Here thou offerest the Body and Blood of thy Son Thou sayest Take ye eat ye drink ye Oh now that there may be an inward act answering to this outward whereby I may receive Christ thus visibly exhibited and tendered to me Oh that I may have Faith as a taking hand to go forth to the offering hand of God! That my taking and eating and drinking may be really significative of my Faith appropriating and applying Christ Thus for the strengthning of your Faith Pray in like manner for the strengthning of your Love You should exercise Love exceedingly abundantly when you come to the Lords-Supper First to Christ considering how lovely he is First in himself If there be any thing lovely in any 't is all in him Secondly in his Love to you He loved you and gave himself to dye for you made his soul an offering for sin endured buffeting spitting Crucifying is gone to prepare a place for you in Heaven appears there for you c. Thirdly in his Love to you manifested in this Ordinance Herein he makes a representation of his Death to you Gives you it as a Pledge to assure you Instituted it that very night he was betrayed Considering all this how should you stir up your selves to love him Pray therefore for grace whereby you may be enabled to let out your affection abundantly to him Say Lord let my eye affect my heart Let the sight of the Love of Christ to me in this Ordinance beget in me answerable Love to Christ Behold how he loved me even so as to give himself to dye for me And shall I not love him then Oh help me help me blessed God Let me Love him dearly even with all my heart with all my soul with all my might Thus Pray that you may express your Love unto Christ You must express it Secondly one to another and to all Saints whatsoever You are all one in Christ Jesus all one in this Ordinance all eat of the same bread and all drink of the same Cup And therefore Pray that you may be all one in Affection Say Lord let our Communion in this Ordinance unite our hearts together more than ever before Herein is Love not that we Loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins 1 John 4. 10 11. O Lord if thou so lovedst us we ought also to love one another Oh fill me with Love therefore to all these and to all others that are thy Servants Let me bear no malice in my heart now If any have injured me Lord I forgive them and desire from my heart that thou would'st forgive them too Forgive me my trespasses as I forgive them that trespass against me And Lord help me to forgive them as I desire thou would'st forgive me Thus pray for the strengthning of your Love Pray earnestly likewise for Desire and a Spiritual Appetite that God would make you sensible of your infinite need of Christ that so the desires of your Souls may be to him and you may hunger and thirst after him And that he would give you good hope of a gratious satisfaction to your desires that so you may be confident and be able confidently to say as Psal 65. 4. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy Courts I shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy House And that he would seal up some Evidence of his special Love and Favour in Christ unto you that might fill you with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory that so you may be able to say My Spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour If ever we rejoyce it should be when we come to the Lord's Supper †The Superstitious deceive themselves who believe that the Commemoration of His Death consists only in mourning For in the Eucharist Jesus Christ is not simply propounded unto us as dead but as dead for us To the end that as his death is our life so it should be also our joy Nothing is more poper to the Commemoration we make of the Death of Christ therein which is our life Say therefore Lord rejoyce the soul of thy Servant Fill me with all joy peace in believing Lastly Pray that you may be in a Thankful frame that Deshagne Of the Eating of the Body of Christ Sect. 4. c. 5. so you may be able in Truth and Sincerity to say as Psal 103. 1 2. 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 Thus you have the fifth Particular viz. how you should Pray with Ejaculatory Prayer when you come to the Ordinances Another special Season for Ejaculatory Prayer is VI. When you are upon your Sick-beds Then you cannot go to your Solemn Prayers as at other times therefore then is a fit season for Ejaculatory Prayer Pray then That God would shew you wherefore he contends with you That he would open your ear to Discipline and seal Instruction upon your Spirit That the fruit may be the taking away of sin That if it be his good pleasure you may live and keep his word That however you may be willing to die That you may Sanctifie the Name of God in your sickness by a meek quiet humble and submissive behaviour before others That you may be strengthned against the assaults of Sathan That you may have such to come to you as may speak sutably to your condition and that you may profit by it That you may have assurance if the Lord shall see it good for you that so an abundant enterance may be ministred to you whenever you go hence into his Heavenly Kingdome VII In the hour of Temptation Then dart up Prayers as fast as possibly you can Then Pray for Wisdome to discern the evil and danger of the Temptation For Courage and Resolution to resists it For Strength to overcome it And that Sathan may be called off VIII When you come into Vntrodden Paths then Pray that God would guide you by his Counsels IX When you are going a Journey Then Pray that God would be with you and bring you back again if you are to return That he would give his Psal 91. 11 12. Angels Charge over you to keep you in all your ways That he would succeed and Gen. 24. 12. Prosper you X. In time of the Motions of the Spirit See Psal 27. 8. When thou said'st Seek my Face my heart said Thy Face O Lord will I seek Thus be much in this Duty of Ejaculatory Prayer for your selves CHAP. V. Men exhorted to be much in Ejaculatory Prayer for Others It is their Duty to Pray for Others as well as for Themselves It is their Duty to Pray for Others with Ejaculatory Prayer When they should Pray with Ejaculatory Prayer for Others For whom they should Pray when they Pray with Ejaculatory Prayer for Others HAving
Exhorted you to be much in Ejaculatory Prayer for your selves I come now to Exhort you to be much in Ejaculatory Prayer 2. For Others Labour to be much in Ejaculatory Prayer for Others In Pressing this Exhortation to Pray with Ejaculatory Prayer for Others I will insist upon these three Particulars 1. To shew you why you should Pray with Ejaculatory Prayer for Others 2. When you should Pray with Ejocutory Prayer for Others 3. For whom you should Pray when you Pray with Ejaculatory Prayer for Others I. Wâ—â— you should Pray with Ejaculatorâ— Prayer for Others For the clearing of this I will shew yâ—â— 1. that it is your Duty to Pray for Others as well as for Your selves And then 2. That it is your Duty to Pray for Others with Ejaculatory Prayer 1. It is your Duty not only to Pray for Your selves but also to make Conscience of Praying for Others This is expressly commanded Jam. 5. 16. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another And this Reason is given The effectual fervent Prayer of a Righteous man availeth much with God that is not only for himself the Apostle doth not speak of that in this place but for others also q. d. his Prayers avail much for Others and therefore you should Pray for them by this you should be encouraged to do it This you are exhorted unto 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. I exhort therefore that first all Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all men Mark it for all men And he exhorteth to this first of all †before he descends ‖ Hoc primum inquit prascribo â—nam praescribet deinceps alia to any other Particulars thereby intimating that it is a special Duty Grot. in loc that every one ought to make Conscience of to Pray for Others as well as for Themselves It is taught you also in the Lords Prayer For there it is not My Father which art in Heaven nor Give me my daily Bread nor Forgive me my Trespasses c. But Our Father Give us and Forgive us c. Christ thereby teaching you that it is your Duty to Pray for others as well as for your selves You are commanded likewise to get Others to Pray for you Jam. 5. 14. Is any sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them Pray over him And not only Elders are to be desired but as there is occasion Others also as is implyed v. 16. Confess your faults one to another and Pray one for another Now as you are commanded to get others to pray for you so others are by the same command required to get you to pray for them and so it is your Duty to pray for Others and not Your selves only Again God hath promised to hear his people not only for themselves but for others also As Isa 45. 11. Jam. 5. 14 15 16. 1 John 5. 16. Now when ever God makes a Promise to the doing of a Duty it is as to encourage so likewise to engage to the doing of it Furthermore The Examples of the Godly in all ages praying for others as well as for themselves bind you to this Duty Abraham prayed for Sodom Lot for Zoar Moses for the Israelites David for the whole Church Paul for particular Churches as for the Romans Rom. 1. 9. for the Colossions Col. 1. 9. and not only for particular Churches but for particular Persons as for Timothy 2 Tim. 1. 3. for Philemon Philem v. 4. These Examples ought to be imitated They have been earnest likewise with others for their Prayers as Hezekiah for Isaiah's prayers 2 King 19. 4. Paul for the Romaus prayers See how passionatly earnest and importunate he was Now I beseech you Brethren for the Lord Jesus Christ his sake and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me Rom. 15. 30. Which he would not have been but that he knew that to pray for others was not only a Duty but a very prevailing Duty if performed aright for those on whose behalf it should be performed And therefore he was in great hopes and did exceedingly comfort himself upon the prayers that were made for him as upon the Corinthians prayers 2 Cor. 1. 11. and upon the Philippians prayers Phil. 1. 19. We may add unto all this that the Precept of Christian Charity requires no less of you easpecially when your prayers are desired by any on their behalf For therein you are commanded to love your neighbour as your selves and if to love him as your selves then certainly to pray for him as well as for your selves To Pray for your selves necessity requires to Pray for others Charity Charity begins at home but doth not stay at home The Law also of your Communion with Christ requires it You have Communion with him in his Priestly Office and by vertue of that are made Priests unto God 1 Pet. 2. 9. and therefore as such are bound to make intercession for others Lastly Hereby you shall imitate the example of Christ who Prayed not only for himself but for others which you are especially bound to do For he hath given us an example that we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2. 21. Thus you see it is your Duty to Pray for Others as well as for your Selves Now this being premised I will shew you 2. That it is your Duty to Pray for Others as well as for your Selves with Ejaculatory Prayer For the proof of this consider First You are expressly commanded to Pray with all Prayer for all Saints So in the Text Praying always with all Prayer for all Saints c. and therefore with this So that you are to Pray not only for your Selves with Ejaculatory Prayer but for Others also Secondly You have many Examples of Ejaculatory Prayer for Others recorded in the Scripture Abraham Prayed with Ejaculatory Prayer for Ishmael And Abraham said Oh that Ishmael might live before thee Gen. 17. 18. Eli Prayed with Ejaculatory Prayer for Hannah Go in peace and the God of Israel grant thee thy Petition that thou hast asked of him 1 Sam. 1. 17. Elishah Prayed with Ejaculatory Prayer for his Servant And Elisha prayed and said Lord I pray thee open his eyes that he may see 2 King 6. 17. Stephen Prayed with Ejaculatory Prayer for those that stoned him And he kneeled down and cryed with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their charge Act. 7. 60. Christ Prayed with Ejaculatory Prayer for those that Crucified him Then said Jesus Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luke 23. 34. These and divers other Examples there are of Ejaculatory Prayer for Others in Scripture which you are bound to follow Thirdly God hath heard Ejaculatory Prayer for Others He heard Abrahams Ejaculatory Prayer for Ishmael As for Ishmael I have heard thee Behold I have blessed him and will make him fruitful
time though it be never so little this requires none save only a habitual preparation upon which it is accepted though there be no actual preparation which indeed by reason of its suddainess it doth not admit of Again Other Prayer is inconsistent with the performance of other Duties at the same time but this is consistent with any Duty whatsoever You must lay aside all other business when you go to Set-prayer but you need not lay any business aside for Ejaculatory Prayer you need not forbear any other Duty for the performance of it Even while you are hearing reading buying selling or doing any other Duty or Business either in your general or particular Calling you may Pray with Ejaculatory Prayer as well as if you had nothing else to do it being not inconsistent with other Duty nor any other Duty with it Furthermore Other Prayer can be but seldome in comparison but this may be frequent not only many times a day but many times in an hour Daniel used to de at his Set-prayers three times a day David some days seven times but you may be at your Ejaculatory Prayer not only seven times a day but seventy seven times yea many more Again Other Prayer is lyable to many Distractions and Interruptions Distractions from vain thoughts and injections of Sathan which may cause one to forget Interruptions from the violence of wicked men and unexpected continggencies which may cause one to break off But this is not lyable to any Distraction or Interruption whatsoever Other Prayer may sometimes bring into danger one may be called in question for it as Daniel was Dan. 6. 16. But none can question any for this when it is mental as for the most part it is because it comes not under their observation they cannot know it Sathan likewise may take advantage against us from other Prayer he may by our Vocal confessions to God in Set-prayer come to know some secret sins we are guilty of and after lay them to our charge and terrifie us for them But he can take no advantage from Mental Ejaculatory Prayer for the same reason †Cognoscunt Angeli cordium cogitationes in suis effectibus ut autem in seipsis sunt Deo tantum sunt naturaliter cognitae Thom p. 1. q. 57. Art 4. because he cannot know it Again to Pray with other Prayer we are sometimes to wait for Company but need wait for none to Pray with this And other Prayer requires some length of time more or less but Vid Scâ—iebler Metapb l. 2. c. 4. p 7. this may be done in an instant Other Prayer requires See this at laâ—ge discoursed in Dr. Goodwins Child of Light walking in darkness p 57 61 64 c. bodily labour and so bodily strength but this requires none And some other Prayer requires a special gift but this none Though a man be of never so weak parts and gifts yet he may be able to Pray with Ejaculatory Prayer And thus you have the second sort of Arguments to excite to the practice of this Duty from the Advantages there are for it The third are III. From the Advantages there are by it As there be many Advantages for Ejaculatory Prayer so there be many Advantages by it and that in respect of Our Good God's Glory 1. In respect of our Good It is a special means of preventing Guilt so that when one is tempted if he doth not consent but presently cry unto God by Ejaculatory Prayer against it then though it be his Affliction it is not his Sin When you are troubled with blasphemous thoughts then Ejaculatory Prayer if you use it aright prevents the guilt As when the Virgin was ravished if she cryed out she was pronounced innocent Deut. 22. 25 26 27. This is a great Advantage because it is better to be kept from Sin than from Suffering The Devil caused Job to suffer many ways but he could not as he hoped he should have done cause him to sin and that was his Advantage for so he was kept from the greatest evil of all the least evil of sin being unspeakably worse than the greatest evil of suffering And as it is a special means of preventing guilt so likewise of removing it Suppose guilt hath been contracted yet Ejaculatory Prayer made in Faith and with Repentance doth it away If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 Joh. 1. 9. David found it to be so by experience Psal 32. 5. I confessed saith he and thou speaking unto God forgavest the iniquity of my sin Now this God doth upon confession made in Ejaculatory Prayer as well as in Set-prayer of which 't is like David there speaks This also is a great Advantage For Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven whose sin is covered as David saith in the beginning of that Psalm which was a truth he had learnt by a dear-bought experience having been in so miserable and so wretched a case so long by reason of the guilt of sin grievously afflicting and tormenting his Conscience until by an act of pardoning grace upon his confession it was removed as he declares in the verses following This therefore I say is a great Advantage and as it is said of Love so may it be said of Ejaculatory Prayer in this respect That it covers a multitude of sins Another Advanatage is the having thereby a speedy return of Prayer a present Answer For by Ejaculatory Prayer many times it is as soon obtained as needed even then when there can be no Praying with Set-prayer for the obtaining of it This likewise is a great Advantage for Delay is not only grievous but dangerous It is also a special way of exercising Grace for there is no Ejaculatory Prayer that is right but there is much Grace exercised in it As Faith Hope Love Fear Humbleness and the Like And then by this means they are frequently exercised many times a day which is a special Advantage for the frequent exercise of Grace encreaseth the habit of Grace And 't is a special Preservative of ones Peace it being as hath been said a special means both of preventing guilt and of removing it And is it not a great Advantage to have liberty to come unto God when one will As to have liberty to speak unto some Great Man as often as there is occasion more than to be tyed to such and such set-times Now by Ejaculatory Prayer you may come when you will It is also a special means of repelling Tempation whether from Sathan or your own hearts And a special help against evil thoughts of any kind whatsoever For it prevails with God to come into ones help to give Grace to help in time of need It will prevent our going forth in our own strength in any undertaking and consequently being left to our selves For then seeking God by Ejaculatory Prayer first we make him our
be much in Ejaculatory Prayer when you come to the Administration of the Ordinance of Baptisme III. When you come to the Ordinance of the Lords-Supper Then also labour to be much in this Duty of Ejaculatory Prayer Before you come you should be much in Solemn Prayer you should examine your selves and be much in Solemn Prayer to God that so your hearts may be rightly prepared The Preparations of the heart in man are from the Lord. Prov. 16. 1. Take heed therefore that you put not off all to Ejaculatory Prayer then But when you come you must be much in Ejaculatory Prayer Then pray that God would perfect what is lacking in your preparation Be sensible that all you have done in order to the preparing of your hearts is but little in comparison of what ought to be And therefore pray that something may be done for the further perfecting of it That so your hearts may be and continue to be in a right frame sutable to the Ordinance that you may carry your selves so as is sutable unto the awful Presence that is there so as you may manifest thereby that you discern the Lords Body It was the great sin of the Corinthians that they had no more of the aw of God upon their hearts when they came to the Lords-Supper Lift up your hearts therefore by Ejaculatory Prayer unto God and pray earnestly that he would put his fear into your hearts It 's evil to feed without fear at our own Tables Jude 12. much more to feed so at the Lords Table For because of this men eat and drink damnation to themselves not ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not discerning the Lords Body that is not Sanctifying it or using it as becomes so holy a thing Mede Book I. Disc II. Not discerning viz. bearing no greater respect to the Sacrament of the Communion of the Body of Christ than to any other corporal and common kind of food Diodat in loc discerning the Lords Body or not ‖ differencing it as if it were but a common thing Therefore the awfulness of his Presence for the King sits at his Table the holyness of the Mysteries the danger of prophaning them should make us come with greatest Fear and Reverence else we eat and drink unworthily not discerning the Lord's Body Be earnest with God therefore by Ejaculatory Prayer to put his fear into your hearts and to keep it in your hearts while you shall be then before him Say Lord thou hast said thou wilt put thy fear into the hearts of thy people oh put it into mine now Let me have grace whereby I may carry my self acceptably in this Ordinance with Reverence and Godly Fear You should come likewise with greatest humbleness and self-abasement when you come unto this Ordinance For what are we that we should be admitted to the Lord's Table Verily we are altogether unworthy we deserve not so great a priviledge And not only so but we deserve the quite contrary viz. to be rejected and kept off from it And therefore reflecting upon the greatness of the Priviledge your own littleness and nothingness nay the vileness and wretchedness say considering what God hath done for you in bringing you to his Table notwithstanding as Mephibosheth did to David when he invited him to his Table Lord what is thy Servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead Dog as I am Oh how is it that thou hast brought me hitherto That I who deserve not to be set with the Dogs of the Flock should thus have the Childrens bread provided for me Is this after the manner of man Lord There must be also when you come to this Ordinance Brokenness and Contriteness of heart For therein you see Christ dying for sin and for your sins and what an unworthy thing is it for any one to pretend to benefit by the death of Christ which was death for sin and yet live all the while in that sin for which he professeth to believe that Christ dyed Therefore sin must be grievous to you that you may repent of it Therefore cry by Ejaculatory Prayer unto God to affect your hearts for you Say Lord take away the heart of stone that is in me and give me an heart of flesh a soft and sensible heart Lord that while I look upon Him in this Ordinance whom I have pierced by my sins I may mourn and be in bitterness of spirit That I may mourn that ever I should do so much as I have done against such an one that hath shewed such love as to die for me That I should sin so much notwithstanding the death of Christ and so much against the death of Christ That sin should be so sweet to me that was so bitter to Christ Oh that while I see the Body of Christ broken in this Ordinance my heart may break within me at the sight of it Oh that I may not look upon a broken Christ without a broken heart Let my heart now be broken for sin and be broken from sin c. Again when you come to this Ordinance there must be sincerity and uprightness of heart You come to eat and to drink at the Lords Table You must not eat for your selves nor drink for your selves that is for your own ends as they Zech. 7. 5 6. but in singleness or simplicity of heart as they Acts 2. 46. Not in treachery as Judas of whom Christ saith that after he had eaten bread with him he lifted up his heel against him Oh this is vile therefore let us draw neer with a true heart Heb. 10. 22. To play the Hypocrite here is worse than any where else Pray therefore that you may be sincere Say Lord deliver me from the falseness and deceitfulness of my heart Let my heart be sound in thy Statutes I am come to renew my Covenant with thee Oh that I may be fully resolved to keep close unto God! To give goodly words or to make vain shews will not satisfie Thou canst not endure false and loose Christians Oh help me to be sincere May I now be more fully resolved for God and my heart be more firmly engaged to God than ever May I intirely give up my self unto thee O Lord my God even with my whole heart and my whole soul that so from my heart I may say Truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant c. Thus Pray when you be at this Ordinance for sincerity and uprightness of heart You must pray also for the strengthning of your Faith Faith hath a manifold office in this Ordinance As To apprehend and discern what is exhibited and represented To receive and apply what is offered and tendered To go out unto Christ to receive virtue from him To open the heart to let it in c. Those acts of Faith whereby you received Christ at first must now be renewed in receiving him again Therefore say Lord strengthen my Faith Let not my Faith now fail me