General 'DireEfions for Pr11.yer. CHAP. XXIii. Tit. t. 'DireEfions for Prayer, in General. g. 1· HE th~t handleth this Duty of pRAyER as it defcrvcth, mun make it the [t- The s(oicks cond Part in the B~Jdy of Divinity, and allow it a larger and exacter TraChtc, fay,. On.blt than I here intend. lo'or I have before told you, that as we have thr~e N~tural ;:P~~~~e:h:;; faculties, An VHderftanding WiU and Executive Power, fo thefe are qualified m the a diii polluGodly, with Faitb, Love and Obedimce; and have three particular Rules: The Cree_d to fhew us l:tns. Lam. i1. what we mull Believe, and in what Order : The Lord! Prayer to tbew us :pb~t and m wh4t order zmo'llr. So we mull Drfire and Love: And ~he Dw:z~ogue to tell us what and ~n w~at ortkr we muJl d11 : ~~:~ ~~tb: St·. ( Thoueh yet thcfe are fo near km to one anot!lcr, that the fame alilons m feveral refped:s be. Cu,deoYpre– )ong to each of the Rules: As the Com~andments muft be Believul. and Loved as well as Obe;•ed, c.ibu~ fatiga~ and the matter of the Lords Prayer muft be believed to be good and neceffary, as well as Loved and t1s, ~'· he . Defircd ; and Belief and Lovt, and Ddire, arc: commanded, and are part ot OUt obedience j yet for only mt~ndeda all this they are not formally the fame but divers. And as we fay that the He3r~ or ,WiU is the :he fl!;ho~t mt~n, as being the Commanding faculty ; fo Morally the Will, the Love or Dejire ts the ChrijHan; t-hat think to and therefore the Rule ut Dejire or Ptayer is aPrincipal part of true Rt:ligion: The internal part have all don~: of this Duty I pmly touched before Tom.r. Ch•P· 3· and the Church P•rt I told you why I bj J><ayeh.l paft by 1om. 2· it bdng tlUt left by the Government wher~ we live to Private Miniftcrs dtfcujion ~h~~e~r; ;d~e ( fave only to perfwade men to obey what is dlablifhed ,and cprnmanded ). Therefore _becaufe I and negled: have omitted the later, and but a little toucht upoq the formtr, , l {hall be the larger on It in this the means. place, to which ( for ft:vcral Reafons) I have refer~ed it• . 1 SS· 2. Direct. 1· Sre that you underjland what P~ayer ir : Even, The expref!ing or aliing of our Dire{/. t. 11tfires before another to move , or [ome W$-J procure him to t,.rant tPem. 1rHe Cbrijlia;c Prayer is, ~be believing and firious expref!ing or a{/ing of our la,.,ful , dtfires before God , through J efll$ our Mediator , by the help of the Holy Spirit, as a meanr to procure of him , the grant of tbefe defirer. Here note, I· That inward Defire is the foul of Prayer : 2. The exprefliont or inward allingJ of them, is as the Body of Prayer. 3· To men it mbil pc Dejire fo expreffed, as they may Pie m . h ,; underjhmd it : But to God the inward alliag of Dejirn is a Prayer , becaufe he underft~ndeth neg:iu! plus it. 4• But ic is not the alling of Drjire firnply in it f~lf that i5- a~y Prayer.: For he m.ay have geatibu.s quam Defires, that offereth them not up to God, with Hc"rt or '•.oic~: But it is Defiret as fomc way fer.mombus tJffere~ up to ~od, or reprefonted or acted tqwards hi~11 .• \as ,~ means to procure his ble(ling, "fift,r~:~~t.:ifi. that IS Prayer mdeed. . . p SS· 3· Direct. 2. See that you underjfand the Ends and Vfe of Pr.yer. Some think that it is of VirtU. •· noVfe, but only to move God to be wiUing of that which He was before unwilling of: And therefore bccaufc that God is Immutable, they think that Prayer is aU(elc(s thing. But Prayer is Vfeful, I. As an act ofObedience to Gods Command ; 2· As the performance of a tondition without which he bath not promifed us his Mercy, and to which he hath promifed it. 3· As a Means to at1ttate and ex.. prcfs, and increafc~ QUr own Httmility~ Depe~dance, Dejire, 1'ruft and H ·pe in God,. a~d fo to make us <apable and fit for Mercy, who elfe lhould be uncapable and unfit. 4• A~d fo, though God he not changed by ir in himfelf, yet the Real change that js made by it oH our fc!vu , cloth infer a cht~nge in God by meer Relation or Extrinjical denom~natiox ; he belhg one thar is, ac~ cording to the tenour of his own efl:abli01ed L1w and Covenant t engaged to. difown or _puoifh the Vnbelieving, Prayer/eft and Di{obeditnt, and after engaged to Own or pa~dpn them t~at are FaithfuUy_ Defir ur and Obedient: And fo this is a Relative, or at lcall: a 1 d\c'}ornin.ative change. So that m. Prayer, Faith and Ferveitcy are fo far from being ufelefi that they as much prevail for the thwg dcfired by qu•lif>ing our [elver for it, as if indeed they moved the mind of ·Gud, tb a real change: Even as he that is in a Bc::t, and by his hook layeth hold of the banc~, doth as truly by his Jabl1ur get nearer the banck, as if he drew the banck to him. · 9· 4• Di~~CI:. 3· Labour above all to k.!rorv tbat G/}4 to r:;;hom you prt~y. Toknow him as your Maker, Dirtll· 3• your Rc~crmer ~n? your Rtgcnera:cr ;_ as ~o~u O.wncr, your. Ruhr and .your Father, Felicity and End; as All·fl.ffi.tcnt (or YOL~r rcltc:f, tn the tilji,tztenrfs of hts Power, h1s Wifdom and his Gaod.. nefs: and tO Utlow your oWn dependanCe on him ; and to ~omder!hnd his Covenant or Promifu upon wh.tt tcrnu he is engaged and ~efolved either to t,iu'e his mercies , or r~ deny them. H; that c_"meth to God, muff bi!fieve tb.Jt He u; a;,d that He U the z:.cwarder of them 'th.Jt diligmtly feek htm: Htb. 11. 6. He tl>at <aUeth on the namcnf tht Lord__fl!ah be faved: Eut-lmvjhaU they eaU ~n him, on 'whom they h:lVt not believed) Rom. IO• 13, 14. ~
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