A Counterpoison, Religious treatise · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
That it stirres them up to prayer.
3. THirdly, because they quicken our devotion, and make us pray unto God with more fervency, Lord (saith Isaiah) in trouble they will visite thee, they powred out prayers when thy chastening was upon them, Isay 26. 16. In their affliction (saith Hosea) they will seeke thee diltgently, Hosea 5. 15. That we never pray so feelingly, fervently, forcibly, as in time of affliction, may be seene in the examples of the children of Israel, Judg. 3. 9, 15. Elisha, 2 Kings 6. 18. Hezekiah, 2 Kings 19. 15, 16. Stephen, Acts 7. 59, 60. And lastly, in Jehos…phat, who being told that there was a great multitude comming against him from beyond the Sea, out of Aram, it followes, That Jehosaphat feared, and set himselfe to seeke the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah: Yea, they came out of all parts, and joyned with him to enquire of the Lord, 2 Chro. 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 bodyes smart. It is onelyonly a Nero can sit and sing whiles Rome burnes, whence we are taught to pray in the plurall number, Our Father: and certainely he cannot pray or be heard for himselfe, that is no mans friend but his owne. No prayer without faith, no faith without Charity, no Charity without mutuall intercession. But I proceed, Crosses are the files and whetstones, that set an edge on our Devotions, without which they grow dull and ineffectuall. Ionah sleepes in the Shippe, but prayes hard in the Whales belly.
Prayer is the wing of the soule, wherewith it flyes to Heaven, as meditation is the Eye wherewith wee see God. But our hearts are like …lintstones, which must be smitten ere they will cast out these sparkes of devotion. Christ never heard of the Canaanitish woman untill her daughter was miserably vexed with a Divell, but then shee comes to him, and doth not speake, but cry: need and desire have raised her voyce to an importunate clamour. The God of mercy is light of hearing, yet he loves a loud and vehement solicitation: not to make himselfe inclinable to grant, but to make us capable to receive blessings. And indeed the very purpose of affliction is, to make us importunate: hee that heares the secret murmurs of our griefe, yet will not seeme to heare us till our cryes be loud and strong: as Demosthenes would not plead for his Client till he cryed to him, but then answered his sorrow, Now I feele thy cause.
Prayer is as an Arrow, if it be drawne up but a little; it goes not farre: but if it be puld up to the head, flyes strongly, and pearses deep; if it be but dribled forth of carelesse lips, it falls downe at our feet; the strength of our …j…culation sends it up into heaven, and fetches downe a blessing. The Childe hath escaped many a stripe by his loud crying; and the very unjust Judge cannot endure the widdowes clamour. So unto servent prayer God will deny nothing. Whereas heartlesse motions doe but teach us to deny: Fervent sutes, offer violence both to earth and heaven. so that if we aske and misse, it is because we aske amisse: wee beat back the flame, not with a purpose to suppresse it, but to raise it higher, and to diffuse it. We stop the streame that it may swell the more, and a deniall doth but invite the importunate, as wee see in the Canaanitish woman, Mat. 15. Our holy longings are increased with delayes; it whets our appetite to bee held fasting, and whom will not Need make both humble and eloquent? If the case be woefull, it will bee exprest accordingly; the despaire of all other helpes, sends us importunately to the God of power; but while money can buy Physicke, or friends procure inlargement, the great Physitian and helper is not sought unto, nor throughly trusted in. It is written of the children of Israel, that so soone as they cryed unto the Lord, hee delivered them from their servitude under Eglon King of Moab; yet it is plaine, they were eighteene yeares under this bondage undelivered, Judg. 3. 14, 15. Doubtlesse they were not so unsensible of their owne misery as not to complaine sooner then the end of eighteene yeares: the first houre they sighed for themselves, but now they cried unto God. They are words, and not prayers, which fall from carelesse lips; if we would prevaile with God, we must wrestle; and if we would wrestle happily with God, we must wrestle first with our owne dulnesse; yea, if wee felt our want, or wanted not desire, wee could speake to God in no tune but cries, and nothing but cries can peirce Heaven: the best mens zeale is but like a fire of greene wood, which burneth no longer than whiles it is blowne. Affliction to the soule is as plummets to a Clock, or winde to a Ship; holy and faithfull prayer, as oares to a Boat, and ill goeth the Boat without oares, or the Ship without winde, or the Clock without plummets. Now are some afflicted in reputation, as Susanna was; others in children, as Elie; some by enemies, as David; others by friends, as Joseph; some in body, as Lazarus; others in goods, as Job; others in liberty, as John. In all extremities let us send this messenger to Christ for ease, faithfull and servent 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 incouragement to aske: when as the sicke of the palsie but asked health, and obtained also forgivenesse of sinnes. When Solomon but desired wisedome, and the Lord gave him wisedome, and honour, and abundance of wealth. When Jacob asked but meat and cloathing, and God made him a great rich man. When Zacheus desired onelyonly to …ave a sight of Christ, and was so happy as to entertaine him into his h…use, into his heart, yea to be entertained into Christs kingdome.
We doe not (yea in many cases we dare not) aske so much, as God is pleased to give: Neither dost thou O Saviour measure thy gifts by our petitions, but by our wants, and thine owne mercies.
True, if the all-wise God shall fore-see that thou wouldest serve him as the prodigall sonne served his father, who prayed but till he had got his patrimony, and then f…rsooke him, and spent the same in Ryot, to the givers dishonour; as too many use … the Ocean of Gods bounty, as we doe the Thames; it brings us in all manner of provision: cloathes to cover us, fuell to warme us, foode to nourish us, wine to che…re us, gold to enrich us: and wee in recompence soyle it with our rubbish, filth, common shores, and such like excretions: even as the Cloud thats lifted up and advanced by the Sunne, obscures the Sun. In this case he will either deny thee in mercy, as hee did Saint Paul, 2 Cor. 12. 8, 9. and our Saviour himselfe, Math. 26. 39. or graunt thee thy requests in wroth, as he did a King to the Israelites, and Quayles wherewith hee fed their bodyes; but withall sending leannesse into their soules, Psal. 106. 15. And well doth that Childe deserve to be so served, who will lay out the money given him by his father to buy poyson, 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 aske good things to a good end, and then if we aske thus according to Gods will in Christs name, we know that he will heare us, and grant whatsoever petitious we have desired, 1 John 5. 14, 15.