good is to be willed by us the greatest is so too nor is the propriety of any thing but the goodness of it the only reason why it is the object of our will In few words That the greatest good of the whole Universe in respect of Intension and Duration be the ultimate Object of our Wills always either immediately or mediately actually or habitually and not that of any part and therefore not of our selves In which one Doctrine is all formal Virtue contained and from it are all particular Virtues easily deduced This is the first and great Law of Nature or which is invented or judged true by our natural reason 1. Plainly like as in the animal body or rather the compounded creature man that we may comprehend the nature of Virtue by a most easie similitude all the functions and operations of each particular member are supposed to be performed not for its own or any other member's proper good but for the greatest good of the whole body or rather of the whole man in which their won too so far as it is constitutive or any way effective thereof is necessarily included so very easie and obvious is the confutation of all those false systems or hypotheses of morality which make virtue to consist in all our dutys to be deduced from ultimate self-love The vast and most universal importance of this truth and it s not being yet so commonly minded as it should may I hope be a sufficient excuse for the seeming importune and unnecessary mentioning and interposing of it in the following Treatise Add to this those other as they are ordinarily called Laws of Nature Such as are that God or an all-perfect Being is to be worshipped that is honoured prayed to be obeyed c. that we ought not to make happy the wicked nor unhappy the righteous or those who will and endeavour the most publick or universal good that we ought to be beneficent grateful to our Benefactors and particularly to Parents and scores the like All which are nothing else but such Dispositions and Actions which by Reason or Experience have been found and concluded to have more good Effects than their contraries or than their Omission or to be most for the universal and common good and are indeed Rules or Directions for our Prudence 2. As are generally the voluminous resolutions of those which are called cases of Conscience to obtaine the ultimate End of all our Wills and Actions viz. the greatest good of the Whole in the willing of which Eâ—d only is that which I call Virtue and without which there is none at all These I say and such like Doctrines and Truths being made known from God to the Minds of Men by their Faculties of Invention and Reasoning with which he hath caused them to be born are very well termâ—d Natural Religion Those Doctrines concerning our Duty c. which are made known either immediately or mediately by Revelation are called Revealed Religion I say immediately or mediately They may be made known immediately from God to the Person himself who is to know and practise and no Man can tell how much this is or hath been in all Parts and Ages of the World insomuch that a good part of that which hath been thought natural especially some more spiritual and extraordinary Truths may be revâ—aled inspired or suggested to some Men though the same things may have been known naturally by othâ—rs too For who can tell just how much to whom and when God hath immediate Influence upon the Understandings of Men Again They may be revealed mediately by others and that by Angels or Men. The first was done to all the Prophets except Moses according to the Jews The second to all Men who have received any Doctrines from the Prophets Among the Prophets by whom God hath revealed these Doctrines there have been two the most eminent and illustrious Moses first and then Jesus Christ the Messias â—ore-â—old and promised by Moses himself and many other of the Prophets The first of these gave the Jews an entire System of Laâ—s and other Doctrines The second partly by himself but principâ—lly by some of his Disciples delivered a great many to all Man-kind The first is called the Mosâ—ical or Jewish the second the Christian Religion From this sense of Religion it is 〈◊〉 that it can be nothing but Sâ—â—â—shness â—gâ—orance or Madness that can make Men hate or despise it in general For is it possible for any thing else to put no difference between Actions to have no Rules thereof to despise that â—hich teacheth them as if all things were alâ—ke â—ligible and yet there are such bruâ—â—sh Persons who would not be troubled with the Choice and Pâ—rsuance of any 〈◊〉 though it be only their own personal good But would rather â—ollow their fortuitous Imaginations and Inclinations They hate to take any Pains to consine or direct their Choices and Inclinations by any Rules though such as are only to obtain their own greatest bodily and worldly good But indeed those generally who contemn or hate Religion mean by it not all Directioâ—s of their Liâ—e and Actions for they have Wiâ— enough to like well Epicurean brutish Morality but the true natural and especially revealed Religion which contain such Rules of their Duty and other Doctrines as are contrary to their selfish inordinate and immoderate Appetites or Lusts of Malice Pride and Sensuality which teach and help Men to restrain and mortifie them and to introduce a Universal Goodness Piety Charity Humility Spirituality and other as comprehensive Virtues which want Names But what can be more evident than that if ought be to preferred before ought not if the greatest Perfection and Felicity of the whole World nay of every particular Person be valuable and to be preferred before their Imperfection and Misery It must be insufferable Selfishness and Pride together with desirable Ignorance and Folly that must cause them to regard it without the greatest Reverence and Love And as for the Christian Religion it is certain that in general all its Doctrines are so confirmed or at least uncontradicted by the natural and Catholick Religion and particularly all those which concern our Duty are if rightly interpreted so perfectly such not any being yet deprehended or made good to be otherwise by the most witty and malicious or wise honest and unprejudiced with so much assurance simplicity and sincerity delivered Also all its other assistant Doctrines concerning God's Nature and Actions Jesus Christ the Messenger of it good and bad Spirits Man-kind their Original Nature Duration c. This may be no inconvenient Method for a System of Christian Religion are so truly useful to make Men the most perfectly virtuous and holy or to perform their Duty so pleasant to contemplate by reason of their strangeness and greatness that it must needs be the most seriously and deliberatedly loved and admired by the wisest and best men One part of the Doctrines that
is it unworthy our observation that among many other inconveniencies which may be mentioned there seemâ—â—ar greater danger of a greater and speedieâ— corruption of the Christian Doctrine in â— vast number of little Independent Societies whereof some if not most would consist â— very ignorant and weak persons than in â— smaller number of large ones It is notoriously true indeed that thâ— Church of Rome hath monstrously swelled the bulk of Articles of Doctrine and Riteâ— of Discipline into hundreds whereof a greâ—â— number are false or doubtful useless or miâ—chievous but it is to be considered that theâ— have been breeding and multiplying manâ— hundreds of years But so much for this nâ—â— altogâ—ther a Digression Moreover it may be observed that thiâ— Publick Prayer though made by many togâ—ther yet may be for one private Person 〈◊〉 is not necessary that what is here prayeâ— should be the Wants of all but they may alâ— join in their Prayers for one And therefore it may here be advised that if in any Prayeâ— something happen to be said which doth noâ— concern us yet supposing it to be true and just we may join in the Prayer for them whâ— do want it be they who they will in the Congregation Though we do not know the particular Person God doth And so may it be in an Acknowledgment and Confession of Sins A Man may use it thus viz. though he himself should be guiltless yet he may acknowledge that those are Sins and are to be acknowledged and confessed by those that are guilty whosoever they be in the Congregation The like is to be done in Thanksgiving and in singing of Psalms which usually contain these and other parts of a Prayer before mentioned The Psalms also are always to be recited as a history of the thoughts and affections and condition of some holy and devout person though one should not have or be in the like himself SECT V. V. A Fifth Distinction of Prayers is usually taken from the Persons concerned And so a Prayer at least many of the Ingredients in it may be either for ones self or for other Persons whether the Prayer be Publick Private or Secret Thus our Petitions and Thanksgivings and Acknowledgments may be for the whole Creation for all the Inhabitants of this Earth all Mankind we may petition and thank God for his Goodness to us and to all Men to the Church or Christian Society to the Nation of which we are Members to the Parish or Place of our Habitation to the Family in which we live to any Society to which we any way belong to our selves or any other part or parcel of God's Creation capable of receiving any thing from God and acknowledging him for it according as their Wants and Capacities are And the greater the Number of these is on whose behalf we pray or give thanks the more comprehensive and extended the more fervent and enlarged should we be therein And so it should be in our Prayers for those upon whose good the good of others much depends and whose good is a more comprehensive and diffused good such as Governours of all sorts Civil and Ecclesiastical and any Persons who have Riches Power Wisdom and Knowledge or any ability to do good that they may have an answerable Goodness This kind of Prayer is especially fit for Publick Prayer Thus I have dispatched the Second general Head viz. some of the sorts of Prayer CHAP. III. SECT I. III. WE proceed to the Matter or Contents of Prayer or Petition not of a Prayer which as we have said consists of Petition and many other Parts as express Acknowledgment of the Divine Perfections c. which we have mentioned There are in General but two Qualifications of our Petitions or the things we ask First That they be just and righteous or that it is just and fit they should be given us that is procurative of or at least consistent with the greatest Good of the whole Universe Secondly That we want them If the things be not just we ought not to ask them and if we have them already we need not though the continuance of them we may Now the things which it may be most just for God to give and which we may at some time or other want may be such as these The principal thing to be asked and the greatest good that we can ask or God give is our greatest Perfection viz. Holiness Righteousness Goodness sincere Conscientiousness a good honest Mind and Heart Virtue Grace as it is usually called All which signifie the same general thing with some small Differences viz. a Will habitually inclin'd to a Man's Duty to what is right what his sincere Conscience or Judgment of Right or Wrong directs him to and commands him We are to ask and beg of God most earnestly as the greatest Boon he can give that he would beget or ingenerate in us Grace in some considerable degree for all Men have it is likely some faint and little one already the worst of Men hath hardly quite extinguished this Tendency or Appetite after Righteousness that he would increase and augment make it more vigorous and strong in us and at least to be so strong as to be prevalent over all our other Appetites and Inclinations That we may habitually more desire will and love Holiness than Riches Honours all sensual Pleasures and Delights finally than all things the Heart of Man can desire besides Nay that we may love it in such manner and its great Instance Universal Love with its Object the greatest good of the whole Universe as to love it only and in all other things or all other thingâ— for its sake that they may make us more holy universally charitable humble c. or help us to obtain the Ends thereof that they may make us more to be good or to do good Further that God would make us more univerâ—ally and more constantly so in all things and to our Lives End That God would quite extinguish and mortifie in us the Inordinacy and Immoderacy of all our Appetites and Affections that is our Lusts That our Affections may never be to any other Object whatsoever ultimately and for it self and never beyond its due Measure but habitually always for the End and in such Measure as that we may do the most good save our own Souls that is bring them to a State of the greatest Perfection and Happiness and please God That our Affections inordinate and immoderate may cease so to be and be turned ultimately to and in the highest degree placed upon Holiness and the things so often mentioned to which we were before but too dead and cold that is that we may be converted and renewed That God would give us to reflect seriously upon the Badness and Sinfulness of our past and present Tempers and Actions to be sorry heartily for it to hate and detest it inwardly between God and our Consciences in the highest degree and resolve to
habitual Temper or Inclination Prayer therefore thus performed by a rightly informed discrect and knowing Soul according to its Fervency and Frequency hath a most natutural Influence to preserve and strengthen us to make us grow in all Goodness And the neglect of it may reasonably very often not always because there are other Means be the Cause of Persons declining and growing more cold and indifferent in all their Duty I do not say that all Prayer is a necessary Means of Mens growth in Goodness not are we presently to expect such mighty difference between all those who pray and those who do not And then upon any disappointment by the miscarriages of some who use it gladly take occasion to reproach or despise the Duty as a useless but troublesome thing as some naughty men are apt to do For men may perform it very erroneously idly and carelesly And then they may so engage their Affections with that Concern and Constancy to other Objects in the World after they have done their Prayer that they may quite forget it or drown and overcome the good Sense and Affections they had therein Whence their Prayers are but little effectual From all these Causes it often comes to pass that you may see those that are not negligent in this Duty or Performance but frequent and constant and long too so bad in their Tempers Lives and Actions all the Day that you can see little Difference between them and those who do not pray at all Little I say for I am apt to think there is some general good usually by the meanest performance of it and Men who are bad would otherwise generally be much worse and therefore though Men seem to be very little the better for their Prayers I would not have them to leave them quite off for all that As for Acknowledgment of God's excellent Perfections his infinite Power Wisdom Universal Goodness his Bounty Mercy Justice c. which is another Ingredient in a Prayer It is manifest That the oftner we do this the more Spiritual our Minds are and we see that by Exercise and Use we apprehend and conceive these spiritual things more strongly and clearly and our Affections too of Honour Admiration Reverence Fair Faith Hope Joy in God and Love to him grow more substantial and real more strong and vigorous not so faint and languid so that we feel them in our Breasts as really and as powerfully as to any other Object we come to have a real Understanding Perception Sense and Affection for those things when they are named we know and feel them in our Minds and Hearts we know what it is and have it as really in our selves to honour fear and love God for his infinite Perfections though invisible as a Prince attended with all his Ensigns of Majesty and Greatness and whom we know to be as wise and good as great By our frequent Converse thus of our Minds with God he becomes readily a very real thing to us is really perceived by us and hath real Influence upon our Affections whereas before we thus begun to use our selves the Name of God and of all his Attributes and Perfections was an insignificant thing to us we understood little or nothing by it and no more affected with it most times than our Statues of Wood or Stone would be We might hear much talk and read much of God indeed or his excellent Nature and Attributes but little know what they meant We apprehended better and more were much more affected with some little particular kindness of any honest or good Neighbour than with the infinite Bounâ—y and Goodness of God who is the constant Cause and Author to us and to all things of all the good things we all have and enjoy Moreover in some Prayers as secret Prayers where we may have time to apply our Thoughts to what we please we do not only transiently which if frequent will do a great deal but also fixedly and for a longer time attend sometimes to one or more of these infinite Perfections of God when we acknowledge them whence a more particular discovery and clear apprehension of the Greatness thereof insomuch that the Soul may break forth into Raptures of sutable Passions that is great and sudden Violences thereof As for Example If a Man contemplating the Power of God should attend to the Greatness and Vastness Excellency and Nobleness and Strangeness of the Nature of things he hath made were it but only of the indefinitely extended material World much more of the intellectual or the World of Spirits Or contemplating his Wisdom should attend to this that all things that we and all the rational Creatures in Heaven and Earth know by little Parcels and successively to Eternity it self are all present at once to that infinite Understanding or contemplating his Goodness should take notice of the Freedome of it he being infinitely powerful thâ— Immutability of it the Universality anâ— that all the greatest Evils that so seem to uâ— are permitted or appointed out of Goodnesâ— and the least of things and most miâ—uâ— disposed by the same Goodness the best waâ— that can be or should take notice of somâ— one or more excellent Instances thereof â— his free and ready pardoning upon Repentance the fottish Heedlesness and sometime the malicious Rebellion and insolent Contempt of his own pitiful Creatures againâ— him I say a Man contemplating these Perfections thus and attending to some such thingâ— therein will more strongly apprehend them and sometimes be affected and seized wiâ— the greatest Violence and Raptures of sutabâ— Passions Such as we often meet withal iâ— the Psalms when David in his Acknowledgement of God glanced at and discovered or â—â—â— more steadily and clearly his Wisdom Power Mercy Goodness Righteousness in some Instances or Effects As in Psalm 36. Verse 5. Thy Mercy O Lord is in the Heavens and thy Faithfulness reacheth unto the Clouds That is thy Mercy and Goodness particularly expressing it self in thy faithful performing thy Promises is every where and in all thy Creation manifesteth it self thy Righteousness â— like the great Mountains That is again thy Universal Goodness is vast as to Extension and unmoveable and unchangeable as to Duraâ—ion For so are the Mountains as far as we observe compared with other things thy â—udgments are a great Deep The infinite Decrees and Resolutions of thy Will few of them known and all done with an incomprehensible Wisdom and Knowledge O Lord thou preservest Man and Beast All Creatures are maintained by thee Then upon this Contemplation and Reflection he breaks forth in the next Verse O how excellent and â—recious is thy Loving-kindness therefore the Children of Men shall put their trust in the shadow of thy wings Now the real clear strong and vigorous Apprehension of and Affections towards these divine Attributes or this excellent Nature of God do more powerfully dispose our Minds to Imitation of and Obedience to God and consequently to
infinite Wisdom of God his all-seeing and comprehending Knowledge that he is the searcher of Hearts and knows perfectly and better than our selves the best and worst of our Thoughts Counsels Designs Tendencies Inclinations Choices and Delights of our Hearts He knows both our Honesty Simplicity and Sincerity and also our Partiality Hypocrisie and secret Badness not known or perceived by others at all nor by our selves perhaps till we be of an advised calm humble modest and sincere Temper such are further the Universal Goodness of God his particular Mercy or Bounty his Justice and Severity our Dependence upon God and our absolute Need of him that we cannot be nor hope for any good thing with any Reason but from him Such is his infinite uncontroulable Power that he can turn us out of Being or into Misery here and hereafter take from us our Lives Strengths Healths Riches Reputation Parts or Gifts which we may use lewdly wickedly proudly when he pleaseth make us sneaking sickly poor contemptible Sots or Dâ—nces in this Life and hereafter turn us into everlasting Punishment without Repentance and Amendment Such again are when we confess our Sins our Sins themselves what they are their Vileness Iniquity Folly Shamefulness But the Peace and Satisfaction of Conscience arising from a free and hearty Confession of Sin and Sense of an internal sincere unconstrain'd Hatred and Contempt of it and a firm and generous Resolution of being good for the future I say our praying frequently will bring such things as these are into our Minds bring them to our Observation and Memory and be a cause too of their coming to our Minds upon any Occasion of themselves without our Direction Whereas otherwise we should have never it may be once had thought of some of those things and of others of them very rarely and slightly And so we see by Experience that generally those who most neglect this Duty of Prayer publick private secret set and fixed or at least occasional and ejaculatory perpetually only employ themselves about other matters and more rarely think of these things and such like Some never have them come into their Thoughts all their Lives time others think not of them not in a Day a Week a longer time and when they do it is very transiently and slightly and these excellent things are soon turned out because not liked God and their Duty and their Happiness and things that belong hereto are not in all their Thoughts sometimes especially this is seen in those who if they should not have Time or Ability or Opportunity to pray in private or secret which is an ordinary Excuse hereafter to be answered yet surely want not the Opportunity of the Publick where Prayers are provided for them and something else But yet sottishly and carelesly they sit and loll at Home and it may be do worse or idly ramble abroad We see that these are generally Persons void of the most ordinary Degree of Goodness even of Humanity it self who care for neither God nor Man wretched Brutes who when God out of his unspeakable Goodness hath so highly honoured them with a capacity of knowing and worshipping honouring loving and obeying him of conversation and communion with himself yet will not make use thereof but impudently by this their Carriage in Particular dare proclaim to the World that they care not for him and will have nothing to do with him and wilfully descend so far to be like the Beasts But God will have to do with them and Time will come when neither God nor Man will pity their intolerable Torment and they shall howl under the just Wrath of that God whom they would not love or honour And all honest and but tolerably well minded Men that have but any respect for their Creator much more Christians and have not cast away all Sense of him ought after neighbourly Advice and Admonition if they will not amend to have an Abhorrency of such Persons as such as well as Pity for them as capable of better things But now to proceed The oftner our Duty in general or our particular Duties come to our Thoughts the more likely it is we shall practise them The oftner our Faults come to our Minds and we remember them the more likely we shall avoid and mend them The oftner we think of God but in general much more in particular of his Power all-seeing Knowledge his Goodness his Mercy Justice consequently Heaven Hell the more surely shall we be disposed to do our Duty and have a Care of and abstain from all Sin Our Prayers therefore being the Occasion of bringing such things as these are into our Thoughts and of furnishing our Memory therewith and of their often actually appearing and occurring to us will be also one Means â—â— preserving us in any degree of Goodneâ— we have and continually mending us aâ— making us better And so much the morâ— by how much they are the more frequeâ— the more time we spend therein and we câ— spare from the necessary Occasions of Life which we ought not to neglect or omit â— we observe we shall find that mens thoughtâ— affections and inclinations are generally moâ— real and vigorous to those things about whâ—â— they are most frequently employed Tâ—â— reason of which is most easie and naturâ— Nor is it to be hoped that men should be of â— more intellectual and virtuous spiritual anâ— religious temper till they employ more timâ— about such matters And hence it comes tâ— pass that the publick Worship of God anâ— private too though constantly at appointeâ— times used do so little good yet some anâ— are so little influential upon mens temper anâ— actions Where they have one thought oâ— affection about their duty or those thingâ— which may dispose them to practise it they have thousands about other objects Nâ—â— wonder that their advantage of frequency maintains the prevalence of their influence And because our Ability or Opportunity may be less for set times ejaculatory Prayers are fittest and easiest to be frequently used which may be done by sober and honest Minds upoâ— all Occasions One even at his Plow-handle â—or in his Shop surely may upon any Occaâ—ion often acknowledge God's Blessing his Power Wisdom Goodness in preparing things for the Use of Man in his poor Life and particularly in giving good Seasons good Trading Honesty Reputation competent Gain or he may acknowledge his Power and Justice and his own or other Mens Faults whereby he provokes God when he observes ill-natured or barren Ground or unseasonable Weather or Commodities spoiled or Trade fail or other evil things and may pray to God to continue the forementioned good Blessings and to give men thankful and obedient Hearts and Lives for them or to prevent and remove those evil things which they fear or feel and in order thereto that they may see what is amiss in themselves and mend that as perhaps Neglect of God and to serve him I say any one at
do well to be advised whether it proceeds not from some secret inclination to diminish and abate the esteem of Piety or of our Duties towards God because they themselves do not understand the ineffable pleasure and profit thereof when duly performed or are less sufficient and apt for them by spirituality of mind They may reflect also and observe whether it comes not from selfishness and that in mean and small instances of the good things of this worldly Life It is possible for men highly to commend the above-named Virtues only that the happiness of their present worldly Life might not be disturbed that they themselves might attain and enjoy peace quiet some plentiful or honourable condition of Life When it is thus although the Virtues they praise are truly excellent and abundantly deserve it yet there is no Virtue at all in them nor any thing more than a mean and little Spirit viz. selfish and worldly The Second thing that makes us more sensible of the Excellency of this part of our Duty which is towards God is the unusualness of it that it is not so ordinary a thing We see men oft-times charitable good-natured well disposed compassionate candid just veracious and in many Instances humble and temperate and that from a plain and honest Conscience and general Sense of their Duty who notwithstanding more rarely think of God or perform any part of the fore-named Duties to him The principal Reason of which is because most mens minds are dull and gross by reason of their bodily temper and want of Education and cannot without difficulty perceive any thing of God or other Spiritual matters which notwithstanding by exercise and usage they may much help God also assisting their endeavours These I suppose may have been those who have been called by some meer moral persons who notwithstanding are far from being contemptible For their defect is not in their will they loving and desiring to do their Duty universally to God and their Neighbour which consists in loving them but in their understanding and memory they not being so sufficient and fitted to apprehend or retain such purely spiritual natures as God is and any reasoning concerning things belonging to him They are often much better persons than those who are more apt to apprehend remember and talk all day of Points in Divinity or any Religious Matters and therefore ready to despise them The greatest part of men far nay few are otherwise are either bad or very inept for more spiritual Objects and therefore usually much neglect particular Duties towards God Wherefore when we see men generally so negligent of their Duties to God especially in Prayer and many living as if there were none but take notice that we for our parts are not guilty thereof but are careful and greatly delight to observe our Duty towards him we are the more sensible of the excellency of it What 's rare we think it hard to be obtained and are apt to think it Excellent But here we shall do well to have a care of Pride and a mischievous mistake We must have a care we please not our selves in our superiority to others as the Pharisee did to the Publican We may if we have not a care not so much please our selves in having done our just and reasonable Duty as in having done that which so few others do which others for the most part do not and therefore in our superiority to others whereas as we should please our selves and be well satisfied in the discharge of so excellent a Duty so we should heartily wish all others may be able and willing to do the like not insult over others as the Pharisee who thanked God he was not as the Publican for he fasted twice a Week c. he was more pleased that he was better than other men than that he was good Others falling short of their Duty by neglect may make us more sensible of our happiness in performing ours because a thing is best apprehended when compared with its contrary but by no means should it make us please our selves in being superiour to them and consequently in their being bad or negligent Further We must have a care of conceiting our selves presently so dear and acceptable to God that he must needs grant us in particular what we will have that he must do for us what we shall desire be always of our side We must have a care we do not behave our selves as if we had obliged God we for our parts worshipping acknowledging honouring and loving of him wheâ— others quite forget and neglect him Moreover It is not all kind of Prayers that is so excellent a part of our Duty but such as I have formerly described and yet men are apt for any performance of this Duty when there is little good in it and if somewhat good yet somewhat and much more bad to think highly of and to be greatly pleased with themselves and that they are very dear and acceptable to God There is nothing or no great matter in Prayer when a man prays words without understanding and sense or sense without affection and inclination of Soul or affectionately without sense not moved by the truth and excellency conceived so at least by him of the matter he prays but meerly or principally by certain Words and Phrases with their circumstances of vehemency or lowdness and softness gravity and acuteness or the mutual mixtures of these which is called Accent or Tone or by other external bodily signs of corporeal passions There is no great matter when men pray in a formal verbal heartless senseless Prayer and yet men are apt to be very well satisfied with themselves and to have a very good opinion of themselves for the performance Or suppose there be in our Prayers great passions to things false or unjust or that there is vain â—nd false self-conceit for a man 's own holiness and God's peculiar love to him and he thanks God for that which is not or which â—s bad suppose that there be Pride Envy Revenge or other Instances of Self-love in our Prayers and much more of them than of any thing that is good such as acknowledgment of God's Attributes and particularly of our dependence upon him by praying to him and thanking him which are in all Prayers that are not meer words I say Suppose our Prayers to be such As I doubt hath been and is but too frequent and then they are so far from being any part of our Duty that they are generally taken sins wicked and abominable things And yet men meerly for some few general good things in them not taking notice of what 's bad or if they do yet confessing the iniquity of their holy things and thinking all that is done away and pardoned in Christ the good only remaining though they have the same temper still from whence these bad things sprung may conceit themselves to have performed a most excellent part of their Duty And
this principally because it is extraordinary few men do so much most men quite neglect God take little notice of him make any acknowledgment of him And hence further may they believe themselves in general very extraordinary excellent persons and that without doubt they are highly in God's favour most precious and acceptable to him his praying people and consequently that he will do any thing for them and for their sakes These Abuses and Mistakes I have mentioned that they might be prevented Be it sure that when a man reflects upon his having prayed to God and is very well satisfied and pleased therewith it be nothing but what is really good that pleaseth him Not for Example his singularity or superiority to other men but the spirituality of his mind and the well-disposedness of his Soul his true love to Goodness Universally Hatred of Sin Love and Thankfulness to God Honour Reverence Obedience Faith Dependence and Trust in Him the actual Exercise of these and â— temper of mind from whence they proceed and to which they tend Let him be sure also that these things were in his praying to God not in general highly pleasing himself in having prayed when there was little of them but indeed much more of such worthless or wicked things I have above mentioned The being thus well assured of the goodness of our Prayers as it will in good mens minds raise up great delight and satisfaction so also it ought that we may be encouraged still to go on in the performance of so excellent a Duty whereby we shall still be rendred better more able and disposed by being good to serve and please God and to do good in the World And we ought to give hearty thanks to God that our Souls are so well tempered as to be pleased and delighted with such things SECT X. IV. PRaying procures Delight Joy and Satisfaction of Mind by God's special immediate Influence God may no doubt in our praying to him some ways perfect all the Operations of our Souls He may bring things either unknown or known before to our minds that is reveal or suggest he may cause us to attend to perceive and understand things more clearly and strongly that is illuminate our minds he may also excite and strengthen our Love to our Duty Sorrow for Sin Love to any particular Duty Love to himself Honour Reverence Humble Address and Dependence Faith submissive and obediential Resolution So likewise surely he may excite and diffuse through our Souls Joy Delight Satisfaction from the Exercise of all these immediately more than would otherwise be without this his especial immediate Action or Influence And that God doth do thus the Scripture plainly affirms and Reason it self insomuch that Philosophers have taught it would conclude it probable Xenoph. Sen. Cicero as well for other reasons as particularly to draw and encourage us to the more frequent and vivid Exercise of these excellent Operations of our Souls of these Graces in us And 't is this which makes that which is called Communion or rather Union with God in Prayer compleat For to have God the Object of the Operations of our Souls to direct our Souls to God and then for God again to make our Souls the Object of his Action or Influence and the more of it as there is in the more especial and immediate influence of God the more the Communion is or may very properly be called Unioâ— or Conversation of our Souls with God and is a thing easily understood by all but more felt by some men who are truly called godly and holy men The Union between two spiritual substances cannot be understood to be any other than by the mutual intercourse of operations and is much more really so than that which is between two bodys And here we may easily understand that this Conversation with God is not only confined to Prayer but may be referr'd to all our Lives in any part of which we may direct the Operations of our Souls to him as when we do any thing in obedience to his Commands and he may again have immediate influence upon us as to suggest and strengthen us in our Obedience any the ways before mentioned And the frequenter and more vigorous these things are in man's Life the more he may be said to have Communion or Union with God in his Life or to Converse with God And thus much for the Second sort of Benefits of Praying SECT XI III. THe Third sort of general good Effects or Benefits of Praying are those which are Helps and Means both of our Goodness and Comfort of which I shall at present name but Two viz. Spirituality and Enlargedness of Soul 1. Spirituality By which I mean such a temper of Soul whereby a man is apt to apprehend and be affected with Intellectual or Spiritual Objects whether Absolute as the Nature and Properties of all Spiritual Beings such as our own Souls Angels God himself Or Relative as all the Relations and Habitudes of things one to another such as Cause and Effect Contrariety Similitude Connexion and Repugnancy c. the successive apprehension of which two last is called Reasoning It is manifest That the Objects about which our minds are conversant in Prayer are chiefly those of the first sort God and his Attributes our Souls and their several Perfections and Imperfections as Ignorance and Knowledge Errour and Truth Vices and Virtues or Sins and Graces c. Now by frequent Exercise and Usage of our selves to Prayer these Objects become familiar to us and such as we readily and clearly conceive and apprehend and which really and strongly affect us whereas those men who never Pray or otherwise use their minds to them are only sensual and corporeal or carnally minded that is such who can only conceive and are affected with sensible things and somewhat of reasoning sometimes dully enough too about them but strangely inept to spiritual things blind and sensless in them But further This Spirituality of Mind is manifestly a great preparation of Soul for Virtue and Goodness because they are spiritual things It fits our Souls to apprehend their Nature to see their Beauty and Excellency the natural necessary Efficiency or Causality that is in them of the Happiness of the World which can be discovered in no other thing and consequently really to approve honour admire and love them Moreover the very same temper of Soul whether from the subtilty and calmness of the Spirits or any other cause which disposeth to Spirituality disposeth also to Benignity or Love which when it is universal and impartial is the only Instance and Subject of Virtue and Goodness Finally The Pleasure and Joy which the Soul perceives from her Conversation with Spiritual Objects is far more profound and piercing more lasting and more frequent being more in our own power than that from sensible and corporeal ones is that which besides Revelation the Experience not only of virtuous and holy Souls but
and Virtue being the most wonderful thing and peculiar to him and therefore the great confirmation of his mission is well chosen To which might be added by Christians for ought I see the weekly celebration of the day of his Ascension if the affairs of Mankind could bear it which was also a most magnificent and strange thing though happenning to two others before and necessarily inferrs his resurrection 3. Upon the same day to Worship God in secret too more or less according as our bodily temper and necessary affairs will permit which every ones sincere prudence must determine Particularly to entertain ones self with such actions and thoughts before the publick Worship as will prepare a man to perform it better more to apprehend and be affected with the spiritual things that do occur therein and to abstain from those things which may indispose and unfit a man for that performance And so afterwards to take some time to impress upon our memory examine inculcate upon our affections what might have occurred and moreover to think of contemplate and affect our selves with any other spiritual things as the Existence Nature Actions of God of our own Souls what we were are should be shall be our imperfections perfections c. for all which we are fitter by freedom from bodily action and calmness This very day is also a very fit season for instructing of Families and performing Offices and Duties of Religion with them also for all acts of Charity both Spiritual and Corporal to our Neighbour The Church of England hath in one of her Canons very piously described how she would have holy days to be observed which were it carefully obeyed would be a very grave Ornament to her Nor can it therefore be expedient for such an end to encourage Plays Pastimes Recreations worldly Affairs but barely to tolerate some lesser matters which prudence might not think sit to exact rigidly but to leave to every ones liberty And as for times of necessary Diversion or Recreation which usually is accompanied with some folly and debauchery others are a great deal fitter for such a purpose And now if the Lord's day and other holy days were thus observed there would be far more of spiritual employment of our minds and more effectual for the great end of making us better than there was ever among the Jews in their strictest observation of their Sabbath a great part of which was taken up in the bare external Worship of God or in the external signs of Honour as in the care of their best Apparel and well provided Tables their Gate their Voice and other such unprofitable and trivial matters as R D Kimchi observes upon the place in Isaiah before quoted What a ridiculous Observation of their Sabbath was the abstaining from twisting ones Whiskers or running a Needle twice through a Clout or writing two Letters because these were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Works Of this enough every where in their Authours and particularly in the Talmudical Tract of the Sabbath most of which were only an ignorant and superstitious application of God's general Command as it seems of which some Christians have been or may be soon too much guilty It may be here advised that there is great difference as to persons and that there may be some whose constant employment or leisure may give them such advantages of spending much time upon other days about spiritual things that it may not be so needful nor convenient for them to spend so much time on these and that oft-times the principal reason especially of their publick observation is the giving a good Example to those who else would take too much liberty But to the generality of men if these fixed and set times be not made use of for the spiritual employment of their minds it will be quite neglected But so much for this digression which I intended no other than only in general to suggest many things to be considered concerning this matter not particularly to discuss them and therefore have taken no notice of what others of other perswasions had said or might have objected In like manner are they mistaken who confess That the best actions the best men do are sins and even deserve eternal punishment but pardoned in Christ from that place in the Prophet misunderstood viz. All our Righteousness are as filthy rags spoken of the generality of the Nation of the Jews who were very bad Isaiah 64. Verse 6. When the truth of the Case is that many and many a good man have done many and many an Action in which there was no sin and which deserves no punishment For he who hath in any Action with the greatest vigour of his Soul he then had propounded intended and willed his duty right just and that consisting in the most universal good the greatest good he can know viz. in pleasing of God and doing the greatest good to the World he at that time was capable of and most perfecting and making happy himself in so being and doing I say this person seems to me to have done some action in which there 's no sin nor desert of punishment and I do not doubt that there hath been many such an action done It is true Righteousness and the good of the whole World God our Neighbour our selves and God alone deserve to be loved with a greater degree of Intenseness than we are capable of even with the infinite one of God himself but this is but a necessary Imperfection of all created Natures even of the highest Angel and would have been in the state of Innocency In giving thanks likewise we must use the same care For as men may confess sins when they are no sins and when they are not guilty of them so also they may thank God that they have received certain favours and benefits from his hands when either they are no benefits nor instances of his favour or if they be they have not received them So men may thank God that they are led into some great truth as they think that they are of this or t'other perswasion or party and in the right way and now sure to be saved when their truth is some trifling or hurtful errour and 't were better for them and the World that they were of another mind or another way and even of that from which it may be they may thank God they are delivered Thus men may also thank God and be highly ravished with the distinguishing love of God to them in electing justifying sealing glorifying and saving them and securing them certainly from Eternal Misery or Hell when all this may be only an Imagination of their own caused by self-love and self-flattery and nothing of truth in it and really they are very bad persons having many and great Lusts unmortified known even to themselves but yet as they think to be over-looked by God because they are and will be sure they are his Elect Children and more yet unknown
one for the Object of his Esteem and Delight and the other not at all Nay the more he minds and loves the one not in order to or for the sake of the other the less will he mind or love this other In few and known Words meer Speculation even in Religion and Morality may and most often doth more please Men than the Practice and the more the one is for it self prized and beloved the less is the other 'T is like as when some unweildy or lame Person with much pleasure conceives describes and teaches others the best Postures and Motions of Vaulting or Dancing who never was nor is able nor cared at all to perform them himself or like Hunters who are only delighted with the finding and catching their Game but care not for eating it But because the Effects of Mens Science and Speculation are generally more or less beneficial and acceptable to the World Which is not so in their possession of Honour Riches or sensual Pleasures the immoderacy of the Appetite after it is not so much observed or blamed These Persons are to be remembred thâ—t Morality of which as I said Piety is incomparably the most excellent part is infinitely to be preferred before Speculation a generous Virtue before Knowledge the perfectâ—on of our Wills before that of our Understanding For the first as I have somewhere else had occasion to mention being nothing but an habitual designing and intendâ—ng in all our Actions the Universal Good in its own Nature necessarily tends only to an infinite good and is unconceivable to be â—ver made otherwise by the will and power of God himself the other barely and in its own Nature considered only delighteth our selves Nay not so much as that perhaps but only by God's Will Speculation therefore is an idle and useless thing compared with Action And even in Speculation it self that which hath God a Being of Perfection unsearchable and incomprehensible by any but himself for its Object is incomparably the most ravishing to the Soul of Man And yet it is most commonly seen that every small Speculator or Theorist a Philosopher Mathematician Linguist Critick Politician and Theologers too especially Polemicks are very prone to despise and look down upon Piety and practical Religion as a great way below them to leave them as ordinary things sit only for little and vulgar Minds whilst they are employed in Matters of higher Concern and Importance The Third Sort of those who hate or despise Piety and all Religious Dutys towards God are vicious and debauched persons These do it often partly because of their dulness principally because Piety is inconsistent with the gratification of their Lusts and particularly in Men of fierce haughty and swelling Tempers because it is opposite to their Pride because it confines and controuls them takes away their Liberty puts them in mind of their Meanness placeth them in the same rank with the poorest of Mortals For they affect Uncontroulableness and Licentiousness they would be subject to none acknowledge no Superior would be and do only what they themselves list at least have some priviledge above others It is certainly inconsistent with such Tempers to acknowledge God's infinite Superiority to themselves and their entire Dependence upon his Will and Pleasure to desire any thing from him with a humble reference of all their Petitions to his infinite Wisdom and Righteousness or to return any Thanks unto him to own and pay the most just Tribute of Obedience as well as the meanest of his Creatures to confess disown despise or pity themselves be grieved for their unreasonable Self-will and Disobedience to acknowledge their Guilt and deserved Punishment and yet God's Right of Remission upon their sincere Repentance and their humble and important Request and that too for the sake of another who was that which they have been shamefully deficient in viz. the most perfectly righteous and obedient All these and such like most just Dutys to our Maker these dissolute licentious and proud Creatures must needs hate and despise as repugnant to their Lusts controuling their Liberty and obliging them to the most sensible Reflection upon and Confession of their Meanness and Baseness Hence theyâ—l sometimes deny or cavil at them and the very Existence of God himself as much as their wit and care of their safety will give them leave Or for want of these when they have little or nothing to say and with them too they 'l huff at them with a scornful pish throw them away and neglect them as a Cheat or at least a thing uncertain and trouble some Those who are governed by a Belief of God and Duty towards him they pretend to look upon as weak of no Parts or Wit timorous superstitious little and low minded whilst they conceit themseves to be great Spirits and noble Souls indeed Alas for them goodly things indeed they are To whom in short it is to be answered that it is a wicked thing to affect to have what they should not and as silly to desire what they cannot obtain It is a wicked and unreasonable thing for thee to desire thy Liberty from the Direction and Government of him who is infinitely better and wiser than thy self who is infinitely good and immutably delights in the effecting of the greatest good of the whole Universe and is infinitely wise and infallibly knows what doth effect it who knows and can do all things upon whom are dependent all the Natures and Existences of things possible to be who therefore hath all the right that can be conceived to be the Law-giver of the Universe If thou or any the most accomplished and perfect Being besides himself comply not with or conform not to his Will thou canst not be innocent but thou must be he who preferred thy own self before the whole Universe and hast in thee that Insolence to desire that all may minister to thy Pleasure than which what can be more prodigiously unreasonable wicked and unjust But if it be reasonable to be obedient to and to be like God because he will and commands all for the Universal good then is it also reasonable that we should perform all other Dutys of Piety to him Acknowledgment and Contemplation of his Perfectins Honour Petition Thankfulness Confession of and Grief for our Transgression of his Laws c. which dispose and cause us to obey and imitate him Nor are these swaggering Hectors less foolish than wicked For whether they will or no they ought to be and shall be what God willeth All things that are any thing really existent must be the Effects of his Will and dependent upon him who is Infinitely Perfect for otherwise he is not so All that he wills concerning us is either what we should be the due Relations of our Actions to their Objects or what we shall be the one is ordinarily termed his Commands the other his Decrees Now what God commands whether we think or will so or no
Hand of God asked or unasked except we be in some degree good Examples of this are very frequent in the Psalms Psalm 7. Verse 1. David prays to God to save him from his Enemies Save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me And Ver. 6. Arise O Lord in thine Anger lift up thy self because of the rage of mine Enemies But Vers 3 4. he reflects upon his past Innocency and particularly in something his Enemies or his Conscience might suggest whether he was not guilty and upon the greatness of his Goodness and Charity that he had not only done good to his Friends but even to his causless Enemies and surely he judged himself to be still the same and that he was not changed for the worse which without doubt gave him humble Boldness and Confidence of success and consequently was the cause of the Earnestness and Strength of his Desire that God would be pleased at that time to do that favour for him O Lord my God if I have done this that is it may be something his Enemies might accuse him of or his Conscience bid him to enquire into or more particularly if he had done that to them which they did to him viz. persecuted them and endeavoured and contrived to do them mischief causlesly If I have rewarded evil to him that was at peace with me viz. his Friends or who had done him no hurt Yea I have delivered him who without cause is mine Enemy Then let the Enemy persecute my Soul yea let him tread my Life down in the Earth and lay mine Honour in the Dust If David had been conscious to himself of the like Injustice or of any other Sin approved that he had been was and would be so for the future he would not have had the Confidence to have desired this of God And so in many places where he prays to God for some Favour he professeth himself God's servant Psalm 86. Verse 4. Rejoyce the Soul of thy Servant Verse 11. He prays to God to teach him his way and he would walk in his Truth That which was truly God's Way and was truly right and to be done And Verse 12. he professes he would praise God and glorifie his Name which were Signs and Branches of his Goodness And then Verse 16. he prays O turn unto thy Servant and save the Son of thine Handmaid Psal 119. Verse 94. I am thine save me for I have sought thy Precepts He had endeavoured and desired to obey God and he had given himself up to him I am thine or God had especially design'd him to serve him in the Kingdome therefore he was bolder to pray God would save him or deliver him from the Evils he was in danger of And Psalm 143. Verse 12. Of thy Mercy cut off mine Enemies and destroy all them that afflict my Soul Suppose them so to continue as long as they had life and were able and not to repent for I am thy Servant And this is the best sort of Vows when a Man not only upon Condition that God will give him any certain thing he craves expresly wills and obligeth himself to do this or that particular good Work or abstain from this or that Fault or bad Action but before-hand he gives up himself entirely to God and vows and promises he will be his servant universally and more particularly it may be too where he thinks he may do the most good or where he hath been the most faulty And as for his Desires and Requests he refers them to the Divine Righteousness and Wisdom He makes no bargain with God only those Duties which can only be done upon Condition of God's bestowing his requested Favours may be promised and professed by him conditionally As for example to thank and praise God particularly for any Favour conferred which cannot be if it be never received SECT VI. IV. A Fourth Ingredient in Prayer is Thanksgiving that is an actual loving of God for his Benefits already received And this contributes to the strengthning and invigorating of our Prayers and Desires too It is as the rest before a necessary Sign according to the degree of its vigour and frequency of the same degree of Goodness in us For if we love God for his Benefits we shall naturally desire to please him and to seek to know what doth so and that we cannot be ignorant is by doing his Will or by keeping his Commands with Care to be universally holy good and righteous in the grand Instance of universal Benevolence and consequently Self-denial and all the Branches thereof I say according to the degree of its Vigour and Frequency For it 's no wonder to see one who loves God for his Benefits but seldom now and then only for one Fit in a Prayer never thinking of it afterwards or in mean and low degree one who loves God less and less often than many other Objects I say it is no wonder to see such a Person to sin and offend as often as these Objects are his Temptations But if we loved God vigorously and more than any other Objects and so frequently that it became an habitual Temper of our Souls it would most certainly produce in us the Effect of universal Holiness And so far forth as we find it in intensness and constancy in our selves so far is it a sign thereof and gives us reason consequently to think our selves acceptable to God and that it may be the more reasonable and just for him to bestow the good things we ask I do not think that Love to God for his Benefits conferred upon ones self or Thankfulness is a principal Virtue but an excellent instrumental one it is It is not an Instance of formal Goodness or Virtue but it is a very frequent means thereof and therefore a sign But to love God for himself as a part or rather infinitely the most considerable thing in the whole Universe and therefore above all things and with reference to the whole this is indeed the noblest Instance of our Holiness The free and generous Acknowledgment and Resentment of God our Benefactor of the Divine Favours already received is one good Use Effect or Improvement of them which hath a further one still viz. it causeth us to please God by keeping his Commands and becoming universally holy and good as I have before instanced and being a very probable sign of this iâ— gives us a just Faith and Confidence and heightens our Prayers and Desires from God Ingratitude that is a Neglect or Contempt of God's Favours already bestowed we may be sure can give us no Encouragement but it is a sign of a dull sensual selfish or wicked Mind and so at least of defect oâ— Goodness Again actual Love to God for Favours received impresseth upon our Minds the Memory of his past Goodness and consequently gives us reason to argue he may be good to us again supposing we see no Circumstances to alter the Case in those things
but too mischievous and hurtful it may be by our bad one have the Joy and Comfort of this both in Life and Death as also from a reasonable and just confidence and assurance of God's Love and Favour both here and hereafter Again Health Freedom from Sickness Diseases Distempers especially those which may indispose and disable us from being wise and good as many do and which may incline us to what is weak imperfect bad either immediately or by the Use of Means for their removal Further Peace a State of good-will of all Men towards us and towards one another a good Government good Laws good Magistrates good Neighbours Power and Magistracy our selves according to our Integrity and Ability to use it as well or better than others which sometimes our but allowable Modesty and just Opinion of our selves and especially our well disposedness to use it well for the good of others may permit us to desire and oblige us not to refuse Add hereto Liberty Honour Good-Name or Reputation to be beloved Friends Relations Riches and all the Conveniencies of Diet Cloathing Habitation Servants Assistants Attendants Freedom from hurtful Care and Solicitude and Temptation about worldly things just and sober Recreations which these Riches can and do use to procure These general things and many more numberless particulars may be the Matter and Contents of our Prayer to God that he would give and grant them us and most what in this order but let us be sure that all be for the Ends and with those Considerations expressed or presumed that I have mentioned Behold then here a short Scheme of the general Heads of most at least of those things which we may have need of either at all times or some time or other and which therefore may be the Matter of our Petitions and Desires when we pray or address our selves to God either ordinarily or extraordinarily And here it may be observed first That all these things some or other of them may be put into our Petitions for any other Persons when we pray for them For Example We ought to pray for all the Universe that God would make it perfect and happy we may and ought particularly to pray as heartily for other Men as for our selves that God would so dispose the Affairs of Mankind as to make Men more sincerely generously and constantly holy and good That Men may more love and obey God their own and all the World's Maker and Benefactour and imitate him more in the Universal Love of all and right use of any Power or Ability they have derived from him That Men may be more wise to understand and know the greatest good they can do for themselves and others and the Ways how and all things whatever which may enable them or help them thereto That Men may more universally obtain all the Perfection and Happiness their Nature is capable of be more knowing wise prudent holy good and in all instances virtuous and in order hereto that more Men may be Christians and Men which are so may be more so That they may better understand the Doctrine and Contents of the Christian Religion and their respective Goodness and Usefulness and attend to and be affected accordingly therewith and therefore principally with its ultimate end and design which is to make men holy and happy That they may be free from Ignorance Error Superstition a most mischievous sort thereof Formality Hypocrisie Pride Tyranny Affectation of Equality and Superiority Contention Strife finally from all ultimate selfishness That Christians might be preserved from being deluded or drawn or driven by foolish ignorant erroneous proud tyrannical envious vain-glorious conceited and self-seeking men Many good things there are also which may be proper to others to their Conditions or Circumstances as to all sorts of Governours and Governed that the one may rule well and the other obey to Magistrates and Subjects Parents and Children Husbands and Wives Masters and Servants So also for whole Communities or Societies some good things may be desired which are proper to them as Unity It is to be observed farther That the matter of our Prayer or Petition may sometimes be all or more fore-named particulars briefly mentioned only and sometimes and that most commonly but some of them enlarged Those particular things which we most want which are most reasonable of whose goodness we are most sensible these I say may be more enlarged with variety of expressiâ—â— both of sense and affection to detain our aâ—tention longer and to raise our affections We may also take notice of the incentives â— motives to our desire such as the goodneâ— of God his promises the great goodness â— the thing we desire in many instances 〈◊〉 necessity and yet the difficulty of it by reasâ— of many hindrances Insomuch that one or very few particulars may be the matter of very long Prayer Lastly We may observe That the Peâ—tion for holiness and righteousness a virtâ—ous and good mind is always expresly tolâ— made before all others or else it is to be pâ—â—sumed that we already have it in such degree that we may use the thing well we aâ— for if it be a thing may be used ill Forâ— only have we no reason to hope that our desires shall be granted but also we have reasâ—â— to fear that we shall be punished if we aâ— otherwise it being either impudent bolâ—ness or too wilful carelesness or ignoranceâ— the nature of God so to do as if he cared â— what and to whom he gave good thing When Men ask amiss that they may consuâ— it upon their lusts no wonder that they aâ— and receive not Jam. 4. 3. The sacrificeâ— the wicked is abomination how much more whâ— he bringeth it with a wicked mind Prov. 21. â— Nay it may be here added that so far aâ— man is wicked though he should pray for some things with a good mind intending to use them well so much less is the probability of his success or that God should grant any thing at his request For he that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law even his Prayers shall be an abomination Prov. 28. 9. i. e. so far forth and in such proportion as a man is disobedient to God and wicked it is probable God will reject and refuse his Petitions But this hindreth not to remove an ordinary scruple but that he that hath more badness than goodness in him and therefore in general may be called a bad man may pray and desire somethings from God For first he may in somethings at sometimes be well-minded be a good man and particularly in some of his Petitions and therefore hath proportionable hopes of speeding But Secondly there are other reasons of praying to God besides hopes of success There may be other and so many good effects of our praying that though we should have little probability of receiving what we ask yet it may be not only lawful but our duty to do it rather
than omit it as the Acknowledgment of God of our dependency upon him the sense of our wants humility the exercise of our charity if our Prayers be for others and the good example of all these to others c. It is not surely unlawful for one that is more and much more generally bad than good and therefore may be termed a wicked or bad man to have good desires to pray to God to give him his grace to repent and be better which he may be so well-disposed at at some particular time as to do and then his pardon for Christ's sake to pray for relief in his distress deliverance from evils competency of the good things of this World God's blessing upon his endeavours and all this that he may serve God comfortably and do good to pray for his Family or Children out of sense of his duty and natural affection to bestow his blessing out of good nature compassion charity gratitude upon the afflicted his friends his benefactors Surely I say this is not unlawful nay it is his duty though at the time he doth thus he may in general be a bad man yet in these his Prayers good and so far it should be probable that at least some of these Petitions should be rejected or not granted CHAP. IV. SECT I. THe Fourth general Head of our Discourse concerning Prayer is the excellent effects the advantages or benefits thereof I mean of praying or a Prayer not only of that one part of it called Petition These all are to be so many reasons why we ought and so many Motives to us to pray for from the good effects of any action are all the reasons and motives for its performance to be taken These Benefits may be of two general sorts viz. 1. To others 2. To our selves 1. By our Prayers we may do good to others For it may oft-times seem reasonable and just to God to bestow upon others what we ask and desire as we ought for them upon the condition of our Prayers so that if we had not prayed God might not have given it For this his hearing our Prayers for others may as reasonably be an Instance of God's Goodness and Benevolence to us as any other good thing and it may be as great an Engagement to us to love and thank God and as a Reward it may engage us more to acknowledge and depend upon himself which are such excellent Means of making us good and to proceed to love others and to rejoyce in others good Besides if we be generally very good Men this instance of God's Favour to us in hearing our Prayers for others will very much engage and encourage others to an Imitation of us and to be good likewise that they may have the same Favour and Honour from God too For a great Honour sure it is and a great sign of our being acceptable to him when he is pleased to grant our Petitions not only for our selves but for others likewise for whom out of Love Charity and Compassion we heartily pray It is true God bestows upon us the great Favour of granting our Petitions or hearing our Prayers for our selves for Jesus Christ's sake but it is upon the Condition of our being holy and good Upon this same Condition for Jesus Christ's sake he may and doth do us that particular Favour of hearing our Prayers for others likewise that he may shew and declare how acceptable to him Holiness and Goodness is And it was our Saviour's constant spotless and perfect Holiness that merited from God the Pardon of all our Sins in case of Repentance for his sake and consequently all his Favours and particularly the hearing of all our Prayers both for our selves and others By which we may easily understand how God may hear our Prayers for one another and that for Christ's sake We have store of Examples and Commands in Scripture for all Men especially good Men to pray for others we have also there promises that they shall be heard and performances too that is the success recorded God commandeth Job's Friends to go to Job to pray for them with their burnt Offerings that God would forgive their rash and unadvised Speech concerning himself out of Envy Contempt or ill-Will against Job it is likely and tells them that he would accept his Servant Job Here God even forgives some sins of some few Friends or rather omits some Punishment for them upon Condition of Job's Prayer and for his sake Job 42. Verse 7 8 9. A great part of the Punishment of the Children of Israel for their sottish Idolatry in worshipping the golden Calf so soon after their coming out of Egypt seems to have been forgiven upon Moses his Intercession and Prayer For it is said that God threatned to consume them and to make of Moses a great Nation but upon Moses's beseeching the Lord that he repented him of the Evil that he thought to do unto his People I say God forgave a great part of their Punishment not all he did not utterly destory â— consume them though he did plague thâ— People too because they made the Calf Anâ— this after he had prayed to God to forgiâ—â— them their Sin or to blot him out of hâ— Book that is not to mind him nor be favourable unto him nor to shew any kindness to him as Men use to do to those whoâ— they have once written down to remember to do them some good as occasion shall offer but afterwards blot them out again Wâ— may read these things Exod. 32. from Verse the 10th to the 15th and from Verse 30 tâ— the end of the Chapter And so again upon Moses's Prayer to pardon the Iniquity of the Israelites when they murmured against him were seditious and conspiring to chuse a Captain under whose Conduct they might return to Egypt again God saith that he had pardoned according to his Word that is his Prayer which he had made Numb 14. Ver. 20. See what great good things it may seem just and reasonable to God to bestow and give upon the Prayer of one eminently holy and righteous Man and how much greater for the sake of one who was perfectly so even saving the Lives of thousands of whole Nations and all the Blessings consequent And therefore it hath not been untruly however vainly and conceitedly it might have been said by some that in this resâ—ect as well as others the World fares much the better for holy and good Men and even those who are their Enemies who malign or hate them to whom they can and do often do good thus against their Wills when bad Men would not be beholden to good Men. yet they pray for good things to them and wish them well They often pray to God to make them good to amend them and even while they are bad to forbear them and not to punish them either by laying evil things or taking away good things from them whilst bad Men out of a malicious or
had committed sins they should be forgiven them That is most likely that Punishment of their sins viz. their sickness which might be inflicted and justly continued too should be removed and taken away James 5. Verse 14. Is any sick amongst you let him câ—l for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. That is not improbably let the Elders using the natural Means for his Recovery also add their fervent Prayers to God For anointing with Oyl was a most ordinary and usual Medicine in those Times and Countries for curing many Infirmities and Diseases as appears by the Jewish Writings And therefore it may be instanced in by St. James and put Syneedochically for any other natural Means or Medicine whatsoever applied for Help and Cure To this also the Jews added Enchantments to which the Apostle probably opposeth Prayer as the Disciples used the Invocation of the Name of Jesus and God as a learned Man hath observed And then the Apostle proceeds the Prayer of Faith that is of a Believer or of a true and hearty holy Christian such as the Elders were generally and reasonably then supposed to be shall save the sick that is shall save him from his sickness or deliver him and the Lord shall raise him up And if he have committed sins that is any sins which might particularly have deserved such a Punishment as Sickness yet by the Prayers of these Elders righteous Men they shall be forgiven him that is this Punishment shall not be further inflicted upon him And then follows confess your Faults one to another and pray one for another for the effectual fervent Prayer of the righteous Man availeth much it is very prevalent with God to procure such and other Favours and Blessings yea and sometimes Curses and Evil things even as Elias who being but a Man as we are by his Prayers procured and obtained from God both Drought and Rain There may be also other Benefits to others by our Prayers if they be duly performed they may be Examples to others excite and draw them to a due Acknowledgment of of God and his Perfections to love him thank him desire of him have Faith Confidence and Trust in him obey and please him and to obtain all the consequent good Effects which we our selves shall by our own Prayers all which good things had it not been for our Example they would never have thought of or minded or not so much SECT 1. BUt Secondly There are many and great Benefits to our selves by Prayer which again may be comprehended under three Heads 1 Our Goodness or Holiness 2 Our Comfort Joy Satisfaction Pleasure and Delight of Soul 3 Some things that may be the common Causes or Means of both 1 Prayers do confirm and increase our Goodnoss They tend much to preserve us therein and to make us better and that these several ways amongst others First By the actual Exercise and Use of it or of the immediate Means thereof Secondly By suggestion or bringing to mind our Duty or what helps to practise it Thirdly By being an Occasion of Imitation of God Fourthly By putting us in mind particularly of the Condition of our receiving all other good things besides Goodness nay of our receiving a further degree of Goodness it self Fifthly By way of Remuneration or Reward All which I shall a little more explicate 1 By being an Occasion of the actual Exercise and Use of Goodness or of those things which immediately are the most frequent and effectual Means thereof And this is easily understood by running over all the Parts of a Prayer we have formerly mentioned As First The Confession of our Sins that is an express Judgment concerning our selves directed to God that we have been guilty formerly or are still of such and such sins and a hearty Disapprobation Dislike Disalallowance thereof a Contempt or Hatred of them and of our selves too so far as we have been guilty a hearty sorrow that we have ever been so imperfect wicked or unhappy and a chearful free and firm Resolution to do so no more but to be good and to do our Duty to do what we have been faulty in omitting and to abstain from and abandon what we have been guilty of in doing to mortifie and extinguish all the Inordinacy and Immoderacy of any or all our Appetites that is all our Lusts or the Corruption of our Appetitos and to excite and quicken our Desire and Love to our Duty and to Obedience to God whose Commands are the Rule of it Now Confession of our Sins thus explicated and in this sense is an actual Exercise or Exertion of the Habit of Goodness and Holiness or of Grace in us as it is usually called so often as we thus pray we stir up and excite and put forth into Action our habitual inclination of Goodness and Holiness But every Action and Exercise confirms the Habit to which it belongs strengthens and increaseth it All Habits may be thus gotten and however gotten though immediately by God's Influence which is called Infusion yet they are thus maintained strengthened and increased The most ordinary Person may understand this by Experience The more often we actually hate or are grieved for or at any thing or Person the more we are inclined so to do insomuch that at last we may not endure the very sight or mentioning of them And so it is in Love what things we have accustomed our selves and used often to love we contract a most ready firm and constant Inclination so to do insomuch that sometimes we cannot be for any time without them In the very like manner it is when we actually often abominate Sin in general or any one in particular when we hate contemn are grieved for it when we heartily love our Duty and with the whole strength of our Souls desire and will we may be universally or in any particular innocent or good we shall at last arrive to that habitual Temper of Love of Goodness and our Duty and hatred of Sin which will be easie strong vigorous and constant and shall not endure the Sight or Suspition of any Sin in our selves nor be able to live comfortably without the constant consciousness to our selves of as great a degree Innocency and Virtue as we can by any Means attain to Profession of our future Obedience which was another Ingredient in Prayer as I have explicated Confession is included in it and is nothing but an express Action or Resolution of Will excited by the Soul and directed to God to be obedient to him in general or in any particular where she hath been faulty and that now by his Assistance and Strength which she humbly implores she will observe to do her Duty the Rules of which are his Will made known by Reason or Revelation Which express Action of hers or actual Resolution and the more frequent the better must needs preserve and increase her
of their Desert from God as to challenge him with Injustice for neglecting them But God tells them plainly that the external Parts of his Worship of Praying Weeping Fasting Looking sorrowfully and sordidly were not the things that he had chosen to procure them any Favour from him but it was reforming themselves and leaving all the above-named Iniquities being in all Instances and Expressions Universally Charitable to their Neighbour not oppressing or tyrannizing being tender-hearted compassionate c. It was these and such like should cause their Light to break forth as the Morning and their Health spring forth speedily that is should make them a joyous and happy People And Verse 9. expresly Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer thou shalt cry and he shall say here I am If thou take away from the midst of thee the Yoke that is Oppression the putting forth of the Finger that is Derision and Contempt it may be of thy poor unhappy Neighbour and speaking Vanity that is Lying or Fraud For by Vanity the Hebrew ordinarily expresseth Falshood c If thou reform and mend thy wicked Ways then mayst thou hope for and expect according to God's own Promise when it shall seem fit to him and that it will often dâ— that thy Prayers shall be heard otherwiâ—e thy Prayers and Confidence too are but Presumption and Impudence It is true these last places of the Prophet Isaiah and such like prove that which I have before mentioned viz. That Mens Consciences may sometimes so forget themselves be so partial and erroneous that they may pray boldly and confidently when they may rather expect the Taunt there and their Prayers to be thrown into their Faces that is their Prayers to be hated and contemn'd by God and themselves to be punished for their Hypocrisie and that therefore all Prayers do not always in all things necessarily suppose or make Men good But then they inform Men too which is the End why I have brought them that if Men hope to be heard by God and to have their Prayers granted they must be good and not live in the practice of known Sin or through Hypocrisie or Insincerity Laziness or Prevalency of some Lust above their Duty wilfully be ignorant whether they live in any Sin or no or slatter themselves in general they do not And those Men who know thus much by natural Conscience Reason the Scriptures and often attend to it which are most Men in some Degree or other though not all if they betake themselves to pray to God for the removal of any Evil or the granting of them any good will first be apt to reslect upon their Lives and Actions and promise unto God Amendment and Reformation of what they know to be bad in themselves and to beg his Pardon that they may with Hopes of Success pray to him and effectually obtain their Desires and to do this often and constantly surely will be an excellent Means for the preserving Men from all Sin nay to make them more sincerely vigorously constantly and universally better SECT VI. THe Fifth Way how our Praying may V. make us better and preserve us in Goodness is by Remuneration or Reward that is God Almighty may immediately or mediately reward our Prayers even in general being such as they should be God may reward our dutiful Acknowledgment of his infinite Perfections and our being affected with them accordingly our Admiration Honour Love Thankfulness Address to him humble Dependence upon him exercised in our Prayers with the greatest Blessings he can bestow upon us and that is with Increase Growth Strength in Holiness and Goodness When we pray unto him depend upon him humbly and in Resolution of Obedience and well-doing which also are Signs of our Acknowledgments of his Perfections even for any other good things besides Goodness as for Wisdom Instruction Deliverance from bodily Dangers Plenty good Success in worldly Affairs a peaceable and comfortable Life c. Then it may seem good to God sometimes to reward this Exercise of our Goodness or of those things which are such proper Means thereof with better things than what we ask and with them too eveâ— this principal one of all of preserving aâ— strengthning our Souls in Holiness in genâ—ral and in particular Virtues and Graces But much more still have we reason tâ— think that God will bestow this incompâ—rable Blessing upon us when we humblâ— sincerely and importunately beseech it â— his hands above all other things Whâ— we pray to him with our whole Hearts thâ— he would but make us sincerely and generously good holy Lovers of himself and â— all Persons to do all things out of an Unâ—versal Charity and Love never to gratifâ— any inordinate or immoderate Appetite anâ— as for other things we plainly are indiffereâ— to them but only so far forth as they maâ— be Instruments hereof of our being or doing good This is a Petition that argueâ— and acts a Temper of Mind than which nothing in Heaven and Earth is so acceptable unto God and therefore to encourage iâ— and our Desires and Endeavours after it especially if they be frequent and long it is the most likely thing that God will heat our Prayers grant our Desires make out Endeavours in some Measure and Time or other successful We have heard before the blind Man's Opinion and the common Opinion of Mankind That if any Man be a Worshipper of God God heareth him â—nd in this surely rather than any other â—hing Our Saviour to encourage our Addresses to God such as they ought to be hath exâ—resly promised Success when it seems sit to God and it doth so sometimes or else there is no 〈◊〉 at all 〈◊〉 and it shall be given â—â— seek and you shall 〈◊〉 knock and it shall â—e opened unto you for every one that asketh â—s he ought receâ—â—eth when it seems fit to God and that is very often and he that â—eketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall â—e opened Which our Saviour illustrateth â—y a Similitude of earthly Parents who â—ive to their Children upon their asking â—ecessary or convenient things how much more will God who is infinitely wiser and â—etter to us and loves us all more with a Love of Benevolence than our earthly Parents can do give them unto us What Man is there c. Matt. 7. to Verse 12. The â—ame we have in St. Luke Chap. 11. Verse 13. Where it is How much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him In David's Psalms are many places to this purpose Psalm 145. Verse 18 19. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him in Truth He will fulfil the Desires of them that fear him he also will hear their Cry and will save them Nothing more ordinary than for the Apostles in their Epistles to pray for their Disciples and Believers thâ— were their Charge that they might increâ— and be strengthned in Holiness and Gâ—ness
succeed Saul Now see how this faith effectually produceth in the soul of a good man Ease Satisfaction Repose and Acquiescence which are the most pleasurable and delicious things Whenever he wanteth any thing he proposeth his desires to God and first believes that if it be just for God to give and him to receive it he shall have it and this is all he desires nor would he ask any thing upon other terms wherefore he knows his desire is fully granted he hath what he would have alwaies which surely must needs be followed with the greatest satisfaction of spirit He is not any of those self-willed proud peevish persons who will not be content but are impatient if God doth not give them every particular good thing they propound or think of whether he in wisdom sees it fit and just to be bestowed upon them or no As he is not one of those careless ones who never ask any thing from God at all but muddle on in their own contrivances and endeavours being infinitely solicitous they should and fretting themselves when they do not succeed He is none of those who never make any reflection upon the Infinite Wisdom the Universal Goodness and Righteousness of God and consequently the perfect Justice and Reasonableness of all the Divine Appointments be they what they will But in all his Prayers especially he constantly minds he firmly believes he perfectly acquiesceth and rejoyceth in them whereby he not only prevents all anguish and vexation to which solicitude and frustration expose the proud and negligent of God but puts also his mind into a constant state of repose satisfaction and joy But then further for some things which he wants he doth but with that sincerity fervency and assiduity that he ought or as the things deserve beseech them from God and he is firmly and confidently perswaded not rashly but from Reason and Divine Revelation that he shall have them Such are they which I have before mentioned of pardon for Christ's sake either in general or for any particular sin he may have been overtaken with upon his sincere disallowance thereof his contempt and hatred of himself for it and of God's grace and strength to subdue any lust or corruption or in general to mend and reform himself in some degree or other That he shall receive these things if he ask them as he ought he is confident and fully perswaded And whatever men that are wicked sensual worldly may think of these things he desires the holy and divine as well as wise soul accounts them so great that as for all other matters before mentioned such as are Parts and Gifts Riches Plenty Honour Health Strength Sensual Pleasures c. he is very indifferent for his part to them so he may but obtain the former of which he is so firmly assured if he but ask them as he ought Nay he knows or may consider and attend that they indeed so far as he should and would desire them even for his own good are comprehended in or consequent upon the former For if our sins be pardoned we in God's favour which we are so far as we are good what may we not expect from God and be confidently assured of if it be good for us It is just we know with God by reason and God hath said it by Revelation that God should dispose of such portions of all good things whatsoever to good men as may be most even for their good God doth take the care of them that upon the performing their duty they shall have from him what is for their proper good and sure it is their wisest way to leave him to be judge Now how full of Repose Acquiescence Peace Ease and Satisfaction of Spirit doth this Faith and Belief make the Soul If a man sincerely fervently assiduously begs of God he may be good and do his duty he shall certainly have strength so to be and so to do and then so far as he is good he shall have whatever is for his good What would a man desire more And if a man hath all he desires or can desire and believes and hopes nay knows so much all which a good man may exercise and act in Prayer whâ—â— perfect joy delight satisfaction and easeâ—â— mind must he so often as he doth this bâ— under If at any time the good man wants anâ— of the inferiour good things to Virtue anâ— Grace as Gifts or Parts Health Liberty Competency Plenty Peace Good-name or Freedom and Deliverance from any of the contrary Evils which he may be in dangeâ— of and see likely to come upon him be iâ— Poverty Sickness Solitariness Reproach Oppression Contention and Strife witâ— others loss of Goods and Dammages nay Death or Torment it self he humbly makes known his case and desires to God he makes known his requests to God by Prayer anâ— Supplication he begs of him to hear hiâ— and grant them to him he useth his owâ— prudence and industry as much as the concern of the thing is as much as he thinks anâ— judgeth he ought to do he examines himself sets himself to find and mend whatever he knows amiss in himself and to be accurately good to the utmost of his ability thâ—â— so there may be no hindrance that he can remove and then he lays himself down in peace and sleep Psalm 4. Verse 8. with great ease satisfaction acquiescence of Soul upon one or all of these accounts viz. because he hopes and judgeth it more probable that God may grant and give unto him the very particular good thing that he asks and sometimes he may have reason to be pretty confident of it or he is certainly perswaded and firmly believes that whether he have or have not what he desires it is really for his good and that God as he is better to him than himself so he is much wiser Finally he is perfectly assured that if God do not grant him his desire it is most just or for the Universal good which he loves and rejoyceth in above all things he should not and that not by any fault of his in his power to mend that he can see and that if he himself were in God's place he would not grant the thing desired and that this his behaviour and temper renders him the most capable of all personal favors he very well knows that the surest way to be in the best condition is for a man to be content with and rejoyce in any condition which God shall appoint because he is certain God's will is always for the Universal good he very well knows that God is so wise and good in the government of the world as sometimes or other to put most power and happiness into the hands of those who are of such a truly generous and publick Spirit Lord what a sweet and delicious life doth the man live that constantly thus believeth and practiseth no future fears cares and solicitudes distract nor present and incumbent evils
bow down and oppress this happy soul With upright and cheerly countenance with solid joy and satisfaction in his thoughts he steadily and generously walks through all the variety of conditions of life and being the Divine Wisdom may dispose him into Who would not be a good man that he may thus pray and who would not pray that he may enjoy so great a happiness who would be so weak and foolish as for the indulgence and gratification of some pitiful mean and base appetite for the present enjoyment of some vile and unreasonable lust or sin forego and quit all his faith confidence and hope in God and the consequent delight acquiescence case peace and joy of soul upon all occasions being ashamed ever to think of God much more to address himself to him or ask any thing at his hand though he should be in never so great distress Who would lose the benefit and comfort of so good a Friend for what can never make the least part of recompense Yes Let Atheists and Worldlings live without any minding of or addressing themselves to God if they please the good man knows too well the sweetness the profit and the pleasure thereof to do likewise David was a truly excellent Example of this usefulness and benefit of Prayer It seems to have been his most usual Cordial which he often took to support his fainting and tired soul to quell and compose his vexations fears disturbances to alleviate and remove his grief and sadness We 'l give an instance or two Psalm 42. First he mentions his present sad and miserable condition in many respects as his being banished out of his Country it is likely by Saul and principally from the Publick Worship of his God for which he panted and thirsted Oh when shall I come and appear before God Verse 1 2 4 6. Then his Enemies contempt and insulting over him and especially their not believing that he was so great a Favourite of God's but rather that God had rejected him or minded him not Verse 3 10. But to comfort and chear himself he prays to God and is very confident God will hear him as he had reason and cheerlily chides himself Ver. 8 9 11. Yet the Lord will command his loving kindness in the day time and in the night his Song shall be with me and my Prayer to the God of my life that is yet I will pray to my God and I trust and know he will give me cause to rejoyce and praise him by his hearing of me at all times I will say unto God my Rock why hast thou forsaken me why go I mourning because of the oppression of the Enemy And Verse 11. Why art thou cast down O my Soul why art thou so disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my Countenance and my God Again The very next Psalm viz. 43. he prays very passionately to God for deliverance from his Enemies who were unmerciful deceitful unjust and that God would bring him back again to enjoy his Publick Worship in his Temple from which he seems now banished Oh send out saith he thy light and thy truth that is perhaps thy enlightning or rejoycing truth in performing of thy Promises thou hast made to me let them lead me let them bring me unto thy holy hill Sion the place where the Temple was built and to thy Tabernacles that is the Temple built instead of the Tabernacle where God especially manifested himself or where were very special effects of his Power and Presence Then he Vows unto God that with exceeding joy and thankfulness he would make use of and improve that favour Vers 4. Then will I go unto the Altar of God unto God my exceeding joy c. and then Verse the last he is full of good hope and firm confidence that God who was the health of his countenance that is the cause of all his joy and of his content which useth to be shewed by ones healthful aspect and countenance and who was his God would hear his Petition at last viz. that he should praise him therefore and that publickly in the Temple Again in Psalm 55. he describes the miserable plight that he was in because of the constant Machinations and plots of his Enemies deceitful and bloody men as 't is v. 23. nay of those who had been his Friends and Confidents who had forsaken him in his disgrace and adversity as it is usual and contemned him Verse 12. his Enemies contrived even to take away his Life they oppressed him with Accusations and Reproaches and wrathfully hated him whence he was full of Complaints and Mourning in so much that there was likelihood of his death thereby which though another sense may be too he expresseth in Verse 4 5 by his heart being pained and the terrours of death fallen upon him and fearfulness and trembling coming upon him and horrour overwhelming him But then the course he takes is to pray to God with hope and trust in him By these he reseues himself from this sadness and grief of Soul and eases comforts and satisfies it Verse 16. As for me I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me Verse 17. Evening and Morning and at Noon-day that is very frequently he would pray and cry aloud and God should hear his voice And Verse 22. Cast thy burden that is what grieves thee upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved that is himself to be frustrated of his hope SECT IX A Third Way how Prayer is for our III. ease comfort and satisfaction of mind is by reflection upon our having performed our most just and reasonable duty to God and upon some more than ordinary good qualities in our selves that may upon this occasion appear as in general upon our ability for and our good will to this duty or performance that we are able and disposed for such excellent things as are in Prayer more particularly that our minds are so able to converse with spiritual things and future yea eternal and to be affected with them such as God his Nature and Actions our own Souls their Actions and Inclinations the State after Death the Affairs of the Life hereafter That we can take notice of God's Perfections acknowledge them really honour him love and resolve to obey him to put our trust in him and depend upon him that we can take notice of and grieve sincerely and heartily for the irregularities of our Actions and our bad and sinful Temper and Inclinations be pleased with desire pray for Virtue and Grace that we can think of attend to and be frequently and much affected with things of future reward and misery Heaven and Hell that we are not sensual dull worldly earthly-minded persons who can mind nothing but sensible present and worldly matters for this short life All men are naturally inclined to believe and confusedly see
that such spiritual and future things as we have mentioned are more excellent more perfect that is of more good effect than sensible and present worldly things and consequently that it is a greater perfection and excellency in a man to know contemplate be affected with those former than these latter to have his mind conversant with and employed about them which is one reason why the persons who profess and really live or seem to live such a life are generally honoured and reverenced Further A man after such a performance as a discreet and affectionate Prayer may reflect not only upon his ability and sufficiency for such excellent things but also upon his love to them and good will to them his esteem for them that he actually is so affected and at that particular time Particularly after an understanding and affectionate Prayer it is very acceptable to make reflection that he hath at that time performed so noble and excellent a part of his duty and that which more immediately respects God that he is not altogether careless of God lives without him forgets him days without number but that he hath honoured him by his express acknowledgments of his Infinite Perfections by humbly petitioning him for what he wants and what is good and just for him by rendring him hearty thanks and actually loving him for his manifold favours even for all he hath or ever had for any degree of Holiness for Knowledge and Wisdom Parts Gifts Riches or Competency Reputation Friends Security from Enemies Health Strength Power Opportunity or Advantage to do Good Peace Joy Satisfaction Happiness here Hopes and Assurance of greater Perfection and Happiness after Death and parting with all here and for all his boundless Goodness and benignity of his Nature to all his Creatures that he hath honoured him by an assured but just Trust and Confidence in him by a free submission of his Will to his Will in all things and conforming of it chearfully thereunto to do all he commands him and to be in any condition he appoints or disposeth that he hath honoured him by a ready and free confession of and piercing hearty grief for and inward detestation of all his unreasonable Violations of his Just and Holy Laws made known either by Reason or Revelation by Natural Conscience or God's Word and consequently of the Eternal Laws of Righteousness that he hath honoured him by asking from him as the only supreme just and yet propitious Judge of the World pardon and forgiveness for Christ's sake that he would not punish him but most of all by importunately begging his supervenient Grace Strength and Influence his Assistance one way or other that he might not Offend or do contrary to his Duty any more in any kind I say when a man hath performed so noble and excellent a part of his Duty towards God which tends so much to make him Divine and Perfect it will not soon out of his mind he will be rereflecting upon it and that cannot be without a high degree of joy and satisfaction of Spirit and he will humbly give unfeigned Thanks to God for making him capable of such a noble and excellent Employment so ravishing and delicious to himself but especially which will render him so benign useful and profitable to the World and pleasing to God for giving him the means of and effectually bringing him to the knowledge and use of such an excellent Life and he will wish all men may be so happy as to know and partake thereof There are Two things among other which make a man very sensible of the excellency of this part of his Duty and consequently to perceive from thence more satisfaction and pleasure The first is its compare with other parts of our Duty respecting our Neighbour It seems more excellent than that to love ones Neighbour that is any rational Creature capable of any good from us To wish well heartily to him to be charitable just grateful compassionate or to shew any other Instance of Love to him though it be excellent yet seems as much inferiour to that of our absolute love to God not as only good to one but to all the Universe as our Neighbour nay all the World are inferiour to God To wish well to or desire any good thing for God we may not because it supposeth some good thing absent or possible to be absent from him an absent good is the proper object of desire but we may will and rejoyce in his infinite happiness and perfection which he actually possesseth we may will a present good And this ought to be so much more esteemed if we compare them than the love of our Neighbour as God is capable of more happiness and felicity than all his Creatures which is infinitely All the World is a little thing a Nothing to him and his Being and Happiness consequently is infinitely to be preferr'd before that of all his Creatures if they could be opposed Besides it is part of the Nature of God to be infinitely good to all his Creatures he therefore that loves God as such must needs love all that he hath made too God's Being and Happiness infer's that of his Creatures necessarily and is the cause thereof but not on the contrary wherefore the love of God as having infinitely more excellent Effects is to be preferr'd before the love of all the Creation if we consider them distinct and if they could be inconsistent one with another which they never can be but much more before the love of any person or persons And although we are said not only to will but to do good to our Neighbour and not to God yet in truth our proper action is to will it the outward Effect consequent upon our will is only by God's Power and Action and we can will it as hath been just now said equally to both Man having naturally a great sense of the infinite Excellency and Perfection of God above all must needs have the perswasion that he ought to love him above all and that to love him is a greater Perfection than the love of all the World besides And the truth of it is next to the perfection of the love of all the Universe i. e. God and all that he hath made together is the Love of God distinctly considered As for the other parts of our Duty to God viz. Honour Admiration Dependance Obedience c. they are but Instrumental Duties to cause us to practise Universal Righteousness and the great Instance Universal Love Love to God and to every Creature c. but they are much more excellent ones than many other and ingenerate in us more immediately a greater and higher degree of Holiness as might be particularly shewed and consequently of Universal Love in which it consists Some of those persons who magnifie and commend those Duties which respect our Neighbour especially such as Beneficence justice and honesty in Dealings and Conversation Peaceableness Obedience c. may
as great a joy and delight in saving the Life of its little Animal Play-fellow as Abraham would have had in prevailing with God for the saving of Sodom and Gomorrah from a miserable Destruction if there had been found therein but Ten Righteous Persons There is infinite more difference between the things that men ordinarily entertain their thoughts and pursuits withal and those which the Soul converseth withal in such Prayers as have been before described And so I have given an account of some of the general Heads of the good Effects or Benefits of Praying to God which I have hitherto proved by Reason and Testimony and Experience of all good men And now I desire men would prove it one way more and that is by their own experience or else disprove it Make we tryal of it our selves and that for some time together for the Effects may not presently follow take we some time begin now to do it to pray to God discreetly and affectionately with a holy pure and innocent heart in publick private secret see whether we do not grow better upon it Pray to him heartily and assiduously in secret for strength to mortifie any Lust thy Pride thy Revenge thy Envy thy Wrath thy Injustice thy Covetousness thy Vain-glory thy Uncleanness or Lasciviousness thy Intemperance and a Thousand other Lusts which may be troublesome and importunate to us so far as we are good or to the Divine and Regenerate Nature within us Pray to him for Universal Holiness Love to himself Charity Humility Purity and Spirituality of Mind for his forbearance for his Pardon Make thy report after some time I fear nothing more than a Temptation to boast too much of thy Success And as for the pleasure of it step â—â—metimes into thy Closet or any retired place desire of God first to dispose thy Mind that the Meditation and Action of thy Soul may be such as may be acceptable to him set thy self to make Acknowledgments of his infinite Excellencies and Perfections and the Instances thereof to all his Creation and in particular to thy self in making preserving providing for thee and bestowing upon thee the good things of thy Soul and Body such as Knowledge especially of himself and thy self of thy present and future States and Conditions any Goodness or Virtue that thou art not the most villanous and wicked person devoid of all sense of thy Duty given up to all Sin and Wickedness the means afforded still of being yet wiser and better God's forbearance forgiveness in case of Repentance present Peace Comfort Joy in well-doing the provision of Heaven and Eternal Life hereafter when thy Eyes are closed and thou art no more an Inhabitant of this World thy Health Strength plenty of Food Rayment Habitation all Conveniencies of this Life in order to a good and happy Life here and hereafter And not only make bare acknowledgments of these things but heartily love and thank God for them honour and admire him with all thy might and understanding firmly believe him to have been to be now and that he always will be thy best Friend if thou be not thine own hindrance Ask heartily God's Pardon for offending him and sinning against the Eternal Laws of Righteousness drop an unfeigned Tear breath out an unconstrained Sigh chide thy self beseech God's Grace more than thy Life never to do so any more resolve to use all the inherent strength thou hast come then and tell what thou findest how thou likest Once more When thou wouldst have any thing make thy Case known propound it to God beseech him to give it thee so far as it is just only leave thy self and thy request with God because he is wise and just examine and amend what is amiss in thy self that thou mightest not be the cause why it is not just for God to give it thee let us know how this relisheth and what followeth Say sometimes such things as these with the devout and holy Psalmist I love the Lord because he hath heard my Voice and my Supplication or because he hath delivered my Soul from death that is he hath saved my Life in such a danger or sickness suppose mine eyes from tears that is he hath removed from me or prevented those Evils which would have sore grieved me and my feet from falling that is he hath kept my mind upright and cheerful from dejectedness and despondency or he hath kept me in that good condition of Life from which I was in danger of having fallen or of being deprived of it the Lord hath dealt bountifully with me what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the Cup of Salvation the usual part of the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving I will shew my self publickly thankful and call upon the Name of the Lord or Worship him O Lord truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant Psal 116. Say further sometimes Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable The Lord is gracious and full of compassion slow to anger and of great Mercy The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works All thy works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee Oh happy is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in Jehovah the Lord his God who made Heaven and Earth the See and all that therein is He who telleth the number of the Stars and calleth them all by their Names who is of great Power and his Understanding is infinite Psalms 145 146 147. Make we tryal I say our selves see we things with our own eyes confirm or confute all by our own experience Let us not think it a thing not worthy our trouble to be satisfied in for it is worthy of our greatest pains Either we believe all that hath been said concerning these Excellent Uses of Praying or we do not if we do not as I said try we our selves whether our Nature is not capable thereof and God will not assist us for this is the best way of proof If we do believe it without trying then do we accordingly If we do believe this to be true and yet do not practise it must needs be a sign we are both bad and foolish that we have no mind to be made good or better no nor lift through laziness or slavery to be made happier or because we cannot have the comfort and pleasure of Praying without the profit of being engaged to be good we 'l part with that rather than be good and leave our bad Courses or any Sin we love in which as we are wicked so we are such Fools for our selves as if when we have a decrepit and infirm Body we should be afraid it should be made more sound and strong whereby we might be more useful to the World and have the constant pleasure of a clear Health And so I have perfected this Fourth Head namely
unregarded and not taken notice of by themselves being alas oft-times very ignorant inept careless or partial examiners of themselves Men may thank God that they are not guilty of some sins when they are not knowing their own hearts which is a very difficult thing and that they have some graces as sincere Zeal Humility c. when they have not but instead thereof or at least mixed therewith Wrath Pride Vain-glory or in general that they have greater degrees of holiness than they truly have as the Pharisee did They may thank God for owning their Cause by Success in War or Law when he doth not but only chastiseth it may be or correcteth another They may also apply general or particular Promises made to other good men to themselves and thank God for them that he hath made such Promises to them when they do not appertain to them And lastly In the particular deduction and recital of our Cases or Conditions or the reasons and grounds of our Hopes we must observe the same still not aggravate nor extenuate more than is true As a man may propose to God in his Prayers the great machination and malice of his Enemies their insulting over him the dishonour of God himself by them if he be not delivered by him when little of this may be true most of it being only conceited so out of Pride to render himself more considerable or to shew that he can or will deal with them all or out of Wrath or it is more feared than real many other Instances of these Particulars might be given SECT II. II. THe Second due Qualification of the Sense of our Prayers is that the things be Just And this respects only that part of Prayer called Petition When we desire that God should give or grant any positive or privative good thing to us let us be as sure as we can that it is just he should grant it to us Justice is a property of an action and that which we immediately desire in Prayer is God's granting any thing to us And here we are especially to use Divine Revelation or God's Word rightly interpreted and our own best Reason to know what is Just Thus for Example we must not pray to God that he would grant us any thing which may gratifie our Revenge Envy Ambition Covetousness Wrath Vain-glory or any other Lust as sometimes the ruine or destruction or hurt of our Enemies indeed because ours Prosperity for our selves and ours and success in an unjust or wicked Undertaking great Riches Relations Employments Parts and Gifts without taking any notice of serving God or doing good therewith but only that we might be superiour to others or acquire Name or Reputation or be able to advance and propagate certain Opinions and Usages because ours and abolish or remove others because contrary to ours in which case our Request is not that God would grant these things to be done because good for the World and pleasing therefore to himself but indeed to gratifie us only and that in hurtful mischievous and therefore unlawful desires This oft-times lies at the bottom and is the only cause And though we may sometimes slightly or it may be confidently judge the things beneficial to the World to others as well as our selves and acceptable to God yet 't is the gratification of those unlawful desires may make us to judge so Sometimes indeed and most ordinarily perhaps there is a mixture St. James tells his fellow Christians that some of them asked and received not because they asked amiss to consume it upon their lusts or pleasures those viz. of pride and sensuality James 4. Verse 3. The Sacrifice of the wicked is abomination how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind Prov. 21. Verse 27. We shall often hear of Fastings and Prayers of contrary and diverse Parties for Victory and Success in any Affairs and Thanksgivings too when both cannot be just In such Cases it is a very good Petition that God would favour or prosper the just Cause And yet this may not always seem good to God neither but we ought to refer it to him as all other Petitions Thus Sects and Parties in Religion pray with a great earnestness and confidence for the Conversion or Extirpation of each other when it is sure but one of those Prayers can be just If when we Petition God for any thing we be careless and negligent whether it be just or no and yet perhaps very confident and bold too in asking we greatly dishonour God For hereby we beget an Opinion in our selves and others and such a suitable behaviour that God is more fond of us and our concerns than of what is just and right that is in effect that he loves us in particular better than all the World besides as if he must needs do what we desire him whether it be right or wrong But if we do attend to and examine with as much care as we ought before we pray whether what we pray be just and fit for God to give and do without any prejudice from self-love conclude it may be so and yet should be mistaken this is only a defect of our knowledge the ill consequence of which is soon amended by referring all our Petitions to the unerring Wisdom of God of which hereafter But we may through undue self-love so flatter our selves and think our selves so acceptable and dear to God that we may conceit it cannot but be just for him to do what especially we with great earnestness and zeal as if he were the inspirer of it and put it into our hearts when it is it may be our own Pride or other self-love Petition him to do More modesty better becomes us whereby we may have a true and due judgment of our selves And when we have that and do with good reason think our selves so far good only as we really are and consequently in the favour of God yet we are to be so modest too as to remember that we can but very rarely certainly tell in particulars with all their circumstances what is absolutely best for the World and consequently what is just for him to do He who is All-comprehending in his knowledge always certainly knows and to him therefore we refer the Justice and consequently the granting of our desires The confidence of some persons in their Prayers proceeding from Ignorance and Pride when their tempers have been heated especially how blameable how hateful and contemptible The wiser sort of Heathens had so good an opinion of their Deities and consequently of their Duty towards them that they would be sure to ask nothing from them but what was just 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pindar Py. Od. 3. We Mortals ought to desire from the Gods those things which are fitting and just minding the present of what condition we no◠are SECT III. III. THe Third due Qualification of the Sense of our Prayers is That they be in the first place
neither for bodily nor mental favours yet it is at least of far less good effect than to be thankful for better things more and first as they deserve We are to thank God for every thing as neer as we can according to its proportion of goodness viz. in such proportion as it is a part of or means to the last end the Universal Happiness And because for Example all spiritual good things are generally much more so than bodily we must be oftner and more sensibe of them more frequently and fervently thank God for them What hath been said about thankfulness may be advised concerning Petition that we desire in the first place principally most frequently and most ardently the most universal or publick and spiritual good things such as Graces and Virtues and then all the rest or any of them according unto their true degree of goodness too We see men generally faulty in this particular and they 'l pray infinitely more heartily for fair Weather or Rain when it is much wanted than for the most excellent and highest degree of any Graces or Virtues Nay if they dared they would and they really have more mind to it pray against those that they might not be disturbed by them They would sooner pray for the Food and Pamper of their Bodys than for that which might increase Graces and Gifts in their Souls more that they might have earthly Friends who might love and honour them than the friendship or favour of God more that any man who can possibly punish them for any misdemeanour would forgive them than that God would more that they may be rich than honest or just or charitable or make good use of riches like faithful Servants and Stewards of our great Master God From which same temper it comes that all spiritual benefits and favours of good Instruction Exhortation Example and the persons who are the Authors and Instruments thereof are generally less prized and esteemed than a small piece of Breâ—d or Money than the least good appertaining to the Body or Estate and their reward would be answerable if it were not for Laws or the Sentiments of a few of the wisest and best So Lastly our Explication of our Case may be too tedious we may too operosely aggravate our Case more comparatively with other matters we even then want than we ought This of Petition is according to our Saviour's own Advice in that excellent Sermon after he had warned them against distrust solicitude and over-eager care concerning worldly goods of meat and drink and cloathing he adds But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness that is probably God's Kingdom by Christ to be the Subjects thereof or to be true Christians and all these things shall be added unto you Some spiritual good things viz. Goodness and Virtue render us capable of all other and fit us for the enjoyment and use of them but not on the contrary Matt. 6. Verse 33. This is a thing so obivous that it is commended and advised by some of the Heathens in their Addresses to their Gods Their praying for long Life Glory Beauty Marriage Posterity and other things which the Vulgar used to ask of their Gods the Satyrist derides as folly because they were hardly to be accounted in the number of good things as having as much evil and mischief attending them But he adviseth they should rather pray for a good mind couragious fearless of death nay desirous of it patient Master of Passions despiser of selfish sensual Pleasures c. These were the things principally to be sacrificed for Fortem posce animum mortis terrore carentem Qui spatium vitae extremum inter munera ponat Naturae qui ferre queat quoseunque labores Nesciat Irasci cupiat nihil poâ—iores Herculis aerumnas credat saevosque dolores Et Venere plumis caenis Sardanapali Juven Sat. 10. To this Sense Ask a great mind that fears not death Welcomes the time of it's last breath That firmly bears the greatest pains Slav'ry of passions that disdains That takes stout Virtue prest with Misery Before soft Pleasures of base Luxury SECT IV. IV. A Fourth due Qualification of the Sense of our Prayers or of the Objects is that it be as extensive as may be This also appertains to all the parts of a Prayer That our Acknowledgments for Example 1. Be as comprehensive as may be and general so as to comprehend all God's Perfections which are useful to Petition and such are his always infinite as to Intension Extension and Duration Power Wisdom and Goodness for these certainly comprehend all 2. That they be in some Prayers more particular which particulars are to be for all cannot be either those that are of greatest concern or Importance or which we best apprehend or are most affected with or which are most proper to any Petitions we may make As for Example Sometimes we may make our acknowledgment not only of God's goodness in general but also of some particular instances of it such as his forbearance of us so long notwithstanding our careless or contemptuous violations of any of his most righteous and holy Laws his forgiveness of this or that particular sin of all our Sin upon our sincere repentance his promising to us and bestowing upon us any particular good things as such a good advantage of Condition for Instruction or Virtue such an Assistance for the obtainment and performance of any particular Virtue and Duty or against any Temptations the means of Grace as is usually expressed such a Deliverance from such a spiritual or corporeal Evil c. The same which is to be done in our Thankfulness and expresly loving God for his Benefits So our Petitions 1st Let them be as general as may be and comprehensive It is convenient in Prayer always at least to premise such general Petitions before particular ones and sometimes for want of Time or Knowledge c. they may be only used For Example That God would bestow upon us all good things that he thinks sit and just As it is said of Socrates that he used when he prayed to pray only if he always did so he mâ—ght have done better sometimes to have propounded and desired things more particularly and as well referred them to God that the Gods who knew best what was good would give him good things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. in memor Lib. 1. as Xenophon reports And somewhat more particularly that he would provide for us all good things of our Souls Bodys Estates which comprâ—hend all as to their subjects or all here and hereafter which comprehend all as to time or to descend further Knowledge and Goodness Gifts and Graces which comprehend all as belonging to our Souls more particular yet that he would give us to live godlily righteously and soberly which comprehends all Grace or Virtues all our Dutys towards God our Neighbour and our Selves Such also are the Petitions in
Thus great Affections and Passions for things in men especially who study and are supposed to consider and examine whose business it much is or should be are signs to the generality of people of their clear understanding of the certain truth and excellent usefulness of them And this together with a pretended or real great love to the Souls of men which is indeed a truly generous and divine temper have been some of the causes that some men have had so many followers and admirers and whatsoever hath been said by them hath been believed to be as true and excellent as the Word of God it self without any scruple When therefore our Affections are great and strong let there be also preceding an understanding and conviction of the truth and usefulness of things either from our own sight and perception if we can or from Divine Testimony or which is most common easie and much safe from the most general Testimony of the wisest and best men Let not our great Passions be only an affected bussle to make people believe we are in earnest for some great matters which we have discovered 2. By sincerity in these Actions in Prayer I mean that they all or thy whole Prayer have their due Ultimate end unmixed with any other Let thy Ultimate End in general be sincerely to do thy Duty that which thou judgest thou oughtest and to be more disposed to be universally constantly couragiously good and virtuous to love and please God to be the most beneficial to the World and to perfect and make happy thy self by possessing thy Soul with the Graces of a most universal constant and generous Charity and that in the best Instances viz. in spiritual things as much as thou canst and in all others when they may be fittest or the only Instances thou canst then perhaps be charitable in of self-denyal humility spirituality by the mortification of all inordinacy and immoderacy of thy Appetites of all Lusts by being sober advised discreet and wise and by the use of all other good things we are capable of receiving possessing enjoying from God Let these things I say be purely and sincerely thy Ultimate End If thou acknowledgest God's Infinite Perfections let it be to produce in thee some way or other as it will Obedience and Imitation and consequently Universal Righteousness Holiness and all the Instances thereof now mentioned If thou confessest thy Sins let it be to excite and stir up whet and sharpen thy hatred against all Sin and when thou professest thy obediential Resolution let it be to confirm strengthen and invigorate thy love and liking resolution and bent of Soul to all Obedience and to thy Duty universally When thou thankest God ingenuously for his great kindness and love for his benefits to thee let it be sincerely to engage thee to love him again consequently to imitate obey please him and consequently to be universally holy and righteous When thou propoundest or recitest thy Case or Condition or that of any others for whom thou prayest let it be sincerely to cause thy self some way to be better by causing thee more to attend to thy dependence upon God and to be more sensible thereof and consequently to behave thy self so as to please him And lastly When thou desirest or petitionest any thing let thy Ultimate end be still the same quicken thy acknowledgment and sense of thy entire dependence upon God by which thou may'st be engaged to love and please him which cannot be without holiness Universal Most expresly Petition God for his Grace and Assistance to make thee the most perfectly holy and righteous thou art capable of in such manner and instances as is aforesaid trusting in God he will grant those thy Petitions then which none are more acceptable to him and using the utmost of thy endeavours in complyance with his supervenient help Finally When thou beseechest God for all or any other good things let it be that thou may'st be disposed and enabled thereby to serve him and the world to live profitably and comfortably here and at last to obtain an immortal and everlasting reward These things I say again are to be purely sincerely and unmixedly the Ultimate end of thy Praying in general and of all the parts thereof Let no other thing come in the place hereof or mix and blend therewith Let not for Example meer dull Custom be the end that is meer pleasing a man's self with so doing and especially the external or bodily part because a man hath used so to do he will so do Not the meer Action or Usage so much as the good effect of it is to please such as the name of our Duty includes and supposes We must not pray as aged men in part use old fashions or some other little actions as walking eating drinking at certain times viz. principally because they have been used so to do it is easie it is delightful meerly to do so and it would be painful and troublesome to them to abstain or to live after any other manner Let not again the procuring a great Opinion of us for Sanctity for Consciensciousness Honesty Spirituality for great Parts or Gifts for Readiness Copiousness variety of Invention Memory Judgment both in Things and Words Sense and Phrase for the usefulness and general goodness also of both that we can Pray much or are well furnished with Matter that we can Pray long and often or are very frequent in Prayer that we are good Church-men that we never miss Prayers that we can Pray with an acceptable and pleasing Delivery or Voice let not this vain glory of Praying long and frequently in every place in Synagogues corners of Streets reproved by Christ in the Hypocrites of his Age Matt. 6. I say let not this be the End Again more Universally Let not the Gratification of any Lust as Sensuality Luxury Ease and Sloth Malice Ill-will Pride Affectation of Superiority Equality or Liberty Revenge Envy Ambition Vain-glory Covetousness not the Procurement of some Advantage for Employment Preserment Rule Gain Trade or the like in the least peep in and mix with the noble end before mentioned Let not lastly even the pleasure satisfaction and delight we may find in all the Operations of our Souls in Prayer such as clear perception and understanding of God his Attributes of things spiritual future sublime and of great concernment especially our being affected with them not the pleasure of our both great and good Passions as Admiration and Honour Love Joy Faith and Truth c. though rightly and duly excited according to the true goodness of things understood usually signified by the names of Transports Ravishments Extasies I say let not even this be our Ultimate end but rather one exceeding little and very inconsiderable part thereof the other of being bent and resolved to please God by doing all good being infinitely more valuable as tending to an infinitely greater good Notwithstanding let us maintain and cherish this
our pleasure and satisfaction all we can possibly in a thing so rightly directed and so truly useful to please God and serve the World and thank God we are so tempered as to receive so much therefrom And these therefore being but personal and proper Goods must not either in this nor any other action be placed in the room of our Ultimate end so often named nor be admitted to any mixture or co-ordinacy with it but as Instruments or little parts thereof The pleasing God and doing the greatest good to all others and our own Salvation that is our own greatest Perfection and Happiness considered all together as one good thing is absolutely the noblest and most perfect end of our Actions we can have and is the same which God himself always hath But any other end besides this which almost always is some personal good where the other is not is comparatively mean ignoble sordid contemptible All the Psalms are Instances and Examples of this sincerity as well as fervency and other qualifications to follow as much as can be conjectured by Words written and feignedness and hypocrisie and bie and bad respects would somewhat betray themselves as Psalm 17. Verse 1. Hear the right O Lord attend unto my cry give ear unto my Prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips or as in the Margin without lips of deceit The most likely sense is that David had no other end in his Prayer to God but that God should favour that which was right that he should bestow that which was just upon him And Psalm 66. Verse 18. If I regard Iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me It a man have an habitual love to and approbation of any wickedness it is the most likely way to and most generally it would hinder the granting his Prayer nor can a man see any sufficient reason to expect any such thing if he be conscious to himself of regarding any Iniquity with allowance But much less sure could David think his Prayer should be heard if he were conscious to himself that he was guilty of insincerity or that particular Iniquity of having any unlawful end even in his Prayer it self as to gratifie Revenge Pride c. It is true It might seem in some places as if some of his Prayers proceeded from Revenge as especially Psalm 69. Verse 22. After he had complained of the cruelty of his Enemies he prays that their table might become asnare before them and as for their good things or their peaces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Hebrews signified all good by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or peace let them be a trap that is let even their good things mischieve them or prove evil to them Let their eyes be darkened that they see not c. But surely first David supposeth them to be villanous and wicked unjust proud cruel men c. and that they were all other milder ways incorrigible And then certainly it is equally lawful to pray for their punishment or to wish it as to inflict it which a man might and ought if he had lawful Power And this a man might do even in his own Case not out of Revenge in the least but out of hearty love to the publick good by encouraging resâ—uing and defending Innocency and Virtue and by restraining and supressing Wickedness and Injustice I do not think but that David would willingly have had his Enemies changed their minds and repented not meerly because his Enemies but because unjust and consequently Enemies to God and Men or hurtful to the World But if it appeared they would not do that after long forbearance there might be reason to judge it most just and consequently pray to God that they might be punished David also is found somewhere praying for his Enemies it may be till they were incorrigible but by punishment Ps 35. Vers 13. They rewarded me evil for good but â—s for me when they were sick my cloathing was sack-cloath c. SECT VI. II. THe Second due Qualification of our Actions or Operations of Soul in Prayer is That they be intense and servent in such proportion as they ought especially considered comparatively with the same Operations about other Objects Thus in acknowledgment of the Divine Perfections and Attributes let us apply our minds thereto and be attentive And so likewise in our Confession Profession Thankfulness Explication Petition cause we our minds to attend to the objects thereof with all the vigour and strength they ought so as that they might not be too easily drawn off by other Objects that may either present themselves to our Senses or make an attempt upon our Imagination our Thoughts are not to be too slight wavering wandring uncertain unconstant so as to be sometimes more smartly upon other matters of more trisling concerment our ordinary daily and small Affairs or it may be upon our Sins and Lusts when we are performing this Duty we casting only a short and weak glance upon the things we are about Our hearts and minds ought to be much and as much as it is possible upon such excellent and useful things as are or should be in our Prayers We see with what application and attention of mind we do all other things of far less concernment and in particular if we are to make any address to any person of Dignity and Authority and real worth either to thank him for or desire from him any one and no great favour So for our Admiration Honour Reverence Fear Love Faith Hope Joy Delight Resolution of Obedience be they in that measure and proportion of Life Vigour and Strength they ought and certainly that cannot be too much for the Objects of all those in God are infinite In Confession let our grief for Sin in general or Sins in particular and hatred of them be inward piercing great lasting according to the mischievousness of Sin above other Evils which is almost without compare and according to the degree of Iniquity and pravity in every Sin Our Resolution in the Profession of our Obedience let it be firm and strong Our Thankfulness and Love to God for his particular Goodness and Benefits towards us or to any other for the Instances of his general Goodness to all as also our Petitions and Desires let them be hearty strong vigorous according to the goodness and value of the things received or desired It really is an unreasonable and unjustifiable thing that men should have all these Passions and Actions all these Operations oâ— Soul in the fircest and intensest degree about other small inconsiderable trifling objects in other affairs of Life and yet here to be almost meer Hypocrites to have little of inward Action and Life which sometimes betrays it self even by bodily dulness sluggishness sleepiness Oscitancy not caused by length or any meanness of the performance but when it is done short enough and well and by mens own selves too Or if they be a little busie
perform their Duty to him where also his Justice or punitive Goodness and the Psalmist concludes with as general an acknowledgment by his mouth speaking the praises of the Lord and let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever Read also a magnificent particular acknowledgment of God's Power Goodness and Wisdom in Psalm 104. which begins bless the Lord O my Soul O Lord my God thou art very great thou art cloathed with Honour and Majesty who coverest thy self with light as with a garment who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain and then ends O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all the Earth is full of thy riches that is of plenty and abundance of good things For reasonable trust in God we meet with the most significant Expressions every where of the greatest and boldest degree thereof both as to particular favours of Peace Plenty good Name and Honour c. and also in general Psalm 37. Verse 3 4 5 6. and so on throughout the whole Psalm Trust in the Lord and do good behave thy self as thou oughtest and do thy Duty so shalt thâ—â— dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee thine hearts desire Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass c. Psalm 146. Verse 3. Put not your trust in Princes nor in the Son of man in whom there is no help And Verse 5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God who made Heaven and Earth c. And how often doth the Psalmist seem to be exalted above himself and triumph in his trust confidence and firm hope in God For Confession and Grief for Sin see the reality and seriousness of it in the 38 Psalm Verse 3. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger nor any rest in my bones because of my sin And Verse 18. I will declare mine Iniquity I will be sorry for my sin The 51 Psalm is a known Example both of David's hearty confession of and piercing grief and bitterness of Soul for his sins as also of the vehemencies of his desire and petition to God for purging and pardon to cleanse and rectifie his Soul and to forgive him and then to grant him Joy Comfort and Peace Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out my Transgressions c. We may read the whole Psalm than which there cannot be any thing more pathetical O Lord open my mouth and my lips shall shew forth thy praise that is give me an occasion and a cause of acknowledging and praising thee in this thy particular favour of granting me Purification Pardon Peace and enable me to do it and then I resolve also to declare and make known how much thou deservest to be praised thanked loved admired by me and all men As for Profession of Obedience there are not many Verses in the 119 Psalm in which we have not some Emphatical signification of the firmness and unmovableness of his resolution the very frequency is a great sign thereof Verse 97. Oh how I love thy Law Verse 103. How sweet are thy words unto my tast sweeter than honey to my mouth Verse 106. I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Judgments Ver. 111. Thy Testimonies have I taken as an heritage â—â—r ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart Ver. 127. I love thy Commandments above Gold yea above sine Gold Ver 131. I opened my mouth and panted for I longed for thy Commandments c. Are these the Words and Expressions of a cold indifferent or of a luke-warm man in his love to resolution for Righteousness and consequently for the Commands of God For the Psalmist's Thankfulness and Love to God for his Benefits to him in particular the passages and places are as numerous Psalm 86. Verse 12. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy Name for evermore for great is thy Mercy towards me thou hast delivered my Soul from the lowest Hell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or from the deep Grave or the Grave underneath that is from Death which had overtaken me and seized upon me had it not been for thy special eare A very pathetical and emphatical Expression of his Love and Thankfulness to God both for his personal Favours towards himself and those towards his own Nation the People of the Jews nay towards all his Works in all places is the 103 Psalm all which Read we heedfully and imitate Verse 1. Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his Benefits who forgiveth all thine Iniquity and healeth all thy Diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies c. And lastly his Petitions and Desires are with the greatest fervency and importunity signified and expressed and that principally in the things of greatest concernment especially considering his case sometimes fain to fly to Idolatrous People for shelter as particularly for to be admitted and restored to the external publick Worship of the true God as it was by himself instituted in order to his internal Worship which as I have above said contains all Religion nay all Duty Psalm 42. Verse 1. As the Hart panteth after the Water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God My Soul thirsteth for God even for the living God when shall I come and appear before God Psalm 63. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee My Soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is to see thy Power and thy Glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary because thy loving kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee The Psalmist Asaph very passionately expresseth his Joy repoâ—e and â—â—quiescence in God in that of the 73 Psalm Verse 25. Whom have I in Heaven and I have delighted in nothing on Earth in compare with thee or with thee at all that is besides thee as our Translation hath it That is I put my Trust and place my Delight neither in any God the Heathen Gods nor man in compare with thee or together with thee Thou art my Ultimate Trust my chiefest Delight My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever The like earnestness and fervency may be observed when the Psalmist prays for deliverance from his so great and malicious Enemies that they sought utterly to ruine him to defame and reproach him by malicious and mischievous slanders and so banish him perpetually or take away his life or when he prays for
God by doing this way as we think the most good to the World we can we do an act of Obedience and consequently of Worship to God But alas this extreme of Praying more than the necessity of other affairs will permit is but rare in compare with the other of seldom or never praying especially in this irreligious and prophane Generation How many are there who have hardly ever vouchsafed that they can remember One O God or so much as a Lord bless me seriously except prophanely or customarily much less do they ever allot a minute or two some-â—â—times to say with any understanding and affection any short Prayer And as for the Publick either they come thither not at all but like Brute Beasts lie sotting and swilling or sleeping at home or when they come they possibly pray sometimes as little as those that are at home or as the seats they sit upon or very gravely and imperiously they contemn it as below their wisdom or their great mind contrary to the practice of all even the most barbarous and ignorant Heathens of all ages who all of them ever have had some things which they called God's except some late Relations should be true which they thought could do them good or harm to Worship acknowledging praising thanking and praying to them A sign that the thing is so evidently useful and consequently reasonable to all who want any good thing they are capable of and yet cannot give it themselves and know any other being who can that the most stupid of Mankind are not ignorant or negligent of it SECT VIII IV. THe Fourth Qualification is that our Prayers be seasonable both the performance of the Duty of Prayer in general containing all the parts before mentioned and also all the several parts thereof And by seasonable I mean that both the whole and such parts thereof be then used when they do the most good when they will do more good than to omit them or to do another thing or to use another part of Prayer in their place The season or opportunity of every action is when it will do more good than the omission thereof or another action in its place and time and the best season is when it will do most good more than the omission thereof And 1. That the whole action or performance of set Prayer which requires any set time or place I speak principally be seasonable For while we are in this fleshly life supposing it our duty to maintain our selves in it or rather to do all the good we can which is God's service in this fleshly life and as long as we can there are a multitude of things in their times of more good effect than praying at the same time would be as I have before said Such are our food sleep exercise and that in such certain quantity or quality For without these we either cannot at all subsist in this life or very untowardly with distempers pains dulness indisposedness to the best actions of Soul and consequently even these in Prayer In general we must and ought to take so much care of and allow so much attendence and time to our bodies that they may be the fittest instruments for our souls that they may the least hinder and the most permit or help or dispose them to the most perfect actions they are capable of and consequently whereby while we are in this body we may do the most good And this is as various and diverse as there are persons For some persons tempers and constitutions may be so happy as that a little attendence to their body serves turn and the rest of their time they may spend in more imâ—ediately momentous actions Others again may be of so unhappy and weakly a one that most of their time must necessarily be employed about their bodies that they may have some and but a small time for the more useful and excellent actions of life such as Prayer contains and if they did not spend so much time about their bodies they should be able to spend yet less or none at all about their souls And yet even these persons if they do but ultimately propose to themselves sincerely to do all the good they are able for and to please God thereby so far as they do so are very innocent and sinless And if they mightily desire and earnestly wish they were able to do the greatest good as much as the most knowing strong or powerful or are in sincerity strongly resolved and bent if they had never so much power they would use it all to serve and please God by doing good with it I say if they be thus affected which is but rare for want of use in persons who cannot employ their minds much and often and attentively about Moral and Divine things they are most excellently virtuous and good and it may be more than those which can spend more time in set Prayer and sincerely and fervently performed too Some of these very weakly persons being often indifferent and little concerned for worldly things by using themselves to the proposal of this end and most frequently attending to it even in their small actions of life and by God's immediate influence may arrive to as great or a greater degree of Virtue than those who can spend more time even in set Prayers duly performed much more still if there want the due end thereof or sincerity and fervency It is not seasonable for persons to set themselves to pray premeditated extempore or any other long Prayers when they want strength through past bodily or intellectual toil and labour or sickness and infirmity for men will then do little good by their Prayers and also it may be indispose themselves to do twenty times more afterwards both by their Prayers and otherwise whilst they contract more Distempers and Infirmities of Body or in general more ineptness to do any good Meer dulness indeed may be overcome by Resolution and it may be good somtimes so to do but weakness cannot Nor is it seasonable when a man's mind is filled with other thoughts of lawful or necessary business and in pursuit thereof to use a long premeditated or extempore Prayer The most seasonable Prayers then would be some Form and frequent Ejaculations There are also a multitude of other actions whereby at certain times we may do more good of which in the sum there will be greater good effect than if we prayed at those times as Reading Meditation Study or Conversation any ways to inform our selves with the most useful knowledge of God his Nature and Providence of the Revelation of his Will by Christ or our Christian Religion of our selves of Humane Nature what men are what they should be how they come to be so bad or ignorant or erroneous how they might come to be better or wiser One good effect of which knowledge is to make us more able and fit to pray as we ought and according to those very directions
by thy Tempor Life and Actions especially in Spiritual things if thou canst to be perfect and happy thy self here and hereafter If thou prayest with a fervent Spirit according to the goodness of things thou prayest every whit as well as if thou hadst invented all thy self and possibly a hundred times better than many conceited Persons but ignorant and vain-glorious do whose Prayers of their own composing may be stuffed with untrue unjust and trifling things and either they are cold and formal in them or else much hypocritical or superstitious that is either they have the signs of great Affections to things when they have not those Affections really in them at all or not so much out of a judgment and sense that things do deserve them as out of vain-glory Or their great Affections are to trifling things Men have been apt to attempt to run and fly too before they could go to attempt greater things before they could do less to attempt to do things before they were furnished with such Qualities which if they wanted they had better not do them at all or might have done them much better another way than that which they used This is the first step and may be used for some time only if we find our selves sufficient and let it not be carelessness and sluggishness that we are not to advance further This is no other than what all beginners to learn do They first read good Authors more or less who treat concerning the Matter they would learn The Second Step may be for Persons to take Parts of several Prayers and to attempt to put them together and compose them and then commit them to Memory To take such things out of them which they best understand and apprehend by Experience or otherwise which they think most proper and useful for them for their Temper Employment or Calling which they may be most affected withal Thus they may begin to use and exercise their own judgment in what things are best and what is best for them always with an humble and modest mind ready to be more informed A Third Step may be to add and interpose something of their own Invention or Observation especially if there be any particular Occasion As for Example If thou shouldst find any Sin or Lust more troublesome to thee and be more in danger of being overcome thereby if thou shouldst fear any particular approaching Evil or be under it either thou or thy Family If thou shouldst be so happy as to have overcome any Temptation or to have received any especial Favour If thou shouldst find thy self upon some special occasion very sensible of some Attribute of God as his Goodness his Power his Omniscience his Justice c. thou needest not stay till thou findest the Thing or the Expression in thy Book In order hereto therefore use thy self before thy Prayers to reflect and consider This which I now say principally concerns secret Prayer where it may be done more freely though it be imperâ—ectly and brokenly either conceived or expressed Fourthly and lastly Proceed to Imitation of others as much as thou canst that is to consider invent examine and judge the Matter or Sense of thy Prayers thy self what things are the most important great just true useful for thee and to affect thy self accordingly and to express and signifie them well and so to compose and make entire ones of thine own Which may be often varied by insisting now upon one now upon other things according to some Advices I have heretofore given that is what things may be the most seasonable best apprehended most affecting I could heartily wish all Mens Abilities and Employments were such that they might do more in this kind and imitate and exceed the best Patterns I wish to that End they were more spiritual in the Employment of their Thoughts and Affections and that there were no fault in their wills that they are not so I wish they might make use of what Time and Ability they have and ought so to use I wish they had more of those Qualities which may fiâ— them for the best Performances thereof the principal of which are as of all others Charity and Humility Finally Would God that all the Lord's People were Prophets and that the Lord would put hâ—s Spirit upon them SECT XX. 4. PRay we to God sometimes that he would help and assist us to pray as we ought to have more of all those due Qualifications whereby we are fitted to pray well This Prayer it self supposeth some already for that once or â—o often as we make it which may be often Ejaculatory Whatever kind of Prayer we think best and we desire to use there may be some or other of the fore-named Qualifications which may be prayed for As if one should pray a Prayer composed by another he might praâ— that God would give him Sincerity and Fervency in that his Prayer that God would keep him from Vain-glory Formality Coldness that he might do it in all sincerity of Heart as his Duty to God and to make and keep him good and that he might be enabled and disposed both by the Performance of the Duty it self and by the good things he shall receive upon his asking to serve God by doing good That he might not only have Words in his Tongue and be upon his Knees or any other Posture signifying Devotion but that he might also well understand and mind and attend to what he says with his Mouth and have proportionable degrees of Affection and Motion of Soul of Honour Love Reverence Faith Joy Desire Resignation and Submission towards Coâ— of Grief for and Detestation of Sin of Thankfulness for Benefits received of ardent Desires for Holiness and Virtue especially and hearty ones for all other good things Nay a man may pray for Frequency that is that God would excite and dispose his Mind to pray in Secret and Private as often as he hath Opportunity that he might not be so backward and averse therefrom so dull and inept thereto and that God would give him more Opportunities if it should happen he should want them I say these things a Man may pray for though he always prayed a Form and he could not pray that what he prayed might be just true important seasonable c. because all this was done already and the matter was supposed to be such or else it would not be made use of But in the other Steps of Prayer if a Man finds he can or ought to ascend to them such as composing out of more Prayers or out of his own Observation and Invention he may pray for the other Qualifications also as that God would excite him to use the Means forementioned of Reading Meditating Hearing or otherwise to pray what was true just important with Sincerity Fervency prudent Seasonableness and to express and signifie these things if he be to pray with others most aptly and conveniently that God would keep him from
to think they oblige the Divinity by the honour they do it by their Prayers to grant them what they desire The Jews at this day think and say that God cannot withstand their Prayers It hath been said I doubt but too often vainly and presumptuously that God could not hold out against a praying People But too well known hath been the confidence of many private persons that their Prayers should be answered and as well known hath been their disappointment Many Prayers also may be stuffed with things very trivial and slight comparatively while the greater things are neglected smaller sins and other sins may be confessed eagerly but greater and their own not taken notice of or but slightly Petitions may be made for Worldly things importunately but for Spiritual negligently or coldly We may pray for Gifts or excellent Qualities of Understanding more than for Graces or holy Dispositions of Will For Pardon more than for Goodness For Priviledges more than for Dutys For Justification more than for Sanctification For Peace and Assurance before and more than for Regeneration Renewal of our Natures Mortification of our Lusts Love to God for his Excellencies Charity Humility Spirituality In Prayers also may be very much Insincerity the things desired may be selfish to gratifie immoderate Lusts of Revenge Pride Superiority Envy Covetousness Sensuality Luxury or the like Some Prayers I wish I could not say most may be very cold formal meer words Be not I say very well satisfied so thou hast but prayed though it may be very badly Endeavour not only to pray but pray well and as thou oughtest and therefore make use of such Means and Directions as have been prescribed I add here too as an useful Caution by the by Be not content and satisfied with thy having prayed well If thy Prayers have been such as have proceeded from good Qualities in thee and tend to make thee more so too and thou feelest thy self very much delighted with the Performance thereof and much disposed thereby to the Universal Practice of thy Duty think not that thou hast been good enough at the time of thy Prayers and mayst be negligent every where else In all thy succeeding Actions pursue thy good Disposition begun by thy Prayers at any time by Watchfulness and Reflection all the following day by frequent Checks when thou doest ill and Encouragements and Joy when thou doest well by frequent Ejaculations and Resolutions And so I have done with the Fifth General Head viz. Directions concerning Prayer CHAP. V. SECT I. VI. THe last General Head was the Excuses or Pretences Men usually make why they do not Pray especially in Private or Secret in which I shall be but short They are most commonly but these three 1. That they need not Pray 2. They have not Ability to Pray 3. They have not Time The first Pretence some Men have for not praying is that there is no need of it it is to no purpose and that therefore it is a foolish thing The Reason of which their Opinion is either because they think there is no God at all nor any Being superior to themselves in Power Wisdom and Goodness who hears them when they do pray or else because all future things are willed and determined by God already and that he is unchangeable As to the first of these Reasons if it were true it would render all Prayers and all things contained in them ridiculous indeed But I shall return no other Answer to these Monsters of Insolency and Dulness but that though they hereby call all Mankind except one or two of themselves if there be any Sots and Fools in spending so considerable a part of their time yet the World will have better Demonstrations and they ought to be no less against so Universal a Testimony than ever they have brought to prove them â—o before they will believe it or before these Objectors themselves ought to believe it Moreover there have been in this last Age such and so many Proofs of God's and Spirits Existence both highly probable and some absolutely necessary as I have upon the longest consideration judged that it is nothing but an obstinate Affection of Uncontroulableness and Licentiousness in those who do or may know them or a pitiable dulness which must make them capable of a contrary perswasion As to the Second Reason of God's predetermination of all things It must mean more particularly one of these two things First That it is needless to set our selves to Pray meaning all Ingredients of a Prayer because it is predetermined by God whether we shall or no. Or else Secondly That it is needless to Pray to God for any good thing meaning by Prayer Petition only because he hath predetermined whether we shall have the thing we pray for or no. To the First of these it is to be answered That there is the same reason against all will endeavor action whatsoever to obtain any good thing we want For Example Against the chewing and swallowing our Food that we may be nourished For the Argument runs thus God hath determined before we pray whether we shall pray or not If the first then we shall do it without our will or endeavor If the second then we shall not do it with them In the same manner we may argue God hath determined before we chew and swallow our Food to nourish us whether we shall do those actions or no. If the first we shall do them without our will and endeavour if the second we shall not though we do will and endeavour to do them But we do not see men in this and the like cases abstain from their will and endeavor for such a Reason though it be suggested to them But they always use both where they believe them to be the cause or condition of their obtaining any good thing they desire And indeed they have the greatest reason so to do which is a Second thing to be answered For briefly and not to spend much time here in these subtilties since men must of necessity will and endeavour after something or not whether it be or be not predetermined they shall will and endeavour or not there being no middle surely it is most manifest that they are to take that part of which there appears to them the best Effects and consequences but it is as manifest that there doth appear better effects and consequences of willing and endeavouring after that which is the cause or caution of any good thing than of omitting so to do or lying idle because God hath predetermined we know not which of the two viz. either we shall will and endeavor or not But this is not the ordinary sense of this Objection here though it be in a controversie which hath filled many Volumes To the Second therefore viz. That it is needless to petition God for any thing because he hath predetermined whether we shall have it or no many things may be replyed As 1. Let
1. The First is the truth of them We are to take care that that which is capable thereof be true All things that are the sense or matter of our Prayers besides that which is the proper matter of Petition or Desire may be false or true The matter or objects of our desire indeed cannot because they are all of them as so considered simple not complex things in such manner as Propositions are in which only there is that truth I now mean For Example In acknowledgment of the Divine Perfections we must have a care that what we acknowledge to be in God be really a pure perfection and implies necessarily no imperfection or defect in the least and therefore that it is really in him Thus when we make an acknowledgment of God's absolute Power and Sovereignty of doing whatsoever he willeth and pleaseth we must have a care of thinking he can by his own intrinsick Power or that it is in his Nature to determine himself contrary to the Laws of Righteousness or Universal Goodness which is all one As for Instance That he can or that there is any capacity in his most perfect Nature to will all his Creatures to be miserable and to make them for that purpose nay or to will any number of them nay any one of them absolutely and ultimately to be so nay or the least evil to any of them without any further respect to any other good but only that he pleaseth himself therein this is contrary to Reason and express Revelation It is true there is no superiour cause to God's Will or his active Power that makes him to be good or restrains him from making any of his Creatures unhappy or miserable we should be mistaken again if we thought so but we neither ought nor can conceive if we attend to the Nature of God and Perfection that it is possible ever for him to will absolutely and ultimately the least evil or misery of his Creatures his Will can never be so disposed it is not in his Nature to will so cannot please him That which I conceive the best disposed men mean confusedly and are not offended with when they acknowledge God's Soveraignty so unlimitedly as that he can do what he will with his innocent Creatures and either immediately though such or mediately first contriving a necessity of sinning throw them into Hell if he pleaseth is that there is no superiour cause to his own Will why he doth not so which is true not that it is possible for him ever so to will or to be pleased therewith That even the due Relations of our Actions to their Objects or their Justice or Righteousness is something and therefore made by God or dependent upon his Will for all things must have his Will or active Power to be the Cause But then we cannot conceive his Nature such as ever to have willed contrary or not to have willed these Relations not to have willed that which is just and right There have been both of the most prophane and of the greatest Religionists but mistaken who have I think entertained these false and most mischievous Opinions concerning God So on another hand in the acknowledgment of the Divine Goodness men may have a conceit and acknowledge that God is so good that he will make all men happy and therefore pass over all their sins though never so great and heinous numerous and many that he will not punish them neither here nor hereafter and this though they do not repent and their minds and natures are not changed at all or very slightly They say they are sinners but God they hope will forgive them for God is merciful as they use to express it This is a very mischievous falshood and implies him even not to be Universally good to all his Creation not to do the greatest good to it for he cannot be so unless he restrain sometimes wickedness and sinful mischievous Purposes and Resolutions of Will and put a difference as to Happiness between the Righteous and the Wicked sometime and in some measure or other according as seems best to his infinite Wisdom This also is contrary to Reason and the express revealed Will of God So again Those who may acknowledge the Divine Tenderness and peculiar Love to them and to some certain others that he will not see any sin in them and will not punish them in the least for it but that they are peculiarly destined to an unconceivable Glory and Felicity in another World notwithstanding they live in their Sins and are no better than others and are very well content so to do and be who say further that God hath provided and found out a way to excuse them from actual obedience to his Laws and from punishment in case of constant failure without any amendment that they indeed have very corrupt hearts but God for Christ's sake will pardon all These persons make God and Christ the worst Patrons of sin the most unrighteous the most partial to bear with and pardon it in a few whom he pleaseth but to punish it in all the rest with the greatest severity Nothing more repugnant to Reason and Scripture in Rom. 2. In Confession in like manner we must have the like care and as near as we can say nothing but what we know to be certainly true Wherefore we must have a care that we do not confess that we deserve punishment in such things which are not sins nor that we are guilty in those things which really are sins when we are not Nor on the contrary perhaps excuse our selves or think our selves innocent or good when we are bad think those things no sins nay very good actions which are bad ones That which may often be in those which are done with pretended or some little real zeal confusedly for the glory of God mixed with much more or other undue selfish ends and unlawful appetites Nor must we acquit slatter connive at our selves and think our selves not guilty of any sins and it may be thank God for it too when we are being either ignorant and forgetful of our selves or wilfully vainly conceited The greatest part of the World are very presumptuous and conceited generally of their own innocency though they may sometimes in words only or very slightly say they are sinners insomuch that if you should enquire of them what they have been or how they have lived they 'l tell you that no man can say any harm by them and they know nothing amiss they thank God by themselves they hardly know one sin by themselves or one bad action to confess or they must study upon it or be put in mind of something or other whence they conclude themselves very innocent and take it for granted and act accordingly as if it really were so and God knew as little by them as they do by themselves when perhaps they have rarely done any good action and they have little good in them If they should
be remembred of their Wrath Revenge Pride Envy Conceit and Disobedience Fraud Deceit Injustice Violence Sacriledge Lust and Intemperance their neglect of God and their Duty towards him nay their aversation from hatred or contempt of Pious Performances they will either deny or excuse or justifie themselves therein These are the far greatest number But we may find some too on the other hand who are so melancholy fearful and timorous or angry and discontented with themselves that they are very apt to think those things sins in themselves and to accuse and condemn themselves for them which are not but only defects of knowledge or prudence when their principles were very right and innocent and they used as much or more care sometimes to do what they intended then they ought Nay some there may be who may think those things sins which are their material duty or they ought in prudence and wisdom to have done As when any person notwithstanding the stirring or tumultuating of any Lusts resisted disapproved comes to the Sacrament desirous heartily to be better and stronger against them and yet thinks he hath done amiss in coming before his heart was better when this was his duty These same â—â—morous and discontented persons also are apt to think themselves guilty of some faâ—lts when they are not or more then they are and to take notice of what 's bad and not what 's good in themselves They take notice of the frequent assaults of their excessive and immoderate Appetites and Lusts and sometimes of their being overcome and not at all of their disapprobation dislike resistance repelling and overcoming them the latter of which is as effectual a means of encouraging preserving and strengthening us in goodness as the former So also men may mistake in their Confession concerning Original Sin if not rightly informed as that we are guilty of Adam's personal Sin and so deserve Eternal Damnation therefore whereas the utmost that seems to be taught us by Scripture Reason and Experience which indeed is a great and a sad deal is that it may seem just to God or for the Universal Good to constitute such Laws of Nature that Children by the Mediation of their Bodys from their Parents may be born with inordinate and immoderate appetites or inclinations or with inclinations to some objects absolutely for themselves and stronger than that to holiness or righteousness in which is the nature of Sin These inordinate and immoderate appetites or inclinations being by Laws of Nature from certain temper or disposition of our bodys which is communicated from our Parents may very well be called Original or Birth-Sin as it is in our Church-Articles But all this though it be a very great Calamity to Children yet cannot be said to be their Punishment because no sin in them is supposed to have preceded but it is the Punishment of their Parents and of their First-Parents who have sinned to whom they are so related as to be looked upon by them and others as part of themselves and whom their Evil or Calamity seen or foreseen really doth affect Nay further These inordinate and immoderate Appetites or habitual Lusts or evil Concupiscences do certainly make it just for God to place such Souls in whom they are in some suitable state of imperfection and unhappiness sometime or in some degree or other best known to his infinite Wisdom if they be not removed or taken away as some think they are in Infants by Baptism But all this still is no Punishment to Children either for Adam's or any other 's personal Transgression The neglect of a Judaical observation of the Lord's day hath been and I suppose is still amongst some even very good person one of the most frequently or zealously confessed sins That they have spoke their own words and thought their own thoughts any time within the four and twenty hours that is as they interpet it any words or thoughts concerning any worldly Affair though it be hard to fix the bounds of worldly and religious which in it self might be hightly useful to ones self and to others and therefore lawful nay commanded on another day and this because they look upon the Jewish Sabbath only translated to another day by our Lord or his Apostles with the addition of the Commemoration of our Lord's Resurrection The Command concerning the Observation of which Jewish Sabbath they esteem Moral by which they mean that it is of perpetual obligation except where God himself hath altered it as they think he hath in respect of the day In all which I think there are many mistakes As 1. That the Jews themselves were forbidden for the entire space of twenty four hours of their Sabbath all thoughts and words nay actions themselves which were not the immediate worship of God internal or external or very nearly relating thereunto As for Actions it is not to be doubted but that first those which might be necessary to make them spend a greater part of that time in the immediate worship of God with more vigour and fervency were never forbidden and therefore those which were for the best refreshment of the body with food and those which were for diversion sometimes which to some persons might necessarily take up a good part of their time such as walking and talking about innocent or useful affairs of Life and interposing these so much as might make them fitter for the commanded Worship of God and that which their own prudence might add in publick private or secret Nor 2. Is it more to be doubted that those actions were never forbidden which were of greater good effect just at that time and in those circumstances and many such there may be which must be left to mens sincere prudence than the immediate Worship of God As for Example A Man's pulling his Neighbour's or his own Ox or Ass or Sheep out of a Ditch where they would certainly perish It is our Saviour's own Instance How much more to ride many miles Post more than many of their Sabbath days Journey to save a Man's Life ready to perish by some Disease or by violent assault of wicked Murtherers And as for words and thoughts they had in this respect still more liberty For abundance of actions and otherwise very useful and good would be inconsistent with and indispose a man to the immediate Worship of God the words or thoughts concerning which for a small time may not but clean contrary conveniently and fitly divert or refresh a man and be the cause of his better performance thereof The place in Isaiah the 58. which hath been usually quoted to this purpose is If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day anâ— call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own ways nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words Where firâ—â— the words from doing thy pleasure on my holy day signifie and