we now ask And the more still if the Favours we have already received be of the same kind with those we do now desire If it were before it may be now for ought we see just and reasonable for God to hear us And this emboldens animates and enlivens our Petition or Desire still more There are besides these more proper other collateral good Effects of Thanksgiving to God It is a very pleasant thing For what more so than Love what more delicious and sweet And what Friend is capable of being loved more than God Where 's such a Friend and Benefactor as he from whom we have all Again the Reflection upon our own Security upon our own Assurance of good things for the future from the Experience of and Attention to the Divine Benignity and Goodness is a very pleasing and satisfactory thing that we are in the Hands of Infinite Goodness all which our Thanksgiving gives occasion for And this we are most sensible of when under any Frights or Fears of some great Evils just ready to fall upon us then we greedily call to mind God's past Goodness But here we must have a care of loving God ultimately and only for being particularly good to us without at least some habitual reference of it to the use of pleasing him by doing the most Good we can as a Man might love a good Master or any Person or Thing that is useful to himself not much caring whether he be so to any body else all which indeed is no better than selfishness But we must look upon God's Goodness to us as one particular Instance of that Universal Goodness to all for which we love him and whereby we are engaged to love and please him and consequently to do good to all himself doth and to be perfect and happy iâ— so being and doing all which together is tâ— be our last End We are indeed for the mâ— part more sensible of those his personal Eâ—vours because ordinarily we cannot so we apprehend others Satisfaction and Please as our own But we ought equally to that God for his Benefits to others and our selveâ— if we could alike apprehend them And here we may do well sometimes 〈◊〉 to aggravate God's Goodness that is to tâ— notice of those Circumstances which aâ—signs of the greatness thereof As that is the most free and undeserved For whâ— Addition of Good can we make to him 〈◊〉 what can we give him that is not his owâ— or what Law or Power superiour to Himsâ—â—â— to his own Nature obligeth and controlle him We may also remember our selves 〈◊〉 God is good to us when we are bad whâ— we are negligent and take no notice there ungrateful undutiful nay make ill use his Favours abuse them for this God mâ— do for some reasons though we have 〈◊〉 advantage of probability to expect it whiâ—â— is a sign of more pure free and sincere Gooâ—ness or Love to others For we think no Peâ—son can expect any Recompence for his Gooâ—ness from one he knows is unable much leâ— from one he knows unwilling and loves hiâ— not All this is to be done that we may be more deeply affected with the Divine Goodness for the Ends aforesaid We may read Jacob's Prayer to be delivered from his Brother Esau as an Instance Gen. 32. Verse 9 10 11. In the 10th Verse before his Prayer he takes notice of God's manifold Mercies to him without doubt with Thanks and particularly of his Wealth and Increase that God had blessed him withal I am not worthy of the least of all thy Mercies and of all the Truth which thou hast shewed to thy servant for with my Staff I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two Bands In the Psalms we meet often with Thanksgivings and Petitions Praises and Prayers joyned together Psalm 144 in the two first Verses David blesseth and thanketh God Blessed be the Lord my strength who teacheth my Hands to war c. who subdueth the People under me And then Verse the 5th he petitions and prays for the long continuance of the like Goodness in God and Verse 7. Send thine Hand from above rid me and deliver me out of great Waters from the Hands of strange Children And Psalm 3. Verse 3 4 7. And Psalm 9. to Verse 13. is most Acknowledgments and Praises and then a Prayer Have Mercy upon me O Lord consider my Troubles which I suffer of them that hate me thou that liftest me up from the Gates of Death And Psalm 13 after his Petition in the 6th Verse he saith he will sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with him SECT VII V. A Fifth Ingredient in a Prayer is somâ—times particular explication of oâ— Case either of the one or more goâ— things we desire to have or of the Evil thing we desire to be delivered from a more â—â—stinct Representation and View of them â—rected to God And this then especially wheâ— we intend to make a more particular expreâ—â— Address to God in secret or in publick aloâ— or with others for one or for some few coâ—tain things It may be done sometimes as when 〈◊〉 find our selves very sensible and clearly apprehensive of and affected with the goodneâ—â— of any thing in our Prayers for ordinaâ—â— and general good things Here also mâ— come in the reasons or grounds of our greâ—â— Desires at this time such as now the greâ—â— Goodness of the things their Necessity Diffâ—culty if not Impossibility by any second Caâ—ses we yet see or the like Now the use of this is not to acquaint God more particularly with our Case or to move him to be the more favourable to us or pitâ— us by giving him a distinct Knowledge of what we need or desire not so much as the most general Prayer and Desire is needful for that such as the Poets was approved by Socrates and extant in Brodaeus's Collection of Greek Epigrams Plat. Alcib 2. Brod. Epig. lib. 1. Xenoph. Memorab lib. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. That Jupiter would give him good things whether he asked them or no and keep evil things from him though he should pray for them And another of his mentioned by Xenophon viz. That the Gods would give him good things leaving it to them as best knowing what were such to choose for him No but one principal reason is to cause our selves longer to attend to our Wants we doing it more particularly and distinctly and consequently to be more affected with them and so more passionately earnestly and importunately to desire the supply of them A very confused general short transient Apprehension of the Goodness or Badness of things doth not generally so deeply affect us or raise up such strong Passions in us as a more particular distinct and longer one by frequent smart Bouts yet not so continuedly long as to tyre us doth For the same cause may the grounds or reasons of the Greatness of our Desires be mentioned such
very well content with what they have also when they believing what they already have in their Prayers to be very excellent or the very best or much better then what they are likely to meet withal in any other purposely keep cherish their affections for those things upon which they have already placed them withhold them from others For then by reason of frequent repeated Conjunction their affections are far more real ready and strong to those things which are contained in their Forms then to any new things not before heard by them in other Prayers As admiration and esteem of any thing are caused by ignorance of what is better or equal to it as it is in new things where we have not time nor perhaps ability to compare so are they much more by a knowledg or belief that nothing or very few things are so Such a knowledg and judgment is much more the cause of esteem and love then ignorance If wee 'l try for Example in the Lord's Prayer we may find it so If we often say Our Father and have a clear apprehension of the comprehensive signification of the Word viz. that God is wisely and tenderly good to us hath brought us forth brought us up doth still and must always provide for our good in all respects Spiritual bodily here hereafter and as often endeavour to joyn a cordial and ardent Affection of Love to this our dear Father and joy in him we shall find that by frequent usage when we pronounce these words We shall most readily have such a conceit and Apprehension and strongest affections too at the same time And so when we pray Forgive us our Trespasses c. Have we then an Apprehension or sense of the most intense and most Universal Charity for whom shall we not love when we love our Enemies and conjoyn we strongest and eagrest desire therewith send the Petition wrapped up in an inward sigh that God would grant it us we shall find upon use that whenever we hear or pronounce the one we shall be the most apt and ready to have the other too Those who have piously and devoutly read the holy Scriptures may have oft-times experienced that if any sentence therein hath much affected them the oftner they have thought thereof the more real and ready and great hath been their Affection There may be too much Frequency and the Succession may be too quick What Invervals of Forms are convenient and do not hinder Attention and Affection will easily be known by Experience where let us be assured there be no Prejudice As for extempore Prayer left to the extempore Memory Invention Judgment of the Reciter whether natural or pretended to be inspired it hath so much the disadvantage to compare it first of the other two viz. publike or private Forms and premeditated Prayers and the Inconveniencies thereof are so many more and greater and the Conveniencies so much fewer or lesse that it is never to be admitted where they can be had except very rarely As where a Person may be of such a peculiar Temper that his extempore may be better then his own premeditated or recited Form and in it self too very good Some Men may have more considerable things suggested by a quick and sudden Excitation and heating of themselves with exercise and by consequent bodily Passions and they may give better Judgment of their Truth and Utility than if they considered never so long with which their Heads are dulled Attention confounding them Nay even according to the constant Laws of Union between body and Soul or naturally they may hereby be more generously intellectually divinely disposed and inclined viz. to things that are large and great and therefore to things that are future Spiritual of most Universal good Effect their animal Spirits being in great Plenty subtilized and strontly but not ungovernably agitated Where we may observe that governable bodily Passions are not to be always neglected but they may be sometimes on purpose made use of and approved by our Prudence But except I say such a rare Case only where a Form or premeditated Prayer cannot be had an extempore one may sometimes be used As where a Person hath not the other two present or hath not Leisure and Time to premeditated one and yet it is expedient that some Prayer be recited to as in some sudden Danger Even in profitable Affections much more in Sense and Words the other Prayers have the Advantage of extempore Prayer For that Affection which is in it is most-what forced and strained or excited by loud Voice and bodily Action or by bodily Temper in general and is not the Effect of any preceding Judgment of the Goodness and Truth of the Things prayed even in those very Persons themselves who pray as inconsiderable as their Judgment may be though most Auditors are oft mistaken and think it is Or their Affections are but the reliques of some they have formerly had it may be with Judgment little enough Whence they are generally less and more superficial than especially in premeditated Prayers where we have with Approbation pitched upon things it is sure they are worse used and placed To speak of it absolutely supposing a Man could use no other sometimes it may be worse than none at all sometimes better than none sometimes very good It is according as the Persons are and their present Temper according to their Quickness of Approcheâ—sion and Memory both of Things and Consequences and of Words whether just wheâ— they are praying or sometime before invenâ—ted by themselves or learnt from others Or as is usually expressed according to the Quickness of their Invention Memory anâ— Judgment Moreover according to the viriety truth profitableness of their thought accompanied with suitable affections or â— useth to be said according as their Minds arâ— well furnished with matter both of sense are language anâ— with due affections formeth judiciously or at present by a certain genâ—rous habitual Temper of Mind excited tâ—wards things sutably to their Degree or Valâ—â— and Excellency I say according as these aâ— more or less in a Person his extempore Prayâ— will be better or worse and he may more 〈◊〉 less trust to it But it is very rare that thoâ— very Persons who by reason of these Qualities can perform extempore Prayer well cannot with some Premeditation do it far better But as for the most part of Persons they are so deficient in them that it is far better they should themselves make a Form of their own or use another's or at least premeditate and sometimes it were better they should altogether abstain and omit to pray at all For slowness and faultringness of Conceit and Utterance for want of quick Memory Invention Judgment Tautologies for want of either past Invention or present ready ready Memory Falshood Trivialness Unprofitableness Mischievousness of things and Improprieties and Unfitness of Speech for want of past or present good Judgment and present Memory
habitual Temper or Inclination Prayer therefore thus performed by a rightly informed discrect and knowing Soul according to its Fervency and Frequency hath a most natutural Influence to preserve and strengthen us to make us grow in all Goodness And the neglect of it may reasonably very often not always because there are other Means be the Cause of Persons declining and growing more cold and indifferent in all their Duty I do not say that all Prayer is a necessary Means of Mens growth in Goodness not are we presently to expect such mighty difference between all those who pray and those who do not And then upon any disappointment by the miscarriages of some who use it gladly take occasion to reproach or despise the Duty as a useless but troublesome thing as some naughty men are apt to do For men may perform it very erroneously idly and carelesly And then they may so engage their Affections with that Concern and Constancy to other Objects in the World after they have done their Prayer that they may quite forget it or drown and overcome the good Sense and Affections they had therein Whence their Prayers are but little effectual From all these Causes it often comes to pass that you may see those that are not negligent in this Duty or Performance but frequent and constant and long too so bad in their Tempers Lives and Actions all the Day that you can see little Difference between them and those who do not pray at all Little I say for I am apt to think there is some general good usually by the meanest performance of it and Men who are bad would otherwise generally be much worse and therefore though Men seem to be very little the better for their Prayers I would not have them to leave them quite off for all that As for Acknowledgment of God's excellent Perfections his infinite Power Wisdom Universal Goodness his Bounty Mercy Justice c. which is another Ingredient in a Prayer It is manifest That the oftner we do this the more Spiritual our Minds are and we see that by Exercise and Use we apprehend and conceive these spiritual things more strongly and clearly and our Affections too of Honour Admiration Reverence Fair Faith Hope Joy in God and Love to him grow more substantial and real more strong and vigorous not so faint and languid so that we feel them in our Breasts as really and as powerfully as to any other Object we come to have a real Understanding Perception Sense and Affection for those things when they are named we know and feel them in our Minds and Hearts we know what it is and have it as really in our selves to honour fear and love God for his infinite Perfections though invisible as a Prince attended with all his Ensigns of Majesty and Greatness and whom we know to be as wise and good as great By our frequent Converse thus of our Minds with God he becomes readily a very real thing to us is really perceived by us and hath real Influence upon our Affections whereas before we thus begun to use our selves the Name of God and of all his Attributes and Perfections was an insignificant thing to us we understood little or nothing by it and no more affected with it most times than our Statues of Wood or Stone would be We might hear much talk and read much of God indeed or his excellent Nature and Attributes but little know what they meant We apprehended better and more were much more affected with some little particular kindness of any honest or good Neighbour than with the infinite Bounâ—y and Goodness of God who is the constant Cause and Author to us and to all things of all the good things we all have and enjoy Moreover in some Prayers as secret Prayers where we may have time to apply our Thoughts to what we please we do not only transiently which if frequent will do a great deal but also fixedly and for a longer time attend sometimes to one or more of these infinite Perfections of God when we acknowledge them whence a more particular discovery and clear apprehension of the Greatness thereof insomuch that the Soul may break forth into Raptures of sutable Passions that is great and sudden Violences thereof As for Example If a Man contemplating the Power of God should attend to the Greatness and Vastness Excellency and Nobleness and Strangeness of the Nature of things he hath made were it but only of the indefinitely extended material World much more of the intellectual or the World of Spirits Or contemplating his Wisdom should attend to this that all things that we and all the rational Creatures in Heaven and Earth know by little Parcels and successively to Eternity it self are all present at once to that infinite Understanding or contemplating his Goodness should take notice of the Freedome of it he being infinitely powerful thâ— Immutability of it the Universality anâ— that all the greatest Evils that so seem to uâ— are permitted or appointed out of Goodnesâ— and the least of things and most miâ—uâ— disposed by the same Goodness the best waâ— that can be or should take notice of somâ— one or more excellent Instances thereof â— his free and ready pardoning upon Repentance the fottish Heedlesness and sometime the malicious Rebellion and insolent Contempt of his own pitiful Creatures againâ— him I say a Man contemplating these Perfections thus and attending to some such thingâ— therein will more strongly apprehend them and sometimes be affected and seized wiâ— the greatest Violence and Raptures of sutabâ— Passions Such as we often meet withal iâ— the Psalms when David in his Acknowledgement of God glanced at and discovered or â—â—â— more steadily and clearly his Wisdom Power Mercy Goodness Righteousness in some Instances or Effects As in Psalm 36. Verse 5. Thy Mercy O Lord is in the Heavens and thy Faithfulness reacheth unto the Clouds That is thy Mercy and Goodness particularly expressing it self in thy faithful performing thy Promises is every where and in all thy Creation manifesteth it self thy Righteousness â— like the great Mountains That is again thy Universal Goodness is vast as to Extension and unmoveable and unchangeable as to Duraâ—ion For so are the Mountains as far as we observe compared with other things thy â—udgments are a great Deep The infinite Decrees and Resolutions of thy Will few of them known and all done with an incomprehensible Wisdom and Knowledge O Lord thou preservest Man and Beast All Creatures are maintained by thee Then upon this Contemplation and Reflection he breaks forth in the next Verse O how excellent and â—recious is thy Loving-kindness therefore the Children of Men shall put their trust in the shadow of thy wings Now the real clear strong and vigorous Apprehension of and Affections towards these divine Attributes or this excellent Nature of God do more powerfully dispose our Minds to Imitation of and Obedience to God and consequently to
in all Graces and good Works Aâ— surely they would not have prayed so â— less they had had hopes that God woâ— some time or other and in some measure heâ— them Thus only for Example St. Paâ— Thessal 1. 3. 12. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one to another anâ— all men even as we do towards you to the eâ— he may establish your hearts unblamable in holâ—ness before God even our Father at the comiâ— of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saint And Thessal 2. 2. 16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father which hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace comfort yoâ— hearts and stablish you in every good word aâ— work And if God would hear their aâ— consequently our Prayers for others to make and keep them good and make them better then surely there is reason to think he wiâ— hear us for our selves nay there is much more reason for it is a sign that we have a real and prevalent Love to Goodness wheâ— we desire it for our selves but the desiring it for others may not so much signifie it We may often wish others to be good as bad Parents do their Children sometimes and yet not our selves Because others being good â—s not inconsistent perhaps with any beloved â—ust of our own but our own being good â—s Whence it may be observed that a real Love of the Saints or of holy Men which â—ath by some been laid down as a certain Character of a Saint that is of a Person who is habitually and prevalently holy and who shall be saved is not truly so It is a sign indeed of some Degree of Holiness but not of a prevalent degree thereof And thus much for the first general Benefit to our selves of Praying viz. it is a likely Means duly performed to preserve â—s in Goodness and to make us better to increase and strengthen in us Holiness and Goodness and all the particular Instances hereof and that by these several Ways I have mentioned SECT VII I. A Second general Benefit to our selves by Prayer is that of Comfort Joy Delight of Soul Satisfaction Acquiescence Ease of Spirit and that these four ways among others 1. Great pleasure and delight of Soul ariseth immediately from the Operations or Actions of our Souls terminated upon God in Prayer very naturally that is withoâ— the special immediate influence of God upâ— our minds For Example In our acknowledgment of the Divine Perfections and Aâ—tributes so often mentioned we take nâ—tice of or contemplate if we be more aâ— and have more time in secret especially God's infinite Perfections and Excellencieâ— his All-mighty Power his All-comprehending Knowledge his Universal and Infinâ— Goodness to all his Creatures and therefoâ— sometimes his tender Mercy forbearing for giving bestowing promising rewarding otherwhile his as wholesome Justice in coâ—trouling chastising and punishing wickedness and that God is eternally immutably infinitely all this I say we in our Prayer more or less take notice of or attend tâ— such things as these the very thoughts oâ— which so vast objects are vastly pleasing and delightful to the Soul To cast but some glances at them toucheth the soul with â— great and smart pleasure and delight as iâ— is in our most set Customary Publick oâ— Private Prayers where we can have timâ— only more transiently to look at these things But in our secret and retired Devotions where we may take as much time as we wâ— to fix our thoughts upon them to admire them and then think of them again if our souls be but fitted for this Employment by â— sober and refined temper of body by frequent use and God's influence the delight and pleasure may be to a ravishing degree And the more particular distinct and comprehensive our Knowledge is the greater our Admiration and the more intense our pleasure still which it is certain some souls have experienced to such a degree that they would not change with the best furnished sensualist or worldling nor hearken to the motion without the highest contempt But then much more still is this pleasure increased by the passions and actions of Love Desire Joy Trust and Hope Resolutions of Obedience and Imitation which the view and apprehension of the Divine Perfections produce in us so far forth as we are fitted therefore by spirituality to apprehend them and by an habitual goodness and generosity of temper to be affected with them The very passion of Love it self is an extraordinary agreeable pleasant and sweet thing to our minds and who is there except very unfortunate natured persons who doth not experience it in some thing or other But what may or can be beloved with a more ardent and intense degree of it than God ' Than God I say when we conceive him to be infinite love it self for God is Love to be universally good to all things which he hath made eternally immutably and in infinite degree insomuch that there never can be any one thing in the World that is not the Effect of his love and goodness to the whole World even his permission and punishment of Sin it self than God I say who is uncontroulable and infinite in Power too and can do what he pleaseth upon whom all things depend and from whom they have all and that no longer than pleaseth him and yet is infinite Love and Goodness What can or may be more beloved than such a Being as he is I say what may be loved by us more ardently than God not what is so Our minds may be very sensual and dull in their apprehensions very much corrupted degenerate and debased in their affections so that we may not apprehend these spiritual Excellencies nor have any or but very little inclinations to them or affections for them in any other We may our selves be so ill-natured as not much to be taken or pleased with all the expressions of others kindness and good nature unless it be to our selves nor then neither unless they be able as well as kind and can do something for us as well as will it which is a sign that 't is the persons power more than his goodness that we love or esteem and his power too only to do us good I say a man may be of this dull selfish brutish Nature and be pleased principally with power and other things not at all or little with loving or good nature This man indeed in his Prayers will have little love for the Universal Goodness and loving Kindness of God and consequently have little pleasure or delight in his Prayers upon that account But I do affirm That there are Souls who have the greatest ardency and pangs of love and affection to God and dearly embrace him and unite themselves to him thus considered and that these therefore find in their Prayers where they put forth this their affection the most ravishing Joy and Pleasure Nay I affirm That even
the worst of men that are the most sensual carnal dull and ill-natured have Souls capable of being more spiritual and refined in their understandings and affections and of being infinitely in love with the boundless goodness and love of God and more than with any other thing and consequently of a proportionable pleasure and satisfaction The same is to be said concerning Joy in God who is thus infinite in love and goodness to all his Creatures and hope or confident perswasion and consequent acquiescence and repose of Soul in God for the Universal good of all When the Soul upon the assurance and evidence that all things in the World are the best that can or ever shall be by reason of the immutable goodness and benignity of God is not solicitous or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 self but acquiesceth and even re 〈◊〉 in all events to it self or to others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and full appro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy will be done O â—ll mighty and All wise goodness and Love both in Heaven and Earth I say these very Pas 〈◊〉 Affections are sweet and delicious to the Soul and therefore being excited and exerted in Prayer and that in prepared Souls to the highest degree are Prayers so acceptable and delightful duties Further In Prayer we do not only make acknowledgment of God admire honour love rejoyce hope in him for his Perfections in reference to all his Creatures in general but also in reference to our selves We admire his great goodness particularly to our selves and love him for it and rejoyce in the present possession and in good hopes of the future perhaps eternal enjoyment of it Which passions generally are in most men more piercing and strong than upon the account of God's infinite Perfections and especially his goodness referred to all his Creatures but indeed should not be so Nevertheless it is good for us to be deeply affected with Admiration Love Joy Hope of God's Goodness to our selves in any kind expressed not in opposition to others good but as one single Instance and Example of God's Universal Goodness to all which we most clearly apprehend For is God so good to us in particular he is the same to all and every of his Creatures as much as is consistent with the common good of all to some more to some less than our selves In Prayer we I say thus take notice of and stir up our love to God for his love to us or thankfulness to God for all his past benefits among which are his promises of future good things we rejoyce in him for the present and we hope and repose our selves on him for the future Now these very Passions and Affections themselves in our Souls are the most agreeable and pleasing to them as is the very thinking and contemplation of the Infinite Power Wisdom and especially Goodness of God All these Operations and Employments of our Souls are very grateful and acceptable to them Even in this respect it is good for them to be here to be thus employed It is good for them to draw near unto God that is to direct their Actions and Operations to God SECT VIII 2. BUt a Second more particular Way how Prayer is for our comfort anâ— delight so far forth as we are good is by the Exercise of Faith and Hope anâ— Repose in God as to all our concerns whatsoever Any good man when he prays to Goâ— habitually believes these two things 1. That God will alwaies bestow upoâ— him what is just and fit to be bestowed And 2. That the particular things he humblâ— beseecheth God to grant may be justly bestowed by God upon him that is that it 〈◊〉 consistent with or rather effective of thâ— greatest good of the whole World as haâ—â— been often said and this latter he may sometimes believe certainly sometimes probably whence ariseth either assurance and expectation of the thing or only Hope strictâ—â— so called As for Example When he pray to God for the pardon of his sins and hiâ— consequent favour to his person for Christ sake upon the condition of his true and unfeigned repentance amendment anâ— change of Soul when he cries with thâ— poor Publican God be merciful to me a sinneâ— which most men are so careless proud self-conceited and presumptuous as seldom to do so far as he is conscious to himsâ—lf of the sincerity of his amendment so far he may be confident God will grant this his Prayer For besides that even by reason it self without express promise of the Gospel it might be very probable by the express promise of the Gospel it is most undoubted and certain Even Reason it self would judge it more probable if it were informed that it is done for so excellent a person's sake as Jesus Christ was But then moreover I say it is the most express promise of the Gospel and one indeed of the principal things it came to acquaint men withal viz. That God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself and that by repentance and faith in Christ's Name that is by doing all our duty for the future as commanded from God by Christ men might have remission of sins And so again if any man desires and prays from the bottom of his soul for God's grace in general to repent and that he may forsake at last all sin and become a new man giving up himself to obey God being afraid or weary of a sinful wicked life as a thing unaccountable unreasonable or in particular if he prays for strength to mortifie any lust to leave any sin to obtain any grace or virtue he may be confident he shall be heard in some degree or other some time or other Perhaps God might not hear us presently but excite us and strengthen us to continue our Prayers more earnestly whereby we gain dependance upon God humility nay a greater thirst after the thing we ask and consequently indeed a greater degree of it I say for pardon and grace if unfeignedly and heartily asked and humbly begged of God we may be confident we shall be heard both because it seems reasonable and because God hath more expresly promised them in the Scripture But as for other even spiritual good things as natural parts or gifts of understanding memory utterance or the like these it is but probable that it is the best God should bestow them upon us in some degree And as for external good things such as health strength beauty riches honour or good name plenty or competency deliverance c. we have less probability still although so much as to encourage us sufficiently to propound our desires to God too And therefore here our hope will be more or less strong unless God hath expresly by certain revelation promised any of them to us as it was in David's case when he was persecuted by Saul and by other Enemies and his life sought after God had certainly by his Prophets and probably to himself by Inspiration promised he should be King and
Disposition impressed upon the will which is the effect of all passions the Things prayed for or desired and the Desire it self And so in all the other parts of Prayer In Acknowledgment are the divine Persections acknowledged and the Affections of Admiration Honour Reverence Fear Love Joy c. In Confession the sins acknowledged and Grief Sorrow Hatred Conterâ—pt of them and for them In Profession the sense of what we profess and the Passion and Disposition of Devotion Resolution or obediential Inclination In Thanksgiving the Things thanked for and Love for them or Gratitude Nay in the Râ—â—ital and Explication of our Cases the Sense recited and our Passion of Fear Grief Desire The Sense or Things desired and the Passion of Desire and its degrees are variously expressed and signified in the same Sentence The general thing expresly or supposedly desired is That God would grant us the thing we desire An account of the particular things to be desired will be another general Head by many words in the Scripture expressed both proper and figurative as give grant hearken see behold look down regard turn not away hide not thy Face remember forget us not c. many more such figurative expressions especially may be met withal because when Men will and are inclin'd to grant any thing to a Petirioner there are these bodily Motions or mental Actions which accompany it or have some Relation to it All which in God signifie nothing but to will the thing desired and to effect it that he would command or will such a thing to be done The Passion of Desire is sometimes expressed in Sentences with Interrogations or the like Schemes oâ— Speech In the Psalms which are very Rhetorical one part of which is to have Passions and great ones well expressed and signified nothing more frequent As Psalm 88. Verse 14. Why castest thou off my Soul why hidest thoâ— thy Face from me That is I earnestly beseech thee not to withhold thy Favour from me And wilt thou be angry with us for ever Wilt thou draw out thine Anger to all Generations That is we importunately desire of thee that thou wouldst be pleased to cease to punish us And so sometimes Multitude of Words more signifie some degree of Passion than any different sense Nay very often the multitude of single Words do not signifie any different Senses or Idea's but only some degree of Passion For the use of many words to express one thing commonly proceeds from the mâ—nds being longer detained in the thought of it by some passion As when I call a thing noble excellent incomparable all thâ—se Words together generally express or are a sign of not so many different senses but only of a degree of Affection nay very often some certain single words or phrases signisie not the Idea's or Conceptions of things only but withal a degree of some Affection or Passion as of Admiration Love Desire as in the words just now mentioned So the word wretched Sinner to some Persons signifies not only the sense or conception of a mans being a great sinner but withal a greater degree of Hatred or Contempt or Indignation than the word great Sinner But of this more and more particularly where we give some Directions concerning the Signs of our Sense and Passions such as are Speech and Gesture From what hath been discoursed concerning the Ingredients of a Prayer we may observe that it thus perform'd contains all the parts of divine Worship For there can be no other or more than to have God the Object of the Operations of our Souls which is internal Worship and to signifie this by some sâ—nsible signs of certain Motions either of some part or of the whole of our Body which is external Worship And more particularly to have him the Object of our Understanding Will Affections and more particularly yet to think of and contemplate as distinctly as we can his Nature and Actions his Attribuâ—es and the infinite variety of the effects thereof generally comprehended under the three heads of Creation Preservation Providence To honour reverence and admire God for those his infinite Perfections to love him for them and for the particular Effects thereof to our selves and to all his Creatures to desire to please him to desire him that is to desire to enjoy him by Contemplation and Love and to desire from him all things to rejoyce and delight our selves in him i. e. in the enjoyment of himself and Possâ—ssion of his Favour to put our Trust and Confidence in him to devote our selves to obey him nay universally to will as he wills both what ought to be done or the Matter of his Commands and what shall come to pass in the World or the Matter of his Decrees oâ— Appointments The former of which may be called active Obedience the latter passive c. I say these things and such like when signified and expressed by any sensible signs of the Motions of some part or the whole of our Bodies as Words and external Actions contain the whole of Worship and to do all these in such manner as the Infinity of each of the divine Perfections respectively requires is divine Worship That is among other things for instance sake only to do them universally in all things perpetually habitually with the utmost vigour and strength of our Souls to God ultimately with the greatest Company or Number that can conveniently do it in one place at the same time with all others in different places and finally to him alone as a sign of his unity or of his being God alone which is one attribute of his nature to discourse all which particularly belongs to another Argument CHAP. II. The Second general Head is the several sorts of Prayer THe Divisions of Prayer may be numerous as many viz. as there are Logical Relations Many of the ordinary ones are of no great use some of them may be these SECT I. I. ONe Distinction is into Mental and Vâ—cal from one sort of Adjuncts Meâ—tal is that which is conceived in the Miâ— only Vocal that which is expressed â— Words This Distinction if of any concer or use to be mentioned should have been inâ— a Prayer not signified to others or signifie both by Words and other external Signs â— bodily Action or Motion SECT II. II. THey distinguish it into ejaculatoâ— and set Prayers or into occasional aâ— fixed or designed The one is when any thiâ— occurring to a Man's Thoughts and â—â—pearing on a sudden very good or bad â—â— cites some smart Passion in him and causeâ— him to dart up a Desire to God to give it hiâ— or keep it from him As when one observâ— an approaching Temptation and perceive himself in danger to be overcome his inoâ—dinate Appetite or some Passion beginningâ— stir and to grow boisterous he smartlâ— breaths out a warm Desire for the divinâ— Assistance and Help oft-times utterly unobserved by any though perhaps in the midâ— of Company So when a
person in his sâ— Reflection or occasional thoughts takes notice of and clearly apprehends the Iniquity the Unreasonableness the Folly the Mischievousness either of Sin in general or of any particular inordinate and immoderate Appetite or Lust or on the other hand the profitableness and consequently the reasonableness and wisdom if there be any difference in the World in our Actions and all things be not alike eligible of Virtue in general or of any particular one as of Charity Self-denyal Humility Spirituality I say when one clearly apprehends these things his Soul may of a sudden swell and burst with a mighty Desire that the Almighty and All-good God would purge rescue and preserve it from such base and detestable things as his Lusts or that he would ingenerate increase and confirm in him that noble excellent most perfect Temper of Virtue And so likewise there may be Ejaculations or sudden dartings out of other Affections and Passions besides Desire and therefore in all the other Parts of Prayer as in Acknowledgment of the Divine Attributes upon a clear Sight and Apprehension of any of them in some Instance or upon any occasion according to the Nature of the Attributes apprehended mighty Admiration Honour Reverence Love Joy Faith or Trust c. may on a sudden break forth In Reflection upon and Confession of ones Faults a keen anâ— sudden sit of Hatred of them Shame aâ— Sorrow for them may be excited and so in thâ— rest When Men are on a sudden surprized â— frighted with any great Evil how naturalâ— do they shoot up a swift and strong Desâ—â— for God's Protection or Deliverance a 〈◊〉 have Mercy on them though they nevâ— otherwise prayed A designed Prayer is whâ— one doth sum up his Petitions forethinkiâ— them and so of the other Ingredients â— Prayer with intent to propose and direct theâ— to God This may be ordinary at some constant â— times and most-what of general things wiâ— occasionâ—l Additions as once or oftner â— some set part of the day Or extraordinarâ— when a Man sets some one time on purpoâ— apart for it when a Man expresly proposeâ— to enâ—ertâ—in himself with such Thoughts aâ— Affections according as he may have Opportunity and Ability Ejaculatory Prayer are usually very servent because the Good â— Evil of the things so occasionally desired â— very clearly and strongly apprehended and then the Soul for such a short time can better intend its Strength and Vigour and finally all Passions Mental or Corporeal especially these last in a little time fail and grow weak But here we are to have a care too as much as we can to proportion the Strength of our Desires to the Goodness of things and to get an habitual Judgment thereof These kind of Prayers thus directed and therefore especially in spiritual things if frequent are of excellent use well to dispose secure and guard a Man's Mind and to obtain all other the good Effects and Benefits of Prayer hereafter to be mentioned SECT III. III. A Prayer is usually distinguished by one Adjunct of the Matter or Contents of which it is composed viz. that it is the same or diverse A Prayer may be the very same with another that is like to iâ— in Sense Passion Speech or Words and other external Signs and their Circumstances as Order or it may be diverse therefrom A Prayer may be the same only in Sense but not in Speech or other external Signs they may change and it is ordinary to express the same Things and Passions too by diverse Words or other Signs Sometimes on the contrary a Prayer may be the same in Speech and Words and other Signs and not the same exactly in Sense and Passions Nay I think it hardly ever is and thaâ— no two Men who use the same Words and external Signâ— have exactly the same Idea's and Sense and the same Passions and Dispositions neither as to Nature or Degree Nay it seems more probable that even the same Person using at two several times the same Speech or other external Signs hath very rarely if ever accurately the same Sense and Passions signified Buâ— let it be enough just to have mentioned sucâ— a minute Speculation and yet not useless iâ— its Place but of greater consequence in diâ—putes and controversies than all are awaâ— of When a Prayer is the same with another both in Sense and Words it is calledâ— Form of Prayer which may be more or leâ— called so as it is more or less often repeateâ— and hath more or less of the same Sense anâ— Words so that there are Degrees And for is in premeditated and extemporary Prayer which may be more or less diverse from aâ— other Prayers This Form may be composed by ones seâ— who recites it or by another And according to this Sense of the Word a Prayer thaâ— is recited by one but once whether composed by himself or others is not a Form but if more than once or often it is Where also it may be observed that hardly any Man's Prayer but is more or less a Form that is it hath more or less of some Prayer which hath been before said or recited by some person or other at least by himself whether it was of his own or another's Invention I say it is a Form more or less and that not only in sense but in Words and in the Order too The greatest Difference even in the Prayers of those who are of most copious and various Conceit and Invention is usually in Words and Expressions and Order of Things which sometimes may be one way sometimes another and yet the Coherence not very remote but very good by reason of diverse Relations of things one to another As one one and the same thing may come in in a Prayer after one thing as its Cause and so as a Means after another as its Effect and so as a Motive after another as one of its Kinds or Instances c. and if the Prayer be premeditated by a Person used to reasoning this Variety is more easie but if it be extempore supposing his Prayer be one continued thing without Interruption his sight of the Relation of things and his Reasoning must be very quick or else oft-times the Order and Coherence will be very impertinent and unaccountable Though the Truth is that it is a thing of less Concernment so the Matter be but true and profitable and oft-times great and just passions cause a Man utterly to neglect Method To affect Variety in Prayers as every where else meerly for it self is a light and childish thing and the being pleased therewith is at least an Effect of Imprâ—dence and so much unseasonable as if noâ— to be wholly excluded yet to be sparingly admitted because otherwise it will usually take off Mens Minds from those things which are of greater Concernment and to which they are to attend in their Prayer in the first place that is the Truth and Goodness of things spoken plainly
grows cold in his esteem and love of the greatest places of honor and profit which he hath long inâ—oyed he is still pursuing and grasping at more and greater either he would make an addition to what he already hath or find out greater than they are This reality and fervency of affection is truly a very great benefit supposing the affections to be rightly and in due degree directed to things true and useful but if that be not supposed it may be as great a mischief For great inordinate and immoderate affections miserably corrupt the judgments and inclinations they render them erroneous and superstitious and I think one of the principal causes why of late diverse premeditated nay extempore Prayers have been preferred before Forms whether publick or private is an immoderate love to great and busling affections for any thing though never so unworthy of them to which we may add great variety and quickness of conceit and invention as in extempore Prayers The Advantage of Variety and Copiousness of Conceit is both in premeditated and extempore Prayers and is because there are many of them used in Opposition to but one as often a repeated Form as is before said But quickness of Conceit or Invention is only seeâ— in extempore Prayers where if the thing invented be but indifferently good there hardly any Quality of our Minds that is â— much esteemed and applauded by the geneâ—lity of Men. Of which one reason is and may be the principal because it is judged sign of an extraordinary Ability in the Persâ— to invent and apprehend most excellent thinâ— easily and clearly if he did premeditate Hâ— that can do so much extempore think theâ— what would he do if he were allowed Time which is very oft a great mistake There is another reason also very generâ— and that is That Men are much pleased wiâ— Dispatch or Performance of any useful thing in a short time And in truth he that â—â— perform the same thing in half the time which another can do it is in that particular twice â— valuable These things in Prayers although they naturally do and may much please the mindâ— Man yet they may do it too much in comparâ— with others which are better viz. the Truth and Usefulness of what is said A Fault that is very often committed in Sermons and Books and other Performances by those Persons who observe and complain of it in Prayers If we separate things and compare them without doubt it is better that one and the same excellent good thing should be apprehended and willed by us though never so sluggishly and dully than that many and a great number either of unprofitable trifling useless mischievous and bad things should be known by us and fly about in our Imaginations and be violently and vigorously with strong Passions willed and pursued The first indeed doth less good but yet some but this last doth a great deal of hurt If we must lose or part with one of these it is better to lose that of Variety and Celerity and Copiousness of Conceit and strength of Passion than that of the Certainty and Profitableness of the Objects of our Knowledge and Wills It is better to have no Passions at all and consequently in this state generally but languid and weak Inclinations than to have them directed to wrong Objects or to right ones in an excessive degree And yet men generally are incomparably more pleased with Life and Activity which is caused much and exerted in Variety and Celerity of Conceit and Greatness of Passions than with its right Determination and Goodness And as Men are for the most part unduely pleased with premeditated and even extempore Prayers upon the account of Variety and quickness of Conceit So there are others too who are pleased with publick or private Forms or very well content with them not so much upon the account of the truth and usefulness of the things there contained or other common advantages â— men thereby as because of the slowness and dulness of their own conceit and passions â— is difficult to them and consequently painful which all men naturally shun to apprehend any new thing to examine the truth and goodness thereof and to excite their heavy arâ— sluggish affections thereto but they easie conceive and are affected with that whiâ— they have been accustomed to that whiâ— they have very frequently heard and to whiâ— their affections have been used to be conjoyned Contrariwise those who are of quâ— conception and moveable affections they apprehend new and various things with eâ— and delight and are presently naturally â—â—fected with them It is observable that oâ— of the most general causes of mens incliâ—tions choices and esteems of things is thâ— own ability easily to obtain and possess theâ— Hence it may partly come to pass that mâ— advanced in years and of staid and sloâ— tempers are usually pleased with Forms â—â— any performance but young and hot persoâ— with Variety So little most commonly dotâ— reason or the foresight of the good or bad effectâ— of things determine Mens Judgments concerning their general Worth and Value And accordingly I believe it may be remembred that lately those who were against all Forms were generally of an active and passionate temper but those who were for some Forms at least were of a more staid and composed one Those Prayers in which are Variety Celerity and great Affections do more generally please Men and are preferr'd before those in which there is Truth and Usefulness for two reasons among others First Because Men are amiss and depraved in their Inclinations and love those qualities better than these Secondly Because those of variety quickness and affectionateness are discerned more easily by every body in a Prayer those other of the Truth or Usefulness not without more difficulty and but by very few it is a difficult thing to examine and see them The best is to make use of them all as there may be just reason First Be we sure that the Objects of our Knowledge and Wills be true and good and then let us furnish our selves with as plentiful a knowledge of them and have as strong Affections to them in compare with other things as they deserve Let us be sure the Matter be true and good and then know as much as we can and in proportion as it is so be zealously affected And here as to Affection I would propound this to be often remembred viz. That we should always regard not what doth strongly affect our selves or others what we seel to dâ— so but what should do so Possibly we have been or may be deceived and be mightily in love with and passionately desire whaâ— is of little or no worth while we are colâ— to things which are really of much more excellent Use Benefit and Concern in the World We must have a care of measuring the Goodness of Things by our Affections bâ— contrariwise we must adjust our Affections to the goodness of
is it unworthy our observation that among many other inconveniencies which may be mentioned there seemâ—â—ar greater danger of a greater and speedieâ— corruption of the Christian Doctrine in â— vast number of little Independent Societies whereof some if not most would consist â— very ignorant and weak persons than in â— smaller number of large ones It is notoriously true indeed that thâ— Church of Rome hath monstrously swelled the bulk of Articles of Doctrine and Riteâ— of Discipline into hundreds whereof a greâ—â— number are false or doubtful useless or miâ—chievous but it is to be considered that theâ— have been breeding and multiplying manâ— hundreds of years But so much for this nâ—â— altogâ—ther a Digression Moreover it may be observed that thiâ— Publick Prayer though made by many togâ—ther yet may be for one private Person 〈◊〉 is not necessary that what is here prayeâ— should be the Wants of all but they may alâ— join in their Prayers for one And therefore it may here be advised that if in any Prayeâ— something happen to be said which doth noâ— concern us yet supposing it to be true and just we may join in the Prayer for them whâ— do want it be they who they will in the Congregation Though we do not know the particular Person God doth And so may it be in an Acknowledgment and Confession of Sins A Man may use it thus viz. though he himself should be guiltless yet he may acknowledge that those are Sins and are to be acknowledged and confessed by those that are guilty whosoever they be in the Congregation The like is to be done in Thanksgiving and in singing of Psalms which usually contain these and other parts of a Prayer before mentioned The Psalms also are always to be recited as a history of the thoughts and affections and condition of some holy and devout person though one should not have or be in the like himself SECT V. V. A Fifth Distinction of Prayers is usually taken from the Persons concerned And so a Prayer at least many of the Ingredients in it may be either for ones self or for other Persons whether the Prayer be Publick Private or Secret Thus our Petitions and Thanksgivings and Acknowledgments may be for the whole Creation for all the Inhabitants of this Earth all Mankind we may petition and thank God for his Goodness to us and to all Men to the Church or Christian Society to the Nation of which we are Members to the Parish or Place of our Habitation to the Family in which we live to any Society to which we any way belong to our selves or any other part or parcel of God's Creation capable of receiving any thing from God and acknowledging him for it according as their Wants and Capacities are And the greater the Number of these is on whose behalf we pray or give thanks the more comprehensive and extended the more fervent and enlarged should we be therein And so it should be in our Prayers for those upon whose good the good of others much depends and whose good is a more comprehensive and diffused good such as Governours of all sorts Civil and Ecclesiastical and any Persons who have Riches Power Wisdom and Knowledge or any ability to do good that they may have an answerable Goodness This kind of Prayer is especially fit for Publick Prayer Thus I have dispatched the Second general Head viz. some of the sorts of Prayer CHAP. III. SECT I. III. WE proceed to the Matter or Contents of Prayer or Petition not of a Prayer which as we have said consists of Petition and many other Parts as express Acknowledgment of the Divine Perfections c. which we have mentioned There are in General but two Qualifications of our Petitions or the things we ask First That they be just and righteous or that it is just and fit they should be given us that is procurative of or at least consistent with the greatest Good of the whole Universe Secondly That we want them If the things be not just we ought not to ask them and if we have them already we need not though the continuance of them we may Now the things which it may be most just for God to give and which we may at some time or other want may be such as these The principal thing to be asked and the greatest good that we can ask or God give is our greatest Perfection viz. Holiness Righteousness Goodness sincere Conscientiousness a good honest Mind and Heart Virtue Grace as it is usually called All which signifie the same general thing with some small Differences viz. a Will habitually inclin'd to a Man's Duty to what is right what his sincere Conscience or Judgment of Right or Wrong directs him to and commands him We are to ask and beg of God most earnestly as the greatest Boon he can give that he would beget or ingenerate in us Grace in some considerable degree for all Men have it is likely some faint and little one already the worst of Men hath hardly quite extinguished this Tendency or Appetite after Righteousness that he would increase and augment make it more vigorous and strong in us and at least to be so strong as to be prevalent over all our other Appetites and Inclinations That we may habitually more desire will and love Holiness than Riches Honours all sensual Pleasures and Delights finally than all things the Heart of Man can desire besides Nay that we may love it in such manner and its great Instance Universal Love with its Object the greatest good of the whole Universe as to love it only and in all other things or all other thingâ— for its sake that they may make us more holy universally charitable humble c. or help us to obtain the Ends thereof that they may make us more to be good or to do good Further that God would make us more univerâ—ally and more constantly so in all things and to our Lives End That God would quite extinguish and mortifie in us the Inordinacy and Immoderacy of all our Appetites and Affections that is our Lusts That our Affections may never be to any other Object whatsoever ultimately and for it self and never beyond its due Measure but habitually always for the End and in such Measure as that we may do the most good save our own Souls that is bring them to a State of the greatest Perfection and Happiness and please God That our Affections inordinate and immoderate may cease so to be and be turned ultimately to and in the highest degree placed upon Holiness and the things so often mentioned to which we were before but too dead and cold that is that we may be converted and renewed That God would give us to reflect seriously upon the Badness and Sinfulness of our past and present Tempers and Actions to be sorry heartily for it to hate and detest it inwardly between God and our Consciences in the highest degree and resolve to
break off such courses praying to God importunately for his help so to do and that we may be forgiven for Christ's sake all that is past that is in one word that God would give us Repentance Some of these things thus understood and such like may be expressed in Sentences of Scripture thus That God would grant unto us and help us to present our selves a living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God our most reasonable Service and that we may not be conformed to this World to the wicked Manners thereof but be transformed by the renewing of our Mind that we may prove what is the acceptable and perfect Will of God Rom. 12. Verse 1. That God would quicken us when dead in Trespasses and Sins and walking according to the Course of this World Ephes 2. Verse 1. That we may put off concerning the former Conversation the old Man which is corrupt according to the deâ—eitful Lusts and be renewed in the Spirit of our Minds and put on the new Man created after God in Righteousness and true Holiness Ephes 4. Verse 22. That we may deny all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts and live righteously soberly and godly in this present World We especially to whom the saving Grace and Favour of God by Christ hath appeared and been made manifest Titus 2. Verse 11. That we may cast off the Works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light All Virtues commended to us by Christianity which gives us so large and clear a Knowledge thereof And walk honestly as in the Day not in rioting and drunkenness c. but put on the Lord Jesus Christ that is his Temper and Spirit which he was of and which he taught a Temper and Life according to the Doctrine and Example of Christ and make no Provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof Rom. 13. Verse 12. That as Christ's or as Christians we may crucifie the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts Gal. 5. Verse 24. In this and such like manner we may conceive express and signifie our hearty unfeigned eager Desires that God would make us in general holy righteous good conscientious honest virtuous regenerate converted renewed penitent and keep us so and make us more and more so to our Lives end But this in general may most often not suffice but we may proceed further to the general Instance or Subject of Righteousness viz. Universal Charity or Benevolence to all the Universe God and all his Creation and then to particular Virtues which are but so many Instances or Instruments of Universal Charity As Love to God for himself as a Being infinitely perfect and most capable of Happiness and therefore rejoycing that his Perfection and Happiness is so great as to receive no Addition Further to love him without any reference to our selves separately but as a Being infinitely good and benign and using all his other Perfections of Power and Knowledge to do good with to all his Creation of which we have a share even all that we have that 's good being the Effect thereof nay all evil things absolutely in themselves considered to any particular Creature are permitted and disposed by him for the good of his whole Creation and therefore all things that are come from his Goodness And this is that very Perfection of Righteousness and Holiness and its only Instance Universal Love and Benevolence in God which we before were to desire for our selves and when we pray to God that we may love him if we have but a tolerable distinct conceit of him it is principally that we may love Righteousness and Holiness Universal Beneficence and Love it self For these are the principal Attributes of his Nature God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love therefore dwelleth in God Pray we therefore to God that he would work in us a sincere strong habitual Love to himself that we might love him with all our Hearts and Minds and Might and Strength and Understanding Matt. 22. Verse 37. And that he would direct our Hearts into the love of himself 2 Thess 3. Verse 5. Next to this may follow Charity which more precisely signifies Love and Good Will to all Creatures To do which to each particular with the limitation of its desert i. e. so as is most consistent with our Universal Love to all and as far as we see effective of the greatest good of the whole is the true notion of Justice or giving to every one his due I say to all Creatures within our Cognizance according to our Knowledge of them to the holy Angels holy Souls departed hence all Mankind to all Christians our own Country Town Family Relations We are to apply our general Will and Power of doing good to the whole by doing good to each particular as we are best able and can best reach and this all the ways we can which being the various kinds distinguished by Means or Parts or other Logical Respects of doing good or of Charity as is before said are so many Graces or Virtues Pray we therefore that God would make us just merciful compassionate chatable in Alms-giving candid covering of faults most ready to take notice of and commend what is good to pass by and conceal what is bad in men patient forbearing forgiving liberal hospitable ready to visit relieve and comfort the Sick those in Want the languishing in Anguish Pain and Grief to contribute what we can to and rejoyce in the good of any one particular in others Plenty of the good things of thâ— World so long as they would use them weâ— But especially to instruct exhort encouragâ— give them good Example wish they migâ— use all good things well and not be â— unworthy and undeserving of them thâ— neither God nor good Men may think it â— they should have them to adventure our oâ— Credit and good Opinion among others anâ— our Ease if it be necessary for the Discoâ—ragement and Suppression of Vice Some of those things we may express iâ— the Words of Scripture That we may sâ—fer long be kind envy not vaunt not â—â— selves not be puffed up c. 1 Cor. 13. Verse â— Further that we may be inspired with thâ— most self-denying Temper refusing our seâ—â— Pleasure ultimately and absolutely consequenâ—ly that our Corruptions or Lusts that is aâ— our selfish and immoderate Appetites and Iâ—clinations which are corrupt might be cleaâ—sed and mortified such as Malice Hatred Revenge Anger Wrath Pride Ambition Vain-glory false self-Conceit Covetousness Affectation of Superiority in any thing â— Equality Liberty Desire to be feared suâ—â— unto Contemptuousness Obstinacy Self Will Peevishness Envy Slander and Detraction Intemperance Luxury Lasciviousness Chambering and Wantonness Immoderate and Inordinate Love of Games bodily â—r mental Exercises and Actions c. In words of Scripture That we might not â—lfil these Lusts of the Flesh viz. Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Haâ—ed Variance Emulation Wrath Strife Seâ—tions Heresies Envyings Murders Drunâ—enness Revelling and such like which things
not directed thereby lead us into sometimes hurtful errors and mistakes and dispose our Judgments to Judge falsly A very great hatred contempt and grief at our selves for sin in general or some more notorious sin in particular may make us judge worse of our selves than in truth we deserve as we but too often do by others when we are possessed with the passions of Hatred Anger Revenge against them And because it is very rare but that through self-love and flattery we err on the other hand therefore this is the less suspected So sometimes some very great passion of admiration honour love c. for some one attribute in God and a desire to magnifie it may make men judge that to be in God which is inconsistent with some other attribute or perfection in him and ascribe to him not only bare falsities but mysterious contradictions So for Example a man's desire to advance the unlimitedness of God's power may lead him to judge that he may justly if he will make all his Creatures to be miserable And so some piously but unwarily to magnifie the mercy of God in our Redemption have spoken and seemed to think that God or the Divine Nature it self did really even lessen and abate it self when for the recovery of miserable Man-kind it did extraordinarily and Hypostatically unite it self to an humane nature But this is a little Digression Again A Man may pray Words only and have no sense hardly of what he saith and yet this is used to be called Prayer though according to our Definition it is not A Man may also pray and understand what he saith but yet have no Affection stirring no Admiration Honour Reverence Love Thankfulness to God no Desires for the things which he mentions with his Lips or conceives with his Mind no Trust or Faith in God not one jot of inward Sorrow and true Grief for his Sins as Sins or Resolution to do so no more but to abstain from them and to forsake them and to be obedient to God for the future I say a Man may say Words and understand Sense and both very excellent too and yet have none of these Passions and Affections excited he may not be touched therewith but be perfectly cold And yet these are usually called Prayers which as it is true they have some Tendency and Preparation to do some good even the very imprinting such Words and Senses in our Memory so they may sometimes do as much or more harm and so either not make us any whit the better or make us the worse For they may by use make us formal that is to say Words without either Sense or Understanding or with them but without any Affection at all more to disjoyn those things which otherwise would be more naturally conjoyn'd and to be well content herewith too and think we have done well enough and make us look no further If we have but after any manner said our Prayers though never so ignorantly and coldly we have done our Duty we are well satisfied And the oftner we use our selves to be thus content and to satisfie our Conscience the easiâ—ler we shall do it still whereas we ought all of us when we pray to heed understand and comprehend to the utmost of our Power and Ability what it is we say and especially its Truth and Goodness and then to stir up and strengthen our sutable Affections and if we find our selves dull languid inapprehensive to send up to God a hearty Ejaculation that he would by his Spirit illuminate our Understandings quicken enliven and strengthen our Affections and Resolutions Again as I have formerly said Though we pray daily and it may be indifferently well with Understanding and Affection yet we may so constantly both inordinately and immoderately engage our Affections all the day after about other Objects besides our Duty and those things which dispose us to the Practice thereof without any Reference of them to their due End and without any Government or Moderation that the Effect of our Prayer may be sometimes quite prevented or extinguished and our Affections be upon other things and our Inclinations to them as unduely as ever they were Indeed generally and for the most part I think that our Prayers being performed with understanding and affection have some tendency in them to make us better or keep us from being worse We should generally be worle though now not good if such our Prayers should be altogether neglected Finally It is possible sometimes for our Prayers to be so performed as that they may many other wayes besides that which was a little before mentioned do us more harm than good and render us worse than if we prayed not at all As if we be so vainly conceited of our Prayers and of our selves for them as to think our selves very good and acceptable to God let our Lives and Actions be all the day after what they will and that our Prayers make satisfaction for our Sins and particularly that it is attainment enough whiningly to confess them in general or particular Terms and to acknowledge our Weakness and Badness of our Hearts and so to be very well content to be alwayes weak and sinful too and think it far better to pray and not to live well and conscientiously in the most considerable and frequent Actions of Life than to live conscientiously righteously and honestly and that with respect to God too as pleasing him but not to pray though very erroneously and indiscreetly nay insincerely and hypocritically as is before said and therefore wickedly Whereas this last is a Means to the former and in it doth its chief and principal though not only Use and Benefit consist as we shall hereafter mention But yet by no Means would I because of this or such like ineffectual Use or Abuses which may be of Prayer have Men think of neglecting or throwing it quite away but rather to betake themselves seriously to use and perform it as they ought and to have a Care of all Formality Conceitedness false Opinion of Prayers and to be careful to follow them with their constant Care Diligence Watchfulness endeavour to live according to them or according to all good Conscience all the day after in all their Actions finally to perform them according to the Directions hereafter This for the first way how our Prayers tend to make us better and to preserve us still in what Goodness we have obtained that we do not go backward and relapse but go forward and make progress in Goodness viz. by being an occasion of the actual Exercise thereof or of those things which are very proper Means for that End SECT III. II. OUr Praying will preserve us in goodness and make us better by Suggestion That is by bringing to our Minds either our Duty in general or any particular Duties to God our Neighbour or our Selves or those things which are Means to dispose and engage us thereto Such as are the
his Plow or Harrow or in his Shop may surely upon these Occasions do thus as easily if they had mind as Swear and Curse at their Cattle or Fellow-Servants or Masters or Chapmen or Customers It is a very good and laudable Custom which Men generally have when they mention any considerable Benefit or good thing received to say God be thanked when any Fault of their own to say God forgive theâ— when any Calamity or Evil which they fâ—â— or fear to say God have Mercy on them Aâ— these are ejaculatory Prayers But then â—â— they are Customary so they should be Heaâ—â— and Men should have a care to live as they Sâ— These and many other Ejaculatory Prayeâ— may be oftner used in our Thoughts thaâ— spoken for fear of seeming Affectation whiâ— may offend SECT IV. III. A Third Way how Praying keeps â— good and makes us better is â—â— being an Occasion of Imitation â— God And this by the Means of Suggestioâ— and bringing God and his excellent Perfectâ—ons and Attributes to our Minds and by tâ—â— Exercise of our Admiration Honour Reverence of him as one powerful wise holy and righteous of our Love to him as oâ— good to us good to all his Creatures Goodness it self For all these Affections in us tâ— any Person dispose us effectually to Imitation of all we can in him in general but especially to that which we more particularly admire and love The serious and frequent admiring therefore and loving particularly in God his Holiness and Righteousness will dispose us to an imitation of him therein The reason why we do not see Men's Prayers do them this way any great good though I think they rarely perform them so badly but they would be worse if they did not perform them at all is because they perform their Prayers so seldom or so superficially coldly or heartlesly Sometimes they pray only with their Lips when their Hearts are far from what they do they are cold and dull not at all warmed or touched The very loving God for his Benefits only in particular to us will dispose us to Imitation if we do but attend to or remember that to imitate him will certainly please him which Love disposeth us unto And that our Love and Thankfulness to God for his Benefits in our Prayers may more certainly have this excellent Effect of Imitation of him and consequently being holy it will be very good when we have acknowledged God's Favours to ask our selves seriously what we shall return him again how we shall please him and then to answer our selves by being like himself in all manner of Righteousness and Holiness and hating all manner of Sin and Iniquity We see also by Experience that we imitate those with whom we much and frequently converse and have a great Opinion of we do as they do we entertain our selves with the same Thoughts Affections Actions And so it is with Minds who frequently and heartily converse with God that is have him the Object of their Thoughts and Affections in Prayer and have an honourable Opinion of him as who hath not they generally are more like him I am sure at least are much disposed thereto Experience also teacheth us that Men who think of God are much according to their Notions of him as they think of him and apprehend him And therefore if they look upon God as a powerful arbitrary angerful Being so he be not so to themselves and they be but secure they themselves are apt to be so too and oft-times actually are so They contrariwise who worship God principally for and take notice of his Universal Goodness and Love as his principal and only absolute Perfection and dearly love and admire him as Omniscient and Omnipotent Love who though he can do what he list doth always what is best These I say are apt to be of a universally generously benign Temper to all not arbitrary partial but good to every one as is best for the general good or for the Publick Again Our Prayers by Converse with spiritual and great Objects spiritualizing and widening our Minds do make us more capable of apprehending and imitating of God's Perfections especially his Holiness or Universal Righteousness SECT V. IV. A Fourth Way how our Prayers do make us good and better and preserve us in Goodness is more particularly by bringing to our Minds the Condition of our Petitions being granted We cannot pray for or desire any thing of God with any Hopes of Success but upon the Condition of our being good the degrees of our Faith and Hope are to answer the degrees of our Goodness And this way is proper to that part of Prayer called Petition We all of us naturally know and believe that God is holy and just and that he governs all the World for its greatest good and that it is for its greatest good and therefore one of his Laws or Rules to reward the good and to punish the bad and that one proper way of Punishment which God may use is to take away the good things that wicked Men have already or to cross their desires that they should not prosper or succeed in what they would have and if we believe this we can have no Hopes of Success or that our Petitions should be granted so far as we know our selves to be wicked and if we have no Hopes to speed without repentance and reformation either we shall never give ouâ—selves the trouble to ask at all or if oâ— necessity or choice put us upon Asking oâ— Consciences will also put us upon Reformation of what we have known to be amiâ— in our selves and sometimes if we be iâ— a great fright of what we never knew â— suspected before Hence it comes to pass that wicked men whose Consciences fly iâ— their Faces or are apt to whisper something which they would not hear of or amend when they want any thing though they know not how to come by it without Gods immediate Help as Health Strength Freedom from Poverty Prison Pain Sickness Death yet are so loth to betake themselves to their Prayers They will use any Means though never so improbable and difficult and run and shift from one thing to another and employ and busie their Invention or Endeavour and hope this and t'other thing will effect what they would have rather than apply themselves to God when that hearty Prayers is so facile and likely a way to obtain what they would have and is a Means which being used with all other will make them more successful I know sometimes Conscience may be very forgetful dull partial erroneous through want of Sincerity and Strength in Goodness and Men may be very consident in their Petitions too when really they are at the same time very bad and that even in their very Prayers they are performing and therefore that the Prayers of such persons do neither suppose nor make them good but yet for the most part it is otherwise Especially when mens
the great Benefits and Excellent Uses and Effects of Praying to God CHAP. V. SECT I. V. THe Fifth general Head is Directions for Praying these shall be of two sorts 1. To inform or remember our selves of the due qualifications of a Prayer what they are 2. To suggest some means to obtain these said qualifications Again The first sort or the due qualifications are of two sorts likewise 1. Those concerning the things contained in a Prayer 2. Those concerning the signs of those things Those qualifications again concerning the things contained in a Prayer are only likewise of two sorts 1. Those that appertain to the objects or sense of a Prayer 2. Those which appertain to the Actions or to use the most fit general Term I know any Affections by which I mean not only the passions of Soul used in a Prayer such as I have before reckoned up and largely discoursed of and which briefly only to rehearse them are 1. Acknowledgment of God's excellent Attributes his infinite Perfections together with the affections of Soul consequent such as Admiration Honour Reverence Fear Love Faith Hope or Confidence Obediential Resolution c. 2. Confession of our Sins 3. Profession of our future Obedience in which two are included many more particular Actions as Reflection Comparing our Actions with our Duty Acknowledgment or Confession strictly so called Accusation Condemnation Grief and Sorrow for Sin Watchfulness against it Resolution to do so no more 4. Thankfulness or Love to God for his Benefits to us 5. A Proposal Recital Explication of our Wants their number their greatness As also of the reasons and grounds of our desires of their importunateness i. e. of their earnestness and frequency And then 6. Our express Petitions and Desires Again and lastly The due qualifications of the signs used in so Praying both of the Objects and Actions or Operations of our Souls are 1. Those of Words or Speech which are always used as signs of our immediate conceptions and actions of Soul when we pray with others in their name and so as they may joyn with us They may also be used in secret Prayer for the more strong and express excitation in our selves both of sense and of the operations of our Souls Perceptions Affections Resolutions I say they may where there is no worse consequence than that is a good one as seeming to be or a temptation to be vain-glorious be used by us in our secret or retired Prayers But even when we do not in our secret Prayers pronounce them with our Lips yet they are in our Imagination and we near always signifie by them unto our selves our conceit of things or Ideas at least if not our affections Further These Words or Speech are sometimes the signs only of things or sense or Ideas in our minds and not of any other operations of our Souls as in Mathematicks so may it be in any other part of knowledge where men write and speak purely to teach and inform Sometimes again especially with some properties belonging to them as their Gravity Acuteness Lowdness Lowness Swiftness Slowness Equality Inequality Position and Site they only signifie other operations or affections of our Souls especially our Passions and not our Ideas or conceipts But for the most part both when written and pronounced they signifie both together It is very rare but that they indicate and signifie together with the sense some quality or action of mind in the writer or speaker and especially the Passions as in sentences of Admiration yea and of Trust and Confidence and Desire c. frequent in the Psalms nor indeed is any discourse acceptable to the generality of men without them For example Where are thy loving kindnesses of old Hast thou forgotten to be gracious Hast thou cast us off for ever Great desires are here signified as well as sense Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion Psalm 14. Verse 7. Ardent and earnest desire is here signified by words and their order and position Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end Psalm 7. Verse 9. And oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness Psalm 107. Verse 8. are the same Oh how I love thy Law Psalm 119. Verse 97. signifies Admiration at the greatness of his Love as well as the sense or thing that he did love God's Law Repetition of words signifies not only the sense of such words but also some passion or some great degree thereof As Psalm 116. Verse 16. O Lord truly I am thy servant I am thy servant the Son of thy Hand-maid c. signifies not only the sense that the Psalmist was God's Servant but also the Passion of Joy that he was so and of Hope because he was so And save now I beseech thee O Lord O Lord I beseech thee send now prosperity Psalm 118. Verse 25. Earnestness and greatness of Desire is here signified So again for Example When a man confesseth that he hath been or is the greatest of Sinners or the least esâ— Saints or the like these words do not oâ— ought not to signifie the superlative degree as other words may sometimes do but only that they have been once great sinners and are but little good in the positive degree And moreover the great Passion of Grieâ— and Hatred for and of Sin and of undervaluing and contempt of themselves for being so very bad or little good Many other Expressions in Prayers and other performances when men are hot and affectionated may truly be so interpreted though oft-times the persons themselves do not observe it but will defend the precise meaning and sense of the words when spoken without passion to be always true But 2. These signs either of Sense or Objectâ— or of Operations or Affections of our Souls are other postures or gestures of some parts of the body such as are those of the head as shaking it which is a sign of desire or sadness of the whole Countenance as the parts thereof being composed and steady i. e. which usually signifies Attention c. Of the eyes particularly whose lifting up usually signifies desire thankfulness approbation admiration c. Of the whole body as standing up which may signifie approbation more usually attention The signs which signifie Approbation and Attention usually signifie too Respect Esteem Reverence The lifting up the hands ordinarily signifies desire Kneeling usually signifies Reverence Respect Submission Some certain postures of the Countenance signifie Grief and Sadness some Joy some Trust and Confidence c. for there are infinite variety Postures and Gestures may be also the signs of sense too or of our meaning as we see it is in dumb persons but those to whom God hath granted the use of words and speech very rarely use them for that purpose We begin at the first viz. the due Qualifications of the Sense or Objects or the things about which our minds are conversant in Prayer Some of which are these
Thus great Affections and Passions for things in men especially who study and are supposed to consider and examine whose business it much is or should be are signs to the generality of people of their clear understanding of the certain truth and excellent usefulness of them And this together with a pretended or real great love to the Souls of men which is indeed a truly generous and divine temper have been some of the causes that some men have had so many followers and admirers and whatsoever hath been said by them hath been believed to be as true and excellent as the Word of God it self without any scruple When therefore our Affections are great and strong let there be also preceding an understanding and conviction of the truth and usefulness of things either from our own sight and perception if we can or from Divine Testimony or which is most common easie and much safe from the most general Testimony of the wisest and best men Let not our great Passions be only an affected bussle to make people believe we are in earnest for some great matters which we have discovered 2. By sincerity in these Actions in Prayer I mean that they all or thy whole Prayer have their due Ultimate end unmixed with any other Let thy Ultimate End in general be sincerely to do thy Duty that which thou judgest thou oughtest and to be more disposed to be universally constantly couragiously good and virtuous to love and please God to be the most beneficial to the World and to perfect and make happy thy self by possessing thy Soul with the Graces of a most universal constant and generous Charity and that in the best Instances viz. in spiritual things as much as thou canst and in all others when they may be fittest or the only Instances thou canst then perhaps be charitable in of self-denyal humility spirituality by the mortification of all inordinacy and immoderacy of thy Appetites of all Lusts by being sober advised discreet and wise and by the use of all other good things we are capable of receiving possessing enjoying from God Let these things I say be purely and sincerely thy Ultimate End If thou acknowledgest God's Infinite Perfections let it be to produce in thee some way or other as it will Obedience and Imitation and consequently Universal Righteousness Holiness and all the Instances thereof now mentioned If thou confessest thy Sins let it be to excite and stir up whet and sharpen thy hatred against all Sin and when thou professest thy obediential Resolution let it be to confirm strengthen and invigorate thy love and liking resolution and bent of Soul to all Obedience and to thy Duty universally When thou thankest God ingenuously for his great kindness and love for his benefits to thee let it be sincerely to engage thee to love him again consequently to imitate obey please him and consequently to be universally holy and righteous When thou propoundest or recitest thy Case or Condition or that of any others for whom thou prayest let it be sincerely to cause thy self some way to be better by causing thee more to attend to thy dependence upon God and to be more sensible thereof and consequently to behave thy self so as to please him And lastly When thou desirest or petitionest any thing let thy Ultimate end be still the same quicken thy acknowledgment and sense of thy entire dependence upon God by which thou may'st be engaged to love and please him which cannot be without holiness Universal Most expresly Petition God for his Grace and Assistance to make thee the most perfectly holy and righteous thou art capable of in such manner and instances as is aforesaid trusting in God he will grant those thy Petitions then which none are more acceptable to him and using the utmost of thy endeavours in complyance with his supervenient help Finally When thou beseechest God for all or any other good things let it be that thou may'st be disposed and enabled thereby to serve him and the world to live profitably and comfortably here and at last to obtain an immortal and everlasting reward These things I say again are to be purely sincerely and unmixedly the Ultimate end of thy Praying in general and of all the parts thereof Let no other thing come in the place hereof or mix and blend therewith Let not for Example meer dull Custom be the end that is meer pleasing a man's self with so doing and especially the external or bodily part because a man hath used so to do he will so do Not the meer Action or Usage so much as the good effect of it is to please such as the name of our Duty includes and supposes We must not pray as aged men in part use old fashions or some other little actions as walking eating drinking at certain times viz. principally because they have been used so to do it is easie it is delightful meerly to do so and it would be painful and troublesome to them to abstain or to live after any other manner Let not again the procuring a great Opinion of us for Sanctity for Consciensciousness Honesty Spirituality for great Parts or Gifts for Readiness Copiousness variety of Invention Memory Judgment both in Things and Words Sense and Phrase for the usefulness and general goodness also of both that we can Pray much or are well furnished with Matter that we can Pray long and often or are very frequent in Prayer that we are good Church-men that we never miss Prayers that we can Pray with an acceptable and pleasing Delivery or Voice let not this vain glory of Praying long and frequently in every place in Synagogues corners of Streets reproved by Christ in the Hypocrites of his Age Matt. 6. I say let not this be the End Again more Universally Let not the Gratification of any Lust as Sensuality Luxury Ease and Sloth Malice Ill-will Pride Affectation of Superiority Equality or Liberty Revenge Envy Ambition Vain-glory Covetousness not the Procurement of some Advantage for Employment Preserment Rule Gain Trade or the like in the least peep in and mix with the noble end before mentioned Let not lastly even the pleasure satisfaction and delight we may find in all the Operations of our Souls in Prayer such as clear perception and understanding of God his Attributes of things spiritual future sublime and of great concernment especially our being affected with them not the pleasure of our both great and good Passions as Admiration and Honour Love Joy Faith and Truth c. though rightly and duly excited according to the true goodness of things understood usually signified by the names of Transports Ravishments Extasies I say let not even this be our Ultimate end but rather one exceeding little and very inconsiderable part thereof the other of being bent and resolved to please God by doing all good being infinitely more valuable as tending to an infinitely greater good Notwithstanding let us maintain and cherish this
that I have and shall give that we may pray things just true important the most general good things and the greatest variety of particular ones that our minds may be well furnished with these things that we may pray sincerely fervently as frequently as we can and seasonably that we may well express and convey both our sense and affections to others with whom we pray And indeed one Reason why this Duty hath been of late so ill so uselesly offensively and mischievously performed and so may likewise hereafter again is because some men have been perpetually praying and spent so much time in the performance of this Duty but little or none in the reflection upon it or examination of it according to such Rules as I now propose and much less in the study and consideration of those things and others just now mentioned There are times likewise of doing more good by relieving the indigent and deserving persons with what they most want of visiting the sick of instructing reproving exhorting reconciling and determining of differences of any ways helping or assisting another in any of his affairs A Thousand other ways there are of doing good which have also their times that is they are then in such circumstances the best we can do or we can do the most good thereby Now if when we should be doing these things we should betake our selves to praying it would be unseasonable Moreover in order to the getting or preserving or encreasing our power or ability to do good either to our selves or others and consequently to serve God more particularly in order to the obtaining preserving or augmenting the good things of Food Raiment Habitation Rest and consequently Health and Strength Liberty not being a Servant to others by Debts Engagements Good-name Authority opportunity and leisure of gaining Instruction and Knowledge and Virtue by Reading Meditation Conference finally Riches by which all these things are wholly obtained or in part I say in order to this every person hath some Calling some Action of Life or other to which he most-what applies himself and the former good things are the reward or some way the effect of his diligence and honesty therein In this it is the greatest part of mens lives are taken up How much of a mans life is to be spent therein and when it will do most good to employ himself there and when elsewhere every mans own sincere prudence as it must in all the other actions before recited governed by reason experience advice of the most sober discreet wise and virtuous men must only determine This in general is certain that it is not of best effect for men to fill up all their Lives with the affairs of their Calling and to leave no room for the Worshipping of God by praying to him and then either think really or pretend there is no season at all and yet we may also be too mindless of them For Example It would be unseasonable to set apart a day of praying and it may be for a good Harvest among other things when we should be reaping to be standing still and praying for deliverance from a danger when we should be flying from it We are not to be praying with let and long Prayers Ejaculatory may always be used for any good thing or prevention or removal of any evil when we should be endeavouring not desiring when we should be doing We are not to be like the man who seeing a house falling upon his head falls upon his knees and crys out God help him and deliver him but will not stir out of the place There is indeed but little danger hereof in temporal and sensible good things but in spiritual I doubt it is frequent where men perhaps pray much and often to God to be sanctified to be secured from God's wrath or the effects of his anger but take no care and use no endeavour at any time to obtain the one or prevent the other Some of that very time possibly may be better and more seasonably spent in meditating considering watching resolving informing inculcating things upon themselves Most commonly this absence of all endeavours is a sign of formality or of want of sincerity or at least of fervency in our Prayers Sometimes indeed in persons of a more movable and changable temper there may be in their Prayers some real flashes of strong affections without any consequent endeavour the next minute almost those thoughts and affections being forgotten and they being as much taken up and affected with the variety of any other objects which succeed 2. Our Prayers are to be seasonable as to the parts or several Ingredients Sometimes a greater part of a Prayer may be spent in acknowledgments as when our minds are dull and insensible of the Perfections and Excellencies of God of our entire dependence upon him of our being perfectly at his dispose of our own insufficiency to be or do any the least thing for our selves without him then I say we may more particularly and largely take notice of and acknowledge the Divine Perfections and our own Imperfections Sometimes Confessions of Sins and Petition for strength to amend and for forgiveness may be most seasonably enlarged as upon such times as prudently are appointed for a publick and solemn Repentance as it were of any number and company together The same may be done seasonably by persons in secret and retiredly by themselves Sometimes Thanksgiving may be most seasonably insisted upon an enumerating of the many favours and blessings of God with correspondent affections of thanks and love therefore producing the effects of Obedience Resolutions and Endeavours to please God It may sometimes be the best to spend most of the time in Petition to do it very particularly yet in things of concernment and which we most want 3. Our Prayers are to be seasonable as to the particular Instances of these parts or Ingredients Thus sometimes it may be seasonable in acknowledgment most to insist upon God's Power or Wisdom or Goodness or some single Instances of any of these his Attributes to mention others may be impertinent or unseasonable it may exclude those things which would do more good Of this we cannot want Instances in the several occasions of addresses to God both in publick forms and private usages of our lives where notwithstanding they are oft too generally or improperly used To give thanks and petition very particularly and copiously for many things when the occasion is special for one thing as at meat is most-what unseasonable but to do iâ— for the benefit then received is seasonable To confess some Sins with those who are not guilty of them is unseasonable or if they be to do it too particularly and when it would be interpreted to proceed from Pride or Envy then to mention such things would be unseasonable To confess those Sins which the person and company have been truly most guilty of which are â—he most frequently committed and yet it may be
which though it be very true and to be pray'd for yet it is not the sense of those Expressions The sense of the Churches of Judea which were in Christ Galat. 1. Verse 22. And salute Andronicus and Junia c. which were in Christ before me Rom. 16. 7. is those that were Christians So also if we pray that Christ may be in us that he may dwell in us that we may put on Christ or the Lord Jesus add we by way of Paraphrase and more known Expressions that we may firmly believe Jesus to be the Holy One of God and his Holy Doctrine to be true that our selves may be deeply and constantly endued with those most excellent qualities of such Knowledge and Holiness Wisdom and Goodness which are the proper Effects of or according to the Doctrine and Example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which is the sense of Galat. 3. Verse 27. As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ that is at least have believed his Doctrine And of Rom. 13. Verse 14. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Hereby also besides the Sentences the true sense of those Sentences of Scripture may be conveyed at the same time which was most-what well enough known to whom it was written but is not yet among us as it seems So also when we make our Acknowledgments of the Divine Attributes in Scripture Sentences in Prayer let us choose rather such as are most plain and therefore most proper or as little figurative as may be As Thou that knowest the hearts of all men Acts 2. the searcher of hearts and tryer of reins Thou art God which hast made Heaven and Earth c. Acts 4. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable That the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him That the Lord is gracious full of compassion slow to anger and of great mercy good to all and his tender mercies over all his works Psalm 145. That he is our heavenly Father the only true God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ When we use those Expressions that are spoken of God A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the likeness of men it may be best to add at least sometimes some proper word or phrase for explication and prevention of mistake especially in vulgar apprehension For Example if we should say Thy Throne O Lord is in Heaven thy eyes behold thy eye-lids try the children of men Psalm 11. Verse 4. it may follow In Heaven are the most excellent manifestations of thy presence of thy greatness and goodness yet thou most exactly knowest all things here upon Earth and whatsoever is in man If we should say Thou Lord lookest from Heaven and beholdest all the sons of men from the place of thy habitation thou lookest upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth Psalm 33. Verse 13. we may add these or other more fit Expressions according to the Auditory Thy Power and Knowledge thy Providence is extended from Heaven to Earth that is every where To thee the effects of whose power wisdom and goodness are the most perfect and great in the heavenly Regions is also perfectly known whatsoever is here upon this Earth When we say God is angry with the wicked and loveth the righteous we may add punisheth the one and willeth and doth good to the other The Expressions of The Lord is full of compassion and slow to anger may be followed with The Lord doth plentifully and frequently relieve the miserable distressed afflicted and delayeth or forbeareth to punish sinners It is a very true and useful Rule in Divinity that those Expressions in Scripture which properly signifie Humane Passions applied to God they signifie only the Effects of such Passions I do not think but that the learned unlearned but especially the last often grosly enough and falsly conceive God with Humane Passions place and other imperfections Besides the frequent use of such proper Expressions will make it more easie to conceive the true spiritual and perfect Nature of God SECT XVIII 2. I Advise those who are capable thereof to Contemplation Consideration Examination that they may find out and observe particularly what may be fit and proper matter for each of the parts of Prayer before mentioned that they may judge and be satisfied concerning the truth and usefulness of each thing when it is useful and when it is most so or its seasonableness that they might also often reflect upon and observe the intention purpose and end they have in their Prayers purifie their hearts from all insincerity and hypocrisie that they may quicken and stir up in themselves those affections or inclinations which are fit and proper according as they see the truth and usefulness of things upbraiding and reproaching themselves with an unreasonable dulness and insensibleness of those things which they ought to be and are capable of being more affected withal If any of us have time or ability use we it to meditate upon God his Nature his Attributes his Actions as long and as particularly as we can to consider to judge to examine what he truly and really is and doth and accordingly to stir up our affections and inclinations of Admiration Honour Love Desire Fear Faith and Hope Obedience Submission and Self-resignation In Confession Thanksgiving and Petition the thing is yet more easie and in some measure may be done by the ignorantest and weakest For who cannot if he would take some time to look back upon his life upon what he hath done in his Youth in his riper age when in this or that or t'other place Condition Calling or Employment what was well what was ill done by him where he was innocent and sincere where not what he hath been or done the last year or week or day who cannot enter into account and call to mind the common Blessings that he and others do constantly receive from God and moreover particularly many favours spiritual of good Instructions wise pious wholesome Counsel and Advise good Example from his Minister or his Friends Relations and Neighbours many good suggestions and motions of Conscience that have kept him from wickedness or put him on to what was good temporal ones also of prosperity health deliverance plenty or competency or at least some degree of Necessities of this Life who is there that cannot reflect upon God's goodness in forbearance when he hath reflected upon his sins and the gracious offers and assurances of his pardon and forgiveness for Christ's sake upon his true repentance and inward habitual change and amendment of temper and life and consequently of Heaven and a happier Life after we here expire and leave this earthly body And so in like manner for Petition the meanest person surely may in a very little time learn to know much of what he would have and what he ought to have If any one should give the meanest and ignorantest person notice to let him know what he wanted and
by thy Tempor Life and Actions especially in Spiritual things if thou canst to be perfect and happy thy self here and hereafter If thou prayest with a fervent Spirit according to the goodness of things thou prayest every whit as well as if thou hadst invented all thy self and possibly a hundred times better than many conceited Persons but ignorant and vain-glorious do whose Prayers of their own composing may be stuffed with untrue unjust and trifling things and either they are cold and formal in them or else much hypocritical or superstitious that is either they have the signs of great Affections to things when they have not those Affections really in them at all or not so much out of a judgment and sense that things do deserve them as out of vain-glory Or their great Affections are to trifling things Men have been apt to attempt to run and fly too before they could go to attempt greater things before they could do less to attempt to do things before they were furnished with such Qualities which if they wanted they had better not do them at all or might have done them much better another way than that which they used This is the first step and may be used for some time only if we find our selves sufficient and let it not be carelessness and sluggishness that we are not to advance further This is no other than what all beginners to learn do They first read good Authors more or less who treat concerning the Matter they would learn The Second Step may be for Persons to take Parts of several Prayers and to attempt to put them together and compose them and then commit them to Memory To take such things out of them which they best understand and apprehend by Experience or otherwise which they think most proper and useful for them for their Temper Employment or Calling which they may be most affected withal Thus they may begin to use and exercise their own judgment in what things are best and what is best for them always with an humble and modest mind ready to be more informed A Third Step may be to add and interpose something of their own Invention or Observation especially if there be any particular Occasion As for Example If thou shouldst find any Sin or Lust more troublesome to thee and be more in danger of being overcome thereby if thou shouldst fear any particular approaching Evil or be under it either thou or thy Family If thou shouldst be so happy as to have overcome any Temptation or to have received any especial Favour If thou shouldst find thy self upon some special occasion very sensible of some Attribute of God as his Goodness his Power his Omniscience his Justice c. thou needest not stay till thou findest the Thing or the Expression in thy Book In order hereto therefore use thy self before thy Prayers to reflect and consider This which I now say principally concerns secret Prayer where it may be done more freely though it be imperâ—ectly and brokenly either conceived or expressed Fourthly and lastly Proceed to Imitation of others as much as thou canst that is to consider invent examine and judge the Matter or Sense of thy Prayers thy self what things are the most important great just true useful for thee and to affect thy self accordingly and to express and signifie them well and so to compose and make entire ones of thine own Which may be often varied by insisting now upon one now upon other things according to some Advices I have heretofore given that is what things may be the most seasonable best apprehended most affecting I could heartily wish all Mens Abilities and Employments were such that they might do more in this kind and imitate and exceed the best Patterns I wish to that End they were more spiritual in the Employment of their Thoughts and Affections and that there were no fault in their wills that they are not so I wish they might make use of what Time and Ability they have and ought so to use I wish they had more of those Qualities which may fiâ— them for the best Performances thereof the principal of which are as of all others Charity and Humility Finally Would God that all the Lord's People were Prophets and that the Lord would put hâ—s Spirit upon them SECT XX. 4. PRay we to God sometimes that he would help and assist us to pray as we ought to have more of all those due Qualifications whereby we are fitted to pray well This Prayer it self supposeth some already for that once or â—o often as we make it which may be often Ejaculatory Whatever kind of Prayer we think best and we desire to use there may be some or other of the fore-named Qualifications which may be prayed for As if one should pray a Prayer composed by another he might praâ— that God would give him Sincerity and Fervency in that his Prayer that God would keep him from Vain-glory Formality Coldness that he might do it in all sincerity of Heart as his Duty to God and to make and keep him good and that he might be enabled and disposed both by the Performance of the Duty it self and by the good things he shall receive upon his asking to serve God by doing good That he might not only have Words in his Tongue and be upon his Knees or any other Posture signifying Devotion but that he might also well understand and mind and attend to what he says with his Mouth and have proportionable degrees of Affection and Motion of Soul of Honour Love Reverence Faith Joy Desire Resignation and Submission towards Coâ— of Grief for and Detestation of Sin of Thankfulness for Benefits received of ardent Desires for Holiness and Virtue especially and hearty ones for all other good things Nay a man may pray for Frequency that is that God would excite and dispose his Mind to pray in Secret and Private as often as he hath Opportunity that he might not be so backward and averse therefrom so dull and inept thereto and that God would give him more Opportunities if it should happen he should want them I say these things a Man may pray for though he always prayed a Form and he could not pray that what he prayed might be just true important seasonable c. because all this was done already and the matter was supposed to be such or else it would not be made use of But in the other Steps of Prayer if a Man finds he can or ought to ascend to them such as composing out of more Prayers or out of his own Observation and Invention he may pray for the other Qualifications also as that God would excite him to use the Means forementioned of Reading Meditating Hearing or otherwise to pray what was true just important with Sincerity Fervency prudent Seasonableness and to express and signifie these things if he be to pray with others most aptly and conveniently that God would keep him from