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A45346
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A sermon preach'd before Her Majesty the Queen Dowager in her chappel at Somerset-House, upon the fifth Sunday after Easter, May 9, 1686 / by William Hall.
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Hall, William, d. 1718?
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1686
(1686)
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Wing H447; ESTC R30723
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19,128
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42
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into Heaven and prepare us to entertain that supreme Author of all Sanctity and Grace the Third Person of the ever Blessed Trinity who descended upon the Apostles in fiery Tongues and will come to enflame our Souls with the fire of Love but during also the series or continuance of your Days to the end that by addicting your selves to an Employment as necessary as advantageous to a Christian your joy may be full Vt gaudium vestrum sit plenum To this purpose I design God willing this day to set before you in the First Part of my Discourse the Excellency of Prayer together with the Advantages you may reap from it In the Second the absolute Necessity of Prayer with a short Method how to Pray as we ought Amen Amen si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo dabit vobis c. Amen Amen I say to you if you shall ask the Father any thing in my Name he will give it you Ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full But that God may bless and crown my Endeavours that he may seal this solemn Promise of granting what we ask and make it good in My behalf I must desire you to joyn your Prayers with mine that what I shall say may be to his Honour and Glory to the good of all our Souls And to this end let us with our best Devotion implore his Divine Assistance by the Intercession of the most Holy Virgin-Mother AVE MARIA c. I Am throughly persuaded D.A. that there cannot be given a more elevated Idea of the Excellency of Prayer then by shewing 1. That it came from Heaven 2. That it conducts us to Heaven 3. That it makes us find Heaven upon Earth 1. It came from Heaven where it was even before the Heavens before those material Orbs that now rowl over us were call'd from the dark and profound Abyss of unessential Nothing Before the Angels were establish'd in Glory God himself was taken up with Prayer not as the word commonly signifies with us Petition or Impetration in as much as that Supreme and Independent Being could neither Pray in this Sense to others or make such Addresses to it self His Prayer was the Contemplation of his own Divine Essence His Prayer was that Expression or Consubstantial Word which from all Eternity as an Eternal Coeternal Beam shone from the Father His Prayer was and is a Reflection upon his own unlimited Perfections in that compleat Resemblance of himself his Son When this Word descended from the Bosom of his Eternal Father without either Change or Separation to cloath himself with our Flesh in the chast Womb of the Virgin-Mother I find he came among us to teach us what he put in practice himself the holy Exercise of Prayer It is written of his House that it is to be Consecrated to Divine Service or Prayer Domus mea Domus Orationis vocabitur And which was his first House but the Womb of his Virgin-Mother where he dwelt nine Months in that divine Employment The first Chapter of his Prayer-Book or first Lesson he read was to comply with the sacred Decrees with the holy Will of his Eternal Father as the Royal Prophet says of him Psal 40.10 In capite Libri scriptum est de me c. In the beginning of the Book it is written of me that I should do thy will I 'le follow thy Orders my God I 'le engrave thy Law in the middle of my Heart When he came into the World at the appointed time he employ'd in that holy Exercise of Prayer the space of Thirty Years This Light of the World shed not a Beam upon benighted Man he broke not from the sacred Cloud whereinto he had retir'd Nubes latibulum ejus till the Revolution of that time was ended And as if he thought it not enough to spend whole Thirty Years under the Roof of Mary he repairs to a Desert a lonely and melancholly Desert where for Forty Days and Forty Nights not granting his Body the satisfaction of the least Repast free from the noise and bustle of the World he is totally addicted to Contemplation Our B. Saviour was as well God as Man he needed not by consequence a private House or Desert to become more recollected more retir'd 't was to give us an Example to teach us where we ought to Pray that he chose those solitary Places 't was to encourage us to an imitation of his holy Life to render our Prayers more efficacious more meritorious he selected such Conveniences as might be an help to our Prayers Methinks he acquaints us with his divine Intentions from the Desert with an Exemplum dedi vobis I have given you an Example that you do as I have done Ah! my Lord 't is too much honour for such poor Creatures as we are to be permitted to address our Prayers to thee but what a happiness is it to be invited to Pray in Company with our God When he left the Desert he left not the practice of Prayer he quitted not this sacred Employment in the midst of the most pressing Concerns of his Mission And altho' he equally Pray'd in all Places and at all Times the Evangelists have taken a particular care to acquaint us that after he had labour'd and toyl'd all the Day in Preaching Teaching and inviting Sinners to a sincere Repentance he employ'd the most part of the Night in the Practice of Prayer Erat pernoctans in oratione Dei As he liv'd in a continual Exercise of Prayer he expir'd upon the Cross as we may say in the Arms of Prayer he consecrated to that purpose the three last hours of his Life he drew the Curtains of the Night upon the face of this World he shrowded it with darkness more seasonable more proper for Prayer Ah what comfort must a serious Meditation upon those three last mysterious Hours our B. Saviour was dying in upon the Cross bring to the Soul of a repenting Sinner He made there an Application of his most bitter Passion of his most dolorous Crucifixion of his most painful Death to the Distempers of our diseased Hearts He Prayed then that as the whole Series of his Life was spun out for our Good for our Instruction so his Death for our sakes might conduce to the entire Remission of our Sins He offer'd the infinite Price of his inestimable Blood for the Redemption of Mankind He begg'd of his Eternal Father to cancel the Debts we had contracted to blot out of his remembrance our Transgressions at the same time that he interceded at the Throne of his Mercy for the blind and ungrateful Jews Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt Nor may we doubt but as he pour'd forth his Soul in Prayer with his last Breath saying to his Eternal Father Into thy hands I commend my spirit so he bequeathed the Spirit of Prayer as a Legacy to us both to
to the Saint attentive to his Prayers and granting his Petition The Prayers of St. Stephen wrought the entire Conversion of St. Paul St. Augustine whom we likewise must needs acknowledge a perfect Convert at the Prayers and Tears of Monica his holy Mother St. Augustine I say once the labour of her Womb now the delight of her Soul whom she brought forth a Sinner and made a Saint introduces our B. Saviour addressing himself thus to the great St. Paul before his Conversion O Saule olim quidem te perdere debui sed Stephanus meus oravit pro te Saul I should have destroy'd thee long ago had not my Stephen's Prayers prevail'd so far as to disarm my Anger against thee O Saul why dost thou persecute me Thou art blindly bent against me and mine and yet at the Intercession of Stephen I 'le create thee my Servant O Saule lupe rapax O Saul thou ravenous Wolf thou hast devour'd my Sheep Expecta paulisper digeres Stay a while and thou shalt digest what as yet over-loads thy Conscience Dicam plane continues the great S. August S. Augustine a most delicious Flower sprung likewise from the Root of Prayer Elisus est filius perditionis erectus est vas electionis The Son of perdition is thrown down to rise up a Vessel of Election Nam si Stephanus sic non orasset Ecclesia Paulum non haberet For if Stephen had not Pray'd in this manner the Church had never been honour'd with the Merits of Paul Sed ideo erectus est Paulus But Paul was thus rais'd to that sublime Sanctity and Perfection Quia in terra inclinatus exauditus est Stephanus Because St. Stephen with bended Knees call'd not for Vengeance but Mercy for Paul Sic auditus est Stephanus ut ejus oratione deleretur peccatum quod commisit Saulus Heaven so far condescended to the Intercession of Stephen that it granted an ample Pardon to the Crimes which Saul had committed I think after such an Example none ought to doubt of the absolute Necessity of Prayer of Praying for our selves of Praying for the good of others Heaven that acquiesc'd to the Prayers of S. Stephen for St. Paul's Conversion we may justly hope will never deny any thing that conduces to the good of our own or Neighbours Souls Petite accipietis Ask and you shall receive Si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo dabit vobis If you shall ask any thing of the Father in my Name says the Son he 'l grant it to your Prayers But since he intimates here a Method of Prayer to be true to my Promise and to render this Discourse as prosicuous as my Time will permit I 'le supersede a farther Explication of St. John Damascen's Definition to leave you in a few words the Manner how to Pray Si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo dabit vobis If you ask the Father any thing in my Name he 'l grant it you Many Christians notwithstanding the several Admonitions the several Incitements they have received to addict themselves to this devout this holy Exercise of Prayer notwithstanding that they are well instructed in the Manner are still plung'd so far in the Cares and Concerns of this World that they will not so much as afford themselves a Moment of their Time though they steal whole Hours for Pleasure or Pastime for an Employment as obligatory as proficuous As many if not more so predominant is Ignorance now adays over Spiritual Concerns fall short of the Method know not how to Pray the most that do find not Heaven to answer their Expectations because they correspond not with their Prayers to its Desires That I may not be wanting to the Necessities of all upon so great an Exigency I shall in the Conclusion of this Discourse Excite those to Pray that do not I shall inform those of the Manner that know not how I shall to the best of my Endeavours rectifie the false Measures others have taken of Praying amiss To this purpose you flaming Seraphins that veil your Eyes with your Wings as not being able to bear that inaccessible Brightness that is darted from the Countenance of an infinite Majesty That shroud with Wings your Feet in awe and acknowledgement of the Greatness of God That have two Wings more to be ready upon Command That cover your Eyes with two your Feet with two that Fly with two Give me leave to adapt your Wings to Prayer to fit it for its appearance before the Throne of the God you adore Let Prayer be a Seraphin amongst you place her in your Quire when her Wings likewise are fitted to her when she burns with that Love you are inflamed with Seraphins by Nature are all in Love in Love with God their Love is incompatible is inconsistent with Sin That Prayer therefore admit not of Sin is the first Condition Seraphins veil their Faces veil their Feet in Consideration of Gods infinit Greatness of their own infinit Littleness or Lowness in respect of his infinit Height which is the Second Condition necessary to Seraphical Prayer Seraphins ask nothing for us but what conduces to the Honour and Glory of God what tends to the Salvation of our Souls the Third Condition Seraphins Present their Petitions in the Name through the Merits of Jesus the Fourth Condition Seraphins are always upon the Wing Duabus volabant the Fifth and Last Condition to make Prayer a Seraphin First then that Prayer may fit it self for a Seraphin Sin must be banish'd out of the Soul Si cor nostrum saith St. John a Seraphin for Love for the Love of Jesus non reprehenderit nos fiduciam habemus ad Deum quicquid petierimus accipiemus ab eo If our Hearts or Consciences do not check or accuse us if our Souls are not defil'd with Sin Fiduciam babemus we may have Confidence we need not fear our Petitions shall be granted our Desires crown'd our Prayers heard we shall obtain whatever we ask Our Consciences reprehend us saith St. Gregory as often as we Sin as often as we swerve from the Commandments of God Our B. Saviour states the Condition for the Advantage of Prayer Si manseritis in me If you dwell in me If you live by Grace or Charity a Member of my Body Quodcunque volueritis petetis fiet vobis Ask what you please you shall obtain it Do not therefore D. Christians rely upon your Prayers if your Prayers are not grounded on the Innocence of your Lives Ne offeratis ultra sacrificium frustra Offer not up any more your Sacrifice in vain said God to the Jews by the Mouth of his Prophet Isaiah Your Incense is an abomination to me If you lift up your Hands to Heaven I 'le turn away my Face because your Hands are full of Blood Lavamini mundi estote auferte malum cogitationum vestrarum Wash purge and cleanse your selves from the Defilements