Of Prayer ándThatk gizving. Chap. i to 147 me neither poverty nor riches, but fufficienriamvitlwj, a fufficiency only, whereupon Prov. 3o. B. . St.Augaffìne faith, non indecenterpetit, quiahoc petit, &nan amplitu, it is no un- befeeming Prayer, becaufe he asks only fomuch and nomere. 2. We muft define themwithcondition, if God fee it expedient, fubmitting tohis will; is Chrift, If it bepoffible, and if it be thyw ill: fo did David praying for reftitution to his King- a Sant r ç.nçi dom. It I have found favour in theEyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, &c. if not, here I am, let himdo what ifemeth good to him. He refigns all to Gods will, there is nomore compendious wayto obtain what we need, than to refign all to Godspleafure, whatfoever means we ufe, or however we ftruggle, nothing will avail without this. Now that which was mentioned before, concerning omnas amnia, falls in heft to be expounded here. It feems ftrange that every one that asks (hall have,and that what - foever he asks he (hall have, Peeing it is certain that many ask and have not. r. Wemuff remember that ofSt. Auguffine, that our duty is to pray however ; for as he faith, abet ut petae, fi non petis difp/icet, & nonnegabit quid petit, ch to non. peter? Doth God cotrímand thee to pray, and he is difpleafcd if thouprayeft not, and will henot deny thee what thou prayeft for, and yet doff thou notpray ? 2. We muff know that the caufe why we receive not, is not in his promife, but in our asking. Ye ask and receive not, becaufe ye ask atnifs, faith St. lames. For it is net Jar. 4.3. a demonftrauve Ggn of Gods favour tous, to have all we defrre granted ; for we Le that the lfraelites dcGred Refh, and flefh God lent them, but it Was with di'pleafure': ^^at:;ß.: a, forwhile the meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and r7. fluethemight:eft of them, and fmote down the ehofenmen ofIfrael. And upon ïhe 3 peoples violent dru a to have a King, Godgave them, one, but in difpleafure. Nay it ,gam. a. :.. is fo far from a favour, that God fornetimes grants the Devils(whomhe favours not) j.t their requefls ; as in the cafeof 74 and the Swine. Mar'' 5. z 3, 3. And this is not an abfolute fign of favour, fo Gods denyingof our requefts, is not always a figs of hisdifpleafure. This we may fee in Sr. Paul, who obtained not thathe dcGred concerningthe prick in the fiefh. i. One reafon Sr. dare andSt.Aag. 2 3. 1 give ; Sape maims Dezu non exaudit advoluntatem, at exaudiat adfalutem, God oft ne 1 » »' óá- times hears not many as theydelire, that he may hear,them to the r good. a. Ano. therreafon is given by St. nag. God denies not, but only defers to granr,that we might byhis deferring them, ask and eftcem of them morehighly. Defideria delationeeref runt, & citodata vilefèant, defrre encreafeth by delay, and things loon given ace of light efteem : and therefore headds, Servat tibi Dewquad nonvolt cito dare, at ¢ to Ae verb. Dom. elifeae magna magic defiderare, God keeps for thee, that he will not give theequickly, rap; ' that thoumay(} learn with more affeflion todeface great things. 3. A third reafmt is, that we aright the moreearneftly ask for them ; which our Saviour intimates in two parables to us; one Of the unjuft judge, and the importunate widow: and the other of Luke 18. . the Friend that called up his Neighbor at midnight ; by both telling us, how much tin Luker , s. ` portuniry prevails with God. q, A fourth is, God, though he gives not good perinsts,. what we ask, yet he will give quad novio utilius, what he knows to be mole profitable car. g for us: as in the cafe of Sr. Paul, MyG race {hall be fufficient for thee. 5. Some things we pray tor, maybe hurtful to us (as Knives for children) fo that asnon accopoendo415 do dsaa. ,s, tepimut, we arc butter by wanting thanpad-ling them. Chryfoffome calls prayers for fuch things, childish and aguitit prayers ; as St. Aug, male ufurus ea quodvile aceipere, Deopotion mferante non accepit, God in compaffion letsnot him receiv e, thatwbrch he meant to ufe ill. And therefore fometime to mils that which we conceive tobe a In 1ib. fns, benefit,is a b!cffing.Aad therefore we will conclude this point with a laying ofSt. Ai profper#,': fzdeliter fupplicans Deo pro neeeftatibuahujon vita, fT mifericarditer auditor, &mile- . corditer non auditor: quid enim infzrmo fit utilize1, magic noviomedicus quam.egretus, God in mercy hear, and in mercy hears not a faithful fupplicant for the neceffities of this life ; for the Phylçian knows what is profitable for the lick man better than him. fell. Theft reafons are from the matters of our prayers, others taxer: from the manner of our asking may be mentioned hereafter. The third part of Invocation is interpellation or Intercefüon, which is prayer either 3 for theprofperity or again(} the croffesof others. The Fathers feldome quote the Fa, thers : but in thi; St. Auo. cites St. Ambrefe Fratormi,fipro to rogas.tantunz, pro to uutue ElRxom. a, a ambit,fz asternpro omnibus ,agar, omne, pro to rigolant, My Brother thou only pray for
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