The Generation of Seekers, Treatise 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Which art in Heaven.
WEe have heard ſomething ſpoken to the firſt part of the Preface, wherein God is deſcribed by his Relation to us: I proceed to the ſecond part which deſcribes him by his Eminency above us, and this is by the deſignation of the place where hee eminently ſhews himſelf. I ſhall not unneceſſarily enlarge, but keep mee within the bounds of my intended brevity, and my eye upon the mark I firſt propoſed viz. to teach you to pray: Take what I ſhall ſay to this, in this ſingle Obſervation.
Doctr. 5 In our addreſſes to God by prayer wee muſt come to him as in heaven: our addreſſes to God muſt be directed thither. This Sal…mon minds us of as a Curb to raſhneſs and vainbabling Eccleſ. 5. 2. and hither good Jehoſhaphat directs his prayer, 2 Chron. 20. 6. 'Tis needleſs to multiply Scripture-proofs: rather let us explaine, How wee are to conceive God to be in heaven. And then give Reaſons of the point.
Explic. And 1. we are not to goe to as God if confined or locally circumſcribed in heaven. 'Tis a piece of Atheiſme to limit God there: Joh 22. 12, 13, 14. To ſuppoſe God confined within the circuit of heaven, and not to regard what is done on earth, is the next way to become an Atheiſt. There's little difference betwixt no God at all, and a God ſo limited: nor,
Secondly, Are wee to imagine (which would follow upon the former) that God muſt locally deſcend from heaven, when hee heares or gives anſwer to our prayers: his being in heaven doth not (nor muſt is in our conceptions of him) ſuppoſe him at a diſtance from us on earth; wee muſt remember that of David, Pſam. 139. 1,—12. that hee is preſent with us, that hee hath beſet us behind and before &c. that hee is intime noſtro intimior, nearer us than wee are to our ſelves. And as they ſung of old, hee is extra caelum non excluſus, intra coelum non incluſus, that hee is ſo in heaven as not included, and ſo out of Heaven as not excluded; a circle whoſe center is every where and circumference no where: in a word, wee are not to frame any conceptions of God, from his being in heaven, prejudiciall either to his generall preſence in all places, or to his ſpeciall preſence with his people in their addreſſes to him. But,
Thirdly, By his being in heaven; wee are to underſtand that more ſpeciall and glorious manifeſtation of himſelf which hee there vouchſafes to the Angels and glorified Spirits: the more immediate exhibitions and diſcoveries of his glory, ſuch as none but they enjoy: in this ſenſe, hee is ſaid to1 Tim. 6. 16. dwell in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath ſeen, nor can ſee. So that in this ſenſe wee are to call upon God as in Heaven. And this,
Reaſ. 1 1. To diſtinguiſh God from, and declare his eminency above, all other falſe Gods, and dunghill-deities, which are on earth and confined to their places whence they cannot moove:
2. (For it is ſufficient to name theſe things) To beget in our hearts awfull and reverentiall apprehenſions of the divine Majeſty; the place ſpeaks his ſublimity, and he ſpeaks in us humility. This is the Emphaſis of that Scripture Eccl. 5. 2. God is in heaven, and thou art on earth, therefore let thy words be few: q. d. Speake with that reverence, as becomes his eminency and thy diſtance.
3. To take off our thoughts from the groſs Idolatrous conceptions of a viſible deity, ſuch as the Heathens fancied: and from the carnall Jews conceit of Gods confining himſelf to a place, as their Temple, or the Mountaine of Samaria.
4. To corroborate our faith and raiſe up our hearts in expectation of Gods fulfilling our petitions, ſince Gods being in heaven imports his power and Soveraignty, his alſeeing eye, and all diſpoſing hand: this the Pſalmiſt makes the foundation of his confidence againſt the ſcornfull ſcoffes and malicious contrivances of the wicked, and the very foundation of humane help razed, Pſal. 11. 1,—5. Verſe 4. The Lord is in his holy Temple, The Lords throne is in heaven—.
5. To hint to us, that it is not the extenſion of the voice, but the intenſion of the heart that muſt reach God, That right prayer is not meerly the lifting up the hands or exaltation of the voice (for how can theſe reach heaven?) but the execrciſe of faith and others graces; That the ſilent groanes of a devout ſoul, are more prevailing than the loudeſt heartleſs exclamations.
6. To put us in mind what things are chiefly to be asked. viz. heavenly: as if wee ſend for any thing to a friend in a far Countrey, wee will deſire ſuch as the Countrey affords. This title of God ſerves as a directory, or a prompter to teach us what to ask in the firſt place, and to curb us in our petitions for inferiour and earthly things.
Uſe. 1 Learn hence what ſelf-debaſing and God. exalting apprehenſions become us in prayer. Wee cannot have apprehenſions too low of our ſelves, nor high enough of God. Saucineſs ill becomes us earth-worms towards the Majeſty of heaven: the Conceptions of Gods highneſs ſhould lay us low: the Moon and S…arrs diſappear when the Sun ariſes: Man drawing nigh God in way of Communion, ſhould (as the Moon in conjunction with the Sun) loſe his own light; ſtrip himſelf naked of all his excellencies: Gods perfections are a looking glaſs wherein wee may beſt diſcover our owne imperfections Oh, then when wee approach Gods preſence, let us remember wee come to him who is in heaven. Away then with all proud thoughts and ſelf-admiring reflections; pull down your plumes, put your mouths in the duſt: This is the genuine frame of the Saints, Leſs Gen. 32. 10. Pſam. 22. & Iſa. 6. 5.then the leaſt of all thy mercies (ſaith Jacob). A worme and no wan (ſaith David): Woe is mee, I am undone—a man of polluted lips—and mine eys have ſeen the Lord of Hoſts (ſaith Iſaiah). High apprehenſions of God, and humble conceptions of our ſelves, are a ſuitable frame to bring to God in prayer.
2. Muſt wee make our addreſſes to God as in heaven? what have wee then to doe with the world, when wee draw nigh to God? Doe carnal, earthly, ſenſual hearts become his preſence who is in heaven? Wee ſhould (as Abraham) leave the Servants and the Aſſe at the bottom of the hill, when wee goe up to converſe with God in the Mount. Surſum corda, is a ſuitable memento for a Soul drawing nigh God: Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens, Lam. 3. 41. It is not enough to leave our wicked, but wee muſt lay aſide our worldly thoughts. Elſe wee bring Idols in our hearts, and God will anſwer us accordingly.Ezek. 14. 3, 4. Thy ſoul muſt be upon its wing, muſt ſoar above theſe terrene vanities, elſe thy Soloeciſm will be greater then his who cryed out, O Jupiter, or, O heaven, and yet pointed with his finger to the earth. 'Tis a contradiction to thy prayers, when thou prayeſt to thy Father in heaven, and thy heart lies groveling upon the earth.
3. Then all places are alike as to our nearneſs to God, as the Earth is in reſpect of its ſituation, a center whereof heaven is the circumference, and lines from any part of the circumference to the center are of equall length, ſo is it in reſpect of Gods hearing of our prayers: whereſoever wee are, wee are at the ſame diſtance (if I may ſay diſtance) to God, I mean no more but this, that, as to acceptance with God, there is no difference of place, hee that is in heaven reſpects no more one place on earth then another. John. 4. 21, 2…. The time is coming when neither at Jeruſalem, nor on this Mountain &c. q. d. you think. God hath a ſingular reſpect to your Mountain, the Jews have the like conceit of their Temple, but the Truth is, it is not the place that God reſpects but the frame of the heart; as in every Nation, ſo in every place, hee that feareth Acts. 10. 35.God and worketh righteouſneſs is accepted of him. It was a groſs miſtake that dropt from the pen of a Reverend Prelate, when out of zeal to publick places of worſhip, he aſcribes the ſucceſs of prayer to the place, and tels us that God hears a man, non quia precatur ſed quia…ibi; As 'tis not the gift that ſanctifies the altar; ſo neither doth the place, the prayer. The Jews after Chriſt's time (and, if I miſtake not, before alſo) had their Proſeuchae places of prayer, but were, I beleeve, far from attributing ſuch a ſanctity to them, as ſome now fancy in our publick-places of aſſembly: let us but judge by the place where they had their Proſeuchae Acts. 16. 13. out of the City, by a Rivers ſid, it is more than probable that conveniency, or neceſſity, or both, might prompt to the choiſe of ſuch a place, not any conceit of ſanctity in it, either before or after. Let men aſcribe what conveniency or decency they pleaſe to the Fabrick of Churches; but take heed of imagining in them any ſanctity (except they will call the peculiar appropriation of them to the ſervice of God, ſanctity) or efficacy to further us in the ſucceſs of our prayers: even then when God had made peculiar promiſes to a place (viz. the Temple) yet hee had not confined himſelf there, but if in the field, or when carried a far off into their enemies land they ſhould1 Kings 7. 46, 49. there call upon God, hee was as able to hear, and as ready to help them. 'Tis a ſweet conſideration that in all places God is nigh unto us in all that wee call upon him for, and that being in heaven hee is equally preſent to the faithfull in any place on earth.
4. Let us then make heavenly things our firſt and chief requeſts to God. True, wee may (and this pattern teaches us to) ask outwards, but limitedly, and in Subordination to Spirituals: there is but one petition for them, and that (as wee ſhall heare) many wa… … bounded: beſides, wee have Gods word for it, that upon our ſeeking heavenly things theſe ſhall be caſt in as additaments, whereby God hath endeavoured to provent our over-ſollicitouſneſs about them, and to take us off from too much earneſtnes in asking them: I ſay not, that Gods promiſe of them ſhould make us leſs prayerfull for them (promiſes being encouragments of prayer) but when God hath promiſed them upon condition of our more earneſt ſeeking his Kingdom and righteouſneſs, hee hath hereby ſuperſeded our too much earneſtnes and importunity about them. Let our main petitions therefore be for heavenly things, for the things of heaven; ſince wee come to him who is in heaven: thoſe are foreign, the good things in Gods account: What one Evangeliſt cals good things Matth. 7. 11. another interprets to be the Spirit of God. Luk. 11. 13. And if out of an earneſt deſire of heavenly, wee forget to ask earthly and outward things, God will not forget to beſtow them. God highly approves it in Solomon that hee asked not riches, wealth, honor, the life of his enemies or long life: but rather wiſedome and knowledge. And as a Teſtimony of his approbation, caſts in thoſe as overweight to the bargain, as Intereſt to the Principall. 2 Chro. 1. 11, 12.