Perkins - BX9318 P47 1613 v2

66 Cafes ofCon{cience. 2.Booke. the cau(cof him that is ancnernie to God, A bur agamO his perfon.Thus Dauid did,efpe· ciallymthe 109./'fa/,which Pfalme is full of terrible curfesagain!l his particular enemies, •n~ t]pic•IIJagamO l:rd.u. For he had the fpi· mof difcernmg,bywhich he knew thatthey 1\icrc incurableenemies: andapure ·zcale of thcgloryofGod, which made him break out ioto (uch tmprccatinns.So Paul praies,Gal.;. 1 :,that theymight becuroff which troubhd the Church,&~c. :.Tim.4,14.he praics dircC\Iy a· gamli the perfon of Alexander theCopper· Cmith, that had done him much wwng, The Lordrerwtrd him ttccordtng tohi4 w~rk_es. Which mu!! not feeme !!range: for Paul had in thar j.[uprecationlthefpiritofprophecic 3 and con- B fequenrly bmh the fpirit of di(cernmg, and of pure zeale: and therefore he mightpray againfl him ashe did. But for ordinary men,firch as haue nothing but ordinary gifts, and wanrrhe fpirit of di!: cerning, and haue alfo a zeale rr.inglcd with choler, Clol)lacke,angcr,&hatrcd; they may vfc noextraordinaric prayer againU the per– Con ofany man. All thatthey may doe, ts to pray, that God would rdlrainethcix malice, hinder their bad practiCes, and turne them to > An[. I. Weemuflnotvferhema& Dauid did,namcly,as prayers againll the perfonsof our enemies, but onely as prophecies•gamfl the enemiesof God,whereip thepunilhmcnt of mcurable men, thatwere enemies to God , andhis riuth,isfore-rolde.Forwehauenor,as Dauid had, an exttaordinatyfpirit, ora pure zeale:thcrefore wecannotpray as he did. I I. I anfwer, whcreasthefe Imprecations wercdircd:cd againfi particular enemies, wee may vfe them in fome fort as prayers, bHt how/ as genera!J prayers again!! all themcu· rable enemies of God, noragain!! any parti– culars among the I ewes, Turkesl or PapiOs. As thereforewe mayvfe thefeImprecations as prayers, fo wee mufl vfc t.hcmw1chout any particularapplication, to the p01fons of any particular men. II I. 0!1!;Uion. l/Vhat be the particular [ircumflances ofPrayer l An(. TherearechieRy foure.l. The voice, orfpeech. II. Thegellure, Ill. Theplace where. IV. Thetunewhen. s.a. r. OftheCir~ cumfl:mces of Prayer, his glorie, &the good ofhis Church. T hexe· fore,Atl.4 2 9· when there had been a Coun· cell holden at lcrufalem,again!l the Apo!Hcs Peter and John, in the firH beginningof the great perfecution of Chrillians, in the pri· mitiueChurch,itis(aid that thrydepartedfrom C the •JfcmbiJ,andP'"l'dtogetherwt>h the re!l oftheChurch,in thismaner;Andnon•,OL1rd, behold thetr tbreatnings, cj·c. \IVherein they praid not again!I theCounccl,nor agatnO the men tbarfate incoun(el,butagain!lthcir pro· ccedings,courfes,deuiccs,&rhrcatnings.And their pra{lt(e may bea patterne for ordinary men ra follow. In Luke 9· S4· the Difciplos asking our Sauiour Chrtfl whether they Owuld call for firefromh'affen,toddfroyhi&,._. miu, he llmpely reprooueth tl1cm tor their intemperateheare againfi the Samariranes, and tels them,that they had notthar cxrraor– dinarie Spirit, to effect fuch athing, becaufe they were but ordinary men. Ordinarie men therefore may not pray againflrhe perfons D cfGndsenemies, ThePopcar thisdayisa profetTed cnemie to Chri!l and his Gofpcll, yet no man may pray againO the perfon of the Pope, but ondy •gainfl his !late, king· domr, and regiment,which is Anrichri!lian ; •h<reby hcfetshimfclfeagainll God,andhts Concerningthe Voicc,this Q.!!dlion may Of•he be mooued: Voice in kingdom<. VVh<rher avoice or wordsarc to be vfed Prar<r. in prayerorno? Anf. Prayer iseither P"blike, or Priuate· In publike prayer, a forme of words mufl•l· wa1es bcvled,inaknownc,plainc,and dHlinCl voice. Thcrcafonsarcthcfe: Firfl, theMi· nifler is the mouth of the whole Congrega.ti· on in prater,ashc is the mouth ut God to the people in preaching. Now asrhe Mini!lens theirmouth to God in prayer, (o the people mull giuetheiralfcnr,and approbation to his prayer,by the word Ame• : Buttherecan bee no profciTed and publike atfent, without a voice.Secondly,God is the Creator,notone· ly of the fouleofman, butolfoofhis bodie; and we blclfe God, not onely with the h~art, butalfowith the tongue: thcrcfoxe the whole man mufl pray in publike. Now in priuate prayer> m~dc in priu~re &fecret places,by priuatepcrfons, rhe Vorce is profitable, burnotfimplynccetfarl<. Ir ts profitab!e,becaufe it flirreth vp rheatfdhons ofthe heart; itferueth al(o ro keepe the wan· dring minde in compa!Tc, ro cxpreifc theaf.. StG. 2. fedion)andtoprocurearccnti~t;of the heart Vpon the anfwertothis Quefiion, there to the prayer. Yet it is not hmplynecetfa· followcth another. SundricPfalmcs of Darie, For a man is nor bound in confcicnce uid are Pfalmcsof imprccation,whereinDarovfe a forme of wordcs, in all hisprayers, utd cw (erh his enemtes fcarefully,efpecially Mofesprayed,hefpakcneueraworci,and yet in rbc 109.Pfalmc.,now al chcfe Pfalmeswerc 1t was aprayer: for the Lord f.1ics vnro.hirn, penned for our vfe' It m•y therefore be.deExod. u. •s.TPhy cri1/ rl;ou?Annaprayingin mandcJ, how wcmay vfcrhcfc,andfuch like, the tem~le,hfr lipsdidmcotu on!J,htr votctW~U· \-het~dcor fing._t_h_er_n_?_______ ._,_h_,_.,_a;_.&_,_ye_t_lh_e_i_•li_a_id_t_o_,_p_ra~y_,_._.s_._".'·_,-'-,·'_::_3· Agame_!

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