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
l. 15. read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 152. l. 5. theirs for others p. 157. l. 12. vâ—ndicate for vindicate p. 165. l. 18. to for of p. 174. l. 1. of what ibid l. 27. tyrannical imperious p. 194. l. 4. add in the Margin Tal. Bab. Ber cap. 5. p. 229. l. 21. read immediate action p. 230. l. 10. read degree thereof and del Holiness as might be particularly shewed and consequently of Universal Love in which it consists p. 257. l. 7. del i. e. p. 265. l. 29. add but only a just consequence of it p. 315. l. 2. read mouths full p. 320. l. 16. read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 351. l. 17. unacceptable for acceptable p. 358. l. 8. them for their p. 368. l. 25. del not p. 398. l. 17. unjust for just p. 402. l. 24. affectation for affection p. 404. l. 16. condition for Caution p. 407. l. 6. holiness for happiness A TREATISE CONCERNING PRAYER CHAP. I. The Nature and Parts of Prayer SECT I. AS the Christian Religion is upon many accounts the most excellent and it is to the most truly and perfectly wife and good Man that is one who best discerns and loves what is true and the most beneficial for the World the most eligible thing to believe and practise it So particularly it is so because it hath made known or confirmed and taught with â—o great certainty so many things for the Comfort Solace and Support of poor indigent and impoâ—ent humane Nature both as to this present and the future State As in that great minded Discourse of Jesus's to his Disciples concerning Divine Providence Matt. 6. where it seems to be wondred at that Men should be so solicitous and careful concerning the Necessities or Conveniencies of this present Life when there was so easie and certain a way undoubtedly to obtain and secure them viz. by being first the faithful Subjects and Servants of God and particularly at that time as sending his Laws and Commands by Jesus himself or by being sincere Christians That it was not to be doubted in the least but that God would provide for and take Care of his Servants in those respects so much as was for their Good And again if they should want them and have evil things befal them and undergo Afflictions even this shall certainly be for their good For all things work together for the good of those who love God And as to the future Life the State after Death and the Dissolution of our Bodies into Dust and Vapour what great and magnificent things are told and assured us such as were never known at all or not with any Certainty comparatively considerable before A State so perfect and happy is promised that nothing less than Glory and Crowns and Kingdoms and Joy and Life the most admired and esteemed things among us are used to represent and signifie it And all this upon the Condition of our preparations for it by those holy Dispositions in our Souls of Righteousness of Love to the Universe at once or as one to God and to every Creature that it may be as perfect and happy as is consistent with the greatest Happiness of the Whole which is best known to infinite Wisdom of Self-denial of perfect Mortification of Lusts that is of the Inordinacy and Immoderacy of all our Appetites And yet further that impotent Men may obtain these the Conditions of all our other promised Happiness both here and hereafter God hath absolutely promised us his Influence upon us for our Assistance to be and Comfort in being holy and good his Pardon and Forgiveness for the most eminent and illustrious Merits and Death of Jesus of all our past sins and faults when we are become good Among these one very comprehensively comfortable as well as profitable Doctrine is that which is taught concerning Prayer viz. that all things both those of the future and of this Life too if good for us and it be reasonable and just that they should be particularly granted us that is if it be for the greatest good of the whole Universe of which God is the Maker Sustainer and Governour and to be so disposed as never to desire any thing otherwise is our own Perfection and consequently must needs be more joyous and delightful than the contrary Disposition of unjust-Slefishness I say all such things may upon our Request such as it ought to be be obtained Upon which account we are not only advised but commanded to lay aside every where all Solicitude all anxious Care using only calmly and cheerfully the just Prudence and Diligence which we may judge the Goodness of every thing to deserve and dutifully commending our Desires and the Success of our Endeavours to God and perfectly acquiescing in the Event be it what it will So is the Apostolical Precept Philip. 4. v. 6. Be careful for nothing but in every thing by Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving let your Request be made known unto God Whether we in general implore the Divine Favour and Good-Will and consequently the Forgiveness of our past Miscarriages and Violations of his Laws or whether we beg his gracious Assistance to make us holy and good and by this means capable of all the other Instances of his Bounty Whether more particularly we desire any excellent Ornament or Qualification of Soul of Knowledge or Goodness Gift or Grace as usually called Whether our dull and confused Heads want Light and Clearness for the Discovery of Truth or we would have the manifold unruly disobedient Motions and Appetites of our Minds to be tamed abated and at our due Command and our Breathings and Endeavours after Holiness and Virtue excited and increased Whether ther we would have our Lusts abated and mortify'd our Corruptions subdued our Graces and Virtues quickned and strengthned Whether we would have the good things of this Life as Health Strength Peace and Quiet Plenty Liberty Good-name Friends Families Relations Whether with the solicitous Merchant we would have our Adventures and Commodities come safe home or with the Souldier escape the Dangers and Hazards of a Battel or with the industrious Tradesman we modestly desire competent Custom honest faithful and just dealing good Commodities the Success of our Labour and Skill or with the Husbandman proper Seasons plentiful Crops and Harvests and that we might reap the fruits of our Labours and enjoy them In a word In all things whether they be little or small and the most inconsiderable as not being below God to take notice of or they be great and of the most valuable Consequence as not being too big for God Almighty to grant or bring to pass it is but making known humbly our Request to God and if our Desires be good for us and consistent with God's Government of the World or with the Universal Good and we are mad and wicked Men if we put not in that Exception we need not in any of these things be careful or solicitous but
be confident we shall not fail of Audiâ—nce and Accâ—ptance Wherefore I the more wonder that that which is so vast and great a Priviledge to and Security for poor impotent infirm and weak Humane Nature insufficient to defend it self from or to remove Griefs and Pressures and yet obnoxious almost to infinite in this Life and destitute of so many good things it is capable of enjoying should be accounted by us a Task or Burthen For we see in the World a Man accounts himself to be and able to do what he or his Friends is able to do by his Procurement And if he be as the best provided is much indigent and in want weak and insufficient obnoxious and exposed to Evils he supplies and enriches fortifies and strengthens defends and secures himself by the Aid and Assistance of others his Friends And who would not indefatigably labour to obtain and abundantly rejoyce in and constantly make use of such a Friend as God who is instead of all who can do all and infinitely more for us than all the World besides nay we can have no Friends but from him nor can any Creature do any thing wiâ—â—out him So that if he be our Adversary or forsake us we must be utterly destitute and forlorn But it is sufficient for the present to hint the true Reasons viz. Ignorance of or rather Non-attendance to our entire Dependency on God so many second Causes for the most part intercepting and stopping our Mind and not permitting it to enquire further and to extend it self to God or else Wickedness Men knowing that God Almighty heareth not Sinners but if a Man be a Worshipper of God him he heareth Joh. 9. v. 31. And that the Prayer of the Wicked is an Abomination to the Lord and the Sacrifice of the Wicked how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked Mind Prov. 21. v. 27. And again The Sacrifice of the Wicked is an abomination to the â—ord but the Prayer of the Upright is his â—elight Prov. 15. v. 18. Again He that turneth aâ—â—y hâ—s Ear from hearing the Law even his Prayer shall be an abomination Prov. 28. v. 9. And yet Men will not leave off to be Sinners and wicked but it seems will chuse rather to part with all their Interest in God himself in infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness than their Lusts and that Delight and Pleasure their corrupted and degenerated Souls perceive from them For there is no other Condition God requires for the obtainment of this incomparable Priviledge in all good things besides Holiness but Holiness a good Mind and well instructed to use all other things he shall give to their right Ends of doing good and pleasing God which Condition too God himself is the most ready of all to give when asked Foolish Men Were the Condition harsh in it self who would think it not easily to be perform d for such a vast Priviledge and Advantage But were it hurtful and grievous and not absolutely necessary upon our first Address to God he himself would remove it or else the Priviledge would not be made good to us But in truth the Condition of Holiness and Goodness is the greatest Good and Advantage to us and the best use we can make of the Priviledge granted is to ask it sincerely and importunately So cannot that infinite Goodness but heap and crowd good things together nor could any thing that is now to us harsh and unpleasant proceed from him or be enjoyn'd by him if the Circumstances of our miserable because apostate State did not make it a necessary profitable Good Cast then away anxious Solicitude do not any more tear and vex thy self with briary and thorny Thoughts let not busie and unsleeping Cares prevent thy Rest or disturb thy placid and composed Soul love but God make but thy Self by his Grace which is ready for thee when duely desired good and capable of his Favour do also thy own endeavour in any Office and use the best Prudence thou canst with an even and tranquil Mind and then make known thy Request to God thy Heavenly Father by Prayer and Supplication 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To lift up Hands to God above Is surely good for God is Love What is discoursed in this ensuing Treatise concerning Prayer is in Answer to these Six Enquiries 1. What is Prayer to God and what is a Prayer and the usual Parts of which it doth or may consist or rather what things may be usefully mixed with that which we most properly call Prayer and the reasons thereof Secondly What the principal Sorts of Prayer Thirdly What the Matter or Contents of Prayer Fourthly What are the Excellent Uses and Benefits of Prayer Fifthly What good Directions may there be concerning it Sixthly What are the Excuses men usually have why they do not pray in publike private secret SECT II. FIrst What is Prayer c. By Prayer therefore most strictly may be meant nothing but a Desire signified unto God that he would grant or bestow some good thing upon us which may be either positive or privative either that he would give us the Possession of some good thing or the Security or Deliverance from some evil thing both which are good things To signifie this our Desire unto God needs no more than to conceive the Desire in our Souls for God knows every Thought of our Hearts every Motion of Soul as soon as ever it is existent He that made and sustains the Soul in Being and therefore is always intimately present therewith cannot be ignorant of all that is in it Ouâ— Words or other external Signs are principally to signifie our Desires to others that they may have the same and concur with us iâ— they please or at least may understand what we do desire or they are to help and assist ouâ— Conceptions of the Things we pray for or to promote our Affections with which they may be conjoyn'd and for some other Reasons A Prayer generally signifies many such single Desires or Prayers put and composed together with the other usual Additions which are commonly called Parts of Prayer Those are ordinarily said to be Confession and Thanksgiving so that a Prayer is made to consist of three sorts of Parts viz. Confession Petition Thanksgiving But there is no reason to confine a Prayer to these Parts only there may be other things as usefully and properly introduced such as are Profession of our Obedience and of our Resolutions to be good for the time to come the devoting our selves thereto the express Acknowledgment and Belief of the Divine Perfections and Excellencies the proposal or calling to Mind the reasons of our Desires and the ground of our Hopes that they shall be fulfilled and performed Finally in general any other Thing which may increase and augment our Desire and Longing for what we would have which Desire is the very Essence of Prayer and this is the very general reason why in a Prayer all of them are
Hand of God asked or unasked except we be in some degree good Examples of this are very frequent in the Psalms Psalm 7. Verse 1. David prays to God to save him from his Enemies Save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me And Ver. 6. Arise O Lord in thine Anger lift up thy self because of the rage of mine Enemies But Vers 3 4. he reflects upon his past Innocency and particularly in something his Enemies or his Conscience might suggest whether he was not guilty and upon the greatness of his Goodness and Charity that he had not only done good to his Friends but even to his causless Enemies and surely he judged himself to be still the same and that he was not changed for the worse which without doubt gave him humble Boldness and Confidence of success and consequently was the cause of the Earnestness and Strength of his Desire that God would be pleased at that time to do that favour for him O Lord my God if I have done this that is it may be something his Enemies might accuse him of or his Conscience bid him to enquire into or more particularly if he had done that to them which they did to him viz. persecuted them and endeavoured and contrived to do them mischief causlesly If I have rewarded evil to him that was at peace with me viz. his Friends or who had done him no hurt Yea I have delivered him who without cause is mine Enemy Then let the Enemy persecute my Soul yea let him tread my Life down in the Earth and lay mine Honour in the Dust If David had been conscious to himself of the like Injustice or of any other Sin approved that he had been was and would be so for the future he would not have had the Confidence to have desired this of God And so in many places where he prays to God for some Favour he professeth himself God's servant Psalm 86. Verse 4. Rejoyce the Soul of thy Servant Verse 11. He prays to God to teach him his way and he would walk in his Truth That which was truly God's Way and was truly right and to be done And Verse 12. he professes he would praise God and glorifie his Name which were Signs and Branches of his Goodness And then Verse 16. he prays O turn unto thy Servant and save the Son of thine Handmaid Psal 119. Verse 94. I am thine save me for I have sought thy Precepts He had endeavoured and desired to obey God and he had given himself up to him I am thine or God had especially design'd him to serve him in the Kingdome therefore he was bolder to pray God would save him or deliver him from the Evils he was in danger of And Psalm 143. Verse 12. Of thy Mercy cut off mine Enemies and destroy all them that afflict my Soul Suppose them so to continue as long as they had life and were able and not to repent for I am thy Servant And this is the best sort of Vows when a Man not only upon Condition that God will give him any certain thing he craves expresly wills and obligeth himself to do this or that particular good Work or abstain from this or that Fault or bad Action but before-hand he gives up himself entirely to God and vows and promises he will be his servant universally and more particularly it may be too where he thinks he may do the most good or where he hath been the most faulty And as for his Desires and Requests he refers them to the Divine Righteousness and Wisdom He makes no bargain with God only those Duties which can only be done upon Condition of God's bestowing his requested Favours may be promised and professed by him conditionally As for example to thank and praise God particularly for any Favour conferred which cannot be if it be never received SECT VI. IV. A Fourth Ingredient in Prayer is Thanksgiving that is an actual loving of God for his Benefits already received And this contributes to the strengthning and invigorating of our Prayers and Desires too It is as the rest before a necessary Sign according to the degree of its vigour and frequency of the same degree of Goodness in us For if we love God for his Benefits we shall naturally desire to please him and to seek to know what doth so and that we cannot be ignorant is by doing his Will or by keeping his Commands with Care to be universally holy good and righteous in the grand Instance of universal Benevolence and consequently Self-denial and all the Branches thereof I say according to the degree of its Vigour and Frequency For it 's no wonder to see one who loves God for his Benefits but seldom now and then only for one Fit in a Prayer never thinking of it afterwards or in mean and low degree one who loves God less and less often than many other Objects I say it is no wonder to see such a Person to sin and offend as often as these Objects are his Temptations But if we loved God vigorously and more than any other Objects and so frequently that it became an habitual Temper of our Souls it would most certainly produce in us the Effect of universal Holiness And so far forth as we find it in intensness and constancy in our selves so far is it a sign thereof and gives us reason consequently to think our selves acceptable to God and that it may be the more reasonable and just for him to bestow the good things we ask I do not think that Love to God for his Benefits conferred upon ones self or Thankfulness is a principal Virtue but an excellent instrumental one it is It is not an Instance of formal Goodness or Virtue but it is a very frequent means thereof and therefore a sign But to love God for himself as a part or rather infinitely the most considerable thing in the whole Universe and therefore above all things and with reference to the whole this is indeed the noblest Instance of our Holiness The free and generous Acknowledgment and Resentment of God our Benefactor of the Divine Favours already received is one good Use Effect or Improvement of them which hath a further one still viz. it causeth us to please God by keeping his Commands and becoming universally holy and good as I have before instanced and being a very probable sign of this iâ— gives us a just Faith and Confidence and heightens our Prayers and Desires from God Ingratitude that is a Neglect or Contempt of God's Favours already bestowed we may be sure can give us no Encouragement but it is a sign of a dull sensual selfish or wicked Mind and so at least of defect oâ— Goodness Again actual Love to God for Favours received impresseth upon our Minds the Memory of his past Goodness and consequently gives us reason to argue he may be good to us again supposing we see no Circumstances to alter the Case in those things
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
as the great Consequence of the things nay their Necessity which is nothing but so great a Goodness of the things as we cannot be content to want nor help it but that the want thereof will afflict and pain us Here sometimes the many good effects of the granting our desires may be more particularly reckoned up and insisted on as also the many difficulties and improbabilities of our desires being effected by anâ— second causes we see For these more distinctly and longer attended to do make our Prayers directed to God immediately for hâ— Care and Influence more strong and fervent Things judged of little moment will hardly draw any or but a slight Prayer from us Things that we see in the Power of seconâ— Causes which we can command to effect we judge them in a manner done and effecâ— already we see the thing future in the Cause and therefore rather to be praised than prayer for Things also that are easie to be done â— second Causes have a great probability of theâ— being done and accomplished without oâ— Prayer and therefore much slackens or cooâ— our Desires But here we must provide that all these grounds be true that the things we judgâ— of such particular good Consequence and Effect really be so that there is really so much Improbability Difficulty or Impossibility to us in the obtaining our Desires any other way than by God's special Influence as we say there is of which somewhat hereafter The Example of this we have in Hezekiah's Prayer before cited 2 Kings 19. Ver. 17. Of a truth Lord saith he the Kings of Assyria have destroyed the Nations and the Lands and have cast their gods into the Fire c. This seems to intimate some Danger that they might do so to him and his People too some Probability of it some Difficulty to prevent it But yet he gives himself a reason why the Lord their God could prevent it though those other Nation 's gods could not though there was Difficulty or Danger as to second Causes yet none as to the Lord Jehovah their God and therefore he prayed to him to save him out of Sennacherib's Hâ—nds Verse 19. with this reason That all the Kingdoms of the Earth may know that thou art the Lord God even thou only This reason is an Instance of the Goodness of the thing he desires it is one good Effect and Consequence of his Deliverance by the Lord which therefore made him more bold and earnestly to desire it viz. the Knowledge and Honour of him the only true God in the World and especially in their neighbouring Idolatrous Nations In the Psalms most of which have some Prayer or other in them it is very frequent The 88. Psalm most of it is oâ— this Nature From the 3d Verse to the 9th is David's recital to God of his Case most in general Terms only one Verse is more particular Verse 3. My Soul is full of Troubles and my Life draweth nigh unto the Grave I am counted with them that go down into the Pit I am as a Man that hath no Strength That is his Anxiety and Grief was so great so heavy that it was near killing and oppressing him quite And Verse 7. Thy Wrath lyeth hard upon me and thou hast afflicted me with all thy Waves That is with many and many sorts of Afflictions And in the 8th Verse more particularly Thou hast put away my acquaintance far from me c. One Evil he complain'd of was that his Friends were false unconstant turned his Enemies either theâ— dared not or could not help him As in the 18. Verse again His Acquaintance were it Darkness viz. in Prison or Affliction oâ— they were gone he knew not where Anâ— then in the 13. and 14. Verses He prays tâ— God for his Favour to help and rescue him From the 15. Verse again to the end he proceeds in his rehearsal of his pitiful Condition In the 10 11 12 Ver. too he mentions thâ— Necessity and one good Consequence of hiâ— Deliverance from these great Pressures Wilt thou shew Wonders to the Dead c. Anâ— shall thy Loving-kindness be declared in thâ— Grave or thy Faithfulness in Destructionâ— shall thy Wonders be known in the dark and thy Righteousness in the Land of Forgetfulness The sense of this is That he should soon die if God did not help him and put him into a better Condition That these kinds or instances of Favours viz. Deliverance from such his Enemies and the like could not be shewn but in this Life not after Death And then again one good Effect of God's Pleasure to deliver him here would be great Thanks to him and Praises and honouring of him by his publishing and proclaiming this his especial Goodness and that in particular of his Faithfulness which would not be in the State after Death or at least his Death and Destruction by such means would be no such Argument of his Goodness to him as his Life and Preservation would be The like we have again in the 79. Psalm which is a publick Prayer and most probably was written after the Captivity of Babylon And the Title Psalm of Asaph may signifie that it was composed either by some Asaph about that time or else by some other devout Person in Imitation of Asaph From the first to the fourth Verse is a Declaration of the miserable State of the Jews O God the Heathen are come into thine Inheritance thy holy People have they defiled they have laid Jerusalem upon Heaps And then Verse 5. How long Lord wilt thou be angry for ever That is we earnestly beseech thee that thou wouldst not c. and so on in Verse 6. the rest is a mixture of those two viz. Declaration or Proposal of their Condition and Petition Only in Verse 10 and 13 are mentioned good Consequences of the granting their humble Desires as Reasons of their Hopes and Prayers viz. the Prevention of the dishonouring the God of Israel among the idolatrous Heathen Wherefore should the Heathen say where is now their God And then their Love Praise and Thankfulness to him for his Deliverance So we thy People and Sheep of thy Pasture will give thee Thanks for ever c. These are but for Instances we may observe the like in most Psalms SECT VIII THe Sixth and last Ingredient in a VI. Prayer is Petition an express Desire that God would bestow upon us some thing This I make the very essence of Prayer without which no Prayer A Prayer may be without the rest of the ingredients but no Prayer could be without this It would be called by another Name they are all principally for the sake of this as I have in every Particular shew'd They are but Helps to make this more fervent or more comprehensive particular and distinct or more continued and lasting c. Now there are two things generally herein to be considered and regarded the Sâ—nse and the Passion together with some consequent
time thereof The reason why this Disadvantage of premeditated or extempore Prayers of single Persons hath not by most of the Despisers of Forms been taken notice of is because they have taken all for true and good which Persons have said and never examined or they have formerly and perhaps often heard the same things from them and others in Prayers and so far these very premeditated or extempore Prayers are indeed a Form to these â—earers 3. Another Advantage of Forms where the same Words are used is That in them the Sense is better conveyed the Meaning of Expressions is better understood Men especially the vulgar by often hearing and attending to Words and Expressions usually know better what they mean than those which are new and not before heard 4. Another Advantage of Forms is that they are very useful for the Memory being often repeated they are more impressed upon the Memory and so if they contain any good useful thing are always the more ready for Use come oftner to the Mind and thereby do some general good They can also be better quoted and cited by one to another upon Occasion of Advice or Reproof when one asks another whether he be and advises that he would or minds him that he is not so good as his Prayers Besides it hath some more Authority it is a Prayer which he himself hath liked approved joyned in it is readier therefore for use a Man needs not stand first to prove the Truth or Goodness of the Thing but presently apply it Whereas in Prayers which are always diverse there is little by most remembred of them and if they be forgotten they can do no more good then what they did at the present when spoken nor if they be remembred can they be so presently made use of nor have they so much Authority as Forms On the other hand the Advantages of a premeditated Prayer may be Frist Increase of Knowledge there being usually more Variety of Things and Things more particular and distinct This is an Effect of premeditated or extempore Prayers not of a Prayer Of many diverse Prayers opposed to a Form not of one only for one Form may contain as much variety of things as one premeditated or extempore Prayer but many diverse premeditated or extempore Prayers opposed to the same Form as many times repeated give Occasion for a more various and distinct and particular Knowledge of of Things It puts Men upon Invention and Consideration of things it prevents Iâ—leness and consequently which most-what follows Ignorance Dulness and Sensuality it causeth Men more to imploy their Minds about the two most excellent Objects of them Truth and Goodness It seemeth therefore in this Respect of one very good Consequence generally for there is Exception that the Clergy be at least permitted to compose Prayers of their own as well as Sermons but then it would be of better Effect still if they had at least sometimes one or more Governors to be their Auditors to overlook them and prudently to incourage them when they did well and direct them when they might do better There may be both too little and too much Employment they both are generally Causes of doing very slightly and ill what is done 2. Consequently for Attention to what is contained in a Prayer premeditated Prayers are a help thereto For what we very well know what we have often heard we are apt to neglect What is new whether Sense or Expression we are apt to take more heed to â—o mark and observe and this because of all our natural Appetites to increase our Knowledge and the Perfection thereof It is reasonable we should gratisie this Appetite but then we must have a care that we do not preser it before a better that is that of the Profitableness or Excellency of the Objects of our Knowledge We must not prefer the Novelty or Variety before the Utility of our Knowledge and so it may be Trisles before very useful Things We should order it so too what we can as to make them consistent one with another and one subservient to the other As that the Variety be of profitable and excellent things But very often Variety and Utility of Conceit are naturally inconsistent and the first is often a sign and sometimes a cause of the want of the second Men of very various conceit are often defective in Judgment or rather in the percepcion and sight of the Truth and Usefulness of things of which the cause might easily be more particularly shâ—wn if it were here proper Wherefore we should be so far from a general Approbation and Admiration of Men meerly for Variety and Multitude of Conceit that it should rather if we see no other reason to the contrary dispose us to undervalue them as being a probable sign of the Defect of a far better Quality than that is 3. Another Advantage of premeditated Prayer is the seasonableness and pertinency of things in Prayer For there may happen some Wants which could not be foreseen at any distance and therefore not provided for or if they he yet some may be more particularly and distinctly and with more Variety of Phrase or Speech and other signs both of our sense or meaning and of our affections which may be of good use though always the same persons should be our Auditors much more when there are many of different capacities insisted upon at some Times and Places than at others The Goodness of such things too thus seasonable pertinent and present is more clearly apprchended and consequently prayed for with more strong and vigorous Affections It may often happen to some persons that when their inventions are warmed with a serious and affectionate reciting their owâ— premeditated Prayer they may see in somâ— things a greater excellency then before theâ— had taken notice of whence their passioâ—â— on a sudden may be more raised and theâ— expressions of them in words more various natural and proper than at another time Sometimes also they may have some neâ— things start into their minds of great uâ— and very pertinent When this is an extempore interposition may be seasonable and nâ— to be excluded especially in private and seerâ— Prayer 4. Another Advantage usually not always of diverse premeditated Prayers is reality and fervency of affection by reason 〈◊〉 the variety of the matter Men generallâ— are less affected with old and well known things than with new The reason of which is the boundlessness of mens desires There is no good so great but we can conceive anâ— consequently desire a greater still till we come to infinite Whence it is that we take off desires from what we already possesâ— and consequently our love and esteem aâ— least for the present and reserve them for some other good still of which we are ignorant We generally think it a mean thing â—o sit down content with less than what we are capable of enjoying We are like the ambitious and covetous man who
things discovered by ouâ— own Reason and Observation divine and humane Testimony And as for this last let it be of the most wise sober virtuous unprejudiced honest Persons who are therefore the most free from Superstition It is certainly one of the most general and mischievous Cheats in the World that Men Judge things good or bad and more or less so according to their inclinations which are principally caused by passions Though not always and not according to the sight of good or bad Effects which is the principal use of our Reason We ought therefore if we be not so disposed to stir up the greatest Affections and maintain them in our selves Affections and maintain them in our selves for those things which really are the greatest good things which are so the most Universally the most Intensly and most Constantly Such as are generally in Forms and in the publick most likely if composed and allowed by Judicious wise generously Religious and Pious Persons The things which do most affect Men we may observe are selfish sensible and present good things sometimes one or t'other or all these such as are our being in God's favour our being elected justified pardoned saved when others are reprobated condemned punished Eternally sometimes Riches Plenty Health good Relations or Friends Honour or the like all which oft-times are the least good things and least to be desired compared with others either because they are but sensible or present or selfish good or all of them Whereas things of more universal and publick good Effect Spiritual future ought more to be desired though commonly they are much lesse Such as to be perfectly inherently righteous and holy to love God for himself and please him to be universally disposed and enabled to be beneficent or Universal Charity and Beneficence self-denyal Resignation to God's will because always for the Universal good Humility Spirituality of mind Mortification of all our Lusts or inordinate selfish appetites c. Afterwards Wisdom nay all the Perfections of our Knowledg We are more to desire the most publick and Universal good than our own and therefore our persection more than our Happiness the Love of God and Charity more than our own Felicity Again Spiritual good things more than sensible future more than present Our Judgment finally of the Truth and of the degrees of the utility and Excellency of the things should direct our desires and all our Affections in our Prayers Which Judgment as I said we are to informe as well as we can by our own Wisdom and Reason by God's Word and by the Testimony and Examples of wise holy and good Men so far as we shall have reason impartially to think them so and we must use the best means we can to know who are so and lastly much by a natural Sense consequent Passions God having made our minds so as to be much affected with some things our Consciences allowing it he hath anticipated our Natures with such Impressions if we can distinguish them from others contracted by bodily temper education Example This of Testimony and Example of those whom we judge wise and good Men is so considerable amongst Men and hath naturally so much Influence that few Persons are determined in their Opinions by any other reason and I think it one of the reasons why a premeditated Prayer and even a Form composed by a private Person and recited by himself hath been generally prefer'd before a Form composed by the Publick and recited by a private Person viz. because Men generally are moved to think and judg the things true or profitable which are said or recited by the Testimony and Example of him that says and recites the Prayer If he judg that it is so they are apt to judg so too and consequently to be affected Now Men judge that he that recites a Prayer composed by himself did and doth judge the things true and of great Concernment and sees them to be so otherwise why should he say those things rather than others But they as they think have not the same reason to judge so of him who is obliged to recite a Prayer composed by another For he is obliged to say and recite that and no other and therefore he doth it when it may be he attends not to nor is affected with the Truth and Goodness of the Things he recites any more then a School-Boy is with his Lesson Nay though the Reciter of such a Prayer should have as many external signs of Reverence and Affectionâ— as he that recites a Prayer of his own Composition yet his Example and Testimony is not ordinarily so efficacious For Men are apt to think that that Affection may come from Custome or Compliance or the like But here we should do well to do these three things First To look upon such publick Forms as composed by the Publick who most-what are to be presumed wiser than private Persons and that they did judge the things true and of exceeding great Profit and Benefit or else they might have chose other things as well as those let the Reciter behave himself as he will And then Secondly That some and surely considerable Men who recite them with Afction do it really in those things which they judge and because they do judge them true and exceeding profitable not only out of Custome and Compliance And then it may as reasonably be suspected that the great Affections of those who recite their own Prayers oftimes especially in extempore are forced least they should seem could oft-times they proceed more from their being their own and invented by themselves as we see Men are very apt to be much pleased with their own than out of any clear sight or Judgment of their Truth and Utility If they do judge they are true and profitable that very Judgment may proceed from that Self-Love and Esteem Thirdly We are therefore to excite and stir up our Affections which otherwise it may be are dull and sluggish in Proportion to such our Judgment though we should not have the Example of him that says or recites them If we think not good to follow the Judgment of the Publick herein we should have great and clear Reason against it and such Modesty as to be backward to signifie it Let all Men here as in all Prayers do what they can what they see and assent to as true and Judg it good and so far forth as they do so let them joyn in that and stir up and excite their hearty affections in that as much as they can not through Laziness or Prejudice especially from Revenge wilfully negâ—ect or reject it We have said That the advantage of sincere and fervent affections in diversity of Prayers is more usual or general but not constant or Universal For sometimes on the contrary a form of Prayer may be more affectionately used As when persons are of a slow and staid temper not caring to enlarge their knowledge or their desire but
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
want of Honour to any Person with whom we converse or from whoâ— we desire any thing and therefore to God but it is not so among the Eastern People the Chineses and Turks Wherefore the covering of the head in Prayer is not except in some rare Circumstances to be permitted among us but it may amongst them as it is And consequently neither of them could have been universally commanded by Christ or his Apostles It is true this Power of the Church maâ— be also ill used and Constitutions in the external Worship of God may be such and so many as to hinder and not help his internal Worship and so may the Legislative and Exâ—cutive Power of every Government in many things be ill applied but the Inconveniencies or Mischiefs of taking this Power quite away are infinitely greater than those of the ill use of it according to Reason and the Experience of all Ages or else there had been no Government in the World before this For usually what hath been always the general Practice of the World hath been found by Experience to be better than its Omission alâ— Circumstances considered It is possible too that Constitutions may be so mischievous as to be sufficient Causes of Separation from any particular Church And then only they are so when there are greater Mischiefs and evil Consequences of them than there are of Separation and great indeed must they then be Which can only be determined by Revâ—lation God prohibiting them or by our own Prudence The Ignorance or the necessary or wilful Prejudices of some Men are strangely great who easily make every Constitution of little or no Inconveniâ—nce and sometimes even useful and convenient ones a sufficient Cause of Separation Which Perswasion or Temper tends most certainly and speedily to an utter Dissolution of every Christian Society or Church a truely great Instrument or Means of the Reformation and Happiness of Mankind For there will hardly ever be any Constitution which will long have the Approbation of all But enough of this in this Place I shall only moreover very briefly mention some few general things concerning these Constitutions in external publick Worship with all due Deference and Submission As first and principally that they be such as may have more good Consequences than bad more Conveniencies than Inconveniencies I mean universally in respect of Subject Degree and Time or of Extension Intension and Duration I know this is a Consideration of vast and unlimited Extent but I am well assured that there is no other absolutely universal Rule of all our Actions And there are but two Ways to know what is so viz. Testimony divine and humane and Reason Or but one viz. our Reason informed by Testimony and Prudence that is by others or our own perception and sight of things If God hath universally by undoubted Revelation to others or our selves commanded or forbidden us any Action we may be sure that always to do or abstain from it hath most Conveniencies and is the best though possibly to our Prudence there may appear sometimes the contrary But if there be nothing in Revelation our own Reason must comprehend as well as it can all good and bad Effects or Consequences of any Action or Omission of any Action making all just and prudent Use herein of humane Testimony and direct us to chuse that which hath the most good and the fewest evil ones There is no Action whatsoever except the Will of the last End viz. the Universal good in which alone formal Virtue and Rectitude is to be found which hath not both And therefore we are not presently to throw away a Constitution or Law because we observe some one or more Inconveniencies in it to some Persons at one Time nor to receive it because we take notice of some few Conveniencies but we are to comprehend all of both as far as we can as to Persons Degree and Time and accordingly determine But Secondly One very general Sign or Instance yet possibly not without its Exception as sometimes in case of many good mens very zealous and sierce opposition through ignorance or bad mens through perversness and of complyance with other Churches that a constitution in the external Worship of God is of more good Effect than if it were omitted or than another in its Place is it's Tendency the most in those present Circumstances to beget and increase both in us that use it and in others that see it the internal Worship of God viz. the most perfect or best Knowledge Apprehensions and Opinions concerning God his Nature Will and Actions the greatest Admiration Honour and Reverence Love Gratitude Desire Trust Joy Obedience and Imitation of God and consequently the most perfect inward Holiness Righteousness Virtue of Soul in all particular Branches and Instances in four Words the most sincere universal vigorous and constant Holiness And this is that which is or should be principally meant by their being for Edification And as for the precise notion of decent or decorous It is nothing but a Thing 's being a Sign of some useful or commendable Quality in us as contrariwise an indecent thing is that which is a Sign of some imperfection within us either natural or moral as imprudence rudeness irreligion but more ordinarily of that which is natural oâ— that which is rather only contemptible than hateful And it is principally in order to edification by good Example Some of the most considerable Ways or Means how we may come to know what external Signs or any other Circumstances do most tend to this Effect of Edification are First A most sincere and generous Love â— this internal Worship of God in the Constituters themselves and a hearty and fervent Desire to beget and propagate it in Men alâ— they can and consequently to aim at it and propose it to themselves in all their Constitutions and that the most immediately they can and the shortest way I say the most immediately and the shortest way For it seemâ— to have been a frequent mistake or non-attendance in some who have really desired and intended the promotion of this internal Worship of God which may be called Piety thaâ— they have applied themselves to those meanâ— which are so indeed but in small degree and very remote and therefore uncertain and take up a great deal of time and pains which might have been elsewhere better employed for the same purpose They require so much time and constancy to drive them through a long train of successive causes to their end that men seldom have the patience or list to pursue them so far but sit down and rest themselves and are well pleased with the means themselves forgetting or neglecting the end of them We are not to take presently and make use of every real means which may effect our proposed end but only those which will the most speedily and fully do it and even of those the sewest we possibly can It is also certainly
Introduction of Constitution may well be one cause of their too great Multitude and Unâ—difyingness And I do not see why a Bishop of Londoâ— with his Clergy or an English Synod maâ— not be as well instructed in the means jusâ— now suggested and all others to know what Constitutions aâ—e of best Effect and most for Edification to their own Church in their Circumstances as a Bishop of Hippo or Constantinople or a Carthaginian Synod to their Church in theirs but much better sure may they constitute for their own Church than these can do And particularly I hope it is not impossible but that in Conjunction with their use of these and other Means especially the first of sincere Intention they may also have some special Influence of God to direct them I am sure it is but too much their own fault if they be not as capable of it as other Christian Churches have been Thirdly It seems of most good Effect and particularly most conducible to the Promotion of the internal Worship of God that there should be some external Signs thereof or some other besides those that are absolutely necessary as Time and Place Circumstances constituted but not many The good Use of some to be constituted is a constant standing sensible Testimony of the publick Opinion of wise and good Men concerning the internal Worship of God what Honour Love Obedience c. we ought to have towards him and how we ought to shew and express it by the most sit and proper Signs not only in those few that are constituted but also by all other which our own Prudence shall determine Those few are but for an Example of our inward Affectioâ— and external Behaviour and for a Directiâ— to our general Practice Further The feâ— external things that are constituted may â—â— somewhat helpful really to introduce and â—â— up in us the due inward Operations of oâ— Souls to God as hath been before observeâ— Further It will prevent at least some perfoâ— appearing to others to be utterly negligeâ— and careless thereof to be senseless or ecâ— temptuous of them and consequently â—â— offending our Brethren both grieving anâ— displeasing the more pious and drawing tâ— more weak and indifferent in Piety to â—â— Imitation of the like Irreligion and Prophanâ— ness And however Men for a few yeâ— may be so serious in the Worship of God â— not to need this Help yet in a Nationâ— Church after some time of settlement theâ— will be found to be need enough as theâ— seems to be in this very prophane Age. â— the mean time it can do little or no Hurt â— them who may think they do not or maâ— not really want it If none of these external Circumstances of Worship be instituted then they must all be left to the Desire anâ— Advice only of the Publick or of each particular Governour of any Religious Assembly and consequently to the Judgment and Choice of every particular Member though never so ignorant and bad But I believe it doth now by Experience appear and whether it will ever be otherwise in larger Churches especially God knows when in Liberty and Peace that a very great number of Persons are not yet so inwardly Religious as to abstain from many indecent things and some which are Signs of sottish Irreligion contemptuous Prophaneness and Pride or to follow the Advices and Intreaties and Examples of their Superiours especially Ecclesiastical though of acknowledged Prudence and Piety Nay I think at this time in this Nation Persons are generally disposed rather to do clean contrary even in things manifestly enough of good use and which it would become Prudence Piety and Charity to appoint Which Humour seems still to be of the growing side and is just the contrary Extreme to the receiving all Institutions though manifestly hurtful or useless with Veneration Which one consideration may afford a sufficient reason for some diversity of external circumstances in the Celebration of the Lords Supper even from the practice of our Lord himself and his Apostles Jesus himself is not now present to distribute it Nor are the Communicants Apostles to receive it There was no need of commanding any external rite to help their seriousness attention and affection or to secure them from neglect or contempt But as it seems to be of very good Consequence to constitute some things in external Worship so it seems best to constitute buâ— few how few Governors must determine especially if they be such as do in themselveâ— strongly affect the Sense or excite much thâ— Passions of Admiration Love or Delight or take up much Time and Pains that sâ— Mens Attention be not taken off from the internal Worship of God It is certain theâ— may be so many so garish so operose and so long as to take up all a Man's Attention pleasing the Vulgar especially in the same manner as some things in a Comedy do As if â—â— Man should be obliged to cross himself at every Verse of Scripture read or to say Lorâ— have mercy upon us just thirty times and Hallelujah ten times as I think it is reported of the Russians of the Greek Church Nor seems it less advisable that the few things which are constituted be of great and manifest good use and particularly for Edification that so those who enjoyn teach or use them may the more easily justifie them and not spend too much time in dispute about them and those who are enjoyned them being without scruple may the more chearfully observe them This will also prevent their too great multiplication of which there is danger in some tract of time For if any be admitted for the reason of some small though real convenience it will make way for all those and they are none knows how many which can alledge as much Fourthly It is undoubtedly best that the Persons who constitute and appoint should be not the People who are generally so ignorant and selfish but the Governors of each Church who are generally more wise and generous of more publick Spirits The larger the Church also the better for by that means the Constitutions are of greater Authority and more freely observed generally also they are both wiser and fewer as being made by a greater Number of wiser and honester Persons and those of different Apprehensions and Tempers and then as being to fit a greater Number of Persons The same may be said of Articles of Belief The Conditions of Communion both in Doctrine and Discipline are likely in equal Time to be far more numerous and of less consequence in lesser Churches such as some amongst us affect and contend for than in larger such as Diocesan Provincial National and if it were possible one Universal Church and consequently there will be less of Liberty in them It is true the wisest and best men are not the greatest number But yet it is more probable that more of them should be found in a greater number of men than in a less Nor
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
but too mischievous and hurtful it may be by our bad one have the Joy and Comfort of this both in Life and Death as also from a reasonable and just confidence and assurance of God's Love and Favour both here and hereafter Again Health Freedom from Sickness Diseases Distempers especially those which may indispose and disable us from being wise and good as many do and which may incline us to what is weak imperfect bad either immediately or by the Use of Means for their removal Further Peace a State of good-will of all Men towards us and towards one another a good Government good Laws good Magistrates good Neighbours Power and Magistracy our selves according to our Integrity and Ability to use it as well or better than others which sometimes our but allowable Modesty and just Opinion of our selves and especially our well disposedness to use it well for the good of others may permit us to desire and oblige us not to refuse Add hereto Liberty Honour Good-Name or Reputation to be beloved Friends Relations Riches and all the Conveniencies of Diet Cloathing Habitation Servants Assistants Attendants Freedom from hurtful Care and Solicitude and Temptation about worldly things just and sober Recreations which these Riches can and do use to procure These general things and many more numberless particulars may be the Matter and Contents of our Prayer to God that he would give and grant them us and most what in this order but let us be sure that all be for the Ends and with those Considerations expressed or presumed that I have mentioned Behold then here a short Scheme of the general Heads of most at least of those things which we may have need of either at all times or some time or other and which therefore may be the Matter of our Petitions and Desires when we pray or address our selves to God either ordinarily or extraordinarily And here it may be observed first That all these things some or other of them may be put into our Petitions for any other Persons when we pray for them For Example We ought to pray for all the Universe that God would make it perfect and happy we may and ought particularly to pray as heartily for other Men as for our selves that God would so dispose the Affairs of Mankind as to make Men more sincerely generously and constantly holy and good That Men may more love and obey God their own and all the World's Maker and Benefactour and imitate him more in the Universal Love of all and right use of any Power or Ability they have derived from him That Men may be more wise to understand and know the greatest good they can do for themselves and others and the Ways how and all things whatever which may enable them or help them thereto That Men may more universally obtain all the Perfection and Happiness their Nature is capable of be more knowing wise prudent holy good and in all instances virtuous and in order hereto that more Men may be Christians and Men which are so may be more so That they may better understand the Doctrine and Contents of the Christian Religion and their respective Goodness and Usefulness and attend to and be affected accordingly therewith and therefore principally with its ultimate end and design which is to make men holy and happy That they may be free from Ignorance Error Superstition a most mischievous sort thereof Formality Hypocrisie Pride Tyranny Affectation of Equality and Superiority Contention Strife finally from all ultimate selfishness That Christians might be preserved from being deluded or drawn or driven by foolish ignorant erroneous proud tyrannical envious vain-glorious conceited and self-seeking men Many good things there are also which may be proper to others to their Conditions or Circumstances as to all sorts of Governours and Governed that the one may rule well and the other obey to Magistrates and Subjects Parents and Children Husbands and Wives Masters and Servants So also for whole Communities or Societies some good things may be desired which are proper to them as Unity It is to be observed farther That the matter of our Prayer or Petition may sometimes be all or more fore-named particulars briefly mentioned only and sometimes and that most commonly but some of them enlarged Those particular things which we most want which are most reasonable of whose goodness we are most sensible these I say may be more enlarged with variety of expressiâ—â— both of sense and affection to detain our aâ—tention longer and to raise our affections We may also take notice of the incentives â— motives to our desire such as the goodneâ— of God his promises the great goodness â— the thing we desire in many instances 〈◊〉 necessity and yet the difficulty of it by reasâ— of many hindrances Insomuch that one or very few particulars may be the matter of very long Prayer Lastly We may observe That the Peâ—tion for holiness and righteousness a virtâ—ous and good mind is always expresly tolâ— made before all others or else it is to be pâ—â—sumed that we already have it in such degree that we may use the thing well we aâ— for if it be a thing may be used ill Forâ— only have we no reason to hope that our desires shall be granted but also we have reasâ—â— to fear that we shall be punished if we aâ— otherwise it being either impudent bolâ—ness or too wilful carelesness or ignoranceâ— the nature of God so to do as if he cared â— what and to whom he gave good thing When Men ask amiss that they may consuâ— it upon their lusts no wonder that they aâ— and receive not Jam. 4. 3. The sacrificeâ— the wicked is abomination how much more whâ— he bringeth it with a wicked mind Prov. 21. â— Nay it may be here added that so far aâ— man is wicked though he should pray for some things with a good mind intending to use them well so much less is the probability of his success or that God should grant any thing at his request For he that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law even his Prayers shall be an abomination Prov. 28. 9. i. e. so far forth and in such proportion as a man is disobedient to God and wicked it is probable God will reject and refuse his Petitions But this hindreth not to remove an ordinary scruple but that he that hath more badness than goodness in him and therefore in general may be called a bad man may pray and desire somethings from God For first he may in somethings at sometimes be well-minded be a good man and particularly in some of his Petitions and therefore hath proportionable hopes of speeding But Secondly there are other reasons of praying to God besides hopes of success There may be other and so many good effects of our praying that though we should have little probability of receiving what we ask yet it may be not only lawful but our duty to do it rather
than omit it as the Acknowledgment of God of our dependency upon him the sense of our wants humility the exercise of our charity if our Prayers be for others and the good example of all these to others c. It is not surely unlawful for one that is more and much more generally bad than good and therefore may be termed a wicked or bad man to have good desires to pray to God to give him his grace to repent and be better which he may be so well-disposed at at some particular time as to do and then his pardon for Christ's sake to pray for relief in his distress deliverance from evils competency of the good things of this World God's blessing upon his endeavours and all this that he may serve God comfortably and do good to pray for his Family or Children out of sense of his duty and natural affection to bestow his blessing out of good nature compassion charity gratitude upon the afflicted his friends his benefactors Surely I say this is not unlawful nay it is his duty though at the time he doth thus he may in general be a bad man yet in these his Prayers good and so far it should be probable that at least some of these Petitions should be rejected or not granted CHAP. IV. SECT I. THe Fourth general Head of our Discourse concerning Prayer is the excellent effects the advantages or benefits thereof I mean of praying or a Prayer not only of that one part of it called Petition These all are to be so many reasons why we ought and so many Motives to us to pray for from the good effects of any action are all the reasons and motives for its performance to be taken These Benefits may be of two general sorts viz. 1. To others 2. To our selves 1. By our Prayers we may do good to others For it may oft-times seem reasonable and just to God to bestow upon others what we ask and desire as we ought for them upon the condition of our Prayers so that if we had not prayed God might not have given it For this his hearing our Prayers for others may as reasonably be an Instance of God's Goodness and Benevolence to us as any other good thing and it may be as great an Engagement to us to love and thank God and as a Reward it may engage us more to acknowledge and depend upon himself which are such excellent Means of making us good and to proceed to love others and to rejoyce in others good Besides if we be generally very good Men this instance of God's Favour to us in hearing our Prayers for others will very much engage and encourage others to an Imitation of us and to be good likewise that they may have the same Favour and Honour from God too For a great Honour sure it is and a great sign of our being acceptable to him when he is pleased to grant our Petitions not only for our selves but for others likewise for whom out of Love Charity and Compassion we heartily pray It is true God bestows upon us the great Favour of granting our Petitions or hearing our Prayers for our selves for Jesus Christ's sake but it is upon the Condition of our being holy and good Upon this same Condition for Jesus Christ's sake he may and doth do us that particular Favour of hearing our Prayers for others likewise that he may shew and declare how acceptable to him Holiness and Goodness is And it was our Saviour's constant spotless and perfect Holiness that merited from God the Pardon of all our Sins in case of Repentance for his sake and consequently all his Favours and particularly the hearing of all our Prayers both for our selves and others By which we may easily understand how God may hear our Prayers for one another and that for Christ's sake We have store of Examples and Commands in Scripture for all Men especially good Men to pray for others we have also there promises that they shall be heard and performances too that is the success recorded God commandeth Job's Friends to go to Job to pray for them with their burnt Offerings that God would forgive their rash and unadvised Speech concerning himself out of Envy Contempt or ill-Will against Job it is likely and tells them that he would accept his Servant Job Here God even forgives some sins of some few Friends or rather omits some Punishment for them upon Condition of Job's Prayer and for his sake Job 42. Verse 7 8 9. A great part of the Punishment of the Children of Israel for their sottish Idolatry in worshipping the golden Calf so soon after their coming out of Egypt seems to have been forgiven upon Moses his Intercession and Prayer For it is said that God threatned to consume them and to make of Moses a great Nation but upon Moses's beseeching the Lord that he repented him of the Evil that he thought to do unto his People I say God forgave a great part of their Punishment not all he did not utterly destory â— consume them though he did plague thâ— People too because they made the Calf Anâ— this after he had prayed to God to forgiâ—â— them their Sin or to blot him out of hâ— Book that is not to mind him nor be favourable unto him nor to shew any kindness to him as Men use to do to those whoâ— they have once written down to remember to do them some good as occasion shall offer but afterwards blot them out again Wâ— may read these things Exod. 32. from Verse the 10th to the 15th and from Verse 30 tâ— the end of the Chapter And so again upon Moses's Prayer to pardon the Iniquity of the Israelites when they murmured against him were seditious and conspiring to chuse a Captain under whose Conduct they might return to Egypt again God saith that he had pardoned according to his Word that is his Prayer which he had made Numb 14. Ver. 20. See what great good things it may seem just and reasonable to God to bestow and give upon the Prayer of one eminently holy and righteous Man and how much greater for the sake of one who was perfectly so even saving the Lives of thousands of whole Nations and all the Blessings consequent And therefore it hath not been untruly however vainly and conceitedly it might have been said by some that in this resâ—ect as well as others the World fares much the better for holy and good Men and even those who are their Enemies who malign or hate them to whom they can and do often do good thus against their Wills when bad Men would not be beholden to good Men. yet they pray for good things to them and wish them well They often pray to God to make them good to amend them and even while they are bad to forbear them and not to punish them either by laying evil things or taking away good things from them whilst bad Men out of a malicious or
had committed sins they should be forgiven them That is most likely that Punishment of their sins viz. their sickness which might be inflicted and justly continued too should be removed and taken away James 5. Verse 14. Is any sick amongst you let him câ—l for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. That is not improbably let the Elders using the natural Means for his Recovery also add their fervent Prayers to God For anointing with Oyl was a most ordinary and usual Medicine in those Times and Countries for curing many Infirmities and Diseases as appears by the Jewish Writings And therefore it may be instanced in by St. James and put Syneedochically for any other natural Means or Medicine whatsoever applied for Help and Cure To this also the Jews added Enchantments to which the Apostle probably opposeth Prayer as the Disciples used the Invocation of the Name of Jesus and God as a learned Man hath observed And then the Apostle proceeds the Prayer of Faith that is of a Believer or of a true and hearty holy Christian such as the Elders were generally and reasonably then supposed to be shall save the sick that is shall save him from his sickness or deliver him and the Lord shall raise him up And if he have committed sins that is any sins which might particularly have deserved such a Punishment as Sickness yet by the Prayers of these Elders righteous Men they shall be forgiven him that is this Punishment shall not be further inflicted upon him And then follows confess your Faults one to another and pray one for another for the effectual fervent Prayer of the righteous Man availeth much it is very prevalent with God to procure such and other Favours and Blessings yea and sometimes Curses and Evil things even as Elias who being but a Man as we are by his Prayers procured and obtained from God both Drought and Rain There may be also other Benefits to others by our Prayers if they be duly performed they may be Examples to others excite and draw them to a due Acknowledgment of of God and his Perfections to love him thank him desire of him have Faith Confidence and Trust in him obey and please him and to obtain all the consequent good Effects which we our selves shall by our own Prayers all which good things had it not been for our Example they would never have thought of or minded or not so much SECT 1. BUt Secondly There are many and great Benefits to our selves by Prayer which again may be comprehended under three Heads 1 Our Goodness or Holiness 2 Our Comfort Joy Satisfaction Pleasure and Delight of Soul 3 Some things that may be the common Causes or Means of both 1 Prayers do confirm and increase our Goodnoss They tend much to preserve us therein and to make us better and that these several ways amongst others First By the actual Exercise and Use of it or of the immediate Means thereof Secondly By suggestion or bringing to mind our Duty or what helps to practise it Thirdly By being an Occasion of Imitation of God Fourthly By putting us in mind particularly of the Condition of our receiving all other good things besides Goodness nay of our receiving a further degree of Goodness it self Fifthly By way of Remuneration or Reward All which I shall a little more explicate 1 By being an Occasion of the actual Exercise and Use of Goodness or of those things which immediately are the most frequent and effectual Means thereof And this is easily understood by running over all the Parts of a Prayer we have formerly mentioned As First The Confession of our Sins that is an express Judgment concerning our selves directed to God that we have been guilty formerly or are still of such and such sins and a hearty Disapprobation Dislike Disalallowance thereof a Contempt or Hatred of them and of our selves too so far as we have been guilty a hearty sorrow that we have ever been so imperfect wicked or unhappy and a chearful free and firm Resolution to do so no more but to be good and to do our Duty to do what we have been faulty in omitting and to abstain from and abandon what we have been guilty of in doing to mortifie and extinguish all the Inordinacy and Immoderacy of any or all our Appetites that is all our Lusts or the Corruption of our Appetitos and to excite and quicken our Desire and Love to our Duty and to Obedience to God whose Commands are the Rule of it Now Confession of our Sins thus explicated and in this sense is an actual Exercise or Exertion of the Habit of Goodness and Holiness or of Grace in us as it is usually called so often as we thus pray we stir up and excite and put forth into Action our habitual inclination of Goodness and Holiness But every Action and Exercise confirms the Habit to which it belongs strengthens and increaseth it All Habits may be thus gotten and however gotten though immediately by God's Influence which is called Infusion yet they are thus maintained strengthened and increased The most ordinary Person may understand this by Experience The more often we actually hate or are grieved for or at any thing or Person the more we are inclined so to do insomuch that at last we may not endure the very sight or mentioning of them And so it is in Love what things we have accustomed our selves and used often to love we contract a most ready firm and constant Inclination so to do insomuch that sometimes we cannot be for any time without them In the very like manner it is when we actually often abominate Sin in general or any one in particular when we hate contemn are grieved for it when we heartily love our Duty and with the whole strength of our Souls desire and will we may be universally or in any particular innocent or good we shall at last arrive to that habitual Temper of Love of Goodness and our Duty and hatred of Sin which will be easie strong vigorous and constant and shall not endure the Sight or Suspition of any Sin in our selves nor be able to live comfortably without the constant consciousness to our selves of as great a degree Innocency and Virtue as we can by any Means attain to Profession of our future Obedience which was another Ingredient in Prayer as I have explicated Confession is included in it and is nothing but an express Action or Resolution of Will excited by the Soul and directed to God to be obedient to him in general or in any particular where she hath been faulty and that now by his Assistance and Strength which she humbly implores she will observe to do her Duty the Rules of which are his Will made known by Reason or Revelation Which express Action of hers or actual Resolution and the more frequent the better must needs preserve and increase her
of their Desert from God as to challenge him with Injustice for neglecting them But God tells them plainly that the external Parts of his Worship of Praying Weeping Fasting Looking sorrowfully and sordidly were not the things that he had chosen to procure them any Favour from him but it was reforming themselves and leaving all the above-named Iniquities being in all Instances and Expressions Universally Charitable to their Neighbour not oppressing or tyrannizing being tender-hearted compassionate c. It was these and such like should cause their Light to break forth as the Morning and their Health spring forth speedily that is should make them a joyous and happy People And Verse 9. expresly Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer thou shalt cry and he shall say here I am If thou take away from the midst of thee the Yoke that is Oppression the putting forth of the Finger that is Derision and Contempt it may be of thy poor unhappy Neighbour and speaking Vanity that is Lying or Fraud For by Vanity the Hebrew ordinarily expresseth Falshood c If thou reform and mend thy wicked Ways then mayst thou hope for and expect according to God's own Promise when it shall seem fit to him and that it will often dâ— that thy Prayers shall be heard otherwiâ—e thy Prayers and Confidence too are but Presumption and Impudence It is true these last places of the Prophet Isaiah and such like prove that which I have before mentioned viz. That Mens Consciences may sometimes so forget themselves be so partial and erroneous that they may pray boldly and confidently when they may rather expect the Taunt there and their Prayers to be thrown into their Faces that is their Prayers to be hated and contemn'd by God and themselves to be punished for their Hypocrisie and that therefore all Prayers do not always in all things necessarily suppose or make Men good But then they inform Men too which is the End why I have brought them that if Men hope to be heard by God and to have their Prayers granted they must be good and not live in the practice of known Sin or through Hypocrisie or Insincerity Laziness or Prevalency of some Lust above their Duty wilfully be ignorant whether they live in any Sin or no or slatter themselves in general they do not And those Men who know thus much by natural Conscience Reason the Scriptures and often attend to it which are most Men in some Degree or other though not all if they betake themselves to pray to God for the removal of any Evil or the granting of them any good will first be apt to reslect upon their Lives and Actions and promise unto God Amendment and Reformation of what they know to be bad in themselves and to beg his Pardon that they may with Hopes of Success pray to him and effectually obtain their Desires and to do this often and constantly surely will be an excellent Means for the preserving Men from all Sin nay to make them more sincerely vigorously constantly and universally better SECT VI. THe Fifth Way how our Praying may V. make us better and preserve us in Goodness is by Remuneration or Reward that is God Almighty may immediately or mediately reward our Prayers even in general being such as they should be God may reward our dutiful Acknowledgment of his infinite Perfections and our being affected with them accordingly our Admiration Honour Love Thankfulness Address to him humble Dependence upon him exercised in our Prayers with the greatest Blessings he can bestow upon us and that is with Increase Growth Strength in Holiness and Goodness When we pray unto him depend upon him humbly and in Resolution of Obedience and well-doing which also are Signs of our Acknowledgments of his Perfections even for any other good things besides Goodness as for Wisdom Instruction Deliverance from bodily Dangers Plenty good Success in worldly Affairs a peaceable and comfortable Life c. Then it may seem good to God sometimes to reward this Exercise of our Goodness or of those things which are such proper Means thereof with better things than what we ask and with them too eveâ— this principal one of all of preserving aâ— strengthning our Souls in Holiness in genâ—ral and in particular Virtues and Graces But much more still have we reason tâ— think that God will bestow this incompâ—rable Blessing upon us when we humblâ— sincerely and importunately beseech it â— his hands above all other things Whâ— we pray to him with our whole Hearts thâ— he would but make us sincerely and generously good holy Lovers of himself and â— all Persons to do all things out of an Unâ—versal Charity and Love never to gratifâ— any inordinate or immoderate Appetite anâ— as for other things we plainly are indiffereâ— to them but only so far forth as they maâ— be Instruments hereof of our being or doing good This is a Petition that argueâ— and acts a Temper of Mind than which nothing in Heaven and Earth is so acceptable unto God and therefore to encourage iâ— and our Desires and Endeavours after it especially if they be frequent and long it is the most likely thing that God will heat our Prayers grant our Desires make out Endeavours in some Measure and Time or other successful We have heard before the blind Man's Opinion and the common Opinion of Mankind That if any Man be a Worshipper of God God heareth him â—nd in this surely rather than any other â—hing Our Saviour to encourage our Addresses to God such as they ought to be hath exâ—resly promised Success when it seems sit to God and it doth so sometimes or else there is no 〈◊〉 at all 〈◊〉 and it shall be given â—â— seek and you shall 〈◊〉 knock and it shall â—e opened unto you for every one that asketh â—s he ought receâ—â—eth when it seems fit to God and that is very often and he that â—eketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall â—e opened Which our Saviour illustrateth â—y a Similitude of earthly Parents who â—ive to their Children upon their asking â—ecessary or convenient things how much more will God who is infinitely wiser and â—etter to us and loves us all more with a Love of Benevolence than our earthly Parents can do give them unto us What Man is there c. Matt. 7. to Verse 12. The â—ame we have in St. Luke Chap. 11. Verse 13. Where it is How much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him In David's Psalms are many places to this purpose Psalm 145. Verse 18 19. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him in Truth He will fulfil the Desires of them that fear him he also will hear their Cry and will save them Nothing more ordinary than for the Apostles in their Epistles to pray for their Disciples and Believers thâ— were their Charge that they might increâ— and be strengthned in Holiness and Gâ—ness
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
that such spiritual and future things as we have mentioned are more excellent more perfect that is of more good effect than sensible and present worldly things and consequently that it is a greater perfection and excellency in a man to know contemplate be affected with those former than these latter to have his mind conversant with and employed about them which is one reason why the persons who profess and really live or seem to live such a life are generally honoured and reverenced Further A man after such a performance as a discreet and affectionate Prayer may reflect not only upon his ability and sufficiency for such excellent things but also upon his love to them and good will to them his esteem for them that he actually is so affected and at that particular time Particularly after an understanding and affectionate Prayer it is very acceptable to make reflection that he hath at that time performed so noble and excellent a part of his duty and that which more immediately respects God that he is not altogether careless of God lives without him forgets him days without number but that he hath honoured him by his express acknowledgments of his Infinite Perfections by humbly petitioning him for what he wants and what is good and just for him by rendring him hearty thanks and actually loving him for his manifold favours even for all he hath or ever had for any degree of Holiness for Knowledge and Wisdom Parts Gifts Riches or Competency Reputation Friends Security from Enemies Health Strength Power Opportunity or Advantage to do Good Peace Joy Satisfaction Happiness here Hopes and Assurance of greater Perfection and Happiness after Death and parting with all here and for all his boundless Goodness and benignity of his Nature to all his Creatures that he hath honoured him by an assured but just Trust and Confidence in him by a free submission of his Will to his Will in all things and conforming of it chearfully thereunto to do all he commands him and to be in any condition he appoints or disposeth that he hath honoured him by a ready and free confession of and piercing hearty grief for and inward detestation of all his unreasonable Violations of his Just and Holy Laws made known either by Reason or Revelation by Natural Conscience or God's Word and consequently of the Eternal Laws of Righteousness that he hath honoured him by asking from him as the only supreme just and yet propitious Judge of the World pardon and forgiveness for Christ's sake that he would not punish him but most of all by importunately begging his supervenient Grace Strength and Influence his Assistance one way or other that he might not Offend or do contrary to his Duty any more in any kind I say when a man hath performed so noble and excellent a part of his Duty towards God which tends so much to make him Divine and Perfect it will not soon out of his mind he will be rereflecting upon it and that cannot be without a high degree of joy and satisfaction of Spirit and he will humbly give unfeigned Thanks to God for making him capable of such a noble and excellent Employment so ravishing and delicious to himself but especially which will render him so benign useful and profitable to the World and pleasing to God for giving him the means of and effectually bringing him to the knowledge and use of such an excellent Life and he will wish all men may be so happy as to know and partake thereof There are Two things among other which make a man very sensible of the excellency of this part of his Duty and consequently to perceive from thence more satisfaction and pleasure The first is its compare with other parts of our Duty respecting our Neighbour It seems more excellent than that to love ones Neighbour that is any rational Creature capable of any good from us To wish well heartily to him to be charitable just grateful compassionate or to shew any other Instance of Love to him though it be excellent yet seems as much inferiour to that of our absolute love to God not as only good to one but to all the Universe as our Neighbour nay all the World are inferiour to God To wish well to or desire any good thing for God we may not because it supposeth some good thing absent or possible to be absent from him an absent good is the proper object of desire but we may will and rejoyce in his infinite happiness and perfection which he actually possesseth we may will a present good And this ought to be so much more esteemed if we compare them than the love of our Neighbour as God is capable of more happiness and felicity than all his Creatures which is infinitely All the World is a little thing a Nothing to him and his Being and Happiness consequently is infinitely to be preferr'd before that of all his Creatures if they could be opposed Besides it is part of the Nature of God to be infinitely good to all his Creatures he therefore that loves God as such must needs love all that he hath made too God's Being and Happiness infer's that of his Creatures necessarily and is the cause thereof but not on the contrary wherefore the love of God as having infinitely more excellent Effects is to be preferr'd before the love of all the Creation if we consider them distinct and if they could be inconsistent one with another which they never can be but much more before the love of any person or persons And although we are said not only to will but to do good to our Neighbour and not to God yet in truth our proper action is to will it the outward Effect consequent upon our will is only by God's Power and Action and we can will it as hath been just now said equally to both Man having naturally a great sense of the infinite Excellency and Perfection of God above all must needs have the perswasion that he ought to love him above all and that to love him is a greater Perfection than the love of all the World besides And the truth of it is next to the perfection of the love of all the Universe i. e. God and all that he hath made together is the Love of God distinctly considered As for the other parts of our Duty to God viz. Honour Admiration Dependance Obedience c. they are but Instrumental Duties to cause us to practise Universal Righteousness and the great Instance Universal Love Love to God and to every Creature c. but they are much more excellent ones than many other and ingenerate in us more immediately a greater and higher degree of Holiness as might be particularly shewed and consequently of Universal Love in which it consists Some of those persons who magnifie and commend those Duties which respect our Neighbour especially such as Beneficence justice and honesty in Dealings and Conversation Peaceableness Obedience c. may
do well to be advised whether it proceeds not from some secret inclination to diminish and abate the esteem of Piety or of our Duties towards God because they themselves do not understand the ineffable pleasure and profit thereof when duly performed or are less sufficient and apt for them by spirituality of mind They may reflect also and observe whether it comes not from selfishness and that in mean and small instances of the good things of this worldly Life It is possible for men highly to commend the above-named Virtues only that the happiness of their present worldly Life might not be disturbed that they themselves might attain and enjoy peace quiet some plentiful or honourable condition of Life When it is thus although the Virtues they praise are truly excellent and abundantly deserve it yet there is no Virtue at all in them nor any thing more than a mean and little Spirit viz. selfish and worldly The Second thing that makes us more sensible of the Excellency of this part of our Duty which is towards God is the unusualness of it that it is not so ordinary a thing We see men oft-times charitable good-natured well disposed compassionate candid just veracious and in many Instances humble and temperate and that from a plain and honest Conscience and general Sense of their Duty who notwithstanding more rarely think of God or perform any part of the fore-named Duties to him The principal Reason of which is because most mens minds are dull and gross by reason of their bodily temper and want of Education and cannot without difficulty perceive any thing of God or other Spiritual matters which notwithstanding by exercise and usage they may much help God also assisting their endeavours These I suppose may have been those who have been called by some meer moral persons who notwithstanding are far from being contemptible For their defect is not in their will they loving and desiring to do their Duty universally to God and their Neighbour which consists in loving them but in their understanding and memory they not being so sufficient and fitted to apprehend or retain such purely spiritual natures as God is and any reasoning concerning things belonging to him They are often much better persons than those who are more apt to apprehend remember and talk all day of Points in Divinity or any Religious Matters and therefore ready to despise them The greatest part of men far nay few are otherwise are either bad or very inept for more spiritual Objects and therefore usually much neglect particular Duties towards God Wherefore when we see men generally so negligent of their Duties to God especially in Prayer and many living as if there were none but take notice that we for our parts are not guilty thereof but are careful and greatly delight to observe our Duty towards him we are the more sensible of the excellency of it What 's rare we think it hard to be obtained and are apt to think it Excellent But here we shall do well to have a care of Pride and a mischievous mistake We must have a care we please not our selves in our superiority to others as the Pharisee did to the Publican We may if we have not a care not so much please our selves in having done our just and reasonable Duty as in having done that which so few others do which others for the most part do not and therefore in our superiority to others whereas as we should please our selves and be well satisfied in the discharge of so excellent a Duty so we should heartily wish all others may be able and willing to do the like not insult over others as the Pharisee who thanked God he was not as the Publican for he fasted twice a Week c. he was more pleased that he was better than other men than that he was good Others falling short of their Duty by neglect may make us more sensible of our happiness in performing ours because a thing is best apprehended when compared with its contrary but by no means should it make us please our selves in being superiour to them and consequently in their being bad or negligent Further We must have a care of conceiting our selves presently so dear and acceptable to God that he must needs grant us in particular what we will have that he must do for us what we shall desire be always of our side We must have a care we do not behave our selves as if we had obliged God we for our parts worshipping acknowledging honouring and loving of him wheâ— others quite forget and neglect him Moreover It is not all kind of Prayers that is so excellent a part of our Duty but such as I have formerly described and yet men are apt for any performance of this Duty when there is little good in it and if somewhat good yet somewhat and much more bad to think highly of and to be greatly pleased with themselves and that they are very dear and acceptable to God There is nothing or no great matter in Prayer when a man prays words without understanding and sense or sense without affection and inclination of Soul or affectionately without sense not moved by the truth and excellency conceived so at least by him of the matter he prays but meerly or principally by certain Words and Phrases with their circumstances of vehemency or lowdness and softness gravity and acuteness or the mutual mixtures of these which is called Accent or Tone or by other external bodily signs of corporeal passions There is no great matter when men pray in a formal verbal heartless senseless Prayer and yet men are apt to be very well satisfied with themselves and to have a very good opinion of themselves for the performance Or suppose there be in our Prayers great passions to things false or unjust or that there is vain â—nd false self-conceit for a man 's own holiness and God's peculiar love to him and he thanks God for that which is not or which â—s bad suppose that there be Pride Envy Revenge or other Instances of Self-love in our Prayers and much more of them than of any thing that is good such as acknowledgment of God's Attributes and particularly of our dependence upon him by praying to him and thanking him which are in all Prayers that are not meer words I say Suppose our Prayers to be such As I doubt hath been and is but too frequent and then they are so far from being any part of our Duty that they are generally taken sins wicked and abominable things And yet men meerly for some few general good things in them not taking notice of what 's bad or if they do yet confessing the iniquity of their holy things and thinking all that is done away and pardoned in Christ the good only remaining though they have the same temper still from whence these bad things sprung may conceit themselves to have performed a most excellent part of their Duty And
this principally because it is extraordinary few men do so much most men quite neglect God take little notice of him make any acknowledgment of him And hence further may they believe themselves in general very extraordinary excellent persons and that without doubt they are highly in God's favour most precious and acceptable to him his praying people and consequently that he will do any thing for them and for their sakes These Abuses and Mistakes I have mentioned that they might be prevented Be it sure that when a man reflects upon his having prayed to God and is very well satisfied and pleased therewith it be nothing but what is really good that pleaseth him Not for Example his singularity or superiority to other men but the spirituality of his mind and the well-disposedness of his Soul his true love to Goodness Universally Hatred of Sin Love and Thankfulness to God Honour Reverence Obedience Faith Dependence and Trust in Him the actual Exercise of these and â— temper of mind from whence they proceed and to which they tend Let him be sure also that these things were in his praying to God not in general highly pleasing himself in having prayed when there was little of them but indeed much more of such worthless or wicked things I have above mentioned The being thus well assured of the goodness of our Prayers as it will in good mens minds raise up great delight and satisfaction so also it ought that we may be encouraged still to go on in the performance of so excellent a Duty whereby we shall still be rendred better more able and disposed by being good to serve and please God and to do good in the World And we ought to give hearty thanks to God that our Souls are so well tempered as to be pleased and delighted with such things SECT X. IV. PRaying procures Delight Joy and Satisfaction of Mind by God's special immediate Influence God may no doubt in our praying to him some ways perfect all the Operations of our Souls He may bring things either unknown or known before to our minds that is reveal or suggest he may cause us to attend to perceive and understand things more clearly and strongly that is illuminate our minds he may also excite and strengthen our Love to our Duty Sorrow for Sin Love to any particular Duty Love to himself Honour Reverence Humble Address and Dependence Faith submissive and obediential Resolution So likewise surely he may excite and diffuse through our Souls Joy Delight Satisfaction from the Exercise of all these immediately more than would otherwise be without this his especial immediate Action or Influence And that God doth do thus the Scripture plainly affirms and Reason it self insomuch that Philosophers have taught it would conclude it probable Xenoph. Sen. Cicero as well for other reasons as particularly to draw and encourage us to the more frequent and vivid Exercise of these excellent Operations of our Souls of these Graces in us And 't is this which makes that which is called Communion or rather Union with God in Prayer compleat For to have God the Object of the Operations of our Souls to direct our Souls to God and then for God again to make our Souls the Object of his Action or Influence and the more of it as there is in the more especial and immediate influence of God the more the Communion is or may very properly be called Unioâ— or Conversation of our Souls with God and is a thing easily understood by all but more felt by some men who are truly called godly and holy men The Union between two spiritual substances cannot be understood to be any other than by the mutual intercourse of operations and is much more really so than that which is between two bodys And here we may easily understand that this Conversation with God is not only confined to Prayer but may be referr'd to all our Lives in any part of which we may direct the Operations of our Souls to him as when we do any thing in obedience to his Commands and he may again have immediate influence upon us as to suggest and strengthen us in our Obedience any the ways before mentioned And the frequenter and more vigorous these things are in man's Life the more he may be said to have Communion or Union with God in his Life or to Converse with God And thus much for the Second sort of Benefits of Praying SECT XI III. THe Third sort of general good Effects or Benefits of Praying are those which are Helps and Means both of our Goodness and Comfort of which I shall at present name but Two viz. Spirituality and Enlargedness of Soul 1. Spirituality By which I mean such a temper of Soul whereby a man is apt to apprehend and be affected with Intellectual or Spiritual Objects whether Absolute as the Nature and Properties of all Spiritual Beings such as our own Souls Angels God himself Or Relative as all the Relations and Habitudes of things one to another such as Cause and Effect Contrariety Similitude Connexion and Repugnancy c. the successive apprehension of which two last is called Reasoning It is manifest That the Objects about which our minds are conversant in Prayer are chiefly those of the first sort God and his Attributes our Souls and their several Perfections and Imperfections as Ignorance and Knowledge Errour and Truth Vices and Virtues or Sins and Graces c. Now by frequent Exercise and Usage of our selves to Prayer these Objects become familiar to us and such as we readily and clearly conceive and apprehend and which really and strongly affect us whereas those men who never Pray or otherwise use their minds to them are only sensual and corporeal or carnally minded that is such who can only conceive and are affected with sensible things and somewhat of reasoning sometimes dully enough too about them but strangely inept to spiritual things blind and sensless in them But further This Spirituality of Mind is manifestly a great preparation of Soul for Virtue and Goodness because they are spiritual things It fits our Souls to apprehend their Nature to see their Beauty and Excellency the natural necessary Efficiency or Causality that is in them of the Happiness of the World which can be discovered in no other thing and consequently really to approve honour admire and love them Moreover the very same temper of Soul whether from the subtilty and calmness of the Spirits or any other cause which disposeth to Spirituality disposeth also to Benignity or Love which when it is universal and impartial is the only Instance and Subject of Virtue and Goodness Finally The Pleasure and Joy which the Soul perceives from her Conversation with Spiritual Objects is far more profound and piercing more lasting and more frequent being more in our own power than that from sensible and corporeal ones is that which besides Revelation the Experience not only of virtuous and holy Souls but
even of Contemplative persons who have made tryal of both with equal advantages hath always confirmed and sincerely declared to the rest of the sensual World The first of which do very heartily complain of and groan under the unhappy circumstances of this fleshly Life which so much hinders them from the enjoyment of those nobler and sweeter delights and for that Reason among others greater full often breath out their thanks to God for the discovery and assurance of the heavenly Life hereafter and their secret welcomes of the approaching time thereof whither steals from them many a privy glance where is fixed many a yearning look II. The Second good Effect or Benefit of this last sort from Prayer is an Enlargedness or Greatness of Soul By which I mean that temper of Soul whereby it is sufficient and fitted to apprehend and be affected with great Objects to understand contemplate will desire love be pleased with pursue and endeavour after them or in one word to converse with them By the greatness of Objects I mean their having great good Effects or a capacity and sufficiency or some causality for such all which good Effects indeed are either immediately or mediately nothing but happiness they are either that in the end immediately or the same in the means mediately All goodness is either the goodness of the end which is pleasurable good or the good of the means to obtain that end which is profitable good and indeed this last is nothing but the first in the means to obtain it So that all Good is nothing but Happiness But to leave this small but very important digression The greatness of the goodness of Objects or the happiness of which they are the cause is measured only by three things viz. its Intention Extention and Duration Those Objects therefore are the greatest which are or are most the cause of the most intense the most universal or extended as to subjects and the most during happiness of which there are infinite degrees The highest of which is that being infinite in all perfection and happiness which we call God who formally or causally contains all things According to the several degrees of this good which each man minds pursues and converseth withal is his Greatness Nobleness Excellency or what words are usual among men to express the confused notion hereof to be judged and esteemed He is the noblest and greatest soul of all who minds and pursues perpetually the greatest good of the whole Universe in these three Respects of Intention Extention Duration that in all other things or all other things as parts or more generally means thereof and therefore spiritual good as much as may be being the greatest in respect of its intention universal good or that of the whole as the greatest in respect of extension and the most publick indeed eternal good lastly as the greatest in respect of duration On the contrary he is the meanest and basest soul who minds and pursues only personal sensible and present good It is manifest that in Prayer as it is before described the objects with which the Soul converseth are of the greatest and noblest sort and that by frequent usage of her self to such conversation she gets a habit thereof so that she doth with ease and delight so employ her self and if this fleshly Life would permit her she would soon make it her constant and perpetual entertainment Further It is alike plain and evident how this greatness of Soul is the cause of Virtue or Goodness and of Comfort or Joy For Goodness Righteousness Holiness Virtue all signifie the same principal thing with some small difference in its greatest degree is nothing but the sincerest strongest constantest habitual inclination and bent of will to the rectitude of our wills or actions which is only to be found in having the greatest good of the whole Universe taking in God himself for the ultimate object or end of our wills and renouncing and quitting that of any part and therefore of our selves It is therefore nothing but a preference of the most Publick and Universal Good before that of any part and therefore before our own And contrariwise Vice and Sin is the preference of the good of any part and almost always our own personal good before that of the whole which is the most Universal and Publick It is the having that the ultimate object and end of all our wills and neglecting or refusing this Holiness and Virtue therefore are great and noble and excellent things which tend to an infinite good and if compared they are as much greater than Sin or Vice as infinite Extension if there can be any such thing is bigger than a single Atome The soul consequently which is inclined to and aspires after the greatest and most noble objects must needs be so far prepared to have the highest honour the ardentest love the keenest desire the most intense and ravishing joy and delight in the most sincere generous and constant Virtue and must perfectly both contemn and hate all Vice and Sin as the most mean base and sordid thing The same greatness or largeness of Soul disposeth us infinitely to prefer one sort of our own personal good viz. the favour of God as our most comprehensive good and particularly Eternal happiness which he hath promised as the Reward of Holiness and Virtue before another sort thereof viz. the Temptations to Sin and Vice at longest the momentany pleasures of this present Life and utterly to despise them in compare with the other and consequently to endeavour and pursue after Virtue and to slight and scorn all Vice It is certain That it is nothing but Ignorance or a pityable and contemptible littleness and stinginess of Soul in the greatest Huffs of the Age whatever they may pretend to generosity which exposeth them to Vice and Wickedness and makes them so easily to neglect or despise all the Laws and Rewards of Virtue and true Religion either they are not able to conceive things beyond the Mud-walls of their own Cottage or they are so stuffed and dryed with its Reeks and Smoaks as never to desire them Nay when no less than Eternal Felicity is proposed and profered to them they are no more moved with it than a Bedlam-Sot is with the offer of a Kingdom or sometimes they laugh at it like one of those poor merry Fools and prefer their own nasty Cell before it One would think the dullest Soul should hardly forbear to enquire after it and be willing it should be true or at least without any prejudice against it endeavour to be satisfied whether it be so or no. Lastly Nothing is more manifest than that the greater and nobler the objects are with which our mind converseth the fuller and mightier is our joy and pleasure Surely we cannot think that Boys have as great pleasure in Conquering at Cob-Nutt as a great Captain hath in subduing a Kingdom or which is better That a fond Child hath
as great a joy and delight in saving the Life of its little Animal Play-fellow as Abraham would have had in prevailing with God for the saving of Sodom and Gomorrah from a miserable Destruction if there had been found therein but Ten Righteous Persons There is infinite more difference between the things that men ordinarily entertain their thoughts and pursuits withal and those which the Soul converseth withal in such Prayers as have been before described And so I have given an account of some of the general Heads of the good Effects or Benefits of Praying to God which I have hitherto proved by Reason and Testimony and Experience of all good men And now I desire men would prove it one way more and that is by their own experience or else disprove it Make we tryal of it our selves and that for some time together for the Effects may not presently follow take we some time begin now to do it to pray to God discreetly and affectionately with a holy pure and innocent heart in publick private secret see whether we do not grow better upon it Pray to him heartily and assiduously in secret for strength to mortifie any Lust thy Pride thy Revenge thy Envy thy Wrath thy Injustice thy Covetousness thy Vain-glory thy Uncleanness or Lasciviousness thy Intemperance and a Thousand other Lusts which may be troublesome and importunate to us so far as we are good or to the Divine and Regenerate Nature within us Pray to him for Universal Holiness Love to himself Charity Humility Purity and Spirituality of Mind for his forbearance for his Pardon Make thy report after some time I fear nothing more than a Temptation to boast too much of thy Success And as for the pleasure of it step â—â—metimes into thy Closet or any retired place desire of God first to dispose thy Mind that the Meditation and Action of thy Soul may be such as may be acceptable to him set thy self to make Acknowledgments of his infinite Excellencies and Perfections and the Instances thereof to all his Creation and in particular to thy self in making preserving providing for thee and bestowing upon thee the good things of thy Soul and Body such as Knowledge especially of himself and thy self of thy present and future States and Conditions any Goodness or Virtue that thou art not the most villanous and wicked person devoid of all sense of thy Duty given up to all Sin and Wickedness the means afforded still of being yet wiser and better God's forbearance forgiveness in case of Repentance present Peace Comfort Joy in well-doing the provision of Heaven and Eternal Life hereafter when thy Eyes are closed and thou art no more an Inhabitant of this World thy Health Strength plenty of Food Rayment Habitation all Conveniencies of this Life in order to a good and happy Life here and hereafter And not only make bare acknowledgments of these things but heartily love and thank God for them honour and admire him with all thy might and understanding firmly believe him to have been to be now and that he always will be thy best Friend if thou be not thine own hindrance Ask heartily God's Pardon for offending him and sinning against the Eternal Laws of Righteousness drop an unfeigned Tear breath out an unconstrained Sigh chide thy self beseech God's Grace more than thy Life never to do so any more resolve to use all the inherent strength thou hast come then and tell what thou findest how thou likest Once more When thou wouldst have any thing make thy Case known propound it to God beseech him to give it thee so far as it is just only leave thy self and thy request with God because he is wise and just examine and amend what is amiss in thy self that thou mightest not be the cause why it is not just for God to give it thee let us know how this relisheth and what followeth Say sometimes such things as these with the devout and holy Psalmist I love the Lord because he hath heard my Voice and my Supplication or because he hath delivered my Soul from death that is he hath saved my Life in such a danger or sickness suppose mine eyes from tears that is he hath removed from me or prevented those Evils which would have sore grieved me and my feet from falling that is he hath kept my mind upright and cheerful from dejectedness and despondency or he hath kept me in that good condition of Life from which I was in danger of having fallen or of being deprived of it the Lord hath dealt bountifully with me what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the Cup of Salvation the usual part of the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving I will shew my self publickly thankful and call upon the Name of the Lord or Worship him O Lord truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant Psal 116. Say further sometimes Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable The Lord is gracious and full of compassion slow to anger and of great Mercy The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works All thy works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee Oh happy is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in Jehovah the Lord his God who made Heaven and Earth the See and all that therein is He who telleth the number of the Stars and calleth them all by their Names who is of great Power and his Understanding is infinite Psalms 145 146 147. Make we tryal I say our selves see we things with our own eyes confirm or confute all by our own experience Let us not think it a thing not worthy our trouble to be satisfied in for it is worthy of our greatest pains Either we believe all that hath been said concerning these Excellent Uses of Praying or we do not if we do not as I said try we our selves whether our Nature is not capable thereof and God will not assist us for this is the best way of proof If we do believe it without trying then do we accordingly If we do believe this to be true and yet do not practise it must needs be a sign we are both bad and foolish that we have no mind to be made good or better no nor lift through laziness or slavery to be made happier or because we cannot have the comfort and pleasure of Praying without the profit of being engaged to be good we 'l part with that rather than be good and leave our bad Courses or any Sin we love in which as we are wicked so we are such Fools for our selves as if when we have a decrepit and infirm Body we should be afraid it should be made more sound and strong whereby we might be more useful to the World and have the constant pleasure of a clear Health And so I have perfected this Fourth Head namely
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
and mostly of the greatest importance and concernment Not but that there may be some time or other too in which we may mention in our Prayers many lesser things Things of greatest concernment and use must in proportioâ— to their concernment compared with those of less be more and more frequent in our Prayers And this concerns all the parts or Ingredients of a Prayer As in Acknowledgment let us be careful to be well instructed in the greatest the most comprehensive and general the most useful and beneficial Perfections iâ— God that we make our Acknowledgments of those principally and chiefly as that of his infinite and general goodness to all more than his particular goodness to us And so when we make an Acknowledgment of the Instances of his Power Wisdom Goodness Mercy Justice let us take those chiefly which are the greatest and largest and endeavour to be affected with them such as are God's Creation of all things Preservation Providence throughout the whole Universe that towards Mankind and especially the making of us Reâ—sonable Creatures and giving us such Faculties Aid Sufficiency Opportunities Helps to improve our Reason and Understanding also the Revelation of such excellent Doctrines and Truths to the World by especial Messengers the Prophets of old and lastly by Jesus Christ his beloved Son In Confession let us take notice of and bewail most our greatest Sins that have most of Iniquity in them where there is the greatest degree of the depravedness Inordinacy of our Wills included the greatest Aversation from Righteousness the greatest degree of unreasonable and mischievous Self-love in a usual Phrase our most aggravated Sins Consequently let us confess our dearest most pleasing and delightful sins for our greater degree of delight in any thing more than in our Duty argues a degree of the inordinacy and depravedness of our wills as to Intenseness those also which are most frequent Contrariwise let us not confess little sins much and neglect great ones or more than those confess those which we can more easily forsake and neglect those which are most sweet pass over them or slightly only take notice of them confess those which we commit rarely and neglect those which we do frequently When this fault is in our Confession purely through ignorance through want of understanding of the degrees of sin and there is no fault in the will which I scarce believe it begets in us a great deal of superstition that is an opinion that some actions are more or less displeasing to God than indeed they are compared with others and consequently being more afraid of doing some of them and of God's anger or punishment for them than we should be and in others again less which is a very bad effect and doth much deprave and corrupt the Inclinations of the will as to the Instances of our duty and renders us less capable of any happy condition till we are better instructed in them though we should be truly conscientious and love that which we judge right and our duty which possibly may be But I am apt to think that most ignorant superstition proceeds from unconscientiousness But when this fault proceeds out of a desire to indulge our selves in some sin both the Cause and the Effect is extremely bad If we have occasion to confess National Sins or those which are most practised frequently by the generality of a Nation have we a care to confess those principally and most which are indeed the greatest both as to the Principle and the Effect those that argue and include the greatest degree and neglect of and aversation from our duty and the great instance thereof compared with other objects or the greatest degree of ultimate self-love compared with or opposed to the common good and those which are the most mischievous or do the greatest hurt in the World Such as are some the more colourable and undiscerned sins of Malice Pride Envy Ambition Affectation of Superiority Equality Liberty add Tyranny Disobedience Revenge Oppression Covetousness Fraud Hypocrisei or want of Integrity and others more notorious of Prophaneness Irreligion Atheism Unbelief Disbelief of Christian Religion Sensuality Lasciviousness Intemperance c. Those Sins also which are the most frequent and continual in several or the same persons are to be principally confessed In thankfulness likewise it is much to be attended to and we ought to give thanks in the first place and most frequently and most ardently for the greatest favours those that are most publick diffused and general those that are spiritual or intellectual those that appertain more immediately to the Soul those among spiritual ones which concern our wills or inclinations and in order thereto our affections called generally by the names of Sanctiâ—ication or Regeneration purifying and renewing of the heart or in one word usually by the name of Grace then afterwards for the good things that appertain to our Knowledge or Understandings as quick and plentiful Suggestion Revelation Illumination in Truths of the greatest Excellency Use and good Effect for ability to signifie convey or propagate these such as ready Invention Memory Utterance c. all which have been known by the name of Gifts Then for the good things appertaining to the Body or in it as the subject as Strength Health Comeliness plenty of such things as Food and Diet Raiment Habitations with their Ornaments c. which gratifie our Senses and secure us from Corporeal Pain which the most necessarily affects us and consequently from necessary care and solicitude to prevent it c. Then for the External good things without us of Riches Reputation Liberty Magistracy Friends Relations c. The Reason of all this is because to thank God more for personal than publick benefits as it doth usually proceed from so it will increase a particular and selfish spirit To thank him more for bodily or external sensible good things than for spiritual is both a sign and cause of sensuality in us i. e. it doth proceed from and confirm our excessive love to corporeal and sensible good in compare with spiritual as well as keep us in some respect to God It is that which may be ordinarily observed viz. that men are usually much more sensible of and grateful to God for bodily good and the things of this life than for spirtual or intellectual And so likewise to thank God more for Gifts than Graces though both spiritual things confirms one in too great an esteem and love for Gifts compared with Graces which notwithstanding are incomparably inferiour to them Gifts sometimes may be â—ill used be mischievous and hurtful which sincere Virtue and Grace can never in the least be Knowledge puffeth up without Charity and is contentious affecting contemptuous but Charity edifieth saith the Apostle Charity even without Knowledge can do no harm but in its own nature necessarily tends to do good Now although this be better than not to be thankful to God at all than to thank him
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
perform their Duty to him where also his Justice or punitive Goodness and the Psalmist concludes with as general an acknowledgment by his mouth speaking the praises of the Lord and let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever Read also a magnificent particular acknowledgment of God's Power Goodness and Wisdom in Psalm 104. which begins bless the Lord O my Soul O Lord my God thou art very great thou art cloathed with Honour and Majesty who coverest thy self with light as with a garment who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain and then ends O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all the Earth is full of thy riches that is of plenty and abundance of good things For reasonable trust in God we meet with the most significant Expressions every where of the greatest and boldest degree thereof both as to particular favours of Peace Plenty good Name and Honour c. and also in general Psalm 37. Verse 3 4 5 6. and so on throughout the whole Psalm Trust in the Lord and do good behave thy self as thou oughtest and do thy Duty so shalt thâ—â— dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee thine hearts desire Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass c. Psalm 146. Verse 3. Put not your trust in Princes nor in the Son of man in whom there is no help And Verse 5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God who made Heaven and Earth c. And how often doth the Psalmist seem to be exalted above himself and triumph in his trust confidence and firm hope in God For Confession and Grief for Sin see the reality and seriousness of it in the 38 Psalm Verse 3. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger nor any rest in my bones because of my sin And Verse 18. I will declare mine Iniquity I will be sorry for my sin The 51 Psalm is a known Example both of David's hearty confession of and piercing grief and bitterness of Soul for his sins as also of the vehemencies of his desire and petition to God for purging and pardon to cleanse and rectifie his Soul and to forgive him and then to grant him Joy Comfort and Peace Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out my Transgressions c. We may read the whole Psalm than which there cannot be any thing more pathetical O Lord open my mouth and my lips shall shew forth thy praise that is give me an occasion and a cause of acknowledging and praising thee in this thy particular favour of granting me Purification Pardon Peace and enable me to do it and then I resolve also to declare and make known how much thou deservest to be praised thanked loved admired by me and all men As for Profession of Obedience there are not many Verses in the 119 Psalm in which we have not some Emphatical signification of the firmness and unmovableness of his resolution the very frequency is a great sign thereof Verse 97. Oh how I love thy Law Verse 103. How sweet are thy words unto my tast sweeter than honey to my mouth Verse 106. I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Judgments Ver. 111. Thy Testimonies have I taken as an heritage â—â—r ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart Ver. 127. I love thy Commandments above Gold yea above sine Gold Ver 131. I opened my mouth and panted for I longed for thy Commandments c. Are these the Words and Expressions of a cold indifferent or of a luke-warm man in his love to resolution for Righteousness and consequently for the Commands of God For the Psalmist's Thankfulness and Love to God for his Benefits to him in particular the passages and places are as numerous Psalm 86. Verse 12. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy Name for evermore for great is thy Mercy towards me thou hast delivered my Soul from the lowest Hell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or from the deep Grave or the Grave underneath that is from Death which had overtaken me and seized upon me had it not been for thy special eare A very pathetical and emphatical Expression of his Love and Thankfulness to God both for his personal Favours towards himself and those towards his own Nation the People of the Jews nay towards all his Works in all places is the 103 Psalm all which Read we heedfully and imitate Verse 1. Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his Benefits who forgiveth all thine Iniquity and healeth all thy Diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies c. And lastly his Petitions and Desires are with the greatest fervency and importunity signified and expressed and that principally in the things of greatest concernment especially considering his case sometimes fain to fly to Idolatrous People for shelter as particularly for to be admitted and restored to the external publick Worship of the true God as it was by himself instituted in order to his internal Worship which as I have above said contains all Religion nay all Duty Psalm 42. Verse 1. As the Hart panteth after the Water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God My Soul thirsteth for God even for the living God when shall I come and appear before God Psalm 63. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee My Soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is to see thy Power and thy Glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary because thy loving kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee The Psalmist Asaph very passionately expresseth his Joy repoâ—e and â—â—quiescence in God in that of the 73 Psalm Verse 25. Whom have I in Heaven and I have delighted in nothing on Earth in compare with thee or with thee at all that is besides thee as our Translation hath it That is I put my Trust and place my Delight neither in any God the Heathen Gods nor man in compare with thee or together with thee Thou art my Ultimate Trust my chiefest Delight My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever The like earnestness and fervency may be observed when the Psalmist prays for deliverance from his so great and malicious Enemies that they sought utterly to ruine him to defame and reproach him by malicious and mischievous slanders and so banish him perpetually or take away his life or when he prays for
a mind to know It is as a thing of great consequence to be advised here That those who educate and look after Children especially Mothers than which they cannot do a more tender Office of Love and Care do cause their Children after rising and before going to bed to utter some short Sentences of Petition and the Lord's Prayer and 't would do well to add the Paraphrase upon it in the Publick Catechism and to learn them betimes to acknowledge and worship their Maker And cannot then they do at least so much and it is like somewhat more themselves And might not all others find as much time as that will come to if they had a mind to it But this especially as I above said may they do whose affairs are known to be at certain times whose affairs are more in their disposal and less indispose them and such especially may they be whose affairs are most within doors and domestick who are not wearied and tired with bodily labour though persons oft do this too more than they need and when they need not What should hinder most persons every day as soon as they rise from retiring a little by themselves and also with their Families so many as their affairs will spare and let them not be spared without considerable necessity praying to God to keep them from all sin and danger that day and all their lives to give them grace and peace the good things of the Soul and of the Body the good things of this Life and that which is to come that they may live well discreetly innocently beneficiently profitably to their Neighbour pleasingly to God comfortably to themselves here with peace and well-grounded repose and joy being prepared for a more perfect and happy Life in Heaven Further that they may have their Sins pardoned true repentance for them instilled obedience and holy resolution excited and confirmed in them that they might love God be grateful to their Friends forbear and forgive and do good to their Enemies even to all encourage Virtue and Goodness check and restrain Vice and ill-doing prudently in their place and calling and with all sincerity for the good of the World That they might not that day be malicious uncharitable selfish proud ambitious envious revengeful vain-glorious wrathful sensual lascivious intemperate drunken prophane by lewd swearing irreverent towards God or commit any other sin they know themselves to be most particularly in danger of That they might be prospered in worldly affairs and delivered from the evils of Body Name Estate as shall seem most fit to God And so in like manner to give thanks for any of the good things they have received I say what should hinder most men generally in some length or other from doing this in the morning and so likewise again at night if they had a mind to it Why may we not apply our minds to these things in a morning first except upon an extraordinary occasion as well as to lascivious objects or worldly affairs or the contrivance it may be of some sin some evil action or other My voice shalt thou hear or hear thou in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my Prayer or my self unto thee c. And Evening and Morning and at Noon will I pray and cry aloud Psalm 5. 3. and Psalm 55. Verse 17. saith David These places indeed do not prove he did this always or constantly used these stated times but the first of them proves plainly at least that he did it in the morning sometimes and the second more probably Evening Morning and Noon may be also a synechdochical Expression for praying to God very frequently and at all times when he had occasion And so when it is said seven times a day I will praise thee may be meant only very often and that it is likely by Ejaculatory Praises too or that upon some days he might solemnly perform it just so many times And so that in the Thessalonians ist Epist 5 Chap. 17 Verse Pray without ceasing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is either meant of Praying for every kind of thing as it follows in the next Verse in every thing give thanks And Philip. 4. Verse 6. In every thing c. or praying very frequently especially Ejaculatory Prayers or praying to the end of our Lives it is a Duty which will never here be needless or to be left off To do thus constantly and frequently would much keep men sober discreet consciencious upright the following day and consequently also fit them for God's Blessing in all their other affairs and consequently make them be joyous and chearful and benignly disposed whereas popping in now and then a Prayer especially before a Sacrament or on a Lord's day times which none that are so much engaged in worldly affairs should omit by any means will do much less good and the Influence soon wear out and be forgot and then most of the Interval they are as bad as ever and never the better Finally We may all take this advisement and remember it that whatever our affairs are and how much-soever they necessarily hinder our thus worshipping of God and this our Duty towards him yet we are to take care this be not with our consent that we are not content there with so as not to watch for an opportunity otherwise to dispose them and not to look upon it as an unhappiness let it not be want of good-will in us by no means but let us be so disposed that we would do it withal our heart and much oftner if we could we believing it manifestly our perfection to be more immediately employed in spiritual things and to converse with God And I little doubt but that he that is so disposed will soon find sometimes or other to perform this his reasonable Duty to God We are to do this too as often as other affairs which are not of greater concernment may permit And in this bodily Life in which we are supposing it ought to be maintained many called little affairs considered without their consequences considered with them are great matters As due times and qualities and quantities of meat drink habitation sleep c. for without these no living our bodies will not be upheld nor sit for Prayer nor any thing either spiritual or corporal to do it to any good purpose And we may contract by ill use of these or want of these many evil dispositions of mind as morosity dâ—â—content too much serupulosity superstition suspicion of our selves and others a belief that every thing that is in us is bad never looking at any thing that is good in us or thinking it is not so fearfulness unactiveness peevishness so that it may be and full oft is of greater concernment to mind these ordinary affairs necessities or conveniencies of this bodily life than directly to pray And if we do all these things with discretion and that we may be more fitted to serve and please
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
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
whosoever do shall not inherit the Kingdom of â—od But that we be filled with all the Fruits of the Spirit Love Joy Peace Long-sufferâ—â—g Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance Galat. 5. Verse 16. c. That all â—itterness Wrath Anger Clamour Evil-speaking and Malice may be put away far from us â—nd that we may be kind one to another tenâ—er hearteâ— forgiving one another even as God for Christ'â— sake hath forgiven us Ephes 4. Verse 31. That we may add to our Faith Virtue Knowledge Temperance Patience Godliness Brotherly-kindness Charity that these things may be in us and abound that as Christians we may not be unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Pet. â— 1. Verse 5. Further still In order to all these pray we for other excellent instrumental Graces or Virtues as that God would cause us to adâ—ire his most excellent Nature and Perfections to imitate him in what we are capable â—nd ought to resemble him to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect but especiallâ— Holiness and Universal Beneficence that â— may be holy as he which hath called us is â— That he would grant us to obey him sincâ—ly resolvedly universally that he wâ— give us an obedient Heart and consqueâ— be universally holy righteous and goâ— and practise all manner of Virtue and eâ—cially in the hardest Lessons when iâ— his Will we should undergo any Evils or â—flictions then presently to comply witâ—â— Will and to submit ours to it nay perfeâ— acquiesce in it nay out of choice to make â— Will to be ours That also God would gâ— unto us to trust in him have Faith in â—â— and Dependence upon him to believe wâ— soever he teacheth us willingly to â—â— our Applications to him as our best Fâ— upon all Occasions to acknowledge â—stantly that whatever inherent Strength â— Ability in any kind we have we haâ—â— from him to be heartily thankful to â—â— for all good things to rejoyce in his Fâ—â— which cannot be had without Holiâ— which when we have we have all weâ— wish or desire in Effect and we need as â—â— trouble our selves about any thing but â—â—ing our selves in all dutiful Demeanour â— Temper towards him as the innocent and â—dient Child of a loving Father Further still In order to the obtaiâ—â— â—nd practising these and all other Virtues and â—races we may put into our Prayers that â—od would bestow upon us both natural â—arts and supervenient Gifts That he would â—ake us knowing and wise furnish our underâ—andings with the Knowledge of many and â—f the most excellent things especially spiriâ—ual and more especially that he would diâ—ect us to the Knowledge of the Truth and â—rue Goodness of things That we might â—ot be foolishly led away with things that â—re false erroneous vain trifling swelling â—nd puffing up and much pleasing sometimes â—or the present but of little Profit to our Selves or the World which make us little â—ruitful in good Works to others and conâ—equently the least acceptable to God Pray â—e that God would illuminate our Minds and make us clearly to discern things especially spiritual things such as are Truth and â— Goodness the excellent and invaluable effiâ—cacy of Holiness and all Virtue to make our Selves and the World happy the Mischievousness and consequently Unreasonableness of Sin and the real Contemptibleness of all other Qualities in compare with Holiness and that we might be affected accordingly that is that God would spiritualize our Understandings and Affections Particularly that he would give us to apprehend and understand and consider there is the greatest sincerest constantest Pleasure and Satisfactiâ— in a holy virtuous wise and consequentâ— godly Life and Temper that is in Imitatiâ— of and Obedience to God much naturallâ— especially after much use and we know â—â— how much by the Influence of the Spirit â— God that this will give us great Conâ—dence and Comfort in the Day of Deathâ— Boldness Joy and Triumph in the Day â— Judgment when shall be seen so many trembling Knees and amazed Countenances of thâ— haughtiest Sinners and finally that it certainly fits us for and leads to a most perfecâ— and happy Condition or State of Life hereafter That God would give us I say ofteâ— to think of consider apprehend be affected with and feel these and any other Motives to â— holy Life Add we further That God would bestowâ— upon us a sober considerative advised calâ—â— Mind as a great preparation for Wisdom anâ— Virtue Pray we That God would instilâ— into us the most generally useful and instrumental Graces of a most ingenuous impartialâ— sincere Love of the Truth and more particularly a sincere Love to Christianity as â— Systeme of the most certain and useful Doctrines That we might believe most firmly and with a sense of their Excellency Sublimity Nobleness Delightfulness and Usefulness all the things that are therein taught and delivered and most especially those concerning our Tempers Lives and Actions that we may be hearty not superficial Believers And in order to this that we may the more mind and love these things Pray we that we may have a very great Admiration of and Love to the excellent Qualities of our Saviour Jesus Christ his mighty miraculous Power and high Favour with God â—ay his being united so intimately to God or the Divine Nature his great Wisdom his â—ncomparable Holiness and Goodness and Virtue in the highest degree particularly that of his Charity and so of all other particular Virtues to us and all Mankind his being so great a Benefactor to us as he hath been in revealing and confirming so many excellent sublime noble and useful Truths and Doctrines to us in going through the most calamitous Life and Death to give us an Example of the most perfect Virtue and Holiness and thereby meriting and procuring for us the Remission and free Pardon of all our Sins or our Justification in case of true Repentance and Amendment in his procuring for us Grace and Assistance to repent amend and be converted which is in some measure afforded to the worst and the most negligent Finally in being the Author of Eternal Life to us by thus bringing us by his Grace and Merits to be good and to be pardoned and consequenntly not to be unmeet to enter into a State of great Perfection and Happiness after Death and the final Judgment of all Flesh of which he shall be the Judge and the Distributer After these may follow the things which for the most part are useful and subservient while we are in this Life and some of them proper thereto to make and keep us good or make us better or any way enable us to do more good to execute our Goodness more immediately or remotely Such as are long Life especially till we come to be good to be converted to repent that we may have the Experience of our own Sincerity and Strength in Goodness be profitable to the World by our good Example as we have been