know it well enough yea their children kneele downe and aske them blessing and put them in minde of it and notwithstanding al this many doe forget it and though they cast out certaine words of course yet they doe not thereupon determine seriously to pray for them what would they doe then if their children by asking them their daily blessing should not put them in minde of it at all Therefore euery manner of way we see what great reason there is of this to desire others to pray for vs and so much for this present THE SECOND SERMON vpon the inscription To him that excelleth A Psalme of Dauid THat I might prosecute that argument which I began the last day as you heard wee want not examples in the Scripture for the practise of this dutie Example of those that haue desired others to pray for them 1. Sam. 1.6 in the faithful seruants of God men and women of al sorts who haue wel seene in how great need they haue stood of the prayers of others and haue accordingly desired the same Hannah the wife of Elkanah a very godlie woman as appeareth in her storie being barren and thereby being vpbraided of her aduersarie was troubled in her minde and prayed vnto the Lord and wept sore and she prayed for a manchild not so much for her self as for the glory of God for she vowed him vnto God in her prayer Hannah desired Hely to pray for her Hely the Priest sitting in the Temple before her and perceiuing her lips onely to moue but not hearing a word thought she had been drunken and told her so but she said no and told him what she did then Hely prayed God to heare her prayers Vers 17. saying Goe in peace and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him Then she said againe Let thine handmaid finde grace in thy sight that is I beseech thee pray for me still as now thou hast done that God would grant me my petition for what grace or fauour else could she meane seeing that in other things as for the ill opinion hee had conceiued of her she had satisfied him before and so God heard them both as appeareth in the sequell of that storie The Israelites also being in feare of the Philistims So did the Israelites desire Samuel to pray for them Chap. 7.8 came to Samuel the Prophet and desired him that as hee had prayed for them alreadie so hee would not cease to doe it still saying Cease not to crie vnto the Lord our God for vs that hee may saue vs out of the hand of the Philistims and he did so and the Lord heard him Vers 10. and thundred with a great thunder that day vpon the Philistims and scattered them so they were slaine before Israel Here many seeke to one for his prayers then much more may one seeke to many for theirs When Rabshakeh was sent by the King of Ashur with a great hoast against Ierusalem and came vp to the walles of the citie and spake blasphemously against the Lord and against his annointed Hezekiah the King came into the house of the Lord and prayed 2. King 19.1 Hezekiah desired the prayers of Isaiah and sent messengers vnto the Prophet Isaiah desiring him that he would pray for them saying Lift thou vp thy prayer for the remnant that are left and he did so and God heard him for them and the same night the Angell of the Lord went out Vers 35. and smote in the campe of the Assyrians an hundreth fourescore and fiue thousand Paul also the Apostle as we haue heard alreadie desireth the Romanes to pray for him saying Brethren I beseech you for our Lord Iesus Christs sake Rom. 15.30 And Paul of the Romanes and Corinthians 2. Cor. 1.10 and for the loue of the Spirit that yee would striue with mee by prayer to God for me And so doth he to that end intreate the Corinthians with these words God hath deliuered vs from a great death in whom we trust that yet hereafter hee will deliuer vs so that yee labour together in prayer for vs. This holy man who was often in prayer for himselfe and for all Churches desireth others to pray for him Thus the best seruants of God as they haue not neglected this benefit of prayer from their brethren so they had the fruit and comfort of it in great measure and truly if wee beleeue rightly the Communion of Saints and that God hath appointed one to doe good to another by the graces that hee hath bestowed vpon them why should wee not thinke that part of the communion consisteth in this that wee communicate in the spirit of prayer as well as in the spirit of counsell or of comfort and that this way we may giue and receiue helpe one from another as well as any other way Hester that noble and vertuous Queene who as it seemeth had vsed often to pray her selfe Hester desireth the Iewes to fast and pray for her and with her maides else she could not haue promised that for them which she did in a matter that greatly concerned the glorie of God and the good of his Church doth not onely pray her selfe with her seruants three daies and three nights Hest 4.16 and that with fasting but doth desire that all the Iewes that were in that citie would doe the like for her So that sometimes wee had need not onely to desire others to pray for vs but euen to fast and pray for vs. The wicked haue bin constrained to desire the prayers of others and haue gotten great good by them And truly the vertue and power of the prayer of one man is so auaileable for another that the very wicked haue seene it and been driuen to acknowledge it and so haue desired the seruants of God to pray for them and haue had great benefit thereby Then if the vngodly and prophane men of the world who are not at all acquainted with prayer yet haue thought that the prayers of others might doe them good then they that know what prayer doth meane and that haue accustomed themselues to prayer and haue obserued the fruite of it in themselues may bee assured that the prayers of others shall be of like or a great deale more force for them If they whose consciences tels them that for their vngodlinesse they are altogether out of Gods fauour and so they had no heart to pray to him themselues neither had any hope that hee would heare them yet haue had some hope that God might heare some others for them and so haue sought vnto them for their prayers then how much more they who liuing in a good course haue hope that God is wel pleased with them in Christ may be perswaded that God will most willingly heare others for them and so in great faith desire their prayers And to conclude if they that are not of the Church of God but
are aliants and strangers from it haue been of opinion that if any of the faithfull seruants of God in his Church would pray for them that God would be mercifull vnto them for their sakes then how much more they that are the true members of the Church of God may verely beleeue that God will heare their fellow brethren for them For as in a familie if strangers can hope that if some seruant of speciall account doe speake to the master for them hee will doe some thing at their request then they that are of the same house may bee assured much more that the intreatie of their fellow seruants shall doe them much good So in the house of God Ephe. 2.12 if they that are strangers from the couenant of promise and haue no hope and are without God in the world yet thinke that his seruants shall be heard for them then how much more may they that are of the household of faith themselues beleeue that God will heare their fellow seruants for them seeing that he hath not onely giuen them leaue but commanded them to speake and intreate one for another and themselues are such alreadie as hee meaneth to doe good vnto And this is that that we reade of in the person of Pharaoh King of Egypt Pharaoh often desired Moses and Aaron to pray for him who though he could not abide Moses and Aaron yet when the hand of God was heauie vpon him hee was many times compelled to seeke to them for their prayers and his owne conscience did tell him that the Lord might happely heare them for him though himselfe was vnworthie once to bee regarded of him As when himselfe and his land was punished with frogs hee called for them and said Pray yee vnto the Lord Exod. 8.8 that hee may take away the frogges from me and from my people and afterwards when they were punished with great swarmes of flyes so that the earth was corrupt with them he said I will let you goe Vers 28. that yee may sacrifice vnto the Lord your God in the wildernesse but goe not farre away pray for me and thirdly when the Lord sent thunder and haile and lightning so that the fire was mingled with the haile he sent and called for them and said vnto them Chap. 9.27 I haue now sinned the Lord is righteous but I and my people are wicked Pray ye vnto the Lord for it is enough that there be no more mightie thunders and haile and I will let you goe and ye shall tarie no longer Where at the last hee confesseth himselfe and all his people to bee wicked and to haue deserued these plagues but he prayeth these his seruants to pray to God for them and they doe so and at their prayers the Lord remoueth these seuerall plagues Thus this wicked man when he was in the middest of his deserued punishments and had no heart in them to goe to God himselfe yet sought to others that he was well perswaded of and receiued great good often by their prayers Ieroboam desired the Prophet to pray for him when his hand was withered So did that wicked man Ieroboam King of Israel of whom it is often said to his shame that hee caused Israel to sinne when the man of God came out of Iudah at the commandement of the Lord vnto Bethâ—el where hee stood by his idolatrous altar to offer incense and reproued for his idolatrie and cried out against the altar he hearing it stretched out his hand and said Lay hold on him but his hand which he put out against him dried vp and he could not pull it in againe to him Then the King said vnto the man of God 1. King 13.6 I beseech thee pray vnto the Lord thy God and make intercession for me that mine hand may be restored vnto me And the man of God besought the Lord and the Kings hand was restored and became as it was afore So though he could not pray himself and say I beseech thee my God with hope that God would heare him yet hee desireth the Prophet to pray to his God and thought that another might be heard for him and so he was Thus did Zedekiah King of Iudah though neither himselfe nor the Princes could abide Ieremy the Prophet Zedekiah desired the prayers of Ieremy neither did they reuerence him or the doctrine that he deliuered vnto them for they would not obey the words of the Lord which he spake vnto them yet when they were in great distresse Jerem. 37.3 because the Chaldeans did besiege the citie hee sent certaine men vnto him saying Pray now vnto the Lord our God for vs. Behold how the most vngodly are driuen to iustifie this holie ordinance of prayer in such wise that they are compelled to seeke to those sometimes for their prayers whom otherwise they doe not loue neither haue any good opinion of but rather hate them and account them their enemies Euen as those in our time who though they neuer cared for the ministerie of the word nor for the assemblies of Gods people nor for his seruants yet when they are in any great miserie or feare and lie at the point of death are inforced to send to them whom they neuer cared for in their life and to intreate them to pray for them whom they would neuer intreate for any thing before Lastly Simon Magus the Sorcerer heard Peter the Apostle iustlie denounce the fearefull iudgement of God against him for his sinne he fearing it Act. 8.24 desired Peter to pray for him saying Pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye haue spoken may come vpon me This wicked man who of a long time had bewitched the Samaritanes with his sorceries And Simon Magus of Peter saying that himselfe was some great man hoped that al that euill which his sinnes had deserued and which God had threatned against him might by the prayers of his seruants be turned from him and so hee escape them Shall not wee then much more who haue a desire to please God and to walke in his waies hope that the prayers of others shall be auaileable to turne from vs al those euils which our own consciences tell vs we haue iust cause to feare if wee seeke vnto them for them Let vs then in the feare of God and as we loue our owne wealth determine to practise this Christian dutie much more than we haue done and let vs be heartely sorie that for want of it we haue neglected our own good too much What good we might haue gotten if we had sought to others for their prayers For many great things might wee haue obtained many fearefull troubles might wee soone haue been deliuered out of yea some grieuous things that haue befallen vs might haue bin by the grace of God wisely preuented if we had sought vnto others who might haue intreated the Lord for vs. In which
it might appeare that we are not ignorant of our owne estate when we can name that that we lack and might also see how God blesseth vs not only generally but particularly that we might be thankfull for the same And therefore as a childe asketh not onely things needfull of his father but this and that and as Christ saith but to another end hee asketh him an egge or fish or bread so we must doe vnto the Lord. And sowe must particularly commend the estate of others vnto God And as wee must thus pray for our selues so for others also God would haue vs to take knowledge of their estate as much as we can and be touched with it that we might pray for this and that according to their neede in soule and bodie Thus must wee pray by this example for our King not onely that God would heare his prayers from time to time but seeing that wee heare that hee is subiect to many daungers and that his enemies doe hunt after his life and besides the common casualties of all men that he is with them subiect vnto his life is specially sought for therefore we must pray that God would defend him in these attempts by discouering them in time and bringing them to naught yea conuerting or confounding all his enemies And this is the best vse that wee can and should make of all the newes that wee heare of treasons breaking foorth that wee seeing the daungers might pray to God to defend him And as wee must doe thus for his Maiestie first and chiefly so for any others as when wee heare in what danger the Churches are beyond the seas as Geneua and others how they are assaulted by their enemies let vs pray to God to defend them And so likewise for our brethren here at home We heare how the pestilence raigneth in many places wee are not only to pray that God would heare them but more specially that God would defend them from it that are not in it and those that are that he would deliuer them out of it if it be his holy will And thus as we must pray one for another so wee see what wee should pray for So did the Martyrs one for another that God would giue them comfort in the prison and strength against the fire And thus it is written of Doctor Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury that when his fellow prisoners Doctor Ridley and Master Latimer were burnt at Oxford for the Gospell hee looking out of the prison where hee was cried The Lord Iesus strengthen you They had neede then of great patience and strength to beare such things and so hee prayed to God to giue them that which then they most needed So then if wee know any to be in any distresse of soule or bodie wee must pray for them according to their seuerall neede as if they bee tempted for sinne that God would comfort them with the forgiuenes of their sinne if they bee tempted vnto sin that God would strengthen them against the same and giue them the shield of faith Eph. 6.16 whereby they may quench all the firie darts of the diuell if they be fallen into sinne that God would raise them vp and giue them repentance if they bee poore and want meate drink or cloathing that God would giue them all things necessary for this life if they be in sicknes that God would giue them patience and health if they be oppressed with enemies that God would reuenge their cause if they be in any losse that God would recompence it vnto them And so it is not enough to say God be with them God helpe them or God blesse them but we must come further to this or that and pray God to giue it them according to their neede as here they pray for defence for their King in this daunger that hee was in And so wee see what wee haue to obserue out of these words generally The rest wee will prosecute the next day by the grace of God THE SIXT SERMON vpon the first verse The name of the God of Iacob defend thee All defence of all men commeth from God only DEfend thee We see from whence all defence and that of all men euen of Kings and of the greatest must come namely from God and so they professe also in the next verse when they pray Send thee helpe from the Sanctuary that is from heauen and so they testifie their faith in the sixt verse and say that they knew that God would helpe his annoynted and further they declare their faith in the words following when they oppose their confidence that they had in Gods defence to the vaine confidence that their enemies had in other things saying Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God Wee must then bee perswaded that no man can sufficiently defend himselfe in any danger by any wit policie or strength in himselfe neither can any others doe it for him no not Kings and Princes be they neuer so mightie And therefore the wise man must not trust in his wisedome nor the strong man in his strength Jerem 9 23. nor the rich man in his riches And as we must alwaies thus beleeue so most of all when we pray that so we renouncing all worldly helpe might look vp only vnto God and pray to him from whom only we beleeue that all our helpe must come as it is said in the Psalme Psal 121.2 My helpe commeth from the Lord who hath made the heauen the earth God hath appointed means for our defence in all things Both in the common-wealth Psal 144.2 as munition against forraine enemies yet he saith that it was he that subdued the people vnder him and it is hee and not the watchmen that keepe the citie as he acknowledgeth in another Psalme Except the Lord keepe the citie the keeper watcheth in vaine Psal 127.1 Therefore wee for our part must ascribe this defence that we haue had from forraine inuasion not to the seas which doe compasse vs in or to our strength of men and munition at home but to God and so giue thankes to him for it and pray to him still that hee would defend vs and his Church in this land For the Israelites though they had preuailed against their enemies before yet when they sinned and broke the commaundement of God Iosh 7.5 in the excommunicate goods they were smitten and fled before them so if the Lord should for our sinnes forsake vs and be our defender no more wee see what should become of vs. We haue other meanes also to defend vs in our houses from theeues and robbers as gates and doores And in our houses locks and barres yet they doe not keep vs night and day but God for they may be broken open as sometimes they are or by negligence may bee left open or there may bee some false-hearted within the doores
so vnlawfully none can striue with vs. Therefore let vs not haue such running lusts and wandering desires as the men of this world haue who desire earthly things and say as Dauid describeth them VVho wil shew vs any good But let vs pray as he teacheth vs there Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs Psal 4.6 and let vs esteeme of that as he doth there aboue all worldy things saying I shall haue more ioy of heart thereby than they had when their wheat and their wine did abound And then we are sure that our desires be well ordered and so all good men will help vs in their prayers say of vs as the people do here of their King The Lord graunt thee according to thine heart If then at any time we haue asked any thing at the hand of God and haue not receiued it If we aske and haue not let vs examine and correct our desires 1. Pet. 3.9 let vs consider what it is and how we haue asked it if it be any thing that is euill as the destruction of our enemies the curse of God vpon our neighbours whereas we should rather blesse them as the Apostle saith knowing that we are called to be heires of the blessing of God then no maruaile if God do not giue vs our desires Or if it be a lawfull thing yet we desire it not lawfully that is not according to Gods will as for example If we desire earthly things aboue heauenly as most doe or as concerning this visitation of the plague if we more desire that it might be taken away than that we our selues and others might profit by it generally if we more desire health and wealth estimation and worldly prosperitie than faith and repentance and the true feare of God and such like then these desires of our hearts no marueile if God graunt not Or againe if we desire not these outward things so that we can be contented to want them if it be not Gods will to giue them and to say with the Apostle I can be abased and I can abound Phil. 4.12 euery where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry and to abound and to haue want and what state soeuer I am in therewith to be content For otherwise neither can we pray our selues How we shold pray concerning this plague if we will be heard nor other for vs That God would giue vs according to our heart because the desires of the same are not fashioned according to his will Therefore both for the remouing of this plague and for all other things we must be of that mind that Dauid was when by the conspiring of his sonne Absalom he was driuen out of Ierusalem who said 2. Sam. 15.25 Carie the Arke again into the citie if I shall find fauor in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me againe and shew me both it and the tabernacle thereof But if he say thus I haue no delight in thee behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eyes Thus he resigned both his kingdome and life into Gods hands to haue them or loose them according to his will and then he receiued againe of God both the one and the other for Absolon was destroyed and he safely returned into Ierusalem So should we now much more receiue life and health in this great mortalitie if we did pray for them with these minds Heb. 11.17 19. that as Abraham was willing to offer vp his sonne Izaack vnto God and then he restored him vnto life as it were againe so we be willing to haue all if it be Gods will then will he restore all things vnto vs againe Therefore if God giue vs not that which we ask let vs thus profit to the examining and conuerting of our desires But to conclude for this time whereas all men generally desire that they might haue their heart satisfied and that whatsoeuer they haue a mind to they might haue it and this all sorts couet and seek after and therin consisteth great contentation and quietnesse of mind That we haue our desires in all things let vs nourish in vs continually none but good desires for those God wil fulfill The comfort of those that haue good desires and the vexation of them that haue euill But if we haue wicked and vngodly desires in our mind as the Lord will not fulfill them so this shall be no small crosse vnto vs that we are abridged of our desires So that all they that so liue that they make conscience euen of their desires and labour to keepe them within the compasse of Gods word and will their life is most pleasant and comfortable full of contentment for they shall soonest haue the desires of their heart from time to time But if we giue scope to our affections and suffer our desires to range beyond the bounds of Gods word and will as therein we displease him that they are so vnruly so we shall not be quiet for God will crosse them and not suffer vs to prosper in our wicked desires For though the wicked many times doe so for their further condemnation who often haue more than their hearts desire yet this is the ordinarie portion of Gods children that if their desires be good God will fulfill them as these of Dauids were and therefore God did so vnto him as he confesseth Psal 21.2 Thou hast giuen him his harts desire But if they be euill he will keepe them from them and we are to pray that he would doe so to that end that we might seeke to purge our hearts from all such sinfull desires And God graunt that we may thus profit by the not hauing of our desires to examine them whether they be good or ill and to amend whatsoeuer is amisse and so shall it be more profitable for vs to be hindered in such desires than to haue them fulfilled But we shall haue occasion to speake more of this the next day in the meane time let this be sufficient The thirteenth Sermon vpon the fourth verse And graunt thee according to thine heart c. COncerning these words besides that that hath ben obserued out of them alreadie it is further to be considered that whereas hee had willed them in the tenth verse to pray that God would heare his prayers and that he would euidently shew that he had done so and now that he would giue him according to his heart he declareth that as when he prayed vnto God he would doe it not with his lips only but from the bottome of his heart so hee would haue the Lord to take knowledge of his prayer from the desires of the same and giue him thereafter True ptayer is a desire of the heart and so to shew that he had heard his prayer by giuing him his hearts desire From whence we learne what is the nature of true
to fulfill our desires And thus doth Dauid euen for this very thing confessing openly that God had satisfied his desires when he saith Thou hast giuen him his hearts desire Psal 21.2 and hast not denied him the request of his lips where hee speaketh of himselfe and made that Psalme as a forme of publicke thanksgiuing vnto God for giuing him his desire in the ouerthrow of his enemies VVe in our time haue desired many things in our hearts and we haue not been disappointed of our desires but haue we in all of them so considered God to be the author of them that we haue giuen thankes vnto him for the same If we doe rightly examine our selues But most men faile greatly in this praise and call to mind the time past we shall find that for many things for which we haue prayed O Lord giue me according to my heart we haue not returned with this thankfull confession O Lord thou hast giuen me my hearts desire and hast not denied me the request of my lips And this is that that our Sauiour Christ complaineth of in the Gospell Luke 17.12 That when ten lepers did meet him they stood a farre off and all of them lift vp their voices and said Iesus master haue mercie on vs and all of them were healed But one of them when he saw that he was healed turned backe and with a loud voice praised God and fell downe at his feet and gaue him thankes And Iesus said are there not ten clensed but where are the nine There is none found that returned to giue God praise saue this stranger Thus though all of them had a great desire to be cleansed of that foule disease and did crie out earnestly vnto Christ for it yet but one of them did testifie his faith that he had receiued this benefit of Christ And this is a common fault in the world that scarce one among ten when they haue their desires and that of God and when they haue asked the same of him that are mindfull to giue thanks vnto God that gaue them their desire Many in their wants come to Christ and say Miserere to haue their desires satisfied but few afterwards returne with Alleluia to giue praise vnto him for the same This is that then which the Psalmist not without iust cause so often so earnestly calleth vpon men for and all sorts of men That when they haue bene in great affliction some one way some another and so for their reliefe and comfort they haue desired this and that according to their seuerall estates that when God hath deliuered them and giuen them their desire they would as well by giuing thankes vnto him declare that they beleeue that he onely did satisfie their desire as they did before by praying vnto him For hee saith That some haue bene in captiuitie Psal 107.3 and scattered into the enemies land and there they haue wandered in the wildernesse and desert out of the way found no citie to dwell in both hungrie and thirstie and their soule hath fainted in them Then they cryed vnto the Lord in their trouble and he deliuered them from their distresse Let them therefore saith he confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men for he satisfied the thirstie soule and filled the hungrie soule with goodnesse VVhere he prouoketh them to be thankefull acknowledging of the goodnesse of God with prayse when they haue found by experience how he hath satisfied their desires and would haue them shew that they beleeued that God gaue them their desires by a thankfull acknowledging of the same And so afterwards in the same Psalme he speaketh of others whereof some are deliuered from sickenesse and from death and some from prison and yrons and some from extreme hunger and all these according to their owne desire for he saith of all them Then they cried vnto the Lord in their trouble Verse 13. and he deliuered them from their distresse and would haue all of them likewise confesse to the glory of God and the good of others That God had giuen them their desire when he saith thus Verse 21. Let them therefore confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men and let them offer sacrifices of prayse and declare his workes with reioycing Verse 23. and let them exalt him in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly of the Elders VVhere we see that though he confesseth that all of them in their seuerall troubles doe cry vnto God for helpe as beleeuing that he onely can giue them their desires yet he doth not say that all after their deliuerances doe declare their faith in Gods prouidence by giuing him thankes but this he exhorteth them vnto and wisheth that it might be so saying Let them therefore confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse or oh that they would thus doe So must we do when he shall giue vs our desires in taking away the plague Shewing that though it be mens duty yet many of them are so farre from it that it is rather to be wished and desired than to be looked for at their hands Therefore if it shall please the Lord to be mercifull vnto vs and this way to giue vs our desire by taking away this grieuous rod from our backes and causing this pestilence to cease which hath a long time walked in the darkenesse Psal 91.6 and destroyed at noone day and of which there hath fallen a thousand on the one side and ten thousand on the other we must remember to bee thankefull vnto him for it and let him haue as many prayses from vs for giuing vs our hearts desires as now he hath prayers for it and let vs remember it the rather because we are more prone to crie vnto God in our troubles as others haue done than we are afterwards to confesse his louing kindnesse and his wonderfull works before the sonnes of men and to exalt him in the congregation of the people and to praise him in the assembly of the Elders as we haue heard euen now out of the Psalme And let vs be heartily sory that for so many desires of ours both for soule and body for our selues and ours we haue bene so vnthankefull which might iustly moue him to abridge vs now and to cut vs short of our desire in this thing which doth so greatly concerne the good of vs all and of many thousands of our brethren And this is that which we haue to obserue out of the first part of this verse Fulfill all thy purpose or counsell The second followeth after this manner And fulfill all thy purpose This latter part of the verse conteineth almost the very same petition that the former did sauing that here is somewhat more namely that whereas men when they haue a desire vnto a thing and would faine
to encourage men to desire others to pray for them in the time of their need Therefore when many striue together of vnequal strength about one thing as to remooue a great stone or some peece of timber if there be among them young men or women and children and sicke folke and such as can doe little or nothing and but one strong man in their company like vnto the great gyant Goliah or vnto Samson though all of them may helpe some thing yet this one by his great strength shall doe so much that all that the other doe shall not be discerned and so all shall be ascribed vnto him and he alone shall be said to doe it because all of them could not haue done it without him and they all did nothing in comparison of him And besides he may be of that great wisedome and so know the measure of his strength and what is fit for such a purpose that he may say whiles they are about it or before they begin Now I know that the thing is ouercome or as good as done when others shall feare that they shall doe no great matter or are like neuer to preuaile and so they shall not onely obtaine their purpose by his meanes but by his wordes be encouraged in the doing of it yea comforted before they begin So is it when many of vnequall faith pray together Therefore as it is well for them that shall haue such strong men in their company to labour with them so shall it be much more happy for those that shall haue them that are now weake in faith to pray for them The like may be sayd of that that befell the Iewes in the dayes of king Hezekiah as it is set downe in the second booke of the Chronicles 2. Chro. 32.1 where first it is said that Saneherib king of Ashur when he came vp against Ierusalem with a great host they were all afraid of his greatnesse but at last this good king getteth by prayer more assurance of faith then the rest and so bad his nobles and people not feare him Verse 7. Hezekiah had assurance of Gods helpe for the comfort of all his people saying Be strong and couragious feare not neither be afraid for the king of Asshur neither for all the multitude that is with him for there bee more with vs than bee with him with him is an arme of flesh but with vs is the Lord our God to helpe vs and to fight our battels and then it is said that the people were comforted by his words insinuating that they were wauering and doubtfull before Now that he came to this assurance by prayer there is no doubt though there be no mention of it in these words for besides that the Lord doth thus vnusually giue it as hath beene seene before this good king in this distresse we may be assured did not neglect it especially when afterwards in the same chapter there is mention made of his prayer Thus the king for himselfe and for the rest had this assured vnto him that he knew that God would helpe them so was not only comforted himselfe but comforted others in this great feare Afterwards it fell out that when the daunger increased and his faith somewhat fayled he receiued this benefit of comfort in his feare from another euen for the Prophet Isaijah For it is said And afterwards the Prophet had it for the comfort of the king Verse 20. that after this the king of Asshur sent his captaine Rabsakeh who with great threatning and rayling wordes sought to terrifie the people who to that end cried out vnto them vpon the wall in the Iewish language Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the Prophet prayed against this and cryed to heauen but it seemeth that the king for all this had yet no great assurance in himselfe that God would deliuer him but Isaiah that prayed with him had it for him and for the rest and did comfort him For it is thus written of Hezehiah that he went into the house of the Lord to pray and sent messengers to the Prophet to desire him 2. King 19.1 that he would do so to and so he did and thereupon sent him this message which assurance God gaue him by prayer for the rest That he should not feare his words Verse 10. for he would send a blast vpon him and he should heare a noyse and should returne into his owne land and there he should die by the sword as it also came to passe And here though hee was a Prophet to whom God shewed many things extraordinarily yet he prepared him for that worke of his spirit and prayer being one speciall meanes to make vs fit to receiue any grace of the spirit here it is said that he prayed and had this assurance And so here in this distresse many praying together the Prophet Isaiah onely for all the rest sayth Now know I that the Lord will heare and helpe vs. But before this I should haue placed the example of that good king Iehoshaphat which is set downe also in the same booke of the Chronicles both because it was before this in order of time and especially because it is most fit for this purpose 2. Chron. 20 2. Iehoshaphat praying for helpe against his enemies one of the cōpany had assurance of it for all the rest For in his dayes a great hoast of the Ammonites and Moabites and out of mount Seir came vp against Ierusalem which did so terrifie him and all the rest of his people that he set himselfe to feare the Lord and proclaimed a fast through all Iudah and they all gathered themselues together to aske counsell of the Lord and they came vp out of all cities of Iudah to inquire of the Lord and Iehoshaphat was in this congregation in the house of the Lord and there in the midst of them made a feruent prayer vnto God for helpe against them saying O Lord God of our fathers c. Verse 14. as it is set downe at large there And it is further added that there was one Iahaziel a Leuit and vpon him after or in the time of this prayer came the spirit of the Lord in the middest of the Congregation and hee said Hearken ye all Iudah and you inhabitants of Ierusalem and thou king Iehoshaphat Thus sayth the Lord vnto you feare not neither be afraid of this great multitude for the battell is not yours but Gods to morrow go you down and meet with them in such a place ye shall not need to fight in this battell stand still moue not and behold the saluation of the Lord towards you again very confidently he biddeth them not feare but go out against them the Lord would be with them and so it came to passe as appeareth in the same chapter for the Lord layd ambushments against them so that the children of Amon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of mount Seir