our6. We must be cont…ed with Gods good pleasure when he seemeth to deny us. selves thereto, Psal. 27. 13, 14. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, &c.
Sixthly, if having persisted in prayer and long expected the Lords leisure we yet have not obteined our suit, insomuch that the Lord may seem rather wholly to deny it then for a time to delay it, we are to rest in the good will and pleasure of God, being perswaded that he hath heard our prayers in a better manner then we desired, hearing us though not ad voluntatem yet ad utilitatem, that is, for our profit t…gh not according to our will; after the manner of wise and carefull parents, who will not give to their children what they ask but what is profitable; and of good Physicians, who will not grant their patients what they desire but what is expedient. And therefore we are in this case to be disposed as Augustine directeth us; Si quid contra quod oramus acciderit, Aug. Epist. 121. ad Pro…am.patienter ferendo, & in omnibus gratias agendo, hoc potiùs oportuisse quod Dei non quod nostra voluntas habuit, minimè dubitare debemus, by patient bearing it, if any thing happeneth contrary to that which we have prayed for, and in all things giving thanks; neither ought we to doubt but that it is better that should come to passe which God willeth then what we desired. And this is true not onelyonly in temporall benefits, which it is good sometime to want, but also in spirituall which are not necessary to salvation. As for example; A man being troubled with some infirmitie, which is as a prick in his flesh moving him to sinne, prayeth unto God to be delivered from it: but howsoeuer his prayer in desiring to be freed from evil is acceptable unto God, yet it may be he will not grant it, the deniall being more for his glory and our profit: for his glory, because his power is manifested in our weaknesse; to make us work out our salvation with fear and trembling, to make us more circumspect of our wayes, knowing that we carry such an enemy about us, as if we stand not upon our guard will be ready to foil us. Example hereof in Paul, 2. Cor. 12. 7, 8, 9. And this ought to be our disposition when our requests do seem not to be granted.
But if contrariwise the Lord hath heard our prayersHow we must carry our selves when our requests are granted. and granted our requests, then are we, First, to be thankfull unto God for his goodnesse, Psal. 28. 6. and 66. 20. and 118. 21. Dan. 2. 23. Gen. 24. 26. John 11. 41. Secondly, our love of God must be increased and our faith confirmed with greater confidence to make our prayers unto him for the time to come, Psal. 116. 1, 2. I love the Lord because he hath heard the voyce of my supplications: because he hath inclined his care unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.