A godly and learned treatise of prayer which both conteineth in it the doctrine of prayer, and also sheweth the practice of it in the exposition of the Lords prayer: by that faithfull and painfull servant of God George Downame, Doctr of Divinity, and late L. Bishop of Dery in the realm of Ireland.

CHAP. X. None but the faithfull can pray effectually and acceptably. (Book 10)

NOw how necessarie it is that he which prayeth acceptably should be a righteous or faithfull man indued with some measure of true faith and unfeigned repentance, it may appear both by mani∣fest reasons and manifold testimonies of holy Scri∣ptures: wherein the promise of hearing the prayer is restrained to the righteous, and all hope of being heard denied to the wicked.

First then it is necessary that he who calleth upon God should be indued with faith: For how shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? Rom. 10. 14. and, Without faith it is impossible to please God, Heb. 11. 6. and likewise with repentance: For un∣lesse a man repent he reteineth a purpose to go on in sinne; and this his impenitencie or sinne not re∣pented of is as a wall of separation between God and* 1.1 him. God heareth not impenitent sinners, as hereafter we shall shew.

Secondly, before our prayers or other actions can be accepted of God, our persons must be ac∣cepted in Christ: Neither can the fruit be good while the tree is bad: neither can we hope to pre∣vail with God by intreaty, whiles we do not desire to be reconciled unto him; but as we were born the children of wrath, so his wrath abideth upon us, John 3. 36. and we do continue in our enmitie a∣gainst God.

Thirdly, there is no accesse to God but through Christ by the holy Ghost, Ephes. 2. 18. and 3. 12. But the unbelieving and impenitent sinner, as he hath no part in Christ, so is he void of the holy Ghost.

Fourthly, it cannot be but that the prayer of the unbelieving and impenitent sinners is very absurd and odious in Gods sight, because they ask many •…•…imes such things as they do not desire, and promise such things as they do not mean to perform, and bear the Lord in hand that they be such men then whom they are nothing lesse, going about to deceive the Lord with their mouthes, and with their lips

speaking lies unto him, Psal. 78. and in all their prayers and praises concerning spirituall things playing the notorious hypocrites before God. For the manifestation whereof let us take a brief sur∣vey of the Lords prayer, whereof the impenitent sinner is not able to utter one word aright; and if not of that then of none, for that is the summe of all.

First therefore they call God their Father in* 1.2 Christ, when as they are nothing lesse then his chil∣dren: For he that committeth sinne is of the devil, 1. John 3. 8. and, his children they are whose works they do, John 8. They say, Our Father, Give us, as though in brotherly love they prayed for the whole bro∣therhood of the faithfull, whereas they being void of Christian charitie seek onely themselves, and have no part in the communion of Saints. They direct their prayers to God who is •…•…n heaven, infinite in majestie, glory and power, themselves being on earth vile and base creatures, Eccles 5. as if they came in great humility in respect of their own un∣worthinesse, and reverence in respect of the glorious majestie of God; whereas indeed they rush into the presence of God with lesse regard, and speak unto him with lesse reverence then they would to a mor∣tall man, who is but a little their superiour. They call him Father, noting his love, which art in heaven, noting his power, as if they believed that their prayers should be granted, as being assured that God is both willing and able to grant their desires, and yet have no faith in God, and therefore call not up∣on him aright in whom they have not believed.

In the first place they beg the advancement of

Gods glory, as if that were more deare unto them then their own good; whereas in truth they have no zeal of Gods glory, but unto it preferre the obtein∣ing of any worldly and sinfull desire. They pray that his name may be sanctified, which they do daily pollute with their mouthes, and by their lives do cause it to be blasphemed. They desire that his kingdome may c•…•…me, and that his will may be done, as though they did first seek the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse, whereof indeed they have no studie or care, but are wholly addicted to worldly desires. They pray that the kingdome of grace may be advanced, and that God would rule and reigne in them by his Spirit according to his word; when they are in the number of those who say, We will not have this man to reigne over us, resisting the spirit, and casting the word behind their backs. They pray that the kingdome of glory may be hastened by the speedy coming of Christ unto judgement, and ye•…•…desire nothing lesse then the second coming of Christ. They desire that Gods will may be done, which themselves will not do. The will of God is their conversion and sanctification, that they should abstein from those sinnes whereunto they are more specially addicted: but though they know it to be the will of God that they should turn unto him, they will not turn; that they should leave their spe∣ciall sinnes, they will not leave them, as the drun∣kard his drunkennesse, the whoremaster his fornica∣tion, &c. and yet like egregious hypocrites do pray that they may do the will of God as it is done in heaven, that is, after an angelical manner, readily, chearful∣ly,

speedily, uprightly, faithfully, constantly, fully; when as in truth they do the will of God no other∣wise then the devils in hell, which howsoever in re∣spect of their intent rebell against the will of God, yet if you respect the event, they become (maugre their spite) the instruments to bring to passe that which God hath willed and decreed.

They crave bread at the hands of God, as if a small thing would content them, when they desire excesse of riches, neither can be satisfied with abun∣dance. They crave daily bread, or, as the word si∣gnifieth, such a portion of temporall blessings as God shall judge most expedient for them; as if they meant not to be their own carvers, but in these out∣ward things resigned themselves into the hands of God, and submitted themselves to his fatherly pro∣vidence, when they are such as have set down with themselves that they will be rich, 1. Tim. 6. and will come to great matters whether God give them good means or not, and will frame their own for∣tune. They beg for a day, as if they would depend upon God for tomorrow, & yet distrustfully hoard up for many yeares. They desire temporall things to be given them of God, and yet seek them by wic∣ked and unlawfull means.

They desire God to remit their sinnes, as if they repented of them; which they still retein, as if they did in mockery desire the Lord to forgive the sinnes which they will not forgo. Yea, they desire the Lord in hypocrisie so to forgive them their trespasses, as they forgive those that trespasse against them, when as they nourish hatred and a desire and purpose of re∣venge:

& so in stead of obteining mercy and forgive∣nesse at Gods hands, they call for the fierce wrath and vengeance of God to be executed upon them.

They desire that God will not lead them into ten∣tations, and yet themselves run into tentations, and seek occasions of evil. They desire that they may be delivered from evil, and yet wilfully go on in evil, and will not be reclaimed, as though they had made a covenant with hell.

They ascribe kingdome to the Lord, and yet will not obey him as his subjects; power, and yet neither fear nor trust in him; glory, & yet do not glorifie him

They subscribe to their prayers and say Amen, as though they unfeignedly desired and assuredly be∣lieved that their requests should be granted, when as they neither desire that which in hypocrisie they ask, nor believe the granting of that which with∣out faith they have begged. And finally, in all these requests they draw neare to the Lord with their mouth, and with their lips do honour him, but they re∣move their hearts farre from him, Isa. 29. 13.

It is evident therefore, that as the prayer of the righteous is acceptable to God as the evening sacri∣fice, Psal. 141. 2. so the prayer of the wicked is de∣testable unto him. Which may further be proved by expresse testimonies of the holy Scriptures. The sacrifice of the wicked, saith Solomon, is an abominati∣on to the Lord; but the prayer of the righteous is acce∣ptable unto him, Prov. 13. 9. and again, v. 29. The Lord is farre from the wicked, but he heareth the prayers of the righteous. The same doth David testifie Psal. 34. 15, 16. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,

and his eares are open to their crie: but the face and angry countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The man which had been blind, John 9. 31. deli∣vereth this as a received truth in the Church of the Jews: This we know, saith he, that God heareth not sin∣ners, that is, impenitent sinners: but if a man be a worshipper of God and doeth his will, him he heareth. Wherefore it is manifest, that the promises made to them that call upon God, are restrained and (as it were) appropriated to the godly. And therefore whosoever desireth to pray unto God with hope to be heard, must turn unto the Lord by repentance, and lay hold upon Christ by faith, unfeignedly pur∣posing amendment of life: For the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth unto it and is exalted, or set in safetie, Prov. 18. 10.

But it will be objected, That the promises are ge∣nerall;* 1.3 and therefore belonging to all they are not to be restrained to some. I answer, That they and all other promises of the Gospel are to be under∣stood with the condition of faith and repentance, which many times are expressed, and where they are not, they are alwayes to be understood, as re∣straining the promises to the faithfull. For whereas Joel saith, chap. 2. 30. that whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, our Saviour restrain∣eth it to the righteous, Matth. 7. 21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, (that is, which calleth upon me) shall enter into the kingdome of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven: and the Apostle, Rom. 10. 13, 14. to the faithfull;

But how shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? And whereas our Saviour saith, That whatsoever ye shall ask in my name the Father will grant it, John 16. 23. that also is restrained in the 1. epistle of John 3. 22. to the righteous; Whatsoe∣ver we ask we receive of him, because we keep his com∣mandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight. And so our Saviour, John 17. 7. If ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.

As for the wicked, the Lord denieth to heare them, though they cry loud in his eares, and make many prayers unto him: Isa. 1. 15. When ye spread forth your hands (saith the Lord to the impenitent Jews) I will hide mine eyes from you; ye•…•…, when ye make many prayers I will not heare: whom notwithstand∣ing upon their repentance he promiseth to heare and to receive into favour, v. 16, 17, 18. So in Ezek. 8. 18. Though they cry in mine •…•…ares with a loud voice, yet will I not heare them. Psal. 18. 41. & Micah 3. 4. They shall cry unto the Lord, but he will not heare them; he will even hide his face from them for their wicked∣nesse. Jer. 14. 12. When they fast I will not heare their cry. Neither doth he onely refuse to heare them, but the godly also praying for them, 1. Sam. 16. 1. Jer. 15. 1. Ezek. 14. 14, 20. and therefore forbid∣deth many times the godly to pray in their behalf, Jer. 14. 11. or if they do he protesteth that he will not heare them, Jer. 7. 16. and 11. 14. When as therefore impenitent sinners do call upon God and are not heard, let them not think that the Lord is not able to heare or help them. Behold, saith the

Prophet Isaiah, chap. 59. 1. the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor his eare heavy that he cannot heare; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he will not heare. And then he de∣scendeth to particulars: For this mercy of hearing our prayers is not onely denied unto ungodlinesse in generall, but also to particular sinnes; as contrari∣wise it is promised to particular graces, which being linked together in a golden chain, are each of them severall evidences of a true faith:

As first to Cruelty & Oppression, Isa. 1. 15. Though ye make many prayers I will not hearé, for your hands are full of bloud. And not to cruelty onely, but also to Unmercifulnes, & Want of pitie towards the poore: For, he that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore, shall cry himself and not be heard, Pro. 21. 13. Whereas contrariwise those that be mercifull shall find mercy with God, Matth. 5. 7. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am, Isa. 58. 9. If we love not in word and tongue alone, but in deed and truth, hereby we may have confidence before God, 1. John 3. 18, 19.

Secondly, to Want of love in forgiving offenses; and contrariwise: Mark 11. 25. When ye stand pray∣ing, forgive if ye have ought against any, that your Fa∣ther also which is in heaven may forgive you your tres∣passes. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Fa∣ther which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Thirdly, to the Not-hearing or hearkening to the word of God: For as we heare so we shall be heard; Prov. 28. 9. He that turneth away his eare from hearing

the law, his prayer shall be abominable. For as we speak unto the Lord in prayer, so the Lord speaketh unto us in the preaching of the word: and therefore good reason it is that if we will not heare the Lord when he speaketh unto us, he should not heare us when we speak unto him, as the Prophet Zacharie saith, chap. 7. 13. It is come to passe, that as he cried and they would not heare, so they cryed and I would not heare, saith the Lord. On the other side, If the word of Christ abide in us, we may ask what we will and it shall be granted us, John 15. 7. If men harden their hearts against the word of God, the wisdome of God hath threat∣ned not to heare them, Prov. 1. 24. He covereth him∣self with a cloud that our prayer should not passe through, Lam. 3. 44. But if men humble themselves before God and tremble at his word, being of humble and contrite hearts, the Lord hath promised to heare, Psal. 66. 2. and 34. 18. and 51. 17. The prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds, Ecclus 35. 17. If men choose not the fear of the Lord, the Lord will not heare them, Prov. 1. 28, 29. on the other side, He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him; he will also heare their cry and will save them, Psal. 145. 19.

Neither doth the Lord refuse to heare those alone who are open and notorious sinners, but those also which making outward profession of pietie do play the hypocrites: Job 27. 9. Will God heare the cry of the hypocrite when trouble cometh upon him? To which purpose there is a notable saying of David, Psal. 66. 18. If I regard wickednesse in my heart, saith he, the Lord will not heare me. Whereas contrariwise, if men would walk uprightly before God, he

would denie unto them nothing that is good, Psal. 84. 11.

Wherefore it behoveth every one that nameth the name of Christ to depart from iniquitie, 2. Tim. 2. 19. and to purge his hands from sinne, Jam 4. 8. and to wash them in innocencie, Psal. 26. that so he may without doubting lift up holy hands unto the Lord, 1. Tim. 2. 8. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, 2. Tim. 2. 22. Heb. 10. 22. with true hearts sprinkled from an evil consci∣ence: Mala conscientia januam nobis claudit, An evil conscience shutteth the gate against us, Calv. In∣stitut. 3. 20. 7. §.

But against this doctrine it may be objected, That* 1.4 the Lord many times heareth the wicked when they call upon him; and therefore that the promises made to prayer are not peculiar to the godly, but common to them with the wicked.

For answer hereunto we are to remember, That* 1.5 prayers are made unto God either for spirituall blessings belonging to a better life, or for tempo∣rall blessings apperteining to this corporall life. The former are peculiar to the children of God, as be∣longing to their inheritance, and are never bestowed on the wicked, who never have so much grace as truly to desire them; and therefore if they do at any time ask them, they do pray in hypocrisie, asking with their lips that which they do not desire with their hearts nor labour for in their lives.* 1.6

As for temporall benefits, I cannot deny but that the Lord many times in respect of them doth grant unto the wicked their hearts desire. But yet even in these also there is great difference betwixt the Lord

his hearing of the godly and the wicked. For in temporall matters the Lord heareth men either as a gracious and loving Father, or as a mercifull Cre∣atour, or as a severe Judge.

1. In speciall favour as a gracious Father in Christ he heareth his faithfull children, ever sub∣ordinating their good to his own glory; not alwayes satisfying their carnall or worldly desires, but al∣wayes granting their requests as shall be most for his glory and their spirituall and everlasting good: under which conditions our prayers for temporall blessings ought alwayes to be framed, and being so conceived they are ever granted.

2. As a mercifull Creatour the Lord heareth men crying unto him in their extremity: And thus he heareth all sorts of men, but especially the god∣ly: for he is the saviour, that is, the preserver, of all men, but chiefly of the faithfull, 1. Tim. 4. 10. The godly have a promise of deliverance when they call upon God; Psal. 50. 14, 15. and 145. 19. and 91. 15. and 34. 17, 19. So have not the wicked; Psal. 51. 16. and 18. 41. Yea, in many places, as ye have heard, he threatneth that when they cry unto him in their trouble he will not heare them. The affliction and deliverance of the godly do both turn to their sin∣gular good; Rom. 8. 28. and being delivered they glorifie God, consulting with themselves what to render unto the Lord for his benefits, and taking the cup of salvation, that is, of thanksgiving for their salvation and deliverance; Psal. 116. 12, 13. The wicked not being bettered by their affliction, are many times delivered according to their desire, the

Lord giving them over as incorrigible: Isa. 1. 5. Jer. 2. 30. and when they are delivered they seek not to glorifie God, nor repent of their sinnes, but re∣turn to their vomit, making shew of repentance no longer then the hand of God is upon them: And so both their affliction and deliverance (through their own default) turneth to their ruine. Notwithstand∣ing deliverance out of affliction when men cry un∣to God is a common benefit, the Lord hearing and delivering men of all sorts as a mercifull Creatour and Preserver, as is testified Psal. 107. where it is often repeated, that divers sorts of men when they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, he doth deliver them out of their distresse. But because many are unthankfull, th•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ghost doth as oft repeat this exclamation, O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his good∣nesse, and declare the wonders which he doth for the sonnes of men. For though the Lord doth hate the wic∣ked in respect of their sinnes, and therefore many times doth refuse to heare and to deliver them; yet he loveth them as his creatures, and therefore some∣times as a mercifull Creatour he doth deliver them: And thus he promiseth to heare the cry of the poore, the fatherlesse, and the widow, because he is mercifull; Exod. 22. 23, 27. Psal. 22. 24. And how∣soever the cry of men in distresse cannot many times besaid to be a prayer, but onely that voice which the extremity of their grief expresseth from them, yet it is vox creaturae clamantis ad Creatorem, the voice of the creature crying to the Creatour; and the Lord as a mercifull Creatour heareth the same. So he is said to have heard the cry of the child Ishmael,

Gen. 21. 17. And thus also he heareth the cry of the young ravens, and lions, and of the rest of the crea∣tures, giving them their sood in due season, Psal. 147. 9. and 104. 21, 27, 28. and 145. 15. Which I do the rather note for the comfort of the faithfull: For if the Lord doth heare the cry not onely of carnall men but also of those creatures which want reason, yea sometimes of the devil himself, Mark 8. 12. Job 1. and 2. how shall he not heare the cry of his own children?

3. As a severe Judge the Lord heareth the wic∣ked,* 1.7 granting unto them temporall things in his wrath, which it were better for them to want. Thus he granted flesh to the impenitent Israelites, & fed them with quails: but while the flesh was bet•…•…een their teeth he struck them with a grievous plague, and they were burned in Kibroth-hattaavah, that is, the graves of lust, Num. 11. 31. So in his anger, when they would needs have a king, he granted a king unto them, 1. Sam. 8. 7. Hos. 13. 11. And thus when worldlings, whose hearts are wholly ad∣dicted to earthly things, desiring and begging them, the Lord in his anger giveth them over to their own lusts, and satisfieth their desire, giving them their portion in this life, Psal. 17. 14. where they receive their good things, Luke 16. 25. and all the consolation they are to look for, Luke 6. 24. whereas to them that first seek Gods kingdome and his righteousnesse, he doth not onely give that which principally they seek; but also by way of advantage over and besides he giveth them temporall blessings as shall be most convenient for them.

So that in spirituall things the wicked are not heard, but the godly. In temporall when he seem∣eth to denie the request of the godly, he heareth them in speciall mercie, though not ad voluntatem, yet ad utilitatem, not to their will but profit: and when he seemeth to grant the prayer of the wicked,* 1.8 he heareth them in judgement, ad voluntatem, though not ad utilitatem, to their will not their pro∣fit; impiis concedens iratus quae piis negat propitius, granting in his wrath that to the wicked which in his mercy he denieth to the godly.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Isa. 59 1, 2. John 9. 31.
• * 1.2

  That the impenitent is not able truly to utter any petition in the Lords Prayer.
• * 1.3

  That all pro∣mises are li∣mited with the conditi∣on of faith and repen∣tance.
• * 1.4

  Object.
• * 1.5

  Answ. God heareth not the wic∣ked for spiri∣tuall bles∣sings.
• * 1.6

  That God often hear∣eth the wic∣ked for tem∣porall bene∣fits; and how.
• * 1.7

  God hear∣eth the wic∣ked as a se∣vere Judge.
• * 1.8

  August. ad Probam, E∣pist. 121.