The Nature Parts and Kinds of Prayer, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Laying down directions how we ought to pray in a right manner.
Sect. 1.
IN the laſt place, I ſhall lay down divers directions to teach us in what manner we ought to pray to God, when we draw near to God in prayer; let us come before him as we ought to do.
Direct. 1. Let us not come raſhly into the preſence of God, there ought to be in him that cometh to the throne of grace, animus bene compoſitus, a mind well compoſed and diſpoſed thereunto; we muſt not pray unadviſedly, without conſidering with the mind what the tongue is to offer, leſt we reap a curſe inſtead of a bleſſing: what is it to offer the ſacrifice of fools, but raſhly and unadviſely to pour out our prayers to God, not conſidering what,Greg. Moral. l. 26. c. 29. or how, or to whom we ſpeak? What is nearer to us than our heart, ſaith St Gregory, and yet if once it be ſet a wandring, what thing is it in the whole world that is in a trice ſo farre from us? Away then with all perfunctory prayers, which is the practice of too many in our daies, who utter a form of words, as is the manner of hypocrites, or the Gentiles was, or as the Parret of Aſcanius recited the Creed, rather of cuſtome than zeal, flattering God with their mouthes, and diſſembling with him with their tongues: when we are at our prayers, let not our minds be roving after our worldly affairs; when we bow the knees of our fleſh, let the knees of our hearts bow alſo, and let not our prayers go out of feigned lips: that the mind ſhould be well compoſed in prayer, ſome even of the heathens have ſeen;Orontis eſt nil niſi coeleſtia cogitare. and therefore one ſaith; It becometh him that prayeth, to think of nothing but heavenly things. Drexelius tells us of a viſion, that a religious man had at prayers in the Congregation:Drexelius. He ſaw a ſeverall Angel at the elbow of every one preſent, ready to write down his ſuits and requeſts: thoſe who prayed heartily, their Angels wrote with gold; ſuch as prayed but coldly, their Angels wrote too, but it was but with water; ſuch as prayed cuſtomarily onelyonly, but from the teeth outward, theirs ſeemed ſeemed to write too, but it was but with a dry pen, no ink in it; ſuch as ſlept, their Angels laid their pens by; ſuch as had worldly thoughts, their Angels wrote in duſt; and ſuch as had malicious thoughts, their Angels wrote with gall: the mo…all (at leaſt) is of uſe: for if God, as Job Job 14.17.ſaith, hath a bagg for our ſinnes, and a bottle for our tears, …s David ſaith:Pſal. 56.8. then he hath a …ook for our prayers too,Lierle's Sermon P…al. 95.1. as one well noteth; if we ſhall anſwer for every idle word we ſpeak one to another, much more for every idle word we ſpeak to God.
Direct. 2. We muſt pray in humility; the prayer of him that humbleth himſelf pierceth the clouds, and will depart, till God heareth it, ſaith the ſonne of Syrach: the chiefeſt motive that can humble us, is a double meditation, one of God, another of our ſelves; God ſo infinitely great and holy, and we infinitely baſe and evill: God is infinitely great both in reſpect of his majeſty, and alſo of his mercy; the conſideration of both theſe humbled Job even to duſt and aſhes; therefore, ſaith he, I abhor my ſelf, and repent in duſt and aſhes, Job 42.5. So Iſaiah coming near to God, cries out, Woe is me, for I am undone, I am a man of polluted lips, Iſai. 6. So the poor juſtified Publican ſtands afar off, and would ſcarce lift up his eyes to heaven, but ſmites on his breaſt, crying, God be mercifull to me a ſinner, Luke 18.13, 14. So wiſe Agur ſpeaking to God in prayer, ſee how he directeth his ſpeech to him,Cobbet Treat. of Prayer. Prov. 30.1, 2. The words of Agur the ſonne of Jakeh, even the prophecy the man ſpake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ueal: Ithiel ſignifieth, he that is my God; and Ucal that mighty one; and you ſee how humbly he ſpeaketh to him, verſ. 2, 3. Surely I am more brutiſh than any man, I have not the underſtanding of a man in me, nor have I the knowledge of the holy; he looks upon himſelf as moſt unworthy to ſpeak of God in way of inſtruction to others, and to ſpeak to God himſelf in way of ſupplication: wherefore as one was wont to ſay to Caeſar: Qui apud te O Caeſar audent dicere, magnitudinem tuam ignorant, qui non audent, humanitatem tuam neſciunt: they that dare ſpeak to thee O Caeſar, do not know thy greatneſs, they that durſt not, are ignorant of thy humanity and weakneſs: I may ſay farre better, our Saviour is meek and lowly in heart, that we may ſpeak unto him, but he is ſo great in majeſty and power, that we ought to ſpeak in all humility; let us then fall low before his footſtool, and not come into his preſence without great reverence: our bleſſed Saviour proſtrated himſelf upon the ground, when he prayed to his Father; Et proſtratus in terra orat medicus, & nòn inclinatur aegrotus? Shall this heavenly Phyſitian kneel, and ſhall we think much to ſtoop to that infinite Majeſty, who is higher than the higheſt on earth? Behold I have taken upon me to ſpeak unto the Lord, who am but duſt and aſhes, ſaith Abraham interceding for Sodom, Gen. 18. the conſideration of Gods greatneſs and holineſs will abaſe and humble us, and ſuch a humiliation will be a means to lift us up to glory and bleſſedneſs.
Sect. 2.
Direct. 3. LEt us pray in faith: faith indeed is requiſite to bring us near to God: Let us draw near with a true heart in full aſſurance of faith, Heb. 10.22. an unbelieving heart departeth from God, Heb. 3.12. but faith brings us into the preſence of God; he that cometh to God muſt believe, Heb. 11.6. that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that ſeek him: hence ariſeth the ground of our confidence, when we know that God is both able and willing to help us: this we ſignifie ſaying, Our Father which art in heaven, this St James requireth, James 1.6. Ask in faith nothing wavering; for he that wavereth, is like a wave of the Sea, driven with the wind and toſſed, if we have not faith in our prayers, we cannot chuſe but ſhake and tremble when we come before the Lord: ſaith makes a perſon to come with boldneſs to the throne of grace, Eph. 3.12. all our prayers muſt be grounded on Gods promiſes, which are in Chriſt Yea and Amen, i. e. they have their foundation and perfection, their beginning and ending, in, and upon Chriſt,Habent fundamentum & complementum principium & finem. Rolloc. in Pſal. 32. as Rollock noteth. Now we cannot apprehend either of him, or any promiſe made to us in him, but onelyonly by faith: yea, this is a condition required alwaies in all our prayers, 1 John 5.13, 14. yea, in all our actions, Rom. 14.23. Heb. 11.6. the defect and want hereof made St Auſtin pronounce of all the moral virtues of heathen men, that they were but ſplendida peccata: Aug. in Pſal. 83.for ſaith he, As birds loſe their young ones being chilled and killed with cold, and that fall out of their neſts; ſo all thoſe things that we commonly call good works come to nothing, if they be not bred and brought forth in the neſt of faith: a faithfull prayer returnes not empty, But as it goeth rightly up, carried with the wings of faith, ſo it comes heavily down laden with bleſſings: Therefore, 1. We muſt believe that our perſons are accepted in Chriſt. 2. That our ſuits are wellcome with our perſons, Iſai. 45.19. I believed, and therefore have I ſpoken, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 116.10. no ſooner had he laid hold on faith, but his tongue was preſently exerciſed in prayer: let faith then (I ſay) be the ground of our prayer, the firſt round of the ladder whereby we aſcend unto God, Et juxta menſuram fidei erit menſura impetrandi, the more faith we have in our hearts, the more favour ſhall our prayers finde in Gods eares. This is manifeſtly proved unto us from the examples of them that came to Chriſt. The Ruler of the Synagogue believed, that if Chriſt came and laid his hands upon his daughter, ſhe ſhould be healed. The woman with the bloudy iſſue believed, that if ſhe might but touch the hemme of his garment ſhe ſhould be healed. The Centurion ſaid, but Dic verbum, Doe but speake the word, and my ſervant ſhall be whole: Each one had his deſire according as he believed: Whatſoever ye aske in prayer, if ye believe ye ſhall receive it, ſaith Chriſt, Matth. 21.22. For indeed we mock God to pray unto him, and to doubt that we ſhall not have our requeſts granted us, or that our prayers ſhall not be heard: Therefore Chriſt, teaching us to pray, directeth us firſt to ſay Our Father, to make us confident of obtaining, and concludeth with Amen, to ſignifie, that we ſhall undoubtedly receive what we faithfully deſire: therefore whenſoever we pray to God, let us lift up holy hands without doubting.
To this Section I ſhall alſo adde, That as we muſt pray in faith, ſo alſo muſt we pray with underſtanding; blind devotions God regardeth not: For without knowledge the minde cannot be good, Prov. 19.2. A blind Prieſt, and a blind Sacrifice are abominable, Leviticus 21.18. Malachi 1.8. Hoſea. 4.6. Affection dependeth upon the underſtanding; we muſt not pray for we know not what, as the Papiſts do in their Latine ſervice. Such men as are not rational in their worſhip, They worſhip they know not what, as Chriſt ſaid to the woman of Samaria, John 4.22. as we muſt labour to know whom we have believed, ſo likewiſe to know whom and what we worſhip.
Sect. 3.
Direct. 4. IF we will pray ſo that we may be heard, we muſt pray with zeal and fervency; a fervent ſuitor cannot but have audience when he ſpeaks unto his God, and when at any time our prayers want ſucceſſe, the defect is in our ſelves. Gods anſwer is according to the vigour of our prayers, if the cryes we ſend up come not from the very fervency of the heart, they ſound not in the ears of God: The prayer of the righteous man availeth much, if it be fervent, ſaith St. James; elſe even the prayers of the juſt, if they be perfunctory and cold, rather of cuſtome, than of devotion and piety, they avail not but to condemnation, they procure us not audience from God, but rather ſhall be anſwered by God as the prayers of thoſe Idolaters in Ezek. 8. Though they cry in mine ear with a loud voice, I will not hear them, ſaith the Lord. Whereas many times we find that an earneſt ſeeking with the heart hath prevailed without any words uttered by the tongue: He that heareth without ears can interpret our prayers without tongues, and the voice of the one is not more audible to him than the intention of the other.
That all our prayers ought to be made with earneſtneſſe of affections, and enflamed with the fire of an ardent zeal, the Scripture ſheweth us by the ſeveral termes by which fervent prayer is ſet forth unto us: ſometimes it is called a crying unto God, Exod. 14.15. Exod. 17.4. Jonah 2.2. a wreſtling with God, Gen. 32.24. compared with Hoſea 12.4. a ſtriving with God, Rom. 15.30 a taking hold of God, Iſai. 64.7. Prayer is typed by incenſe in the old Law, that gave no ſweet ſmell, till the fire came to it: ſo prayer is nothing without the fire of zeal, it maketh no ſweet ſavour before the Lord: And good Reaſon there is for it:
1. Becauſe all religious duties ought to be performed with our choiceſt and chiefeſt affections, Deut. 6.5. Eccleſ. 9.10. and therefore this of prayer which is a principal duty of Religion
2. Becauſe in fervent prayer we pour out our hearts before the Lord, which God requireth, Lam. 3.19.
1. This condemneth the ſimple practice of the Lay-Papiſts, who think that God regardeth their vain repeating over ſo many Pater noſters and Ave Maries, and other Latine prayers by their Beads, though they underſtood not what they ſay, nor reſpect how they runne them over, ſo they be ſaid, they care not how they be ſaid with how litttle devotion.
2. This condemneth alſo the Opinion and Doctrine of their Clergy, who aſcribe vertue to their Opus operatum in prayer, and other good works.
3. It gives a check to the coldneſſe and ſtupid lazineſſe of many amongſt us, who do ſo ſlightly, and ſo haſtily, and ſleepily ſlubber over this duty of prayer, both publickly and privately, without any manifeſtation of the leaſt meaſure of zeal and affection. Some content themſelves (though they be in health) with two or three words careleſly, heartleſly, and fooliſhly bolted forth, while they lie in their beds between ſleeping and waking; ſome pray as they are a making themſelves ready or unready; ſome are ſo far from praying fervently that they pray not at all.
Therefore when we pray, let us pray fervently, for,
1. The thing that we pray for are of abſolute neceſſity, viz. the glory of God, the juſtification of our perſons, the ſanctification of our natures, the ſalvation of our ſouls, therefore we muſt go about them, as about matter of life and death, and beg of God as a condemned perſon for his life of his Judge.
2. He that prayes coldly, ſeems to be careleſſe whether he be heard or not, and teacheth God to deny him his requeſt.
3. Thoſe that be dull in prayer will much more be dull in giving thanks: we ſhould therefore pray, as thoſe that mean to ſpeed, and be ſo eager, as thoſe that will take no denial.
4. This is the reaſon why ſo many find ſo little comfort and ſucceſſe in their daily prayers, namely want of zeal, they have not the anſwer of God upon their ſpirits, who pray without life and affection: our zeal herein ſhould be like the fire that the veſtal Virgins kept in Rome, or rather like the ſacrificing fire upon the Altar under the Law, that ever burnt, and never went out: As loathing of meat and painfulneſſe of ſpeaking are two ſymptomes of a ſick body, ſo careleſneſſe of hearing, and irkſomneſſe of praying, are ſigns of a ſick and diſeaſed ſoul, ſaith a Learned man.
Sect. 4.
Direct. 5. LEt confeſſion of ſinne be joyned with prayer: Confeſſion is ſometime put for prayer, Dan. 9.4. I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confeſſion. Many are the benefits of penitent confeſſion of ſin.
1. Confeſſion openeth the wounds of ſinne, and prepareth a paſſage for the medicine to be applied to the malady,Confeſſio aperit vulnus peccati. Gregor. ſaith Gregory. And Origen ſaith, It is the vomit o… the mind that cleanſes the ſtomack, and unloads the conſcience of ſinne. And another ſaith The Church by confeſſion doth with the thief on the Croſſe, lif… up her ſelf from Earth to Heaven:O latronem laudabilem, mirabilem, imitabilem; nos vocem latronis, ſi nolumus eſſe latrones. Auguſt. O thief worthy of praiſe worthy of admiration, worthy of imitation, ſaith St Auſtin: worthy of praiſe, for praiſing him that was praiſe-worthy, ſaying This man hath done nothing amiſſe worthy of admiration, for confeſſing the truth againſt himſelf: We receive things due to our deſerts, Luke 23.41, 42. and contrary to the expectation of all that were preſent, he confeſſeth to Chriſt as a Lord, then ſet in the loweſt degree of a ſervant: to Chriſt as a Mediator, then and there to ſuffer as a malefactor: to Chriſt as a King, though crowned before his eyes with a crown of thorns: notwithſtanding all this, he confeſſeth and prayeth in theſe words, Lord, remember me when thou comeſt into thy Kingdom… and worthy he is of imitation, not in the parts of his life, but at the point of his death; not in his actions, but at his execution. Let us then take up this ſaying of the thief, leſt we prove thieves to our own ſouls.
2. Confeſſion of ſinne, makes a man ſenſible of the nature of ſinne, and engageth the heart ſtrongly againſt it.
3. Confeſſion of ſinne glorifieth God: not that he needeth our confeſſions to inform him what our ſins are: for he knoweth all our ſinnes, 2 Kings 19.27. My ſonne give glory to God, and confeſſe thy ſinne, ſaith Joſhua to Achan, Joſh. 7.19. by a free confeſſion we give God the glory of his power and authority over us, if he ſhould ſhew his ſtrength againſt us.
4. Confeſſion is a great eaſe to the conſcience: David tells us, Pſalm 32.3, 4. that when he kept ſilence, that is, did not confeſſe his ſinne, conſenuerunt …ſſ…, his bones waxed old, and the marrow and moiſture of his body conſumed and dried away through the greatneſſe of his ſorrow, which drew from him an unaccuſtomed crying, making him roar and bellow like a beaſt, and that without intermiſſion, even all the day, or day by day, and yet neither ſilent nor crying findes he any eaſe, till he eaſeth himſelf by a free confeſſion of his ſin.
5. There are many virtues in this grace of confeſſion: It is the hope of believers, the glory of ſinners, the expeller of all vice, it keeps the ſoul within the compaſſe of obedience, it is the language of unfeigned repentance, it ſhuts the pit of hell, it opens the gate of Paradiſe, becauſe it openeth the way to the mery of God,Dr. Holdſworth ex Auguſtino. as a learned man noteth out of the Fathers.
6. Confeſſion of ſinne makes way for pardoning grace: If we confeſſe our ſinnes he is faithfull and juſt to forgive them, 1 John 1.9. David had but a thought of confeſſion, Pſalm 32.5. and God ſaved him the labour of a farther expreſſion, on the reſolution of confeſſion, there is a reſolution of pardon: I ſaid I will confeſſe, or I purpoſed within my ſelf ſo to do: Some of the learned ſay, that in the Hebrew tongue, the ſame word ſignifieth both to ſpeak and to think; to teach us that our mouths ſhould be the faithfull meſſengers of our minds: Confeſſion of ſinne is not only grounded upon Gods mercy, but alſo upon Gods truth, and therefore upon his juſtice, which leadeth him to pardon penitent confeſſing ſinners: we ſhould be aſhamed to commit a ſinne, but not be aſhamed to confeſſe it: as men ſhould ſear to take ſurfeits, and caſt themſelves into ſickneſſes and diſeaſes, but not to take phyſick, whereby they may be cured again, and recover their health. Thus David, Manaſſes, Mary Magdalen, Peter, Paul, Theod…ſius the Emperor, and others of the faithfull, have not been aſhamed to confeſſe their ſinnes, nor ſhould any of us at any time.
This reproves ſuch as are ready enough to creep into other mens conſciences, but will take no notice of their own naughtineſſe, being not unlike certain Witches called Lamiae, of whom Seneca Senec. Epiſt. ad Lucil.writeth in one of his Epiſtles, That when they went abroad, they would put their eyes in their heads, yea ſometimes take them in their hands; ſo curious and critical they were to prie into others actions, and eſpie ſmall faults abroad; but coming home again, they either put them in their pockets, or locked them up in their cupboards, becauſe they would not ſee their own ſluttiſhneſſe or naſtineſſe. There be too many ſuch that are ſharp and ſevere enough to cenſure others, but if it happen that themſelves be guilty of the ſame, or as great a fault, then the caſe is altered, an example hereof we have in Judah, who when his daughter in Law Thamar is accuſed of whoredome, will have juſtice done upon her, and according to the Law ſhe muſt be burnt preſently, Geneſ. 38.24. but when ſhe had proved that ſhe was with child by himſelf, though he confeſſed the fault, yet is he well enough content to remit the puniſhment, and talk no more of burning: both we and our prayers are vile and unclean, Job 40.4. but expreſſe confeſſion is neceſſary,Fenners Gatechiſin. when the conſcience is fouled with guilt, as one well noteth.
Sect. 5.
Direct. 6. IN all our prayers, let us expreſſe the grounds of them; and uſe ſuch reaſons unto God, as may moſt move him to grant our requeſts: not as though God needed any reaſons to inform him of our neceſſities, or to move him to ſupply them, for he knoweth them better than our ſelves, and is more ready to help than we to ask, but he delighteth that his children ſhould plead with him in prayer: beſides this is an evidence of the graces of God in us.
1. Of our knowledge: an ignorant man is not able to plead his cauſe with another; this argueth a knowing Chriſtian, when he thus pleadeth with God.
2. This is an evidence of our faith; he that pleads with God in prayer for any mercy, ſheweth that he is confident of an anſwer. Now herein the Lord taketh pleaſure, and therefore he will have us reaſon it out with him. Thus Chriſt dealt with the woman of Canaan, Matth. 15.22,—28. as hath already been ſhewed. This is manifeſt likewiſe from the nature of prayer, which is called a ſtanding in the gap, Ezekiel 22.30. a wreſtling with God, Geneſ. 32.24. The ſtrong reaſons of faith doe much prevail with God, and this is one principal part of the efficacy of prayer, by which we prevail, and our ſupplications become effectual, viz. in laying down ſuch ſtrong reaſons as may move God to grant our reque…. In prayer we put our caſe into Gods hand; you know if a man be wronged and oppreſſed among men, when he cometh to a Judge or an Advocate, that he thinketh will undertake his buſineſſe, and do him right, will he not uſe many reaſons and arguments to him? Now when men apprehend that God is a mighty God, both ready to hear, and able to help his people in time of need, this makes them cry mightily to God. This advice Eliphaz gives to Job, Chap. 5.8. I would ſeek unto God, and to God commit my cauſe; True prayer is a putting our caſe to the Lord, and a pleading with him, and this requireth ſtrength of reaſon and arguments. Now when we come to God, it is not enough to pray by propoſing our deſires; but we muſt pray enforcing and preſſing our deſires, backing them with good reaſons, ſuch as may make them warrantable and acceptable, not ſuch as are made for vain reſpects, Jam. 4.3. and to this purpoſe:
1. Let us be thorowly ſenſible of the want of thoſe bleſſings we pray for; then ſhall we begge hard for them: if a beggar be ſtript of all, and have not a bit of bread, and be ready to ſtarve, how will he plead for ſome relief?
2. Get ſpiritual ingenuity. Wiſdoms ſcholars are not fools; where true grace is, it will make the ſoul quick and ſagacious in holy reaſoning, as is evident in the woman of Canaan, Matthew 15.27. It is Satan's language, as well as the Scripture's, to tell a Chriſtian, that he is the chief of ſinners; but even then may he argue from his condition, as Saint Paul did, 1 Timothy 1.15. I am the chief of ſinners, yet one whom Chriſt came into the world to ſave: Thou art one of the loſt ones, ſaith the Devil; Oh then ſay, Chriſt came to ſeek and ſave that which was loſt: his ſeeking denoteth his diligence, his ſaving denoteth his power, and [both] his love.
Yet let us not think or imagine that words and arguments of themſelves are powerfull with God; for if any man be heard, it is not for the ſweetneſſe of words, the variety of matter, the multiplicity of reaſons, but through the interceſſion of Jeſus Chriſt, which maketh God propitious to us, and to accept our poor and humble prayers: If therefore our prayers be heard, let us aſcribe it to God's dignation, not to our dignity, to God's benignity, not to the Rhetorique or excellency of our prayer's; to to God's ear, and not to our tongue.
To conclude; let us be ſure, that when we are wide-mouthed to ask of God, we are not cloſe-fiſted to thoſe that ask of us: Many will ask much from God, and part with nothing to others; yea many will promiſe much, and performe little: But God is open-handed and open-hearted, his promiſes are performances, and his words are workes; he is truth, and cannot lie; vertue, and cannot faile, and his power is ſufficient to make good his promiſes. Among men promiſes are often as empty as the winde; ſome would performe and cannot; ſome can and will not: but God both can and will; his will is not larger than his power; but what God doth will that doth God work, and whatſoever God is able to will, he is able to work alſo.
FINIS.