The Nature Parts and Kinds of Prayer, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. The definition of Prayer, with a deſcription of the parts of Prayer.
IT was well ſaid of Chryſoſtom, tha… that is an excellent knowledge, an… worth ye indeed of a Chriſtian man which teacheth how to pray aright which that we may be inſtructed t… do, ſhall appear out of the definitio… of Prayer.
Prayer is an invocation or calling upon God, in the name of Jeſus Chriſt,Definition of prayer. for whatſoever things we ſtand in need of. So it is called Acts 2.21. Joel 2.32. Rom. 10.13. God hath commanded it, Call upon me, &c. Pſal. 50.15. and the Greek word ſignifieth, to call upon another for help in extremity. Invocation is as it were to call God into us, ſaith Anſelm. Invocare eſt quaſi intùs, aut in ſe vocare. Anſelm. Par. Expoſ. in Rom. 10. foreign. Damaſcen. l. 3. Orthodoxae fidei. foreign. Septuag. in Job 5.8.Prayer is called invocation in Latine, becauſe it muſt be performed with inmoſt affections; ſaith a good Divine. Prayer ſaith Damaſcen, is Petitio decentium, a requeſt to God, for ſuch things as are fit for God to give, and us to have: Or I may ſay further, That prayer is an ardent affection mounting up to God, whereby we do both ask and expect from God for Chriſts ſake, all corporal and ſpiritual bleſſings. Prayer is called, A committing our cauſe or putting our caſe to God, Job ….8. a ſpeaking to God, or a plead…ng with God. Prayer, ſaith Augu…tine, is our ſpeaking with God; when …hou readeſt, God ſpeaketh to thee; when thou prayeſt, thou speakeſt with God. Prayers, ſaith a learned Divine, are thoſe calves of mens lips, thoſe moſ… gracious and ſweet odours, thoſe ric… preſents and gifts, which being carrie… up into Heaven, Hooker. Eccleſ. Polit. l. 5. Sect. 22 Oratio tua eſt locut…o ad Deum, quando legis, Deus tibi loquitur, quando oras, cum Deo loqueris. Auguſt. ſup. Pſal. 85. Orat… eſt afflicti cordis affectio, & gemitus, quo divinum auxiliu… ſupplicitèr imploratur, ſive hoc verbis, ſive abſque verbis, ſ… lis gemitibus & ſuſpiriis fiat. Tzegedin. loc. com. in T… orat. Magna res eſt invocatio nominis Dei. Melanct. lo… com. de Baptiſmo.do beſt teſtifie our dut… full affection, and are for the obtainin… all favours at the hands of God, the mo… undoubted means we can uſe. To call… the name of God is a great matter, ſait… Melancton.
The parts of prayer are two,
Petition.
Thankſgivin…
A Petition is either for the obtai… ing of good, or the removal of ev… whether the evil of ſin, or the evil … puniſhment: He that openeth his ca… to another, and ſpreads his wants an… miſeries before him,
1. He is ſenſible that he ſtands … need of help, as the poor Prodigal.
2. He earneſtly deſireth to be he… ped, as the humble Centurion.
3. He earneſtly ſueth for help, as the father of the dumb child, Lord, if thou canſt do any thing for us, have compaſſion on us. And as the woman of Canaan, crying earneſtly to Chriſt; to heal her daughter.
4. He goeth to one that is able to help him, as our Saviour did in the dayes of his fleſh, Heb. 5.7. therefore praying is a begging and craving thoſe things at the hands of God which we ſtand in need of, Luke 17.15. as the ten Lepers …hat cried aloud to Chriſt to cleanſe …hem.
The word craving is of greater im…ortance, than the word asking: we may ask things that are due debts to …s; but when we come to crave a …hing, we flie wholly to the love …nd liberality of that perſon whoſe …ounty we intreat and crave. When …reat Kings and Princes would have …eir inferiours do any thing, they …o but ſpeak the word, Do this, and …bey do it: Every word hath the force …f a command upon them, and binds …hem to obedience; but when a man …f low degree would have any thing from his ſuperiour, whom he canno… bind unto himſelf, he fals to entrea… ties, to make requeſts and ſupplications: The poor uſeth intreaties, Prov… 18.23. moving them by argumen… drawn from their nobleneſſe an… bounty, to ſupply their wants an… indigencies.
Seneca in an Epiſtle ſaid, he would have us like fertile fields which render more than they receive: So ſhould we return more thanks than we receive benefits, which how can we do to God? to whom when we return the moſt, we must confeſſe, it's leſſe than we ſhould, and when leaſt it is as much as we can.The ſecond part of prayer is Gr… tulation or Thankſgiving. The Ph… riſee ſtood and prayed, God I tha… thee, &c. Luke 18.10. Indeed this the higheſt kind of prayer:
1. Becauſe to make requeſt co… cerning our ſelves, ſheweth our lo… to our ſelves, but to render than… ſheweth our love to God.
2. Becauſe the other is a takin… this is a giving; and our Saviour ſait It is a more bleſſed thing to give than receive.
3. Becauſe our requeſts ſhall ce… at length; but we muſt alway prai… the Lord: So the Angels in Heav… do aſcribe Glory, and wiſdome, and … nour, and thanks, and power, and mig… unto our God for evermore. And therf… thoſe that ſhall be foreign, like un… the Angels of God, ſhould not alwa… …peak with the tongues of men to …eg, but ſometimes with the tongues …f Angels to praiſe …he Lord for his …oodneſſe. With a ſong of Thankſ…iving, ſinging out aloud unto him, …ith the Prophet David, Pſal. 103.1.My ſoul …leſs thou the Lord, and all that is with…n me bleſs his holy name: For, if ever we expect an anſwer from God for …uture requeſts, he muſt firſt have a …eturn from us of thankſgiving for …hoſe bleſſings which we have received.