The Zealous Christian Taking Heaven by Holy Violence, Sermon 11
LUKE 11. 8.
I ſay unto you, though he will not riſe and give him, becauſe he is his friend, yet becauſe of his importunity, he will riſe and give him as many as he needeth.
VI. SERMON.2. THis may be for caution to 2. Caution. To thoſe that think they have not importunity when they have.the godly, to prevent the miſtakes of thoſe, that have this importunitie, and thinke they have not; Yet here alſo they have ſome ſeeming reaſons. I ſhall name them, and withall anſwer them.
Their firſt reaſon is this. Others pray 1. Reaſon confuted.better then I, ſaith a godly man. Others performe duties with more inlargedneſſe; Now this reaſoning is not good.
For 1. It may be thoſe that thou apprehendeſt to pray better then thou, are of longer ſtanding, and larger experience in the wayes of God then thou art. God doth not expect any more from a man, but according to that meaſure of grace, that he gives the man, and according to his growth and ſtanding in grace. Paul was not at all diſcouraged, becauſe Epinetus was the firſt fruits of Achaia unto Chriſt, Rom. 16. 5. nor at Andronicus and Junia, that were of note among the Apoſtles, Rom. 16. 5.and in Chriſt before him, verſe 7. And if Paul was not diſcouraged, why ſhouldeſt verſe 7.thou be diſcouraged to ſee other Chriſtians outſtrip thee, it may be they are of longer ſtanding then thou.
2. It may be thou doeſt judge and compare they ſelfe with others, at a great diſadvantage. As firſt, it may be thou doſt compare thy ſelfe, and thy praying in ſecret, with the praying of others in publick; Now this is very diſadvantageous; for in publick men have not onelyonly inward, but alſo outward incouragements, and ſo thorough the corruption that is in all our hearts, they are more drawne forth at that time then in ſecret.
2. It may be thou doſt compare their expreſſion with thine affection, it may be there is more in thy affections, then in all the multitude of their expreſſions. Thou are not to compare thy affections with the multitude of other mens words.
3. I… may be thou doſt compare thy … with others, when they are at the beſt and higheſt, and thou at the worſt and loweſt. There is a great difference betwixt a man and himſelfe, at ſeverall times, now you judge unequally, if you compare your ſelfe in that manner.
3. In ſome caſes this may be no diſcouragement to thee; as 1. If thou art weaker in naturall gifts. Though good affections flow from grace, yet good expreſſions proceed from the goodneſſe of naturall abilities.
2. In caſe thou art not of as long ſtanding in religion.
3. It thou haſt leſſer time and opportunities for prayer, by reaſon of neceſſary cares and encumbring employments. When Jonah was entered into the ſhip there was a great ſtorme, in ſo much that the ſhip was ready to ſinke: now all the Mariners were at prayer, every man cryed to his God, but Jonah was faſt aſl…p, now one would have thought, that Jonah had been a moſt ſtupid man; but the reaſon was the greatneſſe of his journey, a little before, which cauſed him to be ſo heavie to ſleep. It may be a man that hath leſſe grace then thou may pray better then thou, becauſe he is not troubled with theſe worldly incumbrances, that thou art neceſſarily ingaged in.
4. God doth not diſtribute gifts and graces to all alike, God hath not appointed that all men ſhould grow in grace alike. To this purpoſe I may apply, Nehem. 11. 17. Mattaniah the ſon of Micha, Nehem. 11. 17.the ſon of Zabdi, the ſon of Aſaph was the principall to begin the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah the ſecond among his brethren, and Abda the ſon of Shammuz—the third. God doth not intend that all ſhould be alike in grace, or gifts; God hath his firſt, ſecond, and third; one may fall ſhort of another, and yet all have truth of grace, yea, all have ſome growth in grace. Another may pray better, and yet thou pray well; Another may pray more affectionately, and yet thou pray as acceptably in the ſight of God: ſo much for Anſwer to the firſt reaſon.
2. Many a poore ſoule may ſay, I can remember ſince I could pray better, and 2. Reaſon confutedmore largely. Now if I could pray better formerly then now, I am now grown remiſſe, and want this holy importunity. But this is no ſound reaſon; for
1. It may be thou hadſt formerly more affection, but leſſe judgement, leſſe experience, leſſe ſpiritualneſſe in thy prayers. It may be now thou art more ſound in knowledge, thou makeſt a more inward progreſſe in holineſſe; thou canſt now make a more inward prayer to God, thou haſt now more inward communion with God. Now if this be ſo, thou haſt no cauſe to be diſcouraged. God loves a judicious prayer, as well as a large and affectionate prayer; you ſee what you want one way, you make up another way. A young carpenter gives more blowes, and makes more chips, but an old and experienced workman doth the moſt and the beſt worke. A young Muſitian can play more quickly and nimbly upon an inſtrument, but an old Muſitian hath more skill.
2. It may be when thou hadſt more affections in prayer, thou hadſt more ſin in prayer, more pride in thy gifts, more dependance upon thy duties, more ſenſoriouſneſs of others, and many other corruptions that did accompany thy prayers, and thy affectionateneſſe in them. Now though thou haſt leſſe affections, yet thoſe other corruptions are in great part eaten out.
3. It may be thou haſt not now ſo many helps and opportunities to keep up thine heart, to ſtirre up thine affections in prayer, as thou hadſt formerly. It may be thou didſt formerly live under the teachings of an able godly miniſter. Now thou haſt loſt that opportunity. And ſo there are ſeverall other helps, that peradventure are now taken away from thee,
4. Though it is true thou art abated, and thou didſt pray better formerly then now, yet ought not this to be matter of diſcouragement to thee.
1. If it doth not proceed from a voluntary careleſſeneſſe.
2. If it be not accompanied with hardneſſe and inſenſibleneſſe.
3. If it be not continued in with lazineſſe and contentedneſſe. And ſo much for anſwer to the ſecond reaſon.
3. Another ground of doubting to the A third Reaſon confuted.people of God is this. They complaine they have not thoſe inlarged expreſſions in prayer, which Gods people uſe to have. For anſwer conſider theſe things.
1. This hath many times been the caſe of Gods own people, that they have wanted expreſſions, they could not finde a vent for their affections. Thus it was with Hannah, ſhe ſpake in her heart, but ſhe was not able to expreſſe her ſelfe. So it was with holy David, Pſal. 77. 4. I am Pſal. 77. 4.ſo troubled that I cannot ſpeak, and yet in the firſt verſe of that Pſalme, he tells us he cried unto the Lord with his voice. Here was an heart full of prayer, though he wanted utterance.
2. It is better to have affections without expreſſions, then expreſſions without affections. God lookes more to the deſires of the heart then the words of the mouth. It may be what thou wanteſt of expreſſion, is made up in affection.
3. It may be what is wanting in words, is made up in life; as thou art defective in expreſſion, ſo thou makeſt a recompence in converſation; and that is the beſt expreſſion that can be. It is much better to live a prayer then to expreſſe a prayer. It is good to pray for grace, but it is better to live a life of grace. It is good to pray againſt ſin, but it is better to live againſt ſin.
And ſo much for anſwer to the third doubt.
A fourth ground of doubting is this: A fourth Reaſon confuted.Many a diſconſolate Chriſtian is apt to ſay, I am troubled with wandring thoughts; with deadneſſe and dulneſſe of heart in prayer.
I confeſs thy caſe is ſad, and to be lamented for, and it is juſt matter of humiliation: Yet even here is matter of comfort.
1. If thou doſt what thou canſt, to free thy ſelf from wandrings before thou comeſt to pray.
2. If thou doſt what thou canſt to reſiſt theſe wandrings when you are come before God in prayer.
3. If you be ſenſible of theſe wandrings afterward. If you can ſay, you do theſe three things, your wandrings ſhall never be laid to your charge.
And thus I have done with both theſe Uſes of Caution. And ſo I have done with the principal Doctrine, which was this, That on holy importunity, and earneſtneſs of ſpirit, is a condition required in the prayers of Gods people, if they expect returns thereunto.
There is another conſiderable Doctrine yet behinde, taken from the amplification of the conceſſion: He asked but three loaves; but becauſe of his importunity, he gave him as many as he needed.
The obſervation thence is this; That when the heart is importunate in begging mercy, Doct. 4. God is better then our prayers.God uſually gives us more then we pray for.
In the handling of this Doctrine, I shall
1. prove it by Scripture-inſtances.
2. I ſhall lay down the reaſons of it.
3. I ſhall anſwer ſome objections, and caſes of conſcience; and ſo I ſhall come to application.
1. I ſhall prove it by Scripture inſtances.
1. You have the inſtance of Hannah, 1 Sam. 1. She beg'd a ſon with much importunity, being a woman of a ſorrowful ſpirit for want of a ſon; Well, God returns her an anſwer. Chemnitius obſerves, Petijt Filium, accepit Prophetam.that Hanna asked a ſon, and God gave her a Prophet. She begged a ſon, God gave her a gracious ſon; a ſon greatly beloved of God. She asked a ſingle mercy, and God gave her a double bleſſing.
Another inſtance you have in Abraham, Gen. 17. Abraham prayed, O that Iſhmael might live in thy ſight. Well, what anſwer Gen. 17.doth God return? That you have verſ. 19. Verſ. 19.Sarah thy wife ſhall bear thee a ſon indeed, and thou ſhalt call his name Iſaac, and I will eſtabliſh my covenant with him for an everlaſting covenant, and with his ſeed after him. It was Abrahams deſire that Iſhmael might live. Now God, not onelyonly grants that, but hee grants him a better mercy.
Another inſtance you have in the Canaanitiſh woman, Matth. 15. who did importunately beg of Chriſt, the life and health of her daughter. Chriſt anſwered her thus, Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.
Now if you ask what is the reaſon, why God deals thus with his people? I anſwer.
Reaſ. 1 1. This proceeds from the largeneſſe and greatneſſe of Gods power, and the riches and freeneſſe of his grace towards us; Epheſ. 3. 20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly, above all that we are able Epheſ. 3. 20.to ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. A man may ask of another man, and it may be receive; but then hee muſt not aske again: but herein appears the power and ability, the goodneſs and bounty of God; if we ask of him once or twice, he is a God that is able to give, not according to our asking onelyonly, but above what we ask; and not onelyonly above what we can ask, but above what we can ask or think. The words are ſo full, that they cannot well be expreſſed, God doth more then foreign.exceſſively. God hath not onelyonly a fulneſſe of abundance, but of redundancy; not onelyonly of plenty, but bounty; he is better then our prayers.
Reaſ. 2 2. God will do this, to relieve his people, and to ſupply their ſpiritual wants. Among the wants of Gods people, this is one, that we do not know what we need, nor what we ſhould pray for as we ought, Rom. 8. 26. Rom. 8. 26.Therefore God ſupplies our wants, not onelyonly in what we ask, but in what we want, though we do not ask it, nor pray for it.
So much for the Reaſons; I come now to anſwer ſome objections.
Object. 1 But ſome may ſay, What priviledge hath a godly man more then a wicked man, to have more to be given him then he doth ask, ſeeing we read of wicked men that they do proſper in the world, and have more then heart can wiſh? Pſal. 73. I anſwer.Pſal 73.
Anſw. 1 1. It is true in temporal mercies: God may give wicked men more then the godly, and more then their heart can wiſh; but God doth not give them ſpiritual mercies: As we may ſee in Balaam: God gave Balaam honours and riches, but Balaam cried our, O that I might dye the death of the righteous, This God did not grant him. So, many wicked men do ſay in a general way, Lord pardon my ſins; God doth not hear them. It may be a child of God, may ask of God temporal mercies, and God will give him ſpiritual mercies; this is more then he did ask, and that much better then he gives to wicked men.
2. Though God doth give unto wicked men more then their hearts can wiſh, yet God doth not give it as any return of prayer, but onelyonly as fruits of general and common providence, as they are his creatures, whom he will preſerve.
3. God may give wicked men more then their hearts can wiſh, and this is not in mercy, but in wrath. They may receive mercies, but not as mercies, not in mercy. And there are four demonſtrations when God hears a man in wrath.
1. When he asks any thing of God that is ſinful in its own nature; as the denial of it is an act of mercy, ſo the grant of it is a fruit of Gods anger. God doth many Concedit iratus, quod negat propitius.times give thoſe things in his anger, which he denies when he is well pleaſed. God will not hear his own people according to their wills, but according to his own will. It is in this caſe, as it is with a father, when his child, for want of knowledg, asks a knife of him, by which he may cut his fingers; the father will not give him the knife, except it be in wrath. So a man may ask mercies at the hand of God, and it may be God will give them in wrath to cut themſelves with them.
2. If you ask thoſe things of God, which though they are not ſinful in their own nature; yet if thy asking of theſe lawful things be to an unlawful end, God will deny theſe in mercy; and when he gives them it is in wrath. As if thou deſireſt temporal mercies to abuſe them to drunkeneſſe, or to live in any other ſin and wickedneſſe; if God give thee thoſe mercies, tis as a teſtimony of his wrath to thee. So it was in the 78. Pſalm v. 18. They tempted God in their hearts, Pſal. 78. 18.and asked meat for their luſt. There was the end of their deſires. They deſired a lawful thing for unlawful ends; But what followed? The wrath of God: For while the meat was in their mouthes, the wrath of God came upon them, verſ. 30, 31.V. 30, 31. 3.
3. If you ask any thing of God, and he gives it in wrath, you may know by this; if it be an occaſion of ſin to thee, it is given thee in wrath. So it was with the Iſraelites, even now mentioned, the meat that God gave them proved an occaſion of ſin, verſ. 32.—they ſinned ſtill, and believed not his wondrous works. When the mercies Verſ. 32.you enjoy becomes fuel to your luſts, thoſe mercies are accompanied with the curſe and wrath of God; and this uſing of mercies will turn to the aggravation of wrath.
4. Mercies are given thee in wrath, when the enjoyment of them hinders thee from the receit of greater mercies from God. Thus it was with the Devils, Matth. 8. 31, Mat. 8. 31, 32.32. They beſought Chriſt that they might go into the Herd of Swine: Chriſt granted them that, he let them enter into ſwine, that they might not enter into men. When the giving of temporal mercies, hinders thee from the receit of ſpiritual mercies, they are given in wrath. There are many men to whom God gives temporal mercies, they have riches in abundance, pleaſure at will, every thing they can deſire; but theſe mercies take off their thoughts and affections from better things; by getting theſe they looſe Chriſt, and grace, immortality, and eternal happineſſe. Now in theſe caſes, though God doth give mercies, yet they are given in wrath; and ſo notwithſtanding this objection, the priviledg of Gods people, is much greater then the priviledg of wicked men.
But it may be further objected and enquired; If this be ſo, that mercies are given to wicked men in wrath, and by a common providence,Queſt. When mercies are returns of prayers How may I know when mercies come to me as returns of prayers?
Now I ſhall anſwer that in theſe particulars.
Anſw. 1 1. Mercies are returns of prayer, when the receiving of mercy is a means to quicken the heart to beg for other mercies at the hands of God: when the mercy ſhall make thee more to love prayer, more to uſe prayer. This you finde proved by Davids experience, Pſal. 116. 2. Becauſe he hath Pſal. 116. 2.heard my voice, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. You ſee here, becauſe God had heard Davids prayer, and given him the mercy he begged, he makes an argument, and an engagement to himſelf to pray as long as hee lived. So that to continue prayer, is a means to get more mercy; and the leaving off of prayer when you have a mercy, is a means to looſe that which you have obtained at the hands of God. But as for the wicked it is not ſo with them. Mercies received onelyonly from a common, or general providence, have no ſuch efficacy, as you may ſee, Job 21. 7, 8, &c. there Job tells you,—the wicked live, become old, yea, Job 21. 7, 8, &c.mighty in power: Their ſeed is eſtabliſhed in their ſight with them, and their off-ſpring before their eyes. Their houſes are ſafe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not, their cow calveth, and caſteth not her calf. And ſo he goes on, deſcribing that happy condition that wicked men were in, and how God followed them with mercy after mercy. Well, what was the effect of this? Did this engage them to call upon God? Did this make them in love with prayer? No, it had a quite contrary effect, verſ. 14. Therefore they ſay Verſe 14.unto God, Depart from us; for we deſire not the knowledg of thy waies. And verſ. 15. What is the Almighty, that we ſhould ſerve him? and Verſ. 15.what profit ſhould we have if we pray unto him?
2. Mercies that are given as returns of prayer, do not onelyonly make a man conſider that they are from God, but drawes the heart to God, and put a man upon imploying them in the ſervice, and to the honour of God. This we finde to be the temper of Hannah, 1 Sam. 1. 27, 28. Hanuah had prayed 1 Sam. 1. 27, 28.for a child, God gave her a ſon. Now what doth ſhe with this mercy? Obſerve, For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath granted my petition,—Therefore have I lent him to the Lord; as long as hee liveth. Seeing God hath heard my prayer and granted my requeſt, therefore will I give this mercy to God, to be imployed in this ſervice. So 1 Joh. 3. 22. And whatſoever we ask we receive of him, becauſe we keep his commandements, and 1 Joh. 3. 22.do thoſe things that are pleaſing in his ſight. You ſee it is made an evidence, that what we receive is received as an anſwer to our askings; becauſe we make thoſe mercies helps to obedience to keep Gods commandements. But now mercies that come from a common providence, do not draw out the heart towards God; they rather draw them out towards ſin; as it was in the forementioned Iſraelites, Pſalm 78. though God did give them their hearts deſire, yet were they not eſtranged from their luſt.
3. Mercies come from God as returns of prayer, when they make you more to rejoyce in the God that hears your prayers, and gives you the mercy, then in the mercy you receive from God. Thus you finde it was in Hannah, ſhe asked a ſon, and God gave her a ſon, yet ſhe ſaith, 1 Sam. 2. 1. 1 Sam. 2. 1.My heart rejoyceth in the Lord. God gave her a ſon, ſhe rejoyced in that mercy, but ſhe rejoyced more in the God that gave it. So it was with David, Pſal. 85. 6. Wilt thou not Pſal. 85. 6.revive us again, that thy people may rejoyce in thee? We will not rejoyce chiefly in the mercy, but in thee. But on the contrary, thoſe that receive mercies out of the basket of common providence, they rejoyce more in the mercy then in the God of mercy; they rejoyce in their wealth and glory, in the multitude of their riches; but as for God they bid him depart from them; they cannot rejoyce in God.