True Christianity Part 39

The Wors.h.i.+pper Is Not Restricted To Certain Times Of Prayer, But May At Any Hour Address G.o.d In Prayer, Provided That He Does Not Hinder Himself.

_In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee.-Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near._-ISA. 49:8; 55:6.

_Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation._-2 COR. 6:2.

1. From what has been already said concerning _the place_, and what we are now observing further upon that head, it is plain, that he is truly happy who is in the kingdom of G.o.d. The reason of this is, because he has the treasure within him, wheresoever he is; and that he, who, through unbelief, is not in the kingdom of G.o.d, is truly a stranger and foreigner, however he may with other Christians, hear sermons and receive the Sacrament. The _place_ will neither save us nor condemn us; that can be done by nothing but _faith_ or _unbelief_ existing in the heart and spirit of man. The true Christian, in whatever place he lives, as he has the Spirit of Christ within him, so he has, by consequence, a principle of grace, pardon, and remission of sins; for Christ is in him. I speak not this to discourage the external exercise of preaching; but for the comfort of all sincere souls under necessities, sickness, or in strange lands; when they are a.s.sured that they are truly in Christ, that Christ is in them, and that they are not "without" but "within." This should also alarm the sinner, who, though living among Christians, yet, in the sight of G.o.d is excluded. For every unbeliever cuts himself off from the body of Christ, and from the most valuable privileges of his communion; so that a wicked man, under the agonies of sickness, would receive no benefit by having the Holy Sacrament, though the priest, or even the pope himself stood by him; or by being brought and laid in the midst of the church. But if a man has within him a true and living faith, it could do him no harm, though he should die in a heathen country, or on the sea, without the comfort of the Holy Sacrament, or a priest; because Jesus Christ, the true High Priest, is in him, and even the kingdom of G.o.d, as our blessed Lord abundantly testifies John 4:21; Luke 17:21; Matt. 24:23. How blind then and miserable are those men who seek for blessedness from man, confining it to a certain place, and look to external things. This, however, is the case with many thousands who thus lose the internal treasure. Externals are but means, which though not to be despised, yet are not to be valued as the end itself, to which they are intended to lead. Christ is the great treasure of man, who can bestow himself without the use of means, where they cannot be had. We come together in the church, that with one accord we may exhort and admonish one another in the divine Presence, call upon G.o.d to avert public evils and calamities, and exercise one another in divine matters, that so we, who are otherwise totally blind in spiritual things, being excited by these means, may at length understand and see that G.o.d is not contained "in the heaven of heavens" (1 Kings 8:27), nor confined to any place; being, as Job witnesseth, "high as heaven, deeper than h.e.l.l, longer than the earth, and broader than the sea." Job 11:8, 9.

2. What we have observed of place, may be also applied to _time_, to which the eternal and unchangeable G.o.d is by no means confined, so as not to be always at liberty to hear our prayers. Great men and princes of this world are not always to be spoken with, and frequently refuse admittance to their pet.i.tioners; being engaged either by the necessities or diversions of life. But our G.o.d cannot be thus separated from his creatures; at one view, He sees, and hears, and considers all things that are done upon the earth, and "understandeth our thoughts afar off." Ps. 139:2. He numbereth "the very hairs of our heads" (Matt. 10:30); and "a thousand years in his sight are but as one day." Ps. 90:4; 2 Pet. 3:8. G.o.d is not capable of alteration or change; is confined to no time, limited by no place, always ready to hear and to help us; yea, he is continually "standing at the door, and knocking, that we may open to him." Rev. 3:20. So that he is always ready, but we are not. Whereas if we would constantly and without ceasing wait for Him, we should never fail to receive a ready answer to all our prayers.

3. But alas! the concerns of this lower world have so great an influence upon our minds, distracting our thoughts, and withholding us from devout retirement, that we must endeavor to purify our minds from all thoughts of the creature, according to a devout writer, who advises us, "to lay aside all thoughts of this or that thing, time or place, and bring all the powers of our souls into profound repose." And in this sabbath or rest of the soul, in this quiet cessation from the cares and labors of corrupt nature, when we pray, G.o.d descends with his living word, and the soul of man perceives and tastes the truth and love of G.o.d; of which, before this patient preparation, it was wholly ignorant and insensible. So that the soul cannot forbear crying out in the words: "The Lord, the Lord G.o.d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth!" (Exod. 34:6.) "Now, I find thy prevenient grace helping my infirmities, and a.s.sisting me to pray as I ought." Then thou wilt be amazed at the blindness of thy own heart, which gave thee so imperfect a notion of G.o.d, as to believe that G.o.d was to be persuaded with external ceremonies, and clamorous prayers, and that he stood in need of a long relation of thy wants and necessities; whereas He sees to the very bottom of thy soul, and "understandeth all thy thoughts afar off."

A PRAYER.

Almighty, eternal, and most merciful G.o.d and Father! Thy goodness and truth are higher than the heavens, deeper than the sea, wider than the earth; all places are to Thee the same, and in thy sight all times are alike. Thou art above all places and all times, and yet dost penetrate and fill all things. Thou art nearer to me than I am to myself; thou antic.i.p.atest me with thy grace, and embracest me with thy mercy, which, through my blindness and misery, I could neither know nor hope for. Grant, that by thy Holy Spirit, I may seriously lay these things to heart, and for the future, look up to thee as my merciful Father, who knowest all things, and art present at all times, and in all places, that I may no more presume to judge of Thee by any natural blindness, and no more persuade myself that Thou art to be awakened, or prevailed upon by my crying; that thou needest any long discourses of mine, or requirest any certain time for prayer. But give me grace to consider, that the true wors.h.i.+pper may have access to Thee at all times, and in all places, and that thy goodness is always and everywhere present with us; but that no man can enjoy it, or taste of thy sweetness, unless he be first awakened and encouraged by Thee to engage in devout prayer. That I may worthily and effectually perform this, give me thy Holy Spirit, who may work in me to will and to do according to thy good pleasure. Amen.

Section XII.

The Considerations Stated Above, Not Only Dispose The Heart To True Prayer, But Also Furnish Various Useful Lessons.

_It shall come to pa.s.s, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear._-ISA. 65:24.

1. The _first_ lesson which we learn is, that G.o.d has not commanded us to pray for his own sake, for he knoweth all things; but that we, being excited by these means, may be led to understand that he does know all things. G.o.d has so tender a concern for us, that he seems not to know anything, till we reflect within ourselves, that he does indeed know it.

Hence it comes to pa.s.s, that when men do not diligently pray, they seem to think that G.o.d does not know. And, on the contrary, when we exercise ourselves in prayer, we soon learn that G.o.d knoweth all our necessities, and hath numbered the very hairs of our heads before we were born. These are thoughts that cannot enter into the hearts of those who despise the duty of prayer.

2. _Secondly._ We need not apply to G.o.d, as we do to one another, with a long account of our wants: all that we have to do is, daily to exercise ourselves in prayer, so that the inner man may enter into the kingdom of G.o.d.

3. _Thirdly._ G.o.d is (as Dr. Tauler says) a thousand times more ready to give, than we are to receive, through prayer and hope.

4. _Fourthly._ G.o.d stands in no need of any external ceremonies of ours, our watchings, fastings, or cryings, to awaken him, who "neither slumbereth nor sleepeth." Ps. 121:4. He not only foreknows our desires and prayers, but even our existence (Jer. 1:5); yet, on the other hand, the dulness and stupidity of men may by these exercises be excited, encouraged, and instructed to consider and understand the tender mercies of G.o.d towards all mankind.

5. _Fifthly._ Hence we discover the goodness, truth, and loving-kindness of G.o.d towards all men; and, on the other hand, the blindness and unbelief, the stupidity and unspeakable dulness of mankind towards G.o.d, who have so great a contempt of the mercies of G.o.d, and are so backward in their prayers and endeavors to obtain his grace.

6. _Sixthly._ G.o.d is righteous in all his works; and so far from his being the author of our miseries, blindness, and ignorance, we are indeed the cause of it ourselves; whilst, in contempt of his commands, we neglect to implore his mercies, and beg the blessings which he has promised to bestow on all that ask him. This is sufficient to vindicate the justice and impartiality of G.o.d in all his dealings towards us, and to lay the blame of all our sins and punishments upon ourselves, who are indeed the authors of both.

7. _Seventhly._ G.o.d is not confined to any certain time and place, but desires to be wors.h.i.+pped at _all times_, and in _all places_, in spirit and in truth.

8. These observations will rectify many mistakes, and open a man's eyes to discover things, of which he would otherwise have been ignorant. But though it is a shameful thing for a Christian to be ignorant of these matters, yet it is much more so to know, and not to reduce them to practice.

A PRAYER.

Awaken us, O G.o.d, that we may watch; draw us to Thee, and we will run in the true way, which conducts to the kingdom of G.o.d; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Chapter x.x.xV.

Prayer Is The Sign Of A True Christian, That Is, Of One Who Is Anointed Of The Lord.

_Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy._-PS. 86:1.

These words give us an admirable account of the grounds and reasons of prayer; that it is quickened by affliction and a sense of misery, and is a mark of a true Christian.

2. I. For, first, every Christian is anointed and baptized with the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20), who, when he is not resisted nor grieved, but obeyed, is continually groaning (Rom. 8:26) in the heart of man, raising and exalting the devout soul from earth to heaven. For as spirituous liquor extracts the strength and virtue of the herbs and flowers on which it is poured; so man, who is the flower of G.o.d, planted by the Lord himself, "a plant in the house of G.o.d" (Isa. 61:3; Ps. 92:13), must receive the preparation of the Holy Spirit, that his odor and sweet smell may therewith ascend up to G.o.d. Whosoever will faithfully attend to the workings of the Holy Spirit, and not resist his operations, will soon be convinced of the truth of these observations; he will perceive a devout sigh springing up from his heart, and breaking forth into these or the like words: "Great G.o.d, Holy Father, have mercy upon me!" As myrrh, frankincense, or other sweet perfumes, by being thrown upon burning coals, send forth a smoke and delicious fragrance, which they would not do without the help of fire; so whenever the fire of the Holy Spirit touches our hearts, and He is not hindered, there immediately arises a most fragrant perfume of sighs and prayers. And these are "golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints." Rev. 5:8. Whence it appears, that devout sighs and prayers are the truest sign or indication of the Holy Spirit in the heart of man.

3. II. The soul of man is also called the temple or habitation of the Holy Ghost; and what is more likely to be heard there, than the prayers of its divine Inhabitant, who is emphatically called, "The Spirit of grace and of supplication"? Zech. 12:10. Hence prayer, when it proceeds from the very bottom of the heart, is a certain sign of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I do not here refer to the prayers of hypocrites, of whom G.o.d speaketh by the mouth of his prophet, saying: "This people draw near me with their mouth, but have removed their heart far from me" (Isa. 29:13); but the true prayer, which is of the operation of the Holy Spirit, arises from the depth of the soul; and is like plentiful springs of water, for which the more deeply you dig, the higher you may raise them. Christ is the pure and beautiful fountain of salvation. Let every one, therefore, that thirsteth, come and drink. Isa. 55:1. His spring is very deep, namely, his eternal Divinity. "He that believeth on him, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38); that is, prayers and the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

4. III. This is confirmed by the office of the Holy Spirit, which is, "to teach and to comfort" (John 16:7-13), neither of which he can do, unless He speaks; and that He cannot do, unless He have a church and a temple to speak in. This temple is the heart of man; and his language consists of the devout aspirations of the souls in which He operates; he has a secret and heavenly voice, which our heart hears, for he beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of G.o.d,-whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom. 8:15, 16. Man cannot receive comfort, unless his heart, by being broken and contrite, be made capable of consolation. Ps. 51:17. This is a very significant figure taken from human bodies. For when the arm, or any other part, is broken, or bruised by some accident, what pleasure the broken and bruised part feels when soothed with some healing ointment! How does it a.s.suage the throbbing pains of the limb, and, as it were, lull it into soft repose! So when the heart is wounded with affliction and sorrow, is broken and bruised with a lively sense of its misery, then the Holy Spirit shows himself truly a Comforter, shedding forth the oil of heavenly consolation into our afflicted b.r.e.a.s.t.s. For "he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Ps. 147:3. "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise."

Jer. 17:14.

5. IV. Hence then we may learn the advantage of afflictions, and the benefit of the cross. Our blessed Lord has told us, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." Matt. 9:12. Come, therefore, thou divine Physician of souls; for we all have need of thee!

"Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy" (Ps.

86:1),-poor in righteousness and true holiness. So great is the poverty of man, that unless he be covered with the mercy of G.o.d, and clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Isa. 61:10), he must appear with shame and nakedness before the judgment of G.o.d and all his holy angels; and in this respect, man is by nature reduced so very low, that there is not a more indigent creature in the world. We may here apply that which was spoken to the church of Laodicea, "Thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. 3:17.

6. Moreover, the misery of which the Psalmist complains, is the effect of poverty. He that is poor, may easily be conceived to be miserable. He certainly is so, who is forsaken by all, has none to help him, wanders about, having neither house nor home, nor a place where to lay his head.

And now, what state can we conceive to be more wretched, than that of a man by nature? He has no place where to rest himself, and knows not whither to fly for refuge! "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." 1 Cor. 15:19. Let us then acknowledge our poverty and spiritual misery in this life; we shall then receive the instructions and consolations of the Holy Spirit. He will teach us in our poverty, to sigh earnestly after the riches of divine grace and mercy; and in our spiritual misery and banishment, to lift up our eyes to G.o.d that dwelleth in the heavens. For our blessed Lord has a.s.sured us, that "in his Father's house are many mansions" (John 14:2); and the Psalmist, that "when our fathers and mothers forsake us, the Lord will take us up." Ps.

27:10. Come then, ye that are in want and banishment, think upon your heavenly country. Ye that are poor, naked, and dest.i.tute, remember that the righteousness of Christ is your clothing, and the garment of salvation (Isa. 61:10); therefore, take ye care to preserve this clothing, "lest ye walk naked, and men see your shame." Rev. 16:15.

Chapter x.x.xVI.

On The Benefits And Power Of Prayer, And On Its True Ground Or Foundation.

_Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need._-HEB.

4:16.

"Hear my voice according to thy lovingkindness, O Lord" (Ps. 119:149), saith David; pointing out thereby the foundation of our prayer, namely, the grace of G.o.d; and this is conveyed to us through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is "full of grace and truth," and of whose fulness we ought all to receive. John 1:14, 16. For this reason he is also called the _Throne of Grace_ (Heb. 4:16; Rom. 3:25), upon which the eye of faith in prayer ought continually to be fixed, according to the example of the children of Israel, who always offered up their prayers with their faces towards the mercy-seat. For in his name, and for his sake alone it is, that G.o.d has promised to hear our prayers (John 16:23); and thus even the holy prophets of old prayed: "O our G.o.d, hear the prayer of thy servant, for the Lord's sake." Dan. 9:17.

2. I. _First_, the benefit of our prayers is well expressed by holy David in the latter part of the above-mentioned verse (Ps. 119:149): "Quicken me according to thy judgments." For life proceeds from the grace of G.o.d. But what is our life without divine grace? Therefore says the holy Psalmist, "Thy lovingkindness is better than life." Ps. 63:4. This quickening virtue is also derived to us through Christ Jesus. It was for this purpose that he took our flesh and blood, that by the quickening virtue of his body, we also might be quickened. And this we receive only by the means of prayer, which draws down a quickening power into our souls, to heal all our spiritual infirmities; like that which flowed from His body whilst on earth, to cure and heal the diseases and distempers of all those that touched him. Luke 6:19. Thus when we are afflicted and sorrowful, and can lay hold on Jesus Christ by the prayer of faith, we immediately find, as it were, new life and vigor flowing into our souls from that inexhaustible fountain of divine grace. This may be attested by the experience of many languis.h.i.+ng and afflicted souls.

3. Whence we may learn: 1. That an afflicted soul cannot be refreshed or comforted without prayer; as appears from the example of Christ, in the history of his pa.s.sion (Matt. 26:39), who has himself also for that reason given us a form of prayer. Matt. 6:9, etc. And we have, indeed, great reason to be thankful to G.o.d, who has given us prayer to be as an universal remedy to all afflicted souls. 2. Where the prophet says, "Hear me according to thy lovingkindness" (Ps. 119:149), he shows us that prayer is the proper means of obtaining mercy and the graces of the Holy Spirit, such as the increase of faith, charity, patience, the knowledge of G.o.d, devotion, inward peace and joy. These are such gifts, such graces, such heavenly treasures, as are better than heaven and earth. Moreover, hence we obtain strength and victory against the world, the devil, and all our enemies; which spiritual strength consists only in prayer. That was the power by which David and all the saints conquered their enemies, as appears by the example of Moses, Elias, Jehoshaphat, and others, who always prevailed by faith and prayer. 3. Every man has need of prayer in respect to his office, condition, and employment, in which no man can act either prudently or successfully without prayer. We are, indeed, in this miserable world, like people sailing amidst rocks and quicksands, and exposed to innumerable dangers; for which reason we ought the more fervently to implore the guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit.

4. II. Therefore, holy David adds, "They draw nigh that follow after mischief; they are far from thy law." Ps. 119:150. And this is a proper season for prayer. For what the devil cannot do himself, he leaves to be accomplished by wicked men, who are as so many executioners of his malice, and who make it their continual employment to disturb and injure good men.

From these no man is secure; but here the most effectual help is prayer.