The Zealous Christian Taking Heaven by Holy Violence, Sermon 13
LUKE 11. 8.
Though he will not riſe and give him, becauſe he is his friend, yet becauſe of his importunity, he will riſe and give him, &c.
VIII. SERMON.IN the firſt place, let me draw ſome Inferences or Corollaries from what hath been inſiſted upon.
Corol∣lary 1 1. Returnes to prayer are not given for the works ſake, but for the perſons ſake. Though the matter of thy prayer may be good, yet if thou art not a good man, thou ſhalt not be accepted. God had reſpect firſt to Abel, & then to his offering. Pſal. 34. 17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth— Pſal. 34. 17.The perſon muſt be in a ſtate of favour, before the dutie can be accepted.
Corol. 2 2. Though prayers are not returned for the work, yet they are not returned without the work. God expects the worke, and the worke you muſt doe, though God will not have you to look for acceptance for the workes ſake.
Corol. 3 3. Nor are returnes of prayer made to a perſon ſingly conſidered, but a member of Chriſt, as one that hath a ſhare in his interceſſion. Joh. 15. 7. If yee abide in mee— Joh. 15. 7.yee ſhall aske what you will, and it ſhall be given you. So Joh. 16. 23. Whatſoever ye aske the Joh. 16. 23Father in my Name, that he will give to you. All our prayers are but Cyphers, till Chriſts interceſſion be added. Cyphers in Arithmetick ſtand for nothing till a figure be added.
Coroll. 4 4. The longer and the more thou haſt prayed, the more affectionate ſhouldeſt thou be in prayer. Mat. 6. 7. Aske and yee ſhall Mat. 6. 7.have, ſeeke and yee ſhall finde, knock and it ſhall be opened unto you. Obſerve the gradation in theſe words; Aske, but you muſt not ſtay there, you muſt ſeeke, nor yet muſt you reſt ſatisfied there, you muſt knock. Your affections ſhould be every day more eager and earneſt, you ſhould pray more fervently; Luk 22. 44 foreign.as it is ſaid of Chriſt, Luk. 22. 44.
Corol. 5 5. He can never pray importunately, that doth not pray daily; Intermiſſion of dutie will quickly cauſe an interruption in thine affections, you muſt therefore pray in ſecret, pray fervently, pray morning and evening. And to ſtirre you up to and incourage you in this worke;
Conſider 1. The example of thoſe holy men of God who have done thus. Nehemiah 1 6. Let thine eare now be attentive, and thine Nehe. 1. 6.yet open, that thou maieſt heare the prayer of thy ſervant which I pray before thee day and night. So you have the example of Daniel, Dan. 6. 10.—hee kneeled upon his knees Dan. 6. 10.three times a day, and prayed, and gave thankes before his God, as he did before time. It was a cuſtome that he had obſerved of former time. Though he was a great Courtier, and a man full of great imployment, yet he would not neglect prayer. Nor was this an extraordinary fit but his ordinary courſe. So in David, Pſal. 5. 3. My voyce Pſal. 5. 3.ſhall thou heare in the morning, and in the evening will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will looke up. So Pſal. 88. 13. But unto thee have I cryed, O Lord, and in the morning ſhall my Pſal. 88. 13prayer prevent thee. So Pſal. 119. 147. I prevented Pſal. 119. 147.the dawning of the morning, and cryed unto the Lord. Pſal. 55. 17. Evening and morning Pſal. 55. 17and at noone will I pray and cry aloud.
2. You have the example of Jeſus Chriſt 2. Mark. 1. 35himſelfe, Mark. 1. 35. In the morning riſing up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a ſolitary place, and there prayed, and ſo at evening. Mat. 14. Mat. 14. 2323. He went unto a mountaine to pray, and when the evening was come he was there alſo. And leaſt you ſhould thinke this was onelyonly upon extraordinary occaſion, it is ſaid, Luk. 22. 3. He came to the Luk. 22. 3. Joh. 18. 2.mount of Olives as he was went. Joh. 18. 2. Jeſus, reſorted thither with his Diſciples.
3. Conſider you have the very examples of of Heathens in this. The Heathens ſacrificed to Heroules morning and evening upon the great Altar at Rome.
4. Conſider that in the Lords Prayer, we are taught to pray every day. Chriſt did not bid us pray for bread or things neceſſary for a monethmonth or a yeare, but day by day.
5. This was prefigured in the Law, there was a daily offering to be given to God, a lambe at morning and a lambe at night, as you may ſee Exod. 29. 38, 39. Yea extraordinary Exod. 29. 38, 39.ſacrifices did not aboliſh this number, there was a burnt, offering for the Sabbath, beſides the continuall burnt offering, and the burnt offering at the beginning of the monethmonth, and the Paſſe over, and yet though theſe extraordinary workes were to be done; yet the ordinary were not to be left undone. 80 that you ſee here is good ground and encouragement for then to be-frequent in theſe religious duties. And ſomuch for the ….
Uſe. 2 Caution. …. This may be uſefull for the inſtruction of thoſe to whom God hath given returnes of prayers, to whom God hath out of his bounty given more then they did …ke. To ſuch I muſt give, firſt, S…ne negative cautions; ſecondly, Some poſitive cautions.
Nega∣tive 1 …. Some … cautions, and that in foure regards.
1. Let not Gods returnes to thy prayers make thee remiſſe and careleſſe in the performance of duty. Beware of an empty heart when God brings in thy mercies with a full hand. Merchant adventurers, i… they have good returnes, are incouraged to adventure their Ships to Sea againe: Our hearts are ſo baſe and diſingenuous, that wee are apt, when we have what we ſeeke for, to ſeeke no more. O take heed of this let not Gods goodneſſe make you worſe.
2. Another caution i… this. Let not returnes to prayer make you conceited and proud of your gifts; or of your graces. Wee are too apt to reflect upon our ſelves, our parts, our graces, our abilities, and therefore we have more need to … of it. Beware that thine heart be not lifted up in pride againſt God, leaſt God be provoked to lift up his hand againſt thee in judgement.
3. Take heed that you doe not aſcribe the returnes of prayer do your owne importunitie, but … to the freeneſſe of Gods grace. Men are … apt to … to their owne …, and … becauſe to their owne drags. Take …eed o… …; God cannot endure to have his glory givs and another. Say rather, I have received mercy, but alas there is nothing in mee that could deſerve it, all comes ſolely from the free grace of God.
4. Take heed of returning againe to Pſal. 85. 8.ſin after God hath returned thy prayers into thy boſome. Pſal. 85. 8. I will heare what the Lord God will ſpeake, for he will ſpeake peace to his people, but let them not turne againe to folly. It would be both ſin and folly in thee to returne to ſin after God hath given thee an anſwer of peace. This was Davids reſolution for his owne particular. Pſal. 6. Pſal. 6. 8.8. Depart from mee all you workers of iniquitie: Why, what is the reaſon? The Lord hath heard the voyce of my ſupplication. As if David had ſaid, O ye wicked men, you have been occaſions of ſin to me, and companions in ſin with me, but how that God hath been thus gracious to mee, now that God hath graciouſly returned my prayers, I will hauehave no more to doe with you; Depart from mee; yea workers of iniquitie. And ſo much for the negative Cautions.
I ſhall now lay down a few poſitive Caution poſitive.cautions.
1. If God hath returned thy prayers, ſee that thou beeſt more frequent in prayer then thou waſt formerly. This was the purpoſe of holy. David, Pſal. 116. Becauſe Pſal. 116.the Lord hath heard my prayer, therefore I will call upon him as long as I live. So let it be your care, to ſet your ſelf more ſolemnly, and ſeriouſly to ſeek God then ever you have doue.
2. See that you be more in praiſes to foreignGod then you have been. Thoſe mercies that thou haſt won by prayer, are to be worn by thankfulneſs, Pſal. 145. 10. All thy Pſal. 145. 10.works praiſe thee, O Lord, and thy Saints do bleſs thee. All Gods works do praiſe him; The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament ſheweth his handy work. That is, they are all the paſſive monuments of Gods power in creating them: But the Saints they are agents in praiſing God. Bleſſing is more then praiſing: A picture praiſeth him that made it; but it doth not bleſs him. The Saints, they bleſs God in a peculiar manner; their mouthes are full of the praiſes of God: They have a principle within them of praiſing God; they are agents in ſetting forth his praiſe. And therefore it is very fit that you ſhould bleſs God.
3. See that you be much in obedience: If God doth much for thee, ſee that thou do much for God. If God hath an hearing ear, thou muſt have a doing hand. And ſo much for the uſe of caution.
Uſe. 3 3. I ſhall ſpeak ſomething by way of comfort.Comfort.
1. To ſuch as have not this importunity, nor this return of prayers.
2. To ſuch as have returns to prayer.
1. Here is a word of conſolation to thoſe that want this holy importunity; and that in three reſpects.
1. Thou maieſt pray with ſincerity, when thou doſt not pray with importunity. The Lord, ſaith David, is nigh to all that call upon him; but how? Not onelyonly to them that call on him importunately and powerfully, but to all that call upon him in truth; if thou canſt ſay thou doſt call upon God in truth, and with a ſincere heart, God will be high unto thee.
2. It is the office of Chriſt to pray for thee in heaven, when thou doſt not pray upon earth. It is the work of Jeſus Chriſt to make interceſſion for thee to his Father. Although thou haſt not importunity in thy ſelf, yet conſider, O believing ſoul, that Chriſt is in heaven importuning the Father for thee.
3. A ſenſe and complaining of the want of this holy importunity, is accounted by God a degree of it. If you did never complain of the want of the Spirit, it was a ſigne you never had the Spirit: and now that you be wall the want of it, it is a ſigne you have it.
Branch 2 2. Here is alſo a word of conſolation, to thoſe that have returns of prayer; and that in four reſpects.
1. Thy mercies are double mercies: It is a mercy to have mercy, but to have it in ſuch a way, is a double mercy, Pſal. 91. They ſhall call upon me, and I will anſwer them; and I will be with him in trouble, &c. It is a mercy to have deliverance out of trouble; but to have it through prayer, a deliverance that comes in by prayer, is a double, mercy.
2. Theſe mercies are ſanctified mercies. Mercies as you are creatures are good, but as returns of prayer they are ſanctified: And bleſt mercies, are much better to the ſoul that enjoyeth them.
3. The mercies which thou haſt, as returns of prayer, are coſtly mercies. Mercies that come in by providence, are eaſie and cheap, but mercies that come in by prayer are coſtly; they coſt the price of Chriſts blood to purchaſe them; and they coſt thee many a prayer and tear to obtain them.
4. Theſe mercies are ſealing mercies, and that in three particulars,
1. They are ſeals to you that you have the Spirit of God; for Chriſt hears no prayers, and no ſpirit, but his own. God is as well pleaſed with the barking of a dog, as with the prayers of a Chriſtleſs man.
2. It is a ſeal to thee of an intereſt in Chriſts interceſſion. If thy prayers are returned, it is a ſigne they are accepted. Now no prayers are accepted, but by vertue of the interceſſion of Jeſus Chriſt.
3. Theſe returns are a ſeal of more mercies; a ſigne that thou ſhalt have more mercies from God. One merciemercy that is given in by prayer, is a pledg of another merciemercy; and thy merciemercy in this life, is a pledg to thee, that thou ſhalt have eternal happineſs in heaven to all eternity.
FINIS.
End of the text · Christopher Love, The Zealous Christian Taking Heaven by Holy Violence (1653)