c. For as the occasion of our fast is some speciall suit or request which we are vpon vrgent occasion to make to God so the obtaining of our request is the end of our fast Now that we may obtaine our suit to our comfort it is necessarie that wee should beg it at the hands of God by prayer For as Iames sayth You haue not because you aske not And because the Lord doth not heare euery prayer of euery man therefore that our prayer may be heard it is necessarie that both it be qualified in some measure according to Gods will and our selues also indued with repentance for our sinnes For if our prayer be not rightly qualified we may aske and not obtaine as S. Iames sayth You aske and receiue not because you aske amisse Neither if wee repent not of our sinnes shall we be heard because sinne maketh a separation betweene God and vs neither doth the Lord heare impenitent sinners But if any shall object that we are to pray and repent continually and therefore that this exercise is to little purpose I answere that howsoeuer prayer is to be performed of vs dayly and ordinarily and repentance is to be practised of vs continually in the whole course of our liues yet this hindreth not but that as the Lord giueth vs extraordinarie occasion so we may and ought after a solemne and extraordinarie manner to humble our selues before him by prayer and repentance which our Sauior Christ calleth repenting in sackcloth and ashes and likewise Iob repenting in dust and ashes 29. Now whereas I said that this inward fast is an extraordinarie exercise of prayer joyned with a profession of our repentance for the obtaining of our suit we are to know that as of prayer which expresseth our suit there be two parts and two especiall properties so of repentance which secondeth our prayer there are also two parts The parts of this prayer are first deprecation or praying against some euill which we bewaile and desire to be remooued whether it be the euill of sinne alone or the euill of affliction also caused thereby Secondly precation for the obtaining of some good whether it be only the assurance for the remission of our sinnes and grace to withstand them or also some other speciall blessing which wee craue The two especiall properties of our prayer are feruencie of desire and assurance of faith The two parts of repentance are humiliation in respect of our sinnes past which is penitencie and an vnfained purpose of amending our liues for the time to come both in forsaking our sinnes and also in embracing the contrary duties which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is amendment of life properly Both these parts of repentance must concurre with both the parts of prayer And both of them affoord their necessarie helpe to both the properties of prayer For deprecation of pardon must be joyned not onely with humiliation in respect of our sinnes past but also with a loathing of our sinnes and an vnfained desire and setled purpose to forsake them for the time to come And prayer for grace and assurance of pardon must bee joyned not onely with a desire and purpose of amendment but also with a sence and acknowledgement of our infidelitie and want of grace And our feruencie in prayer as it must proceed from the sence of our want so may it not be seuered from a desire of obedience and purpose of amendment And lastly the promise of hearing our prayer whereon our faith is grounded is made both to those that are humbled for their sinnes past and vnfainedly desire and purpose amendment for the time to come Notwithstanding there is a more speciall concurrence of humiliation with deprecation and of an vnfained purpose of amendment with precation and also a more speciall reference as of humiliation to the feruencie of our desire so of repentance which consisteth in eschewing euill and doing good to the assurance of faith Yea the inward sence and sorrow and the outward bewayling and confessing of our sinnes in deprecation are acts of humiliation and the desire the promise the vow of obedience and amendment of life expressed in our precation are acts of repentance And therefore for plainenesse and distinction sake I will first speake of the former part of our suit cōsisting in the deprecation joyned with humiliation and after of the second part which standeth in the precation joyned with amendment of life 30. For as touching the former if wee would bee humble and earnest suiters for the remoouing of euill whether it be sinne or punishment or both it behooueth vs first to be affected and touched with a sence and feeling of our miserie and to be inwardly grieued for our sinnes that by them we haue offended God who hath beene so gracious a God and so mercifull a father vnto vs and also haue prouoked him to threaten or to execute his judgements against vs for the same This then is the first thing which we are to labour for in this exercise that in regard of our sinnes which haue made vs obnoxious to Gods judgements our hearts may melt within vs and be resolued into a fountaine of teares that they may be pricked with sorrow and remorse that they may bee rent with griefe that they may become contrite and broken with godly sorrow For mourning is so perpetually annexed to fasting that our Sauiour Christ vseth these words of fasting and mourning indifferently to signifie the same thing For being demaunded why his disciples fasted not he said can the children of the mariage chamber mourne as long as the bridegroome is with them but the dayes will come when the bridegroome shall bee taken from them and then shall they fast For further euidence whereof we may obserue that where Mathew vseth the word mourne the other Euangelists haue fast And to the same purpose when the Iewes demaunded of the Prophets whether they were still to obserue the fast of the fift moneth c. they propose their question in these words Should I weepe in the fift moneth and seperate my selfe viz. from companie and delights And this mourning they which fasted were wont vnder the law to signifie by outward signes as by renting their garments putting on of sackcloth sitting in the ashes putting earth vpon them In stead of which signes the thing signified that is the inward mourning of the heart is commended vnto vs according to the example of Dauid Psal. 69.11 In fasting I wept with my soule or as others read I wept in the fasting of my soule For so the Prophet exhorteth Rent your hearts and not your garments and turne vnto the Lord with all your hearts and with fasting weeping and mourning 31. And to this godly sorrow must bee added an humble conceit of our selues that as we be grieued with our selues because of our sinne so also wee should thinke vilely and esteeme
basely of our selues as being worthie not onely of that judgement which is vpon vs but of all the plagues threatened in the law and vnworthie of the least of Gods mercies vnworthie of food signified by our abstinence therefrom vnworthie of our garments which therefore wee lay aside vnworthie to tread vpon the earth which they were wont to signifie by putting earth vpon them In a word the outward abstinence is therefore ordained that by afflicting the bodie the soule may be humbled Yea such an vsuall companion of fasting is the humiliation of the soule that not onely the faithfull in the Scripture are said to humble their soule by fasting but sometimes also euen the outward fasting is called the humbling of the soule This inward humiliation consisting partly in the godly sorrow and partly in this base estimation of our selues is very needfull for vs if indeed we would be humble suiters vnto the Lord with hope to obtaine For the sacrifices of God are a contrit spirit and a broken heart which the Lord in no wise will despise yea he hath respect to those who are of a contrit spirit and hee is neare vnto them when they call vpon him 32. And that we may attaine to this humiliation we are seriously to meditat of the judgements of God presently either threatned or laid vpon vs for therefore the Lord doth threaten his judgements that by humbling our selues before him and preparing our selues to meet him they might be preuented and turned from vs and that judging our selues we might not bee judged of the Lord. And therefore also doth the Lord inflict his judgement that we might be humbled vnder his mightie hand For not to sorrow when the Lord smiteth it is a signe of an hard and incorrigible heart And secondly we are to enter into a serious meditation of the haynousnesse of our sins and of our wretched estate in our selues by reason thereof which we may conceiue first by the deserts of them and namely by that judgement of God which perhaps is the occasion of this exercise For whatsoeuer other causes there may be thereof the author and inflicting cause is God and the meriting cause is sinne And not onely that judgement but also all those plagues both temporall in this life and eternall in the world to come which in the word of God are threatned against transgressors And these threatnings of the law we are both vndoubtedly to beleeue and also effectually to apply to our selues Againe the same appeareth by the sufferings of Christ For hereby it is most euident that our sinnes are so heynous and grieuous in the sight of God that nothing in the whole world could bee found a sufficient ransome to satisfie Gods justice and appease his wrath for them or to expiat vs from the guilt thereof but the precious death of our Sauiour Christ the sonne of God And therefore if God hath giuen vs the spirit of grace and supplication we shall lament and mourne as a man weeping for his only sonne when we looke vpon him whom we haue pierced And thirdly our sinne will appeare exceedingly sinfull if we compare and lay together Gods vnspeakable bounties towards vs and our almost vncredible vnthankfulnesse towards him For if thou doest truly and vnpartially consider what thou hast rendred to the Lord for all his benefits which he hath bestowed on thee and findest nothing but a heape of sinnes whereby thou hast shewed thy selfe so vngracious towards him who hath beene so gracious vnto thee and dishonored him that hath so honoured thee this if anything in the world will make thy heart relent and melt within thee And to these former considerations let there bee added when we come to make our request to God who is in heauen full of majestie and glorie a remembrance of our mold that we are but dust and ashes which humbled Abraham when he was to intreat the Lord in behalfe of the Sodomits Behold saith he I haue begun to speake to my Lord and I am but dust and ashes And forasmuch as naturally we are selfe-conceited and hard hearted we are therefore to pray vnto the Lord that he would giue vnto vs soft and fleshly hearts and that with the eye-salue of his spirit he would annoint the eyes of our mind that we may see and with the finger of his spirit hee would effectually touch our hearts that we may be humbled for our sinnes 33. From the inward humiliation two other things arise which vsually accompany deprecations Namely from the inward sence of our woe and sorrow for our miserie proceedeth an outward bewailing and lamenting of our estate which in the faithfull sometimes breaketh forth into expostulation And from the base esteeming and judging our selues ariseth confession of our sinnes in respect whereof we acknowledge our selues vnworthie of the lest of Gods mercies but worthie of his greatest judgements Lamentation is the outward expressing of our inward mourning whereby we particularly bewaile our wofull estate before the Lord making our mone vnto him and pouring foorth our griefe as it were into his bosome Examples hereof we haue in Dauids Psalmes as Psal. 6. 22. 38. 79 c. in Ieremies Lamentations In Ezekias who in his griefe did chatter like a crane or a swallow and mourned like a doue Thus some expound that place 1. Sam. 7 where it is said that the Iewes bewailing their miserabe estate Drew water and poured it soorth before the Lord that they vsed this ceremonie before the Lord to signifie that without his special mercie and assistance they were as water spilt vpon the earth to which purpose Dauid saith vnto the Lord Psal. 22.14 I am like water poured out and the wise woman of Tekoah vnto Dauid 2. Sa. 14 We shall be like water that is spilt on the groūd which cannot be gathered vp againe And to this bewailing of our estate before the Lord we may be induced by consideration of Gods mercy who because hee is mercifull doth heare the cry of his creatures in their distresse for if the Lord doth heare sometimes the cry of wicked men in their anguish although perhaps it be not a prayer but the voice which the extremitie of their griefe expresseth from them yea the crie of vnreasonable creatures as of the yong Lyons and the rauens c. how much more wil he haue respect to the mournefull crie of his owne children But the faithfull sometimes in ther mourning and lamentations doe proceed as I sayd to expostulations which are vehement interrogations expressed from them by their griefe whereby they doe expostulat with the Lord concerning either the greatnesse or continuance of their affliction As Moses Exod. 5. Iosua chap. 7. Dauid Psal. 6.3 22.1 2. Iob oftentimes the Church afflicted Psal. 79. 80 Lam. 5. And our Sauiour on the crosse Math. 27.
bee the more encreased by the beholding one of another 21 Fourthly we are to abstaine from all carnall delights whereby any one of our sences might bee pleased For the sence of pleasure would abate our mourning diminish the sence of our want and hinder our vnfained humiliation before God Wherefore Ierome saith that fasting is to abstaine not onely from meats but also from all pleasures or allurements And Augustine The Scripture saith he teacheth a general fast not from the concupiscence of meates onely but also from all pleasures of temporal delights Thus are we not only to abridge our tast of meats but also to containe our eies from beholding vanities and pleasures our eares from hearing mirth or musick which in time of mourning is vnseasonable our nostrils from pleasant odours and effeminate smels Our sence of feeling from the vse of the marriage bed which as all married persons are to forbeare vpon consent for such a time of humiliation that they may giue themselues to fasting and prayer so are the Bridegroome and Bride admonished to come forth of their marriage chamber in the time of the fast And all these are to be done partly as meanes of our humiliation in remouing the impediments thereof partly as signes of our humiliation whereby we acknowledge our selues vnworthy of these delights and partly as tokens of our repentance in that by way of godly revenge because all our sences haue sinned we depriue thē all of their seuerall delights And as wee are to make all our sences thus to fast so must wee also weyne our minds from sports and recreations which would not onely hinder our humiliation and godly sorrow but also distract our minds from better meditations in sanctifying the fast And thus haue I shewed that in our fast we are to abstaine from food and some other helps and commodities of this life and also from all outward delights and pleasures 22 Now it remaineth that I should speake of rest from bodily labours and worldly businesse For the time of the fast hath the nature of a Sabboth And by the Prophet Ioel it is called dies interdicti a solemnity or day of prohibition wherein men are forbidden to do any worke as ths Lord expoūdeth that word Leui. 23. It is a day of prohibition or a solemne day You shall do no seruile worke therein And Deut. 16. Six dayes thou shalt eat vnleauened bread and in the seuenth day which shall be a solemnity or day of prohibition to the Lord thy God thou shalt doe no worke So Num. 29.35 For there is the same reason of the extraordinary Sabbath of humiliation and of the ordinary But the ordinary was a Sabbath or rest in which no worke was to bee done yea the Lord threatneth to destroy that person from among his people that shall doe any worke that day And as I said before the law of the weekly Sabbath is to be extended to other extraordinary Sabbaths But on the weekly Sabbath wee may do no worke therefore not in this 23 But let vs consider also why and in what respects rest is required in the day of our fast and bodily labours and worldly businesse forbidden The Lord forbiddeth labour and worldly businesse and commaundeth rest on euery Sabbath not because simply he either liketh of rest or misliketh labour but because bodily labors worldly businesse are a meanes to distract vs from the worship of God and rest from them is a remedy against distraction For euery Sabbath is to be sanctified and set apart from our businesse and affaires and is to bee consecrated to the worship of God And further on the Sabbath of humiliation we take vpon vs after a more speciall maner to worship God and therefore that wee may seriously and entirely intend the seruice of God we are to abandō all other busines and cares For that is better done which is done alone as the Philosopher hath truly said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it is the counsell of the Wiseman that what wee doe wee should do with all our might For by doing many things our minds are distracted This therefore doth teach vs that with free and entire minds sequestred from all worldly cares we are to be conuersant in the worship of God chiefely when after a more speciall manner we indeuour to humble our selues before him For if bodily labours and worldly businesse bee therefore forbidden because they are meanes to distract vs then may we be sure that distraction it self in the worship of God is much more forbidden For distraction breeds hypocrisie in Gods worship and causeth vs when wee draw nigh to the Lord with our lips to remooue our hearts farre from him 24. Againe the Lord commaundeth vs in all his Sabbaths to rest from labours that this outward rest might be an admonition vnto vs to rest from sinne For why may euery one of vs thinke doth the Lord forbid me on the day of rest the lawfull workes of may calling Or why doe I cease from mine honest affaires Must I forbeare that which in it selfe is lawfull and may I doe that which is vnlawfull Must I therefore for this time sequester my selfe from my honest businesse that I may attend vanities or sinnes Or doth the Lord enjoyne me rest because hee is delighted with idlenesse and would haue me to doe nothing No verily If he forbid me that which is lawfull much more doth he forbid that which is vnlawfull And if he commaund me to rest from honest affaires it is not because he would haue me idle for idlenesse is the mother of much iniquitie but because hee would haue me attend better matters In a word he forbiddeth me to doe mine owne workes and businesse that I may doe his worke and attend his religion and seruice Lastly there may an outward cause be rendered why on the day of the fast wee are to cease from bodily labours For our fraile nature cannot well beare abstinence and bodily labour together for labour setting the bodie in a heat wasteth the moisture and spirits which are to bee supplied by nourishment otherwise we spend vpon the stocke of our naturall moisture which is as it were the oyle in the lampe of our life 25. We see then wherein the outward exercise doth consist and the particulars from which we are to abstain Now wee are briefely to consider for how long this abstinence is to be obserued The vsuall time of a fast is the space of a naturall day viz. from euen to euen or from supper to supper For as that was the time appointed for the ordinarie Sabboth of humiliation so also of the extraordinarie From euen to euen shall you celebrate your Sabboth And accordingly it is noted of the Israelits fast Iud. 20. of Dauid and his followers 2. Sam. 1. of Iosuah and the elders Ios. 7. that it was vntill the euening And more particularly of
proud And as the blessed virgin saith He filleth the hungrie with good things but the rich he sendeth emptie away 41. Another notable meanes to confirme our faith in the assurance of obtaining our sute is to forsake our sins which make a separation betweene God and vs and to promise amendment for the time to come which also is testified by our fast For it is not sufficient to confesse our sinnes if we would find mercie with God but also we must forsake them And if we desire to be deliuered from the euill which doth afflict vs and to obtaine the contrarie blessing which doth affect vs then it behooueth vs to forsake our sinne which is the cause of the affliction and also an obstacle and as it were a partition wall betwixt God and vs to keepe his blessings from vs. Wouldest thou then haue thine affliction remooued remooue the cause which is thy sinne And if thou wouldest haue God to repent him of the euill of affliction which he hath either threatned or inflicted then must thou also repent of the euill of sinne which hath merited the affliction Now if we shall truly repent of our sinnes and vnsainedly purpose amendment of life for the time to come then may we persuade our selues that our preseruation and deliuerance shall be joyned with Gods glorie consequently may be emboldned with better assurāce of faith to desire the Lord to preserue deliuer vs euen for his own glory for his names sake But here as we desire any sound cōfort so must we deale soundly with the Lord and not as the common practise of the most in the time of affliction to promise greatmatters vnto the Lord which they haue no true purpose to performe for this is to flie vnto God and to go about to deceiue him with our lippes 42. And hereby appeareth the great necessitie of joyning the practise of repentance with the exercise of prayer in our fast And therefore fasting as it was ordained to be an helpe vnto our prayer so also to bee both a testimonie furtherance of our repentance as I haue shewed Now our repentance standeth in two things in the eschewing of euill and doing of good As touching the former abstinence from euill and ceassing from sin is signified in our fast by abstinence form food and delights and by cessing from our labors For therefore the Lord doth the rather require in our fasts the abstaining and ceassing from things in themselues lawfull that thereby we might be admonished much more to abstaine from that which is vnlawful In which respect Basil calleth fasting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a medicine to take away sinne And Augustine this is sayth he the profit of fasting that whiles we fast from lawfull things wee are admonished more and more to forbeare vnlawfull things If therefore wee auoid things which sometimes are lawfull let vs chiefely auoid sinnes which are neuer lawfull if we fast from meats much more let vs fast from sinnes Quid prodest vacuare corpus ab escis animam replere peccatis What auaileth it to keepe the body emptie from meats and to fill the soule with sinne For abstinence from things lawfull if it be not joyned with abstinence from things vnlawfull that is to say if our fasting from food and other delights be not joyned with fasting from sinne it is odious and abhominable in the sight of God A day of rest and not resting from sinne the Lord cannot endure together It is not the emptinesse of the bellie or cleannesse of the teeth but the puritie of the foule and cleanenesse of the heart nor the outward rest from labour but the spirituall rest from sinne that is acceptable vnto God without which the outward fast as it causeth vs to smell worse to men according to the prouerbiall phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so maketh it vs to stinke before God 43. It is well said of the heathen man that we ought to fast from sinne For as Basill truly sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 true fasting is abandoning of euill And to the like purpose others of the fathers Chrysostome True fasting sayth he is abstinence from euill and againe the commendation of a fast is not abstaining from meat but auoiding of sinne Augustine The fasts of Christians are rather spiritually to be obserued than carnally Wherfore let vs principally fast from sinne For what a thing is this that any deceiuer should abstaine from meats which God hath created and should grow fat with sinne principally therefore let our mind fast from euill for seeing fasting is the humbling of the soule what a thing is that to be humbled and abated in food and increased in sinne And likewise Cyrill Wilt thou haue mee shew thee what manner of fast thou must obserue fast from all sinne take no food of mallice receiue no dainties of pleasure inflame not thy selfe with the wine of lust fast from bad practises abstaine from euill speeches containe thy selfe from wicked thoughts such a fast pleaseth God But these testimonies of men were of little weight if the Lord himselfe did not auouch the same truth See therefore Esay 58. and Zach. 7. where the Lord rejecteth the fasts of the Iewes because whiles they fasted and forbare their food they did not forbeare their sinnes We must therefore remember when we obserue a fast and consecrate a Sabbath of humiliation vnto the Lord that we turne away our foot that is our affections from doing our owne will therein neither must we follow our owne waies nor seeke our owne delights nor speake a vaine word 44. And as we are to abstaine from all sinne in generall so especially from those wherein we haue chiefly offended and haue thereby prouoked the Lord either to shake his rod at vs or else to correct vs therewith For they being the cause of the judgement must be remoued away if we would haue the judgement it selfe remoued And therefore the Niniuits when they proclaimed a fast gaue in charge that euery one should turne from his euill way and from that violence for that was the crying sinne of the Niniuits which was in their hand And when God saw their workes that they turned from their euill waies he also repented of the euill that he had said that he would doe vnto them that is to say he did it not And we must so abstaine from our sinnes as that we may not seeme to haue laid them aside for a day or two but to haue cast them off for euer For that is not the fast which the Lord hath chosen that a man should afflict his soule for a day and hang downe his head like a bullrush For as the sonne of Syrach sayth He that washeth himselfe because of a dead bodie and toucheth it againe what auaileth his washing so it is with a man
of his life Manasses though the most wicked of all the kings of Iudah yet being in trouble he prayed vnto the Lord and humbled himselfe greatly before God and was receiued to mercie and restored to his kingdome And to omit other particular examples Dauid testifieth of diuerse sorts of men being in diuerse kinds of troubles that when they cry vnto the Lord in their trouble he deliuereth them out of their distresse But for as much as some man may object out of his owne experience That hee being in trouble hath called vpon God and yet hath not bene deliuered and that this is not his case alone but is and hath beene in all ages the case of many thousands It behoueth vs therefore diligently to consider how this promise is to be vnderstood for that is the matter of greatest importance which offereth it selfe to bee considered of in the vnfolding of this text For that the promise is not to be vnderstood absolutly generally of euery prayer of euerie man in euery affliction the experiēnce of all times doth sufficiently declare But by conference of this promise which other places of Scripture it may appeare that it doth admit a threefold limitation or restraint The first in respect of the partie that prayeth the second in regard of the prayer it selfe the third concerning the thing which is prayed for For as touching the first If any wicked man or impenitent sinner shall object against the truth of this promise that hee hauing called vpon God in the time of trouble hath notwithstanding not beene deliuered let him heare what immediatly followeth this promise in the next words of the Psalme verse 16 But vnto the wicked saith God what hast thou to do to declare mine ordinances or to take my couenant into thy mouth as though my promises belong vnto thee For indeed not onely in this place but in many other places of the Scripture the promise concerning the hearing of our prayers is restrained to the faithfull and denied to the wicked Prou. 15 The sacrifice of the wicked is abhomination to the Lord but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable vnto him And againe The Lord is farre off from the wicked but he heareth the prayer of the righteous Likewise Psal. 34 The eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are open to their cry But the face of the Lord is against them that do euill to cut off their remembrance from the earth The man which had bene blind Iohn 9 deliuereth this sentence as the receiued opinion of the faithfull in those times We know saith he that God heareth not sinners meaning impenitent sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him heareth he It is therfore the faithfull man whose prayer is accepted of God the just man who is just before God by faith and before men by repentance Iames 5 The prayer of the righteous man auaileth much Psalme 34 When the righteous cry the Lord heareth them and deliuereth them out of their troubles The man that feareth God Psal. 145 The Lord will fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also will beare their cry and will saue them That loueth God Psal. 91 Because he hath loued me therefore will I deliuer him I will exalt him because he hath knowne my name He shall call vpon me and I will heare him I will be with him in trouble I will deliuer him and glorifie him That walketh vprightly Psal. 84 For the Lord God is a sunne that is the author of light and all comfortable blessings and a shield that is a protector from all euill the Lord will giue grace and glorie grace in this life and glorie in the life to come and no good thing will be withhold from them that walke vprightly That perseuereth Iohn 15 If you abide in me and my words abide in you aske what you will and it shall be done to you That hath an humble and contrit heart Psal. 34.18 The Lord is neare vnto them that are of a contrit heart and will saue such as be afflicted in spirit Esay 66. To him will I looke saith the Lord euen to him that is poore and of a contrit spirit and trembleth at my words Psal. 51 The sacrifices of God that is that which God esteemeth in steed of all sacrifices is a contrit spirit a contrit and a broken heart ô God thou wilt not despise But as for the wicked the Lord plainely professeth that he will not heare them Mich. 3. Though they make many prayers Esay 1. though they cry loud in his eares Ezech. 8. Wherefore beloued in the Lord if we continue in our sinnes whereby we haue prouoked the Lord to execute his judgements vpon vs and if the Lord seeme not to heare vs neither doth deliuer vs according to our desire we may not object against God either that he is vntrue in his promises or vnable to helpe vs but let vs heare what the Prophet Esay saith in this case Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot saue neither is his eare heauie that it cannot heare but your iniquities haue separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes haue hid his face from you that he will not heare Therefore iudgement being farre from vs and iustice not comming neere vnto vs we wait for light but lo it is darknesse for brightnesse but we walke in darknesse for health but it is farre from vs for our trespasses are many before the Lord c. And that we may descend to some particulers If we be guiltie of crueltie and oppression the Lord will not heare vs. Esay 1 When you shall stretch out your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and though you make many prayers I will not heare for your hands are full of bloud or if we bee vnmercifull to the poore for he that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore he shall also cry and not be heard Prou. 21 or if we refuse to heare and obey the word of God for as Salomon saith He that turneth away his eare from hearing the law euen his prayers shall be abhominable for as in prayer we speake to the Lord so in the preaching of the word the Lord speaketh vnto vs. And good reason it is that the Lord should not heare vs if we will not heare him Therefore it is come to passe saith the Prophet Zacharie That as he cried and they would not heare so they cried and I would not heare saith the Lord of hosts Or if we be close sinners and hypocrits making faire shewes openly and yet be addicted to secret sinnes for as Dauid saith Psal. 66. If I regard wickednesse in mine heart the Lord will not heare me Wherefore beloued as it is certaine that our sinnes are the cause of our affliction so we must be
are accepted of God in Christ for this is to pray in the name of Christ by whom and in whose name we haue confidence accesse with assurance through faith in him with faith in the promises of God made to our prayers and consequently thou art to beleeue not onely that thou and thy praiers are accepted of God in Christ but also that thy particular request shall be graunted vnto thee Aske saith Christ and it shall be giuen you c. for whosoeuer asketh receiueth c. And againe Verily verily I say vnto you whatsoeuer you shall aske the father in my name he will giue it you And thus were we to pray in respect of the manner viz. in truth and from our hearts otherwise our prayer is dead and without life in feruencie otherwise our prayer is cold and luke-warme in faith otherwise it is turned into sinne Againe our prayer must be conformable to the will of God in respect of the end It may be thou askest riches to spend the same vpon thy lust or thou askest deliuerance out of thine affliction that thou mightest follow the pleasures or haue opportunitie or leisure to follow thine accustomed sinne c. But we may so aske and yet notwithstanding the promise we may misse our desire for as Iames saith you aske and receiue not how so seeing Christ hath said aske and you shall receiue Because you aske amisse and wherein did they aske amisse in respect of the end that you might consume it on your lusts But we must remember that in this promise the Lord hath joyned these two together I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me And therefore if we aske deliuerance we must aske it to this end that we may glorifie God Wherefore as it is good for the stirring vp of our feruencie and spirituall hunger with our prayer to joyne fasting so also it is expedient for the confirmation of our faith and setling our resolution in glorifying God to joyne with our prayers godly vowes of some things whereby God may be glorified And this hath bene the practise of the godly in all ages as of Iacob Genes 28. of Anna 1. Sam. 1. of Dauid c. The third limitation is in respect of the thing which is asked for if the cause why thou art not heard and deliuered is not to be imputed either to thy person being one that doth beleeue and repent or yet to thy prayer being framed in some measure according to Gods will both in respect of the manner and the end then art thou to be assured and vndoubtedly resolued that the thing which thou askest is either not good for thee at all or else not yet And that God doth alwayes heare his children praying vnto him effectually though not ad voluntatem according to their desire yet ad vtilitatem according to their profit For if earthly parents who are euill can giue to their children good gifts how much more shall our father which is in heauen giue good things to them that aske him Thou askest deliuerance out of affliction and God hath promised to deliuer his chileren that call vpon him but it may be it is not a good thing that thou shouldest be deliuered and therefore in that case deliuerance is neither included within the compasse of Gods promise nor yet intended in thy prayer if it be conceiued aright For a promise vnlesse it be of some good thing it is a threatning rather than a promise we must therefore remember that God hath promised to giue good things to them that aske him And that prayer which is conceiued aright for temporall benefits such as deliuerance out of affliction is must not bee made absolutly but with the condition of Gods glorie and our euerlasting good Whereas thou therefore askest deliuerance out of trouble that thou mightest be restored to thy former estate it may bee that it is better for thee to be taken out of this world that thou mayest change thy mortall life for an immortall and that a finall end may be put both to thy trouble and to thy sinne which is the cause of thy trouble It may be if thou shouldest liue longer thou wouldest be infected with the common corruptions of the time and therefore as it is said of Enoch Thou art taken away least wickednesse should alter thine vnderstanding or deceit beguile thy mind For when we are iudged that is afflicted though it be by bodily death wee are chastised of the Lord that wee should not be condemned with the world Or if thou shouldest bee continued longer in this life it may bee that such common calamities as the Lord is intended to bring vpon the land should happen in thy time and therefore God in great mercie taketh thee away as hee did the godly king Iosias that thou shouldest not see the euill which is to come as it is said of Esay 57. The righteous perish and no man takes it to heart mercifull men are taken away and no man vnderstandeth that the righteous is taken away from the euill to come Or else it is good for thee that the affliction which thou desirest to bee remooued from thee should be continued vpon thee thine estate and disposition being such that it is very needfull for thee to bee trained vp in the schoole of affliction and to be dayly exercised vnder the crosse And therefore if God doe see it good to take that course with thee thou must resolue with patience and comfort to take vp thy crosse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 day by day as our Sauiour Christ hath warned thee and remember that it is good for a man if God doe so appoint to begin betimes and to beare the yoke of affliction euen in his youth Or at the least it is not good for thee as yet to be deliuered because the Lord hath not as yet attained to that end for which hee doth afflict thee For if it haue beene good for Dauid and the rest of Gods children that they haue beene afflicted not in respect of the afflictions themselues but in regard of those profitable and excellent fruits which the holy ghost by their afflictions worketh in them then assuredly it is not good for thee that thine affliction should cease before it hath wrought such good effects in thee as the Lord by it intendeth to worke vnlesse thou wouldest giue the Lord occasion to complaine that thou art one of those whom he afflicteth in vaine Now the Lord afflicteth his seruants either for their triall or for their chastisement The Lord trieth them by afflictions either that his graces may appeare in them to his glorie and the good example of others or that their weakenesse may be manifested for their owne amendement and instruction of others If hee trie men for the manifestation of his graces in them it is expedient that they should bee tried by a triall proportionable to the