Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A66075
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Counsels and comforts for troubled consciences contained in a letter, lately written to a friend / by Henry Wilkinson ...
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Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing W2234; ESTC R34095
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48,680
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121
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specified that Moses spake but the crying mention'd there was the cry of the heart which came up to Heaven and the Lord gave a gracious answer unto his cry When none sees you but God and none hears you but God only then be in an especial manner an importunate supplicant and beggar That the Lord in mercy would subdue your corruptions and strengthen you by his grace to mortify sin and quicken you unto holy duties Amidst all the clouds and darkness and gloominess that are incident unto yon be earnest with God that he would smile on you This is that saving real good to be desired principally There be many that say who will Psal 4. 6. 7. shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us Thou that hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased Likewise you must be informed farther That as you ought to pray so you ought not to use prayer only as a duty commanded but likewise you ought to use Prayer as a means to obtain a blessing Neither should you only desire the gift of Prayer but especially the grace of Prayer The gift of Prayer may be acquired by study memory and strength of parts and a faculty of expressing of your self in fit and proper words it to be much desired but principally you must look after and search your heart whether you have the grace of Prayer This is promised and this should be begg'd of God And Zech. 12. 10. I will pour upon the house of David * Longe excellentius est effundit in nos spiritum gratiae quam gratiam ipsam quia nisi spiritus gratiae penetret in animos nostros instillet nobis sensum gratiae erit inutilisâ— Calv. and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplications And where this gracious and praying spirit is there it 's accompanied with godly sorrow for sin for it followeth in the same verse And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born Sect. 17. Further That you may so pour out your heart to God in Prayer as you may have a sure ground of hope to obtain acceptance with God I shall prescribe to you as I have the Scripture-warrant these six ensuing qualifications 1. You must pray in humility 1. Pray in humility We are all poor blind miserable and naked even dust and ashes and shall dust and ashes be proud We are all beggars to God and shall beggars be proud It 's a saying that deserves a remark to be set upon it That there is nothing worse than Nihil est superba mendicitate deterius Qui sibi vilis est Deo charus est Bern. proud beggary When we have to deal with God we can never be humble enough And the more vile a man is in his own eyes the more he is esteemed of in the eyes of God When Abraham interceded for Sodom he acknowledged himself but dust and ashes and Jacob acknowledged Gen. 18. 27. Gen. 32. 10. Psal 22. 6. Cum sis kumi limus cur non es humillimus Bern. himself not worthy of the least of the mercies of God And David accounted himself a worm and no man When we lye low and are vile in our own eyes and pray in humility we are the more capable of receiving a blessing 2. You must prefer all your supplications 2. All Prayers must be put up in the name of Jesus Christ Mat. 3. 17. Act. 4. 12. prayers and requests to God the Father in the Name of Jesus Christ For of Christ a voice came from heaven saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased There is no other name but the name of Jesus for salvation Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven whereby we must be saved The promise which Christ made unto his Disciples is And whatsoever Joh. 14. 13. you shall ask in my name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the son Luther makes mention of Non solum periculosuÌ„ est sed horribile de Deo extra Christum Cogitare Luth. Loc. Com. 3. Prayer must be made in Faith Matt. 21. 22. the danger and horror of thinking of God without Christ For God without Christ is a consuming fire but with Christ he is a gracious and merciful Father 3. You must pray in faith To such who pray in faith the promise belongs and only to them And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing ye shall receive There is no coming unto God the Father without Christ for he is the only Mediator neither is there any coming unto Christ without Faith For saith the Apostle without faith Heb. 11. 6. it is impossible to please God It 's storied of the Persians that when they had offended their King they brought his Son in their arms and so obtained favour we have all offended God and we must present Christ unto the Father in the arms of faith and by him we shall obtain acceptance and remission of all our sins 4. You must add fervency to the 4. Prayer must be made with fervency Gen. 32. 24. Filius Dei luctator fuit v. 25. v. 26. frequency of your Prayers This fervency the Scripture represents by wrestling for of Jacob we read And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day And though the hollow of Jacobs Thigh was out of joynt yet he continued wrestling with the Angel The Angel said Let me go for the day breaks And he said unto him I will not let thee go except thou bless me Whether Jacobs wrestling was a corporal or a spiritual wrestling only I shall not peremptorily determine For the latter the Scripture is express And though this may be eminenter in a more eminent manner yet non exclusive not excluding a corporal wrestling Read what the Prophet Hoseah saith Yea he had power over Hos 12. 4. the Angel and prevail'd he wept and made supplication unto him This servent Prayer is as it were a besieging and storming of Heaven and taking it by violence And from the Matt. 11. 12. days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force And this holy violence and importunity in Prayer is acceptable unto God What 's that Prayer which avails much It 's an effectual servent Prayer For so â—ith the Apostle The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous Jam. 5. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quasi dioas deluosam i. e. ardentem assiduam oppoâ—i puvanâ— perfuâ—â—oriae Bâ—zâ— Esthâ—â—â— 16. man availeth much This is aâ— the word imports an inwrought an inward
be no more sorry for your sins If this be your condition as my hope it is you can pray better than you are aware of For saith the Apostle the Rom. 8. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Onus vicissim attollit ex altera parte ne sub eo fatiscamus Beza spirit helpeth our infirmities The Original word is very Emphatical It follows For we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Herein consists the great duty to be importunate with God for the assistance of his holy Spirit and to apply the promises That God will give Mat. 7. 11. good things to them that ask him And what 's that good thing even the best of all things is promised Your heaven Luk. 11. 13 ly Father shall give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Object Object And whereas you complain of your barrenness and unprofitableness under the means of Grace and of your slippery and failing memory Answ Answ I answer that it 's a good sign to be sensible of your failings and to bewail them It 's a grand Duty incumbent on you to be heedful and vigilant It 's the Apostles caution Therefore we ought to give Heb. 2. 1. the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip or as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Original implys let them run out as leaking vessels do and let out precious liquor as soon as it is poured into them At for your unprofitableness if we all in particular reflect upon our selves all our faces will gather blackness and we have all cause to complain that when we have Luk. 17. 10. done all that we can we are unprofitable servants Wherefore being conscious to our selves of our great unfruitfulness under the means of Grace and notwithstanding fatning Ordinances we have lean souls let 's supplicate Isa 48. 17. unto the Throne of Grace Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee by the way which thou shouldest go Object And whereas your misgiving heart injects many fears unto you as if none of the Promises appertain'd unto you Answ Answ I answer That it 's more than you know For a poor doubting trembling Christian may have the root of the matter in him and a right to the promises though at present he may want the manifestation of those consolations which the promises afford But do not you judg your self unworthy of eternal life Cast not away the Anchor of your hope let not go your hold on the Promises for they are a stay and a staff for you to support your soul upon when you apprehend your self even in a tottering condition Are you thirsty after Christ Apply your self to the Promises for they are as so many Wells of Salvation Therefore with joy shall Isa 12. 3. ye draw water out of the wells of salvation Do you desire a word of comfort to be spoken to your Soul Make hast to the Promises for they are the breasts of consolation which Isa 66. 11. can satisfie you Sect. 13. A few Questions I propound unto you and after your most serious and composed thoughts I expect your Answer Do not you love God Q. You cannot say but you do A. Then the Promise is your portion And we know that all things work Rom. 8. 28 Qui dicit omnia excipit nihil together for good to them that love God Observe that all things are promised and nothing is excepted Your present troubles of mind though for a time they may be grievous yet in Gods good time shall all work together for your good Do not you hate the ways of sin Q. and love the ways of holiness If so as I have no reason to think A. otherways then you are in a hopeful condition The Psalmist professeth his love to the Law of God and his utter hatred and abhorrency of every false way and especially lays down an evidence of his uprightness by keeping himself from bosom-sins for said he I was also upright Psâ— 18. 23. before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity Another Question I shall only propound to you Do not you love the Q. Children of God You dare not say otherways for those are the company with whom you converse and delight Hence you may evidence that you A. â—oh 13. 35 are a Disciple of Jesus Christ By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another This is an evidence of regeneration to love the Brethren We know saith 1 John 3. 14. the Apostle that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren he that loveth not his brother abideth in death I knew one upon his death-bed who took great comfort in this evidence of loving the Children of God A Third Impediment to be avoided 3. Imped Too much retiredness and respectiveness is too much retiredness and reservedness Do not feed and nourish a melancholly humour by separating your self from the society of such who would gladly administer comfort to you The society of experienced Christians and frequent conference with them may be of great advantage to you for the establishment of your heart by giving seasonable and suitable Answers to those doubts which trouble you One Coal may inkindle another and one Iron may sharpen another and so one Christian may be instrumental both for inkindling and quickning the Graces of Gods Spirit in another I advise you to be very seldom alone during your Troubles and Temptations unless in two special cases As first when God is speaking to you in his Word when you read the Word of God and faithful Writers and Expositors thereof Which read you must labour to digest by Prayer and Meditation and make of all particular application unto your own Soul And secondly When you are speaking to God in Prayer and Supplication then is a fit season to be alone and in your secret recesses to pour out your heart unto the Lord. My further advice unto you in love is That you would beware of idleness and sloth Although I suspect you not nor can accuse you yet in love to your precious soul I cannot but premonish you both to avoid the sin of idleness and the miserable consequences thereof For if the Devil can prevail by his temptations to gain you to idleness and sluggishness and to the neglect of your duties which concern both your general and particular calling then he will get ground of you and lay his Snares and Gins to intrap you and so go away Conqueror That therefore you may prevent the mischievous designs of Satan I counsel you to be industrious in your particular calling and imployment with diligence and care provided that you above all