A Treatise of Prayer and Divine Providence, Chapter 4 · Section 4
SECT. IV.
The Queſtion divided into its parts; and the Cauſes of Gods hiding from Prayers diſtinguiſhed.
WE have hitherto been detained at the threſhold of this queſtion (but it hath been ſomewhat neceſſarily) by taking a view of the impediments ariſing in the way, the manner how to addreſs unto, and the means by which to gain ſatisfaction in it: it is now time to enter upon it.
The Queſtion hath two parts: 1. What may be the reaſon of Gods hiding himſelf from his peoples prayers grounded upon his Promiſes? 2. What may be the reaſon of his ſeeming by his providences to anſwer the prayers which are contrary unto them? although the former be the main, and that being reſolved, will be in effect the reſolution of the latter.
I begin with the firſt, to wit, What may be the reaſon of Gods hiding himſelf from his peoples prayers grounded upon his promiſes? The intent of this Query (as I take it) is not meerly to ask, in the general, what at any time or in any caſe may be the reaſon of the ſaid effect? but particularly, what may be the reaſon now, and as the caſe ſtands with us? yet it will be firſt very requiſite, and a good part of our work, to deal with the queſtion in its general ſtate; that is, to ſurvey the whole ſeries, or predicament of cauſes of this effect, which the Scripture gives us; and then we may proceed to the hypotheſis, or the caſe as it is preſent and proper to us.
It will be requiſite (I ſay) and make much towards the clearing of the Query, to look into, and ſum up all the reaſons (ſo far as we can collect them) which the Word diſcovers to us of the Lords hiding from the prayers of his people grounded upon his promiſes: and, in ſo doing to take (in this general account) thoſe notions [of Gods people, and of Prayers groundedneſs upon the Promiſes] in the larger ſence, namely, to include all thoſe perſons who are the people of God by outward profeſſion and calling; and all the prayers of ſuch, which may be ſaid to be grounded on the Promiſes, in regard of the matter prayed for, though they be deficient in the qualifications neceſſary: For, 1. Though the caſe, upon which our eye is intent, be but one, yet the reaſons that have influence into it may be many. 2. Among the many reaſons in Scripture for the over clouding of prayer, ſome (in this particular caſe) may belong to ſome perſons more directly and peculiarly, and other to others; it may avail therefore to have all repreſented. 3. If we come ſhort in the unfolding of the preſent caſe ſet before us (as infallibly and perfectly to open it I muſt be far from promiſing,) yet to have gone thus far will be an advantage; for when we have a collection of what reaſons are poſſible to come within our caſe layd before us, then each mens conſcience may ſet it ſelf on work; and we have the enquiry, with the rule to go by, put into our hand, as in a Syſtems or Anatome. 4. Though there be much difference betwixt Gods hiding from the prayers of the faithful ſeekers of him, and his hiding from thoſe of the hypocrite, in reſpect of manner or degree; yet there may be, and is too often, a co-incidency, in reſpect of cauſes.
The reaſons or cauſes which the Scripture rendereth for the Lords hiding from his peoples prayers may be reduced to two heads: They are ariſing either from man or from God; they are ſuch as are either given by man, or propoſed and aymed at by God; or they are either meritorious cauſes, or final cauſes; that is, they are either the ungracious procurements and provocations of man, or the gracious intendments and purpoſes of God. 1. There are cauſes ariſing from man, thoſe which he giveth; this effect is promerited and procured by him; there is in him that which provoketh God to it. 2. There are cauſes ariſing from God, final cauſes, merciful ends, purpoſes and deſigns propoſed, and aymed at by him. The former ſort of cauſes makes the hiding penal, the latter makes it profitable; by the one it is vindictive, by the other it is beneficial.
I ſhall inſiſt on theſe two ſeverally: but there is one thing that would firſt be denoted concerning them both together, which is, that theſe two ſorts of cauſes may ſometimes go alone, or apart, or the one may be ſevered from the other; ſometimes again they may concur or go conjoyned.
1. Sometimes, or in ſome caſes, they may be found apart, or alone, or the one without the other; and that both ways, to wit, this without that, and that without this.
1. One while God may be obſerved to do this (namely to hide himſelf from prayer) for the demerit or delinquency of the party praying only, without any ground of gathering his reſpect therein to any gracious ends towards or for them:Prov. 1.28 as in that of Solomon; Then ſhall they call upon me, but I will not anſwer; they ſhall ſeek me early, but they ſhall not find me: Here the hiding may be meerly penal.
2. Another while it may be for certain gracious ends, which God hath to accompliſh thereby on, or for them that pray, without reſpect to any ſpecial provocation of theirs: as in the Churches caſe,Pſa. 44.17 &c. Pſal. 44. They were covered with the ſhadow of death: God (as unto their ſenſe) was aſleep, had caſt them off, did hide his face, and forget their affliction and oppreſſion: yet they ſay, all this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we delt falſly in thy Covenant; our heart is not turned back, neither have our ſteps declined from thy way: And this appears to be Jobs caſe, his own words ſo report it; Behold I go forward, Job 23.8, &c.but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himſelf on the right hand that I cannot ſee him: but when he hath tryed me, I ſhall come forth as gold: my foot hath held his ſteps, his way have I kept and not declined, &c. In theſe caſes the hiding may be conceived not penal at all, but meerly procurative of their good.
2. Sometimes thoſe two ſorts of reaſons may concur, or be conjoyned in this effect: And this may be two ways:
1. Either diſtributely, or with relation to ſeveral perſons joyned together in one community, and in the ſame prayers; that is, it may be that the Lord may hide himſelf from the joynt prayers of a ſociety of men, ſo, as that to ſome of them it may be only for their demerits, and ſo meerly penal; to others of them it may be from merciful intentions in God, and ſo conducing to their benefit. We read in the Prophet Jeremiah, the people of Judah were diſtinguiſhed by God into two parties, by the emblem of two baskets of figs, Jer. 24.1, &c.the one whereof had very good, the other had very naughty figs in it: by the former were figured thoſe of Jehojakims and Jeconiahs captivity; by the latter thoſe of Zedekiah: both theſe ſorts, that is, all the people of Iudah, the the whole Nation generally prayed (as I have made evident before,) and for teſtimony of it, take the places in the margentaJer. 21.1 2.36 9 37 3.42.1, &c. Ezek. 14 1 &c. Zech. 7.5: and as they all ſought unto God, ſo did God hide himſelf (in reſpect of a prevention, or inſtant return of the captivity) from the prayers of them all, both of the one ſort and the other: But it was with this difference (as it is in that Prophecy of the Figs,) thoſe reſembled by the good figs, though they were carryed and kept in that captivity, it was for their good for many gracious ends to be thereby accompliſhed to them, which you may ſee in that TextbVerſ. 6, 7. Thoſe noted by the naughty figs were delivered up to the hands of Nebuchadnezzar for their hurt, and that many ways, as may be read to that ProphecycVer. 9, 10; and ſo it was unto them purely for puniſhment. Here then is a hiding from prayer upon both thoſe ſorts of reaſons diſtributively referred.
2. Or it may be individually, or with relation to the ſame perſons: The hiding of God from prayers may be for reaſons of both thoſe kinds reſpecting the ſame parties, to wit, both for their provocation and unto the effecting of happy ends to them; it may be both for the ſins and for the good of the ſelf-ſame perſons: for their ſins, as the procuring cauſe on their part; and for their good, as the purpoſed end on Gods part. Daniel was one of thoſe good figs afore ſpoken of, he was one of Iehojakims captivity; and of it alſo were the three children: and either of that, or of Ieconiahs captivity were Mordecai, Ezra, Ezekiel, and all thoſe, who being carryed to Babylon, were after the ſeventy years ſet free, and brought to Iudea, (for of Zedekiahs deportation none were to returndOr; if any, a very few; compare Jer. 24 10 with 44, 28., they were the basket of naughty figs that were to be conſumed from off the Land,) and being ſo, they all belonged to the basket of the good figs, Jer. 24.20and conſequently God did hide himſelf from them (in regard of, and during that captivity) for their good; yet it was alſo for their ſins, as themſelves acknowledgeDan. 9.8 16 Ezr. 9.7.13 Neh. 9 33 37. L m. 3 42, 43, 44. Pſ…. 79 89 Iſai. 64 7, and the Lord himſelf teſtifiethfEz…k. 39 23, 28, 29. I before obſerved of David that it was a mercy to him that the child which Ʋriahs wife bare unto him dyed; that his prayer in that behalf was denyed him; and yet withall this was for his ſing2 Sam. 12 14. Iſrael at Kadeſh, having ſo far provoked God by their diffidence and murmuring againſt him, upon the return of their ſpies from Canaan, as that he doomed them to wander out forty years in the wilderneſs ere they ſhould paſs over Jordan into the promiſed Land; they, upon better thoughts, relent, and offer to redeem their ſaid offences, by going up to fight for, and to poſſeſs that Land: and being repulſed, firſt by divine prohibition,Deut. 1.45 and then by the Amorites ſword; They returned, and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not harken to their voyce, nor give ear unto them. Here the denyal of their ſuit, and the irrevocability of the ſentence of their wandering ſo long in the wilderneſs, was plainly for their ſin. And yet we read elſewhere in the ſtory, the ſame was ordered ſo for their good alſo: The Lord thy God led thee theſe forty years in the wilderneſs to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, &c. and he humbled thee, and ſuffered thee to hunger, &c. that he might make thee know, that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. And a little after: Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderneſs wherein were fiery Serpents, Deut. 8.2, 3, 15, 16&c. that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end. Theſe many excellent benefits were the end for that peoples attainment whereof they were put to travel and ſtay ſo long a time out of Canaan, and in the deſart: The propoſal of ſo happy an end by God, and the committance of ſuch great offences by the people, concurred together in the denyal of their requeſt above ſpoken of. And the like may be ſaid of Moſes, in regard of the denyal of his requeſt to go over Jordan and into Canaan; it was his benefit, being that in lieu thereof he dying, attained to a better life, and Canaan: and yet his ſin alſo was in it, as the cauſe of that refuſalhDeut. 3.26.32.52 Numb. 20 12 Pſa. 106.33. We ſee then by theſe inſtances, thoſe very perſons whom the Lord hideth himſelf from, it may be both to correct their ſin, and to conſult their good; he may do it to them, both for the puniſhment of their offences, and for the procurement of their profit.