box of ointment over his head; " She hath done what she could?" Let a contrite heart, that would fain be righteous, remember the prayer of Nehemiah: "Let thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name:" or the protestation of St. Paul; "We trust we have a good conscience, in all things, willing to live honestly." But this desire and willingness must be without hypocrisy; not like iron that is gilded, base metal within, and rich without: it must be steady, industrious, instant to perform. Vehement holy desire is a great degree to perfection in our state; "For the beginning of wisdom is the desire of discipline," but a lazy careless desire is a great token of imperfection. "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing;" and again," the desire of the slothful killeth him, for his hands refuse to labour;" like vagabonds, that when an officer catcheth them, will feign that they desire a service, and to be set at work: but take them at their word, and they will run away, that they may live in loitering, and upon other men's labours. St. Paul, provoking both rich and poor to liberality, according to their respective abilities, frames a rule upon that occasion, which is applicable to all good works. "If there be a willing mind, it is accepted according to that which a man hath, and not according to that which he hath not." Yea, in some cases, when I desire a good thing, I am at my my furthest. I desire the appearance of the Lord Jesus at the great day. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. I can do no more. I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. I must do no more: for I must not attempt my own dissolution. I wish for the conversion of the Jews to the faith; I must not compel them. This holds in a few things. In the most willingness must show some practice; as in the same chapter: 66 Now, therefore, perform the doing of it: that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also of that which you have." But to desire to do, and to do little, is a sign that there was little desire. This hath overthrown many, that they desire not to reach high. But we • Mark, xiv. 8. d Nehemiah, i. 11. k Verse 11. Heb. xiii. 18. h Prov. xxi. 25. know that God gives his grace by talents, and not in petty sums; yet a lukewarm professor can be content with mites. Could such a one get a moderate competency of righteousness, knowing that" without holiness no man shall see God," then he would sit down, and let others strive, if they like it, to be the tallest cedars in the house of the Lord. There are many such indifferent disciples, that would be always babes, and never come to a manly growth; wrap themselves about with as many fig-leaves as would cover their shame, and think they want no more apparel. These, if they knew what it were to a dram, that would serve them to attain salvation, they would reach so far if the grace of God would assist them; but would put themselves to no trouble to purify their body and spirit any further. Here's a pretence of desire to serve God, but with so much laziness, with so much lethargy, that the Lord disdains it as dead carrion. He would serve God, and he would serve mammon. He approves much prayer, but he cannot attend it. He would not for all the world but be a Christian; yet a small share in profit, or a snap at a little pleasure, will pervert him to be a dishonest Christian. But real and holy desire stands up for much, though it cannot do so much honour to God as he would: like the disease 'ephialtes,' that oppresseth us in the night, between sleeping and waking, we would turn to the other side of the bed, and eannot. But to shake off this 'incubus,' it listens after all the noble exploits that the saints of God have done, and would exactly follow them; or, if it were possible, run before them if not, it will be heartily sorry that frailty makes it come short of the best. It would compound for no less than to pay all, if it were able. Then you shall find the heart pant often with these inward yearnings: Sweet Saviour, should any of thy servants love thee better than I? should any of thy disciples be more obedient than I? No, Lord for none of thine are so much indebted to thy passion, because none had so many sins to be forgiven. How amiable are thy commandments, O Lord of hosts! my soul thirsteth to be the nearest of them, that shall stand before the presence of the living God. Lord, let me love thee, as Peter did; Lord, let me love thee more than these!' : So I have revealed the first comforts flowing from the Holy Ghost, by his inhabitation, and inward testimony: and the next comforts by the fruits of righteousness, and those sincere desires of godliness, which, by Christ's merciful interpretation, supply our failings. All which I conclude out of our church-song made to the Holy Ghost. Visit our minds, and into us Thy heavenly grace inspire, CHAPTER IV. Prayer is the great Instrument of a Christian's Comfort. Concerning Prayer, three things to be considered: I. The Substance or Matter of Prayer, in three Heads; 1. Thanksgivings; 2. Supplications; 3. Intercessions: II. The Qualifications of them that pray: III. The Fitness of Time for Prayer. THE order laid down in the beginning carries me to the fourth part of Christian consolation, the heavenly delight of prayer. It is the lively expression of faith, the ambassador which hope sends to God, the comfort of love, the fellowship of the Spirit, our advocate unto our advocate Christ Jesus; our incense, whose smoke ascends up, and is sweet in the nostrils of the Most High; which promiseth such abundant success, that humility had rather conceive than utter it, lest we should seem to boast. A lowly supplicant to God never rose up from his knees, without some stirrings of gracious expectation, nor without a prophetical instinct that the mercy of the Lord was nigh at hand. Which fortunate presage Isaiah confirms unto us, "I will make them joyful in my house of prayer." And how readily may we use this mighty ordinance of God? how soon it may be done, if we have a mind to it? What freedom have we (no man can deny it) to utter a brief prayer, and very often, if we will, in the greatest toil and business? "The tongue of the stammerer shall be ready to speak elegantly "." It is so facile a part of religion, as he that hath a tongue, can scarce miss it. It is as easy to say "Our Father which art in a Chap. Ivi. 7. Isaiah, xxxii, 4. heaven," as to see heaven, which is always in our eye. Every sect of pagans and idolaters were taught by instinct to fly unto it ex tempore;' as the heathen mariners cried every man to his god. An atheist, falling into a sudden danger, as suppose a pistol were put to his breast, would cry out as soon to God to help him as any true believer. And he that, upon deliberation, did say there was no God, will break out into a confession, before he is aware, that there is a God, by natural impulsion. A poor whelp hath found a way to lick its own sores whole with its tongue; so when we are oppressed with misery, whether the evil of sin or the evil of punishment, we are prompted, by the natural notions of our soul, to lick the sore with our tongue; that is, to call for help from Heaven. That soul which God did breathe into man, cannot shake off this principle that all succour comes from above, for which it must breathe out itself unto God. No creature among beasts, but, being smitten, will fall upon the way to relieve itself, except a blind, incogitant sinner. Such as have written upon their sagacity in that kind, tell us, that the fishes in the fresh water, being struck with a tool of iron, will rub themselves upon the glutinous skin of the tench to be cured. The hart, wounded with an arrow, runs to the herb dittany to bite it, that the shaft may fall out that stuck in his body. The swallow will seek out the green tetterwort, to recover the eyes of her young ones, when they are blinded. Only a stupid sinner forgets how to redintegrate his miserable estate, by throwing himself down prostrate before God in humble petition. He walks forward, lost to himself, lost to his right wits, because he hath no knowledge, or no good opinion, of the comfort of prayer. Which is my purpose to make him learn, by that which follows, looking upon, I. The substance or matter of prayer: II. The qualification of him that prayeth: and, III. The fitness of time when prayer is to be made. I. The matter of prayer' is as copious as all occasions. that can be named; it will suffice for my purpose to treat of three heads: Glorifications with thanksgivings, Supplications, and Intercessions.' 1. The first is bent to magnify the Almighty, to extol his : name, to praise him for his goodness. This is the Hallelujah of David, and of the saints in heaven; that is, give glory to Jah, or the great Jehovah; which is followed with a rare variety in the song of the three children: "O, all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord, praise him, and magnify him for ever!" It is a ditty that is balsamed all over with a profusion of delight, to praise God from all things that he hath made, from the centre of the earth to the top of heaven. And this is most divinely expressed in that which is called St. Ambrose's hymn in our common prayer: " We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord." And let the servant of God that will listen to me, repeat it often and often for it is a piece of devotion so sweetly spread out into the branches of heavenly praise, confession of faith, and devout petitions, that the like did never come forth since the time it was penned. Let me speak to others out of the sense of my own heart, and I may safely profess, that in the service and worship of God, I find nothing so delightful as to continue in the praise and honour of the Lord. If another contradict it, and say, that there are some means more aptly calculated, as I may speak, for the high meridian of comfort; he is he, and I am I, and I appeal from him to myself, what I find in my own motions and feelings. And " what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in him?" And observe that in the prudent institution of our church, to hold forth the consolation we have in Christ, after the participation of his body and blood in the blessed sacrament, it teacheth us to break out all together into a jubilee, "Glory be to God on high; we praise thee, we bless thee, we glorify thee," &c. For when we are full of that holy feast, and have eaten angels' food, we fall into the tune of angels, and signify immediately, before we depart, how much our spirit rejoiceth in God our Saviour. But who knew better the mind of the Lord than the Spirit itself, in those admirable ecstasies of David? "Sing praises unto God; for it is pleasant." "Sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely f." "Sing aloud unto God our strength; make a joyful noise unto the a 1 Cor. ii. 11. e Psalm cxxxv. 3. f Psalm cxlvii. 1. |