same mystical body of whose sufferings he should have a quick sense and expresse it in his good wishes and Prayers wrastling with God for them as an earnest coadjutor and fellow-intercessor the Apostle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15. 30. He that will give ear to the many Evangelical exhortations to daily and instant prayer Luc. 18. 1. 1 Thes. 5. 17 c. He that believeth God's omnipotence and all-sufficiency as being the Well of life the Father of lights and giver of every good thing the Lord of Hosts whom all creatures serve and obey He that hath acquainted himselfe with God's Fatherly promises to hear and grant our humble petitions Ask and you shall have Mat. 7. 7. Ioh 16 23. Psal 34. 6 50 15. 103. 13. 81. 11. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it He that will not deny or forget all these must necessarily acknowledg how foolish and carelesse he is that will rather want then seek that by Prayer which may be so easily purchased VII Other preparatory Meditations before prayers in the morning or at any other time BEfore thou prayest prepare thy self and be not as one that tempts the Lord. Ecclus. 18. 23. And let the first preparation be made in the Heart that thou maist with those in Ier. lift up thy Heart together with thy Hands to God in the Heavens Lam 3. 4. For Prayer is too great a businesse to be committed onely to the Tongue Nor can we expect that He which calls for the heart and directs us to seek him with all the heart and with all the soul Deut. 4. 29. will be any thing moved with the sound of our lips when the heart is silent or that he will be found of those that seek him carelesly Such as those in Isay 29. that draw nigh to God with their mouths and honour him with their lips but their heart is far from him Of whom our Saviour saith that they worship him in vain Mat. 15. 8 9. Now he that would prepare his heart must be told that a sinful impenitent Heart shall have no acceptance It must be such a one as will depart from iniquity 2 Tim. 2. 19. We may learn that from Zohar the Naamathite if thou preparest thy Heart saith he and stretchest out thy hands towards God if iniquity be in thy hands put it far away and let not wickednesse dwell in thy Tabernacles Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot and without fear Iob. 11. 13. Zohar would have thee come with a pure heart and clean hands and not to forget the reformation of thy Tabernacles that is of thy House and Family too as well as of thy self If Zohar be thought of no great Authority let the Prophet Micah propose a question to this purpose VVherewithall shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the High God saith he Micah 66. and his answer would be out of the highest oracle v. 8. He hath shewed thee O Man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God VVhat Micah saith the Royal Prophet that had best skill in praying resolved long before If I incline to wickednesse with my heart the Lord will not hear me Ps. 66. 16. And the reason of it we may have in his own words elsewhere For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their Prayers But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil Psal. 34. 14. The wisest of Kings doth but comment upon those his Father's words when he tells us that a good man obtains favour of the Lord but the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Prov 12. 2. and c. 15. 8. 29. VVhen such men pray and spread forth their hands before God he will hide his eyes from them yea though they make many prayers he will not hear saith the Prophet Isaiah c. 1. 15. but he that sets himself to serve the Lord shall be accepted with favour and his Prayers shall reach the clouds saith the son of Sirac Ecclus. 35. 16. And doth not the Gospel speak the same language VVe know that God hears not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he hears saith the blind man in the Gospel Ioh. 9. 31. And if we will hear our Saviour himself we must conclude that every one that asketh as he should do shall receive Mat. 7. 8 21. But not every one that carelesly or hypocritically saith Lord Lord shall have his prayers â—…ound so potent as to pierce the Heavens and make way for them or himself to ascend thither That is a priviledge reserved for him that in preparation of heart is ready to do the will of our Father which is in heaven But he that is otherwise minded may receive his answer before hand from the Prophet Isaiah that though God's hand be not shortned nor his ears heavy yet iniquity will separate between God and such a suiter and make him hide his face from him when he would be looked upon with some favour Is. 59. 2. 1. 17 18. VIII A farther supply of such Preparatory Meditations as may make us fitter to be heard in our Prayers WE have shewed already what need we have to come with a penitent heart and resolutions of a good life and how far that may prevaile Shall I now shew if we would have yet more hope of Audience and be sure to have our prayers more acccepted how we should improve a penitent heart truly prepared with Contrition and Humiliation of spirit for those Prayers are most successful that come up to that In which regard as much as we are affected with the desire of a good issue of our Prayers so much we should endeavour more and more to prostrate and cast down our selves before the throne of Grace For he that in a sense of his own miserable està te esteemes himself the most unworthy to be suffered to look up to Heaven or be admitted to any accesse neer the Mercy-seat he is likely to be the first that shall be looked upon and called nearer He that in his own opinion of himself placeth himself lowest as a worme and no man He that descends so far into the thought of his own vilenes that he sees his soul ready to cleave to the dust and his body so despicable that he thinks it worthy to be trod upon his Petition is not unlikely to be look'd upon in the first place and himself preferred before all those that expected to have an Answer before him I say not this without some reason For then we have the best foundation to build high when we are at the bottom of Humility And if we will hear what God himself saith of this kind of addresse to him we will easily believe that as he which exalts himself will be abased according to the degree
of his self-exaltation so he that humbles himself will be exalted according to the measure of his Humiliation So far shall we be from doubting that when we are most out of conceit with our own value Cod respects us most Whâ—…n we' are placed by oâ—…r selves so low that we think we cannot go lower then indeed as we may be sure we cannot fall so nothing is so sure as that we shall rise To learn this excellent lesson shall we be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught by God himself and hear how he expresseth it in his holy word Upon whom shall I loâ—…k but upon him that is of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word I sai 66. 2. A troubled spirit is a Sacrifice to God A broken and contrite heart he will not despise Psal. 51. 17. Nay it is in the plurall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacrifices that is a Sacrifice equivalent to many other A Sacrifice that goes beyond all the Sacrifices of the Law The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a â—…ontrite heart and will save such as be of an humble spirit Psal. 34. 17. King Hâ—…zekiah found this true as well as David in that ready answer from God I have heard thy prayers I have seen thy tears Isai. 38. 5. So did Daniel in the Angel's report that srom the first day that he set his â—…eart to understand and chasten himself before God his words were heard And so will all other that make tryal of Gods infinite mercy IX Another sure way of Preparation from our Love of God and our Delight in Him BEside that sad way of Humiliation we have another more chearful way of promoting our Prayers We may take it from holy David a man after Gods own Heart that had made great use of it How dear and sweet the very mâ—…ntion of God or his holy word or any thing of his was to David's tongue and heart he hath sufficiently expressed in many Psalmes especially in the 119 and 145. both of them Alphabeticall Psalmes that they might be the easier committed to memory and the latter so highly esteemed by the Jewes that R Kimchi tells us the Rabbines had a saying that whosoever heartily recited the 145 Psal thrice a day needed not doubt of his eâ—…ernal Fâ—…licity As if they thought it the best Psalme to increase the love of God in us and so to fit us fâ—…r the Beatificall Vision and the heavâ—…nly quire above Yet how easily or how much soever the Jewish Church was taken with emphatical expressions of that Divine Love many in the Christian Church that should be more affected with it do seem to dote so much upon somewhat here below that they cannot hear with that ear and wish to go along with the Psalmist charme he never so wisely Therein they are rather like those Idols that have ears and hear not But if I should tell them how advantageous holy David saith that our love of God may prove to our obtaining of what we pray for I hope they would listen a little better to that Therefore I will keep them no longer from it They may see it Psal. 37. 4. in these words Delight thy self in the Lord and he will give thee thy heart's desire Which is made good in another Psalme that speakes in the person of God Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him He shall call upon me and I will hear him Now though this be the reward of Divine Love yet it were a shame that we should need much to be incited to it to love him whose creatures we are and on whose mercy and goodness depends all our Felicity X. Other Means to facilitate our accesse to God by Prayer NOt only our love to God but our love and respect to others too may procure a good successe of our Prayers As 1. Mercy in forgiving them Hence is that Evangelicall advise When thou prayest lift up holy hands without wrath 1 Tim. 2. 8. that is be in Charity when thou prayest If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there rememberest that thy Brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift go first be reconciled to thy Brother Mat. 5. 24. Forgive thy neighbour so shall thy sins also be forgiven when thou prayest Ecclus. 28. 2. 2. Mercy in relieving them Old Tobit made it his advise to his son Turne not thy face away from the poor and the face of God shall not be turned away from thee c. 4. 7. Solomon had said it before him in other termes He that stoppeth his ear at the cry of the poor he also shall cry himself but shal not be heard Prov. 21. 19. King Nebuchadnezer was therefore put in a fair way of preventing a sad punishment by Daniel's good counsel to break off his sins by alms-deeds and mercy to the poor Dan. 4. 27. And Cornelius found the vertue of this when he had the honour to be told by an Angel that his prayers were heard and his Almes-deeds were had in remembrance in the sight of God Act. 10. 31. Ecclus 3. 30. 4. 10. 3. Due respect to Parents Who so honoureth his Father makes an atonement for his sins Ecclus. 3. 3. He shall be heard when he makes his prayer v. 5. v. 15. Thus in all things our Christian and virtuous demeanour of our selves hath the force of letters of recommendation to promote our cause to the throne of grace And we have our Saviour's own word for it that If we abide in him and his words abide in us Ask what we will it shall be done unto us Joh. 15. 7. Out of these and the like Institutions which we take out of the holy Scriptures and wherein we perceive what preparation fits us best for the attaining of our humble suits of the hand of God every man should select some above the rest as most peculiar to himself and wherein his present care should make some amends for his former neglect remembring the advise of Baruch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. As it was your mind to go astray from God so being returned seek him ten times more Baruch 4. 28. by humble and hearty obedience as well as by earnest supplication XI Caveats for the Matter and Manner of Prayer THat our Prayers may be succcessesull it will be further necessary to take order that they may be ever attended with those Cautions Virtues and Graces which are most conducible to that end Such as these are 1. Not to ask amisse for any thing either in the scope and matter or in the method and order of of our Prayers For many ask and receive not because they ask a miss Jam. 4. 3. that they may consume it upon their own pleasures and fancies In such cases we must not expect to be heard unlesse it be to the punishment of our folly and presumption And otherwise we must not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is our prayers must be grounded upon
desired For it is supplied with a continual Fervor and dilated with a sweet complacence and pleasing apprehension of the happines we might have in the fruition of what we desire and long for Therefore it doth not much need any Motive or Reward or any thing else to maintain it in vigor but onely the hope of acquiring that which is beloved There 's none of us all but have our share more or lesse in this pleasing Affection And it should be our daily prayer and care that we be not mistaken in the object of the Love we pitch upon To which purpose we should be most vigilant over those parts where Love makes the entrance The ordinary wayes are the Ear and the Eye First the Ear hath a door to admit it A door that no Key opens so well as a good report That will easily make us love those whom we never saw ut eos saepe quos nunquam vidimus diligamus saith the Orator No Musick can set anothers Heart-strings to the same tune with ours so soon as this 2. Beside this of the Ear there 's a second and more frequent passage to Love from the Eye either the Eye of the Body or the Understanding the eye of the Mind For Love hath the same Fountain that our loving Tears have they come out of the Eye and thence fall into the Breast So doth all Love from the Eye slide into the Heart and then it needs no Letters of recommendation there it pleads and conquers for it self So it is in all Love and so it is particularly in Divine love which is an inclination and application of the heart to God 1. First it comes in at the Ear. Fides ex auditu saith the Apostle and so doth Love Amor ex auditu It begins as that Psalm doth Auribus audivimus Ps. 44. 1. we have heard with our Ears and our Fathers have told us 2. It comes in at the Eye too For from the eye of the understanding by which we see the worth of what we love it is conveyed by Faith into that welcome which the Heart is easily made ready to embrace it withall Now that we are so taken with love at the Eye t is no wonder since we hear our Saviour himself say to the Church in the Canticles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast struck or affected my very Heart with one of thine eyes Cant. 4. 9. They must be holy and devout eyes that can so take him and we had need to look to it that our eyes may be such And when they are such that God may yet divert them from dangerous objects and vouchsafe his own love to kindle them withall that is the light of his countenance some gracious aspect from him wherein the Soul may see him as the fairest of ten thousand Cant 5. 10. the most amiable of all that can be loved and hear him with that affection which was commonly his that said Thy word is sweeter to me then the hony and the honey comb more to be desired then gold even much fine gold And now I may ask first concerning the Eare the first passage to love who hath not heard of the Majesty Wisdom Goodnes Mercy and other attributes of God that are able to ravish the love of any soul. Dies diei eructat scientiam There is no speech or language but that voice is plainly heard and understood in a l the world If we will make the right use of our Eares we cannot but advance our love to God 2. Then I may ask as much for the eye the other passage Hath not every mans eye the eye of his Body or of his Understanding been so far opened as to discover some clear beams some cast of his love not onely in the general wayes of Providence but in the more particular benefits mercies and indulgencies that are or may be conferred on him and should be the attractives of his love so many wayes doth he display his Amoris insignia his love-tokens And the truth is we should never come to be so happy as to love him if he did not invite and woe our hearts first by his own Favours and preventing love which is the Adamant of Love and was so powerful in him that it should now draw our hearts to heaven as once it brought him from thence to Earth to give us a touch of his ardent love in his humility and Obedience and especially in shedding his dearest bloud for our sakes All this did he to win our love to him without whom we could not love nay live and move and have any being and from whom are all the wonders of our Creation and Preservation and all the promises of future and eternal Happines This preventing love of his is the hand by which he drawes all men to the confession of his goodnes And if we adde to this the particular favours to our own persons we have enough to win our Hearts and fix our love upon him But we notwithstanding are so hard to be won to him and so ready to forsake him upon the allurement of very trifles that we scarce make a stop to ask our selves the question why we tire our love with so many objects so infinitely below the value of this one For what is it that we would have Is it Beauty Then seek the love of him the sweetnes of whose glorious face is the Joy and Rapture of Angels The onely vision of him is complete Happines and full satisfaction Or would we partake of true Riches or knowledg or pleasure Then study the love of him who is the unum necessarium to all these ends and purposes 1. Of whom we are directed to buy that gold that will make us truly rich Apoc. 3. 2. In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom Col. 2. 3. In whose presence is fulnes of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore Ps. Is not all this true And yet are not we commonly so far from thinking how to purchase his love that we busy our selves most in that which heaps up the treasure of his wrath and provokes him to plague us with many fearful judgments Into these dangers we plunge our selves in the persuit of our ugly sins but what lovely virtues do we compass with the like hazard for his sake that is Love and Charity it self Or what excuse can we make for our selves that we are not so employ'd Yet if the purchase of other virtuous Duties may find excuse this sure will find none If we are exhorted to Fast or to Relieve the Poor or to any other like Duties we may perhaps think to excuse them by the indisposition of our bodies or our want of means c. But when we are perswaded to love God we are put upon that a ainst which there is no Apolâ—…gie He that loves not the Lord Jesus Let him be Anathema Maran Athah that is liable to the heaviest curse Well then If there be no excuse What kind