A Christian Library, Chapter 6
CHAP. 6. That it stirs them up to Prayer.
3 THirdly, because they quicken our devotion, & make us pray unto God with more fervency: Lord (saith Isaiah) in trouble they will visit thee: they poured out prayers when thy chastening was upon them, Isay 26.16. In their affliction (saith Hosea) they will seek thee diligently; Hosea 5.15. That we never pray so feelingly, fervently, forcibly, as in time of affliction, may be seen in the examples of the children of Israel, Judges 3.9, 15. Elisha, 2 Kings 6.18, Hezekiah, 2 Kings 19.15, 16. Stephen, Acts 7.59, 60. And lastly, in Iehosaphat, who being told that there was a great multitude coming against him from beyond the S…a, out of Aram; it follows, That Jehosaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a Fast throughout all Judeah: Yea, they came out of all parts, and joyned with him to enquire of the Lord, 2 Chron. 20.3, 4, 13.
Neither doth it make us alone which suffer; earnest in prayer, but it makes others also labour in prayer to God for us, 2 Cor. 1.10, 11. Acts 12.5, 12. As what true members participate not some way of the bodies smart? It is only a Nero can sit and sing while Rome burns. Whence we are taught to pray in the plural number, Our Father: and certainly he cannot pray or be heard for himself, that is no mans friend but his own. No prayer without faith, no faith without Charity, no Charity without mutual intercession. But I proceed, Crosses are the files and whetstones, that set an edge on our Devotions, without which they grow dull and ineffectual. Ionah sleeps in the Ship, but prays hard in the Whales belly,
Prayer is the wing of the soul, wherewith it flies to Heaven, as meditation is the Eye wherewith we see God. But our hearts are like flint-stones, which must be smit…en ere they will send out these sparks of devotion. Christ never heard of the Canaanitish woman, until her daughter was miserably vexed with a Devil: but then she comes to him, and doth not speak, but cry: need and desire have raised her voice to an importunate clamour. The God of mercy is light of hearing, yet he loves a loud and vehement solicitation: not to make himself inclinable to grant; but, to make us capable to receive blessings. And indeed the very purpose of affliction, is, to make us importunate: he that hears the secret murmurs of our grief, yet wil not seem to hear us till our cries be loud and strong: as Demosthen…s would not plead for his Client till he cried to him, but then answered his sorrow. Now I feel thy cause.
Prayer is as an arrow, if it be drawn up but a little; it goes not far: but if it be p…ll'd up to the head; flies strongly, & pierces deep: if it be but dribled forth of careless lips; it falls down at our feet: the strength of our ejaculations, sends them up into Heaven, and fetches down a blessing. The Childe hath escaped many a stripe by his loud crying: and the very unjust Iudge cannot endure the widows clamour: So unto fervent prayer, God will deny nothing. Whereas heartless motions do but teach us to deny, Fervent suites offer violence both to Earth and Heaven. So that if we ask and miss, it is because we ask amiss: we beat back the flame, not with a purpose to suppress it, but to raise it higher, and to diffuse it. We stop the stream, that it may swell the more, and a denial doth but invite the importunate, as we see in the Canaanitish woman, Matth. 15. Our holy longings are increased with delayes: it whets our appetite to be held fasting: and whom will not Need make both humble and …loquent? If the case be woful, it will be exprest accordingly: the despair of all other helps, sends us importunately to the God of power; but while money can buy Physick, or friends proc…re enlargement; the great Physician and helper, is not sought unto, nor throughly trusted in. It is written of the children of Israel, that so soon as they cried unto the Lord; he delivered them from their servitude under Eglon King of Moab: yet it is plain, they were eighteen years, under this bondage, undelivered, Iudges 3.14, 15. Doubtless, they were not so unsensible of their own misery, as not to complain sooner then the end of eighteen years: the first hour they sighed for themselves: but now; they cried unto God. They are words, and not prayers; which fall from careless lips; if we would prevail with God, we must wrestle; and if we would wrestle happily with God; we must wrestle first with our own dulness. Yea, if we felt our want, or wanted not desire; we could speak to God in no tune but cries: and, nothing but cries can pierce Heaven. The best mens zeal is but like a fire of green wood, which burneth no longer than whiles it is blown. Affliction to the soul is as plummets to a Clock, or winde to a Ship: holy and faithful prayer; as oars to a Boat: And ill goeth the Boat without Oars, or the Ship without winde, or the Clock without plummets. Now, are some afflicted in reputation? as Susanna was: others; in children? as Eli: some, by enemies? as David: others by friends? as Ioseph: some, in body? as Lazarus: others, in goods? as Iob: others, in liberty? as Iohn. In all extremities, let us send this messenger to Christ for case; faithful and fervent prayer: if this can but carry the burthen to him, he will carry it for us, and from us for ever.
Neither can we want encouragement to ask: when as the sick of the Palsie but asked health, and obteined also forgiveness of sins: When Solomon but desired wisedome, and the Lord gave him wisedome, and honour, and abundance of wealth: When Iacob asked but meat and cloathing, and God made him a great rich man, When Zacheus desired only to have a sight of Christ, and was so happy as to entertain him into his house, into his heart, yea, to be entertained into Christs Kingdom.
We do not, (yea, in many cases, we dare not) ask so much, as God is pleased to give: Neither doest thou ô Saviour measure thy gifts by our petitions, but by our wants, and thine own mercies.
True, if the all-wise God shall fore-see that thou would'st serve him as the prodigall son served his father, who prayed but till he had got his patrimony, and then forsook him, and spent the same in riot, to the givers dishonour; as too many use the Ocean of Gods bounty, as we do the Thames; it brings us in all manner of provision: cloaths, to cover us: fuel; to warm us: food; to nourish us: wine; to chear us; gold to enrich us; and we in recompence soil it with our rubbish, filth, common shoares, and such like excretions: even as the Cloud that's lifted up and advanced by the Sun; obscures the Sun. In this case, he will either deny thee in mercy, as he did Saint Paul, 2 Cor. 12.8, 9. and our Saviour himself, Matth. 26.39. or grant thee thy request in wrath, as he did a King to the Israelites, and Quails wherewith he fed their bodies; but withall sending leanness into their souls, Psal. 106.15. And well doth that childe d…serve to be so served, who will lay out the money given him by his father; to buy poison: or weapons, to murther him with. Wherefore let thy prayers not onelyonly be fervent, but frequent: for, thy wants are so. And be sure to ask good things to a good end: and then, if we ask thus according to Gods will in Christs Name; we know that he will hear us, and grant whatsoever petitions we have desired, 1 Iohn 5.14, 15.