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SERM. useth not to cast holy things upon them that make no III. reckoning of them.

Mat. 7. 6.

Touching the things themselves, He That is the truth hath Joh.16.23. said, “Whatsoever you ask My Father in My name, He will give it you." Therefore it is impossible He should lie, especially when He confirmeth it with an oath, as in that place,

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Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it you." But we must take heed what we ask; we may not aireîv avev airías, 'ask with1Joh.5.14. out a cause.' "If we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us." Therefore our prayers must be grounded upon some just cause; we may not ask any childish petition of God, for He will revert them. If we like children ask we know not what, we cannot assure ourselves to be heard, for unto Mat. 20.22. such prayers He answereth, "Ye ask ye know not what." Much less will He grant hurtful petitions.

As He is our physician, He will not give us cold drink when we are sick of an ague, though we cry for it never so much. They that ask vengeance of God, and would have Prov. 21. Him to be the executioner of their wrath, shall not be Ps. 109. 7. heard," but "their prayer is turned to sin." So far is it from [S. Aug., the service of God. Ser. 56. 2.]

13.

[Lu. 11. ¡1, 12.]

Jas. 4. 3.

If the child ask fish, the father will not give him a scorpion; no more will God hear us in those things which we ask of Him, if He know they will be hurtful.

He only is wise, and knoweth what is good for us; and if we receive not the thing which we ask, yet—as Jerome saith -non accipiendo accepimus, in not receiving we have received.' Christ saith not, 'Ask and ye shall receive the thing ye ask,' but "Ask and it shall be given unto you," that is, the thing that you desire. We all desire those things that be good though outwardly we are not able to discern what is good, but God our heavenly Father as He knoweth best what is good for us so He will give us good things, though we be not able always to ask that which is good for ourselves.

Secondly, we must pray in such manner and form as He requireth; God doth hear us many times, even quando petimus malum, inasmuch as He doth not give us the hurtful things which we ignorantly ask. But He will not hear us cum petimus male: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask

amiss." Therefore we must beware how we stand affected at the time of prayer: if we pray coldly, without any great desire to attain the thing we ask, we ask like swine that

estcem not of pearls but trample them under their feet; if

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we draw near with our lips, but our hearts be far from God,” Isa. 29. 13. then it is not like we shall be heard; if we pray as Peter, and

33.

29.

the other disciples, who "being heavy with sleep" asked they Lu. 9. 32, knew not what, we cannot receive the truth. But if, as Moses speaks, "we seek the Lord with all our heart," if we do Deut. 4. with Paul orare spiritu et orare mente, then we may conceive 1 Cor. 14. hope to be heard, for the commandment to ask is given cordi non pulmoni, to the heart not to the lungs;' id quod cor non facit non fit, that which the heart doth not, is not done.'

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15.

Secondly, touching the manner, as with fervency so we must pray with reverence, not having our heads covered, as we see many do; which behaviour, how rude and unbeseeming it is we may easily discern, as the Prophet speaks, "Offer this kind of be- Mal, 1. 3. haviour to thy lord or master, and see whether he will accept it."

If thou having a suit to an earthly prince darest not speak but upon thy knees with all submission, how much more ought we to reverence the Lord God, in comparison of Whom all the princes in the earth are but crickets and "grasshoppers." There- Isa. 40. 22. fore the manner of our prayer to God must be in all reverence.

13.

Eph. 3. 14.

Heb. 5. 7.

Solomon prayed upon his knees; Daniel fell down upon 2 Chron.6. his knees: so did St. Peter, so Paul; and not only men Dan. 6. 10. upon earth but the glorious spirits in heaven cast themselves Acts 9. 40. and their crowns down before Him That "sits upon the Rev. 4. 10. throne;" yea, Jesus Christ the Son of God fell down upon His knees and prayed to His Father, et exauditus propter reveren- Lu. 22. +1. tiam. So did Paul serve God μετὰ πάσης ταπεινοφροσύνης. Acts 20.19. Secondly, if we would obtain any thing at God's hand, we must not only ask it but seek for it. He that having prayed sits still without adding his endeavour, shall not receive the thing he prays for, for he must not only orare but laborare; pro quibus enim orandum, pro iis laborandum est. To this end the Apostle would have us to pull up our faint hands and Heb.12.12. weak knees." And when we have asked grace, we must be careful that we ourselves be not wanting unto grace, as well as we were careful that grace should not be wanting unto us. This diligence is noted in the word Petite, which as it is

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III.

SERM. used in the first place, so also it signifieth 'to go to,' or 'to hit and knock,' so that it containeth all the three virtues that are required unto prayer; but for our instruction, our Saviour hath expressed them in three several terms.

Thirdly, having found the way we may not rest there, there is a door whereby we must enter; and that shall not stand open for us against we come, we must knock at it. It 2 Cor. 5.20. pleaseth God to "entreat" us, to seek and find us when we Lu. 15. 32. are "lost;"" He stands and knocks at our door." Therefore [Deut. 10. as Moses speaks in Deuteronomy, we are to consider what He 12.]

Rev. 3. 20.

6.

[Lu. 18. 2-5.]

doth require at our hands.

The service that we owe Him is likewise to entreat Him, to seek for grace at Him, to knock continually till He open the gate of His mercy. If God hear us not so soon as we ask, 1 Sam. 28. we may not cease to knock as Saul did, who because that "God answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor prophet," asked counsel of a witch. Importunity, as our Saviour speaks in the eighteenth chapter of St. Luke, is a means whereby oftentimes men obtain their suits. The unjust judge will be content to hear the widow's cause at length, even because he would be rid of cumber; if she be earnest with him, she shall at last obtain her suit by importunity; so howsoever God be not inclined to do us good and have His ears open to our prayers, yet He is much delighted with our importunate suits.

[Lu. 18. 5-7.]

If the unjust judge that neither feared God nor reverenced man, may be overcome with importunate suit, much more will God revenge them which give not over their suits, but "cry [Gal.6. 9.] to Him night and day." "Let us not be weary of well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." These conditions being performed; desire of our heart and in humility; wanting to grace, but work with it; continuance, not giving over, then we shall find it true which

[Mat.7.8.] Christ saith, Omnis qui petit accipit.

first, that we seek in the secondly, that we be not thirdly, if we do it with

The sum is, as when God said, "Seek ye My face," David Ps. 27. & answered, "Thy face, O Lord, I will seek;" so when Christ saith to us, 66 Ask," our answer must be, We will at least dispose ourselves thereunto, especially seeing He doth not only praire exemplo, but dicere ut petas, seeing He doth

not only by His commandment permittere, but præcipere ut petas.

2, 3.

Lastly, seeing by His promise He doth not only allure them ut petant, but doth minari si non petas, 'threaten if thou ask not; for if we ask of any but from Him He is angry, as He was with the King of Israel that enquired of Baal-zebub when he should recover; "Is there not a God in Israel?" 2 Kings 1. And Christ was offended with His disciples for the neglect of this duty: "Hitherto ye have asked nothing." And when Joh. 16.24. we come to ask of God, we must not cease our suit if He grant us not our suit at the first, but say with Jacob, Non Gen.32.26. dimittam Te. We must be instant, as the Canaanite was; Mat. 15. we must be earnest, as he that came at midnight to borrow bread; and importunate, as the widow with the judge; and Lu. 11. 5. then we may assure ourselves of a comfortable effect of prayers.

22-27.

Lu. 18. 5.

A

PREPARATION TO PRAYER.

SERMON IV.

SERM
IV.

2 Cor. 3. 5.

Jas. 1. 17.

Mat. 7. 7.

ROMANS Viii. 26.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what to pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Itself maketh request for us with sighs which cannot be uttered.

[Similiter autem et Spiritus adjuvat infirmitatem nostram: nam quid oremus sicut oportet nescimus: sed Ipse Spiritus postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus. Lat. Vulg.]

[Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Eng. Trans.]

OUT of St. Paul we may see, first, "that of ourselves we are not sufficient" at all to do good; and that all good comes from the Father of lights," and that in that regard we must ask and receive at His hands from Whom it comes. Now the Apostle meeteth with another difficulty, which is, how we may pray; for as we cannot perform any good thing of ourselves unless God minister power, so we know not how to ask this grace at His hands. Therefore to answer that question of the disciples which desired that Christ should Lu. 11. 1. teach them how to pray, the Apostle saith, that because “we know not what to pray for as we ought," therefore "the Spirit doth help our infirmities."

The Apostle begins at "our infirmities," which he lays down. in such sort as we may plainly see that our defects and wants are many. For as there are infirmities of the body which the Deut.7.15. Scripture calls "the infirmities of Egypt," whereunto the

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