The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carryed on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...

Inference. 3.

Did Christ go to God thrice upon the same account,* 1.1 thence learn, That Christians should not be discouraged, though they have sought God once and again; and no answer of peace comes. Christ was not heard the first time. And he goes a second; he was not answered the second, he goes the third, and last time, yet was not answered in the thing he desired, viz. that the cup might pass from him, and yet he hath no hard thoughts of God, but resolves his will into his Fathers. If God deny you in the things you ask, he deals no otherwise with you, than he did with Christ. O my God (saith he) I cry in the day-time, but thou hearest not, and in the night, and am not silent. Yet he justi∣fies God, but thou art holy. Psal. 22.2. Christ was not heard in the thing he desired, and yet heard in that he feared. Heb 5.7. The cup did not pass as he desired, but God upheld him, and enabled him to drink it. He was heard as to support, he was not heard as to exemption from sufferings, his will was exprest conditionally,

and therefore though he had not the thing he so desired; yet his will was not crossed by the denial. But now when we have a suit depending before the throne of grace, and cry to God once and again, and so answer comes. How do our hands hang down? and our spirits wax feeble!

Then we complain with the Church, Lam. 3.8. When I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer, thou coverest thy self with a cloud, that our prayers cannot pass through. Then with Ionah we conclude we are cast out of his sight. Alas! we judge by sence, according to what we see and feel, and cannot live by faith on God, when he seems to hide himself, put us off, and refuse our requests. It calls for an Abrahams faith, to believe against hope, giving glory to God. If we cry, and no answer comes presently, our carnal reason draws a headlong, 'hasty conclusion; sure I must expect no answer. God is angry with my prayers. The seed of prayer hath lain so long under the clods, and it appears not, sure∣ly it's lost, I shall hear no more of it.

Our prayers may be heard, though their answer be for present suspended. As David acknowledged when he cooly considered the matter, Psal. 31.22. I said in my hast, I am cut off from before thine eyes; nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my sup∣plication, when I cried unto thee, No, no, Christian; a prayer sent up in faith according to the will of God, cannot be lost; though it be delaid. We may say of it as David said of Sauls sword, and Ionathans bow; that they never return empty.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Infer. 3.