them the Spirit of prayer shall shelter from and chace away such feared dangers Prayer is often called the Lifting up of the hands and Hezechiah hath a phrase of lifting up a prayer 2 King 19. 4. Lift up thy Prayer for the remnant that is left Now when in case of danger Gods people can lift up a Prayer then in that very thing doth the Spirit of God lift up a Standard against that danger Therefore we shall see that prayer is made the remedy against all dangers and evill It saves from enemies 2 Sam. 22. 4. I will call on the Lord so shall I bee saved from mine enemies It saves and diverts from oppressours Isa 19. 20. They shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressours and hee shall send them a Saviour and a great one and he shall deliver them It diverts and saves from famine Amos 7. 1 2 3. It is an Antidote against the pestilence 2 Chron. 7. 13. 14. If I send pestilence among my people if my people shall humble themselves and pray I will heale their land Numb 16. 46 47 48. Aaron burnes incense and the plague was stayd this is the perfume that must sweeten the aire and heale a land When the fire of Gods wrath burnes and smoakes it is the smoake of this Incense and the burning of it that must quench the burning of Gods anger Thus the Spirit of the Lord is that which lifts up a standard against the danger of all evils when he enlarges his peoples hearts with a Spirit of prayer And therefore wee shall see that prayer is not onely a meanes but a pledge of mercie and safetie comming when God gives his people a Spirit of prayer it is the harbinger and fore-runner that comes with the good tidings of safetie and deliverance Ier. 3. 19. But I sayd how shall I put thee among the children and give thee a pleasant land c. As if hee had sayd I have thoughts and purposes of mercie and deliverance towards thee It is in mine hand to deliver thee from thy captivitie and to bring thee into thine owne land againe but what course shall I take to effect and bring it about And I sayd Thou shalt call me My Father As if hee had sayd I have bethought my selfe now of a way how to cōpasse it I will powre down a Spirit of Prayer upon thee and thou shalt call upon mee and call me Father I will give thee the Spirit of Adoption by which thou shalt in prayer cry Abba Father and so then I wil put thee among the children and give thee an inheritance and seat you in your own countrey againe The summe of all is that God would give them a Spirit of prayer which should bee not onely the meanes but the pledge and earnest of their deliverance Prayer is the key of the Tower-gate Now when God takes away the spirit of prayer when he doth that which Eliphaz charges Iob withall Iob. 15. 4. Thou restrainest Prayer before God When I say God doth restraine prayer and take that spirit of prayer from him then God takes away the Key of the Tower gate and that is a signe that God doth not mean that such a one shall get into the Tower So on the contrary when God gives a man a spirit of Prayer hee gives him the Key of the Tower gate And the giving of a man that key is a pledge of Gods intentions to him for safety and deliverance from dangers and feared evils God would never give a man a key to open the gate if hee did not intend his entrance into the Tower As then wee desire safetie in a case of feare so get into this tower Hee that would get into this tower must doe two things First hee must runne to it Secondly hee must get the doore or gate opened when hee comes to it If the gate were open and a man runne not to it or if a man did runne to it and the gate not opened there were no safetie to bee had But then there is safetie when a man runnes to it and gets the gate opened so as also he may runne into it The way to doe all these is prayer We runne to it by Prayer Prayer is a running to this tower and prayer is that which opens the gate A man that would enter in at a gate must either knocke at the gate or hee must take the key and unlocke it Prayer is a knocking at the tower-gate and such a knocking as knockes it open Matth. 7. Knocke and it shall be opened unto you which is the same with that Aske and it shall be given unto you Prayer is the turning of the key and the unlocking of the gate It is sayd of the Angell and Peter Acts 12. 10. that when they came to the Iron gate that led into the Citie it opened unto them of its owne accord Looke what the Angell was to Peter that is prayer to a man comming to the gate of the tower the gate of the tower will open of it owne accord to a man that comes with prayer Let a man therefore in his feares betake himselfe to this dutie of seeking God as to a course of safetie Runne to the tower by prayer Knocke at the gate by prayer unlocke the doore and get entrance by prayer Psalm 20. 7 8. Some their Charets and some their horses but wee will remember the Name of the Lord our God They are brought downe and fallen but wee are risen and stand upright There is more safetie in Remembring the Name of the Lord than in Charets and Horses They that put their safety in their Charets and their Horses may come downe and fall low enough but they that remember the name of the Lord they rise and stand upright It is a mans safest course then by farre to Remember the name of the Lord. But what is it to Remember the name of the Lord That is by prayer to runne to the Lord Ion. 2. 7. When my soule faynted within me I remembred the Lord. That course Ionah tooke in the feares and faintnesse of his Spirit to remember the Lord. But what meanes hee by Remembring the Lord that hee shewes in the words following And my prayer came in unto thee into thine holy Temple Prayer then is the Remembring the name of the Lord and Remembring the Name of the Lord is the course of safety Remembring the Name of the Lord is Running to the Tower of Gods Name and hee that Runnes into it he is safe And yet how little is this course thought upon by men in their feares Every thing is done but that which should be done and that is last done if done at all which should be first done The prophet tels them Isay 22. 5. of a sad day that was comming upon them a day of trouble and perplexity of breaking downe the walles and crying to the mountaines And what course take they They looke in that day to the armour of
there follows safety Psal 18. 2. The Lord is my high Tower But how will he get into that high Tower He will Run into it But how will he runne into it vers 2. I will call upon the Lord. So will he Runne into it And what shall he bee the better for running into it So shall I be saved from mine enemies and so from all dangers All which comes to this The name of the Lord is an high and strong Tower I will by prayer runne into it and shall be safe And David tells us of it as of an experimented truth Psalm 34. 4 6. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my feares This poore man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles David was in feares and was delivered from all his feares Hee was delivered by running into this tower and he ranne into this tower by prayer There be terrible times threatned Ioel 3. 15 16. The Sunne and the Moone shall bee darkned c. The Lord shall roare out of Sion c. and the hearers shall shake the hearing of such sad things was enough to make their hearts shake Alas when such blacke dayes should come what would become of Gods people how should they doe at such a time Well enough But the Lord will bee the hope of his people or the place of Repaire or the Harbour of his people and the strength of the children of Israel Herein should they be happy that in such a time they had the name of God for their Tower of safetie But how should they get or runne into that tower so as they might be safe That wee may see by the like passage Ioel 2. 31 32. The Sunne shall bee turned into darknesse c. And it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be delivered So that as the name of the Lord is a tower so that tower must bee runne into and the way to runne into that tower of the name of God is to call upon that name And hee that runnes so runnes not in vaine it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shal be delivered When Davids heart was over-whelmed with troublesome thoughts and feares he betakes himselfe to God Psalm 61. 3 4. Thou hast been a shelter or a refuge for mee and a strong tower from the enemy and I will make my refuge in the covert of thy wings And what course takes he to doe it vers 1 2. Heare my cry attend unto my prayer c. So that by prayer hee runnes to the strong tower and to the place of Refuge Lead me sayes vers 2. to the Rocke that is higher than I that rocke is none other but that strong tower verse 3. Both the Name of the Lord. That tower is an high tower Psalm 18. 2. and that Rock is here an high Rocke the Rocke higher than I and yet there is a way to get into the highest Towers by scaling Ladders a man may get over the high walls of towers This tower and rock too high for David himselfe to get into and therefore hee sets to the scaling Ladder Lead mee into the Rocke and into the tower that is higher than I. Heare my cry attend unto my prayer So hee makes prayer the scaling Ladder to get upon that rocke and into that tower that otherwise had been too high for him he gets that safetie and deliverance which otherwise but by prayer unto God had been impossible to have been obtained When David was in danger of Saul see what resolution he takes up Psal 57. 1. In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge untill these calamities be over-past We shall see in the title of the Psalme that David was then in the cave It is sayd 1 Sam. 23. 29. that David went and dwelt in the strong holds at En-gedi and this cave that now David was in was amongst those strong holds as appeares 1 Sam. 24. So that David in the cave was in a strong hold and yet David thought there was little safetie in that strong hold unlesse God himselfe were his refuge and therefore sayes he In the shadow of thy wings wil I make my refuge till these calamities be overpast As if he had sayd Lord I am already in the cave and the holds and in the shadow of it but yet for all that I thinke not my selfe safe indeed till I have made my refuge in the shadow of thy wings that is therefore the course I resolve and build upon It was wisely done of him and marke what course he takes to do it vers 2. I will cry unto God most high I will by prayer put my selfe under the shadow of Gods wings and marke what successe should follow vers 3. He shall send from heaven and save mee from the reproach of him that would swallow me up God shall send forth his mercie and his truth When wee send prayers up to heaven God hee will send helpe down from heaven when we send forth our prayers and supplications God will send forth his mercy and his truth his power and will set all his attributes on work for the effecting of our safety and deliverance Indeed it is trusting and so thrusting our selves under the covert of Gods wings in which our safety lies as before we saw and so David takes that course vers 1. But yet David prayes to God as well as he trusts in God And unlesse we pray as well as trust our trust will faile us for wee must trust to God for that we pray for That same is an excellent passage Isai 5â— 1â— When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against him that is shall both defend from his violence and shall also put him to flight Now that which is there spoken of an enemy is true of any danger when Pestilence Famine c. shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against them Now what is that Spirit of the Lord I know it is meant properly of Gods power and might as Zech. 4. 6. Not by might not by my power that is not by the might and power of man but by my Spirit sayth the Lord that is by my might and my power So here the Spirit that is the power of the Lord shal lift up a standard against him But yet if it bee not meant also of prayer which is stirred up in the hearts of the faithfull by the Spirit who is therefore called the Spirit of Prayer yet may we allude at least unto it and say that when an enemie or pestilence or famine shall come in like a flood shall come and overspread it selfe like a flood and shall like a flood come unresistably the Spirit of the Lord stirring up prayer in his peoples heart shall lift up a standard against
him that hath called you It is impossible to shew forth the vertues of Christ and to follow the vices of the world yea it is impossible to shew forth the vertues of Christ but a man must walke in a crosse and opposite carriage to the vices of the world Christs vertues are opposite and crosse to the vices of the world peculiar people must expresse those vertues and therefore it cannot bee but such as are Gods people should have their courses and behaviour different from and opposite to the world Because Christ hath made the godly a peculiar people to himselfe upon this ground hee lookes for peculiar carriages at their hands contrary to the courses of the world The Arabians and other heathens had a fashion and a custome in their mournings for the dead to cut themselves and to make themselves balde now God hee forbids his people to conforme to those fashions of their neighbour heathens and marke upon what ground he doth it Deut. 14. 1 2. The Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people to himselfe ye shall not cut yourselves nor make any baldnesse betweene your eyes for the dead As if he had said you are a peculiar people in my love therefore I will have you a peculiar people in your carriage I will not have you conforme your selves to heathenish courses and customes no though it be but in matter of cutting your haire but I will have you crosse their courses and customes And if God would not allow them a conformity to the heathens in a matter of cutting their haire then much lesse in matters of greater waight and moment then much lesse in covetousnesse worldlinesse common swearing drunkennesse and uncleannesse It serves to reprove those that professe Vse 1 themselves Christians and yet are so farre from a difference or a contrariety in their courses to the vaine and sinfull courses of the world that they rather frame and conforme to them who though they bee Jewes yet will not sticke to eate Swines-flesh with the Egyptians The Apostles exhortation is Rom. 12. 2. Bee not conformed to this world And he tels us Gal. 1. 4. that Christ gave himselfe that he might deliver us from this present evill world If wee bee delivered from this present evill world how doe wee conforme our selves to this evill world If wee be conformed to this world how are we delivered from this present evill world Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed Such as be transformed should not be conformed to this world If men be transformed by the renewing of their minds then they must not be conformed to this world If conformed to this world how appeares it that we are transformed Transformation and conformity to the world cannot stand together It is an ill sight to see a man transformed into the Image of Christ conformed to this world Urge many with this argument you are Christians and have in your baptisme stipulated and solemnely covenanted an inconformity to this evill world you must not conform to the sinful waies and vanities of prophane persons Tell them that thus and thus men of the world doe from whom Christians should be different to whom Christians should be contrary and what is mens answere even that in a manner which the Israelites gave Samuel when hee disswaded them from having a King 1 Sam. 8. 20. Nay but we will bee like other Nations or as the Jewes said in their hearts Ezek. 20. 32. We will be as the heathen and as the families of the Countries So say what can be sayd men are resolved to do as others doe and not to be unlike others In an ill sence it was that the Jewes were contrary to all men 1 Thess 2. 15. They please not God and are contrary to all men But in a good sense a man may bee contrary to men of the world and not displease God therein Nay hee may so much the more please God by how much hee displeases the World in his contrariety to it It serves to shew that it is no wonder Vse 2 that Christian religion is by men of the world cryed downe for crossenesse and singularity when Religion enjoynes a Christian a crossenesse and a contrariety in his course to the sinfull courses of men in the world Secondly a Christians life is described Positively Our conversation is in Heaven Thence learne this point That the conversation of a godly man and Doct. of a true Christian is in Heaven That whiles he dwels on earth hee lives in Heaven Hee sayes not our conversation shall be in heaven but it is in heaven It is now in heaven for the present Though for a time godly men have their habitation on earth yet is not their conversation where their habitation is but their habitation and commoration on earth and their conversation above in heaven Iohn 17. 11 These are in the world and vers 14. They are not of the world In the world for a time in regard of their locall abode and commoration but not of the world in regard of their conversation because they have their conversation is in Heaven whilest they live here on earth As they are from above Iohn 8. 23. so they live above as they are from Heaven so they live in Heaven And therefore Dan. 7. 18. they are called the saints of the high places as those that have their conversations above in high places even in the highest Heavens And Dan. 8. 10. they are called the host of Heaven and the starres of Heaven The starres have their light and influences here on earth but they have their seate and motion above in the Heavens And in this regard they are said not onely to have their conversation but their habitation in Heaven and are said not onely to live but to dwell in heaven Wee finde Revel 13. 6. 8. two severall sorts of inhabitants dwelling in two severall regions Dwellers in Heaven Dwellers on earth The dwellers on earth they worship the beast they receive Antichrist but the dwellers in Heaven they are blasphemed by him Dwellers on earth are none other but earthly minded Christians who though they had the name of Christians yet had earthly minds and earthly affections and therefore are said to dwell on earth But who were they that dwelt in Heaven Not the Saints gloriously blessed in Heaven but see who they bee vers 7. To make warre with the Saints and to overcome them So that they who dwelt in Heaven were those Saints against whom Antichrist made warre and whom hee overcame Now hee could not make warre with the Saints in glory nor overcome them therefore by these that dwell in Heaven is meant Gods faithfull Saints and people here on earth that should oppose Antichrist and therefore these are sayd to dwell in Heaven because of their heavenly conversation because they had their conversation in Heaven whiles they lived on earth Looke where a mans conversation most is there a man may bee
hearts though not with their feete So the godly though on earth yet they are in heaven have their conversation there because they bee gone up thither in their hearts and affections This people saies the Prophet drawes nigh unto mee with their lips but their hearts are farre from me So here on the contrary This people is farre from mee with their bodies but their hearts draw nigh unto me and are continually in heaven with me And as they are thus in heaven by their affections and desires so unto this head may bee joyned that they are in heaven in regard of their meditations and contemplations He that ascends and frequently goes up into heaven may be said to have his conversation there Now by meditation a Christian hath his ascensions into heaven by it hee goes up and there surviews the joyes and the glories in A more poâ—eâ— asâ—endeâ—e Anima quae 〈…〉 〈…〉 teâ—per plâ—teuâ— ecclestâ—s Ierusalem August heaven and so in that regard he converses in heaven Moses did not goe bodily and personally into the land of Canaan but yet see Deut. 34. 1 2 3 4. And Moses went up from the plaines of Moab unto the Mountaine of Nebo to the toppe of Pisgah and the Lord shewed him all the Land of Gilead unto Dan and all the Land of Iudah to the utmost Sea and the South c. And the Lord said unto him This is the Land which I sware unto Abraham c. I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes So that when Moses went up into Mount Nebo and there saw all the Land to the utmost Sea he was in a manner in Canaan Meditation is a Mount Nebo and from the top of that Pisgah God shewes his people heaven the glory and the joyes of it and so they converse in Canaan being in that Mountaine top When Daniel was in Babylon Dan. 6. 10. Hee opened his window in his chamber towards Ierusalem and looked that way and so in his meditations was in Ierusalem and conversed there whilest he was in Babylon So by meditation a godly heart opens a window towards heaven and looketh thither and so converseth in heaven when he is on earth A godly man is so conversing in Heaven when hee is on earth as Paul conversed at Colossus when he was at Rome How Paul was at Colossus being at Rome we see Col. 2. 5. For though I be absent in the flesh yet I am with you in the spirit joying and beholding your order and the stedfastnesse of your faith in Christ Hee was present with them in spirit and by contemplation represented unto himselfe the assemblies of the Colossians and beheld their holy order and rejoyced therein So the godly though they bee absent from heaven in their bodies for whiles wee are in the body wee are absent from the Lord 2 Cor. 5. yet in their spirit that heavenlier and diviner part they are by meditation ascended thither and there they behold the face of God and the blessednesse of the Saints in glorious communion with him Fourthly they are in heaven here because heaven is here in them What shall they have in heaven for the maine and substantials that they have not here That they have here differs from that they shall have hereafter not in kind but only in degree They have the happines of heaven here That they have the happinesse of heaven here will appeare in five things First it is a great part of the happinesse of heaven to have the sight of Gods face Math. 18. 10. In heaven their Angels doe alwaies behold the face of my father which is in Heaven That is a great part of the happinesse of heaven to the Angels the seeing and beholding of Gods face in Heaven That is to be in heaven and to have the happinesse of heaven to behold the face of God and to see him And so is Christs happinesse after his resurrection set forth Acts 2. 28. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance And thus David sets out the happinesse of heaven Psal 17. 15. As for me I shall behold thy face in righteousnesse And so the Apostle sets it out 1 Cor. 13. 12. Wee shall then see face to face A great part also of the happinesse of heaven is in having fellowship and communion with God That communion which the Saints have with God in heaven is the very heaven of heaven the maine happinesse of heaven Now this happinesse have the Saints here on earth in their degree Here they see Gods face Stephen saw heaven opened and Christ standing at the right hand of glory so also doe all Gods people with spirituall eyes see heaven opened and see Gods face Math. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God not onely hereafter but in this life not onely shall see God but doe see God Gods face is to be seene in his ordinances Seeke my face Psal 27. Lord thy face will I seeke And as his face is to be sought so his face is to be seene in his ordinances See how David speakes Psal 63. 2. my flesh longeth to see thy power and thy glory so as I have seene thee in thy sanctuary 3. Iohn 11. Hee that doth evill hath not seene God he saies not he shall not see but hath not seene That implies that good and godly persons they doe see and have seene God in the Word Prayer and Sacraments Godly people see God and behold his face Apoc. 22. 4. And they shall see his face But when is it they shall see it Lay the latter end of the former verse to it And his servants shall serve him and they shall see his face That is even then when whilest they serve him even in their services in Prayer the Word and the Sacrament In these holy services Gods servants see his face And so also they have heavenly and sweete fellowship with God 1 Iohn 1. 3. Our fellowship is with the father and his Sonne Jesus Christ Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his chambers not the King will bring me into his chambers but he hath brought me in It is spoken of that sweet and secret communion which the Saints here have with God The publique assemblies are Gods house and his Pallace but heaven is Gods chamber Now the godly are not onely admitted into the publique assemblies unto holy duties but in the publique assemblies in the duties of praying hearing and receiving the Sacrament God takes them into his chamber into heaven in regard of that sweet and secret fellowship that he vouchsafes theÌ„ in holy duties And so they being in Gods chamber in Gods privy-chamber in his bedchamber Also our bed is greene where are they but in Cant. 1. 16 heaven They that have their conversatioÌ„ in Gods chaÌ„ber in his very bed-chamber they have their coÌ„versation in heaveÌ„ And thus the godly here seeing Gods face here having communion with God they have here