The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. Another Direction concerning ſeeking Gods face in Ordinances; Such as the Word and Prayer.
Direct. 2.II. SEek diligently in all Ordinances after the teſtimony of the Spirit. The way for recovery of loſt evidence is that (as was ſaid before) which is moſt proper for getting it at firſt. The Church in Cant. 3 1, 2, 3, 4. had loſt her Beloved, 'twas night (a night of deſertion) and he had ſlipped away in the dark; what doth ſhe then? She ſeeks him firſt upon her bed, lay ſtill (its likely) and ſent ſome ſleepy calls after him. But Chriſt will not be found at that rate, I ſought him, but I found him not. What then? See what followes, I will riſe now; yea, that is a more likely courſe, ſhake off that ſinful ſloath, and ſeek him in good earneſt. So ſhe doth, I will go about the City in the ſtreets and in the broad wayes. In the City, that is in the Church (ſet out by a City often in Scripture, becauſe of communion, defence, order like a City; and often by the City of Jeruſalem in particular) In the ſtreets and broad Apoc. 21. 2.wayes; i. e. the places of concourſe, the Aſſemblies of the Saints; there Wiſdom uttereth her voice, Prov. 1. 20, 21. there ſhee meets with the Watch-men, and ſhe asks them, &c. and then when ſhee had adviſed with them, and followed their Directions, ſee what followes, ver. 4. It was but a little that I paſſed from them, but I found him whom my ſoul loveth. I found him; that is, in the evidences and refreſhments of his Spirit.
1 Seek in the Word. If God give any ſoul peace (in an ordinary way, and who are we that we ſhould put God to the charge of extraordinaries?) 'tis the fruit of the lips, Iſai. 57. 19. The fruit of whoſe lips? even the lips of thoſe whoſe lips are appointed to bee the Treaſuries of ſaving knowledge for the Church. The Prieſts Mal. 2. 7lips ſhall preſerve knowledg, and the people ſhall ſeek it at his mouth. But (may the ſoul ſay) what can he do towards that work? 'tis not in the power of man to eaſe me; Man cannot heal the wounds that an Almighty God makes. Yes, ſuch a man may do much (miniſterially and inſtrumentally) for he is the Meſſenger of the Lord of Hoſts, Mal. 2. 7. Certainly God could have given Cornelius direction what to do without ſending him to Peter; it was as eaſie for him to have ſaid, Cornelius, do this or that, as to ſay, Send for Peter and he ſhall tell thee what to do, Acts 10. 6. But God ſends him to Peter, and Peter muſt come, and direct him in a ſet Sermon, that God might keep up the credit of his Meſſengers, and his ſtanding Ordinances. There are ſpecial promiſes to this purpoſe to be fulfilled to the people of God in publick Aſſemblies of the Church. Iſai 56. 7. I wil make them joyful (ſaith God) but where? in my Houſe of Prayer; which was (among the Jews) the Temple, and among the Gentiles any place of publick Worſhip. Iſai. 60. 7. I will glorifie the Houſe of my glory. And 'tis remarkable, that in both places the Promiſes are made to the Gentiles when they ſhould be converted, as appears by the Context. God would have an houſe of Prayer, places of publick Aſſemblies, in the Gentile Church, and in them, God hath promiſed to make his people joyful. Come forth here all ye old Diſciples, experienced Chriſtians, and give in evidence from your experience. Cannot you ſay, that the banner of love which God hath ſpread over your ſouls, was lifted up in theſe Banquetting Houſes? Hath he not here ſtayed your ſouls with flagons, and comforted you with apples? Cant. 2.
2 Prayer. There is an holy Conference and Dialogue between God and the ſoul in holy Duties. This of Prayer is the Duty in which we ſpeak, and the Word and Seals are the wayes in which God ſpeaks. Wee ask Counſel in Prayer, God anſwers in them; We ask ſtrength and peace in this, God returnes anſwers of peace in them, and we reply in thankſgiving again. God in the Word tells us what he is offended at in us; we confeſſe it in Prayer, he aſſures us we are pardoned in the Word, &c. We returne thanks in prayer again. And indeed, this is the way how to know Gods mind; as we know mans mind by deſiring a conference and propoſing our doubts or diſſatisfactions, and receiving his anſwers when he gives them, or preſſing for them, when he denyes or eſtrangeth himſelf. Thus David uſed to enquire of the Lord. Pſal. 27. 4. And when he had enquired in prayer, then he holds his peace, and waits to hear what God will ſay, Pſalm 85 8.
1 Neglect not this way of conference with God. Eſpecially in the ſet ſeaſons thereof. They have a fancy among the Philoſophers, of two needles touched with the ſame Loadſtone, which being ſet in two Compaſſes, written round with the letters of the Alphabet, will conveigh intelligence from one friend to another at the greateſt diſtance. Thus each friend having recourſe to his own Compaſs at fixed times, ſhall find that as his friend at diſtance moves his needle to any letter, his own, (without any touch of his) will turne to the ſame; ſo that by putting together thoſe letters, he may read his friends mind. I have not faith enough to believe the conceit; but I can make a good uſe of it in Spirituals, wherein I am ſure it is true. Gods heart and thine are touched with the ſame Loadſtone of love, and if thou at ſeaſons of conference ſhalt have recourſe to the needle 1 John 4. 19of thy heart, and by the experience of holy affections in prayer, ſhalt point out to God thy wants and burthens, the heart of God by a ſacred ſympathy, will work the ſame way, and copy out thy caſe in his own boſome; and then it cannot be long ere his fatherly compaſſions ſet the needle of his affections a turning towards thee again, to produce a reciprocal aſſurance in thy heart by a like ſecret ſympathy. This the Scripture holdeth forth clearly. See Jer: 31, 18, 19, 20. There Ephraims needle firſt turnes in confeſſion, Thou haſt chaſtiſed me, &c. Then Gods needle falls to work preſently, to give him intelligence of Ephraims complaint, Surely, I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himſelf. And when Ephraims ſtory is done, then God falls to turning his needle by way of anſwer to Ephraim, My bowels are troubled for him. Is Ephraim my dear ſon? Yes that he is, and he ſhall know it too, For ſince I ſpake againſt him, I do earneſtly remember him ſtill. Then comes the anſwer to Ephraims heart, I will ſurely have mercy upon him, ſaith the Lord.
Thence in the Text the Spirit, that is the witneſſe from God to us, is the Sollicitour within us to God. The ſame Meſſenger that carries our Letters, brings our Anſwer, ver. 16.
Oh Friends, you know not what miſchief Satan doth to you by cooling your hearts in prayer; nay, by prevailing with you onelyonly to neglect a ſet time of prayer, publick or private. If you appoint a friend a ſet time of meeting and conference ſo often every day, and you fail him twice or thrice together (eſpecially when he knowes you have none but trifling buſineſſes to hinder you) how can you expect but that he ſhould ſerve you in the ſame kind? True, a man may lay bonds upon himſelf in appointment of times of duty, which (as he may order the matter; that is, if he lay them ſo upon himſelf as to pronounce it abſolutely unlawful upon any occaſion to over-ſlip that very time) may prove but ſnares to entangle his conſcience: but yet on the other ſide; to ſet apart appointed hours for this duty, as a convenient means to keep our heart from framing petty occaſions from hour to hour to put off the duty, and that with reſolution not to fail at the appointed time, but upon very weighty occaſions, and upon ſuch failing at any time, to reſolve to make up that defect doubly, as ſoon as the occaſion is over, ſure, is a very profitable way for the getting and keeping acquaintance with God. And no queſtion if God find (as he knowes) that very ſlight occaſions divert us from meeting him at fit or ſet times, but he will be out of the way at other times, when our leaſure will ſerve us to ſeek him.
But this by the way concerning ſet times of prayer. 2.2. A ſoul that wants the witneſſe of Gods Spirit, though he neglect not thoſe, yet he will not content himſelf with them; but he muſt now and then viſit the Throne of Grace in extraordinary wayes of duty, adding faſting to prayer, and ſpending whole dayes in following hard after God. Certainly, this duty is much neglected among Chriſtians in theſe dayes, to what it hath been formerly, both in private and publick. Surely, when Gods Saints were more acquainted with it, there was far more acquaintance with God then (I fear, if I may gheſs at others condition by mine owne) there now is.
There be ſome Divels (ſaith our Saviour) that wil not be caſt out without prayer and faſting, Mar. 9. 29. ſo may I ſay in this caſe, there be ſome doubts that will not be caſt out of the ſoul till a man try this way? Not that faſting adds any thing to prayer in it ſelfe, or by any proper efficiency of its own; but it diſpoſeth a man to humiliation, and humiliati… diſpoſeth a man to partake of the ſecrets of Gods counſell, and eſpecially in the matter of particular aſſurance. Iſai. 57. 15.
CautionYet is not this help ſo abſolutely neceſſary as that I ſhould put it in practiſe under every condition of body: if I am not able without prejudice to my health to bear faſting, I ſhall thereby more diſtemper my body, and (conſequently) more weaken my ſpirits, then is convenient or indeed lawfull; and thereby give greater advantage to Satan to trouble my tired mind, then hee had before.
In ſuch a caſe, commend thy condition to the publique prayers of the Church, eſpecially upon days of ſolemn ſeeking God. If perſons be ſick, and in danger of death, then a Miniſter ſhall have a bill handed to him to pray for their bodily health, (and that is good, that in theſe days wherein every Ordinance of God, and Duty of ours growes into diſreputation, men ſhew they value the prayers of the Church:) but I wonder that among all our bills, there are no complaints of ſoul-ſickneſſe. Oh Beloved, it would do a Miniſters heart good (as we ſay) to receive a ſcore or two of bills upon a Sabbath day to this purpoſe. One that hath an hard heart, that hath been often heated and is grown cold again, one that hath been long under conviction, and finds no gracious iſſue of it; one that cryes aloud after God, & can have no Anſwer; one that is aſſaulted with fearfull temptations, that cannot get any evidence of Gods love, and goes heavily all the day long, &c. deſires their prayers.
It may be God expects you ſhould thus make many friends to ſpeak to him, that thanks may be rendred by many on your behalf, (as the Apoſtle expreſſeth himſelfe in a like caſe, 2 Cor. 1. 11.) And neglect not to bee preſent as often as poſſibly thou canſt at the publick prayers of the Church, eſpecially ſuch as are put up in relation to thy caſe. There is a remarkable ſtory of one out of whom by the prayers of Mr. Rothwell, an eminent Miniſter of late years in the North, See Clark in the life of Rothwell.and ſome faithfull Brethren, a Devil was caſt; the man yet continuing dumb for ſome years after, till he being preſent in a Congregation where he was particularly prayed for, at the cloſe of the petition God opened his mouth, and he ſaid, Amen publickly, and ſpake to Gods glory ever after.
So in thy caſe, who knows whether God reſerves comfort for thee to be diſpenced in ſuch a way?
Laſtly, Every day the Saints of God (eſpecially under bondage and darkneſſe) can finde occaſional times; to knock at the door of grace, when they are at leaſure from neceſſary imployments. There be ſome haunts where moſt men beſtow themſelves, in the intervals of buſineſſe, in the breathing times between one imployment and another. One man fills up theſe breaches, parentheſes, and odd ends of time with idle diſcourſe, another with ſuch and ſuch paſtimes (loſe-times we may better call them, as commonly they are uſed;) a third haunts the Ale-houſe, or a worſe place, it may be: but ſuch a ſouls uſual haunt as I am ſpeaking of, in thoſe fragments of time, is, the throne of grace; and prayer, and holy conference with God in other private Duties, that is his paſtime. Will you know where David haunts at midnight, when he cannot ſleep? At midnight will I ariſe and Pſalm 63. 6.praiſe thee, 119. 62. Will you know where his haunt is after meals? Not only evening and morning, but at noon alſo will I cry unto thee, Pſal. 55. 17. If you enquire what time he begins in the mornings, ſee Pſalm 119. 147. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cryed. In a word, (to ſhut up this head) ſome people (I know) charge this way of ſeeking aſſurance, with truſting in Duties, and the perſons that ſo ſeek, with pride in them. But ſure there is more pride in not condeſcending to begge, then in begging. 'Twere an unheard thing that a begger ſhould be proud of his trade: He that prays feelingly, hath the greateſt ſecurity againſt pride.