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.

Of Preparation to Prayer, and the Helps that con∣duce to it.

THough Prayer may well be reckoned amongst those gifts which are not of Earthly race, but rather im∣mediate Emanations from the Father of Lights; yet this doth not exclude the pre∣paring and disposing our selves for the receiving this Gift from Heaven, accord∣ing to that Counsel of the Son of Sirach, Before thou prayest, prepare thy self, and be * 1.1 not as one that tempts the Lord,

For what is it to tempt God, but to come into his pre∣sence with less regard than you would into the presence of some earthly Prince? What is it to tempt him, but to try experiments with him, whether he will hear you upon any terms, though you neither prepare your self, nor order the manner, nor dis∣pose the matter which you petition for. But be not de∣ceived, Heaven is not gained at so cheap a rate: Qua∣lem ie paraveris Deo (saith St. Bernard) talis apparebit tibi Deus; If you slight God so far as to come carelesly into his presence, without consi∣deration of what you come about, be sure he will slight

you as much, and regard your Prayers as little. David, * 1.2 who was a great Master in this heavenly Art of Prayer, tells us, that God hears the desires of the humble, he hearkens to the prepara∣tion of the heart; he hears your desires before they are molded and formed into Prayers, and he listens to the very preparations of those desires, he cherisheth them, he goes along with them, he leaves them not, till you can say as that Di∣vine Prophet did, My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready. For as the Knife must be sharpened before you cut with it, and the Lute tuned before you begin the Mu∣sick;

so there is something to be done, some tuning of the heart required, before your Prayers can yield that Musick which God listens after. It is an excellent Rule which Eusebius Emissenus gives, Quantum Tu apposueris ad diligentiam, tantum Deus addit ad Gratiam: The more care you take in fitting your self to your Devotions, the more Grace he gives. Elias * 1.3 was to prepare the Sacrifice; though the Fire was to come from Heaven which did consume it. To come therefore unprepared before him, is an Argument, (say the Fathers) that we do not esteem God, we do not set such a Rate upon him as we

ought to do: For if the Vir∣gins, before they were brought into the presence of Ahasuerus, were to be purified first with * 1.4 sweet Oyls and Odours, what an impudence were it for a foul unwashed Soul to press into the presence of God himself?

But then if you would know more punctually wherein this Preparation consists, your spiritual Guide will tell you: There are some Rules more remote, some more immediate; of the re∣mote, the main is a watchful∣ness over the whole course of your life: For if the Devil or∣der his Temptations with a de∣sign in chief to blast and cor∣rupt your Prayers, your care

must be the greater to coun∣termine him in this design; and to live so (as far as hu∣mane frailty will give way) as not to be at any time un∣qualified, or unfit to pray. To compass this, there will be a need first of temperance in Diet; for the body once heavy with Excess and Sur∣feits, hangs plummets on the nobler part, and weighs the Soul down with it. This being done, there will be use of setting a guard upon your Senses, and stopping the Avenues so far as nothing may from without be admit∣ted to divert you, as Elias is * 1.5 observ'd to have wrap'd his Face in a Mantle, when he prepared himself to speak

with God. To this must be added, the frequent reading of Books, especially the Book of Psalms, where the Spirit of Devotion breaths with such a vigor as is able to kindle a fire in the coldest breast, to stir up and excite the drousiest Soul, which be∣ing thus awaked and heated, may be more easily prepared to break forth in fervent Prayer.

But then if we come to the more immediate Disposi∣tions and Qualifications of Prayer, we shall be pointed to them by our Saviour, who gives this main Rule of private Prayer, When thou prayest, enter into thy Closet, * 1.6 and when thou hast shut the

door, pray to the Father which is in secret: Wherein you are not only directed to the place of Prayer, you are to chuse a place private and retired; but further, (as the Fathers observe) you are put in mind of a more inner Re∣tirement, the Closet of your breast, for there you must enter too, and shut that door by some setled Resolution, to admit no thoughts that may disturb you; for other∣wise there may be noise and tumult in that inward Clo∣set, when there is Quiet and Silence in the other. But then this is not all; but as the place must be secret, the door shut, so the room must be furnished: For as our Sa∣viour

would not eat the Pass∣over in an unfurnished room, * 1.7 but sent Peter and Iohn first to prepare it, so there is a Furniture necessary for this little Chappel of ours, the Heart. There must be Faith to prepare the Materials, and there must be Love to kindle the Sacrifice. But then after all this, Remember that there is no Preparative more effectual to Prayer, than Prayer it self. For as the Sun in its approaches to us, is ushered in by its own beams, and begins the dawn∣ing; so in our approaches to God, Prayer must make way for Prayer. For though the severe Judges of the Areopage would admit of no Civili∣ties

of Preface to be used by them that pleaded before them, yet God deals not so harshly with us, when we plead before him, but is con∣tent to let himself down to be wrought upon by the Rhetorick of a devout Soul. This David knew well, who so frequently makes use of it: Sometimes with all low∣liness, suing for admittance; O let my Prayer enter into Thy * 1.8 presence. Let it be set forth in Thy sight as the Incense: Let the lifting up of mine hands be as an evening Sacrifice. Hear * 1.9 the voice of my humble Petiti∣ons, when I cry unto Thee, when I hold up my hands towards the Mercy-Seat of Thy Holy Tem∣ple. Sometimes after a more

passionate way: How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? * 1.10 For ever? How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me? How long shall I seek counsel in my Soul, and so vexed in my heart? Hear me, O God; make haste to hear me: Think no scorn of * 1.11 me; for if Thou makest as if Thou hearest not, I shall become like them that go down into the Pit. With these, or such as these, the devout Soul sum∣mons God to a Parley, pleads for Admittance, opens the Windows of Heaven, quali∣fies her self to receive Grace, and works God to a readiness in giving it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eccles. xvlli. 22.
• * 1.2

  Lam. iii. 44.
• * 1.3

  1 Kings xviii.
• * 1.4

  Esther ii. 12.
• * 1.5

  1 Kings XIX. 13.
• * 1.6

  Matth. vi. 6.
• * 1.7

  Mark XIV. 15.
• * 1.8

  Psalm lxxxvili. l. Cxli. 2,
• * 1.9

  xxviii. 2.
• * 1.10

  xiii. 1, 2.
• * 1.11

  xxviii. 1.