Holy rules and helps to devotion both in prayer and practice In two parts. The fourth edition. Written by the right reverend father in God, Bryan Duppa, late Lord Bishop of Winton, in the time of his sequestration.

THE fourth Excellency of Prayer goes hand in hand with the former; for where Gods Kingdom comes, there must be a perfect sub∣mission to his Will, which cannot be more effectually done than by the means of that Homage which we do to God in Prayer. For by Prayer we not only obtain, but exercise that Obedience which is better than Sacri∣fice; we strip and divest our selves of our own Will, and give our selves entire∣ly up to the Will of God, whom we pray unto. And from hence it is, that the Fathers say of fervent Pray∣er, that it makes us live in

the flesh, as if we were out of it, that it dis-intangles and unlooseth the Soul from the Ties and Fetters of the body, and equals us unto the An∣gels: For as they stand in the presence of God ready to execute his Commands, with∣out either delay or weariness; so Prayer puts us into the like posture with those Angels, and quickens us unto the O∣bedience of doing the Will of God in earth, as it is done in Heaven.

But that you may not think that all the treasure and riches of Prayer are on∣ly in things invisible, there is a fifth Excellency in Prayer, in that it procures for us our daily bread, which as it

hath reference to our body in such things as concern our nourishment; so it reacheth besides to the spiritual Re∣fection of our Souls: For by Prayer (saith St. Bernard) we are stored with three sorts of bread; the bread of Truth, for the Understanding; the bread of Divine Love and Charity, for the Will; and in the last place, that grosser and more earthly bread fitted for the sustaining of our weaker nature. These be the three Loaves which Christ in his Parable encourageth us to ask for, and never to give o∣ver our importunity, till we obtain them; for obtain them we shall, and our Pray∣ers, if fervent, cannot be de∣nied.

Imagine therefore (saith Climacus) that you say Pray∣er is a Queen, seated on her Throne, calling out to you in the words of our Saviour, Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you that refreshing as shall lighten your weight, and ease your weariness: For with∣out me the burthen of the Law is heavy, but with me it is light; without me the exercise of Re∣pentance is bitter, but with me it is sweet; without me the Cross is insupportable to be born, but with me the Crown of Thorns shall be as easie as a Crown of Roses.

Christ is the Bread of Life, but the means to make this Bread nourish you, is

Prayer: By Prayer you re∣ceive Christ into your me∣mory, and ruminate upon him in your Meditations: By Prayer your Affections tastes and relisheth this Bread, and your love incor∣porates it. Whatever there∣fore your necessities are, fly to Prayer: If this spiritual Bread be wanting, and you hunger and thirst after it, pray and you shall be satis∣fied. Or if the food of your Body fails you, and poverty lays hold upon you as an armed man; fall to your Prayers again, and be sure that he who hears the young Ravens when they call upon him, will much more hear you who have the honour,

not only to be his Creatures, but his Sons.

Thus far the Excellency of Prayer is in opening Hea∣ven to us, from whence all Blessings come: We are now to look upon it as the Key that shuts up Hell, and keeps all evil from us, which is of three sorts:

• 1. Evil of Sin.
• 2. Evil of Temptation, that leads to sin.
• 3. Evil of Punishment for sin.

Against these three, Prayer is the Remedy, and first a∣gainst sin already contract∣ed: For how came the Pub∣lican justified, but by a short and humble Prayer? What moved and softned the heart

of the Father of the Prodi∣gal Son to such a tenderness? Was it not his Prayer, Fa∣ther, I have sinned against Hea∣ven, and against thee? The Debt of Ten thousand Ta∣lents, which the Servant ow∣ed the King, was no slight ordinary sum, yet a few Words of Prayer had vertue enough to cancel that great Debt. And because there is a condition required, of par∣doning the Trespasses done against us, if we look for par∣don of our Trespasses against God, Prayer helps you in the fulfilling of this condition too; and though your hearts be as hard as Iron, Prayer is of the nature of Fire, and is able to soften that Iron,

and melt you into that com∣passion toward your enemies, as to pray for them with the same earnestness as you do for your selves.

But then when our past sins are pardoned, where shall we find a Remedy against future Temptations? Our Saviour tells you where, when he saith to his Disci∣ples, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, If the fire of Lust begin to kindle in your hearts, Pray∣er can extinguish that fire. Or if a whole Sea of worldly Afflictions breaks in upon you, Prayer can set a Bank to that Sea. If you are com∣passed about with Enemies, Temptations on all sides,

and are ready to be swallow∣ed up by them, remember that Moses's Prayer prevailed more against Amalek, than Ioshuah's Arms.

And then again in the close, as Prayer hath the na∣ture of a Charm, to keep Temptations from you; so when by Humane Weakness and the Arts of the Tempter, you are led into them, Pray∣er is as the thread to bring you out of this Labyrinth: Or when you have unwarily taken in the poison of sin, Prayer is the Antidote a∣gainst the venom of it, it doth not only remove the guilt, but the evil of Pu∣nishment which is due to it,

whether it be in this Life, or in the next. And of this David was very sensible, when he cryes out in a kind of Extasie of Thankfulness, Blessed be God which hath not * 1.1 cast out my Prayer, nor turned his Mercy from me: Intima∣ting by this (as St. Austin un∣derstands the words) that there is a kind of Contract or Bargain made between Prayer on Man's part, and Mercy on God's: That where Prayer led the way, Mercy should always follow.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. lxvl. 13.