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Chapter 4. The general directions for the attaining of this Gift. Namely Rules and Practice. Some particular Rules to engage the affections in this service. What we are to do upon any invincible indisposition or aversness from it

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THe next thing to be discussed is concerning the means, or directions, for the more facill attaining of this Gift· where there are these two general things to be prescribed; Namely Rules and Practice, which are likewise necessary for all other acquired habits.

  1. Without Rules a man will be apt to go compasse, and roving in the enquiry after this Gift, not the shortest and most proper way.

  2. Without frequent Practice, according to these Rules, he shall never attain this habit. ‘Tis not the bare knowledge of a way, without walking in it, that will bring a man to his journeys end. Habits are both acquired and improved by exercise. Those things that we learn for practice, we learn by practice (saith the Philosopher.) And that is one reason why many ignorant men do sometimes in this Gift excell those that are much more eminent for learning and knowledge; because though these do better understand the Rules, and Theory, yet the other do practise more; and by that means attain to a greater readiness and facility in this gift, and this likewise is the reason why in these later times, divers men have attained to a greater preheminence this way, then was usuall heretofore, because formerly this kinde of study and endeavour was lesse in use: Men did generally confine themselves to particular forms, and did not make it their businesse to improve in this ability.

The Rules to this purpose are chiefly of two kindes. Namely such as concern, 1. The stirring up of the affections. 2. The informing and furnishing of the judgement

  1. ‘Tis convenient that the affections should be so engaged in this service, as that they may lead the way and guide us both in our matter and expression, to which purpose the most proper means wil be to get a clear and distinct apprehension of our own conditions in these two respects.

  2. In respect of that necessity that lyes upon us,

  3. In regard of that possibility which there is of obtaining by this means help and supply. These two arguments will be of greatest efficacy to excite the affections.

  4. We must labour to work in our selves a true sense of our own necessity. A Malefactor that is presently to be sentenced, and executed· will not need any prompter to quicken his desire of pardon. Men that are in such a condition, (saith Parisiensis) Nullum habent Doctorem,1 qui illos supp[…]icare doceat, & precari; non habent librum, quem inspitientes, accipiant inde disertitudinem illam deprecationis) will not need any Master to teach them how to supplicate, nor any book out of which they might learn a set forme of petitioning. The apprehension of their present danger will make them both importunate and eloquent, in the desire of mercy. And thus will it be in proportion, with every one as he does apprehend his own necessity, in respect of any want, or danger. To which purpose that grace of Humility, will be of special advantage, which is alwayes sensible of it’s own need and poverty; and the more it does receive, by so much the more does it bemoan it’s own indigence.

Now, when a man has brought his heart to this temper, it will be most proper for him to lay aside all needlesse artifice, or affectation, behaving himself in his addresses unto God with the same plainnesse, and simplicity· as we use to do with men. Let him seriously consider. 1. What sins those are which (if he were now to die) would most affright his conscience. Confesse them in particular, aggravate, and bewaile them· 2. What that is he would chuse above all other things to desire of God, if he were sure to have his wish; Pardon, Grace, Perseverance, Contentment, Heaven, Protection· &c. and let him beg each of these, urging the promise to this purpose. 3. How his condition does differ from others below him. What blessing there is that he could least spare. Others, perhaps, are wretchedly ignorant, prophane, necessitous, sick, &c. whereas he is exempted, and therefore ought to give thanks for each of these enjoyments.

And in in the mention of these, he may poure out his thoughts in the most obvious expressions, As suppose after this manner. O Lord my God, I am at this present guilty of such or such a sin, which I have relapsed into, notwithstanding my conviction and promises; I desire to be humbled for it, and to renew my resolutions against it; and do earnestly beg thy mercy in pardoning of it, thy grace to strengthen me for the future. There is such a blessing I stand in great need of: ‘Tis not in mine own power to procure it, thou can’st easily, and thou hast promised to bestow it, &c. There is such a mercy which I see other men want, and this makes their condition sad and miserable; and therefore I desire to be truly sensible of thy favour in my enjoyment of it.

Thus going over particulars, in the most facil natural expressions, and if new matter does not presently occurre, a man need not therefore break off this exercise, but may take some time to meditate and consider of his condition, to recollect some other particulars.

‘Tis not necessary that he should still keep on in this duty, in a continued frame of speech (I speak of our secret, Closet-devotions betwixt God and our own soules; for as for publick prayer, wherein we are to joyn with others, though but in a family, we ought there to be more close and exact in our preparations, as being to work upon the affections of those that joyn with us) But I say in these private devotions a man may take a greater freedome, both for his phrase and matter, he may be sometimes at a stand, and make a pause, there may be many intermissions and blanck spaces, in respect of speech, wherein by meditation he may recover some new matter to tontinue in this duty.

Now to him that shall attempt it after this manner, it will not be very difficult to pray in private, without the help of books, or prescribed formes. And ‘tis not easie to expresse what a vast difference a man may finde in respect of inward comfort and satisfaction, betwixt those private prayers that are thus conceived from the affections, and those prescribed formes, which we say by wrote, or read out of books.

This will be one good way so to ingage the affections upon this service, that they may go before and lead us on in the particular subject of our prayers, in which frequent practice will make a man very expert; especially if by observation he be furnished with a treasury of the most proper matter and expressions to this purpose; wherby when his affections are dull, and indisposed, he may be able to quicken them. For as the affections when they are vigorous, will guide us unto matter and expression: so when they are heavy and dull, then premeditated matter and expression will help to excite them, these being of mutual efficacy and advantage. But of this I shall have occasion to speak afterwards.

  1. Besides the sense of our own necessity, ‘tis requisite likewise that a man should apprehend the possibility of receiving help and supply by this means. A poor begger will with much patience and diligence attend that door, where he is confident of obtaining an alms; and till a man be thus perswaded he can never be earnest in his desires. To this purpose that grace of faith is so often required for the right performance of this duty; and for the strengthening of this, God is pleased to give us leave to argue with him, Isa. 1.16, 18. He invites those that are washed and reformed to reason with him,2 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, &c. Rogat efficacissimè, qui causas rogandireddit. That man does beg most powerfully, who backs his requests with arguments. And the Scriptures do afford us frequent examples of such humble and reverent expostulations, wherein holy men have with many reasons pleaded their cause before God. So Jacob, Gen. 32, 11, 12. And Moses, Exod. 32.11, 22 And David very frequently. Not that any of our arguments are able to move, and alter him in whom there is no shadow of change: But they may be effectuall in the strengthening our own faith and fervency, which is the proper scope and end of them

The usuall Topicks to this purpose do concern either God. Our selves.

  1. The Arguments from Gods nature and Attributes are reducible to some of these heads.

  2. From his Power. So Moses argues with him: O Lord God, (Deut 3:24) who hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatnesse, and thy mighty hand; for what God is there in heaven, or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? I pray thee, (Psal. 86.8, 10) &c. Thus Jehosaphat pleads, 2 Chron. 20.6. O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? And rulest not thou over all the Kingdoms of the Heathen? and in thine hand is there not power, and might? so that none is able to withstand thee.

  3. From his Wisdom and Providence, Job 365. God is mighty in strength and wisedome, Psal. 59.13. Let it be known that God ruleth in Jacob,3 and unto the ends of the earth. He is the only wise God, 1 Tim. 1.19. who maketh every thing beautiful in his time, Eccles. 3.11.

  4. From his Justice, Psal. 5.3, 4. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, for thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickednesse, neither shall evill dwell with thee, Psal. 143.1. Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplication, in thy faithfulnesse answer me, and in thy righteousnesse.

  5. From his Truth, Psal 69.13. O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation, 2 Sam. 7.28. And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodnsse unto thy servant, therefore now let it please thee, &c.

  6. From his Mercies, Psal. 6.4. O save me for thy mercies sake.4 Psal. 25 6. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindnesses, for they have been ever of old. Isa. 63.15. Look down from heaven, (Dan. 9.18) and behold from the habitation of thy holines, and thy glory, where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me? are they restrained?

  7. From his Glory, Josh. 7.9. What wilt thou do unto thy great Name? 2 Kings 17.19. Now therefore O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hands, that all the Kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou onely. Pal. 79.10 Wherefore should the Heathen say, where is their God?5 Jer. 14.21. Do not abhor us for thy names sake, do not disgrace the Throne of thy Glory.

  8. From his Covenant and Promise, 1 Kings 8.25, 26. O Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father,6 that thou promisedst him, &c. And now, O God of Israel, let thy word I pray thee, be verified,7 which thou spakest unto him, &c. Psal. 74.20. O deliver not the soul of thy Turtle unto the multitude of the wicked, forget not the Congregation of the poor for ever. Have respect unto the Covenant, &c. Jer. 14.21. Remember, break not thy Covenant with us.

  9. From his Command of calling upon him, and appointing this Ordinance, as the means of our help and supply in any condition, Psal. […]7.8. Thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart answered, Thy face, (Ps. 31.17) Lord, will I seek, Psal. 50.5. Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorifie me. Psal. 86.5. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

  10. The second sort of arguments, from our selves, are derivable from some of these heads.

  11. From our Relation to him as being his people, servants, children, Psal 74.1, 2. (Exod. 9.29) Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? remember the Congregation which thou hast purchased of old, the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this Mount Sion, wherein thou hast dwelt. Psal. 116.16. O Lord, truly I am thy servant, I am thy servant, (Ps. 86.16) and the son of thine handmaid, thou hast loosed my bonds. Psal. 143.12. Of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am thy servant. Isa. 63.16. Doubtlesse thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not; thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer. Isa. 64.8. But now, O Lord, thou art our Father, we are the clay, and thou our Potter, we are all the work of thine hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever. Behold, see we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Jer. 14.8, 9. O! the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land? and as a wayfayring man, that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldst thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.

  12. From our own sincerity, Psal 40.16. Let all those that seek thee,8 rejoyce and be glad in thee; let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified. Psal. 119.38. Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear. vers. 94. I am thine, save me, for I have sought thy precepts. vers. 159. Consider how I do love thy precept, quicken me, O Lord, according to thy loving kindnesse. Isa. 38.3. Remember now, O Lord, how I have walked before thee, in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight.

  13. From our present Dependance upon him, Ps. 7.1. (2 Chron. 14.11) O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust, save me from all them that persecute me. Psal. 2[…].2. O my God, (Ps. 31.1.3.86.2.71.5) I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed. vers. 20. Keep my soul, and deliver me, let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee. Psal. 57.1. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee, yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, untill these calamities be over-past.

  14. From the greatnesse of our Need and sufferings, Psal. 25.19. Consider mine enemies, for they are many, (Ver. 17, 18) and they hate me with a cruel hatred. Psal. 60.1, 2, 3. (Psal. 6.2, 3 & 7.6) O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turne thy self to us again; thou hast made the earth to tremble, thou hast broken it, (Ps. 80.1, 2) thou hast shewed thy people hard things, thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. Psal. 79.8. Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us, for we are brought very low. (Ps. 86.1, 14. 123.3, 4) Psal. 142.6. Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, (Isa 64.10, 12) for they are stronger then I.

  15. From the Benefit of his hearing, and granting our requests, Psal. 80.18.9 So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Psal. 102.15.10 So the Heathens shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the Kings of the earth thy glory. vers. 18.11 This shall be written for the generations to come, and the people which shall be created,12 shall praise the Lord. Psal. 106 47. Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the Heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.

  16. From our Experience and former examples, Judg. 15.18. Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant, and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? Psal. 22.4, 5. Our fathers trusted in thee, and thou didst deliver them. They cryed unto thee, (Ps. 71.5.6) and were delivered; they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. Psal. 27.9. Thou hast been my help,13 leave me not, neither forsake me O God of my salvation.

To these may be added in the businesse of Imprecation another Topicke, from the insolence,14 and impiety of Gods enemies, Exod. 32.12. Wherefore should the Egyptians say, for mischief did he bring them out, to stay them in the mountaines, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Psal. 140.8. Grant not,15 O Lord, the desires of the wicked, further not his wicked device, lest they exalt themselves.

From some of these heads a man may fetch arguments, to quicken and confirme his faith, to perswade the possibility of obtaining help by this duty. And that is another good means of engaging the affections upon this service.

Sometimes indeed, the Spirit of God may raise in a man such vigorous inlargements of heart, that he shall not need any distinct application of his thoughts to these rules; but at other times when he is more heavy and indisposed, then ought he to be the more careful in using these means; when the winde does not blow to help us by the sailes, we must ply the oares so much the harder.

But now, if notwithstanding all our endeavours in this kinde, we do still finde in our selves a barrennesse, distraction and aversnesse from this service (as that may be frequently our condition) in this case there are these two remedies to be considered.

  1. Bewaile, and pray against that indisposition in particular, and though you can say nothing else, yet say this, O Lord, as this coldnesse and deadnesse of heart, is my fault, so I desire to repent of it, and to be humbled for it; but as it is thy will and chastisement, most justly inflicted for my former negligence, and formality, so I desire to submit unto it, thy will be done; but yet I will not cease to beg pardon for it, and power against it.

A man does not only then pray well, when his devotions are accompanied with some special comforts and inlargements; but then also when he is sensible of much coldnesse and indisposition. The right performance of this duty, does not so much consist in the acts of the sensitive appetite, as in the regulating of the will. As God takes the Will for the deed in sinful actions, so much more in good duties, as being more ready to reward then to punish,

  1. What you want in the degrees of your duty, be careful to make up in your humility, and this will be the most proper improvement of all our failings, when we can strengthen our selves by our very infirmities. O Neminem à Deo derelictum, quando etiam vilitas ipsum seminarium est sublimitatis, (saith one of the Ancients.16) That man has no great reason to complain of desertions, who can by them take advantage to improve his graces, and raise himself by his very falls. Our most inlarged devotions are nothing worth, without this fruit of humble and upright conversations; and with this consequent, our coldest, most restrained prayers, may be looked upon as succesfull.

Thus much for the first sort of rules that concern the stirring up of our affections.

← Chapter 3. Arguments, or motives to excite men unto the labour after this Gift · Contents · Chapter 5. Other Rules to furnish the Judgement in respect of Matter, Method →

Footnotes

  1. De […] cap. 26. ↩

  2. Ply. Epist lib. 2. ↩

  3. Jer. 10.12. Dan. 2.20, 21. ↩

  4. Psal 86.5. & 15. ↩

  5. Vers. 9. Psal. 10[…]. Vers 21. ↩

  6. Neh. 9 8. ↩

  7. Numb. 23 19. ↩

  8. Psal. 5.12 Psal. 25 21 Psal 86.2. Ps. 44.18. ↩

  9. Psal. 9 14. ↩

  10. 35 18, 28. ↩

  11. 43.4.61.8 ↩

  12. 79.13. ↩

  13. Ps. 80.8, 9 143 5. Is. 51.9.10 ↩

  14. Deut. 9.28 Psa. 74.10 22.23. Psal. 83.2.139.20. ↩

  15. Psal. 10.13. Deut. 9.28 ↩

  16. Wesselus Gronigensis de orat. c. 3. ↩

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