something of the Illustrious Effects of Marriage we proceed to inquire what method we are to take to render it blessed propitious and satisfactory which brings us to peruse the Prayer of Eliezer for constituting a Family in which Government was first erected and if still preserved is the best means to preserve National Discipline which was derived from it GEN. 24. v. 12. And he said O Lord God of my Master Abraham I pray thee send me good speed this day and shew kindness unto my Master Abraham THe words contain a pathetical Prayer of Eliezer Abraham's Servant for a good Wife for his Masters Son I pray thee c. The Context and preceding Verses give us an account of Abrahams direction and Eliezer's entrance on this design here we find Abraham's Servant begining with his Supplication to the Lord God of his Master Abraham for success in this undertaking The Explication being so obvious we only take notice of four particulars 1. His Solemn Address to God for success 2. His Prayer is strengthened by this Expression O Lord God of my Master Abraham 3. The Object and Design of his Prayer to have good success this Day 4. That particular kindness God would vouchsafe unto Abraham in the concession and gratification of his request And shew kindness unto my Master Abraham And First of the First of these viz. 1. His Solemn Address to God for Success this is Eliezer's method and as the best way and means to accomplish his desires is to address himself to God who is the Author and giver of every good thing He and He only can give success to our Undertakings or blast and disappoint our most resolved Designs and Intentions Prayer is a Duty which keeps the trade of Religion a going and 't is our happiness that God puts it into our hearts to Pray which is no other than a religious Speech directed to God after a due sort concerning things appertaining to his glory and our good and it is the Key of Heaven and Conduit of Mercy a Perfume and sweet Savour in Gods Nostrils and the Messenger of the Soul to the Throne of Grace Damascen tells De Orth. Fid. lib. that in Prayer the Will is filled with desire and the desires flame and blaze upwards to God and though Prayer is an act of the Will yet it hath its conception in the Heart and is serviceable to the Soul like the animal Spirits to the Body It is and hath been the Method and Usage of Gods Servants in all Ages to Pray to God on all occasions Gen. 13.4 Thus Abraham for Ishmael and when he removed his Family to Bethel and Beersheba he built an Altar and Called on the Name of the Lord And David after he had settled the Ark returned to bless his House that is to Pray for his People so good Nehemiah First I Prayed unto the Lord and then I spake unto the King And 't is the Apostles Exhortation In all things by Prayer and Supplication let your requests be made known unto God 2. His Prayer is strengthened by this Expression O Lord God of my Master Abraham 'T is very Emphatical and gives us to understand Gods great affections to his eminent Servants and the seed of the Faithful And this place more particularly refers to Gods promise to Abraham concerning Isaac Gen. 19.17 and 't is very probable this was a great Topick with Eliezer Isaac being the Son of the Promise and such forms of Invocation were very common in those times in Abraham's charge to his Servant Verse 7. he encourages him in his undertaking by recounting Gods Promises to his Seed And we find often times in Gods appearance to his Servants he is pleased to express himself as remembring his Promises when he appeared to Isaac Gen. 26.24 I am the God of thy Father fear not and Jacob when afraid of Esau strengthened himself by this Invocation Gen. 32.9 O Lord God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac the Lord which said unto me I will deal well with thee So Moses fearing the Aegyptians would not believe him Exo. 4.5 but God to confirm his Faith and the Israelites was pleased to work Miracles That they may believe says God that the God of their Fathers the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob hath appeared unto thee 3. The Object and Design of his Prayer To have Good speed this day Fac ut se mihi ossert quod peto Zenochius in Locum Good speed is an indefinite wish and refers to several Objects but here particularly signifies success in choosing a good Wife for his Masters Son and some render it That he might obtain what he asked others That what he desired might be prosperous and successeful Prosperum fac mihi occursum Vatablus in Locum Both which are Synominous and 't is very aptly and significantly rendred Good speed because the choosing and enjoying a good Wife is so essential a part of a mans happiness this prompted Abraham to that wonderful care in seeking out a good Wife for his Son Verse 3. and nothing could be more satisfactory to Isaac than the enjoyment of this blessing Jacobs seven years seemed but a few dayes for the Love he bare unto Rachel And all Ages of the World have subscribed to this Doctrine 4. That particular Kindness God would vouchsafe unto Abraham Fac misericordiam significat non alio jure fretum hoc audire nisi qua Deus gratiam suam Abramae pollitius fuerat and shew Kindness unto my Master Abraham We are here to enquire what kindness the accomplishment hereof would be unto Abraham And nothing can please better and be more acceptable to a Father than to see his Son happy in a good Wife A noter on the place well expresseth himself And a Father that hath taken so much care and pains in the education and bringing up of his Son who is so dear to him and to whom he hath given so good an Example when his Son is well married and his Father sees him prosecuting those admirable Instructions he received from him and with the help of a good Wife how does he esteem himself happy in his Sons happiness whose Wisdom and conduct may render even his Posterity happy To which the Wise man alludes Pro. 24.23 The Father of the Righteous shall greatly rejoice and he that begetteth a wise Child shall have joy of him Having spoken something by way of Explication we pass on to the Observations and each concluded with a short Inference Prayer is a great and Indispensable Duty Observ 1. A Tribute we owe in recognition of the Divine Soveraignty 't is the Just Prerogative God may expect from his Creatures The other parts and pieces of the Creation pursue the design of their beings the Sacred Poet tells us Psal 19.1 The Heavens declare Gods Glory the Sun rules the Day and the Moon the Night the Elements observe
Intreat the Lord your God to turn away this death only That is pray unto God for me and the prayers of Saints are very acceptable God would not hear Job's Friends Job 42.8 but says God My servant Job shall pray for you 2. This praying for one another does not terminate in personal Obligations but comprehends praying for Christs Church and People for the Propagation of his Gospel that God would give him the Heathen for his Inheritance and the utmost part of the World for his Possession and how pathetically did the Jews in Captivity express their zeal for the welfare of Jerusalem By the Rivers of Babilon Psal 137. there we sat down yea we wept when we remembred Zion and so to the end and for Nations it is St. Pauls exhortation 1 Tim. 2.1 That first of all Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men For Kings and all that are in Authority that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty Nay further we are commanded to pray for our Enemies Mat. 5 44. and Christ prayed for them that crucified him Luk. 23.34 Acts 7.60 Father forgive them and that Protomartyr St. Stepâ—â—â— prayed for them that stoned him And 't is the noble and heroick design of a gracious Heart to be serviceable to Church and State by prayer either to deprecate Judgments or obtain Mercies 1. To deprecate Judgements How did Abraham intercede with God for Sodom and God was pleased to answer him Gen. 9.32 That if ten righteous were in it he would not destroy it for tens sake And how Gracious was God to Jerusalem And I sought for a man among them Ezek 22.30 that should make up the Hedge and stand in the gap before me for the Land that I should not destroy it but I found none It implies Gods great respect for the righteous which Solomon styles fundamentum seculi an everlasting Foundation publick Spirited Persons are like Pillars to bear up Gods Wrath from the place they live in 2. To obtain Mercies so Elijah prayed for Rain in the days of Ahab and obtained it after three years Intermission and so Moses that great Master in Israel after God had reveal'd his will to him he cryed unto God for the Children of Israel and could bid them Stand still and see the Salvation of God and we all know what a glorious Victory followed Inf. Let us therefore upon the whole Pray for each other Gods Church and People that by the fervency and continuance of our Prayers we may either stand in the gap with Abraham or prevail with Jacob at least be found among the righteous that when Gods Judgments are in the earth God may say unto us as he did to Noah Come thou and all thine house into the Ark Gen. 7.1 for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation Observ 4. Prayer is the only way to obtain Mercies or divert Judgments How great Priviledge is it to be admitted into the Presence of some great Monarch but how much greater Prerogative hath the devout Christian that by fervent Prayers and ardent effusion of his Tears and Wishes may freely conferr with the King of Kings this penetrates the Clouds and Sphears and mounts us to the bosome of the great Benefactor and a Charm that if rightly performed prevails on Omnipotency Oratio pura coelos penetrans vacua non redibit St. Austin this Dove sent to Heaven often brings an Olive-leaf in his Mouth This fervent Prayer sayes St. Austin as it pierceth Heaven so it will not return without effect And not only our Duty but our daily wants put us upon this undertaking we are helpless Creatures of our selves and Prayer is our only refuge there is an admirable Oeconomy in the Divine Wisdome to bring man to his Duty and Happiness God tells us Ezek. 36.37 That for this he will be enquired of by the House of Israel to do this for them And 't is but highly rational to confess our dependance upon him that gave us being The Kingly Prophet elegantly describes Gods goodness to those that call upon him in 145th Psalm from the begining to the the end And certainly 't is no Mercy that is not worth seeking to God for but when sought and obtained it makes the blessing the more acceptable and obliges us to improve it with the greater thankfulness and sobriety we can never lose any thing by prayer for we are never out of Gods reach to relieve us if God please to answer us the Blessing is the more safe and sweet and if denyed we are the more humble and patient and content that God should be Master of his own bounty We have the Practice of Gods People recommended to our Imitation and the admirable effects of their Prayers recorded for our encouragement here good Eliezer prayes unto God for good speed he would not venture on it without Petitioning the Lord God of his Master Abraham and the good success he met with was the effect of Prayers Abraham tells him God would send his Angel before him and prosper his way which implies the strength of Abraham's Faith and his Servant after he had prayed V. 13 14. in the very next verses gives us a kind of Prophetick hint of what would come to pass and resigns himself up to the conduct of Providence Behold I stand here by the Well of Water and so on Non tentat Deum cujus instinctu ad hoc motus fuerat Junius in loc Junius observeth he did not tempt God because God prompted him hereto for such manuductory passages of Providence are but Preliminary to success and antecede the effects of our Prayers Signum quod statuit congruum fuisse erat enim signa bonae uxoris indolis affabilis hospitalis strenuae qualem noverat placiturum Isaaco Abrahamo St. Chrys in loc And St. Chrysostome well observes The sign sayes he which Eliezer pitcht upon was very agreeable for those things as affability and courtesie are the indications of a good Wife and such as would please Isaac and Abraham also David alludes to such antecedent Providences sayes God I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go and I will guide thee with mine Eye and such gracious dealings of God with his People are our great encouragement and the effects of Prayer's miraculous James 5.17 as if Elijah could shut and open Heaven at his pleasure Jacobs Prayer turned away the Indignation and Wrath of Esau and his four hundred men after Moses had cried to the Lord for the Children of Israel the Egyptians were drowned in the Red-Sea And after David had prayed unto his God 1 Sam. 17.37 That delivered him out of the paw of the Lyon and the bear he also delivered him out of the hands of the Philistine And when Elijah prayes unto God That the meal shall
not waste nor the cruise of Oyl fail till the day that God send Rain on Earth And when Hezekiah prayed against Sennacherib for reproaching the living God the Lord was pleased to answer him 2 King 19. that he should not shoot one Arrow nor come before the City with Shields or Bucklers but return as he came and God smote a hundred fourscore and five thousand Assyrians and even Sennacherib himself slain by his two Sons And let but those three Servants of that God whom they trusted would deliver them but pray to him in the fiery Furnace though the very heat slay even those that put them in yet a hair of their heads shall not be singed nor shall their Coats be changed Dan. 2. neither the smell of Fire pass on them Nay even the Son of God shall bear them Company and preserve them And when Daniel is in the Den of Lyons God answers his Prayers and sends his Angel and shuts the Lyons mouths that they could not hurt him In fine by Prayer the Moon hath stood still the Sun gone backward the Ravens have brought Food the Heavens rained Manna the Rocks afforded Water the Fire hath given over Burning the Lyons have stopt their Mouths Fidelibus totus mundus divitiarum est St. Austin de Civ Dei and all Creatures shall muster up themselves to defend the Body of Christ whereupon sayes St. Austin The Saints have all the World at their service And gives us the Reason Domine quis tenet te Lord sayes he who can hold thee who can fetter and restrain Omnipotency Nay even Heathens and Turks have alwaies had a great veneration for Prayer which is a reproach to Christians to be out-done by them Numa Pompilius thought it sufficient for his safety he could answer At ego rem Divinam facio But I nm about the Service of my Gods And 't was the Heathen Custom not to venture upon business of moment without the Invocation of their Gods And the advice of Xenophon was Divine That in Prosperity they should worship their Gods that when they had a more particular need of their assistance they might with greater confidence approach them at their Altars commending the success to the Power and Providence of those Deities they served Publius Scipio used alwayes to go to the Capitol before he went to the Senate and so begin the service of the Commonwealth with prayer as Suetonius tells us †Benè ac sapienter Majores instituerunt ut rerum agendaram ita dicendi initium à praecationibus capere Sueto in vit Caes It was the Wisdom of those Governments to commence all their business with the service of their Gods Let us Christians therefore Inf. that have the Son of God to intercede for us he is the Angel standing before the Throne with the Golden Censer in his hand Rev. 8.3 filled with the Odours of his Merits Ipse solus est cujus gratia Deum habemus propitium Calvin to offer up with our prayers be encouraged to come to the Throne of Grace to find Mercy and Grace to help in time of need For he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him Let us come to God in all Conditions In our Adversity God tells us No good thing will he withhold from them that diligently seek him Prayer lists us in the service of the Almighty and inrolls us under the Divine Standard and from whence we may expect the favourable Protections of Providence And in our Prosperity lest we be full and deny God let us remember the Corrective the Roman Emperours met with in the midst of their Triumph and Glory Look behind thee Respice post te hominem memento te Suetonius and consider thou also art mortal and subject to misery for we know not to what extremities we may be exposed Let us therefore pray with David Psal 71.12 O Lord be not far from me O God make haste for my help And if we expect good success in our Prayers let us be alwayes deeply affected with those things we pray for St. Matth. 22.11 It is said The King came in to see the Guests so in Prayer the King of Glory looks into the frame and disposition of our Hearts let us therefore use Prayer aright that it prime our Souls and preserve us in the Oyl of Grace from Wind and Weather Observ 5. Gods blessing and providing for Children is a great blessing to Parents 1. Jacob tells us Children are the Gift of God when he met his Brother he told him Gen. 32.5 These are the Children God hath graciously given me and his great care and affection to his Children is a great Pattern to Parents Now Children being the same Flesh and pieces of their Parents their Affection to them must needs be very great and be highly solicitous to promote their welfare as our Saviours Parents at Jerusalem did present him before the Lord for his Blessing And we cannot give it you in terminis for Speech is lame and words cannot reach the sence of the thing signified but most certainly when God is pleased to answer the Prayers of Parents and bless and provide for their Children it is a very great kindness and Mercy to Parents We will give you Davids sence of this matter when Gods Promise was made known to David 2 Sam. 2.12 And when thy dayes shall be fulfill'd and thou shalt sleep with thy Fathers I will set up thy seed after thee which shall proceed out of thy Bowels and I will establish his Kingdom And we have Davids acknowledgment in the following verses Who am I O Lord God V. 18 19. and what is my House that thou hast brought me hitherto and this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lord God for thou hast spoken also of thy Servants House for a great while to come and is this the manner of man O Lord God! Nay in the 20. verse he wants words to express his thankfulness And what can David say more unto thee for thou Lord God knowest thy Servant And when God had placed Solomon upon the Throne he breaks out into this Elogium 1 Kings 1.48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which hath given me one to sit upon the Throne this day mine eyes even seeing it Thus the admirable care Abraham took for Isaac and his great charge to Eliezer is an assured Indication of his great Love and Affection and that it would please God to answer Eliezers request he useth this Expression And shew kindness unto my Master Abraham And how did the Heart of old Jacob revive when he heard of Josephs being alive how did he contemplate and adore the mysteries of Providence That God had so miraculously preserved and provided for him and made him Governour over all the Land of Egypt and when he met him how was he overwhelmed with Joy Gen. 46.30