23. Hebr. 13. 15. Reas 1 It is not the pretending to but the reall having Relation to God that will prevail in prayer Wee must be children as well as call our selves so and God must be and not only be called Our Father else there is little hope of audience and acceptance Now this Relation is founded in Christ Wee are none of God's by Adoption if Christ be not our's by a cordiall acceptation for consider what are wee to God in our faln ' estate and while out of Christ not children but aliens enemies Rebels c. see Col. 1. 21. Eph. 2. 13. Wee were indeed the Sons of God by Creation and might have had in that primitive Condition immediate access to and communion with him but together with our purity wee lost our Priviledge and now there is no such emboldning Relation but by Christ The way of immediate communion is shut up and now Christ is our way Wee are adopted in him Eph. 1. 5. and therefore all the priviledges of our Sonship are derived through him What high presumption would it bee for a Beggar that hath no Relation to come to a King or great Person and call him Father the like presumption in a higher degree are wee guilty of when wee presume to come to God as Father without Christ and as its likely the King would punish an act so presumptuous with great severity so doubtless will God What had you to doe to call mee Father will God say who never had nor would have Interest in him by whom you should have power or priviledg to be called the Sons of God Bold John â— 12. and audacious Sinners prove your Relation Did you ever accept my Son for your Elder Brother were you ever implanted into him where 's my Benjamin why have you not brought him along with you if ever you hope to see my face Oh how will this confound and put to silence every such presumptuous soul that durst groundlesly come to God with meer pretence of Relation It is a sweet note of an Ancient upon that Scripture John 20. 17. I ascend unto my Father Greg. in locum and your Father and to my God and your God Since saith hee our Saviour calleth God his God and theirs why doth hee not say in common our God to wit because hee and wee have not God our God in the like manner My Father by nature yours by grace My God from whom I descended yours to whom you shall ascend Mine first and because mine therefore yours also that beleeve in mee So that all our Interest in God as our Father in a speciall manner flowes from Christ and our approaches to him must be by Christ Reas 2 As Christ is the foundation of our Interest so is his merit and intercession of our acceptance hee is not only Elder Brother but our high Priest so that all our hope to speed depends on him hee is our Goel our Kinsman our only friend in the Court of heaven by whom wee have admittance audience and acceptance Therefore wee should by no means neglect to take him along with us in all our addresses to the Father Paul's Mediatory letter on Onesimus his behalf who had been an unfaithful servant and a fugitive was not so prevailing to procure Philemon's acceptance of him again into his service as is Christs Intercession to procure Gods favourable respects towards us Use 1 To make some short improvement of this Copious and important Truth It may be matter of sad reflection upon many of our duties How often have wee goe to God without our Mediarour How often have many repeated this form and yet never thought of Christ â—or lookt after him Surely it is an high affront to the Majesty of heaven that sinfull dust and ashes should dare to entitle it self to him in that speciall Relation without Interest in Christ such presumption cannot but be highly provoking That many are guilty of it may appear by these t woor three convincing evidences 1. The notorious ignorance of many about Christ and his mediatory office I may say as the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 34. Many have not the knowledge of God so of Christ I speak it to your shame They have the name of Christ often in their mouths it may be to swear by it but alas they are utterly strangers to any distinct knowledge of him what hee is or how hee is made ours or how wee are to come to God by him are to them unintelligible Mysteries and as a book sealed Now it is impossible they should come to God by Christ who are grossly ignorant in these things Knowledge of Christ is necessarily presupposed to interest in him and without interest there is no coming to God by him Oh think how often many of you have called God Our Father and yet are ignorant of the Son by whom hee is Our Father 2. The palpable unbelief of many evinceth their guilt in this particular Faith is the ground of our Interest and the hand with which wee take hold of Christ But alas may I not take up the Prophet's complaint Isa 53. 1. Who hath beleeved our Report who say you why all of us wee hope pitty hee should live that will not beleeve on his Saviour wee are verily perswaded and none shall drive us out of that perswasion that Christ died for us c. Poor self-deluded souls how easy is it to deceive your selves with such a presumptuous conceit but I must tell you Faith is no such easy matter nay it is a sad sign that such never knew what it was to beleeve that come so lightly by it and can keep it up constantly without trouble or interruption But let mee ask you Where had you your faith by what means came you by it Rom. 10. 14 17. Faith comes by hearing c. Did you ever experience your hearts bowed and perswaded by the word to close with Christ Again what effect hath your faith upon your heart if true it purifies the heart Acts. 15. 9. Where are the fruits of it that should demonstrate it to others faith is no better than dead if alone Shew mee thy faith by thy works Jam. 2. 14. Alas are not the irregular and Atheisticall lives of many men undeniable evidences of their infidelity what surer demonstration of unbelief raigning in the heart then impiety and profaneness prevailing Psal 36 1. in the life so that as the Transgression of the wicked said in Davids heart i. e. convinced and perswaded him that there was no fear of God before his eys so may I say that the open debauchery fraud oppression atheisme uncleanness c. of many say plainly that there is no faith in their hearts and where there is no true faith it is impossible the soul should come to God by Christ since faith is absolutely requisite in that case 3. The Pharisaism and self-confidence of many shews they doe not come to God by Christ For to depend
shall we be fully delivered from all evil and shall soon forget all our sad conflicts all our tears and sighs and earnest cries in the dayes of our fears and temptations when we have once the Crown of glory set upon our heads and the Palms of Victory put into our hands Direct 2. But then that we may prevailingly pray this Petition our Spirits must be suited thereunto we must in this sense pray with the Spirit as well as with our Understanding therefore 1. Come to God under a deep sense and thorow conviction of our own inability to resist and propensity to run into Temptation as also of our sins for which God might in justice leave us and give us up to it Oh labour to see and feel your slavery Epectet Enchirid. Cap. 65. how prone you are upon all occasions emergencies and providences to run upon that which tends to your everlasting ruin how apt to take every thing that I may allude to that of the Sâ—oâ—ck by the worse handle and rather abase it toyouâ— hurt than improve it for your good Till our hearts be thus affected we shall never to purpose pray this Petition 't is not only a sense of misery but of our utter inability to help our selves that will open our mouths wide in prayer Till we see our selves as the Isralites at the Red sea so surrounded that there is no hope of escaping so entangled and fettred that we cannot possibly extricate our selves we shall never heartily and earnestly pray Lead us not into temptation c. 2. Get your hearts under a perswasion of the goodness power and faithfulness of God and under a firm belief of those many gracious promises which hold forth succour relief and comfort to the tempted be fully perswaded that God both can and will help since he never fayled one way or other to rescue the soul that sincerely sought him That the weakest unworthiest Christian betaking himself under his power and protection shall have seasonable succour and deliverance to which purpose that Psal 91. is sweet and suitable both to meditate upon and to plead with God This perswasion is necessary in asking any thing at Gods hand Jam. 1. 6. But I the rather propose it here because under some kind of temptations we are so averse to beleeve ready to say There is no hope that as the Eunuchs Isa 56. 3. we are a drie tree and as the Isralites Ezek. 37. 11. our bones are dried and our hopes is lost and we are cut off for our parts Which of the Saints have not flag'd and fainted under some kind of temptations read Psal 73. 77 88. 'T is no easy matter to act faith upon the promises when we see a contrary series of providences how hardly was Moses credited that deliverance was so nigh when the bricks were doubled And at the Red-sea how little impression did that word Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord probably make upon many of their hearts when they saw nothing but imminent destruction before their eyes But that we may rightly pray for deliverance when under temptation we must labour to hope against hope and to beleeve light shall arise when we see nothing but darkness Faith in the promises exercised in prayer is a singular means to engage Gods power on our behalfe for our support and deliverance under and from temptations 3. Get a frame of heart full of holy jealousy and self-suspicion fearing and declining occasions and temptations which lead us into sin 't is a flat contradiction to this Petition when we pray Lead us not and yet wilfully throw our selves into temptation neither have we a promise or scarce a president of any preserved from temptations which through their own negligence or wilfulness they have run upon 'T is a good observation of one upon that Act. 2. 40. Save our selves That God will not save those that do not endeavour to save themselves Practise up therefore to this Petition never think or expect that God will give you such a preservative that shall secure you from the poyson of temptation though you run into any infected and infecting Aire or Company the precept is Watch as well as Pray that you enter not into temptation Luk. 22. 40. 'T is in vain to disjoin these duties which God hath united prayer without watching is presumption and watching without prayer is self-confidence Happy and safe is that soul that sincerely practiseth them in conjunction we must as cautelously shun occasions as if all lay upon our care and yet as earnestly pray for preservation as if all our endeavours were as indeed they are nothing at all Then may we hopefully conclude we shall he kept from temptation when in our utmost endeavours to keep our selves we intrust our selves in Gods hand and commit our selves to his keeping With such a frame therefore must we come to God 4. And which is common to all the rest of the Petitions and therefore I would have you subjoin it to each though I only name it here with a frame of spirit full of hearty desires towards others As we should go to God as a common Father so our prayers should be common prayers others as well as our selves should be interessed in what we pray for according to their necessities but of this the Preface gave us occasion to speak Thus I have done with the body of this compleat pattern of prayer there remains only the conclusion which I shall briefly touch upon as having already performed what I mainly intended CHAP. X. THE CONCLUSION For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever Amen WE are now come to the third general in this prayer which is the Conclusion consisting of 1. A Doxology or ascription of praise wherein three things are acknowledg'd as belonging to God A concluding Sealing word common to all prayers Amen Besides The connexive particle for which is here Aetiological shewing a reason why we have asked all these things of God is remarkable I intend not a full handling of it Whether it was added by our Saviour or crept in afterwards being borrowed from the 1 Chron. 29. 11. is a question yet undetermined And Daniel 7. 14. saith usher Erasmus his censure is harsh who not content to deny it to be of our Saviour's addition is pleased to say that they that added it did Divinae Precationi suas nugas assuere patch the Lord's prayer with their trifles Scultetus as one quotes him Seconds Erasmus telling us that it is not in some of the Ancientest Greek Copies nor in the Arabick version nor in any of the Latin Translations that it is expounded by none but by the Vulgar and Chrysostom and therefore thinks it probable that it was added by the solemn custom of the Greeks and afterward transferred into the Text yet the Affirmative wanteth not its usher Summ and subst of Christian Relig. P. 378. Patrones One and that one in stead of
and stinted forms much less that those who have praying abilities should be enforced by others to rest in them If ignorance bashfulness defect of memory of other distemper may render it excusable and necessary to some is it fit all should rest in their measure Where then will be that coveting earnestly the best gifts or why 1 Cor. 12. ult should those who are excellently gifted that way be hindered from the use and exercise of that gift because others want it Perkin's Casts lib. 2. cap. 6. They that allow such helps do but look upon them as Crutches to support those that cannot go without them why should they that are whole and sound be compelled to use them I think I may lay down this as an undoubted Truth that by the use of those helps which God hath afforded us not only Ministers but most ordinary Christians except in case of some extraordinary defect of memory or distemper of mind or body may attain to a competent measure of ability this way Let but Christians study the Word and their own hearts together labour to acquaint themselves with their own sins wants temptations afflictions and then give themselves to the conscionable practice of this duty in secret and doubtless they shall find themselves grow in abilities What Solomon saith in another Prov. 22. 17 18. case I may apply hither Bow down thine ear and hear the words of the wise and apply thy heart unto my knowledge For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee they shall with all be fitted in thy lips Let the Word have entrance into the heart it will even as to this duty teach thee utterance Let thy heart be inditing good matter Psal 45. 1. it will make thy tongue as the Pen of a ready Writer If the heart be stored with spiritual knowledge it will get it self vent even this way Verbaque praevisam rem non invit a sequentur Horat. I speak nothing but what may be confirmed by the Instances of many able prayerful Christians whose gifts this way may put those to the blush that carry the name of Ministers of the Gospel and yet not only fall short of them but do not so much as endeavour the attainment of that gift Well such gifts are ordinarily attainable and therefore we should labour after them and this I shall I think with good reason affirm That in case we have such abilities or may in the use of means attain them but yet through laziness or in complyance with the times or mens humours will not labour after them or having them will not improve them here to accustom our selves to a constant Road or Track of words and expressions without variation must needs be a restraint upon the Spirit I shall here again take the liberty to speak in the words of the Author who hath given us Amesius ubi supra three or four solid Reasons why such forms are not to be rested in 1. Because a prescribed form since it doth not follow but lead our affections doth that less perfectly which is of the nature of prayer He means if I rightly understand him that whereas prayer mainly consists in the expatiating of the affections and reachings of the soul after God words being but the overflowings as it were of the heart especially in secret prayer it must needs be that our affections must be tyed up within the compass of our expressions and cannot so freely expatiate have not so large a field to walk in so that a form in this cafe is much like a weight which Huntsmen hang upon their swiftest Dogs to make them keep even with their fellows To him that hath abilities it is a Hysteron Proteron and makes the Affections follow which should lead in that duty 2. In a prescribed form we cannot so particularly express our desires and wants to God He that knows any thing of his own condition knows that he is subject to daily changes which it is impossible â—â— stated form should reach New corruptions and temptations to be prayed against new sins to be confessed wants to be supplyed Changes of condition and occurrences of Providence call for suitable confessions petitions thanksgivings besides the concernments of Church Nation Family neighbourhood particular Christians to which a stinted form cannot be accommodated It is true there may be such general Heads couch't in a form as may glance at all these but these cold generals cannot so affect us as we ought to bâ— affected God knows before we ask and better than we can tell him what our sins and wants are and indeed if it were the end of prayer only to inform God we might spare our labour But he would have us feel our own sins and wants and to be affected with the condition of his Church and people in which respect our prayers should descend into particulars for as he saith specialia pungunt particulars impress most and do most deeply affect us 3. The Spirit of God is wont in prayer to excite special affections in our hearts which are often hindered by our constant sticking in a form there can be no further excitations than the matter of the prayer is apt to beget whereas in conceived prayer the Spirit of God hath as I may say more room and liberty to work upon our hearts to cast in suitable promises which we may plead with God c. 4. Under a prescribed form oscitancy and sluggishness is more apt to seize upon us I say not that it must necessarily be so but I fear it is the too ordinary experience of those that use a constant form It is too true that formality may and doth creep into our duties when performed in the most spiritual manner how often alas is the gift of prayer exercised where praying graces are not Yet surely in a conceived prayer there is something more to call out the soul to attention while we are cloathing the sense of our hearts in fit expressions and as it were digging the matter of our prayers out of our own feelings and experiences it must needs keep the heart closer at work 5. I add that as to others that joyn a prayer accommodated to the present condition of Church or Nation to the present state of the Place Town City or People must needs stir up more kindly affâ—ctions and carry their hearts more along with it than a cold general form that is no more fitted to one time or place or condition than to Prov. 15. 23. 25. 11. another A word and so a prayer in season how good is it A word fitly spoken upon the wheels is like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver For instance we will suppose a poor creature strugling with despair lying under that insupportable burden of a wounded Spirit How sweet is it to such a soul if the Lord please to go along with it to have his condition spread before the Lord to have his
is possible that some who know God Rom. 1. 21 may not glorify him as God yet it is impossible that they that know him not should so glorify him therefore wee may take up on the behalf of our selves and others that excellent prayer of Paul for his Ephesians Ephes 1. 17 18 19. So likewise wee may begge deliverance from Atheism Idolatry Errour falshood from looseness carelesness and unsuitable walking from wretched profaneness damnable hypocrisy self-seeking affâ—ctâ—tion of applause and vain glory all which stand in a direct opposition to Gods glory pray that God will pull downe that great Idoll self which like Bel in the Apocryphall story devoures all and robs God of his glory that hee will lay us and others low in our owne eys that hee will put us in mind wee are not our owne 1 Cor. 6. 20. and therefore shou'd glorify him in our bodies and Spirits 2. And as to Helps pray wee that God will work in us those abilities give us those graces bestow on us those blessings and afford us those opportunities whereby with and for which wee may most sanctify him It would be infinite to particularize indeed to reckon up the means relating to this part of the Petition would be to run through the whole duty of man and all the other Petitions are but means subordinate to this yet to instance in some things especially conducing hereunto 1. Pray for the sanctifying work of Gods Spirit upon your hearts 'T is impossible you should sanctify Gods name aright till hee sanctify your nature man indeed was a well tuned instrument fitted to celebrate the glory of his Creatour but the Fall him quite out of order and no hand but his that made can mend it Put in suit that promise for your selves and others Isa 43. 21. that God will form you for himself that you may how forth his praise and as Luk. 1. 74 75. wee may serve him without feare in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of our life That hee will tune your hearts and open your lips that c. That hee would work in you all those graces of knowledg love saith fear delight zeal c. which may be as so many strings sounding forth his glory so that your hearts may be as David inditing Psal 45. 1. good matter that you may make things touching the King even the Lord of hosts and that they may be in such a frame as to be apt to take all occasions to glorify him â—â— wee see David's was from the contemplation of his works and providences Psal 8. 1. and 57. 7. and 104. Tot and 108. 1. O God my heart is fixed c. 2. And that God will make us and others fruitfull and aboundant in every good work since as it is in John 15. 8. herein is our heavenly Father glorified if wee bring forth much fruit 'T is not the great talker but the holy and circumspect walker that brings glory to God bespeak God therefore that you and others to whom the grace of God hath appeared may be effectually taught to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts Tit. 2. 11 12. That you may be stedfast unmoovable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord. 1 Cor. 15. ult pray that your light may so shine Matth. 5. 18. That you may be holy in all conversation and godliness 2 Pet. 3. 11. 3. A third advantage of glorifying God will be if wee pray that God will so dispose of us and all our concernments that we may be in the fittest capacity to glorify him That as he hath made us for that end he will so dispose of us that we may be alwayes instrumentall for it That all his providences may both administer matter and excite our hearts to praise him to this purpose you may borrow the words of Agur Prov. 30. 8 9. Give mee neither poverty nor riches c. left I should be full and deny thee and say Who is the Lord. Or left I should be poor and steal and take thy name in vain q. d. Lord I find my heart in either extream apt to dishonour thee I therefore beg a mean condition as most fitting me for my main end which is thy Glory This should be the import of our prayer 4. That our lips may be opened our tongues toucht with a coal from Gods Altar that wee may be enabled to speak of God with that reverence where-with it becomes us and to give him the calves of our lips the sacritice of praise â— borrow to this purpose the words of David Psalm 51. 15. Lord open thou my lips that my mouth may shew forth thy praise Pray with him Psalm 71. 8. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day that the word may be fitted to your lips Prov. 22. 18. Psalm 126. 2. 5. In a word that when soever Gods glory comes in competition with any self-advantage with any pleasure profit oâ— worldly accommodation you may be enabled to preferre that to all your owne concernment in the words of David Psal 115. 1. That as the 24. Elders Rev. 4 10 11. you may take the Crowns from your heads and lay them at the feet of God and ascribe all to him nothing to your selves Thus for the matter of your Petitions in conformity to this Direct 2. But it is not enough that the matter of your Petitions be according to your pattern but you are also to endeavour that the frame of your hearts be suited to the matter of your Petition It is easy to amplify in words upon this or any other of the Petitions but not so easy to get a right frame of spirit Therefore 1. Labour after a frame of spirit exceedingly enlarged in apprehensions of the infinite excellencies and essentiall glory of God else you doe but mock God Endeavour that your hearts may be hot within you Psal 39. 3. may boyle up good matter Psal 45. 1. Then are our prayers right when our apprehensions are much wider then our expressions when it is with us in this case as it was with Elihu Job 32. 18. When wee are full of matter and the spirit within us constraineth us when our belly is as wine which hath no vent and ready to burst like new bottles 2. Get a heart very sensible and tender of Gods dishonour such a frame as that of David Psal 42. 10. As with a sword in my bones they reproach mee while they say Where is now thy God When as Psal 69. 9. The zeal of Gods house and name eates us up and the reproaches of those that reproach God fall upon us when the darkning of Gods glory goes nearer our hearts than any loss or cross in our owne greatest concernments This Petition put up with such a frame is exceeding acceptable and well-pleasing to the Almighty Oh when a soul can be more sensible of Gods dishonour and more vehemently begg the vindication of his Name and