are aliants and strangers from it haue been of opinion that if any of the faithfull seruants of God in his Church would pray for them that God would be mercifull vnto them for their sakes then how much more they that are the true members of the Church of God may verely beleeue that God will heare their fellow brethren for them For as in a familie if strangers can hope that if some seruant of speciall account doe speake to the master for them hee will doe some thing at their request then they that are of the same house may bee assured much more that the intreatie of their fellow seruants shall doe them much good So in the house of God Ephe. 2.12 if they that are strangers from the couenant of promise and haue no hope and are without God in the world yet thinke that his seruants shall be heard for them then how much more may they that are of the household of faith themselues beleeue that God will heare their fellow seruants for them seeing that he hath not onely giuen them leaue but commanded them to speake and intreate one for another and themselues are such alreadie as hee meaneth to doe good vnto And this is that that we reade of in the person of Pharaoh King of Egypt Pharaoh often desired Moses and Aaron to pray for him who though he could not abide Moses and Aaron yet when the hand of God was heauie vpon him hee was many times compelled to seeke to them for their prayers and his owne conscience did tell him that the Lord might happely heare them for him though himselfe was vnworthie once to bee regarded of him As when himselfe and his land was punished with frogs hee called for them and said Pray yee vnto the Lord Exod. 8.8 that hee may take away the frogges from me and from my people and afterwards when they were punished with great swarmes of flyes so that the earth was corrupt with them he said I will let you goe Vers 28. that yee may sacrifice vnto the Lord your God in the wildernesse but goe not farre away pray for me and thirdly when the Lord sent thunder and haile and lightning so that the fire was mingled with the haile he sent and called for them and said vnto them Chap. 9.27 I haue now sinned the Lord is righteous but I and my people are wicked Pray ye vnto the Lord for it is enough that there be no more mightie thunders and haile and I will let you goe and ye shall tarie no longer Where at the last hee confesseth himselfe and all his people to bee wicked and to haue deserued these plagues but he prayeth these his seruants to pray to God for them and they doe so and at their prayers the Lord remoueth these seuerall plagues Thus this wicked man when he was in the middest of his deserued punishments and had no heart in them to goe to God himselfe yet sought to others that he was well perswaded of and receiued great good often by their prayers Ieroboam desired the Prophet to pray for him when his hand was withered So did that wicked man Ieroboam King of Israel of whom it is often said to his shame that hee caused Israel to sinne when the man of God came out of Iudah at the commandement of the Lord vnto Bethâ—el where hee stood by his idolatrous altar to offer incense and reproued for his idolatrie and cried out against the altar he hearing it stretched out his hand and said Lay hold on him but his hand which he put out against him dried vp and he could not pull it in againe to him Then the King said vnto the man of God 1. King 13.6 I beseech thee pray vnto the Lord thy God and make intercession for me that mine hand may be restored vnto me And the man of God besought the Lord and the Kings hand was restored and became as it was afore So though he could not pray himself and say I beseech thee my God with hope that God would heare him yet hee desireth the Prophet to pray to his God and thought that another might be heard for him and so he was Thus did Zedekiah King of Iudah though neither himselfe nor the Princes could abide Ieremy the Prophet Zedekiah desired the prayers of Ieremy neither did they reuerence him or the doctrine that he deliuered vnto them for they would not obey the words of the Lord which he spake vnto them yet when they were in great distresse Jerem. 37.3 because the Chaldeans did besiege the citie hee sent certaine men vnto him saying Pray now vnto the Lord our God for vs. Behold how the most vngodly are driuen to iustifie this holie ordinance of prayer in such wise that they are compelled to seeke to those sometimes for their prayers whom otherwise they doe not loue neither haue any good opinion of but rather hate them and account them their enemies Euen as those in our time who though they neuer cared for the ministerie of the word nor for the assemblies of Gods people nor for his seruants yet when they are in any great miserie or feare and lie at the point of death are inforced to send to them whom they neuer cared for in their life and to intreate them to pray for them whom they would neuer intreate for any thing before Lastly Simon Magus the Sorcerer heard Peter the Apostle iustlie denounce the fearefull iudgement of God against him for his sinne he fearing it Act. 8.24 desired Peter to pray for him saying Pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye haue spoken may come vpon me This wicked man who of a long time had bewitched the Samaritanes with his sorceries And Simon Magus of Peter saying that himselfe was some great man hoped that al that euill which his sinnes had deserued and which God had threatned against him might by the prayers of his seruants be turned from him and so hee escape them Shall not wee then much more who haue a desire to please God and to walke in his waies hope that the prayers of others shall be auaileable to turne from vs al those euils which our own consciences tell vs we haue iust cause to feare if wee seeke vnto them for them Let vs then in the feare of God and as we loue our owne wealth determine to practise this Christian dutie much more than we haue done and let vs be heartely sorie that for want of it we haue neglected our own good too much What good we might haue gotten if we had sought to others for their prayers For many great things might wee haue obtained many fearefull troubles might wee soone haue been deliuered out of yea some grieuous things that haue befallen vs might haue bin by the grace of God wisely preuented if we had sought vnto others who might haue intreated the Lord for vs. In which
it and as for prayer they know not how to pray one word aright So did hee also heare the man of God that prayed for Ieroboam the idolatrous king of Israel when his hand was dried vp as we haue seene euen now so that both these were deliuered from their seueral plagues that were vpon them by the prayers of others when they neither knew how to pray themselues neither had any desire to learne The like may be said of the prayers of Abraham which hee in great compassion made for the filthie wicked Sodomites Gen. 18.32 that the Lord did heare him sixe times praying for them though they were so beastly minded that they could haue no care to pray for themselues Therefore though they who in faith and loue to their brethren pray for others may hope to be heard for them that doe not neither can pray for themselues at all as the Israelites were willed to pray for the prosperitie of the King of Babylon in the time of their captiuitie Ierem. 29.7 and Paul willeth the Church to pray for the Romane Emperours 1. Tim. 2.1 who were Heathen and wee doe pray according to the will of God for the Iewes Turkes and all Infidels yet they that desire others to pray for them But wee can haue little comfort in the prayers of others if wee pray not for our selues and looke for some benefit by their prayers must be sure that they pray themselues for themselues otherwise they can haue little comfort in them For euen as when wee stand in neede of the helpe of some great man and hee not onely pitieth our estate but mindeth to doe vs good and therefore willeth vs to come to him and to make our estate knowne vnto him and yet we should neglect to doe that but goe and desire others to speake for vs and they also should doe so would not he say vnto them wherefore doth hee not come and speake for himselfe Will he set other men aworke and take no paines for himselfe And so many times their speech for vs when wee refuse to open our mouthes for our selues shall not onely not further our suites but rather hinder them where if wee did first intreate our selues and then they come after vs or with vs they might greatly further vs So when wee come vnto the Lord to make our requests knowne vnto him in supplication and prayer as hee calleth all men thereunto indifferently without respect of persons saying Iam. 1. ◠If any man lack wisedome let him aske it of God who giueth to all men liberally c and for all this in our great need we will not pray our selues or not as wee should but desire others to pray for vs and trust only to that it shal be said vnto vs by the Lord Why do you not pray your selues I haue commanded you to call vpon me in the time of your trouble Psal 50.15 and I wil heare you deliuer you whereas if we do pray earnestly our selues and others at our request doe second our prayers the prayers of many euē of two or three shal greatly preuaile further our prayers Thus wee see what intent and purpose we must haue whē we desire others to pray for vs namely not to neglect our owne prayers because of that Dauid desired the people to pray for him and did pray himselfe also We haue a notable example of this euen in this Psalm in the person of Dauid who desiring many men euen the whole church of God at Ierusalē to pray for him did not only himself in all his actions from day to day vse feruent prayer but openly professeth it vnto them before hand desiring them to further his prayers So did that good King Hezekiah when he was in feare of the hoste of Senacherib 2. King 19.1 hee went himselfe first into the house of the Lord to pray to him for his defence and then hee sent messengers to the Prophet Esay Vers 4. and desired him to pray for him and for the remnant of the people that were left and so he did So did Hezekiah when he desired the prayers of Isaiah and therefore it said that both of them did pray euen Hezekiah as well as Esay the King that sent vnto him as well as the Prophet whose prayers were desired and he rested not in this that hee had sent to the Prophet Esay a man of God who was well able and willing to pray for him and for all the rest for thus it is written that when the Captaine of the hoste of the King of Ashur had spued out his blasphemie against God and against Hezekiah in the eares of the people that Hezekiah the King 2. Chron. 32.20 and the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amoz prayed against it and cried to heauen So did the Apostle Paul not neglect to pray himselfe for the obtaining of those benefits wherein he desired the help of the Romanes and of the Corinthians For he thus writeth of himselfe God is my witnes Rom. 1.9 whom I serue in my spirit in the Gospel of his sonne that without ceasing I make mention of you alwaies in my prayer And Paul when he craued the prayers of the Romanes and Corinthians Chap. 15.30 beseeching that by some meanes one time or other I might haue a prosperous iourney by the will of God to come vnto you And afterwards Brethren I beseech you for our Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the loue of the spirit that yee would striue with mee by prayers to God for mee that I may come vnto you with ioy by the will of God And to the Corinthians We trust in God that hereafter he will deliuer vs so that ye labour together in prayer for vs. 2. Cor. 1.10 So that in both these places he insinuateth thus much that as hee had often prayed for himselfe so he would do still willing them not onely to striue but to striue with him in their prayers for him For to shew it in that comparison which the Apostle vseth as if one should bee striuing to obtaine some great thing and then should desire others to put to their helping hand he would not giue it ouer himselfe and lay the whole burden vpon them but striue still with them so did S. Paul here and so must we doe But the example of Queene Hester is most fit for this purpose And Queene Hester when she desired the Iewes to fast and pray for her Hest. 4.16 who in that great and common calamitie of the Iewes which Hamans malice had brought vpon them shee was determined to make suite to the King for them she commanded that all of them should not only pray but fast for her and that three daies and three nights she did not purpose to take any libertie to her selfe thereby but said plainly that she her selfe and her maides would doe so likewise And thus when all prayed together God
The Lord heare thee in the day of trouble the name of the God of Iacob defend thee The meaning of the words THe thing that he wils them to pray for in his behalfe is that God would heare his prayers that he should make in the time of his trouble and accordingly defend him by sending helpe to him from heauen and giuing him strength and courage against his enemies from the place and meanes of his worship and seruice as it is in the second verse The Lord heare thee c. These words import thus much that Dauid was already in or likely to fal into some great trouble that he did pray beforehand or would pray in the time of his trouble and that he desired the people of God to pray to God for him that he would heare those prayers that he should make in the time of his trouble First then though he was a good King Dauid in his lawfull calling was not free from trouble and had a good cause in hand yet he did not promise to himselfe to bee altogether free from trouble he was to goe to warre against the Ammonites in the defence of his people and kingdome hee was not ignorant of the manifold dangers and troubles of warre for he had been a long experienced Souldier and Captaine and so thought that some of them might befall him and that he might be driuen to some great straites Therefore as he was determined to pray to God for succour in such cases so he desired them to further his praiers that God might defend him in his troubles and deliuer him out of them By outward things wee must not iudge of the lawfulnes of Kings titles We are not then rashly to iudge of the lawfulnesse of Princes titles and of the goodnes of their gouernment and of any thing that they attempt by the outward peace and quietnesse that they haue at home and abroad or on the cōtrary by the troubles dangers that they fall into of the vnlawfulnesse of the same to say this is a good King in deede and taketh none but good causes in hand for hee hath no troubles at all or otherwise to say this is a cruell Tyrant in deede and taketh ill matters in hand for see how many enemies doe rise vp against him and seeke his life for we see it otherwise here in the first words of the Psalme And besides Dauid after that he was annoynted to be King by Samuel the Prophet at the expresse commandement of God how many troubles did he fall into both before he came to the kingdome by Saul and after he came to it by Adonijah Absolom the rest Neither must good and godly Kings in their lawfull proceedings against malefactors or otherwise preiudice themselues and their owne causes through some weakenes by occasion of any trouble that shall befall them to thinke thus with themselues surely I haue not taken a good course because such euill hath befallen me This is true indeed We ought as any crosses do befall vs to examine our waies that vpon such accidents of trouble euery man should examine his owne heart and his waies whether hee bee in the waies of God or no and this is a great fault in many that they doe not as in Balaam the sorcerer who when he was sent for by Balak the King of Moab to curse the people of Israel out of his land and in hope of great reward went though in that vnhappy voyage of his vndertaken with an ill mind he was often crossed by the Angell of God with a drawne sworde Numb 22.23 so that his Asse that he rode on turned out of the way and afterwards in a straite shee thrust her selfe so neere the wall that she dasht his foote against it and at the last the Asse fell down vnder him yet he did not by all these troubles that befell him in the way examine himselfe and say Good Lord what doe I heere Whether am I going and where about But when men haue good ground and warrant for their doings then they are confidently to goe on whatsoeuer may betide them with prayer vnto God commending themselues and all their waies vnto him The blessed Lady Queene Elizabeth how iust was her title and how godly and lawfull were all her proceedings Not only with her owne subiects at home but with her forraine enemies abroad yet she fell into many troubles both of professed enemies and secret traytors So this our Lord and King Iames who is in a right line descended from her progenitors as heyre apparant to the crowne and since his first entring into this land hath sought to reforme many abuses and to doe much good euen to continue the Gospell and to keepe out Popery see how many troubles in this short time he is fallen into besides all those which in his former kingdome of Scotland hee suffered All good men must looke for trouble in the best actions And this is not onely the portion of good Princes Kings and Queenes but of all good men in their best actions they must looke to finde many dayes of trouble in them For as the Kingdome of Christ was most subiect to all kinde of wrongs in the head as Dauid prophetically complaineth Psalm 2.1 2. Why doe the heathen rage and the people murmur in vaine the kings of the earth band themselues and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord and against his Christ so euery member of the same as hee most seeketh to aduance his kingdome by doing good and opposing himselfe to euill so many more troubles shall he sustaine of the enemies of the same then others For besides that the men of this world are against good men and their godly actions and therefore this way the more that they shew thēselues forward the more trouble shall they haue the Lord also by sparing them somtimes in the deserued punishment of their sinnes and causing them to finde troubles and to suffer for righteousnesse sake and for well doing Therefore we must not iudg of things by the euent doth this way like a mercifull father trie their faith and their obedience Therefore let no man be discouraged in any good action for any trouble that shall befall him in it neither let vs iudge of things by the euent but be sure that our cause bee good and agreeable vnto Gods word and then if trouble come let vs beare it patiently nay let vs looke for it that wee may beare it and for want of this meditation many break off and giue ouer in their best actions And this is that that wee haue to obserue from hence that speaking of the things that belonged to his calling he maketh mention of the troubles that were like to befall him The second thing ariseth from these words The Lord heare thee In which as hee confessed before Dauid prayed to God in his trouble that he looked for troubles so in these he
sheweth what hee would then doe namely flee to God for succour pray to him and call vpon his name that he might heare him and defend him He would vse all good meanes fit for that purpose but he would not neglect this knowing that all they were nothing without this for they must haue their successe and blessing from God by prayer For he knew that though he had men and horses and munition fit for war yet as he saith in another Psalme I trust not in my bow Psal 44.6 33 16. neither can my sword saue me and againe The King is not saued by the multitude of an hoste neither is the mightie man deliuered by much strength An horse is a vaine helpe and shall not deliuer any by his great strength for as Salomon saith when the horse is prepared against the battell Prou. 21.31 yet then saluation is of the Lord who is truly and properly called the Lord of hostes because hee is aboue all and commandeth al and therefore as King Asa confesseth in his prayer it is nothing with him to helpe with many or with no power 2. Chron. 14.11 Therefore he was determined especially to pray to God in all his troubles that he might saue him and so he did as appeareth by Psalm 21. So did King Hezekiah when the hoste of the King of Ashur came vp to Ierusalem against him Jsai 37.16 So haue other good Kings done saying O Lord of hosts God of Israel which dwellest betweene the Cherubims thou art very God alone ouer all the kingdoms of the earth thou hast made the heauē the earth incline thine eare O Lord and heare open thine eyes O Lord and see c. Saue thou vs out of the hands of Sanecherib that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou only art the Lord. Thus also did good King Iehosaphat one of his predecessors when the Ammonites came to battell against him and did not onely seeke to the Lord by prayer but proclaimed a fast 2. Chron. 20.3 that he might pray the more feruently and the forme of his prayer is set downe there And in thus doing hee followeth the example of his good father King Asa Chap. 14.9 who when Zerah of Aethopia came out against him with an hoste of ten hundreth thousand chariots hee went out also before him and set the battell in aray but then hee cried vnto the Lord his God saying Helpe vs O Lord our God for wee rest on thee and in thy name are wee come foorth against this multitude O Lord thou art our God let not man preuaile against thee So that it appeareth that this which Dauid did now hath been the common practise of all the godly Kings when they haue been in feare of their enemies and so it hath been a day of trouble with them as it was now with him So must all men seeke to God in all kinde of troubles Now that that is said of this kinde of trouble and of these kind of men is true of al other both sorts of trouble and degrees of men that whatsoeuer troubles or daungers not onely Kings but al others shall fall into at any time great or small if they will haue comfort in them or looke for any deliuerance out of them they must seeke for it at the hand of God by supplication and prayer who onely can giue it of whom alone commeth al the means of our deliuerance and the whole disposition and wise vsing of them and the whole successe and blessing vpon them from whom also may come that that we seeke for without all meanes and without whose aide all things will doe vs no good For as it is said man liueth not by bread onely Deut. 8.3 but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and as Christ saith in the Gospel no mans life consisteth in the abundance of that that he possesseth Luk. 12.15 that is in all things it is not the meanes but the blessing of God vpon them that must doe vs good So that in all troubles wee must put that in practise which the Lord speaketh of Call vpon me in the day of trouble Psal 50.15 so will I deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me We are readie to seeke to this bodie and to that and to call vpon them for help but God saith Call vpon me and that we might doe it he hath bound himselfe with a promise that he will heare vs and deliuer vs. And this Dauid beleeued when he saith in the words following Vers 6. Now know I that the Lord will heare c. And vnto this agreeth that which the Apostle Saint Iames setteth downe Is any among you afflicted Jam. 5.13 let him pray where he speaketh vnto all and in what kind of affliction soeuer they be Therefore as prayer is alwaies requisite and necessary according to the doctrine of the Apostle who saith 1. Thessal 5.17 Pray continually and in another place Pray alwaies with all manner prayer and supplication in the spirit Ephes 6.18 and watch thereunto with all perseuerance so most of all in the time of trouble For as Peter when he walked on the water to go to Iesus and saw a mightie winde so that hee was afraide and began to sinke cried saying Master saue me Matth. 14.29 The time of trouble is the speciall time of prayer so all men the more euident and dangerous their trouble is the more earnestly should they pray vnto God for helpe For the lesse able that they are to helpe themselues or others to doe any thing for them the more should they seeke for help from God who is able sufficiently to affoord it And truly many times God doth of purpose bring vs into trouble that wee might call vpon him and so hee might heare vs in the day of our trouble So that no trouble should so dismay vs that it should hinder vs from prayer but rather quicken vs vp vnto it and to a greater feruency in it Psal 10.1 For when the Church saith Why hidest thou thy selfe O Lord in due time euen in affliction it sheweth that as that is the fittest time for the Lord to heare and helpe vs so for vs to pray vnto him and to seeke for helpe at his hands Therefore let vs not onely not thinke that trouble doth exempt vs from prayer or that it is so great that we cannot pray and if wee were out of it and so might haue our mindes quiet we would pray as that we beleeue rather that God at no time looketh for so much prayer at our hands as when hee laieth affliction and trouble vpon vs. Both publike and priuate So that if our troubles bee priuate wee must often and earnestly pray priuately and if they be publike wee must haue publike prayer thereafter that so God may heare vs euery way in the day of our troubles which he cannot doe
so vnlawfully none can striue with vs. Therefore let vs not haue such running lusts and wandering desires as the men of this world haue who desire earthly things and say as Dauid describeth them VVho wil shew vs any good But let vs pray as he teacheth vs there Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs Psal 4.6 and let vs esteeme of that as he doth there aboue all worldy things saying I shall haue more ioy of heart thereby than they had when their wheat and their wine did abound And then we are sure that our desires be well ordered and so all good men will help vs in their prayers say of vs as the people do here of their King The Lord graunt thee according to thine heart If then at any time we haue asked any thing at the hand of God and haue not receiued it If we aske and haue not let vs examine and correct our desires 1. Pet. 3.9 let vs consider what it is and how we haue asked it if it be any thing that is euill as the destruction of our enemies the curse of God vpon our neighbours whereas we should rather blesse them as the Apostle saith knowing that we are called to be heires of the blessing of God then no maruaile if God do not giue vs our desires Or if it be a lawfull thing yet we desire it not lawfully that is not according to Gods will as for example If we desire earthly things aboue heauenly as most doe or as concerning this visitation of the plague if we more desire that it might be taken away than that we our selues and others might profit by it generally if we more desire health and wealth estimation and worldly prosperitie than faith and repentance and the true feare of God and such like then these desires of our hearts no marueile if God graunt not Or againe if we desire not these outward things so that we can be contented to want them if it be not Gods will to giue them and to say with the Apostle I can be abased and I can abound Phil. 4.12 euery where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry and to abound and to haue want and what state soeuer I am in therewith to be content For otherwise neither can we pray our selues How we shold pray concerning this plague if we will be heard nor other for vs That God would giue vs according to our heart because the desires of the same are not fashioned according to his will Therefore both for the remouing of this plague and for all other things we must be of that mind that Dauid was when by the conspiring of his sonne Absalom he was driuen out of Ierusalem who said 2. Sam. 15.25 Carie the Arke again into the citie if I shall find fauor in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me againe and shew me both it and the tabernacle thereof But if he say thus I haue no delight in thee behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eyes Thus he resigned both his kingdome and life into Gods hands to haue them or loose them according to his will and then he receiued againe of God both the one and the other for Absolon was destroyed and he safely returned into Ierusalem So should we now much more receiue life and health in this great mortalitie if we did pray for them with these minds Heb. 11.17 19. that as Abraham was willing to offer vp his sonne Izaack vnto God and then he restored him vnto life as it were againe so we be willing to haue all if it be Gods will then will he restore all things vnto vs againe Therefore if God giue vs not that which we ask let vs thus profit to the examining and conuerting of our desires But to conclude for this time whereas all men generally desire that they might haue their heart satisfied and that whatsoeuer they haue a mind to they might haue it and this all sorts couet and seek after and therin consisteth great contentation and quietnesse of mind That we haue our desires in all things let vs nourish in vs continually none but good desires for those God wil fulfill The comfort of those that haue good desires and the vexation of them that haue euill But if we haue wicked and vngodly desires in our mind as the Lord will not fulfill them so this shall be no small crosse vnto vs that we are abridged of our desires So that all they that so liue that they make conscience euen of their desires and labour to keepe them within the compasse of Gods word and will their life is most pleasant and comfortable full of contentment for they shall soonest haue the desires of their heart from time to time But if we giue scope to our affections and suffer our desires to range beyond the bounds of Gods word and will as therein we displease him that they are so vnruly so we shall not be quiet for God will crosse them and not suffer vs to prosper in our wicked desires For though the wicked many times doe so for their further condemnation who often haue more than their hearts desire yet this is the ordinarie portion of Gods children that if their desires be good God will fulfill them as these of Dauids were and therefore God did so vnto him as he confesseth Psal 21.2 Thou hast giuen him his harts desire But if they be euill he will keepe them from them and we are to pray that he would doe so to that end that we might seeke to purge our hearts from all such sinfull desires And God graunt that we may thus profit by the not hauing of our desires to examine them whether they be good or ill and to amend whatsoeuer is amisse and so shall it be more profitable for vs to be hindered in such desires than to haue them fulfilled But we shall haue occasion to speake more of this the next day in the meane time let this be sufficient The thirteenth Sermon vpon the fourth verse And graunt thee according to thine heart c. COncerning these words besides that that hath ben obserued out of them alreadie it is further to be considered that whereas hee had willed them in the tenth verse to pray that God would heare his prayers and that he would euidently shew that he had done so and now that he would giue him according to his heart he declareth that as when he prayed vnto God he would doe it not with his lips only but from the bottome of his heart so hee would haue the Lord to take knowledge of his prayer from the desires of the same and giue him thereafter True ptayer is a desire of the heart and so to shew that he had heard his prayer by giuing him his hearts desire From whence we learne what is the nature of true
faith in Gods promises prayeth hypocritically that is more with his tongue than with his heart Seeing then that Gods promise is sure and certaine he would not haue vs so to pray as that we should doubt and call into question whether wee should bee heard or no. And this he sheweth by an excellent and very fit comparison for as the waues of the sea are tossed and carried away so they that beleeue not both are vnquiet alwaies in their minds yea though they haue prayed and are altogether vnworthie to receiue any thing Therefore when wee come to God in our prayers let vs beforehand beleeue that hee will heare vs and so pray in faith and say as this people doth here I know that God will heare and helpe so shall our prayers be acceptable vnto God so shall we receiue that that we aske of him and so shall our minds bee pacified and quiet Few pray in any assurance that God doth heare them Let vs then examine our selues and see whether alwaies when we haue come to prayer we haue had this faith and assurance that God would heare vs and helpe vs and then we shall find that some haue beene so farre from it that they haue neuer once thought of it but they haue come to prayer neither knowing any such thing nor regarding it And thus haue they done not only in the dayes of ignorance superstition whē they held it an error for a mā to think that he might be assured of any thing from God though he prayed for it neuer so earnestly and when they prayed in an vnknowne tongue and so knew not themselues what they said and therefore could not by prayer haue any assurance that they were heard but also in this cleare light of the gospell many haue and do still both in their priuat prayers and in these publicke come so coldly to God and as it were for fashion that they neither know nor desire to know nor thinke it possible to know that God will hear them And so these wauering minded men being vncertaine in their minds and tossed too and fro like the waues of the sea may be assured That they shall obtaine nothing of God Iam. 1.7 And so obtain nothing of God as the Apostle saith But let vs endeuour to put that in practise which the people did here that euery one of vs may say I know that God will heare so shall we obtaine such things as we aske Matth 17.17 For if the disciples of our Sauiour Christ could doe nothing for the fathers child possessed with a deuill when there was most need because of their vnbeleefe then shall wee also for the same vnbeleefe of ours obtaine nothing neither for our selues nor for others when there is most need And as on the other side hee said againe vnto them That all things were possible to him that beleeueth so shall we find it to bee true in our selues then when wee pray in faith it shall be possible for vs to obtaine all things according to Gods will euen those that vnto the vnbeleeuers shall seeme impossible Now though this place of Scripture doth not so properly require to shew how wee shall come to this faith and assurance in prayer that God will heare it but rather onely that wee ought to haue it and not to pray without it yet that I might not leaue this doctrine vnperfect it is necessarie to say somewhat of it First therefore as euery good and perfect gift is of the spirit of God Iam. 1.17 and commeth from aboue euen from the father of lights so doth this most of all Act. 16.14 And as the Lord by his spirit opened the heart of Lydia that she beleeued that which Paule preached so Christ Iesus is he vpon whose shoulders as the Prophet speaketh is laid the key of the house of Dauid that is Isai 22.22 of the whole Church of God so that he onely openeth and no man can shut and he shutteth and no man can open that is he onely by his holy spirit openeth our hearts that we may beleeue and giueth vs assurance in all things of the fauour of God How this assurance of being heard is wrought in vs. therefore we must pray to him that hee would giue vs that assurance and so open our hearts that we may beleeue that he doth heare our prayers But because this is wrought in vs by meanes and our faith is grounded specially and onely vpon the promises of God and all assurance of being heard ariseth from thence we must know and beleeue and meditate vpon them before we pray that so by them we may be assured that he will heare vs according to the vndoubted truth of the same And the more that wee can doe thus the greater assurance of being heard shall we haue when we pray vnto God And besides this we must know that the same assurance is confirmed and encreased by our former experience dayly so that when we haue marked how God hath at other times and in other things heard vs we may assure our selues from thence that he will doe so now also For as among men when we haue oftentimes made triall of a friend in the time of our need wee goe to them afterwards as any necessitie shall be vpon vs with great confidence and doubt not before wee come to them but we shall speed if they haue it so vpon our former experience with the Lord we ought much more boldly to come vnto him in times of need who hath not onely promised and so is willing but being almightie is also able and being true and iust in his promises will helpe vs. And according to experience of former times some doe read this text that we haue in hand although I approoue of the other rather which I haue followed after this manner Now know I that the Lord hath saued his annointed and will heare him from his Sanctuarie and so they confirme their hope by the time past in that they haue marked the goodnesse of God towards their king in sauing him before in other dangers as he was in many and so doubt not but that hee will heare them for him now and still saue him But to returne to that that we spake of before namely How we shal come to this assurance of being heard First of all we are to consider of the promises of God First by meditating vpon Gods promises vpon which our faith must be grounded and which must giue vs assured knowledge of being heard we may see how to this end the holy Patriarch Iacob did meditate vpon them to strengthen his faith and in his prayer did as it were put God in mind of them and comfort himselfe in hope of them when he prayed thus O God of my father Abraham Gen. 32 9. and God of my father Izaack Lord which saidest vnto me Returne vnto thy countrey and to thy kindred and I will doe thee good I
God when they are so qualited for them as he hath required in his word and when they came to them by such lawfull choise as he hath appointed That so euery one doing that which God requireth of them in the same they might as any trouble shall come vpon them or any difficultie shall befall them they might I say with comfort and in faith pray that God would heare and helpe them they being his anointed that is come to those places by his appointment Euen vnto the meanest calling as of being a seruant And this as it is requisit in euery calling or state of life that one is in euen vnto the meanest to be persuaded That they are placed in them by God so there is great comfort therein whatsoeuer shall befall them in the same As the Apostle speaketh of the calling of a seruant 1. Cor. 7.17 and of being called vnto the estate of marriage and saith of them and of all others generally That as God hath distributed to euery man and as the Lord hath called euery one so let him walke and so ordaine I in all Churches VVhere he warneth euery man generally to liue with a contented mind in the Lord what state or condition of life so euer he be in and therfore he telleth him that it is that trade of life which God hath distributed vnto them which he hath called them vnto So that a seruant must be persuaded Ephe. 6.6 that God hath called him to that place and therefore as he must make conscience of doing faithfull seruice not to the eye as men pleasers but as the seruants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart with good will seruing the Lord and not men as he writeth to the Ephesians So also from this persuasion of his calling hee may pray vnto God to defend him against all wrongs Vers 8. and to assist him in all things euen as Saint Paule in the same place biddeth to that end know That whatsoeuer good thing any man doth the same shall he receiue of the Lord whether he be bond or free So that seruants being persuaded of the lawfulnesse of their calling and of their owne fidelitie in the same may pray to God to reward them for their good seruice and to defend them in a good cause against any abuses that their master shall offer vnto them And so for the other estate of life And of being called to the state of marriage that he speaketh of there if any be called vnto mariage they must not onely be persuaded of the lawfulnesse of it and that God hath called them vnto it but also that he hath ioyned them together this man to this woman as Eue in paradise was ioyned to Adam by the immediat hand of God and so that they came not together by fortune or chance or by the will and consent of their friends or by their own choice only but by God that their marriage was first made in heauen before it was solemnised vpon earth and therfore that they are in that place that God hath called them vnto Then may they with comfort pray for all such gifts as are needfull for those places as in doing of their duties that the Lord would preserue them from all crosses that might befall them and assist them in them and generally that he would heare their prayers and send them helpe from heauen as the people doe here And to conclude this point In all actions of our life we ought to be persuaded that God hath called vs vnto them we must all of vs be persuaded in the whole course of our liues that whatso-we doe we haue a calling to it from God and so therein we are his anointed that is appointed of God for it VVhich we shall ordinarily know by this that the thing it selfe is good in it owne nature and agreeable to the word of God and commanded there and then that by vertue of our places that we be in God requireth them of vs and that that time and place doth also require them for all things are not required of all men alike nor at all times and in all places Then hauing this persuasion from the word of God though they be dangerous and full of trouble and such as might discourage vs we may confidently pray vnto God to assist vs and defend vs therein and to helpe vs in all affliction that shall befall vs for the same And thus Dauid here being a king was to defend his subiects and therefore their enemies comming against them to battell he goeth forth and aduentureth himselfe to the warre and thus prayeth vnto God and willeth the people to pray for him in this good action whereunto he was lawfully called and God did heare their prayers and gaue them good successe In like manner that famous and worthy Queene Hester after that Mordecai had sent vnto her the copie of the kings letter that was sent abroad by postes for the rooting out of the Iewes in one day and willed her to goe in to the king and make request for the life of her people at the first she like a fearefull woman drew backe and excused her selfe saying All the kings seruants and all the people of the prouinces know Hester 4.11 that whosoeuer man or woman Then may we haue bouldnesse in them though they be neuer so dangerous that commeth to the king into the inner court which is not called there is a law of his that he shall die except to him whom the king holdeth out the golden rod that he may liue now I haue not beene called to come to the king these thirtie dayes Then Mordecai sent her word againe that she must not thinke to escape in the kings house more than all the Iewes but if she did hould her peace at this time deliuerance should appeare to the Iewes out of another place but she and her fathers house should perish and who knew whether she was come to the kingdome for such a time Thus when he had persuaded her by good reason that God did require it at her hands and that she was raysed vp out of a meane place to such an high dignitie by the Lord for such a purpose and that God would require it at her hands if she failed in it shee aduentureth her selfe though it was very dangerous with this resolution that seeing God had called her vnto it he would defend her in it but howsoeuer it should fall out shee would commit her selfe in this cause to his blessed prouidence contented to be ordered by his will I will goe in to the king which is not according to the law and if I perish I perish But in the meane season hauing this faith in this action she prayeth to God to assist her to guide her to direct her and to blesse her and willeth all the people to doe so likewise saying Goe Verse 16. and assemble all the Iewes that
respect wee haue great cause to be sorie The great losse when the good die whose prayers we had whē the Lord taketh away any good mā or woman for then we want so many that might stil haue prayed for vs and for the Church and so wee are left the more destitute of helpe And if wee ought to lament the death of those who haue been beneficial to vs for worldly things whose helpe wee see now that wee want to our great hindrance then especially should wee be grieued that wee are depriued of the comfortable presence of those to whom in all distresses of bodie or minde wee might resort and communicate our whole estate as Dauid did to Ionathan and might boldly haue desired their prayers and might with great facilitie haue obtained them for vs. Thus much for this part of the title that this Psalme being a prayer of the Church for Dauid hee made it for them and committed it to the singer that he might take order that it should be vsed publikly and so by vertue of it did require that thus they should pray for him One thing more of Dauid is to bee obserued out of the title and the discourse of the whole Psalme namely with what minde and purpose or to what end he desired their prayers Not as purposing to neglect prayer himselfe Dauid in desiring their prayers did not purpose to neglect prayer himself or to grow any whit more slacke in it because of that and so to put off this as a burden from himselfe as one that had other great matters in hand and so to commit it to them that should haue leisure enough As if hee should haue said you know that I must goe out to battell against the Ammonites and in warre wee shall haue our hands full and our mindes taken vp euery way I shall haue no leisure to pray to God there though I know it to be necessarie and would faine doe it I would haue you therefore to pray for me and so trusting to them should neglect this dutie himselfe and so they might haue prayed very doubtingly for him but that they might be the more willing to pray for him in this case hee telleth them and professeth it openly that he would pray to God himselfe and as he should be in any speciall trouble so he would doe it much more earnestly and therefore he would haue them pray to God for him that he would heare those prayers of his So then in requiring this of them hee did not leaue them in suspense to thinke thus he willeth vs to pray for him indeede and so it is our bound dutie to doe and wee will doe it but wee cannot tell whether hee will vse any prayer himselfe which if hee doe not ours shall doe him the lesse good But as hee required their prayers so hee bound himselfe to the like practise No more must kings when their subiects doe pray for them and would haue them also to know it before hand that so they might pray accordingly that God would heare his prayers So that first of all Kings and Princes be they neuer so great must not so require their subiects to pray for them that they shuld thinke it were not needfull for themselues to pray at all for they had enow that daily did it for them euery where And all others that desire the prayers of their brethren must not for that bee any one whit the more remisse and sparing in their owne prayers which is diligently to bee marked of vs because it is contrarie to the common practise of the Church of Rome and of diuers others For the Romish Synagogue maketh Emperours Kings The practise of the Papists is otherwise and great men to beleeue vpon their credit that prayer doth not so necessarily belong vnto them or to such kind of men that doth peculiarly belong to the Clergie and Church-men as they cal them they could pray enough for them and for al the world if they may be wel paid for their labours Therefore if such men as they will but giue some lands and reuenewes to an Abbey or erect a Monastery or some religious house there to be prayed for they shall haue so many continually to pray for them that it maketh no matter though themselues very seldome or not at al pray This kingly prophet or propheticall king was of another minde and so ought all godly and religious not onely Princes but men and women to be But to leaue these men And of some Gospellers and their religious practises to themselues we shall finde this corruption to be in some that are not of the worser sort that when they know that others doe pray for them in sicknesse or otherwise they can be contented to let passe their owne prayers now and then in hope of that and to become somewhat remisse themselues But as Dauids desire was here not onely that they would pray for him but after this manner euen that God would heare his prayers which hee had and would make euery day so doth the Apostle ioyne these two very fitly together and requireth them both of all men alike Jam. 5.13.14 saying Is any man among you afflicted Let him pray Is any sicke among you Let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray for him where he would haue al men to pray for themselues in their seuerall afflictions and to send for others that they might pray for them likewise We must not seuer our own prayers from the prayers of others And as he would not haue them in some cases to content themselues with their owne prayers but send for others to pray with them so hee would not haue them passe ouer their owne prayers in hope of that but begin with them first and pray themselues and if they cannot that way preuaile sufficiently then to call for the aide of others among whom it may come to passe that the prayer of some one righteous man or other might bee so feruent that it might auaile much for them Therefore those things which the Lord by precept and by the practise of his seruants hath ioyned together so neerely let no man put asunder Yet God heareth his seruants for those that neither doe nor can pray for themselues And yet we doe not denie but that such is the goodnes of God to all sorts of men to leaue them without excuse and that hee hath made so many gracious promises vnto the prayers of his seruants that hee often heareth them praying for those who neither pray for themselues at all neither can pray nor haue any purpose to doe it So did he diuers times as hath been declared before heare Moses and Aaron praying for Pharaoh King of Egypt for his Princes and for his people all which had no purpose at all to serue God themselues neither knew how to doe it but did hinder as much as lay in them his people from
our gouernours that for certaine causes best knowne vnto themselues which it is not meete for vs to inquire into it was not lawfull for any of the common sort to haue discourses of the heire apparant and so few of them thought of him that we haue now or of any other But this is most of all to be wondred at And for his peaceable entrance that he came to the kingdome so peaceably and with so great approbation of all sorts of men and trauelled through the length of the whole land almost euen at the first for meaner men haue not come to their inheritances and taken vp the possession of them so quietly For truly by the grace of God to his praise bee it spoken there is no more alteration in the land in any estate or in priuate mens condition for the most part than if the Queene were still aliue And this benefit is the greater because we feared the contrarie and none could haue looked for after her death such times as we haue now And if there be any change at all And that in this short time since his comming things are bettered it is from worse to better so that since his comming many things are better in the Church commonwealth For by the gracious proclamations of his Maiestie many abuses of Playes and Interludes with Bearebaitings and Bulbaitings vpon the Sabbath day are put downe with Monopolies and ingrossings of wares into the hands of a few men many worthy men are aduanced to greater honour and worship the Papists in lesse hope of any toleration for their Popish idolatrie than before And vnto all these benefits this is none of the least And all things very cheape that God hath added this plentie of all things euen at this time whereby victuals and other things are resonable cheape least by scarcitie there might be occasion of dislike Therefore in respect of them all let vs be thankfull vnto God and yet againe let vs consider that all these come not without some punishment as this plague which is so scattered in many parts of this land especially the chief cities wherein wee must also acknowledge the great mercie of God But we are fallen into Gods hand by reason of the plague that wee haue escaped that which wee had deserued and had most cause to feare euen to fall into the hands of our enemies that they might make a pray of vs and of al that wee haue which Dauid accounted a great mercie and chose it when both of them were offered vnto him saying Let vs fall now into the hands of the Lord for his mercies are great and let me not fall into the hands of men 2. Sam. 24 14. therfore let vs be thankfull vnto God for this mercie also and so ioyning thanksgiuing vnto prayer for these causes that wee haue heard let vs pray vnto God for the preseruation and honour of our Lord and King Iames whom the Lord at this time with so many great benefits hath sent vnto vs and let vs take these words of the Psalme into our mouthes from which I haue a little vpon this occasion that you haue heard of digressed and say The Lord heare thee in the day of trouble c. The Lord heare thee These are the words of the prayer of the people for Dauid their King but as Ioab taught the woman of Tekoah what she should say to the King Chap. 14.19 and did put those words into her mouth which she spake before him so Dauid made this prayer for them and taught them what they should say vnto God in his owne behalfe and did as it were put these words into their mouthes when they should come before him And so hee not onely as a King taught his subiects what dutie they did owe vnto him but as a Prophet also speaking by the inspiration of the spirit of God 2. Pet. 1.21 as other holy men that wrote the Scriptures informeth the Church of God what duties they owe to him and to their superiours Dauid teacheth the people their dutie to himselfe So that he doth not in teaching them this duty of prayer for him ambitiously seeke himselfe and stand vpon his own prerogatiue to say Oh I am your King you ought to pray for me and to doe so and so but he knew it to bee his owne dutie to informe them that were committed vnto his charge in all duties to God and men euen to himselfe and therefore doth thus discharge it knowing also that in his owne safetie did consist their welfare and therefore in praying for him which hee taught them to doe they should benefit themselues So may and ought all superiours do to their inferiours So that by his example it is lawfull for all publike persons in the Church and commonwealth to teach those that are vnder them what duties they should doe to them and to require them at their hands without all suspition of ambition vainglorie or any waies seeking themselues Yea they ought to doe it and no man to finde fault with them for it not only because all superiours must teach their inferiours but also and especially because the inferiours in doing such duties vnto them shall greatly profit themselues Thus may and ought all the Ministers of Gods word in wisedome teach the people and flocke that is committed vnto them As the Minister to their people and flocke what duties they owe not onely to God and other men but euen to themselues and in so doing not to be thought of any ambitious proud c or their doctrine any waies disliked or suspected and to shew vnto them whether for reuerence of their persons to haue thē in singular estimation for their workes sake or for obedience of their doctrine 1. Thess 5.13 Heb. 13.17 to obey it that they may goe on with cheerefulnes or for maintenance or recompence of their labours in worldly things 1. Tim. 5.17 to giue them double honour or in any thing els what they should do vnto them Not only because they be faithfull in Gods house as Moses was Heb. 3.2 and so deliuer vnto them the whole counsell of God Act. 20.27 as Paul did and so teach them all-things and therefore of necessitie there must bee a time for them but also because the people in doing these duties to them they benefit themselues For in preseruing the authoritie of the ministery of the word inuiolable in their consciences and in the consciences of others consisteth the peoples welfare So that as this people was not to except against this prayer when it came to them from Dauid for it came not by the way of intreatie as an indifferent thing but by a princely iniunction or propheticall instruction and so as a necessarie dutie of theirs and therefore they were to thinke that they were bound vnto it and that hee did necessarily require it at their hands and not to make
the time of Poperie Besides wee must doe all things after that manner that hee hath prescribed in his word with pure consciences 1. Tim. 2.8 2. Tim. 2.19 and lift pure hands in all places as the Apostle saith and he that calleth vpon the name of the Lord let him depart from iniquitie for God heareth not sinners as the blind man in the Gospell said Iohn 9 31. but if any be a worshipper of him and doth his will him he heareth And for want of this he refused the very sacrifices and oblations of the Iewes yea their solemne fastings as wee may see in the Prophet and namely in the Prophet Esay Jsa 1.11 What haue I to doe with the multitude of your sacrifices saith the Lord I am full of the burnt offrings of rammes and of the fat of fed beasts and I desire not the bloud of bullocks bring no more oblations in vaine Incense is an abomination vnto me I cannot suffer your new Moones nor Sabbaths nor solemne daies they are a burthen vnto me and I am wearie to beare them and so foorth as followeth in that place and after hee sheweth the cause of it that their liues were vngodly and so they offred them with an il conscience and therefore he addeth Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your workes cease to doe euill and so foorth So then we must be of this minde Therefore therein wee must vse all diligence and preparation that it is a very hard thing to serue God as we should and therefore in all parts of his worship wee must vse great diligence that they may bee done in that manner that he may fauourably accept them As now thus to come to the Church weekly as we doe to serue him in hearing of his word in prayer and fasting are things commanded of God but to doe them so as God may receiue them fauourably and blesse vs for them and to be assured of it this is a great thing and euery one must striue to doe them so as God may gratiously receiue them at their hands Wee must be farre then from that Prophets minde which is in some to thinke so basely of God and of his seruice that euery thing should be good enough for him and that he must needes accept all things at our hands and so care not how wee doe them as how we pray how we heare his word how wee receiue his Sacraments c. Doth not our Sauiour Christ say Take heede how you heare Luk. 8.18 to shew that all kinde of hearing is not sufficient vnlesse wee heare his word as wee should and He that hath eares to heare let him heare that is as hee should namely diligently and carefully and as the Apostle saith Let him be swift to heare Jam. 1.19 So that in nothing wee are to vse so much diligence and preparation as in the seruice of God that it may be accepted This lesson doth Salomon teach vs very well in the booke of the Preacher in these words Take heede to thy foote Eccles 4.17 when thou entrest into the house of God and be more neere to heare than to giue the sacrifice of fooles for they know not that they doe euill Where by the feete he meaneth the affections of the minde for as the one carrie the bodie so doe the other the minde and bodie Therefore saith he It is not sufficient to come to the church but wee must come prepared as wee ought 1. Sam. 15.22 thinke not enough to come to the Temple but consider with what mindes you come that is come religiously soberly deuoutly and as you should come and be readie to heare what God requireth of you and doe that and doe not rest in the outward sacrifices as though they were sufficient as many foolish men doe For obedience is better than all outward seruice of God and all sacrifices as was said to Saul That so wee may offer vp our selues vnto God that is our soules and bodies to bee readie to serue him with both as liuing sacrifices Rom. 12.1 holy and acceptable vnto God as the Apostle saith which is our reasonable seruing of God For without this all is euill euen our cōming to Church and prayer to God though foolish men doe not consider of it as Salomon saith They know not that they do euil Prou. 15.8 For the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable vnto him So then it is not enough to come hither but euery man must consider with what minde he commeth that so God may accept of him of his comming and of his seruice And this wee had neede to bee put in minde of because men for the most part are more carefull about their owne busines Men vse greater diligence about their owne busines than about Gods seruice yea about other mens busines that all may be well done than about Gods In the sixe daies of the weeke how busie are men at home but vpon the seuenth day which is the Lords and so called in the Scripture how slowly doe they come how sleepely do they behaue themselues here as though it made no matter at all how they serued God Yea seruants are commonly more diligent about their masters busines at home more carefull to please and more loath to offend than they are in the Church about the Lords busines and so they shew by their deedes that though it be an hard thing to please their masters yet as they think it is an easie thing to please God Why doth Dauid then desire them so earnestly to pray that God would fauourably accept his seruices and to inforce them vnto it doth adde this word Selah if it were so easie a matter to serue God as they imagine and that hee were bound to take any thing at our hands We see then by this that few men in deed know rightly what it is to serue God when they come to it so hypocritically and so coldly But euery one as they are desirous to serue God in truth as Dauid was here so they finde it to be more hard to doe any thing in such manner But the best seruants of God haue thought so highly of his seruice that when they haue done the best they haue found fault with themselues that they haue done no better Act. 2.37 as may bee acceptable vnto him And this is that that the best seruants of God that haue been tender hearted haue found fault with themselues for and haue beene greatly troubled in their minds about not so much for any great sinnes that they haue committed which by the grace of God they haue been free from as that their prayers that they haue made haue not been in that faith and feeling in that power of the spirit and assurance of being heard that they should and so God might reiect them and that in other part of
how are mine aduersaries increased How many rise against mee Many say to my soule there is no helpe for him in God Afterwards he confirmeth his faith in the goodnesse of God by the consideration of his nature that he is a defence buckler to them that are vnarmed and without defence and he giueth glory to them that haue ignominie cast vpon them without a cause and he rayseth vp them that are falling Verse 3. saying But thou Lord art a buckler for me my glory and the lifter vp of my head And then he gathereth more strength of faith from former experience Verse 4. saying I did call vnto the Lord with my voyce and he heard me out of the holy mountaine and to this he addeth Shelah to shew how greatly it did affect him and what comfort he had in this to remember that God had heard his prayer in former times and then further addeth for the strengthening of his faith that the Lord in other great danger had defended him Verse 5. saying I laid me downe and slept and rose vp againe for the Lord sustained me And thereupon inferreth this confident speech Verse 6. full of assurance I will not be afraid for ten thousand of the people that should beset me round about VVhere he doth glory by faith that though his enemies were neuer so many and himselfe in neuer so great danger of them hee would not bee too much afraid of them but was assured that the Lord would defend him in the middest of them And this assurance of Gods defence hee obtaineth now at the last by continuing in prayer and by those meditations which he had in prayer of the goodnesse and mercie of God towards all his and now specially towards himselfe which he hath set down in the former verses and part of his prayer So falleth it out with others that the spirit of God in them which is the spirit of prayer and of all assurance as it stirreth them vp to pray and when they cannot tell of themselues what or how to pray as they ought the same spirit helpeth their infirmities Rom. 8.26 and stirreth vp in them sighes and grones and desires of the hart which are acceptable and which God alloweth of because they are according to his will so the same also helpeth their infirmities in this point that whereas they began to pray in great weakenesse and much doubting because of their temptations by calling into their minds more freshly than before the promises of God made in his word and the often performance of the same to others to themselues it causeth them to grow in faith doth giue thē some greater assurance of Gods fauours and of being gratiously heard than they had in the beginning they know then more fully that he doth heare them and will helpe them And so the spirit of God in prayer helpeth the infirmities of the rest of his seruants Hebr. 12.1 And though this may seeme strange to such as are not acquainted with prayer who vse it very seldome or not at all and make it but a matter of forme and custome yet I doubt not but that we haue a great cloud of faithfull witnesses who vsing prayer often of conscience and in the feeling of their wantes and making it a dayly exercise and therein deale with the Lord in good earnest as those that would obtaine some thing at his hand and rest not in the bare action of prayer as in a worke wrought or a certaine taske performed and done who doe and are able to subscribe most willingly vnto the truth of this by their owne practise So that as Dauid making this prayer when his sonne Absolom with Achitophell and many others raysed vp a rebellon against him in which for the safegard of his life he was compelled to flie out of Ierusalem as appeareth by the title of the Psalme did by continuance in feruent prayer obtaine this assurance That the Lord would defend him and confound them all and therefore he would not be afraid of them if there were ten thousand of them and they all should beset him round about that is if he were brought into great straits as indeed he was and truely it came to passe in the end for Achitophell did hang himselfe and Absalom was hanged by the haire of the head As I say Dauid then had assurance of this before hand so also others of Gods seruants in their daungers and troubles praying to God feruently as he did haue in some good measure to their owne comfort and the comfort of others that haue prayed with them obtaitained of God by his spirit an assurance that the Lord did heare them and would be mercifull vnto them and they by faith haue professed the same to others beforehand Dauid againe by continuing in feruent prayer groweth in assurance of being heard And this growing and increasing in the assured hope That the Lord will heare vs whereof we now speak Dauid againe setteth downe by his owne experience in the sixt Psalme as indeed I must needs confesse that he was a man of wonderfull great experience both of his owne infirmitie and of Gods mercifull dealing towards him which Psalme was made when he was grieuously sicke and like to die and did not onely feele the hand of God heauie vpon himselfe this way as appeareth by his grieuous complaints and outcries but he was troubled in his mind for his sinne and in this estate he prayeth vnto God To remoue from him this great token of his wrath and displeasure that was vpon him and to take away this grieuous scourge that he was then afflicted with and to giue him both health of bodie and quietnesse of mind of both which at the last hee obtaineth so great assurance by faith through the inward working of Gods spirit that he doth openly glory of it against all his enemies that reioyced at his fall And for the vnderstanding of this it is requisit especially for the simpler sort to whose capacitie I haue especially framed my selfe requisit I say to set down in order the words of the whole Psalme for otherwise neither the great confidence and reioycing of his faith which in the end with much striuing he attained vnto nor the feruencie of his prayer which was a meanes whereby Gods spirit wrought it in him can be so fully perceiued or made plaine vnto you Thus therfore he beginneth his prayer O Lord Psal 6.1 rebuke me not in thine anger neither chastise me in thy wrath haue mercie vpon me O Lord for I am needie heale me for my bones are vexed My soule is also sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thou delay Returne O Lord deliuer my soule saue me for thy mercies sake for in death there is no remembrance of thee in the graue who shall praise thee I fainted in my mourning I cause my bed euery night to swim and water my couch with teares Mine eyes is dimmed
lawful and is lawfully called thereunto as hauing gifts sit for it and comming vnto it by all ordinarie good meanes that God will maintaine them in the same and they should be assured of it in themselues because they are the Lords annointed that is placed in those roomes by him And thus did all the Apostles and the Prophets also before them comfort themselues in those callings of the Church which were full of labor and trouble that they were persuaded that the Lord had set them aworke and they did not come before they were sent otherwise they might haue fainted many times vnder their great burdens And namely thus did the Prophet Ieremie comfort himselfe before the Lord And so did the Prophet Jeremie against the mocks and taunts of his enemies who said that destruction should not come to Ierusalem as he had prophecied because it was still deferred Ierem. 17.15 and so derided the threatnings of God in his mouth saying Where is the word of the Lord let it come now But hee answereth them thus first That the Lord had called him vnto that office of being a Prophet and that he had not thrust in himselfe and then That he had faithfully executed the same therfore prayed God to defend him in the next words Vers 16. But I haue not thrust in my selfe a Pastour after thee neither haue I desired the day of miserie thou knowest that which came out of my lips was right before thee Be not terrible vnto me c. And God heard his prayer for when the citie was destroyed hee was saued and had libertie to goe whether hee would and during the siege God kept him out of the hands of the princes who sought to kill him and though he was once cast into a dungeon yet he was taken out of it againe And thus also when God appeared vnto Moses in the wildernesse in a bush when he was keeping sheep and sent him to deliuer the children of Israel out of their grieuous bondage he doing his message vnto Pharoah the king doth not onely not let them goe but oppresseth them a great deale more whereupon the officers of the children of Israel meeting with Moses and Aaron Exod. 4.20 as they came from the king like men in a great passion brake out into bitter and vnseemely words against them and prayed God to looke vpon them and iudge them for they had made their sauour stinke before Pharoah and before his seruants And Moses the man of God VVhereupon Moses prayeth vnto God and somewhat comforteth himselfe in this trouble with hope of some good successe from his calling that he was the Lords annointed and that hee had sent him to doe that that he did For it is said That hee returned vnto the Lord Verse 22. and said Lord why hast thou afflicted this people Wherefore hast thou sent me for since I came to Pharoah to speake in thy name he hath vexed this people and yet thou hast not deliuered thy people VVhere the ground of his prayer both for himselfe and for the people is this That the Lord had sent him to doe that that he did and therefore he desireth to see some better successe And so may all faithfull ministers of the word of God who are assured that they are called vnto that office place where they are So may all faithfull ministers of Gods word called I say by God and not by men only and so doe deliuer the message of God faithfully vnto them out of his word if all things fall not out with them at the first and they see not that successe of their labours that they desire yea if things seeme to be a great deale worse than they were before they came and themselues are vniustly blamed for it as Moses was here they may with a good conscience goe vnto God in their prayers and seeke redresse saying That he hath sent them to do that they doe and therefore desire the Lord that hee would assist them and blesse them with better successe and then they shall see that the Lord will not forsake them but stand by them and defend them in their calling as it is said here in this Psalme I know that the Lord will helpe his annointed And as he then gaue this answere vnto Moses That it should appeare that he had not called him to that office in vaine but would defend him in it Exod. 6.1 and giue good successe vnto his labours For in the next chapter it is thus written The Lord said vnto Moses Now thou shalt see what I will doe vnto Pharoah for by a strong hand hee shall let them goe and euen bee constrained to driue them out of his land that is he shall feele the Lords hand so heauie vpon him that he should not onely be willing to let them goe though he obstinatly refused it but should by force driue them out as indeed afterwardes hee did as appeareth in the rest of that story Exod. 12.33 And this assurance of our calling must not onely a little comfort vs at the first but in the whole course and ministerie of the same and in all things that shall befall vs in the execution of it that we may with a good conscience pray vnto God that as wee haue not intruded our selues neither haue had our calling onely from men but from him so he would heare vs and helpe vs in all things that we doe according to the same And as no doubt there is great comfort in this that a man is thus assured of his calling and without this he may often be dismaid so in that respect it is requisit It is requisit therefore that euery one should be fully persuaded of the lawfulnesse of his calling that not onely they but all others in their seuerall places should be assured that they haue their callings of God that so they may in faith pray for his defence For this cause we see how immediatly from God the Prophets had their callings to whom God spake and appeared in visions as to Moses to Ezekiel and to Ieremie and the rest how the Iudges were raysed vp extraordinarily that in their great attempts they might be assured that God had called them to that place Iudg. 6.37 and especially how carefull Gedeon was of it by making triall twise in a fleece of woll And how Paule and all the rest of the Apostles were called immediatly by Christ that when they should meet with so many incomberances as they did they might not doubt of their calling and so of Gods protection And so againe what order was set downe by God both for the succession of the Priests and Leuits and for their seuerall offices and places and what for the succession of the kings and what in the new Testament is for the choise of ministers and what in the scripture for magistrates that so all might thereby be assured that they haue their callings from
are found in Shushan and fast yee for me and eate not nor drinke in three dayes day nor night I also and my maids will fast likewise And so they did and God heard their prayer and did not forsake her in this thing whereunto he had called her Thus in a matter of great moment which was full also of great difficultie and wherein she did hazard her life being persuaded that God had called her vnto it she prayeth for her selfe and others also for her that God would helpe her and heare her in heauen and he did so Thus did Iaakob cōfort himselfe in a dangerous voyage whereunto God had called him VVhich is written for our instruction and comfort to shew vs what wee should doe and in doing what we may looke for from God in the like case And from hence also did Iaakob comfort himselfe in the like danger and this was the ground of his prayer who in his retunrne from Laban did heare that his brother Esau came against him with foure hundred men then he remembring his former threats was greatly afraid and sore troubled and after other things that he did for the defence and safegard of his companie he prayeth vnto God after this manner O God of my father Abraham Gen 32.9 and God of my father Izaack Lord which saydest vnto me returne vnto thy countrey and to thy kindred and I will doe thee good I pray thee deliuer me from the hand of my brother c. VVhere we see that as it appeareth in the former part of this story as he did not vndertake this iourney to Laban at the first of his owne head neither did voluntarily forsake his fathers house without cause like some roiotous children who cannot tell when they are well and as the prodigall sonne did but went away with his fathers liking and leaue and with his blessing for Izaack blessed Iaakob and sayd Get thee to Padan Aram to the house of Bethuel Gen. 28.1 thy mothers father and thence take thee a wife of the daughters of Laban thy mothers brother c. So hee returned from thence Chap. 31.3 not of his owne priuat motion but by the commaundement of God who said vnto him Turne againe into the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred and I will bee with thee And therefore when this great danger did befall him in the way hee remembreth that hee had a calling from God to this voyage and so prayeth to God that hee that had called him would defend him and as he had commaunded him to goe and hee did it at his commaundement so he would not forsake him in it or suffer him to perish in the mid way by the crueltie of his brother Esau saying Lord which saidest vnto me Returne into thy countrey and to thy kindred and I will doe thee good I pray thee deliuer me from the hand of my brother c. And so the Lord did not onely heare his prayer and defend him but assure him of it beforehand by a vision of an Angell that wrestled with him all night Chap. 32.24 and could not preuaile against him and by the change of his name from Iaakob to Israel to teach him that which was then said vnto him For God hath promised to defend vs in all our lawfull wayes Psal 91.10 Because thou hast had power with God thou shalt also preuaile with men And this is that which is generally promised to all those that in their callings follow the wayes of God namely that he will defend them in all dangers that may befall them in the same when as it is said There shall none euill come vnto thee neither shall any plague come neere thy tabernacle for he shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes they shall beare thee in their hands that thou hurt not thy foot against a stone thou shalt walke vpon the Lion and Aspe the yong lyon and the dragon shalt thou tread vnder feet that is Gods Angels shall keepe vs in all those wayes that are most dangerous when we keepe our selues within the compasse of our callings And thus much for these words It followeth in the text By the mightie helpe of his right hand As in the former words hee did strengthen his owne faith and the faith of the people by the consideration of his calling that he was the annointed of the Lord The mightie helpe of Gods right hand so in these words he doth the same by the meditation of the omnipotent power of God who was able to giue great helpe aboue all power of man For in a figuratiue speech by the right hand of God is meant the strength and power of God because that as man commonly hath most strength in his right hand so to our capacitie and vnderstanding though the Lord be a spirit and hath no bodie and so consequently no hand yet the Scripture attributeth vnto him an arme an hand and a right hand as when it is said in the Psalme Psal 44.3 They inherited not the land by their owne sword neither did their owne arme saue them but thy right hand and thine arme and the light of thy countenance because thou fauouredst them And thus Moses with the rest of the people in their song of thankesgiuing for the destruction of Pharoah and his hoast in the red sea doe speake of the power of God Exod. 15.6 Thy right hand O Lord is glorious in power thy right hand O Lord hath brused the enemie that is as men by the strength of their right hand doe bruse a thing in pieces so the Lord by his great power had vtterly destroyed and brought to nought Pharoah and his great hoast which like enemies pursued them euen into the sea They confirm their faith by the consideration of Gods omnipotent power Now this great power of his they set before their eyes to this end that though their enemies were manie and mightie yet the Lord was greater than all and stronger than they and had power aboue them and so as they had prayed to him for his defence so they beleeue that he would heare them and helpe them according to the same power of his As Elisha said vnto his seruant who when he saw the chariots and horses and great hoast which the king of Aram had sent to Dotham to take them cried out for feare 2. King 6.15 Alas master how shall we doe Feare not sayd he they that be with vs are moe than they that be with them hee meaneth that God was with them whose power to defend them was greater than all the power of their aduersaries to hurt them And that the power of God in all things is so infinit that he is alwayes able to defend his seruants against all the power of their enemies be it neuer so great is most euident both in the Scripture and by daily experence so that there need not any great
proofe of it The great power of God in bringing hard things to passe For he is euery where called God Almighty and All sufficient and Lord of hoasts and Lord of lords King of kings maker of all things and preseruer of them in whom we and all things else liue mooue and haue our being c. And in a matter that seemed impossible to Sarah as that she should haue a child when she was so old and all naturall strength fayled her for it ceased to be with her after the manner of women the Lord sayd to Abraham Gen. 18.14 Shall any thing be hard to the Lord as if he had sayd Nothing at all is hard to him but he by his power is able to ouercome all difficulties be they neuer so many and so great And to Moses also in the lik case when he doubted how the Israelites should haue flesh ynough in the wildernesse according to their owne desire Num. 11.23 and as the Lord hath promised he sayd Is the Lords hand shortened Iob. 9.19 that is is his power so weake that he is not able to bring that to passe No. Therefore we may say of him and of his power as Iob doth if we speake of strength Behold he is strong and not onely confesse as the angell did to the virgin Marie when she inquired how she being a virgin should bring forth a child and know no man With God shall nothing be impossible Luke 1.37 Chap. 18.27 but with our Saujour Christ in the same Gospell The things that are impossible with men are possible with God And indeed the great power of God against his aduersaries and for the defence of his seruants might be shewed by infinit examples in the Scriptures as how Pharaoh and his great host was drowned in the red sea when his owne people had a passage through it on drie foot which we spake of euen now Ioshu 6.20 how he caused the walles of Iericho when the Israelites layd siege to it to fall flat downe without any batterie onely at the sound of trumpets how he ouerthrew in the hoast of proud Saneherib one hundred fourescore and fiue thousand in one night and by many such like things But this is or should be well knowne vnto vs for this is the first article of our faith That wee beleeue in God the father almightie maker of heauen and earth that is who by his mightie power hath made all things in heauen and in earth of nothing and therefore he can bring them all to nought againe and without him they can doe nothing How by the consideration of it we ought to strengthen our faith as hee without them and against them can doe all things Onely we had need to be put in mind to make that good vse of it in the time of our trouble that Dauid doth here namely that thereby we labour to strengthen our faith in the defence of God and that we beleeue that as he doth heare vs so he can and will helpe vs. And the more that any thing is against vs to weaken our faith the more must we by the meditation of the mightie power of God indeuour to strengthen the same knowing that his power shall be made perfect and more cleerely be seene in our weakenesse 2. Cor. 12.9 And thus did Abraham the father of all the faithfull when the Lord had promised vnto him that his wife Sarah should haue a sonne when they were both old and stricken in yeares and was past hope of any by the course of nature For the spirit of God beareth witnesse of him That aboue hope he beleeued vnder hope Rom. 4.18 that he should be the father of many nations as it was said vnto him And hee did not by vnbeleefe reason against this by considering the deadnesse of his owne bodie being almost an hundred yeare old nor the deadnesse of Saraes wombe but gaue glorie to God That he that had promised As the seruāts of God haue done was able to performe it Thus hee considered of the mightie helpe of Gods right hand and stayed his faith vpon that and so must we doe in all things that God hath promised Matth. 9 29. and then wee shall find That as Christ sayth in the Gospell it shall be vnto vs according to our faith But more fitly for this purpose may wee consider what great vse that good king Hezekiah made of the knowledge that hee had of Gods omnipotent power euen that it did maruellously strengthen his faith in prayer against the mightie power of the great hoast of Saneherib which was come vp against him and against all the desperat and blasphemous threats which he gaue out against him Jsai 37.16 as it is set downe by the Prophet Isaiah where hee thus prayeth O Lord of hostes thou are very God alone ouer all the kingdomes of the earth thou hast made the heauen and the earth Incline thine eare O Lord and heare open thine eyes O Lord and see and heare all the words of Saneherib who hath sent to blaspheme the liuing God Truth it is O Lord that the kings of Asshur haue destroyed all lands and their countrey and haue cast the gods in the fire for they were no gods but the worke of mens hands euen wood and stone therefore they destroyed them Now therefore O Lord our God saue thou vs out of his hand that all the kingdomes of the earth may know that thou onely art the Lord. Thus the serious consideration of Gods great power did make him not onely not to be daunted by the power of his aduersarie but caused him with great hope of preuailing to pray earnestly vnto God against it And vnto this may bee ioyned the example of that worthie king Asa one of his predecessours who in like case to vphold his faith against the feare of his mightie and many enemies did meditate vpon the omnipotent power of Gods right hand 2. Chron. 14 9. For when the king of Aethyopia came out against him with ten hundred thousand men besides chariots and horses he went out also against him and did meet with him and did set the battell in array and then cried vnto the Lord his God Considering Gods power not so much in himselfe as for their owne defence that is prayed earnestly and in faith saying Lord it is nothing with thee to helpe with many or with no power helpe vs O Lord our God for we rest in thee and in thy name are we come against this great multitude O Lord thou art our God let not man preuaile against thee VVhere we see how he doth not consider of the power of God as shut vp in himselfe but as that which was readie to be shewed in their defence against their enemies as Dauid doth here And indeed therein cōsisteth true faith in the power of God That we beleeue that he is almightie to helpe vs and therefore that we
God had deliuered him from great dangers and would doe so still 2. Cor. 1.8 so that they would pray earnestly for him Brethren saith he we would not haue you ignorant of our affliction which came vnto vs in Asia how we were pressed out of measure passing strength so that we altogether doubted euen of life Yea we receiued the sentence of death in our selues because wee should not trust in our selues but in God who raiseth the dead Who deliuered vs from so great a death and doth deliuer vs in whom we trust that yet hereafter he will deliuer vs so that yee labour together in prayer for vs. Thus he beleeued that hee might get great good by the earnest prayers of others and therefore doth desire them Great things may be obtained when many pray together euen to bee deliuered by the power of them from many great dangers And it may bee if wee haue marked the experience of our selues and others that we may well remember what great deliuerances haue been graunted when others haue laboured in prayers for vs or wee for them if not wee may see it by the grace of God in time to come But very few account prayer such a labour or striuing as it is and so go to it coldly and trust to their own strength and so obtaine nothing Pauls hope was in this that others should striue with him in prayer so we might haue greater hope if wee sought for helpe at the prayers of others and did not trust to our owne too much If thus in all matters of moment we desire the prayers of others according to our neede it will come to passe What comfort we may haue when we haue desired the prayers of others that wee should not want the fruite of them seeing the Lord hath promised to heare them but howsoeuer things fall out with vs we shal haue this comfort of a good conscience that we haue neglected no means that God hath appointed for our good But if wee bee carelesse of the prayers of others and so doe not seeke for them besides that it may come to passe that wee shall faile of our purpose through our owne default as when one striueth alone he cannot ouercome because he hath none to ioyne with him or at least hee shall not obtaine it so soone as otherwise hee might as when one is about a thing alone hee is the longer a doing it we shall haue the lesse comfort or more griefe because we neglected some meanes that might haue done vs good We must then be perswaded that the prayers of others may doe vs good and that wee neede them and so accordingly desire them In the daies of ignorance and superstition men gaue much to haue a continuall Masse for them that is In Poperie they maintained others to pray for them to pray for their soules and there were Beadmen also as they called them appointed for that purpose to pray for the liuing and for the dead and were maintained by the goods of the Church to that end which prayers of theirs because they were in an vnknowne tongue and so without vnderstanding and also not according to the word of God and so without faith could doe them no good yet this truth they aimed at though in darknes and as blind men that the prayers of others were so auaileable for them that euen in that respect onely they gaue much yeerely vnto those that should pray for them And truly if they had prayed aright they might by their prayers haue giuen more than they receiued for they might haue obtained great things of the Lord for them But here was another great abuse of that time in these prayers also that they hauing others thus to pray for them they rested in that and so neglected their owne prayers the more and thought that they might doe it with the lesse danger for they had others that prayed for them continually and so that that was wanting in themselues was supplied by others Dauid was of another minde for heere by his practise we haue an example of one that so desireth the prayers of others as that hee purposeth not to neglect prayer himselfe or to vse it any whit the lesse for that but to vse it rather the more willing them to pray God to heare his prayers so that if he did not pray himselfe their prayers should do him no good but it should be al one with him as if one should desire a man to set his hand to a blank and so he should preferre that as a supplication for him to the Prince So we are to desire others to pray for vs but in the meane season we must not neglect to pray for our selues Obiection But it may seeme superfluous and more then needed that Dauid should thus desire the prayers of the people for they were his subiects and therefore as in that respect they did owe other duties vnto him so this of praier most of all according to the exhortation of the Apostle who willeth 1. Tim. 2.1.2 that supplications prayers intercessions and giuing of thankes be made for all men and namely for Kings and for all that are in authoritie therfore it is like that they would not neglect it though he had not admonished them of it Besides it was a publike cause that hee dealt in euen against the open enemies of the whole realme against whom he went to warre and so it concerned them as well as himselfe for the enemies came not against his person onely but against them all and so they could not forget him their King vnlesse they forgat themselues Answere Yet because he knew that men naturally are forgetfull and so if they were not put in minde of it they might either wholy neglect it or not doe it so throughly as they should hee put them in minde to pray for himselfe and giueth them a forme of it and so telleth them what they should say This should moue vs to put our dearest friends in minde of vs and call vpon them to pray for vs Our dearest friends had neede to be put in mind to pray for vs. yea when they know our estate best and what great neede wee haue of the prayers of others for they may forget vs sometimes though they wish vs well And as through forgetfulnes they may neglect other duties which yet they are willing generally to performe as not to visite vs to send to vs to write to vs as often as they should and wee looke for at their hands so much more not to pray for vs for many times they that doe the former in great measure neglect this wholy or in a great part Wee finde by experience that many times yea when wee are spoken to of our friends wee remember not all but forget many things why should we not think then that others may forget vs if they be not put in minde Parents are bound to pray for their children and they should
know it well enough yea their children kneele downe and aske them blessing and put them in minde of it and notwithstanding al this many doe forget it and though they cast out certaine words of course yet they doe not thereupon determine seriously to pray for them what would they doe then if their children by asking them their daily blessing should not put them in minde of it at all Therefore euery manner of way we see what great reason there is of this to desire others to pray for vs and so much for this present THE SECOND SERMON vpon the inscription To him that excelleth A Psalme of Dauid THat I might prosecute that argument which I began the last day as you heard wee want not examples in the Scripture for the practise of this dutie Example of those that haue desired others to pray for them 1. Sam. 1.6 in the faithful seruants of God men and women of al sorts who haue wel seene in how great need they haue stood of the prayers of others and haue accordingly desired the same Hannah the wife of Elkanah a very godlie woman as appeareth in her storie being barren and thereby being vpbraided of her aduersarie was troubled in her minde and prayed vnto the Lord and wept sore and she prayed for a manchild not so much for her self as for the glory of God for she vowed him vnto God in her prayer Hannah desired Hely to pray for her Hely the Priest sitting in the Temple before her and perceiuing her lips onely to moue but not hearing a word thought she had been drunken and told her so but she said no and told him what she did then Hely prayed God to heare her prayers Vers 17. saying Goe in peace and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him Then she said againe Let thine handmaid finde grace in thy sight that is I beseech thee pray for me still as now thou hast done that God would grant me my petition for what grace or fauour else could she meane seeing that in other things as for the ill opinion hee had conceiued of her she had satisfied him before and so God heard them both as appeareth in the sequell of that storie The Israelites also being in feare of the Philistims So did the Israelites desire Samuel to pray for them Chap. 7.8 came to Samuel the Prophet and desired him that as hee had prayed for them alreadie so hee would not cease to doe it still saying Cease not to crie vnto the Lord our God for vs that hee may saue vs out of the hand of the Philistims and he did so and the Lord heard him Vers 10. and thundred with a great thunder that day vpon the Philistims and scattered them so they were slaine before Israel Here many seeke to one for his prayers then much more may one seeke to many for theirs When Rabshakeh was sent by the King of Ashur with a great hoast against Ierusalem and came vp to the walles of the citie and spake blasphemously against the Lord and against his annointed Hezekiah the King came into the house of the Lord and prayed 2. King 19.1 Hezekiah desired the prayers of Isaiah and sent messengers vnto the Prophet Isaiah desiring him that he would pray for them saying Lift thou vp thy prayer for the remnant that are left and he did so and God heard him for them and the same night the Angell of the Lord went out Vers 35. and smote in the campe of the Assyrians an hundreth fourescore and fiue thousand Paul also the Apostle as we haue heard alreadie desireth the Romanes to pray for him saying Brethren I beseech you for our Lord Iesus Christs sake Rom. 15.30 And Paul of the Romanes and Corinthians 2. Cor. 1.10 and for the loue of the Spirit that yee would striue with mee by prayer to God for me And so doth he to that end intreate the Corinthians with these words God hath deliuered vs from a great death in whom we trust that yet hereafter hee will deliuer vs so that yee labour together in prayer for vs. This holy man who was often in prayer for himselfe and for all Churches desireth others to pray for him Thus the best seruants of God as they haue not neglected this benefit of prayer from their brethren so they had the fruit and comfort of it in great measure and truly if wee beleeue rightly the Communion of Saints and that God hath appointed one to doe good to another by the graces that hee hath bestowed vpon them why should wee not thinke that part of the communion consisteth in this that wee communicate in the spirit of prayer as well as in the spirit of counsell or of comfort and that this way we may giue and receiue helpe one from another as well as any other way Hester that noble and vertuous Queene who as it seemeth had vsed often to pray her selfe Hester desireth the Iewes to fast and pray for her and with her maides else she could not haue promised that for them which she did in a matter that greatly concerned the glorie of God and the good of his Church doth not onely pray her selfe with her seruants three daies and three nights Hest 4.16 and that with fasting but doth desire that all the Iewes that were in that citie would doe the like for her So that sometimes wee had need not onely to desire others to pray for vs but euen to fast and pray for vs. The wicked haue bin constrained to desire the prayers of others and haue gotten great good by them And truly the vertue and power of the prayer of one man is so auaileable for another that the very wicked haue seene it and been driuen to acknowledge it and so haue desired the seruants of God to pray for them and haue had great benefit thereby Then if the vngodly and prophane men of the world who are not at all acquainted with prayer yet haue thought that the prayers of others might doe them good then they that know what prayer doth meane and that haue accustomed themselues to prayer and haue obserued the fruite of it in themselues may bee assured that the prayers of others shall be of like or a great deale more force for them If they whose consciences tels them that for their vngodlinesse they are altogether out of Gods fauour and so they had no heart to pray to him themselues neither had any hope that hee would heare them yet haue had some hope that God might heare some others for them and so haue sought vnto them for their prayers then how much more they who liuing in a good course haue hope that God is wel pleased with them in Christ may be perswaded that God will most willingly heare others for them and so in great faith desire their prayers And to conclude if they that are not of the Church of God but
the searcher and the mouer of the hearts shall also moue them to doe the like for vs that this promise 〈◊〉 be verified vnto vs. Which if it be true very often of them that are not desired at all that by the secret operation of the spirit of God which quickeneth the whole bodie of Christ and euery part of it then much more of them that are desired and know the estate one of another Therefore if the King would haue his subiects to pray for him he must pray for them Therfore if we would haue others pray vs let vs pray for them if Noblemen would haue their Chaplens pray for them of conscience they must pray for them also if the Bishops would haue the Ministers remember theÌ„ in their prayers they must not forget them in theirs and so these great personages must not thinke that all should remember them and yet forget all and that it should be a great fault in their inferiours if at any time they should but once forget them in their publike prayers and yet it should bee no fault in themselues though they doe continually forget them So if the Minister would haue his people to pray for him as the Apostle often willeth the Church of God to pray for him then he must remember publikely and priuately to pray for them so must children doe for their parents if they would haue their blessing and the benefit of their prayers so must the husband do for the wife and one neighbour and friend for another For the more wee pray for them the more shall they pray for vs yea though they know not at all that we pray for them and if they should neglect it yet no doubt some or other shall doe it for this saying of him that is truth it selfe must needs be true Looke with what measure you mete vnto others Luk. 6.36 with the same it shall be mete vnto you euen heaped vp pressed downe and running ouer into your bosome Prou. 11.17 Therefore as he that is mercifull rewardeth his owne soule so hee that performeth this worke of mercie to pray for others in their neede rewardeth himselfe and shall haue others pray for him in his greatest need And as hee that soweth plentifully 2 Cor. 6.6 shall reape plentifully so he that soweth this dutie of prayers plentifully for others shall reape againe so many and more from others The knowledge of this should make vs willing to pray for others especially being desired thereunto fâ—â—â—ee shall lose nothing thereby but gaine greatly Therefore if not for the good of others yet for our owne let vs be willing to pray for others and herein let vs fulfill the saying of Christ Whatsoeuer you would haue men doe vnto you Matth. 7.12 euen so doe you vnto them If we doe not pray for others we shall the lesse reioyce in all blessings of God vpon them Thirdly seeing the end of our prayers for others is that we might thereby obtaine such things for them as they neede when God shall lbesse them in soule and body and euery way else according to their owne desire and in these things we shall haue prayed for them also we shall haue so much the more cause to reioyce with them and to be thankefull to God for them when we not onely see that God hath blessed them but blessed them at our prayers and so we haue our part in those benefits Whereas if we should neglect it God might heare them selues or others for them or both but we shall haue little comfort in those benefits because by neglecting to pray for them we haue had no hand in them Nay we shall be the more sory that so great things are befallen them and we haue not furthered them therein as we might and as we were desired Rom. 12.15 For as if our friend haue a suite to some noble man and we by some meanes haue furthered them therein and they haue obtained it as it were partly by our meanes wee then speake and thinke of it with the more ioy and comfort but if they preuailed therein by themselues or by others without vs it will grieue vs that we haue not yeelded them that helpe that we might so is it in the suites that men make in their prayers vnto the Lord. For if we should as the Apostle saith be so affectioned one to another that we should reioyce with them that reioyce and be heartily glad of any good that God bestoweth vpon others and be thankefull to him for it seeing we are brethren nay members one of another then most of all should we doe it when such benefits are bestowed vpon them partly by our meanes Therefore that we might continually reioyce in all the good that God bestoweth vpon others let vs be willing and carefull to pray to him for a supplie of all such wants as they shall make knowne vnto vs. In which respect euery one should be mindfull to pray for the Church of God in their time especially for that part of it wherein they liue and for the common-wealth and for our gouernours in both Therefore we should pray for the church and common-wealth in our time that so wee might reioyce with others and bee thankefull to God with them for all the common benefits of our time As for example if wee haue and doe pray for the life and honour of our most gracious King how glad may we be to heare of his miraculous deliuerance from most notable treasons as they professe verse 5 And if we doe pray for the staying of the Pestilence euery where how may wee reioyce to heare that the Lorde diminisheth his heauy hand in any place So if we pray for seasonable weather with others wee may haue the more comfort in it when the Lord shall send it And to conclude if we pray for the blessing of God vpon the ministerie of the word 2. Thessal 3.1 that it may haue free passage and bee glorified as the Apostle willeth and that the Lord would giue an increase to that that is planted and watered from time to time then how may it reioyce our hearts to see sinners conuerted vnto the Lord or any good to be done thereby Otherwise as Mordochey said to Hester If she did not helpe Hest. 4.14 God could send deliuerance to his Church from some other place so if wee refuse to pray for these things God may send helpe by the prayers of others but we shall haue so much the lesse comfort in them Fourthly and last of all We must beleeue that our prayers may doe much good to others that wee might bee the more willing to pray for others wee must bee perswaded that God will heare vs for them and that this way we shall be beneficiall vnto them for the Lord will bestowe such and such blessings vpon them and deliuer them from the miseries that they bee in both of soule and body at our prayers
made vnto prayer which are infinit in number and vnmeasurable in greatnesse but take one for an example Christ saith in the Gospell Aske and it shall be giuen you seeke and yee shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you Matth. 7.7 which hee deliuereth without limitation that we might know that it is not to be restrained to our selues but if wee aske for others wee shall receiue for them Then let vs set before our eyes the manifold and happie experience of the truth of these promises in all the seruants of God And by the experience of them in others who by their prayers haue obtained great things for others as we haue heard alreadie that when wee shall finde this way Gods word and all his promises pure and most certainly to be trusted vnto as siluer that is tried in a fornace of earth Psal 12.6 and fined seuen fold we might relie vpon them and so be willing to pray for others knowing that we shall not lose our labor Thirdly to these wee must adde the consideration of our owne experience But most of in our selues and remember for whom wee haue prayed and how often and what hath been the successe of our prayers As how wee haue prayed heretofore for the life and preseruation of our gouernours and namely of our late Soueraigne Ladie of famous memorie Queen Elizabeth and how God hath often deliuered her from many great treasons intended against her by the Iesuites and other Papists how we haue prayed for others as for the life health and prosperitie of our parents husbands wiues children neighbours and friends in their seuerall griefes of minde and infirmities of bodie and other distresses and what hath followed thereupon as how they haue been recouered and comforted and otherwise holpen and relieued how here in the Church we haue sometimes prayed for those that haue been very sicke euen at deaths doore who haue receiued the sentence of death in themselues and yet they haue recouered and some of them are aliue still that so as Dauid said vpon his former triall The Lord that deliuered me out of the paw of the lion 1. Sam. 17.37 and out of the paw of the beare hee will deliuer me out of the hand of this Philistim so wee might vpon our former experience boldly say God that of his mercie and goodnes hath vouchsafed to heare me for such and such wil heare me also at this time for these To this end also wee must wisely obserue and diligently marke for our owne comfort and the good of others what hath followed vpon our prayers and what God hath wrought or done for them Yea all they that desire the prayers of others for any speciall cause whether of the Church generally or of priuate men particularly should signifie vnto them afterwards which few or none doe and it is a great vnthankfulnes in them vnto God and man not to doe it what blessings they haue found vpō themselues by such prayers not onely that they might bee thankfull to God for them as they prayed for them before but that being confirmed by such experience they might the more willingly and boldly pray for them and for others at some other time as there shall be neede and for want of this they cannot doe it so cheerefully and so confidently as otherwise they might doe To conclude the summe of all that hath been said in one word How greatly men faile in neglecting to pray for others we see what is here required of vs euen that we bee mindfull to pray for others and what good reason there is for it both in respect of our owne comfort and of their good let vs examine our selues to see whether wee haue been so carefull to performe this dutie vnto them as we should How often haue wee and doe we pray for the good estate of the Church of God in other countries as in France the Netherlands Geneua and such like that God would defend them from their enemies and inlarge the kingdome of Christ among them Nay how often doe wee pray for the Church of God in this land and in the kingdomes vnited How often for the Kings Maiestie the right honourable Councellors Iudges and Magistrates not onely of this land but more specially of our owne countrey How often for our neighbours yea particularly and by name for them of our owne family as for al our children and seruants Yea let vs call into our minds how often wee haue prayed seriously and in good earnest for those that haue desired our prayers and haue as it were made a couenant of prayer with vs by promising that they would pray for vs if we would remember thē whether we haue carefully kept this promise and couenant or no and when we shall finde that wee haue greatly failed this way let vs be sorie that wee haue not done that good this way that we might and that hath been looked for at our hands and therefore that wee cannot haue that comfort in the common blessings of God in church and common wealth and vpon priuate men that others haue And let vs determine for the time to come to be more mindful of others in our prayers and let vs be so indeede especially of all the Church of God and of all those that we haue made this promise vnto and so haue bound our selues to it by a couenant in the Lord that so the Lord may also reward vs with the prayers of others and with the fruit of the same in our greatest neede when wee shall haue carefully performed this dutie vnto them before Especially let vs remember to pray for the King and for all our gouernours as wee are bound thereunto both by the word of God and the lawes of the realme as if wee had made a certaine promise to them for it THE FOVRTH SERMON vpon the first verse The Lord heare thee in the day of trouble THus the people doe speake vnto God in the behalfe of their King and so they pray for him The people pray for king Dauid that God would heare him and defend him This practise of theirs must be our imitation for it is the dutie of all subiects likewise to pray for their Princes and gouernours and as wee doe owe vnto them tribute custome feare and honour as the Apostle saith Rom. 13.7 so this dutie of prayer also and most of all and therefore it is a great fault in any to neglect it let vs therefore doe it So should we all doe for our King and that of conscience publikely and priuately Men for the most part are addicted to themselues or to their friends in prayer the King they think is a great way off and so the prouerbe with them is too true Out of sight out of minde or they thinke he is well enough and hath all things at will therfore he needeth not so greatly to be prayed for especially of vs. Surely we cannot
rebellions attempted at home Therefore wee haue great cause to pray for the life of our King and the rather for that wee see how his life hath been desperatly sought by diuers as appeareth by the confession of some who are in prison at the least for suspition of treason Now if they begin thus malitiously and impudently so soone what will they not dare to doe hereafter if God and good lawes doe not suppresse them And truly by this experience that we haue that euill things thus determined in secret are wonderfully disclosed and brought to light before hand and the malefactors apprehended and taken we may see the fruit of our former prayers for his Maiestie and that should incourage vs with good hope to pray for him still Nay we haue longer experience of the fruite of our prayers for our Princes in the time of good Queen Elizabeth whose life was so often sought and so desperatly that she might truly say with the Psalmist They haue often times afflicted mee from my youth Psal 129.2 but they could not preuaile against me for she went to her graue with peace full of daies threescore and nine which is a great age for a Prince when she had happily and peaceably raigned fiue and fortie yeeres Let vs labour then as much as in vs lieth to draw out by our prayers the life of our most gracious Soueraigne as an euen thred to the full for as the Lord God hath ordained the thing so also the meanes which we for our part must not neglect And let vs pray not onely for his royall person but also for his gouernment that vnder him wee may leade a quiet and a peaceable life in al godlinesse and honestie 1. Tim. 2.2 as the Apostle speaketh vnto Timothy and namely that at the next Parliament good lawes may be made for the reformation of all things that are amisse in the Church common-wealth This sermon fell out vpon that day which caused this digression And seeing that we are commanded to keepe the memory of this day with publike thanksgiuing for a famous and memorable deliuerance bestowed vpon his Maiestie in his Realme of Scotland from the treasonable conspiracie of the Earle of Gowry and his complices of whom in that respect we may say as it is in the Psalme If the Lord had not been on his side Psal 124.2 3 4 c. when men rose vp against him they had then swallowed him vp quick when their wrath was kindled against him then the water had drowned him and the streames had gone ouer his soule But praised be the Lord which hath not giuen him as a pray vnto their teeth his soule is escaped out of the snare of the fowlers the snare is broken and he is deliuered it falleth out not vnfitly with the argument that out of this text we haue in hand For as Dauid in this Psalme teacheth the people to pray for him and in the next to giue thankes so it is our bound dutie not onely to pray to God for him but to giue thankes for him as the Apostle also speaking of the duties of the people to their kings which he exhorteth Timothy to teach and to practise ioyneth these two together saying I exhort that supplications prayers intercessions 1. Tim. 2.1 and giuing of thankes be made for Kings and for all that are in authoritie And there is great reason that wee should thus doe What cause we haue to giue thankes to God for our King for if wee ought to bee thankfull vnto God for other common benefits as peace libertie the Gospell and such like then also for him by whom wee hold them Therefore among other benefits let vs continually remember this and see how wee faile therein and in our thanksgiuing remember other priuate benefits and not this great one or not so much as we should And though we must needes confesse that we haue great cause to be sorie for the death of our late Queene Elizabeth by whose wise gouernment we inioyed so many great benefits that we might much more truly say of her than Dauid did of Saul in his lamentation 2. Sam. 1.24 that she cloathed vs in skarlet with pleasures and hanged ornaments of gold vpon our apparel yet we must see and confesse to the praise of God as the truth is that we haue great cause to reioice that the Lord hath prouided one to succeed in her roome when her time was expired that it might not bee said of vs as it was of the Iewes in the daies of the Iudges Iudg. 18.1 that there was then no King in Israel and so we should haue bin as sheepe without a shepheard scattered here and there as it is said of the Israelites when King Ahab was slaine in the battell These haue no master let them returne euery man to his house in peace 2. Chron. 18.16 Then haue we much more cause to be thankfull that God hath raised vp him for vs In respect that he is right heire to the Crowne euen the right heire to the Crowne both by father and mother they two being the lawfull grand-children of the Ladie Margarite sometimes Queene of Scots by mariage and eldest daughter to King Henry the seuenth where if the Nobilitie had set vp some other of the bloud royall further off there must needes haue been great ciuill warres to the spilling of many thousand English mens blood and some of them should haue died in an ill cause ignorantly or against their wils as when the two houses of Yorke and Lancaster were a long time diuided in this land And then also some forrainer might easily by their owne power and by the helpe of the Papists and other mutinous and malecontented persons haue soon set footing into this Isle which would not so easily haue been driuen out againe And besides all this wee haue great cause to bee thankfull And so rarely qualited for the kingdome that he being the right heire is so wonderfully qualited for the kingdome that as the Queene lately deceased was a rare woman fit for the Crowne by election if not by inheritance so he a very rare man for all parts of soule and bodie and that the Lord did so fit him for this place and then sent him vnto vs that he came not as Saul in Gods wrath who was a cruell tyrant but as Dauid in Gods mercie to feede his people in Iacob Psal 78.71 and his inheritance in Israel And for his royall posteritie Act. 13.36 And this is no small benefit that he hath a royall posteritie to succeed in the throne of the kingdom least when he should haue serued his time by the counsel of God and so fall asleepe and be laid with his fathers we should be in a new feare And what should we say of this that he came to the Crowne so vnlooked for For though it was his inheritance yet such was the wisedome of
exception against it and to say Behold how hee seeketh himselfe hee hath giuen vs a forme of prayer but it is all or most for himselfe So when the Ministers of Gods word shall shew what duties the people owe to them as they are Gods Ministers they must not scornfully reiect it saying he hath taught vs indeede a good lesson to day but the greatest part of it did concerne himselfe see how wel he can plead for himselfe For doe we not see how the Apostle Paul who was so humble and lowly that hee did figuratiuely applie the faults of others to himselfe and to Apollos 1. Cor. 4.6 that the Corinthians might learne by them not to swell one against another for any cause teacheth the Churches and people of God to pray for him Eph. 6.19 and to reuerence his person as the Minister of Christ and the disposer of the secrets of God also to bestow their worldly goods vpon him for his maintenance 1. Cor. 6.1 yea the maintenance of his wife and children and whole familie if hee had any and doth hee not iustly finde fault with them when they had failed in these things Phil. 4.10 Therefore though many that I say not my selfe doe often wittingly and of purpose passe by such doctrine arising necessarily from the words of their text or doe teach it seldome and very sparingly least any should stumble at this without a cause yet when any such thing is deliuered wee see how it must be receiued and practised The like is to be said of all gouernours in a family And gouernours of families to those that are committed to thē the parents father and mother or the master and mistris or dame may and ought without any imputation from any teach their sonnes and daughters their maide seruants and man seruants what is their dutie not onely and principally to God but to others euen to themselues and these inferiors must paciently heare them and not be offended at it but willing to learne and doe them For besides that they should thus thinke of themselues that they are in place to teach them and so they must receiue instruction at their mouthes the gouernours also do know that in the performance of such duties to them consisteth their good and for the neglect of such God will punish them When as then they shall heare them say you ought to behaue your selues thus and thus to me you ought so to speake euen reuerently your behauiour to mee and your obedience ought to bee so and so they must not proudly and disdainfully cast it behinde their backes but willingly imbrace it and conscionably practise it Yea one man in godlinesse wisdome and christian modesty And one neighbour may thus teach another may tell others what duties they owe to them in respect of their callings yeeres and such like and say you ought to behaue your selfe towards mee thus and thus do you not knowe that I am your elder your better your neighbour your kinseman c without any suspition of foolish ambition For as if wee had an euill debter wee might without suspition of couetousnesse tell him that hee is in our debt and that hee oweth vs so much and require him to pay it so other duties that any owe to vs we may without surmise of selfe-loue require at their hands Therefore in what calling soeuer we be though indeede we should alwaies and in all things be more forwards to doe duties then to require them of others yet we should not impose vpon our selues such a maydenlinesse or Stoical modestie that we should neuer challenge our right of men and shew what duties they owe vnto vs especially seeing wee should teach and admonish one another whilest we haue time and whilest it is called to day and we also doe know Heb. 3.13 that for them to performe such duties vnto vs shall make for their good How hardly men will admit this kind of teaching And this that we haue spoken is the rather to be marked of vs because we shall find naturally that we do more easily admit that kind of teaching wherein we are shewed our dutie to others rather than to those that doe teach vs. As if the Minister of the Gospell should publikely or any other priuatly tell vs what we should doe to God or to our King or to our gouernors or to our parents or to our neighbours we may happely with quietnes heare it yet it were to be wished that all would do so but if he come to shew what God requireth to be done to himselfe and to his ministery then they are ready to take exception against it and they thinke that they may lawfully gainesay it at least wise pause vpon it and say see what a faire taile he hath told for himselfe and so though it be a dutie and God requires it of them and they heare it and the conscience doth sufficiently conuict them of it yet forsooth because it concerneth them that speake they little regard it and though in some cases they will giue a man leaue to speake for his owne profit yet not for duties to be performed vnto them though it be for the profit of others Therefore seeing that wee shall finde this corruption so strong in vs and so deepely as it were to be rooted in the bones that it will not out of the flesh euen that our stomackes will sooner rise against a man when he speaketh to vs of himselfe and of our duty to him then of another and wee can more hardly brooke and digest such kinde of teaching we had need to be put in minde of it and to be made acquainted with it so much the more And thus we conclude by the example of Dauid in giuing this forme of prayer in his behalfe The conclusion and of the people in vsing it for him and so doe willingly performe this dutie of prayer for their King though he taught it them that it is lawfull for the Ministers of God to teach publikely in their Sermons such duties as belong to themselues yea and for all sorts of men priuatly to admonish their neighbours and brethren of the like without any iust suspition of ill meaning and that all inferiours must with meekenes and reuerence receiue such instructions willingly at their mouthes and be swift to heare them and slowe to replie or speake against them and be carefull to follow them in the feare of God and not to thinke much of it that they should come thus neere them as to presse vpon them such duties as they owe not any to other but to themselues seeing God hath ordained one of vs to helpe another as the members of the body doe and the superiours therein seeke their good and not themselues so much and the inferiors also shall finde by experience that it is profitable for themselues to doe such things as are required at their hands THE FIFTH SERMON vpon the first verse
therefore we must commend the care of al vnto God who saith Except the Lord build the house they labour in vaine that build it And Psal 127.1 It is in vaine for a man to rise early and to lie downe late and to eate the bread of sorrow but he will giue rest to his beloued Therefore wee must say and doe as Dauid did And 16.5.8 Thou wilt maintaine my lot And againe I haue set the Lord alwaies before me for he is at my right hand therefore I shall not slide Wherefore my heart is glad and my tongue reioyceth my flesh also doth rest in hope Where wee see how he commended the care of himselfe and of all that he had vnto the Lords protection whereupon it came to passe that he not only was defended but had a quiet minde and bodie as he saith also in another place I will lay me down And 4.8 and also sleepe in peace for thou Lord onely makest me dwell in safetie And so wee must ascribe all our defence for the time past to him The defence of our King is only of God and trust only to him for the time to come And now for the present state of our time we must beleeue that all the defence of our King from all daungers is and must come onely from God for though he be wise himselfe and hath a wise honourable Councel and there are many that watch and care for him besides yet if God did not defend him the diuel by his subtiltie might make his enemie wiser than all of them Therefore as Dauid saith of himselfe Psal 140.7 It was God that did couer his head in the day of battell that is though hee had an helmet and such like defence yet if God had not couered his head all that had been nothing so we must say it is God that hath couered not onely his head but his whole bodie from the strokes of his enemies yea wee must say as Paul saith of himselfe 2 Cor. 1.10 God hath deliuered him from so great a death and doth deliuer him daily in whom wee trust that yet hereafter he will deliuer him Therefore when wee heare of any daunger towards his person or towards the State we must not make small account of it and say Tush I but there are these and these meanes to defend vs the King and his Counsell are wise enough to preuent all but wee must say That good God and merciful father who of his infinit mercie hath defended him and vs hitherto will do so still and pray to him thereafter that it may bee so as this people doth here The name of the God of Iacob defend thee So is it in all sicknesse and namely in this great mortalitie of our time He onely can defend vs from the pestilence 1. Cor. 11.30 wherein many are sicke and many are weake and many fall asleepe none can defend vs in it but onely God and he is able to doe it In the Law God hath threatned great and incurable diseases to the disobedient for it is said The Lord will smite thee in the knees and in the thighes Deut. 28.35 with a sore botch that thou canst not bee hâ—â—led euen â—rom the sole of thy foote vnto the top of thine head And a little after in the same place The Lord will make thy plagues wonderfull Vers 59. and the plagues of thy seed euen great plagues and of long continuance and sore diseases and of long durance I will bring vpon thee all the diseases of Egypt whereof thou wast afraide and they shall cleaue vnto thee and euery sicknes and euery plague which is not written in the booke of this law will the Lord heape vpon thee vntill thou be destroyed And from them that walke in his waies he hath promised to keepe these diseases farre away If thou wilt diligently hearken O Israel vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God Exod. 15.26 and wilt doe that which is right in his sight and wilt giue eare vnto his commaundements and keepe all his ordinances then will I put none of these diseases vpon thee which I brought vpon the Egyptians for I am the Lord that healeth thee These threatnings and promises he only is able to verifie and doth who hath said to that end He will deliuer thee from the snare of the hunter and from the noysome pestilence Psal 91.3 he will couer thee vnder his wings and thou shalt be sure vnder his fethers his truth shall be thy shield and buckler thou shalt not be afraide of the feare of the night nor of the arrow that flieth by day nor of the pestilence that walketh in darknesse nor of the plague that destroyeth at noone day a thousand shall fall at thy side and tenne thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come neere thee There shall none euill come vnto thee neither shall any plague come neere thy tabernacle for he shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy waies they shall beare thee in their hands that thou hurt not thy foote against a stone Thus it is the Lord only that keepeth vs from plagues and diseases by the inuisible ministerie of his holie Angels which he vseth for the defence of his seruants and the punishment of the wicked For as when the Lord did send his Angell into the hoste of proud blasphemous Sanecherib he smote in one night an hundreth fourescore and fiue thousand 2. King 19.35 so that when they rose early in the morning behold they were all dead corpses And as in the time of Dauid 2. Sam. 24.15 the Lord by an Angel did destroy with the pestilence seuentie thousand men in three daies So in the middest of all pestilent diseases if the Lord bid his Angell cease punishing as hee did then when hee stretched out his hand vpon Ierusalem to destroy it hee said Vers 16. It is sufficient hold now thine hand or if he will them to keepe vs in the middest of it it shall bee so and then shall that be verified vpon vs Psalm 91.13 which is written Thou shalt walke vpon the lion and aspe the yong lion and the dragon shalt thou tread vnder feete that is his Angels shall preserue vs in the middest of great dangers harmelesse He onely defendeth in these cases therefore let vs trust in him and in him alone As he did recouer Hezekiah froÌ„ death He healed King Hezekiah when he was sicke of a most deadly disease euen when he lay sicke of a pestilent feuer and had a Carbunckle or Plague sore broken out in his body and before that had receiued the sentence of death in himselfe Isai 38.1 For the Prophet had said vnto him Thus saith the Lord put thine house in order for thou shalt dye and not liue that is this sicknesse of thine is deadly in it owne nature Then he turned his face vnto the wal
and in earth to heale vs by his word of most incurable diseases when wee can get nothing to helpe vs. Matth. 28.18 And he that said to the Centurion Goe thy way Matth. 8.13 thy seruant liueth and it was so yea he that said not one word and yet healed the woman of her bloudie issue Mar. 5.29 whereof she had been sick twelue yeeres and had spent al that she had vpon the Physitions and found no helpe and he that said to the man that lay sick of the palsie eight and thirtie yeere Arise take vp thy bed and walke Ioh. 5.5 and presently he was able to doe it and he that spake to Lazarus when hee had been dead foure daies and was laid in his graue so that in the opinion of diuers his carkasse was rotten and began to stinke and said vnto him with a lowd and effectuall voyce Lazarus come foorth and he did so in the sight of all the beholders Joh. 11.43 is able also much more to send his word and heale vs also as the Psalmist speaketh that is Psal 107.20 heale vs without all meanes Or when wee are brought so low that we lie vpon our beds as Elihu speaketh in the booke of Iob and the griefe of our bones is sore Job 33.19 so that our life causeth vs to abhorre bread and our soule daintie meate so that our flesh faileth that it cannot bee seene and the bones which were not seene doe clatter so that our soules drawe to the graue and our life to the buriers Though our estate be neuer so desperate if then there come a messenger of God vnto vs an interpreter of his holy word who in that case is to be esteemed as one of a thousand and declare vnto vs that righteousnes of God whereby we may be saued and pray vnto God for vs then will he haue mercie vpon vs and will say Deliuer him that hee goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation And if he doe but thus say then shall our flesh bee as fresh as a childes and shall returne as in the daies of our youth and he will deliuer vs from going into the pit and our liues shal see the light And thus is he able to doe twice or thrice with a man Vers 29. as he speaketh in the same place as all experience sheweth to be true So that when wee haue receiued the sentence of death in our selues as the Apostle Paul had 2 Cor. 1.9 that we might not trust in our selues but in God who raiseth the dead he is able to deliuer vs from so great a death 2. Tim. 4.17 and to take vs as it were out of the lions mouth as he did him Seeing then that God alone bringeth al euill vpon me and he onely keepeth it away commanding the destroyer not so much as to enter into our houses and if he doe giuing his Angels a charge ouer vs to keepe vs in all his waies though we walk vpon the lion and aspe yea and tread vnder our feete the yong lion and the dragon that is though we be in the extreamest danger let vs beleeue that he only can defend vs as they doe professe here when they say The name of the God of Iacob defend thee And truly there is great comfort in this that we beleeue that in the greatest trouble that may befall vs God is able to defend vs Faith in Gods defence giueth great comfort in trouble and without him nothing can doe it For whereas others that haue not this faith are very vnquiet vntill they haue the meanes of their deliuerance according to their own desire and then also vse them with great perplexitie and great doubtings and feares This will make vs quiet whether we haue the meanes or wee haue them not for if we haue them we vse thē with cheerefulnes but trust not to them if we haue them not we are still comfortable knowing that Gods power is not tied to them and so he is able to helpe vs without them And so if any thing fall out beyond our expectation wee burst not out into impatient outcries and say Oh I wanted such a thing to haue done me good if I had had this or that it might haue done mee great good what ill hap was it that I should now want it in my greatest need Or oh that I had had it a little sooner now it came too late when it could doe me no good or oh that I had had so good lucke as to haue vsed it after a better manner and a thousand things els which the diuell and our own vnbeleef will put into out minds But let vs by faith know assuredly that it is Gods will that it should bee so at this time with vs as it is if it had pleased him hee could still haue defended mee as in times past but now I see it is his blessed will to trie me I will take it patiently and put my trust in him and say with Iob Job 2.10 Shall we receiue good at the hand of God and not receiue euil He that is faithfull hath promised that he will lay no more vpon me than I shall be able to beare and that though this depart not away from me yet his grace shall be sufficient for me 2. Cor. 12.8.9 and his power shall be made perfect in my weakenes for his holy spirit shall helpe me in al mine infirmities yea he hath promised that all things shall fall out for the best to me Rom. 8.28 so long as I feare him though not in the beginning yet in the end and so I will say againe with Iob that if he kill me Iob. 13.15 yet I will put my trust in him for nothing shall be able to separate me from the loue of God in Christ Iesus my Lord and Sauiour neither angels nor principalities nor powers Rom. 8.38 nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature nor life nor death Rom. 14.9 For Christ therefore died and rose againe that hee might be Lord of the quick and dead so that whether I liue or die I am not mine owne but his who gaue himselfe for me to that end And therefore I beleeue that I being Christs 1. Cor. 3.22 all things are mine to bring me to him not only Paul and Apollos and Cephas the rest of his ministers but the world euen life death as the Apostle most confidently and comfortably speaketh yea things present and things to come all are mine and I am Christs and Christ is Gods And therefore if I die I beleeue that blessed are the dead that die in the Lord Apoc. 14.13 and therefore if it be his good will to take me away I am not only readie to say with old Simeon Luc. 2.29 Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace and with our Sauiour
oppresse the poore both in lending to them vpon vsurie and when a man is vnder foot to exact the forfeiture vpon them what is this but to grinde the faces of the poore Jsai 3.15 and otherwise in bargaining with them besides that vnmercifulnes that there is little giuing to the poore no not at this time which is a time to receiue mercie from God yet they that should receiue it will shew little or none vnto men when the verie day of fasting doth require at their hands that they should giue something yet they are hard hearted and shut vp their compassion And what should I say of them that vnder the colour of the law haue taken away from the poore euen from the fatherlesse and the widowes all that they haue had whereby it hath come to passe that not onely they haue cried vnto the Lord against thē out of the abundance of their griefe but euen the very stones in the walles and the beames in the houses of these oppressors haue made an eccho Hab. 2.11 and answered vnto the same If the Prophet Amos prophecying against many nations did say That for three transgressions and for foure Amos 1.3 God would not spare them then when among vs not seuen but many though by seuen hee there meaneth many haue raigned long among vs and doe still no marueile if God doe not spare vs. Which sins are so much the greater among vs because God hath borne with vs so long in thē and giuen vs his word which they had not and many meanes besides to call vs from them as benefits vpon benefits fauours vpon fauours without number Therefore let vs iustifie the Lord in his righteous proceeding against vs and confesse as Daniel doth We haue sinned haue committed iniquitie and haue done wickedly yea wee haue rebelled Dan. 9.5 and haue departed from thy precepts and from thy iudgements for we would not obey thy seruāts thy Prophets which spake in thy name to our Kings and to our Princes and to our fathers and to all the people of the land O Lord righteousnes belongeth vnto thee and to vs open shame as appeareth this day to euery man of Iudah and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem yea vnto all Israel both neere and far off because of their offences that they haue committed against thee Which if we can come vnto thē we see in this storie of Exodus from which vpon occasion we haue somthing digressed what did preserue the Iewes in that plague what must preserue vs and all men Or the Israelites whom God spared of his mercie euen that the bloud of the Lambe bee sprinkled vpon the posts of our doores to keepe out the destroyer that is the bloud of Iesus Christ that immaculate Lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world be sprinkled vpon our consciences by faith and that we earnestly repent vs of all our sinnes Iona. 3.8 and turne from all our euill waies as the Niniuites did and from the wickednesse of our hands and crie mightily vnto God that for Christ Iesus his sake whose most precious bloud was shed for our sinnes vpon the crosse he would spare vs and say Thou Lord who of thy great mercie for Christs sake didst commaund the destroyer to passe ouer the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when there was an vniuersall plague ouer the whole land set a marke now at the last vpon all places of this our land and countrey that thy destroying Angell might passe ouer them Thus also in this case might wee set before our eyes the example of Aaron the high Priest And when the plague was among the Iewes in the wildernes who when there was a plague begun in the hoste of Israel for their sinnes euen for their murmuring at the death of Core and his companie who iustly perished by the hand of God tooke a Censer and fire therein of the altar and put therein incense whereby the sweetnes of prayer was represented and offered vp his prayers with this incense vnto God for them Numb 16.47 and so made an attonement and when he was come among them for the plague began in one end of the campe and so spread it selfe further and further in the hoste after the manner of a plague and stood between the dead and the liuing the plague was staied A great mercie of God for it was a great plague for of it in a short time died fourteene thousand and seuen hundred The cause of it as of al others was their sinne but by the prayer of Aaron it ceased if God did heare one for so many then much more may we hope that God will heare many in his good time for the rest Let vs then looke vpon this example also and say Thou Lord who at the prayer of Aaron wast intreated to stay the pestilēce among thy people when there had died of it before foureteene thousand and more heare many and all of vs or some one among all the rest that this plague now at the last of which haue died already twenty thousand and more may be staied and so some may stand betweene the quick and the dead that is cause that the dead infect not the quicke and so it proceede no further Thus if we search the Scripture we shall both in this and all other calamities by patience and comfort of them haue hope as was said before The God of Iacob If by Iacob they meane him and his posteritie with whom God made a couenant The God of Iacob as with Abraham and Isaac that he would be their God and the God of their seede then they looke vnto this that they are of the posteritie of Iacob and so of that couenant that God made with him and his And thus the whole posteritie of the Iewes is sometimes called by his name both of Israel and Iacob as in the Psalme Often times from my youth vp may Israel now say they haue afflicted me from my youth but they could not preuaile against me Psal 129.1 And in another place Let Israel waite on the Lord Psal 130.7 and he will redeeme Israel from all his iniquities And when Balaam the false prophet was sent for to curse the Israelites in the wildernes vpon the borders of Moab he often speaketh of them by the name of Iacob as The King of Moab hath brought me from Aram saying Come Numb 23.7 curse Iacob for my sake and a little after Who can tell the dust of Iacob and lastly There is no sorcerie in Iacob Vers 10. 23. According to this sense they haue respect vnto the couenant that God made with Iacob and his posteritie for the blessing came from Isaac to him his which couenant included not only the promises of the life to come but much more of this life also as Dauid expoundeth it in the Psalm where he hauing spoken before of many great outward blessings concludeth
haue been thus strengthened by the meanes of Gods worship in Sion As appeareth in Iob. We may see both these in the example of Iob who is a patterne both of great weaknes of great strength in the weaknes of his faith and before that he was sufficiently strengthened by the word he fell into great impatiencie and cursed the time that euer he was borne saying Let the day perish wherein I was borne Job 3.2 and the night wherein it was said there is a manchilde borne and so goeth on and saith much to that effect See whether a mans weaknes will carrie him if he haue no strength frō the word yea though hee be a very good man as Iob was But when hee was sufficiently strengthened by the word of God and had the feeling of it in his heart hee was able to beare all things as not only when he said The Lord hath giuen Chap. 2.21 and the Lord hath taken it blessed be the name of the Lord but when in greater affliction hee said If the Lord kill me Chapt. 13.25 Chapt. 19.25 yet I will put my trus in him And also I am sure that my redeemer liueth and I shall see him and mine eyes behold him and none other for me See againe what we shall be able to beare when wee haue gotten sufficient strength of faith and patience from the word though wee were neuer so weake before Seeing it is so wee may well know in this visitation of the plague if it should come among vs from whence wee must haue strength to beare it yea and any other triall also that now or hereafter God shall lay vpon vs euen from his word and from that faith and hope that wee haue gotten from thence and so much strength assuredly shall we haue as we haue true faith and without that wee can haue none the weaknes of our faith is the cause of little strength This should make all of vs diligent to come to the Church Therefore in this time of the plague all should labour to get strēgth from the word and to see that we haue cause to doe as wee now doe not onely to come and pray that God would turne away his heauie hand but to heare his word carefully that by it wee might grow in faith and hope and so receiue strength to beare whatsoeuer God shall lay vpon vs. In so much that if a man had no care before now he had neede to begin and hee that was diligent before must be more diligent now for he hath need of greater strength and to prouoke all his family to come that they also might be strengthened with him against the day of trouble els if affliction doe come among them their weaknes and impatiencie may trouble him whereas if he haue gottē any strength of faith he shall haue it not for himselfe alone but his strength shall doe them much good and all of them being strong in faith one shall comfort and vphold another For in all companies the more strength that euery one of them hath the better shall it be for them all And let not men deferre vntil Gods hand be vpon them and thinke that they will get strength then And doe not deferre it vntil Gods hand be vpon them Ephes 6.12 for when they haue done all that they can they shall finde that they haue strength little enough to wrastle with the paines of their bodie and temptations of their minde euen with the prince of the darknes of the world with spiritual wickednesses and that in the matter of our saluation so that when wee haue the whole and complet armour of Christians vpon vs euen our loynes girt about with the girdle of truth and the breastplate of righteousnes and our feete shod with the preparation of the Gospell of peace and the shield of faith and the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit yet we shall haue much adoe to resist in the euill day and hauing finished all things to stand fast Besides it is not wisedom for a man to defer to seek for any thing then when he should need it in worldly matters we would be glad to haue them before-hand let vs bee as carefull for our soules and so I pray you for the loue of Christ and of your owne soules not only to come still but to profit by your comming as much as you can to get strength against trouble from Sion euen from this place of Gods seruice where it is to bee had Otherwise it will come to passe that besides many great weaknesses that you must needes fall into this shall be a grieuous accusation to your consciences to think to complaine somewhat too late Oh how might I haue strengthened my self against these euill daies if I had made more account of the word if I had come to it more diligently profited by it more effectually but alas now what great weaknes of faith is in me how full of distrust and of impatiencie am I how am I out of all hope because I haue neglected the meanes of my strength Let euery one therefore examine his owne strength and according to the great weaknes that he findeth in himself so let him make more account of comming to the word and let them now whilest they haue time giue themselues plentifully to the reading and meditating of the sweet and comfortable promises of the same at home in their houses that they and theirs may get as much strength therby as they may against the time of neede And as this is our strength so it must be the strength of all our brethren and therfore as Dauid willeth them here to pray for him In this respect what we shuld pray for those that are vnder the plague both for the preachers and for the hearers that God would strengthen him out of Sion that is by the word which he had heard there that now God would call it into his remembrance and confirme his faith by it So wee must pray for them that with this visitaion of the plague they may still haue his word among them and that it may be diligently preached and to that end that the Lord would watch ouer and preserue his faithfull Ministers the preachers of his word as the chiefe captaines that should incourage strengthen the rest and that the people may reuerently esteeme of the word and of them for the words sake so be careful of thē and of their liues And that all would willingly come to the word that may and they that are sicke or shut vp and cannot that God would forgive them their negligent hearing of his word in time past whereby they might haue gotten more strength and that hee would blesse that that they heard heretofore that by it they may be strengthened and by it be assured of the forgiuenes of their sinnes and may haue hope of eternal life and so patiently abide whatsoeuer God
request vnto them and haue not a present dispatch of our suites we are ready to think that they haue other waightier busines which haue put our matter out of their heads and so we and all our busines is forgotten So are we ready to iudge of God but it is not so But hee will shew in time that he hath remembred vs. Exod. 3.7 for he remembreth the prayers that al men make according to his will and all faithfull seruices done vnto him wil therfore blesse them in time to come Thus saith the Lord of himselfe I haue surely seene the trouble of my people which are in Egypt and haue heard their crie because of their taske-masters and know their sorrowes therefore I am come down to deliuer them out of the hand of the Egyptians c. They had been a long time in great trouble and had cried often vnto God he did not only heare them but remember them and came downe to deliuer them And this was that which the Angel that came vnto Cornelius said vnto him Act. 10.4 Thy prayers and thine almes are come vp into remembrance before God now therefore send men to Ioppa and call for Simon whose surname is Peter and he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do So al the seruice that he had done vnto God and duties of loue vnto men for Gods sake were not forgotten As he did to Cornelius but God did remember them and sent an Angell vnto him to tell him so and to reward him for them by sending Peter vnto him to instruct him and his family in the waies of their saluation and that I might vse the words of Peter himselfe to speake words vnto them Chapt. 11.14 whereby both hee and all his househoulde should be saued According to this doctrine Dauid teacheth them here to pray that God would remember what he had done The Lord remembreth whatsoeuer we haue done frō our birth good or euill and what seruice he had performed vnto him and that the very smell of it as it were might stil be before him From hence we may be assured that God remembreth what all of vs haue done from our birth vnto this day for he wil iudge vs al according to our workes and that that we haue done in this world and they are all written in his booke which at the last day shall be laid open be they good or bad If wee haue done euill and carelesly forgotten it and will not remember it to repent vs of it in due time God he doth and will remember it to punish vs for it in time If we haue done any thing well and haue prayed to him and serued him in a good conscience and done good to our brethren for his sake hee remembreth all those things also to blesse vs for them 2. Cor. 15.58 and we may be assured that our labours shall not be in vaine in the Lord. To come to this particular hand of God that is now very heauie vpō vs he doth sufficiently shew thereby to all that are not wilfully blind that hee remembreth all the sinnes wherewith a long time he hath been prouoked As the great ignorance and blindnes that is euery where in this cleere light of his glorious Gospell By this visitation of the plague hee sheweth that he remembreth all the sinnes of this land the little account that men make of it and care that is in them to profit by it How great the loue of the world and of themselues is in men and how little loue of God and of their owne saluation the intollerable pride voluptuousnes vncleannes drunkennes vnmercifulnes and such like hee remembreth all these things though men haue forgotten them And though by sparing them in them yea bestowing many blessings vpon them Rom. 2.4 he did lead them to repentance yet now wee see plainly that hee did not forget them And we must thus profit by this visitation of the Lord that as the widow of Sarepta where Elijah did soiorne in the famine when her sonne fell sick and died she said vnto him O thou man of God 1. King 17.18 art thou come to call my sinne to remembrance and to slay my sonne and thus by this punishment she did acknowledge and confesse And we ought so to profit by it that God had remembred her sinnes So must we all thus profit by this grieuous sicknes among vs which is vnto death to see how God remembreth all those sins euery where which men haue committed and forgotten long agoe and they thought that God had forgotten them also And so no doubt there will come a time for all men in the world wherein it shall appeare vnto them that God hath remembred their sinnes either in this world to their amendment and saluation if they be his or in the world to come to their euerlasting shame and confusion if they be his enemies And he remēbreth those that haue liued well in this wicked age So on the contrarie and more fitly for our purpose they amongst vs that haue liued well serued him in feare prayed vnto him in faith and in these euill daies haue not onely kept themselues vnspotted in the world but haue grieued at the abuses in others which they could not helpe God knoweth them all by name very well and remembreth what they haue done and wil put a difference betweene them and others in the day of his visitation and they must be comforted against it before hand that they haue thus serued God in truth and he doth remember it And this is that which the Prophet Ezekiel speaketh of to whom the destruction of Ierusalem was shewed in a vision after this manner He saw sixe men with weapons in their hands and one among them was clothed with linen Ezek. 9.3 with a writers ynkhorne by his side and the glorie of God appeared and called to the man clothed with linen And will blesse them for it when others shall be punished which had the writers ynkhorne by his side and said vnto him Goe through the middest of the the citie of Ierusalem and set a marke vpon the foreheards of them that mourne and crie for all the abominations that are done in the middest thereof and to the other he said Goe after him through the citie and smite let your eye spare none neither haue pitie destroy vtterly the old and the yong and the children and the women but touch no man vpon whom is the marke Thus wee see how in this great and vniuersall destruction wherein all sorts old and yong children and women were slaine God remembred the sorrow and griefe of those that mourned for the abuses of their time and did spare them for it And this blessing shall be vpon all those that desire vnfainedly to serue God according to his word when all the world besides forsake it they shall finde by experience that God will remember them and
profit by it to amendment of life if he should also giue vs patience yea if hee should take vs away in this plague and should assure vs in the middest of all pains and feares of death of the forgiuenes of all our sinnes and giue vs good hope of euerlasting life and of the resurrection of our bodies that when wee giue vp the Ghost wee might boldly say Father into thy hands I commend my spirit might wee not bee well assured by these that God had heard our prayers Therefore if affliction and trouble doe come let vs see how we profit by it and what patience God giueth and so accordingly be assured that God hath heard our prayers And that the Lord in mercy will thus deale with vs wee may be assured of it so many as pray to him aright and this must be sufficient for vs and a sure token that God hath heard our prayers that wee might bee thankfull to him for it Therefore let vs not cease praying vnto him night and day not doubting but that God in his good time will turne our burnt offerings into ashes that is some way or other shew that he hath heard our prayers to his glory and the comfort of our selues and of our brethren Selah The vse of it for musicke Selah The Hebrew word retained in the Latine and English translations for the Greeke hath it not vsed for the most part only in the Psalmes which were made to bee sung in the temple noteth a vehement lifting vp of the voyce and especially thereby also a contention and affection of the minde so that the Musitions when they came to this word which was vnto them as a direction in Musicke did not so much sing it or say it as we doe now but letting it passe thereby did know that they should lift vp their voyces on high to that end that thereby their minds and the minds of others might be moued with that that was then sung according to the matter thereof And so it was a note of some change in the musick and thereby also in the minds euen as wee when wee speake of any waightie matter wee put in some note of exclamation or word to stir them vp to attention and to marke it diligently as our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell often in such cases and to this end vseth this word Behold So was this word vsed to stirre vp their voyces and thereby to stirre vp their minds That kinde of musicke that was then vsed in the temple for which this was written is now ceased with the rest of that Leuiticall kind of seruice And for the affections of the mind and so there is no more vse of it that way yet still it is carefully retained in the text and there is good vse of it in the Church for it serueth to the stirring vp of the mind with some speciall affection vnto that whereunto it is affixed which affection must alwaies be according to the matter contayned in those words whereunto this is adioyned And therefore it noteth out not any one speciall affection of the mind as some interiections doe but diuers and generally all kind whatsoeuer which must be in vs diuersly according to the matter As in the third Psalme it is vsed three times for three seuerall affections according to that that is said there Psalm 3.2 as Many say to my soule there is no helpe for him in his God Selah As if he should say O what a great calamitie or crosse is that I am greatly affected with that and would haue others to bee so too and pity mee thereafter Verse 4. And I did call vnto the Lord with my voyce and he did heare me out of his holy mountaine Selah They said God had forsaken him but hee prayed vnto God and God heard him and then hee addeth Selah as if hee had said Oh what a good God is that and how is that to be marked And lastly in the same Psalme Saluation belongeth vnto the Lord Verse 8. and thy blessing is vpon thy people Selah As if he had said God only can saue and he saueth his people and then affixeth Selah As if he had said Oh what a blessed thing is that and how should wee therefore put our trust in him So here when Dauid had willed them to pray that God would remember his prayers and shew that hee had heard them he addeth Selah to stirre vp their minds and his owne Theirs that they might pray this earnestly for him and know that he had great need of it for hee commended it vnto them with some feeling and hee knew that it was a great thing to offer vp any thing to God that should bee acceptable vnto him if we consider his excellency and our own vnworthines And for himselfe that he would esteeme this as a great benefit if the Lord would shew that he had heard his prayers euen as hee confesseth in the next Psalme Psalm 21.2 Thou hast giuen him his hearts desire and hast not denied him the request of his lippes where hee doth also adde this note Selah to shew that as before they did earnestly pray for it so now they should be greatly affected in thankesgiuing with it and as they had a feeling of their want in praying for it so they should haue of the goodnes of God in giuing thankes for the same and so both in the one and in the other to haue their minds specially moued with that they said Generally wheresoeuer this is vsed The generall vse of this word we must carefully marke it and make some good vse of it according to the matter where it is vsed For though the whole Scripture be excellent in it selfe and in euery part of it as being giuen by the inspiration of the holy Ghost 2. Tim. 3.16 and is profitable to teach to conuince to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good works yet some parts haue more speciall vse to vs in some cases than other and therefore some are commended vnto vs with the title of excellencie as all the Psalmes commonly called of degrees Psalm 120.1 or as others reade it of excellencies because in that shortnes they containe some excellent matter So also in the same Psalme some part may bee of greater vse and of more note and obseruation for some causes than some other part of the same as here in this Psalme though hee commended the whole Psalme vnto them and whole matter of the same as appeareth by the title and inscription of the same and the whole discourse of it yet in it the matter of this verse he doth specially commend vnto them for some causes with this marke or note then well knowne because it was in great vse when he addeth Selah So also in another Psalme Dauid commendeth one thing vnto them with a double note Psalm 9 16. Higgaion
Selah as when he saith The Lord is known by executing iudgement the wicked is snared in the worke of his owne hands Higgaion Selah This Psalme was made as a solemne thankesgiuing for the conquest he had ouer the proude Philistim Goliah as appeareth in the title therefore when hee commeth to this to shew how the Lord was knowne by executing iudgement vpon him and euen this iudgement that hee was snared in the worke of his owne hands as many other wicked men are for he was slaine in that combate by little Dauid and that without armour euen with a stone and a sling as it were with the hand of God miraculously in that combat I say whereunto he had proudly challenged all the hoast of the Israelites with blasphemous words tending to the dishonour of God he addeth these two notes Higgaion that is This is worthy to be meditated vpon and thought seriously on of all men that the wicked are snared in the workes of their owne hands Selah As if hee had said yea in deed this is worthy most seriously and with great affection to bee thought vpon But we shall make further vse of this doctrine hereafter THE ELEVENTH SERMON vpon the third verse Selah WE heard the last day the meaning of this word By Selah here they were stirred vp to the affections of Prayer namely that it serued to note out some speciall affection according to the matter where it was vsed Wee are then now to consider what speciall affections were in him and should be in the people here and so what is and was the vse of it in this place Generally it being ioyned vnto a prayer they were to haue the affections meet for prayer and for this thing that here they prayed for Therefore the speciall affections that ought to be in the people when they prayed thus were these or such like First when hee willeth them to pray that God would heare his prayers and shew that he did so and then addeth Selah a note of affection or stirring vp of the mind it was to teach them As namely to pray earnestly that he would haue them affected with it to pray for it earnestly And in requiring this earnestnes here his meaning was not that they should bee colde in the former and negligent but here he required a speciall feruency of the spirit that after a speciall manner they would pray that God would heare his prayers and declare it By which example wee learne that though we ought alwaies to pray from our hearts and neuer with the tongue onely as many doe and haue done not only in Popery when if they had said a certaine number of prayers it was thought sufficient though they knew not what they said it being in an vnknowne tongue and so could not possibly haue any desire at all vnto that which they prayed for and so that was verified of them that Christ speaketh of in the Gospell Matth. 15.8 This people draweth neere vnto me with their lippes but their heart is farre from me but also in these dayes when many though they say Amen at the end of prayers yet haue had their mind occupied about other matters and so though their tongue hath spoken yet their mindes haue desired nothing John 4.24 whereas God is a spirit and wil be worshipped in our spirits and he is the searcher of the hearts which when it is prepared then hee heareth as it is said thou preparest the heart Psalm 10.17 Psalm 57.7 and bendest thine eare thereto So that whensoeuer we pray we must say as the Prophet doth My heart is prepared my heart is prepared O God I will sing and giue thanks Therefore wee must not come rashly to prayer and vnaduisedly on the suddaine but prepare our hearts beforehand as Christ teacheth vs in that forme of his O our Father which art in Heauen c willing vs to consider of Gods fatherly loue and of his almighty power and so pray to him as to one whom wee are perswaded is most willing and able to heare and helpe vs. Greater earnestnes is requisite in some part of the prayer then of other Ephes 6.18 And though wee must alwaies thus pray if wee will bee heard yet we are to striue with our affections in prayer and as something shall be more materiall for vs and wee stand in more need of it so there and for that to pray more earnestly and as we must continually striue with our owne dulnesse in prayer and as the Apostle saith watch thereunto so wee must offer violence as it were to our selues in such things as doe most concerne vs. So that our prayers must not flowe from vs like a still streame which is alwaies like it selfe and neuer standeth still like a poole so wee must not haue alwaies the like desires in prayer yea though they be desires of the heart in deed and the heart bee truly moued with it and not stand still senselesse and dead in the affections of it like a lake which is without motion which yet it were well if all men could come vnto and it is a great worke of the spirit if wee can doe so but our hearts in prayer must bee working like the great Ocean Sea that sometimes commeth with great billowes so that it bringeth vp things that are at the bottome of it So we according to our speciall need and the necessitie of others that we pray for must stirre vp the least desire that we haue euen from the bottome of our hearts and though our hearts were moued before yet when wee come to such a thing they must bee mooued a great deale more that God may see how earnestly we desire them that so hee may fulfill them And this we must doe not onely in our priuat prayers And that is true not only of priuat prayer but of publike according to that that we stand in need of as we all finde that we need something more then other for that wee must bee most importunate though wee must alwaies pray earnestly But also in the publike prayers of the Church as these of the people were as wee must alwaies during the time of prayer marke diligently what is said and haue not onely our minde occupied about it but our desires going with his words that prayeth as it were step by step that thus they may all waite vpon him and as it were hang vpon his mouth as it is sayd the people did vpon our Sauiour Christ but when there is any speciall thing prayed for which concerneth vs neerely Luk. 19.48 or any of ours or the glory of God and Church of Christ there to stirre vp our minds with some more earnest desire to call vpon God for it and as it were to say Selah that is Oh that God would grant that so would it come to passe that God would giue vs our desire Luk. 1.53 as he hath promised to fill the hungry soule with
him and so why needed he to doubt of any of his desires The like may be sayd of Ahab the king of Israel when he desired the vineyard of Naboth and could not get it at the first whereupon he was greatly displeased and laid himselfe vpon his bed and would not eat How soone was there a way deuised for him by his wife Iesabell 1. King 21.4 to satisfie his desires though it was vnlawfull And first of all she comforteth him ouer it Verse 7. and sayd Doest thou now gouerne the kingdome of Israel c. as if she had sayd what I perceiue thou knowest not who thou art Thou art a King thou mayest haue what thou wilt one way or other by might or by wrong thou needest but desire and haue Vp eat bread and be of good cheere I will giue thee the vineyard of Naboth c. And then she wrote letters that he might be accused condemned of treason that so it might fall to the king by law as it did and as it followeth in that storie But this is that which principally for our purpose is to be obserued that she was of this mind That a king might haue whatsoeuer he desired And so many foolish people thinke that kings And so doe many worldlings thinke of themselues and of others noblemen rich men those that haue wealth inough they may haue all things after their harts desire so haue nothing to crosse them in their desires so that if they were in their case they would liue at their hearts ease for look whatsoeuer they desired they would haue who shold hinder them from it and so they would set their heart at rest and liue as merrily as the day is long and broad and they maruell why others should not do so and that they should at any time complaine that they haue not their desire Luke 12 16. VVherein they are like vnto that Epicure that is spoken of in the Gospell whose ground when it brought forth fruit so plenteously that he could not tell where to lay it vntill he bethought himselfe to enlarge his barnes and then he said to himselfe Soule thou hast much goods laid vp for many yeares liue at ease eat drinke and take thy pastime so that he thought because he had wealth ynough that he might haue his hearts desire in all things and be beholding to none but to himselfe for it no not vnto God for he speakes as one that neuer thought of him But the Lord did disappoint him of it and said O foole Verse 20. this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast prouided And thus will he say and doe to all such foolish worldlings or worldly fooles For it is added So is he that gathereth riches and is not rich in the Lord. But Dauid here sheweth that he was of another mind for though his desires were neuer so good and lawfull in this action and he had neuer so many means to accomplish them as indeed for his desire in warre he had as many as could almost be desired for he had many worthie captaines 2. Sam. 23.18 and we read not of any the like as their courage and great valour is set downe in the Scripture yet he beleeued and would haue his subiects to beleeue also that neither himselfe nor they for him could accomplish his desires but as God should graunt them and therefore he willed them to pray to God that he would so doe saying Graunt thee according to thine heart This then is that But only God giueth to all men their desires that from hence we must beleeue that it is God onely that doth and must accomplish the desires of all men and women and none is sufficient of themselues to doe it be they neuer so great and mightie nor any other for them And this is the first article of our faith That we beleeue in God the father almightie maker of heauen and earth that is that he made all things of nothing and doth still bring al things to passe and therefore as nothing is done without him so he only doth all things Psal 135.6 as it is said in the Psalme He hath done whatsoeuer he would in heauen and in the earth and in all the deepes So that whatsoeuer good any hath desired in time past if they haue obtained it they must confesse to the glorie of God that it was not thēselues or any other for them but God alone that gaue thē their hearts desire For though they had these meanes And this we must confesse in all things that we haue receiued yet God could haue hindered them all that they should haue done them no good And therefore that which Moses forewarned the people of Israel of when they should come into the land of Canaan That they should take heed that they did not ascribe any to themselues but all vnto God who was the only giuer of the same is true of all other things Deut. 8.17 when he saith thus vnto them Beware least thou say in thine heart my power and the strength of mine owne hand hath prepared me this abundance but remember the Lord thy God for it is he that giueth thee power to get substance to establish his couenant which he sware vnto thy father as appeareth this day VVhere he forbiddeth them not onely proudly to boast of themselues but not so much as to suffer it once to enter into their thoughts Say not in thine heart c. Thus did Dauid confesse of himselfe that God had giuen him his desire in that Psalme that he maketh of thanksgiuing for the victorie he teacheth the people to praise God for it vnder this title That God had brought to passe his desires and that he saw his desire vpon his enemies he ascribeth it neither to himselfe nor to his worthie captaines Psal 21.2 but to the Lord saying Thou hast giuen him his hearts desire As if he had said O Lord I desired such and such things in my heart but I could not procure them to my selfe therefore I prayed vnto thee for them and I desired others also so to doe and thou hast giuen vs the thing that wee desired and therefore wee giue thankes vnto thee for it And this is that also which the Psalmist saith of the Israelites whilest they were in the wildernesse they longed for flesh but they could not satisfie their owne desires though they were neuer so many but the Lord he sent them meat ynough and so did satisfie their desires He rained flesh vpon them as dust Psal 78.27 and feathered foule as the sand of the sea and he made it fall in the middest of their campe euen round about their habitations so they did eat and were well filled for he gaue them their desire So must we all say of our selues for all things that we desire and
to fulfill our desires And thus doth Dauid euen for this very thing confessing openly that God had satisfied his desires when he saith Thou hast giuen him his hearts desire Psal 21.2 and hast not denied him the request of his lips where hee speaketh of himselfe and made that Psalme as a forme of publicke thanksgiuing vnto God for giuing him his desire in the ouerthrow of his enemies VVe in our time haue desired many things in our hearts and we haue not been disappointed of our desires but haue we in all of them so considered God to be the author of them that we haue giuen thankes vnto him for the same If we doe rightly examine our selues But most men faile greatly in this praise and call to mind the time past we shall find that for many things for which we haue prayed O Lord giue me according to my heart we haue not returned with this thankfull confession O Lord thou hast giuen me my hearts desire and hast not denied me the request of my lips And this is that that our Sauiour Christ complaineth of in the Gospell Luke 17.12 That when ten lepers did meet him they stood a farre off and all of them lift vp their voices and said Iesus master haue mercie on vs and all of them were healed But one of them when he saw that he was healed turned backe and with a loud voice praised God and fell downe at his feet and gaue him thankes And Iesus said are there not ten clensed but where are the nine There is none found that returned to giue God praise saue this stranger Thus though all of them had a great desire to be cleansed of that foule disease and did crie out earnestly vnto Christ for it yet but one of them did testifie his faith that he had receiued this benefit of Christ And this is a common fault in the world that scarce one among ten when they haue their desires and that of God and when they haue asked the same of him that are mindfull to giue thanks vnto God that gaue them their desire Many in their wants come to Christ and say Miserere to haue their desires satisfied but few afterwards returne with Alleluia to giue praise vnto him for the same This is that then which the Psalmist not without iust cause so often so earnestly calleth vpon men for and all sorts of men That when they haue bene in great affliction some one way some another and so for their reliefe and comfort they haue desired this and that according to their seuerall estates that when God hath deliuered them and giuen them their desire they would as well by giuing thankes vnto him declare that they beleeue that he onely did satisfie their desire as they did before by praying vnto him For hee saith That some haue bene in captiuitie Psal 107.3 and scattered into the enemies land and there they haue wandered in the wildernesse and desert out of the way found no citie to dwell in both hungrie and thirstie and their soule hath fainted in them Then they cryed vnto the Lord in their trouble and he deliuered them from their distresse Let them therefore saith he confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men for he satisfied the thirstie soule and filled the hungrie soule with goodnesse VVhere he prouoketh them to be thankefull acknowledging of the goodnesse of God with prayse when they haue found by experience how he hath satisfied their desires and would haue them shew that they beleeued that God gaue them their desires by a thankfull acknowledging of the same And so afterwards in the same Psalme he speaketh of others whereof some are deliuered from sickenesse and from death and some from prison and yrons and some from extreme hunger and all these according to their owne desire for he saith of all them Then they cried vnto the Lord in their trouble Verse 13. and he deliuered them from their distresse and would haue all of them likewise confesse to the glory of God and the good of others That God had giuen them their desire when he saith thus Verse 21. Let them therefore confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men and let them offer sacrifices of prayse and declare his workes with reioycing Verse 23. and let them exalt him in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly of the Elders VVhere we see that though he confesseth that all of them in their seuerall troubles doe cry vnto God for helpe as beleeuing that he onely can giue them their desires yet he doth not say that all after their deliuerances doe declare their faith in Gods prouidence by giuing him thankes but this he exhorteth them vnto and wisheth that it might be so saying Let them therefore confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse or oh that they would thus doe So must we do when he shall giue vs our desires in taking away the plague Shewing that though it be mens duty yet many of them are so farre from it that it is rather to be wished and desired than to be looked for at their hands Therefore if it shall please the Lord to be mercifull vnto vs and this way to giue vs our desire by taking away this grieuous rod from our backes and causing this pestilence to cease which hath a long time walked in the darkenesse Psal 91.6 and destroyed at noone day and of which there hath fallen a thousand on the one side and ten thousand on the other we must remember to bee thankefull vnto him for it and let him haue as many prayses from vs for giuing vs our hearts desires as now he hath prayers for it and let vs remember it the rather because we are more prone to crie vnto God in our troubles as others haue done than we are afterwards to confesse his louing kindnesse and his wonderfull works before the sonnes of men and to exalt him in the congregation of the people and to praise him in the assembly of the Elders as we haue heard euen now out of the Psalme And let vs be heartily sory that for so many desires of ours both for soule and body for our selues and ours we haue bene so vnthankefull which might iustly moue him to abridge vs now and to cut vs short of our desire in this thing which doth so greatly concerne the good of vs all and of many thousands of our brethren And this is that which we haue to obserue out of the first part of this verse Fulfill all thy purpose or counsell The second followeth after this manner And fulfill all thy purpose This latter part of the verse conteineth almost the very same petition that the former did sauing that here is somewhat more namely that whereas men when they haue a desire vnto a thing and would faine
oppressions So was it in the time of the Iewes captiuitie when Haman for malice that he bore vnto Mordecay sought his destruction and because his malice was vnsatiable he thought it too litle to lay hands vpon him onely Hest 3.6 but because they had shewed him the people of Mordicay he sought to destroy all the Iewes at once that were throughout the whole kingdome of Ahashuerosh to that end vnder the colour of the kings profit he gat a decree to be sealed with his signet That vpon such a day all of thē should be rooted out destroied both young old women children This seemed vnto him very good pollicie to bring his purpose to passe and when the posts with the kings letters were sent out into all places he might haue thought himselfe sure of it but God did not prosper it and so it came to naught and his purpose was disappointed because God did not fulfill it Chap. 5.14 And afterwards when Zeresh his wife all his friends gaue him this counsel That seeing he was in so great fauor with the king the queen as to be inuited with the king vnto a banquet which the queene had prepared and none but he was inuited that he would make a gibbet of fiftie cubites hie and in the morning when hee went vnto the king that he would speake vnto him that Mordecay might be hanged thereon and then he should goe ioyfully with the king vnto the banquet And that also pleased Haman well and he purposed to doe so But this tooke no place neither because God did not prosper it but contrariwise himselfe was hanged on it by the commaundement of the king and thus he could not bring his purposes to passe because God did not fulfill them But on the other side when Hester and Mordecay did heare of this wicked decree and did aduise with themselues what was best to be done for the safegard of the life of the Iewes and at the last did resolue vpon this Chap. 4.8 That the queene should goe into the king and make supplication for her people and she did so This good counsell and the successe thereof they commended vnto God in prayer yea in fasting and prayer three daies and three nights together and this God blessed and brought it to passe so that they had libertie from the king Chap. 8.11 both to stand for their owne liues and to destroy all the power of the people that vexed them both children and women and to spoyle their goods and they did so And truly if all men in all controuersies which they haue with their aduersaries would first take good counsell according to Gods word and then acknowledge that the successe of it is in Gods hand and pray earnestly vnto him for it they might prosper more in their suites at the law than they doe But because they neglect this and for the most part seeke for craftie counsell such as hath no promise of Gods blessing because it is contrarie to the law of charitie and then in such cases they neither doe nor can pray to God for his blessing vpon it that he would fulfill all their counsell therefore it is not so And thus we see why some are ouerthrowne in their good causes namely they seeke not to God that he would fulfill all their counsels but thinke themselues sufficient without his blessing and so God leaueth them to themselues that by experience they might see it to bee otherwise Therefore let vs profit vnto our dutie by other mens harmes Furthermore whereas Dauid was a king and now gone out to warre and willeth the people at home to pray to God for him That hee would fulfill all his purpose and counsell wee must vnderstand thus much that as he was wise himselfe so he had his counsell both for warre and for peace as all kings haue and they were to aduise him in euery action what was best to be done yet he rested not in that We ought to pray that God would blesse the consultations of the king and his counsellors but desireth the people that they would pray That God would fulfill all which by his grace they should determine and they did so So must we doe for the kings highnesse And though he be godly and wise himselfe and hath many worthie noblemen of his most Honourable priuie Counsell who are of great wisedome and long experience as they must not rest in their owne deuices but commend them vnto God in prayer and desire others also that are about them that they would doe so and by this meanes might they greatly prosper so is it our bound dutie to pray vnto God for them that he would blesse their consultations and bring them to passe for the good of his Church and profit of this realme And as they doe weekely meet at the Counsell table and sometime oftner for matters of State so we should continually commend them to God in all our prayers so shall we haue the benefit of our owne prayers when God shall fulfill the good things that they purpose And as we ought to doe thus alwais so especially against the Parliament we should pray that God would fulfill all the good purposes of that great assembly for the rooting out of Poperie and all remnants of superstition Especially all consultations in the Parliament house and all other abuses and for the establishing and enlarging of the preaching of the Gospel and all other good orders in all places Otherwise we see that good counsell may be giuen but not followed and if it be yet not brought to passe and so there shall not that good be done that might and which many good men in the Parliament house intend Therefore as we desire to enioy the common benefit of our time so let vs pray not onely for the King but for all our gouernors in the Church and Commonwealth That God would fulfill all their purposes Then ought we much more thus to pray for our selues if we were a great deale wiser than we are for when we haue taken the best aduice and thereupon do things to one end they may fall out to another And all our own counsels and purposes yea cleane contrarie to that which we purposed and so we shall be disappointed As for example in matters of mariage which is an ordinarie thing some think to ioyne themselues or their children in alliance with such and such hoping thereby to aduance their houses As in matter of mariage but it falleth out otherwise and by that meanes they come to ruine and so God doth not fulfill their purpose And this was the very case of king Iehoshaphat 2. Chron. 18.1 Chap. 21.6 who ioyned himselfe in affinitie with Ahab king of Israel by ioyning his eldest sonne Iehoram in marriage with his daughter and though Iehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance yet the king of Israel was greater than he as hauing more tribes
the example of Balaam the sorcerer who would needs goe at the request of Baalack king of Moab Else he can crosse and punish vs in them in hope of great gaine and preferment that was promised vnto him to curse the Israelits and so to root them out by his inchantments The Lord did sufficiently shew him by the course of his prouidence and ill successe that he had in the way that it was not his will that he should goe Num. 23.7 8. yet he would needs goe on But when he came there he was driuen to doe cleane contrarie to his purpose euen to blesse them though he sought diuers times and set his diuinations to curse them wherupon the king of Moab was greatly angry with him and it is most like that he lost his reward and so he was disappointed of his purpose in this iourney where he was not contented to be ordered by the Lord but would go as it were against his will And in his returne home he was slaine in battell by the Israelites Num. 31.8 Thus when he thought that he had had his purpose then did he most of all misse of it because God did not fulfill it Therefore when we purpose any thing and haue taken counsell for it and haue also very good meanes to bring it to passe let vs pray vnto God that if it be his holy will he would fulfill it And in matters of great moment let vs not content our selues with our owne prayers but desire others to pray to God for vs as Dauid did here desire the people thus to pray to God for him The Lord graunt thee according to thine heart and fulfill all thy purpose so may we speed well of our purposes as he did And when we haue purposed so and so and it hath fallen out otherwise not according to our purpose as in many things often it doth and they that are wise to obserue things shall soone perceiue it it is to teach vs to depend vpon Gods prouidence who onely bringeth all things to passe according to his owne decree and let vs make that good vse of it That when we see how in disappointing vs of our purposes the Lord hath sometimes prouided better for vs than we had purposed our selues How we shold profit when we are disappointed of our purposes we might be thankefull vnto him and learne thereby in all things to depend vpon him who hath so greatly shewed his care ouer vs and not to trust too much to our selues As we must needs confesse that in many things the Lord hath thus dealt with vs. But if things fall out worse with vs than we had purposed as sometimes also it doth we see how God can hinder vs of our best purposes that so we may alwaies in them pray vnto him that he would blesse them And let vs for all our life past and for all things that haue befallen vs in the same acknowledge and confesse as the truth is to the glorie of God our own cōfort That whatsoeuer good we haue purposed for our owne benefit or the welfare of others and it hath so come to passe that it was God only that did fulfill them And whē they be fulfilled whatsoeuer the meanes were for both they and the successe of them were of him and so let vs be thankefull vnto him for the same And let vs not ascribe them either to our good fortune and chance as though things fell out vncertainely we know not how neither to our owne wit and policie to our own strength and power as though we were sufficient in our selues as many are too ready to say I may thanke my good fortune for such a thing or I may thanke my selfe for it or my wit or my hands for this that I haue but let vs thanke God who onely bringeth to passe the purposes of all men So shall we for the time to come learne to depend vpon him for our selues and for all ours beyond that that we can see when as we remember how for the time past he hath prouided better for vs than we had purposed or could haue done for our selues VVhereas when it is otherwise God looseth his praise and we the fruit of his fatherly dealing and mercifull prouidence towards vs. And this is that that we haue to obserue out of the fourth verse The fifteenth Sermon vpon the fifth verse That we may reioyce in thy saluation and set vp our banners in the name of our God when the Lord shall performe all thy petitions HEre the first part of the praier is continued and ended The meaning of the fifth verse I meane the petitions which the people make for the king where they shew why and wherefore they are so desirous that God would thus heare and defend him namely that so not only he but all they euen the whole Church of God might reioyce in that saluation that God should bestow vpon him For they spake before of the king and for him they did pray and so this word thy is to be referred vnto him and they meane that defence and safegard that God should bestow vpon him and his armie VVherein they were taught to acknowledge themselues to haue a part in the affaires of the king were they prosperous or vnprosperous as all subiects must thus thinke of their kings and princes This word reioyce others doe translate sing of thy saluation which is all one in sence sauing that the one is the cause and the other is the effect For ioy often causeth singing and singing commonly argueth ioy as the Apostle saith Is any among you merrie Iam 5.13 let him sing VVhat then would they sing of the saluation and defence of their king and so they meane that they would praise God for it And thus the end of their prayer is the glory of God that they reciuing so great a benefit from him in the person of their king might be so affected with ioy that they might sing forth publikely the prayse of God for it as afterwards they did And this they expresse more fully in the next words when as they say And set vp our banners in the name of our God c. that is That we thus hauing the victory and triumphing ouer our enemies might as conquerors not onely inwardly reioyce but outwardly declare it not to our owne prayse or the prayse of our king so much but to the glory of the name of our God VVhen he shall fulfill all thy petitions as it followeth in the text namely of the king for whom they pray So that here still they pray God to graunt all his petitions but they bring this as a reason to moue him thereunto or to confirrme their owne faith that he will so doe That they might haue cause to praise the name of God And so they shew before hand what they mind to doe when God shall thus blesse the king and his people namely they will
when he was sicke and sent to Beelzebub the god of Esron to know whether he should recouer or no Vers 2. he sent him this message That because he had forsaken the true God and sent to them that were no gods he should not come from the bed on which he was but he should die there as also he did Now when the disciples of Christ desired that fire might come downe from heauen to consume the Samaritanes and their cities because they would not receiue him when he was going towards Ierusalem they obtained it not though they pretended the example of Elias saying Master Luc. 9.54 wilt thou that we commaund fire from heauen and destroy them as Elias did He said they had not that spirit did it not to that end that he did namely the glorie of God but in respect of themselues So then if we will obtaine any thing at the hand of God we must therein seeke his glorie and desire it to that end that thereby God may be glorified and praysed as the people doe here when they say That we may reioyce and set vp our banners in the name of our God when hee shall fulfill all thy petitions This was the ground of the prayer of Moses for the Israelits in the wildernesse whereby he often obtained great things for them As when the Lord would haue destroyed them for their idolatrie with the golden calfe Exod. 32.12 and haue made of Moses a mightie people he prayeth vnto God that he would not do so for then the Aegyptians would speake ill of God and say that he maliciously brought them out from thence to destroy them in the wildernesse and so he not seeking his owne glory but the glorie of God herein obtained that they were spared contrarie to their deserts And Moses that God would spare the Israelits for the glorie of his name And so afterwards when the spies that were sent to spie out the land of Canaan brought vp an ill report of that pleasant land of promise contrarie to all truth Num. 14.13 and by that means discouraged the people so that they all murmured against Moses and Aaron that they had brought them thether to fall by the sword of their enemies God said That he would destroy them with the pestilence but make of him a mightier nation than they Moses prayed for them and said That the Aegyptians would say that God was not able to bring them in and so to stop the mouths of the enemies and for the glorie of God he desireth that he would spare them and so he did Thus ought we to pray for our selues and for the Church of God that he would turne from vs all those euils that we haue most righteously desired euen for the glorie of his name and therein not respect our selues so much as Gods glorie that we professing his name it might not be ill spoken of for our punishments And truly this should be one principall reason to mooue vs to pray for the remoouing of this plague So ought we to pray for the remoouing of this plague that the Atheists and Papists and worldlings doe not speake ill of Gods name and of his people and his Gospell when he so greatly punisheth them that professe it And also that we our selues and others might by remoouing of it haue cause to praise his holy name And indeed if we did lesse respect our selues herein as for the most part men do wholly and be more carefull of Gods glorie as that by the staying of it he might be praised yea and iustice might be executed to the glorie of God the course of which now for a while hath beene stayed in many places because they could not so safely meet for feare of the infection and that good things might be established and ill remooued by a Parliament which it is like should haue beene long before if this pestilence had not beene so vniuersall and so mortall we might obtaine by our prayers a great deale more than we doe Psal 79 8. Therefore let vs pray as they did Remember not against vs the former iniquities but make hast and let thy tender mercies preuent vs for we are in great miserie Helpe vs O God of our saluation for the glorie of thy name and deliuer vs and bee mercifull vnto vs for thy names sake Wherefore should the Heathen say where is their God Here we see they pray to God to forgiue them their sinnes to remooue that punishment that was iustly laid vpon them for the same euen for the glorie of his owne name and so must we doe at this time if we will be heard that it may be known that he is a God of mercie that he is the hearer of prayers that he will be found of thē that seek him euen in due time Psal 10.1 in affliction And if the glorie of God did more take vs vp then might we hope to obtaine more things at his hands And thus againe the people of God prayed in their miseries Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs Psal 115.1 but to thy name giue the glorie for thy louing mercie and for thy truths sake wherfore shall the Heathen say when is now their God Our God is in heauen he doth whatsoeuer he will VVhere they pray God that he would doe that that might make most for his glorie not for their selues but for his mercie and truths sake that he might be praised So must we pray that God would so deale with vs in this visitation of his that he may be knowne to be our God and so honoured of vs and of all others so that whether he remooue it or it continue his glorie may be set forth by it and that done that may make most for it If we did pray in the zeale of Gods glory we might obtaine great things And assuredly if wee could come to these indifferent minds to haue or to forgoe health and other things as they might make most for the glorie of God then we should see how the Lord would deale with vs in this and all other things besides Therefore let vs be so inflamed with the zeale of Gods glorie that we may pray as the people doe here Giue me this and giue me that that we may sing of thy saluation and set vp our banners in the name of the Lord our God when he shall fulfill all our petitions And we shall find by experience that the more we seeke the glorie of God in any thing the sooner shall we haue it and in greater measure for God though he should forget vs yet he cannot forget the glorie of his name nor those that be carefull of it So then whether we aske the forgiuenesse of our sinnes or the increase of faith or any other of the graces of God to lead an holy life we must respect the glorie of God in them and that we and others may praise him for them Or
the ease and release of the affliction of our brethren that we may reioyce Here then we haue another reason to persuade vs to pray for those that are and haue beene a long time visited with the pestilence and the grieuous hand of God Wee should pray that the plague might cease from our brethren that we might reioyce for which they are in great heauinesse and feare night and day entreating the Lord that when it hath wrought his good worke in the hearts of all for which it is sent to commaund it to cease and to take it cleane away not onely that their sorrowfull hearts might be cheered vp and comforted after this long sorrow and so some light might arise vnto them after this darknesse but that all we our selues and the rest of our brethren in all parts of this land might reioyce in their saluation That so we might take into our mouths the words of the Psalme which were vttered after a great deliuerance Others said of them Psal 126.2 The Lord hath done great things for them but they said The Lord hath done great things for vs whereof we reioyce So we should not count our selues strangers from our brethren and from their good and speake of them as it were aloofe off when we should heare how the plague is stayed in such and such a place The Lord hath done great things for them but as though it were our owne case say The Lord hath done great things for vs whereof we reioyce and so we to reioyce in their saluation we accounting the good that is done to them as done to our selues And truly if all men did thus it were to be hoped that God would soon heare vs. This affection was in Paule when he wrote vnto Philemon and entreated him for his seruant Onesimus who had stollen something from him and was come away and cast into prison for it and Paule had conuerted him and then desireth him to pardon him and to receiue him againe not onely that his poore seruant might bee comforted who was now greatly troubled for his sinne but that Paule himselfe might reioyce in this great blessing bestowed vpon him when he sayth thus yea brother let me obtaine this pleasure of thee in the Lord Phile. 20. comfort my bowels in the Lord where he entreateth him that in pardoning and receiuing his seruant againe he would bestow that great benefit vpon himselfe comfort him in the Lord for so he would account of it and thus he preuailed for it and so might we with God much more for our brethren VVhether then we looke to this visitation of the pestilence or to any other calamitie that our neighbors shall be in we in their preseruation or deliuerance must thinke our selues greatly comforted in the Lord and therefore in all things pray for their good that wee might reioyce so God may heare vs if not for their sakes yet for our owne And this is that which we haue to obserue out of the fifth verse it followeth in the next The interpretation of the sixt verse Vers 6. Now know I that the Lord will helpe his annointed and will heare him from his sanctuarie by the mightie power of his right hand In this verse Dauid professeth beforehand that he did beleeue that God would heare him and would defend him from his enemies according to his prayers for hee was the authour and penner of this Psalme And in teaching the people thus to pray for him he would haue them also beleeue that God would heare them concerning these requests which they made in his behalfe that so they likewise might pray in the same faith And this faith of them all is expressed and declared not onely when they say that they did know that God would heare and send helpe but especially and most significantly in changing the number For whereas in the former verse they spake as a multitude euen the whole Church together saying That wee may reioyce in thy saluation and set vp our banners in the name of our God where three times they speake in the person of many Here as though there were but one that prayed they say I know and this they doe according to the nature of true faith which is to applie Gods promises and his merciful deliuerances particularly to euery man and woman and so say as it is in our Creed I beleeue in God and not we beleeue that is I am persuaded that hee is the God not onely of others but of me And so here though many did vse this praier together yet euery one was to haue this faith in themselues that they did know that God would heare them And what doe they or should they beleeue That God will helpe his annointed that is their king Dauid so called because he was by the commaundement of God annointed by Samuel the Prophet vnto that office 1. Sam. 16.13 and that he would heare his prayers and graunt his requests from his sanctuarie that is from heauen And thus they beleeue that God would doe by or with his right hand that is by his great power that he hath in himselfe whereby hee is able to doe all things and by the mightie helpe thereof that is that great helpe which he shall and will giue which none is able to resist And thus for the further strengthening of their faith they set before their eyes the great power of God whereby hee is able to defend all those that put their trust in him in all dangers whatsoeuer as also in the verse following they doe by comparison of the confidence of their enemies more fully expresse it saying Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God that is whereas others did trust in outward meanes as chariots and such like they did trust onely in the power and grace of Almightie God This teacheth vs to come so prepared vnto prayer that wee beleeue beforehand that God will heare our prayers We must pray in faith beleeuing that God will heare vs. and that we shall not pray in vaine but he will giue vs the thing that we aske And this faith is so requisit and necessarie that without it neither are our prayers acceptable vnto God neither can wee looke to receiue any thing at his hand Heb. 11.6 For without faith it is impossible to please God as in no other duties that we doe so not in prayer And faith is requisit in all those that aske any thing of God euen as all they that came vnto Christ in the dayes of his flesh to receiue any thing of him hee required of thē this first That they should beleeue For as it is said of them of his owne countrey when he was among them Matth. 13.58 Marc. 6.5 He could not doe many great workes there for their vnbeleefe sake he could haue done ynough his diuine power was sufficient but they had not faith to
pray thee deliuer mee from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau for I feare him least he will come and smite me and the mother vpon the children For thou saidest I will surely doe thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea which cannot be numbred for multitude So that when his brother Esau came against him with foure hundred men and he remembring his former inueterat mallice feared that he would destroy them all both young and old mother and children he prayeth vnto God for deliuerance and that he might doe it with assurance of being heard he looketh to Gods promises who had said that he would doe him good So must we doe in like maner I meane when we come to prayer we must throughly consider of Gods most gracious and mercifull promises which to that end are so infinit in number for the good both of our soules and bodies and for this life and the life to come and for our selues and others that I need not name any Our sauiour Christ speaketh thus vnto vs in the Gospell Matth. 7.7 Aske and it shall be giuen vnto you seeke and you shall find knocke and it shall be opened And againe thus the Lord speaketh in his owne person by the Prophet Psal 50.16 Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me and many such like we haue in the word of God Now these promises we must remember are not made vnto vs for our owne selues as for our owne worthinesse but for Christ Iesus sake Which are made vnto vs and fulfilled in Christ who hath sayd Iohn 16.22 That whatsoeuer we aske the father in his name he will graunt it vnto vs. For as the Apostle saith All the promises of God in Christ are Yea 2. Cor. 1.20 and in him they are Amen vnto the glory of God that is in him and for his sake shall most certainely be performed Therefore for the verifying and fulfilling of them vnto vs and for our assured hope of them in our prayers we must not stay in the consideration of our selues to say It is true in deed that God hath promised to heare me what cause is there in me that he should doe so for in our selues we shall find nothing but vnworthinesse and all causes to the contrary but we must looke only to the merits and worthinesse of Christ Iesus for whose sake they were first made and for whose sake they shall be all of them fulfilled And thus we may perceiue that one cause for our doubting and little assurance of being heard is the ignorance or not sufficient meditating vpon the truth of Gods promises Therefore when we come to prayer let vs thinke of them that by them we might know that God will heare vs for he that is faithfull hath so promised We must meditate vpon those promises specially which doe concerne our present estate And as we must thus generally meditate vpon the promises of God so because he of his infinit goodnesse hath made many promises vnto vs according to euery need of ours that we might be assured not onely generally that God will heare vs but particularly for that very thing that we stand in need of and haue prayed for we must specially giue our selues to the meditation of such promises as doe most neerely conceiue that case of ours And thus we haue alreadie seene how Iaakob did when he was returning from Laban to his fathers house at the commaundement of God and by the way was in great daunger as he thought of Esau he prayeth vnto God and though the Lord had made many other promises vnto him yet at this time he specially thinketh of that that God had sayd vnto him concerning that matter Gen. 32.9 and so beginneth his prayer thus Lord which saydest vnto me returne vnto thy countrey and to thy kindred and I will doe thee good deliuer me out of the hand of my brother Esau and then he returneth vnto the promise of God againe in these wordes For thou saydest I will doe thee good And so must we doe for the obtaining of this assurance As for example if we pray for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and the assurance of the same let vs seriously thinke vpon such promises as God in his word hath made to that end Ezek. 18.21 As at what time so euer a sinner repenteth him of his sinne from the bottome of his heart I will put out all his wickednesse out of my remembrance saith the Lord by his Prophet and againe what our sauiour Christ saith in the Gospell Matth. 11.28 Come vnto me all yee that are wearie and laden and I will ease you where he calleth all without exception So that if we find the burden of our sinnes intollerable vnto vs as they are in themselues and we are weary of them as of an heauie burden able to presse vs downe vnto the bottome of hell and there to hold vs for euer and doe vnfainedly repent vs of them and haue a full purpose to leaue them then praying to God for the forgiuenesse of them we may know assuredly that God will heare vs for here we haue his promise for it And so must wee doe for any thing else that we need and pray for as for this visitation of the plague As this state of ours in this visitation of the plague if we would pray for our brethren that are vnder it in some good assurance that God in his good time will of his vnspeakeable mercy and louing kindnesse remooue it or mittigate it let vs meditate vpon that which God hath promised to such kind of prayers as when the Apostle S. Iames saith Is any sicke among you let him call for the Elders of the Church Jam. 5.14 and let them pray for him and the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke and the Lord shall raise him vp and if he haue committed sinne it shall be forgiuen him thefore he willeth them to acknowledge their sinnes one to another that they might be healed for the prayer of a righteous man auaileth much if it be feruent VVhere we see what is promised to some few of the Church praying for them that are visited with sicknesse and that iustly also for their sinnes and for their offences that such prayers shall not be in vaine but most auaileable through Gods goodnesse for the pardoning of their sinnes and for the remoouing of the punishment of the same if so be that they that pray be righteous and holy men and pray feruently Then from hence may we be assured in the like case that if an whole Church and Congregation of Gods people yea many Churches in diuers places doe pray feruently for them and they that are sicke and vnder Gods hand will confesse their sinnes vnto him and repent them of them and by this plague of God iudge themselues for them
or any of ours if we had from time to time marked and remembred in all these how God hath answered vs gratiously we might now when we meet to pray for the remouing of this visitation haue had greater hope of being heard than we haue and greater assurance of Gods goodnesse towards vs. But seeing we haue beene so vnprofitable in times past to our owne hinderance let vs make the best vse of the time present that we can And therefore now seeing in this mortalitie of the plague we see so great fruit of our prayers at the last And namely how God hath lessened the plague at our prayers that as in other places it is greatly diminished so in the chiefest citie of this land it is fallen from three thousand and foure hundreth a weeke to lesse than two hundred for the which Gods name be praysed let vs profit by this experience to know what hee will doe for vs at all times when we pray And thus much out of these wordes both for the assurance of faith in which we should pray and for the meanes whereby we may attaine vnto it The nineteenth Sermon vpon the sixt verse Now know I that the Lord will helpe his annointed c. I Shall not need to call into your remembrance the doctrine of the last day gathered out of this verse Now know I. concerning the assurance of being heard that we should pray in which is so necessarie that without it we cannot pray acceptably to God comfortably to our selues nor profitably to others I am now to proceed and here to consider of these words where hee saith Now I know for seeing this faith that God will heare vs is so requisit in prayer it may be demaunded VVhy he did not begin with it at the first and to say in the beginning I know that God will heare but that he commeth to it so slowly and as it were at the last to say I know VVhat did he the author of the Psalme euen Dauid did he not know it vntill now that he sayth Now I know did he not know it before this time VVas all the former part of the prayer with doubting or without knowledge of this Or would he haue the people whom he taught thus to pray and left this forme for them not to haue this knowledge or not to labour for it till they come to this Yes vndoubtedly both himselfe did know in the beginning that the Lord did and would heare him els to what end did he pray and he would haue them euen at the first and before they began or spake one word to beleeue that God would heare them otherwise they could not pray in faith and so neither please God therein nor looke for any thing at the hand of the Lord for him VVhy then doth he himselfe say and teach thē also to say not onely VVe know but Now I know that God will helpe Surely to this end to shew that as he hath faith in the goodnesse of God that hee would heare him indeed so he had it in measure and it encreased in him by degrees By continuing in prayer our assurance of being heard encreaseth as it doth in all other men Therefore as hee was directed to make this prayer by the spirit of God so when he came to this part of it it did specially shew forth it selfe in the assurance of faith which hee had thereby and so caused him to breake out into these wordes Now know I because that by continuance in prayer he attained vnto a greater measure of faith and assurance than he had at the first And this great affection of the mind in prayer he was willing to commend vnto them to that end that they might both labour for it and looke to come vnto it euery one in their measure namely that the longer and the more earnestly they prayed for him the greater assurance they should haue by the spirit of God that the Lord did and would heare them And therefore though they did know at the first that God would heare them according to his will as hee had promised which promises they were not ignorant of yet by continuing in prayer or after their prayer they might looke to be further assured of it from God by his holy spirit that was in them For the Lord God vseth thus to worke by his spirit in those that be his that when their hearts are prepared aright to serue him As in all the parts of Gods seruice the longer wee continue in thē the more doth his spirit by them work in vs. the longer that they continue vnder the meanes of their saluation the more effectuall is the operation of his holy spirit in them thereby As for example in the hearing of the word of God they are more affected in the middest than they were at the beginning and many times most of all in the ending if they be diligent and attentiue hearers and not drowsie and carelesse and labour to stirre vp the spirit of God in themselues So is it in praying also when they come to it with due preparation of the heart the children of God doe often find that though they had some good measure of faith in Gods promises and feeling of his loue in the beginning yet by continuance in prayer the same was greatly enlarged and encreased in them so that it was more at the middest than at the first in so much that then they could say with greater freedome of the spirit and assurance of faith Now know I indeed that the Lord will helpe me and doth heare me from heauen and in the end they haue had more assurance and sometimes after they haue done praying most of all Thus their faith knowledge and assurance that the Lord did hear them it hath growne by degrees and encreased till it came to the full when they haue prayed feruently And hereupon it commeth to passe that we find in the Psalmes that very often they breake out into some sudden passion of ioy or glorying in the Lord and as it were boasting of the goodnesse of God towards them as though they had then euen alreadie obtained their desire because they felt and found that the Lord did giue them some good assurance of it As wee see how besides that which they professe here in the end of the Psalme they vtter these words of great confidence as though the victorie were alreadie gotten which if it had been it had beene in vaine to pray for defence against enemies they speake I say thus confidently They are brought downe and fallen but wee are risen and stand vpright And this is that which wee may obserue and most clearely see first of all in the third Psalme where hee beginneth his prayer very vncomfortably Thus Dauid beginning his prayer somewhat doubtfully endeth with great assurance Psal 3.1 and greatly complaineth of the multitude of his aduersaries that rebelliously were risen vp against him saying Lord
for dispight and sunke in because of all mine enemies Here we see that in these seuen first verses he complaineth most grieuously of his owne estate prayeth most feruently vnto God for deliuerance and no man can say more either to expresse the griefe of his mind or his feruent desire to haue releefe and comfort See then I pray you in the words following what a great alteration there is made in him of the sudden and what a wonderfull great change he findeth in himselfe when he sayth thus Away from me all ye workers of iniquitie Vers 8. for the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping The Lord hath heard my petition the Lord will receiue my prayers All mine enemies shall be confounded and sore vexed they shall be turned backe and put to shame suddenly VVhere he sheweth what gteat comfort the Lord gaue him at the last in this trouble of his euen that he should be deliuered out of it when his enemies looked that he should perish and be swallowed vp in it and he attaineth vnto so great assurance of this that he is not able to containe himselfe but againe and againe professeth that the Lord had heard his prayers and the voyce of his weeping And not onely that is to be marked but especially this that he commeth vnto this assurance not vntill the end of many long and feruent prayers and that in the beginning either he had it not at al or nothing in that measure that there he professeth it for then no doubt he would haue done it sooner and not so long haue fed himselfe with such grieuous complaints and lamentable outcries as there hee doth And so may we do for God giueth it by ordinarie meanes So is it possible for vs in what trouble soeuer we shall be in if we pray vnto God in all humilitie and sorrow for our sinnes as he did euen with great aboundance of teares for he saith That he watered his couch and made his bed to swim with them by which hyperbolicall kind of speech he meaneth That he wept very much not only in the day but euen in the night also and if we did pray with that feruencie that he did not fainting nor giuing ouer but stretching out our affections and desires according to our present need it is possible I say for vs to attaine by degrees vnto that measure of persuasion of Gods goodnesse towards vs that may suffice vs. And though wee come not to that great measure that was in this holy man because we pray not in that feruencie and zeale and tendernesse of heart that hee did yet in some acceptable measure and more than we had in the beginning For I am not of that opinion that this was inspired into him as he was a Prophet who had many things extraordinarie neither that any man can come to haue any assurance or full persuasion either of their saluation or that God heareth their prayers or of any other fauour from him without some reuelation and so it should be thought presumption in a man to say he is assured of such things but that God giueth this assurance and increaseth it by ordinarie meanes and namely and especially by prayer For seeing prayer is very fitly compared vnto wrastling or striuing as we haue seene heretofore by which we labour with all the power of our soules and bodies A comparison to shew the truth of it to obtaine some thing of the Lord as by bodily striuing men seeke to obtaine some masterie among men and thus the Apostle speaketh of it to the Romanes Rom. 15.30 Desiring them to striue with him by prayers to God for him as in striuing a mans strength is not alwayes greatest at the first neither can himselfe or others perceiue so well whether he shall ouercome but sometimes yea most vsually when after some paines taken his bodie is well heat he increaseth in strength of bodie and agilitie of lims whereby it commeth to passe that he findeth that in himselfe which giueth him greater hope of preuailing against his aduersarie than he had before So is it when we pray to God and as it were striue with him that though wee put all our strength vnto it at the first that is pray with all the desire of our hearts yet when by continuance in praier the spirit of God in vs is well heat as I may say and the heat of it increased we shall find that both our desires are greatly increased also our assurance from thence of being heard is inlarged So that in the middest or ending of our prayers we shall perceiue our minds more pacified and quiet and our selues more readie to submit our wils to the will of God and to rest in the hope of his defence and deliuerance than before VVhereof if we were asked though we could giue no great reason from outward things for all things are still with vs as they were before yet we find it to be true by experience and must account it a fruit of our prayer in that the Lord hath giuen vs greater assurance than wee had before and so we are contented to wait vpon him The like may bee shewed in many other Psalmes Another example of this in the person of Dauid as indeed that one booke as it is full of godly prayers so of notable examples of this kind of the working of the spirit of God in his children and seruants but for breuitie sake I will content my selfe with one or two now In the seuenteeth Psalme he prayeth vnto God to be preserued from his enemies either Saul or some other for indeed he had many and saith thus Heare the right Psal 17.1 O Lord that is my righteous cause consider my crie hearken vnto my prayer of lips vnfained Let my sentence come forth from thy presence and let thine eyes behold equitie Thou hast proued and visited mine heart in the night thou hast tried me and foundest nothing for I was purposed that my mouth should not offend Concerning the workes of men by the words of thy lips I kept me from the paths of the cruell man Stay my steps in thy path that my foot doe not slide Then he breaketh out into these wordes of comfort Vers 6. I haue called vpon thee surely thou wilt heare me O God incline thine eare to me and hearken vnto my wordes VVhere after many prayers and reasons to mooue the Lord to heare him as the goodnesse of his cause the vprightnesse of his mind the feruencie of his prayer and such like he saith that he did then assure himselfe that God would heare him and so doth continue his prayer vnto him in that assurance of faith But it is to be noted for this purpose that we haue in hand for which this is alledged that though in the beginning he prayed and then againe returneth to his prayer vnto the Lord that hee would heare him yet he putteth this in
is the cause of it and striue against that that so wee may come vnto it in time and in that measure that the Lord shall bestow it vpon vs. Secondly we must consider Another reason of it that this people doth pray very feruently and often for this That God would heare and helpe their king before they come to this assurance as appeareth by all the former wordes when they say The Lord heare thee the name of God defend thee send thee helpe and strengthen thee let him remember thine offerings and turne thy burnt offerings into ashes graunt thee according to thine heart fulfill all thy purpose c. VVhere there are many short and earnest petitions for the same thing which doubling of their words and of their requests in so great shortnesse doe sufficiently shew how feruently they prayed For wee must not thinke that they vse vaine babbling heaping vp a multitude of words without any sence feeling or desire of the thing answerable vnto the same as it is the manner of hypocrits and heathen to doe who vse repetitions and thinke to be heard for their much babling Matth. 6.7 against whom our Sauiour Christ speaketh in the Gospell But this prayer being first made by Dauid who had the spirit of God and for the Church which is ruled by the same spirit we may by their words very cleerely discerne see their spirit that they prayed with namely with great earnestnesse and feeling especially when this word Selah which noteth some great affection of the mind is added and thus doing they come to a greater assurance at the last I meane by this continuance in feruent prayer So in all the other Psalmes of Dauid which we alledged before wee see that he prayeth not coldly or in a word but very earnestly often and long before he professeth this assurance Therefore if we will come vnto it in our measure we must labour to haue the feeling of our want and to be troubled for it and so pray earnestly we must come also in the faith of Gods goodnesse and hope of being heard by considering the promises of his word and the fulfilling of the same we must continue in prayer and pray often for the same thing so shall it come to passe that we shall not onely beleeue beforehand generally that God will heare vs but more particularly in that very thing that we pray for find some assurance encreased in vs that he will helpe vs and we must wait vpon him also to haue a greater assurance of it wrought in vs afterwards Therefore let vs doe thus and see whether the Lord in many things that we pray for will not giue vs that assurance that he will helpe vs some way or other either by mitigating the thing that is vpon vs or deliuering vs cleane from it or giuing vs patience vnder it or encreasing our strength to beare it or turning it vnto our good so that wee shall see the more wee pray the more quiet shall we be in submitting our wils to the will of God and assuring our selues that some way or other the Lord will heare vs and helpe vs. And furthermore concerning this particular that they pray for euen for Dauid their king they had this assurance that God would heare him How we may be assured that God will hear vs for others and helpe him And so I doubt not but that many faithfull subiects and people in this land hauing in like maner prayed for their kings and queenes and gouernours God hath giuen them assurance that he hath heard them for them and the more that any haue done so the greater assurance haue they had As many praying for the life of our late Queene Elizabeth God did not onely preserue her person from a number of treasons intended against her but they had by their prayers comfort ouer it for the time to come that the Lord would do so still And so shal we now haue for his most excellent maiestie that now is though he be subiect to many perils as appeareth by the terrible murthers and treasons that haue already broken out against his royall person and whole progenie that if we vse to pray often for him publikely and priuatly and that feruently with all our desires and beleeue that he is the Lords anoynted that is that he is set ouer vs by the Lord in his iust title and inheritance As for the king that the Lord who is the defender of all right will not onely preserue him still maugre their heads as hitherto he hath done but will assure vs of it in some good measure that wee shall quietly submit our selues to his peaceable and gratious gouernment and not greatly feare the malitious attempts of his and our enemies But as hee is religious himselfe and vseth to pray for himselfe and putteth his trust in God so we praying often also and earnestly for him shall know more and more that the Lord will heare him and vs for him And this is true not onely of our gouernours but of all men so that if we vse to pray often for others and if they haue made knowne and commended their estate vnto vs to that end and we thereupon be feruent with the Lord for them And for them that are visited with the plague it will come to passe that not onely the Lord will heare vs for them but we shall haue good hope of it and so we shall haue comfort beforehand that God will doe good vnto them and the oftner that we pray for any in any distresse of theirs the more assurance shall we haue God in his good time will heare vs for them And I doubt not but that in this time of sicknesse and mortalitie many haue found this to be true by experience that by continuall and feruent prayer they haue not onely obtained this assurance for themselues that the Lord will helpe them but for others Let that experience mooue vs for the time to come to pray still for those that are in this visitation or in the feare of it that we may know at the last that the Lord will heare vs for them also and helpe them in his blessed time by the mightie power of his right hand which we beseech him that we may find at his mercifull hand for Iesus Christs sake our mediatour and redeemer Amen The twentieth Sermon vpon the sixt verse I know that the Lord will helpe his annointed and will heare him from c. Why the number is changed in these words of their prayer THis being the voyce of a multitude euen of the whole Church is set downe after this meanes not we know but I know in the singular number or person of one not onely for this cause that we haue alreadie heard of namely to teach them all that they should labour to pray in this faith That God would heare them all and euery one of them but also to shew that as Dauid the
Vers 22. to slay and destroy them when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir euery one helped to destroy another Here we see also in this common danger and feare when many prayed together there was one man at the least to whom God gaue this assurance to the great comfort of all the rest that he did openly say Now I know that the Lord will heare his anointed and helpe him from heauen by the mightie power of his right hand And though others in that companie could not say so yet God gaue it to him for all the rest who if he had beene wanting the rest might still haue languished in their feare vnlesse God had raised vp the spirit of some other In this respect we ought to make of the companie and presence of the godly And so wee see what a blessed thing it was to haue such a faithfull and zealous man in their companie to pray for them Therefore let vs make much of the company of the godly especially let vs be desirous to be partakers of their prayers that when as we be weake our selues and discomforted in our selues yet we may be strengthened and vpheld by them For as when one lyeth very sicke and like to die and all about him are in feare of it there may be a skilfull Phisition or some of great experience who may see great tokens of life in him more than all the rest so comfort them in hope of it when they are all discouraged So when many are in trouble and looke for no way but one as we say the Lord may so open the eyes of the mind of one who by faith after earnest prayer may see into that helpe that God hath promised in his word and comfort them with the hope of it And for want of this we are many times more dismayed in trouble than otherwise we might be Therefore in all affliction if wee desire comfort from God let vs desire those that are faithfull and godly to pray with vs and for vs. It followeth in the words of the text His annointed that is Dauid why so called that The Lord will helpe his annointed This is then further to be considered that Dauid prayeth himselfe and teacheth the people also so to doe That God would helpe his annointed by which word he meaneth himselfe and they meane Dauid their king VVho is so called because he was annointed with holy oyle to be king according to the custome of that time by which as by an outward visible ceremonie they that were made kings were seperated and put apart from the rest of the people and inuested into that office and high calling VVherby also they were taught to labour for those gifts of the holy ghost which were needfull for that function and to beleeue that if they did so God would bestow them vpon them in that measure that was most conuenient for them Now that Dauid was thus annointed to that office it is most euident in his storie where it is said that when Saule by disobeying of Gods commaundement in not killing the Amalekites was cast off from the right of the kingdome and Samuel was willed to goe tell him so 1. Sam. 15. Chap. 16.1 he still continued mourning for him vntill the Lord did reprooue him for it and bad him fill his horne with oyle and he would send him to Ishai the Bethleemite for hee had prouided a king among his sonnes and he did so and caused all his sonnes to come before him from the eldest to the youngest and when Dauid came the Lord said vnto him Arise and annoint him for this is he Vers 8. then Samuel tooke the horne of oyle and annointed him in the middest of his brethren and the spirit of the Lord came vpon Dauid from that day forward euen as it departed from Saule being cast off of God and an euill spirit was sent of the Lord to vex him Thus Dauid was annointed that is made king And because this was not onely ouer the people of God but specially by the commaundement of God therefore hee is called his annointed that is one appointed to be king ouer Gods people by the Lord himselfe euen as Dauid doth oftentimes call Saule in respect of his first annointing and calling The Lords annointed As when hee had Saule in a caue and his men persuaded him to kill him he said The Lord keepe me from doing that thing vnto my master 1. Sam. 24.7 The Lords annointed to lay mine hands vpon him for hee is the annointed of the Lord Chap 26.9 and at another time hee said to Abishai Destroy him not for who can lay his hands on the Lords annointed and be guiltlesse In this part of the prayer then hee doth assure himselfe that because hee had not intruded himselfe into that roome He confirmeth his faith in Gods defence by the lawfulnesse of his calling but was lawfully called thereunto by the Lord that therefore God would defend him in the same against his enemies and teacheth them to pray in that faith also That seeing God had set him ouer them to be their king and he was no tyrant or vsurper that therefore God would preserue him in that place whereunto he had called him and so from the lawfulnesse of his calling hee doth comfort himselfe and them that God would heare them for him and defend him And truly there was great reason of that for if an earthly king when he appointeth any to be iudges ouer his people doth also protect them in that office by his lawes and by all his subiects so that in their whole circuit they haue the Sherife of the Shire and all his men with the rest of the chiefe knights and gentlemen and other inferiour officers to attend vpon them because they represent the kings person and the Iudge he comforteth himselfe in all his lawfull affaires against all the desperat attempts of theeues witches murtherers and all malefactors that seeke to hurt him That the king who hath called him to that place will defend him in it and not suffer him to sustaine any dammage for the executing of his office then the Lord the king of kings appointing Dauid in this place and making him to be his vicegerent vpon earth ouer that people much more would defend him in it against his enemies And as this was true so he did beleeue it and taught them so to do and to pray in that faith that God would send helpe vnto him because he was his annointed And this that Dauid sayth here So may al lawfull princes is true not onely of his owne person but of all other kings and princes that are the Lords annointed that is who are come to their kingdomes lawfully either by free election or lineall discent and so are put in by God it is true I say that the Lord will defend them in all their lawfull attempts which they take in hand
Christ Father into thy hands I commend my spirit but also with S. Paul Luc. 23.46 Philip. 1.23 21. I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ for that is best of al for me for hee is vnto me euen in death aduantage And thus wee see what comfort wee may haue in this vncomfortable time of the pestilence if wee rightly beleeue that God is our defender as they professe here of themselues and of their King in saying The name of the God of Iacob defend thee The name of God Now for these words whereas they say The name of the God of Iacob therby they meane God himself but they thus speak of God because al the knowledge that we haue of God ariseth of the knowledge of his name and as to that end he hath giuen himselfe in the Scriptures sundrie names that thereby we might know not only what he is in himselfe so far as it is meet for vs to know but especially what he is to vs so by them by them principally we know him to be as he is not onely in himselfe but vnto vs. As when hee calleth himselfe a spirit we are not bodily to conceiue of him as the Papists doe By it we know what God is vnto vs. Jsai 26.4 and when he saith of himselfe I am that I am and calleth his owne name Iah and Iehoua that is hee that so is of himselfe alone that all other things haue their being of him and for him and as the Apostle expoundeth it in the Epistle to the Romanes Rom. 11.36 Of him and through him and for him are all things to him be glorie for euer Amen And when he is called God almightie Gen. 17.1 Nehem. 9.6 2. Cor. 1.3 and all sufficient Creator of heauen and earth the preseruer of all things most mercifull the God of all comfort and father of all consolation euen our father and our God who hath made a sure couenant with vs in Christ Ierem. 33.20 more sure than that of the day and of the night which cannot bee broken as to that end hee calleth himselfe the God of Abraham and of Isaack and of their seede and here the God of Iacob c. So wee by all these and the rest of his names and titles giuen vnto him know certainly what he is and will be vnto vs and what we are to look for from him And from this knowledge of the name of God ariseth confidence in prayer as when they know him From hence ariseth confidence in prayer and here call him the God of Iacob that is hee that hath made a couenant of mercie with him and with his posteritie that he will be their God and they shall be his people they may be bold to flee to him for succour and confidently call vpon him in the day of their trouble to heare them and to helpe them as they doe And the more that they know of his name that is of his goodnesse mercie truth power wisedome iustice c so may they the more boldly pray vnto him not doubting but that hee will be answerable to his name For if a mortall man stand so vpon the credit of his name that he will do many things to those that seeke him to preserue it then God will much more shew himself to vs to be such as he hath manifested himself vnto vs by his name And thus our Sauiour Christ to incourage vs to call vpon God hath in that forme of prayer that he hath taught vs to vse set before it the name of God and willeth vs to begin thus O our Father which art in heauen that we beleeuing him to be a father in affection to vs and almightie that is to haue all power in his hand to help ruling not only in earth but in heauen we might be bold to pray vnto him and to aske not doubting but that of his fatherly goodnes infinit power he will heare vs help vs. For as among men according to the good name that they haue for liberalitie and pitie As men that haue a good name are most sought vnto so will men bee readie to come vnto them in their neede and the poore will say I will goe to such an house for they haue a good name and are counted good to the poore and mercifull al men speak well of them for their liberalitie and this name of theirs giueth thē incouragement to come boldly often So when wee know God thus by his name it will make vs bold to come vnto him in prayer But if a man haue an ill name in the countrie and be accounted hard-hearted couetous a miserable wretch and one that will part from nothing vnmercifull like the rich glutton in the Gospell Luc. 16.19 1 Sam. 25.20 and euen a very churle as Nabal was then few or none will come vnto him for his very name driueth them away they know by the report that goeth of him what he is The ignorāce of Gods name hindreth men from prayer and what they may looke for from him before they come Or if a man be neuer so mercifull and others know it not and so they are ignorant of his good name that hee hath and that hee is worthie of they cannot with any good hope come vnto him for they know not what he is they haue heard nothing of him at all So when by vnbeleefe we hardly conceiue of God of his goodnes or for wāt of knowledge are ignorant of his good name euen of al his mercie of his truth pitie Deut. 28.58 and compassion that is in him and so know not his great and glorious name we can haue little or no hart at al to come vnto him in trouble and seek vnto him for help by prayer as these did here And this maketh some so forward vnto prayer they are so well acquainted with the name of God that they doubt not of speeding and others again are so backward vnto it they are so wholy ignorāt of his name Therefore as if wee had any dealing by the way of petition and supplication with a great man wee would inquire after his name and what report hee had in the countrie and according to that wee would proceede or stay So that wee might come to God in our neede with confidence as Dauid and the people doe here let vs inquire after his name that is let vs in the Scripture see how he is called mercifull yea the God of all mercie and the father of all consolation Psal 65.2 the hearer of prayers our father and our God and all good is spoken of him there that so we may come boldly hoping that wee shall finde him as good as his name and so pray Exod. 32.11.12 Numb 14.13.14.15.16.17.18.19 as Moses doth often in the wildernes for the people of Israel that God would heare him and be mercifull vnto them euen for the glorie of
haue it they begin to bethinke themselues how and which way to accomplish it and then taking counsell with themselues or others they deuise and determine to doe so and so as Dauid might doe in this case This counsell of his and purpose whatsoeuer it was he willeth them to pray to God for him that he would fulfill that so he might haue his desire and Gods prouidence might be serued thereby This word Purpose the most and the best doe translate Counsell And so the meaning of it is that whatsoeuer he should aduise himselfe to doe by good counsell for the effecting of his desire and whatsoeuer things he should put in practise vpon mature deliberation to that end that that counsell and those meanes God would blesse and giue a good successe vnto and so bring the thing to passe So that we see with what humilitie and distrustfulnesse of himselfe he speaketh acknowledging his owne insufficiencie to be so great that hee was so vnable of himselfe to bring to passe his owne desires though they were good and in a lawfull cause that when he had taken the best counsell for it yet that should be in vaine and altogether frustrate and doe him no good at all vnlesse God blesse it Therefore here he prayeth vnto God for his blessing vpon his consultations and good purposes and desireth them to help him with their prayers therin both that God would direct him to those meanes that might best serue his prouidence and that he would giue good successe vnto the same and that he might not fall into any vaine courses or as it were crooked wayes They aske of God good counsell and the successe of the same which the Lord did not purpose to worke by This then must pull down the high minds of those proud conceited men who thinke so highly of themselues and of their owne wit that they presume that for euery thing they are all sufficient of themselues for in all matters that shall befall them they can tell presently what to doe they can tell how to aduise themselues sufficiently they haue counsell ynough at home and so can bring all their matters to passe For though I graunt it to be true that it is a great blessing of God vpon any that in time of need they know what is to be done for many times for want of good counsell men are in doubfull matters greatly perplexed and almost at their wits end yet they must thus thinke that when they haue the best aduise that can be from thēselues or others yet the successe of it depends only vpon the blessing of God and so they must seeke vnto God for it as Dauid doth here though he was very wise of himselfe For it is sayd of him when he was but young 1. Sam. 18.30 That when the princes of the Philistims went foorth at their going forth to warre he behaued himselfe more wisely than all the seruants of Saul so that his name was much set by And for the repressing of this foolish presumption of our owne wisedome to be able to bring all matters to passe the Prophet Ieremie giueth a good lesson saying Thus saith the Lord Jere. 9.23 let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man glory in his strength neither the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me For though a man haue wisedome to deuise God onely establisheth and ouerthroweth mens counsels strength and riches to bring to passe and where these three concurre there is likelihood of great matters yet euen then God onely bringeth the purpose to passe For either we shall not resolue vpon the best or take good counsell when it is giuen vs or if we doe God can destroy it This we see to be true in the counsell of Achitophell who was one of the wisest men of his time in so much that that which he counselled was like as one had asked counsell at the oracle of God 2. Sam. 16.23 when in the conspiracie of Absalom he gaue counsell one way and Hushay the Archite gaue counsell another way though the first counsell was best at that time yet it was not followed Chap. 17.14 but all of them sayd The counsell of Hushai is better than the counsell of Achitophell For the Lord had determined to destroy the good counsell of Achitophell that he might bring euill vpon Absalom Thus we may here learne that it is in God onely to ouerthrow or to establish the counsels of men euen of the wisest according as he is purposed to doe good vnto or bring euill vpon them So was it also in the dayes of King Rehoboam the sonne and heire of Solomon when in the beginning of his raigne the people came vnto him with this petition 2. Chron. 10.4 That he would make the grieuous yoake which his father had put vpon them lighter and they would serue him and he bad them depart for three dayes and then come againe for an answere and in the meane time he asked counsell of the wise auncient experienced men which had serued his father and they gaue him good counsell that he should yeeld to them in this request and he after conferred with the young men who had bene his pages and brought vp with him and they gaue him ill counsell as appeared by the sequell That he should take it vpon him like a king and speake roughly vnto them and so he did refusing the good counsell of the auncient men And thus though their counsel was good God did not fulfill it and though it was offered vnto him he did not take it because the Lord would bring that vpon Solomon which he had threatned by Ahiiah the Prophet That for their idolatrie 1. King 11.31 ten tribes should be rent away from his kingdome in the dayes of his sonne as also came to passe for when they heard the answere of the king ten tribes fell away to Ieroboam and could neuer be recouered So that whensoeuer we determine to doe any thing as we ought to take counsell and doe nothing rashly and vnaduisedly as many doe for then we shall thriue thereafter so we must also beleeue that God must bring all things to passe and so pray to him for it continually So that all men when they haue the best counsell in the world if it were as good as Achitophels they must seeke to God by prayer for his blessing vpon it if they will haue things to thriue prosper with them When we haue taken the best counsell we pray to God for the successe of it And this is true in all things as if we haue to deale with men that seeke to oppresse vs any wayes we must take the best counsell that we can to defend our selues and then pray to God that hee would bring things to passe otherwise our owne counsell and purpose shall doe vs no good against their
by vertue of their office so farre as may make for his glorie and the good of his Church And in that respect all people that haue such set ouer them to raigne may with great freedome and comfort pray for them That the Lord would defend them in all dangers euen as hee hath set them ouer them at the first Therfore seeing the Lord hath vouchsafed vs this mercie to giue vs such a worthie king to raigne ouer vs who is his annointed that is one that commeth to the crowne not by vsurpation by murthering the right heires as some haue done not by tyrannicall inuasion and conquest but by inheritance lineally descending from his auntient progenitors the noble kings of this realme therefore I say we may with great assurance pray to God for him In this respect we may with great hope pray for the life of our king Prouerb 28.2 that as hee hath hetherto ouerthrowne the plots of traytors in his owne countrey of Scotland and in this kingdom also of England both of them his iust inheritance so it would please him to doe still and so he will doe if our sinnes doe not deserue the contrarie For many times because of the sinnes of the people a land often changeth her princes as the VViseman saith and as we see in the kingdome of Israel falling vnto idolatrie 1. King 16.8 that in the space of one yeare they had three or foure kings successiuely to raigne ouer them Therefore seeing it is our bounden dutie to pray for him 1. Tim. 2.1 according to the doctrine of the Apostle who willeth That supplications and prayers intercessions and giuing of thankes be made for all men and namely for kings and all that are in authoritie let vs be willing to doe it the rather because he is the Lords annointed that is come to the crowne by all lawfull and peaceable meanes approoued in the law of God that so wee may say from thence I know that the Lord will helpe his annointed So that though we could haue no comfort from our selues that we should be found worthie of such a prince yet seeing it hath pleased the Lord in the riches of his mercie to set him ouer vs for the good of this land wee may hope that he will haue respect vnto his annointed and not to suffer men to put downe him whom he himselfe hath set vp Euen as we had great experience of this in the dayes of our late Soueraigne the Queene how the Lord did miraculously preserue her out of the hands of the Papists her enemies when she was cast into prison and as she then said of her selfe Tanquam eius as a sheepe euery houre readie to be carried to the slaughter and at the last brought her to the kingdome so in the same he did as wonderfully preserue her in many dangers and conspiracies because shee was his annointed Dauid in many troubles prayeth in hope of Gods defence because he was his annointed And thus Dauid doth often comfort himselfe in his prayers when hee was in great trouble and in feare of the losse sometimes both of his kingdome and life and that both before he came to the crowne and after he comforteth himselfe with this That he was the Lords annointed that is that Samuel did annoint him to bee king by the commaundement of God and that that was not done vnto him in vaine but that the Lord who had called him vnto it would both bring him to it in time and defend him in it to the end As when hee was kept from the publicke assemblies by Saule and his great crueltie who neuer left seeking after his life but hunted after him continually 1. Sam. 26.20 as a man would after a Partridge as he sayth of himselfe whereupon he was driuen sometimes to hide himselfe and sometimes to flie out of the land and very seldome durst be seene openly he prayeth thus O Lord God of hostes heare my prayer Psal 84.8 hearken O God of Iaakob behold O God our shield and looke vpon the face of thine annointed that is not onely and principally vpon thy sonne Iesus Christ the Messiah who is appointed to be king and sauiour of the Church and for his sake doe it but looke vpon me whom thou hast appointed to be king and as thou knowest I haue not thrust in my selfe for then I might well thinke that all this were iustly come vpon mee And thus may all lawfull kings comfort themselues in all their lawfull proceedings against all the malitious attempts of their desperat enemies That God will defend them because of their calling and place that they be in and people that he hath set them ouer and say Looke vpon the face of thine annointed that is consider good Lord the place that I am in And so doth Dauid againe in the second Psalme where he doth with great admiration complaine of the multitude and maliciousnesse of his enemies saying Psal 2.1 Why doe the Heathen rage and the people murmure in vaine the kings of the earth band themselues and the princes are assembled together against the Lord against his Christ or annointed saying Let vs breake their bands and cast their cords from vs. VVhere because he was a figure of Christ therefore he speaketh of himselfe vnder that name calling himselfe the Lords Christ or the Lords annointed as wee see how afterwards it was verified in the person of Christ himselfe Act. 4.27 as the Apostles expound it in their prayer and say Doubtlesse against thine holy sonne Iesus whom thou haddest annointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered themselues together But afterwards Dauid comforteth himselfe in the same Psalme with hope of Gods defence Psal 2.5 because of his calling and bringeth in the Lord speaking thus of him Then he shall speake vnto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure saying Euen I haue set my king vpon Sion mine holy mountaine as if hee had said he is my king and I haue set him vp therefore I will defend him VVhereas if he had set vp himselfe he could not haue had this comfort But I see that I cannot finish this doctrine at this present but must leaue it vnperfect vntill the next day The one and twentieth Sermon vpon the sixt verse The Lord will helpe his annointed and will heare him from his Sanctuarie by the mightie helpe of his right hand Euery man may comfort himselfe in the lawfulnesse of his calling COncerning the doctrine of faith in Gods prouidence and defence that we ought to haue from the lawfulnesse of our callings which out of these words we began to entreat of the last day it is further to be obserued that it is true not onely of kings and princes of whom it is here directly spoken but of all inferiour callings in the Church and commonwealth That whosoeuer is in any such place which is