531 / 772
Confotations
for
filch
as
É;ezraite
their
wants
in
prayer.
S
o;
Fourthly,
whereas others
compla,ine
that
their minds
are
4.Sea%4..
carriedawaywith
worldly
diftra&ions and
wandring
inia-
oo
Jecitar
ginationswhen
they
are
making their
prayers
vino
God
;
betrailetheir
as
are
to know, that this
befalleth alto
men
the
deare[1
drflratlions
children
ofGod,
partly through
their
owne
corruption,
and
andwandriug
partly
through the
malice
of
Satan,who laboureth mcfl to
thoughts
iK
interrupt
vs
in
thofe holy
exercifes
which
hee-
knoweth
inoft
Prayer.
profitable and
effeétuall for our faluation.
Whereof
it
corn-
meth
to
paffe,
that though
diuers houres
together
wee
can
talke
ofworldly
affaires,and
heare
the
fpeech
ofothers
with-
out
any
difira&ion
ofmind,
or
thinking
of
any
thing
but
of
the
fubieó
ofour
prefent fpeech,
yet
when wee
beam
God
fp`
cake
veto
vs
in
the preaching of the word,
or
when
wee
fpeake
vnto
God
in
prayer and fupplication,our inindes
wan-
der hither
and
thither, though
wee
$riue
neuer
fo
much
to
containe
them,
becaufe
through
our naturali corruption
we
are foonewearie
of
thefe
holy
exercifes, and Satan
is
í1i11
at
hand tò
fuggefi
into
our minds
wandring thoughts,
in
which
we
take
moll
delight:
but
this fhould
not
difcourage
vs
from
taking
in hand thefe
holy a6tions,
but
rather the
confidera-
tion
hereoffhould
firongly mooue
and
prouoke
vs
to more
earneffneffe, care
and diligence,
fo
as
Satan may
not
preuaile
againf}
vs
:
and
ifnotwithfanding
fometimes,nay
often,wee
receiue
a
foile,
let it
be
an occafion
to
mooue
vs
to
take the
more
paines, and
to
make
a
double
requef}
vnto
God, not
onely
that
he
will grant vnto
vs
thofe
things which
we
de-
fire,
but
allo
that
for Chrifls
fake
he wil
pardon
our
fins &
in-
firmities in
that
we
haue
begged
th'e'
fo
coldly
&
negligëtly.
§.Sea.
g.
Laffly, whereas
our
fpirituall enemy
taketh
occafion
al-
Tbar
our
nd
together to
difcourage
vs
from
vndertaking
thefe fpirituall
inf
"'ants
rmiaies
itt
exercifes,
becaufe
therein
wee bevrray notable
corruptions,
Pray:
fhould
and cannot,though
we
f}riue
neuer
fo
much, performe them
310,
make
vs
as
we
ought
;
let
vs
in
no
cafe
yeeld
vnto this
tentation,
but
negleöt
this
firongly
arme
our
felues againfc
it
:
and
to
this end
let
vs
holy
eaercife,
confider, that
if
Satan
can perfwade
vs
to
defifl
from per-
forming
thofe duties
altogether,
which
wee
cannot
per
-
forme
as
we
ought, but
with. great
weakeneffe,
corruption,
and
imperfec hon,vve
fhall doe
nothing
at
all
which
God
re-
k
quireth
'