E\ra 9· 6 Ecclrf j. 2 o'n q.t 2 Stmz. t. 27, ~s, 19 G~n· 32.1 J,l2 M"'' 6.6 F{<;l, 11• I Chap. r 4.Secl:.2 Chrifr: but wheR a mall indeed draws nigh to God in prayer, h~ forgets prayer and remembers God, and prayer goes for nothing, but Chrifr is all. ' S Prayer. 2, The means to be ufed arc l Meditation. r. 1Prdytr; a little eating I?repareth a weak llomack , and fetteth an edge ~pon the appetite to cat more:'_ To th1s purpofe Davidprayed before prayer, Let my prayer be Jtt [or1h brfort thee AS mcenfe, and the liftmg up ofmy hands as"'' evening facrtjice: Sec 11 lrat<h, 0 Lord, brforemy mouth, k,ep the door o(my lips. 2. Meditation, I. On our own unw~rthinelfc, that fo we may pray in humility: I amlrfsthcn theltnjfofallthymercw, fatd ]Ac<b: OmyG'od, i am ajhamedand<"on– foundcd to lift up mine e;•es, faid E::.ra. 2. On the glorious majej/yof God our Father: He that fpeaks 10 God, mufrremcmber.that God is in HU<ven; nay, what is prayer, but acommg before God, an approachmg to God, a meeting of God ? in prayer we have to do with God, and this will teach us to fpeak. to him in reverence. 3 . On the meditation and interccflion of our Saviour Chrifr, which is the very ground ofour faith m prayer: Whmfoever ye]hall dsk,. in my rtame, that ilvi/1 do. 4· On the promifcs of God iu Chrij/, made to our prayers: Thou, 0 Lord cfhuafls, God of Jfrad,ha{f revt11ltd to thyjirvant, faying, i will build thee an hoJ.fo, thtrtfore hath thy j(rvam jvHnd in his heart to pray this prayrr /IntO tha: ....._And deliver me, I pray thee (faith Jae<b) from the hands of my brother Efa~e; Thou fatdj/ , I wtll {itrcly do thee good: Such promifes have we all, Ask,, and yeJhall b~".!e ; [«l, andyej/~alljirtde ; k_11ock_, and lt }hall be opentd umo yoH. SECT. 2. The general duties oftheJo~tl irJ Pr.. ycr. 2. THe d~t~ics in prayer, arc either internal or external : The former are the dtttie; of the foul, the latter are the duties of the body. I. The dtttics of the foul we !hall confider 5 ~n gene_rall. l m parttcu ar. { In trmh. The dmy in general is to pray, By the Spirit. · in the Name of Chrij/. 1. In truth, (i.e.) in fincerity and uprightne!Tc of heart: The Lord is nigh unto All them that call ltpon him in jinceriry a::tl in truth: Hence two faults ttre to be avoic:led. I. Praying with feigned lip', this is to pray with an heart ~nd an heart, as all hypocrites do: but its otherwife with the Saints: He"r the right, 0 brd, attend unto my cry, give car to my prayer) that gotth not out off cJ"gned l1ps. 2. PrayinS with wandring thoughts, arifing Partly from the llclb, and partly from the fuggelrions of~atan : Tl<e fpeech of the mouth mull: not go before , but alwaics follow after the conceit of the minde: Many times as a Muficians fingers will run over a fong which he hath been ofed to play, although his mind be otherwifc occupied; f<> many in prayer will run over that form of words they have been ufed to utter, though their minds be roving about other m•tters : Such a prayer is called, Lip-labour: 0 let the abfurdity of the f.ult, breed in us a loathing of it; Do our mindes wander in prayer? endeavour we to joyne into one fpcech, the prayer of the mouth, and the Jpeech of the heart both which found in Gods ears,and then confider whether we would make fuch a fpeech (I fay not with Malachi, To our Frir.ce, but) to any man whom we regard, which yet we are not alhamcd to offer unto the Lord: I will not deny in fuch a cafe, if we be grieved for, and {hive and pray againfr fuch wanderings; this infirmity through Gods mercy , and the interceflion of Chrifr lball not be imputed unto us. It is good to diflinguilb of the caufo whence thcfe wandring thoughts nuy arife; if they come from weaknc!Te in our felves, or from the temptations of Satan, the Lord will con· lider this, and deal mercifully with us; but if they arife from meer negligence, or voluntary admitting of loofe thoughts, that is our fin, and we had need to repent and mourn for it. 2. By the help of the fpirit: it is the Spirit that htlps om infrmitits (faith Paul) f'r we k!so!V not whm lVt,Ji>oltU pray for as we •ught, but the Spirit it[elf mak.fth inttretjfionfor w ; with grMnings which cartnot b< Httered; q. d. when we put forth the graces of tho Spirit in us,then the Spirit comes and helps;and what comes from us now,it comes from the
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