is any 2. Prayer must be in Faith whit available in the sight of God It s the prayer of a righteous man which availeth much And only beleevers are accounted righteous in the sight of God 3. Prayer must bee fervent James 5. 16. Qui timide rogat docet negare 4. All Prayer must be put up in the name of Christ Joh. 15. 6. 3. Prayer must be fervent 4. All Prayer must be put up in the nāe of Christ 5. Prayer must be with perseverance 6. Prayer must proceed from the spirit of Adoption No petition can be excepted unlesse it be prefer'd in the name of Jesus Christ 5. This Prayer must be with perseverance 1 Thess 5. 17. Will the Hypocrite saith Job pray alwayes will he alwayes call upon God 6. Prayer must proceed from the Spirit of adoption Gal. 4. 6. Many have a gift and are strangers to the grace of prayer Many use a form and yet are unacquainted with the Spirit of prayer Many use prayer as a duty few as a meanes Wherefore we must shaddow forth the spirit of prayer by these propertyes 1. There 's a warming of the heart the heart powreth out its selfe before the Lord Hence comes grones sighes supplications The heart is seriously affected Prayer is rather heart labour then lip labour and the heart breakes and pants after God in prayer So was Hannah affected in powring out her heart before the Lord. 2. There is a Child-like language There is Abba Father 2. Gal. 4. 6. There is much difference betweene the language of Children and Slaves Gods children learn his language and they come as children unto a Father 3. Their aime ends and designes are Gods honour and glory 3. Self-ends and interests doe not set men on work to pray the spring that moves is love to God his honour and glory and the end and aime they drive at is the glory of God In the next place its inquired How may we give God the Q. 2. How we may give God the Male in receiving of the Sacrament Male in receiving of the Sacrament For Answere hereunto we are to note that if we rightly examine our selves we may participate of the Sacrament To which purpose I will set down Self-examining-objects Self-examining-propertyes and Self-examining-graces 1. For self-examining-objects and they are either thoughts Words and Deeds as 1 For our Thoughts we must examine whether they are sanctifyed 1. Self-examining-objects 2. Self-examining-Propertyes 3. Self-examining-graces Jer. 4. 14. 2. As for Words they must be such as minister grace to the hearers Col. 4. 29. and 3 As for our Actions they must be such as become the Gospell Phil 1 27. 2. For self-examining-propertyes they must be 1. Thorough and Impartiall we must take notice both of lesse and greater sinnes No sinne must escape us without due and serious examination 2. Regular The rule of the word must be that whereby we must try and examine our whole life we must bring all to the Law and Testimonye Then 3. For Graces we are to examine in these especially 1. Knowledge is required whether we discern the Lords body An Ignorant blind devotion is abominable and rejected by God we must know the nature of a Sacrament the Institutor the end of it we must know our happynesse by creation our misery by sinne in Adams fall our restored condition by Christs Redemption the benefits of Christs purchases viz. Justification Sanctification and Glorification 2. Faith is required and this must not be Temporary Historicall Dogmaticall but a Justifying faith such a one as purifieth the heart Act. 15. 9. as is unfained and worketh by lowe 3. Repentance this must be Evangelical This Repentance must have these fruites 2 Cor. 7. 10 11. 4. Love both love to God and love to the Brethren Joh. 13. 47. Love is the badge of a Disciple 5. New obedience newnesse of life is required Isa 55. 7. And thus we must give God the Male in the celebration of his Ordinance But the next Question hath some affinity unto this Q. 2. Whether we give God the best in our graces Q. 2. Whether we give God the best in our Graces Not to instance in what I instanced before I le propound other instances viz. In Humility Meeknesse Temperance Wisdom 1. Doe we give God the Male in the exercise of the grace of Humility There may be a voluntary Humility and a naturall humble carriage but the question is whether we have that Humility which is of the same stamp with spiritual Poverty whether self be emptied Christ advanced 2. For Meeknesse there 's in some a more natural inclination to Meeknesse But when we are provoked to wrath do we then shew meek spirits to bear and forbear with others to overcome evil with good to heap coales of fire upon enemies heads 3. For Temperance where is our sober temperate carriage in Abstinence and Moderation Phil. 4. 5. 4. For Wisdome doe wee labour for Wisdome Divine Wisdome and honour God with it lay forth our parts interests and all to honour God withall Q. 3. Whether we give God the Male in our whole life conversation Q. 3. Then the last Question is whether we give God the Male in our whole Conversations To which purpose by way of character we must decypher out such a Conversation 1. It must be holy 1 Pet. 1. 15. 1. Holy 2. Sincere 3. Universall 4. Wise 2. It must be sincere 2 Cor. 1. 12. 3. It must be universall Ps 119. 6 101. 4. It must be wise and ordered with discretion the wisdome of the Serpent is required as well as the innocencie of the Dove 5. Fruitfull 5. It must be fruitfull in the exercise of good works A Christian Conversation is not barren it must bear twins 6. Regular 6. It must bee regulated according to the Gospel Phil. 1. 27. Vse 4. For Direction The fourth Use in order is for Direction For the better setting home this Use as may be most profitable for you I shall endeavour to answer two Queries The first whereof is what impediments and obstacles we should remove that hinder us from giving God the best Then secondly What special duties are required to shew the Q. 1. What Impediments are to bee removed Imped 1. Ignorance sincerity of our hearts that we offer God the Male even the best of all our services For answer unto the first Question the Impediments are these especially 1. An ignorant blind mind when people understand not the excellency of Jesus Christ they will brayd of the Gaderenish humour they preferre their swine before him There 's ignorance sufficient when they askt what is thy Beloved more than another beloved Cant. 5. 9 10. But the Spouse gives an experimental answer v. 10. My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand 2. A frothy and vaine spirit How many entertain a low and Imped 2. A frothy vain spirit cheap
have seen this duty tracked by the foot-steps of Gods people let us goe and doe likewise In the third place to give in the demonstration of the Point I shall 3. The Doctrine demonstrated draw a threefold Argument from the necessity equity and utility of the duty 1. From the necessity of the duty Ye have need of patience that Arg. 1. Drawn from the necessity of this duty after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise And that is necessary Necessitate praecepti medii For Precepts the Psalmist exhorts Râ—st in the Lord and wait patiently for him freâ— not thy self because of him who prospereth in his way because of the man who bringeth wicked dâ—vices to pass For evil deers shall be cut off but thâ—se that wait upon the Lord they shall inherit the earth And the Prophet Zephaniah exhorts Therefore wait ye upon me saith the Lord until Zeph. 3. 8. thâ— day that I rise up unto the prey for my determination is to gather the nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pâ—ur upon them mine indignatiâ—n even all my fierce anger for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousie Wait on the Lord be of good courage and Psal 27. 14. he shall strengthen thine heart wait I say on the Lord. Solomon counsels Say not thou I will recompence evil but wait on the Lord and he Prov. 20. 22. shall save thee David layeth a strict charge upon himself My soul Psal 62. 5. wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from him David could have taken opportunity to have revenged himself on Saul he had him as we say at his mercy but he waited Gods time The Lord 1 Sam. 24. 23. 1 Sam. 26. 23. saith he render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulnesse for the Lord delivered thee into my hand to day but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lords anointed David though he had an opportunity yet considered Saul was Gods anointed therefore he would not embrue his hands in his blood 2. Necessitate mâ—dii For waiting is an instrumental means Gods way of obtaining a grant of the thing desired Simeon waited for the consolation of Israel And behold there was a man in Jerusalem Luke 2. 25. whose name was Simeon and the same man was just and devout waiting for the consolation of Israel and the holy Ghâ—st was upon him The sons of God waited for their adoption And not onely they but our selves Rom. 8. 23. also which have the first-fruits of the spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body And they wait for the coming of Christ So that ye come behinde I Cor. 1. 7. in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Waiting prepareth us for the receiving of a mercy whereas murmuring querulous speeches do indispose us for a mercy Whineing strugling and quarrelling provoke God to lash us more but a quiet composed behaviour an humble submission to the will of God is a ready way to obtain the thing desired even a comfortable fruition of our expectation God is most ready to help his people when their hearts most long after him for so runs the Promise I will pour Isa 44. 3. water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-sppring After the Church was in pain and travel and endured many throws and hard labor in expectation of deliverance read the gracious answer Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing ye that awell in dust for thy dew is as the dew of hearbs Isa 26. 19. and the earth shall cast out the dead So that waiting works two things 1. It prepares us for a mercy it seasoneth our hearts and disposeth them for the entertainment thereof so that we are as Vessels throughly season'd 2. It sets a higher price and estimate on the mercy when it comes A mercy beg'd by Prayer waited for with Patience will of all others be the sweetest to us in the fruition Hannah had more children after Samuel but none so valued as Samuel the childe of her Prayers Now if deliverance and settlement to the Kingdom come as an answer of our Prayers O how welcome will the deliverance be It 's a comfortable experience recorded of the Church And it shall Isa 25. 9. be said in that day lo this is our God we have waited for him and he shall save us This is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation 2. The second Argument shall be drawn from the equity of the Argu. 2 Drawn from the equity of the duty duty It 's all the equity and reason of the World that we should wait upon God we are Creatures and is it not equal that the Creature should wait upon the Creator we are Servants and should not Servants wait upon their Masters Behold as the eyes of servants Psalm 123. 2 look unto the hands of their masters and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until that he have mercy upon us We are children and should not children wait upon their Father These relations intimate the equity of the duty we say that Relations though they be of least entity yet they are of greatest efficacy Doth not the Husband-man wait for the Harvest Doth not the Mother wait for the time of her deliverance Doth not the Patient wait upon the working of the Physick Now God is giving the Kingdom strong Physick a Purge to some a Vomit to others nay have we not just cause to fear that by reason of our Laodicean luke-warmness God will vomit us out of his mouth Let 's wait and see what God will do though we know not yet he knows the reason of his own proceedings God made Nebuchadnezzar a scourage to the Jews and God calls him his servant but because Nebuchadnezzar acted his own malice and revenge God will turn the wheel upon him Jehu was made an Instrument to root out Ahabs Family but because his heart was naught he aimed at the Kingdom for himself God threatens to avenge the blood of Jezreâ—l upon the house Hos 1. 4. of Jehu God may raise up one to punish another and when they have done God may find out a scourge to punish the punishers themselves These are Gods Acts his strange Acts for so are his judgements Isaiah 7. 20. God will have a razor for that purpose In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razour that is hired namely by them beyond the river by the king of Assyria the head and the hair of the feet and it shall also consume the beard And notwithstanding greatness of
Root and brought death unto all his Posterity And Christ was a common Root and brought life unto all his Posterity They urge likewise Joh. 1. 29. Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world A. Those in the world whom he loveth washeth and justifieth it 's not universall not singula genâ—rum but genera singulorum Compare this with Mat. 1. 21. And shee shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus for hee shall save his people from their sinnes The third false key is presumption of long life and mercy Neither A third false key Presumption of long life space nor grace are in thine own power God gave Jezabel space but denyed her grace Rev. 2. 21. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication and shee repented not This presumption hath ruined many a soule Many neglect their opportunities run their swinge and career in sinne and presume of mercy but the dore of mercy is shut against them and this key cannot unlock it Now God affords foure true keyes 1. Knowledge The eyes are opened to see the fountaine to 1. True key knowledge look up to the brasen serpent The knowledge of the worth of Christ provokes us to come to him God's people have inlightned judgements they are renewed in the spirit of their minds Eph. 4. 23. 2. Faith to believe that ther 's virtue enough in Christ to cure all 2. True key Faith our diseases both of body and soule Matth 9. 21. For shee said within her selfe if I may but touch his garment I shall be whole 3. Love And this will make us take many journies long and dangerous through fowle weather and it will sweeten all The 3. True key Love beloved object when enjoyed will make amends for all the waiting for it 4. Repentance mourning for sinne Repentance in us causeth 4. True key Repentance God to repent and make his bowels like the sounding of an Harp Jer. 31. 18 19 20. I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe thus Thou hast chastised mee and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoake turne thou mee and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed even confounded I did bâ—are the reproach of my youth Is Ephraim my deare son Is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. You must understand these clave non errante not as if the fountaine was merited for any of these duties for when wee have done all wee can we must acknowledge that wee are unprofitable servants But God hath afforded these meanes keyes and helpes we must make use of them but may not make them our Christs and our Saviours 5. I will adde a 5th Praier This is a key to open and shut 5th True key prayer Heaven James 5. 17 18. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are and hee prayed earnestly that it might not raine and it rained not upon the earth by the space of three yeares and six months And he prayed againe and the hâ—aven gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit Pray that God would wash thee and cleanse thee Psal 51. 10. Create in mee O Lord a cleane heart and renâ—w a right spirit within mee 3. I proceed to the third head propounded For whom is this 3. For whom is this Fountaine opened fountaine opened To give in my answer ' I le lay down this truth by way of corollary inferred from the premises That the fountaine of free grace is only opened to the adopted children of God This I shall open and apply briefly for opening whereof I shall propound these ensuing considerations 1. God from all eternity hath elected a peculiar people unto himselfe Consid 1. God from all eternity hath elected a peculiar people unto himselfe according to his owngood pleasure and purpose of his will Now election is of here and there one It 's an act of choice taking some and passing by others Jer. 3. 14. Turne O backsliding children saith the Lord for I am married unto you and I will take you one of a City and two of a familie and I will bring you unto Zion Like gleaning grapes Isai 17. 6. Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it as the shakâ—ing of an olive tree two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough foure or five in the utmost fruitfull branches thereof saith the Lord God of Israel This election hath no other motive but free love and grace Wee were in our blood Ezek. 16. 5 When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live No provision of faith or Repentance mooved God to set his heart upon us as appeares Rom. 9. 11. For the children being not yet borne neither haveing done any good or evill that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of workâ—s but of him that calleth c. This Postulatum being laid down for undeniable God from all eternity hath elected a peculiar people Hence I frame this syllogisme only the elect have interest in the fountaine of free grace and mercy But only God's adopted children are elect ergo they only have interest in it 2. There are a peculiar people who alone are justified by the free grace of God in Christ Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith wee have Consid 2. There are a peculiar poople justified by free grace pâ—ace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 3. 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Now thus I argue Only justified persons have interest in the fountaine of Christ's blood But the sons of God by grace and adoption are only justified persons Ergo they alone have interest in the fountaine of Christ's blood Psal 32. 1 2. Blessed is hee whose trangression is forgiven whose sinne is covered Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guilâ— Iustification is a forensicall terme took from an earthly Tribunal where a person arraign'd and condemned is afterward by virtue of a pardon acquitted 3ly Consider there are a peculiar people effectually called Many Consid 3. There are a peculiar people effectually called have an outward calling and take upon them an outward profession few are inwardly and effectually called This the Apostle presseth 2 Pet. 1. 10. Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you doe these things you shall never fall There are a few and but a very few called out of the world partakers