VIM. 14.. ephefans, Chap.3. I 395 wardmanamidaccompany the inward in fuch parts of his worfhip, that itfhould outwardly fignifyhow themind is affefted. Andgteat reafon,feeingbe is theRedeemeras well of the body as the foule, our outward man therefore muff be ordered reverently in prayer. We fee then that there is a lawfull, yea a comely and need- full ufe of compofing our gefture when wee fet upon God in prayer and thankfgiving. It is true that outward obfervance in fafhioning .of thebody is not themaine, nor may we take it fo, as if God were like to man, to bemocked with complements, but yet it is a thing ofcon- gruity and needful!, both toexpreffe our reverence, and alto to whet ouraffetions in prayer,and thereforegeftures are variable according to theoccafions: for example; to expreffe our dependance uponGod, the eyes are fet towardsheaven, as if we would fetch our help from thence,as (es lifted tip hiseyes toheaven:to expreffe the fervency of the the delire,the stretching out ofthe hand is ufed, fo did Solomon at the dedicationofthe Temple; which ftrctchingforth ofthe hands tohea- ven, did not only import their looking up to God, but even the ve- hemencyoftheir delires to drawdowne by ftrength (as I may fay) of both hands, a bleffing from God. Again, humilityand contrition offpirit ought to bee expreffcd in prayer, and in fuch cafeour allions mutt be fuitable , as Luke 18. r 3. the Publicanknockedhimflfe uponthe bread, and for his eyes , hee lifts them notup , but holds themdown; not through infidelity, but through dejection, as not thinkinghimfelfe worthy to lookup to God;of this, likewifeis that geftureofthe people , Ezra 9.6. in their anfwer to God; they worJhippedgod with theirfaces toward the ground. Sometime great diftrefte isexprcffed in prayer, and thereforein fuch a cafe , the body it felfe is raft downe , even groveling to the earth, as David whenhe was Petitioner to Godfor his child. Thus you have feen, the ne- cefharydeofoutward geftureof thebody in prayer is to expreffe the variety and !email affections ofthe heart in praying to God. Nowas ir ferves to ftirreup reverence, foafro to help to a kind of cheerefulneYfe, for evenas the inward heat is fometime recovered and enlarged, or drawne into the parts of the body by rubbing and cha- fing: fo the inward fervour ofprayer is fometime helped by the out- ward reverenceand gefture ofthe body : for they are remembrancers toa man to charge him (unleffe hee will play the groffe hypocrite) when bee lifts up his hands, to lift up his heart; when hee liftsup his voyce, to lift up his foule; when he ftretcheth forth his hands to hea- ven, to ftretch forth his delires withhis hands ; when hee rafts downe his countenance, tocalf downe firft hisproud thoughts. All gefturestherefore being thus reverent, it doth teach us that we mutt rife in prayers reverent carriagesof our bodies; & though I would notteachyou to firainegnats andfwallow Carrells, nor yet be too righte- ousin making thisa precife tye, and though I know the Scripturedoth defcribemany geftures and not precifely injoyne any, yet I dare fay, that kneeling,where commodioully we may knelt, is the fitteft ge- Mm x flure. Outward gel fiures are to expre We in- wardaffecti- ons, (hewedin particulars. Iohn r7.s. I Kings 8.xx. Luke rt. r;: And to flirre them up. Whatgettures molt fitting prayer. 4
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=