SZZ e, %fater greenbelt'''. `Readings Verfe58. !made"fupp1cationinthy preteencewith mymholeheart : bemerc:fullvntome accordingto thypromifi. HEfhewethbyafecondargument ,thatGod is hisportion, in heprayeth to:God for thatwhich weloue,we delire tocommune& talkewith.Then by thiswe may hkewife trieourfelues : for ifwehaue thisdelight topray,and ifwe beTory whenwe cannot doe it then doewe furtherthew that theLord is our portion,orelfenot. Againe, we fee that it is not enough to makea determination,vnlefre wefurther pray that the Lord would afTill vs in ourpurpofe. This is the caufe that we cannotmake lochdetermination, norhaue lùch good purpofes,becaufeweare not often inprayer. Thediuell will be molt bufie to tempt, when we hauedetermined ; andwe ourfelues are readie to be fecure : thereforeeven then we havemoft aeede to pray. Withmywhole heart. He fheweth that he is notan hypocrite: And then (hall weknowe that wearenot,when ourhearts are fet beforeGod, and ve powre them out beforehim ; as muchas we haue vttered in words before men. This waketh the children of God to figh when theypray, becaufe theyhauetodoe withGod : and this maketh the hypocrites thatthey cannot fee themfelues,becaufe they knownotthat they haue to deale with God. Andwhen the children ofGod cannot come to (hewtheir hearts toGod, then iftheyugh andgrone for want of a heart ; this is a teftimonie that wepray in the fprit,Rom. 8. But when menprayasthough they prayed not, andheart as though they heardnot: nothing doth the Lordhatemore thenthis. Hariemercie. This is the chiefe of his prayer, and the &it, that God would giuehim merde; notto crowne his worke wrought,contrarie tothe Papifts which pleade merites: for though the Lord doe gluenew grace, yet not of merite, for that we haue is defiledby vs, butbecaufe he hash a loue to crowne hisowne gifts.He doth notpray formercieoffa- fhton, buteuen in thepretence ofGod,becaufe the true feelingof his neede diddriue him to snake this prayer. Foras when we in the feeling ofour heart can long after metric,this may bea pledge that we (hall finde mercie: fo they that haue no feelingof their infirmi- ties,cannotlong for mercie; and thereforehave noal]ùrance that they (hall hauemercie for it is the feelingofourmiferie that maketh themercie ofGod fweeteunto vs. He prayeth notfoPwhat he lufteth,but for that theLordpromifed:for Saint famesfaith, you prayandhavenot, &c. and this is thecaufe that wehauenot the thingswe pray for, becaufewepray notaccording to theword. His word muff be the ruleofour prayers, and then (hall ivereceiue: asSalomonprayed and obtained: he bath promifed forgiueneffe of fineses, the knowledgeofhis word,&c. thefe if we haue, letnot our hearts be fet on the other. Heprayesfor the promife, and maketh not a ftipulation by the lawe : for it is the pro. milethat giueth grace: then (hall wehere bane comfort ifwecan beleeue,becaufe wehaue the cotenant of grace,and not ofinerite. For ifwe had butthe lawe, the bee man muff fayle andmille, but now it is the promife, ofwhich theworf (hall not fayle, if they doe beleeue. Obie/f. He had Ibme fpeciall promifes. Antra. He had but the generalipromi- les, whereon hegrounded thefe particular. The promifes therefore are generally made, that eucry onemight know thatthey belong vntohim, and that lie mightapplie them to himfeife; as herethe Prophetdoth. Verfe i9. I bane confideredmywayer, andturnedmyfeetevntothyteitimonie r. E fhewethhow he carne tomake Godhisportion, becaufe he had ton fidered the va- nities and inconueniencesofhis waies, and themilchiefe that theywouldbring him to. Thus then (hail wee come to turneourCeps to God, by examiningour finfull waies and therewardoffinne. And becaufemen doenot thus examine themfelues, therefore doe theymake fofmall account of the wordof God: for if they knew that the game of fin bringethlolre,and pleafurebringethpaine,then would theynot continue in theirfins. The
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=