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A Godly Man Is a Praying Man

166616 min read

  1. A godly man is a praying man:1 This is in the Text, Every one that is godly shall pray unto thee. As soon as Grace is powred in; prayer is powred out, Psa. 109. 4. But I give my self to prayer; in the Hebrew it is, […] but I prayer: Prayer and I are all one; Prayer is the Souls traffique with heaven; God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. Caligula placed his Effigies in the Capitol, whispering in Iupiters ear; prayer whispers in Gods ear. A godly man cannot live without prayer: A man cannot live unless he takes his breath; not can the Soul, unless it breathes forth its desires to God: As soon as the Babe of Grace is born it cryes; no sooner was Paul converted, but, behold he prayeth, Act. 9. 11. No doubt he prayed before being a Pharisee, but it was either superficially, or superstitiously; but when the work of Grace had passed upon his soul, behold, now, he prays: A godly man is every day upon the Mount of Prayer; he begins the day with prayer, before he opens his shop, he opens his heart to2God. We use to burn sweet perfumes in our houses; a godly mans house is domus aromatum, an house of perfume, he ayrs it with the incense of prayer; he ingageth in no business without seeking God: Scipio never entred into the Senate House, but first he ascended the Capitol, where he did his3 devotion: A godly man consults with God in every thing, he asks his leave, and his blessing: The Grecians asked counsel at their Oracles; so doth a godly man enquire at the Divine Oracle, Gen. 24. 12. 1 Sam. 23. 3, 4. A true Saint continually shoots up his heart to heaven by sacred ejaculations.

Quest. Is Prayer a sign of a godly man, may not an hypocrite pray eloquently, and with seeming devotion?

Answ. He may, Isa. 58. 2. they seek me daily; but an hypocrite doth not pray […], in the spirit, Eph. 6. 18. A man may have the gift of prayer, and not have the spirit of prayer.

Quest. How shall we know that we have the Spirit of Prayer?

Answ. When the prayer which we make is spiritual.

Quest. What is it to make a Spiritual Prayer?

Answ. 1. When we pray with knowledge; under the Law, Aaron was to light the Lamps, when he burned the Incense upon the Altar, Exod. 30. 7. Incense did typifie prayer, and the lighting of the Lamps did typifie knowledge; when the Incense of prayer burns, the Lamp of knowledge must be lighted, 1 Cor. 14. 15. I will pray with the understanding. We must know the Majesty and Holiness of God, that we may be deeply affected with reverence when we come before him; we must put up such Petitions as are exactly adequate and agreeable to Gods will. Eccles. 5. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, to utter any thing before God: The Lord would not have the blind offered to him, Mal. 1. 8. How can we pray with affection, when we do not pray with judgement? The Papists pray in an unknown tongue; Christ may reply to them as he did to the Mother of Zebedees Children, Mat. 20. 22. Ye ask ye know not what. He that prays he knows not how, shall be heard he knows not when.

  1. A spiritual prayer is, when the heart and spirit pray; there are not only words but (Chrys) desires: ‘Tis excellent when a man can say, Lord, my heart prays, 1 Sam. 1. 13. Hannah prayed in her heart: The sound of a Trumpet comes from within; and the excellent Musick of Prayer comes from within the (Chrys) heart; if the heart doth not go along in duty, it is speaking, not praying.

  2. A spiritual Prayer is a fervent (Act. 12. 5) Prayer, Iam. 5. 16. An effectual fervent prayer prevails much. The heart, like the Primum Mobile, should carry the affections in a most zealous and rapid manner; fervency is the wing of Prayer, by which it ascends to heaven; Prayer is expressed by sighs and groans, Rom. 8. 26. It is not so much the gifts of the spirit, as the groans of the spirit God likes: Prayer is called a wrestling, Gen. 32. 24. and a powring out of the Soul, 1 Sam. 1. 15. Prayer is compared to Incense, Psa. 141. 2. Incense without fire makes no sweet smell; Prayer without fervency, is like Incense without fire: Christ prayed with strong cryes and tears, Heb. 5. 7. crying Prayer4 prevails: When the heart is inflamed in Prayer, a Christian is carried as it were in a Fiery Chariot up to heaven.

  3. A Spiritual Prayer is such as comes from a broken heart, Psa. 51. 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. The Incense was to be beaten, to typifie the breaking of the heart in Prayer: ‘Tis not the voluble tongue, but the melting heart God accepts: Oh saith a Christian, I cannot pray as others; as Moses said to the Lord, I am not eloquent: But canst thou weep and sigh? Doth thy soul melt out at thy eyes? God accepts broken expressions, when they come from broken hearts. I have read of a Plant that bears no fruit, but it weeps forth a kind of Gum which is very costly: So, though thou dost not flourish with those gifts and expressions as others, yet if thou canst weep forth tears from a contrite heart, these are exceeding precious to God, and he will put them in his bottle· Iacob wept in prayer, and had power ever the Angel, Hos. 12. 4.

  4. A spiritual Prayer is a believing Prayer, Mat. 21. 22. Whatever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive: The reason why so many Prayers suffer shipwrack, is because they split against the Rock of unbelief; Praying without Faith, is shooting without5bullets: When Faith takes Prayer by the hand, then we draw neer to God; we should come to God in Prayer; as the Leper, Mat. 8. 2. Lord if thou wilt, thou canst heal6 me: ‘Tis a disparagement to Deity, to have such a whisper in the heart, that Gods ear is heavy, and cannot (Isa. 59. 1) hear: What is said of the people of Israel, may be applyed to Prayer, It could not enter in, because of (Heb. 3. 19) unbelief.

  5. A Spiritual Prayer is an holy Prayer, 1 Tim. 2. 8. Wherefore lift up pure hands: Prayer must be offered upon the Altar of a pure heart; sin lived in, makes the heart hard, and Gods ear deaf; sin stops the mouth of Prayer, it doth as the Thief to the Traveller, puts a Gagg in his mouth, that he cannot speak; sin poysons and infects prayer: A wicked mans prayer is sick of the Plague, and will God come neer him? The Loadstone loseth its virtue, when it is bespread with Garlick: so doth prayer, when it is polluted with sin, Psa 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

‘Tis foolish to pray against sin, and then to sin against prayer; a spiritual prayer, like the spirits of Wine, must be refined, and taken off the Lees and dregs of sin, Mal. 3. 3. That they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness: If the heart be holy, this Altar will sanctifie the gift.

  1. A spiritual prayer is an humble prayer, Psa. 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble. Prayer is the asking of an Alms, which requires humility, Luke 18. 13. The Publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a7 sinner. Gods incomprehensible glory may even amaze us, and strike an holy consternation into us when we approach nigh to him, Ezra 9. 6. O my God I blush to lift up my face to thee: ‘Tis comely to see a poor nothing lye prostrate at the feet of its Maker, Gen. 18. 27. Behold, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. The lower the heart descends, the higher the prayer ascends.

  2. A spiritual prayer is when we pray in the name of Christ: To pray in the name of Christ, is not only to name Christ in prayer, but to pray in the hope and confidence of Christs mediation: as a Childe claims his Estate in the right of his Father who purchased it, so we come for mercy in Christs Name, who hath purchased it for us in his bloud; unless we pray thus, we do not pray at all, nay, we rather provoke God; as it was with Uzziah, when he would offer Incense without a Priest, God was angry, and struck him with Leprosie, 2 Chron. 26. 16. So when we do not come in Christs Name in prayer, we offer up Incense without a Priest, and what can we expect but to meet with wrath?

  3. A spiritual prayer is when we pray out of love to prayer; A wicked man may pray, but he doth not love prayer, Iob 27. 10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty? A godly man is carried upon the wings of delight; he is never so well as when he is praying; he is not forced with fear, but fired with love, Isa. 56. 7. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.

  4. A spiritual prayer is, when we have spiritual ends in prayer: There is a vast difference between a spiritual prayer, and a carnal desire; the ends of an Hypocrite are secular and carnal; he looks asquint in prayer; it is not the sense of his spiritual wants that moves him, but rather lust, Iam. 4. 3. Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. The sinner prays more for food than Grace; this God doth not interpret praying, but howling, Hosea 7. 14. They howled upon their beds, they assemble for corn and wine. —Da modo lucra mihi.— (Ovid)

Prayers which want a good aim, want a good answer: A godly man hath spiritual ends in prayer; he sends out his prayer, as a Merchant sends out his Ship, that he may have large returns of spiritual blessings; his design in prayer is, that his heart may be more holy, and that he may have more communion with God: A godly man drives the Trade of prayer, that he may encrease the stock of Grace.

  1. A spiritual prayer is accompanied with the use of means; there must be […] as well as […]: When Hezekiah was sick, he did not only pray for recovery, but he laid a lump of figs to the boyl, Isa. 38. 21. Thus it is in case of the soul, when we pray against sin, and avoid temptations; when we pray for Grace, and improve opportunities, this is the laying a fig to the boil, which wil make us recover: To pray for holiness, and neglect the means, is like winding up the Clock, and pulling off the weights.

  2. A spiritual prayer is that which leaves a spiritual frame behind upon the heart; a Christian is better after prayer, he hath gotten more strength over sin, as a man by exercise gets strength: The heart after prayer keeps a tincture of holiness, as the Vessel savours and relisheth of the Wine that is put into it. Moses having been with God on the Mount, his face shined; so having been on the Mount of prayer, our Graces shine, and our lives shine: This is the sign of a godly man, he prays in the spirit: This is the right kind of praying; the gift of prayer is ordinary, like Culinary fire; but spiritual prayer is more rare and excellent, like Elementary fire which comes from heaven.

Use 1. Is a godly man of a praying spirit?8 then this excludes them from being godly,

  1. Who pray not at all: Their houses are unhallowed houses; ‘tis made the note of a Reprobate, he calls not upon God, Psal. 14. 4. Doth that indigent creature think to have an Alms who never asks it? Do they think to have mercy from God who never seek it? Truly then God should befriend them more than he did his own Son; he offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryes, Heb. 5. 7. None of Gods Children are tongue tyed, Gal. 4. 6. Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father. Creatures by the instinct of Nature cry to God, Psal. 147. 9. The young Ravens which cry: Psal. 104. 21. The Lyons seek their meat from God: Not to cry to God, is worse than bruitish.

  2. Others pray, but it is seldome; like that prophane Atheist Heylin speaks of, who told God he was no common begger, he never troubled him before, and if he would hear him now, he would never trouble him again.

  3. Others pray, but not in the Holy Ghost, Iude 20. They are rather Parrots, than weeping Doves; their hearts do not melt in prayer; they exercise their invention more then their affection.

Use 2. Use 2. As you would evidence the New-birth, (Exhort) cry Abba Father; be men of prayer; pray at least twice a day: In the Temple there was the Morning and Evening Sacrifice: Daniel prayed three times a day; nay, so did he love prayer, that he would not neglect prayer to save his life, Dan. 6. 10. Luther spent three hours every day in prayer.

Object. But what needs prayer, when God hath made so many promises of blessings?

Answ. Prayer is the condition annexed to the Promise: Promises turn upon the hinge of prayer, Ezek. 36. 37. I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel. A King promiseth a pardon, but it must be sued out. David had a promise that God would build him an house, but he sues out the promise by prayer, 2 Sam. 7. 25. Christ himself had all the promises made sure to him, yet he prayed, and spent whole nights in prayer.

Therefore if you would be counted godly, be given to9 Prayer: Prayer sanctifies your mercies, 1 Tim. 4. 5. prayer weeds out sin, and waters Grace.

That I may encourage Christians, and hold up their heads in prayer, as Aaron and Hur held up Moses hands, let me propound these few considerations.

  1. Prayer is a seed sown in Gods ears; other seed sown in the ground may be picked up by the Birds, but this seed (especially if watred with tears) is too precious to be lost.

  2. Consider the power of prayer: The Apostle having set down the whole Armour of a Christian, brings in prayer as the chief part, Eph. 6. 18. Without this (saith Zanchy) all the rest are little10 worth: By prayer Moses divided the Red Sea; Ioshua stop’d the course of the Sun, and made it stand still, Iosh. 10. 13. Nay, prayer made the Sun of Righteousness stand still, Luke 18. 40. And Iesus stood still. Prayer is the in-let to all blessings, spiritual and temporal. When Aurelius Antonius went against the Germans, he had in his Army a Regiment of Christians, who upon their earnest prayer, obtained Rain for the refreshment of his Army; and because of the power of their prayers, he called them the Thundering Regiment. Prayer hath a power in it to destroy the insolent Enemies of the Church. We read, the two Witnesses have a flame at their lips; fire proceeds out of their mouths which devoures their Enemies, Rev. 11. 5. This fire is certainly to be interpreted of their11 prayers: David prayed, Lord turn the counsel of Achitophel into foolishness, 2 Sam. 15. 31. This prayer made Achitophel hang himself. Moses prayer against Amalek did more than Ioshua’s Sword: Prayer hath a kind of Omnipotency in it, it hath raised the dead, overcome Angels, cast out Devils; it hath influence upon God (Exod. 32. 10) himself: Iacobs prayer held God· Gen. 32. 26. I will not let thee go till thou bless12 me. Prayer finds God free, but leaves him bound.

3, Jesus Christ prays over our prayers again; he takes the dross out, and presents nothing but pure gold to his Father. Christ mingles his sweet odours with the prayers of the Saints, Rev. 5. 8. Think of the dignity of his person, he is God; and the sweetness of his Relation, he is a Son: Oh then what encouragement is here for us to pray! Our prayers are put in the hand of a Mediator; though as they come from us they are weak and imperfect, yet as they come from Christ, they are mighty and powerful.

  1. The sweet promises which God hath made to prayer, Isa. 30. 19. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry, Ier. 29. 13, 14. Then shall ye go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you; and ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And Isaiah 65. 24. Before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. These promises keep the head of prayer above water; God is bound with his own promises, as Sampson was bound with his own hair.

Let us then double our files, and with our Saviour, pray yet more earnestly, Luke 22. 44. Let us be importunate Suitors, and resolve with S. Bernard, that we will not come away from God without13 God: prayer is a Petarr, which will make heaven gates fly open.

Quest. How shall we do to pray aright?

Answ. Implore the Spirit of God, Iude 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost both Indights prayer, and inflames it: God understands no other language but that of his spirit; pray for the Holy Ghost, that you may pray in the Holy Ghost.

Footnotes

  1. 12 Character. ↩

  2. Oratio est clavis diei. ↩

  3. Prius in Capitolium quàm Seratum. Plutarch. ↩

  4. Clamor iste penetrat nubes, ac pertingit usque ad aures Dei. Luther. ↩

  5. Qui timide rogat docet negare. Seneca. ↩

  6. Invoco te Domine quanquam languida & imbecilla fide, tamen fide. Caspar. Cruciger. ↩

  7. Quanto cum tremore, quantâ humilitate, accedere debet à Palude sua repens ranuncula vilis Bern. de mod. Orandi. ↩

  8. Vse. 1. ↩

  9. Deus nunquam frustra quaeritur, imò ne tunc cum inveniri non potest. Bernard. ↩

  10. Reliqua arma Parum prosunt. Zanch. ↩

  11. […]. Macar. Hom. ↩

  12. Precibus suis velut vinculis ligatum tenuit Deum. ↩

  13. Nunquam à te Domine absque te recedam. Bern. ↩

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