97 / 772
'Of
Prayer..
.69
The
fift
thing
required
is
perfeuerance
in prayer
;
for
it
is
not
fitfficient
to
pray carneflly
and feruently for
a
fpirt,'
but
we
mull continue
therein, expelling
the Lords leifure.And
unto this
we are
exhorted
Rom,i
2a
2.continuing
is!
prayer. So
the
Prophet
Dauid
perfwadeth
to
expea
and
Waite
for
the
Lord, and
to
bee
flrong
in
continuing conllantly
in our
courfe,.
and then
in the end
God
will comfort our hearts,
Pfal.27.4.And
the
Apoflle Paul
willcth
vs
to
pray inceffant-
lie, like importunate
fiiiters
who will haue
no
nay,though
they
receiue many
denials.
To
this dutie our
Sauiour
encou-
rageth
vs,
by the parable
of
the vnrighteous
fudge, who
though
hee
neither
cared
for
man nor feared
God,
yet
was
Lùk,
i
L
I.
tnoued
through
importunitie to
do the
poore
widow
iuflice;
and
therefore our heauenly father \'ill
much
more
graunt
the
importunate
fuites
ofhis
ele
&
&,
efpecially
hauing
bound
himfelfe
thereunto by
his
moll
gracious
promifes.
True
it
is
Why the
Lord
that
the Lord doth
many times deferre
to graunt the
prayers
dela:eth
to
ofhis
children,
as
though
he
heard
or
regarded them
not;
grauet
the pe-
when
as
in
truth
he neuer
delaieth
any
of
their lawful' fuites,
turons
ofbu
vnleffe
it
be
to
this end
that
hee may
thereby either conuay
children.
veto
them greater benefits
than they
defile,
as
when hee
giueth
fpiritualI graces in flead
ofearthly
benefits;or
els
that
thereby
he may
moue them to
pray more
feruentlie, and
fo
exercife
and
increafe
their
faith, hope
and patience
;
or
that
he
may
(hew thefe
his graces
to the
praife
ofhis
glorie
who
bath bellowed them,
both
to
others and the parties them
-
felucs;
or
that
hee may mooue
vs
more
thankfully
to
receiue
and highlie
to
efleeme his
benefits, after
by long
fuite
wee
haue
obtained them,which
wee
would
not
fo
greatly regard
if
he
bellowed them at the
ftrfl
motion.
A
notable
example
hereof
we
haue
in
the Canaantith
woman,both
for our.com-
fort
and
imitation,Matth.i
S.
To
whole
prayers our Sauiour
Matth.
t
g.
Chrill gaue(as it
fecmed) no
eare; and
when
he slid
take
no-
tice
of
her
fuite he
giueth
her
a
double
repulfe,firll
by
telling
her that
he was fent
onely
to the loll
fheepe
of
the houle
of
Ifrael;
and
whcnthis would
not moue her to
furceafe
her
fuite,he
vfeth a more
bitter
deniall,tellingher
that it
was
not
fit
to
take the childrens bread
and
to
call
it to
whelpes:
but
F
3
when
4.Sea.
5.
0
f
perfeue-
rance in
praíer.
Rotn.iz.t
z.
P51,z7.r4.
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