Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Commentary 1 · Chapter 6 · Verse 5
Verse 5. And when thou praiest.]
A duty of that necessity, that neither the immutability of Gods decree, Dan. 9. 1. nor the … of the promises, … 36 37. … the effectuall … of our Lord Christ (who … his Disciples to pray) … with us, for not doing it. The Jews accounted it an abomination of desolation, when the daily Sacrifice was intermitted and suspended, as under Antiochus. Our Saviour perfumed his whole course, …, his crosse with this incense, and thereby purchased … priviledge, paved us this new and living … to the throne of grace, …. 16. 4. a sure and safe way to get mercy, …. 23. The Ark was never separated from the Mercy-seat, to shew that Gods mercy is neer unto such as affect his presence. Some … he hath reserved to this duty, that will not otherwise be yeelded, Psal. …. 23. Ezek. 22. 30. As when he is … to ruinate a people or person, he silenceth …, and forbids them to sollicite him any further; as he did Samuel interceding for Saul; and Jeremy for ….….
Be not as the ….]
Who pretend to pray much, but indeedRom. 8. …. can do nothing at it, because destitute of the spirit of grace,…. …. and of supplication; without whose help we know neither what,Mat. 26. 38. … how to pray: Nay, Peter, James aud John will be sleeping, when they should be praying in the very hour of temptation. There may be good words and wishes found in a worldlings mouth, Who will shew us any good? But none but a David can with faith,Psal 4 6. … and fervency say, Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon me, &c. Balaam may break forth into wishes and woulds, … let me die the death of the righteous, &c. But can he …, as David in like case, Psal. 26. 9. Oh take not away my soul … nor my life with bloudy men! An hypocrite mayHos 7 14. tell a … for himself in earthly regards, or howl uponWhen God is … his …, he roars, … 27. 9. his … in the … of outward comforts; … in extremity, as a … at the …, as a pig under the knife; or importune God … grace, as a bridge to lead him to heaven; not for any beauty he …, or … he findes in it. But will he pray alwaies, willJob …. 10. … light … in God? saith Job, …. 27. No surely; he neither doth, … can do it. When God defers to help at a pinch,1 Sam 13. 8, as …; when … and vexations encrease, he frets and meddles non ore with calling upon God, but … him, because he handles him not … his own minde; and be taketh himself to1 Sam. 28. 7. … other course. If God will not come at his call, and be at his2 King. 1. 2. beck, away to the witch of …, with Saul; to the god of… si ne queo superos, Acheronta movebo. Ekron, as …, to Baalim and Ashteroth, with the revolted …. Wherein he is like to those barbarous Chinois, that … their gods, when they answer them not: or that resoluteAb Ekron, ubi colebatur Beelzehub, … videtur, …. …, that profanely painted God on the one side of his shield, and the devil on the other, with this inscription, Si tu me nolis, …: Or that desperate King of Israel, … (saith he) this evil is from the Lord, and what should I wait for the Lord 2 King. 6 33.any longer? Loe, this is the guise of a godlesse …. Either he calleth not upon God (which is the description David giveth ofPsal. 14. 4. him) but is possest, as it were, with a dumb devil, both in Church and chamber. Or if by reading, or otherwise he have raked together some good petitions, and strive to set some life upon them in the utterance, that he may seem to be well-gifted; yet he doth it not to serve God, but meerly to serve himself upon God, He draweth not nigh with a true heart, Heb. 10. 13. uprightly propounding Gods service in prayer, and not only his own supply and satisfaction. He is not brought into Gods presence with love and desire, as Psal. 40. 8. He labours not with strife of heart to worship him with his faith, trust, hope, humility, self deniall, … well content that Gods will be done however, and … seeking his glory, though … be not profited, acknowledging the Kingdom, power and glory to be his, Matth 6. 13. Lastly, Working not by a right rule, from a right principle, nor for a right end, he cannot undergoe the strife of …, as Jacob, who wrestled by might and sleight (… much the Hebrew word importeth) much lesse can he continue long in it, as David, he … …. 32. 24, …, 20.soon sated, soon tired. If men observe him not, applaud him not, he giveth over that …, as tedious and …, that… 27. 4. & 119. 81, 82. wherein he findes no more good relish, then in the white of an egge, or a dry chip. And in any extraordinary trouble, instead of calling upon God, … runs from him, Isa. 33. 14 as Saul did, 1 Sam. 28. 7.
For they love to pray standing, &c.]
Stand they might: … did the Publican. And when ye stand and pray, saith our Saviour,Luk 18. 13. …. 11 25.not … the gesture. It was commonly used among the Jews in the Temple, especially, at the solemn feasts, what time there was such resort of people from all parts, that they could hardly stand one by another. The Primitive Christians also stood praying in their publike Assemblies, betwixt Easter and Whitsontide especially, in token of our Saviours standing up from the dead. Whence came that Proverb amongst them, Were it not for standing … … non ….prayer, the world would not stand. Other gestures and postures of the body in praier we read of. David and Eliah sate, and praied.Tertul. Peter and Paul kneeled, and praied. Moses and Aaron fell1 Chron. 19. on their faces, and praied. In secret prayer, there is more liberty1 King. 19. 4. to use that gesture that may most quicken us, and help the duty:Act. 9. 40. Elias put his head between his knees in praier (as one that would…. 4. 13. Numb. 16. ….strain every vein in his heart.) But in publike our behaviour must… 8. 2. be such as may witnesse … communion and desire of mutuall edification:1 Cor 14. 40. there must be a uniformity, no rents or divisions: and speciall care taken, that our inward affection answer our externall devotion: that we stand not in the Synagogues, as these, with desire to be seen of men (as Saul was higher then the rest by head and shoulders) for that is putid hypocrisie, hatefull even amongst Heathens. Tully taxeth Gracchus for this, that he referred all his actions, not to the … of vertue, but to the favour…. quaest. l. 3. of the people, that … might have esteem and applause from them.
That they may be seen of men.]
This was the winde that … winde-mill a-work, the … that made the clock strike.… nat. …. l. 10. 19 … telleth us, that the nightingale singeth farre longer and …, when men be by, then otherwise. If … had not seenC …. l. …. c … … zeal that Iehu had for the Lord of hosts, he had been nothing … hot, nor (in his own conceit) so happy. But Christian … Sed vox tu …, … nih l. …. …, esse aliquid … cupis, ….teacheth a wise man, not to expose … to the fairest shew, … rather to seek to be good, then seem to be so. Not so, every … and …: these, like Ieroboams wife, never put … but when they are to speak with the Prophets: … so holy, as at Church, and in the presence of those whole … they reverence.