The Zealous Christian Taking Heaven by Holy Violence, Sermon 7
LUKE 11. 8.
—Though he will not—give him becauſe he is his friend, &c.
11. SERMON.AND thus much for the firſt Doctrine, and firſt part of the Text, the relation between him that prayes, and him to whom prayers are made. I come now to the ſecond part, which is the condition upon which the prayer was heard; and that I told you was ſet down two wayes.
1. Negatively.
2. Poſitively.
3. Negatively, Not becauſe he is his friend.
The obſervation thence is this,
Doct. 2 That a ſtate of friendſhip, or reconciliation with God, is not ſufficient to aſſure a man that God will give returnes to his prayers. Although a man muſt be brought into a ſtate of, friendſhip and favour with God, before his, prayers can be heard: yet it is not a ſufficient ground for a man to believe, that God will give him an anſwer of all his prayers. He will give unto him, not becauſe he is friend. So that a godly man may make many prayers, and yet God may not give any anſwer to his prayers.
In the handling of this Doctrine, I ſhall do three things.
1. Shew the reaſons of the Doctrine.
2. I ſhall ſhew, in what caſes God may refuſe to give his own people the things that they pray for.
3. I ſhall ſhew, how we may know, when God denies to hear our prayers, whether the denial be in merciemercy.
Reaſ. The firſt particular is the reaſon, why God may, and doth ſometimes deny to hear the prayers of his friends: And that is this. Becauſe, God hath tied returns of prayer, not onelyonly to the qualification of the perſon, but alſo to the qualification of the dutie; that the dutie be performed, not onelyonly by a fit perſon, but alſo in a right way, in a right manner, to a right end. God doth not ſay, Let a godly man pray how he will, I will hear his prayers; that were the way to make him to be careleſſe and remiſs in the performance of duties. Therefore the Lord expects qualification of the dutie, as well as of the perſon. God requires that duties be done with feeling, fervencie, faith, fear and reverence; they muſt be done in a right manner.
There is a fivefold qualification that God requires, even of his friends, as a condition of their acceptance.
1. The heart muſt be prepared, Pſal. 10. Pſal. 10. 17.17. Lord thou haſt heard the deſire of the humble, thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cauſe thine ear to hear. So Job 11. 13, 14, Job 11. 13, 14, 15.15. If thou prepare thine heart, and ſtretch out thine hand towards him. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedneſs dwell in thy tabernacle. For then ſhalt thou lift up thy face without ſpot; yea, thou ſhalt be ſtedfaſt and ſhalt not fear. That is the firſt particular.
2. Sin muſt be removed. So you finde in the place laſt quoted, iniquity muſt be put far away, &c. When Gods own people come to worſhip before God, they muſt not let any ſinne lye upon their conſciences, unrepented of and indulged.
3. The affections muſt be raiſed. David, when he ſet himſelf to prayer, he ſaith Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my ſoul, Pſal. 25. Pſal. 25. 1.1. You read often in Scripture, of lifting up a prayer to God, Iſai. 37. 4—It may be Iſai. 37. 4.the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabſhakeh, whom the king of Aſſyria hath ſent,—wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. Jer. 7. 16. Pray not thou for this Jer. 7. 16.people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them. 1 Tim. 2. 8. I will that men pray every where, Tim. 2. 8.lifting up holy hands, without warth and doubting.
4. The mind muſt be compaſed in prayer, 4. 1 Cor. 7. 35.1 Cor. 7. 35 We are to attend upon the Lord without diſtraction. Daniel ſet his face unto the Lord God, to ſeek by prayer and ſupplications, Daniel 9. 3. In the morning will I Dan. 9. 3.direct my prayer unto thee, ſaid David, Pſal. 5. 3. As an Archer when he ſhoots an arrow, Pſal. 5. 2. foreign more militari diſponam.takes care that his hand ſhake not; his heart was ſo fixed on God, that he could directly ſend his prayers unto him. Doſt thou think, O man, that God will hear that prayer which thou doſt not hear thy ſelf? will God regard that prayer, that thou doſt not regard? will God grant thy requeſt, when thou doſt not know what thou askeſt, becauſe of that indiſpoſedneſſe and diſtraction that lyes upon thy ſpirit? You muſt therefore take care, when you be take your ſelves to prayer, that the Divel do not diſtract and diſturb you.
5. The deſires muſt be enlarged after God in prayer, Jer. 29. 13. Then you ſhall ſeek me and finde me, when you ſearch for me with all your heart. God bids us Open our mouthes wide, and I will fill them, Pſal. 18. 10. God hath not promiſed to fill the heart, unleſſe our mouth be opened.
Now put all theſe together: Our prayers will not be heard, except, 1. Our hearts be prepared. 2. Sin removed. 3. Our affections raiſed. 4. Our minds compoſed. 5. Our deſires inlarged. And judge, whether this be not ground enough for the Doctrine, That a ſtate of friendſhip, is not ſufficient for the acceptance of our prayers.
I come now to the ſecond thing, and that is, a caſe of conſcience: it is this; In Queſt. When doth God deny requeſts. Anſw. Pſal 66. 18.what Caſes may God refuſe to give his people the things they pray for? I anſwer.
1. In caſe you indulge any ſin in the heart, Pſal. 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear my prayer. Sin which is in thine heart, by thine indulgence and approbation, doth provoke God, that he will not give an anſwer to thy prayers
2. In caſe thou doſt ſeek for any mercy from God, to be fewel for thy ſin and luſt, James 4. 3. Ye aske and receive not, becauſe Jam. 4. 3.ye aske amiſſe, that you may conſume it upon your luſts. So the mother of Zebedees children, Matth. 20. 21. She ſaid to Chriſt, Grant that theſe my two ſons may ſit, the one on thy right Mat. 20. 21.hand, the other on thy left in thy kingdom. Now this was an ambitious deſire; for ſhe ſhewed Chriſt would have reigned upon earth, as an earthly King, and ſhe deſired that they might be next him, as he ſat upon the Throne. Therefore Chriſt ſaid, You know not what you ask. Chriſt would not give any anſwer to her requeſt; he would not gratifie her pride and ambition.
3. In caſe God ſees we are not able to uſe the mercy well when we have it. If you would ask gifts from God, it may be God ſees, that enlarged gifts would make thee proud, and that thou wouldeſt be puffed up with them, and exalt thy ſelf above thy brethren, therefore God will deny thee. We read, Gen. 26. 1, 2. When there was a famine in the Land,—He went to enquire Gen. 26. 1, 2.of the Lord, whether he ſhould go down into Aegypt, God anſwered, Go not down into Aegypt. God would not let him go; but in the dayes of Jacob there was a famine in the Land, Gen. 46. 3. and God ſaid to Jacob, Go down into Aegypt. Now what might be the Gen. 46. 3.reaſon, that God would have Jacob goe down into Aegypt, and not Iſaac. The raſon is this, Iſaac was a man of weaker Graces then Jacob was; and God ſaw, that if Iſaac had gone down into Aegypt for corne, he would have fallen into the ſinnes of the Land. Now Jacob was a ſtrong man in grace and in gifts; for as a Prince he wraſtled with God, and prevailed, and was called, Iſrael. God ſaw that Jacob would reſiſt their idolatrous wayes, and not be guilty of their ſins. So you may ask mercies of God, and it may be you are not able to manage them well. And therefore God denies you; when as another askes the ſame mercy, and God gives it to him; becauſe he ſees he will uſe it well, and improve it to Gods glory. Therefore reflect upon thy ſelf; and when God denies thee a mercy, which thou haſt begged at his hands; Say to thy ſelf, this denial is in mercy, for he did not think me fit for it. If men would take this way to conſider of Gods dealing with them, it would ſilence all the murmurings and repinings of their hearts againſt God.
4. If you pray but curſorily and careleſly, Qui frigide orat, docet negare.then God may deny you. He that prayes coldly, doth, as it were, increat God to give him a denial. God promiſeth to be found, if we ſeek him with our whole heart: But if we be careleſs and regardleſs our ſelves, how can we expect that God ſhould regard us?
So much for anſwer to that queſtion, In what caſes God may deny his peoples prayers. This is the ſecond thing.
3. The third particular, is another Caſe of conſcience. And it is this.Queſt. Denials of prayer, when … mercy?
Seeing God doth not hear the prayers of his people in ſome caſes; How may we know, whether the denyal of our prayers be in mercy or no?
God doth not hear the prayers of wicked men, he denies them in wrath; but his peoples prayers he denies in mercy; and that is in theſe caſes.
Anſw. 1 1. This is a mercy, in caſe any of his people ask any thing that is ſinful in it ſelf. God denies that to his people in mercy, which he gives to others in wrath. God will not alwaies give to his people what they pray for, but what is beſt for them. If God ſhould give his people all they ask, they would be undone. It is mercy to deny a mad man a ſword, for he would cut his own throat with it: To deny a child a knife, for he would cut his fingers with it. You have an inſtance in Peter, Luke 5. Luke 5. 8.8. When Simon Peter ſaw him, he fell down at Jeſus his knees, ſaying, Depart from me, for I am a ſinful man, O Lord. Had Jeſus Chriſt granted Peter his requeſt, he had been undone for ever: Therefore he would not depart from him. So that this denial was in mercy. As on the other ſide, it is a demonſtration of Gods wrath, many times, when God doth grant mercies to wicked men. So it was to Pharaoh, he deſired that God would remove the plagues from him; God granted it, thereby to harden Pharoahs heart, and make him ripe for deſtruction.
2. God denies in mercy, if that we ask would be an occaſion of ſinne. Suppoſe a man beg wealth; God ſees the having of wealth would make him a proud man: Now the denial of that is a mercy to him. Concedit iratus quod negat propitias; multos Deus non exaudit ad voluntatem, ut exaudiat ad ſalutem.As in the forementioned inſtance. God would not let Iſaac go down to Aegypt, becauſe it would have been an occaſion of ſin to him. As he ſaid very well, God denies that in love, which he grants in anger. God doth not hear many in their deſires, that he may hear them for their good.
3. God denies a prayer in mercy, when he gives a better in lieu of it; It was the deſire of Moſes that he might goe into the land of Canaan, but it was better to him to goe to the heavenly Canaan, and therefore God tranſlated him thither. So the Apoſtles deſired Chriſt to tell them, Act 1. 7, 8.when he would reſtore the Kingdome to Iſrael. He would not reſolve them that, yet he gave them a greater mercy, for he gave them the holy Ghoſt. So David deſired the life of that childe that was illegitimate; but God tooke away the baſtard (which would have been a living monument Aut dal it Deus ….of Davids folly) and gave him a Solomon. God will either give us what we aske (ſaith Bernard) or what he knowes to be better for us.
4. God may deny to returne this requeſt in mercy, to quicken our he'res and affections in prayer, and to make us more eager in the purſuit after mercy. God many times denies that mercy which thou beggeſt, not as though he would not heare Pſal. 80. 4. Non diſſert Deus eo quod dare non …ult … ut …ucto ….thee, but to ſee how thy heart will be drawn out towards him in prayer, to make thee more vehement and importunate in thy deſires. Thus God was angry with the prayers of his people, Pſal. 80. 4. that they might be more fervent. God doth not delay to heare our prayers (ſaith Anſelme) becauſe he hath no minde to give, but that our deſires may be kindled, and ſo he may take occaſion to give more plentifully.
5. God may deny a thing in mercy, if thou didſt too eagerly deſire the mercy, and too affectionately ſet thine heart upon it; if thou loveſt it too much in the expetition, thou wilt be exceſſive in the fruition: Rachell had better wanted Children, which ſhe ſo impetuouſly deſired; for ſhe had a childe and died in childe-bed. God turnes mercies too paſſionately deſired into curſes, and ſnares to us, or elſe takes them away from us. And ſo I have anſwered this ſecond Queſtion. And that is the third and laſt particular; I come now to application.
Uſe. 1 Uſe 1. Conſider this, oh all you wicked and ungodly men; Conſider how far you are from having your prayers heard; What? will not a father heare his childe, when he prayes to him coldly and remiſſely, and will he heare a ſlave? If God will … …eare the remiſſe prayer of a god ly ma… … doſt thou thinke he will heart the prayers of a wicked man? If God will not heare his peoples prayers at all times, notwithſtanding they are in a ſtate of friendſhip, will God heare thy prayers, oh wicked man, that art in ſtate of enmity againſt him? If God will not heare the prayers of his own people, which are ſometimes his delight, doſt thou thinke he will heare thy prayers, which are alwayes an abomination to him?
2. This ſhould put an holy awe upon the hearts of all godly men; what though you are in a ſtate of favour with God, though this will carrie your ſoules to heaven, yet this will not bring you a return of your prayers. You muſt have your hearts rightly qualifyed, before God will give a returne of thy prayers. And thus much for the ſecond doctrine, and alſo for the negative condition.
I come now to the condition poſitive, to which, returnes of prayer are annexed; 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 needs. From which part of the text you may obſerve this doctrine.
Doct. 3 That the people of God muſt not content themſelves with being in a ſtate of favour, and friendſhip with God, but they muſt alſo labour after this holy importunity in prayer, before they can have their prayer accepted.
In the handling of this doctrine, I ſhall proceed in this method.
1. I ſhall anſwer an objection that ſtands in the way.
2. I ſhall ſhew what this importunity is.
3. At what times God works this in his people.
4. Wherein lies the difference between an holy importunity, and a naturall importunity.
5. What are the reaſons, why the people of God muſt have this importunity in prayer.
6. How comes it to paſſe that ſo many want this holy importunity in their prayers?
7. What helps may be uſed to attaine this ſervencie and importunity of ſpirit. And then I ſhall apply it by way of Caution.
Obje. 1 1. I muſt anſwer an objection which is this, It may be ſome will ſay, what need is there that this condition ſhould be ſo much preſſed, what need is there of importunity in prayer? Hath not God decreed what mercy to beſtow vponupon me? if ſo, then I am ſure I ſhall have thoſe mercies, let me pray how I will; and on the contrary, if God hath not decreed to give me ſuch a mercy, I ſhall not have them, let me pray never ſo well; for the decree of God is effectuall, irreſiſtable, and cannot be altered; All mine importunity cannot alter the decree of God.
For anſwer to this, I ſhall propound Sol.three things to your conſideration.
1. We have not to doe to ſearch into the ſecret will of God, we are to minde the revealed will of God, and not the ſecret; It concernes not us to know what God will doe, but what God would have us to doe. Deut. 29. 29. Secret things belong Deut. 29.to God, but revealed things to us, and to our Children; we know not any thing of the decree and counſell of God, but onelyonly as he is pleaſed to reveale it.
Though God can give a mercy without prayer, yet he hath not any where promiſed to give it without prayer. Prayer is the meanes that God hath appointed us to uſe for the obtaining of mercy.
3. The decree of God muſt not make us to be remiſſe in prayer; for God hath decreed not onelyonly the end, but alſo the meanes; as God hath decreed to give thee mercy, ſo he hath alſo decreed that thou ſhouldeſt pray for it. And therefore whereſoever the decree or purpoſe of God is mentioned, it is uſed as an argument, to ſtirre up the people of God to prayer. For thou oh Lord of hoſts, God of Iſrael, haſt revealed to thy ſervant ſaying, I will build thee an 2 Sam. 27, 28, 29.houſe, therefore hath thy ſervant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now oh Lord God, thou art God, that God and thy words be true, and thou haſt promiſed this goodneſſe unto thy ſervant. Therefore now let it pleaſe thee to bleſſe the houſe of thy ſervant, that it may continue for ever before thee: For thou oh Lord God haſt ſpoken it, and with thy bleſſing let the houſe of thy ſervant be bleſſed for ever. You ſee here God had purpoſed, and promiſed to bleſſe the houſe of David, and to continue it for ever; doth this make David remiſſe in prayer? doth David argue, what need I pray for this mercy, ſeeing God is reſolved to give it? No, David takes this hint, and uſeth it to good purpoſe in his prayer. Another inſtance you have in Iſaac. God had decreed, and promiſed that the ſeed of Abraham ſhould be multiplyed as the ſtarres of the heaven, Gen. 15. 5. and that this promiſed ſhould Gen. 15. 5.be accompliſhed in Iſaac. Did this make Iſaac neglect prayer? No, for we read Gen. 25. 21. Iſaac intreated the Lord for his Gen. 25. 21.wife, becauſe ſhe was barren, and the Lord was intreated of him, &c. Though God had promiſed, that in Iſaac all the nations of the earth ſhould be bleſſed, yet Iſaac betakes himſelfe to prayer to God, for the accompliſhment of that mercy, that was decreed and promiſed.
Object. But you will ſay, ſuppoſe God hath decreed he will not give me the mercy I pray for, what benefit is it for me to pray for it?
I anſwer. 1. It is more then any man Sol.doth know, that God hath decreed he will denie thee the mercy thou askeſt.
2. If it be ſo that God hath decreed not to give thee the mercy thou prayeſt for, yet God will give thee the returne of prayer into thy boſome; though it may be he will not give thee the particular thing thou deſireſt. And thus I have diſpatcht the firſt thing, I have anſwered the objection.
Queſt. What is holy importunity.The ſecond particular is this, What is this holy importunity?
Anſw. foreign.I anſwer in generall, The word in the originall ſignifies impudence, or want of ſhame. It is a metaphor taken from beggars, who are impudently importunate, and take no denyall; if you deny them once, they will aske you again, and again, and never leave till they get what they deſire. It is a gathering together of all the affections of the ſoule, a ſtirring them all up in prayer, whereby the ſoule is ſo earneſtly deſirous after the good it wants, that it will not reſt, nor leave off the duty, untill he doe finde ſome returne. This is ment Rom. 12. 12. Continuing inſtant 1 2.in prayer. The Originall word is very emphaticall; It notes not oneiy to perſevere foreign., but to perſevere and continue with utmoſt ſtrength, to ingage all a mans poſſibility in the worke. It notes inſtancy and importunity; It is a phraſe borrowed from dogs, that when they are hunting, will not ceaſe following the game till they have got it: So a godly man will purſue God in duty, and never leave till he finde the mercy he begs from him. Gen. 32. ….Thus did holy Jacob Gen. 32. 26. God ſaid, … for the day breaketh: And be ſaid, I will not let thee goe unleſſe thou bleſſe me. So it is ſaid of Elias, James 5. 17. He prayed James 5. 17. foreign.earneſtly. In the Greeke, it is in praying, he prayed; to ſhew that a Chriſtian, when he is praying ſhould yet pray, ſhould pray more earneſtly, he ſhould be as it were in agony in prayer; It was ſaid of Auſtin in his preaching, that he never left preaching, till he found he had done ſome good upon the hearts of his hearers. So muſt you pray, and continue praying, and doe not give over, till you finde ſome good done upon your hearts, till you finde ſin weakned, and graces ſtrengthned; This is the holy importunitie that is here ſpoken of. And ſo much for the ſecond particular.
The third particular is this. When doth Queſt. When are Gods people moſt importunate?the Lord worke in the hearts of his people this holy importunity, what ſeaſons are they wherein the people of God are moſt importunate?
Anſw. 1 I anſwer. 1. God workes this holy importunity in the hearts of his people at their firſt converſion, then is the time when they are moſt earneſt after God in duties. Auſtin tells us it was ſo in his Plurimi novitate converſionis ſerventes erant.time. firſt, Converts were moſt fervent, and affectionate towards God in duty, when they were firſt brought from the ſtate of nature into the ſtate of grace. At the firſt taſte of the excellency of grace they are much raviſhed with it, becauſe of the newneſſe of the conditions; New things doe moſt affect men.
2. There is the moſt holy importunity in a man, when he lives under the cleareſt apprehenſion, and aſſurance of Gods love Pſal. 42. 4.in Chriſt. Pſal. 42. 4. When I remembred theſe things, I poure out my ſoule in me: when he remembered, and conſidered the marks and tokens of Gods grace in him, and love to hm, this made him importunate. A Chriſtian may be compared to a Marigold, which while the Sun ſhines upon it, opens it ſelfe, but afterwards ſhuts. Chriſtians, when the Sun of Gods favour ſhines upon them, their ſoules are inlarged, their affections inflamed towards God; but when God hides his face, they are troubled, their hearts are ſtraitned, and they cannot pray as they uſed to doe. It is ſaid of the Nightingale, that when ſhe thinks any one is neere, ſhe ſings more ſweetly then when ſhe is alone in the wood. The ſoule, when it ſees that God is neare it, and that his favour is towards it, then it ſings moſt ſweetly, then it prayes moſt fervently; but when the love of God is clouded, and the ſoule left as it were alone; then the affections flag, and grow remiſſe in prayer.
3. Another time when the people of God are importunate, is, when the time for the accompliſhment of a promiſe growes neer. This we find in Daniel, When Dan. 9. 2, 3.he underſtood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet, that he would accompliſh ſeventy years in the deſolation of Jeruſalem. Then he ſet his face to ſeek the Lord by prayer and ſupplication. Daniel prayed at other times, but then he was moſt importunate, when the promiſe was neer the accompliſhment, then he was moſt fervent. To the ſame purpoſe is that Jer. 29. 13. Then ſhall you call upon me, and ye ſhall ſeek for me and finde me, when ye Jer. 29. 13:ſhall ſearch for me with all your hearts. During the ſeventy years, the Jews did not expreſſe any holy importunity towards God, which is the reaſon of that expreſſion you read, Dan. 9. 13. Though all this evil is come upon us, yet made we not our prayer before the Dan. 9. 13.Lord our God, &c. But when the ſeventy years were come neer to an end, the Jews prayed more the laſt year, then they did all the ſeventy years before. Therefore ſaid God, I know my thoughts that I have towards Jer. 29. 11, 12.you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then ſhall ye call upon me, and ſhall go and pray unto me, and I will harken unto you. Therefore when you ſee mercies for a Family, or a Nation wanting, if thine heart be indifferent, that thou doſt not care whether thou prayeſt or not, then you may conclude, that mercy will be long before it comes. But if you finde that God drawes out thine heart for mercy, if God ſtirre up thy deſires, and work this holy importunity in thine heart, it is an argument that mercy is neer; for when prayer is in thine heart, mercy is at the door.
4. Another time when the people of God are moſt importunate in prayer, is, when they are moſt drawn off from the world, when they are moſt free from worldly diſtractions. The ſame word in the Hebrew, ſignifies both meditation and prayer; to ſhew, that when the heart hath foreignbeen drawn off from the world by meditation, then it is in a fit poſture for prayer.
5. Another time, is when they walk moſt cloſely with God. He that lives careleſly, will not pray importunately. Therefore Job ſaith, If iniquity be in thine hands, put it away, ſo ſhalt thou lift up thine heart, &c. to Job 11. 13.note, that iniquity entertained and countenanced in the ſoul, is the great hinderer of the lifting up of the heart; the great cooler of importunity.
6. Another time is, in deep and bitter afflictions, then the people of God are moſt Psal. 130. 1, 2.importunate in their prayers, Pſal. 130. 1, 2. Out of the deeps have I cryed unto thee, Lord hear the voice of my ſupplication. So Pſal. 142. 1, 2. I cryed unto the Lord with my voice.— Pſal. 142. 1, 2.I poured out my complaint before him; I ſhewed before him my trouble. So it is ſaid of the Jews, Pſal. 107. 6. They cryed unto the Lord Pſal. 107. 6.in their trouble,—. And the ſame words are repeated, verſ. 13, 19, 28. When trouble and great diſtreſs was upon the Jews, by Sennacherib, it is ſaid, For this cauſe Hezekiah the King, and the Prophet Iſaiah, the ſon of 2 Chron. 32. 20.Amos, prayed, and cryed to heaven. So it is ſaid of Manaſſeh, When he was in affliction, he beſought the Lord his God, and humbled himſelf 2 Chron. 33. 12, 13.greatly,—and prayed unto him, &c. So ſaid that good woman, 1 Sam. 1. 15. I am a woman of a ſorrowful ſpirit, and have poured out 1 Sam. 1. 15.my ſoul before the Lord. Thus it was with the whole Church, Iſai. 26. 9. With my ſoul have I deſired thee in the night: yea, with my ſpirit Iſai. 26. 9.within me will I ſeek thee early: for when thy judgements are abroad, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteouſneſſe. And that is the laſt ſeaſon, wherein the people of God uſe to be importunate with God in prayer.
And ſo much for the third thing.