Sermons on Psalm 119, Sermons · Sermon 162
SERMON CLXII.
PSALM CXIX. VER. 145.
I Cryed with my whole Heart, hear me, O Lord; I will keep thy Statutes.
IN these Words are,
First, An Allegation, I cryed with my whole Heart.
Secondly, A Petition, hear me.
Thirdly, A Promise of Obedience, I will keep thy Statutes.
First. In the Allegation we have a Description of Prayer, by the two Adjuncts of it.
1. Intension and Fervency; I Cryed.
2. The Sincerity and Integrity of it; with my whole Heart.
Secondly. The Petition is for Audience; only what we translate, hear me, is in the Heb. answer me. Now this being a General, it is uncertain what he prayed for; it may be for deliverance out of Trouble: for in the 146 verse 'tis save me, but in the 149 verse 'tis quicken me, which implyeth the vigour of the Spiritual Life, or Grace to keep Gods Statutes. Whether for the one or the other, David would be heard.
Thirdly. Here is a promise of Obedience; I will keep thy Statutes. Which is mentioned either as the end and scope of his Prayer, That I may keep thy Statutes: or as an Holy Vow and Promise which the Saints are wont to mingle with their Prayers, I will &c. He would diligently serve God, if the Lord would hear him.
First. I begin with the Allegation or Description of Davids Carriage in Prayer; David devoured not his Grief, nor nourished his Unbelief, but opened his heart unto God, and that in an affectionate manner; He did not Call, but Cry. Crying noteth Vehemency and Earnestness, and is opposite to careless Formality and Deadness. The Note from thence is,
Doctrine. That there is a Holy Vehemency and Fervour required in Prayer.
Here I shall shew,
I. That we may Cry.
II. That we must Cry.
III. Wherein it Consisteth.
I. We may Cry in our Afflictions: David doth so for help and relief, and it is not inconsistent with Patience for us to do so. For our Lord Jesus had his Cries, Heb. 5. 7. in the extremity of his Sufferings, without any impeachment of his Courage and Patience. So did Iob; Chap. 30. 28. I went mourning without the Sun; I stood up and I cryed in the Congregation. It argues we have a sense of our Condition, and are under a pinching necessity, and therefore may complain to God, though not of God. They are sullen and obstinate and senseless, that have no feeling, and so no complaint to make, when God lasheth them.
II. We must Cry. For,
1. The Spirit of Grace was given for this end, Rom. 8. 15. Ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father; not say, but cry. He assisteth us by Groans, Rom. 8. 26. The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And such a spirit of Prayer should we all labour for, to come to God with affection and humble and sensible Groans, if we cannot come with the Pomp of Gifts; There is good sense in brokenness of Heart, though it be accompanied with brokenness of speech: for God knoweth what a groan meaneth, and will not refuse the work of his Spirit.
2. Because the Saints have all done so: Their way of Praying is Crying, Psal. 18. 6. In my distress I cryed unto the Lord. Psal. 34. 6. This poor man cryed unto the Lord. And Psal. 130. 1. Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee, O Lord. And Psal. 55. 17. At noon will I pray, and cry aloud; and in many other places. Others can say a Prayer, but they cry it out.
3. These Cryes are heard and answered; as in all the former places, so Psal. 22. 5. Our Fathers cryed unto thee, and were delivered. Psal. 34. 17. The Righteous cry, and the Lord heareth; foreign, the word to help is foreign to run to the Cry. An Arrow drawn with full strength will pierce deep.
4. Other Prayers are not comely. It doth not become God to whom we pray: Dead service doth not become the living God. Mal. 1. 14. Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his Flock a Male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corruptthing: For I am a great King, saith the Lord of Hosts, and my Name is dreadful among the Heathen. Slight dealing in Gods service, argueth mean thoughts of God. It doth not become the spirit by whom we pray; as in the first Reason. Nor doth it become the Blessings for which we pray: God will not give a Mercy till it be valued; if we be indifferent and pray for things of course, without any esteem of them, we bespeak our own denyal. Then we undervalue the Grace we seek, if we seek it so as if we cared not whether we obtained our request or no, for Forms sake we must say something. When things are prized we are earnest, and God will have us earnest, to Ask, Seek and Knock, Matth. 7. 7. if you have good things, you must do so, and will do so, before you have them. Nor doth it become the state of Want wherein you pray; where there is real Indigence, and felt Necessity, it will sharpen your affections and put an accent upon your Prayers. You will not tell a Tale or a cold story of your own Wants, but cry aloud for help. Ionah 1. 2. I cryed by reason of mine Affliction unto the Lord. And the Saints cry day and night Luk. 18. 18. A true sense of Want will sharpen our sluggish desires; the hungerbitten Beggar will not easily be put off.
III. Wherein this Crying consisteth.
1. In the Earnestness of the Affection, not in the Loudness of the Voice. Gal. 4. 6. He hath sent the Spirit of his Son into our Hearts, crying Abba Father. 'Tis a cry not of the Mouth, but of the Heart: It lyeth not in the lifting up of the External Voice, or the Agitation of the bodily spirits, but the serious bent and frame of the Spirit; Rom. 8. 26. foreign, inward Groans, and holy Meltings and Breathings of soul after God. Moses cryed after God, Exod. 14. 18. But we hear of no words which Moses spake. We hear of Israels crying, and have an account of their words, hot and full of impatience, ver. 10. But not a word that Moses said, yet he cryed unto the Lord. Israel was in streights, the Red Sea before, the Egyptians behind. Clamabat Populus, & non audiebatur: Tacebat Moses, & audiebatur, saith Ambrose. Moses his silence was sooner heard than their Cry. Our Groans and Tears have a Language which God understands. 'Tis said, 1 Sam. 1. 13. that Hannah spake in her Heart, onelyonly her lips moved, but her Voice was not heard. That's the better Crying, in sighs and groans, rather than words; as the Child that cannot speak, will cry and make moan for the Breast. God hath heard the cry of the Heart, without that of the Tongue; but never the cry of the Tongue without that of the Heart. Quibus Arteriis opus est, si pro sonitu audiamur? What lungs and sides must we have, if the loudness of the Voice did it? A dumb Beggar gets an Alms at Christs Gate, if he can but make signs, when his Tongue cannot plead for him.
2. This Spiritual Crying is not the earnestness of Carnal Affections, that's stirred up by the Flesh, but this Cry is stirred up by the Spirit, who maketh request, foreign, Rom. 8. 27. God should have work enough to do, if he did answer all mens Prayers: some would set him a Task to provide meat for this, others for that Lust. This Man prayeth heartily for his Pleasures, another for Honour, another for Preferment, another to satisfie his Revenge. A Carnal Spring may send forth high Tides of Affection, Iam. 4. 3. but few seek Grace to serve God; they would make God serve with their sins. These are not the Groans and Breathings of the Spirit, but the Eructations and belches of the Flesh. Therefore the Vehemency of the Affection is not only to be regarded, but the regularity, that they be not stirred up by the Flesh, but guided by the Spirit.
3. 'Tis not a meer natural Fervency. That's the Cry of Nature after Ease, but not the Cry of Grace after God; and 'tis but howling in Gods Account, Hosea 7. 14. The Heart is not affected with that which is the true Misery, Sin, and the Wrath of God; nor sincerely ingaged to God, from whom they expect help: and then how instant and earnest soever men be to be ridd of their Burthen, their Prayers are but like the Moanings of the Beasts under Pain, and the howling of Dogs, or the gaping of hungry Ravens. Psal. 147. 'Tis lawfull to ask Ease, but we must ask in a spiritual manner. 'Tis lawful to pray for Temporal Blessings, but not in the first place, or with the neglect of better things. Prayer properly is the vent of Grace, and the desires of a renewed Heart expressed to God, Zech. 12. 10.
1. Use. To Reprove most Men for their deadness and carelesness in Prayer; Prayer is a part of Natural Worship. All that will acknowledge God and a Providence, will acknowledge a necessity of praying to God, especially in their Streights. The Pagan Mariners cry'd, every Man to his god, in a Tempest, Ionah 1. 6. but though all will pray in one sort or other, yet few pray in good earnest: Some say a Prayer, but they do not pray in Prayer. Iam. 5. 17. Elijah prayed earnestly. Their Prayers are conceived in a cold and customary track of Devotion. Others flow in words without spirit and life, their Tongue is as the Pen of a ready writer, but the Heart is dead and carelesly affected: for they are indifferent whether they be heard or not. Prayer is indeed the work of their Invention, but not the Expression of their spiritual Desire. The mind conceiveth a rational Prayer, but the Heart is not poured out before God: and so 'tis discoursing, rather than Crying. Words are the outside of Prayer, sighs and groans lye nearer the Heart, and do better discover the Temper of it, and are more regarded by God than all the Charmes of speech. Psal. 6. 8. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. Tears have a Language which our Father understandeth; a want of Affection is more, than a defect of words: broken words with a spiritual Affection, do more than a well set speech with unbrokenness of Heart. Others have a natural fervency, but not renewed affections; pray from their own Interest, or pray passionately for Carnal things, Numb. 11. 4. They fell a lusting, and wept, saying, who will give us Flesh? They may be importunate for their own Ease and Welfare; give me Children or else I die, saith passionate Rachel. Natural desires are very passionate, yea for spiritual things on their own Terms; would not a man desire Pardon and Heaven, whose heart doth not ingage him to look after them? Some that are renewed, yet are too cold in Prayer, do not Cry. 'Tis not enough to have the Qualification of the Person, but the Prayer must be qualified also; Iam. 5. 16. foreign, it must be a well-wrought Prayer, otherwise it availeth not: yea our earnestness must encrease according to the weight and moment of what we pray for: when Peter was in Prison the Church made Instant and earnest Prayer. foreign Act. 12. 5. as in the Margin it is; and Christ had his foreign, Luk. 22. 44. But now the Children of God are Conscious to themselves of much deadness and drowsiness, and are so low sometimes that they are not heard, scarce breath in prayer, so far from Crying. But
What is the Reason of this Carelesness.
1. Want of Sense. They have no feeling of their Wants, and therefore pray perfunctorily. The poor in Spirit, the Mourner, and Meek, are put before the desirer: Matth. 5. Men must be affected with their wants, before they be earnest after a supply. Jesus Christ was sensible of his burden, and therefore he offered up Supplications with strong Crying and Tears, Heb. 5. 7. and if man were once sensible of his sins by which his Saviour suffered, he would be fervent in his prayers, and most earnestly deprecate the wrath of God as his Saviour did. A smart sense of Wants quickens prayers. If we were always alike affected, as we are in a deep distress, or fears of Death, or somenotable danger, we should not need many directions to teach us to pray fervently; but because such a sense is soon worn off, our Prayers grow cold and careless,
2. As they are Tongue-tyed through sin, and carnal Liberty hath brought an indisposition upon them. 1 Ioh. 3. 20, 21. He that hath wronged another will not easily repair to him, and crave his help in streights.
3. Want of spiritual Desire. Prayer is but the acting of Desire; as Desire is more or less, so is our Cry in Prayer. He that asketh Remission of his sins, but doth not thirst after it, with an earnest and burning desire, doth but pray for it out of Course, and not as it becometh a Creature that hath a sense of Gods Anger against sin. He that asketh the Mortification of sin, but doth not desire it out of True Desire, flowing from the hatred of sin dwelling in him, doth but pray for Forms sake. He that desireth the deliverance of the Church, but doth not desire it out of a True Love to the Church, will never pray heartily and in good earnest for it. Isa. 62. 1. For Zions sake I will not hold my peace, &c. A man whose Soul truly loveth the Interests of the Church, will be solicitous for it; as Eli trembled for the Ark of God; 1 Sam. 4. 13. So when at ease we ask Temporal supplies for fashions sake: God must have the Name though we eat our own bread, and wear our own Apparel.
4. Want of Reverence to God, and therefore they babble over words without sense and feeling: they do not see him that is invisible. Eccl. 5. 1, 2. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the Sacrifice of Fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God, for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth: Therefore let thy Words be few. Keep thy heart and affections when thou goest into Gods Presence, a little outward Lip-service is but the Sacrifice of Fools, an affront to the Power and Majesty of God; Mal, 1. 8. Offer it now unto thy Governour, will he be pleased with thee or accept thy Person, saith the Lord of Hosts?
5. Want of Faith. Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me, all ye that Labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The Woman of Canaan that would take no denial, Christ saith, O woman, great is thy Faith. The blind man cryed after the Son of David, as we run to a Rich man that is Charitably disposed, for an Alms. If we were perswaded that we should be the better for coming to God, we should not be so slight and careless in our approaches to him.
2. Use. Is to press you to this crying, or Holy vehemency in Prayer. The Apostle biddeth us to continue instant in Prayer, foreign, continue with all your might in Prayer, Col. 4. 12. foreign, Labouring fervently in Prayer for you. The word signifieth to be striving in a Battel, and in an Agony for them: It hath life in it. But what is it?
1. When the Heart worketh in prayer as before.
2. When you follow the suit, and will not give over praying; Luk. 18. 1. He spake a Parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint, Luk. 11. 8. foreign, Because of his Importunity he will rise, &c. The Prophet telleth God plainly what he would do; Isa. 62. 1. For Zions sake will I not hold my Peace, and for Ierusalems sake I will not rest, &c. So Iacob, Gen. 32. 26. I will not let thee go, unless thou Bless me. Absque te non recedam.
3. When deaf to disappointments and discouragements from without, from within, from himself, from God himself; 1 Sam. 12. 23. God forbid that I should sin against the Lord, in ceasing to pray for you, &c. Notwithstanding the many Objections in his heart, what God would do to a Rebellious People. So Elijah when the Heavens were as Brass and the Clouds as Iron. And blind Bartimeus, Mark 10. 48. Many charged him, that he should hold his Peace, but he cryed the more a great deal, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. When God seemeth to cast out prayer, to give no answer, or a contrary one. So Daniel when forbidden to pray, Dan. 6. 10. When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his House and prayed three times a day as afore-time. He doth not make one suit the less, or abate one Jot of his Zeal. To cleave to God when he seemeth to Thrust us from him, Iob 13. 15. This is an Holy Obstinacy, very acceptable unto God. The Woman of Canaan standeth fending and proving with Christ, till he giveth her satisfaction; Then be it unto thee as thou wilt. When we turn discouragements into arguments and motives of believing: and draw near to Christ the more he seemeth to drive us from him; however God wrestle with such for a while, it is with a purpose to give Faith the Victory, and to yield us himself to do for us, what our Souls desire of him. You pray and God keepeth silence: He answered her not a word, Matth. 15. 23. 'Tis not said he heard not a word, but he answered her not a word; these two differ. Christ often heareth when he doth not answer; his not answering is indeed an answer, and speaks this, Pray on, and continue your Crying still, the Door is kept bolted that you may knock again: afterwards a Rebuke. First he answereth not a word, then giveth an answer to the Disciples not to the Woman, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, and then it is not meet to take the Childrens bread, and to cast it to dogs: But she turned the discouragement into an Argument. And she said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs, eat of the Crumbs which fall from their Masters Table.
4. Holy fervency and vehemency will be argumentative, and plead with God as Abraham, Gen. 18. 25. Shall not the Iudge of all the earth do right? So Iacob Gen. 32. 9. Iacob pleadeth Gods promise, Return unto thy Fathers house, I will deal well with thee; Lord, I undertook not this Journey but upon this incouragement. The little honour God hath by the Churches Calamities, Psal. 44. 12. Isa. 52. 4, 5. The Praise God will have from his People. Psal. 142. 6. do it, as David in the Text, I will keep thy Statutes. The chief Arguments are, Gods Covenant. Psal. 74. 22. Arise, O God, plead thine own Cause, remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily. Have respect to thy Covenant. The Merits of Christ. Lord hear for the Lords sake. Desire is witty to find out Arguments and Reasoning to enforce the things we sue for.
But how shall we get it.
1. Have a sincere desire to the things asked, we will cry for what we value and earnestly desire; Prov. 2. 3, 4. If thou cryest for knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seek for her as for silver, and searchest for her as for hid Treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
2. Be perswaded of the Lords willingness to hear, and power to help: A Rich and Bountiful person, a Beggar will not let him go; if he see onelyonly a Rich man, Matth. 8. 2. Lord, if thou wilt thou canst. It is in the power of your hand to help us. But is not God willing also? Suppose it be an uncertainty, yet cry mightily unto God, who can tell that he will not repent? Ionah 3. 8, 9. If there be but a possibility, yet try what importunity will do. Psal. 57. 2. I will cry unto God most high, unto God, who performeth all things for me. He hath heard once, and will again.
3. Beg the Assistance of the Spirit; our necessities are not sharp enough to quicken our Affections, they need the secret influence of Grace, it is his work to set us a groaning and crying to God. How well are we provided for, with an Advocate and Notary, Rom. 8. 26. Iude 20.
4. Let us rowse up our selves. Isa. 64. 7. There is none that calleth upon thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. Psal. 57. 8. Awake up my glory, awake Psaltery, and Harp, I my self will awake early. We must foreign stir up the gift of God which is in us 2 Tim. 1. 6.
5. Let us take heed we do not Quench the Spirit, 1 Thes. 5. 19. bring deadness on our Hearts by carnal liberty. So much enlarged as we are to the Flesh, so much streightned in the Spirit: where desires are after other things, there will be little delight in Prayer.
6. The way to be fervent is to be frequent and often with God. A Key seldom turned, rusts in the Lock: The fire of the Sanctuary was never to go out; by great interruptions we lose what we have wrought. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction, shall be to the Workers of Iniquity, Prov. 10. 29.
I come now to the Second Qualification, With my whole Heart; which importeth his Integrity and Sincerity in Praying.
Doctrine. Our Prayers to God, must be Sincere as well as Fervent.
The Heart must be in them, and the whole Heart. This noteth
1. Seriousness; that we heed what we say, otherwise we do not pour out our Hearts before God. 'Tis so far from being a Spiritual act, that it is not a Rational act, but like the Parrots speaking by Rote, or as Children say their Prayers, and we must not be always Children. Surely we do not speak to God as God, as an All-seeing Spirit, if we do not mind what we say: Ioh. 4. 24. And Prov. 28. 23. Burning lips and a wicked heart, are as a pot-sheard covered with silver Dross.
2. A hearty Desire or Affectionateness. Praying from Memory and Invention, and praying from Affection are two distinct things; yea, praying from Conscience, and praying from the Heart. Many times the Mind is in prayer, when the Heart is not in it. The mind or Conscience dictates what is fit to be asked, but the heart doth not consent, or not urge it to make any such suit to God: and so the prayer is repeated in the very making. Psal. 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. The Understanding Judgeth that a meet prayer, but the heart is byassed the contrary way to some known sin. Therefore as David calleth all that is within him to bless God, Psal. 103. 1. so to pray to him; Memory, Understanding, Conscience, Will, Affections, all that is within us must attend upon this work: that which God heareth is Desire, Psal. 10. 17. Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the Humble: Thou wilt prepare their Heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear. So Psal. 145. 19. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him; he also will hear their Cry, and will save them.
3. The Prevalency of these Affections. That God and his Interest be uppermost in the Soul, and the Heart be effectually bent towards him; for prayer is not a work barely of our natural Faculties, but of Grace guiding, ordering and inclining those Faculties: not onelyonly a work of Understanding and Will, but of Faith, Love, Fear, Zeal, Hatred of sin, Temperance, Patience and other virtues, which do bend the Heart towards God, and draw it off from other things: and without them the understanding will not be clear, and have any deep sense of the worth of spiritual things 2 Pet. 1. 19. without these. The Will is remiss, and they never pursue them in good earnest; we may wish for them, but shall not Will them: As Balaam, Oh that I might die the death of the righteous! But he loved the wages of iniquity, 2 Pet. 2. 15. and so spake words which his Heart allowed not. The Affections will be diverted to other things, and we cannot have those Longings and strong Desires after Grace, Psal. 119. 36. And Col. 3. 2. or at best but a little passionate earnestness for the present.
4. An Universal Care to please God in all things, without harbouring any known sin in our Hearts. Psal. 66. 18. And Psal. 17. 3. Thou hast proved mine Heart, thou hast visited me in the night, thou hast tryed me, and shalt find nothing. Nothing contrary to the new Covenant, no Guile; nothing in his heart contrary to what was in his Mouth: So no insincerity found. Iob 11. 13, 14. If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thy hand, towards him: If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy Tabernacles. If you mean to call upon God with any Confidence all that is displeasing to him must be cast out of the Heart. This is the best preparation, all filth must be swept out when you come to the Holy God, for he will not do us good till we are fit to receive good. Therefore if you mean to stretch out your hand in prayer, thus you must do; then may you lift up your Face without spot, have boldness and Confidence in Prayer, but when the Heart is wedded to any vanity, God will not hear; Iob 35. 13. Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.
Use. Is to perswade us to pray with our whole Hearts. For
1. God will not be mocked; Gal. 6. 7. that is in vain; you may venture to mock God, put him off with vain pretences but it will cost you dear. He knoweth the thoughts afar off. Psal. 139. 2. And Heb. 4. 12, 13. The Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than a…y two-edged Sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit, and of the Ioints and Marrow, and is a discerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart; neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: But all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Though Man cannot find you out, yet God can.
2. God hath expresly told you, the prayer of the Upright is his delight, Prov. 15. 8. He will pardon many defects, but he will not pardon want of Sincerity, either in the Person or prayer; Though you cannot bring the Pomp of Gifts, or exact Righteousness, yet if sincere, God will delight in you, he measureth your prayer by that.
3. Where there is a Moral Integrity you do not dissemble, God can find the defect of supernatural Integrity, Deut. 5. 29. I have heard the voice of the words of this People, which they have spoken unto thee; they have well said in all that they have spoken: Oh that there were such an heart in them, &c. Therefore be sure your lips do not feign, Psal. 17. 1. and pretend more grace than you have; so that for the main your hearts be upright, seriously, readily bent to please him in all things. To this end,
1. the Tongue must not only pray but the Heart. How dare you tell God to his face, that you love him, and fear him, and trust in him, when there is no such matter? No such Forgery as Counterfeiting the Voice of Gods Spirit. The Heart should be first and chief in prayer. Psal. 41. 1. And Lam. 3. 4. Lift up your Hearts with your hands to God in the Heavens. There is the chief Voice, the hand without it is nothing.
2. You must make Conscience of Graces as well as Gifts, yea more than Gifts. 1 Cor. 12. last verse. But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. with 1 Cor. 13. 1, 2. And bewail unbrokenness of Heart, more than brokenness of Expression, if you chatter like Cranes, yet if there be a holy desire in it, God will hear.
3. You must pray earnestly in secret as well as in Company; Matth. 6. 5, 6. When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing in the Synagogues, and in the Corners of the Streets, that they may be seen of men: But thou when thou prayest, enter into thy Closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in Secret, &c. We have more inlargement there, because we represent our own Case to God. Mourn apart, Ier. 13. 17. My Soul shall weep in Secret places. We are flat, cold, loose, careless in private; strive to speak with the same power, life, holiness in private as you would in publick.
4. What you would be in Prayer, you must be out of Prayer. Prov. 26. 7. The Legs of the lame are not equal, so is a Parable in the mouth of a Fool. As the legs of the Lame, one doth not answer another: They are devout, all of a fire in their Prayers, but neglectful of God in their Conversations; Eph. 6. 18. Praying always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit, watching thereunto with all perseverance: Prov. 28. 9. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law, even his Prayer shall be an abomination. He doth not live his Prayers. We must live in the same frame.
5. You must pray as affectionately for Heavenly, as you would for Earthly things: A Carnal Mans Mind and Heart is upon Worldly things, and Spiritual things lye by; contrary to Matth. 6. 33. where we are bid, First to seek the Kingdom of God, and the Righteousness thereof, &c. And Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the dayes of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his Temple. They have no savour for other requests, but can find tender affections for safety, ease, sloth; other Petitions do but bear these Company, there is their business with God; if God will give these things, we will give a discharge for other things. So that their prayers do not come from Grace, but Nature. Thanks to his natural Necessities for all the Affections he hath in Prayer.
6. We must not onelyonly have our Flashes and good Moods. So Balaam, Numb. 23. 10. Let me die the death of the Righteous, and let my last end be like his. So those, Ioh. 6. 34. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Strange strivings for the present, but it is onelyonly for Priviledges. 'Tis vanishing, Iob 27. 10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he alwaies call upon God? They would have Heaven without Holiness; Pardon of sin, rather than power against it, or a new heart: He will pray when he seeth his Time; as men take strong-waters in a Pang: he hath a praying fit upon him in Adversity, not in Prosperity; Hosea 5. 15. In their Affliction they will seek me early.
7. As you Pray to God, so you must intirely Trust him: Iames 1. 6, 7. Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth, is like a wave of the Sea, driven with the Wind and tossed. A Carnal Man wavereth, he would fain have help from God, but his heart runneth upon other things: Hosea 7. 11. Ephraim is like a silly Dove without Heart, they Call to Aegypt, they Go to Assyria. Their Hearts are for seeking to other Refuges, however they call to God among the rest. Ahaz would not ask a sign, that would engage him to depend upon God, and keep him from running to other shifts. Sometimes he thinketh Prayer will do it, and by and by desponds, dareth not trust God upon his Prayers: he knoweth not what course to take, whither to shift for himself, or to tarry Gods leisure. But one that commits all to God, is fixed; Psal. 112. 7. He shall not be afraid of evil Tydings, his Heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. He is freed from Anxious Cares.