Corr. i . Of Prayer andThanksgiving. Chap. r r r 5 >Z are tyed to it, though we should be prohibited from it. It muff needs bean excellent Duty which r> tuft not beomitted, though forbidden by God. Our Saviour when hehad healed the Leper, inhibited him from telling any Body what hehad done unto him : yet we feehe proclaimed ir, and it is recorded to us for his great praife, and Luke ç, ii: thiswas a Godlydifobcdience, for it was only aCommandment of Tryal, as forceMark, f. ad..' think. Now there are five rules to direâ us that our invocation may be rightly grounded. t. Irmuft beanimaret, it múft have life in it. Saint Bernard faith, upon that of the Pfalm;( 1Cor maim dereliquit me, J nihil inmandofugicinr corde, there's nothingPfal, 4o: I ç; morefleeting than the Heart.. Our extravagant thoughts come fo thick upon us in ourPrayers, that they hinder our Prayers from afcending unto God. And it is a common fault, our Prayers are exanimes without life. And therefore the Pfalmift begins and ends a Pfalm, Praile the Lord, OmySoul, and praife the Lord O my Pfal. tot; Soul, and all that is within mepraile his holy name :Wemutt not only haves Tongue 103 r. but a Soul to praife him. I pour out my Heart by my Pelf, faith he ; and fo he 4a. °' willeth others, pour out your Hearts before him. And the Apoflle, I will praywith r Cor. 14 rs, theSpirit and will pray with uuderftanding allo. And indeed ordinary civility fhould' teachus thus much, to do no lets toGod, than to men, tomind that which we fpeak to him. But the neglect of this is much augmented by an humour of men in cur age thatare much delighted' with long Prayers inprivate, praying beyond the meafure of their abilities. Saint Auauftine fpeaking of the Monks of (_Egypt and their wor=Eplh. adpre= (hip, faith dicuntur fratres vEgypto crebrus orations habere fed ear brevifmar, & bam. raptimquoddammodoejaculator, the brethren in IEgyptare laid topray often, but :heir Prayers were very fhort, andejaculations. &c. and his reafon was, neper produthiores moral runnel-cat argue hebetet amintis, left by long continuance their good intentions Ihould'vanith and grow dull. Thefe ejaculationwerea remedy againft dulling of our good intentions, and therefore his advice is, intentio non eft ebtundendafsperdu rarenon potefi, our intention is not to be blunted if it cannothold out ; and f perdu. raverit von citorumpenda, if itcan hold out, it is not to be broken of: for indeed we base need of all helps to our devotion which is eafily interrupted. Cupio fat: vurfieri ( faith he ) fednon permittunr cogirationeì vanes, I delire tobe laved, but my extravagant thoughts hinder me, Domine vim patior acogitationibru mein rerpondepro me, Lord 1 fuffer violtnce, anfwer thou forme. The 119. Pfalm is full ofthere' Ejaculation-, and every one of them is a Prayer. TheLord will not take notice of thofe aftending thoughts, but of our Prayers, if they difpleafe us, and if in our drawing neer toGodwe cannot drive away thofe Fouls from our Sacrifices, yet if wç haves care to prepare our Hearts, fhort Ejaculationswill beeffectual though we be notcieanfod according to the purification of the fan(tuary as Hezekiab (peaks 2' Chron. 3ó. r8, t9.. , 2. OurPrayers muff be conffantes For he that waveretir in his Prayers ( faith Saint yamei) is like a Wave of the Sea driven and tolled with every Wind, Prayers'' t' 6' islnterpresfpei as the Fathers term ir, and Hope is the Anchor of Prayer and ifpfal: t45. a Anchor fail, we (hall flute up and down , nay we (hall receive ro.'a.rgof the Lord, TertsHian calleth Prayer breviarium ftdei the abridgment of our Faith. Whatfocver we pray for, according to Gods promife, we snuff believe that Jac. t,7< we (hall receive it: For as one faith nonfrufira inDeo poftafunsfpesefr pieces,. 'FL' Mark. Ir, ì4 upon itítvii inefficaces efec non onópu u t, Our Hope and Prayers areinot placid P r uneffeCluai when they are 'in either $. right. 3. They mull be humiles. They muff be made in the Spirit of Humility elfe arc they noPrayers; the Hebrews calls futh Prayers and no Prayers. 'VJe fee the hum- ble fupplication of the Publican was accepted, when the vaunting prayer of the' Pharifee was rejected. God turns himfelf to the Prayer of the'poor' Saint Bernard faith concerning the laft qualification, .I:uandofidelire bu_¡tle:ós. . Cf ervensoratio fuerit, csolunrfine dubio enetrabit andecerium eft, quad vacua Dan. g redire non pote(f, whenfoever our Prayers are faithful, humble, and fenn0,,, r' vent, we may be afhureu they will pierce the Heavens' and will not return empty. 4. Our
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