A DISCOURSE OF The nature of Prevalent Prayer: Together with some helps against discouragements in Prayer.
LAMENT. 3. 57.
‘Thou drewest neare in the day that I called upon thee, thou saidst fear not.’
THis Book of the Lamentations doth plainely shew what miseries and distresses sin is the cause of. As in this people of the Jews, who because of their Idolatries, their contempt of Gods Ordinances, their slighting and misusing the Prophets, &c.▪ Had their Cities taken, their Temple burned, their liberties confiscated, themselves carried captive out of their own countrey, and deprived of the ordinances of their God, and the signs of his presence; before they were rebellious: but now they sought God a long time; they prayed, but God would not hear. Insomuch that many poor soules amongst them were discouraged, and almost ready to despaire; That had not the Lord put in some inklings of hope, they had
[Page 266] utterly fainted. Now whilst these poore soules were praying, and crying, and groaning, and now ready to give over for discouragement that God will not heare them, presently the Lord flings in comfort, and beckens to their hearts not to be discouraged, but to pray on, and feare not. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee, thou saidst fear not; the words containe in them three properties of effectuall prayer:
First, the unsatiablenesse of it; All the prayers of this people though
1 they had been of many yeares, yet they counted them as the prayers of one day; in the day that I called upon thee. They account all their thousands of supplications and praiers as one suite; never had they done their praiers till God did heare them.
Secondly, the sensiblenesse of it, whereby it is able to know whether
2 God doe heare it or no: Thou drewest neare in the day that I called upon thee.
Thirdly, the supplyes it hath against dangers and discouragements;
3 God flings in comfort into their hearts, giving them inklings of hope to support them against their discouragements, thou saidst fear not. From the first of these, observe
That an effectual prayer is an unsatiable prayer; A man that praies effectually,
Doctrine. 1. sets down this in himself as his first conclusion never to cease, nor to give over praying till he speed: This the first and prime thing that a godly heart looks at, as David in his prayers: He begins in this manner, Heare my cry O God, attend unto my prayer, Psal. 61. 1. So, Give eare unto my prayer O God, and hide not thy self from my supplications, Psal. 55. 1. Heare my voyce O God in my prayer, Psal. 64. 1. As if he should say, Lord, now I come to call upon thee, now that I come to thee, to begge these and these graces that my soule wants, I beseech thee to heare me: for I am resolved never to give over my suit, never to give thee rest, but for to continue my prayers and supplications, til thou give a gratious answer to my soul and heare me.
This is the first and prime thing that the soule looks after, it being the very end of prayer to be heard; it is not with prayer as with Oratory; for in Oratory; a man may use all the perswasive arguments that the wit of man
[...], and speak as cuttingly, and as perswasively as may be, and yet th
[...] heart may be so intractable as not to be perswaded; it is not so with prayer.
The end of prayer is to prevaile with God. Beloved, there is difference between the end and office of prayer; the office of prayer is to pray, the end of prayer is to prevaile. There is many a man that doth the office of prayer, and yet never gets the end of prayer. A man hath never gotten the end of his prayers, till he hath gotten that he prayed for. It is not with praier as with a Physician, that may give the best physick under heaven, and yet the Patient may die under his hands; and therefore one gives counsel that a Physician never meddle with a desperate man.
But if the soul be an effectuall suitor with God, it can never faile of its suite, because it is an unsatiable Suitor, that never leaves his prayer till it terminates the end of it. I cryed unto the Lord with my voyce, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. Jerom translates it for ever.
[Page 267] Psal. 3. 4. never doth a child of God pray, but he prayeth so as that his praier and Gods eare may be joyned together; I cried unto the Lord, and the Lord heard me: This also sheweth how the Prophet cried and prayed, namely so as his crying and Gods hearing were coupled together.
Object.But some may object, How can a man be unsatiable in his prayers till he speed? must a man be alwaies a praying? God calls men to other duties of his worship, and of his own particular calling; after morning I must have done till noon, after noone I must have done til night: whether God hear me or no; must I be alwaies a praying till I speed? then I should doe nothing else but pray? how then are we to continue our praiers till God hear us and give the grace that we pray for? to this I answer.
Ans.A man must give over the words and times of prayer for other duties, but a man must not give over the suit of prayer. A poor begger comes to a house-keepers gate, and begs, but none hears him; now he being a poor man, hath somthing else to do, and therefore he sits down or stands, and knits or patches, and then he begs or knocks, and then to his work again; though he do not alwayes continue knocking or begging, yet he alwaies continues his suite: O that my suite might be granted me, or that I might have an almes here; so when the soul is begging of any grace, though it doth not alwaies continue the words of praier, yet it alwaies continues the suite of praier. David he would dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, Psal. 23. 6. A wicked man it may be will turne into Gods house and say a prayer, &c. but the Prophet would (and so all godly men must) dwell there for ever; his soul lyeth alwayes at the throne of grace, begging for grace. A wicked man he prayeth as the cock croweth; the cock crows and ceaseth, and crowes again and ceaseth again; and thinks not of crowing till he crowes again: so a wicked man praies and ceaseth, praies and ceaseth again; his mind is never busied to think whether his praiers speed, or no; he thinks it is good Religion for him to pray, and therefore he takes that for granted that his praiers speed, though in very deed God never hears his praiers, nor no more respects it, than he respects the lowing of Oxen, or the gruntling of hoggs. He is found in his praiers as the wilde Asse in her moneths: Jer. 2. The wild Asse in regard of her swiftnesse cannot be taken but in her months, she hath a sleepy moneth, and all that while she is so sleepy and dumpish that any man may take her; in her months you shall find her; so a wicked man hath his prayer moneths, his praier fits: it may be in the morning, or in the evening, or day of his affliction and misery you shall have him at his prayers, at his prayer fits then you shall find him at it, but otherwise his mind is about other matters. But the child of God what ever he ailes, he goes with his petition presently to the throne of grace, and there he never removes till he hath it granted him, as here we see the praiers of the Church consisting of many years, yet are counted but one suit. The application follows.
Use 1. Try therefore and examine whether thy praiers be unsatiable
Use 1. praiers yea or no; and for helpe herein take these markes; first, if thy prayers be unsatiable praiers, then it is a begging prayer; thou praiest as
[Page 268] if thou hadst never praied before, as if thou hadst never begun to pray, and thou never thinkest that thou hast done any thing till thou hast done the deed. As a hungry man eats as if he had never eat before, so the unsatiable soul praies as if he had never praied before, till he hath obtained that he hath praied for; but a wicked man he prayes not thu. Job speaking of carnal professors, Job 27. 10. Will he call upon God at all times? seest thou a wicked man go to a good duty, go to praier, do you think that he will hold out alwayes? he will never do it; for a wicked man he reasons with himselfe, I have called upon God thus and thus long, I hope I need not pray any more for this thing, and so he gives over.
But a godly man he will be alwayes calling upon God. Beloved, there is a beginning to an action, and a beginning of an action; thou never beginnest to lift up a weight till thou stirrest it from the ground; indeed thou maist begin towards the action by pulling at it, by reaching at it; but thou never beginnest the lifting up of the weight till thou stirre it from its place: thou mayst give a pull at prayer, and tugge at a grace, but thou hast not so much as begun that duty, till thou seest God begin to hear thee, till thou seest the grace a coming; therefore the Prophet David when he prayed and had not that he prayed for, his praiers returned into his own bosome, Psal. 35. 13. there to lie to be a continuall suit unto God. A wicked man praies, and he leaves his praier behind him in his pew, or in his hall, or chamber; but a godly man praies and his prayer is in his heart, his prayer is not out till the grace be in.
Secondly an unsatiable prayer it is evermore a proceeding praier; you
2 would think that these are two contraries and one opposite to the other, but they are not, only they are two severall things as it is ever a beginning praier, because in his own thoughts he reckons or thinks that he hath nothing till he speeds: so the soule that is unsatiable in prayer, he proceeds, he gets neer to God, he gains something, he windes up his, heart higher: As a child that seeth the mother have an apple in her hand, and it would fain have it, it will come and pull at the mothers hand for it: now she lets go one finger, and yet she holds it, and then he pulls again, and then she lets go another finger, and yet she keepes it, and then the child pulls again, and will never leave pulling and crying till it hath got it from his mother: So a child of God seeing all graces to be in God, he draws neer to the throne of grace begging for it, and by his earnest and faithfull praiers, he opens the hands of God to him: God dealing as parents to their children, holds them off for a while, not that he is unwilling to give, but to make them more earnest with God, to draw them the neerer to himselfe. A wicked man praies and his praiers tumble down upon him again; and his heart is as dead as ever it was before, as sensual as ever, as carnal and earthly as ever, as hard, as impenitent and secure as ever.
A godly man when he praies, though he have not gotten the thing totall that he desired, yet he is neerer God then he was before; his heart grows every day better than other by his praiers; he obtains still something
[Page 269] as the Prophet Hosea speaks of knowledge, Hos. 6. 3. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: so I may say of prayer, and of all other good duties, then we pray if we proceed on wards in prayer.
A man may know and know, and yet never know the Lord, till he go on in knowledge; so a man may pray and pray, yet if he goe not onwards in his prayers, his prayers are nothing. A godly man prayes as a builder builds; now a builder he first layeth a foundation, and because he cannot finish in one day, he comes the second day, and finds the frame standing that he made the first day, and then he adds a second dayes work, and then he comes a third day and finds his two former dayes work standing; then he proceeds to a third dayes work, and makes walls to it, and so he goes on till his building be finished. So prayer is the building of the soule, till it reach up to heaven; therefore a godly heart prayes and reacheth higher and higher in prayer, til at last his prayers reach up to God.
It is a signe of a wicked man to pray and to let his prayers fall down again upon him. And here I appeale to the consciences of wicked men, if it be not so with them; they pray and pray, but their hearts are as dead and deceitfull, as proud and vaine, as ignorant, blockish and rebellious, as if they had never prayed.
Thirdly, it is more and more a fervent prayer; if a little prayer will
3 not serve the turn, if he speeds not to day, then he will pray more earnestly to morrow; and if that will not serve the turne, he will adde more.
As a man in winding up of a bucket, if two or three windings will not fetch it up, he will winde it up higher and higher, till it comes up; for if he should onely winde up once or twice and no more, but hold it just at the same pin, the bucket would never come up; So if a man prayes and prayes, and windes not up his heart higher, but holds it just at the same pegge it was, prayes in the same fashion he did, grace will never come up. Mark then how thou prayest, examine thy heart; dost thou pray to day as yesterday, with no more zeal, nor feeling affection, nor sensible desire? thou prayest not unsatiably.
No, thou restrainest thy praying from growing; an excellent description of an hypocrite, Job 1
[...]. 4. though falsly applied to Job, Thou restrainest prayer before God; in some translations it is, Thou keepest thy prayers from growing, thou restrainest thy prayers as a dwarffe is restrained from growing, so thou restrainest thy prayers from being more and more earnest and effectuall and fervent, unsatiable prayer is growing in zeale and affection.
Fourthly, it is a more and more frequent prayer, so that if twice a day
4 will not serve the turne, he will pray three times a day, Psal. 55. 17, and if that will not prevaile, he will pray seven times a day, Psal. 119. 164. and when that is not enough, he will be even ever a praying, hardly broken off day or night, Psal. 88. 1. he cares not how often he prayes, it may be that thou hast been a suitor for strength and grace against corruptions, and hast put up many prayers to the same purpose: It now thou
[Page 270] stickest at any prayers, thy prayers are not unsatiable; an unsatiable soul never resteth, though it have made ten thousand prayers, till it have gotten the grace; it is so with other things, and therefore we need not wonder at it, when a man doth not finish his work one day, he will do it another, and so on as long as he lives, till his worke be done; so must we do for heaven and for grace.
Fifthly, it is ever more and more a back'd praier: if ordinary praiers will not serve the turne: a godly heart will cut off time from his recreations and pleasures, though in themselves lawfull. Beloved, it may be with thy soul in its wrastlings and strivings for grace and power against corruptions, that ordinary praiers will not satisfie it, but it will be necessry to give over even lawfull delights, and give that time to praier; so a man will do for the world, if he have a businesse of importance, that will bring him in gaine, he will be content to part with his delights, and recreations, and pleasures, to follow after it; so a man must do for his soul, and if that be not enough, then lay aside the duties of thy calling, to take time from that. If a man have two houses on fire both together, the one his mansion dwelling house, the other some back room or stable, if he can, he will save both; but if he see that by spending his time on quenching the fire on the stable, that his great mansion house will burne downe, he will then neglect the other and let it burne if it will, and imploy himselfe about his house; So when the soul is in misery under the want of grace, that it cannot live under, but must perish eternally if it have it not, then the soule being better than the body, rather than that the soul miscarry, we will neglect the body sometime. And if this will not serve, abstain from meat and drink, fast it out; thus the people of God are faine to do many times; their lust and corruptions being even as the devill himselfe, which cannot be cast out but by prayer and fasting; there is an excellent place, Joel 2. 12. Therefore now turn unto the Lord with fasting, weeping and mourning, rent your hearts, &c. Therefore now, now your sinnes are so divelish, now your sins are so deepely rooted in your soules, now your corruptions are come to be such plague sores within you, do you not think that your ordinary repentance, and ordinary praiers and humiliations will serve the turne, but now backe them with fasting and mourning. Here now thou maist examine thy soul whether it have praied effectually, unsatiably yea or no; hath it ever a begging praier, that thou praiest as if thou hadst never praied before? is it evermore a proceeding prayer, that thou dost every day draw neerer to God than other? is it more and more a back'd praier, a fervent and frequent praier? hast thou taken from thy recreations, from thy calling to give to it, yea from thy belly and back, and used all meanes for a prevailing with God? then are thy praiers effectuall and unsatiable.
This then condemnes the praiers of most men in the world, they pray and pray for grace, and their praiers come to an end, and cease before they have it, the angry fretful man praies for patience and meekness, and yet sits down without it; the covetous worldling praies to be weaned from the world, and his praiers are done before he is so; so the
[Page 271] luke-warmling, deadhearted and vain thoughted professor praye; for better thoughts, for more zeale, and yet comes to his so be it, before he have it; and so every wicked man prayes, and he is come to his Amen before the grace is given; let all suchmen know that such prayers, first they are endlesse, secondly they are fruitlesse.
First, they are endlesse: The Philosopher said that for which a thing is, that is the end of the thing: now prayer is for the speeding with God: and therefore he whose prayers speed not with God, his prayers are endlesse: thou hast prayed against thy pride, but a
[...]t as proud still: thou hast prayed against thy choler and art as teachy still: thou hast prayed against earthlinesse and worldlinesse, and art earthly and worldly still: thou hast prayed against security and deadnesse of heart, and lukewarmnesse in Gods service, and art luke warm, deadhearted and secure still: to what end are all thy prayers, when thou enjoyest not the end of thy prayers? to what end is the worke of thy servant, if thy businesse be not done, and dispatched when all is done? As good never pray, as pray to no end, a good that thou never hadst begun to pray, as to cease, and to giue over thy prayers before thou hast obtained the grace thou prayest for: The prayers of the wicked are an abomination unto the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight: Prov. 15. 8. that is, the prayers of a wicked man that continues in his wickednesse, when his prayers are done, hi prayers are an abomination to the Lord: but the prayers of the upright though he were before he prayed never so wicked, yet if it be the prayer of an upright and godly man, when his prayers are done, that his prayers rid him of his sin, and make him an upright man, his prayers are Gods delight.
Beloved, many pray against distrust in Gods providence, Infidelity in Gods promises, Impatiency under Gods corrections, &c. and yet have never the more trust and affiance in God, never the more patience under the hand of God, all these praiers are endlesse.
Secondly, thy praiers are fruitlesse: to what purpose is a beggers begging of an alms? if he be gone before the alms be bestowed, his begging is fruitlesse; so all thy praiers are lost, if thou art gone from the Throne of grace, before grace is given thee; for if such a praier be endlesse, then is it also fruitlesse: it will never do thee any good; what is a fruitlesse tree good for, but to be cut down? what is a fruitlesse Vine good for, but to be burned? So all thy praiers are lost, all thy beginnings of grace are lost, we know, saith the man that was borne blind, John 9. that God heareth not sinners, we know it: Why may some say, how do you know that God heares not sinners? why, we know it by experience, by examples.
A drunkard prayeth to God to cure him of his drunkennesse, and yet he doth not leave his ill company; all the world may see that God hears not the drunkards praier, because he cures him not, but lets him go on in his sinne; and so for all other sinnes: seest thou a man go on in his sins? thou mayest see that God heareth not his praiers. If a man should be sick on his death bed, and send for the Physirians; and Apothecaries in the Country, and send for his father, Mother, and for all his friends to
[Page 272] come to him to minister unto him: yet I know he is not cured by them so long as I see his deadly disease remaines upon him; so if I see a mans pride, hypocrisie, security, deadnesse of heart, his lust, anger, &c. lie upon him: notwithstanding all his prayers, I know God heares not his prayers; he prayes to be cleansed from his sins, and to be purged from his lusts, and to be redeemed from his vaine conversation: if now God let his sins continue in him, and lets him go on in them, we see plainly God hears not him. O what a pittiful and miserable case are such men in, that pray and pray, and yet all their prayers are endlesse and fruitless! is not that man in a pittiful case, and all physick, all cost and charges is lost upon him; when his eating and drinking, his sleeping, and winding and turning from this side to that side do him no good? do we not say of him that he is a dead man? so if a mans prayers and supplications to God be endlesse and fruitlesse: that man must needs be a dead and a damned man, so long as he goeth on in that case.
Now we come to the second part of the text, the sensiblenesse of the
2 Gen. godly soul, whether it speed or no, the soule that prayes aright, that prays unsatiably, it is able to say, the Lord doth hear me, the Lord doth grant me the thing that I prayed to him for; Thus saith Jonah, I cried unto the Lord and he heard me; out of the belly of Hell cryed I, and thou heardst my voice, Jonah 2. 2. How could Jonah say, God heard his voice, if he had not known it? therefore he knew it. But against this some may object,
Object.How can this be? how can the soule know that God hears it? we have no Angels, nor voices from Heaven now to tell men, as the Angel told Cornelius, that his prayers were accepted, and come up before God; or to say as Christ to the woman in the Gospel, Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee; I know God heares me with his All-hearing eare, and therefore I have a good belief in God: but how shall I know that God heares my prayers in mercy, so as to grant that I pray for?
Answ.There be six wayes to know whether the soule shall speed in prayer, yea or no.
The first is, the having of a Spirit of further and further praying. When
1 God gives the soul a further and further ability to pray, when God opens a way for the soule to the Throne of grace, and gives him a free accesse to the gate of mercy, and a spirit to hold out in prayer: It is a signe that God meanes to hear it. When a Petitioner hath accesse to the King, and presents his Petition, If the King imbolden him in his speech, and let him speak all that he would speak, it is a signe that the King means to grant that man his petition, because otherwise the King would never have endured to have heard him so long, but would have commanded him to be gone. So it is with the soule at the Throne of grace; if it come with a petition and prayer to God; if God dispatch the soul out of his presence, so that the soul hath no heart to pray, nor to continue its suit; but prayes deadly and dully, and is glad when he hath said his prayers, and hath done: it is a fearful sign that God never means to heare that mans prayers: but if thou prayest and prayest, and ha
[...]t not done in
[Page 273] thy prayers, but God by casting in a spirit of praier and zeal, and fervency in prayer, imboldens thy heart in its petition, it is a sign that God will hear thee, and grant thee thy prayers.
Blessed be God saith the Prophet, that hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me, Psal. 66. 20. How could the Prophet say that the Lord did not turne away his mercy from him? How! because he turned not away his prayer from him. Many Expositors expound it of not turning away his prayer from his heart; as if he should say, Lord, thou continuest my heart to pray, thou hast not taken away my prayer from my heart; therefore I know that thou continuest thy mercy unto me.
Secondly, the preparednesse of the heart to pray, is a sign that God means
2 to hear. When the Merchant stretcheth his bagge wider and wider, it is a signe that he means to put something in it: so when God opens the heart of a poor soul, it is a signe that he means to fill it; when God prepares the soule with more hunger and thirst after grace, with more longings and breathings; it is a sign that God hath already prepared his eare to hear that prayer: it is a signe that heart shall speed with God in prayer: Psal. 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble, thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine eare to heare First, God prepares the heart to pray, and then he bows his eare to hear.
Examine thy soul then; art thou more and more prepared to pray? hath God spoken with a powerfull voice to thy soul to open it selfe wide? it is a signe that God meanes to fill thy soul with his graces. But if thou canst rush into Gods presence, and leave thy preparednesse behind thee; leavest thy soul and thy thoughts, and thy affections behind thee; and comest with a straightned heart in thy deadnesse and luke warmnesse; this is a fearefull signe that God will not heare thee.
Thirdly, Gods gracious looke is a signe that he will hear thee: for sometimes
3 (beloved) God answers his people by a cast of his countenance, with a gratious smile of his face. Psal. 22. 24. He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither hath he hid his face from him, but when he cryed unto him he heard. Hereby was the Prophet able to know that God did hear his prayer, because he did not hide his face from him; when his poor soule saw God smile on him, and set a favourable eye upon him, this made him say that God heard his cry.
This is a riddle to the world.
If you should ask the men of the world what the meaning of Gods gratious countenance is, or what they see of it? alas, they can say nothing of it; they know not what it means; onely the godly man understandeth, Psal. 34. 15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his eares are open unto their cry. These two go together, their prayers enter in Gods eares, and they know it; why? because they see it in his countenance upon them, as a Petitioner may read his speeding with the King by his countenance towards him; so a poor soul may see how prayers prevaile by Gods countenance and look upon him.
[Page 274]If thou then art a stranger to Gods countenance, if God never admitted thee into his presence to see his face and countenance; it is a signe that God little regards thy prayers, and hath no mind to hear thee. A wicked man is like a varlet that stands without dores and begges an almes, but is not suffered to go into the Gentlemans presence, and therefore knowes not how he speeds, whether the Gentleman will give him an almes, or whether he be providing a cudgell to beat him away: so a wicked man prayes and puts up his petitions to God, but he is not able to come before God: he cannot see whether God look as if he meant to hear his prayers, yea or no; he knows not but that God may be providing a curse and plague for him in stead of a blessing. But a child of God comes within the list of Gods countenance; he can tell when God smiles on him, and when he takes another looke: he is able to come into Gods presence, Job 13. 16. He also (saith Job) shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. A strange verse. Job saith, God is his salvation: and he gives this reason why he was able to say so, for an hypocrite shall not come before him. One would think that this were no reason: but yet it is an undeniable reason, as if Job had said, I come into his presence, and he lookes like a Saviour, a Redeemer upon me, but an hypocrite shall not come before him: he stands like a rogue and begs without the gate.
Indeed a wicked man comes into Gods presence, in regard of Gods Omnipresence: but this is not enough, thy Oxe, and thine Asse stands in Gods presence: yea so, the very Devils themselves are in Gods presence. But if thou come not into Gods presence of grace, if God do not admit thy soule into the list of his Throne, it is a sign that God hears thee not. Men should therefore examine their consciences, what face or presence of God they come into or see: when they pray in their prayers, whether they come before God, yea or no.
Beloved, no wicked man under heaven can come before God: this is made the marke of a godly man onely▪ Psal. 140. 13. The upright shall dwell in thy presence, (mark here) dwelling in Gods presence is onely determined to the righteous: the upright shall dwell in thy presence. And here I appeale againe to the hearts and consciences of wicked men, what presence of God doe they find in their prayers? they see their Pews, and the walls or hangings, &c. before them: they see the heavens and the clouds above them: they know nothing within dores. Do they see Gods presence and countenance? no: it is the upright man onely that dwells in Gods presence: He sees how God lookes on him, how his face smiles on him: and therefore, it is not a wicked mans coming to Church, and falling on his knees, and uttering the words of prayer that is a coming into Gods presence: then, this would be a false saying of the Prophet. For a wicked man may go to Church and fall upon his knees, &c. but never come before God.
This presence, is, to see the face of God.
Fourthly, the conscience of a man doth answer him whether God hear him yea or no. As it was with the high Priest, whensoever the high Priest came into Gods presence to inquire of him, though God did not appear
[Page 275] visibly unto him, yet he might read Gods answer in his Urim and Thummim; he might there know Gods mind: so a mans conscience is his Urim and Thummim. When he comes before God his own conscience gives him an inckling whether he speed or no: 1 John 3. 20, 21. If our hearts condemne us, God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our hearts condemne us not, then have we confidence towards God. If a mans conscience tell a man his prayers are rotten, that his humiliation is rotten, that his heart is
[...]o upright, that yet he is not purged from his sins, that his seeking of God is fained and hypocriticall; it is the very voice of God in his soule: and if our consciences condem us, God (saith the Apostle) is greater than our consciences.
There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Rom. 8. 1. as if he should say, those that are in Christ, God doth not condeme them; they have not▪ that condemnation: nay their own conscience doth not condemn them: so that, that man whom any condemnation either from God, or from his own conscience condemns, that man is not in Christ; being not in Christ, he can never be heard.
Indeed, a mans conscience may be mis-informed by Satan under a temptation; as you may see in the verse before my text: Thou hast heard my voyce: s
[...]op not thine eare from my cry. Here the Church being examined, their consciences told them they were heard in their prayers: but being under a temptation, their consciences were afraid that God heard not. So many a poor soule, examine it, and it cannot deny but that these and these tokens of grace and fruits of Gods Spirit are in it; yet their consciences are afraid that the Lord will not give them these and these other graces that they want: that the Lord will not hear them for such and such blessings.
I meane not neither a truce of conscience: for there may be a truce of conscience in wicked men. A truce may be between mortall enemies: but no peace but amongst friends. Wicked mens consciences are like the Lion, 1 Kings 13. who when he had killed the Prophet▪ stood by the Corps, and by the Asse, and did not eate the body, nor tear the Asse; so a wicked mans conscience, it is as the devils ban-dogge or roaring Lion, till it hath slaine the sinner, it stands stone still, and seemes neither to meddle nor make with him, but lies as seared or dead in him I mean not this conscience. But when God hath sprinkled the conscience with the bloud of Christ, and made the conscience pure: this is a signe that God heares his prayer.
I mean not the stammering of conscience, when it is dazelled, or overwhelmed: but when it speaks down right as it means. A go
[...]y mans conscience sometimes may judge otherwise then the thing▪is▪ But, examine what thy conscience tells thee in sober sadnesse, deliberately, convincingly, and then, know that the Lord tells thee. If thy conscience
Vox conscienti
[...] est vox Dei. sayes peremptorily that thy heart and wayes are rotten, and unsound; then know that the Lord tells thee so, and that the Lord sayeth so to thy soule.
Fifthly, the getting of that grace that a man prayes for, is a signe that God heares his prayers. But this is not a true signe alwayes but with distinction.
[Page 276]When the grace given, and the good will of God the giver, cannot be severed, then it is a true signe. But when the gift and the good will of the giver may be severed, then it is not a true signe.
Thou mayest pray unto God, and God may give thee many temporall blessings, and many common graces of his Spirit; God may give thee good parts, a good memory: he may give thee a good measure of knowledge and understanding, even in divers things; he may give thee some kinde of humility, chastity; civility. thou mayest be of a loving and flexible disposition so he may give thee a good estate in the world, houses, lands, wife and children, &c. God may give thee all these, and yet hate thee, and never heare one prayer thou makest; thou maist pray for a thousand blessings, and have them: and yet never be heard, so long as the good will of the giver is severed from them; all outward blessings and common graces may be severed from Gods good pleasure to a man.
Therefore in temporall blessings, or in common graces, if thou wouldst know whether God hear thee or no: know whether God hath given thee a sanctified use
[...]f them or no. If God hath given thee many common graces, or temporal blessings, and a heart to use them to his glory; then every blessing thou hast (there is not a drop of drink, nor a bit of bre
[...]d that thou hast,) but it is a signe of Gods everlasting love to thee. Why? because this, and the good will of the giver can never be severed. But on the contrary, if a man have not a sanctified use of that he hath, then it is the greatest severity of God, and the most eminent plague and curse of God upon the soule to give it; for a mans parts may be his bane, his civility may be his curse, and means of the finall hardnesse and impenitencie of his heart.
Sixthly faith▪ if a man have faith given him to believe, it is a signe that God heares him; be it to thee (saith Christ to the man in the Gospel) according to thy faith; so goe thou to God, and be it to thee as thou beleevest. Dost thou pray for grace? according as thou beleevest, so shalt thou receive.
Object.I have no signe that God will heare me; I have so many corruptions of my heart against me, and so many threatnings of Gods frowns against me; I have no signe that God will heare me.
Ans.Wouldst thou have a signe? An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a signe this is a tempting faith, to seek for signes to believe. Thomas▪ said Christ, John 20. 29. Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe. That man that believes because he feels grief in his heart, teares in his eyes, groans in his spirit, because he prayes long and earnestly, and sweats in his prayer, or mourns in his humiliation, I suspect his humiliation, his teares, his griefe, his prayers, and all that he hath. Why? these are good signes of faith: but rotten grounds of faith: the word and promise of God must be thy ground. But against this the soul may object,
Object.That every Promise runs with a Condition: and therefore if I have not the condition, how can I beleeve the promise? God hath promised, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse, for they shall be satisfied.
[Page 277] There is a Promise of filling, but it is with a condition of hungering. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, &c. If I have not the condition annexed to the Promise, how dare or how can I beleeve the Promise?
Answ.The Condition is not the way to get the Promise; the Promise is the ground of faith, and the way to get the condition; because the promise is
1 the Motive cause that moves the soul to get the condition. Now, the Mover must be before the Moved, then if beliefe of the Promise move thy soul to get the condition of the promise, then beliefe of the promise must be before that the soule can keep the condition of the promise.
Saul made a promise to David, 1 Sam. 18. that he should be his son in law in one of his two daughters, upon condition that he should give him an hundred fore-skins of the Philistins. Now, David did first believe the promise; and therby he was allured to fight valiantly, to keep the condition, to get a hundred fore-skins of the Philistins. So Psal. 116. I believed, and therefore did I speak. He beleeved Gods promise, and then he spake with condition. So we believe saith the Apostle, and therefore do we speak. First, the soule believes; and then every action of a Christian wherein it moves to the keeping of the condition, springs from this root▪ nay beloved, a man cannot keep any condition in the Bible without faith; he must believe.
Secondly, faith is the inabling cause to keep the condition. Dost thou
2 think to get weeping, mourning, and humiliation for thy sins, and then thereby to get the promise to thy self? then thou goest in thy own strength; and then, in Gods account, thou dost just nothing, John▪ 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing, saith Christ; therefore first lay hold on me, beleeve in me, abide in me.
What, doe you first think to pray, to mourne, to lament and bewaile your sinnes, to do this and that in turning your selves, and sanctifying of your selves? Indeed you may fumble about these things: but you can never do any of them in deed and to the purpose: without me ye can doe nothing. I had fainted saith the Propher, unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living, Psal. 27. 13. where we may see three things,
First, the Promise that he should see the goodnesse of the Lord: otherwise he could not have beleeved.
Secondly, the Condition: if he do not faint.
Thirdly, The method the Prophet went by, he beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord. As if he had said, if he had not first laid hold on the Promise, if I had not beleeved to have seen the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the living, I had fainted.
Beloved, it is true that the keeping of the Condition, is before the fruition of the Promise: but not before beleeving the Promise: because the doing of the Condition is effected by beleeving the Promise.
This is the cause that many fumble about grace, but never get it: they are ever repenting, but never repent: ever learning, but never learne the knowledge of the truth everlasting: ever striving, but never get power over their corruptions, &c. because they fumble about it in their own
[Page 278] strength, and take it not in the right method.
Let the soul come with faith in Christ, and believe it shall speed and have grace, and power from Christ his grace, and from Christs power: and then it shall speed. Christ hath promised (John 14.) that whatsoever we aske the Father in his name, he will give it us. Christ (beloved) is an excellent Surety. Indeed, our credit is crackt in Heaven: we may think to go and fetch this and that grace in our own names, and misse of it: as the servant may go to the Merchant for wares in his own name, but the Merchant will not deliver them to him in his own name, unlesse he come in his Masters name and bring a ticket from him: and then when the servant sheweth his Masters ticket, the Merchant will deliver him what wares he asketh for in his Masters name. So when a soul goeth to the Throne of grace with a ticket from Christ; if he can say, Lord, it is for the honour of Christ: I come for grace and holinesse, and strength against my corruptions; Lord, here is a ticket from Christ: most certainly he shall speed.
But, men must take heed that they foyst not the name of Christ: that they foyst not a ticket to say that Christ sent them, when it is their own selfe-love, and their own lust that sends them; it is not enough to pray and at the end to say through Christ our Lord, Amen. No: for this may be a
[...]eer foysting of the Name of Christ. But, canst thou pray and shew that Christ sent thee, and say as the servant, I come from my Master, and he sent me? Lord, it is for Christ that I come; it is not to satisfie my owne lust, nor to ease and deliver me from the galls of my conscience, nor to free me from hell; but for Christ; Lord, I begge grace an
[...] holinesse, that I may have power to glorifie Christ. It is for the honour of my Lord Christ that I come. When the soul comes thus in Christs name, beleeving it shall speed, then his prayer shal prevail. Whatsoever (saith Christ) ye shall aske the Father in my name, he will give it you.
We come now to the third and last part of our Text: to wit, the supplies they had against danger and discouragements. The Lord upheld their hearts from being dismayed in prayer; thou saidst, feare not.
There be two things that do much hurt in prayer.
First, groundlesse incouragements.
1
Secondly needlesse discouragements.
2
First, I say, groundlesse incouragements; and these the wicked are most subject to especially, who because they pray, hear the Word, and perform many duties of religion; therefore they incourage themselves in the goodnesse of their estates, judging themselves happy, though notwithstanding they go on and continue in the hardnesse of their hearts and rebellions against God.
We have abundance of sayings amongst us, that if they were examined would prove false and unsound; As, that the vipers dye when they bring forth their young; for (say they) the young eat out the old ones bowels; that beares shape all their young by licking of them; that the Swanne singeth sweetest at her death; that the Adamant stone is softned by Goats blood, &c. These things are not so, as may be shewn out of ancient Writers.
[Page 279]So beloved, there are abundance of sayings, that goe up and down amongst men concerning Divinity, which if they were examined, will prove to be rotten sayings; as, He that made them, will save them. It is not so, saith the Prophet, Isaiah 27. 11. He that made them, will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them, will not pitty them. It is commonly beleeved, if men come to Church, heare the Word, and call upon God, that then presently they are good Christians. Beloved, it is not so, Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven.
Men are ready when they can but call, Lord have mercy on me; O sweet Saviour pitty me, most mercifull Lord Jesus, have compassion on me: if they can pray in their families, and pray at Church, &c. to think, now, all is well with them, and Christ cannot but save them, and give them the Kingdome of Heaven: but our Saviour puts a not upon it, and saith, not every one that saith, Lord, Lord: it is no
[...] a Lord, a Lording of Christ with the tongue onely: it is not a taking up of an outward profession of Christ only, that is sufficient for a man that shall inherit the Kingdome of Heaven: no saith Christ: but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven. But, of this by the by.
Secondly, there are needlesse discouragements which doe much hurt
2 in prayer. Nee lesse discouragements do much hurt to many a poor soule, that hath forcible wouldings, and wracked desires after grace and holinesse, and yet is held by discouragements: yea, many a Christian heart lieth a long time under it, wrestling and striving under its wants, and yet, kept out from grace, and from growing in grace because of discouragements: yea, the best and strongest of God▪ Saints, have been kept off, and have hung much on discouragements.
Fear not, saith God to Abraham, Gen. 15. 1. So, fear not Joshua, saith God, to Joshua, Josh. 1. 9. Intimating that both Abraham and Joshua were afraid of discouragements: they were afraid that many evils would befall them, that they should meet with many rubs and difficulties, that would be too hard for them: therefore the Lord calls to them, fear not, be not djsmayed nor discouraged. I
[...]ou saidst, fear not. Hence observe.
That God would not have any Christian soul to be discouraged in
Doctr. prayer. Thou saidst, fear not.
For our clearer prooceeding herein, first, let me shew you what discouragement is: and secondly, how it comes to be dangerous and hurtfull in prayer.
What is discouragement?
Quest.
It is a base dismayment of spirit below or beneath the strength that is
Answ. in a man, under the apprehension of some evill, as if it were too hard for him to grapple with it.
There be foure things in this diffinition.
First, I say, it is a base dismayment of spirit; and so I call it to distinguish it: for there is an humble dismayment which a Christian is commanded. A man is bound to be dismayed for his sinnes. I say. 32. 11.
[Page 280] Tremble ye carelesse women that are at ease, be troubled ye carelesse ones: these carelesse ones went on in their sinnes, and feared not. God calls to them and bids them to be dismayed. But the dismayment and the discouragement I speak of, it is a base dismayment of spirit; which is either when he is dismayed that ought not: or he is dismayed at that whereat he ought not to fear: where no cause of fear is.
As he that riding along upon the high way, spying a mans shape, thought it was some Spirit: and thereupon he sickened and died. So many a poor soul looking in the perfect Law of God, and seeing his own uglinesse and filthinesse, he is discouraged, and thinks himself undone; his heart waxeth cold within him, and he begins to fear that he is but a dead and damned man.
Secondly, it is down beneath the strength that is in a man: that man is
2 properly said to be discouraged, not that he hath no strength at all in him nor no courage at all (for such a one is an infeebled man, not a man discouraged) but a discouraged man is a man put besides the courage that is in him; when a man hath strength enough to grapple with the evill before him, but through dismayment, of spirit he cannot put it forth.
Have not I commanded thee? saith God to Joshua. Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismaied, Iosh. 1: 9. God had given Joshua strength enough, whereby he was inabled to observe and do according to all that Law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded him; God had now doubled his Spirit upon him: yet he commands him, be not afraid▪ neither dismayed: as if he had said, Joshua, if thou beest dismayed and discouraged, though thou hast strength and power to go through the businesse that I have called thee unto, yet thou wilt not be able to use it, nor to put it forth, if thou beest discouraged.
Thirdly▪ it is at the apprehension of some evill. I say not at the sight of
3 some evill: for a man may be dismayed at the apparition of good, as Mary when she saw nothing but a good Angell, Luke 1. 29. she saw nothing but a glorious Angel: neverthelesse she was afraid, and discouraged. Why? because she had a secret apprehension of some evill, either of some evill proceeded in the salutation, or some unworthinesse in her selfe to receive such a gracious salutation: it cannot be the apprehension of any good that discourageth a man, but the apprehension of some evill.
Fourthly, not of every evill neither; for if the evill be but small, courage
4 will stand it out; but it is of such an evill as he fears he is not able to grapple withall. If the evill before him be inferiour to him, he scornes it as the barking of a toothlesse Dog. If it be but an evill equall to his strength, then he makes a tush at it, because he knowes, or thinkes himselfe able to encounter with it.
But if it be an evill above his strength, then his spirit melts and droops before him. See this in Saul 1 Sam. 17. 11. and his people. When they saw the Champion of the Philistims coming against them, when they saw him so hugely and marvelously armed, and heard him speake such bigge words, they thought they were not able to stand and
[Page 281] to encounter with him; and therefore saith the Text, when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistim, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
Thus you see what discouragement is;
Now we come to the second question, to shew how discouragements come to be hurtfull in prayer: such discouragements the Lord would not have our hearts to be in, when we pray unto him.
For first, God cannot give ear to that man that is out of heart in his prayers. Thou canst never pray if thou beest dismaied in prayer. When the soul begins to feare and reason, O I am so unworthy that God will not looke at me; I am so sinfull, so blockish, so dead, and dull to all good, that God will never regard me. Thou canst never pray, Rom. 10. 14. How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved? If thou dost not beleeve that God will hear thee, if thou dost not believe that thou shalt prevaile, that God will deliver thee out of these corruptions and that lust that thou praiest against; that God will give thee this grace o
[...] that grace: if thou dost not beleeve that God will own thee: if thou hast these doubtfull discouragements, O, he will not grant me, I shall never get this or that: how canst thou call on him? thou mayest call so and so: but never canst thou call to any purpose, if thou dost not beleeve in him.
A begger though he be never so well able to begge, yet if when he comes to the House-keepers dore, he be perswaded that he shall not speed, that let him beg as long as he will, he shall get nothing: this blunts his begging, and makes him give over his suit without any great importunity: So, it is impossible that ever a soul should hold out and pray that is discouraged in prayer.
Secondly, thou canst not pray unlesse thou use all thy strength in prayer; If thou bee discouraged, thou canst not use thy strength.
A discouraged man, his strength melts into feare; and whatsoever strength he hath, he cannot put it forth. How came Jacob to prevaile and to have power with God? Why, he used all his strength with God, and so prevailed, Hosea 12. 3. Thou canst never prevaile with God by thy prayers, unlesse thou putrest forth all thy strength in prayer.
If Jacob had reasoned I am but dust and ashes; how can I strive with God? I am sinfull and evill, how, can I contend with my Maker? and so have been discouraged in his wrastling, he could not have used all his strength with God, and so had never prevailed with God. No, Jacob he gathers all the arguments that he could make; he gathers together all the promises he could finde in Gods Book, or that he could heare of; he displaies all the wants that he could shew; he petitions all the graces that he could name; he used all his strength, and by his strength he had power with God.
If thy confession of thy sins be strengthlesse; if thy petitions, and thankesgiving for grace be strengthlesse; if thou use not all thy
[Page 282] strength in prayer, thou canst never prevaile, nor have any power with God. For how can that man prevail and have power with God that hath no power with himselfe?
Thirdly, thou canst never pray, and have a fearfull apprehension of evill in prayer; thou canst not. It is good to have a deep apprehension of thy sinnes: apprehend them to be as many hells as thou eanst, thou canst never apprehend them deeply enough: but if thou hast a fearfull apprehension of them, thou canst never pray.
When the Apostle would exhort the Philippians to continue in one Spirit, and in one minde, fighting together through the faith of the Gospell, he exhorts them that in nothing they fear, Phil. 1. 27, 28. For if a man be terrified with his adversary, with the power of his adversay, and fears he shall never be able to withstand him, but must fall before him through his subtilty, that he can never be wary enough for him: Alas, he can never strive with hope and courage against him. So, beloved, if we have a fearfull and discouraged kind of apprehension of evill, we can never pray so as to prevail.
Apprehend thy sinnes to be as hellish, and as damnable as thou canst: Feele even the fire of hell in every one of them: but take heed of a fearfull apprehension of them, so to apprehend the evill of them, as to thinke with thy selfe that because thou art guilty of these and these sinnes, that thou shalt never get in with God again, God will never be reconciled to thee: these will eate out thine heart in prayer.
Fourthly, we can never pray if we have any secret despair, that there is any difficulty too hard for us to grapple withall, or to get through in our prayers. Howsoever a man praies, yet if he have any spice of these fears in him, to think now I have taken a great deale of paines, but am never the better; I have prayed and prayed, but have got no good: I may goe on and doe thus and thus, but shall never prevail or speed; all my labours, all my prayers and indeavours will be lost, this takes away the very spirit and life of a mans prayers.
Judas after he had betrayed the Lord Jesus, he was discouraged from ever praying for mercy. Why? because he thought it was impossible for him to get it; I have betrayed innocent blood, saith he. Matth. 27 3. as if he should say, I shal never outwrastle this sin; this sin is my death: I have brought the blood of the Son of God on me, I shall never claw off this sin: now Judas thus despayring, we never read one letter of any prayer that he made to God to get out of it; no, he thought it too hard for him to get mercy. Despaire drives a man from that he did hope for; because now he thinks there is an impossibility in getting of it.
Beloved, mistake me not; there is a double desperation:
First, there is a desperation of infidelity; and that deads and drawes the soule from God.
Secondly, there is a desperation of extremity; And if ever you mean to come to God and to get any grace from God, you must come with desperation of extremity, this desperation puts life into a mans prayers and indeavours,
As a Souldier, when he seeth nothing but to kill or be killed, that he
[Page 283] sees his state desperate; why, this will compell a very coward to fight; this will make a coward fight (as if he would kill the Devil, saith the Proverb) it will make him fight like a spirit; he will be afraid of nothing. Take a Souldier that fights desperately for his life, with a kill or be killed; he feares nothing; neither Pike nor Sword, nor Gun; why? he fights for his life. Therefore one notes that sometimes it is the nearest way to victory to be desperate in attempts and in fight. Therefore when William the Conquerour came first into England, at Hastings, he sent back his Ships again, that so the Souldiers might have no hope of saving themselves by flying back. And so at Battle, at one encounter, a little Army of the English slew a great Army of the French. Why? they grew desperate.
So, could men pray desperately, could they pray with a pray or be damned: begge with a begge or be damned; seek to God for grace that you want with a speed or be damned; then would their prayers be more earnest and powerfull to get grace. O, did men pray thus, they would pray otherwise then they doe.
Men pray, but they pray deadly, coldly, and lazily, as if they had no need of prayer, or as if they had no need of the grace they pray for; they pray for grace but get it not; they pray for zeale, but have it not; for repentance and holinesse, but obtaine it not.
Beloved, either get zeale and holinesse, or else there is no mercy: either get grace and repentance, or else there is no mercy for thee. Pray then when thou prayest for grace, with a speed or be damned; say unto thy soul, either we must speed and get grace Soule, or else we must goe to hell. If men would pray thus, with a speed or be damned we should never see, nor God should never heare so many cold and dead prayers as now we pray.
Despaire makes a man a Munke saith the Papist: but this despaire makes a man a good Christian I say: never doth a man pray indeed till he feels himself in extremity, hopelesse and desperate in regard of himselfe; so that he seeth no remedie at all but get Christ, get grace or be damned for ever. Get power and strength over these corruptions: otherwise they will destroy and damne thee; this would make a man pray for life. Men pray coldly and faintly: why? because though they see they have no grace, no zeale, no holinesse, no repentance, no evidence of Christ: yet they hope to be saved notwithstanding. O beloved, the divell hath blinded these men to the intent they may be damned.
But if men would pray desperate prayers with a pray or be damned; seek with a find or be damned: men would then pray other prayers than they doe. Such prayers did David pray, Psal. 130. 1. Out of the deep places have I called unto thee O Lord, Lord heare my prayer: as if he should say, Lord, I am even in the depth of misery, plunged over head and eares, so that now I sinke and perish if thou help net: Lord, hear my prayer. This desperation a Christian must have, this quickens up his Spirits, and puts life into him: but take heed of the desperation of Infidelity: Saint Austin saith it is the murtherer of the soule: the spice of it will eate out
[Page 284] the heart of a man, and kill the strength of all his endeavours.
I should now come to apply this Doctrine; but I feare me there be many amongst us, that never come so farre towards Heaven as to know what these discouragements meane. This is lamentable.
It is true, discouragements are hideous cases in prayer, and a man may perish and goe to hell that hath them: but yet they are somewhat profitable signes that a man doth at the least look a little towards God, or else he could not know what they are. But there are abundance that never have attained so farre in religion, as to understand what they meane: but goe on in drinking, whoring, carding and dicing, hating and malicing, fretting and chafing, mocking and coveting, swearing and blaspheming, in security, in heardnesse of heart and impenitency: they are more carefull for their doggs, for their potts, and for their tables, and for their shops, than they are of their souls: And which is enough to astonish any that is godly, these men scarce find any discouragements in prayer: O, they have a good courage to pray at all tims: O, say they, God forbid that any man should be discouraged in praier: I thank God I have a good hope in God; God hath given me a good heart of grace to call upon him, and I make no question but that God heares me: God would never bid us to pray if he did not mean to hear us.
Beloved, these men that are so bold in the goodness of their hearts to call upon God, they never as yet prayed in all their lives: all the prayers of the wicked are indeed no prayers.
Daniel confessing the sinnes of wicked Judah, saith, Though all this evill be come upon us, yet made we not our prayer to turne from our wicked ways, Dan. 9. 13. all the time of those seventy yeares, Daniel saith they never made prayer to God; yet they fasted every year, and prayed every day, twise every day at the least, which would amount in that time to 50000 and 100 prayers: how then could Daniel say they never made one prayer? I answer, (and pray mark it) because they never did quite turn from their evill wayes. Though thou makest never so many prayers, though thou boastest of the goodnesse of thy condition, and snatchest at the Promises of God: yet if thou turnest not from thine iniquities, thou never as yet mad'st any prayer by the Judgement of God himself. Paul made many thousand prayers before his conversion, he could not have been a Pharisee else; but they were never accounted prayers to him: therefore as soon as ever he was converted, behold saith God, he prayeth, Acts 9.
A wicked man, a carnall Christian, though he have the righteousness of Saint Paul before his conversion, of living blamelesse, unreproveable in respect of the outward righteousnesse of the Law: yet he can never make an acceptable prayer, till he be truely converted; his prayers are no better than howling of dogs, or lowing of Oxen, yea the Lord abhorrs them. O what poor incouragements canst thou have, seeing the Lord never tallies down any of thy prayers? wicked men are like Ulysses, who wept more for the death. of his dogge, than of his wife; so wicked men weep and mourne for the losse of their corn and their
[Page 285] cattle, hawkes and hounds, cardes and dice: but never for the losse of their praiers. So long as thou continuest in thy prophanenesse and impenitency, thou losest all thy praiers: there is not one of them that God tallies down, or reckons for a praier. Here we minht have a great deale of matter, if time would suffer me. But it will not, onely let me tell you, I speak onely to those whose hearts God hath awakened out of their sins, but who are oft discouraged: take heed of these discouragements.
For, first, they will drive thee to melancholy. Beloved, there are a great
1 many melancholy men in the world, and this is the cause of it; men are contented to be converted by halves: because they are discouraged in the worke. If thou suffer thy selfe to be discouraged, it will ea
[...]e up thy spirit and thou wilt be like a silly dove without▪ a heart, Hosea 7. 11. A dove is a melancholy creature, that hath no heart to any thing; so Epharaim hath no heart to call upon God, no heart to returne unto God: and this is the cause that men and women goe whineing and mourning under the burden of sin, and are not able to come out, because of discouragements: all the policy of hell is lesse than this policy of the divell, in driving men to despair or discouragements: this doth more hurt than all the rest of hell besides.
Secondly, if you do not take heed of them, they will bring you to
2 speake against God, I have prayed, but the Lord will not heare me: I have called, and the Lord will not answer, but hath turned away his eares from me. Now, thou speakest against God. Num. 21. 4. 5. The soule of the people was much discouraged, and the people spake against God and against Moses, saying, Wherefore have you brought us out of Egypt, to die in the wildernesse? for here is neither bread nor water, and our soule loatheth this light bread. So, beloved, if we suffer our soules to be discouraged, we shall soone come to murmure against God: wherefore hath he brought me up to this strictnesse, and precisenesse? when I was a drunkard, a worldling, when I followed the lust of my flesh and liberty, then I enjoyed onions, garlick, and the flesh-pots of Egypt: pleasures and delights for my soule: then I had a good hope in God, and a good perswasion that my soul should goe to heaven: and then Preachers told me that if I would give over such and such sinnes, and look after Heaven a little more and doe such and such things; O then I should come to a Land flowing with milke and honey; then I should not misse of glory and salvation. But alas, I see nothing but Gyants and Anakims; I am in a wildernesse; now, now I see a man may have a great deal of repentance, and yet be a cast away; A man may have a great deal of faith and yet be but a reprobate; A man may give over a great many sins, and yet perish in hell; now I see a man may live civilly and well, and have and do a great many good things, and yet be damned when he hath done all: A man may even go to Heaven Gates, and yet the gates be shut against him, and he turned into hell. Alas, my poor soul is in a wildernesse; now I know not which way to goe; I am ready to lose my selfe, I see nothing here now but huge Gyants, the sons of Anack, strong corruptions, inclining and forcing me to evill;
[Page 286] most fearefull and violent suggestions and temptations of the Devill, ready to thrust me into the gulfe of wickednesse and despaire.
And now, the soule begins to thinke that it is good for it to returne again into Egypt, to fall to its old courses again: for certainly God looks for no such matter, he requires no such strictnesse and precisenesse: And so it falls a whining and repining at the Word and Ministers of God that have call'd men to it, and laid it upon them: and hath no heart now to do thus and thus any longer. And thus it falls into discouragements because of the way, and into a thousand quandaries whether it may not go back again or no. And all these murmurings and repinings are because men suffer themselves to be discouraged.
Thirdly, discouragements will cause thee to think that God hates thee. When the soul like Baals Priests, 1. Kings 18. 26. hath been crying from morning to noon; ten, twenty, thirty yeeres, it may be, and yet hath no answer; now it will begin to think, if God did love me, then he would grant me my petitions. Then hereupon comes into a mans secret thoughts and feare: that God hardly loves his soule. So was it with Israel; when they were discouraged, they said, because the Lord hated us, therefore he brought us out of the Land of Egypt, Deut. 1. 27. Because that they were discouraged, and because that their Brethren that went for spies, had disheartned them; therefore they were apt to say the Lord hated them.
Beloved, it is a miserable thing when the soule calls the love of God into question. Consider that as thou canst not have a friend if thou beest suspitious and jealous of his love to thee: So, thou canst never have the love of God settled on thy heart so long as thou art jealous of his love to thee.
Fourthly, If thou root them not out, it is to be feared that they will bring thee to despair. Melancholy thoughts and feares, and discouragements, drive the soul to despaire. For when the soul sees it selfe still disappointed of its hopes, at the last it growes hopelesse: If it have waited one day and the next day too: if it have prayed this weeke, this moneth, this year, and yet still it seeth it selfe held off and disappointed: it will at last grow hopelesse. Take heed therefore, I beseech you, of all needlesse discouragements; to fear because that thou findest not that that thou wishedst or prayedst for, to day or to morrow, in thine own time, that therefore thou shalt never get it, that now thou shouldest for ever despaire of the grace and love of God, and think that now God will never hear thee, that thou shalt never get grace and power over thy corruptions.
Men think that the preaching of the Word of God brings men to despaire, the preaching of such strict points and the urging such precise doctrines makes men despaire: men are loth to be at the paines to root out their discouragements: It is rather a cold or dead preaching of the Word that is the cause of this: for when the soule is instructed by holinesse, humbled by holinesse, converted by holinesse, at the last when it comes to be thorowly awakened, when it sees that this and this is required in a true conversion of the soule to God, that herein true repentance
[Page 287] must declare and demonstrate it selfe by these and these fruits, or else it is but false and rotten: Why now, the soul must needs be brought to despaire, because it seeth that though it have been thus and thus humbled, though it have praied, fasted and mourned in this and this manner: yet it sees it hath not a soundesse of grace.
There is such a grace in it, such a worke and such a fruit of Gods Spirit in it, that yet he could never finde in himselfe: this makes the soule to despaire. Indeed Preachers may be to blame, if they speake and preach onely the terrours and condemnations of the Law without the promises of the Gospel: for these should be so tempered that every poore broken soule may see mercy and redemption for him upon his sound and unfeigned repentance and humiliation. But if men doe despaire, they may thanke themselves for it, their owne sinnes for it, their owne discouragements for it, because they suffer these to continue in them.
Cain his heart grew sad, his conntenance fell, he was wroth and disquiered in his minde, and heavily discouraged; why? Gen. 4. Sin lay at the dore, (what dore?) the dore of his conscience, rapping and beating upon his heart.
Beloved, when the soule lets sin lie at the dore: drunkennesse, pride and worldlinesse, security, hardnesse and deadnesse of heart lie at the dore: when a man lets his negligent and fruitlesse hearing of the word lie at the dore, when a man lets his vaine and dead praying, his temporizing and fashionary serving of God lie at the dore of conscience, to tell him that all his hearing of the word of God profits him nothing, that his praiers are dead and vain, that his mourning, fasting, and all his humiliation is counterfeit and rotten, and that he hath no soundnesse of grace in him, but that for all this he may fall into hell: when sin l
[...]eth thus at the dore, thus rapping at the conscience, it is no wonder if the soule fall into desperation, as it was here.
Cain let his sinne lie at the dore, there it lay rapping and beating, and told him that his carelessenesse and negligent sacrificing to God was not accepted: and therefore no marvell if Cain be so cast down in his countenance, and that he fall to despaire.
O beloved, when sinne lieth bouncing and beating at the doore of thy heart, when thy sinne (whatsoever it is, search thy heart and finde it out) lies knocking and rapping at the dore of thy conscience day by day, and moneth by moneth, and thou art content to let it lie, and art unwilling to use meanes to remove it, and art loth to take the paines to get the bloud of Christ to wash thy soule from it, or the Spirit of Christ to cleanse thee from it; then thy soule wil despaire, either in this world, or in the world to come. But let us take heede then, that our conscience condemne us not in any thing or course that we allow in our selves: for if that doe, then much more will God, who is greater than our consciences, and knows all things.
The Apostle hath an excellent Phrase: Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus &c. As if he should say, there is
[Page 288] not one condemnation; there is none in Heaven, God doth not condemne them; there is none in earth, their own heart and conscience doth not condemne them; to him that is in Christ Jesus, that walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, there is none, no not one condemnation to him; none, neither in Heaven nor in earth: no word, no commandement, no threatning condemns him. But if thy conscience condemn thee, and tell thee thou lettest sinne lie at the doore, rapping at thy conscience day after day, and moneth after moneth, telling thee that yet thou art without Christ, that yet thou never hadst any true faith in the Lord Jesus, that yet thou hast not truly repented, and turned from thy sins: this will at last drive thy soul into heavy discouragements, if not into final despaire.
O beloved, religion and piety, and the power of Godlinesse, goe down the wind every where. What is the reason of it, but because of these discouragements that men live and go on in? Men pray and pray, and their prayers profit them not: men run up and down and come to the Church and heare the Word, and receive the Sacraments, and use the meanes of grace, but to no end: they are unprofitable to them: they remaine in their sinnes still: the ordinances of God bring them not out of their lusts and corruptions: hereby they disgrace and discredit the ordinances of God in the eyes and account of the men of the world, making them think as if there were no more power nor force in the Ordinances of God than these men manifest.
There is no life in many Christians, mens spirits are discouraged; these secret discouragements in their hearts take away their spirits in the use of the meanes, that though they use the meanes, yet it drives them to despaire of reaping good; or profit by them.
Beloved, I could here tell you enough to make your hearts ake to hear it.
First, All your complaints, they are but winde, Job. 6. 26. Doe
1 you imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as winde? Jobs friends taking Job to be a man of despaire, they accounted all his words but as wind.
Doe thou nestle any discouragement in thy heart? thou maist complaine of sinne as much as thou canst: yet all thy complainings are but as winde: thou mayest cry out against thy corruptions, with weeping and teares, and pray and fight against them: and yet all thy weeping, mourning and praying is but as the winde: thou maiest beg grace, thou maiest seek after God, thou maist heare the Word, receive the Sacraments, and yet all will be to thee as wind: all will vanish, be unprofitable, not regarded.
Secondly, discouragements drive us from the use of the meanes. If ever
2 we meane to come out of our sinnes, if ever we meane to get grace and faith, and assurance, and zeale: we must constantly use the meanes, 1 Sam. 27. 1. David saith, There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the Land of the Philistins, and Saul shall despaire of me to seek me any more. David thought in himself, if I can make him out of
[Page 289] hope of finding me, certainly he will give over seeking of me. So when the soule hath any secret despaire of finding the Lord, that soul will quickly be drawn from seeking of the Lord in the use of the meanes.
What ever you doe then; O be not discouraged, lest you be driven from the use of the meanes: if you be driven from the use of the meanes, woe is to you, you will never finde God then. Be not driven from prayer, nor driven from holy conference, nor driven for the Word, nor driven from the Sacrament, nor from meditation, nor from the diligent and strict examination of thy selfe, of thy heart and of all thy wayes: for these are the wayes of finding the Lord. If you nourish any thoughts and fears of despaire in you, if you be discouraged, you will be driven from the use of the meanes, which is a lamentable thing; therefore be not discouraged.
Thirdly, discouragements will make you stand poaring on your former courses, This I should have done, and that I should have done, woe is me that I did it not: it will make a man stand poaring on his sinnes, but never able to get out of them. So it was like to be with them in the Ship with Paul, Acts 27. 20. In the tempest at Sea, they were utterly discouraged from any hope of safety: now indeed Paul told them what they should have done if they had been wise: Sirs, you should have hearkned to me, and not have loosed, verse 21. as if he had said, you should have done thus and thus: but now doe not stand poaring too much on that, you should have hearkned to me, and not have launched forth, &c but that cannot be holpen, now: therefore I exhort you to be of good chear, &c.
So beloved, when the soul is discouraged upon these thoughts, I should have prayed better, I should have heard the Word of God better, and with more profit; I should have repented better, I should have performed this and that religious and good dutie better; but ah wretch that I am, I have sinned thus and thus; it is alwayes looking on this sinne and that sinne, this imperfection and that failing, when now I say the soule is discouraged, it will be alwayes poaring upon sinne, but it will never come out of its sinne; alwayes poaring upon its deadnesse, and unprofitablenesse, but never able to come out of it. O beloved, be of good cheare, and be not discouraged; it is true you should have prayed better; you should have heard the word of God better heretofore, you should have been more carefull and circumspect of your wayes than you were; but now you cannot help it; these things and times are gone, and cannot be recalled: such a one hath been a drunkard, a swearer, a worldling, &c. but he cannot help it now. True, he might have helped it, and because he did not, his heart shall bleed for it, if he belong to God: but doe not stand poaring too much upon it, but consider now what you have to doe, now you are to humble your selves, now you are to strive with God in all manner of prayer for more grace, and more power of obedience and assurance, and be not discouraged.
Fourthly, If the soule be discouraged, it will breed nothing but sorrow.
4
[Page 290] What is the reason that many Christians are alwayes weeping, and mourning, and sighing, and sobbing, from day to day, all their life time, and will not be comforted? because of these discouragements, 1 Thes. 4. 13. Sorrow not (saith the Apostle) as those that have no hope, as if he had said, sorrow if you will; but do not sorrow as they that have
[...]o hope.
How is that? it is a sorrow with nothing but sorrow, from which they have no hope of inlargement or freedome.
O then my brethren, suppose you have dead hearts, suppose you want zeale, you want assurance; suppose it be so, yet labour to attain these grace; sorrow and spare not; weepe and mourne▪ and powre out whole buckets of teares for your sinnes, if you can: but, sorrow not with nothing but sorrow: be not discouraged: suppose that thou hast a dead heart, that thou art an hypocrite, that thou hast a rotten heart; it is a heavy thing, and a fearful case indeed, for which thou hast great cause of humiliation and sorrow; but yet sorrow not desperately as men without hope: be not wholly discouraged, but as you sorrow for your sinnes, so also labour with incouragement to get cut and be rid of your sinnes.
Fifthly, Discouragements breed and procure a totall perplexity. They
5 leave the soul in a maze, that it knows not whither to turne it self When men come to be discouraged, O what shall I do saith one? I am utterly undone saith another: I know not what will become of me, saith a third: Oh I am utterly lost, I shall perish one day, one day God will discover me, and be avenged on me for this and that sin: I were as good go to he lat the first as at the last▪ for that will be the end of me. I have gone to prayer, but that doth not helpe me: I have gone to Sacraments, but I find no help: still my soule lies under the power of sinne still my sinnes are as strong in me as ever: Thus the soule is discouraged and cries out, Oh, what shall I doe? I know not what to doe. What shall I doe, sayest thou?
Alas, thou hast things enough to doe, if thou wert not discouraged. Utterly undone! No, man, thou mightest see that thou art not utterly undone but that thou art discouraged. Dost thou not know what will be come of thee? yea, poore soule, there is mercy, grace and peace for thee, if thou wilt not be discouraged.
Sixthly, Discouragements whisper within a man a sentence of death, and an
6 impossibility of escaping. As far as the discouragement of life goeth, so far goeth the sentence of death. We despaired of life▪ and had the sentence of death in our selves, saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 1. 8. 9. he despaired of life in himselfe, and therfore had the sentence of death in himself▪ this was good, but he did not despaire of life in God; for then he should have had likewise the sentence of death from God in his conscience.
If you despaire in the Lord▪ you have the sentence of death and damnation from God in your conscience▪ take heed of this my beloved▪ be not discouraged in God: do not despaire in the Lord: that will work a
[Page 291] miserable effect in your souls: it will secretly whisper a sentence of damnation in your soules.
It is strange to consider how many poore soules rub on with these whispering sentences in their bosomes, suffering their consciences day by day, to tell them that they are rotten, to tell them that they were never yet converted, to tell them that they are yet in the state of damnation, and yet they will not root out these discouragements.
O goe to the Throne of grace, begge for grace and for mercie and for power against sinne, and bee not discouraged. What? wilt thou carry thine owne sentence of death in thy breast? if thou wilt not rouze up thy soule, and pray with more affection and confidence, and shake off discouragements, take heed least thou carry the sentence of thine owne death and damnation in thy bowels. Oh therefore once more let mee beseech you to take heede of these discouragements, and now hearken unto the voice of God, which calleth upon you, Feare not. Thou drewest nigh in the day that I called upon thee; Thou saidest, Feare not.