Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

supply of its wants. All owe this debt, though all cannot pay it, a d none so as is required.

2. Who may and can pray in an acceptable manner unto God? I answer, Only believers. They alone can truly call him, Father. They only have received him by faith, John i. 12. "How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed ?" Rom. x. 14. This shows the misery of an unbeliever; he cannot come to God.

II. For whom we must pray. I answer, Not only for ourselves, but for all the household of faith especially; more largely for all that belong to God, whether called or uncalled; more generally for all men, as St. Paul says, 1 Tim. ii. 1; that is, all sorts and conditions of men, especially for the sovereign, and all that are in authority; our pastors, ministers, all that bear rule in the church or commonwealth, and for all the members of the catholic church; for our parents, masters, children, servants, and those that be nearest unto us; and men that in special do want our prayers, in public and private calamities.

Object. But we must ask according to the will of God.

Ans. Yes, according to his revealed will. We must not, can not, look into his secret will, to see who are there excluded from his mercy; but those who are excluded in his revealed will we must not sue for; as the devils, and those who have sinned against the Holy Ghost, if we knew them.

Object. But do we not worship God in vain, when we pray for whom the Lord will not hear us?

Ans. I answer, No. Our prayer shall return into our own bosoms, as it was with the psalmist, when he prayed for his enemies, Psa. xxxv. 13.

III. To whom must we pray ? I answer, unto God, who is there called a Father; a word of nature, or person in the former sense taken for the holy Trinity, in the latter for the first Person. Here you may understand it both ways, in a compound sense. First, that you are to direct your prayers to God, the whole Divine nature, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and then withal to the Father first in order, through the Son, by the Holy Ghost. All are here condemned who pray unto any other. No one is to be prayed unto but whom we may call our heavenly Father, which is not due to any creature.

IV. Through whom must we pray? I answer, Through Christ alone; for through him, and none other, does God become our Father: by him we have the privilege of adoption, and are made sons and daughters. “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins," 1 John ii. 1, 2. No one can be our mediator of intercession unto God but he that is the propitiation, appeasing him, and satisfying his wrath due unto our sins; and therefore no saint nor angel must be employed in this office. There is but one Mediator of redemption and intercession between God and man, even Christ Jesus, who is both God and man.

V. How must we pray ? 1. As to a Father. 2. As to a Father which is in heaven. And, therefore, to one that is willing and ready to help, infinite in majesty and sovereignty, seeing and knowing all things, our hearts, and wants. This should teach you to pray with boldness, confidence, reverence, understanding, and sincerity. Pray with boldness, as a Father; with confidence and reverence, as to an heavenly Father; with sincerity and understanding, as to him that seeth your hearts.

G

The things that we are to pray for, every morning at least, may be reduced to these heads; namely, that you may not offend God this day; that you may not want grace, light, and strength, to resist those temptations which most assail you, and those sins to which you are most inclined; that you may practise those virtues which are most necessary for you; that you may be guided this day by God's good providence, in all that concerns your soul, body, and estate; also, that you may obtain new favours and assistance for the necessities of your neighbours, which you may set before him.

This kind of supplication, among other benefits, hath this withal, that it daily reneweth in the soul some good purposes and desires of virtues, and moveth it to be the more earnest to do that thing, which it hath so frequently and so earnestly desired. Such as pray earnestly in very deed, will not suffer their hearts to commit any thing that is unseemly for such an exercise, but will ever have their eyes upon God, with whom a little before they talked and were conversant. And so by that cogitation they put away from them all the suggestions of the devil, when they consider what an heinous matter it would be that he that had a little before talked with Almighty God, and desired of him chastity and holiness, with all other virtues, should immediately run to his enemies' side, and open the gates of his soul to receive filthy and dishonest delights, and suffer the devil to place himself in that heart, which a little before was the temple of the Holy Ghost.

A FORM OF PETITION, COMPOSED BY THOMAS AQUINAS.

O God, give unto me, and unto all those whom I commend in my prayer, an understanding to know

thee, an affectionate devotion to seek thee, a wisdom to find thee, a conversation to please thee, a perseverance_boldly to wait on thee, a faith happily to embrace thee. My God, so order it that I may be wounded with thy sufferings into repentance, that in this life I may use thy blessings in grace, and enjoy in the other eternal joys in glory. Amen.

SECTION XX.

OF OFFERING OURSELVES TO GOD.

ONE act of true devotion is, that a man should every morning offer up, and make a resignation of himself unto God, which is an absolute parting with himself, and a putting himself under the power, wisdom, and sovereignty of God, to be commanded, ordered, and disposed in all things by him according to his will. This work of resigning ourselves to God, must be always doing whilst we are in this world, When God has wrought upon the heart by effectual persuasions, and by his mighty power, the Lord saith to the soul, "I am thy God," and the soul answers in truth, "And I am thine;" as David, “O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant,' Psa. cxvi. 16. Now is the resignation actually made. But though this be done, yet it is still always doing whilst we are here upon earth, nay, to eternity; for it is a thing that consists of an iteration of multiplied acts. As wedlock is not one single act of persons giving themselves each to the other, but, if they live as married persons ought, there is a daily

[ocr errors]

giving of themselves each to the other; their hearts go out every day with complacency and delight, willingly renewing the bond, and making the contract yet firmer and firmer.

The end of this resignation of yourselves to God is, that in all things you may be commanded, ruled, and governed by him; to have the will of God to be your bounds, and to have it for your rule and pattern. To be bounded by God, is to do nothing but what God doth either command or warrant. All things are not commanded a Christian that he may do; but commands and warrants are the utmost latitude of that liberty which is left us: we have no further to go, and we need not, there is scope enough to keep within these limits. David says, “I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceedingly broad," Psa. cxix. 96. It is as if he had said, "I have walked over the fair plains of every creature, I have viewed the extent of all excellency in them, and I could look beyond it; but when I look upon the commandment of God, as it is either mandatory or promissory, it is of so vast dimensions, so exceedingly great, that it exceeds all things in the world; there is room enough for the spirit of a man that is in true subjection unto God." Now, as we need not step beyond this bound, so if we do, it is dangerous; it is but as a man that steps out of a way, and falls into a pit; or one that steps from his house, and falls into a prison. For this very thing God threatens Israel, because they had withdrawn from him, that he would feed them as a lamb in a large place, Hos. iv. 16. That is, like a lamb not kept within its fold and appointed pastures, under the care of a watchful shepherd, but left to ramble at its own will.

« AnteriorContinua »