The Nature Parts and Kinds of Prayer, Title page – Dedication
CLAVIS COELI… OR A TREATISE Setting forth The Nature, the Parts, and Kinds of Prayer, with the Efficients thereof: the Object of Prayer; the matter of Prayer; the time and place of Prayer; the geſtures to be uſed in Prayer; the Neceſſity, Excellency and Profit of Prayer: WITH Directions for the manner how we ought to Pray. Many weighty Queſtions diſcuſſed, and divers Caſes cleered.
By William Gearing Miniſter of the Word.
Qui accedunt ad Dominum, debent in ſilentio, pace, & tranquillitate multa preces fundere, nec uti clamoribus parùm decentibus, & confuſione plenis: ſed cum intentione cordis, & cogitationibus caſt is Deum prae oculis habere. Macar. Homil. 6.
LONDON, Printed by A. M. for Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleetſtreet, M.DC.LXIII.
To the Right Worſhipfull Sir JOHN FAGG OF Wiſton in the County of Suſſex Baronet, and to the vertuous Lady his Wife. AND TO Herbert Morley of Glyn in the ſame County Eſquire.
Right Worſhipfull,
ALl men while they are in this world are travellers, ſome journeying one way, ſome another; but they are all gone out of the way: they are trees, ſome rooted more firmly, ſome more weakly, but they have all been ſhaken: they are militant ſouldiers, ſome fighting in one ſtation, ſome in another, but they have all received the foil: if we ſearch the Scriptures, we ſhall find that the Church is not ſo thorowly refined,Eccleſia Chriſti fuſca & formoſa eſt; fuſca quod ad externum colorem, formoſa quod ad interna linimenta. Hieron. ad Cantie. Nigra propter ignobilitatem generis, & muliitudinem peccatorum, formoſa ob fidem & poenitentiam. Lyra. but that ſhe hath ſome droſſe, neither is ſhe ſo comely as the curtains of Solomon, but ſhe is alſo black as the tents of Kedar: If we examine the Catalogue of the moſt righteous men that ever lived, we ſhall not find out one among them all, but hath been tainted with this leproſie: it is almoſt impoſſible for a man to live in the fleſh, to be as it were compoſed of ſin, and not to commit ſin: In the Tabernacle, although the propitiatory was holy and bleſſed; yet there was a lamp in it, that needed ever and anon to be purged and ſnuffed; the like thing happens in every perſon. We have all of us ſome corruption to be ſnuffed, ſome breaches to be repaired, ſome ſpots to be cleanſed. What? though a man hath led his life unblameably before men, that none can tax him with any wrong or indirectneſſe at all, yet may he not therefore think that he is innocent in the ſight of God: For notwithſtanding all this, his own conſcience will frame an undeniable Syllogiſm, proving him to come within the reach of the curſe of ſin: the Major Propoſition is taken out of Deut. 27.26. Curſed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to do them, or that fulfilleth not the whole Law: Every mans conſcience will frame the Minor; and tell him, that he hath not fulfilled the whole Law: The concluſion follows, therefore he is under the curſe: Every mans conſcience (I ſay) doth conclude ex lege Dei, out of the Law of God, which doth condemn us for ſin, and makes us like Adam, to run away from the preſence of God; for fear of his wrath and heavy diſpleaſure: but every faithfull ſoul hath his conſolation in the Goſpel, and in the great Mediator Chriſt Jeſus, whom God hath appointed to ſtand in the gap between Heaven and Earth, and make up the breach, to reconcile both together, upon whom man may diſcharge all his ſins, and God diſcharge all his anger, who like a ſtrong and impregnable wall, keeps our ſins from approaching to God, and Gods vengeance from approaching to us: He came into the world for our good, to ſeek and to ſave us that were loſt, he came from Heaven by accepting of humane nature,Venit enim filius hom nis de Caelo in mundum, per humanitatis aſſumptionem quaerere per doctrinam ſuam, ſalvum facere per grariam quod perierat per culpam. he came to ſeek by his Doctrine, to ſave by his grace, thoſe who had periſhed through ſin: He came to call us, and never came there ſuch a ſuitor as he is: he comes, he ſeeks, he cals, he omits no means, (being come) to draw us to himſelf; by him we have immediate acceſſe to the Lord, and are imboldened to ſpeak to him as it were face to face, and mouth to mouth: It were then too ſhameleſſe and ſenſleſſe a part to make uſe of other means to come to the heavenly Majeſty. Surely they do much injury to his grace, who talk of Warders and Porters, Angels and Saints, to be ſolicited to admit us into the preſence of God; and to bring us to ſpeak with him: ſervices not unmeet for the Governours of the earth, whoſe perſons have need of guardance and attendance for the ſafeguard of their lives, upon whoſe life the life of the Countrey, and their people with whom they live, doth depend: they have need of ſpecial regard and guard to their bodies, or they may ſoon fall into danger. Beſides, it is true of Princes of this world, what Jethro told Moſes, when he ſate from morning to evening to hear the cauſes of the people, Exod. 18. Thou both wearieſt thy ſelf, and the people that is with thee, the thing is too heavy for thee, and thou canſt not do it thy ſelf alone. And therefore infinite ſuits, beſides the diſtraction of many other buſineſſes, requiring larger audience than the ears of any mortal man can afford, drive them of neceſſity to the entertaining of ſubordinate Officers, both to admit and receive, the coming and requeſts of their inferiours: but there is neither danger in the perſon of God, who rideth upon the Heavens, and maketh his enemies to periſh, like as the ſmoak vaniſheth away, or as wax melteth at the fire: neither is his throne to be approached unto after the ſame manner. It was the danger of Heſters life to come before King Ahaſucrus, unleſſe ſhe were called for, the Law being thus, That whatſoever man or woman came into the inner Court, which was not called, ſhould die, unleſſe the King held forth his golden Scepter: But the Scepter of our Lord, the great King of Heaven and Earth, I mean the golden Scepter of his grace, is ever held out to man, woman, child, bond and free, ſtranger or Citizen, whether called or not called: they may ſafely approach (I name neither outward nor inner Court) but even to the throne where the King himſelf ſitteth.
And as there is no danger in his perſon, ſo no defect in his hearing, whoſe ears are open to the prayers of the poor deſtitute, whoſe eyelids ſoundly try and examine the children of men. He that boweth the Heavens, and comes down with his all-diſcerning knowledge, hath he need of intelligencers to inform him of earthly things? He that planted the ear, doth he not hear? He that knocketh at our doors, and calleth for entrance, when we ſtand and knock at his; will he not grant us entrance? Surely he is nigh to all that call upon him, Pſal. 145.18.to all that call upon him in truth. To encline his ear to our prayers is to accept them, and caſt a gracious eye upon them, and ſo to inflame the hearts of his people, that with faith and confidence they may pray unto him, and prevail with him. If a King ſhew a cheerfull countenance to a poor man, that deſireth to ſpeak unto him, and turneth his eyes towards him, ſhewing himſelf attentive to his words, will not this poor man rejoyce? Will not the Kings countenance and attention ſerve as a ſpeech to him, and be as much as words, and a great grace unto him? ſo in like manner we underſtand God to encline his ear to our prayers, when he granteth to us fervour of ſpirit in praying to him.
But hath God ears? Is he a body, ſaith a devout man? Far be it from us ſo to think, for even a ſpirit is by many degrees more excellent than a body:Savanarol. Meditat. in Pſal. 80. What is Gods ear? Happily his knowledge, for by the ear we underſtand thoſe things that are ſpoken to us, but God hath known from everlaſting what ever men have either thought or ſpoken: Surely Gods ear to us doth inſinuate ſomewhat elſe that cannot be underſtood of his ſimple knowledge; for to ſome he doth encline his ear, to others he turneth away his ear, but his knowledg is ever the ſame: what then is meant by his ear? Surely his knowledge of approbation or rejection. He enclineth his ear, and heareth the prayers of the righteous, becauſe they pleaſe him, and are approved of him. He turneth away his ear from the prayers of the wicked, becauſe they diſpleaſe him, and becauſe he rejecteth them. Should I now give you the picture of a true ſupplicant, I ſhould humbly crave leave to tell you; He is one whoſe breſt is ſore with the ſtroak of his own penitent hands, which are alwayes either like Moſes upon the Mount lifted up towards Heaven; or the Publicans in the Temple ſmiting his boſome: His knees are hardned with conſtant praying, his voice hoarce with crying and calling to Heaven, and when he cannot ſpeak, he delivers his mind in ſighs and groans: There's not a tear fals from him, but an Angel ſtands with a bottle to catch it; he thinks every mans ſins leſſe than his own, every mans good deeds more: He deſireth not only men, but even beaſts and trees to mourn with him: mercy comes down like a glorious Cherub, and lights upon his boſome, with this meſſage from God, I have heard thy prayers and ſeen thy tears, and ſo with a handkerchief of comfort dries his cheeks, and ſaith to him in the words of the Wiſe-man, Eccl. 9.7. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy works.
Let us then acquaint our ſelves with God, and walk with him as his friends, then may we come with boldneſſe to the throne of grace: it is accounted a great matter to have recourſe to the chamber of preſence, but to go into the holy of holies, to commune with God, and daily to preſent our ſelves before him, is a moſt ſingular prerogative: And although hypocrites may draw neer to God outwardly, and honour him with their lips, and ſeem to be fearleſſe of Gods wrath; yet their ſecurity is but like that of Belſhazzar, which as ſoon as God awakeneth their conſciences, becometh deſperate trembling: but when the heart is ſprinkled from an evil conſcience, and the body waſht with pure water, then doth a man draw neer to God with a true heart, in full aſſurance of faith, Heb. 10.22.
Suetonius ſaith,Sueton. de Auguſto Caeſar. that when one delivered a petition to Auguſtus Caeſar, his hand ſhook, and he trembled for fear; whom Ceſar reproved, ſaying, That a man ſhould not bring a petition to a Prince, as he that bringeth meat to an Elephant, for fear of being devoured by him: So for want of hearts fixt upon God, we cannot with confidence put up our petitions unto him, but even quake for fear when we come before him.
Right Worſhipfull, I here preſent unto you a Key that openeth the heavenly treaſures. The Hebrew Doctors ſpeak of four Keys that God keeps in his power, which he will not give to any Angel: 1. The Key of Rain: thus he promiſeth to open the Heavens, to give rain in due ſeaſon, Deut. 20.12. 2. The Key of food: thus he is ſaid, To open his hand, and fill his people with good, Pſal. 104.28. 3. The Key of the grave: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, Ezek. 37.12. 4. The Key of the womb: thus he is ſaid to open the womb of Kachel, Gen. 30.22. But the Scripture tells us, that God hath many other Keys alſo: He hath the Key of the Scriptures, and the Key of the underſtanding: He is ſaid therefore firſt to open the Scriptures to the Diſciples, Luke 24.32. and then to open their underſtandings. He hath likewiſe the Key of the heart: thus God opened the heart of Lydia to conceive well: The ears of the Prophet to hear well, Iſa. 50.5. The eyes of Eliſha's ſervant to ſee well, 2 King. 6.17. And the lips of David to ſpeak well, Pſal. 51.15. Here you have another Key, which the Ancients call Clavem Coeli, the Key of Heaven, becauſe it opens the gate of Heaven to us, and Januam Paradiſi, the gate of Paradiſe, becauſe it letteth men in to God, and bringeth them with their requeſts into his preſence: There is no Lock but this Key will open, and Chriſt in whom are hid all treaſures is the Lord Keeper thereof, to whoſe conduct I commit your Worſhips, and craving pardon for this boldneſſe, I am
Your obliged Servant in the Goſpel, W. Gearing.