hand scatters among all sorts of men That we may be Remembred with the Favour which He bears to his People and Visited with the Joy of his Salvation Little need have we to mind the Stuff here when all the Good of the Promised Land is before us And how well may that be called All which takes in whatever the Largest Soul of man can wish We cannot ask the thing that is not there Blaming the Shallowness of our Request Herb. His is the Power to whom we Pray And his Hand is never Shortned But with the greatest Ease can Effect whatever we would have Let us not then be Streightned in our Prayers when we have so much Liberty given us And we cannot Open our mouths so wide but He whose Gift is Eternal Life has promised to Fill them And to pleasure us not only to the Half but even the Whole of his Kingdom And what more can we Ask or think than All Heaven and Glory everlasting with whatever is Conducing Here to bring us Safe thither Poor Christian who art Humble and Contrite Trembling at Gods Word Be not Modest in thy own Wrong When thou art allowed to Enlarge thy Desires as wide as to what 's Infinite Lose it not for want of Asking Thou mayst think a Crown and Kingdom most Glorious and never failing too Good for thee a Sinful wretch to expect But they are not too Great for the God Infinitely Good to Bestow This is the drift of all thy Prayers No less thou art to beg than Christ and with him All things In this world the Knowledge and Love and Obedience of Gods Truth and in the world to come Life everlasting And that End of thy Faith The Salvation of thy Soul as it must be the Aim so it will be the Consequence of thy Prayers For whosoever shall Call on the Name of the Lord shall be Saved Rom. 10.13 Do but Ask as thou should'st and thou shalt Have what thou Wilt. CHAP. II. The Liberty of Praying as to the Manner THE Liberty of Praying is not so great for the Matter But it is yet greater for the Manner If Men will not go to Tye us up where God hath left us Free For tho' our Lord hath Limited us as to the Particulars to to be asked So that we are to ask nothing but what may be Reduced to some of the Heads which he hath prescribed Yet who could ever think that he tyed us up only to those very Words When as all Supplicants still together with or without those have been accustomed to other Words And yet not feared to transgress the Order of our Saviour But by this Liberty of the Manner of Prayer I understand The Freedom and Boldness of Address Using of the Voice or not Long Prayers or Short Plain or Elegant This Posture or that A Form or none One Form or another Chusing which Part shall go first And Altering Adding or Diminishing according as we shall judge most Agreeable and Beneficial to our selves and others SECT 1. Of the Freedom and Boldness of Address NOtwithstanding the infinite distance between us and the most High God We are encouraged to come Boldly to the Throne of Grace Heb. 4.16 Provided we Remember that we are Creatures We are not to forget that we are Children Children indeed of the most High Yet Behold God is Mighty and Despiseth not any Job 36.5 As we must Manage our priviledge so that the Goodness of God may not cause us to forget his Greatness as the Doctor gives a good Caution Serm. p. 112. So Vice versâ That his Greatness may not cause us to forget his Goodness As it is said of Luther That he prayed Tantâ Reverentiâ ut si Deo Tantâ Confidentiâ ut si Amico So Reverently as to God so Confidently as to his Friend For tho' God be the greatest King Yet he takes not so much State as the Meanest For what King keeps a Court so Open as to give Admittance to All Comers Or tho' they Get in every one must not look to Speed But he that lives never so Obscure on Earth may go when he will and Speak to the King of Heaven Who not only Authorizes our Access but Invites us into his Presence And likes us so much the Better the More we ask And is Kinder and Better to us than all the best and dearest Friends we have in the world God's Children have not received The Spirit of Bondage again to Fear But the Spirit of Adoption whereby they cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 Not to Fear Why 't is Madness not to Fear Him at whose mercy we lye and who hath the Power of us to do what he will with us No such Hearts-ease as to feel our hearts softned into an Awful regard of the Glorious Majesty of the World To Reverence his Name and to be afraid to Lose and Offend Him Such as Fear him are call'd upon to Praise him Psal 135.20 His filial Fear is not Inconsistent with his cheerful Praises Who do so Fear him have indeed most cause to Praise him That by his Grace he has wrought them to such a Child-like disposition Nay the very representations of God as a Terrible Judge a Consuming Fire may do us the greatest Kindness To Hasten our flight from the Wrath to come As any one would give us cause of many Thanks to Affright us from a deadly Precipice upon which he saw us ready to run and to be Ruined But then the Fear which God's children have of him is not a Slavish tormenting Dread to affright them from Him But such a Caution and Circumspection as drives them out of dangers Home to Him to Shelter under his Wings Still they are to look upon him clad in Garments of Salvation as well as of Majesty Benevolous to his Creatures and especially Good to the Soul that Seeks him Not Hard but only to be Provoked and easie to be Intreated Full of Invitation and all Encouragements and Endearments to raise Hope and enflame our Love Not inviting us to Him for any Ends upon us but only to be Good to us Loving all the occasions to Exert his Bounty and can deny the children of his Family no reasonable Request Yea as much delighting to Give as we to Receive As the Mother is no less pleas'd to have her Breasts Drawn than the Child to Suck Nor does he part with his mercies as one that is with Difficulty drawn to it But only stays till we are Ready to receive the things we ask i. e. indeed till they will do us Good For till we are Ready for them they are not Good for us And our Prayers are not to make him more Willing but to make us more Prepared We must not go to God then Discouraged with a Servile Dread but repair to Him as to a Father Tho' offended yet Willing to be Reconciled And therefore puts us on to Ask our Pardon that we may Receive it And that he 〈◊〉 will
Clefts of the Rocks in the Secret place of the Stairs Cant. 2.14 In such Retirements he uses most freely to Impart Himself And there should we cast and covet to Meet Him whom our Souls Love And not think it any hard Put upon us but the most sweet and blessed Advantage to leave even the best and Dearest Company to go to God our Exceeding Joy What care I for Chatting with Friends on earth said Bishop Hall shut up in the Tower when I may talk familiarly with the God of Heaven As our Saviour gave a discharge even to his own Disciples Mat. 26.36 Tarry ye here while I go and Pray yonder So get sometimes out of the Crowd and Hurry of worldly Avocations and distractions that thou maist find a full Vacation and happy Freedom to wait upon thy God And when so taken up with Him in Secret bethink thy self what main Grievance it is thou hast to make thy moan of What especial Favour thou hast to Beg What Sin that lieth hardest upon thy Conscience to be Pardoned What noisom Corruption to be Healed What most Wanted Grace or Good thing to be Desired And there tell all as having the fairest Opportunity to be Bold And put on hard as one that will not be Denied Abraham Retired into his Grove Isaac to the Field Jacob Wrestled with God upon the Way Elijah Prayed under the Juniper-Tree Jeremiah in the Dungeon Daniel in the Lions Den Jonah in the Whales Belly Our Saviour in the Garden and often in the Mount St. Peter on the House-Top No matter what is the Place so it minister to our Devotion and help us indeed to Draw nigh to God Which is not to be done with the Body and shifting of Places but in the Elevation of the Heart and Fervor of Affections Non Passibus sed Precibus itur ad Deum Aug. Prayer is the Messenger that doth our Errand there where Flesh cannot come And wherever a man is or however taken up even in the midst of his Worldly occasions His Soul may fly out and steal away to God Or send up Secret Ejaculations that shall pierce the Heavens and find as sure a Conveyance as if they had bounded from the Temple However then we should be Glad to to go into the House of the Lord when Opportunity serves Yet when we have a Motion to Prayer any where we must not withhold it for want of a Better Place from whence to send it up CHAP. V. The Liberty of Prayer as to the Persons Praying SECT I. The Liberty that All Sorts have to Pray EVery one that is Godly shall Pray unto thee ô Lord. Psal 32.6 No Godly man but will do it And all manner of Persons as they have Need So they are Allowed to do it Only the Priest of old entred the Holy Place Now he that hath Loved and Redeemed us and wash'd us from our Sins in his own Blood hath made us all Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 God is no Respecter of Persons The Poorest shall have as fair and full a Hearing with Him as the Biggest man in the World Tho he be the most High yet the Lowest are not beneath his Notice If they are Low in their own eyes and Poor in Spirit as well as of Low Estate and Poor in the World They are indeed the Nearer to his Acceptance Who hath Respect unto the Lowly And to this man will Look that is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and Trembles at his Word Isa 66.2 This Poor man cried and the Lord Heard him and saved him out of all his Troubles Psal 34.6 From the Height of his Sanctuary he looks down even upon the most Abject wretches on Earth Even such as are Rejected of men and just ready to be Thrust out as not fit to Live in the World To hear the groaning of the Prisoner To loose those that are Appointed to death Psal 102.20 He will Regard the Prayer of the Destitute and not despise their Prayer v. 17. The Lord sees not as man sees To Regard men according to their Garb and Dresses but according to their Faith and Graces Yea according to their Cries and Necessities And even that Abjection and Beggary for which others Overlook and Scorn them is the very Motive of God's Inclining to them and taking Notice of them Do thou for me O God the Lord for thy Names sake because thy mercy is good Deliver thou me For I am Poor and Needy Psal 109.21 For the Oppression of the Poor for the Sighing of the Needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him at Liberty Psal 12.5 Tho God that hath Chosen the Poor of this World is not Fond of a man only for this reason because he is Poor For there may not be more Wicked men than many Poor men Yea such as are fain to Beg their Bread of Men may yet be none of Gods Beggars and so none of his Favourites This not for their Bodily wretchedness but for their Souls Ungodliness because matters are not so Ill with their Bodies but they are Worse with their Souls Yet caeteris paribus No Poor man shall be ever the less Welcome with God for his Poverty but be as soon Heard and as much Respected by Him as His Excellency or His Highness the most Eminent and Mighty who look to be Observed of all and that every one else must be Silent when they Speak Such are often too High to be God's Humble Servants Like the Wicked Psal 10.4 Who thrô the Pride of his Countenance will not Seek after God Tho there is none so Rich and well-provided but they stand in continual need of God's Alms And they that abound in the World 's Good must yet beg of him their Daily Bread and have need of all men to Pray hard That they may not be put off with their Portion in this Life and be Tormented when Lazarus shall be Comforted Let not the Rich man rejoice so much in his Riches as that he may go to God to save him from the Danger of them And let him not Pray the Less but the More That thrô so many Temptations he may get Safe into the Kingdom of God Let not any Nobles Gentlemen or Ladies ever fear it will Debase their Dignity to Cringe to Him that has far greater than any Kings or Queens on Earth for his daily Attendants If they are too Goodly to be Godly they will be too High to be Saved Prayer is Man well Drest Herb. The finest Creature is best Adorned when most Humbled And when the Knees are Bowed the Mouth Confessing the Hands Smiting the Eyes Blubbered the Cheeks bedewed Nothing in the sight of Heaven is more Becoming and Recommending Ephraim was heard so Bemoaning himself And presently it follows Is Ephraim my dear Son is be a pleasant Child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Jer. 31.18 19 20.
But if the King of Heaven will admit of the Poorest mans Request and such as should not be suffered to speak to their Prince shall be Heard speaking as much and as often as they will to their God O! how Unwise and Wicked then are those Poor that will not thus Ingratiate and prefer themselves to be as Great with God as they are Despicable in the World That they may not Lose both Worlds but Pray themselves into a better Kingdom than all the Kingdoms on Earth Let the Afflicted Pray That they may not Perish in their Troubles And let the Prosperous Pray That they may not be Destroyed by their very Prosperity Let the Idle Pray because they have Leisure And let the Buisy Pray to Hallow their Imployments Spare time can never be better Bestowed And the Soul amidst Multiplicity of Business can never be better Secured Let the Learned Pray because they Know How And let the Ignorant Pray That they may be Taught of God to Know more The best Scholars are they that have Learned to be Readiest at their Prayers And such as best Know themselves will be most forward to Humble themselves before the Lord and know how Good it is for them to Draw nigh unto God And none must forbear their Prayers because they be not fine Speakers But If any man lack Wisdom let him ask it of God who giveth to all men Liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him Jam. 1.5 The Silliest wretch by this means may come to Know enough to do his Business to make him Wise to Salvation Let the Aged Pray much because they have but a Little Time till their Mouths will be stopt And Cry mightily to God before they go down into the Silence of the Grave Let them Beg of Him that knows their Frame to have Compassion on their Infirmities and not Cast them away in the time of their Old Age nor Forsake them when their Strength fails them Let them go Praying out of this World that they may come Praising into the Next Let Children in their youth Remember who Made them and Pray That as they grow in Age and Stature they may also grow in Wisdom and Grace and Favour with God and men Let them learn to Pray Betimes that Use may get them a Habit and facility of Praying And if their Prayers be well meant tho Childish He will not Despise the Young Childrens Prayer who gives even to the Young Ravens that Cry Psal 147.9 Let the Weak and crasy Pray for Power from on High to Him that giveth Power to the Faint and increaseth Strength to them that have no Might And let the Strong and Lusty Exert their Strength and mettle in this Spiritual Conflict and Struggle and not be Slothful in the Work of the Lord but do it with all their might Because they know not what a Day may bring forth to Disable and pull them down Let the Infirm Christians Pray to be Healed and the Fallen to be Recovered the Doubtful and wavering to have their Faith increased And let the Faithful and established Pray That they may be Thankful to God and Helpful to men and go on to Abound in the Work of the Lord. In a word let men of all Ranks and Estates Pray Because they May and because they Need it Because they are Nothing and Have nothing but of the Divine Bounty And can do nothing without God's Heavenly Grace and are Presumptuous to look for that Grace without their Prayers They deserve to go for ever without it and justly do perish for Want of it who will not be at so much trouble as to Seek but Lose all for want of Asking All the Noise and Bustle in this World at the last will Centre and be summâ—d up in Prayer And every one that is not Stupid or Mad will covet to go Praying off the present Stage Whatever else then a man has to do he is but an impertinent Trifler whoever he be that doth not every day addict and use himself to this Service to make one of the number of God's constant Orators SECT II. What Liberty have Sinners to make their Prayers THat God Heareth not Sinners is true of all Impenitent Resolved Sinners so persisting For why should he be at their beck to Hear them calling upon Him for Mercy who make no Conscience to Hearken to Him calling on them for Duty Quantum à praeceptis tantum ab Auribus Dei Tertul. He that turneth away his ear from Hearing the Law even his Prayer shall be Abomination Prov. 28.9 More Noisom to God than any Stinking Breath to us He will not Hear when the Hands are full of Blood They must be Holy hands lifted up to fetch down Heavenly Blessings Nor will he Hear when the Heart is full of Pride Who is inclinable to Give to a Proud Beggar Any allowed Wickedness bars against us the best and only Refuge in the world When our Hearts Condemn us for Regarding Iniquity in them it Damps our Spirits and Confounds our Faces and Blasts all our Hopes of Speeding The Prayer is like then to Return as void of Success as it went empty of Sincerity For should God Hear us when we do not Hear our selves Yea when we hear all his Enemies rather than Him We must not think he is so obliged to our Party or Charmed with our Forms of Address tho we may seem to Pray as we Ought when we take no care to Live as we Pray And yet it cannot be meant of Sinners in general without Exception That God will not Hear them For then he must Hear never a Servant of his that he has upon Earth seeing all the World stands Guilty before him And there is not a Just man upon earth that doth Good and Sinneth not Who are they but Sinners that he bids Pray every day Forgive us our Trespasses He will Forgive many that know not how to Forgive themselves And Hear even such as are ready to Despair of Audience Psal 31.22 I said in my haft I am cut off from before thine eyes Nevertheless thou Heard'st the voice of my Supplications when I cried unto thee How is it then God will Hear some Sinners and some he will not Presumptuous Hardned Sinners that Go on still in their Trespasses He will not Hear Nor Regard their Prayers who Regard not his Word but make the Prayers only a Cloak for their Sins instead of a Mawl to break them off But Repenting and Returning Sinners shall not therefore fail of Audience because they fail in their performance Nor be Denied every thing which they Would Because they discharge not every thing as they Ought Tho we cannot say We have no Sin or are without offence Yet if we Fear to offend He will Fulfil the desire of them that Fear him Psal 145.19 And tho we cannot make so streight paths for our Feet as never to tread Awry Yet if as to the main we walk in the Vprightness of our
enemies to the Popish Superstition Tho I dare not Idolize any Form nor make it Exclusive of all else as if there were no true Worship but that I am far from Despising what the Dr. calls such a Treasure of Rational Devotion And I believe many have a Pique at it not so much for any Exceptionable things in it as for the sake of some Admired Persons whom they hear Speak against it I have long since testified my Assent and Consent to all that is therein Appointed To allow it as True and to Approve it as Good Or as Dr. Falkner gives his sense of it Lib Eccles p. 96 That it may Warrantably and with a good Conscience be used And I do still Declare for it as far as it is Appointed i. e. for the Publick Service of the Church But I cannot think my self obliged to Plead for this Form to the Justling out of all other When as indeed Other Forms also are Contrived and put into our hands even by the Fathers of the Church And Dr. Patrick now one of our Right Reverend Bishops in the Preface of his Book of Devotions for Families thus freely delivers his Opinion That the Reverence due to the Common-Prayer will be best preserved by imploying it only in the Publick Divine Service unless there 's a Priest to Officiate in Private And that the Design of it is not to furnish people with Prayers for all those particular Occasions wherein Devout Souls should make their Requests to God And he appeals to the constant Opinion of pious Divines That other Prayers are Necessary for the Flock of Christ Besides the Publick Liturgy And I observe that his Grace the late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Whose Name I cannot mention without some mark of Honour Such a rich Perfume his high Deserts have left behind him Who was upon constant and eminent Service of the Church even all his days And his most Vseful Learning and Happy Pen flowing with Nervous Sense in the Easiest Stile will Oblige the World even as long as it stands In his Sermon of Family-Religion makes no mention of the Common Prayer for Family-Worship But refers to the Excellent Helps for this purpose for those that stand in Need of them in the several Books of Devotion calculated for the Private use of Families as well as for Secret Prayer in our Closets Thô I Criminate none who discreetly collect out of the Liturgy to use in their Houses but commend all the Families where this or any other Offices of God's true Worship are Reverently and Seriously performed That I may not be guilty of the Imposing Humour which I censure Hanc Veniam damus petimusque vicissim Let every one enjoy the Freedom which the great Lord of all hath Allowed them Tho' God that required Sacrifices without Blemishes would have those of our Prayers as free from Mutilation and Defect as our Frailty will admit Yet I do not expect to Join with any Worship on Earth that is Perfect I am glad when I am concern'd in that which is Least Faulty And tho I would not make Invidious Comparisons nor Cry up some Prayers to the Depretiating of others Yet I must make bold to tell the Dr. That I have heard Bishops and Dignitaries and many Doctors and Divines of this Church all very Learned and Pious Pray without the Book both before their Sermons and upon other Occasions And with such a Rational and Raised Devotion as has been so far from Offensive and Grating That it has been very Instructive and Edifying And here I cannot but Reflect with some concernment on the Doctor 's Sharp Reprimand of Praying before Sermon which he says Pag. 213. Put the Rule of the Church first out of Vse and then out of Countenance And that it is a Senseless and Absurd practice After the Church has been near for an Hour together Praying for all that is Fit And That the Bidding-Prayer against all Law and Reason is Justled out by this Vpstart Puritanical Encroachment which is a Conforming to the Phanaticks How desperately doth he Strike here at his Fathers and Brethren peradventure the Most and the Best of this Church That are not to Learn even of this Reverend Dr. either to Preach or to Pray And I may add Nor to Obey the Canons neither Tho I am told he Learn'd this at a very Advantageous Season Yet what if I can point him to several Canons that he doth not think Convenient to be so Punctual an Observer of in his Parish And must the very Name of Bidding-Prayer make this Canon more Binding and Bidding and Commanding above all others Like as One Canon in a Cathedral may be more Imperious than all the Rest But if Custom has made the Bidding-Prayer at least in his sense of it as Unfashionable as the Standing-Collars and Priests Cloaks Rather let him Pelt me for following my Betters than I 'le make my self an Antick Ridiculous to all but some Starched Dons for Appearing still in the Old stiff Ruff. Yet with Submission to Wiser Judgments I offer it to Second Thoughts Whether he in his heat and Transport has not wrackt the Canon beyond its genuine drift and intention For I do not find that the Form there mentioned is Absolutely Enjoin'd So that the Prayer be but To that Effect and as briefly as conveniently the Preachers may Of which Conveniency I think themselves are the Fittest Judges or else they are not Fit to be Preachers And if they find it not Convenient to be so Brief at one time as at another I see not but the Canon leaves them at Liberty For even that which in some Ears sounds like a strict Limitation in my Judgment gives a fair Latitude for Variation and Addition and shews that the Canon does not Impose an Indispensible and Unchangeable Form but only Direct to some Heads that should not be left out When it is said In this Form or to this Effect as briefly as conveniently they may Doth not this leave Room to Vary and Enlarge beyond the bare words of Prayer exprest in that Canon For if I were bound still to keep just to that very Form and speak Nothing more than is there Mentioned it would admit of no Magis and Minus nor any thing else to be brought in tho never so Conveniently and Briefly And so run it up to the Super-Conforming Height against all Law and Reason indeed But if it be so Senseless and Absurd to Fray afore Sermon Because all that is Needful has been asked Before To what Sense then is it That the Church and the King must be Prayed for again as the Canon prescribes When it has been done Three or Four times before Nay why then must the Lords-Prayer be Repeated anew to Shut up the Bidding-Prayer when it has been Used also as many times the same Morning But he Complains not of another New Mode as much Prevailing among a sort of Divines and whereby the Bidding Prayer is I
unexpected occasion happen Diatrib on Mat. 6.9 for which the Church cannot provide The Spirit of her Ministers is Free Who will forbid them in such a case to supply that by a Voluntary and Arbitrary Form which the Church could not provide for in a Set Form With whom Dr. Falkner sets in Lib. Eccles p. 120. Nor doth the Establishing a Form for the Publick Office of the Church deny the Liberty in due place of using other Prayers according to the practice of ours and the Ancient Church A Christian that cannot Pray says the good Bishop how much more a Minister is like an Orator that cannot Speak or a Traveller that cannot go This Gift is a part of our Spiritual Armour And for a Soldier to be without any skill in the Vse of his Arms is both an Vnsuitable and a Dangerous condition And what he there speaks of the Advantages of this Gift and the Inconveniencies of its Want to Private Christians is still more applicable to him that is the Mouth of the People viz. To be able upon all occasions to relate their Condition according to especial circumstances and several Emergencies Or else when surpriz'd by any sudden Exigence or lying under any great Strait wherein no Help is to be expected but from the Hand of God To be at a Loss what to say without having recourse to some prescribed Form which perhaps has no proper reference to the particular occasion How Inconvenient and prejudicial will this be to lye under such a Disability of Expression The Readiness of Expression and Enlarging our Desires in fit manner That he calls the Gift of Prayer Tho some I know would have it to consist in those Pious Dispositions within us which I take to be rather The Spirit of Supplications For sure we ought to Distinguish the one from the other However it is Possible for them to stand together and most Lovely they are in Conjunction Yet one may have a Praying Heart that hath not a Voluble Tongue And again another may Roll in apt Expressions that is a Stranger to the Spirit of Supplications Now tho it is not for the Weak to put themselves upon Services above their Strength Yet it looks ill when men are Fluent on other Occasions and only Tongue-ty'd at their Prayers When they pass for good Speakers every where else but are Down in the mouth at the Throne of Grace This speaks a Defect that is suspicious to be not only their Calamity but their Impiety Indeed the very Sense of Want and Pain where prevalent will open the Mouths not otherwise Eloquent and sometimes suggest and dictate things above their common Capacity As a Malefactor tho no Orator yet when Begging for his Life will find Words Significative and Moving However many may often need the assistance of Books and Forms And whoever find their case better Exprest by others than they know how to do it themselves have their Liberty so to help themselves And instead of Scrupling to use Others words may Thank God for that Advantage to warm their Hearts and raise their Affections and Enflame their Devotions It makes my Prayer neither better nor worse whether my Eyes take words off the Paper before me Or whether by recollection I fetch them out of my Memory which is as the Bishop calls it but a kind of Invisible Book To Read or speak by Rote Is all alike to him that Prays With 's Heart what with his Mouth he says Harvey But that I will conclude to be the Best way for me to take whichsoever it be that helps me to Pray most pertinently humbly faithfully and fervently Some can Pray better with this Form some with that and some with none Therefore Let every Devout Christian that makes Conscience of Worship and gives himself to Prayer consult his own Experience and Enjoy his Liberty to take that way which he finds Best for himself There is an Abridging ourselves that gives Check to our Improvement And I am not tied always to use this very Staff or any at all If I find that I can do as well or Better without it There is a Growth in Knowledge and Grace as well as in Bodily Stature and Strength And some Sutes of Prayer as well as Suits of Cloaths we may be Out-grown As Piety brings me upon my Knees then So Prudence must Adapt my Words Tho Old words it 's true may be used with New Affections and serve as well where the case is the same Yet there are some New Occasions of my Life that call for a New Song And where the Expressions as well as Affections are New and the best that we can fetch out of our Treasure It speaks the Value which we put upon our Benefactors favours That we prize them more than to mention them still in the ordinary Rote We count it not only Flat and Dilute but Contemptuous and Slighting to speak after that Manner to our great Friends on earth How much more concern'd should we be to Appear before the Greatest and Best of all which is in Heaven with somewhat to express our highest Regard of Him and his Blessings and also our most Careful Hearts to approve our selves Sensible and duly Affected Of which our Speech is the Indication And so that we Express our selves to the purpose it matters not whether the words be our own or Borrowed from one or another We may Press them into this Service wherever we find them But thou poor weak Christian whose Parts and Abilities are not equal to thy Zeal and Piety When thou art Moved to Pray and hast but a Praying Heart O take heed that thou never Forbear thy Prayers for want of Words at Command to Set them off For if thou couldst not so much as Read or Speak at all Yet thou might'st Pray And tho thou hast not a Fluency of Speech and Choice of Expressions in a Readiness which indeed are Gifts more for the Service and Edification of others than for any Saving Benefit to the Owners Yet throw and Prostrate thy self before the Lord and Try to make somewhat of it in opening the fense and the Desires of thy Soul at the Throne of Grace 〈◊〉 Doing as thou Canst where thou canst not as thou Would'st And thou may'st do e'en as well without the Flowing Utterance and Elocution Yea peradventure Better Because thereby thou art kept Humbler and so fitter for his Acceptance who to this man will Look even to him that is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and trembles at his Word SECT VIII The Liberty of Varying our Prayers as to the Parts and Words THE usual Method of Prayer is Confession Petition and Thanksgiving Yet we are not in every Prayer tied up just to this Order We may sometimes omit one of the Parts or put the Last First or only Beg without Explicite Confessing our Sins or Blessing the Lord. Tho we are bound to all these things yet not at all Times that we make our
nigh to our Gracious God and Pouring out our Hearts before him But especially when his Hand is upon us our Eyes and Hearts should be lifted up to Him Who has Torn and Smitten and alone can Heal and Bind up our Breaches Whatever be the Distress God is a Refuge sufficient for us Our Refuge and Strength our present Help in Time of Trouble 'T is to some purpose to make our application to Him who at the Lowest can Raise and at the Worst is able to Relieve us Refuge failed me no man cared for my Soul yet I cried unto thee ô Lord and said Thou art my Refuge and my Portion in the Land of the Living Psal 142.4 5. Yea thô men Provoke him and are Brought Low for their Iniquity Nevertheless he Regards their Affliction when he hears their Cry Psal 106.43 44. Thô Foolish Sinners for their Transgressions and Iniquities are Afflicted Yet when they Cry to the Lord in their Troubles He saves them out of their Distress Psal 107 17-16 Whatever comes upon us it cannot Vndo us as long as we have the way open to the Almighty Friend in whom is our Help Whatever we Lose We may ask and have a Better thing at his Hands Whatever we Suffer if we make our moan and cry to him for Succor He will Remove it from us or Sanctify and Sweeten it to us that it shall do us no Hurt but Work for our Good With this Staff of Prayer we may walk over Rocks and Mountains and Surmount all our Troubles and Disasters Whoever are against us and run us down No matter if we can Appeal to Heaven and have God our Friend and Engage the Almighty Lord of all into our Interests For my Love they are my Adversaries but I give my self unto Prayer Ps 109.4 Instead of Wrangling with them I turn to Him that can order them and Save me from them Or make me more than amends for all the Damage that I can sustain by them When I am in Heaviness and my Spirit is overwhelmed within me To unload my Breast before the Lord Eases my Oppressed mind and helps me to that Relief from Above which the World cannot give As Hannah after she had Prayed to the Lord in Bitterness of Soul and pour'd it out and wept sore She went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more sad 1 Sam. 1.10 15 18. Let me be shut up in Prison none can Imprison my Prayers but my Soul may Expatiate and sally out to my Father which sees in Secret No Walls or Irons can stop me from Him who is every where Present and Nigh unto all that Call upon him I am but a Prisoner in the Body and in this World which is but a greater Jail But Prayer sets me at Large and carries me even to Heaven aforehand And however I am Tempted Troubled and sore put to it Still I have Leave and Liberty to Remonstrate and make my moan Above and seek Redress at the hands of Omnipotent Love And let me continue so to Seek and Pray Heartily And I shall be Happy in spight of all Disasters and misery CHAP. IV. The Liberty for the Place of Prayer THE Infinite Majesty that is every where Present is no more tied to Places than Times I will that men Pray Every where saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.8 The whole World is God's House and no Place of it unfit wherein to Invocate him that Made it Not a Hole or Corner where He that fills Heaven and Earth is not Aware of me We may Hallow any Ground we tread upon and Consecrate every Place we come in for a Proseucha the Chappel and Altar of our Devotion by offering up our Prayers to Jehovah Shammah The Lord that Sees us And when we have no better even a Dunghill or a Dungeon will be Oratories as recommending as the Temple Thô when it is at our choice The Church which is peculiarly stiled The House of Prayer must be Preferred And while we have the Liberty and opportunity of Going with the Multitude to the House of God and those Doors lie Open to us We must take heed of Slighting the Blessed Priviledge So much prized by the Servants of the Lord that Enjoy it and so much Bewailed by them that Want it We must dread to Excommunicate our selves from the Assemblies where the Lord Feeds and makes his Flock to rest and not be as those that Turn aside by the Flocks of his Companions Instead of making that heavy Judgment our wilful Choice To turn our selves out of the Courts of the House of our God we must greatly rejoice in the Favour and with all our hearts be glad of the Freedom To go into the House of the Lord. Yea we must Long for his Courts and Love the Habitation of his House and count it so Amiable that we had rather be Janitors in his Temple where his Reteiners are Still praising him and Every one speaks of his Honour than to have all the Pomp and Splendor of the World among the Strangers and Enemies to God that do nothing but despise and Affront him O! enter into his Gates with Thanksgiving and into his Courts with Praise Be Thankful to him and Bless his Name Psal 100.4 Not only accept the Benefit while offered but Prize it most highly and Embrace it most eagerly Rejoicing with all your Souls that you may be so Happy there to make your Prayers But yet you must not take Prayer for a Sacrifice tied only to that Holy Place nor use to Pen up all your Religion within the Church-walls and there let it lie till the next time Your own Houses also are to be Bethel's and Houses of Prayer Such Families where the Name of God is daily and duly Callâ—d upon Every Master in his House may Officiate as the Priest without Usurping the Honour of Aaron to himself And by such Leading the way in God's humble Worship at thy House thou ownest him to be more Master there than thy self Which will be so far from Losing that it will Greaten thee more than any thing else can do and make thee far more considerable and Worthy than all the Proud Scorning of his Service as a thing Below thee For them that Honour him God has promised to Honour But of all the House our Lord hath given a peculiar Consecration to the Closet where when the Door is Shut and Barr'd up to make it yet more a Closet under that Confinement lies the greatest Liberty And such a Prisoner is the most Free to Expatiate in Prayer When Sequestred from the World thou maist much better Descend into thy own Heart And more out of the danger of Ostentation maist Pour out all thy Soul and demonstrate thy Faith in the Omnipresence and continual Inspection of that God to whom Closets and Hearts are as Open as High-ways and the Face of the Congregation The Lord calls to see the Countenance and to Hear the Voice of his Dove in the
more If thou Wantest Time to do God's Work thou wilt Want an Eternity to Enjoy his Rewards And if thou dost not Work the Works of him that Sent thee while it is Day The Night will be upon thee when thou canst not Work And then if thy Course be Finish'd before thy Work is done Thou wilt Bewail the Want of Time when too Late to Call Back what thou hast thrown away to other Purposes quite Forreign and Impertinent to that great End for which the precious Talent was put into thy Hands Even the men of greatest Business that had most to do in the World when at last they come to Leave it shall perceive That no men else upon Earth were more Concern'd than Themselves to Care for their Souls and Flee from the Wrath to come and Mind the Way to Heaven and Work out their own Salvation However they Turn'd their Heads another way and were all Taken up still about somewhat else and shall wish when Time is Past That they had Neglected every thing in the World rather than this One thing which is of Absolute Necessity to be done Here then Behold a Commendable Thrift and Covetousness To be Greedy of Opportunities for thy Soul To Engross and Steal Time from other less Concerning Matters for Prayer and the Worship of God Yea to Make Times for this Service whatever Business else thou Entrenchest upon And here 's the Unexceptionable holy Epicurism if thou canst hit upon it to be taken up with such sweet Satisfaction this Way as to reckon an Hour so spent Better than a Thousand otherwise bestowed Tho I would not lay a Snare for any ones Conscience in obliging them to Believe That they can never in any case without Sin omit any Accustomed Office when some great Occasion Intervening may call another way Yet Constancy in a good Course is a commendable Vertue and the Spiritual Life is more Orderly when we have our Stated Times which we will not commonly Break nor be easily taken off by any Trivial accidents Every day we want the other things mentioned in our Lord's Prayer as well as Daily Bread And the daily need we have of This teaches us also together with this to beg the rest Is he a Man or a Bruit that makes not Prayer the Key to unlock the Day and the Bolt to shut it up The Jews counted it the Abomination of Desolation when under Antiochus the Daily Sacrifice was Suspended And justly may we count that an Ominous day in which no Sacrifice of our Prayers has been offered It is as if no Sun had Risen that day and laves us worse than without a Sun Without God in the World When Prayer should be as the very Pulse of our Souls And even every Breath we fetch should be as a Breathing after God the Living God in whom we ever Live and Move and Are and upon whom we do hang every Moment for Life and Breath and all things that ever we Have or Hope for CHAP. IV. Of the Licentious Asking Unfit things PRayer is a professing of ourselves to be Poor and Needy That we have not so much as a Bit of Bread but what we Beg. And therefore our Gracious Lord directs us to Open our mouths in Prayer that he may Fill them with Good Yet the Liberty to ask what we Will doth not Authorize us to ask That we may Consume on our Lusts or Reak Vengeance on our Enemies To look up for Supplies of this Life is Nature's Prayer without Grace Yea the Bruit Creatures are directed to it even without Reason The young Lions roar after their Prey and Seek their Meat from God Psal 104.21 They that Enlarge their Desires as Hell and the Grave and are not Satisfied Craving their Portion in this Life their Belly full of God's Hid Treasure may have their Wishes with Leanness sent into their Souls And that will be a Canker to eat out the very Heart of all the Blessings They Live but to Eat and so all their Praying is serving no God save only the Belly Whereas our Lord hath taught us to ask Three Petitions For his Glory Kingdom and Pleasure before we speak a word of our own Bodily Necessity Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done And then Give us this Day our Daily Bread Spiritual Blessings should ever be sought First and the Temporal but for Spiritual Ends Not to Vnfit us for Duty or Hinder us in the Service of God but that we may Serve him with the more Quiet Minds and Cheerful Spirits It must not be Meat for our Lusts with the wanton Israel but Food Convenient which was the considerate Agur's Prayer And what is Convenient we must leave Infinite Wisdom to Judge be at the Finding of our Heavenly Father and willing he should Chuse our Inheritance for us 'T is the Blessing from Above that makes what we have Bread to Nourish and Satisfy and do us Good And the Prayer which Implores that Blessing Sanctifies it to us and makes it Ours and indeed The Childrens Bread But wicked Worldlings care not How or Whence it comes So that they have it They are not so much concerned to get the Blessing of Heaven as the Fullness of the World Or if they ask any Blessing it is only the Blessing that maketh Rich and helps them to Prosper and take Root and spread themselves and Flourish in the Earth They would only Serve their turns upon the Lord to get Deliverance and Prosperity that they may take their Liberty to Live after the Flesh and have the fairer opportunities to fulfill all their Lusts Their Prayers are but the Reakings of their good Stomachs and the Boiling up of their Lustful Appetite Health and Wealth Seasonable Weather and Plentiful days with Peace and Liberty to Enjoy the World is the top of all their wishes They give themselves for Proofs That Corah and his Company were not the only men Swallowed up of the Earth When alas Themselves are Sunk and lost and even Buried Alive in it Till Dead to God and quite off all Traffick with Heaven They think they can never have Enough of the World But they shall have Enough when the dust of the Grave has stopt their Mouths and then wish too Late that they had been Wiser and coveted earnestly Better Gifts But there are Extravagant Prayers which are Blasphemous to be Made and would Vndo the Petitioner to have them Granted When men Pray for God's Dishonour and their own Shame and Ruine and would have themselves or others Confounded and Damned They may find themselves too soon at the end of their Cursed Wishes And had they any sense in them and would but ever give themselves leave to Consider they would dread so to Dare the God that has Power to Kill and cast them into Hell To beg of God for any Wicked thing is not only a Profanation of Prayer and turning the Means of Grace into an Instrument of Villany But
it is also a Chufing of Death and running violently upon the Wrath to come which every man in his Wits will do all that ever he is Able to Flee from CHAP. V. Of Licentiousness as to the Object of Prayer PRayer is the main part of all our Worship and to pay this Royalty of the Crown of Heaven The Tribute of Adoration to others than to God himself Be it to Images Saints Angels or any thing else is expresly forbidden Mat. 4.10 Get thee hence Satan for it is written Thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God and Him Only shalt thou Serve In all such Divided Worship may be seen the Print of the Cloven Foot To worship any Creature with Divine Worship is to make it an Idol And Idols are of his Erecting who is all for Vsurping God's Honour to himself And so the Children which were Offered to the Idols of Canaan were said to be offered unto Devils Psal 106.37 38. The Apostle makes Invocation peculiar to the God in whom we Believe Rom. 10.14 How shall they Call on Him in whom they have not Believed For I must Believe him to whom I Pray to be Omnipresent Omniscient and Omnipotent Or else I am sure he could not Hear and Help me and all my Fellow-Supplicants all over the World in all the things which we have to Beg. And if Saints and Angels be Omnipresent Omniscient and Omnipotent what then are they less than Deities And what more can we ascribe to the most High God As there is but One God So we are told but of One Mediator between God and Man 1 Tim. 2.5 And that is Enough For none can have more Power and Interest with God than He. None can have more Pity and Kindness for us And what we cannot obtain thrô the Mediation of Jesus alone We may despair ever to get by Ingratiating ourselves with any other Friends This One is better than all the Strings which they have at Rome to their Bow He that taught us to say Our Father adds not a Syllable of any Prayers that we are to make to his Mother Nor does God stand in need like the imperfect Princes of the Earth to be Sollicited by Courtiers and Proxies who must indeed first Learn from Him the very Matter which they present to Him And all the Good Manners of fetching this wide Circuit is utterly spoil'd by the Disobedience of the thing It is such a piece of Good Breeding as the Law calls Treason to give the King's Crown to a Courtier It is to offer Rebellion for Sacrifice and pretend to Honour God with the Violation of his own Law It 's true We may desire our present Friends to Pray for us But we use not to stand here and Call upon some in the East Indies Nor to apply to our Friends with the very same Gestures and Expressions as unto God Himself Indeed even the Ora pro Nobis applied by us to those in Heaven is Impertinent enough and we may better imploy ourselves than so spend our Breath which we know not if ever it Reach to them whither we direct it But if we shall be allowed capable of Understanding the common Construction of the Popish Offices as plain as words can express They do Pray Directly to Saints for the very same things that we do to God As for us We would Honour God's Saints more than to think them so Proud as ever to Arrogate or Abide the Glory of their Blessed Maker to be conferred upon Them Or to think them Ambitious of that Worship which was the Devil's desire When their language on Earth was Sirs Why do ye these things Stand up I my self also am a man See thou do it not Sure they have not since Vnlearn'd that Humility in Heaven for which they were so Eminent here below as to thank us now for the Service No they are too Good to Endure it And they that Pray to an Image Not only do Dishonour the Infinite Majesty that can never be so Represented without being most grosly Abused But also Debase themselves into a Likeness with that Senseless thing which they fall down to Psalm 115.8 They that make them are Like unto them So is every one that Trusteth in them And whoever Trusts to any thing which they Are or Have to any thing in them or about them and fly for that Refuge to any Fruitions Interests Friends or Creatures in the World which is only to be found in Him that Made Heaven and Earth As they Desert and Disoblige Him who will not give his Glory to another So they miserably Disappoint and Abuse themselves and come under the Imprecation Jer. 17.15 Cursed is the man that Trusteth in man and maketh Flesh his Arm and whose Heart departeth from the Lord. CHAP. VI. Of Licentiousness in the Manner of Praying SECT I. Taking no Care of the Heart WHEN men draw nigh to God with their Mouth and their Hearts are far from him Contenting themselves to go over so many Words in the meer Lip-labour and Yawning over some faint Petitions in a Listless drowsy manner as if they were not well Awake doing nothing Heartily as to the Lord Yea when their business is not to Meet and Enjoy the Lord but like such as Visit only out of a Formality and not for any Cordial Friendship care not if the Person be at Home or no so that they have performed the Task They do but Take the Name of God in Vain and take on them to Worship For it is but the Picture or Carkass of Worship no Worship indeed unless we Serve him with our Spirit If it be not the Act of the Mind it is not We and no more than Personating the Devout When the Supplicants have no concern either to Prepare the heart for Prayer or to keep it Intent upon the work in Praying When they presumptuously go forth in their own Strength and rush upon the Service without considering what they are going about And when fallen upon it they mind not whither the Heart Roves and gads Let the Tempter Jog and Interrupt them as the Pythoness did St. Paul when he went to Prayer Acts 16.16 Yet they take no care to seize and call in the Vagabond Thoughts Then the Prayer is nothing else but only so much Said and a Huddle of Words pour'd out into the empty Air Of no Significancy at all but only to Accuse and Condemn them for making so Bold with the Searcher of Hearts To lie Babbling in his Presence and make but a Noise as Sounding Brass and the Tinkling Cimbal Yea and commit a sort of Perjury Invocating the Deity to witness but a Lye because they Intend nothing less than what they say and if they but stay out the Time and run over the Words the work is done Such careless Prayers are never like to effect any great and Desirable matters And when Duty so flags no wonder if their Comfort also droops for the vigorous Exercises of Godliness are