The Sacred Diary, Section 18
SECT. XVIII. Of Petition.
IT is the Honour of God, that all Creatures ſue unto him, and depend upon him, that all need his help, and that ſo many petition him for it from day to Day. He is the God of hearing Prayer, therefore unto him ſhall all Fleſh come. The higheſt Glory that God hath on Earth, is, that ſo many thouſands come daily thronging to, and knocking at the Gate of Heaven. A certain great Emperour coming into Egypt, to ſhew the Zeal he had to the Publique Good, ſaid to the Egyptians, Draw from me, as from your River Nilus. But what can be drawn from a Man but hopes, which ſwell like bubbles of Water till they burſt? It is from God that we muſt draw, for he is a Fountain which perpetually diſtilleth; who quencheth the Thirſt of all the World, and hath but one Thirſt, which is (ſaith Gregory Nazianzen) that all Men ſhould thirſt after his Bounty.
Our Saviour having taxed the abuſes in Prayer, ſetteth down a perfect Platform, Matth. 6.9. &c. where ye have, 1. A Command. 2. A Pattern. After this manner, or thus, pray ye, foreign: Which may have reference as well to the Matter as to the Manner, yea, to the Order and Method. But here we underſtand it not according to the Method, as though we were bound to order our Petitions always thus. We have ſome ſhort Prayers elſewhere, ſpecified in the New Teſtament, where we find not this Order, and therefore that I think is Arbitrary: Therefore this may have reference chiefly to the matter of our Prayers; let this be the matter of your Prayers: And to the Affection, pray with ſuch affections as are intimated in this Prayer.
So that here are condemned all wicked and unlawful Requeſts, as when Men wiſh Miſchief unto others out of private Malice; when they wiſh the accompliſhment of their unlawful deſires; when they pray for thoſe things that tend to the diſhonour of God, and the damage of his Church: And on the other ſide when they pray not with ſuch Affections, as are inſinuated in the Prayer.
In the Preface which makes way to the Prayer, ye may ſee,
I. Who muſt pray, we muſt Pray.
II. To whom we muſt Pray.
III. For whom we muſt Pray.
IV. Through whom we muſt Pray.
V. How we muſt Pray.
I. Who? The Queſtion may have a double meaning.
1. Who ought to pray? To which I anſwer, All: Becauſe All owe unto God all Service, Honour, Worſhip, whereof Prayer is a ſpecial part. In him all live, move, and have their beings. Yea, Nature teaches. Man to acknowledg, and ſeek to a Deity for ſupply of its Wants. All owe this Debt, though all cannot pay it, and none ſo as is required.
2. Thus: Who may, and can pray in an acceptable manner unto God? I anſwer, Only Believers. They alone can truly call him Father. They only have received him by Faith, John. 1.12. How can they call on him, in whom they have not believed? Rom. 10. This ſheweth the miſery of an Unbeliever, he cannot come to God.
II. For whom muſt we pray? I anſwer: Not only for our ſelves, but for all the Houſhold of Faith eſpecially; more largely for all that belong to God, whether Called, or Uncalled; more generally for all Men; as St. Paul ſaith, and our Liturgy after the Apoſtle, (though it be therefore taxed) ſeil. All ſorts and conditions of Men, eſpecially for the King, and all that are in Authority under him, our Paſtors, Church-Governours, Miniſters, all that bear Rule in the Church, or Commonwealth, and for all the Members of the Catholique Church; for our Parents, Maſters, Children, Servants, and thoſe that be neareſt unto us, and Men that in ſpecial do want our Prayers, in publique and private Calamities.
Object. But we muſt ask according to the Will of God.
Reſp. Yes, according to his revealed Will: We muſt not, cannot look into his ſecret Will, to ſee who are there excluded from his Mercy; but thoſe who are excluded in his revealed Will, we muſt not ſue for; as the Devils, and thoſe who have ſinned againſt the Holy Ghoſt, if we knew them.
Object. But do we not worſhip God in vain, when we pray for whom the Lord will not hear us?
Reſp. I anſwer, No: Our Prayer ſhall return into our own boſoms, as it was with the Pſalmiſt, when he prayed for his Enemies.
III. To whom muſt we pray? I anſwer, Unto God, who is there called a Father; a Word of Nature, or Perſon: In the former ſenſe taken for the Holy Trinity; in the latter for the Firſt Perſon. Here ye may underſtand it both ways, in a compound ſence. 1. That you are to direct your Prayers to God, the whole Divine Nature, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt: And then withal to the Father firſt in order, through the Son, by the Holy Ghoſt. All are here condemned, who pray unto any other: None is to be prayed unto, but whom we may call our Heavenly Father, which is not due to any Creature.
IV. Through whom?] I anſwer, Through Chriſt alone: For through him, and none other, is God become our Father: By Him we have the priviledg of Adoption, and are made Sons and Daughters. We have an Advocate with the Father, Jeſus Chriſt the Righteous, who is the Prepitiation for our Sins, 1 John 2.1. None can be our Mediator of Interceſſion unto God, but He that is the Propitiation, appeaſing him, and ſatisfying his Wrath due unto our Sins; and therefore no Saint nor Angel muſt be employed in this Office. There is but one Mediator of Redemption and Interceſſion between God and Man, even Chriſt Jeſus, who is both God and Man.
V. How we muſt pray?] Reſp. 1. As to a Father. 2. As to a Father which is in Heaven. And therefore, To one that is willing and ready to help, infinite in Majeſty and Soveraignty, ſeeing and knowing all things, our Hearts, our Wants. This ſhould teach you to pray with Boldneſs, Confidence, Reverence, Underſtanding, Sincerity. Pray with Boldneſs, as to a Father; with Confidence and Reverence, as to an Heavenly Father; with Sincerity and Underſtanding, as to him that ſeeth your Hearts.
The things that we are to pray for, every Morning at leaſt, one reduceth them to theſe Heads, viz. That you may not offend God this Day. That you may not want Grace, Light, and Courage, to reſiſt thoſe Temptations which moſt aſſail you, and thoſe Sins to which you are moſt inclined. That you may practiſe thoſe Vertues which are moſt neceſſary for you. That you may be guided this Day by God's good Providence, in all that concerns your Soul, Body, and Eſtate. That you may obtain new Favours and Aſſiſtance for the Neceſſities of your Neighbours, which you may then ſet before him.
This kind of Supplication (among other Commodities) hath this withal, that it daily reneweth in the Soul ſome good purpoſes and deſires of Vertues, and moveth it to be the more earneſt to do that thing, which he hath ſo frequently and ſo earneſtly deſired. Chryſoſtom ſaith, Such as pray earneſtly in very deed, will not ſuffer their Hearts to commit any thing that is unſeemly for ſuch an Exerciſe, but ever have their Eyes upon God, with whom a little before they talked, and were converſant. And ſo by that Cogitation they put away from them all the Suggeſtions of the Devil, when they conſider what an hainous matter it were, that he that had a little before talked with Almighty God, and deſired of him Chaſtity and Holineſs, with all other Vertues, ſhould immediately run to his Enemies ſide, and open the Gates of his Soul, to receive in filthy and diſhoneſt Delights; and ſuffer the Devil to place him ſelf in that Heart, which a little before was the Temple of the Holy Ghoſt.
A form of Petition, compoſed by Thomas Aquinas.
O God, give unto me, and unto all thoſe whom I commend in my Prayer, an underſtanding to know Thee, and affectionate devotion to ſeek Thee; a Wiſdom to find Thee; a Converſation to pleaſe Thee; a Perſeverance boldly to wait on Thee; a Faith happily to embrace Thee. My God, ſo order it, that I may be wounded with Thy ſufferings in Repentance, that in this Life I may uſe Thy Bleſſings in Grace, and enjoy in the other Eternal Joys in Glory. Amen.