Cafes about Prayer. How to fi11d Matter for it. !Jl!!eft· 2 5• ~· 2 5· O!!.eft. ~5• What is to bethought of that which fome eaU a particular faith in pra;;;;--;'f I can firmly beluve that a lawful prayer ]haY be granted in iljnd m•y I not be Jure hy • d" · , . h that it foaU be fo ? ' J.lltnt ,au Anfw. Belief hath relation to a Te!\imony or Revelation: Pray<r may be warranted as Iawfi I "f the thing.be defirrzble_, and there be a~y poflibility of obtaining it, though there be no certainr;,' ~r flat prom1fe: Butfauh or expcthuonmuf\ be warranted by the Promife. If God have promifod you the thmg praye~ ~or, you .may beheve that you Chall rect:ive it : Otherwife your particular j.Jitb IS .a fancy <?r a behevmg of yo~u felves, and not a believing God that never promiltd you th r..br.U.1J,'4· thmg. ObJ. MJtth. 2 1) 22· An~ all thing1 whatfo~vtr you ~k.. in.pro1.yer, be.lieving, ye /hall receive~· Anfw: There are t':"o forts of Fatth: the oue aBeluf that IS mdmary, havmg rcfft:Ci: w ordinar prom1ft.:s and merCies : The Text can be underfiood of this in no other fenCe than this. [ AU th. y which I. ha~e promifed .you, ) 1 0U Jh•ll receive, if you Mk them believingly} But this is norhin~nf~ that wh1ch u. H1t _prom1ft:d. The?thcr faith '!as extr4ordinary, in order to the working of Mira~ cla: And th1s f.Jub was a potent mward confidence, which was not in the power of the perfi when he pleafed, but )Vas given l!ke an lnfpiration by_ the Spirit of God, when a Miracle was to ~~ wrought: And tlus feemeth to be It that IS fpoken of m the Text. And this was built on this txtra– ordinllry promi{t, w~ichwas ma~enot to all men.inall ages, but to thofe times 'Yhen the Gofpel was to be fealed and delivered by M~racles; and fpwally to the Apoftles. So that m thefe times there is neither fuch apromifeo£ our working Miracles as they had to believe, nor yet a power r~exer.. cife that fort of .extraordinary faith. Th~refore a ftrong conctit (though i~ come in a fervent pray· er ) that any thmg !ball come to pafs, wh~eh we cannot prove by any prom1fe or prophecy is not to be called any act of Divine faith at all; nor to be tru!\ed to. ' "9· 26. ~ef\. 26. But mujl we not believe that every lawful prayer is accepred and heard ofGod1 Anfw. Yes: but not that it !ball be granted in the very thing, unlefs lo promifed : But you may bdieve that your prayer is not la!\, and that it !ball be a means of that which tendeth to your good. R.•m· 8.28. Ifo. 45· 19· Giutjl. 27 • 9· 27· O!!.efi. 27· With what faith mujl I pr•y for the fault or bodies of other mm: for their ton· Oo\.: verfion, or their lives l ' An[w. A godly man may pray for wicked Relations or others, with more hope than they can pray for themfelves, while they remain ungodly: But yet not with any certainty of prevailing fot the thing he askcth: for it is not peremptorily promifed him. Otherwife Samuel had prevailed for Saul, and 1foac for Efau, and David for Abjolom, and the good people for all the wicked: And then no godly Parents would have their children loft; no nor any in the world would peri!b; For godly · perfors pray for them all. But thofe prayers are not la!\ to him that puts them up. ~·ft· 2 8. 9· 23. Q:!etl. 28. With wbJt faith may we pray for the <ontinuance of tbt Church and Gojpel t• any Nation. Anfw. The former anfwer ferveth to this; Our hope may be according to the degrees of probability : But we cannot believe it as a certainty by Divine faith, becaufc it is nor proi:Di– fed by God. 9· 29· O!!.ef\. 29· How may,., /.;.now when our pra.1ers .,, htarJ ofGod, and whtn not I Anfw. Two wayes: Sometimes by experience, when the thing it fc!f is a6tually given us: and al– wayes by the Promifc: When we ask for that which God commandeth us to ask,or promifetbto grant; For we ·are fure Gods promifes are all fulfilled. If we ask for the objects of fenfe (as food or ray– ment, or health, &c. ) fenfe will tell us whether our prayers be granted in the fame kind that we asked for : But if the queUions be of the obje&s of Faith, it is Faith that mull tell you that your prayers are granted : But. yet l'aith and Reafon make ufe of Evidences. or Signs•. As if Jprar for pardon of fin, and falvatlon, the promife affureth me, that this prayer IS granted, 1fl b-e a penHent, believing, regenerate perfon: Otherwife not~ Therefore faith only affurethme thar fuch prayers are granted, fuppofing that I difcern the Evidence of my regeneration, repentance and faith in Chrifi. So if the quellion be whether my prayer for others, or for temporal. merc1es , be anfwc– red in fom·e other kind, and conducc to my good fome other way , fatth only mufl tell you this from the promifc, by the help of evidences. There are millions of praym that will all be found anfwered at death and judgement, which we knew not to be anfwered any way but by btlitving it. ,;,,, fl ~· 30. O!!.<fi. 30. What jhould a Chrijlian of wta. parts d. , that if dry and barren of matter, <><!!e • 3 c. and can fcarce ttU what to fay in prayer, but it ready to rifc off hit /.;.nets almDjl at foon M be bJtb btgun l How to ha" Anfw. 1. He mufl not be a!\ranger to himfilf, butfiudy well his heart and life : and then he will confbntfup• find fuch a multirude of inward corruptions ro lament, and fuch a multitude of r:p,znl/ to be fup .. plyofm~uer. plyed, and wtak..?uffu to be fi:reng.thened, and diforderJ to be r~e\:ified, and. aUual jin1 to be forgiven, that may tind him work Lnough for confdlion~, complamts ~nd petttions many tlayes tog~· ther, if txpref!ion be but as ready as matter. 2· Let h1m !\udy God, and get the kno_wledge of hiS Nature, AttribuUJ and Wurk.f: and then he Will hnd matter enough t.o aggra.vate hts. fm, and to .fu_r~ ni!b him with the holy Praifi: of God from day to day. As he that IS acquamte~ wuh all tha.t IS m 'any ·Book, can copioufly difcourfc ~fit, when he tha_t knowerh ~or what is in It, hat~ hetie t~ fay of it; fo he thac k._noweth Godand hts works, (andhtmfdf, and hts fins, and wants) IS acquamtcd with the befl Prayer Boo"-; and bath alwayes a full heap of matttr before him, when ever he~cometh to [peak to God. 3• Let him !\udy the my!lerie of mans Redemption, and the Perfon, and Office, and Covenant,
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