A Vindication of Godliness, Sermon 2 · Part 3
3. Learn the skill to plead with God in Prayer.
Though the Breaſts be full, yet they muſt be drawn hard ere the milk will come. Though the Lord be willing to give thoſe that task, yet he will have them firſt to prove they are in earneſt. Store of Arguments he hath furniſhed us with, to preſs him withal, but he will have us uſe them. We muſt ſtrive with God, if we will prevail, and the beſt ſtriving is with his own weapons. The counſel I give you in this is, Plead hard with God, but plead with him upon his own Arguments; there are amongſt many others, theſe four grounds on which to bottom your plea:
1. On God himſelf.
2. On Chriſt.
3. On the Promiſes.
4. On Experiences.
1. On God himſelf. And there are two ſpecial things, from which you may plead here.
1. His gracious Nature. Fetch your Arguments by which you plead with God for Mercy thence, whence he originally fetched his Arguments to perſwade himſelf to ſhew mercy; from his own bowels, from his gracious nature, from his natural goodneſs and gracious inclination to mercy, John 3. 16. God ſo loved the world, that he grve his onelyonly Son &c. Eph. 1. 5. to verſ. 10. Having predeſtinated us to the adoption of Children by Jeſus Chriſt unto himſelf, (according to the good pleaſure of his Will) to the praiſe of the glory of his Grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveneſs of ſins, (according to the riches of his Grace) wherein he hath (abounded) towards us in all wiſdome and prudence, having made known unto us the myſtery of his Will, according to his good pleaſure which he hath purpoſed of himſelf: Here we have heaped up in a few words the Riches of Mercy which God hath beſtowed on his People. Chriſt his beloved, Redemption through Chriſt, and the forgiveneſs of our ſins, the adoption of Children, acceptance in his fight, the Revelation of the Myſtery of his Will, or the diſcovering or making known theſe glorious mercies to us. But whence is all this, who is it, or what was it, that perſwaded the Lord to this aboundant kindneſs? Why, all this aroſe from himſelf, He purpoſed it in himſelf. He conſulted no other Argument, but what he found in his own heart: it was from his love, the-good pleaſure of his Will, his Grace, the Riches of his Grace, wherein he hath abounded towards us, Hoſea 11. 8, 9. How ſhall I give thee up Ephraim? How ſhall I deliver thee up Iſrael? I cannot do it: I will not do it. I will not execute the fierceneſs of mine anger, I will not destroy Ephraim. But why wilt thou be angry, Lord, why wilt thou not deſtroy Ephraim? Oh, ſayes the Lord, Mine heart is turned within me; my heart ſayes, Spare him, my Bowels ſay, Deſtroy him not. I am God, and not Man. I love him, and my love is the love of a God. I have compaſſion on him, and my compaſſion is the pity of a God: I will bear with him, I am a God of Patience: Love is my nature, Pity, and Mercy, and Compaſſion are my nature: I cannot deſtroy Ephraim, but I muſt deny mine own Nature, Love, and Pity, and Mercy, and Goodneſs are eſſential to God: He can as ſoon ceaſe to be God as to be Gracious, and this is the Fountain of all our Mercy; Hence Chriſt ſprung, hence the Goſpel came, and all the Unſearchable Riches of Mercy, prepared for poor, loſt, and undone creatures.
When you come to pray, fetch your Arguments hence: Plead with the Lord upon his own nature, his Natural Love, Grace and Goodneſs. Thus we finde the Apoſtle Peter praying for the Chriſtians to whom he wrote, 1 Pet. 5. 10. [The God of all Grace] make you perfect, ſtabliſh, ſtrengthen, ſettle you. Plead with the Lord in your Prayers, as the Pſalmiſt pleades with himſelf in his Affliction, Pſalm 77. 7, &c. Will the Lord caſt off for ever, and will he be favourable no more? Is his Mercy clean gone for ever, hath God forgotten to be Gracious, hath he in anger ſhut up his tender Mercies? Is (his) Mercy clean gone? Hath (God) forgotton to be gracious? That men ſhould be mercileſs; that men ſhould forget themſelves, and their Friends in their low eſtate, is no ſuch wonder But hath God, who is all Grace, all Mercy, all Pity, hath God forgotten? Doth Mercy ceaſe to be merciful, Grace ceaſe to be gracious; do Compaſſions ceaſe to be pitiful? Hath God not onelyonly forgotten his ſervant, but forgotten himſelf? Remember thy ſelf, Lord, thine own Heart, thine own Soul, and according to it, remember me.
2. His glorious Name. The Lords Nature is to be gracious, and according to his Nature ſuch is his Name, Exod. 34. 6. The Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious, long-ſuffering, and abundant in goodneſs and truth. This is an Argument which the Lord puts into the mouths of his People, telling them, Ezek. 36. 21, 22. I had pity for my Holy Name; this I do, not for your ſakes, but for …y Holy Names ſake. And upon this we find them frequently pleading with him, Pſal. 31. 3. For thy Names ſake lead me, and guide me. Jer. 14. 21. Do not abhor us, for thy Names ſake; do not diſgrace the Throne of thy Glory, remember, break not thy Covenant with us. Go you and do likewiſe.
2 On Chriſt. And there are four things from which you may plead with God upon this account.
1 The Lords giving of Chriſt to you as your Lord, and your Saviour. Upon which gift you may call him your own.
2 The Purchaſe of Chriſt: who hath bought from the hands of the Father, all that you ſtand in need of: He hath bought your Lives, 1 Cor. 6… Ye are bought with a price. He hath bought you a livelihood, hath purchaſed an Inheritance and Poſſeſſion for you, 1 Pet. 1.
3 The Intereſt that Chriſt hath in the Father; being the Son of God, the Son of his Love, the Servant of God, in whom his ſoul delights, Iſa. 4…. 1, Behold my Servant whom I have choſen, mine Elect, in whom my ſoul delighteth; whoſe Name is ſo precious, and powerful with the Father, that it will carry any ſuit, obtain any requeſt, Job. 16. 23. Whatever you ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you.
4 The Intereſt that you have in Chriſt. As he is precious to his Father, ſo you are precious to him; as the Father can deny him nothing, ſo he can deny his nothing, John 14. 13, Whatſoever you ſhall ask the Father in my Name, I will do it. He gives you Commiſſion to put his Name upon all your requeſts, and whatſoever prayer comes up with his Name upon it, he will procure it an anſwer.
Now when you are praying for any mercy, eſpecially for any Soul-merciemercy, make uſe of all theſe arguments: Lord, Haſt thou given Chriſt unto me, and wilt thou not with him give me all things I ſtand in need of? Haſt thou given me the Fountain, and wilt thou deny me the Stream? When I beg pardon of ſin, when I beg power againſt ſin, when I beg Holineſs, &c. Is not all this granted me, in thy gift of Chriſt to me? Is Chriſt mine, and is not his bloud mine, to procure my pardon? his Spirit mine, to ſubdue mine iniquities? Are theſe mine, and wilt thou with-hold them from me? Oh, ſhall this guilt lie upon me, theſe ſins live in me, theſe loſts rule over me, when by giving me in hand that whereof thou haſt already given me a grant, all this would be removed from me? Look, upon Chriſt, Lord; Thou haſt ſaid to me, Look unto Jeſue and give thy ſervant leave to ſay the ſame to thee, Look thou upon Jeſus, and give out to me, what thou haſt given me, in giving of him to me. Look upon the purchaſe of Chriſt; Do I want any thing, or deſire any thing, but what my Lord hath bought and paid for, and thou haſt accepted of the price? Look upon the Name of Chriſt, which thou mayeſt behold written upon every prayer I make; Though thou mayeſt ſ…y, for thy own ſake thou ſhalt have nothing, not a drop, not a crumb, yet wilt thou ſay, nor for his Name ſake neither? Is not that Name ſtill a mighty Name, a precious Name before the Lord? &c. By theſe hints you may learn, how to plead with God from any other arguments, drawn from his promiſes, your experience, &c.
Queſt. But of what uſe is this our pleading with God? and in what ſtead doth it ſtand us, in order to our prevailing with him?
Anſ. 1 It is not of uſe to change the purpoſe of God, to prevail with him to do that for us, which before he reſolved not to do; but to bring forth his purpoſes into performance. We may ſay concerning the purpoſes of God, what himſelf ſays concerning the accompliſhing of his Promiſe, Ezek. 36. 37. Yet will I be euquired of by the Houſe of Iſrael, to do this for them. Such praying fetches out thoſe mercies which were in the heart of God, and puts them into our hand.
2. By pleading with God for audience, we plead our ſelves into credence, or the more firm belief the Lord acceps and will anſwer. And if by all theſe Arguments, we can plead our ſelves into…a ſtronger faith, our faith will certainly bring us down a fuller anſwer.
Queſt. 2. Theſe Arguments the Saints may uſe In Prayer: but is there no plea for poor natural men, that are yet in their ſins, to make uſe of? What may they ſay themſelves, when they come before the Lord? Have you never a word to put in their mouths? They have more need of Arguments then any; What ſhall they ſay?
Anſw. 1. I ſhall premiſe, That its the duty of meer natural men to pray; For, 1. Prayer is a part of Gods Natural Worſhip. If there were no poſitive Law requiring it, yet the Law of Nature enjoynes it, and no man is exempted from the Obligation of the Law of Nature. 2. Otherwiſe it were none of their ſin to neglect and reſtrain Prayer; where no Law is, there is no Tranſgreſſion. Now we finde in Scripture, that neglect of Prayer is reckoned up amongſt wicked mens ſins, Pſal. 14. 3. 4. They are altogether become filthy, &c. they call not upon God. Sin, though it doth diſable, yet it doth not diſoblige to Duty.
Object. That which is uſually objected againſt this is, God heareth not ſinners; The ſacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: Now, no man is bound to offer up to God an abominable thing; better offer up nothing, than an abomination.
Sol. In anſwer to this, conſider, There are two ſorts of ſinners, Reſolved Sinners, and Returning Sinners; and accordingly there are two ſorts of Prayers made by Sinners, 1. Diſſembling prayers, mocking and lying Prayers, Hoſ. 11. 12. Ephraim compaſſeth me about with lyes; lying Sacrifices, lying Devotions; makes as if he had a minde to know me, and ſerve me, when it is not in his heart; and ſuch prayers are made uſe of, either as r…vail to hide and cover their wickedneſs, and to make them appear to men to be righteous, or elſe as an Engine or Device, to quiet and pacifie their conſciences in a courſe of ſin. They make confeſſing of ſin, to ſerve inſtead of forſaking of ſin; praying, to ſerve inſtead of repenting; their prayers help them to ſin the more freely; They think they may go out with any thi…g, if when they have done iniquity, they do but pray for forgiveneſs; Such prayers are an abomination to God, and a deſolation to ſinners. Bring me no more vain Oblations, Incenſe is an abomination to me. Sinners, not onelyonly your wickedneſs, but your very prayers will undo you. If you make them a ſhelter for ſin, your very prayers will be turned into ſin.
2. Returning Prayers. When a Sinner, being ſtruck with a ſenſe of his ſin, and of his neceſſity of changing his way, and of his utter inability to turne of himſelf, under the fears and troubles of his heart, goes to God, and cryes out, Lord, what ſhall I do? I ſee I am in an evil caſe my ſoul is running on in ſin, and they curſe and wrath I behold running on upon me; Lord, ſave me; Lord, help me; Lord, pardon, Lord convert me, break me off from my ſins, break me off from my ſinful companions; I cannot get looſe, my heart is too hard, my luſts are too ſtrong, my Temptations are too many for me to overcome of my ſelf; Lord help me, turn me and I ſhall be turned, pluck my foot out of the ſnare that I be not utterly deſtroyed: forgive mine iniquity, make me a clean heart, make me thy childe, make me thy ſervant, that I may never again yield up my ſelf a ſervant to ſin; Such a prayer as this, if it be hearty and and in earneſt; if there be no promiſe of audience, yet at leaſt there is an half promiſe; Who can tell? Or, it may be the Lord may hear. Though it cannot be properly ſaid, the Lord doth accept, neither can any man ſay, he will reject it as an abominable thing: This being premiſed.
2. I anſwer to the queſtion, That ſinners, if they have but an… heart to it, have alſo a price in their hand; God hath put arguments into their mouths alſo, to plead with him for mercy. As,
1. The grace of God, or his gracious Nature; his readineſs to ſhew mercy; this even ſtrangers may lay hold upon. Benhadad's encouragement to beg his life of the King of Iſrael, may be the ſinners plea in the begging of his. We have heard that the Kings of Iſrael are merciful Kings; Go Sinner to the Lord, and ſpeak thus in his ears; Lord I have heard that the King of Glory is a merciful King; Thy name is the Lord, merciful and gracious, and thy Nature is according to thy Name; It is thy Nature to pity, and in thy heart there is plenteous compaſſion; Oh, I am a miſerable creature, a poor, undone, helpleſs wretch; do for me according to thy Nature; do for me according to thy Name; will the God of mercy ſend away ſuch a wretch that comes for mercy; will the God of Grace ſend me away without Grace? The God of Mercy hear me, the God of Grace grant me to find grace in his eyes.
2 Gods Call, or gracious Invitation, Iſa. 55. Ho, (every one) that thirſteth, come to the Waters, and he that hath no Money, come ye, buy and eat: buy Wine, and Milk, without Money and without …rice. Look unto me, and be ye ſaved, all the ends of the Earth. Come unto me all that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Riſe ſinner, he calleth thee: Go to the Lord, and when thou goeſt, tell him, Lord, thou haſt bid me come, and behold here I am; I come Lord at thy Word, I come for a little Water, I come for thy Wine and thy Milk, I have brought no price in my hand, but thou haſt bid▪ me come, and buy without Money and without Price. Though I have no grace, yet behold at thy word I come for Grace; though I have no Chriſt, yet I come for Chriſt; though I cannot call thee Father, yet being called, I come to thee as Fatherleſs; With thee the Fatherleſs ſhall finde mercy. And is it only thoſe that want the Fathers of their Fleſh? is it not alſo thoſe that want the Father of Spirits? Shall earthly Orphans find pity, and onelyonly Spiritual Orphans be left Orphans? If I am not thy child, may I not be made thy Child? Haſt thou not a childs Bleſſing left yet to beſtow upon me? Thou haſt bid me come, come for a Bleſſing, bleſs me, even me alſo, O Lord. Wherefore haſt thou ſent for me? Shall I be ſent away as I came? I come at thy word, do not ſay again, be gone, be gone out of my fight; I cannot go at thy Word; I will not go; for, Whither ſhall I go from thee? Thou haſt the Words of Eternal life. Since thou wilt have me ſpeak; Lord anſwer; Though I dare not ſay, Be juſt to me a Saint, yet I do ſay, I will ſay, I muſt ſay, Lord be merciful to me a ſinner.
3. Chriſt. And there are two things in Chriſt, upon which ſinners may plead with God.
1. His Sufficiency. There is enough in Chriſt, in his obedience and death, to ſave the worſt of ſinners, to ſave the whole World of Sinners, There is a fulneſſe in Chriſt, Col. 1. 19. It pleaſed the Father, that in him ſhould all fulneſſe dwell. There is a fulneſſe of Merit to obtain pardon, to make reconciliation for whoever comes; a fulneſſe of the Spirit to Sanctifie, and cleanſe them from their ſins; He's able to ſave unto the uttermoſt, all thoſe that come unto God by him. From this, Sinners may reaſon thus with the Lord. O Lord, I do not come to beg that of thee, that cannot be had; Thou haſt enough by thee; Look upon Jeſus that ſits at thy right hand, … there not Righteouſneſſe enough in him, to anſwer for all my u…righteouſneſſe: Are there not riches enough in him, to ſupply my povertie? Oh, ſhall I die for want of a pardon, when there is ſuch blood continually before thee, pleading for pardon! Oh, ſhall I lie down in my own vomit, and wallow in the mire of my filthie luſts, when there is ſuch a Fountain by thee, that's ſtill open for ſin and for uncleanneſſe! Oh ſprinkle me with this blood. O waſh me in this Fountain. Hear Lord, ſend me not away without an Almes, when haſt it by thee.
2. His Office: which is to bring ſinners to God, to make reconciliation for ſinners, to make interceſſion for Tranſgreſſors, Iſa. 53. Pſal. 68. 18. Thou haſt received gifts for men, yea even for the rebellious alſo. What a ſtrange and mighty Plea is here for poor ſinners! Oh, it is true Lord, I am a Tranſgreſſor, and have been from the Womb: I have played the Traytor, and been a Rebel againſt thee all my dayes: But is there none in Heaven that will i…tercede for a Tranſgreſſor? Hath the Lord Jeſus received no gift for this poor Rebel, that falls down before thee? Though I am a Rebel, Lord, yet I am a returning Rebel: Though I am a Rebel, yet let me recieve a Rebels gift, not a Rebels reward, Lord, that would be dreadful, but ſome of thoſe gifts which Chriſt received for the Rebellious. Doth Chriſt make interceſſion for Tranſgreſſors, and ſhall not he be heard? If thou wilt not hear me who am a ſinner, yet wilt thou not hear him that ſpeaks for ſinners, whoſe blood ſpeaks, whoſe bowels ſpeak, whoſe ſpirit ſpeaks? Doth he ſpeak for ſinners, and yet not for me?
4. Their own neceſſity; Sinners are neceſſitous Creatures, they have nothing of value left them, In the fulneſſe of their ſufficiency they are in ſtraits; As a ſinner of an hundred years is but a child, ſo a ſinner of thouſands by the year is but a beggar; poor, miſerable, blind, and naked: He can want nothing, and yet doth want every thing that is good; Sinne hath ſtript him to the skin: ſtab…d him to the heart, the iron hath entred into his Soul, it hath left him nothing but wounds, and bruiſes, and putrifying ſores: Is this thy caſe, ſinner, and haſt thou nothing to ſay? Spread thy wants and neceſſities before the Lord, and let theſe ſpeak for thee: Learn of Beggars that come to thy door, who if they have ever a ſore or malady about them, a blinde eye, a lame leg, a burnt hand, a broken arm, that they will be ſure to open, to move pity and procure an Alms. Their pinching hunger, their parching thirſt, their naked backs, their cold lodging, thy door ſhall be ſure to ring of: Never a pe… ny in my purſe, never a morſel of bread have I had for this long time; their neceſſity will both make them to ſpeak, and help them to ſpeak.
Sinner, ſpread thy neceſſities before the Lord, ſpread thy wants, open thy wounds and thy ſores, tell him how deſperately ſad thy caſe is, tell him of the guilt that is upon thy head, the curſe that is on thy back, the plague that is in thy heart: God of Bowels look hither, behold what a poor, blind, dead, hardned, unclean, guilty creature, what a naked, empty, helpleſſe creature I am: Look upon my ſin and my miſery, and let thine eye affect thine heart: One deep calls to another, a deep of Miſery cries out to a deep of Mercy. Oh my very ſins, which cry ſo loud againſt me, ſpeak alſo for me. My miſery ſpeaks, my curſes, the woe and the wrath that lies upon me; my bones ſpeak, my periſhing Soul ſpeaks, and all cry in thine ears, Help Lord, God of pity help, help and heal me, help and ſave me: Come unto me, for I am a ſinful man, O Lord: I dare not ſay as once it was ſaid, Depart from me, for I am a ſinful man. Come Lord, for I am a ſinful man. Thou couldſt never come where is more need; Who have need of the Phyſitian but the ſick? Come Lord; I have too often ſaid Depart from me, but if thou wilt not ſay, Depart, to me, I hope I ſhall never again ſay, Depart, to thee; My miſery ſaith come, my wants ſay come▪ my guilt and my ſins ſay come, and my ſoul ſaith come; Come and pardon, come and convert, come and teach, come and ſanctifie, come and ſave me; Even ſo come Lord Jeſus.
Thus you have the ſinners plea. Poor Sinner▪ Art thou willing to return from thy ſins, fear not to go to thy God. Take thee ſome ſuch words as theſe, and go and tell the Lord, that one of his poor Ambaſſadors told thee from him, that he expects thee before the Throne of Grace, and is ready if it be not thine own fault, to grant thee mercy. Go, and the Lord help thee, give thee thy hearts deſire, and fulfil all thy mind, and for thy encouragement take along with thee this Scripture, Iſa. 55. 6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near; Let the wicked forſake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for be will abandantly pardon.
4. Pray in Faith, James 1. 6. But let him ask in Faith. You will here enquire; What Faith is it that is neceſſary to our prevailing in prayer? I anſwer; Not onelyonly the Faith mentioned by the Apoſtle, Heb. 11. 6. He that cemeth to God must believe that God is; Nor onelyonly a perſwaſion that he is able to performe our petitions, or that he is ready to anſwer thoſe that ſeek him aright, nor onelyonly a perſwaſion concerning prayer, that this is Gods Ordinance, appointed by him as a means whereby we may obtain mercy from him: Though all this be included in it, yet this is not all. The ſame faith is neceſſary to the acceptance of our prayers, which is required to the acceptance of our perſons, That faith which gives a perſon intereſt in Chriſt, will alone procure the acceptance of his prayers.
Now this faith puts forth in prayer a three-fold Act.
1. It preſents and offers up the prayer in the Name of Chriſt, Heb. 11. 4. By faith Abel offered his Sacrifice. Faith carries our Prayers to our Mediator, the great Maſter of Requeſts, for his hand to be put to them, without which they will not be regarded; yea, it puts them into his hand, it ſaies unto Chriſt, Lord Jeſus, take thou this prayer, what infirmities there are in it, do thou cover; what ſinnes thou findeſt in them, do thou hide▪ Mingle thy blood with my Sacrifice, let thine incenſe aſcend with my offering, and thus let it be carried before the Throne of Grace, where that it may ſpeak for me, let thy blood ſpeak for it.
2. It depends and relies upon God through Chriſt for acceptance and performance. It eyes and leans upon the Promiſe of God, which in Chriſt is Yea and Amen; and ſetting to its ſeal, that God is true, upon this it ſtayes it ſelf.
3. It works the heart to a confidence, or a confident perſwaſion, that God for Chriſts ſake will hear and anſwer, 1 John 5. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: But here conſider that this confident perſwaſion, that God doth hear and accept us, however it ar gues an higher degree of Faith, and brings in much Peace and Comfort to the heart; and if it be well grounded, is a good Argument that the Lord intends to fulfil our deſires; yet is it not ſo neceſſary to the acceptance of our Prayers, but that they may be heard where this is wanting. If the former Acts have been put forth; if there hath been a preſenting them in the hands of our Mediatour, joyned with ſome little ſtaying of our hearts upon the Promiſe; though there be a great fear upon the ſpirit, that God doth not regard them, yet for all this they may not be rejected. I fear, ſaith a doubting Saint, I fear the Lord will not hear me, nor regard my prayers; there is ſo much ſin in them, ſo many weakneſſes, wandrings, diſtr…ſts, diſtractions, that I much doubt whether the Holy God will ever have reſpect to them; but ſuch as they are, there I leave them, in the hands of my Advocate; I leave mine Offering on the Altar; as poor as it is, it is the beſt I have; and though I much queſtion, whether it will be accepted, yet there I leave it, waiting what anſwer the Lord will give. I doubt not but ſuch a Prayer will be heard, and my ground is this, as it is the juſtification or acceptance of our perſons, ſo it is in the acceptance of our duties; … our perſon, will doubt leſs juſtifie our prayers, and that weakneſs or wavering, which will not hinder the one, will neither h…nder the other. Now it is univerſally granted, that our perſons may be juſtified, even when we are ſtrongly perſwaded of the contrary; and: know no reaſon why the like muſt not be granted concerning our prayers.
I note this the rather, for the ſupport and comfort of many of the poor weakling ſervants of Chriſt, or ſuch as are in a troubled or deſerted eſtate; who, after they have ſign'd out their broken prayers, becauſe their own miſgiving hearts return them a negative anſwer, conclude that God doth ſo too: my prayers are loſt, the Lord doth not regard them: Why, how can you tell God doth not regard them? How can I tell, why, I cannot believe; the Lord will hear none but the P…ayers of Faith, and I cannot believe; I cannot be perſwaded that God doth hear. But by what hath been ſaid you may perceive your …iſtake; you cannot be perſwaded that God hears you, therefore you do not believe? Why, you may even then believe when you want this perſwaſion: Have you offered up your Prayers in the Name of Chriſt? Have you committed them to his hand, to preſent them to his Father, and leaving them with him, and adventuring them upon his Intereſt, can you now but wait what anſwer the Lord will give? This is that▪ Faith which will ſecure your Prayers from being loſt.
Having thus in brief ſhewed you what it is to pray in Faith, what remains, but that you practice accordingly, ſtudy the Attributes of God, his Power, Goodneſs, Mercy and Truth: Study Chriſt, his Office, Intereſt, Sufficiency, and Faithfulneſs, ſtudy the Promiſes and the ſtability of them; let your faith ſet its ſeal to all this, that God is good, merciful, mighty, and true: that Chriſt will be faithful in his Office, that his Name is mighty with the Father, that the Promiſes of God are in him, Yea and Amen. Strengthen your ſelves here, and ſo go before the Lord: let God be in your heart, Chriſt be in your hand, the Promiſe in your eye, when ever there is a Prayer in your mouth. Let your Prayer be ſo preſented, your dependance be ſo ſettled, and your confidence, as much as may be, ſo raiſed; as before you have been directed; or whether you can attain to this confience or no, yet do not fail of ſuch dependance, and then ſee, what a rich return your prayers will ſooner or later bring down upon you:
But he that will pray without thus believing, let not that man think to receive any thing of the Lord; and if he doth get nothing, let him not lay the blame on Prayer, as if this were an empty uſeleſs thing, but on his unbelief. The anſwer, which God gives to Prayer is alwayes this, Be it unto thee according to thy Faith: And in this is included, Be it unto thee according to thy unbelief.
This is the firſt means or help to a godly life, Prayer.
THe ſecond ſpecial Duty I ſhall direct you in, is holy Meditation. And touching this, my purpoſe is not to inſiſt upon the general nature of it, but onelyonly to give you ſome directions for your putting it in practice.
The directions which I ſhall give, ſhall be ſuch as concern,
1. The matter of it.
2. The Method.
Concerning the former, I ſhall reduce the chief matters to be ordinarily meditated on to ſeven heads; which, as I ſhall afterwards adviſe may ſave an Head for a day, and ſo in every week you may go over the whole.