Clefts of the Rocks in the Secret place of the Stairs Cant. 2.14 In such Retirements he uses most freely to Impart Himself And there should we cast and covet to Meet Him whom our Souls Love And not think it any hard Put upon us but the most sweet and blessed Advantage to leave even the best and Dearest Company to go to God our Exceeding Joy What care I for Chatting with Friends on earth said Bishop Hall shut up in the Tower when I may talk familiarly with the God of Heaven As our Saviour gave a discharge even to his own Disciples Mat. 26.36 Tarry ye here while I go and Pray yonder So get sometimes out of the Crowd and Hurry of worldly Avocations and distractions that thou maist find a full Vacation and happy Freedom to wait upon thy God And when so taken up with Him in Secret bethink thy self what main Grievance it is thou hast to make thy moan of What especial Favour thou hast to Beg What Sin that lieth hardest upon thy Conscience to be Pardoned What noisom Corruption to be Healed What most Wanted Grace or Good thing to be Desired And there tell all as having the fairest Opportunity to be Bold And put on hard as one that will not be Denied Abraham Retired into his Grove Isaac to the Field Jacob Wrestled with God upon the Way Elijah Prayed under the Juniper-Tree Jeremiah in the Dungeon Daniel in the Lions Den Jonah in the Whales Belly Our Saviour in the Garden and often in the Mount St. Peter on the House-Top No matter what is the Place so it minister to our Devotion and help us indeed to Draw nigh to God Which is not to be done with the Body and shifting of Places but in the Elevation of the Heart and Fervor of Affections Non Passibus sed Precibus itur ad Deum Aug. Prayer is the Messenger that doth our Errand there where Flesh cannot come And wherever a man is or however taken up even in the midst of his Worldly occasions His Soul may fly out and steal away to God Or send up Secret Ejaculations that shall pierce the Heavens and find as sure a Conveyance as if they had bounded from the Temple However then we should be Glad to to go into the House of the Lord when Opportunity serves Yet when we have a Motion to Prayer any where we must not withhold it for want of a Better Place from whence to send it up CHAP. V. The Liberty of Prayer as to the Persons Praying SECT I. The Liberty that All Sorts have to Pray EVery one that is Godly shall Pray unto thee ô Lord. Psal 32.6 No Godly man but will do it And all manner of Persons as they have Need So they are Allowed to do it Only the Priest of old entred the Holy Place Now he that hath Loved and Redeemed us and wash'd us from our Sins in his own Blood hath made us all Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 God is no Respecter of Persons The Poorest shall have as fair and full a Hearing with Him as the Biggest man in the World Tho he be the most High yet the Lowest are not beneath his Notice If they are Low in their own eyes and Poor in Spirit as well as of Low Estate and Poor in the World They are indeed the Nearer to his Acceptance Who hath Respect unto the Lowly And to this man will Look that is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and Trembles at his Word Isa 66.2 This Poor man cried and the Lord Heard him and saved him out of all his Troubles Psal 34.6 From the Height of his Sanctuary he looks down even upon the most Abject wretches on Earth Even such as are Rejected of men and just ready to be Thrust out as not fit to Live in the World To hear the groaning of the Prisoner To loose those that are Appointed to death Psal 102.20 He will Regard the Prayer of the Destitute and not despise their Prayer v. 17. The Lord sees not as man sees To Regard men according to their Garb and Dresses but according to their Faith and Graces Yea according to their Cries and Necessities And even that Abjection and Beggary for which others Overlook and Scorn them is the very Motive of God's Inclining to them and taking Notice of them Do thou for me O God the Lord for thy Names sake because thy mercy is good Deliver thou me For I am Poor and Needy Psal 109.21 For the Oppression of the Poor for the Sighing of the Needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him at Liberty Psal 12.5 Tho God that hath Chosen the Poor of this World is not Fond of a man only for this reason because he is Poor For there may not be more Wicked men than many Poor men Yea such as are fain to Beg their Bread of Men may yet be none of Gods Beggars and so none of his Favourites This not for their Bodily wretchedness but for their Souls Ungodliness because matters are not so Ill with their Bodies but they are Worse with their Souls Yet caeteris paribus No Poor man shall be ever the less Welcome with God for his Poverty but be as soon Heard and as much Respected by Him as His Excellency or His Highness the most Eminent and Mighty who look to be Observed of all and that every one else must be Silent when they Speak Such are often too High to be God's Humble Servants Like the Wicked Psal 10.4 Who thrô the Pride of his Countenance will not Seek after God Tho there is none so Rich and well-provided but they stand in continual need of God's Alms And they that abound in the World 's Good must yet beg of him their Daily Bread and have need of all men to Pray hard That they may not be put off with their Portion in this Life and be Tormented when Lazarus shall be Comforted Let not the Rich man rejoice so much in his Riches as that he may go to God to save him from the Danger of them And let him not Pray the Less but the More That thrô so many Temptations he may get Safe into the Kingdom of God Let not any Nobles Gentlemen or Ladies ever fear it will Debase their Dignity to Cringe to Him that has far greater than any Kings or Queens on Earth for his daily Attendants If they are too Goodly to be Godly they will be too High to be Saved Prayer is Man well Drest Herb. The finest Creature is best Adorned when most Humbled And when the Knees are Bowed the Mouth Confessing the Hands Smiting the Eyes Blubbered the Cheeks bedewed Nothing in the sight of Heaven is more Becoming and Recommending Ephraim was heard so Bemoaning himself And presently it follows Is Ephraim my dear Son is be a pleasant Child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Jer. 31.18 19 20.
that property among his Titles As a mighty Attractive to draw us with comfortable Expectation to Him But the Liberty of Praying will admit of a more particular consideration with respect to the Matter Manner Time and Place of Prayer And the Persons both Praying and Prayed for CHAP. I. The Liberty of Praying as to the Matter FOR the Matter of Prayer or the Petenda which we may put on for There is a very Large Grant and as much Scope given as any one can tell how to wish Mat. 21.22 All things whatsoever ye shall ask in Prayer Believing ye shall receive It leaves out nothing Desirable that a man can Need or has the Boldness to Crave But yet when words are too Wide for the Matter they must be Limited according to the Mind of the Author Which Rule is here to take place For who can imagine that our Lord would put us upon Praying for things Vnlawful things that would Dishonor him to Grant and Ruin us to Have which yet would be comprehended under All things whatsoever taken without any Limitation Who can imagine That he should ever countenance the Wanton Praying for Health to fulfil his Lusts Or the Malicious for opportunity to execute his Rage Or the Ambitious for High places to gratify his Pride Or the Covetous Praying for the Death of all that stand between him and an Estate Or the High-way man forrich Booty and Success in his adventures and Villany Men may be ashamed to make their Tongues the Index of their Minds as to such Extravagant Desires which yet notwithstanding may find harbor in their Hearts But these wild and wicked Requests be sure are none of the Petitions which our Holy Saviour emboldens us to offer The Devil that is very free of what is none of his own will promise without Exception as he did to Christ himself All these things will I give thee But by our Lord 's All we must never understand any more than is Lawful and convenient What is Fit for us to Ask And what he has promised to Bestow i. e. The Kingdom of God and his Righteousness With the addition of such Worldly Appendages as his Wisdom knows proper and Good for us Spiritual accomplishments and Temporal Advantages too Even all needful to bring us to Heaven And till we reach thither to Support us on Earth But we must not offer Vnreasonable Requests To have all that a roving Fancy can tower up Or for Impossible things That God should falsify his Word to save us without Holiness Nor put him upon the expence of Miracles to make us on a suddain The most Learned or Great in the world Nor Limit the Holy One to just the particulars of our naming As the mother of Zebedee's children That the one might sit on the Right and the other on the Left Hand in his Kingdom Nor Tempt the Lord our God to turn Stones into Bread Asking to be fed in our Sloth and carelesness to help our selves But All things we have Liberty to ask That make for the Glory of our Lord and for our own real Good here and our Eternal Salvation hereafter Indeed what he would have us Importune our Father which is in Heaven for He hath given us a Catalogue of in that best Platform of Prayer by which all ours are to be Modelled i. e. To mind first the Glorifying and Pleasing of God And then the Serving of our own turns The Blessings of Wisdom's Right Hand Such as the Pardon of sin the Knowledge of our Lord's Will the Graces of God's Spirit and Eternal Life We are to pray for Urgently and Absolutely Because the things cannot chuse but prove for our Good And we cannot Glorify God and do Well without them Light and Grace and Sanctification and the Spirit of Supplication we must seek before Gifts and Peace and Consolation Because we may go Weak and Troubled to Heaven But if we know not God's ways we shall not Enter into his Rest And without Holiness no seeing the Lord. Then the World 's Good and what concerns our present Well-being in it As Food and Raiment Health and Ease Deliverance and Quiet Fruitful seasons and Prosperous circumstances We may pray for too and not count it Carnal to Seek after even those things which the Gentiles do When our Heavenly Father not only knows we have Need of them but also by his Command makes it our Duty to Ask them And by his Promise gives us Encouragement to Ask in Hopes of Receiving them We may Beg so much of the World 's Good as will really do us Good Yea and desire what shall Comfort as well as Support us In case it do not Hinder but Promote our Duty Tho' we dread the Best things of this World for our Portion Yet even these temporal Fruitions are desirable on Condition That we may thereby Honour our Lord and Secure our Salvation For we are not sure that those Means will effectually promote these Ends. God knows whether we shall be Better in a Rich Healthy Prosperous Or in a Poor Sick and Troubled state He is sometimes Kindest to us In Denying us what we are Eagerest upon The Chusing of our Inheritance for us then we had best Refer to Him And be well pleased to be at his Finding however he is pleased to use us But yet in the Conditional Petition even for Temporal things we are not so Tied up as to ask what comes to Nothing at all and leave the matter just as we found it There is more Liberty here than for the Sick man to pray as much for the Continuance or Increase of his Disease as to have it Mitigated or Removed The Request may be Absolute only attended with a signified or a Silent Submission to the wise and good Disposal of the great Lord of all tho' he should determine otherwise We may heartily Desire the thing But yet not be so Set upon it as to desire it in any Case Tho' God should be Offended or our Souls Damnified if not Undone by it We may desire Honor the better to serve the Publick Good And Wealth more to Honor the Lord and Cherish the Poor with our Substance And Health and Strength and Length of Days That we may be more Serviceable in our generation and bring greater Glory to our Heavenly Father Provided still we humbly Besign our Wills to His and take it Patiently Tho' we be Cross'd and fail of our Wishes Yea perswading our selves then It is Best for us that so it should be The World 's good things we must desire but Sparingly As not being sure but they may Succeed no better to us than the Quails to the Israelites to make us the Worse for them But Covet earnestly the Best Gifts those Holy qualifications and Heavenly Blessings that Accompany Salvation which will certainly do us Good and make us Happy Whether we come in or be left out of the Distribution of such Common Favours as God with an Indifferent
cannot do like some of the rest I my self feel more Inclination as I see more Reason sometimes to give to a Beggar that is a sorry Faultering Orator than to another that speaks Exactly in Mood and Figure 'T is not so much his Fine Words and Cadence as his Want and Misery join'd with Simplicity and Humility that makes him an Object of Charity And I know it is not so much for our Speech and the Words of Prayer as for our Hearts and the Spirit of Prayer that He regards us who will be worshipped with our Souls and Spirits We should indeed Chuse words to Reason with him But when we compose somwhat of our Own it speaks our greater Care to be Acceptable And Bishop Hall in his Devout Soul tells us That a Stammering Suppliant may reach to a more eminent Devotion Pag. 11. than he that can deliver himself in the most fluent and Pathetical forms of Elocution 'T is not to rake together a parcel of good Petitions and seek to give them some Life in the Utterance unless we Draw Nigh with a True heart in full Assurance of Faith For it it is Faith in God's Promises that is the Foundation of all our Prayers And Prayer is but Faith putting forth itself in a Flame of Desires God hears no impenitent Sinners that Regard Iniquity in their hearts Let their words be never so fine and Apposite And he rejects no Humble Faithful Supplicant be his Speech never so weak and Imperfect Tho such be not Eloquent they have words sufficient to do their Business Even Broken words will serve the turn when they come from a Broken heart When going to Prayer then I will remember I am going to my Father And tho I know a Son honours his Father and so I will know my Distance and pay a profound Veneration and Exert the best of my Abilities in his Service Yet while I keep off from the Vncreaturely Boldness I will not run upon the Vnchildlike Strangeness To be curb'd with such a Spirit of Bondage that I dare not Speak for my self Nor dejected with a Servile Dread of his lying at catch to Trepan me in my words if I do not place every one Aright As if he were so Inconsiderate of my Frailty or could carry like so Rigid an Enemy to Cast off me and all my Suit if there be but the least word knockt out of Joint At this rate did I listen to the Teachers of such a Ghastly Frightful Religion I should make it a more Dangerous thing to Pray to God than to Keep away and never come before Him But I will never be persuaded that the Father of Mercies has the Spirit of some Rough and Sowre Doctors Who yet can make as bold with God in their Manners as they think others do in their Prayers And are not so Strict in Tutoring their Neighbours Tongues but they can be as Lax in ordering their Own I cannot question in the least But there have been many and gross Abuses of this Way of Praying which if rak'd together may furnish out matter enough for Satyr and make abundance of work for any Doctor or other that has such a Talent And tho Stories seldom lose in the reporting by such as are known to have a strong Byas Yet let Commin's Hypocrisy and Weyer's Villany both pass without Contradiction That the one could so Masquerade it for the Pope and the other Command good words while himself was Commanded by the Evil Spirit And to these Two let Twenty more be added of the same Stuffing 'T will but prove what none denies That there have been Ill men of all Pretentions Satan himself can be Transformed into an Angel of Light And one that was a Devil had yet a Name among the Disciples of Christ But let False Coin and Counterfeit Wares be Detected and Cryâ—d down This is no Prejudice at all to that which is Current right and good Nor does my Undertaking oblige me to answer for all the Cant and Gibberish Jargon and Impertinence flowing from any shatter'd Heads or wild Tongues under pretence of Exercising their Gifts Men may Hurt themselves even with God's Gifts and turn their very Remedy to their Ruin They may be proud of their New Words as of New Cloaths And there may be much more Pride than Devotion in the case When we are ashamed to Appear before the Lord unless it be still in a New Dress But if the Abuses must lay an Embargo on the Use I know not what Prayers then of any sort will be left us Or what will become of the Common Prayer it self but it must cease to be Common or to be at all because many have made as Wretched work with that as ever was made of Free Prayer But I know some would heavily resent it for a most Tyrannical Imposition To be tied up for ever medling with a Bottle of Wine because it has Happened with so many That when the Wine was in the Wit was out This Doctor is not therefore for Renouncing the Doctrine of the Trinity because he takes that for an Adulteration which another Doctor calls a Vindication of it Holy things and Pearls will sometimes light among Dogs and Swine But yet they do not for that lose their Nature The Things themselves are not a jot the Worse tho the Profaners of them are a great deal Let those that are Guilty answer for that But why should the Children of the Kingdom be turn'd out of their Privilege for the sake of some illegitimate Interlopers that have made Invasions upon it Whither should a Child go but to his Father And if he must not speak a Word to him but what he Reads out of a Form Where 's the Ingenuity and Freedom of a Child and the Boldness at the Throne of Grace And what advantage then of the Spirit of Adoption above the Spirit of Bondage Sure we may have Boldness and Assurance without being Sawcy and Malapert And tho it is not for a pitiful Worm to think of being Hail-Fellow with his Glorious Maker Yet I think it is an untowardly way of Honouring my Father to take him for such a one that I Dare not Speak with him or if but a word Amiss to think he would not Hear nor Forgive me Desires are the Wings of the Soul on which it mounts up to Heaven Prayer sets them a working But where are many Appendages they 'll be like but to Cumber and Clog the Motion which the more Natural the more Free and Easy Tho a dexterous Art may help Nature Yet Grace added to both is the best accomplishment and the Crown of all Prayer is God's Breath in man Herb. Nothing to be done in this matter without the Spirit Helping our Infirmities And that I take to be what they call Praying by the Spirit whether with Book or without when the good Spirit of God gives his gracious Guidance and Assistance for the true and zealous performance tho not an
But if the King of Heaven will admit of the Poorest mans Request and such as should not be suffered to speak to their Prince shall be Heard speaking as much and as often as they will to their God O! how Unwise and Wicked then are those Poor that will not thus Ingratiate and prefer themselves to be as Great with God as they are Despicable in the World That they may not Lose both Worlds but Pray themselves into a better Kingdom than all the Kingdoms on Earth Let the Afflicted Pray That they may not Perish in their Troubles And let the Prosperous Pray That they may not be Destroyed by their very Prosperity Let the Idle Pray because they have Leisure And let the Buisy Pray to Hallow their Imployments Spare time can never be better Bestowed And the Soul amidst Multiplicity of Business can never be better Secured Let the Learned Pray because they Know How And let the Ignorant Pray That they may be Taught of God to Know more The best Scholars are they that have Learned to be Readiest at their Prayers And such as best Know themselves will be most forward to Humble themselves before the Lord and know how Good it is for them to Draw nigh unto God And none must forbear their Prayers because they be not fine Speakers But If any man lack Wisdom let him ask it of God who giveth to all men Liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him Jam. 1.5 The Silliest wretch by this means may come to Know enough to do his Business to make him Wise to Salvation Let the Aged Pray much because they have but a Little Time till their Mouths will be stopt And Cry mightily to God before they go down into the Silence of the Grave Let them Beg of Him that knows their Frame to have Compassion on their Infirmities and not Cast them away in the time of their Old Age nor Forsake them when their Strength fails them Let them go Praying out of this World that they may come Praising into the Next Let Children in their youth Remember who Made them and Pray That as they grow in Age and Stature they may also grow in Wisdom and Grace and Favour with God and men Let them learn to Pray Betimes that Use may get them a Habit and facility of Praying And if their Prayers be well meant tho Childish He will not Despise the Young Childrens Prayer who gives even to the Young Ravens that Cry Psal 147.9 Let the Weak and crasy Pray for Power from on High to Him that giveth Power to the Faint and increaseth Strength to them that have no Might And let the Strong and Lusty Exert their Strength and mettle in this Spiritual Conflict and Struggle and not be Slothful in the Work of the Lord but do it with all their might Because they know not what a Day may bring forth to Disable and pull them down Let the Infirm Christians Pray to be Healed and the Fallen to be Recovered the Doubtful and wavering to have their Faith increased And let the Faithful and established Pray That they may be Thankful to God and Helpful to men and go on to Abound in the Work of the Lord. In a word let men of all Ranks and Estates Pray Because they May and because they Need it Because they are Nothing and Have nothing but of the Divine Bounty And can do nothing without God's Heavenly Grace and are Presumptuous to look for that Grace without their Prayers They deserve to go for ever without it and justly do perish for Want of it who will not be at so much trouble as to Seek but Lose all for want of Asking All the Noise and Bustle in this World at the last will Centre and be summâ—d up in Prayer And every one that is not Stupid or Mad will covet to go Praying off the present Stage Whatever else then a man has to do he is but an impertinent Trifler whoever he be that doth not every day addict and use himself to this Service to make one of the number of God's constant Orators SECT II. What Liberty have Sinners to make their Prayers THat God Heareth not Sinners is true of all Impenitent Resolved Sinners so persisting For why should he be at their beck to Hear them calling upon Him for Mercy who make no Conscience to Hearken to Him calling on them for Duty Quantum à praeceptis tantum ab Auribus Dei Tertul. He that turneth away his ear from Hearing the Law even his Prayer shall be Abomination Prov. 28.9 More Noisom to God than any Stinking Breath to us He will not Hear when the Hands are full of Blood They must be Holy hands lifted up to fetch down Heavenly Blessings Nor will he Hear when the Heart is full of Pride Who is inclinable to Give to a Proud Beggar Any allowed Wickedness bars against us the best and only Refuge in the world When our Hearts Condemn us for Regarding Iniquity in them it Damps our Spirits and Confounds our Faces and Blasts all our Hopes of Speeding The Prayer is like then to Return as void of Success as it went empty of Sincerity For should God Hear us when we do not Hear our selves Yea when we hear all his Enemies rather than Him We must not think he is so obliged to our Party or Charmed with our Forms of Address tho we may seem to Pray as we Ought when we take no care to Live as we Pray And yet it cannot be meant of Sinners in general without Exception That God will not Hear them For then he must Hear never a Servant of his that he has upon Earth seeing all the World stands Guilty before him And there is not a Just man upon earth that doth Good and Sinneth not Who are they but Sinners that he bids Pray every day Forgive us our Trespasses He will Forgive many that know not how to Forgive themselves And Hear even such as are ready to Despair of Audience Psal 31.22 I said in my haft I am cut off from before thine eyes Nevertheless thou Heard'st the voice of my Supplications when I cried unto thee How is it then God will Hear some Sinners and some he will not Presumptuous Hardned Sinners that Go on still in their Trespasses He will not Hear Nor Regard their Prayers who Regard not his Word but make the Prayers only a Cloak for their Sins instead of a Mawl to break them off But Repenting and Returning Sinners shall not therefore fail of Audience because they fail in their performance Nor be Denied every thing which they Would Because they discharge not every thing as they Ought Tho we cannot say We have no Sin or are without offence Yet if we Fear to offend He will Fulfil the desire of them that Fear him Psal 145.19 And tho we cannot make so streight paths for our Feet as never to tread Awry Yet if as to the main we walk in the Vprightness of our
all Blessings from Above to make all that dwell on this Mighty Ball Gainers by his Commerce with that Kingdom where all the Treasure lyes Yea thus the poorest Subject may make his King and Countrey Beholden to him for Deprecating Judgments and Praying down Mercies upon the Publick Thus the Supplicants that Wait upon Gods Throne not only Deliver their own Souls but help to Save Nations 2 Chron. 7.14 If my People that are called by my Name shall Humble themselves and Pray and seek my Face and turn from their wicked ways then will I Hear from Heaven and Forgive their Sins and will Heal the Land Such a man the Lord sought for Ezek. 22.30 That should make up the Hedge and Stand in the Gap before him for the Land that he should not Destroy it And because he found none And then the Case is Sad indeed when we are left to complain as Isai 64.11 There is none that Calleth upon thy Name that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee Therefore he Pour'd out his Indignation and Consumed them v. 31. By which it appears both how Acceptable such Intercession is to God He Seeks for the Intercessor and does not Blame a Poor Creature for taking so much upon him And also how Availahle is the Righteous mans Prayer not only for himself but for all his Neighbours far and wide Elias the Chariot and Horsemen of Israel with the Opening of his Mouth could Shut and Open Heaven Jam. 5.17 18. And upon the earnest Intreaty of Moses in behalf of a provoking People 'T is said Exod. 32.14 The Lord Repented of the Evil which he thought to do to his People This is the best of all Friendship to our Friends To be thus Concerned and Imployed for them Yea thus we may do Good for Evil to them that will not Thank us for it Praying for them that Despightfully use and Persecute us And so lay up for ourselves better Rewards than their good Words And thus we shall be the most Welcome Physicians and dearest Comforters to the Sick and Miserable and get them that Help from Above which all the World cannot Give In the failing of all other Means thus we may Engage Him to come in to their Succour that Knows how to Deliver and is never at a Loss to do whatever he pleases in Heaven and in Earth Such a Latitude and Liberty is allowed to our Prayers even as Wide as the World So easie may we take in All with ourselves and in so doing Benefit them without Impoverishing ourselves For he whom we Pray to hath Infinitely more than to Supply us all And if there were Thousands of Millions more to be Saved Heaven would be as much to them every One as if each had All to Himself This is the true Christian Spirit Not only to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem but to Seek the Enlargement of Christ's Kingdom and to Pray that it may Come in the Best and Fullest sense But such as glory most in the big Catholick Name yet shew the Least and Narrowest Souls in Confining Salvation only to their own Sect. And instead of Praying for their Neighbours Cursing and Damning all the World beside themselves Wherein the Papists are even with the Profane Hectoring Ruffians who have no Prayer so common as God Damn ye But for ought I know the Curses are as good as the Prayers of such an Vnchristian Church and Spurious Mother that is all for Dividing the Child and Destroying the Lives and Souls which Christ came to Save Yet however they Curse Let us Pray First for our selves That we may be Saved from them and not be Like them And then for Them That they may once get from under the Yoke of their wilful Bondage so contrary to the Liberty of the Gospel wherein Christ hath set us Free And not be so Stingy and Penurious in their Charity but let the Damning alone for their own Sakes as well as ours Lest as they Judge they find the Judgment turned against themselves by Him to whom Vengeance and the Pronouncing of Final Sentences belongs SECT II. The Liberty of Praying for Wicked Men. THE Lord of Love who Breath'd out his Soul in Praying for the cruel Enemies that shed his Blood Yet held back his Prayers for many that seem'd as much to Need them Joh. 17.9 I Pray not for the World saith He. That is The World as opposed to them whom the Father Gave him out of the World And so far we are to be Followers of Christ herein as not to Pray for Pardon and Heaven to the Impenitent and Vnbelieving so Continuing Nor to ask for them those same things which belong only to the Elect and dear Children of God But yet we must not Exclude all out of our Offices whom God hath Excluded the Book of Life Tho Christ might Because he Knew who they were but we do not And all the Psalmists Imprecations against his and Gods Enemies If we read them in the Imperative Mood which the Learned observe may be read in the Indicative and then they are Predictions of what should Befall them and not Prayers for such Curses to light upon them They are no Rules to us because we have not the Spirit of Prophesy as that Eminent Servant of God had to Foresee the End of such men The like may be said of St. Paul's Imprecation on Alexander 2 Tim. 4.14 The Lord Reward him according to his Works Dr. Hammond says the best Manuscripts read 'A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord Will Reward him And so the Syriack and St. Aug. according to Estius And if otherwise Then it was a Denouncing of God's righteous Judgments upon an Incorrigible Offendor in a Notorious case of which the Apostle had Assurance And till we can attain to the like Knowledge of any We must be Cautious how we make so Bold If any man see his Brother Sin a Sin which is not unto Death He shall ask and he shall give him Life for them that Sin not unto death There is a Sin unto Death I do not say that he shall Pray for it 1 Joh. 5.16 This looks like a Prohibition of our Prayers for some Sinners And sure we are not to ask God's Pardon for any Impenitent Sinner so Persisting But upon Condition of that Repentance which we are to Pray that God would give them Nor should we be unkind to Ungodly men did we Pray That they might find such Shame and Affliction as God knows Conducing to their Conversion The seeming Bad Wish is the Happiest thing that could befall them And that Evil day would be the Best Day that ever came over them But tho we are not to ask God's Pardon for such as finally Persist to Sin in Despight of the Spirit of Grace and without Repentance if so be that we Know it For that were to ask what his Word assures us shall never be Yet where we cannot Know this without Revelation We had need be Wary. And