Chapter 16. Conrerning Deprecation of evill, with several Arguments to back our requests of this nature

THe chief heads of matter for Petition are summarily comprehended in the Lords Prayer, as hath been shewed before. (Chap. 5)

All Petition is either for Our selves. Deprecation. Comprecation. Others. Intercession.

In petitioning for our selves, the first thing to be explained, is Deprecation, which concerns the prevention, or removal or lessening of evill.

¹The first evill to be prayed against, is that of sin, and therein we should deprecate both the Guilt. Power.

1. The guilt of sin is that imputation whereby we are obliged to the wrath of God,² and all the curses of the Law, and therefore we have great need to pray that he would forgive us our debts; (Isa. 44.22)That he would blot out our Transgressions as a cloud; That he would open unto us the fountain for sin, and for uncleannesse; (Zach. 13.1) That he would have compassion upon us, subduing our iniquities, and casting our sins into the depths of the sea; (Mic. 7.19) That we may be justified freely by his grace, (Rom. 3.24) through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; That he would cleanse us from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit; (2 Cor. 7.1) That he would blot out the hand-writing that is against us, and take it out of the way, (Col. 2.14) nailing it to the Crosse of Christ.

Of this kinde we have sundry Deprecations in Scripture; So David, Remember, O· Lord, (Ps. 25.6, 7) thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindnesses, for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: for thy names sake, O Lord,³ pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.

Lord, be merciful unto me, heal my soul, (Psal 41.4) for I have sinned against thee.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindnesse, (Ps. 51.1, 2) according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions; wash me throughly from mine iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with Hysope, and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter then Snow. (Vers. 7) Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. (Vers. 9)

O remember not against us our former iniquities, (Ps. 79.8, 9) help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name. Deliver us, and purge away our sins for thy names sake.

Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, (Psal. 119.132) as thou usest to do unto those that love thy Name.

Take away all our iniquities, and receive us graciously. (Hos. 14.2)

Heal our back-slidings, and love us freely.

(Vers. 4)Now because this is one of the chief wants, against which we should petition; therefore we should endeavour to back our requests in this kinde, with such Arguments as may serve to stir up our fervency, and strengthen our faith in this desire.

1. From the mercy of God, who desires not the death of a sinner, but at what time soever he shall truly repent, hath promised to forgive him. He hath commanded us to ask daily pardon, (Ezek. 18.21, 22) as well as daily bread, shewing thereby that as the best man shall continually need pardon, so he is more ready to give it, then we are to ask it. He has intreated us to be reconciled unto him. He does invite, and call us, when we are impenitent, and therefore he will be much more ready to embrace and accept of us, when we desire with repentance to return unto him. He would not have us send our neighbour away empty, when that which he would borrow is with us; (Prov 3.8) How much more then shall he who is the Father of Mercies, in respect of whom all the compassion in man is not so much as a drop to the Ocean? How much more shall he accept and grant the desires of his children? for with the Lord there is mercy, (Psal. 130.7) and with him there is plenteous redemption. He hath enjoyned us to help our enemies Oxe or Asse, (Exod. 23.5) when they are in danger. And doth God take care for Oxen? hath he not a farre greater esteem of his own Image in man? (1 Cor. 9.9) Will he not much rather extend his bounty and goodnesse unto such as are oppressed under the burthen of their sins? Though no sin be little in it self, yet the greatest sinne is but little in comparision to his mercy. The more our offences have been, the more may he glorifie himselfe in the pardon of them.

2. From the merits of Christ, (1 Joh. 2.2) who is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. He came to save that which was lost: (Mat. 18.11) To quicken those that were dead in trespases and sins. To this end was he borne, and for this and came he into the world, (Eph. 2.1) that he might save sinners. He was wounded for our transgressions, (Joh. 18.37) he was bruised for our iniquities, (Isa. 53.5) the chastisement of our peace was upon him, that with his stripes we might be healed. He hath satisfied for us as our surety, and hath suffered the punishments that were due unto our sins; and it cannot stand with the justide of God, to require a debt twice over, to punish them again in us, when he hath already punished them in Christ.

3. From our own frailties; (Job 15.14) What is man that he should be clean and he that is borne of woman that he should be religious? God will pitty those that feare him, because he knows their frame, (Ps. 103.14) he considers that they are but dust. He remembers that they are but flesh, and no flesh can be righteous in his sight. (Ps. 78.39) Before him no man living can be justified. The greatnesse and the sense of our unworthinesse does make us the fitter objects for his mercy. (Ps. 143.2) (Mat. 9.12) The whole have no need of the Phisician, but the si[…]k.

And as we are to pray for the pardon of our sins, against the guilt of them; so likewise for the sense and evidence of this pardon, against our own doubts, that being iustified by faith we may have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; (Rom. 5.1) that we may be sealed with the holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, (Eph. 1.13, 14) until the redemption of the purchased possession; of this kinde are those Petitions of David.

⁴ Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and establish me with thy free spirit.

(Ps. 4.6) Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

(Ps. 90.14) O satisfie us early with thy mercies, that we may be glad and rejoyce all our dayes.

(Ps. 119.135) Make thy face to shine upon thy servant, and teach me thy statutes.

The reasons to back this request, may be,

1. From the justice of it, we do but ask an acquittance, where the debt is paid, (Christ having already satisfied for our sins. (Gen. 18.25)) And shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? He hath promised to be found of those that do not seek him, and to seek after those that go astray from him; and will he not much rather accept, and be favourable to such as desire to seek after him, and to wait upon him in the observation of his own Ordinances? He hath said that we shall not seek his face in vaine. (Isa. 45.19)

2. From the facility of it; ‘tis but saying the word only, and we shall be whole; if we could relieve all those that beg of us, with meer words, there is none should ask without successe. But now with God, ‘tis all one to do a thing as to speak it. (Ps. 85.8) ‘Tis but speaking peace to our souls, and we shall have it. (Jer. 32.27) Behold thou art the Lord, the God of all flesh, there is nothing too hard for thee.

3. Next to the Guilt of sins,⁵ we should pray against the Power of them, that we may not relapse into them again for the future, that sinne may not reigne in our mortal bodies;⁶ That we may not be brought into captivity unto the law of sinne, which is in our members; That God would redeem us from all our iniquities,⁷ and with the blood of Christ, purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God; That he would inable us to put off, (Eph. 4.22) concerning our former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts; (Gal. 5.24) to crucifie the flesh with the affections, and lusts of it: That we may have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknes:⁸ That our hearts may not be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sin: That we may not walk according to the course of the world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh: (2 Cor. 10.5) That he would cast down every imagination, and high thought that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God; and bring into captivity every thought unto the obedience of Christ.

Of this kinde is that Petition of David,⁹ Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominon over me. Order my steps in thy word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

‘Tis not here necessary to make any large recital of the kindes of sins, mentioned before in confession; but to insist more fully and particularly in such to which we are more especally inclined, that they may be mortified and subdued.

The Arguments to strengthen our faith and fervency in this desire, may be such as these.

1. From the fitnesse of it in respect of his glory· it is not for his honour that his servants should be under the yoke of his enemies.

2. From our own impotency for it evil, being alwayes present with us, and sin so easily besetting us. And of our selves we are no more able to lay aside these weights, and to cast off our sins, then an Ethiopian is to cast off his blacknesse, or a Leopard his spots.

3. From the facility of it to God, he is stronger then the strong man, (Phil. 3.21) and can subdue all things to himself.

4. From his Promise and Covenant, whereby he hath ingaged himselfe to subdue our iniquities, and to keep us from departing from him. (Mich. 7.19)

¹⁰2. Another evil to be prayed against, is Temptation, according to that in the Lords Prayer, Lead us not into temptation; That we may be freed from Trials themselves, so farre as may stand with Gods good pleasure; especially the evil of them, that we may not be overcome by them, nor faint under them.

Temptation is of three kindes.

1. From our own corrupted natures, by which we are very apt to be drawn aside and inticed to all manner of sins; (Jam. 1.14) there being no kinde of impiety, but what this does make us capable of; and will (without Gods restraining or renewing grace,) at some time or other dispose us unto. And herein more particularly, the blindenesse of our understandings, our wicked imaginations and fleshly reasonings, the perversnesse of our wills, the hardnesse and earthinesse of our affections, the insensiblenesse of our consciences, the depravation of all our faculties.

2. The malice and subtilty of the Devil, who as a roaring lyon walks about, (1 Pet. 5.8) seeking whom he may devour; and is still provoking us to those evils which are most suitable to our particular occasions and dispositions:¹¹ Watching for advantage against us, desiring to fift and winnow us as wheat; and therefore we had need to pray, that we may be sober and vigilant, having upon us,¹² the whole armour of God, whereby we may withstand the wiles of the Devil; that we may constantly resist him,¹³ being stedfast in the faith, taking heed of the depths of Satan: That we do not fall into reproach, and the snare of the Devil, That the God of Peace would bruise Satan under our feet.

3. The allurements, or terrours of the world, either by profits, pleasures, honours on the one hand; or losses, dangers, troubles, disgrace, persecution on the other. The rain descending, the floods coming, the windes blowing, and beating upon us. (Mat. 7.27) The evill customes and examples of the generation wherein we live, the slavish hopes and fears of men.

Besides these kindes of temptation, we are likewise to pray against the degrees of it, suggestion, consent, practice, delight, (Jam. 1.14) habitual custome and necessity.

That God would enable us always to watch and pray, lest we fall into temptation. (Mat. 26.41)

And because every man hath some particular sin, or temptation, to which he is more especially exposed, belonging either to his age, temper, calling; therefore he should endeavour to observe and finde out, and more fully to inlarge himself in his deprecation against that.

3. The last sort of evil to be prayed against, is that of Punishment;¹⁴ The kindes of which were mentioned before, under the head of Confession, and are likewise reducible under that other head concerning Protection; and therefore it will be needlesse here to make any particular recital of them.

In the general, we are to pray against all those judgements which may be inflicted upon us, either in our bodies, friends, names, estates. Against those more eminent miseries of Sword, Famine, Pestilence, (which three being of a publike nature, concerning the Nation and community in which we live, may be more particularly insisted upon under the head of Intercession) against distraction and sorrow of minde, trouble of conscience, the losse of Gods holy Ordinances, and eternal damnation.

That no evil may befal us, neither any plague come nigh our dwellings. (Ps. 91.10)

That he would not rebuke us in his anger, neither chasten us in his displeasure. (Psal. 6.1)

(Ps. 51.11) That he would not cast us away from his presence, nor take his holy Spirit from us.

Those judgements ought to be more particularly deprecated, with which we are at any time frighted or afflicted.

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Footnotes

1. 1. Sin.
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2. 1. The guilt of sin.
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3. Vers. 11. ↩

4. Psal. 35.3. Ps. 51.12. ↩

5. 2. The power of sin.
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6. Rom. 6.12 Vers. 23. ↩

7. Tit. 2.22. Heb. 9.14 ↩

8. Eph. 5.11. Heb. 3.13. Eph. 2.2, 3 ↩

9. Psal. 19.13 Psal. 119.133. ↩

10. 2. Temptation.
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11. 2 Cor. 2.11. Luk. 22.31 ↩

12. Mat. 26.41 Eph. 6.11. ↩

13. 1 Pet. 5.8. Rev. 2.24 1 Tim. 3.7. Rom. 16.20. ↩

14. 3. Punishment.
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