- 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.