A Help Unto Devotion, To the reader
To the Chriſtian Reader.
I Am not ignorant (good Reader) that ſet formes of Prayer are very diſtaſtfull vntounto many: They are adiudged to bee a kind of confining and limiting of Gods Spirit: And ſome which doe allow them a lawfull vſe in the Congregation, doe yet not ſo well approue them for priuate purpoſes. For mine owne part, as I fauour neither their fondneſſe who ſcarce account it praying, vnleſſe it bee by a booke; nor their careleſneſs, who labor not to attaine to an ability of commending their perſonall occaſions (euen in wordes of their owne conceiuing) vntounto God: ſo I could neuer ſee good reaſon, why platformes of direction for thoſe, who are yet but beginners in this ſpirituall exerciſe of Prayer ſhould bee thought any way inconuenient or needleſſe amongſt Chriſtians. There is a great deale more arte in the cariage of a ſute to be put vppe vntounto God (eſpecially when a man is to be the mouth of others, as in a family, or in viſiting the ſicke, or the like occaſion) then eueryevery one, though perhaps hee hauehave ſome good feeling and vnderſtanding in Religion, can at the firſt attaine vntounto. Neither is it (as is pretended) any ſtraitning or bounding of Gods Spirit; but a meanes rather of quickening and ſtirring vp the ſpirit of him that prayeth, when he ſhall ſee the neceſſitie of bemoning ſome corruptions, or of crauing ſome graces, or of giuing thanks for ſome bleſſings receiued, which himſelfe did not ſo much as thinke vponupon before. Beſides, that hee may according as his ſpirituall feeling ſhall increaſe, enlarge any particular requeſt, if it bee not ſo full to his preſent caſe; or inſert his owne more perſonall concernements, which he, who went about onelyonly to giuegive him ſome generall directions, was not able to coniecture. And touching that which I do here offer to the worlde, I profeſſe ſincerely, that in my firſt vndertaking it, I had no meaning to take vponupon mee to ſet downe lawes for other mens deuotions, or to preſcribe any man in his particular occaſions of going to the Lord, to ſpeake ſo or ſo and no otherwiſe, as though I would reduce all ſupplications to be put vppe into the high court of Heauen, vntounto a proportiō & ſcantling of my conceiuing: He ſhal wrong me very much, whoſoeuer ſhall ſo imagine. Only this was it I intended and thought: I ſaw the ignorance of that place, where I liued. I had often & earneſtly commended Prayer. I had many times, with the beſt reaſons I could perſwaded the vſe of it in priuate families. I perceiued withall in ſome, a better inclination to it, then power to performe it. Hereupon I thought with my ſelfe, that as familiar Catechiſmes, and plaine Treatiſes hauehave their vſe being ioyned to the publique miniſtry, to bring thoſe, which are yet but babes in Chriſt (1. Cor. 3.1.) vntounto knowledge; ſo alſo ſome helpe in this kind might bee good, to beget feeling, and to be a guide to thoſe which hauehave as yet but ſtammering and liſping tongues, vntill they ſhall be able, hauing tongues as fined ſiluer (Pro. 10.20.): plainly and diſtinctly to ſpeake the lāguage of Canaan (Iſa. 19.18.). For this cauſe I gaue my booke no greater title thē A HELP to DEVOTION, becauſe I would not bee miſtaken, or thought to intend any thing els, but onelyonly to further their religious purpoſe, who would faine learn to pray orderly and effectually vntounto God. And in this courſe, I am ſure, that I am not without Examples. Worthy Diuines hauehave in theſe latter times beſtowed their paines this way: M. Iohn Bradford, M. Edw. Deering, M. H. Smith, M. R. Rogers (pag. 421. of his 7. Treatiſes.) M. Brinſly (in the ſecond part of the True Watch) and others whome I need not name. I might mention others of other countreyes, as M. Caluin (in the end of his Cathechiſme,) &c. But the warrant of the Scripture is aboue all. I will ſay nothing of thoſe formes which wee finde appointed for publique vſe in the Temple: that which I endeauour to iuſtifie, is the lawfulneſſe of formes for priuate helpe. I might tell thee of the words of Prayer, which the Prophet bade the people to take vntounto them, and to ſay vntounto the Lord (Hoſ. 14.3): of the forme which Habakkuk was wont to vſe for the ignorances of the people (Chap. 3.1.): of the many Pſalmes which are ſtiled, Pſalmes of inſtruction, not onelyonly becauſe the matter was of vſe to inſtruct Chriſtians, but alſo becauſe the very mould it ſelfe might remaine as a helpe in Prayer for thoſe, who ſhould at any time fall into the like occaſion, which the enditer of the particular Pſalmes was exerciſed with. Theſe & other things might I inſiſt vpō: But I finde a title giuen to one Pſalme, which ſhall be to mee in ſtead of many proofes, Pſal. 102. It is this: A Prayer of the afflicted when he ſhall bee in diſtreſſe and powre foorth his meditation before the Lord. Which Pſalme, thogh ayming perhaps at ſome more ſpeciall afflictiō, in which the ſeruants of God then were, yet inaſmuch as it is reported in the title to be for the general vſe of an afflicted perſon (as indeede it is excellent for ſuch an occaſion) it ſeemeth to mee abundantly to ſatisfie all thoſe who ſhall doubt of the conueniencie of ſuch ſet directions
Thus hauing acquainted thee with my whole intent, and laboured (leaſt thou ſhouldeſt be foreſtalled by any miſ-opinion) to ſhew warrant for my doing, I commend my endeauours to thee, and thee to the Lord, praying him to furniſh thee with the ſpirit of ſupplication (Zech. 12.10.) that thou mayeſt bee ſo full of holy matter (Iob 32.18.) and ſo aboūding with gratious ſpeach (Col. 4.6.) that thine ability to vtter thine owne feeling vntounto God, may bring much ſweetneſſe to thy Soule, and no leſſe comfort to others, if thou bee at any time occaſioned to ſpeake in the name of others vntounto his Maieſtie: Adding this withall, that if thou ayme not at this grace, but content thy ſelfe ſtill to ſpeake no other wordes but ſuch as are put into thy mouth, thou wrongeſt thy ſelfe greatly, and all thoſe who hauehave laboured to bring thee vntounto more perfection. Farewell.
Thine in the Lord, Sam. Hieron.