The regiment of the Church as it is agreable with Scriptures, all antiquities of the Fathers, and moderne writers, from the Apostles themselues, vnto this present age.

The sixt member, of praying to be deliuered, from Lightning, Plague, and sodaine death.

It is scornefully obiected against the prayers of the church, that when wee pray to bee deliuered from plague, famine, and from other aduersitie, wee pray without faith, because wee haue no promise to receiue the things we pray for. To whom I answere; First, that our Sauiour Christ taught vs so to pray, when hee deliuered to his Church the forme of that prayer, which we should daily vse; Being the

most exact, and most perfect prayer, that euer was, or can be made. Where the Notes of the Geneua Byble expound it, to be deliuered from all aduersitie: And consequently, [ 2] that we pray with saith, seeing Holy writ is our warrant for that we pray. Secondly, that wee haue promise to receiue that wee pray for, so far forth as standeth with Gods glo∣rie and our soules health. For Christ himselfe willeth vs to aske, and wee shall receiue; to seeke, and wee shall finde; to knocke, and it shall be opened vnto vs. Yea, he stan∣deth knocking at the doore of our hearts, and if wee will open the do••e to him, hee will enter into the house of our hearts, and dwell with vs, and giue vs all things necessarie, both for our bodies, and for our soules. And to assure vs thereof, Christ willeth vs to beleeue that wee shall haue our request, it shall bee done vnto vs. And if any will replie, that many aske many things in prayer, and yet doe not at∣taine the same: to such I answere with Saint Iames, in these words; yee aske, and receyue not, because yee aske amisse, that ye may lay the same out on your pleasures. Thirdly, [ 3] that when our church prayeth to bee deliuered from all ad∣uersitie, she hath both the example and aduise of most holy men. The holy Patriarch Iacob, fearing to receyue some bodily harme and aduersitie of his brother, prayed to God in this manner; (O God) I pray thee deliuer mee from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau; for I feare him, least hee will come and sinite mee, & the mother vpon the children King Dauid, fearing to receyue bodilie harme of his sonne Absalon, fled away from him, and prayed God to turne the counsell of Achitophel (who conspired with Ab∣salon) into foolishnes. The whole congregation prayed to God, to prosper their King, when hee went forth to battell against the Ammonites. And I deeme them no good sub∣iects, to our most gracious Soueraigne King Iames, who will not pray to God vnfaynedlie, to defende him from all aduersitie; Neyther yet those persons who refuse

to pray with our church; for all happinesse aswell corpo∣rall & temporarie, as spirituall & Eternall, to our most ver∣tuous Queene Anne, the noble Prince Henry, & all the rest of that most Royall progenie. Yea, Christ himselfe fore∣warning his disciples, of externall future aduersity, willeth them to pray to bee defended from the same. Praye saith Christ, that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabboth day. And besides the sixt petition of the Lords prayer (which teacheth vs to pray) to be defended from all aduersitie, (as S. Cyprian, Ursinus, and Illyricus with manie other learned wryters expound it,) and besides the fourth petition also, which teacheth vs to pray for all things need∣full for this life, (as the same wryters tell vs,) many exam∣ples of the new Testament doe make it cleere and euident, that Christ was well pleased with their prayers, who pray∣ed for things to this life appertaining. The Ruler prayed for the life of his Daughter, & Christ performed his desire. Bartimaeus the sonne of Tymans desired to receiue his sight, & obtained his request. Two blind men followed Christ, and requested to receiue their sight, & hee yeelded to their petitions. A woman a Canaanite desired Christ to helpe her Daughter, who was miserablie vexed with a Deuill, & Christ cured her daughter presently. Many other like exā∣ples I might alledge; but in steed therof, this onelie goldē sentence of S. Augustine shall suffice. Cum dicimus, libera nos a malo, nos admonemus cogitare nondum nos esse in eo bono, vbi nullum patiemur malum. Et hoc quidem vltimum, quod in Do∣minica oratione positum est, tam late, tamque enidenter, & ma∣nifestè patet, vt homo Christianus in qualibet tribulatione consti∣tutus, in hoc gemitus edat, in hoc lachrymas fundat, hinc exordi∣atur, in hoc immoretur, ad hoc terminet orationem.

When wee say, Deliuer vs from euill, wee admonish ourselues to consider with our selues, that we are not as yet in that good estate, where wee shall suffer no euill. And this which is last placed in the Lords Prayer, is extended

so farre, and so plainly, that a Christian man moued with a∣ny kind of tribulatiō may in this petition sigh, in this shed his teares, begin herein, continue herein, and end his prayer herein. Thus writeth this holy father. And now, where it is wont to be obiected against the custome of our Church, that we know not that God wil deliuer vs from all such ad∣uersitie: as from lightning, thunder, fire, water, sodaine death, and such like. I answere that we are not to command God, or to appoint him an houre, but to expect his good time, and to referre euery part and parcell of our petitions, to his holy will and pleasure euer implied in all our pray∣ers. And againe, that if we must pray for nothing, but that onely which wee knowe God will grant, we shall seldome or neuer pray for any thing at all. No, wee must not say to our neighbour ryding towards London, God speede you well: nor to the sicke persons, GOD helpe you, nor for the preseruation of his Maiestie, GOD saue the King. How absurde these things are, euery childe can discerne: and yet the patrons of the Presbyterie condemne our Church, for Preaching to be defended from all aduersitie, vpon such sillie fansies and slender groundes.

Notes

• 1.
• Mat. 6. v. 13.
• 1. Ioh. 5. 14. Luke. 11. 9. Mat. 7. 7. Ioh. 16. 24. Apoe. 3. v. 20.
• Mar. 11. v. 24.
• Iac. 4. 3.
• In Dom. Tri∣oration. Gen. 22. v. 11.
• 2. Sam. 15. v. 31 psa. 20.
• Mat. 24. v. 02.
• Cyprian. in o∣rat. dom. pag. 313.
• Vrsin. par. 4. pag. 422.
• Mat. 9. 22. Mur. 10. v. 51 52. Mat. 9. 30. Mat. 15. v. 22. 28.
• August. epist. 121. pa. 403.