andgodly obferuations. 27 Ifyouwill aske anyMelling at Gods hands ,begin with crauinghisfauour: Pfal.4. If youwould auoid any crofTe,begin firft with repenting &cravingpardon for thy fin.Pfal.3z 3 He in all things would aske counfell of God byhis word and prayer, thinking he could neuer welldo good to others,vnleshehad allo firft done well tohisowne foule.And he obferued,that taking in handthings more luddenly,heeither wasdoffed in the doing of thetn,or ifhe hadany prefent ftuite,yet heTaw it teas notanabidingand remaining frorte. 4 It is good to vfe euery night asTooneas weawake,fome cxerctfe ofprayeror medita- Prayer in the tion,and toprevent themorning and eveningwatch in thinking on the word. night. S He compounded withhimfelfe threetimes a dayto pray for thofe things which he Prayrrin the preached,vfing altodaily three portions of Pfalm. r t g. day. 6 They pray not altogether offafhion, who lie their infirtnitie inpraying, and are ro feeou-ia. grieuedfor i:: and they that in deededoe prayonly offafhion,doe notbeen: and this im- frmitierand perfeblion doth not fomuch difpleafetheLord,as the griefein vs for our imperfeétiondoth 'ants i" 5eY pleafehim. And though it come to pafhe that Goddoe croffe a vehement prayer, and doth gricooed for graunt ourprayer whenwe praycoldly,itis not either to make vsto furceafefrom zeale,or them. to flip tocoldnes in prayer, (for that is the way eyther to herefie or prophanenes) but to teachvs that weemull not on the one Ede truth too much tothe meanes; asthough wee would tieGodto ourpraying, andto encourage vs on theother fide to vfe prayer, when fetingthe Lord bath heard vs praying faintly, hee will Purely heare vs whenwee pray feruently. 7 Sometimesin a good abhion, vfing goodmeanes with an vpright heart to a lawful! end, if our prayers be vnfruitfull and our labours want luccefle: thenlet vs remember, that in allthrfe there were ferret imperfeetions, and that the Lords deferringis, thatwee being betterprepared by humilitieto be thankefull,bee maygraunt ourrequefts inricher manner andmeature. S When onefayd to himafter long conferenceand prayer : SirI haue troubled you : Ohmybrother, not fo, faydhe, I neuer felt ill by well doing, and ifI maypleafureyou, it isas ioyfull tomeas any thingcan be : for,for this.caufe Iltue. Praif. z ]Nto one thatwith many words difabled himfelfe,hePaid meekely : Owhydo you V fo muchlecke your owne prayfe ? for it bewrayethapriuie corruptionof nature, that bytooopen difpraife, defireth to ftirrevphis owne prayle and commendations. Parents. z SEeinga godly manhauing hisfonne in hisarmes, whom heloued tenderly, heraid rmmoderate to him : Sir, there is thenatter of your reioycing,God make it the matter of your loueof parents. thankefgiuing. z The Lord bath corredted the immoderate loue ofparents towardstheir children, fpecially whenit wasgrounded on nature,more then on thegifts of God; aswemay fee in Abraham,whofolourdllhmael; in /lime , who foloudEfeso ; and in/Maid , who folo- uedAbfolon. ProJ eritieandpeace. MEnought tovfe all goodmeanes in the timeof peace,and beforetroubles come: and yet,tbough (becaufe outward things are as availe to hide Gods face from vs) wecannot vnderttandgood things fo eafily in profperitie; orif weevnderltand, wee hardly hauethefeelingof them: wemutt therefore(till vfe themeanes inhopeof that fruit Feeling vnder and comfort that connneth in time of trouble, vetowhich time Godoften referuesour theCiefe. greatefhfeeling, becaufe it is the mothneedful! time ofhelpe. z.Cor rz.g. z And if rtbe fo that inourprofpenitiesvehauenot io vied themeanes, yet arewe not therefore inaduerfitie vtterly to dilpaire of comfort,becaufrtheword was given for mans helpe, who needeth meanes, not to helpe God, who can comfort without meanes: neitherare weeto beeout of heart, though our confciencç tell vs thatwee haue vied the meanes, D a meanes
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