Woollen of mens supposed super-erogatory Merits with the clean white Linnen of the Saints The Spirit will no longer be an Intercessor in our hearts than we rely upon Christ alone as our Intercessor in Heaven I am confident the Spirit never went along with prayers put up in the name of the virgin Mary Peter Paul c. Abide then in this Doctrine 2. Abide in the Faith of Christ I mean a personal applicatory Faith whereby we depend on Christ and his merits for acceptance of our persons and audience of our prayers It is not enough that we assent to the Doctrine but we must also rely on the merits of Christ We can no longer pray in the Spirit than we pray in Faith If we stagger in our affiance we shall want our wonted assistance 3. Abide also in the love of Christ maintain a singular and superlative esteem of him in your hearts count him the chief of ten thousand altogether lovely To abide in Christ is to continue and abide in his love But John 15. 9 10. what is this to the purpose in hand How will this procure the Spirits continued assistance in prayer Very much Love to Christ is one of those sweet and fragrant flowers indeed of his own planting wherein the Spirit is much delighted Observe that Text If a man love me be V. 23. will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him How else do the Father or Son make their abode in a soul but by the Spirit Where then the Love of Christ is there the Spirit takes up his abode and where he abides he cannot be idle and unimployed He is like some friend that though they come but a visiting will further and not hinder business though indeed his coming to the John 14. 16. soul is not to give us a visit but to abide with us for ever And so much in answer to this fifth Case CHAP. VII IN the two last Cases I have proposed something 1. In order the Attainment of the Spirit of prayer 2. In order to the Preserving and continuing it The next will be Case 6. What may I do to recover the Spirits help and enablements its quickning motions its lively stirrings and assistances when they are withdrawn I need not say much of the usefulness or necessity of this Case What I spoke of the former is easily applicable hither The frequent complaints of Gods people concerning their indisposition coldness straitness and inability to prayer sufficiently tell us that it is needful to propose what may be thought effectual in this Case Something is fit to be premised though in effect it hath been hinted before 1. We may be said to lose or want the Spirits assistance either 1. As to that degree of liveliness and ability which we have formerly found There may be abatements of that fervour enlargement and vigour of affections that we have exercised in prayer This is the common experience I believe of all Christians They do not alwayes enjoy the same measure of divine enablement sometimes they sail swiftly Wind and Tide favour them at other times their motion is very slow they drive heavily much ado to bear up against the Wind and Waves 2. Sometimes we may seem wholly to want the Spirits assistance not one good motion no heart to pray I say not that we may lose the Spirit as to its Indwelling but as to its operations there may seem a Cessation of any lively breathings As in a Swoon the breath may be stopt the pulse not beat sensibly so that one may not feel himself alive and may be judged by others to be dead Though as Paul said of Eutychus Act. 20. 10. his life is in him Now I would be understood to speak to both these What is to be spoken may respect both the remission and abatement of degrees and also the intermission or cessation of acts of Spiritual life Both sorts need Counsell 2. The Spirits Return must be an act of free grace and indeed of rich grace For I suppose it will be granted that the Spirit withdraws not but upon some great Provocation though God may have as you have heard very gracious ends in such desertions yet I can scarce think he doth it till we have justly deserved it and in a manner driven a way his holy Spirit Now you may easily see that to sin against the Spirit of God after we have enjoyed his presence found the sweetness of his assistance and known the advantage thereof must needs be a very provoking sin it carries in it much of ingratitude and dis-ingenuity Solomon's sin was the more hainous because 1 Kings 11. 9. his heart was turned away from the Lord his God who appeared unto him twice How ill then must God needs take it that thou shouldst grieve his Spirit and abuse his goodness who hath appeared so often so sweetly and comfortably to thy soul Who hath helped thee at many a dead lift and put many a good motion into thy heart and held thee up in duty So that thy sin is not a little sin it calls for a deep humiliation it may cost thee many a deep sigh many a brinish tear before thou recover thy former state Nay possibly God may set just cause never to return to thee in that degree of enlargement and those gracious manifestations which thou hast sinned away Thou maist lay down thy head in sorrow though thy eternal condition be secured This I say not to break any bones or to discourage any from using means but to let them know that its dangerous to grieve the Spirit of God and that it requires the utmost of their diligence and industry to recover from under such desertions And now I come to lay down something in answer to this Case Direct 1. Thy first work must be to endeavour to find out the sin or sins which have robbed thee of this Priviledge Search and search again till thou findest out the Achan that hath thus troubled thy soul Here I cannot reckon up every particular sin that may possibly be a cause of the Spirits withdrawment but only hint what probably may be and ordinarily is the occasion of it It is not every miscarriage that grieves away the Spirit then who should enjoy that Priviledge The Spirit helps our infirmities It pitties us under weaknesses therefore meer failings do not provoke God to take away his Spirit Nor yet every greater sin if speedily repented of You can scarce imagine a sin more hainous for the nature than Peter's or more aggravated by its circumstances Yet it appears not that he lay under desertion he wept bitterly and it is not likely his tears were prayerless and no sooner is our Saviour arisen but he must have the Tidings with the first Such things intimate that he fell not under desertion His repentance was as speedy and serious as his sin was hainous Well what
Duty p. 19. and this 1. With reference to the matter Where 1. It teacheth to prefer Spirituals before temporals 2. Amongst spirituals to ask what 's most needful 3. Brings one matter suitable to each part of prayer 4. Suggest's arguments 5. Something 's brings Scripture expressions to remembrance pag. 10 24. 2. With respect to the manner 1. By enlarging affections 2. Exciting graces as 3. As to the souls continuance in the duty it helps against discouragements Confidence Humility pag. 24 25. 1. From God 2. From our selves 3. From others pag. 26 27. CHAP. III. The II. Case HOw we may distinguish the motions of the Spirit from those things that carry resemblance to it pag. 28. I. From Satanical Impulses which are 1. Violent and unreasonable 2. Vnseasonable in three things 3. Ineffectual pag. 29 30. To which is added 1. A necessary Caution pag. 34. 2. A profitable Question answer'd pag. 35. II. From the Gift of prayer 1. The Gift is but the outside of the Duty whence Two consequences and two contrary to those as to the Spirit of Prayer 2. The Gift alone swels 3. Lookes more at performance than success and therefore neglects 1. Interest in Christ 2. Purity of heart which the Spirit mainly looks at pag. 36 -43. III. From the Vrgings of natural conscience Which are 1. Only upon some extraordinary occasion 2. Without assistance brought in 3. Easily discharged 4. Little looks at the Issue of Duty pag. 43 -47. IV. From the good Moods and Fits which sometimes come upon a meer natural man which differ from it pag. 47. 48 49. 1. In their Root and cause 49. 50 51. 2. In their Fruits and consequences 1. They leave a man what he was before 2. They encourage to more looseness after 3. Make us proud 4. Are easâ—ly put off p. 51-56 CHAP. IV. The III. Case WHether want of the Spirit 's assistance will excuse our neglect of the Duty pag. 56. Where Prop. 1. A man may want the Spirit 's Assistance either 1. When he is utterly voyd of the Spirit p. 57. 2. When he wants the actual motions and help of it p. 58. 2. The Assistance of the Spirit is God's gratious vouchsafement ibid. 3. Prayer is a duty indispensably arising from our Relation to God and therefore depends not upon the vouchsafement or withholding of the Spirit ibid. Proved by Arguments 1. The contrary Assertion fights against all other duties as well as prayer pag. 59. 2. That which is a punishment of sin cannot be an excuse for the neglect of duty p. 60. 3. The precepts for prayer injoyn assiduity and the Patterns of the Saints agree thereto p. 61. Obj. But we cannot pray without the Spirit 's help p. 62 Answ 1. Yet the Obligation is not destroyed when assistance is denyed c. Answ 2. The Spirit 's help is not alwayes Antecedent to the duty but comes in upon our endeavour 62. 63. CHAP. V. The IV. Case WHat is on our part to be done that we may enjoy the help of the Spirit in prayer p. 63. 1. We can do nothing by way of merit to engage the Spirit 's help ibid. 2. Yet something may be done upon which God may graciously vouchsafe his Spirit p. 64. 1. Accept Jesus Christ upon Gospel-Termes ibid. 2. Purge out these corruptions which damp the Spirit p. 64 65. 3. Begge the Spirit 's help p. 66. 4. Meditate p. 67. 5. Stir up what gifts and graces we have p. 68. Obj. None of these things can be done except we have the Spirit p. 69. Answ 1. Man is not a meer stone ib. p. 70. 2. The Spirit comes in with such directions given by a Minister p. 71 72. Here are added two Motives 1. From the misery of not having the Spirit p. 73 -76 2. The dignity of This Priviledge p. 76 77. CHAP. VI. The V. Case WHat is to be done that we may have the Spirit 's help Continued to use p. 78. Premised 1. As the bestowing so the Continuance of this mercy is the meer indulgence of Heaven p. 79. 2. God vouchsafes or withholds his Spirit as he sees best for his people p. 80. 3. Yet ordinarily some miscarriage in us provokes God to withdraw p. 81. To the Case 1. Beware of those things which may grieve away Spirit ibid. As 1. Pride in enlargements pag. 82. 2. Self-sufficiency ibid. 3. Corruption Cherished p. 83. 4. Lazyness and sluggishness ib. and p. 84. 2. Let the Spirit 's motions find ready and hearty entertainment p. 85. 3. Make the best improvement thereof p. 86. 1. In holy wrestling p. 87. 2. As an Evidence to this great Truth p. 88. 3. As an Inducement to frequency and constancy in the duty p. 89 90. 4. Into Thankfulness p. 91. 4. Beg earnestly the Continuance of it ib. and pag. 92. 5. Be willing to follow the Conduct of the Spirit pag. 93 94. 6. Abide in Christ i. e. 1. In the Truth of Christ 2. Faith in Christ 3. Love of Christ p. 94 -97 CHAP. VII The VI. Case WHat is to be done for the recovery of the Spirit 's help when withdrawn p. 98. Premised 1. We may be 〈◊〉 to be deprived of the Spirit 1. As to that degree in which we have had it ibid. 2. Wholly as to our own apprehension p. 99. 2. The Spirit 's return must be free grace and rich grace ibid. To the Case 1. Endeavour to find out what sin or sins may have deprived thee of it Commonly 1. Sins against light 2. Customarry sin long continued in 3. Sins more directly against the Spirit p. 100 -103. 2. Humble thy self and beg pardon p. 103 -106. 3. Earnestly beg the return of the Spirit p. 106 -108. 4. Desist not from duty under these withdrawments pag. 109. 5. Make much of and be very thankeful for any degree we have ibid. 6. During the Spirit 's with-drawments be very plyable to his commands p. 110 111. CHAP. VIII The VII Case WHether stated and straited formes hinder the Spirits operations p. 112. Prop. 1. Stated formes are lawful and may be useful and helpful yea necessary In Case 1. Of gross ignorance 2. Inability to express our selves before others 3. Some kind of distempers which craze the memory c. p. 115 -116. Prop. 2. Yet hence it follows not that any should satisfy themselves herewith or that others should impose them p. 116 117. Reas 1. A prescribed form doth that which is of the nature of prayer less perfectly p. 118. 2. In it we cannot so particularly express our emergent wants or desires to God ibid. 3. The Spirit is wont in Prayer to excite special affections which a form much hinders pag. 119. 4. In a form Oscitancy and Sluggishness is more apt to seize upon us ibid. 5. A prayer accommodated to present emergencies must needs stir up more kindly affections p. 120 121. So that a conceived Prayer 1. Leaves the soul more freedom to exert present affections 2. affords more opportunity of
before the gift though the gift more sets off a man in the eyes of others First then the gift is but the outside the carkass of prayer and when alone without the grace of prayer it satisfies it self in words and seeming affections in that which may set it off before men If there be but aptness and fulness of expression a voluble Tongue with a semblance of zeal humility fervency c. this is all that the meer gâ—ft looks aâ— Hence as it is but the outside of duty so it looks much at an outward reward the applause of men whence it follows that it is intended or remitted according to the encouragements it hath this way where Two Consequences there is nothing of praise or commendation to be expected duty is omitted or slubbered over which I deny not is too incident even to the best of Christians But when there is probability of gaining applause or some external advantage here the gift puts out it self to the utmost Besides Secondly The gift being but the outside or carkass of duty it is not much impaired by a course of sin especially if the sin be close and secret the gift of prayer and practice of sin can well enough consist together yea such have been known who could pray like Angels and yet practised like Devils who could make free and full confession of sin and yet as freely commit it But now the Spirit of prayer is the inside of the duty It lies within and mainly consists in the vigorous motions of the soul in sanctified affections holy reachings of soul after God in vehement struglings and contendings of the inward man Psal 63. 8. My soul followeth hard after thee and mainly in the exercise of praying graces such as Faith Love godly Sorrow c. Whence it appears that it may be exercised when there is not a word uttered The gift of prayer lies much on the Tongues end and may be hindered by man but let the mouth be stopt the tongue cut out the Spirit of prayer cannot be restrained Neh. 2. 4. Good Nehemiah could send up his soul to Heaven in a secret ejaculation when it is not probable he uttered any thing and 1 Sam. 1. 10. Hannaâ—'s lips only moved her voice was not heard yet the voice of her soul reached Gods ear Exod. 14. 15. Wherefore cryest thou unto me saith the Lord to Moses when we read not that he spake at all The tongue of the Spirit cannot be cut out And hence follows two Consequences contrary to the former 1. The Spirit of prayer is as much or more exercised in secret as in company The soul hath most Elbow-room when in the secret places of the Stairs when there is 〈◊〉 2. 14. none but God present then can the soul with a holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 boldness and freedom pour out it self into Gods bosom nor is it less careful or circumspect when alone unless under some Temptation than if all the world were present 2. Conscience of sin doth exceedingly weaken it and causes a damp and deadness to seise upon it Sin will restrain prayer before God The Spirit of prayer will eat out sin or else sin will weaken and shrink Job 15. 4. it Sin begets an Asthma or short-breathedness in the soul 2. The meer gift of prayer doth swell and puff up The more able the more self-conceited in which respect a man is apt to despise those that want the like gift or fall short of his measure hath high and self-applauding thoughts of himself as the Pharisee Luke 18. 11. or those Isa 65. 5. This is evident when those extraordinary gifts were bestowed in the Primitive times the Apostle saw it necessary to caution those that were endued with them against ostentation 1 Cor. 14. Yet even in the exercise of these gifts there may be much of seeming humility and self-abasement in outward expression while the heart secretly admires it self Now hence it follows that when a man thus gifted hath been outwardly enlarged hath had liberty of words and expression he comes off with much satisfaction if he have but so acted his part on the Stage as to come off with publick applause he is well pleased for he hath his reward as Matth. 6. 5. though his heart it may be was full of distractions pride vanity whereas on the other hand if he hath been bound up as to expression and so miss of his expected commendation then he is crest-fallen then he is offended at himself not so much that he hath offended God as that he hath not pleased men But the Spirit of prayer is of a contrary nature The more of that the more humble it layes a soul low and fills it with the sense of its own wants weaknesses and miscarriages Its work is to help the soul to abase it self in the sight of God And hence it follows that outward enlargements do not satisfie Though a man hath spoken with the Tongue of Men and Angels so as to have mens applause yet he sees so much vanity deficiency and corruption as keeps him humble yea when others have thought him most enlarged he sees most cause to bewail his inward straitness Alas thinks he did you but know how little teeling I had of what I uttered what a distracted heart what vain thoughts what impertinencies and extravagancies were mixed with my prayers you would see little cause to commend me Nor on the other side is outward straitness so grievous if he hath sound inward enlargements for thus it is sometimes a soul may in some cases take up that of the Poet inopem me copia seeit It may be lost in the fulness of its own sense its affections may be too big for its expressions which may be in part the import of that in the Text Groanings which cannot be uttered like a narrow-mouth'd Bottle which though filled to the top yet nothing will come our Now when a soul finds it self thus he can rejoyce though others may mis-judge he rejoyces that he had a full Tyde of Faith Love holy Desires and heavenly Affections though in respect of expression it was a very low Ebb. These things are especially experienced when we perform the duty with others 3. The meer gift looks more at the performance than the success of the duty seldom doth it follow prayer with faith or waiting for it hath its end viz. credit and applause from men If a meerly gifted person hath but prayed himself higher into the esteem of men his end is attained he looks no further Hence it is that such have little regard to those things which may render their prayers successful and acceptable with God he doth not consider where the stress lies nor enquire whether he hath so prayed that God may hear and answer but rather whether he hath so prayed as to deserve mens commendation Two things there are mainly conducing to the Efficacy of prayer 1. Interest in Christ and Faith exercised on
heart down his Spirits saint yet he rises again and renews encreases his importunity Thus I have laid down something whereby the good fits of Nature may be discerned from the grace of the Spirit of Prayer And this may suffice to be spoken in answer to the second Case wherein we have endeavoured to distinguish betwixt the Spirit of prayer and those things that seem to have some affinity with it CHAP. IV. I Shall now proceed to the Resolution of a third Case relating to the Spirits Assistance in prayer in answer to which as to all the following I shall speak with more brevity than to the former and with as much plainness as the Lord shall enable me Case 3. Whether will the want of the Spirits Assistance excuse our Neglect or Non-performance of the Duty A Question worthy our serious consideration For though it be look't upon as the opinion of a few brain-sick persons that we must never pray but when moved by the Spirit yet methinks they may seem insanire cum ratione to have at least some show of Reason for this Assertion For this is undeniable and the Text in hand clears it that without the Spirits moving assisting influence we cannot pray as we ought our prayers are not acceptable but when they are the breathings of Gods own Spirit For as it is here v. 27. God knows the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mind meaning savourings breathings of his Spirit i. e. so knows as to accept and on the other hand he knows the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mind the motions and Eph. 2. 3. desires of the flesh so as that they are abominable to him Now shall we say that a man is bound to do that which is displeasing and odious to God What delight can God take in a prayer proceeding from a carnal heart The Sacrifice of the wicked is Prov. 15. 8. abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight So that it may seem to have some colour of Reason that where the Spirit is wanting the obligation to the duty ceaseth though upon due consideration it will appear but a colour Therefore to make my way clear I shall go by steps in resolving this Case Prop. 1. A man may be said to want the Spirits assistance either 1. When he is utterly void of the Spirit of grace while he is in a state of Nature and unregeneracy Such are said to be in and Rom. 8. 5 8 9. Jude 19. after the flesh to be carnally minded not to have the Spirit of Christ in whom the Spirit of God hath laid no foundation of a saving work 2. Or when he wants the actual quickning motions and assistances of the Spirit though he hath a saving work begun and his life be whole in him yet he is in a spiritual Swoon hath no warmth no motions or stirrings heaven-ward little differs from a meer carnal person That it may be thus for a time the sad experience of some of Gods precious servants will testifie Prop. 2. The Assistance of the Spirit is Gods gracious vouchsaftment and meer indulgence God is not a debtor to any If he withhold it none can charge him of injury or injustice and if he vouchsafe it none can say they have obliged God thereunto The Spirit is a free Agent and blows where it listeth It is Gods Spirit and John 3. 8. not ours and he may say to us as in Matth. 20. 15 May I not do what I will with mine own The Influences of the Spirit are like the Influences of Heaven Who can blame God justly if it do not rain or shine when he would have it Prop. 3. Prayer is a duty indispensably arising from our Relation to God as we are his creatures endued with reasonable souls having our whole dependance upon him So that our Obligation to the duty is lasting and ceases not while we are in the body compassed about with infirmities necessities temptations in respect whereof we continually stand in need of Gods help We are taught every day to say Give us this day our Mat. 6. 11. daily bread Whether therefore we have or have not the Spirits assistance the duty is duty still the necessity of it and obligation to it is permanent not variable according to the vouchsafements or witholdings of the Spirit and therefore it is sinful to neglect the duty upon pretence that we have not the Spirits enablements This I hope might satisfie any unprejudiced Judgement but because I would make things as Practical as I can I shall add something further to evince the Absurdity of their Opinion that make our Obligation to the duty void where the Spirit helps not But of this briefly Arg. 1. This assertion as strongly fights against all other duties as this of Prayer for without the Spirits Assistance we cannot perform any duty pleasing to God And indeed thus far have some already improved it Hence they will neither read nor hear c. but when the Spirit moves them So that this conceit however it may carry some shew of Reason in it seems to be a piece of the Devils Sophistry devised to subvert the practice of Religion an Invention much like the Pharisees Corban whereby Mat. 15. 5. they disobliged Children from their duty to Parents Nay what a door would it open to all wickedness licentiousness atheistical and vile practices and then all must be charged on God because he gave them not his Spirit to restrain and sanctifie them Can any thing be more blasphemous or more tend to the subversion of Religion Arg. 2. That which is a punishment of sin cannot be an excuse for the neglect of duty now the withdrawing or withholding the spirit's assistance is often a just punishment for sin for our grieving slighting quenching the Spirit c. When we improve not it's offered help reject it's motions or arrogate to our selves what we should ascribe to it's gracious enablements or the like how justly may God withhold it This seems to be David's case when he had fallen so grievously it is probable he found a want of the quickning comforting influences of Gods Spirit and therefore prayes Take not thy Holy Spirit from me q. d. I feel decayes Psal 51. 11 12. and withdrawings Oh do not wholly deprive me of its Indwelling Again Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit He felt weaknesses and faintings and therefore prayes to be upheld But now did David forbear to pray Nay doth he not pray more importunately Were that opinion right then a man might by some horrid provocation grieve away the Spirit of God and then he should be disobliged from duty than which what can be more absurd and impious Arg. 3. But to put all out of question The Precepts concerning this duty enjoyn constancy in it and the patterns of the Saints agree to those Precepts 1 Thess 5. 17. Pray without ceasing Eph.
6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance Let none cavillingly object That we are bid here to pray alwayes but yet in the Spirit for besides that it is doubtful whether the Spirit of God be meant here it follows not hence that we must never pray but when moved by the Spirit We ought indeed alwayes to beg the assistance of Gods Spirit but if God in justice withhold his Spirit must we therefore neglect our duty But more of this by and by Daily prayer is enjoyned us in that pattern which our blessed Saviour hath prescribed us and so much was typified by the Morning and Evening Sacrifice As for the Practice of the Saints Psal 55. 17. Evening and Morning and at Noon will I pray and cry aloud Dan. 6. 10. Daniel kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime Note that it was his constant practise It were casie to add more here but this may suffice to convince those that are not wilfully blinded I would only add that this Opinion would destroy all stated publique prayer since we cannot tye up the Spirit to our times yet there are frequent injunctions for it in the Word Let that one Text suffice 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. Object Will any yet urge the Text in hand and tell me that without the Spirits help we know not what to ask and therefore our prayers will be but vain bablings or taking Gods name in vain I answer 1. True indeed we cannot pray as we ought without the help of Gods Spirit but I urge Is the Obligation destroyed when assistance is denyed No this shews us the sad condition of every carnal and unregenerate person and all such as have not the Spirit what a sad Dilemma they are in If they pray not they sin by neglecting a manifest duty if they pray they sin by an ill management of it This should make us hasten out of that doleful state and I would add here that there is aliquid tertium a third way I say not that we are absolutely bound to pray without the Spirit nor yet to neglect the duty because we have not the Spirit but we are speedily to go to Christ and accept him on Gospel Terms that the Spirit may be poured out upon us from on high that we may have the spirit of grace and supplication given us 2. I may further answer that though God sometimes vouchsafe his Spirit to stir up his people to prayer yet this is not to be presumed or constantly expected or depended on It s help is not alwayes Antecedent to the duty but comes in upon our endeavours Our work is to do what we can in hope that God will by his Spirit enable us to do what of our selvs we cannot He that sits down resolving to do nothing till the Spirit put him on doth Tempt the Lord and unwarrantably expect what God hath no where absolutely promised I would therefore say to the Christian that complains of deadness and indisposition as David to Solomon Arise 1 Chron. 22. 16. and be doing and the Lord will be with thee It may be observed how low and disconsolate David is in the beginning of some Psalms and yet how full of Faith and Confidence in the close May we not rationally think that the Spirit of God raised him up and came in upon him while we was meditating or praying I shall but lay this one thing before those that oppose this Truth Do you forbear to plow or sow till God bid you till he come and tell you He will bless your labours and send rain and seasonable weather c. Or do you forbear Food or Physick till God give you assurance that he will bless the creatures and make them nourishing and healthful No but you plow and sow eat and drink c. expecting Gods blessing He that ploweth ploweth in hope 1 Cor. 9. 10. And should we not do the like in spirituals not stay till we have a particular command or impulse of the Spirit but take all opportunities to read hear pray c. in expectation both of Gods assistance in and his blessing upon our endeavours CHAP. V. A Fourth Case concerning the help of the Spirit in prayer may be this Case 4. What is on our part to be done that we may enjoy this great Priviledge that our prayers may not be the meer expressions of our lips or workings of our own hearts but the breathings of Gods Spirit A Question which deserves our serious thoughts though I shall dispatch it in a few words leaving many things to your own meditation and enlargement Answ 1. We can do nothing to merit or engage the Spirit of God to attend us in our prayers You have already heard that the Spirit is a free Agent not working by constraint or necessity nor can all our endeavours oblige him to us Far be it from us to imagine that we have any of that preparatory or congruous Merit the Papists dream of whereby we may deserve the graces of the Spirit All grace is the free and undeserved gift of God we may put that Question to those that have the greatest measures of grace Who maketh thee to differ 1 Cor. 4. 7. from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive i. e. freely undeservedly Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it i. e. Why dost thou boast as if it were purchased by thy own endeavours or deservings 2. Yet something may be done in order to our receiving or being capable of the gifts and assistances of the Spirit that is in the doing whereof God may graciously bestow his Spirit not because we deserve it but because he hath graciously promised to bestow it and hath made that the condition upon which he will give his Spirit 1. The first and great condition is That we accept Jesus Christ according to the tender of the Gospel The Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father is the Priviledge Gal. 4. 6. of Children Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father Observe here He is called the Spirit of his Son not only because the father hath not given his Spirit John 3. 34. 14. 16. by measure that is above measure unto him but because he procures the sending of the Spirit with all the gifts and graces of it It will not here be necessary to descend into that intricate Labyrinth Whether the Spirit as to some of its graces and operations be not received into the soul before its actual close with Christ the Affirmative whereof as to the order of Nature seems to me unquestionable But as to the Case in hand it is sufficient to know that the Spirit of Supplication is only their Priviledge who are Sons and Sons none
and held up thy heart in duty Thus I have said a little of what might be spoken upon this account The summ of it is this Improve the Spirits assistances for the ends they are vouchsaf't and by so doing you shall procure the continuance of them This is the Third Means 4. Beg earnestly the continuance of the Spirit with you as it is obtained so it is continued by asking It will stay with you upon your importunity Do therefore as the two Disciples dealt with Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 24. 28 29. they constrained him not by violence but by entreaties even as Lot dealt with the Angels whom he took to be Travailers he Gen. 19. 3. pressed upon them greatly and they turned in unto him Thus deal with the Spirit of God earnestly importune his continuance as the Judg. 19. 6 8 9. Levites Father-in-law perswades him time after time to stay with him Take up David's words praying for the continuance of that willing cheerfull frame which the people manifested in their contributions to the building of the Temple O Lord God of Abraham keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare or establish their heart unto thee So when thou feelest the vigorous motions and influences of the Spirit pray that the Lord would establish thee with his free Spirit and that he will not take his holy Spirit from thee Breathe out thy soul in such expressions Oh sweet Dove Oh blessed Spirit of Grace how unspeakably delightful is thy heavenly company how easie sweet and pleasant is this yoak of Duty when thou helpest to bear it How powerfully sweet and sweetly powerfull are thy assistances Ere I was aware my soul made me like the Charets of Amminadab or set me on Cant. 6. 12. the Charet of my willing people What a Heaven upon Earth is it to perform spiritual duties with spiritual enablements What Oyle to the Wheel what refreshing baits in ebe up-hill way of duty are thy seasonable Incomes Oh let me never want thy blessed help do thou draw and I will run What am I but a dead lump a breathless carkass if thou withdraw thy quickning influences O do thou continually inspire me I am a dry tree do thou cause me to bud and blossome and bring forth fruit unto perfection Let my root be spread out by the waters of Job 29.19 thy Grace and let thy dew lye all night upon my branches Great and continual are my necessities troubles temptations Prayer is the only way to procure supply support sanctification victory but I cannot alas I cannot turn this Key whereby the Door into Heavens Treasury is opened except thou strengthen my hand I cannot wield this conquering Weapon except thou teach my hands to war and my fingers to sight Wherefore let me ever injoy thy presence let me seel thy help let thy power be made perfect in my weakness Awake O North wind and come thou South blow upon the Garden of my soul that the Spices thereof may flow out 5. But especially be willing to follow the conduct of the Spirit you read of being led by the Spirit of walking in and after the Spirit Rom. 8. 3 4 14. This do and you shall not want its seasonable help If you would know what I mean by following its conduct In short I intend not any Enthusiastical Unscriptural motions or impulses but to hearken to its motions and counsels pressing you to follow the directions of the Word The Spirit of God speaks no otherwise in the hearts of Gods people than it doth in the Bible To the Law and to the Testimony if it speak Isa 8. 20. not according to that Word it is none of the Spirit of God it is a lying deluding Spirit But when this Holy Spirit either by the Ministers of the Word or in a more immediate way presseth you to holy walking calls you from loosness worldliness from a vain conversation from any particular course of sin which you have been addicted to or invites you to the performance of any neglected duty to order your conversation according to Gospel-rule to come nearer your pattern Jesus Christ to be more humble heavenly more profitable more exemplary c. Let your ear be open to its counsells follow its directions be as obsequious Matth. 8. 9. to the Spirit as the Souldiers to the Centurion if he say go then go if come come if he bid do this do it They that obediently follow the Spirits guidance in the course of their life shall not ordinarily want his assistance in the course of their duties And let us not think the Spirit will be at our command or help when we desire and need him if we will not be at his command It you will give way to loosness vanity pride carelesness worldly lusts neglect of duty think not to have the Spirit long to help you in duty Res mihi creds delicata est Spiritus saith one the Spirit is a tender thing soon grieved It will not be our Comforter if it must not be our Councellor 6. Abide in Christ if you would have his Spirit abide in your hearts all communications of the Spirit are from the Father through Christ How often is this abiding in Christ inculcated in that one place John 15. 4 6 7 9 10. and note especially what is said in v. 7. Iâ—â—ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you Here you have both the Duty and the Priviledge the Duty abiding in Christ the best evidence whereof is expressed in the next words and my words abide in you to abide in Christ then is to continue in the Faith of the Gospel not to depart from the Truth nor only so but to have the Word a lively operative commanding Principle in the heart directing our steps Manent in Christo qui Verbum ejus Gualtâ—r audiunt audito credunt toti ab eo dependent Well what 's their Priviledge The next words tell you Ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you a holy freedom boldness and success in prayer I take those words Ye shall ask what ye will not only to import leave or licence to ask what they desire but that which the Scripture else where calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freedom liberty of speech and confidence to be heard in our Petitions Now this cannot be without the Spirits assisting and encouraging So that it amounts to thus much If ye abide in me ye shall have a Spirit of Prayer liberty and confidence in asking and the grant of your Petitions Therefore I say abide in Christ and in so saying I would be understood to mean these things 1. Abide in the Doctrine of Christ I mean the great Doctrine of Justification and Salvavation by Christ alone Take heed of a Popish Linfie-woolsy Merit Mix not the
putting up suitable Petitions 3. More calls out and imployes the soul 4. Is singularly helpful for Edefication 5. Better discovers to a man the present frame of his heart p. 122 123. These things applyed to the Case 1. By a fourfold Distinction 2. Then the direct Answer given p. 124 -128. A Question added viz. What may be done for the attainment of present abilities in prayer p. 128. Answ 1. Acquaint thy self with the Word of God pag. 129. 2. Retire into thy own heart pag. 129 130. 3. Exercise p. 131. 4. Joyn in society with able Christians p. 132. 5. Earnestly beg a serious gracious heart p. 133 134. CHAP. IX THe second Doctrine In two Propositions p. 135. I. Saints usually have the Spirit 's help in Trouble How this to be understood Confirmed by a single argument viz. That the Saints in Trouble have prayed more and more feruently c. Strengthned by a two fold consideration 1. How they prayed 2. How they sped p. 135 -142. II. The Spirit 's help in Prayer is a singular Priviledge and Comfort to God's afflicted Servants p. 142. Reas 1. It carries in it much of Evidence 2. It brings ease 3. Confidence 4. Support 5. Sanctification 6. A happy Issue and deliverance when God sees it good for us p. 142 -149. CHAP. X. BOth Parts of the Doctrine applyed together p. 150. I. To those that want the spirit of prayer and such 1. Who scorne and deride it the sin and folly of these detected ibid. 2. Who care not for it p. 151 152. Where considerations representing their sad condition especially if Trouble come 1. Afflictions come upon such armed with sad Temptations to make them run Either 1. To helpless helps 2. Distressing helps 3. Sinful helps Or 4. To break out into blasphemy c. p. 153 -160. 2. Such ordinarily lose the benefit of affliction p. 160. 3. It 's a probable evidence of a soul in a state of wrath p. 161 162. 4. The whole weight of an affliction lies upon himself p. 163. CHAP. XI 3. SVch as want it at least in their own sense and complian of the want of it p. 164. 1. Supposing they want it there is hope of it's return ibid. 2. It 's to be hoped they do not altogether want it p. 165. For. 1. Whence are those complaints 166. 2. Can they not pray with groans c. p. 167. 3. Have they not some fits of enlargement p. 168 -171. CHAP. XII II. TO those who have experience of this great Priviledge pag. 171. And these 1. Such as are not yet in affliction p. 171. Advised to cherish and make much of the Spirit Considering 1. They may suffer afflictions pag. 172. 2. As they now carry towards the Spirit so will He then carry towards them pag. 173. 3. Supposing they should scape Trouble yet the Spirit 's help is upon other accounts needful p. 175 176. CHAP. XIII 2. Such as being in affliction experience this mercy p. 177. Counselled 1. To improve it to the utmost 1. In begging a blessing upon affliction 2. As an alleviating consideration 3. As a preservative from taking offence at the Cross pag. 178 -180. 2. Not to straiten or slacken their returns of thankfulness for this mercy because of their Troubles p. 181 182. CHAP. XIV 3. SVch as having been in Trouble have enjoyed this mercy p. 183. Exhorted 1. To beg and use the same help in praise which they had in prayer p. 184. 2. To turn this experience into Obedience in point of 1. Ingenuity p. 185. 2. Prudence p. 186. 3. To declare and communicate this experience to others in affliction p. 186 187. 4. In all their addresses to the Throne of grace to make use of the Spirit 's help pag. 188 -190. THE CONTENTS Of the Second TREATISE CHAP. I. THe excellency and difficulty of Prayer p. 191 -194. The occasion of the Lord's prayer According to Matthew p. 194-197 Luke p. 194-197 The end of the Lords Prayer chiefly for a pattern or directory pag. 197. Evinced by 5 Arguments 1. Our Saviour's words in Matthew After this manner 2. The difference in the two Evangelist's relation of it 3. The Apostles neither used nor praescribed it 4. The nature and brevity of it 5. The nature and end of prayer pag. 197 -202. CHAP. II. THe Vsual Division of the Lords Prayer into the Preface Taken up and followed p. 202. Substance Taken up and followed p. 202. Conclusion Taken up and followed p. 202. The Preface describing the Object of prayer 1. From his Relation to us Our Father 2. From his eminency above us Which art in Heaven pag. 203. From the Preface 1. Doctr. Our prayers are to be directed to God and him unly p. 203. Proved by Arguments 1. God commands it 2. The standing practise of the Saints confirms it p. 203 204. Reas Prayer ascribes to God those attributes and gives him that glory which he will not have given to another p. 204. Use 1. Detest that Religion whieh teacheth to share this honour to Angels and Saints The absurdity whereof evinced since he to whom we pray must be 1. Lubens 2. Sciens 3. Potens All which in the degree requisite belong only to God pag. 205. 206. Obj. We may make Saints and Angels Mediators Answered in 3. particulars pag. 206 207. Use 2. See the infinite goodness and condescension of God in this pag. 207. Use 3. Try whether we pray to God only That is whether to God as our Object End though not so proper to this place p. 207 211. Use 4. Take this at once a Spur to curb in This duty pag. 211. 2. Doctr. They that come to God aright in Prayer must come to him as to a Father Explained God is a Father considered Personally or Hypostatically So the first person of the second Essentially the whole Trinity and to in respect of Creation Sustentation Adoption External Adoption Internal p. 212 213. Quest May none pray to God but such as can call him Father by Adoption Answered p. 214. Confirmed by the Practise of the Saints in Scripture p. 214. Reas There is not a more suitable Title for God to have or us to give him For it helps against miscarriages in Prayer As. 1. Irreverence 2. Vnbelief 3. Backwardness and unwillinness pag. 215 216. Use 1. Then Prayer is not so much a Task as a Priviledge which shews how unsuitaeble that threefold Distemper above mentioned is to this Duty 216 -219. Use 2. Prove and Try our Adoption Notes of a child 1. Resemblance to His Father p. 219 -221. 2. Obedience to His Father p. 219 -221. 3. Dependance on His Father p. 219 -221. Use 3. Exhortation All that call God Father carry as children 1. In your more immeâ—â—â— addresses to God 2. In the whole course of your lives p. 221 222 3. Doctr. They that come to God as a Father must bring Christ along with them Our Father i. e. In Christ pag. 223. Proved by 1. The Types of
sad afflictions bound up as to expression and cannot go forth Psal 88. 8. He remembers God and is troubled he complains and his spirit is overwhelmed Psal 77. 3. Yet even this is prayer and from the Spirit of God Not that this is the only way of the Spirits assistance sometimes he fills the mouth as well as the heart enables the soul to vent it self in full and suitable Confessions and Petitions to approach God with an holy confidence But here the Apostle if we so take the words seems to speak of the lowest assistances of the Spirit when 't is worst with a child of God in his own apprehension when under heavy pressures and cannot pour out his soul yet he can sigh and groan out his sorrows can chatter as the Crane or Swallow mourn as a Dove and yet even this when from the Spirit is comfortable This sense seems to agree best with what follows in v. 27. 4. Here is also the suitableness and necessity of this Priviledge intimated in those words our infirmities and we know not c. Could we pray as we ought if we had Gifts and Graces at command it were no great matter but we have need of such a Helper having 1. In general such a multitude of infirmities within and therefore needing enablements from without And 2. In particular being ignorant both as to the matter and manner of the duty neither knowing what nor how to ask as we ought 5. Here is the advantage and benefit of this Priviledge in v. 27. where there seems to be a Prolepsis or prevention of an Objection If these groans be unutterable might some say What advantage then is there in them Yes very much for though men do not yet he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit So that here is the advantage the heart-searching God understands the sense and meaning the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Affectus illos benignè accipere ut agnitos probatos Calvin desires and breathings of his own Spirit can put broken and inarticulate sighs together and spell out what they need yea before they ask he knows so as to pitty and supply according to that Matth. 6. 32. Your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of these things The Reason whereof follows because he maketh Intercession for us according to the will of God that is as in the former Verse to pray as we ought He regulates our prayers both as to the matter and manner of them 6. I might add a sixth viz. the connexive Particle likewise also i. e. add hither This may suffice for opening the words each particular would yield profitable Doctrines but I resolve to confine my self to these two 1. To pray in the Spirit is the Priviledge of Gods children Gods children have the help of Gods Spirit in their addresses to God by prayer 2. From the Relation of the words to the Context The Spirits help in prayer is a singular Priviledge and Comfort to Gods children in affliction The first of these I shall not handle in an ordinary Sermon-Method but speak to it by propounding and resolving six or seven Cases as the Lord enables Some of which may explain and confirm the Doctrine and others be instead of Application I hope this Method will not be less profitable or practical than that which I usually follow CHAP. II. Case 1. WHerein consists this Priviledge or how may the Spirit be said to help in prayer This being clearly and distinctly resolved will make way to other Questions To which I shall answer 1. Negatively 2. Positively 1. Neg. The Spirit doth not assist in that Enthusiastical way as some have dreamed I am far from asserting such impulses of the Spirit as some pretend to Particularly 1. The Spirit inspires not ordinary Christians as it did the Prophets and Apostles in the delivery of the Scriptures Holy men of old were moved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carried acted by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. So that their Prophecies Sermons Prayers recorded in Scripture are purely divine Words Matter Method from the Spirit of God and therefore infallibly true free from any fault indiscretion or mistakes in matter form phrase c. 'T is not so with Christians Notwithstanding the Spirits assistance their prayers may have many failings much corruption indiscretion disorder rashness c. mixt with them 2. Muchless doth the Spirit so help as if we were meerly Passive and the Spirit were active as if the Spirit only made use of our tongues as the Devil uses the Organs of Non quòd ipse revera suppliciter se ad precandum vel gemendum demittat c. Calv. in loc per vos intra vos those he possesseth to vent his lies and blasphemies withal This is a grosser conceit and absurdity than to be charged on the Spirit of God It may seem indeed Mat. 10. 20. as if the Spirit used the Organs of the Apostles our Saviour tells them It is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you Yet that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in you is no more as Beza notes than by or within you that is he gives expression courage elocution Or as v. 19. he gives in that hour what they shall speak So that not the Spirit but they speak though extraordinarily enabled at such a time both as to courage wisdom and elocution Thus it was with the See Acts 24. Apostles but the help vouchsaft to ordinary Christians lies not much if at all in the guidance of the Tongue or outward Organs 3. Nor doth the Spirit help more or otherwise in prayer respectively than in other duties of Religion Some I am perswaded fancy as if those that talk of praying in or by the Spirit had a conceit of some singular help in that duty above others Not so the same help is respectively vouchsaft in other duties You read of singing walking serving God in the Spiri◠The Spirit no less helps a Minister in preaching his people in hearing singing meditation holy conference c. according to the nature and requisites of those duties than in prayer that is consider what Graces and Qualificacations are necessary in those duties and the Spirit doth equally furnish Christians therewith as with praying qualifications So that I am far from tying up the Spirit to any extraordinary Energy in this above other duties 4. Nor doth the Spirit so help in this or other duties as if other subordinate helps were unnecessary I do not believe that our Saviours command Matth. 10. 19. Take no Vid. Calv. in loc thought what ye shall speak excludes all premeditation but only that they should not be anxiously solicitous what to answer they should not wrack themselves with fore-thoughts about it muchless doth the Spirits ordinary assistance exclude other helps as study preparation premeditation Though the Apostles were extraordinarily inspired yet they stood in need of Christs teaching Luke 11. 1.
he thought of and things cast in which he sees himself to stand in great need of The like I might say of Prayer for others and of Thanksgiving 4. In Petitions the Spirit not only teacheth what to ask but how to plead And herein lies much of the Spirits assistance in furnishing a soul with powerful and prevailing arguments You may observe what sinews what strength of Argument is coucht in the prayers of the Saints in Scripture as in the prayers of Moses David Daniel Jehoshaphat Sometimes from the Nature and Attributes of God his Goodness Truth Faithfulness Sometimes from the Promises Sometimes from their own misery and helplessness yea the Spirit teacheth to make an argument of that which seems to make against them Psal 25. 11. Pardon my sin O Lord for it is great Here is an argument from the greatness of sin which might rather plead against him yet there is much sâ—rength in it Either thus Thou art a God of great mercies and therefore it is suitable to thy nature to 〈◊〉 great sin Or thus Lord I see my sin I am sensible of the hainousness of it and therefore am a fit subject for a pardon The woman of Canaan is a fit and famous Instance How doth she invert Christs arguments and makes that a plea for her which is urged against her Matth. 15. 22. Surely this holy Art is taught by the Spirit of God Amongst which arguments suitable Promises are most frequent and prevalent Promises and Prayers differing only as the figures of Hollingworth's Gods Spirit on the Throne 6 and 9 as a good man hath wittily observed the one pointing downwards towards us the other upward towards God 5. I may add here though it is the least part of this great Priviledge that the Spirit of God though it doth not guide the Tongue infallibly yet it doth sometimes carry a child of God even above himself in fulness and suitableness of expression helps him to clothe his petitions in Scripture-phrase and fills his mouth with words as well as his heart with affections But this may suffice as to the Spirits help in the matter of prayer 2. It helps not only for matter but for manner also Something to this lies in those words of the Text Groanings which 〈◊〉 be uttered which as was said in the Explication is the lowest way though not the least effectual To hint a few particulars 1. It helps by enlarging the affections Words are but the outside of prayer Sighs and groans are the language God understands and delights in The Spirit teacheth importunity draws sighs from the hearts â—ears from the eyes Parts may teach eloquence and the neat ordering of our prayers and nature it self may furnish with some flashly and spurious affections But the Spirit wings the affections enlargeth the heart This causeth reachings-forth of the soul after God and enables it to wrestle with a holy violence sheds abroad the love of God in the heart widens the desires spiritualizeth our joy grief anger zeal and the rest of the passions All which are necessary instruments in prayer 2. It helps by exciting and exercising its own grades here is its most proper work these lie as sparks under the ashes till the Spirit of God blow them up as it works grace so it must set it at work It is said Act. 5. 5. Sathan filled their hearts to lie c. So the Spirit fills the hearts of Gods people to pray Here we have need of the Spirits help to lift else our hearts and graces would lie unstirred and unexercised To instance in one or two of many leaving the rest to your own meditation 1. It fills the soul with a holy confidence teaches to cry Abba Father Rom. 8. Sometimes in the duty Psal 20. 6. Now I know that the Lord saveth his Anointed Sometimes after Hannah's countenance cleared from former sadness discovered the confidence of her soul that her Petition should be granted How often have the Saints risen off their knees with raised expectations as if the things askt were already given in 2. Yet it keeps the soul in a humble awfull frame makes it serious and full of reverence Lust would deal basely and affrontingly with God but the Spirit makes us take beed to our feet and teacheth us not to be rash with our mouths or hasty to utter any thing before God Eccles 5. 1 2. Makes us Take beed to our wayes that we offend not with our tongue Psal 39. 1. restrains petulancy and extravagancy of wit and words teaches to avoid swelling words of vanity and so far as we enjoy its assistance it helps us to utter our desires in words of truth and soberness This of much more that might have been spoken concerning the Spirits assistance with reference to the manner of the duty 3. As it helps in the matter and manner so it enables to persevere not only sets us in but carries thorow and enables us to pray and not â—aint not to let the Lord Luk. 18. 1. go till he bless us Now here there are many things to discourage and take us off against all which the Soâ—rit doth mightny strengthen and fortifie a Christian according to that prayer of Paul for the Ephesians That they might be strengthened with might by the Eph. 3. 16. Spirit in the inward man I shall briefly touch upon two or three which are most obvious and troublesome to Gods children 1. It helps us to persevere in prayer notwithstanding Exod. 31. 10 11. Gen. 32. 26. Jer. 14. 11 13. Matth. 15. 22. discouragements from God Though God bid Moses let him alone and Jacob let him go though he forbids the Prophet Jeremy to pray for the people though our Saviour gives harsh and discouraging answers to the woman of Canaan yet they follow on It teaches to answer Objections to read love and pity in Gods heart when we can see nothing but frowns in his face to catch faster hold when he seems to throw us off to interpret Gods answers by terrible things contrary to the natural import and to believe and expect contrary to our sense and experience to hope against hope c. 2. Against discouragements from our selves Unbelief short-spiritedness and the like corruptions which would make us break out as he 2 Kings 6. 33. This evil is of the Lord why should I wait upon him any longer Oh but the Spirit strengthens our faith lengthens out our patience bespeaks us in the language of David to his own soul Psal 42. ult Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me 3. Against discouragements from others from the world or from the Devil How would men scoff or jeer us out of our attendance on God What profit is it that you Mal. 3. 14. keep his Ordinances in that you walk mournfully before the Lord of Hosts What get you by all your whining prayers your creeping into corners c. Here the Spirit comes in
Reason to the over-powring light of the Word and given thee a convincing discovery of the transcendent sweetness of Communion with God and Jesus Christ in duty which impression while it continues fresh upon thy soul may wind it up to a high pitch of Natural or Artificial fervency as a Reverend Divine of ours hath well distinguished Bolton ubi supra 1 Sam. 21. 7. Or else some extraordinary tie upon thy soul may for the time put life into thy Devotion a very Doeg may be Qui se clauserat in domo Domini ut solveret votum suum Arab. sometimes detained before the Lord it is supposed in conscience of some Vow or some express Devotion The worst of men may have their devout moods but alas it is but from some outward impulse So that Try what thy state is if thou art a stranger to the Spirits converting regenerating sanctifying work it is not to be thought he doth actually stir thee up to duty The Spirit only moves to duty those whom he fits for duty He is first a principle of life within then of action without 2. But that which may more sensibly distinguish those fits of goodness from the Spirits motions are the different fruits and consequences There may be as much seeming fervour and zeal in those good fits while they continue but they are not attended with such fruits as the other To instance in some 1. When these are over the man is but what he was before while the pang is upon him Who more heavenly and devout Who speaks greater things of God and Christ the sweetness of duty the advantage of holy walking the pleasures of communion with God But alas it is but as the Morning Hos 6. 4. Cloud and as the early Dew it goeth away Quantum mutatus a illo Here he is quite another man Was he loose debauch't prophane before You 'l find him Stuppeae flamma Cato so still Was he drunken riotous voluptuous before So is he again as soon as the fit is over Alas it was but a meer blaze It is quenched as Towe as the fire of Thorns and then he neither prayes nor cares for prayer or if he keep up a form it is without conscience or affection Now where the Spirit hath furnished a soul with praying abilities it sanctifies that soul there is some care of a conversation answerable and though there may be abatements yet the soul seels and complains thereof whereas Cant. 5. 5. the other fits down contented in the neglect of duty Where the Spirit puts in his hand by the hole of the door he leaves sweet-smelling Myrrh upon the handles of the Lock which inflames the soul though for some time it may lie under indisposition with enlarged desires after his return But there are no such complaints under deadness or breathings after quicknings in the other 2. These fits are often encouragements to more loosness afterward The soul being puffed up with a high conceit of his own performances as having thereby mightily engaged God an ordinary attendant on his flashy devotion thinks he may take some liberty he hath super-crogated by his prayers and now may sin the more freely much like the Harlots speech I have peace-offerings Prov. 7. 14 18. with me This day have I payed my vows Come let us take our fill of love q. d. I have performed an extraordinary piece of devotion and now I am at liberty to begin a new score This is far from those who are endued with the Spirit of Prayer Have they found extraordinary assistance Hath the Spirit lift up their hearts and wound them to a higher pitch than ordinary This draws out thanksgivings to God Thus they think Oh what need have I to watch against sin How carefull should I be left I damp out these flames by earthly mindedness lest I take cold after such heats Yea the remembrance of what they have been enabled to confess and beg becomes a tie upon them to restrain them from committing the sins confessed and a spur to put them upon pursuit of the graces they have begged these are the genuine fruits of the Spirits enlargements I deny not but the Devil and our own corruption may make use of these as a Temptation to slacken our diligence afterwards but it is not ordinarily so Those fits and flashes ordinarily bring forth such fruits 3. Which I toucht upon in the last these good fits puff up Man is naturally a self-admirer and if he hath any thing above ordinary he prides himself in it The most civilized and moralized amongst the Heathens though they sometimes spake meanly of themselves could never get victory over that self-applauding humour It sticks very close to nature nothing but grace can subdue it nor that perfectly till we be made perfect For each to esteem others better than themselves is the hardest thing in the world Si quid in tota vitâ difficile hoc in primis Nam Regis intra se quisque animum habet c. as Galvin upon Phil. 2. 3. But to the purpose Such as have only Nature elevated come off more proud whatever shew of humility they may make in the duty Whereas the genuine effects of the Spirits assistance as we shewed before are to lay the soul low in its own eyes and indeed there is not a better evidence that our enlargements are spiritual then when we are enlarged in the sense of sin and misery and thence become enlarged in our apprehensions of Gods goodness and mercy 4. These good fits are easily put off How small a Temptation will hire such from duty How easily are they discouraged How soon is their patience spent God must either come speedily or they will be ready to say with that blasphemer This evil is of 2 Kings 6. 33. the Lord what should I wait for the Lord any longer they are ready to expostulate with God as if he did them an injury Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not Isa 58. 3. Wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thâ—u takest no knowledge A cross Providences puts a dash upon their devotion they will sometimes verifie that which the Devil falsly suggested against Job Doth Job fear God for nought Hast thou not made a hedge about Job 1. 9 10 11. him and about his house But put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath and be will curse thee to thy face Their devotion was not so hot as their passion will be high when God crosses their wills I say thus it is sometimes with such But now where the Spirit enables the soul gathers strength by opposition follows a flying God disappointments set an edge upon his prayers and call his patience into exercise He will close in with God though he go halting away His resoultion is Though he kill me Job 13. 15. I will trust in him I will pray to him and though there may be a damp upon him his
can be but by regeneration and implantation into Christ To as many as received him to them John 1. 12. gave he power right or priviledge to become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be or to be made the sons of God even to them that believe on his name Would you then be endued with a Spirit of prayer that you may come to God with reverence and confidence that you may be enabled to pray with groanings not to be uttered that the Spirit may make Intercession in and for you according to the will of God Here then is the way come to Christ cast off all self-righteousness accept of his merits and satisfaction Take his yoke upon you put it out of question that Christ is yours by making your selves his giving up your selves to him wholly absolutely unreservedly None can have the Spirit making Intercession in their hearts but those that accept of Christ and have him their Intercessor in Heaven 2. The next thing to be done is to purge out those corruptions which hinder and damp the 〈◊〉 Operations all sin nourished and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the soul hath a tendency that way â—t flaâ—â—rs the affections and grieves the Spirit The flesâ— lusteth against the Spirit â—al 5. â—â— and â—inders that we cannot do those things we woâ—ld Consciâ—â—â—â— of â—â—â— mightily weakens considence in prayer as we have already showed vain and worldly thoughts fill the 〈◊〉 and keep out the better motions of the Spirit So do turbulent and unruly passions 2 Kings 3. 15. The Prophet Elisha being in a passion at the sight of wicked Jehoram must have a Minstril to calm hâ—s Spirit and purifie his affections before the Spirit of Prophecy can seize upon him As the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God Jam. 1. 20. so it hinders the workings of his Spirit you may observe that when the Apostle bids us not grieve the Holy Spirit of God he immediately adds Let all bitterness and wrath and Eph. 4. 30 31. anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice It seems these do in a special manner grieve the Spirit It is a calm and quiet Spirit and delights to be and work in a calm and quiet soul a forgiving reconcileable frame is requisite in all our addresses to God since we are taught to pray Forgive us our debts as Mat. 6. 12. we forgive our debtors So do covetous desites carkings about worldly things so filthy unclean lustings c. If therefore we would be filled with the holy Spirit we must labour to empty the heart of these and other corruptions If the Devil must have the Room of our hearts empty swept and Mat. 1. 4â— garnished after his fashion that is void of grace filled with impurity that is his garnish as Calvin upon the Text Satanae sola deformitas pulchra est nihil benè olet praeter foetorem sordes Deformity is Satans beauty and noisome smell his delightful savour I say if the Devil must have it so surely the Spirit of God would have our hearts pure from filthiness cleansed from the defilements which are in the world through lust 3. In the deep sense of our own ignorance and insufficiency beg the Spirit to help and enable to teach you how and what to pray It is amongst the good things which God hath promised to bestow upon those that ask it Compare Matth. 7. 11. There it is good things in general with Luke 11. 13. There it is the Spirit as being eminently a good thing or comprehensively and virtually the summ of those good things which God bestows upon his children This is promised for asking only Labour to be sensible of your own necessity To which end do but consider what a pure holy heart-searching God you are to draw nigh to what qualifications are required in those that worship him and particularly what graces are requisite to the spiritual and acceptable performance of this duty For instance Heart-purity If I regard iniquity in my heart Psal 66. 18. the Lord will not bear my prayer Sincerity your prayer must not go out of lips of deceit Faith and Confidence you must ask in faith Psal 17. 1. Jam. 1. 5. nothing wavering Zeal and Fervency Importunity and Perseverance so much you are taught by the Parable of the importunate Widow and the example of the Woman of Canaan Humility and Reverence You Luk. 18. 11 must not be rash with your mouth nor your heart hasty to utter any thing before God Eccl. 5. 2. Besides your prayers must be according to the will of God add that your Confessions must be attended with a humbling sight of sin and hearty sorrow for it your Petitions with a deep sense of your wants and enlarged desire and expectation of supply to all which must be added Charity and Compassion towards others These and many other graces and qualifications are requisite to the acceptable performance of this great duty Now sit down and consider your own strength Are you able to go upon your own legs Can you either bestow these graces upon your selves or put them in exercise Were prayer nothing but wording it with God the Spirits help were lese needful but if this be indeed to pray Oh what need have you and I to beg down the Spirit of God into our hearts to enable us hereunto 4. Meditation also is another means whereby we may be fitted for the Spirits operation it is a door by which it enters into the soul it prepares the Sacrifice upon which fire from Heaven often comes down My heart was hot within me while I Psal 39. 3 4 5. was musing the fire burned and this fire breaks out into prayers and ejaculations These duties are of such affinity that the Gen. 24. 63. one is probably put for both Isaac went out to meditate or pray in the field at Even-tide and they are joyned together Psal 5. 1. Give ear to my words O Lord consider my Meditation So Psal 19. 14. There is a natural connexion betwixt them Now the Spirit of God works in a natural methodical way the soul is oyl'd by Meditation then the Spirit sets it in motion If you ask What Meditations will prepare us for the Spirits in-comes There is a large field to expatiate in the works and Word of God the Precepts Promises examples of the Saints the encouraging experiences of Gods people the prevalency and perpetuity of Christs Intercession and especially your own wants infirmities temptations these will be spurs to put you on and in so doing the Spirit will not be wanting to fill your sayles 5. Which respects those who have a foundation laid and a work of grace begun on their hearts Stir-up the gifts and graces which are bestowed upon you Laziness deprives us of many a sweet experience in this kind We must therefore not let the graces of Gods Spirit lye as sparks hid in the ashes
Gods familiars and in a sense enables us to speak to God face to face freely familiarly confidently as a man with his friend I shall urge no more but leave these with you beseâ—ching the Lord to set them home upon your hearts CHAP. VI. Case 5. THE next Case shall be this What are we to do that we may have the Spirits Assistance in prayer continued to us the Affinity of this and the next with the former will make my labour the less in giving Answer As to the usefulness of this now under our hand It is I believe the general experience of praying Christians that they have their Ups and Downs now enlarged anon bound up Sometimes they can wrestle and continue in prayer with â— holy fervency without flagging or â—ainting By and by a damp is upon their souls they are in their own sense faithless and heartless Bernard's Complaint is theirs That the Rara hora brevis mora Spirits lively assistances are short and seldome Their cold fits are much longer than their hot ones This dashes their comforts and often makes them question their sincerity they are ready to say with Rebeckah If it be so why am I thus If indeed I have the Spirit Gen. 25. 22. of Supplication as I sometimes hope Why am I thus dead heartless indisposed When they have assistance and enlargements then are they ready to say as Peter It is good to be here with Jacob Gen. 28. 16 17. Surely Mat. 17. 4. the Lord is in this place This is no other but the House of God and this is the Gate of Heaven Then how full of faith and comfort 'T is full Tyde with them neither expressions nor affections nor graces wanting and then they are apt to think surely I shall never be so dull and senseless again Such impressions surely can never wear off such a flame never go out But alas a few dayes may be a few hours experience tells them these are but short-liv'd A low Ebb follows this high Tyde then are they tongue-ty'd heart bound go into secret there they can neither feel out-goings to God nor in-comes from him Join with others alas they he like Stones no rubbing or chasing will beget any warmth in 1 Sam. 28. 15. them In their own sense much like Saul God answers them neither in one way nor another Then how dejected and disconsolate Oh what would they give for the least degree of those enlargements and meltings they have formerly experienc't That they could but give vent to their sorrows in hearty sighs and groans That they could but pour out their souls with that child-like confidence as sometimes they have done Now therefore its worth our serious enquiry what may be done on our part to have the Spirits company and assistance for under such Ebbings and withdrawmen's a child of God cannot but conclude it is his own fault some grievous miscarriage hath deprived him of that sweet Guest 1. Therefore I shall premise this that as the bestowing so the continuance of the Spirits motions and lively operations is the meer indulgence of Heaven God can be no more bound to continue it than he was to bestow it Think not then to oblige God by any thing you can do 2. And further I premise That the Lord vouchsafes or with-holds his Spirit as he sees best for his people It were not best for a child of God to have alwayes a full Tyde to live under the constant smiles of Heaven and to have continual raptures enlargements Where would be room for the exercise of Faith as it is the substance of things hoped Heb. 11. 1. for evidence of things not seen What must become of Hope and Patience O how should we manifest our waiting and longing for Christs return if he should alwayes abide with us How must we know where and what we are how weak how insufficient to think a good thought How must we be kept from pride and swellings and puffings above measure if we be not sometimes left to our own weaknesses So that it is not for us to be peremptory or absolutely to desire alwayes such degrees of grace such measures of assistance and enlargment we may humbly desire and endeavour in the use of means but we must not be peremptory for them nor impatient under the withholding of them In this case we must learn of our blessed Saviour O my Father Matth. 26. 39. if it he possible let this Cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt 3 I premise this also that ordinarily some miscarriage in us provokes God to withdraw his Spirit Saul's mis-government and 1 Sam. 16. 14. disobedience caused the Spirit of the Lord i. e. that Spirit of Government which God had endued him withal to depart from him David as we noted before upon his fall found some withdrawings which makes Psalm 51. 11 12. him pray Take not thy holy Spirit from me establish me with thy free Spirit Possibly we have not carried as we ought towards this blessed Guest and therefore he withdraws himself These things premised I now address my self to give a direct Answer to the Case propounded 1. Then if thou wouldst have the Spirits Assistance continued beware of those things which may grieve away the Spirit or wither and shrink up its gifts and grâ—des damp not out this holy fire Quench not the Spirit 1 Thess 5. 19. It is observable when the Apostle bids us not grieve the Spirit he adds as an argument whereby you are sealed unto the day of Eph. 4. 30. Redemption which seems to have a double force Either thus Be not so disingenuous as to grieve him that comforts you by assuring you of eternal happiness Or thus Take heed you grieve him not if so you will have the worst of it he will grieve you by withdrawing his assuring Testimony from you and leaving you in the dark as to your eternal state This I humbly conceive to be genuine and according to the mind of the mind of the Holy Ghost in that Scripture So that you see our grievings of the Spirit causes his withdrawments as to assurance and so it doth likewise as to assistance If you fall asleep in the lap of sowe Dalilah-lust you will find your Lock will be out God will depart from you and then you will be weak as others It would be infinite to speak what might be said under this Head I shall only instance in two or three Particulars 1. Beware of Pride in enlargements If God lift you up in vouchsafing extraordinary enlargements take heed you do not lift up your selves that is the next way to be laid low He that begins to think himself something shall quickly find that he is nothing in himself This is to abuse your mercy Gods and is that you might give him glory not take it to your selves and it would be to your own prejudice if it should be
continued for thus abused it becomes fuel for Pride and Lust The Spirit will not so befriend our corruptions Some have smarted for this God hath taken down these swellings by long withdrawments Let it be your care to bear a low Sail when you have the most prosperous and successful gales of spiritual enablements A prick in the flesh shall cure Spiritual Tumours 2. Take need also of self-sufficiency I mean a conceit that you need no more Whatever gifts or enablements God vouchsafes think not you can live upon this stock without continual supplyes What you have received can neither be improved nor long continue without more additions God never did nor will put any Christian into a state of Independency Never did any Saint in this world arrive at that perfection as to be able to live within and of themselves your strength is in Christ and continuance of supplies and communications from him Eph. 6. 10. 2 Tim. 2. â— Be strong in the Lord Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus The stream will soon dry up if it be not fed by the fountain Wherefore say my people We are Jer. 2. 31. Lords we will come no more unto thee God takes it ill when we begin to think we need not be beholden to him and indeed it s the highest degree of pride we can possibly be guilty of 't is intolerable insolency and God will lay us as low as we lift up our selves high the Spirit will make us know our insufficiency when we begin to conceit in our selves an al-sufficiency 3. Cherish no corruption in our hearts Sin entertained as we have once and again told you will drive out the Spirit When this Serpent grows warm in the bosome it will hiss and disquiet the Holy Spirit the steamings of concupiscence are exceedingly ofsensive to it It is impossible to keep up a Spirit of prayer and a course of sin He that will not be led by the Spirit shall not long be helpt by the Spirit 4. And especially take heed of cherishing laziness and sluggishness Be not found upon a Bed of case when the Spirit calls you out to work at least be not loath to rise when he knocks You see the sad consequences of this lazy temper in the Churches example Christ knocks and calls Open to me my Sister my Love my Dove She Cant. 5. 2. 9. hears but a lazy fit is upon her She hath put off her Coat She hath washâ— her feet She is loath to put her self to the trouble of rising to open Well what 's the Issue When it is too late she rises to open but her Beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone Now she would fain enjoy him if she might but now she seeks and cannot find him she calls but he gives no answer Now she that might have had him for rising and opening must be at much pains and run through many hazards get many a blow and wound be stript of her vail and yet not find him here 's the fruit of laziness If the Proverb hold true any where as indeed it is most true then here especially ex otio negotium of Idleness comes business 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We create our selves infinite labour and sorrow too by laziness and indisposition when the Spirit calls us to duty He that lies slugging in the Harbour when the Wind serves him deserves to lye wind-bound or to tugg at the Oar for it They that will not stir up themselves when the Spirit stirs shall want its motions when they most need them We sometimes lose a friend by not accepting an offer'd courtesie Observe the word in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 helpeth together or â—akes hold and lifts with us there is much art and ease when many lift at any thing to lift all together and it is as much a Christians wisdom to lift when he feels the Spirit lift if he do not he shall find the burden too heavy for himself alone Laziness in this sense clothes us with raggs Yet a little sleep a little slumber Prov. 3. 21. Prov. 6. 10 11. a little folding of the hands to sleep so shall thy spiritual Poverty come The Talentimproving Christian is the only thriving Mat. 13. 12. Christian But from him that hath not i. e. improves not which is all one as if he had it not shall be taken even that which he hath To him that will slug when he is called to watch and pray the Spirit will say as our Saviour to his Apostles though Ironically Sleep on now and take thy rest Let these things 26. 45. therefore be avoided if you would have the Spirits assistance continued 2. Let the Spirits motions find ready entrance and hearty entertainment It is an encouragement to give a friend more frequent visits that gives us hearty welcome Say to the Spirit as Laban to Abraham's Servant Come in thou blessed of the Lord wherefore Gen. 24. 31 Act. 24. 25. standest thou without Dismiss it not as Felix did Paul Go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season I will call for thee Such put-offs speak a slighting Spirit and so will they be interpreted You will lay business aside to entertain a dear friend and who deserves more respect than this heavenly Guest Who comes not that he needs thee but because thou needest him he comes not as friends sometimes do to hinder but help forward thy main concernment It is not upon a meer complement but because he knows thou canst not do without his help He comes to help thee in the drawing up thy Petitions at the Throne of Grace to make thee as a Prince to prevail with God And is it not infinite condescension Shouldst thou not say as Elizabeth to the Blessed Virgin Whence is this that the Mother of my Lord should come unto me Whâ—t Luk. 1. 43. a high favour and vouchsafement is it that the Spirit of God should come into such an impure Stic as my heart is This should make thee free and cheerful in giving entertainment to all his motions 3. Make the best improvement of its motions and assistances How wise are the men of this Generation to take and improve advantages for the world Will the Marriner neglect to take his Wind Or the Husbandman to make Hay when the Sun shines Will the Souldier neglect his advantages against his Enemy Shall that great Commander The Emperor Ferdinand A. I. P. Q. N. S. I. A. quicken himself by a Motto to catch at advantages Accidit in puncto quod non speratur in Anno and shall the children of light let slip their advantages in things of infinitely greater concernment Shall the Spirits motions be as a price in the hand of a fool Oh be careful to go as far as you can in the strength of such Baits Shall I hint a few things in particular Prov. 17. 16. Improve these Assistances 1. Into holy
sins then then do most probably cause the Spirits withdrawment I answer 1. Sins that carry much of the will in them presumptuous sins when light is held prisoner and captivated by lust 2. Or sins long lien in when we wallow as the Swine in the mire of sin It is supposed David lay some Moneths in the sin of Murder and Adultery before he repented and he intimates as you have heard that he wanted the joy of Gods salvation he felt decayes and fears tho taking away of Gods Spirit Oâ— 3. Sins more directly against the Spirits guiding or assisting when we will not take its directions hearken to its counsels or when we abuse its grace and assistances See then whether thou hast not cause to charge such kind of sins upon thy self Hast thou not shut thine eyes against some beam of spiritual light Hast thou not known the will of thy heavenly Father as to some sin which thou oughtest to abandon or duty which thou oughtest to set upon and yet neglected to do it If such sins be upon thee thou maist probably conclude they are those that have grieved the Spirit Again Is there not some sin that hath been thy old acquaintance that thou hast lien and lived in a long time what sin or sins are they that like Rehoboam's young Counsellors have been brought up with thee Those also may have robbed thee of the Spirits gracious assistance But especially Sâ—â— if thou hast not refused the Spirit as a guide when it called thee to duty hast thou not neglected put it off slubber'd it over When it hath disswaded thee from some sin or perswaded to some duty Hast thou not pulled away the shoulder Hast thou not withstood its motions Been like green Wood that didst not take fire by those heavenly sparks So for its assistances hast thou not quenched discouraged slighted them When he hath called to open and put in his fingers by the hole of the door thou hast seigned excuses Worldly concernments have called thee another way Or may be when he hath breathed upon thee and carried thee above thy self in any duty thou hast grown proud secure and applauded thy self instead of ascribing glory to God See if some or many of these or the like be not found in thee Nor rest in a general discovery for its easie to say in general that such sins are ours but labour to be as particular and distinct as possibly thou canst Recollect times and places when thou hast been especially guilty Remember what good motions thou hast had and rejected Such a time God by his Spirit gave me a lively Touch Oh I felt the Babe spring within but how did I smother it Such a time I came off proud of my enlargement Such a time I had clear discoveries powerfull convictions strong impulses but gave them cold entertainment dismist them with fair promises and ineffectual purposes c. These O! these are grievous to the holy Spirit of God Direct 2. Humble thy self before the Lord confess and give glory to God Accept of the punishment of thine iniquity and Lev. 26. 42. this with all seriousness with real grief shame and self-abhorrency aggravate thy sin before the Lord acknowledge how gracious he hath been in vouchsafing thee such experiences and how ingrateful thou hast been in slighting and abusing them Shall I put words into thy mouth but O that they may not be meer words Oh that they may be the very sense of thy soul and breathings of thy heart Let these therefore be the workings of thy soul Righteous art thou O Lord and just are thy judgements What can be more highly agreeable to the Rule of Justice than that from Matth. 13. 12. him that hath noâ— should be taken even that which he hath Especially when the having was without desert but the taking away is most justly deserved What sawest thou in me O gracious God that thou shouldst ever bestow so high a favour on me That thy blessed Spirit should ever take up its abode in such a filthy polluted soul That it should strengthen my hands and enable me to wrestle and prevail with thy glorious Majesty Oh the heavenly transports the kindly meltings the over-powring motions that my soul hath felt the sweet sallies and Eruptions of my Spirit in prayer when quickned and enlivened by thy grace How could I run the way of thy Commandments Psal 119. 32. when thou hadst thus enlarged my heart Being thus drawn how could I Cant 1. 3. run after thee Having continual supplies of new strength by thy blessed Spirit how could I mount up with wings as an Eagle run and Isa 40. 31. not be weary walk and not faint Then was Prayer the delight of my soul yea even to pour out my soul in tears for sin was to me as the Dew of Hermon and the dew that Psal 133. 3. descended upon the Mountains of Sion Those waters distilled by the fire of thy Spirit became Wine of consolation to me Those groanings not to be uttered how did they ease my heart How often have I with Hannah come before thee in bitterness of soul with a sorrowful Spirit but being through thy grace enabled to pour out my soul before thee I have gone away and my countenance hath been no more sad But O monstrous Ingratitude This rich this superabundant grace have I turned into wantonness these precious experiences and peculiar vouchsafements have been made fuel for pride and security I have rob'd thy blessed Spirit of its glory and gloried in that as mine the praise whereof was wholly due to him Yea Lord many a time have I quencht the Spirit and powred water upon those sparks of good motions which he hath cast into my soul Even then when I have known his voice yea when he hath knockt with much importunity I have chosen rather to lye slugging upon a bed of ease than to rise and open though I had known by former experience that he was no empty handed guest What could I expect less than what thou hast inflicted for Should the Majesty of Heaven alwayes put up such abuses Should I think to grieve the blessed Spirit of God from day to day and yet have his company and assistance as before No Lord thou art righteous but I am wicked and shouldst thou for ever hide thy face shouldst thou leave me under a prayerless sensless frame and let me grow into a seared condition shouldst thou make me at last lie down in sorrow yea in the lake of fire and brimstone for ever it were but what I have deserved Alas how many thousands are in those flames that never sinned at that rate that I have They knew not and did not and therefore deserve a few stripes but I have known thy will nay thy gracious Spirit hath stirred me up to do it yea hath offered his help in the doing of it yet I have refused and slighted his offers and therefore deserve
many stripes Oh ungrateful Oh disingenuous Thus humble and shame thy self before the Lord get into Ephraim's posture Jer. 31. 19. smite upon thy thigh be ashamed yea even confounded with Job abhor thy self in dust Job 42. 5. and ashes with the Publican smite upon thy breast and cry The Lord be merciful unto me Luke 18. 13. a sinner Such self-loathing for our unworthy carriages towards God will draw pity from him What a sweet return is that to Ephraim upon his Râ—pentance Is Ephraim my dear son he is a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember Jâ—r 31. 20. him still So in Ezek. 43. 11. If they be ashamed of all that they have done shew them the form of the house Thus may God deal with thee if thou be really ashamed and throughly humbled for thy dis-ingenuity Direct 3. Yet humbly and earnestly beg the return of the Spirit both to assure thee of pardon and assist thee in duty The Spirit of God is as the wisdom that proceeds from Jam. 3. 17. it gentle and easie to be entreatâ—d importunate prayers have brought God back again be it spoken with humility when he hath been departing from a people and when he hath turned his back upon them have prevailed for the turning of his face towards Numb 14. 13. 21. 16. 47. them Moses oftner than once found the prevalency of it And in this thou art not without great encouragement if ever thou hast felt and found the gracious assistances of Gods Spirit and upon the supposition I am speaking to thee know that he is an abiding Spirit however his influences may be suspended his presence shall John 14. 16. never be totally removed he may be turned aside but is not out of call And what Paul saith concerning Onesimus perhaps he therefore departed for a season that thou shouldst receive him for ever Therefore with what â—aith and strength thou hast wrestled with the Lord plead his free and gracious promises notwithstanding thy unworthiness Thou hast David for a pattern though his sin was hainous yet he pâ—ayes Psal 51. 10 11. Take not thy holy Spirit from me stablish me with thy free Spirit Take up Shimei's words to David Let not my Lord impute iniquity 2 Sam. 19. 19 20. unto me neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversly for thy servant doth know that I have sinned Thou hast one to deal with infinitely more merciful than David A God that pardoneth iniquity that passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of Mich. 7. 18. his heritage who retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy who will say to thee I will heal thy backslidings I Hos 14. 4. will love thee freely for mine anger is turned away from thee Object If you should reply What is all this to me who am destitute of the Spirits help It is as if you should promise me a rich treasure upon condition I shall mount up to the Sun or drain the Ocean These are things which cannot be performed without the Assistance of that Spirit the want of which it my complaint and grievance Alas I cannot repent I cannot pray as I ought c. Answ This Objection in effect hath been answered before in speaking to the fourth Case whether I refer you Only this further I am speaking to such as are not quite void of the Spirit only they are deprived of his lively actual sensible assistances I hope it is not in vain to bid such stir up the gifts and graces that are in them or blow up the sparks that for the present lye hid in the ashes of corruption or to bespeak the Spirit of God in the language of the Spouse Awake O North-wind and Cant. 4. 16. come thou South blow upon my garden There is a secret assistance where it is not sensibly selt it is from the Spirit that you can so much as be sensible of the want of it the dead soul feels no want Therefore put out your endeavours in these things Direct 4. Desist not from duty under these withdrawments but rather double thy diligence and as I may allude to that If the Iron be blunt thou must put to Eccles 10. 10. more strength If ever the Spirit return it must be in a way of diligent and humble waiting upon God Laziness that is an ordinary cause of its withdrawing is a very improble way to procure its return No when God sees thee humbly and conscientiously waiting doing violence to thy corruptions strugling and tugging at it then will he pity and help thee God delights to encourage diligence Exercise is the way as to preserve so to recover health Nothing more seeds and encreases an Asthmatick Distemper that is short-breathedness than sitting still Whence by the way you may take notice how pernicious that Doctrine is of not praying till the Spirit move indeed it is nothing else but a subtil shift to put off duty a cloak for laziness and the next way to be deprived of the Spirits gracious assistance If God deny his Spirit it is but justice but for us to lay aside duty upon that account is injustice towards God and the greatest injury we can do our own souls Therefore be diligent do in obedience though thou canst not do with alâ—crity if the Wind fill not thy Sails yet lay not the Oar out of thy hands Direct 5. Make much of and be very thankful to God for any degree of help thou yet hast and welcome any spark of heavenly motions Thou canst not it may be pray with a full Sail of faith and affection but if thou hast any weak breathings if thou canst pray with groanings that cannot be uttered for their weakness if thou art but as smoaking flax not yet in a flame for this measure bless God This is to be faithful Luke 19. 17. in a little and to such much is promised Thou canst not express thy particular ailments but thou feelest all is not right with thee thou lovest prayer hast high thoughts of and pantings after a praying frame here is matter of thankfulness bless God that thou hast not quite cast off the Duty that thou art neither amongst those that pretend to be above the duty nor those that scorn and deride it To be thankful for a little is the best way to procure more Direct 6. During the Spirits withdrawments be very playable to its commands motions and suggestions labour to be more ingenuous in thy obedience It is ordinarily some stubborn resistance or affront of the Spirit that drives him away at least some palpable neglect of yielding obedience to his motion therefore a yielding plyable frame is the next way to a recovery Even to say and practise as Elihu teacheth Job I have born chastisement I will not offend any more Job 34. 31 32. That which I see not teach thou me if I have done
iniquity I will do no more This is to comply with Gods end in such dispensations When the Father takes the Rod in hand his expectation is that the Child should be grieved for his fault and become more observant of him That soul that under such withdrawings grows more plyable is in the way of Recovery Therefore resolve thus I have already grieved the holy Spirit by neglecting his assistance abusing his grace vouchsafed I will not add this more to continue stubborn to his commands I will not thus add Job 34. 37. Rebellion to my sin I have already found that it is an evil and bitter thing to abuse and grieve the Spirit his presence is unspeakably sweet his absence a want unconceivable None but those that have had experience can conceive either the happiness of the one or misery of the other So much may suffice in answer to this Case Let the dejected soul set upon these things and add perseverance to performance then will the Issue be comfortable at least profitable Either God will return in a way of assistance and enlargement or will so sanctifie this severity that it shall end in mercy and turn to thy eternal advantage CHAP. VIII Case 7. THere is yet one Case more to which I desire to speak something viz. Whether set and stated Forms of Prayer are Impediments to the Motions and Assistances of the Spirit By Forms I mean a tying up ones self or being tyed up by others to words and expressions not to vary from them but constantly to use the very same without variation Not only to have some Modell Method or naked Heads in our minds which we may enlarge upon more or less or to which we may add or alter as our occasions and necessities require but to utter the very same Words and Syllables constantly in our addresses to God by prayer Now here I meet with some on the one hand who utterly decry all use of forms as unlawful or highly inconvenient as unbeseeming a Christian and restraining the Spiof Prayer by neglecting to make use of those gifts and helps which the Spirit ordinarily bestows upon Christians yea they think it next an impossibility to perform the duty with any affection or acceptance in that way Others on the other hand â—re so devoted to forms that they condemn and deride all conceived prayer as if none could attain to that ability as to express their own or others wants to God except they have a form of words yea they charge all extemporary conceptions as guilty of Tautologies Extravagancies I reverence and savouring of Enthusiasme I shall declare my thoughts in the following Conclusions nor indeed mine only but the judgement of others that have been esteemed Pious and Orthodox who have gone a middle way betwixt these extreams nor need I add much to what is said Prop. 1. Set and stated forms are lawful and may be useful and helpful to some Christians yea in some cases necessary Touching their lawfulness much is said by others I shall briefly hint at it The approved practice of the Sâ—ints in Scripture especially the See Numb 10. 35 36 6. 23. forms of Blessing and Thanksgiving prescribed in Scripture and the Psalms the Titles of some shewing that they were composed for the publick use of the Church to be sung upon occasion and what are they but forms of prayer and praise Yet some of those that stick at the lawfulness of a form of prayer will not stick to use those without scruple and the experience of many may tell them that the use of those are no restraint upon the Spirit but a help to raise and enlarge our hearts Yea it is remarkable when the Apostle bids us be fill'd with the Spirit he immediately subjoyns Eph. 5. 18 19. speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs q. d. you cannot give vent to the Spirit in a better way than Viâ— Sydenham's Exercitation on Infant-Baptism and singing Psalms by singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord and as Zanchy with others have observed the three Titles of the Psalms in that Text as also in Col. 3. 16. are the very same that are given to David's Psalms lest we should think the Apostle mean't some others of humane or extemporary composure But to return to the thing in hand I would add this as to the lawfulness of a form God hath made prayer our daily and constant duty but he hath no where forbidden us to use the same words or enjoyned us to use no other but our own extemporary conceptions Except therefore the Dissenters will say that to use a form is to destroy the very Essence of prayer which will scarce be proved they must grant a form lawful and warrantable Moreover I say it may be useful and in some cases necessary I will say little more to this than what is said by a Reverend Author who is not to be suspected of too Ames Cas Lib 4. C. 7. Q. 4. much inclination to Forms or Ceremonies 1. Some even amongst Christians and Professors are so rude and ignorant though it may be spoken to their shame that they cannot tolerably express their desires in prayer Must such utterly neglect the duty Is it not better during their gross ignorance to use the help of others gifts and composures than not to pray at all or to utter that which is sensless and impious I speak it not to excuse their ignorance or that that they should be encouraged to rest satisfied herein but for the present necessity 2. Some again though they can do it privately and so far as my suffice in their secret addresses to God yet when they are to pray before others want either dexterity and fitness of expression readiness of utterance or confidence to use those abilities they have whom yet I will not excuse from a sinful bashfulness and for expression though it is partly a gift of the Spirit yet it may be in a great measure acquired and improved by reading meditation and exercise 3. It is possible that some bodily distemper or sodain distraction may befall such as are otherwise able which may beclowd their minds weaken their mâ—mories and dull their parts that they may be unfit to express themselves in extemporary conceptions This may happen in case of Melancholy cold Palsies or the like distempers I may add what the fore-cited Author notes that it is profitable for some to have their desires and meditations regulated by such helps for all that have expression cannot so methodize their thoughts in praying with others as to avoid disorder and confusion I conclude then that in the Case aforesaid or the like a form may be profitable and helpful Nor is it a tying up the Spirit but if conscionably used may be both attended with the Spirits assistance and find acceptance with God Prop. 2. Yet it will not hence follow that any should satisfie themselves in such stated
the poor forsaken wretch go Pray he cannot he wants that Heaven-engaging faculty Oh the advantage of a Spirit of prayer in a day of distress But 2. He will be ready to go to those that will distress him instead of helping him as the Jews found Pharaoh of whom God witnesseth that when they took hold of him Ezek. 29. 7. by the hand he did break and rent all their shoulder and when they-leaned upon him he brake and made all their loins to be at a stand left them to shift for themselves as well as they could brought them into the Briats and then cast them off or as Ahaz was served by Tilgah-Pilneser King of Assyria 2 Chron. 28. 20 21. whom though he hired with a great reward yet he distressed him but strengthned him not How often do wicked prayerless persons plunge themselves deeper into misery by those courses they take to relieve themselves and run into the snare they would avoid or some worse calamity The silly Sheep to shelter it self from the Storm runs into the Bryars and they pull off its covering We run sometimes under a Tree in a Storm and it drops upon us and wets us worse Such are the shelters of ungodly men but the Spirit of prayer puts us out of danger of this temptation it sends us to one whose promises are not more free and full than his performances will be faithful 3. Such an one will be sadly tempted to run to sinful helps to make lies his refuge as was hinted before when he cannot untye the knot he will cut it he will break the hedge of duty to escape the foulness of his way He will be ready to say as she Flectere si nequeo superos Acheronta movebe If Heaven will not Hell shall relieve him If the God of Israel be his enemy because of wickedness or he a stranger to God and hath no Interest in him cannot pray to him he will be ready to enquire of Baaâ—zâ—bub the 2 Kings 1. 2 3. God of Ekron If God have cast him off be departed from him and become his enemy he will be ready to go to the Witch of 1 Sam. 28. 16. Endor Now the Spirit of prayer is a singular preservative from such sinful courses while those that want it sink in their affliction and so either sink themselves deeper into it or else sin themselves out of it by debauching conscience gratifying the Devil offending God which indeed is but to avoid one mischief by running into a far greater He that hath the Spirit of prayer is plying the Throne of grace committing himself to God casting his burden upon the Lord he dare not indeed he needs not take those sinister courses Ezra would not so much as desire a guard of the King because he had told the King of the hand of God upon Ezra 8. 21 22. all them that seek him for good He had interest in Heaven he can engage Gods protection by a solemn Fast and humble seeking the Lord. A praying believing soul scorns those base shifts that others use If he cannot pray himself out of his afflictions he can pray down support and strength patience cheerfulness grace sufficient for him 2 Cor. 12. 9. and therefore resolves to wait as the Church Isa 8. 18. Mich. 7. 9. as Job Chap. 14. 14. Should the Devil or the world tempt him to an indirect way of escape and set him a door open if he will but accept of such terms as they propose it may be dissemble a little falter in his Religion violate his engagements to God debauch conscience c. He will be ready to say as Paul when Act. 16. 37. they would have thrust him privily out of the Prison Nay verily but let them come themselves and fetch us out So he God hath put me into this suffering state and I will stay till he come and take me out of it and I will pray and wait till he come for be will come and will not tarry 4. Such as want the Spirit of prayer are in danger of being tempted to break out into curses imprecations blespheming against God or some such dreadful courses Grief will vent it self one way or other if it do not work out in prayer and humble submissive acknowledgements it will be apt to work the contrary way See how Job's grief works He fell down upon the Job 1. 20 21 22. ground and worshipped and said Naked came I the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord This kept him from sinning and charging God foolishly and yet you find some mixtures of impatience in him And especially in cursing his birth-day Chap. 3. c. you see what his impatient Wife prompts and tempts him to Dost thou still retain thy integrity Job 2. 9. Curse God and dye For I cannot assent to that softer sense that some have put upon her words the former clause of the Verse will not bear it Dost thou still retain thy integrity She seems to have respect to his blessing God in the end of the former Chapter if you will read the words Bless God c. q. d. Since thou art so apt and ready Dutch Annotat still to bless God for all things as thou didst lately thou hadst best hold on still and see how well he will requite thee So that she seems here to act the Devils part who is ready to set in with all occasions and most commonly tempts to murmuring impatience and blasphemy when we are under affliction as knowing how subject we are to it at such a time Well but Job had the Spirit of God which fortified him against such temptations But now where the Spirit of prayer is wanting which teaches humble submission and blessing God how apt are men to break out into cursing dreadful imprecations and horrid blasphemies you may note in that Scripture most of those things together Much of that Chapter is Isa 8. a threatning against Israel for their wickedness Now observe what course men will take in these straits They forsake the waters of V. 6. Shiloah that go softly a small Brook in Jerusalem in allusion to which the Psalmist calls the special Providence of God over his Church a River Psal 46. 4. So that they despise the promise of Gods help looking upon it as a little Brook a poor contemptible thing Now what course do they take They rejoyce in Rezin King of Syria and in Remaliahs Son Pekah King of Israel but God will bring upon them the waters of the V. 7. River in opposition to the River Shiloah which they forsook strong and many even the King of Assyria and all his glory Here they trust to vain helps such as shall not afford them relief Again Say ye not V. 12. a confederacy to all them to whom this people shall say a confederacy Here is another vain and sinful refuge making confederacies entring
into Leagues and Covenants with Idolatrous Nations as Ahaz to whom this seems to relate with the King of Assyria 2 Chron. 28. 16 20 21. but this proved a distress and not a refuge Again when they shall say unto you Seek unto them that have familiar Spirits and unto Wizards that peep and that mutter Here is a sinful course the wickedness whereof is evinced by the following words Should not a people seek unto their God q. d. V. 19. Should you not rather believe in God and enquire of him by prayer And then the folly of it in those words for the living to the dead q. d. What madness is it that 1 Sam. 28 11. those who are alive should enquire of the dead as Saul did Yet such is the sin and folly of prayerless persons Then observe again They shall pass thorough it hardly V. 21. bestead and hungry and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry they shall fret themselves and curse their King and their God and look upward not with an eye of faith but of impatience or forced by meer extremity as 2 Sam. 22. 42. This is that I am now speaking of they fall a cursing blaspheming grow desperate By all this you see how sad it is to want a Spirit of prayer in a day of trouble Into what snares men run themselves when they cannot go to God Therefore do not make a light matter of it Think not the want of the Spirit of prayer a small thing you know not how soon God may change your condition how soon affliction may fasten upon you then the Spirit of prayer would be an unspeakable advantage and the want of it will be found an unspeakable want however if by these sinful shifts you may keep off the blow for the present yet sin will increase and you will by such courses treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Isa 50. ult 8. ult your portion will be to lye down in sorrow you will be driven into darkness 2. A second consideration that may shew the misery of not having the Spirit of prayer in afflâ—ction is this that such ordinarily lose the benefit of affliction to them it is Ezek. 7. 5. like to be an evil an only evil I deny not but God may do good and hath done good to very wicked men by afflictions But I say you cannot expect or promise to your selves any benefit till you can pray in affliction The promises indeed are many of Isa 27. 9. benefit by affliction By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged I have sent them Jer. 24. 5. into the Land of the Caldeans for their good All things shall work together for good Rom. 8. 28. But he God chastneth us for our Heb. 12. 10. profit that we might be partakers of his holiness and the like But all these promises bring forth upon the knees of prayer What is it for him that hath no key or way of entrance to know of an infinite Treasure These wells are deep if you cannot draw them by the Bucket of prayer what the better are you Oh it is an unconceivable loss to lose the benefit of afflictions Thus may a prayerless soul bemoan it self in trouble This affliction for ought I know may be my ruine it may be the Praeludium of eternal misery it may cut me off and send me packing to Hell or if I live I may live a miserable comfortless life I may be a very Cain a Vagabond Or it may be to my further obduration and so heighten and hasten my condemnation Now he that hath the Spirit helping him to pray in trouble may be assured of a blessed issue and a sanctified improvement of his sufferings But of this I spake something before Well if you desire to derive upon your souls the influences of all those blessed promises made to the suffering servants of God get the Spirit of Prayer otherwise you cannot be assured that one of those good things belong to you 3. Where a Spirit of prayer is wanting under affliction it is to be feared that soul is in a state of wrath I will not be peremtory In some cases God may withdraw his Spirit from his people in affliction when he intends to hold on their burden for some time as it was with the Jews in Babylon Ezek. 24. 23. So foretold Ye shall not mourn nor weep that is towards God in prayer but ye shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn one towards another and so fulfilled All this evil is come Dan. 9. 13. upon us yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God Yea sometimes the with holding of a Spirit of prayer is inflicted as a punishment upon Gods children of which I spoke in one of the Cases above Yet this I must needs say Where a soul neither prayes nor desires to pray nor sees a necessity of prayer under trouble but thinks of other courses any whither rather than to God it is a shrewd sign that soul hath no interest in God For afflictions are Gods Rod and if we are children we shall fall at his feet when he takes his Rod in hand and however the Sun-shine of Prosperity make a Child of God cast off his Cloak as I may allude to that Fable yet the wind of Adversity would make him gird it closer about him Though a course of peace health fulness make the best sometimes forget their Rock yet when misery comes they remember God is their Rock and Psal 78. 35 the high God their Redeemer The Text tells you it is one of the great supports of a child of God in a day of trouble to have the Spirit helping his infirmities So that where the Spirit of supplication is wholly wanting it is to be doubted whether that soul hath the Spirit of Adoption Though to pray in affliction is not alwayes an evidence of having a Spirit of Prayer for even wicked men may and often do pray in straits yet to be prayerless then speaks one void of the Spirit Were there any praying dispositions in the heart afflictions would draw them out But it may be this is little to those I am speaking to what if they be not children of God What if they be strangers at the Throne of Grace c. Oh but make not light of such a condition What can I say worse of a man on this side Hell than to say he is a child of wrath To such God is an enemy and all his dispensations are in anger his very blessings are cursed That is a sad word the wrath of God abideth on him it hunts and pursues John 3. 36. him and without repentance will never leave till it hath sunk him into everlasting perdition Is this to be made light of Or can you imagine a condition more deplorable 4. Add this also that where a soul under affliction is void of the Spirit of
pressing Troubles may even stop thâ— Speech and indispose the outward Organâ— But thou canst not so freely go out to God thou wantest praying affections and dispositions Faith Love Desire Delight iâ— God godly sorrow c. are at a very low ebb and scarce discernable I ask Whence are these complaints Hadst thou no love to God or desire of him thou wouldst never complain that thou canst not love him There would be no such language as this Oh that I could love God as I should Oh my base dis-ingenuous heart that returns so little Love c. But something more to this in the next Quest 3. Suppose it be at sometimes as bad as thou makest it that grace be at a low ebb that thou art dead senseless unapt backward lumpish canst scarce dragg thy self into the presence of God and when before the Lord thou hast neither words not heart to the duty Is it alwayes thus Darest thou so far wrong God as to deny his gracious assistances vouchsaf't to thee Canst thou not remember the sweet meltings and enlargements that thy soul hath felt in duty the precious experiences thou hast had both as to assistance and acceptance Yes it may be you will say and that is it that is the sting in my affliction Had I never known what these things meant I had not had this sting in my affliction but this is it that makes my cup exceedingly bitter that I have sinned away these mercies and now want the Spirits help when I most need it I deny not but the case is sad yet there is something to allay it For consider what child of God hath not sometime felt and complained of the like Who is it that hath not his dead fits Do we not find David and other precious Saints under the like distempers Read Psal 77. 88 38 c. The Text doth not assert this as the constant Priviledge of Gods afflicted people to have the Spirit helping their infirmities at least in that full and sensible manner as they desire even these suspensions are necessary to make us feel the weight of an affliction and to make the Spirits return sweeter Besides thy former experience is in it self a ground of hope upon which thou maist bespeak thy soul in the words of David Why art thou cast down O my soul why art thou disquieted within me Psal 42. ult still trust in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God For however the Spirit may suspend his influences he doth not depart for ever he is an abiding Comforter So that to conclude Joh. 14. 16. 1. If thou hast had the Spirits assistance if thou hast known by experience this great priviledge in the Text. 2. If thou canst still groan and sigh out thy complaints though not pour out thy soul in such full expressions or cloathe thy prayers with words as sometimes thou couldst 3. If thou art sensible of thy want and dost earnestly breathe after the Spirits return yea couldst be content thy burden were doubled if thou couldst but cry and plead with God as sometimes thou hast done I say thou hast no cause to conclude that thou art wholly destitute of the Spirit of Supplication these things are not found in those that are void of the Spirit they neither feel their want nor desire the assistance of Gods Spirit Yea let me add that a soul in thy condition is not fit to be its own Judge such complaints such pantings speak a soul in a growing posture Thriving Christians like growing children are aptest to complain that their cloaths are too little their graces weak and feeble which is not because they do not grow but because their desires are to grow still more Like Paul they forget that which is behind and are reaching Phil. 3. 13. forth to that which is before Or like that great Conqueror of whom it was said Nilque putans factum dum quid superesset agendum Alexander the Great They think they have no grace because they have not all grace Well I shall look upon it as a sure sign of an enlarged heart never to think it self enough enlarged Therefore let these complaining souls drink no longer Waters of sorrow but take a little Wine of consolation Thus much to those that want or think they want this precious Priviledge CHAP. XII 2. THE other sort to whom I am now to speak are those who have this great mercy and know the Advantage of it such as can beat testimony to this great truth that the spirits help in prayer is a great Reality These also I shall rank under three heads 1. Such as have this mercy but are not at present in Affliction 2. Such as are in trouble and doe in some measure experience the benefit of it 3. Such as have been in the deeps and have tasted the goodness of God in this kind though now delivered from their troubles to each of these I shall propose what I conceive most suitable and edifying 1. To you that being yet free from calamities know what it is to be helped in prayer The Doctrine speaks by way of Counsel and Advice and that is that you cherish and make much of and doe what you can to perserve this great Priveledge take heed of such fins as may grieve away the spirit of such as have been mentioned above especially in the 6th Case This Advice I give upon a 3. fold consideration 1. Though you are yet at quiet though you fit under your own vine and under your own figtree and the candle of the Lord Job 29. 3 4. shine upon your head and his secret be upon your Tabernacle you know not how soon the Case may alter and the Cup that others drink of may be put into your hand David found himself deceived when hee said his mountain Psalm 30. 6 7. was made strong and hee should never be moved God hides his face and then hee 's troubled Solomon's dayes were for a long time peaceable and no likelyhood of any trouble to arise God had made him terrible to all 1 Chr. 8. 7 and 9. 23 24. 1 Ki. 11. 14. 23. 26. about him and put the necks of his Adversaries under his seet all the bordering Kings are his Feudatories and Tributaries yet on a sodain a black cloud arises and a succession of Adversaries are raisd up against him Who more prosperous then Job or more likely to live and die in his nest being not less pious than prosperous being a man perfect and upright one that feared God and eschewed evill yet behold him stript of all sitting upon the Dunghill scraping him self with a Potsheard Who can hope to escape when neither his piety nor possessions can secure him It may be with you as with those Acts. 27 13 14. in the Ship with Paul The South-wind of prosperity blowing softly you may suppose you have obtained your purpose and think you
are renewed I find there is no allay to trouble like this even to pour out my soul to the Lord which by the help of Gods Spirit I can do in some weak measure this is hearts-ease I can upon this account glory in my sorrowful infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me Therefore I 2 Cor. 12. 9 10. take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in perseoutions in distresses for Christs sake or in other Troubles that come upon me in the world for when I am weak in my self then through the Spirits assistance I am strong If this be thy condition and experience I have two words of Counsell to impart to thee 1. Use and improve to the utmost this great mercy hold on in this duty Continue in prayer while thy trouble continues I Col. 4. 2. mean that thou double and treble thy importunity in reference to the Affliction thou art under do as Paul pray thrice often 2 Cor. 12. 8. 2 Kin. 13. 19. smite with this arrow not three times only but six or seven yea an hundred times But not to speak in the clouds There is a threefold improvement which you should make of the Spirits help in trouble all having relation to Affliction and exceedingly tending to your advantage in it Take them in order 1. Improve the Spirits help especially to beg a blessing upon your affliction be earnest for sanctification and spiritual improvement under it be not so importunate to have the plaister taken off as to have it made effectual to heal some spiritual distemper Let thy soul breathe out such desires as these Lord make this stroak humbling healing quickning May some corrupt blood run out at this wound Let some hidden lust be discovered let my faith be resined my delight in thy wayes be increased as my outward 2 Cor. 14. 16. man decayes let my inward man be renewed day by day Thus be more importunate to find the good of it then to be freed from the evil of it as thou seelest the smart so be earnest that thou maist find the benefit such prayers are according to the will of God and therefore he will return a gracious answer Self may prompt us to beg ease and deliverance but Grace should teach us to beg spiritual advantage especially since the promises of doing us good by affliction are so full so many and since there is not a shorter cut to a sanctified deliverance than to have affliction sanctified 2. Improve this mercy as an alleviating consideration do as those that carry a heavy burden they lay something betwixt their shoulder and the thing they carry to make it lye easier Put this consideration betwixt thy shoulder and the burden it will make it abundantly lighter as you have already heard Oh what a calming cheering thought may this be Well though I am afflicted yet I am not cast off God still holds me up with one hand as he smites me with the other while I have the blessed spirit of God to take by the heavy end and lift with me how patient how cheerful should I be As it said in a like case The Inhabitant shall not say I am Isa 33. 24. sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity which some thus interpert q. d. The people shall not be sensible of sickness and bodily distempers Sense of pardon shall take away sense of pain their outward afflictions shall be as no affliction sin which is the sting thereof being taken away So may the soul under trouble which hath this great advantage say This trouble is nothing so long as I can thus fetch in ease support and comfort 3. Improve it also as a preservative from taking offence at the Cross or from taking indirect wayes to get from under it For think how unreasonable a thing it were to be offended to quarrel or murmure when God doth abundantly compensate the bitterness of thy suffering with the sweetness of this experience Or why shouldest thou go else where for ease and comfort when thou hast so ready a way to God He hath laid a Cross on thy back but he hath withall put his Spirit within thee and thereby thou canst fetch in support this is enough to bear charges be the journey as I may say never so long or chargeable Thus argue Why should I go elsewhere I can turn in to my Heavenly Father I can commit Psa 55. 22. my self to the Lord and cast my burden upon him and he will sustain me What need I goe down to Egypt for help why should I wound Conscience by base complyances why should I ask a guard of Kings or fly for shelter to brambles with will but scratch and teâ—r mee when I can by Faith and Prayer dwell in the secret place of the most high and abide under the shadow of the Almighty Is there not a God in Israel and have I not that Spirit of Adoption whereby I can cry Abba Father why should I got to Baalzebub the God of Ekron Through grace I will not sin nor charge God foolishly If hee strike harder I will pray harder and cry lowder Thus emprove this precious mercy 2. The Second word of advice I have for such is this Let thy returns of thankfulness for this mercy be neither straitned nor slackned because of thy affliction rather be more thankfull delay not to pay God the praise due to him nor pay him with the shortest For consider this Priviledge is not only an allay to thy affliction but it changeth the very nature of it it turnes the Cross into a blessing This I presume will be readily acknowledg'd that the worst that can befall us is mercy if it work for the best if it improve and fit us for glory if it make our graces more flourishing and vigourous and shall make the Crown of glory more ponderous Now this is the Effect of the Spirits help in prayer it turns afflictions into advantages our losses become our gain and is there not cause of joy and thankfulness What Paul saith of his bonds and imprisonment I know this shall turn to Phil. 1. 19. my salvation how through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Christ The same may you say of your troubles Be they what they will I know these shall turn to my salvation I know these shall promote my eternall happiness through the supplies of the Spirit in Prayer Therefore bless God in the midst of trouble rejoyce in this mercy and the rather because this will be a singular means not only to have the Spirits assistance continued but to have it more increased Thanksgiving is a duty that brings meat in the mouth of it you cannot give God the praise of any mercy but hee will add another mercy to it The thankfull Leper upon his returning to give thanks receives an additionall Testimony Goe thy way thy faith Luk. 17. 19 Calv. in loc hath made
prayer 1. A Spur to it for who would not look on it as a singular priviledge that hee might upon all emergencies have recourse to any great Earthly Monarch how much more should wee take delight in approaching to God when thou feelest thy heart dull and backward to this duty what a quickning consideration may it be to think that it is the Majesty of heaven that thou conversest with in it Nor must we think as that profane wretch I have heard of who being upon a sick-bed used this as an argument for deliverance that if God would now heare him hee would trouble him no more that our frequent addresses trouble God No the oftner if wee come aright the welcomer hee bids us ask and chides us for not asking John 16 23 24. 2. But then it may be a Curb to all rovings and extravagancies al rashness and irreverence ' T is the God of Heaven to whom thou addresses Who would not fear befo◠him Eccl. 5. 2. God is in Heaven and thou on Earth therefore let thy words be few It ill beseemes us to be sawcy though wee may be humbly bold with God So much of much more that might have been spoken shall serve for Application of this Truth I come now to a more particular Consideration of the description of God in this Preface And 1. By his Relation to us Father which is amplified by the Ground and extensiveness of it for both are implyed in that word Our 2. Doctr. They that come to God aright in prayer must come to him as to a Father Relation to and Interest in God is necessary to make prayer prevalent wee must be able to cry Abba Father Rom. 8. 15. If yet call on the Father 1 Pet. 1. 17. There must be some hopefull ground of such a relation as a ground of confidence in prayer Explic. Now God is called Father considered 1. Personally or Hypostatically viz. as the first person of the Trinity so hee is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as having begotten him from eternity by an ineffable generation A mystery to be beleeved by faith not apprehended by reason Thus hee is called Eph. 1. 3. Heb. 1. 5. c. 2. Considered Essentially the whole Trinity God in three Persons but One in Essence and so hee is Father either 1. In regard of Creation and Sustentation of all his creatures especially the rationall creature Mal. 2. 10. called the Father of Spirits Heb. 12. 9. of all things 1 Cor. 8. 6. thus the Heathens stiled their Jupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Father of Gods and men 2. In respect of Adoption hee is the Father of those whom hee takes into speciall Relation and this 1. Either Externall when a people are called into a profession of God and the True Religion thus the whole body of the Jewish Nation Rom. 9. 2. to them belonged the Adoption See Exod. 4. 22. and Deut. 32. 6. And in this sense the whole body of a Nation professing Christianity and baptized and partaking of Gods Ordinances may be called the children or people of God This is indeed a great mercy yet a man may perish from under this priviledge The children of the Kingdom may be cast out Matth. 8. 12. 2. Or Internall when a man hath not only the title but the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8. 15. Gal. 4. 5. Eph. 1. 13. This may be described An Act of God's free grace in Christ taking us into the number and entitling us to all the priviledges of the Sons of God 'T is not an empty title but a reall priviledge Christ is the head and roote of it the Elect and they only the subjects free grace the inward mooving cause on God's part the word and Spirit are the instruments begetting and sealing it Gods glory in conjunction with mans Salvation the end of it Now in this sense wee are to understand it here Our Father not only as createing and upholding us not only as wee are baptized and partake of Church-priviledges but as wee are begotten by his Word and Spirit born again not of flesh nor of blood c. John 1. 13. Object But may none pray unto God or call him Father but those that are assured of this Adoption Answ Our Common Relation to God as his creatures and our Relation to him as Members of the visible Church may be urged as Arguments in prayer even those that had speciall Relation to God make use of them Psal 138. 8. Isa 63. 19. Wee may plead for mercy upon those accounts but wee are not to rest in them God may heare our prayers but wee cannot have assurance that hee will heare them till wee can come to him in this way of Speciall Relation other pleas may prevail but this will never fail us Confirmation Now for proof of this wee have the practise of the Saints both of the Old and New Testament they come to God under this Relation Isa 63. 16. and 64 8. Ier. 3. 4 19. So Christ himself Matth. 11. 25 26. John 17. 1 5. and 21 24 25. This is the Genius and Spirit of Christians Rom. 8. 15. Gal. 4. 5. 1 Pet. 1. 17. Even Idolaters used to come to their Idols with this appellation Jer. 2. 27. they say to a stock Thou art my Father c. Reas The Reason in generall may be because there is not a more suitable Title either for God to have or for us to give him in our addresses to him by prayer 'T is suitable in regard both of his Majesty and greatness and of his mercy and goodness it s a singular help against those miscarriages that are incident to us in prayer as 1. It helps against irreverence and rash presumption there 's a naturall impress of Awe and Reverence upon the Spirits of children towards a Father there are indeed other Titles more apt to beget feare and trembling but none more effectuall to strike an awfull reverence of God upon the soul this will make us rejoyce with trembling Psal 2. 11. and fill us with Reverence and Godly fear Hebr. 12. 28. 2. It helps against Feare and Unbelief this Relation fils the soul with boldness and confidence Had wee been taught to call him King of glory wee should have been dasht out of Countenance with his Majesty if wee had called him The Lord of Hosts it would have made us tremble at his power or if hee had been stiled Judge of the world wee might have feared his justice But the Title of Father begets boldness and gives encouragement what may not a child hope to obtain from a loving and tender Father 'T is the lowest Title to which humility could condescend and the highest to which love could aspire This begets assurance that hee will give us if not what wee ask yet what is best for us A Father will not in stead of bread give a stone nor in stead of a fish a Serpent nor in stead of an egge a Scorpion Luke 11. 11 12.
This Title speaks our Interest in God and his affections and bowels towards us Confidence and boldness is necessary in prayer Jam. 1. 6. Wee must ask in faith not wavering and what Relation more apt to beget it than when wee can come to God as children to a Father 3. It helps against that backwardness and unwillingness which wee are naturally subject to wee are apt to withdraw from that duty unwilling to begge Now this title sweetens the duty to us and invites to it Little children take delight in speaking to their Father when they have nothing else to say yet they will be calling Father God would have us delight in duty and therefore hee teaches us to come to him under this most endearing and encouraging Title As himself takes delight in the approaches of his people Cant. 2. 14. Let mee see thy Countenance let mee heare thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy Countenance is comely so hee would have us come chearfully and therefore puts this Appellation into our Mouths and teacheth us to call him Our Father Use 1 See then that prayer is not a task but a priviledge 't is an address to God under the sweetest Relation Wee come not to deal with a severe Judge with a rugged and austere Master nor with an offended irreconcileable enemy Nor yet with a stranger in whom wee have no interest and with whom wee have no acquaintance No but wee come to a Father Think with what affections with what hopes and expectations what courage and confidence a child goes to a loving and tender Father yet with what awe and reverence and thus mayst thou goe to God in prayer How seldom doe wee consider this or act up to it wee come not to the duty as our priviledge or to God as Our Father There are three tempers of Spirit partly hinted before very unsuitable to this Priviledge 1. A lumpish backward and withdrawing Spirit when wee must be drag'd and forced to prayer when neither apprehension of the priviledge nor conscience of duty will bring us before God How unsuitable is this to the Spirit of Adoption which teacheth us to cry Abba Father And yet which of Gods children doe not sadly experience this distemper often upon them Oh let us be ashamed of it bewayl it and labour against it what shall not the Title of Father invite us and beget a willingness yea an holy forwardness and eagerness to this duty Bespeak thy lumpish Spirit what ô my soul hath infinite Majesty condescended so low to become thy Father and engage thee so to call him and will not this sweet Relation draw thee into his presence Were it a enemy a stranger with whom thou hast to loe well mightst thou be backward but who would not delight to converse with a Father such a Father 2. A diffident and distrustfull Spirit This much unbeseems the Relation of Children to a Father especially such a Father wee should not ask tremblingly having a Father to ask a Son in whose name wee are taught to ask a Spirit to indite our petitions and so many Promises to plead Jam. 1 6. Ask in faith nothing doubting Qui frigidè rogat docet negare A cold asking begs a denyall God allowes and wee may use an humble boldness and familiarity Isa 45. 11. Ask of mee things to come concerning MY SONNES and concerning the work of my hands command ye mee that 's a high expression and shews how condescending God is and how humbly confident wee should be 3. A careless irreverent Spirit Hee is little sensible either of the Majesty of God or the Relation in which hee should approach to God that comes irreverently into his presence Wâ—e forget the Relation of Father when wee despise or irreverently take the name of God into our Mouths when Mal. 1. 6 7. Hebr. 12. 28. wee doe not serve God with reverence and Godly feare wee doe not serve him acceptably nor suitably to our Relation Is this to come to God as a Father when you come rushing into his presence without any awe or dread of his Majesty upon your Spirits dare you laugh and gaze and trifle in prayer dare you carry more irreverently and lightly than you would in the presence of some Earthly Potentate or in the presence of your earthly Parent Oh how unbeseeming is such carriage to the Title and Relation in which you approach unto God Remember how great your priviledge is and how disingenuous it is so to abuse it Use 2 Then it concerns all that would come to God in prayer to endeavour to make out their Adoption see that you be Children else how can you cry Abba Father As all are not endued with Ability for prayer so all are not in a Capacity to come to God aright Oh see that you can make out your Relation I might here be very large in laying down Tryals and evidences of sonship but I should make this part too bigge for the rest of my intended building besides I have lately in speaking to the Priviledge of Adoption spoken to this at large I shall content my self with 3. Characters of a Son which if found in you you may conclude your selves to be Children indeed 1. The first note of a child is Resemblance to his Father It is not alwayes so as to earthly but it is so as to our Heavenly Father God begets all his children as Adam Gen. 5. 3. his in his own likeness after his image They have the Spirit of God by which they are changed from glory to glory into the image 2 Cor. 3. 18. Eph. 5. 1. of God they are followers of God as deare children mercifull as their heavenly Father holy haters of sin lovers of Righteousness Now where shall wee find this Character impressed May wee not say of many as John 8. 44. Yee are of your Father the Divell What shall wee say of those that manisest to the world that they hate God and goodness of the common swearer c. Doe not these bear the very image of Sathan are they not as contrary to God as darkness to light with what face canst thou call God Father since thou hast no part of the Image of God upon thy Soul Well if you would be sure to speed in your addresses proove your selves Children by your Resemblance to God 2. Obedience is the Character of a Child there 's a Spirit which makes them plyable to the Fathers commands they are begotten unto obedience 1 Pet. 1. 2 14. True they are not perfectly brought under there are in them unruly lusts they have in them flesh as well as Spirit yet there is a Law in their minds they delight in the law of God Rom. 7. Eph. 2. 2. and 5. 6. according to the inner man they are a willing people Psal 110. 3. whereas the wicked are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Children of disobedience or such as will not be perswaded to yield obedience to God Try then is
used in sincerity when speaking of God they add blessed or worshipped may hee bee so here But as the opinion is singular so the verb here being in the same mood as in the following Petitions speaks this to be of the same nature with the following I conclude it therefore to be a Petition the sense whereof wee shall better understand by explaining the Terms of it 1. What is meant by the name of God 2. What by sanctifying Explicat Thy name The name of God is put 1. for God himself an usuall Hebraism to put names for persons which the Greeks also imitate Acts. 1. 15. The number of names were about 120 Rev. 3. 4. Thou hast a few names c. i. e. persons So the name of Christ is put for Christ himself Acts. 4. 12. Ephes 1. 21. Thus the Name of God is equivalent to God himself Gen. 4. 26. Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord and this is very frequent and obvious 2. Name is put for that which notifies and distinguishes God from all others So those Attributes whereby God hath revealed himself are frequently called his name Se Exod. 3. 15. 15. 3. Isa 43. 6. Exod. 34. 5 6. They that know thy name will put their trust in thee Psam 9. 10. i. e. Thy power wisdom goodness c. 3. It is also put for fame and celebrity for the glory of praise that is publickly given to any one so 't is attributed to God 1 Kings 8. 41. 42. they shall hear of thy great Name Neh. 9. 10. so didst thou get thee a name as wee say A mans name is up when hee is spoken of with general applause 4. Name is put for what ever God makes himself known by as in the 3d. Commandment Now the word and works of God are the things whereby hee discovers himself Here the two first senses are most proper q. d. Be thou magnified and glorified in thy Essence and Attributes Hallowed or sanctified To open that word take the following Conclusions 1. Man is said to sanctify himself or others thus God commands the Israelites to sanctifie to him their first born Exod. 13. 2. and the Priests to sanctify themselves Exod. 19. 22. In this sense to sanctify is to dedicate and set a part to God a thing or person or to prepare for any speciall service 2. God is said to sanctify Man which is either to choose him to some peculiar office as Aaron and his Sons Exod. 29. 44. Or else to infuse habits of graces and make him holy by reall communications of the graces of his Spirit of which 1 Thess 5. 23. and many other Scriptures 3. God is said to sanctify himself Numb 20. 13. when hee vindicates himself from any dishonour or wicked reflexions of mens sins So Ezek. 36. 23. I will sanctify my great name which was profaned among the Heathen which ye have profaned in the midst of them i. e. I will wipe off the reproach which your miscarriages have brought upon my Name amongst the Heathen Thus God sanctified himself upon Aarons Sons Levit. 10. 3. See also Isa 5. 16. But amongst his own people God is said to sanctify himself when hee restores to them the purity of his worship Ezek. 20. 41. or delivers them from any grievous affliction Ezek. 28. 25. and 39. 27. In a word when God by any signall providence declares what hee is or writes any of his attributes so legibly upon his Providences that men may plainly read it hee doth herein sanctifie himself 4. Lastly Man is said to sanctify God Isa 8. 13. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself that is not to make but to declare God holy and glorious to acknowledge him to be what hee is and to ascribe to him what ever speaks his transcendent excellency In a word to refer our whole life and all our actions and endeavours to his glory according to that 1 Cor. 10. 31. Now the two last senses are proper to this Petition Let thy name be sanctified both by thy self and by us thy Creatures doe thou reveal thy glory and enable us to acknowledg and celebrate it And by the way it is well observed Sr. Rich. Baker how generally these Petitions run that relate to God It is said Hallowed be thy name Not by us lest wee make the Musick of too few voices Thy Kingdom come not to us lest wee assign God too small a Territory Thy will be done Not by us lest wee stint God to too few Servants But wee say Hallowed be thy name and stop there that no mouth may be stopt from glorifying God Thy Kingdom come but not whither because wee should desire its coming into all places Thy will be done Not by whom because it should be done by all The sense then of this Petition may be given in these Scriptures Psam 80. 12. Thou that dwellest between the Cherubins shine forth and Psal 21. 13. Be thou exalted Lord in thine owne strength And Psal 57. 5 11. Be thou exalted O God above heavens let thy glory be above all the earth These may express it as it relates to Gods sanctifying himself And then as it relates to our sanctifying of him Ps 67. 3 5. Let the people praise thee O God yea let all the people praise thee may be a good exposition or Paraphrase upon it So Psal 13. 18. c. The more particular explication I reserve to the Application The Point is this Doctr. 6 The gloryfying or sanctifying of Gods name should be our chief Petition in our addresses to God by prayer This needs no great proof that one Scripture speaks fully to it 1 Cor. 10. 31. Whether yee eat or drink doe all to the glory of God If every thing if our naturall and civil much more our religious actions and if the glory of God must be the highest end of our prayers it clearly followes that it must be first and chief in our Petitions as well as in our intentions I shall for further clearing the thing and preventing mistakes briefly answer a 3. sold Query and then apply it Quest 1. Is it necessary that wee should alwayes keep this order in our Petitions must wee alwayes pray in the first place that Gods name may be sanctifyed Ans 1. The glory of God should alwayes fit highest in our hearts and all our desires and Petitions should be subordinate to this as their end and as far as wee can discern directed to it so that all wee ask should be implicitly and intentionally Petitions that Gods name may be sanctified since in what ever wee ask wee should chiefly intend this and our desires should be ever bounded with this as the condition if wee ask outwards health riches deliverance c. or if spirituals grace or comfort still wee must have an ey to this mark and the nearer any thing comes to this mark the more intense may our desires be and the move earnest our Petitions about it So that
to be paid by us wee should never have been taught to ask forgiveness wee must sue for it in form â pauperis as being unable to satisfy We are never in a right capacity to ask or obtain forgiveness till wee are under a clear conviction of the impossibility of our making satisfaction Borrow Job's acknowledgment Chap. 9. 3. If hee i. e. God will contend with him man hee cannot answer him one of a thousand i. e. hee can neither justify himself from his sin nor satisfy for it In David's Psal 143. 2. Enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Here you may amplify upon the number nature and aggravatious of your sins which render the debt infinite and insolvable especially being committed against a God of infinite Majesty c. which renders their demerit infinite 3. Here also we are to acknowledg that it is in the power of God to forgive whether without satisfaction made by our selves or our Suerty I shall not here enquire nor is it necessary that he hath proclaimed himself a sin forgiving God Exod. 34. 6 7. that none but hee alone can do it Mark 2. 7. that it is his property his glory to doe it Mich. 7. 18. Psal 130. 4. Dan. 9. 9. To him belong forgivenâ—sses and if it be the glory of a man much more of God to pass by a transgression Prov. 19. 11. Here we may amplify upon the free and gracious promises hee hath made and the way and means himself hath provided by sending his only begotten Sonne to suffer and satisfy as also the great Sinns and Sinners hee hath forgiven especially the Covenant of Grace which proclaims pardon and the way in which hee will give it These things afford ample matter of acknowledgment 2. Something is included by way of Petition which may relate either 1. To the things begged which though included in one word forgiveness yet may be distinguished into four things which follow each other 1. Pardon it self which is the non-imputation of sin and the not-punishing it upon us Psal 32. 1 2. We may begge it in David's language Psal 51. 1 2 7 9. or the Publican's Luk. 18. 13. and may plead for it the free promises of God Such as Isa 43. 25. and 57. 18. Use also Hos 14. 2 4. 2. The sense and feeling of it upon the conscience which David prayes for Psal 51. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice And Verse 12. Restore unto mee the joy of thy salvation stablish mee with thy free Spirit Pray for the Spirit to seal this mercy to you Eph. 1. 13. that so you may be filled with joy and peace in beleeving Rom. 15. 13. that your owne consciences may give an answer of peace 3. The continuance of pardon and fuller Ames â—medull Theol. L. 1. C. 27. §. 23. Langley against Winnell p. 78. assurance of it for though it is true that God never unpardons as I may say a pardoned Sinner nor repeals or repents his gracious act yet we may and ought to pray that the sins we dayly commit may be actually pardoned for actually pardoned they cannot be till actually committed though there may be a foundation for pardon layd in the soul before the sin be committed this is as it were dayly bathing and washing our selves in the fountain which God Zech 13. 1 hath set open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in for sin and for uncleanness from our pollutions dayly contracted besides we are to pray for the continued and increased sense of pardon its certain God may let conscience fly in our faces and it may be with a soul once truely pardoned as if it were not pardoned as to its owne sense and seeling What need therefore to pray for the lively sense and fuller evidences of this mercy In that Parable Matth. 18. 36. there may sâ—em an intimation as if God would reverse a pardon once given but wee must remember that Parables are only argumentative and of force to prove as to their main scope which in that is to shew how God deals with those that forgive not their Brethren yet 't is certain God may reverse the sense of pardon and draw a cloud betwixt himself and us witness many expressions in Psal 89. 30. 3â— Psal 32. 38. 51. 77. 88. c. Yea not withstanding the remission of sin as to the eternal punishment yet he may both let fall sparks of wrath into the conscience and lash his people with temporal punishments 2 Sam. 12. 13. 14. Psal 99. 8. for God no where â—es his owne hands in this case therefore wee have need upon these accounts to beg pardon that God will not call our sins to remembrance nor cause as as hee did Job Chapt. 13. 26. to possess the iniquities of our youth yea to go a step further we have need to beg pardon and the continuance of it I mean as to temporal judgments in reference to our children and posterity on whose backs God often lasheth his own children sometimes by giving up their children to lewd and wicked conrses so that they become a grief of heart and consumption of the ayes to their parents Sometimes by inflicting misery poverty warre sickness c. upon them for some miscarriages of their Parents though not without their owne also Instances of both cases are obvious Who doubts but Gods giving up Amnon to deflour his Sister and Absalom to contrive the death of his Father were rods wherewith God lâ—sâ—â— David though hee had pardoned his sin as to eternal punishment 2 Sam 12. 13 for his adultery and murder in the buisness of Vrish and the falling off of the Ten Tribes from Rehoboam with the bloody warres and others miseries attending thereon were undoubtedly a punishment of Solomon's falling away from the true God The Milevit Council Can. 7. and 8. Anathematizeth those that say this Petition concerns Sinners and not Saints or that Saints say it humiliter non veraciter to Idolatry so that in this respect we should beg pardon that is the aversion of temporall punishments from our selves and posterity which I hope I may fitly call pardon though not in the strict and proper The logical acceptation of the Word Well this I have hâ—â—ted to shew in what sense and in what respects even the pardoned sinner may begg pardon The rather because some have thought this a Petition fit for sinners to put up not for Saints and that for those who are pardoned to beg pardon is but a mocking God But there is yet a fourth Particular included in this Petion under Forgiveness and that is 4. The compleating act of God whereby he will publickly justifie and acquit us before the whole World at the great day the hastening of this we are to pray for To give you the words of a Reverend Author Ames Med. Theol. l. 1. c. 17. S. 25.
think so that he never was nor shall be tempted is under the saddest temptation Such a soul like the men of Laish Judg. 18. 7. dwels careless quiet and secure and lies open to invasion and destruction To pray against temptations is not to pray against a thing that possibly or probably may come but certainly will come nay if thou art an experienced watchful Christian I doubt not but thou wilt acknowledg that thou art attempted with dayly and hourly temptations What need then considering thy weakness and corrupt inclinations dayly to pray this Petition 2. Then thy temptations become thy sins when they are not heartily and earnestly prayed against He that will not open his mouth to call for help 't is presumed is willing to be overcome Deut. 22. 23 24. The betrothed Dâ—msel that is forced in the City must be stoned because it is supposed shee cryed not out for help and therefore there was on her part some kind of willingness or yielding We are alwayes as it were in the City that is within the reach of God He is alwayes within hearing Who is our City of refuge therefore our not crying for help will be an interpretative willingness to be overcome by the Temptation Nor only when we are actually tempted but at all times it is needful to pray this Petition we are never out of harmes way and commonly never nearer a temptation than when we think our selves furthest from it There is no time when our enemies are at rest and therefore we should give God no rest but be dayly committing our selves to his care and custody That temptation is either not at all thy sin or if thine nothing so hainous against which thou hast importuned Gods assistance 3. Fervent and faithful prayer against temptations will either keep them from thee or thee from the evil of them 't will turn that into Physick which was intended as poyson When a temptation is upon thee it will either procure a removal of it or sufficiency of grace to withstand and improve it 2 Cor. 12. 7 9. How often have the saddest temptations when prayed against made way for the sweetest comforts Even temptations are sanctified by prayer and those waters of Marah made wholsome God never was never will be wanting to come in seasonably to their ressue who in a deep sense of their own danger and impoâ—eâ—cy do inportunately call upon him Direct 1. Understand what is included and implyed in this Petition And here 1. For acknowledgments there are implyed especially these four things 1. That we are subject to dayly and continual temptations beset with snares and enemies The Divel like a roaring Lyon 1 Pet. 5. 8 9. the world with its fawning flatteries frowning threats and injuries entangling cares and perplexities Luk 21. 34. and our own corruptions Jam. 1. 14. are continually assaultâ—â—ng and ensnaring us Here we may take up David's words Psal 40. 12. Innumerable evils compass me about and many of those passages which he uses in reference to his enemies we may spiritually apply hither 'T is easy to amplify in reckoning up the several sorts of temptations wherewith our selves and others have been assaulted or lie open to and the great danger we are continually exposed to and if Christ himself was assaulted we have no reason to expect freedom from them 2. That God may justly leave us to be overcome by them to fall into and fall by them that we have that in us for which God may justly give us up as he did David and Hâ—zekiah Here again is matter to amplify upon in confessing how often we have given Sathan advantage by coming upon his ground by letting down our watch and laying open our naked breasts to receive his fiery darts by quenching Gods Spirit and yielding to Sathan's injections by being adventurous and presumptuous in our own strength that it might be just with God to give us up to one sin as a just punishment for another 3. That of our selves we are both unable and unwilling to resist temptation we may say as Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20. 12. We have no power against this great multitude that our hearts are like tinder flax or powder very fit and combustible matter for Sathan's fiery temptations to take hold on that our earnal minds are so strongly inelined our wills so violent and head-strong that the least spark is enough to set on fire the whole course of nature how infinitely may we enlarge here bewayling that we are so wise to do evil so easily drawn by Sathan our hearts so receptive of his impressions and that when we have once suffered our selves to be captivated and our eyes put out we are so far from being able to deliver our selves that we are not willing to be delivered but rather choose to have our eare boared and nayled to Sathans dore and continue his vassails 4. That the ordering of all Temptations is in Gods hand that it is in his power to deliver us from support us under and carry us thorow every temptation which we may allusively express in the words of Asa 2 Chron. 14. 11. acknowledging him the God of Salvations to whom belong the issues from Death Psal 68. 20. He having promised to tread Sathan under our feet Rom. 16. 20. So that though we have not only flesh and blood to encounter but principalities and powers the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickednesses in high places yet he is far above them in power having the Divels in a chain at his beck c. That though none can deliver out of his hand yet he can deliver us out of any other's hand whatsoever 2. The Petitions included at least the principal of them take in these particulars 1 In conformity to this Petition we may pray that so far as it may consist with the will and wisdom of God and with our spiritual and eternal good he will keep us from temptations especially of Punishment and Seduction this we may pray with submission This is the import of that so often mentioned Petition of Agur Prov. 30. 8 9. And what he prayes as to the extreams of riches and poverty we may apply to other like cases as for instance Let me neither have that fulness of joy that may make me wanton or neglective of duty nor let me want those necessary supports and comforts which may carry me through the many difficulties and discouragements which I am to encounter in my passage through the world We may pray that God will so order his providences so dispense or withdraw his blessings as may least tend to draw out our corruptions This is much of that which is meant by leading into Temptations viz. so ordering his disposals of us and dispensations to us as that thereby fuel is administred to our corruptions this therefore we may pray against 2. That he will tie and limit Sâ—than if not wholly yet so far that the precious promise 1 Cor. 10. 13. may
be made good viz. that he will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able And so for inward corruptions and the bait and snares of the world that you may have Interest in that sweet intercessory Petition of our blessed Saviour John 17. 15. I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world but that thou wouldst keep them from the evilâ— that he will so restrain our enemies and so strengthen and sortify us that we may have cause to take up that gratulatory Psalm viz. 124th that though Sathan or his Instruments may be permitted to make attempts upon us as Senacherib against Judah and the Syrians against Samaria yet they may have a hook put in their nosthrils and return with shame and disappointment in a word That the wicked one may not touch us in the sense of that Text 1 John 5. 18. that is Letaliter with a deadly touch or as some tactu qualitativo with such a touch as may leave an impression of his owne divelish Spirit upon us such a touch as the needle hath from the Loadstone 3. That he will not withdraw from us in our tryals and conflicts that if he call us to fight he will stand by and encourage us To be led into temptation is no great matter if we be not left in it and indeed we are never to purpose led into it tâ—ll we be left in it till Gód deal with us as with Judas and Saul suffer Sathan to fill our hearts this therefore we have need to be earnest for that if Sathan must winnow us our Saviour may so intercede for us that our Luk. 22. 31 32. 2 Cor. 12 9 faith may not fail if the messenger of Sathan must buffer us the grace of God may be sufficient for us Though we cannot peremptorily and absolutely pray for Victory over every temptation since we neither know what God hath decreed nor how far a foil for a time may advantage us afterwards 4. That he will keep us from running our selves into temptations this is both necessary in it self and doubtless implyed in this Petition though there were no outward Tempter no World or Devil yet our owne hearts would be and indeed are our worst Tempters in many cases our temptations are home-born though nursed by Sathan for Instance when troubles arise for the profession of the Truth and we cannot owne some Truth of God but we must expose our selves to hardships and sufferings how do men act the part of the Tempter upon themselves how do our carnal hearts bespeak us in the language of Peter to our Saviour Master spare thy self this shall not be unto thee What distinctions and evasions do we study to escape suffering While we should be studying duty and preparing for danger we are studying to escape the latter by declining and shaking off the former Like Jonah when he foresaw that he was sent upon a troublesome and dangerous embassy he out-runs the work to avoid the trouble Pray then that we may not be left to our selves as the Jews Psam 81. 11. Then we shall be sure to be our owne Tempters 5. That in those temptations of probation which himself pleases to excercise us withal he will enable us to carry as Christians shewing forth our graces that we may like Abraham if tryed by faith offer up our Isaacs Hebr. 11. 15. that our patience may shine as Job's did through the clouds of temptation and affliction that we may not sin with our mouths or charge God foolishly How shamefully do we miscarry when God leaves us as David and Hezekiah how shall we dishonour God blemish the Gospel cause the enemy to blaspheme through our misdemeanors if the Lord who layes the tryal upon us do not stand by us in it and teach us how to carry under it Therefore pray Lord if thou will prove us help us that we may approve our selves If thou wilt excercise us with Temptations fortify us with grace that the issue of the tryal may be thy glory and our comfort If thou try us by prosperity keep us humble and obedient if by adversity keep us from despondency indirect actings theft maligning others c. 6. That if in his infinite wisdom he see it good at any time to suffer us to be foyled and leave us to our owne weakness for our humiliation or for other good and gracious ends he will not leave us wholly and finally that it may be with us as is prophesyed of Gad Gen. 49. 19. A troop shall overcome him but he shall overcome at last That though he chasten us he will not give us over to death but at last restore to us the joy of his Salvation and stablish us with his free Spirit That with Sampson we may at last be avenged of our enemies that though we fall yet we may not be utterly cast down but may be at last more then conquerours through him that loved us and gave himself for us 7. That in stead of those things which may proove snares and temptations to us hee would so order all his dispensations to us as they may incite us to holyness this is the contrary implyed in this Petition q. d. Lord in stead of Sathan standing at my right hand to tempt me let me have thy good Spirit alwayes egging and urging me to that which is good in stead of the wicked enticeing or discouraging me let me have thy Saints by their friendly reproofs counsels exhortations and examples provoking me to holyness let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness and let him reproove me it shall be an excellent oyl which shall not break my head Psal 141. 5. In stead of that measure of outwards which may be a snare let me have that which shall be a spur to piety In a word Let me have such Ordinances such providences let me be in such company in such a condition so order all things about me that thy work within me may go on with power and all things may concurre and according to that great promise Rom. 8. 28. work together for my good 8. That he will appoint a good issue of all temptations that befal us according to that promise 1 Cor. 10. 13. that he will with the temptation also make a way to escape that we way be able to bear it that he will so limit our temptations as to measure and continuance that we be not tempted more or longer than is for our good and so issue them at last that we may come out as Job and we may have double at our latter end as to grace and comfort to what we had at the beginning and that at last he will so deliver us from them as that we may be set out of the reach of them being translated into that state where Sathan shall not be able to tempt us any more this is the highest round of this ladder and then both parts of the Petition shall be fulfilled then
shall we be fully delivered from all evil and shall soon forget all our sad conflicts all our tears and sighs and earnest cries in the dayes of our fears and temptations when we have once the Crown of glory set upon our heads and the Palms of Victory put into our hands Direct 2. But then that we may prevailingly pray this Petition our Spirits must be suited thereunto we must in this sense pray with the Spirit as well as with our Understanding therefore 1. Come to God under a deep sense and thorow conviction of our own inability to resist and propensity to run into Temptation as also of our sins for which God might in justice leave us and give us up to it Oh labour to see and feel your slavery Epectet Enchirid. Cap. 65. how prone you are upon all occasions emergencies and providences to run upon that which tends to your everlasting ruin how apt to take every thing that I may allude to that of the Sâ—oâ—ck by the worse handle and rather abase it toyouâ— hurt than improve it for your good Till our hearts be thus affected we shall never to purpose pray this Petition 't is not only a sense of misery but of our utter inability to help our selves that will open our mouths wide in prayer Till we see our selves as the Isralites at the Red sea so surrounded that there is no hope of escaping so entangled and fettred that we cannot possibly extricate our selves we shall never heartily and earnestly pray Lead us not into temptation c. 2. Get your hearts under a perswasion of the goodness power and faithfulness of God and under a firm belief of those many gracious promises which hold forth succour relief and comfort to the tempted be fully perswaded that God both can and will help since he never fayled one way or other to rescue the soul that sincerely sought him That the weakest unworthiest Christian betaking himself under his power and protection shall have seasonable succour and deliverance to which purpose that Psal 91. is sweet and suitable both to meditate upon and to plead with God This perswasion is necessary in asking any thing at Gods hand Jam. 1. 6. But I the rather propose it here because under some kind of temptations we are so averse to beleeve ready to say There is no hope that as the Eunuchs Isa 56. 3. we are a drie tree and as the Isralites Ezek. 37. 11. our bones are dried and our hopes is lost and we are cut off for our parts Which of the Saints have not flag'd and fainted under some kind of temptations read Psal 73. 77 88. 'T is no easy matter to act faith upon the promises when we see a contrary series of providences how hardly was Moses credited that deliverance was so nigh when the bricks were doubled And at the Red-sea how little impression did that word Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord probably make upon many of their hearts when they saw nothing but imminent destruction before their eyes But that we may rightly pray for deliverance when under temptation we must labour to hope against hope and to beleeve light shall arise when we see nothing but darkness Faith in the promises exercised in prayer is a singular means to engage Gods power on our behalfe for our support and deliverance under and from temptations 3. Get a frame of heart full of holy jealousy and self-suspicion fearing and declining occasions and temptations which lead us into sin 't is a flat contradiction to this Petition when we pray Lead us not and yet wilfully throw our selves into temptation neither have we a promise or scarce a president of any preserved from temptations which through their own negligence or wilfulness they have run upon 'T is a good observation of one upon that Act. 2. 40. Save our selves That God will not save those that do not endeavour to save themselves Practise up therefore to this Petition never think or expect that God will give you such a preservative that shall secure you from the poyson of temptation though you run into any infected and infecting Aire or Company the precept is Watch as well as Pray that you enter not into temptation Luk. 22. 40. 'T is in vain to disjoin these duties which God hath united prayer without watching is presumption and watching without prayer is self-confidence Happy and safe is that soul that sincerely practiseth them in conjunction we must as cautelously shun occasions as if all lay upon our care and yet as earnestly pray for preservation as if all our endeavours were as indeed they are nothing at all Then may we hopefully conclude we shall he kept from temptation when in our utmost endeavours to keep our selves we intrust our selves in Gods hand and commit our selves to his keeping With such a frame therefore must we come to God 4. And which is common to all the rest of the Petitions and therefore I would have you subjoin it to each though I only name it here with a frame of spirit full of hearty desires towards others As we should go to God as a common Father so our prayers should be common prayers others as well as our selves should be interessed in what we pray for according to their necessities but of this the Preface gave us occasion to speak Thus I have done with the body of this compleat pattern of prayer there remains only the conclusion which I shall briefly touch upon as having already performed what I mainly intended CHAP. X. THE CONCLUSION For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever Amen WE are now come to the third general in this prayer which is the Conclusion consisting of 1. A Doxology or ascription of praise wherein three things are acknowledg'd as belonging to God A concluding Sealing word common to all prayers Amen Besides The connexive particle for which is here Aetiological shewing a reason why we have asked all these things of God is remarkable I intend not a full handling of it Whether it was added by our Saviour or crept in afterwards being borrowed from the 1 Chron. 29. 11. is a question yet undetermined And Daniel 7. 14. saith usher Erasmus his censure is harsh who not content to deny it to be of our Saviour's addition is pleased to say that they that added it did Divinae Precationi suas nugas assuere patch the Lord's prayer with their trifles Scultetus as one quotes him Seconds Erasmus telling us that it is not in some of the Ancientest Greek Copies nor in the Arabick version nor in any of the Latin Translations that it is expounded by none but by the Vulgar and Chrysostom and therefore thinks it probable that it was added by the solemn custom of the Greeks and afterward transferred into the Text yet the Affirmative wanteth not its usher Summ and subst of Christian Relig. P. 378. Patrones One and that one in stead of