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. XXXIV. Of Deprecation. (Book 34)

NOw followeth Deprecation, which is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The evil which we do deprecari, that is, desire either to be delivered from, whether in whole, ut avertatur, that it may be averted, or in part, ut mitigetur, that it may be mitigated if it be upon us; or to be kept and preserved therefrom if we be in any danger thereof, ut antevertatur, that it may be prevented, is either the evil of sinne or the evil of punishment. In the former we pray that our sinnes may be removed and taken away, that is, that we may be delivered either from the guilt of sinne, which is our justification; or from the fault and* 1.1 corruption, which is our sanctification.

In prayer for the forgivenesse of sinne these things specially are required: First, in the action it self, confession of sinnes. And of this Augustine speaketh excellently: Hortatur nos saepius Scriptura ad medicamenta fugere confessionis: Non quòd Deus indigeat confessione nostrâ, &c. The Scripture doth

often exhort us to flee to the medicine of confessi∣on, not that God needeth our confession, unto whom all things are present which we think, speak and do; but because we cannot otherwise be saved unlesse we confesse penitently that which we have done amisse negligently. He that accuseth himself in his sinnes, the devil hath not whereof to accuse him in the day of judgement. If at least confessing he do by repent∣ing blot out what he hath done, and doth not again renew them, &c. Let the sinner whilest he liveth confesse the sinnes which he hath committed, be∣cause confession is fruitlesse in hell, neither doth re∣pentance there profit to salvation. Behold, now is the day of salvation, now is the time acceptable to God; now is the time of pardon to the penitent: but after death there will be a time of vengeance for those that ne∣glect to confesse their sinnes. For all wicked men have bitter repentance in torments, but it doth not profit thē for pardon: but their conscience tortureth them for the increase of their pains which they suf∣fer, &c. All hope of pardon consisteth in confessi∣on. So Ad fratres in Eremo, Serm. 30. O homo, nè tardes converti ad Deum, &c. O man, saith he, do not delay to turn unto God. Examine thy mind, search all the secrets of thy heart; consider before thou comest to confession that thy heart hath sinned in coveting evil things, thine eye in beholding vani∣ty, thy mouth in speaking falshood, thine eare in hearing lies, thy hand in perpetrating blows and murders, &c. Let therefore thine heart grieve, thine eye weep, thy mouth pray without intermissi∣on, thine eare heare the word of God, thine hand

give alms, &c. thy feet come to Church, thy knees bow and labour, &c. And do not deferre it: For God hath promised pardon to the penitent, but he hath not promised life till to morrow to him that delayeth it.

Thus much Augustine.

Now this confession is both profitable and neces∣sary. It hath the promise of forgivenesse: So to the hiding of our sinnes is pardon denied, 1. John 1. 8, 9. If we deny our sinnes, we deceive our selves, and there is no truth in us; but we bewray our selves to be hypocrites: If we confesse our sinnes, he is faithfull and just to forgive our sinnes, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse. Prov. 28. 13. He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper; but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. We see this verified in the exam∣ple of David: For while he concealed his sinne, the hand of the Lord was heavy upon him to afflict him, Psal. 32. 3, 4. but when he confessed and acknowledged his iniquity, the Lord forgave him his sinne, vers. 5. Assoon as David reproved by Nathan confessed his sinne, the Prophet presently assureth him that his sinne was forgiven, 2. Sam. 12.

Now this confession is to be made of unknown* 1.2 sinnes generally, Psal. 19. 13. of known sinnes particularly, together with the aggravating circum∣stances, Psal. 51. 4, 5. and in both we are freely to acknowledge what we have deserved for the same, Ezra 9. 6, 7. Dan. 9. 4, 5. that judging our selves we may not be judged of the Lord, 1. Cor. 11. 31. and that the Lord when he judgeth may be justified, Psal. 51. 4. To which purpose we are to abhorre our selves in dust and ashes, Job 42. 6. and to behave our

selves before the Lord as Benhadad and his fol∣lowers before Ahab the King of Israel, 1. Kings 20. 31. And that this confession may be made ac∣cordingly,* 1.3 we are in our preparation both to try and examine ourselves by the law of God, to find out our sinnes which we are seriously to confesse, Lam. 3. 40, 41. and also labour that we may see and feel our miserie in respect of them, that labouring and being wearied under the burden of them, we may out of an humble and contrite soul poure out our supplications unto the Lord. The neglect whereof is reproved Jer. 8. 6.

And that we may obtein forgivenesse we are also* 1.4 to come in charitie, being as desirous to forgive our brethren that have offended us as we desire to be forgiven of the Lord, Matth. 6, 14, 15. See Ecclus 28. 2, 3. 1. Tim. 2. 8. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, without wrath. And likewise we are to repent of those sinnes the pardon whereof we desire: For that is pretended in our asking forgivenesse, that is, both to be sorie for our sinne past, and to promise and purpose unfeignedly amendment for the time to come.

And both these duties of charity and repentance are likewise to be practiced in our lives after we have craved forgivenesse at the hands of God. For as touching the dutie of charity in forgiving others; If after we have desired forgivenesse, and in our conceit have obteined pardon, if we deal unmerci∣fully with our brother, whom we will not forgive, it will be an evidence against us that our sinnes in∣deed were not pardoned, Matth. 18. 23, to 35.

And for the other duty of repentance; A man can∣not have assurance of the forgivenesse of his sinne which he doth continue in: For God doth not re∣mit the sinnes which we our selves retein; He that confesseth and forsaketh his sinne shall have mercy, Prov. 28. 13.

And as we are to pray for the forgivenesse of sinne or taking away of the guilt, so we must also pray that we may be delivered from the corru∣ptions and preserved against tentations alluring unto sinne for the time to come. And as we are to pray against corruptions and tentations, so must we in our lives strive and fight against our corru∣ptions and resist tentations, avoyding also occasions of evil; otherwise how can we ask that of the Lord which we our selves will not yield unto in our practice.

So much of prayer against malum culpae, the* 1.5 evil of sinne. There is also prayer against ma∣lum poenae, the evil of punishment, both spiritu∣all and temporall and also eternall. The spiri∣tuall is, when God doth punish sinne with sinne, blinding the eyes of men, and hardening their hearts, and giving them over to a reprobate sense. The temporall, when God doth either for cha∣stisement, or triall, or punishment, afflict men with the afflictions and calamities of this life: against which sort this kind of deprecation is most usuall. Psalmus 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Nè perdas; Psal. 57, 58, 59, 75.

But in this kind of prayer especially we must wholly submit and resigne our selves unto the good will and pleasure of God, who knoweth what is

good for us better then our selves; with patience and comfort to bear what it shall please God to lay upon us, after the example of David, 2. Sam. 15. 26. and of our Saviour, Matth. 26. 39, 42. For herein especially that is verified Rom. 8. that we* 1.6 know not what to ask. For to be afflicted is not simply evil, but contrariwise worketh for the good of them that are afflicted, Rom. 8. 28. Insomuch that David professeth that it had been good for him that he had been afflicted, Psal. 119. 71. and Jeremy, Lam. 3. 27. yea, David pronounceth the man blessed whom the Lord doth chastise and nurture in his law, Psal. 94. 12.

Deprecation of calamities is often joyned with La∣mentations particularly bewayling their state, and Expostulations. Example of the former in the La∣mentations of Jeremie. Expostulations are vehe∣ment interrogations of the afflicted expressed from their grief, whereby they expostulate with God concerning the greatnesse or continuance of their afflictions, Psal. 22. 1.

But here we must take heed that our expostula∣tion be a lively fruit of a strong faith, lest perhaps it do degenerate into open murmuring and repining against God: David, Psal. 22. 1. and our Saviour Christ being assured that the Lord is his God, and therefore calling him, My God, my God, expostu∣lateth with him why, being his God, he had forsaken him. So much of Petition or Prayer.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of confessi∣on of our sinnes, and that it is most profi∣table and necessary. Dè confessio∣ne peccat. Serm. 66. De Tempo•…•….
• * 1.2

  How this confession is to be made.
• * 1.3

  That exami∣nation should go before con∣fession.
• * 1.4

  Charity and repentance required be∣fore confes∣sion, and after.
• * 1.5

  Of prayer against the evil of pu∣nishment.
• * 1.6

  Vide Aug. •…•…pist. 121.