i,3 .phefians,Chap.t, V E thusto exercife our fan&ity, faith, patience ; thus to trie whether our requeft come from unfetled humour, or from povertyof fpirit, and thirfting defire. Thus he doth prepare us to receive the things we aske ingreater meafure; for the wider the foule is inlarged indefire, themore abundantlyGod meanethto fill it in his time. Againe,by this mean he dothmake us poffeffe his bleflings with more delight, and carefulneffe, then otherwife we would : not to mention that we in our firft feeking things areunfit often to receivethem. But here two queftions (hall be briefly anfwered. Fir ; whether it befinne, alwayes to ceafe fromasking this or that. Secondly, whether all ceafing to go on in Prayer, dothmake our former Prayer fruitleffe. To the firft I anfwer,Not all ceafing,but ceafing out of unbeliefe, or impenitencie, is ¡intuit; firft,when we have obtained this or that,wemay ceafe to begge any longer as we didbefore: Evenas the body refleth, when it is now come to the place to which it mooveth ; fo the foule when it bath attained that,towhich it went by unfained defire. Secondly,whenwe finde the thingnot tobe profitable for us,orother. wife not plcafing to God. Thus Paul was taught to fee the ufe ofthat buffeting remaining with him : Thus when Ieremy learned that God hadnot to give, nor would not be intreated for the profperiry of the people, hee did defift, though he did well before in askingof it : for that revealedwill, and not the fecret, is that towhich our anions molt be conformed : Though here is fomething extraordinary in thefe ex. amples, yet God doth often let his children fee that they did affeéi things not good for them, by leading them into fuller knowledge of their owne hearts, and by letting them find. the fruit of fome out- ward diflurbances, the removall whereof they fought earneffly, fo that they correEt themfelves, and no more feeke to be free from that which they finde fo neceffary bygoodexperience : this defifting is holy and good. Thirdly,there is a defining overtaking Gods children, when God Both locke up their hearts that they have not power to feeke the goodof fome perfons or Churches as heretofore they havedone; which when it is not contrafed or caufed by fome finfull indifpofition in the party,but fromafecret ofGodnot mooving the fpirit in thiskind, that fo way may be made for his judgements, it is filch a ceafing ascannot be condemned for finne, though it may alwayes be bewai led, as a fecret defertion , which doth foretell heavie things infuing. Fourthly, Wee ceafe to pray as before for things, without finne, when now God hath, as it were, fpoken within our fpirits, that wee (hall have the thing we have asked,andbid our foules aftera fort retorne to reff :For from whence we find God thus good unto us, we follow not withour accuftomed fervency,though execution delayed may caufe us fometime feeke the feafonable performance of it, the foule is more in joyfull expeftance, leffe then before in careful! petition. The ceafing therefore forbidden is, when before we receive things,we doe through unbeliefe and impatience, give overeither for a time, which beflleth Gods children, or altogether. The
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