A Tractate to Further Christians in Prayer, Preface 2
Mr. SAUNDER'S PREFACE.
Chriſtian Reader,
IT was the reſpect I had to the Reverend Authour, and the content I took in the peruſal of this Tract (being therewith entruſted by him before it was committed to the Preſſe) rather then expectation to adde reputation to it by prefixing my name, that drew this Epiſtle from me. But if the matter treated of meet with the better entertainment from any, by this means I ſhall count a little time and pains well ſpent. As for the ſubject, 'tis ſuch as needs not foreign Letters of commendation, 2 Cor. 3.…or any Panegyrick to uſher it in to an honeſt heart. Yet in our giddy-headed times, 'tis its lot, with all other the ſacred inſtitutions of Chriſt, to have its legitimateneſſe made matter of diſpute, yea, zealouſly impugned. We read of Hereticks, very ancient, called Euchitae, that held men muſt be ever praying,Aug. de Haer l 1. De quibus etiam. Epiphan. but who ever heard before men ſhould never pray? Yes, (for there is no new thing under the Sun)*foreign. Clem. Alex. ſtrom. lib. 7. Clemens Alexandrinus mentions an old Hereſie, foreign. That men ſhould not pray at all. God gives bleſſings unaskt, Prayer therefore is foreign, ſuperfluous. Our unhappy times have given a reſurrection to this monſtrous conceit. I take thee, Reader, to be a Chriſtian; and if thou be ſo indeed, thou knoweſt, thou canſt no more be without Prayer, then thou canſt be without thy food. 'Tis not ſo much thy duty as thy priviledge. Wouldeſt thou pleaſe God? I know thou wouldſt. The Prayer of the righteous is his delight, Prov. 15.8. 'Tis like honey drops, Cant. 4.11. Sweet to his taſte. Incenſe to his noſtrils, Pſal 141.2.Dioniſ. Carth. in Matth. Carthuſian obſerves, that, of all other Chriſtian ſervices, Prayer only is compared to incenſe. In it we ſtrive with God; but he likes ſuch ſtriving. Haec vis Deo grata eſt, ſays Tert. This force is grateful to God. Wouldeſt thou glorifie God, and pay him the homage thou oweſt him? This is Cenſus ſubjectionis nostrae, our ſuit fine, or homage in which God has the glory of all his Attributes returned him:Solater on Pſa. 116. pag. 194. his All-ſufficiency, Omnipotency, Omniſcience, Love, Mercy, Dominion, Truth. Is Heaven ſhut againſt thee? This is Clavis Coeli, as Austin, The key of Heaven: Not of the aerial only; it opens that, as Elias prayed for rain and it came: yea, and an Heathen Emperour, M. Aurelius relates how that in the German Expedition,Tert. ed ſ…p. c. 4. & in apolog cap. 5. Juſtia. M…. Apol. 2. Euſeb. l. 5. cap. 5. the Chriſtian ſouldiers by their prayers made the clouds to yield down water to his Hoſt, ready to die for thirſt. But 'tis Clavis Paradiſi, the key of Paradiſe too; by this key maiſt thou get into Gods preſence, and have what thou wilt of him. 'Tis Res omnipotentiſsima, Luthers devout Hyperbole, a kinde of omnipotent thing, which makes God himſelf to ſay, Sine me, Let me alone, Exodus 32.10. It does (with reverence be it ſpoken) ſtrangely charm the Majeſty of Heaven. The word which is rendred Prayer, foreign …cantatio, I…cantam mum D…us ipſ… q…i nullis c… ſe v…bus ſuperar… poteſt. P…icani p…bus … Hi…on. Epist.Iſa. 26.16. ſignifies a charm. Feareſt thou the Devils aſſaults? 'Tis Flagellum Satanae (as Auſtin) a whip for Satan, and a bulwark for thee, that is, (ſays Chryſ.) foreign. Not to be broken, not to be ſhaken. foreign, as the ſame Father, a ſtrong weapon. 'Tis both off…nſive and defenſive. Deſireſt thou ſweeteſt communion with thy bleſſed Saviour here on earth? This is Oſculum pacis, as an Antient ſtyles it, The kiſſe of peace, with which the ſoul kiſſeth the lips of her beloved. 'Tis Sabbathum animae, as another calls it, the ſouls ſabbath. Wouldſt thou viſit Canaan before hand, and get to Heaven once before thou come to ſettle there? Prayer is ſcala Coeli, a Ladder for thee. 'Tis Aſcenſus intellectus ad Deum. The aſcent of the minde to God, Damaſcen's definition. To be ſhort, 'tis a Catholicon, good for every thing, and nothing good without it. All things are ſanctified by it, 1 Tim. 4.4, 5.Weems Chriſt. Synag. S…ct. 3. Parag…. 5 All things upheld by it. The Jews have a ſaying, ſine ſtationibus non ſubſiſteret mundus. The world would not endure without Standing. Gnammuda, ſtanding, is one of the ſeven names they give to Prayer; without this, the world would not ſtand. This rich treaſure, Reader, is here put into thine hand, with direction how to uſe it. Here is not Novum, any thing new, but perhaps Novè, good old truths in a new and delightful dreſſe. foreign. The Reverend Authour hath, in this little piece, well mixed utile dulci, thou canſt not m…ſſe deſired content in reading it; nor can I chooſe but heartily commend it to thy ſerious peruſal. Read, and practice: but remember, write over thy cloſet door what the Jews uſe to write about the doors of their Synagogues. foreign i. e. They expreſſe it by this Abbr…viature foreign which is the firſt letter of each word. Bux. o…ſ. de Abbr. Heb.A Prayer without affection is like a body without a ſoul. Maintain inward warmth of devotion in thine heart; he that does not, Loquitur, non precatur (as ſays Salvian) he talks, he does not pray: if thou do,Gen. 32.28. Thou ſhalt be caled Iſrael, becauſe, as a Prince, thou ſhalt have power with God, and with men, and thou ſhalt prevail. That thou mayeſt is the hearty deſire of him, who is
Deſirous of the prosperity of thy precious and immortal ſoul RICH. SAUNDERS.